08 Jul
Mago by Martin and Medeski
Sunday, 08 July 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Delivering on a pledge made long ago to make this duet happen, organist John Medeski and drummer Billy Martin two-thirds of the popular trio, Medeski, Martin, and Wood (…
04 Jul
Amor de Cosmos by Michael Blake Sextet
Wednesday, 04 July 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Michael Blake’s Amor de Cosmos practically dares you to try on a different mindset for size. If it fits at once, you’re fine. If not, wait don’t dash off just y…
30 Jun
after the city has gone:quiet by Chris Gestrin
Saturday, 30 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
after the city is gone : quiet by Vancouver pianist Chris Gestrin presents over two hours of music that is unusual and creative - unusually creative. The 2 CD set wa…
30 Jun
Air: Above & Beyond by Trio X
Saturday, 30 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Trios make headway when the members can transcend their interdependence. Since each musician has his own identity, he can move independently of the others in the musical…
Experimental jazz trio Sumrra create melodic improvisations wheeled by artisans Manuel Gutierrez (piano), Xacobe Martinez (bass), and L.A.R. Legido (drums). The group’s …
22 Jun
Cinema 57 by Dusty York Trio
Friday, 22 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Portand, Oregon tenor saxophonist Dusty York demonstrates a natural approach to jazz improvisation on his latest disc, Cinema 57. The recording showcases York’s u…
22 Jun
What You Can Throw by Steve Lantner Trio
Friday, 22 June 2007
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Virtuoso modern/free-jazz pianist Steve Lantner rises to the occasion yet again. With strong support supplied by bassist Joe Morris and drummer Luther Gray, the music it…
15 Jun
Brooklyn Moments by Blaise Siwula/Nobu Stowe/Ray Sage
Friday, 15 June 2007
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Recorded at a Brooklyn N.Y., studio, these artists conjure up a kaleidoscopic viewpoint within jazz-based improvisational environs. However, pianist Nobu Stowe offers mo…
14 Jun
9 Moments by Joelle Francois Houle/Joelle Leandre/Raymond Strid
Thursday, 14 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Three virtuosos perform live and in the studio with the flair of a chamber trio going deviously off-course, among other attributes. Multi-hued and intensely verbose, thi…
13 Jun
le chien et la fille by fattigfolket
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This CD stands as my initial introduction to this Norwegian/Swedish progressive-jazz quartet which according to its website, was founded in 1999. Yet one of the noticeab…
13 Jun
Palae by Achim Kaufmann/Frank Gratkowski/Wilber de Joode
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
These three stalwart European improvisers often convey a semblance of four or more instrumentalists engaging in semi-structured dialogues. It’s a study in sound-sculptin…
12 Jun
Nano by Samo Salamon European Quartet feat. Michel Godard
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon’s ascent within global jazz circles advances with the release of two new European Quartet outings. The differentiator here, is that reno…
10 Jun
Trio by Rob Wagner Hamid Drake and Nobu Ozaki
Sunday, 10 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Saxophonist Rob Wagner made New Orleans his home in the early 90s and firmly established a reputation as one of the very finest reedmen in the Crescent City - or anywher…
09 Jun
Don't wait too long ... by The Rocco John Group
Saturday, 09 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Alto saxophonist Rocco John Iacovone studied with Lee Konitz and put in time with Sam Rivers. As the liner notes point out, this explains the sense of having feet in bot…
07 Jun
Two Miles a Day by Jacob Sachs Eivind Opsvik Mat Manieri Paul Motian
Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
The story told by pianist Jackob Sachs and bassist Eivind Opsvik is that they posed the question to each other: "Out of all the remaining living masters, who would you w…
05 Jun
Minamo by Carla Kihlstedt / Satoko Fujii
Tuesday, 05 June 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Satoko Fujii is a Japanese pianist/composer whose (mostly) avant-garde key-cracking abilities have been raved about previously on these cyber-pages by yours truly -- Car…
04 Jun
Live at Fasching by Susanna Lindeborg’s Mwendo Dawa
Monday, 04 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Swedish pianist/composer Susanna Lindeborg has fronted the avant-garde ensemble Mwendo Dawa since the 1970s. On Live at Fasching, recorded in September, 2005 at S…
03 Jun
Hommage An Klaus Kinski by Nobu Stowe - Lee Pembleton Project
Sunday, 03 June 2007
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The late German actor Klaus Kinski was purportedly a perfectionist and a hot-head. This release finds keyboardist Nobu Stowe and longtime collaborator, sound designer Le…
03 Jun
Tamarindo by Tony Malaby
Sunday, 03 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This is a high-impact free-form progressive jazz extravaganza brought to us by three hard-hitting heavyweights of the genre. No doubt, this trio comes at you from all an…
01 Jun
Short Stories by Beep!
Friday, 01 June 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
While attending the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 2001, pianist Michael Coleman, bassist Nathaniel Brenner and drummer Rob Schwartz recognized one common goal: explor…
29 May
The Song Within by Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Circle
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
In my capacity as a reviewer with Jazzreview, my ears have been treated to some of the most diverse and often impressive music and use of instruments in the world. I’ve …
28 May
Perfume Comes Before The Flower by Alipio C. Neto Quartet
Monday, 28 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Brazilian saxophonist/composer Alipio C. Neto has been working the Portuguese free-jazz scene for a few years now, but performs with three prominent New York-based jazz …
24 May
Nixon Is Dead? by The Nabobs
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Thank goodness there are record labels like Konnex, for without such a home jazz musicians who wish to work in the free realm would have almost no means of distributing …
22 May
New Basement Research by Gebhard Ullmann
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Celebrating his 50th birthday, reedman Gebhard Ullmann’s revitalization of his Basement Research band and methodology casts a celebratory spin, undoubtedly evidenced on …
15 May
Monk Abstractions - Solo Works For Soprano Saxophone by Sam Newsome
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
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Saxophonist/educator Sam Newsome took his time constructing these solo soprano sax interpretations of pianist Thelonious Monk’s songbook. He employs multiphonics and oth…
13 May
In Tongues by Thomas Reuben
Sunday, 13 May 2007
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New York based guitarist Thomas Reuben formed his free jazz quartet in 2006 following 20 years as a teacher and freelance guitarist working with various touring bands. J…
05 May
Performance (Quartet) 1979 by Anthony Braxton
Saturday, 05 May 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Originally released as a 2-LP set by this Swiss record label’s first manifestation (Hat Hut), the single CD reissue should be received with open arms and ears by reedman/co…
04 May
Disco 3000 - Complete Milan Concert 1978 by Sun Ra
Friday, 04 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This nicely packaged 2-CD set signifies a 24 bit mastering job of the original tapes by legendary musician, bandleader and visionary Sun Ra, performing at a Milan, Italy…
04 May
The Magic Door by Michael Marcus
Friday, 04 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This outing, featuring an alternating lineup was recorded in New York City by multi-reed ace Michael Marcus who performs solely on Bb clarinet. And other than a string o…
02 May
Draw Breath by Nels Cline Singers The
Wednesday, 02 May 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
He's in Rolling Stone, you saw him on Letterman, you hear him in a Volkswagen ad... thanks to his work with Wilco, Nels Cline is everywhere. It's a far cry from the tiny gi…
27 Apr
Winter in New York - 2006 by Joelle Leandre & Kevin Norton
Friday, 27 April 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Enhanced by a pristine live recorded sound, these eminent improvisers dig deep while devising a multitude of ways to keep matters interesting and irrefutably entertainin…
23 Apr
Tolminski Punt by Zlatko Kaucic
Monday, 23 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Tolminski Punt by leader Zlatko Kaucic an avante garde master drummer and percussionist sets a tone of insurrection. Through the use of various sounds, effects from …
20 Apr
Corn Meal Dance by William Parker/ Raining on the Moon
Friday, 20 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
A corner of the music world where female jazz vocalists congregate often is an intimate club setting. The jazz standard is standard fare. Uprooting jazz standards necess…
11 Apr
First Steps by Zack Lipton
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Zack Lipton Quintet’s debut album First Steps on Point14 Records, a label which he founded, contains ten tracks of avant-garde/free jazz music. Like many avant-ja…
10 Apr
The Chaotic World We Live In by Eric Vaughn
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
When listening to Seattle pianist Eric Vaughn, you begin to think there is something familiar about his approach. Then you realize the depth of his knowledge of the grea…
08 Apr
Uncrying Sky by Stefano Pastor Giancarlo Schiaffini Giorgio Dini Davian
Sunday, 08 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This is an avant-garde tribute driven by shifting choruses and patterns; an out and poignant opera composed and inspired by poems written by Stefano Pastor. On the finge…
07 Apr
Trio by The Fonda/Stevens Group
Saturday, 07 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Recorded live in Poland and for a Polish jazz record label, this is a passionate set by one of the great (and slightly under-recognized) modern jazz outfits in the busin…
04 Apr
Look What I Found by Tom Baker Quintet
Wednesday, 04 April 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
On Look What I Found, Seattle denizen Tom Baker and his quartet play an edgy, risk-taking, diverse sort of modern jazz that is informed by various types of avan…
28 Mar
Fundamental Destiny: Live at the Frankfurt, Germany Jazz Festival with Don Pullen by Art Ensemble of Chicago
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Rahsaan Clark C. Morris has been a doughty shepherd in his Hyde Park community on the South Side of Chicago since 1993. He’s a progressive, grass-roots motivator who’s quic…
18 Mar
Imagination by Yoon Sun Choi and Jacob Sacks
Sunday, 18 March 2007
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Vocalist Yoon Sun Choi and pianist Jacob Sacks profess a kind of swash exuberance and swing on Imagination. More importantly though, the duo shines with Joe Rapos…
18 Mar
The Sonic Temple by Jerry Granelli & V16
Sunday, 18 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Jerry Granelli is an enigma. He is the drummer on the famous A Charlie Brown Christmas CD by Vince Guaraldi and has recorded with many traditional jazz artists.…
17 Mar
Diablo En Musica by Herb Robertson Rich Messbauer Tom Sayek
Saturday, 17 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Herb Robertson, Rich Messbauer and Tom Sayek’s release, Diablo En Musica, emerges into the spectrum of great avant-garde jazz musical inputs. It defies harsh ca…
14 Mar
Above & Beyond: An Evening In Grand Rapids by Billy Bang
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
This recording, the last time visionary violinist Billy Bang and free-jazz tenor saxophone explorer Frank Lowe would record together, is a stunning document of the excit…
13 Mar
Another Rain by Saco Yasuma
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Currently based in New York, saxophonist and composer Saco Yasuma was born and raised in Japan. Active as a keyboard player in rock and funk bands in Japan, she moved to…
11 Mar
Heart Mountain by Myra Melford and Tanya Kalmanovitch
Sunday, 11 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
In the same way avant-garde classical composers have had to explain their music is part of the continuing lineage in the historical movement of their art, notice how man…
07 Mar
Aktivavoco by Edge City Collective
Wednesday, 07 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Edge City Collective is a coalition of like-minded creative musicians who seem determined to defy musical categorization. On Aktivavoco, The final installment in …
05 Mar
Oval by Sten Sandell Trio
Monday, 05 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Taken from a performance at the Taktlos Festival, Rote Fabrik, Zurich, Switzerland, June 4th 2005, Oval is comprised of four tracks of free-flowing improvisation …
03 Mar
The Soul in the Mist by Andrea Centazzo Perry Robinson Nobu Stowe
Saturday, 03 March 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
Every now and then a recording comes out which renews the realization of how richly creative improvised music can be. What is intriguing is the idea of the well of intro…
27 Feb
Cycles by Erika Dagnino and Stefano Pastor
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Published in
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Italian violinist Stefano Pastor is banging our souls again with a delightful new release in which spirituality, poetry and mastery are intermingled. The four tracks are…
26 Feb
Big Giant Head by Random Access
Monday, 26 February 2007
Published in
Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews
From the opening of Random Access’ latest release Big Giant Head, a drowsy Bohemian aura is emanated from the bars of bass pluckings on "Birthday Cakes And Lawyer…