Chadbourne's "G.O.I.N." is an acronym for "Get out of Iraq Now." That said, the band plays a mixture of jazz & improvised pieces alongside protest songs, some pointed, some tongue-in-cheek, but all more focused on the music than the name might imply. The band is drawn from Chad's long involvement with Violent Femmes members Brian Ritchie and Victor DeLorenzo, joined on flute and piano by Brian Jackson, former Gil Scott-Heron collaborator. The DVD documents most of a concert of G.O.I.N. performing live at Bimhuis in Amsterdam, March 2006, along with two songs from the Plusetage in Baarle-Nassau in Holland.
Under Robert O'Haire's direction the excellent video footage is interspersed with statements from all of the artists involved, discussing the history of the band and the individual artists' contributions. The video focuses on the players rather than video technique, making an extremely watch-able concert. Pieces played include works by Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Gil Scott-Heron, Gary Bartz, and Steve Lacy, as well as Chadbourne originals and traditional material. The interplay in the band is excellent, balancing the various styles using great subtlety and a relaxed sense of humor, with amusing dialog between numbers. The playing is uniformly excellent, Chadbourne's typically odd voice barbed on the political material, but relaxed and respectful on other vocal material. A master player and improviser, his guitar work is typically superb througout.
Brian Ritchie is featured on Shakuhachi for several numbers, lovely improvisations, particularly Steve Lacy's "Blues for Aida," and a beautiful rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime." Daughter Molly Chadbourne also sings a cover of "The Girl from Ipanema" updated to "The Girl from Al-Quaeda," a fun and off-kilter vocal. Pianist Brian Jackson sings a tasteful rendition of "Pieces of a Man," a song that he co-wrote with Gil Scott-Heron.
At 109 minutes the video is worth the price of admission, but Straw2Gold also fills out the release with the entire Bimhuis show and most of the Plusetage show in MP3 format. For an artist with innumerable releases, this is a fine Chadbourne package.
Doctor Chad in Inwood Hill Park
In celebration of the release of his new DVD, and as part of the Northern Manhattan "Outwoods" performance series, Eugene Chadbourne took over a small setting of rocks near the Indian Caves in Inwood Hill Park on Saturday, April 21, 2007. Organized by Kurt Gottschalk and documented by Robert O'Haire, this concert proved to be a relaxed outing for Chadbourne, switching between a resonator guitar (pictured) and his banjo. A group of about 25 appreciative listeners started the audience, which grew as those walking by and enjoying the woods stopped and gathered around, more than doubling the crowd by the end of the show. Chadbourne played some excellent pieces, including songs by Syd Barrett and Captain Beefheart, his own "Secrets of the Cooler," and a beautiful improvised piece by Herbie Nichols dedicated to spring. An impressive guitarist to watch, Chadbourne's fingers flew over the strings, slowing for impressionistic and beautiful moments. A subtly sophisticated and thoroughly entertaining show.
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