Dwight Trible • Ancient Future
With the first few notes of the album’s opener, “Truth,” I knew I had made the right choice. However, that was before Trible entered with his spoken-word message. I was taken aback. In the past I had come to admire his unique voice in today’s jazz. With a Johnny Hartman-like sonorous baritone voice, combined with hand-picked supporting musicians, such as Kamasi Washington, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Mark de Clive-Lowe, and John B. Williams, he has redefined style in vocal jazz, as his last Gearbox Records release, Mothership, demonstrates. What I was hearing on Ancient Future was different. The wordplay on the opening song, “Truth,” Trible voices platitudes and known truths, often shouting for effect. Nothing new is gleaned from these vignettes, but they are dramatic and represent a variation on Ken Nordine's Word Jazz. To me, this wordplay is distracting because the backing music, especially the frantic electric bass, is excellent. I was hoping things would improve. They did with the next tune, “My Stomping Ground,” a gastronomical tour of the Crenshaw district of LA. A solid groove is achieved here, with an emphasis on funk. This song turned out to be my one and only favorite track on the album. The next song, “Beach Vibes,” left me empty, with more sophomoric wordplay and wispy ambiance. The side’s closer, “Derf Reklaw,” dedicated to the late multi-instrumentalist, composer, percussionist and conga player, proved to be a sensitive, if excited, tribute to the man. I turned the album over, hoping to get a better handle on this music. The second side’s opener, “Elements,” replete with outstanding slap bass and wah-wah guitar, continued with more of the same funky vibe. Exciting, but was all the shouting and wailing necessary? “Black Dance,” which featured additional vocals courtesy of Georgia Anne Muldrow, didn’t help this effort. Whether it was the Yoko Ono-like yelping or the overall lack of focus, I just couldn’t get with this music. Trible’s attempt to treat his voice as just another instrument in the mix on this one was, to me, unsuccessful. “African Beat” begins promisingly with a solid percussive feeling over which Trible’s processed voice and Megashia Jackson’s backing vocals remain, thankfully, in the background. The song is saved with Kamasi Washington’s sax, competing with and winning over the wailing spoken words. Finally, there is “Wind,” the album's closer. It was due diligence that kept me listening to this one. “All is wind?” Okay, if you say so. I eventually gave up and asked myself what it was I had just heard. I didn’t know and couldn’t figure it out. But, on a brighter note, after putting my consternation aside, Ancient Future handily erased my aural memories of Mahler. The LP itself is a solid slab of flat, blemish-free
vinyl, protected by a poly-lined inner sleeve. The sound is crisp and transparent, lacking
only a bit of warmth in the midrange. The soundstage, on occasion, extended well beyond my
speakers, causing me to look hard right or left for a sound’s source. Beautiful
artwork and well-laid-out graphics and liner notes contribute to the high standard to
which all Gearbox products have risen. Recommended to adventurous and inquisitive souls. |
ately, I’ve been binge listening to the Mahler
symphonies. This journey through the nine completed symphonies was, at best, a daunting
experience, but my attention was rewarded with a keener appreciation of the music (which I
had, years ago, initially dismissed). After days of listening to Mahler, though, in an
effort to free my mind and ears from his spell, I needed relief, and I needed it fast. It
was then I realized I had received Dwight Trible’s Ancient Future for
review. It didn’t take long for it to take its place on the turntable.