"Mahanthappa and Iyer are emblematic of their generation of jazz musicians. They have found ways to tweak conventional forms to find their voices, rather than laying waste to the structures that preceded them." - WALL STREET JOURNAL "Mother Tongue is a fine test of the comparisons between Mahanthappa and Steve Coleman. While Mahanthappa shares Coleman's ability to effortlessly stream unusually shaped phrases, their respective sounds are quite different." - DOWN BEAT "Mahanthappa, the commanding presence at the helm, has a tone that is hard, biting, and emotionally alive. He plays with blinding speed but also draws upon the ardent legato cries associated with Indian double-reed instruments or Hindustani vocalists." - JAZZTIMES Since the release of Mother Tongue in 2004, Rudresh Mahanthappa has moved to the forefront of the new generation of composers and alto players in jazz. The time in between has seen him take honors in the DownBeat Jazz Critics Poll, receive the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for excellence in composition, and receive a Rockefeller grant to compose music for his Dakshina Ensemble featuring Kadri Goplanath, amongst other things. The time has also allowed Mahanthappa to once again look to the outside world and draw from a system of order for his next project. The result is Pi Recordings' new release Code Book. Mahanthappa has composed the music on Code Book stemming from ideas and concepts related to cryptography. The varied systems provided the groundwork for him to approach the DNA of the compositions on this CD from fresh and previously unexplored angles. A well-known standard could be transformed into an entirely fresh piece, notes could be associated with words and ordered as such, and rhythms further coded and ordered. All of this is to say that another system of order has been applied to music, but has been done so with such care and thought that the result sounds in no way formulated. Instead, it is the work of a composers' hand deftly working within a system, but creating something entirely organic. This CD is a beautiful addition to Mahanthappa's growing catalog of releases and a mature statement from a voice that we now see scaling new heights.
R**R
Talent Deserving Wider Recognition
I will give my Cambridge neighbor below the benefit of the doubt that what he is saying is that he prefers the sounds of Stan Getz and Ben Webster (not Kenny G!) over that of Rudresh Mahanthappa. I love the sound of a lush, lyrical ballad but jazz doesn't need another Stan Getz or Ben Webster. Rudresh and his current piano partner Vijay Iyer are creating and playing some real fresh music. They recently played at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Unfortunately for me it was sold out. Funny I would think that the new Contemporary Institure of Art would be a more appropriate setting than the drapery lined walls of the ISG Museum but it's great that they are bringing cutting edge music to this jazz starved town. Check out the track samples here on this CD as well as Mother Tongue, Blackwater and anything by Vijay Iyer (check out Vijay's collaborations with Mike Ladd if your really open minded and like a challenge). This is not cacophonously challenging in the avant-garde sense such as Evan Parker (awesome as well!). This is powerful, driven, edgy stuff (Pardon the lame cliches but I am obviously not a musician, critic or a student of music). His tone really appeals to me as do his compositions. All I can say is more please!
B**Y
Not for everyone, but quality.
Here Mahanthappa, Iyer et al. issue an exercise in "applying cryptography to melody and rhythm," with results that are at times less musical than others, but after a few listens, the code cracks and the underlying structure and melody become more and more engaging. A lot of similarities with the collaboration of Coltrane and Tyner in the harmonies between the sax and piano, but the bass and drums differ drastically from the Jones/Garrison rhythm section of the 60s -- this is no wild and emotive rhythm section (though things get a little hairy at times) -- the drum and bass are VERY tightly controlled. Definitely worth repeat listening; Mahanthappa is the real deal. I haven't heard his other work, but will check some of his other albums out.
M**I
Cacophony on the Outside, Harmony on the Inside
Rudresh Mahanthappa (here with his frequent partner in crime, Vijay Iyer) is a practioner of controlled cacophony: that is, the tonal language of free jazz, applied to highly composed and thought-out musical structures. Loud, brassy tones and twisty, disjointed lines appear on the surface to have little relation to each other. But prop the lid up just a little bit, and what emerges is a complex, highly rhythmic language of intense modern jazz. A lot of that rhythm derives from Mahanthappa's South Asian heritage, a feature which, along with an extremely mathematical mind, adds to his music's distinctive nature.To catch a clearer glimpse of the method beneath the madness, take a listen to D (Dee Dee), Mahanthappa's take on a more traditionally oriented jazz tune; or better yet, check out the frankly beautiful ballad, My Sweetest, which closes out the album. It's a luscious piece of work, and in its own way brings the logic of Mahanthappa's work here full circle around the jazz perimeter. All in all, an excellent entry in the catalog of this exciting young composer/musician.
D**O
Utterly awful, pretentious dreck
This album sounds sort of like someone shouting random math equations in a loud, harsh, obnoxious voice. There's some logic to what's being said but it's extremely unpleasant to listen to and what, ultimately, is the point?This is the type of music that is created for both the musician and his few misguided fans to show how original, intellectual and "advanced" they are. The two parties form a small, self reinforcing feedback loop. You see, the more painfully pointless, atonal and awful the music is, the "smarter" it is. No one with an ounce of sense actually likes listening to it. If you want to clear a room in a hurry, put this on.I bought this CD because I like some of Mahanthappa's work with Vijay Ayer. I'm disinclined to sample any of his other recordings. Ornette Coleman he ain't.
M**R
Jazz - World music?
Jazz or world music or whatever? it's music this cd proves it...Music is the universal language of the world and Rudresh an Indian alto saxophonist had grasp the NY City scene with his interpretation of jazz...refreshing / innovative / interesting in short passionate...if you want to hear what others have in mind when it comes to jazz...go get the cd
S**R
Not for the uninitiated
This is the kind of music I have a problem with. It is passionate and knowledgeable and at the same time lopsided and self indulgent with an emotional impact a kin to spending the day with a screaming toddler. There is a lot of wonderful music out there and this ain't it. Pass.
K**N
Unlistenable. Utterly unlistenable.
I'm sorry, I tried to give it a fair shake -- in fact, after reading a positive review of Mahanthappa's quartet, I was excited to hear it -- but this is the kind of cacophonous doodlebugging that gives jazz, and jazz saxophonists in particular, a bad name. A painful experience for anyone who enjoys music constructed from rhythm, chords and melody that bear relation to one another. Please, O Muses, save jazz from the random noise brigade.
J**0
Super
Ich habe diesen Künstler durch Zufall entdeckt und er lässt mich nicht mehr los. Mit Energie geladene Musik, beim ersten Hören vielleicht nicht ganz neu, Inspirationen durch Steve Coleman sind unverkennbar, und doch ganz 'was Anderes. Die Zeitschrift Jazzman in Frankreich hat das Album in Frankreich zum Jazzalbum des Jahres gewählt.
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