Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tim Daisy: Red Nation "1"

Tim Daisy: Red Nation "1"

By Mark Corroto
January 20, 2017
View read count

On the outside, Chicagoan

Tim Daisy

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Daisy is a 21st century musician. He plays drums in the forward thinking bands Made To Break (with

Christof Kurzmann

multi-instrumentalist

" data-original-title="" title="">Christof Kurzmann, Jasper Stadouders, and

Ken Vandermark

saxophone
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Vandermark), saxophonist

Dave Rempis

saxophone
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Rempis' Percussion Quartet (with

Frank Rosaly

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Rosaly,

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

bass
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Ingebrigt H?ker Flaten, and

Frank Rosaly

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Rosaly), and Trio Red Space (with

Jeb Bishop

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeb Bishop and

" data-original-title="" title="">Mars Williams). It's his solo work that suggests he is an old soul.

We're talking a century ago, if Daisy had been born back then, he would've taken part in the Futurist and Dada movements. Spin his latest, Red Nation "1" and names like the Italian Luigi Russolo and the American composer George Antheil come to mind. He makes use of not quite found objects: metals scraps and bells, bowls, radios, and a turntable, with which he can alter the pitch of an LP. He had always hinted at his interests, inserting toys and kitchen utensils into his role as a sideman. With this release, plus Relucent // Music For Marimba, Radios And Turntables (Relay, 2016) and On The Ground 'An Amusing Mess' (Relay, 2015), his passion for the intimate details of listening are unearthed.

"East Of Appalachia" opens as a rickety blues, layered with an off-balanced pulse that decays in your hands. Where a collagist would add and subtract in a studio mix, Daisy creates these sounds, amazingly, without overdubs. The scratchy dream-state wobble of "Concord Citizen" floats as lightly as a cloud with ghost voices as musical seasoning. Are these pieces found objects? No, Daisy is assembling the sound with a thoroughness of thought yet, an abandonment

Tom Waits

piano and vocals
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Waits would appreciate.

Maybe it is because he is a percussionist first, that these seemingly disparate sounds come together. He doesn't neglect pulse here. The hypnotic pieces "Drunken Captain," "Shadows Play," and especially, "Beats For An Owl" induce movement. The latter piece is a lengthy drum piece performed over constant noise, like a Bal��zs P��ndi/Merzbow performance with Masami Akita's electronic voice hushed.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

East Of Appalachia; Shadows Play; Concord Citizen; Yazoo; The Drunken Captain; China Brush; Beats For An Owl; Chant.

Personnel

Tim Daisy

drums

Tim Daisy: drums, Califones, bells, other objects.

Album information

Title: Red Nation "1" | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Relay

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Elegy
< Previous

Pole Of Inaccessibility
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.