Rolling Jazz Thread 2021

https://benmonder.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-55-bar

sick Monder/Malaby/Rainey set here.

Bobby Previte shared a recording of The President recorded at CBGB's and in the studio during the 80s.

Intriguing coverage by Peter Margasak, incl. backstory:

Considering the seemingly boundless spring of archival music collections in the marketplace, it’s surprising that so few of them provide genuine revelations outside of micro-details about how a particular tune may have developed over time or has been shaped in a studio. Box set fatigue is understandable, but there are exceptions.

Take, for example, a recent seven-CD excavation of holdings in the archive of the brilliant reedist and composer Julius Hemphill, which not only consists exclusively of previously unissued recordings, but also goes a long way in filling out the complex story of this multifaceted artist whose breadth and vision were seriously short-changed by the recording industry.

https://downbeat.com/news/detail/julius-hemphills-crusade

What a cute couple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7keXVgj0xk

I like her albums better than anything I've ever heard by him.

Yeah I can't really stand his tone, the only album I ever listened to from him is 'Play', because of Ben Perowsky and Scofield on it. I've never investigated her stuff, but now I'm curious.

I talked to Joe Chambers for the new Burning Ambulance podcast. He has some thoughts about Milford Graves (and free jazz drumming in general)...

Links to listen are below, if you're interested.

Osiris: https://bit.ly/3qyFRl2
Apple: https://apple.co/2OcUqO6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ODfMnF

I listened the other day and enjoyed it. Even though I appreciate Milford Graves, I have a lot of sympathy for his pov. Rejecting the pulse entirely can be just as limiting as the rhythmic grid, since then you're basically left with texture and density (in terms of a musical conversation). And of course MG had a whole conceptual framework to go along with the musical one, it's hard to talk about these things without the social context.

But purely musically, I find it a lot more satisfying to listen to someone stretching the boundaries within the context of a pulse, and a little pulse-less music goes a long way.

Speaking of Ben Perowsky, looks like one of my favorite albums of all time is now streaming and on Bandcamp:
https://benperowsky.bandcamp.com/album/ben-perowsky-trio
https://open.spotify.com/album/3t1PNw6bl6kHj8Xo8Z59vH?si=HUlKes4ORCeGJtqzX7_EoQ

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

Everybody's talking about that.

Yeah, I like how he preserves the melody faithfully in the top voice through individually ringing harmonics and stopped notes even while developing four-voice harmony and counterpoint under it.

Did you learn how to do that in that workshop?

Heh, he'd probably need more than a single workshop to teach it.

I remember him telling me about the blessing he got from another guitarist who was interested in counterpoint and multiline improv.

Somebody told me to watch this before it goes away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNWuZgWNQo

Guitarist Julian Lage has signed to Blue Note; his debut for the label, Squint, will be out in June. Here's the first track, "Saint Rose," with Jorge Roeder on bass and Dave King on drums:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feli3FwOiso

Speaking of Dave King, Orrin Evans has left the Bad Plus after two albums. King and Reid Anderson say they're gonna keep working together, possibly as TBP, but it may become something beyond a piano trio. Could be interesting.

Ooh interesting

Bad Plus original lineup reunion for Coachella 2025

I read about the TBP news on Twitter, from Ethan Iverson, who mentioned that he'd never listened to either of the albums they did with Orrin. That kind of surprised me. I don't know why.

Huh, it never occurred to me but I could see it, just too personal.

I do think it makes a lot more sense for TBP to turn into whatever Dave & Reid want to do with whoever, rather than trying to recreate the original dynamic. It does kinda undercut the initial idea of 'the band is the band', but now the band is a bass player and a drummer, so.

New album of piano trio music written by drummer Devin Drobka, who has become one of the main jazz drummers around these parts.

Sounds very composed and spacious, I'm into it:
https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/resorts

Ah, no, that Monder duo video went away now.:(

Think it goes behind a paywall

My latest Stereogum column, in which I go long on Jeremy Pelt's new book of interviews and the need for more black jazz critics, and more artist-to-artist dialogue. I also review some records.

Ooh cool. I've been planning to re-read the Art Taylor book of interviews (which reminds me, I really stalled out on reading that Monk bio).

Burnt Sugar, The Rites ~ Butch Morris Conductions Inspired By Stravinsky's Le Sacre Du Printemps---w Pete Cosey, Melvin Gibbs, Mazz Swift, many more: https://burntsugarthearkestrachamber.bandcamp.com/album/the-rites-butch-morris-conductions-inspired-by-stravinskys-le-sacre-du-printemps

I tend to find one jazz album per year I like enough to buy. This year that would be The Clear Revolution by Cyclone Trio (Massimo Magee, Tony Irving, Tim Green) on 577 RECS . It chaotically lurches with reckless abandon. Play it loud.

http://elsewhere.scdn3.secure.raxcdn.com/images/v95000/articles/cyclone.jpg

http://open.spotify.com/album/6Es2bLAKmLOQU3FCc8l1Au?si=BJMPnsNlT4m2TxOmHVplNA
http://577records.bandcamp.com/album/the-clear-revolution

what's the ilm take on J.D. Beck and DOMi https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/10/magazine/jd-beck-domi.html ?

They're great. Especially J.D. Beck, I've been on his drumming videos for a long time now and he's a young genius.

I'm looking forward to them making/appearing on more actual records someday, instead of just being virtuoso Youtube celebs. But maybe that's an old brain way of looking at it.

yeah they're crazy live, and I can def stand what they do more than the louis cole style of younger virtuoso ppl, but idk if there's anything more to them than their chops. I haven't really heard anything they've done that I would want to listen to outside of seeing them play

looking forward to the live koma saxo record https://wejazzrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live

I found that Times story insufferable. Their music was...fine. Teenagers making music for teenagers. Good for them. But very much Not For Me.

I hadn't read it, but mark my words, JD Beck is going to be around. His videos are popular not because he's made a particular effort to make them so (like Jacob Collier or whoever), it's because he really does have his own style that's already been influential. He's a drummer's drummer, it's not all memes or serving up watered-down gospel chops.

But yeah, he's yet to make a good record as far as I know.

hehe, enjoying both takes

Koma Saxo sounds great

I just hated the way that Times article looked, I didn't want to have anything to do with it.

Little late, but I just got my copy. This Pino Palladion/Blake Mills record is fantastic. I only wish it were longer.

ECM announced a new trio disc with Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey and Linda May Han O.

NYT does that every year, I believe spearheaded by our own Nitsuh

Then I watched this duo do “Giant Steps” — not Bieber and Aguilera, but the drummer J.D. Beck (16 at the time) and the keyboard player DOMi (19) — and I thought, in this exact order: Oh. Oh, my. Wow. What? WHAT? After a few minutes I started emitting short, snorting laughs. Not because the music was funny, but because you have got to be kidding me: Who were these kids?

this is like ... a standard "challenging" song of high school combo jazz not an obscurity or something

difficult ofc but

Seriously, doesn't every jazz kid learn "Giant Steps"? I don't know who the author of that piece is but he's very easily impressed.

I don't think the fact that they're playing Giant Steps is the point, but that the way they're playing it is very them, and not particularly like anyone else (although it's clearly influenced by Glasper/Chris Dave etc)

the visuals on that NYT piece turned me off but i'm enjoying listening to domi and beck and am bookmarking a selection to deep dive... I certainly get the appeal!

yeah, fuck i'm gonna really like these kids aren't i

(koma saxo track also great btw)

glad that nyt thing is stuck behind a paywall for me so i don't have to get mad at the writing

Vijay Iyer interview by Morgan Enos. Discusses his upcoming album and has some interesting points about jazz history and why he avoids the term: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-vijay-iyer-interview-linda-oh-tyshawn-sorey-uneasy

https://punktvrtplastikintakt.bandcamp.com/album/somit

new Punkt.Vrt.Plastik album is another of the extremely good piano trios about right now.

Stunning new operatic piece from Tyshawn Sorey. Only up for 24 hours so set aside 20 minutes and dive in. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/magazine/tyshawn-sorey.html

Dang, did I miss?