The Tuesday Morning Purchase: June 26, 2007: John Zorn, Beastie Boys, Nick Lowe, Steve Vai
Published June 26, 2007
Intricate compositions, rockin' guitars, hip-hop instrumentals, fusion, power pop, Goth chamber rock... Phew! There's a lot going on this week. To be completely honest, I could be happy stopping after the first three entries. Music like that takes a long time to digest.
To be completely honest, I can't remember one single instance of cutting short the CD troll because of that "rational" idea.
John Zorn - From Silence to Sorcery (Tzadik)/Avntg
Tuned drums, strings, and clavichord. Zorn has some very interesting compositions on this one.
Borbetomagus - Both Noises End Burning (Victo)/Avntg
Allow me to quote the Grinch: "...All of the noise, noise, NOISE!!" Or something like that.
Marc Ribot - Asmodeus: The Book of Angels, Vol. 7 (Tzadik)/Avntg
Guitarist Marc Ribot is joined by Trevor Dunn (bass) and the great G. Calvin Weston on drums for this trip to Zorn's Masada by way of rock trio. Dang, I just love the Tsadik label.
Duke Robillard - Duke Robillard's World Full of Blues (Stony Plain)/Blues
Robillard revisits the blues styles he revelled in back in his Roomful of Blues days. I'm dying to hear his version of Tom Waits' "Low Side of the Road."
Trio of Doom - The Trio of Doom Live (Columbia/Legacy)/Jazz
Holy pile of fusion Batman! This is a reissue of a live recording from the 1979 Havana Jazz Festival. John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorious, Tony Williams. That combination has a serious chance of faltering with the "too many notes" phenomenon. I'll take my chances.
Beastie Boys - The Mix Up (Capitol)/Rap
A record full of instrumentals from the Beasties? Yea, why not.
Bad Brains - Build a Nation (Megaforce)/Rock
Wow, these guys have been around forever. Bad Brains has always deserved much more recognition. I mean, reggae mixed with hardcore? What's not to love? This one is produced by the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch.
Nick Lowe - At My Age (Yep Roc)/Rock
Wow, this guy's been around forever. Is there an echo in here? Anyway, Lowe has always been a great songwriter. Any of his releases are worth a listen.
Rasputina - Oh Perlious World (Filthy Bonnet)/Rock
Goth chicks wielding cellos. That and super-quirky songwriting.
Steve Vai - Sound Theories I and II (Red Ink/Epic)/Rock
You know, at first glance a description like "songs performed with guitar and orchestra" might be enough to scare a person off. I have to admit to only enjoying Vai's work with Zappa and his early Flexible material. For some reason though, I'm drawn to a record that starts off with a song named "Kill The Guy With The Ball."
Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. On his best day, he hopes to channel the ghosts of Lester Bangs and Jack Kerouac. He spends the hours of 9:32PM to 1:37AM carving out music reviews and essays for Jazz.com, Blogcritics.org and other publications.
- The Tuesday Morning Purchase: June 26, 2007: John Zorn, Beastie Boys, Nick Lowe, Steve Vai
- Published: June 26, 2007
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Part of a feature: Tuesday Morning Purchase
- Writer: Mark Saleski
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I've heard the Beastie's new one and, unfortunately, it's a dud. I love their instrumental work in the past, but here it just completely falls flat. It sounds like instrumental work waiting for lyrics, not finished pieces. Really disappointing, sadly. I was really looking forward to this one.
I missed that Ribot Masada set. That will definitely be on my list.
I still have a deep love of Vai's Passion And Warfare. Completely bombastic, but perfectly so. He never quite matched what he did on this one again, but then again, I never again quite had the interest in his kind of guitar work that I had when this album came out, so maybe it was just me.
Steve Vai playing with an orchestra? I'm skeptical. Vai is at his best (and his best is stunning) when he's blazing away against a bass/drums/keyboard background (and NOT singing). He don't need no steenkin violas. I dunno. Maybe he's getting bored. Say it ain't so, Steve.
I saw him jamming in the parking lot at the Carvin show in San Diego last year with Tony MacAlpine, Virgil Donati, Patrice Rushen, and Bunny Brunel (collectively, aka Cab). He didn't seem bored. Ahhhh, my hero!
I wrote a freelance review of two recent Tzadik releases not long ago. Including the most recent Zorn.
Apparently the system thought my faux tag at the end of the last review, which said, "< /shameless self-promotion>," was real....
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Dang, I just love the Tsadik label.
Amen, brutha, amen.