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Breaking the Ethers
by Tuatara
Product Group: Music
Studio: Sony
ISBN: B000002BSR
EAN: 0074646790823
UPC: 074646790823
Binding/Media: Audio CD
Original Release Date: 1997-04-01
Release Date: 1997-04-01
SKU: 09010128
Condition: Like New
Comments: Like new audio CD with remainder hole in case sealed in shrink wrap. CDs always shipped first class.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com
R.E.M.'s Peter Buck is the selling point for this Seattle-based neo-beat instrumental quartet. The real stars here, though, are Critters Buggin' horn man Skerik and Screaming Trees/latter-day R.E.M. percussionist Barrett Martin. The well-integrated melange of bebop jazz, rock, world music, and lounge-y TV themes makes for a hugely entertaining listen.--Jeff Bateman
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Customer Reviews
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Skip It
Rating  (1)
Date: 2009-08-30
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I own 3 discs by this band, Breaking the Ethers, Trading with the Enemy, and the one with Coleman Barks. The latter 2 I bought for next to nothing in bargain bins, and in my opinion that is the way to buy anything by this band.
I love esoteric music: jazz, rock, world fusion and everything in between, but Tuatara bores the h___ out of me like no other band. What you typically find on their cds are one or two high quality tracks and a whole lot of marginal material.
This one has one great track: the actually steamy, although poorly titled "Dark State of Mind". Actually it's Skerik's impassioned saxophone playing that makes the song. Unfortunately his role on the later releases I have seems to be pretty marginal.
In general you get lots of percussion instruments, very simple and uninteresting musical themes that basically go nowhere. The second side of this PLODS ALONG like no other cd I've ever heard. All of the tempos are slow and muddy. I get no creative inspiration from this what-so-ever. The band sounds stoned...and I don't mean that in a good way. It could be because the main proponents of the band, Barrett Martin & Justin Harwood are the drummer and bassist respectively. Peter Buck shows up sporadically on a cut here and there, but there is nothing that stands out in terms of his contributions to this band. Perhaps you could say his guitarwork on P.C.H. on Trading is a little bit interesting.
On Trading with the Enemy, there are 2 great cuts "Night in the Emerald City", and possibly "Koto Song". On "Night" it's the jazz solos by the horn players (who aren't part of the band) that make the tune work. It's a nice smooth number, capturing a very nice relaxed jazz hipster feeling, and could even by a (smooth) jazz classic.
The cd with the orange cover and Coleman Barks I find unlistenable (and I love Barks' book on the poet Rumi). To me, Tuatara is a side project (I would hope) for the musicians involved and even for them, it seems to warrant little attention. I'm not sure who they think is going to listen to this and like it. I was surprised to see a few positive reviews of their stuff. My bet is that when those reviewers start to listen to more music in this style, their feelings about this band will diminish pretty quickly.
I know they play samples of their stuff on NPR between stories, and those sound bites sound intriguing, but believe me overall their work is otherwise mundane and at the very least uninspiring (if not downright uninspired!) except for the few tracks mentioned above! To me this sounds like "we had to create some PRODUCT, we didn't have too much time, but we are all well known musicians, and well...here it is! You'll probably like it, (we hope!)"
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I've worn this one out
Rating  (4)
Date: 2001-08-06
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
One of the many things I was listening to in the 70's (and passionate about) was fusion jazz. I was way into Jeff Beck's instrumental period, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Return to Forever, Mahavishnu--lots of those guys. Many today would dismiss that stuff as bloated and pretentious, but I grew up with that stuff and dug it (and still do). Therefore, this disc was an instant favorite with me.It's an ambitious project, a hybrid of world music, jazz, rock, etc. and to me, it works. Probably because I have said soft spot for this type of stuff. Most of it would make a great accompaniment to other activities where you want a certain type of mood that remains throughout. The one exception is the song "The Getaway," which is the most raucous (and my favorite). This one is an obscure gem, and worthy of more exposure.
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Perfect for kicking back and mellowing out.
Rating (4)
Date: 1999-06-29
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I bought this CD after hearing several tracks used as bumper music on NPR. While it was not exactly what I expected based on that experience, I am not disappointed.There's a strong eastern influence in many of the tracks - sounding, indeed, like a "smoky Zanzibar lounge," as Entertainment Weekly put it. A more sultry collection would be hard to find. For me, the true test of a CD is whether I like it more the more I hear it. "Breaking the Ethers" passes the test - and then some.
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Good Percussion, Little Else
Rating  (2)
Date: 1998-08-05
2 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
There aren't enough interesting ideas on this album to make it work. While I thought the percussive elements were compelling at times, this album sounds to me like four guys fooling around. Peter Buck in particular, whose rudimentary technique works fine on an R.E.M. album, sounds out of his league performing this somewhat more ambitious material.
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excellent mix of jazz, rock and a little swing
Rating  (5)
Date: 1998-07-29
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This cd rocks!! It is a great way to break out of the norm. Every song has its own charisma. From great sax riffs to awesome drum beats. This cd has it all.
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Recent Feedback
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4 out of 5: 2010-09-05
no problems
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5 out of 5: 2010-09-03
Prompt shipping. Book as described.
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2 out of 5: 2010-09-03
Seller shipped by a very slow method and returned my email questions with a form letter that did not come close to answering my question as I had to submit it twice.
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5 out of 5: 2010-09-03
Arrived on time and in condition specified.
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5 out of 5: 2010-09-02
great
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