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Joe McPhee & J: Manhattan Tango
by John Kelman
Most free music can be daunting to the uninitiated. Free music where the instruments involved are incapable of chordal harmonies can be even more challenging. Freed of the reference points (or, as some free players would call them, constraints) of rhythm section instruments and more overtly harmonic definers, the result can often come across as dissonant, lacking in form and, to some, purely self-indulgent. The truth, however, is that in the proper hands, such liberation can expand the boundaries of ...
Continue ReadingDeep Listening Band/Joe McPhee: Unquenchable Fire
by Florence Wetzel
For the past 40 years, accordionist and visionary Pauline Oliveros has been creating music utterly her own. Oliveros’ band and label are called Deep Listening, and for Oliveros this is not just a name, but a philosophy and lifestyle; according to Oliveros, “We listen in order to interpret ourselves and our world and to experience meaning.” This deep-seated imperative has led Oliveros to produce a body of work of enormous variety, as well as tremendous depth.The latest offering ...
Continue ReadingJoe McPhee: Journey
by Florence Wetzel
Trio-X, composed of Joe McPhee on saxophone, Dominic Duval on bass, and Jay Rosen on drums, has made its Journey on CIMP. The label known as CIMP, or Creative Improvised Music Projects, occupies a unique place amongst its peers. Having recorded dozens of avant-garde groups, its vision includes presenting the music as is, recorded live to two tracks with no further editing. Bob Rusch and his family are closely involved in all aspects of CIMP’s recordings, as evidenced by liner ...
Continue ReadingHep to HatHut
by Robert Spencer
It all started with Joe McPhee, and what better place to start? Werner X. Uehlinger, a Swiss music lover, heard Joe's music and was determined to make sure it was preserved and reached the widest possible audience. In 1975, he founded HatHut Records to put out McPhee's music. He did that, but we can also be eternally grateful that at some point early on he decided to bring us the work of other artists as well—artists of like mind and ...
Continue ReadingA Fireside Chat with Joe McPhee
by AAJ Staff
Labels are difficult to overcome. Perceptions are even more daunting. And Joe McPhee is often burdened with both: the labels of 'free jazz' or 'avant-garde' and the perception that his music is conceptual or theoretical (the same also holds true for the music of Anthony Braxton). But McPhee plays neither and his music is hardly highbrow (e.g., Underground Railroad). It is however, deep (but let's not mistake deep for complexity). Joe McPhee is a 'the,' not an 'a.' He is ...
Continue ReadingDominic Duval/Joe McPhee/John Heward: Undersound II
by Jeff Stockton
An air of mysticism looms over Undersound II. The briefly cryptic liner notes from bassist Dominic Duval point toward the philosophy of drummer John Heward and the significance of & quot;th" in words that express the phases of “a journey in time," such as “birth" and & quot;death." The compositions during this hour of suspenseful and exciting improvised music are numbered rather than titled, and the band uses their instruments to articulate what the written word can only ...
Continue ReadingEvan Parker & Joe McPhee: Chicago Tenor Duets
by Derek Taylor
Even with all the grousing about improvised music’s marginalized status, certain circles see a glut of new releases as an obfuscating force. There’s validity to that argument, and a spectrum of quality definitely exists. But the fact remains that current offerings on record store shelves pale in comparison to what lies in the can collecting dust and awaiting circulation. As a consequence, recordings can secure near legendary status long in advance of their actual appearance on record store shelves.
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