T – U – V

All artists filed by last name under T, U and V :

Five Spot | Petras Vysniauskas | Yuri Yaremchuk | Roberta Piket | Mark Tokar | Klaus Kugel | Poltva

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The band’s name reveals that this is a quintet, with Lithuanian Petras Vysniauskas on soprano, Ukranians Yury Yaremchuk soprano, alto and clarinets, and Mark Tokar on bass, German Klaus Kugel on drums and Roberta Piket from the US on piano. All five musicians have solid backgrounds, both in traditional contexts as in a more free environment, as is the case here, for this live performance at the Lviv Jazz Festival in Ukraine in 2007, and it is free jazz in the spirit of the seventies, with the whole band working together on a coherent musical flow, rhytmic and forward-moving, with the musicians very concerned to build a unique sound rather than using the improvisation for personal expression. In the hands of lesser musicians this becomes a perfect recipe for either chaos or boredom, but you get the opposite here: discipline and deep listening skills, creativity and variation make this quite a captivating program.– Stef Continue reading →

The Resonance Ensemble | What Country Is This? | Not Two Records

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In mid December of 2004for some completely unknown reason, a complimentary issue of Time Magazine showed up in my mailbox. I hate the periodical, never read it except when I’m at the dentist, so I have no idea why it arrived. On the front cover was George W. Bush’s face, he had been selected as “Person of the Year” by the magazine’s editors after his reelection as president. Just one more reason to hate the publication. As I flipped through the pages with masochistic curiosity while drinking my morning coffee, I came across the following, an excerpt from Late Ripeness, written by Czeslaw Milosz, a poet I had never heard of. — Ken Vandermark Continue reading →

EA Orchestra | Likeidos | Amirani Records

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Amazing interplay and brilliant skills are here the perfect medium to reach perfect result, in terms of complexity, fresh interpretations and emotional involvement. A breathtaking performance in a superbe recording session, featuring the most interesting voices of the italian avant-scene, here is an high level release with intriguing compositions by bassoonist Alessio Pisani and trumpetist Mirio Cosottini, founders of GRIM, artistic association that aims to promote improvisation and a fresher approach to modern composition. Continue reading →

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

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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 →

Andrea Wolper | Parallel Lives

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I live somewhat “parallel lives” as a singer in that my musical interests are wide-ranging. Like so many other jazz singers, I started with standards, the best kind of training play/ ground, which I love like old friends who can still surprise me. But through the years, doing all sorts of gigs, living in New York, where there’s so much music to hear and so many people to play with, I came to realize there was no reason not to widen my embrace to include all sorts of music: music that plays it straight, music that doesn’t, songs I’d heard as a child, songs I discovered I had it in me to write, songs that didn’t seem to fit in any particular category. The selections on this CD traverse some of the now-parallel, now-converging paths I’ve been traveling these past several years, reflecting the idea that we all live dual (or more) lives, if only in our dreams, our hopes, our memories. As everyone knows, having the right traveling companions is crucial. And as every musician knows, there’s nothing like playing with your band, people with whom you develop understanding and trust. When you have that, you’re lucky. I’m lucky. Not only do Ken, Kris, Michael, and TA have the musicianship and the curiosity to travel with me wherever I feel like going, but each has a highly developed, very personal musical identity that means I get to travel down some unexpected byways. And that makes working with them a joy and an adventure. — Andrea Wolper Continue reading →

Daunik Lazro | Jean-François Pauvros | Roger Turner | Curare | No Business Records

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Exceptional music that’s blazingly intense yet judiciously moderate, Curare, apparently named for the South American muscle-relaxant plant, captures sessions recorded almost two years apart from what in advanced music terms is a super group. All of its members have been plying their trade in this gene since the 1970s, French baritone saxophonist Daunik Lazro with the likes of soprano saxophonist Michel Doneda and bassist Joëlle Léandre; fellow Gaul, guitarist Jean-François Pauvros with everyone from drummer Makoto Sato to harpist Hélène Breschand; and British percussionist Roger Turner with seemingly every advanced sound explore in the United Kingdom, North America and the Continent. Never before have they recorded in trio formation and the four tracks hang together so well because of another contradiction: each cooperates fully with the others, but no one alters his individual style. — Ken Waxman Continue reading →

Ken Vandermark | Mark In The Water | Not Two Records

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By the end of the night twenty pieces were recorded, and everyone present seemed to be as exhausted and elated as I was. Though a few notated compositions were played (“Sweet Dragon” by Joe McPhee closed the first set, “Love Cry” by Albert Ayler was the first encore of the second set, “Goodbye Tom B.” by Joe was the third encore and final performance of the evening), none of these performances were used for the album; they can be found on Marek Winiarski’s Not Two compilation, “Krakow Jazz Fall 2011.” Of the remaining material- nine portraits and eight open improvisations – I felt that only three of the “portraits” were strong enough to release, and that seven of the nine open pieces were worth including on “Mark In The Water.” Ironically, the conceptual strategy that helped me with the gig also proved to be the least viable from a musical standpoint. The mirror of this material has made it dear to me- it’s time to take the creative leap that Rutherford, Brötzmann, and McPhee encouraged; to erase the slate, walk on stage without a plan, and try to “tell the truth,” whatever that might be. — Ken Vandermark. Continue reading →

Connie Crothers | Richard Tabnik | Roy Campbell | Roger Mancuso | Ken Filiano | Band Of Fire | NA 1050

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Fire creates its own sonic universe. Its timbre comes from the burning, while the elemental transmutation breeds new forms of light and ash. It roars and whispers, constantly susurrating just below the energy that bespeaks its crackling multiplicity, its multileveled and precisely detailed identity. The title”Band of Fire” captures the essence of this music with uncanny perfection. Connie Crothers, Richard Tabnik, Roy Campbell, Ken Filianoand Roger Mancuso share a common tradition, but their musical vision refuses to be bound by it. The freedom they created at The Stone, on November21″, 2010, grounded in hard-won precision, tempered through improvisation, is released in bursts of flaming energy. Old forms burn as the quintet’s creative energy destroys and recreates them with new life. Continue reading →