Affichage des articles dont le libellé est 2010's. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est 2010's. Afficher tous les articles

vendredi 11 mars 2011

Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul Lytton - Nightwork


EVAN PARKER / BARRY GUY / PAUL LYTTON - Nightwork (Futura & Marge, 2010)

Evan Parker: soprano & tenor saxophones
Barry Guy: double bass
Paul Lytton: drums & percussion

01-Cohobation
02-Cupellation

No introduction and presentation are needed. Here's just the last CD by the English classic Parker/Guy/Lytton trio.

HERE

jeudi 10 mars 2011

Otomo Yoshihide, Axel Dörner, Sachiko M, Martin Brandlmayr - Allurements Of The Ellipsoid


Otomo Yoshihide, Axel Dörner, Sachiko M, Martin Brandlmayr - Allurements Of The Ellipsoid (NEOS Music, 2010)

Otomo Yoshihide: turntable, guitar, electronics
Axel Dörner: trumpet
Sachiko M: sinewaves
Martin Brandlmayr: drums

Ce quartet, c'est avant tout la rencontre internationale (Japon, Allemagne et Autriche) de quelques uns des plus grands représentants des scènes minimalistes et réductionnistes. Mais aucun ne s'est enfermé dans cette esthétique, Brandlmayr peut aussi bien jouer de la noise-rock (avec Radian), quant à Dörner, il a accompagné Schlippenbach dans son entreprise de réinterprétation des standards de Monk, tandis que Yoshihide et Sachiko naviguent entre toutes les avant-gardes ou s'amusent aussi à réinterpréter des classiques du jazz (Lonely Woman, Bells, Out To Lunch).

Les quatre "allurements" proposées ici se situent dans la lignée de l'esthétique dite réductionniste, aucun doute. Cependant, le Quartet de Yoshihide évite avec virtuosité l'ennui et les clichés: ce qui n'est pas donné à tout le monde dans le domaine expérimental... La première pièce est totalement abstraite et froide, c'est une sorte de sculpture du silence, où chaque intervention prend des allures d'épiphanie, à condition d'accepter le voyage et de rester attentif. Un jeu très pointilliste, savamment calculé et d'une précision chirurgicale, voilà quelques uns des ingrédients qui donnent tant de force à chaque son qui émerge du silence où de l'espace accordé par chacun. Puis le temps se rétracte et l'écoute se facilite dans une deuxième pièce plus courte qui nous offre plus de repères: quelques pulsations, parfois même des phrases mélodiques, des motifs rythmiques répétés de manière sporadique, la trompette de Dörner qui se maintient dans un même registre (presque mélancolique). Et enfin vient le second disque, qui est vraiment la partie la plus réussie à mon avis. Ce n'est pas que la gestion du silence et de l'espace soit une solution de facilité, mais je suis beaucoup plus touché par le relief de ces deux dernières parties. Fondamentalement, le langage n'a pas changé, c'est plutôt le temps qui s'est encore rétracté: le discours devient plus violent, plus virulent, il y a parfois une sorte d'urgence qui contraste complètement avec la sérénité du premier disque. Et c'est à partir de là que nous sortons des clichés. L'énergie du rock comme de la noise apparaissent, l'intelligence de la musique savante pointe, la virtuosité des techniques étendues propres au réductionnisme est conservée mais mise au service de la créativité des idiomes l'improvisation libre. La construction devient plus collective, le son en tant que tel perd de son autonomie au profit d'une plus grande personnalisation, mais aussi au profit d'une création plus communautaire où l'on tend plus vers un son intersubjectif, où l'on se construit par rapport à l'autre tout en conservant sa singularité. 

Ces enregistrements peuvent comporter quelques longueurs dès que l'on se déconcentre, l'attention de l'auditeur est constamment nécessaire, ou alors on tombe facilement dans un ennui mortel. Mais dès que l'on accepte de jouer le jeu, on entre dans une musique riche, contrastée, et créative; une musique qui a l'intelligence de savoir organiser un matériau sonore peut-être déjà connu, déjà entendu, mais pas de cette manière. L'agencement, la configuration et la réunion de ces matériaux est frais, original et - je le répète - particulièrement riche. Hautement recommandé.(from ImprovSphere)

DISC 1  & DISC 2

mercredi 2 mars 2011

Ecstatic Music Of The Jemaa El Fna


VA - Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna (Sublime Frequencies, 2010)

01-Amal Saha  -  Daouini 
02-Troupe Majidi  -  Essiniya 
03-Mustapha Mahjoub  -  Tal Raibak Arzali 
04-Troupe Majidi  -  Khoudrini 
05-Amal Saha  -  Sabra And Shatilla 
06-Troupe Majidi  -  Khlili 
07-Amal Saha  -  Lahmami 
08-Troupe Majidi  -  Rsami 
09-Troupe Majidi  -  Afriquiya  
 Recorded by Hisham Mayet

For centuries, the Jemaa El Fna (Rendezvous of the Dead) has remained the stage for one of the most spectacular social forums on the planet. By day, this central square in the city of Marrakesh, one of Morocco's great imperial cities, fosters a kaleidoscope of entertainment for its local inhabitants; storytellers, acrobats, magicians and snake charmers all create intriguing displays of bewitching spectacle. As the sun sets, the evening grows frantic with the pulse of the crowd; it is then that the night musicians set up. Free from the restrictions and expectations of light entertainment for a tourist crowd, these musicians manifest ecstatic performances that animate the audience and players alike. The groups represented on this album; Troupe Majidi, Amal Saha, and Mustapha Mahjoub, are working and carrying the torch of their musical heroes nightly in the square. These songs come from the repertoire of Morocco's greatest musical exports: Nass El Ghiwane, Lemchaheb, Jil Jilala, Larssad and many others from the Chaabi (Moroccan popular music) canon and are given a raw, emotional and fiery interpretation. Instruments are powered by car batteries and blown out through megaphone speakers. These recordings represent a rare opportunity to hear this music at such close proximity taking in all the power and passion of the performances. The raw fidelity captures an unflinching immersion of what is simply some of the greatest street music on earth.

HERE
Many thanks to miskov from exp etc 

lundi 28 février 2011

Ray Brassier, Jean-Luc Guionnet, Seijiro Murayama, Mattin - Idioms and Idiots


RAY BRASSIER, JEAN-LUC GUIONNET, SEIJIRO MURAYAMA, MATTIN - Idioms and Idiots (w.m.o/r, 2010)

Ray Brassier: guitar
Jean-Luc Guionnet: saxophone
Seijiro Murayama: drums, vocals
Mattin: electronics

A .flac version can be found on the Mattin website
the 36-pages booklet (in english) is included is the .zip uploaded here
A new approach of the music, with a non-musician (Ray Brassier, a philosopher), an interesting relexion about improvisation, the interactions between performers and auditors, and the form of the concerts with his limits and his borders. I'm not sure about the instruments/tools used in this concert.


HERE

lundi 21 février 2011

Marc Robot - Une route (2011)


Hypnotic ambiant spiritual meditation of the sens of everything.
Listen when you read contemplation science fiction.
Review me.
Artwork by Jol.

Here

vendredi 11 février 2011

Emergency! - Live In Copenhagen


EMERGENCY! - Live In Copenhagen (Jvtlandt, 2010)

Otomo Yoshihide: guitar
Ryoichi Saito: guitar
Hiroaki Mizutani: bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums

01. Re-Baptizum (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki)
02. Sing Sing Sing (Louis Prima)
03. Fables of Faubus (Charles Mingus)
04. The Inflated Tear (Rahsaan Roland Kirk)

HERE

mardi 8 février 2011

Tomas Korber & Gert-Jan Prins - RI 1.5442


TOMAS KORBER & GERT-JAN PRINS - RI 1.5442 (Cavity, 2010)

Tomas Korber: guitar, electronics
Gert-Jan Prins: electronics

1. RI 1.5442

HERE

vendredi 4 février 2011

Eric Cordier & Seijiro Murayama - Nuit


ERIC CORDIER & SEIJIRO MURAYAMA - Nuit (HerbalInternational, 2010)

Seijiro Murayama: percussion, voice, etc.
Eric Cordier: field recordings, various actions

En principe, je n'ai rien contre l'électronique, sauf les field recordings... L'aspect figuratif des enregistrements concrets enlève beaucoup de l'impact et du potentiel propre à chaque son, à mon sens, ça en dit trop sur la musique et ça entrave le travail le l'auditeur en quelque sorte, puisque le potentiel absent de ces textures sonores, c'est la possibilité d'association d'idées et d'affects remplacés par un référent déjà donné qui nous empêche de donner du sens à ce que l'on écoute.
Abstraction faite de ce ressentiment envers la musique concrète (ou les fields recordings comme on dit maintenant mais je vois pas la différence), il n'en reste pas moins que ce disque a quelque chose (mais peut-être que je ressens ça seulement à cause de mon admiration pour ce spécialiste de la caissse claire et ce virtuose de la vielle à roue...). Bon déjà, j'imagine que le but était de retranscrire musicalement la nuit, et en l'occurence, on peut dire que ce but est atteint. Tout y passe: l'ambiance nocturne naturelle à travers des crissements et des insectes, aussi bien que la nuit urbaine à travers cette ambiance sombre, lente et tendue rendue par le frottement de divers objets et percussions ainsi que des enregistrements d'annonces ferroviaires ou publicitaires.
Mais le meilleur ne réside pas ici je trouve, ce qu'il y a de surprenant dans ce disque est l'agencement des différentes strates sonores qui s'opposent ou s'interpénètrent selon les moments. Chaque son est traité comme un objet avec ses singularités, puis il est manipulé et associé à un autre objet sonore pour enfin créer une texture: et c'est bien l'agencement de ces différentes textures en strates (ce qu'on compare habituellement à l'architecture) qui fait la force et l'attrait de ce disque. Car, abstraction faite de leurs référents, ces nappes sonores, de par leur timbre, ne ressemble à rien de connu (musicalement); et c'est alors que, de ce magma sonore, peut émerger le génie de Cordier (Enkidu, Suture, Pheremone) et Murayama (K.K. Null, Suture, Lo). Tous les deux résident en France, et ils ont plusieurs fois collaboré ensemble (notamment sur le magnifique Suture), mais on ne peut pas dire qu'ils sont des stars ici: et pour cause, tous deux sont ancrés dans une culture expérimentale radicale et extrême (cf. les deux solos de Murayama pour caisse claire et cymbale, un seul paramètre: le timbre). Mais ils ont beau être radicaux et extrêmes, je ne dirais pas non plus qu'ils tombent dans le formalisme ou l'autosuffisance, quand ils enregistrent, c'est pour communiquer quelque chose, et ça s'adresse à des gens, ils ne font pas exprès d'être incompris pour se lamenter d'être incompris. La musique de Cordier et Murayama, qu'elle soit électronique ou acoustique, est bien une part d'eux-mêmes qu'ils souhaitent partager à un maximum de gens mais sans faire de compromis.
La démarche est radicale, l'écoute est dure et demande beaucoup d'attention, mais le jeu en vaut la chandelle. Il y a plein de trucs à ressentir et à penser à travers cette écoute, le son du duo est vraiment remarquable par sa singularité et son "authenticité", et l'agencement organique des strates sonores est digne d'un Berio, d'un Ligeti ou d'un Penderecki (même si ça n'a rien à voir...).
Recommandé! (from ImprovSphere)

FLAC1 / FLAC2
If you love it, buy it

lundi 24 janvier 2011

Joe Morris & Nate Wooley - Tooth And Nail


JOE MORRIS & NATE WOOLEY - Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed, 2010)

Joe Morris: acoustic guitar
Nate Wooley: trumpet

1. Metronorth
2. Gigantica
3. Steelhead
4. Noble Reasoning
5. Forrest Grove
6. Barberchaired
7. Hook In Cheek
8. A Terrific Snag

For me Joe Morris is a slightly new discovery. I don't own any of his material as leader. I mainly have a couple of records he's been on with Ken Vandermark--most notably a DKV Trio recording from 1998 entitled Deep Telling (Okkadisk). Nate Wooley, I was aware of through some his work with avant garde drummer Tyshawn Sorey.

So when I found this new duo recording with Nate Wooley, Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed), I decided to give it go. Knowing that Morris is an excellent guitarist and his oblique way of playing was something that I also thought was interesting and inventive; this album is probably going to very excited. And it is.

Tooth And Nail is an improvised and technically brilliant work. There a very sparse passages throughout with Morris delicately picking in far reaching angularity. Nate Wooley's creates some interesting soundscapes that seem like combinations of Arve Henriksen and Enrico Rava. There are some very interesting exchanges on "Gigantica" and "Steelhead" where you can hear the improvised moments but they work in such a timely fashion that it becomes a beautiful melody.

"Noble Reasoning" is another moment in which Wooley and Morris really take off. There is a simpatico that occurs towards the final few minutes of the piece that the notes come rolling fast and furious but its never overbearing or distracting. And it folds perfectly into the next piece "Forest Grove" where Morris' playing feels like cello in hands of an angry child.

The closing number "A Terrific Snag" is another scale jumping moment where Wooley's work really comes to the fore. While Joe Morris sets the parameters, Wooley is exercising some lovely and ingenious phrasing.

One of things that really attracted me to this record was the pairing of guitar (especially acoustic) and trumpet. It's rare. You usually see the regular pairing of drum and sax, sax and piano or sax and sax. Tooth And Nail felt like an anomaly. But its sounds like a well woven piece of art. It's a deep bit of storytelling but I think if you are a fan of Ken Vandermark and the Chicago and New York underground scenes you will definitely find Tooth And Nail a fascinating listen. (from JazzWrap)

HERE

vendredi 21 janvier 2011

Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Trio + - Bells


ONJT - Bells (Doubtmusic, 2010)

Otomo Yoshihide: electric guitar
Hiroaki Muzutani: bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion
+
Sachiko M: sinewaves
Jim O'Rourke: EMS Synthesizer

1. Bells (Quintet)
2. Bells (Trio)

HERE

lundi 17 janvier 2011

Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Trio + - Lonely Woman


ONJT + - Lonely Woman (Doubtmusic, 2010)

Otomo Yoshihide: electric guitar, broken acoustic guitar
Hiroaki Muzutani: bass, kalimba
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki: drums, percussion
+
Sachiko M: sinewaves
Jim O'Rourke: EMS Synthesizer

1. Lonely Woman (Quintet)
2. Lonely Woman (Guitar Solo)
3. Lonely Woman (Trio)
4. Lonely Woman (Trio)
5. Lonely Woman (Guitar Solo)
6. Lonely Woman (Quintet)

HERE

mardi 11 janvier 2011

Wadada Leo Smith & Ed Blackwell - The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer

WADADA LEO SMITH & ED BLACKWELL - The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer (Kabell, 2010)

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet, kalimba, voice
Ed Blackwell: drums

01. Uprising
02. Love
03. Seeds Of A Forgotten Flower
04. The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer
05. Mto- The Celestial River
06. Don't You Remember
07. Sellassie-I
08. Seven Arrows In The Garden Of Light
09. Buffalo People - A Blues Ritual Dance
10. Albert Ayler Is A Spiritual Light

The most magnificent moment of this year's Vision Festival was the duet between Wadada Leo Smith and Günter "Baby" Sommers, not only because of the fabulous playing and interaction of both musicians, but also because the trumpeter has made this format one of his own, delving into the possibilities and expanding them over the years. Lately his stellar "America" with Jack DeJohnette, his equally excellent "Wisdom In Time" with Günter Sommers, or his more meditative "Compassion" with Adam Rudolph.

Here we find him again in excellent company, with Ed Blackwell no less, the fabulous free jazz drummer who laid the foundations for his instrument's new role with the Ornette Coleman bands and Old & New Dreams. Like with Don Cherry on the historic "Mu", he is possibly the best partner for this kind of endeavor and also for Smith's concept of music : it is freedom while being based in African rhythms, blues and jazz. Blackwell is incredibly creative and expressive, adding little touches, shifting meters, reorganising the beats constantly, actively shaping the overall sound and melody. Just listen closely to the album's title track if you want to be convinced.

The title track also figured on the album with Jack DeJohnette as "Ed Blackwell, The Blue Mountain Sun Drummer". It's interesting to compare both performances: not only the difference in approach by both drummers - equally stunning, with DeJohnette having a lighter touch, more cymbal work, steadier in the rhythm, and Blackwell using his polyrhythmics on his toms without losing the beat, more African, but Smith's tone has also changed, become deeper, richer over the years, but interestingly his improvisational skills and his capacity of positioning the composition - of putting it right there in front of your ears as if there was no other choice for it to sound that way, despite the endless possibilities, are still there.

He plays some of the tunes from his "Kulture Jazz" album which was released on ECM in 1995: the bluesy song "Don't You Remember", "Uprising" and "Albert Ayler In A Spiritual Light". This also demonstrates how Smith nurtured his own ideas and compositions over the years and decades even.

Smith's trumpet playing is incredibly good as can be expected: he can be intimate and sensitive and bluesy, but he can be expansive, jubilant and soaring.

The performance was recorded live on October 23, 1986 at Brandeis University, Massachusetts. That's 24 years ago. The sound quality is excellent. How fantastic that we get to hear this. I hope there are still more gems in a drawer somewhere.

As usual, I can only recommend it. Highly.

Listen to this and you will feel so refreshed.

Just listen to this! (from Free Jazz)

HERE

dimanche 9 janvier 2011

Tony Malaby's Tamarindo - Tamarindo Live


Tony Malaby's Tamarindo - Tamarindo Live (Clean Feed, 2010)

Tony Malaby: tenor & soprano saxophones
William Parker: double bass
Nasheet Waits: drums
Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet

1. Buoyant Boy
2. Death Rattle
3. Hibiscus
4. Jack The Hat (with Coda)

Having a trio like the one founded by saxophonist Tony Malaby with the likes of William Parker and Nasheet Waits was enough motive to rejoy, and truth is the CD released by Clean Feed with "Tamarindo" as title caused a big wave of wonder. Now, Tamarindo comes back with a live recording where this group responsible for the most captivating creative jazz played nowadays is transformed into a quartet, by the addition of the trumpeter extraordinaire Wadada Leo Smith as special guest. Only to know it would make anyone eager to listen to what can result from such an association of incredible talents – well, if you have high expectations, here are the very good news: the music inside is even better than everything you can imagine. This is powerhouse free bop performed with the most magical collective chemistry. Finally, we can say jazz is very far from being dead or from smelling funny. It's really alive and capable of the most astonishing acomplishments. "Tony Malaby's Tamarindo Live" is a serious contender for the best jazz album of 2010 – as a metter of fact, for the best jazz album of the last decade. It’s the 200th record in the catalogue of this Portuguese label, a number representing the fulfillment of a dream. (from TheJazzLoft)

HERE

jeudi 6 janvier 2011

The Ullmann Swell 4 - News? No News!


THE ULLMANN SWELL 4 - News? No News! (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)

Gebhard Ullmann: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Steve Swell: trombone
Hilliard Greene: bass
Barry Altschul: drums

01. More Hello [05:18]
02. New York 5:50 [07:04]
03. Composite #1 [09:46]
04. Kleine Figuren #2 [05:23]
05. Planet Hopping On A Thursday Afternoon [07:03]
06. GPS #1 [05:27]
07. News? No News! [07:58]
08. GPS #2 [03:27]
09. Berlin 9:35 [07:39]
10. Airtight [10:01]

In these days of global jazz alliances, the partnership of downtown trombonist Steve Swell and German reedman Gebhard Ullmann won't raise too many eyebrows. More noteworthy is its endurance, spanning some six years since its auspicious inception with Desert Songs and Other Landscapes (CIMP, 2004). Swell is also a fixture in Ullmann's Basement Research band, another combo that shows similar staying power. News? No News!, a studio date on Berlin's Jazzwerkstatt imprint, constitutes a worthy successor to the CIMP, featuring an unchanged lineup completed by Hilliard Greene on bass and the illustrious Barry Altschul behind the drums. Democratic intent is signaled by division of writing duties with four pieces penned by each of the co-leaders along with two group improvisations rounding out a generous 69-minute program.

Both Swell and Ullmann are exciting soloists: the saxophonist's throaty tenor can barely contain his energy in the shrieks and cries adorning Swell's rumbustious shout-out, "More Hello," while his yelping bass clarinet at times recalls Eric Dolphy in its vocalized chuckle (adroitly echoed by Altschul), as on the fluent "GPS#2." A willing foil throughout, the trombonist's tender bluster and vivacious expressiveness both complement and challenge his partner.

One of the pleasures of this set is the interaction between the two horns, with an a cappella duet seeding the open debate of "Composite #1," while their clarion chorus places the cherry on top of the reedman's "Berlin." Greene's powers of propulsion and timbral variation are ably abetted by Altschul's crisp on-the-money drums in a pairing which is as tight as it is flexible. They plot the genial lope of Swell's "Planet Hopping On A Thursday Afternoon" and the urgent knotty rush of the closing "Airtight" with equal aplomb.

Such refined but not rote interplay remains one of the defining characteristics of this band and, when allied to their unpredictable charts, makes for a winning combination. Ullmann's "New York" evokes the opening of Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Impulse!, 1963) in its braying theme over two-speed bass throb and driving drums, while the confident swagger of his "Berlin" transmutes by way of involved exploration into a more wistful conclusion, reflecting the range and ingenuity of the arrangements.

Even the improvisations have satisfying structure, as with "GPS #1" where a measured group discourse of breathy harmonics and whispered asides is sandwiched between Greene's wavering arco whale song and a tolling bass and drum duet finale, confirming an early contender for those year-end best-of lists. (from AAJ)

HERE

mercredi 8 décembre 2010

Ehnahre - Taming the cannibals



Ryan McGuire - Bass, Double Bass, Vocals, Percussion (Kayo Dot)
John Carchia - Guitar, Vocals (Kayo Dot)
Ricardo Donoso - Drums

Other contributors :

Jonah Jenkins - Vocals (Only Living Witness, Raw Radar War, Milligram, Miltown)
Forbes Graham - Trumpet (Kayo Dot, XthoughtstreamsX)
Greg Kelley - Trumpet (Nmperign, Heathen Shame)
Greg Massi - Guitar (Baliset, Maudlin of the Well/Kayo Dot)
Noell Dorsey - Vocals
C. Spencer Yeh - Violin


Hey, it's written "others", no ? Ehnahre is other. Ok, metal, brutal, but other.

Here

mercredi 17 novembre 2010

Jason Ajemian's Daydream Full Lifestyles - Protest Heaven

Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone
Rob Mazurek: cornet
Jeff Parker: guitar
Chad Taylor: drums
Jason Ajemian: bass

Sure, these musicians did know each other, and they had played together, but not in this line-up, and not with this music. So they meet, they play for an hour, and the result is this incredible fourty-five minutes of freely improvised pieces of fantastic music.

The "Daydream Full Lifestyles" are Jason Ajemian on bass, Tony Malaby on tenor saxophone, Rob Mazurek on cornet, Jeff Parker on guitar, and Chad Taylor on drums. You can also consider it a somewhat altered version of the Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet, with Malaby on sax.

The music is lyrical, open-ended, unhurried and deeply sensitive. The instruments weave wonderfully floating textures of sound, with a strong inherent beauty.The big difference with the later incarnations of the Chicago Underground bands is the lack of electronic/electric experimentalism: the music here is entirely acoustic, and there are indeed moments that are pretty extreme, yet the totality of the sound is rather eclectic, integrating all that is great in the American jazz tradition: there is some blues, some bop, free jazz and more avant forms. This forms are mostly integrated into the totality of the concept, but to the band's credit, the different tracks also have a different feel and character, showing the various aspects of the same approach.

The only concept the band had was to respect each other's breathing pace : "Instead of music composed to a time signature or external clock, this is timed to each performer's internal clock. Everyone plays along to their own breath patterns. It's a chance operation. You compose music so it can fit into any overlapping of people’s breath patterns."

The result is a staggering performance by five stellar musicians. Free jazz at its best : expressive, innovative, joint creativity, instant composing, and first and foremost a great listening experience.

Don't miss it. (from FreeJazz)

2010 PROTEST HEAVEN (rapidshare/mediafire)