Jill Tracy
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jill Tracy is a
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
,
singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
,
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
, storyteller and "musical evocateur" based in San Francisco. Jill Tracy is listed in ''
San Francisco Magazine ''San Francisco'' is an American monthly magazine devoted to the people, culture, food, politics, and arts of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published monthly by Modern Luxury publications. History There have been two separate ''San Francis ...
s ''Top 100 Creative Forces in the Bay Area,'' has been awarded "Best of the Bay" by the ''
San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. Parts of the paper were relaunched online in February 2016. History The ''Bay Guar ...
'', and has been nominated for two California Music Awards and SF Weekly Music Awards. She has been hailed a "bad-ass icon" by
SFist ''Gothamist'' is a New York City–centric blog operated by New York Public Radio. From 2003 to 2018, Gothamist LLC was the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and ...
and "a
femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
for the thinking man" by the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'', which is a moniker that is now frequently used to describe her.


Career

Following her 1996 solo debut CD ''Quintessentially Unreal,'' Tracy released ''Diabolical Streak'' (1999), her first studio album featuring ''The Malcontent Orchestra.'' The song "Evil Night Together" was awarded the SIBL international Grand Prize for songwriting. The album was listed among the "Top 10 Neo-Cabaret albums of all time" in ''Shift'' magazine. "Evil Night Together" has been featured on the CBS show ''NCIS'', the feature film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (2008), and
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
chose the tune to promote the final season of ''Dexter'' (2013) in a promo entitled "The Final Symphony." "The Fine Art of Poisoning," also from ''Diabolical Streak'', became an animated short film in 2003, a collaboration with Bay Area animator Bill Domonkos. "The Fine Art of Poisoning" has garnered film festival awards internationally, including Best Experimental Film in the 2003
New Orleans Film Festival The New Orleans Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the nonprofit organization New Orleans Film Society, a film society founded in 1989. The festival has been held since the society's inception. The festival takes place in mid-O ...
and the 2003 Empire Film Festival in
Buffalo, NY Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York and county seat of Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River on the Canadian border. With a population of 278,349 according to ...
, as well as Best Music Video in both the 2003 Cineme – Chicago International Animation Festival and the
Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...
. FEARnet licensed "The Fine Art of Poisoning" in 2012 as part of their permanent short film collection. Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra's original score to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
classic ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...
'' debuted live at San Francisco's Foreign Cinema in 1999 and toured Northern California theatres during Halloween season for five consecutive years. This led to the 2002 CD release ''Into the Land of Phantoms'', selections from the ''Nosferatu'' score. Jill Tracy released her fourth album, ''The Bittersweet Constrain'', in 2008, produced by Alex Nahas. The remixed instrumental arrangements were released as a follow-up album, ''Beneath: the Bittersweet Constrain'' (2011). The surreal sepia portraits of Jill Tracy on the album are by outsider photographer Michael Garlington. Nature and taxidermy imagery are featured in the album artwork. Photos of Jill Tracy having a tea party in a garden with taxidermied animals, including birds, dogs, a two-headed calf, and a monkey were shot in the backyard of renowned taxidermist and collector Tia Resleure. From 2000 to 2015, Jill Tracy performed as "Belle of the Ball," headlining the wildly popular Edwardian Ball, an annual lavish costumed event in San Francisco and Los Angeles, drawing thousands of spectators worldwide in homage to artist
Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for book ...
. Since 2015, she has been a headlining performer in the annual Flower Piano Festival, which draws 60,000 people a year to
San Francisco Botanical Garden The San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum (formerly Strybing Arboretum) is located in San Francisco, California, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Its 55 acres (22.3 ha) represents nearly 9,000 different kinds of plants from around ...
in
Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond and Sunset District, San Francisco, Sunset districts on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the Lis ...
. She began collaborating and performing with
David J David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus and for ...
(
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...
, Love and Rockets) in 2009, releasing two singles in 2010. Accompanying him on piano during live concerts, she developed a post-classical cinematic version of "
Bela Lugosi's Dead "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in August 1979 on the Small Wonder label. It is often considered the first gothic rock record. History "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded "live in the st ...
," and composed a 2-minute solo piano intro which gradually revealed the rhythm of the classic tune as the band joined in. This was released as "Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead is Forever)" by "David J (with Jill Tracy)" in 2013. "We recorded practically in pitch darkness," Jill says of the session, which was captured live in a single take. "That's why there is such a gorgeous, seductive urgency to the piece: the band could only hear… and feel… and react."David J with Jill Tracy: "Bela Lugosi's Dead"
generationbass.com November 12, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
In 2019, she was invited by Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy to be the opening act for his historical San Francisco and New York City residencies, as well as several of his iconic shows on the Ruby Tour, celebrating 40 Years of Bauhaus (with bassist David J). She got to perform with the band, performing her original piano arrangements on "Bela Lugosi’s Dead," as well as "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight."


Location-based projects and the Sonic Séance

Joining forces with the Atlanta-based violinist Paul Mercer in 2007, the two have become revered for their unique traveling show "The Musical Séance," featuring channeled duets on piano and violin. Music is manifested via tales, objects, and treasured artifacts brought in by the audience, their energy, and emotions. Jill Tracy is known for researching and composing alone at a piano in mysterious locales. Using the history, energy, frequency, resonant tones, and emotion of an environment to uncover spontaneous music. She calls these projects "The Sonic Séance," her own singular approach of "musical excavation" or "sonic archeology." These projects are done both with and without an audience.A Glimpse Beyond The Veil: Jill Tracy Reveals The Secret Music of Lily Dale
hautemacabre.com November 27, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
She has composed music at Victoria, B.C.'s landmark 1890
Craigdarroch Castle Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada due to its ...
,
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers The Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. With construction having been completed in 1879, it is the oldest building in the ...
, abandoned asylums, mansions, cemeteries, and has worked with the
San Francisco Botanical Garden The San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum (formerly Strybing Arboretum) is located in San Francisco, California, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Its 55 acres (22.3 ha) represents nearly 9,000 different kinds of plants from around ...
since 2015 presenting her Sonic Séance live at night to audiences inside the Ancient Redwood Grove and the Garden of Fragrance, among others. Jill Tracy is the first musician in history to receive a grant from the renowned
Mütter Museum The Mütter Museum is a medical history and science museum located in the Center City, Philadelphia, Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains a collection of anatomy, anatomical and pathology, pathological Biological specime ...
in Philadelphia (
Francis C. Wood Francis Carter Wood (December 30, 1869 – January 5, 1951) was an American cancer researcher, a pioneer in the use of X-rays and radium for treatment of cancer. Wood was the founder and the founding director of the Crocker Institute for Can ...
Institute), the nation's foremost collection of medical oddities. She is creating a musical work inspired by the Mütter collection, and her experiences after-dark inside the museum. She spent nights alone composing music amidst the Mütter's vast collection of skeletons and specimens—which include the conjoined livers and a plaster death cast of the bodies of renowned "Siamese Twins"
Chang and Eng Chang may refer to: People Surname * Chang (surname), the romanization of several separate Chinese surnames * Chang or Jang (Korean name), romanizations of the Korean surname Given name * Chang Bunker () (1811–1874), one of the origina ...
,
Einstein's brain The brain of Albert Einstein has been a subject of much research and speculation. Albert Einstein's brain was removed shortly after his death. His apparent regularities or irregularities in the brain have been used to support various ideas abou ...
, Harry Eastlack "The Ossified Man," books bound in human skin, and The Mermaid Baby. This in-progress project (which began in 2012) is called "The Teratology Lullabies." She was invited by San Francisco's historical Presidio Trust to research its archives and tour abandoned military buildings (dating back to 1776) with old records of supernatural occurrence. She interviewed over 50 Presidio employees, revealing their first-hand ghostly encounters spanning decades. This became her acclaimed stage show "Legends of the Presidio Ghosts," which premiered in the famed Presidio Officers Club Ballroom, featuring music composed on-site inspired her discoveries. For the past three years, it has developed into a nighttime lantern walking tour for visitors, as Jill Tracy guides them to the haunted locations, shares their stories, and performs a Sonic Séance live. ''The Secret Music of Lily Dale'' was released in 2022.


Discography


Albums

*'' Quintessentially Unreal'' (1996) *'' Diabolical Streak'' (1999) *'' Into the Land of Phantoms'' (2002) *''The Bittersweet Constrain'' (2008) *''BENEATH: The Bittersweet Constrain'' (2011) *''Silver Smoke, Star of Night'' (Christmas album 2012) *''A Medicine for Madness: The 2020 Isolation Piano Recordings'' (2020) *''The Secret Music of Lily Dale'' (2022)


EPs and singles

*Under the Fate of the Blue Moon (single 2011) *''Lament for the Queen of Disks'' (single 2014) *''Evocations of the Moon'' (4 track EP 2020) *''Seclusion 22 / Whispers Behind the Glass'' (2 track EP 2020) *''The Dark Day'' (3 track EP 2020) *''Elegy for a Solitary Year'' (single 2020)


Compilations

*''"Meantime"'' on ''Market Street, Best of Café du Nord'' (live) (2000) *''"Evil Night Together"'' on SIBL (Songs Inspired by Literature) ''Artists for Literacy'' (2002) *''"Evil Night Together"'' on
Projekt Projekt Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases. History Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam Ros ...
's '' A Dark Cabaret'' (2005) *''"Torture"'' on ''The Sepiachord Companion'' (2009) *''"In Between Shades"'' on
Projekt Projekt Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases. History Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam Ros ...
's '' A Dark Cabaret 2'' (2011) *''"Coventry Carol"'' on
Projekt Projekt Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases. History Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam Ros ...
's ''Ornamental'' (2012) *''"Totenmesse (The Colour of the Flame)"'' on ''Songs of Decadence: A Soundtrack to the Writings of
Stanisław Przybyszewski Stanisław Przybyszewski (; 7 May 1868 – 23 November 1927) was a Polish novelist, dramatist, and poet of the decadent naturalistic school. His drama is associated with the Symbolist movement. He wrote both in Polish and in German. Life Stani ...
'' (2013)


Collaborations

*''"Blood Sucker Blues / Tidal Wave Of Blood"'' by
David J David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus and for ...
. + Shok (2010) *''"Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead is Forever)"'' with
David J David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus and for ...
. (2013)


Films

*''In the Wake'' (2001) Jill Tracy narrates the film, the song "Extraordinary" is featured in the score. *''The Fine Art of Poisoning'' (2003) short film collaboration/music video project with animator Bill Domonkos. *''Heavy Put Away'' (2003) appears as nightclub singer, performed piano score, "Evil Night Together" is the film's end title song. (FOX Searchlight) *''Ice Cream Ants'' (2006) stars as the sinister Mona, performed/composed title song "Pulling Your Insides Out." (director: Jeremy Carr) *'' The Black Dahlia'' (2007) composed/performed the song "Pulling Your Insides Out." *''NERVOUS96'' (2011) Jill Tracy and violinist Paul Mercer scored this surreal short from filmmaker Bill Domonkos *''Other Madnesses'' (2015) Jill Tracy composed/performed the end title song "Dreamland," a haunting, melancholy remake of the 1904 tune "All Aboard For Dreamland." (director: Jeremy Carr) *''Dark Tryst'' (2023) Jill Tracy's music scores this animated short film from horror author Bradley Harper.


TV

* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Ion Network) – features Jill Tracy's song "Evil Night Together". * Jekyll (BBC) – features "Evil Night Together". *
NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...
(CBS-TV) Episode "Ravenous" – features "Evil Night Together". * The History Detectives (PBS)- features Jill Tracy's song "The Fine Art of Poisoning." * Showtime Networks chose "Evil Night Together" to promote the final season (8) of
Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...
, "The Final Symphony".


Written works

*''The Keeper of the Shop''- published in Morbid Curiosity Magazine No. 6 *''The Next Best Thing to Stevie Nicks''- published in Morbid Curiosity Magazine No. 8 *''The Keeper of the Shop''- published in anthology ''Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues'' (Scribner 2009) *''At Louche Ends''- Jill Tracy writes foreword for Maria Alexander poetry collection (Burning Effigy Press 2011)


References


External links


Jill Tracy official website
*
Jill Tracy on Bandcamp


Interviews



* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20111001193112/http://sfist.com/2005/10/26/interview_jill_tracy.php ''Woman of Mystery:'' Jill Tracy Interview in SFistbr>''A Musical Seance:'' Jill Tracy Interview in San Francisco Chronicleby the Thought of Jill Tracy:'' Coilhouse article''I'll Hold Your Hand While They Drag the River:'' An Interview with Jill Tracy in TORJill Tracy chats with ''Morbid Curiosity Magazine'' editor Loren Rhoads''The Elegant Side of the Netherworld:'' Jill Tracy Interview in LA WEEKLYthe Phantom:'' Jill Tracy talks music and the allure of monsters with Vampirisme

''Beauty Found in Darkness:'' Jill Tracy interview on FEARnetMystery, Music and the Mütter Museum:'' Jill Tracy interview in NOCTURNE Magazine

Tracy discusses her work with the legendary Mütter Museum in Chain D.L.K Magazine''Seductress Jill Tracy Featured as Dexter's Final Requiem:'' Dark MediaMusician Sees Romance in Shadows:'' Jill Tracy interview in San Francisco ChronicleAlchemy:'' Jill Tracy interview in the Bay GuardianSalon'' interviews Jill TracyAddicts'' interviews Jill TracySéance and the Sublime Art of Darkness:'' Jill Tracy Interview in Diabolique Magazinethe Dead:'' Jill Tracy Interview in Bay Bridged

Glimpse Beyond the Veil: Jill Tracy Reveals The Secret Music of Lily Dale,'' Interview in Haute Macabre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, Jill 20th-century births Living people American performance artists American pop pianists American rock pianists American women singer-songwriters Place of birth missing (living people) American rock singers American rock songwriters 20th-century American composers Dark cabaret musicians American women punk rock singers American gothic rock musicians Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American women composers