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Ernest Dawkins' New Horizon Ensemble: Mean Ameen
by Rex Butters
Ernest Dawkins guides his New Horizons Ensemble in a program dedicated to longtime fellow traveler trumpeter Ameen Muhammed, recently passed. Both had roots with Chicago's Southside blues scene, and both belonged to the AACM, with Dawkins himself a past president. The sometime sextet performs here as a quintet, with rising star Maurice Brown handling the trumpet ...
Jeff Kaiser Ockodektet/Kaiser-Diaz Infante Sextet: The Alchemical Mass/Suite Solutio
by Rex Butters
Straight out of Ventura, California, Jeff Kaiser releases the CD version of his recent performance with his Ockodektet and the Ojai Camerata, The Alchemical Mass. A riveting exercise crossing modern composition with improvisation and choral arrangements, all in the service of an authentic 15th Century alchemical text, its author having passed from royal court astrologer to ...
Elements of the 7th: Rhythmic Process = 2x()y) + 3
by Rex Butters
Assemble alumni from Randy Weston, Third World, Arrested Development, Sting, Harry Belafonte, Lonnie Liston Smith, Maxi Priest, and Mystic Merlin; throw in Matthew Shipp, Roy Campbell, and Sabir Mateen; and you have Elements of the 7th, hard blowing exercises in extended groovology. With talent like this on board, your expectations of being lifted from your seat ...
Br: Medicina
by Rex Butters
Medicina further documents Peter Brötzmann's volcanic creativity, here in a trio with veteran collaborators Peeter Uuskyla on drums and Peter Friis Nielsen on electric bass. While recent recordings have shown the Teutonic Tornado varying his attack with a relatively gentle touch, Medicina is pure balls-out Brötzmann, except for a ballad and his lyrical intro to “Hard ...
Many Axes: 2 Many Axes
by Rex Butters
For over a quarter of a century, Susan Rawcliffe has designed and played ceramic flutes and other instruments. Many are based on studies of instruments played by pre-Hispanic cultures like the Aztec, Mayan, Zapotec, and Olmec, and after making and mastering them, Rawcliffe then adds creative redesigns to invent her own playable sculptures. She lectured at ...
Jeff Parker: The Relatives
by Rex Butters
Jeff Parker's second session as a leader, The Relatives, surprises by taking easygoing mainstream flavors and, stirring with spice, manages to honor the forms while tweaking them. Parker's regular rhythm section, Chris Lopes on bass and NY-Chicago drum machine Chad Taylor on percussion, keep the momentum crisp. Parker's earnest and deliberate delivery plays off space, often ...
Alice and Ravi Coltrane Meet Branford Marsalis at the Coltrane Foundation Benefit
by Rex Butters
The John Coltrane Foundation brought elegance back to the Miracle Mile's El Rey Theatre with An Evening of Jazz, their annual benefit for the Foundation's scholarship fund. This year, in addition to catching a glimpse of Foundation president Alice Coltrane and son, saxophone slinger Ravi Coltrane, the Branford Marsalis Quartet performed an incendiary set. The dramatic ...
Mike Ladd & Vijay Iyer: In All Languages
by Rex Butters
Redcat rocked with the recent touchdown of In What Language?, Vijay Iyer and Mike Ladd's acclaimed multimedia performance piece that travels through the minds of post 911 airport inhabitants of color. Richly human, Ladd's text sings with the voices of Indian Cab drivers, Iranian business men, Afro-Americans, as well as observations from those doing the scanning. ...
Barre Phillips/Joelle Leandre/William Parker/Tetsu Saitoh: After You Gone
by Rex Butters
Reverberations from bassist Peter Kowald's passing continue to be felt two years later. Last year, a long-time bass quartet with one sub gathered to bathe Kowald's spirit in a bass balm. Comprised of close associates or admirers of Kowald, this quartet represents a summit from across borders and generations, sharing only remarkable technique and a love ...
Industrial Jazz Group: The Star Chamber
by Rex Butters
The Industrial Jazz Group continues to fight the odds on maintaining a large band, allowing resident composer Andrew Durkin a vehicle for his imaginative flights. Drawing on an eclectic core of influences including Mingus, Zappa, Messiaen, and Giuffre, Durkin writes head-snapping charts unafraid to make bold statements and easy jokes. The Group's all-star lineup, including Beth ...
