Month: May 2008

This live set features an especially outstanding back-up band. Festival curator and virtuoso jazz guitarist Bill Frisell joins Greg Leisz on steel guitar and mandolin, David Piltch on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums to form the core band. Cameo appearances by Katie Jackson and Denise Brown on background vocals and Buddy Miller on electric guitar happen on the set finale. Besides performing some of their previously recorded duo material such as “Let’s Leave This Town,” “Loredo,” and Red Dog Tracks,” Taylor and Rodriguez added a number of country standards including Lefty Frizell’s “Long Black Veil,” Johnny Cash’s “Big River,” and Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.” The set wraps up with the Taylor classics “Angel of the Morning” and “Wild Thing.”

Bill Frisell brings a unique musical aesthetic to any project, and this is no exception. His spare, resonant guitar lines contribute amazing depth and air to the arrangements. His simple, tasteful solos are slow and minimalist, yet musically correct. And Greg Leisz’s floating steel guitar lines add to the airy, otherworldly quality of the music. When you combine Frisells’ and Leisz’s floating musical lines with Taylor and Rodriguez’s rustic delivery, you have a combination that captures the earth below and heavens above of American roots music.

Another surefire batch of songs with great pickin’ by the amazing Redd Volkaert and John Reed, many of these songs fit into the honky-tonk heaven category.

Mel Tillis’ “Honky Tonk Song” is prototypical. Same goes for “Howlin’ At the Moon,” “Good Lookin’ No Good,” and “A Fool Such As I.” Country swing is represented with “I’ll Keep On Loving You” and “Time Changes Everything,” and good ol’ rock and roll surfaces with “Red Hot” and “Party Doll.” Through it all, the two guitarists dip and dive through plenty of twin leads. In between, Reed serves up on-the-money solos. When Volkaert takes a turn, though, you expect the unexpected. His take on “Howlin’ At the Moon” is a typical scratch-your-head-and-laugh excursion, and his fills throughout are jazzy snatches that show how well country and jazz can fit – in the right hands. Lucky supplies fine vocals throughout, as do Redd, bassist Sarah Brown, and pianist Earl Poole Ball. All are so good they make this a perfect listen.

A bonus DVD lets you in on the recording process, and it’s easy to see why the record is so much fun to hear – everyone is enjoying themselves. And there is one surprise for guitarists – video of Redd soloing with a Les Paul!

Steve Khan once again proves he’s among the top guitarists of his generation. Khan has always been a fine composer and writer, but here he penned just two cuts – the other seven are by the likes of McCoy Tyner, Thelonius Monk, and Ornette Coleman, as well as a couple of standards, one written by his father, Sammy Cahn. One of the most interesting cuts is near-14-minute original called “El Faquir,” which has a decidedly Eastern flavor, with tabla and tamboura joining traditional instruments. The intro, where Khan mixes bubbling, jazzy guitar blurbs with the Indian instruments gives way to a churning bop feel. The solos by Khan and Bob Mintzer (bass clarinet) are inspiring, and the rhythm section cooks. That rhythm section, by the way, is anchored by the legendary Jack DeJohnette on drums and John Patitucci on bass. Evidence of Khan’s brilliance as a soloist is on display on literally every cut. His mix of solo lines and chordal work is really a trademark and is showcased on cuts like “I Mean You,” “Blues for Ball,” and “You’re My Girl.” His ballad work shines on the mysterious “Face Value,” where his acoustic solo, and Randy Brecker’s melodic flugelhorn, are sheer delights.

The record wraps up with two pieces that have a Latin feel. “Luna Y Arena” features a lovely vocal from Gabriela Anders and an incredibly musical solo from Steve, while McCoy Tyner’s “Hymn Song” is a showcase for percussion that morphs into a Latin sound with more stunning fretwork.

The most guitar-heavy album yet from Wilco has Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline, and Pat Sansone weaving parts like insane musical tailors. A perfect example is “Impossible Germany,” which starts with lovely guitar that (after a Tweedy vocal) morphs into a guitar symphony. It’s not what you expect, even as their approach and style have changed since Cline joined the band a few years ago.

While that’s the most obvious example of the guitar work, there are others. “Side with the Seeds” features swirling strings and guitar midway, with monster soloing out. “Hate It Here” is a melancholy tune about a guy wondering through the house he used to share with his lost love, and the several solos, full of descending lines and soul, are a perfect match to the lyrics.

Even with the interesting six-string work on every cut, there’s a lot more to like about this offering; like Tweedy’s vocals, which have a “dry” sound most performers eschew these days. No effects, just straight-ahead delivery of the lyrics (all of which are wonderful). And the songs have great changes, often deviating from the norm. And of course the overall style is laid back. Between Tweedy’s excellent, sometimes obtuse lyrics and the fascinating music, this is one of the best records of the year.

Scott Biram is one of those musicians – like Lightnin’ Hopkins with a bent toward heavy metal, or Red Simpson meets Tom Waits. Or maybe Johnny Rotten meets Conway Twitty. Get it? Well, anyway…

Most of these tracks feature Biram, his guitar, the occasional harp, and distortion so thick on the vocals it sounds like he’s found that telephone you lost 20 years ago. The music falls into the country category for the most part, with an edge – sometimes loud – that sounds like it may fall apart at any second. But never does, as Biram walks a musical cliff with skill.

Lyrically, this stuff is nasty, crude, and sometimes mean. “Plow You Under” is plain old nasty, with a metaphorical lyric for getting rid of a woman. And the nasty guitar matches the lyrics’ ferocity. “Reefer Load” is one of several trucker songs on the record, and is not for the faint of heart. And speaking of, this is not a record for the kiddies (or old folks, for that matter). The punk-country lyric and music of “Church Babies” may throw them into cardiac arrest.

If it sounds like Biram is a bit of a madman, well, that’s really not the case; he’s really a fine writer, and a glimpse at the lyric sheet offers proof. Dark at times, but always thought-provoking. And as a one-man band, he gets the job done. It’s not hard to envision him playing a bar full of cowboy hats, Harley gear, and spike-hairs, all enjoying the show. If you want something a bit different, check it out.

Pink Floyd on DVD

Meddle: A Classic Album Under Review analyzes this pivotal Pink Floyd record from 1971. Released two years before the mega-success of Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle was in many respects where the modern Floyd era began. It also featured the band’s first real epic, the 23-minute “Echoes.”

Along with commentary from UK rock critics and early producer Norman Smith, interesting anecdotes about the sessions abound. At the beginning of “One of These Days,” for example, you hear an electric bass playing a riff through an echo unit. That’s David Gilmour playing a crisp bass line through a vintage Binson echo. Eventually, he’s joined by Roger Waters, playing a similar bass part, though quite sloppily and with dead strings. In the brief duel, you get a symbolic glimpse of the growing Gilmour/Waters rivalry, one that would eventually implode the band in the 1980s. “One of These Days” is also noted for a torrid slide guitar solo, the first time that Gilmour really cuts loose on a Pink Floyd album.

In the end, Meddle is portrayed as a key transitional album, the “bridge” to Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. While all the critics here acknowledge that it’s not a perfect album, it certainly deserves greater acclaim in ’70s rock lore, and this DVD does a creditable job illustrating that fact.