The Plastic People Of The Universe (group; formed 1968) Magic Nights (Munster Records)
The Plastic People Of The Universe were a fantastic and extremely revolutionary group in all the exact terms. This collective formed in the late '60s in Prague under Soviet rule which happened just a month after the bands formation.
This isolation of the times is reflected in throughout their music with elements of radical classical gypsy-esque movements in addition to Western influences like Velvet Underground and The Mothers Of Invention (to whom the bands name is derived). The music is a combination of dark love themes, rhythmic world genres and wrapped within the political strife of the era. The best way to describe it would be like going to a concert with Can, YMO, Kraftwerk, Mothers Of Invention and Velvet Underground all playing taking turns performing during one set. Yes, that would be awesome. And The Plastic People Of The Universe are that cool.
A brand new collection just came out that captures the significant moments of this band long, up and down career. Magic Nights (Munster Records) covers 1969 - 1985) covers the multiple changes in the band; from the early prog rock experimentation's to poetic structures under Egon Bondy. The band was literally "the underground". Their albums were recorded a various locations as so not be caught by Czech authorities and band member were consistently harassed and in some cases jailed.
It wasn't until the late 80s and various break ups and reincarnations that the group got any stability. Shortly after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and under President Vclav Havel (a friend and follower of the band) that the band began to tour and record more frequently.
In terms of revolutionary music, The Plastic People Of The Universe are definitely a true symbol of that just as Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong were to the world of music. Magic Nights is not just a great compilation--it is a serious historical document that if you are a fan of any of the artist I've mentioned you should definitely looking into this collection.
Joe Morris/Nate Wooley Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed; 2010) Joe Morris (acoustic guitar) Nate Wooley (trumpet)
For me Joe Morris is a slightly new discovery. I don't own any of his material as leader. I mainly have a couple of records he's been on with Ken Vandermark--most notably a DKV Trio recording from 1998 entitled Deep Telling (Okkadisk). Nate Wooley, I was aware of through some his work with avant garde drummer Tyshawn Sorey.
So when I found this new duo recording with Nate Wooley, Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed), I decided to give it go. Knowing that Morris is an excellent guitarist and his oblique way of playing was something that I also thought was interesting and inventive; this album is probably going to very excited. And it is.
Tooth And Nail is an improvised and technically brilliant work. There a very sparse passages throughout with Morris delicately picking in far reaching angularity. Nate Wooley's creates some interesting soundscapes that seem like combinations of Arve Henriksen and Enrico Rava. There are some very interesting exchanges on "Gigantica" and "Steelhead" where you can hear the improvised moments but they work in such a timely fashion that it becomes a beautiful melody.
"Noble Reasoning" is another moment in which Wooley and Morris really take off. There is a simpatico that occurs towards the final few minutes of the piece that the notes come rolling fast and furious but its never overbearing or distracting. And it folds perfectly into the next piece "Forest Grove" where Morris' playing feels like cello in hands of an angry child.
The closing number "A Terrific Snag" is another scale jumping moment where Wooley's work really comes to the fore. While Joe Morris sets the parameters, Wooley is exercising some lovely and ingenious phrasing.
One of things that really attracted me to this record was the pairing of guitar (especially acoustic) and trumpet. It's rare. You usually see the regular pairing of drum and sax, sax and piano or sax and sax. Tooth And Nail felt like an anomaly. But its sounds like a well woven piece of art. It's a deep bit of storytelling but I think if you are a fan of Ken Vandermark and the Chicago and New York underground scenes you will definitely find Tooth And Nail a fascinating listen.
Marion Brown (sax; b. Sep. 8, 1935 - October 25, 2010) Three For Shepp (Impulse)
Today we celebrate the highly under appreciated saxophonist, Marion Brown who passed away on Monday. This is an entry I did a few weeks ago but I wanted to share it again for those you may not have had a chance to explore the music of Marion Brown.
Marion Brown embodied a lovely, soft tone on alto sax. Many jazz fans will know his work on John Coltrane's Ascension but Brown's own work much more understated. He didn't necessarily fit into the free jazz realm as much as his contemporaries.
Born in Atlanta, he moved to New York in the late 60s when later he would join Coltrane on the aforementioned Ascension. Brown would develop an extensive body of work from '65 - '71 that was both conservative and free form. While his work on Ascension and some later albums for both ESP and Fontana were high intensity and bold statements of intent, his overall tone was more empathic. Over the course of his career Marion Brown has worked with Mal Waldron, Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille and even Jon Hassell.
My personal favourite and probably the one most critics would pick as the best representation of his work is Three For Shepp (Impulse; 1966). Three For Shepp is a tribute to his friend and musical partnership with saxophonist, Archie Shepp--who in addition to Ornette Coleman was a major influence on Brown. They had both played on Ascension and also worked on each others albums while both were signed for Impulse Records. The albums six tracks are divided into three Shepp compositions and three written by Brown. Three For Shepp is a classic document of the free jazz period with a bright mixture of tones and structure that runs the gamut of blues, Latin and swing wrapped in a swirling African motifs.
Brown's own "Fortunato" and Shepp's "Spooks" are powerful statements of his talent and distinct vision that make Three For Shepp an adventurous and frenzy outing. While there are other free jazz albums from this period that made a significant and longstanding statement of jazz history, Three For Shepp is one of the unheralded masterpieces that needs to be re-examined and rediscovered by a new generation.
For the last few decades Marion Brown has been a teacher of jazz and very very rarely performing as a session member. He has had several illnesses in recent years but he is still moving along. Today is his birthday and you should do yourself a favour in the next few hours, days and weeks and seek out one of his records. Take a listen for yourself. You won't be disappointed by Marion Brown.
The Orb (group; formed 1989) Metallic Spheres (Columbia)
In the realm of ambient, techno, trippy dance music, The Orb are in the top five most revered artists. Led by the funny and always inventive Alex Patterson, The Orb have carved out that trippy corner of the last twenty years as ambient's version of Pink Floyd (circa Dark Side of the Moon). They have done just as much to transform dance music over the last two decades as Brian Eno did with his groundbreaking album Discreet Music and A Guy Called Gerald did in a single track "Voodoo Ray."
While releasing a few unsuccessful early EPs, The Orb finally burst on to the scene with two highly creative tracks "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld" and "Little Fluffy Clouds". Patterson's technique of more slow, cerebral, beat-friendly rhythms caught on quickly with the now dub "chill out" crowd. The Orb have always admitted to the influence of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd in their music (and artwork) so it is only fitting that finally, finally, finally the legendary guitarist and archetypal ambient group would team up to record what is without a doubt one of my favourite albums this year--Metallic Spheres.
Metallic Spheres essentially contains two very lengthy tracks roughly 20 minutes each ("Metallic" and "Spheres"). The tracks are broken into 5 suites but you really aren't going to notice that unless watch the timer on your CD player. This is a really wonderful meeting minds. The Orb grooving heavy hypnotica melds perfectly to Gilmour's dreamy and drifting guitar melodies. Gilmour adds a small bit of vocal treatment on one of the suites on Metallic which is reprised later during "Spheres." It's as if they had been working together for years. "Metallic" might be the more atmospheric of the two tracks and containing some rich, dense patterns that are very reminiscent of the Orb's earlier work.
"Spheres" starts in a heavy, dub-centric manner with Gilmour's guitar and vocal work floating in and out of the mix. Early on in "Spheres" you know this is fully an Orb project. Nice electronic movements and sampled field noise creating a very funky direction for the second half of the session. There is an infectious pounding drum and bass chorus towards the later stages of "Spheres" that provides a small bit of dance intrigue but move quickly because as bright as this moment is it is gone. From that pulsating grooves comes an orchestral denouement in the short suite "Bold Knife Trophy" that brings the proceedings to gentle end but leaving you begging for more.
Metallic Spheres feels as though there is definitely more in the studio than what we were privy to but what we have is still phenomenal. For those wanting a new Pink Floyd album--you get it--with a 21st century spin. For those wanting The Orb to return to their ambient roots--you get it--with the addition of one of their greatest influences. Metallic Spheres is a nice crowning achievement by two groundbreaking musicians. Well worth your checking out.
