World of Rhythm Live
March 2003 Reviewed by: Wes Marshall Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

World of Rhythm Live was recorded in concert in Lugano, Switzerland in 1983. Billy Cobham had been approached about producing a concert and television special in this lovely Swiss-Italian town. He responded by pulling together some of his favorite musicians. The opening act was Cheech and Chong (!), and the show also included the Gil Evans Orchestra, Bobby and the Midnights (Cobham's rock band with Bob Weir), Glass Menagerie (Cobham’s fusion band with Mike Stern and Michal Urbaniak), Louis Bellson, and the Brecker Brothers.

We are lucky to have this document of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Billy Cobham, three of the best players of the day at the top of their game. Thankfully, we get the acoustic version of their talents as opposed to the jazz-funk fusion. Hancock had just come off two low-rent LPs (Magic Windows and Lite Me Up). Cobham was the house drummer on Saturday Night Live and was making rock/jazz fusion with Glass Menagerie. The ever-elegant Mr. Carter was the only one staying acoustic and, coincidentally, putting out the best albums of his life. And, of course, Carter and Hancock had spent five years perfecting their interplay in the Miles Davis Quintet.

To get an idea of how well these professionals understood each other, watch how they interact on the extremely difficult and s-l-o-w version of Carter’s 1966 song "Little Waltz." Despite the lack of pyrotechnics, you can see how hard they are listening and trying to create solos over each other’s playing.

Each member gets a solo turn. Hancock shows both heart and brains on his 1965 song "Dolphin Dance," a piece that merges classical concept, impressionistic coloring, and tub-thumping power. Hancock literally shakes the poor Bösendorfer until the strings scream "uncle." Carter takes a solo turn on a languid and sensuous version of "Willow Weep for Me." Cobham’s solo turn on "Ili’s Treasure" will delight drummers but bore the rest of us to tears. It also bored the director, who cuts it off in the middle of a stroke and makes a clumsy attempt to make it sound like the band intended it.

This DVD is a player's dream. The photography is close and clear, featuring lots of shots of the musicians’ hands. The sound is pristine, caught by some extremely expensive microphones. Unfortunately, the engineers use too many of them. The soundstage is as flat as the Texas Panhandle. Piano and drums are panned all over the place. If you have 10’ between your speakers, the drum set and piano will sound 10’ wide. Everything is highly multi-microphoned (three just in the piano!). The differences between stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS 5.1 sound were not subtle. DTS is the way to go, though it still suffers from the flat and wide soundstage.

TDK has also released the Evans show from the same TV program as Gil Evans and His Orchestra. The same crew recorded and filmed this as World of Rhythm Live. All the same technical kudos and criticisms hold. As for the music, this was not Evans’ strongest period. Don’t expect to hear anything remotely like his work with Davis or Helen Merrill. With those artists, his arrangements provided a firm launching pad for jazz exploration. By 1983, he was more of a figurehead than a leader, and the band takes advantage of his laissez-faire attitude.

Cobham receives another release from TDK with his fusion group Glass Menagerie. If you are keeping up with the club scene, you’ll know that fusion -- especially the school that leans towards funk and soul -- is hot right now. If you are into the sound, this is high-quality stuff. Stern was the primary soloist and he had his Strat smoking. He could hit a thousand notes a second, like John McLaughlin, but he could also swing and play slow, melodic solos. Go to the song "Flight Time" to see just how well these folks could slow down and groove. The whole band has the "let’s change the time signature every other measure" plan down perfect, and Cobham shows real skill as a leader.

The packaging of these DVDs is less than stellar. The notes seem as if they have been translated (poorly) at least once if not twice. The only extras are some flimsy bios. But for anyone who loves to watch the musicians at work, especially young jazz instrumentalists trying to pilfer some playing hints, World of Rhythm Live is an excellent DVD.

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