[Music] “A-cute-cute in a stupid-ass way”

/ Rudy Carrera / 2 Comments

The last paragraph shows how devolved society has become if you can’t play a wonderful song by one of the most intriguing artists of his generation. So be it. Still, much respect to Ben Zimmer for the read of the day – commenting on the rendering of “stupid-ass,” which seems so non-offensive now, but which must have caused headaches for the censors back in the day.

Ben Zimmer's avatarStrong Language

With the passing of Scott Walker, who found pop-music fame as a member of the Walker Brothers before setting out on an inimitable solo career, the singer’s best-known work has been making the rounds online. One particularly memorable song from Walker was his first solo single, “Jackie,” released in December 1967. “Jackie” was an English-language rendering of Jacque Brel’s “La chanson de Jacky,” translated from French by Mort Shuman (a Brill Building songwriter who would go on to co-create the musical revue Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris). Both the French and English lyrics were quite racy for the time. The English chorus, as unforgettably delivered by Walker, goes:

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
A-cute-cute in a stupid-ass way

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[Music] Massive Suits Quartet – Full Moon Wizard

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Spaceship jazz.  These guys have coined a perfect term for themselves.  We have free jazz, dark jazz, all sorts of jazz, but this release by France’s Massive Suits Quartet has to be one of the most enjoyable ones of 2019.

There are touches of that ur-spaceship jazz cat Sun Ra, a wee bit of percussive hip-hop beats far off in the distance, and a vibe that would not feel too out of place in a cocktail lounge.

MSQ have left a very good impression.

[Music] Félix Blume – Death in Haiti: Funeral Brass Bands & Sounds from Port au Prince

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French sound artist and engineer Félix Blume produces something voyeuristic and creepy, yet engaging and life-affirming at the same time.  This album is a collection of brass music played at funerals in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

According to the website, there are featured in these ‘performances’ 15 dead, 15 funerals, 16 funeral processions, 1 procession with no dead, 5 churches, 1 cemetery, 1 wake, all recorded, including the wails and sobbing of those who lost their loved ones.  There is a feeling that death has been conquered and mocked, however, in the same way New Orleans funerals tend to be.

This is field recording at its most engaging, at least for me.

[Music] Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi with Masahiko Satoh – Proton Pump

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Avant-garde bebop seems to be the most fitting way to describe this release featuring saxophonist Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi (drummer Chris Corsano and bassist Darrin Grey) along with pianist Masahiko Satoh.  No less than Jim O’Rourke gushes over the the musicianship of this improvisers, but this isn’t a racket-filled noise blast.  The musicianship is astounding, free, and engaging, something a lot of improvisers can’t seem to make happen unless they’re truly something special.  It seems that Sakata has been making music since the 1960s, so I have a bit of exploring to do on his previous work.

[Music] Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa

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Jeremy Dutcher is a Canadian tenor and composer of Wolastoq hertiage.  He has done an amazing service in preserving the cultural heritage of his people, and the interpretations of this music remind one, as is described on his Bandcamp page, as having the same feeling of Antony and the Johnsons as well as the works of Rufus Wainwright’s more operatic moments.  I look forward to Jeremy digging deeper into his roots.

[Music] saib. – Around The World (Remastered)

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Casablanca, Morocco isn’t the first place I would think of as being a global melting pot, but that is because I didn’t ever have a chance to deeply explore the city.  It turns out that there is a tremendous amount of influence, not only of local culture, but that of West Africa, Asia, and even elements of music from the United States like jazz, blues and hip-hop.  Enter saib., a guitarist who manages to flow easily from genre to genre, making this album sound like a combination of North African groove, a touch of bossa nova and mellow jazz, underpinned by a meaty loops.