ByPaul Acquaro
I used to live across the street from a park, it was a long rectangular shaped area that bordered an active train track on one side, and on the other side, I’d walk my dog. As we would approach the playground area, at just about where the “no dogs allowed” sign was posted, he’d do his business. At one point I noticed that the …
Not protected like a National Park, National Monuments in the US are nevertheless meant to protect special areas from development and can be created by proclamation by the President. In 1996, President Clinton created Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, an expanse of high desert that contains absolutely stunning landscapes and geological f…
After almost a year of carrying this one around in my devices and listening only through earbuds, I finally played Fictional Souvenirs through the stereo in the apartment. “Ohh, spooky alien music,” said my wife. We typically agree on these things, and I was hearing nothing to suggest anything different. Pianist and electronics player Pat Thom…
To fully appreciate Skullmarks, you should visit the page on John Butcher’ websiteabout the release and look at the images for a bit. Let them sink in. Look at the mix of organics … bones, ceramic, teeth, wood, feathers, and pigments. This music was shaped in reaction to these objects.
The six members of the group Common Objects paid a…
I’ve been toting around a sizable library of music for a while now. My plan is always the same, commit some words to paperthe screen about all of them. Ahh, plans. Now, I’m staring at a near insurmountable list of to-reviews. It is time to make some progress. So to begin somewhere, I’m going to start by focusing on one my favorite instruments, …
Here is an interesting, evolving project from Brooklyn based woodwind player Josh Sinton. After a recent break from music, Sinton has returned with a series of very nicely produced videos on YouTube highlighting the work of musicians who have been influential to him. The list is extensive and will include Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Roscoe Mitchel…
Fourteen minutes long and packed from start to its all-too-soon finish with energy, drummer Devin Gray’s GPS Trio is a compact and powerful firecracker of an album. Just judging from the names of the GPS, you can pretty much form an opinion on what the group will sound like: G for Gray, a thoughtful composer and a fierce free player. Then th…
A couple of years ago I picked up a book edited by Renata Da Rin and William Parker called Giving Birth to Sound: Women in Creative Music. It came to mind as I was reading Sammy Stein’s new Women in Jazz as the topic obviously intertwined a bit. Both books incorporate interviews heavily into their construction, but whereas Giving Birth to…
THEORAL nos 1 – 14. Photo from theoral website.
withPhilipp Schmickl
This weekend the Free Jazz Blog featured the writing ofPhilipp Schmickl, who has been running the publication THEORALfrom his home in Nickelsdorf, Austria. To cap off his coverage of the Alternative Festival, we conducted a short Q&A by email, discussing growing up in th…
Garden Party is an engaging and fun work that teams up some heavyweights like saxophonist Kidd Jordan, bassist William Parker, and drummer Alvin Fielder with younger musicians saxophonist Chad Fowler and pianist Chris Parker, as well as vocalist Kelley Hurt. It is Fielder’s final recording, as he fell sick and passed away after it’s
reco…
Sigmar Polke – Ohne Titel (Schallplatten)
Here it is, the long awaited top album of 2019! Culled from the top 10 lists of the collective, we then conducted a poll among all contributors over the past year and now we’re happy to announce this year’s winners.
The top spot goes to Matana Roberts’ Coin Coin Chapter 4: Memphis. Roberts is not new to…
Eric Stern introducing at Eric’s House of Improv
We are sad to report that Eric Stern, 54, a contributor to the blog, passed away earlier this month. Eric had been dealing with serious health issues for a number of years, but did not let it damper his enthusiasm for live (and recorded) music. Over the past year or so, Eric had been organizing “E…
