Jeff Platz | Jim Hobbs | Luther Gray | Timo Shanko | Sour Grapes | Glitch Records

Welcome to the latest release on Glitch Records, Sour Grapes! Sour Grapes features Boston area musicians Jeff Platz, Timo Shanko, Jim Hobbs, and Luther Gray. Sour Grapes was recorded in the fall of 2014 in Boston Massachusetts at Q Division studio by Jason Bitner. The session was a six hour excursion into free style playing., incorporating electronics with acoustics, no holes barred! Platz, Shanko, Hobbs and Gray have played together for several years in a variety of Boston and New York City based ensembles. Each member is a composer and bandleader, all with several individual recordings and ensemble projects. We hope you enjoy the recording! Many thanks for listening! — Jeff Platz Continue reading

The Cosmosamatics | Reeds & Birds | Not Two Records

This version of The great Cosmosamatics features Sonny Simmons on alto sax, English horn & vocals, Michael Marcus on tenor sax, saxello & b-flat clarinet and Clifford Barbaro on drums for all but the last track in which they use Jay Rosen on drums. Legendary west coast sax great Sonny Simmons never fails to deliver the goods and with the marvelous Cosmosamatics, which features another former west coast sax hero Michael Michael, they both continue to push each other to further flights and heights with each tour and release. This is the sixth Cosmosamatics disc in less than five years and each has been an engaging gem. — BLG Continue reading

Tonino Miano | Mirio Cosottini | The Inner Life Of Residue | Impressus Records

Some improv music makes you say ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ and some improv music makes you say ‘YEAH!’. This set falls in the latter camp. A face off between piano and trumpet, this duo is one of those pairs that makes it all sound so simple that any one can do it. Then many try and fail. Some have the special sauce and some don’t. Certainly a well rounded dose of sitting down jazz, you don’t have to be an egghead or arts council hanger on to dig it. Almost like performance art without the pretension, this has that special something that you want to hear when you just want to be entranced by some well played music.– Midwest Record Continue reading

Bartłomiej Brat Oleś | Free Drum Suite | Not Two Records

With an eerie lead in Oles goes off, sometimes so quiet you forgot he was there. Shortly after you turn the volume up, Oles is blasting through your speakers. He shows a great sense of timing here; not just playing in a certain tempo, but timing when he is going to beat his drums or when he is going to softly lay out a rhythm. You’re bound to be entranced by his songs as they go from mild to wild and explore a full palette of bells, bamboo sticks and even birds. This record puts out a great vibe, like your stereo has got a mind of its own and painted a surreal soundscape. — AllAboutJazz Continue reading

David Murray feat. Marcin Oleś & Bartłomiej Brat Oleś | Circles – Live in Cracow | Not Two Records

David Murray is of course one of the more important tenor saxophonists of his era – or make that any era. Judging by his extensive discography, he is ready to collaborate or engage in almost any musical project. Never one to rest on his many accomplishments, any recording with Murray is worth investigating. This release is no exception, although certainly it would not be the best place to begin one’s Murray research. For this collaboration, Murray connects with two brothers, bassist Marcin and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Oles, during a special concert with “Poland’s finest rhythm section”. This live show was recorded in Cracow as part of a festival and, as the liners state, Murray was throughly on board with this partnership, despite the fact that there apparently wasn’t much rehearsal time. As a result, many of the compositions present space for a blowing session of sorts, with modal vampsbeing the vehicle for the group’s interaction. Fortunately, Murray and the brothers sound like they enjoy one another’s company, with the brothers working as full partners whether out in front or in support mode. — Jay Collins Continue reading

Halfpipe | Mammut | Mudoks Record

These recordings are from a period of 1 1/2 years and document the work with children between 11-12 years of playing in an ensemble of new improvised music and more. The approach, as in all activities with children, is conceivable playful and it is amazing to commit with what delicacy and nuance, the players go their way. Children are oriented at a certain age more outward, toward the world of idols and role models. That this is not always in the sense of adults, or even collide, so that speaks for a method that takes up the aspects of this idols with and blends into the unknown own creative work. Thus, the adepts learn to “do their thing” and cultivate themselves in “as saying” the creative potential in themselves. That we keep on using so-called clichés is almost self-evident. We all live of patterns that guide us and we continue that. Goal from the beginning, was a maximum of musical expression with the aid of reflection usually from the moment of creating out. Increasingly, we came here in the fields of game processes which could be called composition or better call it “instant composing”. There, where with re-improvised material, structure and tone will be organized more conscious and more and more complex mobile compositions emerges. A mammoth task. — Hubert Bergmann Continue reading

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

Ted Daniel’s Energy Module | Innerconnection | No Business Records

Trumpeter Ted Daniel’s Energy Module was a short-lived band. They played exactly two gigs in the course of one week in the fall of 1975—and never played again. They gelled quickly as a quintet, however, in large part because everyone knew each other from working in Daniel’s big band, Energy. However, the Energy Module was a less formal affair than the large ensemble, in which they played Daniel’s original compositions and arrangements. “We had a couple of rehearsals and played through the tunes, but our main focus was on collective and individual improvisation,” Daniel says. “We were getting ready to take care of business.” — Ed Hazell Continue reading