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Transit: Transit
by AAJ Italy Staff
Benché sia sostanzialmente un progetto unitario (tutte le composizioni sono a nome del quartetto) Transit, album pubblicato dalla intraprendente etichetta portoghese Clean Feed, può essere attribuito alla mente fervida di Jeff Arnal, batterista in prima linea sulla scena improvvisativa dell'avanguardia statunitense. E la sua dimestichezza con i lavori di grandi coreografi e con le cadenze del balletto moderno, emerge in filigrana come il filo conduttore dell'album, nel suo alternarsi tra brevi inserti sonori e improvvisazioni di ampio respiro, tra frenetiche, ...
read moreDietrich Eichmann/Jeff Arnal: The Temperature Dropped Again
by Florence Wetzel
Part of what makes jazz unique is the interplay between the composed and the improvised, an interplay compellingly explored in Dietrich Eichmann and Jeff Arnal's new CD, The Temperature Dropped Again. Pianist Eichmann studied with Alexander von Schlippenbach in the early '80s and was initially a free jazz improviser, but then for twelve years he focused on composing. Recently he returned to improvisation, with a wealth of compositional acumen at his disposal. Arnal, a drummer and percussionist, also has a ...
read moreJeff Arnal/Gordon Beeferman/Seth Misterka: Rara Avis
by John Kelman
Consisting of three relatively wet-behind-the-ears yet nonetheless daring improvisers, Rara Avis is notable for its obstinate devotion to pure instrumental sounds. Most artists working in the modern creative/avant-garde area of jazz are want to use prepared instruments, play inside the piano box or bow cymbals; here percussionist Jeff Arnal, electric pianist Gordon Beeferman and saxophonist Seth Misterka stick to a more traditional approach. Still, they manage to coax a variety of sounds out of their respective instruments, creating an inventive ...
read moreJohn Dierker-Jonathan Vincent-Jeff Arnal: Spy Satellite
by Glenn Astarita
It all started in Baltimore, MD back in 1992, where the musicians had studied with composer Stuart Saunders Smith at various points in time. Yet, this release represents the trio’s first recording. Multi-reedman John Dierker has become a major improvisational stylist while New York City-based Jeff Arnal is rapidly becoming one of the premier drummers in the free jazz arena. The equally exciting pianist Jonathan Vincent rounds out the trio, whereas the musicians’ agenda might be akin to a succession ...
read moreLars Scherzberg-John Hughes-Jeff Arnal: Top Floor Encounter
by Glenn Astarita
German composer, Dietrich Eichmann’s “Oaksmus” label is rooted within free jazz, avant-garde classical and electronics-based formats. Here, Americans, Jeff Arnal (percussion) and John Hughes (bass) align their wares with German alto saxophonist, Lars Scherzberg for a program consisting of nine free-style opuses that often spur notions of the British free jazz movement.A graduate of Vermont’s prestigious “Bennington College,” Jeff Arnal has been shedding with New York City-based saxophonist, Blaise Siwula and Baltimore’s fine bassist/composer, F. Vattel Cherry. On ...
read moreBlaise Siwula, Vattel Cherry and Jeff Arnal: Expositions of Freedom...Now!
by Derek Taylor
Under the unifying sobriquet of Expositions of Freedom...Now! the trio of Blaise Siwula, Vattel Cherry and Jeff Arnal is an aggregate that seizes the process of spontaneous composition as its central fuel source. Siwula and Cherry's association hearkens back half a decade to where the two met in a Cecil Taylor large ensemble. The saxophonist has since lent his skills to an album under Cherry's name For Those Who Heal. Arnal is a recent addition to the fold, but his ...
read moreBadlands: Expositions of Freedom...Now!
by Glenn Astarita
No doubt, saxophonist Blaise Siwula has blossomed into one of New York City's most prominent modern jazz-based improvisers and free-jazz event organizers. However, the trio known Badlands is a group effort featuring the equally noteworthy bassist Vattel Cherry and drummer Jeff Arnal, as this set was recorded live at the “Knitting Factory." From the onset of the fifteen minute opus “Freedom of Thought," the band's charter is quickly established as expressionistic imagery converges with multifarious elements and well-stated ...
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