Tracy M. Rogers
John ConvertinoRagland
sommerweg schallplatten
www.sommerweg.de
Calexico drummer John Convertino’s first solo release, Ragland, is a journey into bleak ambiance, the soundtrack to a dusty, dusky desert neo-surrealist movie that has yet to be produced. A set of twelve piano-driven compositions, Ragland finds Convertino experimenting with jazz and classical motifs to create a series of elegies laced with raw emotionality. Recorded entirely at Convertino’s Tucson home using eight-track technology, Ragland ranges from the chiming piano and jazzy brush drums of the opening “Curb” to the delicate, sophisticated piano solo “End Thee,” from the restrained, smoldering rhythms of “Piston” to the explosive, damning percussion of “Bell Curves,” from the sinister classical-jazz hybrid “Street Turn River” to the emotive Western jazz sketch “Comb Your Hair With Water and Get to Church.” Ragland is a subtle, atmospheric collection that is both clever and sentimental in the best possible ways.
Naim AmorExsanguine
Amormusic
www.amormusic.com/feature.htm
Naim Amor’s Exsanguine is jazz cool and laid back, a joyously ethereal 1960s soundtrack to a dinner party in a Tucson barrio hosted by a Parisian couple in a Peter Sellers film. Comprised of outtakes and alternative takes from sessions for his upcoming CD, Sanguine, Exsanguine finds the French-born Amor producing a stellar avant-pop collection imbued with shades of jazz, rock, folk, ragtime, and electronica. The opening strains of “Etre La” provide an electronic soundscape tinged with acoustic and electric guitars, while the jovial ragtime-meets-folk guitar of the instrumental “Going Places” is pure pop bliss. Emilie Marchand’s ethereal vocal harmonies accentuate the saxophone-laced club jazz of “Sparkling Bossa” as well as its folk-meets-Parisian nightclub reprise “Sparkling Guitar.” Other standouts include: “Le Wepler” – a musical flashback to a sunbathing session on the Mediterranean coast; “Son Petit Suorire” – a lo-fi accordion- and blues guitar-infused jaunt; and “Precious Second” – an anthemic jazz contemplation on time.
Various ArtistsI Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey
Vanguard Records
www.vanguardrecords.com
I Am the Resurrection, Vanguard Records’ tribute to the late American experimental folk guitarist John Fahey, features noted artists from all corners of indie music – from genre-jumpers Calexico to folk-rocker (and co-producer) M. Ward, from post-rockers Cul de Sac to lo-fi folk-popster Sufjan Stevens – offering their variegated takes on Fahey’s storied career. As such, I Am the Resurrection, like many similar tribute albums, supports an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to production. While this may not produce a homogeneous album in the traditional sense, it does allow for the kind of experimentation that Fahey himself excelled at. Lee Renaldo, for example, provides us with an updated version of “The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee” entitled “The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee (Brooklyn Bridge Version: The Coelcanth).” Renaldo's version incorporates ethereal vocals, inscrutable dialogue, and feedback into the framework provided by Fahey. The aforementioned Stevens offers a melodic pop-infused turn on “Variation on ‘Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park,’” while Howe Gelb's version of "My Grandfather's Clock" is a detour into minimalist blues-meets-classical piano bliss. The best tracks on I Am the Resurrection, however, are those with blues overtones – the Fruit Bats’ blues guitar and African-drum version of “Death of the Clayton Peacock,” Calexico’s So-Cal pop-rock-blues turn on the multifaceted “Dance of Death,” and M. Ward’s down-home, ragtime electric guitar version of “Bean Vine Blues #2.” All in all, I Am the Resurrection is a worthwhile listen that one hopes will expose younger audiences to the long and storied career of one of America’s most innovative instrumentalists.
Drunken Bees: 10th Anniversary EditionDirected by Marianne Dissard
www.drunkenbees.com
Released in November of 2005, the 10th anniversary edition of French filmmaker and chanteuse Marianne Dissard's lo-fi Giant Sand documentary Drunken Bees is a must-have for fans of the band and its many musical progeny. Filmed in the band's hometown Tucson, Arizona, circa 1994, Drunken Bees features Giant Sand leader and guitarist Howe Gelb, plus then-bandmates John Convertino (drums), Joey Burns (bass), and Bill Elm (pedal steel), cruising the barrio, performing in their home studio, playing live with the likes of Victoria Williams and the late Rainer Ptacek, and interacting with friends and family, transients and Air Force officers. Gelb is clearly the star and focus of the film, but the city of Tucson and its music scene steal the show. From the scenes of children playing in the barrio while the band rehearses to the images of electrical storms and helicopters above the city, the images of Tucson provide a backdrop for the music of Giant Sand that is indispensable to understanding and appreciating their music. At a slight 27 minutes long, Drunken Bees is an oft humorous, if all too brief, look at the personal and musical dynamics of Giant Sand prior to the departure of Burns and Convertino. The new DVD release also features a 28-minute "prequel" of the band rehearsing for a KCRW radio show and a 4-minute "time capsule" of the band dating from 1989.
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