Customer Reviews

Slon

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The only liner note for SLON is this statement:

THIS MUSIC WAS DEVELOPED DURING OUR "NO WAR TOUR" IN EUROPE, APRIL 2003. THIS IS DEDICATED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES AT THE HANDS OF U.S. IMPERIALISM.

SLON certainly kicks off appropriately, then, with a number called "Protest," which has a militant, funky beat. Rob Mazurek on cornet, Noel Kupersmith on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums are tight, and the riff sounds like township music from South Africa, as anti-apartheid protesters faced off against the regime. Half-way through, though, electronics enter, as Mazurek and Kupersmith employ computers, and the piece morphs as a live trio now interacts with an electronic trio.

The second track, "Slon," is mainly electronic, with Mazurek and Kupersmith soloing over what sounds like Autechre from TRI REPETAE. "Zagreb" is a beautiful ballad, "Sevens" takes its name from the tricky time signature, and "Campbell Town" is an incredibly funky, upbeat number. These three are all acoustic -- electronics reappears on "Kite" and "Palermo." "Kite" is a slow, spacy number, floating up in the breeze, I suppose, with improvisation over a computer track, while "Palermo" features electronics burbling over an insistent computer-drum rhythm, a haunting melody, and "found sounds from the fish market in Sicily" according to the Thrill Jockey website. The last two tracks, "Shoe lace" and "Pear" are all acoustic. The powerful "Shoe lace" sounds more like Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell, and Charlie Haden than anything else on the album, with a melodic head as a launchpad for improvisation. "Pear" is an elegy, mourning for "all the people who have lost their lives at the hands of U.S. imperialism."

This is a great album, one of the year's finest. It isn't mainstream, but it's definitely accessible. The rhythm section is strong, there are memorable melodies -- this is music with appeal to more than the avant few. Don't miss it!

The Chicago Underground Trio's previous releases have found trumpeter Rob Mazurek and company flirting with electronics, but never so heavily as on the recent Slon. While electronically augmented jazz ensembles are nothing new, finding that delicate balance between free improvisation and constrained electronic composition can be bewilderingly difficult. But Slon is a fine example of a successful endeavor.

Drums, bass and trumpet are often accompanied by electronic washes, drones and overdubbing that expand the group's sound. None of these effects are superfluous however; they are integral to the groups' arrangements. Naturally, the shadow of electric period Miles Davis pervades this music, but just as important to the trio's dynamic is the classic free-jazz of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. While earlier releases by the group have strayed further into more exploratory territory, Slon finds the trio with its most concise and streamlined statement to date.

Slon manages to balance jazz improvisation with electronics very nicely. Some of the improvisation is done with electronics, and sometimes the electronics is used to enhance the song. There are a few songs where there is too much synthesizer (Zagreb, Kite, Palermo), and not enough cornet, bass & drums. Some songs instead of acoustic drums have (obviously played, not programmed) bleeps and squaks driving the beat. Theres a free-ness to Rob Mazurak's playing, but there are no lack of themes and written-out parts. On the whole, it's a fresh-sounding, excellent jazz album.

The CUT is laying out some jazz for today, that may borrow from Miles Davis's explorations and his second quintet, but which also sounds unique and contemporary. For jazz fans who aren't too tied to the past, or music fans in general. Certainly not "smooth" jazz or conservative jazz. Explorative and worth checking out.