Check out Prince - Piano and a Microphone, released posthumously in 2018 after discovery @ Paisley park of cassette recorded in one take in 1983. Raw but I like it.
Thanks for this. Real criticism hits a worthy target. I think some of what's happening here isn't just the erosion of taste but also the distortions of public platform. Fame, as you note, is currency — and when legacy outlets are teetering over the abyss, it's good business to suck up to an artist with a huge and motivated fan base. (See also: the Cowboy Carter Tour.) I'm not sure that this is a conceptual prank so much as a shrug. I hadn't planned on prioritizing it, so your transcription and YouTube embed were my first exposure. I laughed through much of it, so thanks, too, for that.
I hesitate to contradict, but are you not missing the greater significance of this work? The ARTIST here puts his foot right into the zeitgeist, stumbling about lost, wandering, unskilled, demonstrating an attention span of 7 seconds or less, the work fractured, dissonant and thoroughly disappointing.
A wry commentary on the vacuousness of our age.
Remarkable.
Reminiscent of Duchamp's fountain, but with the wit removed.
It's the hype machine more than a single album that's the real tragedy here. From 2008 to 2020, the number of American newspaper journalists fell by more than half -- that impacts cultural reporting too. For a view of a narrow slice of that check out “Out of the Picture” about art critics in the United States. For older people like myself, that fosters conservatism because I don't trust it when it appears that every critic is gushing over a record or book. For younger people, the harm could be worse: what if there's a jazz record that's garbage but universally praised? A young person might hear it, think it's garbage, and decide the same must be true of jazz as well. The only alternative is to seek out alternative views. That's why for books I like reading criticism in the London Review of Books or the Times Literary Supplement. I used to love Coda for jazz, not really sure of an alternative source these days other than you and your fellow substack authors.
Nice to see the LRB name checked. I remember when Mary-Kay Wilmers required the writers to avoid anything that could be used as a blurb! But it is still a great journal. For jazz, I read CADENCE BLUES AND JAZZ CREATIVE IMPROVISED MUSIC for many years. The University library here retains almost all of the old copies, which I no longer have after moving house.
Thanks for the suggestion. The Iverson post caused me to dash this off to Dwight Garner, the NY Times book critic, after reading their coverage of the Pullitzer prizes:
I see that today your employer quoted your review of Headshot, by Rita Bullwinkel in which you said, “Make room, American fiction, for a meaningful new voice.”
I've just read Anna Burns' masterpiece, Milkman, as well as your obtuse review of it.
So you can imagine the skepticism I might have anytime you admire a book or author.
However, I will look for a review of it in the London Review of Books where, unlike the New York Times, reviewers are far less likely to get on board the bandwagon of praise for publisher favorites, which Milkman was not. Nor are they, unlike yourself, dismissive of the less heavily promoted.
Reading those raves—"his influences clearly include Vince Guaraldi and McCoy Tyner, two piano players I, a knowledgeable critic, have heard of"—reminds me of the sinking feeling I got sitting in a restaurant with nonsensical meandering AI piano trio background music and realizing that none of the people around me had even an inkling that the music was fake and terrible. (This would probably even include people who consider themselves jazz fans!) Yes, we've spent our lives dedicated to a genre of music that a large majority of the public finds indistinguishable from meaningless AI slop that goes nowhere. Hooray!
I've since learned that Andre himself named Tyner and Guaraldi as influences in the album's press materials. What that says about a critic willing to unquestioningly drop that in a review I leave to you to decide...
Nearly every critic (I should put that in quotation marks) of popular music writes as though there were only pop music (I know they throw some left-field choices into their year-end lists, but I'm not fooled), and that what's interesting at the moment (I'm not humorless; I like[d] "Hey Ya"!) is globally interesting. Just as sheer musical ability doesn't translate into popular success, you can't infer musical ability from success in a linear relationship. But it has to be hard for Rob Sheffield to write, "Andre 3000 was fun for a while, but he has no more to say, and I've moved on. There is no reason for me or anyone else ever to write about him again." Put the last album of flute noodling up against EVERY OTHER flute-centric album, and tell me it's good. You can't.
I've seen a couple of sound checks of Prince playing his take on Gershwin's "Summertime" - real piano chops, a solid feel for piano blues, just the right touch of his own musical persona. My colleague Keith Kendall at Al Franklin's in Hartford - my college-age gig on the sales floor - was an early fan and tuned me on to Prince well before "Purple Rain". Here's one - a couple of dropped notes, but stiil, yeah… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OF3LOPAbe
Actor/comedian H. Jon Benjamin has put out a couple of albums as his Jazz Daredevil character the I enjoy. Benjamin is even less skilled on the piano than Andre 3000, but he's in on the joke, which makes a huge difference.
You are a far braver person than am. I don’t think I could have gotten through minute 2, and then, beyond that joyride, taken the time to write about it!
Check out Prince - Piano and a Microphone, released posthumously in 2018 after discovery @ Paisley park of cassette recorded in one take in 1983. Raw but I like it.
It’s not an album he authorized though. I wish that he had released something under his own curatorial auspices
Thanks for this. Real criticism hits a worthy target. I think some of what's happening here isn't just the erosion of taste but also the distortions of public platform. Fame, as you note, is currency — and when legacy outlets are teetering over the abyss, it's good business to suck up to an artist with a huge and motivated fan base. (See also: the Cowboy Carter Tour.) I'm not sure that this is a conceptual prank so much as a shrug. I hadn't planned on prioritizing it, so your transcription and YouTube embed were my first exposure. I laughed through much of it, so thanks, too, for that.
I must say I was lying on my hotel room floor howling with laughter in between taking down measures last night. Thanks for comment!
+1 for the reminder of critical terror of offending Beyoncé stans.
Bombs Over Bosendorfer.
Can't wait for the sequel, "Stukas Over Steinway." It'll go whatever the equivalent is of platinum on Spotify.
I hesitate to contradict, but are you not missing the greater significance of this work? The ARTIST here puts his foot right into the zeitgeist, stumbling about lost, wandering, unskilled, demonstrating an attention span of 7 seconds or less, the work fractured, dissonant and thoroughly disappointing.
A wry commentary on the vacuousness of our age.
Remarkable.
Reminiscent of Duchamp's fountain, but with the wit removed.
It's the hype machine more than a single album that's the real tragedy here. From 2008 to 2020, the number of American newspaper journalists fell by more than half -- that impacts cultural reporting too. For a view of a narrow slice of that check out “Out of the Picture” about art critics in the United States. For older people like myself, that fosters conservatism because I don't trust it when it appears that every critic is gushing over a record or book. For younger people, the harm could be worse: what if there's a jazz record that's garbage but universally praised? A young person might hear it, think it's garbage, and decide the same must be true of jazz as well. The only alternative is to seek out alternative views. That's why for books I like reading criticism in the London Review of Books or the Times Literary Supplement. I used to love Coda for jazz, not really sure of an alternative source these days other than you and your fellow substack authors.
Nice to see the LRB name checked. I remember when Mary-Kay Wilmers required the writers to avoid anything that could be used as a blurb! But it is still a great journal. For jazz, I read CADENCE BLUES AND JAZZ CREATIVE IMPROVISED MUSIC for many years. The University library here retains almost all of the old copies, which I no longer have after moving house.
Thanks for the suggestion. The Iverson post caused me to dash this off to Dwight Garner, the NY Times book critic, after reading their coverage of the Pullitzer prizes:
I see that today your employer quoted your review of Headshot, by Rita Bullwinkel in which you said, “Make room, American fiction, for a meaningful new voice.”
I've just read Anna Burns' masterpiece, Milkman, as well as your obtuse review of it.
So you can imagine the skepticism I might have anytime you admire a book or author.
However, I will look for a review of it in the London Review of Books where, unlike the New York Times, reviewers are far less likely to get on board the bandwagon of praise for publisher favorites, which Milkman was not. Nor are they, unlike yourself, dismissive of the less heavily promoted.
Reading those raves—"his influences clearly include Vince Guaraldi and McCoy Tyner, two piano players I, a knowledgeable critic, have heard of"—reminds me of the sinking feeling I got sitting in a restaurant with nonsensical meandering AI piano trio background music and realizing that none of the people around me had even an inkling that the music was fake and terrible. (This would probably even include people who consider themselves jazz fans!) Yes, we've spent our lives dedicated to a genre of music that a large majority of the public finds indistinguishable from meaningless AI slop that goes nowhere. Hooray!
I've since learned that Andre himself named Tyner and Guaraldi as influences in the album's press materials. What that says about a critic willing to unquestioningly drop that in a review I leave to you to decide...
Thanks for speaking truth to piano.
haha
Nearly every critic (I should put that in quotation marks) of popular music writes as though there were only pop music (I know they throw some left-field choices into their year-end lists, but I'm not fooled), and that what's interesting at the moment (I'm not humorless; I like[d] "Hey Ya"!) is globally interesting. Just as sheer musical ability doesn't translate into popular success, you can't infer musical ability from success in a linear relationship. But it has to be hard for Rob Sheffield to write, "Andre 3000 was fun for a while, but he has no more to say, and I've moved on. There is no reason for me or anyone else ever to write about him again." Put the last album of flute noodling up against EVERY OTHER flute-centric album, and tell me it's good. You can't.
I was going to write some fake blurbs. But, good lord, those are real!
"Insouciant rhythmic rigor with just the right ratio of eloquent yet ambiguous chordal dyspepsia. I felt a burning sensation."
I've seen a couple of sound checks of Prince playing his take on Gershwin's "Summertime" - real piano chops, a solid feel for piano blues, just the right touch of his own musical persona. My colleague Keith Kendall at Al Franklin's in Hartford - my college-age gig on the sales floor - was an early fan and tuned me on to Prince well before "Purple Rain". Here's one - a couple of dropped notes, but stiil, yeah… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OF3LOPAbe
I have no clue who this guy is but you are absolutely correct - celebrity - if you'll pardon the pun - trumps all.
Why do I get the feeling that the opening eighth note pattern is not played by the left hand, but by the left and right index fingers?
Like a tyke playing "Chopsticks."
OMG! My ears! The critics have lost their minds. This is dreadful.
“Elite showboating” indeed. Guy can’t play. Next!
Actor/comedian H. Jon Benjamin has put out a couple of albums as his Jazz Daredevil character the I enjoy. Benjamin is even less skilled on the piano than Andre 3000, but he's in on the joke, which makes a huge difference.
You are a far braver person than am. I don’t think I could have gotten through minute 2, and then, beyond that joyride, taken the time to write about it!