SOUNDTRACK: NATE SMITH + KINSFOLK-Tiny Desk Concert #667 (November 3, 2017).
Nate Smith is a jazz drummer, although much of the music in this Tiny Desk is quite rocking.
The jazz is evident in the complexity of the tunes.
Just try to discern the multiple time signatures in the first tune, “Skip Step” Syncopated yet steady, its rhythmic motifs bolster Jon Cowherd’s keyboard riff and the song’s melodic statement, played in unison by saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and guitarist Jeremy Most.
The song opens with a great chugging riff on the bass (Fima Ephron) and guitar. The keys play a drifting melody as the sax take over a solo (followed by the guitar). Smith’s kit is fairly small but he makes great use of the various drums, putting in all kinds of interesting rhythms.
The quintet slides right into “Retold,” a beautiful song with a nostalgic melody that suggests a quiet moment for personal reflection and self-discovery.
This song instantly feels more jazzy because of the lead saxophone. The drums are primarily cymbals (and brushes) and a lot of keyboard soloing in the middle.
After that song, Nate introduces the band and then says, “Jeremy noticed–the desk is not that small. I was expecting a smaller desk. I don’t know how I feel about his. But I’m going to move past that because it’s not about me.
On the next song, “Pages,” Smith welcomed vocalist Amma Whatt to the “stage.” She wrote the lyrics for Smith’s 2017 album Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere. I don’t care for this song as much. Her vocals are a little too R&B for me (and I don’t like soprano sax).
It’s a very gentle song, though and probably fits nicely into the album. It’s followed up by the final tune, “Rambo: The Vigilante” which he describes as “it’s short but it’s angry.”
Hypnotized by its shifting time signatures, this fusion jam is punctuated with a haunting rock lick played simultaneously by the entire band, and seamlessly aligned with Smith’s dazzling display of dexterous genius.
Smith’s drumming is phenomenal on this track–with lots of action on the high hat and some fast drumming on the bass and snare. It’s not all fast though, there is a mellow middle section with gentle keys and a mellow sax solo.
I do like jazz with crossover appeal, and this certainly has it.
[READ: March 21, 2017] Fish Girl
David Wiesner has drawn some of the most gorgeous picture books ever. And several of those books don’t have any words–they are just amazing stories, beautifully told and wonderfully illustrated. Seriously, look up Sector 7 and Flotsam and be blown away.
Well, his pictures are in full force here (I recognized his octopus immediately).
This is his first graphic novel and his first pairing with Donna Jo Napoli (who I am unfamiliar with).
The story is a fairly simple and fairly familiar one, but they have put some wonderful twists into it.
In a building on a pier is Ocean Wonders. It is a fully functioning aquarium inside a small warehouse. On the outside is a big sign that says “see the mysterious Fish Girl.” As the story opens, there is a narration by Neptune, god of the seas and storms. He tells the spectators that in every room of this house you will see the most amazing creatures of his kingdom. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 