Alexander Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 Jason Moran's latest came out on Tuesday. Has anybody heard this yet? I picked it up, and I love it. Moran gets better with each new release. The guitarist adds some interesting textures... from me! Quote
sal Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 Went to go buy it, but it was $17.99 at Borders! Best Buy should get it within the next few weeks, so I'll wait to get it cheaper there. Quote
ejp626 Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 Someone dumped a review copy at HiFi, so I got it at a verrry reasonable price. I am sure I will appreciate it more than the reviewer. I'll post some thoughts this evening after I spin it a few times. Sal, Moran is going to be playing at the CSO I believe in March. It's not the ideal setting. I preferred seeing him at Hothouse, but I'll still be going. Quote
sal Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 Someone dumped a review copy at HiFi, so I got it at a verrry reasonable price. I am sure I will appreciate it more than the reviewer. I'll post some thoughts this evening after I spin it a few times. Sal, Moran is going to be playing at the CSO I believe in March. It's not the ideal setting. I preferred seeing him at Hothouse, but I'll still be going. I saw that, Eric. The only CSO shows I could afford to go to this season are Herbie Hancock's Directions in Music band and the San Francisco Jazz Collective. I did get some Sonny Rollins tickets, but am going to have to sell them. Quote
Alexander Posted February 3, 2005 Author Report Posted February 3, 2005 Went to go buy it, but it was $17.99 at Borders! Best Buy should get it within the next few weeks, so I'll wait to get it cheaper there. Yeah...I could have waited and gotten it cheaper, but... I really wanted to hear it! Quote
Soul Stream Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 hmmm...i heard it and didn't dig the direction. exploring the blues in this quasi-abstract-blues/rock guitar way, to me at least, equals destroying the blues with berkely school of music-type feeling. not much there. wish he'd play some james p johnson stride like he can and add his thing to that instead...and explore the blues is that manner, it would mean more in the long run i think. this is just another 'sexy' release that'll be forgotten over time in my estimation. of course, i could be wrong about everything. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 I have my Border's coupon in hand and I am heading out the door! Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 I'll be curious to hear what people think of this one too. I'm sure I'll get it, one of these days, since I have all Moran's leader dates, and probably 90+% of his sideman work as well. (And some private recordings too.) But having listened to the on-line samples (two full-length tunes are on the BN website, plus 60-second samples of all the other tunes on Amazon), I'm not entirely sure about this one yet. I should reserve judgement until I hear the entire thing, but I'm a little on the fence based on what I've heard so far. And I say that speaking as someone who ranks Moran as one of their very favorite pianists on the scene today. Quote
Free For All Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 And I say that speaking as someone who ranks Moran as one of their very favorite pianists on the scene today. Really? I did not know that. B-) Quote
ejp626 Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 It's very sedate. There is a guitar player that I can barely hear, to say nothing of the bass -- of course, I am listening in an office environment and don't have it turned up loud. It doesn't grab me, that's for sure. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 It's very sedate. There is a guitar player that I can barely hear, to say nothing of the bass -- of course, I am listening in an office environment and don't have it turned up loud. It doesn't grab me, that's for sure. Be careful at work - I wouldn't describe track 2 as sedate. I don't know where I stand on this. I'm on my first listen and I like parts of it and don't like parts of it. I should listen a few more times before I even make a comment. I'll probably end up liking it. There are some cool parts. I've purchased every JaMo release (as a leader) and I usually enjoy his stuff. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 I agree with Alexander. The guitarist does add some nice textures. I'm not thrilled when he starts soloing, but the textures are COOL. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 The guitarist does add some nice textures. I'm not thrilled when he starts soloing, but the textures are COOL. That's what my concern is about this release (at least from the two tunes I've heard). When the guitar is soloing, it just sounds pretty whack to me. (I guess whether that's a "good" sort of whack, or a "bad" sort of whack, or maybe a baaaad sort of whack -- remains to be seen) Spontoonious was over here last week, and we both gave a listen -- and I think his reaction was similar. Wish the tone of his guitar wasn't so biting -- so damn electric. A more laid-back tone might have worked better for me. The "busy"-ness wasn't what bothered me, so much as the tone. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 The guitarist does add some nice textures. I'm not thrilled when he starts soloing, but the textures are COOL. That's what my concern is about this release (at least from the two tunes I've heard). When the guitar is soloing, it just sounds pretty whack to me. (I guess whether that's a "good" sort of whack, or a "bad" sort of whack, or maybe a baaaad sort of whack -- remains to be seen) Spontoonious was over here last week, and we both gave a listen -- and I think his reaction was similar. Wish the tone of his guitar wasn't so biting -- so damn electric. A more laid-back tone might have worked better for me. The "busy"-ness wasn't what bothered me, so much as the tone. I agree, RT. The guitar ruins the second track for me. I'm on my second listen and I think that's the only track that bothered me. Otherwise, I like a lot of the textures. On that second track (Jump Up), I guess I wish the guitar tone was a little less overdriven and processed. The cat is playing some cool stuff at times, but the tones of the guitar and piano don't mesh with me. But, JaMo is playing the hell out of the piano on the track. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 3, 2005 Report Posted February 3, 2005 Okay, there is more of the soloing on track 5, but it works here for me since it's a cool cover of Albert King's I'll Play the Blues For You. I can see myself listening to this album quite a bit. Quote
cannonball-addict Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 I played Fire Waltz on my show today. I got three callers asking what it was! Quote
Chrome Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 People aren't really calling him "JaMo," are they? Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 JAMO's been Jason's nickname for several years now at least. Heck, it probably dates back to his high-school days (just my own guess). Jason's own website makes reference to "JAMO" quite a number of times. Just scroll down the page... http://www.jasonmoran.com/home.html I even think I heard Greg Osby holler to Jason between sets at one of Osby's gigs here in KC, saying: "Hey, Ghahmo...". Quote
Gary Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 I emailed the site enquiring about signed Cds & Jason himself replied & signed off as Jamo. Quote
Chrome Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 Well I guess you learn something new every day around here! Quote
Alfred Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 I have not heard this one yet but AMG did. Here is their 4-star review (by Matt Collar): Boundary-pushing pianist Jason Moran expands his sound yet again with a blend of modern electric and acoustic blues on Same Mother. Featuring longtime bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, Moran's seventh album also includes guitarist Marvin Sewell. An equally adventurous musician, Sewell adds a modern blues sound to Moran's usual mélange of post-bop, classical, New Orleans jazz, and funk. The results are raw, inspired, and frankly not wholly pleasing as Sewell's crisp acoustic attack does not always blend well with Moran's equally naked piano chops. However, for fans of both forward-thinking jazz and roots music, Same Mother — a conceptual nod to the unifying notion that we are all ultimately descended from one mother — holds considerable surprises. Notably, Moran's "Gangsterism On the Rise" is a bumptiously funky avant-garde ride, while his "G Suit Salvation" finds the group wading deep into softly experimental Pat Metheny waters. Similarly, the atmospheric, Arabic-influenced "Restin'" and "Field of the Dead" (which Moran deftly co-opts from Sergei Prokofiev's 1938 score for the Sergei Eisenstein film Alexander Nevsky) are darkly epic country-death ballads featuring Sewell's moaning acoustic slide guitar. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 (edited) I emailed the site enquiring about signed Cds & Jason himself replied & signed off as Jamo. I've traded some e-mails with Jason too, and you know, come to think of it --- he does usually sign them "JAMO". Edit: Now the real question... Is it pronounced "GhahMO" or "GHAHmo"??? Who's got the balls here to e-mail him and find out??? My money's on "GHAHmo". Edited February 4, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Chrome Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 You know, when I first saw "JaMo" I was thinking "J Mo" ... like "J Lo"! Quote
.:.impossible Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 Its JAMO, as in SAMO©. Jean-Michel Basquiat I'm pretty sure its just pronounced Jamo. Rhymes with Samo. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted February 4, 2005 Report Posted February 4, 2005 (edited) Oh crap, I hadn't even thought about that. Cripes, what if it is "J-Mo"?? Edited February 4, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote
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