Lights out, music on.

It had to happen sooner or later but for the first time at my university accomodation i have my first maintenance problem! The lights in my room and my neighbours have blown and so have the kitchens, which is directly opposite my room. Normally i wouldn't complain but when you were about to go and start making some tea after lack of food all day and then suddenly plunged into darkness along with equally bemused friends. That's a way to describe that i'm not in the best of moods. Even more so when your sub warden does not return until two days from now and your manager even on mobile calls is not answering. The worst aspect is i'll have to shower as if it were 1942 during an air raid.

If anything this has shown me how dependent todays society is on electric lighting, quite sad really when only over a century ago most houses in the Britain were dependent on candle light and they seemed to manage very well. Equally they coped without modern entertainment such as television, which coincidentally is providing the source of light for my room as i type. "Technika light", doesn't have a ring to it really. And.. actually i lie, i have a cool purple desk lamp provided to me during these harsh and desperate times (thanks Emma!).


Now with the intro part of the post over, and with my sight semi-deprived i thought i'd take this opportunity to listen to some tunes i'd forgotten about until recently and ones which i've recently been turned towards thanks to the Zavvi sales (who said economic depression was bad for records?).

Most of the music i listen to is primarily Jazz, but i listen to many other genres (musically open minded). So most of the posts i'll do will probably be jazz orientated in some way. So to kick off here are a few tunes which are catching my ears and helping pass the wee small hours.



--------------------------------
(in no particular order)

Kenny Garrett - Sketches of MD
Sketches of MD (2008)

When i first heard Kenny was releasing a new album and even though i've listened to his music a lot before, i thought i'd make the effort to buy this particular gem. Once again thankyou Zavvi for the 30% discount for a virtually brand new release, and what a release it is.

This is the first live album that KG has done and personally i think he should do more, with many of his live shows turning into an eventual party (noting 'Happy People' as his most melodically catchy which often causes 'down right funky' dancing, or spasming in my case). Even though this album has two extended versions of that number and 'Waynes Thang'; show casing his older back catalogue, the highlights are the three new compositions 'The Ring', 'Intro To Africa' and 'Sketches of MD' with the tunes on the disc relating purposefully to well known jazz players (see if you can name them on first listen).

Sketches is the most experimental compo, and personally more experimental and zaney the better. Here intentionally using an almost sparse texture with repeated muted piano stabs, back-beat/hip-hop rhythms and small bursts of sax and synth reflect the relationship Kenny had with Miles Davis and his band during the last few years of his life. Instead of filling the air with a barage of notes like most sax players, Kenny here like Miles has a way of creating simple yet gorgeous melodies and harmonies with just a few notes. Amazing and inspiring.

The Bad Plus - Comfortably Numb

For All I Care (2008 EU/2009 US)

The Bad Plus, what can i say. They are and always will be my favourite band, mainly because thanks to them they helped me discover music for the first major time and helped me develop a further interest in jazz. Even though i had a few cd's from the 50's mainstream jazz era including Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond i'd not really delved indepth into any sort of music besides ashamedly owning a few pop cd's (The Darkness to name one.. they weren't rock or even glam rock, just camp spandex pop).

*I'll probably do a post in future on TBP to show my 'fan love' for them but also on their albums and such. But for now i'll talk about their latest album, For All I Care.

Luckily in the UK i got this in October 08 which was pretty strange due to the fact an american bands cd was released in the EU before an offical american release, but i guess that's the music business.

Particularly for me this marks a milestone in TBP's discography. Not only for the fact that 9 of the 12 songs on the disc feature vocals provided by the lovely Wendy Lewis, but personally i can't seem to judge this as a TBP record. This does not mean in a bad way but if i were asked what is my favourite album of theirs, i wouldn't be able to judge FAIC on equal terms as the other previous releases as it is individually very different and utterly brilliant. The premise of the record is to convey a covers album but in a jazz idium (taking particular note of some John Coltranes albums during the 50's and 60's) and in true TBP style striding genres of pop to rock, prog rock, metal, country, classical and adding another song from grunge gods Nirvana to their repertoire. However the song that stands out to me is their cover of Pink Floyds Comfortably Numb.

The take on this song is so original i cannot describe it in words. With Dave King providing drum climaxes and textures so hopeful, Reid Anderson on bass providing the dirtiest of basslines, Ethan Iverson flowing like a sea of notes effectively amplifying the original key and guitar arppegios on piano, and Wendy Lewis with her powerful yet gentle vocals; if anything shows from this song as does the rest of the album, it shows a band that has matured to an extent that their tightness and group musicianship has never been stronger.

David Gilmour - Echoes

Live In Gdansk (2008)

Sorry for the other descriptions being long, that's what jazz does to me. So here's a change altogether with the great David Gilmour.

Echoes was originally the main feature of 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle, a 20 minute plus progressive epic of rolling waves, coral caves and echoes of distant times. This song is quient essentially a prime example of progressive rock music, and for David's live show in Poland promoting his latest solo album 'On An Island' this live cd delivers all those songs as well as some classic Pink Floyd numbers resurrected alongside Rick Wright on keyboards providing another original slice of Pinks sounds.

It was devastating news to hear of Ricks death not long before this album was actually released, and although the album does not have a dedication to Rick within the sleeve i'm sure David would agree that not only does this album demonstrate the versatility of how strong a guitar player and song writer he is but also stands as a last testiment to the experimental yet jazzy roots of Rick Wright. And that has more meaning than words.

This version of Echoes (actually longer than on Meddle) has as much raw energy and grace since the day it were recorded. Great song, great album, buy!

Sam N.