"Music doesn't go seasonable to me." Rolling Jazz Dm7♭5 Thread 2017

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I saw the Stretch Orchestra on the weekend. From what I knew of Brubeck and Stewart, and from the fact that this was part of a chamber music festival, I was expecting some out improv on acoustic instruments, but it was a really fun set of energetic rocking fusion, with Brubeck playing electric cello with a bunch of pedals, and Breit on electric guitar and mandolin with a tonne of effects as well. (It still definitely went out harmonically and timbrally but there was always a groove and a hook.) I bought the 2012 CD, which seems to have won a Juno for best instrumental recording. It's pretty enjoyable; even gets a bit folky at times.

No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Wednesday, 26 July 2017 02:06 (six years ago) link

https://www.thenation.com/article/mal-waldrons-ecstatic-minimalism/

There is a beautiful and evocative Adam Shatz essay on Mal Waldron in The Nation, here.

calzino, Thursday, 27 July 2017 09:16 (six years ago) link

I just thought it was worth pointing out that although he mentions Waldron's Satie influences, he neglects to add that his Plays Satie album from '83 is sublime.

calzino, Thursday, 27 July 2017 11:12 (six years ago) link

That's a great article. That live recording of Seagulls is really quite something.

I don't suppose anyone has the Travellin in Soul Time record? The CD is currently going for eye-watering amounts.

The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Thursday, 27 July 2017 19:18 (six years ago) link

Xpost thanks, reminds me of this excellent excursion: http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/soul-eyes-early-mal-waldron-songbook/

dow, Friday, 28 July 2017 00:34 (six years ago) link

I cannot stop listening to this:

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

in twelve parts (lamonti), Saturday, 29 July 2017 08:46 (six years ago) link

I have been on a bit of a Mingus tip recently, Mingus At Antibes (also w/ Dolphy + Bud Powell on board!) is the one I've been blasting.

calzino, Saturday, 29 July 2017 08:58 (six years ago) link

That clip is great!

No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Saturday, 29 July 2017 13:35 (six years ago) link

I interviewed Jason Moran for Bandcamp.

grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 1 August 2017 18:19 (six years ago) link

The newish Joshua Abrams/Natural Information Society album (Simultonality)is very pretty, probably their best yet imo.

calzino, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 10:56 (six years ago) link

Yeah, that's a good record. And in related news, Abrams' label, Eremite, has started putting its awesome back catalog up on Bandcamp.

http://eremiterecords.bandcamp.com

Jemeel Moondoc's New World Pygmies and Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys are must-own, IMO. Noah Howard's Patterns/Message to South Africa is also great, and that Peter Brötzmann double disc, Never Too Late But Always Too Early, is a blast.

grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 13:13 (six years ago) link

Love the group Town & Country that Abrams played in, especially their second alb It All Has to Do With It

Bernie Lugg (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 13:22 (six years ago) link

oh wow! Just been listening to Denys Baptiste's The Late Trane for the 2nd time. Wasn't really feeling it the other day, but fuck! definitely am feeling it today!

calzino, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 15:27 (six years ago) link

That Mal Waldron article got me listening to the excellent album <i>Meditations</i> on Youtube. Is there any way to get a digital version of this? Or even something cheaper than the expensive import? It's not even on Spotify.

Pataphysician, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 16:46 (six years ago) link

Slsk or t0rrentz probably your next best bet, as far as I know. His legacy doesn't seem to have been too well served so far.

calzino, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 17:06 (six years ago) link

Somehow I typed "Spotify" instead of "Soulseek". I couldn't find it on Soulseek.

Pataphysician, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 18:09 (six years ago) link

it might be worth trying again, it is definitely on there.

calzino, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 18:25 (six years ago) link

Oh, I should update about seeing Ambrose Akinmusire: fantastic! It was all stuff from the live album. The only weakness really is the piano player, which also struck me with the live album. He certainly fits well at times, but his soloing and accompaniment often didn't seem to gel or just seemed a little like he's fresh out of music school. Everyone else was great. Akinmusire is a really sensitive player, for lack of a better description.

Pataphysician, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 19:13 (six years ago) link

Posted this in the Afro-jazz thread by mistake:

Drummer Eric Harland is leading a really hot band for two nights at the Jazz Standard next week - Walter Smith III on tenor sax, Taylor Eigsti on piano, Harish Raghavan on bass. (Both Smith and Raghavan also play in Ambrose Akinmusire's band.) I'm hoping to catch one of their sets.

grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 19:49 (six years ago) link

I love the short but joyous dub reggae segment at the end of Dusk Dawn on the Denys Baptiste' Trane album. And it isn't even near the best track. It's a reet fucking album!

calzino, Thursday, 3 August 2017 00:15 (six years ago) link

This is not from 2017 but worth mentioning (I didn't see it come up in a search): the 2014 album Spiral Mercury of the Chicago/São Paulo Underground (one of Rob Mazurek's groups) featuring Pharoah Sanders is pretty good! Basically sort of what you'd expect if you're familiar with the Chicago Underground, Pharoah's playing, and mixing that with a Brazilian influence. I haven't heard the other album they did called Primative Jupiter.

Pataphysician, Saturday, 5 August 2017 00:04 (six years ago) link

Yeah, I've heard the one that's available on CD, but not the one that's vinyl-only.

grawlix (unperson), Saturday, 5 August 2017 00:09 (six years ago) link

Looks like the vinyl-only one is not available digitally at all. But it also seems that half of it might be on the CD album, since 2/4 tracks share song titles with the CD.

Pataphysician, Saturday, 5 August 2017 00:12 (six years ago) link

oh man, spiral mercury is great

Max-Headroom-drops-a-deuce-while-shredding (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 5 August 2017 21:39 (six years ago) link

say, has anyone seen the current Sun Ra Arkestra? They're playing this weekend in SF... am I an idiot if I don't go or is it just a bit of fun?

Max-Headroom-drops-a-deuce-while-shredding (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 5 August 2017 21:41 (six years ago) link

well I went to see the Arkestra and they were a blast. Just 2 solid hours of great music and a warm, generous vibe. Singer was very good - her rapport with Allen was a great anchor for the show. I feel like Ra would be happy and proud to see his band continue some 25 years since his passing.

Max-Headroom-drops-a-deuce-while-shredding (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 7 August 2017 17:32 (six years ago) link

2nd jazz/dub reggae track in a week I've heard is Roots Music's cover of Threadgill's Bermuda Blues. it is ok, but you simply can't fuck with the original!

calzino, Monday, 7 August 2017 21:58 (six years ago) link

Right now digging the current Steve Coleman: https://stevecoleman.bandcamp.com/album/morphogenesis
Before that, Harriet Tubman x Wadada Leo Smith (just ordered the CD):
http://sunnysidezone.com/album/araminta
Might order Miles Okazaki's Trickster
https://milesokazaki.bandcamp.com/releases
Though the live versions and studio excerpts are grabbing me more than those full-length studio tracks
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJq-zBbCa8jNjbCisRZbYYlMXSzwX6Av3

Thanks to Phil's Stereogum column for these last two (and he prob. mentioned Coleman as well)

dow, Friday, 18 August 2017 03:04 (six years ago) link

The headline of this article is so bad but it's actually a really good article, lots to delve into here:

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/forget-old-europe-15-european-jazz-musicians-you-need-to-know-about-reinier-baas-by-enrico-bettinello.php

heaven parker (anagram), Friday, 18 August 2017 07:31 (six years ago) link

I didn't write about Coleman for Stereogum (I'm not much of a fan) but I did review it for The Wire. Among other things, I said:

Coleman invites it, but comparing the music on Morphogenesis to boxing does him no favors. There’s plenty of dazzling footwork on display, but very few punches being thrown. He’s a razor-sharp player and composer who can be heard thinking about every note, and this is very beautiful music, but it lacks the unhinged, reckless, swinging side that boxing and the best jazz share. Which only proves that inspiration is just a starting point: it’s what you do with it that matters.

grawlix (unperson), Friday, 18 August 2017 13:58 (six years ago) link

Oh huh, I went to college with the percussionist on that Steve Coleman record.

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 18 August 2017 14:02 (six years ago) link

New Stereogum column up. I talk about Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Burnt Sugar, Cyrus Chestnut, Russell Malone, Enrico Rava, and a bunch of other folks.

grawlix (unperson), Friday, 18 August 2017 19:33 (six years ago) link

Thanks for the heads-up on a new Matt Wilson.

I assume Morgan Guerin is Roland Guerin's son?

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 18 August 2017 19:53 (six years ago) link

Seems like a safe bet. I'm not familiar with Roland Guerin's work, though.

grawlix (unperson), Friday, 18 August 2017 21:48 (six years ago) link

I liked Sorey's good humour towards that lot: Thx Pitchfork. Next time I'll try to do at least 1.4 better.

calzino, Friday, 18 August 2017 22:30 (six years ago) link

He's probably my favorite New Orleans bassist, mostly from seeing him play with Shannon Powell. He's also on various Marsalis things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV8yJa6Rk90

change display name (Jordan), Saturday, 19 August 2017 14:50 (six years ago) link

I interviewed Michael Ehlers of Eremite Records for Bandcamp. The dude has some great stories. The line that made me laugh out loud was this one: "[Scott] Cashman was a teaching assistant to Archie Shepp at UMASS Amherst in the ’90s who went to Paris for a while to do a dissertation on expatriate American musicians and met Sunny [Murray] over there. When he got back he’s like, ‘I told Sunny all about you and your label’ and I’m like, ‘Don’t give that dude my number.’"

grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 19:14 (six years ago) link

"Rather than indulge his misplaced ambition to make a bebop record,"

I would have been more interested in this^

change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 23:00 (six years ago) link

Henry Threadgill was on WKCR this evening talking about and listening to Monk. Hardly heard any of it except for a great, nearly 20 minute version of "Evidence" recorded in Mainz.

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 5 September 2017 03:12 (six years ago) link

The Art Ensemble of Chicago are playing NYC in October - with Joseph Jarman!

grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 6 September 2017 21:43 (six years ago) link

hi jazz thread ... jazz dummy in a mostly jazz-less town here. but the Ari Hoenig Trio is coming to play a show this fall.

should i be excited?

alpine static, Friday, 8 September 2017 03:32 (six years ago) link

Sure, he's technically a great player and usually puts together a good band. He does have kind of a way of speaking that verges on eccentric- a wee bit louder than needed, as if he has headphones on, or as if talking to himself whist unaware that anyone else is there. I am thinking of seeing him soon with some Brazilians. Oh, Chico Pinheiro. If Chico is on the gig then you must go.

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 September 2017 03:38 (six years ago) link

Yes! He's one of the most entertaining drummers to watch live this side of Dave King.

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 8 September 2017 03:43 (six years ago) link

I tend to agree, although my two current most exciting drummers to watch are both Brazilians, not really on any "mainstream" jazz radar, I don't think, Rafael Barata and Edu Ribeiro, the latter living in Brazil and rarely playing here.

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 September 2017 04:05 (six years ago) link

thanks y'all!

he'll be accompanied by Nitai Hershkovits and Or Bareket on this tour, says his website

?

alpine static, Friday, 8 September 2017 04:23 (six years ago) link

No idea. But Ari himself is good enough that you should go.

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 September 2017 01:30 (six years ago) link

Looks like I'm going to see Threadgill on 9/23 (he's premiering a new long form work for a new 15-member ensemble) and the Art Ensemble on 10/6. Woo-hoo!

grawlix (unperson), Saturday, 9 September 2017 02:06 (six years ago) link

Good for you

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 September 2017 12:37 (six years ago) link

Based on a quick search those guys playing with Ari H seem to keep pretty good company. Please go and report back.

When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 September 2017 14:34 (six years ago) link

I just got a new album from Or Bareket in the mail; it's pretty nice - sort of world-jazz rhythm-driven stuff. I'll be writing it up for Stereogum.

grawlix (unperson), Saturday, 9 September 2017 16:39 (six years ago) link


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