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Eno Voiced and Voiceless

Brian Eno – solo tour, FOREVERANDNEVERMORE and FOREVERVOICELESS

This past Saturday, Brian Eno played the first show of his 2023 tour at the Venice Biennale Musica. The Guardian posted a review of the concert, indicating that it spotlighted Baltic Sea Philharmonia Orchestra, an opportunity presented to Eno as part of his winning Venice’s Golden Lion Award. The centerpiece of the concert was The Ship, a compelling piece that was recorded for Warp in 2016. Eno’s song catalog was also explored, mostly recent material, but reaching back to 1977’s “By This River,” from his fantastic album Before and After Science. 

Eno’s concern with the environment has played an important role in two recent recordings, FOREVERANDNEVERMORE (Universal, 2022),  which consists of songs about environmental collapse, and its 2023 companion, FOREVERVOICELESS, instrumental versions of the material. Eno’s voice has darkened since the days of “By This River,” but it remains an expressive instrument. “We Let it In” is a persistently repeating melody that morphs over time with the addition of vocal harmonies. “Garden of Stars” uses overdubbed vocals throughout, with text rhythms shifting, quick glissandos, and the instruments playing a long crescendo of sliding tones and repeated notes on strings. “There Were Bells” is perhaps the most emotively I have heard Eno sing in some time. With distant thunder as a background, Eno croons, modulates his vibrato, and leans into a fluid sense of rhythm.

 

FOREVERVOICELESS is quite moving in its own right. Where pop artists often lay down an instrumental bed, adding vocals last, here Eno removes the vocals and reworks and remixes the songs as instrumentals, frequently as commentary on the former by the latter. “Inclusion” is a highlight, mixing Eno’s classic ambient approach with sustained upper-register string melodies, bubbling prog textures, and a lyrical cello solo. “Sherry” and its complement “Chéri” takes a smoky, chromatic vocal melody and, in its remix, allows chords and bassline to create a gentle, undulating piece, almost like a 4/4 version of a Gymnopedie by Satie. Over time, the melody is revisited, with chromatic scales mimicking Eno’s vocal inflections. The song “Icarus or Biérot,” with a harrowing vocal referencing the former’s fall,  is reconfigured as “Who Are We?,” with the synth chordal ostinatos given an edge that provides a more syncopated construction. Occasional bell-like timbres provide boundaries for the sections. Gradually, sinuous strings and high sine tones embellish the soundscape. A disjunct tune wends its way through, completing a thoroughly new impression of the music.

 

Both recordings sound fantastic on vinyl. As a pair, they demonstrate Eno’s talents as a songwriter, and also remind us of the intricacies that lurk beneath their surface. FOREVERVOICELESS is one of my favorite releases of 2023.

 

-Christian Carey

 

by Christian Carey
CD Review, File Under?, jazz, LPs

Pharaoh Sanders – Karma LP Reissue

Pharoah Sanders – Karma (Impulse, 2023 reissue)

 

Karma is one of saxophonist Pharoah Sanders most important releases. Recorded in 1969, it was his third as a leader, and featured a long suite, “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” that was in part an homage to the recently deceased John Coltrane, with whom Sanders had performed and recorded. Coltrane’s own extended suite, “A Love Supreme,” is quoted during “Karma,” and the use of a vocal refrain and free jazz solos on top of modal harmonies also hearken back to “A Love Supreme.”

 

Impulse has reissued the recording as a lushly appointed 180-gram vinyl LP and the sonic upgrade is significant. Despite the welter of musical activity in frequently thick textures, one can hear the distinct instruments well, from the lowest notes of the bass to the mingling of improvisations in the upper register. The presence of the piano is particularly noteworthy, revealing modal comping that was recessed on my older copy of the recording. 

 

The supporting musicians on Karma are strictly A-list. Leon Thomas lends howling vocals and percussion. James Spaulding plays the flute. Nonstandard in a free jazz context is the French horn, but Julius Watkin’s forceful playing fits right in. The pianist is Lonnie L. Smith Jr. Three bassists appear – Richard Davis, Reggie Workman and, on the final track, Ron Carter. Nathan Bettis contributes percussion, and William Hart and Frederick Waits play the drums. Sanders’ playing is poetic, sculpted from melodic inventions and altissimo shrieks, it has a clear sense of trajectory and is abundantly expressive. 

 

The suite lasts a side and a half of the LP. There is an additional cut, “Colors,” which features impassioned and soulful, rather than shouted, vocals from Thomas. The two bassists create overlapping duets. For the most part, Sanders lets Thomas have the spotlight, providing elegant melodic responses to his singing.

 

Karma serves as a template for many of the musical and spiritual topics that would occupy Sanders throughout much of his career. It is excellent to have such a generous-sounding and visually attractive reissue made. Snatch one up!

 

-Christian Carey



by Christian Carey