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10/31/08 Personal Fest Buenos Aires
11/06/08 Circolo degli Artisti Rome 11/07/08 Club to Club Turin 11/15/08 Stimul Festival Prague 11/20/08 Dingwalls London 11/21/08 Academy Manchester 12/12/08 LPR New York* 12/14/08 Ars Nova Philadelphia, PA* 01/31/09 Laneway Festival Brisbane 02/01/09Laneway Festival Melbourne 02/06/09 Laneway Festival Perth 02/07/09 Laneway Festival Adelaide 02/08/09 Laneway Festival Sydney * as Hebden and Reid |
Years ago, when I was part of a Bulletin Board System known as Grex, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I was a very active member of the music conference there. I remember someone saying (perhaps it was krj) that there was too much of a tendency in the jazz community to lean towards purism, and anything that was outside traditional jazz, such as works by Sun Ra, tended not to receive much accolades or scholarly recognition. (Sun Ra's eccentric ways, however, are another story.)
I thought of this while listening to NYC, which is a collaborative work by Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid. It is definitely not like anything I've ever listened to before, but having researched the two, I would describe the sound as old school meets new. To say that it is definitely outside the realm of traditional jazz is an understatement, but it still is described by the jazz idiom of improvisation.
Steve Reid is a well-established jazz drummer in the U.S. He's played with big names in jazz and black music like Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Fela Kuti, James Brown, and Sun Ra. It was the connection to Sun Ra in particular that got me thinking on that memory, and that Reid, in working with Hebden, seems to be extending the progressivism that artists like Sun Ra started. I also thought of Herbie Hancock, who has been well known for his use of synthesizers and his crossover into the U.S. pop charts.
Kieran Hebden is a mix artist and post-rock/electronica musician, better known by the name Four Tet. The list of artists he has done remixes for include Radiohead, Bloc Party, and Black Sabbath. His use of both acoustic and electronic sounds as Four Tet were dubbed "folktronica" by the mainstream music press (after his second album Pause), but I would define his abstract style (at least from this recording) as ambient. Also known as atmospheric music, ambient is a branch of electronic music characterized by an "atmosphere of sound", as compared to hooks, melodies, and refrains.
It is difficult to point to any single track on NYC, as it is much easier for me to look at it as a collective whole. It's not that the tracks aren't distinct, for they are, but they do seem to lead into each other in an eclectic and abstract progression of sound. Moreover, the track listing sounds almost like a travel log: "Lyman Place", "1st & 1st", "25th Street", "Arrival", "Between B & C", and "Departure". I would say that almost qualifies it as a concept album. It's also not the first work Reid and Hebden have done together; three albums-- The Exchange Sessions, vol. 1, The Exchange Sessions, vol. 2, and Tongues predate it. The first two in particular appear to be the product of some improvisational shows they did together in 2005, and as Reid was reported to have referred to Hebden as his newly found "musical soul mate" while discussing their collaborations, I get the feeling you really have to see them live to fully appreciate their artistry.
I thought of this while listening to NYC, which is a collaborative work by Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid. It is definitely not like anything I've ever listened to before, but having researched the two, I would describe the sound as old school meets new. To say that it is definitely outside the realm of traditional jazz is an understatement, but it still is described by the jazz idiom of improvisation.
Steve Reid is a well-established jazz drummer in the U.S. He's played with big names in jazz and black music like Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Fela Kuti, James Brown, and Sun Ra. It was the connection to Sun Ra in particular that got me thinking on that memory, and that Reid, in working with Hebden, seems to be extending the progressivism that artists like Sun Ra started. I also thought of Herbie Hancock, who has been well known for his use of synthesizers and his crossover into the U.S. pop charts.
Kieran Hebden is a mix artist and post-rock/electronica musician, better known by the name Four Tet. The list of artists he has done remixes for include Radiohead, Bloc Party, and Black Sabbath. His use of both acoustic and electronic sounds as Four Tet were dubbed "folktronica" by the mainstream music press (after his second album Pause), but I would define his abstract style (at least from this recording) as ambient. Also known as atmospheric music, ambient is a branch of electronic music characterized by an "atmosphere of sound", as compared to hooks, melodies, and refrains.
It is difficult to point to any single track on NYC, as it is much easier for me to look at it as a collective whole. It's not that the tracks aren't distinct, for they are, but they do seem to lead into each other in an eclectic and abstract progression of sound. Moreover, the track listing sounds almost like a travel log: "Lyman Place", "1st & 1st", "25th Street", "Arrival", "Between B & C", and "Departure". I would say that almost qualifies it as a concept album. It's also not the first work Reid and Hebden have done together; three albums-- The Exchange Sessions, vol. 1, The Exchange Sessions, vol. 2, and Tongues predate it. The first two in particular appear to be the product of some improvisational shows they did together in 2005, and as Reid was reported to have referred to Hebden as his newly found "musical soul mate" while discussing their collaborations, I get the feeling you really have to see them live to fully appreciate their artistry.
Links: kieranhebdenandstevereid.com fourtet.net myspace.com/fourtetkieranhebden
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