Cinematic Orchestra
Remixes
[Ninja Tune]
Rating: 6.7
This collection of remixes by jazz collective the Cinematic Orchestra
fascinates not only due to the high quality of the band's somewhat Sunday
Supplement jazz, but because their versions turn a spotlight on the state
of remixing and that of jazz itself.
Back in the disco-era, remixing was more akin to cut-and-paste editing. Those
guys took the 7" hits of the day and, by extending the sections proven most
effective in keeping the crowds under a unifying groove, ushered in an entire
industry. (Of course, reggae had been doing this sort of thing years previously,
but that's another rant I might have later on.)
Soon, DJs who'd been sought out for their knowledge of dancefloor mechanics
wanted to do more than just cut and loop; they wanted to introduce elements
into their remixes not present in the source material. This is when the phrase
"and additional production" crept into remixing credits. This license to drop
in wholly new material reached its somewhat absurd apogee when Techno Animal
informed their remixers that they didn't mind if none of the original material
was incorporated. Not only does this freedom to exclude make a mockery of the
definition of "remix," but also copyright. How can Techno Animal claim that a
remix by, say, Porter Ricks which includes none of their elements should be
credited to Techno Animal?
In drum-n-bass, it's common practice that a remix will be classed an entirely
new track and credited to the remixers. Yet, it would be rash to recommend
that this passing of ownership should apply to the Cinematic Orchestra. On
their debut album, Motion, the Orchestra demonstrated a thorough
appreciation of the dynamics and nuances Gil Evans had added to Miles Davis'
work. To be less charitable, Motion was a devoted rendering of
Sketches of Spain and Quiet Nights. And though I've grown to
adore Motion, it's never made my essential jazz selection.
What the Cinematic Orchestra have done under the guise of remixing is actually
cover versioning. Remixes opens with their version of Faze Action's
sophisticated strut, "Moving Cities." The band has replicated the original's
proud rhythm and let soprano saxophonist Tom Chant make haunting calls over
it. It's an astounding rework of an essentially vapid, but immanently danceable
track. Chant's lines speak of magic and loss and all the secretly joyous
melancholies between them. I actually find it hard not to demand a rewind
whenever I play this disc. "Moving Cities" is also difficult to get beyond
because this version is, so far, the most vital track that the Cinematic
Orchestra have committed to tape.
Perhaps I'll eventually tire of "Moving Cities" and become equally enthused by
the Orchestra's version of Piero Umiliani's "Panoramica" or Nils Petter
Molvaer's "Vilderness." But for now, these two tracks exemplify a
conservatism that, in my opinion, hampers all the band's output.
The Cinematic Orchestra seems concerned not to ruffle feathers-- their jazz
sound conforms to the Ken Burns/Wynton Marsalis dogma that gives supremacy to
the jazz of more than 40 years ago, and denies value to any jazz that's since
been tainted by radical adjustments in tonality or disrupted by politics. Play
Target or Flag by the Vandermark Five and compare their screechy, gritty
funk. You'll hear the Vandermark Five's brand of danceable jazz (especially on
the opener, "Sucker Punch"), but you'll also hear microtonal, itchy bass
clarinet and sax skronk that's far removed from the NPR-appropriate performance
put together by these guys.
The Vandermark Five make bold statements and have a great time doing it, and
that comes across on their records. Meanwhile, it's hard to say whether the
Cinematic Orchestra are even remotely amused by their own music. To my ears,
the band plays with conviction that, regrettably, never reaches fervor. I
believe musicians should be uncontrollably passionate, and use their talent
to offer untranslatable insights to us cloth-eared dolts who gaze in wonder
at their skills.
Being on Ninja Tune should permit the Orchestra to rework some stellar stuff.
How about them having a go at Kid Koala's "Fender Bender?" Imagine the
Coltrane-esque fun Tom Chant could have recreating the screeeeps and
screwwches that Koala's wrists wreak. Or how they could translate DJ Food's
"The Aging Young Rebel." They could even work with Havana funk stoked by Up
Bustle and Out.
Regardless, I'm confident that the Cinematic Orchestra will escape their
self-imposed portentousness. If they allowed themselves to leave the
conservatoire, they could counter the stagnancy imposed and mandated by Burns
and Marsalis. After all, Ninja Tune has the cachet and the marketing savvy
to smear the globe with new combinations of jazz that both nod to the past
and further the legacy of dance music. At such a time, they'll take
this sublime form of human creativity out of its rarified, stifled academic
bunker, and onto the open streets for folks to wantonly enjoy.
-Paul Cooper