|
|
|
| [Current] | ||
| Reads: | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Listens: | ||
 |
 |
 |
| [Archival] | |||||||||
|
Rocket To Russia - The Ramones
There's just something about the combo of Cretin Hop->Rockaway Beach. It really got me going this morning and will again this afternoon as I pull out of the parking lot from work...heading home for two weeks on the coast of Maine. Ya, baby!
I was very impressed with fellow blogcritic The Theory's vacation reading list. I wish mine was so ambitious. I'd love to say that I'm going to be taking on Ulysses, Gravity's Rainbow, and maybe even Anna Karenina...but that of course would be a pretentious loada crap (not the books, just the idea that I'm actually gonna read that stuff).
So here's what I've got in my pile so far:
I'll probably also bring along Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions And Carburetor Dung because he was my rock critic hero when I was a kid.
Now if it'll just stop raining on the east coast....
One night back in the late 1970's, me and my cousin Andy were playing a game of backgammon (cripes, that really was a long time ago...I remember there was a Styx Grand Illusion poster on the wall and ...uh, anyway)... he had this album playing on his turntable. The record itself had a pretty interesting cover photo full of Airstream trailers. But more important, it contained a kind of music that I was totally unfamiliar with. For one thing, the bass was way more active than on my rock records. And then there was the cool piano (and other keyboards), things that at that time I would only tolerate on Steely Dan records. Most important of all: the guitar...gees, what the hell was that guy doing? Chiming, elongated tones...crazy (to me) twists of logic. This wasn't rock, but I was strangely attracted to it.
The record was American Garage by the Pat Metheny Group.
Now, many years later, I'm sitting here at my desk , late at night with everybody else gone to bed, giving a first listen to Pat's latest: One Quiet Night, a solo acoustic guitar record.
I've been a big fan of Pat Metheny ever since hearing that odd little record in my cousin's room. And over all of those years I've been rewarded with a huge variety of listening experiences:
Long-time Metheny fans treasure their copies of New Chautauqua. While Pat has made several fantastic duet recordings (with jazz giants Charlie Haden and Jim Hall, just to name a couple), only New Chautauqua has the intimacy that a solo recording can produce. Most of us have been waiting (and hoping) for another set of solo guitar from Pat. That time has finally come.
One Quiet Night was indeed recorded during one evening at Pat's home studio. From the liner notes:
Late last year Pat filled out the set by recording a few of his favorite songs ("My Song" and "Ferry Cross The Mersey"), a cover of Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why", a couple of new tunes ("Song For The Boys" and "Over On 4th Street") and finally, a new version of his own "Last Train Home".
To call this record "New Chautauqua II" is to do a disservice to both recordings. While there are certainly elements of New Chautauqua here, One Quiet Night is more focused, more intent...on developing that singular mood. It's very pretty...but somehow manages to be quite intense at the same time. As with all of Pat's records, it'll take a while before the "whole" reveals itself.
And that's what I love about music like this. It's a little like poetry, except that it's a distillation of a musical idea...and every time I "read" it, a new thought surfaces.
Vertical Vision would remind me of Weather Report even if it didn't contain a smokin' reading of Boogie Woogie Waltz. Honest!! It's the tone of the bass...it's got lot of Jaco in it...and you know what that means!
A quick scan of Christian McBride's amazingly diverse discography lets you know just where he's comin' from. Everywhere! I mean, the guy's played with everyone from Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard to Natalie Cole, Sting...and even Kathleen Battle. So it's not surprising to hear the variety of styles offered up: straight-ahead jazz (playing the changes on "The Wizard Of Montara"), fusion (Technicolor Nightmare), edgier modern jazz (Precious One), ballads (Tahitian Pearl) and the very cool suite-like "Lejos De Usted".
And then there's funk: "The Ballad Of The Little Girl Dancer" just rips. Definitely the high point of the record for me. Jaco would be proud.
The cd ends with that cover of Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz (which is outdone by the live video version provided with the cd extras).
It's nothing new for McBride to wear his influences on his sleeve (and I've seen some negative reviews calling this retreaded Weather Report, which is very unfair and maybe a little lazy as well). For further listening check out his year 2000 release Sci-Fi. I bought it after hearing his way-cool cover of Steely Dan's "Aja".
yep, it's that time again. i have to stop off at the store on the way home to pick up the latest Pat Metheny cd. One Quiet Night is the recording i've been waiting for for years. i won't call it New Chautauqua Part II yet...but that's what i'm hoping for.
Ditch Diggin' - Southern Culture On The Skids.
Things have been too danged serious around here. The long weekend needs to be jumpstarted with "Too Much Pork For Just One Fork", "Put Your Teeth Up On the Window Sill" and "The Great Atomic Power".
Check this band out live if you get a chance. They're too much fun.
what the hell??!!:
what the hell!!??
There was an interesting article in the Boston Globe yesterday about how publishing houses are taking notice of customer reviews. There are some of the usual slights against that kind of content being legit:
I think it's kinda fun when the 'non-traditional' media makes the other guys nervous.
Most amazing fact in the article: the 'winner' in the category of most reviews posted to amazon.com: Pennsylvania librarian Harriet Klausner...4,811 reviews!!! Yow!!!
89 days.
That's how many I wasted. I coulda been listening to Dave Douglas' Freak In.
But no...I had to put it off. The folks on the John Zorn mailing list were all over it. I ignored 'em. Maybe I was buried in snow back then (release date: Feb. 18). Maybe I was depressed and suffering from cabin fever (it was a long, long winter).
So this past saturday I happened apon a copy of Freak In over at Bull Moose Music in Portsmouth and I think "ok, those Zorn guys haven't let me down yet...".
Into the bag it goes (along with the vinyl find of the year so far: a pristine copy of the Talking Heads: The Name Of This Band Is The Talking Heads...why the hell hasn't this made it to cd anyway?!!)
They were right. Freak In is like Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and Sextant, Miles' In A Silent Way and Live Evil...maybe with a little Medeski, Martin and Wood in there too. This isn't being fair to Dave Douglas though 'cause Freak In makes its own statement with some pretty danged cool compositions layed out by some of my favorite players including skronk-meister Marc Ribot (guitar), Joey Baron (drums) and Chris Speed (sax)....oh ya, and Dave Douglas on trumpet. Add some tablas, a little drum & bass-style electronics and you've got a pretty interesting mix.
3 days down, 86 left to go.
Interplay.
Whether I'm taking in straight ahead, bebop-style jazz or more out-there stuff, it's all about listening:
If after listening to a new record I can answer "yes" to these questions then it's a keeper. In the case of Kenny Garrett's Standard Of Language, the answer is "oh, yea!"
Even if I was unfamiliar with Garrett's Coltrane tribute Persuance, the rhythm section here would have reminded me of Trane's great Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison/McCoy Tyner combination. On Standard Of Language, we get Chris Dave on drums, Vernell Brown on piano and the great Charnett Moffett on bass. There's some serious, and seriously fun playing here.
Oh, and the sax? Kenny Garrett is often called "the best" alto player out there right now. I don't know if this is a useful statement. After all, this isn't a competition. I mean...what's the point of comparing Kenny Garrett with, say, Peter Brotzman? Or even John Zorn? Definitely an apples/oranges kind of thing.
What I will say is that Garrett is a fun player who can put together some killer tunes...over which he lays some fiery and inspiring solos. Of the 9 tunes on Standard Of Language, all but one are original (the first track is a wild reworking of the standard "What Is This Thing Called Love?"). Over each tune Garrett and his crew do conspire to make a big (and fun) jazz noise.
Check it out!
My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello
Cripes, the musical universe is kinda off-kilter right now. First I hear about Elvis and Diana Krall....then I get home only to discover that June Carter Cash has died. I'm feeling a little wobbly.
I'm not kidding.
Diana Krall's dad was so happy about her engagement to rocker Elvis Costello that he couldn't keep it a secret, the jazz singer says.
What the hell?!! Where's the April Fool's part of this?
Read the rest of it here.
Recently, I reviewed Skip Heller's cd Homegoing.
I found out that he's playing a few dates in the northwest:
I'd like to say that I'd see you there...but Seattle is a loooooong drive from New Hampshire.
I know next to nothing about horseracing...other than a bunch of really tiny guys (ok, sometimes girls too) ride horses around an oval track as fast as they can. This all happens while I've got my eyes covered 'cause I'm afraid somebody or something is going to get hurt.
So, for some reason, last week's Kentucky Derby got me interested in this stuff. There was something kinda cool about the odd juxtaposition of all the well-heeled and well-dressed folks on one side of the track with the crazed, drunk people hanging out in the infield. The race itself was pretty exciting as well...with a long shot coming in...and a gelding at that (ok, I do know what a gelding is...just don't wanna talk about it).
I've heard a lot of good things about Laura Hillenbrand's book Seabiscuit and I was reminded of this while watching both the derby and the teaser ads for the upcoming movie. That night I popped out to my local bookstore and picked up a copy...and, true enough, it's a fine book. I'm only 50 pages or so into it but I'm hooked.
Maybe after I'm finished I'll be able to watch a race without covering my eyes.
There Was A Time - Knots and Crosses
Back in the early 90's I went to see a Cheap Trick show at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. The opening act was called Knots and Crosses. I was nervous as they started because you all know how poorly opening acts can be treated.
I hate that.
Anyway, they launch into their one and only 'hit': "Creatures Of Habit" and you can hear everybody in the room stop talking. This band had (to me anyway) all of the promise of Richard and Linda Thompson...lots of the spark of Lone Justice...with a little bit of Exene and John Doe mixed in. They ended their portion of the show with an acapella "Gimme Shelter". Cripes...I still get a tingle down my spine when I think about it.
Various news items have surfaced today about the recent advances made with E-Ink.
Although e-paper is being touted for the next generation of e-books and e-newspapers, futurists and industry experts speculate e-paper could be sewn into garments for users to use on the run or could be used for a credit card that could display the balance or recent purchases.
While I would just love to get this big-ass monitor off of my desk, I just don't see this as a replacement for books. Maybe for educational texts. I dunno. There just aren't a lot of true book lovers out there thinking that their books need to be 'fixed'. Sewn into garments? No thank you. Sounds about as useful as Microsoft's iLoo project.
so bill bennett has spent over $8M gambling? cool!
pass the hypocrisy...please.
The only concert I've ever walked out of was a Depeche Mode show. This was during the Music For The Masses tour at the Boston-area Great Woods shed (now called the Tweeter Center...cripes, are there any major venues left that don't have a corporate name?!!). After a very cool opening of Pimpf->Behind The Wheel, the rest of the show struck me a being pretty flat. It seemed like they were playing tapes of tunes while standing around striking poses. I was really hating the show....I took at look at my friend Greg thinking "gees...another hour of this crap?" and he says "Any time you're ready". Heh....so off we went...back home to watch a Celtics game over a couple of beers.
I did make it through about half of the show...long enough to have a few things lodge in my musical subconcious. They were the darker tunes. The aforementioned opening songs as well as "Stripped" and the title track from Black Celebration. So I somehow ended up buying two CD's after attending a show that I didn't even like all that much. Kinda weird for me. So, somewhat like a train wreck, I found myself not being able to look away from Depeche Mode.
Many, many years later...Martin Gore comes out with Conterfeit2. Another train wreck that I can't look away from? Not really. It's 'better' than that. It's my soft spot for odd song covers, as Counterfeit2 is full of Martin Gore-icised covers. From his Depeche Mode-does-Led Zeppelin-does-David Essex "In My Time Of Dying", Nick Cave's "Loverman" and Kurt Weil's "Lost In The Stars" (oh man, could Freddie Murcury have done that or what?!!).
Anyway, the sound is what you would expect: plenty of synth washes, blurby computer sounds and revereb-drenched twangy guitar. Not exactly party music, but not half bad either.
You see the men coming around the corner...they're looking over their shoulders...it sure does look like the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
But then you see a group of Cadillac Escalades rounding the corner...just as Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" kicks in.
I can't help it but this makes me bust out laughin'. These SUV's are supposed to be the equivalent of the snortin' bulls?! Come on!! The music is kinda funny too. Why doesn't somebody make a commercial for tricycles and use "Born To Be Wild" for the backing track? (uh...actually, that might be kinda cool...)
Spyboy - Emmylou Harris
For most people the highlight of the 1998 Lilith Fair was either Natalie Merchant or Sarah McLachlan.
Not for me.
Emmylou Harris took the stage with a totally smokin' band and lifted the roof off the place with Daniel Lanois' "The Maker". I still get chills when I listen to that song.
Honorable mention goes to Syd Straw for her cover of the Stones "Some Girls" on the tiny first stage.
Artists deserving wider recognition. You see this kind of thing all the time in music polls. And do they ever gain wider recognition? Not usually. Mostly because they're maybe a little too esoteric, too interesting for the mainstream public. I know that's playing kinda fast & loose with musical stereotypes...and heck, maybe I'm being too hard on people's taste...but it sure does seem like some artists are swept under the rug just because they don't happen to toe the mainstream line.
Skip Heller is one of these artists. A guitarist/composer/bandleader originally hailing from Philadelphia, Heller's music is hard to pin down (another attribute of artists deserving wider recognition?) He's done soundtracks (TV, movie, cartoon), lounge, rockabilly, rock and jazz. He's even toured with NRBQ. Makes sense, doesn't it?!
Homegoing is Skip's tribute to his influences: from pop music to rockabilly to jazz. Like a lot of Heller's music, this recording is infused with fun. No somber takes here. No Wynton-like fawning. The fun begins with the very first note as the chord you hear is the opening chord from The Beatles' "A Hard Days Night". Great Stuff.
A quick listen to any of these tracks makes me think of the organ trios of Wes Montgomery and Grant Green with some horns ocasionally tossed in there to spice things up. There's even a couple of vocal appearances by Dave Alvin.
Maybe Skip Heller doesn't want the recognition I think he deserves. That would be OK with me. Just as long as he keeps making music like this.
