SOUND CHECK.Headhunters/``Return of the Headhunters'' (Hancock Records/Verve Forecast) Herbie Hancock's ``Headhunters'' album was a '70s jazz-fusion smash that spawned one of the great two-chord funk workouts of all time in ``Chameleon.'' Now, that seminal band has reunited with help from Hancock, singer N'dea Davenport, keyboardist Billy Childs and guitarist JK for a mildly interesting collection of jazz-funk tunes that recall the adventurous Weather Report in some spots. The unsung hero of the album is drummer Michael Clark Michael (or Mike) Clark can refer to the following people:
- Fred Shuster Gillian Welch/``Hell Among the Yearlings'' (Almo Sounds Almo Sounds is a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to Polygram. The intent of the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label. ) Contemporary folkie folk·ie also folk·y n. pl. folk·ies 1. A folk singer or musician. 2. One who is an enthusiast of folk music. adj. Welch's superb sophomore effort opens with the tale of a woman who kills a man as he attacks her. The song, ``Caleb Meyer,'' sets the tone for what comes next. Although she comes from Hollywood, Welch sounds as if she was raised shoeless and penniless pen·ni·less adj. 1. Entirely without money. 2. Very poor. See Synonyms at poor. pen  ni·less·ly adv. in the Appalachian mountains Appalachian Mountains (ăpəlā`chən, –chēən, –lăch`–), mountain system of E North America, extending in a broad belt c.1,600 mi (2,570 km) SW from the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec prov. . These new tunes, co-written with longtime partner David Rawlings David Rawlings is a professional guitarist. He is best known as the longtime musical partner of bluegrass singer-songwriter Gillian Welch.He is also known in his own right as a producer, having produced Welch and bands such as Old Crow Medicine Show. and produced by T-Bone Burnett, include such stark, stirring titles as ``Devil Had a Hold of Me,'' ``My Morphine'' and ``Winter's Come & Gone,'' songs that equal her outstanding debut album of three years ago. Due in stores Tuesday. Three and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Ahmad Jamal/``Nature: The Essence Part 3'' (Birdology/Atlantic) Journeyman jazz pianist Jamal has long believed in the trio format. Here, he merges the sound of sturdy bass and drums with steel drum steel drum Tuned gong made from the end, and part of the wall, of an oil barrel. The barrel's end surface is hammered into a concave shape, and several areas are outlined by chiseled grooves. and, on a few cuts, the tenor sax of Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family: his father was a saxophonist, his mother played . It's a straight-ahead session that includes lyrical ballads Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798; it is typically considered to have marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in literature. and fast-paced pieces. Among the standouts are ``And We Were Lovers'' from the movie ``The Sand Pebbles,'' the nuanced steel drums-piano duet on Jamal's ``If I Find You Again'' and the ``Cabin in the Sky'' medley. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Susan James/``Fantastic Voyage: A Double Album'' (Red Letter Records) Ambitious local singer-songwriter James has won a loyal following. This self-produced and financed two-disc set, consisting of 10 mostly marvelous new songs and 10 atmospheric instrumentals, should win her many more. This diverse and enjoyable album features such guests as ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and top tunes like ``Every Side of Lonely,'' ``Spinning Down'' and ``Love & Luck & Sin.'' Three Stars - Fred Shuster Don Byron/``Nu Blaxploitation'' (Blue Note) Clarinetist-composer Byron's previous projects have spanned klezmer klezmer (klĕz`mər), form of instrumental folk music developed in the Eastern European Jewish community. The style had its beginnings in the Middle Ages; its name is a Yiddishized version of the Hebrew klei zemir , Afro-Cuban and avant-garde jazz. On his latest effort, though, his ego gets the best of him. While the disc has its moments - Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmore's solo on ``Fencewalk,'' for example - the album gets bogged down in tepid spoken-word segments and ill-advised pseudo-political rants targeting the O.J. Simpson trial's Mark Fuhrman. There are even two versions of something called ``Domino Theories,'' in which band members discuss everyday events over (you guessed it) a domino game. Byron tries hard to dodge labels, but the one that sticks best is must-to-avoid. One Star - Fred Shuster Bauhaus/``Crackle'' (Beggars Banquet) Despite the clamor that met Bauhaus' reunion tour stop in Hollywood a few weeks ago, the music on this best-of collection seems badly dated. Most of the time, the band's attempts at scratchy '80s minimalism minimalism, schools of contemporary art and music, with their origins in the 1960s, that have emphasized simplicity and objectivity. Minimalism in the Visual Arts bring to mind the Cure without the sense of melody. Lead singer Peter Murphy doesn't sound nearly as dark and mysterious as he became in his later years, and the version here of David Bowie's ``Ziggy Stardust'' just points out Bauhaus' primary influence. Two Stars - Fred Shuster Grant Geissman/``In With the Out Crowd'' (Higher Octave Jazz) A sticker on this album trumpets that this is some type of acid-jazz project. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Although local guitarist Geissman kicks out the jams in the style of George Benson or Cornell Dupree on the first few blues-drencheAd tracks, he quickly develops a bad case of smooth-jazz-itis and reverts to a soft acoustic sound. Jazz radio will love this record, but fans of true-life blowing sessions should steer clear. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Soundtrack/``There's Something About Mary'' (Capitol) Songs about disastrous love needn't drive you to the brink. Some numb the pain with charm, including those gathered for this soundtrack. Flighty flight·y adj. flight·i·er, flight·i·est 1. a. Given to capricious or unstable behavior. b. Characterized by irresponsible or silly behavior. 2. Easily excited; skittish. pop tunes dominate the proceedings, from Ivy's horn-punctuated heartbreaker heart·break·er n. 1. One that causes sorrow, grief, or disappointment: "one young and chaste, the other a dissolute heartbreaker of 48; one prim, the other passionate" ``This Is the Day,'' to the Push Stars' ``Everyday Shines,'' which recalls the Replacements at their most yearning. But it's Jonathan Richman who steals the show, offering his most sophisticated paeans to pining. Unlike his cutesy cute·sy adj. cute·si·er, cute·si·est Informal Deliberately or affectedly cute; precious: a cutesy boutique for children's fashions. odes of old, here he offers more wry, Cole Porter-style bon mots. His songs take the high road in unrequited love, nimbly dealing with disappointment as par for the course. Three Stars - Jim Farber New York Daily News New York Daily News Morning daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson and his cousin Robert McCormick as a subsidiary of the Tribune Co. of Chicago. The first successful tabloid-format newspaper in the U.S. Black Eyed Peas/``Behind the Front'' (Interscope) Imagine transplanting A Tribe Called Quest's East Coast brand of jazz-rap way out West. Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. takes the dreamy keyboards and elastic bass lines of Quest's Manhattan style and marries them to L.A. elements, like Latin funk and Hollywood lounge sounds. They also add some surprise elements, like electronic pings that could come straight from a Kraftwerk record. The trio's forceful raps offer a nice counterpoint to their smooth grooves, making for something tasty, varied and true. Three Stars - Jim Farber John Forte/``Poly Sci'' (Ruffhouse/Columbia) Forte is the first member of the Fugees circle known as the Refugee Camp to emerge with a solo album. The dreadlocked Exeter Academy grad first shone on Wyclef Jean's ``(We're Trying to) Stay Alive.'' On ``Poly Sci,'' the rapper steps out with ``Ninety-Nine (Flash the Message),'' which liberally cops from Nena's '80s hit ``99 Luftballoons,'' then adds a host of clever rhymes that stick in your head along with the hook.A Forte distinguishes himself with his street-poet observations throughout, though only attaches them to memorable grooves about half the time, most effectively on ``P.B.E. (Powerful, Beautiful, Excellent)'' and the powerful and excellent ``God Is Love, God Is War.'' Three Stars - Dan DeLuca Philadelphia Inquirer CAPTION(S): 6 Photos Photo: (1) Folk artist Gillian Welch follows her outstanding debut album with the equally worthy ``Hell Among the Yearlings,'' produced by T-Bone Burnett. (2--6) no caption (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion