Customer Reviews

Afric Pepperbird

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This fabulous album is often underrated because savvy modern listeners expect it to be "of its time," i.e. dated. In fact, it is one of Garbarek's most stimulating and exciting albums, bursting with humour and technical brilliance. It will have your head popping along with your fingers. About the only dated moment on the album is the fade-out-fade-back-in at the end of Track 3 "Beast of Komodo," which by the way is a terrific, bluesy romp driven by an irresistible bassline.

Nearly every track is a charmer; "Blow Away Zone" is a squawking delight and the title track, "Afric Pepperbird" is a swinging, smooth, very impressive outing for all four musicians.

The "African" content of the album is, as the title suggests, a quirky fantasy, rather than a deliberate incorporation of real African music; the continuous interpolation of marimbas and other primitive instruments, animal sounds, bird calls, insects chirping and what have you evoke a magical landscape of jungles & savannahs.

Great tunes, sophisticated arrangements and the confidence to improvise to the max make this a collection which hits all the right notes.

Even the absurd final track, "Blupp" always makes me smile.

Highly recommended to new & old Garbarek fans.

This is Garbarek's first release. for anyone who is just starting out on garbarek's music and is either only familiar with recent works ie last ten years titles such as officium twelve moons i took up the runes etc may find this a difficult cd to listen to. Firstly you must remember that this recording is from around 1969 (30 yrs ago) the european jazz scene was very much into note jazz not so much into rythms and melodies and esoteric or atmospherics. Basically Garbarek attacks the music with the sax growling out brilliant pieces backed by Terje Arild and jon After purchasing Officium after hearing one track i leapt in at the deep end and bought Afird pepperbird and at first was shocked, mainly by the difference. I was soon sitting totally engrossed...

Jan Garbarek (tenor and bass saxophones, clarinet, flutes, percussion)
Terje Rypdal (guitar, bugle)
Arild Andersen (bass, african thumb piano, xylophone)
Jon Christensen (percussion)

A record which is hot and spacious as the desert.

Rhythms with unusual colours, complex and obsessive, refusing to slip into the background. A saxophone that yells, buzzes and stings as a crazy insect; that now and then decides to behave and starts playing with a recognizable line or a jazz phrase, only to get bored with it and spew it out a few seconds later. The bass that, as to introduce itself, plays a long sequence made up exclusively of "wrong" notes, but with such conviction and precision that it makes you think it must be a defined musical system learned on some unknown planet. Everything lit by the soft, almost spiritual light of what is, incidentally, one of the most intelligent and original uses of guitar I've ever heard, a rare sound that at moments rides the feeling of being out of place, drawing strange tensions out of it.

Such a particular combination requires a little acclimatization to be fully enjoyed. At times one may find himself wondering if it is normal that percussion and bass line seem to be supported by few sparse guitar chords rather than the opposite, or be surprised that the different instruments are still going in the same direction after all.

So at first listening, for a while, you look desperately for the usual relations, a structure to grab; then you give up and simply surrender to the music. After a while it seems like a new sense for sound is coming to light, a new ear made for another kind of order - and you realize that this is one of those records that teach you a new language. At that point, if you are lucky, the title track starts and you find yourself surrounded by the mistery of an eastern night, in pure ecstasy.

Important especially in its creative early free-jazz context, these rambling often atonal jams do come packed with enough fused Miles-esque integrity to keep things engaging enough, but lacks the melodic propulsion that separates tastefully lasting experiment from tried and true classic. Spicy sputtering

Ok, first I have to admit...I'm not a fan of Mr. Garbarek. His soprano sax playing has always made me think that this is where people like Kenny G got a lot of their ideas and inspiration to ruin the music called "jazz" like they have. I have tried, and tried, and tried to like Garbarek's playing on many otherwise exellent ECM albums from the 70's, and, I'm sorry, but, everytime I've heard him play it's always ruined the entire album for me. Ralph Towner's "Solstice" is the only exeption...I'm able to only barely tolerate what he does there, and that's only because of the strength of the rest of the players, I have to tune Garbarek out. In fact, over the past 5 yrs. or so, I've gotten in the habit of turning down otherwise very tantalizing albums because of the very mention of one "Jan Garbarek-Saxophones" on the cover, until today. For a long time I've heard that Afric Pepperbird is worth checking out, and after keeping my eyes peeled for it for years, I stumbled upon it and decided to give it a try. Boy was I suprised! This album is great! I'm a big fan of later period Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, and Ornette, and I've got to say that this album is a definite classic in that vein. This proves to me why every player on this disc is a European Jazz legend by now. My already great respect for Mssrs. Andersen, Rypdal, and Christensen has gotten that much greater as a result of this album. Arild Andersen is particularly strong here. If you can tolerate or even like free jazz, or Jan Garbarek or any of the musicians on this date, you need to check this out. In my opinion, it will be worth it!