Matt – Randy Newman – “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)” – A 2fer of Randy Newman. Matt introduces it as a version he really likes and another song he was going to return to. This storyteller aspect of Randy Newman, here spare piano and somewhat Bluesy and dark is my favorite. It surprises me there aren’t more imitators of his style, he does sort of own his territory. There is a sort of cleverness always present and range of stories told, humor and lessons learned. He himself feels like a bit of Americana. “The Great Nations of Europe” Initially I wasn’t sure it was Randy, the voice was darker and heavier than I recalled, but this is from a later, live album and his voice has changed. There is no one quite like him.
Bart – Angine de Poitrine – Full Performance (Live on KEXP) – These polka dot, Adventure Time (apparently Quebecois) motherFers who keep popping up in my feed. Bart eliminates the mystery, its cool enough and somewhat not as cool as it thinks it is. Rocking, interesting but maybe doesn’t actually get anywhere, the song just stops at some point (we only listen to the first song from the set). I think it is an interesting groove, well-designed looping, they create layers and have an intense commitment to their image, persona and look. The music is sort of like their outfits, very detailed, but repetitive and starts to feel somewhat the same as you continue to listen to it.
Dan – 3 Monk tunes. – “Coming On the Hudson” Alex Von Schlippenbach; “Skippy” Buell Nuedlinger & “Brilliant Corners” Eugene Chadbourne (@ 32:15). I’ve been holding these 3 examples as somewhat off-treatments of Monk songs for a few months, I had trouble locating the Eugene Chadbourne link. I find the 3 attempts interesting, approaching the music from a slightly different perspective.
Monk’s music is so structurally sound that there are challenges to interpreting it. Matt picks up on this immediately, stressing how the first 2 examples seem deficient and that the songs can be restrictive, but the artist’s are also not really exploring them with any depth. I agree with him to some extent, and throw in that the opposite, treating the songs as jumping off spaces often doesn’t work well either. For example, playing Monk with a flawless technique and showing off skill in a solo seems antithetical to the roots of the song. We also agree certain songs of Monk’s are ripe for interpretation, like “Round Midnight” or several of his Blueses. All 3 of these recordings are featuring many other, or all, of Monk’s pieces. The Monk interpretation is part of the ensemble design. This leaves them open for criticism.
Schlippenbach an Euro/Avant Garde musician plays the entire Monk repertoire. I enjoy the 3 disc collection and love hearing the Bass Clarinet on every song! I think other songs may have interested the crew more, but this one felt too mundane for them. Buell Nuedlinger a former Cecil Taylor Bass player created “Buellgrass” a Bluegrass/Jazz ensemble that focuses on Monk and Ellington pieces. I agree here some of the musicians are not significant improvisors or accompanists and the rendition relies on tonal color instead of deep understanding. Eugene Chadbourne, the earliest recording here, but the youngest musician of the 3 does solo, skronky guitar versions of many Monk and Charlie Parker tunes on this album. It is very interesting to me to hear how he develops these pieces for solo guitar.
Travis – Some Funky Shit. I’m not sure who it is at first, feels like a hyper James Brown interpreter. But also the groove is twisted into something a little different and I think its 30-40 years old. James “Blood” Ulmer – “Pleasure Control”. This makes sense, but also doesn’t display much of his Jazz sensibilities, more just a shit kicker! Travis mentions it is one of his favorite Ulmer recordings and we reflect on our own choices. Then I recount an Ulmer show, from about 15 years ago. It was packed, and intense, at The Tritone, so much so that a friend began to feel light-headed and I helped her home. We all reminisced about The Tritone and what a seminal venue it was for us, you could always find a home for your project there.
Found Sounds 