Rolling Jazz Thread 2013

burningambulance.com

Fair warning, I also write about metal a lot.

i don't think that's a minus for sndr

Right, I want to take tentative steps into this jazz thread, and further into current jazz as a whole.

My current 'status' as a jazz fan is appreciative but naive dilettante. I have a load of Miles Davis albums gathered over 15+ years, plus the usual bits from similar eras - albums by Dave Brubeck, Jon Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Vince Guaraldi, Lee Morgan, Weather Report. I also have a couple of Giles Peterson compilations of British 60s stuff (Michael Garrick etc) which I love. Then there's a massive gap through the late 70s, all the 80s, and the 90s (bar Modern Day Jazz Stories by Courtney Pine), until the mid-00s, when I have various things by e.s.t, Polar Bear, Jaga Jazzist, Acoustic Ladyland, Portico Quartet, Dave Douglas, Empirical. This year I'm loving the Melt Yourself Down album, which is only tangentially jazz, but still...

I want to know what's new and good (doesn't everyone?). I guess Polar Bear and the related groups that orbit them are my favourite thing; stuff that feels contemporary and now but without being gimmicky or self-consciously difficult.

Speaking of The Thing, I need to check out all their stuff: The Cherry Thing, with Neneh Cherry, was a fave of 2012. Nothing else satisfies in quite the same way, although it's somewhat like Jayne Cortez & the Firespitters, who sometimes featured Ornette Coleman. I'm also instantly intrigued by these excerpts of previously unreleased live sax trio S.O.S.--John Surman, Mike Osborne, and Alan Skidmore. Never cared much about Surman before (on McLaughlin's Extrapolation and a few others), but Whitehead seems right about intimations of a pre-World Saxophone Quartet: the harmonies, the folk motifs, at least in soundbites, are tantalizing. Download and links here: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/20/198076754/looking-for-the-next-one-reveals-an-underappreciated-sax-trio

Anybody heard the S.O.S. studio album? Only one, according to Whitehead.

there are definitely bands, right? robert glasper trio, the bad +, the inbetweens, tarbaby, vijay iyer's group, that darcy james argue band? is the dave holland quintet still active, or jon hollenbeck's claudia quintet?

Don't forget that Wayne Shorter Quartet that's been mentioned before.

Was just gonna say: http://www.npr.org/event/music/208274665/wayne-shorter-quartet-with-herbie-hancock-live-in-concert-newport-jazz-2013

I just got a new Claudia Quintet album in the mail and it had 40% membership turnover from the last album. So I'm kinda disinclined to count that - seems more like a convenient name he's using than an actual cohesive working band. But yeah, there are definitely working bands around—the JD Allen Trio is still functioning, there's the Vijay Iyer Trio (who do nothing for me, but they're out there), Tarbaby, the William Parker Quartet convenes from time to time, Matt Shipp has a steady trio...

Best Thing records IMO are their two Japanese live albums with Jim O'Rourke and Otomo Yoshihide. Some awesome improv guitar noise on there, as well as some stunning moments of tense quiet. Also the one they did with Barry Guy on No Business, Metal (not that easy to get, but there's a fantastic live clip on youtube). Their own albums are really good, but the extra element brings out the best in them.

Gustafsson's best this year (so far!), and one that will definitely appeal to those who dug Cherry Thing, is the Fire Orchestra. That's his heavy psych rock trio augmented by two amazing female singers and a top drawer big band of Scandinavian jazz/improv players. Fantastic big band free jazz/improv/avant-rock/blues...

Wayne Shorter album seconded - it's a beaut.

New album by Roscoe Mitchell, John Edwards and Tony Marsh on Cafe Oto's label is fantastic too. An intense listen, but well worth it. Mitchell is still amazing; his compositional sense is some next level shit.

That Fire! Orchestra album is killer—reminds me of Burnt Sugar in some ways. I disagree that the Thing require guests to achieve their full potential. Bag It! and Action Jazz are my favorites, though Garage is really good too. I also liked Gustafsson's album with Colin Webster on Rune Grammofon.

and how could i forget my favorite band, the brian blade fellowship.

haha! i heard the SOS thing on the radio yesterday and bumped the brit folk thread this morning because that was the part of their sound that i find so rarely

i didn't think to put it here!

I should qualify my statement above. I don't mean that the core Thing albums don't see them achieve their full potential, just that I enjoy the results of throwing another element in. But yeah, Action Jazz and Bag It! are terrific.

And this just in - a new Thing album due in November on Rune Gramofon called Boot! (excellent title). According to the press release: 'Throughout, they transform their roots, combining their own free jazz and punk aesthetics with elements of Ethiopian music, soul, funk and noise, and re-work album-oriented material by jazz icons, John Coltrane and Duke Ellington.' Sweet!

I'll need to check me some Burnt Sugar. Greg Tate's band? Any particular recommendations?

I got a press release about that new Thing album the other day—very excited to hear it.

Also excited to devote a week or so to listening to the upcoming 8CD William Parker boxed set on AUM Fidelity—100 percent previously unreleased live recordings, half of them by the Quartet and others by other groups (a septet that's the Quartet + 3, a 12-piece, and a set by a re-constituted In Order To Survive, his 1990s band).

Regarding Burnt Sugar, here are what I consider the essential titles:

Blood On The Leaf
the 3CD That Depends On What You Know set: The Sirens Return/Keep It Real 'Til It Flatlines, The Crepescularium and Fubractive 'Til Antiquity Suite
Black Sex Yall: Liberation & Bloody Random Violets (this might be my favorite of their albums; it's definitely their most "rock")
The Rites: Conductions Inspired By Stravinsky's Le Sacre Du Printemps (the group is conducted by Butch Morris, and Pete Cosey guests on guitar)
If You Can't Dazzle Them With Your Brilliance, Baffle Them With Your Blisluth (a double live CD, includes a Vision Festival performance I was at)
All Ya Needs That Negrocity

There are some other titles on their site (burntsugarindex.com) that I think are less essential.

Also, the two main dudes, Greg Tate and Jared Nickerson, submitted to a career-spanning interview for Burning Ambulance issue 5, which you can buy here if you want.

Thanks for the info. I shall investigate further.

Yes, that Parker box looks quite something. I finally got to see him play this year in a duet with Daniel Carter on sax and piano (!). Amazing.

I'm a big fan of the Burning Ambulance website, but it would be a bit pricey to order the mag from the UK and I don't have a kindle or equivalent. Is there a pdf version?

That SOS record has caused more simultaneous thread revivals than the the Lou Reed/John Cale radio reunion on WPIX.

Parker box looks amazing. Can't wait for that one.

The ebook version should be readable on almost any computer; it's a generic file format, I think.

Nice, thanks!

Another band, the SYOTOS Band, is playing tonight at Dizzy's.

http://www.freejazzblog.org/2013/08/adam-lane-goes-traditional.html

some new/old adam lane (of 'ashcan rantings' a few years back) recordings

ilx's own Tarfumes is playing with Arthur Brooks this month! i might have to try and make that.

Thinking about going to see drummer turned singing drummer -there's hope for you Hurting!- Tony Jefferson at The Bar Next Door tonight.

Would be great to see you there, Scott! In fact, I may make a run up to your store earlier that afternoon.

xp

OK, so in the next few months some biggish jazz names are coming to town (we don't get a whole lot of those here, despite a pretty good jazz scene around the university). Any thoughts on whether it's worth the money for Dave Douglas or Anat Cohen? I saw Douglas years ago with Charms of the Night Sky and really liked it, but I haven't heard what he's doing lately. Cohen, I've liked what I've heard here and there, but I don't have a strong sense of her.

I'm inclined to go to both, as much to show general jazz support as anything else.

Douglas's current quintet (with Jon Irabagon on sax, Matt Mitchell on piano, Linda Oh on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums) is fantastic. Their latest album, Time Travel, kills, and Royston is probably my favorite drummer around right now (mostly for his work with the JD Allen Trio). You should definitely go see him. I'm not a big fan of Cohen's work; feels kinda faceless to me.

I never quite love Douglas's records but I'd definitely see him live and he always has a good band.

also yeah I don't particularly care for Anat Cohen

Cool, thanks. I'll buy some Douglas tickets, maybe hold off on Cohen and listen to her a little more to decide.

Have never seen Dave Douglas but have seen some of those current band members so I would third that recommendation.

i haven't listened to DD in awhile, but i really liked his quintet with chris potter/james genus/uri caine/clarence penn, and that's the only band i live.

saw live, duh

something about anat cohen's phrasing reminds me of the video of that robot playing giant steps

xp, oh yeah that was the band on Leap of Faith, which is the first Dave Douglas record I heard and the one I like the most, it's actually a really good record

oh right, that's the other one i really like. i think it has no piano + ben perowsky on drums, who i love. his trio record is a secret classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LRMxQX3D9s
(not my favorite track on it but it's the one on youtube)

oh yeah sorry, didn't really read your post carefully and LOF definitely has no piano and i think ben perowsky on drums, yes

Don't really know from AC but I'm not a big fan of the trumpet playing brother- don't know from the third sibling- but reluctant to say a thing negative in a public forum about these future Grammy winners.

Charity shop near me has got loads of jazz records in. Didn't have time to look in any real way but grabbed some Jazz Messengers albums. Kind of housebound at the mo, but gonna try to get out for a peek. Get anxious at the thought of hidden gems being bought by folks who aren't me. :(

xp, I kind of felt a little bit bad about knocking AC. I feel bad about knocking any living jazz player too much -- it's such a meager industry to begin with and everyone needs all the help they can get.

You know who is great though, the other Avishai Cohen, the bass player.

Yes on both counts. Also, I know drummers love the bass player's percussionist. Can't spell his name, iateemai, or something like that.

I feel bad about knocking any living jazz player too much -- it's such a meager industry to begin with and everyone needs all the help they can get.

I disagree. There are lots of players—entire schools of jazz, in fact—who should be actively discouraged, or at least convinced to change course, because (I think) what they're playing is driving, or at least keeping, audiences away.

this dude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcajf4GHwCU

Still can't spell his name but found a 108 page bachelor's thesis about Avishai.
(Xp)

Yeah, Itamar, that's it.

pretty common israeli name, as is avishai (obviously!)

for some reason thought the bassist ac played with danilo perez. Maybe I just saw them live together, don't see him on any of the records.

nm he was on Panamonk