Darius Jones: The Mastering of Musical Allegory
A musician who knows no category
Lyn Horton
Gary Hassay and Michael Bisio: My Brother
The red mandala-shaped image on the cover of My Brother suggests the introspective nature of the improvised set recorded by alto sax player Gary Hassay … Read More “Gary Hassay and Michael Bisio: My Brother”
Kidd Jordan, Harrison Bankhead & Warren Smith
‘On Fire’ on Engine Records
Chicago Trio’s ‘Velvet Songs’
Ernest Dawkins, Harrison Bankhead & Hamid Drake pay tribute to Fred Anderson
Wadada Leo Smith: Ten Freedom Summers
Report on premiere of ambitious new work from trumpeter and composer at the REDCAT Performance Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
Zlatko Kaučič: Emigrants
A 2011 winner of the Prešern Fund Award, the most prestigious cultural achievement award in Slovenia, Zlatko Kaučič is a masterful percussionist. In his recording, … Read More “Zlatko Kaučič: Emigrants”
Haunted House: Loren Connors, Andrew Burnes, Suzanne Langille, Neel Murgai : Blue Ghost Blues
The band Haunted House has no real history, except in its name, which, according to producer Kurt Gottschalk’s liner notes, originated in blues man’s Lonnie … Read More “Haunted House: Loren Connors, Andrew Burnes, Suzanne Langille, Neel Murgai : Blue Ghost Blues”
The Spanish Donkey: Joe Morris, Jamie Saft, Mike Pride: XYX
Sometimes, it is just easier to let the mind go and be “one” with music rather trying to analyze it. Such is the case with … Read More “The Spanish Donkey: Joe Morris, Jamie Saft, Mike Pride: XYX”
Harrison Bankhead Sextet: Morning Sun/Harvest Moon
In his Chicago club, the Velvet Lounge, “Baba” (father) Fred Anderson made it a goal to keep the music so close to his heart going. … Read More “Harrison Bankhead Sextet: Morning Sun/Harvest Moon”
Rob Brown Trio: Rob Brown/Craig Taborn/Nasheet Waits: Unknown Skies
Alto sax player Rob Brown collaborated with pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Nasheet Waits in a live performance as part of the 2010 Sons d’Hiver … Read More “Rob Brown Trio: Rob Brown/Craig Taborn/Nasheet Waits: Unknown Skies”
Dickie Landry: Fifteen Saxophones
Recorded in 1974 and originally released in 1977 on Northern Lights, Fifteen Saxophones brings to mind the era of minimalism which stretched from the mid-sixties … Read More “Dickie Landry: Fifteen Saxophones”
Joe Morris and Agustí Fernández: Ambrosia
Characteristic of Riti Records is its minimalism. A recording’s package is more than likely sleek, visually monochromatic, and carries few words. The inference here is … Read More “Joe Morris and Agustí Fernández: Ambrosia”
Survival Unit III: Joe McPhee, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Zerang: Synchronicity
The first for the label Harmonic Convergence to come in an edition of three hundred is Synchronicity by the trio, Survival Unit III. Joe McPhee … Read More “Survival Unit III: Joe McPhee, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Zerang: Synchronicity”
Klang: James Falzone, Jason Adasiewicz, Jason Roebke, Tim Daisy: Other Doors
James Falzone’s solo clarinet introduction of “These Foolish Things” to Other Doors invites the music to come. His quartet, Klang, includes vibist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist … Read More “Klang: James Falzone, Jason Adasiewicz, Jason Roebke, Tim Daisy: Other Doors”
Warren Smith: Multi-Versed Communicator
Lyn Horton profiles the percussionist and bandleader
Darius Jones/Matthew Shipp: Cosmic Lieder
Borrowing from the idea of romantic song, otherwise known as classical German “lieder,” in Cosmic Lieder, alto sax player Darius Jones and pianist Matthew Shipp … Read More “Darius Jones/Matthew Shipp: Cosmic Lieder”
The Rempis Percussion Quartet: Montreal Parade
Taken from four hours of recording in a studio, the one-hour straight improvisation that is Montreal Parade by The Rempis Percussion Quartet is stunning. Reedman … Read More “The Rempis Percussion Quartet: Montreal Parade”
Joe McPhee, Mikolaj Trzaska, Waclaw Zimpel, Paweł Szamburski, Michael Górczyński: Lark Uprising
For any bandleader, it is a challenge to pull together a group whose members work well with each other, especially as an improvising unit. Polish … Read More “Joe McPhee, Mikolaj Trzaska, Waclaw Zimpel, Paweł Szamburski, Michael Górczyński: Lark Uprising”
Michael Bisio: Travel Music
The success of Jane Ira Bloom as a musician comes through her instrumental voice, which the soprano sax player uses eloquently in Wingwalker. She has … Read More “Michael Bisio: Travel Music”
Michael Bisio: Travel Music
Dedicated to his parents, Paul and Kathleen Bisio, who taught him “the Sound of Love,” bassist Michael Bisio’s first self-released Travel Music communicates the unique … Read More “Michael Bisio: Travel Music”
Frank Rosaly: Music From Within
Lyn Horton interviews drummer about his life and his approach to improvisational music
Uncle June: Be It As I See It
Dedicated to his be-bopping drummer father and Sun Ra, Gerald Cleaver stretches contemporary musical modes in Be It As I See It with his band … Read More “Uncle June: Be It As I See It”
Charles Tyler: Eastern Man Alone
That Charles Tyler comes out of the school of Albert Ayler is a well-known fact. Listening to Tyler in his quartet on Eastern Man Alone, … Read More “Charles Tyler: Eastern Man Alone”
Locksmith Isidore: Jason Stein/Jason Roebke/Mike Pride: Three Kinds of Happiness
Art Lange’s nearly illegible liner notes for Three Kinds of Happiness promulgate copious speculation on the meaning of the music in the third release from … Read More “Locksmith Isidore: Jason Stein/Jason Roebke/Mike Pride: Three Kinds of Happiness”
Joe McPhee and Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten: Blue Chicago Blues
In Blue Chicago Blues, recorded in 2007, the duo of tenor player Joe McPhee and bassist Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten balances out very well, in ethnicity, instrumentation, … Read More “Joe McPhee and Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten: Blue Chicago Blues”
Andrew Lamb Trio: New Orleans Suite
Paying tribute to the population of New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina which struck in August of 2005, the Andrew Lamb Trio recorded … Read More “Andrew Lamb Trio: New Orleans Suite”
Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys : Betweenwhile
The debut Betweenwhile from drummer Mike Pride’s quartet, From Bacteria to Boys, is a successful balance of the tuneful and the abstract, avoiding the “little … Read More “Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys : Betweenwhile”
Kihnoua: Unauthorized Caprices
Leading the trio, Kihnoua, saxophonist Larry Ochs directs his interest to both literal and musical voices in Unauthorized Caprices. In more than one of the … Read More “Kihnoua: Unauthorized Caprices”
Claire DeBrunner/Ken Silverman/ Daniel Carter/Tom Zlabinger: Macroscopia
The continual intrigue of creative improvisation is the nature of the combination of instruments which the musicians choose. In Macroscopia, the quartet exists without a … Read More “Claire DeBrunner/Ken Silverman/ Daniel Carter/Tom Zlabinger: Macroscopia”
Vox Arcana: Aerial Age
In his liner notes for Aerial Age, thirty-four year old Chicago percussionist Tim Daisy reveals the sources of his music with indisputable objectivity. His compositions … Read More “Vox Arcana: Aerial Age”