Juan Pablo Carletti | Tony Malaby | Christopher Hoffman | NIÑO / BRUJO | No Business Records

Tenorist Tony Malaby makes some really wonderful sounds here – but the album’s actually the brainchild of percussionist Juan Pablo Carletti – who composed all the tracks on the set! Malaby continues his wonderful sense of tone and texture here – blowing slow notes sometimes, which unfold like dark sonic flowers – mixed with lighter, tuneful passages that almost have a classic modern tenor quality – a space that seems to range from Rollins to Brotzmann, depending on the needs of the moment. Carletti plays drums, glockenspiel, and melodica – and Christopher Hoffman adds some especially great cello – which is often played at the lower, darker range of its spectrum, as a key component of the trio. Titles include “Lateral Thinking”, “El Brujo”, “Miranda”, “Ballerina”, and “Jose”. — Dusty Groove Continue reading

Jason Ajemian | Tony Malaby | Rob Mazurek | Chad Taylor | A Way A Land Of Life | No Business Records

Jason Ajemian, bassist, has developed a high profile in the improvised music scene over the years, performing with Rob Mazurek’s Mandarin Movie, Exploding Star Orchestra, and Chicago Underground Trio; Ken Vandermark’s Crisis Ensemble; and currently with Marc Ribot’s new group Sun Ship. Ajemian’s curiosity has ranged far and wide – he’s just as comfortable in the hushed, folksy setting of Born Heller, his duo with Josephine Foster, as he is in the breath-processed arrangements of his large ensemble Who Cares How Long You Sink. Given such a variety of musical interests, a detour like “From Beyond,” Ajemian’s backward version of Black Sabbath’s “Into the Void” for chamber ensemble, begins to seem like an obvious stop on his journey from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Chicago and his current home in New York City. Continue reading

Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York | Shiki | Libra Records

Composer-pianist Satoko Fujii always writes large ensemble music that’s celebratory, eventful, and sweeping in scale. But for this album, she wanted to make “something beyond. I don’t know how I can explain. I wanted to paint a picture that extends beyond its canvas. I composed for life, which has many stages and changes and dramas.” “Shiki,” the nearly forty-minute magnum opus that comprises two-thirds of this CD, does indeed reach for “something beyond.” In the hands of the Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York, the big band she’s maintained for recording projects since 1997, the music rises off the pages of the score and confronts us, consoles us, challenges us to feel and to contemplate ultimate questions. Rooted in life, Satoko’s insights into the human condition are passed through her unique artistic vision and back into our lives to enrich us with its wisdom. “Shiki” is a Japanese word that translates as “four seasons” in English and the music is as changeable as the wind and weather. “I wanted a title that suggested change,” she says. “I think we human being also have seasons in our life.” The composition is one of her grandest pieces of musical architecture. Soaring arches of melody are supported by great anchoring columns of orchestra chords and a subtly textured floor of ensemble drones underpins much of it. — Ed Hazell Continue reading

Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York | Summer Suite | Libra Records

I love Satoko’s strong charts and engaging harmonies for all of the reeds and brass with inspired solos from the tenor sax and trombone, but it is the strong ensemble sections that really stand out… Her great New York Orchestra has not played in New York for quite a while, we can only hope they have an opportunity to do so in the not too distant future. In the meantime, you can get this treasure and their many layers of talent. — Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery Continue reading

Ken Filiano | Michael Attias | Tony Malaby | Michael T.A. Thompson | Dreams From A Clown Car

Think of a Clown Car… and right away a number of images and impressions come to mind: a huge circus tent, a universe in itself; a group of crazies; a festive honking time; loud, often delirious laughs; vivid colors; fun costumes; wild make-up; big red noses, big bright sounds; dramatized human behavior, both humorous and sad; things magical, so different from everyday life; sizzling energy; subtle poetry; and more, how, think of Dreams… and likewise right away a number of thoughts and reflections also come to mind and take you to strange other worlds: unexplainable odd situations; noble aspirations that can’t materialize yet; beautiful warped reality; impossible things becoming possible instantly; and much more. 5o, with the myriad thoughts that Dreams can evoke, combined with those triggered from an implausible “Clown Car Band” comprised of four highly sensitive musicians/creative improvisers, everything becomes possible. The resulting tunes – each with a title chosen with great care — are profoundly vivid expressions of a few “moments” of life, gripping musical paintings bearing not only the distinctive signature of their composer / band leader, but also the distinctive personalities of each member of this brilliant energetic quartet. Colors, sounds and energies converge, intertwine, blend, their metamorphosis growing on the tunes’ canvasses as vibrant sketches, irradiating LIFE in its many forms. — Gilles Marie-Paul Laheurte Continue reading

Gebhard Ullmann | Basement Research | Live in Münster | Not Two Records

Thefour players get off to a sparring start as they weave rings around each other in the quiet introspection on “Blaues Lied”, before they find the blues. The pace continues to be sombre: Ullmann takes the tune out on the tenor saxophone, laying the melody open and bringing in dramatic turns and twists. He forges new ideas on the go as he changes pitch and direction. When Malaby comes in, the atmosphere opens up and the two horns shoot some tensile lines, which evaporate as Malaby traverses new territory with a cogent solo on the melody. Ideas continue to germinate as the recording proceeds. Ullmann moves to the bass clarinet on “Kreuzberg Park East”. Shifts of time herald this tune, where Ullmann and Malaby engage in spirited exchanges that heat up as they go along. There is never a dull moment as the tension of the horns is leavened by the space created by bassist Drew Gress and drummer Phil Haynes, flexing the rhythm with light accents. “New No Ness” is a happy romp with Ullmann on the soprano, unfurling light and airy spirals. Malaby comes out and swings before he goes into an open-ended improvisatory run and cues in Ullmann and Gress, who cast intrigue with their turn of pace and direction. It is here that the Ullmann flips the tune into calmer waters; he churns the mix with darting lines before the group gets back together and rollicks off into the night.– Jerry D’Souza, All About Jazz) Continue reading

Mike Pride | Scrambler | Not Two Records

Mike Pride’s Scrambler starts off with a bang. On the first track, “A Cry For Unity” , the drummer-leader starts the trip with a barricade of beats. Soon enough his “Cry For Unity” is answered by a tremendous trio of sounds, William Parker booming his bass in with Charlie Looker’s subtle yet key guitar, allowing Tony Malaby to fly out of the boundaries of his sax. Looker steps front stage in “Sometimes It Just Goes To Show” with a refreshing tone. Clean and fast, with the occasional handmade effect, Looker delivers. At the drop of a hi-hat, this band of four can go off in their own dimensions, as they weave in and out of each other to create a smooth and ‘scrambling’ sound. The beauty is that as much as these guys go out riffing, they tighten up just as quickly with a flawless transition. A master collaboration of musicians.– allaboutjazz Continue reading