I went to see the odd pairing of Elvis Costello and the Charlie Mingus Orchestra play at Royce Hall the other night. I’m hardly a jazz fanatic, particularly the odd, free noise that is Mingus. Still, the performers put on quite the show and it was well worth going to.

The performance consisted of re-arranged Costello songs, Mingus instrumentals and new hybrid songs where Costello wrote new vocals over original Mingus tunes.

The new jazzy versions of Costello songs worked surprisingly well. “Watching the Detectives” took on some new inflections, and “Almost Blue” took on yet another form (it’s gone from rock to country to jazz and back by now), although I still prefer Chet Baker’s jazz arrangement a bit more.

When the Mingus Orchestra played instrumentals, it was truly something to behold. Mingus has a reputation for being inaccessible, but I thought everything was very listenable. It takes some getting used to, but after a while you can start isolating instruments and bits and start picking out the melodies and such. Fun, fun listening. Everytime someone got to their mid-song solo, there was some real virtuoso playing going on.

I think the least songs were the new hybrid songs. Part of the problem is that the sound mix at Royce was surprisingly off. I had a hard time picking up the vocal over the orchestra, particularly when the entire horn section was going. Losing the vocal means you can’t hear the lyrics, Costello’s greatest asset. This is less of a problem with Costello’s songs, since I have those lyrics memorized. This is pretty much death for the new stuff. Quite pretty, but I couldn’t understand anything that he was singing.

This wasn’t the most successful collaboration I’ve seen, but it did provide for an interesting night. Elvis Costello has a few more performances in line this year, being UCLA’s “Artist in Residence.” I look forward to what comes next. Hopefully a Costello/Nieve performance is in the works.

Posted in From Blown Speakers No Comments »

This is the Polish movie poster for Apocalypse Now. Browsing through the store reveals many, many posters that stand as art. Why are American movie posters so ugly compared to this? Why is every movie poster a giant floating head?

Posted in Moving Pictures No Comments »

Last night’s activity: PJ Harvey, Live at the Hollywood Palladium.

It was a general admission show in a tiny venue, considerably different than the last time I saw her, playing the Pond for a bunch of disinterested U2 fans. Needless to say, last night was much, much better.

There’s something supremely visceral about a PJ Harvey show that you just can’t get leaning over the rafters in the upper deck. And it’s not about a churning mosh pit either (this was, of course, completely absent). It’s more about feeling the push and pull relationship with Harvey’s voice. You can feel yourself leaning forward with every breathy moan, trying to get closer, only to get blown off your feet when she cuts loose THAT VOICE. It is an absolute weapon in a live setting, filled with a raw power and emotion that is sorely lacking in … well, just about everything else.

Harvey’s set list consisted mostly of songs from “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea,” with a few songs from each of her earlier albums. My favorite performances from the new album had to be “Big Exit” and “Kamikaze.” Every song she pulled from the back catalog was fantastic, including blistering versions of “Man-Size,” “Rid of Me,” and “C’mon Billy.”

During a time when I’d pretty much become to numb to everything, last night’s concert was wonderfully cathartic. I’m a horrible writer, so I’ll try and keep it simple. If you have any interest in PJ Harvey, it is imperative to catch her live show. It is an unreal experience, and it will make you a feel better and make you a better person. Seriously.

And I feel like some bird of paradise
My bad fortune slipping away
And I feel the innocence of a child
Everybody’s got something good to say
&nbsp&nbsp–PJ Harvey, “Good Fortune”

Posted in From Blown Speakers No Comments »

I was asleep when everything went down last Tuesday, until my roommate woke me up and told me what was going on. Ever since then I’ve been pretty much sleepwalking through life, unable to focus on pretty much anything. So much so that I ended up walking a red light into the middle of heavy traffic yesterday. I didn’t snap out of it until I had a car honking at me and my leisurely pace.

I don’t think I’ve completely regained my senses yet, but I don’t think I can afford a slower recovery at this point. Traffic’s probably not going to stop next time.

Posted in Endless Whining No Comments »

I’m pretty much completely numb from today’s events.

I’ve finally confirmed that everyone I know in New York is safe. It’s been a long, horrible day for everyone. I look forward to some sleep tonight and dread the possibilities of tomorrow.

Posted in Endless Whining No Comments »

So in a moment of weak will, I bought Transformers. Yes, Robots in Disguise. They’re a little different than they were in my childhood, but they’re still robots that transform into other stuff… and Optimus is still a big ole red truck.

I bought Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, the two big toys in the set. They’re already fairly big (both trucks are about one foot long) and there’s one mode where you can actually combine them into one giant bulky robot, Omega Prime (the 2nd pic above). One thing that’s for sure… they’re a lot more complex than I remember them. I had to break down and actually read the instructions, which were very poorly written. Ultimately, I got everything working and with a few shots, I can transform them without too much difficulty.

Still… these are clearly not toys for kids. Just stunted adults like me.

Posted in Endless Whining No Comments »