Music New and Noted

The name – Either/Orchestra – and title of the CD – Mood Music for Time Travelers – might make you think this was going to be some outre disc a la the old Don Ellis Orchestra. But no, it’s a little big band of three brass and three saxes plus rhythm,that travels back, not forward, in time. Back to the Cuba of the 50s and 60s with its Latin stylings. There’s a lot to like here, with the crisp ensemble playing, and effective solos from the likes of leader Russ Gershon on sax. Still, I was hoping for something just a little more out there.

Lee Ritenour’s homage to the guitar, 6 String Theory, finds Captain Fingers enlisting the aid of a huge roster of guitar greats as guests: John Scofield, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Pat Martino, Joe Bonamassa and Robert Cray – and that’s on just the first four tunes! Interestingly, those are the worst four tunes on the disc, an unpleasant mishmash of strident jazz and blues. It’s not until rock and roll rears its head on “68” that the disc takes off. Here it’s Neal Schon, Slash and especially Steve Lukather that take things in a more interesting direction. George Benson follows, sounding better than ever.

On the local Traverse City scene, Mary MacGowan’s new CD, Morning Glory, showcases her quirky side. A member of the NMC Vocal Jazz Ensemble (in the interest of full disclosure, I am also), MacGowan writes autobiographical songs that feature ukulele, clarinet, guitars acoustic and electric, fiddle and drums by tune, all surrounding her voice. Sometimes it sits out there by itself, but much of the time it’s stacked, sometimes harmonizing with itself, a la the Roches. That’s the closest comparison I can think of, in terms of voices and the funky, off-kilter folkish songs.

Remember Nu Shooz? How could you ever forget the fabulous, funky “I-I-I Can’t Wait”? The band has reappeared as the Nu Shooz Orchestra with Pandora’s Box, a grooving set of lounge/bossa nova/crossover jazz-pop that blends influences ranging from Basia to Cal Tjader. Surrounding Valerie Day’s expressive voice are flutes, flugelhorns, vibes, strings. Some tunes sound like refugees from old Jame Bond movies, others are more experimental. There’s even a surprising update of “I Can’t Wait,” with strings and acoustic bass taken waaaay downtempo. If the original forced you onto the dancefloor for a frenetic workout, this version is made for the night’s slow last dance.

For all you chamber jazz fans – and hey, who isn’t – Nik Bartsch’s Ronin presents Llyria, a set of engaging new compositions. ECM’s albums can be dense, fussy, and generally hard to appreciate. This is none of those. The five musicians of Ronin, starting with pianist, composer and leader Bartsch, listen to each other, and you’ll want to as well. The expected clarity of the recording never sounds artificial or sterile, just beguiling.

Okay, two new acquisitions that hail from the past. New wave synthpop darlings Ultravox never made it as big here as in the UK. The band exemplified chilly synth-rock, with anthems like “Vienna” and “Reap the Wild Wind.” Those tracks and 16 others are collected on The Very Best of Ultravox, along with a DVD of live pieces and videos. It’s great to hear these tracks again, particularly in light of the fact the quartet is back together and performing. A Michigan stop on the next tour would be most welcome.

While Ultravox was missing in action for some 20 years, Tower of Power took no such break. The dynamic act has been around long enough to go through something like ten lead vocalists. Brent Carter isn’t the best of the bunch – that would be Hubert Tubbs, Lenny Williams, Rick Stevens, and Tom Bowes in some order – but he’s never less than adequate. And unlike most bands, with Tower the soulful vocals are actually secondary to those shouting, blistering, cascading horns. Drawing from across the band’s 40-year history, Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live shows why the band is always a huge concert draw. What is hip? The passing years have shown that whatever the context, one correct answer will always be Tower of Power.