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Results for "Master of a Small House"
Dawn of Midi - First (Accretions)
Acoustic instruments operating under a band name implying electronic elements. Unconventionality existing within a context implying convention. These are just two of the intriguing contradictions that accompany this multi-national piano trio. The packaging of their aptly-titled debut is short on descriptive information- just track titles, personnel, website, and a few other bits and pieces of detail. ...
John Zorn George Lewis Bill Frisell - More News for Lulu (Hatology)
Altoist John Zorn still takes it on the chin from certain critics when it comes to his cavalier claims of minimal practice on his instrument. Fortunately, he's got something an iron jaw and comparable chops to contradict any charges of dilettantism or rampant drollery. This set and its earlier companion still serve as figurative bandoliers of ...
John Skillman's Barb City Stompers - Dekalb Blues (Delmark)
Based in DeKalb, Illinois, the birth-place of barbed wire, John Skillman's jazz quintet operates just a figurative hop, skip and jump from Delmark HQ That geographical proximity explains, in part, producer Bob Koester's close affinity for their efforts. The other, even more immediate, explanation rests in the ensemble's populist blend of Hot, Trad and Swing jazz ...
Sonny Simmons - Staying on the Watch (Esp)
Themes of urgency and vigilance embedded in the title to Sonny Simmons' ESP debut would dictate his music up through the present day. Simmons isn't one to suffer fools lightly and that intolerance for incompetence and hypocrisy cost him dearly at various times in his career. This auspicious set harkens to a stage prior to most ...
Ellen Rowe Quartet - Wishing Well (Pko)
Despite a surfeit of originals and uniformly strong musicianship, pianist Ellen Rowe's latest offering exudes a disconcerting air of familiarity. Postbop is a signifier applied to a wide swathe of new-millennial jazz. Rowe's music fits easily within the broad framework, but to my ears it's also emblematic of the term. The opening track, featuring guest flugelhornist ...
Peter Brotzmann and Paal Nilssen-Love - Woodcuts (Smalltown Superjazz)
Among the many drummers to join Brotzmann on the bandstand, Paal Nilssen-Love remains one of the most compatible and galvanizing. His mix of muscle and agility continually serves the German well whether it be in a large assemblage like the Chicago Tentet or mano y mano encounter like this set, the second such set documented by ...
Row: Zoot Sims - Warm Tenor (Pablo)
Age is an unavoidable agent of decline for many musicians. Not so with saxophonist Zoot Sims. Advancing years only added to his artistry, making what was already great even greater. His Pablo period arguably garners less notice than the earlier stages of his career as a member of Woody Herman's Herd and pianoless Gerry Mulligan ensembles ...
William Hooker Trio - Yearn for Certainty (Engine)
An admirable eclecticism and open-mindedness underscores William Hooker's career as a drummer. He's reliably followed his muse even when the ideas advancing his numerous projects have suffered under suspect application. This concert at Roulette is an apposite example of that phenomenon. On cardboard tray card it brims with potential intrigue. String bender David Soldier and reedist ...
Nate Wooley and Paul Lytton - Creak Above 33 (Psi)
A truism easily lost in the primacy of pedagogy, but some of the best musical moments occur when the getting from Point A to Point B remains a mystery. Trumpeter Nate Wooley comes to this conclusion in his brief, but fascinating notes to this release. His conclaves with British percussionist/electronicist Paul Lytton initiated a fundamental reassessment ...
Chris Byars - Bop-Ography (Steeplechase)
On the occasion of his second Steeplechase outing Chris Byars cannily continues in a musical rich vein tapped on his first. Gigi Gryce counts as a current healthy obsession of the saxophonist and three of the composers' pieces grace the program. Another of Byars abiding interests concerns the work and legacy of vibraphonist Teddy Charles, a ...
