Rolling Jazz Thread 2018

A lot of times jazz guys doing rock material is kind of bad, for one thing because they don’t like to play non-swing rock time and sometimes end up playing some weak vaguely funky groove, say. Of course there have been plenty of exceptions over the years, but rule of thumb still holds.

Antonio Sanchez used to live right across the street from me but I believe I heard they finally moved. Think I only ever saw him once or twice since he tours a lot, but would see his fiancée Thana all the time.

Yeah, I heard Atremis do a really noodley, diffuse-on-the-verses, going-vaguely-toward-fusion-lounge-on-the-chorus "Fool On The Hill," of all things, on this past weekend's Jazz Night In America. Might get to like it on record, but In The Moment na. Did get into some of xpost Allison Miller's drumming--drummers have to pull so much shit together, in every genre etc.
I suspect the only way to do this song right, is as ECM and/or Gil Evens zombie tread, super-slowly, from way across the fjord fog.
Would like to hear jazzers try "Blue Jay Way," "Dear Prudence," "I Am The Walrus," "She Said She Said."
Steve Marcus and Larry Coryell used to rip into "Tomorrow Never Knows" on occasion.
I did, this past summer, get experienced by "Eleanor Rigby," of all things, among several revelatory covers of songs I never gave a particular shit about, on Dennis Coffey'sOne Night At Morey's: 1968(the only track I don't like is "Cissy Strut," only because it's too close to the original, although that's quite an acheivement in itself, and if I were in the Motor City club audience when they played, with no NOLA or Meters handy, I'm sure I would have minded).
Otherwise, the expertise of guitar-organ-drums as orchestra is as resourceful as you please, in a no-nonsense way---the only per se jazz material is the closer, "Billie's Bounce," but they got the spirit and the focus: https://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/one-night-at-moreys-1968/

*Artemis*, that is---sorry!

Gil Evans not Evens yes

uh yeah "achievement," "i before e" 50 times on the blackboard.

I saw Arun Ghosh a week ago and funnily enough he closed with a cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" - mostly a showcase for the rhythm section tho, which is the least jazzy part of his combo. Still, hearing a horn section blare those verses was cool.

He was very great and high energy overall.

just listening to Gabriel Zucker's Weighting. A top notch piano/trumpet/sax quartet with the godlike T Sorey on drums, excellent stuff!

Yeah, that’s a good one. I reviewed it twice, by mistake (had an assignment for Down Beat and then the NYC Jazz Record’s editor dropped it on me, too).

dow, here are just some of the ones that have grabbed me this year:

tyshawn sorey - pillars
amaro freitas - rasif
cecile mclorin salvant - the window
dave holland, evan parker, craig taiborn & ches smith - uncharted territories
james brandon lewis, chad taylor - radiant imprints
jamie saft quartet - blue dream
lionel loueke - the journey
makaya mccraven - universal beings
halvorson / frisell - the girl with the flaxen hair
halvorson / lee - seed triangular
miles okazaki - work (i.e. the complete monk songbook)
salim washington - dogon revisited
steve coleman - live at the village vanguard
william parker - voices fall from the sky

but i feel like i'm not even close to doing enough listening yet.

halvorson has released a shitload under her name or groups this year, these are not even her major releases, i happened to like them more, though.

the james brandon lewis duo record is premised on a strategy of working later-career trane fragments into very songlike new music, so it definitely has a strain of familiarity to it but it feels remarkably vital. he's doing a lot of different things in recent records too.

some of these are literally huge - 2+ hours, 3 hours, 6 hours. i feel like the bandcamp era has really had an effect on artists w.r.t. freedom of release.

"mystic beings" by baczkowski / nace / corsano just rips in exactly the right way for me right now. i think this might make it into my top 5 albums of the year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss7n8irdYXM

Thanks, niels and j.! Esp. intrigued by mention of duo dub strategy.

Of the list above, I like these a lot:

tyshawn sorey - pillars
amaro freitas - rasif
dave holland, evan parker, craig taiborn & ches smith - uncharted territories
james brandon lewis, chad taylor - radiant imprints
makaya mccraven - universal beings
salim washington - dogon revisited

Lewis has a fantastic new record coming out in February that features his working trio (bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Warren Trae Crudup III) plus Jaimie Branch on trumpet and Anthony Pirog on guitar. I'm hoping to interview him for The Wire with that as the hook.

Just got a package from Dave Douglas's Greenleaf Music label. They sent me that 8CD live set by his quintet that I mentioned upthread, and Uplift: Twelve Pieces for Positive Action, which features Douglas on trumpet, Joe Lovano on saxes, Mary Halvorson and Julian Lage on guitars, Bill Laswell on bass, and Ian Chang on drums and electronics. The twelve tracks were originally released one a month exclusively to people who subscribed to Greenleaf via Bandcamp (which I don't), but now they've been compiled.

The live Douglas box has me revisiting that band's three studio albums - Be Still from 2012, Time Travel from 2013, and Brazen Heart from 2015. That was a fantastic band.

Watching this Nick Payton Tiny Desk (w/Jonathan Barber on drums, who I like a lot from Jeremy Pelt's stuff). I wondered how some of the stuff on his trio record with both trumpet and Rhodes was recorded (since he's playing both), like which one was played live with the group and which was overdubbed, but I guess it makes a lot more sense that he was playing both at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_dSlxgD2Fo

Also, when you don't have brushes with you, just using your hands rather than sticks is an amazing choice.

That Makaya McCraven album is a revelation.

brings to mind Sonny Rollins somehow

Checking out Sam Harris's Harmony. He's a pianist who plays with Ambrose Akinmusire, Logan Richardson, Melissa Aldana, Rudy Rosyton and others, and this album is really something. It's a five-track, 30-minute trio performance (Martin Nevin on bass, Craig Weinrib on drums) that's more or less a continuous suite. He combines heavy, clanging blues with avant-garde exploration and melodic frills in a way that reminds me of Keith Jarrett, kinda, but I don't really like Keith Jarrett much, and I like this a lot. As far as I know, it's only available on Bandcamp, and it's well worth the $10.

http://samharrismusic.bandcamp.com/album/harmony

I like it, he reminds me of Dave Burrell somewhat, who is a bit of an old grand master of heavy, clanging blues with avant-garde exploration.

https://the1959project.com/

Natalie Weiner is doing this look at jazz in NYC 60 years ago effort. With postings every day she says. She posted photos and more re a Rollins/Mingus doublebill at the Five Spot

just picked up the LP/DVD combo for this https://hypnoticbrassfilm.com/ yesterday, haven't listened yet. Was unfortunately not able to find any Shabaka Hutchings-related vinyl at Amoeba SF :(

that Nick Payton set upthread is great, what releases does he have that are similar/worth picking up?

I've heard some previous albums by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - felt like they lived up to their name a little too much but maybe I'll give them another chance.

The Heritage EP is my favorite, agree they can get a bit same-y

who else is doing winterjazzfest with me? Some great sets in the offing!

I don’t feel like I can stay our late enough to make it worthwhile but tell me more. Also, seriously thinking of going to Birdland tonight

I'm considering going but may not make it. I really want to see these shows:

Thursday, January 10 - Gary Bartz Plays Another Earth with Pharoah Sanders; Nubya Garcia opening
Friday, January 11 - Marathon, Night 1 (I'm hoping to see Ezra Collective, Makaya McCraven, and Aaron Parks' Little Big)
Saturday, January 12 - Marathon, Night 2 (I'm hoping to see Anteloper, Nubya Garcia, and Irreversible Entanglements)

I have 12 nominations left for the ILM poll if anyone has used up their noms and wants any jazz/improv/classical/avant on the ballot.

i heard a cut from makaya mccraven's universal beings today and was honestly quite blown away. and i never expected i'd be taken in by a jazz record like that.

What was the name of the song? I'm way behind in checking out the last few MM things

Not sure if this is the right thread, but the new Jeff Parker album is phenomenal

Yeah, Universal Beings is wonderful.

xp the song was "suite haus"! i haven't yet listened to the full album but i'll get to it soon i hope

The mew mccraven gil scott heron project sounded great live. Cant wait to chow down on the album.

I've just discovered McCraven's CHICAGOxLONDON mixtape from 2018 which is fantastic. Lots of lovely Rhodes piano.

i heard a cut from makaya mccraven's universal beings today and was honestly quite blown away. and i never expected i'd be taken in by a jazz record like that.

― dyl, Monday, January 20, 2020 11:30 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

thank you for this, this track is incredible

Universal Anthem is where it's at!!

i mean International Anthem!!!!
lol

anyway it's a great record label https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/

Something I was shockingly old when I learned (this week, in fact): this isn't a jazz-centric rebrand of the guitar soli-type label from a few years ago. Obviously I was confusing it with Imaginational Anthem

This revive has really brought my “should I start a dedicated McCraven or an International Anthem thread?” dilemma to a head. Anyone have a preference?

I like label threads because you can talk about more stuff in there. I made one for Soundway records and do not regret it :)

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