Crazy Guitars - Marc Ribot and Elliott Sharp

The problem with solo instrumental recordings is that they often only tend to be of interest to musicians playing that instrument, probably with the exception of piano. Because of the lack of interplay, the musician will tend to move into extreme instrumental prowess (speed, extended techniques, ...) in order to maintain variety and keep the listener's interest. I'm a great fan of Marc Ribot, because of his versatility and creativity, and I'm less a fan of Elliott Sharp, whose music I often find too self-absorbed.

Marc Ribot - Exercises In Futility (Tzadik, 2008) ****

I have seldom come across a self-depreciating album title which so well fit the music on it. Ribot shows his technique and creativity on the guitar by playing his acoustic nylon string guitar only. Some of the pieces really sound like nothing more than exercises in new technical possibilities, not only with regard to guitar-playing itself, but also musically, trying out bizarre chordal changes, rhythmic twists. The music sounds like guitar practice too : Ribot could be sitting next to you in the same room, giving this recording a very intimate and authentic feel. These exercises are futile, because, interesting though they may be, many of them will never be incorporated in other work than this one. So that's it : you try it out a technique on the spot, you play it and repeat it a few times, and for most findings, it stops there and then. Yet they're also futile in the other sense of the word, as "frivolous, without much importance". And it is fun at times, like "Cowboy", or meditative, like "Ballad", or built on tradition, like "Groove". Ribot seems to revere the smallness of this musicality, to enjoy the intense beauty of tiny shifts and melodic try-outs, or even the pleasure of moving his fingers over the strings, playing his songs calmly and softly, creating tiny music with great charm. "Exercises in futility" could in that sense even be a philosophical statement of "practising small things". Grand!


Elliott Sharp -Octal, Book One (Clean Feed, 2008) ***

On this album Elliott Sharp plays his brand-new custom-made Koll 8-string electroacoustic guitarbass, of which he is very proud and which, if we may believe the liner notes, is a small miracle of special technology. Sentences like "the instrument has a Lollar humbucking eletromagnetic pickup which was amplified through a 1958 Fender all-valve Champ amplifier with 8-inch speaker mic'd with a Neumann TLM170 condensor and simultaneously fed into a direct box, with both running into Sytek preamps" drive me absolutely through the ceiling and the roof with horror. And the two-page liner notes contain mostly sentences such as this one. I mean, who cares? We're talking about music, not an advanced course in electronic technology. Nevertheless, the music he brings is not uninteresting, and some of it even sounds great. Regardless of the technology, his technique is unique and some of the results he produces are astonishing. I'm not sure whether this can be called jazz (nor does Ribot's album for that matter), probably just avant-garde music, in which he incorporates elements from jazz and blues. Sharp does not create melodic music, but rather jumpy rhythmic harmonic and chordal movements, with lots of fast finger picking, plucking and strumming, using his ebow once in a while. As usual with Sharp, the blues is not far away, and tracks like "Modulant" and "Quaternion" are avant-garde blues. Although this album will certainly be of interest to guitar players, some parts of it are also entertaining enough for listeners who do not play the guitar.

Listen and/or download Octal from eMusic.

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Joe McPhee & Dominic Duval - The Open Door (CIMP, 2008) ****½

This is the third duo recording by Joe McPhee and Dominic Duval, after Rules Of Engagement, Vol. 2 (1999) and Dream Book (2004), and next to a quite substantial number of releases with Trio X. In essence, the music is not too different from the Trio X albums, the only major difference is that it is more conversational, less rhythmic, more focused on sound than on melody. And yet ... The 25-minute first track starts slowly, almost hesitantly, gently, with the two musicians probing each other, then, close to halfway the piece, they start in earnest, with McPhee blowing from the depth of his heart and soul, majestically supported by Duval, who intensifies the intense moments, and deepens McPhee's warm tone in the more melancholy moments, switching to arco when the alto becomes moody and plaintive. Both McPhee and Duval are real equilibrists, balancing between exploratory free form and traditional elements, always with an incredibly sincere and selfless approach to music. It's hard to describe, but in comparison with many other avant-gardists, they're not looking for shock effects, or a "have you heard this", or a "watch me break boundaries" kind of attitude, they don't care where they are going to, the music takes them, sound after sound, deep into musical and emotional possibilities, possibly leading to some sudden dancing steps or shouting through the horn or circular breathing, or just plain beautiful melodious soulful and spiritual melodies, ... they do it all, in a very genuine and authentic manner. I will not describe every track, but what both musicians do on "A Poetic Resonance" is absolutely timeless and masterful - it's classical, it's jazz, it's blues, it's avant-garde all in one, it's sad and joyful at the same time, it's emotional and clever. It's music as it is meant to be. Just excellent.

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Tom Arthurs/Jasper Høiby/Stu Ritchie - Explications (Not Applicable, 2008) ***½

This is British trumpet-player Tom Arthurs' first trio release without a harmonic instrument, giving an even more fruitful environment for his abstract and complex approach to musical composition. He is accompanied by Jasper Høiby on bass and Stu Ritchie on drums. You don't often here a continuous thematic flow, rather, the music jumps and down with frenetic energy, sudden twists and turns, repetitive phrases which at close listening are not all that repetitive, stops and starts, angular changes, high intervallic jumps ... All three musicians are sufficiently skilled to negotiate even the most unexpected turns in the road, and often at high speed and in unisono. That approach often gives a roller-coaster effect, yet the downside of the absence of a continuous rhythmic bass-line or vamp results in an all too cerebral feel, creating a sense of emotional distance. Dave Douglas often comes to mind, not only in terms of trumpet sound, but also in his approach, although Arthurs definitely does not copy him, therefore this music is too specific, and he is clearly managing to create his own recognisable tone and musical voice. The band is undeniably very skilled, if they now could get a higher level of emotional power, they could become really great.

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Bar Kokhba - Lucifer, Book Of Angels, Vol. 10 (Tzadik, 2008) *****

I think that John Zorn is the kind of person who would milk a cow until only dry skin is left, often without too much concern about the value of what his milk pail contains when he goes to the market. He is also commercially clever enough to bring all the albums on his label out in different series, often with numbered volumes, in the hope of getting the collectors among us to all look forward to the next release, wallets at the ready. And I must admit, I am one of them. Not all of his releases are worthwhile, and his 50th birthday celebration series could have been more compact, as could his Masada Songbook, etc. But a major success from the very beginning was his Book Of Angels series, and especially this album was one I was really looking forward to, secretly hoping this one would also be a double CD (which it is not), as were the three previous ones (Bar Kokhba, The Circle Maker, 50th Anniversary 11) with the band consisting of Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Marc Ribot on guitar, Greg Cohen on bass, Joey Baron on drums and Cyro Baptista on percussion. If Zorn should be remembered for one thing - and I think he should be for many things - it is for this wonderful musical fusion he created. Bar Kokhba brings a unique mixture of klezmer, classical orchestration, world music, chamber jazz, latin, rock, and not in the bland way that is often the hallmark of fusion, but this music is something entirely different, new, refreshing, accessible, melodic, rhythmic ... beautiful. The nice thing about the music is its simple restraint and musical wealth, deep sentimentality and bluesyness, yet avoiding any cheap effects or other pitfalls. All musicians shine on this album. Listen to Ribot's bluesy guitar on "Zechriel", adding his usual 50s rock 'n' roll tremolo bar effects to his sound, or to Friedlander's dark arco on the gloomy "Mehalalel", or to Feldman's frenetic solo on "Abdiel" and how Friedlander reacts to it, while the whole rhythm section builds up the tension for a grand finale. The wonderful economic effectiveness of bass, drums and percussion are not only absolutely unusual, but could also be a nice example of the adagio that "less is more". What you hear is a full sextet from beginning to end, yet the music remains light-footed, dancing, with melody and music receiving the full attention. It all sounds so simple, but believe me, it is not. Simply excellent.

Listen and download from iTunes.

Watch a video from a 2007 performance in France

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Scott Fields Freetet - Bitter Love Songs (Clean Feed, 2008) ***

With his guitar trio, the Scott Fields Freetet, the guitarist wants to get even for all the problems caused to him by people he trusted and especially the one he loved. The titles of the tracks leave nothing to the imagination : "Yeah, Sure, We Can Still Be Friends, Whatever", "Go Ahead, Take The Furniture, At Least You Helped Pick It Out", "My Love Is Love, Your Love Is Hate", etc, etc. And with that knowledge in mind, you would expect some raw, frustrated, angry or even violent music, or at best some sad blues-drenched wailing. What you get is nothing of the sort, though. You get abstract and free music, nervous and agitated, often sounding like Joe Morris, all in the mid-tempo range, with the exception of the fifth track, "I Was Good Enough For You Until Your Friends Butted In", which is a little slower and closer to a blues in form and feeling. Sebastian Gramss on bass and João Lobo on drums play well and supportive, because Fields is not always easy to follow. Despite many good ideas, the emotional disconnect between theme and form is too big a gap to bridge for me. This soft-toned, gentle, open yet nervous music is the opposite of the destructive anger you would expect. Fields would have done better by presenting is music "as is", leaving more to the listener's imagination, rather than pointing the direction with words. Now, it's just a nice album which will certainly be of interest to modern guitar-players.

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Toshinori Kondo - Silent Melodies (Off, 2007) **½

Japanese trumpeter Toshinori Kondo has quite a track record. He has played fusion, free jazz with Brötzmann (Die Like A Dog, Little Birds Have Fast Hearts), John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and he has had his own rock-band IMA, and he figured in more modern combinations with DJ Krush and others. Overall, he must have made over a hundred recorded performances.

On "Silent Melodies", he moves into a more spiritual atmosphere, playing solo with lots (I mean lots) of electronics. If my information is right, this must be his third solo release, after Touchstone (1993), and Fukyo (2004). He also made a DVD, based on his Blow The Earth Project, of which you can watch a clip below. The music on this album is very comparable to what you can see on the video. Long melancholy pieces, hesitating between real spirituality and new age kitsch, between humility and self-indulgence.

Without a doubt, Toshinori Kondo has great technique, but you need more to be a great artist, such as musical vision and creativity.

In certain moods at certain moments, this music can be of interest, though it tends to get boring after a while.

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Rob Brown Ensemble - Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM Fidelity, 2008) ****

Saxophonist Rob Brown is not only a pleasure to hear in the various bands he's a member of, but all the albums he released under his own name are all of interest. The reason : he has a great sense of music, combining strong and creative melodic approaches with rhythmic inventiveness, without losing touch with the jazz tradition, and above all : the emotional power of his alto is probably the greatest fun. His ensemble for this album consists of Craig Taborn on piano and electronics, William Parker on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The first track "Rocking Horse", sucks the listener headfirst into Brown's universe, with a strong bass vamp, great drumming by Cleaver, wonderful and sometimes eery accents by Taborn, and with Brown soaring above, through and under the music. It's the first time Brown records with a pianist in one of his own bands (not taking his duets with Shipp into account), and the collaboration works well, especially because Brown's themes are often strange, with high intervallic jumps, as on "Clearly Speaking", but in unison with the keyboards the result is excellent. On "Sonic Ecosystem", the slow theme is played by sax and arco bass in together from beginning to end, above Taborn's changing electronic tapestry, subtly supported by Cleaver. More than on his other album's, Brown compositional skills come to the fore, without relinquishing the necessary freedom to make his music breathe and live. Especially the last track, "Worlds Spinning" is worth mentioning, because of the totally free middle part, in which Parker's arco creates a great musical environment for Brown's free and sensitive blowing. And that's when I find this band is strongest : when the music is open-ended and not too much orchestrated.

Listen and download from eMusic.

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Schizo Quartet - Don't Answer It (Loose Torque, 2008) ****½

The Schizo Quartet is Jon Corbett on trumpet and Nick Stephens on bass. Yes, a quartet consisting of two musicians. Hence the "schizo". Corbett and Stephens have a long musical history together, going back to the late 70s when they were both member of John Stevens' "Away". What you hear on the nine tracks on this album, is a conversation between two friends, without purpose or direction, telling each other stories in their own musical language, reacting and commenting upon the other one's ideas. These two artists have nothing to prove anymore, and that is probably one of the main strengths of this album. The conversations they have are insteresting ones to follow, at times fluent, then halting, or calm or agitated, sometimes the two come to an agreement and find each other in the same tonal region, knodding heavily as they reach a common understanding in staccato blasts with nervously plucked bass or in slow horn tones accompanied by soft arco bass. On the title track, you can hear a phone ring after about 4 minutes, hence the title : "Don't Answer It", with the underlying idea : "what we are doing here is much more important/fun than anything else that might disturb us". And rightly so.

The two musicians exploit all their instrumental skills, with all the different shadings and tones that they can create. "In Vino Veritas" gives a nice example of this, Corbett's double-toned trumpet-playing, half-muted and open, is echoed by Stephens' alternating plucking and bowing, and what you hear, surprisingly, comes close to the sound you expect to hear from a quartet.

This music has no structure, no purpose, other than the joy of playing these notes together, in its most minimalistic and pleasurable context, act and react, incite and create. It is full of expectations and little surprises at what might come next, listening intently. It is not angry. It doesn't want to shock, or even break boundaries. It has no further aspirations. It just is. It is open. It is totally free. It just is. And it sounds great too.

Listen to
Loose Talk
Smoking Room

Order from Loose Torque.

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Kreng - DJ set

Now here is an interesting concept by Belgian DJ Kreng : take 24 free jazz or avant-garde solo albums and mix them into one. In itself this is of course an utterly bizarre notion, like cutting copies of abstract paintings into pieces to use the lines to create something else. By doing that much of the original artistry is destroyed, both in intention and in performance. But so what? Why not use the notes, bits and pieces of phrases and create something else out of it? In my eyes this is the exact opposite of what free jazz is all about - there is no spontaneity, no improvization, no authenticity, no group interaction, no emotional directness ... So we need other criteria to evaluate this. I will let you judge it for yourself.

Download the entire mix Kreng DJ Set

For more information on the initiative : here is the link to FantOOm Records. The full list of the original material is also to be found on this website. You can of course challenge yourself. Listen to it first and see whether you can identify the music's origin.

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Maya Homburger - plays J.S. Bach and Barry Guy (Maya, 2008) *****

I grew up with Bach (dad) and Louis Armstrong (mom). Classical music and jazz, and especially free jazz, are more related than some people would want to accept. Often the string players or string ensembles are the first to agree with this, for obvious reasons. Especially violinists and cellists. Once in while a pianist too, but it's often an either/or situation. Jarrett played both, so did Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, but neither of them integrated jazz and classical, they kept their output as separate releases. But that's not what I mean. Classical music, and especially baroque music and free jazz are really close relations : the music has an unadultered purity, a directness combined with instrumental virtuosity, musical wealth (anything goes), and emotional strength. The only difference that the first is fully composed and the other fully improvised (and even one and the other are not entirely true). "Bang On A Can" already moved in that direction, but what Maya Homburger does here, is really strong. Yes, she plays Bach, but how, reverent, but different than the original, without hesitating to slow down the process, to bring a really idiosyncratic performance. She starts with Bach violin sonatas, then moves into the lengthy middle part, Barry Guy's Aglais, then ends with Bach's partitas for solo violin.

A risky endeavour. But the result is brilliant.

I know it's not jazz. Nevertheless, it's brilliant.

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