They Have a Voice and They Sing!
by Thomas Schulte
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<
p align=”left”>NEWS AND VIEWS *******************
THEY HAVE A VOICE AND THEY SING
A bevy of talented women in the singer-songwriter arena crossed my desk, and
I want to share some of them with you. Libby Kirkpatrick has a soulful, crisp
vocal delivery full of phrasing changes reminiscent of Rickie Lee Jones on Winged
(Heart Music)… Unrepressed joy in
the guise of a playful spirit often bursts forth in the jubilant music of Jenny
Bird</a> on Joy of It (Earthlight Records). Jerry Marotta (Indigo Girls,
Peter Gabriel) ably assists in a number of roles… From Sherby
we have a three-song self-titled EP (Lime in the Cocoanut Music). The formal
qualities of her excellent keyboard playing is a basis for emphatically delivered
songs with a faintly Southern style recalling her North Carolina background…
Boasting a long resume that includes Sexfresh, Funkmobile, Southern Frost and
Shitty Shitty Band Band, Emily Zuzik now
presents a self-titled solo CD (Mothers
Discontent Music</a>). She has a deep, soulful groove to her songs in a compelling
pop alloy that mixes blues and jazz styles… Lisa Germano continues to explore
the gentle effects of a calming, breathy delivery on Lullaby for Liquid Pig
</i>(ARTISTdirect). This album combines a juxtaposition of her tranquil music
with a revealing and at times jarring analysis of the inward and downward spiral
that can lead to self-abuse. Guests on the album include Neil Finn, Wendy Melvoin
and REM drummer Joey Waronker, who co-produces… From Ripley
Caine</a> comes an exquisitely produced album of songs, Lover (Sweet
Pickle Music</a>). This is a tongue-in-cheek take on flirtation and relationships
delivered with skill and grace. The foundation of her full, even husky, vocal
style recalls Joni Mitchell, giving the singer-guitarist an at once classic
feel as she sings her songs from the acoustic guitar with fill band accompaniment…
Nina Mankin gives us bright and memorable
folk-pop on her self-titled release from Bingo World Records. A warm, family
feel is granted by background vocals, some including Jill Sobule. Varied instrumentation
from violin to accordion to Hammond B3 Organ adds texture… Edie
Carey</a> has a new acoustic live album recorded at various places during 2002
and will resonate with fans of early Ani DiFranco. The album is Come Close
</i>and the economic acoustic delivery is an excellent showcase giving ample
room for the playful lyric and soulful phrasing of her vocal delivery…
</p>
<
Listen to or Buy Winged at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Lover at CDNow</a> </p>
<
p align=”center”> Listen
to or Buy Winged at Amazon.com
Listen to or Buy Lover at Amazon.com</a></p>
HYENA RECORDS
Joel Dorn’s new Hyena Records debuted
with four live albums. Those that remember the reissues of Dorn’s previous 32
Jazz imprint will be familiar Q-Pack packaging and the roster: Rahsaan Roland
Kirk, Les McCann, Eddie Harris and Cannonball Adderley. This is a return to
his beginnings for Dorn, as these four albums originally came out on his first
independent label, Night Records. Uniquely, the albums were recorded live without
the artists knowing they were making a live record at the time. The four discs
represent four jazz greats in personal communication with the club audience,
allowing us to eavesdrop, as it were. The Kirk title is The Man who Cried
Fire</i>. Beside ranging in saxophone styles from the straight and inside playing
on “Slow Blues” and the stunning “Multi-Horn Variations”, this disc also includes
Kirk on clarinet (“New Orleans Fantasy”) and flute (“A Visit from the Blues”).
The Adderley disc Radio Nights collects from two weeks of performances
in 1967 and 1968 at New York City’s Half Note. Without a set list, Adderley
feeds off the audience delivery with his trademark spectrum of style: Charlie Parker
in fast tempo, Benny Carter on the ballads, of course tempered by his shaping
experience playing with John Coltrane in Miles Davis’ ensemble for Milestones
and Kind of Blue. A Tale of Two Cities from Eddie Harris is the third
and final saxophone installment in the series. Criminally underrated, hopefully
this reissue can go some distance to getting Harris the recognition he deserves.
The album includes able piano accompaniment from Jack Wilson. Harris pioneered
the electric saxophone, and that is showcased on the 14-minute “Illusionary
Dream”. Les is More is an on-target title for the Les McCann entry. This
album exemplifies his understated jazz piano style that recalls Ahmad Jamal.
As a bonus, McCann’s own personal collection of taped live performances was
culled to include tracks of Les with Roberta Flack, Cannonball Adderley and
Carmen McCrae.
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy The Man who Cried Fire at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Radio Nights at CDNow</a>
to or Buy A Tale of Two Cities at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Les is More at CDNow</a>
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy The Man who Cried Fire at Amazon</a>
to or Buy Radio Nights at Amazon</a>
to or Buy A Tale of Two Cities at Amazon</a>
to or Buy Les is More at Amazon</a>
</p>
REV-ISITED
American Supreme (Blast First/Mute) is only the fifth studio album from
New York duo Alan Vega and Martin Rev. Though limited, their discography helped
to inspire much of the No Wave and hard electronica (industrial) movements. Having
not released an album since 1992’s Y B Blue, it seems the pair are now inspired
by and incorporating the contemporary DJ club sounds of scratching and sampling
along with the pop maturity of New Wave/Euro-disco. It is an interesting juxtaposition
to hear these music styles contrasted with the disembodied, nearly spoken
lyrics of Alan Vega. ROIR has reissued Martin
Rev’s 1979 solo debut album, which is self-titled. Away from Suicide, Rev exhibits
a warmer, more melodic approach to the keyboard on this reissue, which features
five bonus tracks. Three of the bonus tracks were never before released: “5 to
5”, “Wes” and “Daydreams”. Hearing his keyboard style, brought as it were under
a microscope on this solo release, one can see the seminal effect of his work
on the New Wave genre that followed and how Suicide still bears comparison to
Kraftwerk.
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy American Supreme at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Martin Rev at CDNow</a>
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy </a>American
at Amazon</a>
to or Buy </a>Martin
at Amazon</a>
</p>
CAGE PREMIERED
Christina Fong and her ensemble avidly
records modern and challenging pieces for violin and viola. Fong has both performed
and premiered works of Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Michael Gordon and more. Among
her extensive discography are three premier recordings of works by John Cage.
These works are the series of “number pieces” for strings and percussion. Each
of these three CDs represents the first recording of the final works for these
arrangements. Four4 is a work for percussion and features Fong’s
usual percussionist Glenn Freeman. The solo piece is episodic. Time brackets give
the performer a range of time to both begin and end each chapter of the 72-minute
opus. The percussion instrument choice is left to the performer, and Freeman elected
to use what sounds like bowed metal or friction bowls, and shaken instruments that
recall a rainstick. By using such peculiar idiophones, Freeman invites us into
an exotic world where each island of sound floats up and past from a sea of near
silence, like features on a slowly traversed landscape. Fong delivers her solo
Cage performance on solo recordings of One6 and One10.
These minimalist works are marked by long durations of patient, one-note bowing
which makes the pieces mildly exotic. Also, the drone of the bowed notes with
such absence of change makes the pieces reflective, meditative. Fong and Freeman,
with Karen Krummel on cello join together on a third disc, the first recordings
of Three2, Twenty-Three, Six and Twenty-Six. These are
works for string and percussion ensembles. Fong multi-tracks the violin and viola
to round out the “ensemble”, but there is nothing busy about these recordings.
Freeman chooses percussion instruments of similar timbre for mapping onto Cage’s
composition, along with chimes. Combined with the long-held lines exhibited on
Fong’s solo CD, this is a combination and culmination of the vision of travelogue
of a sparse landscape and trance-inducing self-hypnosis.
<
p align=”center”>
Listen to or Buy One6, One10 at Amazon</a>
Listen to or Buy Three2, Twenty-Three, Six, Twenty-Six at Amazon</a>
Listen to or Buy Four4 at Amazon</a>
</p>
JUMP, JIVE AND WAIL
Here is a trio of new blues recordings with a swinging beat. If you have a case
of the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie-woogie flu, get a dose of Bryan Lee’s
Six String Therapy (Justin Time).
Guitar great Duke Robillard produces along with his band member Sax Gordon.
The blind guitarist has previously held a long tenure in front of live audiences
in New Orleans… Mark Wenner, leader and founder of The Nighthawks, delivers
some blazing harmonica on Mama Tried (Right
on Rhythm</a>). Beside the Merle Haggard title track, the album is all covers,
save two. As Mark Wenner and The Belairs pay tribute to their early country,
folk and blues influences we get blues-rock renditions of “Walkin’ After Midnight”,
Johnny Cash’s “Big River”, Junior Walker’s “Cleo’s Mood” and more… Rounding
out our hat trick is Double Down from Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones (Mighty
Tiger Records/Chase Music Group). This
Detroit bluesman continues to lead his group, formerly The Blue Suit Band, through
a wide spectrum of electric blues styles. Listen to this tight, focused album
and you will see why Deming has been the toast of Motor City and his group a
recurring backing band for Alberta Adams, Lazy Lester and the blues greats when
they pass through town…
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy Six String Therapy at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Double Down at CDNow</a>
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy Six String Therapy at Amazon</a>
to or Buy Mama Tried at Amazon</a>
to or Buy </a>Double
Down </i> at Amazon</a> </p>
A WORLD OF MUSIC
Different ethnic styles often define the favored CDs in our collections. Here
are some new possibilities to consider. Taking cues from the internationally famous
Buena Vista Social Club, the compilation Buena Vista: The Next Generation (Pimienta
Records) hopes to introduce us to a new generation of Cuban Latin jazz groups
with an assembly of talent from beyond Havana… Omnium
celebrates a decade of bringing us Scandinavian sound with the compilation Omnium
Omnibus</i>. Featured are Boiled in Lead, Oysterband, Garmarna and more on the
15-track disc… Omnium’s sister label invites us to listen to the mysterious
sounds of Gjallarhorn on Grimborg (Northside).
This pan-Scandinavian Finnish band hails from an area of the country steeped in
Swedish culture and here sings primarily of Norse mythology. The acoustic group
employs didgeridoo to supply the tone-coloring drone often provided by Swedish
bagpipes… A really delightful and tropical excursion is the vintage Caribbean
calypso collection Calypso (Putumayo).
The songs from many islands date from the late 1950s, a highpoint in international
calypso popularity after Harry Belafonte’s 1956 album Calypso… Bill Laswell’s
Sacred System takes us to Ethiopia and beyond on Book of Exit: Dub Chamber
4 </i>(ROIR). On this new installment in
the series, Laswell works with Ethiopian singing sensation Ejigayehu “GiGi” Shibabaw.
In the sparse ethno-minimalism of Laswell’s music, GiGi has much room to express
herself and display her exotic vocal style… Listen to Amalia! Old Greek Songs
in the New Land 1923-1950</i> to hear to the singing of Amalia, a singing sensation
that warmed the hearts of American immigrants with songs from their native Greece
and Turkey. This historic document with a detailed history in its thick booklet
is available from Arhoolie… The group El
Eco has their debut CD, Two Worlds, on Dreambox
Media</a>. Boston’s El Eco collects styles from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay
for this ensemble jazz CD. Easily accessible to Latin and Brazilian jazz lovers,
the music features instrumental passages with vocals from Kim Nazarian…
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy The Next Generation at CDNow</a>
to or Buy </a>Omnium
at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Calypso at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Book of Exit at CDNow</a>
to or Buy Amalia! at CDNow</a>
</p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or Buy The Next Generation at Amazon</a>
to or Buy Omnium Omnibus at Amazon</a>
to or Buy Calypso at Amazon</a>
to or Buy </a>Book
at Amazon</a>
to or Buy </a>Amalia!
at Amazon</a>
</p>
NOCTURAMA
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ new album Nocturama is set to be released
February 11, 2003 on Epitaph. This is the group’s twelfth studio album and first
since No More Shall We Part (2001). Recorded in Australia, the album’s
lineup is: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, Thomas Wydler, Martyn Casey,
Conway Savage, Jim Sclavunos and Warren Ellis. The album is produced by Nick Launay
(PiL, Talking Heads, Gang Of Four). He first worked with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey
in 1981 when he produced The Birthday Party’s classic 45 Release The Bats.
BOOK REVIEW **
Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph. D., Editor
Rebels & Devils: The Psychology of Liberation
It is easy to assume from the outside that Satanism is merely ceremonial anti-Christian
devil worship, and drug use and homosexuality are something between personal choice
recreations and tolerable societal ills. Hyatt combines over 400 pages of articles
from William S. Burroughs, Austin Osman Spare, Timothy Leary and more to intellectualize
such activities as some of the manifold paths to realizing full human potential.
It is in the analysis of the life and motivations of Aleister Crowley and the
candid, in-depth interview with Israel Regardie that the savage breaking of taboos
is seen as a tool. The interview by Hyatt with Regardie and the following Crowley
analysis by psychologist Richard Kaczynski are the core of the book, literally
and figuratively. This strips the mystique off occult activity and rebellious
behavior and describes them within the confines of a methodology. To quote Kaczynski
in “Taboo & Transformation”: “The ceremonial magick championed by Crowley…is,
in a nutshell, alchemy: The transformation of one’s base character into gold.
…If psychological triggers can precipitate spiritual change, then the taboos
socially programmed into us can act as triggers for major spiritual transformation.”
(4)
<
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target=_new> More on the book from Amazon.com</a>
</p>
DVD REVIEWS
Ron Ford, Producer and Director
Deadly Scavengers
This film combines all the elements of a sci-fi action film: guns and explosions,
over-skilled anti-heroes, monsters. The story has good content features: sub-plots,
complicated love interests and foreshadowing (watch for the close-ups on the
dog tag). This tale of man-eating cockroaches escaped from a scientist’s lab wants
to be a cult classic but it lacks the rampant stylism (Rocky Horror Picture
Show) or focused, fast-paced story telling (Evil Dead) that makes for a timeless
classic. Still, fans of H.G. Lewis will appreciate the over-the-top garage-made
gore and B-movie fans with Joe Bob Briggs’ taste will appreciate a titty count
greater than the monster count and a very high body count relative to the cast.
That is, all but a handful buy the farm during this 88-minute escapade. (2.5)
</p>
<
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target=_new>More on the DVD from Amazon.com</a>
on the DVD from CDNow</a>
</p>
Various Artists
Cult DVD/MVD
This DVD compiles music videos and animation created with Flash. This material
is culled from over thirty media artists worldwide like Stan Lee and Joe Cartoon.
Because of the Flash technology, all the material can be viewed on a Flash-enabled
computer without a DVD decoder. Of course, any DVD player will play all the chapters,
too, so this is a very versatile disc. All of the non-video animations include
music, so there is a lot of music here. That music leans toward urban sounds ranging
from the pop-hop of Supreme Beings of Leisure to rap-like street poetry. However,
the videos have no on-screen identification as MYV has taught us to expect. Much
of the animation is from commercials and even from a mouse maze game. The disc
has video games you can play on your computer, as well as a Stan Lee swimsuit
screen saver. The DVD is tied to a book of the same name. (3.5)
<
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target=_new>More on the DVD from Amazon.com</a>
on the DVD from CDNow</a>
</p>
Humphrey Bogart
The Humphrey Bogart Era
Music Video Distributors/Stardust
Records
There are three parts to this DVD and CD package. The DVD contains two features.
First is the 1953 film Beat the Devil. Featuring Bogie, this is a comedy satire
of the type of tough guy mysteries Bogart is famous for. Paired with this is an
appearance by the great actor on The Jack Benny Show. Full of laughs as Bogie
and Benny continue to attack the stereotype, the Jack Benny portion is marred
by bad visual quality due to it apparently being a kinescope. The audio CD contains
period music to set the mood. The 20 tracks include recordings by Django Reinhardt,
Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and more. (3.5)
<
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target=_new>More on the DVD from Amazon.com</a>
on the DVD from CDNow</a>
</p>
The Meteors
Video Nasty + Live at the Hellfire Club
Video Distributors</a>
The Meteors created the blueprint for psychobilly and with punk attitude, main
Meteor P. Paul Fenech reminds us of that and more as he hosts Video Nasty.
This is an assembly of promotional videos shot by the band at various points
in their history. This is the first time on DVD for the video collection. Recorded
in 1983, Live at the Hellfire Club captures the energetic, seminal band
on stage and is an excellent document of the band having been exquisitely re-mastered
for superior audio and visual quality. (4)
</p>
<
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on the DVD from CDNow</a>
</p>
Stan Getz/Alto Madness
Cool Summer: Stan Getz & Alto Madness
Video Distributors</a>
Humorously and smoothly hosted by comedic pianist Steve Allen, this edition of
the DVD series from the Harvest Jazz Festival at the Paul Masson Vineyards is
unique for the contrast it portrays in saxophone approaches. On the one hand we
have the cool jazz style of one of the genre’s architects, Stan Getz (tenor).
The second set is the aggressive, post-bop ensemble Alto Madness formed by Richie
Cole (alto). We get a half-dozen songs from Gets and seven from Cole’s group.
The DVD includes backstage interviews with players along with biographies and
discographies. (4)
<
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on the DVD from CDNow</a>
</p>
Nick Zedd
Geek Maggot Bingo
This DVD includes four films from Zedd. The title flick is a Z-movie with the
apparent production budget and aesthetic goals of a high school play. A mad
scientist creates life and that life turns murderous. The hero that saves the
day is Richard Hell as a pistol-wielding cowboy. Two additional films react to
the new attention to Tolkien’s works since the new film versions came out. In
Elf Panties we are invited into the bedroom of performance artist Saint Reverend
Jen Miller as in this one-act, one-woman play she portrays an elf that entertains
herself at home by getting off to reading Tolkien, among other things. Then,
she sends her panties through the mail to her customers. The gist of the piece
is Miller has to change panties several times. Lord of the Cock Rings takes
the entire LOTR story and turns into a sexual farce but it seems only Zedd can
take all the satirical possibilities in such a story and still make one short
film drag. The final piece is Thus Spake Zarathustra. It places the Nietzschean
themes of god-is-dead and the Superman into a silent film with music by Fear
of Dolls, Zyklon Beatles, Strangewalls and Amniotic Miasma. (Zedd must have
been reading a lot of Nietzsche. The two-headed “monster” in Geek Maggot Bingo
is “Homo Superior.”) Extra features on the DVD include an animated photo gallery
with cheesy music and a group interview with the cast of Geek Maggot Bingo.
(Is Brenda Bergman always high?) (3) </p>
<
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on the DVD from CDNow</a> </p>
VINYL REVIEWS **
The Bad Luck Charms
“Rich Girl” b/w “Ain’t Gonna Be”
The sleazy punk rock band The Bad Luck Charms never met a rich girl it didn’t
like … that wasn’t its type, as proudly proclaimed on the A-Side of this trash-rock
7”. The Brooklyn quartet learned much from old New York Dolls albums. This veteran
Hanoi Rocks-inspired outfit includes Kerry Martinez (U.S. Bombs, Shattered Faith),
Brian Knott (The Nuns) and Brenden Deal (B.A.D.). (3.5)
Tommy and the Terrors
On The Run
This three-song 7” EP comes from Boston Oi band Tommy and the Terrors. The edition
is limited to 1,000 and the first 200 are on green vinyl. Melodic, tough and winning,
On The Run is a slab o’ wax to catch on the clip while you can. (3)
The Stitches
Automatic
This 3-track 45 is the debut for The Stitches on TKO. But it won’t be the end
of their discography on that label. This is a prelude to their upcoming full-length.
The limited edition snotty punk single is coming out in five different colors.
T
