This Week’s Featured Tower Reviews:
February 22, 2008 by Romy
Richard Hawley | Lady’s Bridge (Mute) (2007)
Richard Hawley music will appeal to those whose taste in pop music gravitates towards the rich vocal tones of Roy Orbison and instrumentation that could be easily mistaken for Elvis Presley in his Sun Records prime. Hawley’s fifth CD Lady’s bridge finds the former mercury prize nominee in fine form as his rich baritone voice rumbles below rich strings, twangy country guitar, and soft piano. Unlike other retro acts, the former Pulp guitarist’s keen understanding of early rock n’ roll and his nuanced guitar playing lift the music above the level of kitsch or mere imitation, and has earned him the admiration of such musical innovators such as Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and R.E.M’s Mike Mills. Lady’s Bridge is a perfect primer for those who are curious about Richard Hawley, or anyone looking to listen to a great roots rock n’ roll record.
Richard Hawley - Tonight The Streets Are Ours (Video)
The Miles Davis Quintet | Live At the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Concord) (2007)
This CD recorded on 09/20/63 by famous sound man Wally Heider provides a glimpse into the genesis of what, for many jazz enthusiasts, would turn out to be Miles Davis greatest working unit. With the foundation of his great 1964-1968 quintet already in place in the persons of Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Herbie Hancock, there would be two saxophonists who would come and go in the short period of one year before the arrival of Wayne Shorter. They were George Coleman, heard here in a brilliant expressive performance, and Sam Rivers. The main body of the performances heard here consists of four extended takes on the Davis repertoire of the time. A blistering “Autumn Leaves” with spectacular solos by all members of the group except Williams. There is also a completely reinvented and much quicker paced version of “So What” off the classic Kind of Blue album. The ballad selection included here, “Stella by Starlight”, is beautifully played and leisurely paced with Davis taking an extended an extended solo that will give you the chills. The set closes with a rousing “Walkin’” played at a furious pace with cataclysmic soloing from Williams, Hancock, Carter (utilizing a bow), and the leader himself.
There are four other live Miles Davis CDs that I would highly recommend as companion pieces to this disc. They are Miles Davis in Europe (Columbia 93583), Four & More (Columbia 93595), these two discs feature George Coleman. Miles in Tokyo (Columbia 93596) with avant-garde saxophonist Sam Rivers in what I believe is his only recorded performance with Miles, and finally Miles in Berlin with Wayne Shorter making his debut recording with the band that would take him to jazz superstardom. It will be interesting to hear what else is archived and waiting to be released through the MJFR imprint.
Miles Davis: Walkin’
