DJ SPOOKY Optometry (Thirsty Ear) Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
DJ Spooky is one of those frustrating artists whose ideas are interesting but whose musical output often falls short of that promise. Fortunately, Optometry is one of his more enjoyable and intriguing albums. He deconstructs and rearranges recordings by free jazz heavyweights Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Joe McPhee and Guillermo E. Brown and winds up with something much closer to the avant-garde hiphop Spooky’s texts suggest. One of those records that take a few listens to get into, it’s a great way to introduce fans of avant-garde jazz to dance music, and vice versa.
