Maybe this is old news, but here's a quick write-up from the Manchester Guardian of MeShell's latest jazz band project, which had the working title of "Papillion" for the past couple years. It's finally out!!! Apparently, it's been released exclusively in France for the past 1 1/2 months and won't be available in my neck of the woods (the U.S.) until June 21st. (I ain't tryin' to wait that long!!!).

Anyone got additional news and reviews?

Click here for art:
http://www.freemyheart.com/smj.html


Imperfect harmony
Sometimes it's the wrong notes that make a recording sound so right

John L Walters
Friday March 25, 2005
The Guardian

Chasing the spirit... Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell Ndegeocello doesn't make a big deal about "fusing hip-hop with jazz", but that's effectively what she does on her new album Meshell Ndegeocello Presents the Spirit Music Jamia :Dance of the Infidel (Universal, £12.99). Contemporary beats and grooves are always present, as on the short opening track Mu-Min, but numbers such as Luqman and Al-Falaq 113, each lasting nearly 12 minutes, have the airy spaciousness of late 1960s Miles Davis, with solos by high-octane players such as Wallace Roney, Oliver Lake and man-of-the-moment Gregoire Maret on harmonica. Then there are vocal numbers such as Aquarium, and another long instrumental, Papillon, featuring the brilliant Kenny Garrett and Ndegeocello's fellow-bassist Matthew Garrison, heard here recently on Gary Husband's Force Majeure tour. This simple quintet track has a level of detail you don't always find on regular jazz dates, such as the finely wrought keyboard sounds over Garrison's bass solo.

Dance of the Infidel is a well produced (if oddly punctuated) and carefully crafted album, sure, but it feels intuitive, too, as if they didn't always choose the "perfect" take, but went for the spirit. Horn soloists such as Roney and Garrett stretch out, sounding right at home here, and Meshell shows herself to be an inspiring composer-bandleader. Though the album is predominantly instrumental, the songs aid its pace, making breathing spaces amidst the frenetic soloing. Lalah Hathaway sings the closing ballad Heaven; Cassandra Wilson turns in an appealing vocal on The Chosen; and Sabina croons Aquarium, the album's catchiest tune.

[Edited 3/30/05 5:31am]

like I said, it's a hard album for me.....I like 'cool'-jazz.....some of the stuff on this recording is too abstract, and therefore shit to me....

and groove are certainly not always present.....

Can't wait to hear it actually.

I love it, four of the tracks are favorites already. Just imagine Comfort Woman meets N.E.W.S., it has that vibe to it...If you like Me'Shell you'll understand where she was going with it and you'll dig it.

Peace, Serveitupfrankie*

Thanks for the info I have to get this!

I Love It !!! but it won't be for All of her fans, because it really IS a Jazz album---mostly instrumental, with the emphasis on feel and improvisation...in fact, on three of the tracks, Meshell doesn't play at all, even though they're her compositions...and most of the time, she and Bass wunderkind Matthew Garrison share Bass duties...




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[Edited 3/31/05 20:29pm]

MORE ON GARRISON

Taken from an interview (check the blog on his website):

Q. What light can you shed on your hookup with trumpeter Wallace Roney and Prince?

I met Wallace while we toured with Herbie Hancock, and we clicked right away. He told me that he and his wife, [pianist] Geri Allen, like to listen to my first CD; he asked me if I would do some gigs with him, and also if I would put together some music for him and produce it. I told him I’d be happy to, but that even though I played my electric upright on a few tunes with Herbie, I didn’t really play upright—and he said, play both. So we did a bunch of dates and then he asked me to record his latest album, Prototype, all on an upright that Ron Carter had given him. That was a real challenge; I simply can’t accomplish what I want to on upright, so I just focused on playing in tune and creating a feel and a vibe, which is what Wallace is looking for in his music.

Then, last fall, Wallace got a call from Prince to come to the reopening of Paisley Park in Minneapolis and work on some jazz projects there. Dave Hampton was also involved, having rebuilt the studios at Paisley. Wallace brought me along and we worked on some tracks, and we’re going to go back and do more. I didn’t meet Prince, but I got to tour the facility, which is incredible. We were also videotaped jamming with Prince’s former drummer, Michael Bland, and Prince reportedly saw it and dug it, so what happens next is anyone’s guess.

paligap said:

papaa said:

Cool! Thanks, papaa!!