Ken Nordine - Complete Dot Word Jazz (inc. unissued material)

[chitownjazz]

Sorry to revive a dormant thread, but I figured I might as well spill my guts here among all the Nordine fans and face the consequences.

I'd heard occasional bits and pieces of Nordine on WBEZ over the years and the past few days WNUR has played a couple of his cuts - I have no idea what but I'm sure it was Nordine. Probably this level of exposure doesn't really qualify me to render a full-fledged opinion, but why let that stop me?

So tell me, what am I missing? My assessment of Nordine's work - pseudo-hip, lightweight, full-of-itself trifles. To each their own and all, but I just don't hear the fascination. I mean, if it were a choice of listening to Word Jazz or A Prairie Home Companion, I'd choose the former, but the same could be said for having my teeth drilled.

OK, I'm intentionally going overboard here, but really, I just don't hear it - Nordine's stuff is more clever than your typical jazz vocalist's, but contains just about as little of the soul of real jazz IMHO.

Enlighten - or flame - at will!!

Edited October 25, 2006 by chitownjazz

[JSngry]

Your assessment is fair enough, & I'd agree with it about a lot of Nordine's work.The stuff of his I really like is that which displas a dry, cynical/dark wit. Not nearly as much of that on this set as I had hoped for, but oh well..

But something like "Bury-It-Yourself Time Capsule" or "What Time Is It?", well, that's gold for me.

[chitownjazz]

I could stand some dry, cynical, dark wit - but the cut about the color orange that I heard this morning had none of that.

[Teasing the Korean]

...Nordine's stuff is more clever than your typical jazz vocalist's, but contains just about as little of the soul of real jazz IMHO...

Containing the "soul of real jazz" is not a pre-requisite of worthiness. Who cares?

[chitownjazz]

Containing the "soul of real jazz" is not a pre-requisite of worthiness. Who cares?

I do! That's ultimately why I listen to the music, and why I have a dim view of so many "jazz" vocalists and the little bit of Ken Nordine's work I've heard. As I said, if I want schlock I can just listen to A Prairie Home Companion.

[Nate Dorward]

Incidentally Michiel Braam has recorded a fine album in tribute to Nordine's also called Colors. No direct relation between the albums except the track titles. (Apparently Braam had the poet/vocalist Jaap Blonk do the vocals on the original project, but the CD is just a piano trio.)

[Teasing the Korean]

Ken Nordine once said something to the effect of - and I'm paraphrasing - that he is poking fun at the man in the grey flannel suit while at the same time being the man in the grey flannel suit.

I know one of the musicians who played on his Dot albums, and he assured me that Nordine was a very bohemian character decades before “bohemian” became a niche market.

As for "jazz," I'm more concerned with whether stuff is good than whether it's jazz. I love pizza, but I can't eat it 3 times a day, 7 days a week.