Over the course of the years we have featured several round-ups of guitar centered free jazz albums, and last year, we presented the first “guitar week”. This week we continue both of these ‘traditions’ with a new guitar week that kicks off round-up style.
Dom Minasi & Hans Tammen – Alluvium (Straw2gold Pictures, 2014) ****
Experimen…
I did a little internet research on this father and son duo before I cracked open their new CD as if anything could be the same. By the time I finally plunked it into my player and the music began I had already formed a rather positive feeling towards both musicians. I was taken by saxophonist Jack Wright’s uncompromising story: his moves betw…
With his teacher’s signature soprano sax in mind, Charles Evans, a student of David Liebman, carefully craftedSubliminal Leaps, a set of both composed and freely improvised music. The considered combination of Evans’ baritone and Liebman’s soprano saxophones is ably accompanied by pianist Ron Stabinsky and bassist Tony Marino. The album is the …
A set of new releases onOutNow showcases adventurous musicianship and diverse styles…
Alex Weiss – Fighter Planes & Praying Mantis (OutNow, 2013) ****
Saxophonist Alex Weiss’ Fighter Planes & Praying Mantis is a peculiar mix. Layered post-rock, ambient and melodic horn arrangements, and at times hard-core vocals and pounding rhythm…
Use Aram Bajakian’s there were flowers also in hell to kick off your next party. Put on ‘Texas Cannonball’ and watch as your guests begin to dance. A little later in the tune they may be tempted to get stoned, but they’ll soon be dancing again, albeit perhaps just a little slower. In fact, your guests won’t even notice the seque into the next t…
The recordings from Va Fongool, a label out of Norway dedicated to the fringes of music, can easily be seen as music for ‘new ears’. It’s a concept of music that is sometimes beyond categorization, and while a bit hard to define the term, these recordings certainly help explain the idea …
Mumuu – Mitt Ferieparadis(Va Fongool, 2013) ***½
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Last year I stumbled upon the group Glas from Sweden. It was a pleasant surprise — their live album, Live at Brötz Gothenburg Swedenisa dynamic set ofimprovisedmusic.
From that sextet, two of the members seem to have spun off a smaller trio called “HeadJive”. Comprised Gunnar Backman on fretted virtual guitar, Anders Berg on bass, and new…
On guitarist Elliot Sharp’s new recording you’ll hear plenty of horns and a fiery rhythm section, but you will not hear a guitar.
Fans of the first Aggregat album, by the Elliot Sharp Trio, know that Sharp switched to saxophone for a good portion of the recording. Always an experimental guitarist,Aggregatshowed a more ‘conventional’ si…
The highly anticipated, carefully selected, and impeccably curated top 10 lists of 2013 from the Free Jazz Collective, an incredibly subjective selection based on an amazing 1,166 albums which came our way during the year that roughly fit this blog’s profile, without counting all the unbelievable sh*t that we also receive, now that our blog’s popu…
The opening moments of CACAW’s Stellar Power is a quick study in contrasts. A heavy rhythmic figure kicks things off and then soon enough a light electric piano locks into anabstract groove only to circle back to the thick riff. The rhythms keep shifting back and forth, never too steady, but never toowobblyeither. Then at the halfway mark…
What is this?
The dark rumble of bass and drums is suddenly pierced by a sharp melody from a clarinet, it appears suddenly like an X-Acto knifepoking through dense fabric, slowly shredding the material and letting bits of light through. Then some fearsome guitar playing ratchets up the intensity … it’s Alex Ward’s group Forebrace and their a…
Saxophonist Catherine Sikora’s playingis not predictable, you never know where a line, or even the instrument’s tone may go, and she knows how to use it to create captivating sounds.Tracks in the Dirt,a recent improvised collaboration with guitarist Han-earl Park and bassist Francois Grillot, exemplifies this restless experimentation. The rec…
