I won't take up too much of your time, Cindy. I want to discuss your new album "Another Lifetime," which you dedicated to the late jazz drummer Tony Williams. It's commendable you’re keeping his' music alive. The guy was an exciting drummer, and he should’ve received more accolades. Williams wasn't just ordinary post-bop drummer. I understand your attraction to his style and his music. Like Miles Davis, Williams was constantly searching. As you already know, “Another Lifetime” hit the streets in late February, so I'm a little late reviewing it. Monday, I listened to it for a few hours, and I found it perplexing. "Another Lifetime" is hard to sum up. I know accomplished musicians don’t like being categorized. While I listened to your album, I wondered who’s your target audience? It's certainly not jazz purists. They’d probably find this album too intangible. And “Another Lifetime” might even be too out there for the most open minded avant-garde jazz fans. Moreover, I wonder if there's enough jazz fusion aficionados left who'd value this effort. The first time I played "Another Lifetime", I thought it was too weird for my taste, and I'd have to be stoned to understand it. It’s definitely not the kind of music I could listen to daily. Sometimes, I double-check my first impression of things. So, I decided to give the album another shot. Cindy, you're a wonderful drummer, but I don't get the album. "Another Lifetime" seems out of style, overly self-indulgent, and a throwback to the jazz fusion invasion of the '70's when bands such as Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Mahavishnu Orchestra were hot. I understand the Tony Williams angle. Were you trying to revive jazz fusion, or attempting to establish some sort of hybrid between rock and jazz?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
FUSION REVIVAL...?
I won't take up too much of your time, Cindy. I want to discuss your new album "Another Lifetime," which you dedicated to the late jazz drummer Tony Williams. It's commendable you’re keeping his' music alive. The guy was an exciting drummer, and he should’ve received more accolades. Williams wasn't just ordinary post-bop drummer. I understand your attraction to his style and his music. Like Miles Davis, Williams was constantly searching. As you already know, “Another Lifetime” hit the streets in late February, so I'm a little late reviewing it. Monday, I listened to it for a few hours, and I found it perplexing. "Another Lifetime" is hard to sum up. I know accomplished musicians don’t like being categorized. While I listened to your album, I wondered who’s your target audience? It's certainly not jazz purists. They’d probably find this album too intangible. And “Another Lifetime” might even be too out there for the most open minded avant-garde jazz fans. Moreover, I wonder if there's enough jazz fusion aficionados left who'd value this effort. The first time I played "Another Lifetime", I thought it was too weird for my taste, and I'd have to be stoned to understand it. It’s definitely not the kind of music I could listen to daily. Sometimes, I double-check my first impression of things. So, I decided to give the album another shot. Cindy, you're a wonderful drummer, but I don't get the album. "Another Lifetime" seems out of style, overly self-indulgent, and a throwback to the jazz fusion invasion of the '70's when bands such as Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Mahavishnu Orchestra were hot. I understand the Tony Williams angle. Were you trying to revive jazz fusion, or attempting to establish some sort of hybrid between rock and jazz?
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