New Music: Moody, Conjoint, Tommy Guerrero

Moody - A Fool on the Hill - The Gentle Rain (Sunbeam 2006)


Moody – The Gentle Rain / Sunbeam

This is fantastic… this is fantastic fantastic… in fact, this is the actual manifestation of a crate-diggers dream. The ultra-rare collection of soul-funk instrumental covers from the beautiful year of 1973 is the reason cats get so obsessed with this hobby; just about every second of the record can be sampled, flipped and molded into a bonafide hip-hop banger. Conceived by arranger extraordinaire Nick Ingman, think the pop-rock Axelrod, at the creative apex of fusion, The Gentle Rain is a result of 16 on point session players including Kenny Wheeler, Canada’s premiere avant-garde jazz trumpeter, Alan Hawkshaw, a heralded session keyboardist, and former drummer of The Shadows, Brian Bennett, pushing the boundaries of pop covers to it’s absolute edge. Prolific arranger Ingman may not be a household name, but you probably know his work; after working under producer Norrie Paramor in his youth, he went on to arrange film, classical and pop music that ranges from the Fine Young Cannibals to Radiohead’s OK Computer. For these 12 covers, including selections from The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Carole King and Sly Stone, Ingman pieced together Moogs with jazz flugel, rock basslines with funk drumming and seldom used woodwinds (bass flute, contra bass clarinet, etc) with Latin percussion for a sound unlike any in its time. I can imagine a young Madlib stumbling across this and a light going off in his head, seconds later Yesterday’s New Quintet was born.




Conjoint - Blue & White - A Few Empty Chairs (Buro 2006)


Conjoint – A Few Empty Chairs / Buro

There is live jazz which necessitates a pint in hand and a bar stool to lean against so you can tap your toe without pulling a calf muscle; then there is live jazz which could only be enjoyed on a plush seat enveloped in dense hookah smoke. Conjoint’s third album, A Few Empty Chairs, was recorded live (though liner notes neglected to say where or when) and would without a doubt be categorized in the latter column, but please don’t read that as loungey. The multi-generational ambient-jazz quartet formed in 1996 with their much heralded debut album which brought comparisons to Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way. Consisting of veteran vibraphonist Karl Berger, who has played with Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman and George Clinton among many others since the 50s, German jazz guitarist Gunther ‘Ruit’ Kraus, Chicago-born digital manipulator Jamie Hodge, who has recorded on Plus8 among many others, and David Moufang aka techno luminary Move D whose Source recordings initially sparred this project. Their combined talents form a very intricate display of ambient jazz that chimes and skitters thanks to the interplay of acoustic melodies and minimalist electronica. Structure is sparse, but the unspoken understanding between the players keeps the songs from ever sounding lost. Finely recorded with little-to-no crowd noise makes for an incredibly intimate listen that can transform your living room into a hazy underground club… hookah smoke and bean bag chairs sold separately.




Tommy Guerrero - The Under Dog - From the Soil to the Soul (Quannum 2006)


Tommy Guerrero – From the Soil to the Soul / Quannum

The aptly titled From the Soil to the Soul is the latest album from the do-it-all artist that is Tommy Guerrero who is now pushing four decades of existence, but not musically aging one bit. Now signed to hometown label Quannum, the legendary skateboarder continues to be the muse of San Francisco manifesting the multi-ethnic population and breezy weather of the city. Guerrero’s resume is too long to really give justice hear but realize he was part of the renowned 80s skateboard team, Bones Brigade, co-founder and art director of skate and clothing companies, recording artist under numerous labels alone and with his other bands Jet Black Crayon and Free Beer, graphic designer and collaborator with everyone from Prefuse 73 to Jack Johnson. For his latest outing under his own name, the one-time punk-rocker draws as much from those roots as he does San Fran’s vibrant hip-hop community, not to mention dropping a dose of jazzy post-rock here and soulful funk there. No matter which genre he is dissecting, Guerrero’s melodies are always playful and his rhythms head-nodding, making From the Soil to the Soul a delightfully groovy listen.