The Gig

John Medeski

by Nate Chinen

thegig

In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962, physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn coined the phrase “paradigm shift” (and in so doing, engendered one himself). Central to Kuhn’s concept was a definition of scientific advancement as a “series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions,” through which “one conceptual world view is replaced by another.” This flew in the face of the evolutionary model that had previously ruled the roost.

Jazz has encountered few such upheavals in a technical sense; notwithstanding the vicissitudes of style, today's stuff sounds much like the stuff of a half-century ago. Listen to the latest crop of progressive jazz recordings, however, and you'll identify a fascinating trend. A growing number of artists have begun employing electronics -- both live and in studio -- for more than cosmetic purposes. If the direct-drive turntable was, as critic Tom Terrell suggested, "the last great jazz instrument of the 20th century," it's probably safe to propose the PowerBook (equipped with ProTools) as the first contender of the 21st.

Overdue? Of course. But remember: Most jazz artists are Luddites, if only because their livelihood hangs in the balance. Ironically, the thing they fear may ultimately be their only hope. European jazz artists like Esbjörn Svensson and Nils Petter Molvaer have parlayed their electronic forays into popular success; here we have Johns Scofield (whose Überjam, on Verve, is heavily produced) and Medeski (whose band's forthcoming Uninvisible, on Blue Note, features programmers DJ Olive and Danny Blume), and granddaddy Herbie Hancock (see music picks). Meanwhile, Club d'Elf, a cult-fave Moroccan groove outfit from Cambridge, includes a turntablist in its midst, alongside Medeski and violinist Mat Maneri. (They'll be playing the TLA this Sat., March 30, 10 p.m., 215-336-2000.)

Maneri may seem an unlikely figure in this drama -- his music is positively Spartan in timbre -- but that's what makes this interesting. He's one of a host of prominent après-gardists whose search for new syntax has led to the mainframe. Last year David S. Ware caused a stir with Corridors and Parallels (AUM Fidelity), featuring startling synth-work and programming by avowed purist Matthew Shipp. Shipp himself followed suit with Nu Bop (Thirsty Ear), an unfortunately tiresome effort with programming by Chris Flam. Later this year we'll see a much stronger entry by drummer Guillermo Brown (who played on both Corridors and Nu Bop): the forthcoming Soul at the Hands of the Machine (Thirsty Ear). Not to be outdone, Dave Douglas and Tim Berne have each successfully incorporated laptop interlopers, live and on record.

These and other jazz artists have yet to achieve the seamless technophilia of, say, the German-Chilean duo Flanger -- and they probably never will, given their different aims. But there are exceptions -- like Rob Mazurek of the Chicago Underground franchise, whose Amorphic Winged (Walking Road) serves as a brilliant essay on creative sampling, textural ambiguity and the virtues of patience. If Mazurek's achievement seems hopelessly specialized, it's only because these waters are still largely uncharted. The smarter musicians know: When the big wave hits, you either ride or get pounded. Either way, you can't avoid getting wet.

To report a gig -- or any other jazz-related news -- e-mail Nate Chinen at n_chinen@citypaper.net.

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