A – B

All artists filed by last name under A and B :

Jim Ryan | The Ghost Dog Tour Compilation | Edgetone Records

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A trip to the underground of cutting-edge music the Ghost Dog Tour features eleven carefully honed works from over twelve hours of live recordings made during May and June 2007 in six U.S. cities: St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago, Urbana IL, Columbus OH, and New York. Jim Ryan traveled by bus, hooking up with advanced players (over two dozen), sometimes gathered under his Forward Energy banner, and sometimes as guest performer with local groups. This 73+ minute CD exemplifies the vitality of the will to musical creation that remains hidden beneath the slick commercial flim-flam that is pushed down the throat of the average music buying public. — Saftig von Heimlischbaden Continue reading →

Andy Meyer | Kyle Farrell | Jenna Barvitski | The Giants of Gender | Edgetone Records

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(the)giants of gender are an experimental / avant-garde trio comprised of Andy Meyer (reeds), Kyle Farrell (vibraphone/percussion), and Jenna Barvitski (violin, viola), whose debut, self-titled album on EdgeTone Records is an almost unclassifiable amalgam of sounds and styles that is ultimately a very demanding and uneasy listen. Combining haunting classical arrangements with passages that touch on jazz, prog, avant-garde, and World music styles, the trio at times comes across like a head on collision between Oregon, Ornette Coleman, and Gentle Giant. Sort of….but not really. Despite the many moments of chaos and dissonant bombast, there are passages of tranquil beauty, like the gorgeous oboe and violin duet on the enchanting “a turtle lives in the waters”, and the emotional strains of “Soft Times”. Unfortunately, there’s not enough of that though, as the trio seems more inclined to crash and bash their way through this release. Listen to the furious assault of drums, violin, and sax cacophony during “Melody For the House”, or the monstrous waves of distorted sounds on “As Non Living”, for examples of just how avant-garde these three can take their music. For the most part, quite a bit of this debut seems anything but music, but like I mentioned earlier, there are enough moments of real beauty here to think that (the) giants of gender have only just begun, and we might see something really meaningful from them yet. — Pete Pardo Continue reading →

Jim Ryan’s Forward Energy | Where Are They? | Edgetone Records

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This highly controversial release from one of the jazz masters of the beat generation presents his powerful group Forward Energy in “Where Are They?” In one of Jim Ryan’s best musical recordings to date, you get full bodied jazz explorations from lyrical flute work to full force high energy driving free wheeling swing. Guests include the legendary former Blue Note trumpet player Eddie Gale as well as young Los Angeles lionesses tenor saxophonist Alicia Mangan. Employing his unique classic poetry and slamming saxophone work, Jim presents thought provoking music that will keep you on your toes. Continue reading →

Eddie the Rat | Insomnia Sound Bible | Edgetone Records

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Insomnia Sound Bible is the songbook to a sleepwalker’s guide through oblivion. Its soundscape is made of violins and cellos, trumpets and clarinets, lots of percussion and homemade instruments, and telepathic harmonizing and other voices. As with all Eddie the Rat recordings, the intention is for the CD to be listened to as a whole, however, these are songs which can also be taken in their own context. Continue reading →

E. Doctor Smith | The Drummstick | Edgetone Records

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Having played for 20 years in jazz, fusion, pop, and folk bands as a serious student of drums, E. Doctor Smith developed a love of digital drumming that compelled him to design and build an instrument that would give him maximum flexibility as a writer, drummer, and performer. The Drummstick, a percussion controller with 16 finger-pads mounted on a 2 x 6 piece of wood, is worn like a guitar and used exclusively to achieve Doc’s primary goal in life— to make spirits dance. “From the banjo-meets-Bruford tribal groove of ‘Futureboy’ to the atmospheric sonic landscapes of “Girl of a Thousand Days,” E. Doctor Smith treads a musical road less traveled. His intrepid ensemble’s acid jazz explorations wander into every world musical nook and cranny, making this collection a trip well worth taking.” — Stephen Bray Continue reading →

Rent Romus | Lords of Outland | Culture of Pain | Edgetone Records

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Rent Romus’ long awaited release since 2000 with his ever changing group collective The Lords of Outland, crosses over the boundries of jazz and improvisation infusing noise, free thematic creation, and dismayed sonic expression on the state of the ‘union’, and its self-proclaimed iron fisted mighty hand of destruction and power as a means to world diplomacy and control. Continue reading →

Eddie the Rat | Once Around The Butterfly Bush | Edgetone Records

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Eddie the Rat is the pseudonym for composer and multi-instrumentalist, Peter J. Martin aka Pete Rat, and the avant-(something) conglomeration of musicians and artists who help execute his compositions. Eddie the Rat music is “head music for your feet.” It has been called “sexy avant-garde.” Inspired by Indonesian gamelan, American & European folk, and modern 12-tone music, Eddie the Rat tries to bridge the gap between ritual, roots, and concert music. But please feel free to dance. Continue reading →

Thollem McDonas | Box Deserter | Two Revolutions | Edgetone Records

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Recorded live in Detroit at the Bohemian National Home, the performance captured a semi-structured improvisation of seven musical participants and a short interwoven recitation about Portuguese colonization of Africa and the eventual uprising centuries later. The lineup came together spontaneously and results in many combinations of timbre, seamless transitions, abundant ideas, and virtuosic interaction. This is a sonic story of violence, oppression, and rebellion. There’s a plethora of characters that rattle in and out, drawing inspiration from Igor Stravinsky, Charles Mingus and Pauline Oliveros meet. This is one of several albums that will be released from Thollem’s ‘FourKneesOfTheTurtleTour’ this past fall; a 15 week 65 concert solo journey around the continental U.S. Continue reading →

Rent Romus | Steven Baker | Thollem McDonas | Jon Brumit | Bloom | Edgetone Records

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Bloom a spirited and colossal collaboration between pianist Thollem Mcdonas, multi-saxophonist and electronician Rent Romus also featuring guests performers instrument builder Steven Baker, and drummer and found-object player Jon Brumit. The CD features free group improvisations as well as interpretations of numerous textual and graphical scores offered up by Mcdonas and Brumit. The entire album is an organic construction and expression of solos, duos, and trios combining disparate and divergent stylistic histories with a sense of refreshing immediacy, intensity, and spontaneous inventiveness. Continue reading →

John Tchicai with Rent Romus’ Lords of Outland | Adapt… or Die! | Edgetone Records

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Rent Romus extends his ethos “to continually be on the path for something new” with the self-explanatory Adapt… or Die!. This recording revamps the Lords of Outland insto a more deviant configuration joined by drummer Dave Mihaly and sousaphonist Jon Birdsong. This project is also blessed with the immense presence of master tenor saxist John Tchicai. The shift in instrumentation provides a punchier, more expansive format for Romus’ self-proclaimed “Nordic Viking Jazz” or “Bull in China Shop” attitude toward improv. With a post-grunge audacity, Romus kicks solos that he says come “straight from the groin” — all of which bodes well for this sonic explorer. Continue reading →