From: David Bassin (bassyd_at_pacbell.net)
Date: 2003-06-24 09:36:05
Greetings,
Since last week's show was pre-recorded, I was feeling fairly relaxed, especially after Cinematic Orchestra's stellar performance at Bimbo's and a fine DJ set from Truby Trio at Club 6, yet now the pressure of two weeks' worth of new material is upon me and the deadline for this newsletter rapidly approaches......so:
Cinematic Orchestra: Man With The Movie Camera DVD - Originally planned as a one-off gig commissioned for the Porto Film Festival, Man With The Movie Camera grew into something much larger - an album, a DVD and the genesis of Every Day - Cinematic Orchestra's breathtaking "second" record.
Created as an experimental film in 1929, director Dziga Vertov depicts a day in the life of Soviet society, from the stillness of early morning, to the hustle & bustle of an industrialized city during the workday and finally to more recreative pastimes that culminate in a drunken bar scene and a tripod that also appears a bit tipsy, thanks to stop-motion effects. Vertov frames his film in a theater with an audience in attendance and employs quite a few innovations for his day, such as split-screens, image overlays and during one scene, the film appears to split apart in two at some horribly skewed angle.
Jason Swinscoe and band create a score that's perfectly in tune to the visuals, deftly accentuating the action (or lack of) throughout. It's to their credit that the score was performed live for the 68 min. film and that this was the recording released to the public. The disc contains some choice extras, including a documentary on the production originally aired on British television, two complete live performances of "Man With The Movie Camera" and "Theme De Yoyo" filmed at Cargo, the Super 8 version of "All That You Give" (featuring Fontella Bass), a photo gallery, bios and more.
Although my copy came in a plain sleeve, I've seen the packaging for the commercial release and it's very attractive and matches the CD nicely. Man With The Movie Camera is a treat for both music lovers and film buffs. Highly recommended.
More music:
UNKLE - Never Never Land: James Lavelle returns after a long hiatus with a dark, brooding work that alternates between uptempo ravers to slow, sample-heavy ambience. A number of guests appear to spice up the action, including Graham Gouldman (10cc), Ian Brown (Stone Roses), Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) and 3D (Massive Attack), making for a most interesting musical popouri.
9 Lazy 9 - Sweet Jones: Who said trip-hop was dead? 9 Lazy 9 have created a delicious 13-course meal, using only the finest Italian musicians. A veritable smoker's delight, shuffling percussion ebbs and flows into trombone, flute and bassoon that drift along in no particular hurry, then pop into a local nightspot for some serious jazzy grooves. Heady stuff indeed.
Nathan Haines - Squire For Hire: The long-awaited follow-up to Sound Travels, Squire is ably produced by Phil Asher and offers some choice nu-jazz and lounge compositions, accompanied by a number of guest vocalists. The great Marlena Shaw nails the title track, while Rich Medina lends his awesome baritone pipes to two numbers, sounding very much like Gil Scott-Heron in his prime. The one number that left me scratching my head, is a cover of Steely Dan's "FM." Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the tune, but Mr. H simply copied the arrangement note for note and forgot to add anything original in the process.
Jazztronik - Set Free: Japanese DJ / musician Ryota Nozaki is back with a stunning collection of bossa, breakbeaks and funk that had me marvelling at the sheer beauty of it all. In the past, I haven't found the Jazztronk albums to be particularly cohesive, but Set Free changes all of that. The pacing and sequencing is superb and there is some excellent piano work that set the stage for some thrilling arrangements. Set Free should be widely available in the near future.
Singles: there are too many to review, so I'll name-check instead: Baby Mammoth - "Finale," Swamburger feat. Zano & Deuce Logic - "Sun-Vibes," (thanks, Marley!), Blaktroniks - "That's My Word," Si Begg - "Moveup," Akufen - "Hawaiian Vodka Party," Ikon - "The Dove," Thunderball - "Domino," Yakoto (feat. Domu) - "All Creation" and several dope new tunes from the Ecco Chamber label, including "Luce Divino" from Sonoluce and Vana-Bar's "Moonstomper EP."
If that isn't a show and a half, I don't know what is.....
Until next time, ciao for now,
David
If you'd like to submit music for consideration on FreeFall, the mailing address is:
David Bassin / FreeFall
111 Laidley St.
San Francisco, CA 94131
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Last week's playlist and rebroadcast available online now:
http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?autostart=dbassin
FreeFall 151: 6.17.03 - Mitchell & Dewbury In The Mix
Ben Mitchell Mix
Mitchell & Dewbury - Globetrotter (Mumo)
Bambu - The Real Thing (Bitches Brew)
Gil Felix - Que Alegria (Sao Benitez Mix) (Mr. Bongo)
Mr. Hermano - Como Um Sol (Disorient)
Sao Benitez feat. Billie Godfrey - Peace & Love (Mr. Bongo)
Mitchell & Dewbury - Beyond The Rains (Mumo)
Bukky Leo - Why Can't We Live Together? (Can Can)
Mitchell & Dewbury - Rapping With The Gods (Mumo)
Russ Dewbury Mix
Visoneers - The World Is Yours (Omniverse)
Spencer Jackson Family - Walk Up Moses (ABC)
Sandboy - The Hike (Hinterland)
Mitchell & Dewbury - Children Of Ra (Mumo)
Mitchell & Dewbury - Living....Am I Living (Mumo)
Pepe Sanchez Y Su Rock Band - Sentimiento
The Latin Project - Lei Lo Lai (Electric Monkey)
Dutch Rhythm Combo - Go Dutch! (Pulver)
Mitchell & Dewbury - Love Is Flowing To Love (Mumo)
Terry Callier - Darker Than A Shadow (Mitchell & Dewbury Rmx) (Disorient)
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller (Kent)
John Lee Hooker - She's Mine (Biem/Stemra)
Drumagick - Malandeagem (Slate)
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