Colin's Critiques

No Food, Just Films

2009-02-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Rather than follow through with my intentions and relate my experiences with two other restaurants, I decided that I’d talk about a few films I saw recently.
The first two are Dan in Real Life and Juno. Obviously, if you’re up with Pop Culture you know a little bit about each. Dan in Real Life in one long summary is this: Steve Carrell plays a widowed father of three girls searching for the next love of his life that he finds in a woman brought to a family gathering whose love is already directed at Carrell’s brother. The movie is like Little Miss Sunshine in so many ways, but is not up on-par with the brilliance of Little Miss Sunshine. I would say that unless you’re a connoisseur of Carrell, or his supporting actor Dane Cook (LOL), then this is a film not worth serious attention. You could multitask- clip your fingernails, fix a snack, do your taxes, while watching the film and not be lost.
Juno is another film not really worth your time if you haven’t seen it yet. Granted, the story is intriguing, yet the film drags on and the contemporary abrevs and teenage slang become tiresome. Again, this is a film that aims at the same Indie-feel of previous films of the late 90s and early millennium. Ellen Page turns in a noteworthy appearance, but I felt the story should have included more on the relationship between her character and the father of her child played by Michael Cera. I read a short feature on him in GQ recently and I wonder too, how long can Cera play the nice-nerdy-fumbling-High School aged guy? Perhaps he will change my mind in the upcoming film Year One.
A film that I highly recommend is The Assassination of Richard Nixon starring Sean Penn and Don Cheadle. The film focuses on a would-be assassin fed up with the social and economic systems that normal American guys are subjected to in the early 70s. I think the only other Sean Penn film I’ve seen is Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but I’ve read reviews of his work wherein he is touted as one of the best current actors and I must agreed. Penn gets this role right, seriously. I found the film on Free HD Movies on In Demand, so if you’re HD-less I guess you could find it on Netflix or a comparable service.

If you follow this blog at all, you know I’m a little late on things. In the coming months I’m planning on staying on track/catching up on some things I want to talk about. I don’t get to the movies, or buy new albums, or buy new books, so most of what I’ll review has probably already been through major critical review. Hopefully anything I talk about you haven’t experienced though, so my criticism will be meaningful in some way to you.

Where I've been eating

2009-01-29T18:27:00.001-08:00

I’ve been the biggest procrastinator when it comes to my blog, or just too busy to worry about it. Besides how many of you actually read it? Anyhow, I’ll cut to the chase. Today I’m going to include reviews of two restaurants I tried in December. Due to reader’s attention spans, I will include a review of two other restaurants in a new blog post in a day or so.
The first restaurant I’d like to tell ya’ll about is Mick’s Bistro. I went there with a date on a chilly Friday night after trying to go to the Kris Kringle parade; didn’t make the parade, but glad we made it into Mick’s. Mick’s replaced Jennifer’s Restaurant on Patrick Street. Not much has changed about the atmosphere of the establishment except some minor lighting changes; it’s still colder than diners should have to put up with, but luckily we sat by the fire. We started with an appetizer that was delicious. I don’t remember the name but it was Brie cheese baked into what I recall being something like a pastry puff. As a complement for choosing Mick’s that night, the chef offered us Fried Chickpeas. They were good also. The aioli sauce that accompanied the Fried Chickpeas made it the right balance of salty crispiness and savory spiciness. We were almost finished the Brie and chickpeas when our main courses arrived. Mine was a large chunk of pan cooked Pork Chop. It was a superb experience especially with Mac n Cheese made from scratch and fresh cooked green beans flanking the sides. To wash it all down I had ale that was brewed in a whiskey cask. It was a fitting beverage for the meal and night; the ale and pork harmonized on my tongue and the ale with its hint of whiskey warmed my insides. I had a second one. For dessert we shared a serving of bread pudding. Theirs was definitely not like Mom’s: she makes hers with hot dog rolls or sometimes on special occasions with Krispy Kremes. Theirs had raisins and was topped with a warm pecan rum sauce. I must say I left Mick’s Bistro thoroughly satisfied and am looking forward to dining their again. The final bill was a bit pricey, but nothing outrageous. Not the kind of place you can eat every night, but maybe you can: their sandwiches are reasonably priced and they have lighter entrees that cost between $10-14. It also helps to order only water, not two beers and a glass of wine; skip the desert also if money saving is on your mind.
The second restaurant I experienced for the first time was Mangi Ebevi in Urbana. Mangi Ebevi is an Italian restaurant. I wouldn’t say they specialize in any type of Italian cuisine except the good kind. The atmosphere is an inviting family atmosphere, so you don’t necessarily have to wear your Sunday’s best while dining there. They have a flat screen TV in the one dining section. I had the Red Wine of the Month to drink and honestly do not remember the name of it. It was good though. I ordered an appetizer sampler of sorts that included roasted red peppers, chunks of mozzarella, green olives, and basil leaves. It was a great start to the meal and served as a conductor of my appetite along with the crunchy bread and oil for dipping. For my entrée I ordered Penne Putanesca- Mangi Ebevi has virtually every pasta dish you can think of and their other dishes not centered on pasta looked appetizing as well. I had never had this dish before and I will probably never have it anywhere except a localized Italian restaurant…or Mangi Ebevi. So if the eatery is Olive Garden, Macaroni Grille, or Carraba’s I’m going to steer clear and just order spaghetti with meatballs (Only kidding. I’m not that boring). If you don’t like anchovies I would not recommend it, but if you’re open to broadening your culinary palette then go for it! The desert was amazing also. It was a layering of chocolate puddings and sauces and fluffs and the sort of sweets you can expect from Italian cuisine. With that said, I had yet another excellent first time experience at a restaurant. Mangi Ebevi is a restaurant where you can dine at a reasonable price given you don’t order an appetizer, alcoholic beverages, or desert. The pasta dishes range from $12-16 depending on the ingredients. They also serve oven-baked pizza. I think the next time I go there that’s what I’m going to try…

In My Mind

2008-11-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

I meant to do a post a couple weeks ago, but didn’t, therefore you get more to read. Almost two weeks ago the World Series ended with the Phillies taking the title. That might as well have marked the beginning of winter. The next day my dad and I closed our pool. The end of each means the end of summer, at least in my mind.

Those two days were quite melancholic for me because this summer has been one of the most memorable I’ve ever had. It starts with Baseball. I got my first opportunity to coach youngsters. That was a learning experience for me and has somewhat guided me to the realization that I want to impact the youth in some way. Getting back into Baseball has also allowed me to let go of the regret that built up over time from quitting when I could have kept playing. I no longer have dreams at night reminding me of what could have been. Coaching essentially helped me reach a peace of mind. The summer was also good as far as Baseball goes because I got to see a good many games at Camden Yards. I think I got to see the Red Sox twice.

And now I must share some of my memories of the pool. I was probably the first person in the pool this season as usual. I guess that was sometime in mid-May or a bit later when I got home from school. I don’t think I went swimming at night and if I did I don’t remember because I was drunk. I do know that I at least put my feet in the pool at night. Before this summer I had never had people over to hang poolside often. This summer was different, we hung out during the day and during the night; one time almost until dawn. All I have to do is look out my window and look down at the pool, close my eyes and I can take myself back to those times. It will be as if they were happening in front of me.

So much for it being winter in my mind for two days later Mother Nature pulled a quick one on me and gave us a 70 degree day to start off November. What a great day that was. Aside from being able to wear shorts and a t-shirt, I was able to awaken thoughts in my head that I had never had complete convictions of. A quote from Henry David Thoreau got my intellect running: “Quote”. With my mind stimulated by an observation from a great mind I set out on a walk around my neighborhood. The day was so beautiful; I looked at the trees in their fall splendor, each colored to what Nature had intended for the year. Looking at the trees reminded me of all the times I had observed trees in the backseat of a car on country rides. One thing I eventually noticed on these rides was that the trees grew in the outline of their shadows. That is, a tree to the east would only grow as much sunlight as it was given from the west. If I looked at the silhouettes of trees and compared them to the barriers in the west they were almost identical. With those observations in my mind came a thought: Man, like those trees, will grow with what it is given, but will almost certainly grow in the shadow of those that came before it. I haven’t quite developed the thought further than that, maybe I did at the time, but I can’t recall now some 10 days later.

But back to Thoreau. I just started re-reading Walden last week. I read it once a few years ago and took some things away from it, but probably not as much as I will this time. I highly recommend the book to anyone with the free time and an open mind.

I watched an interesting film for the first time last week. True Romance is a blend of many genres and I can’t say I really remember how the plot goes. But it’s a good enough film that I recommend watching it. If for any reason, watch it because Brad Pitt plays a stoner that never leaves his couch. Think couch guy from Half Baked except Pitt’s character is somewhat functional. The only thing I really remember from the film is that Kung Fu is used symbolically.

I would also like to take the time to relate a couple experiences I recently had. One occurred in the morning last Thursday or Friday leaving the gym. I came outside and there was a crisp-ness in the air, hitting my lungs like the tartness of an apple hits the tongue. However, the dampness and coolness in the air had a balancing affect like that of the apple’s sweetness to the tartness. It was one of those mornings I had longed for while reading Henderson the Rain King. Henderson, the narrator, describes mornings on his farms such as these that I had experienced last week. I was far away from a morning like this in Brazil, hence the longing.

An experience that consciously happened for the first time last week was listening to the leaves fall from the trees. They had held their place on the branches until a couple days of wind and rain last week and were continuing to fall on that afternoon. I was walking my dogs through the woods and stopped for a moment. What I heard excited my ears. It was as if it was raining like at the start of a downpour. It was one of the most calming and serene moments I have enjoyed lately; truly something I will cherish and embrace in future moments.

Late October

2008-10-27T16:35:00.001-07:00

Baseball season is about to end tonight. The Philadelphia Phillies took a 3-1 series lead last night over the Tampa Bay Rays and are probably going to end the series tonight with their ace Cole Hammels on the mound. Today I was thinking about the first World Series I remember watching. It was 15 years ago when the Phillies were in the Series playing the Toronto Blue Jays. The only thing I really remember about that World Series is watching Game 6, falling asleep with my head down on the kitchen table, and waking up to witness Joe Carter hit the Series-winning homer.
I have many different many memories associated with Baseball in October and this is one of the reasons the month is special to me; also maybe because my birthday is in this month.

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to watch a film my mom bought me for my birthday. She bought me 88 Minutes starring Al Pacino and What Happens in Vegas with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. These are two films I probably wouldn't have seen in theatres or seen on DVD had my mom not bought them.
I needed to cheer myself up, so I decided I'd watch a comedy. What Happens in Vegas falls into the Romantic Comedy category; it's a decent movie to watch with a special someone. Fellas, it's not movie to watch if you're stoned or looking to kill some time. Ladies, you'll probably be able to sit down and watch with your girlfriends one afternoon, but maybe not a movie-night film.
The film is decent, not going to get any Oscars or go down in history as one of the best comedies ever. It got me thinking about the types of roles Kutcher and Diaz usually play. Kutcher has the oblivious, loser-type down pat so it's no surprise he plays the same sort of character in this film. Diaz on the other hand seems a more versatile actress, but I can't think of any film recently where she goes outside of her comfort zone and challenges herself.
As for the script, there is the usual sex-based humor that comedies are known for. Rob Corddry's character gets kind of old after awhile calling Diaz's sidekick "Stripper". I must've missed her name early in the movie (Tipper) because the first time I watched it I was confused about the joke.
Overall, it's a decent film. If Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher don't get you going, then it's probably not worth buying or even renting. You're not missing out on much.

Madlib

2008-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a paper I wrote on Madlib in the Spring of 2008 before graduating. It's a little bit factual, a little bit critical/analytical. It's a little long, so make sure you have some time to sit down and read it. Enjoy.

Madlib: The One-Man Band

“...And that’s Jazz. A while ago there were cats readin’ while cats played Jazz behind them. There wasn’t nothin’ happenin’ so the musicians cooked right on like they didn’t even mind them. I wrote the shortest Jazz poem ever heard. Nothin’ ‘bout huggin’, kissin’. One word: listen.” The introduction to Quasimoto’s “Jazz Cats Pt.1” leads into a survey rap by Quasimoto and Madlib highlighting a variety of icons in Jazz worth using the space to list. Sun Ra, George Benson, Hampton Hawes, Herbie Hancock, Gene Harris and the Three Sounds, Bobby Hutcherson, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, Terry Gibbs, Donald Byrd, George Duke, Lee Morgan, Gene Russell, Weather Report, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Lenny Harris, and John Coltrane. These icons serve as the subjects over Madlib’s laid-back sample-driven beat. But they are more than just subjects for the song; they are parts of a whole. Just as one cannot mention Jazz without mentioning some of these figures, one cannot mention Quasimoto without mentioning Madlib; and when you bring up Madlib, you undoubtedly will mention Jazz.

Madlib was born Otis Jackson Jr. on October 24, 1973 to parents Otis Jackson Sr. and Dora Sinesca Jackson. Music is something that has been a part of Madlib’s life since his early youth. His father was an accomplished Rhythm and Blues session singer who worked with David Axelrod and H.B. Barnum. Not only was music a part of his immediate family, but it stretched out into the family tree; his uncle is legendary trumpeter Jon Faddis. Faddis has played with Jazz icons such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and Bob James. In an interview with Wax Poetics, Madlib recalls a holiday encounter from his youth with Dizzy Gillespie. “He [Faddis] came down with Dizzy one time. I was battling with Dizzy Gillespie eating gumbo. We was battling to see who could eat the most” (Wax Poetics). Madlib claims that the first music he fell in love with was Jazz around the age of 6 or 7. This should come as no surprise given the contact he had with musicians at an early age. However, Jazz was not the only type of music played in the Jackson household. Madlib felt the sway of 80s Hip-Hop and began break dancing with friends. Two of these friends, Wildchild and DJ Romes, along with Madlib, went on to form the independent Hip-Hop group Lootpack. Madlib started musically expressing himself first as a DJ. Then in 1987 he began crafting beats; either for his crew of just out of a love for music. Madlib claims to have started creating beats seriously around 1996. At this point in time Madlib had released material with West Coast group Tha Alkoholics and with the aforementioned Lootpack. It wasn’t until 1999 that Madlib would sign to a label. After hearing Lootpack’s Soundpieces: Da Antidote, Stones Throw Records label owner Chris Danuk (Peanut Butter Wolf) obtained the services of the Beat Konducta.

Since then, Madlib has released music under multiple pseudonyms. The first release was Quasimoto’s The Unseen in 2000. The album was critically acclaimed yet received little mainstream attention. Then in 2003, along with fellow Hip-Hop god J Dilla, the duo released Champion Sound as the rap pair Jaylib. Where Madlib MCs, J Dilla produces the beat and vice versa. For Hip-Hop heads, the album is a treasure for it combines two of the most revered producers in the underground game. Thanks to a double disk re-issue in the summer of 2007 there are now remixes available for purchase with the original album. In 2004, Stones Throw released another album where Madlib handled half the load. Madvillain’s Madvillainy pairs Madlib beats with MF DOOM on mic duties. The result is an album far to the left of the norm within the Hip-Hop soundscape of 2004. Most songs are hook-free and come in at under three minutes in length. Also in 2004, a second Quasimoto album was released. The Further Adventures of Lord Quas was more of the same raw Hip-Hop featured on the first Quasimoto album. This time however the album strayed away from traditional sounds into a more abstract and surreal presentation. Most recently Madlib has released two albums worth of beats in 2006 and 2007. Beat Konducta Vol. 1-2: Movie Scenes is an hours worth of beats that make use of sources ranging from the uplifting soul to the dark synth-driven. 2007’s Beat Konducta in India relies solely on soundtracks of Bollywood films and music of India. More so than the first Beat Konducta album, this more prominently includes the “ill record static” that Madlib takes comfort in hearing. Madlib hinted that there is more to come in the Beat Konducta series in an interview. He revealed that he probably has “around 30 more volumes” of music worthy of release. During this brief period in the early decade, Madlib’s production skills were featured on the albums of Oh No, MED, Declaime, Wildchild, Dudley Perkins, and Percee P and while he has released an extensive amount of Hip-Hop music, the work that seems closest to him is the work produced under the moniker Yesterday’s New Quintet.

Just as Madlib operates within the Hip-Hop genre under varied aliases, he does the same in Jazz. In this genre however, he acts as five members of one Jazz group. Collectively, these musicians are known as Yesterday’s New Quintet. The five-some includes Percussionist Malik Flavors, Bassist Monk Hughes, Drummer Otis Jackson Jr., Keyboardist Joe McDuphery, and Vibraphonist Ahmad Miller. The band was formed after Madlib made some money from the first Quasimoto album. “I bought some instruments, ‘cause you know I listen to all them records with Fender Rhodes, Vibraphones and Upright Bass and stuff, so I wanted to see if I could get all that stuff and learn it and do my own thing. Try to do what they did, but in my own way. Back in the day. Jazz music” (redbullmusicacademy.com). At the time he wanted to sound most like those artists recording Jazz in the 60s and 70s. More specifically, the musicians with a futuristic sound such as Lonnie Lyston Smith, Elvin Jones, Black Jazz, and Strata East. Madlib also cites King Tubby, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman as influences, but readily admits that since he listens to such a variety of music it’s difficult to provide a specific list of musicians that influence him.

One of the earlier releases in the YNQ discography is the 7” vinyl entitled Bomb Shelter EP. Released in 2001 and recorded in the Bomb Shelter, the EP lasts about 6 minutes in total. “Mystic Brew” the first track is not too experimental. Otis Jackson Jr. keeps time with a pattern that doesn’t include many rolls or improvisations. Granted the track lasts about forty four seconds so there isn’t much to analyze. “Knucklehead” on the other hand gives the listener a bit more to work with. One thing that is apparent is that YNQ exchanges between sections of melody and modality. In this early recording, most of the improvisation or creativity is exerted in those modal moments. “Pride & Vanity” is a track in which Malik Flavors is the one musician that comes straightforward and doesn’t stray into improvisation. Through his tambourine shakes you can hear and feel the tempo shift in the song. Overall this is an album that introduces listeners to the idea of expressive, cohesive Jazz music produced by a musician with no prior training with any of the used instruments.

Later in 2001, YNQ released a full-length album entitled Angles Without Edges. This album employs the same members as Bomb Shelter EP. It has essentially the same sound that listeners were introduced to on the three EPs that predated it. However, most of Otis Jackson Jr’s drums have been processed through the SP1200; a drum machine normally used in Electronic musics like Hip-Hop or Dance. The SP1200 gives the drums on Angles Without Edges an eroded and slightly fuzzy sound. The drum machine has the effect of not only distorting the original sound source but it also ensures that the drums don’t take up too much of any composition’s sound space. Buyers of the vinyl version of the album miss out on two selections: “Birth of YNQ” and “Mestizo Eyes”. The first is a free play of the key-based instruments in the group such as the Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and Moog Synthesizer. These electric instruments play along while a Jazz musician explains how each instrument functions. This is an explanation of YNQ’s birth in a way and it is also Madlib showing off his “loopdigga” status. Perhaps the one track in which YNQ challenges themselves the most is with the ballad “Broken Dreams”. The longest composition on the album unfolds as a vehicle to portray the feeling of broken dreams. The ballad could be a metaphor for any type of dream that has failed, but the dreams cannot be those of failing to create a beautiful work of music for that is not what YNQ has achieved with this album.

In 2003, an album of Jazz that featured Hip-Hop remixes and new interpretations of Blue Note classics was released. The album entitled Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note was released by Blue Note Records and featured Madlib remixing and DJing and YNQ re-interpreting some classic recordings. Blue Note Records is one of the iconic labels in Jazz history so based on the fact that they granted Madlib access to their catalogue is evidence of his reputation in the Jazz community. In true Madlib fashion, the album begins with some obscure sample of a musician inviting the audience “to join in and have a ball” and declaring “we’re puttin’ a pot on in here”. In other words: somethin’ is cookin’. First on Madlib’s tour de Blue Note is a remix of Gene Harris and the Three Sounds’ “Look of Slim”. “Slim’s Return” features DJ Lord Such (Madlib) cutting it up on the turntables and Ahmad Miller (Madlib also) on vibes. The record scratches add intensity to an already up-tempo song and are an example of how the turntables can be used as an instrument. DJ Lord Such scratches various classic Hip-Hop records over this jazz tune including a small snippet from KRS-One’s “The Beast”. One characteristic of Madlib recordings in this track is the panning. The turntable abilities of Lord Such bounce the sounds from left to right and back around many times. The album features several other remixes of Blue Note classics; Hip-Hop remixes of Donald Byrd’s “Distant Land” and Bobbi Humphrey’s “Please Set Me At Ease”, Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew”, Donald Byrd’s “Stepping Into Tomorrow”, and Bobby Hutcherson’s “Montara”. YNQ steps in to re-interpret Reuben Wilson’s “Stormy”, Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father”, Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”, and a live-recorded two-part suite combining Horace Silver’s “Peace” and Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance”. The album even features a brand-new composition entitled “Funky Blue Note”. On the album Madlib takes several interludes from the music to give listeners short lessons in history. “Blue Note Interlude” discusses the significance of the label within Jazz history. Label leaders Alfred Lion and Francis Wolf are here regarded as innovators in Jazz for the changes they brought about in “technical standards”. “Alfred Lion Interlude” is another history lesson. The speaker, possibly a musician or Jazz critic, states: “Out of the thousand records Alfred produced, easily 900, 950 of them are classics”. The speaker also emphasizes Alfred Lion’s commitment to getting the most out of the artist without talking about record sales. The album serves as a great introduction to some Jazz standards for new listeners of Jazz. It is also evidence of Madlib’s affinity for Jazz from the 60s and 70s; all but one of the tracks was originally recorded during those two decades.

In 2004, Stones Throw Records released YNQ’s Stevie. The album was recorded as a tribute to Stevie Wonder. The album has an interesting story behind it. While eating in a restaurant, label owner Chris Danuk (Peanut Butter Wolf) observed that Stevie Wonder was eating at the same establishment. Danuk couldn’t pass up the opportunity to introduce himself and YNQ’s takes on Wonder’s music to the legend himself; the label owner followed Wonder to the bathroom and his efforts were almost thwarted until Wonder heard whom this stalker was associated with. Wonder listened to the work and gave Stones Throw the go-ahead to release the material based on Madlib’s relation to his father and uncle. The sound of the album is so raw, gritty, and vintage that it doesn’t sound like it was recorded in the 21^st century. This is evidence of Madlib’s preference to not recording in state-of-the-art studios. “You ain’t gonna catch me at no big studio homie. Nope. I’ll do it at home, where I’m peaceful, relaxed, you know cool” (redbullmusicacademy.com). The sound is also developed in part by Madlib’s insistence on maintaining an analog element in the recording process.

The album opens with a rendition of Wonder’s most-known composition “Superstition”. The album is most definitely a work of YNQ. Many of the drum patterns on the album have a Hip-Hop influence. Several songs are combined into two-part suites; on these suites it seems that they were made this way because the composition doesn’t allow YNQ to do much creatively. The final song, “That Girl”, is evidence again of Madlib’s “loopdigga” status. The intro features Wonder speaking in French with an interviewer and then lamenting in English “the thing of peace has passed us by”. After that introduction the opening notes of YNQ’s version have a strong sobering power that puts the listener in a melancholic state bordering on depression. But it’s the music that keeps the listener from going over that line – to understand that a man with no prior training on any of these instruments has produced these interpretations should inspire any listener to attempt the greatest of tasks.

Then in 2005, Madlib had the chance to work with studio musicians for the first time. Sound Directions’ The Funky Side of Life features several members of YNQ and various other musicians. The opening track “Directions” is driven by percussive elements and horns. What stands out most is the location of the horns at various points of time in the song; they start in a place more distant than Miles’ in “Bitches Brew”, then move onto the same street, and then right in front of you. Madlib mixed this album himself and given the abstract nature of some of his other recordings the complexity of “Directions” should come as little surprise. However, until this is considered, the opening leaves a listener baffled as to what has just happened in their ears. Each track is easy to catch a dancing fever over and perhaps the most contagious to repeatedly listen to is “Play Car”. This track features Madlib saying things like, “Let O get a drum roll”, “Hit them cymbals O”, “He’s doin’ the funky chicken...funky robot...mashed potato...mashed potato?” The album features a rendition of David Axelrod’s “A Divine Image”. Axelrod is one of Madlib’s influences so it is fitting that he takes a chance in covering any of his idol’s work. Madlib liked Axelrod’s work so much during his days as a college radio DJ that he risked criminal punishment by stealing any Axelrod LP he could get his hands on from the college’s record library.

Just last year, in the summer of 2007, Yesterday’s Universe: Prepare For a New Yesterday was released. It features the original quintet members, but configured in different combinations as different bands to make up Yesterday’s Universe. The Otis Jackson Jr. Trio, The Jahari Masamba Unit, Young Jazz Rebels, Kamala Walker and the Soul Tribe, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz and Percussion Ensemble, Jazzicists, Suntouch, Jackson Conti, The Eddie Prince Fusion Band, and Yesterday’s Universe All-Stars are introduced on this album. The album also features Karriem Riggins and Mamao at times on drums. This is Madlib’s most diverse Jazz album to date. On many of the tracks he breaks away from the modal sound and focuses on melody. Yesterday’s Universe opens with a reworking of Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew”. Staying true to the concept of Fusion Jazz, the track features a Moog Synthesizer, a flute, drums, and sound effects of a boiling pot. The Young Jazz Rebels’ “Slave Riot” recalls notions of music created by Sun Ra and Charles Mingus during the 60s. It’s a “riotous” expression of freedom through music. A track by Sound Directions, “She’s Gonna Stay”, is perhaps the album’s most energetic track. It is a melodic dose of warm and bright sounds that should uplift those in the lowest of the doldrums. The Last Electro Acoustic Space Jazz and Percussion Ensemble’s “Cold Nights and Rainy Days” is a six-minute treat that expresses around 12 hours of real-time. The track is a somber ballad that comes off as modal at times. The tracks by Jackson Conti, “Barumba” and “Upa Neguinho”, are explorations into Latin Jazz. The percussion on each is on point and the keys on “Upa Neguinho” gradually take precedence as the track progresses. On this album Madlib has produced virtually every form of Jazz besides Blues, Dixieland, and Big Band. He’s aware that a creation of this kind does more than just display his talents. “[I] try to do every type of music. To connect with everybody” (redbullmusicacademy.com).

Considering that Madlib has been playing for such a short amount of time and is self-taught, his work should be regarded as a unique achievement in contemporary music. While many artists are concerned about making music as a means to an end (women, jewelry, cars, fashion) Madlib is concerned with making music for the sake of making music. Within the first decade of the 21^st century he’s released enough work to effectively characterize his music. It’s rumored that he has enough material, released or unreleased, to provide programming for a radio station for two months! A listener can come into a Madlib produced work and have some idea of what he’s going to get, but he is also going to get something new. Madlib is approaching 35 years of age and seems to be gaining a control over his music that possibly no artist has had before. It is possible that Duke Ellington or Thelonius Monk would’ve attempted or operated in the same manner as Madlib given the same means and conditions, but unfortunately they weren’t. But fortunately for us we have someone named Madlib to do what they couldn’t, but to do what they did – push Jazz to another level of creativity and innovation. As long as there are people of the same make-up as Madlib, buying the old classic vinyls and creating new interpretations of those classics, Jazz will push on.

Hello!

2008-10-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all that are taking the time to read this. I am starting a blog with the intention of posting critiques of Albums and Films. They may be new or they may be old. Also from time to time I may critique other works of Art (concerts, poetry, television shows). I look forward to the feedback from the readers out there and hope you enjoy the blog!