Jazz

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Bartłomiej Brat Oleś | Free Drum Suite | Not Two Records

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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

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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 →

Daniel Carter | Shanir Ezra Blumenkrantz | Kevin Zubek | Chinatown | Not Two Records

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This recording by Chinatown an unusual trio made up of downtown’s wildly diverse music scene, finds the venerable free player Daniel Carter still doing his thing, this time with a young, unique rhythm section. Bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz’s playing is muscular and gutteral, and his bowing is turgidly pleasing. On this outing he also shows off his prowess on the oud. Drummer Kevin Zubek, mostly self-taught, has an unconventional drumming style—spacious and asymmetrical, largely eschewing standard jazz or even free jazz rhythms. He sits oddly high at the kit and attacks with what seems an impossibly awkward comportment to some, but produces percussive music that transcends technique. This trio toured Poland last year, where they developed a strong rapport from the sound of it, and landed a recording deal with the Polish label Not Two. — All About Jazz Continue reading →

Jim Franklin | Hubert Bergmann | Journey of Simurgh | Mudoks Record

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EVEN IF IN MY GAMES I HAVE SOMETIMES WON AND SOMETIMES LOST IN THE END I THREW EVERYTHING INTO THE BLACK WATER. I HAVE BEEN WIPED AWAY, I’VE DISSAPEARED, NOTHING IS LEFT OF ME. I WAS ONLY A SHADOW, NOT THE SMALLEST PARTICLE OF DUST REMAINED OF ME. I WAS A DROPLET, LOST IN THE OCEAN OF MYSTERY, AND NOW I CAN NO LONGER EVEN FIND THIS DROPLET. — Farideddin Attar Neyshapun Continue reading →

Hubert Bergmann | Yellerwood | Udo Schindler | Rome Hills | Mudoks Record

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ROME HILLS, in case of tonal emergency The story behind this music is for the most part unknown. Rome 2012. During a brief stay in February – wandering from place to place in the city, pleasantly warm, every day life in the North now vanishing, somehow a newcomer in this interim spawning ground of being, here where Passolini hinted his portent in the ether. The cafes in which the ether coagulates, barely concealing their peace and tranquility, and each place where memories are celebrated are so old that forgetting now is hardly noticeable. History disappears just around the corner. One who fights “against” this forgetfulness , is an atypical Roman, Massimo, whom I met in front of the now entirely contrived Fiaschetteria, once the hangout and meeting place of Roman artists, who gave me an update of the happenings in the Italian scene. Later in the train while the sounds of AH23 fluttered gently through my mind (I imagined his burning finger and M.’s portrait sunk into the Tiber), a video popped up, totally unexpected, on my google site. John Cage and Cathy Berberian, who performed this mysterious aria in Rome, sang a piece whose link I was able to pull up on my computer – something about “yellow” and “wood” that I later discovered was “Yellerwood.” A voice from the Roman Hills sounded so like Berberian. Then the request on this unknown woman, via Mr. Ricci, if she might be interested in contributing her wonderful voice to recordings done in October 2011 with Udo, a bustling multi-reed man. Something however was missing. Her voice shuttled back and forth, a poem added for garnishment, out of which a new and peculiar world blossomed into a fine mood. Something from Berberian, the utter essence of nature and beauty. Everything that knows itself is sound… No reason to crash… Hubert Bergmann Continue reading →

Hubert Bergmann | Gilad Atzmon | Zone de Memoire | Mudoks Record

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Musical fruitfulness doesn’t come easy. But in an improvisation between two men who are playing together for the first time, something incredible can happen: the instantaneous poignancy of the justgenerated material, the visible sparks of the respective imaginations, the concrete explanation behind that fundamental instinct which pushes gifted humans to attempt a creative act to look into themselves to begin with, and communicate with fellow talented speciments later on. — Massimo Ricci Continue reading →