Okay, so it’s been almost one year exactly since the maiden “MTH-V” voyage, debuting with this entry about the ever-infectious Manu Katché. (Unfortunately that video has since been removed…would love to find it again.) Furthermore, Katché’s Third Round was the first focus of the “New Listen” series. (It was my instant love of that album – of course an ECM release – that inspired me to attempt a sort of review.) Needless to say, I’m a fan.
This series has mostly centered around live performance. This week, however, I’d like to feature the preview for Katché’s upcoming fourth album Manu Katché, to be released October 30th in the US.Once again, he’s teaming up with the master: Manfred Eicher. It appears that this album picks up where 2010’s Third Round – my favorite of his albums – left off. Assuming “Slowing The Tides” is an indication of what the rest of the album may be like, I think it’s time to place my pre-order…
This past Saturday I finally got to see Charles Lloyd (with his New Quartet) live at Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater. These last five years or so I’ve become quite taken with Lloyd, and he’s perhaps my favorite living jazz saxophonist after Dave Liebman. (At least according to my wallet and library.) I blindly purchased 2001’s Hyperion with Higgins on a whim a few years ago, having been convinced by both the personnel (Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie, Larry Grenadier, Billy Higgins, Brad Mehldau) and the record label (ECM, his nearly exclusive label since coming out of semi-retirement/reclusivity in the 80s) that it’d be worthwhile. In fact, for many reasons I’ll not list here, I consider that purchase/album to be the watershed moment for my love of ECM, when I went from thinking That’s a great label to That is THE label.
While I’ve since gone far down the rabbit hole that is Lloyd’s output, Hyperion remains one of my most-listened to jazz albums. But most of his other albums are in the running for a close second, and that’s because Charles is 1) always engaging and 2) surrounds himself with great players. Perhaps the single most appealing aspect of his playing, to me, is its gravitas. There’s no frivolity is Lloyd’s music, and even the more light-hearted moments have weight. That’s where I hear the influence of Trane most in his music, although the harmonic vocabulary is evident, its the ethos more than anything that grabs my attention. And even with the most chromatic of runs that may include multiphonics or other extended techniques, Lloyd’s unparalleled melodic and rhythmic phrasing make his playing appear deceptively simple or “in,” especially in the last couple decades. It’s more about subtle nuance than aggressive showboating or gymnastics with Lloyd.
At 74 he’s a solid as ever, and rhythm section of his New Quartet – solidified in ’07: Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland – provides a nice youthful balance to his more meditative approach. Without writing a full-blown concert review here, suffice it to say that Saturday night’s show scratched me right where I itched. The highlight for me was their powerful rendition of “Go Down Moses.” Stopping only to introduce the band twice, Lloyd & Co. captivated the auditorium for 100+ minutes.
I’ve assembled a variety of videos to serve as a primer for those unfamiliar with him. And if you’re already a fan, you should really dig these if you haven’t yet seem them. FYI – they’re in reverse-chronological order:
“Passin’ Through”
This features the New Quartet (and they performed this on Saturday, if you happened to be in attendance)
“Prometheus” (the first half) Geri Allen – Piano; Eric Harland – Drums; Robert Hurst – Bass
Geri’s solo is top notch here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S85RFSoXOdk
“You Are So Beautiful”
Geri Allen – Piano; Billy Hart – Drums; Robert Hurst – Bass
(Yes, that “You Are So Beautiful,” although Lloyd’s interpretation practically transcends any other associations or notions you may have previously held about it.)
“Manhattan Carousel”
His famous quartet from the late 1960s – talk about being able to spot talent! Keith Jarrett – Piano, Jack DeJohnette – Drums; Cecil McBee – Bass
Keith’s pianistic outburst at 3:15 gets me every time…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJQPvADWpsE
Regular readers should be at least passively familiar with Trio Mediæval. I’ve mentioned them in a few posts, as well as writing a “New Listen” on their most recent album, A Worcester Ladymass. Their informed, artful renditions of Medieval, traditional, and contemporary works – both sacred and secular – are irresistible. Couple that with their partnership with ECM, far and away my favorite record label (as also frequently mentioned here), and you have a consistent recipe for success.
This week’s video is of a performance “Gjendine’s Lullaby” from 2007’s Folk Songs,the first album of theirs I purchased. I was hooked upon first listen – enough to acquire all of their albums over the next year. Subtitled “Ballads, Hymns and Lullabies,” the album description is: “Traditional songs from Norway arranged for voices and percussion.” This particular song is an arrangement of a traditional lullaby that was, as mentioned in the liner notes, “written down by Edvard Grieg after Kaia Gjendine Slaalien, Jotunheimen.”
Text (translation by Andrew Smith):
The child is laid in its cradle, sometimes crying, sometimes smiling.
The child is laid in its cradle, sometimes crying, sometimes smiling
Sleep, now sleep in Jesus’ name; Jesus, watch over this child.
Sleep, now sleep in Jesus’ name; Jesus, watch over this child
Mother lifts me to her lap, dances with me to and fro.
Mother lifts me to her lap, dances with me to and fro
Dance then, dance with your children, dance, and your child will dance.
Dance then, dance with your children, dance, and your child will dance.
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…
I’ve been wanting to start occasionally posting videos for a couple months but have held off. I wanted there to be some consistency – perhaps making them a semi-regular aspect of this blog – and also for the posts to be relatively informative. I didn’t want to simply post a YouTube link with some exclamation points, but rather offer some brief context and/or history as to why I selected it/them. (Somewhat akin to the “New Listen” series.) Nothing lengthy, but more than just a link.
I really wish I could’ve been fortunate enough to have seen this particular lineup on this (European) tour! A number of ECM staples, especially Katché and Eick, and a saxophonist I’ve become quite taken with over the last 13 months, Tore Brunborg. (He’s featured on Third Round, and is also on Eick’s latest album.) The whole concert largely features material from Neighbourhood and Playground, and this particular clip includes one tune from each album. (The whole concert, divided into 6 clips, is available for viewing, but this particular clip is by far my favorite. I’ve seen/listened to it probably over 150 times over the last few months…)
[UPDATE: Much of this concert has been periodically removed from YouTube over the years, but “Clubbing” remains.]
This group plays together very well. Brunborg and Eick take different approaches on both tunes (especially “Clubbing,” the latter), and the rhythm section fluidly follows suit each time, giving and taking with ease. Also, a real treat of this performance is to hear these musicians in an intense, often barn-burning, “straight-ahead” setting, something Katché practically avoids on his studio albums.
If you like this one, definitely take the time to watch the entire concert (~1 hour) if you can.