Jacob Collier- “I Don’t Want To Be A Saviour”

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Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava (*- unless otherwise credited)

There I was, this past Saturday, minding my own business, fresh from another visit to Degas at MoMA (here), braving the crowds at Summer Stage in Central Park on a gorgeous afternoon waiting to hear what would turn out to be an absolutely incendiary performance by Kamasi Washington & The Next Step, working my way ever so slowly towards the front of the throng, over 2 and a half hours, until I was 5 from the stage, when this kid came out to do the opening act.

By himself.

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Uh oh.

I’d been thinking to myself that I felt sorry for anyone who got the opening gig slot ahead of Kamasi Washington, here in Central Park of all places. What it must feel like to be out there knowing that a mountain, this force of nature, this new movement of talent called the “West Coast Get Down” is about to fall on you, and probably obliterate every sign of you having been there. After all, when was the last time a group of very talented Musicians came out of the same place at the same time? “I just got off a plane from London,” he said, rocking “bedhead” hair. Oh, I know how taking that trip feels. My heart sank. Maybe I should turn around and watch for incoming bottles, like I had to do for the 6 hours of opening acts the crowd hated before The Clash at Bond’s Casino back in the day. I decided to settle in and give the kid some slack. What the heck. It was such a lovely early evening.

Hmmm....Crowd seems pretty peaceful...so far.

Hmmm….My fellow “Kamasi-ites” seem pretty peaceful…so far.

One hour later, this kid- Jacob Collier, left me thinking that he might very well be THE most talented young Musician on Earth.

“Hole on there, Nighthawk. Have you met EVERYONE on Earth, Mr. NightOwl?”

“Yes.”

“How is that possible when you never leave Manhattan?”

“Because sooner or later? They all come here.”

Jacob Collier is S I C K. And, not as in jet-lagged sick. Check this out-

On this new song, “Saviour,” he sings & plays everything. The video was filmed in ONE take, using 6 projectors.

Ok. Let’s start at the beginning. He’s got this keyboard that’s not a keyboard like any you or I have ever heard- the “Novation” he’s playing in the photo, above. An invention from this guy, Ben Bloomberg, (who he introduced. He was there doing his sound in Central Park), at the MIT Media Lab in Boston. As far as I could discern, it harmonizes his voice into the chords that’s he’s playing on it.

And wow. What chords!

No Novation on this- just his actual voices. Not to mention SICK Melodica playing! Oh, and no use of Autotune.

Young Mr. Collier apparently has been studying the hell out of Jazz harmony from Jelly Roll Morton up through Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul. He’s got a bit of at the jazz classicist to him, his harmony is never “outside,” or atonal. Rather, he uses extended harmonies, chords that go further than your basic triads, adding tones further and further away from the tonic, or tonal center- hence extended harmony. Musicians have long known that there is “gold in them thar harmonic hills,” in the form of incredibly rich sounds. But, it’s always been something you just don’t hear on the radio outside of on Jazz stations. Maybe now? We will. And, he’s not shy about singing EIGHT part harmony, or more(!), all with only his voice. THAT is unheard of in Jazz, or just about any other kind of Music these days.

Still? I’ll be the last guy to put Mr. Collier in a box. Yes, his Music, and Musicianship, has a lot of Jazz elements to it. It also has R&B elements (Stevie Wonder appears to be a big influence on him judging by how many Stevie classics he’s covered), classical, folk and pop elements, among other things. Heck, being 21 now (18 when he was discovered by Quincy Jones, who signed him to his label and manages him now, on youtube) and covering both rock tunes and the “Flintstones” bring “pop” elements.

Ok, so we’ve got a guy with a keyboard who sings and harmonizes with himself. Then, he’s also a terrific bassist- upright or electric, to the point that he’d  be getting cred right now if that’s “all” he was. Im not comparing them as bassists, though I’ll go as far as saying he’s got a bit of Jaco Pastorius’s swagger, and, apparently, his long fingers. I think Jaco would have liked him, and yes, I met Jaco a number of times, and heard him in person at “The Birthday Concert” among many other times over 8 years. Jacob has the ability to take has vision and realize it on whatever instrument is needed and bring his personality to it at the same time, which no hired sideman could do. He’s a whiz on traditional keyboards from piano through synthesizer, with chops most keyboardists would kill for, a more than good enough drummer and percussionist, he plays some guitar, and lord knows what else. Apparently, Mr. Bloomberg has designed his stage setup, too, so that somehow there are sequencer triggers set up all over the stage so he can go from instrument to instrument, play a few bars on it, then have the sequence played back in a loop, which he then layers, live, all without , seemingly, pressing any buttons. Oh! And he’s one hell of a melodica player. I mean absolutely ridiculous, as you hear, above. There are youtube videos where Musicians are already transcribing his melodica solos so they can learn them.

Here he is live, which is the closest I’ve found to what I experienced in Central Park, shot on someone’s iPhone 6S-

But? As amazing as all of that is? That’s not the point.

Music is the point, and that, above all the rest is what matters. As you can hear above, he’s got a completely unique approach to Music. No matter how outlandish what he’s doing seems, it’s always done in service to the song- he’s really not just showing off.

A completely unique approach?

I think so. What else does that sound like? His vocals may sound like a one-man Take 6 at times, then he’ll surprise you and make a left turn at the drop of a dime. His arranging, which strikes me as one of his strongest suits, is a tiny bit like Quincy Jones (Michael Jackson-era), on steroids. At times he reminds me of Joe Zawinul of Weather Report in terms of the boundaries he pushes. At other times, like a 21st Century Swingle Singers. None of that encapsulates it, of course. He’s taking what’s come before and building on it. Ok, I’ll try this-

Jacob Collier is a phenomenon.

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He’s better without a band, IMHO.

Already. And? HIs first album doesn’t come out until July 1. He’s been racking up big numbers on youtube since he was 18, and it’s easy to see why. And if all of this wasn’t enough? He directs and edits some of his own videos (like the one below).

He announced during the show that he had 50 copies of his debut album with him. Of course, I scooped one up. It’s funny how a number of the tunes that got my attention, and that of quite a few others around me, aren’t even on it. Very unusual for an artist with 1 album almost out, and who is all of 21 to boot. I’ve seen many new acts that had to repeat a song if they had to do an encore cause they played everything they knew. (You can watch a live stream of its release, hosted by Quincy Jones, here.)

His about to be released debut. I bet he was born doing just what he's doing on the right.

His about to be released debut. I bet he was born sitting at his workstation, as he’s doing on the right.

I left with the sense that here is, either, an old soul, or the reincarnation of one who had already mastered all of this!

He sings & plays everything on this astounding Quincy Jones/M. Jackson cover, except for Quincy’s cameo, and also filmed & edited it.

Jacob Collier is, already, a state of the Art 21st Century performer, who is on the cutting edge of so much of what it is to be a 21st Century Musician. Scouring the web since Saturday, I’ve come to feel that he’s “better” alone. Yes, he can play with other Musicians, it’s not that. It’s just that his thing by himself is just so unique, so strong, and so amazingly well arranged and constructed, that THAT is the best way to experience him, IMHO. It’s like being in a band with your brothers- no one else has that chemistry he has with himself. Different Musicians have different minds. When he plays everything himself, he knows what he wants. I don’t know what the his career path will be. Whether this means he winds up being a producer, or he can continue to reinvent himself over time, who knows. It will be fascinating to watch. But, for now, this is something unprecedented in Jazz, at least- a one man band. Where he goes from here we all shall see. His album is just him, recorded in his room at home, as its title, “In My Room,” announces. Check it out.

The fact that he’s being associated with Jazz is something I welcome. As I recently said, I’ve been hoping for a bunch of Artists to throw their hat into the ring to be “the Next One.” But? Jacob Collier, as his song, “Saviour,” which I quoted in the title to this Post, says, doesn’t want “to be a saviour.1

“…unless you can tell me something to change my mind,” he adds later.

I’m working on it, Jacob. I’m working on it.

*-Soundtrack for this Post is “In My Room,” by Jacob Collier, from the album of the same name.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 8 years, during which 300 full-length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

  1. He might be singing “your saviour.” I can’t tell and there are no published lyrics available. It doesn’t matter.

Kamasi Washington- Live In Central Park

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Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava

This is a Post Script to my recent Post on Kamasi Washington’s “The Epic.”

I stood for 2 and a half hours before the show Saturday, June 18, to get a good spot to hear Kamasi’s Central Park debut (his third NYC appearance as far as I can tell) at Summerstage in Rumsey Playfield along with a packed house of a few thousand I’d guess. It was well worth it. He, and “The Next Step,” lived up to every bit of what I’ve heard on “The Epic,” and on various live performances that are circulating online.

They were positively incendiary.

Here are a few photos I shot of what will be a long remembered concert.

The personnel consisted of-
Kamasi- Tenor Sax
Ryan Porter- Trombone
Brandon Coleman- Keyboards
Miles Mosley- Bass
Tony Austin & Ronald Bruner, Jr- Drums
Patrice Quinn- Vocals
Special Guests-
Rickey Washington (Kamasi’s Dad!)- Flute & Soprano Sax
Ingmar Thomas- Trumpet

 

If you want to get the full effect, check this out-

One of the most striking things about this concert, beyond how so very very good every single Musician in The Next Step is, is that a good number of people in the crowd actually DANCED!

Yes…Danced!

Jazz was DANCE MUSIC, that was also great to listen to, early on, right up until Bebop came along in the 1940’s and was too fast to dance to. It’s a great sign that in addition to being excellent musically, this music is DANCEABLE! Don’t miss them next time, which I hope is very soon.

PS- My post about the opening act, Jacob Collier, is coming soon.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 8 years, during which 300 full-length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

Why Muhammad Ali Is “The Greatest Of All Time”

This site is Free & Ad-Free! If you find this piece worthwhile, please donate via PayPal to support it & independent Art writing. You can also support it by buying Art & books! Details at the end. Thank you.

Written by Kenn Sava

I hate boxing.

The only time I’ve ever watched it was when Cassius Clay, and then Muhammad Ali fought.

Why?

I have no idea, really. As a kid, he was just cool. Audacious. A poet.

“Float Like A Butterfly
Sting Like A Bee.”

Ok!

Then? He became

More.

He took it all to another level. First, he transcended losing. “I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.”

Then he transcended boxing.

Then he transcended sport.

Then he transcended politics.

Then he transcended national boundaries.

He was someone who had been to the mountaintop. He had survived everyone trying to bring him down- 61 in the ring (winning 56 times, beating guys named Liston, Frazier and Foreman), those who controlled the ring, the government, Parkinson’s disease, and on and on. All the while, he remained true to himself. Though he was ill for much of his later life (Hey? it was a miracle he survived those fights, right?), when I saw him on TV doing this or that, it was like seeing a vision. He struck me as something of a Bodhisattva, a being who, though he has achieved enlightenment, forgoes nirvana out of compassion in order to save others.

Why?

I believe Muhammad Ali was a Bodhisattva of the human spirit- indomitable, endlessly creative, a believer in himself, his courage, his cherished values. I have a feeling that whenever people saw him at these things, it was a reminder to those who remember- a “man who overcame so much, and he’s still standing,” moment, and he was a touchstone for those that didn’t remember. A living legend. A lesson, and example, for us all, incarnate.

“For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he trule feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.”*

After all, isn’t the the ideal, the supreme accomplishment in boxing? To be the one left standing at the end?

Here we have the ultimate boxing metaphor in one human life. We have a man who transcended everything there was to transcend in life. And, in the end, he was still standing.

Muhammad Ali remains undefeated- in life.

*-Soundtrack for this Post is “My Way,” by Paul Anka and Claude Francois as performed by Frank Sinatra. Published by Chrysalis Music Group, Inc.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 8 years, during which 300 full-length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

Artist Megumi Igarashi Asks “What Is Obscenity?”

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Written by Kenn Sava

In Japan, creating and distributing plans to print a 3-D vagina apparently is.

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Given the millennia long history of nudity in Art,and the very conservative(?), somewhat hypocritical, laws in Japan about exposure of “certain parts” of the body, it was only a matter of time until this happened. Well? She has. Megumi Igarashi (aka Rokudenashiko or “good for nothing girl”), self styled “Manko (Vagina) Artist,” has been in the thick of it since her latest arrest in 2014. Early in May she was found guilty of “obscenity electromagnetic recording medium distribution” and fined 400,000 yen, about 4 grand.

“When she’s young we kill her will to be free
While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb”*

I’ve been watching her trials (figuratively- “Japan’s view of pussy is really weird,” she says, and unfortunately, literally) with both fascination and shock. Now that her book “What Is Obscenity?,” has been released (as seen above from Koyama Press) it’s obvious that whatever obscenity is? Her work isn’t it. Just released, copies are scarce. Her “Free Manka”  T-Shirts  are sold out as well. A movement is beginning here- “Manko positivity.” Needless to say, I support her in her quest for Artistic Freedom.

But wait. A “Vagina Artist?” Yes, that’s right. She makes molds of hers and casts them into sculptures, toys and even, a kayak, which she sailed on a river in Tokyo. Tsk tsk, young lady. Depiction of human genetalia is illegal in Japan- used Artistically, or not. I’ve long been fascinated by Japan, for a lot of reasons, a trip there a while back only served to increase, but this is one that makes me wonder- “Why did this take so long to happen?”

"Better cover up, my dear, or we could be in jail in Japan." Durer c.1504 The Met

“Better cover up, my dear, or we could be in jail in Japan.” Durer c.1504 The Met

From what I’ve seen of her new memoir, which is done in graphic novel (manga) style, she answers a lot of questions, though not that one, and raises many more. It looks to be well done. Not “resting on her laurels,” she is also trying to turn her cartoon character “Manko-chan” (i.e. “Miss Pussy”), seen here on her blog, into a pop culture icon. I wouldn’t bet against it.

Oh! About that hypocrisy? As Jon Stewart and others have pointed out, Japan has an annual festival each April devoted to the penis called the “Kanamara Matsuri” (“Festival of the Steel Phallus”), where penises abound on the streets in the forms of sculptures, veggie carvings and even lollipops. Here, you can see Ms. Igarashi actually posing with one. That picture speaks 400,000 words. It says it all. So far, for her endeavors depicting vaginas, Ms. Igarashi has been in jail twice.

Personally? The only “obscenity” I see here is in the double standard.

*-Soundtrack for this post is “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono from “Some Time In New York City.” Published by Universal Music Publishing Group and Downtown Music Publishing and Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 8 years, during which 300 full-length pieces have been published! If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to allow me to continue below. Thank you, Kenn.

You can also support it by buying Art, Art & Photography books, and Music from my collection! Art & Books may be found here. Music here and here.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited. To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here. Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them. Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.