Cobblestone Jazz - The Creator EP

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  • The fact that these four vignettes are culled from a live performance in 2001 (apparently at the launch of the label) may give you a rough idea of what's on offer here – techno/jazz – but it's not as easy as all that. The title track – a loose cover of Pharoah Sanders' 'The Creator Has A Masterplan' – is the stand-out: the heavily-phased, repeated vocal refrain drifting in and out over the simple, surging deep keys and classic 909 work, the charming variations in level proving the ''liveness''. 'Rumours' combines classic cocktail jazz keys with intricate percussion and a busy, spiraling bassline that, if it could get up and walk, would. To the bar for a Martini no doubt. The cluttered 'Whishes' doesn't make sense until the technoid keys overpower the dark bottom end and muted synth, while 'The Goods' is the most 'jazz', thanks to the delicate keys, skipping hats and melancholic Ron Trent-y bassline. The live nature of these recordings is both part of the charm – hearing the slight variations in levels… they're human after all! – and part of the problem: yup, the music is fantastic, but it feels like a glimpse of a techno/jazz promised land of sorts as opposed to the real thing. Each track drops straight into the action, as if record was pressed willy-nilly, so it feels like you've walked in on the gig after it started, only to be forcibly removed when the music stops dead. Perhaps vinyl is not the best way to appreciate the Cobblestone Jazz live experience – any chance of a live album?
  • Tracklist
      A1 The Creator (12" Edit) A2 Rumors B1 Wishes (Outro) B2 The Goods (Edit)
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