Stravinsky was coming it a bit when he said some electronic music gave him castration fears, but going to Ronnie’s in April 1993 to hear the Electric Bebop Band generated a different sort of trepidation in me. Surprise! Relief!! Their electric aspects well under control, they swung quite indecently.
Perhaps you can never repeat that sort of pleasure, but I found this disc a little disappointing. The highly accomplished band recorded here has most of the musicians who played at Ronnie’s and is structurally the same – except for added percussion. The patitter-patattering, whilst not objectionable on the faster numbers, really doesn’t bring much of value – some minor complexity for its own sake. But both Potter and Cheek are excellent, interplaying as well as soloing, with distinctive but complementary styles and ideas.
The insert, fashionably design-fancy with grudging essentials, is uninformative except for capitals L and R to show who’s on which channel. This is less clear for the saxists who, very properly, are centre sound-stage, than for the guitarists. They too are distinctive. Generally, Rosenwinkel is lighter and more guitaristic against Muthspiel’s preference for the whiney and wheezy. Each produces constructive lines of melody, though together some heavyish rhythm can result. Swallow swings superbly, not overdoing the amps, and Motian drums up delightful musical storms, especially on 2 Bass and Be-Bop.
The programme is inventively reworked classic bop except for Motian’s Split Decision and Muthspiel’s Waseenonet, the former different in mood in the two versions, the latter rather sad, both worthwhile. The insert’s Ask Me How (twice) is actually Monk’s Ask Me Now. I’d like to feel more enthusiastic about what is very nearly a very good disc. The pointless percussion is largely overlookable, and without those admittedly occasional chesty moments I’d probably say ‘Recommended’. Try a couple of tracks. Those liking electronics need not hesitate.
Discography
Split Decision; Half-Nelson; Ask Me How (sic); Reincarnation Of A Love Bird; Skippy; 2 Bass Hit; Waseenonet; Ornithology; ‘Round Midnight; Be-Bop; Split Decision (53.55)
Chris Potter (as, ts); Chris Cheek (ts); Kurt Rosenwinkel, Wolfgang Muthspiel (elg); Steve Swallow (elb); Paul Motian (d); Don Alias (pc). Power Station, New York City, June,1994.
(jmt 514016-2)
