Retro Chicken

I don’t know why but for some reason I am completely obsessed with Jaco these days. I was searching around You Tube and found an amazing trio version of the Weather Report classic “Teen Town” (it is incredibly fast and Jaco quotes “Third Stone from the Sun” – how can you get any better?), featuring a guitar player I have never heard of - Bireli Lagrene.

I looked him up on Wikipedia and they said he was a gypsy prodigy (learned the Django repertoire by the time he was eight, that kind of thing), and I vaguely remembered seeing him in Guitar Player magazine. But then I found this and wow – why isn’t Bireli Legrene a household name? Listen and be amazed.

The Pogues play traditional Irish music but somehow became the darlings of the mid-80’s punk scene – despite the acoustic instrumentation, penny whistle and accordion. I don’t know much about them, except that the first time I saw them was an appearance on Saturday Night Live and it looked to me like they were extremely drunk – it was a very impressive performance – their huge band crammed together on the tight SNL stage, cranking out fast-tempo Irish grooves while doing their best to remain standing. Joe Strummer from the Clash also played with the Pogues and I think there is a wild Irish “London Calling” somewhere out there.

In a previous post I mentioned the ultra-hip Downtown Jewish music scene (aka John Zorn and company). Check out these killer jams - John Zorn’s quartet - filmed in Warsaw and featuring Joey Baron on drums.

Zorn has a record label - Tzadik - dedicated to releasing all sorts of cool “Jewish” music. Tzadik is the Hebrew word for righteous (though I once saw hype for the Tzadik label and they translated “tzadik” as “wise” - not sure how they could have made this mistake and if that changes the intent of the label). Like I mentioned earlier - the music on this label is everything from traditional grooves to guitar feedback weirdness - enjoy.

Andy Statman is one of those guys who is good at everything he does. He was already a well known and established bluegrass mandolinist (having played with people like David Grisman and Jerry Garcia) when he became an observant Jew. His interest in Judaism led to mastering the clarinet and initiating the Klezmer music revival. (Klezmer music is the traditional music of the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.)

Although Andy’s playing is innovative, refreshing, experimental and unique - the palate he works from is traditional and therefore sets him apart from the cool Downtown Jewish music scene.* Andy’s music is sincere, honest and an expression of a deep-rooted spirituality.

The lighting in this video is terrible, but listen to the music - it is truly remarkable. (Does anyone know where this is?)

*The downtown Jewish music scene was started by John Zorn, Michael Dorf from the Knitting Factory and others. They are basically a group of extremely talented Jazz, experimental, punk, out-there-gonzo musicians who all happened to be Jewish. They express their eccentric, eclectic, other-worldly inner essences via a template of “Jewish” music. The results can be anything, ranging from spiritually transformative to ear-splitting (and I mean this as a compliment).

Golem is the new rage in Yiddish music. They are on Jdub records (the people who brought you Matisyahu) and have a great live show. Their hype draws a lot of comparisons to early punk and the Sex Pistols - which I think is overdone - except that they have an edge, great energy, and don’t conform to the crusty image that usually comes to mind when thinking about music from the old country.

I used to be in the Mellow Edwards with Curtis, their trombonist. We were a combination of free jazz, early metal, and goofy weirdness (featuring lead trombone, rhythm guitar and drums). The Mellow Edwards are still around (although now they are dubbed the “New” Mellow Edwards) and have even recorded a CD. The last time I played with them was in the spring of 93 at CB’s Gallery (a little art gallery in the Bowery owned and run by CBGBs - neither exists anymore) - I think I should hassle Curtis to get the band back together - we could do a reunion tour, earn a fortune, and maybe even make the cover of People magazine.