Tigro Moro: drums, percussion | Ruby Gramsci: electric bass | Whiskey San Martino: violin | Aramis Bitonto: mahai metak, taisho koto, oscillators | Turtle Milazzo: soprano saxophone | Mr. Foot Job: guitars
Tracklist: 1. Intro 2. Arpeggi 3. Urb 4. Tristano 5. Evidence is Empirical 6. Comin’ Soon 7. Mr. Foot Job – Sweet Water Part 1. 8. Fuck A 37 1/2 – Sweet Water Part 2 9. Heard But Not Seen – Sweet Water Part 3 10. W.S.U. 11. Soft Transitions 12. Skins Touched 13. La Puta Del Barrio BONUS TRACK 14. At The End Of The Night
Recorded somewhere in a secret location in 2008. Mixed by M.G. the Hot Engineer at N.M. Studios, with Esmeralda Ronchi and Whiskey, Ruby, Tigro. Mastered by M.G. the Hot Engineer at N.M. Studios. Artwork by Ginger Ronchi. Photo by Poppi Bazzini. Proudly produced by Esmeralda Ronchi.
The majority of this music was improvised starting from an idea or a mood, except the specific tracks that at times featured a theme or were entirely composed. Ruby Gramsci wrote ideas for tracks 2, 4, 9, 11 and 13. In addition, Whiskey San Martino laid things down for tracks 3 and 10. Tigro, as the foot job maniac, has had the Sweet Water concept in mind for some time.
The artists would like to express that no people or animals were injured during the making of this recording. Due to other contractual obligations and high government positions actual names were not able to be used. Any names or sounds heard on this project that resemble any real life events are purely coincidental.
The subject of today’s lesson is…….. Porno Jazz!!!!!!!!!
These are the first words spoken from our esteemed professor Whiskey San Martino announcing the topic of the day’s lecture, and what a subject it it! Its roots lie in the world’s oldest profession as well as the day to day thoughts and fantasies of most of us. O.K. let’s get just say it and get it out of the way. We all know what the course work is and believe me, everyone of us all wants to pass with flying colors. SEX baby and I want a PHD!
The Foot Job Band is a tough one to pin down, hard to label, and not easily put in box. You can’t tie up with a pretty red bow to be given as a present, even though producer/director Esmerelda Ronchi would love to receive such a risque gift! The ensemble, a true sextet in all senses of the word, take the listener through 14 tracks of lusty improvisation, deep composition and sensual spoken word.
Some of the highlights: The drama kicks off on the the fiery 70’s tinged “Arpeggi” with Tigro Moro and Ruby Gramsi laying it all down like wild beasts in heat allowing Whiskey San Martino to soar over the top instantly showing the listener that these guys aren’t looking for a one night stand. They are in it for keeps and you better hold on. On the seminal spoken word piece “Mr. Foot Job- Sweet Water Part 1”, the group uses their command of the floor to confess a lifelong obsession or should we say fetish, about a very underrated or even overlooked part of the human body. The tender voice of Mr. Foot Job, who acts as a sort of telepathic interpreter for the desires of Tigro Moro, goes into great detail of their shared lifelong passion and quest for the perfect foot. With “Soft Transitions” Aramis Bitonto takes on the role of the exotic Eastern concubine, adding faraway drones and colors into a soup of sound that make the other players come to a frenzied dervish like boil at the climax. The “Ménage à Trois” of Moro, Foot Job and Turtle Milazzo on “Skins Touched” hits us with the force of a runaway locomotive. Milazzo digs deep, spreads his wings and soars like a banshee on fire! On the latin tinged “ La Puta Del Barrio” our guys show us that they are not all rough and tumble and are very capable of a little romance when they want to.
So, we come to our final exam question to end our course work…. What on earth could posses this cast of known musicians and composers to take on such a project of this scope, complexity and (excuse the innuendo), size? Why should they want to put so much effort into producing and releasing a record anonymously? Sure, it would be easy to pawn it off on the subject matter, and stay hidden out of the sights of the inevitable criticism. The nature of these renegades has always been to push the boundaries, break the rules, and reinvent themselves like lovers at Carnival. The face is hidden, but the voice, music and passion are instantly recognized. Now, let’s be perfectly clear here, this is a real band baby, no one night stand! So, you better hide the women and children, separate the men from the boys, and turn this puppy up to 11 because there is nothing else like it. You haven’t had it in a while and you know you want it!
CD version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)
Alleged personnel: Turtle Milazzo on soprano sax, Mr. Foot Job on guitars, Whiskey San Martino on violin, Aramis Bitonto on mahai metak, koto & oscillators, Ruby Gramsci on electric bass and Tigro Moro on drums. I wasn’t so sure about this when we got this promo in stock last month. What kind of name for Italian improv(?) band is “Porno Jazz” and why are they using fake names for their personnel? Hmmmm. The writing on the cover is in hot pink and there is a condom on the letter “J”. Very odd.
I would think that some of these musicians can be heard on the other discs from the same Long Song label, especially since there is someone playing a “mahai metak”. No idea what that is. Anyway. Some of the music it turns out is spirited jazz/rock, with a hard rockin’ rhythm team and wailing violin & guitar & some unnerving oscillator squeals. This reminds me of Pere Ubu minus the vocals. “Urb” sounds like the producer is adding unexpected echoes to the already jittery percussion and twisted guitar sounds.
It often sounds as if there is something wrong with the disc or is it my player? Is that digital distortion or is the sound supposed to break up? Only those Porno Jazz Stars know for sure. Although I find some of this mildly disturbing soundwise, there is something intriguing about not knowing exactly what is going on or if this is supposed to sound this way.
I have to admit that I do dig that weird stuff. Who else but yours truly would hold on to his ultra-rare LP by the Deep Freeze Mice instead of selling it on E-bay for $500.?!?
Back in 1980s and early 1990s in New York, musicians were reinventing jazz and the “downtown scene,” as it was called, was focused on the The Knitting Factory club. Artists like saxophonists John Zorn, John Lurie and Thomas Chapin, guitarist Marc Ribot and cellist Tom Cora became famous. While they were schooled in the traditional, their rediscovery of the spark and energy that can be found in jazz was a revelation. Bands like Lounge Lizards, Jazz Passengers, Naked City, Doctor Nerve, Chunk and Slan, the first generation to be born under the full weight of rock and roll, brought a D.I.Y. sensibility to the music. This disc epitomize that same spirit—jazz that rocks.
Not since the recording Bible Launcher (Tzadik, 1996), which was banned for using illegal samples, has there been a good merger of jazz, rock and pornography. “Intro,” which opensPornoJazz with 22 seconds of orgasmic breathing, signals the censors to begin their surveillance, before segueing into some fusiony Jean Luc Ponty-like jazz rock on “Arpeggi.” It may be the heavy breathing and foot fetish monologue that caused the musicians of The Foot Job Band to adopt fake names like Turtle Milazzo, Whiskey San Martino and Mr. Foot Job for this recordings. It’s likely the players, regulars on other Long Song Records, just wanted to blow off a little steam here.
Don’t let the title fool you; there are some solid tracks here, it’s just that you have to wade through the loud sex scene on “Fuck A 37 1/2—Sweet Water Pt. 2″ before you get to the gentler violin and soprano saxophone pieces. For all the bravado exhibited with the impostor names and poser CD artwork, some impressive improvisation lurks here. Guitar, saxophone, violin and drums unfurl a placid wandering on “W.S.U.,” and Milazzo’s soprano rendezvous with the electric bass on “Evidence Is Empirical” is engrossing in its timorous imagination. There’s some guitar-destruction noise as background for the smart improvisation on “Comin’ Soon,” and an explicit heavy metal offering, “Skins Touched.” There’s even an out-of-the- blue Cuban swinger, “La Puta Del Barrio.” All music you might have heard from your favorite NYC downtown musicians back in the day.
Porno Jazz è un concept album dedicato al foot job e all’erotismo in genere. Di cosa stiamo parlando? Ilfoot job è la pratica erotica della masturbazione realizzata con i piedi femminili. Nei primi 23 secondi dell’album (“Intro”) una signorina e un signorino (quest’ultimo in maniera più silenziosa) godono felici di loro stessi. Un inizio inappuntabile e scontato.Non troverete altri momenti di jazz-rock scoppiettante come in “Arpeggi,” una improvvisazione spensierata dai colori accesi, elettrici e – inevitabilmente – caldi.
I nomi dei musicisti sono celati da strani pseudonimi come a trattarsi di scambisti dell’eros, ma forse piuttosto di eroi del cinema porno. In uno strano reading poem, probabilmente qualcuno dei succitati musicisti, descrive il proprio feticismo, amore, desiderio e ossessione per i piedi. Il racconto non è privo di rivelazioni (“avevo tredici anni la prima volta che mi fecero il mio primo foot job“). Sotto questa che – piuttosto che essere una confessione – è una risposta ad una intervista, rumoreggia la band, accompagnando le parole, la batteria che crea illusioni sonore e veli acustici che si spostano lentamente. Il brano si intitola “Mr.Foot Job – Sweet Water Pt.1″.
E’ quindi solo nel successivo “Fuck a 37 1/2 – Sweet Water Pt.2″ che effettivamente si realizza il coito che avevamo desiderato, da immaginare visivamente in prima o terza persona grazie al grande fracasso della band, batteria, basso, chitarra, che solo parzialmente nasconde l’ansimare di una bella scopata. Sarà merito dell’uso massiccio del wah-wah, ma questa altra improvvisazione ricorda le atmosfere di On the Corner. Giusto richiamo e riferimento ad un grande album intriso di sesso viscerale e autentico.
Vi sembrerà intuitivo ma nel capitolo immediatamente successivo (“Heard You But Not Seen – Sweet Water Pt.3″) un solo di violino, breve e così romantico stabilisce la fine del rapporto sessuale.
Tentando di decodificare più che ascoltare lo svolgimento dell’album, sembrerebbe che uno dei protagonisti della scena sessuale voglia tentare una seconda impresa, infatti “Soft Transition” è un caldo incedere di tratti sonori con un sassofono protagonista, in una atmosfera acustica apparentemente immobile. C’è una intenzione ben precisa, ma appunto solo una intenzione, che i musicisti devono essersi reciprocamente dichiarati prima di suonare questa improvvisazione. Appaiono anche un koto, poi la chitarra (distorta) e l’elettronica intensificano e saturano lo spazio sonoro. L’ombra che materializza spesso tra le tracce è quella degli Area, e di Bitches Brew.
L’esperienza si chiude con il capitolo malinconico e suggestivo di “La puta del barrio,” una poesia dedicata all’amore, con un intenso solo di basso.
Al Partito dell’Amore aggiungiamo quello del Sesso. Tuttavia se ascoltate questo album a casa vostra, la vostra famiglia, i vostri vicini o peggio vostra moglie o vostro marito, potrebbero pensare che state facendo le cosacce. Quindi armatevi di cuffie facendo solo finta di seguire “Porta a Porta”. Siete avvertiti.