Byzantine Monkey
Jazz
| Jul 2009
Reviews
Fo
Reviewed 2009-07-26
Reviewed 2009-07-26
JOHN HÉBERT: Byzantine Monkey
Firehouse 12, 2009
AVANT-GARDE – Bassist Hébert, a prolific sideman on the creative music scene, now steps out with his own sextet of heavy hitters. The band shows inspired interplay, rarely playing out but keeping a wide-open approach. Cerebral stuff, but with a few breakouts at the edges.
John Hébert - bass
Tony Malaby - tenor & soprano sax
Michaël Attias - alto & baritone sax
Nasheet Waits - drums
Satoshi Takeishi - percussion
Adam Kolker - flutes & bass clarinet
* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10
1. 4:39 – bass engages a cajun field recording; then horns spin the melody out
2. 8:53 – fantastically rich drums, mysterious patterns, slinky horn interplay
3. 7:16 – slow chamber-jazz, then complex drums set up jumbled second half
4. 5:35 – a slow surrealist spiral; like an abandoned playground in the fog
5. 6:58 – first half is heavy, creaking drones; second half uptempo & sneaky
6. 6:17 – floating, unsettled melody with flute; drifts gently but unpredictably
7. 8:52 – Turkish inspiration: exotic drums, falls into an odd-meter groove
8. 4:40 – for Andrew Hill: gentle, moody ballad with lots of bass space
9. 1:43 – brief reprise of #7, just drums & bass
10. 5:22 – avant ballad, slowly drifts apart in open space, becomes a drone
[ Fo ] 07/26/09
Firehouse 12, 2009
AVANT-GARDE – Bassist Hébert, a prolific sideman on the creative music scene, now steps out with his own sextet of heavy hitters. The band shows inspired interplay, rarely playing out but keeping a wide-open approach. Cerebral stuff, but with a few breakouts at the edges.
John Hébert - bass
Tony Malaby - tenor & soprano sax
Michaël Attias - alto & baritone sax
Nasheet Waits - drums
Satoshi Takeishi - percussion
Adam Kolker - flutes & bass clarinet
* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10
1. 4:39 – bass engages a cajun field recording; then horns spin the melody out
2. 8:53 – fantastically rich drums, mysterious patterns, slinky horn interplay
3. 7:16 – slow chamber-jazz, then complex drums set up jumbled second half
4. 5:35 – a slow surrealist spiral; like an abandoned playground in the fog
5. 6:58 – first half is heavy, creaking drones; second half uptempo & sneaky
6. 6:17 – floating, unsettled melody with flute; drifts gently but unpredictably
7. 8:52 – Turkish inspiration: exotic drums, falls into an odd-meter groove
8. 4:40 – for Andrew Hill: gentle, moody ballad with lots of bass space
9. 1:43 – brief reprise of #7, just drums & bass
10. 5:22 – avant ballad, slowly drifts apart in open space, becomes a drone
[ Fo ] 07/26/09
Recent airplay
Ciao Monkey
Memory Select — Jul 01, 2010
La Reine De La Salle
Transmission Overload — Sep 20, 2009
Fez 2
Total Pops Madness — Sep 18, 2009
La Reine De La Salle
Memory Select - w/The Bad Plus — Sep 11, 2009
Blind Pig
Memory Select - Joe Maneri Edition — Aug 28, 2009
Fez
Transmission Overload — Aug 23, 2009
Charting
2009-07-26 — 2009-09-27
Jazz
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Sep 27 | 1 |
| Sep 20 | 1 |
| Sep 13 | 1 |
| Aug 30 | 2 |
| Aug 9 | 2 |
| Aug 2 | 2 |
Track listing
| 1. | La Reine De La Salle | ||
| 2. | Acrid Landscape | ||
| 3. | Run For The Hills | ||
| 4. | Blind Pig | ||
| 5. | Ciao Monkey | ||
| 6. | Cajun Christmas | ||
| 7. | Fez | ||
| 8. | For A.H. | ||
| 9. | Fez 2 | ||
| 10. | New Belly |