and Tom Burris
(DISCS 1 – 3) – Paul
The candy box set from Joe McPhee and Paal Nilssen-Love is shiny. Really shiny. Maybe that’s why I bought it. At the store, I just couldn’t keep my gaze away from its brilliance, just as much as I couldn’t resist the promise of 7 CDs of collaboration between these two giants of improvisational music. I as…
No Pair, an Italian jazz-rock improv group came to me as a recommendation, and brilliant one it was. I’ve had the album in high rotation now for the past six weeks or so that it has been in my grimy paws, never tiring of its loose and fragmented ferocity. It’s one of those rare albums that catches on the first spin and doesn’t let go.
A b…
Over the years, I’ve covered some of the work of guitarist Julian Lage, writing about the duo records with pianist Fred Hersch (Free Flying) and guitarist Nels Cline (Room), as well as the more recent solo album World’s Fair. Although a bit out of character for the blog, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to speak with Lage, 27, about his wor…
Cortex was hanging out outside of the small Brooklyn performance/practice space I-Beam when I arrived, the sidewalk kind of serves as the green room for the venue. We talked a little about their last set of concerts in the States about a year and a half ago and about drummerGard Nilssen’s recently releasedtriorecording. They posed for a couple …
Bassist Michael Bisio’s Accortet begins with a breezy tune.Unusual in its texture, which is defined by Art Bailey’s accordion playing, the track ‘AM’ kind of actually sounds like waking up to a new day rife with possibilities.
Accessible and heartfelt, the opener features some excellent group playing. The following track, ‘Henry’s Th…
What a nice concept – this book, edited by publisher Renate Da Rin and co-edited by bassist William Parker, explores how gender and experiences have shaped the creative work of women who have made their careers in music.I was only three interviews in when I was struck by both the simplicity of the books construct and how, because of its appr…
This moody and wonderful album pairs up guitarist Nels Cline, keyboardist Thollem McDonas and percussionist Michael Wimberley for a journey through a heavy and hazy musical darkness.
We begin by wandering through the mist, vaporous shadows obscuring what little light there is in a barren landscape. Burnt stalks of trees rise from the scorch…
The second Spanish Donkey release begins somewhere beyond where the last ended. Joe Morris’ seething and scalding guitar is a hot iron pressed again the flesh, and the microtonal keyboard work of Jamie Saft is grinding and eviscerating.
Direct and relentless, the 33 minute epic ‘Raoul’ begins with Morris’ fuzzed-out melody and drummer Mike Pri…
According to Tzadik’s description, Brett Higgins’ Atlas Revolt “blends latin, r&b, soul, film soundtracks, jazz and more into moody and infectious grooves.” That just about wraps it up neatly – by mixing attractive klezmer modes with a strong rock backbone, Atlas Revoltfits in well with many of its label-mates, nestled somewhere between Ele…
Here’s a take on what happened at New Revolution Arts* in Brooklyn last weekend, where Boston’s Leap of Faith and NYC’s Steve Swellbrought their unique sounds to an intimate and appreciative audience.
Leap of Faith does not travel light, and if you have a chance to see them perform, you are in for an multi-sensory experience. From the inc…
So, thegauntlethas been thrown down on using the term ‘extended techniques’ (sort of), and I accept the challenge to not use it (maybe). Though such a useful phrase, I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a shortcut, it’s a tad lazy, and it can end up maybe even reinforcing the notion that there is a ‘right’ way for an instrument to sound. Henceforth, I shal…
Roulette of the Cradle, the latest release by Ingrid Laubrock’s Anti-House – an ever expanding elite group of New York improvisors -begins with a solo drum. It soon switches to solo slide guitar, which then collides into the piano for a climatic ending.
The following track, ‘Roulette of the Cradle’, continues this game, and one wonders if in …
