JAZZ Discussion

[walt]

I know the focus of this thread is on jazz in the present era,but i feel strongly that this music should be brought to the attention of jazz lovers(those who aren't already hip to Krzysztof Komeda).

Krzysztof Komeda was a Polish jazz pianist/composer who led some interesting ensembles in the mid 60's in Poland.This particular session kinda knocked me out a couple of years ago when someone hipped me to it.The record is titled Astigmatic,recorded in Warsaw in 1965.Personnel is Krzysztof Komeda-piano,Tomasz Stanko-trumpet,Zbigniew Namyslowski-alto sax,Gunter Lenz-bass, Rune Carlson-drums.It's more than clear from this(and other) sessions that forward looking,hip music was being played and recorded in Poland in the mid 60s.Music that could hold its own with anything being made on either side of the Atlantic.This is the title track from Astigmatic.The cd is available.Enjoy.

[Poisoned Youth]

Ok I'm in, not wanting to derail the thread straight away but based on rule one are we ok talking Fusion as that tends to be a lot of what I buy these days.

Sure! Post what you want. I just want to avoid label arguments.

Cecil Taylor was(is) a tough listen for me.The first record i truly dug,after trying and failing to like a few Cecil Taylor records my friend tossed my way many years ago, was Dark To Themselves, a live session on Enja from 1976.This record sounded very together, to me,with a narrative flow that i found(and still find) more welcoming to my ears than quite a few other CT recordings.

This was the Cecil recording that warmed me to him as well. It's one of the few I have left in my collection as my love affair with free-jazz waned after I got in a little too deep. If you've never heard it, I would jump on "Air" next.

I have enjoyed French flute player Magic Malik's work, especially his Short Cuts cd,from 2011.Here's a track from Short Cuts.

I'm a big fan of Malik and first heard of him when he appeared on albums from certain Belgian groups like Octurn. My favorites are probably XP2 and Saoule. Here are a few tracks:





That XP21 track is killer!

As a few people like Hugues can attest, I have a large Belgian/French modern jazz selection and it's one of my favorite regions because some artists tend to mix in avant-garde elements with a healthy dose of what's referred to as "M-Base" (Steve Coleman's philosophy). In fact, this Malik album is on the label that Coleman was on at the time (French label 'Label Bleu") and he appears on the album.

I get the feeling that if there were ever a gateway for Ian (Nogbad) could lose significant cash, it would be by exploring this scene.

I just got Michael Formanek's Small Places, from a recommendation from PE or NPR, I'm not sure.

Excellent. Formanek has been somewhat hit/miss for me, but his last two releases have all been very good to great, imo.

The only new release I've picked up recently is John Hollenbeck's Songs I Like A Lot, which I like a lot!

Yeah, I'm a huge Hollenbeck/Claudia fan. Not every album has clicked with me, though I think he may have peaked with "Joys & Desires" with the Jazz BigBand Graz.

Speaking of bass players, have you or Jerol followed Drew Gress' work (bass player in Claudia)? His last few albums are fantastic - 7 Black Butterflies and Irrational Numbers.

[NogbadTheBad]

As a few people like Hugues can attest, I have a large Belgian/French modern jazz selection and it's one of my favorite regions because some artists tend to mix in avant-garde elements with a healthy dose of what's referred to as "M-Base" (Steve Coleman's philosophy). In fact, this Malik album is on the label that Coleman was on at the time (French label 'Label Bleu") and he appears on the album.

I get the feeling that if there were ever a gateway for Ian (Nogbad) could lose significant cash, it would be by exploring this scene.

Oh Man, you can't leave me hanging like that, I need some names & cd's to check out!!

[Poisoned Youth]

Thanks for the Fight the Big Bull Clip. I'll have to put that on my list. I was a big fan of Bernstein's "Diaspora Suite" back in 2008. I should pull that one out.

[video=youtube;HPDFhZbutkU]Steve Lehman is my current fave alto player, exemplary of an "anti-swing"/"up-against-the-time" rhythmic conception common to a lot of the younger cats these days:

Lehman is hit/miss for me, but I agree he has a compelling sound which draws me back in and really thought he shined in the Octet format.

Guitarist Joel Harrison: beyond being a fine guitarist, he's a terrific conceptualist, whether writing arrangements of Paul Motian music for a string quintet with two guitars, violin, viola and cello, or larger, more rhythmically driving ensemble works for sextet and septet. A few favorites? The Music of Paul Motian (Sunnyside, 2011), Harbor (HighNote, 2007) and Search (Sunnyside, 2011).

Good call on Harrison. I actually became familiar with him from his work on Vinny Golia's 9 Winds label. My favorites are Urban Myths and Harbor.

2. John Abercrombie - Arcade (1979), Abercrombie Quartet (1980) and M (1981), three ECM recordings that, barring a brief, limited edition Japanese CD of Arcade, have yet to see CD issue. Until now.

This is great news! I am fortunate enough to have the Arcade CD, but these Abercrombie albums were at the top of my reissue wish list for ECM. After these come out, that'll move DeJohnette's Directions and the two Liebman albums to the top.

This latest album by Jonathan Zwartz is lovely. His previous one, The Sea, got a lot of well-deserved attention, but for me it was a little too Miles Davis influenced to be a total success. The new one, however, has the ghost of the Great Charles Mingus in it's digital grooves - and that's always a good thing:

Good call. Some of that material has that back alley feel.

I know the focus of this thread is on jazz in the present era,but i feel strongly that this music should be brought to the attention of jazz lovers(those who aren't already hip to Krzystof Komeda).

Feel free. I only started the discussion with the vibe talking about today because of the relative lack of attention it receives. I apologize if I gave a different impression.

[wideopenears]

Walt (and everyone)--re Komeda, I saw Namyslowski and his band in the mid 80's--they came to my school. Played to an audience of about 10. Great stuff.

BTW, speaking of "history," I have been spending time with the latest "Miles Bootleg" release--the Last Coltrane Tour box. Coltrane is my favorite musician ever, but this documents how he was heading in a far different direction than Miles at this time.....it's almost painful at times, sounding like he's trying to get out of a cage. Personally, the second Quintet is my favorite Miles period, and my favorite band ever (well, maybe tied with Weather Report) because they were experimenting with group improvisation and dialogue, as well as with forms and stretching time, etc. and the results are almost always incredible. During the Coltrane period with Miles, especially near the end, it sounds more like your traditional "soloist" against rhythm section approach, mostly, and Miles and John are a huge study in contrasts. The Classic Coltrane Quartet is huge with me, but it's pretty obvious why it needed to happen, listening to this document.

[StarThrower]

Walt (and everyone)--re Komeda, I saw Namyslowski and his band in the mid 80's--they came to my school. Played to an audience of about 10. Great stuff.

Cool! I have that Winobranie album from '73 on CD. One of the best sounding Polish jazz releases I've ever heard.

[Monet]

This is an excellent jazz-fusion archival release. The NDIO was the result of a collaboration between Dutch saxophonist Frank van der Kooij and English bassist Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine). Frank formed the NDIO (short of New Dutch Improvisation Orchestra) for concerts on the Dutch jazz scene. Sadly, this 24-year long collaboration ended abruptly with Hugh's passing in 2009.
The band line-up on this album is: Frank van der Kooij on tenor & soprano sax and bass clarinet, Hugh Hopper on bass, Kim Weemhoff on drums, Paul Maassen on synthesizer & piano, Robert Jarvis on trombone, Niels Brouwer on guitar and Henk de Laat on double bass on "The City".
All compositions by Frank van der Kooij, except "Big Bombay" by Hugh Hopper, and "Ravel" by Hopper and Frank Van der Kooij, as "Zenith" also contains a previously un-released 14-minute long track called "Ravel".
Otherwise there is lively jazz-fusion on "Zenith", virtuoso solos and 'cosmic' sections, in which the participants play complex music, cheerfully alternate. What is offered here is delicate and playful, but so thrilling and varied at the same time. If you don't know NDIO yet and want to broaden your jazz-fusion horizons, you can grab this double-LP. "Zenith" is also available on CD.

[TCC]

This is an excellent jazz-fusion archival release. The NDIO was the result of a collaboration between Dutch saxophonist Frank van der Kooij and English bassist Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine). Frank formed the NDIO (short of New Dutch Improvisation Orchestra) for concerts on the Dutch jazz scene. Sadly, this 24-year long collaboration ended abruptly with Hugh's passing in 2009.
The band line-up on this album is: Frank van der Kooij on tenor & soprano sax and bass clarinet, Hugh Hopper on bass, Kim Weemhoff on drums, Paul Maassen on synthesizer & piano, Robert Jarvis on trombone, Niels Brouwer on guitar and Henk de Laat on double bass on "The City".
All compositions by Frank van der Kooij, except "Big Bombay" by Hugh Hopper, and "Ravel" by Hopper and Frank Van der Kooij, as "Zenith" also contains a previously un-released 14-minute long track called "Ravel".
Otherwise there is lively jazz-fusion on "Zenith", virtuoso solos and 'cosmic' sections, in which the participants play complex music, cheerfully alternate. What is offered here is delicate and playful, but so thrilling and varied at the same time. If you don't know NDIO yet and want to broaden your jazz-fusion horizons, you can grab this double-LP. "Zenith" is also available on CD.

Thanks for the H.U.! Monet, I have "Airback" and is a winner in my collection !

[Monet]

"Sketchbook" is an album of the Venetian saxophonist & composer Nagual, alias Giovanni Ancorato. The music delivered here is a fusion of various styles and faraway ethnic traditions. The quintet's music goes steady enough to manage any atmosphere and mood with ease, as well as capable of evoking distant landscapes and invoking the spiritual worlds of ancient cultures. This quite pleasant and elegant album is released on Italian label Caligola Records, and it's available on CD.

[Monet]

I have no doubt that many of you already know the French guitarist Jean Lapouge as the founder and leader of Noëtra, all-instrumental French band that in the late 70s had played an eclectic mixture of jazz, rock and chamber music à la Stravinski and Debussy. Unfortunately, in the early 80s they had failed to make a deal with Manfred Eicher's ECM and ended up dissolving in 1985. But in the early 90s, Musea Records had gathered the archival material that had been recorded between 1979 and 1981, and released a CD titled "Neufs songes" (1992) and solo album by Lapouge, "Hauts plateaux" (1993). Since then, Lapouge had released several albums.
However, with his new CD called "Quadrilogie", now as a trio (along with Christian Pabœuf on vibraphone & oboe, and his son Nicolas Lapouge on electric bass), Jean Lapouge has achieved his chef d'oeuvre in third stream jazz, which offers elegiac soundscapes of the highest perfection.
The romantic character of the compositions unfolds a moving intensity in all its inconspicuousness. A delicate elegance pervades the album and Jean Lapouge's guitar hovers over the varied euphoria. The mood varies between moving melancholy and positive happiness, although the elegiac moments are predominate. This music is catching the ear, perfect, dignified, contemplative, floating, dreamily, sonorous and melodious.
Perfectly incorporated romanticism round off the whole thing and contribute to an absolutely timeless piece of music.

[Monet]

This is not a full-length album, this is a 5-track EP, but an absolutely brilliant one; jazz-fusion at its best. This young Quebec bassist and his band mates play pure jazz-fusion and nothing but fusion. And damn good.
It has a dash of a "mainstream" - and that is not meant in a derogatory way. On the contrary, it's very well thought-out, with quite complex arrangements that still "run into" well. In addition a very good and fat sound that gives the groove in the album a real kick. That makes Carl Mayotte's "Pop de Ville Vol. 1" (I can't wait for Vol.2!) a great album for people who would love to lean back, close their eyes and just enjoying extremely pleasant fusion. Highly recommended for the fans of Weather Report from their Heavy Weather era.

[Monet]

The drummer & keyboardist Srdjan Ivanović brings out a lot of inventiveness for his band, the Blazin' Quartet, from his native Balkans. Ivanović told us about the Balkans as a place where the east musically meets the west and then best communicate through the colorfulness of jazz. His most recent album called "Sleeping Beauty" perfectly transfers these melodic impacts from the Balkans as well as the utterly European atmosphere that his band's members from France and Italy contributed to the music. Thus, this CD is much closer to the ECM aesthetics from the best days of that label than to the "classic" world-fusion from the Balkans. The great tracks on this CD, for example "The Man with the Harmonica", warm up while the whole band plays with movement and energy. Really, if you love the atmosphere of the late seventies ECM records, this MoonJune release is for you.