Listening Booth, week 13: MOPDtK

• Mostly Other People Do the Killing: The Coimbra Concert (Clean Feed) - What MOPDtK do is not really deconsrtuc jazz history, but rather weave elements from across the board into a mesh that make them sound truly unique. Ragged rhythms and brassy timbres from New Orleans jazz, speedy bebop and post bop, skronky outbursts and sudden stops 'n' starts that point to both Monk and free jazz are melded together in a way that suggest both love for and defiance of conventions and traditions, and in turn proves great knowledge and grasp of jazz history. Live, though, deconstruction does happen. But not really of the jazz traditions as much as their own compositions. One tune will suddenly take a different turn not only by way of "regular" jazz improvisation as one would expect, but at any time any one of the group may take the opportunity to start quoting a different composition from their own repertoire, just as Sonny Rollins might have quoted a standard or a pop tune during one of his solos back in the day ('though MOPDtK do that kind of referencing here too). The opening track here is a case in point: at trumpeter Peter Evans' cue, the groovy "Drainlick" (from This Is Our Moosic) speeds up and turns into the splendidly heady "Shamokin!!!" (off the album of the same name) as he starts playing the lead melody from that tune. This certainly keeps their music fresh, and will surprise even those who know their compositions well. Maybe not as solid and concise as their studio recordings, but that is probably not the point. The Coimbra Concert is a highly entertaining, exciting and engaging nearly two hour long document of überjass from one of the best jazz groups today. Oh, and the cover photo is fantastic (nudge nidge)! (8/10)*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes more than final reviews.

Back In the Saddle - summer recap, Øya and Oslo Jazz

Photo by Chris Monsen (c)

An eventfull summer, involving a long but lovely coastal drive, a couple of music festivals and involvement with the release of ENO, Norway's first music mag proper for quite some time (who said printed arts journalism was dead?) is (mostly) behind me. Hopefully, this space will be updated on a more regular basis from now on. I have, however, in addition to having seen quite a bit of live music, been able to catch up on some recent album releases, both jazz and non-jazz, meaning the 2010 list may see a facelift in the upcoming days.

Øya 2010 was one thing (many good to great gigs - none mentioned, none forgotten), but two of the most anticipated concerts of the summer were Ornette Coleman and Mostly Other People Do the Killing, who both played during this year's Oslo Jazz Festival (as did Charles Gayle and Archie Shepp, both of whom I missed).

Ornette Coleman brought long time associate Tony Falanga on double bass, and son Denardo Coleman on drums, together with Al McDowell on electric bass. Playing on the main stage of Oslo's (fairly new) Opera, the sound was impeccable, as one would hope from any new opera house. This meant that Falanga's arco work was more clear and audiable than I've experienced before (this was the fourth time I've seen Falanga with Coleman). Since the group have recently dropped the second double bass player, Falanga played more riffs and walks than he has done previously, and locks into grooves more often than Gerg Cohen and Charnett Moffett - who played on previous tours - used to do. McDowell's bass playing almost doubles as an electric guitar, tending to stay up on the register, but he also brings in the feel of Ornette's 70s electrified groups. Denardo bashed on the drums, in contrast to many of his father's often quiet if forceful melodic bursts, much to the annoyance of some I've since talked to. Though I remind them that Ornette have often had juxtaposed elements in his music. Of the tunes they played, many of which were culled from Ornette's late 50s early 60s records, another new rendition of "Sleep Talk(ing)", a cracking "Blues Connotation", and the closing "Lonely Woman" were just a few of the highlights.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing played their rip-roaring fireball of über jazz to a much smaller, but no less enthusiastic audience the following Saturday. Their ability to both channel, deconstruct and reinterpret the jazz canon in their own idiosyncratic way is made even more clear as they take exactly the same route with their own material -- they quoted some five or six of their own tunes during their first piece of the night, without losing track of where they were headed. MOPDtK sure are a bundle of energy and humor, and drmmer Kevin Shea in particular is bringing back jazz shtick -- at one point a "tussle" with one of his cymbals during an imrpovisation ended with him using it as a stearing wheel behind his drum kit. You know, Monk used to get up and dance during gigs. A great band, both live and on record.

FAN and jazz-links

FAN #11 will be out tomorrow, so I have now posted my article on Mostly Other People Do the Killing, written for the previous edition, on the Norwegian section of Perfect Sounds.

Chicago drummer Mike Reed, whose last few records I have liked a lot, talked to Jason Crane on the frequently enjoyable Jazz Session podcast at the end of January. Mr. Reed is in the middle of a three album project inspired by Chicago's considerable, but underrecognized, hard bop-and-beyond jazz music. Around the same time, WFIU did a show on that very topic, discussing and playing the music of some of the unsung heroes of Chicago hard bop. You can listen to the program here.

MOPDtK's Forty Fort is a winner

I have to say that Mostly Other People Do the Killing is fast becoming one of my favorite bands of recent times. 2007's Shamokin!!! won me over with it's high energy and catchy tunes (and remains one of my fave albums of the noughties), the follow up This Is Our Moosic confirmed that here we had a unique and magnificent band with a refreshing take on the jazz idiom, and the new Forty Fort hammers down that they are truly a great band. The record is currently top of my (admittedly early and short) 2010 list.

Forty Fort is available at Dusty Groove America and SquidCo, with more merchants to follow.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing live videos and new album

University work and end of the aughties writing have kept me away from blogging, but there are projects in the pipeline. In the meantime, let me point you to the fine chaps in Mostly Other People Do the Killing, who a week or so ago posted their entire concert at Moers Jazz Festival on You Tube. I take the liberty to embed the videos below here. Note the Ornette Coleman-"quote" in video nr. 6.

MOPDtK also have a new album, Forty Fort, coming out soon. Enjoy!