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Various Artists: Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked
Impulsive!, for the most part, is no exception. Despite its all-star lineupon both sides of the boardmany of the songs lose their hook halfway through. The worst offender is the Sa-Ra remix of George Russell's "A Helluva Town," which opens the album. While it's not unlistenable, its repetition ultimately works against it. The concept is there, and it's well-done, but after hearing that New York is a helluva town ad nauseum, the concept wears thin.
As expected, however, Prefuse 73's remix of Gabor Szabo's "Mizrab" is exceptional. Scott Herren employs his typical blips and beats and crafts a brilliant recreation of Szabo's guitar-based melodies. Similarly, Kid Koala's remix of Yusef Lateef's "Bamboo Flute Blues" shows the DJ in restraint mode, letting Lateef's song shine through with subtle and minimal manipulation. These tracks, along with Boozoo Bajou's nu-jazz retelling of Pharaoh Sanders' "Astral Traveling" (which pays homage to the original without overdoing it), Telefon Tel-Aviv's dreamy, beautiful remix of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments," and Charles Mingus' "II B.S.," remixed by Wu Tang's Rza, make the album great.
Impulsive! closes with "At Night," a poem written by John Coltrane with music composed by his son, Ravi Coltrane. The track's more traditional jazz leaningsalong with an impressive performance by Julie Pattonmakes it an anomaly among the more "remixed" and "reworked" classics on the rest of the album, but its mellow bass and subtle groove provide a fitting ending to the compilation's overall variety.
Track Listing
George Russell: Helluva Town (SA-RA "GO" Remix); Charles Mingus: II B.S. (RZA's Mingus Bounce Mix); Chico Hamilton: El Toro (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix); Gabor Szabo: Mizrab (Prefuse 73 Remix); Dizzy Gillespie: Wing Low, Sweet Cadillac (Gerardo Frisina Remix); Clark Terry & Chico O'Farrill: Spanish Rice (DJ Dolores Remix); Archie Shepp: Attica Blues (The Chief Xcel of Blackalicious Remix); Pharoah Sanders: Astral Traveling (Boozoo Bajou Remix); Yusef Lateef: Bamboo Flute Blues (Kid Koala Remix); Oliver Nelson: Stolen Moments (Telefon Tel-Aviv Remix); John Coltrane: At Night (A Poem Featuring Ravi Coltrane w/Julie Patton).
Personnel
Various Artists
variousSA-RA Creative Partners: Om
Album information
Title: Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Impulse!
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About Various Artists
Instrument: Various
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