Jazz Articles about John Tchicai

John Tchicai Trio: Good Night Songs

by Tom Greenland
June 3, 2006

The cryptic ideographs on the cover are suggestive: Good Night Song is like a Japanese haiku or Zen painting that--through economy of means, suggestion, emptiness and space--says more with less. Sans drums and bass, the trio features the leader on tenor, bass clarinet, and vocals; Charlie Kohlhase on tenor, alto, and baritone saxophones; and Garrison Fewell on guitar. The two-CD set, recorded live at the final date of their 2003 tour, presents the group's stark, exposed sound in a sometimes ...

John Tchicai / Charlie Kohlhase / Garrison Fewell: Good Night Songs

by Troy Collins
May 27, 2006

Good Night Songs is an intimate live recording of three masterful improvisers in a relaxed, contemplative mood. Serene yet challenging, this double album is the culmination of lives spent under the radar exploring free jazz as imperative expression.

Saxophonists John Tchicai and Charlie Kohlhase and guitarist Garrison Fewell converged on a late December evening in 2003 at the Unitarian Meetinghouse in Amherst, Massachusetts for the concert documented here. Within the setting of the church, the trio embarked on ...

John Tchicai / Charlie Kohlhase / Garrison Fewell: Good Night Songs

by David French
March 28, 2006

Good Night Songs documents a 2003 concert by a trio of two saxophonists--John Tchicai and Charlie Kohlhase--with guitarist Garrison Fewell. Though the lineup is unusual, the results are mesmerizing throughout this two-disc set.

Tchicai rose to prominence in the 1960s avant-garde scene in New York. He recorded with Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, John Coltrane, and even John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Forty years later he continues to produce music that is pure, passionate and beyond categorization. ...

Fond Farewells / Freedom of the City / John Tchicai / Dan Flavin / Barbican Jazz

by John Eyles
March 27, 2006

Fond Farewells Since London Calling last appeared, we have all been saddened by the deaths of Derek Bailey and Elton Dean. Both leave behind a huge legacy ... and a vast unfillable gap. Anyone who has ever experienced their music knows that they will not be forgotten. Freedom of the City 2006 For lovers of radical and improvised music (or even for the mildly curious), Freedom of the City is one of the highlights ...

Tchicai/Fewell/Della Porta/Tracanna/Manzi: Big Chief Dreaming

by Dennis Hollingsworth
August 6, 2005

Big Chief Dreaming is a collaborative effort of international musicians from the US, France, and Italy. Danish reedman John Tchicai, often associated with avant-garde pursuits, joins a bit more traditional quartet consisting of Bostonian guitarist Garrison Fewell and Italians Tino Tracanna (saxophones), Paolino Dalla Porta (bass), and Massimo Manzi (drums). Fewell has longstanding associations with Tracanna and Manzi. Dalla Porta, a frequent colleague of Tracanna, is one of Italy's bass masters. Compositions from group members form the program, marking the ...

Tchicai/Fewell/Tracanna/Dalla Porta/Manzi: Big Chief Dreaming

by Jerry D'Souza
July 28, 2005

In an interesting note in the liner booklet for Big Chief Dreaming, guitarist Garrison Fewell says that the band dwelt on the role that inspiration and exploration played in shaping artistic vision. That question is answered in the path they took, or to put it more accurately, the paths. Explorations of the written note and improvisations are shaped in duo and trio outings. The main point underscored by the music, however, is that both situations evolve into pithy artistic statements.

Tchicai / D: Hope is Bright Green Up North

by Derek Taylor
April 22, 2003

Two sons of Denmark, Tchicai and Dørge have been musical colleagues for going on three decades. Their long-standing friendship makes this match-up seem almost like second nature. Curiously enough it’s their first trio recording in nearly as much time, the last being The Real Tchicai, a '77 date for Steeplechase with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson in tow. CIMP session man Lou Grassi is the newcomer to the fold, but his neophyte status dissolves in the sympathetic rapport he achieves through ...