专辑简介

Joe McPhee专辑介绍：by Eugene ChadbourneThe uniqueness of certain recordings cries out instantly, while others seem similar to a lot of others in aspects including title, instrumentation, repertoire, concept, even the recording techniques employed. When an album falls into the latter category it then requires some kind of an extra boost in order to garner the attention it merits. Such is the case with Manhattan Tango, a duet recording featuring Joe McPhee and Jérôme Bourdellon which by virtue of appearing on a small French label might already have gone unnoticed even if it had documented the second coming of Christ.Starting with the title, it is certainly more than the second coming for the borough of Manhattan as an inspirational setting and theme for improvised music. When album titles in other genres are additionally factored in, it seems like Manhattan could claim status as the recording-title capitol of the world. McPhee and Bourdellon present eight improvised pieces as a Manhattan Tango; record buyers have already been offered a Manhattan panorama, cascade, minuet, bridge, ego, echo, blues, Autumn, nocturne, project, cycle, fantasy, mood, morning, melody and more. Some of these inspirations were even offered in plural, as if the artists responsible were expecting a large demand. There have also been lots of recordings involving McPhee in different collaborative settings. There are lots of recordings of duets involving horn players from the brass and woodwind families, in any and all perceivable combination. Specifically, there are also lots of recordings of McPhee in such settings. There are lots of recordings of European and American masters from the free improvisation scene meeting to improvise in duet. McPhee is also involved in many such settings, being a frequent traveler to Europe on-tour -- in this instance, however, the European came to America to perform and record with McPhee. Which brings us back to Manhattan, site of many location recordings in roomy lofts with ultra-high ceilings. Indeed, so much use has been made of lofts for alternative music presentations that in the '70s and '80s there was even a style of jazz known as "loft" jazz. McPhee was considered a "loft" jazz player in that period simply because these were the only type of venues that he could have been booked at. The use of such spaces to record actually had something of an impact on the changing sound of jazz recordings, a good place to begin lavishing praise on Manhattan Tango in the hope of establishing how special it is. Sounds swirl and float around such spaces, the ceilings creating a reservoir of reverb that, for some sets, was simply a swamp. One drum hit by Andrew Cyrille at the start of a "loft" jazz set and the audience could conceivably still be trying to get it out of their ears hours later when the band is packing up. For McPhee and Bourdellon... Read More...