Vietnam - The Aftermath

opis:
Audio 06/2004 - Muzyka * * * * 1/2/ Realizacja * * * *
'...Charyzmatyczny czarny skrzypek amerykański, jedna z wiodących postaci ruchu loft jazzu, zadedykował swój album ofiarom wojny w Wietnamie, a dochodem z płyty postanowił zasilić organizację pomagającą weteranom - bowiem nie dla wszystkich koniec wojny był końcem problemów. Wspaniale, że szlachetnemu przesłaniu towarzyszy niezwykle oryginalna i wykonana z niebywałym zaangażowaniem muzyka...'

DOWN BEAT MAY 2002 * * * * 1/2

Audio Video, 2004/03 - ocena rewelacja
'...Jedna z jazzowych płyt 2001 roku, muzyczne reminiscencje z wojny wietnamskiej, choć nie pozbawione dramatycznych zwrotów, zaskakują łagodnością i pogodnością. Hasło 'Ancient to the future' zyskało tutaj swój nowy, kulturowy kontekst. Płyta o emocjonalnej sile 'Litanii' Tomasza Stańko. Jest to muzyka, która przynosi wolność, napawa nadzieją. Chciałoby się powiedzieć: Na początku była muzyka!...'

GAZ-ETA
'...Jest za to ponad godzinna dawka brawurowego, miejscami drapieżnego, ekspresyjnego, a kiedy indziej subtelnie zaaranżowanego (przez Lawrence'a Butcha Morrisa, R.A. 18835698, tak, tak...) free jazzu, wyrastającego z chicagowskiej szkoły AACM i czerpiącego garściami z dalekowschodnich doświadczeń muzyków. Rewelacyjne tematy, zorganizowane nierzadko wokół tradycyjnych wietnamskich melodii i ogniste improwizacje unoszą twórców daleko poza sferę wspomnień o Bien Hoa, powracających tylko w tytułach kompozycji (Yo! Ho Chi Min is in the House, Tunnel Rat, Saigon Phunk). Perkusjonalia zdominowane przez potężnie brzmiące blachy, poćwiartowany niemiłosiernie, choć nie gubiący swingu ani na moment, rytm, ostinatowe partie fortepianu, mocarne dęciaki, ślady laotańskiej stylistyki molam, skrzypce Banga, brzmiące jak zwykle doskonale i korzennie... Nie ma sensu wyliczać dłużej. Proponuję posłuchać...'
autor: Dariusz Brzostek

Editor's info:
This project has been in my mind for at least thirty years. My inability to bravely confront my personal demons, my experiences in Vietnam, has been a continuous struggle. For decades, I've lived constantly with my unwillingness to deliberately conjure up the pain of these experiences. At night, I would experience severe nightmares of death and destruction, and during the day, a kind of undefined ambiguous daydream. By allowing these awkward and unfathomable feelings to lie dormant in some deep dark place, I was able to tolerate my frankly vegetative way of living. It was preferable somehow - and safer - to let these monstrous thoughts imbedded in my unconscious to remain in that state - inactive. This was the sad state of my life, which made it easy for me to seek an artificial comfort in drinking and drugs. But one afternoon, about a year and a half ago, I was speaking on the telephone with Jean-Pierre Leduc of Justin Time, my record label in Montreal, Canada.I was speaking with Jean-Pierre about an upcoming recording project when out of nowhere, he said to me, "Billy, I don't want to offend you, but would you considering doing a recording about your experiences in Vietnam?" My entire body and mind came to an immediate halt. Hesitating, I felt a cold shiver pass through my body. I responded with, "I'll need to think about this - I'll get back to you." A few days, passed, perhaps even a week, until I returned Jean-Pierre's phone call, which expressed to him that I thought I was ready, willing, and able to embark on the Vietnam project.My immediate concerns were whether or not I was in fact strong and courageous enough to accept this challenge. The possibility of getting rid of the dark side that forever haunted me outweighed the pessimistic thoughts I had carried with me all those years. I knew I was faced with the monumental task of transforming my Vietnam experience, and all its attendant emotions, into a solid body of music. The overall sadness of losing close friends in combat is not something that many experience, and to write eloquently of my trials and tribulations, of growing from a boy of nineteen and becoming a man, a soldier, in that God-forsaken war, has been a supreme challenge. I can now sincerely say in retrospect, that writing, rehearsing, and recording this project was extremely therapeutic. I can honestly say that I've recovered the innocence of my spirit and soul again. Thanks to Mr. Leduc, and all at the Justin Time Records label, as well as my fellow vets (there are six playing on these compositions) and the other fine musicians. Billy Bang, New York City, September 2001I first met Billy Bang after we recorded Bang On!, his Justin Time debut, and we then worked closely on Big Bang Theory. At the time, I didn't realise Billy was a Vietnam veteran. I did know that I really enjoyed speaking with him. In addition to having been there (not to mention done that), he's an exceedingly kind and pleasant fellow. After we spoke about his experiences that day on the phone, I was fascinated. I knew he'd made some great recordings, but I also sensed that the record of his life was still inside him somewhere. When we got to the studio, I could not believe the depth of the compositions he'd written - and neither could anyone else. When John Hicks, one of my favourite pianists, was equally floored, I knew it wasn't just my imagination. The seriousness of the sessions and Billy's tireless efforts to get the right performances from each musician told me he'd heard this music, breathed it, for months, and he was determined to document it, to immortalise it - and above all, to share it with the world.Since we made the recording, the world has changed. The events of September 11th were frightening for everyone, and continue to be. One can only imagine what it was like for Billy, who left Vietnam in 1967 to settle in Manhattan, to wake up one autumn morning in 2001, thirty-four years later, six weeks before the release of this recording, to hear the news. For Billy, it was as though Vietnam had come to Manhattan. Life is indeed bizarre. A filmmaker who is interested in making a full length documentary about Billy's experiences in Vietnam was actually at the World Trade Center that morning, but luckily was spared. Spirit is something that people are talking about a lot these days. Overcoming adversity is another. Billy Bang, I believe, has a lot to say about both.Jean-Pierre Leduc, Montreal, October 2001These eight evocative compositions, all Billy Bang originals, draw heavily on the tonal and harmonic elements of Southeast Asian music, but are all conceived in the jazz tradition, from blues to the abstract.Michael Carvin's drumming smoothly combines both traditions with his swinging pulse sometimes punctuated by the crashing bursts of cymbals that often occur in Asian music. Complemented perfectly by the deep resonance and woody hues of Curtis Lundy's rock solid bass, the rhythm section is rounded out by the brilliant piano artistry of John Hicks.Hicks, a consummate pianist, equally comfortable in down-home Gospel, straight-ahead, or the totally adventurous, powers any ensemble and here drives the outstanding soloists to explosive heights, while turning in fine solos of his own.Trumpeter Ted Daniel is outstanding on five tracks, especially in his blistering solo on the swing-grooved "Tunnel Rat (Flashlight and a .45)."Incredible reedman Sonny Fortune also brings his dynamic flute work to the proceedings. On "Mystery of the Mekong," his full-bodied, shakuhachi-like sound blends wonderfully with the violin on the lovely, mysterious and wistful melody. He also shows his virtuosity with a powerful solo on the sizzling "Fire in the Hole."Hard-blowing tenorman Frank Lowe joins Daniel and Bang in the frontline on the comfortable groove of "Bien Hoa Blues" and the rollicking "Saigon Phunk," delivering the muscular, passionate solos that are his hallmark.He's also present on the provocative and arresting "TET Offensive," a swirling piece of scorching intensity that runs the emotional gamut of fear, excitement, pain, horror, and ultimately, a tentative calm. Under the skilled conducting of Butch Morris, the abstract, brooding, frenzied and sometimes terrifying work becomes a highly compelling and often disturbing experience.The emotional gravity and deep feelings that Vietnam: The Aftermath stirred up in Bang are irrefutably evident in his brilliant playing throughout. His heart-wrenching solo on the mournful dirge, "Moments for the KIAMIA" (an acronym for "killed in action" and "missing in action"), the smoldering fire on the vamp-driven "Yo! Ho Chi Minh Is In the House," and the twisting fragility of his brief interlude that closes out "TET Offensive" are perfect examples.But the revelatory solo on "Saigon Phunk," searing, scraping and screaming in a liberating moment of frenzied escape from the nightmarish onslaught of war, brings this profoundly meaningful work of art to a close - and a sense of closure for its creator. Billy Bang, who's recorded nearly two dozen albums as leader or co-leader, including five with The String Trio of New York (which he co-founded), and who has graced dozens more for artists ranging from Bootsy Collins to Sun Ra, has created a masterpiece. And one that is most timely at this period in all our lives.Marty Khan, Tucson, Arizona, October 2001Bio The violin is hardly the first instrument that comes to mind when you think about jazz, but that's never daunted Billy Bang, one of the instrument's most adventurous exponents.Over the past 26 years Bang's hard-edged tone, soulful sense of traditional swing and evocatively expressive style has enhanced over two dozen albums by top names in a variety of genres, from the blistering funk of Bootsy Collins and the harmolodic groove of Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society to the intergalactic uproar of Sun Ra.With more than 15 albums under his own leadership, nearly a dozen more in co-led endeavors, and five more with the String Trio of New York (which he co-founded in 1977 with guitarist James Emery and bassist John Lindberg), Billy Bang is one of the more prolific and original members of the progressive scene.Born William Vincent Walker in Mobile, Alabama in 1947, his family moved to New York City's Harlem while he was still an infant. In junior high school he was nicknamed Billy Bang after a cartoon character, and over his initial protests, it stuck. Around the same time, his primary interest turned to music, and he took up the violin, switching to percussion in the early '60s when he became captivated by Afro-Cuban rhythms.While attending a Massachusetts prep school under full scholarship, he met and began playing with fellow-student, folk-singer Arlo Guthrie. Drafted into the army following graduation, Bang was sent to Vietnam, an experience that profoundly affected his life, often quite painfully. Returning home and radicalized, Billy became active in the anti-war movement, and by the late '60s had returned to music.Heavily inspired by the exploratory fire of John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman and the liberating energy of the free-jazz movement, Bang returned to the violin as his principal means of expression. Attending New York's Queens College, and studying privately with renowned violinist Leroy Jenkins, Bang became a key member of the dynamic New York avant-garde scene of the '70s.Forming his own group, The Survival Ensemble, and working with artists like David Murray, Frank Lowe, William Parker and the legendary Sam Rivers, Billy began to reach an international audience in 1977 with the String Trio, remaining with the cooperative ensemble for nine years.During these same years he continued to tour and record with his own ensembles, as well as genre-busting ensembles like The Decoding Society and Bill Laswell's Material (alongside guitar giant Sonny Sharrock). He even briefly led his own funk-oriented band, Forbidden Planet, and in 1981 taught at the University of Nebraska.He continued to work and collaborate with notables like Murray, Don Cherry and James 'Blood ' Ulmer, and in 1982 began a ten-year association with the incomparable Sun Ra, concluding with a 1992 quartet recording for Soul Note, "A Tribute to Stuff Smith," dedicated to the father of the jazz violin.In 1990, Bang formed the Solomonic Quartet with trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, and continued to freelance and lead his own groups.Relocating to Berlin in 1996 where he lived until 2000, Bang criss-crossed the Atlantic frequently, performing all over Europe and doing five tours through the South and Midwest with percussionist Abbey Rader, three of which included tenorman Frank Lowe.He also began a regular working relationship with percussionist Kahil El'Zabar in 1996, performing in duet, and sometimes as a trio with esteemed Art Ensemble of Chicago co-founder and bassist Malachi Favors Maghostut. Currently, Bang records for Canada's Justin Time Records, for which he recorded "Bang On" in 1997 and "The Big Bang Theory" in 1999. His latest CD (released in October 2001) entitled "Vietnam: The Aftermath" evokes and confronts the memories of his Vietnam experiences and showcases the fine compositional skills that have always marked his own recordings.Returning to New York in 2000, Bang has continued his busy schedule, touring Europe in the Fall of 2001 with David Murray, continuing a musical interaction that has lasted over 25 years with a series of concerts and a collaborative dance work in Birmingham, England.He also tours Europe in November 2001 and the U.S. in January 2002 in duet with El'Zabar, and performs in England with the fusion ensemble Sonicphonics, with whom he's worked since 1998.A dazzling improviser, excellent composer, and provocative leader, Billy Bang remains on the cutting-edge of jazz expression.