8 - Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 6
'X' reissue marks the
(minimalist) spot
0
J Dilla and his music are still finding ready audiences - and will for a long time.
By TED CULLINANE
For the Daily
Each generation can lay claim to only a
handful of artists truly deserving the "genius"
label. While some are fixtures in the main-
stream, others are never
fully recognized for their
contributions. **N
Such is the case for Jay
Dee (aka J Dilla), the late hip- J Dilla
hop producer whose stun-
ning catalogue continues Ruff Draft EP
to be celebrated by legions (Reissue)
of diehard fans. A master Stones Throw
of manipulating, chopping,
and looping everything from
James Brown to Stereolab, Dilla's work has
influenced countless hip-hop producers and
laid the blueprint for much of neo-soul and
modern R&B. His subtle style of sampling and
inventive drum programming is the founda-
tion behind classics from a wide spectrum of
artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Busta
Rhymes and Erykah Badu. As a founding
member of seminal rap group Slum Village,
Dilla established himself as a more-than-
capable emcee and went on to become one half
of the critically acclaimed Jaylib with West
coast producer Madlib, as well as the creator
of three solo albums. This March, a little over
a year since his passing, one of Dilla's more
obscure releases, the Ruff Draft EP, is being
reissued by Stones Throw.
Ruff Draft, released in 2003, finds Jay
improving on his solo debut - 2001's Welcome
to Detroit. His spirited boasts of money, cars
and jewelry are delivered in an increasingly
nimble and calculated fashion. Dilla enthu-
siasts will recognize this shift as a preview
of the sharpened lyrical approach that was
to be displayed on the Jaylib album released
later in 2003. Echoing the style of Pete Rock,
Erick Sermon and other "producers on the
mic," Dilla emphasizes flow over content, and
is careful to never overshadow his own pro-
duction. On the album's opener "Let's Take
it Back," Dilla displays his refined mic skills:
"I'm extra - So next to blow / So fly get pest
control / No joke, when~it comes to the flow
/ It's nasty couldn't touch it with a hundred
foot pole."
Throughout the record, Dilla showcases his
own style of raucous, neck-snapping produc-
tion. If the album's title isn't clear enough,
Dilla explains his intention on the intro: "It's
the Ruff Draft EP. For my real niggas only. Dj's
that play that real live shit, you wanna bounce
in your whip with that real live shit. Sound
like its straight from the muthafuckin' cas-
sette." The bling anthem "Make'Em NV" best
captures this raw aesthetic. The crackle of old
vinyl is clearly audible on the track's thunder-
ous drum loop and the frantic yells of M.O.P.'s
"Ante Up" are sampled for the chorus. But
Dilla asserts his idiosyncratic vision of hard-
core with the addition of a meandering vibra-
phone loop off-setting the high energy of the
track. The end result is a harmonious blend of
seemingly disparate elements.
It's Dilla's effortless musical creativity
and confident lyrical presence that turns the
tired subject matter of tracks like "The $"
and "Crushin' (Yeeeeaah!)" into two-minute
bursts of originality. In addition to his usual
mix of chopped samples and synth layering,
Ruff Draft also hints at Dilla's wildly diverse
musical palette. Where Welcome to Detroit
found Jay showing his Brazilian influences
with"Rico Suave Bossa Nova," Ruff Draft fea-
tures the sublime electronic funk of "Nothing
Like This." Dilla's singing is stylistically simi-
lar to his rapping - straight forward without
much fanfare - but the layering and distor-
tion of his vocals over the strings of "Nothing
Like This" makes for an addictive pleasure.
Ruff Draft embodies everything that's great
about the EP format. Clocking in under 20
Ininutes, listeners are given a glimpse of Dil-
la's newly developed style - and left wanting
more. Re-released as a double ed with instru-
mental versions and a few unreleased tracks,
the RuffDraft reissue is a worthy introduction
to the genius that is Jay Dee, and for long time
fans, another chance to celebrate his remark-
able body of work.
By MATT KIVEL
Daily Music Editor
Peter Zummo's enigmatic take
on minimalism flourished in the
wake of the
highly influen-
tial "downtown" -° ****
experimental
scene of 1970s Peter
New York City.
His compositions Zummo
built upon the Zummo
strict aesthetic
ideals of early with an X
minimalism and (Reissue)
expanded them New World
to encompass ele-
ments of jazz and
world music. Classically trained on
a variety of instruments, Zummo
has garnered acclaim for his dis-
tinct style of trombone playing
and challenging compositions.
His longtime musical apprentice-
sbip under master-teacher Car-
mine Caruso solidified his playing
technique early in his career, ulti-
mately allowinghim to explore the
instrument's most polarizingtonal
extremes.
Zummo with an X was first
released in 1985 and marked the
first formal compilation of Zummo
recordings. The LP is comprised
of three different compositions
which illuminate the many musi-
cal sides of its creator.
The album begins with 1985's
"Song IV (trio)" which captures a
hypnotic improvisation between
an unlikely trio of tabla, trombone
and cello. Bill Ruyle's tabla play-
ing is precise and steady, reining
in Zummo's free-form flights of
fancy. His trombone technique is
unpredictable and stunning in its
versatility, shifting between bril-
liant bursts of melody and languid,
crackling drones. The timing of
his entrances are chosen with the
utmost care and serve as unpre-
dictable detours from the method-
ical pulse of the tabla and cello.
Cellist Arthur Russell inter-
jects jagged tonal clusters into
the spiraling grove, and his elec-
tronically sculpted tone provides
pleasing new textures through-
out the composition's 20-minute
duration. The fact that Arthur
Russel - known primarily for
his remarkable disco/pop/clas-
sical compositions - appears
on Zummo with an X is reason
enough to examine these record-
ings; his musical approach was a
clear influence on Zummo dur-
ing this period and the 1980s
art-music scene owes much to his
pioneering recordings.
"Instruments" is X's second
composition and proves to be its
least revelatory. It's comprised of
seven movements, each chroni-
cling a different intervallic musi-
cal concept (sixths, half-steps,
etc.). Rik Albani's trumpet joins
the trio of Ruyle (now on marim-
ba), Russell and Zummo as they
meander through the brief musi-
cal exercises. There's a distinctly
humorous tone to the recordings
as each musician falls slightly
out of unison with one another,
AVANT-DISCO COMPOSER
ARTHUR RUSSELL: A
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
First Thought Best Thought (2006):
Recent compilation by Audika Records
which re-releases his Instrumentals series
and Tower of Meaning, as well as some
previously unavailable rarities.
The World of Arthur Russell(2004):
Great introductory album which culls most
of his best dance singles and afew abstract
works.
Tower of Meaning (1983): Extended
avant composition conducted by the won-
derful singer/composerlJulius Eastman,
developing new syncopations and
rhythmic interactions. The indi-
vidual movements are engaging as
free-standing mini recordings but
begin to grow tedious when heard
in succession.
At the time of the recording
Zummo was heavily influenced by
the Fluxus movement of the '60s
and '70s and the freedom of their
approach to music, art and cre-
ative expression. In a 2006 inter-
view for X's liner notes, Zummo
Minimalist
master receives
deserved reissue.
reveals the theoretical intentions
behind the piece:"Instrumentswas
my answer to a militaristic sort
of minimalism that had become
popular at the time. I had a much
freer-flowing notion."
The final component of Zummo
with an X is his brilliant score to
Trisha Brown's dance "Lateral
Pass." Here Zummo is adventur-
ous and bold in his musical choic-
es, electing a quintet of amplified
cello, accordion, marimba, vari-
ous percussion and trombone. The
dance's three movements pulsate
with an otherworldly energy lead
primarily by Russell's breathy
vocal exchanges and cello drones.
The instruments blend together,
but remain distinct in their musi-
cal roles. The addition of Guy Klu-
cevsek's accordion and Mustafa
Ahmed's startling percussion hits
allow "Lateral Pass" to carve out,
a soniconiche which contrasts dis-
tinctly with the rest of the album's
unified, jazz-based texture.
The New World Records reissue
of X contains a bonus rendition
of "Song IV" played by Zummo's
quintet from "Lateral Pass" as well
as extensive linernotes chronicling
each composition. His visionary
arrangements and idiosyncratic
playing technique are showcased
in each portion of the album.
Zummo with an X is a wonderful
introduction to Peter Zummo and
proves that he's a master of small-
ensemble minimalism.
40
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