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James Falzone: The Room Is
by Mark Corroto
Legend has it that Jimmy Giuffre harbored a vehement distaste for the use of percussion in his ensembles. He found drummers distracting, irritating and clamorous. By the time he recorded the classic records 1961 (ECM, 1992) and Free Fall (Columbia, 1963) he had jettisoned drummers from his piano and bass trio. It must have driven marketing executives mad. How would listeners follow the music? Who kept the time? What's with all this freedom?Exactly, what is with all this ...
read moreJames Falzone - The Renga Ensemble: The Room Is
by Glenn Astarita
Enterprising Chicago-based clarinetist James Falzone and a core band of fellow improvisers signal a modern day avant-jazz summit, inspired by the leader's affinity for Renga, which is a Japanese poetic tradition where 2 or more poets work in parallel to produce a new work. Falzone yields dividends by enlisting an ensemble, featuring prominent trailblazers of the modern era's improvising circuit such as Ken Vandermark, Ben Goldberg, Ned Rothenberg and others of note. The performers' inner-workings are implanted within a holistic ...
read moreFrank Rosaly: Cicada Music
by AAJ Italy Staff
Cicada Music è il debutto da leader del batterista Frank Rosaly, ma a giudicare dal risultato sembra il lavoro di un esperto compositore e di un navigato arrangiatore. Delle dieci composizioni dell'album quattro sono frammenti, intermezzi sonori dai colori più disparati - si va da ancestrali ritmi africani al tintinnare ossessivo di metalli - che mettono in ulteriore risalto lo sviluppo più articolato e cinematografico dei rimanenti temi. Scritti per l'appunto nell'estate del 2008 come commento sonoro al film-documentario intitolato ...
read moreKlang: Tea Music
by Lyn Horton
Four musicians from Chicago, led by clarinetist James Falzone, call themselves Klang, which is the German word for sound." But Klang's debut, Tea Music, projects more than just sound; it goes deeper than that. The music is a re-examination of Jimmy Giuffre's combination of vibes and clarinet in his late-1950s ensembles. Bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Tim Daisy join vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz and Falzone to create an album that alternates between fast and moderate rhythms; and haunting and colorful tunes. ...
read moreKlang: Tea Music
by Troy Collins
Formed in 2006 for a now defunct improvised music series, Klang has since become one of Chicago-based clarinetist James Falzone's primary working groups. An update of the swing era clarinet and vibes combination popularized by Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton, the quartet (which features vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Tim Daisy) taps into some of Falzone's fondest indulgences on their studio debut, Tea Music, including a series of compositions inspired by clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre's 1950s-era small combo ...
read moreJames Falzone / Klang: Tea Music
by Mark Corroto
The much-admired 1950s work of clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre is the inspiration for James Falzone's quartet, known as Klang. But like most things emanating from the insular world of Chicago jazz, the signature is never forged.
Falzone, a clarinetist, has explored many musical forms, from classical and chamber music to French folk and jazz. He has played with Jorrit Dijkstra's Flatlands Collective and collaborated with Steve Lacy, Joe Maneri, and Fred Lonberg-Holm. Klang formed in 2006 when Falzone and ...
read moreJames Falzone / Jason Adasiewicz / Jason Roebke: Klang
by Mark Corroto
Dudley Bayne's fledgling Luminescence label was formed to capture moments in time that may never repeat again. The pianist found the Chicago scene a whirlwind of activity, with soon-to-be famous musicians forming multiple groups, and he began recording their shows. His Luminescence Live releases are a series of limited edition discs documenting some very creative music making.
Klang, recorded in 2007, is a quartet begun by Falzone that favors a modern chamber jazz sound. The reeedman--heard here on ...
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