ROCK · A · RAMA
ANTHONY BRAXTON—The Complete Braxton 1971(Arista Freedom):: Braxton's music is difficult to warm to—four years ago I regarded it as cold and pointless. But he's a prolific recorder and there's been ample opportunity for me to get inside his music and vice versa.
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ROCK · A · RAMA
ANTHONY BRAXTON—The Complete Braxton 1971(Arista Freedom):: Braxton's music is difficult to warm to—four years ago I regarded it as cold and pointless. But he's a prolific recorder and there's been ample opportunity for me to get inside his music and vice versa. And if at times he still sounds cold, it's the result of the exercising of a fiercely Curious intellect, and if at times the music seems pointless, it's the result of a fiercely uncompromising pursuit of a very personal musical vision. These newly released sides from six years ago may not hit you right away (unless you're already a Braxton devotee), but give 'em time, babe, lots of time.
R.C.W.
STEPHANE GRAPPELLI—Parisian Thoroughfare (Arista Freedom):: This is a mainstream jazz set which demostrates that violinist Grappelli, who's pushing 70, can still get it up. A very happy mixture of standards and originals and an inspiration to those who feel they may have to give it up when they reach 30. Or any other age. before check out time. R.C.W.
LARRY CORYELL/STEVE KHAN-Two For The Road (Arista):: An album of acoustic guitar duets, recorded in performance. Both Coryell and Khan ,are virtuosos and the pace is generally fast and furious but, unless you're really into acoustic guitar playing, you'll probably have difficulty making it to the second side; Too much of a good, thing. R.C.W.
MAL WALDRON—Signals (Arista Freedom):;The last three or four years has seed a spate of solo piano records—unfortunately, a rather soporific musical format. Cecil Taylor pulls it off through sheer force and intensity while Randy Weston and Dollar Brand have enough percussive idiosyncrasies to keep you from nodding. But many pianists approach the solo art as though they've just discovered Space and Silence and Significant Pauses. The results are, in a word, boring. Waldron's set is a pleasant surprise—known mostly as a leading post-bop pianist featured extensively with Mingus in the Fifties, he has released a solo set where the-ideas never Cease to literally flow. A strong left hand,' a fluent right hand and a conception strongly rooted in modern jazz and the blues, This record doesn't deserve to die a silent death. R.C.W.
LENNY WHITE—The Adventures Of Astral Pirate (Elektra):: Here's a perfect gift for that special seven year old in your life—comic book cover on the outside and comic book fusion rhusic on-the inside. Or, if you're really dumb, you can buy this for yourself (or'have the person who's reading this to you buy it for you).
R.C.W.
PHAROAH SANDERS-Love Will Find A Way (Arista)::I wanted to hate this record so bad but I just couldn't—it's such a pleasant party-type album that it's wormed its way into my rotten apple of a heart. So what if Pharoah Sanders has gone from being in the forefront of the new jazz (with temple licks a specialty) to being the Boots Randolph of instrumental soul music? So what? The main thing is to have fun.
R.C.W.
BRIAN AUGER & JULIE TIPPETTS— Encore (Warner Bros.)::"Encore" indeed, Brian and Julie are still living out the progresSiveI964-Englishperson's idolatrous romance with the American Negro & His Music; cf.. Brian's bubbling-Hammond, Jimmy Smith-like organ runs for confirmation of his stand on civil rights. "Nothing will be as it was," as this set's cover of the Flora Purim tune reminds us; Julie's jazzy vocal stylings seem rather quaint, if pleasant, after our more recent exposure to the exotic flair of the aforementioned Ms. Purim, or to the virtuoso syllabizing of the amazing Urszula Dudziak. Somewhere between antiquity and disco, there's got be a promised land of jazz, just made for you and me. R.R.
This month's Rock-a-ramas were written by Richard C. Walls, Richard Riegel and Simon Frith.
JOHN HALL (Asylum)::Ever notice how all the wellborn folkies crawl out of the walls to help one of their own kind make a solo LP, in concerted effort to keep their comfy status quo intact? Thus aspiring singer-songwriter John Hall (late of Orleans) draws on the established charisma of James & Carly, David Sanborn, Bonnie Raitt, et.al, to lend instant respectability to his indigenous s/s pap. Well, excuuuse this embittered petit-bourgeois's persevering classconsciousness! R.R.
SHAM 69—Tell Us The Truth (Polydor); GENERATION X (Chrysalis), THE BOYS— Alternative Chartbusters (Nems); SUBURBAN STUDS—Slam (Pogo)::Maybe I'm getting senile or something, but as last year's obscure singles punks become this year's mainstream album acts I find I like them all! My only difficulty is telling them apart but here goes. Most teenage: Sham 69—not much difference between their live side of cocky singalong anger and their dead side; simple chords, dumb lyrics, lotsa fun. Most disappointing: Generation X —they get more publicity than the rest, probably because Billy Idol is a pretty blonde, but he can't sing, which is a snag—the band's ideas are always just that much better than their performances. Most surprising: The Boys—Alternative Chartbusters js their second album and my favorite punk disc of 78; it's witty, tight, well arranged and full of an old wave sentimentality —"When Johnny Rotten is forgotten, I'll still remember you." Most anonymous: Suburban Studs—never mind the Sex Pistols, here's the Studs with every Rotten inflection intact. Yippee! S.F.
