Aaron Novik - Five EPs (And More)

By Lee Rice Epstein

The Fallow Curves of the Planospheres ****
The Hotel of Thirteen Losses ***½
Rotterdam ****
Berlin ****½
No Signal ****½
O+O+ ****

Aaron Novik may be known best by readers of this site for his radical, brilliant 2012 album Secret of Secrets. Earlier this year, Novik released a bold statement showcasing his puckish, punk aesthetic, a compilation of material from five EPs he planned to release over the following months. The Fallow Curves of the Planospheres was a mindbending experience, tracking Novik’s experimentation in different, simultaneous directions. The result is not unlike Ben LaMar Gay’s Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun, as Novik challenges listeners’ expectations by swapping lineups and conceptual material song by song. Before I go too far in overselling the difficulty of listening to it, just know that The Fallow Curves of the Planosphere is a extremely fun record. I took my time settling into it, with the understanding that “Ballroom of Lost Faith” (from The Hotel of Thirteen Losses) told me almost nothing of the final EP, as it lead into edited tracks from O+O+ and No Signal. As a teaser of what was to come, they admirably gave away little, while the subtle disjointedness of the album settled into a welcome discomfort.

Few experiences were as surprising as hearing the final EPs as they were released throughout the year. Take, for example, the differing lineups of each: The Hotel of Thirteen Losses has Novik solo on clarinet and bass clarinet, augmented by field recordings. On Rotterdam, he has a sextet, with Kasey Knudsen on sax, Dina Maccabee on violin, Marie Abe on accordion, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, and Jamie Moore on drums. Novik has a quintet for Berlin, with Mezzacappa, Kyle Bruckmann on oboe and English horn, Crystal Pascucci on cello, and Jordan Glenn on “found object percussion.” O+O+ features the largest group of the series, a septet, with Mezzacappa, Matt Nelson on tenor sax, Evan Francis on flute, Mark Clifford on vibes, Tim Bulkley on drums, and Michael Coleman on piano. For No Signal, Novik plays A clarinet, with Jeremiah Cymerman on Bb clarinet, and Ava Mendoza and Matt Hollenberg on guitar.

Based on the lineups alone, it may not be a surprise that No Signal was my personal favorite, with its absorbing, unique sound world. Cymerman and Mendoza are among this blog’s favorites performers, brilliant and Berlin is a close second, with the great Bruckmann and Pascucci playing some excellent tandem lines, accentuated by Mezzacappa and Glenn’s excellent counter-improvisations. Mezzacappa is simply incredible throughout the series, one of the finest contemporary bass players, and she and Novik share a knack for inspired and slightly mischievous inspiration. Pulling from references to what, on paper, might be incongruous sights and sounds, Novik and Mezzacappa both make deliriously entertaining music. And together, their work across Berlin, Rotterdam, and O+O+ is simply fantastic.

I recommend the full set of albums, including Fallow Curves, for each is its own self-contained unit, and the journey from one to the other is delightful trip worth taking again and again.




All are available on Bandcamp:

The Fallow Curves of the Planospheres
The Hotel of 13 Losses
Rotterdam
Berlin
O+O+
No Signal

For a limited time, a CD box set is also available.
Fallow Curves Box Set

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Dell Lillinger Westergaard - Grammar II (Plaist, 2019) ****½

By Martin Schray

Christopher Dell (vibraphone), Christian Lillinger (drums) and Jonas Westergaard (double bass) have released the predecessor of their new album six years ago. But this doesn’t mean that they haven’t cooperated since then. In the years between these two releases they’ve recorded an album with Johannes Brecht on electronics (Boulez Materialism), for example. Additionally, Dell and Westergaard are also core members of Christian Lillinger’s projects Grund and Open Form For Society. Grammar II is now, according to the musicians, intended to shift the boundaries of experimental music and document the progress of the trio. Like Grammar I (gligg Records, 2013) the new album combines new classical music with improvisation. The pieces are presented on four levels and especially the influences of Morton Feldman and Pierre Boulez become obvious.

Those who know the three musicians as mad wizards on their instruments will be surprised at first. On "Duration - Structure 1“ each tone is set next to another one in an almost pointillist way, the sound spaces are opened very wide, bass and drums respond to every single sound of the vibraphone and vice versa. The structure of the piece slowly evolves, creating consonant chordal patterns and sonic ghost lights that are reminiscent of sphere music. The piece is a wonderful web of textures that ebb and flow, expanding and contracting and finally flowing exhaustedly into “Duration - Structure 1I“, where the density of the composition increases dramatically. Now the music is much more pronounced, the piece clearly shows the emergence of musical concepts through structural frameworks. Tiny melodies blossom again and again, but basically there is a strong focus on harmonies and rhythms here, as if a rhythm section was bored by backing their soloists. So they get rid of them in order to start working consistently on the rhythmic framework instead and exhibiting their results consistently. “Duration - Structure III“ is the track which displays influences by Pierre Boulez’s “sound proliferation“ philosophy. The musicians replace musical themes with structural, harmonic cells. These cells are created through minimal parameters like intervals or rhythmic units, first there’s often some kind of a reduction, but only to let these structures grow exuberantly. The whole track is a juxtaposition of open chords, wild runs, complex rhythm shifts, zig zags, and bumpy stops and goes. Finally, “Duration - Structure IV“ is like a summary of the previous three pieces. In a weird way, it also reminds me of a highly complex heavy metal piece which is played by an acoustic trio.

Once again - like many Lillinger projects - all this may sound a bit intellectual and bloodless. However, one does not only hear abstract structures, but due to the intensity of the musicianship, the structural strictness is always superimposed with musical emotions, physicality and plasticity. The music the trio creates is not just self-referential, but highly communicative. In spite of being really tight its of a floating lightness as well. Highly recommended.

Grammar II is available on double vinyl and as a CD. You can buy it from the label or from Christian Lillinger’s bandcamp site.

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Fredrik Ljungkvist Trio - Atlantis (Moserobie, 2019) ****

By Eyal Hareuveni 

The work of Swedish reeds master Fredrik Ljungkvist, known from the Swedish-Norwegian quintet Atomic, is criminally undocumented. His new album Atlantis is only the sixth album of his as a leader, over a career that spans about 25 years, but reflects faithfully Ljungkvist’s aesthetics. This new album swings - literally - between memories and homages to seminal jazz icons and mentors and fresh, bold yet always melodic and elegant ideas, performed beautifully. 

Atlantis was recorded during “one sunny day” in April 2019 in the legendary Atlantis studio in Stockholm. Ljungkvist dedicates this album to the memory of recently passed Swedish saxophone player Roland Keijser, his lifelong friend and mentor. Ljungkvist is accompanied by his trusty trio - double bass player Mattias Welin amd drummer Jon Fält who have played with him since 2002 and his larger groups Yun Kan 5 and Yun Kan 10. 

The title-piece offers Ljungkvist’s brand of swing, moving organically, between playful, rhythmic modules and asymmetric, open patterns, with a natural charismatic voice on the tenor sax. Thelonious Monk’s classic “Monk’s Dream”, with young pianist Max Agnas, is stripped and reconstructed rhythmically again and again by Ljungkvist and Agnas and the rhythm session of Welin and Fält, all flow with engaging energy. Ljungkvist’s own ballad “Rue Oberkampf” sounds as a natural expansion of the Monk-ish language. 

“Jag vet Inte“ (I Don’t Know in Swedish) is a beautiful and openly emotional, free-improvised duet of Ljungkvist on baritone sax and the operatic, wordless vocals of Sofia Jernberg, with subtle support of Welin and Fält. “Flykt” (Escape in Swedish), with Ljungkvist again on baritone sax and its hard-swinging spirit, sounds at first as paying respect to one of Sweden sax giant Lars Gullin but explodes later as a free jazz piece. The lone reading of Keijser’s fragile ballad “So-do-so-do-re” is one of emotional peaks of Atlantis. Ljungkvist concludes with another homage to another master, Bill Evans’ “Very Early”, with veteran pianist Göran Strandberg, known for his work with Red Mitchell, and himself on the clarinet. This piece succeeds sound untimely and fresh at once.

Who said that jazz is dead? It even smells great.

More on Soundcloud

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Tom Arthurs, Khroustaliov & Sartorius - Hangkerum (Clean Feed, 2019) ****½

By Stef

As a fan of Don Cherry, I have always been fascinated by the trumpeter's openness to engage with musicians with totally different backgrounds and approaches: from Hassan Hakmoun over Lou Reed to Krzysztof Penderecki and Terry Riley, and of course all the real jazz configurations he played in. And that was one of his strengths: to be open to influences, to find new synergies and musical possibilities. That not every endeavour can be called succesful should not be a surprise, and - at least to me - the big disappointment was his collaboration with John Appleton on the album "Human Music" (1970). Despite its name, Appleton gave me the impression to "dehumanise" Cherry's music, and reducing it to bleeps and peeps and squeaks. Or even worse, the sounds Appleton produced were non-music, dead, machine sounds. The only positive aspect about the album is that an effort was made to try and reconcile man and machine in a musical environment, even if unsuccessful. 

British trumpeter Tom Arthurs takes up the challenge. He is fascinated by music in all its diversity, and he holds a PhD in music from the University of Edinburgh, for which he conducted an Ethnography of Improvised Music in Berlin, in which electronics is apparently much more abundant than what I had imagined. 

Tom Arthurs & Alberto Novello - Cahier De Petits Coquillages Vol. IV-V (Setola Di Maiale, 2018)

Last year, Arthurs released "Cahier De Petits Coquillages Vol. IV-V", in collaboration with the electronics and multimedia artist Alberto Novello. As much as I like Arthurs' playing on this album, as much as I dislike Novello's sounds. I try to listen to the trumpet without noticing the electronics and it sounds beautiful. The question is whether it would have sounded beautiful without the interaction of the electronics. That is a question nobody can answer. I have listened to this album several times, but it requires real effort on my part, and it starts irritating quite fast. Novello's sound is an acquired taste. 

Listen and download from Bandcamp.

Arthurs luckily keeps expanding his universe, including turning his former duo "Vaucanson's Muse" with Isambard Khroustaliov (aka Sam Britton) on electronics, to a trio with drummer Julian Sartorius.


Tom Arthurs, Khroustaliov & Sartorius - Hangkerum (Clean Feed, 2019) ****½

Interestingly enough, the interaction with the electronics on this album proves to be a success, and that is possibly due to two factors. First, Khroustaliov is a really subtle musician. He is not the in-your-face bleeps-peeps&squeaks-manufacturer who shows off his software and electronic wizardry. No, his approach is that of a musician rather than of a techie, he understands music and sound art. His sounds add drama, contrast, emotion, surprise. Second, Sartorius is equally astonishing on percussion. Together with the electronics, he creates a wonderful backdrop of alien sounds. No two sounds are alike and very few of those sounds were ever created before."Being interested in fine-scaled variations, tension and release, mass and vibrancy, he creates projects like the 12-LP-box set «Beat Diary» (Everest Records, 2012), consisting of 365 beat tracks", says his bio, implicitly emphasising his unique and uncompromising passion to percussive creativity.  In a way, the album would even be interesting by just listening to the interaction between Khroustaliov and Sartorius.

Against the formidable sonic canvas created by these two hyper-specialists, Arthurs' trumpet navigates full of depth and sensitivity, challenged by the sounds, interacting with them, harmonising with them. Like his two partners on this album, Arthurs' technical skills are truly impressive: from crystal-clear pure tones to muddled multiphonics and beyond. What could have become a clash of egoes, a combat for front-stage, wonderfully results in a very mature and cohesive effort where the co-creation and the musical result dominate. 

The pace is slow, measured, intense. Especially in the last track - "Reréaux" - the intensity is even more increased by the higher density, apparent chaos and sheer volume of the interaction. 

It is unusual music, one in which I have to revisit my reluctance with electronics. In the right hands (minds?) and in the right company, they may benefit the overall sound and create an astonishing listening experience, as on this album. 

An ear-opener! 


Listen to "Duch"

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Éliane Radigue - Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin, 2019) *****

By Keith Prosk

l’Orchestre de Nouvelles Créations, Expérimentations et Improvisation Musicales (ONCEIM), directed by Frédéric Blondy and with special guests Richard Comte (guitar), Robin Hayward (tuba), Charlotte Hug (viola), Akino Kamiya (percussion), Alexis Persigan (trombone), and Julien Pontvianne (clarinet), perform Éliane Radigue’s Occam Ocean for orchestra in one track lasting 52 minutes on Occam Ocean 2.

Radigue began composing for acoustic instruments in 2004 and for her Occam Ocean project in 2011. The project entails inviting individual musicians to her apartment and getting to know the instrumentalist and their relationship with their instrument. From there, she orally and aurally (and sometimes pictorially) communicates a composition for solo to that musician, based on that relationship. These compositions are broad strokes, in which moment-to-moment decisions are left to the performer, and less concerned with tunings than how overtones interact with and in the performance space. In the project, these solos are called occams, duos are rivers, and larger chamber ensembles are deltas. At this moment, there might be over 50 musicians involved with the project.

I was first introduced to the project when Nate Wooley performed his occam at the 2019 Big Ears festival ; I was not equipped to understand it well, yet it was still one of the most memorable sets of the fest. Then this past December, having gained awareness of the project, listened to the enchanting occams, river, and delta on Occam Ocean 1, and resolved to review this recording, I saw Charles Curtis (cello), Rhodri Davies (harp), Robin Hayward, and Dafne Vicente-Sandoval (bassoon) perform a medley of occams, rivers, and deltas in Houston, hosted by Nameless Sound. It is one of the most sublime performances I’ve ever seen. Each musician played sustained tones in such a way as to splay the overtones into naked audibility. Each sinusoidal fundamental resonating, synthesizing with its harmonics and those of the other instruments. Pulses hastening and slowing as the waves converge and diverge. Pure sound with personality.

I say “personality” because not only are the compositions intimately personal but, since an instruments character is largely timbral and timbre is largely determined by harmonics, these compositions and performances, despite sometimes sounding like pure sound waves, are deeply tethered to the instrumentalists and their instruments. It feels as if the performers present their very self. And that they give and take a little from the other performers through synthesis and divergence. Despite less overt interplay, it sounds more communal than most improvising ensembles. And despite the ascetic restraint of play, it is an ecstatic celebration of the musician, as a concept and an individual.

Radigue began composing Occam Ocean for orchestra in 2014 at Blondy’s insistence; ONCEIM first performed it in 2015 and recorded Occam Ocean 2 in 2017. It is Radigue’s first composition for orchestra. The macrostructure of the project mirrors the microstructure: Radigue met with each musician to communicate a tailored solo composition based on their relationship with their instrument. But the logistical realities of a large orchestra also required that Radigue meet with each family of the orchestra (strings, horns, saxophones, etc.), that Blondy conduct, with his own performance solo, and that the outline of the orchestral composition allow space for instruments that play sustained tones quietly, like guitar and percussion. The grander size of the orchestra moves beyond rivers and deltas, and the composition borrows its name from the overarching project, ocean.
And to even try to describe this music is to describe the infinite turbulent pathways of water molecules at the shore as just a wave. Like the smaller ensembles, it’s drone music in the sense that it’s concerned with overtones but, like worthwhile drone music, it’s not nearly as static as the genre suggests. Families of instruments (guitars, saxophones, horns, etc.) tend to enter and exit together.

The same emphasis on harmonic interactions is present but at scale. Eddies are gyres. The confluence of tributaries is the gathering of great oceanic tongues of mildly differing salinities and temperatures, densities. The sound is much more corporeal, the vibrations seismic. The first half appears to focus on more linearly introducing families of instruments and building resonance; the second half is more tempestuous, with many lines interacting with and reacting to each other. There are melodies and harmonies perhaps sensed but not consciously heard. It gets cathartic, cinematic. Emotive at the heart for all its intellectual intricacies. Full of pseudochaotic, polyrhythmic pulses to decipher and enjoy with each new listen.

Moreso than most music, Occam Ocean 2 suffers from recording because the bodily experience, the information gleaned from seeing the sounds emitted by performers, and the relationship of the performance to the performance space are all diluted. However, Radigue’s Occam Ocean project is woefully under-recorded for the increasingly inumerable combinations of musicians involved in the project, so any morsel received is worth treasuring. Occam Ocean 2 in particular because of the unique harmonic possibilities of the orchestra. I believe Occam Ocean has the potential to be seen as a watershed project, and for the many that can’t catch a performance, Occam Ocean 2 is a formidable touchstone. No wonder the Free Jazz Collective considered this to be among the best recordings of 2019 , and I quickly considered it among the best recordings of the decade .

ONCEIM on this recording is: Pierre-Antoine Badaroux (saxophone); Félicie Bazelaire (cello); Sébastien Beliah (contrabass); Patricia Bosshard (violin); Giani Caserotto (guitar); Xavier Charles (clarinet); Pierre Cusac (accordion); Jean Daufresne (euphonium); Bertrand Denzler (saxophone); Vianney Desplantes (euphonium); Benjamin Dousteyssier (saxophone); Jean Dousteyssier (clarinet); Benjamin Duboc (contrabass); Yoann Durant (saxophone); Antonin Gerbal (percussion); Jean-Brice Godet (clarinet); Louis Laurain (trumpet); Carmen Lefrançois (saxophone); Jean-Sébastien Mariage (guitar); Frédéric Marty (contrabass); Anaïs Moreau (cello); Stéphane Rives (saxophone); Julia Robert (viola); Joris Rühl (clarinet); and Alvise Sinivia (percussion).

Occam Ocean 2 is available digitally and on CD.

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From Wolves To Whales

From Wolves To Whales - Strandwal  (Aerophonic, 2019) ****½ & Dead Leaves Drop (Dropa, 2019) ****½

By Stef

Wow! Two new albums by the "super group" "From Wolves to Whales", which consists of Dave Rempis on sax, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Pascal Niggenkemper on bass and Chris Corsano on drums. No need to introduce these musicians to you. You get the fireworks their names suggest.

If anybody's interested in the band's name, it might come from the recent discovery about the ancestry of whales which can be traced back to wolves. You can read more about the evolutionary findings here.

From a musical perspective, the band's concept is comparable. I'm not sure whether the "wolf" represents jazz itself, or the jazz of Ornette Coleman, with its similar line-up, which evolved into this highly energetic free power band that could be considered as "whales". Interestingly, wolves live in packs and whales live in pods. Wolves communicate by howling, barking, growling and whining. Whales use vocalisations that are sometimes called songs (as in Charlie Haden's "Song of the Whales"). Their songs have been described as "probably the most complex in the animal kingdom".

Be that as it may, the quartet's core music is unmistakably jazz, with all the definitions that go with it, and often with references to the Ornette Coleman Quartet, with its nervous branching out of sounds, but its equally centering around some core concepts, including the rare melodic phrases that emerge from the high intensity ferocity of the band, or in the sometimes boppish agreement among the bass and drums to keep a steady rhythm. Yet despite this legacy and respect for the "free jazz tradition", the four musicians make today's music (or tomorrow's), a real collective effort with a level of freedom that must sound even audacious to Coleman.

The two albums were recorded during a European tour in 2017. "Strandwal" is a double CD, with performances given in the Netherlands at De Pletterij in Haarlem (yes, the origin of Harlem in New York), one day before the concert in Belgium in the city of Antwerp (yes, the origin of Antwerp in New York). "Dead Leaves Drop" is a vinyl LP consisting of two long pieces, "Pakicetus" (the "whale on land") and "Ambulocetus" (the "wolf in the water").

Both albums come highly recommended, because both performances are excellent. The improvisations are long, some almost as long as half an hour, but there's nothing too long or superfluous. The band's wonderful instrumental artistry combined with their shared coherent vision on their music makes you listen with full attention, captivated by the collective power of these four individual voices. The sound is raw, fierce, energetic, with some quieter moments or even gentler moments to create contrast and tension. There are moments of absolute madness, but the band manages to stay close to the core of its developing material, it evolves, and may change between land and water, but it keeps its inherent characteristics. They howl, they bark, they growl and whine, but above all, they sing. As a pack, as a pod.

Free jazz at its best.

The entire concert in the Netherlands can be viewed below. 

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Elizabeth Millar - no instrument machine, air (Mystery & Wonder, 2019) ****

By Keith Prosk

Elizabeth Millar creates lush, alluring sonic vignettes with air and objects, including clarinet, for 22 minutes across five tracks on her debut solo recording, no instrument machine, air. Much of her recorded work to date is with trumpeter Craig Pederson, especially in their duo for amplified trumpet and amplified clarinet, Sound of the Mountain, which released a self-titled record with Tetuzi Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura in 2019. no instrument machine, air continues to expand her pallette with machine hums, metal surfaces, fans, propellers, and possibly other objects to introduce new dynamic possibilities for density, pulse, and volume to her music.

Millar’s clarinet playing - which is ostensibly audible only on “Mechanical Forest Sound 1,” “Mechanical Forest Sound 2” and “NIMA” - is mostly funneled breath, wheezing and whistling, some chirps, maybe fetch across saliva, and occasional low-end rumbles from amplified playing… or the amplifier itself. The space is mostly occupied by the pulses of tapped surfaces, electric clicks, machine hums, and particularly propellers and fans, both their air and their blades, whose pulse is sometimes modulated by changing their speed or touching an object to the blades further or closer from the center, along the rotating radius. These sounds from air and objects, including the clarinet, are multitracked to produce a rhythmically rich environment, with polyrhythms rising from the intersecting spectrum of lower frequency hums and breaths and the various higher frequency flappings and clickings. And they’re mixed in such a way to diversify density and volume within each track, further creating a sense of movement and keeping things fresh. Furthermore, each track appears to have its own focus or feature: “Mechanical Forest Sound 1” serves as an introductory exhibition; “propeller and metal disc 1” showcases modulating pulses by moving objects along a fan’s rotating radius as well as pronounced volume control from an amplifier vs air pressure vs the pressure with which an object is applied to a surface; “light metal” introduces a more organic environment, with timbres becoming more wooden, like a marimba or bamboo, and rhythms becoming more irregular and natural; and “NIMA” begins to explore the extremes of volume control by interjecting silence, perhaps rhythmically.

The results are a impressively dynamic, concise statement that should be understood as a declaration that this is a musician to watch. Especially for those who already enjoy the clarinet and tape works of Xavier Charles and Jürg Frey.

no instrument machine, air is available on CD and digitally.

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Dopolarians - Garden Party (Mahakala Music, 2019) ***½

By Paul Acquaro

Garden Party is an engaging and fun work that teams up some heavyweights like saxophonist Kidd Jordan, bassist William Parker, and drummer Alvin Fielder with younger musicians saxophonist Chad Fowler and pianist Chris Parker, as well as vocalist Kelley Hurt. It is Fielder's final recording, as he fell sick and passed away after it's recording, and it is an engaging recording with some absolutely stellar moments of beauty and inspired playing.

The opening track is simply titled 'C Melody'. It begins with the gentle touch of Parker's piano mixed with the gentle flow of Jordan's tenor saxophone. The song unfurls unhurriedly, supported by the late Fielder's astute percussion work. As the piece progresses, Parker's bass becomes more prominent, adding to the urgency of alto saxophonist Chad Fowler playing The various lines intertwine, reacting to each other, reaching a peak at the end of the track. The next track, 'Dopolaria", a mash-up of Italian words, begins with a benign melody on the piano. Mixing with Hurt's wordless vocals, it forms a bridge to the more fiery 'Father Dies, Son Dies,' where there is rather engaging mix of the wordless vocals, composed melodies, and pointed solos from the saxes. The title track wraps itself around a poem by Hurt. It begins with a description of domestic life, a mix of nature and human nature. It is a gentle tune, which proceeds very simply, perfectly in tune with the free form poetry and familial themes. Fowler's slightly acidic solo towards the middle of the piece is a highlight.

'Guilty Happy' begins with an Ornette Coleman-like vibe. Maybe it's the somewhat off-kilter but still very accessible melody, or the uptempo approach - it is not completely graspable - and it does indeed feel happy. Interestingly, as the track achieves maximum happiness, it also seems to be most guilty of it and slowly decomposes into a melancholic and searching section, before re-constituting the head. The album closes with "Impromptu", which features a somewhat irritating melody, but I believe purposely so as it quickly and delightfully unravels with sax solos that stretch times and wander far beyond the original form.

Garden Party is an enjoyable album with a lot to offer. While it may not be that much of a challenge for the more intrepid listener, it is certain to engage and entertain.

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Free Jazz Blog's Top Album(s) of 2019

Sigmar Polke - Ohne Titel (Schallplatten)

Here it is, the long awaited top album of 2019! Culled from the top 10 lists of the collective, we then conducted a poll among all contributors over the past year and now we're happy to announce this year's winners.

The top spot goes to Matana Roberts' Coin Coin Chapter 4: Memphis. Roberts is not new to the blog, in fact she received the top album of the year in 2013 for Coin Coin Chapter 2: Mississippi Moonchile.

Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation Records)

Martin Schray, in his review of the album, writes in his review:

The waiting has come to an end - Matana Roberts is back with the fourth chapter of her outstanding Coin Coin series, which has rightfully been praised as the most interesting long-term project in modern jazz. For those not familiar with the idea of the project: the first three Coin Coin albums, Gens de Couleurs Libres, Mississippi Moonchile, and River Run Thee, released between 2011 and 2015, were supposed to present history from a different perspective. Coin Coin has been planned as a 12-part magnum opus based on the life story of the former slave and later entrepreneur Marie Thérèse Coincoin, who lived in Louisiana at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century and was an ancestor of Roberts, whose parents moved from the South to Chicago and also used Coincoin as a nickname for their daughter. The project is therefore also a personal quest for one's own roots, but in the sense of an alternative historiography it’s much more than that. As a result, this album - like its predecessors - is both field research, political intervention, and sound event at the same time.

In second place, we are pleased to present for the first time NYC based percussionist Whit Dickey with his excellent double album release.

Whit Dickey / The Tao Quartets - Box of Light & Peace Planet (AUM Fidelity)

Lee Rice Epstein writes in his review:

Both sets are credited to what Dickey calls his Tao Quartets, a nod to the universalism at the heart of this music. There has always been a strong, spiritual center to his music. Now, nearly a decade after his previous albums, with an audible gap in the world of free improvisation left by Ware and Campbell’s ascensions, it’s clear just how vital a presence Dickey’s compositional voice is, when he takes on the role of bandleader. Much like Perelman and Shipp, with whom he’s never stopped collaborating, Dickey’s leadership is somewhat suggestive: each song has an overall shape and general destination, but the six performers collectively guide the music.

And in a tie for third place we have:

• Christian Lillinger: Open Form for Society (Plaist)
• David Torn, Tim Berne & Ches Smith - Sun Of Goldfinger (ECM)
• Eliane Radigue- Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin) [review coming soon]
• Microtub - Chronic Shift (Bohemian Drips)
• Nate Wooley - Columbia Icefield (Northern Spy)
• Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark - Invitation To a Dream (Astral Spirits)

Our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to all of the artists who we were able to cover, and everyone whom we wish we had the resources to cover. We all acquire and listen to much more than we would ever be able to write about, and there are many other recordings, artists, and labels that we hold in high regard.

So thank you to all of the contributors (the collective) who have given their time and energy to keeping the Free Jazz Blog alive. We've now reached the venerable age of 12 and as a volunteer organization  - which is how many in Internet years? 

Finally, thank you to all of our readers who share in the love of the challenge of improvised and experimental music.

There it is, 2019 is over, onto the next!

- Paul Acquaro

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Reflecting upon last decade's musical influencers

By Stef

Free music is alive and kicking. Listening experiences are expanded, innovations introduced, the nature of sound altered ... In our world of images and text, of opinions and rational arguments, of basic emotions and fast judgments, nothing is more welcome than music that elevates us all to a different sphere, allowing us to join in sentiments and feelings that cannot be spoken, that defy rationality, that are beyond categorisation, yet that appear to be somehow appreciated by many, regardless of their language or culture.

In this short piece I want to pay tribute to the musicians who made our lives deeper and more enjoyable in the past decade, both the established artists who confirmed their role and the newcomers who came with fresh and sometimes disruptive ideas.

The lists are based on the number of times these musicians appeared in our blog over the last decade, as well as the qualitative evaluation they received. This can be by reviews of their albums, or by being mentioned as reference in reviews of other albums or of concerts. To this, I added some personal preferences.

Wadada Leo Smith
(Photo by Dawid Laskowski) 

In my opinion, Wadada Leo Smith is without a doubt the most important musician of the past decade. His versatility and musical inventiveness stand out. Whether fusion, classical, free improv or jazz, whether on solo albums, duo albums, small ensembles or with large groups, Smith seems not only to offer something new and fresh, he also pushes the boundaries of music forward, relentlessly and seemingly effortless. And of course his trumpet-playing is majestic. With many of his albums obtaining 5-star evaluations, he is also the Winner of our Happy New Ears Award 2016.

Satoko Fujii
(photo by Krzysztof Penarski)

The Japanese pianist has also been one of the most prominent musicians in the last decade. A very prolific artist - especially to celebrate her 60th birthday - she is equally versatile. Possibly her orchestras (New York, Tokyo, Kobe, Nagoya) are best known, but her solo work or work with small ensembles (Kaze, Gato Libre, Ma-Do, Min-Yoh) is equally superb. Even if all her music comes in different styles and contexts, its inherent power to create tension and strong, almost visual narratives make her stand out. Like Smith, she combines composition and improvisation. And of course she is a wonderful pianist.

Ken Vandermark
(Photo by Seth Tisue)
Even if I doubt the quality of the search engine on our website, there is no doubt that Ken Vandermark is the most cited musician on this blog, with more than 225 mentions in the last ten years, or almost once every two weeks. He seems to be everywhere and active all the time, composing, touring, recording, creating new ensembles on the fly. He has an average of four albums a year as a leader, many of which are double albums or even box-sets. Of all the musicians on the list, he is possibly the one who's most rooted in jazz, celebrating the power of strong themes, solid and subtle rhythms and wild improvisation. His voice is very recognisable as a sax player, yet every time it is a pleasure to listen to.

John Butcher
(Photo by Susan O'Connor)
The British saxophonist moves us away from jazz into the realm of pure sound art and tonal explorations. Sound colours space, and space colours sound. He is most comfortable with solo albums or small ensembles, often with other British innovators, or with like-minded spirits from Germany, US, Norway, Japan. His music is visionary, full of surprise and intimacy. He forces the listener to sit down and slow down and truly listen because every note matters.


Joëlle Léandre
(Photo by Dawid Laskowski)

The second most read article on this blog, was French bassist Joëlle Léandre's virulent attack on the lack of gender diversity in the attribution of the French Jazz Awards. But that is not the reason we mention her here (no, it's not out of fear!): her impact on jazz and improvised music in the last decade has been equally formidable. She's a world citizen, meeting people, performing with them. She has also been very keen to mentor upcoming musicians, and giving them a platform to record, not only to give them a chance, but also for her to stay young and fresh and to be challenged by new sounds and approaches.
Mats Gustafsson
(Photo by K.Penarski)

The fiery Swede is also omnipresent in our reviews, getting the place he deserves on the global music stage in the last decade. Despite his reputation as a power player the sensitivity of his art in smaller ensembles is often overlooked. His Fire! Orchestra is one of the most popular live acts on the scene - and always scoring high in our polls - but he is equally comfortable to collaborate with the more abstract art of pianists like Agustí Fernandéz, with the austere inventiveness of a Barry Guy, sound artists like Joachim Nordwall or doom bands such as Chaos Echoes, to name but a few.
Joe McPhee
(Photo by Seth Tisue)
How much poorer would music be without Joe McPhee! In the last decade, he bridged the age gap between 70 and 80 years, but he seems to become younger together with the refinement of his art. He is the soul of music, whether with Trio X, or with his endless list of collaborations with musical innovators from around the world: UK, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France, and many more. His sound is unmistakably his, with deep and solid roots in blues and jazz that act as a springboard to go beyond the known. He is the living evidence that avant-garde and heartfelt emotions are not mutually exclusive.


Rob Mazurek
(Photo by Ariele Monti)

He's less prolific and less present than some of the musicians mentioned in this list, but that is possibly due to his long stay in Brasil. Even if he was already very active in the decade before, his art really came to fruition now, with his extraordinary "Exploding Star Orchestra", his Chicago Underground and his Sao Paulo Underground. He is a musical and technological innovator, experimenting with sound (including by electric eels), electronics, arrangements and post-production, but all this without loosing sight of what it means to take listeners along on his journey.




Matthew Shipp
(Photo by Thien V)

Even if he decided not to record for one year, this doesn't show in his prolific record output of the last decade. Shipp's art is one of integration, a sublimation of musical influences from blues to classical, where improvisational structure and abstract lyricism meet. Around half his albums of the last years have been duets with Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman, but that gives only a partial view of his music and sound. He has had several 5-star reviews for his solo work and his collaboration with Daniel Carter and William Parker. Always a joy to hear.

There are of course many more musicians to be mentioned. I did not include free jazz and free improv luminaries such as Evan Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Anthony Braxton, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Barry Guy or Steve Swell because they continued their innovations and work of the previous decades. Their influence was already felt and made earlier, and it obviously continues today.

Other established musicians who appear often in our blog, and as a consequence they also shaped the decade are Eddie Prévost, Agusti Fernandez, Tim Berne, Trevor Watts, Paal Nilssen-Love, Simon Rose, Steve Noble, Hamid Drake, William Parker, Ivo Perelman, Larry Ochs, Craig Taborn, Tom Rainey, Daniel Carter, Gerald Cleaver,  Cooper-Moore, Paul Dunmall, Frode Gjerstad, Marilyn Crispell, ... 

If all these musicians had strong impact on music, in essence they continued the career they had started many years before. But we have also seen a wonderful number of younger musicians who are committed to finding new musical experiences, who, despite all odds of commercial success, invest their time and creativity in music that may never make them rich - even if we hope it does - working on their artistic vision with stubborn enthusiasm.

Nate Wooley
(Photo Schorle - Creative Commons)

Trumpeter Nate Wooley is almost the perfect representation of the decade. A very disciplined instrumentalist, he is as versatile as he is inquisitive for new sounds. He can play as a member of a band with a more traditional use of his instrument, or go totally beyond expectations with his personal investigations. His output is prolific as it is rich. From solo albums, collaborations with fellow trumpet-player Peter Evans over the interesting bands such as 'From Wolves To Whales' or the 'Bureau of Atomic Tourism', to his most singular vision on his Seven Storey Mountain ensemble.
Okkyung Lee
(Photo by Peter Gannushkin)

Korean cellist Okkyung Lee moved to the US in 2000 where she got a degree in contemporary music. Musically, she is closer to the avant-garde free improv scene than to jazz. She combines technical mastery with an uncompromising and adventurous musical vision that his deeply emotional at the same time. Some of her solo albums are exceptional, but so are her collaborations with other forward-thinking musicians such as Axel Dörner, Lasse Marhaug, John Edwards and Peter Evans.


Matana Roberts
(Photo by Frank Schindelbeck)

The last decade is the decade of Matana Roberts' "Coin Coin" series, a narrative of racial suppression and human rights. Her output is not as prolific as some other musicians on this list, but the quality is exceptional, with 5-star ratings for each of the four chapters, and guaranteed appearance on the Best Albums of the Year. Ambitious and powerful. Originally, her "Coin, Coin" series was expected to be organised in twelve chapters. We have eight more to go. We look forward to the next decade!

Martin Küchen
(Photo by Iztokx)

The Swedish saxophonist is actually no longer part of the new generation of the last decade (sorry, Martin), but he only managed to really break through in this decade and create his impact. Possibly his best known and loved bands are the "Angles 9" (or 3 or 8 or 10) ensemble, that accuses the hypocrisy of today's political world and its violence against the powerless, in a music that is as infectious as it is deeply emotional and free. But next to this, he also delivered some of the more personal and deeply felt solo albums of the decade, as well as creative adventures in other smaller ensembles.



Tyshawn Sorey
(Photo by Helmut Berns)

With "Koan" from 2009, drummer Tyshawn Sorey illustrated that he had some very personal ideas about music, and luckily he managed to realise his potential, and his ambitious "Pillars" became the Winner of the Happy New Ears Award 2018 and he also figured in the Top-10 Happy New Ears 2017, and getting 5-star scores for "Alloy",  "The Adornment of Time" and "Flaga: Book Of Angels 27". He is one of the Anthony Braxton students, and not the only one in this list.





Susana Santos Silva
(Photo: Christer Männikus)

As an occasional member of the 'Fire! Orchestra', a remarkable solo album, and strong collaborations in bands such as Lama, or the occasional ensemble with Scandinavian musicians, Susana Santos Silva created her voice: clear and agile. Her duo with Kaja Draksler and her albums as a leader all received very high ratings and mentions among the Best Albums of the Year. She is one of the many Portuguese artists who received a platform by the Clean Feed label, but the quality and inventiveness of her work has confirmed their initial support.



Eve Risser
(Photo by Tore Sætre - Creative Commons)

French pianist Eve Risser had released three albums when she suddenly hit the global musical stage with her "En Corps" album which won her the Happy New Ears Award 2012. Afterwards, she consistently ended up on our Best of the Year lists (2015, 2016), with her solo albums, her duos and smaller ensembles.

Almost by herself she created a new sound for the piano, building on the legacy of artists like Benoît Delbecq's rhythmic complexities and prepared piano, but adding a phenomenal energetic drive and single-minded focus. In the over-crowded space of jazz piano, she managed to find her own voice and do something exciting with it.

Ingrid Laubrock
(Photo by Harald Krichel - Creative Commons)

Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's real breakthrough happened only in the last decade, possibly after the success of the excellent "Sleepthief" in 2008. Like Sorey, Halvorson, Ho Bynum and other musicians, she is one of the musicians who developed under the mentorship of Anthony Braxton. Today, she is very much in demand, as is illustrated by her participation on more than 40 albums in the last ten years, of which a large part by one of the eleven ensembles that she led or leads.

With several 5-star albums on our blog, she appears on several Happy New Ears albums of the year.


Marcelo Dos Reis/Luis Vicente
(Photos by Nuño Martins and Cees van de Ven)

We could have reviewed them separately, but the Portuguese guitarist Marcelo dos Reis and trumpeter Luis Vicente have created their own sound of modern improvised music, and this in various ensembles with different approaches and line-ups: free, cohesive, hypnotic and sensitive. With Chamber 4, they won our Happy New Ears Award for 2017, and they were runner-up in 2015. I could and maybe should also have added the brothers Théo and Valentin
Ceccaldi, who also played with the two Portuguese in various ensembles.






Mary Halvorson
(Photo by Franpi Barriaux - Creative Commons)

Even if I don't like the "twang" of her sound, guitarist Mary Halvorson appears on not less than 127 articles published on this blog in the last ten years, either as a leader, as a band member or as a reference in other articles. This sheer quantity of posts says enough about the impact she has. She is also somebody with a strong musical character, and with the skills to turn them into a reality. She's a disciplined composer and improviser, with a style on the guitar that's all her own.





The downside of selecting musicians in a list like this, is that you frustrate all the other musicians that are not mentioned and who still made a difference. Apologies to them for this.

In my opinion, a number of things have changed in the past decade (or this also may have to do with my personal bias and changes in musical appreciation).

First, quite a lot of (young) women have taken front-stage. I could have added musicians such as Jaimie Branch, Kaja Draksler, Mette Rasmussen, Anna Högberg, Paula Shocron, Lina Allemano, Elisabeth Harnik, Magda Mayas, Lotte Anker, Rachel Musson, Jessica Pavone, Catherine Sikora, Lisa Mezzacappa, Sophie Agnel, Alexandra Grimal, Angharad Davies, Zeena Parkins, Katherine Young, Susan Alcorn, Judith Hamann, Kris Davis, Lisa Ullén, Nina de Heney, Sandy Ewen, Birgit Ulher, Christine Sehnaoui, Heather Leigh, ...

Second, that the world has become more global, with new voices coming from around the world. The old Chicago-New York axis is still very strong, and attracted artists such as Okkyung Lee, Joe Hertenstein, Ingrid Laubrock, but the emergence and growth of new labels in Europe (Clean Feed, No Business, Not Two, Multikulti, Dark Tree, ForTune, Ayler, ...) has led to the promotion of lots of new local talent, especially from Scandinavia, Portugal, Poland and France. Maybe in that respect, Poland is underrepresented in the list above with stellar musicians such as Tomasz Dabrowski, Waclaw Zimpel, Mikolaj Trzaska, and Portugal could also have offered more names such as Rodrigo Amado, Sei Miguel, Hugo Antunes, Rodrio Pinheiro. And I would like to add many more names from other countries too: Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Spain. I can only recommend to use the search function of our blog or to browse through the topics list on the right. There's a lot to discover. 

Third, that maybe our concept of "jazz" itself should be revisited in our blog's title. Even if the music we review has strong roots in jazz, and would mostly technically qualify as jazz in music stores and streaming services, it has long gone beyond this narrow definition, bringing us back to Wadada Leo Smith, who says, why not just call it "music". Artists create their own musical landscapes, unhindred by the constraints of rigid forms, yet building on the existing foundations and influences to take our music even further. We have witnessed a tendency towards more minimalism and intimacy by musicians such as Xavier Charles, Ingar Zach, Kim Myhr, Jim Denley, Ernesto Rodrigues, Robin Hayward. Or others who explore the possibilities and the limits of sound, such as Magda Mayas, Jean-Luc Guyonnet, Mike Majkowski, Axel Dörner. We have also witnessed the emergence of larger ensembles, with Fire! Orchestra, Angles 9, the Dorf, the Brötzmann Tentets and others. We have witnessed the wonderful group experiments by Mazen Kerbaj who brought together 49 trumpet players or by Peter Jacquemyn who brought together a few dozen musicians with instruments that can reach bass tones. We have seen the emergence of experimentation with electronics, radically changing the sounds coming out of instruments, in live or studio settings, often pushing us out of our comfort zones. We have seen the further expansion of new lyricism and the willingness to embrace emotions in a way that would have met with skepticism in the past, and especially Polish and Portuguese musicians dare take the lead in that direction. 

In sum, the last decade has been absolutely fantastic, with many new ideas and wonderful listening experiences. This music - whatever its name - is alive and kicking, more vibrant than ever, universal, innovative and human. 

I can't wait for the next decade to hear how all that further evolves. 

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