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John Blum / David Murray / Chad Taylor: The Recursive Tree
by John Sharpe
Three equally potent partners combine in a spontaneous and intense outpouring on The Recursive Tree. Neither reedman David Murray or drummer Chad Taylor require much introduction. Murray has been a colossus on the scene ever since he first erupted onto the stages of lofts across Manhattan back in 1976. Taylor has become increasingly ubiquitous, recognized as one of the finest drummers of his generation, as evidenced by his tenure with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, bassist Eric Revis and late trumpeter ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum, David Murray and Chad Taylor: The Recursive Tree
by Troy Dostert
After maintaining an almost impossibly prolific recorded output during the 1980s and 1990s (with over fifty releases in the 1990s alone), saxophonist David Murray eased up considerably in the 2000s, leaving his fans wondering if he might ever return to his earlier fecundity. Although it would be unrealistic to expect the veteran tenorist to approach the manic intensity of his first couple of decades, it does seem as though he is once again finding his stride, energized to some degree ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum: Nine Rivers
by Mark Corroto
Pianist John Blum's solo Nine Rivers is not so much a hit as it is a HIIT. His music is and has consistently been, to borrow a term from sports, a HIIT workout. HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is a series of repeated all-out efforts with a brief recover time in between each effort. This recording from the 2013 Crosscurrent Festival in Pescara, Italy confirms Blum's approach as an anaerobic endeavor. His intensity only recovers in the spaces between ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum and Jackson Krall: Duplexity
by Troy Dostert
A pianist of undeniable virtuosity and uncompromising intensity, John Blum has impressed free-jazz aficionados since the early 2000s with his uniquely potent approach to his instrument. One can easily hear the influence of Cecil Taylor in his ferocious, jaw-dropping power; but just as important are his ties to earlier pianists. There is just as much Art Tatum as Taylor in Blum's manic flights, as lightning-quick stride passages are as likely to surface as his more concussive thunderings. Fortunately, he's teamed ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum: Who Begat Eye
by Martin Longley
Pianist John Blum is a native New Yorker who has been immersed in the city's free improvisation scene for the last 15 years. His work with bassist William Parker and drummer Sunny Murray has had the highest profile and last year's release by this trio, In The Shade Of Sun, appeared on guitarist Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label, no doubt doing much to push Blum's music towards an alternative rock audience.
This set of solo pieces was recorded in a ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum: In The Shade Of The Sun
by Karl Ackermann
Despite his relative anonymity, pianist John Blum has been a New York free jazz fixture for more than a decade. In the Shade of the Sun teams him with ubiquitous bassist William Parker and percussion innovator Sunny Murray. Blum and Murray work well together, having established their musical relationship in Murray's trio and on Perles Noires Volume 2 (Eremite, 2005). Parker can create his own place in any mix and does so here as well.
Blum's keyboard technique is something ...
Continue ReadingJohn Blum Astrogeny Quartet: Astrogeny
by Clifford Allen
Bassist William Parker is known for his telepathic collaborations with percussionists; of late, his work with Hamid Drake has become an in-demand support system. Unfortunately not as well known or historically revered was his longtime partnership with free-percussion architect Denis Charles, which lasted from the '70s until Charles' death in 1998.
Recordings such as Parker's Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace (Centering/Eremite) and In Order to Survive (Black Saint), clarinetist Peter Kuhn's Livin' Right (Big City) and Rob Brown's Breath ...
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