Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Brian Eno (electronics, manipulations)
Small Craft On A Milk Sea (Warp Records)

Brian Eno, electronic music innovator and influential record producer (U2, Coldplay, Talking Heads, etc), recently resurfaced with a new album of ambient soundscapes entitled Small Craft on a Milk Sea (Warp Records), created in improvised collaboration with relative newcomers Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams.

Eno has described his latest project as a kind of imaginary soundtrack. In fact, some of the tracks date from his work on the soundtrack for Peter Jackson's movie The Lovely Bones, which mostly resorted to recycling older Eno work. Of course, film music isn't a new concept for Eno. He has contributed music for a number of typically small, independent films. Those recordings can be heard on such albums as Apollo (1983) and Music for Films (1978).

So, what can one expect from Small Craft on a Milk Sea? Like most of Eno's ambient instrumental work, it focuses not so much on melody as it does on mood. Instead of obvious "arrangements" one gets intuitive textures. Sometimes the approach is languid and dreamy, and at other times frenetic and aggressive. If it weren't for the aggro tracks (such as "2 Kinds of Anger") you'd think you were listening to outtakes from his ambient masterpiece On Land (1982), in which sounds created by instruments blend seamlessly with environmental recordings.

The general sensation on Small Craft is one of disquieting expectation. Eno has always excelled at creating these kinds of eerie soundscapes with subliminal undercurrents, and his latest offering is fully loaded with foreboding. It isn't exactly a dark album — Eno eschews such obviousness — but the persistent sense of solitude has the potential to spook. At the very least, it's an immersive listening experience.http://brian-eno.net/seven-sessions/

Included below are tracks from the album and a rather hilarious fake interview with Eno conducted by Eno in rock critic drag.

Crimson Jazz Trio

Crimson Jazz Trio (group)
King Crimson Songbook Vol. 2
Ian Wallace (drums)
Tim Landers (bass)
Jody Nardone (piano)

It came as some surprise recently when hip-hop's Kanye West sampled King Crimson's classic jazz-rock jam "21st Century Schzoid Man." It wasn't especially strange that the sound of a vocally distorted Greg Lake worked well within the context of "Power," a somewhat sinister track from Kanye's latest album, but it was unexpected that one of hip-hop's hipper-than-thou artists would even be aware of the progressive rock dinosaurs. Hip-hop and prog rock don't have much in common stylistically, and even within rock circles, Robert Fripp's cult band is considered an acquired taste — you either love Crimson or you hate them.

All of this reminded me of the Crimson Jazz Trio, a group devoted exclusively to rendering trad jazz versions of King Crimson songs. Pianist Jody Nardone, fretless bass guitarist Tim Landers and the drummer Ian Wallace (a Crimson veteran) recorded two albums before Wallace succumbed to cancer in 2007. Nardone also did some singing on CJ3's second album, The King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 2, though its fairly one note in comparison to the piano playing. In addition, Mel Collins, another Crimson vet, can be heard playing soprano and alto saxophone on the album.

CJ3 does jazz justice to Crimson of the '60s ("I Talk to the Wind"), '70s ("Starless"), '80s ("Frame by Frame") and '90s ("One Time"), bringing the melodies to life with an intimate ensemble sensibility and deeply felt improvisation. Even if you aren't a fan of the band's original recordings you're likely to respond well to CJ3.

Farewell To An Inspiration: Peter Christopherson

Throbbing Gristle
Peter Christopherson (electronics and a number of other weird things; pictured far right)
Genesis P. Orridge (voice, electronics)
Chris Carter (electronics)
Cosey Fanni Tutti (electronics, trumpet, voice)

Today as I'm sure some of you may have read, Peter Christopher, a founding member of one the most influential bands of the last 35 years, Throbbing Gristle (along with Cosey Fanni Tutti, Genesis P. Orridge and Chris Carter, passed away. The band reformed twice in the last six years; recently on short world tour last year.

Throbbing Gristle is one of my favourite bands of all time. Christopherson was also a member of two off-shoots of TG after the band's first disbandment in 1981, Coil and Psychic TV (with TG lead singer Genesis P. Orridge). You will probably be able to find a good bit of their history online today I'm sure of it. I'm actually going to keep this short because I can really find all the words.

This is definitely one of those moments where a musician's passing actually hits you hard. Especially when the group has been inside your head for a good portion of your life. I have been fortunate to have seen TG, PTV, Coil and Chris and Cosey, so I can say my life is full.

For those you who may not be familiar with Throbbing Gristle, let me say you have to be of a certain warped mind set to enjoy them. But let me also say, without them you don't get bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Front 242, Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Test Dept. Liabach and countless others. You might also have not gotten some of the more experimental ideas that have come out of European jazz in the last decade from groups like Supersilent, Humcrush, Nils Petter Molvaer and more. So there is there is reason for both alternative and jazz fans to be saddened today.

Throbbing Gristle utilized electronics and an early 50s art form known as "cut ups" advanced by the great author William Burroughs. This method could be similar to what most kids called "mashups" but it is allot more calculated and takes some real skills, unlike "mashups". What they created was something more visceral, cerebral and spiritual than most bands could even come close to imagining.

Either way, TG represents a very important stamp on the culture of music and in my heart. This more than likely will mean the end of the band completely.I am truly devastated today.

If you've never listened to THROBBING GRISTLE before, you may end up digging them. You might want to start with the compilation Greatest Hits (Mute Records). If you have Throbbing Gristle albums in your collection, please take a spin today and remember one the musicians and bands that truly had a monumental effect on our artistic culture. I promise to do a full scale piece on TG in the coming days. For now...Farewell to our inspiration...

The Underrated: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (sax; b. 1921 - d. 1986)
The Complete Cookbook Sessions
(Originally released on Prestige, 1958; reissued in Europe on Solar Records; 2010)

Shirley Scott (organ)
Jerome Richards (flute, sax)
George Duvivier (bass)
Arthur Edgehill (drums)

Originally issued on Prestige Records as The Cookbook Sessions Vol. I-III, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis so story goes, nicknamed himself after one of his own songs (although he was also called Jaws and sometimes the Fox) is a highly underrated tenor player who recorded some smoldering sides over a ten year span between 1955 and 1965. His style was bold and blazing. Sometimes it felt like a tuba blowing through a bullhorn that's how incendiary his playing was.

Eddie Davis has a number of stellar albums which I highly recommend from the aforementioned period but The Complete Cookbook Sessions (Solar Records) is a nice place to start for the fun, infectious rhythms and superb performances.

The Complete Cookbook Sessions, are three legendary scorchers for fans of Eddie Davis and his quintet which also feature the indomitable, Shirley Scott on organ. Recorded during the summer and winter of '58 these sessions are killer and feature some corny but perfectly performed numbers such as "The Chef," "Simmerin'," "Heat N' Serve," and "The Boilers." But they also include some wonderful standards such as "But Beautiful," and "Willow Weep For Me." The secret weapon on these dates as it was for the entire tenure of this quintet is Shirley Scott. Shirley Scott ability to go from the electrifying opener on Vol.I, "Have Horn, Will Blow" to the gentle balladry tone of "Will Weep For Me" and "Body And Soul" is phenomenal.

The interplay and the effect Scott has on Davis' playing throughout this period is similar to Coltrane and Miles or Lennon and McCartney. They really brought the best out of each in studio and on stage. You can really feel the emotion in the entire band; not matter if its on in a slow romantic blues or boisterous hard bop--this group was tight and immensely entertaining.

The Complete Cookbook Sessions also includes two additional sessions (the albums Jaws and Smokin') recorded in fall between the second and third volumes of Cookbook show how the group took a stranglehold on standards such as "Pennies From Heaven," and "I Never Be The Same." Superb stuff that complements the Cookbook sessions well and is definitely appropriate to compile together.

While for jazz fans I would recommend a different Lockjaw Davis album, Trane Whistle (Prestige; 1960), I would have to say if you are looking for a truly entertaining session that captures the electricity and magnetism of Eddie 'Lockjaw" Davis, The Complete Cookbook Sessions is a great premier. A nice way to discover one of the unheralded tenor players of the late 50s and 60s. A must hear session.

This is a much later video but it does represent Eddie Davis big style nicely I thought.

Lucky 7s: Chicago/New Orleans Big Beat

Lucky 7s (group; formed 2006)
Pluto Junkyard (Clean Feed; 2009)

Jeff Albert (trombone)
Jeb Bishop (trombone)
Josh Berman (cornet)
Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)
Quin Kirchner (drums)
Matthew Golombisky (bass)
Keefe Jackson (sax)

Lucky 7s are an incredible ensemble that has somehow merged the vibrant, gritty and ethereal aspects of both their native cities (Chicago and New Orleans) into an intoxicating yet accessible concoction that is well worth seeking out.

Developed by Jeb Bishop and Jeff Albert in 2006--featuring fellow chicago members from other bands, they then were joined by Matthew Golombisky and Quin Kirchner who migrated to Chicago, originally to perform with the others members on a few dates. This turned into a full-fledged band later that year.

Lucky 7s has a similar sound in line with other Chicago bands (Vandermark 5, Exploding Star Orchestra, Chicago Underground, etc.) but this group seem to find another way to turn what looks similar into something completely different. A well balanced and well placed focus on driving brass rhythms combined with spacey free from atmospherics sets this ensemble apart from its Chicago neighbors (of whom some members do belong actually).

The band debuted in 2006 with Farragut (Lakefront Digital), a fierce attack of complex arrangements and mood changes that made clear that Jeb Bishop and Jeff Albert were terrific song writers outside the groups they performed in regularly. While Lucky 7s is loosely led by Bishop and Albert, each member is allowed to express themselves in this septet.

Pluto Junkyard (Clean Feed) is the groups second album and advances the sound and structures even further. The album is jubilantly moved along by the perfection of Jason Adasiewicz on vibes and stellar work by Keefe Jackson on sax. Adasiewicz adventurous other world soundscapes and Jackson's muscular dexterity add real colour to the proceedings as apparent on "Culrual Baggage" and "Future Dog".

The somber yet beauty "Afterwords" is an emotional meditation on the originals of the band--developing as a result of members Albert, Golombisky and Kirchner moving to Chicago after Hurricane Katrina. This is well documented if you already follow the band it is significant in that the roots of both New Orleans and Chicago jazz live harmoniously through Lucky 7s. "Afterwords" displays this richly through the what could almost be journey walking down a New Orleans street in the aftermath. The basslines from Golombisky are haunting and easily detached you from session to fill you emotions of sorrow and the hope that follows.

"The Dang Hang" is smoldering piece as the liner notes state based around a late night bender possibly? Either way, its a fantastic divergence for the album in a more hyper-rock, free jazz mode. It's fun and show the band can really let rip when it needs too. The always reliable and creative Jeb Bishop takes up electric guitar for this piece with unbelievable results. But "The Dang Hang" has so many changing parts it makes for fascinating listening. The trombone interaction with Adasiewicz's vibes is beauty laid in the middle of the piece and resets the band for a nail-biting conclusion.

"Sunny's Bounce" is nice ode to psyched out sounds that influence Lucky 7s (mainly being Sun Ra) but also the New Orleans legends take flight here as well. It's a gentle midtmepo number creating number hip patterns that will keep your feet tapping but with an interchanging of "what was that note" mixed in. "Sunny's Bounce" is jumping, fresh, but yet interwoven with enough free thought that is not just a homage as it is a statement of intention.

Lucky 7s hopefully is a group that these members will continue to come back to in addition to their usual gigs. Pluto Junkyard definitely stands apart from its Chicago counterparts as a vehicle infusing the roots of two great jazz towns but it also show the immense talents of the entire outfit. This band could easily be making as many records as V5 or CU in the coming years. If you get a chance definitely venture out Lucky 7s..

Jazz On Sunday: Miles Davis

Miles Davis (trumpet; b. 1926 - d. 1991)
The Columbia Years 1955-1985 (Columbia/Legacy)

So this is a short entry today. I had been thinking as we head into the holiday season and people start thinking about gifts to give others---why not think about what you want. You deserve it. Right? RIGHT!

An album I've been listening to a lot lately is Miles Davis: The Columbia Years 1955 - 1985. This four disc boxed set usually gets lost in the discussion of Miles' boxed sets and other multitudes of Miles Davis collections. The reason being, because all of the most recent boxed sets have been extremely focused on particular periods or styles of the great legend's music (e.g. Bitches Brew, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, Silent Way, etc.).

There has also been a very nicely curated The Essential Miles Davis (Legacy Recordings), a 2 disc set, that covers the most significant moments spanning his entire career with the labels OJC, Prestige, Fontana, Columbia and Warner Bros. While this is a perfect gift for any Miles newcomer or all around jazz newcomer, I think The Columbia Years still deserves a place on someone's shelves this year. If not as a gift, be stingy and get it for yourself.

The Columbia Years represents the best of Miles material and is pretty comprehensive in what was chosen for the set. You get one of the earliest tracks, "Generique" from a little known label Jazz Track (which also served as the soundtrack for French film Elevator To The Scaffold). The iconic "So What" from the best jazz album in history Kind Of Blue to "Flies Of Kilimanjaro," "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down," to "What It Is" from one of the later albums Decoy.

This definitely is a set covering an extensive amount of Miles material during his most prolific period and may be too much for some newcomers, but I think you may also be able to find this boxed set pretty cheaply now due to the aforementioned boxes being available now.

The Columbia Years boxed set is divided into five sections over four discs: 1) Blues based material. 2) Standards. 3) Miles' original material. 4) Mood or atmospherics and lastly 5) Electric Fusion.

The other significance of The Columbia Years was that this was the very first ever boxed set of Miles Davis material. It was released on vinyl, cassette (yes cassette) and CD. At this point in 1988 there were absolutely no boxed sets out for jazz artists so this was a big deal.

I, for some nostalgic reason, always gravitate to this box when I have company over or when I just want a nice long dose of Miles for a Sunday afternoon. So if you are thinking of being a greedy little pig this holiday season let me recommend Miles Davis: The Columbia Years 1955-1985 as something well worth your schilling. Enjoy...

Chris Dahlgren On The Beauty Of Bartok

Chris Dahlgren (double bass, voice; b. 1961)
Mystic Maze (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)

Antonis Anissegos (piano)
Eric Schaeffer (drums)
Gebhard Ullmann (sax; clarinet)
Christian Weidner (sax)

Chris Dahlgren is a New York native now living in Berlin. He has developed a unique style in both playing and composition. This may be a result of his many musical partnerships with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, Fred Hersch and La Monte Young to name just a few. While his compositional style is more abstract, Dahlgren's playing is very contemporary in a vein of Dave Holand and Charlie Haden. This I feel allows his fellow band members to express themselves freely within the written material.

Dahlgren has been performing since the eighties (with his debut as leader appearing in the late nineties) but recently he put together a quintet with members that he has played together in various forms, now called Lexicon. Their debut, Mystic Maze (Jazzwerkstatt Records) is a brilliant slice of improvisation, classical theory and poetry.

Mystic Maze is based around the music of the great composer Bela Bartok, or better yet the critics who derided Bartok during his time for the adventurous and original spirit that he was. Dahlgren has constructed a poetic operatic experience that moves freely between melodic Silent Way-esque motifs, explorations on the meaning of music and how we and civilization relate to it.

The title track, "Mystic Maze" begins with almost Beat Generation drum and bass lines matched by Dahlgrens poetic delivery, outlines the direction of this session as journey of meaning of Bartok and his music. This is free form but with meaning and purpose.

Dahlgren utilizes the direct critiques of Bartok as lyrics in a poetic fashion throughout Mystic Maze. "Painless Dentistry No.1 - 3" while have more a jazz improvisational element due contain the underline feeling of angst that was delivered upon Bartok. This is most evident on "Painless Dentristy No.2" which Dahlgren recites a critics thoughts on how more or less Bartok has lost his way and his vision. The delivery of the lyrics and mastery of the musicians within this format is extraordinary. The work of both Ullmann, Weidner (on clarinet and sax) and Anissegos exploratory vision on piano are marvelous throughout each piece.

"The Composer Promenading The Keyboard In His Boots" is another moment in which the material shines not only due to Dahlgren's arrangements but the effortless phrasing from Anissegos, Weidner, Ullmann and Schaefer's perfect timing. "The Composer Promenading..." has a critics discussing the meandering and meaninglessness of Bartok's written material. Under the direction of Dahlgren this diatribe is turned on its head beautifully.

Mystic Maze is work that is reminiscent of an evening at St. Marks Church listening to Allen Ginsberg in the eighties. Or if some of you may remember an album by Heiner Gobbels entitled Man In The Elevator (ECM Records) which beautifully balanced jazz improvisation, operatic themes and poetic parameters. Mystic Maze is heavy but delightful stuff and worth repeated listens so you can gain every drop of knowledge from the world Dahlgren has constructed. ...And then you should go out and purchase some Bartok if you don't have some already.