Either/Orchestra

[ejp626]

So I was poking around on JazzLoft and saw the Either/Orchestra has a new CD called Mood Music for Time Travelers:

Link

The music on the video they've done is ok, but not spectacular. (Certainly nowhere near the quality of some of their Ethiopian-inspired jazz for instance.) However, the video itself is a huge turnoff. I guess it makes you somehow cool to mock the 60s with "dancers" who are grossly out of time with the music. This would always have been a pretty marginal purchase for me, and if this is how they are marketing their product, I will definitely pass.

[AllenLowe]

I actually like it. A little silly but quaintly so. And the dancers' time seems ok, though some of the movements are a little clunky.

Reminds me of the Baja Marimba band.

Edited December 18, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Rooster_Ties]

Is that really Russ on tenor? With the extreme buzz-cut?

Where's the hair? I've seen with him LOTS of hair, and somewhat less hair -- but never 'quarter-inch' hair.

[David Ayers]

Dull stuff. It's hard to see why they bothered.

[AllenLowe]

no no its FUN.

jazz people need to learn how to have fun

[A Lark Ascending]

no no its FUN.

jazz people need to learn how to have fun

Hard to have fun when you are concentrating very hard on furrowing your brows.

[David Ayers]

Oh so THAT'S fun. I often wondered. My analysis? Yet another vanity project destined for the cut-out bin.

[AllenLowe]

"Yet another vanity project destined for the cut-out bin."

well, that's MY definition of fun

Edited December 18, 2010 by AllenLowe

[.:.impossible]

Couldn't watch the video for very long. The tune reminds me of the US3 version of Canteloupe Island. Biddy Biddy Bop. Ugh.

[David Ayers]

OK sorry - I'll withdraw all that and get my o-board head on.

"Man I hope Mosaic do a Select of the unissued material from that recording session!"

"That's definitely better than anything on ECM with all its rubbish releases by Roscoe Mitchell, Evan Parker and Paul Motian."

"I'll be buying it at full price just to support the label."

"Whose house is that??!!"

OK I'm going to watch TV now. More enthusiasm later.

[kenny weir]

OK sorry - I'll withdraw all that and get my o-board head on.

"Man I hope Mosaic do a Select of the unissued material from that recording session!"

"That's definitely better than anything on ECM with all its rubbish releases by Roscoe Mitchell, Evan Parker and Paul Motian."

"I'll be buying it at full price just to support the label."

"Whose house is that??!!"

OK I'm going to watch TV now. More enthusiasm later.

[papsrus]

I loved it. The music's not particularly engaging, but the message is right on!

[thedwork]

in a word - blech.

nearly unwatchable and embarrassing. had to force my way through to the end. in addition to feeling stiff, the video imo is also not very well crafted and seems like the most crass type of blatantly cynical marketing/demographic ass-kissing. the music is pretty lackluster too.

this band has been around a long time and i give 'em props for being excellent players and having what it takes to make it in a very difficult business. but i've always gotten the feeling from them that too much of their energies went into figuring what would sell, or what would have broad appeal instead of simply digging into themselves for the music. then again, they made it as professional musicians and i didn't.

as far as "fun" goes - thinking that your own definition of fun should be someone else's is hugely lame. while i assume they certainly had fun making the vid, that doesn't always transfer into it being fun to watch, which is pretty obvious from the responses in this thread. and a lot of the people in the video actually look like they were told to try to look like they were having fun. what could be less fun than that? director to people in video during shoot: "Ok, now have fun. Alright, that was pretty good. Now act like you're real hip and down w/ the jazz. Well, that was alright I guess. Now act real goofy. Now go back to hip..." that's painful. oh well...

it reminds me of someone telling you to just "smile and cheer up" when you're obviously feeling real bad about something. i always wanna crack someone across the face when they do that i would much rather have someone say to me, "Shit man. That sucks," then tell to just smile and cheer up when i tell them that something's wrong.

real nice piano playing throughout though

[AllenLowe]

" thinking that your own definition of fun should be someone else's is hugely lame"

he said, while telling us that his definition of 'not fun' should be our definition of 'not fun.'

sorta like 'never say never'.............

[JSngry]

Some of the women in the video looked like they know how to have some real fun in the presence of a stronger groove.

Then again, most women do.

[JSngry]

"Whose house is that??!!"

There was a reason for that question - my paternal grandfather lived in Sterling, Illinoiis & we went up there every summer. The houses there and the houses in Texas where we lived looked totally different (age, geography, lack of basements, etc etc etc), and one of the main differences was in the type of screen doors. The one in the Rosco picture gave mean "Illinois flashback" & triggered the question. Totally unrelated to anything important, just an impulsive flashback to a time, place, and people I'll never see again.

Besides, have you ever seen Von Freeman's house on an album cover? If not, then you should, and you should also listen to the album inside the cover, assuming, of course, that it is indeed the album that was intended to be inside that album cover. And when I say "should", I actually mean "must", becuase if you can't dig Von and his album cover house, then you have forfeited any and all rights to tell anybody else what should or should not be fun, much less mock (or "mock" them (or "them")) becuase Von & Fun are essentially the same word, therefore actually the same thing, and they both are headquartered in Von's house, and if you don't know that, then what do you know, at least that is of any use?

Especially at Christmastime?

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Maybe the EO was trying for this vibe ? and that's some fun.

[JSngry]

Maybe the EO was trying for this vibe ? and that's some fun.

That was like the I Ching having a party in a room full of naked people.

and you know the I Ching is always fun!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

you saying they raised the bar for fun?

[.:.impossible]

Maybe the EO was trying for this vibe ? and that's some fun.

Great video! I like the comment from Nicaraguall.

[David Ayers]

Time to start an "album covers featuring a (fun) house" thread?

[JSngry]

Too easy!