Musical Ramblings

Review: Galactic at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston

Last week I was in Boston for work, and when I found out that Galactic was in town for the first date of their Ya-Ka-May tour, I was thrilled. I went over to the Paradise Club with four colleagues, and we had a blast! I'm a musical evangelist and I love it when I contribute to people discovering great bands.

It was my first time at the Paradise Rock Club, and I was surprised at how big the venue was. I stood in front of the stage on the right side during the first set and a bit further back and then upstairs during the second set (I just couldn't get any closer, it was packed with drunk dancers!)

It was my third time seeing Galactic, and the first two gigs were both very different. The first time I saw them was just after the release of From the Corner to the Block. It was at the Nouveau Casino in Paris, a small venue packed full of hip-hop fans attracted by Boots Riley and Chali2Na. They were exposed to hard-hitting funk that night (and I discovered a couple of hip-hop artists that I had only ever heard on that record) and it was a blast. The second time was during the Banlieues Bleues jazz festival last year and they had Shaman Allen with them. It was a very different gig, mostly instrumental, but it was very very good stuff too.

This time, the core band of Stanton, Rich, Robert, Ben and Jeff was supplemented by Corey Henry of the Rebirth Brass Band on trombone and Cyril Neville on vocals and percussion. One thing is for sure: every time you see Galactic, it's a different band doing a different show. There's no risk of it sounding the same from one tour to the next.

I wasn't able to get my hands on Ya-Ka-May (they had vinyls, but the CDs only arrived on the day after this gig, it seems), and it didn't recognize much of the material they played up until the end when we were treated to a rocking Crazyhorse Mongoose. But it didn't matter that I wasn't in familiar territory, quite the contrary. The spicy recipe of Galactic's own music ('The Meters with a hard edge' is how I described it to one of my colleagues) was made even spicyer by Corey Henry's heavy slamming (when he wasn't roaring on trombone) and Cyril Neville's wonderfully lyrical singing.

There aren't that many bands that you can see three times in three years and yet still deliver a fresh and exciting show. Galactic is one of them. I shot a quick video from the pit, a song called Boe Money. I apologise for the atrocious sound, but this close to the stage Stanton's kick drum saturated the microphone. Still, it'll give you a good feel for the atmosphere. Some photos will follow soon.

A Bit of Ludovic Beier & Angelo Debarre

Last night I went to the Alhambra Theatre for a concert of Ludovic Beier's new trio with Angelo Debarre as a guest. It wasn't quite what you see in this video since Beier - on the occasion of Django's 100th anniversary - is revisiting the Django legacy through Brazilian Music. It took me a while to get used to the strange melange, and I can't say that I thought it always worked, but there were some amazing moments. I have to say though that my favourite parts were the few numbers that Debarre and Beier played as a duet. Quite magical,

Debarre's superb tone and amazing velocity, and Beier's ample register and no less astounding fluidity. Beier also played a kind of melodica with accordion buttons instead of keys, with a sound very close to that of a chromatic harmonica. And man was he fast on that too!

Best of 00s: Noir Désir - En Public (2006)

It's kind of weird to review an album of French rock in English, especially since Noir Désir was such a massive phenomenon in the late 90s and early 00s in France, but it's good music, and I guess if I can listen to albums sung in various languages I know nothing about and enjoy them the same must be possible for non-French speakers with albums in French...

Anyway, I'd pretty much given up on Noir Désir with their last studio album Des Visages, Des Figures which I thought was pretentious and political. I love the early Noir Désir because it's all about the music, but they fell victims to the same syndrom U2 fell to (in my opinion) which is that your music becomes a vehicle for your persona rather than something worthy in and of itself. But when I heard some of the first excerpts from En Public, I started to reconsider, and I don't regret buying it one bit.

It's not every band, especially bands as popular as Noir Désir was back then who can completely reinvent itself live, offer 3 hours of live music that doesn't just cover the singles and famous songs but offer new interpretations and instrumentations of most of their repertoire. The early Noir Désir was atmospheric and evocative. Furious or darkly dreamy, it would always carry you somewhere else with a combination of intelligently poetic lyrics and innovative songwriting.

With En Public, Noir Désir shows that it found itself again towards the end, beyond the public image, the lesson giving and the posturing. They found the ways into their back catalog as well, rewriting songs like Les Ecorchés (as a kind of dark swing), rediscovering Pyromane from their first EP, revisiting the pulsating Le Fleuve with a string quartet. 

In many ways, En Public is a fitting end to Noir Désir's career as a band because it's not just representative of a period of the band's life but rather visits their whole lifespan in a really interesting and mature way.

Best of 00s: Avishai Cohen - Continuo (2006)

Gently Disturbed is the album that made Avishai Cohen explode on the European Jazz scene, attracting huge crowds and expanding way beyond the traditional jazz audience. And yet Continuo, the album that preceded Gently Disturbed is the one I find the most interesting, perhaps because the blend of musical cultures is slightly more pronounced.

It's no surprise that Avishai Cohen's and his trio are adept at drawing from multiple influences: Cohen himself is Israeli born and bred but came to musical prominence in New York City backing the likes of Chick Corea. Sam Barsh started classical piano before switching to jazz with a blend of funk, r&b and groove on top. These threads are immediately apparent when you listen to his playing. Mark Guiliana is a New Jersey born drummer with fingers in both the jazz and the rock pies and adept at mixing both. Maybe this overview of the trio give you a sense of the musical blend I was talking about earlier. The addition of Amos Hoffman on Oud on a couple of tracks adds the little bit of spice that makes Continuo exotic.

What I like about the music on Continuo is that it's uncompromisngly melodic without being tame. It seems to me that Jazz has a complicated relationship with melody because it's a necessary element that you must nonetheless kill if you can. Avishai Cohen's trio manages both to perfection in my opinion. Fans of exploratory jazz improvisation might feel frustrated I guess, but for me the limited level of "out" is just right. Listen to Nu Nu, the opener: slow dirge intro to strong syncopated oriental melody gives to hard groove with oud and bass improvisations. There's variety and entertainment without compromise.

Avishai Cohen demonstrates that even in the 21st century you can play jazz with integrity but without necessarily sacrificing listenability. You can also play a jazz that draws from very varied influences without compromising the essential jazz nature of the music. That's what excites me about this record, and - to be honest - the two Avishai Cohen records that followed.

Check the Best of the Rest!

Best of 00s: Jean-Jacques Milteau - Blue 3rd

Milteau is one of the most interesting contemporary blues harp players. He walks a fine line: respecting the musical tradition that inspires him (blues and soul) and approaching in his own, unique way. Of his recent output, Blue 3rd is the most interesting and thrilling to my ears. This album is defined by voices. Human voices, of course, and not the least of those (Terry Callier, Gil Scott-Heron, N'dambi) but also instrumental voices, epitomised by the grainy sound of Howard Johnson whether on sax or on tuba.

There's an enticing duality about Blue 3rd: Milteau and his band lay a velvet cushion for his guests to shine on and at the same time their backing in itself is a gem, and Milteau's playing even more so. This is the epitome of his particular vein of sparse, tone focused approach. Fans of harp histrionics, move on, this is not what Blue 3rd is about. Fans of african-american inspired music and particularly Memphis soul blues should absolutely find their fill here!

When I first listened to that album there were tracks that absolutely blew me away. Terry Callier's Some Kind of Pressure is stunning, with this deep, raw double bass sound throughout. Gil Scott-Heron's Home is where the Hatred is grooves like the days of the Midnight Band. Turtle Walk and Fishing Blues are both instrumental gems, bridging the gap between trad blues and blues note jazz. All of these are total winners. I was somewhat less convinced originally by some of the instrumentals that sounded a bit too much like the current brand of R&B, but with time even these I grew to appreciate and The Lonely Knows with N'dambi has become a favourite of mine.

This is a superb album that really manages what it sets out to do: showcase interesting voices or tones in a musical context deeply respectful of the afro-american tradition it draws from.

Check the Rest of the Best!

Best of 00s: Project Z - Project Z (2001)

I have already stated my boundless admiration of Jimmy Herring when I reviewed the ARU's Nice, so imagine my thrill when I found out that Herring was releasing an album with a quartet of like minded jazz-rockers! Project Z's debut album (there would be only two due to the untimely demise of bassist Ricky Keller) is an exhilerating ride all around the jazz-rock landscape featuring a mix of very accessible numbers, some really wild experimentation verging on free and somewhere in the middle, my favourite stuff, the roaring and inventive tracks that pepper this record.

Now I may be a Herring fan, but the rest of Project Z are no slouches. Jeff Sipe is on drums and beyond being a former ARU bandmade of Herring's his musical CV is a long as my right arm. Ricky Keller is a killer bass player, fast and furious. Rev. Oliver Wells accompanies the trio on Keyboards with gusto and vibe, and Count M'butu (also a former ARU guy now with the Derek Trucks Band) joins on percussion on a couple of tracks. Speaking of Derek Trucks he guests on a couple of numbers as well.

Raging Torrent opens Project Z. It's one of these roaring and inventive ones: a fury of drum rolls and a super-fast bass-line sets the groove and when Herring's overdriven guitar comes in, you can't help but fall into the rushing stream. It's a great example of Herring's blend of jazz and rock influences. One of my frustration with a lot of jazz-rock is these wimpy synth-guitars that apparently some people think sound "rock". Herring's sound is mean and in your face. Rock as God intended.

Another stunner is Rainbow, the only song on the record where Herring plays acoustic guitar. It starts with a mellow piano intro played by Wells. After two minutes, when the rest of the band joins in, things get heavier, with a thick bass driven groove. The funk parade is kept mellow by Herring's acousticness though. Well's piano solo is supberb and Herring's own acoustic solo is graceful and melodic. Superb playing all the way through.

Herring lets his jazz chops rip on Separated Gestures. My guess is fans of Allan Holdsworth will lap this stuff up, although I have to say it's a little too out for my tastes. But there are many less threatening tracks on there too, like Augusta's Ankle or Mud Bug.

There's only one thing that's slightly annoying on Project Z and that's the many 30 second interludes between songs that in my opinion don't contribute anything and break the flow of listening. But in this day of iPods and music software, it's easy enough to skip and certainly doesn't justify missing out on this masterpiece of jazz-rock!

Check the Best of the Rest!

Best of 00s: Amsterdam Klezmer Band - Limonchiki (2000)

Limonchiki was the first Amsterdam Klezmer Band album I purchased after seeing the reference in Joann Sfar's wonderful graphic novel Klezmer. I now own most of their discography (including some pretty weird collaborations!) but Limonchiki remains my favourite record of theirs.

Klezmer, like all traditional musics can be played analytically or it can be played with street smarts. The AKB is definitely in that second category and I think that's what I like. They have no excessive respect for the source material, they're always willing to experiment with jazz, and groove beats, but more importantly perhaps, they do it for fun. Now don't get me wrong, some of their music, like Klezmer in general, can exude absolute sadness, but it's the kind of sadness you get after a night of drinking Vodka and reminiscing. It's not calculated. And it's just a likely to be followed by a round of the deep laughter of friendship.

That's why I like the AKB, and that's why Limonchiki is at the pantheon of my favourite records. From the first track you're grabbed into a whirlwing of clarinet and horn-laden fun. Di Naie Chuppe is a slow minor tune with the four "horns" (clarinet, trumpet, trombone and sax) playing around the theme and around each other. It's like an introduction to the dancing material that will follow. It's just in the middle of joy and sadness like I said above. The second track, Nadja is definitely the fun one, with a really cool lopsided B section. The rest of the album alternates between these extremes of joy and melancholy, but it's always wonderfully musical and real.

A couple of tracks really stand out. The title trak Limonchiki is a whimsical song with Alec Kopyt's great vocals, reminiscent of his home town of Odessa. Der Mama ist Gegangen is a yiddish tune that starts with a drone and ends up in frenzy. And finally, the exhilarating A Chassid in Amsterdam which is a kind of klezmerish hip-hop with Job Chajes on vocals (in Dutch).

If you like any kind of ethnioc music, especially if you're after something that translates the atmosphere as opposed to literal renditions, then any AKB albums will bring you lots of joy, and Limonchiki (if you can find it) is a great place to start!

Check the Rest of the Best!

Best of 00s: Eric Legnini - Trippin' (2009)

Legnini's ascenscion on the French jazz scene was the consequence of his willingness to revive, or is it renew, the particular vibe of some 60s pianists now mostly fallen into obscurity. The Les McCanns and Phineas Newborns are his avowed inspiration. His early albums, as enjoyable as they were, tended to be - in my opinion - a little too respectful of these masters.

In Trippin', Legnini manages the metaphorical killling of the father necessary for an artist to find his path. In part, he achieves this feat by switching - for a little over half the tracks here - to the Fender Rhodes. It seems that this change of sound liberates him, not just when he plays the Rhodes but even on the piano. The stellar cast that backs him, the groove-heavy Mathias Allamane on bass and the always inventive Franck Agulhon on drums play their part in this liberation, pushing the leader into a territory where his roots are respected but his individuality soars.

Trippin' opens the album; foot-tappingly funky, wonderfully electric, it sets the tone. Casa BamakoRock the Days to the deliciously old fashioned Them That Got. Legnini even awards himself the successful luxury of a few solo pieces, including the mysterious The Secret Life of Plants, a kind of Oscar Peterson revisits Stevie Wonder introspection.

If you like jazz trios, if you think that the modern scene lost a particular vibe that was prevalent in the 60s, or simply if you like your jazz to be groovy and intelligent, then it's a good bet that Trippin' will be to your liking...

Check the Rest of the Best!

Best of 00s: Tao Ravao & Vincent Bucher - Lazao Izy (2009)

Tao Ravao and Vincent Bucher have been playing malagasy music together for over a decade, and Lazao Izy is, in a sense, a return to their common roots. Recent albums, starting with Hé, là-bas! and especially Soa had morphed into a kind of full-band afro-pop which was less distinctive. Lazao Izy is as rootsy as the 90s' Tany Manga and is - in this reviewer's opinion - all the better for it. Is that enough to mark it as one of the best albums of the decade? Yes, undoubtedly.

A little bit of background might be necessary to understand what Tao and Vincent's music is about. Tao's origins are in Madagascar while Vincent is French born and bred. They met playing blues, and started collaborating. Naturally, when Tao's musical wanderings brought him closer to home and the rich Malagasy music tradition, Vincent followed. Their collaboration could therefore be described as Malagasy Blues, although that might miss the point. This is not a world music juxtaposition, it's more of a meeting halfway in between...

The instrumentation on Lazao Izy is sparse. Tao plays guitar, kabosy (a sort of Malagasy ukulele) and valiha (a cylindrical zither). He does most of the singing too, in Malagasy, English and French. Vincent plays harmonicas (diatonic and chromatic) and sings, mostly backing vocals. They are joined by a percussionist on a few numbers. This setup leaves a lot of space for the music to breathe and shine. It also highlights some of the unusual sounds, harmonies and rhythms that make Malagasy music so unique.

Listen to Ianao: it opens on a valiha riff, with this peculiarly sharp sound, and Vincent's harp is mostly chugging, highlighting the typical indian ocean rhythm. It's a slow hypnotic piece in Malagasy and sets the tone for the record. The harp sounds completely at home here, and that says a lot about the work Vincent has put into understanding and building on the Malagasy musical structures. Changer de Visage is perhaps more representative of the melange. It's sung in French, and hard driven by percussions. It sounds very rootsy, despite the language. It also sounds bluesy, with Vincent ripping on his solo, always navigating the seas between the two musical worlds. The rhythmic patterns are Malagasy, some of the roaring bends are clearly bluesy. Speaking of which, another masterpiece on this record that will have harmonica players shaking their heads is Quadrille des Filles, a solo diatonic piece. As the name suggests it's a Louisiana sounding dance number. It's sober and rhythmically driven, and yet when you try and analyze what Vincent is playing (which any harp player is prone to do) it's mindblowing...

Lazao Izy is a delicious moment of musical exoticism without any of the pretention to universalism that some world music professes to have. This is world in the good sense, a blend of genres and roots that remains respectful of all it draws from. Check it out, you won't be dissapointed!

Check the Rest of the Best!

Resuming Best of 00s!

Originally, I'd intended to review one record a day for the last 52 days of 2010 as part of my Best of the 00s series. I managed to keep the rhythm for the first 26 days, and then the whole thing collapsed due to work pressure and end-of-year constraints.

But I have every intention to finish, so I'm resuming starting today.

And let this be an opportunity for me to wish you the best for the next decade, musically and otherwise.