Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Spaceways Inc. Vs. Zu: Radiale

258

Spaceways Inc. Vs. Zu: Radiale

By

Sign in to view read count
Spaceways Inc. Vs. Zu: Radiale
Following the musical trail of Ken Vandermark in the present jazz scene is a complex task, not only for the sheer amount of his recordings, but also for the diverse styles he practices on each one.

In this case, the rhythmic expansive wave of Ken Vandermark & Co—the trio known as Spaceways Inc.—joins Zu, a trio of Italian origins accustomed to move along the dividing line between avant-garde and harcore. Zu has recorded with Eugene Chadbourne on The Zu Side Of The Chadbourne (New Tone Records, 2000) and Motorhellington (New Tone Records, 2001), and the group has also played with Shellac and GirlsVsBoys.

Radiale is a not-well shaken cocktail. In the first part, Ken Vandermark comes into the Zu atmospheres to add his rhythmic strength to four original compositions. The Italian trio demonstrates the experience it gained during the concerts with Shellac: forcefulness. But the tenor sax of Ken Vandermark becomes the main character and steals the strength of the songs from the rest of the band.

The second part of this recording is very close—in style, as well as in quality—to a previous record by Spaceways Inc., Version Soul (Atavistic, 2002). The four compositions are not originals: two versions of Funkadelic songs ("Trash a Go-Go" and "You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks") show the influence of soul in Spaceways Inc. music; a version of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago ("Theme From Yoyo") and a half-original/half-Sun Ra composition ("We Travel The Spaceways/Space Is the Place") also appear. In this second part of the CD, the rhythm section is supposed to be doubled, but the results of this experiment—broadly speaking—are weakly appreciated.

In a few words, the contribution of Ken Vandermark's sax to Zu's compositions makes those songs grow in quality; the contributions of Zu to the Spaceways Inc. trio are dispensable enough.

This recording is far away from Zu's first album, Bromio (Wide Records, 1999), which became publisher's pick in this publication. For sure, this work will help Zu grow from the experience with Spaceways Inc., but we will have to wait till the next recording to see the results.

Track Listing

Canicula; Thanatocracy; Vegetalista; Pharmakon; Trash A-Go-Go; Theme de Yoyo; You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks; We Travel the Spaceways/Space Is the Place

Personnel

Zu: Tacopo Battaglia -drums; Luca T. Mai - baritone sax; Massimo Pupillo - bass; Spaceways Inc.: Hamid Drake - drums; Nate McBride - bass; Ken Vandermark - reeds

Album information

Title: Radiale | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Atavistic Worldwide

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.