where'd all my friends go?

Roy Brooks and the Artistic Truth 'Ethnic Expressions' [Jazzman 2010]

2010-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

The calling-card of Britain's Jazzman label is ultra-rare soul, but with this release --the sixth installment in their Holy Grail series -- they're making a sharp turn in my direction. 'Ethnic Expressions', a 1973 recording by Roy Brooks and the Artistic Truth, is a burner straight up and down. Prior to reissue, original copies were a big ticket item at auction, and the first run of the reissue (by Japanese label P-Vine) quickly sold out at the tail-end of 2009.

Roy Brooks came up in the early days of booming Detroit and started a career in music as a young man. By 1959, he'd begun relationships that'd last until the mid-1960s with Horace Silver and Yusef Lateef, with whom he cultivated his own tough, fluid style of hard-bop drumming. Had his career ended right there, he'd go down as one of the most accomplished drummers of the era, but his prowess and exploratory impulse took him to New York City right as the New Thing hit stride. From the get-go, the young drummer took the drum chair behind many canonical figures of 1960s jazz -- Charles Mingus, Randy Weston, Dexter Gordon, et al -- in addition to dabbling in polyrhythms with Max Roach's M'Boom. In New York he also took up writing, and it's his ability as a composer that really sets him apart. In order to flesh out his work, he pieced together a band of his own for the first time in 1972. Personnel in flux, the band would follow him elsewhere over the years, but for the first (NYC) incarnation of the Artistic Truth, he drew from the cream of the city's jazz players. 'Ethnic Expressions', originally released on the legendary Im-Hotep label, includes Brooks (drums and percussion), Olu Dara (trumpets), Hamiet Bluiett (baritone sax, clarinet), Reggie Workman (bass), Joseph Bonner (piano), Black Rose [aka Dee Dee Bridgewater] (vocals), Eddie Jefferson (vocals), Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Stubblefield (tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet), Sonny Fortune (alto sax and flute), Hilton Ruiz (piano), Richard Landrum (percussion), and Lawrence Williams(percussion).

Though this music emerged from the black-consciousness movement of the 1960s and 1970s, it stands proud in its own right, regardless of the often brilliant artistic legacy surrounding it. 'Ethnic Expressions' was recorded live in Harlem at Small's Paradise in 1973. It's large ensemble spiritual jazz at its funky, sprawling best. Roy Brooks has an undeniable talent for writing catchy tunes, and the five tracks offered up are all built on endlessly heavy melody lines that Brooks floats over the bump and swing of his booming drum kit. He's rock solid and carries the whole of the band's weight, such that the other percussionists are only colorists. There's little (if any) flash in his playing -- his only concern is setting up the rest of the group (which he does masterfully!). Bass and keyboards only emulate the rhythms Brooks is exploring, and devote most of their energies to carrying the melody for soloists as the chorus of horns drops out.

Brooks' pieces allow for a good bit of exploration full of AACM-style 'little-instrument' tinkering, excellent arco work by Reggie Workman, and a horn section working either by committee or as individuals soloing. In particular, Sonny Fortune, Olu Dara, and Hamiett Bluiett (if I'm correct in picking out the soloists) are responsible for some especially juicy solos, and the sheen of syrupy the vocals are every bit as memorable as the ecstasy of the horn section at full tilt. But this program is all about group dynamic, and Brooks' band is a well-rounded corps of adept observers on their tip-toes, ready to let loose. They're on fire.

Here's my vote for reissue of the year.

Stephen Haynes 'Parrhesia' [Engine Studios 2010]

2010-07-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

The newest release for Steven Walcott's Engine Studios is another quietly realized trio recording made in New York City, quick on the heels of the William Hooker Trio's 'Yearn for Certainty'. Some quick research lists parrhesia as meaning 'to speak everything/to speak boldly/to speak freely', as if obliged to do so. 'Parrhesia' is trumpeter Stephen Haynes' debut recording as a leader, and the title suggests much about what's inside.

Improviser, composer, and educator Stephen Haynes has worked with many figures in creative music and specializes in the area of directed improvisation. Prior to Bill Dixon's recent passing, Haynes was one of the legendary trumpeter/composer's long-time students and collaborators, and Dixon's presence is clearly felt on 'Parrhesia'. Haynes is joined by Joe Morris (he's returned with an electric guitar this time around) and one of Engine Studios' favorite sons, Warren Smith (percussion, voice).

For 'Parrhesia', the trio rigorously fills a very large space. They quickly break one expectation suggested by the title from the start: this isn't a blow out. That established, it's fairly easy to place Haynes' method. The band is very well practiced, and have learned to work off of one another in an interesting way. The energy level is subdued, but I get the feeling that it could explode -- and probably did, early on in rehearsal. Haynes is in the lead, hurling contorted trumpet lines like darts at his collaborators. His many years working with Dixon have done him well -- he's excellent at wrestling the absolute best from a short, muted trumpet line. Morris matches Haynes, but he takes a back road around the strategy simple logic might indicate. By and large, his signature clean delivery and wry phrasing (which would be right at home in Haynes' band) get shelved in place of an almost pointillist, rubbery approach. When Smith brings out the marimba, they're at their best. His quaint work at the marimba fills the deep canyon between Smith and Haynes with melody, just enough to tie fast the two lead players. Accordingly, his drumming is forcefully unobtrusive and he keeps his playing to a minimum, letting off a resonant boom to hover in the air every now and then, which he might chase with a few thoughts on cymbals or marimba. Smith even pulls out some spoken word, which I have, for once, no problem with! 'Parrhesia' is a hell of an exercise in improvised finesse by a mighty capable trio.

Han Bennink, Brodie West & Terrie Ex 'Let's Go' [Terp Records, 2010]

2010-07-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

We're mid-way through 2010 and Han Bennink has already made himself heard in a big way. One of the top records to come my way so far -- Tobias Delius 4tet's 'LuftLucht' -- owes much of its success to the drummer's rare ability to spin a straight rhythm in so many odd directions. 'Let's Go' comes from a different place altogether. This LP comes from a winter 2008 session in the Netherlands, taken when Dutch guitarist Terrie Ex and Canadian saxophonist Brodie West took time off from the Ex and Getatchew Mekuria's European tour (a 2006 recording of the band fronted by the legendary Ethiopian saxophonist can be heard on the recently reissued 'Moa Anbessa'). Terp Records, the stellar Dutch label run by members of the Ex, provides a fine platform for Bennink, Brodie, and Ex to show off their wares as first-class improvisers.

This time out, Bennink and Co. operate in a curiously accessible improv mode. Its certainly not a spacious affair with the participant's instruments slowly dragged across an enormous room, nor is it a claustrophobic blood-bath of volume. The sound is firmly rooted in between the two extremes and for the forty minute duration, it doesn't budge. This firm stance is most likely the result of the nature of the performance -- the band is trapped in-studio. I'm positive that, given the stage and its trappings, the trio would sound off in a far more outwardly exploratory manner. That's no detractor to 'Lets Go'; the studio environment forces the collective energy into a single spot to stew. The oft-noted grievance that Han Bennink is misrepresented on his many live recordings gets reduced to naught and 'Lets Go' forces the vigor of Bennink & Co. straight into the aural field.

The trio works almost flawlessly, in a way that duos of years past (Bennink/Ex, Bennink/Brodie) were incapable. Over two sides of an LP, the trio rumbles on with just as much excitement and grit as on Bennink and Ex's projects, but with the raw finesse hinted at by Bennink and Brodie's collaboration. Terrie Ex's offerings as an improviser just keep getting better, and he's well-served by the meaty tone and calculated delivery of Brodie West's alto. The pair do the majority of the leg-work to keep the sound in a forward direction, and pass off the lead seamlessly. Bennink just stomps along as he sees fit, giving a swift kick here and there to break a thought and keep his comrades on their toes. West and Ex respond triumphantly and, seemingly, from nowhere they pull out some Cooper-Moore-eque rubber-band bass from a detuned guitar or an uncharacteristic squeal-shot from the alto. This collaboration is an immensely rewarding, fresh look at improvisation from a mighty strong trio that I seriously hope to hear more from. Hot stuff!

Kali Z. Fasteau 'Animal Grace' [Flying Note 2010]

2010-07-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Its been a few years since I've heard a peep from Kali Fasteau's Flying Note label, and 'Animal Grace' is a welcome return. Kali Fasteau has been active in creative music for a solid 40 years and, as an improviser, is known for an improvising strategy that cancels the weight of the individual idiom by incorporating as many as she can juggle -- and more often than not, she's pretty good at it. 'Animal Grace' picks up two live performances for issue: one subtitled Live in Harlem, a June 2007 recording at the Big Apple Jazzspace, and the other Live in the Alps, a May 2005 recording at a festival in La Prese, Switzerland.

The Harlem half of the record is a series of duets with legendary London drummer Louis Moholo -- their first meeting since the 1970s. Right away the audio fidelity sticks out like a sore thumb (too much of the room makes it in to the mix). Their playing is almost suited to what sounds like a cavern. The duo is very rough around the edges as Fasteau rifles through her pile of instruments, offering up mizmar, piano, nai flute, soprano sax, and her own heavily altered voice. Less of a drummer might get lost in this shuffle, or else just stick to some mediocre catch-all method. But Moholo can match Fasteau, and provides ample material for his collaborator to work with. The result is a large, undulating sound which is appropriately rough around the edges, and it moves along at quick pace. The two are a perfect match.

The Alps portion of the disc is a much smoother affair, both in performance and audio quality. Recorded live at Switzerland's Uncool Festival, Kali Fasteau is joined by the legendary first wave free-jazz pianist Bobby Few, and two members of Archie Shepp's band: bassist Wayne Dockery, a longtime straddler of the in/out fence, and drummer Steve McCraven. All three are American ex-pats living in Paris. Fasteau's wilder tendencies, as evinced in the recording with Louis Moholo, are reigned in only slightly, the result of being surrounded by a 'proper' group. She breaks into her stable to pull out a drumset and a sanza, in addition to the five she used with Moholo. When she, more or less, is in straight jazz mode, that eccentricity doesn't go such a long way; the strongest moments of the ensemble set come when she's playing her own well-worn compositions on the soprano saxophone. She's got an ear for a catchy tune, and its this vibrant, expressive material that Bobby Few really runs with on 'Animal Grace'; his playing here can't help but hint at his days playing fire music, with the added sheen of the years tacked on. Fasteau can't invoke the majestic heights of Few's playing, as the pianist reached with Steve Lacy, but thats no detractor to the performance in question.

The two sections of the record are completely divergent but, for me at least, present Fasteau in the best possible way. She's set up with a cast of players completely attuned to what she's doing -- it is never necessary for her to carry the weight of her collaborators. And, rather than diving in too deeply to her eclecticism which kind of irks me, I get a taste of everything. And here, apart from questionable fidelity, Fasteau and co. deliver handily on two burners. Nice.

Steve Coleman & Five Elements 'Harvesting Semblances and Affinities' [Pi Recordings 2010]

2010-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the 1980s a novel technique emerged, thanks largely to Steve Coleman. It was m-base, a kind of unitarian universalism for the jazz world. Coleman, a highly under-rated and under-heard saxophonist, is still an ardent practitioner and, undeniably, its most accomplished proponent. Coleman and m-base have produced a lot of music over the years which is widely divergent album to album, both stylistically and in terms of quality: work ranges from forgettable funk experiments to mesmerizing solo work (see 2007's 'Invisible Paths' [Tzadik]!). Somehow, a distinct current runs through everything he's done and it manifests itself in this new disk for Pi Recordings through its ambitious program of scrupulously arranged charts which allow plenty of room for the imagination, and a heavy metaphysical bent. Coleman and his band reach some far-flung areas within the idiom (some, perhaps discovered for the first time) -- but with the crisp familiarity suggestive of a jaunt down a worn path. And though this isn't my thing, I can't get around calling it a success.

Lapin/Poore/Schubert/Turner/Bledsoe 'Seek it Not With Your Eyes' [Red Toucan 2010]

2010-07-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

The newest release from stellar Canadian improv label Red Toucan comes from an impromptu session led by Russian pianist Alexey Lapin. The material for 'Seek it Not With Your Eyes' was taken from a June 2009 performance at Cologne's LOFT, where a trio of Lapin, Melvyn Poore (tuba, euphonium), and Matthias Schubert (tenor saxophone) turned into a quartet with the addition of Roger Turner (percussion) and, later in the night, a quintet with the addition of Helen Bledsoe (flute). This is the second record featuring Lapin as a leader (see also his recent collaboration with Ukrainian Yury Yaremchuk 'Anatomy of Sound' [SoLyd 2010]), and marks his first live performance outside of his home country. From his home base in St. Petersburg, the pianist is an elite traveller within Russian improv circles, and has played with Anthony Braxton's Moscow Quartet (which also includes Helen Bledsoe). Since this recording he's introduced himself into fertile German jazz and improv scenes; he recently surfaced on a Leo Records release led by Frank Gratkowski.

'Seek it Not With Your Eyes' is a compelling work-out in group improvisation. With the exception of the second track, which is based on a gently descending melody composed by Lapin, the whole of the album is an unscripted free for all. The group slides through five nebulous pieces with deceptive ease. For the duration, the players around Lapin remain taut, maintaining a dense static, one way or another, which the piano skitters over as Lapin sees fit. His spacial awareness is clearly his greatest strength, and he embellishes the improvisations with a poise reminiscient of Misha Mengelberg. His personality doesn't rely on a bold presence -- his is anything but imposing -- but instead makes his mark through a wry delivery which seems to always find the mark and determinedly pursue it. German saxophonist Matthias Schubert plays best against Lapin's lead, and moments where the two interlock in discordant chorus take the cake on this one.

Arthur Doyle with Rudolph Grey 'Ghosts II' [Foreign Frequency 2010]

2010-07-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

'Ghosts II' was cut a few months after drummer Beaver Harris (Cecil Taylor, Frank Lowe, et al) joined NYC no-wavers the Blue Humans. The band featured a revolving door of downtown musicians pitted against a turbulent electric guitarist -- Rudolph Grey -- in improvisation and, at the time of this recording (1980), included Arthur Doyle. Since the late 1960s, Doyle has been possessed by perhaps the most brazen, extroverted voice ever to work a saxophone; he's capable of stunning, archaic beauty as easily as overblown psychosis. Among various factions in the jazz world and its outliers over the years, his unique take has made for some of the most exhilarating recorded moments I've heard.

This previously shelved 7" (intended for release on Charles Tyler's label) was done without a drummer, and the free space provides Grey and Doyle the opportunity to slow it down. Two short sides -- right at five minutes, total -- place Doyle in the driver's seat, where he leads an intense blues (side A). Grey bucks at Doyle's lead on side B, revealing himself before quickly receding. Doyle stands alone in a peculiar way -- half-ranting, half-crying -- as Grey fades, and the track cuts off. This one's short and sweet.

Marshall Allen, Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris 'Night Logic' [RogueArt 2010]

2010-06-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

A release bearing the striking RogueArt design promises a few things. Recordings by the French label are almost always of American improvised music royalty. Fidelity is always pristine. And, with a few exceptions, the quality of the music is high. This time, stamped on the minimally-designed black, white, and red cover are three American musicians representing the cream of their respective generations. The leader is the venerable octogenerian Marshall Allen, who spent many years as Sun Ra's lieutenant and is currently the director of the Arkestra; on 'Night Logic' he plays alto saxophone, flute, and EVI (electronic valve instrument). Joe Morris takes a detour from his usual role as a highly sought-after sideman and inventive bandleader on the electric guitar to handle bass duties. The youngest member of the trio is the accomplished pianist Matthew Shipp, who is widely known as an innovative artist across stylistic divides, which justifies his simultaneous position as a provocative figurehead of experimental jazz. This album is the result of a July 2009 performance at New York City's Roulette.

For 'Night Logic', Marshall Allen and Matthew Shipp stow away much of their unique approaches to intensity and attack, in favor of excersizing the more discreet, meditative aspects of their voices. Matthew Shipp delivers a masterful display of composure behind the piano as he sparingly deploys colossal chordings to reverberate in space. These unadorned columns of sound provide a basic framework for coloring by the trio. Over his mammoth skeleton, Shipp adds rumitative, dampened playing as an afterthought, only occasionally riled to the point where he resembles the pianist as I know him. When he gets into the foreground, he does so with only clipped intensity, usually because he's engaged with Marshall Allen, and that interplay produces some of the best moments of the whole record. With Shipp largely limiting himself to preoccupation with structures (which are appropriately similar to the boldly minimal RogueArt cover design), embellishing them is left up to Marshall Allen and Joe Morris.

Though I respect what he does and can see the value in it, I'm not a big Joe Morris fan. 'Night Logic', however, is my first encounter with him playing the bass. And he does so well. His comping is more insistent than Shipp's. The bass gives a staccato undergirding, a fluttering heartbeat that pencils-in blank portions of the structure. Like Shipp, as Morris rises to the surface, he often does so while engaged with Allen: bass strutting around flute and saxophone. Elsewhere, Morris moves into uninhibited arco droning, which produces dark, stunning shades -- his strongest moments as a soloist on the album.

Marshall Allen is always tied to the moments of dual soloing, which form the crux of the successes in 'Night Logic'. On alto and flute Allen lays out quizzical lines capped by a husky vibrato for his collaborators to explore. Especially on the alto saxophone, Allen's fluid lyricism exudes a burnished sheen as he blows [seemingly] unaware of anything but his horn. He's completely focused, attuned perfectly to the space around him so that, even from a distance, he's able to lead Shipp and Morris along. Instinct pulls an incredible ferocity from him at times, when he lets loose an incredible howl that spurs Shipp and Morris into a frenzy. The most abstract points in the record -- reminiscient of Richard Teitalbaum's collaborations with free-jazzers -- are when Allen picks up his EVI. There, Allen plunges his partners into exploration of textures, alternately dense or roomy, while he floats high above the surface.

Marshall Allen is the trio's unquestionable guide, keeping his distance while he navigates a difficult terrain -- one in which lesser musicians would wander astray. Count 'Night Logic' as one of the top releases of the year.

Tobias Delius 4tet 'LuftLucht' [ICP 2010]

2010-06-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

'LuftLucht', the fourth Tobias Delius 4tet recording for the legendary ICP label, was recorded in spring 2009 at Amsterdam's BIMhuis -- the epicenter of Dutch creative music. It is a flawless exhibition of many of the more distinct mannerisms associated with Dutch jazz and improvised music, presented by one of the finest groups playing today. The tenor saxophonist's band is filled out by some of Europe's most iconic players of the past half-century: cellist Tristan Honsiger, bassist Joe Williamson and one of the most bombastic percussionists to ever grace the planet, Han Bennink.

Herein lies much irony, thrown about in every direction, tattered and disoriented, until we're not sure what references what. From the start, Bennink dedicates himself to providing strong momentum for the duration. The cunning compositions of Delius and Honsinger trap the drummer's signature, kitchen-sink improvisation. Confined, Bennink moves full throttle at any opening presented to him, concentrating every bit of his energy on the nuances in the changes of each song so that they take on a wild-eyed mania, which dangerously nears the point of total improvisation. He's done this before, and is quite good at it; with Delius, he seems comfortable occupying this role, and there's obviously no need to break it. Easy enough. Only after Bennink is accounted for do references start to turn on themselves, and things get hairy. The drummer's otherwise tidy role is thrown off balance by the more collected bassist Williamson, who is much more insistent on playing literally and, without telegraphing his moves, even tries to outswing Han Bennink! The two racing -- Bennink white-knuckle swerving, Williamson coolly turning on a dime -- around the frame of each composition provides an intense field for Delius' and Honsinger's front line to take shape.

In contrast to the competition between Bennink and Williamson, saxophonist and cellist support each other in weaving their catchy melodies -- one leads, the other supports. Tobias Delius' broad tone and blunt delivery on tenor saxophone work to foil Tristan Honsinger's swift, sinewy lines which approach a salty romanticism. With their voices at odds, the pair are capable of delivering any number of disparate sounds for the rhythm section to tussle with -- and they take up a great many, as often as possible. They work an idea just until they're gotten comfortable, at which point Delius cues a change.

Though it's not for the faint of heart, this recording works incredibly well. Delius excels at the organization of oddly-shaped personalities across the landscape of his and Honsinger's compositions, and he's got a badass tenor sound to boot!

Sonny Simmons 'Staying on the Watch' [ESP-Disk 2010]

2010-06-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

After lying dormant for decades, various foreign entities propped up the corpse of ESP-Disk beginning in the mid-1990s. Labels like Abraxas pressed up limited-run reissues of stronger titles (New York Art Quartet, Paul Bley, Albert Ayler, etc); many of these records found their way onto cd and a new generation of jazz enthusiasts. What was perceived as careless licensing and royalties practices generated a lot of heat, only partially justified, between the artists (many of whom had long fallen out of contact with the label) and ESP-Disk founder Bernard Stollman. In 2005, he resumed operation of the label -- with reissues, archival material, and finally a few new releases -- all the while honorably mending relationships with old friends.

Lately, the label, under the guidance of Stollman and general manager Tom Abbs, has amped up its operation quite a bit. This year has seen much of the back catalog -- classics and lesser-knowns alike -- reissued on vinyl and cd, with wide distribution. 'Staying on the Watch' is one of the label's lesser-known releases: a New York session from 1966 led by Sonny Simmons, featuring Simmons' then-wife Barbara Donald (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Marvin Pattillo (drums), and Teddy Smith (bass).

The disk presents a fairly simple set of comfortably loose tunes along the lines of Ornette Coleman's work, a few years prior. The success of 'Staying on the Watch' as an album apart from the legacy of Ornette Coleman owes much to the fruitful interaction of Simmons and Barbara Donald. The quintet is distinguished by more open, introspective playing than the New York clique came to be known for. When they do venture in to tense sound-areas, they do so with a mystique completely unlike any other I've encountered, and in such a way that doesn't register with my rudimentary musical vocabulary. Behind the rush of breath generated by Simmons and Donald, they to climb to lofty heights without making any of the customary gestures I've become accustomed to. These moments of intensity are miles away from the 'proper' ESP-blowout.

Moving forward a few years, the real fun begins. Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie label was responsible for a modest batch of jazz records, few of which went beyond the traditional New Orleans sound from the 78 RPM-era -- those that did went quite a ways out. Sonny Simmons' 'Manhattan Egos' was one. With a cast of largely unknown players in Oakland, Simmons combined many of the elements introduced on 'Staying on the Watch' into a well-formed whole that stands completely apart from the legacy of NYC (or, for that matter, anywhere else), capturing the iconoclastic saxophonist in his element in a way future recordings couldn't match.

Its a shame the period between 'Staying on the Watch' and 'Manhattan Egos' wasn't better documented. As a step on the way to Simmons' peak, 'Staying on the Watch' is fascinating, and highly recommended. Much thanks to ESP -- I look forward to seeing the rest of their catalog brought in to the light of day!

Joe McPhee 'Alto' [Roaratorio 2009]

2010-06-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely late to the punch here. No matter, the saxophonist's latest for Roaratorio, the solo 'Alto', is a knockout follow-up to his 'Soprano' of a few years back. Whenever Joe McPhee takes the time to record solo, the result is monumental. He's worked in and around the jazz idiom since the late 60s, quietly building one of the absolute strongest discographies around (not to mention he's a personal favorite). Instead of the resonant cathedral of 'Soprano, 'Alto' comes from a May 2009 performance in a small room in New York City, and features McPhee on alto sax and alto clarinet. The beautifully assembled LP includes nods to Alton Pickens, Ornette Coleman, Warren Smith, Steve Dalachinsky, and Duke Ellington. There's definitely more energy awhirl in the packed performance space, and McPhee ideas fly around the room, quick and fully developed. He doesn't dedicate much time to any one thought, but produces them with astonishing coherence. The strongest points come when he's working in near silence, as in the track for Ornette which ends up in a faint blues, or in his keying of the unanimated saxophone, working himself into a feverish bliss. Excellent.

Paul Dunmall & Chris Corsano 'Identical Sunsets' [ESP-Disk 2010]

2010-05-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

'Identical Sunsets', the collaboration between Paul Dunmall and Chris Corsano, is the first album since ESP-Disk's recent resurrection to bear a clear connection to the label's rich history (as I know it).Since the label's founder, Bernard Stollman, reactivated ESP-Disk in 2005, the only recordings to particularly pique my interest have been archival or reissue material; efforts by Tsigoti and Joe Morris' band rang dull in my ears. 'Identical Sunsets' is a welcome success by Stollman & Co.

'Identical Sunsets' comes from an April 2008 session in Cheltenham, England, between reedsman Paul Dunmall and drummer Chris Corsano. After a chance meeting in Spain, the duo set out to play some live dates in Corsano's time off as drummer for a Bjork tour. The young New Englander has an extensive resume that grows wildly year to year; apart from filling the drum seat in Bjork's touring band, he's had a hand in steady collaborations with players like Paul Flaherty and Mick Flower. Corsano's newer projects see the drummer working outside of jazz, with rock bands Rangda -- a trio with Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls) and Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), with a new disk out on Drag City -- and Jailbreak, with Heather Leigh Murray. The elder Brit, Paul Dunmall, is rather less prolific (that's not saying much). His projects, more carefully considered than Corsano's, consistently rank among the most exciting music put to record over the past fifteen years (with improv quartet Mujician, and in various big bands and small groups).

More often than not, Chris Corsano has a knack for tapping into the mindset of his collaborators without producing a forced-sounding result; I feared the present duo might succumb to that, but there is no evidence of any unease in sight. In a country where group-minded improv is par for creative music's course, Paul Dunmall is one of the best; no doubt his well-spent time in Mujician and various big-bands help put young-gun Corsano at ease. Dunmall is definitely the more powerful creative force here, and 'Identical Sunsets' touches off widely on many points in between the focused intensity of his big bands, and the confident aura and sprawling dynamic of his smaller units. Like with the best of Dunmall's drummers (Tony Bianco, Tony Levin), a firm elasticity is achieved through Corsano's turbulent fluttering. Through this Dunmall moves with ease, given quite the choice of available range. As to be expected, the pace of his tenor saxophone reaches feverish intensity, but Dunmall also makes clipped, boppish motions as Corsano reduces the impact.

And as a bonus, we're treated to the majestic procession of Dunmall's border piping and the extended tones of bowed cymbals and cymbal-scraped drums (track one). It seems an odd choice to start the set, but I'd be out of my mind to bicker over it, because this is a truly excellent set by two of the best players working today. Bravo, ESP-Disk!

William Hooker Trio 'Yearn For Certainty' [Engine Studios 2010]

2010-05-30T15:20:00.001-07:00

With 'Yearn for Certainty', Engine Studios presents a short set from an interesting new trio led by NYC loft-jazz legend William Hooker. The material comes from an April 2007 performance at Roulette in New York City.

In the early 90s, Hooker personified the relationship between the old-guard experimental jazz players and the younger generation of indie rockers: in addition to his continued experimentation with more-or-less conventional jazz ensembles, he played avidly with experimental rock musicians of the day as the preeminent drummer in various Knitting Factory-backed 'noise-jazz' configurations. With this trio, William Hooker continues to toy with various techniques and elements of disparate genres in his improvisational approach. This time out he's enlisted multi-instrumentalists Dave Soldier and Sabir Mateen. Dave Soldier's own eclectic incorporation of various materials fits in well with the Hooker approach; he's been furiously prolific over the past twenty years, with projects ranging from recordings of elephant song, to elementary school children making hip-hop, to chamber music. Sabir Mateen has enjoyed a long career in experimental jazz, really shining as a young man in Horace Tapscott's groups, and eventually growing to become one of the premiere saxophonists in the NYC vanguard.

The well-balanced, technically able trio shows much promise, but from the get-go (track one, Ingratiated Beam) I'm more than a little put off by Hooker's affinity for beat poetry. It's a major distraction for me so, to keep the disk somewhere near my favor, I've largely omitted the spoken-word sections from consideration for review. On track two we encounter scant percussive accompaniment for the ill-fitting duo of Soldier's banjo and Mateen's sax. The first ten minutes seem to be an odd warm-up exercise, because the music finally hits its stride in the third piece of the evening, Commonplace Travel. Through less-than-perfect audio comes a searing tussle between Soldier on effect-ed violin and Mateen's agitated, quivering tenor, under which Hooker lays a punchy big beat. Hooker lays out segues between tracks, most successfully between the third and fourth. For track four, the album's epic centerpiece, Soldier and Mateen cease circling each other at the insistence of Hooker's slurring cadence. Drums provide grounding for the layering of odd-phased swells by violin and saxophone. As Soldier lays low, surefooted movement turns to quizzical gesture, and then the trio deftly round the final curve amidst heated conversation between the riled drummer and his bandmates. The fifth and final track is marked by the worst audio on the disk -- a painfully over-miced violin -- in addition to more spoken word. But it isn't without some fine playing from William Hooker, who is by now at full speed, and an equally agitated Mateen, who's operating in the higher registers of his tenor.

Definitely not the best from any of the players involved, but its no stinker either -- 'Yearn For Certainty' has its moments, and promises even more. I'd like to hear the three go at it again.

Harmonize Most High [Music of the Spheres/Chunksaah Records 2010]

2010-05-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Harmonize Most High is a 14-member-strong big band led by the NYC free music street soldier -- multi-horn wielding Daniel Carter. Carter has been a quiet proponent of the music and his city for quite a while now; his career dates back several decades. He first appeared on a recording with Gunter Hampel in the early 1970s before becoming a major player in 1970s/1980s loft scene. With fellow reedsman Sabir Mateen, Carter eventually settled into his longest-running major engagement in the early 1990s, with the thrilling free-jazz quartet TEST. With rhythm section filled out by drummer Tom Bruno and bassist Matt Heyner, the quartet literally played anywhere they could on the streets of New York City for the better part of ten years. They eventually claimed various corners of the subway and the corner of 57th and 5th as TEST territory, where they brought a fierce style of free jazz directly to the people.

Following TEST's unfortunate dissolution back into the elements, Carter would take to projects with his old cronies from across the New York avant-garde, delivering some stellar performances with Sunny Murray, Matthew Shipp, and William Hooker (among many others) that exhibit his trademark blowing -- an approach both unhinged and spiritual. Over time, his playing and his person has taken on more of the latter attributes. In recent years, New York's freaky/noisey underground community has taken quite a liking to Carter, which is where Harmonize Most High comes into the picture.

For HMH, Carter enlists a long line of players from across disciplines, including members of Sun Ra's Arkestra, The Dirty Projectors, and the Lexie Mountain Boys. Under Carter's obvious direction, the group takes up 1970s spiritual jazz full-on. This, their second release, sees the band a little more focused, the group more firmly aware of one another. For me, HMH most resembles more erudite -- considering its personnel -- versions of Alice Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders ensembles. The blueprint is fairly simple: the bulky group slides through its jams on the strong voices of the various female vocalists. Chord changes pass by only in swells and the soloing is modal, with one or more soloists aiming straight up without making any effort to trip up his bandmates: all things considered, that wouldn't work out too well. The vibe from Carter himself is one of restraint: his playing is still charmingly ragged, but the years have burnished the harsher edges of his style. On sax and flute I'm reminded of Pharoah Sanders again, and when he pulls out his trumpet -- which is more often than normal -- he resembles his comrade Roy Campbell. But that may be a result of an environment in which his bandmates can't work around a beat not strongly implied. Besides from the man of the hour, there are very strong contributions from an unknown xylophonist and bassist Shayna Dulberger. And even more explicitly striking than Carter are the female vocalists (Alicia Testa and members of the Lexie Mountain Boys), who keep the band from falling stagnant, and the large cast (half the band) responsible for the swirl of electric instruments.

All in all, I'm not terribly drawn to this type of music, which at worst can seem like aimless snake-charming fare. I thought, especially with the inexperienced cast around him, that this was surely a wrong turn for Carter. But Carter and HMH evade the negatives, and the record manages to work more like something belonging the realm of experimental folk than embarrassing new age, vaguely spiritual jazz. They pleasantly surprised me and, save for the first part of the B-side, provided me a fun Memorial Day listen.

The Engines 'Wire and Brass' [Okka Disk, 2010]

2010-05-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Milwaukee's Okka Disk started out the year pretty quietly, with two disks it took quite awhile for me to come around to, the first of which I've rambled over already (Artifact iTi). The second of the Okka Disk records comes from the Chicago-based quartet The Engines; 'Wire and Brass' is their second, a follow-up to their self-titled Okka Disk debut from a few years back.

The quartet is assembled from Chicago's best players of the post-Vandermark persuasion, who have all played with the venerable tenor at some point or another. The Engines got their start five years ago as a trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Nate McBride, and drummer Tim Daisy; after a collaboration with improvising trombonist Jeb Bishop, the Engines became a quartet. The group is a vehicle for the more experimental, democratic composing efforts of the four musicians, each of whom is active in the Chicago area's lively post-bop community with groups like the Fast Citizens and the Vandermark 5.

'Wire and Brass' takes its material from an April 2008 performance at Chicago's Hungry Brain, and captures the quartet in excellent form, thanks mainly to the robust McBride/Daisy rhythm section. Tim Daisy is one Chicago's absolute best percusssionists working today, and with the Engines his ability stands at the forefront. He's tremendously versatile, and provides the five prickly compositions simultaneously with heavy-handed weight and surprising agility. At various points in the recording, McBride utilizes varied range and presence of low-end sound production techniques to match Daisy's versatility; when things go beyond jazz-heavy, he even plugs in an electric bass rigged with effects and grinds away. The combination of saxophone and trombone is always a favorite of mine, and Jeb Bishop and Dave Rempis do it justice. On 'Wire and Brass' they both take slightly bent solos which are plenty captivating, but their shifty presentation of the melody lines are much more interesting. And when they're locked together in an improv tussle over the rumbling rhythm section, watch out. A fine outing from an aptly named quartet.

Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet 'Live at the Union 1966' [Reel Recordings 2010]

2010-05-17T10:39:00.001-07:00

I'm always excited to see a new one out from the Reel camp, and this is no let down. For their latest, stellar Canadian label Reel Recordings sticks to its guns, yanking another rare reel-to-reel recording from obscurity with the Rendell/Carr Quintet's 'Live at the Union 1966'. Previous Reel discs came from national broadcasting companies, or otherwise professional recordings. But in December 1966, young jazz devotee George Foster plugged into the board for the show he'd organized at the University College London student union. Shortly afterward, the tapes disappeared and it took them 40 years to resurface -- we're lucky they did.

On the merits of 'Live at the Union 1966' alone, I'll call the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet the hottest ticket in town [the UK] at the time. With help from the keen ear of the University's campus promoter George Foster (who also booked Tubby Hayes and Chris McGregor's Blue Notes!) , the band -- riding a years-long creative plateau -- became a fixture at the university, regularly performing for a packed house. This time out, the group included Rendell (flute, tenor, soprano), Carr (trumpet, flugelhorn), Michael Garrick (piano), and Trevor Tompkins (drums), with bass duties split between regular bassist Dave Green -- booked elsewhere for the night, he had to pack it in after two songs -- and Tony Reeves.

The atmosphere is one unparalleled even in the best Rendell/Carr studio recordings: all restless energy emanating from and bouncing around the densely packed room. Drummer Trevor Tompkins whips up a quick cadence to start the evening, breaths are drawn, and the ensemble lets it rip for the next 70 minutes. The band works at a sweaty intensity, hacking away at the changes until it seems they'll break; this is perfectly suited to the interplay of Don Rendell and Michael Garrick. Piano and tenor battle for the hill from opposite points of entry -- a perilous strategy on a bad day, but one which excelled on this particular December evening. To cool down their taxed instruments, they shift into slower, elastic swing/smolder. In any other context this would shine but, considering the burners surrounding them, these excursions the ones of the least interest to me. The set ends in a middle ground of shifting tempos, ultimately ruled by the deep thrum of Reeves' bass. By the end, I'm spent and my ears nearly burnt. Without a doubt, 'Live...' bests what little of the Rendell/Carr recordings I've heard, and is an undeniable high point in the recorded history of British jazz.

Ideal Bread 'Transmit: Vol. 2 of The Music of Steve Lacy' [Cuneiform, 2010]

2010-05-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

The name Ideal Bread comes from a quote by the legendary expat-American composer/soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy in which the 'ideal bread' is the best possible outcome of a continuous compositional process. Prior to his passing in 2004, Lacy dedicated his 50-year professional career to providing a vast personal songbook that necessary care to mature; in addition, he lent this particular expertise to a large slice of the work by Thelonius Monk and Herbie Nichols. His robust early career was marked by playing with Thelonius Monk, a fruitful association which would far outlast his four months spent in Monk's working group. In his first major project following departure from the Monk ensemble, Lacy formed a long-standing partnership with trombonist Roswell Rudd; accompanied by various rhythm sections, the duo spent many tireless years exclusively dedicated to the then-neglected Monk repertoire -- regardless of the financial instability and critical indifference such an engagement promised. Fifteen years later, Lacy and nimble ensemble (including his wife Irene Aebi, Steve Potts, Kent Carter, and Oliver Johnson) found enthusiastic response for the saxophonist's compositionally-based improvising, which actually delivered on the promise of the ideas introduced by the 'new thing' of the early 1960's. During this period Steve Lacy again placed an unheralded songbook under the microscope as he resuscitated the work of Herbie Nichols with help from several notable Dutch musicians (most notably Misha Mengelberg, the enigmatic pianist who also shared a knack for Monk interpretation and what he called 'instant composing') -- the result, thrilling.

Fitting then, that the artist responsible for providing the music of others' an alternate, living dimension would, in turn, receive the same treatment. Ideal Bread is a quartet currently based in Brooklyn, the brainchild of Josh Sinton, a baritone saxophonist who spent three years studying with Steve Lacy at the New England Conservatory. He is currently backed by Kirk Knuffke (trumpet), Reuben Radding (bass), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). This Cuneiform disc is the second for Ideal Bread, following a self-released CDR I've not been able to track down.

Since Lacy's passing, Sinton has undertaken the bulk of transcription necessary to accommodate the range of tunes Ideal Bread demands. His take on the writing, which accomodates the peculiar shape of the band he's assembled (with the soprano is absent and the rest of the line-up not much resembling a Lacy group) helps distinguish them from Lacy, but the distance from their inspiration remains short on account of their dedication to Lacy's fluid approach. Such a dynamic works exceptionally well: their exploratory nature is guarded and individual renderings are focused. With discipline keeping the quartet well within prescribed bounds, their expertise is funneled into nuance. The result? They tap directly into the vein Steve Lacy had under his thumb, and Sinton and Co. handle themselves on 'Transmit: Vol. 2...' with poise and dignity. This isn't facsimile, museum-styled Lacy; instead, it sticks quite close the method Lacy employed with Nichols and Monk. It's great!

Sinton selected 9 tracks for ' Transmit: Vol. 2...' which really underscore the complexity of Lacy's low end. Cuneiform captured the quartet -- and every bit of their lean power -- in pristine fidelity. A hard, asymmetrically swinging rhythm section provide an unforgiving platform for buoyant interplay between two daring hornsmen. That brass front line takes off soloing in an unexpectedly wide tonal range, but really hit on something special when they're lurking in the lower registers. They're doing right by Steve Lacy -- have a look and see.

Peter Brötzmann & Paul Nilssen-Love 'Woodcuts' [Smalltown Superjazz, 2010]

2010-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Norway's Smalltown Superjazz imprint (a division of Smalltown Supersound) follows up 2008's 'SWEETSWEAT' with another Brötzmann/Nilssen-Love duo disc, 'Woodcuts'. The recording comes from an October 2008 club date at Oslo's Kampenjazz, a perfect environment for a pair whose intensity only ratchets up in tight spaces.

Much can be said or read about the legendary German reedsman/hellraiser, Peter Brötzmann. All that's worth repeating is that the 69 year-old's lungs are still made of iron capable of tearing any horn limb from limb. Drummer Paal Nilssen-Love is quick on his heels as one of the brightest exponents of a younger generation of European improvisers. He's well-represented by his fellow countrymen at Smalltown Superjazz (henceforth STSJ), especially in the duo setting. In addition to two discs pitting him against the mighty German and one with Mats Gustaffson, STSJ released one of the strongest discs of duets to come out in the last decade: Joe McPhee & Paul Nilssen-Love's 'Tomorrow Came Today'.

With 'Woodcuts' the pair do almost everything by the book, every move as expected. Brötzmann seldom takes a reactionary role, but with a partner as quick witted as Nilssen-Love he's bound to shout almost drunkenly as the drummer hurls whips and slashes ahead of him. That particular situation, of course, tends to occur at the beginning of an idea; Nilssen-Love is quicker than Brötzmann out of the gate, but a few strides in and they're neck and neck. Until the whistle blows, the pair lock in a virile sparring match -- with the exception of a few relatively calm moments, this disc is not for the weak. Their previous piece, 'SWEETSWEAT', while certainly cut from the same cloth, featured the duo actually drawing blood. But this time out the burn is controlled and, for my money, the record is better for it. 'Woodcuts' introduces more form to the whole and, coupled with the crystalline sound quality of STSJ recordings, a document apart from the usual out-blown saxophone and power-drumming cutting contest (sample my idea of perfection through the previously mentioned McPhee/Nilssen-Love STSJ album). Brutal has much to offer!

Peter Brötzmann is intriguing enough as a duo player (and otherwise) to do nothing more for the rest of his life than offer up searing tirades in hope of a worthy response. Such a record will find acclaim, but I could just as easily take it or leave it. While my brain settles from the speedy enthusiasm of 'Woodcuts', I'll start anticipating the next episode in the Brötzmann/Nilssen-Love saga.

Lee Konitz New Quartet 'Live at the Village Vanguard' [Enja 2010]

2010-04-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

New disc by the humble jazz giant, Lee Konitz, supported by the Minsarah (Hebrew for 'prism') trio which features German pianist Florian Weber, Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz, and California's Jeff Denson on the bass. Last year, German jazz label Enja released 'Deep Lee', the group's debut; the album presented a live performance from 2007. 'Live at the Village Vanguard' follows suit with a spring 2009 date at the legendary Greenwich Village club.

The saxophonist's career has spanned well over a half-century, and he's done a great deal to advance the jazz tradition. His early career is marked by an association with the brilliant composer/pianist and architect of many of modern jazz's conventions, Lennie Tristano. Their planted in Konitz an appetite for the more explorative realms of the form, and continues to shape the work of Konitz to this day(his repertoire includes several Tristano tunes). Moving forward, the saxophonist, along with bandmates Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan, helped codify and popularize cool jazz in the late 1940s. The next several decades saw Konitz confident, exhaustively traversing the ever-expanding genre. The name 'Lee Konitz' may be the sole link between records such as the Derek Bailey-led Company's 'Once' [Incus, 1987] and his session work for the fusion-minded Manhattan Transfer or Chick Corea.

By now the 82 year old is obviously not so prolific but, unlike so many of his peers (see Mr. Shorter), his creative energy is still very strong. With Minsarah Konitz has surrounded himself with a crisp trio of younger musicians who bring a lively, capable vigor to the table. As has been the case for most of Lee Konitz's career as a leader the band's relationship is one reliant on reciprocation: Minsarah fuels his creativity and provides a suitable platform for his distinct alto style, and in turn he wrings the most out of his bandmates. They're not the most fiery or adventurous bunch to be caught with Konitz, but the Minsarah collaboration works well. The New Quartet takes the Lee Konitz road, flirting with bop and cool, through three standards, an original by Florian Weber, and three Konitz pieces (including the oft-heard Subconscious-Lee). The band plays at an appropriately relaxed pace and at times summon some of Konitz's wandering romanticism. Elsewhere, Konitz is quick to fill a few scattered holes with a dose of wit. I find the performances from bass and drums a bit dry -- not quite lagging behind, just a bit too flat too often. Apart from the intriguing saxophonist up front, pianist Florian Weber and his composition, Color, are especially noteworthy. He's well-equipped wherever the group treads, flashing his frenetic ace from time to time, not once spoiling his hand -- and his is strong.

For L.K. fans and the like, I'll recommend 'Live at the Village Vanguard' as a solid recording in the notable altoist's vast career. It's much stronger than the too-quaint first meeting of Minsarah and Konitz ('Deep Lee') and, next to his records of the last 20 years, this falls right in the middle of stylistic extremes and is a bonafide slice of primo-Lee.

Luigi Archetti 'Null' [Die Schactel, 2010]

2010-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Superior new disc on Italy's Die Schactel label by Switzerland-based composer/guitarist Luigi Archetti. He's probably best known as for his output on Rune Grammofon (Low Tide Digitals I & II), and as a former member of Guru Guru, but his memorable solo career spans nearly twenty years. Archetti projects began as an extension of Guru Guru rock experimentalism, moved to free-improvisation, and ended up in the wide realm of electronics. 'Null' finds Archetti digging out his own corner in the field of electro-acoustic music. His style is markedly minimal yet, given his peers, he is uncharacteristically austere, a result of his treatment of time and tonality. The thirteen tracks here seem to be built of an underlying, uneasy stasis which is in turn challenged by cold, densely undulating electronics. This may not grab those not already in his neck of the woods, but if you're already there -- watch out. Highly recommended.

Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller 'Phase' [FSS 2010]

2010-04-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Chicago's Flingco Sound System -- FSS -- has done well over the course of a relatively short existence as noise/weirdo boutique label. This time out they do well to continue in tradition, presenting the longstanding duo Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller, whose scraped drums and sustained synth provide appropriate conduit for the almighty drone. The single track is metallic-brittle, yet unhindered by gravity it is keen to contort itself subtly in wisps. It isn't any different than the other Kahn/Mueller discs I've encountered (see 'Topography' [Xeric, 2007], 'Vanishing Point' [23five Incorporated, 2009]), but no matter. Their alchemy never fails to do its trick on me. If you're so inclined, don't miss this one.

...Until next time, I'll have to track down some of Kahn's percussion work (he played in a Dreyblatt ensemble!).

Ambarchi/O'Rourke/Haino 'Tima Formosa' [Black Truffle, 2010]

2010-04-07T15:35:00.001-07:00

The fourth release on Australian experimentalist Oren Ambarchi's Black Truffle label follows Ambarchi to a live performance at The Playhouse in Kitakyushu, Japan. Joining him for the performance was the duo of prolific American ex-pat (he now resides in Tokyo) producer/guitarist Jim O'Rourke and Keiji Haino, one of the most well known, longest standing practicioners of Japanese noise and improvisation. 'Tima Formosa' is the trio's debut.

Keiji Haino's more unhinged group work usually sucks me right in. His collaboration with Finland's Pansonic, 'Shall I Download a Black Hole and Offer it to You?' [Blast First Petite], was my favorite release last year. The Finns' massive electronic assault provided the perfect platform for Haino's relentless guitar work and harrowing vocals. Haino takes a slightly more passive role for 'Tima Formosa', but the tension he so well carries about him is present in full.

For this performance Ambarchi works a guitar and O'Rourke hovers over a piano, while the ominous Haino, with an arsenal including flute, electronics, drum machine and voice, has the reins firmly in hand; however, more often than not he relinquishes control to Ambarchi's thin droning, over which O'Rourke adds piano preparations. Haino is quick to materialize from behind the sequences offered by his co-conspirators, with a lash from nowhere that whips some serious weight into the collaboration. As quickly as his vocals -- alternately, a barely audible gurgle or extended, high-register chant -- and electronic manipulation appear, he's gone. Ambarchi and O'Rourke dutifully carry the weight, no slack, while the maestro observes from a hidden corner of the mix, prodding the young bucks to the heights of the art. Excellent.

'Message from the Tribe: An Anthology of Tribe Records 1972-1976' [Universal Sound, 2010]

2010-04-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

The Soul Jazz arm that deals in the black-awareness sound of 1970s America, Universal Sound, serves up this reissue (+ extras!), a fine collection of thick jazz-funk from legendary Detroit unit, The Tribe. 'Message from the Tribe' rolls through on the heels of the fantastic 2009 Soul Jazz double disc set 'Freedom Rhythm & Sound', a broad anthology of socially conscious jazz from across America. The Detroit faction was curiously omitted from the 'Freedom' collection, perhaps because this was on deck, or as albums by Detroit musicians such as Marcus Belgrave had already seen reissue treatment. At any rate, Soul Jazz/Universal Sound make right by the Tribe, one of the many US collectives working for the betterment of its musicians and community who deserve full length retrospective.

The Tribe was founded in 1972 in Detroit, Michigan by trombonist Phil Ranelin and reedsman Wendell Harrison. Mirroring similar efforts in Chicago (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and St. Louis (the Black Artists Group), the Tribe was an organization dedicated to providing work and the means of production for the city's local artists, following the export of Motown to Los Angeles (which provided valuable session work) and the deteriorating national popularity of jazz. Additionally, the group also published its own quarterly magazine from 1974-1977, The Tribe, for which many of the organization's musicians wrote. A 60-page booklet with several poignant highlights from the magazine's three-year existence is included in the Universal Sound package.

At The Tribe's core were founders Ranelin and Harrison, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and pianist Harold McKinney. In contrast to similar organizations, the Tribe's stable included musicians who'd cut their teeth in a variety of professional backgrounds -- as Motown session players and sidemen for bebop superstars -- and who harbored the desire and capability for self-sufficiency and popular-rooted abstraction. The fruit borne of these influences very much resembles the minds and situations it came from. The music of the Tribe was a self-assured, unflinching hybrid of jazz just as comfortable swinging as it was taking a vanguard stance. Music on this collection ranges from David Durrah's brilliant ARP & synthesizer experiments (nearly reminiscent of and definitely more infectious than John Snyder's work with Joe McPhee), to Marcus Belgrave's triumphant, rare grooving space jazz. A sextet of lesser-knowns, The Mixed Bag (Ron Brookes, Geoff Dunsun, Jerry Glassel, Larry Nozero, Dave Koether, & Dan Spencer), do a bustling tune to the son rhythm. But the main course is slow-burning funk jazz that the horns -- particularly Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison -- comfortably sprawl all over, through lush, roomy solo and ensemble work.

At the top of the heap on 'Message from the Tribe...' is Marcus Belgrave's material, which generally stands in contrast to much of the wild, electric funk jazz experiments of the time. He opts instead for cool monologues and careful arrangements that mark the trumpeter as one of the strongest within the Tribe. While I'm generally biased to the aforementioned freewheeling funk (Luther Thomas, McPhee), Belgrave's talent and taste for an arrangement trump a lot of the other material; his tracks are probably the best realized on the whole disc. Highly recommended for funk and jazz connoisseurs alike; see also the Belgrave solo disc!

Amir ElSaffar/Hafez Modirzadeh 'Radif Suite' [Pi Recordings, 2010]

2010-04-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

The first meeting of trumpeter Amir ElSaffar and saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh yields a fascinating blend of the two composers' cultural backgrounds -- Iraqi and Iranian, respectively -- within the jazz idiom. 'Radif Suite' follows years of study and practice by both players. The younger ElSaffar has for years travelled internationally from his home base in New York for instruction in the centuries-old tradition of the Iraqi maqam, a modal system utilizing microtonal scales for the partly improvised rendering of poetry for vocalist and small ensemble. His first recording for Pi, the acclaimed 'Two Rivers' [Pi Recordings, 2007], was his first major recording aimed at joining maqam and the jazz tradition. The elder Modirzadeh holds a professorship at San Francisco State University's School of Music and Dance and has worked as a recording artist for the past three decades. This work is documented in cross-cultural exchanges such as koto virtuoso Miya Masaoka's big band. The saxophonist previously spent time under master Iranian musician Mahmoud Zoufounoun, with whom he devised what is perhaps his most notable contribution to music: the over-arching chromodal system, which allows for the simultaneous coexistence of multiple cultural modes in harmony.

With 'Radif Suite' the two composers present two pieces, Radif-e Kayhan (Modirzadeh) and Copper Suite (ElSaffar), which are realized with help from New York contrabass giant Mark Dresser and California's multidimensional improv drummer Alex Cline. The two suites are a result of a year's collaboration between Modirzadeh and ElSaffar where, using the chromodal system, Iranian and Iraqi music freely roam through the jazz tradition.

Radif-e Kayhan works in twelve parts, and revolves around the composed voices of trumpet and saxophone. In part, the suite simmers cool and meditative, resembling Coltrane's closer-to-the-vest introspective flights, if the tenor giant had ever found himself among such distinctly middle-eastern players. Later in the piece, Alex Cline coaxes sustained tones from a gong, over which Modirzadeh takes a fractured solo; here, they nearly leave the jazz realm altogether. Chirping horns and ebullient bass notes rise from the whorl, and the group gently settles back into original formation. Copper Suite begins almost exactly where the band left off. The chirps of the last movement become elongated, with Cline's gong not far behind. The tones invoked by the brass players coexist in complete microtonal harmony that I seldom hear (or ignorantly let pass me by!); the first movements of the ElSaffar piece are among the strongest on the record. The quartet eventually enters into dialogue firmly rooted in the strong group interplay of classic free-jazz, each player busying himself with soft, frantic movement. Again, we're treated to playing which alternates between group-improv and the chamber-ish, extended microtones of two horns with which we've previously become so well-acquainted. A major difference between the two artists arises near the end of the ElSaffar suite, in which the trumpeter recites a poem. ElSaffar's area of expertise is largely separate from jazz -- he's an incredibly able player with exceptional skill for integration, but the strength of the most explicit maqam reference is that it sits side by side with jazz. This can be contrasted to Modirzadeh's system that works by collaring jazz into a larger tradition.

Such an observation is certainly not a knock -- far from it. It only illustrates how well the two mesh on record. The work of these two composers is exceptional and, though sometimes divergent, well-matched. I listen to a lot of records of improvised music, and I often jump on them because of their execution of the 50-year-old craft alone. The musicians here are not only able practicioners of multiple styles -- they fuse them. Almost immediately after the birth of improvised music and free-jazz, players took up other traditions to breathe life into the music. What is, above all else, so admirable about this particular collaboration is that it makes a strong case for and fleshes out a strong blueprint for Modirzadeh's chromodal method. ElSaffar and Modirzadeh write very well for the system, and the quartet renders it beautifully. For my money, 'Radif Suite' is one of the strongest releases of 2010. Bravo.

ROVA & Nels Cline Singers 'The Celestial Septet' [New World Records, 2010]

2010-03-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

'The Celestial Septet' is the first meeting of two West Coast groups well-entrenched in the traditions of exploratory jazz and experimentalism: the Nels Cline Singers and the Rova Saxophone Quartet.

The ROVA Saxophone Quartet has been furiously at it since 1977, with over two dozen releases to its credit. The lineup includes Jon Raskin (baritone, alto, sopranino), Larry Ochs (tenor, sopranino), Bruce Ackley (soprano, tenor), and Steve Adams (alto, sopranino). In time off from his gig as studio whiz and guitarist for the popular rock band Wilco, Nels Cline's rigged up his current trio, with bassist Devin Hoff and drummer Scott Amendola, rather nicely; since the Nels Cline Singers' 2001 inception, they've shaped up as an interesting jazz/rock fusion effort that has managed to elude the worst of the genre's stereotypes. ROVA has had a long creative history with Cline -- most notably in 'Electric Ascension' [Atavistic, 2003], a scorching rendition of the Coltrane classic -- but, surprisingly, the recording with this particular line-up was preceded only by a handful of 2008 live performances.

Aptly titled, 'The Celestial Septet' is a deep space traveler that takes several bits and pieces of jazz and its kin along for the ride. Although, on paper, this seems a lot like ROVA + rhythm section and Nels Cline, the Septet finds its own identity over the course of a masterfully realized introduction. Through five compositions -- one each by the Singers' Amendola and Cline, one by ROVA's Adams, and two by ROVA's Ochs -- the Septet positions itself closer to the jazz idiom than customary for either camp, and they really run with it.

Cline inserts nearly unrecognizable electronic manipulation moderately throughout the disc; it is most evident on the meditative opener Cesar Chávez, where its airy presence underlies extended saxophone notes and rhythmic shading by the Singers faction. The opening composure is momentarily broken by a prickly burner of a second track, but this inconsistency only serves to set up the album's centerpiece, the Albert Ayler-dedicated Whose to Know. The Larry Ochs composition is a brilliant 25-minute structured improvisation that introduces many different moods and methods by way of effortless saxophone lines, alternately skipping or sliding around the molten core of subtle guitar and stern rhythm section. The Septet pushes itself to an ecstatic climax, after which it promptly dissolves back into the aether; the piece recalls 'Electric Ascension' at its best. A short, high-flying guitar/saxophone choral piece leads into the minimal final track, a Nels Cline composition entitled The Buried Quilt. Its extended saxophone lines are reminiscent of the opener and are, suitably, presented with an air of finality. Around seven minutes in, the long notes turn into clipped beeps which then receive electronic treatment. The quiet is brief, however, as the band blasts off in furious, four-horned, free-jazz assault before taking on final shape as incidental music for interstellar observation.

'The Celestial Septet' is one of the best discs I've heard so far this year. Lately, I've been off on a long trip, mostly ignoring the work of Nels Cline, but this disc provides more than enough reason to jump back on his bandwagon*. Hot stuff, indeed.

*Spoke too soon. Can't say I'm crazy about the new NC Singers disc, 'Initiate'

Maurizio Bianchi 'Armaghedon' [Hot Releases, 2009] & 'The Plain Truth' [Hot Releases, 2010]

2010-03-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hot Releases, a Carrboro, NC label run by Boyzone & Secret Boyfriend's Ryan Martin, pulls a pair of long out of print LPs by Italian ambient noise progenitor Maurizio Bianchi from the darkness: 1984's 'Armaghedon' (originally released on the Mectpyo Sounds label), and 1983's 'The Plain Truth' (originally released on the Broken Flag label).

'Armaghedon' was to be his last recording at the time of its creation, but ended up signaling an end to a period in the artist's life instead. Here, M.B. delivers a dour slab of thrice-garbled synthesizer and vocals, not unlike an intentional rendering of William Basinski's 'Disintegration Loops' (though M.B. is more capable, his vision more intense than anything by Basinski). The piece spans two sides of an LP: one long journey through apocalyptic chaos and despair that eventually resolves itself in a quaint, minor bouquet of sound, as M.B. pulls himself from the brink and vanishes.

'The Plain Truth', which preceeded 'Armaghedon', is a much less dire affair: this was neither final statement, nor damnation of anything in particular. Instead, over the course of a single day, Bianchi briefly documented a complex mental landscape. The method is the same, and though I'm certainly no expert, this seems to be patent M.B. He's riding incredibly lush ebb and flow synthesizer, pushing it to within an inch of its life. Before driving the machine into the ground, he allows the synthesizer level to creep down, granting the strain some temporary relief. This reveals an ethereal undercurrent of the work: shifty and nearly as ominous as 'Armaghedon' would be the following year, but ultimately hopeful in a way 'Armaghedon' just isn't.

Dave Liebman - Evan Parker - Tony Bianco 'Relevance' [Red Toucan, 2010]

2010-03-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

In the liner notes, prolific saxophonist Dave Liebman describes the material presented on 'Relevance' as the result of a dream gig. His career stretches out over four decades, encompassing a vast number of recordings and time spent among such giants as Lennie Tristano and Miles Davis; but oddly enough, he'd never entered the ring with Evan Parker. Canada's Red Toucan label makes right, documenting Liebman's first performance with the inimitable improvising saxophonist (with rhythm support provided by Liebman cohort Tony Bianco on drums) -- a live date from January 2008 at London's Vortex club.

The date doesn't rank among the cream of Parker's releases, nor does it find a top place among the few Liebman performances I'm aware of; it is, nevertheless, a very strong date for the trio. Liebman, Parker, and Bianco arrive at a certain intensity from the get-go, and ride it over the course of two thirty-five minute sets. Though my relative ignorance regarding Liebman limits any kind of over-arching analysis I might make but, as far as this particular performance is concerned, the lay-out is simple: the band locks firmly into free-jazz territory from the outset, grounding provided by Tony Bianco's incessant tom-tom rolling and tumbling and assorted clutter as a platform for the dual-saxophone tussle. Evans and Liebman spin tight sax lines in and out of each other, and it's sometimes hard to pick the two apart. The interplay is tight, and the support by Bianco correspondingly tasteful, BUT on repeat listens my enthusiasm wears thin. For me, it's just not moving anywhere. The trio is capable of so much more than an energy piece that I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. While surely worthy of praise, Relevance is, among a slew of more interesting titles, anything but.

Artifact: iTi 'Artifact: iTi Live In St. Johann' [Okka Disk 2010]

2010-03-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Okkadisk label's newest is a transnational improv blow-out that sees one of its favorite sons, Chicago reedsman Ken Vandermark, taking a trip across the Atlantic for one hairy quartet date with Johannes Bauer (trombone), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), and Thomas Lehn (analog synthesizer). Recorded live in Austria at the 2008 Festival ArtActs, '...Live in St. Johann' is the first disc for this band, though past ensembles have loosely introduced its personnel: Norwegian drummer Nilssen-Love is consistently one of the most invigorating collaborators Vandermark encounters, and both are well traveled in Europe's improvised music and free-jazz communities, home of Germany's Thomas Lehn and Johannes Bauer.

The undertaking begins in and maintains steady hi-fi audio, all component parts politely introduced in the first thirty seconds -- Thomas Lehn's synthesizer, here occupying the role of unconventionally deep bassist, staggers drunk on the subterranean low-end (he conveniently doubles as the record's engineer). Right out of the gate, the beast we're to encounter over the next 45 minutes seems to be a half-tame, partly free-jazz bent exercise in improvisation. That impression owes much to horn-honk interplay at the center of the mix: a sparring match between a squirrely Vandermark and Bauer's methodically blunt trombone. Seven minutes into the epic first track, Del En, things degenerate into noisy, authoritative improv; I'm no expert, but for this material, it seems the synthesizer is receiving signal somehow or another from Nilssen-Love's drum set, which Lehn, in turn, manipulates. This is the basic shape the rest of the record takes -- a steady ebb and flow between the two postures.

There is plenty material to suggest otherwise, but I can't help but be struck dumb to so often find Ken Vandermark in the background with Artifact: iTi. As a big fan of Vandermark-led bands, its easy for me to overlook his talent as a great group-improvisor. Case in point: the last six minutes of Del En, arguably the strongest moments of the record, have Vandermark giving a modest solo among synthesizer blips and the clipped notes of Bauer's trombone; Nilssen-Love's bass drum punches spur Vandermark into a repeated line (which reminds me of something -- can't place it for the life of me!) quaintly rendered, until it builds itself into a monumental display of fire-breathing. The rest of the band takes the line and sprints: Lehn, Bauer, and Nilssen-Love heavy rumbling in a tight spread to the left and right of Vandermark's tenor. Too good.

Following the opening barn-burner are two more tracks that, more or less, work as afterthoughts following such a convincing exhibition of composure and strength. Part Two has the band wholly in bowed cymbal/barely audible/flutter-breathing territory. Its all tension as they survey the wreckage. Teil Drei provides a quick rundown of the area the band has claimed, over before its done -- an encore? -- and that's all she wrote.

In Artifact iTi's full-throttle axe-grinding or textural sound shading, their direction always hinges on Nilssen-Love. He leaps in and out of the mix, giving the band a good jerking-around; the affect is fantastic, especially if you've an ear for this sort of mania. The last 10-15 years have seen many collaborations of this sort -- mixing the disparate camps of pure noise music and acoustic improvised forms -- and, more often than not, I'm left with a sour taste in my mouth. Artifact: iTi is one such project, though a very successful one and this is due almost wholly to Thomas Lehn. His ability to comp and predict movement among his bandmates nearly makes the seam between the two musical approaches invisible. I'll not yet throw all my weight behind Artifact: iTi, but this is an excellent example of hybridized, hard-core improv that I'll plan on returning to. Bravo.

Léandre/Houle/Strid 'Last Seen Headed, Live at Sons d'Hiver' [Ayler Records, 2010]

2010-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

'Last Seen Headed' provides a glimpse of an excellent free-improvising trio at work just outside of Paris in January 2009, at the annual Sons d'Hiver festival. This is the second such intersection of the three, last seen together on the Red Toucan release '9 Moments' -- a half-studio/half-live recording.

Their association dates back at least to the early 1990's, with bassist Joëlle Léandre and clarinetist François Houle putting in time together in a variety of circumstances, with three records to show for it. Léandre has been working in high profile situations for the last 30 years in and out of her native France, directing or participating in ensembles featuring Anthony Braxton, Irene Schweizer, and Steve Lacy. As a bassist in the broadly defined world of creative music, she's rivalled only in talent and scene-presence by the American William Parker. Her path guarantees a peaceful coexistance with Parker, as she moves mostly in the world of straight improvisation (as opposed to Parker's home in experimental jazz). The Canadian, François Houle, only began playing outside notated music in the late 1980s following conversion by Steve Lacy's live performance, but, as his association with Léandre might suggest, he's made considerable inroads since. The third leg, drumming Swede Raymond Strid, has taken a separate path, yet one that runs mostly parallel to Houle and Léandre's. Since taking up improv-drumming close to thirty years back, he's humbly stretched beyond his homeland, most notably with the exciting Swedish trio Gush (featuring Mats Gustaffson and Sten Sandell). His peculiar take on improvisation, drawing from the same well as Eddie Prevost, led him to Léandre and Houle in 2006.

For 'Last Seen Headed' the group hits the ground in stride at the beginning of their set, taking barely two and a half minutes before they start locking horns -- by now they're really churning, and it doesn't let up for the remaining 48 minutes. Often, Leandre's magnetic bowed bass takes the lead and the other players furiously accompany: check those last two delicate minutes of that first track, when the trio arrives at something really special -- it's a shame it comes so early, but there's more to be had elsewhere. The next two tracks see Houle asserting himself a bit more -- in sputters and heavy breath-ed piping --beside a less forthright Léandre and the ultra-spare Strid. When at the front of the pack, Houle comes off very effectively, and not unlike Evan Parker or even solo Roscoe Mitchell; his breadth of sound capability is astounding. The third track breaks the tension created in the solemn opening with a high-energy clarinet/drums duet, but the next few tracks see the tide turning back, and the trio gathers tension. For the sixth track, the energy they've culled from the past fifteen minutes is ripped open to spread as it will for the slow burning false-finale. The trio hits the mark here, squarely attuned to all. Whereas with track one the fantastic results owe themselves to Léandre, all the players here are running neck and neck, bowed bass, clarinet, and drums all intertwined. The prolonged explosion drones and gurgles to audience applause, followed by a short encore (track seven) -- a quick rehashing of the evening's themes.

All in all, this is one of the better straight improv discs I've come across recently; my only grievance with 'Last Seen Headed' is Léandre's vocalizations. I'm admittedly very hard to please in this area of the craft, but the cackles in thrown into the mixture just aren't my cup of tea. But in the scheme of things, I'll throw that complaint out and come back to this disc, anxiously awaiting another appearance from such an exciting trio.

Giuseppi Logan Quintet 's/t' [Tompkins Square, 2010]

2010-03-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

In mid-60s New York, saxophonist Giuseppi Logan found himself on the ground floor of Bernard Stollman's ESP-Disk. The label represented a now-legendary contingency of jazz players who'd at that time been relegated to the fringes of jazz to such an extent that their art risked going unnoticed, undocumented. Thanks to the support of patrons from within jazz (Coltrane) and without (Stollman), much of ESP's original stable is now synonymous with the term 'free jazz'.

'The Giuseppi Logan Quartet', featuring Milford Graves, Eddie Gomez, and Don Pullen, was Giuseppi Logan's first record as leader and was release number seven for ESP-Disk in 1964. A second, 'More' [ESP-Disk, 1965], followed: there, the pianist Don Pullen and bassist Eddie Gomez loosened up a bit, while Logan followed Graves, inching further into the unknown. They're two interesting records and, though neither Logan nor his recordings ever cut the profile of Ayler or the other high fliers, after 40 years his two LPs still stand strong among comrades as the foundation upon which free jazz was built.

As free music's steam dwindled in the early 1970s and fusion hijacked the remnants of popular support for jazz, Logan vanished almost completely. For 40 years news of Giuseppi Logan was scant and unreliable, and after a time many of his past associates assumed him dead. In 2008 the saxophonist was discovered homeless, playing in Tompkins Square Park for tips. The unassuming 75 year old had recently taken up playing a horn again, and wanted to record. So it's fitting that the Tompkins Square label undertook the job of arranging the session. In addition to holding his post in Tompkins Square Park, Logan has -- with the enthusiastic support of a new generation -- gigged steadily around NYC with a band made up of bassist Francois Grillot (closely aligned with the Cadence/CIMP roster), trumpeter Matt Lavelle (downtowner, plays with Sabir Mateen), and two of Logan's past associates, pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Warren Smith.

For his first record in 45 years, Logan trots out five new compositions to mingle with two standards (Blue Moon and Over the Rainbow) and the classic Miles Davis number, Freddie Freeloader. Logan's leadership has, understandably, changed quite considerably. On the surface, the band's direction is much less consciously out than the saxophonist's 1960s material. Instead, Logan's charts are relatively straight-forward, all the envelope-pushing coming by way of personal subtleties in the renderings of the eight compositions. These subtleties are most evident in the contributions of Dave Burrell and Logan. Burrell's style of comping -- and to a lesser extent his solos -- often comes in shards of crisp, icy chords injected into the mix like jarring droplets of ice water. Alternately, Logan's signature is his unorthodox note selection, which meshes so well with Burrell; it has retained its sprawling, airy quality, and aims very precisely for the lower, wobbly end of a note. With time Logan has become less impulsive, carefully picking notes from an unheard music so incomprehensibly immense it must seem nearly still. He's certainly not the most able saxophonist, but his method is immediately intriguing, and sure promises interesting colorings of the standards! Trumpeter/bass clarinetist Matt Lavelle flies straight as an arrow under the meandering saxophone line as best as he can; he's on his own quite often, but handles himself exceptionally well. The rhythm section keeps the band reigned in, but only marginally; out of context they're softly swinging, but against the front line they careen.

It took me a while to completely get ahold of this one, but the closer I got the more into this music I became -- this is one excellent set by a band I hope to hear more from.

David S. Ware 'Saturnian (Solo Saxophones, Volume 1)' [AUM Fidelity, 2010]

2010-02-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

'Saturnian (Solo Saxophones, Volume 1)' is the first release by iconic American saxophonist David S. Ware following a kidney transplant last year, with material taken from his first public performance post-surgery: an October 2009 solo performance, part of AUM Fidelity's label showcase, at New York City's Abrons Arts Center.

America's preeminent brass-slinger has spent the past 50 years doggedly exploring the more illusive, easily ignored realms of saxophones. Up until the late 1980s, Ware was surrounded by all manner of conflicting circumstances. Promising early work is documented in titles led by such powerful personalities as Cecil Taylor and Taylor's drummer Andrew Cyrille; but only a short time later, as jazz writers often mention, Ware refused to bow under the oppressive climate that swept the jazz world in the 1980s, so he scratched out a living driving taxis. The saxophone only became his full-time job as he rose to prominence in the early 90s as a highly evolved, explorative bandleader with incredible lung depth and poise; work by his longstanding quartet with Matthew Shipp and William Parker (the drum chair was subject to change) is now regarded as classic.

Solo outings by the saxophonist are scarce, and I'm aware of only one other 'Live in the Netherlands' [Splasc(H), 2001], in which Ware remains interesting, successfully transferring his team-player saxophone aesthetic into the solo setting. But when stacked against his other work of the period, 'Live in the Netherlands' is easily lost in the shuffle. 'Saturnian' is a different story.
The saxophonist hasn't had a day-to-day quartet pulling all of his creative focus, as he did around 2000, in years. 'Saturnian' seems more well-crafted statement than the glimpse in time represented by the '...Netherlands' disc.

As has become his trademark, Ware here too seeks freedom from the physical condition through the saxophone on this AUM Fidelity disc, using the hard scrape kidney failure inflicted upon him as fuel to set off an epic blaze. In each of the disc's three narratives (each named after a moon of Saturn), Ware is armed with three different members of the saxophone family. On the first Ware ventures into measured turbulence -- quick runs followed by high-stepping -- on the saxello, a B-flat soprano sax (originally developed in the 1920s). For the second he deploys the stritch, a straight alto sax, on a brassy, ebb and flow improv. With the third the pace slows as he prepares for descent on the wings of the tried-and-true tenor sax, catching some incredibly lucid moments of pure light in the process. The record works very well, and its sure satisfying to know Ware is still burning white hot.

2/27/10

New York Art Quartet 'Old Stuff' [Cuneiform, 2010]

2010-02-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

'Old Stuff' is a collection of two recordings by the New York Art Quartet made in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 1965. They originally appeared on the Danish Broadcasting Corporation's radio network.

Trombonist Roswell Rudd and Danish alto saxophonist John Tchicai co-founded the New York Art Quartet in summer, 1964, following Tchicai's split from the New York Contemporary Five. The original group was filled out by two other members of the Contemporary Five: bassist Don Moore and drummer J.C. Moses. The quartet only gelled after trying out Milford Graves, one of the world's premiere improvising drummers; by fall of 1964, Graves and bassist Lewis Worrell rounded out the group. The classic formation of the New York Art Quartet was in place by the time sessions for their debut on ESP-Disk rolled around (recorded in November 1964); their 1965 follow-up, 'Mohawk' was recorded a short time later, but with Reggie Workman replacing Lewis Worrell on bass.

In fall 1965, Roswell Rudd followed Tchicai to Denmark, where show dates for the ensemble were in place. With Graves and Workman unable to join, they sought a replacement rhythm section. Selected were Blue Notes drummer Louis Moholo, who'd only made the trip to Europe from South Africa a year previously, and Danish bassist Finn von Eyben. John Tchicai, prior to leaving in 1962 for New York, remembered von Eyben as "one of the only adventurous bass players in Copenhagen". Both of these players, along with Tchicai, met earlier that year in a slurred, prickly bop session in the Netherlands, which became Roswell Rudd's debut as a leader. This incarnation of the NYAQ is documented on Cuneiform's 'Old Stuff'.

These radio broadcasts open many 'first' windows in jazz history: as a free-jazz ensemble not stuck on overblowing reedsmen; as a band with the odd front line of trombone and saxophone; a working international improv-jazz group (Moholo would go on to fill the drum chair for many such ensembles). Also of interest is that Louis Moholo's transformation from razor sharp time-keeper (as with the hard-bopping Blue Notes) to tidal percussionist of improvised music, is on full display here. He certainly is not Milford Graves who, almost from the get-go, was a percussionist so advanced, multi-faceted and able that he sounds nearly out of place on the first NYAQ record. It works amid the focused timidity and changes in density of sound on that particular record (the poor recording quality doesn't, but what can you do?). Louis Moholo's new, 'free' style is in its infancy: he's still swinging, and even his freer moments tend toward meter instead of the swells developed under Cecil Taylor's drummers. This isn't a detractor, except on his solos -- definitely a little too hesitant, close to the vest. Finn von Eyben is a fine stand-in on bass, though comparing him to his American counterparts is tricky. One, free jazz bass playing was still up in the air at this point (it would be a few more years until Alan Silva or Malachi Favors took prominence); and two, the muddy quality of the LP recordings beside the pristine quality of these tapes doesn't offer much to compare.

Considering the variation in personnel, the difference between the European and American NYAQ is apparent: the major divergence lies in the European quartet's inclination to the freer realms of bop, as opposed to the Americans' interest in spacier group-improvisation (attributable to Graves). 'Old Stuff' is more a continuation of the modes explored in Roswell Rudd's self-titled disc than the work of the New York Art Quartet as it is known today. The well-rounded tone and 'straight' note selections of Tchicai's alto provide an intriguing foil to Rudd's squirreling, staggering trombone. The two are framed exceptionally well by the rhythm section. Moholo and von Eyben are anxious to throw off notions of being 'green' players in this 'new thing' in jazz, and though they're still developing as the tape rolls, nothing's amiss. The quartet is muscular and surprisingly tight. Thanks to Cuneiform, we have the opportunity to watch these young guns explore in real time. Not to be missed!

2/24/10

Mothguts 'III' [Thor's Rubber Hammer, 2009]

2010-02-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Mothguts is a death jazz quartet (guitar, alto sax, drums, bass) splitting home turf between Brooklyn and parts of New Jersey. They've been kicking since the mid-90's, touring regularly, though this is only their fourth release (as I'm aware). They passed through Chapel Hill, NC's Nightlight a few years back, exposing their harsh brand of spooked out skronk to a modest crowd of locals; photographs online of their concert get-up -- somehow suggestive of their moniker -- instantly jogged my memory. Their music is arranged and performed a lot like progressive metal, rather than jazz, and is led by an effect-ed guitar and saxophone. In the hands of Anthony Ware that alto takes off, churning out these short, full-bodied solos full of fragmented, seemingly incompatible ideas -- and it works. Drums and bass, the front line's tag-along muscle, are particularly brutal: heavy static on which these ideas present themselves. The rhythm section's dub tendencies (slight, but unmistakable) nod to those who've come before them: Painkiller; see also Gutbucket, Last Exit, Ahleuchatistas.

2.22.10

Charles Johnson/Zachary James Watkins 's/t' [60 Hurts, 2010]

2010-02-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

This split disc is the inaugural release for the 60 Hurts label. The first is Oakland's Charles Johnson, formerly Chuck -- the long-standing pillar in North Carolina's musical vanguard. His recorded output dates to 1994, as part of Chapel Hill out-leaning rock group, Spatula; he's also released music with the Micro-East Collective and a solo project, Pykrete (double 12" forthcoming on the FrequeNC label). Meet me by the Pleroma is a departure from previous forms, positioning itself as indicator of the artist's activity while part of the Mills College MFA program, where he studied composition and theory with field luminaries such as James Fei and Roscoe Mitchell. As both performer and organizer, Johnson is currently active in Bay-area new music happenings with saxophonist Aram Shelton at their San Francisco performance space, the Lab.

Johnson's Pleroma is presented with a quote by late 18th/early 19th century Russian political scientist Piotr Kropotkin which, in its original context, trades in the convoluted machinations of [western] society at the highest level for lower-end, necessity-based organization, of which component parts are necessarily incongruous, yet [theoretically] the whole exists in equilibrium. I suppose you know where this is going -- I won't elaborate further -- but taken for Johnson's purposes, the quote provides a simple, layman directed reading of a strategy employed by both composers: just-intonation.

Johnson's half-hour drone piece aims straight up (hence the title), with the piece moving on the brittle strength of the violin (played by Brendan Aanes), and it pleasantly suggests one of Conrad's four violins breaking off on its own hero's quest. The quartet is filled out by Danishta Rivero on a long-stringed instrument, Chad McKinney on the slentem (a type of metallophone used in Javanese gamelan) , and Johnson on electronics. Sustain figures heavily into the composition, which produces many different shades of overtone to brilliantly pile up on top of one another -- no small feat, I'd imagine. The piece waxes and wanes, releasing the ear only when the cycle is complete, and Johnson's hum fades into its destination. Majestic, straight up and down.

Separating the two composers is a minute-long retouched field recording -- an ominous snapshot of water falling -- by another Mills alumnus, Zachary James Watkins, a similarly inclined composer whose Suite for String Quartet follows. The piece is written for instruments tuned to an odd number partial of 60 hertz, and has been in open revision since its 2006 debut which garnered lofty accolades. Suite is written for two violins (Emily Packard & Angela Hsu), viola (Liz Meredith), cello (Theresa Wong), and electronics (Watkins); right off the top, his style seems to court convention more so than Johnson's. Perhaps so, but the core difference lies elsewhere -- Watkins' piece takes from an essence whereas Johnson charts a specific movement. Watkins' punchy high register instrumentation rides a sonorous low end for a time, before all slide into Kropotkin's harmonious disorder. Side by side Johnson wins out, but he bests an incredibly formidable statement by Watkins. I highly recommend seeking this one out, especially if you're into Pauline Oliveros/Deep Listening Band, Tony Conrad's violin music, Alastair Galbraith's Long Wires in Dark Museums series, or similar sonic territories.

Circulasione Totale Orchestra 'Bandwidth' [Rune Grammofon, 2009]

2010-02-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Though I'm way late to the punch here, a write-up for 'Bandwidth', my first encounter with Norwegian reedsman Frode Gjerstad's big band, feels necessary:

The band's been around since the mid-80's, performing whenever the occasion presents itself, and recording even less; 'Bandwidth' is only their fifth official release, out on Norway's Rune Grammofon label. Recording took place at three festivals in 2008 -- the Molde International Jazz Festival in Norway, the Moers Festival in Germany, and Switzerland's Zürich Festival. The international Circulasione Totale Orchestra's lineup is entirely flexible, with a roster of around fifteen musicians available to perform. The line-up this time draws from Scandinavians: Gjerstad, Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Per Zanussi (bass), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), Børre Mølstad (tuba), Anders Hana (guitar), Lasse Marhaug (electronics), Morten Johan Olsen (drums, electronics); Americans: Bobby Bradford (cornet), Kevin Norton (drums), Sabir Mateen (reeds), Hamid Drake (drums); and has South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo and British bassist Nick Stephens rounding out the roster.

A set of this size (roughly three hours long) is obviously a difficult undertaking, but it makes analysis fairly easy. In three listening sessions each disc seems to fall into a mold, as much as improvised music is able to do so. The first disc sets the tone: right out of the gate the big band aggressively incorporates both power electronics and instrumental modulation, and with this disc only the members using electronics (along with guitarist Anders Hana) take control. What results is a pleasing style of noise-jazz reminiscient of certain Asian experimentalists (e.g. Klangmutationen).

Of the three, disc two is the one most firmly set in straight improvisation; the band teeters dangerously on the edge between speedy hell-fire and knuckle-dragging spazz. The former obviously wins out in an ensemble that features so many uninhibited personalities wielding characteristically extroverted instruments. When necessary the band's several high-register players are very convincingly vocal, but are better fiery. The percussionists and, to a lesser extent, bassists enjoy the most success; I only wish they turned group-improv into violent cutting contests more often.

Disc three is the most blatant Rune Grammofon-style music of all -- through the prerequisite chaos a placid, ominous character reveals itself. Hectic blow-out tactics fade a bit, and Kevin Norton's vibe playing is likely the key. His playing is forcefully hesitant in the face of harsh electronics and, later, given electronic treatment to sustain certain tones, produces an icy aura. During such cryptic moments Bobby Bradford and Børre Mølstad put in some of their strongest performances of the entire package.

Though it is bypassing the point of this sort of music, its often hard to discern individual contributions in the Orchestra's cauldron. But throughout the set there are two deserving of a few more words. Many of the record's successes are due to vibraphonist Kevin Norton carrying the improvisations forward, when the odd mix of instrumentation could otherwise have become stagnant. And I will say that Bobby Bradford is almost untouchable throughout -- I'll undoubtedly hunt down more of his recent material. The three discs feature some truly enlightening moments but, as is unfortunately par for the Rune Grammafon course, this one's a bit bloated. I'd rather call this one of my favorite discs of 2009 and have them leave more of this three disc package on the cutting room floor.

2/1/10

Aram Shelton's Fast Citizens 'Two Cities' [Delmark, 2009]

2010-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

'Two Cities' is the follow up to the Fast Citizens' strong debut 'Ready Everyday' [Delmark, 2006]. For this disc, Aram Shelton (alto saxophone and clarinet) sits in the lead chair. Though he'd moved from the Fast Citizen's home turf of Chicago to Oakland, CA in 2005 to study at the illustrious Mills College, Shelton remained an active Fast Citizen -- hence the title's allusion to split-locale. Multi-reedsman Keefe Jackson, who led the band from inception up through the previous record and its ensuing live dates, assembled the sextet around 2003 from among the sharpest of personalities in the post-Vandermark camp. In order to remain together despite the distance, the group made the decision last summer to operate under collective leadership -- guidance changing hands as necessary.

Whereas the previous disc's seven compositions (five penned by Jackson) were set strongly in the distinct field of Chicago's crisply swinging post-bop, the tracks on 'Two Cities' present more of a mixed bag. Of the nine tracks, five are Shelton's and two are Jackson's, with one contribution each from bassist Anton Hatwich and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holme. Aram Shelton's anchoring compositions reflect the interest which, it seems, led him to Mills; his work is more involved in terms of composition than Jackson's, whose leadership relies more on improvisation. The difference, then, in each album's general direction is obvious; the meaty drive under Jackson takes a back seat to Shelton's heady, nuanced contrapuntal angle (the ensemble handles both exceptionally well). The slightly fractured atmosphere of Shelton's charts, suggestive of 'new-music' or chamber jazz, braid the six well-acquainted personalities into a whole new configuration, in turn given life by the group.

An incredibly strong front section exemplifies the group's dynamic: Shelton, Jackson, and cornetist Josh Berman do not break formation. This keeps the large structure agile, with motion maintained effortlessly by the Rosaly/Hatwich rhythm section (drums and bass respectively). Even in his own excellent minimal piece (track four), cellist Fred Lonberg-Holme plays the role of sixth man for the Citizens and sticks mostly to gentle shading here and there -- a far cry from what he's capable of as a lead player, but perfectly in sync with Aram Shelton's aim. 'Two Cities' makes for a very cohesive listen, highlighting some of Chicago's brightest. I'm impressed.

1/31/10

Von Freeman 'Vonski Speaks' [Nessa Records, 2009]

2010-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

At nearly 90 years of age, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman (father of the well-regarded reedsman Chico Freeman) is an institution in Chicago jazz. He's quietly built up a hefty legacy that spans seven decades, and throughout this time has played with scores of notable figures, from Charlie Parker to Sun Ra. Like another longtime patron/participant in the Chicago scene, Fred Anderson, a dedicated Freeman is still found leading of a weekly jam session in his preferred environment, the New Apartment Lounge on Chicago's South Side. He has stoically cemented himself in that small haunt for three decades, during which he's observed and communicated in several styles, helping bring up many younger musicians (including Steve Coleman and George Lewis).

This disc, out on the Nessa label, takes us back to a rare big stage performance far from his beloved Chicago roost -- the 2002 Jazzfest Berlin -- undoubtedly thanks to the committment of well-known writer and musician John Corbett, who served as the festival's artistic director in 2002. Fittingly, Freeman is joined by his loyal Tuesday night band: longtime cohort Michael Raynor on drums, plus guitarist Mike Allemana and bassist Jack Zara. The trio knows the ins and outs of Freeman's tough, swinging bop, simultaneously capable of sinewy speed (as on Freeman's theme song, Vonski Speaks) and gentle meditation (on the standard Darn that Dream). Raynor, Allemana, and Zara, relatively straightforward as accompanists, do well in playing foil to the legendary saxophonist, whose strength lies in humbly idiosyncratic treatment of the saxophone: odd treatment of rhythm and a tweaked, outlying tone. At his age, I wouldn't expect such facility from Freeman, but he is undeniably with it. A very solid set.

1/25/10

The Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble 'Congliptious' [Nessa Records, 2009]

2010-01-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

'Congliptious' came into being as one of a handful of recordings by the group which would later become the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Following his departure from Delmark in 1967, Chicago jazz enthusiast Chuck Nessa started the label bearing his name in order to release discs by the new breed on the South Side of Chicago. This record was Nessa number two, and this expanded CD version was also available as part of an excellent 1993 five disc box set on Nessa, currently out of print.

With the creation of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the mid-60s, the younger crowd of black South Side musicians, left abandoned by a once-thriving local bebop scene, found solidarity, organization, and ample room to develop as creative musicians in a manner unparalleled elsewhere. The AACM functioned for these musicians as a (benevolent) music industry in microcosm, gathering talent, hosting and promoting performances, as well as providing work, practice space, education, and community service.

Two of the AACM's first-generation members are present on this album: Roscoe Mitchell (saxophones, flute, and recorder) and Malachi Favors (bass, guitar, and zither), both of whom played with the anything-goes workshop band, the group-minded Experimental Band (led by the AACM's first president and founder Muhal Richard Abrams) as early as 1963. In such an accommodating setting, both musicians began composing; a few years later Lester Bowie (trumpet, flugelhorn) made the move to Chicago and followed suit. Chicago drummer Robert Crowder worked with various rhythm and blues bands of the era, largely outside of the AACM sphere, before putting in with former AACM member Phil Cohran and his Afro-Arts Ensemble. As was the case with many other AACM members, Roscoe Mitchell achieved maturity as a composer with the Experimental Band and sought others to contribute; his sextet recorded the very first official AACM LP, the extraordinarily forward-thinking 'Sound' [Delmark, 1966]. Two years later Chuck Nessa stepped in to release 'Congliptious' by an even more confident group committed to furthering ideas introduced by 'Sound'.

Whereas 'Sound' reshaped group interplay, from the get-go 'Congliptious' starts in on the concept of the solo. Favors, Mitchell, and Bowie present three masterful solos on bass, alto saxophone, and trumpet -- respectively -- all of which are fairly indicative of the diverse paths the musicians would take in the future. The sage-like Favors' ancient bass hymn, an all over the place (a romantic fling, abstracted call and response, effortless fluttering) sax run by Mitchell, and a strong rebuttal by Bowie (re: Is jazz dead?) via cleverly aggressive, manic trumpet retort: these tracks, side by side, all are very pleasantly cohesive, tucked into and around one another in the only possible way. The full-band tracks see this early incarnation of the Art Ensemble of Chicago at their lively best, with grounding in traditions passed as the basis for their total burst into the beyond. The breadwinner here is the centerpiece, the originally side-long Congliptious/Old, one of my favorite Mitchell compositions ever recorded. All players (as well as Bowie's police siren and the 'little instruments') do well to extend in every direction demanded by the composition without breaking the dynamic -- any wrong movement wrinkles an enormous, smoothed surface. Also included are a blistering Bowie composition, Tatas Matoes, and three versions -- Carefree, takes 1,2 & 3 -- of a quick exercise in Mitchell's signature spaced out work. This one's too good.

1/23/10

Soft Machine 'Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971' [Reel Recordings, 2009]

2010-01-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Reel Recordings, the label also responsible for unearthing an unissued Splinters performance (featuring Spontaneous Music Ensemble members John Stevens & Trevor Watts), finds the Soft Machine at the top of their game for 'Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971'. The previously unissued set was recorded in February 1971 in Oslo, Norway following the release of their fourth proper LP, 'Fourth' [CBS, 1971]. The playing here is strongly indicative of 'Fourth', for which the band distilled its personnel to the essential quartet of Michael Ratledge (organ & piano), Elton Dean (saxophones), Hugh Hopper (bass), and Robert Wyatt (drums & vocals); this line-up wouldn't last out the year, as Wyatt and Dean left the fray and the band's creative evolution took a hard hit. The playing of this period almost completely lets go of the popular-music-styled song craft of their well-received first two records and, as the previous record ('Third') suggested, allows their progressive/art-rock tendencies free reign to stretch out and mature, while keeping a sharp ear toward Miles Davis' electric work. In this spectacular performance the Soft Machine fires on all cylinders, hardly coming up for air: the band is incredibly tight, tying the setlist into a dense, well constructed whole. These muscular jams use all elements available to create music that bucks simple categorization, touching on free-jazz, psychedelia, jazz-fusion, drones, and prog-rock and using their previous work as the point from which they spiral into the unknown -- more and more as they go deeper into the set. The sound quality is pristine, and does well to show a legendary band at their creative peak. Very impressive.

Bobby Bradford with John Stevens and the Sponteous Music Ensemble 'S/T' [Nessa Records, 2009]

2010-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

Following several years' noble effort to expose the music of AACM members both through Delmark Records and his own label, Chuck Nessa broadened his scope to pull in non-Chicago based groups, which is where this Spontaneous Music Ensemble set featuring Bobby Bradford figures in. It is fitting that this meeting arose, more or less, out of hurried happenstance: in the liners Bobby Bradford writes of landing in London in 1971 with no contacts other than Melody Maker writer Richard Williams, who then referred him to the SME, "Within hours John and Trevor and I were playing and by the next day Bob Norden, Julie Tippetts and Ron Herman are in the picture. We played a couple of pub gigs around town, next thing I know we are in a studio". The music resulting from the summer 1971 sessions sees the former Ornette Coleman trumpeter (Bradford) matching the intensity of the outstanding Trevor Watts; the chemistry between the two often leads to more prominent placement of the horns than normal, yet the sound remains true to the Spontaneous Music Ensemble aesthetic through and through -- the schematic is very democratic, and the interplay correspondingly tight. The double disc re-issue of this 1974 release features twice the material of the original LP, additional material pulled from previously unissued material from the original sessions. Across the two discs are five compositions by John Stevens, two by Bobby Bradford, and one collaboration by Bradford and Trevor Watts. The Stevens pieces are a bit more skeletal than I've encountered before, tending toward more reflective playing. Bradford's compositions indicate the trumpeter's development as an artist post-Coleman -- integrating group improvisation of swing-era groups (track 1 is dedicated to Louis Armstrong) with the freedom of post-1960 improvisational and compositional techniques; Bradford writes exceptionally well for Stevens, and throws in a hint of American-style fire for the drummer to toy with. Nice.

1/18/10

Klaxon Gueule 'Infininiment' [Ambiances Magnétiques, 2009]

2010-01-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Klaxon Gueule (translated, "Horn Scream") is a Montreal group featuring three top-tier players of the improv arena, Michel F. Côté (percussion), Bernard Falaise (guitar), and Alexandre St-Onge (bass), who put aside very successful careers (solo and otherwise) every few years for a Klaxon Gueule release --some of the strongest records in the Ambiances Magnétiques catalog. Following the exciting 1997 debut ('Bavards') the group shifted away from energetic free-improvisation to a tense electro-acoustic style of ominous improvisation characterized by the use of heavily manipulated instrumentation. Klaxon Gueule, armed with instruments almost entirely non-manipulated, make a bit of a return to its previous inclinations with 'Infininiment', inviting in a reeds section, including Jean Derome, Gordon Allen, and Philippe Lauzier, to back them. The thirteen tracks presented here are less energetic than the group was back in 1997, but this disc is probably better realized than was 'Bavards'. The music here moves fluidly over very uneven terrain at speeds necessitated by the territory, squirming over, around and, at times, even through the particular landscape. Derome, Allen, and Lauzier enter the mix sparingly, reacting in accord with the core trio to fill in sparse areas here and there. A stimulating exercise in free-improvisation.

1/18/0

Matthew Shipp '4D' [Thirsty Ear, 2010]

2010-01-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

'4D' is the newest effort by firebrand pianist Matthew Shipp, perhaps the most audacious high profile player of his generation. The record was released through Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, curated by Shipp since its 2000 inception. His solo work of the past decade sits almost uneasy, shoulder-to-shoulder with the heated opinions he so ostentatiously cultivates concerning the institution of jazz (etc...); yet it serves as a powerful reassurance of his essential status in the jazz world, in contrast to other less dignified labels Shipp the loose cannon has earned. '4D' is a strong follow-up to one of 2005's brightest releases, 'One' [Thirsty Ear]; they both see Shipp alone at the piano, with an extraordinary sense of dimension and an ear for jarring, poignant cluster work. For '4D' it seems as though he relinquishes a main strength of 'One' -- its brilliantly modest architecture -- and gains a passively forward method of speech as focal point, and though the structure is plainly evident, sight of it nearly dissipates. David S. Ware's bombastic former sideman has turned in a very convincing set of shorts -- ten originals, with six reworkings of pieces selected from the ranks of Ellington ("Prelude to a Kiss", excellent), Cole Porter, et al. A nice place to start for those curious of Matthew Shipp, or otherwise.

1/15/10

Fine, Metzger, Seru 'Medusa's Lair' [Locust Music, 2009]

2010-01-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Chicago's Locust Music presents this live performance, recorded in March of 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring three very able local personalities. A loose partnership has formed over the past decade between drummer Davu Seru and Milo Fine, a pianist/percussionist and long-time devotee of free improvisation; the duo is joined by Paul Metzger and with him, I'm assuming, the Locust Music connection. Metzger has experienced a degree of notoriety in the past two to three years for his work on a modified banjo, notably with the Locust release 'Deliverance'. For this outing, Metzger opts for a similarly modified guitar -- which, like the banjo, has drone strings -- and relinquishes many of the smoother raga-isms typical of past work. The recording, broken into two side-long pieces, has Seru and Fine feeling out Metzger for the first few minutes until a fairly democratic dynamic is established, whereby Seru's terse, minimal drumming and Metzger's swerving guitar lines are balanced masterfully by numerous manifestations of Milo Fine's creative personality-- by way of both a prepared drumset and piano, voice, and clarinet. The trio rolls all over itself at every speed possible while keeping the output coherent, and really heats up around a quarter of the way into the first side (Fine pulls out clarinet!). A semblance of equilibrium is established that bleeds into the second side, until Fine takes over on piano which is mimiced from a distance by Metzger's bowed guitar; the set winds down after one short burst of ecstasy by the group. All then fades to nil. I'm reminded of Derek Bailey's work with Spontaneous Music Ensemble members John Stevens and Trevor Watts; this is one invigorating listen. I also recommend the Metzger disc 'Three Improvisations on Modified Banjo' [Chairkicker's Music] and the Milo Fine Free Jazz Ensemble - (featuring Davu Seru) 'Towards', on Fine's own label Shih Shih Wu Ai.

Steve Gunn 'Boerum Palace' [Three Lobed, 2009]

2010-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

'Boerum Palace' follows Steve Gunn's recent limited-run outtakes CD -- 'Too Early for the Hammer', also on High Point, NC's Three-Lobed label -- and is the Brooklyn guitarist/vocalist's first full-length record to appear on wax. Besides working as one half of the duo behind GHQ's psych-folk, the past several years have seen Gunn quietly at work within the familiar confines of the raga-influenced American-primitive stance that, in the hands of others, so easily falls victim to cliche. Gunn's evolution is marked by a handful of modest tour-only CDRs, EPs, and collaborations that have him effortlessly wriggling free of the American primitive's traps, in order to develop an intriguing sound that doesn't rely on the idiom itself for ideas. By far his best yet, 'Boerum Palace' retains some familiar elements of 'Sundowner' (another excellent disc, out on Digitalis), yet goes beyond that disc's outward inclusiveness of foreign elements such as gnawa music. Gunn deftly introduces his meticulous finger-picking, tasteful adoption of extended Indian classical tropes, and brooding song-craft to the likes of pastoral slide guitar and epic 1970's guitar fuzz, while simultaneously managing to make casual nods in all the right directions. Completely fantastic.

1/6/10

Best of 2009

2010-01-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

1. Pan Sonic & Keiji Haino - Shall I Download a Black Hole and Offer it to You? [Blast First]
2. Richard Youngs - Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits [SONIC OYSTER]
3. Bill Orcutt - A New Way to Pay Old Debts [Palilalia]
4. Yoga - Megafauna [Holy Mountain]
5. Steve Gunn/Shawn David McMillen - End of the City [ABANDON SHIP]
6. Phill Niblock - Touch Strings [Touch]
7. Black Flowers - I Grew From a Stone to a Statue [Bo'Weavil]
8. Ganesh Anandan/Hans Reichel - Self Made [Ambiances Magnetiques]
9. Mayyors - Dead EP [Hurling Man]
10. Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy [Matador]
11. John Edwards-Chris Corsano - Tsktsking [Dancing Wayang]
12. Matthew Welch - Luminosity [Porter]
13. The Clean - Mister Pop [Merge]
14. Russian Tsarlag - Open Casket [Hot Releases]
15. Armpit - Tron [LAST VISIBLE DOG]
16. Willie Isz - Georgiavania [Lex]
17. Jeff Rehnlund - Gangnam Basement [Hot Releases]
18. Rusted Shut - Dead [Load]
19. Profound Sound Trio - Opus de Life [Porter]
20. Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – Catholic [Macro]
21. Realicide/Half Gorilla - split 7" [Detournemont Media]
22. Brotzmann/Kondo/Pupillo/Nilssen-Love - Hairy Bones [Okka Disk]

23. Alan Courtis/Bruce Russell/Eddie Prevost/Mattin - The Sakada Sessions [Azul Discografica]
24. Dave Phillips - They Live [RRR]
25. Flower-Corsano Duo - The Four Aims [VHF]
26. Tim Brady - Bradyworks, Quatuor Molinari [Ambiances Magnetiques]
27. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II [ICE H2O]
28. Zola Jesus- The Spoils [Sacred Bones]
29. DJ Dogdick - Dawn of the Dick 2004-2006 [self released]
30. Dave Phillips - They Live [RRR]
31. Uke of Spaces Corners - Flowers in the Night [Corleone]
32. Splinters - Split the Difference [Reel Recordings]
33. Pumice - Persevere 7-inch [Soft Abuse]
34. Group Doueh - Treeg Salaam [Sublime Frequencies]
35. Flakmask - These Landscaping Enhancements [TRD W/D]
36. Lobo -- Germometer [Detournemont Media]
37. Dan Melchior Und Das Menace - Dim Are the Lights/I Don't Want to be Nice 7-inch [CONVULSIVE]
38. The Fly Girlz - Da' Brats from Da' Ville [True Panther]
39. Slasher Risk -- s/t [Obsolete Units]
40. Watts Ensemble - Two Suites For Crime & Time [KILL SHAMAN]
41. Kiila - Tuota Tuota [Fonal]
42. El-G - Tout Ploie [S-S]

Reissues:
1. V/A - The World Is Shaking: Cubanismo From the Congo, 1954-55 [HONEST JON'S]
2. V/A - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-81 [SOUNDWAY]
3. MB - Armaghedon [Hot Releases]
4. V/A - Freedom, Rhythm & Sound [Soul Jazz]
5. V/A - Japanese Traditional Music: Noh - Biwa - Shakuhachi [World Arbiter]
6. Wicked Witch - Chaos 1978-82 [EM]
7. V/A - String of Pearls: Jewels of the 78 RPM Era 1918 to 1951 [Mississippi/Canary]
8. V/A - The Sound of Wonder! [B Music/Finders Keepers]
9. V/A - Too Much Needs Doing Here (cassette) [Mississippi]
10. Blithe Sons - The Great Orthochromatic Wheel [Family Vineyard]
11. V/A - Fly Girls! B-Boys Beware: Revenge of the Super Female Rappers! [Soul Jazz]
12. Hans-Joachim Roedelius - Durch Die Wurste [Bureau B]
13. Bishop Perry Tillis - ...In Times Like These [Mississippi]
14. V/A - An Outbreak of Twangin': Phantom Guitars Vol. Two [Psychic Circle]
15. Various Artists - Take Me To The Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950 [Dust-to-Digital]
16. V/A - Anthology of Dutch Electronic Tape Music Vol. 1 1955-1966 [Basta]

Sounds of Liberation 's/t' [Porter Records, 2009]

2009-12-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

Florida label Porter Records digs deep here, unearthing a 1972 Dogtown Records LP; the Philadelphia label, run by Sounds of Liberation member and Sun Ra sideman Byard Lancaster, operated as a local purveyor of obscure projects rising from the city's vibrant creative impulse. The Sounds of Liberation was assembled in 1971 by one of the most often overlooked, yet incredibly forward-thinking musicians in Philadelphia -- vibraphone/marimba player Khan Jamal. Along with fellow Sunny Murray disciple Byard Lancaster (alto sax), Jamal's group is rounded out by frequent collaborators Monette Sudler (guitar), Dwight James (drums), Billy Mills (electric bass) and percussionists Rashid Salim & Omar Hill. Though the past several years have turned up stunning leaps outward by Jamal groups (i.e. 'Drumdance to the Motherland'), the aim of the Sounds of Liberation group seems more populist, literal. The six selections on their self-titled debut are masterful combinations of bass-heavy funk and heady, meditative improvisation. The former comes by way of forceful, swinging yarns spun by a stout rhythm section with the linear Jamal lead soaring overhead, while the latter steps in only intermittently through Jamal, Lancaster and Sudler's full-range solo workouts. Everyone here is in top form, but an impossibly with-it Mills and Lancaster with his ecstatic alto bursts are marching away with the cake for this one. A high-water mark for Philadelphia in the 1970's, and free-leaning funk in general; I'd also recommend getting a bit further out with Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble's echo-laden 'Drumdance to the Motherland', which also features Sudler, James, and Mills. Very highly recommended.

12/19/09

Ahleuchatistas 'Of the Body Prone' [Tzadik, 2009]

2009-12-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

'Of the Body Prone' is the 5th release by Asheville, NC's Ahleuchatistas; it follows a string of successful Cuneiform discs and a reissue by Tzadik, who are responsible for this one. Since we last heard from the group, they've switched drummers and honed surgically-sharp their brand of Beefheartian avant-prog. The band sticks to what it does best here -- immensely agile, polyrhythmic jazz-rock composition led by the nuanced, clean & muscular guitar of Shane Perlowin. Their most fully realized outing yet, 'Of the Body Prone' flies past the usual comparisons (Flying Luttenbachers, Last Exit, certain Japanese dudes, etc.).

10/29/09

Bruce Gilbert 'This Way' [Editions Mego, 2009]

2009-12-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

A stunning album in four parts by Bruce Gilbert (guitarist of worthy UK post-punk band Wire), originally released in 1984 by the Mute label and recently resurrected by Peter Rehberg's Editions Mego. Prior to joining Wire in 1976, Gilbert studied art and became a player in London's burgeoning avant-garde community, working in tape music and keeping an ear out for the Germans. In 1980 Wire broke up and Gilbert formed Dome with Wire bassist Graham Lewis; with this group Gilbert's inclination outward began taking steps toward maturity. The original edition of the 'This Way' LP (there were several) is represented by the first two tracks on this disc -- two slow chugging grey masses alternately morose and weightless -- which were commissioned by notable British dancer/choreography Michael Clark. The last two tracks employ many of the same synthesizer/sequencer techniques, but aren't so far extended, nor are they decidedly affecting; they are, instead, sterile work-outs in martial synth music, pleasantly reminiscent of Remko Scha. Excellent.

12/15/09

V/A 'Freedom, Rhythm & Sound'

2009-12-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

'Freedom, Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz & the Civil Rights Movement 1963-1982' sees Soul Jazz taking a peek at one of my favorite directions in jazz history: music concerning some aspect of black empowerment in thought and/or deed. Considering the immensity of material available for this compilation -- BYG/Actuel, the AACM and so many other like minded labels and local organizations -- and the 144 minutes allotted, the cuts here are pretty well selected. The music here is largely American, exposing simultaneously the conscious fist pumpers -- the Pharoahs' Freedom Time or Archie Shepp's Attica Blues -- and the efforts of talented black players to push nothing forward but the envelope of the craft (on record, at least), such as Joe McPhee's heady collaboration with John Snyder on synth that resulted in 'Pieces of Light'; points in between include the majestic pairing of South African ex-pat Dollar Brand and the Argentinian Gato Barbieri, and an example of seriously out pan-Africanism by eventual American ex-pats, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Elsewhere, I'm very impressed with the dose of free-leaning funk jazz they've selected: Joe Henderson's synth heavy Foregone Conclusion might top similar work on Joe McPhee's 'Nation Time', if you can believe it! Soul Jazz would throw in at least one head-scratcher -- Sun Ra's Nuclear War is an odd choice, but I can't whole heartedly complain. Though I'm a sucker for this stuff, 'Freedom...' is highly recommended! More still, the Soul Jazz folks have really outdone themselves this time around; in addition to this fine package (two cds + booklet), they've printed up a full color book full of the era's album art. Hot dog.

12/10/09

John Edwards & Chris Corsano 'Tsktsking' [Dancing Wayang, 2009]

2009-12-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

British bassist John Edwards first collaborated with American kit-whiz Corsano in a group led by legendary reedsman Evan Parker; the fruit of that first session resulted in many more meetings for the trio, culminating with the fantastic Clean Feed disc, 'A Glancing Blow'. In December 2008, Edwards and Corsano quietly convened and recorded this LP for upstart London studio/label Dancing Wayang. Here, the dynamic makes a heavy shift with the absence of the incendiary Parker: the duo slyly and successfully expand to fill the empty seat. The tension present in their previous recording hasn't gone missing but, without Parker, is acheived through imposed spaciousness which, at times, does nod toward fiery extroversion. Almost from a distance, it seems, they take turns prompting each other in a language relaxed and fluent -- no frills, no clutter -- and I'm on my toes, cheering them on. My favorite Corsano project of the year; very highly recommended. Extra points: 'Tsktsking' comes in a real swell package with liners by a humorous Evan Parker.

12/9/09

Tim Brady 'Bradyworks & Quatuor Molinari' [Ambiances Magnétiques, 2009]

2009-11-17T18:56:00.001-08:00

'Bradyworks' & 'Quatuor Molinari' together constitute the audio half of a compelling new multimedia project, My 20th Century, by Montreal-based guitarist/composer Tim Brady. The two compositions align many styles Brady has previously employed but, right off, seems best suited to the voluminous chamber. With a film by videographers Martin Messier (also a renowned French-Canadian musician) and Oanu Suteu exhibited alongside four guitar-led narratives, Brady eloquently melds important artistic and social developments of the 20th century. Together, through abstraction and recognizable archetypes, its all very moving, at times even overwhelming. An interesting project, but Brady's half of the deal is what I'll casually return to.

11.11.09

De Kift 's/t EP' 7" and 'Yverzucht' [Mississippi, 2009]

2009-11-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

'DE KiFT'

In 1988 the 7" EP bearing the name DE KiFT was the first issued recording by the Dutch 'squatter' band, just months after their formation. A while before I fired up this blog I picked up the Domino Sound re-issue of De Kift's brilliant 'Krankenhaus', a dark combination of Dutch folk music, World War II-era literature, and a well-directed, intelligent vigor (in the style of the Ex, with whom they shared members) originally released in 1993 by the Konkurrel label. Five years prior the band is not so eloquent nor ambitious, but they possess plenty of confrontational energy and a marked otherness akin to the Ex. Released originally by the De Konkurrent label, this short first statement by De Kift is undeniably punk: it's super tight, sharp, and elastic music filled with a stalking (similar to the Two-Tone's but so much better!), prog-ish bass guitar, spazz, and Gang of Four style geometry. Fantastic!

11.12.09

'Yverzucht'

Quick on the heels of the aforementioned Domino (spiritual brethren of Mississippi) re-issue of 'Krankenhaus', Mississippi lifted another De Kift LP from obscurity -- 1989's 'Yverzucht' (originally released on the Konkurrel label). Twenty years ago this was the Dutch group's debut long-player, following the blistering 7" of 1988. This release is much less urgent than the 7" and starts a trend which would become fully realized with 'Krankenhaus': the horns receive more prominence in the songwriting, and listeners are directed toward their odd -- distinctly Dutch -- thematic and stylistic pedigrees, as opposed to punk snot and speed. The disjointed rhythms, hoarse vocals (they roll the r!), and overall immediacy of this record are still pretty far off from what was to come. This glimpse in the evolution of the intriguing group is really something else.

11.15.09

Ignaz Schick, Martin Tétreault 'Live • 33 • 45 • 78' [Ambiances Magnetiques]

2009-11-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

'Live • 33 • 45 • 78' is a collaboration of two beyond-deconstructionist turntablists: the Canadian Martin Tétreault and the German Ignaz Schick. They're well past the idioms marked by the 'broken music' approach or Christian Marclay -- their sound comes from the machine itself, removed from vinyl + needle friction. Schick is the younger of the two, but has honed an improvisational approach with Charlemagne Palestine and Don Cherry, while Tétreault has played and recorded with, as well as influenced many in the field of modern creative or improvised music such as Otomo Yoshihide and Jean Derome. Here, a pair of 2006 live performances from Belgium and Switzerland document the duo seizing from their machines sounds which are then forced to move in three tempos -- quick, quicker, quickest. The disc gurgles, buzzes, and oozes across the aural spectrum.

10.31.09

Robert Turman & Aaron Dilloway 'Blizzard' [Hanson Records, 2009]

2009-11-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

'Blizzard' is a collaboration between former Wolf Eyes member and Hanson label head Aaron Dilloway and Robert Turman. It seems Dilloway recently excavated Turman, who cut his teeth in the late 1970s producing unflinching industrial music with Boyd Rice, appearing on the very first NON recording. After slipping off the radar sometime in the late 1980s, Turman gave up recording and worked as a chef and clockmaker for a bit. A January 2009 meeting found Dilloway and Turman trapped in an unheated Ohio home as a monstrous snow storm rolled in; 'Blizzard' is how it sounded. These four slow rollers are marked by Dilloway's ominous synth clearing out a desolate low end; Turman's stone-faced tape manipulations intrude to provide some semblance of life -- barely a glimmer -- in a haunting, sterile landscape. A far cry from the last Dilloway recording I clung to (the ecstatic 'Modern Jester' tape), 'Blizzard' is plain cold and brutal. Highly recommend.

11.17.09

Richard Youngs 'Under Stellar Stream' [Jagjaguwar, 2009]

2009-11-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Richard Youngs is back in lethargic almost Brit-folk mode, less that guitar that found its way onto 'Autumn Response' and 'Naive Shaman'. Whirling around his voice this time are bass and organ occasionally accented by a synth, cymbal, or piano; this accompaniment is super-repetitive (=minimal, I guess), and his songwriting works in a similar way -- variations on a theme where x is the variable [a b c x (repeat)] -- which derives at least a little from a popular construction of the traditional British folk song. Very somber. No high water mark by Youngs' standards, but it ain't bad, no way.

11.1.09

Willie Lane 'Known Quantity' [Cord-Art, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

In a world bloated with dip shits and their singing guitars and the conspicuous absence of Steffen Basho-Junghans, the cards are stacked against MV+EE sideman Willie Lane. Fortunately for me, this isn't another American primitive-ist short on new ideas. This guy is pulling heavily from Sandy Bull, but he's one of few using Bull's memory (instead of Fahey or Basho) and he uses it wisely: this isn't a poor facsimile of 'Inventions' or anything. Instead we've got us a fresh LP of solo guitar, sometimes heavily effected kind of like MV+EE or Tower Recordings. Quite Good.

9.20.09

Russian Tsarlag 'Open Casket' [Hot Releases, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

I last heard from Carlos Gonzalez (that's Mr. Tsarlag) on that split 7" on West Palm Beeotch Records; this LP is his first for Carrboro, NC's Hot Releases and its more of the same: ghoulish, reverbed to hell funeral home rock from way back when (1961?). The tunes are very well suited to vinyl and repeat listens -- 'Open Casket' is top notch Tsarlag (its my favorite Hot Releases non-reissue LP). He puts the Cramps' memory to very good use and, incidentally, recalls some of New Zealand label Xpressway's best stuff. Lo-fi pop gold!

9.15.09

Colin McLean and Andy Moor 'Everything But the Beginning' [Unsounds, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

'Everything but the Beginning' is the first recording by former Dog Faced Hermans members Andy Moor (also of the Ex) and Colin McLean since 1994, and its out on Moor's own Unsounds label. This music was created to serve as part of a performance in collaboration with five improvisational dancers at OT 301 in Amsterdam. As such, it is meant to coexist with a visual element -- as music that shouldn't quite take the foreground. This is quite unlike Moor and McLean's irreverent free skronk punk music done with the Dog Faced Hermans in 1990's. 'Everything...' isn't so readily accessible, but with some time and attention it really grabs hold more often than not. When it doesn't, its usually the repetitive micro-music going stale on me. When its on, the similarities to furniture music disappear and the duo allows more room to pack sound onto each square inch of tape.

9.25.09

Weyes Bluhd 'Liquor Castle" [self-released, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Natalie M (thats Weyes Bluhd) sent us this CDR bootleg of her latest self-released 7". She's from Bucks County, PA and has played bass with Jackie-O Motherfucker and Axolotl. Solo, the sound is more reminiscient of the former: pulsing and hypnotic, half minimal dirty ass pop songs. This'll lay you out. Dig it.

10.8.09

Wrnlrd 'Myrmidon' [FSS, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Wrnlrd (say Worn lord?) is an Arlington, Virginia out-metal group; their sound is closest to black metal, but this shit is way weirder than blast beats, shit riffs, and guttural howling. This, their seventh release, works a lot like a freak folk or naive improv recording -- they use whatever's lying around (i.e. trumpet, music box, field recording, sample), except they make dirty ass metal with it all. Dark and muscle bound, but challenging in a way metal seldom is. Very cool.

10.12.09

Matthew Welch 'Luminosity' [Porter, 2009]

2009-10-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

2001 Wesleyan grad Matthew Welch's newest disc is a retrospective document gathering seven pieces written 1999-2005, and its out on Florida's Porter label. Welch has worked with many notable artists since 2001 such as John Zorn, Zeena Parkings, and Ikue Mori; whats presented on 'Luminosity' is definitely of similar persuasion. The tracks here represent Welch's far-reaching interests -- such as notated chamber composition, bagpipe music, and improv -- merged w/ his own soaring, majestic vision. Much like Arnold Dreyblatt's chiming minimalism, minus the marked pulse.

10.14.09

Ambarchi/Fennesz/Pimmon/Rehberg/Rowe 'Afternoon Tea' [Black Truffle, 2009]

2009-10-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi's new label Black Truffle is again re-issuing a long out of print limited edition LP from 2000 entitled 'Afternoon Tea'. Originally on German label Ritornell, this CD documents a live improvisation with Ambarchi & legendary AMM co-founder Keith Rowe on table-top guitar that is subsequently treated by Fennesz, Pimmon, & Peter Rehberg (aka Pita; the result is a blue print for a popular (as of the last decade) method of electro-acoustic music-making based on the use of computers (Powerbooks, back in 2000). Its highly nuanced and very subtle, and the degree of restraint employed here demands very close attention. Very nice.

10.1.09

King Kong Ding Dong 'Youth Culture Index' [self released, 2009]

2009-10-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

We last heard from Philadelphia's King Kong Ding Dong back in 2006 on their self-titled EP. Since then, they've shed a lot of the Lee Ranaldo posturing and further honed a very enjoyable experimental pop sound like Sung Tongs-era Animal Collective. Inviting, enveloping tunes neatly cluttered with field recordings (manipulated, of course), whispers, dreamy echo laden guitars and a beat slow enough to nod by.

10.11.09

Yoga 'Megafauna' [Holy Mountain, 2009]

2009-10-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Enter Yoga, two mysterious black metal bent dudes with their first long player out on Holy Mountain. This is seriously badass! The influence of Burzum/Dark Throne is immediately evident in this record's shit-house production; the red flag goes up again periodically with the growling vocals and a couple deeply buried thrash work-outs. Comparisons don't stop there -- I hear also dark wave goth shit and a weird, colorblind psych undercurrent at work too. Up the fidelity a bit and you've got a soundtrack for Lucio Fulci. This is great! One of my favorites for 2009.

9.9.09

V/A 'Resonant Hole Volume 1' [Rampart Tapes/Mountain 2009]

2009-10-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Resonant Hole vol. 1 is a compilation of inbred one-off groups taken from various weirdo Lexington, KY folks such as Irene Moon (recently transplanted to NC), Warmer Milks, 3 Legged Race, and Hair Police. Unlike many, this compilation was recorded to be issued as such; it sounds like one long album by one manic group -- thanks in part to the tin can fidelity (a space echo pedal). Tracks seamlessly flow from old school Siltbreeze scuzz pop to damaged prog to sci-fi movie on a budget to folk from another place. A real head-scratcher; I think certain doped up recluses would be proud, and so am I.

10.2.09

The Clean 'Mister Pop' [Merge Records 2009]

2009-10-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

After years of near-inactivity (a Dunedin show every now and again), the Clean got tired of their silent occupation of pop music's throne. They played a few 2008 shows, were very successful, and decided to release some of the tracks they'd recorded in secrecy back in '07. Beginning in isolated New Zealand circa 1978, the Clean spent the next 15 years amassing one of the most brilliant portfolios ever. They called it quits in the early 90's, but all 3 of them remained active: lead man David Kilgour as a solo artist (recently with a Merge disc), David's brother Hamish with the Mad Scene in New York, and Bob Scott with the Bats. The 2002 Merge 'Anthology' started a renewed interest in the group, which ultimately brought about 'Mister Pop'. They have, of course, matured a great deal, but the spark that made them great still exists: we have their trademark organ drones, jangling, chugging guitars, a half naive pop sensibility, and David's talk-singing all in tact. If this is your first exposure to this great group, definitely check out the 'Anthology' set as well as Clean off-shoot group featuring both Kilgours -- The Great Unwashed.

8.24.09

Scott Fields Ensemble 'Samuel' [New World Records, 2009]

2009-10-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

'Samuel' is the Scott Fields Ensemble's second recording, following the 2007 Clean Feed disc 'Beckett', in which the work of Samuel Beckett is transcribed into musical composition for guitar, tenor, cello, and drums using a meticulous algorithm designed by band leader Scott Fields. I'm not so familiar with Beckett's plays outside of some shorthand research, but it seems the first track, 'Not I', is most obviously similar to Beckett's shuffling, staccato prose; it ends up playing out like straight improv. The last tracks are more somber creepers, and seem to involve a transition -- banality to contemplation, ending up at some kind of realization (dread in track three). Cool, even apart from the concept.

9.24.09

Ganesh Anandan, Hans Reichel 'Self Made' [Ambiances Magnétiques, 2009]

2009-10-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to find this disc in the pile Montgomery passed off a few days back. In a break from the wash of limp experimentalism that too often clogs the French-Canadian Ambiances Magnétiques label, they put out this collaboration between the Czech/Canadian Ganesh Anandan (formerly of India) and German Hans Reichel, both of whom invented the instruments played here. Reichel has been around since the 70's, an under-appreciated exponent of free music akin maybe to Keith Rowe/AMM; for 'Self Made' he's playing his daxophone -- the figured wooden board suspended across another smaller, thicker one that is engaged by friction with the dax (bow it, strike it, pluck it). Anandan is perhaps not so well known, but has done interesting work in Karnatic music and Gamelan which inform the instruments he's created, particularly the metallophone, a percussive set of metal bars tuned (to my ears) a bit like the saron; he's also trotting out the shruti stick -- a sort of prepared electric 12-string zither. What results are 11 dialogs (plus 1 Anandan solo, t. 8), all improvised, and all pretty unsettling due mostly to the similarity of a tortured human voice to the daxophone; I'm totally absorbed. See also Reichel's 'Lower Lurum', Harry Partch, the 'Gravikords, Whirlies, & Pyrophones' compilation.

10.28.09