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Peter Brötzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle - Live At OHM 1987
by John Sharpe
Free improvisers must be some of the world's most readily connected collaborators. They can strike up an instantaneous dialogue without the need for rehearsal or even a common language. Of course they might not always hit paydirt, but that uncertainty is part of the attraction. However, German reedman Peter Brötzmann, who was a regular visitor to Japan, successfully established potent relationships with many of the country's key figures, notably pianist Masahiko Satoh, multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino and trumpeter Toshinori Kondo.
read moreKim Dae Hwan / Choi Sun Bae: Korean Fantasy
by Glenn Astarita
Korean Fantasy by Kim Dae Hwan (drums) and Choi Sun Bae (trumpet, harmonica) captures the ethereal essence of a live performance on November 26, 1999, at Aspirante, Hofu City, in Yamaguchi, Japan. This record stands as testament to the label's commitment to presenting a blend of avant-garde jazz and improvisation, and unearthing gems from the archives while also spotlighting contemporary works from a diverse roster of international artists. The album presents a gripping exploration of improvisational acumen, rooted ...
read moreRoy Campbell: Visitation Of Spirits
by John Sharpe
A former stalwart of the New York avant jazz scene, which finds expression at the annual Vision Festival, trumpeter Roy Campbell died in January 2014, aged 61. While not quite forgotten, his name does not spring readily to the lips a decade on. Perhaps Visitation Of Spirits, an archival live recording from 1985, will help redress that situation. It features the Pyramid Trio, one of Campbell's more enduring groups, which issued three albums over a lifespan of more than 25 ...
read moreBarry Altschul, David Izenson, Perry Robinson: Stop Time: Live At Prince Street, 1978
by John Sharpe
If at all familiar to modern day listeners, David Izenzon's name is most likely to ring a bell for his bass wizardry on Ornette Coleman's two-volume At The Golden Circle Stockholm (Blue Note, 1965). But the archive recording Stop Time is a reminder of just what listeners are missing. Izenson remained active well after his sojourn with Ornette, playing in New York City, with the likes of Jaki Byard and Paul Motian, until his untimely death in 1979, aged 47. ...
read morePeter Brotzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle – Live at OHM, 1987
by Mark Corroto
Triangle--Live At OHM, 1987 is a recording of Peter Brotzmann in Japan. Here he is performing with master free jazz drummer Sabu Toyozumi. This is not the musicians first meeting. The pair have released a couple nearly impossible to find discs such as Live In Japan 1982 (Improvised Company, 1999) and Live In Okayama 1987 (Improvised Company, 2000) the latter CD with Derek Bailey. Thanks to NoBusiness Records from Lithuania we have this gem from December 1987 in ...
read moreYuji Takahashi / Sabu Toyozumi: The Quietly Clouds And A Wild Crane
by John Sharpe
Unlike most drum and piano duets, where the keyboard gets all the best lines, Sabu Toyozumi and Yuji Takahashi craft a truly egalitarian meeting of minds on The Quietly Clouds And A Wild Crane. Recorded in 1998, it represents another bulletin from the vital Japanese free scene of the period issued by the Lithuanian NoBusiness imprint in collaboration with Chap Chap Records. Toyozumi may be one of the more recognizable names from this milieu, given his regular excursions ...
read moreMototeru Takagi / Kim Dae Hwan / Choi Sun Bae: Seishin - Seido
by John Sharpe
Seishin-Seido represents another heads up on the depth of the Japanese free jazz community from the Lithuanian NoBusiness imprint as part of its partnership with Chap Chap Records. They raid the archives for a live date from 1995 in the southern city of Hofu, which actually unites two Korean musicians, trumpeter Choi Sun Bae and percussionist Kim Dae Hwan with a Japanese tenor saxophonist of Korean descent, Mototeru Takagi. Their credentials are good. As doyens of the scene, they have ...
read moreKirk Knuffke / Michael Bisio: For You I Don't Want To Go
by John Sharpe
At the root of successful enduring partnerships lies trust. Without it you need detailed instructions to make things work. Cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Michael Bisio enjoy trust in spades. It allows them to dispense with signposts and cues, relying instead on the inspiration which comes from experience, skill and a shared purpose. Their collaborations include Requiem For A New York Slice (Relative Pitch, 2019) and Art Spirit (ESP, 2021), as well as their first duo outing Row For William ...
read moreGebhard Ullmann / Steve Swell / Hilliard Greene / Barry Altschul: We're Playing In Here?
by John Sharpe
For musicians, one consolatory by-product of lockdown was the chance to reappraise the archives, which led to a subsequent bonanza of deserving material reaching the marketplace. Whether that was the genesis of the limited edition LP We're Playing In Here? is a moot point, but this 2007 studio recording by the Gebhard Ullmann / Steve Swell Quartet certainly more than justifies release. It is the fourth album by what was a cracking band, although it actually predates the outfit's second ...
read moreThe Attic—Rodrigo Amado / Gonçalo Almeida / Onno Govaert: Love Ghosts
by John Sharpe
Portuguese tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado has steadily become one of the premier players in the European free jazz arena, having banked the experience that comes through working with the likes of multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, trumpeter Peter Evans and pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, reaping a rich dividend. Just how can be readily heard on Love Ghosts, the third release by the co-operative trio The Attic, where he is joined by fellow countryman bassist Gonçalo Almeida and Dutch drummer Onno Govaert, a ...
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