The Dave Pike Set - Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise

"Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise", édité en 1969 pour MPS, m'apparaît, comparativement à Manhattan Latin, autrement plus achevé. Dave Pike poussait un peu plus loin ses explorations de vibraphone dans une voie jazz funk, avec en accompagnement un énorme jeu de guitare et de sitar assurés par Volker Kriegel. La formation européenne de Dave Pike paie son tribut à la tendance psychédélique de l'époque et le résultat est là : vigoureux, créatif, équilibré, plein d'échappées groovy. Au-delà du cultissime 'Mathar", emblématique de l'indo-jazz, découvrez sa réinterprétation de "Mother people" de Frank Zappa, ou le séminal "Walkin' Down The Highway In A Red Raw Egg".

A1 I'm On My Way (4:37)
A2 Regards From Freddie Horowitz (4:40)
A3 Somewhat, Somewhere, Somehow (4:40)
A4 Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise (5:38)
B1 Mother People (4:21)
B2 Mathar (3:36)
B3 Vian-De (3:21)
B4 Teaming Up (3:45)
B5 Walkin' Down The Highway In A Red Raw Egg (3:28)

"Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise", released in 1969 (MPS 15215), was a further exploration into funky jazz with brilliant guitar work and Indian influences. The Dave Pike Set didn't escape the psychedelic influence of that era and as a result the band covered Frank Zappa's 'Mother People' and the Psychedelic Jazz sound of 'Mathar' was carefully crafted.
Funky vibes, electric sitar, and a madly tripped-out album -- one of the best of the MPS psychedelic jazz sessions from the end of the 60s! Back in the US, Dave Pike was always a pretty straight vibist -- but he's working here with his European combo that included the legendary Volker Kriegel -- who plays both electric guitar and sitar on the record, giving it a really groovy "Eastern" sort of vibe! Drummer Peter Baumeister kicks the bottom of the set mightily -- rolling in a modal groove one minute, picking up a heavier funk approach the next -- and always inspiring the rest of the group to stretch out in the grooviest way possible. Tracks are shortish, but filled with great sonic touches -- and titles include the legendary "Mathar", a well known bit of sitar funk -- plus the tracks "Mother People", "I'm On My Way", "Regards From Freddie Horowitz", and "Walkin' Down The Highway In A Red Raw Egg".

West India Company - Music From New Demons

West India Company est un projet éphémère et plutôt réussi associant musique et danse contemporaine (on recense un maxi Ave Maria et ce debut album qui n'aura pas de suite, à notre grand regret). Pour la musique on retrouve Stephen Luscombe, figure de la new wave des années 80, claviériste du duo Blancmange, associé ici à Peter Culshaw et Pandit Dinesh, maître en percussions indiennes. Pour la danse c'est la prestigieuse compagnie québecoise La la la human steps, dirigée par Edward Lock, accompagné de sa muse Louise Lecavalier, flamme virevoltante et rayonnant d'une énergie formidable dans les performances multimédia du chorégraphe. Entre eux l'Inde et ses sortilèges musicaux, incarnés par Asha Bhosle, diva des BO de Bollywood et une jeune chanteuse indienne au talent prometteur Priya Khajuria. La rencontre de ces artistes forme une alchimie très réussie de musiques de films, d'orchestrations exubérantes mêlant jazz, folk, fulgurances disco, samples et sons étranges des années 80, un peu comme si Art of Noise était tombé dans une marmite hindoustani (si, si). New Demons déploie une ambiance romantique et épique, à la fois sacrée et profane, à la manière des grandes fresques du cinéma indien. Appréciez les déferlements percussifs de Pandit, le très lyrique Driver chanté par Edouard Lock...et demandez le début.

Face B :
Bengalis from outer space 5.45
Pandi 6.59
Driver 3.44
Bengalis re-entry 4.58
Juggernaut Ude Cha Panchi 5.52


Having already incorporated Indian music with Blancmange's new wave grooves, keyboardist Stephen Luscombe delved into it further with the West India Company. As with Blancmange, the West India Company combined keyboard-heavy club rhythms with Indian instrumentation. The biggest difference were the vocals of Indian superstar Bhosle, which transcended the West India Company from its Western origins. The West India Company introduced Bhosle to European and American audiences who weren't familiar with her, receiving exposure on British and German television. In 1989, the West India Company released their debut LP Music From New Demons. Blancmange had already broken up by then and Luscombe took the West India Company on a U.S. tour. The group performed at 13 cities in 20 days, a cross-country road trip that left the band exhausted. Nevertheless, the group flew to a gig in Stockholm, Sweden, after leaving America. However, Bhosle became stricken with colitis before the concert. Instead of canceling it, Bhosle found the strength to sing and then spent an entire month in bed recovering from her illness. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide