Asphodel (2001)
From: Pearmania@aol.com Subject: (exotica) new Nordine CD Date: 01 May 2001 07:38:22 EDT
This is another great piece of work from Ken. It's somewhat reminiscent of Nordine's 90's releases, Devout Catalyst and Upper Limbo (which was live), with most of the same musicians that were on Upper Limbo. If you haven't heard either of those titles, they're both excellent, too. There are no musical celebrities on this one (Tom Waits and Jerry Garcia were both on Devout Catalyst). IMHO, A Transparent Mask outclasses both Devout Catalyst and Upper Limbo because it's more diverse and explores more territory, lyrically and musically.
For the most part, Ken is his usual light-hearted, witty, and thought-provoking self, playing with words and dialogue, poking fun at everything. The music is great, too, neither overpowering Ken nor confined to the background. There are some, great wild synthesizer sounds. "A Good Day For Spiders" has the bass making "boing, boing" noises while Ken ponders the different kinds of insects a spider might eat. Some great bluesy harmonica sounds make up the musical accompaniment on "You Don't Love Me Blues" while Ken blubbers "I Love You But You Don't Love Me".
There are two recycled numbers (that I recognize), "Akond of Swat" (from Upper Limbo) and an updated version of "The Bullfighter", which first appeared on Son of Word Jazz. "Akond Of Swat" is probably the most driving number Ken ever did. I could see a dance floor hopping to it. On "The Bullfighter", Ken loses his fake Spanish accent from the earlier version, but this time laughs wildly to a flamenco guitar as he declares that "the biggest bull is inside me".
"Hole in the Ego" describes an individual whose ego is leaking (everyone could see the ego leaking, but this guy didn't even realize it...). Other subject matter explored include dreams (Truth Mute, A Thousand Dreams), numbers (Fibonacci Numbers -- with harpsichord accompaniment). You can imagine the fun Ken has with "Cliche' Heaven".
Nordine is getting along in his years. He looks like Benjamin Franklin without the reading glasses on the front cover and his expression is serious. The last two numbers seem to betray some thoughts on aging. "A Thousand Dreams" is a light-hearted description of what could be the death experience. The last track, "What's There to Do" is a more serious reflection on loss. Ken recites "What's There to Do Without You" and "You are all the reasons why I give a damn".
If you're a hardcore Nordine fan, this is a must. If you haven't ever explored Nordine, I would start with the "Colors" CD reissue (last time I looked, Jack Diamond had a few copies left).
Sean
If you don't know about Ken Nordine's "word jazz", you really should head on over to Insound right now and pick something up. I'd suggest "Colors", just because it's the one I first heard and it's still my favorite. I mean, it's hard to beat thirty-four short odes to different colors of house paint! The fact that I'm encouraging you to buy a recording from 1966 while reviewing a CD that just came out is probably pretty telling. While Nordine's familiar formula is just as goofy and entertaining as ever, it hasn't exactly grown more profound in the last few decades. In case the familiar formula isn't so familiar to you, here it is: Nordine improvises somewhat hokey, but still strangely enchanting "word jazz" poems, while various kinds of music (free jazz jams, natural soundscapes, little dance numbers) play in the background. Nordine's voice often reminds me of the narrator from the original The Grinch Who Stole Christmas cartoon; it's pleasantly resonant and sounds good even when he's reciting dopey rhymes. I can't honestly recommend A Transparent Mask as a great example of Nordine's art, but I will say that one way or another, you should have something by this unique voice in your music collection. -- ib
Many moons ago, on-air poet Ken Nordine happily coined the phrase "word jazz." A voiceover artist since the 1950s, Nordine's gravelly, enveloping, mildly conspiratorial tones have accompanied Fred Astaire, Jerry Garcia, Laurie Anderson, and DJ Food. A Transparent Mask is the follow-up to Nordine's notorious Colors album. Howard Levy lurks with keyboard, harmonica, and penny whistle. Kristan Vaughan (Nordine's son) wrangles guitar and synths, and Eric Hochberg drops in trumpet and bass. Paul Wertico and Jim Hines share drum duties. Alone, their collective backing tunes could dwell within the realm of contempo-cheese; instead, they mirthfully back Nordine's lexicon of lessons. Nordine doesn't shy away from any topic. He relates the source of that transparent mask -- everyone wears one, he says -- and indicates how the observation of bird and insect activity can provide life lessons. The blues, a guru, clichés, bulls, bing-bangs, dreams, and more are allocated liberally throughout Nordine's precise discussions of our existence in a sensory empire. Make the headphone trip to catch every little overdub and sonic snippet. Nordine encourages listeners to gather scraps of language and memory for their own word jazz constructions.
Stacy Meyn CDNOW Contributing Writer