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Henry Threadgill: This Brings Us To, Vol. 1
by Russ Musto
Henry Threadgill's This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 marks the return of the iconoclastic saxophonist/flautist's Zooid ensemble, his primary public performance vehicle for the past decade. The quintet, although having undergone some significant changes since its previous disc, with bass guitarist Stomu Takeishi and multi-instrumentalist Elliot Humberto Kavee replacing cellist/trombonist Dana Leong and drummer Dafnis Prieto, the group remains a cohesive unit with a unified sound, in no small part due to the continued presence of longtime band members, guitarist ...
Continue ReadingHenry Threadgill Zooid: This Brings Us To, Volume 1
by Troy Collins
Pi Recordings was founded in 2001 to release a pair of albums by legendary AACM composer/multi-instrumentalist Henry Threadgill, the electric Everybody's Mouth's a Book (with Make a Move) and acoustic Up Popped the Two Lips (with Zooid). This Brings Us To, Volume 1 is his first commercially released recording in eight years--a homecoming of sorts for both Pi and Threadgill. Threadgill's longstanding quintet features Liberty Ellman (acoustic guitar), Jose Davila (trombone and tuba), Stomu Takeishi (acoustic bass guitar) ...
Continue ReadingHenry Threadgill Makes A Move
by Kurt Gottschalk
Henry Threadgill isn't hesitant to state his place in music. He has, he said quite plainly, “changed music both horizontally and vertically." His work isn't “strident," he said. “It doesn't strike you. You might think you know what's going on, but try to analyze it." And he states it, perhaps, because no one else will. “There are no scholars trying to analyze what I've done and critics certainly don't know," he ...
Continue ReadingHenry Threadgill: Up Popped The Two Lips & Everybody's Mouth's A Book
by Glenn Astarita
This Chicago, IL born modernist worked his way through the ranks of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), while eventually forming the highly regarded trio Air, back in the early 70's. Nevertheless, saxophonist/composer Henry Threadgill's prominence sharply increased with the advent of his acoustic/electric Very Very Circus and Make A Move bands. Consequently, the artist burst onto the scene with a highly distinctive compositional style, where he seemingly derived inspiration from Sousa style marches, cabaret, rock, and ...
Continue ReadingHenry Threadgill & Make A Move: Where's Your Cup?
by AAJ Staff
Avant-garde jazzmen who record for major labels are the exception instead of the rule. At Columbia, the main exception is Henry Threadgill--a risk-taker who incorporated elements of circus music on his last album, Carry The Day. The alto saxman and Chicago native continues to be influenced by circus music on Where's Your Cup, which has its share of dissonant, chaotic “outside" improvisation but is actually a lot more musical than some might think. This time, one of Threadgill's greatest assets ...
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