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Nostalgia 77 Octet - Seven & Eights
A nu definition of 21st century jazz
Ben Lamdin has, albeit momentarily, abandoned the studio in favour of a live project that is altogether jazzier than you might expect. Recorded live at London's Jazz Café, Sevens & Eights is a welcome excursion into free jazz with four versions of tracks from his longplayer The Garden, covers of Graham Collier (Down Another Road) and Sun Ra (Watsua) records and an epic eighteen minute monster bonus track.
The changes of pace across the album make for a sullen and plodding listening experience one moment and a hectic and frenzied percussive meltdown the next. I use the word “experience” because the beauty of it is that it demands to be listened to, not thrown on in the background.
The build up of second track The Hunger, for example, begins with a simple piano solo, later becoming a scuzzy chaos at its peak halfway through, before it returns to more traditional brassy stuff toward the end. Indicating its breath-snatching beauty, there is an audible silence before the Jazz Café crowd burst into rapturous applaud.
The most inspiring thing about this album is that it reminds the listener of the continued relevance of live music and pure musicianship, even within the somewhat synthetic sphere of electronica. The feat of transferring tracks that Lamdin composed as a DJ with club-goers in mind to a live jazz performance with an audience comprised of both clubbers and jazz addicts is testament to the polished production values that Lamdin holds.
An absolute treat from start to finish – welcome to the sound of future jazz.
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Post je objavljen 23.03.2008. u 20:37 sati.