McCoy Tyner: Land of Giants CD review (Orlando Weekly)

This is, frankly, a surprisingly progressive and aggressive set from a clutch of musicians who would do just fine to sit on their laurels. Instead, Tyner — along with Bobby Hutcherson, another musicians who certainly has nothing left to prove — absolutely shines in this late 2002 recording, pushing forward original material, played originally. Accompanied by a tight rhythm section (bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Eric Harland), the melodic intensity of this set is unmistakable, as the 10 songs are all guided by Tyner’s piano or Hutcherson’s vibes. It’s an upbeat and engaging hour of music, and with the exception of a handful of tunes, everything is a new composition. And the freshness shows. Though both Tyner and Hutcherson could be accused of falling prey to various passing trends after the idealism of the ’60s faded, neither of them has lost their chops. Here, they prove their even capable of making a warhorse like “If I Were a Bell” sound exciting. When they dip into new pieces it’s certainly done with a respect for the past (“Manalayuca” references a ’70s piece by Tyner, while “Contemplation” could have been on any mid-period Coltrane album Tyner played on), but each track is nonetheless invigorated with a sense of forward-looking energy. Though the production — like on many Telarc releases — is a little too good (since when did jazz albums need to sound like they were recorded in an airtight chamber?), the performances shine through brightly.

First appeared June 26, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Madlib: Madlib Invades Blue Note CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Though the yawn induced by “hip-hop producer raiding Blue Note crates” could have caught flies, this ain’t no 50th-generation “Jazzmatazz.” Prodigiously talented Madlib stands head and shoulders above most other hip-hop DJs, due both to his innate ability and his freaky prolificness (see: Lootpack, Yesterday’s New Quintet, Planet Asia, Dilated Peoples, Quasimoto …), and it shows on this disc. Expectedly funky (and unfortunately burdened with phoned-in shout-outs from the original players), it’s a pretty laid-back affair in which Madlib deftly reweaves disparate instrumental strands from the master tapes, rather than simply adding a rapper to a break and a bassline. And it’s about as innovative as anyone could hope to be with this tired idea.

First appeared June 26, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto: A Day In New York CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Despite the unmistakable genius of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it’s unfortunate that Stan Getz got to him first. As a player unashamedly aligned with the cool school of ’50s jazz, Getz transmogrified bossa nova into sultry cocktail jazz and that’s where it’s been stuck ever since. “Tropicalia” momentarily revolutionized the sound of Brazil, but ultimately, if you’re a gringo drinking a caipirinha, you’re probably listening to “Desafinado” and thinking of making sweet love. Very few performers bother to reach in and pull the melancholic guts out of a track like “Chora Coraao” or “Fotografia,” preferring instead to coast along the shiny, mellow surface, snapping their fingers all the way (to wit: Sinatra’s collaboration with Jobim). This CD was recorded live-in-the-studio after Ryuichi Sakmoto — along with the bass/vocals duo of Jacques and Paula Morelenbaum and Luiz Brazil and Marcelo Costa — finished up a tour promoting their “Casa” collaboration (recorded in Jobim’s house É on his piano). It certainly exudes more light than “Casa,” but even Sakamoto’s post-classical progressivism can’t get past the decades of pop-culture plaque that’s built up on Jobim’s legacy. As such, “A Day in New York” is a more visceral version of “Casa” and (yawn) a perfectly enjoyable listen.

First appeared June 26, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Jaga Jazzist: The Stix CD review (Orlando Weekly)

The seven-minute sprawl of the closing, title track on Jaga Jazzist’s second full-length confirms accuracy of the roaring buzz that has surrounded this Norwegian collective. The 10-strong group of musicians and electronicists tickled the toes of tastemakers with the hyperstylized jazz futurism of 2001’s “A Livingroom Hush.” Now, with post-rock, prog-rock, jazz-rock and glitch-rock influences fully melded, Jaga Jazzist actually live up to the hype and “The Stix” does indeed pave a brave new path for the instrumental intelligentsia. Fractured electronics and warm organic tones collude to create a daring and geekily engaging effect that resembles the sound of a Pentium chip being dropped into your martini glass.

First appeared June 26, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Heroic Lane Change: The Golden Ratio CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Tyson Deines emerges from post-Wheelchair exile with an exciting six-track EP that evokes the production-rich pop-fuzz of a group like Polara with a lyrical tone that brings to mind — of all things — Ben Deily’s contributions to early Lemonheads albums. The top-notch production work of David Schweizer (that this guy continually coaxes warm density out of what are surely limited budgets makes him a true local hero) and the guitar-driven miasma of Deines and Steve Garron means that “The Golden Ratio” is probably the most sonically satisfying 20 minutes you’ll have this year. Thankfully, it’s musically strong as well, and Deines’ inventive songwriting wavers between hangdog pop and art-crushed power. Pay attention.

First appeared June 26, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

The Long Winters: When I Pretend to Fail CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Although John Roderick’s voice veers noxiously close to sounding like David Lowery’s, the summery style he’s nailed with The Long Winters (how’s that for a nifty literary device?) more than makes up for that near-disaster. Thanks primarily to the massive influx of guest talent, Pete Buck, Jon Auer, Chris Walla, Scott McCaughey, Ken Stringfellow, plus about a dozen other people, Roderick’s breezy swoon bounces along like all the best power pop. But his angular style and arch lyricism ultimately gives it a personality all its own and, whether it’s the self-referential “Blue Diamonds” or the self-loathing “Prom Night At Hater High,” “When I Pretend to Fall” winds up being surprisingly cohesive.

First appeared June 19, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Debashish Bhattacharya/Bob Brozman: Mahima CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Oddly enough, the combination of two distinctly different slide guitar styles, Hawaiian and Hindustani, isn’t what makes “Mahima” such an odd-sounding disc. Brozman has collaborated with all sorts of “indigenous” musicians and his instrumental facility and respect for local musical history has meant that his work has been consistently engaging. No, what makes “Mahima” sound so weird is the vocal work of Bhattacharya’s sister Supta. With the fluid guitar work and subtle tabla playing providing a low-key musical base, Supta careens overhead in full-lunged Hindi style. Though she attempts restraint, she ultimately tips the cart here and despite the inherent adventure of the collaboration, it winds up sounding a little too adventurous.

First apppeared June 19, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Chimaira: The Impossibility of Reason CD review (Orlando Weekly)

The heavy virulence with which Chimaira explodes on their second full-length is truly impressive. As hands-down contenders to take metalcore into the post-nü-metal mainstream (would that be über-nü-metal?), the group jettisons much of their hardcore baggage in favor of a crushingly streamlined attack that unabashedly sets all guns on kill. From the rumbling attack of “Cleansation” and the title track through the rest of “Impossibility’s” dozen songs, it’s a true sign of metal’s resurgence that an album this brutal would be accepted so heartily among record buyers. While some of the lyrics (namely those of “Pure Hatred” and “Stigmurder”) are a little embarrassing, the overall effect here is absolutely overpowering.

First appeared June 19, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Rickey Dickens: Songs & Stories 1-5 CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Dickens — ex of Coyotes and Towndogs — delivers a concise dissertation on American Gothic with this five-track EP. With a voice that squeezes Johnny Cash’s emotional lilt through a decade of modern-rock radio, Dickens sings with a style that’s resonant and expressive, but never overbearing. And it’s a voice that’s entirely appropriate for the songs. A two-step removed from the hootenanny of the Towndogs, the material is simple and stark, built solely around an acoustic guitar and lyrics that are engaging, though not always perfectly crafted (a lyric about that rhymes “right up here” with “see my 30th year” is jarring in its arrhythmia). Closing with a cover of Danzig’s “Thirteen” that evokes the down-out gloom inherent in the lyrics, this EP shows that Dickens has closed down the honky-tonk and hit the road of reality.

First appeared June 19, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.

Stan Kenton: Contemporary Concepts CD review (Orlando Weekly)

Among big-band leaders, Stan Kenton was certainly the most insane. This is a fact that is often overlooked, as his reputation is that of a cool swinger, whose charts provided the proper sultriness for singers like June Christy. Yet, Kenton’s approach to arrangement was always iconoclastic — if not downright bizarre — and even on these sessions (from 1955 and ‘56), when Kenton tries to play it straight by digging into the standards, the results are light years removed from typical readings. The wobbly inertia that propels “Stella By Starlight” is as disturbing as it is provocative, while Kenton’s finger-light piano adds an air of discomforting delicacy to “Stompin’ at the Savoy.” Sure, the cuts — four bonus tracks are on this reissue — are swingin’ and the band of typically stellar musicians is in top form. But, needless to say, everything here swings in a way that only Kenton could envisage.

First appeared June 19, 2003 in Orlando Weekly.