Rolling Jazz Thread 2022

Good comparison!

Late last night Archie Shepp was talking about how he and Herbie Nichols used to play sessions together in the downtown loft that Shepp and Baraka shared. Shepp begged Nichols to start a group, didn’t happen. Now I am sharing the Nichols intv with Shepp.https://t.co/7Rp8FjgDcP

— Jason Moran (@morethan88) July 15, 2022

My latest Stereogum column is out. I interviewed Moor Mother about her new album, Woody Shaw, Amina Claudine Myers, and much more, and reviewed new records by Tyshawn Sorey, Tarbaby, Tumi Mogorosi, Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity, Thandi Ntuli, Theo Croker and more.

Thought for a second that said you interviewed Woody Shaw and did a double take.

New Bennie Maupin/Adam Rudolph thing on Strut is killer: https://adamrudolph.bandcamp.com/album/symphonic-tone-poem-for-brother-yusef

(where killer = meditative, spacious, full of weird clatter)

two thumbs up

I just did a long interview with Rudolph for my podcast; link is here. We talked about that album, the concept of "world music," and a whole lot more.

That is great, many thanks.

I also want to thank you, unperson, for turning me onto Binker Golding's new record. It reminds me sometimes of Jarrett's 'Expectations,' which is my favorite of his from that period.

Just read a positive review of your new book the other day, unperson. Kudos!

Thanks! Where was it published? I think I've seen them all, but just in case...

Anna Butterss record is really dope, catching up with the thread and having a great time.

JazzTimes

New Life Trio's Visions of the Third Eye reviewed at @SpectrumCulture

As contemporary jazz albums go, it’s excellent. But as a historical artifact, it’s downright fascinating.

(@KeepersFinders)https://t.co/fHmW3ptwu2 pic.twitter.com/sdhBccbMFP

— Forced Exposure (@FORCEDEXPOSURE) July 11, 2022

I was interviewed for All About Jazz. It's pegged to my book, of course, but there's a lot of talk about The State Of Jazz, so, you know, check it out if you want.

How do you feel about being compared to Bernard Pivot and James Lipton?

OK, I guess. My wife met Lipton once and was surprised by how short he was. (Various sources have him between 5'6" and 5'9".)

Very cool interview- interesting thoughts.

a friend told me a funny story about being invited to witness a Lipton taping.

new Arkestra preview track sounds GREAT. album coming in oct.

https://sunrastrut.bandcamp.com/album/living-sky

James Brandon Lewis has signed to Anti- and released a new track featuring the Messthetics (guitarist Anthony Pirog, already a longtime JBL collaborator, and bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty, formerly of Fugazi).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2_9gR1y5zI

Oh man, I used to watch this series on the original/embryonic A&E, but missed this episode (mainly remember the science fiction one, w Gene Wolfe, Frederick Pohl, Harlan Ellison, more)

Ian Harrison, MOJO News Editor, just sent me this. #BringBackNightcap pic.twitter.com/wsfle2UUSS

— Andrew Male (@Andr6wMale) July 27, 2022

Revturn

OK! Awake Nu and boil the Brown Rice!
The next @MOJOmagazine How To Buy will be on...
Don Cherry! Solo, Old And New Dreams, Organic Music Society, Codona, NYC5, Summer House Sessions, the lot. Where to start, where to go next? You help is needed! RT's welcome. pic.twitter.com/hC9AhURpcD

— Andrew Male (@Andr6wMale) July 28, 2022

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.

i was just coming hear 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

http://twitter.com/0wlred

Yes--- original line-up of thee string band Henri's Notions, some ov whom were my sometyme housemates, did a great version of title track. Otherwise, Braxton x Rivers blew my mynd, had to put it away for a while---listened again: yadda yadda my fave rave ECM evah https://t.co/BQIszf0w7U

— Don Allred (@0wlred) July 29, 2022

dow, are you 0wlred?

yep

New place called Hermana NYC has some serious acts booked.

They spelled Tomoki Sanders' name wrong on their calendar, though...

(Yes, Pharoah's son. He's pretty good in a semi-ambient, post-Kamasi sort of way.)

TITAN TO TACHYONS: NYC Jazz/Metal Quartet With Current/Ex Members Of Mr. Bungle, Orbweaver, Cleric, John Zorn, Imperial Triumphant Presents Vonals Album Via Tzadik Records; Tour Dates And Live Video Posted

New York City-based TITAN TO TACHYONS presents their second album, Vonals, now confirmed to see release through John Zorn’s Tzadik Records in September, today issuing the record’s cover art, track listing, a live video of the track “Wax Hypnotic,” and more.

TITAN TO TACHYONS is an instrumental experimental jazz-metal group led by New Zealand/New York composer and guitarist Sally Gates (ex-Orbweaver), which features Kenny Grohowski (Secret Chiefs 3, Imperial Triumphant, John Zorn), on the drums, and two bassists: Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk) and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn). The quartet instrumentally depict the realms of surrealism and science-fiction through eclectic and improvisational passages, juxtaposed by fluid grooves and metallic flurries. Their debut LP, Cactides, was released through Nefarious Industries mid-2020 to critical acclaim, and now the band returns with its follow-up, Vonals.

With six new tracks encompassing more than forty-five minutes, TITAN TO TACHYONS’ Vonals is a mesmerizing and entrancing album, as alluring as it is unpredictable. Spaced-out free-flowing jams merge with explosive metallic outbursts as if the listener was watching a time-lapse video of the cosmos forming from an ominous jazz lounge in a David Lynch film. The dueling bass of Dunn and bass VI of Hollenberg create a web of intricately developed low-end flow over Grohowski’s hammering buildups and fills, while Gates’ instantly recognizable technical axemanship blooms with both finesse and volatility.

Vonals was recorded and mixed by Colin Marston at Menegroth, the Thousand Caves (Dysrhythmia, Krallice, Imperial Triumphant), mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk (Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock), and completed with band photography by Naeemah Z. Maddox and cover paintings by Sally Gates.

Watch TITAN TO TACHYONS’ live performance of the album track “Wax Hypnotic,” filmed at NuBlu in New York City in April, at THIS LOCATION.

Tzadik Records will release the album on CD only, no digital release, on September 16th. Watch for additional updates to post over the weeks ahead.

Vonals Track Listing:
1. Neutron Wrangler
2. Vacuum Symmetry
3. Critical Paranoia
4. Wax Hypnotic
5. Close the Valve & Wait
6. Blue Thought Particles

TITAN TO TACHYONS has been performing throughout New York City over recent months and will support the release of Vonals with an East Coast tour running from September 28th through October 2nd. See the confirmed shows below and watch for the remaining venues to be confirmed and announced alongside details for a New York City release show for the album in the days ahead.

TITAN TO TACHYONS Tour Dates:
9/29/2022 etc. – Greensboro, NC w/ Cloutchaser
9/30/2022 Sabbath Brewing – Atlanta, GA w/ Dead Register, Shane Parish
10/01/2022 Jam Room Music Fest – Columbia, SC w/ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Titus Andronicus, Shiner, more
10/02/2022 Gallery5 – Richmond, VA w/ Dumb Waiter, Bermuda Triangles

TITAN TO TACHYONS:
Sally Gates – guitar
Matt Hollenberg – bass VI
Trevor Dunn – bass
Kenny Grohowski – drums, percussion

https://titantotachyons.com
https://titantotachyons.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/titantotachyons
https://www.instagram.com/titantotachyons
https://www.tzadik.com
https://www.facebook.com/TzadikLabel
https://twitter.com/tzadik_label
https://tzadik.limitedrun.com/store

They're definitely not jazz, but the first album was good; I published (did not write) a review of it.

Kenny is a great drummer, nice guy and seems to play with everyone.

Stomu Takeishi is playing in my neighborhood tonight but I don’t know whether I will get over there.

You had me at Brandon Ross and Charlie Burnham and Warren Benbow.

TODAY'S THE DAY! The debut album by Breath Of Air (Brandon Ross on guitar, Charlie Burnham on violin, Warren Benbow on drums) is available everywhere! Get your copy straight from us on @Bandcamp:https://t.co/1xD7BftVGw pic.twitter.com/7QTpzUD4Nn

— burning ambulance (NOW A RECORD LABEL!) (@burn_amb) August 5, 2022

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/booker-little-out-front/

class album is this and it's a very thoroughly researched review with a lot of interesting stuff about the short lived Booker Little and his associations with other musicians, although it's always disappointing to find out someone you like was a bit of a melt! (joking of course)

Tzadik Records will release the album on CD only, no digital release, on September 16th. Watch for additional updates to post over the weeks ahead.

Minor quibble, but releasing CD-only records is extremely stupid. I'm sure the band will truly expand their audience.

Tzadik doesn’t do streaming either.

"Let's make our entire catalog completely inaccessible to a new generation of listeners. That's the ticket!"

I'm not sure what Zorn's whole deal is w/r/t Tzadik. I remember years ago someone explained that there were enough people who bought everything with his name on it that it subsidized the rest of the releases, but I doubt that's still the case. I'm sure that's the hole he poured his MacArthur money into. But he did some big project via PledgeMusic (and got fucked out of the donations), so maybe it's run as a nonprofit now or something.

Seems like it, from the label's FB bio:

TZADIK is a not-for-profit, cooperative record label, founded in 1995 by John Zorn in co-operation with Kazunori Sugiyama.
Tzadik is dedicated to releasing the best in avant garde and experimental music, presenting a worldwide community of contemporary musician-composers who find it difficult or impossible to release their music through more conventional channels. Tzadik believes most of all in the integrity of its artists. What you hear on Tzadik is the artists' vision undiluted.

Can Tzadik artists make their own streaming deals, like with Bandcamp (or via their own sites, for that matter)?

(Wonder if he'll get into this new vinyl thing.)

xp -- I did a label search for Tzadik on Spotify years ago and came up with a couple of albums. Very little though.

Can Tzadik artists make their own streaming deals, like with Bandcamp (or via their own sites, for that matter)?

No, but I believe the catalog is on exactly one streaming site — Qobuz.

(Wonder if he'll get into this new vinyl thing.)

He pressed a couple of catalog titles on vinyl to recoup the money lost in the whole PledgeMusic shitshow.

No, but I believe the catalog is on exactly one streaming site — Qobuz
.

I mean, as a curmudgeonly dickhead, I understand Zorn being one, too. It just seems a truly bizarre thing to be so gung-ho about, but then again, I think that e-readers steal your life force.

I've been listening a lot to the Yosuke Yamashita Trio (actually three different trios, since they changed saxophonists early on and changed drummers later) this summer, so I wrote a long thing about them on Substack.

Yamashita’s first trio, with Seiichi Nakamura on saxophones and Takeo Moriyama on drums, recorded their debut album, 1969’s Dancing Kojiki, in the basement of a building at Tokyo’s Waseda University that had been taken over by students. The disc opens with a hoarse, declamatory speech/introduction by a student organizer, after which the music launches as a piano-drums duo with all the ferocity of Cecil Taylor and Sunny Murray at the Café Montmartre in 1962 (and a similar rough, clanging sound). Nakamura, too, plays a role similar to that of Jimmy Lyons in Taylor’s groups; his lines are often more melodic and traditional than what the other two are playing, and he seems at times to float atop the churning ocean of sound they’re creating, though eventually he rises to a level of intensity equal to theirs. The album contains just two long pieces, the 16-minute “Theme” and the 17-minute “Mokujiki,” and Soejima writes, “There is a story that Yamashita actually set fire to the piano as he was playing. A battle between a fiery sound and a burning piano!” (Many years later, he would actually perform on a burning piano while wearing head-to-toe fire protection gear; you can see the clip on YouTube.) Nakamura left the group pretty quickly, replaced by Akira Sakata; this second lineup (and eventually a third, with Shota Koyama replacing Nakamura on drums) would tour extensively in Europe and make a bunch of albums in the ’70s, finally disbanding in 1983.

I’ve been listening to Yamashita’s trio records a lot this summer. He made close to a dozen albums with these three different lineups, and I’ve heard most of them at this point. The majority of their catalog was recorded live, often at European festivals in places like Montreux and Heidelberg. They had a few compositions they returned to regularly — “Chiasma,” “Hachi,” “Clay” (a dedication to Muhammad Ali), “Mitochondria” — and they delivered a blistering take on Albert Ayler’s “Ghosts” on both 1975’s Montreux Afterglow and the mind-blowing 1977 double LP Arashi, on which they were joined by second saxophonist Gerald Oshita and the Butoh dance troup Dairakudakan.

Another album, 1971’s Introducing Takeo Moriyama (later reissued as Gugan), was a real outlier in their catalog, as it added an ensemble called Brass 12, giving the music a unique free-jazz-big-band sound. They also recorded Distant Thunder, a live collaboration with German free jazz trumpeter Manfred Schoof, which began and ended with lengthy, fierce blowouts (“Mitochondria” and “Hachi”), and two solo pieces in the middle — Schoof playing Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” and Yamashita performing the title piece. Just listening to the core trio, though, is going to be more than enough for even the hardiest listeners. Sakata is an insanely hard-blowing saxophonist with a flair for the dramatic, and he can solo at stunning length without ever seeming to flag.

(I interviewed Sakata by email in 2019, and when I asked about his playing style, he said, “I spent significant time thinking how I could stand on the same line with [legendary Japanese saxophonist] Sadao Watanabe. And I came up with a solution — not to do anything that he was doing, because I couldn’t do anything that other musicians could. This idea is actually based on the advice by Charlie Parker for the young saxophonists I read somewhere in his biography. He said, ‘Take the deepest breath you can ever take, and move your fingers as fast as you can.’ And I thought, ‘This is it!’”)

Yamashita matches his stamina, and has a melodic invention and lyricism that will almost certainly remind you of Cecil Taylor, but with a more romantic and boppish feeling at the heart of his conception. And Nakamura’s drumming is simultaneously insanely busy and obsessively precise; every strike lands like a dart hurled by a world champion who just happens to have eight arms. (Koyama, who took over in the late ’70s, has a more thrashing style.) Most of the time, their pieces run between 15 and 20 minutes, though the title track from Up To Date is a single 40-minute piece originally split across two sides of vinyl but restored on CD.

These records can be tough to find; only two, Clay and a self-titled 1973 recording that wasn’t actually released until 2012, are on streaming services, and most of them have never been released on US labels, though many have been remastered and reissued on CD in Japan in the 21st century. Still, they’re well worth the search. And if you can find a copy of Soejima’s book, it’s not only a perfect companion to the music, but a source of highly entertaining and illuminating insights into the history of this scene, which was effectively a parallel universe, not just mirroring what was going on in the US (and to a lesser degree Europe — the Japanese were interested in jazz, not non-idiomatic free improvisation of the type practiced by, for example, UK musicians) but creating something in their own voices.