martes, 27 de diciembre de 2011

MuteMath, Odd Soul (2011)



As the wise man Albert Einstein once said: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” you could argue that there aren’t many sane bands around if you were to apply this quote to the slew of unoriginal bands out there. The same bands that are using the same formula’s, same chord structures and same cliche lyrics. Odd Soul Mutemath’s new release is in a league of it’s own, it’s original, it’s refreshing and it rocks (literally).
I have never heard Mutemath release the same thing twice, in-fact they’re one of those rare underrated bands constantly evolving their sound without a care in the world for what critics and fans think of their new-found direction. It takes some balls to veer off into a new direction and release something completely different than anything else you’ve ever released, the kind of balls most bands don’t have. This is without-a-doubt the most adventurous and creative sounding release Mutemath have ever put out.

Right from the get-go, Odd Soul captures your attention with the title track which has a very fuzzy blues rock sounding feel to it that sounds heavily reminiscent of The Black Keys with a little White Stripes influence thrown in. The second track on the album “Prytania” just so happens to be one of my most favourite tracks on the album (I hate to keep making comparisons) but the start of the song sort of reminded me of a band called The Sword with the psychedelic but subtle solo guitar parts in the background which has a 70′s rock feel to it, in-fact the whole album has a 70′s rock feel too it in one way or another.

The first single from the album “Blood Pressure” is a jive filled, blues driven song that has a catchy chorus and amazing drum work from drummer of the band Darren King. In certain parts it feels like you’re listening to a song written by Wolfmother complete with semi-high vocals from vocalist Paul Meany who takes his vocal range and capabilities to new heights on this album.

Even though Mutemath have ventured into psychedelic rock territory joining the likes of bands like The Sword and The Black Keys, the core foundations of the band from Darren King’s above-average drumming to Paul Meany’s diverse vocal range are still there that fans loved about their previous releases. This album is the exact opposite of what everyone else is releasing at the moment and I love it.

The masterpiece, to use an analogy the Mona Lisa of Odd Soul is without-a-doubt the track “Quarantine” which carries just over 7 minutes in track time. Perfectly crafted fuzzy guitar riffs, psychedelically distorted bass lines and tasteful electronic mix-ins, with the track eventually slowing down in pace to let Paul Meany do his thing and show off his new-found vocal capabilities. Once again Darren King blows our minds and delivers perfect drum-work during the outro of this track.
Odd Soul is definitely going to lose the band a few fans and in the process gain twice as many as they previously had. This album will garner critics proclaiming it’s nothing more than a heavily influenced Black Keys album, upon the first full listen of this album it’s easy to see Odd Soul is anything but a work of art. Every finite detail from each instrument, to the production and mastering sounds authentic and perfect.

Forget the Mutemath you thought you knew, this is Mutemath 2.0, a band by the sounds of it making the kind of music they’ve most likely been wanting to create for a long time now. (http://killhipsters.com/2011/10/mutemath-odd-soul-album-review/)

1. Odd Soul
2. Prytania
3. Blood Pressure
4. Heads Up
5. All Or Nothing
6. Sunray
7. Allies
8. Cavalries
9. Walking Paranoia
10. One More
11. Equals
12. Quarantine
13. In No Time



info |
http://mutemath.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mutemath

domingo, 25 de diciembre de 2011

Oz Noy, Twisted Blues Volume 1 (2011)



New York based plectorist extraordinaire Oz Noy makes his Abstract Logix debut with "Twisted Blues", his most eclectic album to date that displays his signature guitar sounds as well as for the first time showcases his profound love of blues. The guitar prowess featured on Twisted Blues Vol. 1 is obviously top notch but some tracks, like the eight-plus-minute “Two Centers,” feel a little long. For fans of instrumental jazz, blues, or rock, Oz Noy probably has something for them.

01. Twisted Blues [05:48]
02. Oh Really? [05:35]
03. You Are The State [07:03]
04. Whole Tone Blues [05:53]
05. Cissy Strut [05:46]
06. Light Blue [04:22]
07. Steroids [05:43]
08. Two Centers [08:06]
09. Trinkle Tinkle [04:29]

Oz Noy: Guitar (1-9), loops (5, 8 )
Vinnie Colaiuta: Drums (1, 2, 7, 8 )
Will Lee: Bass (1, 2, 5, 7, 8 ), synthesizer-bass (1)
Jerry Z.: Organ (1, 2, 7, 8 )
John Medeski: Organ (1, 5)
Allen Toussaint: Piano (2)
Eric Johnson: Guitar (3)
Anton Fig: Drums (3, 5)
Roscoe Beck: Bass (3, 4, 6, 9)
Reese Wynams: Organ (3, 4, 6)
Ralph MacDonald: Tamburin (5)
Chris Layton: Drums (4, 6, 9)



info |
http://oznoy.com/
http://www.abstractlogix.com/xcart/product.php?productid=25295
http://exystence.net/blog/2011/12/25/oz-noy-twisted-blues-volume-1-2011-2/

lunes, 19 de diciembre de 2011

Marius Neset, Golden Xplosion! (2011)



Marius Neset is just 25 years old, yet as a musician and composer he brings an astonishing maturity to all his work. He was born in Bergen, Norway but moved to Copenhagen in 2003 to study at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory. It was there that he met and studied with British keyboard virtuoso and composer Django Bates. Bates was quick to recognize the young man’s talents and Neset has been a member of Bates’ stoRMChaser big band since 2005. More recently, he has joined his former teacher’s small group Human Chain and played with the group to great acclaim at Ronnie Scott’s early in 2010.

Michael Brecker was Neset’s first influence on saxophone but he also learned a lot from Jeff Harrington, when he spent a semester at Berklee College of Music in 2002. To these early influences, Neset has more recently added those of Wayne Shorter and the tenor sax giant Joe Henderson. Neset is a very strong rhythm player and perhaps that is his greatest debt to Henderson.

As a composer, Neset’s influences are similarly diverse – Django Bates (with whom he studied composition), Pat Metheny, Frank Zappa and also Bach, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Yet already, Neset has absorbed these influences and found his own musical language for expressing their virtues.

A multi-award winner, since graduating from RMC, Marius Neset has pursued his musical goals through different bands. His main project since 2005 has been JazzKamikaze. With its eclectic mix of jazz, rock, electronica and classical music, the group has had great international success playing concerts in Europe, Asia, both North and South America and Africa. People Are Machines provides another outlet with its emphasis on a diverse range of rhythmical concepts.
Marius Neset released Suite for the Seven Mountains, his first solo album in 2008 to great reviews throughout Scandinavia. EDITION RECORDS is proud to release his second, Golden Xplosion, and even greater things second time around.

1. Introducing: Golden Xplosion
2. Golden Xplosion
3. City On Fire
4. Sane
5. Old Poison (XL)
6. Shame Us
7. Saxophone Intermezzo
8. The Real YSJ
9. Saxophone Intermezzo II
10. Angel Of The North
11. Epilogue

Marius Neset: Saxophon
Django Bates: Piano, keyboards
Jasper Høiby: Double bass
Anton Eger: Drums



info |
http://mariusneset.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mariusneset
http://www.editionrecords.com/artists/marius-neset/

domingo, 11 de diciembre de 2011

Tom Harrell, The Time of the Sun (2011)



Trumpeter Tom Harrell's expansive and funky 2011 effort, The Time of the Sun, is a creatively inspired, somewhat experimental work that finds the journeyman post-bopper delivering some of the best work of his career. Once again featuring the same ensemble he's used since 2007's Light On, the album includes tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist/Fender Rhodes player Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Johnathan Blake. This is a seasoned ensemble of talented, like-minded musicians who've been guided for several years by Harrell's ever-searching trumpet and compositional voice. Beginning with recordings of solar oscillations -- harmonies produced by the magnetic field in the outer atmosphere of the sun -- the album is an engaging, cerebral, yet dancey affair that showcases Harrell's longstanding knack for sinewy improvisational lines and memorable, thoughtful harmonic compositions. While not fusion, the music here does bring to mind the '70s works of trumpeter Eddie Henderson, like Heritage and Sunburst. The title track and the propulsively funky "Ridin'" find Harrell laying down knotty, serpentine lines against Grissett's skronky Rhodes hits and Blake's roiling drum beats. Few jazz musicians in their mid- and late career continue the kind of all-original approach that Harrell has on his handful of Highnote albums, and The Time of the Sun is easily the best example of this. (allmusic.com)

01. The Time of the Sun
02. Estuary
03. Ridin'
04. The Open Door
05. Dream Text
06. Modern Life
07. River Samba
08. Cactus
09. Otra

Tom Harrell: Trumpet, flugelhorn
Wayne Escoffery: Tenor saxophone
Danny Grissett: Piano, Fender Rhodes
Ugonna Okegwo: Bass
Johnathan Blake: Drums



info |
http://www.tomharrell.com/
http://www.jazzdepot.com/t_harrell/7222.html
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40144
http://www.distritojazz.es/2011/09/tom-harrell-o-de-la-sabiduria-de-la-edad-en-the-time-of-the-sun/

miércoles, 30 de noviembre de 2011

Dub Trio, IV (2011)



Dub Trio is back with their fourth and most powerful album to date - IV - an overwhelming blend of sounds, styles and ideas that come out swinging, and hit harder than ever. Can metal coexist with dub's bass heavy riddims? Dub Trio's newest album proves that not only can such incongruities coexist, but that in the right hands they flourish! With IV the band succeeds dramatically at emphasizing the theories, emotions, sounds, and concepts of their current musical exploration. IV finds the members playing multiple instruments, tweaking, turning & torturing knobs, cutting and chopping the audio itself, and shaping the compositions to create their own unique interpretation of “dub” as an art form.

“IV” was recorded in June 2010 after touring for 2 and a half years with Mike Patton promoting our last album Another Sound Is Dying,” explains bassist Stu Brooks. “It” had been the longest duration of time in between releases. By the time we hit the studio, we were extremely hungry to put down the ideas. Most of the record was written while we were on the road. One of the most memorable and prolific sessions was in a small commune town in Brittany, France, outside of Rennes. One church, one bakery, and a cafe. We had a week there before a European tour and we were in virtual isolation. It was good for us to focus solely on writing. Some of the songs we performed over the course of the next year or so while honing in on the right parts, feels, tempos etc. We really got to know these songs before hitting the studio. We were able to record the songs in one to three takes. I feel like we maintained our live sound in the studio this way. I believe it captures the character of the band better than editing everything so it sounds like a sequence. We then brought the basics to Studio G in Brooklyn, where we've done all our dub trio records. That's where the real fun begins. Where we start the dubbing process. Being that it's our fourth Dub Trio record with producer Joel Hamilton (Sparklehorse, Blakroc, Jolie Holland) we've really learned how to work together in efficiency. We had a lot of fun, making moves in the dubbing process that were totally unexpected and spontaneous. It's really satisfying to hear portions of the record that sound very patient. There are parts of the record that are literally painful, evil, aggressive and at times disturbing. And other parts that are beautiful, emotive and chilling. It was a goal to touch on as many emotions as possible. I haven't been more excited about a record before and can't wait to share it with Dub Trio listeners.” (http://www.roir-usa.com/artists/dubtrio.php)

1 En Passant 4:44
2 Noise 2:23
3 Swarm 4:18
4 Control Issues Controlling Your Mind 4:32
5 Ends Justify The Means 6:02
6 Words 8:16
7 Patient Zero 3:04
8 1:1.618 3:17
9 Thousand Mile Stare 9:16

Stu Brooks: Bass, keys, dubs
DP Holmes: Guitar, keys, dubs
Joe Tomino: Drums, keys, dubs



info |
http://www.roir-usa.com/artists/dubtrio.php
http://www.discogs.com/Dub-Trio-IV/release/3158606
http://www.rockaxis.com/vanguardia/cdaxi/dub-trio---iv/
http://www.theholyfilament.cl/noticias/dub-trio-retuerce-cerebros-con-su-nueva-placa-iv/

jueves, 10 de noviembre de 2011

David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time (2011)



The David Lynch faithful have spent the last half-decade reconciling the skewed visionary who directed Blue Velvet and Wild At Heart with the Transcendental Meditation cheerleader who directed Inland Empire and, well, not much else lately. While Lynch is certainly no stranger to music—his films have always been indebted to ominous musical moods, and his collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti and others have yielded exceptional results—the new Crazy Clown Time asks an awful lot of fans; namely, to accept Lynch as a singer. Thought his pinched and wheezy delivery on Inland Empire’s “Ghost Of Love” was baffling? How about an entire album of Lynch whispering and muttering?

Not that Clown is rough sailing from the get-go. The jaw-dropping opener “Pinky’s Dream” is as accessible as it is triumphant, featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O purring her way through a deeply thrilling and dangerous slab of goth-rock. The remaining 13 tracks, however, are given over almost entirely to Lynch and his off-kilter vocal stylings. But the Lost Highway-esque bait-and-switch pays off in unexpected ways: “Good Day Today” casts the director as a heavily processed electro-pop prodigy, while the melancholy “These Are My Friends” finds him channeling the nasally talk-sing voice of Jad Fair.

Co-written and performed with producer Dean Hurley, Clown bears all the marks of past Lynch collaborations—“The Night Bell With Lightning” seems to have been piped in directly from Twin Peaks’ Red Room—while still sounding decidedly out-of-time. There’s even room for the transgressive silliness of “Football Game,” during which Lynch sounds as if he’s in the middle of eating a sandwich. (Or perhaps a pair of panties.) Still, Crazy Clown Time never succumbs to the weight of its own novelty, and fits in nicely with Lynch’s untidy and constantly evolving body of work. (http://www.avclub.com/articles/david-lynch-crazy-clown-time,64705/)

01. Pinky’s Dream
02. Good Day Today
03. So Glad
04. Noah’s Ark
05. Footbal Game
06. I Know
07. Strange and Unproductive Thinking
08. The Night Bell With Lightning
09. Stone’s Gone Up
10. Crazy Clown Time
11. These Are My Friends
12. Speed Roadster
13. Movin’ On
14. She Rise Up



info |
http://davidlynch.com/
http://www.discogs.com/David-Lynch-Crazy-Clown-Time/release/3206517

martes, 8 de noviembre de 2011

King Crimson, The Power To Believe (2003)



King Crimson guitarist/founder Robert Fripp's famous quote that "King Crimson is a way of doing things" has seldom seemed truer than on THE POWER TO BELIEVE. The group's second studio album as a quartet in the wake of old hands Tony Levin and Bill Bruford's departure fits fully into the ever-shifting but consistently regenerative Crimson continuum. "Level Five" and the multi-part title track are pounding, counterpoint-filled tunes that hark back to Crimson's oft-revisited touchstone "Larks Tongues in Aspic."

Along the way, Fripp, Adrian Belew and company also manage to venture more fully than ever into the Balinese Gamelan sound they first began exploring on 1981's DISCIPLINE, and drummer Pat Mastelloto throws in some electronic flavors that nod to drum-and-bass and garage beats. The dark, intense angularity that is a Crimson trademark is offset by a couple of ethereal, ambient electronic soundscapes, but there's plenty of hard-prog thrashing for those who were turned on to the band by their tour with heavy rockers Tool. And naturally, there's plenty of intricate musical invention for the longtime fans who expect nothing less.

01.The Power To Believe I: A Cappella
02.Level Five
03.Eyes Wide Open
04.Elektrik
05.Facts Of Life: Intro
06.Facts Of Life
07.The Power To Believe II
08.Dangerous Curves
09.Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
10.The Power To Believe III
11.The Power To Believe IV: Coda

Adrian Belew: Vocals, guitar
Trey Gunn: Guitar, fretless bass
Robert Fripp: Guitar
Pat Mastelotto: Drums, programming
Tim Faulkner: Spoken vocals
Machine: Programming



info |
http://www.king-crimson.com/
http://kingcrimson-mp.com/

James Carter Organ Trio, At The Crossroads (2011)



At the Crossroads, saxophonist James Carter's third disc for the Emarcy, is the first for the label with his Organ Trio, which has been together since 2004. Produced by Michael Cuscuna, it's an indelible portrait of Detroit's historic jazz scene, envisioned in the present while looking ahead. All trio members -- Carter, organist Gerard Gibbs, and drummer Leonard King, Jr. -- either reside or come from there. This disc also showcases Carter's development from his earliest days shedding in the Motor City to his current status as a jazz virtuoso.

Numerous guest appearances -- from Detroit and elsewhere -- underscore this. It kicks off in true B-3 grit-and-gravy mode with a twist on "Oh Gee," a knotty bop burner that is one of several tracks with guitarist Bruce Edwards; its head is played at a breakneck tempo, the trio's interplay and Carter's solo in the middle move in and out of the honking and bar walking tradition of Detroit's Hastings Street clubs, but pushes it into its post-bop terrain. "JC Off the Set," by Gibbs, is a ballad written in response to Carter's earlier composition "JC on the Set," and the organist is impressive with his innovative arpeggios and his sense of swing. King's "Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad" is the wildest cut here; a variation on straight-ahead hard bop, it takes intense turns by Carter squawking and squalling with King, making his cymbals and snare sound simply greasy with Gibbs' sprinting bass runs and instinctive fills. Big Maybelle's "Ramblin' Blues" is one of three vocals by veteran Detroit singer Miche Braden. With Carter playing flute and alto in addition to tenor, fellow Detroiter Vincent Chandler on trombone, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold, Braden gets her soul-blues on. She also shines on the gospel nugget "Tis the Old Ship of Zion," and reveals her shining jazz chops on "The Walking Blues." Other highlights (though there isn't a weak moment here) include a reading of B-3 jazz innovator Sarah McLawler's tune "My Whole Life Through," which is shimmering, pure blues-jazz with some gorgeous work by Gibbs and King; Jack McDuff's "Walking the Dog," and the closing read of Julius Hemphill's "The Hard Blues," which features guitarist Brandon Ross. Nocturnal, funky, and and slow for a long cut -- it clocks in at nearly ten minutes -- the interplay between Carter and Ross with Gibbs' rumbling bass notes is exciting before things get really wild. When the tune moves outside, King holds it down tight as the other three try to send it over the cliff. At the Crossroads delivers what its title promises: a portrait of the Organ Trio at the point where they look back at B-3 jazz history and move it ever forward.

01.Oh Gee
02.JC Off The Set
03.Aged Pain
04.The Walking Blues
05.My Whole Life Through
06.Walking The Dog
07.Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad
08.Misterio
09.Ramblin' Blues
10.Come Sunday
11.Tis The Old Ship Of Zion
12.The Hard Blues

James Carter - saxophones
Leonard King Jr. - drums, vocals (10)
Gerard Gibbs - organ

Guests
Miche Braden: Vocals
Brandon Ross: Guitar
Bruce Edwards: Guitar
Keyon Harrold: Trumpet
Vincent Chandler: Trombone
Eli Fountain: Tambourines



info |
http://www.emarcy.com/
http://jamescarterlive.com/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40545

Ken Vandermark & Tim Daisy, The Conversation (2011)



It is free and it funks. It is jazz in its purest form : two artists enjoying the fun of lyricism interacting with rhythm, conjuring up emotions of happiness, but also of sadness. The subtlety is not only in the finesse of the emotional or sonic shadings that you get with lots of new music today, but also in the straightforward improvisation, with the subtlety being fully present in both musicians' maximal use of their skills, with ear-candy to boot.

1. Pasfoto
2. 4 North
3. Impasto
4. Anthology Moves
5. Fifty Cent Opera

Tracks 1, 3 and 4 at the Velvet Lounge, Chicago, IL on May 6, 2010
Tracks 2 and 5 at Elactic, Chicago, IL on March 3, 2011

Tim Daisy: Drums, percussion
Ken Vandermark: Bb and bass clarinet, tenor saxophone



info |
http://www.kenvandermark.com/
http://timdaisy.wordpress.com/
http://www.multikulti.com/go/_info/?id=34476

lunes, 7 de noviembre de 2011

Mike Patton, The Solitude of Prime Numbers (2011)



The Solitude of Prime Numbers is director Saverio Costanzo's rather odd cinematic adaptation of the novel of the same title by Paolo Giordano. Mike Patton's soundtrack contains all of the music used in the film, and more that was rejected by the director; it also contains music inspired directly by Patton's reading of the book in the original Italian and in the English translation. All 16 titles on the disc are numbered by primes (it begins with "Twin Primes," as track two) and ends with "Weight of Consequences," as track 53) -- though all the numbers are ordered sequentially, with the non-titled selections flying by in silence in intervals of a few seconds each. Musically, this score is utterly unlike Patton's previous efforts at the form, for the films A Perfect Place in 2008 and Crank High Voltage in 2009. The feel that runs throughout this score is quite conventional by contrast. These cues represent the movement of the narratives; film and novel follow the same story line but in very different ways, and Patton is the bridge from one to the other. Hints of classical music, both choral and instrumental, are tempered by a colorful palette of taut dynamics, dizzying atmospherics, ambiences, ambitious textures, and even somewhat conventional harmony. Assembled together, the soundtrack and incidental music comprise a unique work that stands on its own as a listening experience. Individual cues, particularly "Contrapositive," "Radius of Convergence," and "The Snow Angel," have, in spite of their more formal compositional narratives, sections that even resemble songlike structures. Fans of Patton's more extreme quirkiness might feel this is an altogether too restrained work, but that's their problem. The Solitude of Prime Numbers is not only unique to his catalog, it is a singular work that testifies to his growth not only as a composer and recording artist but as a conceptual one, whose expansive vision has evolved to include discipline and refinement as well as ambition. (http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-solitude-of-prime-numbers-r2301716/review)

1 [Untitled]  0:04
2 Twin Primes 1:55
3 Identity Matrix 0:51
4 [Untitled] 0:04
5 Method of Infinite Descent 2:13
6 [Untitled] 0:04
7 Contrapositive 2:51
8 [Untitled] 0:03
9 [Untitled] 0:04
10 [Untitled] 0:04
11 Cicatrix 1:58
12 [Untitled] 0:03
13 Abscissa 1:28
14 [Untitled] 0:04
15 [Untitled] 0:04
16 [Untitled] 0:03
17 Isolated Primes 1:38
18 [Untitled] 0:04
19 Radius of Convergence 4:12
20 [Untitled] 0:03
21 [Untitled] 0:04
22 [Untitled] 0:04
23 Separatrix 0:39
24 [Untitled] 0:04
25 [Untitled] 0:04
26 [Untitled] 0:04
27 [Untitled] 0:04
28 [Untitled] 0:04
29 The Snow Angel 1:37
30 [Untitled] 0:04
31 Apnoea 1:09
32 [Untitled] 0:04
33 [Untitled] 0:04
34 [Untitled] 0:04
35 [Untitled] 0:04
36 [Untitled] 0:04
37 Supersingular Primes 0:41
38 [Untitled] 0:04
39 [Untitled] 0:04
40 [Untitled] 0:03
41 Quadratrix 0:57
42 [Untitled] 0:04
43 Calculus of Finite Differences 2:52
44 [Untitled] 0:04
45 [Untitled] 0:04
46 [Untitled] 0:04
47 Zeroth 1:05
48 [Untitled] 0:04
49 [Untitled] 0:04
50 [Untitled] 0:04
51 [Untitled] 0:04
52 [Untitled] 0:04
53 Weight of Consequences (QuodErat Demonstrandum) 7:05



info |
http://www.ipecac.com/artists/mike_patton
http://www.myspace.com/mikepattonofficial

martes, 1 de noviembre de 2011

Ozric Tentacles, Paper Monkeys (2011)



Paper Monkeys is the new studio album from UK underground legends, Ozric Tentacles. It is the band's follow-up to 2009's The Yum Yum Tree.

That album proved that despite being over 25 years into their career the band were still a force to be reckoned with Classic Rock Prog stating, 'There are enough moments of brilliance here to make this the best thing the band have committed to tape since Jurassic Shift in 1993.'

One of the most influential bands to emerge from the UK's festival scene, the Ozrics combine ambient and ethereal landscapes with freeform dub trips, virtuouso rave grooves and psychedelic-tinged progressive rock.

An exploration of music and the soul.

1. Attack Of The Vapours
2. Lemon Kush
3. Flying Machines
4. Knurl
5. Lost In The Sky
6. Paper Monkeys
7. Plowm
8. Will Of The Wisps
9. Air City

Ed Wynne: Guitars, Synths
Ollie Seagle: Drums 
Brandi Wynne: Bass 
Silas Wynne: Synths



info |
http://www.ozrics.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ozrictentacles
http://www.madfishmusic.com/ozrictentacles/papermonkeys/
http://www.burningshed.com/store/madfish/product/273/3267/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozric_Tentacles

lunes, 24 de octubre de 2011

David Murray Cuban Ensemble, Plays Nat King Cole en Espanol (2011)



The powerful and challenging California-born sax virtuoso David Murray was heralded in the 1970s as an heir to the searing free-jazz icon Albert Ayler, then developed into the most eclectically receptive of world-musicians, making all-out improv and accessibly rootsy jazz and blues coexist in the most natural-sounding ways. But even by Murray's open standards, this is an unusual venture: he sets his broad-chested sax sound alongside the rasping Argentinian tango vocalist and arranger Daniel Melingo and Cuba's Sinfonieta of Sines ensemble, to reprise Nat King Cole's Latin America recordings, made in Spanish and Portuguese in 1958 and 1961.

01. El Bodeguero
02. Quizas Quizas Quizas
03. Tres Palabras
04. Piel Canela
05. No Me Platiques
06. Black Nat
07. Cachito
08. A Media Luz
09. Aqui Se Habla En Amor

David Murray: Saxo tenor, clarinete bajo
Roman Filiu Orreilly: Saxo alto
Ariel Bringuez Ruiz: Saxo tenor
Mario Felix Hernández Morrejon / Franck Mayea Pedroza: Trompetas
Denis Cuni Rodriguez: Trombón
Pepe Rivero: Piano
Reiner Elizarde Ruano: Contrabajo
Georvis Pico Milan: Batería
Abraham Mansfarroll Rodriguez: Congas
Daniel Melingo: Voz



info |
http://www.3dfamily.org/see-artist.php?idRoster=140
http://www.davidmurraymusic.com/DAVID_MURRAY_MUSIC/HOME.html
http://distritojazz.blogspot.com/2011/01/david-murray-cuban-ensemble-plays-nat.html

Anoushka Shankar, Traveller (2011)



Anoushka Shankar, hija y discípula del maestro Ravi Shankar es la única artista formada exhaustivamente por su padre.  Sitarista, compositora y de una sensibilidad exquisita, es difícil hacerse una idea del peso artístico que, en herencia y por mérito propio, la define:

Ganadora del Grammy, ha colaborado con Herbie Hanckock, Madonna, Nina Simone o Sting, directora de orquesta, directora junto a George Harrison del celebrado “Chants of India”, solista con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Londres en diversas ocasiones, obsequiada por el Parlamento Británico con una placa de la Cámara de los Comunes, nombrada “Mujer del Año” por India Times y en fin, un currículum sobresaliente.

Gracias a su espíritu de innovación y experimentación, Anoushka Shankar está constantemente desplazando fronteras en lo musical y experimentando con estilos indios y occidentales.  En esta ocasión, su curiosidad y su amor por el flamenco la han llevado a remontarse a los orígenes y raíces indias de este estilo musical.

“Traveller”, producido por Javier Limón y que se edita el próximo 18 de octubre, se abre camino entre los matices del flamenco moderno gracias a la lente de la técnica hindustaní y a máximos exponentes del flamenco como el maestro de la guitarra Pepe Habichuela, las voces de Duquende o Sandra Carrasco, la percusión de Piraña, o el baile de Farruco, entre otros.


01 Inside Me
Music by Javier Limón and Anoushka Shankar
Lyrics by Anoushka Shankar (translation by Javier Limón)
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Sandra Carrasco voice
Javier Limón guitar · Piraña Spanish percussion
Tanmoy Bose tabla

02 Bulería con Ricardo
Music by Pedro Ricardo Miño and Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar
Pedro Ricardo Miño piano
Juan Ruiz Spanish percussion
Bobote & El Eléctrico palmas

03 Krishna
Music by Anoushka Shankar · Lyrics by Ravi Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Shubha Mudgal voice
Ajay Prasanna flute · Tanmoy Bose tabla

04 Si no puedo verla
Music by Javier Limón and Anoushka Shankar
Lyrics by Amir Khusrau (13th/14th century,
Farsi language; translation by Javier Limón)
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Duquende voice
Javier Limón guitar · Piraña Spanish percussion
Kenji Ota tanpura

05 Dancing in Madness
Music by Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar
Pirashanna Thevarajah mridangam
Mythili Prakash bharata-nātyam dancer
Farruco flamenco dancer · Piraña Spanish percussion

06  Boy Meets Girl
Music by Pepe Habichuela and Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Pepe Habichuela guitar

07 Kanya
Music by Anoushka Shankar
Lyrics (traditional) adapted by Sandra Carrasco
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Sandra Carrasco voice
Piraña Spanish percussion · Pirashanna Thevarajah ghatam

08 Traveller
Music by Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar
Pirashanna Thevarajah moorsing
Piraña Spanish percussion · Tanmoy Bose tabla
Sanjeev Shankar shehnai

09 Ishq

Music by Javier Limón, Anoushka Shankar, Sanjeev Chimmalgi

Lyrics by Jami (15th century, Farsi language;
poetic translation by Aalok Shrivastav)
Anoushka Shankar sitar
Sanjeev Chimmalgi voice (song)
Aditya Prakash voice (intro and outro)
Piraña Spanish percussion · Tanmoy Bose tabla
Kenji Ota tanpura

10 Casi uno
Music by Javier Limón and Anoushka Shankar
Lyrics by Anoushka Shankar (translation by Javier Limón)
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Concha Buika voice
Javier Limón guitar
Pirashanna Thevarajah kanjira & ghatam

11 Bhairavi
Music by Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Tanmoy Bose tabla
Kenji Ota tanpura

12 Lola’s Lullaby
Music by Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar sitar · Ajay Prasanna flute
Piraña Spanish percussion · Kenji Ota tanpura



info | 
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/special/shankar-traveller/index.html
http://www.universalmusic.es/artista/anoushkashankar/noticia/?id=8010

Lumerians, Transmalinnia (2011)



The quintet’s debut LP is a gauzy web of otherworldy psych-organ, droning guitar fuzz, funky African and Eastern percussion and febrile modulations that explores the rarefied space rock landscape once mapped out by bands like Pink Floyd, Can, Brainticket and, more recently, Vibravoid. As you immerse yourself in the dramatic soundscape which unfolds over the course of these 9 songs, expect to be transported to the beautiful yet terrifying end of the universe depicted in outsider artist Eugene Von Bruenchenhein’s 1962 painting “Transmalinnia”, which adorns the cover. Set the controls, because hearing is believing.

01. Burning Mirrors
02. Black Tusk
03. Xulux
04. Atlanta Brook
05. Melting Space
06. Calalini Rises
07. Hashshashin
08. Longwave
09. Gaussian Castles



info |
http://lumerians.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lumerians
http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/lumerians/catalog/transmalinnia

Lou Reed & Metallica, Lulu (2011)



Originally the lyrics and musical landscape were sketched out by Lou for a theatrical production in Berlin, but after coming together with Metallica for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in 2009 all guilty parties knew they wanted to make more music together. Lou was inspired enough by that performance to recently ask the band to join him in taking his theatrical Lulu piece to the next level and so starting in early May of this year they were all camped out recording at HQ studios in Northern California, bringing us to today and ten complete songs.

01. Brandenburg Gate
02. The View
03. Pumping Blood
04. Mistress Dread
05. Iced Honey
06. Cheat On Me
07. Frustration
08. Little Dog
09. Dragon
10. Junior Dad



info |
http://www.loureedmetallica.com/index.php

martes, 18 de octubre de 2011

Seth MacFarlane, Music Is Better Than Words (2011)



Fans of Family Guy, American Dad, and the Cleveland Show are already aware of the varied vocal talents of creator Seth MacFarlane. What some may not know, however, is how this talent shines in music. Listeners be forewarned: this is not the comical MacFarlane you have come to know and love (or hate) and, as such, you should leave all your preconceived notions at the door.

As evidenced by his shows, MacFarlane is no novice to musical numbers. Family Guy has benefitted from musical guest stars like Peter Frampton, KISS, Frank Sinatra, Jr., John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra and, of course, throwback cameos of Conway Twitty. Furthermore, Family Guy employs an entire live orchestra for every episode, recycling only the theme song (which is updated regularly as well). The show utilizes musical numbers to increase hilarity with numbers like “Prom Night Dumpster Baby” and informing someone of their AIDS diagnosis via a classy barbershop quartet. We’ve heard MacFarlane’s voice via Peter’s nasally take on such satirical numbers as “Shipoopi,” “Cowboy Butt Sex,” and the “Fellas at the Freakin’ FCC” song. But, our first true experiences with MacFarlane’s genuine singing ability are through Brian, shining on silly songs like “Bag of Weed,” “Republicantown,” duets with Stewie on “Road To…” episodes, and -of course-performances with Frank Sinatra, Jr.

It is these episodes where Brian truly depicts MacFarlane’s own desires of big band musicianship. Citing Sinatra as an influence and idol, MacFarlane and his new album Music Is Better Than Words would make the old crooner proud. While some fans of his comedy may feel a bit shorted by this album, I foresee an entirely new group of fans in his future. This is not an album ala the likes of Bo Burnham or Weird Al; this is a genuine, straight-faced big band album that shines of its own accord.

Remaking big band classics and musical numbers from the likes of The Music Man and The Sound of Music, MacFarlane really showcases his range. One of the instant favorites on this album is bound to be the dreamy duet with Norah Jones, “Two Sleepy People.” Similarly, pop fans can enjoy hearing Sara Bareilles in a new light in the duet “Love Won’t Let You Get Away.” The only tip of the hat to his comedy roots lies in the swingy “The Sadder But Wiser Girl,” a suggestive song from The Music Man that depicts a desire for a “more adult romance” with a girl who is neither wholesome nor innocent.

While MacFarlane’s voice has unwavering power and this album is full of great talent, Music Is Better Than Words would have simply fallen by the wayside if it weren’t for such a well-known name backing it. The talent is undeniable and the range is impressive; however, there is just such a small niche for this type of music today that I can’t imagine it would have gained any notoriety without MacFarlane’s fame. That being said, I can also see him gaining a whole new generation of fans with this album. (http://mindequalsblown.net/2011/09/seth-macfarlane-music-is-better-than-words/)

1. It's Anybody's Spring 2:56
2. Music Is Better Than Words 3:20
3. Anytime, Anywhere 4:00
4. The Night They Invented Champagne 2:37
5. Two Sleepy People 4:26
6. You're The Cream In My Coffee 2:23
7. Something Good 4:16
8. Nine O'Clock 3:12
9. Love Won't Let You Get Away 3:52
10. It's Easy To Remember 5:05
11. The Sadder But Wiser Girl 2:55
12. Laura 5:28
13. You And I 3:41
14. She's Wonderful Too



info |
http://universalrepublic.com/artists/artist_single.aspx?aid=7564
http://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-better-than-words-r2207378
http://www.amazon.com/Music-Better-Than-Words-MacFarlane/dp/B004T5IW2K

lunes, 17 de octubre de 2011

John Zorn, A Dreamers Christmas (2011)



The biggest surprise of the year is John Zorn's beautiful Christmas CD. Zorn has hand picked seven of his favorite Christmas songs, penned two lovely originals and they are performed here in classic Dreamers style with plenty of exciting solos, exotic colors and catchy lyricism. Filled with a joyful holiday spirit, innocence, a touch of nostalgia and a charming lyricism, this is music for all ages that will make you smile with delight from the very first notes. As a special treat, vocalist Mike Patton delivers an intimate and heartfelt rendition of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, making A Dreamers Christmas an instant classic, and an essential CD for any contemporary Christmas celebration. PICTURE DISC ALSO AVAILABLE ON HI QUALITY LIMITED EDITION VINYL.

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Snowfall
3. Christmas Time Is Here
4. Santa’s Workshop
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
8. Magical Sleigh Ride
9. The Christmas Song

Cyro Baptista: Percussion
Joey Baron: Drums
Trevor Dunn: Acoustic And Electric Basses
Mike Patton: Vocal
Marc Ribot: Guitars
Jamie Saft: Keyboards
Kenny Wollesen: Vibes, Chimes, Glockenspiel



info |
http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7393

John Zorn, At The Gates Of Paradise (2011)



Channelling the work of Romantic visionary William Blake and ancient Gnostic writings from the Nag Hammadi archives, At the Gates of Paradise is the newest installment in Zorn’s ever growing catalog of mystical works. The music is filled with bright light and a childlike innocence, and ranges from long form compositions with constantly shifting time signatures that unfold with a compelling inner logic to mysterious ballads and hypnotic moods. Featuring an all-star quartet of Zorn true believers, 20-year veterans who perform this music with a special passion and searing intensity, the performances are filled with exciting solos and brilliant group interaction.

1. The Eternals
2. Song of Innocence
3. A Dream of Nine Nights
4. Light Forms
5. The Æons
6. Liber XV
7. Dance of Albion
8. Song ofExperience

Joey Baron: Drums
Trevor Dunn: Bass
John Medeski: Piano, Organ
Kenny Wollesen: Vibes



John Zorn and Ennio Morricone

info |
http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7392

martes, 4 de octubre de 2011

Ikue Mori | Mark Nauseef | Evan Parker | Bill Laswell, Near Nadir (2011)



Tzadik is proud to present this historic meeting of four major figures in the new music pantheon, each a master improviser and groundbreaking instrumentalist in their own right. Their work together is symbiotic, telepathic—the music powerful and sensitive, sustaining a hypnotic mood with great attention to detail and subtle nuance. Mixed to perfection by Bill Laswell, this is a landmark recording of electro-acoustic improvisation featuring four pioneers of the genre. Mindblowing!

1. Majuu
2. Valhalla
3. In Gold Mesh
4. Orbs
5. Nooks
6. Funnel Drone
7. Yuga Warp
8. Near Nadir
9. Ternary Rite +
10. Flo Vi Ru Dub

Bill Laswell: Basses 
Ikue Mori: Electronics 
Evan Parker: Soprano Sax 
Mark Nauseef: Bent Metal, Meditation Bells, Chinese Drums, Woodblocks, Tom-tom 


info |

lunes, 3 de octubre de 2011

Archie Shepp & Joachim Kuhn, Wo!Man (2011)



Archie Shepp is back with a new album on his own Archie Ball label, a duo recording with German pianist Joachim Kühn. Both musicians can trace their careers back at least as far as the late sixties; at that time Shepp recorded a succession of fiery albums for the Impulse label, a lesser known Impulse release was the Kuhn brothers Impressions of New York (with Jimmy Garrison and Aldo Romano). Joachim Kühn remembers seeing Shepp play at the Village Vanguard in 1967, shortly after the death of John Coltrane.

The pair were brought together to play at a French festival in 2009, and they decided to record. Their virtuoso musical conversation mixes free improvisation, original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards.

01. Transmitting
02. Nina
03. Drivin' Miss Daisy
04. Sketch
05. Harlem Nocturne
06. Lonely Man
07. Segue
08. Sophisticated Lady

Archie Shepp: Saxophone
Joachim Kuhn: Piano


info |

martes, 27 de septiembre de 2011

Slivovitz, Hubris (2009)



Let me start this review simply by letting all of you non-Balkan peoples know that Slivovitz is a plumb brandy. As soon as you taste it you will love it forever, just don’t drink too much!. If you think that this reviewer writes this while drunk on brandy, you’re wrong, and shall be sued for libel. But if you think that this reviewer is under the effects of a Neapolitan band who shares a name with this popular brandy, in that case you are completely right.

Slivovitz is a 7-piece band coming out from Naples, Italy with wide musical influences ranging from Balkan ethno motifs, a mixture of Canterbury and Frank Zappa jazz rock with the addition of John Zorn’s insanity. But it doesn’t stop, there are plenty of musical elements gathered up from all around the world. The originality that permiates every second of this 70 minute long achievement show that the guys in Slivovitz have a great deal of skill.  I feel that Hubris is the type of album that you would never  be able to truly label, which speaks a great deal about its quality. Combining elements of Latin music, Rock Progressivo Italiano, funk, African rhythms, Eastern-European folk, reggae, even pop with the aforementioned jazz-rock-fusion base all make Slivovitz a serious “treat” to the bands/artists which are of the same/similar orientation.

The first thing that comes into sight is the musicianship. You can’t never know which of the Slivovitz band members will take a leading role. All you can do is to express the overloading exaltation to Pietro Santangelo’s saxophon-ing in the opening: Zorn A Surriento, which is an homage to aforementioned John Zorn. Caldo Bagno brings African motives into the game with guest appearance of Giovanni Imparato who has lent his vocal and percussive abilities. Mangiare is the first track on Hubris where you come face to face with Zappaesque-jazz rock, which features Marco Pezzenati’s vibraphones and relaxing saxwork. Errore di Parallasse pushes forth accordion and saxophone, but I must praise the rhythm section on this piece as, in my opinion, they are the most interesting part of the track. The second half of this song is totally dominated by violin soloing a la Jean-Luc Ponty. Ne Carne and Ne Pesce are the only pieces that create the impression of being straight jazz, Ne Carne being totally dominated by saxophone and Ne Pesce by drums. Dammi Un Besh O is a characteristic piece with Balkan-Gypsy folk music, pretty  energetic. It’s one of those that will make you jump and start doing some kind of… well, dancing. If you recall, I wrote above that Hubris also consists of pop moments. Well, there are few of them in CO2, it’s gained with the acoustic guitar of another guest musician: Ugo Santangelo and saxophone work that goes in that direction. Sono Tranquillo Eppure Spesso Strillo – STRESS brings up a combination of funk and jazz fusion. Last three tracks on the album have been recorded in 2004 and included on their debut called Slivovitz, and been remastered for Hubris. As a liner notes the band has stated:

“100% made in Napoli (with a lot of caffe espresso and a lot of slivovitz!)”

If you would love to “taste” something good, then try Slivovitz. Just it’s upon you which one you are going to check out. My recommendation is that you listen to Hubris while drinking the brandy. (http://www.prog-sphere.com)

01. Zorn a Surriento
02. Caldo Bagno
03. Mangiare
04. Errore di Parallasse
05. Ne Carme
06. Ne Pesce
07. Dammi Un Besh O
08. CO2
09. Sono Tranquillo Eppure Spesso Strillo
10. Canguri in 5 *
11. Tilde *
12. Sig. M Rapito Dal Vento *

Domenico Angarano: Electric bass, fretless bass
Stefano Constanzo: Drums and percussions
Marcello Giannini: Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Ludovica Manzo: Vocals
Derek Di Perri: Harmonica
Pietro Santangelo: Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, vocals
Riccardo Villari: Violin

with guests:
Giovanni Imparato: Bata percussions and vocals (Caldo Bagno)
Marco Pezzenati: Vibraphone (Mangiare)
Ugo Santangelo: Acoustic guitar (CO2)


info |

Ahleuchatistas, Location Location (2011)



Things have changed in the world of Ahleuchatistas, as they always seem to. For five albums, the band operated as a guitar-bass-drums trio, and though the line-up changed, the music—in all its dissonant, confrontational jazz-punk-rock fury—continued to mesmerize and confound. The sound morphed; the sonic palate expanded a little more with each record; but at least in those common musical elements we could find a comfortable ground, a foundation on which to stand firm, even as these guys circled tangled compositions around us in barbed heaps.

Location Location, though, marks the band’s first album as a duo. After 2009’s excellent Of the Body Prone, bass player Derek Poteat left the band, leaving guitarist Shane Perlowin and drummer Ryan Oslance (who joined the band just before Of the Body Prone) to soldier on. What they’ve done as a duo here is awfully impressive. In losing a vital piece of their rhythm section—Poteat’s serpentine bass tumbled brilliantly all over their songs—Perlowin and Oslance used the opportunity not to slim down but rather to stretch in new ways. Gone, mostly, are the terse squalls of distortion and cymbals that berated us awake in early records, replaced here with explorations of texture and sonic heft. They still grind, make no mistake, but this grind rumbles a bit deeper, opens up sinkholes under its own foundation. Songs crumble and reassemble, and two players somehow sound just as big and dynamic as three ever did.

For all the abstractions and rabbit holes in their sound, though, the title of Ahleuchatistas’ record is surprisingly literal. The duo maintains the spontaneity of their sound by shifting locations for the recordings that make up this collection. Opener “Waterboarding” and the quick unruly burst of “Blind Way” were both recorded live in-studio, and each sounds fittingly ragged. Both players are sharp, of course, but while you can hear them drift away from each other only to circle back around and synch up, there’s little that sounds planned about it. It’s a sound of discovery as the last few guitar notes echo out alone at the end of “Blind Way” or as the seething layers of atmosphere fill up the space around Perlowin’s tight guitar riff.

Elsewhere, we get the home-recorded “Mistaken Identity”, which combines electronic beats made years ago with surprisingly soft tones from Perlowin’s guitar. The tense-to-snapping, bunched-up notes yield to something more spacious and resonant here, which stands in stark contrast to “A Little Goes a Long Way”. This track has the most obvious location, recorded live at a show at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina. Perlowin’s looped guitars push insistently forward, often rising up in sunbursts of jittery plinking, while Oslance slowly works his drumming up into a muscled fury. The song ends in a towering wall of distortion and crashing drums, and when it abruptly cuts out, the sound of the amazed audience is as jarring as the band’s noise was.

If these new textures are inspired by place, then that somehow becomes a theme that manages to sustain itself through this dense instrumental record. Ahleuchatistas—who take their name from a Charlie Parker composition—do not shy away from politics, but they do not use voice to preach. Instead, they deal in a revelatory sort of politics that conveys tension through sound. Note the remarkable “Israel”, which was the first recording Perlowin and Oslance made as a duo. The guitars sometimes erupt in quick, grit-toothed bursts, but Oslance’s syncopated guitar work establishes a lower but constant tension one that pulls itself taut over the song’s six minutes. There’s also the dyspeptic groaning bubbles of sound on “No Sleep” that sound so damned isolating, removing you from place and filling you with the swirling thoughts that come from sleepless nights.

It’s not that Ahleuchatistas have something to tell us about the state of things, it’s that they, like us, live in the world, and their music is a simultaneously confused and confusing representation of that. We can feel both frustration and resistance, both fatigue and boundless energy. It’s hard not to miss Poteat’s bass a little here, the frantic arrhythmic heartbeat to their sound, but Perlowin and Oslance have managed a sound that doesn’t feel hollowed out by that lack of bass. In fact, this low end—achieved through layers of guitar, through those intricate drums, through endless dynamic layers of sound—rumbles plenty, even if it doesn’t quit cut through the buzz the way only bass can. Location Location never makes it easy for us, but when difficult music also sounds this striking from moment to moment, you’ll be more than happy to lose where you are and follow Ahleuchatistas on this tour of the small places in the mountains of North Carolina, where they found their haunting sounds. (By Matthew Fiander)

1 Waterboarding 5:33 
2 A Little Effort Goes Away 4:18 
3 No Sleep 3:57 
4 Heraclitean 5:34 
5 Channel Zero 7:11 
6 Second Self 3:56 
7 Mistaken Identity 3:37 
8 Blind Way 1:56 
9 Israel 6:31 
10 Our National Anthem 2:39 

Shane Perlowin: Guitar
Ryan Oslance: Drums


info |