Stark
Reality :: Now :: Stones
Throw
Records
as
reviewed
by
Vukile Simelane
The
first time I heard Miles'
revisionist "Bitches Brew" my
scalp
twisted into a convertible. Miles flipped my wig with those
compositions. The sound on that groundbreaker was peculiar and
extraordinary, compelling and mind-blowing. The same can be said of the
Stark Reality anthology, "Now." Stones Throw Records has decided to
give true heads, novices and beat junkies a glimpse into the
fascinating world created by Monty Stark (vibraphone), Phil Morrison
(bass), Carl Atkins (reeds), John Abercrombie (guitar) and Vinnie
Johnson (drums).
As
part of their funk re-issues,
Stones Throw is putting out
cuts
from
"The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop" (AJP
Records, 1970) together with some previously unreleased material on the
disc. The original music was composed by jazz legend Hoagy Carmichael
Sr., and his son Hoagy Bix Carmichael Jr. collaborated with the Boston
TV station WGBH to work on an "educational television program that
would focus on" Hoagy's children's songs that he'd composed in the 50s.
Some crazy cat, an "Oklahoma-reared youngster" named Monty Stark who
fronted his 'fledgling band,' The Stark Reality, joined forces with Bix
Carmichael and they all sought to give the "songs a contemporary work
out." Thus, spawned the title of the LP; "The Stark Reality Discovers
Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop."
Dig
this - in a letter Bix
Carmichael wrote to his dad upon
completion
of the LP, he wrote: "Enclosed you will find what I hope is one of the
most unusual treatments of your music that you have ever heard.. Monty
is on vibes (vibraphone) and also did the vocals. He also did all of
the arrangements. You will also hear drums, amplified bass, guitar and
vibes." Bix then goes on to describe the different contraptions and
gizmos utilized "for some of those strange, almost string sounding,
sounds." The legend's own kid attempts to describe to his dad what they
done did to his music. Though full of confidence, he closes the letter
to his old man by stating, "I think you will be happy with what we are
doing, as I can tell you we are having a ball doing it."
From
the opening track
"Junkman's Song," the listener is
sucked into
a
wormhole and transported to a place where the music plays as freely as
wisps of smoke. Stark Reality's group members describe their playing
style as 'free jazz,' as a means of showing their 'improvisational
style'. Their phonic exercise has also been depicted as "psychedelic
jazz-funk" by other aficionados. The only way I can see fit to explain
this aural poetry is 'Brownian Motion music.' Scientists define
Brownian motion as the movement of "small particles as they are
randomly bombarded by the molecules of the surrounding medium." The
effect created by this phenomenon is a random, unguided, haphazard
movement of an object. Stark Reality seemingly plays in this manner,
which is illustrated superbly in the second track "Thirty Days Hath
September," where Stark goes to town on the 'vibes,' and then the
grammar is flipped as he starts to 'croon':
"How
many days in the weeks?
How many weeks in the year?
I've learnt that lesson
But I'm still confessin'
The following isn't too clear...
Thirty days, hath September
April June, and November
All rest, have thirty one
Except that quiet and dreary... February
Which has twenty eight, most of the time
But in leap year twenty nine..."
You
gotta hear it to believe it.
Stark's "colorful,
distinctly
Midwestern patois" literally ships you deep into the subconscious of
his mind, and you get a hold of whatever it is they tryin' to say. On
"Rocket Ship," the answer will become more lucid when you hear Stark
tryin' to hit the high note.
Words
simply cannot encapsulate
the listening pleasure that
this
album
is. Do not hesitate to cop it as it will broaden your music horizons.
I'm willing to wager that after a listen or three, you may find
yourself singing along 'Sesame Street-style' to the drawl of Monty
Stark, while your ears are bathed in the "swinging jazz rhythms" and
"deep funk grooves" of The Stark Reality. This is marvelous stuff. Go
an' get it.
Music
Vibes: 10 of 10 Lyric
Vibes: 8
of 10 TOTAL
Vibes: 9 of 10
Originally
posted: June 12, 2003
source: www.RapReviews.com
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