DJ Spooky -Optometry

Posted by: John C on 13 October 2002

Latest in the great Blue series from Thirsty Ear (www.thirstyear.com) this extraordinary record has bowled me over. It features huge layered turntabalism, hiphop funk and electronica with some of the best musicians in modern jazz (the ubiquitous William Parker, Matthew Shipp, Guillermo Brown and Joe Mc Phee) its the first record that really convinces me that its possible to combine and blur the distinctions between these genres. A great sprawling masterpiece (for this month anyway). Not the future of jazz but the future of something. Certainly has made me reassess my view of the DJ.

Less successful in the same series Matthew Shipp - NuBop but still pretty damn good all the same. Much more rooted in jazz that the DJ Spooky this one has FLAM on synthesisers and programming. It appears to me that Shipp sometimes falls back on familiar licks and motifs especially in these crossover situations. Some great tracks especially with Daniel Carter on flute and sax.

And in the European Corner

Tony Oxley and the BIMP quartet Floating Phantoms (FMP)
Oxley is the European free jazz/improvised music drummer supreme. This quite brillaint record has him with Phil Wachsman on violin and elkectronics, Pat Thomas on keyboards and electronics and Matt Wand on sampling. Great swathes of sound. Absolutely compelling and a nice contrast with the DJ Spooky.
Posted on: 13 October 2002 by John C
Nick, pretty representative but he fuses so many things here its amazing. Asphalt with Carl Hancock Rux on vocals is superb.I believe Spooky is seriously influenced by Satie and a lot of the middle section also seems influenced by modern classical such as Morton Feldman et al as indeed is Matthew Shipp (piano). You won't regret buying it, though you may be the first person ever to pay any attention to one of my suggestions.There are some samples, with Flash effects sadly, on the thirsty ear site.

John
Posted on: 27 October 2002 by John C
Hock, I think I'd even like Wynton in those surroundings.

Despite my ag leanings records of the year so far are Billy Bang's intense, emotional "Vietnam the Aftermath" and Wayne Shorter's Footprints (not a patch on his extraordinary live appearance in London last year but brilliant none the less.

Any favourites yourself?

John
Posted on: 23 November 2002 by John C
Nick, I'm glad you like it! Perhaps you and I can form an aging hipsters club or something. They played at London Jazz festival recently but I was out of town sadly.

I suppose I better wait a while before recommending Spring Heel Jack ... Amassed on the same label, featuring Han Bennink, John Edwards, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler (European free jazz titans)and some young chaps either making squiddly electronic sounds or crushing bits of noisy paper.


Hock, try the Billy Bang record. Oddly I recently bought some of the Weather Report reissues and am beginning to feel that many of the records I recommend are fusion or even prog rock of the present. This sends a shiver of horror down my spine.

John