Rolling Jazz Thread 2018

Yeah (I was trying to get Murray on my podcast, but the publicist totally dropped the ball). It's pretty good. I wrote about it in this month's Stereogum column (linked above):

Saxophonist David Murray met poet Saul Williams at Amiri Baraka’s memorial service in 2014. The day after hearing Williams read, Murray knew he wanted to make an album with him. Four years later, here it is, billed as a tribute to Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, a major figure on the Turkish jazz scene. The core band includes Orrin Evans on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums, with additional contributions from Jason Moran (on Fender Rhodes), Murray’s son Mingus on guitar, Craig Harris on trombone, and Aytac Dogan on kanun, a zither-like Turkish instrument. Williams discourses on a variety of subjects, some political, others more celebratory of life. On “A Mirror Of Youth,” Williams’ impassioned delivery — and his vocal timbre — remind me of Black Thought, while the band behind him goes just as hard, without ever abandoning melody. Murray, like Archie Shepp, has always been a living bridge between avant-garde jazz and its roots in blues and swing; he can scream like Albert Ayler, or sing low like Coleman Hawkins, and here he’s in a hard bop mode, spinning out passionate lines that always keep one foot on the ground.

"This group is smoking, but wouldn't it be even better if they had someone sorta-rapping-but-not-really-rapping on top? Like slam poetry, you know?" - no jazz fan ever

I interviewed Tony Allen for Down Beat.

The new issue of The Wire is out today; I wrote the cover story on Mary Halvorson, reviewed Anthony Braxton's new 11CD box set (first line, which I can't believe they kept: "Anthony Braxton has developed gigantism") and the new Sons of Kemet album, and profiled French avant-metal band Chaos Echoes, who have an album coming out that's a collaboration with Mats Gustafsson.

Wow, I've really liked a lot of what I know from Halvorson and am curious about the Braxton. (Marking some midterms with essays about Braxton rn, actually!)

anyone recommend a good 2018 spotify list to follow?

this one has lots of good stuff, but it's mostly Danish https://open.spotify.com/user/jazzyniels/playlist/1KpooeZNb18FltdeWgWlSy

Nels Cline 4 jam concisely on song from new album, info and live-in-studio vid link here:
https://www.stereogum.com/1986225/the-nels-cline-4-imperfect-10/music/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
Mainly of interest to me for the Cline solo, also like the way its momentum lifts the full group at end (but mainly his solo).

That sounds surprisingly similar to, like, John Scofield w/Medeski Martin & Wood. I like it, that's a very funky 5/4. Tom Rainey is fun to watch.

Oh yeah, I like this. Cline and Lage in the same band! I've been enjoying the Lage album a lot too; will buy it.

Oh no I am thinking of Jon Raney and Doug Raney, sons of Jimmy Raney, never mind.

So there's jazz guitarists Julian Lage and also Lage Lund, huh (the latter is married to a singer I went to college with).

Yes. This is often discussed. I believe Julian Lage was a protégé of or at least studied under a guitar teacher named Randy Vincent who has written some good books but employs a very stretchy, risky, Johnny Smith-like left hand technique, so it wasn’t totally surprising when the student developed some kind of tendinitis.

Lage has tendonitis at such a young age? Man.

Oh right, I've probably made the same post at least three times, huh. Too much time on ilx.

Think he did some work and took some posture lessons so that the tendonitis/tendinitis (seems both spellings are acceptable) has abated

The new issue of The Wire is out today; I wrote the cover story on Mary Halvorson, reviewed Anthony Braxton's new 11CD box set (first line, which I can't believe they kept: "Anthony Braxton has developed gigantism") and the new Sons of Kemet album

― grawlix (unperson)

Enjoyed the Braxton piece. Good choice of word given the size of this release (and his back catalogue!). I'm tempted but it's $150 on his Bandcamp.

Listening to lots of Henri Texier. He's got a swarmingly intimidating catalogue but current favourites are Varech (obvs) and his Suite Africaine, with Aldo Roman and Louis Sclavis.

Listening to the Julian Lage record and enjoying it, I like the folky/pop feel. S/o to Kenny Wollesen, the only drummer in jazz who tunes his snare way down.

Kind reminds me of some Scofield and Ribot records, which is a good thing.

Milford Graves followed by Mary Halvorson on the front cover of the Wire, it's almost like it's a jazz magazine.

I thought Mary's recent Tzadik album is really brilliant, one of her best yet.

This one?
http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8356

Also - wow, I didn't know Zorn was working toward an endpoint:
After 13 years and 32 CDs Zorn’s expansive “Book of Angels” project is now complete! This final installment presents the last 10 unrecorded compositions from “Masada Book Two” and the variety, drama and lyricism is just as strong as the very first volume. Mary Halvorson, a longtime Masada fan and one of the most acclaimed guitarists of her generation, leads a dynamic quartet featuring Miles Okazaki, Drew Gress and Tomas Fujiwara. The music is intense, wild and incredibly varied—a beautiful and fitting conclusion to this historic Masada series—hailed as one of Zorn’s best!

yep, and even in such a giganto series it's quite right to say this is one of the best!

The folk/pop feel of the Lage also reminds me of some mid-period Frisell stuff.

Joe Lovano is playing Wednesday to Friday at my local jazz club, I feel like going

Whaaaat, there is a new Brian Blade Fellowship album from Nov 2017, and it didn't make last year's thread (or this one)? I'm very disappointed in all of you (and Blue Note).
http://www.bluenote.com/artists/brian-blade/body-and-shadow

Yep; I wrote about it for Stereogum back in September:

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, Body And Shadow (Blue Note)
Drummer Brian Blade’s latest release might be the shortest jazz album of 2017: nine tracks in under 32 minutes. The group — Myron Walden on alto sax and bass clarinet, Melvin Butler on tenor sax, guitarist Dave Devine, pianist Jon Cowherd, and bassist Chris Thomas — has been together for 20 years. This is their fifth release. They’ve never been a traditional jazz group; their debut was produced by Daniel Lanois, and their music has always had a wafting, atmospheric feel. They incorporate elements of country, blues and gospel into their slow-walking compositions, and solos are subued, though still vibrantly alive. There are some interesting structural experiments here; the title piece is played three times (“Morning,” “Night” and “Noon”), and there are two back-to-back versions of the spiritual “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” — a solo take that sounds like it’s played on a harmonium or accordion, and a full-band version. “Broken Leg Days” has one of those meandering, slowly building seesaw melodies that seem to dominate 21st century jazz, but when Blade brings the drums crashing in, he ups the energy level about five notches in an instant. This is a very enjoyable way to spend a half hour.

Listening now and it's pretty and Fellowship-y, it does sound like their most minimal and restrained one yet though. Also found this review which is pretty brutal, ha: https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/brian-blade-fellowship-band/

NPR covered it! At least I think that’s where I heard about it

Tbh, that album was one of my biggest disappointments of 2017, but only because I loved Landmarks so much.

Nate Chinen has a book coming out in August. It looks interesting.

That does look promising.

Hi jaymc! I get that, it is pretty slight. It's funny, the last couple (totally essential) BBF albums each had one or more tracks that were super restrained, no solos, and those were my favorites (like 'Stoner Hill' on Season of Changes, or 'Embers' on Landmarks). But on this one, every track except one is like that, except maybe not as a strong, and I wish they would play a little more.

I will buy that Nate Chinen book, looks good

Now I wanna hear the new BBF, sounds up my alley. I love when I read a "negative" review and think "that sounds great"

On a Bill Stewart listening kick today. Solo album from 2015 called Space Squid (great), most recent Larry Goldings Trio (kinda boring), that John Scofield one from a couple years ago with Joe Lovano and Larry Grenadier (pretty great).

My latest Stereogum column is up. Watch out - I think one of the streaming tracks is set to autoplay.

That Jeremy Pelt track is burning. Even the cajon solo works.

Really really like this Patrick Zimmerli thing too.

Today I'm enjoying Bill Stewart's Incandescence (from a decade ago), cool double-keyboard trio. Drums, organ, and either Rhodes or piano (or sometimes piano + accordion).

I've been jamming the new Frisell today, good stuff

I guess I have uncool taste in jazz in that I often prefer the kinda... subtle stuff

Re: the comments below Phil's column, Kurt Rosenwinkel's tone has never bothered me, and I actually recall liking him on the few tracks he played on on Chris Potter's Vertigo album

David Ake is a new name to me but I'm liking this track a lot. Monder's guitar at about 4 minutes in is certainly...unexpected

I don't keep up with new jazz releases as much as I would like but I'm still very much attached to ECM. Jakob Bro's first two (trio) albums for the label immediately won me over and I was worried that the addition of a trumpeter on his latest, Returnings, would undermine the music's oneiric dolefulness. Except said trumpeter is Palle Mikkelborg, whose downcast playing fits Bro's compositions like a glove, and the couple of pieces that he penned for the album do not draw our attention away from its overall flow, which is exactly as should be. The less overtly tonal, processional title track (co-written by Bro and Mikkelborg) is the only one that stands out, bringing to mind Edward Vesala, but its intimations of a far-off catastrophe are needed in this potentially too genteel context. Good stuff, overall – I should probably explore Bro's pre-ECM output as well.

I didn't know about the Frisell. A solo electric guitar album from is pretty much exactly what I want; sounding good so far. Also, Roscoe Mitchell's album with the Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra Ride the Wind just arrived. Looking forward to it.

The Mitchell/MTAO is really good!

xp I've seen Bro live with Mikkelborg a twice, both great so I am looking forward to listening!

you might want to check out Balladeering which is one of my favorite albums
https://open.spotify.com/album/3dsUvkEtccETDqWcXUUXxh

The only Mikkelborg I have is Miles Davis's Aura, which PM composed, arranged and produced, with a big band incl. NHØP and John Mclaughlin: it's like "What if Miles and Gil plugged in and kept it tasteful." Good of its kind for sure.

Just did an hour+ interview with Billy Cobham for the Burning Ambulance podcast - it'll be live on 4/13. Awesome guy - had stories about Miles, McLaughlin/Mahavishnu (McLaughlin can apparently be kinda shady at times), the Fania All-Stars, and much, much more.

Cool! Really enjoyed his Trap Set interview.

Today I'm listening to all the versions of 'So What' from that new Miles Quintet bootleg series thing. Spoiler alert - they keep getting better.

http://i8.cmail19.com/ei/i/79/EB4/FC8/222203/csimport/r-1260625-1360137078-7003-jpeg_7.jpg

Soul Jazz Records EVENTS Horace Tapscott: Musical Griot Documentary TOMORROW Wed 28 March 2pm Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image
TOMORROW AFTERNOON!
Exclusive screening + After-film discussion panel including Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records)

This event is FREE - info here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/session-thirteen-horace-tapscott-musical-griot-rebirth-is-necessary-tickets-43055887318

Birkbeck Cinema, 43 Gordon Square

London WC1H 0PD

Going back to Jeff Parker's 'The New Breed' and this is so my shit. Maybe one of the best blends of jazz + electronic music, and many have tried and failed.

(also holy shit, that record has sold a ton on Bandcamp alone, good for him for tapping into the 'chill beats' economy perhaps)

Also IA are really doing an amazing job elevating their artists to the international level, like it's kind of amazing

It really is, and it's nice that they're so thoroughly Chicago-focused.

That's my fave track on Universal Beings.

McCraven thread is overdue imo

I agree and will probably make one anyway when the GSH thing drops, but in the meantime: International Anthem: S/D

Too late to vote but fwiw I too like the idea of a dedicated thread. I thought about starting a similar one for Astral Spirits but, err, didn't

astral spirits is such a sick label start the thread

intl anthem thread good too, keep up the good work posters