Rolling Jazz Thread 2023

"Just because you're not a drummer, doesn't mean you don't have to keep time." — Thelonious Monk

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

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.

Why Does Moran price his downloads so high?

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.

From the Dancehall to the Soulseek

looking forward to playing that new Nduduzo!

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!

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

It seems to still be populating; I can't see the results yet.

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.

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.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1o2Vzc55rVw6D1uIsO8cpl?si=6BAlQS8LSOqIydiy1nS4Wg

― Skrot Montague, Thursday, January 5, 2023 11:02 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this worked for me. thanks!

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/

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.)

Halvorson is the third woman (after Maria Schneider and Kris Davis) to top the poll; also the first guitarist.

I somehow managed to not notice the existence of that other Tyshawn Sorey album, the live one

it’s supposed to be pretty good, just downloaded it today

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.

A lot of critics are big on it but I was only kind of meh on his last standards album.

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.

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," where

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

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.

Gotta say, Diehl is really killing it on the keys on this Sorey 3-disc, very much in agreement with you there.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

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.

(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.

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 brown
Brooklyn is: Black Lives, Julius Rodriguez, Brandee younger, Makaya mcCraven, Dawn Richard, Sun Ra Arkestra, maybe ghostfunk orchestra?

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

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

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 drum
Ebban 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, synthesizers
Ben Williams - bass
Jharis Yokley - drums

James is a great singer, Moodyman did an excellent remix for a track of his back in 08

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.

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.

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.

Wilkins and Odean Pope tore it up at Big Ears last March.

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=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 DATES
2/22 - San Diego, CA – Casbah#
2/23 - Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon#
2/24 - San Francisco, CA – SFJazz
2/25 - 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

dang that nduduzo album is fun

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?

I just simplify my FOMO by not going at all.

Donny McCaslin with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark Guiliana
This would have been my go-to in the familiar names department.

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.

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

Just looking now. David Murray at the Vanguard, maybe? Haven’t seen him in ages myself.

Or maybe The Houston Person Quintet at The Birdland Theater.

hooooly shit

Wow

it's like going to Big Ears but in pill form

my bad, that's the Thursday line up. Here's friday and saturday. I'm likely going saturday.

JANUARY 20
John Zorn sax
Bill Frisell guitar
Matana Roberts sax
Caroline Davis sax
Mary Halvorson guitar
Wendy Eisenberg guitar
Craig Taborn piano
Brian Marsella piano, synth
Patricia Brennan vibes
Henry Fraser bass
Brandon Lopez bass
Kate Gentile drums

JANUARY 21
John Zorn sax
Bill Frisell guitar
Caroline Davis sax
Immanuel Wilkins sax
Jim Staley trombone
Amir Elsaffar trumpet
Wendy Eisenberg guitar
Arturo O’Farrill piano
Patricia Brennan vibes
Henry Fraser bass
Jorge Roeder bass
Francisco Mela drums

I like that Saturday line-up. Haven’t seen Jorge in ages, outside of the occasional Julian Lage video. I guess he still lives in Brooklyn though.

Nate Chinen's take on jazzfest, looks like his journeys were similar to mine
https://www.wrti.org/arts-desk/2023-01-17/past-is-prologue-thrillingly-as-the-winter-jazzfest-marks-its-return

shoulda woulda coulda done this nublu set but ya gotta pace yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eepvgiUj9Bo

Shouldn't admit this but I've yet to make it to Nublu.

it's a nice space, good a/v, lots of room to move around and see the set from various viewpoints, artists clearly like being there, vibe has always been positive

I've always heard good things about it but ... I don't go to Brooklyn.

...or the LES, anymore.

lol, it's in manhattan!
http://nublu.net/

what's wrong with the lower east side exactly other than everything that still shouldn't stop you?
you don't do anthology any more fer instance?

But I probably will again, this year, I hope. Fellas, it's a new day!

Last time I went to Anthology Susan Sontag was still alive for me to see her there.

And Michael Musto was standing across the street. Hope I didn't end up in any blind listicle.

Which ILX0r etc etc etc?

What kept me away? Parenthood then pandemic. When I used to run into Morbius I would sheepishly sort of apologize that I couldn't keep up wiith his rate of filmgoing (anymore). He would smile and say "I can imagine, I can imagine."

Actually I went to the not-so-lower East Side a few months ago to use that week's MUBI GO ticket.

I was confusing it with National Sawdust, which I also have yet to visit.

NS can put on a great show
let's get you out this year

Something to look forward to. I'm in!

Probably should follow some of these places on social media.

I did sometimes get out to Barbès and especially to Shapeshifter, both of which I should also follow, I guess. And to my friend's Tuesday night jam session that is now at...Bar Bayeux...but used to be...somewhere else.

Halyards

And before that, Fifth Estate.

Part of me wants to say that the last time I was there was exactly seven years ago, so I could ask Ben Monder about Bowie and Tony V, but I probably went a few times after that.

Okay I'm done.

We now return this thread to its regularly scheduled content.

I went to Nublu once or twice; saw the Hedvig Mollestad Trio there about seven or eight years ago, probably.

they've remodeled

I admit that I find the name “NuBlu” so off putting that I would have a hard time walking into the place. Why that stupid name!

OTM. Sounds like a bespoke vodka brand.

it's a stupid name but it's a cool spot as i remember!

Anybody check out David Murray's new quartet at the Village Vanguard this past week? I was going to go this weekend, but the shows sold out before I could commit to a time. On paper it looks really interesting: Marta Sanchez – Piano, Luke Stewart – Bass, Kassa Overall – Drums

I almost never go to vanguard? Convince me I am wrong.

The aforementioned Saturday roulette set was a fairly epic free jazz hootenanny. My poor partner was expecting something slightly more melodic and was shell shocked by the whole experience. It was apparently her first time hearing Zorn. When we heard sirens on the way home she exclaimed “he’s following us!”

Is there a reason to avoid it? FWIW, I've seen a few Zorn shows at the Vanguard as well.

over the weekend i was able to catch alain gomis's "rewind & play", which is made up of concert and interview footage of thelonious monk on french TV in '69. what makes it particularly interesting is the outtakes footage. highly recommended!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0lvlXQQIG0

It's so good. If his 'Félicité' is still on MUBI then it's highly recommended as well. It's about a woman who sings with Kasai All Stars, and also includes a Congolese orchester playing Arvo Pärt as a sort of greek chorus (which might seem like the biggest cliché, but it's honestly really fun to have an amateur orchestra playing Pärt live on the soundtrack, instead of hearing the polished ECM versions for the thousandth time). Gomis really cares about music and the way it interacts with society.

thanks, i'll have to check it out

heard this on the radio yesterday and loved it. it sounds so fresh and yet so classic. from '04. between this and his new record of beatles covers, i think i'm having a brad mehldau phase, a mehl-down as i've decided to call it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaF3znfkZuw

"The biggest difference is how they accent stuff. Pheeroan accents in a way where you feel that edge of propulsion moving forward. DeJohnette ... his accents are much more distant from each other and have a very sharp intellectual curve that is so brilliant. Milford Graves, what he does is he tumbles rhythms, like a juggler. Yeah. He does that with rhythms, and he keeps all of them afloat. Shannon Jackson, he pushed the units of horizontal form forward with what I call multi-polyphonic drumming.”

I really appreciate Martyn's NTS show as a selection of whatever jazz vinyl he's dug up (including private press stuff).

https://www.nts.live/shows/martyn/episodes/martyn-21st-november-2022

Collecting and listening to vinyl doesn't really fit into my life at the moment, but it seems like a nice way to live and I appreciate reaping the listening benefits.

private press jazz! Intriguing, thamks.

Hi friends - excited as always to bring you the first Q1 release of 2023 for International Anthem - the return of Rob Mazurek's unpredictable, wild Exploding Star Orchestra. The new album is full of classic RM curveballs - an entire live recording of the band laid over the studio sound, Damon Locks vocal incantations on the Jeff Parker produced opening track "Future Shaman" - fearless and fiery as always. Hope you dig it!

Future Shaman is out today along with the announcement of Lightning Dreamers.

Quote from Rob on the lead single:

Future Shaman is a beat and lyrical sojourn into the clouds and then the eye of the storm and finally an ascension to the stars. A snaking counterpoint summoning the spirit world. An attempt at communication, renewal/rebirth through sound and movement.

more from International Anthem's Bandcamp page for this alb:

...The album’s opener “Future Shaman” was co-produced by Parker and features added percussion by Mazurek’s longtime São Paulo Underground collaborator Mauricio Takara, as well as synth bass from
Cathlene Pineda. The track finds Mazurek and ESO where they left off with Dimensional Stardust – deep in a chromatic funk fantasy of outer-space grooves and Bartok-ian riffs. Vocalist/MC Locks brings the Orson Welles via Deltron 3030 energy while Taborn and Sanchez face-off from behind Wurlitzer pianos and Moog synthesizers. On “Dream Sleeper” Locks’s poetry is swirled in drifting storm clouds of fractured atmospherics, both improvised and composed. “Shape Shifter” finds Mazurek recalling a past life of Isotope 217 – not just for the swinging grooves anchored by Moog basslines, but also in that he returns to the trumpet after years of playing cornet. Once the soaring melodic theme is established the ensemble shifts into On The Corner mode, creating a mangled rhythmic base for Taborn’s Wurlitzer runs and clean guitar soloing from Parker, before shapeshifting yet again under Mazurek’s rising polytonal electronics as Locks’s scattered vocal embellishments take us to the promised land...

releases March 31, 2023

All music composed by Rob Mazurek (OLHO, ASCAP). Words by Damon Locks.

Recorded at Sonic Ranch, Tornillo, TX, September 23rd & 24th, 2021.

Rob Mazurek - director, composer, trumpets, voice, launeddas, electronic treatments
Jeff Parker - guitar
Craig Taborn - wurlitzer, moog matriarch
Angelica Sanchez - wurlitzer, piano, moog sub 37
Damon Locks - voice, electronics, samplers, text
Gerald Cleaver - drums
Mauricio Takara - electronic percussion, percussion
Nicole Mitchell - flute, voice

Future Shaman" co-produced by Jeff Parker, with additional synth bass played by Cathlene Pineda.

“Black River” includes samples of Exploding Star Orchestra recorded live at Sons d’hiver in Paris, France, on February 3rd, 2022, featuring: Rob Mazurek, jaimie branch, Tomeka Reid, Thomas Roher, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Julien Desprez, Pasquale Mirra, Angelica Sanchez, Damon Locks, Mikel Patrick Avery, Chad Taylor, and Mauricio Takara.

Is there a reason to avoid it? FWIW, I've seen a few Zorn shows at the Vanguard as well.

Reminds me of those Thirsty Ear Blue Series records of the early '00s in terms of the sound and some of the players, but harder and less soup-y.

xp

from 2022 but just caught documentary Music for Black Pigeons which if you like Jakob Bro is wonderful but also has great scenes with Lee Konitz, Thomas Morgan, Midori Takada and many others, some incredible live recordings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI07dp_pFsU

Listening to this John Hollenback/Dan Cavanagh/James Miley album from last year "Another Life". It starts with a cheeky mash-up of Everything In Its Right Place and All the Things You Are (ok jazz nerds), but is really good, also sounds absolutely incredible.

Two pianos and drums! I had to look up who mixed it, and it's bassist Todd Sickafoose.

Cool.

Finally getting around to listening to Champion Fulton since the Smalls Livestream just alerted me a little while ago. Her trio (drummerless tonight, since it's Mezzrow, although sometimes they do have drummers) is sounding really good.