Cultural Detritus, Reviews, and Commentary
Anthony Braxton – For Two Pianos (Ursula Oppens / Frederic Rzewski) Arista AL 9559 (1982)
Not jazz, but modern composition. Anthony Braxton does not himself perform on this record. It is reminiscent of Arnold Schönberg, as well as Hildegard von Bingen and John Cage, and also kind of presages things like Scott Walker‘s The Drift. The performers play ecommended.
Anthony Braxton – For Four Orchestras Arista A3L-8900 (1978)
The most notorious — some would say infamous — release from Anthony Braxton’s tenure on Arista Records. It is a composition rooted in a multi-orchestra form similar to Karlheinz Stockhausen‘s works like Gruppen and Carré and as it goes on resembles early works of Iannis Xenakis. Brief passages even resemble the minimalism of Morton Feldman and Steve Reich. This was recorded superbly, and the musicians perform well considering they were students and given only three hours to rehearse. But just like Ornette‘s Skies of America this recording was definitely under-rehearsed and Braxton had to omit part of the composition to fit it onto two LPs. There is always a kind of nagging issue with grandiose works like this that the composer is really just trying to garner social prestige by demonstrating an ability to summon resources (four orchestras are fairly expensive and capital-intensive to assemble) rather than to make any particular musical statement. The producer Joe Boyd‘s memoir White Bicycles talked about how in Hollywood prestige was measured among insiders not by critical accolades or commercial success with audiences but rather by the amount of budget a person controlled. Listeners should decide that for themselves if that applies to this album too.
Anthony Braxton – Seven Standards 1985, Volume 1 Magenta MA-0203 (1985)
A pretty awful album. Braxton leads his group through a plodding set of standards in an uncharacteristically boring fashion. The horrendous 1980s production values don’t help matters at all. Braxton must have needed the money or something. Actually, he definitely needed the money. This came along at a time when the jazz industry favored a certain kind of neoclassicist to the exclusion of musicians like Braxton so he was to some extent struggled to adapt to economic realities of the time. Just don’t judge the guy by this pile of crap.
Fats Waller – Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Quadromania Jazz Edition) Membran (2006)
Without a doubt one of the greatest stride pianists in jazz, and arguably THE best. Not only was Fats Waller a great piano player, he was a consummate songwriter and stylist able to turn out recordings with impressive speed and regularity. Probably his greatest strength was being able to take literally any song, no matter how bad, and turn it into something fun, charming or sometimes even impressive. Waller and also his band–typically small combos — always featured impeccable musicianship. It really is a shame that Waller and others from his era, like Fletcher Henderson, haven’t received as much attention from modern jazz listeners as they probably deserve.
There are four solid CDs worth of material here recorded between late 1935 and early 1943, and not really a bad track amongst it all. A tremendously rewarding and enjoyable set to hear. While this may not be a definitive selection of Waller’s material — fair enough considering the formidable quantity of recordings he left behind in his short life — it never ceases to sound great. The remastering is aces. A more comprehensive overview of his career is If You Got to Ask, You Ain’t Got It!, but you still can’t go wrong with this set.
Bobby Womack – The Poet Beverly Glen BG-10000 (1981)
Bobby still can sing and write like he used to. Problem is this album doesn’t always sound sympathetic to what Bobby does best, but overtly tries to appeal to listeners into Prince as well as the “quiet storm” crowd. Take the airy backing vocals — no need for those. Anyway, this is a very serviceable album even if it’s not his best. If it hadn’t been recorded in the early 1980s it might have been better.
Bobby Womack – The Poet II Beverly Glen BG-10003 (1984)
It’s probably no surprise that this one suffers from a number of the usual faults of 1980s production values. The synths take away from it. Guest Patti LaBelle, as expected, mostly just adds showy vocalizations like she’s trying to impress talent show judges. This one is definitely not a good representation of Womack’s talents
Blur – Parklife Food FOODCD 10 (1994)
Decent but nothing special. The band is at its best when blending poppy punk (kind of like The Jam) with Euro dance rock (kind of like Primal Scream). Unfortunately, there are repeated forays into that realm of britpop where they try to recreate The Beatles and nothing good comes of it.
DJ /rupture – Special Gunpowder Very Friendly VF013CD (2004)
DJ /rupture (b. Jace Clayton) is good at what he does. While his acclaimed mix album Minesweeper Suite took a sweeping, big picture look at the possibilities in reorganizing and reconstructing music, Special Gunpowder is his first attempt at recording all the raw material himself. Now his beats hardly ever stay in one place long. The fluid sounds are ever changing, ever evolving interpretations of folk music from around the globe. Maybe that is necessary, as the opening overture recites: “Philadelphia is on fire, and watermelon is all that can cool it.” Direct associations are no longer enough for some climates. In its abstract and irrational state, Special Gunpowder completely avoids the labels “cultural piracy” and “intellectual colonialism” that go along with the appropriation and reuse of folk music. DJ /rupture adds new contexts. He expands the possibilities of individual components by bringing them together in a comprehensive way that allows each to contribute effectively in its own way. It may take some effort embrace this music in all its myriad nuances. Still, making the effort is recommended. The groove — elusive may it be — is there. If Special Gunpowder offers anything for listeners, it’s the opportunity to look beyond the prison of those few experiences and desires close to us. It’s a chance to see all the different parts come together for little while. Plus, it rocks with some sweet dance floor beats
Link to an excerpt from the book Uproot: Travels in 21st-Century Music and Digital Culture (2016) by Jace Clayton (A/K/A DJ/rupture):
“The Link Between Whitney Houston and the Rise of Auto-Tune in North Africa”
U2 – Zooropa Island CIDU29 (1993)
Much derided, yet this works well enough as furniture music. It’s mostly passable filler of no real consequence, but “Zooropa,” “Numb,” and even “The Wanderer” manage to be better than anything on the offensively obnoxious Achtung Baby. And, for what it’s worth, this album cover is sort of the epitome of a certain early 1990s aesthetic.