Synchron - Synchron (2012)

Synchron - Synchron (Sagittarius A-Star, 2012)

Personnel:

Faruq Z. Bey: Saxophone  

John Dana: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Ron English: Guitar
Keith Vreeland: Piano, Keyboards  
Leonard King: Drums

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

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

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

Recorded late 80's.

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

Find in comments!

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

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

Personnel:

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

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


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

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

Out of print!

Find it comments!

Boschamaz - Rød (2011)

Boschamaz - Rød (Hecca, 2011)

Personnel:

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

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

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

And get it in comments.

Boschamaz - This Is Not Sweden (2007)

Boschamaz - This Is Not Sweden (Hecca, 2007)

Personnel:

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

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

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

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

And find it in comments!

Ben Holmes Quartet - Anvil of the Lord (2012)

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

Find it in comments!

Plutino - Plutino (2012)

Plutino - Plutino (Spacebone Records, 2012)

Personnel:

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

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

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

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

[PLEASE, BUY CD HERE]
[PLEASE, BUY DIGITAL HERE]

Find it in comments!

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

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

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

Tracklisting:

01 - Kins

02 - Primal Waters

03 - Cat and Mouse

04 - Talon

05 - Kahtuhlpa

06 - Mamaka II

(cd version?)

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

[PLEASE, BUY IT HERE]

Find it in comments!