Jazz Articles

No: Sonny II

by AAJ Staff
October 10, 2004

Were it not for Bill Laswell's efforts in the '80s, guitarist Sonny Sharrock probably wouldn't have reached nearly as many ears as he did. Recordings like the 1991 masterpiece Ask the Ages shed light on his electric free/rock/energy leanings, though Sharrock was already making his first leaps as a leader with Black Woman (Vortex, 1969) and Monkey-Pockie-Boo (BYG, 1970; recently reissued), both unfortunately marred by Linda Sharrock's annoying vocalizations.

French guitarist Noël Akchoté outdoes Sharrock's relative obscurity by ...

Noel Akchote: Rien

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 2000

Forward thinking guitarist Noel Akchote performs microtonal, electronically induced themes on his latest excursion titled, Rien. With this release, the guitarist enlists the support of computer performer Erik Minkkinen and Andrew Sharpley who handles the sampler and turntable duties. Essentially, these eleven tracks maintain a relatively invariable flow which is evident on pieces such as “Mords”, “Cesse” and others, where the musicians meld subtle electronics, Akchote’s barely audible chord manipulations, cavernous explorations and dark tonalities with programmatic interplay. At times, ...