This Is Book’s Music

Jazz comes in all forms, and sometimes when I want to hear a bit of big band jazz, it’s hard to figure out who to listen to. If you want to hear a big band in the tradition of some of Duke Ellington‘s or Stan Kenton‘s best, pick up The Aggregation‘s Groove’s Mood (DBCD).

Under the drection of Eddie Allen, Groove’s Mood is simply the kind of music you’d like to hear in your last 90 minutes of life, but you know life is for the living and you want to hear this forever and ever. This is top-notch jazz without any regrets, whether it’s the bossa nova groove of “Brasilia” or the gospel touches of “Wade In The Water”. They all play like masters, and if you’re a musician you’ll want to play your instrument immediately, or stop what you’re doing and go on tour with them. If you’re not a musician, you’ll want to learn. One of my favorite songs on the album is the four-part suite “The Black Coming”, a concept piece that interprets the struggle of African-Americans from being “Kidnapped” from their homes to having to serve their masters (“Servitude”) to the joy that comes from freedom (“Jubiliation”) only to lead to living in lower-than-low social and economical conditions (“Enslaved”). The song begins almost in a tribal manner before it storms in with the sound of jazz circa 1930 or 1950 before going into various directions. You are hearing time and progress, or lack of it as the case may be, and Allen shows he is fully capable of putting together more weighty compositions with ease.

16 musicians, a guest singer (LaTonya Hall, who performs a cover of Stevie Wonder‘s “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”), and a bandleader. It’s more a jazz army than anything, but these guys come equipped with ammunition, ready to strike when necessary.

Rappers should not be afraid to share their sense of humor, for it has been told that sometimes the best musicmakers are wanna-be comedians, and the best comedians often have some kind of musical background. Not sure about D.O.N.‘s background, but he shows his sense of humor and an incredible lyrical wit in “Brand New Day”, a song that has him wanting to do new things in order to avoid the mistakes of the past. “Throw Shade” is one of those intellectual songs that you want to master aspect of the song because you know that by doing so, the song will seep into your mind. Is it nerdy, well isn’t the best hip-hop a sign of ultra geekiness?

Forget the tags, this is someone who sounds like a cross between Skillz and Kanye West, people who know how to control the mic and will do everything it takes to create songs of substance. Commercial Free Broadcast (Dubla Music) is music for those who demands a rapper actually raps, in the traditions of Big Pun, KRS-One, Blueprint, and Chino XL, people who pack as much content into their lyrics, where wordiness is the name of the game, and effectiveness is a gift. Eleven songs move at a face pace for 22 minutes, this could’ve been a 22 or 33-track album and I probably would have been satisfied. But if D.O.N.’s continues to make EP’s like this and flood the market somehow, people are bound to pay attention. Until then, pay attention to him and his music as is.

Not sure if the right word I’m looking for his “methodical”, but trumpeter Chris Pasin is someone who plays with precision and elegance at the same time, it is obvious he has had a lot of time with his instrument to create the kind of music one can hear on the soon-to-be-classic Detour Ahead (H20).

In the 8 songs here he plays in a regal manner, but also someone who isn’t afraid to let loose. “It Doesn’t Matter Now” begins as a sensual song before it dips into a bit of bebop before going back into its comfort zone, as he and Steve Slagle (also and soprano saxes & flute), Dannie Richmond (drums), Rufus Reid (bass), and Benny Green (piano) help him complete each sonic painting. When Green begins his solo in “It Doesn’t Matter Now” everyone allows him to fill in with his strokes, with Reid occasionally saying “how you doin’?” with his playing, there’s a moment around the 3:30 mark where they do a casual stroll and that was a nice touch. Most of the songs here are original compositions and they show how mature his playing was. Perhaps touring with Buddy Rich was a factor, or perhaps he admired his influences so much that he wanted to speak with them through music, not so much show how easily he could emulate them even if he wanted to. This is that dialogue. High compliments also go to “Island”, a close-to-10 minute song that features all of the emotions one could find in a song, with everyone giving it their all in a song that could be about solitude, inner peace, warmth, comfort, or all of the above.

What surprised me is the fact that this album was recorded 22 years ago, as he chose to step out of the music realm in order to live life. Detour Ahead is perhaps a poignant title for someone who did choose to take a detour in his personal journey. It is said that he is playing and recording again, and if life is about exploring the living, his follow-up to this is sure to be an album worth savoring.

(Detour Ahead will be released on September 1st.)

Being a fan of the project known as Knitting By Twilight for a few years, the one thing I always wonder with each new release is: now what? In other words, each project goes into a completely new direction that as a writer I never know what to expect. Yet as an artist myself, this is the fun of making music, being able to take yourself in any soundscape possible. As an indie artist, it also means not having to obey the rules or follow-up on your last success. John Orsi steers the ship along with wife Karen Orsi, Manny Silva, and Mike Marando, and for the 5-song EP Riding The Way Back (it’s Twlight Time) they go progressive, pop, and experimental/avant-garde. To me, the different blends are natural and in fact I tend to enjoy music that goes all over the place instead of being too comfortable for a long duration.

The intro to “Mike’s Glacier” sounds like someone coming in, finding some random instruments and playing what they feel like, but this is before things get intense with layers of eerie-sounding keyboards, deep percussion, and ethereal guitars. Think of a very dark and sinister scene of a mindfuck thriller and this is the song you’d hear to build suspense, a bit like what Milk Cult tried to do years ago but… you know how in some documentaries they’ll claim that a killer enjoys the thrill of seeing someone who is praying for you to not hurt them, as he slowly makes his way towards his ultimate climax? It’s a digusting thought but the song builds like that, a cross between the beautiful and potentially horrid. On the more abstract side is “She’s Here”, where the Orsi’s speak to each other in minimalistic distortion via electric guitar, electronics, and percussion. In a completely different direction is “”Blue Ink For Fountain Pens”, a drumless song that is moved along by a guitar bathed in reverb, a wall of keyboards, and a nice moving melody that would fit on anything from Weather Channel incidental music to something you’d hear on a Travel Channel documentary. The aptly titled “Twirling Guitars and Glad Tambourines” sounds like something you’d catch a group of people playing at a folk festival, where you’ll want to pick up whatever you can find nearby and play along with them. It sounds like something you’d hear and play at sunset or sunrise, with Karen’s guitar work coming off as if either scaring the spirits away or bringing them in to dance.

This is perfect mind music, and while I don’t smoke, I can only imagine what this would sound like while stoned. Each song may not have a cohesive meaning, but as individual pieces they come off like pages from a sacred musical diary. Either they are songs looking for personal definition, or it’s the listener who will find comfort in the warmth of these songs, most likely a combination of both. If I was in the position of being a music supervisor or executive producer for a film, I would definitely get Knitting By Twlight for the project.

Marcie Brown is a cellist who plays with love and passion, as she shows us in Butterfly Girl (self-released), a CD whose cover is a photo of her daughter. Maybe it’s a reflection of her looking back at her youth, or to make music that her daughter would enjoy, but regardless of the direction, it’s an album full of creativity and adventure that goes beyond what one would expect from a cello-based album.

What you’ll hear on this album are hints of classical, jazz, pop, and in two instances an Indian influence with “India 2″ and “India 1″. It’s not just the music of someone in a room with a microphone and her instrument, one is moved to go with her on this journey and imagine how it would be to sense what she’s trying to create. “African Rain Dance” sounds like you’re being welcomed to an African ceremony, and watching Brown enter the circle to add a bit of herself to the worldly communication, one that doesn’t involve words.

In better times, Brown would be a musician whose talents would be used by a lot of today’s artists. I hope if anyone is reading this, that they’ll take time to buy this, listen, and use her for their own projects. She sounds like someone who is ready to go on new trips and in turn she’ll take you to new place or two. Continue the worldly communication.

It may be self-titled but it is not Holmes‘ first release. His name is also not Holmes, but rather Roy Shakked. But Holmes he is for his music, and he feels most at home when he’s in a room putting his musical talents to the test, as he does on his new album (Groove Gravy).

If you are familiar with Holmes/Shakked, you may know what kind of sound he tried to achieve. But for this one he takes a different approach. Gone are most of the quirky samples and present is an earthiness, which is a journalistic way of saying he is using more instrumentation and tapping into his songwriting capabilities to create something that is more about the human machine than a sequenced one. Bring to mind the eclectic vibe of Beck and John Frusciante, mix in the pop sheen of Ben Folds and Elton John and what you’ll hear is someone who is making music for people who have forgotten what good music should sound like. “Let Go” is about the need to put things behind in our lives, done in a style that sounds like Steely Dan if they hung out smoking weed to Paul McCartney albums opposed to praising the ways of Rudy Van Gelder.

I believe the words of Paul Morley, where he said that pop music is at its most adventurous even when it’s the mundane that gets all of the attention. Holmes is someone who is very confident in the music he makes, or at least makes an attempt to become the confident confidant. He makes music that you want to rely on and spoon with each morning. Those who listen to this will eat this up and pass it along to friends who are musically malnourished.

(Holmes’ self-titled second album will be released on August 11th, and will be available through his official SweetHolmes.com website.)

(Groove Gravy)

There are good choices to be made with an album and there are bad ones. Quixotic are a brand new band who just released their debut album and I think their sound has incredible potential but they still have to work on their craft.

What I hear are some great musicians who know what they’re capable of doing, I really like Mike Bearden‘s guitar work, and vocalist Nate Larsen is a challenge to listen to because I wasn’t sure what he was trying to do at first. It finally gelled after a few listens.

The CD sounds more like a casual demo than a fully developed album, and perhaps what these guys need to do is better utilize the capabilities of a record studio. I think these guys could become a Coheed & Cambria or Mars Volta if that’s what they want to do, but the way these songs are recorded hold the power back when it should be in your face. Maybe these guys go over the edge live, and if so, they need to put that into the studio and then conquer the world. That is what they need to do for CD #2.

The new album by Brazilian singer Céu shows that there’s a lot to modern day Brazilian music that most people don’t know about. Perhaps the perception is that the music is still stuck in “The Girl From Ipanema” land when it has always been alive and vibrant. The African influence is a staple of much of Brazil’s music, but you also hear a bit of American soul in her voice, as one will hear in Vagarosa (Six Degrees).

The album begins with a brief interlude as the sound of record crackle moves in, perhaps a hint to the ways of the past. Then we hear the future, one Céu is proud to be a part of. These songs are sensual and moving as they should be, but at times you’ll hear shades of Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, and other vocalists without making the kind of crossover music that might move her into a new direction. Songs like “Ponteiro”, “Papa”, “Bubula”, and “Nascente” are soothing enough to make you wish you were visiting the beaches of Brazil, but you may want to sample its other inner beauties.

To say an album is “modern” doesn’t exactly mean “contempoary” in the American music sense. It is said that some musical genres do not age well, and stay within its own self-made boundaries. Brazilians aren’t known to be dormant, and the same can be said about the energy to take this music forward, without forgetting what came before it. Céu should be a world superstar, but hopefully the spotlight will not take her away from her roots and desire to uplift her people, as her singing does throughout hew new album.