Home » Search Center » Results: Clifford Allen
Results for "Clifford Allen"
Fred Lonberg-Holm: Dialogs
by Clifford Allen
The list of truly formidable improvising cellists is rather short, for its perceived role as a classical instrument keeps it, like the French horn, out of the traditional jazz ensemble. Fred Katz, Ron Carter, Calo Scott, Joel Freedman, Abdul Wadud, Ernst Reijseger and Fred Lonberg-Holm are the most visible among the ranks, and the latter two ...
Cecil Taylor and Mat Maneri: Algonquin
by Clifford Allen
As much of a clich' as it may sound, the debate will always rage on some semblance of a definition of “jazz" versus “improvised music." It is never a debate that one really wants to get into, semiotically or aesthetically, but with each new improvised recording, the listener and historian both must consider not only whether ...
Prince Lasha
by Clifford Allen
Born September 10, 1929 in Fort Worth, Tex., flutist, clarinetist and altoist Prince Lasha came from a musical family. His grandfather was a clarinetist and his father Don Jones played tenor with Count Basie's band: “Him and Herschel Evans were good friends, like [Sonny] Simmons and I." Lasha relates his youthful encounter with his future axe: ...
Warren Smith
by Clifford Allen
Drummer, percussionist and composer Warren Smith has arguably had one of the most varied careers of any improvising drummer, working with artists as diverse as Sam Rivers, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Bill Cole and Harry Partch. Though originally trained in modern classical percussion, jazz and improvised music became paramount after moving to New York in the ...
Marc Copland and Greg Osby: Night Call
by Clifford Allen
The duet is a difficult beast; depending on the circumstances and the players involved, it can be a powerful display of improvisational ability or a lesser statement. With Night Call, a somewhat low-key but still fairly free-wheeling set of duets, pianist Marc Copland and alto saxophonist Greg Osby have created a rather personal document. Copland began ...
Steve Lacy Five: The Way
by Clifford Allen
Steve Lacy once said that his gradual engagement with free improvisation, “dropping the tunes" as he put it, was a mode in which he (or any musician) could get to that indescribable “thing" on the other side. It is also likely that his intense study of the songbooks of Monk, Nichols and Ellington in the '50s ...
Nine Winds Records: The Entire Time & Making Room for Spaces
by Clifford Allen
Begun in 1977 by reedman and composer Vinny Golia as a forum to release projects of Los Angeles and West Coast-based improvisers, Nine Winds has been crucial in bringing to light the talents of a varied pool of musicians. Artists such as guitarist Nels Cline, whose pedigree includes work with Mike Watt (Minutemen) as well as ...
Marshall Allen's Muse
by Clifford Allen
Born May 25, 1924 in Louisville, KY, alto saxophonist Marshall Allen has been as much an institution of the Arkestra as Sun Ra himself. Joining the band in 1958 in Chicago, Allen became part of the most important saxophone section since Ellington's--for along with John Gilmore and Pat Patrick, Allen and the Arkestra offered an entirely ...
Max Roach and Anthony Braxton: One in Two/Two in One
by Clifford Allen
On paper, the pairing of one of the architects of bebop percussion with one of the most iconoclastic (at least in '79) reedmen of the post-Coltrane age might seem a bit strange. And both artists are certainly known for a few failed collaborations: Roach's playing with Cecil Taylor in more recent years has been as conversational ...
Joe McPhee Po Music: Oleo
by Clifford Allen
With Po Music, according to McPhee, the group concept centers on the process orientation of “po-," a linguistic prefix signifying possibility and change (Li Po, anyone?). Of course, McPhee has gone through a number of stylistic changes in his career, from high-energy free jazz to funk and R&B, to “deep listening" and chamber jazz outfits. “Po," ...
