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Stephen Gauci / Shinya Lin / Adam Lane / Kevin Shea: Live At Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
NYC tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci has adopted the self-determination ethos with a vengeance. So prolific is he that his new recordings can seem like monthly updates. This set from December 2022 presents a working unit in a familiar haunt and under a familiar banner: Live At Scholes Street Studio. With so many releases having the same title, the individual albums are best differentiated by personnel. This time out the new face is pianist Shinya Lin who proves himself an empathetic ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Santiago Leibson / Ken Filiano / Vinnie Sperrazza: Live At Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
On another missive from the bleeding edge, tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci further documents his fertile alliances in Brooklyn. In a quartet alongside the reedman are Argentinean pianist Santiago Leibson, veteran bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Gauci's signature blend from the further reaches of the saxophone--stretching from caustic upper register to burly bottom end--remains a central feature. But on the two off-the-wall pieces, one broaching the half hour mark, the other just over 20 minutes, he promotes an ensemble ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Joe Hertenstein / Alexander von Schlippenbach / Jan Roder: Soundlift Berlin-New York
by John Sharpe
Soundlift Berlin-New York is the second release documenting NYC tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci's visit to the German capital following Live At Sowieso, Berlin (Gaucimusic, 2023). It finds him in different company, with drummer Joe Hertenstein, who divides his time between the two cities of the title, the familiar face this time out. Also on this studio date are acclaimed pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and bassist Jan Roder, a pair with common ground in Die Enttäuschung and their rendition of Thelonious ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci: Live At Sowieso, Berlin
by John Sharpe
Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci cuts a busy figure in his native New York City. But with Live At Sowieso, Berlin he brings his brand of unbridled energy to the hotbed of free improv which is the titular German city with striking results. He retains one familiar face for the journey in the shape of drummer Kevin Shea, a longstanding member of the reedman's trio, who is still best known for his tenure in the anarchic Mostly Other People Do The ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Michael Bisio / Whit Dickey: Live At Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci sends another vital missive from the Brooklyn coal face, titled like several of its predecessors Live At Scholes Street Studio. Gauci has the knack of surrounding himself with top notch company and this is no exception. Joining him are two of the more seasoned avant jazz practitioners on the New York scene, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Bisio himself holds the bass chair in pianist Matthew Shipp's Trio, a high profile outfit which Dickey ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Francisco Mela / William Parker / Matthew Shipp: Live at Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci provokes blistering unfettered performances from the starry cast on another installment of Live At Scholes Street Studio. Gauci embodies a fierce DIY ethos which manifests in producing multiple concert series in NYC as well as releasing consequent material on his own label and posting video documentation on his website. On this occasion, he is joined by three storied veterans of the avant-jazz scene in pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Francisco Mela who bring ...
Continue ReadingGauci Leibson Parker Sorey: Live at Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci certainly knows how to pick a band. On another of his regular bulletins which go under the title Live At Scholes Street Studio, he has assembled a line-up to die for, notable for the appearance of Tyshawn Sorey on drums and William Parker on bass. Although Argentinian pianist Santiago Leibson may be less feted, he is a trusted collaborator who combined effectively with Gauci on Pandemic Duets (Gaucimusic, 2021), and he plays a full role on ...
Continue ReadingVijay Anderson Trio: Studio Sessions Vol. 10
by John Sharpe
Brooklyn-based Californian drummer Vijay Anderson leads an impressively cohesive trio on Studio Sessions Vol .10. In this case cohesion is a product of shared experience. Anderson's career has been intertwined with bassist Adam Lane's since 2003, and can be heard on Zero Degree Music (CIMP, 2005), New Magical Kingdom (Clean Feed, 2006),and Absolute Horizon (NoBusiness, 2013). Likewise, clarinetist Ben Goldberg has been a long-time colleague of the drummer, as evidenced by his appearances on Hard-Boiled Wonderland (Not Two, 2010) and ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Santiago Leibson / Shawn Lovato / Colin Hinton: Live at Scholes Street Studio
by John Sharpe
When tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci was offered a set at Brooklyn's Scholes Street Studio performance space in December 2019 he leapt at the chance. At short notice he pulled together three former duet partners in the classic jazz quartet formation, though they had never previously performed as a single unit. So this is both the group's first recording and its first appearance. Safe to say, it probably won't be the last. Argentinian pianist Santiago Leibson gives the ...
Continue ReadingStephen Gauci / Eli Wallace / Kevin Shea: Live At The Bushwick Series!
by John Sharpe
Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci presents another bulletin from the front line of the Brooklyn underground on Live At The Bushwick Series! Literally so when considering the windowless basement room in the Bushwick Public House where this performance was recorded in November 2019. Alongside Gauci sits the regular drummer from his trio/quartet Kevin Shea, best known for his tenure with Mostly Other People Do The Killing, and keyboardist Eli Wallace, a 2015 transplant from Oakland, California, who has worked with Daniel ...
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