Annette
Peacock: My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook (Castle 956)
I (simply) can’t separate side two of the first album
here - X-Dreams - from my first ever sexual experience
and, so - you’ll just have to bear that in mind,
as I attempt to persuade you of the true brilliance of
this collection...and, of the lady who recorded it.
Annette is one of the genuine greats from the last few
decades of American music...and, probably, the best living
(still) awaiting proper recognition. The first to sing
through a synthesiser and, a key songwriter for (much)
better-known jazz artists, she’s - always - gracefully
attacked any boundary in her way - and has, therefore...fallen
between stools so often, that her arse must be black &
blue by now...
And - just where are the recordings w/Ayler from the
early 60s European stint, eh? Surely some such must exist?
But...all this is by the way, at least here & now...
What no-one has - yet - seen fit to (properly) acknowledge,
is that she has one of the mere handful of voices which
reside at the very pinnacle of the vocal arts...
Breathtakingly intimate, thrilling in its range (and
yet, never exploited simply for display) her voice is
simultaneously sensual, artistic, and intellectual - and
all to a marvellously high degree. Not only that, it is
beautifully fluid in its expression of same - and totally
devoted to the lyrical means at hand. And...of all of
hers I’ve heard - sadly, not all - X-Dreams is not
only the best, it is also (currently) fully available
on cd, as part of this collection...and - you! - should
really hear it for yourself.
Recorded in the mid-70s...and then, shelved for several
years - as record company people so often have shit for
brains - it was (finally) made available in 1978...enjoyed
a modest success on a small label, and was cut out - whence
I “discovered” it in 1980.
The band - featuring many better-known figures than Peacock
- is both accessible and willing to take chances. More
importantly, however, they are united in their support
to the lady...and never get in her way. In consequence,
the album - particularly on the slower tracks - is marvelously
“accessible”...w/out ever being “safe”.
Hell, you could play it for anyone and, although it may
well raise a blush...they’d simply have to admit
that this was truly thrilling music. Why it wasn’t
a hit is - simply - beyond me...
Of all the ladies I’ve fallen for - at a distance
- Annette is the one I’d most love to meet. So, take
this review w/a grain of salt...if you will. But, try
this...nonetheless...as the feel within will doubtless
capture you - as it did me - mere decades ago...
John Henry Calvinist
