Music RECORDS JAZZ & WORLD
JAZZ WEATHER REPORT Live In Cologne 1983 (Art of Groove / Birdjam) ●●●●● JAZZ ENRICO RAVA Tribe (ECM) ●●●●●
This is the third in a previously unreleased sequence of very well recorded concerts featuring the band in Germany (the first two were recorded in Offenbach and Berlin during the 70s), and arguably the least essential, if only because the later phase of the band’s history was generally less compelling – inspiration had to do battle with bombast and/or noodling a bit too often (and when it’s bad, it’s pretty awful). That said, a band consisting of
Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Victor Bailey, Jorge Rossy and Omar Hakim is going to come up with something captivating, and they do. Definitely one for fans rather than a starting point for newcomers. Also available on DVD. (Kenny Mathieson)
The great Italian trumpet master and trombonist Gianluca Petrella are a well-proven combination, and are joined here by a new rhythm section for Rava’s regular group, led by the excellent Giovanni Guidi on piano and guitarist Giacomo Ancillotto. It’s another winning combination, whether they are reworking material from several of the trumpeter’s earlier projects, including ‘Cornetteology’ and ‘Garbage Can Blues’, or working through new compositions. The haunting brass textures, Rava’s trademark majestic lyricism and the group’s delicate interplay are equally apparent on atmospheric ballads, melancholic sketches, boisterous free-bop and a closing free improvisation. (Kenny Mathieson)
WORLD BAOBAB-GATEWAY Strings That Sing (Brechin All) ●●●●● Baobab-Gateway’s name pinpoints the West African influences found in their original sound. The international pedigree and multi- ethnicity of these experienced Scottish based musicians (Salsa Celtica, Bhundu Boys, Waa Sylla) is a starting point for music that uses different African harps and fiddles alongside thumb piano, guitars and trombone for an intriguing set of 11 songs and instrumentals.
WORLD SIMON THACKER AND THE NAVA RASA ENSEMBLE Nada-Ananda (Slap The Moon) ●●●●● Shirish Korde’s Nada-Ananda concerto allows classical guitarist Simon Thacker and South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, working with the Edinburgh Quartet, Brazilian bassist Mario Caribe and percussionist Iain Sandilands, to show just how invigorating music can be when it draws from a host of styles, releasing it from genre pigeon-holing.
The philosophical texts for songs Coupled with Nigel Osborne’s
like ‘Pullin’ Me’ and ‘Salaya’ embedded in the ‘here-and-now’ typify a lively, rhythm-based yet gentle music full of subtle virtuosity. They evoke a world where individuals and their communities matter – perhaps just what is needed to start 2012. (Jan Fairley) 80 THE LIST 5 Jan–2 Feb 2012
utterly magical The Birth of Naciketas, Thacker’s bold and highly successful project fuses imaginative improvisation and virtuosity. Timing, pace, a degree of playfulness, exquisite painterly tone and texture from all involved create a transforming emotional world. (Jan Fairley)
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
Music snobs seem to love to flame Florence and the Machine these days. But as ‘No Light No Light’ (Island) ●●●●● proves, Welch does epic, pagan pop pretty much perfectly. Her only crime is that lots of people now like it.
They’d no doubt sneer at the recent success of Yasmin, The
Subways and Arctic Monkeys too. But they’d be right this time. The former’s bland, bastardised drum’n’bass track ‘Light Up (The World)’ (Ministry Of Sound) ●●●●● features Shy FX and Ms Dynamite – surely nothing to boast about. Meanwhile JLS have a go at sampling Bing Crosby’s Christmas Classic ‘Do You Feel What I Feel?’ (Epic) ●●●●●, although we’re not what ‘King of Wholesome’, Mr Bing would make of the ‘girl dancin’ dirty over there’ and tinny beats. (Who puts out a Christmas single in January anyway? Who?)
Elsewhere, The Subways’ ‘It’s A Party’ (Cooking Vinyl) ●●●●● is a must for ‘rock’ fans who thought Ash’s Meltdown was a little on the heavy side. And remember the days when the Arctics made thrilling guitar music? ‘Black Treacle’ (Domino) ●●●●● is a pedestrian plodder that barely sounds like the same band.
We should probably be kind to Various Cruelties however. They
have, after all, just come off tour with Kasabian, poor lambs. But we’ve listened to ‘Great Unknown’ (Hideout) ●●●●● a few times now and we’re still no wiser as to where they’ve hidden the melody. Just as forgettable is The Big Pink’s rather sedate sounding ‘Hit The Ground (Superman)’ (4AD) ●●●●● (see page 79 for a review of The Big Pink’s new album). Thankfully things soon pick up with the Four Tet-esque Deco Child’s ‘Pray’ (Ninja Tune) ●●●●● and Tall Tales’ gloriously poetic ‘Windows 98/All The Things You Read To Me’ ●●●●●. Similarly impressive is the swoonsome ‘Sun Is Going Down’ (Almost Musique/Hardly Art) ●●●●● by noiseniks Shimmering Stars, Dan Sartain’s thoroughly scuzzy ‘Now Now Now’ (One Little Indian) ●●●●● (see page 78 for a review of Dan’s new album) and François & The Atlas Mountains’s dreamy dual language number ‘Les Plus Beaux’ (Domino) ●●●●● (see page 79 for a full album review).
How was Lana Del Rey ever going to top her buzz-storm generating, first single ‘Video Games’, as voted one of The List’s top 5 songs of 2011? Although ‘Born To Die (Polydor) ●●●●● shows off those creamy, low and louche vocals of hers rather beautifully, the noir tone is just straightforward melancholy this time around, and somehow not quite as efficient at getting under the skin. Here’s hoping the upcoming remix EP, with mixes by Damon Albarn and Clams Casino, not to mention her imminent first album, will ramp things up a notch.
But it’s Trailer Trash Tracys (pictured, above) who top the bunch and score Single of the Month. ‘Candy Girl/ Strangling Good Guys’ (Double Six) ●●●●● off their freshly released album Ester (see album review, page 78) is all Twin Peaks riffs, rhythmic stomp and breathy vocals. The Sofia Coppola movie they should one day soundtrack is already flashing before our eyes as we soak up their Warpaint meets My Bloody Valentine schtick. (Camilla Pia)