Queen of All Ears
| Queen of All Ears | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Studio | Power Station, New York City | |||
| Label | Strange & Beautiful Music[1] | |||
| Producer | John Lurie, Pat Dillett | |||
| The Lounge Lizards chronology | ||||
| ||||
Queen of All Ears is an album by the American band the Lounge Lizards, released in 1998.[2][3] It was the band's final album.[4]
"The First and Royal Queen" was used at the end of episodes of Painting with John.[5] The band supported the album with an international tour.[6]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by John Lurie and Pat Dillett.[7] The tracks were written by Lurie, with bass player Erik Sanko cowriting two.[8] Jane Scarpantoni played cello on Queen of All Ears; in total, nine musicians played on the album.[9][10]
Released on Lurie's own label, it was originally intended for Luaka Bop; legal issues delayed the release for two years.[11][12] Lurie considered writing a book about the ordeal, to be titled What Do You Know About Music? You're Not a Lawyer.[13] The account was told in Lurie's memoir The History of Bones (2021), in which he also apologized to David Tronzo, because a song intended as a showcase for Tronzo was cut from the album and thus the guitarist did not perform a solo on the recording.[14]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Robert Christgau |  [16] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [17] |
JazzTimes wrote that "the music relies heavily on group improvisation in the highly colored riffs and patterns that form the basis of most of the proceedings."[18] Esquire determined that Lurie's "alto and soprano saxophoning has become something rather nice: plaintive, searching, Colemanesque, quite at home (soaring) in the upper registers."[19] The Boston Globe opined that "New York's fringe-crawlers mature with impressionistic etchings of chamber jazz and world music."[20]
The Guardian stated that "the Lounge Lizards roll from moments of prayer-like intensity—Coltranesque flourishes over African pulsing—to Charles Mingus doing the music for scary Czech cartoons, to blasting Dragnet rumbles."[21] The Chicago Tribune opined that the album "embarks on an Amer-Euro-Afro fake jazz cruise brimming with trans-global eclecticism, defanged Mingus/Monk moves and sometimes striking instrumental explosions."[22]
AllMusic wrote that "John Lurie's so-called 'non-jazz' approach is in full flower on this fascinating record."[15]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks composed by John Lurie; except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The First and Royal Queen" | 3:59 | |
| 2. | "The Birds Near Her House" | John Lurie, Erik Sanko | 11:40 |
| 3. | "Scary Children" | 4:07 | |
| 4. | "She Drove Me Mad" | 4:21 | |
| 5. | "Queen of All Ears" | 5:25 | |
| 6. | "Monsters Over Bangkok" | 10:13 | |
| 7. | "Three Crowns of Wood" | John Lurie, Erik Sanko | 4:01 |
| 8. | "John Zorn's S&M Circus" | 6:13 | |
| 9. | "Yak" | 5:41 | |
| 10. | "Queen Reprise" | 3:46 |
Personnel[edit]
- Lounge Lizard
- John Lurie – tenor and alto saxophone
- Michael Blake – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
- Steven Bernstein – trumpet
- David Tronzo – slide guitar
- Erik Sanko – bass
- Evan Lurie – piano, organ
- Calvin Weston – drums
- Ben Perowsky – percussion
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello
References[edit]
- ^ Gallo, Phil (June 15, 1998). "Lounge Lizards". Variety.
- ^ Macnie, Jim (Oct 1998). "Go fish". DownBeat. Vol. 65, no. 10. pp. 38–40.
- ^ Guttenberg, Steve (Dec 1998). "Queen of All Ears/Din of Inequity". Audio. Vol. 82, no. 12. p. 86.
- ^ "Some Propositions concerning the Lounge Lizards". The Believer. June 1, 2006.
- ^ "A Guide to the Music of John Lurie". Pitchfork. March 3, 2021.
- ^ Bambarger, Bradley (Jun 20, 1998). "Lurie Casts wide net on strange & beautiful sets". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 25. pp. 13, 100.
- ^ Verna, Paul (Jul 4, 1998). "Queen of All Ears". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 27. p. 20.
- ^ Walls, Richard C. (Nov 1998). "Queen of All Ears/Din of Inequity/'Live' in Spain/Fishing with John". Stereo Review. Vol. 63, no. 11. pp. 111–118.
- ^ Davis, Clive (July 5, 1998). "Jazz – Music". Culture. The Sunday Times. p. 17.
- ^ Lozaw, Tristram (September 25, 1998). "It's been nearly 20 years since John Lurie...". Boston Herald. p. S23.
- ^ Johnson, Phil (2 May 1998). "Return of the lounge lizard". Features. The Independent. p. 34.
- ^ McLennan, Scott (24 Sep 1998). "Jazzman Lurie's Lounge Lizards flourish in chaos". Telegram & Gazette. p. C1.
- ^ Condran, Ed (25 Sep 1998). "Busy with His Music and Fishing Friends". The Record. Bergen County. p. O29.
- ^ Lurie, John (2021). The History of Bones: A Memoir. New York: Random House. p. 326-327. ISBN 978-0-399-59297-3.
- ^ a b "Queen of All Ears". AllMusic.
- ^ "Lounge Lizards". Robert Christgau.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 690.
- ^ Bouchard, Fred. "The Lounge Lizards: Queen of All Ears". JazzTimes.
- ^ Agovino, Michael J. (May 1998). "Music". Esquire. Vol. 129, no. 5. p. 30.
- ^ Robicheau, Paul (13 Dec 1998). "Boston Globe critics have been making their lists and checking them twice". The Boston Globe. p. C8.
- ^ Love, Damien (21 May 1998). "Any excuse to rock the boat". The Guardian. p. TO15.
- ^ Reger, Rick (18 Sep 1998). "Other concerts". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 29.
