09 Jan
Accomplish Jazz by Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord
Saturday, 09 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This CD bears one of the most ironic titles I've seen in quite some time - Lundbom and his group do more than "Accomplish Jazz" they find a nice sunny spot in it, an…
09 Jan
Dissonance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Dom Minasi String Quartet
Saturday, 09 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
The CD is titled "Dissonance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder", but I have to tell you that you must have a place in your heart for that kind of dissonance. That pla…
04 Jan
Esfingico - Suite For A Jazz Combo by Sei Miguel
Monday, 04 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Portuguese trumpeter Sei Miguel’s Esfingico - Suite For A Jazz Combo might initially suggest a hybrid classical-jazz score, but it’s largely entrenched within ava…
04 Jan
Boca Negra by Chicago Underground Duo
Monday, 04 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Chad Taylor and Rob Mazurek are two prominent ambassadors of Chicago’s progressive-jazz and improvisational scene. Among numerous side projects and band affiliations, th…
03 Jan
4D by Matthew Shipp
Sunday, 03 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Around 1993, I turned on KUSF, the San Francisco iconoclastic radio station located at the University of San Francisco, and found myself in the middle of an interview with …
02 Jan
The Giuseppi Logan Quintet by Giuseppi Logan Quintet
Saturday, 02 January 2010
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
When Giuseppi Logan resurfaced just over a year ago, after having been absent from the jazz scene for nearly forty years, a comeback seemed unlikely. Homeless at the tim…
04 May
Cono di Ombra e Luce by EA Silence
Monday, 04 May 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
EA Silence, EA stands for electro acoustic, crosses boundaries of tradition, defying any standard free jazz trio setting. The set up for trios, classical, jazz, rock, blues…
03 May
The Breathing of Statues by Gordon Grdina's East Van Strings
Sunday, 03 May 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Gordon Grdina is a Vancouver based Oud/Guitarist whose sound is a combination of his interests in mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music. East …
22 Apr
HaOrot by Greg Wall's Later Prophets
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Reedman and Rabbi Greg Wall was the co-leader, with trumpeter Frank London, of one of my favorite fusion bands of all time - Hasidic New Wave. His new band, The Later Proph…
21 Apr
Bafa by Timucin Sahin Quartet
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Though I hadn't heard of Timucin Sahin when his latest recording, "Bafa," arrived in my mailbox, the personnel in his backing band certainly made me sit up and take …
16 Apr
Eternal Interlude by John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
Thursday, 16 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
It's no coincidence, perhaps, that John Hollenbeck refers to his 20+ member orchestra as a Large Ensemble. The terms 'Big Band' and 'Orchestra' are rife with all sorts of c…
14 Apr
Why Not? by Marion Brown
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This reissue of saxophonist and ethnomusicologist Marion Brown’s 1968 quartet date, and second outing for ESP, highlights his unique fusion of cutting-edge avant-improv …
With one forty-six minute studio composition piece "Uranus," and an improvisation dedicated to Karlheinz Stockhausen titled "Curtains," the duo generates a vivid and som…
06 Apr
Under The Water by Satoko Fujii and Myra Melford
Monday, 06 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
In the realm of truly spur-of-the-moment improvised music there is hardly anyone better than Myra Melford. To be brought into her aural world is to be treated to sounds …
06 Apr
The Ecologic by Kim Svein Johannesen Magus Furu
Monday, 06 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Guitarist Kim Johannesen and clarinetist Svein Magus Furu travel far beyond the borders of jazz on this release. The music they create here would certainly be more at home …
04 Apr
Page Of Madness by Phillip Johnston
Saturday, 04 April 2009
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Reviewing music for film is like reviewing music for ballet, since the music is intended to be accompanied by action any reviewer is handicapped without the visual prese…
02 Apr
Live In Amsterdam by FAB Trio
Thursday, 02 April 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This, the fourth in a series of live 2008 recordings by the free jazz trio Fab Trio, finds the group in Amsterdam. The one thing you can be sure of with these musicians …
31 Mar
Elementary Dialogues by Eyal Maoz / Asaf Sirkis
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Here are two Israel-born hepcats, one currently based in the USA (E. Maoz, NYC) and the other in the UK (A. Sirkis, London) - two nations separated by a common language,…
27 Mar
Eternal Interlude by John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
Friday, 27 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
The John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble explores a hybridization between classical and jazz on Eternal Interlude. The album includes six Hollenbeck compositions, all orig…
22 Mar
Played 1000 by Klare/Maris/de Joode/Vatcher
Sunday, 22 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
California native and premier, progressive/free-jazz drummer Michael Vatcher relocated to Amsterdam in 1977, and has become a prominent musical force in the global jazz …
21 Mar
Slow by Juozas Milasius
Saturday, 21 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Lithuanian guitarist, Juozas Milasius, presents a contemplative set of minimalist solo pieces, characterized by a subdued dose of reverb-laden twang reminiscent of Marc Rib…
20 Mar
Eclipse by Ear & Now
Friday, 20 March 2009
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Amirani Records, an impressively eclectic and adventurous Italian indie label, scores again with "Eclipse" by Ear & Now, a co-operative musical venture featuring mul…
19 Mar
Adventures by Charlie Kohlhase's Explorer's Club
Thursday, 19 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
New Hampshire native and saxophone virtuoso Charlie Kohlhase certainly has a sense of humor - after all this is a man who titled one of his recordings 'Play Free or Die.' T…
19 Mar
White Rocket by White Rocket
Thursday, 19 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
A trio comprised of piano, trumpet, and drums, White Rocket makes the most of a seemingly limited instrumental palette on their self-titled debut CD. A lot of the credit fo…
19 Mar
Pieces of Old Sky by Samuel Blaser Quartet
Thursday, 19 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Pieces of Old Sky is Samuel Blaser's fourth recording as a leader. Previous sessions led by the Swiss trombonist include a quartet ("7th Heaven"), a solo trombone CD, and a…
17 Mar
This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 by Henry Threadgill Zooid
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
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Since the 2001 releases of, "Everybodys Mouth's a Book" and "Up Popped the Two Lips," saxophonist, composer and progressive-jazz icon returns with an excitingly unique a…
15 Mar
Vietnam by Revolutionary Ensemble
Sunday, 15 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Heralded as a premier and cutting-edge avant-garde jazz-chamber trio, this 2009 CD is the reissue of the original LP, released in 1972. The band built a following during…
13 Mar
21st Century Chase by Fred Anderson
Friday, 13 March 2009
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Legendary Chicago saxophonist/club owner Fred Anderson celebrated his 80th birthday in March, 2009 with a stellar set of adventurous avant garde jazz at his club, The Velve…
07 Mar
Nada by Francois Carrier and Michael Lambert
Saturday, 07 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Although this is ostensibly a free recording, and it is in fact totally improvised, the palette that the two long-time collaborators are working with here is explicitly ton…
06 Mar
Labyrinth by Jacám Manricks
Friday, 06 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Australian-born multi-reedist Jacám Manricks' debut CD, "Labyrinth," is one of those all-too-rare recordings: thoroughly sublime from start to finish. It captures a …
01 Mar
Rainbow Jimmies by John Hollenbeck
Sunday, 01 March 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Percussionist and composer John Hollenbeck is a relentlessly multi-faceted musician who moves with ease between the worlds of classical, jazz, avant-garde, and progressive …
27 Feb
Protoplasmic by Boris Savoldelli - Elliot Sharp
Friday, 27 February 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
The duo charts an avant-garde like adventure here. Italian vocalist Boris Salvoldelli is a master contortionist, where he morphs his wares through phased loops and oscil…
26 Feb
The Moments Energy by Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble
Thursday, 26 February 2009
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When I listen to this ensemble, abstract connotations or thoughts of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album moniker come to fruition. Of course, musical similari…
25 Feb
Planet Dream by Steve Swell
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
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The trio led by trombonist Steve Swell, share some common ground within New York City’s infamous free and progressive jazz scene, as solo performers and members of vario…
24 Feb
What Is When by Luis Lopes - Adam Lane - Igal Foni
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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Portuguese guitarist Luis Lopes defies rigid classifications due to his rather unconventional mode of execution witnessed on this persuasive trio date, featuring America…
22 Feb
Upstream by Geoff Leigh - Yumi Hara
Sunday, 22 February 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
For starters, the musicians’ respective careers bring quite a bit of diversity to the table. Woodwind artist, multi-instrumentalist Geoff Leigh was a member of avant-gar…
17 Feb
Mythology by Peter Kowald & Vinny Golia
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Multi-woodwind artist Vinny Golia always admired bassist Peter Kowald, and via a mutual friend, made arrangements for this studio date recorded in 2000 at a Los Angeles …
15 Feb
Bloom by Ben Monder and Bill McHenry
Sunday, 15 February 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Bill McHenry are no strangers to dedicated jazz fans. Both artists have a long recording history as leaders and as sidemen with several…
12 Feb
White Rocket by White Rocket
Thursday, 12 February 2009
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In 2005, an American and two Irishmen met at an artistic retreat in Canada. Out of that fortuitous meeting came this eclectic trio, White Rocket. The aspect of White Roc…
09 Feb
Three3 by Michael Vlatkovich
Monday, 09 February 2009
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The West Coast trombone genius continues his odyssey of exploring the trombone/bass/drums format, with delightful results. This time the tritet is filled out with Chris Lee…
07 Feb
Beam Stone by Pers Anders Nilsson - Sten Sandell - Raymond Strid
Saturday, 07 February 2009
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Here, three Swedish improvisers abide by the manifesto, that "each sound has its own narrative" via the acoustic-electric format. Recorded at the Academy of Music and Dr…
06 Feb
Art-Work by Hal Galper
Friday, 06 February 2009
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Previously on Origin Records, Hal Galper had recorded Furious Rubato. Well, Galper’s playing still comes across as furious and often as rubato. That seems to be its …
03 Feb
Under The Water by Satoko Fujii - Myra Melford
Tuesday, 03 February 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Touted as an avant keyboard summit, two prominent artistes perform in duo and solo settings on this limited edition album, culled from pianists Myra Melford and Satoko F…
26 Jan
Devotion by The Rocco John Group
Monday, 26 January 2009
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Saxophonist Rocco John Iacovone’s latest offering, Devotion is a veritable tribute to the musicians and artists who have influenced his style of playing, and impa…
21 Jan
Laughter’s Necklace Of Tears by Eric Revis
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
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Bassist-composer Eric Revis, who might be best known for his recordings and performances with Betty Carter and Branford Marsalis, has released his second solo album, …
21 Jan
MVP LSD - The Graphic Scores of Lowell Skinner Davidson by Joe Morris - John Voigt - Tom Plsek
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
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Pianist and Harvard biochemist Lowell Skinner Davidson recorded one striking trio-based album for the "ESP" record label back in 1965. And per guitarist Joe Morris’ line…
18 Jan
The Sage by Jason Rigby
Sunday, 18 January 2009
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Jason Rigby was not a familiar name to me until "The Sage" showed up in my mailbox a few weeks ago. I took one look at Rigby's backing band on this disc, and I knew I was i…
17 Jan
At Nether Edge by Weavels: Chris Cundy - Alex Ward - Mick Beck
Saturday, 17 January 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
It’s a 2009 trio release brought to us by the always adventurous and largely avant-garde U.K. based Discus-Records, that features odd instrumentation and contrasts. Mult…
13 Jan
Ancient And Future Airs by Paul Dunmall Sun Quartet
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
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Recorded in June 2008 at New York City's Living Theater, revered British modern/free-jazz tenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall aligns with his American counterparts for an ene…
11 Jan
The King Of All Instruments by Charles Evans
Sunday, 11 January 2009
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
After three fantastic band recordings, the young bari player has decided to make a disc entirely made up of overdubbed baritone sax ensemble. And frankly, when I hear the i…