The album opens with “Now It’s The Women’s Turn,” the title coming from the title of the final work of art of one of the characters in the novel Bluebeard, which was published in 1987. By the way, if you are not all that familiar with the works of Kurt Vonnegut, do not despair. First of all, the books are easily obtainable, and you should read them all. But regarding this album, the liner notes offer some thoughts on each of the compositions and their sources of inspiration, so you can enjoy the music even without extensive familiarity with Vonnegut’s writing. This track features some wonderful work by Lucas Pino on clarinet, and by Jason Yeager on piano. I also just like the title. After all, men have had plenty of time to screw everything up and have done a damned good job of it. It seems that the women should have a go at it. Of course, when I think of female leaders, I am not talking about foul rodents like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Peach Tree Dish Greene, whose existence seems to suggest that women are just as horrible as men. This track has an overall pleasant vibe that feels optimistic to me.
If forced to pick my favorite Kurt Vonnegut novel, I would choose Cat’s Cradle, published in 1963 (though Slapstick, Or, Lonesome No More! also jumps to mind). This album’s second track, “Bokonon,” is named after one of the characters of that book, a character who creates a religion. The holy book of that religion begins with the announcement that it contains nothing but lies. And perhaps this music, as the track begins, is an offering of such foma, as harmless untruths are called in the book. If so, they are delightful lies. And delivered over a wonderful rhythm. Things then take off from there, expanding and becoming exciting. Shouldn’t religions offer a bit of excitement, particularly if it can be attained by the rubbing of practitioners’ feet together? This track features some excellent work by Miquel Zenón on alto saxophone. I also really dig Danny Weller’s electric bass line. And of course there is some wonderful stuff on piano. Jason Yeager then goes back to one of Vonnegut’s earliest books, The Sirens Of Titan, for inspiration for the third track, “Ballad For Old Salo,” Salo being a traveler from the planet Tralfamadore. This is a mellower, more contemplative piece, with a strong sense of curiosity as well as an air of melancholy. On this track, Lucas Pino plays both clarinet and bass clarinet, and Alphonso Horne plays flugelhorn. But my favorite section of this track is when the piano and vibraphone interact, like two characters of the book meeting, and there is a sort of beautiful dance between the two instruments. This track also features some nice work by Danny Weller on upright bass.
Probably Kurt Vonnegut’s most famous character is Kilgore Trout, a prolific science fiction writer who appears in several of Vonnegut’s novels, including 1997’s Timequake. “Kilgore’s Creed” begins with a bit of vocal work, the repetition of this line: “You were sick, but now you’re well again, and there’s work to do.” That line is from Timequake, a book about repetition, time and determinism. By the way, St. Alia Of The Knife released an album titled You Were Sick But Now You’re Well Again And There’s Work To Do, and on that album is a track titled “Timequake.” So there. Anyway, the music here comes at a quick pace, like a machine that is eager to do that work, or like the people rushing about to operate the machine. This track features some fantastic work on tenor saxophone. I’m also fond of Jay Sawyer’s work on drums, particularly toward the end of the track. Jason Yeager then goes back to The Sirens Of Titan for “Unk’s Fate.” Unk is a character from that book, or rather one name of a character from that book. The rhythm at the beginning is like a march, while the music over it has a definite science fiction vibe, making me think of Star Trek. After this opening section, the piano leads into the main body of the piece. Patrick Laslie plays both tenor saxophone and flute on this track. There is a cool section of piano, bass and drums partway through, which comes as a bit of a surprise. And in the second half there is a moment when you get the sense of an approaching alien army landing. The track then concludes with the march. That’s followed by “So It Goes,” a short piece that features vocals. Several voices utter, “So it goes,” a phrase that is repeated often in Vonnegut’s books, and something that many of us have found ourselves uttering over the years, maybe especially in the last several years when it has seemed that death has been lingering just above the dinner table as well as around each corner, and there wasn’t anything we could do about it. By the way, João Reis released an album titled Tralfamadore, and on that album there is a track titled “So It Goes.”
If you’ve only read one Kurt Vonnegut book, it’s probably Slaughterhouse-Five, Or, The Children’s Crusade. It’s even mentioned in Footloose, which is a classic itself at this point, right? The main character of the book is Billy Pilgrim, a person who becomes unstuck in time, thus this album’s title. And on this disc we get a track titled “Blues For Billy Pilgrim.” This is a cool number, featuring some excellent work on trumpet and trombone, as well as a really good lead on piano. There is a playful sense about this piece, as different instruments seem to represent different experiences and places and times for Billy Pilgrim. And everything seems to collide at the end. By the way, there was also a folk duo named Billy Pilgrim that put out several albums in the 1990s. “Blues For Billy Pilgrim” is followed by “Nancy’s Revenge.” Welcome To The Monkey House is a book of Vonnegut’s short stories, and in that book is a story also titled “Welcome To The Monkey House,” a story that features a character named Nancy McLuhan. On this track, Jason Yeager imagines a second story featuring that character. Patrick Laslie plays bass clarinet on this track. There are some gentle moments to this piece, but then in the second half it takes on a more serious and intense energy.
As I mentioned before, Kurt Vonnegut was very much against guns. In his book Deadeye Dick, the main character fires a rifle out a window and accidentally kills a pregnant woman. The character is named Rudy Waltz, and on this album Jason Yeager delivers a track titled “Rudy’s Waltz.” This is a slower number, with some thoughtful passages. Can we come to terms with the worst we’ve done in our lives? Perhaps not, but we go on, those things remaining a part of us. That’s followed by “Blue Godmother Fairy.” There have been a few film adaptations of Vonnegut’s books, but the only one that I really loved is Mother Night, starring Nick Nolte. John Goodman plays the Blue Fairy Godmother in that film, offering Nick Nolte’s character a chance to secretly work against the Nazis. As this track begins, there is a brief nod to the U.S. national anthem, and then the track takes on a country and western rhythm, and so there is this very American vibe at the piece’s core, but without any seriousness about it, which works really well, since the character is playing at being patriotic. And then there are other sounds over that, shaping the tune’s identity, and interestingly there remains something cheerful and appealing about it, as other voices become dominant. We return to Sirens Of Titan for the album’s final track, “Tralfamadorian Rhapsody” (though I suppose I should point out that the planet Tralfamadore also plays a part in Slaughterhouse-Five, and is mentioned in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and Hocus Pocus). As this track begins, there is a sense of wonder, a sense of magic, but with a dark aspect to it, the piano acting almost like a somber harp. The vibraphone plays an interesting part here, and the track features some unusual work on drums. Also, on this track Jason Yeager plays synthesizer. At the end, a voice whispers, “So it goes.”
CD Track List
- Now It’s The Women’s Turn
- Bokonon
- Ballad For Old Salo
- Kilgore’s Creed
- Unk’s Fate
- So It Goes
- Blues For Billy Pilgrim
- Nancy’s Revenge
- Rudy’s Waltz
- Blue Fairy Godmother
- Tralfamadorian Rhapsody
Unstuck In Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite was released on November 11, 2022.
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