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THE CHADBOURNE LUCK: SECOND CHANCE AT JAZZ
THE CHADBOURNE LUCK: SECOND CHANCE AT JAZZ
VOLUME ONE: SECOND CHANCE AT JAZZ Reviewed by Bruce Gallanter in Downtown Music Gallery newsletter.
Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on banjo & guitar, Phil Minton on vocals, Tony Trishka on banjo, Barry Mitterhof on mandolin, Lenny Kaye on pedal steel & electric guitar, Julian Kytasty on bandoura, Evan Rappaport on soprano & alto saxes, Walter Malli on soprano sax, Chris Turner on harmonica and Jeff Cohen on bass. Doc Chadbourne has long had a reputation for finding like-minded musicians from varied scenes, far & near, to work with. If you look closely at the selection of musicians on this disc we find that they are front all over: Tony Trishka & Barry Mitterhof, Jersey-based bluegrass greats, wacky singer Phil Minton & Chris Turner (UK improv scene), Lenny Kaye (from the Patti Smith Band), Julian Kytasty & Walter Malli (both worked with Derek Bailey). Doc Chadbourne has just released a series of six CD’s called the ‘Project Omnibook’ series, this ‘Volume 1’. Since this year, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, Chadbourne has included a number of Bird’s songs throughout his new series. This disc opens with “52nd St. Theme” which soon mutates into something stranger, freer. There are some scary monster movie growling vocals along alternating banjo and electric guitar lines woven within, which keep increasing in tempo and then slowing back down. Doc Chad seems to enjoy having several collages of sound intertwining, snatches of conversations, perhaps live or from a TV, along with noisy guitar fragments and sped up banjo weirdness. Unexpected segments from different musicians like Julian Kytasty on bandura, (a zither/lute combination). All of the pieces flow together with different sounding small ensembles accompanying him. Although I do enjoy most of this, I often wish that I knew who was playing on each piece, otherwise it is a constant guessing game. There is a section where Doc Chad and Lenny Kaye (I guess) are trading guitar licks, quickly back & forth, and then other instruments sail in: harmonica or soprano sax. Kind of like the endless jam. At 76 minutes, this is quite a bit to take in, especially when things become a bit mind-numbing. Perhaps this might work better if I just listened to it in spurts. And this is only Volume 1, lots more to go. Hmmmmmmmm
VOLUME ONE: SECOND CHANCE AT JAZZ Reviewed by Bruce Gallanter in Downtown Music Gallery newsletter.
Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on banjo & guitar, Phil Minton on vocals, Tony Trishka on banjo, Barry Mitterhof on mandolin, Lenny Kaye on pedal steel & electric guitar, Julian Kytasty on bandoura, Evan Rappaport on soprano & alto saxes, Walter Malli on soprano sax, Chris Turner on harmonica and Jeff Cohen on bass. Doc Chadbourne has long had a reputation for finding like-minded musicians from varied scenes, far & near, to work with. If you look closely at the selection of musicians on this disc we find that they are front all over: Tony Trishka & Barry Mitterhof, Jersey-based bluegrass greats, wacky singer Phil Minton & Chris Turner (UK improv scene), Lenny Kaye (from the Patti Smith Band), Julian Kytasty & Walter Malli (both worked with Derek Bailey). Doc Chadbourne has just released a series of six CD’s called the ‘Project Omnibook’ series, this ‘Volume 1’. Since this year, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, Chadbourne has included a number of Bird’s songs throughout his new series. This disc opens with “52nd St. Theme” which soon mutates into something stranger, freer. There are some scary monster movie growling vocals along alternating banjo and electric guitar lines woven within, which keep increasing in tempo and then slowing back down. Doc Chad seems to enjoy having several collages of sound intertwining, snatches of conversations, perhaps live or from a TV, along with noisy guitar fragments and sped up banjo weirdness. Unexpected segments from different musicians like Julian Kytasty on bandura, (a zither/lute combination). All of the pieces flow together with different sounding small ensembles accompanying him. Although I do enjoy most of this, I often wish that I knew who was playing on each piece, otherwise it is a constant guessing game. There is a section where Doc Chad and Lenny Kaye (I guess) are trading guitar licks, quickly back & forth, and then other instruments sail in: harmonica or soprano sax. Kind of like the endless jam. At 76 minutes, this is quite a bit to take in, especially when things become a bit mind-numbing. Perhaps this might work better if I just listened to it in spurts. And this is only Volume 1, lots more to go. Hmmmmmmmm