Jazz Articles
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Satoko Fujii: Perpetual Motion
by Mike Jurkovic
Space may be the final frontier for some, but for pianist Satoko Fujii and guitarist Otomo Yoshihide its inner and outer most reaches, string theories, bosons, black holes and wormholes have provided a veritable playground, an infinite source of daring and inspiration. So one might wonder why it took these two mainstays of the Japanese avant-garde nearly thirty years (and well over one hundred and fifty albums between them) to take the stage together in January 2022 at ...
read moreSatoko Fujii & Otomo Yoshihide: Perpetual Motion
by Mark Corroto
This duo has been a long time in the making. Two giants of the Japanese music scene finally perform together, and it only took thirty years to happen. Each musician has a decorated career in solo performance, Satoko Fujii at the piano and Otomo Yoshihide with either guitar, turntables, or electronics. They both also guide larger ensembles, Fujii with her various orchestra work both in Japan and New York, and Otomo with his big bands and orchestras which perform original ...
read moreSylvaine Hélary: Glowing Life
by Henning Bolte
Is flute an odd one out in the present jazz field? Not really and not at all in France. France not only has Michel Edelin in the older generation, it has still more flautists in the younger generation that are also bandleaders in their own right, for example Magic Malik, Eve Risser, Naïssam Jalal and, of course, Sylvaine Hélary. The music of French flautist-vocalist Sylvaine Hélary (1986) has its beyond- quality of a special kind. On her 2021 ...
read moreFrederick Galiay: Time Elleipsis
by Glenn Astarita
This largely electric French quintet discloses a vastly experimental and often fascinating series of works that intertwine into a multipart suite of indexed titles directed by bassist Frederick Galiay. As the press material states, the bassist “was a laureate for a Hors les murs residency program initiated by the French Institute," spanning Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Here, the musicians explore subterranean depths via shadowy sonic textures and on the opener “Naga Convulsions," venture into electronic minimalist terrain amid the ...
read moreScott Fields Ensemble: Barclay
by Glenn Astarita
Guitarist Scott Fields' distinctive approach to composition marches to the next level on this third installment of the “Beckett Trilogy," where he uses additional Samuel Barclay Beckett (1906-1989) plays as an inspiration for these three extended works, based on the novelist's text/plots. The ensemble seemingly weaves some of Beckett's black comedy and humor into concise and rather spirited statements via geometric, non-linear and asymmetrically paced grooves with incongruent slants, offering some brain candy for your psyche to nibble ...
read moreMarc Ducret - Joëlle Léandre: Chez Hélène
by Glenn Astarita
The audience in attendance at the 19PaulFort venue in Paris, France must have been spellbound after witnessing these prolific and highly influential improvisers wield their magic. As leaders and collaborators bassist Joëlle Léandre and guitarist Marc Ducret have pretty much done it all over the years, evidenced by their extensive discographies. Here, the bassist is a galvanized catalyst via her fervent and precise strumming and impossibly fast bowing patterns as Ducret is often the colorist as they counterbalance each other ...
read moreDavid Chevallier - Valentin Ceccaldi: Zebres
by Glenn Astarita
These two laudable French improvisers share their collective imaginations with the willing listener via these capacious works that include numerous trade-offs, mimicking lines and fastidious dialogues, occasionally intersected by nouveau chamber motifs. Essentially, the musicians are all over the map with a strong focus and a wealth of interesting propositions. The duo seemingly maximizes their perceptual competencies on this winning release. With stark contrasts, droning extended notes, and subliminal melodies, they imply that angst and joy can ...
read moreChristophe Monniot & Le Grand Orchestre du Tricot: Jericho Sinfonia
by Glenn Astarita
Prize-winning French composer / saxophonist Christophe Monniot and Le Grande Orchestra du Tricot impart the element of surprise on this rapidly moving endeavor that includes spoken word dialogues at various intervals throughout the program. However, all the text is presented in French on the CD package, and the same is true for the spoken word narratives. Yet Stephane Berland of Ayler Records summarized the storyline that references the Old Testament, a Pasolini interview, and a scientific take on vibration (wave ...
read moreDaunik Lazro: Garden(s)
by Glenn Astarita
This progressive French trio features musicians who have respectively been at the forefront of Euro improvisational circles, partaking in numerous small and large ensemble formats. The synergy and inventive concepts many of us would anticipate is wholly inherent here, as the band covers Duke Ellington, Albert Ayler and John Coltrane bordering three group composed pieces “Garden(s) 1 through 3" and trumpeter Jean-Luc Cappozzo's “Joy Spirit." Cappozzo brings Ellington's “Sophisticated Lady" to the wild side via an opening duet ...
read moreDaniel - Galichet - Metzger: Killing Spree
by Glenn Astarita
Saxophonist Matthieu Metzger extends his multi-tracked applications and concepts, evidenced on Self Cooking (Ayler, 2012) with this aggressive trio format, steeped in punk jazz, free jazz, metal jazz and progressive rock. Hold on to your seats as they say because these folks will knock your socks off with a consortium of high-velocity, in-your-face metrics and astute use of electronics. Amped by a powerful, loud, and agile rhythm section, the program casts a mélange of disparate works built on doomsday overtures, ...
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