Two From Guy and Hemingway

By Keith Prosk

Barry Guy and Gerry Hemingway play together on two piano trio recordings. They’ve only recorded together once before, over two decades ago, on Cascades with Marilyn Crispell. Beyond being another piano trio (with someone whom both players have worked with extensively), Cascades anticipates a motif of light and color that’s present in these recordings with titles like “Violet Sparks In Soft Air” and “Shadow Play” as well as the abstract color play of Mary Vernon’s “View At Nice” on the cover. It’s a fitting motif, given that a boundless palette of timbre achieved through damping, preparation, and extended techniques characterizes each musician’s style. As always, they’re two fauves here.

Izumi Kimura, Barry Guy, Gerry Hemingway - Illuminated Silence (Fundacja Słuchaj!, 2019) ***½

Following several self-released solo efforts and a duo with guitarist Tommy Halferty, Japan-born, Ireland-based pianist Izumi Kimura joins Guy and Hemingway for 8 tracks across 63 minutes. Guy supplies two compositions from his other piano trios, “Blue Horizon” (on Deep Memory with Crispell/Lytton and Blue Horizon) and “Ancients” (on A Moment’s Liberty with Fernández/López and Blue Horizon ), as well as a new composition in “Finding It.” Fernández’ “How To Go Into A Room You Are Already In” (on Some Other Place and Blue Horizon) is also used and the rest is presumably free playing. The title ties in to an excerpt of Sekitō Kisen’s “Sandokai,” which Guy reads at the beginning of “Improvisation on Light and Shadow:”

In the light there is darkness,

but don’t take it as darkness;

In the dark there is light,

but don’t see it as light.

Light and dark oppose one another

like front and back foot in walking.

The relationship between light and darkness, color and lack of color, sound and silence is the same - art and music require both. As the title indicates, this particular recording leans towards silence. It is by no means a quiet record, but Kimura is generous in the space she gives Guy and Hemingway on the slower-paced “Improvisation on Light and Shadow” and “Improvisation on a Painting” (again, fitting) and it’s here where their timbral explorations shine. When the pace quickens and the density increases, Kimura is adept at enhancing the emotive, cinematic qualities of Guy’s compositions, and the versions of “Blue Horizon” and “Ancients” here are arguably the most stirring because of her playing. Guy comfortably weaves through his compositions and the improvisations with his standard barrage of timbral techniques, continuously communicating with both Kimura and Hemingway. Hemingway feels a bit restrained both in volume and timbre on this recording, though his hard-hitting solo on “The Willow Tree Cannot Be Broken By The Snow” and his breath on the drumhead in “Improvisation on Light and Shadow” and “How To Go Into A Room You Are Already In” are standout moments. The trio’s playing structurally meshes well, but Kimura’s sound is clean and crisp, free of extended technique and preparation, and usually tonal, in stark contrast to the much less limited approaches of Guy and Hemingway. It’s a record well worth listening to for the talented Kimura (whose improvisations are often so collected they seem composed), for the interaction of Guy and Hemingway, and for a necessary reference point of excellent performances of Guy’s compositions.

Illuminated Silence is available digitally and on CD.

Simon Nabatov, Barry Guy, Gerry Hemingway - Luminous (NoBusiness Records, 2018) ***½

On Luminous, Köln-based pianist Simon Nabatov joins Guy and Hemingway for improvisations lasting 12 tracks across 70 minutes. This is the first time Nabatov has recorded with Guy, but he’s recorded with Hemingway on Live At The Bimhuis 21-9-12 with Oğuz Büyükberber (who provides the colorful cover art for Luminous) and on this years Readings - Red Cavalry and Readings - Gileya Revisited.

Indicated by the title, this recording is more high-volume, high-density than Illuminated Silence. Guy’s playing is more physical and Hemingway is more energetic here, with two awesome hard-hitting solos on “Vacant Prophecy” and “Unfrozen Sorrow.” Nabatov utilizes the full register of the keyboard - usually simultaneously - with a variety of approaches to time, density, and volume, often expertly accenting the rhythm section’s interplay with a percussive motif like the single hammered note on “Basket Glide.” When Hemingway joins Nabatov with a marimba (on “Basket Glide,” Shards Examined,” “Luminous,” and “Soothing Mirage”), magic happens, with each player dialing in to the intricacies of the other’s playing and crossing paths in such a way that you might mistake the marimba for piano, and vice versa, for just a moment. Especially on “Soothing Mirage,” which also sees Guy’s muted plucks mimic a tik tok while Nabatov palms inside the piano to create a chiming clock. Nabatov’s varied, percussive, sometimes thunderous attack with some extended techniques compliment Guy and Hemingway’s approach well, but several of the tracks tend to fall into a quiet-loud-quiet or continuous climactic crescendo structure and, somewhat paradoxically, though it’s an energetic performance there’s an urgency that feels lost in the recording. Like Illuminated Silence, it’s well worth listening to as a document of Guy and Hemingway’s colorful interplay and Nabatov’s raw talent as well as that amazing communication between marimba and piano.
Luminous is available digitally and on CD.

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Nature Work - s/t (Sunnyside, 2019) ****

By Paul Acquaro

What's more a work of nature than Yosemite Valley? The iconic, and somewhat trampled, masterpiece is in a sense the heart and soul of the American National Park System. The pictures appears here on the cover of the group Nature Work's self titled album and while it is a beyond my knowledge wether they just liked the picture or they feel a kinship to the music, it is a nice indicator of the naturally flowing and sometimes majestic (that's nearly a collocation with the words Yosemite Valley) music within.

Nature Work is born from reed players Jason Stein and Greg Ward - two Chicagoans who have made a name for themselves as members of groups like Mike Reed's Flesh and Bone, as well as being composers and band leaders themselves. The two split composition efforts on this album and fill out the rest of the group by drawing from opposite  coasts: Los Angelean bassist Eric Revis and New Yorker/Berliner drummer Jim Black. The album that unfolds is a comfortably accessible set of tunes that fell nicely in my ears from the start, kind of like the first site of that herald valley ... you will be impressed.

The album begins with a hyper, melodic line traded, and then played in tandem, between Ward and Stein. Revis and Black strike a thick groove between the horn lines, and then below the woodwind solos. First is Ward's sax solo, long, winding, and melodic, then comes Stein's reedy bass clarinet, with an even more dynamic solo over the solid rhythmic work. Ward tosses in some brazen high register wails and the two come back to the spirited head. Overall, a rather straightforward and enjoyable fun tune.

The following "Hem the Jewels" begins with a solo bass introduction, leading into a syncopated head, and eventually to Stein's free ranging solo, and effortless runs through the of bass clarinet's four octave range. 'Opter Fopter' starts off in the range just about at the limit of human hearing. It then develops into a probing piece, that slowly gains in sonic density, and morphs into a modern jazz ballad with much motion provided in the suspenseful bass lines. 'South Hempstead' is a freely improvised track, with the oft dissonances and surprising convergences that come when a group is in tune with each other. Finally 'Rise' caps off the album with a tune that does exactly that, slowly building from near silence to a fierce climax about a minute from the final soothing note.

I suppose one could extend the metaphor of the Yosemite Valley if they wanted - something about free climbing El Capitan, the sympony of nature at work, or simply hoping a bear doesn't rip the door off your car trying to get to your cooler full of burgers - but it seems to be a bit beyond me to figure that one out. Plus there is no need, the music on Nature Work stands as excellent example of thoughtful composition and playful improvisation as you could want. It's easy to enjoy and difficult to forget.

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Tyler Damon & Tashi Dorji – Soft Berm (Magnetic South, 2018) ****

By Tom Burris


Recorded live in Bloomington, IL in 2017, Soft Berm is a lo-fi, monophonic cassette that will probably be discussed in hushed tones in the very near future. “Yeah, well did you ever hear Soft Berm?” One of those. The cassette is already long gone, but the download can be had on Bandcamp. (For now.) I also want to make clear that this cassette is not the starting point for getting in on the Dorji/Damon craze; but it is absolutely essential for those of us who have been indoctrinated.

Opening with moody 80s Sonic Youth clang, the lo-fi atmosphere immediately asserts itself as a positive. By the 3.5 minute mark, Dorji and Damon are already in the zone & the now familiar gorgeous drone and violent crashing of waves are in full bloom. The pure joy of these sounds overwhelms.

Seven minutes in, Damon takes a solo using a pair of what sounds like wicker shakers. Dorji chimes in with dissonant plucking. Something is weaved into the guitar strings so the sustain is gone, making everything a percussive stab. There are occasional plucks on the lowest string (tuned lower than an E), which is not muted as it booms out loudly. Once the energy level picks up again, Damon's manic groove kicks down so hard Dorji is forced to clang in time. Feverish.

An otherworldly approximation of Beefheartian ethno trashgroove dominates later on with Dorji looping a bit and adding atmospheric additions over the top. (Damon does not get enough credit for being such a master of groove, btw.) A crazy storm starts brewing with howling and wind chimes clanging together. It finally hits, blowing over everything in sight. The post storm rubble doesn't leave much to work with though, and the last several minutes feel tagged on. But you'll still look through the smoke to see what's happening.

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Daniel Barbiero & Cristiano Bocci — Wooden Mirrors (Plus Timbre PT086)

By Patrick Brennan


Wooden Mirrors offers a surprisingly apt description of this transatlantic duo (U.S. / Italy) collaboration of contrabassists Daniel Barbiero and Cristiano Bocci (who also plays synthesizer on the second of the two tracks presented here). One doesn’t usually think of wood as reflective either of light or of image, but sound & voice are what reflects here instead. The title track Wooden Mirrors (two carved objects in complimentary motion) introduces an unapologetically no frills bass viol duet recorded with fidelity just shy of two full bodied basses surrounding a listener live, each panned to either side of one’s own listening space as in intimate house concert.

Reciprocal listening generates the engine of this spontaneously composed conversation. Often, one player almost perfectly mimics the other, just enough out of sync to grab a listener’s breath with the drama & uncertainty of this abounding variegation. There’s also divergence, commentary, digression and counterstatement, but each player’s moves exposes a continuous awareness of the other’s creative agency & process. This is more than “free music”; this achieves dialogical composition.

For listeners in love with bass viol sound, with that long-wave confluence of wood grain, air, wire, tension, tree sap, horsehair & gut, both bassists dedicate luxuriant tone & attack with inventive sympathy for the various sound regions & personae embedded within the sonic landscapes indigenous to this remarkable instrument. In other words, they’re absolutely all over their instruments.

Bocci switches to synthesizer as foil to Barbiero on the subsequent track. The default tendencies of this far younger instrument, however, tends to reposition the bass instead as foil to what comes most easily to a synthesizer’s software. From a Concourse begins with refractions of pizzicato bass phrases, evoking a fractal elongation of bass possibility. This hall of mirrors redistribution of bass initiatives via synthesized sampling almost hypnotically envelops a listener within a richly expansive sonic labyrinth. But, this also seems to come with a cost, as the synthesizer reaction can’t match the pace of hair trigger interaction that distinguishes the bass duet.

This technical handicap displaces the previous duet’s equality of voices in mutual recognition and slows that flow of ideas, but Bocci’s accumulating textures nevertheless morph organically from one agglomeration into another still infused with the discovery logic of improvisation. Barbiero, now playing both sound source & accompanist, negotiates this shift into more fixed foreground-background relations with continued taste, pacing & sensitivity. The digitally interposed waiting shifts emphasis away from the interactive contingency toward panoramic generalization, evident especially where a repeating loop succeeds toward autopilot amid the sort of exaggerated reverb so available to synthesizer vocabulary.

This is experimental music, & experiment, by definition, yields widely mixed discoveries & outcomes that then feed into the next foray. What we get to witness via this recording is an exploratory process engaged by two deftly capable & imaginative musicians in a fertile, ongoing collaboration; & the more you listen, the more you’ll hear.



patrick brennan listens to, wonders at, wonders about, imagines & plays music. He coordinates ensembles, composes & plays the alto saxophone. He's recorded nine albums of original music as a leader.

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Tomeka Reid / Filippo Monico - The Mouser (Relative Pitch, 2019) ****½

By Olle Lawson

Tomeka Reid - cello / Filippo Monico - drums.

Having seen Tomeka Reid in April this year - at Glasgow's Counterflows festival, playing incredible sets, both solo and trio - I was worried that this album recorded in 2015 wouldn't match the enormity of what I'd heard live.

But fear not - within the first ten seconds, you’ll know this is going to be a special listening experience.

The story goes that Reid needed a place to stay whilst on tour in Italy, drummer/percussionist/studio owner Filippo Monico was recommended by bandmate Silvio Bolognesi, who agreed on the priviso that they play (and record) together - for the very first time.

Under these circumstances; recorded and then seemingly forgotten about for a couple of years - 'The Mouser' gives an intimate insight into the first meeting of this masterful inter-continental/generational duo.

Opening 'Without Recourse' Ms Reid draws spidery steps and sharp drones, simultaneously working the strings and the cello's wooden body. At the 90 second mark Monico's drums collapse into the sound space as Reid intuitively transitions to pizzicato, meshing free runs and open-timed pulses combined with Wadud-esque chord strumming.

As hand drumming gives way to subtly complex stick work blended with a hypnotic array of found-object percussion, the plucked cello tightens, only to descend into an actual loping bassline that Monico can't help but vocalise along with before caressing cymbals and evoking a beautifully slanted swing.

Moving out of this mode, the drums here sound like a pigeon trying to escape a room full of floating papers as Reid's deft, propulsive finger work on the strings moves the opening piece to a conclusion.

'Walk Within the Eye of the Storm' screeches, whistles, exhales and strums, proving once again that with the best Freejazz, one needs to move beyond the instruments to truly hear The Music, as cello and trap drums are almost indistinguishable to tell apart.

The second piece is more abstract and repetitious; the spatial affect of the recording space playing its role in the accumulative sound scape.

The title track opens with a bouncing - possibly detuned - bowed plucks sounding like a donso n'goniAfrican lute, before an evolving series of strummed half-chords, slides and oblique bass lines push against a minimalist snare.

'Wefting Through a Starry Sky' begins with an exploration of the cello's wooden body before Reid swoops into a plaintive melody weeping deep emotion, displaying her complete command of the instrument's potential.

At 3 mins 20 she bows a sustained two-note chord a semi-tone apart, ratcheting up the tension to the album’s most intense point into a siren call matched with floor toms, that quickly subsides into a call and response rhythm. Monico then has a solo of sorts - focused on the snare - it's possible to hear him breathing along in time, before Reid closes the recording’s most emotive tune, bowing high on the cello's bridge.

'Intimations of Things to Come' has more chase and play - an exuberant dance of hide and seek as Ms Reid spirals amongst the drummer's loose patterns, before drawing one last exhalation from her cello, bringing the album to a close.

A wonderful, fully-improvised document of shifting tonal colour, empathic interplay and dark, layered feeling - finally capturing on record the freer depth of Ms Reid's evolving art.

So, why not the full five stars?

Because I have no doubt that this will be improved upon and only hope that the Duo album launch gig at NYC's Jazz Gallery - with Reid and the subtle and exceptionally talented drummer Tomas Fujiwara - has been taped for a future release.

Highly Recommended.

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Sarah-Jane Summers - Kalopsia (Dell Daisy, 2019)

By Stef

Sarah-Jane Summers may not be a familiar name. Classically trained, member of the Bozzini quartet, she is also trained in the typical Scottish Highland's type of folk music. She lives in Norway and is married to Finnish guitarist Juhani Sivola, and her musical output combines all this. This means that you may be in for some surprises.

"Kalopsia" is a solo album, with the artist playing both viola and violin, and consists of fourteen solo improvisations that clock around two to three minutes each. The first four tracks offer very modern, avant-garde soloing that explores timbre and adds rhythmic and technical complexities making them a fascinating listen. On the fifth track, Petrichor, she delves into folk music, sweet and gentle, like a lullabye, and it is the only composition that is not directly adventurous or avant-garde. It is is followed by Susurrus, a dark piece, barely recognizable as emanating from a violin, with muted scrapings creating an uncanny sense of dread, a comparable approach to the much deeper tension on the strings of Letophobia. Hiraeth is a multilayered melancholy piece.

Meraki is built around a repetitive phrase on several strings with a high-pitched tone dancing around it. Its title is a Greek word that describes what happens when you leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity or love) in your work, and this works is quite well illustrates her approach.

Each of the fourteen musical miniatures that she offers us here has its own character and story, and her art is so strong that despite the shortness of the improvisation, she manages to make it compelling and gripping.

Her first solo album, Virr, received positive acclaim. I think this one is even better.

Listen and download from Bandcamp.

 

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Reflecting on Monk ... Live

"Monk on Guitars 2" June 25, 2019 @ Greenwich House
Wadada Leo Smith: Reflections and Meditations On Monk June 26, 2019 @ The Stone

Andy Summers (l) and Michael Formanek (r)

By Eric Stern

The other week, New York was the beneficiary of a fortuitous coincidence. Scheduling at two of its premier cultural venues focused on the work of Thelonious Monk. The first of these two nights was at Greenwich House for their second annual fundraiser that spotlighted the theme of Monk on Guitar. I had been at last year's show and knew enough to buy tickets early, and indeed the show was sold out in advance.

One of the big draws this year was Andy Summers, best known as the guitarist of The Police. Because his presence shaped the evening, I will start with him. His performance was the opening set of the second half of the evening and went for about a half hour. Summers showed great familiarity with the music of Monk. He got a chance to work with many of the other participants in this benefit, which seemed to delight most of those musicians who got the opportunity to perform with him. During his set he paused to thank Steve Cardenas who, along with Don Sickler, co-authored The Thelonious Monk Fakebook, the first one-volume compendium of all of the Monk compositions.

I really enjoyed this portion of the evening because it felt so natural. Just a bunch of players performing their favorite tunes. Oddly, with the end of this set, a lot of the audience simply left the room. This was disappointing to me as I felt all the performers deserved the attention of this sell-out crowd.

The evening actually began with Miles Okazaki who recently released a recording of the complete works of Monk on guitar in a 6-volume set titled "Work". While he played in different contexts during the evening, he began the night solo. You got the chance to see the supreme technical mastery that has had guitar aficionados raving. Like saxophonist Steve Lacy and pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, he has clearly followed Monk's example and made each song a focus of his praxis.
Performers came and went with nearly every turn resulting in a new line-up. Guitarist Nick Millevoi acted as bandleader. Some of the performers included Steve Cardenas, Harvey Valdes, and David Gilmore on guitars with Stephan Crump, Michael Formanek, and Jerome Harris on bass and Francisco Mela, Satoshi Takeishi, Richie Barshay and Kate Gentile on drums. While the non-guitarists did not get much of an opportunity to shine, they provided fantastic support.

Now for an admission, I can always tell a Monk song when it is being played, but I often can't put a name to the tune. This makes me feel guilty since I play Monk's music frequently. I have twice travelled to Berlin to see Monk's Casino. It is for this reason that I have been cheating here and not mentioned who played what. I wonder how many of you share this quirk or if it is just me. The show concluded with the sole non-Monk composition, a solo Message in a Bottle, by Andy Summers, who returned to a partially empty room. At any rate, I had a great time at this show and look forward to the third iteration next year.

Wadada Leo Smith

The next night was something else again. Since hearing the release of Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk on Tum back in 2017, I have been hoping for the opportunity to see Wadada Leo Smith perform it. His week-long residency at the Stone provided that opportunity. Though the audience was smaller than I expected, those present got a real gift in the form of one of the most intimate and personal shows I have ever seen. It is hard to imagine separating Smith from his music; they are one being.

Some Monk tunes were only hinted at, while others were played at length. In between some of the most glorious trumpet playing I can imagine, Smith played abstractions on piano. Later when he described why he did this, the answer seemed to be that he wanted to shift our perspective. Indeed, he has always been a trickster who often speaks in Zen Koan-like phrases. This was underlined by the end of the show when he started to offer $40,000 to anyone who could guess the next tune. He promised it would be the shortest version of any Monk tune we had ever heard. Then, he foiled all expectations by going into a ten minute version of Round Midnight, one of the most famous of all the compositions in Monk's repertoire. In a way it was the shortest in that the song was so brilliantly played that I wished it could go on forever.

During the performance Smith talked about the intimacy and fragility of the music. The night was suffused with that feeling. The show ended with Smith giving everyone in the audience a hug or at least a handshake. It is performances like this that have created an almost limitless goodwill towards this man.

On Saturday night I went back to The Stone for the last night of Leo Smith's residency and was rewarded by another amazing set. This time, probably due to the appearances of Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs, the room was sold-out. The eight piece group also included his long-time partner Pheeroan Aklaff, his grandson Lamar Smith, and Hardedge. Together they created a beautiful sonic background for Smith's trumpet, which cut through the beloved Laswell murk like a beacon. I want to take this opportunity to mention the contributions of guitarist Brandon Ross who was terrific at this performance and even more crucially at Smith's trio performance at the Vision Festival the previous week. Again, this show also became about intimacy and family as Smith ended the night by introducing his granddaughter, who was seated in the front row along with other members of his family. After a brief hug with the master, I left feeling an even greater connection to this radiant spirit.
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Gebhard Ullmann Basement Research - Impromptus and Other Short Works (Whyplayjazz, 2019) ****

By Paul Acquaro

German woodwind player and composer Gebhard Ullmann began his Basement Research project in the early 1990s. He released the group's self-titled album in 1993 on the Italian Soul Note label with a group featuring saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Phil Haynes. The music was a successful mix of more formal compositions drawing from a diverse mix of jazz approaches, injected with the opportunity for each player to take the music as far out as needed. A mere 25 years later, Basement Research consists of Ullmann, saxophonist Julian Argüelles, trombonist Steve Swell, drummer Gerald Cleaver, and most recent member bassist Pascal Niggenkemper. This line-up, somewhat stable since the late 2000s, still delivers a mix of somewhat formal compositions injected with outside-the-lines playing, ensuring that Impromptus and Other Short Works both maintains its excellent musical lineage and provides a delightful platform for these seasoned musicians.

So, consistency noted; however, more important is that there is no doubt, from the moment the music begins, that this is an enjoyable and exciting recording. Accessible, it requires no adjustment of the ears or time to live with it, but that doesn't mean it is without surprises and a long shelf-life. I've been coming back to this recording for the past several months, each time feeling like I've discovered something new. There is no need for an "ah-ha" moment here, it begins with it and never stops. In fact, one may say there are some real Ah Um moments, as the music has more than once elicits the feeling of Mingus' rich riffs.

The opener "Gospel" serves in at lease two ways, one is that it underscores Ullmann's strongly rooted compositional prowess and certainly lives up to its name, but it is also indicative of his working style - in this case a tendency to revisit and recast older songs. This particular one popped up on 2007's New Basement Research recording and even a few years earlier in this video. The version from 2019 (here), is less introspective, beginning with a more collective mardi-gras sound, and a prominent role for the wail of the trombone. The tune, when the band kicks in with the head, is slower, and more reflective of the sensitivity first heard in the introduction.

The next track, "Twelve Tones - Impromptu #5", begins much differently. Exploratory, the two woodwinds and the brass intertwine different melodies, until the bass and drums join. Niggenkemper delivers an insistent pulse and when the horns join again, they play unison lines - but not for long - as they split apart again, spiraling away from the solid center. "29 Shoes" appeared on Ullmann, Juergen Kupke, and Michael Thieke's The Clarinet Trio: Ballads and Related Objects from 2004 (listen). In 2019, it is as upbeat and playful as it was with the clarinet trio, but now benefits from the vast palette of colors and tones. The sax solo that emerges from the song head is taut and linear, with the other musicians joining in at times, mimicking rhythmic patterns and adding new flavors, almost threatening to become a little too much. "For Jim - Impromptu #6" shows yet another side of the group, this time starting with a spiritual swelling and builds to an uplifting end. The closing track "Almost 28" is the most Mingusy of the songs, with a stomping riff delivered in precariously leaning towards falling apart, and in it's short 4 minutes of life does in fact fall apart only to resurrect for a rousing end.

Each song on the album is short, nothing breaks the 6 minute mark, but each packs a punch and covers a huge range of stylistics, supported by superb musicianship. Another fine recording from Ullmann's Basement Research project and something that will easily find a spot in your collection.

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Milford Graves: Music Meets Medicine and Science

Milford Graves from 2012. Photo by Peter Gannushkin.

By Eric Stern

June 27, 2019 @ Gavin Brown’s Enterprise: This presentation was produced by Blank Forms at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, an art gallery on 127th Street in Manhattan. The sold-out performance had a diverse audience of approximately 150 people. The performance comes at a time when Graves’s profile has been raised by the release of the documentary Full Mantis and his recent appearance at The Vision Festival.

The evening began with a half hour of Graves telling the audience about his formative experiences in the Latin-jazz scene. For me, this was the most compelling part of the night. Graves was clear, articulate, and in complete control of his personal narrative. As a jazz fan, hearing tales of how a musician gets his start and meets his colleagues with whom he will make history is fascinating. He shared with the audience how he went from a child who would get visits from the local police who told him to keep playing but keep it quiet, up through the story of his meeting Giuseppi Logan and joining the New York Art Quartet.

It is here where the evening shifted. Graves started the next portion by indicating that he might talk about Albert Ayler, something he has not done in many years. Had he continued his narrative, I would have been delighted. However, he immediately defied expectations by breaking off from the anticipated story and instead took up the titular theme of this evening, which was “Music Meets Medicine and Science”. Unfortunately, this part of the evening included a strange rant which made it seem that he believes he is more knowledgeable than people with multiple advanced medical degrees by virtue of having read a couple of very good books. He took a full 20 minutes to make that argument. His dislike for academia extends to conservatory trained musicians. He proposed at one point that the metronomic rhythms used by conservatory trained musicians are unhealthful to one’s heart. If you know Milford Graves or saw Full Mantis, you know how big a role alternative medicine has played in his life. But, no matter how valid his grievances may be, I did not feel this portion of the evening was at all worthwhile. I felt put off by the fact that little information was being imparted beyond personal prejudices. I really would have preferred it if he actually explained some of his alternative medical ideas regarding heart rhythms and how to modify them to improve functionality.

The next portion of the evening was given over to introducing his guests, who each talked for a few moments, mostly praising Graves and describing their relationships with him. This was somewhat interesting, especially Jake Meginsky’s comments on the process of making the Full Mantis over 15 years.

Shortly thereafter the musicians began to perform with Graves. The performers deferred the spotlight to let Graves be the focus. This was what the audience had been waiting for. If nothing else, this evening demonstrated to me that this part of New York City is underserved by creative musicians and someone should start putting on more shows in this part of town.

I have experienced dozens of performances by Milford Graves. He can be brilliant one minute and act the clown the next. I am sure that if he does another appearance like this, it will be completely different. Such is the nature of improvisation. I truly wish the man who spoke to us for that first half hour had stayed around for the duration of the evening.

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Rachel Musson / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders - Shifa: Live at Cafe Oto (577 Records, 2019) ****

By Eyal Hareuveni

The discography of British, London-based sax player Rachel Musson is criminally slim but perhaps her new album, Shifa: Live at Cafe OTO, released by New York-based 577 Records and another forthcoming album on the same label with William Parker, Daniel Carter and Federico Ughi, may expose her work to new, greater audiences. Shifa - شفاء - is inspired by the Arabic word for healing and captures beautifully the uplifting, spiritual energy of this free-improvised music, recorded at London’s Cafe OTO during June 2018.

Musson, who plays on the tenor and soprano saxes, is accompanied by two of the most experienced heroes of the British free-improv scene - drummer Mark Sanders - who has played with Musson in previous trios, with keyboards player Liam Noble on Tatterdemalion (Babel, 2013) and with double bass player john Edwards on Bibimbap (Two Rivers Records, 2016) - and pianist and electronics player Pat Thomas, who have collaborated before with Sanders, including on recordings with sax player Paul Dunmall, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.

The healing method of this trio, naturally, is based on a deep knowledge of the art of the moment and the legacy of free jazz and modern music. The first, extended improvisation, cut into two parts for the vinyl version of the album but presented in the digital version also in unedited version, offers a series of raw, powerful and intense collisions between Musson and Thomas. Every phrase, gesture, idea of Musson or even sounds produced by her extended breathing techniques is abstracted instantly by Thomas, whose uncompromising percussive attacks and electronics sounds eventually enforce a pulse-free texture, and vice versa by the opinionated Musson who plays here on the tenor sax. Sanders acts on this improvisation as a guardian of this turbulent equilibrium who employs subtle, wise interventions to keep the tight interplay on course. Throughout this piece the trio sounds like a much larger unit, filling the space of Cafe OTO with so much vibrant energy that can activate the whole electric grid of the surrounding neighborhood. The second part of the first improvisation suggests a more conversational - literally, as Musson often speaks and howls into her mouthpiece - vibe, reserved, but still highly rhythmic, and sometimes openly emotional and surprisingly bluesy.

But, this trio is determined to exhaust all its energy reserves and the second, shortest, improvisation is developed in classic free jazz parameters. It is a fiery, restless piece that moves fast between fleeting rhythmic patterns and ecstatic and touching themes, as all take the lead but Musson eventually calls the shots. She plays here on the soprano sax and excels as a charismatic leader her has a sonic universe of her own.

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