Tag: Free Jazz Blog
Who isn’t up for a pleasant surprise from time to time? Especially these days when the surprises tend to be the less welcoming kind, The No Base Trio from Puerto Rico is definitely of the better type, and their eponymous debut is most certainly a welcome one.The group, formed in San Juan 10 years ago, is Jonathan Suazo on alto saxophone and EWI, Ga…
Interview with Ken Vandermark. Photo (C) Cristina Marx/Photomusix
and Stef Gijssels
There is hardly a more hardworking musician as Chicago-based, and world renowned, woodwind player and composer Ken Vandermark. Just in the past few months he has released a large band recording, ENTR’ACTS’ Soigne Ta Droite, as well as one with a new qua…
Guitarist John Scofield has long been tangentially associated with ECM records. His first appearance dates back to a Peter Warren release on the related JAPO label in 1982. Since then he has appeared on several recordings with bassist Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires group, and with Trio Beyond, a take on Tony Williams’ Emergency with organist Larry Gol…
It begins with a crash, I suppose it’s all 10 musicians striking at once. A lingering note from a flute blends into a bright melodic phrase carried by the piano and sax. A thrum from the bass and static laden electronic buzz provides a slightly textured musical canvas. The track, ‘Perpetual Desk (for Ikue Mori)’, is the shortest of the three …
A few weeks ago drummer/composer Devin Gray released the thoroughly engagingSocialytics.The 24 minute release is also a powerful one, driven by his trio with guitarist Ryan Ferreria and trumpeter David Ballou.
Long time associates of Grey, Ferreria is a nuanced sound explorer who notably worked with Tim Berne’s Snakeoil on the 2015 releas…
The Few, a trio from Chicago, released Beauty at Low Temperatures last Autumn. The CD was swept atop my piles of music over the winter, where it stared it at me expectantly for months. Then, a rather random post on Facebook following the meme of “post the cover of an album each day that has influenced you … ” had me searching my other o…
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…
