(NB: this review was first published 17 January 2007)
Jakko M. Jakszyk has had a long and diverse career, careening wildly from pop/funk band Level 42 to Canterbury bands featuring Dave Stewart (Rapid Eye Movement), David Jackson, Peter Blegvad and John Greaves (The Lodge) and countless others. During the first few years of the 21st century he effectively replaced both Robert Fripp and any of a number of past vocalists in the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a group which reunited former members of King Crimson to recreate the band’s earlier material, with an eye toward future, newer compositions.
Jakszyk also has a fairly significant solo discography as well, with material ranging from singer-songwriter to pieces drawing heavily from his history and work with many of the legends of Canterbury progressive rock. Following the interruption in active work with 21CSB, Jakko began work on a new solo release, which would evolve into The Bruised Romantic Glee Club, a 2 CD set of new solo material and cover renditions of material which influenced Jakszyk during his formative years. The list of guest musicians on this release is lengthy and shows how well connected Jakszyk has been throughout his career:
Lyndon Connah, Gavin Harrison, Dave Stewart, Nathan King, Pandit Dinesh, Robert Fripp, Peter Sinfield, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace, Danny Thompson, Mark King, Hugh Hopper, Clive Brooks.
As befits such a project, the material is diverse, ranging from chamber renditions of classical material through heavy rockers with a distinct King Crimson tinge. Throughout, elements and washes of Canterbury-esque jazziness permeate, over which Jakszyk’s pleasing tenor vocals soar and twist, weaving a series of tales taken directly from his life’s experiences. Even the cover material has his distinctive stamp on them, rather than being simple regurgitations of the material.
The title track opens the album quietly, with plaintive, fragile vocals courtesy of Jakszyk and a pleasing, jazzy feel. Things do not remain thus for long, as schizoid, psychotically heavy sections with dueling saxophone and guitar blast the piece from potentially sedentary realms. “Catley’s Ashes” was one of the new compositions the band played. This is a phenomenal studio recording of the piece, with former King Crimson sax player Mel Collins providing some excellent wind playing, and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison holding down the shifting, Crimson-like rhythm changes.
Several tracks on The Bruised Romantic Glee Club deal with Jakko’s childhood, as well as the loss of his parents. “Highgate Hill” hearkens back to Jakko’s birthplace. As Jakszyk has never spent much time there, in his mind the place has evolved in a nearly mythical way. The song is pretty straightforward musically, with nicely layered vocals and sweetly symphonic keyboards. “Forgiving” is a song for written too late to actually ask for the forgiveness that Jakko felt he needed from his father, while simultaneously forgiving him for the mistakes he made in his past. The song is built around a Robert Fripp soundscape, and is beautiful in its simplicity and emotional honesty. Also included in this series of reminiscences is “When We Go Home,” dedicated to the memory of his adoptive mother. Sweet, quiet and carefully constructed, the song is fragile and evokes longing, loneliness, and loss. Female vocals and lovely electric guitar courtesy of Robert Fripp add layers of depth and feeling to an already emotionally wrought composition.
The second disc in this set covers a number of songs that Jakszyk felt were influential or important to his musical education. A number of Canterbury bands loom large here, such as Soft Machine. “As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still (incorporating That Still And Perfect Summer and Astral Projection In Pinner)” is evidence of this. Based around a piece from Soft Machine 2, this medley also includes a section of original material from Jakszyk and Dave Stewart. In order to do this piece justice, Jakszyk assembles a veritable Canterbury super group, with Hugh Hopper (bass), Stewart (piano) and Clive Brooks (drums), along with sax and flute courtesy of Gary Barnacle. The performance is quick, engaging, and wholly honest to the Soft Machine original.
Additionally, Jakszyk covers a pair of Henry Cow tracks (“Nirvana for Mice” and “The Citizen King”), handling the intense complexity and construction with aplomb.
It should come as no surprise that this covers disc also includes some King Crimson material, considering his involvement with 21CSB. Two tracks from the band’s early days are recreated here, with the most interesting one being “Pictures Of An Indian City” – Jakszyk’s rendition of this King Crimson classic from 1970’s In The Wake of Poseidon. He completely reinvents the piece, with sitar replacing guitar, and original lyricist Peter Sinfield providing new lyrics for a new age. Connecting this new version to the old is an excellent soprano sax solo by Mel Collins, who recorded parts on the original studio version. An elegiac cover of 1971’s “Islands” (from the album of the same name) also features on this disc; while not as extensive a reworking as the original, adds to the original while remaining true to the work that it follows.
The Bruised Romantic Glee Club has much to offer even the most discerning listener. With material that ranges so widely (or wildly), there is certain to be something for everyone here. Highly recommended.
Track Listing CD 1:
Bruised Romantic Glee Club
Variations on A Theme by Holst
Catley's Ashes
When Peggy Came Home
Highgate Hill
Forgiving
No One Left To Lie To
Thing We Throw Away
Doxy, Dali and Duchamp
Srebrenica
When We Go Home
Track Listing CD 2:
As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still (incorporating That Still And Perfect Summer and Astral Projection In Pinner)
Pictures Of an Indian City
Nirvana for Mice
Islands
The Citizen King
Soon After
Musicians:
Jakko M. Jakszyk: guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, balalaika, vocals
Gavin Harrison: drums
Danny Thompson: acoustic bass
Mel Collins: tenor, alto sax and flute
Gary Barnacle: sax, alto flute, flute, bass flute, piccolo, tenor and soprano sax
Dave Stewart: piano & keyboards
Ian Wallace: drums
Hugh Hopper: bass
Clive Brooks: drums
Robert Fripp: guitar
Lyndon Connah: piano
Nathan King: bass guitar
Pandit Dinesh: table, vocals
Caroline Lavell: cello
Helen Kaminca: viola
John Giblin: acoustic and fretless bass
Find out more:
http://www.jakko.com/
Theo Travis is one busy guy.
He’s a member of The Tangent from time to time. He’s a current member of Gong. He is a member of Soft Machine Legacy. He records with Robert Fripp. And occasionally he scrapes out enough time to record one of his own solo albums. His most recent studio album is Double Talk, a mostly quartet oriented album released on Voiceprint Records.
Theo has put together a very hot little group for this release. Mike Outram is stunning on guitar, with tones ranging from the crisp and clean to down and dirty. His solos are fluid and effortless, while his use of tone and shade when not standing out front to solo is impeccable. Pete Whittaker’s organ playing is similarly exemplary. It’s a joy to hear some real Hammond organ in a British jazz environment, and he acquits himself very well indeed. Ray Dodds’ drumming is excellent as well…he lays back and grooves and swings, but he’s just as capable of unleashing some great fills and twists to keep the music moving and hot.
Then there’s Theo Travis himself.
What can I say about him?
I’m more familiar with his work in the Tangent and Gong. Both bands have tendencies to go in jazz directions, albeit in totally different ways. In the Tangent, his playing is a bit more fusion-oriented, as befits a band with structured songs and less totally free playing and improvisation. In Gong, he gets a chance to go a bit wilder, albeit in a more space rock oriented manner. In either case, his playing is recognisable. It honestly doesn’t matter if he’s on flute or tenor or soprano sax…you can tell it’s him playing within a bar or three. In addition to his playing, his song writing is worthy of note. He’s come up with a fine collection of compositions for Double Talk, compositions that push himself and his band mates and allow for some great solo spots as well.
While it’s true that the material on Double Talk is mostly based in more of a jazz format, this shouldn’t imply that there’s a lack of ‘balls.’ ‘Ascending,’ which opens the album, is chock full of hot soloing. Sure, it’s a laid back tune, but it travels. It goes places. Best of all, it’s a song, not just a thematic head with solo after solo lined up in a row. Travis’s spotlights are tasty and cool, while Outram lets fly with some very cool flurries of notes. It’s followed by ‘Oblivionville,’ which at over 16 minutes is by far the longest piece on Double Talk. It’s also the first song on the release to feature contributions from Robert Fripp, with whom Travis has been working extensively recently. Fripp’s contributions are from his soundscapes ‘The Last Day,’ ‘Open Earth’ and ‘A Return,’ and these form the foundation Travis uses to build his composition. On this piece, Travis plays flute and clarinet, as well as adding in his own flute loops. The end result is a slowly developing piece with long, quiet themes and a peaceful, meditative feel.
‘The Relegation of Pluto,’ on the other hand, doesn’t have an opportunity to slow burn…it’s cooking right out of the box. The opening musical phrase is fast, furious, and features the quartet ripping right from the start. A quick break leads to some very nice organ work from Pete Whittaker, with Ray Dodds grooving and skittering away on drums and choked cymbals. Travis’s tenor sax playing is also great, winding around the organ and some very wild guitar work from Outram. Remember in the previous sentence where I mentioned ‘balls?’ Well, this track has them in abundance.
Robert Fripp guests on two additional tracks on Double Talk. The first of these is ‘The Endless Search,’ which sees him offering up both soundscapes and some nice electric guitar playing along side Travis’ restrained alto sax playing. A piece along the lines of ‘Duo’ from former Crimson violinist David Cross’s ‘Exiles’ album, it’s a bit of a breather from the hot number that preceded it. Fripp’s final contributions are on ‘Pallendream,’ where he takes Outram’s place as guitarist in the quartet. Here his playing straddles the line between soundscape and straight up ‘standard’ guitar playing. This piece, like ‘The Endless Search,’ is a laid back, quiet number that simmers comfortably.
The biggest surprise for me was the selection of Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’ as a cover. It’s nice to see the early Floyd get attention, as far too many people seem to believe that PF really only mattered after they released Dark Side of the Moon. ‘See Emily Play’ was, and is, a gorgeous pop song, and Travis’s interpretation is respectful to the original while offering a few nice twists of his own. Travis himself handles the vocal melodies on sax, and it’s interesting to hear a different ‘voice’ ‘singing’ this song. I can’t say that it’s necessarily the most killer song on the set, but it was an inspired choice, and while I prefer his originals to this cover, it is pretty enjoyable to hear what he and his band do with it.
Double Talk closes out with ‘Portobello ’67.’ Outram leads off with some glistening guitar work, while the band kicks in with a jaunty, upbeat theme. This feels like road trip music, and oddly as it plays I could see it being played over some closing credits in a movie after the guy gets his girl and they drive off into the sunset and their future. Does that sound too twee? Well, maybe it is, but it’s got that same upbeat, happy ending kind of feel. There’s no end of cool playing on this tune, from Whittaker’s cool Hammond playing, Outram’s solos and crisp chording, Dodd’s swinging drumming and Travis’s hot tenor sax. It’s a great way to close off an album of diverse songs and playing.
If you’re only familiar with Travis’s playing from his work in Gong or Soft Machine Legacy or the Tangent, you owe yourself to get in a copy of Double Talk. Even if you’re not a hardcore jazz fan, I think there’s more than enough here to enjoy and dig in to.
Track Listing:
Ascending 9:40
Oblivionville 16:16
The Relegation of Pluto 7:17
The Endless Search 6:07
Pallendream 5:46
See Emily Play 4:39
And So It Seemed 10:43
Portobello 67 5:35
Band Members:
Theo Travis – sax, flute, clarinets, loops
Pete Whittaker – Hammond organ
Mike Outram – electric guitar
Ray Dodds – drums, gongs
With:
Robert Fripp – electric guitar, soundscapes
http://www.theotravis.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theotravis
BTW, for those keeping score at home, yesterday saw the 100th post in this blog.
And now for something completely different...here are some interesting and enlightening interviews with a plethora of progressive artists:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=rpcurtiss&p=rAdrian Belew
John Wetton
Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM)
Al DiMeola
Robert Fripp
Bill Bruford
Phil Collins and John Goodsall
Hopefully more are forthcoming...it's a nice collection of info indeed.
