D – E – F

All artists filed by last name under D, E and F :

E. Doctor Smith | Seth Elgart | K2 | Edgetone Records

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K2 is the culmination of a nearly thirty year musical collaboration between two friends that began with their early days in the NYC prog rock group “Everest”. Since that time, E. Doctor Smith and Seth Elgart have continued to collaborate on a variety of projects, ranging from the Source Theater production of “The Mound Builders”, to Steve Ellison’s “Flash to Bangtime” and Smith’s acid jazz group, “The Drummstick”. Influenced by the works of Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Kit Watkins, Larry Fast and others, “K2” represents the fullfilment of their long time dream of paying tribute to those like-minded musical mentors and utilizing a variety of today’s 21st century MIDI technology. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

Thollem McDonas | Arrington de Dionyso | Intuition, Science, And Sex | Edgetone Records

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Intuition, Science, And Sex is a free trio album meditation on one mode with two musicians and drone machines. On September 11th, 2007 Arrington deDionyso (Bass Clarinet) and Thollem McDonas (Rickety Old Beat-Up Piano) met in an industrial area of Portland with a simple question and complicated answers. Simplicity and complexity in their respective perfections, each idea developed over long spans of time. The result is a very different kind of album for both of these two prolific musicians. 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 →

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 →

Vinny Golia | Marco Eneidi | Lisa Mezzacappa | Vijay Anderson | Hell-Bent in the Pacific | No Business Records

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Vinny Golia has made some unusual choices. In 1973, he moved from New York to Los Angeles, away from the centre of the jazz universe to the more cooperative Left Coast scene. He established his musician-run New Winds label in the 1980s, the start of tough times for the record biz. He also bucked conventional wisdom to concentrate on just one or two instruments, devising a rotating practice schedule to master the full families of saxophones, flutes and clarinets, as well as shakuhachi, bassoon, and so many other winds that his Penguin Guide to Jazz list ends with “etc.” —Lawrence Joseph Continue reading →

Robert Dick | Ursel Schlicht | Photosphere | Nemu Records

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Recorded live in 2004 at the Kulturhaus Dock 4 in Kassel, Germany, PHOTOSPHERE could be described as meditative. That doesn’t mean it lacks fire or intensity, but the passions in play are ultimately shaped by artistic intelligence. Though there are diverse musical sources and moods, nothing here devolves into postmodern pastiche or New Age glibness. — Gene Santoro, August 2005 Author of Highway 61 Revisited and Myself When I Am Real: The Life and M usic of Charles Mingus. Continue reading →