Jazz Articles about Gerald Cleaver

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Gerald Cleaver / Uncle June: Be It As I See It

by Nic Jones
January 27, 2011

Drummer Gerald Cleaver has a CV which takes in names like Mario Pavone, Joe Morris, Charles Gayle and Roscoe Mitchell. Of these names it's the last which inspires not only Cleavers's music, but also his appetite for working in new musical forms, and striving for new forms of musical expression. It's hardly surprising, then, that Be It As I See It, his fourth as a leader in his own right--and in the company of his Uncle June ensemble, featuring reed ...

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Gerald Cleaver / Uncle June: Be It As I See It

by Mark F. Turner
January 26, 2011

Be It As I See It, Gerald Cleaver's fourth release as a leader, is an artistic vision of the Great Migration of African American families, in particular his family's movement from the rural South to the urban landscapes in the North, arriving at his home in Detroit, Michigan. The New York-based drummer/composer is a major player in forward-thinking music, his reputation and acumen evolving through his early tenure with AACM leader Roscoe Mitchell, and involvement with like- minded contemporaries including ...

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Gerald Cleaver - William Parker - Craig Taborn: Farmers by Nature

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 27, 2009

Musica libera, ricca di fremiti e colta dal vivo all'interno del piccolissimo Stone, il locale di New York dove si è tenuto questo concerto, il 19 giugno 2008. Il tratto saliente del disco è un senso del tempo e del ritmo che pervade ogni secondo di musica, che segna ovviamente anche la percussività tellurica e sottotraccia con cui si apre la registrazione. Contrabbasso, batteria e pianoforte si concretizzano dal silenzio più assoluto attraverso un fluire minuto ma montante, energetico e ...

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Gerald Cleaver / William Parker / Craig Taborn: Farmers by Nature

by Ian Patterson
June 15, 2009

Truly improvised music is, like the depths of the great oceans, a place where few have really ventured, and it remains a largely unexplored world. On Farmers by Nature pianist Craig Taborn, drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist William Parker are like cartographers of the unknown, diving deep into the world of improvised music. Guided by each others' rhythms, their ear is their compass, plotting a course through unfamiliar soundscapes which can be both intimidating and awe-inspiring.

So tentatively does the ...

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Gerald Cleaver: Farmers By Nature and Live at the Loft

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
April 4, 2009

Gerald Cleaver / William Parker / Craig Taborn Farmers by Nature Aum Fidelity Records 2009 Lotte Anker / Craig Taborn / Gerald Cleaver Live at the Loft Ilk Music 2008

Eschewing histrionic displays, drummer Gerald Cleaver uses the subtlest motions--bare hands on the drum heads, scraped cymbal edges and judicious pauses--as ...

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Gerald Cleaver / William Parker / Craig Taborn: Farmers By Nature

by John Sharpe
February 16, 2009

While Farmers By Nature is the debut of the year-old trio featuring Detroit-born drummer Gerald Cleaver, New York City bassist extraordinaire William Parker, and in-demand keyboardist Craig Taborn, it is by no means its first performance as a unit. Together the trio has fuelled the flights of saxophonists Rob Brown on his acclaimed Crown Trunk Root Funk (Aum Fidelity, 2008), and Roscoe Mitchell as part of his Note Factory ensemble as well as violist Mat Maneri's small group on Sustain ...

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Gerald Cleaver / William Parker / Craig Taborn: Farmers By Nature

by Mark Corroto
February 14, 2009

The aptly named Farmers By Nature is a completely improvised live date that whispers “wait for it, wait... now, there it is." Just like farming, the seeds of improvised sound are scattered; some lay fallow and others bear delicious fruit.

Bassist William Parker, drummer Gerald Cleaver and pianist Craig Taborn have worked together in numerous groups and countless styles from large ensembles to solo outings and from free jazz to hard bop. They were last heard on disc ...