Keyboardist/composer
Bob James steps out of his normal element and combines his
western influenced melodies with traditional Chinese blends. The results are quite remarkable. It
makes it really difficult to compare it to anything of his
to date. If you could only travel with Bob to this
country and hear it first hand. The Angels group is
an ensemble of young musicians who have performed at the
Java Jazz Festival, the Bangkok Jazz Festival as well as
the Blue Note Night Clubs in Japan. They are well versed
in traditional Chinese instruments and are planning to tour
the U.S. this year.
The first song entitled “Celebration” begins
with light traditional stringed instruments before giving
way to James familiar power chords. Each group volleys
back and forth as if to introduce the two cultures. James
takes control with some clean piano before heading back into
the chords again. Jack Lee’s guitar solo is a
nice touch before all sides get back together for a resounding
finish. “Gulangyu Island” is eastern in its flavor
of sweeping introduction. James’ piano always
seems to float above the other musicians. Gulangyu
Island is an island made famous because of its piano-laden
past. The island is also famous for its architecture
and for being home to China's largest piano museum. It’s
only fitting for one of James numbers.
“Endless Time” is a beautifully arranged vocal
featuring the soft spoken bassist Nathan East. The
interaction with the er-hu (a two string violin) makes this
a one a nice love song. James blends into the finale
as the three finish together. “Theme “Onara”” sweeps
in with the chord like action highlighted with eastern instruments
then giving way to James piano. The pipa (similar to
a lute) is a nice instrument to carry the chorus as it reappears
after the soloists. Harvey Mason keeps it going and
they all finish on a positive note. You could probably
call “Angels Theme: The Invention of Love” the
title track to the disc. James introduces the four
as they weave their instruments at varying degrees. The
dizi (different sized bamboo flutes) and the er-hu are feature
extensively. “The Magic Paintbrush” begins
with the four predominately as James lays a western edge
to the canvas. He follows their lead through most of
this one although he’s featured on a staccato like
solo before giving way to the resounding strokes of the pipa. His
western edge continues to shine just below the surface where
the colors of red and yellow meet red, white and blue.
“Melodia: A Quiet Place for Two” is a dark two
instrument affair featuring predominately the er-hu and James
on piano. He picks up the pace a little more in “Butterfly
Lovers.” The keys are bouncy and Mason adds punch
to keep it going. The er-hu here is a voice that places
nicely with the western bass line. Bob adds some clean
piano towards the end that makes for a really nice closing. “Dialogues:
The Universal Language” is exactly that. James
begins the conversation and is joined in echo by the other
members as they all converse on their own. They all
prove once again that music is the universal language that
has no barriers.
You have to wait until the end to get the big surprise. Bob
remakes his “Taxi” theme and renames it “Angela
with Purple Bamboo.” It really is a great way
to end the recording. The dizi plays the theme that we all
know so well. Bob introduces himself with the electric
keys and giving way to piano. From there the four other
musicians take over for a really eastern flair before James
drives back in with his keys once more. Nice touch.
I think you should check this one out in the near future
when you want to cross the Pacific to a land far from here. Its
eastern themes and ageless piano make this disc an interesting
one to put on. It would easy to scoff at this as just
another Bob James release, but I think it really makes a
statement of how this musical genius continues to look for
new ways to spread music, culture, and goodwill all over
the world.
- Harvey Cline
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