complete order
Here's a new sea shanty in the British Isles mariner's tradition - but in this case with a contemporary theme - climate change. This is the first in a series of shanties concerning dilemmas that face us now - covid, refugees, global warming, the dying of the great whales, and so on.
My Jedi Memoir: A Double Life, by James Kahn
This is James Kahn's account of writing the biggest novelizations of the 1980's, including Return of the Jedi.
But there's more!
James Kahn spent the 1980’s and 1990’s writing for Hollywood and working as an emergency room doctor. His memories of those times provide the fodder for these crazy, funny, poignant, outrageous, surreal, and revealing tales.
Kahn talks about writing for TV series such as Star Trek: Voyager and Melrose Place. But he goes in depth about authoring some of the biggest novelizations of the decade – Poltergeist, The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; and especially Return of the Jedi – for which he provides a scene by scene synopsis and commentary, exploring the entire novel.
Accompanied by scans of some of his original manuscript pages, this is a never before seen window into the creative process that went into the writing of the classic Jedi novel.
For all of you who loved reading the Return of the Jedi novelization - for all the secrets and insights that weren't in the movie - this is the book that will reveal all the secrets and insights that weren't in the novelization!
Now available at https://tinyurl.com/JediMemoirAmazon
And for more tales about what it was like writing all those novelizations and TV shows while working in emergency rooms, check out my new Substack at https://thatjameskahn.substack.com/
And don't miss his novel and previous album, Matamoros!
Matamoros is a rousing Civil War adventure romance set on the Rio Grande in 1863.
By 1862 the Union had blockaded all Confederate ports. Just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, Matamoros – a foreign port – was the only harbor where the South could ship its cotton to Europe, and smuggle in arms for the rebellion. So it became a haven for Yankee and Rebel spies, gunrunners and cotton smugglers, runaway slaves, Mexican guerreros, Texas Rangers and rogues of every stripe.
But Matamoros was also full of French Foreign Legionnaires and Austrian footsoldiers – because that same year, Napoleon III had invaded Mexico, to install Archduke Maximilian of Austria as Emperor.
Set against the backdrop of two wars, this is the story of Clay – an expatriate Southern gentleman running a gambling hall – and Allie, his ex-con artist partner, bringing her cotton train to market – in a star-crossed affair that may or may not survive their conflicted allegiances amidst the tides of battle.
If Matamoros were a movie, it would be Casablanca meets Gone With the Wind in Deadwood. A Civil War saga in the Old West.
“An in-depth view of the machinations surrounding the Civil War battle for Texas.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
But Matamoros isn’t just a novel. It’s also a CD of songs – each track about one of the characters in the novel. There’s an Irish folk tune sung by the Irish Legionnaire; a mariachi anthem about Quintero, the Cuban revolutionary-turned-Confederate-Spy; a sea shanty sung by the naval blockade runner; all rounded out in the Americana folk tradition. The CD is available now at Amazon, HearNow and Spotify
PRESS
"The vocal harmonies are the real star of the show here, sounding really haunting at times... Suits the sea shanty genre down to the ground." -- York Calling, 4/26/2022
"Kahn’s songs are inarguably true to the traditional form of shanties, mostly a capella with sparse musical accompaniment on accordion (played by Brian Mann), acoustic guitar, pennywhistle, hammer dulcimer, and, eerily, bones used for percussion by Sharmon Termondt. There are guest appearances by The Punch Brothers’ Gabe Witcher and Toad The Wet Sprocket’s Glen Phillips. The four- and five-part vocal harmonies, particularly on the title track, are impressive, as is its award-winning video." -- Americana UK, 5/2022
"It’s a meaningful and moving mix of sound and suggestion, imbued with emotion but inspired by the need to take immediate action in order to protect the planet." -- Lee Zimmerman, The Daily Ripple, 5/25/22
"By the Risin’ of the Sea brings sea shanties into the modern era, tackling contemporary themes with classic folk musical strains. It is by turns moving and poignant, funny and angry, while remaining full of hope." -- Sterling K. Webb, Sponic Zine, 4/2022
"Beginning with the low drone of Adam Phillips’ pastoral bagpipes and then Kahn’s timeless folk-vocal, ‘No More a’ Whalin” succeeds in transporting us across both time and place. The song is held together by the low heartbeat thump of Rebecca Troon’s bodhran, beating out an absorbing rhythm, while David West and Doug Clegg deliver gorgeous, rich backing vocals, harmonies that rise and soar, lifting Kahn’s own voice." -- Americana UK, 6/2022
"James Kahn... gives us... a unique and very special beauty with a strong enchanting acoustic vibe, in addition to the characteristic voice of this minstrel that seems to declaim a tale in the form of poetry." -- Roadie Music Blog 6/21/2022
"The record maintains a sonic and spiritual authenticity, transporting the audience back in time...The third song, “Landfall,” offers something of a mission statement. Kahn and his musical brethren sing about the search for a home on land. Beyond the literal imagining of sailors searching for a shore, it takes on profound application to a world adrift." -- David Masciotra, The Daily Ripple, 5/18/22
BIO
James Kahn is a longtime physician, novelist and screenwriter who has turned his focus to writing/performing Americana music over the last ten years. He's always felt folk music to be his deepest connection - part of his calling as a storyteller - and this album has brought together all of his craft into a work of love, the music imbued with the kind of meaning that has informed his life. Kahn's work as a doctor guided him helping individuals through their personal crises. As a musical storyteller he hopes to touch people's hearts, moving them to help save our collective ship from sinking.
FYC For the Upcoming Ballot
By the Risin' of the Sea
Best Folk Album
James Kahn
James Kahn’s storytelling has transcended mediums and thrilled audiences for over 30 years, and he’s just getting started.
Kahn wrote novelizations of blockbusting films like Poltergeist, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies before extending his writing talents to the small screen on shows like St. Elsewhere, E/R, and Melrose Place.
As a singer-songwriter, Kahn released four albums of original material with famed producer David West that include well known players like Gabe Witcher on fiddle, Matt Rollings on piano, and John McFee on pedal steel, among others.
Kahn's science fiction novels, comprising the New World Trilogy, were recently reissued due to demand and his new thriller novel, Incarnate, is due out at the end of 2014.For physical/ digital CD sales click HERE