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The Line Between
3/6/99 -- Newbie (3 year lurker) Jon now pipes up:
All this teasing me with nearly-OtR-related content has inspired me to
take another close stab at something vaguely OtR-related. Just wanted
to take a moment to write a word about Mike Georgin's album "The Line
Between." (remembe Mike!?!) I just picked it up a couple days ago but
have time to spin it only a couple times yet. (I started to write this
post the same night I bought it (Saturday) but ran out of time... ah,
school...) My apologies if everyone out there has already heard it and
discussed it, since I believe it was released a few months ago, at least,
and there was a big hole there in the time that I read the posts to the
list, but here is a quick review anyway. Impressions after the first
listen:
Track 1-- Enter the Shaman. Ethereal "Hordinski-esque" piece. E-bow on
a bass -- very cool.
Track 2 -- Equilline. Very nice. Kind of a spanish flair, which, played
on bass creates a unique, melancholy sound. This is the song to which
you dance alone in a dark room on a Saturday night.
Track 3 -- Under the Door. Slow groove. 3 basses; one on bottom, one
providing background fill -- wah, harmonics, etc., one playing lead.
Takes some funky twists as it lifts off the ground.
Track 4 -- So What. (of Miles Davis fame). Starts off mediocre. There
is only a guitar, drums and bass and it comes off feeling really
apathetic (hence, "So What"!) However, once Mike starts cuttin' loose a
little, this track absolutely SMOKES. There are more than a few hot
licks slathered liberally about this track, making it one of the most
exciting of the album. Lou Larson of "Slant" shines bright here, as
well, playing as though "modal" were his middle name.
Track 5 -- The Line Between. Beautiful peice. Slow and sleeply. No,
not sleepy, but relaxed and introspective. Solo number drips out like
streams flowing slowly out from the depths of rock and darkness and then
tumbling out into the sunlight only to rest again, melting into deep
pools.
Track 6 -- Want and Need. 2 basses, light guitar and percussion.
Somewhat dynamic peice shifts between tension and rest. Towards the end,
it breaks into a run and full drums and guitar kick in. Pretty nice
number.
Track 7 -- Downtown. Cool groove, right on, slow, swaggering bass line.
Hip hop drum machine line. Not sure if that lead part is his piccolo bass
or a "regular" guitar (it's got a harmonizer effect on it so it's hard to
tell).
Track 8 -- The Long Walk. Bass line sounds like Pearl Jam (ow, I know,
but in a GOOD way, I swear!) Actually, it's ambient enough (also in a
GOOD way!) to have been produced by the likes of Daniel Lanois. Guitar
and bass soar and float, gloriously intertwining like the smoke of a
burning bush.
Track 9 -- If... Percussive track. Minimal bass, mostly bowed on
upright. (Somewhere in the background somebody's goin' to town on a
guitar) Joined about halfway through by Alex Kerezy on violin who TEARS
IT UP. Very cool!
All-in-all I'd have to say this is a pretty good album. I'm actually not
usually too crazy about contemporary jazz (it's old school mingus, etc.
for me) but for an OtR fan who wishes to have a COMPLETE collection, I
say go for it. There's lots of "Mike" moments on this album (where, if I
close my eyes, I can still see him hanging out behind Karin and Terry!
...but then I get distracted by Karin and Terry...)
BTW, I'm planning to go to one of the two Canal Street shows AND there
are plans in the works to maybe pop down to Nashville as well!!!
However, I've never met any of you fine folk, and would love to do so, so
for which show at Canal Street are people primarily gonna be showing up?
I'm flexible (for now).
Well, that's all for now... Sorry for talkin' so long...
JON
np: the sound of wet tires trudging through the melted remains of our
8-inch snowfall
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I want to know the thoughts of God. The rest are details.
-Albert Einstein
God is in the details.
- Mies Van der Rohe