música en espiral

"The band on Body and Soul is superlative, always just poised to take the music one stage higher.” - The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD

"No matter how many albums Murray issues, he never coasts or goes through the motions. This is mainly a quartet date, although Murray shows on the title track his ability to back a singer as Taana Running gives a moving vocal, complete with her original lyrics. Otherwise, these are either spirited uptempo numbers or equally energized ballads. Murray's sweeping tenor sound remains a marvel, and few can match him in controlling drive, pitch and volume. Drummer Rashied Ali has not lost the rippling intensity from his days with John Coltrane; he and Murray conclude things in a dazzling duo performance on "Cuttin' Corners" deliberately intended to evoke memories of the Coltrane/Ali album Interstellar Space.”. - Ron Wynn (Allmusic)

Tracks
1. Slave Song (Sonelius Smith)
2. Celebration Dance (Sonelius Smith)
3. Body and Soul (Edward Heyman/John Green)
4. Doni’s Song (David Murray)
5. Remembering The Chief Of St. Mary’s - For Bob Barrett (David Murray)
6. Odin (David Murray)
7. Cuttin’ Corners (Rashied Ali

WILBER MORRIS bass
RASHIED ALI drums
SONELIUS SMITH piano
DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone
TAANA RUNNING vocals (3)

Recorded on February 11 & 12, 1993 at Sear Sound, New York
Black Saint - 120155-2 Italy

Ever since David Murray's arrival on the seventies New York loft scene, he has been hailed as the heir to Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, and Ben Webster. He has also been assailed for lacking imagination, proper technique, and authenticity. Perhaps this wide range of opinion reflects the fact that Murray has spoken with many voices over the last 25 years. He's played in every imaginable ensemble size, performing the full spectrum of music from notated arrangements to free improvisation. He's done tributes from Albert Ayler to Jerry Garcia, and explored rock, urban music, and gospel styles. If Murray has been anything, he has been prolific.

His latest group, the Power Quartet, is actually not a new organization. Although he has recorded with John Hicks, Ray Drummond, and Andrew Cyrille in several previous configurations, this particular quartet made two recordings (now out-of-print) in 1993 for Bob Thiele’s Red Baron label. His sidemen have worked all angles of the jazz scene from inside to out. Murray boldly asserts the primacy of his music when he states in the liner notes that “a good concept would be not to have a concept—just write songs and play them.” True to his word, the Power Quartet plays mostly originals on Like A Kiss.

They kick off the session with “Blues For Felix,” tearing through the composition as if to say, “Dig this groove. We’re here for a good time—please enjoy!” Murray states themes and then runs through his trademark slurry/slapping style of improvisation, backed by a fired-up rhythm section. Andrew Cyrille rolls out the beat on the tango title track, suggesting the sensuality of a South America dance sequence. Murray's versatility here extends to ballads (“Dedication”), funk (“Suki Suki Now”), and soul jazz (“Ruben’s Theme Song”). His critics-be-damned approach makes for crowd-pleasing music that asks the question, "What is jazz, if it is not entertainment first?"

The album closes with two adventurous tracks, “Mo’ Bass” and “Let’s Cool One.” Drummond and Cyrille signal an open architecture on “Mo’ Bass” by trading off each other’s energy and encouraging Murray to open his bag of sound for upper-register blowing. The surprisingly unrestrained playing on this tune helps demonstrate just how the free forms of jazz fit within the timeline of this creative music. The closing tune, Thelonious Monk’s composition “Let’s Cool One,” sums up the entire session, with Murray trading his tenor for the distinctive bass clarinet. Like Monk playing a toy piano, Murray’s use of the bass clarinet presents a signature sound once unfamiliar to jazz. When you consider the entire history of jazz, individual expression is what makes a lasting mark. David Murray makes that mark on Like A Kiss. - Mark Corroto

Tracks
1. Blues For Felix (David Murray)
2. Like a Kiss That Never Ends (David Murray)
3. Dedication (Ray Drummond)
4. Suki Suki Now (David Murray)
5. Ruben’s Theme Song (David Murray)
6. Mo’ Bass - For The Bulldog (David Murray)
7. Let’s Cool One (Thelonious Monk)

DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
JOHN HICKS piano
RAY DRUMMOND bass
ANDREW CYRILLE drums

Recorded at Sound on Sound, NYC, June 5-6, 2000
Justin Time - JUST 153-2 Canada

Tracks
01. Fontessa (John Lewis)
02. Serenata (Leroy Anderson/Mitchel Parish)
03. Hues of Blues (Walter Norris)
04. I Want to Be Happy (Irving Caesar/Vincent Youmans)
05. I Can’t Get Started (Vernon Duke/Ira Gershwin)
06. Backbone Mode (Walter Norris)
07. Have You Met Miss Jones (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers)
08. The Spider Web (Aladár Pege)
09. Orchids in Green (Waltger Norris)
10. Afterthoughts (Walter Norris)

WALTER NORRIS piano
GEORGE MRAZ bass

Recorded May 18-19, 1995 at Sound On Sound Recording, Inc., New York
Concord Jazz - CCD 4671

Don Cherry appeared on the first two releases by JCOA, albums under the leadership of label founders Carla Bley and Michael Mantler, so their decision to commission him for the third album seemed a wise move, as indeed it was. Using many of the same musicians who contributed to those records and were then established as the loose collective called the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Cherry molded into a suite a string of the pieces he'd been composing and performing in the previous few years. Under the tutelage of Pandit Pran Nath, Cherry had been studying and increasingly using Indian karnatic singing in his recordings and concerts; he begins this album with a similarly derived chant. As the energy heats up, the orchestra launches into the captivating "Mali Doussn'gouni," featuring a raging tenor solo by Frank Lowe and delightful vocal acrobatics by Cherry. When it slowly dissolves into his achingly beautiful "Desireless," the first half of the album comes to an extremely satisfying conclusion. The remainder of the session is somewhat more of a mixed bag, succeeding off and on. Highlights include Selene Fung's lovely work on the ching, a Chinese koto-like instrument, and Ed Blackwell's exuberant New Orleans marching patterns on the concluding number. While not as breathtaking or cohesive as his Eternal Rhythm, Relativity Suite almost matches that release in its first half and contains many a worthwhile joy. Recommended. - Brian Olewnick

Tracks
01. Tantra
02. Mali Doussn’Gouni
03. Desireless
04. The Queen Of Tung Ting Lake Ching
05. Trans-Love Airways
06. Infinite Gentleness
07. March Of The Hobbits

CHARLES BRAKEEN alto and sopranos saxophones, voice
CARLOS WARD alto saxophone, voice
CHARLIE HADEN bass
ED BLACKWELL drums
SHARON FREEMAN french horn
PAUL MOTIAN percussion
CARLA BLEY piano
DEWEY REDMAN tenor saxophone, voice
FRANK LOWE tenor saxophone, voice
BRIAN TRENTHAM trombone
JACK JEFFERS tuba
LEROY JENKINS violin
JANE ROBERTSON cello
PAT DIXON cello
JOAN KALISCH viola
NAN NEWTON viola
MOKI CHERRY tamboura
SELENE FUNG ching
DON CHERRY trumpet, voice, percussion,

Music composed and conducted by Don Cherry
Recorded on February 14, 1973 at Blue Rock Studio, New York City
JCOA Records / Trio Records PA 7069

Anthony Davis is best known as a composer, both in avant-garde jazz and in classical music. Although all six selections on this reissue CD are by Davis, the main focus is on his piano playing. He is heard on six extended solos, exploring many moods and ideas in a thoughtful yet unpredictable fashion. His "Man on a Turquoise Cloud" pays tribute to one of his main influences, Duke Ellington, but in general the complex and often-fascinating music is quite original and has no obvious predecessor. Lady of the Mirrors is still one of Anthony Davis' finest piano recordings. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
Beyond Reason
2. Lady of the Mirrors
3. Five Moods From an English Garden
4. Under the Double Moon
5. Man on a Turquoise Cloud
6. Whose Life?

ANTHONY DAVIS piano

All compositions by Anthony Davis
India Navigation IN 1047 CD

Tracks
01. O Galo Do Airan (Hermeto Pascoal)
02. Rainha De Pedra Azul (Hermeto Pascoal)
03. Viajando Pelo Brasil (Hermeto Pascoal)
04. O Farol Que Nos Guía (Hermeto Pascoal)
05. Pensamento Positivo (Fabíula Pascoal)
06. Peneirando Agua (Hermeto Pascoal)
07. Cancao No Paiol Em Curitiba (Hermeto Pascoal)
08. Aula De Natação (Fabíula Pascoal)
09. Três Coisas (Mário Lago)
10. Irmaos Latinos (Hermeto Pascoal)
11. Depois Do Baile (Hermeto Pascoal
12. Quando As Aves Se Encontram, Nasce O Som (Hermeto Pascoal)
13. Round Midnight (Hanighen/Monk/Williams)
14. Fazenda Nova (Hermeto Pascoal)
15. Ginga Carioca (Hermeto Pascoal)
16. Chapéau De Beata (Hermeto Pascoal)

HERMETO PASCOAL piano, keyboards, chaleira, berrante, cavaquinho, percussion
CARLOS MALTA flutes, saxophones
JOVINO NETO piano, keyboards, flute
ITIOBERÊ ZWARG bass
MARCIO BAHIA drums, percussion
FABIO PASCOAL percussion
PERNAMBUCO percussion

Recorded January 1992 at PolyGram Studios, Rio de Janeiro
Mercury Music PHCA-4233

Edward Simon plays mostly restrained and introspective piano on this release that recalls Keith Jarrett while also hinting now and then at Simon's Venezuelan heritage. Although tenor-saxophonist Mark Turner and percussionist Milton Cardona help out here and there, this is essentially a low-key trio date with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Adam Cruz in the post bop tradition of Bill Evans. Most of the tunes were contributed by Simon and only "Slippin'& Slidin"' and the tenor solo in "Teen's Romance" (which is unfortunately faded out) generate much heat although the close interplay between the alert musicians and the consistent inner tension does hold on to one's interest throughout. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
Colega (Edward Simon)
2. Alma Llanera, Part 1 (Pedro Elias Gutierrez)
3. Alma Llanera, Part 2 (Pedro Elias Gutierrez)
4. Caballo Viejo (Simon Diaz)
5. Slippin’ & Slidin’ (Edward Simon)
6. Stop Looking to Kind (It Finds You)
7. Magic Between Us (Edward Simon)
8. Teen’s Romance (Edward Simon)

EDWARD SIMON piano
MARK TURNER tenor saxophone
MILTON CARDONA percussion
LARRY GRENADIER bass
ADAM CRUZ drums

Recorded April 1 and February 7, 1995 at Manhattan Center Studios
Kokopelli Records KOKO 1305

Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland have been working together for nearly 20 years, though most often in a trio setting. Peacock was Copland's bassist of choice on two of his New York Trio Recordings trilogy sets—Modhina (2006) and Voices (2007), both on the German Pirouet label. But for a pianist who mines dark, impressionistic yet subtly romantic places, the most intimate of settings is the duo, and this pair's first (and, until now, only) duet recording, What It Says (Sketch, 2004), was a remarkable demonstration of profound interaction and sublime beauty.

The two reunite for Insight, with Peacock's name first on the marquee, though it's likely nothing more than the egalitarian nature of this duo that his name is first, since Copland's was the lead on What It Says. It's another set of deeply connected music—a mix of Copland and Peacock originals, free improvisations and well-known but instinctively personal covers. It may or may not be a coincidence that two tunes from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) are played, opening with a version of "All Blues" that's bright in tempo but tenebrously indigo in ambience. He possesses unmistakable roots in Bill Evans, the primary pianist on Davis' iconic recording, but Copland's voicings are more abstract and even more impressionistic, running both in tandem and in contrast with Peacock's relentlessly frenetic bass line. "Blue in Green" is even more subdued, though Peacock takes a solo that's one of his best on the album, an endless wellspring of thematic invention.

Peacock's highest profile gig is with Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, but while it's an unequivocally creative place to be, he feels more open-ended here, especially during the five spontaneous compositions he creates with Copland. The act of not playing is as active a participating action as playing, and on "The Wanderer," he doesn't even enter until the song's final 25 seconds, but it grounds Copland's repetitive, gradually solidifying pattern, despite doing nothing more than following the pianist's right hand. He's more actively engaged on "Rush Hour," a kinetic free improv about two voices merging as one.

Copland revisits his own brooding blues, "River's Run," heard solo on his remarkable Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005) and on Voices; here, Peacock provides a more definitive pulse while interacting contrapuntally with Copland. Peacock solos initially, between Copland's rippling, cued figures on "The Pond" with Copland taking over to introduce delicately elegant cascading lines without ever losing sight of the song's core.

The duo is at its most direct during the intro to Stanley Myers' melancholic "Cavatina," the theme song to Michael Cimono's classic The Deer Hunter (1978), but ultimately dissolves into freer time, again still respecting the song's essence. It's their innate ability to head into uncharted territory while remaining reverential to their source that makes Peacock and Copland such a compelling duo. A clear window into the improvisational mindset, Insight is another high water mark for both of these fine, interpretive, and consistently inventive musicians. - John Kelman

Tracks
01. All Blues (Miles Davis)
02. The Wanderer (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
03. Blue In Green (Miles Davis)
04. Rush Hour (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
05. River’s Run (Marc Copland)
06. Matterhorn (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
07. The Pond (Gary Peacock)
08. Goes Out Comes In (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
09. Late Night (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
10. Cavatina (Stanley Myers)
11. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck)
12. Benediction (Gary Peacock/Marc Copland)
13. Sweet And Lovely (Gus Arnheim/Jules Lemare/Elliott Tobias)

GARY PEACOCK bass
MARC COPLAND piano

Recorded May, 2005 and October, 2007 at Pirouet Studio, Munich
PIROUET RECORDS PIT3041
https://www.pirouet.com/

Though issued under David Murray's name, this might be more properly considered a Bobby Bradford album, as he wrote all of the material and plays cornet as a quintet member throughout. Designed as a series of reflections on the life of the kind of musician who toils away out of the limelight, doing a good workmanlike job and, eventually, dying without having received any recognition, the suite has something of an elegiac tone. "Have You Seen Sideman?," which opens and closes the album, contains a sad wistfulness, as though bemoaning chances not taken, avenues not pursued. Bradford, an early associate of Ornette Coleman, here teams up once again with Ornette's drummer of choice, Ed Blackwell, and the two have some spirited exchanges on pieces like "Woodshedetude." His work is calmly supple throughout, providing a valuable counterweight to Murray's stratospheric flights. A duo of the two horns, "Sidesteps," achieves the beauty of a quiet, deep conversation and is a highlight of this disc. The late rhythm team of Hopkins and Blackwell are a joy to hear, and when they are joined by Dave Burrell (who appears on less than half the cuts), things gel to a point where few horn players could possibly have a bad day playing along. Bradford's compositions are varied and loose, adhering to relatively traditional structures (in an Ornette sense, anyway) while allowing for stretching and expansiveness. The solos flow naturally out of the thematic material without the theme-solos-theme rigidity that often hampers this type of approach. Death of a Sideman is one of the stronger efforts in Murray's mature catalog, thanks in no small part to the presence and guiding hand of Bobby Bradford. Recommended. - Brian Olewnick

Tracks
01. Have You Seen Sideman?
02. Woodshedetude
03. Waiting for Thelonious
04. A Little Pain
05. Sidestep
06. The Gates of Hell
07. Bosom of Abraham
08. Have You Seen Sideman?

FRED HOPKINS bass
BOBBY BRADFORD cornet
ED BLACKWELL drums
DAVE BURRELL piano
DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Music composed by Bobby Bradford
Recorded at Power Station, NYC on October 18 & 19, 1991
DIW Records DIW-866 Japan

Vintage Duets: Chicago 1-11-80 is a wonderful reunion recording of AACM musicians, drummer Steve McCall and tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson, who had not played together since McCall joined Henry Threadgill's group, Air, in 1970. The session initially took place at the request of a European label that went out of business before the album was released. The Chicago label Okkadisk has finally made this legendary meeting available on CD. Although Anderson and McCall hadn't played together in a decade, their history and sympathetic feel for the music remained intact; a deep understanding runs throughout this recording, as the two move with assurance and free-jazz wisdom, weaving long, lyrical tales of musical action, history, and introspection. The brisk, seamless flow of "Within," and "Wandering," a lyrical ballad shaded with rolling mallets -- both clocking in at just over 20 minutes -- equals a wealth of listening that is not only energetic and masterful, but somehow so full, warm, and grounded that (to free-jazz ears) it is also soothing. - Joslyn Layne

Tracks
1. Within
2. Wandering

FRED ANDERSON tenor saxophone
STEVE McCALL percussion

Recorded on 11 January 1980 at Soto Studios
Okka Disk - OD12001
http://www.okkadisk.com/

DAVE LIEBMAN tenor & soprano saxophones
TERUMASA HINO trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
JOHN SCOFIELD guitar
RON McCLURE acoustic and electric bass
ADAM NUSSBAUM drums

Tracks
01. Doin' It Again (D. Liebman)
02. Lady (R. McClure)
03. Stardust (H. Carmichael / M. Parish)
04. Cliff's Vibes (D. Liebman)

Recorded at the Platinum Stidios, Brooklyn, N.Y, 1979
TIMELESS RECORDS CDSOL-6319

Gracefully human moments contrast with digital video game syncopation on the Brad Shepik Trio's new album Places You Go. Hammond B3 organist Gary Versace and drummer Tom Rainey join the guitarist on the ten-track journey through quiet times that nod at nostalgia, to full on jam rock ballyhoo.

hepik's gorgeous tone and intricate skill reverberate with a dusty, American open-road mentality on slow tracks like "Five and Dime . You can almost feel the breath of each player as small escalations build and release into soulful, satiated languor. "Return recalls an image of moonlight reflected off a Hawaiian cove as Shepik's surf chords fall into the shimmer of Versace's organ. Each note the guitarist touches glows with aching poignancy.

The balance the group maintains as each player subconsciously gauges his place at any given moment, moving aside, or taking the lead with brisk reactionary skill, aids in the success of the album. "Temoin, the opening track, leads with a buoyancy that sets an immediate tone. Versace's organ adds pockets of pizzazz with bursts of chords that intersperse Shepik's steady guitar progression. Rainey hoists the group up a few notches with a fresh, steady energy.

The import of each player is recognized, as is the mutual respect that lies amongst them—a critical attribute to have when tunes like "Crossing enter complex grounds. Shepik and Versace wind meticulous passages around each other, playing in counterpoint to Rainey's multi-leveled drumming for an entirely unnatural sound, pulled off with apparent ease. Aside from showcasing the group's skill as players and their great ability to play well together, the track illustrates success on other levels, most notably Shepik's competence as a composer and the trio's ability to make those compositions their own.

Somehow, though they were written at various times in different locales around the world, the tracks on Places You Go fit well together, following a clear transition that gives rise to higher levels of recklessness as the album progresses. Named for a Balinese volcano, the metered, metronomic music of "Batur hints at gamelan before getting swept up in a cataclysm of rock grandeur. Versace maintains a bass line while adding flourishes of jagged organ that roughen up Shepik's solo. It's prodding like this that sets a group apart and makes an album that's more than just another really good jazz fusion disc. - Celeste Sunderland

Tracks
01. Tèmoin
02. Air
03. Return
04. Crossing
05. Five and Dime
06. The South
07. As Was
08. Frozen
09. Batur
10. Tides

TOM RAINEY drums
BRAD SHEPIK guitar
GARY VERSACE organ

All Compositions by Brad Shepik
Recorded October 25, 2005 & July 10, 2006 at Good And Evil, Brooklyn, NY
Songlines Recordings - SGL SA 1562-2 Canada

Chiaroscuro at once has the feeling of inevitability and a sense of randomness about it, as if it were meant to happen, yet it's such a long shot that it ever did. Towner, the guitarist of the jazz/world/new age outfit Oregon, is an American who celebrated his 70th birthday in the year of this album's release, 2010 -- it's his 22nd for ECM. Fresu is an Italian trumpeter, not quite 50, whose only previous ECM connection (among some 300 albums he's appeared on in all) came in 2007 when he worked with pianist/composer Carla Bley on her release The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu. Towner and Fresu actually met some 15 years earlier, but didn't commit to recording together until now. Good thing they did, because they've made an exhilarating, affecting recording rich with great sensitivity and vibrant colors. Towner's spare, translucent acoustic 12-string and baritone guitar, and Fresu's bold, meaty trumpet and flügelhorn complement each other exceptionally well, their tight-knit interactivity and radiant melodicism reminiscent of collaborations of much longer duration. Laid bare in typically flawless ECM fidelity, their urbane compositions (most by Towner alone, the last two with Fresu) and perceptive improvisations are more like quiet conversations than contests. Each musician allows the other ample space to investigate and develop in solo format, but although their histories and perspectives are so unlike, when they meet up, they're always speaking the same language. Towner prefers a lighter touch than Fresu, but there is courageousness and respect in both of their statements. On "Wistful Thinking," the opening track (which appeared on an earlier Towner solo album), Towner's first notes feel as if they might just float away. Fresu's lines, though hardly brash and never aggressive, provide an anchor as the number builds. "The Sacred Place" is offered twice in balanced but dissimilar arrangements, while "Zephyr" is a more fully realized, more focused take on the song than the Oregon rendition that appeared on 1987's Ecotopia. "Blue in Green," the only non-original composition, can't be considered a cover of the Miles Davis/Bill Evans Kind of Blue track so much as a thorough reimagining of it -- Fresu doesn't mimic Davis; instead he suggests how the song might have developed independently of Davis had it originated someplace else. Chiaroscuro, naturally, boasts virtuosic musicianship, but it's never about that; it's about two artists coming together by chance and allowing their mutual respect to show them the way to something great. - Jeff Tamarkin

Tracks
01. Wistful Thinking (Ralph Towner)
02. Punta Giara (Ralph Towner)
03. Chiaroscuro (Ralph Towner)
04. Sacred Place (Ralph Towner)
05. Blue In Green (Miles Davis / Bill Evans)
06. Doubled Up (Ralph Towner)
07. Zephyr (Ralph Towner)
08. The Sacred Place (Reprise)
09. Two Miniatures (Paolo Fresh / Ralph Towner)
10. Postlude (Paolo Fresh / Ralph Towner)

PAOLO FRESU trumpet, flugelhorn
RALPH TOWNER 12-string guitar, baritone guitar

Recorded October 2008 at Artsouono Recording Studio, Udine
ECM Records ECM 2085

The purely magical, tonal, dancing alto or bass clarinet and soprano saxophone of Louis Sclavis are heard fully on this recording with his quintet, where he explores a variety of ethnically inspired motifs guaranteed to delight one and all. Where improvisation has always been his strong suit, here it is relegated to solos, as his written music takes center stage. Fellow front-liner Matthieu Metzger plays alto and soprano sax -- together he and Sclavis create a whirling dervish cone of sound that reflects a definite European stance removed from American jazz. Electric guitarist Maxime Delpierre also adds a bit of electronica on occasion, while electric bass guitarist Olivier Lété and drummer François Merville keep the rhythms percolating and recreational. There's nothing really extended or drawn out, as the composed themes to the music are complex but compact. "De Charybde en Scylla" is fun to hear in its Euro-funky dance form inspired by the pithy bass clarinet of the leader. A Balkan or klezmer strain is infused into the wonderful "Bain d'Or" and a modal one-note construct is exploited for improvisation and some electronics on "Un Vent Noir," while a thin harmolodic approach à la Ornette Coleman is extant during the intro of "Les Doutes du Cyclope," merging into a diffuse funk. The band has aggressive, demonstrative tendencies, as the stompy juggernaut motion of "Des Bruits à Tisser" is wound around hollowed-out single notes, while the title track is a stealth romp with the reeds assimilating a singing accordion type sound akin to peer saxophonist David Binney. But the group generally plays on passive emotions -- listen to the nonchalant but melancholy "L'Heure des Songes"; the hesitant "Le Sommeil des Sirènes" with steady drumming juxtaposed against the loose, flowing clarinet of Sclavis; and the lonely waltz "L'Absence." Perhaps "Aboard Ulysses's Boat" brings the most evocative tone in a slow, mysterious casting jarred slightly by the curiously macabre guitar of Delpierre. The emotional range of this recording from track to track is a marvel to behold, and considering the title, not so much wandering as it is searching for that one blind spot, or the forgotten path that leads to finding treasure. This is masterpiece among many well-crafted efforts by Sclavis, and comes highly recommended for fans of or newcomers to his extraordinary music. - Michael G. Nastos

Tracks
01. De Charybde En Scylla (Louis Sclavis)
02. La Première Île (Louis Sclavis / Olivier Lété)
03. Lost On The Way (Louis Sclavis)
04. Bain D’or (Louis Sclavis)
05. Le Sommeil Des Sirenes (Louis Sclavis)
06. L ‘Heure Des Songes (Louis Sclavis)
07. Aboard Ulysses’s Boat (Louis Sclavis)
08. Les Doutes Du Cyclope (Louis Sclavis)
09. Un Vent Noir (Louis Sclavis)
10. The Last Island (Olivier Leté)
11. Des Bruits À Tisser (Louis Sclavis)
12. L’Absence (Louis Sclavis)

OLIVIER LÉTÉ bass
LOUIS SCLAVIS clarinet, soprano saxophone
FRANCOIS MERVILLE drums
MAXIME DELPIERRE guitar
MATTHIEU METZGER soprano saxophone, alto saxophone

Recorded September 2008. Thatre de Saint Quertin-enYvelines
ECM Records ECM 2098 Germany

When I hear musicians shouting or humming on a recording because they can't help themselves, I take it as a good sign. The spontaneity, intensity, and pure joy that comes across in those brief outbursts raises the level of excitement and intimacy so that you almost forget you're sitting in your living room listening to a CD. Bassist Joe Fonda, drummer Barry Altschul, and violinist Billy Bang clearly enjoyed playing the tunes on Transforming the Space , and the disc's sheer musicality and accessibility took me by surprise.

I admire Billy Bang's virtuosity, but the jazz violin, in its more avant-garde moments, screeches with a harrowing intensity and raw grittiness that can be too much to bear. There are moments of that here, but not many, and on Bang's composition "Tales from Da Bronx," his violin sings in a sweet woman's voice. You can imagine the teller of the story inhabiting the notes. This theatrical quality extends to Fonda on his "Song for My Mother," where he forms one half of a dialogue with Bang, both of whom have speaking parts in this conference of two birds. After the duo have their say, Altschul changes course with a military-march drum roll that leads into an expressive extended solo from Fonda who bears down on his instrument with concentrated effort.

On "The Softness of Light" Fonda plays beautiful arco bass, freed from everything but rich, sonorous melody, and on Altschul's "For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too," Fonda walks alongside the drummer whose opening solo threatens to bounce like he's swinging a '30s big band. Through it all, Bang's violin is nimble and quick, short and sharp, classically melodious and ominously dissonant, but always energized and coherent.

Just before the last track begins Bang and Fonda are heard joking with each other, and this glimpse into the studio serves as a fitting coda to a session brimming with empathic interplay. The players were loose, and the result is as tight a trio session as you're likely to hear. - Jeff Stockton

Tracks
01. Be Out S’cool
02. The Softness of Light
03. For Papa Jo, Look & Philly Too
04. Tales from Da Bronx
05. Song for My Mother
06. Coligno Battatta

JOE FONDA bass
BARRY ALTSCHUL drums
BILLY BANG violin

Recorded February 17 & 18, 2003 at The Spirit Room, Rossie, NY
Creative Improvised Music Projects [CIMP] CIMP 284

Pianist/composer Richard Abrams contributes all eight selections to this intriguing septet date. Such notables as trumpeter Eddie Allen, trombonist Craig Harris, and Aaron Stewart (on tenor and soprano) are featured on music that ranges from advanced hard bop (some of the grooves are quite straight-ahead) to some rather spacy explorations from Abrams' synthesizer. In addition, Richard Abrams is featured both as a speaker and a singer on the opening "Song for All." Bryan Carrott's vibes and Abrams' occasional synthesizer add an eerie feel to some of the ensembles and keep the complex yet often surprisingly accessible music from ever getting too predictable. Well worth several listens. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
01. Song for All
02. Dabadubada
03. Marching With Honor (Muhal Richard Abrams)
04. GMBR
05. Over the Same Over
06. LineTime
07. Steamin’ up the Road
08. Imagine

BRAD JONES bass
REGGIE NICHOLSON drums
CRAIG HARRIS trombone
EDDIE ALLEN trumpet
BRYAN CARROTT vibraphone, percussion
MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS piano, synthesizer

Recorded on April 26-29, 1994 at East Side Sound, NYC.
Black Saint - 120161-2 Italy

This set, one of two of Dixon's issued on vinyl in 1980, was a rare release that showed why he is so admired by musicians and has such a tough time getting recorded. The four songs contain no prominent beats or riffs, catchy hooks, sentimental melodies, or enticing devices. One is nearly 20 minutes long, with multiple movements ("For Cecil Taylor"); another is almost 13 minutes, with stretches of blistering exchanges between Dixon and fellow trumpeters Arthur Brooks and Stephen Haynes. Even the shorter pieces have exacting unison statements and prickly solos. An unfolding, unpredictable musical dialogue.

Tracks
01. Summer Song One: Morning (Bill Dixon)
02. Firenze (Bill Dixon)
03. Summer Song Two: Evening
04. For Cecil Taylor (Bill Dixon)

ALAN SILVA double-bass
FREDDIE WATTS drums
STEPHEN HORENSTEIN tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
ARTHUR BROOKS trumpet (3)
STEPHEN HAYNES trumpet
BILL DIXON trumpet, piano

Recorded June 11, 12, 13, 1980 at Bergonzzi Studios, Milano
Soul Note - SN 1008 Italy

A rare date from a distinctive trumpeter whose approach, clarity of tone, and directness set him apart in the '60s. The set included a fine three-part song dedicated to Cecil Taylor. The band mixed avant-garde types like bassist Alan Silva with mainstream figures like drummer Freddie Waits. It also had an unusual lineup, with two, sometimes three trumpeters and a saxophonist, bassist, and drummer. Dixon occasionally played piano. - Ron Wynn

Tracks
01. Sketch/Firenze
02. Summer Song Two: Evening
03. Summer Song Three: Aurorea/Daybreak
04. Dusk
05. Dance Place: Places/For Jack and Barbara/Autumn Sequences from a Paris Diary

BILL DIXON trumpet, front cover painting
ALAN SILVA double-bass
FREDDIE WAITS drums
STEPHEN HORENSTEIN tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
ARTHUR BROOKS trumpet
STEPHEN HAYNES trumpet

Music composed by Bill Dixon
Recorded June 11, 12, 13, 1980 at Bergonzzi Studios, Molano
Soul Note - SN 1011

No bassist on the contemporary jazz scene is more technically able than Avishai Cohen, nor more immediately recognizable on a recording: his muscular, singing tone and richly melodic lines are unique. He's also got one of the tightest trios on earth, and the countless gigs pianist Sam Barsh and drummer Mark Guiliana have played with Cohen are immediately audible on Continuo.

Cohen's 2005 album At Home suffered from too many disparate styles and too many extra musicians augmenting the trio—it felt more like a Cohen compilation than a unified musical statement. There's no lack of stylistic unity on Continuo, however, and only one extra musician is featured here: oud player Amos Hoffman, who appears on five on the ten tracks.

To his credit, Cohen's attempting something altogether new on Continuo: a stylistic blend of western classical, Middle Eastern music (hence the presence of Hoffman's oud), and improvisational jazz. "Nu Nu epitomizes the concept with its stop-on-a-dime time changes, unison bass/piano lines, epic theme and virtuosic soloing (in this case by Cohen and Hoffman). The execution is above reproach—here and everywhere on the CD, the band plays with breathtaking precision.

Somehow, though, the aforementioned musical influences combine here to produce a strange and rather disagreeable hybrid that in its bombastic, grandiose themes resembles nothing so much as the worst sorts of instrumental Europop. This impression is heightened by arrangements that feature Barsh's busy, mock-classical piano, an overuse of pomp-and-circumstance unison bass/piano accents (lots of dramatic, echoing "booms in song after song), and the recording's hot, loud, no-dynamics mastering.

"One For Mark is an up-tempo piece that's flawlessly played and ultimately pretty meaningless; with plenty of oud-strangling from Hoffman over Guiliana's torrential drum cascades and wildly florid piano from Barsh, there's no dearth of sound coming out of the speakers, but it's all more precious than profound. Cohen's solo here has a marvelous rhythmic buoyancy, but it can't save the song. Unfortunately, "One For Mark" is no anomaly; it's perfectly typical of the tunes on Continuo.

"Samuel is somewhat better. Its piano introduction has a practice-book sterility and it's marred by more of those overdramatic bass/piano accents, but Cohen and Barsh are particularly sympathetically fused here and its final snare-roll groove is irresistible. The title track—which unfortunately appears last—is by far the best song, fuelled as it is by a propulsive and joyous Middle Eastern rhythmic structure of drums, percussion and hand claps. It's more fun and less self-consciously important than anything that precedes it. The absence of Barsh's piano on the song—despite the enormous, prowling presence here of Cohen's electric six-string Marco—gives it a spaciousness that's sadly missing elsewhere.

To their credit, the musicians play every song on Continuo with complete commitment and telepathic connectedness. If the results are gratingly soulless, it's not due to a lack of sincerity on the part of the artists. - Paul Olson

Tracks
01. Nu Nu (A. Cohen)
02. Elli (A. Cohen)
03. One For Mark (A. Cohen)
04. Ani Maamin (Tuvia Shlonsky)
05. Samuel (A. Cohen)
06. Emotional Storm (A. Cohen)
07. Calm (A. Cohen)
08. Arava (A. Cohen)
09. Smash (A. Cohen)
10. Continuo (A. Cohen)

MARK GUILIANA drums, percussion
AMOS HOFFMAN oud
SAM BARSH piano, e-keyboard
AVISHAI COHEN acoustic and electric bass

All compositions written and arranged by Avishai Cohen
Recorded 10th-12th December 2005 at Nilento Studios AB
RAZDAZ Recordz NTCD393

This duo date marks the first occasion during which Andy LaVerne and John Abercrombie played together, so with the impressive results it isn't surprising to learn that they would get together again in the studio. The give and take between the pianist and guitarist is at the high level of the Bill Evans-Jim Hall sessions. An inventive interpretation of "Sweet and Lovely" starts things off at a high level. They skim the surface of "All the Things You Are" by adding some interesting re-harmonization, while "When You Wish Upon a Star" has a rhapsodic introduction by LaVerne and wonderful comping by each player for his partner's solo. The influence of Bill Evans upon LaVerne's playing during "Stella by Starlight." Both men also contributed original tunes to the date. LaVerne's "Natural Living" is a hard to predict bossa nova with Abercrombie on acoustic guitar, while the pianist's "Archetypal Schemata" and Abercrombie's "John's Waltz" are post-bop masterpieces. Their one collaboration seems to be a joint improvisation, with Abercrombie on guitar synthesizer. This is an excellent all around release. - Ken Dryden

Tracks
01. Sweet and Lovely (Gus Arnheim/Jules LeMare/Harry Tobias)
02. Actual Sighs (Andy LaVerne)
03. John’s Waltz (John Abercrombie)
04. All the Things You Are (Oscar Hammarstein II/Jerome Kern)
05. Among Tall Trees (Andy LaVerne)
06. Natural Living (Andy LaVerne)
07. Archetypal Schemata (Andy LaVerne)
08. Magnetic Flux (John Abercrombie/Andy LaVerne)
09. Labour Day (John Abercrombie)
10. When You Wish upon a Star (Leigh Harline/Ned Washington)
11. Stella by Starlight (Ned Washington/Victor Young)
12. Suzy’s World (Andy LaVerne)

ANDY LaVERNE piano
JOHN ABERCROMBIE electric and acoustic guitars, guitar-synthesizer

Recorded by David Baker at Sound on Sound Studio, NYC, on November 28-29, 1989
Universal Music France 0602498324813 - LC 00699

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