Jazz

Ken Filiano | Subvenire

Posted by

0

Speaking without words. Just the voice of sound with all its rich implications. In the double bass I have always heard a vast timbral spectrum, a world of sonic and emotional possibility too rich to ignore. The first time I felt the vibrations emanating from just a single string I was attracted to and intrigued by the bass’s powerful potential for stimulating imagination, atmosphere and dreams. I felt it was something that I could explore as a lifelong journey. —Ken Filiano Continue reading →

Ken Filiano and Bonnie Barnett | Trio For Two

Posted by

0

When a pair of improvising artists takes a dip in the stream of sonic creativity, keeping their heads above water can be less of a challenge than deciding when enough is enough. Knowing when to end means listening into the future, both participants coming to the same conclusion at the same time: that silence is the correct choice for that moment. So when vocalist Bonnie Barnett suggested to Ken Filiano, bassist of choice for the likes of Paul Smoker, Vinny Golia, Richard Grossman and Dom Minasi, to name a few, “Let’s think in terms of short pieces this time,” she wasn’t attempting to set up the potential for a “hit single” or a clever sound-byte but rather, to establish a context for focusing their mutual energies. Their previous Nine Winds release, Live at Roulette, with a full band, was essentially one long improv so this time, she wanted something a little different. Continue reading →

Andrea Wolper | The Small Hours

Posted by

0

One of the best things about releasing a CD is it gives one the opportunity to express gratitude to the many people who’ve helped along the way. I have to start with Ron and Ken, without whom this would surely be a very different CD. Playing music with them—not to mention hanging out between sets—is just a hell of a lot of fun, and they both continue to inspire me more, I’m sure, than either would imagine. Victor, Frank, Lou, and Jamey all have unique voices that we wanted on the date, and they all jumped right in, fully and generously. I’m grateful to each of them for their special contributions. Todd brought not only his expertise as a producer, but also respect and openness, as well as a belief in the project that really made a difference. Thanks also to Katherine Miller, whose great technical skills are matched by great ears, and to Todd Gerard for his excellent work and sensitive approach. — Andrea Wolper Continue reading →

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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 →

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 →