9 In Common - Au Revoir Paris

Smoothed

I think this is the second album/collaboration by French pair Alex Tassel and Yann LeBreuilly, and it is an electronic chillout-jazz collection which does precisely that: chills. Each track is a construction of samples and inserted recordings, often looped, and the musical cores are themselves electronic constructs working melodically through repeating themes across various synthesised instruments, vocal accompaniments and horn blasts [real trumpet solos, I think] respectively caressing or punctuating the casual rhythms. It reminds me very much of Courtney Pine’s Modern Day Jazz Stories, though this probably says as much about my narrow experience of this type of sampling/hip hop jazz as anything. Fourth track Actions & Reactions is the closest in style to this comparison with Pine, sans the sax. Much more hot cocoa than hot chillies, but soothing.

Ian William Craig - A Turn of Breath

Tense Beauty

This is at times beautiful, at times frustrating, and at times both where the tension is everything. The choric vocal is always pretty/melodic and one wants to be carried away with its pacifying beauty, but the electronic disruptions which are static and cut-outs and distortions and obliterations prevent this, a chorus interruptus both teasing and swelling. Perhaps the struggle to hear and define those melodies provides a paradoxical clarity, or it is simpler than this: prettiness usurps interference – though that too sounds pretentious. Perhaps it is similar to how one once fought aurally when listening to medium/long wave radio transmissions and the snippets satisfied because that is how it was.

Ian Williams Craig is operatically trained and thus the sweeping vocal soundscapes have this authority. Because of the electronic molestation, it reminds of James Black [the analogy will need to unravel…] where he has used loops and echoes and other effects to heighten the pretty falsetto of his singing, but this has spawned a clone of similar performers where Black’s original idea is now hackneyed by such laboured copying abuse – Craig’s manufacturing by comparison seems fresh because it makes a clear distinction between the two [the vocal and the electronic] though as already mentioned they are paradoxically inextricable in overall effect.

One track Either Or is the most sustained as a choric piece because the five minutes of its modern polyphony is free from any effects assault. It is almost as if to say this is what the music could be, and the title obviously suggests so. This is followed by A Slight Grip, A Gentle Hold [part 2] which is again ‘conventional’ vocal with harmonium in uninterrupted performance, but by this stage one is waiting for the intrusion - yet it does not happen. Indeed, the closing track which follows these two, A Forgetting Place, is solo falsetto singing over a simple strummed guitar, and one returns to the opening tracks for the excitement of Craig's creative mix. So a debut album full of tease, and how sweet it is to be both so challenged and charmed.

Edgar Winter's White Trash - Recycled

Winter Groove

A 1971 album, the musicianship is outstanding and the funk'n'roll approach upbeat and uplifting. It opens on the funk-fest Puttin' It Back with those Chicagoesque horns laying a groove, and second Leftover Love is a Loggins/Messina or Doobie Brothers R&B with west coast harmonies eclecticism. Third Shake It Off is a soulfunk instrumental with the singular getdown chorus line mama shake your ass off strutting its stuff. Then there's the Stylistics style vocal on Parallel Love with cool jazz sax from Edgar. And so it grooves and funks on, the lead vocal of Jerry LaCroix at the helm of this wondrous harmony, brass and soulful Winter ship, Edgar screaming his accompanying vocal scorchings and other sax solos. Music for the absolute funky fun of it.

Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence

On Fire

Like Soft Machine amped to heavy metal intensity, the sax and bass and electronics combust brilliantly on opener Digital Dream Sequence, and once ignited the flames become fists punching jazz-metal riffs relentlessly. Dan Briggs' bass playing is astonishing, and the sax of Walter Fancourt takes the fight to some dizzying places. 15 minute closer The Jungle is a wonderful fusion conflagration.

Smokey Robinson - Smokey & Friends

Smokin', Generally

I am a sucker for these kinds of duets albums, but I don’t think that’s difficult in this case with Smokey Robinson and his music as the core and guests like James Taylor especially, but also Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Jessie J who I do like occasionally as on her track with Smokey Cruisin’, Steve Tyler whose otherwise out-there-ness can grate but has an interesting place on You Really Got a Hold on Me, but this is countered by a bloated accompaniment from Elton John, and an accompaniment from Gary Barlow I refuse to listen to as he has become such a dick – well, that may not be recent.

Smokey with Steve Tyler, sharing teeth

I might as well also admit that I rather enjoyed Engelbert Calling by [who else:] Englebert Humperdinck which does have the same mix of good/bad quests [depending on your proclivities], so obviously Elton John is there again, and Olivia Newton John and Cliff Richard, but also Shelby Lynne, Willie Nelson [and he seems to being doing a duet with someone daily, though these are always pretty damn fine] and Ron Sexsmith, amongst many others. 

Smokey performing with Jessie J

Smokey & Friends is also one of those albums recorded across continents so the artists were never actually together and that demeans the process a little. That said, production is excellent and sympathetic to the artists who accompany Smokey, so there are more ‘modern’ arrangements for most, though frankly it is the original music that shines. Smokey and James sing together on Marvin Gaye’s Ain’t That Peculiar and that’s probably my favourite, but I’ll end by simply stating it is simply entertaining: an increasingly familiar format/idea, but very well done here, mostly.