Jazz Articles

Dan DeChellis Trio: Organic Material

by Hrayr Attarian
August 30, 2009

Good ideas need to be expanded upon rather than repeated, since even the best of them may lose their appeal with multiple restatements. Dan DeChellis' Organic Matter is full of interesting musical concepts that are not really explored to their fullest; rather, they are repeated with each track multiple times, creating a pleasant, hypnotic effect that, in the end, remains heavy on form and light on substance.

The exception is the the lengthy “You're So Perceptive," which starts off sounding ...

Chainworks: Red Rooms & Twenty Minutes in Brooklyn

by Frank Rubolino
August 25, 2003

Chainworks is a futuristic trio playing otherworldly music for beings with expanded capacity for absorbing new directions. On Red Rooms, Dan DeChellis develops varied sonic possibilities on electric piano, Brian Moran submerges the soundscape with electronic supplements, and Matt Hannafin paints asymmetric rhythms from a palette of assorted shades and colors. Together, they unite to spontaneously chart unknown regions in the darkest crevices of the universe.

Recorded live, the trio’s music initiates a chilling ambiance where starkness and sparsity of ...

Levendis (duo): Actions, Productive Of A Process

by Glenn Astarita
October 1, 2000

The “Levendis (duo)” represents one half of the fine contemporary classical-improv troupe known as “Ensemble Duchamp”. With Actions, Productive of a Process, oboist Lenny Young once again demonstrates his considerable wares as a cunning improviser on these chamber-like yet altogether free-flowing works. Whereas pianist Joshua Yohe is a near-perfect foil for Young’s witty and semi-austere incantations throughout these three multi-part pieces recorded live and in the studio.

The musicians serve up a series of capricious themes via an ebb and ...

Dan DeChellis: Chamber Music

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2000

Free jazz (and I mean the really free stuff) can approach pure improvisation. But the more abstract it gets, the more it can also approximate noise. The same can also be said for a lot of the “modern classical" that took off after John Cage. So sometimes it's hard to say exactly what's going on in this kind of music (take Derek Bailey as an occasional example). Chamber Music, officially composed by Dan DeChellis but highly improvisational in its approach, ...

DeChellis, Tomasic, Nakatani Trio: Real Time

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 1999

Although the somewhat sparse CD liners do not disclose much information, this CD was recorded live as the New England based trio of DeChellis, Tomasic and Nakatani engage in some crafty improvisational language on Real Time. Having individually performed with the likes of Gerry Hemmingway, Ran Blake, Peter Erskine and others, this Trio engage in some serious improvisation which immediately brings to mind the noble British free-jazz scene. Not to draw comparisons here, but a portion of the three rather ...

Bhob Rainey: Ink

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 1999

On Ink soprano saxophonist Bhob Rainey stands alone, live onstage in front of a college crowd....Most musicians would shutter at the idea! Kind of like standing naked in public some might say? Well, Rainey does an effective job, which may be a result of his plethora of ideas, improvisational savvy and proficient musicianship. Rainey has spent some quality time with free-jazz masters Joe McPhee and Matt Maneri while also shedding with the ever-unpredictable John Zorn. Ink is one of many ...

Ensemble Duchamp: Etant donnes

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 1999

Etant Donnes ”, was recorded live at the Mellon Institute auditorium, Pittsburgh, Pa and as stated in the liners, these pieces are first takes, which for the most part is what improvisation is all about. An interesting instrumentation mix consisting of oboe, tuba, piano, alto sax, drums and percussion make for a refreshing approach complete with radiant soundscapes. The first track titled – “70 Cents Per Hundred” bridges the gap between chamber, improv and perhaps a smidgen of Ornette Coleman. ...