2018 Album Retrospective #6: Avantdale Bowling Club - Avantdale Bowling Club
When one hears the term 'jazz rap', they may be forgiven for instinctively envisioning a hip-hop sound with a smoother feel, often constructed on top of jazz samples or similar live instrumentation, with lyrics focused on positivity and relaxation over materialism. Anyone familiar with such an unpopular term would likely first think of A Tribe Called Quest, who are indisputably the most prolific jazz rap group ever to rock a mic. Maybe they could point further to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, or The Pharcyde, or a handful of other vaguely remembered names. But none of those artists ever made jazz rap like New Zealand native Tom Scott does on Avantdale Bowling Club. Scott has been making music for quite some time, but his newest venture, which shares its title with the new name its creator is rapping as, is unlike anything he (or anyone else) has ever tried before. But any innovation here is firmly rooted in the simplicity of a man's nostalgic journey remembering everything he has and has not achieved in his time on this earth.
The first of many surprises within Avantdale Bowling Club hits the listener as immediately and as powerfully as the saxophone straining that starts everything off. This is not a sample-based record; all of Scott's raps are delivered on top of expertly played modal jazz, which pulses like no synthetic noise ever could. The live band's work here could easily function on its own as a competent jazz album (especially after hearing the track Tea Break, the record's instrumental closer). That being said, occasionally the players here work to create a sound that is closer to a modern hip-hop beat than freeform jazz. The thumping bass and kick drum on F(r)iends, combined with Scott's quick flow, would be impressive coming from any rapper. Also featuring dynamic piano and horn playing, the track culminates in a spacey breakdown following beautiful trumpet and flute lines, pulling the album right back into its soulful groove.
Arguably the most outstanding moment of the album's lyrical journey occurs right at its beginning. On Years Gone By, Scott is painfully aware of the pull of time on his being, opening with "I cut another tree down to pass the time/While I watch a lifetime pass me by". He then takes the listener through his life year by year, illustrating simply yet poignantly how his experiences have shaped him: "In '92 my drunk dad jumped ship on my mum/In '93 I won my first fight, like a D-O-double-G/Still mad at the man I wanted to be". The instrumental on Pocket Lint, while supported by a variety of fun percussion and stinging piano chords, belongs to the saxophones which riff over the verses, build to a powerful climax after the refrain, and occasionally veer off for short yet thrilling solos. Still, it's hard to hear all that under Scott switching between multiples flows as he bemoans having no money in his pockets and critiques wealth divisions in society: "The bank that run the world ain't my friend/Man that own the land ain't my kin/Fingers crossed at the ATM/All I got is this pocket lint".
A suite in three parts, Water Medley clocks in at nearly ten minutes long, yet somehow never feels like it overstays its welcome. In an odyssey of smooth, soulful production, Scott employs water to function as a metaphor first for wealth, then for creativity, and finally for balance and humility, no analogy ever feeling contrived. When he proclaims: "Yeah I stay hydrated, keep my mind vibrating/On that higher plane, I need that excitation", it's hard not to agree that his lyrics are first-class. However, while the first half of the album is nearly flawless, Avantdale Bowling Club begins to slightly lose steam as it nears its close. Not that these tracks are bland, but from Old Dogs to Quincy's March, Scott and his band seems to have fewer tricks to bring out, though the topics maintain an intimacy supported by the understated playing. And to end on a merely competent instrumental (instead of imparting some final words) is somewhat of a letdown after Years Gone By and its bombastic opening.
'Modal jazz' and 'New Zealand rapper' are not concepts which move records, even if jazz rap wasn't as unpopular as it is. It is practically a crime that Tom Scott's vision and inventiveness will likely never translate into a platinum album or mainstream success. But Scott no doubt understands this, and it feels like he'll be alright, one way or another. Avantdale Bowling Club is a testament to the wisdom and drive of a man who has seen a lot in his short existence, a monument that will live on long past his time. There may never be another blend of modal jazz and hip-hop ever (let alone one this good), but life is short, so it's important to appreciate what you have.