Tag: Free Jazz Blog
Ton Trio II is Aram Shelton on alto saxophone, Scott Brown on bass and Alex Vittum playing drums, and together they deliver a showcase of musical dexterity and ideas that grabs you the moment the needle finds the groove, or the laser hits the disc, or the data streams to the player.
Vittum’s pulsating drumming helps kick off the album with ‘Th…
The second track, ‘What?!’ is a heart-stopping, hard-hitting, kind of feels-good-even-though-it-kind-of-hurts type of thrash-jazz-rock, which is all fine and good if you have stuck around after the first track ‘Chained’ peeled some skin off your face. It’s Peter Van Huffel’s Gorilla Mask – a heavy jazz trio from Berlin and their latest album, B…
Sometimes I compose my reviews while driving. No, I’m not typing and driving, rather I’m taking advantage of the wild world of text-to-speech and as we all know, what comes out is sometimes so wonderfully dinged up by the Internet that it becomes something rather unique. Case in point? My review of the excellent Chasing Tailsby the trio of …
Ches Smith’s These Archeshas released a live recording of a 2012 appearance that is more than just a document of a great gig by his all-star These Arches group, it also contains new music specificallycomposedfor the Warsaw show that comprisesInternational Hoohah.
Recorded after the group’s debut Finally Out of My Hands(which was my very firs…
The saxophone quartet Battle Trance is the vision of tenor saxophonist Travis Laplante. The catch here is that the quartet is one that features Laplante, Matthew Nelson, Jeremy Viner, and Patrick Breiner all on tenor. A unique concept, with a unique sound, Palace of Wind is a fascinating recording with a cover image and title that references th…
Flametet is a sextet from the Boston area and is led by acoustic bassist (and DIY synthesizer player) Kit Demos. The other members are Todd Brunel on baritone clarinet, Charlie Kohlhase on baritone saxophone, Pandelis Karayorgis on Wurlitzer electric piano, Johnny Mclellan on drums, and Jeff Platz on guitar.
The pleasure of A General Histo…
Readers be warned: the following album is firmly planted in the jazz-rock fusion category – though there is plenty of freedom to be found within these well crafted tunes…
Atmospheric melodies, biting guitar lines, driving complex rhythms all come together so seamlessly and fresh on Daniel Rosenboom’s Fire Keeper that you might think the styl…
The Zürich Concert is a slowly unfolding and unpredictable album from saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock. Recorded after a Südwestrundfunk (German public radio) sponsored opportunity to work with cohorts from New York and London, the Ingrid Laubrock Octet’s Live in Zurich was recorded at a subsequent tour date. The group has a cast of musicians draw…
ByStef
I like many ensemble formats, and depending on the mood of the day, some get preference over another. When you’re in an atmosphere of quiet introspection, or calm availability, or intellectual sensitivity, the trumpet piano duet is often my preferred listening companion. Often, the technical quality is good, the chamber-like sounds do not f…
The Music of Everything – BFP by New York based guitarist Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut is a digital only EP-length release, that while only 20 minutes long, covers a lot of sonic ground. Recorded during two dates during the summer of 2013 at Brooklyn Fire Proof, Shurdut, along withLandon Knoblock , Kevin Shea, John Letman, Sean Sonderegger, Harvey V…
A found box of 10 minute cassette tapes inspired guitarist Ross Hammond to create the extremely limited release ‘Shiner’. Recorded with drummer Jon Bafus, the two five minute tracks serve as a succinct teaser of Hammond’s earth-toned ouvre.
Side A features ‘Tones for Roscoe Mitchell’, finds the duo spinning some gritty and kinetic melodies. Th…
Two new recordings from RareNoise show quite different sides of the playing of keyboardist Jamie Saft. Deep dark organ on one and a modern jazz piano approach on the other.
Plymouth – Plymouth (RareNoise, 2014) ****½
It would probably be incorrect to call either of these recordings a Jamie Saft album, as they are both strong group effort…
