Tag: Free Jazz Blog
John Butcher, Thomas Lehn, Matthew Shipp – Tangle (Fataka, 2016) ****½
The trio of saxophonist John Butcher, pianist Matthew Shipp, and analog synthesizer player Thomas Lehn deliver powerful and unique music on ‘Tangle’. Shipp, who has been making waves recently discussing his decision to stop making albums, is in fine form, as is Butcher an…
A few months ago we dug into a bunch of German jazz festival recordings from the 60s and 70s. It was a joy to spend time with those recordings, suffused in their history and importance, fortunately, it is suffice to say Germany is a still fertile ground for free jazz. Whether it’s the rapid-fire ping-pong exchanges, tonal explorations, or extrapola…
As on a Pivot of Air is a 10″ vinyl gem that snuck out into the wild late last year. The record is a fascinating soundscape featuring Amplified Palette inventor and player Hal Rammel and cellist Matt Turner. The opener ‘The Windows are Frameless’ sees the duo ensconced in calm, the atmosphere accentuated by creaks, clops, and double stops. T…
Paul Dunmall, Phillip Gibbs, Ashley John Long – Now Has No Dimension (FMR, 2016) ****Paul Dunmall Phillip Gibbs Ashley John Long, & Trevor Taylor – Cardiff (FMR, 2016) ****
Saxophonist Paul Dunmall’s versatility is simply phenomenal. I first heard him with drummer Tony Bianco in their tribute to John Coltrane, where he is a fiery p…
ByPaul Acquaro
What better way to end a week of big band reviews than with a two-disc release featuring a total of 49 musicians? Californian drummer and composer, Nathan Hubbard and his Skeleton Key Orchestra’sFuriously Dreamingis a sprawling mixture that features in all 49 musicians andencompasses many styles and approaches over its two hou…
When you invite 21 musicians onto a stage, with probably two to three times the number of instruments between them, you better have a plan! Boston-based musician and band leader David Peck (aka PEK) certainly does.
PEK’s reinvigorated Leap of Faith quartet came out of hiatus a few years ago and since they have been busy creating music – and i…
We’re working our way through the combinations – recently we had solo, duo and trio weeks, and this week we check out some larger than average bands, starting with one that has beenwaitingfar too long for a review on the Free Jazz Blog…
Baltimore-based bassist and composer Michael Formanek has a concise but impressive list of recordings as…
Jed Gottliebs’ article “Curtains fall on arts critics at newspapers” in the Columbia Journalism Review from earlier this month really got to me. Having grown up in New Jersey reading the arts and leisure section in the Star Ledger,I learneda lot about the arts, music reviews, concert listings – basically all of the things that are still important…
OnJanuary1st we will post the winner of the blog’s New Ears award, but for now,enjoy the mouth watering list of top 10s from your friends in the Free Jazz Collective!
Reviewers Top Albums of 2016
We begin with the reviewers top 10 albums of 2016. A heartfelt congrats to Anna Högberg Attack and the Mary Halvorson Octet who came in tied for the …
Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris & Gerald Cleaver – The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 5 & 6 (Leo, 2016) ****
As we draw to a close on this series of reviews of saxophonist Ivo Perelman’s latest set of recordings, The Art of the Improv Trio, we have a rare chance to hear the same trio but with the key difference of guitarist Joe Morris o…
Steeped is blistering, no holds barred, instrumental avant-rock. Striking a balance between the ‘jazzier’ strain of band leader Alex Ward’s lithe clarinet playing and guitarist Roberto Sassi’s distorted guitar work, Forebrace manages to be forceful and direct without losing a melodic touch.
Ward is a clarinetist and guitarist from the…
The final installment of duo’s week…
Trevor Watts & Stephen Grew – Con Fluent (FMR, 2016) ****
Saxophonist Trevor Watts has had a wonderfully creative and imaginative musical career, from his early exploratory work with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, to his groups Amalgam, Moire Music, and beyond. On Con Fluent, he continues his restl…
