Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Readers who trawl the byways at I Hate Music will be, erm, heartened to know that I received the Michel Henritzi offering, "Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism" this afternoon. The accompanying text, which can be read at www.mattin.org, is printed in a handsome booklet. Four tracks, non-contemporaneous "duos" between Henritzi and Shin'ichi Isohata, Bruce Russell, Mattin and Taku Unami. I'll write it up for Bags, no problem, even if I think the title is just a silly, puerile provocation (and isn't particularly backed up in the notes). The disc is a dedication to Derek Bailey and Masayuki Takayanagi and one funny thing is that Isohata's playing on the opening track is utterly Bailey-esque. I guess imitation doesn't serve imperialism. The second, on now, is a feedback duet with Russell and sounds pretty OK.

Also in the same package is "Euskal Semea", by Josetxo Grieta (Josetxo Anitua & Inigo Eguillor) and Mattin. If I'm understanding the notes correctly, it's a deconstruction of the Velvet's "European Son". We shall see. (Not that I'd know "European Son" if I tripped over it....)

8 comments:

the improvising guitarist said...

“…I think the title is just a silly, puerile provocation (and isn't particularly backed up in the notes).”

Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism? Well,I find it cute… ;-)

S, tig

Brian Olewnick said...

Well, had it been from some old friend tweaking Keith's nose, I can imagine--barely--it being funny. But given not only Keith's past history (on his own and with Cardew) as well as the implications vis a vis recent denunciations of his character from his ex-bandmates, imho it's ill-considered at best. Reckless sniping at a generally admired figure.

More, the notes basically object to his characterization of Derek Bailey's music as being somehow old-fashioned (a drastic simplification of some comments he once made). I suppose Henritzi is inferring imperialist aspects from an implicit hierarchical value structure being maintained by Rowe; a stretch to be sure.

The track with Mattin is pretty good though, on first blush. The one with Unami less so. In a brief note appended to my review of Mattin's "Proletarian of Noise" over at Bags, Dan W calls this disc "magnificent". I might not go that far....

Richard Pinnell said...

I've heard a good few people speak highly of the music on the disc, but I won't be buying it. I fail to accept that the title is just high jinx and that no malice was intended. There's plenty of great music in my life now, I don't need to be supporting stupid mistakes like this as well.

Brian Olewnick said...

Well, I might only have bought it for...historical reasons but, in any case, Mattin sent it to me so, there you have it. There is some ground between hi-jinx and malice, though. I think it's more a neo-Dadaist stab at knocking off the pedestal whoever happens to be there at the moment. Again, I think that's basically an immature stance.

Anonymous said...

yeah, Dan likes Henritzi's stuff way too much, just based on the Howlin' Ghost Proletarians disc I listened to the other day, then read his review of. I doubt he's too versed in the blues tradition.

and not knowing 'European Son'??? get it fixed, as Mr. Schaumann would say, the first three Velvets records (& Nico, White Light/White Heat, self-titled) are essential to at least hear, if not to know backwards and forwards. have you really not heard these?

Brian Olewnick said...

In fact, I plan on remedying that situation this afternoon, making an attempt to get the first two VU discs. I've likely heard most of them over the years in one place or another but, as I'll probably explain later, by the time they were known outside of NYC (around '74) I was well into ag jazz and not about to look back. Interesting how I managed to "avoid" them--I'll write more tonight.

Anonymous said...

I think you might like the third one the best, Brian, that might be my fave of the three, FWIW.

Brian Olewnick said...

Hmmm, that's the Cale-less one, yes? I was under the impression it was the most song-oriented of the first three. In any case, I'd probably like to approach it chronologically and see how far I get.