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| CD REVIEW · Y’all Just
Don’t Know | |
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Dapp Theory
· Y’all Just Don’t Know
(Concord Records - 2003)
Canadian-born,
Brooklyn-based keyboardist Andy Milne’s particular
brand of jazz-funk may smack mightily of such
visionaries as Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea but
it rarely strays into the realm of the derivative.
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There is too much here
that sounds new, too much that feels edgy, dangerous,
experimental, to say that it’s all been done before.
Dapp Theory, Milne’s endlessly creative quartet,
is driven by unnerving, complex rhythmic structures
which, on the most successful tracks, can lead the
musicians to truly lofty peaks of expression and verve.
And, here augmented by Bruce Cockburn (who lends lyrics,
vocals, and some guitar work) and famed rapper Kokayi,
the quartet is often forced to expand into even fresher
fields. While the former collaboration is reminiscent of
Joni Mitchell’s great late-1970s oeuvre (if much less
effective), the latter provides some of the most
exciting hip-hop/jazz fusion since 1994’s Stolen
Moments: Red Hot and Cool.
For this is a jazz
album that will likely impress few traditional jazz
fans. Like Weather Report and Return To Forever were
some thirty years ago, Dapp Theory represents a new
endeavour in jazz. It’s about experiments with form,
with polyrhythm, with melody, harmony, colour, even
language. On the dynamic opening track, Cockburn and
Kokayi spout invective on the continued horrors of
Reagan’s trickle-down economic policies while beneath
(even all around) them Milne’s keys, Rich Brown’s bass
and Sean Rickman’s drums follow patterns so mutable as
to defy immediate understanding. And, if Cockburn’s
contribution feels a little under-confident, Kokayi is
perhaps the ideal hip-hop artist to accompany Dapp
Theory on its adventures. Stabbing in and out of the
flow, his free style adds yet another percussive element
to the rhythmic matrix.
As a result, Kokayi’s
five tracks are the best on this record. The interplay
between this inventive, startling voice and the quartet
seems so effortless as to appear preordained.
Ultimately, the tracks without him feel emptier, less
vital. But there are many beautiful moments here (the
acoustic trio section in the middle of “Patterns of
Force” is a showstopper), and, even if the result feels
a bit of a letdown, the effort to fuse jazz-funk with
the likes of a mellow folky such as Bruce Cockburn is
admirable. Now if we could just get Milne in contact
with Joni Mitchell…
- Stuart
Henderson | |
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