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Mike Reed: In the Context of
by Paul Olson
Pure improvisation can be a challenge for both musicians and listeners. With no compositional road map, the players must enter into a compact of attention and belief that's largely process-based--after all, no one knows where the music's going to go. If they do, they're not improvising, they're assembling already-played licks on the fly. Then there's the ...
Clogs: Opening Up the Possibilities
by Paul Olson
Take the music of Steve Reich, Moondog, Guillaume de Machaut, Bell Orchestre, Sigur Ros, Penguin Café Orchestra, Eric Satie, Godspeed You Black Emperor and the Rachel's and toss it all into a blender. Purée well.Now you've got something that, well, really sounds nothing like Clogs, the remarkable new-music quartet made up of Padma Newsome ...
Freedance: Freedance Live
by Paul Olson
This new set by bassist/composer Dave Phillips' Freedance band documents a 2004 performance at the annual Radio France Festival in Montpellier, France. The longstanding quartet of Phillips, alto player John O'Gallagher, guitarist Rez Abbasi and drummer Tony Moreno doesn't break any new ground here; no one's trying to invent any new forms.With the kind ...
Andrew Hill: Time Lines and Full Circles
by Paul Olson
Andrew Hill's a busy man. “I'm playing in New York in March and after that, I'm going to Europe for a European promo for a few days with the quintet, he smiles. “The next month, I'm touring Europe then touring Europe again a bit after that. I have a commitment to do a ...
Andrew Hill: Coming Back Full Circle
by Paul Olson
Although pianist/composer Andrew Hill has recorded for a variety of record labels, he is, in many ways, one of the quintessential Blue Note recording artists. Signed to the label after relocating to New York from his native Chicago in the early 1960s by label founder Alfred Lion (who later referred to the pianist/composer/bandleader as his “last ...
Omer Avital Group: Asking No Permission
by Paul Olson
Omer Avital's new release, Asking No Permission, isn't actually new at all. Rather, it's the first of the projected four-disc series The Smalls Years, presenting live performances of bassist/composer Omer Avital's group at the West Village Smalls nightclub in 1996-97. It's not unheard of for a label to release archival live performances simply because, well, they've ...
Ben Monder: Surprise from Cohesion
by Paul Olson
After twenty years in New York City, guitarist Ben Monder has played with, well, everyone: Paul Motian, Guillermo Klein, Tim Berne, Jack McDuff, Lee Konitz, Maria Schneider, and a plethora of other notables. At the same time, he's been quietly creating some outstanding work as a leader, fronting his own trio and quartet and releasing, to ...
Charlie Hunter Trio: Copperopolis
by Paul Olson
Eight-string guitar whiz Charlie Hunter has done some especially interesting work recently--his Groundtruther experiments with percussionist Bobby Previte explored the limits of outside studio improvisation while his playing in the collective band Garage à Trois dug deep into New Orleans third-line groove and stacked rhythms. As good as those projects were, it's nice to see Hunter ...
Wynton Marsalis/Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Chicago Symphony Center
by Paul Olson
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Wynton Marsalis, Musical Director Symphony Center, Chicago January 27, 2006The endless debate about Wynton Marsalis shows no sign of ever abating. Whether the Lincoln Center musical director/trumpeter is the greatest heir to the jazz tradition or a curmudgeonly and didactic reactionary who's declared himself the ...
Chicago Jazz Ensemble and Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts at Chicago Symphony Center
by Paul Olson
Chicago Jazz Ensemble Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts Symphony Center, Chicago January 20, 2006The latest event of the 2005-2006 Chicago Symphony Center's Jazz at Symphony Center series promised the best of two worlds. The 20-piece Chicago Jazz Ensemble would surely provide impeccable, big-band wallop--their reputation for hard-swinging tightness having ...
