2009.10.09
CD reviews that won't fit in Saturday's paper
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
"The Life of the World to Come" (4AD)
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle is an expert in dysfunctional relationships, whether it be within the alpha couple of Tallahassee and other albums, or his own with his stepfather on "The Sunset Tree." For "The Life of the World to Come," he tackles an even bigger relationship: the spiritual crises of a doubtful believer (or maybe a believing doubter). In insistent, often understated tunes (mostly an acoustic guitar trio, sometimes laced with strings or piano), Darnielle struggles with faith, mortality, and salvation.
"You were a presence full of light upon this earth, and I am a witness to your life and to its worth," Darnielle murmurs. The song is a heartbreakingly vivid and poetic depiction of dealing with a friend's terminal cancer that skirts being maudlin even when it turns: "It's three days later when I get the call, and there's nobody around to break my fall." It's called "Matthew 25:21," and that it and all the other songs are tied to Bible verses only deepens what are already complex emotions.
- Steve Klinge, The Philadelphia Inquirer
BEBEL GILBERTO
"All in One" (Verve)
The daughter of bossa nova god Joco Gilberto has a sweet supple voice and a sandy sense of Brazilian musicality whose serene flavorful sway never lets you forget that she's daddy's little girl. Carlinhos Brown's shoulder-shifting ballad "Nossa Senhora" and a breezy, piano-heavy version of her pop's "Bim Bom" with Daniel Jobim (grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim) do the beach trick nicely.
But rather than roll blithely through nothing but samba, the slight vocalist makes some interesting non-bossa choices. The weirdly Beatles-like title track, an electro-slinky Latin take on Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining," and a Mark Ronson-produced version of Stevie Wonder's "The Real Thing" that manages to mash up the Motown Sound with blaxploitation-worthy theatricality are delicious.
There are John Barry-inspired elements found within and even a surprisingly corny but dear version of the kitschy Hollywood classic "Chica Chica Boom Chic" once sung by Carmen Miranda. Other than those moments, little of "All in One" radiates the adventure that audiences found in the subtle electronic exotica of 2000's "Tanto Tempo" or any of her recent excursions in modern Braziliana.
That's OK. What her new album lacks in excitement is made up by Gilberto's confidence as a songwriter and balladeer.
- A.D. Amorosi, The Philadelphia Inquirer
KEITH JARRETT
"Testament Paris/London" (ECM)
When people look back at jazz in our time, they will have to contend with pianist Keith Jarrett. It's easy to think that from this three-disc, solo piano album, due out this week.
For decades, Jarrett has sought to reinvent the solo concert, leaving the old tunes behind and working completely off the moment without a playbook. In 2008, when his wife of 30 years left him, he committed to playing solo concerts in Paris and London, which now form these CDs, and the leaps he takes here are both emotional and musical. (In personal liner notes that are highly unusual for the austere ECM, he describes coming offstage in tears.) The different moods, all described simply as "Part I," "Part II," "Part III" etc., are often extraordinary. It is cool to go where Jarrett wants to. He can wax simple and melodic. He can be driven to heights by a repeating bass line. And he can follow a single line down a rabbit hole until it devolves into a polyphony of piano lines.
Throughout, Jarrett maintains some peculiarities that first-timers may find disconcerting, such as his munchkin-like voice, which occasionally accompanies moments of inspiration.
He also maintains a close rapport with the audience. The Paris audience on disc one gets some Debussy-like arpeggios and Parisian jazz ambience, while the Londoners on discs two and three get frenetic modernism and a surprising optimism. There's much more on both discs. The closing "Part XII" is churchlike and gospel-drenched. Jarrett practically saves the Queen.
- Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer
PAPA JOHN DEFRANCESCO
"Big Shot" (Savant)
This CD constitutes a fine slice of Philly barbecue. The region's Papa John DeFrancesco leads this soulful exercise, but it's largely a family affair with sons Joey DeFrancesco -the internationally known organist who played Roanoke's Jefferson Center in April - on keyboards and John DeFrancesco on guitar. The DeFrancescos have been mixing it up so long with drummer Byron Landham and bassist Mike Boone that they must qualify as family, too.
The aim here is to get soulful in an understated way. Papa John rides herd on a Diversi DV-Duo Plus Organ, made by a Woodlyn, Pa., company that seeks to revive the Hammond B-3 sound so integral to the jazz organ. (Joey is described as an investor.) Papa John carries off the patriarch role with aplomb, pulling an earthy feel on "Down Home" and getting funky on "What."
Another pleasure is hearing Joey on keyboards outside his usual organ perch. The former Philly phenom squeezes a lot of juice from the Doors' "Riders on the Storm." New York-based Jerry Weldon is the capable tenor man complementing the sextet's expressive tendencies.
-K.S.
