Unusual in concept and execution, this joint project between multi-instrumentalist Alex Machacek and drummer Marco Minnemann crosses over many boundaries of jazz fusion as well as production techniques. Minnemann recorded a single continuous drum track over which Machacek
then dubbed guitar, keyboards, and other instruments. The result is a
continuous music made up of many snippets of thought and sound
projection, some song styles, improvisation, and solos on occasion.
While the music is complex, minimalist, or even kinetic, it is far from
tame or commonplace. Primarily an electric guitarist, Machacek
is capable of some amazing sounds whether he approaches rock or jazz
fusion, even minimalism or looped-type techniques. His musical portrait
of the "Tour de France" encompasses the gamut of emotions a cyclist can
experience during the three-week race, while "At the Club" is both
comical and busy, with help from trombonist Martin Ptak. There are maddeningly kinetic moments, down-in-the-dumps blues, mysterious elements, and Machacek's acoustic piano on occasion. Minnemann's
drumming can be sparse or full of girth, but more up and down as energy
surges and disperses. While some might find this lacking in cohesion
and true communality, there's a good spirit present, listenable and
tuneful in spots, and inspired for many others.
Guitarist Alex Machacek is one
of the most innovative composers in jazz
and fusion. Though he does write a lot of music from scratch as most
composers do, his most striking compositional device is to write
"around" a
pre-existing piece of music such as a drum solo (e.g., "Djon Don" and
the title track from [sic]), or an improvised studio jam (e.g.,
practically the entire Improvision album with Matt Garrison and
Jeff Sipe). With his latest album 24 Tales ,
Machacek has taken this writing technique to new heights. The foundation
for 24 Tales is a 52 minute improvised drum solo by long-time
Machacek cohort Marco Minnemann. Machacek took the solo, and composed
his own music on top of it using a wide variety of instruments and
styles. The result is a single 52 minute piece of continuous music that
is divided into 24 gapless tracks on the album. These individual tracks
(with run-times ranging from half a minute to 4 minutes plus) work both
as stand-alone songs or as pieces of the larger composition. It's a
remarkable achievement that's as entertaining as it is impressive.
This
album's journey from a single idea to a finished product you can hold
in your hand has been a long strange trip. When I interviewed Machacek
in 2006, he spoke of doing an entire album consisting of composed-over
drum solos from various drummers. Minnemann contributed a solo for the
project, but it was 52 minutes long. After originally intending
to compose around only a small portion of the solo, Machacek decided to
tackle the whole thing when Minnemann launched his own project (which he
dubbed Normalizer 2), where he gave this same drum solo to
several other musicians to write over as well. The result was to be a
massive set that would essentially be the opposite of Machacek's
original idea - many composers for one drum solo, as opposed to many
drum solos for one composer. Like Machacek, these other composers (John
Czajkowski, Trey Gunn, Mike Keneally and others) are now releasing their
Normalizer 2 contributions as stand-alone albums.
24
Tales is impossible to pin down stylistically. Jazz, fusion,
classical, rock and funk are all present here, but Machacek utilizes
other, harder-to-define styles as well. Rhythmically, the album is all
over the map too (Minnemann seems to play every meter known to man in
his solo). With all the twists and turns, the album often has the feel
of a progressive rock-based film score.
Machacek does play a lot
of guitar on the album, but I wouldn't call this a "guitar" record per
se. Piano is used quite frequently, as are many other instruments and
electronica-type sounds. And there aren't a lot of guitar "solos" on the
album either, though there are plenty of insane guitar lines and runs -
some played live by Machacek, some programmed via computer. Some of the
best guitar playing on the album can be heard in it's jazz
fusion-oriented pieces - "Feel Me!," "Blender," and "Anamika" (possibly
the album's best and most dramatic stand-alone track) are good examples.
There's an abundance of effective subtle guitar work as well, such as
the acoustic slide melody in "Sit Back and Chillax." Overall though, 24
Tales isn't about Machacek's playing, it's about his writing.
Remarkably,
as seemingly random and adventurous as Minnemann's original solo is (in
terms of time and mood shifts), Machacek manages to inject some common
melodic threads throughout the 52 minute piece - simply motifs that are
introduced early and re-visited at various points on the album,
regardless of the rhythmic and harmonic conditions. For example - the
main melody from the opening track "On Your Marks..." can be heard again
later in other sections, most notably in track 19, "Run, Fusion!,"
where it's reworked effectively over a completely different groove and
tempo from when it was first heard. It's interesting too that at certain
points, such as the high-hat tour-de-force "Air," Machacek largely
stays out of Minnemann's way, adding only small touches to enhance what
was already present in the drum solo. Also notable is the album's
humorous side - "Minnemaus in da House" is a great example, especially
during it's voiced-over tutorial for navigating the perils of odd times
such as 13/16.
24 Tales is one of those albums that keeps
revealing more of itself upon further listenings. There's an awful lot
of music packed into this disc, and it's impossible to take it all in in
one sitting. With this album, Machacek has resoundingly achieved the
goal of bringing Minnemann's incredible drum solo to life as a fully
fleshed out composition. Highly recommended.
Tracklisting:
1.
On Your Marks
2. Sit Back and Chillax
3. Tour De France
4.
Dancing with the Baby Bear
5. Anamika
6. Pros and Cons of
Depression
7. Little Man
8. Tranquillo
9. Tranquilizer
10. Sweet Torture
11. She Likes It
12. See You There
13.
X-Mas
14. Feel Me
15. At the Club
16. Eu De Conlon
17.
Doldrums
18. Minnemaus in da House
19. Run, Fusion!
20. Air
21. Sexy
22. Blender
23. Quotes
24. Over and Out
Personnel:
Alex
Machacek (Guitars and everything else)
Marco Minnemann (Drums)
Sumitra
(Vocals-1 track)
Martin Ptak (Trombone-3 tracks)
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ReplyDeletethank you!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard Machacek. Looking forward to this.
files expired on zs :( - I meant this one - not the Ron Carter disc.
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Muito obrigado!
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