понедельник, 16 декабря 2013 г.

Omaha Diner - Omaha Diner (2013)

Omaha Diner - Omaha Diner (Royal Artist Group, 2013)
 
Personnel:
Steven Bernstein: trumpet, slide trumpet
Skerik: saxophone
Charlie Hunter: 7-string guitar, tres-doble
Bobby Previte: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Locked Out of Heaven
02 - Thrift Shop
03 - Single Ladies
04 - The Reflex
05 - Wishing Well
06 - Lose Yourself
07 - Another One Bites the Dust
08 - War
09 - Big Girls Don't Cry
10 - Love Train


Sitting in a diner in Omaha, Nebraska in 1954, Todd Storz noticed that a teen-age waitress selected the same song on the jukebox over and over. At that moment, Top 40 radio was born, joining the TV dinner, the Reuben sandwich, the bobby pin, the ski lift, and (some claim) fuzzy dice on the list of famous and infamous inventions from the city that sits atop the Strategic Air Command.

Now comes the latest invention, OMAHA DINER - four storied musicians attempting to re-define a format that forever perverted the way we experience music. You may love Top 40 (doubtful), you may hate it (probable), you may not care about it at all (liar), but you cannot escape it.

Top 40 as you've never heard it before - OMAHA DINER.

*** OMAHA DINER's Ironclad Guarantee: all songs have touched, however briefly, #1
on the Top 40 pop chart.
OMAHA DINER BIOGRAPHY
OMAHA DINER is many things: the world's definitive virtuoso of the seven-string guitar, the pioneer of saxophonics, a recipient of the 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship for composition, and a Grammy nominee. Omaha Diner is at home in all situations in and beyond the world of music - not only scoring one of the films of legendary director Robert Altman, but performing in another one as well.

In its 125 years of experience the Diner has worked in some capacity with an unlikely and astonishing array of artists: Aretha Franklin, Sting, John Mayer, Levon Helm, John Adams, Roswell Rudd, Linda Ronstadt, Pearl Jam, Elton John, My Morning Jacket, Courtney Love, The San Francisco Ballet, Sam Rivers, Marianne Faithfull, The Moscow Circus, Roger Waters, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Michael Tilson-Thomas, R.E.M., Johnny Copeland, Bonnie Raitt, Lukas Foss, The Meters, Ween, D'Angelo, Les Claypool, Alvin Ailey, Digable Planets, Sonny Sharrock, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Tom Waits.

Omaha Diner has toured every continent with the (possible) exception of Antarctica, playing rock arenas, iconic Jazz clubs, Carnegie Hall, and hardscrabble Kentucky roadhouses. The Diner turns up in other places as well - author of the liner notes to Miles Davis' 'In Concert' record, actor on Saturday Night Live, dancer, sous-chef, teacher. [Fast Atmosphere]

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пятница, 8 ноября 2013 г.

Black Motor - Yöstä Aamun Kynnykselle (2013)

Black Motor - Yöstä Aamun Kynnykselle (Lumpeela Julkaisut, 2013)

Personnel:
Sami Sippola - tenor saxophone
Ville Rauhala - double bass
Simo Laihonen - drums
 
Tracklisting:
01 - Hymni
02 - Alla Parran Autaan
03 - Kaksi Huilua
04 - Aamun Kynnykselle
05 - Kelle Kuuluu Sydämein
06 - Myrsky-Kalle
07 - Pieni Kysymys
08 - Illalla Valkea Kyyhky

Even though the members of Black Motor come from the coastal town of Pori, the rural municipality of Kangasala and the small inland city of Jyvaskyla, the roots of the trio lie deep in the soil of the city of Tampere. Saxophonist Sami Sippola, bassist Ville Rauhala and drummer Simo Laihonen could undoubtedly have congregated elsewhere as well, but the easy-going, brotherly and open rock and jazz community of Tampere provided the perfect breeding ground. After taking their individual tentative steps in the scene, a new band became an inevitability.

In January 2005, after making their mark and gathering many lifetimes’ worth of experience with various line-ups both transient and permanent, the threesome felt that the time was right to set up something new, something they all could call their own. The framework would come from the soulful and rootsy free jazz of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane, but the attitude and method was snatched from punk rock. After playing the first show under the moniker of Black Motor in May 2005, momentum started to gather and it took less than two years before two recordings were out. Released in 2007, Black Motor and On Duty document a diamond in the rough: The ambitious group was nothing if not bursting with potential and bravado.

More albums and appearances both as a trio and with exciting guests followed, and media started to take note – first locally, then globally. As a 2009 concert at the Tampere Jazz Happening was reviewed by All About Jazz, special attention was directed to the backseat: ”Laihonen inserted a Milford Graves and Hamid Drake-like polyrhythmic display underneath the two-horn frontline.” At this point Black Motor had four albums out. Both Club El Toro and Vaarat vastukset had been released in 2008, and word was spreading like wildfire. Pushed along by well-received gigs where Sippola, Rauhala, and Laihonen were joined on stage by top improvisers such as guitar master Jukka Orma and woodwindsman Jorma Tapio, the hard-working jazz trio was breaking out of its mould as a cult band.

Gigs abroad began appearing in the calendar, and a milestone was reached as a particularly riveting show was released as Black Motor’s fifth album. Never Out of Fashion – Live in Amsterdam came out in 2010 paving the way for a breakthrough. As the jazz scene in Finland then was dominated by recycled hard bop and somewhat stale soul jazz, Black Motor’s free and raunchy outlook was a welcome breath of fresh air. The gutsy band that was once dubbed “grunge-like in persona, music and name” by All About Jazz had become Finland’s most talked about improvising team.

The point of no return arrived in 2011 with the release of Hoojaa. Whereas all Black Motor’s previous discs had mainly documented the driven band as it interacts on stage, the sixth album had more focus. Built exclusively on Kusti Vuorinen’s compositions, this was Black Motor distilled and forged into something timeless. No wonder that Hoojaa was shortlisted for the annual Jazz-Emma (i.e. the Finnish equivalent of the Jazz Grammy). Keeping true to the arduous approach, next year’s yield was another two albums: Jumehniemi a meandering trio effort, Rubidium a more concentrated set featuring celebrated trumpeter Verneri Pohjola. At this point, favourable reviews were par for the course both in Finland’s biggest daily newspapers Helsingin Sanomat and Aamulehti as well as leading Finnish rock magazine Soundi.

And the juggernaut rolled on. Come summer 2012, as the list of featured live guests had already grown to include pianist/harpist Iro Haarla, guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim, and reedsman Jone Takamaki, Black Motor upped the ante by announcing that legendary saxophonist Peter Brotzmann would join them on stage at their home arena, Club Telakka in Tampere. ”Black Motor sound refreshingly hard and gruff”, commended Brotzmann in a later interview with Soundi magazine. Before 2012 came to an end the band also found time to perform with pianist/composer Samuli Mikkonen and lauded saxophonists Juhani Aaltonen and Mikko Innanen. The triumphant year was wrapped up with a landmark appearance at the London Jazz Festival.

“Finland is ripe with new, important and exciting sounds, including Black Motor’s volcanic mojo”, noted Down Beat when reviewing the threesome at the Tampere Jazz Happening in November 2012. To take matters even further, Sami Sippola, Ville Rauhala and Simo Laihonen will showcase a new approach with meditative ballad album Yosta aamun kynnykselle, released in October 2013. [Nordic Notes]


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четверг, 31 октября 2013 г.

John Stevens' Away - At Home (2013)

John Stevens' Away - At Home (Loose Torque, 2013)

Personnel:
John Stevens: drums
Robert Calvert: saxophones
Jon Corbett: trumpet
Nick Stephens: electric bass
Nigel Moyse: guitar
Martin Holder: guitar

Tracklisting:
01 - Openersanni
02 - Just a Matter of Time
03 - Relative Space
04 - Whoops a Daisy
05 - Homewhats That

A funk and soul music binge undertaken by John Stevens when he was laid up after surgery was the impetus for the group Away. Though it remains dwarfed next to Stevens’ accomplishments with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Away was the drumming giant’s unique way of tapping into the jazz-rock craze of the mid and late 1970s. Away released several albums on the Vertigo label in that time period, and recordings have been sporadically released in the years and decades since, but for the most part, much of the group’s output has been largely unavailable, existing only as assorted notations in the mind-boggling John Stevens discography. Over the past few years, however, Away bassist Nick Stephens has taken to releasing some vintage recordings on his own Loose Torque label, and it’s a wonderful thing. You see, Away was a group that made most fusion bands sound like mere fission.

Away at Home was recorded in 1978 at the Plough Stockwell, a frequent haunt of the band. For this gig, Jon Corbett joined the group, creating a formable funk-jazz sextet of sax, trumpet, drums, bass, and dueling electric guitars. While there’s no question this ensemble was wading into the same waters as Miles Davis, Weather Report, and others across the pond, there’s an energy continually present on Away at Home that seems sorely lacking from a lot of American electric jazz. Away at Home presents an unsubtle, driving music that both embraces the intoxicating headspace of a tightly locked groove and captures the intensity of the classic free jazz free-for-all. Away feared no tempo or crescendo.

Away at Home features four long tracks (and a short fifth piece), most of which are extended mash-ups of tunes from Away’s Vertigo LPs. “Relative Space” makes its mark with an unbearably catchy descending horn line, the track rocketing along until it eventually segues into the  funky, cymbal-driven beat of “What’s That.” The beat is reprised much later at the end of the band’s set, sending the audience through the roof. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what made Away more remarkable than so many of their contemporaries: a small club exuberance that always trumps the bloated, arena-rock detachment that would become fusion’s downfall.

Away at Home is piece of jazz-rock history worth grabbing on to, especially when there’s currently so little from this group to go around. It’s also a side to John Stevens that some of his fans might not be aware of, and a great reminder of what a tireless, passionate force he was in all realms of this music. [Free Jazz Blog]

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четверг, 17 октября 2013 г.

Faruq Z. Bey With Northwoods Improvisers - Infa'a (2006)

Faruq Z. Bey With Northwoods Improvisers - Infa'a (Qbico, 2006)

Personnel:
Faruq Z. Bey: tenor & alto sax
Mike Carey: tenor, alto sax, flute, kalimba
Skeeter Shelton: tenor, soprano sax
Mike Gilmore
: vibes
Mike Johnston: bass
Nick Ashton: drums

Tracklisting:
A1. Oncala        
A2. Ethiopia        
B1. After Death        
B2. Ode To E. R. 

"Qbico often has cool color-swirled vinyl, but this time it seems like it’s mood-vinyl, a soothing and fervent green spins around the turntable almost as an entrancing as this release itself. There are minor flashes of red and blue and white…but the green is elemental and rich. This supports the garden of sound cultivated here, Bey’s sax takes deep roots, often shadowed and wrapped with brotherly vines from fellow saxmen Mike Carey and Skeeter Shelton. Nick Ashton’s drums drop dewdrops on all the players, moist with cymbals plenty. Mike Gilmore’s vibes are what make this so green…so alive…hell they even make a track called “Ethiopia” sound lush. That has a nice mystic run to it, and in the latter half bassist Mike Johnston and Ashton get one of those infinite grooves ala Parker and Drake going, magic carpet rise! Again Gilmore is the sonic photosynthesis here..listen to him wrap up that “Ethiopia” number. On the flipside we explore life on “After Death” with Mike Carey communicating via kalimba and Bey slowly stirring the song along. Again an almost Egyptian flare rises from the ashes, if anyone stumbles on this review by way or searching jazz and Gilmore, as Sun Ra built an Arkestra that took to the skies, in Detroit Faruq Z. Bey and his Northwoods are in full bloom. Pristine earth soul jazz." Thurston Hunger KFJC FM on-line review
"The music exists in a space cleared long ago by Coltrane's tireless modal searching and Sun Ra's insinuating pulse, yet it still appears fresh and purposeful - a music pleasingly at ease with it's own history". Julian Cowley; The Wire Feb. 2007 [Qbico]

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понедельник, 30 сентября 2013 г.

Angel Ov Death - Live in Space and Time (2008)

Angel Ov Death - Live in Space and Time (Veal Records, 2008)

Personnel:
Andrew d’Angelo: alto sax, bass clarniet, computer
Jamie Saft: guitar, bass guitar, organ, synthesizers
Mike Pride: drumset, vocals

Tracklisting:
01 - Live in Space and Time

ANGEL OV DEATH = Andrew d’Angelo, Mike Pride, and Jamie Saft live in New York City. Stunningly captured by video artist un:ART:ig. An incredible document of Angel Ov Death’s first NY show! Recorded live at the Stone, this is the ultimate meeting of Metal, Hardcore, Free Jazz, and Noise stylings!

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среда, 25 сентября 2013 г.

Mostly Other People Do The Killing - Red Hot (2013)

Mostly Other People Do The Killing - Red Hot (Hot Cup, 2013)

Personnel:
Peter Evans: trumpet
Jon Irabagon: saxophones
Moppa Elliott: bass
Kevin Shea: drums
and
David Taylor: bass trombone
Ron Stabinsky: piano
Brandon Seabrook: banjo/electronics

Tracklisting:
01. The Sickshinny Shimmy
02. Zelienople
03. Red Hot
04. King of Prussia
05. Turkey Foot Corner
06. Seabrook, Power, Plank
07. Orange is the Name of the Town
08. Gum Stump
09. Bird-in-Hand

Yes, our heroes are at it again, mock-saluting - and sincerely saluting - every jazz movement in existence and naming songs after Pennsylvania towns.  This time the main focus is on the hot jazz of the 1920s, but pretty much every other sub-genre of jazz gets a shout-out.  You know the drill.  If Woody Allen ever went back to making the kind of comedies he wrote and directed at the beginning of his film career (it would be a self-conscious move of revisionism that would surely suck but), MOPDTK's “Red Hot” would make the perfect soundtrack for them.

Kicking off with “The Shickshinny Shimmy” (Hello PA!), the band moves in and out of the 1920s w/ characteristic speed and smart chops, featuring the super-hot rolling dixieland banjo strum of new member Brandon Seabrook.  The standard line-up is also augmented this time around by the magnificent Ron Stabinsky on piano and bass trombone star David Taylor.  The in-and-out pattern becomes fully established on “Zelienople,” which opens with a drum solo from the always astonishingly excellent Kevin Shea.  The decades crash into each other from 40 years apart, as Shea plays free underneath some good ol' hot jazz.  Sonny Murray plays with King Oliver for awhile and then Bill Evans shows up.  Then Bill Dixon joins in, courtesy of Peter Evans (who was also King Oliver, of course).  How this can seem like par-for-the-course for any band is beyond all logic, but this band calls it home.

The title track begins with electronic gurgles and blasts alternating with Seabrook's banjo.  Then the band joins in, full dixieland, full Jelly Roll, full fun.  These smart asses take the piss out of the earnest hot jazz revisionist groups so well, but there is a slight feeling of “sore winners” about it.  They're running past the other guys at the finish line and giving them the finger and laughing while they do it.  I'm not saying I don't approve; I'm just saying that's what it sounds like.

On “King of Prussia” Stabinski does a piano solo mash-up of various pianists / songwriters.  Scott Joplin and Joe Jackson stand out pretty obviously.  (He does a mean McCoy Tyner during “Orange is the Name of the Town.”  This guy can do anybody.)  The whole band plays a slow bawdy stomp while Seabrook bows his banjo through a reverb effect, giving the 1920s a touch of 1950s sci-fi.  Inexplicably, the track winds up in lounge jazz territory.

Band leader Moppa Elliot takes a bass solo at the beginning of “Turkey Foot Stomp,” which takes on a Foghorn Leghorn vibe as the music traverses through the barnyard carelessly and confidently.  The harsh, zero-sustain attack of a banjo lends itself well to the overall landscape, often providing relief when things get a little too self-conscious or serious.  On “Seabrook, Power, Plank” this tack goes so far as sounding a bit like Naked City at Dollywood.

Saxophonist Jon Irabagon opens “Gum Stump,” a traditional 12-bar blues (no foolin') with a whole bunch of over-the-top freakouts in it.  The 12-bar blues format is held steadily for over five minutes; and then it's back to business as usual.  Cross Cab Calloway with Django Reinhardt in a Shakey's Pizza in New Orleans and you get “Bird-In-Hand,” the album's closing track.  It also stands as the most concise piece of music on the disc; and in a perfect world it would be a hit single on top forty radio.  (Does that still exist?)

Red Hot is an irreverent tribute to 100 years of jazz masquerading as a take-off on 1920s dixieland.  It could have only been conceived at this time, where the “jazz wars” between the sub-genres are (finally!) almost non-existent.  I can't imagine any other band attempting such an idea, let alone succeeding in its execution and making it seem so effortless.[Free Jazz]

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Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Patriotic Act (2006)

Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Patriotic Act (Qbico, 2006)

Personnel:

Arthur Doyle: kinetic sax kaboom, village voice
Nuuj: electronics
Leslie Q:  guitar
Vin Paternostro: Roland 505
Dave Cross: turntables
Ed Wilcox: drums

Tracklisting:
A1. Homo      
A2. When The Shit Goes Down      
A3. Milk Brain      
A4. Butt Call   

"that was rec. at the 1st No Fun Festival, i was there, been done just few days after the 1st unite @ Tonic. it was pretty crowded and Arthur was in a good mood... Dave came up with the titles (on the his-story page there is a pic of him from that night); artwork is from Roberto private collection." qbico

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вторник, 28 мая 2013 г.

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra - The Reason Why Vol. 1 (2013)

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra - The Reason Why Vol. 1 (Headspin, 2013)

Personnel:
Goran Kajfeš: Trumpet, Cornet
Jonas Kullhammar: Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Lyricon
Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson: Baritone Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute
Andreas Söderström: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Jesper Nordenström: Organ
Robert Östlund: Organ, Electric Guitar
Mats Äleklint: Trombone
Johan Berthling: bass
Johan Holmegard: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Yakar Inceden Inceden
02 - Storstad
03 - Desire Be, Desire Go
04 - The Nodder
05 - Okwukwe Na Nchewube
06 - Badidoom
07 - Es War Enmal
08 - Karina

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra reveals the DNA of X/Y on new studio album The Reason Why - Vol.1.

2011 Nordic Music Prize winner and his large jazz ensemble reimagine Turkish psych, Brazilian soul, German psychedelic electronica and progressive jazz/rock on the follow up to the hugely successful X/Y. In preparation for his fourth studio recording, trumpeter Goran Kajfeš trawled his personal record collection to choose seven pieces of music that join the dots between the diverse array of influences in his music.

The Reason Why - Vol.1 sees Goran Kajfeš’ Subtropic Arkestra reimagine such colourful music as the Turkish psych of Edip Akbayram, the soulful groove of Brazilian singer Arthur Verocai, the German psychedelic electronica of Cluster and the progressive jazz/rock of Soft Machine, Bo Hansson and Tame Impala, among others.

The Reason Why - Vol.1 is in many ways a direct extension of his ambitious X/Y project and acts as a tribute to '  myriad inspirations and also as an attempt to push jazz away from the beaten track and into new territories.

Croatian-born (Sweden-raised) Kajfeš is a tireless innovator and a key figure of contemporary Swedish culture. In addition to his work as a bandleader, sideman and producer, he has worked with film, theatre, art and dance. In 2012, he released X/Y, an ambitious two-part recording through which he expressed contrasting aspects of his musical personality. Described as "a total work of art" and awarded 5/5 by The Independent (UK), given 4/5 by MOJO (UK) and voted Best Album of 2012 by Rob Young (The Wire) in Artforum Magazine, X/Y earned Kajfeš the prestigious Nordic Music Prize ahead of favourites Bjork and Lykke Li.

With a nod to Sun Ra legendary cosmic jazz ensemble, the 10-strong Subtropic Arkestra comprises the cream of the contemporary Swedish music scene with saxophonists Jonas Kullhammar and Per Johansson, guitarist Andreas Söderström (Ass, El Rojo Adios), bassist Johan Berthling (Fire!, Tape) and drummer Johan Holmegard (Dungen, The Amazing), Andreas Werllin (Wildbirds&Peacedrums, Tonbruket) among others. [Headspin]

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The best jazz album of year so far! Hardly recommended!

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среда, 15 мая 2013 г.

Endangered Blood - Work Your Magic (2013)

Endangered Blood - Work Your Magic (Skirl, 2013)

Personnel:
Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Oscar Noriega: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Trevor Dunn: bass
Jim Black: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Kaffibarinn
02 - Blues in C Flat Minor
03 - Ah-Le-Pa
04 - Argento
05 - Manzanita
06 - Nice Try
07 - International Four
08 - LA#5

The out-jazz supergroup Endangered Blood is no less adventurous on their second album, but they’ve added more nods to conventional jazz this time.

The first album did have “Epistrophy,” but it was a version darkened by crinkly bass clarinet. Work Your Magic has “Argento,” a breezy swing tune with Jim Black’s bustling racket going on behind the straight-faced horns. “Blues in C-Flat Minor” really is a blues, albeit in 7/8 time and propelled by some bubbly, unconventional drumming.

And “LA#5,” apparently a nod to Lester Young, is a sweet ballad. Black goes into quieter mode for this one, using brushes for a more subdued style (as on his piano album, Somatic). Trevor Dunn gets a a nice bass solo before Chris Speed’s tenor sax takes over with his tart sound.

Most of Speed’s compositions reach further afield than that, though. Manzanita” starts with written counterpoint lines for alto sax and clarinet, sometimes with one player pulsing one note while the other one weaves in and out of the fabric. It’s a summertime cerebral jazz, played out politely until the group careens into speedier form. “Kaffibarinn,” named for an Icelandic bar, uses light Glassian arpeggios and a heavy melody of stern chamber music.

It’s all executed well, as you’d expect from these guys. Speed (tenor sax/clarinet) and Jim Black (drums) have been together since the ’90s in groups like Human Feel and Tim Berne’s Bloodcount. Oscar Noriega (alto sax/bass clarinet) has been on the post-downtown scene almost as long, and he’s most recently gotten airtime as a key part of Berne’s Snakeoil band. Dunn (bass), a darling of the out-rock set, has also been delivering solid jazz chops for any number of groups, including some great Bay Area groups in the late ’90s.
You do get more of the jazz in Speed’s playing on this album, and less of the wandering microtonal musings that he often favors. I like that. There are plenty of sax or clarinet solos over a bass/drums jam, certainly, but there’s also space for untethered improv duets (as on “Ah-Le-Pa,” which includes a nice Dunn/Black workout), criss-crossing composed lines for the reeds, or delicate chamber-jazz moments.

Further toward the outer edge of things, “International Four” (written by Hilmar Jensson, who’s played with these guys in other contexts) starts with free improvisation at a fast jog, full of sax/clarinet squawking, then gets into a composition of attractive long lines, a long path of bursty notes. [Wedgeradio]


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вторник, 7 мая 2013 г.

Rakka - Soutu (2012)

Rakka - Soutu (Nordic Notes, 2012)

Personnel:
Kusti Vuorinen: accordion, organ, percussion
Masa Orpana: tenor saxophone, flute
Jykä Ahola: trumpet, flugelhorn
Ville Rauhala: double bass
Janne Tuomi: drums, percussion
+ Simo Laihonen: percussion on 4 tracks

Tracklsting:
1 - Rosinante
2 - Reverence
3 - Soutu
4 - Try Not
5 - Laululintu
6 - Autuaita Ovat Autuaat
7 - Route 325

Rakka's members started to play together in the early nineties. They have played in many well-known Finnish bands such as Suurin Onni, Circle, Black Motor or Anssi Tikanmaen Film Orchestra. In its debut album "Soutu" ("Rowing"), the band mixes sounds from a mystical feeling, calm sights and improvised jazz. Songs from the album are written by Kusti Vuorinen who was nominated for Jazz Emma 2011, Masa Orpana who is one of the top Finnish saxophone players and Ville Raauhala who has played with many great jazz players like Raoul Björkenheim, Peter Brötzmann, Iro Haarla or Verneri Pohjola.

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вторник, 30 апреля 2013 г.

Synchron - Synchron (2012)

Synchron - Synchron (Sagittarius A-Star, 2012)

Personnel:
Faruq Z. Bey: Saxophone  
John Dana: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Ron English: Guitar
Keith Vreeland: Piano, Keyboards  
Leonard King: Drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Untitled
02 - Untitled
03 - Untitled
04 - Untitled
05 - Untitled

Lost big D eclectic jazz from the late 80's ! not much info/track titles about it ?! seems an unissued studio date who was planned for release but never happened, until now... it feauture rare appearances by members of Sphere (Vreeland/Dana) who unfortunatly released only one fantastic album back then on Strata... and Ron English who also rec. an LP for Strata under his name (but never issued on wax) and played with Lyman Woodard (drummer Leonard King was also part of the Organization), Wendell Harrison and Eddie Russ (to name a few). the most oblique rec. i ever heard from Faruq Z. Bey... that was for sure an innovative Group who sounds so unique also today... and probably even tomorrow...[label press]

Previously-unissued work from Michigan reedman Faruq Z Bey – a set that bristles with energy right from the start, and has that great 80s way of mixing in a bit of electricity with acoustic avant jazz! The style's similar to the best New York modes of the same period – with some electric bass, guitar, and keyboards used alongside Bey's saxes – but in ways that are hardly fusion at all, and which instead have this way of building strongly, in blocky formations that push the music along beautifully! A few tunes get a bit more acoustic – going for acoustic piano and bass – and titles aren't listed, but the set features five long tracks in all. (Dusty Groove America)

Recorded late 80's.

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четверг, 25 апреля 2013 г.

The Lincoln Street Music Company - Inner Beckoning. Live at Depot Town (1983, 2001)

The Lincoln Street Music Company - Inner Beckoning. Live at Depot Town (Self-Released, 1983, 2001)

Personnel:
Faruq Z. Bey: tenor sax
Phil Lasley: alto sax
Doug Halladay: trumpet
Keith Vreeland: piano
John Dana: Bass
Danny Spencer: drums

Tracklisting:
1. Beware Blues  (Doug Halladay)
2. Rosa Crucial  (Faruq Z. Bey)
3. Suite  (Danny Spencer)
    a. Dorian
    b. Inner Beckoning
    c. Welcome


The music on this CD was recorded on a hot summer night in August, 1983 at Ypsilanti's Heritage Festival - a precursor to today's Frog Island Festival. It is a live recording, performed by some ol Detroit's finest musicians.
The Lincoln Street Music Company were the featured artists, and closing act at the festival following a day long jazz competition sponsored by WEMU. Ypsilanti's public radio station. Recently, the original 10" reels of this concert were discovered in the WEMU archives, and we are grateful to the staff at WEMU for preserving this historical concert.
The Lincoln Street Music Company is a collective of veteran Detroit jazz musicians, whose artistry is steeped in the rich tradition of Detroit jazz music: a tradition that builds on those who went before us, while pushing the boundaries of new territory. It is a tradition that is inclusive, has no racial barriers, is diverse in its approach to music and life, and has a strong spiritual foundation.
The music you are listening to on this recording reflects the varied backgrounds and experiences of the musicians in this ensemble. Each of the six members of the band brings their own unique voice to the mix: as professional musicians, composers, bandleaders, studio musicians, educators, and community activists. It is an eclectic mix of styles and musical roots that runs the gamut of blues, gospel, R&B, classical, avant garde, bebop, and fusion. which brought us to the point that we prefer not to put labels on the music!!!!
This CD is a live recording. It is unedited. What you hear is what you get!!! I've always believed that when music is played, it is in the air gone, but this simple two track stereo recording, mixed on the stage during the performance, is as close as you can get to capturing a moment in time, and the spirit of this evenings performance. It is raw, unpolished, and sometimes raggedy around the edges. But the musical energy and conversation between the musicians is apparent throughout.

Recorded live at Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, august 1983
Released in 2001, self published?

Out of print!

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среда, 27 марта 2013 г.

Boschamaz - Rød (2011)

Boschamaz - Rød (Hecca, 2011)

Personnel:
Erland Dahlen: drums, samples, elecntonics
Bjørn Charles Dreyer: guitar, slide-guitar, pedal steel

Tracklisting:
01 - Sailor
02 - Bosch Amass
03 - Svalbard
04 - Sous la Tonnelle
05 - Citadell
06 - Idona Boldel
07 - Triptan's Troika
08 - We're Leaving In the Morning

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четверг, 21 марта 2013 г.

Boschamaz - This Is Not Sweden (2007)

Boschamaz - This Is Not Sweden (Hecca, 2007)

Personnel:
Erland Dahlen: drums, samples, elecntonics
Bjørn Charles Dreyer: guitar, slide-guitar, pedal steel

Tracklisting:
01 - Boatman
02 - Warthogs
03 - Clint In Hawaii
04 - Insole Pox
05 - Tierra del Fuego
06 - Know Nun
07 - Sifaka
08 - Wonk Nun
09 - Larches

Boschamaz is a collaboration between Bjørn Charles Dreyer, who was played with Eivind Aarset, and Erland Dahlen (Kiruna, Madrugada, Phaedra), who was a Xploding Plastix live drummer and played with Nils Petter Molvær.

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вторник, 29 января 2013 г.

Ben Holmes Quartet - Anvil of the Lord (2012)


Ben Holmes Quartet - Anvil of the Lord (Skirl Records, 2012)

Personnel:
Ben Holmes: trumpet
Curtis Hasselbring: trombone
Matt Pavolka: bass
Vinnie Sperrazza: drums


Tracklisting:
01 - Doodle for Rhapsody
02 - Magic Mondays
03 - Moved Like a Ghost
04 - Kingston
05 - Otesánek
06 - Anvil of the Lord
07 - Malach Hamovis
08 - Song for Creel Thompson
09 - Nada vs. Armitage

There is a subset to contemporary jazz that is avant in a slightly different way than flat-out free jazz: there is often a modern compositional bent with evolved rhythmic and harmonic complexities in the head structures that are very contrasting to the sort of symmetrical and short phrases bop favored, and tend to be more evolved than some of the fully free improvisers's setup motifs. The compositional element can often extend beyond the head format and come into play at any point in what otherwise would be the solo routines.

The music usually pulsates, but it may do so with odd-time signatures or rhythmic figures that fall between swing and rock yet have variational interest in the hands (and feet) of an imaginative drummer and a keen-sensed bassist (though the bassist does not ordinarily use his feet...). Finally there of course is room for soloing of the principal front liners.

Dave Holland's group has been exemplary for this sort of contemporary sound. But of course there are many others out there. A new, very good one is the Ben Holmes Quartet, as heard in their recording Anvil of the Lord (Skirl 020).

Ben Holmes wields the trumpet with distinction and writes the compositions, in which you can hear myriad influences, gelled together in ways that have a wholeness of style and concept.

His trumpet playing is inventive and direct toned--a little like Dave Douglas to my ears in sound and approach, but with a fluidity and sureness that points him forward. He is well served by his fellow groupmates: Curtis Hasselbring on trombone serves as a beautiful foil in the contrapuntal, two-line compositional heads, and shows good form in his soloing. The two-headed hydra of a rhythm section shows excellent teamwork. Vinnie Sperrazza sounds as creative and catalytic as he ever has and Matt Pavolka's bass is both structurally keyed to the song form and rhythmically rock solid, giving Vinnie excellent foundational support so that he can loosen up and get the variations going. Matt does interesting solo work when called upon as well.

So there you have it. An excellent effort from all concerned and a sign that Ben Holmes has arrived. I look forward to his ever-increasing presence on the scene in the coming years. [Gapplegate Music Review]

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пятница, 18 января 2013 г.

Plutino - Plutino (2012)


Plutino - Plutino (Spacebone Records, 2012)

Personnel:
Bobby Previte: drums, voice
Beppe Scardino: baritone sax, voice
Francesco Diodati: electric guitar, voice

Tracklisting:
01 - Austerity
02 - Downgranding
03 - Contagion
04 - Rollover
05 - Default
06 - Volatility
07 - Tranche
08 - Contango
09 - Bailout

1. A heavenly body in a 3:2 motion resonance with the planet Neptune. 2. A trio featuring two of the best young musicians in Italy, Francesco Diodati, guitar, and Beppe Scardino, baritone saxophone, directed by the legendary American drummer/composer Bobby Previte.

Plutinos, originally following their own orbits, were captured by Neptune into resonances. The 3:2 resonance is the strongest among all resonances, yet Plutinos rebel and break free, finding a different rhythm. Previte captures these two rebels and pulls them into his orbit. Resonance, Rhythm, Rebellion. Spacebone. [Official site]

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