пятница, 7 декабря 2012 г.

Faruq Z. Bey with Northwoods Improvisers – Primal Waters (2012)

Faruq Z. Bey with Northwoods Improvisers – Primal Waters (Sagittarius A-Star, 2012)

Personnel:
Faruq Z. Bey - Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone
Skeeter C. R. Shelton - Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Mike Johnston - Bass, Bells, Shaker
Mike Carey - Flute, Bass Clarinet, Kalimba
Mike Gilmore - Vibraphone [Vibes], Kalimba
Nick Ashton - Drums, Drum [Drum Log]

Tracklisting:
01 - Kins
02 - Primal Waters
03 - Cat and Mouse
04 - Talon
05 - Kahtuhlpa
06 - Mamaka II
(cd version?)

A recent recording from the legendary Faruq Z. Bey – working here with the highly creative Northwoods Improvisers! Bey's tenor and alto are very much at the front of the recording, but the album also really draws a lot from the other players in the group – the vibes of Mike Gilmore, bass of Mike Johnston, drums and log drum of Nick Ashton, and additional reeds of Mike Carey and Skeeter CR Shelton – who all work with Faruq in ways that almost seem more structured than before – really held together with a great sense of composition on the longer tunes, while still stretching out with some freedom on the solos. The blend – possibly because of the bold use of vibes – reminds us a lot of the Chicago work coming from artists like Mike Reed or Jason Adasiewicz – and titles include "Kins", "Primal Waters", "Talon", and "Kuthuhlpa".


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вторник, 27 ноября 2012 г.

Black Motor - Club El Toro (2008)

Black Motor - Club El Toro (Ruby Red Editora, 2008)

Personnel: 
Sami Sippola - tenor saxophone
Ville Rauhala - double bass
Simo Laihonen - drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Homeward 
02 - Club El Toro
03 - Nekala High
04 - Amur
05 - Tulee Päivä
06 - Farewell
07 - Homeward

Black Motor was founded in Tampere in 2005 as an improvising trio of saxophonist Sami Sippola, bassist Ville Rauhala and drummer Simo Laihonen. From the beginning, the group was devoted to free jazz in the tradition of Rashied Ali, Albert Ayler and Peter Brötzmann and soon began an active performance schedule both in Tampere and elsewhere. Beginning in 2005, Black Motor has been largely responsible for the program of the Fly-Rite Festival club in Tampere organizing approximately ten events per year featuring various guest performers. During 2008 and 2009, Black Motor organized a monthly Hertta Jazz Monday club, also in Tampere. During the past few years, Black Motor has also begun to receive increasing national attention and has organized club events outside of Tampere as well. In 2009, Black Motor began organizing music workshops at various elementary and high schools around the Tampere region, an activity that still continues today with children of different ages. In 2011 and 2012, Black Motor performed school concerts under the rubric "Jazz Before And Now" around of Finland as well as organizing club events at the Telakka Restaurant in Tampere.

Almost from the outset, Black Motor began featuring various guest artists in their performances. One of the very first was guitarist Jukka Orma soon followed by trumpeters Mike Koskinen and Verneri Pohjola, saxophonists Juhani Aaltonen, Mikko Innanen and Jorma Tapio, guitarist Raoul Björkenheim, bassist Teppo Hauta-aho, pianist Samuli Mikkonen, guitarist/singer/songwriter P.K. Keränen and many others. They have also performed with circus acts, dancers, poets, rap artists and DJs in addition to fellow improvisers. In July 2012, Black Motor even performed with one of their early heroes, saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, at Häiriöjatsit, a mini-festival organized in Tampere.

Black Motor released its first two recordings in 2007 (On Duty and Black Motor). Five additional recordings have followed (Club El Toro in 2008, Vaarat Vastukset in 2008, Never Out Of Fashion−Live In Amsterdam in 2010, Hoojaa in 2011 and Jumehniemi in 2012).[TUM Records]


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понедельник, 19 ноября 2012 г.

Steve Reid Trio - Invitation (2002)

Steve Reid Trio - Invitation (CPR Records, 2002)

Personnel:
Steve Reid - drums
Boris Nersvetaev - piano
Chris Lachotta - bass

Tracklisting:
01 - Invitation
02 - Manteca
03 - Lover Man
04 - Impressions
05 - Nature Boy
06 - Blues
07 - Stolen Moments
08 - Just One Of Those Things
09 - Milestones
10 - Along Came Betty

"We'll have a chance to maybe acknowledge the people's musical menu without the large record companies directing it. Like in the movies the studios used to control everything, but that broke down. Now it's happening in the record business. The musicians are on top calling the shots, and the record companies have to readjust and get back into putting out creative music. And this is the answer to their revival".[Steve Reid and AllAboutJazz]

OUT OF PRINT!

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вторник, 9 октября 2012 г.

Nacka Forum - Fee Fi Fo Rum (2012)

Nacka Forum - Fee Fi Fo Rum (Moserobie, 2012)

Personnel:
Goran Kajfes: Cornet, Bass trumpet, Steiner EVI, Percussion, Tutor, Flexatone, Electric trumpet
Jonas Kullhammar: Tenor-, Baritone- & Bass saxes, Piccolo flute, Clarinet, Mini Moog, Mellotron, Percussion, Moisturizer
Johan Berthling: Double Bass
Kjell Nordesson: Drums, Vibraphone, Timpani, Tambourine

Tracklisting:
01 - Fanfarum För Forum
02 - Borkum Riff
03 - Jimmy
04 - Buss 446
05 - Dinner With Inner
06 - Yasuragi
07 - Gluck
08 - Occasions
09 - Fanfarum For Electric Forum 

The group's only a quartet, but they've got a combination of sounds and instruments to rival that of a much larger ensemble! The strength of the record really comes from the twin horn talents of Goran Kajfes and Jonas Kullhammar – the former on cornet, bass trumpet, flexatone, electric trumpet, and Steiner EVI – the latter on tenor, baritone, bass sax, flute, clarinet, minimoog, mellotron, and even moisturizer! These two stalwarts of the Swedish scene are well grounded by the rhythms of Johan Berthling on bass and Kjell Nordeston on drums (and a bit of vibes) – working with a firm guiding hand on some of the more focused tunes here, and really letting Kajfes and Kullhammar stretch out their tones at other points. Titles include "Fanfarum For Electric Forum", "Jimmy", "Dinner With Inner", "Yasuragi", "Borkum Riff", and "Gluck".[Dusty Groove America]


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Best record of the year, in my humble opinion!!!

четверг, 20 сентября 2012 г.

Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Live In Nashville & Louisville (2011)

Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Live In Nashville & Louisville (Sagittarius A-Star, 2011)

Personnel:
Arthur Doyle: tenor sax, voice
Vin Paternostro: roland 505
Ed Wilcox: percussions
Leslie Q: bass

Tracklisting:
01 - Sin
02 - Ash
03- Vanish
04 - Us
05 - Soul 

Recorded march 26 & 27, 2004 at Springwater tavern & Artswatch
"The final available rec. i have left of Arthur, unfortunatly ?! I kept it for the last since i find it a really special goody: a more intimate 4et live dates from 2004".


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понедельник, 3 сентября 2012 г.

Prezens - Slipped On A Bar. (2006)

Prezens - Slipped On A Bar. (Screwgun, 2006)

Personnel:
David Torn - guitar
Tim Berne - alto saxophone
Craig Taborn - keyboards
Tom Rainey - drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Bar To Be (11:41)
02 - Bar To See (08:46)
03 - Bar Too, Eh (09:12)

"this live performance, from 2006, was one of the 1st in which it
became apparent (to me, anyways) that the band showed itself as a
natural ensemble effort, with its own kinda vivacity & push/pull/push;
the 4 of us, stable instabilities, steady irregularities, hyperdense
and/or empty.....
..... but, regardless:
with a strong motive to become immersed in whatever it was the damned
music seemed to want, & the freaking electric nerves of trust required
for that." David Torn, 2008

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среда, 29 августа 2012 г.

Enrico Rava - On The Dance Floor (2012)

Enrico Rava - On The Dance Floor (ECM, 2012)

Personnel:
Enrico Rava: trumpet
Andrea Tofanelli: trumpet, flugelhorn
Claudio Corvini: trumpet, flugelhorn
Mauro Ottolini: trombone, tuba
Daniele Tittarelli: alto saxophone, flute
Dan Kinzelman: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Franz Bazzani: keyboard
Giovanni Guidi: piano, Fender Rhodes, toy piano
Dario Deidda: bass
Marcello Giannini: electric guitar
Zeno de Rossi: drums
Ernesto Lopez Maturell: percussion

Tracklisting:
01 - Speechless
02 - They Don't Care About Us
03 - Thriller
04 - Privacy
05 - Smile
06 - I Just Can't Stop Loving You / Smooth Criminal
07 - Little Susie
08 - Blood On The Dance Floor
09 - History

It was only after Michael Jackson’s death that Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava gradually became aware that he had for many years been ignoring, in his words, “one of the great protagonists of 20th century music and dance. A total artist. A perfectionist. A genius. I felt the need to delve more deeply into Michael’s world. There was only one way to do that: play his songs.” Thus this live album, recorded at the Rome Auditorium with the Parco della Musica Jazz Lab. Enrico’s trumpet is at its most extroverted here, vaulting above the spirited arrangements by Mauro Ottolini. Michael Jackson’s protean pop songs have never been heard quite like this. Rava is currently playing European festivals with this programme.[ECM]

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL! You are a genius!

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пятница, 22 июня 2012 г.

Anders Nilsson / Gerald Cleaver / Raoul Björkenheim - Kalabalik (2012)

Anders Nilsson / Gerald Cleaver / Raoul Björkenheim - Kalabalik (DMG/ARC, 2012)

Personnel:
Gerald Cleaver: Drums
Anders Nilsson: Electric Guitar
Raoul Björkenheim: Electric Guitar

Tracklisting:
1 - Spiraling Skies (13:07)
2 - Vortex (5:26)
3 - Incarnation (8:38)
4 - Robot Tango (13:47)
5 - Saga Raga (8:43)
6 - Descension (9:20)

Wonderful new album by two great Scandanavian guitarists (Raoul and Anders) with the propulsive Gerald Cleaver. Like the hype says below, definitely big hints of early John McLaughlin and the most exploratory bits of Jimi. Really great. Highly recommended.

"In late December of 2010, our great friend and world-trotting guitar demon Raoul Bjorkenheim, was in town for a couple of weeks. Just after Christmas, Raoul and fellow Scandinavian guitar great Anders Nilsson played a duo gig up in Harlem attended by Manny, myself and a few other informed fans. It turned out pretty well with the spirit of Jimi Hendrix - and early John McLaughlin - floating behind both guitarists. A light went on in my head! I asked Raoul and Anders to do an in-store concert on the first Sunday of 2011 at DMG with possibly additional players. They decided to ask the great percussionist Gerald Cleaver to complete this trio. The set was well attended, turned out better than any of us could have imagined, and cemented their relationship a working trio. Professionally recorded by Robert O'Hare, mixed by Robert Musso, and mastered by Mike King - we couldn't ask for better collaborators on the post-production end! The music is spectacular! Although it was completely improvised, it sounds as if there was some sort of script involved. Raoul, Anders and Gerald spin tales of wonder. It is an exciting, intense and demanding journey with incredible interplay, humorous detours and like the best of any progressive session, it completely works! It has been a few years since the last DMG/ARC release due to financial reasons, but we knew we would have to release this one. It's that FANTASTIC! Manny & me are jumping up and down with joy because we know that this disc will make y'all smile! Are you ready for Kalabalik!?! We know you are!"[waysidemusic]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

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And have a sunny summer vacation!

четверг, 21 июня 2012 г.

Othin Spake - The Ankh (2006)

Othin Spake - The Ankh (Rat Records, 2006)

Personnel:
Teun Verbruggen: drums, toys and dustbingrooves
Mauro Pawlowski: guitar and weirdness
Jozef Dumoulin: fender rhodes and effects

Tracklisting:
01 - Part 1
02 - The Poem of Hyndla
03 - Höôr
04 - Certified 31% Evil
05 - Fry
06 - The Bureau of Atomic Tourism
07 - Plastic Picollo Factory Box

Othin Spake started as a joke. Put together march 2005 by Teun Verbruggen, who got “carte blanche” at Archiduc in Brussels. Teun decided to play a complete Improvised session with the exentric guitarplayer Mauro Pawlowski (dEUS, Somnambula, Mitshubishy Jackson,…) and piano-rhodesplayer Jozef Dumoulin (Mäâk Spirit, Magic Malik, Octurn,…)
This first session (on a lousy, rainy sundayafternoon) turned into a complete musical party going from very rough soundscaping, to punk, minimal elektronic and Jazz.
It was an unbelievable event with very fresh, innovating music from three musicians who never played together before.
Immediately they were asked for Jazz-middelheim 2005, Petrol, Flanders Jazz Meeting (where they immediately became one of the most discussed bands …. “This is no Jazz!!!!!!”
Now they’re asked to Play John Zorn’s supportact at AB, Brussels and many other great things are pending.

They’re not playing pure Jazz but they call their music “emofreejazznoizesweetpunk” which comes close to what they’re bringing. Every concert is a complete discovery and a fully improvised set … so worth checking out!![cdbay]

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четверг, 31 мая 2012 г.

Othin Spake - Child Of Deception And Skill (2008)

Othin Spake - Child Of Deception And Skill (Glasvocht Records, 2008)

Personnel:
Jozef Dumoulin - Electric Piano[Fender Rhodes]
Mauro Pawlowski - Guitar
Teun Verbruggen - Drums

Tracklisting:
01 - The Ballad Of Vafthruthnir: Introductary Note (4:35)
02 - Gore (5:56)
03 - Skinfaxy (2:53)
04 - The Glittering Day Doth Draw (9:33)
05 - The Evil Art Contest (4:22)
06 - Warped Dreamer (6:05)
07 - Grace Of The Shadowy Keep (6:09)
08 - The Nethack Dictionnary (10:54)
09 - Child Of Deception And Skill (5:38)
10 - Indigo Mystery (Poem Of Frygg) (10:56)

Jozef Dumoulin is a Rhodes dynamo. Drummer Teun Verbruggen's free-jazz plus whatever else combo Othin Spake would be lost without his pitch bent keyboard. It's not that he is constantly showing off technical wizardly, that's left to the guitar freak outs of Mauro Pawlowski. It's that Dumoulin holds the improvisations together, a glue that keeps Pawlowski's wild, infrequent, but ultimately brilliant guitar insanity from overshadowing the affair and keeps Verbruggen's accelerando from shooting the group to the moon. Dumoulin plays the middle man. The keyboard, save for a few exceptions where Dumoulin and Pawlowski swap patient/impatient roles or when the whole combo is stuck down tempo, often becomes more propulsive than the rhythm section'a driving force in its calmness and the hopefulness of its utterances. Its middle piece "Warped Dreamer" that really makes the whole session, only the second time the group came together to perform, worth it. "Warped Dreamer" is one of those miraculous moments that could only come about in improvisation. Verbruggen and Powlowski swirl around Dumoulin's slow creation of a near melody sometimes Verbruggen syncs in rhythm with him or Powlowski copies the stilted chord progression, sometimes they both shoot off frantic spurts in opposition to the piece's obvious center. But as the tempo increases and Verbruggen takes rhythmic control, the three fall into a beautiful sync with each other. Its unfolds so excellently, and works almost too well as the climax, possibly because the rest of the session never really picks up the pace in the same way.

The downside comes in the interludes, and the slow-moving latter half. The group forays into its most experimental at its most snail-paced, sometimes creating amazing ambient pieces that seem too good to be unscripted ("The Glittering Day Doth Drain" as an exemplar) as well as issuing forth loads of interesting noises, but often times wandering too far away from the center, that fearless stumble forwards and upwards. Again, moments like "Warped Dreamer" leave the listener wanting a continuously higher high, leaving one in the dregs of musical addiction. "Child of Deception and Skill" is still doubtlessly the work of three brilliant musicians. The faults aren't worth dwelling on, and I don't have the expertise to really get at the sublimity of the strong points, of which there are many. The news that Trevor Dunn, a bassist whose resume includes Mr. Bungle and John Zorn, will be featured in Othin Spake's upcoming 2009 slated CD should also come as fairly great news. Until you get a chance to hear that, or see them live somehow, this release will suffice quite nicely. [John Ganiard]

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понедельник, 28 мая 2012 г.

Devin Gray - Dirigo Rataplan (2012)


Devin Gray - Dirigo Rataplan (Skirl, 2012)

Personnel:
Ellery Eskelin - tenor sax
Dave Ballou - trumpet
Michael Formanek - bass
Devin Gray - drums/composition

Tracklisting:
01 - Quadraphonically
02 - Cancel the Cancel
03 - Down Time
04 - Prospect Park in the Dark (For Charles Ives)
05 - Talking with Hands
06 - Otaku
07 - Thickets (For Gerald Cleaver)
08 - Katahdin

Despite his youth, drummer Devin Gray has built an impressive resume and a well- deserved reputation as both an improviser and instrumentalist. His first CD as a leader, Dirigo Rataplan shows that he is not a slouch in the composition or bandleader department either.

The record's title, loosely translated from Latin and French, means leading from the beat, and Gray's unique approach to the drum-set allows him to do just that—not an easy feat given the august company he keeps. His quartet consists of idiosyncratic tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, versatile bassist Michael Formanek and trumpeter Dave Ballou, a stalwart of New York's creative music scene.

Gray's percussive approach is somewhat reminiscent of Marilyn Mazur, particularly on the opening track, "Quadraphonically." His angular rhythms and complex tonal constructs are in the forefront of this track while his band mates play short bursts of notes in support, before a theatrical saxophone and trumpet dialogue evolves into a melancholic ensemble play.

Elsewhere, his inpatient and relentless drumming hints at Elvin Jones' polyphonism, such as on "Talking with Hands" which features Eskelin and Ballou embellishing the melody in unison in an homage of sorts to Albert Ayler's New Orleans Brass Band influenced Avant-Garde stylings. Gray, not only seamlessly keeps up with his side musicians but his compositions create the right environment to showcase their individual skill sets

Eskelin's thick and lyrical tone is well suited for the funky and free "Down Time" where his edgy, intricate and stimulating flight of fancy is not unlike the inside-outside playing of the distinctive Chicago Jazz man Von Freeman. On "Katahdin," his engrossing solo ebbs and flows in unusual yet stimulating patterns.

In addition to playing the perfect foil to Eskelin, Ballou's chirps and twitters build into a melodic yet jagged extemporization on the atmospheric "Thicket." Their unified sound over Formanek's virtuoso and acerbic arco bass gives the impression of a bagpipe blowing in the night. The nocturnesque ambience is also present on the Zen-like "Prospect Park in the Dark" with its free flowing, stream of consciousness, four-way musical conversation.

Momentum slacks just a tad on a couple of the tunes. On "Cancel the Cancel," for example, there is a repetition of musical ideas and on "Otaku" the group improvisation gets a bit chaotic.

Despite a very few and minor rough spots, Dirigo Rataplan is an eloquent debut from an immensely talented musician. Hopefully this is just the introduction to an impressive oeuvre to come. [allaboutjazz]

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

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пятница, 4 мая 2012 г.

Franco D'Andrea - Traditions and Clusters (2012)

Franco D'Andrea - Traditions and Clusters (El Gallo Rojo, 2012)

Personnel:
Franco D’Andrea: piano
Daniele D’Agaro: clarinet
Mauro Ottolini: trombone
Andrea Ayassot: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Aldo Mella: double bass
Zeno De Rossi: drums
Han Bennink: snare drum

Tracklisting:
CD1:
01 - I’ve Found A New BabyTurkish Mambo
02 - Strawberries
03 - Clusters N.1
04 - Monodic
05 - Clusters N.2
06 - Half Of The Fun
07 - Clusters N. 3
08 - Caravan

CD2:
01 - March
02 - Vis Libera
03 - A4 + M2
04 - Turkish Mambo
05 - Half The Fun
06 - M3/Caravan
07 - Into the Mystery
08 - Old Time Blues

It is a satisfying musical experience when a performance can deliver traditional jazz without the music being reduced to orthodoxy. Such is the resonance of Franco D'Andrea's sound.

The seventy-something Italian pianist follows Soprais (El Gallo Rojo, 2011), with his long-established quartet, by adding the early jazz instruments of clarinet and trombone, played respectively by Daniele D'Argaro and Mauro Ottolini. On the live Traditions And Clusters he also invites his contemporary , drummer Han Bennink, to sit in on two tracks.

With Bennink in the house, the music skates, skips, and glides between what was once the new thing (circa 1920) to the new thing, without becoming estranged. The opener, clocking in at 24 minutes boils "I've Found A New Baby" (made famous by Benny Goodman's Orchestra) before segueing into Lennie Tristano's "Turkish Mambo," and then George Gershwin's "Strawberries." Decorated by clarinet and trombone, the conventional gets a kick in the backside. Same for Duke Ellington's standard "Caravan," that is referred to as context, but not as a limiter on D'Andrea's examinations.

These are not neocons faithfully reproducing a bygone era, but prospectors mining the past for modern innovation. D'Andrea, like Thelonious Monk before him, begins in the jazz tradition, but twists the sound to make it his own. The Clusters referred to in the title are group improvisations by his quartet that are takeoffs on D'Andrea originals or a song penned by Billy Strayhorn. Drummer Zeno De Rossi (perhaps the modern heir to the Bennink sound) replaces Bennink and saxophonist Andrea Ayassot and bassist Aldo Mella remain a stable improvising component to D'Andrea's quartet.

The second disc finds the D'Andrea Quartet expanded to a sextet with D'Agaro and Ottolini. The band once again mines Ellington Strayhorn, and Tristano, as well as touches of Chick Corea and Misha Mengelberg. The delicate dance, push and pull between traditional jazz and the abstraction of free music get a crowd-pleasing workout here.[allaboutjazz]

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пятница, 20 апреля 2012 г.

Mr. Rencore + Tim Berne - Intollerant (2011)

Mr. Rencore + Tim Berne - Intollerant (Auand, 2011)

Personnel:
Tim Berne: alto sax;
Beppe Scardino: baritone sax, bass clarinet;
Gabrio Baldacci: baritone guitar, bass, loops, efx;
Daniele Paoletti: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Ort Milos
02 - Kepas J
03 - Hurricane
04 - Intollercaos
05 - Book B
06 - Mr. Rencore
07 - Bren Corner

Mr. Rencore was formed in 2006 by baritone guitarist Gabrio Baldacci and drummer Daniele Paoletti, who had been playing together for 15 years in other bands. Three years later, they added baritone saxophonist Beppe Scardino.

All three musicians are at ease in several genres, with careers that have traversed rock, folk jazz and free improvisation, making them comfortable bedfellows. Adding chameleon-like alto saxophonist Tim Berne—who came in specially for this project—the music on Intollerant is a salivating blend of form and texture that dips into a host of styles to come up with portraits that electrify the imagination.

Baldacci composed five tracks, while "Kepas J" and "Bren Corner" are collective improvisations, which show how the band members interweave ideas and work in empathic understanding through a rich collage of styles.

The approach to "Kepas J" is pensive, with fragments from Scardino's bass clarinet floating into the effects from Baldacci as Paoletti adds a skewered beat. All of this is held together by Berne, his alto saxophone weaving a melody through the disparate strands. Berne fathoms the ambit perfectly without suffocating it. This leaves room for the band members to pursue logical tangents that take the form of scalding notes from the baritone guitar and an escarpment of rhythmic cascades from the drums until they all come together and rock out.

"Bren Corner" is more open-ended. Time and space are molded into myriad shapes and sounds. A conversation between Baldacci and Scardino begins in the throes of guitar chords and strangulated clarinet before it gets laid back. The texture turns dense, but no one hogs the limelight; there is room for ideas to float in and out, for ruminations to be folded into the tapestry and for oblique references to be made part of the whole.

The fierce, driving "Mr. Rencore" is a vivid document of the art of marrying composition to free idiom. The horns lock front and center, essaying a volatility that reverberates right through. Melody is rife when Scardino plays the bass clarinet before he goes on a bend while Berne is more modulated. The free movements calibrate their sense of adventure in a constant forging of abstractions and their dissemination. It's wonderfully representative of the approach of the band.

Mr. Rencore, with Tim Berne, in tow is a revelation, showcasing as it does an array of pulsating moods and structure.(c) allaboutjazz

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среда, 4 апреля 2012 г.

Skerik's Bandalabra - Live At The Royal Room (2012)

Skerik's Bandalabra - Live At The Royal Room (Royal Artist Group, 2012)

Personnel:
Skerik - sax
Dvonne Lewis
- drums
Evan Flory-Barnes
- bass
Andy Coe
- guitar


Tracklisting:
01 - Freeborn
02 - Plutocracy
03 - Simulacrum
04 - Beast Crusher
05 - Charlie Don't Ike It
06 - Jennacosta

Skerik, the enduringly saxophonic, punk jazz iconoclast, introduces his latest project Bandalabra. Joining him are three of his fellow Seattle hometown's most revered players: Andy Coe on electric guitar, Evan Flory-Barnes on upright bass and Dvonne Lewis on drums. In Skerik's words, Bandalabra is intended to conjure the sounds of "Fela Kuti meeting Steve Reich in rock's backyard." A bold assertion, but one for which the music bears witness. Together, the quartet syncopates and snakes, floats free and snaps tight with hypnotic afrobeat rhythms, minimalist canons and improvised harmonics. There's a duality that demands listeners both dance communally and get lost in their daydreams. On their debut album 'Live At The Royal Room,' captured at the band's first ever public performance, the foursome head into the deep unknown, creating music in the moment for over 60 minutes straight. Halfway through the evening, they hit upon the illest of psych grooves, one later dubbed "Beast Crusher." Here the visceral and cerebral become one, the music explodes into the Northwest skies and Skerik's Bandalabra is born into the world a fully realized vision.
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среда, 1 февраля 2012 г.

Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber (2012)

Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber (Hubro, 2012)

Personnel:
Erland Dahlen: Drums, Saw [Musical Saw], Timpani, Gong [Gongs], Musical Bow [Bow On Cakeform With Springs], Percussion [Tank Drums], Cuica, Maracas, Kalimba, Temple Block [Temple Blocks], Steel Drums, Percussion [Logdrum], Bells, Electronics, Performer [Megaphone], Performer [Sticks/mallets On String Instruments (monkey Drummer With Battery)]

Tracklisting:
1. Flower Power (6:31)
2. Funeral (5:23)
3. Piratman (5:41)
4. Dragon (5:21)
5. Monkey (4:49)
6. Pyramid (4:34)
7. Germany (3:32)

Rolling Bomber is the solo debut of one of our favourite musicians: drummer Erland Dahlen. He has played on over 130 records since the mid-1990s, and has toured with an impressive list of top-ranking artists in a variety of genres: Kiruna, Mike Patton/Kaada, Ingrid Olava, Eivind Aarset Sonic Codex Orchestra, Mathias Eick, Serena Maneesh, Arve Henriksen, Hanne Hukkelberg and Marit Larsen, to name just a few. He is probably best known as the drummer in the successful band Madrugada for the last years of the band’s life, and as the drummer in Nils Petter Molvær’s explosive new trio.

The idea of doing a solo project had to mature for ten years before Erland finally went into the studio for three days in February and April 2011. The album is named after the special drum set Erland plays on the album, a Slingerland Rolling Bomber kit from World War II, which he bought from free-jazz drummer and collector Roger Turner. The mechanical parts of this set are made of rosewood, as the arms industry appropriated all available metal during the war. “When a drum has so much wood in it, it gets a very warm sound, which appeals to me a lot,” says Erland.

In addition, he uses an instrumentarium consisting of a variety of percussion instruments, electronic instruments and specially constructed instruments. Erland has played the saw for many years, and the saw is an important melodic instrument on the Rolling Bomber.

The album has a playful, richly visual mood, but is also quite dark and menacing in places. Elements of krautrock, drone music, ambient music and contemporary music are woven together with rock-inspired energy. Erland produced the record himself along with Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen, who form the electronica duo Xploding Plastix. Erland has worked with them for nine years. The dark second cut on the album, “Funeral”, is a remix by Hallvard W. Hagen.

The album was recorded in an abandoned coffee factory that Erland rents in central Oslo. It was mixed by Jens Petter Nilsen at tinfoilaudio and mastered by Helge Sten at Audio Virus Lab.[BUY IT HERE]

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вторник, 24 января 2012 г.

The Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute To Marley (2011)

The Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute To Marley (Budapest Music Center, 2011)

Personnel:
Carsten Daerr - piano, organ, fender rhodes, melodica
Hamid Drake - drums
Manu Codija - guitar
Christophe Monniot - alto, baritone and sopraniono saxophone
Michael Schiefel - voice, electronics
Matyas Szandai - double bass
Viktor Toth - alto saxophone

Tracklisting:
1. Is This Love (6:00)
2. Could You Be Loved (8:47)
3. No Woman No Cry (6:24)
4. Rastaman Frustration (4:30)
5. Jammin' (5:58)
6. Nap-nap (3:59)
7. Redemption Song (6:46)
8. Natural Mystic (6:34)
9. Is This Love (Unplugged) (4:19)


What has contemporary jazz got to do with Bob Marley? What sense is there in adding another to the long line of cover albums, when this concept, often an 'easy rider', has long been a hoary chestnut (for instance, the Twist of Marley CD)? Not to mention the fact that making a complete ‘homage’ album is far from being a risk-free enterprise, because comparison with the version everyone knows often gives rise to the verdict: well... not as good as the original.

Okay, so why do it?

In BMC circles the reggae idea was first floated in 2006 during a long car journey, when we were bringing Hamid Drake back from Austria to record in Budapest. After the improvised duo concert with the outstanding Swiss pianist Iréne Schweizer, somewhat to my surprise, he moved onto reggae for nearly three hours. It is little known that this 56-year-old American drummer, with dreadlocks down to his ankles, for many years played as a session musician with the greatest reggae stars before he became famous on the contemporary jazz scene.

Since then from time to time, amongst musicians associated with BMC Records I have raised the possibility of creating an unusual reggae project. It turned out that far more jazz musicians have reggae roots than I thought, and many of them get a buzz from the genre’s freaky approach. It also became obvious that the common denominator was clearly the music of the king of reggae, Bob Marley.*

Of the French pair on this recording 15 years ago the saxophonist Christophe Monniot played with his own reggae group as the warm-up band of the illustrious exponents of the genre, so it was no coincidence that reggae motifs also appear on his later jazz albums. On the latest CD by his old fellow musician Manu Codjia the style also gets a look-in, in the form of two Bob Marley arrangements.

Neither is the affinity for reggae of the two Berlin musicians a new fad: the pianist Carsten Daerr wrote his own memorial piece to Marely for an earlier trio album, and in a duo he plays dub versions and reggae-fied transcriptions of Bach and Gershwin with the singer Michael Schiefel.

The two Hungarian musicians are no strangers to the language of reggae either. Besides having two joint albums with Hamid Drake behind them, saxophonist Viktor Tóth has written several compositions in the genre, and thanks to his mother’s record collection bassist Mátyás Szandai’s also grew up on the music of Bob Marley.

The final push to create The Cool Runnings Orchestra was given by Jenő Hartyándi, director of the Mediawave festival, when he offered to act as a partner in continuing the earlier BMC-Mediawave joint projects. So the band first met in Szombathely, the new home for Mediawave, where after four-day recording process they gave their debut concert.

During a chat to Hamid Drake in the studio period, mention was made of the legendary On-U Sound label and workshop, which revived many genres and engaged in revolutionary experiments in what now seem utterly natural combinations of electronic sounds, effects, samples and differing styles. Folk for instance (African Headcharge), blues (Little Axe) and last but not least reggae (Dub Syndicate). We smiled at the fact that though a replica of this classic kind of On-U vibe could not be our aim, in terms of attitude, as a distant parallel it can nevertheless be said: this improvised reggae is also ‘a new’ (On-U) sound.

Then after the performance of The Cool Runnings Orchestra my old reggae biker brother said stirringly: ‘This was an experience, like the Dub Syndicate fifteen years ago.’ Then I was sure we were on the right track. [BUY IT HERE]

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вторник, 17 января 2012 г.

Black Motor - Hoojaa (2011)

Black Motor - Hoojaa (Kauriala Society, 2011)

Personnel:
Ville Rauhala: Double Bass
Simo Laihonen: Drums, Bells, Gong, Flute
Sami Sippola: Saxophone [Tenor], Saxophone [Mouthpiece]

Tracklisting:
01 - Lumikki
02 - Voodoojenkka
03 - Hotti
04 - Hoojaa
05 - Nyrkkikyllikkivalssi
06 - Yksin Kaukana
07 - Kansan Laulu

Beautiful "traditional" free-jazz from the hardest working band in Finland!

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четверг, 12 января 2012 г.

Piero Bittolo Bon Jümp The Shark - Codename: Ohmlaut (2011)

Piero Bittolo Bon Jümp The Shark - Codename: Ohmlaut (El Gallo Rojo, 2011)

Personnel:
Piero Bittolo Bon: alto saxophone, flute
Gerhard Gschloessl: sousaphone, trombone
Pasquale Mirra: vibes, glockenspiel
Domenico Caliri: electric and 12-string acoustic guitars
Danilo Gallo: double bass, rickenbacker bass
Federico Scettri: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - When Will The Bruce Lee
02 - Die Teuflische Quinlan
03 - Heiligesruder
04 - Samantha Fox aka Kawaii Oppai! Banzai!!
05 - Secret Life Of The Mullet People
06 - Survival Advantages Of Viscera Fat
07 - Kwisatz, Kwisatz, Kwisatz
08 - Outro

A brand new charachter abruptly crashes into the routine of your favourite quintet! The real essence Jump The Shark: will Gerhard, our nice uncle from Bavaria, succeed in helping the band ratings increase, following Scrappy Doo and Cousin Oliver's trail? Will a simple diaeresis be enough to bring back Sugoi Sentai! Gattai!!'s ancient glory? Slippery but abrasive sounds like shark skin, delicious as an resistor-würstel flavoured omelette. Piero Bittolo Bon. [buy it here]

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