Zarko

Dark Jazz Cont.


Hey, I’ve talked about this fella before haven’t I? Yep, here it is. Wait, didn’t I ‘only’ give it 7.7 in that thread? Well, yes I did give it that score. However, it when comes to albums like these, it’s not about the numbers. I used to see this as a power electronics album first and foremost. Eventually it got to the point where I simply asked myself, ‘Who the hell cares?’, and that is how it came to belong in this thread. I doubt it will be the most popular album of the group – It is certainly a most harsh combination of electronics and jazz, and more often than not, the jazz comes second fiddle. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold a significant value in the scheme of things. So what is the album all about? It’s about being as abrasive as possible to create as dark a tone as possible. This is probably why it fits into the ‘dark jazz’ genre so well. Although it isn’t completed in a similar way whatsoever, the base aesthetic values remain the same. With a more forceful approach than either of the other two albums so far with Sexxxy, it would be fair to say you don’t think you are listening to a dark jazz album.

The album swings all over the place really, but where it truly shines out is the comparative nature of the albums three sides. The ridiculously abrasive power electronics, the seedy and throbbing dark jazz moments, and the moments of near quiet. I couldn’t quite suggest you ‘endure’ the album for the great dark jazz moments if you can’t sit through the other parts. Although they are nice, this album is a puzzle, one that is difficult to find meaning without all the pieces. Heck, even with all the pieces you don’t know what the **** you are doing. All I can suggest is that you give it a try, and that My Sweet Betty is ****ing amazing.


Now this is the apex of inaccessible music for those who don’t like this sort of music. There is a minimal chance that you will like this album unless you have a taste for free jazz or avant garde music at least. That said, it is still probably a-top a list of great 2008 albums (Which looking back on was an amazing year in all actuality). Using a menagerie instruments and sounds to create an entangling web whose threads sometimes lead to nowhere, this album is yet another than falls into my perspective of dark jazz, and my perspective alone. The Polish duo creates an album that is full of whimsy and wonder, yet throughout a fair amount of the album, it carries a sense of loneliness and isolation. It has its violent moments, but everything seems to be working in its singularity rather than as one.

As for the actual music, it is about creating as much depth with as little help as possible. Filled with short and sharp songs, most of the time failing to reach two minutes in length, the time constraints lend themselves well to this idea.
Some of the sounds from Piernik’s tuba are simply awesome, and fits into the genre perfectly. Other times he summons up Brotzmann’s spirit with a tuba, which is an amazing feat. There’s not too much more to say. This is an album that has to be listened to even be attempted to be comprehended. To be honest, sometimes I can make neither high nor low of the album. Once again, it falls outside the restrictions of what many would consider to be dark jazz, but it has its more ‘classic’ dark jazz moments. Still, it is one of the best albums from 2008, especially when it comes to jazz.


Well, for the final suggestion is an album that is probably more fitting for the dark jazz name. Yet once again, it can be chucked into a whole bunch of different genres depending on interpretation. As I said at the start of this post, that is probably the best thing about the genre. Much of the time it is up to interpretation rather than any set guidelines. Rather than a specific sound, the genre is based upon a mood. This album is an absolute beauty from the 2009 line up. One of the more sample-based dark jazz albums I have come across, it uses vocal samples and such assortments of noises to great effect to create a disposition, sometimes based on antagonism, other times based on ambiguity.

As it is with many dark jazz projects, the music is about expressing a cinematic experience into the world of sound rather than through visuals. It does this amazingly well, with sounds such as Kollosus using a build up of layers and samples to create a sense of fear and foreboding doom. The screams and crying are legitimately distressing to the listener. The album, whilst containing a lot of tracks, has a fair balance between lengthy songs and short songs, which in this context, is quite fitting. Sometimes it can get into a little modern classical mode, but this isn’t a problem at all. In fact, it enhances the atmosphere of the album, perhaps better than if the album was purely a dark jazz album. This is essential listening in my books any day of the week. Apologies for the youtube video that features a song not from the album – Windows Movie Maker is being a bitch so I can’t upload my own as of yet.


So that’s my side of the story. Although it follows a different path than many would expect, I still think that the collective thoughts on the genre speak for themselves. Its increase in popularity over time is only a good thing for the music scene in my opinion, and although I think I have introduced a fair few new names to people, this is only scratching the surface.

Other bands of interest:
Mushroom’s Patience/Roma, Wien. – Definitely has its jazzier moments, if not all the time.
Triosk/1+3+1 – Not bad stuff at all, perhaps not really dark in a sense
Tomasz Stańko Quartet/Suspended Nights – Again, not really dark, but has its moments
Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones