Search - Either/Orchestra :: Half Life of Desire

"Half-Life" Not Half-Bad

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 10/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Either/Orchestra was one of the 90s most fun and exciting jazz bands, and hopefully the onset of the 21st century will bring more of the same. This excellent group of world-class musicians plays challenging music that simultaneously pays homage to the past, looks forward to the future, and always perfectly captures the present. "The Half-Life Of Desire" was recorded in April 1989 (but not released until 1990) by Rudy Van Gelder at his famous Englewood Cliffs studio, a place where the past, present and future of jazz will always congregate. Russ Gershon and company (including John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood) tackle a wide variety of material including the Mingus meets King Crimson groove of "Strange Meridian," the classic big-band stylings "He Who Hesitates" and a wild, modern medley of Miles Davis' "Circle In The Round" and Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad." The reason I have withheld a fifth star is this album doesn't have the overall consistency of other releases like "The Calculus Of Pleasure" (see my review). I'm not a huge fan of the smooth and slick arrangements for "Premonitions," with its 70s CTI-like sound, and "Temptation," whose spoken-word introduction wears on repeated listenings. And the cover of King Crimson's "Red" is truly just that as John Dirac's orchestrations for eleven don't offer anything that the original quartet version couldn't provide. However, these are only minor points that mostly have to do with my own personal preferences. In all, this is a fine CD buy one of today's best working bands."