música en espiral

This interesting set of duets features veteran avant-garde pianist Muhal Richard Abrams and Marty Ehrlich, who doubles on alto sax and clarinet. Together they perform two songs by Abrams, three from Ehrlich, and a five-minute freely improvised "Blues to You." The music is as unpredictable as one would expect, hinting now and then at the past but mostly being quite explorative. The two musicians listen closely to each other and react quickly to any ideas that the other might have. Abrams' strong technique and knowledge of other styles and Ehrlich's versatile playing prove to be a stimulating match. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
Marching With Honor (Muhal Richard Abrams)
2. Dark Sestina (Marty Ehrlich)
3. Crossbeams (Muhal Richard Abrams)
4. The Price of the Ticket (Marty Ehrlich)
5. Bright Canto (Marty Ehrlich)
6. Blues to You (Muhal Richard Abrams/Marty Ehrlich)

MARTY EHRLICH alto saxophone, clarinet
MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS piano

Recorded live at “Summer Jazz at The Brooklyn Museum: Double Exposure”, August 11, 1996
New World Records - 805 12-2

Over the course of a dozen years and four albums, British saxophonist Evan Parker's groundbreaking Electro-Acoustic Ensemble has grown in size and scope, from the sextet that released Toward the Margins (ECM, 1997)—and still remains at the core of the group today—to the 11-piece ensemble responsible for The Eleventh Hour (ECM, 2005). Retaining the careful balance between acoustic instrumentation and electronics, sampling, and processing, the 14-piece Electro-Acoustic Ensemble on The Moment's Energy adds more instrumentation in the form of Peter Evans (trumpets), Ned Rothenberg (clarinets, shakuhachi) and Ko Ishikawa (shō, a reed-based Japanese mouth organ). The result is an album where there's both greater density and delineation, an even broader dynamic scope and, quite simply, one of the most ambitious mixtures of form and freedom, and extant and new-found textures.

The innovations of the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble continue to expand, finding new ways to marry technology and conventional instrumentation—albeit oftentimes with unorthodox approaches, including Parker's remarkable and seemingly endless circular breathing, Rothenberg's percussive approach and incredible intervallic leaps, and pianist Agustí Fernández's prepared piano.

The 62-minute, seven-part title suite may not be for the faint-at-heart, but for the open-minded it's a lengthy exploration of music that also expands the concept of live recording. All of the material was recorded at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddlesfield, UK, but only a small portion comes from the ensemble's actual concert ("The Moment's Energy Part IV" and the closing "Incandescent Clouds," which goes from jagged, swirling sonic intensity to delicate near-silence over the course of five minutes), with the rest recorded at sessions on the days leading up to the performance. Post-production, in this context, is equally important as the plethora of sounds generated were later molded into shape by Parker, engineer Steve Lowe and ECM producer Steve Lake. It brings new meaning to the concept of composition, where what is heard in concert is nowhere close to what is heard on record, but nevertheless occupies the same conceptual sphere.

It's also a new approach to composition in that the performances are truly collective improvisations, yet the end result is nothing less than a deliberate, structured piece—even if it lacks conventional markers like melody and pulse. Instead, it's an expansive work of no small resonance, ranging from harsh dissonance and relentless energy to ethereal atmospherics and spare colors. Instruments ebb and flow from the mix, as do the electronic sounds and live, reprocessed samples that seamlessly mesh throughout.

It's no surprise that Parker won a Hamlyn Foundation Award for composition in 2008 as a result of the music heard on The Moment's Energy. While there's less of a clear roadmap here than on Parker's Boustrophedon (ECM, 2008), in many ways that only makes The Moment's Energy all the more remarkable. A composition that could never be performed the same way twice, its careful construction of sound in real-time and post-production makes for an ambitiously considered experience of great power and unsettling subtlety. - John Kelman

Tracks
I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
5. V
6. VI
7. VII
8. Incandecent Clouds

NED ROTHENBERG bass clarinet, shakuhachi
BARRY GUY double bass
PAUL LYTTON percussion, live electronics
EVAN PARKER soprano saxophone
PETER EVANS trumpet, piccolo trumpet
PHILIPP WACHSMANN violin, live electronics
AGUSTÍ FERNÁNDEZ piano, prepared piano
KO ISHIKAWA shô
LAWRENCE CASSERLEY signal processing instrument
JOEL RYAN sample and signal processing
RICHARD BARRETT live electronics
JOEL RYAN sample and signal processing
WALTER PRATI computer processing
PAUL OBERMAYER live electronics
NACHO VECCHI sound projection

Music composed by Evan Parker and commissioned by the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
Recorded November 2007
Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield
ECM Records - ECM 2066 / 177 4798

In the mid-'90s, Braxton released several recordings featuring himself on piano. While he had written a number of pieces for the instrument (generally in classical mode), on his own these sessions tended to find him "in the tradition" of the standard jazz repertoire. If his playing falls short of other notables who dabbled on the keys (the great Mingus Plays Piano perhaps towering above them all), it forms yet another intriguing aspect of this deep, endlessly fascinating musician. Here, Braxton joins forces with the then current Mario Pavone quartet, an all-star lineup in and of itself with trumpeter Dave Douglas, multi-reed master Thomas Chapin, and drummer Pheeroan Ak Laff. The pieces, as well as Braxton's approach to the piano, tend to ramble albeit with much affection shown toward the material. He sounds a bit like a looser, less organized Don Pullen, beginning his solos inside the changes but inevitably working them into freer territory. His comping behind the other soloists is reasonably competent if perfunctory. It must be said that his voice on piano has little of the distinction or passion expressed on his multiple reeds. The rest of the musicians play the date in a fairly straight manner resulting in an OK blowing session, but all involved have created far more striking work elsewhere. Only the final cut, Coltrane's "Straight Street," really begins to take off. If you desperately need to have an example of Braxton's piano playing in your collection, this release would do better than, say, the double solo set on Justin Time, but it's difficult to make the case for Seven Standards 1995 being essential listening.

Tracks
Dewey Square (Charlie Parker)
2. Autumn in New York (Vernon Duke)
3. All or Nothing at All (Arthur Altman/Jack Lawrence)
4. Eronel (Thelonious Monk)
5. These Foolish Things (Harry Link/Holt Marvell/Jack Strachey)
6. The End of a Love Affair (Edward Redding)
7. Straight Street (John Coltrane)

DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
PHEEROAN AK LAFF drums
THOMAS CHAPIN alto saxophone, flute & piccolo
MARIO PAVONE bass
ANTHONY BRAXTON piano

Recorded at East Side Sound, N.Y.C. on January 11, 1995
Knitting Factory Works - KFW 168

David Friesen is a creative bassist with a poetic sensibility whose prolific recorded output has mostly failed to capture the magic he can conjure live. His new double album, Connection, another self-produced low-budget Friesen project, is not without issues. But it is his strongest record in years.

The first CD contains 15 duo tracks (13 of them Friesen originals) with guitarist Larry Koonse, recorded in a Phoenix, Ariz. studio in 2005. The second disc adds drummer Joe LaBarbera, features mostly standards, and was recorded in a La Jolla, Calif. studio in 2001. The sonic quality is different yet equally undistinguished on the two CDs. Friesen plays the Hemage bass, a rare electric instrument made in Austria whose thin, sometimes nasal sound (as portrayed on these recordings) is one-dimensional. The Hemage bass seems an odd instrument choice for a player devoted to elegiac nuance.

Buy Connection anyway, especially if you like to listen after midnight. There is remarkable continuity of mood, tone and texture across these CDs, uniting music four years apart from various composers into a suite; a single meditation. This is chamber-jazz of deep, pensive quietness.

Larry Koonse shares many of Friesen’s best qualities-harmonic erudition, melodic subtlety, active listening skills and a gift for lines of elaborate extension that still converge. The connection between these two is such that they seamlessly, sometimes almost indistinguishably, share the narrative of every song. Friesen compositions like “With Discretion” and “Stars Moving Slowly Above” are melodic and harmonic notions-suggested more than specified and open to further introspection.

The CD with both LaBarbera and Koonse has “Dedicated to You” by Sammy Cahn, a piece so ephemeral that three musicians don’t so much play it as whisper it to themselves. “Old Folks” and “My Funny Valentine” are poignancy expressed in the barest outline, lyricism emerging for moments and then receding into shadow and flickering again. - Thomas Conrad

Track
CD1
01. The love (A Wedding Song for Paolo and Belinda) (David Friesen)
02. Within These Walls (David Friesen)
03. With Discretion (For Jennifer) (David Friesen)
04. Left Field Blues (David Friesen)
05. One Last Time (David Friesen)
06. Seam Line (For David) (David Friesen)
07. Stars Moving Slowly Above (David Friesen)
08. Unlike No Other (For Kim) (David Friesen)
09. Nu Blu (For Jenelle) (David Friesen)
10. Jazz Pasacaglla (Larry Koonse)
11. Still Waters (For Scott) (David Friese)
12. Landslide (David Friesen)
13. After Awhile (For Toby)
14. Like Father (David Friesen)
15. All the Things You Are (Jerome Kern)

CD2
01. On Going Theme (For Dyan)
02. All Blues (David Friesen)
03. If I Should Lose You (Ralph Rainger)
04. Dedicated to You (Sammy Cahn)
05. Before and After (For Betty)
06. Connection (Joe La Barbera/David Friesen/Larry Koon
07. Along the Way (David Friesen)
08. With Discretion (For Jennifer) (David Friesen)
09. With a Song in My Heart (Richard Rodgers)
10. Old Folks (Willard Robison)
11. My Funny Valentine (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers)
12. Hoe Deep is the Ocean (Irvin Berlin)

DAVID FRIESEN bass
LARRY KOONSE electric guitar
JOE LA BARBERA drums

Recorded February 12-13, 2005
ITM Archives ITM 920001

When pianist Denny Zeitlin can break away from his full-time psychiatric practice and hook up with the very much in-demand bassist David Friesen, the results are always magical. Both are talented craftsmen on their respective instruments, but together they have the rare musical ESP that enables them to play the best possible line along with each other. This CD represents approximately half of a performance recorded in 1994 at the acoustically superior Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, CA. Cole Porter's "All of You" is reharmonized considerably by Zeitlin, giving it a very fresh sound, while a wild freeform introduction to "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" includes Friesen's droning percussive bass and some far-out excursions by Zeitlin to nicely build the tension before the theme is finally stated to the likely very surprised audience. Jazz classics include a furious run through "Oleo" and a very bluesy finger-snapping interpretation of Ornette Coleman's "Turn Around." Zeitlin's dreamy ballad "Echo of a Kiss" and Friesen's intense and adventurous blues "Signs and Wonders" are compositions worth exploring by other musicians as well. Like their other duo concerts, this CD is highly recommended. - Ken Dryden

Tracks
01. All of You (Cole Porter)
02. Echo of a Kiss (Denny Zeitlin)
03. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Buddy Bernier/Jerry Brainin)
04. Old Folks (Dedette Lee Hill/Willard Robison)
05. Oleo (Sonny Rollins)
06. Turnaround (Ornette Coleman)
07. The Islands (Ivan Lins/Vitor Martins)
08. Signs and Wonders (David Friesen)

DENNY ZEITLIN piano
DAVID FRIESEN acoustic bass

Recorded live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Berkeley, CA June 5, 1994
Concord Jazz CA 94522

The pairing of electric guitarists Bill Frisell and John Scofield had to be one of the most auspicious since John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana. Acoustic bassist Marc Johnson's stroke of genius in bringing the two together on Bass Desires resulted in a sound that demonstrated both compatibility between the guitarists and the distinctiveness of the two when heard in combination. Add drummer Peter Erskine and you had a bona fide supergroup, albeit in retrospect a short-lived one, before Frisell and Scofield would establish their own substantial careers as leaders. The guitarists revealed symmetry, spaciousness, and a soaring stance, buoyed by the simplicity of their rhythm mates. This is immediately achieved on the introductory track, "Samurai Hee-Haw," as hummable, head-swimming, and memorable a melody as there ever has been, and a definite signature sound. A perfect country & eastern fusion, the guitarists lope along on wafting white clouds of resonant twang, singing to themselves while also playing stinging notes, supported by the insistent two-note funk of Johnson and the rolling thunder of Erskine. The title track is a one-note ostinato from the bassist with a popping, driven drum rhythm and the guitars more unified in their lines, but broadening their individualistic voices. The light reggae funk of "Mojo Highway" sounds more conversational and jam-like, while "Thanks Again" is a relaxed, unforced waltz, again eschewing Asian-Missouri folkloric alchemy fired by Frisell's wah-wah and Scofield's stairstep strums. Ethereal and effusive sky church inflections lead to loose associations, especially from Frisell's moon-walking guitar synthesizer on "A Wishing Doll." There are three covers: a take on Elmer Bernstein's "A Wishing Doll;""Resolution," the second movement from John Coltrane's A Love Supreme suite, with a more spiky bass and spacy lead melody played only once; and the standard "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair," floating and eerie, held together by silk and lace threads. One of two Bass Desires albums, this debut has stood the test of time -- it is priceless, timeless, and still far from being dated. - Michael G. Nastos

Tracks
Samurai Hee-Haw (Marc Johnson)
2. Resolution (John Coltrane)
3. Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair (Traditional)
4. Bass Desires (Peter Erskine)
5. A Wishing Doll (Elmer Bernstein/Mack David)
6. Mojo Highway (Marc Johnson)
7. Thanks Again (John Scofield)

MARC JOHNSON bass
BILL FRISELL guitar, guitar synthesizer
JOHN SCOFIELD guitar
PETER ERSKINE drums

Recorded May 1985 at Power Station, New York
ECM Records ECM 1299

Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi isn't the only artist influenced by Kenny Wheeler's classic Gnu High. It's a safe bet that the trumpeter's 1976 debut as a leader for ECM, featuring the perfect line-up of pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette, has been one of small group jazz's most influential albums of the past thirty years; as remarkable for Wheeler's inimitable writing as its unparalleled performances. Few, however, get the opportunity to recruit Wheeler in the same quartet context for an album perhaps lacking the "classic" stamp of Gnu High, but coming darn close. With seven Pieranunzi compositions and two group improvisations of complete spontaneity but equally immediate compositional focus, the pianist augments his existing trio of bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron with Wheeler, making As Never Before an appropriately titled disc that actually manages to surpass Pieranunzi's career-defining Live in Japan (Cam Jazz, 2007).
Pieranunzi, Johnson and Baron may not have the cachet of Jarrett, Holland and DeJohnette. Still, over the past quarter century they've established themselves individually as comfortable in a variety of environments and, now early into its third decade, a trio capable of musical empathy akin to that Johnson experienced with his first major employer, the late legend Bill Evans. Pieranunzi, like most modern pianists, owes much to Evans, but he's long since transcended Evans as an overt reference point. If there's any pianist with whom he shares much these days it's John Taylor, who has worked regularly with Wheeler for five decades, making the Pieranunzi/Wheeler pairing an equally winning combination.

Nor is this Pieranunzi's first recorded encounter with Wheeler. FelliniJazz (Cam Jazz, 2004) also brought the two together, but on a set of music culled largely from soundtracks to films of the great Frederico Fellini, and with a line-up possessing its own strength but lacking the simpatico inherent in a group that's worked together for twenty-five years. FelliniJazz's strength was in how its players found common ground to interpret non-original music with their own voices; written with this line-up in mind, As Never Before even more successfully speaks to the players' individual strengths.

And what strengths. Baron, beginning as a vivacious and raucous player on the downtown New York scene, has evolved into a drummer of great nuance, swinging lightly alongside Johnson on "Time's Passage" while energetically punctuating without losing sight of the song's evocative resonance. Johnson, a most elegant and lyrical bassist, is the litmus test for perfection in instantaneous choice, balancing rhythm section responsibilities with a conversational approach that feeds Pieranunzi's own thematic disposition to solo building.

And what of Wheeler? Approaching eighty, his peerless technique shows no signs of weakening, with every solo combining his unmistakable melancholy melodism with a nearly unequaled ability to deliver perfection, take after take. Quintessential modern mainstream jazz, As Never Before blends traditional elements with European classicism and, like its players, is as unassuming as it is stellar; as honest, committed and selfless as intimate, small group jazz gets. - John Kelman

Tracks
1. Soundings (Enrico Pieranunzi)
2. Improheart (Joey Baron/Enrico Pieranunzi/Kenny Wheeler)
3. A Nameless Gate (Enrico Pieranunzi)
4. As Never Before (Enrico Pieranunzi)
5. Many Moons Ago (Enrico Pieranunzi)
6. Impromind (Joey Baron/Enrico Pieranunzi/Kenny Wheeler)
7. Song For Kenny (Enrico Pieranunzi)
8. Time's Passage (Enrico Pieranunzi)
9. Winter Moon (Enrico Pieranunzi)

MARC JOHNSON bass
JOEY BARON drums
ENRICO PIERANUNZI piano
KENNY WHEELER trumpet, flugelhorn

Recorded in Ludwigsburg on 30 November, 1 December 2004 at Bauer Studios
CAM Jazz - CAMJ 7807-2

Iro Haarla may not be particularly well-known, but the Finnish pianist/harpist's influence has been felt by anyone familiar with the work of her late husband, drummer Edward Vesala. According to saxophonist Trygve Seim—who not only played with Vesala towards the end of his life, but is also part of Haarla's quintet on her ECM debut, Northbound—Haarla was an uncredited co-composer on many of Vesala's compositions.

If one compares Satu (ECM, 1977) with Lumi (ECM, 1987), Vesala's first collaboration with Haarla, there's a significant stylistic shift towards more through-composed music. The free play that defined Vesala's earlier work is still there; but so too is more purposefully defined orchestration and an almost paradoxically structured chaos. Vesala's unusual instrumental lineups also served as inspiration for Seim's own recordings, including the superb Sangam (ECM, 2005).

Haarla's classical background helped move Vesala's music to a place that remains without precedent. She brings a similar sense of compositional focus to Northbound, which also features trumpeter Mathias Eick—last heard on guitarist Jacob Young's Evening Falls (ECM, 2004)—plus bassist and Vesala band mate Uffe Krokfors and an ECM mainstay, drummer Jon Christensen. In this more conventional instrumental setting, Haarla's quintet is able to explore a musical space similar to that of Vesala's, but its more spacious environs provide room for greater individual expression and interplay, while eschewing the more anarchistic maelstrom that so characterized Vesala's sometimes unstructured explorations.

Haarla's fluid writing is deeply melodic, but it retains a certain cool melancholy that reflects her northern roots. Her sometimes delicate, sometimes sweeping harp playing lends an acutely visual quality to pieces like "Avian Kingdom," evoking images foreign to those unfamiliar with the rugged beauty of remote Finnish landscapes. Eick and Seim circle each other like the birds of the title, only occasionally finding points of unison, creating a feeling of freedom that, supported by Christensen's textural playing, is deceptive given the tune's clear scoring. That doesn't mean there aren't points of departure—the core of the song is clearly a free for all—but in its restraint and search for common ground, the quintet never feels anything less than collectively intentioned.

While they have as many differences as similarities, Haarla's soft approach shares some commonality with pianist Marilyn Crispell's gentler ECM trio recordings, including Amaryllis (ECM, 2001). But whereas Crispell often relies on sketches as a starting point for collective interplay, Haarla's more detailed approach shapes the quintet's interactions more firmly, providing stronger reference points for the lyrical approach to soloing that defines the entire recording.

Haarla's music may be vividly melodic, but it comes from a musical aesthetic antithetical to the familiar harmonies associated with the jazz mainstream. Nor is the drama of Northbound rooted in the conventional excitement of rhythmic drive. Instead, a more rarefied approach and exotic tonalities make its compelling appeal all the more remarkable. Haarla's debut as a leader has been a long time coming, but it's clearly been well worth the wait. - John Kelman

Tracks
01. Avian Kingdom
02. Barcarole
03. With Thanksgiving
04. Time For Recollection
05. On A Crest Of A Wave
06. Waterworn Rocks
07. Veil Of Mist
08. Light In The Sadness
09. A Singing Water Nymph
10. Yarra, Yarra…
11. Northbound

MATHIAS EICK trumpet
TRYGVE SEIM tenor and soprano saxophones
IRO HAARLA piano, harp
JON CHRISTENSEN drums
UFFE KROKFORS double-bass

All compositions and arrangements by Iro Haarla, except “Veil of Mist” by Haarla/Seim/Eik/Christensen and “A Singing Water Nymph” by Haarla/Seim
Recorded September 2004 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo
ECM Records - ECM 1918

Peter Erskine has been a drummer of choice for notable jazz musicians such as John Abercrombie, Marc Johnson, Gary Burton the late Stan Kenton and others. Stints with Weather Report and now the commercially viable “Yellowjackets have skyrocketed Erskine’s career into the stratosphere. Over the years, Erskine has released a string of worthy solo recordings for various labels yet his adventurous and prolific Piano Trio represent simple unrestrained elegance and class.
Juni is the group’s 4th release on ECM records under Erskine’s leadership. Along with John Taylor (piano) and Palle Danielsson (bass), Juni continues in the same direction as the previous 3 ECM releases. The trademark chamberesque-free jazz motifs and stylizations become evident on John Taylor’s “Prelude No.2”. Erskine’s “The Ant & The Elk” provides a good snapshot of the Trio’s long-standing implementations of shifting tempos, quiet dynamics, dazzling virtuosity and intuitive interplay. Here, Erskine’s drumming is intricate and sensitive yet the pulse tends to veer off in different time signatures, as The Trio are rarely complacent and continue to reinvent themselves as a unit. Taylor’s “Fable” is a somber, introspective ballad. The great bassist, Palle Danielsson pursues Taylor’s probing yet expansive chord progressions and interludes with uncanny insight. Here, Erskine provides a mini drum clinic with his adept brushwork. Erskine’s “Twelve” develops into a straight-ahead swing, which is pleasantly austere due to John Taylor’s jazz-classical approach. - Glenn Astarita

Tracks
01. Prelude No. 2 (John Taylor
02. Windfall (John Taylor
03. For Jan (Kenny Wheeler)
04. The Ant T The Elk (Peter Erskine)
05. Siri (Palle Danielsson)
06. Fable (John Taylor
07. Twelve (Peter Erskine)
08. Namasti (Diana Taylor)

PALLE DANIELSSON bass
PETER ERSKINE drums
JOHN TAYLOR piano

Recorded July 1997 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo
ECM 1657 / ECM 539 726 - 2

Much more than your standard state-of-the-art guitar driven jazz trio, Short Trip signifies New York City-based guitarist Brad Shepik's inaugural stab at straight-ahead or what might be considered mainstream fare. Here, Shepik deviates a bit from his Balkan and North African derived statements, witnessed on his fine 'Songlines' solo recordings and long term involvement with the band, 'Pachora' and trumpeter Dave Douglas' now historic 'Tiny Bell Trio' outfit.  While Brad Shepik looms as one of the future stars of modern jazz, his equally impressive rhythm section consisting of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Tom Rainey help accelerate this outing to lofty heights as they frequently push and prod the guitarist throughout these nine vibrant pieces. Basically, the rhythm section injects fervent shuffle beats, brisk swing vamps and oscillating cross currents in concert with Shepik's cleanly executed licks. On pieces such as 'Tuck On In' and 'The Tiger', the band mixes it up in quietly energetic fashion as Shepik renders animated choruses, intermingled with satiny single note flurries and melodious intervals, while Rainey and Colley surge onward in propulsive fashion. With 'Squall', the leader fuses a sneaky, succinctly developed melody into an arrangement featuring Colley's rapid, walking bass lines and Rainey's instigating polyrhythms, as Shepik also utilizes space and depth to great advantage. Overall, Short Trip is a splendid and articulately produced exposition! Highly Recommended! - Glenn Astarita 

Tracks
01. A Boogie
02. Rêve Pour Louis
03. P.M.
04. Trails
05. Drip
06. Balance
07. In The Weeds
08. Sugar Cliff

BRAD SHAPIK guitar
SCOTT COLLEY bass
TOM RAINEY drums

Music composed and arranged by Brad Shepik
Recorded May 28, 2002 at Acoustic Recording
Knitting Factory Works - KFW - 312-2

Lê is standing all alone in his total sound and delivery. My adored track was “La Parfum” for its simple elegance, beauty, and its power to transport me into bliss . . .
If you want the crunch go straight to his fiery boogie on “Straight No Chaser” and then sample the very fusiony “Dance of the Comet”. But really this is CD to be experienced in totality. You will discover sounds and feelings you will thrill to if you love great guitar-driven jazz. Highest of recommendations!!! - John W. Patterson

The hybridization of western and eastern cultures has most often borne offspring of surpassing strength and beauty; no surprise, then, that the fusion of jazz and Asian music cultures has provided some of the most adventurous and exhilarating recordings of the last decade. The examples include pioneering efforts by Fred Ho, Jon Jang, and Francis Wong; to that list you can now add the first of these albums by the Vietnamese-French guitarist Nguyen Le, the marvelous Tales From Viet-nam.
Leading an octet that includes horns and synths-as well as traditional Asian zithers and vocalist Huong Thanh's intense evocations of her ancestral land-Nguyen Le has constructed an elegant and moving program, with most of the pieces derived from traditional Vietnamese melodies. The sweetly pungent trumpet work of Paolo Fresu provides yet another element, which Le exploits both as a western jazz instrument and as a descendant of the Asian bugles of antiquity. The piece entitled "The Rice Drum" proves emblematic in its use of trumpet, voice, and traditional percussion on the martial theme-before Le's electric guitar screams in and completes the cross-cultural circuit.
Le's roots include the fusion jazz of the 1970s, which flowers today in the slashing, searing timbre of his guitar; some have compared this to John Scofield, but Le favors a much cleaner edge to his sound, leaning more heavily on the jazz-rock of John McLaughlin. He clearly counts Joe Zawinul and Weather Report as important influences, and one delight of this album lies in hearing the various references to that band's recordings. On "The Banyan Tree Song," the synthesizer voice derives directly from one of Zawinul's favorite keyboard patches, while other adapted Vietnamese melodies called "Ting Ning" and "The Black Horse" could almost have leaped from the Report repertoire. And Le's zither-like guitar solo on a traditional song called "Hen Ho" actually quotes Weather Report's famous "Boogie Woogie Waltz." With such references, Le actually reminds us of Zawinul's early use of world music, and makes us aware that a big part of Weather Report's strength lay in its blend of west and east.
The guitarist's stake in fusion finds a stronger focus on Three Trios, his latest date, which lives up to its name precisely. Le's own descriptions of these three groupings-which he has named Silk, Silver, and Sand-bears repeating. He thinks of the first trio, which comprises bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Peter Erskine, as "precious but strong silk which weave the interplay between musicians;" indeed, this much-traveled rhythm section anticipates the flow and shifts rhythm and harmony accordingly. German bassist Dieter Ilg and Danny Gottlieb make up Silver, which has the most conventional take on electric jazz-"sparkle of electricity, boisterous & graceful lightning," in Le's words. The impassioned French bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons joins with percussionist Mino Cinelu in a trio that emphasizes lighter textures and the inspiration of Iberian and Brazilian folk music: "Sand of the deserts that haunt the musician's dream of elsewhere."
Even here, traces of Asia still inhabit in Nguyen Le's guitar work; the nasal pinch of Vietnamese singing creeps in as the notes decay, and the busiest solos still incorporate the occasional telltale interval or phrase. As well they should. On Three Trios, Nguyen Le's pan-culturalism gives his music a reach and purpose beyond his obvious skills as a guitarist. And on Tales From Viet-nam, his overt exploration of that pan-culturalism results in a minor masterpiece. - Neil Tesser

Tracks
01. Silk (Nguyên Lê)
02. Silver (Nguyên Lê)
03. Sand (Nguyên Lê)
04. Dance of the Comet (Nguyên Lê)
05. Foow (Nguyên Lê)
06. Kinderhund (Dieter Ilg)
07. Woof (Nguyên Lê)
08. Idoma (Nguyên Lê)
09. La Parfum (Nguyên Lê)
10. Blue Monkey (Nguyên Lê)
11. Straight No Chaser (Thelonious Monk)

MARC JOHNSON acoustic bass
DIETER ILG acoustic bass
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS acoustic bass
MINO CINELU drums, percussion
PETER ERSKINE drums
DANNY GOTLIEB drums
NGUYÊN LÊ acoustic & electric fretless guitars, e-bpw, synthesizer

ACT Music, Germany - ACT 92452

In 1993, the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper said of NguyÍn LÍís first appearance in Germany: ìThere is nobody else that plays guitar like he does!î These words still ring true today, a fact to be heard on his latest release for ACT, Saiyuki. For the acclaimed Parisian artist, new worlds are constantly unfolding and LÍ is consistently able to amaze us anew with sound. This is even more amazing because he is already one of the great sonic explorers in the jazz world: one who embarks on flights of the imagination in order to investigate new combinations of sounds. Saiyuki is very explicitly a journey: one from east to west and west to east in, as NguyÍn LÍ himself puts it, an ìAsia without bordersî. In trio with the Japanese koto player Mieko Miyazaki and Indian tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard, his new CD for ACT takes off on a musical Silk Road that binds diverse Asian worlds together.

NguyÍn LÍ borrowed the title Saiyuki from the famous novel of the same name (English: ìJourney to the Westî), written in the 16th century by the Chinese poet Wu Chengíen, which tells of a monkís journey to the ìheaven of the Westî, in what we know today as India. For the guitarist, that literary journey represents a fascinating starting point for his own explorations. Vietnam, India and Japan, the origins of the musicians involved, create a magical triangle in which sounds move toward each other and find new forms, culminating in a scintillating encounter of identities.

And these identities have been altogether doubly formed. As NguyÍn LÍ himself unites Vietnamese musical tradition with contemporary jazz, in a playing style that is at times completely bluesy and at others seems to emulate the incisively delicate stringed instruments of the Far East, his partners on this CD also share stylistic backgrounds that fan out into several areas. Like NguyÍn LÍ, both live in France and both are musical adventurers ñ culturally speaking, all three are insiders and outsiders at the same time.

Koto player and singer Mieko Miyazaki is classically trained for her instrument. While she is also a songwriter and composer for radio and TV shows, she gathered jazz experience while playing, among others, with the Koto2Evans Quartet, which transposed pieces by pianist Bill Evans for the koto. She has also previously appeared with NguyÍn LÍ on his previous ACT recording Fragile Beauty. A native of India, Prabhu Edouard studied with tabla master Shankar Gosh in Calcutta, and is one of a few virtuosos of that small, yet highly expressive Indian percussion instrument. The tabla, actually a member of the kettledrum family, is played subtly with the fingers, which perform dances of their own and can create a spectrum of sound ranging from gurgling bass tones to metallically resounding high tones. Prabhu Edouard has also worked with jazz musicians such as David Liebman, Marc Ducret und Didier Malherbe.

These three musicians ñ as well as special guest Hariprasad Chaurasia, Indian master of the bansuri flute ñ let their musical imaginations run wild on Saiyuki, resulting in a collection of enormously diverse pieces. Whether the composition ìAutumn Windî creates a vast lyrical expanse of finely modulated guitar and delicate flute, or whether a rhythmically driving piece like ìMina Zukiî begins with a country blues guitar, then masses together in a rock-like fashion, only to wind up sounding thoroughly Asian thanks to a flute and koto dialogue ñ the result is always organic, as if tabla, koto and modern electric guitar had been played together in the same band since prehistoric times.

The listener can let himself be carried away to fascinating landscapes. Sometimes, above these landscapes, there seems to be an ethereal breeze; at others they shine with the clarity of a morning sunrise, and there is something mysterious and magical about them again. And yet these moments still have the capacity to surprise us; accents of electric guitar burst suddenly in the middle of graceful melodies, or we hear the title spoken as the song progresses, whereby we unexpectedly learn that ìSangamî in English means ìjoyful encounterî.

A joyful, rewarding encounter: this translation sums up the feel of these recordings, for the simple reason that it is the sheer joy of playing and exploring each member of the groupís musical qualities that define Saiyuki as a whole. The compelling east-west-east tour through an Asia made accessible to jazz leaves an unexpected assortment of impressions. It doesnít matter whether the songs titles are about food, the deities of one Asian realm or another, or simply the enchantment of the encounter: in NguyÍn LÍís Asian world-jazz, all these things and more come together easily.

http://www.actmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=273&show=2

Tracks
01. Sweet Ganesh (Prabhu Edouard)
02. Autumn Wind (Nguyên Lê)
03. Mina Zuki (Mieko Miyazaki)
04. Mayur (Prabhu Edouard)
05. Sangam (Prabhu Edouard)
06. Azur (Nguyên Lê)
07. Izanagi Izanami (Mieko Miyazaki)
08. Hen Ho (Nguyên Lê)
09. Nanae Goromo (Mieko Miyazaki/Nguyên Lê/Prabhu Edouard)
10. Ila (Prabhu Edouard)

NGUYÊN LÊ guitars
MIEKO MIYAZAKI koto, vocals
PRABHA EDOUARD tablas, percussion, vocals

Recorded and mixed at Louxor studios, Paris Barbès, April & May 2009
ACT Music ACT 9483-2 Germany

On Short Trip, New York City guitarist Brad Shepik seems out to prove that he is far more than a one-trick pony irrevocably wedded to Balkan and Middle Eastern-influenced jazz. Of course, Shepik has always demonstrated a deep knowledge of the jazz guitar tradition, and even his work with the Commuters -- while driven by Middle Eastern scales and rhythms -- has an unmistakably strong jazz sensibility. Yet this is the most straight-ahead jazz Shepik has yet recorded as a leader. The liner notes by Dave Douglas seem to anticipate a bit of grumbling from those who might expect a Balkan groovefest; Douglas admonishes listeners to forget about "all those styles" and enjoy the music on its merits. And those merits are, in fact, considerable, particularly for anyone who finds pleasure in the vibrant and intimate sounds of a skillful post-bop (pardon the stylistic reference) guitar trio. The ensemble, featuring master drummer Tom Rainey and supple bassist Scott Colley, swings and grooves with grace through the program of mainly subtle and understated tunes, all but one of which are Shepik originals. The guitarist displays a warm-toned mastery of his axe throughout, seamlessly shifting from single-note runs to chords and back again while generally keeping the improvisations rooted not far afield from his appealing melodies. Shepik has performed in some unusual instrumental configurations in other bands but has usually shared the so-called front line with another melodic instrument, so perhaps the greatest test of Short Trip is how well he pulls off a set accompanied only by a traditional bass-drums rhythm section. The answer, in a word: admirably. The album is a success not only due to Shepik's chops, but also to his compositional variety. The spirited opener "Lupe" is followed by the gentle and lovely "Non, Si Si," and on the third track, "Tuck on In," Shepik slips and slides over a shuffling boogie groove. As the album progresses, he pulls at the structures a bit more, stretching the slow waltzing quasi-title track "Short Trip Back" into the album's lengthiest excursion and, on "The Tiger," leading the trio through various rhythmic and melodic changes (settling for a while into a loose groove in seven that begins to hint at the Commuters). Approaching the album's conclusion, the brief "Tony Time" mixes free jazz rhythms and fusion riffs, and the final track, "Karedok Luenca," is an arrangement of a traditional Sundanese song from West Java. The sole non-Shepik tune on the CD, "Karedok Luenca" might actually sound the most Shepik-like to some, back in the type of exotic Commuters territory where the guitarist's fans usually expect to find him. Short Trip feels like a bid for the type of recognition that John Scofield and Bill Frisell have achieved among contemporary jazz listeners and the mainstream jazz press. On the strength of the fine Short Trip, Shepik should get it. - Dave Lynch

Tracks
01. Lupe
02. Non, Si Si
03. Tuck On In
04. Short Trip Back
05. The Tiger
06. Pilgrimage
07. Tony Tune
08. Squall
09. Karedok Luenca (Sundanese traditional)

BRAD SHEPIK guitar
SCOTT COLLEY bass
TOM RAINEY drums

All compositions by Brad Shepik, except (9) Sundanese traditional, arranged by Brad Shepik
Recorded live at System Two, December 15th, 2000
Knitting Factory Works - KFW 290

Starting in the early '80s, drummer Paul Motian led a series of fascinating bands, usually pianoless and featuring the highly original guitarist Bill Frisell. For this outing, Motian and Frisell are teamed with the tenors of Jim Pepper and Joe Lovano plus bassist Ed Schuller. The drummer's seven originals feature lots of variety in moods, ranging from witty to introspective and showcasing the colorful players at their best. Frisell (who is featured on "Lament") in particular sounds perfectly at home with Motian’s group. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
01. Jack Of Clubs
02. Cathedral Song
03. Split Decision
04. Hide And Go Seek
05. Lament
06 Tanner Street
07. Drum Street

PAUL MOTIAN drums
ED SCHULLER bass
BILL FRISELL guitar
JOE LOVANO tenor saxophone
JIM PEPPER - soprano saxophone

Music composed by Paul Motian
Recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milano. March 26-28, 1984
Soul Note SN 1124

Tenor saxophonist David Murray has done so much in so many contexts as a composer and bandleader, it’s easy to forget that the essence of his art is his voice as an improviser. This record is a throwback to the days when, more often than not, Murray played free. We Is presents Murray in a duo with one of jazz’s percussion masters, Kahil El’Zabar. Recorded the same day that the pair completed their 2000 album for the C.I.M.P. label, One World Family, the new CD documents a live performance at the obviously very hip Rochester, N.Y., record store the Bop Shop.

The album starts off with El’Zabar’s aptly named “Groove Allure,” a slip of spiritual-like melody played by Murray over the percussionist’s funky hand drums and vocalizations. For a saxophonist, playing duo with a drummer is harder than it looks. Without another piece to help generate melodic and/or harmonic activity, a horn player can feel like he’s doing two or three jobs at once. It’s all the more difficult when the percussionist relies on a minimal, pattern-based accompaniment as El’Zabar does here. Murray starts like he’s trying to push a train up a mountain. A few minutes in, however, his momentum begins to perpetuate itself and all is well.

Another highlight is “Blues Affirmation,” with El’Zabar on sanza; paradoxically, his approach to the small acoustic instrument reminds me of Joe Zawinul’s Fender Rhodes with Cannonball in the ’60s-or, for that matter, Ray Charles on “What’d I Say?” It’s very cool, as is “One World Family” with Murray on bass clarinet. An important aspect of Murray’s appeal on tunes like these is the way he uses blues tonality as a touchstone. He goes way out, but the blues never leaves. Murray’s been hotter, but it’s great to hear him again in a stripped-down context. And it’s great to hear El’Zabar, period. - Chris Kelsey

Tracks
01. Groove Allure (Kahil El’Zabar)
02. We Is (Kahil El’Zabar)
03. Blues Affirmation (Kahil El’Zabar)
04. One World Family (Kahil El’Zabar / David Murray)
05. Sweet Meat (Kahil El’Zabar)

KAHIL EL’ZABAR drums, percussion
DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Recorded march 29, 2000, live at Bop Shop record store, Rochester, NY
Denmark Records - DE-557

For BlueBlack, Hamiet Bluiett has assembled a network of contemporary sax, contrabass and bass-clarinet masters. The unit includes Patience Higgins and Alex Harding-strong, fierce players with solid reputations among musicians, but off the radar of mainstream audiences. While thematically the CD might seem like a World Saxophone Quartet or Howard Johnson tuba project knockoff, this low-note summit instead emerges as something wholly different and sonically intriguing. Whether they’re inverting “My Girl” into “(You’re Still) My Girl (In Spite of Everything)” through spirited intra-sax dialog, or rekindling memories of ’50s honking contests and bar-walking on “LG’s Place,” BlueBlack is a delightful excursion.

The disc jacket points out where each player can be heard in the mix, which enables those who desire to accurately and fully compare and contrast everything from tone to approach to tendencies among the players. Bluiett’s arguably the most stylish, especially on ballads, while James Carter displays his trademark ferocity and penchant for exaggeration. Higgins is the best straight blues and ballad player, while Harding’s the session wild card. Sometimes he simply adds his bass clarinet and baritone into the arrangement, while other times he’ll zip outside and offer some riveting high-note frivolity or low-note anchoring. Percussionist Kahil El’Zabar is the idea rhythm guy for this type of journey between freewheeling passion and authoritative, ethereal noodling. He’s not an intrusive or busy rhythm contributor; neither is trap drummer Lee Person. The duo provides just enough texture, color and pace to keep the songs from becoming merely reed showcases.

“Humpback,” one of five compositions by session arranger Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, is a slowly building, stark trip into the baritone nether regions, with all four horns sounding somber, rumbling notes and mourning refrains. “LG’s Place,” “Zippin'” and “Gittin’ It Good” are celebratory vehicles with slashing, joyful solos, choruses and exchanges, while “Lamentation for JJ/Ballad for Babs” offers poignant tributes and “Angles” demonstrates the group’s proficiency with more complex works.

BlueBlack is a rousing, co-operative and sometimes combative session that’s equal parts mayhem and inspiration. - Ron Wynn

Tracks
01. (You’re Still) My Girl (In Spite of Everything) (William Robinson Jr./Roland A. White)
02. Humback (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
03. Zippin’ (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
04. Blueback/Prelude to a Scream (Hamiet Bluiett)
05. LG’s Place (Edward Lanny Hartley)
06. Lamentation for JJ/Ballad for Babs (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
07. Juxtaposition (Hamiet Bluiett)
08. Angles (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
09. Gittin’ It Good (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
10. Sasa - The Here and Now (Hamiet Bluiett)

KAHIL EL’ZABAR african drums, percussion, vocals
ALEX HARDING bass clarinet, baritone saxophones
PATIENCE HIGGINS baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
JAMES CARTER contrabass clarinet, baritone saxophone
LEE PERSON trap

Recorded at Studio Tempo, January 13, 14 & 15, 2001
Justin Time - Just 158-2

There is a certain static electricity generated in this series of three duets from trumpeter Bowie and drummer/percussionist Wilson. Certainly they feed off each other's energy in counterpointed reverie, but the music goes beyond being merely spontaneous or made up on the spot. The cohesion and musicality they employ is purely delightful and eminently listenable over this 40-minute span. "Duet" is a shortie at just under three minutes, with Wilson's swing-to-Caribbean drum rhythms powering up Bowie's bold trumpet. "TBM" is just under 15 minutes, and Bowie quotes a variety of different lines, not the least of which is the Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers/Lee Morgan interpretation of "Three Blind Mice." They're hardly sightless, but insightful as they read each other's musical thoughts like bold, large print pages. "Finale" has Bowie more extroverted and bluesy -- quoting march exercises, holding long quieter notes, using short staccato blasts of power and Irish jig inferences, or running the table with his bleating, lightning fast runs that trademark his sound. Wilson gets more animated and at times Oriental sounding, but is generally free to insert phrases of snare, tom tom bass drums, and cymbals in whatever spontaneous fashion he chooses. He does a brief, heavy handed drum solo that is very R&B-ish in nature -- the root of these two master musicians' upbringing. This is not as heady as it is clean and solid, and is a very enjoyable listening experience. It's a CD Bowie fans should cherish, and serves well as an intro to the original Art Ensemble and ex-Paul Butterfield drummer, whose acclaim is still not near what his immense talent indicates. - Michael G. Nastos

Tracks
1. Duet (Bowie/Wilson)
2. TBM (Bowie/Wilson)
3. Finale (Bowie/Wilson)

PHILLIP WILSON percussion
LESTER BOWIE trumpet

Recorded on 19 January 1978 at Blue Rock Studio, NYC
Improvising Artists Inc. - IAI 37.38.54

Marc Ducret is a contemporary avant-garde jazz guitarist who frequently collaborates with saxophonist Tim Berne. Ducret’s guitar style is idiosyncratic, highly original and very expressive.

Tracks
01. Le Kodo (Marc Ducret)
02. Brides (Michel Benita)
03. Hélas (Marc Ducret)
04. Courage (Marc Ducret)
05. You And Me And You (Marc Ducret)
06. La Fée Qui Rend Les Filles Belles (Julien Clerc)
07. Soft Leg (Larry Schneider)
08. Quelquefois (Marc Ducret)

MICHEL BENITA contrabass
ADAM NUSSBAUM drums
MARC DUCRET guitar, fretless guitar
LARRY SCHNEIDER saxophones

Recorded december 8-12, 1988 at Studio Charles Cros M.C.A.
Label Bleu - LBLC 6519

I am heartbroken. One of my absolute heroes, John Abercrombie, is gone.

John will be remembered as one of the true greats of jazz guitar, with a rare ability to sound like nobody else while, at the same time, never relying on specific signatures. The great Richie Beirach described him to me as "a motivic improviser," and his ability to get to the heart of any song and be instantly recognizable made his contribution to music a legacy that will last long, long into the future.

Here is ECM's announcement:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the great guitarist John Abercrombie.

John Abercrombie, one of the great improvisers, died on August 22, after a long illness. He will be much missed, for his sensitive musicality,
his good companionship, and his dry humor which enhanced many a session. He leaves behind an extensive discography which will be studied
as long as people continue to play jazz guitar.

John made his first recording for ECM, the appropriately-titled “Timeless”, in the summer of 1974, with his lifelong friend Jack DeJohnette on the drums,
and Jan Hammer on organ. Over the next four decades, he was active as leader, co-leader and sideman on dozens of ECM projects. A creative writer of
jazz tunes, John also loved to play freely as much as he loved to play standards. Many of his albums combine all of these resources, unified by his fluid,
silvery tone and improvisational eloquence. In conversation he would speak of his enduring fondness for Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery, primary influences,
and also of the liberating examples of Ornette Coleman and Jimi Hendrix; Bill Evans’s sense of lyricism was also of crucial importance to him.

John Abercrombie led a number of very fine bands, and he was particularly proud of his last quartet with Marc Copland on piano, Drew Gress on double bass,
and Joey Baron on drums. This quartet released two albums, “39 Steps” and “Up and Coming”, the latter just released in January 2017.

Highlights in his recording career were many and include the Gateway trio albums with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, the duo albums with Ralph Towner, the
Special Editions albums (with DeJohnette, Lester Bowie and Eddie Gomez), Jan Garbarek’s “Eventyr”, Charles Lloyd’s “The Water Is Wide”, Collin Walcott’s “Grazing Dreams”
(where John and Don Cherry play together), Enrico Rava’s “The Pilgrim and the Stars”, Kenny Wheeler’s “Deer Wan” … the list goes on.

John died peacefully at Hudson Valley Hospital outside of Peekskill, NY, in the presence of his family.

-------------

I'm so fortunate to have met John on many occasions, heard him play on far more....and contribute liner notes to his wonderful First Quartet box on ECM, which, indeed, featured his very first touring band with Beirach, George Mraz & Peter Donald, a group which also released the three seminal albums collected in that box: Arcade (1979), Abercrombie Quartet (1980) and M (1981). He also collaborated in a duo with the great Ralph Towner; two inimitable trios - one with the simpatico Marc Johnson & Peter Erskine; the other, a deep organ trio with Dan Wall (later Gary Versace) & Adam Nussbaum - a longstanding "string quartet" with Mark Feldman, Drew Gress (later, Thomas Morgan) Joey Baron; and his recent sublime and, again, decades-old quartet with the perfectly matched Marc Copland, Drew Gress and initially Billy Hart (that lineup under Marc's name) but with, for his last two albums (under John's name), Joey Baron.

He played with so many others, amongst them Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Larry Coryell, Andy Laverne, John Scofield, John Surman Gato Barbieri, Jan Garbarek, Billy Cobham, Bobby Hutchinson, Mike Nock, Charles Lloyd and Collin Walcott, amongst so many others....not to mention the great Gateway Trio, with Dave Holland & Jack DeJohnette (the latter also collaborating on John's first, classic ECM trio date, also with the great Jan Hammer, 1975's Timeless).

John also released what remains, for me, one of the best solo guitar albums ever recorded, 1977's Characters.

The best thing I can offer, beyond my deepest condolences to family, friends and musical collaborators, is my own writing about John, dating right back to Timeless through to his final ECM release, Up and Coming:

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article_center.php…

RIP, John. Gone, but never, ever to be forgotten….

John Kelman

Tracks
01. Sad Song (John Abercrombie)
02. Line-Up (John Abercrombie)
03. Wait Till You See Her (Richard Rogers/Lorenz Hart)
04. Trio (John Abercrombie)
05. I’ve Overlooked Before (John Abercrombie)
06. Anniversary Waltz (John Abercrombie)
07. Out Of Towner (John Abercrombie)
08. Chic Of Araby (John Abercrombie)

JOHN ABERCROMBIE guitar
JOEY BARON drums
THOMAS MORGAN double-bass
MARK FELDMAN violin

Recorded December 2008 at Avatar Studios, New York
ECM 2102 ECM Records - 179 8630

This intriguing set combines several strong personalities (David Murray on tenor and bass clarinet, guitarist James "Blood" Ulmer, pianist Don Pullen, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith) in performances that are avant-garde, close to free bop and sometimes hinting at Charles Mingus, M-Base and harmolodics. The quintet performs a nearly 15-minute version of "All the Things You Are" and three Murray originals, including "David -- Mingus." The somewhat noisy performances are pretty spontaneous and, thanks to Pullen's rhythmic style, a little more accessible than one might expect, despite being quite adventurous. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
1 - David - Mingus (David Murray)
2 - Death (David Murray)
3 - All The Things You Are (J. Kern/O. Hammerstein II)
4 - Tension (David Murray)

DON PULLEN piano
LONNIE PLAXICO bass
MARVIN “SMITTY” SMITH drums
JAMES "BLOOD" ULMER electri guitar
DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Recorded October 27 and November 15, 1984 at Vanguard Studios, New York City
Back Saint 120 089-2 Italy

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS, MARTY EHRLICH - Open Air Meeting (1997)

EVAN PARKER ELECTRO ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE - The Moment's Energy (2009)

ANTHONY BRAXTON, MARIO PAVONE QUINTET - Seven Standards (1995)

DAVID FRIESEN - Connection (2006)

DENNY ZEITLIN & DAVID FRIESEN - Concord Duo Series Vol. 8 (1995)

MARC JOHNSON - Bass Desires (1985)

ENRICO PIERANUNZI, MARC JOHNSON, JOEY BARON - As Never Before (2008)

IRO HAARLA - Northbound (2005)

PETER ERSKINE - Juni (1999)

BRAD SHEPIK - Drip (2002)

NGUYÊN LÊ - Three Trios (1997)

NGUYÊN LÊ - Saiyuki (2009)

BRAD SHEPIK - Short Trip (2001)

PAUL MOTIAN QUINTET - Jack of Clubs (1984)

KAHIL EL'ZABAR, DAVID MURRAY - We Is. Live At Bop Shop, 2000 (2004)

HAMIET BLUIETT - Blueback (2001)

LESTER BOWIE, PHILLIP WISON - Duet (1978)

MARC DUCRET - Le Kodo (1989)

JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Wait Till You See Her (2009)

DAVID MURRAY - Children (1986)