Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Basement Crates: "Jazz" Tuesday

Jimmy Smith: In Search of Truth (Delta, 1980)
Neither of these tracks are really jazz at all. This wonderful Jimmy Smith track is, basically, a done-in-one-take blues vamp and the Emperor's New Clothes choon is consensually funkual, breakbeat dub with some silly noises on it. But I love both of them dearly, despite not having heard either of them for a Very Long Time indeed (hang on a minute, that's probably why I lo... etcetc). Eagle-eyed readers will notice that this is the later Milan pressing from 1989 - oh yes. Anyhoo, this was originally from the Lalo Schifrin soundtrack to Battlecreek Brawl (also the title of a fantastic track by Brit hip hop chaps, Gunshot) and it is, literally, really good.

The Emperor's New Clothes: Nature Never Repeats Itself (Acid Jazz, 1993)
I think I might start a strand where I just collect together vintage press releases. Then again, maybe I'll just throw myself out of a window and be done with it. 15 years ago, this sort of thing was - to my ears - incredibly wonderful and strange. It still sounds pretty good to me, but this sort of ambient dub has, sadly, been cheapened by being whacked on every TV ident between here and a thousand years in the future. Whatever, this is still a great record. It never really happened for TENC - if you're out there, get in touch...

5 comments:

Mondo said...

Love that Jimmy Smith tunes - great use of the 'Pitch Shift' thumbwheel - I do find his gruntin' and a'groanin' a bit off putting sometimes, (not on this track though)

And 'Nature' is almost on the cusp of Acid Jazz and Trip Hop, sort of thing I'd record when I first got a 4 track and on albums like this The Trip Hop Test Volume 3

Rob said...

Hey PM: I like all that grunting and groaning - it works for me. I have no idea why, but it does... There was a time when the middle ground between Acid Jazz and trip-hop was really exciting, but they both seem such dead genres now

Anonymous said...

Picture alert: That's not TENC, it's Totally Wired 10.

Rob said...

I know! The track's taken from that CD...

Anonymous said...

aHA! Now I SEE!!

Sorry I thought you were talking about an album by them

(I should have known, I did work there!! Eek etc)