Local

With his rich baritone and interpretive skills, singer Ken Norris can growl out a desperate plea for love one moment, scat swingingly the next, all the time making it look so effortless. It’s like seeing the soaring spire and not thinking about how deep the foundations are. Norris has been concerned with foundations for a long time now, ever since he graduated from Yale with an architectural degree in his hand. A member of the college’s famed Redhot & Blue jazz ensemble, Norris always knew he would put music ahead of architecture. For him the study was more a “blueprint for life. The wonderful thing about studying architecture are all the sub-disciplines you also study: math, material, color, history of art, physics. It was the perfect preparation for a modern urban lifestyle, and it prepared me to be critical of my environment. And I was always looking for parallels between it and music: the qualities of volume and space and texture.”
It was architecture that brought him to Paris, but music that kept him here. “After I left Yale, France was the logical choice for me. I already spoke the language and was fascinated by Gothic architecture. Every opportunity I get, I go out to Beauvais, Laon, Senlis, Chartres, to see the great Gothic cathedrals surrounding Paris.” During the eight years he’s been here, he has devoted himself to all types of music: sacred, contemporary, improvisational, gospel, jazz. “Diversity’s important in life. It’s essential to being a well-rounded musician and person. It never occurred to me that I’d have to do the same kind of music all my life!” He even does house. “House music is so great! It’s music people can dance to, it makes people happy, and the voice is still at the heart of the composition. There’s rich, rich collaboration in this domain. It keeps me young!” Which is a good thing because he’s got a lot coming up including an opera by François Ribac, a multi-media Sarah Vaughn project, and bringing out a jazz album with his quartet, featuring Pierre Bertrand on piano. The quartet will be at the wonderfully retro supper club, Opus, on December 7.
Opus, 167, quai de Valmy, 10e, Mº Louis Blanc, tel: 01.40.34.70.00, 10pm.





	music \| dance \| theater \| artNews

	local \| events
Ken Norris		Local Scene by Tim Baker Ken Norris' architecture of music With his rich baritone and interpretive skills, singer Ken Norris can growl out a desperate plea for love one moment, scat swingingly the next, all the time making it look so effortless. It’s like seeing the soaring spire and not thinking about how deep the foundations are. Norris has been concerned with foundations for a long time now, ever since he graduated from Yale with an architectural degree in his hand. A member of the college’s famed Redhot & Blue jazz ensemble, Norris always knew he would put music ahead of architecture. For him the study was more a “blueprint for life. The wonderful thing about studying architecture are all the sub-disciplines you also study: math, material, color, history of art, physics. It was the perfect preparation for a modern urban lifestyle, and it prepared me to be critical of my environment. And I was always looking for parallels between it and music: the qualities of volume and space and texture.” It was architecture that brought him to Paris, but music that kept him here. “After I left Yale, France was the logical choice for me. I already spoke the language and was fascinated by Gothic architecture. Every opportunity I get, I go out to Beauvais, Laon, Senlis, Chartres, to see the great Gothic cathedrals surrounding Paris.” During the eight years he’s been here, he has devoted himself to all types of music: sacred, contemporary, improvisational, gospel, jazz. “Diversity’s important in life. It’s essential to being a well-rounded musician and person. It never occurred to me that I’d have to do the same kind of music all my life!” He even does house. “House music is so great! It’s music people can dance to, it makes people happy, and the voice is still at the heart of the composition. There’s rich, rich collaboration in this domain. It keeps me young!” Which is a good thing because he’s got a lot coming up including an opera by François Ribac, a multi-media Sarah Vaughn project, and bringing out a jazz album with his quartet, featuring Pierre Bertrand on piano. The quartet will be at the wonderfully retro supper club, Opus, on December 7. Opus, 167, quai de Valmy, 10e, Mº Louis Blanc, tel: 01.40.34.70.00, 10pm.