I agree 100% about P'taah. I picked it up tonight, and its playing right
now...phenomenal. I also picked up Femi Kuti's "Shoki Remixed" on Nuphonic
as well as the Silent Poets "to come" on Yellow. all three are great
albums...i dont think im ganna sleep tonight!
dana
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Catanzaro [mailto:stevencatanzaro@sprintmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2000 4:51 PM
To: acid jazz
Subject: New Purchases - P'taah, Maysa, Duke
Duke Ellington, Money Jungle, with Max Roach and Charles Mingus; (Blue
Note). When Miles Davis heard this in a "Downbeat" blindfold test, he
reacted violently, thinking the mixing of modernists Roach and Mingus with
Duke was a record company trick designed to sell product. "Duke can't play
with them, and they can't play with him" was Miles' derisive comment.
Well, this is pretty incredible. Duke is not a bebop player in the sense
of Bud Powell, of course, taking all those fast, horn-like right hand solos.
But not too many knew how to get such a variety of interesting sounds out of
the piano. In fact, it's interesting to compare grooves like Caravan, for
instance, to those found on Tonic, MMW's new all-acoustic trio record. Very
funky stuff.
P'taah, Compressed Light (Ubiquity). Wow, just when you thought you knew
something about music, a thing like this drops and you're scuttling for your
old records wondering "how'd he do that!"
The beats are monstrous, the drums are warm and funk funk funky on the
abstract tip. The cutting and recycling is in full effect... snips and bits
from 70's funk (Herbie's Hang Up Your Hangups), Miles Davis' Aura era stuff,
Manola Bandera style worldess vocals, and I even think the track Crossing...
(Evacuation of Form) uses an old sax master's recording of that Barbara
Streisand dial-turner "People." Sick.
The best thing about it, though, is that he's got a real artistic vision.
It all hangs together, and some of the tracks, like Uriel Bridge, are almost
symphonic in scope... A thunderous, industrial-strength groove with Pharoah
Sanders' type screechy-soloing morphs itself into a wicked Santana groove
that'll make you cry... and then into a Pat Metheny Brazillian mode
comedown... Wow. I put this right up there with last year's Programmed from
Innerzone Orchestra. A best of 2000 contender?
Maysa... All My Life. (N'Coded). A Bluey Manuick-Maysa collaboration.
Guess what? It sounds a lot like Incognito, although some of the tracks have
that "Stronger Than Pride" era vibe going for them. But, unlike Incognito,
the spotlight here is 100% Maysa, who, to my way of thinking, is all that
and 3 bags of chips. She brings the real jazz bizness as a vocalist, and
while she won't get the play of Erykah, Lauren, (or Macy), and the tracks
are a little too smooth-jazz for my taste, man, what a voice she's got. And,
since I don't want to jinx my chances of getting to work with her next
month, (fingers-crossed shameless name drop) let me just say if you love
Incognito, and you love Maysa, you'll love this.
Pick of the Month; Cornbread, Lee Morgan. OK, everyone knows and loves
"The Sidewinder." Well, this is right up there, in fact, in some ways, it
might even surpass the classic. First off, it's got Hank Mobley on tenor and
an extra horn player, (Jackie McLean on alto) so you gotta love the sextet
sound. It's got funky Billy Higgins on drums laying down more illness, and
best of all, perhaps, it's got Herbie Hancock, and he is ROCKING on this
one. He comps hot grooves on the title track, busts an incredible "out" solo
on Our Man Higgins and some funky "buy the CD and quit rewindin' this" licks
on Most Like Lee. How can one guy be blessed with so much talent... and what
has he done for us lately, funkwise?
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