 PreviousNext UNDER-APPRECIATED ROCK BAND OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY 2012: JA JA JA It is not hard to see what attracted me to the sole album by Ja Ja Ja: The cover shows an abstract drawing of a Tyrannosaurus rex squaring off against a steam shovel. I had never thought of the resemblance before this, but there definitely is one here. There is also the back-cover shot of what I took to be three fresh-faced German kids. There is nothing about Ja Ja Ja in Allmusic or Wikipedia, but there is a Facebook fan page (see http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116444666173 ) and some other stuff about them on the Internet, so I was quite surprised to find that their front-woman Julie Jigsaw (real name: Julie Ann Ashcraft) isn’t German at all: She is originally from Dallas, Texas. “I Am an Animal” is one song that really sticks in my memory. I also like “Mom”, where the singer is answering her mom about: “When’re you comin’ home, when’re you comin’ home, when’re you comin’ back home?” I thought it was just about a girl who had gone off to college or something, but once I realized that Julie had made her way from Dallas to Germany, it made more sense. Julie Jigsaw moved to New York in 1980, where she started her first band Group of Trees. After soaking up a lot of musical influences, including the thriving punk/new wave and hip hop scenes in New York in the very early 1980’s, she ran into an album by German band Der Plan called Geri Reig. (She was attracted by the cover – as I often am myself – which had a robot Baby Jesus on it). Der Plan was an early synth pop band and one of the innovators of the scene that became known as Neue Deutsche Welle (“German New Wave”). She began a correspondence with Der Plan lead singer Moritz R. and got herself invited to Dusseldorf, where she stayed in the guest room at Ata Tak Records recording studios, downstairs from Der Plan bandmembers Kurt Dahlke (a/k/a Pyrolator) and Frank Fenstermacher. Julie Jigsaw was recognized as having a natural talent, and Kurt Dahlke introduced her to two friends of his, Frank Samba (drums) and Wietn Wito (bass), who became the other two members of Ja Ja Ja. They had a jam session during their first night together, where Julie sang improvised lyrics; she also played harmonica, percussion and trumpet. The best parts were edited into their first single “Die Wahrheit” (“The Truth”), which appeared on a 1982 German compilation album called Alles oder Nichts (“All or Nothing”). Several days later, they had laid down two more tracks, “Katz Rap” (“Cat Rap”) and “Mom”; these were released in 1982 as their first single on Ata Tak Records. This earned Ja Ja Ja and Julie Jigsaw recognition as the first female rapper in Europe. (“Katz Rap” came out the year after Blondie’s pioneering single “Rapture” was released). A later single called “Graffiti Artists International” was the first song in Europe to talk about graffiti artists. Mel Jefferson was the engineer for the Ja Ja Ja music; he later worked with the Sugarcubes and Björk. The combination of musical influences that Julie Jigsaw brought over from America, coupled with what was happening then in Germany, creates a dense musical stew that was rarely seen until well into the 1990’s. There is also a playful spirit and a lightheartedness in the music – even when the themes are serious – that is all too rare in pop music. The name Ja Ja Ja – “ja” of course is German for “yes” – was picked because there were three bandmembers, and they each deserved a “yes”. Apparently Julie Jigsaw had already written a poem based upon her long philosophical discussions with the guys in Der Plan that later became the lyrics to their song “Ja! Ja! Ja!”. Remember, the Berlin Wall was still up back then, and Julie Jigsaw’s wanderlust took her all over the country. The tension she felt in East Berlin and West Berlin, and the resentment of many young people at what they felt to be “occupation” by American military bases (sound familiar?) inspired the lyrics to “Habt Nicht Mehr Angst” (“Have No More Fear”). With guest musician Henry Scott III (who also worked in the studio with Ja Ja Ja), the band toured extensively in Europe and New York; their concerts at New York’s Danceteria were well received, with Melle Mel from old-school rap legends Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in enthusiastic attendance. Prominent DJ John Peel played one of their songs on BBC Radio in 1982. Besides her work with Ja Ja Ja, Julie Jigsaw wrote the lyrics and provided vocals on a track by Austrian musician Xao Seffcheque called “Julie in Germany”. The song was released on another 1982 compilation album called Klar und Wahr – Sounds Rettet Deutschland (“Clear and True – Sounds Rescue Germany”). The poems Julie Jigsaw wrote in Germany and others that she had previously written in New York became the lyrics for the band’s songs, and she also wrote most of the melodies. However, she generously shared the songwriting credits three ways with the other two bandmembers. Thus, when Wietn Wito told her that he was going to take the band in a progressive-jazz direction with new songs he had written and then tried to dictate what she would play and sing from then on, she became disillusioned and moved back to New York in 1983. Julie Jigsaw immediately became involved in the hip hop scene in New York and also became a graffiti artist, painter and sculptor. With American bass player Billy Grant replacing Wito, Ja Ja Ja toured again for a short time in about 1984; but it was difficult since Frank Samba was still in Germany, and apparently they did not release any more records. Their self-titled album, Ja Ja Ja was released in 1982, also on the Ata Tak label. Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator) and Frank Samba are in the process of remastering the album for reissue as a CD on a Japanese label. Their song “Katz Rap” was included on a 2005 German compilation album called Grlz: Women Ahead of Their Time; and a copy of the original 45 is included in the Cornell University Library Hip Hop Collection. Oh, and that dinosaur on the cover of the Ja Ja Ja album? Another is featured in the video for their song “I Am an Animal” – break-dancing! Looking back on the band, Julie Jigsaw wrote in 2011: “Ja Ja Ja is a group full of joy and emotional struggles, perfection and experimentation, space and time. The combination of our souls and skills sometimes created fields of virtually metaphysical intensity and magnitude. [Wietn] Wito told me he saw colors rise from his bass into the air and go out into the audience. Our music has prevailed with your help, beloved listener. Thank you for your inspirational energy and your enthusiasm through the decades.” Julie Jigsaw is still active in music and now records under the name Jigsawnovich. Her most recent song is called “One Man’s Living Is Another Man’s Crime”. She has a blog at http://jigsawnovich.blogspot.com/ that also includes the Ja Ja Ja story.  (February 2012) * * * * * * Flashback #2: The Under-Appreciated Rock Band of the Month for February 2012 – JA JA JA I had to dig around some, but I did find some classy Ja Ja Ja videos on YouTube. This is their classic “Katz Rap” (“Cat Rap”), the first female rap song released in Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf5410itOkU . I found a post by Julie Jigsawnovich on the Internet saying that this song, “Graffiti Artists International” is the first rap song that was completely about graffiti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEp__hk3Gi0 . Those two are audio-only, but this is a perfectly delightful video performance of “I Am an Animal”, featuring lots of face painting, cool clothes, Stegosaurus costumes, and neat dance moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=allIpI84D_0 . (February 2014) * * * Picture Gallery: The Under Appreciated Rock Band of the Month for February 2012 – JA JA JA Here is the front cover of their album:  And here is the back cover:   This is a group shot of the band:    (February 2015) * * * Here is a rundown of the past year’s (2011-2012) Under-Appreciated Rock Bands and Rock Artists: February 2012 – 1980’s punk/hip hop rock band JA JA JA (1 album) April 2012 – 1960’s folk-rock singer-songwriter LINDA PIERRE KING (several songs on two compilation albums) (Year 3 Review) |
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