This is what you get when you take two American sisters writing and recording an album in a small Paris flat with no hot water. It’s a collection of frail, fractured songs with a fine collection of found sounds - frogs (quite possibly), throat clearing, and water dripping on a saucepan lid (definitely), to list but a few. The overall effect of that, and their crackling voices, is eerie but there’s always a strong melody to carry them through. Mind you, Sara said listening to it was her idea of hell.
But if more than 25 per cent of Americans had passports and used them for this sort of thing, rather than relying on tanks to get them into foreign countries, perhaps the world would be a better place. In this case, their travel has certainly broadened my mind.
20.2.05
Jimmy Smith - The Boss - Verve V6-8770
This is the most definitive Soul Jazz I’ve ever heard. Recorded in November 1968 in Paschal’s La Carousel Club in Atlanta, and issued in America in 1970, it’s the only one of Smith’s Verve releases not issued in Britain. Verve was sold to Polydor soon afterwards, so it disappeared until last year. It’s theoretically available in Britain, but I had a copy on order from Spillers for months, before I gave up and got an American copy the other day.
The band was really ON IT; George Benson plays better than usual, though not at his peak; Donald Bailey swings as ever; and Smith is inspired. Throughout the album, he plays stuff like nothing I’ve ever heard him attempt.
What makes this album definitive Soul Jazz is not the music but the exceptionally well-recorded audience. It’s muted during This Guy’s in Love With You, so I guess that was recorded before the club filled up. During the other four cuts, the audience is very loud and, to its eternal credit, seems to be completely ignoring what’s happening on the bandstand, except for a couple of dozen enthusiasts upfront. It sounds exactly like Friday night at Wetherspoon’s; a continuous babble of voices as people party the night away. This album makes it absolutely clear that the purpose of Smith and Co having been hired was to accompany the party. And that is the essence of Soul Jazz. No wonder they never issued it in Britain.
The CD is a missed opportunity. Several tracks fade out halfway through solos and there are five un-issued tracks from the gig - AM
The band was really ON IT; George Benson plays better than usual, though not at his peak; Donald Bailey swings as ever; and Smith is inspired. Throughout the album, he plays stuff like nothing I’ve ever heard him attempt.
What makes this album definitive Soul Jazz is not the music but the exceptionally well-recorded audience. It’s muted during This Guy’s in Love With You, so I guess that was recorded before the club filled up. During the other four cuts, the audience is very loud and, to its eternal credit, seems to be completely ignoring what’s happening on the bandstand, except for a couple of dozen enthusiasts upfront. It sounds exactly like Friday night at Wetherspoon’s; a continuous babble of voices as people party the night away. This album makes it absolutely clear that the purpose of Smith and Co having been hired was to accompany the party. And that is the essence of Soul Jazz. No wonder they never issued it in Britain.
The CD is a missed opportunity. Several tracks fade out halfway through solos and there are five un-issued tracks from the gig - AM
13.2.05
African Dope Soundsystem
As Amazon still hasn’t sent the cds I‘ve ordered with some of money I’ve just earned, you’d better have a review of this instead. African Dope Soundsystem describes itself as “a tight collaboration of Capetonian dub, reggae and dancehall DJs, MCs, live and electronic musicians, studio producers and video artists” and it’s pretty damn good.
I’m particularly fond of Teba’s nuskool reggae and Felix Laband’s downtempo efforts. As well as biogs and album listings, you’ll find samples and free downloads of complete tracks in a particularly lively package. It’s for the stuff like this that the Internet was made.
I’m particularly fond of Teba’s nuskool reggae and Felix Laband’s downtempo efforts. As well as biogs and album listings, you’ll find samples and free downloads of complete tracks in a particularly lively package. It’s for the stuff like this that the Internet was made.
7.2.05
Kankawa and Hiram Bullock - Jam Jam The Heavy Cats Live At STB139 Roppungi, Tokyo - Cool River NNJC6003
Some jazz pundit once wrote “the material is immaterial”. If so, why aren’t there albums like Merry Christmas from Miles Davis or Stan Getz plays Abba? Bullock has been a well-known jazz session guitarist since 1977, on everything from disco to avant garde jazz. Kankawa is a Japanese organist whose avowal of bringing the power of rock to jazz has led to an OTT dress code and eccentric sunglasses (six lenses facing in different directions) that would make George Clinton blink.
On this record, the material is not even slightly immaterial. Apart from two Kankawa originals, the material all comes from the world of rock, be that Miles Davis’ Jan Jan, Abba’s Venus, or Deep Purple’s Smoke on The Water. Bullock sings quite a bit – soul style mostly – and plays very appropriate heavy guitar solos. And Kankawa makes the most of the opportunities provided by A Whiter Shade of Pale. Hot enough for central heating!
Available from Mediawars
US$30 – deletion date 3 March 2005 - AM
On this record, the material is not even slightly immaterial. Apart from two Kankawa originals, the material all comes from the world of rock, be that Miles Davis’ Jan Jan, Abba’s Venus, or Deep Purple’s Smoke on The Water. Bullock sings quite a bit – soul style mostly – and plays very appropriate heavy guitar solos. And Kankawa makes the most of the opportunities provided by A Whiter Shade of Pale. Hot enough for central heating!
Available from Mediawars
US$30 – deletion date 3 March 2005 - AM
1.2.05
Various - Disco sucks - Che Trading CHE60CD
Years ago, when I was living in London and participating in dotcom malarkey, I helped a chap I was working with move house. His big brother ran Che records and gave me a good handful of CDs as a thank-you. I played the Disco Inferno to death, since the idea of an ambient-shoegazy Joy Divison appealed immensely. However for reasons unknown, this CD slid to the bottom of a pile, and thence to the bottom of a box where it's been until yesterday. It's... A damn fine snapshot of indie-land from 1996. A pre-electronic Bis do twee, Bardo Pond and The Delgados do the loud-quiet-loud-quiet thing, Fuxa are hypnotic, Merzbow reverses a half-track playstation shop over a metal 'nite' in a suburban pub... And then there's Exit. Imagine Test Dept playing one note on several sets of brass bagpipes for four minutes. An utterly marvellous racket that makes the Merzbow track seem a paragon of cheerful tunefulness by comparison.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)