Curtis Hasselbring - The New Mellow Edwards (2006)

Curtis Hasselbring - The New Mellow Edwards (Skirl, 2006)

Personnel:
Curtis Hasselbring: Keyboards [Casio], Effects, Sounds, Trombone

Chris Speed: Keyboards [Casio], Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Trevor Dunn: Bass
John Hollenbeck: Drums, Melodica, Percussion

Tracklisting:
01 - White Sauce Hot Sauce Boss?

02 - The Infinite Infiniteness Of Infinity

03 - Abcs Of The Future

04 - Plubis Epilogue
05 - Double Negative

06 - (I'm The Annoying Guy Who Always Yells) Freebird

07 - Insaniterrier (The Radio Dog)

08 - Scatology

09 - Ana Black Francis

10 - Far-Away Planet

11 - Mamacita

Сurtis Hasselbring's New Mellow Edwards is a group that was originally formed in 1988. Known back then as the Mellow Edwards, the trio of trombone, electric guitar and drums explored a unique combination of free jazz and heavy rock that was very unique for it's time. Continuing through the 90s as a sextet with a similar musical onus, Hasselbring reformed the group as an acoustic quartet in 2002 and has made the New Mellow Edwards the focal point of his composing and band-leading. Curtis's compositions and the New Mellow Edwards' playing defies traditional jazz conventions and favors primal garage rock-derived grooves, textural explorations and classicaly-influenced structures. The repertiore of the group can be humerous, dark, accessible and exciting, often simultaneously.

The debut album by the ingenius composer\trombonist Сurtis Hasselbring. Сurtis's composing and The New Mellow Edwards' playing defies traditional jazz conventions and and favors primal garage rock-derived groove, textural explorations and classically-influensed structures. Curtis's tweaked version of a modern instrumental supergroup features strong performances from three New York's most innovated musicians, Trevor Dunn (Mr. Brungle, Electric Masada, Melvins), John Hollenbeck (Meredith Monk, Theo Bleckmann, Claudia Quintet), and Chris Speed (Human Feel, Bloodcount, Pachora).

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

And find it in comments!

Devin Gray - Relative Resonance (2015)

Devin Gray - Relative Resonance (Skirl, 2015)

Personnel:
Devin Gray - drums

Chris Speed - tenor saxophone and clarinet

Kris Davis - piano

Chris Tordini - double-bass

Tracklisting:
1. City Nothing City 

2. In the Cut 

3. Notester 

4. Jungle Design (for Hannah Shaw) 

5. Transatlantic Transitions 

6. Undo the Redo 

7. RelativE ResonancE (for Tadd Dameron) 

8. Search It Up

From the outset, this rhythm section can do Henry Threadgill’s Zooid. Devin Gray (drums) and Chris Tordini (bass) have that thing down pat. Reedman Chris Speed and pianist Kris Davis are mixed in (mostly) separate channels and this works well, as they frequently play counterpoint with each other over the top of the amazing structural base. I wish the soloists were completely isolated in separate channels. In the left channel you'd get something wonderful from a Davis trio – and then cut out the left channel and you could hear an amazing Speed-led group. But we'll just have to be satisfied with the brilliant quartet. I’ll confess that I will check out anything with Kris Davis on it. She’s an incredibly well-rounded player with a real understanding of what makes a composition, a group improvisation, and an arrangement work. She is a perfect fit here. Gray has written arrangements for each instrument that present a balance, not only between composition and improvisation, but between each player's contribution to the overall picture. On “Notester” the Zooid groove disappears, making for a more challenging – but no less enjoyable – listening experience. Tordini and Davis lock especially well here to support Speed's flights. Things get appropriately humid on “Jungle Design,” which also has a house-of-mirrors feel about it. It's the first and only time the “balance” ideal becomes a bit claustrophobic. “Transatlantic Transitions” returns to Zooid funk about two minutes in; and Davis and Speed lead the band through abrupt twists and turns. The written bits – on the entire disc – are intricate and fascinating, like studying the insides of a finely crafted timepiece. Delicate precision is key to the execution of this music. Throw in a wild card like free improvisation and... How do they make this work so well? Nowhere is the tight balancing act more evident that on the title track, which compresses everything that is great about this band - and these songs - into 3.5 minutes of brilliance. The interplay between Gray and Tordini leads the group to ecstatic – and briefly, improvisational - heights. Who knew the avant garde could be so perfectly symmetrical? [Free Jazz Blog]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

Or find it in comments!

Howard Peach - Howard Peach (2015)

Howard Peach - Howard Peach (el NEGOCITO Records, 2015)

Personnel:

Chris Speed - tenor saxophone
Simon Jermyn - electric bass
Lander Gyselinck - drums

Tracklisting:
1. Lausanne
2. Unfortunate Vivisepulture
3. Hidden Word
4. Chris The Crafty Cockney
5. Sycamore Sea
6. Atlantis 1987

 Lander Gyselinck has transformed from an emerging young talent to an
 established and respected name on the Belgian jazz and improvisation scene
 in a relatively short space of time. He derives his inspiration, not only
 behind the drums but also as a composer for his own bands LABtrio and
 STUFF., from contemporary electronic music. His inventive and exploratory
 drumming style has accorded him a broad and individual sound palette that
 is appreciated by a wide range of musical fields. This means he thrives in
 very diverse artistic environments ranging from jazz, contemporary
 electronics to experimental improvised music. He is a member of the Kris
 Defoort Trio, Jazz Plays Europe 2010 and Network of Stoppages. In 2010 he
 won the Toots Thielemans Jazz Award and in 2012 he received the SABAM
 Youth and Music Award at the Ghent Jazz Festival. Lander currently lives
 in New York.

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

And find it in commentz!

The World Heritage - Travelling Silk Road (2012)

The World Heritage - Travelling Silk Road (Magaibutsu, 2012)

Personnel:
Katsui Yuji: violin
Yamamoto Seiichi: guitar
Kido Natsuki: guitar
Nasuno Mitsuru: bass
Yoshida Tatsuya: drums

Tracklisting:
1. Xi-Ang

2. Tongko
3. Theheran

4. Samarkand 

5. Rome

6. Istanbul

7. Bagdad

Live recordings of drummer Yoshida Tatsuya's World Heritage band from Koenji HIGH in 2009, condensing and editing the show into one incredible hour of sophisticated rock improvisation. This is the 4th release for World Heritage band, with Nasuno Mitsuru on bass, the dual guitars of Yamamoto Seichi and Kido Natsuki, and violinist Katsui Yuji. [Squidco]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

Or find it in comments!

Extremelly huge and fantastic record!!!

Russell / Beresford / Edwards / Liavik Solberg - Will It Float? (2015)

Russell / Beresford / Edwards / Liavik Solberg - Will It Float? (Va Fongool, 2015)

Personnel:
John Russell: guitar
Steve Beresford: objects and electronics
John Edwards: double bass
Ståle Liavik Solberg: drums and percussion

Tracklisting:
01 - Will It Float?
02 - Light Impermeable
03 - Buoyant
04 - The Third Time

The music on "Will It Float?" can best be described as classic British improvisation with an electro-acoustic twist. These are the major elements that run through the recording, creating a soundscape that is both challenging and engaging. The improvisations are freely made, without preparation, and are characterized by an extreme joy in playing and a desire to take chances while maintaining a firm focus on the group's identity. After playing in a successful duo with John Russell for a couple of years, Ståle Liavik Solberg decided to put together a quartet consisting of more musicians from the British improvisation scene. For him it was an easy choice to combine Russell with Steve Beresford and John Edwards, and Liavik Solberg arranged for the quartet to play at St. Mary's Old Church in Stoke Newington, London. Once the idea had taken root for the concert it became obvious they were embarking on something special and the decision was taken to call in renowned recording engineer Dave Hunt to record the music. John Russell, Steve Beresford, and John Edwards have been a part of the free improvisation scene in England and Europe for several decades, and have played together in many different circumstances during this time. Ståle Liavik Solberg is an active free improviser in Norway and is, among other things, a director of the extensive concert series Blow Out! in Oslo. Fred Lonberg-Holm got the task of mixing and mastering the album and Kjetil Tangen made the great cover art. [Forced Exposure]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

And find it in comments!

Tim Berne's Snakeoil - You've Been Watching Me (2015)

Tim Berne's Snakeoil  - You've Been Watching Me (ECM, 2015)

Personnel:
Tim Berne: alto saxophone
Oscar Noriega: bass, clarinets
Ryan Ferreira: guitars
Matt Mitchell: piano, electronics
Ches Smith: drums, vibraphone, percussion, timpan

Tracklisting:
01 - Lost In Redding
02 - Small World In A Small Town

03 - Embraceable Me

04 - Angles
05 - You've Been Watching Me
06 - Semi-Self Detached
07 - False Impressions

In the course of his long and prolific career, alto saxophonist/composer Tim Berne has been more of a musical agitator than a mediator. While that's a positive characteristic of Berne's creative process, it is also a demanding one for all concerned. Berne's tenure with ECM, however, has been marked by a more pronounced move toward balancing restorative musical properties to juxtapose very complex structures. The result of Berne's continued growth is You've Been Watching Me, a high point of his compositional achievements to date.

As on his two previous ECM leader dates with Snakeoil—the self-titled debut (2012) and Shadow Man (2013)—Berne's cohort includes Oscar Noriega on clarinets, Matt Mitchell on piano and Ches Smith on various and sundry percussion. An addition to the original quartet is guitarist Ryan Ferreira. The Eastman School of Music graduate adds an ethereal, liquid quality that belies his early heavy-metal influences.

"Lost In Redding" opens with all hands on deck, creating a carnival-like atmosphere before abruptly switching gears and turning the proceedings over to Noriega. His bass clarinet solo alternates between single tones and more musical structures, eventually giving way to a series of solos from the rest of the group. Mitchell's keys are augmented by Smith's light but decisive propulsion providing the transition to the reeds retaking the piece, slowly building back to the calamitous level of the opening. "Small World In A Small Town" may be most ambitious composition Berne has created. Beginning as a duet between Berne and Mitchell, the slow pace allows the articulation to stand out clearly. Taking on suite-like qualities, Noriega (at almost ten-minutes in) adds lyrical, classically influenced themes then almost imperceptibly shifts to a subtle Middle-Eastern melody accompanied by a rock beat as the reeds patiently build to a crescendo. The scope of the piece is epic; the music mesmerizing.

"Embraceable Me" and "Angles" are darker in tone, the former beginning as a deep, rumbly free-for-all that is both cinematic and discordant but taking a haunting turn that carries over to the dark, foreboding "Angles." Ghostly intensity and unbalanced harmonies give an aesthetic tension to the music; Ferreira and Mitchell often conjuring color and texture just out of obvious earshot. The set concludes with "False Impressions" and—like "Small World In A Small Town"—changing themes, tempos and modulation create a labyrinth of movements.

Produced and mixed by ECM label-mate and past colleague, guitarist David Torn, You've Been Watching Me represents another forward-looking development for Berne and Snakeoil. The quintet works in various breakout formations adding to the variety of textures and sounds. There's an openness in this setting that adds depth and drama to the improvisations that weave through the arrangements. Berne's music has never been anything less than challenging, but here it is broader and more accessible without sacrificing edginess; You've Been Watching Me is a major achievement in Berne's portfolio. [Allaboutjazz]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

And find it in comments!

Karkhana ‎– Live At Metro Al-Madina (2015)

Karkhana ‎– Live At Metro Al-Madina (Sagittarius A-Star, 2015)

Personnel:
Umut Çağlar: Flute, Violin, Percussion

Mazen Kerbaj: Trumpet, Trombone [plastic], Synth [crackle]

Sam Shalabi: Oud, Electric Guitar

Maurice Louca: Organ

Özün Usta: Double Bass

Sharif Sehnaoui: Drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Under The Red Light, Part I
02 - Under The Red Light, Part II

This is one of the most powerful releases in the combined Qbico and Sagittarius A-Star catalogues. Imagine a cross between Kluster and Taj Mahal Travellers with a Middle Eastern feel (the musicians are from Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon). Their first record was recorded live in Beirut on February 25th, 2014. The musicians are Mazer Kerbat (trumpet, plastic trombone, crackle-synth), Umut Çağlar (flutes, violin, kalimba), Sam Shalabi (electric guitar, oud), Maurice Louca (synth, electronics), Özün Usta (double bass, cura) and Sharif Sehnaoui on drums. The sound that you hear at the end of the second clip it's not a monster's breath. The ticket to the ride. [Shiny Beast]

[PLEASE BUY IT HERE]

Or find it in comments!