Drugs: Catalyst or Toilet Flush

Posted by admin on August 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

I wrote a post a couple months ago about Phish begging the question of why they, as well as so many other artists turn to drugs to the point of ruining their careers.

I happened to be lucky enough to see Phish two weeks ago on their last leg of their summer 09 reunion tour.  After listening and watching them play themselves into a downward spiral of mediocrity in 2003-2004, I have to admit that I was utterly blown away by their performance in Hartford CT two fridays ago.  They were a whole new band it seemed…almost as tight as they were in their hey-day of the early to mid 90’s, I was inspired by the depth to which they took the music..something that I had seriously missed from their performances before their “break up” and even in the first couple of shows of this most recent tour.

I wasn’t the only person who was feeling as if Phish had truly “returned” for good this time.  Surrounded by fans who all had very similar things to say, I was overcome with happiness that the band I had loved more than any band in my life, who I thought had lost it forever, was seemingly being reborn again into a new, polished and joyfully connected world of musical togetherness and brilliance.

So I beg the question again…If drugs were some of the reason for their brilliance at their onset (Phish is known for smoking copious amounts of weed in some of their earlier rehearsal days in what they called their “Oh Kee Pah Ceremonies”) and drugs were the main reason for flushing themselves down the toilet…and now, sobriety and gratitude seem to be the reason for their polished and seemingly annointed comeback…then drugs: catalyst for creative realization or fast track to lethargy, inconsistancy, and flushing your gifts down the toilet?

The Real McCoy Does It Again

Posted by admin on May 19th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Every once in a while there are those musicians who seem to be truly from another planet.  Not so much because their music is “out there” but more so because their intuitive and creative musical prowress is so impecable, so extraordinary that it seems as if the only way they can be so good is to be an alien of some kind or another.  McCoy Tyner is this kind of musician.  With seemingly 40 fingers, all with his heart and brain inside them, McCoy’s masterful domination of the piano is a nothing less than a humbling and enlightening listening experience.  He is the top tier of musician…seemingly having had some kind of divine birthright to master the musical language because most people, if they practiced their whole lives, 9 hours a day everyday, would not be able to hold a candle to him.

His new record Guitars is possibly my favorite solo McCoy album.  It has a very very loose feel, almost as if McCoy was sitting on his coach one day listening to Bill Frisel or Marc Ribot and thought it would be fun to do a record with some of the best guitar players out there…called them up, and landed in the studio a couple days after.  Improvisation I and II with Marc Ribot speak to this fact but also to the naturalness of how improvisation works between two people who speak it’s language fluently and formidably.  The result is very much ameoba like…moving as one organism but with one tendril extending itself and the other following and then vise versa.  Two people, moving as one.

The highlights of the record for me were these improvisations, as well as Passion Dance and 500 miles with Marc Ribot, Greensleves with Derek Trucks and all of Bill Frisels work with Tyner.  Though I love Bela Fleck and Scofield, Ribot and Frisel are two of my favorite guitarsists, probably ever and hearing them work with this piano giant and blend both of their unique styles with his is beyond awesome.