The Odd Trio: Lo-Fi Hi-Jump Review

Although the title cut from The Odd Trio's debut packs a viciously funky wallop, the surrounding tracks also cover a varied topography of tight, avant-garde compositions alongside liberating improvisations.  On the whole, Lo-Fi Hi-Jump is an essential jazz fusion tasting menu from a group whose work has only just begun to ripen.

listen to it all right...over...here.

"Do What Now" features the three classically trained musicians on their tippy toes, reaching for the fruits of guitarist Brian Smith's songwriting labors.  As a member of the Georgia Guitar Quartet, and now a new psyche-chamber ensemble called Revien, Smith deliberately leaps between tricky syncopation with saxophonist Marc Gilley (the HEAP) and alternatingly liquid yet sometimes heavily-shredded metal riffs.  Drummer Todd Mueller (Arasmus Ensemble) drives the trio's evident "interest in shifting meters" deftly holding together this taut theme. 

On "Lost Man's River", The Odd Trio most closely approximates its fevered live explorations.  According to some succinct liner notes, this spontaneous track was recorded at the group's very first session, yet it already has the feel of years spent together in the discipline of jazz creation.  With an utter sense of openess, nothing is lingered upon, no single melodic phrase or rhythm drops anchor, so the entire piece rocks and meanders without ever becoming capricious.

"Indian Summer" serves up a considerable dose of Latin seasoning that underpins floating alto-sax lines from Marc Gilley, Flamenco-style classical guitar accents from Smith, and driving rimshots with shuffling pandeiro from Mueller.  On the whole, this one drums up pastels, the art-deco Miami waterfront, choppy Atlantic waves reflecting off chromed rides, at least for this reviewer.  The echoing melody contrasts brightly against one of the more understated electric guitar solos of the collection.

With a two-year anniversary on the horizon, there's no indication of letting up for The Odd Trio.  The three crafty musicians have, by now, become attuned to one another's nuanced playing, especially in live performance.  If anything, what Lo-Fi Hi-Jump tends to hold on reserve is delivered at full amplitude on stage.  Expect the recorded catalog to grow; these songs represent just one vintage from a vast cellar of highly energetic, consistently inventive artistry.

Lo-Fi Hi-Jump ~ listen and buy the debut release from The Odd Trio
The Odd Trio ~ the official band page

Fela Soul by Amerigo Gazaway

This guy has a way with amalgamation.  I couldn't resist sharing this collaboration put together by one Amerigo Gazaway (then in Nashville with Gummy Soul), which blends De La Soul's classic Three Feet High and Rising with samples of Fela Kuti, from the vaults, along with a handful of other recognizable artists -- Gorillaz, for one.

Kuti started his jazz career on trumpet at London's Trinity College of Music, in case you need more Nigerian horn after hearing the diamonds in Gazaway's tracks below. 

"Trouble In The Water" slings a hip-hop arrow carried aloft via a classic afrobeat saxophone riff by Nigeria's legendary native son.  "Itsoweezee" slips a skankin' vibe beneath De La Soul's original tune to make, in the words of the late Peter Tosh, a "brand new secondhand".

And so on. Enjoy.

* Please be advised of some rough language right from the start.  Ear muffs, y'all little ones.

Chrome Narcissism

I did it once and I've done it again! It seems like I'm always seeing myself in these classic beauties.  Maybe it was the charm and the shine of my dad's Model A Ford -- the one he built piece-by-piece after countless swapmeets and nights in the dimly-lit, dilapidated garage, and before eBay, finding those original parts took some real legwork.  I snapped these low-res shots at an Athens, GA car/art/fashion show called "The Mystique of the Automobile".

ⵜⵏⵔⵓⵏ Tinariwen: Making of 'Tassili'

With the prospect of finally seeing Tinariwen, a Touareg group out of Northern Mali, I went sifting and found this beguiling documentary short which features the band, 'in situ', laying down tracks amidst the wind and sand and crackling fire of Tassili n'Ajjer located in southeast Algeria.

The album, called simply Tassili, promises to entrance listeners as ever, although this time leaning more heavily on acoustic instruments rather than the electrified mesmerizations of the group's past projects.  Take a moment to drift with Tinariwen.

For the observant, the guys in this video "thumbnail" are Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe of the American indie rock band TV On The Radio who decided to make the trip over for some desert collaborations on a handful of tunes.

Tinariwen - official website

Tassili - more on this wind-sculpted region, like an Arches or a Zion N.P. of North Africa.  Actually, it turns out, because of its amazing rock formations and abundant cave paintings, Tassili is a national park, too!

Paulo Coelho: Follow a Wise Rabbit Down the Hole

Remarkably, the renowned Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho is a vocal proponent of the piracy of his own works.  Piracy has such a powerful connotation that "sharing" may be a more apt description.  Coelho's books have been translated by other writers and fans into myriad languages, and now they bounce around in digital form for anyone to enjoy.  Like most creators who share their work in this way, Coelho depends upon the premise that those who take pleasure in his writing will eventually buy hard copies.  And when this model of dissemination works, it really works.

Read on about the author's views on piracy and much more at paulocoelhoblog.com

Of course, I've read The Alchemist with its intoxicating, timeless narrative.  Like any great work, its simplicity and exoticism make it a classic fable.  For me, next on deck from Coelho must be The Pilgrimage, which follows his autobiographical journey on the famed Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

This one, O Livro dos Manuais, is a "practical guide for your life" according to the jacket, and I perused the work in it's entirety online, for free.  Although you should check it out in .pdf form, it'd be worth buying for the vibrant illustrations alone!  Que linda obra de verdade!

Say what?

The time has come again, as it tends to do without much prompting, to change the name around here.  I'd say, based on the length of these posts, that I've not exactly adhered to my previous intent with the title ad rem but at least I can say I've tried to "keep to the point."  I can also say, however, that I've probably poached a decent number of hits from the recently defunct rock band of legend -- not that they missed 'em any!

So, onward with the next phrase to go by: quis leget haec? 

I'll use this title for a spell because I'm still curious about you.  I explore topics that interest me, and it seems others have an interest, too, but you're a woefully silent crew. 

Who are you?  What do you think?  Speak up...please, with a cherry on top?



Hit the "like" button.  Oh, whoops! Wrong place.
Use your words like a big boy or girl. 
All jokes aside, I value your perspective, for real!

I'm Glad Krulwich Wonders

These two little oddities come from a great NPR blog called Krulwich Wonders.  The author and radio host is better recognized as one half of the team, along with Jad Abumrad, responsible for the always enthralling WNYC show and podcast series called Radiolab.  A good while ago, I lumped Radiolab in with a few other podcasts I still enjoy when I can (mostly while walking the poochie), so check those out here.

In the meantime, enjoy this optical illusion from Krulwich's cool post on visual trickery -- "This Can't Be Happening" -- followed by a hypnotizing video from some clever geeks at Harvard.

Here are Krulwich's directions for this first image:

Below, you will see two circles composed of parallelograms. There's a dot in the middle of the image. Focus on the dot. Move your head in, then move it out.

image by B. Pinna



Revien Debuts in Athens, GA: Radiohead, Neko Case, Originals and Classics

With compositions that traverse centuries, Revien is a new trio including members of the Georgia Guitar Quartet, Maps and Transit, and the Odd Trio.  While remaining rooted in classical refinement, their original take on chamber music defies expectations and branches out into contemporary, even pop territory, to exquisite effect.

July 16th at Hendershot's Coffee Bar was Revien's "maiden voyage" and it did, indeed, feel like a return to past loves with renewed enthusiasm via compositions by DeBussy, Bach, de Falla, as well as fresh takes on Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, Led Zepplin, and Neko Case.  Originals by guitarists Brian Smith (GGQ, Odd Trio) and Kyle Dawkins (GGQ, Maps and Transit) round out the group's expansive repertoire, a bohemian stew that's bound to come to a boil as more live shows ensue.  Phil Snyder's (GGQ) alternatingly fibrous yet delicate cello ties together the trio's guitar, mandolin, and effects-laden tangents.  It is, in part, Snyder's return to his first instrument, his first musical passion, that gives the new group its name, derived from the French "to return" or "to come back".

The three close-knit musicians have honed their musical connection over years touring with the Georgia Guitar Quartet. Still, there's a freshness to the approach.  They took liberties with folk pop, like their ethereal version of Grizzly Bear's "Foreground", and reallocated bluesy, bluegrass syncopation to the classic rock of Led Zepplin's "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp"; I'd reckon most in the capacity crowd had never seen Smith wielding a slide over nylon strings, and the result was oddly down-home.  Near the close of the first set was Dawkins' "Ants in a Shell", a Maps and Transit piece commissioned as part of Brian Smith's Spring 2011 suite entitled "Daedalus", incorporating brilliant, understated electronic effects and a charming, Eastern-sounding mandolin technique using a drumstick. 



Photo by Bob Brussack

Beyond the reinvented modern covers, Snyder captivated to start the second set with two Bach solos ("Sarabande", "Courante") featuring his dexterity and sensitivity.  Another gorgeous cello solo, "Standing by the Icarian Sea", was also from Smith's "Daedalus" show at Canopy Studio in Athens.  The cellist remarked that Smith's composition was good fun to play--and equally challenging--which was evident as the pony-tailed Snyder smiled lightly amidst heavy concentration.  Neko Case's "Vengeance is Sleeping" was a standout arrangement that had an effortless, floating sound like slicing through the first watermelon of summer, knowing life's fleeting sweetness as string textures built up in delicate strata. 

Once Smith and Dawkins rejoined their "vocalist", as the group thinks of Snyder's lyrical cello phrasing, the second set unfurled easily with a warm rendition of Radiohead's "Weird Fishes", a deftly arranged Simon & Garfunkel tune, and more classical obscurities from Debussy and contemporary cellist David Popper.  The trio's rendition of Manuel de Falla's "La Vie Breve" was a triumphant finale, a harbinger of many stellar performances to come.

Revien ~ the official site; tumble on over so you don't miss out next time!

More Athens music ~ Georgia Guitar Quartet, Maps and Transit, Odd Trio

Seu Jorge: Charm over Virtuosity

By now, if you've seen Cidade de Deus, or Wes Anderson's eclectically stylish The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, you know about Seu Jorge. He's a tall, handsome fella from Rio de Janeiro, and he's become a superstar of their burgeoning pop culture.

As an actor, he's entirely believable in almost all that he does.  He's got charm and an easy going yet intense nature that lends itself to film.  In Cidade de Deus (City of God) he plays Mané Galinha (or "Knockout Ned") a favela strutter who's pretty much got it all together amidst the heady drug running and gunning, unfortunately so emblematic of modern Rio.  Seu Jorge plays the character with poise and grace, going far beyond the narrative to further draw the audience into a tumultuous but exhilarating world.

A lovely "caricature" by Blake Loosli (a.k.a. Infernovball) on deviantart.com 

Jorge plays the cool, reserved mate, "Pelé dos Santos", most effortlessly in The Life Aquatic despite a nearly line-free character other than his set of David Bowie covers sung in Portuguese.  Shamefully, my Bowie knowledge isn't deep enough to truly enjoy the lyrics in Portuguese, but the aura he puts off for the ship's crew, adrift at sea aboard the research vessel Belafonte, is especially intoxicating -- a star quality even in a tiny supporting role.

For all this talk of his acting talents, Seu Jorge's (born Jorge Mário da Silva in 1970) growing fame also stems from his music and his role in the re-invigoration of samba.  It seems that this part of Brazilian culture pulses through him with an immutable rhythm.  Jorge carries the baton with guitar, cavaquinho, cuíca, pandeiro, ganzá --just a handful of the brigade of samba instruments.  He is a revivalist and an experimentalist, a living folk hero who mixes influences (like muddling a giant "genre caipirinha") while emulating the masters like Cartola, Zeca Pagodinho, Chico Buarque, Mestre Marçal, João da Baiana, and so many more worth digging up.  Listen to Nelson Cavaquinho for some perspective, then try Seu Jorge's version with psyche rock trio Almaz  :

My first inclination was to rail on Seu Jorge for what seems like a lack of intonation in his singing and a consistent o.d. of drama in his delivery, but after seeking out some background, I realize that this may be his goal: samba is not a strict form, but rather one that encourages improvisation and giant doses of personality all smothered in unflappable joy.  That affable charisma, Seu Jorge has in unending quantities, like an infinite plateau of sugarcane all growing at least a story high.

Juízo Final

Composição: Élcio Soares / Nelson Cavaquinho

O sol....há de brilhar mais uma vez
A luz....há de chegar aos corações
Do mal....será queimada a semente

O amor...será eterno novamente
É o Juízo Final, a história do bem e do mal
Quero ter olhos pra ver, a maldade desaparecer

O amor...será eterno novamente

O amor...será eterno novamente

 

This version of the classic samba "Juízo Final" is mighty listenable, probably owing to the strangely haunting melody, but the Almaz rhythm section adds plenty, down to the last beats which nearly conjure up James Brown's notorious "Funky Drummer".

His pride as a Carioca (anyone from Rio) in Brazil and internationally is evident in his every appearance on stage.  As a samba vocalist, he's carrying on a tradition in a legendary fashion; decades from now, he'll be at the top of a short list of influential Brazilian artists and culture-makers.  In fact, he's already there.  With trends (for the most part) heading toward the constantly current yet consistently disposable, Seu Jorge makes his countrymen and connoisseurs take notice not with glitz but with a profound respect for the tenets of Brazilian culture: comunidade, orgulho, amizade, beleza, jóia!

Seu Jorge & Almaz - the official site
Interview - a nice piece by Kamille Viola for SoundandColours.com
Mais filmes - complete filmography at IMDB.com

America ReCycled: Pedaling with Purpose

Brothers can have a rare bond, and the Brothers Hussin are no exception with their creative, two-wheeled endeavor to traverse our great nation in an effort to explore and "restore local culture".  I learned about the America ReCycled project via Tim Hussin's excellent photo blog titled Meanderings.  His work caught my eye for its clarity and a sense of objectivity.  The images read like documents, demonstrative yet intriguing, deftly capturing time and space and sentiment. 

Some road gear via thussin.blogspot.com

As for the continental bike trip, Tim and Noah Hussin used Kickstarter.com to gear up for the expedition, and they've been writing and filming the adventure with regular, extensive updates posted to AmericaReCycled.org via their solar-powered laptop. The timeline is a bit fuzzy, but their fundraising "mission statement" indicates plans for posts from the road (many interesting reports are up already), film segments, and later on a book and a feature-length documentary.  According to the site:

All across the country, people are finding innovative ways to come together and make revolutionary change on a local level, to regain control of their lives, rediscover independence, and recycle the American Dream.

Follow along on their journey.  These guys have an eye for ecclectic, innovative living, and they capture it all expertly (looks like in HD).  So far, the project, which documents unique communities, is really worth watching as the brothers reveal, essentially, our own American backyard.

AmericaReCycled - the project site with the first slick video segments!
Meanderings - Tim Hussin's photo blog

Introducing...Revien

My prolific and talented (ex) neighbor is at it again with a new trio.  Based on his growing list of musical adventures, you can tell the fleet-fingered fella is into the numbers: Georgia Guitar Quartet, Odd Trio, and now Revien. 

Along with two members of the GGQ, multi-instrumentalist Kyle Dawkins and cellist Phil Snyder, guitarist/composer/arranger Brian Smith forges ahead into exciting new realms.  Call it psyche-classical, chamberdelia, or some kind of mystery mezcla; call it music from some super-talents, and call it something you need to hear.





Revien debuts on Smith's go-to stage at Hendershot's Coffee Bar in Athens, GA this Saturday night with a new sound that goes "beyond the traditional chamber music experience, and spans the distance from Bach sonatas to Radiohead; from Duke Ellington to Debussy; from Spanish-flavored guitar and cello music to bluegrass-inspired Led Zeppelin romps."

Sound intriguing?

Mais oui! 

8 o'clock, sharpish.

Georgia Guitar Quartet
Odd Trio
Maps and Transit

More Ukiyo-e & Other Prints

Because it was such a pleasant chore last time, I've decided to reprise my virtual print collecting expedition.  Finding a golden trove like Davidson Galleries out of Seattle, WA (last time I went searching for viscosity prints) was a stroke of luck that opened my eyes to the vastness of printmaking as a genre. 

Snow in the Countryside (1909) by Kamisaka Sekka

These selections draw from more traditional roots: some Japanese woodcuts and a talented contemporary artist thrown in for contrast.  This print by Sekka has all the movement of a fierce winter storm, and it's achieved with so few shapes; it's a testament to the striking simplicity and grace of the discipline.  I just enjoy looking at these when I click through, and I hope you do, too.

Of all the Japanese woodcuts, those by Kawase Hasui, in particular, had a way of capturing the essence of fleeting nature, a gust of wind or a snowflake melting on a windowpane, that could transport the viewer into the moment, into the light of the past.  The glowing grey-blue gradation in this Shōwa-era print deftly depicts the rising crystalline moonlight.  One can almost imagine the feel of the cold granite in the foreground, smoothed over centuries by nightly winds rushing through the valley below.

Kiyomizu Temple Kyoto (1933) by Kawase Hasui

Now I realize the last image here is not strictly a print, but the concept of remaking Ukiyo-e via digital photography -- and executing it so immpecably -- meant I had to include it.  The Canadian artist, Jeff Wall (1946 - ), is a master in a highly orchestrated, directorial style of photography.  According to Greg Fallis of Sunday Salon, hosted by Utata.org:

A great deal of Wall’s work seems to be an attempt to be such a “painter.” He even recreates the work of painters he believes met Baudelaire’s standard. For example, Wall is quite taken with the woodcuts of Hokusai, a Japanese artist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. In the following woodcut, Hokusai depicted a sort of Cartier-Bresson moment…a decisive moment.

Wall recreated the scene on a cranberry farm in rural Canada. In keeping with his obsessive, directorial style, he staged the photograph with great care. He selected the location to match Hokusai’s wind-bent trees. He had the subjects crouch and hold their hats similar to Hokusai’s. He recreated the hat that was blown away, and the scattering of papers. And yet he made it a completely contemporary image by setting it in a Canadian landscape and including the line of telephone poles.

Wall’s photo has all the drama and spontaneity of Hokusai’s woodcut. There is a wonderful sense of immediacy and tension. How was he able to create such an atmosphere and still reproduce Hokusai’s image so faithfully? By using the magic of digital imagery. Wall’s image is actually a composite of more than 100 separate photographs taken over two winters.

Fallis continues to explain how huge these prints are on display, taking up an entire wall of a gallery on a lightbox, but beyond this reincarnation of a great Hokusai print, its accuracy and emotion, I find the philosophy behind the work to be inspired and thoughtful.  Just as in the prints by Hasui and Sekka, the everyday is elevated to historical significance through the remarkable rendering of these scenes.

Chicken's Last Road Trip

I passed a truckload of chickens this morning before the Southern heat became a swelter this afternoon.  In their rolling cages, their dingy feathers fluttered and revealed a bright white underpinning that'd soon need scalding and plucking, no doubt; well, could've been a layer I suppose, so maybe there's some doubt.  Anyhow, somewhere I learned that chickens in transport are drugged beforehand to calm their nerves, possibly to keep their meat from spoilage by some version of "junglefowl" adrenaline -- maybe it's the same good old adrenaline regarldess of species, but I'm no zoologist.

Most of these unlucky cluckers stared out at the passing countryside bleery-eyed; who knows their focal length -- they're certainly not old enough for cataracts in the factory system.  One bird, however, seemed more alert than the rest, and this one clung to the edge of the truck, outside its cage in a little alcove, peering out at me as I passed.  The plump, billowing chicken was nearly immovable in the gusts of transit, but I'd seen his ilk, as have we all in Perdue's and Tyson's and Gold Kist's North Georgia, flattened and wasted on the ashphalt, dinner's 2-d version.

With Dr. Kevorkian's death this week, I began thinking, "What's stopping this one Houdini chicken from briskly flapping to a glorious, high-speed demise in place of a putrid, yet USDA certified, factory slaughter  down the road?"  All chickeny rationality aside, this specimen's last ride was akin to the Thelma and Louise of poultry production.  There he/she was in the open air, feathers ruffled, gazing out on unknown fields chock full of worms and hoppers and beetles of deep, nether-tasted flavors. For as flavorless as its meat or eggs likely were, that 'James Dean' chicken may as well have scooched its floppy body, albeit completely lacking in muscle tone due to lifelong confinement, and tumbled on up to the chicken-God on high, issuing forth a glorious plume of feathers with a final liberating squak -- all at highway velocity and not a tap of the airbrakes from the trucker. 

I reckon, here ends this comment'ry on the self-determination of captive 'Merican poultry.  Amen.    

500 Words on Pictures: Make It Then, Now Take It

Walking the dog this morning, a young guy passed in front of me, backlit by the morning sun on the thoroughfare.  He had on a short-billed cap with a hood pulled up half covering his head, and he wore a narrow goatee that he stroked pensively as he strode on.  Because I was listening to a podcast and had the capability in my pocket, the thought flashed through my mind to take his picture.

Most people don't want to have their picture taken by a stranger without permission, so I wondered if asking would do any good.  All this came to mind in the few perpendicular steps it took for him to exit my view and continue on with his morning.  I realized, as I turned the corner, that today we truly take pictures as opposed to one-hundred-plus years ago when pictures were veritably made.

Some cultures believe that the snapshots take a piece of the subject's soul; the photographic process itself, for these peoples, is a way to rob time or a slice of the spirit from a subject, even if permission is granted.  It's no wonder, beyond the pain and suffering of persecution, that photos of Native Americans in the late 1800's portrayed grim faces and steeled eyes, expressions of disdain, sometimes with a glint of fear, and almost always a sense of contempt.

 photo: library.buffalo.edu

To make a photograph used to be such an undertaking, as well.  The laborious process was methodical and painstaking, yielding a product that was a fine record of a moment but only after great effort.  Materials were rather costly, and venues for portraiture were relatively few (not the Glamour Shots in every mall or the portable digital ease of today).  But, the result of having your picture "made" was a lasting sliver of a life at that particular moment and something to be cherished.

Now we "take" pictures because it's just that simple and quick.  For the most part, there isn't any thought given to the process.  Of course, in terms of quality and realism, with the addition of color and high-defintion resolution, the photographs taken today can even venture into hyper-realism.  Even so, what are all those pixels worth if we can no longer see ourselves?

Would this kid be happier in hi-def?

photo: nationalcowboymuseum.org

I recently had a chance to sit for a portrait.  The process made me think about how I look to the rest of the world, how the mirror is only an estimation of my face, my identity.  I recall a Paul Simon lyric to that effect:  "...how I look to a distant constellation that's dying in the corner of the sky" or thereabouts. Maybe this is is what the Native Americans sensed; it was better to be as one was, without seeing from the outside, rather sensing oneself through the mind's eye instead of the camera's.