My Kingdom for a square bracket closer. ( ] )  

It was this little sucker, or more accurately, the lack of this little sucker that has been robbing you of your Borrowed Beats.  Lastnight I learned two things. The first was that much like my ability to play pool, Bourbon first helps and ultimately hinders my ability to win at Texas Hold ‘em. Luckily a poker of fours arrived just in time.

The second was that my podcast feed went screwey in June, and subscribers hadn’t received the July and August editions. All because of one lousey ’]’. Thanks to the Triplejaysus Support Department (Take a bow Chris, you’re now a whole department!) we’re back on the air.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Tord Gustavsen Trio – Being There

While things are quite mellow, I thought it a good time to introduce you to Tord Gustavsen Trio’s latest – ‘Being There’. Some of you may be aware of them because they featured in the very popular jazz edition of Borrowed Beats. Well, now they’ve made it to _wednesday_weview.

It’s very difficult to understand the achievement of ‘Being There’ with out comparing it to the two previous long players the trio have released, so you’ll have to excuse some unusual analogies. I’ll also assume that you all don’t read allaboutjazz, and I’ll spare you talk of tension, committing to a progression or metre. Talk about making it difficult for myself ! Review jazz with no jazz-speak or artist context. Riiiiiiiiight.

Tord Gustavsen Trio have carved a niche not through virtuosity but through restraint. That’s unusual in jazz. ‘Being There’ is bereft of money-shot phrases. It grows on you with each listen, and the power of anticipation becomes a strong factor. With each listen you gain a sense of how a melody is superficially recognisable, and as fleeting as a flirtatious smile. (I did warn you!)

During a wonderfully light and funky groove the trio will anticipate your expectation and subvert it by shifting into minor chords. This deft, and dare I say cerebral craft pleases more with familiarity. And in my mind, this displays virtuosity above simple noodling. “Blessed Feet” illustrates this point perfectly, and the Spanish tinged “Where we went” simply delights.
This album is a worthy addition of any collection, even those devoid of Jazz.

THINK: A jazz album for intellighent jazz haters
READ: The Trio’s homepage or myspace
WATCH: A medley of medolies
BUY: Being there on iClassics

Van Halen’s reunion tour line up in 2007

Van Halen IV anyone? It sure is starting to look that way. On August 13 Van Halen announced a ‘reunion’ tour with Dave Lee Roth kicking off on September 27. I have a soft spot for Van Halen, growing up listening to each new album constantly, marvelling at each subsequent awful name. (OU812? I mean, sure it was ten years before sms-speak, but it’s still stoopid.)

So when I read the news of the tour I jumped on the Van Halen webpage. Hang on a second? Is that Wolfgang on the cover of Van Halen I ? What the? Turns out that Eddie Van Halen is not content to replace Michael Anthony with is son, Wolfgang, for the upcoming tour but has tried to delete any reference to Michael Anthony from every facet of VH’s history. The official VH page did indeed, for a time, show Wolfgang on the cover of VH I, but also Michael Anthony has been deleted as co-author of some of the back catalogue. What a jip! What did the guy do to deserve this? Sure, he sells Hot Sauce, but there are worse crimes. I mean, Alex Van Halen once said “The Beatles will never get back together and David Lee Roth will never again sing with Van Halen. ” You didn’t see them photoshop him out, or cut him from the credits.

Michael Anthony has finally released a statement on his webpage, and it’s a diplomatic and measured response. He even asks that fans to cut Wolfgang a break -  “Don’t judge him too harshly — I’m sure he’ll do just fine.”

Do you hate it when childhood heroes show themselves as arseholes?

Fat Freddy’s Drop - Based on  True Story

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for summer. The winter blues are getting me down. Maybe it’s just the hang over from my trip to Europe, maybe it’s a touch of homesickness, or maybe it’s all this bloody rain – but I can’t wait for summer. And when it comes, I have the perfect soundtrack.

Fat Freddy’s Drop are a seven-piece New Zealand ‘collective’, and their album ‘Based on a True Story’ is just what the doctor ordered. The heart of the Freddy sound is reggae (Man, do those kiwi’s love their reggae or what?) with touches of ska and dub, all hung on a skeleton of electronica. The result is an uplifting album that sets off at a cruisey pace and compels you along softly with it.

Three minutes into the first song, you still haven’t heard Joe Dukie’s velvet smooth vocals. Four and a half minutes in, the ‘actual’ melody of the track starts. And so it goes. With most of the ten tracks clocking in over seven minutes, you had better not be in a hurry.

“Ray Ray” starts with vibes and a thick beat, and in producer Fitchie’s hands that’s plenty to begin with. The track slowly builds and layers up beautifully finally climaxing with the perfect refrain “tell me what’s the world with no soul”. More of an electronic track than others, it’s as if Fitchie laid down the beats and bass and then invited the Drops lush horn section to lay down their disco stabs.

“Wandering Eye”, which spent over 42 weeks in the NZ charts, starts off in soul-blues mode, dancing over a deep reggae bassline. The song then mutates through funk and soul with some ‘Stevie Wonder’ style keys. The beauty of Fat Freddy’s Drop is their ability to blend diverse musical styles whilst retaining their own distinctive character.
‘Based on a True Story’ is summer for your ears. Buy this album now so your ready when summer finally arrives.

THINK: Stevie Wonder’s electro-reggae-dub album
READ: their homepage or myspace
WATCH: Award winning ‘Wandering Eye’ clip
BUY: Based on a true story at amazon

R.I.P. Max Roach (10/01/’24 - 16/08/’07)

Last week saw the passing of one of the greatest drummers of all time.
I first became aware of Max Roach through the Miles Davis album “Birth of the cool”, the recording sessions which later were credited with creating the style known as ‘cool jazz’. Roach was at the forefront of many of the great movements in jazz music and played with all the greats: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and Clifford Brown.

What I love about Roach’s playing is that he solos, but doesn’t showboat. The restraint and clarity of his cymbal work many consider to be peerless. He played with not only a great number of jazz musicians, but also in a wide variety of styles, colaborating with jazz, soul and rap artists.

I have selected two tracks that I think give a snap shot of Roach’s genius. The first, a Thelonious Monk track,  Hornin’ In, showcases Roachs cymbal and snare work beautifully.
‘A little Max’,with Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, showcases the ease with which Roach handles difficult time signatures.

If you want to hear more, I suggest the following albums where you can hear soem amazing drumming by Max Roach:

Miles Davis - Birth of Cool - 1950
Max Roach - Drums Unlimited - 1966
Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - Birth and Rebirth - 1978