first review of Field Recordings: Mulatto Radio -

[AllenLowe]

from Ken Shimamoto's Stash Dauber blog:

"Allen Lowe is one of the most illuminating thinkers-about-music currently working, and he always goes big: imagine if Alan Lomax and Harry Smith had also been musos. While he's not doing actual fieldwork the way those two worthies did, he's curated a series of multi-volume, multi-CD excavations into the recesses of American music, and written books to accompany them (or vice versa). A familiar of Anthony Braxton and Julius Hemphill, he also makes some of the most compelling jazz records to be released in the current decade.

Mulatto Radio... is nothing less than one man's attempt to reimagine the whole history of jazz (and every other music he's ever heard). It's an exhaustive and exhausting collection of pieces intended to evoke different facets of the jazz past, embellished by the musicians based on what they bring to the party. Over the course its four discs (and he says he has another three in the can), Lowe creates a Burroughsian cutup of the jazz tradition, juxtaposing century-old two-beat rhythms with whirlwind, post-bop solos, or playing modern, Monkian melodies with Creole band instrumentation, including the best use of the banjo on a modern jazz record since Vernon Reid picked one up in Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society (and Ray Suhy's playing bebop on the axe).

There's lots of great playing here from a large cast; particular standouts include Suhy (a guitarist to be reckoned with, who demonstrates that monster chops and gut-level expression are not mutually exclusive), protean pianist Lewis Porter (who performs solo as well as in ensembles), titanic AACM tenorman Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (who appears on a half dozen tracks -- his last recorded performances), clarinetist Ken Peplowski, tubist Christopher Meeder, and the leader himself, whose encyclopedic knowledge of jazz style comes to the fore and whose vocalized, bop-inflected tone hardly sounds like the work of an academic. It's really a composer's record (imagine if Duke Ellington was Jewish, trapped in a New England backwater, and unable to play except in the recording studio), and while Lowe provides copious notes explicating each piece, the music stands on its own merit, rewarding in-depth exploration."

Edited January 14, 2014 by AllenLowe

[king ubu]

congrats! looking forward a lot

[AllenLowe]

thanks -

the pre-orders will be out by Wednesday (yours went out today);

I can still offer a discount, a little less than before -

$25 shipped in the USA, $37.50 to Europe.

my paypal is alowe5@maine.rr.com

[alankin]

Looking forward to it...

[jlhoots]

Watching my mailbox!!

[xybert]

Awesome! Thought this wouldn't be out for a while yet.

[Head Man]

Looking forward to hearing this, Allen.

[AllenLowe]

everything is out; media mail, but it should be received within a week, I assume.

[Clunky]

just placed my order, hope i'm not too late.

[tranemonk]

You got my preorder a while ago, right Allen? Congratulations. Must be quite a relief. Looking forward to it,

Edited January 14, 2014 by tranemonk

[AllenLowe]

I do believe so - look in the mail in the next 5-7 days.

[Chuck Nessa]

Any positive reviews are deserved. Allen is a fascinating musician.

[AllenLowe]

thanks Chuck. Now if I can only get a gig somewhere; on the other hand, strangely enough, my lack of gigs has probably improved my writing. Made me just sit at the damn piano for about 10 years.

[LWayne]

Looking forward to listening to the new release.

At last, a reason to look forward to the mail arriving.

LWayne

[Hot Ptah]

I am so glad that you got such a great review, Allen.

[Stefan Wood]

Mine came in today. It will occupy a special place in my library. It has to; the damn thing is packaged such that it can't fit on a normal cd shelf!

Edited January 15, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[AllenLowe]

it is a little...different. Packed in a 7 inch LP case; worked out economically, and I think it looks good (favorite quote, from my wife, who will kill me if she knows I mentioned it in public: "It looks almost professional." I may use that as my lead blurb).

[Stefan Wood]

Listened to the first disc. Really liking this. A real mash up of eras, yet it is cohesive. A couple of tracks I did find to be repetitive, but most of it is really inventive and good listening. The Monk influenced tune was really nice.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[Stefan Wood]

P.S. Are you sending a copy to Wynton?

[AllenLowe]

only if he pays.

[AllenLowe]

I have had one or two emails; all pre-orders were sent last week, on different days; most went media mail, which should take about one week from my door to yours.

Edited January 20, 2014 by AllenLowe

[Stefan Wood]

Halfway through listening to this set -- so far, so good!

[jazzbo]

Sent you an order Allen. Congrats on the first good review.

[AllenLowe]

thanks; first returns are exhausted but enthusiastic.

[king ubu]

"It looks almost professional."

Sure does - just got mine out of the mail-box - many thanks!