Digital Primitives

Digital Primitives (Hopscotch) is rapidly becoming one of my favorite jazz records of 2007. As opposed to two other favorites this year - the crunk jazz of 4 Corners, and the muscle funk of (((Powerhouse Sound))) - Assif Tsahar, Cooper-Moore, and Chad Taylor take a minimalist approach to jazz not unlike some of Kahil El'Zabar's 90's output.

Assif Tsahar plays tenor sax and bass clarinet, blowing simple yet forceful melodies and themes. Chad Taylor on drums and m'bira adds skittering beats, while multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore for the most part controls the low end (their MySpace-page lists hand crafted instruments - diddley bo, banjo, mouth bow, flute, drums. He played piano on one of the best jazz records of the 90's, William Parker's Peach Orchard, which Tsahar also played on).

The result is a kind of subdued funk, with traces of both blues, African music, and a touch of minimalist electronica in feel if not so much in sound. There is a song number as well, Ol' Saint Peter sung by Cooper-Moore, a lovely quiet blues.

Their website, as well as their MySpace, has sound clips from the album as well as videos of live-performances (click on the images). If you can't find the record at your local shop, Digital Primitives can be bought through the Jazz Loft (and probably through Hopscotch's web-site, though I'm not sure).

Pere Ubu - "Breath": it's now or possibly never.

I was pointed towards this rare video of Pere Ubu's "Breath" - the first track on their recently re-released Cloudland album from 1989 - by whoever runs the Home & Garden MySpace page (Ubu bassist Tony Maimone is/was in H&G).

As much as I love their quirkier moments, "Breath" remains one of my favorite Ubu songs. I think it captures as much as any other of their recordings some of Pere Ubu's recurring themes; people and places; urban development - for better or worse - and decay, and people feeling estranged and struggeling to find their place in this world of constant renewal. Lyrically, "Breath" seems to be a call for the world to stop for a moment, while the grander sound seems less urban than their previous records, perhaps to suggest that urban deveolpment has reached suburbia as well:

I know my way round town. / Used to live around here. / I know the sites to see, / the things they mean to me, / and how we tore it down. / Let me walk with you cuz it's breaking my heart. / The things that we had, / the good and the bad - now it's parking lots. / Don't let's talk about tomorrow - / Baby, standin at the edge of sorrow. / Let's watch the whole world just goin slow. / Let's watch the whole world goin slow.

The thing is, though, Pere Ubu and David Thoms have had issues with You Tube for a while, so I guess it's just matter of time before this clip is taken down. Watch it while you can, or better yet, go buy Cloudland. It's ace.

Max Roach, R.I.P.

Christ, I'm slow these days. I was devastated to learn that Max Roach - legend, brilliant drummer, original composer, and good looking cat - passed away recently. The always brilliant Destination-Out! pays tribute and has some great tunes available for download too.

Still there?

In case I still have readers of this blog, thank you for stopping by. Regular blogging will resume shortly.

More Lip Stick

No, this is not turning into a fashion blog, but to continue the theme from the previous post: Canadian fuzz poppers Mother Mother are having problems with their make up and are in dire need of a "Touch Up", they say, and I'm happy to listen to their complaints.

Fashion tips

Is it just me or are there more fashion tips in pop songs these days. Last year there was The Pack praising "Vans". Then there was this fabulous Lil' Mama track big upping her lip gloss:
And to top it off, the third track on American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee's new record is about the joys of open toe shoes:

"Hey let's go / If they're not too high / Too low / I'll take them home / In purple, red, or gold / 'cause I know them boys / They like / Those open toes"

Are there more?