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Joe Fonda: Joe Fonda & Bass Of Operation
by Jerome Wilson
The bassoon is rarely heard in a jazz context, but bassist Joe Fonda got the idea to use the instrument in a free-swinging small group format. He incorporated Michael Rabinowitz, one of the few improvising bassoonists around, into a quartet with two of his long-time collaborators, drummer Harvey Sorgen and reed player Jeff Lederer. Fonda's original idea was for Lederer to play tenor saxophone in the group, but Lederer decided instead to play higher-pitched reeds, clarinet, flute, and piccolo. The ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman & Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthethics
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Ivo Perelman and drummer/pianist Tyshawn Sorey are two of the most imaginative improvisers on the creative music scene. Perelman, who thrives in small groups, particularly duets, is as prolific as he is innovative. Meanwhile, the versatile Sorey, who also composes, is a consummate experimenter who successfully embraces diverse styles. This meeting of brilliant minds results in the superb Parallel Aesthetics, a two-disc set of spontaneous musical conversations. The overall ambience is expectant and the exchanges vary from ...
Continue ReadingZlatko Kaučič: Zlatko Kaučič@70 - Inklings
by Mark Corroto
I am tempted to call Inklings, a tribute to 70-year-old Slovenian drummer, composer, and percussionist Zlatko Kaučič, a celebration of his long and inspirational career. Yet, I hesitate, for much like the indefatigable octogenarians Han Bennink and Louis Hayes, Kaučič shows no signs of slowing down. It would not be surprising if he, like Roy Haynes, remained vital well into his late nineties. One reason to honor Kaučič now is the arduous and unconventional path he has taken. At 17, ...
Continue ReadingSavina Yannatou / Julius Gabriel / Agusti Fernandez / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez: In The Light Of The Current Myth
by John Sharpe
Although this is the first release by the quintet of saxophonist Julius Gabriel, pianist Agustí Fernández, drummer Ramon López, bassist Barry Guy and vocalist Savina Yannatou, all five have been members of Guy's Blue Shroud Band since its inception in 2014. As such they are well versed in each other's capabilities and predilections, having taken part in countless improv sessions together in a variety of combinations. Consequently there is an ease and trust that permeates the fast mutating kaleidoscope of ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman / Aruán Ortiz / Ramón López: Ephemeral Shapes
by Hrayr Attarian
For over three decades innovative saxophonist Ivo Perelman has been a stalwart of the creative music scene. Each addition to his impressive, and uniformly superb, discography is a unique expression of spontaneity that bears his indelible stylistic mark. One of the reasons for Perelman's success is his uncanny ability to find like-minded collaborators. The introspective Ephemeral Shapes is no exception in all of the above. An eight-part improvised suite finds Perelman in the company of two equally ingenious musicians: the ...
Continue ReadingJoëlle Léandre / Elizabeth Harnik / Zlatko Kaućić: Live In St. Johann
by Mark Corroto
"I was in the house when the house burned down" is a thought sure to happen to many a concert attendee after a performance by legendary French bassist Joelle Leandre. She is a force of nature, a demanding and uninhibited artist. In her presence, a listener can feel the combustion generated by her performances. The same can be said of Austrian Elisabeth Harnik, twenty years Leandre's junior. In recent years, there has been a small explosion of music from the ...
Continue ReadingJoe Fonda: From The Source
by Jerome Wilson
This is a reissue of an album by bassist Joe Fonda which was originally released in 1997. In his liner notes for this edition, Fonda notes that this session had several unique aspects for the time; the musicians included Brenda Bufalino mostly tap dancing, and Vickie Dodd, a healer and bodyworker, contributing wordless vocals. They worked with the four men in the group, Fonda, Anthony Braxton on reeds, Herb Robertson on trumpet and Grisha Alexiev on drums, to create a ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Carrier Ensemble featuring Mat Maneri /Tomasz Stańko / Gary Peacock / Michel Lambert: Openness
by Mark Corroto
Openness waited nearly two decades on a shelf (ok, probably on a hard drive) before being released for our listening pleasure. Recorded on May 5 & 6, 2006 at the Théâtre La Chapelle in Montréal, Canada, these three precious discs document a meeting between Canadian saxophonist François Carrier and Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko. It is the Polish label Fundacja Sluchaj to thank for this release and the prior disc Unwalled (2022), with Carrier being joined by Alexander von Schlippenbach, John ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Mat Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris, Matt Moran: Seven Skies Orchestra
by Hrayr Attarian
Ever the intrepid innovator, saxophonist Ivo Perelman takes his music in a new direction on the double-disc set, Seven Skies Orchestra. After a long series, primarily of duets, Perelman returns to a larger ensemble setting, a sextet in this case. That is not the only difference between this release and his previous output; the music here, although still entirely improvised and easily recognizable as Perelman's, moves in a more spacious, contemplative direction, less introspective and more outgoing. Vibraphonist ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman: Seven Skies Orchestra
by Mike Jurkovic
In another reality, where the love one makes is what gets the headlines, the big money, the streaming specials, ceaselessly inquisitive saxophonist and downtown legend Ivo Perelman might just top the list of good guys. The guy who pushes for the better mind, the better heart, and confesses it all to tape or lacquer or binary code; chronicling one man's pursuit of the day. while hopefully inspiring others to cut the course the same. Even before the most ...
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