J.A.C.

Tosca

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 31, 2005)
• Original Release Date: May 31, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: K7
• ASIN: B0007Q6S3U
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,777 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tosca are in full hypnosis mode for J.A.C., as the Viennese duo of Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber again show off their mastery of jazzy ambience. Dorfmeister and Huber have been busy since 2003’s Dehli9, having had three kids between them (the album title is an acronym of their offspring’s names) in the interim. Perhaps seeking a respite from the hectic onset of fatherhood, they’ve infused J.A.C. with a romp of bass lines and Bossa, staying away from the druggier, avant-garde material found on Dehli9. At first, it plays a bit too breezy, but later the record reveals more depth. Blunt-friendly beats make their way into the mix; "The Big Sleep" goes pretty deep into its own navel before the funk of "Damentag" brightens the mood. A few more listens, and you’ll notice more musical diversity and the easy way Dorfmeister and Huber segue from chilly ("Naschkatze") to friendly ("Zuri"). Distinctive vocals from usual suspects Earl Zinger and Farda P along with newcomers Samiah Farah and Chris Eckman (of the Seattle-based Walkabouts) add spice. Once J.A.C. is in your player, it may be awhile before you take it out. –Matthew Cooke

Product Description

Change is a constant in life and it’s this key factor that has informed the recent adventures in sound for Tosca. With their upcoming fourth artist album J.A.C. the theme of fatherhood is the tie that has bound these two men together in a newly recharged musical kinship. Between the release of their last acclaimed album Dehli 9 and their new masterpiece, the two have become fathers.

This album is the most consistent formulation of both the carefree and the melancholic aspects of Tosca. The melodies quicken, the grooves are both fun loving and laidback. Huber and Dorfmeister have found both a fresh understanding of the art of understatement and a newly reformulated, breathtaking musical authenticity. Like the new life around them, J.A.C. similarly breathes new life into the characteristic sound of Tosca.

Besides the ever-present and celebrated Tosca mood, this new sound resonates with the vibrations of live instruments translated with a liveliness that captures the immediacy of creation and improvisation at its peak. It’s this live, real instrumentation that marks the sound of the new Tosca album the most significantly.

The duo brought in a cast of new artists to perform vocals on the songs including Samiah Farah from Paris, Chris Eckman, lead singer of Seattle based band The Walkabouts, former Rockers Hi-Fi MC Farda P, Londoner Earl Zinger of 2 Banks of 4 and Austrian rock legend Graf Hadik all appear on the microphones.

J.A.C. is full of music that is light-footed and melancholic, cheerful and deep, relaxed and energetic. It’s a sound that can be enjoyed everywhere, at any occasion.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably their most exhuberant work yet, May 31, 2005

By	Allen Velasquez (Austin, TX US) - See all my reviews

When I walked into our local record store last week and saw this album I almost didn't immediately buy it. I was a HUGE fan of their 'Suzuki' and 'Suzuki in Dub' albums. I also picked up Delhi9 when it came out, but to be honest it never infiltrated my psyche as much as the Suzuki albums, or Opera.

Being a Tosca CD, I still knew I couldn't go wrong and I ended up picking up the CD. First off, they always have suberb packaging; Delhi9, for example, was a 2xCD in a pretty off-white cloth binding. This CD is in a beautiful Chocolate colored package like Suzuki, but its' exterior has a texture much like a leather-bound book. Our musical heroes are in creme-colored print on the front . . .

The first song starts familiarly enough. All the Tosca signatures are here, the dub-y dreamscape backgrounds, laid back almost melancholy melodies, and excellent beats. The difference between this experience and Delhi9 for me is that of suprise. Delhi9 delivered the goods and lots of them, but was kind of a more restrained affair, while this album manages to pick up the tempo a bit.

J.A.C. managed to suprise and delight me with the ways they took their essence and crafted song anfter song that seemed to leap out of their medium (if this were a book, I'd say the words leapt off the page). 'Heidi breuhl' in particular has a lovely Brazilian-esque vocal and is a good example of how their instruments and vocals sound much more free-form and improvisational. Their work isn't exactuly 'Nu-Jazz'; it's still Tosca, and as such its' subtlety demands both a careful listen and to be played all the time. A lot of their intros seem pretty random (my fave has to be Pyjama) until you listen to the song and see them weave them back in perfectly.

I think it's a fantastic smooth-yet-intimate, ever suprising listen; probably their most exhuberant work yet.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing..., June 23, 2005

By	nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews

From its "warm leatherette" CD cover through to its last track there is something distinctly odd about Tosca's latest offering. It should be really good, certainly going by Richard Dorfmeister's enviable track record and his excellent last two outings - the brilliant "A Different Drummer Selection" and Tosca's "Dehli 9" - but it's not up there and quite why is difficult to pinpoint. Its production is again of the highest order, a lot of its tracks are driven along by genuinely "funky" back-beats and it's layered with the catchy melodic hooks that the best downtempo electronica/jazz should be. All good stuff, but what's missing is that creative edge that pushes it out of the boringly lush waters of "lounge" music that a lot of downtempo albums fall into. And, where it does keep its head above water it either sounds like a languid retread of "Suzuki" & "Dehli 9" or, as in the first track "Ronda Acapricio", it's all a bit too clever to work.

A hard assessment on an album that's perfectly pleasant to listen to but then the problem with being "the best" is that a great deal is expected. Unlike Thievery Corporation's latest release, "The Cosmic Game", which pushes this style of music forward, "J.A.C." is a disappointing and probably deliberate step into the middle of the road from an artist who can and does deliver ground-breakingly good music... it'll probably sell huge amounts as a result.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, but no "Suzuki"., February 10, 2006

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Granted that "Suzuki" was one of the greatest chillout albums right at the peak of this kind of music, I wouldn't have expected Tosca to do another album like it. This indeed is no "Suzuki", but in more than one way. It's no "Suzuki" because it's somewhat experimental, sticking a foot outside of their comfort (chillout) zone, which is good. In that sense, I like it better than their previous "Delhi" or what Zero 7 pulled off after they peaked back in the early 2000's.

However, the album lacks that something that makes you want to go back to it. At times it sounds like Robbie Robertson's work, but without Robbie Robertson. Only a handful of songs stuck with me. I am hesitant between 3 and 3.5 stars, so I will give them 3 stars, mostly for trying to stay on the edge of innovation. However, it's not an album to particularly die for.