 www.bagatellen.com Hamid Drake & Bindu - Blissful RogueArt 11 Besides the common denominator of Hamid Drake, the second incarnation of Bindu bears little resemblance to its predecessor. The first ensemble attached to the moniker featured the drummer in the company of a formidable phalanx of horns. This time out the sounding board is a battery of strings, along with vocalist Dee Alexander who sings lyrics lifted from translated Indian Ramprasad poems. Rhythm in myriad guises predictably frames each of the pieces and Drake sounds his usual supple and reflexive self whether working off kit, tabla, bata or peripheral percussion. Guitarists Joe Morris and Jeff Parker join the bass team of William Parker and Josh Abrams. Morris also handles banjo, his brittle cyclic riffing sounding almost oud-like on the invocational “My Blissful Mother”. Parker hoists shenai in lieu of bass, leaving Abrams to ably handle the bottom end. As with much of the music here, the sum feels at least partially undercooked in its discursive path from onset to end. The effect is sometimes akin to that of a celebrity “drum circle” where the talent isn’t commensurate with the relative tenuousness of the chosen material. The dancing plectrums of Morris and Parker dominate “Playful Dance at Soma” and make for a promising start. Drake joins in with a slinky reggae groove flanked by the bassists’ fat pizzicato braid. Parker and Abrams coax control for a brief interlude of their own, but it’s largely the guitarists who court the spark of Drake’s attention. “Visions of Ma” couples Alexander’s soulful wordless cooing with Drake’s frame drum undulations. “Supreme Lady Victorious in Battle” echoes some of the ungainliness of its title. The overlapping rhythms jibe precariously with Alexander’s spoken-sung text of Eastern religious imagery. Awash in a shambolic rhythmic stew of shenai, guimbri, banjo and bata, “Only Longing of My Soul” is another chancy enterprise that yields mixed outcomes. “There is Nothing Left But You” centers on another prayer this time colored by Parker’s doson ngoni, which settles on a repeating riff that enhances the meditative mood. At nearly a quarter of an hour it clocks a bit long and Alexander’s litany of African American luminaries in the closing minutes makes for particularly axiomatic gruel.Earnestness and good vibrations are present in abundance, but neither element is enough to counter the perception that the project could’ve benefited from a bit more prep time and ambition. Tuneful, delicate and instantly charming, Drake’s “The Beautiful Names” suggests a promising template MANAGEMENT: Art&Network - Milano t. +39-02-39325388 m. +39-3382457868 Mail [email protected] Web www.artandnetwork.com alternative of brevity and focus, but sadly it’s the album’s final cut. There’s interplay of interest here, but compared to the consistency of the first Bindu conclave the album consequently comes in second. Derek Taylor All About Jazz Blissful - Hamid Drake and Bindu Rogue Art (2008) By Lyn Horton For every musician, music is a serious endeavor and one that has no equal. Yet, music also means something different for each musician and it is this difference that generates vitality of the art. For drummer Hamid Drake, music links him to an explicitly spiritual world. The name of his group, Bindu, finds its source in Yoga practice. Bindu signifies the turning point from one plane of mediation to another, where all Yoga meditation practices converge. That point marks the density and complexity, the simplicity and subtlety of time, space and mind. Blissful is the second recording for Bindu. The group has changed personnel, but the power of the music has not. Drake and his fellow improvisers create the music for all of the songs; any lyrics sung by vocalist Dee Alexander were written by the 18th century Indian poet, Ramprasad Sen. On “My Blissful Mother,” a monotone opening from the shenai and voice, soon joined by a feathering of the banjo-like guimbri and bata, rolls out a sonic carpet where focus can sharpen. The improvised instrumental passes through about eight minutes before Dee Alexander breaks into an a cappella section where Drake shapes a rhythmic pattern on the frame drum to lock the ensemble into a ceaseless chant. The guitar snakes in and out of the musical line. The rhythm undergoes several changes. By the conclusion, the guimbri and the frame drum fade out into nothingness. But something re-enters. Joe Morris and Jeff Parker interlace a twoguitar microtonal conversation. Drake picks up the sticks to play his drum set and yet another realm of sound is explored. The guitar lines transform and overlap into string bass lines. The arco and MANAGEMENT: Art&Network - Milano t. +39-02-39325388 m. +39-3382457868 Mail [email protected] Web www.artandnetwork.com pizzicato skillfulness from William Parker and Josh Abrams bounce through an upbeat, quick-paced vibrational field. The full complement of instruments joins together to resolve “Playful Dance at Soma.” The balance of the recording is nothing less than inspirational. In every song, long or short, an intricately diverse instrumentation conveys a sacred message of Kali, the Hindu Mother goddess. Alexander's high- pitched often syllabic vocals become instrumental in themselves (”There Is Nothing Left But You”). The doson ngoni expresses the pulse as much as the drumming does. The shenai communicates a dissonance suggesting a dance-like character to the singing and recitation of the poetry. Because Drake's musical life is defined by rhythm, the rhythmic influence naturally affects how the music is spawned. The drum set inserts a rapid insistence that describes straight-ahead 4/4 count sensibilities, whereas the exotic tabla, bata and frame drum speak highly regulated cyclical rhythm lines which are penetrating and inviting. Drake's miraculous infallibility as percussionist and drummer can never dissolve; he blazes his path into the bandleader position with no less acuity. When Drake springs off the tabla on “The Beautiful Names” and sings the final song, his male voice grounds a spontaneous musical connection to serenity, and appeals to the raising of consciousness, above materiality, into a realm of pure experience, musical or otherwise. Track listing: My Blissful Mother; Playful Dance at Soma; Visions of Ma; Supreme Lay Victorious in Battle; Only Longing of My Soul; There Is Nothing Left But You; The Beautiful Names. Personnel: Hamid Drake: drums, frame drum, table, bata, vocals; Dee Alexander: vocals; Joe Morris: guitar, banjo; Jeff Parker: guitar; William Parker: bass, guimbri, shenai, doson ngoni; Josh Abrams: bass, guimbri. freejazz-stef.blogspot.com Hamid Drake & Bindu - Blissful (RogueArt, 2008) *** Hamid Drake is not only a great drummer with a very recognizable style, he's also carved out his own niche of spiritual world jazz, almost always in collaboration with bassist William Parker. On MANAGEMENT: Art&Network - Milano t. +39-02-39325388 m. +39-3382457868 Mail [email protected] Web www.artandnetwork.com "Blissful" they move a step further from "Piercing The Veil" and "Summer Snow", now completely merging jazz with world music, by adding the guitars of Jeff Parker and Joe Morris, and the bass of Josh Abrams. Next to their usual instruments, other more exotic ones join the party: shenai, guimbri, doson ngoni, tabla and banjo. As the title suggests, the music's goal is a spiritual one, here illustrated by the poems by Ramprasad Sen , an 18th Century Indian poet, who worshipped Kali, the "Divine Mother" in hinduism, the female principle, but also the goddess of destruction, not in the physical sense, but rather of ignorance, self-centeredness, and the like. The poems are narrated and sung by Dee Alexander, and her task is not an easy one, because Ramprasad's poetry is not only not very poetic, it's also not very lyrical, with lots of abstract words and unequal rhythm. To give you an idea : "O Mediator, hold this astonishing feminine presence at the center of consciousness Her three eyes are the moon of tenderness, the sun of power, and the cosmic wisdom fire that dissolves the universe. Her gaze creates a lover's intimacy. This Warrior Woman, fountain of blessing, whose daughter is she? What motives draws her into the battlefield this vast display of universal suffering?" And this is just a small extract of the very long poems. Her singing is excellent, but the lyrics are awful, and - despite their possible value in terms of content -are in fact the antithesis of the music, which is, like the other albums by Drake and Parker, full of energy, rhythmic complexities, while still being unbelievably pure and authentic. The best tracks on the album, in my view are the ones in which there is either no singing, or just worldless singing as on "Visions Of Ma". On his other albums Drake managed to create an immediate and deep spiritual intimacy, strongly expressed by the limited instrumentation and his own reverent singing. Now, the higher complexity of both the instrumentation and the emotionless, too abstract philosophical lyrics, create a distance which should not be there. Otherwise, the music is nice, with lots of North-African, Central African and Asian melodies and rhythms, and the interesting mix of instruments leads to really great moments. Listen to the end of "Supreme Lady Victorious In Battle", which really becomes great once Dee Alexander's singing becomes wordless improvisation, or to "There Is Nothing Left But You", a duo between frame drum and vocal, on which Dee Alexander is brilliant as long as there is no text to sing, truly using her voice as an instrument in its own right. Strangely enough, when Drake sings on the last track, he does so in hindi (I think), and the match is better. My feelings are mixed, I feel MANAGEMENT: Art&Network - Milano t. +39-02-39325388 m. +39-3382457868 Mail [email protected] Web www.artandnetwork.com attraction and repulsion at the same time. But I must admit, I'm not a vocals fan, and I'm surely not a fan of spoken word in music. http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com MANAGEMENT: Art&Network - Milano t. +39-02-39325388 m. +39-3382457868 Mail [email protected] Web www.artandnetwork.com New Issues 4) SCOTT FIELDS BITTER LOVE SONGS CLEAN FEED 102 Yea, Sure, We Can Still Be Friends, Whatever / Go Ahead, Take The Furniture, At Least You Helped Pick It Out / My Love Is Love, Your Love Is Hate / Your Parents Must Be Just Ecstatic Now / I Was Good Enough For You Until Your Friends Butted In / You Used To Say I Love You But So What Now. 62:14. Fields, el g; Sebastian Gramss, b; Joao Lobo, d. Cologne, Germany, 9/30/07-10/1/07. Hamid Drake by Jimmie Jones 5) HAMID DRAKE & BINDU Instead it’s largely melodic and concentrated. Fields constantly spits and dribbles out notes in stream-of-consciousness fashion, like he BLISSFUL was trying to instantly play all the thoughts racing through his head. ROGUE ART 11 My Blissful Mother / Playful Dance At Soma / Visions Of Ma / Supreme Lady Victorious In Battle / Only Longing Of My Soul / There Is Nothing Left But You / The Beautiful Names. 68:47. Drake, d, frame d, tabla, bata, vcl; Dee Alexander, vcl; Jeff Parker, g; Joe Morris, g, bjo; William Parker, b, guimbri, shenai, doson ngoni; Josh Abrams, b, guimbri. 7/1213/07, Chicago, IL. 140 | cadence | jan The first two tracks are the speediest. “My Love Is Love” settles down a bit into Progressive Rock repetition as Fields’ guitar engages in a tuneful ping pong match with Sebastian Gramss’ bass. The next two tracks are more abstract with bass and drums threatening to settle into a shuffle beat on “Your Parents” and “I Was Good Enough” featuring woozy, hungover guitar chords and creeping bass plucks. The closing “You Used To Say” is another quickstepping screed with Fields aping the speed and precision of a sitar. Whatever bad times Scott Fields went through did wonders for his music. This is the most focused work I have ever heard from him. (5) utilizes two fine guitarists, Jeff Parker and Joe Morris, in a larger group context. The last time Hamid Drake recorded with his group, Bindu (4/06, p.121), it was a sax-heavy version. This time out it’s all rhythm and voice in a mixture of spirituality, sensuality, and soul. On “Blissful Mother” and “Only Longing,” guitar, banjo, shenai, and hand drums all swirl together while Dee Alexander sings Tantric poetry over the top, evoking the stirring beauty of Jeanne Lee. The two guitarists slip and slide around a reggae beat on “Playful Dance” and play jogging Jazz chords under Alexander’s soulful wailing on “Supreme Lady.” The most powerful piece, - feb - mar 2009 New Issues “There Is Nothing Left,” belongs, instrumentally, largely to William Parker as he sets up a rock hard African vamp on doson gouni which underlines Alexander’s prayerful singing and recitation of the names of famous African-American women such as Harriet Tubman and Alice Coltrane. This is a mesmerizing piece of work from the ecstatic end of Jazz, full of transcendent power and depth. Jerome Wilson P laying together as a working unit since 1987, the dream trio TRIO 3 of Lake, Workman, and Cyrille has made a handful of records WHA’S NINE: LIVE AT centered on their solid musicianship, liquid compositional strucTHE SUNSET tures, and daring sensibilities. Though all leaders in their own right, MARGE 40 Gazzelloni / Amreen / ZC / Come On Home, Baby / Willow Song / Striation / Wha’s Nine / Hasan. 70:42. Oliver Lake, as; Reggie Workman, b; Andrew Cyrille, d. Oct. 28, 2007, Paris, France. Rafael Garrett by Greg Turner the simply-named Trio 3 is a cooperative conglomeration with the stated goal of achieving “organic improvisation,” a feat which they accomplish rather successfully. With this, their fifth release, the trio appears at the Sunset Club in Paris, with this document capturing five pieces written by the group’s members, as well as three covers from Eric Dolphy, pianist Curtis Clark, and Leroy Jenkins. For sure, the success of the record results from not only the collective wealth of their experiences and their resulting interest in cross-spectrum delights of the music, but also, their huge ears. Such intuitive communication is readily apparent on the glorious ride of Dolphy’s “Gazzelloni,” with Lake’s sparkling alto replacing Dolphy to put the trio’s stamp on the classic. As for the other pieces written by outsiders, Workman’s introspective bass sets the tone for Clark’s “Amreen,” a feature for his strong pizzicato work, as well as gentle musings from Cyrille. Jenkins’ “Come On Home, Baby” evokes its core thematic statements throughout, though Lake’s soaring lines and the restless rhythms from Workman and Cyrille make it a fitting dedication to the late Jenkins. As for the group’s own pieces, Cyrille’s midtempo pace of “ZC” has the group centering on Blues territory, while “Striation” thrives on its in-the-moment adventurousness. Additionally, Workman’s “Willow Song” is reflective at its core, with Workman’s forthright arco, Cyrille’s languid tom and cymbal work, and Lake’s incisive flights, while “Wha’s Nine” offers a heady groove with folkish underpinnings. To round out the spirited affair, Lake’s “Hasan” is yet another signpost for Cyrille’s brilliant drumming, with Lake’s memorable theme sending the Parisians home quite sated. It is surely a treat that such masters have hooked up with one another and, further, that they continue to make music at such a consistently high level. Jay Collins jan - feb - mar 2009 | cadence | 141