Pictures from Winter Jazz Fest, New York, January 2014

Ches Smith Trio (with Mat Maneri, viola, Craig Taborn, piano). Portrait of puzzled NYU law school dean looking down on the mob. 

The inimitable Peter Brotzmann (performing with Jason Adasiewicz, vibes, and Hamid Drake, drums)

Tony Malaby with Open Loose (Mark Helias, bass, and Tom Rained, drums)

Henry Threadgill conducting Ensemble Double-Up

 Matt Shipp with the Matt Shipp Trio (Michael Bisio, bass, and Whit Dickey, drums)

NEW YORK CITY WINTER JAZZFEST - January 10-11, 2014

I saw the line-up of artists and I knew I had to go. I had thought of the festival as primarily straight-ahead music (I think that's how it started?) but there was plenty of out/free/improv for the show this year. Here was a chance to experience a lot of music in a relatively compressed amount of time. It sounded intense--and it was. The arrangement of locations and musicians was quite clever, I thought, and once you get the hang of it, you can pretty much stay in the music for 6-8 hours. Sets started at about 6P and ended about 2P (varied by location); each from 45min-55min. I managed to see the following sets over the weekend:

Ches Smith Trio (w/Mat Maneri, Craig Taborn)

Nate Wooley's Seven Storey Mountain

Mary Halvorson Septet

Peter Brotzmann with Hamid Drake & Jason Adasiewicz

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society

Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet

Mark Helias Open Loose (Malaby and Rainey)

Henry Threadgill "Ensemble Double-Up"

Tony Malaby's Tamarindo (double bass version with Helias and William Parker, and Nasheet Waits)

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog with Mary Halvorson

Matt Ship Trio

The set that really hit me the hardest was Nate Wooley's Seven Storey Mountain.  Here's the last section:

Brotzmann was great and I like the way he and Adasiewicz interact.  I only got half the set before my batteries died :-(

I finally got to see Henry Threadgill; the man is inspirational:  his feeling for the music, his pleasure and interest.  

Yes, it was a really good weekend, and I'm still catching up on my sleep!

Avram Fefer Quartet at Bohemian Caverns, Washington DC, January 5, 2014

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor  cold, nor gloom of night (not speaking metaphorically here either) shall stay this faithful correspondent from a jazz show--especially when the ticket is already paid for. Wanted to check out the Avram Fefer group at Bohemian Caverns last night. Fefer on tenor and alto sax; Adam Lane on electric bass guitar; Igal Foni on drums; and, Reut Regev on trombone.

Not really an "out" group, the compositions (mostly by Fefer) were interesting and well-designed. Fefer plays hard and intense, and the group was completely together.  Lane was really strong too.

The real surprise of the evening for me was female Israeli trombonist Reut Regev, whose playing I can only described as "witty." She avoided mere volcanic eruptions or wholly abstract playing, and played through a succession of ideas and feelings on the trombone with spirit and little splashes of humor. She could bring it when needed but her playing is generally very fluid. 

If I understood the onstage chatter, Reut and drummer Igal Foni are married, which kind of reminded me of Tom and Ingrid. Anyway, I could only stay for the generous and well-received first set.

December 2013 Listening

1.       “The Raw and the Cooked” Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano (Palilalia PAL-011) LP

2.       “Seven Reasons for Tears” Borbetomagus (Agaric Records Purge 027) CD

3.       “Supersession” Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Keith Rowe & Eddie Prevost (Matchless Recordings MR17) CD

4.       “Dragon's Head” Mary Halvorson, Ches Smith & John Hebert (Firehouse 12 Records FH12-04-01-007) CD

5.       “Station Direct - The Thirteenth Assembly” Mary Halvorson, Taylor Ho Bynum, Jessica Pavone & Tomas Fujiwara (Important imprec343) CD

6.       “Head Above Water - The Resonance Ensemble” Ken Vandermark (Not Two MW 910-2) CD

7.       “Airports for Light - The Vandermark 5” Ken Vandermark (Atavistic ALP140CD) CD

8.       “Rejoicing in the Hands” Devendra Banhart (Young Gods Records YG24) CD

9.       “Twin Infinitives” Royal Trux (Drag City DC3CD) CD

10.   “Here Come the Warm” Jets Brian Eno (Virgin) CD

11.   “Spirit House” Jemeel Moondoc & the Jus Grew Orchestra (Eremite MTE 029) CD

12.   “Spirits Rejoice” Albert Ayler, Donald Ayler, Charles Tyler, Henry Grimes, Gary Peacock, Sunny Murray, & Call Cobbs (ESP-Disk ESP 1020) CD

13.   “Stockholm, Berlin” Albert Ayler Donald Ayler Michel Samson, William Folwell, & Beaver Harris (Hatology hatOLOGY 717) CD

14.   “Aida” Derek Bailey (Dexter's Cigar dex5) CD

15.   “Avatar” Comets on Fire with Ben Chasny (Sub Pop SPCD 704) CD

16.   “8 Classic Albums (Mingus 3, Mingus Quintet and Max Roach, The Clown, East Coasting, Mingus at the Bohemia, Pithecanthropus Erectus, Jazzical Moods Volume 1, Mingus in Wonderland)” Charles Mingus  (Real Gone Jazz RGJCD221) CD

17.   “Ball Hog or Tug Boat?” Mike Watt (Columbia CK 66464) CD

18.   “Nation Time” Joe McPhee (Atavistic UMS/ALP201CD) CD

19.   “Fragile” Yes (Atlantic SD 19132) LP

20.   “Tenor Madness” Sonny Rollins

21.   “Goodbye and Hello” Tim Buckley

22.   “Saw Delight” Can

23.   “Landed” Can

24.   “Schwingungen” Ash Ra Temple

Lately Listening and Best of 2013

Picked up my rehabilitated speakers. Great to have music back in my life.

1. Heinz Riegler, Sleep Health (A Guide to Saints CS): Burbling.
2. Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Remixes (Tabs Out CS): Fine listening. Includes 12-page spiral-bound booklet of cat collages.
3. Noah Howard, Live in Europe Vol. 1 (Sun LP):  Sound is a bit thin, but I can't get enough of Noah Howard's soulful tone.
4. Noah Howard, Patterns (Altsax LP): Jammer. Han Bennink brings a lot to the table on this session.
5. Nate Young, Regression Vol. 3 (Demdike 2LP): The Sammy Davis Jr. of noise kills it on this one.
6. Faint Wild Light, Faint Wild Light (Digitalis LP): Any time a label that puts out mostly experimental stuff releases a pop album, it's usually exceptional. That's the case here.
7. Je Suis le Petit Chevalier, Those Vermilion Sands (NNA CS): Lost in a cistern.
8. Savage Young Taterbug, Syrupy Evenings (Night People CS): Deranged hobo pop music that sounds like its coming from a jack in the box.
9. Marilyn Crispell, Live in Berlin (Soul Note LP): I've always dug Crispell--even the ECM stuff. This one's a burner.
10. Angles 9, In Our Midst (Clean Feed LP): If it's Clean Feed, it's gotta be good.
11. Tamio Shiraishi, Steve Baczkowski and Bill Nace (Open Mouth LP): Only one side, but it's hot!
12. Mortuus Auris & the Black Hand, Transit of Venus (Skell CS): It's a slow and beautiful journey.
13. Tamio Shiraishi & Sean Meehan, In the City (Fusetron LP): Jamming under an overpass.
14. Globe Unity Orchestra, Compositions (Japo LP): There's something about a big band...

Best of 2013 (no particular order)

Je Suis le Petit Chevalier, Those Vermilion Sands (NNA)
http://jesuislepetitchevalier.bandcamp.com/album/those-vermilion-sands-cs

Aaron Dilloway/Jason Lescalleet, Building a Nest (Hanson)
https://soundcloud.com/hansonrecords/dilloway-lescalleet-building-a

Bill Orcutt, A History of Every One (Mego)

http://editionsmego.com/release/eMEGO-173

Masayoshi Urabe & Fukuoka Rinji, Barcelona Express (8mm)

https://soundcloud.com/8mmrecs/8mm-054

Attenuated, Deep Opacity (Space Slave)

http://spaceslave.bandcamp.com/album/deep-opacity

Steve Baczkowski, Chris Corsano, Greg Kelley, Bill Nace, Live At Spectacle (Open Mouth)

Diamond Terrifier, The Subtled Body Wears a Shadow (Terrible)

http://terriblerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-subtle-body-wears-a-shadow

Es., Void (PSF)

Cody Yantis, American Surfaces (Digitalis)

http://www.digitalisindustries.com/music/?portfolio=digi-ltd241-c-yantis-american-surfaces

Reissues/Archival

Bernard Parmegiani, De Natura Sonorum (Recollections GRM)
https://soundcloud.com/editionsmego/bernard-parmegiani-accident

US Steel Cello Ensemble, Bitter Suites (Holidays)

http://boomkat.com/vinyl/741442-u-s-steel-cello-ensemble-bitter-suites

Evan Parker, Vaincu Va