Jazz

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin | Ichigo Ichie | Libra Records

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Orchestra Berlin In January 2014, we had an unusually warm winter in Berlin. The exception was the three days that we had the concert and recording for this project. We could see the diamond dust that night and it showed how cold it was. Fujii, who’s been living in Berlin since 2011, started the orchestra project there after founding orchestras in four other cities: New York, Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe. Fujii had written “Ichigo Ichie” to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival and wanted to record it in Berlin with the musicians she’d met there. — Natsuki Tamura Continue reading →

Reciprocal Uncles with Ove Volquartz | Glance and Many Avenues | Amirani Records

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Reciprocal Uncles started in 2009 is already a brand for Amirani Records and delighted audiences in Europe and Usa. Started by the sparklin collaboration between Gianni Lenoci and Gianni Mimmo, the duo has performed in Italy, Germany, Uk, Belgium and in USA in two different tours. Their first album is sold out and has been widely recognized by reviewers all over the planet. Continue reading →

Aldo Clementi | For Saxophones | Amirani Records

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Aldo Clementi has been a central figure for the evolution of European New Music since the Fifties. A student of Alfredo Sangiorgi and Goffredo Petrassi, he began to build his own identity as a composer starting from post-Webem serialism coordinates, by elaborating the influence of both attending Darmstadt and acquiring technical skills thanks to the relationship with Bruno Madema. Deeply influenced by contemporary painting (especially by the “informal” art of Fautrier, Tapies, Tobey and Burri, but also by Perilli’s and Dorazio’s works), and by the relationship with John Cage (with whom he shared the passion for chess), Clementi has achieved, since the early Sixties, his own aesthetic, gradually shifting from the structuralist categories to a personal dimension and style. Since the Informel cycle, Clementi’s works feature complex and rigorous contrapuntal textures, resulting from graphic processes and designed to dissolve internal dialectics by saturating the sonic space. Continue reading →

Jeff Platz | Jim Hobbs | Luther Gray | Timo Shanko | Sour Grapes | Glitch Records

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Welcome to the latest release on Glitch Records, Sour Grapes! Sour Grapes features Boston area musicians Jeff Platz, Timo Shanko, Jim Hobbs, and Luther Gray. Sour Grapes was recorded in the fall of 2014 in Boston Massachusetts at Q Division studio by Jason Bitner. The session was a six hour excursion into free style playing., incorporating electronics with acoustics, no holes barred! Platz, Shanko, Hobbs and Gray have played together for several years in a variety of Boston and New York City based ensembles. Each member is a composer and bandleader, all with several individual recordings and ensemble projects. We hope you enjoy the recording! Many thanks for listening! — Jeff Platz Continue reading →

The Cosmosamatics | Reeds & Birds | Not Two Records

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This version of The great Cosmosamatics features Sonny Simmons on alto sax, English horn & vocals, Michael Marcus on tenor sax, saxello & b-flat clarinet and Clifford Barbaro on drums for all but the last track in which they use Jay Rosen on drums. Legendary west coast sax great Sonny Simmons never fails to deliver the goods and with the marvelous Cosmosamatics, which features another former west coast sax hero Michael Michael, they both continue to push each other to further flights and heights with each tour and release. This is the sixth Cosmosamatics disc in less than five years and each has been an engaging gem. — BLG Continue reading →

Tonino Miano | Mirio Cosottini | The Inner Life Of Residue | Impressus Records

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Some improv music makes you say ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ and some improv music makes you say ‘YEAH!’. This set falls in the latter camp. A face off between piano and trumpet, this duo is one of those pairs that makes it all sound so simple that any one can do it. Then many try and fail. Some have the special sauce and some don’t. Certainly a well rounded dose of sitting down jazz, you don’t have to be an egghead or arts council hanger on to dig it. Almost like performance art without the pretension, this has that special something that you want to hear when you just want to be entranced by some well played music.– Midwest Record Continue reading →

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 →