Scott Devines new record

[KingPrawn]

On 20/10/2023 at 21:36, Baloney Balderdash said:

Yeah, agree, too trivial, I would rather have had him doing something like this:

 

That sound very similar to my local Music shop on a Saturday

[KingPrawn]

He's an incredible player. If this is his authentic self and expression then good for him. 

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, TimR said:

It's not really Scott Devine's project. It's Simon King and some monster players. If I understand correctly Scott felt very out of his depth when he received the scores.  

 

I assume the Devine King label is marketing. Scott is a master marketing. 

 

I think it's superb. It's Fusion and you need to immerse yourself in it and be comfortable with changing meters and odd tinesignatiues. 

Scott decided he wanted to make a fusion record (he doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to keep playing due to the focal dystopia and it was a case of better do it now) and contacted Simon King to see if he was interested and it grew from there.

[ezbass]

Inspired by this thread, I gave 2 of the tracks on YouTube another go. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the sax and keyboard sounds I don’t like. The sax is ok when doubling the guitar, but when it is soloed, it’s really not for me. The keyboard tone on the 2 tracks I’ve tried is just wrong to me. Love the percussion though.

[Paolo85]

So, you may know already bit it turns out nine years ago Scott recorded three songs under the name "Scott Devine Project-Live". Slow tempo jazz, nothing to do wit this new album. Not bad at all

https://scottdevine.bandcamp.com/album/long-time-coming

 

I must say, maybe this thread works as advertising, anyway this weekend I have been listening to the new album way more than I was expecting. First impression confirmed. Great album, I wish keyboard and guitar sounded a bit less "typical" fusion - it's bit cheesy at times

 

 

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

3 hours ago, KingPrawn said:

He's an incredible player. If this is his authentic self and expression then good for him. 

I am pretty sure it is.

 

From his videos, playing, and just general appearance, he always stroke me as a huge old school fusion jazz fan. 

      

Edited October 22, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[No lust in Jazz]

I had a listen, musically it's not for me, not sure about the production / mixing, but there's some decent playing, credit to Scott Devine for getting involved. 

 

 

[Rumple]

I like it....... in small doses, very 90's fusion.

[Baloney Balderdash]

14 hours ago, KingPrawn said:

That sound very similar to my local Music shop on a Saturday

It's pretty much an avantgarde jazz all star band, featuring nothing but genuine absolute legends from the free/avantgarde jazz scene.

 

And with their unique aggressive take on free jazz they had quite a following among hardcore punk fans as well.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Exit_(free_jazz_band)

 

Also this is among my absolute favorite YouTube concerts that I frequently revisit.

 

Absolutely ferociously sublime, you can tell that they don't hold back on anything and that all 4 members dedicate and surrender themself 100% to the music and their performance.  

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[nekomatic]

I’m really enjoying it! It’s well judged, funky, it’s keeping me interested and above all it’s fun. It’s putting a big grin on my face on a Monday morning and really, who can ask for more than that? 
 

It’d be great live too - has he said if there’d be any chance of them touring it?
 

(PS I think I heard a slap at the end of track 5.)

[diskwave]

Just had a another listen....very nice indeed, and as I said earlier gotta be in the mood. Bit a box of chocolates...Im hearing Lee Ritenour, Wayne Shorter and a ton of other American mid 80's A listers. Kinda had the feeling no one is doing this stuff anymore. Its good to hear but it has all been done before, still hats off to them for keeping it alive.

[BigRedX]

Well having listen to a couple of tracks all the way through and at least a minute of everything else, I can't see what all the fuss is about. I certainly didn't find it "difficult" or "challenging". However I did listen to a lot of prog rock and fusion in the mid 70s while I was waiting for something more interesting IMO like punk rock to happen, and therefore it's not the sort of thing I chose to listen to these days. TBH based on what I have heard before I found it rather formulaic and dull. As others have implied it would probably work quite well as background music for a 70s pastiche TV show. On the whole it sounds to me music where technical ability on the instruments is more important than compositional skill, and that's not what I want to hear, a bit like the Knower track on another thread. At least that has vocals.

[Leonard Smalls]

2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

It's pretty much an avantgarde jazz all star band

I've listened to that gig many times too when I'm in the mood for some easy listening dinner jazz. 😁

Remember seeing Derek Bailey once with a dj and keyboardist which was pretty out there; I also used to play in an improvising band where the drummer and I would play funk grooves and former associates of Lol Coxhill would go all Brotzmann over it.

But for ultimate fusion, try this - it's like a fusion of all the hells from all the religions crossed with punk and jazz...

 

[Barking Spiders]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Well having listen to a couple of tracks all the way through and at least a minute of everything else, I can't see what all the fuss is about. I certainly didn't find it "difficult" or "challenging". However I did listen to a lot of prog rock and fusion in the mid 70s while I was waiting for something more interesting IMO like punk rock to happen, and therefore it's not the sort of thing I chose to listen to these days. TBH based on what I have heard before I found it rather formulaic and dull. As others have implied it would probably work quite well as background music for a 70s pastiche TV show. On the whole it sounds to me music where technical ability on the instruments is more important than compositional skill, and that's not what I want to hear, a bit like the Knower track on another thread. At least that has vocals.

Agree 100%. I gave it another go but it's very reminiscent of stuff put out in the 70s, 80s and 90s going back to Return to Forever and Mahnavishnu to Tribal Tech and for chase scenes in Starsky & Hutch . But like shred, there's only the tiniest, most niche market for this stuff.  You really would have to play this for love as I'm sure there' s next to no money in it.

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

...But for ultimate fusion, try this ...

 

It's rare to have such quality captured for posterity. I suspect that the hardest thing is thinking up the 'track' titles. I wonder... Does the drummer write his own scores, or are they handed to him for him to learn..? 

[ezbass]

6 hours ago, nekomatic said:

It’d be great live too - has he said if there’d be any chance of them touring it?

Given Scott's focal dystonia, this seems unlikely, but you never know.

[TimR]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

Does the drummer write his own scores, or are they handed to him for him to learn..? 

 

I believe everything apart from solos was scored in the Devine King project. There's lots and lots of unison and they didn't get together and rehearse. It was all single take stuff. 

 

Which pretty much shows what level of musicianship they all have.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by TimR

[Dad3353]

2 minutes ago, TimR said:

I believe everything apart from solos was scored in the Devine King project...

 

I was asking the question in relation to the video posted by Lenny, as I see the drummer looking at his scores. Are they his composition or are they handed to him, pre-composed..? 

[Leonard Smalls]

16 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

are they handed to him, pre-composed

It's quite likely that John Zorn (on sax, for it is he and he alone) either wrote every note for everyone who played, or just as likely drew comedy phalluses in brown crayon and told his crew to go from that...

As Frank Zappa said "Does humour (oops, humor) belong in music?". And both me and Mr Zorn think it probably ought to.

[Dad3353]

3 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

...just as likely drew comedy phalluses in brown crayon and told his crew to go from that...

 

To judge from that one performance, some of them had their paper upside down. 

[TimR]

41 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

I was asking the question in relation to the video posted by Lenny, as I see the drummer looking at his scores. Are they his composition or are they handed to him, pre-composed..? 

 

Yes. I realise that. I was commenting on how Devine approached it. 

[Bassassin]

Well - I listened to 4 tracks (which was pretty much the time it took to read through the thread) and it's OK, I quite like it for this sort of thing. Some stellar playing, as one might expect, but like most instrumental fusion it makes me think: bland, over-fiddly prog with the edges buffed off, & someone blooping down a saxophone instead of a vocalist to give it context.

 

It sounds composed, rather than improvised, & that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned - although it'd take repeated listens (that it isn't going to get) for me to start to properly appreciate how it's structured. There were a few passages where I thought - if I'd had that idea I'm sure I could do something epic with it.

 

But I never have those sorts of ideas.

[SteveXFR]

It's music for musicians.

Anyone who downloads this can identify the point at which Scott plays a flat four over a minor  augmented 9 with sharp seventh and they know that tone is in the glove.

[Richard R]

Decided it's good enough to purchase. 

 

This is sadly NOT because I "can identify the point at which Scott plays a flat four over a minor  augmented 9 with sharp seventh", as @SteveXFR suggests.  It is because I have an old car that can't play music from anything other than the radio and a CD player and so if I want to listen to it in the car then I'll have to buy the FLAC and burn it to CD.  £7.99 for the album on BandCamp is cheaper than a new car.

 

It was all composed in advance, and with comprehensive demos. However the band did change things in the recording where they thought there was a better feel or alternate way to play things.  Simon King said on the video that he found that a bit difficult at first but when you hire players of that calibre then they are going to have good ideas and ultimately you want that input. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Richard R

[peteb]

3 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

It's music for musicians.

 

 

Surely the idea is that we are all supposed to be musicians here??