listen to me, fool!

Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber (2012)

2012-02-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

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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The Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute To Marley (2011)

2012-01-24T03:05:00.000-08:00

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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Black Motor - Hoojaa (2011)

2012-01-17T03:05:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-12T00:34:00.000-08:00

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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Jamaaladeen Tacuma With Basso Nouveau – The Night Of Chamber Music (1993)

2011-12-05T01:52:00.001-08:00

Jamaaladeen Tacuma With Basso Nouveau – The Night Of Chamber Music (Moers Music, 1993)

Personnel:
Jamaaladeen Tacuma: 4-string electric bass
Gerald Veasley: 6-string electric bass
Jerome Hunter: acoustic bass (played with bow)
Juan Pablo Nahar: acoustic bass (pizzacato)
Edgar Bateman: drums

Tracklisting:
01. What's Mine Is Yours (10:43)
02. All Praises Due (22:11)
03. The String Has Popped! (2:38)
04. Boney Blues (11:01)
05. Black Pearls (6:37)
06. Ovations (2:41)

The bass is an instrument of equal status with any instrument know in the world today. it is compositional, melodic, and rhythmic in its very nature. Over the years very few have tried to expose the bass instrument in its entire concept. many have settled for the back up role and have not really covered new ground musically with this instrument. With this in mind , once again Jamaaladeen has set out to revolutionize the bass role. Basso Nouveau is his bass quartet of four premier Philadelphia bassists and a drummer/percussionist in which the bassists act as a total quartet utilizing every aspect of the bass.
Recorded live at Moers Festival, Moers, 29th May 1993. [buy it here]

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Jim Black Trio - Somatic (2011)

2011-11-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Jim Black Trio - Somatic (Winter&Winter, 2011)

Personnel:
Jim Black - drums
Elias Stemeseder - piano
Thomas Morgan - bass

Tracklisting:
01. Tahre
02. Terrotow
03. Hestbak
04. Sure Are You
05. Willbee
06. Beariere
07. Somatic
08. Protection
09. Chibi Jones
10. Uglysnug

After 12 years of leading his singer-less-songwriting-post-rock-improv band AlasNoAxis, Jim Black goes in the absolute opposite musical direction by forming a new piano trio featuring one of the most in demand New York musicians, Thomas Morgan on bass, and the young Austrian pianist to watch out for, Elias Stemeseder.

Jim Black has been playing drums for twenty three years. Born in 1967, he grew up in Seattle, WA, playing music ranging from garage rock to big band swing. In 1985 he went to Boston, MA to attend the Berklee College of Music. In 1991 he moved to Brooklyn, NY, and has since become one of the most in demand drummers in the jazz/new music scene today.

"A complete musician and wonderfully fertile composer... Black has produced a masterpiece of future jazz." (Andy Hamilton, The Wire) [buy it here]

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Oscar Noriega's Play Party - Luciano's Dream (2000)

2011-11-11T06:54:00.000-08:00

Oscar Noriega's Play Party - Luciano's Dream (OmniTone, 2000)

Personnel:
Oscar Noriega: bass clarinet, alto saxophone
Cuong Vu: trumpet
Brad Shepik: guitar
Tom Rainey: drums

Tracklisting:
1. Funky Number 5 (5:45)
2. 7 of 9 (8:33)
3. The Z (4:59)
4. Back to Back (9:05)
5. Skimcoat (6:21)
6. Luciano's Dream (8:06)
7. Kashikoi Hito (Wise Old Man) (5:05)
8. Cancion para Cecila (Song for Cecilia) (2:28)

Luciano's Dream is the long overdue debut recording from the fiercely talented young reedman Oscar Noriega. Like many downtown jazz players, Noriega's musical vision is very wide in scope, encompassing, from the sounds of this record, the rich history of jazz, myriad folk musics, as well as 20th century classical sounds. Thankfully, the album does not read like a hodgepodge of disparate musical influences, but rather a wide-ranging and satisfying musical document. Of course, this is due in no small part to his capable partners in crime: trumpeter Cuong Vu, guitarist Brad Shepik, and drummer Tom Rainey. This dexterous, bass-less quartet navigates Noriega's complicated charts with ease, from throwing down odd-meter grooves in "Funky Number 5" to displaying unearthly restrain with the delicate gypsy beauty of "The Z." Shepik is especially impressive; though the album does touch upon the jazz-inflected Balkan styles that have become his calling card, he is clearly more than capable of operating in just about any idiom he chooses. His whimsical solo on "Kashiko Hito" is among the album's highlights. Noriega's alto saxophone seems completely effortless, darting and weaving in and out of the dense musical landscape, while his bass clarinet breathes stark melancholy. His impressive sideman credentials have already proven him an able player, here he asserts himself as a skillful composer and bandleader.[allmusic]

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Swedish Azz - Azz Appeal (2011)

2011-10-18T02:32:00.000-07:00

Swedish Azz - Azz Appeal (Not Two Records, 2011)

Personnel:
Mats Gustafsson - alto, baritone, slide saxophones, live-electronic
Per- Ake Holmlander - tuba, cimbasso
Kjell Nordeson - vibes
Dieb13 - grammophone, live-electronic
Erik Carlsson - drums

Tracklisting:
1. opus 3 - Fånerier, nr 8 - Full opus 4 / PH Wallin (08:30)
2. Karl- Bertil Jonsson 14 år / G Svensson (02:30)
3. Lidingö Airport / B Nilsson + Visa från Utanmyra / trad-Jan Johansson (10:30)
4. Hugin och Munin / G Riedel + Fedja / L Gullin (16:05)
5. Elysium / L Werner (06:08)

New group by Mats Gustafsson and Per Åke Holmlander, consisting of five European improvisers loving, respecting, and playing the swedish jazz masterpieces from the 50´s and 60´s.
The Golden Age of Swedish Jazz happened in the mid 50´s, as we were told, and was represented by some very distinct and personal voices that were all taking their main inspiration from the American West Coast Jazz, but transforming it into a swedish colour and language, also including elements of traditional Swedish Folk Music.
Lars Gullin, Jan Johansson, Bernt Rosengren, Georg Riedel, Lars Werner, Berndt Egerbladh and later Per Henrik Wallin were all part of this movement and we just LOVE this music!
Swedish Azz wants to explore the possibities to use these wonderful and strongly lyrical melodies and put them in a contemporary structure and soundscape. We want to find out, or at least try out, what will happen when you put these melodic lines in connection with a.o. live electronics and experimentation in form, using the freedom of improvising freely.[NotTwo Records]

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Vermilion Sands – Reverb Overdub (2007)

2011-08-02T01:52:00.000-07:00

Vermilion Sands – Reverb Overdub (Tearbridge Records, 2007)

Personnel:
Shoji Imakita, Yoichi Moriyama - Drums, Percussion
Katsumi Sugahara - Bass
Masahiko Ohno - Electric Guitar
Yutaka Hosokawa - Electric Guitar, Trumpet
Polnareff - Voice
Kyoji Honjo - Keyboards
Ikuo Taketani - Vocals, Trumpet, Saxophone
Noriya Maekawa - Engineer

Tracklisting:
1 - Jacob's Elevator
2 - Brimstone And Fire
3 - Ignorance Is Innocent
4 - Nada
5 - Un-T

Best music ever made!

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Les Rhinocéros - Les Rhinocéros (2011)

2011-07-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Les Rhinocéros - Les Rhinocéros (Tzadik, 2011)

Personnel:
Michael Coltun: Basses, Effects, Loops, Noise, Toys, Acoustic And Electric Guitars, Percussion, Vocals, Sampling, Keys
David Coltun: Violin
Kenneth Congmon: Saxophone
Kevin Downing: Trombone
Tom Klecker: Drums, Percussion
Andrew Landau: Saxophone
Joey Pappas: Double Bass
Leo Svirsky: Piano
Peter Tran: Electric Guitars, Effects, Loops, Noise, Vocals

Hailing from the Washington, DC area, the young band Les Rhinocéros delivers a crazy world in sound, blending aspects of rock, world music, noise, ambient and jazz. The trio of teenagers was formed in 2008 while the players were still in high school, and has developed since then into an intense and wildly imaginative group that takes music to its extremes. Emotional, minimalistic, intense and grooving, this is music that goes beyond imagination to the edges of sanity. The group continues their sonic experiments by adding unusual instruments into the traditional rock band setting.

Tracklisting:
01. Intro/Whispering
02. Beeps and Boops
03. Up
04. Les Rhinocéros
05. Tuml
06. Moon
07. Scenic 1
08. Choo Choo! (4 On The Door)
09. I Too Once Bought A Bicycle
10. Scenic 2
11. Johnway
12. Mark It 8

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Hardly recomended!

Griot Galaxy - Live At the D.I.A. (2003)

2011-04-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Griot Galaxy - Live At the D.I.A. (Entropy Stereo Recordings, 2003)

Personnel:
Farouq Z. Bey – tenor, alto, soprano saxophone
Anthony Holland – alto, soprano saxophone
David McMurray – tenor, alto, soprano saxophone
Jaribu Shahid – bass
Tani Tabbal – drums, percussion
MARZ Society:
Sadiq Bey – dance, percussion
Fahali Igbo – djimbe
Tani Tabbal - doundoune

Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
1. Z-Series A) Zinji Lebarb B) Zenelog C) Aintro D) Find It
2. Necrophilia
Disc 2:
1. After Death
2. Fosters
3. Marz Society
4. Spectrum
5. Shadow World

For nearly two decades Griot Galaxy was at the vanguard of the Detroit Music scene. Members of the band performed and recorded with Roscoe Mitchell, Sun Ra, Abdullah Ibrahim and Phil Cohran. The fact that there were only two releases of the band under their own name during this period seems criminal. Entropy Stereo is pleased to present this complete concert performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts from 1983. Beautifully recorded, this is Griot Galaxy at their peak. Griot Galaxy was Faruq Z. Bey, Tani Tabbal, Jaribu Shahid, Tony Holland and David McMurray.

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Various Artists - Qbico U-Nite VI & VII, Detroit & Buffalo, USA (2010)

2011-04-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - U-Nite VI & VII, Detroit & Buffalo, USA (Qbico, 2010)

Tracklisting and personnel:

U-Nite VI
Bohemian National Ballroom, Detroit
Nov. 16, 2006

side A
Faruq Z. Bey with Northwoods Improvisers:

Faruq Z. Bey - tenor, alto sax
Mike Carey - bass clarinet, tenor sax
Skeeter C.R. Shelton - soprano, alto, tenor sax, flute
Mike Gilmore - vibes
Mike Johnston - bass
Nick Ashton - drums, percussion

a1. Emerging field
a2. Half life (with special guest Perry Robinson on clarinet)

side B
Muruga and the Global Village Ceremonial Band:

Muruga Booker - Drums & Percussion
Belita Woods, Treylewd, Louie “Babblin” Kabbabie - Vocals
Vittala Bookvich - Percussion
Richie “Shakin” Nagan - Shakers
Perry Robinson - Clarinet
Mark Hershberger - Saxophone
Ralph Koziarski - Saxophone & Percussion
Ken Kozora - Zen Drum & Keyboards
Richard Smith - Bass
George Kerby - Guitar

b. Self A Dilic Funk

side C
Odu Afrobeat Orchestra:

Adeboye Adegbenro - vocals, tenor and alto saxophones
Chris Facini - guitar
Chad Gilchrist - guitar
Joel Peterson - bass
Kevin Callaway - drums
Akunda Brian Hollis - conga
Faruq Z. Bey - alto sax
Michael Carey - tenor saxophone
Marko Novachcoff - baritone sax
William Townley - trombone

c1. Machine Gun
c2. Kakati Yaga

U-Nite VII
Soundlab, Buffalo (presented by Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center)
Nov. 18, 2006

side D
Steve Baczkowski/Ravi Padmanabha

Steve Baczkowski - baritone sax, tenor sax, pungi
Ravi Padmanabha- drums, percussion, pungi

d1. Malleus
d2. Incus
d3. Stapes

side E
Andrew Barker & Daniel Carter

Andrew Barker - drums, percussion
Daniel Carter - flute, clarinet, alto sax

e. improvisation

side F
Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble

Arthur Doyle - voice, alto sax
Nuuj - electronics
Dave Cross - turntables
Tim Poland - clavinova
Vin Paternostro - Korg EA-1
Ed Wilcox - percussion, drums

f1. Cave dross
f2. Crass dove

Memorable and probably unrepeatable two qbico u-nites rec. in Detroit & Buffalo in 2006. worths mentioning: Perry Robinson jamming with Faruq Z. Bey and Northwoods Improvisors, Muruga Free Funk Band in full glory with the lovely Belita Woods and members of P-Funk, like Louie “Babblin” Kabbabie from Lebanon or Treylewd, Perry too (audience got carried away and i saw people dancing on top of other people shoulders ?!) ! Odu Afrobeat Orchestra led by Fela’s alumni Adeboye Adegbenro (sax/vocals/real deal) in which also Faruq played that night, Steve Baczkowski/Ravi Padmanabha with an hypnotic pungi duo, a long and fascinating improvisation by Andrew Barker/Daniel Carter (qbico 02) and finally what’d be one of the very last rec. of the Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble with nearly all his original members. from afro-jazz, funk and afro-beat to free jazz/free music and outer space... more then two hours of great lake music! [qbico]

"I just randomly chucked a side of this Qbico triple LP compilation on, not having the vaguest notion of where to start, and I'm straight into the groove with the Odu Afrobeat Orchestra, not an outfit I've heard before but one I'll be doing my best to check out in the future on the basis of the fine Fela-invoking leads and grooviest of rhythms. Elsewhere you've got some crazy drum skills from Ravi Padmanabha fighting for and against some super crazy sax tones from Steve Baczkowski, a quite unique-sounding set from Arthur Doyle's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, a cracking set from Andrew Barker and Daniel Carter that flows from laid-back club tones into the occasional violent eruption, Faruq Z. Bey's outing with the Northwood Improvisers which starts off with swing-laden bop before collapsing into an every-man-for-himself noise orgy and the jazzy funk of Muruga and the Global Village Band. I wish I had time to listen to all of this properly 'cos the vast majority of it sounds pretty mega". [by Brett]

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Endangered Blood - Endangered Blood (2011)

2011-03-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Endangered Blood - Endangered Blood (Skirl, 2011)

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

Tracklisting:
01 - Plunge
02 - Rare
03 - Epistrophy
04 - Elvin Lisbon
05 - K
06 - Tacos At Oscars
07 - Iris
08 - Uri Bird
09 - Valva
10 - Andrew's Ditty Variation One

Endangered Blood formed in 2008, to play a benefit concert to help pay for fellow musician Andrew D'Angelo's medical bills. For the performance, drummer Jim Black and bassist Trevor Dunn—two of the saxophonist's band mates—enlisted saxophonists Chris Speed and Oscar Noriega. As happens so often in modern groups, familiar players in different combination produce compelling results.

Black and Speed are both veterans of Tim Berne's vanguard band, Bloodcount, as well as Human Feel, Pachora, Yeah No and Alas No Axis. Dunn has been a member of Mr. Bungle and bands led by John Zorn, while Noriega is one of Berne's latest finds, and a longtime collaborator with Satoko Fujii.

The quartet's brief and intense tribute to D'Angelo, "Andrew's Ditty Variation One," begins with a two-horn lockstep sprint that quickly evolves into a time-shifting squawk-fest. With Black bashing out a barrage of beats, the two horns mimic D'Angelo's infamous raging sound that is often performed onstage, wriggling on his back.

But the disc is not at all about camp. The quartet draws together its many influences, from Eastern European to alt-rock, to push the boundaries of performance jazz. Speed is credited with the writing here, but he draws not only from his writing with The Clarinets and Human Feel, but his work in Black's Alas No Axis and drummer John Hollenbeck's The Claudia Quintet.

With Noriega doubling on bass clarinet, Speed is able to enlarge the sound on "Rare," and present Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" with a much darker tone, as if played by men in over-sized wool coats lifting heavy objects. "Tacos At Oscars" swirls some Philip Glass-style unison horns around Black's frenetic drumming. This recording's purpose becomes clear, however, on tracks like "Uri Bird," which melds funk and bebop, or "Iris," a New Orleans blues outfitted with an old-school sawed bass and parading horns.

Endangered Blood signals a sort of watershed in the evolution of creative music that was once called jazz. The dust has cleared, and what's left is an idiosyncratic and very entertaining sound. [allaboutjazz]

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Aram Shelton's Arrive - There Was (2011)

2011-03-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Aram Shelton's Arrive - There Was (Clean Feed, 2011)

Personnel:
Aram Shelton - alto saxophone
Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone
Jason Roebke - double bass
Tim Daisy - drums

Tracklisting:
1. There was...
2. Cradle
3. Lost
4. Fifteen
5. Frosted
6. Golden

There aren't many musicians tied to more than one musical scene, but Aram Shelton is one of those rare examples.Both the Chicago and the Bay Area avant-jazz and free improv circuits benefit from this horn player who improvises with a composing perspective and composes to serve collective improvisation. Arrive, which dates back to 2001, is one of Aram's Chicago bands, and you can sense the connections with this city's jazz and experimental traditions, including the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. His individual alto saxophone style makes us think of the early music played by Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton: it's bitter and argumentative, but also ascetic, expressionist, with a sense of measure. Aram Shelton's parallel interest for electroacoustic music isn't strange to this approach. His partners in "There Was..." are the right ones for such an "in-between" focus. Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz is an exquisite colorist, but also a master in what concerns intensity and balance.With his double bass, Jason Roebke is a secure time-keeper and a trustable space-organizer, even when he puts the "center" way out there. Tim Daisy is the kind of drummer indispensable when a band needs to keep the motor running and simultaneously to be free from strict pulses. What an astonishing quartet we find here, indeed... [Clean Feed]

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Nate Wooley Quintet - (Put Your) Hands Together (2011)

2011-03-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Nate Wooley Quintet - (Put Your) Hands Together (Cleen Feed, 2011)

Personnel:
Nate Wooley - trumpet
Josh Sinton - bass clarinet
Matt Moran - vibraphone
Eivind Opsvik - double bass
Harris Eisenstadt - drums

Tracklisting:
01. Shanda Lea 1 (3:33)
02. Hands Together (9:49)
03. Erna (4:06)
04. Shanda Lea 2(2:58)
05. Ethyl (5:20)
06. Cecelia (9:05)
07. Pearl (2:16)
08. Elsa (5:51)
09. Hazel (3:45)
10. Shanda Lea 3(4:01)

For the first time in many years, Nate Wooley releases an album with composed music, with an actual band, and with music that is more accessible than any of the records made under his leadership. The band is Josh Stinton on bass clarinet, Matt Moran on vibes, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums .... indeed the musicians who play regularly together in each other's bands and with equal success.

In stark contrast of some of his previous albums, Wooley's trumpet tone is voiced, deeply sensitive but within the same phrase he can switch it into screeching whispers. The compositions integrate jazz history, but then in a reverend and playful way, gently giving new dynamics and dimensions to the familiar forms, lifting them up, dusting them off, refreshing them with new power and creative angles.

The end result is a carefully crafted, fun album, with moments of playfulness ("Elsa"), deep sentiments ("Hazel"), compositional complexity ("Ethyl") or all in one ("Hands Together"). The most beautiful piece is "Shanda Lea" (Wooley's wife?), opening the album with solo trumpet, repeated halfway the record in duet with Stinton, then again as solo trumpet to end the album. On tracks like "Erna" you can hear the warm voice of Ron Miles seep through, but unlike Miles, Wooley adds some odd raw edges and in doing so also more depth in the delivery.

In short, a heart-warming and inventive album, show-casing a fantastic musician and an artist in full development. No need to praise the rest of the band: you know them already: they're among the best you can get these days, and to Wooley's credit, he leaves them lots of space. [Free Jazz]

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Seikatsu Kojo Iinkai Orchestra - This Is Music Is This!? (1979)

2011-02-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

Seikatsu Kojo Iinkai Orchestra - This Is Music Is This!? (Union Records, 1979)

Personnel:
Umezu Kazutoki - Clarinet (Bass), Japanese Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Yoshida Tetsuji - Trumpet
Yasuda Shinji - Trumpet
Sato Haruki - Trombone
Itaya Hiroshi - Trombone
Numagami Tsutomu- Bass
Mori Junji - Sax
Masami Shinoda - Sax
KatayamaHiroaki - Baritone & Tenor Saxes
Hayakawa Takeharu - Cello
Harada Yoriyuki - Conga, Piano, Whistle
Kikuchi Takashi - Drums, Percussion
Kameyama Kenichi - Drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Yasudabushi (11:14)
02 - Take the "A" Train (9:14)
03 - Aketaketa March (6:41)
04 - African Elephant (8:59)
05 - Youngmen Insist (4:59)

Wow, actually this is THE BEST (Japanese) FREE JAZZ RECORD (according to me of course) out there. It's elegant, fun (free jazz SHOULD be fun), confident and nicely recorded (much better produced than their first effort); the rhythm section is mesmerizing. Even the cover is amazing.
Notably, it was my first personal experience with mad pianist Yoriyuki Harada ; he's got an immediate new fan. His rendition of Take the "A" Train (Billy Strayhorn) is piano playing like you've never heard before (though it is sometimes reminiscent of Fred Van Hove's piano skills).
Plus, it features the late great sax player Masami Shinoda. [by rotkappchen]

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Mostly Other People Do The Killing - The Coimbra Concert (Clean Feed, 2011)

2011-02-03T02:59:00.000-08:00

Mostly Other People Do The Killing - The Coimbra Concert (Clean Feed, 2011)

Personnel:
Moppa Elliott - Double Bass
Kevin Shea - Drums, Electronics
Jon Irabagon - Tenor & Alto Saxophones
Peter Evans - Trumpet

Tracklisting:
CD1:
01 - Drainlick
02 - Evans city
03 - Round Bottom, Square Top
04 - Blue Ball

CD2:
01 - Pen Argyl
02 - Burning Well
03 - Factoryville
04 - St. Mary's Proctor
05 - Elliott Mills

Mostly Other People Do the Killing is proud to release their new live double-album on Clean Feed records. The two discs, made up of material culled from a three night stint at the Jazz ao Centro Festival in Coimbra, provide an excellent perspective on the way this quartet performs live. Unlike the previous four studio albums, all on Hot Cup Records, MOPDtK's live performances vary between short renditions of bassist Moppa Elliott's compositions, and sweeping suites encompassing many compositions. This free-association style of performing has developed over the seven years that the quartet has been performing and recording together.
The four members, Peter Evans, Jon Irabagon, Moppa Elliott, and Kevin Shea, have developed a style of performance in which each member is free to steer the group in any way they choose. The other members may or may not follow suit, creating a type of group interplay that often pits the individuals against each other. Within any given performance, an individual may try to cue a new composition, a return to the original melody, or other structural device, only to be vetoed, creating music that often features multiple chains of association simultaneously. In addition, the members of MOPDtK are not afraid to lay out and allow each other ample solo space. [clean feed]

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Grey Ghost - How To Create Words (2003)

2011-02-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Grey Ghost - How To Create Words (428 Music, 2003)

Personnel:
Aram Shelton - Saxophone, Computer, Clarinet, Trumpet
Johnathan Crawford - Synthesizer, Percussion, Melodica

Tracklisting:

01 - Spitzacoll
02 - Splendo
03 - Horns And Organ
04 - Hand Down
05 - When You Say Go, Leave
06 - Command Control
07 - Unheard, Other Bands Practice
08 - Spoo
09 - Keep On

We're now five years or so into the laptop era of improvised music, during which ever greater numbers of players have attempted to incorporate electronic elements into their improv work. Some use a computer as an extra tone source, setting a preprogrammed pattern of notes in motion, then picking up another instrument and playing along; some perform in teams in which one player's output is electronically augmented or manipulated by another. Since forming the duo Grey Ghost in early 2002, reedist-laptopper Aram Shelton and drummer-keyboardist Johnathan Crawford have been developing their own methodology; listening to their debut album, How to Create Words (482 Music), it's clear they're onto something. Through his work in groups like Dragons 1976, Arrive, and Rapid Croche, Shelton has established himself as one of the finest young saxophonists in town--his tart alto tone and melodic generosity show strong signs of Ornette Coleman's influence--and the organic-feeling synthesis of horn and laptop he's created here is testament to his abilities as both composer and improviser. While Shelton occasionally uses computer-generated bass lines as structural nuggets to improvise around, a la Chicago Underground Duo, most of the sonic elements in play come from terse samples of his own saxophone. On a track like "Spitzacolli" he starts with a succession of breathy alto licks, samples them in real time, and tweaks the samples on his computer until they fit together in an endless self-reflecting grid; then Crawford snaps out of a gentle cymbal wash into a hard-hitting circular groove and Shelton solos over the hall-of-mirrors framework. The sax samples on "Hand Down" are percussive pops and harmonic squeaks repeated ad infinitum while Crawford taps out a spare, stuttering beat, giving Shelton plenty of room for a moody solo, while "Unheard, Other Bands Practice" is a loose assemblage of percussive clatter, dyspeptic melodica puffs, striated columns of breath, and bell-like electronic tones.

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You can also download their next album for free here.

Kolkhöze Printanium - Vol. 1 Kolkhöznitsa (2008)

2011-01-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

Kolkhöze Printanium - Vol. 1 Kolkhöznitsa (2008)

Personnel:
Paul Brousseau: keyboards, voice and drums
Maxime Delpierre: guitars and effects
Hugues Mayot: sax
Philippe Gleizes: drums
Jean-Philippe Morel: bass and effects

Tracklisting:
01 - Sans Le Savoir
02 - Our Faces At the Motown (Part A)
03 - Our Faces At the Motown (Part B)
04 - Stalker At79
05 - Fsy Tokyo
06 - Kolkhöze
07 - Ssen Soupape
08 - Chaotic Mantra
09 - Kolkhöze Talk
10 - Morgenrot (Part A)
11 - Morgenrot (Part B)
12 - Errance Digitale
13 - Petrovsky 1988
14 - Surround
15 - Mana

Creating a unique voice is not easy, and especially not in the very crowded fusion genre of rock and jazz, but what this French band creates is totally unusual, rich and intense. This is possibly one of the darkest albums I have heard in years. The rock rhythms are heavy, over which slow gloomy, unison themes of sax, guitar and keyboard are woven, with electronics, ambient sounds and the slow declamation of texts in Russian. The rhythmic backbone is industrial, repetitive, like heavy production machinery churning out endless identical products at the end of an assembly line. The great tension in the music arises from the solo instruments, trying to escape this repetitive horror, trying to liberate themselves, complaining, yearning, pleading in the meantime. Once in a while, the tune of the piece becomes joyful, almost ironic, as a sugary coating to hide the horror beneath, as on "Stalker AT79". But beauty has its place too, as the slow sax solo on "FSY Tokyo", played with a background of a-rhythmic bells, metal sounds and undefined scraping. Despite the wide variety of approaches in the 15 tracks, the coherence is extremely strong, including in the art work of the album, which depicts "Worker and Kolkhonitza", a Soviet sculpture made by Vera Moukhina in 1937. The band creates a musical world, something apart, very profound without falling into the trap of exaggeration. It is not about the effects, it's about the music. It is also very French, continuing the roads taken by Camisetas and Limousine, but taking it a step further. There is a little bit more drama, more cinematic effect, more staging, but that's part of the listening fun. Not everything works though, and in my mind the last track could have been left out, but that's a minor comment. Despite the music's dark edge, the ultimate hope for humanity message comes through loud and clear. Absolutely impressive. [Free Jazz]

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David Lee Jr. - Evolution (1974)

2011-01-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

David Lee Jr. - Evolution (1974)

Personnel:
David Lee Jr.: cowbell, bells [hand bells, orchestral bells], percussion [beads], chimes, congas, cymbal, drums, gong, organ, piano, vibraphone, timpani, tambourine, voice
Bob Cranshaw: electric bass
George Davis: guitar, tambourine

Tracklisting:
01 - Revelation (2:53)
02 - Spirit Voice (2:51)
03 - Cosmic Vision (1:20)
04 - Wymbo-Ngoma (2:07)
05 - Regeneration (1:24)
06 - Freedom Bells (1:13)
07 - Acknowledgement (0:33)
08 - Love Parable (2:45)
09 - Nova Reflex (1:27)
10 - Evolution (10:39)
11 - Cosmopolitan (0:52)
12 - Second Line March (1:43)
13 - Constant Search (1:30)
14 - I Want Our Love To Always Last (2:50)
15 - Mystic Sound (1:26)

Soul Jazz Records/Universal Sound are releasing this ‘lost classic’ radical deep spiritual jazz album from David Lee Jr.

Originally released in New York in 1974 (400 copies only ever pressed!), ‘Evolution’ is composer and drummer David Lee Jr’s extraordinary one-off solo album, pressed on the artist’s own Supernal Records, a record company whose slogan ‘seeking creative progress’ and dedication ‘to peace and freedom’ clearly displayed artistic intent over any commercial or market-led forces.

Dave Lee Jr was born in New Orleans and the deep experimental drum-compositions featured on ‘Evolution’ are as rooted in this southern city rhythmically as they are in the spiritual and metaphysical musical ideas of John Coltrane, Sun Ra and other futurist soul-searchers.

In the early 1970s Lee headed off to New York, playing in Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity for a couple of years before immersing himself in the thriving loft deep jazz scene playing with Leon Thomas, Lonnie Liston Smith, Harold Alexander, Charles Rouse and recording for independent labels such as the classic Strata-East, India Navigation and Flying Dutchman.

New York left-field jazz meets New Orleans syncopation and military parade rhythms to produce an avant-garde drum suite as hypnotic as Roy Ayers circa ‘We Live in Brooklyn’, as radical as fellow drummer Steve Reid or Rashied Ali’s musical excursions in the early 1970s. [Soul Jazz Records]

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Splatter - Music For Misanthropes (2009)

2011-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Splatter - Music For Misanthropes (2009)

Personnel:
Anna Kaluza: alto
Noel Taylor: clarinet
Raúl Monsalve: electric bass
Pharoah S Russell: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Might As Well Start
02 - Get Ready To Jump

03 - Slippery Slope
04 - Grim Reading
05 - Downward Spiral
06 - Past Caring
07 - Merciful End

The music is sweet, gentle and accessible, free and quite mature, in contrast to the adolescent scribblings on the back cover. And entirely improvised. And I must say, well improvised. The lyricism and interplay on some pieces make it sound as if it's thoroughly rehearsed or at least pre-conceived, but apparently not. The bass guitar of Monsalve is one of the most distinguishable and defining factors of the music. He gives color, punch and rhythm, allowing for the double reed front line to interlock phrases and melodies, and giving the excellent drummer the opportunity to play on or around the beat at leasure. Both Kaluza and Taylor are really good and creative, not trying to imitate, but making their own sound. It all sounds young, crisp, fresh, modern, with rock-influences of course, and with vision and coherence. They give the Claudia Quintet as possible reference, and in terms of sound there are indeed analogies, but not conceptually. Chris Speed and Jim Black are somewhat better for comparison, albeit a little more free.

And misanthropes? Not at all. They have a sensitivity and emotional content that is too gentle.

A really strong and enjoyable debut.
[Free Jazz]

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Emergency! - Live In Copenhagen (2010)

2010-11-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

Emergency! - Live In Copenhagen (2010)

Personnel:
Otomo Yoshihide: Guitar
Ryoichi Saito: Guitar
Hiroaki Mizutani: Bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: Drums

Tracklisting:
1. Re-Baptizum (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki) [14:11]
2. Sing Sing Sing (Louis Prima) [13:39]
3. Fables of Faubus (Charles Mingus) [14:02]
4. The Inflated Tear (Rahsaan Roland Kirk) [15:03]

Documenting Emergency!’s first ever concert outside of Japan, this album presents a dynamic performance in the band’s original style of psychedelic swing, featuring a rocking rhythm section and roaring guitars working through three famous jazz tunes as well as one explosive original.

Recorded 12 July 2006 at Stubnitz, Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Yuganaut - Sharks (2010)

2010-11-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yuganaut - Sharks (2010)

Personnel:
Stephen Rush - Fender Rhodes, Micromoog, euphonium, etc
Tom Abbs - bass, violon, tuba, didjeridoo
Geoff Mann - drums, cornet, madoline, vibraphone

Tracklisting:

01 - Breakthrough
02 - Zhu
03 - Fade to Frenzy
04 - Landfill/Sharks
05 - Lost in the Field
06 - See Saw
07 - Local Motive
08 - Vger
09 - Wrenchwork
10 - Again, and Sweetly

It is somewhat easy to be fooled, by the playfulness of Yuganaut's musicians, into thinking that Sharks is a flippant album. So, as rapidly as the thought occurs let it perish. The music on this album is deep as the ocean of sound from where it comes, and the musicians do a fine job of exploring the tones and textures that abound, as the music deliberately tumbles from their various instruments, to make a confluence of dramatic sound which, in turn, tells a sonic story all its own. When bassist Tom Abbs chugs with pedal point behind the chopped colorings of percussionist Geoff Mann—both joining Stephan Rush as he howls through the bent pipe of his trombone—the shuffle of "Breakthrough/Zhu" unfurls from its Zen-like mode into a bloom of naked color.

Similarly, on "Fade to Frenzy," a kind of ironically backsliding visual feast which sounds like the expressionistic world of Dr Cagliari—whose footage was being played backwards—still sounds as thogh the track is moving ever onward. Abbs is a virtuosic musician, extending from the entire family of stringed instruments to some brass and woodwinds. Here he is heard kicking up a storm on tuba and that haunting instrument of the Australian outback, the didgeridoo. Also on bass and on cello ("Lost in the Field" and other tracks) Abbs holds notes long and hard, plying them with overtones that intensify their color and make for a wonderfully vivid palette of sound.

Rush is more of an experimentalist. As a musician, he does not seem rooted in any instrument, although he seems drawn to all things keyboard—a fact borne out by his penchant for bringing toys to the set—but all is soon forgotten when Rush picks up his trombone and bleats plaintively behind Mann's brassy interlude on "Lost in the Field," Abbs' mournful cello notwithstanding.

Mann is the most colorful musician of the trio, his percussion work the glue that binds much of the Sharks' music.. His ability to awaken vast palettes of color—rolling easily on snare drum or dropping dramatically placed bombs on his bass drum while sniping away at the bevy of cymbals—is a thing of rare beauty. "See Saw," "Local Motion" and "Vger" are outstanding examples of his fine sense of rhythm and melody, enrobed in a rhythm all its own.

Although the album rocks excitingly from track to track, the crowning moments come on the ultimate track, "Again and Sweetly," a sonic gem of sweeping expanse. While sounding utterly new, the musicians manage to improvise around myriad familiar songs that appear and disappear throughout; an agglomeration of sound that makes Sharks memorable long after the music dies. [allaboutjazz]

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2010-11-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yuganaut - This Musicship (2008)

Personnel:
Stephen Rush - Fender Rhodes, Micromoog, euphonium, etc
Tom Abbs - bass, violon, tuba, didjeridoo
Geoff Mann - drums, cornet, madoline, vibraphone

Tracklisting:
01 - Running
02 - Stumblechuck
03 - Channeling
04 - Whacked In The Head
05 - Time Cycle
06 - Internal/External
07 - Missing Limbs
08 - Stimulus
09 - Gobble Gobble
10 - Statement
11 - Perspective
12 - Hymn For Roscoe

Music involves action and interaction. It has the ability to communicate, hint, allude, connote and refer not only beyond itself but also to itself. Whether or not the communication process is completely understood by all those involved, music allows for the messages to be particularized in the experience of the listener.

Yuganaut’s debut release, This Musicship, is a fascinating sonic exploration into the realms of free and ambient jazz. Inspired by one of the most important and still controversial figures of free jazz – Ornette Coleman – the freedom from the constraints of usual patterns is what allows Yuganaut to successfully communicate in a language all its own.

It’s formless, but not without an inner logic that ties it all together. The percussion and bass are in constant communication, continuously reacting to one another. Squeaks and squawks of elk calls and slide whistles are fully interwoven in tracks like Stimulus. With almost no ‘traditional’ jazz skills demonstrated, the absolutely engaging Time Cycle (drenched in turkey and duck calls) presents a fresh perspective in the world of sounds. The unique appeal of Yuganaut is this – because the band’s structure does not depend on traditional jazz skills and techniques, its sound requires the listener to judge unjudgementally.

Its free group improvising, quirky themes and solos are unpredictable, even on repeated listens. But tracks like Missing Limbs and Perspective manage somehow to be stunning each time. The spectacular depth to these compositions, such as mad scribbling sounds layered in space-like synth textures, allows listeners to take as much or as little away from it as they like. It incites a hunger to come back and explore for more.

As you approach the final tracks, the stimulating space-like sounds conjure up memories of Sun Ra’s cosmic sound explorations. Statement and Hymn for Roscoe are perhaps two of the best examples of this approach, because with a good pair of headphones on in a dark room, the temporary travel from all things earthly is spectacular. After spinning your imagination around for several minutes, Hymn for Roscoe returns to familiar musical grounds (with a lovely organ passage), that dissolves and reforms itself several times before leaving you all alone and silent.

This Musicship is an expression of three men – driven by an inspired and fearless abandon – who have come together to weave a sonic statement of utter brilliance. That being said, this is required listening for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of The Shape of Jazz to Come – literally.[Musesmuse]

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Angel - Angel (2010)

2010-10-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

Angel - Angel (2010)

Personnel:
Stephan Sieben - guitar
Adam Pultz Melbye - double bass
Håkon Berre - drums

Tracklisting:

01 - John
02 - Sue
03 - Me
04 - Or
05 - Strive
06 - Chiks
07 - Heaven
08 - Ate

Angel unites three strong voices on the danish improv scene. The trio plays no-nonsense fire music that transcends the traditional role of each instrument as well as conventional conceptions of style, drawing from the influences of european and american free jazz as well as metal and punk. Angel's debut album was released on ILK 5th of February 2010.

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Lovedale - Coziness Kills (2010)

2010-10-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

Lovedale - Coziness Kills (2010)

Personnel:
Jesper Løvdal - saxophone
Jacob Anderskov - piano
Jonas Westergaard - double bass
Cuong Vu - trumpet
Anders Mogensen - drums
Chris Speed - tenor saxophone, clarinet

Tracklisting:

1. Abdullah I 8:27
2. Cheers In Heaven 7:34
3. M/S Invention 9:02
4. Pudsig Pigtråd 11:13
5. Fra Flintholm Til Femøren 6:15
6. Coziness Kills 6:29
7. The Missing Manual 5:40
8. Sucre Trouvé 5:23

Coziness Kills is the third album with Lovedale following the Danish Music Award-winning album, Grill Music (Jazz album of the year 2007). The music is moving toward less form and more melody. Less conventions and more subtlety. Less genre and more universal music. Less Coziness. The CD proves a long musical cooperation Lovedale has had with Cuong Vu, since their first meeting on Grill Music. Chris Speed is probably the most personal clarinet and saxophone player in jazz today, giving the instruments a new lyrical sound.

Communicative and freely approached soul music is what this quartet is about. The sound is Nordic and Scandinavian though swingin' and the repertoire is mostly tunes by bandleader and saxophone player Jesper Løvdal.

Jakob Anderskov plays piano and is the hottest new name in Danish modern jazz right now. His piano playing is very personal which can be heard on the 2 albums he recorded with his trio including American bassist Michael Formanek.

Jonas Westergaard is playing upright bass in the band when he is not touring and playing with Oliver Lake, John Tchicai, Tim Berne, Michael Blake and Jimmy Cobb to mention some of the many musicians who use his energetic and melodic playing.

Anders Mogensen has been one of the leading modern jazz drummers in Denmark for the last 10 years. He has recorded with Gary Thomas, Niels Lan Doky, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, Ray Anderson among many others. His playing is complex but swinging and his personal sound on the drums is an important part of the music played in the band.

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Lovedale - Grill Music (2006)

2010-10-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

Lovedale - Grill Music (2006)

Personnel:

Jesper Løvdal - saxophone
Jacob Anderskov - piano
Jonas Westergaard - double bass
Cuong Vu - trumpet
Anders Mogensen - drums

Tracklisting:

1. Grill Music
2. Good Music
3. Into Orbit
4. Honestly
5. Ups and Downs
6. This One Goes to Thirteen
7. Better Music
8. The Sleeping Monster
9. Even Better Music

Jesper Løvdal is known for a warm sound on the tenorsaxophone, vitality and presence in his expression and a strong will to become one with the music. He is one of his generation's most diverse and remarkable talents with all of the jazz-history incorporated in his playing. The new CD from Lovedale, ”Grill Music”, (ILKCD122) is the group’s latest statement since the debutCD ”Lovedale” from 2004. In spite of having played together in this format for 6 years, the musicians still constantly challenge each other and with spontanity and a great appetite on music from all over the world, they have again recorded a very Lovedale-sounding CD. Free-spirit Lovemusic is a good name for the music, which also features US- trumpetplayer Cuong Vu. Being one oof the leading trumpetplayers of his generation with an unique sound and amazing energy, Cuong Vu has performed with Pat Metheny, David Bowie, Chris Speed and Dave Douglas. Bandleader Jesper Løvdal recieved the danish Bent Jædig-prize in 2005 for his convincing playing in all the expressions of jazz. The four members of Lovedale are personal composers, dedicated to play their own music, and they are all cornerstones in Lovedale’s warm sound and musical approach.

Grill Music recieved a Danish Music Award for ”Album of the Year” in 2007.

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Kiruna - Irun (2003)

2010-08-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

Kiruna - Irun (2003)

Personnel:

Kåre Chr. Vestrheim - Rhodes, organ
Thomas Tofte - bass
Erland Dahlen - drums, percussion

Tracklisting:
1 - Chasing Tumbalo Ghori (6:08)
2 - Waters In The Dark (8:10)
3 - Siebab Retaw (4:14)
4 - A Brief Return Of Starlyn F. (4:30)
5 - Shepherd To The Forbidden Forest (5:39)
6 - The Irun Birds (8:47)
7 - Temple Of Tarasarus (5:11)

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Cult Junk Cafe - Cult Junk Cafe (1996)

2010-08-22T02:12:00.001-07:00

Cult Junk Cafe - Cult Junk Cafe (1996)

Morning Train Ritual (Ode to the Japanese Salary Man and Student) (6:31)
Eigo ga jozu desu ne Part 1 (1:11)
Nyarome from Earth (0:48)
114 (3:12)
Upper Middle Hometown (2:28)
Eigo ga jozu desu ne Part 2 (0:49)
Can Jimmy Come Out and Play? (5:36)
Genki Drink (1:08)
Renalism (6:02)
If You Drop Something... (3:44)
Return of Nyarome (0:47)
Re-entry Permit (2:06)
A Man from North (5:25)

Cult Junk Cafe:
Kyota Yoshigami: guitar, buzz box
Yasuhiro Ohtani: guitar, sgx 2000
Kazutaka Sakamoto: piano, dx-7
Tsuguto Tsunoda: turntables, samples
Michael Hartman: drums

Guest:
Yoshihide Otomo (1, 3, 5, 8. 9, 11, 12): hand-made guitar, 6-string bass

Additional sounds by Todd Carter, Brent Gutzeit, and Michael Hartman (4)
Extra junk by Tsuguto Tsunoda, Yasuhiro Ohtani, Michael Hartman, Jin Sato, Miyuki Kodama, and Junco Okada (7)
Sampled voices by Tomomi Adachi (3, 11), Ami Yoshida (3, 9, 11), and Rena Kobayashi (9)

Recorded at Earth Studio by Naoaki Kose on February 25, 1996
Mixed at Western Sound Stuidos by Todd Carter and Michael Hartman on March 21-23, 1996
Design: Thomas Deater and Michael Hartman

Released 1996

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Francesco Diodati Neko - Purple Bra (2009)

2010-08-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

Francesco Diodati Neko - Purple Bra (2009)

Personnel:

Francesco Bigoni - tenor sax
Francesco Diodati - guitar
Francesco Ponticelli - double bass
Ermanno Baron - drums

Tracklisting:

01. Kort (Diodati) 6:13
02. Neko (Diodati) 4:08
03. Purple Bra (Diodati) 6:38
04. Suvi (Diodati) 6:28
05. Finale Aspettato (Diodati) 4:21
06. Doctor BC (Diodati) 9:10
07. Krashing minds (Diodati) 2:33
08. Joy Plant (Diodati) 4:04
09. Hit (Diodati) 2:01
10. So Real (J. Buckley, M. Tighe) 5:59

The history of jazz has always favored the partnership of strong personalities, especially those of guitar and tenor saxophone collaborations. Memorable pairings have included: Jim Hall and Sonny Rollins, Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, and Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mark Turner. Add to that list two Italian artists, guitarist Francesco Diodati and saxophonist Francesco Bigoni.

They make up half of Diodati's band NEKO, along with bassist Francesco Ponticelli and drummer Ermanno Baron. The quartet's debut, Purple Bra, highlights the saxophonist and guitarist's resonant playing, plus Diodati's writing, the leader having penned all but one of its nine tracks.

While steeped in jazz, NEKO doesn't shy away from the pervasive vernacular of rock, a global language understood beyond jazz. The title track exemplifies this direction, with Bigoni carrying the melody as Diodati drops thunderous guitar licks over aggressive beats. That is, until the persistence of the melody quiets the band, directing the players into a restrained and oh so hip swing. Diodati swaps thunder for tweaking guitar effects.

The band certainly can get loud, but noise is used sparingly. Mostly NEKO mines the interplay between groove and tension. The group can play lightning fast bebop ("Krashing Minds") or resigned ballads ("Joy Plant"), all the while with Diodati accenting the affair with interesting guitar effects that never distract from the music. Bigoni is best compared to Joe Lovano or Mark Turner, in that he seems never to play something that is ugly or vexed. On the beautiful and lightly melancholic "Neko" he soars, and on the duet "Hit," with acoustic guitar, his splintery solo is nearly heart-breaking.

The disc ends with a meditation on Jeff Buckley's pop song "So Real," starting off as loose threads of effects and tones and then coalescing into a beautifully stark folk song. The musicians successfully tip-toe the line between genres, making Purple Bra a most personal statement. [all about jazz]

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Kiruna - Tarasarus (2007)

2010-08-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

Kiruna - Tarasarus (2007)

Personnel:

Kåre Chr. Vestrheim - Rhodes, organ
Thomas Tofte - bass, micromoog (track 3)
Erland Dahlen - drums, percussion

Special guests:
Rolf Yngve Uggen - lead guitar
Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen - electronics (right speaker)
Jens Petter Nilsen - electronics (left speaker)

Tracklisting:

01 - Preglow
02 - April 19
03 - Black Widow
04 - Winterkinder
05 - Raldo`s Autostrada
06 - Sirens Of A Lost City, Part I
07 - Sirens Of A Lost City, Part II
08 - San Francisco Car Chase
09 - Underworld
10 - Afterglow

Irritating and fascinating! This is the second album of this Norwegian band - really hard to catch ... It is said Thomas Tofte, Erland Dahlen and Kåre Vestrheim went into the studio without any set plan and developed the musical ideas through free improvisation. With the help of some guests 'Tarasarus' holds instrumental jamming sounds like coming from another planet. The studio line-up is presenting a gloomy avantgarde styled bouquet with spacey, industrial krautrock, fusion and heavy crushing elements. Lush and playful electronics are substituting electric guitars. The sound mix has turned out in a luxuriant manner.

The opener Preglow appears like a warmup - a mixture of electronic sounds with a spacey background. KIRUNA is gliding into April 19 then - a song which reminds me of Terje Rypdal first, escalating more and more with drums, organ and bass inspiring each other. Belonging to my favourites Black Widow follows with a fusion inspired groove and wonderful Rhodes add-ons. On Raldo's Autostrada the band is supported by guest guitarist Rolf Yngve Uggen (ex Gluecifer). Dynamic pure and my highlight. This song has reached for a comfortable place in my best of song collection in the meanwhile - what a powerful heavy psychedelic presence! The 'Bitches Brew' and Soft Machine inspired The Underworld shows the three basic instruments soloing and swirling around each other lead by a special dramaturgy - wow! The vinyl only bonus track San Francisco Car Chase finally attracts my attention because made up like a Weather Report inspired fusion piece.

KIRUNA defines an unique environment with the songs. As for a conclusion my feelings are so so - I like those already mentioned tracks very much - they are more catchy I would say. But with the others I'm not able to make friends (at least yet) because they are crossing an imaginary line - too weird and free-formed noisy. Anyhow - 'Tarasarus' will appeal to fans of an avantgarde experimental approach for sure. [Prog Archives]

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"Tapes" podcast

2010-07-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, listeners!
Thank your for musical taste! Thank you for listening to me!
Today I proudly present my weekly podcast show called "Tapes". Me and my friend mix jazz, dub, lo-fi, psychedelic, hip-hop and other exotic music. Sometimes you can here rare russian exotic tunes!
It will be nice if you like it!

Here you are an 11th podcast. Lisn ta it, matafakaz!

Tracklist:

1. BGM — Recovery Room (Vanity Records, 1980)
2. Rammellzee — New Meaning (Tri-Eight Recordings, 2003)
3. Octavius — Monochrome (Mush, 2003)
4. Green Zone — Zulal (Disc Callithump, 2008)
5. DJ Eye — Live at The Metro, Kyoto, Japan 3/25/01 (Not On Label, 2001)
6. Internet2 — Loca academia de policía francesa (Cartilage recs, 2009)
7. Hanadensha — Seasky Rainbow (Circle Sunshine Records, 1997)
8. LSD March — Love (Beta-lactam Ring Records, 2007)
9. Christine 23 Onna — Mondo Nude Mode (Alchemy Records, 2009)
10. High Tone — Dirty Urban Beat (Jarring Effects, 2010)
11. The Naturists — Shaving Cream (Interactive Records, 1993)
12. Tapes — Helix Dub (Jahtari, 2009)

Gnu - Midnight Breakfast (2001)

2010-07-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Gnu - Midnight Breakfast (2001)

Oriel (1:16)
Sandcrawler (5:15)
Straw People (4:07)
Poster (2:21)
Them (2:29)
Slap Yuppie (2:01)
Rubberband Soup (2:46)
Round-1 (6:31)

All music by Masahiko Okura, except track 6, by Taiji Takahashi

Gnu
Masahiko Okura: alto sax, bass clarinet, keyboards, electronics
Shinichi Tsukamoto: keyboards
Taiji Takahashi: bass
Itoken: drums

Recorded by A/SK and Itoken at Laser Boy in March 2000, except track 1, by Masahiko Okura at Pink Sky in August 2001
Mixed by Masahiko Okura at Pink Sky
Mastered by Itoken at Mechanics Studio
Design by cubic music
Photographs and drawings by Masahiko Okura
Produced by Gnu

Released in October 2001

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Piero Bittolo Bon Jump The Shark - Sugoi Sentai! Gattai!! (2009)

2010-07-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

Piero Bittolo Bon Jump The Shark - Sugoi Sentai! Gattai!! (2009)

Personnel:

Piero Bittolo Bon: alto sax, alto clarinet (5,6,9), flute (7), melodica (5,10)
Domenico Caliri: electric guitar, acoustic 12 string guitar (8,9,11)
Pasquale Mirra: vibes, glockenspiel (1,6)
Danielo Gallo: double bass, vox bass (4,8,10), prepared piano (5), national bike pump (10)
Federico Scettri: drums

nice guests:

Alfonso Santimone: hammond organ (11)
Gillian Quinlan: voice (8)

Tracklisting:

01 - Interstellar Turkish Kung Fu

02 - Cargo Cult
03 - La Loggia Dello Storione Greco
04 - Never Let Your Hats Alone
05 - Furgonauti
06 - Requiem for Four Triassic Triops
07 - Caporetto In My Mouth
08 - Heavy Metal Miss Jones
09 - Steve Sheldon's Nightmare
10 - 20 Goto 10
11 - Mambo Ricci

If jazz is dead, if the great masters aren't as great as they used to be, if Charlie Parker and Miles Davis' music is a relic of the past, how can you explain this record? Jump the Shark!'s Sugoi Sentai! Gattai!! is the debut album of one of the scene's best talents, the venetian altoist and clarinetist Piero Bittolo Bon.

Joined by four of the most brilliant musicians from the Italian new wave of improvisers, he carries out a refreshing, thirst-quenching and vivacious work, talking about the here and now, about this strange music we still insist to call jazz. Ornette and Dolphy being his inspirations (because jazz is history, after all), Henry Threadgill his putative father, Tim Berne the inescapable touchstone. New York lays at the horizon, Chicago behind the shoulders and Venice all around.

The breaking news is that Italian jazz is alive. Jump the shark and enjoy the trip![El Galo Rojo]

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Mickey Finn + Cuong Vu - Gagarin! (2009)

2010-06-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Mickey Finn + Cuong Vu - Gagarin! (2009)

Personnel:
Coung Vu: trumpet, fx
Enrico Terragnoli: guitars, podophono
Giorhio Pacorig: rhodes, piano
Danilo Gallo: acoustic bass guitar, 12strings bass, doublebass
Zeno De Rossi: drums, percussion

featuring Carla Bozulich vocals on #7

Tracklisting:
01. The Lady Is a Trans (Danilo Gallo)
02. Again, Again (Cuong Vu)
03. Serpente (Enrico Terragnoli)
04. I Met Einstein In A Dream (Zeno De Rossi)
05. Land Mine (Giorgio Pacorig)
06. Gian Maria Volonte' (Zeno De Rossi)
07. I Can't Feel It Anymore (De Rossi / Bozulich)
08. Jean Gabin (Zeno De Rossi)
09. ... And Again (Cuong Vu)
10. Amy (Danilo Gallo)

A truly remarkable quintet, Mickey Finn, embellished by Cuong Vu's trumpet: electric sounds - echoes of Miles Davis in the Seventies and English rock, posterities from Chicago and some funk - spreading in dreamlike and restless landscapes, haunted by low-fi ghosts.
Excellent performance by Giorgio Pacorig on keyboards and Enrico Terragnoli on guitar, backed by a sulphurous Danilo Gallo on bass and by Zeno De Rossi on drums, while Cuong Vu, as usual, paints his poignant and lysergic lines.
One of the songs also features of Carla Bozulich's intense voice. The album pays tribute to Soviet aviator and cosmonaut Jurij Alekseevič Gagarin, the first man in space.
[el gallo rojo]

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Katayama Hiroaki Quartet - Quatre (2002)

2010-06-02T01:08:00.000-07:00

Katayama Hiroaki Quartet - Quatre (2002)

(Studio Wee, SW207) (Japan) (CD)

For You (9:48)
Sous le Ciel de Paris (7:22)
March (9:02)
Quatre (5:30)
Hallelujah (9:55)
Por una Cabeza (5:45)
Improvisation (3:17)
Nairobi Star (Dedicated to Akira Ishikawa) (7:33)

Music by Fumio Itabashi (1, 8), Hubert Giraud (2), Hiroaki Katayama (3, 4), Ieonard Cohen (5), and Carlos Gardel (6)

Hiroaki Katayama Quartet
Hiroaki Katayama: tenor sax
Fumio Itabashi: piano
Nobuyoshi Ino: bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion

Produced by Hiroaki Katayama and Hiroaki Wakiya
Recorded at Ongaku no Mori Hall in Kobuchisawa on February 26 and 27, 2002
Mixed at Gumbo Studio in Yokohama on March 4 and 5, 2002
Engineered by Shinji Kawase
Mastered by Hiroshi Shiota
Design and photography by Tomoo Maruono

Released April 2002

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Sim & Moe Kamura - Common Difference (2006)

2010-06-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

Sim & Moe Kamura - Common Difference (2006)

(MIDI Creative, CXCA-1199) (Japan) (CD)

6:4:6 (5:56)
Along the River (7:18)
Sis (8:30)
Sea Song (9:31)
Roota (8:23)
Arm Connect (6:59)
Keep the Altitude (6:52)

All music by Teruyuki Oshima except on track 4, by Robert Wyatt, and vocals on track 7, by Moe Kamura
All words by Moe Kamura and Teruyuki Oshima except on track 4, by Robert Wyatt

sim
Teruyuki Oshima: guitar, computer
Yoshio Otani: computer, electronics
Masahiro Uemura: drums

Moe Kamura: vocals

Produced by Teruyuki Oshima
Recorded by Teruyuki Oshima at Studio Seisho and others
Mixed by Teruyuki Oshima at Studio 201
Mastered by Shoji Hiromits at Sara Disc
Artwork by Teruyuki Oshima
Design by Ai Komoto
Includes liner notes in Japanese by Atsushi Sasaki and Moe Kamura

Released in October 2006

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Sim & Otomo Yoshihide - Monte Alto Estate (2009)

2010-05-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sim & Otomo Yoshihide - Monte Alto Estate (2009)

(Doubtmusic, dmf-127) (Japan) (CD)

5.5mm (6:51)
Freska (5:08)
Oom (8:10)
Am (6:01)
Boot (6:46)
Disk 1 (9:59)
Supremo (5:51)
Exit (6:12)
Dig (6:19)

All compositions by Teruyuki Oshima

Sim
Teruyuki Oshima: guitar
Yoshio Otani: electronics, computer, etc.
Masahiro Uemura: drums

Otomo Yoshihide: turntables, self-made synthesizer

Recorded by Ichiro Ishida at GOK Sound, Tokyo, January 8, 2009
Mixed by Teruyuki Oshima
Mastered by Hiromits Shoji
Cover design by Yuichi Ide
Produced by Teruyuki Oshima and Jun Numata

Released in April 2009

Highly highly recomended!

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Ted Reichman - My Ears Are Bent (2006)

2010-04-27T03:47:00.000-07:00

Ted Reichman - My Ears Are Bent (2006)

Personnel:
Ted Reichman: piano, electronics, guitar, bass, percussion, pump organ;
Mary Halvorson: electric guitar;
John Hollenbeck: drums.

Tracklisting:
01 - Every Man To His Taste
02 - Peace Father
03 - I Know Nothing About It
04 - Nun
05 - It Is Almost Sacred
06 - Come to Jesus
07 - My Ears Are Bent

Composer/accordionist Ted Reichman is an integral part of the New York musical community, whether he's leading the Ted Reichman Emigré Band or playing as sideman in John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet. For My Ears Are Bent, Reichman takes the accordion right out of the picture. Instead, he employs pump organ, percussion, bass, guitar and piano (plenty of piano) to create a set of austere, anxious pieces that are more instrumental mood-rock than outright improv.

Reichman is accompanied by electric guitarist Mary Halvorson (on some of the tracks) and drummer John Hollenbeck (whose playing is more prominent and whose contributions to the recording are substantial). The opener, "Every Man to His Taste, feels like a sweetly prayerful invocation as Reichman's piano repeats a mantra-like melodic phrase, his pipe organ humming alongside as Hollenbeck's unerring snare gently drives the band forward. This is rock music, pure and simple. Its layering of a repeated musical phrase and Halverson's gloriously untechnical guitar lines very much bring to mind the intelligent pop optimism of the long-disbanded Feelies or the still-vital Yo La Tengo—although Hollenbeck's crisp, perfect time will never be mistaken for that of Yo La Tengo drummer Georgia Hubley.

"Every Man to His Own Taste, however, is something of a red herring, because in its wake, the album gets very dark. What follows are essentially piano/percussion duets whose anxious, minor-key piano melodies, layered, clanking percussion and close, wet ambience make for some unsettling listening. An examination of the song titles ("Nun, "It Is Almost Sacred, "Come to Jesus, "Peace Father ) and an even-casual hearing of their creepy, spookhouse piano ostinati make it difficult to avoid the conclusion that Reichman is taking a decidedly stark and ungauzy look back at an unpleasantly old-school Catholic upbringing.

"Come to Jesus shares the same descending melody as "Peace Father, and to some extent, they're different sides of the same haunted-attic environment. "I Know Nothing About It follows dissonant, panic-attack pianos with a tempo-less middle section of chiming percussion, subdued electric guitar skronk (brittle and grinding, but quiet) and droning organ, before a final in-tempo section where Hollenbeck's explosive kick and snare become downright dub-inflected. It's very good, and more cohesive than the above description would suggest.

The title track that ends the disc breaks the tension, at least partially—like "Every Man to His Own Taste, it's a slow-layered alt-rock tune that repeats and builds a simple melodic phrase over Hollenbeck's flawless kit work. It's just a shade short of anthemic, yet even the sighing vocal "ooooohs that join in during the last two minutes can't quite dispel the thorniness of the preceding pieces. You won't hear another recording like My Ears Are Bent. It's not quite the Brooklyn improv scene's version of The Wall, but in its unflinchingly anti-nostalgic and claustrophobic mood, it's close.

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Twin Tail - Everything Is Permitted (2008)

2010-04-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

Twin Tail - Everything Is Permitted (2008)

Personnel:
Katsui Yuji (from Rovo, etc.) - Violin
Nakamura Tatsuya - Drums
Terui Toshiyuki - Bass
with
Takara Kumiko - Vibraphone (2, 3)

Tracklisting:
01 - Born To Fight (07:17)
02 - Is The Winner Always Right? (11:29)
03 - The Rain Stab God's Palm (07:11)
04 - Wander Alone Like A Rhinoceros (08:14)
05 - Blood Wash Waterfall (11:05)
06 - Let's Get Lost (12:57)
07 - Everything Is Permitted (Live) (07:04)

Highly recomended!

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The Dead Kenny G's - Live 2005-04-15

2010-04-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

The Dead Kenny G's - Live 2005-04-15

The Dead Kenny G's
April 15th, 2005
The Winchester
Lakewood, OH

Personnel:
Mike Dillon - drums & percussion
Skerik - saxaphonics
Brian Haas - keys

Source: Neumann AK40(DIN, 15'back) > LC3 > KM100 > Sonosax > Apogee AD-500e > JB3
Transfer: JB3 > Firewire > Sound Forge 7.0(fades, 48>44.1) > CDWave > Flac Frontend>mp3 converted
Taped & transferred by K. C. Cadwallader

== SET I ==

disc 1:
01. Improv
02. Improv
03. Improv
04. Improv
05. Improv
06. Improv

== SET ==

disc 2:
01. As It Will Be
02. Improv
03. Improv
04. Drum solo
05. Improv
06. Improv
07. Improv
08. Improv
09. Improv

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The Dead Kenny G's - Live 2005-01-13

2010-04-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Dead Kenny G's - Live 2005-01-13

Personnel:
Skerik: tenor saxophone, boxxx, rhodes electric piano, micromoog synthesizer, efx.
Mike Dillon: drums, vibraphone, percussion, tabla
Brad Houser: bass, baritone saxophone

Set contains 9 songs and runs for 77 minutes. Great gig.

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Piston Ltd. - Domestic Engine (2007)

2010-04-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Piston Ltd. - Domestic Engine (2007)

Tracklisting:

1 - Strainer
2 - Resilent Washer
3 - Hollow Bolt
4 - Gudgeon Pin
5 - Exhaust Pipe Flange
6 - Crankshaft
7 - Elbow Nipple
8 - Lift Eye

Piston Ltd. is a Xploding Plastix's side project.

The band is presented like this:
Jens Petter Nilsen - jump starts, cabling, grease and maintenance.
Hallvard W. Hagen - mechanics and hydropneumatic tank systems.
Erland Dahlen - pumps, power sprayers and centrifugal pump units.
Bjørn Charles Dreyer - plunger, power hosts and drainage point systems.

Piston Ltd. press release:

Steady and reliable – that's the Marna-motor, which has put-putted its way into the soul of seafaring Norwegian folk since 1918 and is now Norway's last gas-powered boat motor still in production.

This workhorse of Norway's coast has been the inspiration for one of the year's riskiest and most exciting musical experiments, sometimes in its original gas-reeking and hypnotic form, but most often in a substantially enhanced version, adding spice to compositions that are playful and uncompromising.

With the publication of "Domestic Engine," Piston Ltd. has shown that the history of coastal industries belongs not only in dusty museums and old books, but can be successfully fused together with music and improvisation in the 21st century.

"Domestic Engine" takes you along on a fascinating, variety-filled journey into musical harbors where few if any have gone before, sometimes on an open sea with nature's powers in full force, other times on a sea of glass where the powers of deep undercurrents can still be felt.

Getting human and machine to function together in a smooth symbiosis is definitely not a task for unseasoned wayfarers, so the crew was carefully handpicked to meet this musical challenge.

Piston Ltd. is the only band in the world for which 5 liters of gas and SAE 10s-30 41 Texaco Multigrade HD Motor Oil is as natural a lubricant as dry white wine and a good Bordeaux.

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Anima Mundi (Vazquez-Yoshigaki Project) - Primer Encuentro (2007)

2010-02-20T01:17:00.000-08:00

Anima Mundi (Vazquez-Yoshigaki Project) - Primer Encuentro (2007)

(Glamorous Records, EWGL-0010) (Japan) (CD)

Tal Vez Llueva (9:42)
Reconstrucción (5:12)
El Trance del Almuerzo (6:03)
En Foco (11:01)
En Juliana (7:11)
Salida de Camiones (7:56)
Baile en el Playón (6:31)
Siete Hojas Flotando (13:47)
En una Gota que Gira (4:00)

Santiago Vazquez: cajon, tabla, bombo, tambourine, kalimba, berimbau, gongs, thinking bowls, slit drum, caxixi, toys, horn, plant, voice, etc.
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, surdo, tambourine, talking drum, cymbals, bells, thinking bowl, berimbau, kalimba, caxixi, shaker, toys, voice, etc.
Kumiko Takara: vibraphone, antique cymbals, bass marimba, slit drum, engelhart, shaker, kalimba, tube horn, etc.
Yoichi Okabe (1-8): conga, bougarbou, tinbau, cajon, shaker, triangle, caxixi, cymbals, talking drum, beans, etc.
Alejandro Franov (1-8): piano, keyboards, sitar, wood flute, voice, dance
Uchihashi Kazuhisa (1, 2, 4, 8): guitar, daxophone, effects
GOMA (3, 7, 9): didjeridu

Produced by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki
Recorded by Tatsuki Masuko at IRC2 Studio, July 9 and 10, 2006
Mixed by Tatsuki Masuko at Float, October 30 and 31, November 1, and December 12, 2006
Mastered by Shuji Kitamura at Audio City, December 21, 2006
Photos and art direction by Hideaki Sasaki
Artwork by workshy-Oishi
Includes Japanese liner notes by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki

Released in March 2007

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ABCs - ABCs (2001)

2010-02-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

ABCs - ABCs (2001)

Personnel:
Gabriel Andruzzi - saxophone, guitar
Pete Cafarella - accordion, synthesize
Josh Blair - drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Luni 3
02 - 'Lil Lucky 7's
03 - Luni 2
04 - (Uh) Duh
05 - Newts
06 - Tiny Surgeons

This dynamic trio consists of Gabriel Andruzzi ( The Rapture) on sax, Pete Cafarella (Shy Child) on accordion, and Josh Blair of Orthrelm on drums -- a hardcore trio with free jazz intentions. Formed in 2000, the band wins crowds with their hypnotic, Steve Reich-like compositions. Their 2001 album ABCs on Troubleman Records follows this pattern with high-energy instrumental compositions focusing more on layer than melody.

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Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid/Mats Gustafsson - Live @ Meltdown Festival, London (20.06.2009)

2010-01-26T04:17:00.000-08:00

Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid/Mats Gustafsson - Live @ Meltdown Festival, London (20.06.2009)

Personnel:
Kieran Hebdan - electronics, sampler, laptop
Steve Reid - drums
Mats Gustafsson - sax

Following the release of their fourth collaborative record, NYC, at the end of 2008, Kieran Hebden AKA Four Tet and jazz drummer Steve Reid, perform a special gig with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.

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for ted.

Ben Perowsky Quartet - Esopus Opus (2009)

2010-01-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

Ben Perowsky Quartet - Esopus Opus (2009)

Personnel:
Ben Perowsky: drums,
Chris Speed: clarinet, tenor saxophone;
Ted Reichman: accordion;
Drew Gress: bass.

Tracklisting:
01 - Key Lime
02 - Manic Depression
03 - Within You Without You
04 - Esopus Opus
05 - Perolas
06 - New Um Talvez
07 - Flying
08 - Murnau On The Bayou
09 - Present Distance
10 - Red Hook.

A ubiquitous presence in the Downtown New York scene, drummer Ben Perowsky founded and co-led the proto-fusion band Lost Tribe, served in Elysian Fields, Joan as Policewoman, and the Lounge Lizards, while continuing to perform sideman duties for Steven Bernstein, Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, and John Zorn, among others.

An artist with eclectic interests, the debut of Perowsky's new quartet, Esopus Opus, features myriad genres—from classic rock covers and Brazilian favorites to his own mercurial originals. Interestingly, Perowsky's group inadvertently mirrors fellow percussionist John Hollenbeck's flagship ensemble, the Claudia Quintet. Both line-ups feature Chris Speed (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Ted Reichman (accordion), and Drew Gress (bass), with Hollenbeck's Quintet adding vibraphonist Matt Moran to the mix.

Despite similarities in personnel, Perowsky approaches writing for the same basic instrumentation from a different angle, drawing deeper from folk forms and popular music than Hollenbeck, whose more formal approach embraces aspects of neo-classicism and minimalism. Like two sides of the same coin, Perowsky uses a similar palette to obtain different results; his appealingly ragged tunes are more akin to punk rock than classical music.

A latecomer to jazz, Perowsky spent his formative years playing in rock bands. His choice of cover tunes reveals a fondness for the genre, with a knack for creatively reinterpreting straightforward pop melodies without abstracting them beyond recognition. Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" is given a spirited collective treatment, while George Harrison's epic "Within You Without You" slowly builds in poignancy. Bolstered by Reichman's soaring accordion, Hermeto Pascoal's lush "Nem Um Talvez" enjoys a colorful reading, while The Beatles' tender "Flying" exemplifies unadorned splendor.

Eclectic to a fault, the album's original tunes veer from funky blues ("Key Lime") and cartoonish ebullience ("Esopus Opus") to testimonial Gospel ("Murnau on the Bayou") and a modal waltz ("Present Distance"). Perowsky even internalizes the classic rock of his youth, liberally quoting Argent's 1972 hit "Hold Your Head Up" on the moody closer, "Red Hook."

Beyond the catchy tunes, the record's lasting appeal rests in the stellar capabilities of Perowsky's veteran sidemen. Gress' subterranean bottom end complements the leader's percussive thrashings with machine-like precision while Reichman's rich chordal voicings lend an exotic air; his sonorous pedal tones provide the group with a vast, expansive sound. Playing clarinet for the majority of the session, Speed delivers a number of breathtaking statements, most notably on the Coltrane-esque "Present Distance," which features a lengthy, unfettered tenor solo—something one rarely hears on his own records.

A compelling statement from an up and coming new voice, Esopus Opus is a raw, enthusiastic exploration of the endless possibilities of contemporary music. [allaboutjazz]

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Black Frames - Solarallergy (2002)

2010-01-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Black Frames - Solarallergy (2002)

"Solarallergy" is a jazz and groove studio album by Black Frames. Black Frames is a collaborative project by Mike Dillon, Earl Harvin, Skerik and Brad Houser from 2002. The album was accompanied by a national tour. Between the musicians are long-time associations: Dillon and Harvin from Ten Hands and Billy Goat; Skerik, Houser and Dillon from Critters Buggin. Though Dillon and Harvin are primarily percussionists, for "Solarallergy" all members are credited for percussion. Each musician is also credited for composition. [wiki]

Personnel:

Skerik - tenor saxophone, marimba, fancy sax
Mike Dillon - vibes, marimba, tabla, percussion
Earl Harvin - drums, vibes, marimba, guitar
Brad Houser - bass, sentir, timpani

Tracklisting:

01 - 25 Billion Stars Per Human (Dillon, Harvin)
02 - French Farse (Harvin)
03 - Hafta (Dillon)
04 - Sonic Vapor (Skerik, Houser)
05 - Mallet Cut (Dillon)
06 - Turbulance (Dillon)
07 - White Envelopes (Harvin)
08 - Gophers (Dillon, Harvin)
09 - Lucky Dog (Houser)

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The Dead Kenny G's - Bewildered Herd (2009)

2009-12-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

The Dead Kenny G's - Bewildered Herd (2009)

Personnel:
Skerik: tenor saxophone, boxxx, rhodes electric piano, micromoog synthesizer, efx.
Mike Dillon: drums, vibraphone, percussion, tabla
Brad Houser: bass, baritone saxophone

Tracklisting:
01 - Birther Blues
02 - I'm Your Manager, I'm Your Pimp
03 - Death Panel
04 - Bewildered Herd
05 - Black Goldman Sax
06 - Yeah, Cat
07 - Jake Brakin'
08 - Purgatory
09 - Hairy Bulgaria
10 - Byater Bhangra (improv #1)
11 - Shantiniketan (improv #2)

The Dead Kenny Gs is a duo started by Skerik and Mike Dillon in 2004. In 2005 they started adding Brian Haas, keyboard genius, for special shows, and a tour in 2006. Brad Houser, bass god from Critters Buggin, is currently the third member. Rotating members join the duo for necessary outings. The priority is for the name, The Dead Kenny Gs, to continue fighting injustice, cheese, and dishonesty in music, and society.

Just fucking incredible band!

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The New Mellow Edwards - Big Choantza (2009)

2009-12-16T00:46:00.000-08:00

The New Mellow Edwards - Big Choantza (2009)

Personnel:
Curtis Hasslebring: trombone
Chris Speed: clarinet, tenor saxophone
Trevor Dunn: acoustic bass
John Hollenbeck: drums and percussion

Tracklisting:
01 - Big Choantza
02 - First Loser
03 - Helkakelka, Helkakelka
04 - Sacks on the Beach
05 - Large Detective
06 - Annoying Guy
07 - Youth Against Fascism
08 - Good Job
09 - Backfat Vs. Fumi

The New Mellow Edwards, an eclectic ensemble signed to artist-run, Brooklyn-based Skirl Records, is led by trombonist Curtis Hasslebring, who draws upon a variety of influences for his unorthodox jazz compositions, including neo-classical formalism, elastic funk and tuneful indie rock.

One of Hasselbring's numerous side-projects, The New Mellow Edwards' impressive pedigree features clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Chris Speed (Human Feel, yeah NO), bassist Trevor Dunn (Fantomas, John Zorn) and drummer/percussionist John Hollenbeck (Claudia Quintet, Meredith Monk). Big Choantza, their second recording, finds the foursome exploring variations on the expansive vistas of their self-titled debut, The New Mellow Edwards (Skirl, 2006).

Embracing multiple genres and subtle electro-acoustic textures, the album veers from ebullient to austere. "Helkakelka, Helkakelka" is a riot of bristling, stop-start carnival rhythms and thorny unison themes, interrupted by a string of spasmodic solos from Hasselbring's blustery trombone and Speed's coarse tenor. "Annoying Guy" is the inverse, a droning minimalist tone poem awash in moody atmospherics.

Hasselbring's passion for indie rock is revealed on the punning "Sacks on the Beach," an anthemic rave-up driven by a steady eighth-note bass line that recalls early nineties indie rock legends The Pixies, whose "Ana" was covered on the quartet's previous session. Delving further into the genre, they invest a crackling instrumental cover of Sonic Youth's punky diatribe "Youth Against Fascism" with ecstatic brio.

Thriving on contrasting dynamics, Hasselbring's experiences in Either/Orchestra and Ken Schaphorst's Big Band can be heard in his cantilevered arrangements and contrapuntal charts. Following the brisk fanfare of the title track, "First Loser" builds gracefully, demonstrating the band's rhythmic acuity. Book-ended by languid funk vamps, the tune spotlights Speed's circuitous clarinet cadences, climaxing with the leader's effusive horn soaring over a buoyant Afro-Latin groove. The episodic "Good Job" threads staggered pointillist discourse into lush harmonies while "Backfat Vs. Fumi" encapsulates Hasselbring's multifarious talents. Modulating from cinematic introspection to syncopated cop show funk, the tune eventually deconstructs, with Dunn and Hollenbeck's oblique, fractured meters impelling Speed's cathartic tenor volleys.

Elevated by the stellar interpretations of his all-star band, Hasselbring's idiosyncratic compositions find accord in a set brimming with congenial interplay. Diverse, but not dilettantish, Hasselbring's mercurial writing is the real star of Big Choantza—a splendid sophomore effort from an under-sung composer. [allaboutjazz.com]

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Stefano Senni Saul Bass - Psychocandy (2007)

2009-12-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Stefano Senni Saul Bass - Psychocandy (2007)

Personnel:
Stefano Senni: double bass
Enrico Terragnoli: guitar, podophono
Dario Volpi: guitar
Walter Paoli: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Railway Junction
02 - Frantic Romantic
03 - Ida Y Venta
04 - The American Astronaut
05 - To S.
06 - Vimini

Psychocandy: a soft acid trip with the unusual guitar brotherhood Volpi/Terragnoli: two worlds meeting through their extreme differences. Rather than emerge, the two guitars help crafting the plot of the bassist's quartet. A work without apparent leadership (actually it's firmly held in Senni's hands). Sound spots and sheets of sound which intersect each other, under the banner of a sinister half-light. [by Giovanni Natoli]

WEBRIP!

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Zeno de Rossi Shtik - Me'or 'Einayim (2007)

2009-12-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

Zeno de Rossi Shtik - Me'or 'Einayim (2007)

Personnel:

Zeno De Rossi: drums
Francesco Bigoni: tenor sax (2-3-5-7-8-9)
Piero Bittolo Bon: alto sax (2-4)
Danilo Gallo: bass (1-2-4-5-8-9-10-11)
J Kyle Gregory: trumpet (2-3-5-7-8-9)
Danilele D'Aagaro: clarinet (6), tenor sax (11)
Eenrico Terragnoli: guitar (2-5-7-9-11)
Pasquale Mirrapasquale Mirra: vibes (2-5-8-9)
Alfonso Santimone: piano (1-2-3-5-6-7-8-9-10)
Stefano Senni: bass (3-4-6-7)
Alessanro "Asso" Stefana: national steel guitar (7)
Achille Succi: bass clarinet (1-3-6), alto sax (4)
Nicola Fazzini: alto sax (2-3-7-8-9)
Giorgio Pacorig: piano (11)

Tracklisting:

01 - Unused Theme From 'C'era Una Volta In America' (Ennio Morricone)
02 - Tradition (Harnick / Bock)
03 - Chavalah (Harnick / Bock)
04 - I Heard It Over The Radio (Ornette Coleman)
05 - My Yiddishe Momme (Yellen / Pollack)
06 - Little Lees (Louise) (Cecil Taylor)
07 - Sabbath Prayer (Harnick / Bock)
08 - Hava Nagila (Come Let's Be Happy) (Traditional)
09 - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (Jacobs / Secunda)
10 - I'll Always Be Yours (Mir Zol Zain Fai Dir) (Rumshinsky / Picon)
11 - My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Cole Porter)

Me'or 'Einayim is a precious collection of songs coming from the heart of contemporary Jewish culture. It is the clear definition of a common ground, skipping through time and space yet maintaining a sense ofshining, desperate vitality: from the themes of Fiddler on the roof to “Jewish standards” re-discovered and re-invented in a hard bop or latin perspective by Shelly Manne or Irving Fields. With the wholly coherent addition of some “minor” yet wondrous masterpieces by Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman.

Me'or 'Einayim is a voyage of “knowledge” and “re-knowledge”: learning and gratitude. For this occasion, Zeno de Rossi has put together “Shtik”, a terrific collective made up of some of Italy's contemporary jazz scene most inspiring improvisers. A perfect ensemble, in which everybody finds the space to express his own poetic voice and creativity. [by Giorgio Signoretti]

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Zeno de Rossi Sultry - Plunge (2006)

2009-12-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

Zeno de Rossi Sultry - Plunge (2006)

Personnel:
Zeno De Rossi: drums and percussion
Chris Speed: tenor sax and clarinet
Stefano Senni: bass
Featuring:
Anthony Coleman: hammond A-100 organ, wurlitzer, fender rhodes and vox organ
Enrico Terragnoli: guitar

Tracklisting:
01 - Plunge (Chris Speed)
02 - Tina (Zeno De Rossi)
03 - The Daniel Quinn Theme (Zeno De Rossi)
04 - Audio Bongo (Monty Norman)
05 - Zakaz (Zeno De Rossi)
06 - Freezy (Chris Speed)
07 - Fujiyama (Dave Brubeck)
08 - Petunia (Zeno De Rossi)
09 - Singer (Zeno De Rossi)
10 - Ida Y Vuelta (Stefano Senni)
11 - Abracadabra (Zeno De Rossi)
12 - Cristo Redentor (Duke Pearson)

Instantaneous references to creative intuitions above a solid floor of composition. An exchange of suggestions between Europe and New York, branded by an authentic creative necessity and the need to redistribute the weights of the various languages within, and collateral to, jazz.

A 'perfect' trio, which turns around the urban colours of Chris Speed's reeds, Stefano Senni's bass and Zeno De Rossi's percussion, it moves with total lucidity between original compositions and re-readings of hidden treasures by Dave Brubeck and Duke Pearson. Embellishing the textures are Anthony Coleman's keyboards (Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos, John Zorn) and the guitars of Enrico Terragnoli. [by Giorgio Signoretti]

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Soft Mountain - Soft Mountain (2007)

2009-11-23T23:43:00.001-08:00

Soft Mountain - Soft Mountain (2007)

Personnel:
Hugh Hopper - bass
Yoshida Tatsuya - drums
Hoppy Kamiyama - keyboards
Elton Dean - saxophone

Tracklisting:
01 - Soft Mountain Suite Pt. 1 (30:40)
02 - Soft Mountain Suite Pt. 2 (27:55)

As the both the name and title of this release indicate, Soft Mountain were intimately connected with Soft Machine, albeit long after the latter group had dissolved in the '70s. In August 2003, ex-Soft Machiners Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper teamed up with two Japanese musicians, keyboardist Hoppy Kamiyama and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, to record the hour of improvised fusion that comprises this album. And it certainly is improvisation; there's just one "song" here, "Soft Mountain Suite," divided into two parts of roughly half-an-hour length each. Though improvised in the studio, the music itself won't be too surprising to longtime Soft Machine followers, being energetic, instrumental jazz-rock fusion that's more jazz than rock, blending a frenetic rhythm section with free jazz sax and electric keyboard textures. Things do get especially wild halfway through the second part of the suite, with some careening electronic effects (presumably created by the keyboardist) and wild blowing by Dean, who died just a couple years or so after this session. It's more an extension of what Soft Machine were known for than a radical departure, though as Hopper notes in his brief liner note, he and Dean welcomed the chance to be spontaneous as the group they were touring Japan with at the time (Soft Works) played a set that didn't vary much from gig to gig.
[allmusic.com]

Recorded 10th August 2003 in Tokyo, Japan.

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Gnu - Suro (2003)

2009-11-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

Gnu - Suro (2003)

Peacemaker
Human Oil
Boneless Part 1
Boneless Part 2
Round 2
Eonta
Meteora

All music by Masahiko Okura

Gnu
Masahiko Okura: alto sax, bass clarinet, bass tube, electronics
Shin-ichi Tsukamoto: electric piano, organ
Yukiya Taneishi: electric bass
Tadashi Kumada: drums
Itoken: drums

with Takumi Itoh: tenor sax (on track 5)

Recorded by Ken and a/sk at Laser Boy
Additional material recorded by Itoucha at Tanker and Mechanics Studio
Edited and mixed by Itoucha and Masahiko Okura at Tanker
Mastered by Keiichi Sugimoto
Design by Keiichi Sugimoto

Released in October 2003

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Please share if you have "Gnuman" and "Midnight Breakfast"!

Tulululus - Thankful to Goethe (2000)

2009-10-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tulululus - Thankful to Goethe (2000)

Tracklisting:
01 - Virgin Blues (14:24)
02 - Komatsu To Watashi No Ambient (14:11)
03 - African Sauna (07:00)

Another great release from Comma Records.

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The Thing with Otomo Yoshihide - Shinjuku Crawl (2009)

2009-10-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Thing with Otomo Yoshihide - Shinjuku Crawl (2009)

Mats Gustafsson - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Producer
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten - Bass
Paal Nilssen-Love - Drums
Otomo Yoshihide - Guitar

Tracklisting:

01 - shinjuku crawl, first attempt
02 - shinjuku crawl, second attempt
03 - shinjuku crawl, third attempt
04 - uramado (thank you mr. fukuoka)
05 - dori dugout, part 1
06 - dori dugout, part 2

smalltown superjazz, 2009

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Ben and Frank Perowsky with Sam Yahel - Bop On Pop (2002)

2009-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ben and Frank Perowsky with Sam Yahel - Bop On Pop (2002)

Personnel:
Ben Perowsky: drums
Frank Perowsky: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Sam Yahel: organ .

Tracklisting:
1. Vierd Blues (5:26)
2. The Jitterbug Waltz (6:56)
3. Quicksilver (5:44)
4. All of You (6:45)
5. My Foolish Heart (5:26)
6. Star Eyes (6:44)
7. Confirmation (4:59)
8. Donna Lee (3:38)
9. Four (4:52)

Bop On Pop is a trio session that explores the bebop and hard bop roots of jazz from the ‘40s and ‘50s. The disc features Ben Perowsky on drums; Frank Perowsky, his father, on tenor saxophone and clarinet; and Sam Yahel on organ. The chosen songs are mainly standards associated with a few of the "founding fathers": Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Horace Silver - as well as a grateful nod to "pre-bopper" Fats Waller. The trio performed most of these songs during a gig last month at the Cornelia Street Café, where pianist Kevin Hays was a last-minute replacement for Yahel.

The disc opens with Davis' "Vierd Blues," which begins with Frank Perowsky stating the theme alone on sax as Yahel and Ben Perowsky fall in behind him. Ben keeps a solid, steady, cymbal-dominant groove going throughout. After they run through the theme twice more, Frank launches into a languid, bluesy solo, initially spare but increasingly more inventive as he warms to the task, after which the notes and ideas come out in spurts and brief flurries. Yahel ably complements the sax solo, then takes a slick turn of his own as Ben maintains a solid, cymbal-laden groove.

Frank switches to clarinet for Fats Waller's "The Jitterbug Waltz." His swinging solo after the opening theme is exploratory and deft. Yahel shadows the clarinet during the statement of the theme, percolates beneath Frank's solo, then takes his own sparkling turn at the helm before they take the song out. The song is a patient brew, building to a quiet intensity.

After Ben leads in on the drums, Frank and Yahel share some spirited byplay on the head of Horace Silver's burner "Quicksilver," racing along like neck-and-neck sprinters. Frank and Yahel take solos, then trade fours before restating the theme. The intro to "All Of You" is slow almost to the point of being melancholy, but it's quickly upgraded to its standard midtempo pace. The drummer begins with brushes but then switches to sticks as the groove expands, deepens and picks up. On the ballad "My Foolish Heart" the interplay among the trio is pitch-perfect.

Standouts on the disc include the fine arrangement of "Star Eyes," a song made popular by Charlie Parker; and "Donna Lee," written by Miles Davis and recorded by Bird when Miles was part of his band. Yahel lays out on this tune while the Perowskys - with pére on the clarinet - happily race through it. The disc ends with another father-son duet on another Davis composition, "Four," where Frank goes back to tenor sax.

Frank Perowsky plays both the tenor sax and clarinet with great fluency and confidence, sometimes approaching songs from unexpected angles and perspectives. Ben Perowsky is solid on drums, and Yahel brings out all of the colors in the organ, turning his left hand into a fourth member of the band by providing a consistent bass line. Bop On Pop is a well-executed tribute to the musicians who laid the cornerstones of the foundation of jazz today.

This review originally appeared in All About Jazz-New York June 2003.

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Simon Jermyn - Simon Jermyn's Trot a Mouse (2008)

2009-09-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Simon Jermyn - Simon Jermyn's Trot a Mouse (2008)

Simon Jermyn: electric bass & barione guitar
Chris Speed: tenor sax & clarinet
Loren Stillman: alto sax & clarinet
Sean Carpio: drums
Joachim Badenhorst: bass clarinet & tenor sax

Recorded at Stats Studio, Brooklyn NYC
in January 2007 by Reuben Radding
Mixed and mastered by Rune Borup and Mikkel Ploug at Fishcorp, Copenhagen in April and July 2007
Cover artwork and layout by Annika Koski

All music by Simon Jermyn except
"Conduit" by Jermyn/Speed and "Middle Place" by Jermyn/Speed/Stillman/Carpio/Badenhorst

Produced by Simon Jermyn
Executive Producer: Jordi Pujol

Tracklisting:

01 - conduit
02 - no, no, no
03 - becomming
04 - otabur
05 - narly
06 - middle place
07 - kaboose
08 - flaw
09 - silven cathedral
10 - stevie
11 - trot a mouse

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Emergency! - Loveman Prays For Psychical Sing (2003)

2009-09-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

Emergency! - Loveman Prays For Psychical Sing (2003)

(Studio Wee, SW305) (Japan) (CD)

Sing Sing Sing (Prima) (13:16)
Better Git Hit in Your Soul (Mingus) (8:36)
I Say a Little Prayer (Bacharach) (10:10)
The Fireworks in Toshimaen (Yoshigaki) (6:50)
Run and Run (Yoshigaki) (7:31)
Fables of Faubus (Mingus) (13:19)
Good Night (Lennon/McCartney) (5:20)

Emergency!
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion, trumpet, vocal
Otomo Yoshihide (left): guitar, vocal
Ryoichi Saito (right): guitar, vocal
Hiroaki Mizutani: bass, vocal

Produced by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki and Hiroaki Wakiya
Recorded at GOK Sound Studio, Tokyo, September 27, 2003
Mixed at GOK Sound Studio on September 29 and October 5, 2003
Engineered by Toshiaki Kondo
Mastered by Hiroshi Shiota
Cover illustration by Kazuo Miwa
Design by Tomoo Maruono
Includes liner notes in Japanese and English by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (English translation by Corene Cook)

Released in November 2003

Thanks to quinteroax for share!

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Emergency! - Loveman Plays Psychedelic Swing (2002)

2009-09-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

Emergency! - Loveman Plays Psychedelic Swing (2002)

(Studio Wee, SW208) (Japan) (CD)

Re-boptism (8;14)
Creole Love Call (13:21)
Canon (7:03)
Emergency! Walkin' (10:55)
(a) Don't Say It (3:43) / (b) The Inflated Tear (11:25)
Jelly Roll (3:59)
The Look of Love (9:26)

Music by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (1, 4), Duke Ellington (2), Charles Mingus (3, 6), Emergency! (5a), Rahsaan Roland Kirk (5b), and Burt Bacharach (7)

Emergency!
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar
Ryoichi Saito: guitar
Hiroaki Mizutani: bass

Recorded live at Buddy in Tokyo on March 20, 2002
Mixed at Real Time Sound in Tokyo on April 22 and 26, 2002
Engineered by Atsushi Tanaka
Mastered by Hiroshi Shiota
Illustration by Kazuo Miwa
Design and photography by Tomoo Maruono
Produced by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki and Hiroaki Wakiya
Includes liner notes by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki in Japanese and English (translation by Toshio Moriya and John Bryan)

Released July 2002

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The Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble - Drum Dance To The Motherland (1973)

2009-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble - Drum Dance To The Motherland (1973)

Personnel:
Khan Jamal – vibraphone, marimba, clarinet
Alex Ellison – drums, percussion
Dwight James – drums, glockenspiel, clarinet
Billy Mills – fender bass, double bass
Monnette Sudler – guitar, percussion

Probable recording date 6 or 7 October, 1972 at The Catacombs, Philadelphia, PA
Original recording produced by Khan Jamal, issued on Dogtown Records
Original recording by Mario Falana

Tracklisting:
A1 - Cosmic Echoes (7:47)
A2 - Drum Dance To The Motherland (12:35)
B1 - Inner Peace (15:46)
B2 - Breath Of Life (6:43)

A special treat for the vinyl hounds! The long-awaited first vinyl reissue of the Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble's almost-impossible-to-find 1972 "Drum Dance To The Motherland". Newly remastered and sounding great, this is a unique, uncategorizable (but here we go, nevertheless...) expression of Afrocentric America, freely improvised (but not necessarily "free jazz"), pulsing, moving, restless yet restful. Recorded in the group's hometown of Philadelphia, the players masterfully combine all the currents of Afro-American music - jazz, r'n'b, blues, funk and more - in a manner not imitative of but somehow informed by the spiritually Afro-Astral work of Sun Ra. Drums, percussion, bass, guitar, clarinets and the balaphon-influenced marimba and vibes of bandleader Khan Jamal are all wondrously integrated, and propelled into other dimensions by the heavy, dub-like use of live echo and reverb by "sixth member" sound engineer Mario Falana (Lola's brother). There is an abundance of fine playing in these grooves: tasty guitar, propulsive bass lines, layers of percussion, wailing clarinets, Jamal's vibes and marimba, all periodically carried farther out on waves of echo, and farther in via cavernous reverb.
[Rush Hour Store]

And you can read an intersting track-by-track review by sonicasimmetry here.

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Marvin 'Hannibal' Peterson - Hannibal In Antibes (1978)

2009-08-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Marvin 'Hannibal' Peterson - Hannibal In Antibes (1978)

Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson - Trumpet
George Adams - Flute/Tenor Saxophone
Diedre Murray - Cello
Steve Neil - Bass
Makaya Ntshoko - Drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Ro (19:16)
02 - Swing Low Sweet Chariot (20:25)

record date: July 20th, 1977

Hannibal In Antibes starts off really very badly, so much so that you’re almost tempted to give up on the thing. The problem is it starts with about a three minute drum solo. I mean drum solos are bad enough anywhere on a record, but to start an album with one is just madness. I suppose at least they have started the album with the lowest point on there, so in theory it should only get better from that point on, unless of course you love drum solos. When the other instruments initially kick-in you’re like thank god for that, but then it all starts going a bit pear-shaped and all Tom & Jerry ish. But after about four and a half minutes the bass kicks in, then a cello reveals itself, Hannibal starts blowing the most intense horn work you could ask for, and from that point on you are blessed with a full-on aural pleasure fest for the rest of the album.

This album is two very long tunes that seem to be dominated by solos throughout. Luckily the drum solo is the only bad one here, and as I already pointed out, they got rid of it at the start. All the rest of the solos respectfully work with the rhythm section and never over reach or go too far out. The rhythm section, which also consists of a cello on here, really seems to control the main instruments of trumpet, tenor sax and flute, and make sure they behave themselves. At one point the sax goes a little over the top, but the rhythm section is like calm down will you you’re spoiling the flow, and brings it back into line. The musicians on here are Marvin “Hannibal” Peterson on trumpet, George Adams on flute and tenor sax, Diedre Murray on cello, Steve Neil on Bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums, and man can this guy can play those drums.

The overall feel of the music is very much in that Impulse spiritual and haunting approach, but with a bit more rock element in there. Imagine the latter Pharoah Sanders recordings for Impulse, like Village Of The Pahroahs and Live At The East, but with a trumpet thrown in, and you’ll kind of get the picture. I also like the use of a string instrument, this is where the rock feel comes from; it kind of adds a slight early Velvet Underground (when John Cale was a member) feel to the thing. In addition to that there’s a kind of eastern feel, but not like Middle Eastern, more sort of eastern European feel. Basically it's a real fusion of styles that all work perfectly, so if you imagine a Russian Velvet Underground without guitars covering a Pharoah Sanders' album, you're almost there.

Both tracks are winners, but side two is a total killer, it’s a twenty plus minute version of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” that literally abducts you for its entire duration. The drum/bass/cello combination on here is like an all consuming driving riff that just never lets up. I was so taken by this record that I spent the whole twenty minutes just not wanting it to end. I love those times when you've just got an album, but you know absolutely nothing about it and it ends up being one of the best things you've ever heard. If you love all that hypnotic stuff, and strong rhythm sections, then I cannot recommend this album to you enough. Just be warned, it is seriously addictive. The only thing that stops this getting top whack is the drum solo, and that’s just a personal thing, I hate drum solos.
>>by MH1000 from rateyourmusic.com

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Nutron - Spectra (2002)

2009-08-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Nutron - Spectra (2002)

Nutron is one of brilliant japan guitarist Yoshitake Expe's projects. "Spectra" released on Comma Records in 2002.

Tracklisting:
01 - bird 7
02 - atur
03 - aquam
04 - raem
05 - nooon
06 - flower of funk
07 - porteisco
08 - peach fish
09 - all silicon sea system
10 - secret flower

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Strobo - Chaos Addiction (2006)

2009-08-24T05:36:00.001-07:00

Strobo - Chaos Addiction (2006)

Tracklisting:
01 - thousands of blue
02 - deep field
03 - chaos addiction
04 - buzzy sunshine
05 - mayan
06 - mameshiba

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Strobo - Zero (2003)

2009-08-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

Strobo - Zero (2003)

Tracklisting:

01 - Breathe
02 - You are Not Alone
03 - Zero
04 - Mahi-Mahi
05 - Solar

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Strobo - Insight (2002)

2009-08-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Strobo - Insight (2002)

Tracklisting:
01 - you're always free to change your mind
02 - insight
03 - dancin' in the streets
04 - fortune teller
05 - put your hands in the air

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Strobo - Primitive Future (2001)

2009-08-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

Strobo - Primitive Future (2001)

Tracklisting:

01 - Division
02 - 2002
03 - Primitive Future
04 - One Step
05 - BIRD
06 - Cell

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Various Artists - Comma Records Anthology (2004)

2009-08-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - Comma Records Anthology (2004)

Tracklisting:

CD 1:
01 - NXS - Zebra (Monka{Kinka&Moochy}/'Wind' Mix) (8:22)
02 - NXS - Fall (Saidrum/North Down Mix) (6:48)
03 - Nutron - Flower of Funk (7:17)
04 - Mana - Natural Sequence Part.2 (7:06)
05 - NXS - Dice (3:41)
06 - Soft - Echoooner (8:24)
07 - NXS - Sleeper (EyE/Micro Forest Remix) (7:51)
08 - Soft - Art Farmer (Kaoru Inoue Remix) (8:08)
09 - AOA - Dolphin Rider (6:47)

CD 2:
01 - AOA - El Dragon (6:52)
02 - Tribal Circus - Boronco (5:19)
03 - Tulululus - African Sauna (5:25)
04 - Soft - Art Farmer (Space Ocean Dub) (13:10)
05 - AOA - Surfin' Alright(Cosmo Pacifica) (8:15)
06 - Soft - Tokyo Afro Hair (10:52)
07 - AOA - Usaoa (7:39)
08 - AOA - Open (1:46)

This is rather rare compilation from japanese label Comma Records. Started in July 1998, Comma appeared at a time when underground Japanese musicians with their personal, regional histories under one arm and the sound and approach of foreign electronic music under the other, really started crawling out of the woodwork. Seeking to pervert the course of modern music, Comma searched for the results of these potentially bizarre blends, mismatches, coincidences and distortions, and findings to date are documented in current releases.

Jazz, nu-jazz, future jazz, dub, techno.

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Yamatsuka Eye - Re...Remix? (2008)

2009-07-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yamatsuka Eye - Re...Remix? (2008)

Remix compilation of Yamatsuka Eye from Boredoms.

01 - Walrus - Moth (Remixed By EYE) (3:31)
02 - DJ Pica Pica Pica - Spa (5:00)
03 - Makoto Kawamoto - Gimme Shelter (Remixed By EYE) (6:39)
04 - Boat - Monmi (African Dawn Remix) (4:28)
05 - Flare - Turbinates (Yamataka Eye Mix) (8:28)
06 - NXS - Sleeper (Micro Forest Mix 2000) (8:00)
07 - Zeebra - Smokin' At The Lobby (Your Turn) (Magic Mushroom Mix) (7:21)
08 - Gong - Master Builder (EYE Mix) (4:31)
09 - Wrench - Cosmic Hierarchy (EYE Remix) (6:26)
10 - OOIOO - Asozan (EYE Remix) (3:15)
11 - Atami - Nightingale (X-mas Mix) (6:15)
12 - Back Drop Bomb - When The Man Have Realized The Sound-Flow (It's Like That) (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo Mix) (5:01)

End said:
Eye, eh? Sun-sculpting deity, bringer of noise and peace in equal, purposely contradictory amounts. Club igniter and destroyer, most likely; the man you would hire instantly if you required someone to scare your kids into raving. None of this means anything, though. Fuck it. Kill it. Remix it and release it on CDs I cannot find.

Re...

Re...

Re...

art3infinity said:
Who cares if no one hears this album.
Likely, the best remix album I have ever heard, and yet I didn't even put it on my top 23 of the year list.
Yamataka makes his music for the Ocean and Thunder of Nature anyway, not me.

c_deep said:
An amazing collection of Yamataka Eye's remixes. If you know the DJ Pica Pica Pica mix cd or the Vision Recreation album you know you're in for some serious sensual bombardment and the mood of this collection is heavier, more rocking. The remix of Gong's Master Builder is a good example, this time stripping it down of all the hippie elements and letting the fuzz bass dominate and letting the drums put the track into overdrive. An essential listening for every Boredoms fan.

rateyourmusic.com

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Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Franz Kafka's Amerika (2007)

2009-06-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Franz Kafka's Amerika (2007)

(P-Vine Records, PCD-18514/5) (Japan) (2-CD set)

Disc 1

Perfect Days for Jungle Cruise (21:50)
(It's a Small) World Music's World (6:54)
The Crying of Lot 49 (15:11)

Disc 2

Washington D.C. (8:20)
1865 Richmond, VA (24:08)
Fox Trot (12:22)
Hoa-ky (13:26)

All music composed and arranged by Naruyoshi Kikuchi

Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden:
Naruyoshi Kikuchi: conductor, CD-J, keyboard
Jason Shalton: guitar
Koki Takai: guitar
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums
Nobuo Fujii: drums
Masaki Kurihara: bass
Kenta Tsugami: soprano saxophone
Gosekky: tenor saxophone
Masayasu Tzuboguchi: keyboard, synthesizer
Gen Ogimi: percussion
Masaki Yoshimi: tabla
Takero Sekijima: tuba
Taisei Aoki: trombone
Shiro Sasaki: trumpet

Produced by Naruyoshi Kikuchi
Recorded by Kenji Konishi at Sound Inn and aLive Recording Studio
Edited by Shigeki Nakamura at Andy's Studio
Mixed by Shigeki Nakamura (disc 1, track 1; disc 2, tracks 3 and 4) and Kenji Konishi (disc 1, tracks 2 and 3; disc 2, tracks 1 and 2)
Mastered by Osamu Shimojyu at On Air Mastering
Artwork by Sun An

Released in April 2007

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David Wertman - Kara Suite (1976)

2009-06-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

David Wertman - Kara Suite (1976) (with Weasel Walter re-release 2005)

David Wertman - bass
Charles Tyler - alto saxophone
Ken Simon - tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Reid - drums
with
Weasel Walter - drums

1. Kara
2. Sunshine
3. Sharataar
4. Devotion

Weasel Walter drum overdub recorded on dec 15, 2005

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*You can find original 79'version in comments.

New Life Trio - Visions Of The Third Eye (1979)

2009-06-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

New Life Trio - Visions Of The Third Eye (1979)

Label: Mustevic Sound
Catalog#: MS 6001
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Jazz
Credits: Bass - David Wertman
Drums - Steve Reid
Guitar - Brandon Ross
Notes: Music of the people, by the people, for the people.

Tracklisting:
A1 - Empty Streets
A2 - Egypt Rock
A3 - Sculpture
B1 - Chinese Rock
B2 - Prelude To Grace
B3 - Love Cipher

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Melvin Jackson - Funky Skull (1969)

2009-05-16T02:09:00.000-07:00

Melvin Jackson - Funky Skull (1969)

Bassist Melvin Jackson has exactly one album in his catalog as a leader (he spent most of his time playing with Eddie Harris). But man, that's all he needed. Pumping his upright through a Maestro G-2 filter box, a Boomerang, an Echoplex, and an Am peg amp, he made that thing sound like something from outer space while keeping it firmly in the groove of the corner bar on Front Street. Gimmicky? That's what they once said about Roland Kirk playing multiple horns at once, too. As for the naysayers who think of this as a novelty, consider the heavies in his band: Roscoe Mitchell, Leo Smith, Lester Bowie, Phil Upchurch, Pete Cosey, Morris Jennings, Jodie Christian, Billy Hart, Byron Bowie, Steve Galloway, and a whole lot of others. All of these cats were heavyweights in their own right. What does Funky Skull sound like? Psychedelic, funky soul-jazz and a whole lot more. Jackson bowed his bass a well as plucked it depending on what the tune needed. Produced in Chicago by Robin McBride and originally released on the Limelight label, it marked an era of exploration and Jackson was on the ground floor of the space station. There was only one requirement: the groove had to be in the pocket and the beat had to be on the one. There are nine tunes here; Jackson wrote or co-wrote four, including the two-part title cut. He took pages from both Harris' serious soul-jazz book and James Brown's funky one. There are vocals on these tracks, but they amount to little more than accents on the repetitive rhythmic lines being laid down. It's all backbone-slipping, hard, electric jazz funk from the pre-fusion era. "Funky Skull, Pts 1 & 2" and Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time, Pts. 1 & 2" were actually spun on jukeboxes throughout the Midwest and in New York in beer gardens, at lunch counters, in bowling alleys, etc. In other words, these jams got heard and grooved to by ordinary folks, not just jazz heads. The nickels got pumped for a reason. Some cuts here, such as "Dance of the Dervish," have pretty sophisticated arrangements and fell more firmly in the jazz camp, but were outside it, too -- especially the Echoplexed bass solo. Elsewhere, "Everybody Loves My Baby," which is a workout for hand percussion, hi hat, and bowed electronically affected bass, was out there on the launching pad in terms of classification. It gets brought back in from the cold by Jackson's "Say What," with the horns playing as a section with striated harmony and a subtle B-3 played by some uncredited genius who kept the funk lines clipped and tight; it was Jackson's cue for wrapping himself all over the groove while never leaving the pocket entirely. The bleating saxophone solo tells you that something else is being aspired to and delivered: it pushes the melody line way out the window, but the rhythm section never loses it for a second. "Funky Doo," written by Jackson and producer Robin McBride, rocks it up while being a dance tune for a sweaty after-hours party. The set ends with "Silver Cycles," written by Jackson and Harris. Clocking in at over nine minutes, it begins with a small piano vamp and Jackson playing glissando bowed bass before flutes, a trap kit, and other horns wind their way in. Jackson's bass gets double-tracked, finding the expansive groove being laid down and extrapolated into harmonic wonderland. Textures by the horn section, and the lower edges of the bass and piano registers are expounded upon, with the horn playing in high, tinny fashion, creating a huge space in the middle for anything to happen. But it stays on the subtle side with all sorts of interaction going on between the instruments crisscrossing channels and parts before fading into the night. Funky Skull is a one of a kind listening experience. It's fun, wildly inventive, freewheeling and complex all at the same time. This is one of those records that one has to hear to believe, and once heard, has to have as a permanent part in your collection. [Luckily for us, the fine folks over at Dusty Groove in Chicago reissued this Limelight classic on CD in 2007.]
[allmusic.com]

tracklisting:

A1. Funky Skull–Parts 1 & 2
A2. Ma, She's Makin' Eyes At Me
A3. Bold And Black
A4. Dance Of The Dervish
A5. Everybody Loves My Baby

B1. Cold Duck Time–Parts 1 & 2
B2. Say What
B3. Funky Doo
B4. Silver Cycles

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Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Report From Iron Mountain (2001)

2009-05-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Report From Iron Mountain (2001)

1		Catch 22 (10:00)
2		Play Mate At Hanoi (12:29)
3		S (10:51)
4		Circle/Line ~ Hard Core Peace (16:02)
5		Hey Joe (12:00)
6		Mirror Balls (08:16)

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Rovo\Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - s.t. split (2001)

2009-05-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Rovo\Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - s.t. split (2001)

01 - Rovo - Sino
02 - Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Pan-American Beef Stake Art Federations

(P-Vine Records, PCD-18501) (Japan) (CD)

01 - Rovo - Sino (30:35)

Yuji Katsui: violin
Seiichi Yamamoto: guitar
Tatsuki Masuko: DX-7, SH-101
Koji Nakanishi: Juno-106, SH-101
Jin Harada: bass
Yoichi Okabe: drums, percussion
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion
Composed by Rovo
Conception: Seiichi Yamamoto
Produced by Rovo
Recorded by Yoshiaki Kondo at GOK Sound
Mixed by Seiichi Yamamoto at Cooper Studio
Mastered by Mitsukazu Tanaka

02 - Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Pan-American Beef Stake Art Federations (32:19)

Naruyoshi Kikuchi: VOX-Jagar, CD-J, keyboard
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar
Kohki Takai: guitar, filter
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, tambourin
Nobuo Fujii: drums
Masaki Kurihara: bass
Kenta Tsugami: soprano sax
Yoshihiro Goseki: tenor sax
Masayasu Tzuboguchi: synthesizers, electric piano, clavinett
Gen Ohgimi: percussion
Masaki Yoshimi: tabla
guest Itoken: drums, tambourin
Composed by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden
Produced by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Kohki Takai
Recorded at Shibaura Studio, On Air Azabu, Sound Arts, and FarEastIsland Studio
Engineered by Kenji Konishi
Mixed by Shigeki Nakamura at FarEastIsland Studio
Mastered by Mitsukazu Tanaka

Design: Takeshi Matsumoto
Includes liner notes in Japanese by Rovo and Naruyoshi Kikuchi

Released July 2001

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Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Structure et Force (2003)

2009-05-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden - Structure et Force (2003)

Naruyoshi Kikuchi: VOX-Jagar, CD-J, keyboard
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar
Kohki Takai: guitar, filter
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, tambourin
Nobuo Fujii: drums
Masaki Kurihara: bass
Kenta Tsugami: soprano sax
Yoshihiro Goseki: tenor sax
Masayasu Tzuboguchi: synthesizers, electric piano, clavinett
Gen Ohgimi: percussion
Masaki Yoshimi: tabla
guest Itoken: drums, tambourin

01 - Structure I - La structure de la magie moderne
02 - Structure II - La structure del'Amerique medievale
03 - Structure III - La structure du solide rotaroire et de la prostitution
04 - Structure IV - La structure du temple et du paradis
05 - Structure V - La structure du port et des lieux de plaisir
06 - Structure VI - La structure de l'extraction de la bouteille de Champagne

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Chris Speed - Emit (2000)

2009-03-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

Chris Speed - Emit (2000)

With his fourth solo CD, saxophonist/clarinetist Chris Speed continues his distinct assault on modern jazz as Emit may in fact represent the artist’s finest achievement as a leader thus far. Along with three of his longtime band mates from the peppery Balkan based band, “Pachora”, Speed and trumpeter Cuong Vu make for an auspicious front line horn section in concert with the all world rhythmic pairing of bassist Skuli Sverrisson and drummer Jim Black.
Basically there’s not one track to be found that might hint at anything resembling filler material. The band cross pollinates Middle Eastern themes with a Caribbean vibe on the fervent opener, titled “Constance and Georgia” where Speed and Vu render perky lines and sweet melodies amid fluctuating rhythms, flirtatious call and response dialogue and jovial deconstruction of the primary motif. Black and Sverrisson surge onward with the intensity of a freight train on “Suggestible” as the soloist’s combine ballsy improv with intriguing melodies while Speed, performing on clarinet, rides atop the often maniacal pulse and Sverrisson’s limber lines. Whereas, on “Tangents”, Jim Black demonstrates yet again why he is one of the finest drummers in jazz, evidenced by his polyrhythmic onslaughts and ability to maintain the tempo without losing a beat. On this piece, the band provides polychromatic vistas, as the lead soloists
render airy yet complex unison choruses in conjunction with a rhythm section who seem hell bent on ripping the walls apart. Here, raw power attains a fruitful coexistence with innocence and beauty! All About Jazz

Jim Anderson	Engineer
Jim Black	Drums, Melodica, Photography
Graeme Brown	Editing, Mastering
Shaine McDonald	Cover Art
Jamie Moore	Graphic Design
Tony Reif	Executive Producer
Anthony Ruotolo	Assistant Engineer
Chris Speed	Clarinet, Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Producer, Photography
Pat Speed	Photography
Skúli Sverrisson	Bass, Bass (Electric)
Cuong Vu	Trumpet

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Other Chris Speed's releases:
Criss Speed - 2000 - Iffy Trio

Bobby Previte & The Horce - Play Miles Davis (live, 1998)

2009-03-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Bobby Previte & The Horce - Play Miles Davis (live, 1998)

Other Bobby Previte's releases:
Previte / Petrella / Salis - Big Guns (2008)

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Previte / Petrella / Salis - Big Guns (2008)

2009-03-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Previte / Petrella / Salis - Big Guns (2008)

Label:	AUAND
Catalog#:	AU9015
Format:	CD, Album, Digipak
Country:	Italy
Released:	2008
Genre:	Jazz
Style:	Contemporary Jazz
Credits:	Artwork By [Design] - Segni & Disegni Drums - Bobby Previte Engineer [Assistant] - Davide Palmiotto Executive Producer - Giovanna Mascetti , Marco Valente Mastered By - Scott Hull Mixed By - Scott Harding Photography [Cover] - Luca Buti Piano, Organ [Hammond], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] - Antonello Salis Producer - Bobby Previte Recorded By - Fabio Patrignani Trombone, Effects, Melodica - Gianluca Petrella
Notes:	Recorded at Forum Music Village (Rome, Italy) on November 27-28, 2007. Mixed and mastered in New York on April 2008.

ENG Downbeat, Peter Margasak (mar.2009)

As with many all-improvised sessions, this project between U.S. drummmer Bobby Previte, Italian trombonist Gianluca Petrella and Italian keyboardist Antonello Salis is a mixed bag. The program is nicely varied from track to track. But Salis, who alternates between piano, Hammond and Fender Rhodes, is the only one who sounds at ease, finding fresh and provocative gambits on every piece. Previte comes off as the least inspired participant. He plays with loads of power and sometimes drives the music from the pocket (as on “Blues For Gio”), but much of the time he sounds like he’s firing off a row of cannons.
Petrella is a monster on his instrument, and previous work has revealed his sharp grasp of electronic enhancements, but he overdoes it a little here. Reverby effects pedals sometimes reduce his razor-sharp phrasing and full-bodied tone into an oil slick of dubby low-end. When he plays clean lines, he and Salis usually lock into some gripping interactions, from slinking, guttural growls against the splattery piano figures on the title track or fat post-bop riffing againstgreasy and spooky Hammond trills on “The Battle Of Zama”. Some actual tunes would have helped.

More reviews here

More Info and preplay here

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Chris Speed - Iffy Trio (2000)

2009-03-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

This Chris Speed-led date finds him in a jazz trio setting with drummer Ben Perowsky (who has recorded most with Dave Douglas and Mike Stern) and organist Jamie Saft (of Jerry Granelli and Bobby Previte groups). The three form an equally balanced trio; it would be hard to pick out the leader just by listening. Iffy is opened by Perowsky and Saft who set the pace for a few measures before Speed comes in with his clarinet. The first surprise is that Saft is on Hammond B-3 (the credits list simply "organ & synthesizers") and for a quick moment, Wayne Horvitz' Zony Mash comes to mind, but the trio then moves wholeheartedly in an organ jazz direction. As "A Little Odd" approaches the four-minute mark, it ends abruptly and in rushes the high-energy, whirlwind number "Graphic Ridiculous," which flies, in its calmer moments, and rocks out through reckless solos. After this fast ride, the trio only calms down a little for the synchronized duet between Saft and Speed -- who's on tenor this time -- with Perowsky soon joining in. With "FMU" (named, perhaps, for the NYC radio station) the boys bring back the jazz and include a bit of entertaining melodrama toward the end, as well. The groovy "Gina" is based around a klezmer melody and finds Saft's left hand steadily riding the low end, Perowsky cutting it up with a mid-tempo funk and Speed exercising his clarinet chops. "Part III" signals the mid-point of the album and offers a half and half of fast action and slow motion. The second half of this well-done, up-tempo album continues with as much energy, interest, and variety as the first, with the only real wind-down number, "Slippers," coming in at the close.
all music guide

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Comming Soon!

2009-03-21T00:26:00.000-07:00