Kip Hanrahan - 1981 - Coupe de Tete

Kip Hanrahan

1981

Coupe de Tete

01. Whatever I Want 5:43

02. At The Moment Of The Serve 5:39

03. This Night Comes Out Of Both Of Us 5:40

04. India Song 4:13

05. A Lover Divides Time (To Hear How It Sounds) 3:17

06. No One Gets To Transcend Anything (No One Except Oil Company Executives) 3:42

07. Shadow To Shadow 7:06

08. Sketch From "Two Cubas" 4:07

09. Heart On My Sleeve 5:14

Accordion – Orlando Di Girolamo (tracks: A4, B5)

Alto Saxophone – Carlos Ward (tracks: A2, A4, B3, B5)

Alto Saxophone – George Cartwright (tracks: A1)

Bass – Cecil McBee (tracks: B5)

Bongos – Nicky Marrero (tracks: A1)

Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman (tracks: A4)

Congas – Angel Perez (tracks: B2)

Congas – Carlos Mestre (tracks: B4)

Congas – Gene Golden (tracks: B4)

Congas – Jerry Gonzalez (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B2, B4)

Congas, Percussion [Iya] – Daniel Ponce (tracks: A2, B1)

Drums – Anton Fier (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)

Drums – Ignacio Berroa (tracks: A2)

Drums – Victor Lewis (tracks: B5)

Electric Bass – Bill Laswell (tracks: A1, A3, A4, B3)

Electric Bass – Jamaaladeen Tacuma (tracks: A2, B1, B2)

Electric Guitar – Arto Lindsay (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B4)

Electric Guitar – Bern Nix (tracks: B2)

Electric Guitar – Fred Frith (tracks: B3)

Electric Guitar – George Naha (tracks: A2, A3)

Flute – George Cartwright (tracks: A4)

Flute, Flute [Wooden] – Byard Lancaster (tracks: A3)

Flute, Piccolo Flute – George Cartwright (tracks: A3)

French Horn – John Clark (tracks: A4)

Percussion [Itotole, Quinto] – Jerry Gonzalez (tracks: B3)

Percussion [Iya] – Daniel Ponce (tracks: A1, A3)

Percussion [Okonkolo] – Nicky Marrero (tracks: A3)

Percussion, Percussion [Quinto] – Kip Hanrahan (tracks: A3)

Percussion, Synthesizer [String] – Kip Hanrahan (tracks: B4)

Percussion, Vocals – Kip Hanrahan (tracks: A1, A2, B2)

Piano, Vocals – Carla Bley (tracks: A4)

Shekere – Daniel Ponce (tracks: B3)

Shekere – Gene Golden (tracks: B2)

Shekere – Jerry Gonzalez (tracks: B3)

Soprano Saxophone – David Liebman (tracks: B5)

Surdo [Grande], Agogô – Dom Um Romao (tracks: B3)

Tenor Saxophone – Byard Lancaster (tracks: A1)

Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman (tracks: A1, A2, B5)

Tenor Saxophone – John Stobblefield (tracks: B2)

Tenor Saxophone – Teo Macero (tracks: B5)

Trumpet – Michael Mantler (tracks: B4)

Violin – Billy Bang (tracks: A4)

Vocals – Lisa Herman (tracks: A3, B1, B3)

The percussion is here on prominent role, which is good; it's frantic, on-going. Sometimes it's a bit like more jungle-groovy version of Joni Mitchell's The Jungle Line. Most of the jazz here doesn't feel stereotypical or immediately recognizable, only the slower and smoother pieces like India and Heart on My Sleeve are bad that way, quite weak pieces, but perhaps OK if you're fine with any relaxing jazz... I'm not. And not surprisingly, they are the only songs without Kip Hanrahan on percussion. So those are more like outlier interludes. Kip is the driving force on this album, and it's very coherent, comfortable, with a special feel. I think it's important that there are vocals though, and it works really well, it's delicate and intriguing. But the background rhythms keep going and going, their own way, and that's awesome.

A stylistically strange beast that begins to make more sense when you examine that incredible lineup of musicians and realize that on this album Hanrahan is primarily acting as a conductor/producer, assembling different groups at different times to do different things. I would argue that despite Fred Frith and Lisa Herman appearing on only a few tracks, it's the RIO influence that marks that spine of the album, with No Wave and Jazz Fusion sounds built upon that spine.

While a fascinating album to dissect, it's hard not to compare it to the work and genres of the musicians it's brought together. Arto Lindsay's guitar bites, but it's no DNA. Lisa Herman's vocals are well done, but nothing as interesting as Kew.Rhone, etc, etc.

After all that experimentation and fusion, I think the best thing here is Carla Bley, Billy Bang and Chico Freeman doing a straightforward cover of India.

Coup de tête blunts too many of the edges of its influences and contributors to be fully successful but is an interesting document of 1980 era New York and is compelling despite its issues.

Fittingly enough, the first sound heard on Kip Hanrahan's premier release is that of the conga and the first word sung is "sex," two leitmotifs that would appear consistently in his ensuing work. Coup de Tete burst on the scene in the early '80s as an entirely fresh, invigorating amalgam of Cuban percussion (much of it Santeria-based), free jazz, funk, and intimate, confrontational lyrics. Hanrahan had worked at New Music Distribution Service, a project run by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler (both of whom appear on this album), and had established contacts with numerous musicians from varied fields who he threw together in a glorious New York City melting pot. With the percussion and electric bass laying down thick and delicious grooves, the cream of the younger avant saxophonists in New York at the time wail over the top, accompanying some of the most brutally uncomfortable lyrics ever put to wax. The relationships Hanrahan details are turbulent to say the least, often intertwined with economic concerns as well as a general sense of the impossibility of understanding one's mate. After asking him for abuse and being refused, his lover (sung wonderfully by Lisa Herman) taunts, "When you could only sulk/I had more contempt for you than I ever thought I could have." Interspersed among the bitter love harangues and ecstatic percussion-driven numbers are two stunningly lovely pieces, Marguerite Duras' "India Song" and Teo Macero's "Heart on My Sleeve," both aching with romanticism. Coup de Tete is a superb record, an impressive debut, and, arguably, one of the finest moments in Hanrahan's career along with the following release, Desire Develops an Edge. Highly recommended.

Material - 1981 - Memory Serves

Material

1981

Memory Serves

01. Memory Serves (5:08)

02. Disappearing (7:11)

03. Upriver (5:25)

04. Metal Test (4:30)

05. Conform To The Rhythm (4:30)

06. Unauthorized (3:50)

07. Square Dance (4:29)

08. Silent Land (3:48)

Bonus track on 1992 reissue:

09. For a Few Dollars More (4:22)

- Michael Beinhorn / synthesizers, tape, guitar, drums, voice

- Bill Laswell / 4-, 6- & 8-string basses

- Fred Maher / drums, percussion, guitar

With:

- Sonny Sharrock / guitar

- Fred Frith / guitar, violin & vibes (1,4,5,7)

- George Lewis / trombone (1,7,8)

- Olu Dara / trumpet (2,3)

- Henry Threadgill / alto sax (2,6,7)

- Billy Bang / violin (3,6)

- Charles K. Noyes / drums, percussion & bells (1,8)

- Robert Musso / guitar (9)

- Anton Fier / drums (9)

- Daniel Ponce / percussion (9)

- Derek Showard "D.St." / turntables (9)

Crawling out of the sludge of NYC's post-punk no wave scene, Material starts to show a lot more sophistication on this, their first full length album after three slightly primitive EPs. Band leader Bill Laswell seems more than eager to start leaving behind his less ambitious band mates as he starts to bring on guests from the 'real' jazz world. Some of the top names from New York's early 80s avant-jazz scene are here including Henry Threadgill, Fred Frith, Sonny Sharrock and Billy Bang. Likewise Laswell doesn't waste any time utilizing his new part-time band mates to take his music into territories he couldn't explore with Material's original three piece lineup. In particular Bill reveals for the first time his deep attachment to the mid-70s music of Miles Davis. For a long time the public had acted as if Miles had dropped off the planet after recording Bitches Brew. Much credit is due to Laswell and other 80s punk/jazzers for recognizing the value of Miles' excursions into avant- psychedelic rock and incorporating his innovations into their music. In particular, the song Dissapearing sounds like an outright Miles tribute with the first part of the song coming from Agharta, and the second half from On the Corner.

Elsewhere throughout this album Material seems to have a lot of fun ripping through a variety of styles in a way that hadn't been heard in the world of jazz fusion in a long while. In the early 80's mainstream fusion had become terribly mundane and safe and was not much more than background music for yuppie diners. NYC bands such as Material and others with avant-garde and post-punk backgrounds were bringing a new life and spunk, as well as an irreverent sense of humor to jazz fusion. A couple songs on here are almost a mix of avant-funk and goofy hillbilly music, something that would have been unheard of in the overly sophisticated world of mainstream fusion post late-70s.

There is some 'material' on here that is less than inspiring. Laswell and his gang still felt obligated to throw on one kind of punky funk number with vocals that are less than professional, as well as a number of noisy experimental cuts that drag on a little too long. In some of the more experimental numbers you can definitely hear Fred Frith's influence via his work with Laswell in Massacre.

This album was a huge breath of fresh air and a bold punky slap in the face of mundane overly slick jazz fusion in the early 80s. I don't know if all that translates these days, but it still has some fun songs, and fun isn't a word you hear associated with jazz fusion too often.

Absolutely demented jazz-funk-noise-punk-disco madness. Will make you get up on the floor, but will also make you lose grip on reality.

It kinda sounds like discipline era king krimson meets the pop group, or someother wacky new wave thing. Enjoyable throughout.