Ute Lemper's new album 'Pirate Jenny' celebrates the music of legendary composer Kurt Weill

On this episode of The Art of the Story, Ute Lemper talks about her new album Pirate Jenny which celebrates the music of legendary composer Kurt Weill

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
I Doug Duel with the art of the story speak.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Who You Speak, Love How Summer Day? Who revers Away
to Soon.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
To Sue Speak Glove. International star singer and actress Uta Lempa,
her career is vast and varied. The German born performer,
who has now lived in New York City for many years,
has made her mark on the stage, in films, in concerts,

(00:50):
and as a unique recording artist. Lempa has been universally
praised for her interpretations of Berlin cabaret songs and the
works of Kurt Weil and many others, as well as
their own compositions. Utah's portrayals and musicals and plays on
Broadway in Paris, Berlin and in London's West End have
also thrilled audiences. Now, Utah Lempa is out with a

(01:14):
new album, Pirate Jenny, celebrating the music of the late
great composer Kurt Vile for his one hundred and twenty
fifth birthday. Lampa stresses she wants to make sure everyone
is exposed to Vile's brilliant.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
To keep the music of Vile alive, and to keep
his heritage alive, his legacy alive, and yeah so here
I am many many years later, still speaking about it,
about the political context, about the incredibly progressive dimension of music,
the fantastic stories of fantastic characters, outcasts, anti heroes, different people, rebels,

(01:53):
people who are want to overthrow the establishment. And yes,
just check out my YouTube video of mc thea Knife
and you get the vibe of it. The new maca
Knife reimagined.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
The fish, Oh the sharkcast pretty Tea and.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
He shows them pally way.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Ut Lumpa became a jazz fan when she was just
a teenager.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
So yes, my real love for music, and you're, you know,
start talking about like listening to what I listened to
as a young adult, like in the seventies eighties was
was jazz music and the traditional jazz the more at
the time of On Guard Jazz, Miles Stay, and I
loved later on Jonny Mitchell and l Jiro who was

(03:04):
discovered in Germany at the time in Hamburg. And yes,
that was the music I was feeling the most physically
and emotionally in my body.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Utulampa will perform at fifty four Below in New York
City on May twenty seventh and twenty ninth. You can
see my entire interview with her on the WBGO Facebook
page and the WBGO YouTube channel. I'm Doug Doyle, WBGO
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