GBlog

The long-lived, brass-fueled group certainly recorded "Now: Chicago XXXVI" -- due out July 8 -- in a contemporary manner. Spearheaded by trumpeter Lee Loughnane, the band assembled a mobile recording unit dubbed The Rig that allowed Chicago to work on new material while touring in 2013, often in hotels and backstage dressing rooms. Parts would be uploaded to coordinating producer Hank Linderman via a private Internet portal, which also allowed the individual musicians to work on their parts remotely.
"Because nobody lives in the same town anymore, we decided to try to record on the road," Lamm says. (Billboard: Exclusive Song & Video Premiere, mehr Videomaterial hier)

Nach erstem Reinhören: Fantastische, immer noch unverwechselbare Chicago-Bläser-Arrangements, Robert Lamms und Jason Scheffs nicht mehr so süßlicher (If you leave me now), eher an die ersten CTA-Alben erinnernder Satzgesang und Tris Imboden's drums (ein unglaublich präzisier und kraftvoller Schlagzeuger, vgl. "Crazy Happy", said to "sound modern and appropriate for the song and mesh seamlessly" with percussion by the great Walfredo Reyes Jr, der im Video manchmal aussieht, als sei Keith Moon wieder da)! Dies ist aber Tris Imboden - smiling:


Unglaublich gut ist Imboden auf Night & Day: Big Band - the eighteenth studio album by Chicago, and twenty-second overall, released in 1995, wo er den Swing-Standards, die die Band da - im Übrigen mit wunderbaren Bläsersätzen - interpretiert, ein faszinisierendes Rock-Fundament unterlegt (was selten gelingt, wenn Swing und Rock fusioniert werden). Gelungen: Chicago - Big Band Medley (1995 - versuchen Sie mal das Schlagzeug rauszuhören ab 2:10 - In The Mood - ein einzigartig schleppend funkiger Rock-Groove, den Imboden da unterlegt, finde ich):



More big band from the "Night & Day" tour in Japan (Dec. 1995): Chicago - Moonlight Serenade
Weiter zurück in der Bandgeschichte: Chicago - Live at Tanglewood (07/21/1970) [Full Concert]
und nicht ganz so weit zurück: Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at Greek Theatre - sehenswert für Musikhistoriker!

Chicago heute:
Robert Lamm — keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Walter Parazaider — woodwinds, backing vocals
Lee Loughnane — trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals
James Pankow — trombone, backing vocals, horn arrangements
Jason Scheff — bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
Keith Howland — guitar, vocals
Tris Imboden — drum set
Lou Pardini — keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Walfredo Reyes, Jr. — percussion

Great Band, great music. Die Musik ist auch wieder politischer - wie in den Anfangsjahren der Band, - vgl. zB NAKED IN THE GARDEN OF ALLAH

The song is about "vulnerability & violence". I had this music idea in the 90's going back to post - Desert Storm. The basic lyric came during 2011 in the wake of the Troop Surge in Afghanistan. (The Greek chorus lyrics are rough translations of incantations uttered while entering a mosque.) They could just as well be a prayer I offer up any given morning. I have read several books about the region, the war, and the forces we are fighting against. I watched many films and documentaries about these battles, which seem so ..... pre-Terminator Sci-Fi. How did we get to this? I know. I remember.
Many sides to this lyric. Inspiration for this song also comes from casual reading a number of newspaper and magazine articles, and books: The Increment, Agents of Innocence, Blood Money, Body of Lies, The Crisis of Islam, Breach of Trust and many others. Films: Three Kings, Green Day, The Hurt Locker, Traitor, Lawrence of Arabia.
Re brass: "I asked Trent Gardner to interpret the fiery angst of the past decade with his brass soli. His arrangement contribution is so apt on so many levels. This moment in the piece is climactic and hints at the beginning of a return to the 'Garden's' serenity ... at least as a hope". RL

Den Versuch finde ich schon gelungen to interpret the fiery angst of the past decade with the brass soli, - wie immer verquast politische Texte in der Rock-Musik dann sein mögen. Immerhin bemerkenswert der Versuch, eine fremde Perspektive verstehen zu wollen, - was (nicht nur) der US-amerikanischen Politik schwer fehlt.

Damit wären wir dann wieder bei der anomischen Herrschaft der Rackets und dem verwilderten Leviathan (siehe deshalb ziemlich weit unten, weil mir dazu zuweilen auch nichts mehr einfällt).
CRISIS , WHAT CRISIS ?