{"id":942,"date":"2009-03-17T09:22:57","date_gmt":"2009-03-17T14:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hightwo.com\/ht\/?p=942"},"modified":"2009-03-17T09:22:57","modified_gmt":"2009-03-17T14:22:57","slug":"reviews-hna-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-hna-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviews – HNA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author: Derek Taylor
\nSource: Bagatellen
\nLink to this article<\/a><\/p>\n

Marion Brown survives as one of the few among the New Thing circle to have secured financial solvency in his advanced years. Sadly, the source of his income is not widespread recognition and consumption of his music, but instead a financial settlement in a medical malpractice suit. Brown\u2019s music continues to exist on the fringes, treasured by aficionados, but invisible to the majority of music listeners. The longstanding experimental rock collective His Name is Alive takes important initiative to combat that condition with this new tribute album to Brown. Rather than focus on his Sixties work for Impulse and ESP, the nine piece ensemble taps the altoist\/composer\u2019s later Seventies work, a rare and ruminative songbook now generally available only as downloads on music blogs and high-priced vinyl in boutique shops.<\/p>\n

Lush rhythm and a rich amount of modal atmosphere factor prominently into the ensemble\u2019s readings of Brown\u2019s already spacious compositions. \u201cJuba Lee Brown\u201d sounds like mid-Impulse period Coltrane, specifically \u201cAlabama\u201d, in its somber dirge structure. The version of \u201cCapricorn Moon\u201d riffs off vintage Fela, a referent not surprising given leader Warn Defever\u2019s decision to populate the band with members of the Michigan-based Afrobeat outfit NOMO. An undulating vamp serves as spinal column for sinewy statements by horns and Defever almost seems to be channeling a more subdued side of his inner Eddie Hazel on guitar. \u201cNovember Cotton Flower\u201d and \u201cBismillani \u2018Rrahmani \u2018Rrahim\u201d, the only non-Brown piece of the set, involve ample use of Rhodes and Wurlizter to drape the music in a cottony incense-scented haze. The second piece also contains one of the rare passages where the group plumbs conventional free jazz territory with keening saxophones and strident guitar.<\/p>\n

A percussion section of Jamie Easter, Dan Piccolo and Olman Piedra keep the rhythms porous and enveloping and avoid more rigidly defined beats. The gentle rustle and click of small shakers and hand drums weaves with the plaintive strains of birdcalls on \u201cGeechee Recollections\u201d and \u201cSweet Earth Flying\u201d. The combination of live and studio settings further varies the surroundings, the applause on the former pieces. If there\u2019s one drawback it falls back to the Fela comparison in that a couple tracks stretch circuitousness to a fault.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to imagine Brown not being intensely pleased by the thoughtful attention accorded his music. A quote included on sticker affixed to the disc confirms it: \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, thank you. You really understand me.\u201d The odds of the affirmation extending to listener impressions appear extremely favorable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author: Derek Taylor Source: Bagatellen Link to this article Marion Brown survives as one of the few among the New […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[47,84,85,50,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artists","category-his-name-is-alive","category-ht014","category-releases","category-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","acf":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/great-reviews-for-his-name-is-alives-marion-brown-cd\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":0},"title":"Great reviews for His Name is Alive’s Marion Brown CD","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"April 8, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"When we started telling people we were gonna release a jazz tribute album from a rock band, some were quite suspicious. Those who have heard, now also believe. A few months after its release, His Name Is Alive's daring and sensitive tribute to Marion Brown, Sweet Earth Flower, is already\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "His Name is Alive"","block_context":{"text":"His Name is Alive","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/his-name-is-alive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sweet Earth Flower","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/ht014-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":948,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-hna-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":1},"title":"Reviews – HNA","author":"admin","date":"March 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Troy Collins Source: All about Jazz Link to this article Sweet Earth Flower: a tribute to Marion Brown is His Name Is Alive's meditative ode to the work of the under-sung free jazz saxophonist. Veterans of the American rock underground, His Name Is Alive has been exploring various musical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":937,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-hna-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":2},"title":"Reviews – HNA","author":"admin","date":"March 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: By Jon Dale Source: Dusted Magazine Link to this article His Name Is Alive - \"Sweet Earth Flying\" (Sweet Earth Flower - A Tribute To Marion Brown) On Xmmer, as with other His Name Is Alive albums, head prefect Warn Defever builds a model of his universe, populates it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":954,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/954-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":3},"title":"Reviews -HNA","author":"admin","date":"March 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Trevor Tremaine Source: Glamor Profession Link to this article The occasional inspired detours aside, the venerable Detroit-area indie rock institution His Name is Alive are more commonly heralded for their playfully experimental, soulful dream pop. Taking heed, I presumed the \u201ctribute\u201d of the disc\u2019s title to be of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":134,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/ht014\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":4},"title":"His Name is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"November 22, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"[download#19#nohits] [download#19#image] Juba Lee Capricorn Moon (live) November Cotton Flower Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim Geechee Recollections (I) (live) Geechee Recollections (II) [download#20#nohits] (II) (live) [download#20#image] All songs written by Marion Brown (Nia Music, BMI) except \"Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim\" written by Harold Budd Produced by Warn Defever at Brown Rice Studio Live\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"His Name is Alive - Sweet Earth Flower","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/ht014-200x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":944,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-hna-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":942,"position":5},"title":"Reviews – HNA","author":"admin","date":"March 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: John DeFore Source: San Antonio Current Link to this article This month\u2019s most surprising jazz-pop blend comes from the uncategorizable (and hard-to-find-in-stores) group His Name is Alive, whose latest, Sweet Earth Flower (High Two) centers on compositions by little-known avant-garde saxophonist Marion Brown. A lovely, atmospheric disc that mixes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}