Paula Shocron, Pablo Díaz, Guillermo Gregorio - Diálogos & SLD Trio - EL Contorno Del Espacio

By Paul Acquaro

I think the best place to start this review is with today's Q&A with Argentinian percussionist Pablo Diaz and pianist Paula Shocron, in which Shocron writes "I think that it’s easy for a guest to join us, I feel it almost always works. I feel we have great facility to adapt ourselves and our language to different instrumentation." 

I can think of two instances specifically when watching the duo play live, a couple years apart, where the duo was seamlessly enhanced by others. First, was in Brooklyn at Andrew Drury's 'Soup and Sound' series. Here, Shocron and Diaz played in several different combinations, including the one that is featured here with clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio. The other time was at the Kuhlspot in Berlin just this past winter. Shocron and Diaz were joined with a second set of hands on the piano, and I think there may have been suddenly a cellist on stage. Honestly, it doesn't matter. As Shocron points out, she and Diaz can easily adapt to any situation. 

Here, they perform in two different trio situations, one a new partnership, and the other going back several years and two albums.

Paula Shocron & Pablo Díaz - special guest Guillermo Gregorio - Diálogos (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2019) ****

As much as I recommend simply listening to this recording, I think the liner notes are a must read. Fortunately, they are online on the Bandcamp site so you can take part in Andrew Drury's history lesson that compresses fifty years of history into a concise three paragraphs. Starting with Argentinian clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio's involvement in the fertile music and art scene of mid-1960's Agentina, through the political oppression that followed, his journey to Europe and finally the US, and then Diaz and Shocron's journey from modern day Buenos Aries to meeting up with Gregorio. The notes sets the stage to listen to these three musicians connect and make the music on Diálogos.

Spread over 14 miniature improvisations, the dialogues are varied and nuanced. The opening track 'aria nro. 1' begins with a very reserved melody from the piano and a light touch on the drums. Gregorio's clarinet is warm and woody, meshing nicely with the circular motion of the piano and the clattering percussion, together it is calm and fluid. 'Walking Down', a couple of tracks in, is kinetic and beckoning. Playing inside the piano (most likely), Shocron hops around in the background as Gregorio is front and center, darting about. Jumping through the tracks, 'perspectiva axonometrica' offers a much different sound than the other tracks mentioned so far as snippets of disconnected melodies engage in conversation with the drums, which themselves are being approached in unique ways. 'inwood-brooklyn 4hs.', feels as desperate musically as it does while trying to make this 17 mile journey through New York City (be it by car, subway, or clarinet). Here Gregorio's clarinet is joined by nervous sounding piano playing and oblique drumming. At the four minute mark, the group connects and ramps up the intensity. Throughout, the trio reaches higher and higher on each track, and on the final one, 'sounds brewing', Shocron plays extended arpeggios over which Guillermo's clarinet ducks, weaves, and chases the pianist about. 

It's our luck that Shocron and Diaz connected with Gregorio. Their collaboration sounds effortless as it spans generations and distances. There is much to keep you hooked and wanting more. 

SLD Trio - EL Contorno Del Espacio (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2019) ****½

On this third outing of the SLD Trio, which features bassist German Lamonega along with Diaz and Shocron, the spirit of collaboration is strong and vibrant. From the opening solo bass intro on  first track 'Jiwasa' to the precise and assured run of chords on the piano, and the intense but still airy interactions that follow, it's obvious that the trio has not lost any of it's energy since 2017's Tensegridad.

A series of tracks in the early middle part of the album provide a cross-section to examine the pulse and direction that the trio is pursuing. The intensity of the track 'Trascender' is a perfect example of the poise and balance of the trio. Wedged between the tracks 'Secreto 3' and 'Secreto 1', it begins with a patter of piano and rapidly bowed notes from the bass. The drums are approached somewhat scattershot through the opening moments, and as the track gathers more and more momentum, and the piano fill ever more space. Two-thirds of the way towards its end, the group reaches a peak and quickly backs off the volume, leaving the drums and bass to duet for a moment before coming to a stop. The book-ending, and out of order, 'Secreto 3' and 'Secreto 1' offer strong musical contrasts. The first one ('Secreto 3') focuses on Shocron as she builds up tension along with Diaz, who responds deftly to her volume and intensity. Then on 'Secreto 1', Shocron offers a take on minimalism, rapidly repeating notes over a sparse harmonic line as Lamonega accompanies with a deliberate bowed melody and Diaz offers up anguished sounds from the drums. 

El Contorno Del Espacio is a wonderful recording that reveals more on every listen. The musical ideas pass by with vivaciousness and speed, the drumming is sympathetic and explorative, and the bass fits neatly between, connecting with Diaz's ideas and helping to shape Shocron's classically informed lines.  

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Paula Shocron / Germán Lamonega / Pablo Diaz - Tensegridad (Hatology, 2017) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

I suppose it’s a bit of a conflict of interest to write this review since I also wrote the liner notes; however, since I've decided to barrel ahead anyway, I am going to further transgress and paraphrase liberally from the notes I wrote for the album. When I started on them, I took the opportunity to do Q&A's with the SLD trio's pianist Paula Shocron, drummer Pablo Diaz, and bassist Germán Lamonega, and what came out was a story of believing in your art, making connections, and a lot of perseverance. 

The SLD Trio is a group of young Argentian musicians, who along with a small, dedicated, and increasingly beset group of artists, are working to find a space for free improvisation in Buenos Aries. If you can, track down Jason Weiss’ excellent profile of the group and the Argentinian improvisational music scene in Wire 399. Here, you will meet two thirds of the trio along with other prominent players, whom are all interconnected … a term which brings me conveniently to the album's title Tensigridad. From the liner notes:

The term 'tensegridad' is the Spanish translation of the word 'tensegrity' - a portmanteau coined by the 20th Century inventor and visionary R. Buckminster Fuller, who in the 1960 combined the words "tensional" and "integrity". The term refers to the strength and internal cohesiveness of interconnected individual components. The pieces may or may not actually be connected directly, but they are a part of the web of interconnectedness that gives the whole structure its form and structure. A classic example of this term is the geodesic dome, a self-supporting structure that Fuller popularized.The term however, has traveled beyond architecture and into other disciplines like biology, where the term ‘biotensegrity’ is used to describe the body's muscular-skeletal system is a connection of muscle and bone that operates in a comparable manner. 

This concept to me is an apt description of the self-supporting community that is so key to creative/improvised music scene. I met the trio of them a couple years ago when they were visiting New York (part of an annual pilgrimage) after their last album release Anfitrion. They have slowly been integrating and extending the New York improvisation music scene, performing in the city and inviting musicians to perform in Buenos Aires.

Now, about the music ...

The album begins with Lamonega's solo bass introduction to the track ‘Vera’. His tone is rich, and the legato phrases and double-stops lay a strong foundation for his bandmates. When the other join, the piano’s hypnotic arpeggios and the solid pulse of the percussion generate a mounting intensity. Throughout, the motion is generated by the energy of repetition, growing every higher until it breaks, where at the end Lamonega is left alone, again, to end the track.

The Mal Waldron tune ‘Snake Out’ begins with Shocron concentrating on the piano’s lower register, her attack is sharp and determined. These are not delicate or tender melodies being expressed, rather the trio is making a bold musical statement. The interconnectedness of their approach is the focus here, and the intensity of the song is the result of years of close listening and strong reactions.

Skipping ahead, on the title track ‘Tensegridad’, Shocron is melodic and driving, the strident movement of the chords giving the song its geometric shape. A quick build-up ensues with Diaz’s drums follow along, reacting and ultimately reinforcing the angles, and finally hooking up with Lamonega’s brisk walking lines, which adds a heft to the captivating, and all to soon over, track.

While there are many other fine tracks to explore, like the humorous and infectious ‘Casa Rodante’ and the spoken word ‘Universe Tiene Sentido’, the track ‘Connie’- a tribute to Connie Crothers, the New York based pianist, composer, and educator who passed away in 2016 - is a heartfelt tribute from Shocron. The connection between these two pianists developed on the trio’s very first trip to New York several years ago, and the emotion that imbued Crother’s work has deeply affected Shocron. The track is the emotional highlight of the recording and the juxtaposition of intense feeling with quiet reflection is incredible effective.

This is a trio with a calling to reconnect and whether or not you buy into my interconnectedness blather, along the way, the SLD trio is making moving, creative, and thoughtful music and it’s well worth your time to get your hands on the CD or download. Please regard my conflict of interest as your gain.

Here are the full liner notes from the Hathut website: https://static.homepagetool.ch/var/m_1/17/17f/75006/8037157-hatOLOGY-742.pdf

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SLD Trio - Anfitrion (s/r, 2015) ****

By Paul Acquaro

The SLD Trio is from Beunos Aires, Argentina. Their group is comprised of Paula Shocron: piano; Germán Lamonega: bass; Pablo Diaz: drums and their debut album Anfitrion (which means 'host' in Spanish) is a pretty stunning debut.

The album builds slowly. For the first two tracks the trio works with the quieter side of their instruments - Shocron's piano playing often relies on the sprinkling of choice notes, while bassist Lamonega lays down strong but short fragments of sound. Drummer Diaz provides splashes of the cymbals and concise rhythmic patterns. However, by track three, things change, and the quiet intensity that had been guiding them suddenly intensifies. Bursts of chords erupt from Shocron's hands, the bass lines grow full and flowing, and then the drums kick in.

There is a lot to recommend here, especially towards the middle - the work inside the piano on tracks 4 ('24 Horas') & 9 ('R.M.') comes to mind, and the two closing  racks are well worth the time it takes to get to them. On 'D.J.' (these initials indicate an homage to various musicians, in this case, saxophonist Darius Jones) there is a long stretch where the piano is played at full volume in vigorously delivering dense blocks of chords that leads to a rhythmic charge. The zenith they reach here, all the intensity and energy, is not lost on the final track 'Firuletes', though it is transformed, and the track, which begins with a delicate melody from the piano, ends on a spacious solo from the bass.

Vacillating between full-bodied and minimalist improvisations, the album's diversity is its strong suit. The quiet moments are solid and reflective and when the tracks do pick up, there is a very open feeling, and it all points to the attention that the three musicians pay to each others rhythmic inventions and melodic approaches. Highly recommended!

Available at the Downtown Music Gallery.

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Paula Shocron and Pablo Diaz - Algo en un Espacio Vacio (Nendo Dango, 2021) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Algo en un Espacio Vacio, or 'something in an empty space', is right on. There is something that pianist Paula Shocron and drummer Pablo Diaz, musicians and physical movement teachers from Buenos Aires know about how to fill a space and on Algo en un Espacio Vacio they use light brushstrokes when applying their magic. Their medium - piano and drums, or cello and percussion, with intermittent vocals, could fill-in quite a bit, but they work sparingly here.

The pair have collaborated extensively and have made many recordings with other musicians, but this is their first official duo album, and it is out on their label Nendo Dango. Actually, there is one more artist involved with this recording, Veronica Trigo, who collaborates not musically but artistically with a series of engaging watercolors that have been pressed in an accompanying booklet. The images Trigo (who is also a classically trained pianist) has contributed are sumptuously minimalist expressions of the music translated by the motion of the brush. An example can be seen above on the album's cover.

In the liner notes, bassist William Parker writes "the sounds are like an ocean in a painting ... internal rhythms and burst open to field of blue or green." Accept the hacked quote and poetic grammar and let the sound of the language convey the motion that is captured in many forms on Algo en un Espacio Vacio. The motion is more important than the notes, and like on the first track 'Obertura', where Diaz's asymmetrical pulse is accentuated lightly and spaciously with bursts of tonal color from Shocron's keyboard. Blocky tonal clusters follow, leading to a pensive melody that Diaz accentuates with cluttery percussion. 'Alterna', the second track, introduces Shocron on cello and, I believe, Diaz contorting a drum into a wind instrument. With bowed, elongated tones, the track becomes an ornate semi-drone. Throughout the recording the roles of the instrument are interchangable, for example on 'Ritmo', which is full of motion, percussive use of the cello and other small implements provide a somewhat ritualistic underlayment which Shocron vocalizes rhythmically over. The less shamanic sounding closing track 'Forma' finds Shocron back on prepared piano, while Diaz quietly plays an array of drums and percussion. The vocalizations on this final track are actually a bit distracting as the duo locks into a fairly unusual and hypnotic groove.

With bassist Germán Lamonega (see below), Shocron and Diaz make up two thirds of the SLD trio (which has a new release as well, see En vivo en Estudio Libres), and they have been rapidly adding local and international collaborations to their Nendo Dango portfolio; however, at the heart of it is the movements, large and small, of the duo.

German Lamonega - MoNoCRoMo (Nendo Dengo, 2020) ****

Bassist German Lamonega has a recent solo recording that is quite worth a mention. Much like his companions in the SLD Trio, he sketches out his own language using the upright bass on MoNoCRoMo. Percussive playing on the track 'Prisma' leads to spacious and pensive plucking on the follow up 'MoNoForMa', which picks up in motion and fills in with juicy doublestops. 'Giger' is a pensive drone that plays with sonic contrasts, and 'Butoh' is its polar opposite: a slippery tune that explores sounds from all over the fingerboard. MoNoCRoMo is a captivating solo bass recording, and one of many other exploratory works to be found in the rapidly expanding Nendo Dango-verse.

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Just the two of us

The final installment of duo's week...

By Paul Acquaro

Trevor Watts & Stephen Grew - Con Fluent (FMR, 2016) ****

Saxophonist Trevor Watts has had a wonderfully creative and imaginative musical career, from his early exploratory work with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, to his groups Amalgam, Moire Music, and beyond. On Con Fluent, he continues his restless journey in a duo with Stephen Grew, a pianist who is also deeply embedded in the U.K.'s improvised music scene.

On Con Fluent, the two are a virtual duo. Grew sent a recording of a few improvised sets to Watts to play over. The results are sublime and had the information about the overdubbing approach not been revealed, one probably would not have expected it. For example, 'Sadness of Rhyme' is a complex dance, with deep pockets of silence and delicate interactions that feel spontaneously exacted with no deference to the time and space between them. Another track, 'The Lit and Phil Chair' begins with a powerful burst of saxophone over low scrapings of the piano's strings. On 'Ask Later' it all comes together as the clever 'composition' from Grew swirls together with Watt's saxophone in a a 15-minute mini-epic that ranges from introspective to exuberant.

Alexander Hawkins & Evan Parker - Leaps In Leicester (Clean Feed, 2016) ****

How inappropriate would it be not to follow with this duo release from fellow SME alumni and saxophonist Evan Parker with UK-based pianist Alexander Hawkins? Parker and Hawkins have collaborated before, but the very fine Leaps in Leicester is a first for them as a duo. Overall, it's an accessible and enjoyable album, comprised of four tracks just teeming with life and variety.

Hawkins has a sharp attack, his approach is percussive and decisive. Parker, on tenor sax, plays with a crisp tone and fluid approach, filling the space between the notes and taking full advantage of the musical base that the piano provides. The opener 'Jump Start' begins with a spaciousness that grows denser over time. The second track 'Gambade' also has a quiet start, key-clicks and light prepared piano plinks appear like the first faint stars in the night sky. As the song goes on, ever more constellations appear and the vibrant cosmos is slowly revealed. 'Shimmy (for Tony Marsh)' is a 30-minute track dedicated to the renowned percussionist who passed away in 2012. The track begins reflectively with a lovely intertwining of Parker and Hawkins melodic lines, the track then begins picking up a great deal of intensity, even when Hawkins drops out and all the focus falls on Evans tenor.

This is a wonderfully diverse and dynamic collaboration, it sports a really clever title to boot!

JC Jones & Yoni Kretzmer - Esoteric Duos (OutNow, 2016) ***½

This rich double-CD was released earlier this year and features a series of duos anchored, on disc 1, by Israel-based bassist JC Jones, and on disc 2, by NY/Israel-based saxophonist Yoni Kretzmer. Their collaborators are bassists Barre Phillips, Mark Dresser, Reuben Radding, Sean Conly, Damon Smith, Pascal Niggenkemper, woodwind player Steve Horenstein, and violinist Carmel Raz.

The album begins with Jones and Horenstein working the low-end, rumbling to life with key clicks and percussive slaps of the bass strings. A flurry of notes erupts from the sax as the two then deliver an evolving duet of incredibly condensed energy. The bass-on-bass duet with Phillips - also firmly in the low register - is full of percussive chatter and rhythmic inventions. 'Mark Dresser,' the third track leans on elongated tones and experimental melodies, building to a feverish climax. Skipping ahead to Kretzmer's duos, the first one is 'Trumpets,' and it's out there! Buzzing and sputtering, it's a bit like a fight between a UFO and a bee. The trumpet here is Pascal Niggenkemper's unusual bass work. On 'A Day Later,' Kretzmer opens the floor for frequent collaborator Reuben Radding, whose pizzicato playing seems to cast a calm over the track. The penultimate 'Drinking Song' with Sean Conley, kicks off with a boppish line that always seems poised to explode, yet keeps itself together. Of note are the two collaborations between Kretzmer and Jones. On disc 1, Kretzmer plays rapidly and tunefully over Jones' solid accompaniment. On disc 2, they are focused on exploring the outer limits of their instruments.

This album is a must for bass lovers, especially the esoteric ones!

Chris Cretella and Lou Guarino - Suspicious Diversions Questionable Amusements (s/r, 2016) ****

Suspicious Diversions Questionable Amusements is the result of an excellent pairing of two new Englanders who bring a deep knowledge to their spontaneous collaboration. Guitarist Chris Cretella has studied with (among others) Joe Morris and Anthony Coleman, while trumpeter Guarino cites the friendship and guidance Wadada Leo Smith.

The first track, 'Thunder Plunge' features the trumpet/guitar duo sounding nothing like a trumpet/guitar duo. Cretella's guitar is processed to the point of being an electronic blip while Guarino plays long sputtering tones. It feels very unusual - a true testament to their creativity. Track two, 'Razor Jarts' features more conventional sounds, but the melodic ideas are wholly original. Seemingly parallel in their play, a deeper listen reveals a great deal of interaction and sparks from colliding ideas. Throughout, the duo demonstrates a genuine gift playing off, and listening to, each other. This is one that keeps growing more interesting on each spin.

Markus Stockhausen & Florian Weber - Alba (ECM, 2016) ****

This piano and trumpet duo's austere debut album is simply and utterly gorgeous. Aside from the crystalline production qualities that make an ECM recording so, both the compositions and the free improvisation that fill the tracks of Alba are lyrical and poignant. The two German musicians, trumpeter Markus Stockhausen and pianist Florian Weber, have apparently worked together for six years, at first incorporating electronics but eventually jettisoning all they could for the pure acoustics.

The opening 'What Can I Do For You?' is a rubato and expressive piece. It moves slowly, taking several pregnant moments of near silence to manifest, but when it does, it foreshadows the winsomeness to follow. The pace quickens a bit on 'Mondtraum', and by the third track 'Surfboard,' the duo is scuttling about unabashedly, with Weber providing the prominent theme, which Stockhausen helps with brief accentuation and shadowing of the melody. Each track - and there are many with 6 minutes being the longest - possesses a unique quality and differing approach, each one offering an interesting diversion.

Alvaro Domene & Briggan Krauss - Live at the Firehouse Space (Iluso, 2016) ***½

Something cool about the Firehouse Space in Brooklyn is that it really is an old firehouse. Now a private residence that opens its doors to creative music, it's a treat just to visit. The music of saxophonist Briggan Krauss and guitarist Alvaro Domene added some additional experimental luster to the space when they performed the music found here in June of this year.

The opener, 'Minimum Height to Ride,' is actually the bulk of the recording at 44 min, while the second track, 'The Sophomaniac,' seems to be a 4-minute encore. The atmosphere the duo develops is enveloping, the slow ooze at the start is created by Krauss' intensely rhythmic phrases and Domene's deliberate chordal movement. The fog burns off quickly though as the two engage in an intensely percussive passage that raises the tempo and quickens the pulse. Throughout the performance, they move seamlessly from sound-sculpting to earth-scorching,

Miguel Crozzoli & Pablo Díaz - TIERRA (NendoDango Records, 2016) ****

This duo recording builds on the hallowed template of saxophone and drum duo, the format that John Coltrane and Rashied Ali created in 1967, and that many others, like Paul Dunmall and Tony Bianco have sought to perfect, and that now these two young Argentinian improvisers are making their own. Miguel Crozzoli has studied both in Argentina and in Canada, developing a robust approach to free playing that is informed, melodic, and fierce with thoughtful precision. Diaz is an integral member of the SLD Trio, an educator, and an expressive and empathetic partner on Tierra.

Their music draws from the 'spiritual' well, as their every note seems to form from somewhere deep and intangible, rising to the surface in expressive waves. Crozzoli's playing flows smoothly, though with unexpected intervals. Diaz's drumming roots the melodies and occasional bursts with an ever-shifting palate of rhythmic texture. A stand out track is 'Ritual', in which the tension is created subtly between the two players. 'Dudas Cruciales' also maintains the tension but works though a whole host of other exciting musical ideas along the way.

Enrique Norris & Paula Shocron - Sono-Psico-Cosmica (NendoDango Records, 2016) ****

I'll wrap up this long, but hardly exhaustive, review of duo recordings with the utterly satisfying Sono-Psico-Cosmica from Buenos Aires based musicians Enrique Norris and Paula Shocron. Shocron is the vibrant pianist and percussionist from the SLD Trio (with Pablo Diaz), and Norris, who also plays a remarkable cornet, leads his own trio. The two come together to create some musical magic on this recording from a 2014 concert.

Starting with a co-credited 'El Grill Cosmico', the two use their pianos to create in a single voice - completing each other's thoughts and accentuating each other's ideas, it's a truly collaborative effort. In spite of the conscientious space between notes, the intensity grows throughout the track. The Shocron credited follow up is the smokey 'La Puerta R' and features Norris on the cornet. The twin piano line-up returns for an intense and abstract take on the Charles Mingus classic 'Orange was the color of her dress, then silk blue'. The moods and intensity vary from track to track, and it wraps with a spirited take of 'Monk's Dream'. Pure pleasure to hear!

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Paula Shocron and Pablo Diaz: Always In Motion (part 1)

Paula Shocron, William Parker, and Pablo Diaz.

 Photo by Peter Gannushkin

By Paul Acquaro

The Free Jazz Blog has given the musical adventures of drummer Pablo Diaz and pianist Paula Shocron some attention over the past few years, first with a review of the SLD Trio's first album Anfitrion, then on their follow up, Tensegridad, and again on a few recordings on their NendoDango label. They were also, a few years ago, the subject of a fantastic profile in the Wire on the improvisational music scene in Buenos Aries, Argentina, where the two call home - when they are not traveling the world. Relentless and restless, they have been making nearly annual trips to New York City where they have been embraced by musicians such as  William Parker, Andrew Drury, and many others. Last winter, they toured as a duo through Europe. With the help of the Bielecki Foundation, they are back in the north for Canada's Guelph Festival and several shows in NYC. If you read this in time, you can still catch them on September 28 at Instrumental Underground series  and on the 29th at Scholes Street Studio in Brooklyn.

Today and tomorrow we're reviewing three recent trio recordings from Diaz and Shocron, each with the help from a different friend. We'll kick it off each day with a quick Q&A with the pair ...

Free Jazz Blog: You have been doing a lot of traveling, tell us about it...
Pablo Diaz: Yes, we played with Guillermo Gregorio at the Guelph Jazz Festival in Canada, presenting our last work Diálogos, and now we’re playing in NYC at different venues, with that project and with other combos. Then we'll come back to Argentina, where we have some more concerts, a residency, and some other work. Then we’re trying to set up a bunch of concerts around Europe in February 2020, but nothing confirmed yet.

We love to travel, and making music in different places, in different situations, with different kinds of musicians and artists. We are both are really involved in improvisation, not only with music but also in performance, and other different ways of artistic expressions. We’ve tried to go on tour once or twice a year since 2014, whether around different countries and cities, or around our country.

At this moment we’re still really excited about Canada; we’d never been there, and the Guelph Jazz Festival is a really important festival for this music. We’re really glad to have had the opportunity to play there and share the festival with great groups and musicians we admire. Also, we’re happy to be in NY again, and this time with support from the Robert D. Bielecki Foundation. We've really looked forward to playing with Guillermo, William Parker, Kristin Norderval, and of course our friends Ras Moshe, Matt Lavelle and Daniel Carter. We have several concerts and we’re recording some new material!

FJB: Any unusual combos or venues?

PD: Well, I think that the unusual situation here is that we have received support from a foundation to do our work under the best conditions. For the free improvisation and experimental music scene, this is not so common, so I think that's the unusual thing.

On the other hand, I guess there are no unusual combos or venues, but I think it's been a good tour with great concerts, at great spaces such as Spectrum, Ibeam, Scholes St Studios, Mirror Tea House, and Brooklyn Commons.

Playing with Guillermo in a trio is really important for us; our album Diálogos, released on Fundacja Słuchaj from Poland (editor's note: review coming tomorrow), is a good work and we’re happy to play this music at great venues. We’ll also present Emptying the Self, the recording we made with William Parker, and Future Retrospection (reviewed today), the one we made with Kristin Norderval.

FJB: How did you connect with the Robert D. Bielecki Foundation?

PD: Robert got in touch with Paula because he liked very much her playing on the recording Tensegridad (hatOLOGY) and also, at that time (January 2018), he was about to go to Argentina. We arranged a meeting in Buenos Aires and after some hours of chatting about music, art, politics, culture, etc, he offered us his support in order to push and help to raise our work. He is a great person and he is deeply and sincerely committed to creative/avant-garde arts.

FJB: How can people find out where/when you're playing?
PD: We use Facebook and Instagram, where we post our activities all the time, but who is interested can also check out our websites www.paulashocron.com and www.pablodiaz.com.ar

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Free Jazz Blog's 2019 Top 10s

Anthony Braxton, No. 289

This past year has been a dynamic one for the blog: we welcomed a bunch of new ears to the collective, received over 2000 recordings and requests for reviews, and counted over 1.63 million pageviews. We reported on festivals in the USA (Big Ears, No Idea, Vision Fest and Winter Jazz Fest) and Europe (Wels Unlimited, Jazz em Agosto, Jazzfest Berlin, A L'arme, Jazz Festival Saarbrücken) and even attended a few others, but in disguise. As always, the incredible amount of excellent new recordings, from the established masters to the newcomers, along with a plethora of historical recordings and issues continues to humble and astound.

We've tried to cover as much as we can on the Free Jazz Blog, and today, we look back over the year with our annual gathering of the collective's top ten recordings of the year. Twenty one contributors, 219 recordings (this is one list of nine, can you spot it?), and 144 unique entries.  We have entered the recordings into a spreadsheet, calculated the top recordings, and now the collective will now be voting on the album of the year from this list of the top 15. We'll present the winner of our poll on January 1. Here is the list:

Anna Webber - Clockwise (Pi Recordings) Bill Dixon & Cecil Taylor - Duets 1992 (Triple Point Records) Christian Lillinger: Open Form for Society (Plaist) David Torn, Tim Berne & Ches Smith - Sun Of Goldfinger (ECM) Derek Bailey/Han Bennink/Evan Parker - Topographie Parisienne, Dunois, April 3d, 1981 (Fou Records) Eliane Radigue- Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin)*(review forthcoming) Fire! Orchestra - Arrival (Rune Grammofon) Jaimie Branch - Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise (International Anthem) James Brandon Lewis - An UnRuly Manifesto (Relative Pitch) Jessica Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records) Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation Records) Microtub - Chronic Shift (Bohemian Drips) Nate Wooley - Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy) Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark - Invitation To a Dream (Astral Spirits) Whit Dickey / The Tao Quartets - Box of Light & Peace Planet (AUM Fidelity)

Obviously, these kinds of things aren't without biases, intended or (most often) not. So it's at this time of year that we also like to make our new ears resolution to listen to as much as possible, across and irrespective of boundaries. As you enjoy the year end holidays and take a little break from the whirlwind around you, check out what the collective has been listening to and please let us know about your own essential albums of the year.
- Paul

***

Paul Acquaro

This list doesn't account for archival releases like all of those great Company albums, Bill Dixon & Cecil Taylor's Duets 1992, or the lovely Peter Kowald Duo's re-release, but for better or worse, here goes:

• Rodrigo Amado & Chris Corsano- No Place to Fall (Astral Spirits, 2019)
• Ken Vandermark - Momentum 4 - Consequent Duos 2015-2019 (Audiographic, 2019)
• Tomeka Reid - Old New (Cuneiform, 2019)
• James Brandon Lewis - An UnRuly Manifesto (Relative Pitch, 2019)
• Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan - Epistrophy (ECM, 2019)
• Angelika Niescer, Christopher Tordini, Gerald Gleaver. Jonathan Finlayson - New York Trio (Intakt, 2019)
• Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die II - Bird Dogs of Paradise (International Anthem, 2019)
• João Lencastre’s Communion 3 - Song(s) of Hope (Clean Feed, 2019)
• Basement Research — Impromptus and Other Short Stories (WhyPlayJazz, 2019)
• SLD Trio - El Contorno Del Espacio (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2019)

Kian Banihashemi

• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation, 2019)
• Oren Ambarchi - Simian Angel (Mego, 2019)
• Fennesz - Agora (Touch, 2019)
• Ralph Alessi - Imaginary Friends (ECM, 2019)
• Fire! Orchestra - Arrival (Rune Grammofon, 2019)
• Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan - New Rain Duets (Three Lobed Recordings, 2019)
• Félicia Atkinson - The Flower and the Vessel (Shelter Press, 2019)
• Tyshawn Sorey & Marilyn Crispell - The Adornment of Time (Pi, 2019)
• Joe McPhee / John Butcher - At the Hill of James Magee (Trost, 2019)
• DKV Trio & Joe McPhee - The Fire Each Time (Not Two, 2019)

 Stuart Broomer

These are definitely not ranked (How do people even do that?), each instead being individually cherished.

• Microtub Chronic Shift (Ace Tunes/Bohemian Drips) -Three microtonal tubists (Robin Hayward, Peder Simonsen and Martin Taxt) are special enough; heard in a Berlin water tank, with synthesizer tones added, they combine severe and gentle notions of beauty.
• Anthony Braxton New Haven (Quartet) 2014 (Firehouse 12) - These four, hour-long, quartet improvisations with Taylor Ho Bynum, Nels Cline and Greg Saunier find their own edges, musical languages simultaneously clashing, complementing and extending the possibilities.
• Evan Parker/ Matt Wright Trance + Crepuscule in Nickelsdorf (Intakt) - Amid a bevy of brilliant Parker sessions released in 2019, this one develops its own lyricism, compounded of memory, electricity and echo.
• Phil Minton/ John Butcher/ Gino Robair Blasphemious Fragments (Rastascan) - Three musicians with histories invent a music without one. Its processes suggest gene splitting, a continuous stream of splices of different sonic bits—collective genius and a new idea of the musical organism.
• Bertrand Denzler Arc (Potlatch) - A dream of strings (“bow…with both hair and wood”) continues decades of reveries on the independent life of sound.
• Patrick Brennan/ Abdul Moimeme Terraphonia (Creative Sources) - Two musicians from different planes of there arrive in their own utopian hear.
• Petter Eldh Koma Saxo (We Jazz) - If you think free jazz is further freed when run backwards, you’ll appreciate bassist/producer Eldh, drummer Christian Lillinger and saxophonists Otis Sandsjö, Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen cutting and pasting, honking and wailing, mixing and maxing spell and collage.
• Zlatko Kaucic Quintet Morning Patches (fundacja słuchaj) - Collectively improvised music that sounds composed (in the best possible way, achieving a perfect collective form). Among the group’s distinguished members, Michael Moore and Albert Cirera bring ideally unrelated saxophone sounds to the project.
• Nate Wooley Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy) - Wondrously Apollonian music from a quartet with guitarist Mary Halvorson, slide guitarist Susan Alcorn and drummer Ryan Sawyer.
• From Wolves to Whales Strandwal (Aerophonic)  - On this two-CD set of a Netherlands performance, Nate Wooley, Dave Rempis, Pascal Niggenkemper and Chris Corsano play multi-dimensional free jazz with as much form and passion as anyone might hope for.

 Tom Burris

I feel like there are so many albums that I still haven't heard... I left out all new releases of old material, so no Coltrane, Cecil, Derek Bailey, Dolphy, etc. These were the ones I heard the most in 2019.

• Tim Daisy’s Vox 4 - Roman Poems (Relay, 2019) - Please welcome Macie Stewart to the Vox project, who helps turn the venture into a whole new animal. Absolutely stunning performances from everyone & stands as my favorite Daisy recording to date.
• Jaimie Branch - Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise (International Anthem, 2019) - God bless Jaimie Branch (and Moor Mother too) for calling out the evil bastards of the world consistently and relentlessly. Psychedelia with its middle finger way up high. How ironic that it still feels like a sonic hug that makes my sad ol’ heart swell with admiration.
• Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark - Invitation To A Dream (Astral Spirits, 2019) - Happy New Ears, everyone! Magical and consistently surprising on every level. A goddamn marvel.
• Nick Mozzarella Trio - Counterbalance (Astral Spirits, 2019) - A classically free jazz trio record that is deep, mature, and aged to perfection.
• Bill Orcutt - Odds Against Tomorrow (Palilalia, 2019) - Orcutt digs deeper into the old weird America and her blues on his latest solo album of idiosyncratic four-string stunners. Best one yet.
• Kuzu - Lift To Drag (Medium Sound, 2019) - Aren’t cassettes supposed to be inferior? This huge oversight on the part of Kuzu and Medium Sound sets them up for spectacular failure. We win!
• Whit Dickey / The Tao Quartets - Box of Light & Peace Planet (AUM Fidelity, 2019) - Two quartets, two discs, yin/yang. A thing of sprawling beauty.
• Rodrigo Amado & Chris Corsano - No Place To Fall (Astral Spirits, 2019) - A thoughtful joyride through a monster truck rally. Great driving music, particularly if you’re prone to road rage.
• Art Ensemble of Chicago - We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi Recordings, 2019) - Exceeds all expectations. This set also reminds you - in case you forgot for five seconds - that this year belongs to Moor Mother.
• Fire! Orchestra - Arrival (Rune Grammofon, 2019) - Arrival is the most beautiful work I’ve heard from Fire! Orchestra. I find that it pairs well with that new FKA Twigs album, for those of you who like to dip into the pop music pool.

 Troy Dostert

• Anna Webber, Clockwise (Pi)
• Mark Dresser Seven, Ain’t Nothing But a Cyber Coup & You (Clean Feed)
• Kris Davis, Diatom Ribbons (Pyroclastic)
• Iro Haarla, Ulf Krokfors and Barry Altschul, Around Again: The Music of Carla Bley (TUM)
• DKV and Joe McPhee, The Fire Each Time (Not Two)
• Gabriel Zucker, Weighting (ESP-Disk)
• Steve Baczkowski, Brandon Lopez and Chris Corsano, Old Smoke (Relative Pitch)
• Craig Taborn and Vijay Iyer, The Transitory Poems (ECM)
• Steph Richards, Take the Neon Lights (Birdwatcher)
• Sylvie Courvoisier and Mark Feldman, Time Gone Out (Intakt)

Lee Rice Epstein

• Nate Wooley - Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy, 2019)
• Anna Webber - Clockwise (Pi Recordings, 2019)
• David Torn, Tim Berne, Ches Smith - Sun of Goldfinger (ECM, 2019)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation, 2019)
• Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark - Invitation To a Dream (Astral Spirits, 2019)
• Evan Parker & Paul G. Smyth - Calenture and Light Leaks (Weekertoft, 2019)
• Whit Dickey Tao Quartets - Peace Planet/Box of Light (AUM Fidelity, 2019)
• Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society - Mandatory Reality (Eremite, 2019)
• Moppa Elliott - Jazz Band/Rock Band/Dance Band (Hot Cup, 2019)
• Angelika Niescier - New York Trio (Intakt, 2019)

 Spencer Friedman

• J Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records, 2019) - A remarkable compositional work from a vital string voice - gorgeous, delicate musicianship
• Thurston Moore - Spirit Counsel (The Daydream Library Series, 2019) - Quite possibly the most significant music of his career. Bewildering in scope and execution, just incredible
• Eliane Radigue- Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin, 2019) - A stunning work from the master. Serene yet unnerving, perfect soundtrack for long subway rides
• Lea Bertucci- Resonant Field (Resonant Field, 2019) - Another brilliant release from Bertucci, who expands her inimitable sound, resonant in many ways
• Bill Orcutt - Odds Against Tomorrow (Palilalia Records, 2019) - Another stellar session from Orcutt -- tender and fierce
• 75 Dollar Bill - I Was Real (Thin Wrist, 2019) - The duo's most impressive record to date -- confident, exuberant and downright fun 
• Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise (International Anthem, 2019) - Branch's Fly or Die follow up does indeed not disappoint. A scorching record, with some of the best playing from 2019
• Mary Halvorson and John Dieterich- a tangle of stars (New Amsterdam Records, 2019) - A vast, nearly "prog" album from these two guitar giants. Spirited, inventive songwriting
• John McCowen - Mundanas I-V (Edition Wandelweiser, 2019) - Bold reed duo music -- quiet but powerful
• Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society - Mandatory Reality (Eremite, 2019) - Another terrific release from this essential group, perhaps more focused than ever

 Stef Gijssels

• Bill Dixon & Cecil Taylor - Duets 1992 (Triple Point Records, 2019)
• David Torn, Tim Berne & Ches Smith - Sun Of Goldfinger (ECM, 2019)
• Pak Yan Lau & Lionel Malric - Duo Pour 454 Chordes (El Negocito, 2018)
• Angles 9 - Beyond Us (Clean Feed, 2019)
• Sei Miguel - O Carro de Fogo de Sei Miguel (Clean Feed, 2019)
• Simon Rose & Steve Noble - North Sea Night (Not Two, 2019)
• DKV Trio & Joe McPhee ‎– The Fire Each Time (Not Two, 2019)
• Eve Risser - Après un Rêve (Clean Feed, 2019)
• Ken Vandermark's Marker - New Industries (Audiographic, 2019)
• Marcelo dos Reis, Valentin Ceccaldi, Marco Franco and Luís Vicente - Points (Multikulti, 2019)

 Colin Green

• Whit Dickey, Tao Quartets — Peace Planet & Box of Light (AUM, 2019) - Two outstanding quartets earthed by Dickey’s drumming.
• Fire! Orchestra — Arrival (Rune Grammofon, 2019) - Great songwriting continues to flourish in settings that linger in the memory.
• Fictive Five — Anything is Possible (Clean Feed, 2019) - A restive quintet that provides us with clues rather than explanations.
• Matt Mitchell — Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi Recordings 2019) - Controlled exuberance, ripplingly intricate, walking a line between impulse and calculation.
• The Attic (Rodrigo Amado, Goncalo Almeida, Onno Govaert) — Summer Bummer (NoBusiness, 2019) - A churning, roiling trio with an unerring sense of dramatic thrust.
• Basement Research — Impromptus and Other Short Stories (WhyPlayJazz, 2019) - Thoughtful arrangements, full of colour and bristling with energy.
• William Parker, Rob Brown, Cooper-Moore, Hamid Drake - In Order to Survive ‎– Live / Shapeshifter (AUM, 2019) - Music that unfolds seamlessly under its own momentum.
• Dave Rempis, Joshua Abrams, Avreeayl Ra + Jim Baker — Apsis (Aerophonic, 2019) - Another well-oiled ensemble from the persistently inventive Rempis and friends.
• Andrew Barker & John Dikeman — All Things are Possible (Phantom Ear Music, 2018) - Dikeman continues to impress in duets for tenor and drums that flicker and spark.
• The Way Ahead — Bells, Ghosts and Other Saints (Clean Feed, 2019) - Alluring textures and imaginative soloing from this septet, and even some free jazz hocketing.

 Steven Griffith

• Derek Bailey, Han Bennink & Evan Parker - Topographie Parisienne (Fou Records, 2019) - This stimulated me to really listen to the topography of the lungs for the first time (there's uncredited Bennink trumpet playing on the first cut). This is like an archeological dig revealing unexpected treasures.
• Marker - New Industries (Audiographic Records, 2019) - I like how Vandermark recorded the studio disc a couple days after a short tour. That's the way Bob Wills used to record the Tiffany transcripts he'd use to promote the Texas Playboys on his radio stations, albeit after much longer tours.
• Tim Daisy's Vox 4 - Roman Poems (Relay Recordings, 2019) - I thought it was impossible to improve on Vox Arcana's Caro's Song. Then they added Macie Stewart.
• Brötzmann, Schlippenbach, Bennink - Fifty Years After... (Trost Records, 2019) - When I first saw this my reaction was "I hope it really cranks". Like that was in doubt.
• Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio - Even Better (Intakt Records, 2019) - I'd wanted to hear Berne and Halvorson in a small group setting for quite a while.
• Blue Shroud Band - Intensegrity: The Small Formations / Odes and Meditations for Cecil Taylor (Not Two, 2019) - Admittedly I've been a fanboy of Guy's small formations for most of the decade.
• Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity - To Whom Who Keeps a Record (Odin, 2019) - I get extreme enjoyment out of every release from this band.
• Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark - Screen Off (PNL Records, 2019) - Lasse Marhaug deserves co billing for mashing tracks of varying quality together to create something greater than the sum.
• Joe McPhee & John Butcher - At the Hill of James Magee (Trost Records, 2019) - Conceptually intriguing and well executed.
• Okkyung Lee - Cheol-Kkot-Sae (Steel.Flower.Bird) (Tzadik, 2018) - One of those impossible to categorize releases that piques Zorn's interest that we're all better for having.

 Eyal Hareuveni

• Nate Wooley - Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy) - Moving, emotional piece that corresponds with personal memories and world politics and keeps resonating long after. With pedal steel master Susan Alcorn and guitarist Mary Halvorson.
• Susan Alcorn / Joe McPhee / Ken Vandermark - Invitation To A Dream (Astral Spirits) - Another one with Alcorn. Joe McPhee belief that sometimes ”Music provides its own rational” is fully justified in the beautiful, free-improvisations of this trio.
• Fire! Orchestra - Arrival (Rune Grammofon) - The chamber version of Mats Gustafsson’s Fire! Orchestra. Lyrical and touching. You can’t resist the cover of Chic (via Robert Wyatt) “At Last I Am Free”.
• Per 'Texas' Johansson/Torbjörn Zetterberg/Konrad Agnas - Orakel (Moserobie) - Reeds player Per “Texas” Johansson is one of the best kept secrets of the Nordic scene. This album may convince you to find out what you have been missing all this time.
• Emmeluth’s Amoeba - Chimaera (Øra Fonogram) - Danish sax player proves to be one of the promising voices in the Nordic scene, leading her powerful quartet on its sophomore album (and being recruited by Paal Nilssen-Love to his Large Unit.
• Brötzmann, Schlippenbach & Bennink - Fifty Years After... (Live at the Lila Eule, Bremen, 26/05/2018) (Trost) - These three lions have seen all, been all over and played with all the usual suspects, for more than fifty years, and still have the passion, power, fire and, obviously, wisdom.
• Toh-Kichi - Baikamo (Libra) - The most unlikely duo in Japanese free music - pianist Satoko Fujii and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (of Ruins) return more than a decade after their Vulcan quartet and their Toh-Kichi duo disbanded, fully charged with fresh ultra-volcanic energy. 
• Frances-Marie Uitti & Elliott Sharp - Peregrinations (zOaR) - More than twenty years after their first free-improvised duet, cellist Frances-Marie Uitti and prolific guitarist-sax player-composer return to another round of beautifully imaginative and nuanced duets. 
• Sunn O))) - Life Metal (Southern Lord) - Stephen O’Malley says that distortion is important “because it’s showing decay in real time somehow”. You can easily get addicted to Sunn O))) meditative-distorted-metal drones.
• Vilhelm Bromander & Fredrik Rasten - ...For Some Reason That Escapes Us (Differ) - More drones, but of the lyrical-melancholic kind by this fine duo of Swedish double bass player and fantastic Norwegian guitarist.
• Reissue:
  The Quintet - Events 1998-1999 (PNL) - Historical 5-discs box that chronicles a turning point in the Norwegian jazz, the rise of new lions generation headed by Paal Nilssen-Love that still learns and collaborate with the elders sax player Carl Magnus Neumann and double bass player Bjørnar Andresen.

 William Kautz

• Tyshawn Sorey - The Adornment of Time (Pi Recordings)
• Steph Richards - Take the Neon Lights (Birdwatcher)
• William Parker/In Order to Survive - Live Shapeshifter (AUM Fidelity)
• Elder Ones - From Untruth (Northern Spy)
• Nick Fraser, Kris Davis and Tony Malaby - Zoning (Astral Spirits)
• David S. Ware New Quartet-Live at Theatre Garonne 2008 (AUM Fidelity)
• Matt Mitchell-Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi Recordings)
• Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society-Mandatory Reality (Eremite)
• Matana Roberts-  Coin Coin Chapter 4: Memphis (Constellation)
• Sarah Belle Reid - Underneath and Sonder (pfMENTUM)

 Taylor McDowell

• Chris Corsano, Bill Nace, Steve Baczkowski - Mystic Beings (Open Mouth, 2018) - I'll start my list with a late 2018 guitar/sax/drums album that melted my face off the first time I heard it, and still does to this day. An explosive yet coherent exploration of timbre, energy, and noise.
• Arashi - Jikan (PNL Records, 2019) - This is an inspired, take no prisoners live set from one of the fieriest working trios. Can't get enough of them.
• DKV & Joe McPhee - The Fire Each Time (Not Two, 2019) - McPhee is a perfect companion to this well-oiled machine. Six CDs of music here, yet every minute is a thrill.
• Evan Parker & Paul G. Smyth - Calenture and Light Leaks (Weekertoft, 2019) - Easily one of the finest duo statements I've heard and my favorite Parker release from the last few years. Mesmerizing.
• Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh - South Moon Under (s/r, 2019) - This is the soundtrack to my early morning walks, or for watching birds fly. Sounds weird? Seriously, go try it.
• David Torn, Tim Berne, Ches Smith - Sun of Goldfinger (ECM, 2019) - I still remember the first time listening to this. It felt like the passing of a hurricane overhead, at the moment the eye passes by and the storm surges again.
• Vijay Iyer & Craig Taborn - The Transitory Poems (ECM, 2019) - Iyer and Taborn connect on such an intimate level here. Twenty fingers and 176 keys, but they perform as a single organism.
• Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark - Invitation to a Dream (Astral Spirits, 2019) - McPhee and Vandermark must have impressed me this year, as did pedal steel guitarists. I really hope to hear more from this trio.
• Stephan Crump, Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe - Channels (Intakt, 2019) - I get the feeling that these three were meant to play together. Egoless, fluid, conversational, confident - like listening to three longtime friends banter.
• Kuzu - Lift to Drag (Medium Sound, 2019) - I'll bookend my list with an end-of-the-year guitar/sax/drums record that really bites. This one thrashes hard and grooves harder, and yet I seem to hear new things with each listen.

 Dave Menestres

• Fay Victor - Barn Songs (Northern Spy)
• Andrea Parkins & Matthew Ostrowski - Elective Affinities (Infrequent Seams)
• Nick Dunston - Atlantic Extraction (Out of Your Head)
• Jessica Ackerley - A New Kind of Water (self released, see also ESSi’s Vital Creatures on Ramp Local)
• The Art Ensemble of Chicago - We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi Recordings)
• Somersaults - Numerology of Birdsongs (West Hill)
• J. Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records)
• Bill Orcutt - Odds Against Tomorrow (Palilalia)
• Catherine Sikora - Warrior (self released)
• Angel Bat Dawid - The Oracle (International Anthem)

 Nick Metzger

My Top 10 are listed below in no particular order. I didn’t include any reissues or archive recordings, although this has been a year of many terrific instances of such. I’ve also found my subscription to Kevin Drumm’s Bandcamp page to be worth more than the price of admission (which is almost nothing, all things considered) much to the detriment of my reviewing responsibilities.

• Christian Lillinger’s Open Form For Society (Plaist)
• Ben Stapp & Joe Morris featuring Stephen Haynes – Mind Creature Sound Dasein (Fundacja Słuchaj)
• Rose/Noble – North Sea Night (Not Two)
• O Carro De Fogo De Sei Miguel (Clean Feed)
• Mark Morgan – Department of Heraldry (Open Mouth)
• Denzler/Grip/Johansson – Zyklus 1 (SAJ Records)
• Parker/Guy/Lytton - Concert in Vilnius (No Business)
• William Parker's In Order to Survive - Live/Shapeshifter (AUM Fidelity)
• Microtub - Chronic Shift (Bohemian Drips)
• Flin van Hemmen – Casting Spells & The Coves (Neither/Nor)

 Gregg Miller

• JaJaWeDa - Pioneer Works vol. 1 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2019) - Jeb Bishop, Jaap Blank, Weasel Walter, Damon Smith. Trombone/percussion/bass/electronics and some demented yelling. Messy and joyful in a DIY way. There is some serious love here. These people are making music because they have to. The rambunctiousness here brings to mind the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s Message to our Folks: “[police whistle] Get in line!”
• Gordon Grdina / Matthew Shipp / Mark Helias - Skin and Bones (Not Two Records, 2019) - Guitar/Oud, Piano, Bass/Clarinet - From delicate and gentle to frenetic. Fully improvised; mostly pointillistic. They played an amazing set at the Royal Room in Seattle in 2018, and this studio recording captures the work they were doing.
• The Selva (Clean Feed, 2019) - Ricardo Jacinto (cello), Gonçalo Almeida (double bass) and Nuno Marão (percussion) create a very compelling, bristling vibe. A minimalist template foregrounds dynamics, densities and hypnotic repetition.
• IPT Trio - Diffractions (For Tune, 2019) - Szymon Wójciński (piano, keyboards), Jakub Bańdur (violin), Jakub Gucik (cello) together provide an engrossing, creative-classical listen. Think Yiddish-lilting movie music of an urbane family gathering turned spooky.
• Sonar w/David Torn - Transceportation Vol. 1 (RareNoiseRecords, 2019) - On the metal/prog. rock side of improvisation, with its portentous moodiness and head-bobbing odd time signatures. I almost hate it. But some of you head-bangers are going to love it.
• Rafael Toral / Mars Williams / Tim Daisy - Elevation (Relay Recordings, 2019) - Deliberate sounds and silence, clicks and whistles, random yet melodic, the occasional harsh mush. Incidental music for the free noise fan.
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation Records, 2019) - Theatrical free form jazz/poetry at its finest. Dig it; it’s a great project. Who doesn’t love a series?
• Evan Parker / Barry Guy / Paul Lytton - Concert in Vilnius (NoBusiness Records, 2019) - Sax, bass, drums. Masters of the craft doing their thing, recorded live. Nothing precious here, everything vital.
• Geometry, Geometry of Distance (Glacial Erratic, 2019) - Joe Morris (guitar), Tomeka Reid (cello), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet) and Kyoko Kitamura (voice). Sincere, collective improvisation. Musicality, virtuosity, and fearlessness.
• Apologist, Reception (Marginal Frequency, 2019) - Live processing: Ambient found sound noise clusters over synth.

 Fotis Nikolakopoulos

• Derek Bailey/Han Bennink/Evan Parker - Topographie Parisienne, Dunois, April 3d, 1981 (Fou Records) - Masayuki Takayanagi's April Is The Cruellest Month might be the reissue of the year, but this is the archival recording of 2019. First, in chronological order, meeting of those three, after Topography Of The Lungs. What more to say?
• Valentina Magaletti & Julian Sartorius - Sulla Pelle (Marionette) - A percussion duo very rich in colours and timbres. A whole world of different-not necessarily percussion-sounds
• Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders - Shifa - Live At Cafe Oto (577 records) - The best release from the 577 record's wonderful catalog so far. The interaction of the trio is mesmerizing
• Christine Abdelnour & Chris Corsano - Quand Fond La Neige, Où Va Le Blanc? (Relative Pitch Records) - The best free jazz duo of 2019. Chris Corsano of course but here Christine Abdelnour is an equal the very least
• XT - Palina'tufa (Empty Editions) - This is new music for sure.And Seymour Wright is proving to be a visionary saxophonist. One of my two favorites for 2019
• The Clandestine Quartet - One For The Fossa, Two For The Wolverine (ThirtyThree ThirtyThree Records) - The second of my favorites fro 2019.From free rock to free jazz blowouts, i will not try to categorize it
• Sakata, Yermenoglou, Di Domenico, Damianidis - Hōryū-Ji (Mr. Nakayasi, El Negocito Records‎, S7 records) - Akira Sakata, the east Asia every day man who turns into a demon with the sax, along three great musicians.Masterpiece...
• Bloor - Drolleries (Astral Spirits, Monofonus Press) - Sam Weinberg is my favorite sax player at the moment.We should hear more from and for him.This trio took me by surprise and blew me away
• Minton/Butcher/Robair - Blasphemious Fragments (Rastascan records) - Really now, do you need my comments for those three?
• Marco Serrato, Francesco Covarino - Bestemmia (Raw Tonk records) - Raw Tonk's catalog keeps pushing sounds beyond our well known limits. This release is a subtle explosion.

 Anthony Poscic

• Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation Records, 2019)
• Angel Bat Dawid - The Oracle (International Anthem, 2019)
• Jessica Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatch Records, 2019)
• Anna Webber - Clockwise (Pi Recordings, 2019)
• Sloth Racket - Dismantle Yourself (Luminous Records, 2019)
• David Torn, Tim Berne, Ches Smith - Sun of Goldfinger (ECM, 2019)
• Stephan Crump, Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe - Channels (Intakt, 2019)
• Nate Wooley - Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy, 2019)
• Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society - Mandatory Reality (Eremite Records, 2019)
• Matt Mitchell - Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi Recordings, 2019)

Keith Prosk

2019 was my first full year contributing to the blog, and I certainly feel that I’ve grown from that experience: my writing comes more quickly and (I hope) is more cohesive - or even coherent; my ears hear more and my analysis is (again, I hope) becoming more thorough; and I feel more aware of what is happening now in this music. The year almost seemed like it had a recurring motif of loss. It began with the deaths of AACM founders Joseph Jarman and Alvin Fielder within the first 10 days. Echoes of 2018’s losses rippled through it, with Michael Bisio, Kirk Knuffke, and Fred Lonberg-Holm releasing a tribute to Relative Pitch founder Mike Panico in Requiem for A New York Slice (Iluso) and Triple Point releasing Duets 1992 from Cecil Taylor and Bill Dixon, two recordings full of passion that could have easily made this list. Damon Smith released his first solo recording, Winter Solos (Balance Point Acoustics), in dedication to Robert Ryman, who died this year and was a student of Lennie Tristano before developing into a painter. And Nate Wooley’s Sound American publication series began issuing high-quality physical copies, with its 22nd issue focusing on Lee Hyla and the concept of loss, which unfortunately, perhaps ironically, my new labrador puppy shred to pieces. But as 2019 fades to 2020, there’s a lot to look forward to. Specifically, Anthony Braxton will be celebrating his 75th birthday, hopefully with recordings of his yet unreleased ZIM and Thunder Music systems. I’m hotly anticipating the followup to Macie Stewart and Lia Kohl’s Pocket Full of Bees (Astral Spirits), another recording that could be on this list. I’m looking forward to having more time to better familiarize myself with the crazy amount of quality material that Ken Vandermark released this year. To wince for the recordings that I missed here, but hopefully discover later. To find musicians new to me and new musicians and the words to do them justice. And finally, to revisit these ten awe-inspiring recordings again and again.

• John McCowen - Mundanas I-V (Edition Wandelweiser)
• Microtub - Chronic Shift (Bohemian Drips)
• Éliane Radigue - Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin)
• Anthony Braxton - GTM (Syntax) 2017 (New Braxton House)
• Klaus Lang & Golden Fur - Beissel (Another Timbre)
• Robin Hayward - Words of Paradise (Edition Telemark)
• Jessica Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher)
• Carl Testa - Sway Prototypes Volumes 1 & 2 (self-released)
• Werner Dafeldecker - Small Worlds (Edition Telemark)
• Bertrand Denzler/CoÔ - Arc (Potlatch)

Martin Schray

• Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (CTS, 2019) - I’ve always been fascinated by this project, which is so unique in the jazz world. The fact that Roberts is always able to add new musical aspects to this concept is just fascinating. And I’m always looking forward to what’s coming next.
• Jaimie Branch: Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs Of Paradise (International Anthem, 2019) - The expectations were immensely high since the predecessor to this album is one of the best releases of the decade. That Branch’s new album is in no way inferior to Fly or Die I says it all.
• Christian Lillinger: Open Form for Society (Plaist, 2019) - A band that consists of three pianos, two basses, two vibraphones, a cello and a drummer has certainly been unheard. To me, Christian Lillinger is the most interesting musician on the scene for the second year in a row.
• Bill Dixon/Cecil Taylor: Duets 1992 (Triple Point Records, 2019) - It took a long time for this album to come and it fulfils all the expectations. You hear a somehow atypical Taylor, the way he reacts to Dixon’s open sound opens up new perspectives on the music of the maestro.
• James Brandon Lewis: An Unruly Manifesto (Relative Pitch, 2019) - James Brandon Lewis is like a young Archie Shepp, his tenor sound is reminiscent of the fire music of the 1960s. His quintet with Jaimie Branch on trumpet is a match made in heaven.
• Fire! Orchestra: Arrival (Rune Grammofon, 2019) - Fire! have almost completely rebuilt their orchestra, strings have replaced some of the horns. Their version of Chic’s “At Least I Am Free“ is my track of the year (next to Jaimie Branch's "A Prayer for Amerikkka Part 1 & 2").
• DKV Trio & Joe McPhee: The Fire Each Time (Not Two, 2019) - A programmatic title. I wonder how these guys (Joe McPhee celebrated his 80th birthday this year) keep being so surprising and exciting after all these years.
• Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble: Where Future Unfolds (International Anthem, 2019) - Free Jazz has turned to become more political again. This album, which uses samples from the Civil Rights era, is characteristic of this trend.
• David S. Ware Trio: The Balance (AUM Fidelity, 2019) - David S. Ware was constantly looking for the divine in his music and he was also looking for a balance in this life, which was the basis to create the jubilant music he played. This album is another perfect example of this.
• Kuzu: Lift To Drag (Medium Sound, 2019) - At first it was just a cassette release, but it's now available as a download as well. Regardless, what matters is the music: 70 minutes of wonderful high energy free jazz. No end-of-the-year-top-ten is complete without Dave Rempis.

 Sammy Stein

• Fire! Orchestra -Arrival (Rune Grammofon) - Mats is just packed with energy and Fire! deliver free music like no other ensemble.
• Silvia Bolognesia - alive shouts (Fonterossa) - a great mix of style, tempo, energy and unfettered joy
• Ivo Perelman - Ineffable Joy (ESP) - a special and beautiful recording
• Peter Brotzmann/Heather Leigh - South Moon Under (s/r) - power, challenges and daring defy convention.
• Ivo Perelmann Strings 3 (Leo) - A great combination of musicians with Perelmann leading but also sharing space and the creations are breathtaking.
• Michael Janisch - Worlds Collide (Whirlwind) - wonderful, well developed tracks
• William Parker's In Order To Survive (AUM Fidelity) - just great with references to so many style but with Parker's individuality sewn seamlessly in.
• Polyorchard - Black Mountain (Out and Gone) - free flowing, free sharing jazz ranging from serendipity to annihilation - just as it should be.
• Olie Brice - Numerology of Birdsong (Westhill) - different yet strangely engaging - each listen reveals more
• Peter Brotzmann - ' I Surrender Dear' (Trost) - a beautiful link between Peter of then and the Peter of now. It explains a lot if you listen.

Eric Stern

• Whit Dickey/Tao Quartets - Box Of Light/Peace Planet (Aum Fidelity, 2019)
• William Parker/In Order To Survive - Live Shapeshifter (Aum Fidelity, 2019)
• James Brandon Lewis - An Unruly Manifesto (Relative Pitch Records, 2019)
• Mary Halvorson and John Dieterich- a tangle of stars (New Amsterdam Records, 2019)
• Dave Rempis, Brandon Lopez, Ryan Packard - The Early Bird Gets (Aerophone, 2019)
• Radical Empathy Trio - Reality and other imaginary places (Astral Spirits, 2019)
• Nick Dunston - Atlantic Extraction (Out of Your Head, 2019)
• Jessica Pavone String Ensemble - Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records, 2019)
• Brotzmann, Schlippenbach, Bennink - Fifty Years After... (Trost Records, 2019)
• Simon Nabatov Quintet - Last Minute Theory (Clean Feed, 2019)

 Phil Stringer

• Susan Alcorn / Joe McPhee / Ken Vandermark - Invitation To A Dream (Astral Spirits)
  Having
• Susan Alcorn/Chris Corsano/Bill Nace – Live at Rotunda (Open Mouth 59/Live at #6)
  Thought about
• The Art Ensemble of Chicago - We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi Recordings)
  It, what's important
• Fire! Orchestra - Arrival (Rune Grammofon)
  To me about these
• Rachel Musson/Pat Thomas/Mark Sanders - Shifa - Live at Cafe Oto (577 Records)Choices is that they all
• William Parker/In Order to Survive - Live/Shapeshifter (AUM Fidelity)Speak to me in different voices
• Joe Mcphee/John Butcher - At the Hill of James Magee (Trost)But there is a unity of purpose
• N.O.Moore/John Edwards/Eddie Prevost - Darkened Yet Shone (Matchless Recordings)And spirit that is always uplifting and that
• The Quintet - Events 1998-1999 (PNL)Susan Alcorn is a phenomenal pedal steel guitarist.

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