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Ingrid Laubrock Octet: Zurich Concert
by John Sharpe
Even though numbering just eight strong, Ingrid Laubrock makes such skillful use of the talented cast at her disposal on Zurich Concert that the band delivers an almost orchestral experience. She achieves that through the deployment of three chordal instruments in Mary Halvorson's guitar, Liam Noble's piano and Ted Reichman's accordion. Not that you would characterize ...
Eric Revis: Eric Revis: In Memory Of Things Yet Seen
by John Sharpe
Although the title to bassist Eric Revis' quartet offering appears to pay homage to some of the early AACM documents (think pianist Muhal Richard Abrams' unaccompanied manifesto Things To Come From Those Now Gone (Delmark, 1975)), the actuality is a different animal entirely. Having rung the changes since the acclaimed City of Asylum, Revis' outfit acts ...
Max Johnson: The Prisoner
by John Sharpe
NYC-based bassist Max Johnson already boasts an impressively strong discography, after just two entries: Quartet (Not Two, 2013) and Elevated Vegetation (FMR, 2012). With a new crew on board for The Prisoner, he tackles that hoary chestnut the concept album. Except of course that in the medium of jazz, this doesn't mean a string of banal ...
The Apophonics: On Air
by John Sharpe
In On Air, radical English saxophonist John Butcher combines two favorite pairings into a threesome which explores a fresh take on the traditional sax/bass/drums model. When Californian percussionist Gino Robair first performed with Butcher in a 1997 recording session in Oakland, something clicked and they have toured extensively since, releasing three duo CDs and nine in ...
Mikolaj Trzaska/ Devin Hoff/ Michael Zerang: Sleepless In Chicago
by John Sharpe
With Poland proving such a welcoming venue for so many of Chicago's finest, it's no surprise to see a little quid pro quo from time to time. Reedman Mikołaj Trzaska, one of his country's most forward thinking players, has collaborated with various visiting Americans, most notably Joe McPhee and Ken Vandermark, but it is as a ...
East West Collective: Humeurs
by John Sharpe
The East West Collective constituted one of the surprise hits of the 2013 Vision Festival in New York City. As their name implies the five strong outfit comprises improvisers from both the Occident and Orient. Their origin lies in French cellist Didier Petit's regular visits to the Far East, often with clarinetist Sylvain Kassap in tow, ...
Daunik Lazro / Joëlle Léandre: Hasparren
by John Sharpe
Whether one rates a free improv album or not can be notoriously subjective, depending as much on the listener's mood as any musical attribute. So when a recital comes along by two of France's most adventurous musicians where everything seems to just click, it's worth teasing out what makes it such a success. Let's be clear, ...
Matthew Shipp Trio: Root Of Things
by John Sharpe
The third album by pianist Matthew Shipp's trio with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey persuades as their strongest yet, no mean feat after the live disc included on The Art Of The Improviser (Thirsty Ear, 2011) and Elastic Aspects (Thirsty Ear, 2012). Over the six cuts from this 2013 studio session they restate their ...
Christine Wodrascka/ Jean Luc Cappozzo/ Gerry Hemingway: Grey Matter
by John Sharpe
Impromptu meetings between improvisers hailing from diverse backgrounds are by now a commonplace event. But it's less usual is for the resultant grouping to take on a collective name, the surnames or initials normally sufficing for commoditization. For a group to perform under a moniker implies both a sense of purpose and a strong shared identity, ...
Howard Riley: Live With Repertoire
by John Sharpe
British pianist Howard Riley's previous album on No Business, the monumental The Complete Short Stories: 1998-2010 (2011), was a revelation to many, collecting together 6 CDs of stunning aphoristic improvisations. However on Live With Repertoire, as the title suggests, the pianist concentrates primarily on the songbook, particularly Monk, one of his touchstones along with Ellington. In ...


