Manteca Vents Steam At DSPs In 'Busking in Deadwood' Video

By David Farrell

Busking in Deadwood is a decidedly commercial instrumental included on Manteca's most recent long-play recording that now has an accompanying video where the nine-piecer sharply and smartly pokes a pointed stick at streaming platforms such as Spotify for hawking their efforts and offering a pittance in return.

The unique and celebrated Canadian jazz ensemble, now in its forty-first year, has released its 13th recording, Augmented Indifference, which has earned singular ecstasy from reviewers. Included on the EP is the aforementioned adagio where Manteca cohesively dazzles as an orchestra and shares its star-bright starlight with co-founder Matt Zimbel’s son Lucas on accordion and Steve McDade on trumpet.

The accompanying video stitches together licensed footage from The Perils of Pauline, a  1914 weekly serial shown in American theatres. Here, Pauline is menaced by villains who are pirating money from musicians' catalogues and streaming them for handsome profit while offering the creators pennies on the dollar in return.

It’s ear candy with a pressing message in the hands of these artists. At least this is the message that scrolls under the shaky B&W moving images shot during the dawn of the cinema age.