William Hooker | LIGHT | The Early Years 1975-1989 | No Business Records

Light Box: Conception of William Hooker Don’t tell him he plays loud. He learned about music and his instrument playing within a tradition that straddles R&B and jazz. That tradition congeals in the smoothly accessible, yet sonically forceful music of the organ trios of the mid-sixties and it demanded amplitude. “An organ is powerful— a Hammond B3 with a Leslie tone cabinet. That’s a six foot cabinet. It’s got that swirly thing inside and you have to play with a certain amount of power,” — Thomas Stanley Continue reading

The Resonance Ensemble | Double Arc | Not Two Records

The work of composing rehearsing, and performing Double Arc took place in November, 2013. Now, more than a year and a half later, I am writing the liner notes to complete the last aspect of the project. The extended distance in time between the recording and mixing/mastering of the musi gave me a different perspective toward the material than I have for most albums. Working on now — 19 months after the performance was documented at the Manggha Culture Center in Krakow — what strikes me most is that this piece seems to be my Pierrot le Fou. No insult intende toward Jean-Luc Godard by comparing his work to mine but, as that film can be seen as a such motion of ideas and filmic strategies that he had developed up until that point, Double Arc can be heard as taking similar place within my own creative development. — Ken Vandermark Continue reading

Nicole Guazzaloca | Tecniche Arcaiche / Live at Angelica | Amirani Records

We already knew the inventive freshness of this musician, but didn’t get yet the opportunity to listen him performing his solo masterpiece live. The visible secret of his music is the perfect balance between delicacy and impetus driven through a conscious journey on/outside/inside the piano. Deeply investigated in a breath-taking, brilliant live concert at Angelica Festival, the sound-elements dance is developed with un-orthodox exploration of the instrument, crystal clear storming note cascades, gentle sudden melodic flashes and textured sketches. A tasty musician, here delivering grace moments of thrilling sequences, complex designs and simple light edgy notes, that give us the idea of a marvellous sense of narration. Another great album from Nicola proudly co-produced with Aut Records. Continue reading