Re: Mother Earth/ Corduroy

Joe Spaeth (jspaeth@unm.edu)
Wed, 25 Oct 1995 16:00:27 -0700


>On Wed, 25 Oct 1995, cornwell wrote:
>
>> > i've been lurking for a few weeks, and haven't heard any buzz about:
>> >
>> > Mother Earth
>> > Corduroy
>> >
>> > (both new releases in U.S. from Hollywood aj) - check 'em out

>No, you're NOT behind, us Yanks are the ones behind! These "new" releases are
>Mother Earth's "The People Tree" and Corduroy's "Out Of Here."!!!
>These were released along with BNH'S "Original Flava" and another album
>as the first of the AJ/Hollywood Records US releases that came out last
>week. I'm pretty much sure all the tracks are the same as well.

I picked up the "new" Corduroy's "Out of Here" last week. Never having
heard them before, live or otherwise, I can't compare it to anything else
they've done and I had no preconceptions of what to expect.

With that said, I really like it. But when I played it for some of my
non-acid-jazzophile friends, the response was..."sounds like Steely Dan
redone."

I personally think that comment misses the point. Whereas I can see some
similarities in the vocals and in some of the jazzier riffs, there is
little else in common.

What a statement like that does point out is that, since Acid Jazz draws
heavily from past styles, people are bound to make comparisons...usually
from a reference point that is familiar to them. The problem is when that
is all they can see (the similarity to something else) and they can't see
what is new or novel about it. This is an ongoing problem I have with my
friends in regards to acid jazz.

xxx

The other observation that I would like to make has been stated by new
subscribers over and over..."What is Acid Jazz!?!" If Corduroy is acid
jazz, what is Jazzmatazz?? Maybe similar ideas were used in the
conceptualization of both projects (blending 70's funky jazz idioms, 80's
street rhythm, etc), but come on...these projects are worlds apart!
Assuming that both are Acid Jazz, then one is in the English pop of the
60's branch of acid jazz, the other is in the Hip-hop branch of acid jazz?
Then I have a Solsonics and Groove Collective CDs which seems to me to have
more of the elements of traditional jazz (longer solos, etc). Help!

I'm not trying to be offensive, just confused.