Customer Reviews

Faces & Places

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I admit that I haven't followed Jow Zawinul's career since the break-up of Weather Report, although I've casually listened to some of his solo albums. I really can't say what prompted me to buy Faces and Places, but an interesting review in a popular jazz magazine probably contributed to my decision.

Let me state my preferences out front: I usually don't like synth-heavy jazz. I usually don't like vocal-oriented jazz. Since this disc is both, what gives? Why do I like it very much? Probably because Zawinul has somehow figured out how to seemlessly intgrate the ungainly (cheesy?) sounds of his synth and the unlikely vocal gymnastics so characteristic to his ethos into heart of the world jazz he so brilliantly purveys.

Take, for example, "The Spirit of Julian 'C' Adderly." It's hard upon first hearing for the listener to discern exactly where the spirit of Cannonball resides in this admittedly attractive afro-jazz piece. Sounds more like Township jazz on uppers to me . . . But then it clicks in. Just as the great altoist evoked the heart of Africa in his heyday, so Zawinul evokes it in this raucaus, joyous number.

Or take "Tower of Silence," perhaps the number that most effectively showcases Zawinul's creative use of synthesizer. One is immediately struck by the deep world-jazz grove of the bass, tablas, and Paco Sery's mesmerizing drums. Somehow his synth stylings fit perfectly into this stew, as do the ecstatic vocalizations. Here, surely, is Zawinul at his finest, everthing cooking, smoothly grooving, but not at all insipid, as in jazz lite. How does he do it?

A highlight for me is "Rooftops of Vienna," a most un-Viennese sounding number, but somehow still evoking a central European esthetic, albeit via some--again--weird-'n'-wild Township vibe.

Not everything works. The straight vocal number, "Familiar to Me," stands out by virtue of its failure to be integretated into the world jazz vibe. And I'd like to hear more of the great guitarist, Amit Chatterjee. But these are quibbles, not worth even subtracting a half-star.

This is a great album and when you realize that Zawinul is now 70 years old, it's flabbergasting that he has been able to create music this passionate, warm, and joyous at this age. If we all have half as much energy as Joe does now when we arrive at 70 we will be in great shape indeed.

OK, maybe the music here does not break any new ground--maybe the innovations (which are huge) that Zawinul made previously continue here with no radical changes--but that absolutely does not detract from the genius in abundance here. Listen to the multiple African influences that course through the music and wordless vocals on this record and you'll grin. Listen to the upbeat rhythmic complexities that splash, gyrate, and throb everywhere and you'll tap your feet or clap your hands.

Zawinul's music is, as many have said, world jazz, but he goes far beyond that category; he's a fusionist of the highest order. By fusion here is meant the seamless blending of global, personal, and technical streams--all elements that combine to form the beautiful liquid ever-flowing entity that music is. Practically nobody does this better than Joe Zawinul.

While not as varied as My People, this is nevertheless a terrific piece of work that I, for one, am proud to have in my CD library.

The main problem with Joe Zawinul's "Faces & Places" is that, in an attempt to collect all of his diverse 'global music' ideas under one big tent, the whole thing ends up a bland sonic hodgepodge that says nothing we haven't already heard before, and better, on his previous collections.

What 'Faces & Places' delivers largely consists of dense, dance-style beats overlayed with Joe's poppy, bubbly, lyrical synths, and some attempt at 'exotic' instrumentation to give it a 'world music' vibe.

Unfortunately with this cd, all the "Faces & Places" are tired, plainly familiar and no longer fresh; we've heard from all these folks before. Zawinal intersperces scat singing and vocal samples throughout the disk, with the exception of the mid-album 'Familiar To Me', a horrid, cheezy song with full vocals and lyrics, and which sounds like a smooth jazz reject. Terrible writing, terrible idea. This is probably someone's sad attempt to get radio play for this cd, but hearing it hurts more than scratching a pimple in your ear canal, serving only to irritatingly break-up the monotony of this otherwise bland collection.

Don't get me wrong: I have avidly listened to and respected Mr. Zawinul's career since his days with Miles Davis and, later, Wayne Shorter and Weather Report, producing music that, as Duke Ellington praised it, is "Beyond Category".

But "Faces & Places" will not be part of that descriptive canon.
I think it is no co-incidence that this cd is (as far as I am aware) is currently out of print.

Since my first encounter with Mr. Zawinul's music (W.R.'s Heavy Weather & Black Market) he has been an inspiring musician to me. I've learned from his blending of jazz, classical, and world music so much. If you enjoy his work, this is a must. I won't go into long details about particular cuts, as I agree with most of what has already been written. I just add my vote to the plus side of the column. It's inspiring to see a man of his years (70) doing such vital music. Great CD.

This marvelous record is a huge, welcome improvement over the self-indulgent "My People" and the erratic "World Tour." Zawinul returns to his strengths, sound and rhythm. No one is more creative at building layers of contrasting yet complimentary tones from his battery of synths. No one makes electronic sound more natural and organic. Zawinul also minimizes his dependence on that damn Vocorder and lets the sublime Sabine Kabongo handle most of the vocals. This man is 72 years old! May he never stop. Not every record succeeds, but this one is a giant.

if you liked World Tour you will like this as well. there is simply nothing like Joe's brand of music out there. i encourage you to explore this and all his work. Go see him live if you possibly can.

Full of a life of it's own these sounds seem to emanate from thin air into a cavas of SOUND so intricate defies explanati....

It's so great to see and hear Joe Zawinul,at "70" years young still going strong and creating beautiful and wonderful Music.Fans of Joe and Fans of Weather Report will undoubtedly enjoy this new CD. Very Emotional,Spiritual and Dynamic with the magical Keyboards of Joe Zawinul.

I am not a fusion snob, in fact I hate Jaco Pastorius and I don't understand Chick Correa. I saw and heard Zawinul in Amsterdam last week, and it was a very happy evening, the bass player, percussion, drums, it was like...(a machine, being in love, being young and adoring somebody like a god, I have not the right words). So I bought this CD. Loaded it in a MP3-player and listened to it while riding on my bike from Amsterdam to Utrecht through the rain. I felt good again. I don't agree it's like "World Tour". This CD is more subtle, moody. It's beautiful music that changes the mood, made me happy because of the backline that is very high class. Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, Nathaniel Townsley, they are my hero's, and Zawinul brings them together and creates the music. Maybe that should be enough, and he better should left his organs home.

Maybe at age 70 creative fatigue is finally catching up with Joe Zawinul. Or maybe, having come to expect so much from each new Zawinul release, finally I found one that doesn't inspire. This is not to say that Faces and Places is a "bad" album but, after the joyous sonic poetry of My People, I'm afraid that Joe is really stuck in a rather tedious groove here; if indeed there are genuine multiculural musical influences on this album, they have been melded behind Joe's battery of keyboards & vocoder to such an extent as to become almost indistinguishable.
Bottom line: if you own everything Zawinul's done to date, you'll buy this anyway but if you haven't, make sure you buy My People instead.
POSTSCRIPT: The above review was first posted in Nov 2002 & clearly I'm in a minority on this one but I don't resile from my opinion one bit (people are always pre-disposed to "buy" a CD they look up on amazon.com & so will generally find critical reviews "unhelpful"!!). Seriously, it seems to me that Zawinul fans will love everything he does; also seems to me that people with no prior exposure to him will probably like this one because it has no hard edges & so maybe gets over some people's "fusion-phobia". Well, if those people listen to this & then say "I love fusion" they've really got the wrong end of the stick!! If synthesiser "pleasantness" is your criteria, sure give it 4 or 5 stars but if you've followed Zawinul's career & are really honest with yourself it PALES into insignificance against his prior output & on THAT criteria is only worthy of 2-3 stars max.