Cochise
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North Carolina
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Get Yourself Together
(w/Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
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Album: Live At Montreux
Released in 1973

I’ve always dug Les McCann, and when I found this Live At Montreux double LP in a local record store ($5, near mint), I knew it would be quality.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is Switzerland’s prestigious annual event on stunning Lake Geneva. In recent years, Montreux has drifted a bit off brand; for its 44th season, jazz greats such as Coolio, Arcade Fire, and Ricky Martin are on the programme. (To be fair, actual jazz greats such as George Benson, Diana Krall, and Herbie Hancock are also on the bill.)

Les McCann’s Live At Montreux was recorded during an earlier, purer incarnation of the festival, in 1972. Les was already a legend at Montreux — and Switzerland in general — because he had released a hit live album from the festival, 1969′s Swiss Movement.

For his second recording from Montreux, Les brought along bassist Jimmy Rowser, drummer Donald Dean, and percussionist Buck Clarke. Like many jazz artists of the time, Les experimented with electric, amplified instruments and Live At Montreux is a showcase for the many colors and textures of the recently-invented clavinet keyboard.

“Cochise” kicks off the set at breakneck pace. (The title inexplicably refers to an Apache chief from the 19th century.) On this track, the clavinet occasionally sounds blown out and distorted, which may or may not be a by-product of the recording process.

On the first movement of “North Carolina,” the clavinet has more of a bubbly sound, which is probably its most familiar mode (think Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”). About halfway into the track, Les reconfigures the clavinet to a more elegant, brighter setting, and it sounds like an entirely different instrument.

For an encore, Les selected the epic “Get Yourself Together”. Can’t say I love his vocals, but thankfully Les’s singing is only a small part of his repertoire. Later in the track, fellow Montreux performer Rahsaan Roland Kirk jumped onstage and contributed a sax solo, showing off his unusual technique of breathing without losing his tone. (Today I learned this is called “circular breathing.”)

Les last performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1998, though he has toured sporadically in the U.S. and Japan as recently as 2009.

17th Street
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Must Be Something
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The Bottle
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Album: It’s Your World (1976)

The year was 1976. America was reveling in its bicentennial celebration. I was five, and don’t remember a thing. But my pop culture-filtered nostalgia imagines 1976 as the precipice between free love optimism and cocaine-fueled excess.

It’s Your World — a (mostly) live double-LP credited to Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson — was recorded just a couple of days before the July 4th holiday. While America at large was patting itself on the back, Gil was giving voice to those Americans who felt the country wasn’t living up to the Declaration of Independence’s key phrase, “All men are created equal.”

Gil Scott-Heron is so closely associated with his politics that it’s easy to forget the musicality apparent in his songs. Though Gil penned many of his own tunes, Brian Jackson contributed many of the duo’s finest compositions, and was the primary keys player.

“17th Street” is a lyrically-atypical song from Gil, shedding polemics in favor of getting down. But even his “party” songs include a hint of danger:

I come from 17th Street and that’s on the other side of town,
an’ if you see me wit’ my brothers
don’cha dare go no further
you know we gonna get down, down, down.

“Must Be Something” was a track I slept on until I started prepping for this post. But as I listened closer to the tight harmonies and Brian’s classy electric piano solo, I was won over by its charms.

The final selected track is “The Bottle,” which is among Gil and Brian’s best-known songs, and one of the most harrowing depictions of addiction ever committed to wax. The live version ups the tempo considerably, and provides a showcase for the three percussionists Gil and Brian brought along on tour. Brian proves he’s got fingers of fury, keeping up with the galloping rhythm via some truly dexterous flute work.

After a 16-year hiatus (which, sadly, included a couple of drug-related stints in prison), Gil recently released a new record, I’m New Here. Though I’ve only heard a bit of it, “New York Is Killing Me” proves Gil hasn’t lost much over the years. Check it out.

Playa Playa
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Devil’s Pie
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One Mo’Gin
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Untitled (How Does It Feel)
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Album: Voodoo (2000)

Where did you go, D’Angelo? The gossip says you had/have a drug problem, your MySpace blog chalks it up to you being “a deliberate guy,” and the pictures are disheartening, check the before and after:

With Beck, about a decade ago

2005 mugshot

After the monumental achievement that was 2000′s Voodoo, we’ve heard next to nothing from you. I hazily remember you getting arrested a few years ago with some weed and powder, but musically it’s been pretty sparse: choruses on unmemorable hip hop throwaways, one stellar track ("Water Get No Enemy" from a 2002 Fela tribute album), and a handful of other crap that was a waste of your blessings.

I’ll stop ranting atcha, D, but I gotta admit — it feels good to vent.

Despite my bitterness, I still haven’t soured on Voodoo. Others may have dropped more hits, but there are only a handful who put out a long-player that was coherent and listenable from start to finish.

Voodoo was the apex of the short-lived Soulquarians movement, a loose collection of producers, singers, musicians, and rappers that presented hip hop and R&B in a more organic light. Some of its members included Erykah Badu, The Roots, Mos Def, Common, J Dilla, Raphael Saadiq (who co-wrote “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”), and D’Angelo.

Voodoo was recorded over four years of sessions at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. Most of the tracks evolved from sprawling jams, prioritizing emotional grooves over catchy hooks (though there were some of those, too):

From four until seven in the evening, the crew would watch the treat of the day and eat. Then they’d turn on the recorder and begin playing an album or an entire catalog by one of the Yodas—the dominant influence of ’96 was Prince, in ’97 Jimi and Rev. Al [Green], ’98 Gaye and George Clinton, ’99 James and Nigerian star Fela Kuti. They’d jam and wait to see what the groove inspired.

Rolling Stone, May 2000, article by Touré

Incredible to think how tight that band became after playing track after track from Prince, Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, and Fela. I bet there’s some great, unreleased bonus material.

Throughout the record, D’Angelo lays down track after track of vocals, providing harmonies, counter-melodies, emphasis, and background noise. The effect — especially on the opener, “Playa Playa” — evokes gospel, in spite of the odd basketball metaphor (“Steal you with my two shot”?).

“Devil’s Pie” feels more urgent than the other tracks on Voodoo, with D’Angelo railing against the materialism that’s killing hop hop. Setting the tone is DJ Premier’s airtight production, epitomized by his intricate all-scratched chorus. Premier lays down a surgical array of samples, with choice bits from various rappers and the occasional horn blast. It also features what may be my favorite lyric from the record: “Fuck the slice, we want the pie.” (Basketball metaphor: bad; pizza metaphor: good.)

“One Mo’Gin” is a great selection for 3am, when the DJ needs to chill out the party. It’s sticky, melodic, and sounds great with the atmospheric hiss that only vinyl can deliver. In case one doubts the depths of D’Angelo’s talents, he provides all vocals and instrumentation (except for Pino Palladin’s bass) on this track.

“Untitled (How Does It Feel)” was the record’s (relatively) big hit, propelled by its infamous video. A 5-star classic rooted in a laid-back beat from Questlove and a Prince-ly falsetto, the track gains in power (and D’Angelo vocal overdubs) until the final, triumphant chorus. I still find the abrupt ending unnecessarily jarring, but I’ve learned to accept it.

Speaking of Prince, it’s fair to say that Voodoo feels like the Prince record he should have released instead of the dreck he’s been giving us since 1991′s Diamonds And Pearls. Prince was able to distill the history of modern black music — Jimi, James, Reverend Al, Sly, et. al. — into music that felt reverent and futuristic at the same time; Voodoo picks up on this same vibe.

Maybe it’s for the best that D’Angelo virtually disappeared after Voodoo. It set such a high bar and it’s been so many years that unless he comes through with something entirely different, original, and bangin’, whatever he releases will be greeted with disappointment or apathy. But I’ll keep an open mind — D’Angelo’s earned at least that.

You Make Me Feel So Young
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All Of Me (Instrumental)
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Angel Eyes
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Album: Sinatra At The Sands (1966)

It’s been awhile since I’ve spotlighted my collection of recorded live albums, so I’ve dug up a killer LP from the legendary Frank Sinatra. As if that wasn’t enough of a draw, he’s accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, with songs arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones. Wow, that’s a lot of talent in one room.

Recorded in early 1966 at Las Vegas’s Sands Hotel (Sinatra had an ownership stake in the Sands until Howard Hughes bought it a year later), this was Sinatra’s first live album. Sinatra, Basie, and Jones had previously collaborated on the studio album, It Might As Well Be Swing, which produced the huge hit, “Fly Me To The Moon.

As you can imagine, Sinatra in Vegas was a huge event, and the packed crowd is ecstatic. As expressed by Stan Cornyn in the liner notes for Sinatra At The Sands, “Two thousand knees with nowhere to go.”

The first track I selected was “You Make Me Feel So Young,” which your Mom totally loves. This song exemplifies the swinging, effortless style that Sinatra is known for. He makes it look so easy, but Sinatra spent decades perfecting his craft.

You can’t have Count Basie as your bandleader without showcasing his immense talents, and Sinatra was no fool, letting Basie and his orchestra let loose on the standard “All Of Me.” Jones’s inventive arrangement gives Basie all the room he needs, and the emphatic, buoyant horns provide a big band counterpoint to Basie’s mellow piano boogie. Since this track was recorded from vinyl*, you can clearly hear the murmur of the crowd in the background; listen as they “wake up” when the horns blast for the first time.

The last selection from this fine record is the ballad “Angel Eyes.” Simply performed with his long time pianist, Bill Miller, Sinatra’s phrasing on this track is nothing short of perfection. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sinatra’s hilarious intro (“It’s boozin’ time!”), which is in stark contrast to the melancholy song that follows.

For years, my image of Sinatra was molded by Bar Mitzvah classics like “New York, New York” and “My Way.” I was really blown away after I heard this record, and it inspired me to seek out more from this dynamic personality and deeply adventurous singer.

*If you want to hear an example of the superiority of vinyl, compare the version of “Angel Eyes” above with this version ripped from the CD. Yeah, the LP version has some popping, but doesn’t Sinatra’s vocals sound warmer and more intimate?

Viet Nam
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Cohesion
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The Glory Of Man
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Jesus And Tequila
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Album: Double Nickels On The Dime (1984)

How to define punk rock? Is it the sound (electric guitars, hard drums, screaming vocals)? The lyrics (anti-establishment)? The attitude (do-it-yourself, be different)? In a lot of ways, the rise of punk was later mirrored by the explosion of hip hop — it’s as much a cultural movement as a musical one.

Growing up, I can’t say that I was heavy into music that would be neatly categorized as punk, but the punk ethos inspired the bands that I loved (e.g. Talking Heads, R.E.M., The Cure). When I heard Minutemen’s Double Nickels On The Dime towards the end of my high school years, it really opened my mind to how liberating punk rock — and, for that matter, music of any genre — could be. My appreciation of this record has only grown in the two decades since I first heard it.

I could spend most of eternity talking about Minutemen and Double Nickels On The Dime, but then I’d never finish this posting; here are some quick hits:

1. Minutemen was a trio from San Pedro, CA. They formed in 1980 and Double Nickels On The Dime was their third LP.
2. Their name was derived form the militia group that instigated the American Revolution, not the brevity of their songs.
3. Double Nickels On The Dime is a double LP, with 45 total tracks and an average length of 1:48 per track.
4. That’s bassist Mike Watt on the album cover. It took the band three days of driving around the same stretch of Southern California freeway before they could get the speedometer perfectly at 55 MPH*, Watt’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and their beloved “San Pedro” into the shot.
5. It was mixed on a single eight-track in one night and cost $1,100 to record. It sold 15,000 copies in its first year of release.
6. Each band member determined the song selections for one record side. The fourth side of the record was named “Side Chaff”.
7. Lead singer/guitarist D. Boon died in a car wreck in 1985 at the age of 27.
8. The track “Corona” was used as the theme to the TV show Jackass. “Love Dance” was used in a Volvo commercial. Watt licensed both tracks in order to offset medical bills for D. Boon’s father.
9. The documentary, We Jam Econo, is a portrait of Minutemen and their place in musical history; it shows up on the Sundance Channel from time to time. Check it out.

*Sidenote 1: This was in reaction to Sammy Hagar’s terrible but popularish song at the time, “I Can’t Drive 55.” According to Mike Watt: “So he can’t drive 55, because that was the national speed limit? Okay, we’ll drive 55, but we’ll make crazy music.” From this interview on his website.
Sidenote 2: The speedometer is only visible on the LP art.

Clearly, selecting a few tracks to showcase from a candidate pool of 45 was going to be a challenge. As with any LP Classic with this many 5-star classics, there are fluctuations in the tracks I’m feeling at any one point in time.

But select I must. I may need to do a part two.

“Viet Nam” (don’t know why they chose to make it two words) is tight, stinky funk. Mike Watt’s bass pops up in unexpected places and you can set your watch to George Hurley’s drums. Like most of D. Boon’s lyrics, it’s direct, angry, and brief; but his ability to make phrases like “executive order, congressional decision, the working masses are manipulated” swing is a stroke of genius.

“Cohesion” is a D. Boon solo track. In addition to his surprising virtuosity with the Spanish guitar, what amazes me the most about this song is that the melody is played on the bass strings while the treble strings are employed for rhythmic purposes. So cool.

One of my current favorites is “The Glory Of Man,” penned by Mike Watt. I have no idea what this song is about. And what’s with D. Boon’s pronunciation of the word ” measurer?”

The final selection, “Jesus And Tequila” was a favorite of mine during my college years. Lyrically, it comes off a bit as frat rock but on the musical tip, it’s got this woozy, bluesy vibe… and I can’t deny it.

I’ve tried to get into other Minutemen records, but none of them come close to this diverse, mind-blowing LP. “Punk rock” feels too constricting a label for something this free.