AWmusic

To enter into the world of jazz is an act of pure treachery whether it’s as a listener or an artist. Few genres of music are as haughty and unforgiving to wide-eyed neophytes. It’s not that there isn’t room in the club for another, just that you really have to try hard to gain a spot.

Madeleine Peyroux found hers back in 1996 in a way very common to jazz newcomers – via enormous cult status and a subsequent smash debut album (Dreamland).

Of course jazz “rules” state that one can only gain critical acclaim in the world of horns and riffs by paying homage to the recognized masters of the jazz style and sensibility; that is, you can only gain acceptance by doing – contrary to pretty much every other musical faction – personal covers from the deep library of jazz standards. Should you pass this demanding initial litmus test, you are ushered in and thus proclaimed worthy of this exclusive club.

This is precisely why I believe most jazz to be annoyingly snotty and transparently pretentious and its followers – for the most part – even more so.

Jazz maintains a snobbishness matched only by hardcore poetry and impressionist art. It’s not that there isn’t actually any talent and endearing qualities in the music, it’s just that is so deeply buried beneath layers and layers of arrogant posturing.

For Madeleine Peyroux – the artist – she has the requisite history and sincere bohemian background to solidify her place in the genre. Her youth was shared between New York City and California, then Paris by way of her parents’ (self-proclaimed hippies) divorce. That, combined with a life of eclectic music and higher education, seemed destined to send Madeleine to a life amongst the bebop set.

She set forth to topple the genre from within, tackling such esteemed icons as Billie Holliday, Bessie Smith and Edith Piaf. Her covers not only paid reverence to them but added her own personal Peyrouxesque flavour to the mix. Madeleine Peyroux had become the Next Big Thing.

And now with the release of her fourth studio album Bare Bones she attempts to put a permanent stamp on her own status within the jazz realm. Ms. Peyroux is doing this entire recording with not one old record or reanimated favourite. Bare Bones is entirely her.

For those who haven’t heard Peyroux sing before, you’d have a hard time believing she isn’t the result of some musical time machine. Her voice is smoky (aren’t they all?) and sultry with a breathiness and hush that seems much older than her thirty five years (again, aren’t they all?).

What makes this album unique are the ways in which she’s tried to embellish this offering in her own way. A lot of this music is simply historically un-jazzy. There are mood changes and alternate rhythms and lyrical depths not usually found in your typical jazz album.

Take River of Tears which is about as far away from typical jazz (read: upbeat) as you can get or Homeless Happiness which recalls her early life as a street busker (A bench by the shore/A coat for my pillow/A future with no guarantee/The world was a rat race and I had my fill oh/ No hurries no worries for me) or even To Love You All Over Again, a hopeful (yes hopeful) commitment to leaving behind the lovelorn and damaged past with the chance to start renewed.

Some will bemoan Peyroux’s latest primal scream and lament her unwanted personal signature on this storied style of music but then, they’re the ones in it more for the image than the music anyway. Great music, as the hardcore jazz aficionado needs to realize, didn’t die in 1962. Madeleine’s here to remind them of that.

Madeleine Peyroux – Instead
Madeleine Peyroux – River of Tears
Madeleine Peyroux – To Love You All Over Again

Although I wasn’t moved by this listen (actually, I couldn’t listen to the whole album in one sitting; too tedious), I have to credit Kutiman with being a fine multi-instrumentalist and with producing a great sounding album. The chilled beats, funky bass, organs, guest vocals, wah guitars, flutes, trumpets, lead synths, etc. are all well represented on the album, and they sound great and work well together. What discouraged me from listening to this album all the way through was the repetition. Kudos for being able to maintain a theme for the duration of the album, but this album would work well as a soundtrack (to a movie, or a 4:20 themed chill session, I suppose).

Any of the songs on the album could have been a nice departure if I had them shuffled in to a mix spanning several genres. There are two songs, however, that stood out for me: Trumpet Woman and Take a Minute. The first track that I heard on the album was Trumpet Woman, and this set the tone for me. Very cool tune, with a lot of soul. The mute trumpet sound (quite likely a sample-chop/scat combo by guest Karolina), steals the spotlight in this jazzy, laid back number. Short, sweet and great to listen to.
Trumpet Woman by Kutiman (f. Karolina)

I then sat through a total of 10 of the thirteen tracks before I had to stop the album. There were shades of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Santana, Portishead etc. With every tune, I could only draw comparisons to other artists, and try to guess where I’ve heard the tune before. It took me a few days to get back to the last three tracks, but I’m glad that I did.

The second standout track happened to be the last one that I listened to: Take a Minute. Carnival organ, flute, rhythm-box beat, laid back bass groove. Perfect intermission music. Have a listen…
Take a Minute by Kutiman

Overall, I heard a talented musician making music that I tired of decades ago. I hope to see a lot of growth with Kutiman, because I’m certain that he has a great future as an artist. I really wanted to like this album. Not my first dream to be dashed.