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145

Article: Album Review

Tim Berne: The Sublime And

Read "The Sublime And" reviewed by Rex Butters

by Rex Butters
October 19, 2003

Tim Berne's Science Friction Band fuses a quartet of radical sound sculptors who leave fields of scorched earth in their wake. The one-time prot'g' of Julius Hemphill continues to forge daring jagged music that blurs borders and leaps genres. With repeated listenings patterns and structures reveal themselves between periods of intensely imaginative improvisations. Ironically, for such ...

111

Article: Album Review

Spring Heel Jack: Live

by Rex Butters
October 19, 2003

John Coxon and Ashley Wales, aka Spring Heel Jack, extend their Thirsty Ear tenure into a trilogy with the release of Live. Their heady blend of wild electronica and free jazz collided with American improvisers on Massed, and their European counterparts on Amassed. Members from each project join forces to form the live group with genre ...

108

Article: Album Review

Dapp Theory: Y

by Rex Butters
October 18, 2003

The fertile creative ground of M-Base continues to bear fruit with the release of longtime Steve Coleman keyboardist Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory. At a recent Ravi Coltrane gig, I mentioned to Milne how different his playing sounded from his work with Coleman. Surprised, he said, “Well, yeah, it’s a different music.” While Dapp Theory is a ...

270

Article: Multiple Reviews

The Return of the Art Ensemble

by Rex Butters
October 11, 2003

Even before the untimely death of trumpet virtuoso Lester Bowie, the Art Ensemble of Chicago had begun mutating. Joseph Jarman’s withdrawal from the group in ‘93 to concentrate on Buddhist and aikido studies put the band on hiatus. Bowie continued to record prolifically with his Brass Fantasy band, Roscoe Mitchell attended to health concerns and recorded ...

384

Article: Album Review

Giuffre/Bley/Swallow: Fly Away Little Bird

Read "Fly Away Little Bird" reviewed by Rex Butters

by Rex Butters
October 8, 2003

Recorded a year before this trio's final record in ’93, Fly Away Little Bird delivers a more grounded, earthy performance than Conversations With a Goose. Here, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley, and Steve Swallow explore their blues roots, particularly Giuffre. And, in addition to their trademark spontaneous inventions, they lovingly render five standards and a surprisingly strong ...

112

Article: Album Review

Joe Giardullo 4tet: Now Is

by Rex Butters
October 8, 2003

Listening to Joe Giardullo’s Now Is, it’s hard to believe the multi-instrumentalist/composer spent twelve years honing his craft in private, convinced no one was interested in his artistic output. After his Gravity Music for Chamber for Creative Chamber Group tanked commercially in ’79 (despite a four star review from Downbeat ), Giardullo resigned himself to working ...

155

Article: Live Review

Henry Grimes Band at Rocco

by Rex Butters
October 2, 2003

The latest chapter in the Henry Grimes re-entry saga found the obituaried bassist playing with recent veterans of Grimes units, plus a notable newcomer. Multi-reed master Vinny Golia brought his impressive abilities to join the Cline brothers, trumpet firebrand Dan Clucas, and youth brigade Joey Dosik on alto and Nick Rosen on bass. With a towel ...

162

Article: Live Review

Eisenstadt Electrifies Rocco's

by Rex Butters
October 2, 2003

Harris Eisenstadt tried out a new configuration on a warm Sunday night at Rocco’s. With a dismal turn out made up of a few friends and three sleeping Germans, the quartet blazed through three pieces of focused yet far-reaching improvisations. The versatile and imaginative Eisenstadt possesses enough eclectic background and technique to excel in any unit. ...

259

Article: Live Review

Jimmy Smith Funks Up the Catalina

by Rex Butters
October 2, 2003

Jazz community appeared with Jimmy Smith opening night at the Catalina in the person of Kenny Burrell. The former LA club owner apparently fighting a cold caught during his recent tour, which included Italy and Israel, Smith still delivered knuckle busting runs and uptown barbecue funk that could have hurt a healthy man. His association with ...

176

Article: Live Review

Hamiett Blueitt Improvises Song for

by Rex Butters
October 2, 2003

The Jazz Bakery hosted a belated Father’s Day weekend staging E.L. James’ “original theadio Production.” Nobody Walks Like My Daddy, explored a wide range of fathering issues and styles over four generations from all members’ perspectives. The production effectively blended spoken word, acapella singing, and improvised music. James and Roscoe Freeman portrayed the fathers and sons. ...