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Lulu Gainsbourg ‘From Gainsbourg to Lulu’ (Mercury/Universal) 4/5
Lulu Gainsbourg is the son of legendary French singer and agent provocateur extraordinaire Serge Gainsbourg and the former has kept a relatively low profile until now in his mid-twenties. A recently well publicised live concert in Paris which was broadcast live on French national radio during last November served as the curtain raiser to the album which was released shortly afterwards and this is very much a tribute to the music of his father spanning the early jazz-inspired period through to the mid-1970s, taking in myriad pop and rock sounds. In order to accurately convey the changes in style that Gainsbourg senior underwent, Lulu has brought on board an array of guest musicians and singers, French and North American, with the odd surprise inclusion from the English-speaking world and this works extremely well, particularly for the earlier period. Lulu plays more of a supportive than lead role as a pianist and occasional singer of modest vocal range and ambitions. In this respect he is more of a singer-songwriter in a similar relation to Julian Lennon. There is always going to be the overwhelming legacy of his father to contend with and, perhaps, inevitably Lulu will be judged ultimately on his ability to write his own songs. Be that as it may, Lulu performs creditibly well on the opener, a bossa nova take on ‘L’Eau à la bouche’ with whispering vocals and nice shifts in tempo. This is an obvious candidate for a single. Guests includes Rufus Wainwright who impresses on one of Serge’s most melodic songs ‘Je se venu te dire que je m’en vais’. Close friends Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis combine on a homage of sorts to the recently re-issued masterpiece ‘Melody Nelson’ with one of the main cuts ‘Ballade de Melody Nelson’ while Lulu pairs up with actress/singer Scarlett Johansson on the seminal ‘Bonnie and Clyde’. While neither of these songs meets the dizzy heights of the original, they are perfectly fine in their own right and may serve the useful purpose of attracting a new, younger audience to the extensive Serge back catalogue. Where the album scores best is actually on the earlier period and there are two excellent instrumental jazz interpretations of ‘Inotxocated man’ and ‘Black trombone’ by a mouth-watering line up of Gil Goldstein on piano, James Genus on upright bass, Terri Lynne Carrington on drums and Serge’s 1980s saxophonist Stan Harrison (from the ‘Love on the Beat’ album onwards). A whole album of material from the jazz period by this quartet would make a welcome addition to the Serge tribute brigade. A few songs do not really come off and both Iggy Pop singing ‘Initials B.B.’ and Shane Mc Gowan’s interpretation of ‘Sous le soleil exactement’ are best ignored. However, they do at least indicate how Serge Gainsbourg’s music has permeated the English-speaking rock world. World music flavours abound on Richard Bona’s take on ‘La Javanaise’ and there is a radical reworking of the reggae tune ‘Fresh news from the stars’ with a delicate piano (Lulu) and cello (Dave Eggar) duet which suggests that Lulu may just have a successful life of his own as a musician and one that is distinct from that of his father. That would surely have made Serge happy. Tim Stenhouse
30/01
Orquesta Arab de Barcelona ‘Libertad’ (World Village/Harmonia Mundi) 4/5
Barcelona based collective Orquesta Arab de Barcelona typify the diverse sounds of a twenty-first century cosmopolitan European metropolis and in some respects they are simliar in approach to say the Orchestre Barbès in Paris. However, in the case of the former the musical cross-fertilisation encompasses Moroccan gnawa, flamenco and jazz instrumentation while participants are made up of Catalan, Spanish and North African components. This helps explain why the inner sleeve notes include lyrics that have been translated into Arabic, Catalan, English and Spanish no less. The fusion works best as on the heady melodic mix of Moroccan rhythms allied to flamenco handclaps on ‘Somnis d’Orient’ (’Last dreams’) and there is indeed a surprise in store in ‘Tango de la amurgura’ (’Bitterness tango’) since it is not in fact a bona fide tango at all, but rather a compelling flamenco-inspired number. On the bright, uplifting opener ‘Magrebia’ Moroccan gnawa and funk-tinged jazz of the Weather Report variety come together to good effect with bass and keyboards prominent. An interesting release that successfully explores the commonality of musical roots on either side of the Mediterranean. Tim Stenhouse
15/01
Various ‘World Routes on the road’ 2CD (Nascente) 4/5
BBC Radio 3 and its regular World Routes programme have long championed sounds from throughout the globe that cannot normally be heard on commercially available CDs and, in some cases, music that is intended for a local audience with few, if any commercial considerations in mind. Hence the raison d’être for this sumptuously compiled double CD spanning the years 2004-2011 that explores relatively unknown artists as far afield as Azerbaijan, Cape Verde and Madagascar. There are indeed some wonderful discoveries to be made and these include the glorious harp playing of one Carlos Orozco. It is criminal that Venezuelan traditional music is not more widely available in the UK and which goes beyond salsa (excellent though Venezuelan salsa frequently is) so the inclusion of this style of music is particularly welcome. Likewise the duet between Justin Vali and Paddy Bush showcasing roots music from Madagascar on ‘Veloma’ was a most pleasant find for this writer. Cape Verde is best known for the great Cesaria Evora and more recently the new star on the block Mayra Andrade, but harbours other less famous musicians of significant note and two are to be found here. Singer Michel has an interesting talkover delivery that works well with a highly melodic instrumental accompaniment while Tito Paris offers uplifting rhythms on ‘Mar Azul’.
The Indian subcontinent is worthy of a compilation in its own right, but on this pan-global introduction deservedly receives four musical offerings. Of these the North Indian classical khyal vocal style was an especially enjoyable listen featuring a winning combination of vocals, tabla and harmonium on ‘Bandishi thumri in Raga Desh’ by the Misra Brothers. Moving into the Middle East, the music of Syria is rarely if ever highlighted internationally, even less so in the current political climate, and thus the rootsy duo of Khyam Allami and Taoufik Meerkhan on the imperious sounding qanun (a plucked zither) and the contemplative oud (a Middle Eastern string instrument of which there are some renowned virtuoso practitioners) offers a brief insight into the country’s rich cultural tradition. Neighbouring Turkey also merits greater attention with some wonderful music available on the ney and saz horn instruments and the contribution by Cengiz Ozkan will hopefully lead to more forays into Turkish folk music.
Simply put, the World Routes team under the expert leadership of musicologist Lucy Duran have gone directly to the source and recorded with the best available equipment and this significantly enhances the listener’s enjoyment. Extensive inner sleeve notes explain both the musicians and their individual styles while some lovely photography work captures the essence of the roots tradition in the aforementioned countries. Factor in some downright rootsy grooves from Brazil, Jordan, Peru and Ugandu, and there is something for all musical tastes here. Not everything is essential listening, but a good deal is and this will in turn lead to new discoveries and, with a bit of searching, to hopefully the odd purchase of new sounds that do surface on CD and other formats.
One might quibble about the absence of music from certain key nations in Latin America with as rich and diverse tradition such as Argentina, Columbia and Mexico to mention but three, but that is to miss the point of the compilation. It was never designed, nor could ever possibly achieve comprehensive status. Rather it serves as a bridge to better appreciating musical styles that have to a large extent been ignored by the world music industry (Brazil, India and Mali being the major exceptions) and judged on that criteria alone, this is an ideal foot in the door for even the most seasoned of world roots aficionados. Tim Stenhouse
14/01
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross ‘Sing a song of Basie’ (Poll Winners Records) 5/5
Vocalese giants Lambert, Hendricks and Ross enjoyed only the briefest of spells together as a trio, but made an indelible mark on the history of jazz with their highly innovative vocal improvisations of then contemporary instrumental jazz classics. This very generously timed CD groups together two of their classic albums. The first, ‘Sing a song of Basie’, features members of Count Basie’ band, though not in their entirety, and of the two is the more conservative in approach. John Hendricks lyrics are always witty and right on the ball with ‘Avenue C’ and ‘Everyday I have the blues’ being the stand out tracks of a consistently high performance album. The trio offer versatility with an essentially small group setting that features a quartet plus guitar, the one and only Freddie Green. Things hot up considerably on the second album, ‘Sing along with Basie, which this time features the Basie band at the time in full with vocalist Joe Williams added on some numbers. A plethora of classic renditions followed and these include ‘Goin’ to Chicago Blues’, ‘Lil’ darlin’ and ‘Jumpin’ at the woodside’ all being major league vocalese tunes that have easily stood the test of time. A twenty page booklet complete with song lyrics and indicating individual singer contributions is extremely useful and, as an added bonus, there are three additional cuts of live recordings of which Horace Silver’s ‘Doodlin’ and ‘Everyday I have the blues’ stand out. This current set is a fine accompaniment to the Columbia/Sony 2 CD set ‘The hottest group in jazz’ which is an accurate summation of where the trio were at the time and their influence on countless generations to come which individually included the likes of Oscar Brown, Eddie Jefferson, and collectively and most obviously Manhattan Transfer. Tim Stenhouse
09/01
Houston Person ‘So nice’ (High Note) 3/5
Tenor saxophonist Houston Person is a musician with a soulful and warm delivery in the lineage of the great Gene Ammons, and on this relaxed, swinging set of largely standard-based bop and blues-inspired numbers. He is backed by a top rhythm section that alternates between guitar and additional brass accompaniment and features Ray Drummond on bass, Louis Nash on drums and John di Martino on piano. Person excels on the slower pieces such as the charming ballad ‘Closer to you’, the Burt Bacharach and Hal David pop standard. This is a different sound from Person’s heyday as a regular sideman and leader for the Prestige and subsequently Muse labels when he performed on soul-jazz classics of the calibre of Charles Earland’s ‘Black talk’ and his very own ‘Houston Express’. The sound has over time become more refined and indeed straight ahead in approach, but the soulful touches are as evident now as they were some forty years ago. Quite simply Houston Person belongs to a generation of saxophonists who are increasingly thin on the ground and his continued recording career is in itself a triumph. Tim Stenhouse
08/01
Red Norvo Trio ‘Complete Recordings’ (American Jazz Classics) 4/5
Originally on the Fantasy label and dating from 1955 and before, this generously timed CD typifies the laid back sound that came to be known as West coast jazz. If the categorisation was something of an over-simplification (Chet Baker could play as hot as anyone on the East coast when he wanted to and proved it on record with the likes of Art Blakey while Ornette Coleman was a fiery Texan tenorist steeped in the blues. By contrast Bill Evans was an East coaster with a West coast style elegance), it nonetheless conveyed a classic era in jazz history and vibes player Red Norvo is invariably overlooked since he was an accomplished musician who straddled different stylistic developments from swing to cool school. In fact Norvo had, earlier in his career, played with the Paul Whiteman band and then with Woody Herman’s first herd so he was well versed by the mid-1950s when he had become a respected leader himself. Save for two originals, the music contained within represents the very best of the great American songbook which merely serves as a backdrop to the improvisational playing. Norvo is very ably assisted in this endeavour by guitarist Tal Farlow who had been part of the Red Norvo trio since 1950 when Charles Mingus had been the bassist. On these sessions, however, Red Mitchell had taken over bass duties and as a trio the three musicians function wonderfully well. The laid back renditions of ‘Let’s fall in love’ and ‘That old black magic’ impress, but best of all is the swinging take on ‘Ole devil moon’ which sounds as though it was an integral part of a Jacques Tati film soundtrack. Utterly timeless in character. The original sleeve notes by Jazz Casuals presenter Ralph Gleason are reproduced in full and are predictably crammed with informative details. Full marks equally to American Jazz Classics for enclosing a lengthy interview from 1968 with Red Norvo which helps greatly to illuminate his lengthy career. Tim Stenhouse
07/01
Gregory Isaacs ‘The ruler 1972-1990’ 2CD + DVD (VP) 5/5
Singer Gregory Isaacs was unquestionably the cool ruler of reggae with his distinctive understated vocal delivery and this bumper collection truly captures the artist both aurally and visually to a tee. Three decades of virtually continuous hits are celebrated here and VP deserves great credit for bringing together his music from a variety of labels (including his own highly original and immediately recognisable African Museum label) and producers. It begins with the early reggae period between roughly 1973 and 1976 when Isaacs was emerging as a new singer alongside the likes of Dennis Brown. Even then it was immediately evident that he would make a unique contribute to Jamaican popular music as evidenced on his co-produced debut with fellow singer Errol Dunkley ‘My only lover’ which Isaacs would later reprise to great effect. A trio of great 45s followed and these included ‘All I have is love’ for Phil Pratt, ‘Lonely soldier’ for Clive Chin and ‘Love is overdue’ for Alvin ‘G.G.’ Ranglin whom Gregory would return to for many more successful productions. Gregory Isaacs embraced the roots era with aplomb, recording memorable songs with Ossie Hibbert in particular such as ‘Storm’, ‘Set the captives free’ and ‘The sun shines for me’. Equally he recorded the marvellous ‘Ba da’ for Niney the Observer and a here extended version of ‘Mr Cop’ (a virtual signature tune from this period). Returning to G.G., Isaacs recorded some stunning songs that are now considered definitive examples of roots reggae and these include ‘My number one’, ‘Border’, and ‘Philistines’. A live version of ‘Slave master’ from the ‘Rockers’ soundtrack serves as a bonus cut. Around the same time Isaacs recorded for the Virgin Frontline album series and the songs ‘John Public’ (from ‘Cool ruler’) and the title track from ‘Soon forward’ are both highly recommended.
By the beginning of the 1980s the roots era was coming to an end as the predominant style in reggae, but Gregory had already turned his attention to the then newly emerging lovers rock style out of the UK and he would achieve his greatest commercial success during the early 1980s, often backed by the Roots Radics as on ‘Permanent lover’ or by Sly and Robbie as on ‘Tune in’. Biggest hit of all in the UK was ‘Night nurse’ for Island’s Mango label. Dancehall did not phase Isaacs, however, and the pairing up with the ace production duo of Steely and Cleevie worked wonders on ‘Rumours’, another bona fide classic that has comfortably stood the test of time and even digital was not beyond him as illustrated on ‘My native woman’. Unfortunately drug addiction did ravage Gregory Isaacs’ career and his live apprearances were erratic to say the least. Thankfully VP has unearthed some live footage of the singer in his prime, captured live at Brixton Academy from 1984, although it is far from present day digital quality. However, even the lo-fi hand held camera work and video quality cannot fail to impress and the picture is sufficiently good to witness Gregory Isaacs’ charismatic live persona. A very welcome addition on DVD. Arguably a separate collection of Gregory Isaacs’s dynamite 12” selection would consititute a fine supplement, but this collection in reality contains just about everything you would want to own by him if you were on a desert island. Tim Stenhouse
29/12
Nat Birchall ‘Sacred dimension’ (Gondwana) CD/Ltd Edition LP 4/5
Among the diverse musicians currently part of the ever expanding and thriving Manchester jazz scene, horn player Nat Birchall occupies a place on the left field (though classical in other ways) and deeply spiritual side in performance and on record. Indeed he has evolved both as a leader and in parallel as an integral member of Matthew Halsall’s group, some members of whom feature on this terrific latest offering. Lovers of John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd and latter period Pharoah Sanders will be in their element here and, in comparison to his previous efforts, the overall playing of the band has gone up a notch in intensity. This is typified by the breezy waltz of ‘Ancient world’ on which Birchall enters to great effect on soprano and with the lovely use of vibes courtesy of a guest appearance from Corey Mwemba, and on the gorgeous tenor tones of the title track which in the intro at least conjurs up early 1980s Sanders with close empathy between Birchall and pianist Adam Fairhill on their duet. However, the best is reserved for the album’s most contemplative piece, ‘Peace in Nineveh’, inspired by a poem ‘Cargoes’ by John Masefield and featuring a deeply lyrical solo from the leader on soprano saxophone with fine polyrhythms from drummer Andy Hay. This composition in particular is an indication of Nat Birchall’s growing maturity as a writer. The gliding sound of the harp from Rachel Gladwin adorns some of the pieces as on the piano-intro led ‘Dance of the mystic’. With a front cover that echoes the great Chicago based Art Ensemble, this album is the real deal for devotees of spiritual jazz and promises to introduce Nat and the band to a wider international audience. Tim Stenhouse
28/12
Jens Thomas ‘Speed of Grace. A tribute to AC/DC’ (ACT) 2/5
Can the music of heavy metal legends AC/DC be transformed into jazz pieces? This was the quest that pianist and vocalist Jens Thomas set himself and ultimately, judging by the results of this album, it was a task too far for him. What can be said in Thomas’s defence is that the compositions, when pared down to piano, vocals and occasional trumpet and assorted percussion, do sound a million miles removed from the originals which is to his credit. However, what is left is the loosest kind of singer-songwriter album, but definitely not a jazz one. The King Crimson trio have demonstrated on two albums thus far that prog rock can be made to swing so why not heavy metal? Arguably the format here is simply too far removed to contribute anything from a jazz perspective. Thus ‘Highway to hell’ is more of a genteel trip to heaven with mournful piano solo and breathy vocals that are frankly not in the least bit jazz-tinged. Thomas’ vocal style is more akin to that of Lou Reed, but even then a good deal weaker (and Reed can call upon Ornette Coleman among his numerous influences) . If this is a duet album in appearance with trumpeter Verneri Pohjola joining in on trumpet on some pieces, it technically becomes a trio at times with Jens Thomas doubling up on instruments. The absence of bass is interesting as is that of drums. In general this was an experiment that simply has not worked and a trip back to the musical drawing board seems in order. Tim Stenhouse
27/12
Joachim Kühn ‘Out of the desert live. Live at Jazz Fest Berlin’ (ACT) 3/5
Pianist Joachim Kühn has regularly featured at the Berlin Jazz festival and his participation goes back as far as 1966. Indeed he has performed with many of the all-time greats including Michael Brecker, Ornette Coleman and Michel Portal as well as oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil. For this latest recording, which dates from November 2010, Kühn is surrounded by his trusted trio of Majid Bekkas on vocals, guembri and oud, and by Ramon Lopez on drums and percussion as well as the combined voices of the HR Bigband and Frankfurt Radio Bigband. They are both conducted by Ed Partyka and include the guest participation of Julian Argüelles. All but one of the compositions are by Kühn, three of which are lengthy pieces that extend well over ten minutes. Of these, ‘Fresh Air’ features a lengthy piano solo from Kühn with vocals from Bekkas, while ‘Lichtquelle’ features a brass-led intro that develops into a rambling piece at breakneck speed and with free form piano into the bargain. The final number, ‘Der Wanderer’, is the most melodic of the trio, and being slightly shorter than the others, the listeners’ attention is retained throughout. The big band operate best on numbers such as ‘Dampfmaschine’ which has a dramatic film soundtrack quality to it and on the lyrical duet between Kühn and Argüelles on ‘Klänge des Himmels’ and frankly this writer would have preferred a good deal more of this. Overall this is not as compelling an album as the fine trio outing ‘Out of the desert’ of a year or so back where jazz was fused with world beats in a pan-Mediterranean feel and one longs for the trio to explore this rich area in more depth. Tim Stenhouse
26/12