Lonely Woman

By Stef

Twelve years ago, in January 2007, I wrote my first short appreciation of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" on this blog, a composition that is clearly not only admired by myself, but by almost any jazz musician, from the most traditional to the most avant-garde. In the meantime, we have reached more than 200 covers and interpretations of the immortal song.

Here's a new update, with some new albums released in 2018 and 2017, adding to the last one from 2015, written just after Coleman's death.

A few are worth mentioning in more detail.

Trumpet

The true winner - even if this is not a competition - is the great performance by Wojciech Jachna on his solo album "Emanacje", on which the Polish trumpeter gives a stellar performance of Lonely Woman for trumpet with Kubo Ziolek on guitar. His tone is pure, plaintive and sad. Trumpeter Chris Pasin gives his take on his album "Ornettiquette" with Ingrid Sertso on vocals, Michael Bisio on bass, Adam Siegel on sax, Karl Berger on vibes and Harvey Sorgen on drums. In 2017, cornettist Kirk Knuffke released a tribute album to Don Cherry, called "Cherryco", in a trio with Adam Nussbaum on drums and Jay Anderson on bass. His interpretation is short, but warm and welcoming.

Guitar

The most traditional performance is by French guitarist Philippe Mouratoglou on acoustic guitar, performed intimately, slowly, almost folkishly, but with lots of feeling and character. On the other end of the spectrum we find Japanese guitarist Otomo Yoshihide, who made this song one of his signature concert tracks, as was the case on the "Live At Shenzen" album. The improvisation is almost thirteen minutes of solo electric guitar, starting quietly, with lots of feedback and lots of silence and lots of noise. It is only well over four minutes when the actual theme becomes recognisable. Yoshide's approach is a real killer, performed with respect, yet equally unleashing all the composition's hidden sadness and distress, or making the inherent tension become really explicit. Another success is the version by the Zig Zag Trio, with Vernon Reid on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass and Will Calhoun on drums, performing a more 'fusion' version of the song, but then not, because Reid's approach to the guitar is all his own: bluesy, headstrong, raw, violent - in the Hendrix way - and less focused on pyrotechnics than on the power of his sound.

I can add the possibly hard to find version by a trio of guitarist Filip Bukršliev, saxophonist Ninoslav Spirovski and bassist Deni Omeragić, all three from Macedonia (North-Macedonia). Both guitar and sax are played with lots of reverb, giving a strong scenic resonance over the throbbing bass, resulting in a real psychedelic rendering of the tune.

The most avant version comes from the trio of Christian Munthe on electric guitar, Donovan von Martens on bass and Martin Öhman on drums. It takes some time before it's clear what they're playing - after about six minutes - and the same holds true for the remaining five minutes as they move back to a very angular and granular improvisation.

Sax

Take a listen to drummer Jeff Cosgove's trio with Scott Robinson on sax and Ken Filiano on bass.

Bass

Wojciech Pulcyn's album is a solo bass album, actually a tribute to the great Charlie Haden, the bassist of the original Ornette Coleman quartet.

Bands

The best is possibly by Bonjintan, with Akira Sakata on saxes, Giovanni Di Domenico on piano, Jim O'Rourke on guitar, and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto on drums, delivering a wild, intense, violent and heartfelt interpretation.

Core performances

The Ornette Coleman Trio's concert at Tivoli is re-issued last year, presenting a 12-minute long performance of Lonely Woman, but surely not the most memorable one. And Old And New Dreams' performance at Saalfelden from 1986 was released, with a great 16-minute rendering of the composition, with Paul Motian on drums (instead of Ed Blackwell).


Update list

Wojciech Jachna - Emanacje / Trumpet Solo Sessions (Multikulti Project, 2018)
Bukršliev, Omeragić, Spirovski ‎– Odron (PMGJazz, 2018)
Ornette Coleman Trio ‎– Live At The Tivoli '65 (Hi Hat, 2018)
Chris Pasin - Ornettiquette (Planet Arts, 2018)
Tessa Souter ‎– Picture In Black And White (Noa Records, 2018)
Paulie Shankwank / Zawinul Corpse ‎– Split K7 (Post-Materialization Music, 2018)
Ran Blake & Christine Correa ‎– Streaming (Red Piano Records, 2018)
Philippe Mouratoglou Trio ‎– Univers-Solitude (Vision Fugitive, 2018)
Lydian Sound Orchestra ‎– We Resist! (Parco Della Musica Records, 2018)
Zig Zag Power Trio ‎– Woodstock Sessions (Woodstock Sessions, 2018)
Christian Munthe, Donovan von Martens, Martin Öhman ‎– M (*For*sake Recordings, 2018) Nesesari Kakalulu ‎(Self, 2018)
Jeff Cosgrove, Scott Robinson, Ken Filiano ‎– Hunters & Scavengers (Grizzley Music, 2018) Daniele Cavallanti, Giovanni Maier ‎– Our Standards (Palomar, 2018)
Afrit Nebula ‎– Triality (FMR, 2018)

Old And New Dreams - Live in Saalfelden, 1986 (Condition West Recordings, 2017)
Wojciech Pulcyn ‎– Tribute To Charlie Haden (ForTune, 2017)
Bonjintan ‎– Bonjin Tan (Daphne, 2017) (Akira Sataka and giovanni di domenico)
Kirk Knuffke ‎– Cherryco (Steeplechase, 2017)
Otomo Yoshihide ‎–  Live in Shenzhen (Old Heaven Books, 2017)
Painting Jazz Duo ‎– Peace (Dodicilune, 2017)
Nonaka Goku & Ningen Kokuho ‎– ＠井川てしゃまんく音楽祭 (Bummy Records, 2017)
Wayne Tucker ‎– Wake Up and See The Sun (One Trick Dog Records, 2017)
Anyaa Arts Quartet ‎– Harmattan (VoxLox, 2017)
Jure Pukl & Matija Dedić ‎– Hybrid (Whirlwind Recordings,2017)

Jac Berrocal / Aki Onda / Dan Warburton - Un Jour Tu Verras (Smeraldina Rima, 2016)
Arrigo Cappelletti Andrea Massaria Quartetto ‎– Nuove Polifonie (TRJ Records, 2016)
Jacek Niedziela-Meira ‎– Bassville 2 (Tribute To Jazz History) (CelEsTis, 2014)

Read More

To Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman Update

By Stef

As a further tribute to Ornette, here is an updated list of the all 172 Lonely Woman versions in my possession. The composition's quality is so easily demonstrated by the large variety of genres in which it is being performed, from traditional mainstream vocal jazz, over free jazz, classical music, latin music, noise rock, modern classical, prog rock, ambient and avant-garde. Everybody seems to find something great in it, and is inspired to perform it, over and beyond all personal tastes. If you have additional suggestions, please let me know in the comments section below (and please not the Horace Silver composition with the same title). Thanks in advance!

8 Bold Souls – Side Show
Aceyalone - Human Language
Addax - Pa' Mi Gitana
Agustí Fernández, Baldo Martinez & Ramón López - Triez 
Ahmed Abdullah’s Ebonic Tones – Tara’s Song
Aki Takase & Silke Eberhard - Ornette Coleman Anthology
Alain Sève & Yves Rodde-Migdal - Bleu Paris
Alan Broadbent - Heart To Heart
Alan Wilkinson - Practice
Albin & Rebekah Zak - Sphinx
Amon Düül - Hijack (bizarre rock latin version)
Aram Shelton 4tet - Everything for Somebody
Ariel - 31 Bars
Assif Tsahar - Open Systems
Astrosonic - Speeder People
Attila Dora - Solo Baritone Sax
Barney Wilen - Dear Prof. Leary 
Basquiat Strings - Basquiat Strings
BB-Band - Odissey On Earth
Benoît Delbecq & Fred Hersh Double Trio - Fun House 
Big Tall Wish – Leverage (Rock – ambient)
Bill Carrothers & Marc Copland – No Choice
Bill Smith Ensemble - The Subtle Deceit of the Quick Gloved Hand
Billy Bang - Bangception Willisau 1982
Bob Gluck Trio - Sideways 
Boel/Emborg/Vinding/Riel - Shadow Of Love
Borah Bergman & Hamid Drake – Reflections On Ornette Coleman
Brad Cox - Beginners
Brad Mehldau, Kevin Hays & Patrick Zimmerli - Modern Music
Branford Marsalis - Random Abstract
Bruno Angelini - Lonely Woman - Huit Femmes
Bushman´s Revenge: Electric Komle - Live! 
Carol Morgan - Blue Glass Music 
Cécile Broché & Etienne Bouyer Duo
Charlie Haden/Don Cherry/Ed Blackwell – The Montreal Tapes
Charlie Haden’s Quartet West – In Angel City
Charlie Haden & Jim Hall
Charlie Haden - The Private Collection
Charnet Moffett - Spirit Of Sound
Chris Connor - Free Spirit
Claudine François – Lonely Woman
Claudio Cojaniz & Gianarlo Schiaffini - War Orphans
Cooke Quartet – Searching
Cruel Frederick - Birth of the Cruel 
Daniele Cavallanti - A World Of Sound Quartet
Dave Douglas Trio - On Air London - Lonely Woman (Bootleg)
Dave Goldberg – Jazz Standard
Dave King - I've Been Ringing You
Dave Liebman – Ghosts (world)
Dave Liebman- Turnaround: The Music of Ornette Coleman
Dave Liebman, Bob Moses & Eddie Gomez - Spirit Renewed
David Liebman, Richie Beirach, Ron McLure, Billy Hart - Redemption
David Rothenberg & Lewis Porter - Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast
Denison Kimball Trio - Soul Machine
Denny Zeitlin - Live At The Trident
Desert Island Dicks - The Shades Of Jazz To Come
Diamanda Gallas – La Serpenta Canta
Dominick Farinacci - Lovers, Tales And Dancers
Don Cherry – Featuring Ornette Coleman & Steve Lacy
Don Cherry Quartet - Live In Nervi
Double U – The Glands of External Secretion (slide guitar, blues)
Elise Einarsdotter Ensemble & Lena Willemark - Senses
Elsner/Räther/Maichel - The Song Is You
Frank Kimbrough - Lonely Woman
Fred Hersch - Evanescence
Fred Hersch Trio - Alive At The Vanguard
Freda Payne- After The Lights Go Down
Gary Bartz & Sonny Fortune - Alto Memories
Gebhard Ullmann and Andreas Willers - Suite Noire
George Gruntz - St Peter Power
George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band - The MPS Years
Giovanni Mirabassi - Huit Femmes
Good For Cows - Good For Cows
Greg Malcolm - Homesick For Nowhere (noise rock)
Grencsó Open Collective - Homespun In Black & White
Guarneri Underground - New World
Guido Mazzon - Other Line
Hanna Boel - The Shining Of Things (vocal) 
Hayasaka Sachi & Stir Up - Straight To The Core
Hellen Merrill & Dick Katz - A Shade Of Difference
HR Big Band - Plays The Music Of Ornette Coleman
Hugh Hopper - Hopper Tunity Box
Hugh Ragin – Metaphysical Question
Ignaz Schick's Decollage 3 - Lonely Woman
Jacques Berrocal - Catalogue
Jaki Byard - July in Paris
James Blood Ulmer - Music Speaks Louder Than Words
Janka Flachsman - Breath
Jarek Smietana - The Good Life
Jay Clayton - All Out
Jazz Doctors - Intensive Care
Jean-Paul Celea - Yes, Ornette!
Joachim Kühn & Archie Shepp - Lonely Woman
João Lencastre's Communion - One
Jocque & Le Scott - The Ornette Coleman Songo
Joe Giardullo & Michael Bisio – Primal Intentions
John Lewis & Sven Asmussen - European Encounter
Joe McPhee's Po Music - The Loneliest Woman
John Zorn – Naked City
Joleste - Who Knows? 
Joshua Redman – Momentum
Juhani Aaltonen Trio - Illusion Of A Ballad
Karin Krogg - Different Days, Different Ways
Ken Peplowski – The Other Portrait (classical symphonic)
Kiyoshi Kitagawa with Kenny Barron & Brian Blade - Prayer
Kronos Quartet – White Man Sleeps (modern classical)
Kyle Bruckman - Wrack
Larry Schneider Quartet – Ornettology
Lester Bowie – Fast Last
Linda Sharrock - And She Answered (vocal)
Lisa Manosperti - Where The West Begins : Voicing Ornette Coleman
Luther Thomas - In Denmark
Magos Herrera, Iraida Noriega - Soliluna (vocal)
Marc Copland & Bill Carrothers - Huit Femmes
Marcin Oles - Ornette On Bass (3 versions of bass solo)
Mark Doyle – Guitar Noir (rock)
Mark Wyand - I'm Old Fashioned
Marzette Watz - Lonely Woman
Masayuki Takayanagi - Lonely Woman (solo electric guitar)
Maurizio Brunod - Solo
Mecolodiacs - Glamjazz
Michael Bisio & Joe McPhee – Fingers Wrigglers (1) (free)
Michael Bisio & Joe McPhee – Fingers Wrigglers (2) (free)
Michael Bocian - Premonition
Misja Fitzgerald Michel - Encounter
Miroslav Vitous Group - Remembering Weather Report
Modern Jazz Quartet - Lonely Woman
Nancy Walker - Luminosity
Natraj – The Goat Also Gallops (world jazz)
Old & New Dreams – Old & New Dreams
Oles/Trzaska/Oles - Danziger Strassenmuzik
Ombak - Fan Bricks
Open Systems - Is
Ornette Coleman – The Shape Of Jazz To Come
Ornette Coleman Quartet - The Love Revolution
Otomo Yoshihide - Lonely Woman
Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet - Live at Shinjuku Pit Inn
Panorama Brass Band - 17 Days
Paul van Kemenade & Ron van Rossum - Duo
Peter Brötzmann - 14 Love Poems
Petite Vengeance - Mon Amérique A Toi
Phil Grenadier & Bruno Råberg - Plunge
Pierre Dorge – Giraf
Popol Lavanchy - En Ver et Contre Tout
Quest - Quest
Quest - Redemption Live In Europe 
Radka Toneff – Live In Hamburg (vocal)
Ran Blake - Ran Blake Plays Solo Piano
Renata Friederich Close-Up - Lonely Woman
Renaud Garcia-Fons & Gérard Marais - Acoustic Songs (guitar/bass duo)
Rhinoceri Trio - Libera Me
Ryan Burns - Live At The Lab
Sachi Hayasaka & Stir Up! - Straight To The Core
Sergi Sirvent - Free Quartet
SF Jazz Collective - Inaugural Season Live 2004
Sheila Cooper - Tales Of Love And Longing (vocal)
Sigrid Meyer & Serene
Silvia Donati - Singing In The Brain (vocal)
Sophia Domancich & Goubert Simon- You Don't Know What Love Is
Sophia Domancich - Tirana Moods + You Don't Know What Love Is
Sophia Domancich - Washed Away
Stan Kenton - Concert In Progressive Jazz
Stan Kenton & June Christy - Duet
Stephan Oliva & Claude Tchamitchian - Huit Femmes
Stephan Oliva & Jean-Marc Foltz - Huit Femmes
Stephan Oliva & Suzanne Abbuehl - Huit Femmes
Stephan Oliva & Joey Baron - Huit Femmes
Stephan Oliva & Linda Sharrock - Huit Femmes
Stephanie Winters – Through The Storm (classical cello solo)
Steve Berrios And Son Bacheche - First World
Sunny Murray - Perles Noires
Sunny Sumter- Sunny
Susanne Abbuehl – I Am Rose 
Taarka - The Martian Picture Soundtrack
Takashi Kako - Long Journey
Takeda Kazunori Meets Furusawa Ryojiro - Infinity
Tango Lorca – Mujer Sola (tango)
Terumasa Hino -- Crimson
Terence Blanchard - Simply Stated
Tied & Tickled Trio and Billy Hart - La Place Demon
Tiziana Ghiglioni - Lonely Woman
Tiziano Tononi - Peace Warriors, Vol. 2
Todd Bishop Group - Little Played Little Bird 
Trio X - Live In Vilnius
Trio X – Roulette At Location One
Trio X – Moods : Playing With The Elements
Uschi Brüning - Ornette Et Cetera 
Vandermark 5 - Alchemia
Vic Juris - Omega Is The Alpha 
Waclaw Zimpel, Wojtek Traczyk, Robert Rasz - The Light
Willem Breuker Kollectief - Thirst
Wolfgang Pushnig, Linda Sharrock, Uli Scherer - AM4
Yochk'o Seffer - Ornette For Ever

Read More

Luther Thomas - In Denmark (ILK, 2014) *****

By Stefan Wood

Luther Thomas was a member of the Black Artists Group in St. Louis in the 60s and 70s, an excellent musician who was recognized by his peers, but as not well known by the general jazz audience.  Among the free jazz and improv community, his works from the early 70s, especially "Funky Donkey," (a free jazz funk classic reissued on Atavistic) is well regarded, as are the two albums by the Human Arts Ensemble issued on Arista.  He recorded on Cadence in the 90s and 00s, as sideman and leader, and maintained through to the end of his life a wonderfully expressive creativity, mostly on alto sax, that maintained the spirit and energy of the 60's new wave of jazz sound and 70's free jazz mode.  The recent release of "Luther Thomas in Denmark," a 2 cd set that compiles many live recordings from Denmark, where he made his home from the late 90's onward.  All previously unissued, this is an excellent look at an artist, who to the end, was in top form.

Disc one is a collection of standards.  But not your typical collection of songbook standards.  While he does classics like Body and Soul, Lonely Woman and Round Midnight, they don't feel like slavish faithful interpretations.  There's an energy, and liveliness that Thomas infuses in each track that combines the standards with free improv sensibilities.  With Kresten Osgood (drums), and Nils Bo Davidsen (bass), with appearances by Mikkel Mark (piano), Erling Kroner and Ole Lindgren (trombones), Thomas rips through a wide ranging collection of music.  Following a gorgeous version of Round Midnight is Selim Funk, a free funk jazz track referencing Miles Davis' 70's music.  Groovin' High, My Little Suede Shoes, Dotty, Crazeology, all are done well and one comes away with a loving survey of post WWII jazz, as told by saxophone.

Disc two is all solo.  Bursting at the seams at about 79 minutes, the disc contains five long tracks that showcase Thomas' command of his instrument.  He is at lyrical, searing, explosive, and whimsical, his tone strong and assured.  He squeals, skronks, quotes phrases from classic jazz tunes, elucidates with a clear tonal sound, and alternately riotously blows like Gene Ammons or Albert Ayler.  Recorded in 2008, this picture of a jazz artist nearing the end of his life is a powerful document; one final artistic statement of vitality that references many sources but in the end is assuredly Luther Thomas.  "Luther Thomas in Denmark" can only get my highest recommendation, a must have for the discerning free jazz and improv listener.

Read More

Lonely Woman

By Stef   

It's been a while that I gave an update on my "Lonely Woman" collection, scanning the internet for new covers of Ornette Coleman's genial composition. Check the "Lonely Woman" tag on the right to get all more recent albums too.

Benoît Delbecq & Fred Hersh Double Trio - Fun House (Songlines, 2013) 

On this great album between two master pianists, joined by Jean-Jacques Avenel and Mark Helias on bass, and Steve Argüelles and Gerry Hemingway on drums, you can expect the best. And it is. Lonely Woman ends the album, a three minute piece, and hence too short, but both pianists manage to capture the composition's dark melancholy extremely well.

Bushman´s Revenge: Electric Komle - Live! (Rune Grammofon, 2013) 

The band is a power guitar trio that mixes jazz with rock and more skronky modern approaches. Even Helte Hermansen is on guitar, Rune Nergaard on bass and Gard Nilssen on drums. Their Lonely Woman is a mid-tempo rocker full of tension and emotional outbursts, while at the same time infusing it with an unexpected fragile sensitivity. A great cover that respects the original while adding something new to it.


Alan Broadbent - Heart To Heart (Chilly Bin Records, 2013). On this solo piano album, Broadbent brings a ten-minute long version of Lonely Woman. His performance is dark and ominous at the beginning,then moves into a more uptempo middle piece, with quite some stellar piano-playing, yet at the same time leaving the piece's original mood, rather unfortunately, and when the darkness comes through again at the end, it has become a mix of blues and classical touches. You get it : it's more about the musician than about the music.


Charnet Moffett - Spirit Of Sound (Motema, 2013) - A very bass-centric approach to Coleman's tune, full of very fast technical acumen, more than a little betraying the composition's original feel of desolation and tension. His son Max's drumming offers great support.


Todd Bishop Group - Little Played Little Bird (Origin, 2012). Drummer Tod Bishop is joined by Richard Cole on bass clarinet, baritone, tenor and soprano saxophones, Tim Willcox on tenor and soprano saxophones, Weber Iago on piano, and Bill Athens on bass, for this Ornette Coleman Tribute album. Their take on Lonely Woman is dragging and somewhat bleak.

Other noteworthy covers that I captured from the last years are

• Brad Mehldau, Kevin Hays & Patrick Zimmerli - Modern Music (Nonesuch, 2011)
• Vic Juris - Omega Is The Alpha (Steeplechase, 2010)
• Lisa Manosperti - Where The West Begins : Voicing Ornette Coleman (Dodicilune, 2012)

Read More

Joe McPhee's Po Music - The Loneliest Woman (Corbett vs Dempsey, 2012) ***

 By Stef

With its thirteen minutes and twenty seconds, this is a short album, with only one track, Ornette Coleman's super "Lonely Woman". The band is Joe McPhee with the "fine fleur" and "crème de la crème" of Alpine free jazz in the early eighties, Andre Jaume on tenor saxophone, Daniel Bourquin on baritone saxophone, Michael Overhage on cello, Radu Malfatti on trombone, Raymond Boni on guitar, Irene Schweizer on piano, Francois Mechali on bass, Pierre Favre on percussion, and Tamia Valmont on vocals. 

The track was recorded in Boswil, Switzerland on March 25th, 1981 and only now released. The eleven musicians make this a very rich listening experience, starting with the bass introducing the piece, followed by cello and guitar, who create a shimmering harplike background, then the horns set out for the grand theme full of sadness and hope. This then evolves into a chaotic moment of full dispair, with the piano giving some structure back, yet full of sentiments of hesitations and shifting emotions. Distress ensues, with McPhee's pocket trumpet soaring over the rest, pushing the band into near silence near minute ten, the moment for Tamia Valmont to start her vocal part, a wordless chant of sadness, rage and crushed expectations. The whole band picks up the theme again for the finale.

Certainly not the best performance of the song, yet a really nice one among the larger bands. The great thing is to hear it being played after thirty years. Fans should definitely try to get their copy.

And isn't this composition just miraculously beautiful?


You can buy the album from instantjazz.com.  

© stef

Read More

Phil Grenadier & Bruno Råberg - Plunge (Orbis, 2012) ****

By Stef   

Trumpeter Phil Grenadier and bassist Bruno Råberg offer us a nice and intimate duo performance. Over nineteen, mostly short tracks, both musicians explore the space between sound and emotion, then reworked by Råberg in his studio, which offers a higher density at times than you might expect from a duet.

The use of effects were limited to the studio environment, and not by the use of extended techniques at all. Despite the overall improvisational nature of the album, the sound is very accessible, gentle and clean.

The centerpiece of the album, and also the longest track, is Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", in my opinion one of the best compositions ever because of its inherent conflict of sadness and hope. The shortness of the other pieces give us just snippets of approaches, and before the tone is set, the tune is stopped, without any chance for development and exploration. This may give the impression that substance is missing, but in reality that is luckily not the case, primarily because of the coherence of the tracks.

The deep feeling of the blues presented with abstract zen-like simplicity.




Listen and buy from CDBaby.



Since I'm on the topic of "Lonely Woman", here are some more recent albums that carry Coleman's signature theme.

Uschi Brüning - Ornette Et Cetera (Jazzwerkstatt, 2012)

A jazz quartet with Uschi Brüning on vocals, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky on alto, clarinet and flute, Michael Griener on drums and Jean-François Prins on guitar. The quartet brings a number of Coleman compositions, including "Lonely Woman". All well-played, though nothing exceptional.



Fred Hersch Trio - Alive At The Vanguard (Palmetto - 2012)

A beautiful trio of Fred Hersch on piano, John Hébert: on bass, and Eric McPherson on drums. Nothing spectacular, apart from the excellent musicianship and Hersch's ability to turn compositions inside out, showing new angles without destroying the original concept. In this way, he interestingly fuses Coleman's "Lonely Woman" with Miles Davis' "Nardis". Probably not adventurous enough for the readers of this blog, yet worth mentioning.




© stef

Read More

Aram Shelton 4tet - Everything for Somebody (Singlespeed 2012) *****

Posted by Joe

As the press release states, this is jazz music inspired by the likes of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Mingus and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. I guess that looks like a tall order to fill, but Aram Shelton doesn't fail you one second on this excellent release. It's also - for those interested (like me) - the second album from the 4tet on Shelton's Singlespeedmusic label.

Everything for Somebody is one of those albums like much of the music coming out of the Chicago scene, a mixture of free and composed jazz. Although Shelton isn't based in Chicago he seems to have put together this group from his earlier residency there. Members Keefe Jackson (tenor sax), Anton Hatwich (bass) and the most recent addition Tim Daisy (drums) .. a name that shouldn't need any introduction! One could try and get philosophical about this music, but somehow there doesn't seem to be any need as it's music that touches the listener right from the opening notes. 'Anticipation' which dances away on a simple joyful swinging melody leaves space for the two major soloists of Jackson and Shelton to blow simple melodic improvisations. The dancing melody starts as an easily memorable melody but the two soloists dig deep helping to yield hidden secrets gradually, balancing a fine line between free-bop and more dense melodic improvisation. It's this 'fine line' that carries itself through the record, and for me makes this not only highly listenable, but also a refreshing breath of air.

The opening sounds of 'Everything for Somebody' almost takes you back to hearing Ornette for the first time with his famous quartet, although here it's two saxes. Keefe Jackson blows some powerful free-bop lines that really hang together in the same way the Dewey Redman managed. Aram Shelton seems to play some serious lines on this tune which are a marvel to behold, floating over the swinging bass and drums like a butterfly in the wind. The energy of the the whole group never lets up for one minute, holding your attention throughout. All the tunes on this release are very strong, adventurous in style and thinking, they ultimately carry the musicians to areas where they can find new ideas. 'Joints and Tendons' really explores sound textures for all the group, setting up each member in a duo context whilst cleverly weaving in melodic fragments.'Deadfall' is a mournful cry for the solo alto of Shelton cueing in the group (several minutes into the piece) into a gorgeous arpeggiated melody. The rest of the band grab this and gradually build into a wailing free-for-all before finding their way back to the serenity of the initial melody. 'Fleeting', the final track treats us to some fine free flowing ideas from the whole band with solos from all and a wonderful Ornette-esque melody to sandwich the ideas.

Another fine album from Aram Shelton who seems (from what I've seen) to be a very interesting voice in the world between improvised music and free jazz. His wonderful Arrive albums (*), electro acoustic experiments, Cylinder and other such projects go to show that Shelton is constantly looking for new avenues of experimentation.

A highly recommended album for those who enjoy the meeting of swing and free jazz. Some tags could be - Ornette Coleman, Atomic, Motif, The Engines, Vandermark 5 ... if you see what I mean!  

*= There's a first Arrive album is on Singlespeedmusic.

Available from Instant Jazz

© stef

Read More

Lonely Woman Update

 By Stef

On a regular basis, I add the new covers of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", one of his most beautiful compositions ever, and not to be mistaken by the Horace Silver ballad with the same title.

Here is the full list of all the covers that I identified so far. You can add suggestions.

I will start with three covers that appeared this year and that are worth mentioning.

Joachim Kühn & Archie Shepp - Wo!man (Archieball, 2011) ***

Joachim Kühn and Archie Shepp produce a nice album. Good playing, yet nothing memorable.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Panorama Brass Band - 17 Days (Panorama, 2011) ***

A brass band playing Lonely Woman? Yes, and not bad at all. Gone are of course the foreboding and sad atmosphere, but even in jest, the composition stands.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Tied & Tickled Trio and Billy Hart - La Place Demon (Morr Music, 2011) ***½

Quite unusual music, with electronics and drummer Billy Hart, kind of electronic ambient. Also their take on "Lonely Woman", embedded in some of their own music, is quite good. Highly unusual.

Listen and download from eMusic.


© stef

Read More

Agustí Fernández, Baldo Martinez & Ramón López - Triez (Emarcy, 2010) ****

By Stef

No doubt Spain's number one piano player in jazz is Agustí Fernández, whose playing spans the history of music, from classical over traditional jazz to avant-garde. Just to show the pianist's breadth, I confront this very accessible and almost Bill Evanesque album with Trio Local, reviewed below, bringing music totally out of the comfort zone of every listener, yet equally coherent as a trio performance.

This album's title is a kind of joke, referring to the word "trio", but also the suffixes of the three musicians' names, ending with "ez", originally meaning "son of" in Spanish. At the same time, it also means that they are "sons of the trio".

What you get on this album is Bill Evans, some Paul Bley, not much of Cecil Taylor. But then again, it's the trio's music, with broad references to music outside jazz : Spanish music, African music, Indian music. 

And of course, you also get a great cover of "Lonely Woman", Ornette Coleman's musical gem and gift to humanity, and not Fernández's first try at it, but equally impressive.

The music is improvised around clear themes and structures, often with great unison moments, and it is all about the joy of making music (and there is lots of fun to be heard), but also of joint introspection and meditation. And the remarkable thing is that it all quite fits well together.

Trio Local - Vitralls (Agharta Music, 2010) ****

The more hermetic Vitralls brings us Agustí Fernández on piano, Joan Saura on electronics and Liba Villavecchia on soprano and tenor sax. The album brings one long piece of forty-eight minutes of sound textures built around silence, lots of silence, and dark as the cover suggests. The title means "stained glass", as the kind that you see in ancient cathedrals, with barely any light passing through the centuries of darkened glass, reinforcing the uncanny atmosphere of mysticism rather than enlightening the building's visitors. The three musicians create an incredible level of tension and interaction with a total lack of lyricism, but more expressive than if it had, but for the end of the long live improvisation, when the notes of the sax seem to find a level of continuity and flow, but the electronics drag this sign of hope down into the deeper and darker corners with no light has a chance to survive.

And Fernández in all this? He lets you hear the sounds of the piano that were rarely heard: as percussion instrument, as screeching background clatter, as thunder without lightning.





© stef

Read More

Otomo Yohishide - Lonely Woman (Doubtmusic, 2010) ***½

Like your humble servant, Japanse post-guitarist Otomo Yohishide is a fan of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" composition, a song full of dark beauty, hope, sadness and resignation.

The Japanese artist is also known for taking his music to the extremes, as he does here, by giving us six versions of the tune -  bringing my personal collection to one hundred and thirty covers - but also by pushing the listener to the limits of what is auditory tolerable.

Officially a release by the Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Trio (ONJT), the trio only plays on the two middle tracks, with one solo pieces on either side and book-ended by two quintet versions. The band is Otomo Yoshihide on electric guitar and broken acoustic guitar, Hiroaki Muzutani on bass and kalimba, Yasuhiro Yoshigaki on drums and percussion (the trio), with Sachiko M on sinewaves and Jim O'Rourke on EMS synthesizer (the quintet).

The six versions differ quite strongly in approach. The long first quintet piece is quite slow and exploratory ending in minute-long eardrum-piercing feedback that is almost unbearable to listen to. The quiet first acoustic solo piece is hence very welcome but not really breath-taking.

The first trio performance is excellent, with solid support, a raw sound, lots of feedback sustain, yet here it is more integrated in the melody. The second trio is equally good, with a long sensitive arco piece with percussive touches and calm acoustic guitar. The second solo piece is the opposite of the first one, again at times painful to the ears with the first stretched feedback tone lasting not less than one minute and fifteen seconds, yet luckily the tune develops with less exaggeration. The last track, by the quintet, is minimalist and full of electronics, dark and ominous, and good.

So, you can love it or you can hate it, and there are pieces to cherish here as there are ones to keep far away from. I don't think Yoshihide cares a jot either way. He is not a crowd-pleaser. He likes the music and explores its various possibilities of expression, creation and destruction.


Other musicians have also demonstrated their admiration for Ornette Coleman's composition : Stéphane Oliva, Marcin Oles, Trio X, Michael Bisio and Sophia Domancich lead the way. The almost complete list can be found here.


Watch Otomo Yoshihide play Lonely Woman with John Edwards, Eddie Prevost, Steve Beresford at Cafe Oto on 25 November 2008



And this snippet from a solo version is also memorable



Watch a more
© stef

Read More

Miroslav Vitous Group - Remembering Weather Report (ECM, 2009) ****½

Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous co-founded Weather Report in the early 70s with Wayne Shorter as an acoustic band. They asked Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul to join, who after a while wanted the band to become more electric, with synths, and a little more funky, with repetitive bass phrases, something that was not to Vitous' liking, and he quit the band to be replaced by Alfonso Johnson. Vitous is a true virtuoso on the bass, classically schooled, his precision and clarity of tone when playing arco are absolutely awsome, as are his rhythmic and improvisational skills. I am not too sure what the title of this album refers to: about what Weather Report could have been without a piano? how Weather Report could have sounded in a purely acoustic setting? None of the tunes refer back to Weather Report compositions, except to the reference to Wayne Shorter in the title of the first track. In any case, in the liner notes he says it is not the intention to play the music of Weather Report but rather to work with the concept that he introduced in the band at its creation, that of direct conversation and equality between the instruments.

Whatever the ego thing, the music on this album is stellar. It starts with a powerful opener, with Gerald Cleaver's drumming kicking the thing of, and Vitous alternates pizzi and arco on bass, giving the impression of playing two instruments at the same time, then the trumpet of Franco Ambrosetti and the sax of Gary Campbell play some piercing unison phrases, referencing Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti". There aren't many bassists who are able to give their instrument so much voice, putting it on the same level as a horn. After the great opening track, it gets even better, with a cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", hesitatingly, moving, dark, gripping. But the real highlight is the long "Semina", a suite in three pieces, on which Vitous gives some gut-wrenching, heart-rending and terrifying arco sounds out of his bass, then later equalled by both Campbell and Ambrosetti. "Surfing with Michel" brings an exciting duet between the bassist and French saxophonist Michel Portal. The second pièce-de-résistance is the long "When Dvořák meets Miles", in reference to the great Czech composer and Miles Davis with whom Vitous played in the late 60s. The composition is abstract, dense and complex, moving with bursts of sound, and sounding possibly the most like what Weather Report could have been: very intense, building on the broad musical background of its musicians and hence not limited to style and genre, switching moods from joyful to sad, adding some traditional central European phrases in the mix, in full compatibility with the dark muted sounds of the trumpet, with Cleaver demonstrating his skills of playing around the beat, adding accents, texture and depth. The horns do not really play themes, but rather just a harmonic and rhythmic backdrop for the soloing. The album ends with "Blues Report", a paradoxically joyful sounding melody based on a blues basis.

If this what Vitous had in mind with Weather Report from the very beginning, it's clear that the match with Zawinul was a bad one. And nothing bad of the dead, but it's also clear that Vitous becomes musically better with the years, whereas Zawinul was stuck in his commercial dead-end streat. Don't miss this album. Four brilliant musicians, but especially Vitous' open compositions and free musical vision are fantastic, and you will hear possibly the best arco bass ever played. Let's hope he continues in this vein.

Listen to an excerpt from "Semina"



© stef

Read More

Cécile Broché & Etienne Bouyer Duo (Igloo, 2008) ***½

There aren't that many sax-violin duos in jazz, and with the exception of a Leroy Jenkins and Joseph Jarman album, I wouldn't even be able to name many more. But that the combination can work well, is clearly illustrated by this record. Cécile Broché is a Belgian electric violinist, teaming up with French soprano and tenor saxophonist Etienne Bouyer for no less than fifteen short duets. Some of those are excellent, little miniatures that despite their short length still manage to create a world of sound, that combines classical with jazz and world music influences. The two musicians are wonderful instrumentalists, very disciplined and playing with a superb clarity of tone. On the downside, the album is a collection of pieces that lack unity. Some pieces, like "Page Blanche", but especially "Jezerca", have a quite dramatic beauty and a novel approach, while other tunes, such as "Molvanian Dance" are part of the almost obligate balkan-influenced hipness, or have poetry in them (OUCH!), or are inconsequential, such as the light-footed boppy "Isi Bop", nice but the kind of music that has been played to death by so many others. On "Könnyu Darab # 5", Broché demonstrates that she can sound like Hendrix on electric violin, but again, it brings a totally different approach to the music, and again a stylistic break in the album. The record also contains a short version of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", with vocals, played solo by the violin. A little more coherence and unity of musical vision would have made this a great album. Just delete five of the tracks and you have it.

Listen to an excerpt from "Jezerca"


© stef

Read More

Sophia Domancich - Washed Away (Marge, 2009) ***½

French pianist Sophia Domancich loves Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", just like me, and despite her limited output as a leader, this is the third CD on which she brings the tune. She played it earlier with her band Pentacle and in a duo with Simon Goubert, but here is assisted by the best of the best rhythm section, Hamid Drake on drums and William Parker on bass. The performance was recorded live at the Sunside in Paris in July of last year. Domancich herself is a a long background, having played lots with the Canterbury scene musicians, such as Pip Pyle, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Didier Malherbe. From the little I had heard of her music, it was slightly left of center, but not much, but here, in combination with Parker and Drake, she improvises freely and openly, without boundaries and restraint. The first track "Washed Away" has a boppish backbone, with nice improvisations, the second track, "The Seagulls of Kristiansund", is a Mal Waldron composition, which starts with impressionistic piano, but through his solo, Parker leads the tune into a totally different direction, without altering the overall sound, keeping the gentleness of approach, but making it more organic, less structured, and interestingly enough Domancich takes up the challenge, joining Parker and Drake in their more avant-gardist approach, and slowly moving them back to the impressionism of the beginning, while Parker picks up his bow to add to the melancholy. But of course the highlight is "Lonely Woman", a piece she knows inside-out, here spread over 36 minutes (beating the Cojaniz/Schiaffini performance of the tune by 1 minute), which gives ample space to the three musicians to move through the theme's moments of wonder, surprise, playfulness, anger, melancholy and sadness. In the course of the lang track the focus tends to get a little bit lost, moving the piece into a freeboppish improvisation.

Buy from Instantjazz.
Listen to an extract from "Lonely Woman"


© stef

Read More

Bob Gluck Trio - Sideways (FMR, 2008) ****½

It was only last week that I reviewed "Collar City Creatology", a trio with Michael Bisio on bass and Dean Sharp on drums. We find them back on this trio, yet the third party of the trio is now Bob Gluck's piano. Gluck is a well-trained pianist, who started taking lessons at the age of seven, then stopped after college, not playing for two decades, and starting again in 2003. The music he presents here is free, yet guided improv. The pieces are based on original compositions, two by Zawinul, one based on a Zawinul composition ("Pharoah's Dance") and one by Ornette Coleman ("Lonely Woman"). Most other tracks are credited to Gluck, with one to Bisio. The music is open-ended, with lots of possibilities hanging in the air, some realised, some deliberately avoided, creatin tension along the way, with lots of close interaction and musical subtleties. Bisio and Sharp are stellar again, but the real credits should go to Gluck, not only for his playing, but for the musical vision he sets down here. Regardless of who composed the pieces, they form one integrated whole, in a suite-like fashion, often darkly atmospheric, gloomy in its slowness and its attention to detail. Like many other new bands, including Gerald Cleaver's recent "Farmers By Nature", the piano trio as it was known, has clearly been re-defined. The concept of a lead instrument with two accompanying rhythm instruments has become obsolete. We get a trio of three equal instruments creating a "total sound", a broad listening experience, that does not need to rely on melody, but comes to its full effect when the musicans' creativity leads us into new territory. Apart from one solo piano piece, the trio format is a little broken when electronics come into play, or some ambient sound, and even Gluck playing shofar. There is some extended playing too, but fairly limited. Which is good. The main focus is on the music, not on the effects. And the trio's version of "Lonely Woman" is brilliant. Ornette Coleman's beautiful tune is fully in sync with the rest of the album's desperate tone, full of shattered hope, and deep longing for a better world. Great music. I truly hope to hear more from this trio in the future.

Listen to Sideways.


© stef

Read More

Waclaw Zimpel, Wojtek Traczyk, Robert Rasz - The Light (Multikulti, 2008) ****

In the history of music, from the creation of the universe till today, "Lonely Woman" stands out as an absolutely sublime composition, regardless of who plays it. Any performer who lays his or her hands on this Ornette Coleman piece, regardless of the instruments used, regardless of the style in which it's played, is guaranteed to make a success of it. Even the most incompetent cannot destroy the sublime.

Yet it is up to the very good to present this wonderful composition in a new dress, as does this Polish trio, consisting of Waclaw Zimpel on clarinet and bass clarinet, Wojtek Traczyk on double bass and Robert Rasz on drums. "Lonely Woman", with arco bass and bass clarinet, is played very slowly with lots of emotional intensity, very free, evolving into barely audible high clarinet sounds weeping over a single sustained note on arco and finger-played drums, ending in dark silence.

This trio's play list is diverse, from Dolphy over Coleman to Nirvana, interspersed with some of their own compositions. The music is rhythmic, powerful, sensitive, delivered with care and passion. And free. Even Dolphy's "Straight Up And Down" is played in a totally non-straight way, starting with Rasz's creative drumming, evolving in the joyful theme, which is both respectful of Dolphy while adding to it. The Nirvana tune "Where Did You Sleep Last Night (My Girl") is the rawest piece on the track. Traczyk's bass plays an important role in most pieces, sometimes reminding me of Charlie Haden in his deep and warm approach, with a great sense of finding the right note. The "intro" is a bass solo and "The Light" is a slow track on which the bass really shines. But don't misunderstand me: this a true trio album, with Waclaw Zimpel leading the dance, very openly and with lots of fresh ideas and approaches, unhurried but precise, and with Robert Rasz's drumming restrained and subtle, as is the music itself. Free, gentle, sensitive and open.

Listen to samples on MySpace.

© stef

Read More

Lonely Woman - new covers

Here are two new covers of Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman.

Charlie Haden's Private Collection, available on iTunes, brings a 22 minute cover of the song, with Alan Broadbent on piano, Ernie Watts on sax and Paul Motian on drums. Nice, but certainly not his best version.

João Lencastre's Communion, out on Fresh Sound New Talent, with Bill Carrothers on piano, Phil Grenadier on trumpet, João Lencastre on drums, André Matos on guitar and Demian Cabaud on bass. Truly a wonderful cover.

Click here for the full list of Lonely Woman covers.

Subscribe

Read More

Lonely Woman - 8 Femmes Seules (Minium Label, 2007) ****

Last year, the Minium Label came out with a series of CDs with the brilliant idea to ask all of the individual musicians to play a cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", which is in my humble view still one of the most beautiful and complete jazz pieces every written. The CD itself can only be obtained if you return a flyer which is in all the other CDs, which is a nice marketing trick. Therefore I exceptionally share this link with the full CD which I found on someone else's blog.

The musicians are :
1. Stephan Oliva & Suzanne Abbuehl (piano + vocals)
2. Marc Copland & Bill Carrothers (two pianos)
3. Stephan Oliva & Joey Baron (piano + drums)
4. Bruno Angelini - Lonely Woman (piano)
5. Stephan Oliva & Claude Tchamitchian (piano + arco bass)
6. Stephan Oliva & Jean-Marc Foltz (piano + clarinet)
7. Giovanni Mirabassi (piano)
8. Stephan Oliva & Linda Sharrock (piano + vocals)
9. René Urtreger - L'échafaud (piano)

Only René Urtreger covers the Miles Davis tune L'échafaud. As you see the CD is very much a piano album, but a great one, more mainstream than free but the tracks with Tchamitchian and Foltz make up for this.

Subscribe

Read More