Anthony Braxton & Chris Dahlgren - ABCD

ANTHONY BRAXTON & CHRIS DAHLGREN - ABCD (NotTwo, 2006)

Anthony Braxton: sopranino, soprano, melodic, alto, baritone & bass saxophones, Bb clarinet
Chris Dahlgren: double bass, preparations, electronics

1. No.316 - Version A (With Falling River Musics)
2. Penumbra For Woodwind(s) & Bass(es) 4+2
3. No.316 - Version B (With Falling River Musics)
4. Penumbra For Woodwind(s) & Bass(es) 3+3
5. No.316 - Version C (With Falling River Musics)
6. Penumbra For Woodwind(s) & Bass(es) 1+1
7. No.316 - Version D (With Falling River Musics)
8. Penumbra For Woodwind(s) & Bass(es) 4+1

Pas besoin de présenter Braxton aux utilisateurs de ce site. Et ici, rien de bien nouveau - si ce n'est l'utilisation d'un saxophone en ut. Braxton, comme d'habitude, assure la transition (avec quelques années de retard...) entre Webern et le Bird. Et son triomphe est d'arriver à donner une émotion sans pareille à un matériau complètement abstrait. Mais pour cet enregistrement, il faut sans aucun doute remercier Dahlgren d'avoir contribuer à donner une vie sensible à cette matière issue du cerveau de Braxton. Car la préparation de la contrebasse comme l'introduction de pédales d'effets ainsi que l'utilisation de l'électronique enrichissent considérablement le vocabulaire des enregistrements de Braxton, l'ambiance peut alors passer de l'improvisation libre abstraite ou énergique à la (harsh) noise telle qu'on la connaissait par le duo avec Wolf Eyes. La richesse du jeu de ce merveilleux contrebassiste (du douceureux pizz à la violence de certains phrasés à l'archet), tout comme le duo avec Joe Morris, permet de redécouvrir sous un autre angle le talent de Braxton et de lui redonner une certaine forme de jeunesse, en offrant à ce dernier une nouvelle palette sur laquelle se déployer, un nouvel interlocuteur qui change le discours (si la musique est un langage...).
Dernière remarque: la moitié du disque est composé de superposition de plusieurs enregistrements, comme pouvaient le faire John Butcher ou Evan Parker dans certains de leurs albums solos. Cette technique nous offre la chance d'entendre de multiples voix qui n'en sont qu'une seule, ainsi, alors qu'apparemment la structure des morceaux est hiérarchisée et verticale, nous n'avons en réalité affaire qu'à une personne qui s'offre à nous sous de multiples couleurs tout en restant une unité identifiable. En fait, l'écclectisme apparent comme l'hétérogénéité (de timbre notamment) de ce dialogue ne sont rien d'autres que les multiples ramifications (baroques?) des deux consciences à l'origine de cette oeuvre. (from ImprovSphere)

HERE

Rudi Mahall - Quartett

RUDI MAHALL - Quartet (Jazzwerkstatt, 2007)

Rudi Mahall: bass clarinet
Johannes Bauer: trombone
Aki Takase: piano
Tony Buck: drums
1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
5. V

HERE

REUPLOAD

Following the Vjatscheslav's requests, I've reuploaded some albums :

Daunik Lazro & Phil Minton - ALIVE AT SONORITES

Evan Parker (with Birds) - FOR STEVE LACY


Bertrand Gauguet, Franz Hautzinger, Thomas Lehn - CLOSE UP

Anthony Braxton & Joe Morris - Four Improvisations (Duo) 2007

ANTHONY BRAXTON & JOE MORRIS - Four Improvisations (Duo) 2007 (Clean Feed, 2008)

Anthony Braxton: reeds
Joe Morris: guitars

1. Improvisation 1
2. Improvisation 2
3. Improvisation 3
4. Improvisation 4

Oui c'est long 4 heures, surtout quand ce n'est divisé qu'en 4 parties, mais là ça en vaut vraiment le coup. Finies les structures abstraites propres à Braxton, et toutes ses compositions pseudo ontophénoménologiques ou je sais pas quoi. Ici, comme dans les années 70, ça vient des tripes et c'est tout, l'espace éthéré des compositions est resseré dans une voix purement corporelle et sensitive.
Et Joe Morris dans tout ça, c'est le contrepoids idéal au phrasé free jazz post-bop avec ses rythmiques parfois entêtantes (Impro IV notamment) et quelques techniques étendues sur guitare acoustique. On l'avait déjà entendu avec Nate Wooley, Morris est le collègue parfait pour les duos, son timbre fait surgir une texture homogène quoique qu'il se passe durant les improvisations. On reconnaît Braxton entre 1000 saxophonistes, tout comme Evan Parker, mais la préssence de Morris approfondit nettement le discours dont Braxton ne s'éloigne pas depuis 40 ans maintenant. Il en ressort une jeunesse, une fraicheur et une vitalité qui tendait à disparaître des enregistrements récents du chicagoan. (from ImprovSphere)

CD1 / CD2 /CD3 / CD4

Noah Howard - The Black Ark

NOAH HOWARD - The Black Ark (Freedom, 1969)

Noah Howard: alto saxophone
Arthur Doyle: tenor saxophone
Earl Cross: trumpet
Leslie Waldron: piano
Norris Jones (Sirone): bass
Juma (Juma Sultan): congas
Mohammed Ali: drums

1. Domiabra
2. Ole Negro
3. Mount Fuji
4. Queen Anne

Noah Howard's 1969 album The Black Ark has, in an unintended way, lived up to its name in recent years. It has become, to free jazz obsessives, a sort of Ark of the Covenant, a fabled and much sought after grail and jazz message boards lit up when it was announced that the British label Bo'Weavil would be putting the album out on CD.

Recent years have also shown a renewed interest in Howard's career, with new recordings on CIMP, Cadence, Ayler and Boxholder and an important reissue on Eremite pairing his 1971 album Patterns (by a sextet that included Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg) with an unreleased 18-minute track from 1979 called "Message to South Africa" (with Johnny Dyani, Kali Fasteau, Noel McGee and Chris McGregor), recorded for Mercury in France but unissued because of its perceived militancy.

The Black Ark was Howard's third record as a leader. Released by Polydor after two ESP titles, it should have been his breakthrough. Instead it broke him. Unhappy with the lack of support for free jazz in the states, within three years he had left for Paris, eventually moving again to Belgium where he still lives. Record labels at the time were scrambling to figure out what was going on in jazz as well as rock and many worthy albums didn't get the proper promotion and distribution and were lost in the shuffle.

But The Black Ark was one that should have risen to the top. It is, in a sense, the missing link between Albert Ayler and Archie Shepp. Simple yet insistent melodies scream through the twin saxophones of Howard and, on his recording debut, Arthur Doyle before breaking down into strident, freeform marches. Like Ayler and Shepp, Howard here favors tunes that feel like work songs, or even nursery rhymes. With a third horn (Earl Cross on trumpet), the front line flies over the rumbling rhythms of Leslie Waldron (piano), Norris Sirone Jones (bass), Mohammed Ali (drums) and Juma (conga). Compared to the mountains of recordings released in today's market, the discography of revolutionary (politically and musically) jazz from the late '60s is rather small and it's fantastic to hear another piece of the picture. (from AAJ)

HERE

The Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - White Light/White Heat (Verve, 1968)

Lou Reed: vocal, guitar, piano
John Cale: vocal, electric viola, organ, bass guitar
Sterling Morrison: vocal, guitar, bass guitar
Maureen Tucker: percussion

1. White Light/White Heat
2. The Gift
3. Lady Godiva's Operation
4. Here She Comes Now
5. I Heard Her Call My Name
6. Sister Ray

The world of pop music was hardly ready for The Velvet Underground's first album when it appeared in the spring of 1967, but while The Velvet Underground and Nico sounded like an open challenge to conventional notions of what rock music could sound like (or what it could discuss), 1968's White Light/White Heat was a no-holds-barred frontal assault on cultural and aesthetic propriety. Recorded without the input of either Nico or Andy Warhol, White Light/White Heat was the purest and rawest document of the key Velvets lineup of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, capturing the group at their toughest and most abrasive. The album opens with an open and enthusiastic endorsement of amphetamines (startling even from this group of noted drug enthusiasts), and side one continues with an amusing shaggy-dog story set to a slab of lurching mutant R&B ("The Gift"), a perverse variation on an old folktale ("Lady Godiva's Operation"), and the album's sole "pretty" song, the mildly disquieting "Here She Comes Now." While side one was a good bit darker in tone than the Velvets' first album, side two was where they truly threw down the gauntlet with the manic, free-jazz implosion of "I Heard Her Call My Name" (featuring Reed's guitar work at its most gloriously fractured), and the epic noise jam "Sister Ray," 17 minutes of sex, drugs, violence, and other non-wholesome fun with the loudest rock group in the history of Western Civilization as the house band. White Light/White Heat is easily the least accessible of The Velvet Underground's studio albums, but anyone wanting to hear their guitar-mauling tribal frenzy straight with no chaser will love it, and those benighted souls who think of the Velvets as some sort of folk-rock band are advised to crank their stereo up to ten and give side two a spin. (from AMG)

HERE

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

Daunik Lazro - Sweet Zee

DAUNIK LAZRO - Sweet Zee (HatArt, 1985)

Daunik Lazro: alto saxophone (1,2,3,4)
Toshinori Kondo: trumpet, voice (1,2)
Tristan Honsinger: cello, voice (1,2)
Jean-Jacques Avenel: bass (1,2)
Raymond Boni: guitar (3)
Carlos Zingaro: violin (3)
George Lewis: trombone (4)
Joëlle Léandre: bass, voice (4)

1. Sweet Zee I
2. Sweet Zee II
3. Empire
4. Enfances

Part 1
Part 2

You also can check the .flac version on inconstant sol

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

Whit Dickey Quartet - Coalescence

WHIT DICKEY QUARTET - Coalescence (Clean Feed, 2004)

Whit Dickey: drums
Roy Campbell: trumpet
Rob Brown: alto saxophone & flute
Joe Morris: bass

1. Mojo Rising
2. Coalescence 1
3. Steam
4. Coalescence 2

Whether journeymen or singular voices on their instrument, drummer-leaders are often afforded a unique opportunity for "stepping out." Sunny Murray was the percussionist who one thought might just disappear behind Ayler and Cecil in the '60s, yet as a leader he exemplified a relentless sonic force both instrumentally and compositionally. Ronnie Scott gave Tony Oxley his first sideman recordings, but it was not long after that his extraordinarily vanguard ensemble concepts and altered percussive technique graced his sides as a leader-something that the British jazz cognoscenti probably didn't know what to make of. Whit Dickey, heir to Murray and Rashied Ali, propulsion for David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp in the '90s, and a formidable bandleader in his own right, is one of the percussionists to fill the shoes of such heavy company.

On Coalescence, Dickey's third album as a leader (the first was recorded six years ago for AUM Fidelity), the percussionist is joined by altoist/flutist Rob Brown, who also contributed to that first session, trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr., and bassist Joe Morris (whose guitar now seems to be the moonlight gig). Dickey is not, with this ensemble, presenting a dramatic new concept in improvised music, as his compositional style runs the gamut from driving free-bop to pastoral tone poems. But following an honest course is certainly not a precursor to the doldrums: Brown and Campbell complement one another perfectly, the altoist's dry, ebullient lyricism and biting tone in concert with the trumpeter's punchy bravura. Dickey's percussive style (especially on the slower numbers) makes heavy use of cymbals, a pulse created through the combination of sonic washes and hi-hat rhythms, not unlike Murray but possibly more akin to distant cousins like Hüseyin Ertunç.

"Mojo Rising" is a driving free bop number somewhere between Ornette and Ayler that wouldn't sound out of place on Noah Howard's first record; here Dickey shows himself here to be a formidable drummer "in-time," however tenuous that metric relationship might be. Morris, too, sets an insistent pulse, and his constant thrum is perhaps what keeps the tune from becoming a maelstrom. "Coalescence," which comes in two different forms on the second and fourth tracks, is certainly more directly conversational and dissonant than the opener, a defined pulse from Dickey becoming ever more broken even as singsong phrases from Brown suggest "time," only to hack it to pieces a few measures later. Sounding uncannily as though he were playing a shakuhachi, Brown switches to flute for "Steam," as agitated a ballad as one could possibly hope for.

It is comforting to know that Whit Dickey, as low-profile as he sometimes is, steams ahead in the world of free jazz. With cohorts Brown, Campbell and Morris, the preservation of a purposeful and poetic creative music appears fundamental. In a climate where gimmick and noisy throwback vie equally for the throne of freedom, we can only hope that, whatever the aggregation, such voices as these continue to be heard. (from AAJ)

HERE

Tim Barnes, Jason Roebke, Nate Wooley - Trio

TIM BARNES, JASON ROEBKE, NATE WOOLEY - Trio (Peira, 2007)

Tim Barnes: percussion
Jason Roebke: contrabass
Nate Wooley: trumpet

1. Kitadake
2. Oku-Hotaka-Dake
3. Aino-Dake

The other release, obviously called 'Trio' is by Barnes, Wooley and Jason Roebke. Like with the other this is a head dive deep into the world of improvised music. Right from the start we aren't left alone, but there is always sound to guide us. What seems to be acoustic rumbling at the start of loosely disjointed sounds, will gradually grow into something electric sounding. I have no idea how or what they are doing there to generate these sounds, but it surely sounds great. It expands the original sound, makes it richer, but also more chaotic and nervous (from VitalWeekly)

HERE

Paal Nilssen-Love & Mats Gustafsson - I love it when you snore

PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE & MATS GUSTAFSSON - I love it when you snore (SmallTownSupersound, 2002)

Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion

1. I Love It
2. Come Lie Closer
3. Face Make
4. Lightning Bug
5. Shake Off
6. Snarcus Brutalus
7. When You Snore

Norwegian drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love is a young firebrand who has been gaining recognition in rapid fashion! Nilssen-Love has emerged as one of the top improvising drummers on the Euro-jazz circuit. Here he teams with veteran Swedish reedman Mats Gustafsson.

The duo bobs and weaves through seven improvisational works. The musicians patrol through a sequence of multifarious, free-form grooves where Gustafsson performs solely on baritone sax in concert with Nilssen-Love’s renegade polyrhythmic endeavors. However, the artists sustain constant synergy throughout, evidenced by their shrewd sense of the dynamic and alluring tonal contrasts. The duo’s tight-knit excursions and rhythmically charged micro-themes evolve, disappear, and resurface in odd shapes and sounds. Needless to say, there’s an abundance of rapidly executed twists, turns, peaks and valleys. And while the music they convey resides within the avant-garde scheme of things, the musicians’ coherent dialogues and interleaving fabrics of sound serve as the mark of triumph. Recommended... (from AAJ)

HERE

Ostad Elahi - Celestial Harmonies: The art of oriental tanbur lute

OSTAD ELAHI - Celestial Harmonies (Le chant du monde, 1999)

Ostad Elahi: sitar, tanbur

01 Suite De Mobarak Bada
02 Wala Witana
03 Ali Aman Ya Ali
04 Suite De Hymnes
05 Supplique d'Ali
06 Suite De Tchapi

This CD unveils another facet of Ostad Elahi's music: his improvisations not only on the setar and the tanbour, which each have their own specific techniques, but also on a five-string tanbour that he himself created, probably to realize a synthesis between the Persian and Kurdish lutes. Some of the pieces are also chanted. The combination of such inimitable style, mysterious tones, and audacious dissonances takes the listener into uncharted territories. (from Elahi's website)

HERE

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

Don Pullen, Joseph Jarman, Don Moye - The Magic Triangle

DON PULLEN, JOSEPH JARMAN, DON MOYE - The Magic Triangle (Black Saint, 1979)

Don Pullen: piano, vocals
Joseph Jarman: clarinet, alto flute, flute, piccolo, soprano & tenor saxophones, vocals
Don Moye: drums & percussion

1. Lonely Child
2. J.F.M. - 3 Way Blues
3. Hippy Dippy
4. What Was Ain't

HERE

Albert Ayler - Love Cry

ALBERT AYLER - Love Cry (Impulse!, 1968)

Albert Ayler: alto & tenor saxophones, vocals
Donald Ayler: trumpet
Call Cobbs: electric harpsichord
Alan Silva: bass
Milford Graves: drums

1. Love Cry
2. Ghosts
3. Omega
4. Dancing Flower
5. Bells
6. Love Flower
7. Love Cry?
8. Zion Hill (alternate take)
9. Universal Indians (alternate take)
10. Zion Hill
11. Universal Indians

From the time he was signed to Impulse in 1966, it was assumed that Albert Ayler's releases on that label would be motivated by an attempt at commercialism. While the music was toned down from his earlier ESP recordings, by no means did Ayler ever make commercial records. Much in the same way John Coltrane's later-period Impulse releases weren't commercial, Ayler simply took advantage of a larger record company's distribution, trying to expose the music to more people. Ayler's uncompromising musical freedom mixed with his catchy combination of nursery rhythms and brass band marches remained prominent on Love Cry. The interplay between the Ayler brothers also remained fiery as younger sibling Donald is heard playing trumpet for the last time on a recording with his brother. Donald was fired from the band (at the suggestion of Impulse) and, unfortunately, was committed to a mental institution for a short stay after these sessions were made. The rhythm section of Alan Silva on bass and Milford Graves on drums continually instigates and propels this music into furious militaristic march territory. Unhappily, the four tracks in which Call Cobbs is featured on harpsichord tend to drag the music down; it's unfortunate his gospel-inspired piano or organ playing couldn't have been utilized instead. The CD reissue contains alternate takes of "Zion Hill" and "Universal Indians." (from AMG)

HERE

Cecil Taylor - Live in Stuttgart, 1966-10-16

CECIL TAYLOR - Live in Stuttgart 1966 (Radio Broadcast)

Cecil Taylor: piano
Jimmy Lyons: alto saxophone
Alan Silva: bass
Andrew Cyrille: drums

1. Second Amplitude - First Amplitude
2. Conquistador

HERE

Thanks to the original uploader

Don Pullen & Milford Graves - In Concert at Yale University

Don Pullen & Milford Graves - In Concert at Yale University Vol. 1 (SRP, 1966)

Don Pullen: piano
Milford Graves: percussion

1. P.G. I
2. P.G. II

Un concert mémorable autoproduit et seulement édité à 100 exemplaires, le rip n'est pas terrible, si quelqu'un a une version de meilleure qualité, ça serait bien de l'envoyer pour que je remplace celle-ci...

HERE

(You can check the second volume NOMMO that I have already uploaded here.)

Ali Akbar Moradi - The Ritual Maqam of the Yarsan

IRANIAN KURDISTAN - The Ritual Maqam of the Yarsan (INEDIT, 2002)

Ali Akbar Moradi: chanting, tanbur

This publication is devoted to the 72 ritual maqam of the Yarsan, a Kurdish religious current which was established around the 11th century and which developed more substantially
starting in the 14th century in the provinces of Kermanshah and Lorestan. Until now, these
vocal and instrumental pieces for lute tanbur were reserved for initiates and thus unknown to
the general public. Ali Akbar Moradi was aware that in the near future these pieces might be presented by musicians of debatable skill and thus decided to record them and publish them after receiving the authorization of the Yarsan spiritual authorities of the region of Guran.

CD1 (91mb)
1. Ghatar............................................7’25”
2. Baria...............................................4’45”
3. Tarz Yari..........................................2’14”
4. Hay Lava ........................................4’52”
5. Tshi Vashan Yar...............................3’04”
6. Hagh Haghu Hu Hu........................2’36”
7. Soltan Dina ....................................2’46”
8. Har Va Buav Har Va Dabé ...............2’59”
9. Bayan Uyari ....................................4’30”
10. Lav Hay Lav ....................................5’00”
11. Agha Yar Davud .............................1’53”
12. Hagh Davud...................................3’04”
13. Hana Faryad Ras Davud..................1’53”
14. Sahari ...........................................10’38”
15. Hu Hu Yar.......................................3’21”
16. Ali Ali Hu ........................................3’08”
17. Hay Duss ........................................3’19”

CD2 (88mb)
1. Shaykh Amiri I ................................3’44”
2. Shaykh Amiri II ...............................3’23”
3. Lami Lami ......................................4’01”
4. Yar Davud ......................................2’58”
5. Ali Ali..............................................2’10”
6. Hay Gian Hay Gian.........................3’19”
7. Shah Khoshin .................................3’28”
8. Hay Dayar Dayar ............................3’17”
9. Imanm Yar......................................1’40”
10. Dassi Vet Vla...................................3’22”
11. Ali Gorz Vish...................................4’28”
12. Jam Nian Dussan Avyana................2’44”
13. Sayyed Mohammad Barav Divani ...3’31”
14. Tala Svaran .....................................3’49”
15. Blé Ha ............................................2’39”
16. Rajian Dalahu .................................3’53”
17. Yaran Jam Nian...............................3’41”
18. Shah Mayu.....................................3’13”
19. Yar Didakani Benyamin Pira ............2’58”
20. Sahl Ay Sahl ...................................2’40”

CD3 (78mb)
1. Tanamiri .........................................3’22”
2. Baba Nawusi I ................................3’47”
3. Baba Nawusi II ...............................3’13”
4. Baba Nawusi III ..............................3’24”
5. Khas Bajana....................................2’30”
6. Sar Khi Vi........................................3’13”
7. Pishravi Pardivar .............................2’46”
8. Khayla Massa..................................2’01”
9. Hay Imanm Yar...............................2’21”
10. Ha Ha I...........................................2’12”
11. Ha Ha II..........................................1’27”
12. Soltana Dina...................................2’35”
13. Khoyjay Gholaman .........................2’36”
14. Chehel-Tan Chlanan I .....................2’28”
15. Chehel-Tan Chlanan II ....................2’30”
16. Sayyed Khamush ............................4’20”
17. Davud Na Kura...............................3’30”
18. Shah Khoshin .................................3’34”
19. Hay Gyan Hay Gyan .......................3’03”
20. Haghn Haghn.................................2’33”

CD4 (86mb)

1. Sar Tarz ..........................................7’32”
2. Yaran Va Batn .................................2’23”
3. Abdina ...........................................2’52”
4. Gharibi ...........................................3’36”
5. Do Vala ..........................................5’18”
6. Sarukhani .......................................7’14”
7. Hejrani ...........................................6’10”
8. Majnuni..........................................3’27”
9. Tarzé Russam..................................3’57”
10. Pavamouri I ....................................2’46”
11. Pavamouri II ...................................2’10”
12. Gel Va Dara ....................................5’06”
13. Alvan..............................................3’03”
14. Gol Va Khak....................................3’41”
15. Fani Fani Vin...................................3’16”

Yemen - Traditional Music of the North

YEMEN - Traditional Music of the North (Auvidis, 1988)

1. Chargui and Hakif dances
2. Ghazal
3. Zar
4. Rahil
5. Aghani Atifi
6. Mutawal
7. Yemenite Zafat
8. Mutawal
9. Ghina
10. Hakfat

HERE

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

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

Tony Malaby - Tamarindo

TONY MALABY - Tamarindo (Clean Feed, 2007)

Tony Malaby: tenor & soprano saxophones
William Parker: bass
Nasheet Waits: drums

1. Burried Head
2. Floral and Herbacious
3. La Mariposa
4. Tamarindo
5. Mother's Love
6. Floating Head

The end of the year still held a serious contender for the best albums of 2007. Tony Malaby is an absolutely exquisite saxophonist, whose first records "Sabino", "Apparitions" and "Adobe", offered a modern creative kind of jazz, but then he moved into free-er territory with Angelica Sanchez (his wife) and Tom Rainey (two albums which are easy to recommend), but what he brings here exceeds all expectations. This is free music of the highest levels, with three musicians at the top of their skills, with William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. It seems after several listenings that for each of the tracks the only anchor point is a wonderful melody that Malaby keeps up his sleeve for a long time into the piece, while the trio builds up to its release. And the build-up is extreme, moving over the whole emotional range humans can have, from anger and fear to joy and happiness, with everything in between, captivating from beginning to end, with all three musicians exceeding themselves : Malaby can play hesitantly, sensitively, he soars, sings, stutters and screams, Parker too is sensitive, playing his raw arco, but every so often falling back on powerful vamps, then releasing tension again for more pointillistic efforts, and Waits is stunning too, creating wonderful accents, impacts and depth into the music, counteracting with violence when the melody is soft, or being very subtle in the harder moments. And all three play with melody, sound, rhythm and tempo as if it's the easiest thing on earth, changing them, playing them, changing them again, ...

On the first track "Burried Head", Malaby's playing is sensitive, hesitant, while the rhythm sections just offers support, without rhythm, acting as a sounding board rather, then Parker starts a fast bass run, followed by Waits, pushing Malaby to some high rhythmic stutters, evolving into a repetitive theme conjured up from nowhere, leading into a powerful, fast and mad solo in the middle section, then breaking down again in plaintive and melodic resignation, while Waits plays in different tempo, with counter-rhythms, yet Parker brings them all back together, Malaby ending with a soft melody, a precursor to the albums main theme coming up later.

"La Mariposa" is a softer piece, more abstract in its harmonic development, with Malaby on soprano soaring high like a butterfly. The most beautiful piece is the title track, which starts with a great melodic theme, evolving into some more free expansion of it, then repeating the theme in a whailing, lamenting kind of way, somewhere between jubilant admiration, joy and pain, evolving into screeching fear and utter chaos of the whole trio, until they find their footing again, repeating the theme, resigned, somehow still in jubilant wonder.

On the intro to "Mother's Love", Malaby creates flute-like sounds on his sax, gentle, moving, inviting Parker in to the music with some subtle arco, Waits adding raw percussive accents, flowing the whole into some ambiguous environment of beauty and emotional strain.

The last track "Moving Head" starts with a nice Parker ostinato bass, Waits lightly propulsing the track forward, while Malaby flies above this, not really playing a melody, but talking really, speaking, crying, ... lightly touching upon the theme of the title track, ending in a plaintive long whail.

What they play here is so free, so open, so melodious, yet at the same time so coherent in its sound, its structure and execution, that you wonder how they did it. I've listened to it more than ten times now, I think, yet it's a revelation again with each listen. It's broad, deep, rich, intense, beautiful. This album is superb. Not to be missed. (from Free Jazz)

HERE

Anthony Braxton + Italian Instabile Orchestra - Creative Orchestra (Bolzano) 2007

Anthony Braxton + Italian Instabile Orchestra - Creative Orchestra (Bolzano) 2007 (Rai Trade Records)

ARTISTS
Anthony Braxton (alto and sopranino saxophones); Gianluigi Trovesi, Daniele Cavallanti, Carlo Actis Dato, Eugenio Colombo (reeds); Pino Minafra, Alberto Mandarini, Guido Tramontana, Lauro Rossi (trombones); Martin Damiani (strings); Umberto Petrin (piano); Giovanni Maier (bass); Vencenzo Mazzone, Tiziano Tononi (drums)

1. Composition no. 63
2. Composition no. 92 part 1
3. Composition no. 164 part 1
4. Composition no. 92 part 2
5. Composition no. 164 part 2
6. Composition no. 59

Superbly recorded live at Alto Adige Jazz Festival in Bolzano, Italy in June of 2007.

Considering that we just listed some dozen discs (including several box sets) from Mr. Braxton that were released in the past year, I shouldn't have been surprised to find yet another treasure in the mail this week from the fine folks at Rai Trade. Many of the musicians in this fine orchestra are leaders on their own, as well as master instrumentalists. No doubt you should recognize the mighty names like Pino Minafra (CD's on Victo & Leo), Gianluigi Trovesi & Umberto Petrin (ECM, Soul Note & Splasch), Daniele Cavallanti & Tiziano Tononi (Splasch & Long Song) and Carlo Actis Dato (Leo & Splasch).

The Italian Instabile Orchestra are the premiere composers and players orchestra of Italy and feature a most impressive line-up of Italy's finest musicians. Each of their half dozen discs is a marvel of creative playing, impressive composing and constant ingenuity.Their last disc featured the great Cecil Taylor on piano and directing, while this one has the equally engaging Anthony Braxton playing saxes and directing four of his challenging compositions.

Mr. Braxton chose pieces from the earlier part of his long career like Compositions “No. 59 & 63", as well as from the midpoint like Compositions “No. 92 & 164". Listening to these pieces, all appear to challenging in different ways. “Comp. No. 63" opens with dense layers that float around one another gracefully. Braxton is master of constantly shifting sonorities and this orchestra is the perfect vehicle for his various lines to intersect. A number of short yet inspired solos emerge (bari sax, acoustic bass, violin) from the different waves that Braxton conducts. Mr. Braxton's compositions often seem to balanced between written and freer passages, interconnected solos and layers of connected themes. “Composition No. 92" actually swings in a most twisted sort of way and in an unexpected delight complete with strong solos from the trombone and flourishes of other instruments rising and falling into the currents. Umberto Petrin starts “Composition No. 164" with some intense piano, while the other players swirl around him. Different combinations of musicians blend, connect and move around one another cautiously while different harmonies emerge.

No matter how chaotic any one section becomes, there is a constant underlying thread that holds this together. Mr. Braxton makes demands of his musicians and his listeners, both of us must work to hear all of the many wonders that are hidden within this music. Considering that it is only the first week of January, 2009, should we be surprised that we already have a contender for disc of the year!?! [though no doubt not the only one] - BLG

HERE

Snake Charmers of North India

Sapera - Snake Charmers of North India (Bona-Fi, 1999)

01 Theka Talin
02 Haryana Folk Song
03 Rajastahni Rasiya Number 1
04 Medley/Gajal Theka/Jogi Lahra/Melody from the films Nagin/Raja Hindustani
05 Rajastahni Song (solo pungi)
06 Melody From The Film Phagun
07 Damadam Mast
08 Rajastahni Song
09 Rajastahni Rasiya Number 2
10 Lok Sangit Lahra

Here
thanks to lungfungus and øשlqæda from holy warbles

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

Gebhard Ullmann, Chris Dahlgren, Jay Rosen - Cutitout

Gebhard Ullmann, Chris Dahlgren, Jay Rosen - Cutitout (Leo Records, 2006)

Gebhard Ullmann: bass clarinet, bass flute
Chris Dahlgren: bass, electronics
Jay Rosen: drums, percussion

01. Grid Speak
02. Calling Mr. Waits
03. U.S.O. Ballad
04. Lolligager
05. No Mouthpiece
06. Calling Mr. Waits (part 2)
07. Mbira
08. Walking Under Trains
09. Bass-bass
10. Epilog (ballad no.2)

German multi-woodwind player Gebhard Ullmann found the cover art for Cut It Out in the hallway of his Berlin apartment building, and he and bandmates "found the music"—these spontaneous compositions—in bassist Chris Dahlgren's Brooklyn living room, where they recorded the disc, creating a set of sounds that have an spontaneous feeling all the way through.

Ullmann presents his music in various ensemble setups, from big band to mid-sized groups to trios. Two of the prolific musician's best works come from his trio outings. BassX3 (Drimala Records, 2005) featured Ullman on bass clarinet and bass flute, backed by two string basses; and now Cut It Out finds him with bassist Chris Dahlgren and drummer Jay Rosen. Again, Ullman plays bass clarinet and bass flute, showing off his affinity for the lower register on a mostly minimalist set that often seems to creep and crawl on a subliminal level, like burgeoning life churning implacably in the humus on the jungle floor.

The minimalist/subliminal/low-register character can cause a listener who's not wired into the free nature of the sound to miss out of the inticacies of the three-way converstations. Drummer Jay Rosen, who plays on numerous CIMP Spirit Room discs, is a marvel at subtle textures juxtaposed with interludes frenetic cymbal explosions, while Ullmann and Dahlgren lurk around in the shadows, issuing deep-toned proclamations.

Cut It Out is not for listeners who are uninitiated to the sounds of the freer side of jazz, but for those who've been there, it has a definite allure. (from AAJ)

HERE

Marion Brown Septet - Juba-Lee

MARION BROWN SEPTET - Juba-Lee (Fontana, 1967)

Marion Brown: alto saxophone
Bennie Maupin: tenor saxophone
Alan Shorter: trumpet, flugelhorn
Grachan Moncur III: trombone
Dave Burrell: piano
Reggie Johnson: bass
Beaver Harris: drums

1. 512E12
2. The Visitor
3. Juba-Lee
4. Iditus

Recorded only a month before his classic Impulse debut, Three for Shepp, this much overlooked session, though quite different, is more than reputable in its own right. The reason for its obscurity is pretty simple. Juba-Lee, as of May 2003, had yet to see formal release anywhere in the world other than its original Dutch pressing and subsequent reissues in Japan. Otherwise, it bears a good deal of resemblance to his Marion Brown Quartet date on ESP, so listeners familiar with that session should know what to expect here. Among other reasons, this is because both sessions share the talents of Alan Shorter and bassist, Reggie Johnson. Also on hand were tenor man Bennie Maupin, pianist Dave Burrell, drummer Beaver Harris, and trombonist Grachan Moncur III. All but Maupin and Shorter would also appear on Three for Shepp. It should go without saying that any free jazz session featuring either Shorter or Moncur is going to be heavy. Both men, as soloists and as composers, tend to dramatically alter any recording upon which they appear. They usually contribute at least one tune to the repertoire -- here it's Shorter -- and both have a very deliberately paced and immediately recognizable delivery as soloists. Unfortunately, this would be the only session upon which the two appeared together, making the historical relevance of this date even more pronounced. The opening tune is a free-for-all, but the title track is reminiscent of Brown's wonderful "Capricorn Moon," employing a playful and spirited head. Both "The Visitor" and "Iditus" are deep and pensive, very much what one would expect from a session featuring Moncur or Shorter. Highly recommended. (from AMG)

HERE

Art Ensemble of Chicago - Live at Mandel Hall

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - Live at Mandel Hall (Delmark, 1972)

Lester Bowie: Drums (Bass), Flugelhorn, Kelphorn, Percussion, Trumpet
Joseph Jarman: Accordion, Balafon, Bassoon, Bells, Clarinet, Clarinet (Alto), Clarinet (Bass), Conga, Drums, Flute, Gong, Marimba, Multi Instruments, Oboe, Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Sopranino, Vibraphone, Viola, Vocals
Roscoe Mitchell: Bells, Clarinet, Drums, Drums (Steel), Flute, Gong, Horn, Lyre, Multi Instruments, Oboe, Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Tambourine, Vocals, Whistle (Instrument)
Malachi Favors: Balafon, Banjo, Bass, Bells, Gong, Guitar (Bass), Horn, Log Drums, Multi Instruments, Viola, Vocals, Whistle (Instrument), Zither
Famoudou Don Moye: Balafon, Bass, Bells, Bongos, Claves, Clavichord, Conga, Drums, Gong, Horn, Log Drums, Maracas, Marimba, Multi Instruments, Percussion, Viola, Vocals, Whistle (Instrument)

1.Duffvipels/Checkmate/Dautalty/Mata Kimasu

The Art Ensemble of Chicago had just returned to Chicago after several years in Europe when they recorded this continuous 76-minute concert. Drummer Don Moye (who had recently joined the classic avant-garde group) was proving to be a major asset, holding his own with trumpeter Lester Bowie, the reeds of Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell, and bassist Malachi Favors. Although there are some meandering moments during their lengthy set, the music almost always holds on to one's interest (a humorous drunken march is a high point) and gives listeners a very good idea of how the Art Ensemble sounded in its early days when it was not at all shy about exploring music's outer limits. (from AMG)

HERE