Triple Twin Towers
Leaving aside the human tragedy for the moment, the World Trade Center towers were terrible, terrible buildings. The official word is that "they were proof of New York's belief in itself" and "restored confidence and helped bring a halt to the decline of lower Manhattan". Well, uh-huh. They were always and only about the tyranny of money. Brutal fuck-off statements from an industry which has never given a fuck. I stood at the foot of those damn things and looked up, and I felt small and sick and overpowered, as I was supposed to do.
It wasn't just from close up - from across the river they looked terrible, too. Titanic funereal slabs that threatened to sink Manhattan with their weight, obscenely ugly monuments to greed. Manhattan is one of the most stunning cities in the world. The original skyscrapers are things of beauty that lift the spirit, even from the street. But those twin towers were an affront, and I wasn't sad to see them vaporized - inexplicably - into choking dust and a couple of truckloads of rubble.
Before they fell, they graced some mostly forgotten album covers for Dr. John (one of his better later albums), bonkers genius Lalo Schifrin (commendably towering above them) and grouchy Alan Holdsworth, who dismissed this terrific album because he had nothing to do with its release.
So here we are - the Titanic sank, the Towers fell but the band's still playing. The ephemeral endures.
Who best revealed the sound of one hand clapping?
ReplyDeleteDid one James Paul McCartney not essay a t.v special of that name? A Band On The Run live-in-the-studio promo event. I seem to recall something along those lines. Either that or sounds like some eastern wisdom found on a noodle box.
ReplyDeleteDid I win?
I'm dreading Macca's all-in-this-together anthem of hope, probably with phoned-in contributions from other Great Stars, wearing headphones at the mic.
DeleteBut no, it ain't that.
Richard Flanagan or Hakuin Ekaku.
ReplyDeletePossibly, but it's ixnay on th' ikunay. I'll leave it open for a couple of hours.
DeleteOu'reyay ethay ossbay
DeleteThe Yes album "Going for the One" also has the Twin Towers.
ReplyDeleteGoing for the One Hand Clapping....
I've lived about a mile and a half north of there since 1985.
J. Fred Muggs? ... no - Fatty Arbuckle? .... no no .. I know - R. Buckminster Fuller
ReplyDeleteYes! But no.
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ReplyDeleteThe sound of one hand clapping.
The sound of music.
One of Mac's least appreciated works, but still a fine album (the ones he did with Lipuma and McCracken just aren't highly thought of). Today on our local NO music station, WWOZ, they replayed Mac's appearance at the 2006 Fazz Fest. Was fantastic. If anyone is interested, its archived here under the two weeek stream. https://www.wwoz.org/listen/archive/ Just scroll down to April 25, click the link and then look for the listing entitled "Jazz Festing in Place: Dr. John."
ReplyDeleteWe all know that "The sound of one hand" is a Buddhist kōan but best revealed? I'd say every time your sitting there with your weiner in your hand (see previous post) and you read one of my witty comments. I can hear your "applause" from here.
ReplyDeleteNote how Holdsworth and Schifrin albums share label. Note how both shots from same Twin Towers shoot.
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of thing that interests me at 02:11 hours am in the morning. Time for a nice warm senior-style milky drink.
Yes, FT III. Creed Taylor liked to cut corners. Which is how he tricked Holdsworth by releasing this very recording which was from a rehearsal. Allan always hated it for that reason. As a young lad of about 19, I had the pleasure of meeting AH and brought this exact record for him to sign. I didn't understand his very dry sense of humor at the time, but he delightfully grabbed my Sharpie and inscribed "I hate this record - Allan Holdsworth" on it.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those albums where you need to know the back story so you can hate it. Ultimately, what matters is what's in the groove, not what went on at the record label.
DeleteIt was recorded by Rudy Van Der Gelder, no slouch at mic'ing up small combos for live studio recordings. Unless you believe Holdsworth - who says they were "rehearsals" - they sound like finished takes. I can understand his anger at being shafted by Taylor, but hey - it's the music bizniss. Alan Pasqua on piano is an unknown quantity for me (not being a genuine jazzbo), but Alphonso Johnson and Michael Walden play up a storm. As does Holdsworth. The solo acoustic numbers are just gorgeous. There aren't any bum notes here, no falling apart ... what, as the Buddha said, is not to like? It's a cornerstone jazz-rock album that Holdsworth had no reason to be ashamed of.
Thanks for your reply. You are correct on all counts, sir. Maybe Holdsworth never saw any money from the project. But, he's gone and we'll never know otherwise.
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