The Unthanks, Diversions, Volume I: The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony and the Johnsons

The Unthanks, those melifluous dual sister-singers from England are quite more than OK in my book. I've reviewed a number of their previous four albums on these pages. The fifth is something a bit different than their usual Anglo folk excursions--in that it centers around contemporary "art song" if you will. Diversions Volume 1: The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony and the Johnsons (Rough Trade) is just that. It's a live concert with half devoted to the Johnsons and half Mr. Wyatt. There's a band with strings added and that gives a nice carpeting to the Unthanks' lovely renditions.

I am not exactly overly familiar with Antony and the Johnsons' songs but they sound rather nice. Robert Wyatt of course has written some wonderful songs over his career and the Unthanks cover a good number. The uniquely plaintive vocal instruments of the Unthanks are well served by the music, and the music is well served by the Unthanks' vocal style. So it's good for both. And it's good for the listener.

A beautiful concert and another significant notch in the Unthanks discography. Very recommended.

Mean Street, An Anthology of Classical Blues in the "Jukin' with the Blues" Series

Mean Street (Catbone 2005-2) is an anthology of what Julius Hemphill was referring to in his "Hard Blues." Here's an anthology in the Catbone series, an anthology of hard, hard blues about some hard times. It has some of the best. Elmore James' "Dust My Broom," Howlin Wolf's "Killing Floor," Jimmy Reed's "Goin Upside Your Head," Etta James and "It Brings a Tear" (aka "Drown in My Own Tears"). This is the school of hard knocks, songs about people driven to the edge, beyond, sometimes, what is considered politically correct. You have big problems in your life, you look to the closest people to blame and it might be your mate. But they may have done you wrong too.

Here are 17 slabs of the blues truth, the hard truth, the hard blues. There are enough classics in this stack-o-sound that you might just be well served by grabbing it if you don't know how the hard blues could and can be. Hard times? Hard blues.

Nils Lofgren, Old School: The Guitarist Returns

Rock vet Nils Lofgren returns with a new album that stays on the mind. I speak of his Old School (Vision Music 1016). The emphasis is on songs, possibly commercial potential things, and they are generally catchy and memorable with a roots-country rock directness. Vocally and guitar-ally Nils is in fine form.

He delivers twelve songs and after a listen or two you feel convinced of his sincerity. There is a little Bruce Springstein parallelism here: story-telling songs, a little gruffness.

This may not be a guitar showcase per se, but his artistry is there and it's good music.

Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire, "The Real Deal"

I present for your consideration Sharon Lewis, soulful alto singer, as Rod Serling might have put it. But Sharon's not in a Twlight Zone. She's got both feet on terra firma. She and her band Texas Fire have one out on Delmark, The Real Deal (816). It's a funky old-school horn band with Ms. Lewis getting down overtop.

They get real throughout, plunging through some nicely hard-_ssed originals and some good-choice covers. Ms. Lewis may not be Bessie Smith but she has soul. The band lays it down. It almost sounds like something that might have come out of Memphis in the Hi-Muscle Shoals days. But then it has a Chicago-by-way-of-Texas hard honesty and what counts most of all, it kicks up a good fuss. Oh, and Dave Specter sounds nice on guitar too.

No Milk Today. Sorry.

Thanks to my virus software, the time I would have spent writing today's review was instead spent watching the software update itself for an hour, which I suspect meant that it was stuck. It doesn't like when you turn off "automatic updates" and punishes you by demanding up to an hour of your computer time whenever if feels like it, then basically uses up all the memory and does nothing so far as I can tell. Grrr! See you tomorrow.

Michael Bisio Trio, Composance, 2003

Composance (Cadence Jazz Records 1173) comes out of the bassist/composer's Seattle days. It is an intimate trio date with Rob Blakeslee on trumpet, Greg Campbell on drums (and a cameo appearance on French horn) and of course Michael on bass. Michael wrote most of the pieces, the title cut is a collective collaboration, there's a classic Duke item, and there's one piece each by Rob and Greg.

The primary emphasis is on blowing loose and coherently, and that is most definitely happening here. It's a good mix of distinctive players. Rob has obviously listened to Don Cherry and Bill Dixon (and who hasn't?), which in part comes out in his sound, but the notes are his and help define the music played on the date. Greg Campbell has an excellent presence here, a melodic sense and the ability to loosen the time or notch it in. Michael whether bowing or pizzing has a mastery and projective melodic inventiveness that rivals the very best--because he is up there as part of the very best. His tone is beautiful too!

What's most important for the listener is that this is excellent modern jazz that hangs together throughout, grooves and takes it out a bit, and has a very engaging melodic and textural heft to it. The trio version of Ellington's "Come Sunday," where Campbell adds french horn to Michael's bowed bass and Rob's trumpet is a sign of the very real versatility of the group and has a beauty that's chamber-like and soulful too.

You could just listen to Bisio's bass on this CD and get off on that. Open your ears to all three working together and you will hear why the improvisatory arts are exciting and worthy of your attention! Well worth your time.

Joelle Leandre - Phillip Greenlief, "That Overt Desire of Object"--Bass-Reed Duets and Solos

So we are in a new week on a Monday morning at an obscenely early hour for avant music but yet I play what I am writing about as I write about it, and that's what I always do. If something still sounds good at 8:00 Monday morning, it sounds good. Period. That's what I tell myself as I write this review--for the CD That Overt Desire of Object (Relative Pitch 1002), by Joelle Leandre and Phillip Greenlief.

Ms. Leandre is a highly inventive, highly skilled avant contrabassist; Mr. Greenlief does the same with the woodwinds--here soprano, alto, tenor and clarinet. Together they conjure up some wonderful improvisations.

Both have excellent control and command of their instruments. Both can evoke convincing variations in tone, sound and pitch. Both do so here, collectively and singly. They also use their voices as a second color-sound supplement.

The extra-musical theme is that of greed. We've seen how it can bring us all to our knees. The music is in part about that--or to be more accurate it is a response to a meditation on what that can and does do--judging from Mr. Greenlief's remarks on the liners.

In the course of the program the two get a remarkably sympatico vibe going and both are limber and eloquent in their musical speech. For those readers who might not be overly familiar with the new music world, this is music that is sometimes called "free jazz." That doesn't mean that it is the music of tosspots or a_s over teakettle aesthetics. It means that they play music of a certain language with a certain degree of spontaneity. And they do it excellently.