New York United - Volume 2 (577 Records, 2021) ***½

By Stef Gijssels

Often the electronics we hear in free improvisation are disruptive, challenging, pushing the music more into zones of discomfort than comfort. With "New York United" the approach is the opposite. Sound artist Tobias Wilner and the rest of the band create a very welcoming environment, with the electronics, field recordings and synths creating a warm blanket that keeps everything nicely together, rhythmically and in terms of sound colour. 

We reviewed New York United, Vol. 1 in 2018, and compared it to the nu jazz explorations that Matthew Shipp once engaged upon. The band is the same as on Volume 1, with Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet, flute, and trumpet, Wilner also plays piano and guitar, Djibril Toure on bass, and Federico Ughi on drums. The references that come to mind are the Nordic endeavours by Bugge Wesseltoft, Nils Petter Molvaer or Terje Isungset. Wilner's presence is critical for the overall sound. The Dane has been active as a composer of soundtracks (including "Follow The Money", and excerpts of his compositions were used for "Miami Vice",  "Twilight" and the "Vampire Diaries"), and together with Bo Rande he forms the two-person nucleus of 'dream pop' band "Blue Foundation". 

The music is a mixture of ambient, fusion, world music and jazz, and with a strong narrative and energetic component on each track. The recipe is that the music was first recorded as an improvised piece, then transformed in the studio by Wilner. The result is very remote from what we usually review, and as said before, purists may shudder at the approach, but on the other hand, it may also lead to wider audiences for jazz in general by tapping into today's more commercial sounds. 

Fans will be interested to know there are some limited LP versions available. 

Listen and download from Bandcamp. 

Listen to the opening track "New York Flower"

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Jachna Buhl - Atropina (Requiem, 2014) ***½

By Stef

Trumpeter Wojtek Jachna and drummer Jacek Buhl continue with their successful duo, and if I'm not mistaken, this is their fourth album, with the fifth being released last week.

They have not altered their approach of electronically modified music that hesitates between jazz and techno at times, with acoustic drumming that could be misinterpreted for a drum machine (or is it?) and Jachna's trumpet is processed and fed back in various layers of sound. Nils Petter Molvaer and Rob Mazurek come to mind at times, and these are not bad references. There is power and electricity to be heard in tracks such as "Nocny Pocigą" and beautiful lyricism on tracks such as "Czarne Stopy", or avant-garde try-outs as in "UKF".

Even if it is not ground-breaking, it is very pleasant to listen to, and to be honest, the type of music I need this morning. Enjoy!

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Chicago Underground Duo - Locus (Northern Spy, 2014) ****

By Stef 

The duo of Rob Mazurek on cornet and Chad Taylor on percussion becomes a real orchestra, by adding layers and layers of sound, performed on their instruments, or ambient or electronically altered. Mazurek at times sounds like a full horn section in a big band, joyfully soloing on top of it, with Taylor's beats repeated and edited for maximum effect.

Like on previous albums, the overall sound alternates dark passages with celebratory and upbeat injections, as a collage of sonic colours, danceable even, as a great mix of sounds from across the globe, but preferably its most tropical parts, its most tropical parties, in a dense atmosphere of warm fun with subterranean gloom and high energy madness, built around a rhythmic backbone supporting a great "moqueca" of musical influences and genres, of jazz, of techno, of electronics, of film music, of street music, without limit and restriction, welcoming everything in the same stew, as long as it's tasteful, compelling, dramatic or fun, including "a Ghanian folk tune and Ennio Morricone played on cornet, drums, mbira, ballophone, bamboo flute and Game Boy". Nineteen years after its inception, the latest incarnation of the Chicago Underground Collective is still alive and kicking!

Join the festivities. 

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The Necks: Open (Northern Spy, 2013) ***½

Reviewed by Joe

This, according to what I see on the Necks' website, is their 17th album, quite an achievement for a band that plays improvised music! I have to admit this is the first Necks album I've heard and the reasons I choose this out of the pile of records. I'd heard, and read, so much about this band who seem to have a very faithful fan base, something not unlike EST did before the untimely death of Esbjörn Svensson. The group's 'ethic' for those who don't know them is to make one long improvisation per set/album, not unlike the fabulous Mujician did. To define a style would be difficult, but from what I've listened to in the last few days - I've tried to hear a couple of their other records for comparison - most of the music is fairly minimalist, melodic, modal, and groove oriented. Interestingly we haven't reviewed any of their records on this site, but if you put 'Necks' into our search engine you'll find a few of the projects involving the band members - Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Bucks (drums) and Lloyd Swanton (bass). 

As with their other albums, each record has a 'feel'. As an example the well loved "Hanging Gardens" album, released back in 1999, was what fans called a logical extension to Mile Davis' "In a Silent Way", and it's true that that album has a sort of contemporary feel that one can imagine Miles would have approved of. In the case of "Open" the album starts with a quasi Indian raga/sitar like atmosphere that will define the next 40 odd minutes (the album is a little over an hour). With the use of light glistening arpeggios and gentle bass notes they cleverly manage to conjures up, via sound, a picture of a hot, dry and dusty place. When the piano leaves the drums to play percussive fills at around 11mins, the trio cleverly manage keep us 'within the atmosphere' and also give the music plenty of space.

Of course it would be possible to go through the record with a minute-by-minute, blow-by-blow account of each little change, but what is more important is the overall atmosphere of the music they create. It's full of shimmering images, crescendos that build up over several minutes only to die away leaving space for another idea. The modal style gives their music a very hypnotic and powerful direction, keeping you fixed listening, wondering what is that sound, where is it coming from and how will it develop. Of course, like all good music this record is like a film, one has to listen to the whole thing to get the point.
 
What is the point? I guess that in recent years musicians have really developed the idea of music with 'space' and 'atmosphere' as prime components - Arve Henriksen, Jon Hassel, the Foton Quartet or even Skogen. On this record the Necks manage to combine all these strands 'minimalist', 'new-ageism', 'world-music', 'improvisation', 'groove', to produce atmospheric music which can be listened to on many different levels. Could it be described as exiting, and soothing?
       

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Arve Henriksen & Teun Verbruggen - Black Swan (RAT, 2012) ***½

By Stef   

I just came across this hard-to-get album recently, and it deserves attention only because Arve Henriksen (Supersilent) plays on, and then with together with Teun Verbruggen (Othin Spake), my fellow compatriot and drummer with open-minded progressive musical tastes.

Although the concept is not new (check David Sait's "Postage Paid Duets"), the album was made by both musicians separately. Arve Henriksen first recorded his trumpet parts at home, in February 2010, together with some hardanger fiddle, vocals, samples, keyboard and snare drums. Teun Verbruggen recorded his part in a studio in September of the same year. Then the whole thing was mixed and mastered.

Fans of Arve Henriksen will not be deceived, but they won't find anything new either. The music is ethereal at times, without substance, like mist or wind, hard to grasp but pleasing nonetheless, with Verbruggen's percussive parts adding some raw contrast to it, like sharp rocks breaking a beautiful horizon and offering depth and perspective. Other pieces, like the title track, are more dynamic, full of rhythmic complexities mixed into the final sound, like you can expect from several layers of sound and electronics superimposed.

In contrast to trumpeters like Mattias Eick or Nils Petter Molvaer, the duo is more adventurous and dares to go beyond easy sounds. Despite this, there aren't too many surprises either, and that is really something we would expect from two creative minds.

 

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Cavity Fang: Urban Problems (Table & Chairs, 2013) ***

Reviewed by Joe

Here's Michael Coleman back with another one of his very interesting cross fusion projects. I've reviewed several different projects of Michael over the years and each one always has some very interesting stuff on it. The last one reviewed here was Arts and Science on Aram Shelton's Singlespeed label. This is another small label Table and Chairs, based I think in Seattle. They - the label - seem to specialise in a very interesting blend of modern/rock/jazz/noise, take a look at their website and bandcamp to get a better idea (and listen).

Meanwhile, the music of Cavity Fang is again a real collection of ideas that Michael Coleman successfully moulds together to produce some very modern sounds. If you like music such as Steve Reich meets Hendrix meets Mahavishnu but without any of the long solos then you'll definitely enjoy this one. In fact the record is very short but the music is intense and packed with ideas and melodies. "Koala and Joey" (tk1) is like an rubato anthem that lies somewhere between the Star Spangled Banner and ..? But by the next tune - "Dreamzz" - you're already in another abstract world, rhythmically complex lines meld together leading you into choppy riffs, which somehow reminded me of a Beefheart instrumental. The whole record moves along like this with new ideas and ambiances jumping out at each track. "Armadillo" (tk3) starts out with a soundtrack of jungle noises, but surely made by synths, keyboards and percussion. Eventually Jordan Glenn - drums and vibraphone - brings in a melody lines on vibes developing into a long repetitive line full of energy.

Some of the music reminds me of the way Fond of Tigers (what happened to them?) layered melodies on melodies to produce new lines. The other aspect that links the two bands together is the three drummers! You get to hear them work out together as they build up a very carefully constructed set of lines on "Prelude to Rara" (tk5) which leads into "Rara", naturally! Looping sax and heavily flanged guitar seem to set up the scene for even more relentless drumming. The last three tracks hang somewhere between garage band rock and sophisticated psychedelia with melodies that use flute and guitar on "This Will Be Your Bed" (tk8). "Droopy-Eyed Monster Shuffle" finishes the album with some grumpy sounding baritone sax riffing away before heading into outer space, exactly what it says it is a monster shuffle!

This is a long way from being a jazz album, but then again it certainly doesn't really fit easily into any category! Drop by the bandcamp website where you can take a listen to the album, see what you make of it or/and buy it: ::: here :::

Michael Coleman - keyboards and compositions, Ava Mendoza - guitar, Cory Wright - baritone sax and flute, Hamir Atwal - drums, Jordan Glenn - drums and vibraphone, Sam Ospovat - drums

       

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Food - Mercurial Balm (ECM, 2013) **½

By Stef 

Having been a fan of "Food", the Anglo-Norwegian band since its first album, I was appreciative of "Quiet Inlet", their previous album on ECM, reduced to the core members of Iain Ballamy on saxes and Thomas Strønen on drums and electronics, with some guest musicians added. 

For "Mercurial Balm", they keep the same concept, now with - on a number of tracks, guest musicians Christian Fennesz and Eivind Aarset on guitar, Nils Petter Molvaer on trumpet and Prakash Sontakke on vocals and slide guitar.

As you can expect, the music is calm "nu jazz" with long and stretched soundscapes over which the horns play their meditative melancholy melodies, music for dreaming away with eyes closed. And it's probably fine for a few listens, but even then most tracks have this high level of predictability and lack of dynamics or tension that are needed for repeated discovery.

Prakash Sontakke's vocals are more of the long moaning kind rather than the rhythmic carnatic singing, but beautiful though yet with a really limited presence on the album.

In all, one can wonder what this album adds to the Food catalogue, as they seem to have less to tell than before, even with the expanded line-up, or to use a bad metaphor : without substance, Food becomes a consommé.

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Drew Gress: The Sky Inside (Pirouet Records, 2013) ***½

Reviewed by Joe

Amazing, this is an album that is - dare I say - completely under control, melodies, rhythms, solos, all moulded together like a jigsaw, not a piece out of place. Welcome to Drew Gress's new album, which after "7 Black Butterflies", is another highly complex set of compositions and a top notch team of players to interpret them (the same line up as "7 Black Butterflies" ) - Tim Berne (alto sax), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Craig Taborn (piano), Tom Rainey (drums) and Drew (double bass).

It's always interesting to hear a bass players album, their view point 'musically' is totally different from other musicians compositional perspectives. I guess sitting in the engine room of a band brings out a certain view on how music should happen. Mingus also had this organised yet free approach to music and composition, sensing exactly at what moment a soloist needed to move on, change rhythm or tempo, keeping the listener on their toes (uh,... ears!). Drew's new record is exactly that, a set of highly organised compositions that lets the players develop their own 'thing' in a controlled atmosphere.

The sensual melodies are well crafted, but its the arrangements that give this record its special edge. The way that Drew Gress develops each composition is fascinating in itself. I'd be very curious to hear the group live to see how much of the form (backing figures, section changes etc) the band use, and how it works. Complex rhythms lock together with the melodies of the two horns, providing a contrapuntal music which is very rich - "No Saint" (tk1), "Jacquard" (tk7) and "Zaftig Redux" (tk9). There are also tunes that have a more open ended atmosphere, bordering on rhapsodic, and at other moments swing.

With a team like this on the record it's hardly surprising to say that Berne, Alessi and Taborn all come up with some great ideas in the space allotted to them in such a framework. The bumpy ride that the rhythm section gives the soloists on "Long Story" (tk3) produce real musical interaction, or the duetting horns of "The Sky Inside" (tk4) are just two such moments. Craig Taborn, like Berne, is able to be either melodic or angular when needed. A track such as "Long Story Short" (tk10) has Taborn dabbing colour onto the musical canvas to support the horns, then emerge into a fully blown solo with its own inner logic. Bass and drums provide whatever is needed throughout the record, swinging, riffing or colouring-in as each tune develops. 

A record for those who enjoy adventurous soloing, but within the framework of recognisable compositions, and a band that would be great to catch live I guess! You can listen to some samples of the music on Pirouete's website. 

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Living by Lanterns - Old Myth/New Science (Cuneiform, 2012) ***

Reviewed by Joe

Here's a record to add to Paul Aquaro's recent post concerning Sonic Liberation Front's record tribute to Sun Ra. Here is Living by Lanterns a group co-led by Mike Reed and Jason Adesiewicz - see below for line-up. Apparently these pieces, and of course this CD, were commissioned by the Experimental Sound Studio (ESS), based on tapes from a kind of free form session of Sun Ra's back in 1961, and catalogued as "NY 1961." There are no real compositions on that tape just improvised ideas. These ideas were used to inspire the music written and played on this album. it seems, from what Cuneiform say on their site that this IS NOT a tribute. However, from the amount of ideas developed from the 'root' material it seems strange to say the contrary, but who cares anyhow, it's the music that counts.

In terms of music one could probably put this into the same bag as the Exploding Star Orchestra. It's vibrant music that swings away happily with some great themes popping up all throughout the record. The 7 themes are all fairly straight ahead affairs except for track 1 and track 6. The first track is a montage of some Sun Ra 'dialogue' doing one of his rants about, love, outer space, who we are, reality, myth and where we come from. If you've seen the various documentaries on Sun Ra and easily found on YouTube (hint!), then you'll know what I'm talking about. The sixth track 'Glow Lights' is the only 'free-form' piece on the record, surprising really considering the pedigree of this group. 

The other five tracks all have some nice moments and solid solos from the stellar line up (see below). As already mentioned this is essentially a swinging record, even if some of the themes are dark in nature. I particularly liked the second track 'Think Tank' with it's glistening vibes. The track quickly falls into an ostinato line with one of Mary Halvorson's wammy-bar distorted guitar solos flowing over it. Jason Adasiewicz comes along to add some spacey vibes as the tune develops before Taylor Ho Bynum jumps in to give the group a sort of free form Wynton Marsalis bluesy slurs to work with before the group heads back into the melody. Much of the front line melodies are carried by Greg Ward who really stands out on all the tracks, either through his solo lines or his lead playing. 'Shadow Boxer's Delight' (tk4) seems to be a feature for Tomeka Reid on cello. The tune has a lovely melody which although played at the beginning really comes into it's own at the end when the rhythm section drops out.

The other tracks such as 'Forget B' or 'Old Science' are well written pieces with attractive melodies and good solos, but for my money it's a little bit lacking in excitement, or maybe that's just what I heard from my armchair. I found the record a really good listen but when looking at the line up I couldn't help wondering if a few more chances could have been taken. It's almost as if every soloist has his/her own feature, but isn't necessarily suited to 'that' job, or maybe I could say 'in that context'. 

A nice record which could be worth while tracking down if you enjoy fairly straight ahead music from the young Chicago/New York scene. Although if you're looking for intense sounds that might be normally associated with some members of the group you're probably better off looking in other directions.

The Group :

Greg Ward – alto saxophone, Taylor Ho Bynum – cornet, Ingrid Laubrock – tenor saxophone, Tomeka Reid – cello, Mary Halvorson – guitar, Jason Adasiewicz – vibraphone, Joshua Abrams – bass, Tomas Fujiwara – drums, Mike Reed – drums, electronics.

© stef

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Outhouse - Straw, Sticks and Bricks (Babel, 2011) ***½

By Joe

If you've never come across the British band 'Outhouse' before, now is the time to get acquainted. This is Outhouse's third record, the first two Outhouse (2008) and Outhouse : Ruhabi (2010) were both classic albums in my humble opinion. I love the mixture of free moments and dark driving grooves that Outhouse seems to specialize in. The band has changed a little over the years with tenor saxophonist Mark Hanslip leaving the band to be replaced by Tom Challenger, however the basic formula both musically and instrumentally has stayed much the same. The group are Robin Fincker/Tom Challenger - Tenor saxes/Clarinets,  Johnny Brierley – bass and Dave Smith – drums. On this latest album they've invited Hilmar Jensson (guitar) to add to their sonic landscape and which to my mind really fits very naturally into the group's sound.    

The groups formula for compositions tends to work well again. Although more or less the same as the previous two albums it has developed and become more refined. The group has a style of 'stop:start' type of melodies. These tend to state a theme which then throw a soloist into a very open space to develop some ideas. Gradually the group moves into an exciting rhythm with the melody lines becoming bass lines, or vice versa. It might look at first view that it's just a formula, but with Outhouse they've developed this into a style that works well. It lets the group move freely between recognizable melodies and very interesting modern improvisations. The group although not 'free' in pure terms is (if you heard them) not unlike 'Human Feel' who also managed to finely manoeuvre between several styles to create a very individual, and eventually, influential sound. 

It would be difficult to pick out any particular track as all the tunes, nine in all, have great moments in them.  Luckily - see below - you can listen to the album via the Loop Collectives website. The structure of the compositions is always looking for ways to fuse the various possibilities of freedom and melody. An example such as Fool (tk3) launches out with a improvised entry from sax and drums. The guitar and the 2nd sax comes in with a sort of rubato melody which little by little dominates the piece. This leads the group into open water, but look out, the music then bursts open with a wonderful rocking (unison) melody before leading towards more angular solos. The piece re-descends into light and gentle improvised sound. Golfo (tk5) uses some of the same ideas but gives a wonderful looping melody that's very cleverly arranged to give a soloist maximum possible inspiration, a little like jumping off the top board at the swimming pool! Many of the pieces use this idea in one way or another and all the themes have great twists and turns both melodically and rhythmically. Kitchen in the Middle (tk1) plays an insistent plodding theme before letting the soloists out like dogs let off their leads.

And of course there's Hilmar Jensson who's guitar adds a new dimension to the music, really giving some serious 'umpf' to the themes when playing in unison. At other times he uses the space created by the group to add floating sounds a small solo ideas, not unlike a 21st century Bill Frisell. A good example of this can be found on Luna Verde (tk4).

All in all this is an excellent record, highly recommended to anyone who's interested to hear how the younger generation in the UK have fused jazz and rock, but also the influences of the UK improv' scene. I can also highly recommend the bands first two albums for further listening.  

Listen to the album, and band here via the Loop Collectives site.   

I should mention this album is from April 2011. I'm not sure how it got into our review pile so late, if you've seen this one around you'll now know it's sort of a deja vu moment.


© stef

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Arts and Sciences - New You (Singlespeed Music, 2012) *****

Posted by Joe

I met Michael Coleman (the leader of Arts and Science) in Brussels quite a few years ago. He was on the usual European tourist trip with a friend of his - maybe Jordan Glenn, the drummer on this album? Michael told me about another interesting project called Schumann's Humans, a group playing the music of Schumann, but re-imagined. I remember checking out via MySpace the group and being highly impressed, but of course since then I'd lost track of Michael's groups and career. Well, time has caught up and here we are in 2012 with a record from Michael Coleman under the title 'Arts and Science - New You', and it's to my ears a corker! I should also add, for all those that read the recent Aram Shelton review, that this is another record out on the excellent Singlespeed Music label.

If you're ready to be taken on a burning trip of musical ideas and styles, then this is the one you might indeed be well advised to check out. If you remember the free wheeling blowing and sheer eclecticism of Human Feel then you'll already have a vague notion of what the music could be. Although not as 'free', it does however have a power and imagination that easily matches that genre breaking group. The groups makeup does (in a way) mirror some of Human Feel's elements as it's two sax front line, no bass, drums and in this case keyboard may suggest. Each of the musicians deserves a mention as everybody plays sublimely well, blowing hot and cold all over the music, prepared to take the risks needed to give the music an excitement and energy that keeps the listener pinned to their seat!

Both Jacob Zimmerman (alto sax, flute, percussion), Matt Nelson (Tenor sax, effects, percussion) are new names to me, and a revelation also. Both players seem to mold together to form a front line that instinctively thinks as one. Their solos sometimes scream out of the speakers and at others come together to form tight ensemble work. Jordan Glenn (drums) is certainly a key player in this complex music which at times sounds not unlike early King Crimson in it's ensemble work. The modern melodies fly out at you never letting one guess which direction the music will take. 'Seram' (Tk 7) swings away at a fast tempo, whilst the gorgeous melody of 'Shunting' (Tk 8) has an almost sinister obstinate riff for the two saxes to blow around. Baby Boner (Tk 3) turns into a polyrhythmic piece, like a pigmy melody taken straight from the rain forests. 'Scientology' (Tk 9) makes use of gongs and bowed cymbals leading us to a beautiful and delicate melody with extra horns and a guitar. And the final brooding 'Jazz/Shadow' (Tk 10) with strangely distorted recorded horns and keyboard, roll like the sea with the two horns wailing above. Every track is a winner!

The myriad ideas of Michael Coleman really keep each track fresh, and although there is clearly a huge range of musical styles, somehow Michael manages to make the whole thing completely coherent. His keyboard playing (only keyboards) never dominates the ensemble, yet there are constant ideas flowing back and forth. His use of the sound palettes available is always well chosen ; mellotrons, percussive glockenspiels, tiny pianos, old wurlitzers, etc. However, what is clear is that this is no solo record, but a true group project that live must be very exciting to hear indeed! The recording technique and sound also used on this record is also very interesting, at times clear and at others heavily treated, all of which (I imagine) is intended.

Highly recommended to all those who love King Crimson, rock, out jazz, Human Feel, downtown scene, pygmies...!         

Listen and download from their Bandcamp page.     

© stef

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Bobby Previte and the New Bump - Live at the Amphitheatre (2011) ****

By Joe Higham

When speaking about Bobby Previte you're talking about the roots of the New York downtown scene(*). Previte and musicians, John Zorn, Ellery Eskelin, Wayne Horowitz, Elliot Sharp or Bill Frisell, were all in at the beginning of this whole movement which celebrates the alternative side of what improvised music could/should be. Previte's music has always been a mix of inspiring and challenging writing with great soloists, mostly very accessible, and certainly never less than inspiring His groups (or projects) have ranged from solo work, the 'Weather Clear, Track Fast' septet, 'The Pan Atlantic Band' and a nice duo with Marc Ducret. As a drummer/composer his writing pays as much attention to melody as to rhythm, and naturally the interaction with his bands certainly produces sparks as on this record and possibly the sum of those elements, great melodies, rolling beats, tight arrangements and stellar soloing from all concerned.

New Bump is made up of long time associates; Bill Ware (vibes), Ellery Eskelin (sax), Brad Jones (bass) and - of course - Bobby Previte on drums. A powerful group that shows their skill and experience after having played together since years, playing a punchy jazz that's melodic and modern. Bill Ware plays equally strong vibes either as an accompanist or soloist. It's an instrument that lends itself to so many styles as testifies the recent playing of Chris Dingman, Jason Adasiewicz or even the mixed vibes lines in Tortoise. Ellery Eskelin is a sax player who remains a true original. His playing is a marvel to hear, a truly inspired saxophonist with an amazing sound concept and soloing style that is truly his own. Able to play convincingly in all areas of music, and someone who deserves wider recognition outside of the 'musicians in the know' circle. Together Eskelin and Ware equally divide the front line job of melody and soloist yet there are many moments when the two players shadow each other, creating lines inspired by the other. Previte and Brad Jones play their role sitting neatly on the fence between jazz and a more rock-ish style. Bobby Previte's writing on this release encompasses boogaloo, rock, jazz and more, giving the two front line players plenty of material to work with. Tunes such as 'The Saint', 'D is for Drums' all rock along, or the changing sections of 'The Inexorable March Towards Brutality' keep you guessing, in fact all the tunes are excellent. 'Don't Tell Pilar', 'Client 9' and 'Probably Not' all have wonderful melodies and plenty of exciting twists and turns, and to add to the whole every solo is truly exciting.

You're not going to get any free form improvisations or experimental sound manipulations just - as David Lynch (@AMG) wrote - "fiery jazz expressionism and layered counterpoint that suggests elements of contemporary minimalism". A great album that doesn't brake any rules or new ground but is truly absorbing from start to finish. Highly Satisfying!     

Listen, buy, or generally enjoy at Bandcamp.

* = Of course the Downtown Scene covered many areas of music from minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, performance art of Laurie Anderson and many others. Check out Wiki's entry on downtown to get a general idea. 

© stef

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Levity - Afternoon Delights (Lado ABC, 2011) *****

By Joe Higham

Following on from Headbrain and Dorota posts one may ask the question ... is their much of interest to be found in the 'never mind the tune, watch my technique' jazz (Berkley, Banff, Conservatory) movement? Or maybe you're wondering whether Peter Brötzmann or Matts Gustafsson could blow a little louder? Or should you just dig out a rock album and turn up the volume, then look no further 'Levity' is here!

As Headbrain and Dorota weren't really jazz albums (and who cares, if the music is good and pushes at boundaries) this isn't a jazz album either. However Levity's previous albums were, although slightly left of center at that. The album confirms that this band is a restless searching unit, constantly looking for new takes on music.

This is Levity's 3rd album to date and a very nice one at that, an album with many elements coming together in a singularly mature way. 'Afternoon Delights' comes at you from all sides in a similar way that early Genesis or Pink Floyd albums did, touching on jazz but only its elements. From the album's opening track 'Clap your hands, Pikku Myy', a prolonged intro to what you're about to hear (almost like Genesis' 'The Lamb lies down on Broadway'), to the closing 'Everyone survived', the music never stops. 'Clap your hands, Pikku Myy' also introduces you to the sound world you'll be visiting for the next 52 minutes, a slightly old sounding piano (later on synths, loops etc), heavy bass sounds, and drums that could be post-rock meets free-jazz! This very original mixture of beats and grooves, melodies and sound effects is quite unclassifiable, at times minimal and at others dense. Listeners of pure jazz should be wary (or embrace) the music which has little (if any) in the way of solos as such, however one can hear immediately the complexity of the music which seems to have a balance between planned and loosely improvised sections which constantly surprise.    

You could comment on each individual track, but since the whole album seems (to me) to be composed and recorded as one, it makes little sense to deconstruct something that has been so carefully put together. Every possible angle is taken on this music from old sounding synths to hard rocking drums, trip-hop grooves, etherial floating ghost music, distorted bass melodies, and the occasional traditional - almost - piano trio, something which actually has to be heard to be believed.  

Tags for this excellent album could be - Bad Plus meets Genesis meets Tortoise meets Deerhoof meets ... to name a few.

Levity is : Jack Kita (kbds), Piotr Domagalski (bass), Jerzy Rogiewicz (drms).

Buy from either (download) Bandcamp or (buy a hard copy at) Serpent.

© stef

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Bigoni, Solborg and Brow - Hopscotch (Ilk Records 2011) ***½

Reviewed by Joe Higham

Maybe the first place to start with this album is to introduce the musicians. Bigoni, Solborg and Brow's full names are Francesco Bigoni (sax), Mark Solborg (guitar), Kevin Brow (drums). Since we don't always get much information with the CDs it's difficult to know whether (in this case) it's a group project, or someones specific group. However, listening to the album it doesn't take long to realize that this powerful trio produces some very accessible but challenging music. The three musicians compliment each other perfectly with no one musician standing alone but all acting together. The music veers between a sort of nu-jazz and semi-free, not unlike (if you know them) Trio AAB, Matthieu Donarier Trio, Hyperactive Kid and of course the long forgotten Human Feel (bless their cotton socks), in fact on first listen one cold possibly mistake Franceso Bigoni's playing for that of Chris Speed.

The album's 10 pieces have a nice mix of improvised and written themes that at times almost rock the house as opposed to the ballads which lean towards the melancholic ethereal feel that Jim Black's Alasnoaxis favors. The group blows up a powerful wind on tunes such as 'Elope Soon' (tk2), a rocking tune with a minimalistic pounding guitar/sax theme which also sets the scene for the tunes that follow. 'Brainwashing' (tk4) is a high powered shuffle tune that turns towards some excellent free form improvisation after the theme. 'Meet Mr Green'(tk5) a contrapuntal melody that uses the same idea for the solo with the sax and guitar shadowing each other closely. However not all the tunes race along at high speed, 'Almost' (tk6) is a gentle ballad type melody that is tender and sparse. What's interesting about this tune is that the melody and improvisation meld together almost without one noticing.

All the players have strong voices. Bigoni's sax almost cries at times such as on the lovely frail sounding '2' (tk1) and his tune 'Not Interesting, But True' (tk9). Here he repeats some very simple melodic ideas that the group builds on gradually giving the impression that each musician is searching for a new melody, very effective! But it is probably Mark Solborg's guitar which most links together the three players. His playing is particularly strong with a wide sonic pallet that comes up with a new solution for every tune. His playing is discreet yet utterly compelling. All in all this is very clearly a band which is a product of the post downtown movement, mixing jazz, rock and improv into a highly listenable mix which has a broad appeal…..well X-Factor listeners' should maybe be warned!

Buy from Ilk Records

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Nu trumpets

 By Stef

Nu jazz is a term used to describe the genres flirting with rock and electronics, often with solid electric guitars and electric bass, with overdubbing and other studio effects, resulting in a more manipulated, less improvised kind of music. Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer was one of the first in the genre, with his stunning "Khmer", released on ECM, an album with elements of dance, heavy beats, screaming guitars, floating synths and soaring trumpet, alternated by slower, more meditative moments.

But of course there are others, comparable in the approach described above, but with differences in spirit : Rob Mazurek and Cuong Vu.

The Saõ Paulo Underground - Tres Cabeças Loucuras (Cuneiform, 2011) ****½

During his stay in Brasil, cornettist Rob Mazurek created the Saõ Paulo Underground, like its Chicagoan namesake, switching from duo to trio to quartet, now with Mauricio Takara on drums, percussion and cavaquinho, Guilherme Granado on keyboards, electronics and samplers, and Richard Ribeiro on drums.

The music is a rich amalgam of Latin rhythms, upbeat melodies, catchy themes, funny moments at moments completely distorted or even attacked by heavy psychedelic electronics. The beginning of "Colibri" somewhat reminded me of Marc Ribot's "La Vida Es Sueño", but otherwise the nature is more rhythmic and wall of sound, with many, many layers of music, often lightfooted, but then with a twist. Fun, but with a sharp edge.

For those of you familiar with the two previous albums of the band, they will be in for a surprise : the music is pretty straightforward in form and melody, yet with an incredible wealth of ideas and playfulness with sound, as in the strange dark rumbling that suddenly begins to dominate the tune, pushing back the repetitive guitars and trumpet theme on "Lado Leste". Also Mazurek's joyous, often jubilant trumpet-playing is fantastic, as in his EP "Him" many years ago, this is again a rhythmic sound fest that will leave you in a good mood for many hours to come. The Don Cherry of today.

The attention to detail is everywhere, and the result is finished : just as it should be.

Listen to a video with bad quality sound, but sufficient to give you an idea of the music :

Nils Petter Molvaer - Baboon Moon (Sula, 2011) ***½

I have called Rob Mazurek a musical genius once, just because he keeps pushing his own boundaries, and hence also ours, delivering fantastic albums in many styles, all invented by him.  Nils Petter Molvaer's "Baboon Moon" is of a different nature : he created his own style with "Khmer" and has basically stuck to it since, perfecting it, polishing it, making it more dramatic and accessible for broader audiences.

The quality of the playing, also by Stian Westerhus on guitar and Erland Dahlen on drums, both from a rock background, is exceptionally good and varied. But it is more of the same, better at times, quite impressive at moments, but more of the same nonetheless. But like all good rock music, it is easy to digest and quite compelling. Molvaer is also a great builder of tension, leading the band and the overall sound to predictable paroxysms of volume and ending his soaring solos in ever increasing high notes. Molvaer is a master of drama, in the same vein as Pink Floyd, and actually, some tracks, like "Bloodline", and even more "Sleep With Echoes", could have been penned by the later day Floyd - think "Division Bell".

Too polished, too predictable, yet great fun.

Listen to "Mercury Heart"

Mercury Heart from Nils Petter Molvaer on Vimeo.

Cuong Vu - Leaps Of Faith (Origin, 2011) ***½

This album has been lying here for a while, because of the mixed feelings I have : Cuong Vu is an interesting and good trumpeter, who is a little bit unsure of which direction or which voice to take. I have liked all his previous albums, and I like this one too, though a little bit less. His 4-tet further consists of Ted Poor on drums, Stomu Takeishi and Luke Burgman on electric bass, who take on some standards, such as "Body and Soul", "My Funny Valentine", "All The Things You Are", and - for crying out loud - even "Something" by The Beatles, and - for crying out louder - "My Opening Farewell" by Jackson Browne.

Even with some highly questionable core material, they make these "standards" completely their own, and in a quite interesting way, as in the title piece, which is based on Coltrane's Giant Steps. Some pieces are great, especially "Childlike" and "I Shall Never Come Back" (sound clip below), two compositions by Vu. If I can give him one advice : stick to your own musical vision, and stay away from covers; What you do is great, especially in the dark atmospheric, modern and inventive compositions you create. Let the old guys rest.


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EA Silence - Flatime (Grim, 2010) ****

I was quite enthusiastic about ElectroAcoustic Silence's previous album,Cono Di OMbra E Luce, centered around the majestic duo Mirio Cosottini on trumpet and fluegelhorn and Alessio Pisani on bassoon and contra-bassoon. I was stunned by their great combination of gravitas and lightness.

On this album they are accompanied by Taketo Gohara on sound design, Filippo Pedol on double bass and electric bass, and Andrea Melani on drums.

The interplay between trumpet and bassoon remains exceptional, and the best moments are for sure where both instruments play the lead role, sometimes in unison, often in counterpoint, weaving great musical textures. The addition of the rhythm section adds a kind of nu jazz element to it, bringing the music closer to for instance Nils Pettr Molvaer or Markus Stockhausen, with obvious reminiscences to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, especially when the electric bass and the drums adds some funk to the proceedings. Gohara's "sound design" is sometimes excellent, especially if he goes into the lower tones, but at moments it sounds like a five-year old kid playing with a radio dial. Luckily, these moments are sparse.

The best piece is "Ming's Attempt", possibly because the bass is acoustic, the world has turned a little weirder, and the band manages to show the true potential of its own voice.

In all, less original and strong as their superb previous release, but a nice album nonetheless.

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Food - Quiet Inlet (ECM, 2010) ****

British saxophonist Iain Ballamy has had a quite remarkable and visionary approach to music that he stuck to for many years. Apart from being a busy sideman in the fusion bands of Bill Bruford, or the more mainstream and modern jazz outfits with Ian Shaw and Billy Jenkins, his own band "Food" that he co-founded with Norwegian drummer and electronics wizzard Thomas Strønen, has been at the forefront of nujazz, combining instruments and harmonic subtlety of jazz with rock beats, electronics and processing.

"Quiet Inlet" is their first on ECM, and is somewhat better than their previous "Molecular Gastronomy". On this album, Nils Petter Molvaer plays trumpet, replacing Arve Henriksen who was the trumpeter since the beginning, and Austrian guitarist Christian Fennesz, well-known in the world of electronic music. Remarkably, on this album Molvaer and Fennesz don't meet each other, with the former playing on four tracks and the latter on the three other tracks.

The music is as you can expect, with beautiful improvised sax and trumpet lines, full of melancholy, soaring high over a backdrop of electronic waves and alternating subtle and pumping rhythms. It does fit within the ECM catalogue because of its romantic expansiveness and the required pure quality of the recording.

My only regret is for the great art work and boxes of the former Feral releases.  

Listen and download from iTunes.

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Rypdal and friends ...

Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal is a rocker converted to jazz, the master of the icy guitar with the deepest reverb you can imagine, making this his kind of signature sound, easily identifiable. His Oddisey album is easy to recommend. He got a little bit lost in the course of his career, stuck in the own idiom he created. His expansive playing, yet full of rock energy and drive is something that appealed to many younger guitarists. So here are some good things to hear.


Terje Rypdal & Bergen Big Band - Crime Scene (ECM, 2010) ****

The good news is : this is the best Rypdal album in many years, conceived as the soundtrack for an imaginary gangster movie (the mob kind of thing, with Italians running the show), with a big band in support of the action and the deep coloring of what is taking place, while the soloists create the action. Terje Rypdal plays guitar, Palle Mikkelborg trumpet, Ståle Storløkken Hammond B-3 organ, and Paolo Vinaccia drums and sampling. The Bergen Big Band is conducted by Olav Dale.

The whole thing is hence a little bit fun, with Robert De Niro's well-known phrase from Taxi Driver ("Are You Talking To Me?", thrown in with samples of The Godfather ("I have to go to the bathroom, is that OK?"), Mean Streets, and other movies, to create the right backdrop. You will also recognise some texts from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly ("When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk"), but also The Last Tycoon ("This man has an influence on you, this man has a bad influence on all young people"), etc. A puzzle of quotes to keep the film fans busy for a while.

So much for the movies. The music itself is an incredible mix of big band, sampling, wild guitar playing, pumping rock rhythms, atmospheric muted trumpet, television series chase scenes: you name it. It is bombastic, it is ambitious, but then with the kind of humor that makes it palpable and captivating throughout. And curiously enough, Rypdal's guitar is one of the least heard solo instruments on the album. But when he's there, it's in full force, as in "Don Rypero".

And even though the end result is not the most authentic jazz expressivity you can imagine, you're taken along for one of the most entertaining pieces of music you will probably hear in the course of the year. Just like gangster movies and westerns, not always the most highly regarded kind of genre, but everyone seems to like them. So should this album be liked.

Eivind Aarset & The Codex Orchestra - Live Extracts (Jazzland, 2010) ***½

Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset is a real Rypdal acolyte, but to his credit, he has crafted out his own style in the genre-bending environment between jazz and rock. The Sonic Codex Orchestra consists of  Bjorn Charles Deyer on guitar and pedal steel, Audun Erlien on bass and Wetle Holte on drums, electronics, percussion. The band is further expanded on several trackes with Gunnar Halle on trumpet and synth, Erland Daheln on drums and percussion, Håkon Kornstad on saxophone, and Torstein Lofthus on drums.

At moments, and especially on the long "Electromagnetic", the voice of Rypdal comes through, because of the concept of the piece, a long and rhythmic floating composition, over which the guitars and the trumpet soar, full of power and drive.

The most beautiful composition is "Drøbak Saray", a theme which I remember from a Dhafer Youssef album (but couldn't find back which). Some of the other tracks are more rock in concept and nature, closer to Pink Floyd than to jazz, like "Still Changing" or "Sign Of Seven", others are avant-garde ("Murky Seven").

Not for die-hard jazz fans, but those of you who can appreciate instrumental rock, will certainly enjoy it. 


Mark O'Leary, Senol Küçükyildirim, Murat Çopur, Ömer Can Uygan - Live In Istanbul (Tibprod, 2010) ***½

Irish guitarist Mark O'Leary is another Rypdal fan, yet unlike his great example, he is also quite open to fast runs on his strings. He is also a world traveller, playing with many musicians in the countries where he performs, and recording as well, which explains his prolific output.

On this album, his guitar-playing is quite contained to broad, almost synth-like scene-setting, leaving the solo space to Ömer Can Uygan's trumpet. Murat Çopur plays bass guitar and Şenol Küçükyıldırım percussion.The EP was recorded in Istanbul in November 2008 with local musicians, and I must say that it works quite well. Like on O'Leary's excellent "On The Shore", the combination with trumpet works really well, whether it's on the atmospheric pieces like "Istanbul", the more fusion "The Black Sea, Part 1", or on the jazzy intro duet on "The Black Sea, Part 2".

A nice album.

Listen and download from eMusic.

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Watch Eivind Aarset Live on Youtube.



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Matthew Shipp - Nu Bop Live (RAI, 2009) ****½

The quality of an authentic artist is the relentless search for new forms of expression, something that will say more, or different things, and which cannot be said with the current tools of the trade. This includes taking risks, risks of alienating audiences, but also the opportunity to open new horizons for musicians and listeners alike.

Matthew Shipp is such an authentic artist, even as a solo performer on piano, but even more so with his various bands, with traditional and less traditional line-ups. His "Nu Bop" band is somewhere in the middle, merging free jazz with electronics, lyricism with dissonance, composition with free improvisation. The band is one of the best around, with Daniel Carter on sax, William Parker on bass, and Guillermo E. Brown on drums and electronics. Three of the six tracks on this live album also appeared on the studio version dating from 2004: "Nu Bop", "Rocket Shipp", and "Nu Abstract", with the latter taking up half the performance, but the compositions get a totally different approach and delivery, more direct and less "manipulated" than the studio album.

The album starts with "Nu Bop",with an expressionist piano intro. When Carter joins, he seems to be playing in a different piece, against the rhythm and the composition's feel, slow and detached against the powerful drive of the rhythm section. But then he almost literally gets sucked up in their maelstrom, blowing fully integrated and in sync, just to detach himself again later. "From The Otherside Of Anywhere" is an eight minute long drum improvisation by Brown, and although I'm not a fan of drum solos, this one is worth listening to attentively.

The pièce-de-résistance is of course "Nu Abstract", which gives Shipp himself ample space to improvise and show his talent on the piano. It starts eery and impressionistic, only supported by Brown's percussion and electronics. Parker joins on arco, to add shade and depth, and after a while Carter enters too, but still on the background, increasing the intensity, equally abstract and without form, until Shipp takes the band with some low pounding chords into the same momentum, driving them forward hard, then releasing the tension until only fragile vulnerability remains. This shift between power and sensitivity, between density and lightness of texture repeats itself a few times, varying in delivery between harmonic and dissonant, with Carter absolutely stunning toward the end of the piece.

The last piece, "Virgin Complex", earlier to be heard on "Harmony & Abyss", again shows Shipp's lyricism at his best: a hypnotic theme forms the basis for an arco improvisation by Parker, over which Carter weaves a beautiful solo, functionally supported by Brown, together slowing down and phasing out. 

An excellent album.

Listen to an excerpt from Virgin Complex



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Back & Forth - Unavoidable Casualty (Thin Consolation, 2009) ****

Sampling and mixing jazz into trip hop and instrumental hip hop modes is not a new thing, but the quality of the work done here by my fellow countrymen of "Back & Forth" is worth mentioning, if only for the attention to detail for every aspect of the production, including the artwork and the more than unusual sleeve. The "band" consists of Aziz and Steph (no relation), who to my knowledge play no instruments, but just cut and paste music on music on music, and assisted on this album by electronics wizz Kadah Vresky and drummer David Arens. The end result, it must be said, is pretty strong. Slow and rhythmic, cinematic and dark, dramatic and stylish. It is cool and angst-ridden at the same time. Again an unusual combination. Their real strength is in their great ear for sound, selecting really powerful pieces and weaving them into a different context, creating something very coherent, really strong. Not real jazz, very much a further extension of what St. Germain and ELP did well before, and of equal quality. Nice work. Only 500 copies available.

Listen to an extract from "Killer Café".


For more information on the package and artwork, click here.


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