Results for "Club d'Elf"

Matthew Shipp String Trio: Symbolic Reality

by Karl Ackermann
February 26, 2020

Of the many formations in which Matthew Shipp works, his string trio is one of the most eclectic and appealing. Mat Maneri, William Parker and Shipp have covered the breadth of progressive improvised music from chamber to noise. Shipp has dabbled in electronica and hip-hop, but more often in the genre-less manner which makes him stand ...

Club d'Elf

Active since: 1998

To the naked eye, Club d’Elf looks exactly like a world-class instrumental band: five or six fierce players laying down heavy grooves and exploratory solos on distinctive original material, as audience members dance or listen in rapt attention. To its fans, however, and its large and colorful cast of musicians, D’Elf is all that and much, much more.

The paradox and the power of the unusually named Club d’Elf become increasingly clear through repeated encounters. Unlike almost any other band, D’Elf’s personnel changes radically from show to show. Fans have their favorite configurations and players, but unlike groups where musicians’ tenures are finite, D’Elf-ians revolve in and out, reappearing in endless combinations. Beyond the cavalcade of characters, the music itself is in constant flux. Individual songs can vary dramatically from performance to performance as new alignments of players make every moment fresh. No two sets are alike. Yet the feeling and philosophy that animate D’Elf remain consistent, the product of the vision and dedication of leader Mike Rivard (aka Micro Vard) and the ongoing contributions of his talented collaborators. Devoted fans have been setting their clocks by the group’s bimonthly appearances at their home base, the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for twenty years now, and the message has traveled around the world.

Night Sparkles

By Club d'Elf

Label: Face Pelt Records
Released: 2019
Track listing: End of Firpo Pt 1; End of Firpo Pt 2; Dance of the Machine Elves; Night Sparkles; Ecstatic Cling Pt 1; Ecstatic Cling Pt 2.

Karl Ackermann’s Best Releases of 2019

by Karl Ackermann
December 15, 2019

2019 was the year when one couldn't turn an ear without hearing a release that featured either Kris Davis or Matthew Shipp. Between the two pianist/composer/improvisers, listeners have been treated to more than a dozen recordings, each noteworthy. Then there is Satoko Fujii. On the heels of her 2018, twelve-album birthday celebration, the pianist issued another ...

Club d'Elf: Night Sparkles

by Chris M. Slawecki
December 1, 2019

On December 16, 2011, bassist and bandleader Mike Rivard and the rest of the floating Club d'Elf instrumental ensemble assembled at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge (MA), for their regular gig at the regular location in the extended live residency that the band began at the Lounge back in 1998 (and continues to this day). Guest ...

Riding Waves, Moving Boundaries, and Building The Wall

by Chris M. Slawecki
November 23, 2019

Franco Ambrosetti Quintet Long Waves Unit Records 2019 Trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti balances in the middle of three jazz generations, the father of saxophonist Gianluca and son of saxophonist Flavio, who once played opposite Charlie Parker at the Paris Jazz Festival. Although he grew up studying classical ...

Club d'Elf: Night Sparkles

by Doug Collette
June 28, 2019

Night Sparkles follows bassist/sintirist Mike Rivard on his continuing adventures into the “Moroccan-based psychedelic dub" style he initiated with Club D'Elf in the 1990s. It's altogether remarkable he's managed to formulate such a novel approach to improvisational music while juggling the near-perpetual rotating cast of personnel, but it is to the great credit of the titular ...

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival 2019

by Doug Collette
June 14, 2019

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Burlington, Vermont May 31-June 9, 2019 Prominent among the many of virtues the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival offers its hometown each year is a reminder of the energetic activity that permeates the Queen City of Vermont (and not just at this most wonderful time of the year). Witness ...

Mick Rossi, Le Rex, & Emile Parisien

by Maurice Hogue
May 9, 2019

Creativity must be recognized, particularly the kind endures. The AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) continues this day, just as it did over 50 years ago, inspiring, pushing forward, and setting the standard for creative music. Only the players change. The premier performing group of the AACM today is the AACM Great Black Music ...

NY Free Quartet, Michael Gregory Jackson & Marc Jufer

by Maurice Hogue
May 1, 2019

There's a wide variety of great tunes this episode: Club D'Elf kicks it off with the title track to their latest live set, saxophonist Muriel Grossmann and her quartet acknowledge the musical and mystical paths of John Coltrane, the New York Free Quartet's Dream Time marks their return to releasing excellent work, and the very influential ...