Vale Ornette Coleman

Pioneering Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman has died, ages 85. He leaves behind a legacy as a boundary-pushing artist with an ever restless muse. He was a composer who, similar to Miles Davis or John Coltrane, never stood still for very long, in a creative sense.



His 1959 LP, possibly somewhat arrogant in title at the time, "The Shape of Jazz To Come" changed the rules for what Jazz could sound like. It was very divisive among critics at the time, but it turns out the title was rather prophetic. Then, in 1960, he broke the rule book of Jazz wide open with a collective improvisation piece for double quartet entitled "Free Jazz". "Free Jazz" is an album that does what it says on the tin: it is a free improv piece spread out across two sides of an LP (37 minutes in total).



For a man who was hailed as such an innovator, he was also derided in some circles by those who really should know better. It would appear if you were to push the boundaries of jazz to its ultimate limit (i.e having as fewer rules as possible) then that negates the value of any future work, according to some. And that couldn't be further from the truth.

Ornette's music removed the emphasis on rhythm and melody and gave equal weight to both, thus de-emphasising them. It's a hard concept to get one's head around, but it creates music that is both fascinating and challenging. Thankfully Jazz is a style that can both support and tolerate such a musical innovation, when several other styles would collapse in a fit of noise.

Thankfully, all the albums are there to appreciate and it's worth taking the time to appreciate the man's works once more. Vale Ornette.

Sunday Sessions: Foot Village

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Who (or what, as the case may be) the hell is Foot Village?

According to Wikipedia:

"Foot Village is a tribal noise rock band from Los Angeles, consisting of four drummers of which two also do the vocals."

Oftentimes, the vocals are done with megaphones, largely to be heard above the sound of the drums!

On paper this would sound like a complete cacophony, and sure enough it can be, at times. But there are moments where it is just the most exciting music I've heard for quite a while.

Here is a band who perform with completely unhinged manic energy. The band clearly are getting catharsis from their music, and it can also be the same for the listener. The music is fiery and powerful with just a few drummers and some massively intense yelling. If this was what Anger Management classes were like, then sign me up now!

If one was to describe this, at first it would sound like a half a dozen gorillas escaped the zoo and started tearing up the stock in Billy Hyde's Drum Clinic. On closer inspection, there are many deeper elements of avant garde composition in this. Echoes of minimalist composers like Steve Reich and some of the early Philip Glass pieces (such as "Music in the Shape of a Square") spring to mind, with the groove and feel of some classic rock can be heard within. It also reminds me of the craziness of Keith Moon or even Animal from the Muppet Show.

This is my latest favourite band to jump around the loungeroom like a lunatic to. The track below "This Song Is A Drug Deal" is so visceral and intense you can't help but want to move your body in ways it probably shouldn't (or at least at my age, it probably can't!)

Check out Foot Village below. "This Song is a Drug Deal" comes from their 2013 release "Make Memories" while the other clip is an outtake from their 2008 video "Live at the Smell".

Enjoy!

Sunday Sessions: Jazz goes to Africa

This week with the Sunday Session I've decided to share some of the most sublime and beautiful music with you, and you also get to watch the players create it out of thin air.

The piece is "Ocean Wave" by West African Kora player Foday Musa Suso and jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette.

The Kora is a stringed instrument, kind of like a thumb piano, originating from Ghana. It can have anywhere up to (and in some cases beyond) 21 strings, all plucked with the thumbs. It is a beautifully resonant instrument that is capable of some gorgeous melodic and harmonic textures.

Jack DeJohnette is of course well known for playing on Miles Davis' legendary LPs "Bitches Brew", "Live-Evil", "A Tribute To Jack Johnson" and "On The Corner".

These two players start with a basic structure - a drum rhythm and a simple melodic figure - and then they improvise and bounce melodies and rhythms off each other. It is truly wondrous to watch musicians improvise in performance like this, inventing new music as they go. As a result, this piece is never played the same way twice. It is an unusual combination of instruments but it is joyous and exciting. You'll never hear anything like this again.

Enjoy!

March 2013 Playlist

It's that time again, where The Sound and the Fury Podcast presents the monthly playlist.

This month we have a selection from all the albums we've listened to privately, as well as selections from the albums and artists we have featured here on the blog.

What you can expect to find on here includes:

• New tracks from Billy Bragg, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Iron Reagan, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Nick Moran, Walk off The Earth, Vance Joy and Nightmare Air
• Classics from Van Halen, White Stripes, Young Rascals, The Who, The Stone Roses, Split Enz, Pulp, Promises and Motorhead
• Great Aussie tunes from Neon, Something for Kate, Chad Morgan, Paul Kelly, The Porkers, Powderfinger, Sticky Fingers, Effigy, Rogerthat, and Tamam Shud
• A new track from Dave Grohl's Sound City project featuring Australian ex-pat Rick Springfield
• Avant Garde weirdness from Painkiller, Michael Finnissy, Marco Capelli, and Apocalyptica

and heaps more.

Put it on random, turn it up and ENJOY!

Michael Finnissy - Solo Piano

It fascinates me no end how certain music makes people respond. Depending on what it is, some people cry, some smile, some dance, some reflect. Some styles of music inspire tangible feelings of discomfort, and in some, a strong urge to punch someone or something.

Michael Finnissy's 1990 album "English Country Tunes for Solo Piano" is a record that is both amazing and frustrating all at once. Music, for the most part, has rules, constructs and syntax like any other artform. This is music that takes the rulebook, but it doesn't throw it out the window - it covers it in petrol and puts a match to it.

This is where it gets tricky for some. Most people who have heard a lot of music are used to the conventional rules of music, even if they are oblivious to what they are. We like harmony, melody, rhythm - most songs create unity through repetition, and thus the constant repeating of rhythms of phrases makes us feel comfortable. Finnissy's album rejects all of these, or at least plays the opposite of all of them.

This is semi-improvised music that lacks melody or harmony in the traditional sense. For that reason alone, it is enough to drive some people to distraction. However, I believe that is exactly the reason why this music is so amazing. Jazz primarily is a style of music where a melody is taken in it's pure form, and then manipulated into something new, fresh and exciting. This music is old English folk tunes that have been stretched, contorted, fed through a paper shredder and then randomly re-glued back together to make new music.

Some music leads some people to imagine scenes or colours when they hear it. Some pop music may conjure up thoughts of sunshine or long hot summer days. Other tunes may conjure up thoughts of rain or grey, overcast weather. Finnissy's music is at times dark and pensive, and then on a whim can turn absolutely kaleidoscopic. Sometimes both are running at the same time. Over the length of the album it can get quite a tiresome listen.

"So," I hear you ask, "if this music is so divisive and so uncomfortable, why should we listen to it?"

Good question. Herein lies the key: this is music that has turned accepted musical convention on its head. This is music devoid of the rules that constrain certain styles of music. In an age where everything feels cookie-cutter perfect and lacking in soul, this is music that is truly free and creative in ways beyond what most can imagine. The freedom employed in this music makes it a liberating listen. This is the purest expression of the composer's soul: forget the rules, this is pure and unadulterated, unrestricted creativity. It is truly liberating to listen to. Lie on the floor and close your eyes and listen - the colours that are conjured in the mind are amazing.

But it is a tiring exercise: This is not music that will lull a listener to sleep or put one in a trance-like state. This is music that, by design, requires the listeners undivided attention from the outset until it's finished. It grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go for the entire 50+ minutes. You have to pay attention. This is not background music. This is music for close listening, and if you're game, you will be rewarded for your efforts.

One cannot help but become a more perceptive listener and and broadened horizons after hearing this album, and that is nothing but a good thing.

Give it a shot, but give it more than 30 seconds. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!