Re:Generation Music Project—5 DJs Take the Challenge

Scores of jazz musicians have recharged their creative batteries through stylistic cross-pollination. The Grammy® Foundation challenged five electronic DJ-producers to do the same. The results vary but are consistently interesting, as recorded by Amir Bar-Lev in his engaging documentary Re:Generation Music Project (trailer here), which has a special nationwide event screening this Thursday, with an encore to follow one week later.

In filmmaking terms, ReGen is rather straightforward but highly entertaining, following the fab five participants as they develop and record their tracks. How viewers will respond to each probably depends on their tastes. Frankly, despite the intention of the project, many of the DJs do not venture very far out of their comfort zones.

For instance, the duo known as The Crystal Method were assigned R&B, but DJs have been sampling R&B, funk, and soul since the inception of hip-hop. In the case of “I’m Not Leaving,” they were recording original music and vocals, but the results hardly constitute a radical departure for them. Their real challenge is dealing with their vocalist, Martha Reeves of the Vandellas, who has very particular ideas about lyrics. Good luck with that. Sadly, the Funk Brothers (long unsung as Motown Records’ house band) are once again relegated to the sidelines as The Crystal Method negotiates their creative differences with Reeves.

Likewise, Skrillex might not stretch himself very far stylistically, but he is fully aware how heavy a proposition it is to collaborate with the three surviving members of the doors: Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore. Easily ReGen’s hardest edged track, their “Breakin’ a Sweat” will probably leave the band’s older fans somewhat cold. However, it is quite appealing to watch Skrillex win them over with his enthusiasm. It is also nice to see the Doors still have some fire in them.

Granted, country music presents the project’s greatest challenge, but the lack of musical curiosity displayed by the DJ known as Pretty Lights is rather disappointing. Fortunately, he discovers the song “Wayfaring Strangers,” which has only been around at least two hundred years and been recorded by the likes of Jerry Garcia, Johnny Cash, and Paul Robeson. Thanks to evocative vocals from Dr. Ralph Stanley and LeAnn Rimes, he ends up with a surprisingly effective track, in spite of himself.

In contrast, Mark Ronson is clearly deeply steeped in the history of jazz and has sufficient musical chops to communicate his ideas to his New Orleans collaborators. Essentially, he produces a funky NOLA jazz track, which is obviously very cool. Featuring the Meters’ legendary drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, Trombone Shorty, and members of the Dap Kings, “A La Modeliste” sounds great, but even with Erykah Badu’s lyrics and vocals and contributions from Mos Def, it sounds closely akin to sort of music the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and scores of younger NOLA bands have been recording for decades. Of course that is hardly a criticism—more like high praise.

DJ Premier however, delivers on the film’s implied promise of something unprecedented with the title track. Assigned classical music, he would seem to have the toughest challenge. Though he knew little about such music, to his credit, he was willing to learn. Again to their credit, he found classical mentors willing to teach him. Ultimately, he assembled classical samples that Berklee College of Music’s Stephen Webber re-orchestrated into an original score, which in turn the Berklee Symphony Orchestra recorded live under DJ Premier’s direction, with NAS’s rhymes later layered on top. Whether his “Regeneration” speaks to listeners or not, it is something new under the sun. Watching it take shape is truly exciting.

Whether it is the scenes of NOLA musicians getting down, DJ Premier pushing the boundaries of electronic music, or Pretty Lights flailing about in Nashville, ReGen is a highly entertaining music doc. At least four of the DJ participants take music very seriously and the fact that one actually comes up with something pretty original is legitimately impressive. Recommended with considerable enthusiasm for listeners of hip-hop, electronic music, and NOLA jazz-funk, ReGen screens this Thursday (2/16) and again on the 23rd at the AMC Empire in New York, IndieScreen in Brooklyn, and the AMC Metreon in San Francisco.

The Biggest Piano

The Biggest Piano in Town
By Grand Pianoramax
ObliqSound

Leo Tardin is Grand Pianoramax. The concept is his, and the band is basically his piano and keyboards, augmented with different guests. On his latest, The Biggest Piano in Town (on-sale today), Meshell Ndegeocello drummer Deantoni Parks is a near constant on all but one track, joining a revolving cast of rap and spoken word artists like Mike Ladd, Celena Glenn, and others.

Tardin has jazz chops, having won the first Montreux Jazz Festival International Piano Solo Competition. However, GP is more of synthesis of various forms of electronic music, including electronica and ambient, but often bringing to mind the vibe of “Rock-It” era Herbie Hancock.

It starts with “Showdown,” the track that really earns BPW the parental advisory logo on the cover. There is a “clean” edit too, but here “clean” is relative. It is an explicit fable of dueling voyeuristic superheroes that in its way, makes an idealistic defense of romantic love. Sort of.

There are some more jazz oriented tracks though, like the acoustic “Ride I: the Race.” It is a nice showcase for Tardin’s facility on the keys, giving a sense of the road he is largely not currently taking. Most tracks however, have a definitely pronounced electro-funk feeling, like “The Hook Introduction” and “Ride II: Driftin.”

BPW segues through a variety of moods, drifting into chill-out territory at times. While “In the Lab’s” plethora of quirky effects over Parks’ steady drum line are at first somewhat dull, the tune dramatically evolves into “Tempest,” a hypnotic trance that recalls the best work of four80east. Given its strong melodic hook, it might be the most compelling track on GP, and makes for a strong conclusion.

Tardin must enjoy confusing genre classification. Press materials for BPW describe it as “Nu-Jazz (Elements of Phuture Funk/Hip-Hop/Spoken Word).” Add to that chill-out, jam, and ambient. That should clear things up. GPW might become a “pick-and-chose” album for many downloaders. Actually, Tardin is nearly always doing interesting things here, but various tracks may well appeal to very different people. It suggests Tardin will be an intriguing figure to watch in the future.