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The Vandermark 5 Take LA
by Rex Butters
LA turned out in enthusiastic numbers to welcome the Vandermark 5 back after a two-year absence. Only at Rocco’s, where volunteers hurriedly set up chairs wherever they could to accommodate the overflow crowd. Performing weekly at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, the 5 were a testament to what a residency can do for a band. Not ...
Rob Brown and Henry Grimes Cross the Line Space Line
by Rex Butters
Chris Heenan and Jeremy Drake scored a coup in landing master alto player Rob Brown for a solo performance at L.A.'s Salvation Theatre on August 4th. Not content to pull off that minor miracle, they also presented on the same bill the best Henry Grimes unit to appear locally so far. An overflow crowd and an ...
Bobby Bradford Breaks the Seal On Cryptonight
by Rex Butters
Jeff Gauthier gave his new Cryptonight concert series at the comfortable Club Tropical an auspicious inauguration on August 28th, presenting the Bobby Bradford Motet. The band performed in front of an equipment-stuffed stage on a wood dance floor. Soft couches surrounded the platform, but most of those attending took in the show from the raised dining ...
Jeanne Lee/Mal Waldron: After Hours
by Rex Butters
Like too many utterly original and fearless jazz artists, Jeanne Lee’s audience and reputation seems to reside more within the community of musicians than listeners. Despite remarkable classic recordings with Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Carla Bley, Andrew Cyrille, Billy Bang, William Parker, Steve Coleman, and of course, Gunter Hampel, Lee has never received the notoriety due ...
Arthur Blythe: Exhale
by Rex Butters
Arthur Blythe continues his fruitful association with producer/drummer Cecil Brooks III on Exhale, his latest for the Savant label, also teaming up with longtime partner and tuba player Bob Stewart, plus John Hicks on piano. The eclectic playlist conveys the many facets of the musicians involved. Coltrane's "Cousin Mary" gets the party started in swing time ...
Randy Weston: Spirit! the Power Of Music
by Rex Butters
With Randy Weston’s longtime involvement with African music and culture, it seems odd he has recorded so little with traditional African ensembles. While percussion masters like Babatunde Olantunje have augmented his groups, his guest appearance on the Musicians of Morocco’s 1992 Seventh Splendid Master Gnawa marked one of the few times Weston worked with traditional African ...
Bobby Bradford/Francis Wong/William Roper: Purple Gums
by Rex Butters
The San Francisco-based Asian Improv label continues to release remarkable sessions with Purple Gums, a wind trio with Bobby Bradford, William Roper, and Francis Wong. The resulting disc shows a band deeply attuned to each other's whims, and skillful in extending musical conversations. "Baleen and Porpoises" begins with Roper's low notes on tuba. Bradford enters with ...
Kenny Burrell: Blue Muse
by Rex Butters
Since the '50s, Kenny Burrell has contributed crucial titles to some of the most important jazz labels, including Blue Note, Verve, Columbia, and Muse. For his 96th album, Burrell sticks to what's worked well for him over the past fifty years: some blues, some Ellington, some swing, and several ballads, all played with beautiful tone and ...
Various: VisionFest- VisionLive
by Rex Butters
The 8th Annual Vision Festival began on May 20 in New York City, and just in time to show the world what it’s missing, Thirsty Ear released a collection of luminous performances from the previous year's event. Self-described as “art with a most decidedly disciplined disregard for tradition and boundaries,” these proceedings were last documented on ...
Leroy Jenkins: Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America
by Rex Butters
The reactivation of the Tomato label comes as good news. What other imprint could boast a roster that included Doc Watson, John Cage, Townes Van Zandt, Harry Partch, and Sam Rivers? Now add Leroy Jenkins with his reissued title from 1978, Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America. That this quarter century old artifact sounds as ...
