Music Short Takes For 12 November 2021

So Beautiful or So What - Paul Simon (2011 Concord Music Group/Hear) Paul Simon's songcraft is at its strongest when he is at his most theatrical. His 2011 release, So Beautiful or So What, has the feel of soliloquies formed from overheard bits of conversation. Standout tracks such as Getting Ready for Christmas Day and the titular So Beautiful or So What offer snapshots of people caught midstep, moving from one lived minute to the next. While I was pulled in to some of those mini-universes, there were other times when the pictures he painted were too splintered, the lines too stream of consciousness to follow easily. As is often true with Simon's later work, when the lyrics run thin and tangled, the melodies take over. The presence of jangly Cape guitar hooks, a kalimba, and eastern harmonies echo past efforts and keep things interesting. 3.7/5

Ninho De Cobras - Various Artists (2005 RCA/Sony/BMG) This is a compilation of live performances by 14 Brazilian artists. As is often the case when listening to songs in language I don't understand, there is a degree of emotional opacity that can make intellectual and emotional engagement difficult. In many ways, this is very typical Brazilian music. Breezy acoustic guitar accompanied by crowds and/or children. The tempo and accompaniment are fairly identical from song to song. I have to admit, the tracks ran together after the first couple of songs. Maybe understanding Portuguese would have helped. It is by no means bad, just blandly pleasant. 2/5

The Three Worlds of Triloka - Various Artists (1992 Triloka Records) My experience with Triloka's catalog was limited to the artists who were most often found in the "World Music" sections of the local record stores. (Remember those? If you don't ask your mother.) This breezy, jazzy collection of instrumental tracks contains an array of the label's best for 1992. The selection is heavy on jazz, which shows there's more to this label than Les Nubians and Jai Uttal. Jackie McLean's tribute to Charlie Parker kicks off the playlist. Hat tips to the masters run through the first of the triad of styles represented on this disc. The middle section consists of keyboard dominated more expressionistic fusion. All of it is easy on the ears while being delightfully complex. The final tracks on this disc give a taste of the music most associate with Triloka. Jai Uttal's Ragupati II and Ali Akbar Kahn's Farewell provide some tasty bites of aural soul food to round out this collection. If you can get your hands on a copy of this disc, by all means snap it up. Be warned: It will leave you wanting to hear more of what Triloka has to offer. 4/5

Legal stuff to make you very sleepy (binaural beats not included.)

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And furthermore...
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