Articles by Ivana Ng

Moppa Elliott & Jon Irabagon: Accomplish Jazz and Forty Fort

by Ivana Ng
March 6, 2010

Mostly Other People Do The Killing Forty Fort Hot Cup Records 2010 Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord Accomplish Jazz Hot Cup Records 2009 Mostly Other People Do the Killing (MOPDtK) revels in allusion and anarchy. In their fourth album Forty Fort (this time recreating the classic ...

Solo Female Pianists: Capsizing Moments, The Art of the Piano, Woven Time, Place To Be

by Ivana Ng
January 16, 2010

Sophie Agnel Capsizing Moments Emanem Records 2009 Jessica Williams The Art of the Piano Origin Records 2009 Katharina Weber Woven Time Intakt Records 2009 Hiromi Place To Be Telarc Records 2010

Free jazz is about pushing limits ...

William Hooker: The Symbol of the Unconquered

by Ivana Ng
November 13, 2009

William Hooker The Symbol of the Unconquered Media Sanctuary 2009

It must be challenging to play the drums solo, but it must be even more so to improvise an hour-long soundtrack to a silent movie. Percussionist William Hooker took on this daunting task with the 1920 silent film, The Symbol of the Unconquered. Presented by the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY, this film screening and live performance was one of ...

Taylor Ho Bynum & Spidermonkey Strings: Madeleine Dreams

by Ivana Ng
October 8, 2009

Madeleine Dreams is about as odd as the novel upon which it is based. Taylor Ho Bynum and SpiderMonkey Strings weave deftly through the magical realism of Madeleine is Sleeping, a novel written by Bynum's sister Sarah Shun-lien Bynum. Vocalist Kyoko Kitamura flows through the divide between dream and reality with grace. She narrates the first seven tracks, the lyrics of which are excerpts from the story, with a smoky alto that at turns belongs to a ...

Bassists/Leaders: Linda Oh, Joe Martin, Ben Allison, Ruslan Khain & Iris Ornig

by Ivana Ng
October 3, 2009

Linda Oh Trio Entry Self-Released 2009 Joe Martin Not By Chance Anzic Records 2009 Ben Allison Think Free Palmetto Records 2009 Ruslan Khain For Medicinal Purposes Only! Smalls Records 2009 Iris Ornig New Ground Self-Released

Big Ears: Listening for Gender in Jazz Studies

by Ivana Ng
April 18, 2009

Big Ears: Listening For Gender in Jazz Studies Edited by Nichole T. Rustin and Sherrie Tucker Paperback; 472 pages ISBN: 0822343207 Duke University Press 2008 Reading Ingrid Monson's “Fitting the Part," one of 15 fascinating essays in this tome, I wonder if I too “am all wrong." Is an Asian-American woman, who plays no musical instruments, a contradiction in the social history of who has typically written about ...

Avant Large Ensembles: Making Love to the Dark Ages, Suites, Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra, Open Port

by Ivana Ng
March 7, 2009

Burnt Sugar The Arkestra ChamberMaking Love to the Dark AgesLiveWired Music2009 Ulrich Gumpert Workshop BandSuitesJazzwerkstatt2008 Bill Dixon with Exploding Star OrchestraBill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra Thrill Jockey2008 Circulasione Totale OrchestraOpen Port NRK MusikkTeknikk and Stavanger2008 Improvising ...

Mostly Other People Do The Killing: This Is Our Moosic

by Ivana Ng
November 13, 2008

Mostly Other People Do The Killing (MOPDtK), a quartet led by bassist Moppa Elliott, draws from a plethora of styles and genres in its third album, This Is Our Moosic. Traces of Ornette Coleman (the title and cover satirize the saxophonist's famous disc), John Coltrane and even Danny Elfman and Billy Joel emerge from the group improv in the nine tracks. The songs are out there but also full of familiar phrases. This Is Our Moosic is a true declaration ...

Han Bennink: Amplified Trio and People I Like

by Ivana Ng
September 7, 2008

Han Bennink Amplified Trio Treader 2007 The Blueprint Project People I Like Improvised Communications 2007 Han Bennink's virtuosic drumming and irresistible joviality are in high demand. While visiting the UK in 2006, the Dutch percussionist was invited to record with John Coxon (electric guitar) and Ashley Wales (electronics/samples), the duo collectively known as ...

Darren Johnston / Fred Frith / Devin Hoff / Larry Ochs: Reasons for Moving

by Ivana Ng
August 6, 2008

Reasons for Moving is what an improvised session should sound like: thoughtful, seamless, dynamic, comfortable. “Dawn & The Flat Irons" begins as a conversation between trumpet (Darren Johnston) and bass (Devin Hoff). When drummer Ches Smith comes in, the tune branches off, allowing Smith, Fred Frith (electric guitar) and Larry Ochs (tenor and sopranino saxophones) to play more sparsely. The softer tracks on the CD are more effective. In “Deep North," Smith and Ochs ...