Flora: spread cool, never Clotet

**Ian Thumwood** · 20-08-22, 19:44

I did not catch much of J-Z this evening as I was travelling back from football before doing my shop. I misse dhte Kahil El Zabaar track and was surprised to see him feature in J-Z as I increasngly find this programme to love the modish over the interesting. Today's programme was centred on Brazilian music with Flora Purim getting effusive praise from Julian Joseph. Given his origins as a New Neo in the 1980s, I was quite surprised by his comments. It always strikes me that I don't mind this music if you consider it as South american "pop " music yet, by the same token, it can come across as being a bit lame if you consider it to be jazz. As pop music, it is far more sophisticated than most US / Western versions and it is sufficiently musical to demnstrate it to be quite superior. Milton Nascimento is a great song-writer and you can appreciate why this music appeals to jazz musicians.

The one track that really under-whelmed me was the Nat Birchill record. Julian Joseph noted that this music plugged in to the spirit of John Coltrane. To my ears, this music sounded more like Pharoah Sanders. It was like of photo-copy of something Sanders might have recorded in 1970. Far from sounding contemporary, Birchill is taking inspiration from music that it over 50 years old. If Julian Joseph had done the same when he emerged on the scene, he would probably have sounded like Teddy Wilson. Wonder what everyone else thought. To my ears, the music was a bit old fashioned and maybe another example of social appropriation.

**Serial_Apologist** · 20-08-22, 22:41

Originally posted by Ian Thumwood View Post

I did not catch much of J-Z this evening as I was travelling back from football before doing my shop. I misse dhte Kahil El Zabaar track and was surprised to see him feature in J-Z as I increasngly find this programme to love the modish over the interesting. Today's programme was centred on Brazilian music with Flora Purim getting effusive praise from Julian Joseph. Given his origins as a New Neo in the 1980s, I was quite surprised by his comments. It always strikes me that I don't mind this music if you consider it as South american "pop " music yet, by the same token, it can come across as being a bit lame if you consider it to be jazz. As pop music, it is far more sophisticated than most US / Western versions and it is sufficiently musical to demnstrate it to be quite superior. Milton Nascimento is a great song-writer and you can appreciate why this music appeals to jazz musicians.

The one track that really under-whelmed me was the Nat Birchill record. Julian Joseph noted that this music plugged in to the spirit of John Coltrane. To my ears, this music sounded more like Pharoah Sanders. It was like of photo-copy of something Sanders might have recorded in 1970. Far from sounding contemporary, Birchill is taking inspiration from music that it over 50 years old. If Julian Joseph had done the same when he emerged on the scene, he would probably have sounded like Teddy Wilson. Wonder what everyone else thought. To my ears, the music was a bit old fashioned and maybe another example of social appropriation.

Couldn't agree more as regards Mr Birchall (note spelling) - a very poor Coltrane simulacrist. Rest of the programme fine, if rather Fusion-slanted - having had her "Butterfly Dreams" in my collection for many decades I was very touched by Ms Purim's contribution.

**Ian Thumwood** · 21-08-22, 09:37

The Nat Birchall track seemed typical of everything I have heard by him. I think the whole band was pretty average , to be honest and they did not seem to be especially tight. I am not too aware of the scene in Manchester but there does seem to be a steong presence from the music college up there with the likes of the excellent guitarist Mike Walker. I believe Nikki Illes is also up there too. Birchall seems to have captured the imagination of the press which seems seduced by the whole "spiritual" aspect of his music. Notwithstanding the fact that it sounds really old-fashioned and extremely cod , the music is probably the most derivative group currently in the UK scene.

I like the Kahil El' Zabar track, though. I have a few of his records which can likewise plug into the same milieu as Birchall but come out of the whole AACM school so can quite easily accommodate African, Free and Funk connections. In my opinion, Zabar is the master if conjuring up grooves with his percussion. I think he also has a great voice too. I really miss AEoC and I think he probably occupies the void they once occupied.

**kernelbogey** · 21-08-22, 13:05

Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post

Flora: spread cool, never Clotet

I can't believe it's not butter!

**Serial_Apologist** · 21-08-22, 16:46

Originally posted by kernelbogey View Post

I can't believe it's not butter!

Not to worry - Jazz Record Requests is managing to summer-ise everything up rather nicely today!

**BLUESNIK'S REVOX** · 21-08-22, 17:27

I caught a brief nod (very) to Blue Monk in the intro to "Summer Set" in Acker Bilk's later recording? As a sign of age, I'm beginning to think Acker was the best of that bunch, once all the corn and uniforms were stripped away. There's a clip on YouTube of them all riding on the Big Dipper at Barry Island fair ground in about 1960. Having done that myself many times around the same period, and gazed at the rotten wood, broken bolts and splintered timber slats holding it together, I share their medals.

Flora: spread cool, never Clotet

Flora: spread cool, never Clotet

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