Jeff McCord on the month’s new releases
Jason Moran
Blue Note
Like the blues, jazz is steeped in such tradition that players can spend decades finding their own voice. Many never do. Which makes what JASON MORAN has accomplished in just over five years of recording even more remarkable. Same Mother (Blue Note) is simply the latest in a series of—there’s no other word for it—stunning releases from the Houston pianist. The title refers to the common ancestry of jazz and blues, and Moran and his trio take a raw roadhouse blues base to levels of ferocious and constantly surprising improvisation. Moran studied under iconoclast Jaki Byard and obviously adopted his mentor’s penchant for humor and irreverence. Yet Moran commands a brainy but never boring sound completely his own, and he’s gone from being the one to watch to the one to top.
Charanga Cakewalk
Triloka/Artemis Records
Michael Ramos used to be a coveted player in the Austin scene; now he’s sought out by the likes of Paul Simon and John Mellencamp. Ramos spent years as a member of the BoDeans, but it’s his current employer, Patty Griffin, who encouraged him to explore his own unique fusion of Latin, dance, and rock beats. Recording under the name CHARANGA CAKEWALK, the multi-instrumentalist has melded his boyhood musical traditions into a pop culture soufflé. LOTERIA DE LA CUMBIA LOUNGE (Triloka) is undeniably a bit of a trifle, but it’s an entertaining one, loaded with percolating beats and oddball musical flourishes. Not all of it works; missing any real grit, the kitsch factor sometimes gets turned way too high. But on songs like the title track, “Belleza,” and “La Negra Celina,” things really click. Nueva cumbia, anyone?
James McMurtry
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES MCMURTRY, whose tales put a human face on the downtrodden. The only thing surprising about his entry into protest music is that it took him so long. WE CAN’T MAKE IT HERE is a seven-minute state-of-the-union mantra that looks at the Bush claims of economic recovery and finds nothing but smoke and mirrors. “Try it yourself, Mr. CEO,” he chides. “See how far $5.15 an hour will go.” This is no anti-Bush diatribe—he’s barely mentioned—but a blameless rumination on the growing chasm between haves and have-nots, a cold world where those who can’t make ends meet can always “join the Corps.” While not as finely crafted as his other work, the song is fiercely compelling. And in a true egalitarian touch, absolutely free. Download it at jamesmcmurtry.com.
