December 1997

Jack Kevorkian
A Very Still Life
Lucid Subjazz

By Tony Green

Jack Kevorkian, as he so eloquently points out on the sleeve to A Very Still Life (Lucid SubJazz LS 10597-2), has been called nearly everything but a musician. Which he is-a competent one at that (on flute). Still, don't expect a lot of fire from his collaboration with the acoustic Morpheus Quintet, which fleshes out Kevorkian's compositions-he penned 11 out of the 12 here. It's a pleasantly solid affair, but once you get past the initial surprise (I mean, how many jazz flautists are nicknamed "Dr. Death"?) you realize you've heard much of this stuff before, done with a bit more panache. There are some moments-the film noir-ish "Whispering Came Violets," the modified "Killer Joe" riff of "August to Amber," but the rest, while it won't kill you softly (sorry I couldn't resist) may have you reaching for the caffeine.