I feel like sharing some foreign rap... but I realize that it may be hard to bypass the comprehension factor. However, not only could these tracks hold up by themselves without the vocals, but if you just let the music flow over you, you'll realize that the rhyming is obvious, and the languages allows for an absolutely gorgeous approach to rapping. Enjoy the beauty of the sound and not the meaning of the words. That's about all I have to offer – just try it.
I'll start back up where I left off, with another spectacular trio group. But where the Bill Evan's trio offers a cool melodic state of affairs, it's hard to recall a hotter, blusier jazz recording. Money Jungle sets Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach at each others throats, each vying for the spotlight at every moment. Well not really, but this is a combination so rife with virtuosity and soul that I am thoroughly amazed at its cogency.
Notably, these three are amazing band leaders in their own right. Duke Ellington of course is heralded as the most celebrated American composer. Charles Mingus on the other hand has his own eccentric breed of jazz organization, combining the energy of early New Orleans style jazz with the vision of classical compositions. And then there is the drummer Max Roach, famously said of him, "because of him, drumming no longer was just time, it was music."
The Mingus-Ellington duo is so driving. Each has their own peculiar coarseness, but together they are downright, oh how shall I say, gnarly – in the cringing satisfaction sense. Listen to the title track Money Jungle to see what I mean. A little more than a minute through, Mingus sounds like a hackling hyena, provoking the Duke's arpeggios to find yet more delicious dissonance. One funny thing to note, Mingus is one of the very few musicians that Ellington personally fired, I think 10 years prior to this recording. Just unbelievable chemistry. And Mingus' bass solos always offer an unmatched sense of musical depth – he has the ability to make the bass seem like an instrument on par with any other.
I can't really approve of any generic rock music anymore because the drumming is downright platitudinous. The fastest way to lose my interest is to have the exact same drumming throughout each section of a song. Jazz has spoiled me in this way, but just listen to the intricacy of Max Roach's style. There's that constant element of timing, but he sneaks extra rhythmic patterns into the music at every chance. But what differentiates Max from the typical hard nosed rocker drummer is the sense of melodiousness he produces from his set. He isn't just hitting every surface in sight. The percussion has structure and purpose; there aren't any superfluous frills, just intelligent ones.
