Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 33, Number 10. 8 July, 1970
Record Reviews
Record Reviews
Earth and Sky (1968)
Gesamtkunstwerk of the South Pacific, opera, or as one Auckland paper hailed it "the great Maori legend" (evidently no music or composer)? No. Just music-threatre.
Jenny McLeod conceived Earth and Sky as a theatre piece of large proportions—300 performers, mostly children: individual dancers, taped narration, three large choirs, two small choirs (in the orchestra), forty orchestral players ranging from two pianos, organ and wind to xylophones, tomtoms, claves and gongs—all involved in the Maori creation legend.
I originally thought that disaster might result in separating sound from the live experience. In many operas, theatre is merely superimposed on music and the amputation necessary for an LP is not painful. In Earth and Sky, movement, shape, colour and light grow out of sound in natural response. The sound itself weaves and pushes through the taped narrative, with choruses and instrumentalists projecting the narrative into movement. A good recording can retain the impact of a live performance. There are places, however, where progress towards points of tension seems too drawn-out without the visual contact, particularly in Act I and the lead-up to the death of Maui in Act III.
With any art there will be influences. The syllabic Maori language is well suited to muscular rhythms. These appear in spoken and sung chanting, usually primitively modal or oriental, often associated with instrumental ostinati. The Chant of Tane, the Invocation to Io and Tane's Lifting Haka pound to fever pitch. In contrast, the melancholic plod of the final chorus, subsiding into murmurings is equally tense. At other times, the choirs create dense syllabic textures and sometimes noise textures—panic, horror, confusion, wind noises, happy noises: dramatic devices which can easily lose impact on a second hearing. Not so here. They are integrated, not icing. Other colouring-book devices—the sustained organ cluster, the gong crescendo, bird calls—also come from within the work and a are not pinned on the outside. Hence their success.
Messiaen's touch rests on much of the music. The Song of Joy, which Jenny McLeod thinks of as her homage to Messiaen, is the most obvious. For me the musical success of the Song is smudged by the cadential chords on "Sing the resounding song." They sound too much like the stock-in-trade of the 'traditional modems'. Birdsong recalls Messiaen in any context. Here, though, it is often simpler, more expressive and effective. The piano music underlining Maui the fisherman is the most Messiaen of all.
It is often simplicity which compels attention—the flute solo at the beginning of Act II and in Hine's Waking Dance, the solo voice at the end of Act II with poisnant semitones and minor thirds. Finally, in lighter style, the bouncing, flickering, crawling textures of the dances and marches which introduce the more relaxed Act II—the McLeod answer to the Nutcracker Suite.
The final result? First class music theatre.
Jenny McLeod's work is not destined to have many performances since the large forces and organization needed prevent it. A good recording is therefore imperative. The original idea, Chris Thomson (producer) tells us, was to record in a large hall after the twelve performances at The Auckland Festival. This was abandoned because of the impossibility of reassembling forces again and because of the danger of losing spontaneity under recording pressure. Fair enough if the results are fully satisfactory. But results are uneven.
The first duty in producing a recording is to do complete justice to the composer. The work cannot be compromised because of difficulties and it would be difficult to convince me that spontaneity could not be achieved under recording conditions. I feel that this recording was done too soon. There will be other performances and there is no hurry if better recording conditions are possible. The impact of Earth and Sky certainly comes through but it would in any recording. It is a tribute to the composer not to Philips. Spontaneity is another matter. In the throes of such a physical performance it is logical that parts, specially those involving the choirs, sound tired and sometimes routine.
Earth and Sky is a stereo work. It sometimes surrounds you. The recording is rarely stereo and never surrounds. This means that detail, distance and direction are neglected—the distant approach of the theatre aisles at the beginning, the antiphony and exchanges of the choirs, the clarity of polyrhythmic chant, the balance of sound sources. The most successful use of distance and direction comes with the tomtoms and claves in Act I—a pity the pulse is not steady. This catalogue of faults affects Act I particularly. Act III, on the other hand, succeeds.
Most inaccuracies in the performance are minor—dynamics, premature release of longer durations, rhythmic insecurity, occasional lack of ensemble, brass timbres sometimes too crude. The most serious bad judgment lay in permitting broken voices to sing in the small choir (not in the original score). The octave doubling by a few tatty voices destroys the texture.
The booklet enclosed with the record, giving commentary, text and a translation of the Maori is clear but unimaginative. Composers who intend making recordings may wish to note that Philips will probably first require a photograph of your meeting with the Queen and will certainly want to mention it several times in your biography.
Fathers and Sons
The distinctive if unorthodox style of John Lee Hooker sets him apart from his contemporaries and has given the Detroit blues singer a sound quality which is completely his own.
Of his numerous LP releases in New Zealand this new Regal set, John Lee Hooker sings Blues must be one of the best. Cut in Detroit in 1948/49, the twelve tracks here were recorded by Hooker under the pseudonym of Texas Slim. This is the raw and uninhibited blues produced by Hooker in the years preceding the R&B sound of the post-War years that the Negro population demanded. John Lee's heavy rhythm accentuated by a pronounced foot stomp dominate the whole album. Slims Stomp and Devils Jump move along at a frantic pace and are typical of the popular sound that gave Hooker with million selling hits with Boogie Chillun and I'm In The Mood, Although the recording quality is not the best (Hooker must have invented distortion) the price $1.99, will certainly make up for any lack in fidelity. Hooker is a prolific recording artist and this album will bring his total releases in this country to a dozen or so.
The up-tempo blues also show the influence his style has had on the young white artists such as Canned Heat, the Animals and Spencer Davis. The best tracks include Slims Stomp, I'm Gonna Kill That Woman, Don't You Remember Me, Devils Jump, Heart Trouble Blues, Don't Go Baby and Late Last Night. All of the tracks on this LP were recorded at his peak. John Lee Hooker Sings Blues is a gas—give it a listen.
To collectors of blues records or even just casual listeners, the name of Muddy Waters (real name McKinley Morganfield) must be familiar. His music has been performed and recorded by artists as diverse as Jimmy Smith and The Rolling Stones. His band has been producing music for the last twenty to thirty years that has come to be regarded as the epitome of the Chicago blues style. On Fathers and Sons recorded in April 1969, we have Muddy's latest offering. He is accompanied by his cousin Otis Spann, who has been in the Waters band since the early 50's, Paul Butterfield (harmonica), Mike Bloomfield (guitar), Donald Dunn (bass, with Booker T), Sam Lay (drums), and several other guests on old tracks.
The first album was recorded in a studio session and comprises remakes of Muddy's earlier recordings, some of which may be familiar to you. These earlier cuts featured such great names as Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Willie Dixon and were among the finest modem blues produced. I feel this album is a fine attempt to recreate the excitement and driving power of these classic recordings. All the vocal work is by Muddy. The rest of the band play extremely well, perhaps with a little more restraint in the case of the younger players.
The other LP was recorded at a live concert and although some of the balance of the first LP is lost this is amply compensated for by the excitement of the extended versions of Muddy's numbers.
If you like Muddy Waters and if Chicago based blues is your 'bag' you should enjoy this album. For me the original recordings still hold top honours, but if you've not heard much of his earlier work (there was an LP released here in the More Real Folk Blues series) then give this album a listen. It is one of the most successful attempts yet to record integrated blues.
Chester 'Howlin' Wolf' Burnett is another well-known Chicago bluesman who was raised in Memphis although born in Aberdeen, Mississippi. The numbers on this LP feature his very earliest recordings which were made in 'down home' Memphis (-styled) way. Several of the numbers on the first side were recorded in the Sun Studios by Sam Philips (of Elvis Presley fame) in the early 50's and show a mature style. The probable personnel are Joe Vallon (piano), Willie Johnson (guitar), Pat Hare (guitar), Willie Steel (bass) and of course Wolf (harp and vocals). He was in his forties when he first recorded and was taught guitar by the legendary Charlie Patton and shows his influence on some tracks and in his vocal style. Ike Turner, it seems, discovered Wolf.
This is an important record historically with low-fidelity sound, for collectors only. Rechannelled stereo on old LP s just does not work.