Beverage review
I must admit to a healthy dose of ignorance in regards to Mr. Giallorenzo's music. I've seen him play a number of times, mostly in improvised settings, but I wouldn't say I was particularly familiar with his compositional voice or work as a leader.
So you can imagine my pleasant surprise to find such a fully formed compositional voice and group approach on his new and (first?) release as a leader.
The band is made up of stalwart Chicago musicians and improvisers, Josh Berman on cornet, Dave Rempis on assorted saxophones, Anton Hatwich on bass and the increasingly ubiquitous (in a good way) Frank Rosaly on drums.
From the patient outset of Vacillation to the Monkesque quirk and bounce of Twisted Lopes, Giallorenzo has created an impressive batch of music with impressive depth and breadth. The album title is certainly fitting, as this is an inside/out affair with healthy doses of melody, composition, textural and timbral exploration. Overall I'd say the balance leans towards the in-side of the equation however.
Get In To Go Out provides some fantastic opportunities to hear Chicago improvisers at their best: Josh Berman's ever developing clarity of vision and direction is displayed on Fifth Flow; Dave Rempis provides some of the most explosive moments on the album on Crazy Ladies and Double Team; and Giallorenzo evinces a deft touch and impeccable sense of swing throughout the album. Most of all, his compositional voice is revelatory in the context of my ignorance of his work.
Without a doubt the album comes highly recommended and I hope this group gets heard by audiences outside of Chicago.
For those in Chicago, the Get In To Go Out band plays this Thursday at 10:00PM at Elastic, 2830 N Milwaukee. Go check them out.
Although this album wasn't paired with any specific drink, but rather quite a few, I'm going to review a favorite that was sipped on several listening occasions. Yogi Ginger Tea is the most potent of commercially available bagged teas, with a strong spice if brewed long enough. Ginger is a magical rhizome with healing properties, is beneficial for digestion, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and is chock full of anti-oxidants. For me, no ginger drink is potent enough and nothing can stand in the way of me and a proper ginger product.
Nels Cline's latest release on Cryptogramophone, Coward, is an expansive guitar/stringed instrument tour de force of solo musical vision. What it lacks in single minded cohesion it makes up for in schizophrenic breadth, and through the magic of studio technology we get to hear multiple Nels Clines interacting with himself with incredible results.
Coward is less like a continent, or even a discreet country, and more like an archipelago or collection of islands. The natives on each might look the same in physical appearance, but each has a different word for mango in their dialect, their own customs and beliefs, and certainly their own musical approaches. The six track Onan suite is the largest island amongst them, with the most expansive historical literature and the most robust economic activity.
To give you an idea of what kind of diversity we're dealing with here, certain on Coward tracks would be at home on a Pauline Oliveros deep listening excursion while others seem to dance in a Frisellian shadow of ghostly reverb laden Americana.
As you might expect from previous work, Nels Cline is comfortable with a wide variety of timbres, textures, and sounds and uses them all to paint his vivid picture. On the alubm he plays: acoustic & electric guitars, effects, sruti boxes, autoharp/zitherthings, megamouth, koassilator, and the ever elusive quintronics drum buddy.
This is music to commute by, preferably on a train or crowded bus. It's great walking music as well. If I had to describe the album in a single word, an undoubtedly futile exercise on my part, I would say Coward is hypnotic.
I paired Coward with a loose leaf blend of Monk's tea, which is a ceylon black tea blended with vanilla and grenadine. It's a very smooth taste if you don't over steep it. A cup provides just the right amount of mental edge from caffeine as I'd hoped, and the aroma is heavenly. It's delicious hot but also makes some of the tastiest iced tea I've ever had. I think it went remarkably well with Coward although depending on the setting a nice jasmine would have been nice.
For your listening pleasure, posted with the generous permission of Cryptogramophone, I give you:
Azita's newest Drag City release How Will You? finds the singer in a markedly stripped down setting, accompanied by her own piano, bass, guitar, and drums. The context serves her well, highlighting her singular voice and songwriting and laying bare the elements of her music without excessive garnish.
It's a timeless equation, the simplicity and warmth of the arrangements inviting the listener in to complete the music's equation with their presence and attention. It wouldn't work if Azita didn't possess the clarity of vision that is apparent in her songs. It would ring hollow and perhaps feel lacking in flesh. None of these concerns are present on How Will You?
Lyrically Azita is particularly hard to pin down. She obviously takes great care in the sound of the words and how they fall in relation to the melody and harmony of her songs. In terms of content however, they oftentimes resemble Steven Malkmus' Pavement era lyrics, where phrases make "sense" in and of themselves but are sometimes disjointed in the context of a whole song. A dreamy mist pervades the lyrics, a veneer that separates the underlying reality from what we are allowed to see.
Her band consists of John Herndon on drums, Emmett Kelly on guitar(s), Matt Lux on bass, Rian Murphy on percussion/drums, and herself on piano and vocals.
How Will You? is a refreshing affair. A beautifully singular voice paired with thoughtful songwriting, and a diverse program of songs that differ in energy but are united in sound and purpose.
I chose to pair it with a bagged tea from Long Life teas, an organic blend of Echinacea and Goldenseal. It also includes some mint leaves and eleuthero root. The mint was the primary flavor that came through, although there was also an earthy almost hay like undertone that pervaded the whole cup. I'm hoping it might help with my allergies which are in full bloom right now. I found it went well with Azita's album, although something with a bit of caffeine might have paired better.
For your listening pleasure, posted with the express written permission of Drag City Records:
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