'Other Music' II

Kifu Mitsuhashi

Here's an on draft I forgot to post - written earlier in 2013. Part 1 can be found here.

The majority of posts here deal with jazz & improvised music. I thought it was time I posted a bit on the 'Other' music I listen to. Usually these artists/recordings are on for the pleasure of listening - I do not study them the way I do with jazz recordings. Perhaps in time I will.

As a saxophonist I seem to be drawn to other wind instruments.

Shakuhachi: Kifu Mitsuhashi - "Art of Shakuhachi Vol.1"
Duduk: Djivan Gasparyan - "Apricots from Eden" and "Heavenly Duduk."
Bansuri: Ronu Majumdar - "Master of the Indian Bansuri" - this one is a fairly recent addition

Hilliard Ensemble "Tenebrae" - singing works by Gesualdo. I have a couple of other discs from other groups singing Gesualdo's work, though this is the one I have listened to the most.

Djivan Gasparyan

Corsican vocal music "UNESCO - Corsica: Religious Music of Oral Tradition From Rusiu". A random discovery whilst scouring the Wellington public library's "World Music" section. Wonderfuly raw polyphonic vocal music recorded in 1976.

Let's not forget The Beatles - Last weekend's apartment clean up was accompanied by "Abbey Road" and "Sgt. Pepper"


==== 2014 Addition ====

The Imperial Court Ensemble - Gagaku: Ancient Japanese Court and Dance Music - there is something about the intensity of sound that grabs me, all the while an unhurried, floaty feel remains - intense yet relaxed.

Evan Parker Interview Links

I was browsing the Roulette website and I came across a video of Evan Parker and his Electro-Acoustic Septet. Though I'm not always a fan of his music, I find Evan Parker's thoughts on music particularly interesting. This 14 minute video alternates performance footage of the Septet with an interview with Parker.

Here are some interviews with Parker I have bookmarked over the last couple of years. Happy reading. But first - a quote from Parker himself:

"Without wishing to sound grand, at this point I have no idea how many interviews I have given; how many of them were published; what proportion were accurately transcribed; how many I regretted almost before they had begun."

Full interview is at Nate Wooley's Sound American website - be sure to check out the other interviews there too.

Complicated Sublimity - by Stewart Smith, The Quietus July 17 2013

The Jazz Breakfast - by Peter Bacon, November 9 2013

All About Jazz & Interview with Martin Davidson - March 2003 & April 1997 respectively. From Parker's website.

Paris Transatlantic - by Dan Warburton January 2010. There are plenty of interviews on this website.

The European Free Improvisation Pages have a couple (plus some articles etc).
May 1994 for ImprovJazz 
April 1997 for Opporium by Martin Davidson

Interview by Richard Scott 1987

Intakt Records interview with Evan Parker & Barry Guy by Bill Shoemaker, August 2002

Shopping with Evan Parker - from January 2002

Point of Departure - Evan Parker on John Coltrane, August 2006

Chicago Reader: Making Music From Music - by Peter Margasak, September 2009

Interview with Simon Waldvogel - 2000

Conversation with Evan Parker & Thomas Struth -  by Ted Panken February 2003

Chris Potter Masterclass

Wednesday night it was off to PM Woodwind, hosts of a masterclass by Chris Potter (who was in town with Pat Metheny's Unity Group).

Unsurprisingly it was a full-house (they took advance bookings for this event). Potter kicked off the evening with a solo rendition of "Invitation" and then launched straight into questions. Here's the video that PM Woodwind posted.
Thankfully the audience was willing and there were plenty of raised hands.

There wasn't too much gear talk (he got that out of the way early) but plenty about life on the road and spending time on the horn. The emphasis was on self discovery and finding your own way with music - getting the simple things together and working from there.

When it came to saxophone specific information, Potter was an advocate of working on overtones to help open up your sound and stressed trying to remove physical tension as much as possible when playing. Potter said he records himself often as a way of evaluating the effect changes (physical/mental) have on his tone.

He described working on harmony as a series of moving voices rather than a set of vertical chords - demonstrated playing "Invitation" on piano and then on the saxophone.

On composition, he encouraged people to dive in - the more you write the easier it becomes and if you write enough, eventually you will write something you like - was the gist of it.

For those interested in odd-meter playing, he recommended playing them a lot and suggested feeling it as a groove rather than counting it out. Learning how to phrase the melody before delving into improving - playing a chorus of "All The Things You Are" in 5/4 to demonstrate.

Over recent weeks his listening has included Bill Withers, A Tribe Called Quest and Gyorgy Ligeti. And every couple of months he revisits his old favourites such as Charlie Parker (probably the player he talked the most about), John Coltrane and Duke Ellington.

Potter finished the evening with "My One & Only Love."

It's great Paul organises and hosts these masterclasses (added bonus…. they're free!). I've tried to get to as many as I can since I have been in town and posted about the Bob Sheppard & David Liebman Masterclasses. If you are in or around Chicago, be sure to get along to them.

Bird Dream

At 4:45am I quickly scribbled down the dream I woke from. It's the only time I can recall Charlie Parker visiting my dreams.

It's new years eve and we're on a Greek mountainside. In the blink of an eye to we're in Paraparaumu and Bird is on the driveway playing a free blues on alto clarinet. The tune morphs into Scrapple From The Apple as Barry Harris joins in on bass clarinet. The tune finishes, Bird leaves and everyone starts playing tennis. Virg's serve is hard to handle. Things end with me at the local squash club hitting a few balls by myself.

Out To Lunch!

I though it was fitting to write another instalment of Impact Records. Other posts in the series can be found by following these links - Kings of Swing, Billie Holiday & Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Kind Of Blue.

Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch! (Blue Note Records) - Recorded 50 years ago today. I first heard this album in early 1999 during my first year at university. I’m not sure exactly what made me buy it – I must have read something about Eric Dolphy or maybe heard him via Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz (I heard it around the same time).

There was something about this album that grabbed me – a haunting, mysterious quality. In the months that followed I raided the library for more of Dolphy’s work (Far Cry, At the 5 Spot and Out There among others) and eventually he was the subject of my Jazz History essay.

Back then; it was all about Dolphy’s playing – and it’s still staggering. Having an anniversary listen this evening, it’s the ensemble has a whole that strikes me. Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis and Tony Williams all contribute to the album, with the bass clarinet, flute and alto sax of Dolphy offering a variety of colors and textures.  There is plenty of communication between the players without things getting overly busy. In fact, there is a lot of space especially when compared to some playing from that era.

I feel with all the attention that fellow saxophonists Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane got at the time; Eric Dolphy has been somewhat overlooked by many.  Out To Lunch! is a great place to start and be sure to check out his playing on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus. Enjoy!

More from Kazzrie Jaxen

As I mentioned earlier the music of Kazzrie Jaxen has been pumping out of the speakers of late.

Released in late 2013, A Million Shimmering Fish (New Artists Records NA1057) comes from a 2010 duo concert with writer Mark Weber at the Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The album draws largely from the first set - the 10-part poem sequence "Undulations Water & Clouds." For the most part, the format has Mark speaking followed Kazzrie freely improvising with exceptions being parts 3 & 5, where Kazzrie improvises as Mark speaks. At first I was a little disappointed with the lack of concurrent playing, but I was soon drawn into it and the sense of space it gave the album as a whole. The breaks following the poems had me waiting in anticipation for the surprises Kazzrie had in store (her playing is breathtaking).
Part 3, "On Breathing Down The Spine" also appears on Live at The Stone/NYC (New Artists Records 1046) with Mark appearing alongside the Connie Crothers Quartet.
The last four pieces come from the concert's second set - one solo piano piece ("Catharsis"), two pieces that feature Kazzire's vocals (in addition to piano) along with text from Mark ("Timebounce" & "How Deep Is The Ocean") and a delightfully fun encore. An engaging duo.

Mark has posted about the concert and the album (including the text for "Undulations") along with photographs on his blog - I wonder if the 2nd set (Kazzrie solo) will get released?

My introduction to Kazzrie's music came via the New Artists Records sampler disc which contains "Shine The Warrior's Heart" from her 1998 solo piano album For The Beauty Of The Earth (New Artists Records NA1030). I picked up not too long after hearing the sampler disc.

Around that time (2003 & early 2004) some albums that had plenty of repeated listens included:
Richard Tabnik - In The Moment (NA1015) and Life At The Core (NA1016). The trio and quartet albums that I discovered by chance at Tower Records online (if you can imagine that!).
Connie Crothers - Perception (SCCD31022)
Connie Crothers Quartet Ontology (New Artists NA1035)
These two albums of Connie's would accompany me on late night walks from Newtown over to Lyall Bay.
Lenny Popkin - Self-titled trio album on Lifeline Records (LR101) with Rich Califano (b) and Carol Tristano (d)
I was living in a flat with three other musicians and I remember them all being into trumpeter Terence Blanchard at the time. They had a live recording of his group that went on to record Bounce for Blue Note (I think it was from an IAJE performance that one of them went to). For whatever reason, it just didn't grab me. However, the half a dozen albums listed above did.

Kazzrie Jaxen

Due to a couple of recent releases of late, I have been listening to Kazzrie Jaxen (formerly known as Liz Gorrill). For those of you unfamiliar with her work, you're in for a treat.

First up…. Callicoon Sessions (Candence Jazz Records CJR1243, 2013) by the The Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet with Charley Krachy (ts) Don Messina (b) Bill Chatin (d).

During the second half of 2009, I started playing with Don and Bill (along with Carol Liebowitz & Will Jhun) and they mentioned that the quartet had started playing together. In fact, "My Melancholy Baby" comes from the quartets' very first session together. The individual histories are much longer. Bill & Kazzrie go back to the early 70s, Charley & Kazzrie the late 70s (first recording together is from 1989), while Don & Bill have been playing together for about 30 years.

I feel these long standing relationships play an important role underpinning the eight standard tunes and one free improvisation. There is a casual, playful feel throughout the album, very much akin to old friends catching up.

"Foolin' Myself" somehow got lost amongst the shuffle and is seldom played these days. If you are looking to add some underplayed tunes to your repertoire this one is a gem.

Having heard Charley play "My Foolish Heart" live, I was keen to hear the quartets' interpretation - it didn't disappoint. Nobody over plays their hand - timely fills are added in the bass, piano accompaniment is supportive yet creative, swirling brushes and cymbals create a subtle wash and the melody is presented quite "straight" but with plenty of feeling (with out resulting to milking it). During the saxophone solo, the melody is never far away.

Contrast follows in "You Stepped Out Of A Dream." It kicks off with a  piano/drum duet of blurring lines, dense chords and crisp ride & snare that is full steam ahead.

The free improvisation "Callicoon" is made up of two parts "The River" & "The Train." The quartet move out of flowing pulse that is a feature of the album and break things up with rubato/free time and hinting at a shifting pulse.

Don gets a pretty sweet recorded sound from a DAT recorder and a single stereo microphone. He has recorded a number albums this way (the three BMC Trio discs, Jimmy Halperin's Cycle Logical and an album he and Bill made with Jon Easton, probably others too). Sometimes it makes me wonder why there can be so much fuss over studios and such.

I got my copy from CD Baby. It only arrived a couple of days ago but has already had multiple spins.

Of her two duets with guitarist Andy Fite I have been listening to Cosmic Comedy (New Artists Records 1012) - from a September 1990 concert at Greenwich House. These duets are excellent examples of the unlimited nature of tunes from the Great American Songbook. The two albums are full of surprising twists and turns, it feels like the music could go anywhere at anytime. The music goes places.