Elements Of The 7th: Rhythm Process = 2x(y)+3

[JSngry]

http://www.dustygroove.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap...&GO.x=11&GO.y=9

or

http://www.quadraphonicsoundmodule.com/contact.htm

Quoth Da Bastids:

Incredible stuff -- a free-thinking, loose jamming jazz ensemble -- recorded recently, but with a sound and vision that really takes us back to earlier years of the New York scene! The collective features Matthew Shipp on piano, Roy Campbell on trumpet, Atiba Wilson on flute, Sabir Mateen on tenor, Brian Carrot on vibes -- and an assortment of other players on percussion, bass, and drums -- all jamming together with a flowing, spiritual sort of feel -- stretching out on longer tracks that groove with an undeniably organic energy! The sound is incredible -- almost on a par with older Strata East work at some points -- and the album comes off wonderfully, with out any sort of gimmicks or modern noodling to mess it up. Titles include "Astro Nugget", "Back To Black", "The Move", "3", and "Blue 19".

Well, I don't know bout all that, but this is a damn fine session. All the soloists play superbly (Campbell in particular - people looking for a new trumpet voice who's got the moves of today with the spirit of yore should definitely be checking this guy out) and Atiba Wilson, who comes off like the Artie Webb of the new millenium. The Groove doesn't prop them, but Clark Gayton on trombone is on board as well, sounding just dandy, and on one cut (the first) Alex Blake's bass threatens to create a new continent. Shipp also contributes mightily when he plays, but he's not on the entire album. When he is, though, good things things happen. As they usually do.

But the real thing for me on this one is the bottom, the bass/drums/percussion hookups. Part Afro, part funk, part whatever, ALL groove, and recorded incredibly clear and clean. It's nice to be able to hear a multi-percussion set where everybody's contribution is readily audible, so you can hear the conversations w/o having to dig too deeply into the mix.

Only drawback, and it's a very minor one, is on one cut, where one guy talks to the soloists as they play, "conversing" with them. It's a cool enough thing to do in private occasionally (VERY occasionally), but on the record it just sounds a little jive. But maybe I'm too old and have had too many people who didn't have a clue pull this on me. No matter, it's not a deal-breaker, not by a longshot.

Anybody looking for some new names to check out can find them here, and in a context that is more than friendly to anybody who digs Fela, the JBs, descargas, A.K. Salim's AFRO SOUL/DRUM ORGY, and any other kind of groove-based jam music with plenty of jazz in the mix. Maybe or maybe not music to live by, but definitely music to live to.

Check it out.

Edited October 4, 2004 by JSngry

[JSngry]

Oh yeah, short (too short, really) samples available here:

http://www.quadraphonicsoundmodule.com/elements.htm

Edited October 4, 2004 by JSngry

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Thanks Jim.

I have only listened to the snips but this is sounding mighty fine. Purely funky, huh? I've not been to over the top on Campbell but maybe this context might have been more relaxing for him.

Aside, I have been trying to wrap myself around Shipp's latest trio + sfx 'Harmony and Abyss' but just can't seem to do it, yet. I was completely enthralled by last year's, or was it even this past spring's, 'Equilibrium' and played that constantly for some time. (Even some selections from Jim's recently noted 'El-P' are more to my liking). This new one however is just tepidly sterile. Sure there are some attempts at some hopping electro-afro-cuban but Shipp continues to hold onto that tension building repitition thing of his that makes Parlan and Green's use of the device sound like a nice game of lawn tennis compared to this old school "cecil-pong". I was only able to remotely shake my ass to one cut and that don't cut it these days. Maybe someone can explain Matthew Shipp a bit more to me. Unfortunately his Blue Series has become monotonous to me now.

This sounds like a nice change-up.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

DMG's flushed out "disclaimer:we love everything" review:

Featuring Sabir Mateen (tenor sax), Roy Campbell (trumpets), Clark Gayton (trombone), Atiba Wilson (flutes), Matt Shipp (piano), Brian Carrott (vibes), Clifford Pusey (guitar), Alex Blake, Bill Dotts & Clyde Bullard on basses and Michael Thompson, Charles Hopkins, Ras Tschaka Tonge, Neil Clark & Michael Foley Kolade on drums & percussion. This gem was produced and arranged by Alioune N'Diaye, with Ali and Atiba Wilson writing four of the six long tracks and Matt Shipp composing the other two pieces. Ali N'Diaye runs this Brooklyn based label and put out an LP a couple of years ago with some of the same folks found here. "Rhythm Process" opens with a 25 minute epic called "3", which was written by Ali and Alex Blake, contrabassist supreme for Pharoah Sanders. "3" is a fine, slow and sensuous funky, jazz groove with nice, long, slow-burn solos from Roy on trumpet, Sabir on tenor, infectious wah-wah rhythm guitar from Clifford and Atiba on flute. "The Move" is another phat, groove fest with sly solos from Brian on vibes, Atiba on flute and Clark on trombone. Both versions of "The Move" are completely cool. Kinda reminds me of Osibisa and makes me wanna get down and dance. Matt Shipp's "Astro Nugget" and "Blue 19" are both infectious groove tunes and it is nice to hear Matt playing some wonderful swinging piano. Atiba's "Back to Black" is the funkiest tune here and has a slamming beat, with Roy getting down on his righteous muted trumpet and even Sabir squealing and screaming and getting funky at the same time. "Rhythm Process" is as happening as anything Matt Shipp has put out on the Thirsty Ear Blue Series, here's hoping that Elements of the 7th get the distribution they well deserve.

[JSngry]

I've not been to over the top on Campbell but maybe this context might have been more relaxing for him....Maybe someone can explain Matthew Shipp a bit more to me.

Aw, Campbell's not the "future of jazz" or anything, I just like his spirit. Sounds like he always comes to play and has a good time doing it. Guy's got chops and a free spirit. I like that.

As for Shipp, well, yeah, he's really, REALLY "conceptual" more often than not. Perhaps too much for his own good sometimes. But he's got ideas, that's for sure, and if they don't always come off the way that I'd like for them to, they do often enough for me to stay interested.

Sorry, that's the best "explanation" I can offer. It ain't much, I know.

[JSngry]

Purely funky, huh?

"Funky" may or may not fit, depending on what the word means to you. It ain't The Crusaders, if you know what I mean. But it's definitely groove music.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Purely funky, huh?

"Funky" may or may not fit, depending on what the word means to you. It ain't The Crusaders, if you know what I mean. But it's definitely groove music.

Wrote my "funky" before I saw the DMG splot where Bruce uses it a bit!!

Not Crusaders funky at all I hope. But Shipp Hopp Funkee is good news. Somewhere in here I read something in another of Jim's postings today about Shipp always coming in to confound you. I'm ususlly not in the mood for his more cerebral tones and repetitive actions but his Blue Series has always had an appeal for me because, despite the sometime electronic gloss that may be there, the band is always alive in the rhythm. Organic funky is up my alley, where machine based funky just ain't.

[couw]

.... bitch .... bitch .... bitch .... bitch .... bitch .....

IOW, some few organics can cover a whole lot of machine noise, it's like Arnie The Thermometer really.

The snippets I heard here did not convince me. Not enough suprises and too many commonplaces. Tell me I'm wrong long armed golden one.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

snippets are the death of me (and now that it's officially dog season on the beach, whippets are as well). that stuff always sounds better with just that little taste. defer to the long arm of the law down in texas for giving it such good props and getting us (well, me) all excited.

Now "Arnie The Thermometer"??? If it has the girth of the Gov then I'm pullin' up and headin' out.

[couw]

much wider than the gov, it's an icon. started out bad, turned out good in the sequel. real life can be a bitch, but that's what we have music for (and mineral water).

[JSngry]

Yeah, the samples aren't indicative of the cumulative effect. If you like what you hear, you'll probably dig the full versions, but if you don't like 'em, you may still like the full-lenghts anyway, depending on how susceptible you are to succumbing to hynogroove therapy and listening to percussion interplay as much or more than horn solos, at least in settings like this.

Myself, I'm there.

[.:.impossible]

How's Brian Carrott? I've heard some interesting things about his techniques. How prevalent is the vibraphone in this ensemble? Sounds like an interesting set-up.

[JSngry]

Carrott shines throughout, in solo, and, especially, in accompaniment. Pretty interesting player.

[John B]

I'm really enjoying these sound samples. They've got a Fela-meets downtown NYC crowd vibe going for them. I'll definitely be adding this one too the list.

Shipp has been doing less and less for me of late. Hopefully this one breaks him out of the rut I hear him in.

[JSngry]

"Rut" is a good way to describe the way it's beginning to shape up, for me anyway, although the concepts themselves continue to intrigue me very much even if the executions don't always (nothing's really sucked, though, so hey...). But I'll tell you what - my 18 yr old son and his cronies have been going kinda nuts over HARMONY & ABYSS the last day or two. I liked it well enough, but much prefer the album which is the topic of this thread. They, otoh, like that one well enough, but it's the other one that he makes a car copy for.

So go figure. Nobody's young forever, and maybe what Shipp is into now has a relevance for an audience that I'm not a part of. I can live with that, ya' know?

but I'll keep listening anyway!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

jim,

your PM box is full!

so...

you gotta send me yer address.

i culled up some discs a while back to hip folks to the electro side of shipp.... that whole guillermo brown, spooky, wally, ware melange and had them returned my way with looks agast! all cobblations btw.

love to send down some discs for the kiddies to either heave or ho!

lemme know.

vg

[.:.impossible]

I listened to the samples on the label site and didn't feel anything. I guess I was expecting a more dense rhythmic element to this music. I didn't feel a vibe.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

This (via snips) reminds me a bit of the 70's fuse-aloo band "Ocho". Don't know much about them but this kind of sounds very similar to what I have heard. Anybody?

[John B]

I had a chance to hear this disc on Saturday and the sound clips really don't do it justice. It is a very enjoyable album, very much in the afrobeat meets downtown NYC vein mentioned earlier.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

As usual JS is on the mark with his initital post here. Just received this one yesterday and listened during a long drive this morning. Thanks for the trip.

Not for the short of attention span folk like me but I stuck with it and really appreciated the groove they had such a good time laying down. That first track, "3", clocking in at twenty or more, reminded me of King Sunny Ade concerts from a couple decades back. The boys got the ju-ju going on this one and really set a great foundation from the spaghetti wah-wah get go to the slinky solos that follow. The first take of "Move" had me thinking of some reggae-fied hi-life and that came to be the case on the reprise (Gayton's bone workouts are worth a further "who is this guy" disclaimer). Shipp runs thru his typical morning sun salutations with "Astro Nugget" but had me thinking that this bit is becoming just that - certainly inspiring within this context but the same old we've heard before.

bitch - bitch - bitch ...My only dissapointment with this recording is the "playing" by Campbell on the fantastic "Blue 19". Shipp and the smaller rhythm section here put up a perfect descarga (?) as a set for trumpet but Roy has no idea what to do with it. Maybe his expressed intention of setting up some tension while wavering around the melody is exactly what he wants and his sphincter clenching squealo makes me wonder why Shipp didn't just get up from the bench and give him one on chops (and I use that loosely).

Great stuff none the less and while most "jam" music usually begs for a fast forward after a few minutes this one gets better as the time goes on.

[John B]

I love the first track. Going back to the liner notes I noticed that Alex Blake plays on the track and co-wrote the song.

I saw Alex in concert with Randy Weston earlier this year and have been in awe of his abilities since then.