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Rating: I read somewhere that "Kew. Rhone." was created on the same day as "Never Mind the Bollocks," could it be true? If so, it might be a demonstration of how phenomena of great intensity but opposite polarity occur simultaneously in some corner of the universe.
Yes, because this is a delicate work, polished in detail and refined in production, that cannot be framed within the prog perspective and escapes from that rock-jazz movement that will lead towards fusion. To try and frame the musicality of "Kew. Rhone." we can only explore the peculiarities of its protagonists.
In 1974, John Greaves and Peter Blegvad cross paths in that magical meeting between Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, which gives birth to two great albums such as "Desperate Straights" and "In Praise of Learning." In the years between '75 and '76, first Peter and then John decide to leave "the project" and pursue their own paths, so the two find themselves in New York and work for three months on the compositions for this project, John Greaves on the music and Peter Blegvad on the lyrics.
With the material ready, they are invited by Michael Mantler and Carla Bley to record in their studios in Woodstock, clearly they end up being part of it; how could they pass up such an opportunity after all. Completing the lineup are Lisa Herman, lead vocals; Andrew Cyrille, an interesting drummer, and five other musicians who enrich the work with strings, winds, and voices.
"Kew. Rhone." musically absorbs a bit of that synthesis between the intricate compositions of Henry Cow and the simple refinement of Slapp Happy, all spiced with the class and experience of Bley and the remarkable presence of her husband Mantler's trumpet, who, along with Cyrille, add a vein of impure jazz to the album. The compositions are not immediate at all but are quite solid, finding their song form, and the little of "that Cow abstractness" that remains is perhaps felt in Blegvad's guitar forays, which are not intrusive.
It is indeed this last element that stands out decisively in the writing of the lyrics; he seeks and finds a way to organize the words that beautifully marries Greaves's compositional complexity.
Unfortunately, I do not have sufficient knowledge of the English language to dwell more on the songs, but "Kew. Rhone.", the song that gives the album its title, deserves a little focus; the first part of the lyrics consists of different anagrams of the title while the second of interesting palindromes, which refer to the painting depicted on the cover. Blegvad is indeed also an illustrator, attentive to the relationship between word and image.
Honestly, discovering the lyrics of "Kew. Rhone." led me to do this little research for the review, the song nonetheless is, and will always be one of my absolute favorites, if you don't want to listen to the whole album, seek out this one, for which there is also a version sung by Wyatt and published in '95 in Greaves's album "Songs."
1977, another pearl emerges intact and pure from the murky depths of those turbulent years, it is not the only one nor the greatest but certainly unique, born from a collaboration that will only be resumed eighteen years later, in a period where new stylistic waves stir the depths of music, but which do not seem to influence the path of our two who will bring one back to the ranks of Slapp Happy and the other to National Health.
Tracklist
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