Jazzmoose Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Just got through rummaging through the "upcoming releases" at Jazzmatazz (an evil site, obviously designed to take advantage of compulsive jazz fans! shame... ) and threw this one on my order, just out of curiosity and because I'd heard the names here before. Now, anyone care to tell me what I've done? I mean, what do I have to look forward to? I'm completely unfamiliar with either of these guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Omigod, Moose, by purchasing that side you've inadvertantly triggered the onset of the apocalypse!! Good work dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Oh, god...this is something those people on the "Funny Rat" thread listen to, isn't it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 The comments I have seen from people who have heard review copies all state that this disc is fantastic. I am really looking forward to buying this as soon as it comes out. Hamid Drake is my favorite active drummer and one of my favorites of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Thanks for the tip, Moose--sounds like a good 'un. Beware the funny rat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 well, I just received The Missing Link from a kind boardmember and I am playing & liking the SHIT out of it. I see many titles in the small recorded Anderson discography are either very expensive (in Europe that is) or impossible to get. IOW: this is on my list (not that I have one, I am far too busy listening to this insane stuff to draw up lists; remember me about this one again when it is actually out there, willya) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Beware the funny rat! yeah, it's TOO funny at times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chaney Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 In writing a review of a recent Fred Anderson disc I found myself using phrases that were less than complimentary. The album in question, Delmark's Back at the Velvet Lounge, struck my ears as a problematic end product. Anderson appeared to be dragging his creative feet a bit through the same soil, still turning in passable music, but not on par with the stellar quality he so often achieves. I expressed worry that he might be in danger of repeating himself. While similar in title, Back Together Again on Thrill Jockey has little in common with the disappointing Delmark entry and the differences have me happily eating some of those earlier words. Where the latter disc often sounds cluttered and commonplace in its ad hoc assemblage of Velvet regulars – a typical gig taped at Anderson's South Side Chicago oasis – this studio offering feels more spacious and finely wrought. Another key ingredient is the intimate alchemy between Anderson and drummer Hamid Drake. The saxophonist has long worked best with percussionists, his rhythmic style of playing well suited for the interplay of sticks and slaps. And among his various drum partners Drake remains the closest fitting of the lot. The pair has been playing together for over three decades and across those years their teacher-pupil relationship has blossomed into one of peers. Recorded examples of the duo's work in isolation are oddly scarce. Prior to this Thrill Jockey set, the only commercially released evidence could be found on "Waiting for M.C." a single 10-minute track tacked onto the end of Anderson's Birdhouse for Okkadisk. A tantalizing taste compared to the rich disc-length repast on hand here. Eight tracks roll out in just over 70 minutes – a generous program by anyone's standard. A bonus disc adds even more to the value and contains video footage shot by Chicago filmmaker Selina Trepp of Anderson and Drake in the studio. In both settings Anderson and Drake have the space to truly locute at length. There's plenty of sinew surrounding Drake's considerable muscle. Strength and volume erode subtlety or finesse. His rhythms revolve in supportive circles around the saxophonist's fine-grained tenor lines. Similarly Anderson can read his friend through purely aural cues, something honed through the resounding rapport they share, leaving them free to focus on shaping emotions through detailed texture and tone. Anderson's tenor phrases here are some of his most measured and nuanced on record. Just drop in on "Black Women," a improvised reworking of Anderson's familiar tune turned plural in honor of the pair's respective mothers. Several other pieces take on raga-like properties in their explorations of cyclical motifs. Drake's chant on the closing "Lama Khyenno" braids with Anderson's somber cerulean reed flutters above an oscillating frame drum beat. Together they convey the guiding humanistic impulse that lies at the root of their shared art. This studio meeting might have been awhile in materializing, but any ire over the wait seems superfluous now that it's arrived. By Derek Taylor for DUSTED MAGAZINE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrugs Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 well, I just received The Missing Link from a kind boardmember and I am playing & liking the SHIT out of it. I see many titles in the small recorded Anderson discography are either very expensive (in Europe that is) or impossible to get. IOW: this is on my list (not that I have one, I am far too busy listening to this insane stuff to draw up lists; remember me about this one again when it is actually out there, willya) Look for the Moers lp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 well, I just received The Missing Link from a kind boardmember and I am playing & liking the SHIT out of it. I see many titles in the small recorded Anderson discography are either very expensive (in Europe that is) or impossible to get. Look for the Moers lp. I gather you mean this one. Is this thing easily found? I keep stumbling on a science fiction writer of the same name in my searches that remain fruitless wrt to this LP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 This album is fantastic! Has anyone else had a chance to listen to a copy yet? I am very impressed after one listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Look for the Moers lp. I can't second that strongly enough. I gather you mean this one. Is this thing easily found? I keep stumbling on a science fiction writer of the same name in my searches that remain fruitless wrt to this LP Yeah, that's the one. Some Moers sides have made it to CD. Not sure about this one. They have a website, Moers does, or did at one time. Edited March 25, 2004 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller center Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 It seems to be available. http://www.moers-music.com/catalog/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 thanks for that link. never thought about looking for it with the label itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 It seems to be available. http://www.moers-music.com/catalog/index.html I have the LP, but I purchased it in an ebay auction. Before I found a copy I tried several times to contact Moers through the website, but never got a response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Anybody heard this with Hamid Drake on ? http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Ajrkbikpsbb79 it had a really good review in Cadence & looks interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob C Posted March 28, 2004 Report Share Posted March 28, 2004 I just played part of this for the first time and really dig it. BUT--there's a "buzz" in the right channel (whenever Drake hits one particular drum, sounds like) that is driving me crazy. Do I have a bad copy or is this just how the disc sounds? Anyone? Thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Rob, if you have a bad copy then I do as well. This is really fantastic music, not at all what I expected (oops; that came out wrong!), but that buzz or distortion at points is really annoying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Maybe it was just on the first track. It....it...hey, guys; this is really too good to listen to while I'm posting. Gotta sign off for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted April 1, 2004 Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 It's my favorite Fred Anderson record since "The Missing Link". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob C Posted April 1, 2004 Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Rob, if you have a bad copy then I do as well. This is really fantastic music, not at all what I expected (oops; that came out wrong!), but that buzz or distortion at points is really annoying... I guess that particular drum track was just badly recorded or mixed.... I watched a little of the CD-ROM video last night. That piece--and it's just the first track on the record that has this problem--seems to have three overdubbed drum tracks. The CD-ROM includes that track, and I don't hear the buzzing there! Weird. Well, a (fairly) minor complaint about a good record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted April 1, 2004 Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Anybody heard this with Hamid Drake on ? http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Ajrkbikpsbb79 it had a really good review in Cadence & looks interesting. I have it as well as Nicole Mitchell's other recording. I enjoy them both very much. I would not purchase it as a showcase for Drake, however, I do not hink he plays on every track and there is added percussion on most tracks. But as a a display of Mitchell's talents I recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 No, the buzzing's there on the CD-ROM too. It's just the natural buzz of the hand drum as far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob C Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 No, the buzzing's there on the CD-ROM too. It's just the natural buzz of the hand drum as far as I can tell. Hmm, I guess I just can't hear it on my computer speakers. Well, anyway, I've made my peace with the buzz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 (edited) I have listened to this set several times now and spend some qualitiy listening time with it (in the train, doing walkies, and I even found a nowadays rare moment to actually sit on the couch in the sweet spot). First off, I have to agree with Hans: in general the drums/percussion part is too loud. On some tracks it's quite okay, but on a track like Back Together... (tr. 3) I notice too much drums and too little saxophone. And things being as they are, I do tend to focus on Anderson's tenor and less on Hamid's percussion if I want to hear the meat of the story. This is rather a mixed bag for me to be frank. I really like some of the tracks; track one (with its references to Softly...sunrise; this may be my silly ears & reference) is a great opener. Track two is probably my favourite with its long nicely spun lines that paint a haunting story of nostalgic sadness; listening intently to this track is really like browsing an ancient photo book. Absolutely marvellous. Then, track three is much too erratic I find. Drake's drums/percussion is much too prominent and doesnot really seem to provide and anchor for Anderson to develop any story upon. So he resorts to short melodic bursts, none of which really seems to take off and take direction. Only after six and really only after 10 minutes or so it all tones down a bit and Anderson zones in and makes it all work. Maybe too much focus is laid on the mesmerising qualities of the drums/percussion. Anderson seems drawn in himself at times and resort to real short burst of... well just bursts really. Listen to track 6 where in spite of the cool percussion, there is no meat to speak of melodically. This track almost sounds like one of these nu-jazz turntable things, which can be very nice in their own right, but it is a bit out of place after all that these two have shown to be capable of. Somehow this IS very nice really, but also a bit of a let down. Unlike Hans, I really like the final track with the chanting. Overall, this still is really great music. It holds a larger promise than it delivers, however, and that sort of messes with its enjoyment. I am sure that repeated listening (spinning right now and liking track 3 much more than previously) will get me used to the shortcomings and focus on the strengths more. Because there are many of those here and I am really glad I got this disk. Edited April 19, 2004 by couw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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