Outer Music Diary

Jasper van’t Hof’s Pork Pie feat. Charlie Mariano - Transitory

One of the best parts of scouring the MPS catalog is realizing just how many all-star line ups are seemingly obscured by the bandname or leader. The unfortunately named Pork Pie, cribbed from the famous jazz standard, does not say a lot, but bandmembers Charlie Mariano and Philip Catherine definitely do. Unsurprisingly from Van’t Hof’s perspective this is something of a keyboard jam album and if you’re a fan of early 70s distorted and treated Rhodes sounds, this will inevitably be a treat, as Van’t Hof not only grooves mightily with the thing but spits out solos that would make Herbie Hancock proud.

Overall it does seem a group work, particularly when you look at the credits and see most of the band members, including drummer Aldo Romano and bassist J. F. Jenny-Clarke, get some writing in. But make no mistake that van’t Hof is the leader here and he’s nearly omnipresent even when leaving the Rhodes behind for some piano, organ and celesta. However these moments tend to be linked to the more composed and thematic material, where the e-piano comes in when the band’s fully charged and riffing on a theme to let Mariano, Catherine or, eventually, Van’t Hof himself let loose.

It’s these latter moments that take up the lion’s share of the album and it adds up to another MPS entry where standard jazz, fusion and free jazz kind of collide. Despite the e-piano tying this directly to the jazz rock of the early 70s, the solos, even Catherine’s, are more reminiscent of free work, and the addition gives it the spice that so many fusion/funk fusion albums are often missing. Lots of chromatic ramblings show jazz chops even when the rhythm section is plunking down a rock vamp.

All of this is broken up by more introspective moments, such as in the second part of “Transitory” or the first part of Romano and Jenny-Clarke’s ”Bassamba.” While many of these seem like taking an ad break during a TV show, they give the entirely a bit of dynamic range so that the jamming onslaughts don’t all bleed into each other. And this is important when the band’s taking a piece of the Mahavishnu playbook for “Angel Wings,” with the picked, modal electric guitar work and increasing intensity “Meeting of the Spirits” style.

Everything’s wrapped up by Conny Plank’s recording, who fattens up the sound thus compensating for some occasional thin tones from the guitar, keys and sax and the remaster brings this out quite nicely, given that this kind of recording doesn’t always sound terrific unless your vinyl isn’t beat up. The presentation is excellent as always with this series with the original liner notes. And if I haven’t already convinced you that this is well worth picking up, Thom Jurke’s allmusic.com review, quoted in part here and in the booklet, should get you off the fence:

“…one of the greatest fusion recordings ever, and trounces all prog rock by comparison (possible exceptions being the first three Agitation Free and first five Can records.”

John Tchicai and Cadentia Nova Danica - Afrodisiaca

Danish musician John Tchicai is an alto and soprano sax player who has been involved with a number of important out jazzers such as John Coltrane (Ascension), Don Cherry and Archie Shepp and still appears to this day on various projects such as Henry Kaiser’s Yo Miles tributes (he’s also taught music at my local college in Sacramento). After Tchicai’s stint in New York playing with the luminaries of the free jazz scene, he moved back home in the late 60s and formed Candentia Nova Danica with whom he recorded Afrodisiaca with a cast of 25 other musicians.

Unlike many of the recent MPS albums I’ve covered, many of which are jazzrock or at least edgy, electric jazz, Afrodisiaca is somewhere between free jazz and composed material, with the title track a side-long piece written by Hugh Steinmetz, who also plays trumpet. While much of the music is written (apparently in the scale of the African percussion instrument the balafon), the solo spots and general chemistry are very reminiscent of free jazz, with a wide musical palette incorporating dissonant free-jazz inspired solos into the music’s framework.

The result is one of MPS’s most difficult and challenging albums and one that could possibly be described as “third stream” in the manner of combining European classical tradition with American jazz. Where side 1 slowly builds to quite the climax, the second side with compositions (or arrangements) by Tchicai himself open the floodgates entirely. “Heavenly Love on a Planet” could be Tchicai’s ode to Sun Ra, slow percussion sets up solos for both he and William Breuker, wildly free and dissonant, while the slow tempo set up by the percussionists creates quite a bit of tension. Pierre Doerge’s guitar gets a bit of play on “Fodringsmontage” which plays like a collage of Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and Ascension, all of the freedom wrapped up in some beautiful, eerie ensemble work.

The final two pieces are probably the work’s most consonant pieces and I still hear, even through such a European approach, a lot of Americana in the melodic themes, always reminiscent of Albert Ayler to my ears, the way he’d swirl chaos and anger around the familiar. Harry Akst’s “This is Heaven” is almost like a march, slightly mournful and delirious, and surprisingly tuneful. “Lakshmi” seems to follow right on out, before breaking into a growingly accompanied Michael Shou flute solo and disappearing into mystery, with the ensemble floating up strange chords and returning in between Willy Jagert’s ophicleide and Christian Khyl’s soprano-saxophone like a narrator. The finale is quite meditative in the end thanks to these solos, as if the bursts of chaos and return to ensemble themes were returning one slowly to the center.

It’s not a surprise that this is a highly lauded free work, given that the ensemble work acts as the glue that holds together all the abandon and experimentation so well. It’ll sit comfortably if not edgily next to one’s Art Ensemble of Chicago, Brotzmann and early ECM albums as a prime example of a truly syncretic and avant garde work that ran with the multiculturalism of the late 60s and created something new and lasting from it.

D.F.A. - 4th

I’m very particular about new progressive rock these days. While there’s a lot of good albums from the modern era, there aren’t a lot of great ones, at least not a lot of great ones on the level of the original 70s groups. One aspect in particular is I think there’s a real gap in musicianship between the first wave and later waves. Part of this is now that the genre (or ethic even) is a niche interest, there isn’t quite as much support for newer musicians. Nowadays most bands are made of amateur self-taught musicians when in the 70s there were many greats coming fresh out of music colleges. Comparing, say Italian progressive drummers of the 70s to those in bands of the 90s and 00s really doesn’t look so good for the latter, who often seem to be missing the jazz and classical skills that made the original drummers so professional.

So a band like D.F.A is a very rare breed because they’re one of the few modern bands whose skills are really up to the more professional groups in the style. All of the musicians have either had some training or started with a unfair share of talent and at least one or two of them operate in other bands, all aspects of keeping the chops up. The results showed an unusually strong debut album that was one of the highlights of the 90s and a reasonably good follow up that showed them moving to an even more professional level, even if some of the new elements (echoed sequencer moves akin to space rock) moved them in a less distinctive direction. A live album followed from NEARfest, but it’s been several years since we saw a studio work from the band. And given that gaps like this can often lead to a musical stagnation (I think there’s a window where a new song keeps it freshness, but the life can be practiced out of the material), I was surprised at how confident I was in grabbing this upon release. It’s a rare thing these days.

Fortunately the 4th DFA and 3rd studio album is the culmination of all of this band’s efforts, a work that doesn’t lose the freshness of the material while increasing the maturity and sophistication of the work. The result is a near picture perfect album. Not only have they shucked the Ozric-like synth workfrom their second release, but they’ve pulled more from their debut, particularly the long, twisty and complex compositional works that still manage to have well thought out melodic work and a tendency to go into some of the most insanely intense grooves you’re likely to hear. It kept me thinking, why do so few bands try to make this sort of thing work? No matter how far off the charts D.F.A. manage to go, there’s a focus to their compositional work that ties the digressions to consonant themes and exciting vamps that make the blood flow really fast. And they never overstay their welcome, building up to a crescendo and then taking it all down again for another work up.

That’s one of the biggest differences between this D.F.A. and the previous incarnation. The band have really managed to get the softer, delicate parts so right that they’re almost as compelling as the rave ups. They’ve done this in part by some rather obvious Canterbury copping in parts, but in a very genuine, respectful way. Part of this is the guitarist really seems to have some Phil Miller-isms creeping into his playing. Another part is the electric piano-led, light sequences are very evocative of Hatfield & the North or National Health, both by feel and notes. It hasn’t so much changed their style, but altered it enough to make it difficult to classify D.F.A. among many of their symphonic/romantic contemporaries. Another aspect of this “downtime” is the addition of a female vocalist (Andhira) to the final track, giving all the previous compositions an unsual, but somehow successful wrap up, almost wistful or melancholic, with a melodic structure that reminds me of Mike Oldfield in the early 80s.

It’s really a credit to D.F.A. that it’s very difficult to compare them to anyone else. The closest analog to my mind would be Kenso in that this is the sort of progressive rock that tends to be classified (inaccurately to my mind) as jazz rock, which I think is often just an aspect of the professionality and fluidity of the musicianship compared to those without the abovementioned training (or conversely practice). It’s the idea that when the chemistry is so good, all of the intangibles and ineffables show up in bunches, elements that transcend the notes and rhythms and let the vibe through, qualities less expressed by emotion and physicality and more through intuition.

Overall it’s difficult to want to give anything this new top marks, as one will not be aware of an album’s potential for growth. But in the last 10 years I can count on one hand the times I’ve wanted to do so to a new album and I don’t think any of those impressed me as much out of the gate as this new album. Anyone even remotely interested in the genre needs this one last week. It’s a minimum Gnosis 14 and mostly likely will be a record talked about in hushed voices and cries of “overrated” in ten years, just like everything brilliant.

Yatha Sidra - A Meditation Mass - Germany 1973

Dining on quarks and stratospheric propulsion is an esoterically breathtaking journeymaking which Yatha Sidra attribute to reaching certain innermost realms. Nothing could be further from the proof in putting one within, this trip exacts its penchant for airiness and solidity throughout. Many deem this one to be of the spaced-out ilk, yet I am not akin to the those realms espoused, sensing that it shackles one to the earth effusively. Moving oceans.. slowly whooshing about nearby. Snacking on mountainpeaks with ease. Allowing a true symbiosis, of “head music” and “feel-it-in-your-body” vibrations, a worthy and well-vested corroboration with it’s reputation may just be an out-of-body inner-music experience. This is timeless material. Pensive *and* propulsive, a nice admixture. Mass? Not so much. Religious experience? Maybe, depends on yer state. Dumbfounding clarity and abundance? Yes, indubitably.

Outcome:

A full-of-human-soul-stirring foray into sound and the fashion in which music can touch the spirit, instrumentally. This is very lyrical and speaks in volumes for those with the hears to read it.

- ~ -

::13/15 - Classic of the Millennial Krautrock Continuum::

Laurent Petitgirard - s/t (1972 France). One of the more interesting instrumental rock albums from early 1970s France is Pop Instrumental de France, which was a pseudonym for Laurent Petitgirard. This album represents the followup. Perhaps a little less “Le Fun GoGo Pop” and a bit more towards serious jazz rock with classical overtones. For soundtrack fans, Petitgirard is a household name, and he’s still scoring films and concertos all these many years later. While PIdF received a legit reissue on Vadim not long ago, his followup has fallen into the deep chasm. Laurent himself seems to have disowned it, as not a word about it appears on his own website. That’s too bad, because this a lovely set of instrumental tunes, perfect for that spring afternoon drive on a winding two lane trek through the mountains. Perhaps Vadim has their eye on this one as well. Let’s hope so.

Alain Renaud - s/t (1975 France).
Alain Renaud - Out of Time (1976 France). Alain Renaud played on some of the early Heldon albums, and his sound is somewhat similar, especially on the first. Long drifting cosmic pieces of electronics and guitar. Not as menacing or as immediate as Pinhas’ works. I’ve had the first Renaud album since the mid 1980s, so I have a sentimental soft spot for it. “Out of Time” is a completely different affair. Here, Renaud mixes instrumental rock fusion with some vocal oriented tracks (extremely ill advised I must add) that have me coiling in despair. There is one longish electronic piece similar to the debut, that’s quite nice. A reissue of the first, with a couple of bonus tracks taken from the second would be ideal.

Jean Le Fennec - Phantastic (1969 France). Le fun Go-Go psych pop, no? Oui! (mademoiselle giggle, giggle). Le Fennec’s sole album is a bit more hokey and exploito than others of his ilk, most notably William Sheller’s Popera Cosmic. It is also very vocal heavy and since it’s all in French (fortunately), perhaps some of the work is lost in translation, though somehow I doubt it. Other than some wonderfully placed fuzz guitar, in that phantastic French tradition of super compression, there’s not much to hold onto here. Musicologists and the Incredibly Strange crowd may disagree. Never been reissued on CD.

Subversion - s/t (1976 France). Certainly the most obscure album on Phillippe Besombes’ Pole label. I hadn’t even heard of it until recently (2008), and I think I’d heard every other Pole/Tapioca album by 1992! Featuring a crude black and white cover, it’s exactly the sort of album you would expect to find on the FLVM label a few years later. This pre-Falstaff outfit mixed complex prog in the Memoriance / Pulsar vein, along with jazz rock sections and some introspective folky moments. Not much cohesion, but they did well with each style they attempted. Very different from anything else on the label, except maybe Emergency Exit. And, like EE, Subversion was also not repressed by Tapioca later in the decade, adding to its obscurity.

Jean-Pierre Massiera & Bernard Torelli - Turn Radio On (1976 France). Well here he is again. Mr. Massiera, the king of arcane underground music. You never know what you’ll get with a JP Massiera album, but rest assured it will contain music no one else was doing at the time. He seemed to be the original artist with a keen eye for the ironic. In fact, I think the entire post 1990 Japanese pop scene could be described as similar, whether one was actually clued in on the joke or not. Jean-Pierre Massiera is the original post modernist hipster! Here he joins Mr. Torelli (not sure what his role is, since I’ve never actually seen an original LP, and it may not tell anyway) in a completely nutty, primarily instrumental (with odd voices and narration) album, that is as much indebted to the late 60s grooving horns jetset scene as it is to Studio 54 era disco.

Les Chats Renaissance - Hermaphrodites (1973 France). Yet another JP Massiera project, this one not quite so “wink wink” as some of his other works. Pretty much a straight ahead rock album, with some flute and heavy guitar, and a lot of vocals. Quite a bit of old fashioned 50s rock-n-roll to wade through. Would seem to be a companion piece to the much more progressive oriented Visitors album from the same year. In Parisian English they may say “Uhhhhh, may beee it’s sooo, how you say? Obscure, becaaauuussee uhhh may beee it’s not soo good, no?” Uhh, oui!

Emmanuel Booz - Au Restaurant d’Alice

I did an overview of this French musician’s work at Gnosis a while back and don’t have all that much to add to my appraisal of this first work. I did have a bit of an Arlo Guthrie interest in my youth and had fun spinning the original Alice’s Restaurant a few times, but of course so much of that record is the lyrics and my high school level French isn’t up to the task here. With that said there does seem to be that same sort of casual and upbeat humor here, and my opinion of this has come up a couple of notches, although at this point I don’t think I’ll be hanging onto it.

Jean-Luc Hamonet/Algue - Melodie, Melodie Rock

Musea’s progressive rock book (although I’m definitely going from memory here) has this rare-ish one off project pegged as something of a Camel clone (my words) and while that may be true in part, I’d say the dominant influence on the music is the Allman Brothers. I don’t remember which song it was but there’s definitely an homage to “Blue Sky” that reminds me a little of an analagous Allmans tribute on Motorpsycho’s Let Them Eat Cake. Unfortunately for Hamonet he’s severely handicapped by his equipment and production, with what is one of the thinnest guitar tones I’ve ever heard and his backup group seems a little too tight and amateur to help let the inspirational floodgates loose. I like its breezy upbeat mood but this isn’t an album that’s likely to even convince fans of the influences.

Amir s/t

The early 80s French new music/jazz outfit works sort of in the same circles as Confluence or Clivage, musical ensembles working in both classical and the occasional world or exotic styles to give the entirety a somewhat chamberish feel. It builds slowly with pianos and winds only for the gentleness to start being disturbed by discordant strings as the music develops with a tendency to improvise freely. Throughout the album we’re treated to lots of “found object” sort of sounds, whistles and more unidentifable sounds all of which reminds me of outfits like Limbus 3/4, Ossian and others. Overall it’s a pretty fascinating piece although its inclusion in any rock book is something of a stretch.

Isabel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas

This unusual collaboration seems to weave together strands of British psychedelic folk, traditional Western music and some modern production values for an occasionaly Morricone-esque, epic and mythical fabric. It’s definitely unusual for both musicians, Campbell hailing from Belle & Sebastian and Lanegan from Screaming Trees, and the result is often something like Tom Waits meets Mellow Candle or Johnny Cash doing old Pentangle numbers. It’s all delivered in a somewhat mystical, folkloric tone that also rings modern due to the percussion and the merging is somewhat reminiscent of world/ambient fusions with this sort of past/present juxtaposition. Quite nice overall.

Derek Bailey - Pieces for Guitar

These almost sparse and bizarre guitar viginettes remind me quite a bit of the old Fred Frith guitar albums. The silence here is almost as important as the notes and it’s a lot like soft chiming at times, certainly in improvised and often dissonant themes, but all of it is strangely beautiful and I was very surprised, as I’m not usually as interested in solo work, how captivating this all is. Some are likely to hear this and think it’s some rank amateur banging away on the guitar randomly because it’s so far away from normal Western scales, in fact, I get the impression so much of this is tied together by a certain intuitive sense rather than any obvious rhythms or melody lines. So obviously only one to approach if you’re interested in music well beyond boundaries.

Cardiacs - On Land and In the Sea

Well the Cardiacs sure have a lot of really incredible albums, in fact I almost wish I’d have started with the late 80s/early 90s records rather than Sing to God and Guns. For one thing, after immersing myself in the lower quality live videos, these albums sound positively radiant in their production. In a lot of ways, I wonder how these guys get away with what they do. Their music seems similar over their career, based on very strange but almost signature chord progressions, all delivered with fantastic energy and bearing the stylisms of epic prog rock and bonkers punk. From a ways off I can imagine a lot of this sounding the same at first, but it’s really amazing how fast some of these songs start to stick to the head, revealing what is not just iconoclastic but brilliant songwriting. The epic finale “The Everso Closely Guarded Line,” at just under 9 minutes, works an instrumental melody that would put some of the classic symph bands to shame. To my estimate this band is still one of the world’s most occulted treasures, with a professionalism and sense of originality that belies how obscure they still are.