Flea Is Blowing Off Steam In An Interesting Way

Everyone has heard of Flea of course, the kind and wonderful bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The fact that he was mostly interested in jazz and a very talented trumpet player as a youngster is probably less known. After a gruelling RHCP tour in 2007 they took a long break. Their disappointing show in Nijmegen that year made it very clear that the band was completely exhausted. Flea used that break to blow off steam by recording some music. The result are the songs on Helen Burns.

Flea - Helen Burns (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)

The title is a reference to a character in the Jane Eyre book, who he admires a lot. The songs were never supposed to be released. In 2012 he decides to put it out anyway, to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. The EP can still be downloaded digitally on silverlakeconservatory.com/helen_burns using the "name your own price" principle. At the same time it was released on a personally signed vinyl edition that has been sold out for quite a while. Now the record is finally seeing a wide release as well.

It's quite an introduction for an EP with only six songs, that was never meant to be heard by a big crowd anyway. But this background is important for what you will find when listening to the record. Flea himself warns that you should definitely not expect any RHCP music, so loyal fans won't be disappointed. This is quite clear when playing the music. The songs feel kind of unfinished. They are experiments and sometimes nothing more than sound scapes. Lots of electronics were used for it. Therefore it's quite hard to really interpret the songs and rating them is not entirely fair.

But at some moments things fall in place. For example when the trumpet makes its entry like in '333' and the accompanying '333 revisited'. 'A Little Bit Of Sanity' starts with a short fast drum solo, which isn't that strange considering RHCP drummers Chad Smith and Jack Irons were lending a hand. On the title track, a slow ballad that sounds like a complete song the most, Patti Smith is helping out. In general the cinematic music has a nostalgic and melancholic sound with a jazzy feel. After a few listens it is becoming more and more intriguing. As an experiment it is definitely interesting enough to look forward to more full material by Flea in the future.



This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to Helen Burns on Spotify.



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Reliving Golden Jazz Era With Benjamin Herman Trio

Alto saxophone player Benjamin Herman is a musical carnivore. He's one of those musicians that has an open mind to all kinds of genres. You can easily find him in a small jazz club, playing old standards, while the day after he's playing a club with a hip-hop band. He has so much talent and so many musical ideas, that music seems to spring from every pore in his body. That makes him one of the most versatile musicians in our country. With so many projects you can imagine that it results in several album releases every year. On his latest album Cafe Solo as the Benjamin Herman Trio, with Ernst Glerum on bass and Joost Patočka on drums, they are going back to the old jazz standards. The songs are compositions by great legends like Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter and Dexter Gordon. It turns out to be a great album, with the feel of the old days when jazz cats were rock stars, but at the same time it sounds fresh and up-to-date. I had to go to 's-Hertogenbosch to see them play. Since one of my best friends is living there, it was a good excuse to experience some great music and end it with a few beers.

Benjamin Herman Trio at De Toonzaal 's-Hertogenbosch, May 24 2013



The place to be is an old synagogue called De Toonzaal in the centre of this pleasant town in the south of The Netherlands. It has a beautiful room with a small stage that has good natural acoustics. All three musicians are sitting down, like they did during the recording sessions of Cafe Solo. It is characteristic for the whole performance, which turns out to be a relaxed and very entertaining one. Herman is chatting in between songs, giving some background information on them or treating us to a small anecdote. The only thing missing from this picture is someone serving drinks.



We get to hear many songs of the new album complemented with other standards. The musicians are in a good mood and are playing in the same relaxed way. This may result in a drum stick flying around or other imperfections, but it only adds to the great loose atmosphere. At the same time they are reinventing the songs again. I love a trio setup, since it gives every instrument a lot of freedom. With such skilled musicians this is a delight. Herman is showing why he is considered one of the best Dutch jazz musicians. He has a great sax sound, playing the notes dynamically and he knows when to let the music breath. Patočka and Glerum are a reliable rhythm section. Patočka is a creative player, constantly trying to widen the spectrum of the drum kit. This also goes for Glerum who now and then uses a bow on his bass. Even Patočka is using one on his cymbals at one point.



When you close your eyes for a moment it is almost like you're in one of those famous New York jazz clubs from over 60 years ago. Even a cliché standard like 'Summertime' sounds fresh again, despite or maybe because of the fact that they are following the original Gershwin composition. Once again Herman has impressed me with his talent and skills, not to mention his contagious enthusiasm and approach to music in general.



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The Pigeon Detectives Best Consumed Live

According to themselves The Pigeon Detectives are particularly a live band and have the most fun when performing. Making an album may even be a burden for the five some from Leeds. The band can't seem to establish themselves at the indie-rock top. They never managed to leave a lasting impression despite several brave attempts. Their music just won't stick, no matter how much heart they put into it. The challenge for this band, who claim to make a difference live on stage, is how to get this live feel on a studio record.

The Pigeon Detectives - We Met At Sea (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)

And they pretty much succeeded on that on the new We Met At Sea. The record does sound very lively and has a more rough sound than before. It offers ten compact songs and with just over half an hour of music it is a bit short. The songs are all written following the same familiar recipe. This means they are built around pleasant guitar riffs and sing-along verses. Not really suprising but again played with a lot of enthusiasm.

There aren't any real highlights which makes the songs quite interchangeable after all. Closer 'Where You Are' is maybe the best song on the record and seems to have the most potential. In 'Day And Month' there's an attempt in variation with an Arctic Monkeys-like feel, but it misses the tension to compete with that band. Don't expect anything outstanding lyrics wise either, but the band kind of is admitting that them self as well. And so their fourth record again is one that won't be remembered. Despite the fact that songs like 'Animal' and 'Unforgettable' are quite pleasant.

No doubt the new songs will go down well at their live shows. They are easy to dance to and within no time you're able to whale along. The real fan won't have any problems embracing the new album. But it won't convince many new fans. Maybe we just should see them live instead.



This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to We Met A Sea on Spotify.



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