Phish / Elektra
By: Tal
After years of establishing a reputation as a dynamic live band, it appears that Phish has finally stopped trying to translate that live aesthetic to their studio recordings. Farmhouse is the album on which Phish appears to appl more conventional methods to recording. After a number of more experimental albums, including Junta, the band's initial recording on which four tracks clock in at over ten minutes, the songs on Farmhouse are shorter and more radio-friendly. The amazing musicianship of the group's members, mostnotably guitarist Trey Anastasio, who also serves as producer on this album, is still prevalent. Tracks like "Farmhouse, " "Bug," and "Dirt" reflect the emotional tone of the band while "Gotta Jibboo" and "First Tube" provide a more upbeat and fun sound. The band appears ready to touch an untapped demographic with this new album while still appeasing their legions of diehard fans.The Very Best of Ray Charles
Ray Charles / Rhino
By: Tal
One of the great pioneers in the evolution of jazz and blues music, Ray Charles has been regarded as an icon in popular music that goes far beyond his "uh-huh" Pepsi commercials. Nearly all of the wonderful songs that made Ray Charles a legend have been brought together in Rhino Records' compilation, the Very Best of Ray Charles. The amazing soul and catchy rhythms of Charles' early materials reflect an era in music in which the fusion between jazz, blues, and popular music first began. Tracks like "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and "What'd I Say Parts I & II" show the energy and passion of Ray Charles in his vocals and musicianship during the earlier years. On the other hand, Charles becomes jazz-blues incarnate on some ofhis most famous songs, like "Georgia On My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You." Complemented by Charles' amazing duet with Willie Nelson on "Seven Spanish Angels," this is the definitive collection for anyone who has ever enjoyed the songs of one of music's greatest legends. Be sure to check out the great Ray Charles during this summer's International Jazz Festival.Play
Mike Stern / Atlantic
By: Tal
Among the great jazz-fusion guitarists over the past twenty years, Mike Stern stands out. His multi-directional technique has garnered praise from musicians to fans alike. He first broke through the scene in 1981, performing alongside Miles Davis. Since then Stern has collaborated with several jazz icons including Joe Henderson, Jaco Pastorius, Tom Harrell, Mike Brecker, David Sanborn and Jim Hall just to mention a few. On "Play" Stern is united by a group of great jazz contemporaries. Amongst those on the recordings are monumental guitarists John Scofield and Bill Frisell, as well as drummer extraordinaire Dennis Chambers, keyboardist Jim Beard, also serves as producer on the disc. An eclectic array of sounds are explored from track to track. "Small World" employs more of a latin-blues influence, while "Outta Town" is certainly one of the jazzier offerings on the album. Instrumentals like "Tipatina's," showcase tenor saxophonist Bob Malach, while "All Heart," one of the few ballads on the album, displays an amazing multi-textured grace. Stern has brought together a variety ofbrilliant jazz musicians to record one of the great jazz-fusion albums of late.Muy Divertido
Marc Ribot y los Cubanos Postizos / Atlantic
By: Tal
The title of Marc Ribot's new album, Muy Divertido, is Spanish for "very entertaining"; it proves to be so. The album's dominant sound is the Cuban music recently popularized by the Buena Vista Social Club. However, while the Social Club proves to be the archetype of the Cuban sound, Ribot employs more of a rock edge to his songs, and even uses English translation on tracks such as "Las Lomas de New Jersey." Muy Divertido is nonetheless a creative album with an infectious groove. Going beyond the indigenous Cuban sound, Ribot employs complementary jazz elements on songs like "El Gaucho Rojo" and employs aSantana-esque guitar sound on songs li ke "El Divorco." This hybrid of many pleasing styles will prove to be an ideal soundtrack for anyone's summer. Catch Ribot at this year's Jazz Festival.
Bill Frisell returns with his eclectic mix of blues, country, rock, and gospel on his most recent solo creation Ghost Town. Frisell displays his talent for any stringed instrument, playing electric and acoustic guitars, 6-string banjo, loops, and bass. The prominent theme throughout Ghost Town is a mellow instrumental journal through Frisell's talents. "Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa," the album's opening track, for example, is a banjo-immersed slow tune with a hint of the bayou accompanying it. "Ghost Town/Poem for Eva," on the other hand, while being similarly relaxed in its rhythms, emotes a far more heart-felt harmony. The tracks on this album showcase Frisell's talent for writing captivating rhythms and putting t ogether textured instrumental harmonies. Appearing in this summer's International Jazz Festival with his quartet, Bill Frisell continues to expand his already crowded musical repertoire. This album certainly provides an enjoyable accompaniment to those lazy days spent relaxing and simply contemplating your internal and external surroundings.
Ces dernières années, le saxophoniste Joshua Redman a été le fer de lance d'un mouvement de jazz moderne qui réussit cependant à garder la sensibilité du style traditionnel. Avec l'aide du pianiste Aaron Goldberg, bassiste Reuben Rogers et le batteur Gregory Hutchinson, Redman prolonge cette nouvelle expérience sur sa plus récente œuvre qu'il a également produite. Dès le premier morceau très consistant de Beyond, "Courage (Asymmetric Aria)", Redman nous fait une brillante démonstration de ses talents de saxophoniste. Dans d'autres compositions comme "Belonging (Lopsided Lullaby)" et "Balance", Redman oppose son style quelque peu blues aux rythmes de grande soirée de ses musiciens. Enfin, Goldberg saisit l'occasion dans "Neverend" pour montrer à ses multiples talents. Non seulement les fans de Redman mais aussi les simples amateurs de jazz sauront identifier une œuvre remarquable dans Beyond, parfaite pour être appréciée seul ou en bonne compagnie.
Une fois de plus, John Cusack dévoile ses nombreux talents en interprétant le personnage principal dans High Fidelity, dont il est également l'auteur et le producteur, sans compter sa fonction de producteur exécutif de la bande sonore du film. Ceci n'est point une surprise étant donné que le personnage joué par Cusack détient un magasin de disques. Ainsi, les morceaux choisis pour la bande originale représentent un aperçu du caractère de ce dernier. L'album est très bien départagé entre quelques grands noms de l'histoire de la musique comme Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder ou Elvis Costello et d'autres, plus obscurs mais certainement pas de moindre qualité, comme "The Thirteenth Floor Elevators", "The Beta Band" ou "Smog". La palette sonore y est très variée mais le thème principal regroupant l'ensemble des morceaux rappelle à l'auditeur des sentiments d'anxiété ressentis par le personnage de Cusack. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" est un bon exemple de ce sentiment de lassitude générale face à notre vie. Avec le classique "Let's Get It On" et "I Believe" de Stevie Wonder, le côté positif regagne cependant de l'importance, laissant entrevoir la promesse de quelque chose de grand. Nous possédons tous une bande sonore de notre propre vie mais il faut avouer que High Fidelity rappelle cette nostalgie universelle qui est en nous tous.
Pour son plus récent album, Tracy Chapman a décidé de retourner à ses racines musicales qui l'ont jadis élevée à un plus haut niveau d'entre la masse des jeunes mécontents de l'époque. À la suite de son dernier album "New Beginning" et du succès "Give Me One Reason", Chapman a vécu une véritable renaissance, nous présentant son côté plus calme et spirituel. Ainsi, elle retourne sur "Telling Stories" avec l'émotion et la profondeur qui lui sont si caractéristiques. Le premier morceau éponyme de l'album nous fait vivre une émotion profonde tout en restant dans l'esprit de la joie. D'autres compositions comme "Less Than Strangers" ou "Wedding Song" illustrent la façon dont Chapman traduit les sentiments les plus intenses à travers ses chansons. Certaines d'entre elles évoquent une trop longue succession de ballades sur "Telling Stories", mais elles sauront certainement plaire aux amateurs du premier album éponyme de Chapman. À première vue, les chansons apparaissent simples. Cependant, leur complexité émerge de l'émotion que leur insuffle l'interprète. Grâce à cette œuvre, Tracy Chapman a su solidifier ses qualités de compositrice au sein de la scène musicale d'aujourd'hui.
Parmi les grandes influences de la culture pop, Lou Reed s'est contenté de peu de lauriers. Cependant, son style unique mérite une certaine attention et son nouvel album Ecstasy confirme une fois de plus sa signature dans le grand livre de la gloire. Cette nouvelle œuvre est encadrée de rythmes de guitare plus ou moins forts, le tout couronné de parole plus qu'intrigantes. Ainsi, Le premier morceau de l'album "Paranoia Key of E" frappe l'auditeur de prime abord, le laissant perplexe devant cette singulière introduction. Les paroles intenses de ses chansons donnent à l'auditeur un regard nouveau sur le psyché complexe de Reed, complétant l'esthétique plaisante du musicien. La chanson "Bâton rouge" par exemple, dépeint les expériences de Reed avec la perte de l'amour ainsi que celles où l'on perd à cause de l'amour. D'une longueur de dix-huit minutes, "Like a Possum" est certainement la plage la plus importante de l'œuvre. Elle permet à Reed et à sa guitare de déferler leur âme commune totalement et à l'auditeur de rester pris dans un moment de contemplation profonde. Tous les amateurs des travaux passés de l'ex-membre de Velvet Underground se délecteront de son plus récent déversement artistique. Cependant, Ecstasy saura aussi plaire à ceux encore peu familiers avec celui que David Bowie appelle "le roi de New York".
Without a doubt Neil Young is one of the most significant and ingenious musicians to ever come out of Canada. Young's distinctive nasal vocal tone and distinguished guitar and harmonica leads contribute to make him instantly identifiable. Silver and Gold transports us back to an era we left behind a long time ago. Remember, "Harvest" or "AfterThe Gold Rush"? If you enjoyed those albums you will love Neil Young's newest release. The new album features 10 new acoustic songs all written by Neil Young. The first track on the CD "Good To See You" was written a few years ago, on the back of Young's tour bus. It's a simple song about coming home, after a long absence. "Silver and Gold" stresses the importance of relationships, they're much more important than silver and gold. "Razor Love" is a song about love, love that is real, "it cuts clean through" all the b.s. The only hitch with Young's latest work is the duration of the CD. Clocking in at 39 minutes and 16 seconds, it just seems way too short. Of course, I would probably feel the same way if it were twice as long (I just can't get enough of a good thing).
