The Necks: Australian Jazz?

The Necks (group)
Drive By

The Necks are a recent discovery for me. A close friend in Sydney asked me to check them out and I was hooked within minutes. Since then I have gobbled up as much as I can. The Necks are a trio utilizing improvisation to make you think more than shock.

The music is a slow build to sometimes cacophonous conclusion but not always. If this sounds like its almost unclassifiable well it is. The ambient movement of their very lengthy pieces (most albums are one long track) does eventually give way to a rhythmic pattern or groove. The comparisons to E.S.T. (from Sweden) are unavoidable but not justified.

Their music also evokes comparisons to legendary rock act Can or composer Philip Glass due to its repetitive nature. The Necks at times don't sound like a trio at all. They sometimes sound like a quartet or an orchestra. They don't use samples or overdubs. No--just a piano, bass and drum. At times you could imagine this being the soundtrack to a Neal Stephenson novel.

The Necks have over 10 albums in just over two decades in addition to numerous solo projects. All of the albums are pretty hard to find but you can download a number of them online. I would suggest their 2003 album Drive By (ReR). Drive By best encompasses The Neck ethos and I believe is the most accessible to new ears. Once you've enjoyed this one a few times I would try digging further.

WOW! I'm still shocked that I'm just now finding out about this band. But I'm so glad I did.

Check this performance and interview to get a good idea what The Necks are all about.

Armando Trovaioli — Rapporto Fuller Base Stoccolma

American Ken Clark made several Italian spy flicks over the course of the '60s, and Sergio Greco's Rapporto Fuller Base Stoccolma (aka Fuller Report, Base Stockholm, '69) was the last of them. Armando Trovaioli supplies the swinging beat jazz score for the mission. (Beat Records also released soundtrack for another Clark spy flick known in the states as Tiffany Memorandum from '67 on a triple feature Riz Ortolani compilation.)

Trovaioli's score for Rapporto Fuller is among his most swinging. The main theme, "The Touch of a Kiss," sung passionately by Lara Saint Paul, has the lush lounge sound in spades. Strutting brass, swelling strings and strong back beat push the emotion front and center.

Most notably, Trovaioli supplies action jazz cues that mimic the style of Dave Brubeck's famous cool jazz standard "Take Five," but add hot brass, smoldering woodwinds and stinging organ stabs.

In addition, there are relatively abstract cues ("Just a Bullet, Just a Fist") that build tension on dissonant strings and percussion runs as well as dreamy passages ("Tears and Spies") featuring piano, harp and floating female vocalisms. The night club-type jazz numbers (such as "The Stockholm Baths") sound like something from the early '60s, certainly not '69, but are still groovy in their own laid-back, sophisticated manner.

Twenty-four tracks strong, Rapporto Fuller is a intriguing from beginning to end, and one of the best soundtracks in the Italian spy game.

The CD insert folds out into a mini-reproduction of the eye-catching original movie poster.

This review was previously published at the author's soundtrack review site www.ScoreBaby.com.

V.A. — Jazz en el Cine Negro Espanol 1958-64

Take one look at the pulpy cover and you know what you're in for — Spanish film noir crime jazz of the same era as Peter Gunn, Johnny Staccato and Touch of Evil. Consider yourself under arrest, amigo.

The package's luridly illustrated bi-lingual insert explains how the crime films of Julio Coll, Juan Bosch and other directors broke significant stylistic ground by delving into the seedy side of life in Franco's Spain through such films as Un Vaso de Whisky (A Glass of Whiskey, '58) and A Sangre Fria (In Cold Blood, '59).

Jazz En El Cine Negro Espanol delivers a riveting 79-minute program of hard-boiled brass, vulgar organ tones, well-chilled vibes and smoky atmosphere. Most of the music is by Jose Sola, with additional tracks by Augusto Alguero, Enrique Escobar and Federico Martinez Tudo, who are relatively unknown to film music fans.

Essentially, this Fresh Sound compilation produced by Jordi Pujol marks the first exploration into a neglected realm for many soundtrack connoisseurs. It will be a welcome addition to their collections.

Although one might expect frequent use of percussion and Latin rhythms, there is a fair amount of stylistic experimentation here. Some of the best passages employ the frenetic percussive style to depict dramatic action far from the dance floor. Other tracks favor swing and jazz styles that wouldn't sound out of place in a typical Hollywood production of the era. There's even a bit of rollicking rock 'n' roll featuring jangling electric guitar rhythms and wailing saxophone. Reinforcing the Hollywood influence is the presence of American singer Gloria Stewart on the slow, sultry "Manhattan Blues."

Peppered with dialogue and the sounds of on-screen action, the listening experience is akin to playing a video just for the aural atmosphere. About half of the tracks exceed the 10-minute mark as multiple cues flow one after another. This is an ideal personal soundtrack for fans of vintage crime novels. Like watching a film noir festival, however, the experience is likely to encourage heavy drinking and cigarette smoking!

This review was previously published at the author's soundtrack review site www.ScoreBaby.com.

Kind Of Blue: Why It's Important

Miles Davis (trumpet)
Kind Of Blue

Pretty much everyone on the planet will site Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia Records) as the most important jazz album of all time. But if you aren't truly familiar with it you won't really understand why. I hope in this entry that I can help explain. And, if you haven't purchased it already you will soon.

Originally recorded in 1959 with John Coltrane (tenor sax), Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto sax), Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums), this is considered one of the fiercest, dazzling and romantic recordings ever made.

One of the many things that makes Kind Of Blue a masterpeice is the pure fact this album was recorded in only a few hours. The delicate tension between the musicians is felt with every note. I don't mean tension in a negative way. I mean that each member works off of each other with almost a boxing like mentality ("I can do you a note better"). The piano work by Bill Evans is impeccable and unmatched. This is by far one of his highest moments on record. Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers are in fantastic form. The real star is the sometimes underrated Jimmy Cobb on drums; Jimmy Cobb is also the only surviving member of this historic recording and carries the torch brightly whenever he performs any song live or speaks about it in interviews.

There have been various incarnations of this album since the advent of the CD. Most recently a super (and I mean super) deluxe version with blue vinyl, double CD & DVD, archival booklet and more, which is just about overkill. I would suggest sticking with the single disc if you just want the basics. There is a double disc version which includes some wonderful outtakes and a live version of the classic first track on the album "So What". I don't think its necessary unless you really are a true jazz fan.

You should own any single disc version since 1997 (check the copyright date on the back of the inlay). The original masters were found earlier that year and the sound quality and little intricacies are much more noticeable on any version since 1997. For this reason I would suggest not buying a digital version online or a used version at a CD store. Take the extra cash and buy a classic album. You won't be disappointed.

If you already own Kind Of Blue you will know most of this but I tend to believe not everyone does so I hope this finally convinces you. You hear some of the most legendary performers at the peak of their powers during one of the most historic moments in music history. Everyone says if you're going to start listening to jazz, Kind Of Blue is the album you need to start with. There really is no argument when it comes to this.

For more proof check out this performance.