Jazz

record_store_listening_booths

Ran Blake solo / duo with David ‘Knife’ Fabris | Vilnius Noir | No Business Records

Posted by

3

Vilnius Noir presents solos and duos from veteran pianist and iconoclastic interpreter Ran Blake, joined here by guitarist David Fabris. Fabris has appeared on three of Blake’s prior recordings (one on Soul Note and two on Hat Hut, including the excellentSomething to Live For), and has consistently provided an exciting foil for the pianist. Where Blake is stark, reticent and ambiguous, Fabris is bright and wryly surefooted; when the pianist is full and pushy, the guitarist is spiky and delicate. They’re a cantankerous, moody pair but it’s obvious that they’re having a grand time pushing one another about. The pianist’s composition “Cry Wolf” is a case in point, where Fabris inserts barroom blues-rock phrasing alongside Blake’s silvery, ringing distance. Their pairing on George Russell’s “Stratusphunk” is jovial and funky, though Blake’s strange microcosmic boogie-woogie remains untouched. Unaccompanied, Blake is enigmatic as always, moving from boisterous atonality to coy romanticism in a few notes. He’s a pretty strong foil for himself, which is what has always made his solo work intriguing, but he can also present absolute, rarefied beauty, as he does in a few simple and bright phrases on the traditional Jewish folk song “Shlof Mayn Kind”, or Michel Legrand’s haunting classic “Watch What Happens”. If you like your Third Stream peppered with a little folk-blues eclecticism, look no further than Vilnius Noir. —Clifford Allen Continue reading →

Nobuyasu Furuya Quintet | The Major | No Business Records

Posted by

2

Nobuyasu Furuya is a relatively little-known Japanese reedman who lives in Lisbon, where he’s been making associations with some of the city’s finest improvisers. Following his 2009 debut on Clean Feed (Bendowa, with bassist Hernâni Faustino and drummer Gabriel Ferrandini) he’s back with The Major, joined by the RED Trio (Faustino, Ferrandini and pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro) and trombonist Eduardo Lála in six original compositions ranging from pulpit-pounding to cagy sonic exploration. On tenor, Furuya’s playing is reminiscent of Peter Brötzmann and Mototeru Takagi, and the RED Trio is akin to a contemporary version of ARC or a free-improv version of the Garland / Chambers / Taylor rhythm section. They’re surely one of the most cohesive improvising trios in modern music, and collaborations with figures like John Butcher, Nate Wooley and now Furuya are extra icing on the cake. The three build up a detailed storm behind his gruff, burnished shouts and Lála’s tailgate on “Jap Agitator Caught Again”, bashing and whacking brush alongside the leader’s manic sear. Opening the flip side, “Where Are the Brothers and Sisters?” has a chunky ragtime to no-time rhythmic bash, with Lála’s Rudd-like slushy chortle sailing on the pianist’s eddies. The trombonist is an impressive member of the front line, belting out jovial and brusque commentary. The Major is an enjoyable and frequently compelling session with strong, engaging interplay and flashes of studied seamlessness. What more could one ask for from a second date? — Clifford Allen Continue reading →

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

Posted by

8

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 →

Mockuno NuClear | Drop It | No Business Records

Posted by

3

This is the first album of this trio with my homeland musicians. The music balances in between impro and composed, between heavy and beautiful, between jazz and whatever… I’v been playing most of these tunes with different ensembles of mine during the last 6 years, but they have never been released for different reasons. I realised – to be able to move on you really have to finish your unfinished work… Here it is. Enjoy! — Liudas Mockūnas Continue reading →

The Fonda | Stevens Group Trio + 2 | Live in Katowice | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

Harvey Sorgen – Drums |Ireneusz Wojtczak – Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet | Maciej Obara – Alto Saxophone | Joe Fonda – Acoustic bass | Michael Jefry Stevens – Steinway Grand Piano. Recorded on October 22, 2009 at the Upper Silesan Centre of Culture in Katowice, Poland / Jazz Club Hipnoza. Recorded by Marcin Chlebowski. Edited and mastered by Jon Rosenberg. Produced by Joe Fonda and Andrzej Kalinowski. Continue reading →

Joe McPhee | Jeb Bishop | Ingebrigt Haker Flaten | Michael Zerang | Ibsen’s Ghosts | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

Joe McPhee – tenor saxophone |Jeb Bishop – trombone | Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – bass | Michael Zerang – drums Recorded at Victoria Theater, Oslo, February 21, 2009. Recorded by Thomas Hukkelberg. Mastered by Rafal Drewniany (dts studio). Produced by Ibsen’s Ghosts. Co-produced by Marek Winiarski. Cover art, photos and design by Marek Wajda Continue reading →

Peter Brötzmann | Jörg Fischer | Live in Wiesbaden | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

Peter Brötzmann – tenor & alto sax, clarinet, tarogato | Jörg Fischer – drums. All music by Peter Brötzmann/Jörg Fischer exept for track 4 by Peter Brötzmann. Recorded during a concert for the Kooperative New Jazz Wiesbaden at the Thalhaus on June 24, 2009. Recording engineer: Uli Böttcher. Mix and mastering: Christian Heck. Photos: P.B. by Günter Schapka (inside), Marek Wajda (back). J.F. by Jean M. Laffitau (inside), Wilfried Heckmann (back). Cover art, typography & layout: Marek Wajda. Continue reading →

Ken Vandermark | Mark In The Water | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

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 →

André Goudbeek | Lê Quan Ninh | Peter Jacquemyn | Uwaga | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

André Goudbeek – tenor sax | Peter Jacquemyn – bass, voice | Lê Quan Ninh – percussion. Recorded live at the Alchemia, Kraków on October 23, 2008. Recorded by Rafal Drewniany. Mixed and mastered by Rafal Drewniany (dts studio). Cover art work by Peter Jacquemyn. Photograph by Pierre Michel Zaleski. Design by Marek Wajda. All compositions by André Goudbeek / Peter Jacquemyn / Lê Quan Ninh Continue reading →

Matthew Shipp | Joe Morris | Broken Partials | Not Two Records

Posted by

0

This dynamic duo features Matt Shipp on piano and Joe Morris on contrabass. Recorded at the Roulette studio in February of 2010. This is the third disc that this particular duo has been involved with, although the other ones featured Joe Morris on guitar. Since Mr. Morris has been switching off between bass and guitar, he has played bass with Matt in both trio and quartet dates. Joe’s acoustic bass playing continues to grow stronger all the time so he sounds superb and spirited spinning those notes underneath Matt’s layers of cascading waves. In the first piece, Joe is quite a bit busier than Matt, yet the balance is consistently strong. There is a strong dialogue going on, like a familiar conversation between two old friends. Joe switches to bowed bass and kicks off the second part by himself. This piece moves more slowly and the currents are darker and more murky. Joe takes a fine long bass solo during the first half of part three which Matt follows with an equally thoughtful solo piano interlude. Both are solos somber and carefully constructed. Matt often seems to be developing a few different themes, building different layers or currents as the tide rolls in and then out. It sounds as though a story is being told as different connected scenes unfold and evolve into other scenes. There are quite a few moments here that are stunning, lovely or transcendent. I got a promo of this disc in June and have been playing it often ever since. It still blows me away. This is an incredible duo whose time has come. The poetic liner notes by Steve Dalachinsky and stark cover art by Steve’s wife Yuko Otomo also fit this disc perfectly. — Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery Continue reading →