Today we’re taking a look back at one of my favorite albums, Notes With Attachments.
Back in 2022, I had the chance to see Pino Palladino and Black Mills perform tracks off Notes With Attachments at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge. The group, which included percussionist Abe Rounds and saxophonist Sam Gendel, played a dynamic set lasting just over an hour with plenty of room for improvisation. Before seeing the group perform, I might have struggled to identify a genre for this album (if there is only one), but I think we can call this Jazz.
Pino Palladino is the kind of musician who elicits more than a few "I LOVE YOU PINOs” from an audience. He's a seasoned session and touring bassist, a chameleon, who has worked with everyone from D'Angelo to John Mayer to The Who. But Notes With Attachments, his 2021 instrumental collaboration with producer and session guitarist Blake Mills isn't just another 'bass album', rather it's a tasteful, textural journey through a rich soundscape of musical influences.
Notes With Attachments is Palladino's first solo album in a long and accomplished career. He'd been working on these songs for some time, compiling ideas in his phone or jamming with drummer Chris Dave. Blake Mills first met Palladino when he asked the bass legend to play on John Legend's 2016 album Darkness and Light. The pair hit it off. Palladino liked Mills's experimental nature which brought a fresh take to the tracks Palladino had accumulated over the years. The album was recorded over a two-and-a-half-year period with guests including drummer Chris Dave, saxophonists Sam Gendel, Marcus Strickland, and Jacques Schwartz-Bart, and keyboardist Larry Goldings. Notes With Attachments is a free and airy amalgamation of musical traditions including African, Brazilian, as well as jazz and rock.
Just Wrong: The album begins with a beautifully orchestrated, lush garden of sounds inviting us on a journey. Palladino's acoustic bass carries the hook while Mills adds sitar and other guitars. The mellotron is especially dreamy. The track builds to a crescendo but then backs off as if to ask - are you ready to jump yet? - and builds again. Then the unmistakable sound of Chris Dave's drums enters, making us bob our head but quickly returns to the lush garden the musicians have tilled. The effected saxophone repeats it's line over and over and brings us to the conclusion.
Soundwalk: Starting with the sound of a needle hitting vinyl, this composition is reminiscent of the neo-soul movement - Palladino famously played on D'Angelo's Voodoo album. Mills adds a distinct distorted guitar which plays off the sax and organ. Shakers keep the rhythm, following Palladino's bass groove, which briefly starts 'walking' near the bridge section. Towards the end, a distorted bass clarinet captures our attention, playing over the hook before an abrupt end.
Ekute: Ekute draws heavily from Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Stabs from a clavinet and bass clarinet are heard. Mills's stark guitar line blends with Palladino's bass to cement the groove before Chris Dave hammers out a classic Afrobeat rhythm. A distorted guitar trades with a sax while the bass and drums sit on the groove. Some effect madness happens with a drum loop on the breakdown, allowing some room for the sax, guitar and bass to vamp a bit. The bridge keeps the Afrobeat vibe but rebuilds it with more instruments entering before building back to the groove. Some string stabs provide a mellow but interesting contrast to the drums. Some bluesy guitar licks sit at the end of the track with the bass tying things together and bringing it home.
Notes With Attachments: In what sounds like the end of the album’s Side 1, this tune has an ambient character to it making it hard to tell who's playing what. Equally beautiful but subdued and not as lush as the first track on the album.
Djurkel: Palladino approximates the sound of a one-stringed Djurkel on this track, taking us to dusty desert roads in Africa, the bass guiding us along our trip. Mills and band add punctuation with loud, powerful hits in the middle section. Percussion fills in the gaps and creates layers with shakers, bells, triangles, evoking different scenes. A laid-back but heavy bass and drum groove enters allowing the sax to conjure up some magic. Mills's guitar subtly brings us back to that dusty desert road.
Chris Dave: Named for Palladino’s frequent collaborator, this groove is a quintessential Chris "Daddy" Dave groove. Palladino and Dave play off each other so well - it's no wonder their groove has served as the foundation for many amazing records. This is a fun, rhythmically rich, head-bopper of a tune. Some funky bass slaps occur at the end of the tune, one of the rare moments on the record where Palladino's bass stands out.
Man From Molise: The man from Molise could be from anywhere – there are many clues to his origins on this track. It's a laidback, Brazilian or coastal-sounding tune. The sax plays a smooth jazzy line while the bass anchors the tune. Mills can play any type of guitar and effortlessly moves from one to the next.
Off The Cuff: Perhaps a return to that groovy neo-soul sound, the sparse instrumentation allows Palladino's trademark fretless bass tone to shine through. This track sounds like an old jazz record that’s been sampled. As the track fades out, it's time to replay the record from the beginning.
Check out the Tiny Desk Concert.
Notes With Attachments is just over 30 minutes long and ranges from soft, clean kalimba melodies to dense, loud power chords, providing a multitude of textures from various musical traditions. Over the course of the album, Palladino and Mills seamlessly morph from one genre to the next while building the dynamics up and down. This music is transportative – one moment, the band is visiting West Africa and the next moment, jamming on a funky, neo-soul groove. Each musician takes turns handling the tune’s hook or melody while at other times sitting back and providing the foundation. Mills fits perfectly into the tune on whichever instrument he’s playing and Palladino's precise tone glues the band together, only stepping out occasionally to provide some tasty licks.
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills created a soul-satisfying album showcasing their multi-layered influences. The low frequencies of Palladino's delicate bass-playing provide the cushioning for the music to leap from while the experimental soundscape invoked by Mills ties it all together.
Until next time,
Keith
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