It’s a common phenomenon for musicians to switch from rock to jazz as their preferred mode of expression, most frequently occurring as talented players seek extended challenges to their virtuosity as they grow older—or become bored with the perceived limitations of rock music. When it happens the other way around, it’s generally commercial considerations, rather than artistic concerns, that fuel the shift. Former Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, however, represents the rarer scenario; after recording some free-leaning jazz dates in mid-1960s Germany, he grew tired of the music’s lack of form and went on to join Can, with whom he created some of the most forward-thinking rock music of the entire 1970s.(...)Liebezeit’s worldview hasn’t changed much in the ensuing years, if Secret Rhythms 2, a co-led collaboration with electronic artist Burnt Friedman, is any indication. For this sequel to 2002’s Secret Rhythms, also on Friedman’s Nonplace label, the principles have adopted more of a band-oriented methodology, and the results reflect the sound of an avant-jazz/rock group with electronic embellishments.(...)Yet there’s no mistaking who’s in charge of the show, as Friedman’s production shapes the tracks into a seamless flow of ideas, all propelled by the secret ingredient of Liebezeit’s unmistakable drumming. Indeed, many of the pieces composed for Secret Rhythms 2 carry a tribal heartbeat that segues from one piece to the next, handing off the pulse like a relay baton that signals a change in musical direction. Additionally, melodies often remain submerged for minutes at a time, functioning more as connective tissue from one groove to the next—a tactic strongly reminiscent of Soon Over Babaluma-era Can. (Mark Weddle,
brainwashed.com)