5 minutes before lying down: October 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance

Let me stay at the previous topic, because now I don't have to wait for a long time to have a real own flat. One night, on the day before yesterday, I was listening to this album, the lights were low in my room, and I got in a loose mood. Music which was produced by afro-americans usually has this sort of effect. In that mood, I continued my imagination in my mind, about that I have a big room, with big windows - with a great view to the city. If these parameters were true and the music were playing in the night, I won't long for anything else at that actual moment.

This album from 1977 can quickly pick you out from the greyness of weekdays and can create an exotic atmosphere around you. You'll feel that you're inside the music. Seven songs, famous pieces by Lonnie (don't get confused, there's an other Lonnie Smith - without Liston, he was a jazz organ player), but the album isn't too long. As I listened to other albums I realized that there are some well-known tracks by him which always repeat on the albums, except few other - shortly, one song can be heared on more albums.

When I saw its cover for the first time, I thank immediately that it must be... something cool, extraordinary, or something "very". The cover shows a whole attitude to life. I talked about the afro-american airiness: this pairs with a deep singing voice which flows ahead with the music. By its exciting arrangement these two make a culturally/musically notable event. His soft, phased and distorted elektrik piano sounds, the clanking bells, the brass section, which don't want to be loud, the rhythmic percussion patterns and a lot more keeps our attention alive very well. There's no more to say... Exotic. Transcendental. Standing high on the hill.

Space lady:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvBv2xxKtb4

A song of love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzJPK2sPyo

Starlight and you:

Friday, October 23, 2009

Rainer Brüninghaus - Continuum

It's a real rarity. It's hard to get it. An album by ECM Records, which unfortunately stopped manufacturing it more than 10 years ago. So this is a reportage from the past, also because its really special atmosphere.

Rainer Brüninghaus is a German pianist/keyboardist whose name could be familiar by some ECM albums, for example his other album, Freigeweht, or Eberhard Weber - Silent feet / Little movements / Yellow fields or Jan Garbarek - Visible word / I took up the runes, etc.

Then, in the September of 1983 with trumpeter Markus Stockhausen they created something which became an unknown value of art. His piano melodies and Stockhausen's trumpet voice suit to each other well, and make an airy distant sound. The album was recorded by the trio, but often it's only Rainer and Markus, and Rainer don't play just on piano, he uses other synthetizers, for example pads, too. A real unique piece, and just because of this, it's hard to describe it... you know, there are a few albums which we know and can't describe, because its oddities. Maybe you have to look at the cover: the distant city lights, vivid movements in the night, flowing into rays, meandering ahead in time and space, to reach the unknown future, with its uncertainity and doubtfulness. As I was listening to this album last night in the silence of my room, I imagined a view like the cover which can be seen from my window, from a high skyscraper at night. There's a huge silence around me, I can't hear the distant, low noise from outside, but I can see the slowly moving lights. As I look down in fiction and listen to the music, I also get touched by the past, and the future. The past by its real passed-by fact and faintly depressing nostalgia, and the future by those mentioned things before. One of my dreams is a view like that image. So I don't wait for longer, I send you the second track on the album, Stille, which means silence. In the first half, listening to the contemplative and strange piano sounds, the cover is getting more and more alive in my mind. Later, as the whole trio forms, they can pick us out from time and space, and take us to... the continuum.

Stille:

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Verve jazz timeline

In other words, Verve records has launched a new feature on its website, Interactive Verve History. You can review the decades of jazz from 1950's until present time. Each decade is described by some notable albums released by Verve and political/historical happenings as well. Enjoy!

http://history.vervemusicgroup.com/

Saturday, October 17, 2009

McCoy Tyner - Remembering John

Remembering John... means Remembering John Coltrane. A very nice idea for an album, especially by the person who had been the pianist in his quartet for many years, and recorded together such songs that changed the jazz history.

Remembering John is very easy, because he left so many treasures for the future, his characteristics was extremely strong. So McCoy just had to choose well from the possibilities - and he did a great work. And, more important, a great work in performing them. The whole album is a trio record, and it's amazing that he can create so dense and highly expressive music by one piano, like other more instruments would play. McCoy Tyner and his piano is just like all the vibrations of the song and all the vibrations of the performer's emotions. Approximately two years ago I had the fortune to hear him in a live performance in Budapest, Művészetek Palotája (Palace of Arts). He's old now, but plays as he would be at the highest point of his energy. I remember as he walked slowly and a little bit uncertainly to the piano, but when he sat down, and started to play, everything changed and became live, vivid and dynamic. That night is an unforgettable event in my life.

As we hear the songs each after each, McCoy shows his light and serious side as well. Light and glad in In walked Bud, but highly complex for example in Pursuance. Beautiful in Good morning heartache, and let's stop here for a few seconds. This is one the best titles I've ever heard, and the best performance. It's so expressive with its emphasized differences, and I dare to say, this is what a jazz ballad should be like (leastwise in a modern way). After it there's one more possibility to give a cool ending for this album, and it's the deeply expressed and serious Wise one.

It could be very difficult to reperform these songs, because in the old times he was a great background for Coltrane's sounds, but now, he has to combine Coltrane's main melodies with his playing, and to create a newer adaptation. A newer adaptation in audiophile sounding. It's a real value, and a perfect honour for Coltrane.

Here's the tracklist on which I wrote the original albums next to a few tracks:

1. India (Impressions)

2. Giant steps (Giant steps)

3. In walked Bud

4. Like someone in love

5. One and four

6. Up 'gainst the wall (Impressions)

7. Good morning heartache

8. Pursuance (A love supreme)

9. Wise one (Crescent)

Wise one (part):

Monday, October 12, 2009

King Crimson - Lizard

Speaking about progressive rock doesn't take any effect on people whom I talk to, perhaps they don't really know this genre or don't understand what I like about it - or what I love. But this is a new world which comes from the past and can revive in our minds in any moment. Maybe it belongs to a special kind of personality, who has similar emotional waves and alternating silent-energic moods, just like this music has.

King Crimson's Lizard from 1970 is perfectly on the middle point of the beautiful/emotional atmosphere and psychedelic experimental line. For example let the starting point of this line be Lady of the dancing water, with its softness and fragility, and let the end point be Indoor games, which is a strange and also joyful mixture of moods. The whole album is a mixture, as well - a mixture of different arrangements with interesting parts (from dissonant elements to crazy solos, like in Happy family). After listening to the shorter songs, we meet the almost must-have extremely long ending song, with the same title, Lizard. Many parts, feelings and changes after each other, to prove its genre more perfectly. These highly long last tracks are very important on prog rock records. So it's a must-hear album. I don't know for which reason, but it's always connected with autumn in my mind.

Now this is a good possibility to share you one of my newest thoughts about fall (there's a lot). Walking and watching the colourful fallen leaves on the pavement, I got that fine mood which we get when we see the changes of the seasons and get fascinated by it. I wondered why does this fascination get me... because I've seen these colours, lights and natural elements twenty-one times in my life. Or why does this fascination get all the people, perhaps they have these visual properties of autumn in their collective mind, but the surprise never disappears. This is an ever-changing and renewing thing. The nature and the universe is above us, every happening there can take a huge effect on us - by moods, feelings, new creative thoughts. Live the autumn, not just watch it passing by.

Cirkus live in 1971:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTNMZXkwxvU

Lizard (intro):

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Kraftwerk releases Der Katalog

On the 5th of October, the german electronic high-tech band Kraftwerk released their new, longly waited product, Der Katalog / The catalogue which has been a lot mentioned and almost a mystery to the fans.

This is a new release of their 8 earlier albums (Autobahn, Radio-activity, Trans Europe Express, The man machine, Computer world, Electric cafe, The mix, and Tour de France Soundtracks) which are available separately and also in a unique box set (for approx. 120 USA dollars). They also released a sample cd which contains 8 tracks, each one from each album and a bonus track, which is a concert version of The model - but as watching eBay, this cd seems to be very rare.

Kling Klang Digital Remaster 2009.

Watch the trailer of Der Katalog on http://www.kraftwerk.com/ in the info menu.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Pet Shop Boys - Yes

"a fantastic, wide-ranging pop record"

The ever-changing, developing but always remaining-the-same Pet Shop Boys' new record is Yes - another great title amongst their one-word titled albums. They have been always creative to describe an album with one word, and now, hearing it (and as well being an old fan of them) I got interested immediately.

I have acquainted it only now notwithstanding it was released on the 23th of March. It flew to me straightly from Shanghai, and as a European, it was pleasant to see some splinter of the far-east culture: see the nice stamps on the picture below.

As this new effective cover shows eleven colours, the album contains eleven songs, and the whole album is a flow of the hit-category tracks. Starting with the also well titled Love etc. which has also became a single and got a video, the album gets a cool inception. As we go on, and hear the catchy melodies, the two English guys show their familiar palatial, dense arrangements and sometimes clearer, emotional parts, for ex. in Vulnerable or The way it used to be. Did you see me coming has also became a single. But my special favourite is Building a wall, it has a some kind of dynamic pulling ahead. I love the concert version: as the wall collapses, it's very effective, I wish they came to Hungary again. This year they are having the Pandemonium Tour, reaching Russia, Germany, UK, USA, Argentina and so on. As now they have so many songs, to organize a concert in a given time is getting harder and harder, so they often plays songs together, let it be older or the newest, great feelings mix. See more videos in the related section.

They also released an exclusive eleven pieces lp-packet, with each song on one lp by its one colour of eleven, so you can put them in the right form to get the pipe from the cover on your floor.