"Just because you're not a drummer, doesn't mean you don't have to keep time." — Thelonious Monk
― but also fuck you (unperson), Sunday, 1 January 2023 17:10 (one year ago) link
Jason Moran just released a new album, From the Dancehall to the Battlefield, a tribute to and interpretation of the work of James Reese Europe, whose 369th U.S. Infantry "Hell Fighters" Band were precursors to jazz as we know it. Europe managed to make a military marching band swing, which is kind of amazing. I'm interviewing Moran about the project for Stereogum, so that'll be published later this month. In the meantime, check out the record — it includes some medleys that combine Europe pieces (or pieces his band played) with Geri Allen's "Feed the Fire" and Albert Ayler's "Ghosts," so this is not some super-reverent treatment of the past.
https://jasonmoran.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-dancehall-to-the-battlefield
― but also fuck you (unperson), Sunday, 1 January 2023 17:13 (one year ago) link
My first BA newsletter of 2023 is out. It's all about jazz as vehicle for living historical memory, and I talk about new albums by Konjur Collective (a kind of free jazz electronic noise-funk band from Baltimore), Nduduzo Makhathini, and the Jason Moran record mentioned above.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Wednesday, 4 January 2023 15:34 (one year ago) link
Why Does Moran price his downloads so high?
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 4 January 2023 15:58 (one year ago) link
Because he thinks that's what they're worth. I interviewed him for Bandcamp in 2017, when he first launched his page, and asked him about that:
Most artists and labels charge between $7 and $10 for an album, but you charge $20. How did you arrive at that price point, and how is it working out for you?You know, I think about music as, ‘What do you value it at?’ And that’s basically it. I’ve often been asked this very question, and my immediate response is, look at the back of a slave that’s been whipped, and ask yourself, ‘How do you value your work?’ That’s the end for me. I could charge $50 for this, and if a person wants it, they want it. If they don’t, they don’t. It’s totally fine. But I set it there more as a place to hold it. The way music has been sold, this thing where I should be able to stream the entire thing before I buy it, is unfair, and I think it’s unfair that musicians should fall into the mode where they would do that automatically. I don’t believe in that. So the way we’re running it, my wife and I, for her record as well, is there are one or two songs we want people to hear, but maybe not. And they can change. I can change it—it’s not set in stone. But right now, I’m sitting it there, and seeing how long I feel like I can keep it there.
You know, I think about music as, ‘What do you value it at?’ And that’s basically it. I’ve often been asked this very question, and my immediate response is, look at the back of a slave that’s been whipped, and ask yourself, ‘How do you value your work?’ That’s the end for me. I could charge $50 for this, and if a person wants it, they want it. If they don’t, they don’t. It’s totally fine. But I set it there more as a place to hold it. The way music has been sold, this thing where I should be able to stream the entire thing before I buy it, is unfair, and I think it’s unfair that musicians should fall into the mode where they would do that automatically. I don’t believe in that. So the way we’re running it, my wife and I, for her record as well, is there are one or two songs we want people to hear, but maybe not. And they can change. I can change it—it’s not set in stone. But right now, I’m sitting it there, and seeing how long I feel like I can keep it there.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Wednesday, 4 January 2023 16:03 (one year ago) link
From the Dancehall to the Soulseek
― JackMyFruit, Wednesday, 4 January 2023 16:24 (one year ago) link
looking forward to playing that new Nduduzo!
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 4 January 2023 20:50 (one year ago) link
I checked out the Konjur Collective album after reading the BA newsletter. Good lord, what an album. I look forward to listening to it on decent headphones. Great start to the year!
― Skrot Montague, Wednesday, 4 January 2023 21:20 (one year ago) link
The 2022 Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll has been published:
https://hullworks.net/jazzpoll/22/totals-new.php
Although it technically belongs to 2022, I figured it’s fair game for the 2023 thread since it was just published today. I made a Spotify playlist of the top 40 new albums. I know Spotify sucks, but I'm hoping someone will fall in love with one of these albums and buy it on vinyl, CD, or Bandcamp:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1o2Vzc55rVw6D1uIsO8cpl?si=6BAlQS8LSOqIydiy1nS4Wg
― Skrot Montague, Thursday, 5 January 2023 17:02 (one year ago) link
It seems to still be populating; I can't see the results yet.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 5 January 2023 17:04 (one year ago) link
Sorry, the first link appears to have reverted to a previous version of the page, without the final results. It worked on my phone a few minutes ago, but when I clicked the link on my laptop just now, the page went bye-bye. Not sure what happened there. Perhaps it was published erroneously but then taken down right away for some reason? I just happened to stumble upon it.
― Skrot Montague, Thursday, 5 January 2023 17:08 (one year ago) link
Oh wow, new Moran and Live at Big Ears (w Milford Graves) now in full on Bandcamp, spotted for the first time since I started checking.
― dow, Thursday, 5 January 2023 21:06 (one year ago) link
― Skrot Montague, Thursday, January 5, 2023 11:02 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
this worked for me. thanks!
― budo jeru, Thursday, 5 January 2023 23:25 (one year ago) link
It looks like the Jazz Critics Poll results are finally live (for real this time). The link I posted above now works. The results can also be found here:
https://artsfuse.org/267017/the-17th-annual-francis-davis-jazz-poll-a-profusion-of-geniuses/
― Skrot Montague, Saturday, 7 January 2023 00:11 (one year ago) link
Thanks! One thing distracts me from results---Terry Gross was gone from Fresh Air a long time, and somewhere in there the sub mentioned family health, so I was heartened to see another poll, bummed to see he didn't feel like putting it together himself---still has his mordant sense of humor (about still looking like shit) and some other characteristic lip action, but right now thinks he may not do a poll next year:https://artsfuse.org/267051/the-17th-annual-francis-davis-jazz-poll-my-poll-without-me/ ("my first concussion, my first pneumonia": wow.)
― dow, Saturday, 7 January 2023 03:59 (one year ago) link
Halvorson is the third woman (after Maria Schneider and Kris Davis) to top the poll; also the first guitarist.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 8 January 2023 21:46 (one year ago) link
I somehow managed to not notice the existence of that other Tyshawn Sorey album, the live one
― calzino, Sunday, 8 January 2023 22:12 (one year ago) link
it’s supposed to be pretty good, just downloaded it today
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Sunday, 8 January 2023 22:13 (one year ago) link
I’ve been ambivalent about buying it because it’s three CDs worth (Pi doesn’t put new releases on streaming and I don’t want to steal it). I like Osby a lot though.
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Sunday, 8 January 2023 22:24 (one year ago) link
A lot of critics are big on it but I was only kind of meh on his last standards album.
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Sunday, 8 January 2023 22:25 (one year ago) link
Apparently the live one is supposed to be much more engaging, unsurprisingly. I absolutely stole it, if a label doesn’t do streaming they should expect it afaic.
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Sunday, 8 January 2023 22:40 (one year ago) link
Reminding me I still haven't listened to all of this, but:
Comments and especially excerpts in Kevin Whitehead's Fresh Air coverage of Sorey's Mesmerism indicate more variety and shades of interest than I expected: an "Autumn Leaves" I didn't recognize even when he gave the title after playing it, and a couple I didn't know at all: Horace Silver's "Enchantment," wherethey leave open space, but every part fits together drum choir-style. Bass becomes a percussion instrument like piano, drums and cymbals.Even more intriguing is Muhal Richard Abrams' "Two Over One," and KW mentions, without naming or playing, something by Paul Motian. Indicates that there are some more trad numbers as well, and indicates they're not always more than "polite" or "breezy"---a v. laid back "REM Blues," by Ellington, is one I could do without, judging by the wisp of it here---but will prob stream the whole thing somewhere at some point:https://www.npr.org/2022/07/28/1114236045/tyshawn-soreys-mesmerism-celebrates-the-everyday-miracle-of-the-jazz-rhythm-trio― dow, Thursday, July 28, 2022 9:18 PM (five months ago) bookmarkflaglinki was just coming here to say the same thing, or nearly the same thing, which is that i like how it sounded much more than i was expecting to, and that the MR abrams-penned track piqued my interest― budo jeru, Friday, July 29, 2022 8:41 AM
they leave open space, but every part fits together drum choir-style. Bass becomes a percussion instrument like piano, drums and cymbals.Even more intriguing is Muhal Richard Abrams' "Two Over One," and KW mentions, without naming or playing, something by Paul Motian. Indicates that there are some more trad numbers as well, and indicates they're not always more than "polite" or "breezy"---a v. laid back "REM Blues," by Ellington, is one I could do without, judging by the wisp of it here---but will prob stream the whole thing somewhere at some point:https://www.npr.org/2022/07/28/1114236045/tyshawn-soreys-mesmerism-celebrates-the-everyday-miracle-of-the-jazz-rhythm-trio― dow, Thursday, July 28, 2022 9:18 PM (five months ago) bookmarkflaglink
i was just coming here to say the same thing, or nearly the same thing, which is that i like how it sounded much more than i was expecting to, and that the MR abrams-penned track piqued my interest
― budo jeru, Friday, July 29, 2022 8:41 AM
― dow, Sunday, 8 January 2023 23:02 (one year ago) link
I bought it — Pi Recordings had a 25% off sale on their site around Christmastime, so I indulged my support-independent-artists-and-fellow-small-labels side and bought three Sorey discs/sets and three more by Henry Threadgill. The live set is good, mostly because of Aaron Diehl, who's one of my favorite pianists; I'm not as enthused about Osby. I saw him play a really good gig about 22-23 years ago with Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Lonnie Plaxico and Eric Harland (the band on Moran's debut album, Soundtrack To Human Motion, but it was Osby's gig). But I haven't been that much of a fan since.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Sunday, 8 January 2023 23:05 (one year ago) link
Gotta say, Diehl is really killing it on the keys on this Sorey 3-disc, very much in agreement with you there.
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Monday, 9 January 2023 17:49 (one year ago) link
His three albums under his own name are great, too; I particularly like The Vagabond, from 2020, which includes pieces by Roland Hanna, Prokofiev, and Philip Glass alongside originals.
http://www.mackavenue.com/store/mac1153
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 9 January 2023 18:10 (one year ago) link
Unperson, I'm curious if you've heard any of the JMI Recordings lps?https://www.jmirecordings.com/coming-attractions
It's a vinyl-only jazz label from the engineer who's worked on all the Roots/Questlove/D'Angelo related stuff for years. Kind of annoying since I would love to hear these records, even a Bandcamp-only + no preview digital version would be something (like Jason Moran's approach). I guess I respect the commitment though.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 9 January 2023 18:17 (one year ago) link
Not familiar with them at all but I've just sent them an email about at least staying on their PR list. That David Murray 4LP set sounds like it could really be something.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 9 January 2023 18:20 (one year ago) link
Yeah I'm very curious about that one (heard them talking about it on Questlove's podcast). Also the Mike Mitchell solo drums album, although this can't possibly be true:
As far as we know, a double LP consisting of solo drums has never been released. In Spring, 2023 we will do just that with Blaque Dynamite, the debut vinyl release from one of the hottest drummers in the world.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 9 January 2023 18:36 (one year ago) link
Oh I should add that it's not just vinyl-only, the conceit is that it's all analog from beginning to end, just tape and hardware, no computer or plugins. Very Steve Hoffman forums, but I guess turning it into streaming digital and mp3s at the end would defeat the point.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 9 January 2023 18:39 (one year ago) link
(Pi doesn’t put new releases on streaming and I don’t want to steal it)
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), 8. januar 2023 23:24 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
They are on Apple Music, which might be the best argument for choosing that.
― Frederik B, Monday, 9 January 2023 19:25 (one year ago) link
xpost - I listened to the Sorey Trio's Mesmerism for the first time last night. I quite enjoyed it. The bass work was the highlight on first listen (Matt Brewer); he's given a lot of room to stretch out. The album is a relatively compact 47 minutes, which is always okay by me.
Is anyone going to the NYC Winter Jazzfest? If so, who are you most looking forward to seeing? I'd been thinking about making a long weekend out of it, but my finances fell through. The Jaimie Branch tribute looks good.
― Skrot Montague, Monday, 9 January 2023 20:09 (one year ago) link
(Pi doesn’t put new releases on streaming and I don’t want to steal it)― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), 8. januar 2023 23:24 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglinkThey are on Apple Music, which might be the best argument for choosing that.
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 9 January 2023 20:50 (one year ago) link
i'm doing both days of the winterjazzfest marathon.General plan of attack is Manhattan: immanuel Wilkens, joel ross, jason lindner, lakecia benjamin, mo betta brownBrooklyn is: Black Lives, Julius Rodriguez, Brandee younger, Makaya mcCraven, Dawn Richard, Sun Ra Arkestra, maybe ghostfunk orchestra?
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Monday, 9 January 2023 21:24 (one year ago) link
She's not exactly jazz in the traditional sense, but Susana Santos Silva is one of the most brilliant trumpeters around, and I interviewed her for Bandcamp:
https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/susana-santos-silva-discography-feature
― but also fuck you (unperson), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 16:14 (one year ago) link
Thanks! Speaking of distinctive brass with jazz appeal, though not bound by genre usuals, New Year's Eve introduced me to what Toast of the Nation host Christian McBride referred to as "the quarter-tone trumpet" of composer-arranger-leader Ibrihim Malouf, whose playing seemingly reflects his French-Lebanese background and brings a concentrated contemplation through his 601 (counting him)-person-generated arena jazz. It's never bombastic, never lulling for long: the arena seems like a natural formation, where you sit yourself down and dig other natural wonders--but def. not def facto New Age, like that Floating Points thing always put me right the fuck to sleep, quite literally.The closest thing I've heard to it, not all that close, but IM's 100-voice children's choir helps, are certain moments in Morricone Spaghetti Western soundtracks.Also it's kind of like if Kamasi Washington had brought all his troops from The Epic to the wide open spaces of his follow-up EP---amd McBryde says that a "more intimate" encounter with Malouf can be found on Jazz Night In America---maybe "even more intimate" is the way I'll find it, but right now I'm still fascinated with this---scroll down past other good sets:https://www.npr.org/2022/12/28/1143391829/celebrate-new-years-with-toast-of-the-nation
― dow, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:46 (one year ago) link
Sorry, that spelling should be: Ibrahim Maalouf.
The other Toast of the Nation set (linked from xpost same page) that really drew me in consistently: Jose James, whose vocals sometimes go into scatting, vocalese, and elements of hip-hop, with flexed, sometimes staggered (sung) phrases and even a singer's adaptation of scratching---also, he's evidently confident enough to give his musos plenty of room, though they don't overindulge---was especially struck by how James and the rhythm section and omg pianist BIGYUKI (sic) build from what they find in the songs of Bill Withers, rather than just putting up a snazzy stage set of chops over the changes: yet another side of BW, damn.
New album out Jan. 20, with similar line-up, some tracks already streaming:
José James - vocals, bells, singing bowl, Bali metal tongue drumEbban Dorsey - alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)Diana Dzhabbar - flute, alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 7)BIGYUKI - piano, fender rhodes, wurlitzer, hammond B-3, synthesizersBen Williams - bassJharis Yokley - drums
― dow, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:05 (one year ago) link
James is a great singer, Moodyman did an excellent remix for a track of his back in 08
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 21:51 (one year ago) link
Great interview with SSS. Her duo set with Kaja Draksler at Tectonics Glasgow was one of the best things I saw/heard last year: state of the art spontaneous composition, so open and generous with each other. Their duo album from 2022 is excellent too. She was superb with Braxton in London in November too - I think that quartet (also with Carl Testa and Maria Portugal) will be touring this year.
― Composition 40b (Stew), Friday, 13 January 2023 15:43 (one year ago) link
I love Jose James but feel like he hasn't made his ultimate album yet. 'No Beginning No End' comes the closest, all originals and a great band (Pino Palladino produced, Chris Dave is on a few tracks). Flying Lotus produced his early albums, haven't really listened to those.
This new one's a Badu tribute? Idk, it's hard to get excited about that, it just makes me want to listen to Badu.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 13 January 2023 16:25 (one year ago) link
That was my take when I saw him live doing it: it was nice? I saw badu last year so I may be spoiled.Starting jazzfest off with Immanuel wilkins. Crowded room, maybe 2% masking.
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Friday, 13 January 2023 23:29 (one year ago) link
Wilkins and Odean Pope tore it up at Big Ears last March.
― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Saturday, 14 January 2023 01:02 (one year ago) link
Described as “an artist with so much fire in his sound,” by renowned jazz journalist Nate Chinen, James Brandon Lewis is sharing “Send Seraphic Beings” today, the final pre-release track from his upcoming album ‘Eye of I,’ to be released February 2. Filmed live in studio, listen to the moving track and watch Lewis perform the song – also featuring electric cello and drums - below.“Send Seraphic Beings” (Live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdjvDUt17t8More advance tracks: https://jamesbrandonlewis.bandcamp.com/album/eye-of-iLewis’ melodic identity encompasses ancient and future, inside and outside, density and openness, church and street. He’s a master of the short infectious motif, and like Sonny Rollins, devotes long expanses of his improvisation to the stretching and refracting and mutating of short phrases.Lewis writes at the piano, not the tenor, and says that on this project, he found himself thinking cinematically after a conversation he had with saxophonist and composer Henry Threadgill. “He got me thinking about foreground, middle ground and background, like in a scene from a movie,” Lewis says. He adds that to make his themes stand out even further, he didn’t include conventional chord symbols or any harmonic guidance on his charts. “I don’t write any chords on my music. There are more colors available when things are open. I think that’s why my music has a certain lift to it, because I’m encouraging the other musicians to explore and bring out the harmonies that resonate for them.”One result of that: ‘Eye of I’ travels through a staggering range of musical styles and moods, from Donny Hathaway to Cecil Taylor to the plaintive gospel cry “Even The Sparrow” to the anthemic closing throwdown “Fear Not,” a collaboration with the postpunk group The Messthetics, an instrumental trio featuring guitarist Anthony Pirog, who is joined by former Fugazi members Joe Lally (bass) and Brendan Canty (drums). This February, Lewis and The Messthetics will embark on a co-headlining tour that will traverse both the East and West coast. All upcoming dates are listed below. TOUR DATES2/22 - San Diego, CA – Casbah#2/23 - Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon#2/24 - San Francisco, CA – SFJazz2/25 - Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub#2/26 - Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios#2/27 - Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s#3/12 - Kingston, NY – Tubby's#3/13 - Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel#3/14 - Erie, PA – JazzErie @ The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie#3/15 - Chicago, IL – Constellation#3/17 - Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café#3/18 - Washington D.C. - Black Cat#3/19 - Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s#3/20 - New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge#3/30 - Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival 2023# with The Messthetics
“Send Seraphic Beings” (Live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdjvDUt17t8
More advance tracks: https://jamesbrandonlewis.bandcamp.com/album/eye-of-i
Lewis’ melodic identity encompasses ancient and future, inside and outside, density and openness, church and street. He’s a master of the short infectious motif, and like Sonny Rollins, devotes long expanses of his improvisation to the stretching and refracting and mutating of short phrases.
Lewis writes at the piano, not the tenor, and says that on this project, he found himself thinking cinematically after a conversation he had with saxophonist and composer Henry Threadgill. “He got me thinking about foreground, middle ground and background, like in a scene from a movie,” Lewis says. He adds that to make his themes stand out even further, he didn’t include conventional chord symbols or any harmonic guidance on his charts. “I don’t write any chords on my music. There are more colors available when things are open. I think that’s why my music has a certain lift to it, because I’m encouraging the other musicians to explore and bring out the harmonies that resonate for them.”One result of that: ‘Eye of I’ travels through a staggering range of musical styles and moods, from Donny Hathaway to Cecil Taylor to the plaintive gospel cry “Even The Sparrow” to the anthemic closing throwdown “Fear Not,” a collaboration with the postpunk group The Messthetics, an instrumental trio featuring guitarist Anthony Pirog, who is joined by former Fugazi members Joe Lally (bass) and Brendan Canty (drums). This February, Lewis and The Messthetics will embark on a co-headlining tour that will traverse both the East and West coast. All upcoming dates are listed below.
TOUR DATES2/22 - San Diego, CA – Casbah#2/23 - Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon#2/24 - San Francisco, CA – SFJazz2/25 - Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub#2/26 - Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios#2/27 - Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s#3/12 - Kingston, NY – Tubby's#3/13 - Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel#3/14 - Erie, PA – JazzErie @ The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie#3/15 - Chicago, IL – Constellation#3/17 - Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café#3/18 - Washington D.C. - Black Cat#3/19 - Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s#3/20 - New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge#3/30 - Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival 2023
# with The Messthetics
― dow, Sunday, 15 January 2023 19:59 (one year ago) link
dang that nduduzo album is fun
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 15 January 2023 20:27 (one year ago) link
so the winter jazzfest marathons were a really good time, though riddled with a constant sense of FOMO. I was talking to a friend who commented that the experience forced you to decide if you wanted to hear new artists or just artists that you knew you already liked. I opted for the latter this go round.
Saturday night in Manhattan underlined how spreading out venues complicates the experience. Most of the early evening was centered downtown by Les Poisson Rouge, Bitter End and Zinc Bar, which means there was a barricade of bodies blocking the smaller clubs and making it nearly impossible to see smaller sets with Doug Wamble and Endea Owens. The bigger ticket events at LPR were pretty satisfying tho: Immanuel Wilkins set focused almost entirely on his first album. Donny McCaslin with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark Guiliana brought a fuckton of chaotic energy and skronk. The Joel Ross set with the Parables ensemble (featuring Wilkins, Marquis Hill, Kalia Vandever and the superlative flutist Gabrielle Garo among others) was a lovely opportunity for individual exploration and some pretty melodies ("prayer" in particular is very memorable) but, much as when i saw this same set at BRIC jazzfest, i couldn't help but wish for more playing from Ross. I regretfully called it an early night and missed the Lakecia Benjamin / Mobetta Brown doubleheader at City Winery in favor of pacing myself for the next few nights.
Sunday in Brooklyn was a bit more jampacked, starting out and centering primarily at the Williamsburg Opera House, a venue I've never been in. Capacious, well lit, very comfy, maybe a little too hot on the sound but a nice place to catch a show. I began with the last half of Black Lives from Generation to Generation, a melting pot supergroup of Andy Milne and Stephanie McCay and David Gilmore and EJ Strickland and like ten other people. Suitably raucous and spirited. Next up was Julius Rodriguez, who put out one of my fave jazz albums from last year. His set was high speed and playful and multivalent, weirdly evoking Prince's Under the Cherry Moon for me. Very young, very excited crowd; I think this kid is going to be very big. Brandee Younger played with a trio and tested out some new material that sounded downright transcendent. I regretfully bailed from there early to try to catch a bit of Makaya McCraven's set at Supreme Ingredients, a 20 minute walk away that I recognized as located at the now departed Output once I got there. Absolutely overpacked. I ended up watching four really great songs from the stairwell. Stumbled back to the Opera house with a stop by National Sawdust where Surya Botofasina was hosting a memoriam for Meghan Stabile and I stepped up to the balcony just as Ravi Coltrane took a five minute solo. Nice timing. Got back to the Opera House in time for the latter 2/3 of Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn's Pigments. I was wondering how they'd pull this off live given that the (beautiful) album has long gaps of instrumental only work and Dawn is a bit of an attention draw. That led to some cognitive dissonance with Dawn in an inverted black tutu and a rhinestone balaclava shuffling at center during reflective synth sequences. She is, nonetheless, a star and sounded gorgeous. Probably could've used a multimedia projection to fill in some of the gaps though.it's likely churlish and the apex of point missing to accuse the Sun Ra Arkestra of being disjointed but they seemed a bit out of it. 11.30 pm start time for a lot of that crew seems like elder abuse. Somehow Allen is still up there squealing, Knoel Scott is somersaulting on the stage, Tyler Mitchell is gamely plucking away at the bass solos. It was all slighly wonkier than usual and a bit logy but you get the moments with legends when you're available not when they're necessarily at their best.
for reference: https://www.winterjazzfest.com/marathon-map#/2023-01-13
Who else went?
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Monday, 16 January 2023 19:45 (one year ago) link
I just simplify my FOMO by not going at all.
― The Gate of Angels Laundromat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2023 22:14 (one year ago) link
Donny McCaslin with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark GuilianaThis would have been my go-to in the familiar names department.
― The Gate of Angels Laundromat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2023 22:16 (one year ago) link
They were raucous and banged around a lot. McCaslin commented how it had been a long time since the four of them had played together publicly and that he liked the "danger" of the combo.
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Monday, 16 January 2023 22:29 (one year ago) link
I know i just missed this, but anything interesting happening in NY this friday or saturday? i’ll be in town, would be nice to check a set
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Monday, 16 January 2023 23:14 (one year ago) link
Just looking now. David Murray at the Vanguard, maybe? Haven’t seen him in ages myself.
― The Gate of Angels Laundromat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2023 23:33 (one year ago) link
Or maybe The Houston Person Quintet at The Birdland Theater.
― The Gate of Angels Laundromat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2023 23:35 (one year ago) link
Of those, I've only heard Lakecia Benjamin (pretty good), Billy Childs (decent but breaking absolutely no new ground), and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society (fantastic).
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Monday, 13 November 2023 03:58 (nine months ago) link
The Pat Metheny solo record is really nice
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 13 November 2023 15:04 (nine months ago) link
The new Matana Roberts is incredibly moving, album of the year.
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 November 2023 19:16 (nine months ago) link
Xp Quinn Kirchner. I saw him play drums with the comedian John Mulaney once. Just played drums while jokes were told at very large venue. One of the more interesting pairings.
― bbq, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 21:22 (nine months ago) link
Also, Budo Jeru, Quinn Kirchner plays on the Rob Frye record mentioned up thread
― bbq, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 21:35 (nine months ago) link
love the Kirchner record that begins with this excellent version of “Flowers for Albert,” also on Astral Spirits https://quinkirchner.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-pro-musica
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 00:09 (nine months ago) link
will check out both records, thanks
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 00:17 (nine months ago) link
my favorite record on AS remains quin kirchner's "the shadows and the light."
Thanks for the tip on this, I sampled it last night and immediately placed an order.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 14:25 (nine months ago) link
I like the kirchner album I heard a lot then I saw him live and was like whoa ... this is AMAZING ... not sure why the album didnt sound more like this..
― xheugy eddy (D-40), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 18:41 (nine months ago) link
I love watching John Hollenbeck (looked this up after listening to their new studio album):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyGCgHZPyA
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 16 November 2023 22:03 (nine months ago) link
Higher quality video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7JUrtTQaA
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 16 November 2023 22:06 (nine months ago) link
Although he has much less of a clockwork muppet vibe in that one
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 16 November 2023 22:07 (nine months ago) link
My latest Stereogum jazz column is up; I used the André 3000 album as a springboard to talk about Yusef Lateef, Bobbi Humphrey, Hubert Laws, and Nicole Mitchell, and reviewed new albums by Ambrose Akinmusire, JD Allen, Thandi Ntuli (with Carlos Niño), Lafayette Gilchrist, Myra Melford and others.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Tuesday, 21 November 2023 15:36 (nine months ago) link
I either missed or forgot about Chris Potter's Live at the Village Vanguard album from this year (Taborn/Colley/Gilmore), it's fucking sick.
https://chrispotterjazz.bandcamp.com/album/got-the-keys-to-the-kingdom-live-at-the-village-vanguard
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 20:03 (nine months ago) link
Yeah, that's a good one — his third live-at-the-Vanguard disc, and they're all worth hearing.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 20:27 (nine months ago) link
I got super-confused the other day because there is a music student studying guitar with Pasquale Grasso whose name is also Chris Potter.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 24 November 2023 00:58 (nine months ago) link
Great column unperson, thanks.
(That said, whew the plethora of ads on Stereogum gives my browser a workout)
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Monday, 27 November 2023 22:24 (nine months ago) link
Yeah, meant to mention that I liked your column as well unperson. Although I guess I missed that Shabaka Hutchings was completely ditching all his other bands for the flute, I guess I thought that was just another additional stream for him, bummer that he'd abandon all of those.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 27 November 2023 23:20 (nine months ago) link
yeah that's kind of a shocker. I like to chill out as much as anyone the rehabilitation of New Age music has IMHO led to more bad than good.
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 01:00 (nine months ago) link
but the rehabilitation
I saw Hitchings just past May subbing on sax for an indisposed Roscoe Mitchell in the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, maybe his last hurrah on sax?
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 01:01 (nine months ago) link
Hutchings.
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 01:02 (nine months ago) link
The Marxist scholar and cultural critic Robin D.G. Kelley wrote a biography of Monk that looks pretty interesting, and the first part of this interview focuses on the bio and the socius that surrounded Monk. Pretty interesting. https://black-ink.info/2020/01/16/solidarity-is-not-a-market-exchange-an-interview-with-robin-d-g-kelley/
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 13:36 (nine months ago) link
Kelly's Monk bio is indeed amazing and compulsively readable, an absolute must-read
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 14:44 (nine months ago) link
I'm sold, just purchased the e-book.
― vodkaitamin effrtvescent (calzino), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 14:49 (nine months ago) link
I need to read that Kelley Monk bio. I recently read Laurent de Wilde's book when I found it in a local used shop, but it was pretty meh.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 14:55 (nine months ago) link
By comparison, I'm finding Aidan Levy's Sonny Rollins bio a little slow going (got it last Christmas, only getting to it now, lol).
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 15:06 (nine months ago) link
Haha yeah, I've had that on my shelf for a few months now but keep choosing something else, it always seems daunting lol.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 15:08 (nine months ago) link
I read the Monk bio, it's excellent. It really covers every documented gig he ever played and every record, and it was really a pleasure listening through along with it.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 15:21 (nine months ago) link
I seem to remember something about that book bugging me but maybe I should just try again.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 15:59 (nine months ago) link
Definitely took it in chunks with a long break in the middle, every now and then it felt relentless but found it largely compelling.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 16:15 (nine months ago) link
I started the Monk bio many years ago, put it aside, then picked it up a year or two ago and absolutely blasted through it.
The Rollins bio is indeed exhaustive. My own upcoming book on Cecil Taylor is nowhere near that granular. It covers pretty much every album, but I didn't feel the need to describe every gig, and I didn't do a whole lot of detective work in terms of tracking down former boyfriends and stuff like that.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 16:47 (nine months ago) link
thread favorite Dave Easley plays on Alex Sadnik's Charlie Parker album Flight and it's a joy, "Bird of Paradise" is a favoritehttps://alexsadnik.bandcamp.com/album/flight
― corrs unplugged, Wednesday, 29 November 2023 08:16 (nine months ago) link
^ this is some cool shit although it does make me feel like i'm not quite smart enough to understand what they're doing
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 29 November 2023 18:39 (nine months ago) link
ok some of it is actually pretty straight ahead
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 29 November 2023 18:43 (nine months ago) link
Always a joy to watch Herlin Riley (only now connecting that Emmet Cohen is the piano in his regular NYC group for awhile now)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZK2blf-wvI
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 18:51 (nine months ago) link
Loving that Alex Sadnik, ty (Jay Bellerose on there too, the sound of LA jazz of a certain stripe)
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 19:39 (nine months ago) link
What’s the deal with Emmet Cohen? Was that his first mention in this borad? I’ve seen his name a lot and he’s on a record or two with some singers that I like but I’ve never actually seen him.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 19:59 (nine months ago) link
He's got a popular youtube channel now where he puts together different groups to perform in his living room, that's really boosted his visibility as far as I can tell
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 20:00 (nine months ago) link
I think he's really good. Hear him on my local jazz station. Don't really know anything about him.
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 29 November 2023 20:06 (nine months ago) link
Oh yeah, did watch him a few times during the lockdown I think.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 20:14 (nine months ago) link
Spiritual soul-jazz saxophonist Muriel Grossmann has a new album out today, and it's coming out on Third Man in the US, so who knows? She might even get some press coverage. It's a 90-minute double LP and so far (I'm about 2/3 of the way through) it's pretty good — one of her more energetic, uptempo records, not so much meditative space jamming this time. The drummer's going off.
https://murielgrossmann.bandcamp.com/album/devotion-2
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Friday, 1 December 2023 21:20 (nine months ago) link
she's kind of a kook, isn't she? i've liked some of her music in the past
― budo jeru, Friday, 1 December 2023 21:32 (nine months ago) link
I listened to the JD Allen record that unperson mentioned in his recent column, it is phenomenal and moody, perfect for my bike ride on this foggy Sunday. big recommendation.
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Sunday, 3 December 2023 21:44 (eight months ago) link
Greg Osby has made his first album in 15 years. There is some discussion, in the linked article, of the #metoo-ish accusations which led him to leave Berklee.
“I had a beef with a school in Boston where I was teaching, and I had to get legal. I had to let the lawyers do the talking.” This is how Osby broaches the subject of his dismissal from the Berklee College of Music, which followed accusations of sexual misconduct.Osby had joined the faculty at Berklee in 2008, as a full-time professor in the Ensemble Department. At some point he began dating a woman who’d previously been a student, though she was no longer enrolled. After the relationship ended, she brought her complaint to Berklee administrators, claiming that he had pressured her for sex. Osby resigned in 2012, and at the time he decided not to contest the charges.This is where the situation might have remained, if not for a story in the Boston Globe on Nov. 8, 2017, during the first wave of coverage around the #MeToo movement. The article, by Kay Lazar, a public health and accountability reporter, bore the attention-grabbing headline ‘Berklee let teachers quietly leave after alleged sex abuse, and pushed students for silence.’ Osby, having granted Lazar an hour-long interview, was damningly cited in the piece.“Only an idiot would sleep with students, and I am not an idiot,” read the most egregious of his quotes. “I would not do that. But after they graduate, it’s open season.” Another quote implied that the former student wasn’t attractive enough to be a credible accuser. Osby was swiftly renounced on social media. At a moment when entire industries were beginning to reckon with systemic problems — most pointedly, the lack of consequences for sexual harassers and abusers — this was a story that resonated in jazz, and in the broader realm of music education....Berklee, through its Office of Media Relations, declined to comment on Osby’s departure. But Osby — who says that during his four years on faculty, “I didn't write one new song, because I was that beat down” — spoke freely about the situation. Regarding his brief relationship with the former student, whose identity has not been disclosed, he says: “For better or for worse, she became obsessed. And I withdrew, which didn't sit well; the idea that I didn't return any phone calls or emails really infuriated her. It got to the point where I was almost a victim of being stalked. And the last time that I saw her, she more than inferred that I would pay for it.”After the Boston Globe story, Osby sought legal action against his accuser for defamation. The case was settled in his favor. “I kept every email, and I kept every text message,” he says. “So that's how my case was won. Because I had hard evidence. It wasn't my word.” By contrast, he says Lazar had made no recording of their interview — a crucial factor, in light of the incendiary quotes at the heart of the story.Osby says he issued a complaint to the Globe, which invited him to submit an open letter. He did, but it never ran. He also sent in a statement to the paper’s “Fresh Start” initiative, which allows individuals to appeal older stories that have had an adverse impact on their lives. Again, the effort led nowhere. Absent a defamation lawsuit against the Globe, which Osby deems a financially ruinous prospect, that’s probably where it stands.
Osby had joined the faculty at Berklee in 2008, as a full-time professor in the Ensemble Department. At some point he began dating a woman who’d previously been a student, though she was no longer enrolled. After the relationship ended, she brought her complaint to Berklee administrators, claiming that he had pressured her for sex. Osby resigned in 2012, and at the time he decided not to contest the charges.
This is where the situation might have remained, if not for a story in the Boston Globe on Nov. 8, 2017, during the first wave of coverage around the #MeToo movement. The article, by Kay Lazar, a public health and accountability reporter, bore the attention-grabbing headline ‘Berklee let teachers quietly leave after alleged sex abuse, and pushed students for silence.’ Osby, having granted Lazar an hour-long interview, was damningly cited in the piece.
“Only an idiot would sleep with students, and I am not an idiot,” read the most egregious of his quotes. “I would not do that. But after they graduate, it’s open season.” Another quote implied that the former student wasn’t attractive enough to be a credible accuser. Osby was swiftly renounced on social media. At a moment when entire industries were beginning to reckon with systemic problems — most pointedly, the lack of consequences for sexual harassers and abusers — this was a story that resonated in jazz, and in the broader realm of music education.
...
Berklee, through its Office of Media Relations, declined to comment on Osby’s departure. But Osby — who says that during his four years on faculty, “I didn't write one new song, because I was that beat down” — spoke freely about the situation. Regarding his brief relationship with the former student, whose identity has not been disclosed, he says: “For better or for worse, she became obsessed. And I withdrew, which didn't sit well; the idea that I didn't return any phone calls or emails really infuriated her. It got to the point where I was almost a victim of being stalked. And the last time that I saw her, she more than inferred that I would pay for it.”
After the Boston Globe story, Osby sought legal action against his accuser for defamation. The case was settled in his favor. “I kept every email, and I kept every text message,” he says. “So that's how my case was won. Because I had hard evidence. It wasn't my word.” By contrast, he says Lazar had made no recording of their interview — a crucial factor, in light of the incendiary quotes at the heart of the story.
Osby says he issued a complaint to the Globe, which invited him to submit an open letter. He did, but it never ran. He also sent in a statement to the paper’s “Fresh Start” initiative, which allows individuals to appeal older stories that have had an adverse impact on their lives. Again, the effort led nowhere. Absent a defamation lawsuit against the Globe, which Osby deems a financially ruinous prospect, that’s probably where it stands.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Monday, 11 December 2023 00:19 (eight months ago) link
There has to be a better way to phrase that.
“He has a great knack for picking amazing younger musicians and grooming them,” Carrington affirms."
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 11 December 2023 00:40 (eight months ago) link
Moor Mother has a new album coming out on Anti- next year and the first track has just been released — it's a collaboration with Nicole Mitchell on flute and Nduduzo Makhathini on piano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1OBIgFHFqQ
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Friday, 22 December 2023 18:52 (eight months ago) link
I'm in love with this brand new Ambrose Akinmusire album Owl Song, it's a trio with Bill Frisell (!) and Herlin Riley (!!). I've never been into him before, but I've had a big Frisell year and this fits perfectly with all the minimal, ambient Scandinavian jazz I've been listening to. And it's cool to hear Herlin in this mode (all the low end is left to the drums too, since there's no bass or piano).
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 29 December 2023 18:42 (eight months ago) link
Yeah, it's a really good record.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Friday, 29 December 2023 19:44 (eight months ago) link
Heh glad you like it, I wasn't sure.
Also, I'd been ignoring these Youtube recommendations for a "StickPeople" podcast, but it turns out it's Lenny White + Mike Clark + David Garibaldi + Michael Shrieve + Greg Errico all interviewing another musician, which is really cool.
Also this Paul Motian documentary is on Youtube in full:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9DkKTbyobA
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 29 December 2023 19:55 (eight months ago) link