Jump to content

Howard Wiley - The Angola Project


JSngry

Recommended Posts

Angola is the federal penitentiary in Louisiana. When I was a kid, that was the last place on earth you wanted to go. People would shudder to think of it. Chris Kenner was murdered there. I think the music sets the mood very well.

I've given the CD a few listens, but it's not for me - too powerful. (Yes Chuck and Larry, this was a promo that I didn't write about because I didn't love it.)

David Murray is on it, and from what I have heard of Murray in the past, it appears to me that Wiley is influenced by him. My guess is that if you love Murray, you will like this album too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't really say that I hear Wiley as being "influenced" by Murray in anything other than the very broadest possible sense of post-Ayler/post-Shepp R&B-meets Free Jazz Black Tenordom, and if it's got to come down to that, well hey, too much math for R&B, if you know what I mean.

I like that, thoug, "too powerful", that's a fair individual call that goes right to the meat of the music her. It is powerful, very powerful.

And what goes down on "Amazing Grace" (no cunnilingus jokes, please...) is damn near amazing. An old spiritual gets slowly but surely turned into a wailing desert song filtered through god only knows how many storefront churches and juke joints, tongues are being spoken in, equal parts street and esoterica, and that's just one cut.

Like I said, it ain't a perfect record. But "perfect beauty" may in fact not be beauty at all...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just having a listen. Interesting stuff! I don't think 'Amazing Grace' hits me quite as it hits you - I really don't like the vocalist. I have no problem with the operatic thing (absolutely not, in fact!), it's just I don't think she sounds that great. However, Wiley is quite shocking in some ways - sounds in some ways very 'unhinged'. I think the effect is heightened by the otherwise quite shiny production...such an unreconstructed solo really takes you (or at least me!) by surprise in the context!

Agree, I don't hear any Murray influence on Wiley.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 12 years later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...