Q – R – S

All artists filed by last name under Q, R and S :

Vandermark 5 | Annular Gift | Not Two Records

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The Vandermark 5’s Annular Gift is its most accessible and swinging recording to date. Recorded live (one reason) in Krakow, Poland, the quintet has come together (reason two) as a true aggregate of players. This is their fifteenth official release (there have been some CD-Rs and compilation discs) and third for the Polish label Not Two. The others were the sprawling and ultimately satisfying 12-CD collection of live dates at Alchemia in 2004 (since Alchemia, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm replaced trombonist Jeb Bishop in V5) and a double-LP, Four Sides Of The Story (2006). Continue reading →

The David Arner Trio | Out / In the Open | Not Two Records

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David Arner – pianist, composer, harpsichordist, percussionist – David Arner is a long time proponent of innovative music and spontaneous composition. His wide interests have encompassed the avant-garde, birding, mythology, astrology, modern dance and silent film within his musical pursuits. While well known for his solo piano work, over the years Arner has also worked with Michael Bisio, Jennifer Choi, Connie Crothers, Dominic Duval, Lisle Ellis, Avram Fefer, Joe Giardullo, Lou Grassi, Francois Grillot, Rosi Hertlein, Susie Ibarra, Adam Lane, Joe McPhee, Tatsuya Nakatani, Pauline Oliveros, Jay Rosen, the Sirius Quartet, David Taylor, Tomas Ulrich, Sarah Weaver. Continue reading →

The Rempis Percussion Quintet | The Disappointment of Parsley | Not Two Records

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The first piece is somewhat of a swinger. For those of you who don’t like their free improvisation too jazzy, head for the bar. (And for those jazz writers who can’t seem to tell one instrument from another, despite the fact that you review dozens of records in public forums each year, I play tenor here, and alto on the other two tracks. They sound different. Dexter Gordon played tenor. Lee Konitz plays alto. Figure it out.) The second piece is a ballad of sorts, dedicated to my grandmother, Stamata Rempis, who passed away at the age of 102 three weeks before this recording was made. She was one of the strongest and kindest people I’ve ever known. As we stood onstage at the end of the first set, before starting this piece, thoughts of her flooded over me. I had been at Alchemia a few weeks earlier, on tour with Ingebrigt Hºaker Flaten’s Quintet, just after learning that she was about to pass. Zoni is the name of the small village in which she was born, just outside of Megalopóli, Greece. — Dave Rempis Continue reading →

The Michael Bisio Quartet | Live at Vision Fest. XII | Not Two Records

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For years, free improvisers have explored the tactile aspect of performance, in which the nature of the encounter between the player and the instrument becomes the subject of the music itself. Bisio is one of the few musicians that has managed to meld this high-concept sense of physicality with the soulful charge of jazz. His fiddle-high, scraped overtones create a tangled choir that is impossible to resist; his expressiveness with the bow is unmatched. Having whirled the listener into a transportive state, he gently shows the way out… Paul DeBarros, Signal to Noise Continue reading →

Michael Marcus | Lotus Symphony | Not Two Records

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Lotus Symphony – a serene pool where a forest of sound can exist, because the artists have committed to coming together, symphonically, in the rhythms of light where the tradition of American Improvised Music has no bounderies, celebrated and thus the special bloom occurs. Special thanks: to all the musicians who contributed their artistry in making this recording come to life. Eric Enjem and to Marek Winiarski at NotTwo Records. — Michael Marcus, August 2008 Continue reading →

Simone Massaron feat. Carla Bozulich | Dandelions On Fire | Long Song Records

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I couldn’t help but feel that the material presented by Massaron’s Dandelions on Fire would be at home on any of the Tom Waits’ albums from the past decade. I couldn’t find any direct correlation from Massaron to Waits through background digging, and that’s what makes this album even better. It bears the almost unmistakable variances of an extremely seasoned veteran, yet makes no apologies when it comes to claiming its individuality. This is one uniquely diverse collection that’s sure to satiate any fan of Mr. Waits or Nels Cline, but would likely also be in frequent rotation of any dedicated Carla Bozulich fan. — songfrontiers Continue reading →

The Foot Job Band | Porno Jazz | Long Song Records

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The subject of today’s lesson is…….. Porno Jazz!!!!!!!!! These are the first words spoken from our esteemed professor Whiskey San Martino announcing the topic of the day’s lecture, and what a subject it it! Its roots lie in the world’s oldest profession as well as the day to day thoughts and fantasies of most of us. O.K. let’s get just say it and get it out of the way. We all know what the course work is and believe me, everyone of us all wants to pass with flying colors. SEX baby and I want a PHD! Continue reading →

Gebhard Ullmann Basement Research | Don’t Touch My Music Vol.1 and 2 | Not Two Records

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Multi-instrumentalist and composer Gebhard Ullmann lays down the ground rules without ado with the slam-bang title Don’t Touch My Music. There should be no qualms about that, Ullmann’s music is made to draw rapt attention. The closer one listens, the more there is to discover. Ullmann brings in an evolving, and revolving, cast of characters to give voice to his music. Each ensemble brings certain attributes and direction to his compositions that absorb various strains to enrich them. Basement Research with Steve Swell, Julian Arguelles, John Hebert, and Gerald Cleaver has marked an indelible presence with their earlier work. And there’s no messing around with them this time either. The members of Basement Research have honed empathy to a fine skill. Surprise is the hallmark of their cross-pollination of genres. The band dons and doffs styles in seamless motion, playing in sweet consonance at one moment and taking off at tangents the next. An intimate conversation warps into disparate strain. And with the wit and sly humor they inject, thees CD’s turns out to be quite the excellent entertainer. Continue reading →

Ken Vandermark | Resonance | Not Two Records

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At the end of the week, music fans from all over the region flocked to the concerts in Lviv and Krakow that the musicians had been rehearsing for over the preceding five days, one group even chartering a jet from Georgia. At the end of the week, when it was time to say goodbye, the bonds formed between some of the musicians were so strong that some couldn’t contain their tears. But for many of these artists it was adieu rather than farewell as many intend to build on their Resonance experience by collaborating with each again in the future. — Philip Palmer, Jazzwise magazine) Continue reading →