MTH-V: Lydia Kaboesj

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Honoring the eclectic nature of this series, this week’s video is a sharp turn from Evan Parker. 🙂 Actually, without this being the intention, it ties loosely ties together a number of previous posts.

In early 2007, when I first stumbled upon those Marcus Miller videos I posted a while back, I came across another version of “Run for Cover” by Lydia Kaboesj. Lydia is a real solid Dutch bassist who posted a series of homemade solo videos to YouTube in 2006-07. (She’s a professional musician in Europe, but this series is how I came to know her.)

Although there are a number to choose from, my favorite of the “Lydia On Bass” video series is her cover of Musiq Soulchild‘s “Just Friends (Sunny),” itself a play on Bobby Hebb’s iconic pop hit “Sunny.” (The lyrics are by no means deep or profound, but the overall song is catchy.) She’s definitely a one-woman band featuring bass guitar, voice, and beatbox. Despite a vocal hiccup, this is an impressive little performance. Below Lydia’s performance I’ll also post a nice live performance of the same song by Musiq Soulchild, a video I immediately tracked down after finding Lydia’s. One thing I really enjoy about Musiq’s performance is his use of a full soul band, unfortunately a rarity nowadays.

For fun, here are some traits this post has in common with some of its predecessors, making it the rug that (kind of) ties the room together thus far.
1. I found Lydia via Marcus Miller’s “Run For Cover,” which was featured here.
2. “Just Friends” is a contrafact of “Sunny.” Though that’s a term generally applied to jazz, it’s suitable here. The Liebman performance I posted here features one of his own contrafacts.
3. Musiq Soulchild’s performance comes from his appearance on Later…with Jools Holland. Bon Iver’s performances, posted here, came from the same program.
4. Lydia’s performance is solo, the only other solo performance I’ve featured thus far is last week’s Evan Parker post.

Lydia Keboesj:

Musiq Soulchild:

MTH-V: Evan Parker Solo

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Finally, what I intended to post a few weeks ago.

Over the past couple years I’ve become quite taken with Evan Parker. I hadn’t heard of him until I blindly purchased Boustrophedon, one of his two albums co-led with Roscoe Mitchell and their Transatlantic Art Ensemble – a real nice album! (I’ve since purchased the companion Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2, & 3, and it’s just as wonderful and intriguing.) I’m thankful I purchased that album, as it exposed me to a truly unique saxophonic voice. In that same spirit of thanks, I found it only appropriate to finally post these videos this week.

For those who aren’t familiar with Mr. Parker, and I’m guessing that’ll be almost all of you, he’s a British free saxophonist. I’d say free jazz saxophonist, however that’s a bit constraining, as you’ll no doubt gather from these two videos. While he has made records in more “traditional” jazz formats, he’s mostly known for his all-out sonic assaults in a variety of settings. One of his biggest contributions has been to the area of solo saxophone improvisation, having released a number of albums in the genre. (Go to this site and select Evan Parker -> Solo Saxophone for an idea.) As a result, I chose these two videos to serve as an appropriate introduction.

These selections come from a live 1985 performance in London. (I’ve spent many late nights captivated by these and other Parker videos.) It’s best to let Parker speak for himself, so all I really should say is:
1. Note his casual execution of a plethora of extended techniques. What’s better is the fact that he uses them as a means to an end in order to properly express whatever it is he’s hearing, as opposed to simply “showing off.” In fact, it regularly sounds as if more than one instrument is being performed.
2. Keep open ears and an open mind. And most of all, enjoy! 🙂

PS – Imagine my excitement to secure this album in, hopefully, the near future…

MTH-V: Bon Iver

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Once again, my originally-intended video has been postponed due to recent events/distractions. This past Saturday night, while headed back home with my friend and partner Matt Borghi after a successful Teag and PK gig in Plymouth, I professed at length my love for Bon Iver. All Matt had to say was, “I think I heard them on NPR but can’t remember,” and I was off, talking a mile a minute.

Some context for any Bon Iver novices out there: Bon Iver is the overall project and brainchild of singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, who is one hell of a songwriter. The recently-released sophomore album (Bon Iver) is an enormous departure from the first (For Emma, Forever Ago). As I told Matt the other night, Bon Iver is a full-on sonic experience, and I feel like the two below videos display nicely some of the various aspects. Overall, the sound is very lush. While not always “big,” the sound is very thick, and he accomplishes this nicely by having 1) a large touring band (by rock/pop standards), 2) by having the entire band double (or triple!) on various instruments/voices, and 3) consistently using vocal harmonies. Even though the ensemble functions as a rock band, it acts as a pit orchestra. It’s a very solid band (including saxophonist Colin Stetson, I was pleased to learn), and I can’t praise him enough for taking such a large band on the road. Seriously. That’s a commitment you don’t often see below the very highest-grossing levels of pop music. My wife bought us tickets to see them in Chicago in December, and we’re both very excited to experience the group live.

I wanted to dedicate a New Listen to Bon Iver, but didn’t have the time while in Austria and it’s no longer “new” (for me). However I would like to do something along those lines by the end of the year, as it’s arguably my favorite album of any genre or era I’ve acquired so far this calendar year. (In my top 3, without question.) Until then, below are a couple videos for y’all to enjoy, whether or not you’re familiar with the music. Both of these performances come from Bon Iver’s appearance on BBC’s Later…with Jools Holland, and both songs are from Bon Iver.

“Calgary” (*One of my favorites*)

“Towers”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81wOQrhHhC8

Update: Matt informed me on Monday that he had already gotten hold of For Emma… and is hooked. 🙂

New Listen: Mitchell & Harris’s ‘Traveling By Moonlight’

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Artist: Mitchell & Harris
Album: Traveling By Moonlight (2011)

This particular New Listen is a real treat for me as it’s personal. G. Pat Harris – a dear friend and first musical soulmate with whom I heavily collaborated in 2003-6 – is half of this wonderful duo along with Anna Mae Mitchell. Pat and Anna’s collaboration began in bluegrass while we were all classmates at Central Michigan University. Since then, they’ve developed a continually expanding original repertoire and are both now based in Austin, TX.

While the obvious core is Mitchell (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Harris (basses, vocals, harmonica, songwriting), don’t be fooled – Traveling By Moonlight (artwork by Ashleigh Wisser) is a full-on sonic experience. The band includes a full rhythm section – drums, acoustic and electric guitars, bass (of course) – and also features piano, mandolin, violin, and percussion. I hesitate to simply label it “Americana” for fear of pigeonholing. Though that’s definitely the starting point, rock, folk, pop, country, jazz, and various other elements also blend together to create what matters most: a solid album of great original songs.

Though I doubt it was their primary aim, Mitchell & Harris carefully observe Rob Gordon’s song order advice with their first three numbers. 🙂 Opening with the bluegrass-tinged “Run From The Ocean,” Anna’s voice and Pat’s lyrics calmly welcome the listener bit by bit, gradually adding each instrument/voice until you finally get the song’s full ensemble halfway through. “New Day” certainly takes it up a notch, offering an upbeat, electric, 90s-pop-rock feel that gets you out of your seat. Then, almost as splitting the difference, the ballad “Home” combines acoustic and electric elements while Anna’s voice gradually grows in intensity, nicely contrasting the restrained solo electric guitar.

Such diversity is a hallmark of this album. For example, the album’s “rockers” all do so differently: “New Day” is optimistic and electric; “The Canyon” reminds one of country rock from decades past; “Lost At Sea” is electric, unapologetic arena rock (and in mixed meter, no less); and “The Overgrown Graveyard” is an example of a hybridized pop-bluegrass that’s often attempted on the airwaves but rarely works (in this case, it does!). Beyond stylistic decisions, the orchestration offers much variety and keeps the listener engaged throughout. Pat, who also served as producer, does a great job of economically showcasing a relatively standard instrumentation, using instruments only when needed and cutting out the sonic fat. Case in point: the violin’s debut in “The Canyon” (track 5) is a welcome timbral change almost halfway through the album, nicely complementing the harmonica and electric guitar. It then doesn’t appear until its cameo four songs later in “Glue,” drunkenly mimicking Anna’s cries, remaining for “Before the Rain” and “The Overgrown Graveyard.” And yet, those songs with violin (or any other auxiliary instrument) don’t stick out as “those fiddle tunes” – all twelve songs are complementary pieces to the same aural pie.

The album’s conclusion is a delightful closing paragraph, summarizing what Traveling By Moonlight is all about. The penultimate “The Overgrown Graveyard” is a bluegrass romp including most of the instruments and sonic elements heard up to that point. And “Waiting For Tomorrow” is an appropriate farewell, distilling the ensemble down to its core – the duo.

It’s been a slightly longer New Listen than normal, but I’m proud of my friends and colleagues for offering up such a quality original contribution. This is a truly independent release, self-funded with everything but the actual packaging process taken care of in-house, making this a great opportunity for everyone to support independent, original music. It’s available today through CD Baby, iTunes, and local Austin retailers, and I highly encourage you to pick yourself up a copy. Mitchell & Harris of course perform in Austin and surrounding areas regularly, but they’ll also be performing in the Midwest in December (and will be joined by yours truly for a couple shows) and in the Northeast and Appalachia in the spring. Consult their website for more information, and check them out if they’re in your area.

And finally, to reference one of this blog’s running themes: pay for what you like. 🙂

Album Links:
CD Baby (CD & MP3)
ATX Podcast (Interview with Pat & Anna, along with some musical previews.)

MTH-V: Jeff Coffin w. DMB compilation

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I mentioned in the Marcus Miller post from two weeks ago that Jeff Coffin liked music that moved him via his heart, head, rear end, or all three. For over a decade Coffin has been not only one of my favorite saxophonists, but one of my favorite musicians. Without getting too sentimental here, his playing consistently cuts to my core. It’s deep, complex, “out,” and yet maintains an overall “pop” sensibility that ties it all together. Sure, he can be wailing on extensions or multiphonics, but if he’s doing that then he’s backing it up with a solid rhythmic foundation that’ll keep most people tapping their toes regardless.

Briefly, in case you’re saying, “Who’s Jeff Coffin?”: A UNT grad, he originally gained recognition after joining Béla Fleck & The Flecktones in 1997. Since then he’s also released a number of (unfortunately) little-known yet amazing solo albums (I have them all). In 2008, he joined the Dave Matthews Band to replace LeRoi Moore after his sudden injury and eventual death that summer. (Being a DMB fanatic, imagine my guilt of always wanting to see Coffin sit in with DMB, only to have it actualized via Roi’s departure and passing…)

This week’s video is a compilation of Jeff’s solos from Dave Matthews Band’s performance at Rothbury 2008. He had sat in as a guest with DMB sporadically since 1998, but this was his fourth show as the full-time/only saxophonist after joining the band with a day’s notice. The video was snagged from a live feed that was broadcast during the festival, and it’s a great compilation featuring his solos on the following songs, in order: “Seek Up,” “Grey Street,” “#41,” “Jimi Thing,” and a small clip of “Anyone Seen The Bridge?” (with the Strauss interpolation). It’s also a great compilation because I of course attended the show, and remember it like it was yesterday. 🙂

A little treat, here’s a video I was lucky to stumble upon a few years ago of Jeff sitting in with DMB on “Two Step” in April 2002. This had long been one of my favorite solos I acquired from the taping community, so imagine my surprise when the video eventually surfaced! Throughout the song, Béla and all of the Flecktones sit in, but this clip is Coffin’s solo only. (I recommend watching the whole thing if you have time.) In under three minutes, he covers all the musical bases. (And imagine my frustration that this occurred on 04.21.02 – I saw them on 04.23.02 and 04.26.02. Oh well, the shows were still great. :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODGkRWKLNc