Best Music Writing 2009 by Greil Marcus


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the yearly collection of music writing, skewed toward rock and pop as a matter of course, but Marcus takes a wide look at music and includes several interesting selections. David Remnick's examination of jazz DJ Phil Schapp's mania for jazz musicians makes for a great cautionary tale for music obsessives. This article originally appeared in The New Yorker, and focuses on Schapp's WKCR radio program "Bird Flight" which takes a look at the life and music of Charlie Parker in absurd detail. Schapp's mania for music has taken over his life, and driven people into taking sides: some love him, some hate him, but no one can ignore him. John Sullivan's "Unknown Bards" from Harpers, uses a profile of John Fahey as the lynchpin for the examination of little known blues men and women of the 20's and 30's. Examining the lyrics and meaning of blues songs, Sullivan takes a very thoughtful look at the music. He also examines the way white critics view black musicians as well, making this a very valuable essay. Other interesting essays include a fascinating glimpse into the "Emo" culture of Mexico City and the discrimination the teenagers of that sub-culture face from their enemies. The mix of genres and writing styles can be a bit scattershot at times, but there really is something for everyone in the collection, and it is well worth a trip to the library to check it out.

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Best Music Writing 2009 - amazon.com

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Bobby Previte - Pan Atlantic (Palmetto, 2009)

Drummer Bobby Prevites's album is unusual, but in a good way. Joined by Gianluca Petrella on trombone, Wolfgang Puschnig on alto and baritone saxophone, Benoit Delbecq on electric piano and Nils Davidsen on bass, they are sometimes brawny and emotional when the saxophone in in charge, at other times cold and metallic. This gives the group the ability to move through a wide range of emotions and moods. "Deep Lake" opens the album with bass and drums improvising with shimmering electric piano that sounds like vibes. Squealing sax comes in to probe the depths of the performance, sounding strong and oblique. Pulsing electric bass and mysterious rhodes accents make for a eerie and cinematic sounding middle passage. Strong and potent tenor saxophone opens "Stay On Path" with ominous sounding drums and phosphorescent electric piano. Strutting trombone enters and then the horns harmonize before Puschnig breaks free once again for a nice free-ish tenor solo. "The Eternity" has strutting horns and drums, giving the music a touch of funk, and again some nice solos from the front line musicians. "Destruction" is mid-tempo and enigmatic, the horns are featured in an unaccompanied section, and a section featuring rhodes and bass. Funky sounding drums open "Pan Atlantic" before cool electric piano framed by drums takes charge. A free-bop saxophone solo and rumbling drums feature round out the performance. Low, rolling trombone and rhodes mark "Question Mark" before Puschnig comes in with a patient and thoughtful solo. The shimmering and occasionally clanking rhodes adds an extra dimension to the music that sounds like movie msuic at times. Hopefully these guys will get a chance to score an atmospheric film noir in the near future. Fender rhodes electric piano and trumpet make for a haunting combination with their enigmatic musical statements on a few tunes. Pan Atlantic - amazon.com

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Jazz Icons: John Coltrane Live in '60, '61 & '65 (Reelin' in the Years, 2007)

Incredible footage of Coltrane performing in 1960 with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb beginning his epic quest, with his Atlantic and Prestige recordings behind him and his Impulse ones to come. They follow what was by then the standard Miles Davis repertoire such as "Walkin'" and "Autumn Leaves." There is a special treat at the end of this session with Oscar Peterson guesting on piano, and Stan Getz joining Coltrane on tenor for a wonderful version of Thelonious Monk's "Hackensack." This was Coltrane at a watershed moment, on his final tour as part of the Miles Davis Quintet, his last engagement as a sideman, he was truly at a crossroads. A year later he is leading his own group with a perfect foil in Eric Dlophy on alto saxophone and flute, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. The version of "My Favorite Things" is particularly thrilling, with Coltrane's eastern-tinged soprano saxophone and Dolphy's swirling flute making for an unforgettable combination. The performance from Belguim 1965 is absolutely thrilling, with Coltrane in another transitional phase, having recently released his classic A Love Supreme, and evolving his own particularly unique blend of spiritually infused free jazz. Opening with the band already in the process of playing the caustic "Vigil" the music is incredibly intense, with the group playing at a very high level. "Naima" slows the pace down and proves that they were still at this stage interested in song form, with a beautiful performance of the great Coltrane ballad. Finally, an epic version of "My Favorite Things" deconstructs the the tune into a vehicle for pure expression, greeted by rapturous applause from the audience. Jazz Icons: John Coltrane - amazon.com

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Little Sonny - New King of the Blues Harmonica (Stax/Enterprise, 1970)

Little Sonny (aka Aaron Willis) grew up in Alabama, but came into his own as part of the fertile Detroit blues scene before finding a home with the famous Stax soul music label. On this album, he deftly mixes deep blues with soulful R&B with excellent results. It’s a pretty heavy burden to be called the "new king" of anything, let alone something as rich as the blues harmonica legacy, but he is up to the task. Little Sonny sings on a few tracks, and he has a fine voice, opening with the classic Jimmy Reed shuffle “Baby, What You Want Me to Do,” the band takes things at a nice easy gallop. “Don't Ask Me No Questions” has a Little Walter-ish feel, with Sonny making the strutting lyric his own. “Goin’ Down Slow” revisits some classic blues territory to good effect, with Sonny taking his time and delivering the vocal and harp with class and dignity. The remainder of the album consists of instrumentals featuring Little Sonny’s harmonica playing. While he never did quite ascend to the the level of king, he was quite a player as these performances demonstrate. Songs like “Eli’s Pork Chop” mix the down home blues with some soulful touches to good effect, with the organist in the band and occasional horn accompaniment move things along nicely. Blues fell on hard times for a while in the 1970‘s, with clubs closing and some of the legendary musicians falling ill and passing on. But Little Sonny was an example of the torch of the blues being passed on to a younger man, and on this album he held that torch high. New King of Blues Harmonica - amazon.com

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Anders Nilsson's AORTA Ensemble (Kopasetic, 2009)

Brooklyn guitarist and composer Anders Nilsson plays an exciting brand of jazz on this album, touching on progressive rock, and avant-garde classical along the way. Joining him on this album are Mattias Carlson and Cennet Jönsson on saxophones, David Carlsson on electric bass, Ken Filiano on acoustic bass and Michael Evans and Peter Nilsson on drums. The album opens with "Soundfear" which has a slow and spacey sound scape, slowly building with electric guitar and percussion. Swirling bowed bass and saxophone fights to be heard amidst the emerging cacophony, before things mellow out at bit for the conclusion. Strong electric guitar on "Tuning In" sets a prog rock like feel, then the saxophones bubble up strong and deep evoking a Miles Davis Dark Magus feel. One of the saxophones breaks free to solo with some nice drumming before clearing the decks for a very impressive bass interlude. The short "Nacken" is a short interlude for electric guitar and flute with bowed bass, introducing the epic "3D" which probes the musical seascape like a sonar sending out pings of yearning guitar.The saxophones and drums take over, moving into a very cool improvised section. "Vortex" wraps things up with strong full band improvisation, a collectively improvised cacophony that is very exciting, led by rock influenced guitar and drums. According to Nilsson, the group is an experiment in multidimensional music that pays attention to background, middle ground, and foreground, along the lines of Blue Note era Wayne Shorter or the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It works very well and the music the group makes is consistently interesting and exciting.

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(Another) Nuttree Quartet - Something Sentimental (Kind of Blue, 2009)

This group with the interesting name is a jazz collective consisting of John Abercrombie on guitar, Jay Anderson on bass, Dave Liebman on soprano saxophone and wooden flute and Adam Nussbaum on drums and percussion. Originally conveniend to honor Nussbaum's recently departed mother, this record is filled with celebrations for lives well lived. I originally head them by a cut played on Jim Wilke's Jazz After Hours and it piqued my interest. The group plays subtle well shaded jazz and echoes of the world jazz ensemble Codona are present in Liebman's flute and Nussbaum's gently played percussion. Tracks that I really enjoyed include the opening "Poinciana," which has a soft and yearning saxophone and probing guitar developing a patient and pleasant improvisation. "I Hear a Rhapsody" opens with gentle percussion and guitar, evolving into a trio improvisation with Anderson's elastic bass taking the lead. Liebman finally enters late in the performance and floats above and around the trio with dexterous soprano saxophone. The standard "Lover Man" begins with Abercrombie alone, before well paced bass and moderate saxophone and drums arrive on the scene. Anderson again takes center stage with a solo, giving way to a thoughtful and Zen-like interlude of guitar and brushed drums. Their unique treatment of "Besame Mucho" was my favorite track, focusing on Liebman's spare flute with soft percussion and snaking guitar showing an enigmatic Native American influence. Liebman moves to saxophone for a potent solo, before returning to flute to close the tune out, making this a mysterious and moving performance. This is an album of thoughtful and patient music by players who are willing to put their egos aside for the benefit of the music and the group. Something Sentimental - amazon.com

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James Moody - Moody 4A (IPO Recordings, 2009)

Saxophonist James Moody has been riding an inspiring late career renaissance, playing live regularly and recording as well. This is a beautifully relaxed session of swinging classic jazz, mostly taken at a gentle mid-tempo. Moody sticks to tenor saxophone for the most part with Kenny Barron on piano, Todd Coolman on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. The selections on this albums are heavy on well-known standards and, two ballads are very well played, "'Round Midnight" and "East of the Sun" have Moody distilling a career's worth of patience and experience into beautiful improvisations. They move the pace of the music to a more brisk mid-tepmo on Benny Golson's "Stablemates" and Barron's own "Voyages," but for the most part, the band keeps this at a simmer and the quality of the music remains high throughout. Coolman and Nash are a tight ryhthm section, alternately keeping the music moving along and caressing the melodies, they are an excellent backbone for the music on this album. Barron is the ideal partner for James Moody with his thoughtful melodicism and sprightly improvising during solo spots. But the focus is squarely on Moody throughout, his imperturbability is amazing, regardless of tempo or setting he plays with restraint and self-control. Highly recommended for fans of classic bop based mainstream jazz, it's a class act. Moody 4A - amazon.com

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