The Case of the 3 Sided Dream In Audio Color

The Case of the 3 Sided Dream In Audio Color (1915557)
Perhaps I am an apologist for Rahsaan Roland Kirk, I don't know. If I am then I should be smacked, because he needed no one to make apologies for him. The Case of the 3-Sided Dream in Audio Color is a case in point. The namby-pamby jazz critics, those "serious" guys who look for every note to be in order before they'll say anything positive, can shove it on this one. They panned the hell out of it in 1975, claiming it was "indulgent." Okay. Which Kirk record wasn't? Excess was always the name of the game for Kirk, but so was the groove, and here on this three-sided double LP, groove is at the heart of everything. Surrounding himself with players like Cornell Dupree, Hugh McCracken, Richard Tee, Hilton Ruiz (whose playing on "Echoes of Primitive Ohio and Chili Dogs" is so greasy, so deliciously dirty it's enthralling), Steve Gadd, and others from that soul-jazz scene, it's obvious what you're gonna get, right? Nope. From his imitations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane on "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" to his screaming, funky read on "High Heel Sneakers" to his Delta-to-New-Orleans version of "The Entertainer," Kirk is deep in the groove. But the groove he moves through is one that is so large, so universal, deep, and serene, that it transcends all notions of commercialism versus innovation. Bottom line, even with the charming tape-recorded ramblings of his between tunes, this was his concept and it works like a voodoo charm. Here's one for the revisionists: This record jams. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

Houseplant

Houseplant (69376606)
Jim Black may be one of the most respected avant jazz drummers on the planet, but when leading his AlasNoAxis quartet, jazz often seems to be the farthest thing from his mind. Perhaps one need only consider the title of the fifth AlasNoAxis CD, 2009? s Houseplant, to realize there? s probably not a lot of jazz here; the title itself doesn? t exactly suggest swinging exuberance or -- given the history of Black? s ? jazz? output -- even crisp and incisive grooves. After all, when contemplating the nearest houseplant (literal or figurative), do you think of unfettered expressionism, or of something more boxed in, constrained, and maybe even a bit melancholy when contrasted with the wilder things growing outside the window (depending on where you live)? Well, it would be inaccurate to describe Houseplant as stifled music -- the nearly epic title track might even be heard as soundtracking the titular foliage? s dream of escape, complete with the walls tumbling down -- but at the very least Black, even with his often economical and even understated drumming here, seems intent on exploring how deeply held emotions can be expressed with a minimum of adornment. Guitarist Hilmar Jensson, employing a dirty, gravelly tone, is not the type of axeman who lets his fingers fly up and down the fretboard without his brain fully engaged, and there? s hardly anything that could be considered a ? solo? here -- he strums a lot of chords (last track ? Downstrum? being aptly named), with the undercurrent of a ringing consistent drone almost functioning like a tamboura. In fact, among the quartet members, bassist Skuli Sverrisson might have the busiest fingers of all, during the opening ? Inkionos? dancing along with Black on one of the disc? s fastest grooves while Jensson and saxophonist Chris Speed harmonize with long sustained notes across the top. As for Speed, featured here only on tenor, he takes on the role of indie rock/post-grunge vocalist, mainly playing Bla...