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This Is It!: Mosaic
by John Sharpe
Fittingly for an artist as relentlessly exploratory as pianist Satoko Fujii, on Mosaic she pushes at the boundaries of recording technology, as well as the music, and comes up trumps. For the second release from the trio This Is It! lack of physical proximity proved no obstacle. Confined to base during the pandemic, Fujii and husband ...
Lao Dan / Deng Boyu: TuTu Duo
by John Sharpe
The profile of jazz and improvisation from China rates roughly the same as the chances of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, or an anti-vaxxer's feel for community (if neither of those comparisons sits comfortably, just make up your own)—vanishingly small. So the release of TuTu Duo by reedman Lao Dan and percussionist Deng Boyu, ...
Itaru Oki Quartet: Live At Jazz Spot Combo 1975
by John Sharpe
Live At Jazz Spot Combo 1975 constitutes the second entry from trumpeter Itaru Oki, who died in 2020, in the fascinating series of Japanese free jazz recordings licensed from the Chap Chap label by the Lithuanian NoBusiness imprint. It follows Kami Fusen (2017) which presented another live date from 21 years later. One of the pioneers ...
Roy Campbell / John Dikeman / Raoul van der Weide / Peter Jacquemyn / Klaus Kugel: When The Time Is Right
by John Sharpe
This date from 2013 presents New York City based guests trumpeter Roy Campbell and German drummer Klaus Kugel with three Amsterdam-located improvisers as part of the DoEK organization's annual Festival. Campbell, a stalwart of the NYC avant scene who died in 2014, gained early exposure with Jemeel Moondoc's Ensemble Muntu and went on to helm his ...
John Sharpe's Best Releases of 2021
by John Sharpe
Whether due to pent up creative energy or release schedules making up for lost time, more terrific music has come my way than for several years, in spite of the last twelve months. From the 200 or so discs that I heard in 2021, here are ten new issues (in the order I came across them), ...
Mototeru Takagi: Live At Little John Yokohama 1999
by John Sharpe
Four Japanese improvisers gather for an absorbing summit meeting in the Tokyo port city on Live At Little John Yokohama 1999. Probably the best known of the quartet will be tenor saxophonist Mototeru Takagi, who appeared on drummer Milford Graves' underground classic Meditations Among Us (Kitty, 1977) some 22 years earlier. There is a whiff of ...
Whit Dickey / William Parker / Matthew Shipp: Village Mothership
by John Sharpe
Village Mothership presents a constellation of stars which first assembled some three decades ago. Although released on drummer Whit Dickey's Tao Forms imprint, on this 2020 studio date the trio, completed by bassist William Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp, manifests as a cooperative effort, unlike their first appearance on Circular Temple (Quinton, 1990) under Shipp's leadership. ...
Dave Rempis' Percussion Quartet: Sud Des Alpes
by John Sharpe
Recorded live in Geneva during the group's 15th Anniversary tour, Sud Des Alpes is the tenth outing from Chicago-based saxophonist Dave Rempis' Percussion Quartet. The band is one of his longest established outlets, boasting a consistent membership, with the drum stools occupied by Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly since the first album in 2005, and just ...
Artifacts: Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed: …and then there’s this
by John Sharpe
For the follow up to the excellent debut Artifacts (482 Music, 2015), the stellar threesome of cellist Tomeka Reid, flautist Nicole Mitchell, and drummer Mike Reed waxes another outstanding album, but one which differs in two respects. Firstly this time out the emphasis is on the compositional smarts of the crew rather than a celebration of ...
Sam Rivers: Undulation
by John Sharpe
Sam Rivers, who died in 2011, was one of the luminaries of the avant-garde, a Blue Note artist who played not only with Miles Davis and Cecil Taylor, but also Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. He lead his own groups for much of his life but also found time to run one of New York's premier ...
