Keith Tippett Octet - From Granite To Wind (Ogun, 2012) ****

Back in the 70's when I was studying at art college I was very lucky to witness Elton Dean's Ninesense, my very first 'real' jazz concert. I'd only just started discovering jazz via a project that I was involved in at my college and the music completely blew my head off. One of the things that I really loved was the piano player ...... and that of course was Keith Tippett. After hearing that group live I listened to many albums with Keith on them, Harry Miller's seminal Family Affair, the incredible Pipedream with Mark Charig, Centipede, The Keith Tippett Group - Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening and later on the great Mujician records. Such great music, and such an original way of approaching the piano. If you're looking for stimulating piano music search out Keith's Dartington concert solo recording.

This record returns or at least reminds me of the great Ogun period of the 70s. Intense tight ensemble work that really packs a punch, with plenty of free-form blowing and excellent themes that give direction to the music. The music, as just mentioned, brings back memories of the 70s period which in the UK was full of South African influences. Musicians such as Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani, Louis Moholo, Chris McGregor, Harry Miller and others, brought to the UK jazz scene an intense mixture of South African melodies and rhythms, combined with very fiery melodic and free improvisation.

Keith Tippett's latest record brings back these ideas but on his own terms. Along with piano, bass and drums, the octet's front line is made up of 4 saxes and a voice (Julie Tippetts), giving it a wonderful colour. Keith Tippett uses his ensemble to punctuate and develop the central theme which comes back from time to time in different versions. These sections provide a platform for the next soloist to jump into the hot brew of rhythms and either sink or swim. Melodically the main theme is an attractive combination of bouncy South African rhythms and contemporary post-bop lines, very listen-able.

Strong solos from all the horn players are aided by a heavy rhythm section that pushes each player to their limits. Each sax player gets a chance to react with the ensemble and believe me they all blow up a real storm. However, it's great to hear Paul Dunmall soloing with some 'straight ahead' post-Coltrane blowing, something I've not heard since his Spirit Level days. Although most of the record is intense ensemble work, further into the piece (+/- 35') Julie Tippetts sings a very beautiful languorous ballad section. This gradually develops, moving us towards the close of the piece. It's a wonderful way to finish as one is unaware of being ushered gently towards the close of this fine musical journey.

The record only has one (1) track lasting 47 minutes in total. But I can assure you that this is very satisfying listen and it's length is almost like sitting through a live set from the group. 

Finally, I should mention that all the musicians play at high intensity throughout this piece. Add to that the voice of Julie Tippets which darts around the various musical groupings and you have a solid group that really keeps you glued to your seat for the whole performance.

Highly recommended .... maybe for Santa's Christmas stocking (hint)!   

Personnel: Paul Dunmall: tenor and soprano saxophones; James Gardiner-Bateman: alto saxophone; Kevin Figes: alto and baritone saxophones; Ben Waghorn: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Julie Tippetts: vocals, seed pods, Balinese xylophone, toy xylophone, struck thumb piano; Keith Tippett: piano, pebbles, maraca, woodblocks, music box; Thad Kelly: double-bass; Peter Fairclough: drums  


You can buy the album from instantjazz.com. 

© stef

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Ross Hammond - Revival Trio (self released, 2012) ***½

By Paul Acquaro

Consider me a fan of Ross Hammond's earthy tone and free but 'composed' approach. I first heard the Californian guitarist when I had a chance to review the free-jazz-rock  Adored this past winter. This new release, which is a document of a recent but now dormant project, The Revival Trio finds Hammond exploring African music, but still well within the aforementioned jazz-rock -- or maybe even jazz/folk-rock -- framework.

As Hammond explains, the impetus of the project was simply a desire to explore "African-influenced improv music -- a’la Abdullah Ibrahim, Ali and Vieux Farka Toure, Boubacar Traore and a few others." This combined with his own accessible and organic approach makes for an enjoyable aesthetic, which can sort of be described as a more muscular approach to the style that Bill Frisell touched on with his Intercontinentals.

Starting with the tune 'Ali' where a repetitive rhythmic line gives way to a powerful improvised melody, to the building intensity of "Littlepants" and "All Our Dogs", this group demonstrates its adeptness with African styles, while staying true to their own musical approach. Bassist Shawn Hale and drummer Vanessa Cruz are integral to the interweaving of the sinewy melodies and flowing rhythms.

Overall, the recording isn't quite as varied as Adored, but it is a compelling and quite satisfying listen. It's exciting to hear how musically adventurous this trio was, and while this group may not exist any longer, I'm sure something else will spring up in its place, perhaps building on the groundwork laid.

Listen and download at: http://rosshammond.bandcamp.com/album/revival-trio

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Getatchew Mekuria + The Ex + Friends Y'Anbessaw Tezeta (Terp, 2012) ****

By Stef  

Many years ago, when I first listened to the Ethopiques series, I was baffled by the musical quality, and the incredibly compelling power of the music, with long lyrical themes and hypnotic repetitive and highly danceable rhythms. The series gave a historical overview of Ethiopian jazz, with the ones with Mulatu Astatqe being my favorite. 

The genre also captivated the attention of Western musicians, with Russ Gershon's EitherOrchestra releasing a double live CD with Mulatu Astatqe on the same series. Saxophonist Michael Blake also covered an Astatqe tune on his "Elevated" CD, called "Addis Abeba". The sounds of Ethiopian jazz also resonate in the various "Angles" albums, led by Martin Küchen. 


The album under review here is also easy to recommend. The musician is tenor saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria, born in 1938, and someone who evolved in parallel to free jazz, without knowing about Ayler or Ornette Coleman, creating his own breed of improvised music.

In 2006; the Dutch band The Ex invited him for a joint album, which sounds OK but nothing more, with too much emphasis on the rock or punk sound of the Europeans.

Not so on this album, which is superior on every level. First of all, the band is bigger and consists of better musicians, including Arnold de Boer on trumpet, Terrie Hessels and Andy Moor on guitar, Katherina Bornefeld on drums, Xavier Charles on clarinet, Ken Vandermark on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet,  Brodie West on alto saxophone, Joost Buis and Wolter Wierbos on trombone, and Colin McLean on bass.

Second, because of this, the sound is full, warm, accessible and guaranteed to suck you in and keep you captivated till the last note has died out.

Third, the music itself is mainly the Ethopian real compositions, with The Ex just adding support rather than determining the sound, or forcing the saxophonist to play on the simpler rock base.

As I said : easy to recommend : great tunes, great playing, great fun.


  © stef

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Adam Rudolph & Ralph Jones - Yèyi (Meta, 2010) ****

Percussionist Adam Rudolph and reedist Ralph Jones bring one long improvisation, changing instruments and tone as they move forward on their journey.

Adam Rudolph plays membranophones and idiophones, such as handrumset (kongos, djembe, tarija, zabumba), frame drum, thumb pianos, cup gongs, kongo slit drum, glockenspiel, percussion. He also plays chordophones and aerophones: sintir, melodica, berber reed horn, overtone horn, and mulitphonic singing. Ralph Jones plays mainly aerophones, to know : alto & c flutes, bass clarinet, tenor & soprano saxophones, ney, hichiriki, hulusi, umtshingo and bamboo flutes, and some idiophones such as bamboo sticks and shakers.

As you can imagine, the music is full of African influences, with hypnotic polyrhythms, some singing and expansive playing. Despite the limited line-up, they vary quite well between sad, joyous and spiritual moments, giving their music lots of depth.

As the liner notes comment : “Yèyi” refers to the yodeling of the Mbuti pygmies, one of the oldest indigenous people of the Kongo region of Africa. Their inspiration on the music is twofold, according to Rudolph: one is in the communal harmony with nature towards which the artists strive, and the second is in the legacy of a culture that has rippled outwards over continents and generations, through the African-American musical influences that Rudolph and Jones draw upon".

Friends, this is musical joy and authenticity from beginning to end. Simple and profound.

Yusef Lateef & Adam Rudolph - Towards The Unknown (Meta, 2010)

The quality and authenticity of the Rudolph and Jones album make the contrast with this album all the greater. On this album with string and horns ensemble, Rudolph and reedist Yusef Lateef each composed a concerto for each other.

This album is full of arrogant pretense, false emotions, and with an ambition that is both misplaced and unmet.  The foundation is often good though, some of the pieces and interactions between Lateef and Rudolph sound fantastic, if only the reeds and string ensemble were absent.

The Go: Organic Orchestra Strings are :
Violins - Sarah Bernstein, Charles Burnham, Trina Basu Mark Chung, Elektra Kurtis, Skye Steele, Midori Yamamoto Violas - Stephanie Griffin, Jason Hwang Cellos - Greg Hefferman, Daniel Levin

The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble are :
Roberta Michel, flute James Roe, oboe Marianne Gythfeldt, clarinet Erik Holtje, bassoon Tim McCarthy, horn Thomas Verchot, trumpet David Nelson, trombone Joseph Kubera, piano Conrad Harris, violin 1 Lynn Bechtold, violin 2 David Gold, viola Aron Zelkowicz, cello Troy Rinker, contrabass

In sum, both albums are at each other's extreme. The one deep and authentic, the other shallow and arrogant.



© stef

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Angles - Epileptical West/Live In Coimbra (Clean Feed, 2010) *****

Last year regular reader Wojtek asked me why I didn't give the previous album by Angles, "Every Woman Is A Tree" a five star rating. And I reacted saying that I really had considered it, yet did not at the last moment. I will make up for this and give the band's new release the maximum rating, because every track on the album is equally strong and compelling, while the music is powerfully expressive, the playing exuberant and full of emotional depth.

The band is the brainchild of Swedish saxophonist Martin Küchen, and further consists of Mattias Ståhl on vibraphone, Magnus Broo on trumpet, Mats Älekint on trombone, Kjell Nordeson on drums and Johan Bertling on double bass.

Like its predecessor, the music is one long wail of protest and anger against the madness of today's world. In order to do that, the band falls back on African rhythms, grand themes, and tremendous playing. The wonderful first track could be coming from Bengt Berger's "Bitter Funeral Beer", (one of my all-time favorites) with its polyrhythmic drive, strong theme and wild interactions, yet which all fit into one whole.

The second piece, "Today Is Better Than Tomorrow", starts with slow vibes, and rumbling drums, as a gradual build-up for the glorious theme, introduced by Küchen, with the other horns echoing it, and driving it forward. It is of a hair-raising sadness.

The title track starts full of disorientation and madness over a strong rhythmic backbone, with Broo's trumpet leading the tune, then changing gear into a strong African rhythm, half-funky over which a compelling theme is woven, a solid base for the individual soloists to express their anger, and joy, then shifting back into chaotic madness, with the bass driving up the tempo to give Nordeson the chance to hammer away. "En Svensk Brownie", is again a funky rhythmic delight, evolving into middle piece with the arco bass and percussion reminiscent of Hemphill's Dogon A.D.

To my great joy, they also play the title song of their previous album, an absolutely stunning, stirring, rousing composition, again a gloriously expansive piece, that is both sad and joyful, angry and inviting, full of powerful soloing. The long last track is quieter, subdued, with Küchen's soloing beautifully soulful and bluesy, giving a great sense of compassion and hope at the same time.The piece becomes excited, then is crystalised around a sensitive arco bass solo by Bertling in the middle, then moving back to the main theme and related distress.

And it is a live album, with an audience that shouts full of enthusiasm, not only after the tracks, but also when the band unexpectedly change gear, or fall back into a steady groove. Great!

As you may read, I am excited. And more than just a little. This music gets you whole: soul, mind, heart and body.

If you buy only one album this year, buy this one!

Listen and download from eMusic.

Buy from Instantjazz.

© stef

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Karl Hector + The Malcouns - Sahara Swing (Ninja Freaks, 2008) ***

Once in a while I can appreciate more light-hearted, less artistic but still enjoyable music. And this one belongs to that category. The music is relatively simple, repetitive and superficial, but it has a great funky drive, and no other aspiration than to bring fun. It brings back musical concepts of the late 60s, especially because of the organ sound, but with the repetitive dance beat of modern music. The good thing is that the tracks are relatively short, so instead of falling asleep for lack of intellectual stimulation or emotional appeal, the variation keeps the attention going. Some of the tracks are great, as "Touré Samar", with a dry funky rhythm guitar, great bass and drums with a powerful horn section, and "Follow The Path", which ressembles some of Mulatu Astatqe's work, yet staying away from the great Ethiopian's soulful music. Don't expect the steaming magic of Fela Kuti either. It funks, it grooves, it sounds African, it sounds jazzy. Most pieces are just bland. I usually hate this kind of music, but well, apparently not today.

Karl Hector - Vocals, Percussion
Thomas Myland - Keyboards, Percussion
Zdenko Curulija - Drums, Percussion
J. Whitefield - Bass, Guitar
Stu Krause - Trumpet
Wolfi Schlick - Saxophone, Flute, Bass Clarinet
Ben Abarbanel Wolff - Saxophone
Franz Brunner - Saxophone
Bo Baral - Percussion
Arsene Cimbar - Djembe, Vocals

© stef

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Africa

(photo by Guy Le Querrec)

Here are a number of my favorite African-influenced free jazz albums. There are surely hundreds of jazz albums that have direct African involvement (musicians and music), bands with some or even most tracks referring to Africa, its music and its rhythms, as with Kahil El'Zabar's music, Chris McGregor or Dudu Pukwana, ... But some are very direct. The ones below are my short-list in random order.

Bengt Berger - Bitter Funeral Beer
Harris Eisenstadt - Guewel
The Either/Orchestra - Live In Addis (on the fabulous Ethiopiques series)
Mulatu Astatqe - Ethiopiques 4
Byard Lancaster - Pam Africa
John Carter - Castles Of Ghana
Johnny Dyani - Angolian Cry (but also worthwhile : Afrika and Song For Biko)
Albert Heath - Kawaida (with Herbie Hancock, Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell, ...)
Dollar Brand - The Journey (with Don Cherry, Carlos Ward, Hamiet Bluiett)
Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier - Carnet De Route
Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier - African Flashback
Hank Jones - Sarala
Chris Joris - Bihogo
Soriba Kouyaté - Live In Montreux
Roswell Rudd - Malicool
Lester Bowie - African Children
David Murray - Yonn-Dé

Since I don't think this music is still commercially available, you can download Albert Heath's Kawaida for free here.

As usual : suggestions are more than welcome.

© stef

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Bitter Funeral Beer Band - Live In Nurnberg (Country & Eastern, 2007) ****

One of my favorite records of all times is Bengt Berger's Bitter Funeral Beer with Don Cherry, released on ECM in 1981. But today a live performance by the same band (but without Don Cherry) is available for download on eMusic.com. The performance does not have the same haunting quality as the ECM release, because of the absence of the real African funeral chants, and of course Cherry's soaring trumpet. Yet the discovery of this release is great fun. There is also another release "Live In Frankfurt", this time with Don Cherry, that can also be downloaded from emusic.com. But even without Cherry, the music stands in its own right and has aged well : the music is intense, sad, full of African rhythms, with repetitive elements à la Terry Riley, but free jazz as well. An absolute feast for the ear. Watch the video clip below. Great that this is now available.

The band :
Bengt Berger, Ko-Gyil (Lo-Birifor funeral xylophone),
Atsimevu (Ewe master drum);
Anita Livstrand, Ko-Gyil, voice, percussion;
Liselotte Norelius, percussion;
Thomas Mera Gartz,percussion, tenor sax;
Sigge Krantz, acoustic and electric bass, guitar, percussion;
Thomas Huhn, electric bass, percussion
Matthias Helldén, cello, percussion;
Tord Bengtsson, violin, guitar, percussion;
Thomas Gustafsson, soprano sax, tenor sax, percussion;
Björn Hellström, bass clarinet, flute, percussion;
Ulf Wallander, soprano sax, tenor sax, percussion;
Jörgen Adolfsson, soprano sax, alto sax, percussion;
Tommy Adolfsson, trumpet, percussion;
Kalle Ericsson, trumpet, percussion

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Archie Shepp & Dar Gnawa (ArchieBall, 2007) ****

Already in the late 60s Archie Shepp was playing music with North African traditional musicians, then in Algiers, now in Morocco. The liner notes to the 1969 album read "Sounds of creative freedom revealing possibilities and departures beyond the accepted music-forms and expressions. It is not surprising that the seriousness of the NEW music coincided with an awakening/awareness of East-West Pan Africanism and the efforts to reveal an alter culture and spiritualism, since Sound has always been the main expression of this culture, and the Innovators/Musicians of the NEW music; by their insight into our times, their dedication to fresh/er ideas had to project this music into our minds ... synthetic as they have become in present-day reality ... to display another direction into our Art Forms". Are you still there? That was apparently the kind of thing you had to write then, but the essence of it is still true for this album. Anyway, Shepp has always been open to other musical experiences, then as much as now, and although he has lost a little bit of his sense of adventure with the decades, he has definitely not lost his sense of music, neither his skills on the sax or the joy of playing with people from other musical traditions. And in that category this album is definitely a winner. The Moroccan Gnawa are the descendants of the Arab slaves brought to the north from sub-saharan Africa, and their music builds on that tradition, mixing central African rhythms with Arab influences. The musical integration that Shepp's quartet brings is very intense, hypnotic, the rhythm section and the piano propulsing the whole thing forward, and they could go on for hours, with Shepp soloing on top of it all, alternating with the traditional vocals. And Shepp is absolutely great, keeping the attention going, wailing, screaming, singing, moaning with his tenor, like in his best days. Don't expect any complex harmonic evolutions, because that's beside the point. This is all about rhythm and creating a common musical understanding and experience. Dar Gnawa are led by Maalem Abdellah Gourd, who takes the lead vocals, Abou El Gourd, Abdelkader El Khlyfy, Khalid Rahhili and Nourredine Touati, all play percussion, traditional string instruments and background vocals. The western musicians are Wayne Dockery on bass, Steve McCraven on drums and Tom McClung on piano. Shepp's music has changed a lot over the decades and at moments he moved to more mainstream playing, seeming to loose a little sense of direction, trying various other routes but none too succesfully. So it's great to hear him here in absolute top form, full of enthusiasm and intensity, clearly enjoying the interplay with the Moroccan musicians. A great album.

Listen to a sound sample
Dawn Of Freedom

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Bengt Berger - Bitter Funeral Beer

This album is already 25 year old, but really worth mentioning. Berger, a Swedish percussionist, uses music recordings from Ghanese tribes, and especially mourning chants, as a backdrop for one of the saddest free jazz albums imagineable. This mini big band with vocals, saxes, violin, trumpet, xylophone, electric guitar, cello, bass and percussion, and with no one less than Don Cherry on the pocket trumpet, brings a musical experience beyond anything you've heard before. This is not afro-jazz, not world music, but a bizar cocktail of African rhythms and an unusual jazz line-up : very rhythmic, haunting, trance-inducing, repetitive and full of variation. The expressive power of this album is extremely rare. The band is totally unknown to me (all Swedes), but it does what it has to do, and how! Cherry is absolutely stellar. The last piece of the album, Darafo, is a 22 minute musical fest, by itself already worth the purchase.

PS - I heard some other CDs by Bengt Berger after I bought this one, but they are pretty boring.

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