WADADA/DEJOHNETTE - NOWA PŁYTA

[pqoqiq]

"AMERICA" .....

[greenfoxy]

Nie taka znowu nowa, ale na pewno znakomita.
www.rockserwis.pl:8080/serwis.do?menu=main&l=1&pid=107309
Dwie legendarne postacie jazzu połączyły swoje siły ponad 30 lat
temu, tworząc wspaniałą uduchowioną muzykę, pełną znakomitych partii
instrumentalnych. Odrzucony przez wytwórnię ECM album przeleżał na
półce trzy dekady i ukazuje się dopiero teraz. Płyta została nagrana
przez artystów w New Jersey, w studiu należącym do Billa Laswella.

[jasiek_natolin]

No proszę, nie wiedziałem,że to stary material. Myślałem,że duety
Wadady i Jacka z płyt Złotego Kwartetu ( posłuchajcie sobie
zwłaszcza tego z ostatniego utworu na płycie The Year of the
Elephant - to jest sama kwintesencja jazzu)były wstępem do tej
płyty.A one były raczej ukoronowaniem wspólnego grania . Bo nie
wiadomo,czy panowie jeszcze razem zagrają.
No cóż , a za sześć dni koncert stulecia. Miejmy nadzieję.Bez
Jacka,ale nie on jeden jest świetnym drummerem.

[jazzmiszcz]

Tutaj trochę o tej płytce :
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wadada Leo Smith & Jack DeJohnette - America (Tzadik, 2009) *****
Wadada Leo Smith is without a doubt one of the best jazz trumpeters
of the moment, and Jack DeJohnette is without a doubt the best jazz
drummer of the last decades. These two top artists approached ECM
with their project for a trumpet and drums duo album in 1979, but it
never materialized then, despite both musicians', and especially
DeJohnette's, ample releases on the German label. Now, thirty years
later, the project is there, and what a shame we did not get this
earlier, and what a joy to hear it now. If anything, Tzadik should
be remembered for its efforts to give Wadada Leo Smith the voice and
attention he deserves (including for the re-release of all his
earlier work).

I like the concept per se (and see my incomplete list of trumpet-
drums duets), because of the clear sound of the trumpet in
combination with the rattling percussion. It has something basic,
fundamental, essential that a piano-drums duet cannot bring, nor a
sax-drums duet. It is pristine. Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell gave the
first example of its power on the highly recommendable "Mu" in 1969.
This album is not comparable, primarily because Cherry and Blackwell
had totally different personalities. The joy of life, the childlike
surprise of integrating new world music concepts in their jazz, the
fun of interacting and playing music were essential for them. Smith
and DeJohnette are not like that at all, and nor is their music.
Both are serious types. Technical professionals of a very high
level, enjoying the complexities and possibilities of their skills,
and like Cherry and Blackwell they are very much into the spiritual
side of their music, but then without a smile, more austere, but not
less rewarding for the listener. It's like comparing the austere
Bach with the more playful Mozart.

This is not Smith's first approach of the concept, and his two other
releases "Compassion", with Adam Rudolph and "Wisdom In Time" with
Günter Baby Sommer, both got a 5-star quotation from your humble
servant. And well, this one too. It's hard to compare the three even
if the limited line-up is the same, Smith's approach to the music is
totally different. While "America" still has some of the more
spiritual and meditative elements of the former CDs, it is expansive
first and foremost, more accessible, more exuberant, more rhythmic,
and that is to a large extent DeJohnette's doing. And the drummer is
brilliant. Inventive, original, hard-driving, subtle, thundering,
refined, silent, playing up a storm. The breadth of his ideas and
the perfection in the execution are as usual astonishing. And he
clearly likes the freedom he gets here, just like on his duo album
with John Surman some years ago. And Wadada Leo Smith also opens all
the registers of his skills: from bell-clear tones to murmurs and
wails, rhythmic phrases or slow contemplative introvert tones. And
then of course there is the interaction : the total is much greater
than the sum of its parts. Great musicians, great interplay, great
ideas, great expressivity, great creativity. Deep and panoramic.

An absolute "must have" for anyone interested in music. Full stop.