The Rhythmic Pitch: Recommended Tools – Donny McCaslin

Here’s a note for the song “Recommended Tools:”  “[It] started as an exploration of the interval of the 5th in the context of the blues.”  As soon as I read that, I knew I was out of my league.  There are other notes, too, about scales and twelve tone improvising.  Yeah, some smart musical stuff here.  

McCaslin is a saxophone player and does a nice job, although I felt his tone was grating; sharp and fat, which sounds odd, but that’s how it sounded.  The more I listen to Recommended Tools, the more I like the drummer.  Jonathan Blake is a pleasure to listen to; he makes that kit stand up and dance, as it were. 

The Rhythmic Pitch: It Doesn’t End Here by Marc McDonald

Marc McDonald has been playing in jazz circles (and cabaret and even rock circles) for some twenty-five years and it shows.  No, the music doesn’t sound old; it’s actually very soothing.  It’s humble, approachable jazz that comes from years of experience.  McDonald wanted to have a good time making good music and he has the ability to pull it off.

It Doesn’t End Here features McDonald on alto sax; Jim Ridl playing piano; Steve Cardenas, guitar; the bass is handled by Karl Spicer and Gene Lewin is the drummer.  McDonald wrote eight of the tracks on this CD; the other three are standards. 

The Rythmic Pitch: I Had A Ball – Pam Purvis

She sounds like she had a ball making this record. It swings, has magical grooves, it’s light and clean. Pam sounds like the silver screen diva’s of yesteryear, gorgeous and full of life. According to the bio on her website, she grew up in Louisiana and Texas (that scores her big points right there, of course!) and started singing in 1974. She credits her singing style to ‘listening to the horns.’

The songs on I Had A Ball are not only jazz standards but also classic pop/rock tunes, dressed up a little, well, jazzier.

Strengths: Pam’s voice. She has an improvisatory nature which makes each song feel alive. They grow and change every time you listen. That voice is intoxicating, to be sure. She’s a jazz siren, drawing listeners into each song. She’s got a deep, sultry tone that you never get tired of hearing.

The rhythm section is subtle yet strong. Calvin Jones and Cecil Brooks (bass and drums, respectively) lay down a strong foundation for these songs and display superb timing interpretations. “Here, There and Everywhere” is a unique version of a Beatles song and showcases their odd timing. Brook’s cymbals seem to stand out here, as well. “Ode to Billie Joe” has a catchy groove overlaid with a crisp snare.

The saxophone lends some ambiance to “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” a classic from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma. “On and On” is a funky track with some nice bass lines but it’s the lively sax that moves it along.

Weaknesses: Bob Ackerman’s saxophone only makes a few appearances. When it does arrive, it lends some depth to the songs. Brandon McCune’s piano is certainly expressive on each song, but it really doesn’t seem to have a stand out song. It’s just there. The record does sound like a soundtrack for a lost 70s television series at times. Each track feels like it has the same tempo.

Final Thought: I Had A Ball is a sweet, innocuous record. It has some appealing qualities, most notably Pam’s voice.

TRACK LISTING:

1. I Had A Ball
2. Oh What A Beautiful Morning
3. Here, There and Everywhere
4. Ode to Billie Joe
5. Without a Song
6. On and On
7. You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To
8. You Go to My Head
9. You Must Believe In Spring
10. Come In From the Rain

The Rythmic Pitch: Def Leppard’s Hysteria

Face it: without Def Leppard the music world would not be the same. Think of what Def Lep has contributed. Without them, we’d have no basis for one-armed drummer jokes. Without them, we’d never have Hysteria.

In 1987, that record reigned supreme in every high school around the world.  All right, at least in the US.  All of us ripped up our good jeans (to the chagrin of our parents) and wore tank top shirts and wristbands.  The guys with long hair had to put extra work into their locks in the mornings.  We all wanted to be Def Lep.

Hysteria was the pinnacle of the hard rock/metal that is known in contemporary terms as “hair metal.”  I don’t think that’s the best description, but whatever.  It has adhered itself to the music of my youth, much like Aqua Net adhered to the hair.  There are many who will even debate as to whether or not “hair metal” is true metal; in their opinion these cheesy rockers are just supernumerary players on the stage of True Metal – the rejects of the Glam Academy and such.  Again:  whatever.  Some of those bands have endured and have a loyal following.  In the elite of this group is Def Leppard.

Hysteria stands as their masterwork (oh, sure, some of you will say, “No,  you idiot, that’s Pyromania.”  I disagree, as much as I like Pyromania – see here).  It is well known that the band spent years perfecting the sound of Hysteria, obsessing over every note.  As Joe Elliott once noted, ‘there are bits on Hysteria that only dogs can hear.’  They worked with a few different producers on the record.  Jim Steinman began the work on Hysteria.  He was replaced by Nigel Green and eventually “Mutt” Lange came back.  He recovered from his “exhaustion” from working with The Cars, apparently.  Lange forced them to re-record their work and the result was the outstanding classic record we 80s kids still listen to today. 

It didn’t catch on right away back in the day.  “Women” is a fun song but it just didn’t grab anybody.  “Animal” is actually one of the best songs in the entire library of Def Lep tunes and it finally got the album noticed.  But it was that one song that pushed the record to legendary heights.  You know the one I mean: “Pour Some Sugar On Me”.  Oh, yeah; “love is like a bomb … ” yeah, you know the rest.  Sugar me sweet but did that song rock or what??  There was just something about that song, something mystical and energetic.  It crawled into your brain and would never leave.  The one-armed drum beat of “Sugar” marched Def Lep into legend.

It wasn’t just that song that made the record great.  As a whole it was just fantastic.  It embodied the 80s; it was the 80s.  Loud, exciting, overdramatic, silly, pompous … yeah, all that and more.  Every song is memorable.  This record and this band defined what “hair metal” was and could be:  a mix of confection and craft.  

TRACKS:

1. Women – Biblical in scope, carnal in truth, the song has a serious groove if you give it a chance
2. Rocket – a long, fun tribute song; cool drums
3. Animal – an earthy, powerful song; the thick, warm guitar lead blends beautifully with the vocals
4. Love Bites – enigmatic and dreamy, this was a huge hit for the boys; love the harsh, sarcastic title yet slow tempo music
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me – the drums are loud, the guitars are loud, the chorus is shoutable; this song defined all that 80s metal was:  step inside, walk this way …
6. Armageddon It – more British sarcasm, if you ask me; nice play on words and a raucuous party song
7. Gods of War – nearly a sequel to “Die Hard the Hunter” this song has a message delivered with a brooding Gibson guitar
8. Don’t Shoot Shotgun – I don’t really understand this song, but I love the sound
9. Run Riot – very overlooked song; had some good drumming
10. Hysteria – “Sugar” may have been the pumping fist driving this record but “Hysteria” was it’s heart and soul; beautiful song
11. Excitable – fun and brainless
12. Love and Affection – Nearly a match for “Hysteria” this track was forgotten, too; it has some superbly arranged guitar

The first half of the 80s was just a trial run for this record.  Once it arrived and ruled for a time, there was nothing left for anyone to do and so the decade and the music faded away.  Music shalt never have a decade like the 80s again and never shall we see the like of Hysteria evermore.

The Rythmic Pitch: Tim Hagans – Alone Together

The subdued music on Tim Hagans new CD is at times soothing, at times aggravating. The CD features the renowned Marc Copland on piano, his regular associate on bass, Drew Gress and Jochen Ruckert on drums. Hagans plays the trumpet.

It’s called Alone Together and everyone played that way, as if they were alone in the studio even though the rest of the band was there, too. Everything seems to be a free-for-all; trumpet, drums, piano, bass – they all just jam in their own little corner of the studio. They don’t seem to be cogent – yet, somehow, the songs remain recognizable.

Interestingly, the first four songs were written by Marc Copland; yet Hagans trumpet is the star. He’s extremely articulate; he plays with a strong and sometimes moist tone. In fact, many times it seems to be harsh. He bursts into a song, there’s nothing subtle about it. Copland’s piano provides a soft background for the strong trumpet. Meanwhile, the drums seem to suffer from attention deficit disorder though that’s not a bad thing in a musical context. Ruckert never rests long anywhere, sticks clicking over every cymbal and drum. He displays some fantastic timing.

Those first few original compositions seem to follow a pattern: they’re like a competition of solos. Copland’s piano takes the stage, then Ruckert’s drums. “See You Again” shows off Ruckert’s ability to jam. “Sweet Peach Tree” lets the bass player have a solo. Hagans trumpet trounces all over the softer shuffle of the drums and cascade of piano. At times, though, they all meet and the songs smooth out. It feels like they ramble.

The last three songs are standards. “You Don’t Know What Love Is” suits Hagans trumpet very well. It’s a gorgeous, tender song that soothed the entire band. They play well together. “Alone Together” and “Stella by Starlight” wrap up the CD.

It seems like there’s no structure to these songs; however, it’s there, it’s just very complicated. For a new jazz listener, this may be too much to take in at once. Truthfully, it even gets a tad boring.

TRACKS:

1. See You Again
2. Not Even the Rain
3. Sweet Peach Tree
4. Over and Back
5. You Don’t Know What Love Is
6. Alone Together
7. Stella by Starlight