François Carrier - Entrance 3 (Ayler, 2011) ****

By Stef

What fun good jazz can be! This is among the best, enjoyable and joyful post-bop music I've heard in a while. Canadian altoist François Carrier is accompanied by his usual companions Pierre Coté on bass and Michel Lambert on drums, with the great Bobo Stenson on piano for a live tour of Europe that took place in 2002.

Carrier's tone - as said before - is warm and sensual, his playing is expansive and lyrical, and the music is strongly indebted to Coltrane and Keith Jarrett's American quartet, with Dewey Redman coming to mind more than just once in a while.

The four compositions all come from his All'Alba cd released in 2002 (with Uri Caine on piano), but they get a totally, and in my opinion, better performance here. For one, the tracks are longer, allowing for longer development of the solos and more creative interaction. Second, Stenson has the kind of melodic fluidity that contrasts with Caine's more angular power, and that is actually a much better fit for Carrier's tone and playing. Third, the recording quality is better. with all four instruments incredibly well balanced, giving Coté and Lambert the full exposure they deserve.

Although less adventurous than some of the more recent outputs by these musicians, the playing is exceptional, truly "the music of life", let yourself float on the endless lyrical beauty this quartet offers.


Buy from Instantjazz.

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AMM - Uncovered Correspondence (Matchless, 2010) ****½

By Stef

It is given to very few artists to have created a language entirely their own, but that is what the British band(?) AMM has done over the years, in various line-ups and configurations, with Eddie Prévost on drums as the only unifying element since 1965, and with John Tilbury on piano for the last two decades, here with just the two of them. You may like them or not, but they have made history, and they still do, with lots of young musicians moving into the broad avenue they created.

They were among the first artists to work with the endless sound possibilities of their instruments, like archeologists carefully unearthing new layers of sounds, and especially those that had never been there in the first place!

This album, subtitled "Postcards from Jaslo" was recorded at the concert hall of the Jasielski Dom Kultury (Jaslo Cultural Centre) in southern Poland on 15th May 2010, and the entire album resonsates with the space that it was recorded in.

The music remains fascinating, even more minimalist due to the limited instrumentation, yet equally evocative and expressive as their previous albums. And yes, the approach and the overall sound are predictable - this is AMM beyond any doubt - the preciousness, the sophistication, the inventiveness, the cautious discipline, the love for the sound itself, the incredible tension and sustained sense of anticipation .... it is all there, beautifully there ...

The absolute brilliance of this music is the attention given to detail. In most other kinds of music, there seems to be an absolute abundance of notes, spent and consumed carelessly, but here, with AMM every note seems and sounds incredibly valuable, as something that has to be used sparingly, in order to really be fully appreciated and savoured.

Majestic!


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Joe Sachse Trio - One Take (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010) ****

By Paul Acquaro

As far as I can tell, Joe Sachse's 'One Take' is not about technical chops, nor is it really about the compositions, however in the course of its 78 minutes, neither are lacking. Due to a paucity of liner notes (I'm working from mp3), I am making some assumptions about this loose and enjoyable recording, namely that its title is indicative of the albums real focus: savoring the thrill of creation.

'One Take' is also an album that celebrates "the guitar." The note choice, the tonality, and the harmonic constructs are all built around the physical and sonic embodiments of the electric guitar. An obvious example of this is the Hendrix-like "Blues for Kati". Like 'Little Wing', the shimmering tone, the bluesy feel and the laid back groove just feel so right, I just couldn't hear it with different instrumentation.

And what can you say about Sachse's companions, John Marshall (drums) and Fred Baker (bass), besides that they are the creme de la creme? Marshall, as usual, is as solid, supportive and creative as one could wish for. His solo during 'Fur Oki' is reminiscent of some later day Soft Machine. With a bright full bodied tone, Baker provides crystal clear melodic solos and precise counter-melodies to Sachse's lead. At some points, it seems like Sachse is happy to let Baker take over. On the Monk staple 'Round Midnight', the bassist provides an excellent unaccompanied intro of the mournful melody that, when the others join, evolves into a swinging affair.

My only complaint is that the album at times can feel a little 'jammy', there are no overly long songs but there is sometimes a little too much cohesion between some of the tracks. But this is more than counterbalanced by sublime moments like Baker's solo in the reflective 'Alterswing' and Sachse's spirited phrygian romp in 'Fur Oki'. Another highlight for me is the closer 'Swinool', where Sachse with the help of Baker's fuzz bass, just catches fire.

Overall, this is an accessible set of songs that gives a trio of seasoned musicians a chance to stretch out and enjoy creating together. A fun album and highly recommended to guitar trio and jazz-rock fanatics.

Available through eMusic.

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International Women's Day

Joëlle Léandre, Shayna Dulberger, Birgit Uhler, Aki Takase, Lisa Mezzacappa, Satoko Fujii, Matana Roberts, Christine Sehanoui, Magda Mayas, Jessica Lurie, Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, Susie Ibarra, Alexandra Grimal, Delphine Latil, Clare Cooper, Jin Hi Kim, Lisa Ullén, Nina de Heney, Kris Davis, Marylin Crispell, Reut Regev, Angelica Sanchez, Nicole Mitchell, Carla Bley, Kali Z. Fasteau, Jessica Pavone, Katherine Young, Sara Schoenbeck, Amy Cimini, Irene Schweitzer, Helen Bledsoe, Katya Sourikova, Anna Kaluza, Hélène Labarrière, Joan Jeanrenaud, Marilyn Mazur, Peggy Lee, Clementine Gasser, Maggie Nicols, Eva Kruse, Sylvie Courvoisier, Andrea Parkins, Zeena Parkins, Tanya Kalmanovitch, Geri Allen, Jennifer Choi, Marie Kannegaard, Myriam Alter, Lotte Anker, Maya Beiser, Ikue Mori, Fala Mariam, Jane Ira Bloom, Gail Brand, Anat Fort, Anat Cohen, Céline Bonacina, Marjolaine Charbin, Alice Coltrane, Rozanne Levine, Pauline Oliveros, Beth Custer, Hannah Marshall, Rosie Hertlein, Jaimie Branch, Amanda Monaco, Claire de Brunner, Biggi Vinkeloe, Sachi Hayasaka, Lori Freedman, Silke Eberhard, Gunda Gottschalk, Cathy Stevens, Karen Wimhurst, Laura Toxværd, Jenny Scheinman, Carla Kihlstedt, Robin Holcomb, Iva Bittova, Joanne Brackeen, Okkyung Lee, Marylin Lerner, Carolyne Hume, Maya Homburger, Shayna Dunkelman, Eri Yamamoto, Nathalie Loriers, Terri Lyne Carrington, Myra Melford, Miya Masaoka, Nathalie Saudan, Amina Claudine Meyers, Karen Borca, Sophia Domancich, Gunhild Seim, Sanne van Hek, Kay Grant, Lina Alemano, Maya Dunietz, Eve Risser, Katharina Weber, Catherine Sikora, Susana Santos Silva,.... and many more ... thank you all for the great music!



Please recite like Samuel L Jackson does with African American artists on "Do The Right Thing"

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Thomas Zehetmair & Ruth Killius - Manto and Madrigals (ECM, 2011) ****

By Stef

I rarely review classical music, not because I don't like it, but because I know nothing about it, apart from Bach and some Mozart.

I review this album, because it is absolutely fascinating. A duo performance by husband and wife Thomas Zehetmair on violin and Ruth Killius on viola and voice on one track.

As can be expected, the music is composed, with pieces by Bohuslav Martinů - the “Madrigals” - and by Giancinto Scelsi - “Manto”. Other composers include Bartók, Holliger, Skalkottas, Rainer Killius, Johannes Nied and Peter Maxwell Davies.

Yet, the Holliger and Scelsi pieces almost sound like modern improvisation, with lots of mesmerising, hypnotic interweaving of multiple layers of sound, lyrical without being melodic, with Killius singing a kind of tribal chant on "Manto 3". The harmonic complexity is dazzling, as on the intense "Danse Dense", as is the playing, virtuosic and sounding adventurous, in the sense that you expect this absolutely pure sound from classical violinists, but like in jazz, raw emotions result from timbral adventures, creating drones and screeching sounds played on several strings.

The fourty-four seconds of the Bartók piece stand at the center of the album, and creates a shift towards more recognizable structures and harmonics of classical music, even if the Skalkottas compositions are modern, abstract and intense, somewhat aggressive even at moments. With Peter Maxwell Davies the music becomes playful, with folk music elements integrated, and continues in the same vein with the Martinů compositions.

It is all incredibly virtuosic, and that guarantees quality throughout the album, yet the choices of the composers gives the album a little too wide of an emotional and stylistic span. But the first part of the album is guaranteed to be a delight for avant-garde fans of whatever musical genre.



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Sax and piano - Christine Sehnaoui & Magda Mayas - Teeming (Olof Bright, 2010) ****

 By Stef

In my review of yesterday on recent and recommendable "Sax and Piano" albums, I should have added this one, by Christine Sehnaoui on alto and Magda Mayas on piano. The only excuse that I have for not having included them, is that this album, "Teeming", does not sound like a piano and sax album.

Both musicians are known for pushing the sound of their instruments into extreme and unheard regions, and together they even go a step further. Few people would call this music, and several years ago I would have put this album away immediately, but I've become addicted to this kind of music.

The reason is simple: the music is incredibly brutal, physical and emotional. Possibly because the sounds go directly to the lymbic system of the brain, stripped of all rationality, patterns and form and other redundant stuff, reduced to scraping, fluttering, pounding, whistling, sighing, screeching, ticking, tweaking, ... hesitating between the industrial and the organic in atmosphere, but impossible to leave you indifferent: you hate it or you love it.

To the credit of both artists, their story is incredibly coherent and captivating, once you go beyond your own expectations. Break down your own preconceived notions. They are great because they inventive, their sense of pace and tension and restraint is formidable, never do they lose their concentrated discipline of sound creation, creating a weird and welcoming sonic environment, light, horrifying and yet appealing.

Those of you with big open ears will certainly enjoy this.

Buy from the label.


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Sax and piano

Giovanni Di Domenico & Alexandra Grimal - Ghibli (Sans Bruit, 2011) ****½

 By Stef

Usually I get the "Sans Bruit" releases by mail (thanks Stéphane), but I couldn't wait, so I bought it right away once it became digitally available, because I am a fan of French saxophonist Alexandra Grimal, who we find back again with Italian pianist Giovanni Di Domenico, who composed most of the pieces of this album.

In their previous quartet effort - "Seminare Vento" -  I mentioned that I would have loved a little less beaten track, and I must say they fully deliver the goods on this album. Both musicians can color deftly outside the lines and they do so on other albums, yet here their lyricism takes the spotlight, and how! Limiting the line-up to piano and soprano gives Di Domenico's music more space and freedom, with less constraints of form, and the result is excellent.

Di Domenico's compositions are very impressionistic and abstract at the same time, kind of open-ended at first listen, yet quite well-structured too. One illustration: "Earworm" starts with a long and meandering unison line between both musicians, then it's dropped for what sounds like free improvisation, ranging between jazz, classical, with the sax adding some middle-eastern tonal changes, changing tempo, rhythm and mood, like a mini-suite, only to end all of a sudden again with the opening unison theme.

The music is lightfooted and playful, or sensitive and light. That several of the pieces are called "Koan", the zen-buddhist paradox, gives you an idea of the importance of the surprise, the creative angle that you can expect.

Grimal's tone is phenomenal, as I described in earlier reviews, yet Di Domenico gives her a unique opportunity to really shine : the intimate compositions and atmospheres that he creates form the wonderful context for Grimal's superb playing, just listen to her solo intro on "Koan N° 3".

This is as light and warm and deep as it gets. 

The title "Ghibli" is the name of the wind that blows over the Lybian desert.


Buy from Sans Bruit.

Joel Futterman & Ike Levin - Dialogues and Connections (Charles Lester Music, 2010) ****

Don't get deceived by the somewhat kitschy art work, the music is as real and authentic as it gets: two seasoned musicians drawing from their broad backgrounds to offer some astonishing stylistic variations and genre-bending dynamics to dialogue and to create really great music.

Just to give one example: "Conversation One, Part 3", starts with Futterman's abstract string-plucking, dark and resonating, with Levin's bass clarinet bringing incredible timbral variations of restrained agony, suddently moving into impressionistic and voiced piano-playing, as a lead-in for a calm and lyrical solo, both jazzy and classical at the same time, with again a sudden change into boppish, heavily accentuated playing, somewhat going haywire again, into more free improvisations, abstract, harsh and expressive, but in a way which is staggering, creating together, shaping the music together almost telepathically, full of unexpected twists and turns which they take together and seamlessly, like a well-trained couple of ice-dancers: acrobatic and refined, full of discipline and skills, but then fully improvised.

Their history is of performing together is much longer and deeper than the three albums they released as a duo so far, and you can hear it with every note they play. These guys really enjoy what they do, and they do it full of grace and authenticity.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Listen to some extracts from a recent performance of the duo




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Jaruzelski's Dream - Jazz Gawronski (Clean Feed, 2010) *****

By Paul Acquaro

Any album with a cover of the last communist leader of Poland sporting a topiary hat is a promise. It's a deal between the musicians and the listeners that they are in for something unexpected. And just from the first few seconds of "The Mastella Variations", the promise is delivered.

Jaruzelki's Dream by Jazz Gawronski is a thoroughly modern sax, bass and drum trio outing that matches an unapologetically free approach to some joyous music. Blending elements from the tradition of free jazz ("The Mastella Variation") to rock ("Sei Forte Papa"), brief glimpses of punz-jazz ("Zibboniek") and sparing elements of nu-jazz ("Pimpin' The Papamobile"), their uncluttered focused approach to the music is refreshing, challenging and quite fun. Clever uses of dynamics and rhytmic devices shake up the tunes, keeping them from getting repetitive, and allowing each musician ample space to create.

Piero Bittolo Bon's alto sax is bright and clear, his well articulated never-ending melodic lines present ideas upon ideas, often seizing upon one, turning it around and examining it thoroughly, before tweaking it and moving on. Bassist Stefano Senni and drummer Francesco Cusa's accompaniment is sharp, and whether they are supporting or taking the lead, the interplay is tight and precise, sometimes grounding the sax, sometime antagonizing it, but always spurring it on.

A quick trip to the Clean Feed site revealed that the trio has quite a pedigree between them. Hailing from northern Italy, they have played individually with Anthony Braxton, Stefano Bollani, Tom Harrell, Eddie Henderson, Chris Speed, Tim Berne, Elliot Sharp, Paolo Fresu among many others.

If I were to compare the competence, energy and freshness of the album -- and though they differ greatly in many ways too -- I would think that perhaps Jon Irabagon's recent "Foxy" is fair game. Like Irabagon's album there is also an extended joke through the song titles and packaging. Though I'm not up enough on Eastern European history and culture to get what I have to assume are puns and plays on words, the albums humor and sarcasm comes through well enough in the songs. At the same time there is also great reverence and respect for the music, which makes for some good clean fun. For example, Polonium 210, a radioactive material first discovered in Poland, is used to title a sophisticated and melodic tune featuring outstanding bass and drum dialog.

This is album is a real treat, it's accessible, melodic, energetic and demanding enough to keep you listening over and over again. This is my first five star rating.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Buy from Instantjazz.

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The Dorf - Le Record (Leo Records) ***½

By Joe Higham

What an easy CD to review. This is one of those albums that is easily digested and has a wide appeal, in fact 'Dorf' means 'Village', so maybe something for the whole family? Here we find brass bands, prog-rock (aka - rock in opposition), jazz, (a little) free, and plenty of punch (helped by an excellent recording). This is a 21 piece big band led by Jan Klare that literally rocks, making your speakers vibrate with lovely grooves and the joyful noise that the group produces, you can hear that everyone is having plenty of fun. The compositions are reasonably strong, and as with many large ensembles the trick here is the use of instrumental colours and combinations to develop ideas, the rockier direction the music takes make the album stand apart from other big band albums.

The music is as already mentioned a real mix between several worlds and really blurs the areas between rock and jazz. An excellent example is to be found in the piece 'Spin' which builds from simple, almost humorous, question and answer phrases slowly becoming heavy guitar based riffs with a New Orleans second line strut(*) rhythm! The track then features a blistering guitar solo (backed by the massive brass section) that Ritchie Blackmore would be proud of, however there are not many featured soloists here. In fact much of the music is almost cinematic, developing like a film that gradually introduces it's characters and plot. The titles are short and descriptive such as 'Now' - an eight minute riff using one chord, 'Deep' - a lovely ballad, 'Riff' - James Bond meets punk?, 'Count' - which is exactly what they do, 'Feed' - sounds like an out-take from King Crimson's 'Larks Tongues in Aspic', violin and all! There's plenty to delve into and the music's blurred boundaries mean the album can be enjoyed by many people, and yet it makes no compromises.

The musicians (too many to mention) are excellent, violin, cello, trumpets, saxophones, 3 guitars, 3 Electronics, Synths etc, and of course you get a very powerful rhythm section which includes two drummers and two bass players! Leo Feigin and Jan Klare tell me there is a booklet that goes with the CD (although I don't know about the mp3 download**).

Tags for this could be - Exploding Star Orchestra, Loose Tubes, Carla Bley Big Band.

* a type of march.
**MP3 download is VBR, nominal bitrate 256 kBps.

The Dorf - Le Record (Leo Records) ****

By Stef
 
Expansive, baroque, heavy metal attitude, sophisticated, crazy, wild, mad, disciplined, exuberant, rock, volume and power, restless and violent, gloomy and doom, humor and don't-take-yourself-too-seriously, relentless energy and drive. Zappa meets Carla Bley meets Miami Vice meets Global Unity Orchestra meets Metallica meets Schoenberg meets your local brass marching band.

You get the gist. Sometimes you think the thing is fully composed and arranged but the musicians are so mad and crazy that they want only one thing and that is to ignore all agreements and most of all the conductor, because sounds bounce and sprout in every direction yet it all fits full of frenzy, rhythms and more madness.Yet you can never pin it down completely : there is just too much, including some counting as in a Philip Glass composition ("Count"), as incredibly dark atmospheres of utter despair ("Back"), as complete fun and humor ("Spin"). The album's great variety is unfortunately also somehow its weakness. There are too many variations to make it an artistic whole, yet every part of it offers incredible listening pleasure. Incredibly entertaining.



Now by The Dorf


Riff by The Dorf



Comment - a duo review. I couldn't help it Joe. I had been listening to this for the past few days, utterly enjoying it.

You can find all musicians of the band on their website.



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Oluyemi Thomas, Sirone, Michael Wimberley - Beneath Tones Floor (NoBusiness, 2010) ****

By Stef

So far, I have only reviewed one CD, Nigeria,  by saxophonist Oluyemi Thomas, and I praised it for its poetic power.That I have not reviewed many albums by him has more to do with his limited number of recordings than with the quality of his playing.

Thomas, wo plays bass clarinet, flute, soprano, musette and percussion on this album is joined by the late Sirone on bass and Michael Wimberly on drums. As on "Nigeria", the poetic power is still present, in the best of free jazz improvisations, with incredible openness, a total lack of structure, plenty of soloing. The album was recorded in 2008, in the year before the great bassist passed away. And for his fans - this is a must-have : there is as much soloing by Sirone as by the reedist, a real treat.

The absolute power of this album is the common language of all three musicians. Thomas' is much more an emotional player than a technical performer, and his notes are warm, sensitive, expressive, full of spiritual and human physicality at the same time, qualities that are all too present in Sirone's playing too. I did not know Michael Wimberley, and he is great in this setting, often taking a step back, letting the two other players do their thing, but he is magnificent in his rumbling duet with Thomas on "Dream Worlds".

This is deep music, as its title suggests, free in the associations, but not in loudness or volume, quite on the contrary, it is about timbre, about the coloring of feeling, the expression of universal emotions that can only manifest themselves through music ... and all this in a quite intimate setting. Expansive intimacy is the paradox that comes to mind, and possibly describes the inherent tension in the music quite well.

Beautiful!


Oluyemi Thomas - Positive Knowledge (Not Two, 2010)

Regular readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of spoken word, and that I am not a fan of poetry in music and that I am not a fan of vocal jazz, and if it sometimes does work quite well, very often it leaves me totally non-plussed. I hate the exalted tone, the thematic clichés, the preachy attitude, the artificial drama, or just "the attitude", so much in contrast with the nature of authenticity of the music itself. That's a very personal remark, and possibly not a nice one. It prevents me even from listening to the music.

The band is a family affair with Oluyemi Thomas on bass clarinet, musette, soprano and percussion, Ijeoma Thomas on voice and percussion, Kenn Thomas on piano, and Michael Bisio on bass, the latter being quite prominent on this blog lately. 


 

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