JACK VEES
The Restaurant Behind The Pier
ReR
LC-02677

A solo bass guitar record. An unrecognizable “John Henry” is a neat feedback exercise, but the opening “Manic Depression” is depressingly nothing, as if he’s taking a trend-lesson from Kronos. He does nothing with “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” but make it mild. “As You Said” is a rather touching melody by Jack Bruce, which I’m unfamiliar with (Cream always bored me) here done as if Bert Jansch put more reverb on his electric. His own “Monsieur Piñata” is a effective exercise in generating interesting sounds, and the twenty-two minute closer, “Surf Music II,” is a simple drone, more like the “real” Beatles song above than his cover, but not much happens. The standout number is the seven-minute title track, as the plucking and bent notes resonate with emotion and texture, as if a hammered dulcimer started talking on its own. The liner notes talk about overuse of the phrase “extended techniques,” and the notes themselves are an example. Electric instruments by their nature process sound. That he rubs and hits the strings with things is neither here nor there. Most of the time, on this disc it works, although it’s in no way innovative.

Steve Koenig

Track Listing: 1. Manic Depression; 2. The Restaurant Behind The Pier; 3. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy); 4. John Henry; 5. As You Said; 6. Monsieur Piñata; 7. Surf Music II

Personnel: Jack Vees, electric bass