Jazz | Pint | Amok Amor

Tonight I planned to listen to selections from discs relating to an up coming session. The theme for November is "Jazz & Place" - which I'm leaning towards music that I have connection the place and the music. maybe something from Chicago which I've nailed down to a couple of options - Miles Davis 'Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965' (I lived a short walk from where the club once stood and it's one of my favourite recordings from Miles) or Ken Vandermark's 'The Midwest School' (I heard this group, Audio One, at the Green Mill in 2013 and this was recorded in 2014 at the same venue). And then there's NYC, and The Stone in particular - Connie Crothers and Bill Payne ('The Stone Set'), Richard Tabnik ('Symphony for Jazz Trio') or Connie Crothers Quartet with Mark Weber.... a tough choice! Plus there's Will Holhauser/Michael Moore/Han Bennink 'Live in NYC' not only a souvenir from that gig at Drom where I happened to run into Bastian Duncker (it's a reminder of the time I spent in Greece where I'd been a couple of months before playing music alongside Bastian). It all feels a little nostalgic tonight... maybe it's the chamomile tea?

But in the end, I went off script and ended up listening to Amok Amor - Petter Eldh (bass) Christian Lillinger (drums) Wanja Slavin (alto sax) and Peter Evans (trumpet) - and their high energy playing almost crushed any nostalgic feelings that were kicking about! Seriously though, this is a recent bandcamp purchase that I bumped into will looking into Lillinger. He's quite the drummer and worth price of admission alone, but everyone plays well, and it's a really cohesive quartet. Maybe not music I will return to a lot but when the moment strikes me it can hit the spot.

Not a bad day off

A nice, chilled-out Monday got the week rolling along. Working on a couple of radio shows - solo drums is up next and following that, the music of Connie Crothers will be featured and I will definitely be including something of each of the albums here. But Solo serves as a reminder that I need to sort out my lack of turntable situation (but I managed to transfer it before the old turntable bit the dust... the other LPs missed out). I didn't spend as much time on the horn as I would have liked (and it was bugging me a little today), but the fish korma turned out well for a first crack. I'm hoping to get out to a couple of gigs later in the week, I can't remember the last one I got to. If I make it to them, I'll try and get a post up. But for now, it's time for a cuppa tea (that I let brew a little long).

COVID-19 Lockdown: Day 9

A frustrating day of work was alleviated by some very enjoyable sounds. Kicking off the day was the new disc featuring unreleased recordings by Lennie Tristano - The Duo Sessions. It features Tristano is duo with Lenny Popkin, Connie Crothers, and Roger Mancuso. I’m a huge fan of all involved so this is going to get a lot more listening time. Due to the pandemic Dot Time Records were unable to post the physical disc but gladly sent me a digital copy.

Then I continued with my tour of the Root 70 discography with Getting Rooted. I hadn’t listened to this one for a while and was a little surprised how well I remembered it. Then I recalled just how much I used to listen to this album and I was somewhat less surprised. In turn, I started recalling the time I first heard this album - New York City, 2004 (ahh nostalgia). And realized that these two albums are linked, as NYC 2004 also happened to be when I met Connie. Time Flies. Kind of. In some respects in seems like yesterday, and then suddenly it feels like another lifetime.

Everyday Life

Not unexpectedly, I had a great hang with my old mate JJ tonight. As usual we started with jazz (the methodologies of Coltrane and Rollins, radio, live performance, the magic of Lester Young etc) and then branched out (life, death, the vastness of space, cosmic expansion, and living in the moment). Music from Everyday Life hit the spot on the ride home. Of Connie's album, this is the one I have listened the most over the past three years. Vital.

Lennie Tristano at 100

The music of Lennie Tristano holds a special place in my heart. No one told me to listen to him, I discovered him largely my accident - hearing Lee Konitz on Birth of the Cool was the kicker. That led to the recordings on Capitol, which remain some of my all time favorites - "Intuition" and "Digression" blew my 18-year old mind and they still do today.  My interest continued to grow as I saved up busking money to buy the Atlantic set on Mosaic records. The  exchange rate at the time made it horrendously expensive - but worth it!

Considering what Tristano's music means to me, I really haven't written much about him. That's true for a few other musicians that have affected me on a very deep level (Connie Crothers and Richard Tabnik). Maybe in time I will write more about them too, it just hasn't happened yet.

There was that period where it was rather hip to name drop Tristano (and/or Warne Marsh & Lee Konitz) as an influence. I don't hear it nearly as much nowadays. For the most part, it was simply a name drop, as any influence I could hear was largely superficial if it existed at all. And I'm not only taking about nuts and bolts (notes, rhythm, harmony) but aesthetics too. And while the name-droppers got some attention those with deep connection to Tristano were for the most part ignored.

For the week leading up to what would have been his 100th birthday, I've listening to Descent Into The Maelstrom. It's great the album has finally been re-issued by Jazz Records Inc. (the label founded by Tristano in the early 50s) - hopefully they delve into the archive and provide us with a few more gems. Originally released in the 1970s it features tracks selected from various sessions in the 50s and 60s.

The title track is a wonderful reminder of what a visionary Tristano was. In the early 50s many were still trying to come to terms with Bird, yet Tristano was blazing a path of his own. It's a shame it stayed unreleased until 1976, I wonder what the reception would have been like in 1953?

"Stretch", from 1966, is another track I have listened to a lot over the years. It was introduced to me during my studies with Richard Tabnik [one of the highlights of studying with RT was hanging out and listening to records.... everything from Prez to Lenny Bruce to Zappa to Konitz to Armstrong to The Beatles to Bach to Lenny Popkin and more!]. The drive is reminiscent of his work at the Half Note on Continuity (which also featured the pairing of Sonny Dallas and Nick Stabulas on bass and drums).

The interweaving lines on "Pastime" was something that grabbed me this week. It reminds me a little of his trio sides from the 40s moreso than the slightly later Capitol sides. I like the way he and Billy Bauer (the forgotten man of jazz guitar?) bounce off each other on those trios sides. The recordings of the trio from the 40s tend to be overshadowed by his later work, but don't sleep on them! But here, and on "Ju Ju", Tristano weaves contrapuntally with his own overdubbed lines. I'd have to look it up, but I think those two overdubbed tracks kind of slipped under the radar when they were released. Not so once Tristano was recording on Atlantic. It's funny how, due to the overdubbing, there was uproar when Tristano released "Line Up", yet less than 8 or 9 years later Bill Evans wins a Grammy and gets a 5-star review for Conversations with Myself." 

There are times when I have binged on all of his recordings (the last time was probably with the release of Chicago April 1951). Do I listen to his music as much as I used to? No, these days I'm more likely to listen to a track or two here and there. But his music still travels with me every day, and it still thrills me.

The soothing sounds of Prez

The Kansas City Sessions (Commodore)

I could ramble on passionately about this recording till the cows come home. But in the meantime, I’ll just add that the 1938 session with Prez, Buck Clayton, Eddie Durham, Freddie Green, Walter Page and Jo Jones is some of my all-time favourite music. The ensemble passages, counterpoint, solos, accompaniment, balance, swing, sound, feeling... incredible music. There’s the added bonus of having two takes of each piece and Prez plays plenty of clarinet too. In addition to singing Prez' solos, I had a blast singing along with Freddie Green’s vocals on “Them There Eyes” - something I did back-to-back with versions by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday’s during my lessons with Connie Crothers.

The soothing sounds of Connie Crothers and Hayden Chisholm

On select nights over the past couple of weeks, Hadyen Chisholm's Circe (Jazz Haus Musik) and Connie Crothers' Music from Everyday Life (New Artists) have been doing the late night rounds as I drift off to sleep. Both are albums I return to often, particularly when the mind needs calming.

Lambic Jazz Vol.8

Connie Crothers and Roger Mancuso: Deep Into the Center (New Artists)
This seemed like the perfect choice last night, as I am using this disc for one of my school assignments. However, plans changed and I ended up going out after class so here I am this afternoon catching up. The added bonus was that today I had more time to listen and gave the album three spins.

At the time of the recording (circa 1994) Connie and Roger had been playing together for 30 years but I think this was their first recording together since Connie's 1974 debut, Perception. As I listen today, two words leap out - unity and flow. The connection between the drums and piano is deep, creating a seamless series of duets. Many times I have turned to this album for calm and floated away on a magic carpet of improvisation.

While it can be exciting to hear people playing together for the first time, as relationships develop the music takes on a different quality that only comes with time. And it can, perhaps counter-intuitively, even heighten the surprise factor in the music. There were many long-standing collaborations in Connie's music - the quartet she co-led with Lenny Popkin and the more recent Connie Crothers Quartet (that along with Roger also another included long-time collaborator, saxophonist Richard Tabnik) immediately come to mind. And then there are some other favorite groups of such as the Steve Lacy Quintet, the ICP Orchestra and Root 70 (new album due in May 2017). There's something to be said for groups that maintain stable personnel.

If you are in the NYC area on Sunday come on down to Roulette for Connie's memorial concert - Love and Music: Celebrating Connie Crothers

The Compositions of Paul Motian Vol. 1 arrived in the mail the other day. It covers his works from 1973-1989 (over 60 tunes). I had a quick browse through before class last night and a flick-through today. Printing it as a facsimile of the original handwritten lead sheets is a nice touch.

This post was accompanied by Boon Geuze Marriage Parfait.

Previous editions of Lambic Jazz: Vol.1 -- Vol.2 -- Vol.3 -- Vol.4 -- Vol.5 -- Vol.6 -- Vol.7

2014 Round Up

This is not a "best of" and it's far from a comprehensive overview of my listening over the past 12 months - just a taste of albums I enjoyed that were new to me during 2014 (I've not focussed on new releases). Aside from the 2014 releases being first, things are in no particular order.


Connie Crothers: Concert In Paris (New Artists)

Perhaps I biased, but you'll find Connie's albums on any favourite's list of mine. Recorded in October 2011 (not long after I returned to NZ following a period studying with her) and released in August during Connie's residency at The Stone - another highlight from 2014. I'm always left wondering, "how does she do it?"

Slowfox: The Wood (Jazzwerkstatt) Root 70 with Strings: Riomar (Nwog)

As with Crothers, I'm a big Hayden Chisholm fan. The Wood got plenty of spins this year and I hope this trio record more in the future. There are a few videos of concerts from them floating around YouTube too. I may be a little cheeky including the Root 70 album here as I got it in 2013 but listened to it more in 2014.

Lennie Tristano: Chicago, April 1951 (Uptown)

Two discs of previously unreleased live recordings, tells you this is essential for anyone interested in Tristano, Konitz and Marsh et al.. The sound quality is pretty descent and the music is excellent. Lets hope for more releases from the Tristano vaults. For whatever reason, this one didn't quite get the same media attention as the Guiffre release.

The Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4: New York Concerts (Elemental Music)

Another important historical release of previously unissued concert recordings, filling a gap during the post-Free Fall years that went unrecorded. Giuffre (on tenor and clarinet) along with trio (b/d) and quartet (p/b/d), fascinating listening and excellent notes too.

Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet: Callicoon Sessions (New Artists) A Million Shimmering Fish (New Artists)

Kazzire's lush piano shines across both of these quite different releases.  The latter features Kazzrie's piano and the poetry of Mark Weber - mostly piano responding to the spoken word (as opposed to the piano accompanying the spoken words). The Quartet has just released a new album which I am yet to hear.

Lester Young: Lady Be Good (unreleased alternate take)

From the collection of George Avakian comes an alternate take from the 1936 "Jones-Smith Inc." session. I hope someone dives in to the collection and discovers more gems such as this. The find of the year?

Paul Bley: Homage To Carla (Owl)

I do enjoy hearing Bley play Bley and this solo disc was on heavy rotation for a while (along with a few other Paul Bley albums). I'll be keeping an eye out for his trio disc on Steeplechase that tackles Carla's songs. In general, I still feel Paul Bley is under appreciated by the jazz community.

Various: West Coast Soundings (EWR)

I got this from Frank Gratkowski after his gig at Constellation (which was excellent). This is two discs of compositions that I guess fall into the the "new music" category. There's a lot of minimalism and drones. My interest was sparked when Frank mentioned there were times during the recording that he felt every note he played was too loud - I think he did pretty well. This was a nice accompaniment as I worked on school stuff.

Steve Lacy: Spirit of Mingus (Freelance) Steve Lacy & Evan Parker: Chirps (FMP)

As usual I listened to my fair share of Lacy this year. It was great hearing the master play a full set of Mingus tunes and how could I resist the Lacy/Parker duo (Parkers debt to Lacy is evident).

Paul Plimley & Lislie Ellis: Kaleidoscopes (HatArt)

This was a surprise disc that I picked up purely because this duo (who I was unfamiliar with) was playing the music of Ornette Coleman. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and recommend it to anyone interested in Coleman's music.

Lol Coxhill: Ear of Beholder (Esoteric) Milwaukee 2002 (Emanem) Alone and Together (Emanem)

There has been a steady stream of Coxhill on throughout the year. His personal approach to the soprano has drawn me in - there's a vulnerability and a rambling quality that appeals to be - a very distinctive player. The opening (included here) and closing tracks on Behearer hit my funny bone.

Ran Blake: Plays Solo Piano (ESP) Free Standards (Fresh Sound)

The fidelity of the solo disc is far from ideal but that didn't stop me from enjoying the music. On the duo disc I found that the original compositions written by the producer didn't grab my attention the way the standard tunes (solo & duo) did.

Ornette Coleman: In All Languages (Harmolodic/Verve)

Around the middle of the year I revisited some album's of Ornette's I hadn't listened to for some time. Along the way I picked up this one which I hadn't heard. The disc splits Prime Time and a reunion of the original quartet and it's worthwhile checking out the two groups takes on the same songs.

Art Tatum: Exactly Like You

This comes from a mid-1940s live recording (sorry but I've misplaced the full info!). Lewis Porter played this to us in class early last year. Check out striking chorus of single note lines.

John Surman: Fragments (ECM) Thimar (ECM) A Biography Of The Rev. Absalom Dawe (ECM)
Stranger Than Fiction (EMC)

I haven't listened to much John Surman over the years. For me, he's a player that has slipped through the cracks so this year I made bit of an effort to listen to some of his work. I focused on his soprano work but he is strong on baritone sax and bass clarinet too. It was enough for me to want some more.

Norman Winstone: Somewhere Called Home (ECM)

I went to the Jazz Record Mart on New Year's eve hoping to find Jay Clayton's Sound Songs. They didn't have it and I was in the mood for some vocals so on a whim I picked this up - a nice mellow way to take out 2014.

Practice Journal: October 13, 2014

Here's what was up last week. For previous entries see here and here.

Monday:
And now for something completely ... slightly different..... An hour (or so) of tunes. It was getting late in the evening by the time I had a chance to play and I felt like playing some of my favourite tunes - "My Melancholy Baby," "All The Things You Are," "These foolish Things," "Out of Nowhere," "I'll Remember April" and "What Is This Thing Called Love."
There was straight melody, improvising on the form, free improvising, improvising on the song phrases (length of phrase) One thing I didn't do (but occurred to me as I was drifting off to sleep) was improvising on the melodic rhythm of the tunes. This is something I want to explore further.
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Tuesday:
Warmed up listening and playing with "Wild is the Wind"from the Connie Crothers/Bob Casanova album Just For The Joy Of It. I'm not sure what made me head to this tune today, it was in my head so I went with it. Today I listened to the tune a couple of times (just the melody chorus) and then played along adding in notes here and there - not really really working it out, just feeling things out.
Modus Vetus - 1 phrase in all keys. Singing and playing.
I followed this up with a bit more of "Wild Is The Wild" - getting bit of a feel for the melody on my horn.
Tried to do some work with Modus Novus but after about 5 mins it just wasn't happening so I scrapped it and so improvised a little before moving onto Bach Invention #2. I was a little tied sounding at first but things picked up as I dug into it.

I finished things of with a little bit of improvising - held tones and economic note usage. And wound up the night with what I could play of "Wild." 

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Wednesday:
Quiet long tones - various notes held out at lower dynamic ranges.
Modas Novus - 1 phrase interrupted with the arrival of the plumber.
Overtones - page 13 from the Rascher book (not too bad considering I picked up the horn cold).
Bach Invention #2
Pure Rhythm - page 5, variation 4 on the bongos.  Then alternated between playing some rhythm and then playing Bach Invention 2. This was interesting and I think I will do more of this.
I ended with bit of a noodle and came up with an idea to improvise a group of notes (say 5 notes) and repeat it, then change 1 note (and repeat the new configuration), then change another note (and repeat the new configuration) etc etc. Maybe something to delve into later on down the line.
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Thursday:
Quiet long tones - a few to ease the reed in and get some air in the horn.
Melodic Rhythm - took the melodic rhythm of "My Melancholy Baby" and improvised the notes. I want to explore this further.
Modas Novus - sing and play 1 phrase in all keys (chromatically). This is the one I could get into the other night but this morning it wasn't too bad.
Overtones - page 14 of the Rascher book. Today I was trying to play them quietly.
Alternating Bach Invention #2 with work from Pure Rhythm (tapping on my legs variation #4 on page 5)
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Friday:
Singing and playing with "Wild Is The Wind." Today I listened and then sang with the melody. Then broke it down into phrases that I would sing with the recording then try and play on my horn, the play on the horn with the recording before moving onto the next phrase. This is how I often go about learning melodies.
Pure Rhythm  variation #4, 5 and 6 on page 5.
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Saturday:
Singing with "Wild Is The Wind"
Rhythm - variation #4 alternating counting in 3 and 4. This morning I alternated between whatever I am working on and some rhythm stuff.
Modus Vetus - 1 phrase in all keys around the cycle of 4ths. Currently I'm working from the 3rd to the root.
Rhythm - started on variation #5.
Modus Novus - 1 phrase in all keys descending in Major 2nds.

Sound work - Letting It Fall and page 14 from the Rascher book. I played most of the page today - more than I normally would on it but I was on a roll.

Bach Invention #2. Felt like it was coming together today. Played it at a few different tempos.
"What Is This Thing Called Love" - taking the songs melodic rhythm and improvising the notes. This is a lot of fun and leads to some different places. Sometimes I found myself taking a few too many liberties with the rhythm - it's hard not to get carried away.

To finish things off I played around with the idea I came up with on Wednesday - improvising then altering groups of notes.
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Sunday:

Rhythm - alternating counting in 3 and 4 on variation #5 and #6. Usually I find adding the count in throws me off. More to work on!
Sound - Letting It Fall (a great place to start). Page 14 from the Rascher book - today I focussed on just a couple of lines. Playing on only the mouthpiece (chromatic scale, major and harmonic minor scales, some arpeggios).
Modus Vetus - 1 phrase in all keys (sung then played as usual) around a cycle of minor 3rds.
Modus Novas - as above but in Maj 3rd cycles.
"Wild Is The Wind" - alternate singing a chorus of melody and playing a chorus of melody. Sometimes I muddled the lyrics so a sang with the record a couple of times to straighten me out.
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Connie Crothers Residency at The Stone

Just got this in the (e)mail from Connie Crothers and decided to share it with you all. I'm looking forward to a fun week in NYC.

Connie Crothers Residency —The Stone

I will be performing in every set with these great musicians–from Tuesday, August 19 through Sunday, the 24th. I am very happy about this, especially since every set will be very different from the other sets. Not only are the musicians different, the way they approach improvisation is different. A friend, noting this, said, "You like a challenge." I responded, "Yes, I thrive from a challenge. That is where the fun is." That's also where the surprises are, and the joy.

The Stone, East 2nd Street, corner Avenue C, Manhattan, http://thestonenyc.com

$15 each set (the Stone’s minimum at present)

I intend to keep the air conditioner on, unless we get unexpected cool weather.

Connie Crothers, piano, with—

Tuesday, August 19

8:00 Andrea Wolper, voice; Ken Filiano, bass (TranceFormation)

10:00 Lorenzo Sanguedolce, tenor saxophone; Nick Lyons, alto saxophone; Pete Swanson, bass; Todd Capp, drums

Wednesday, August 20

8:00 Jemeel Moondoc, alto saxophone; Henry Grimes, bass, violin

10:00 Adam Caine, guitar; Ken Filiano, bass; Federico Ughi, drums; Alexis Parsons, voice

Thursday, August 21

8:00 Jessica Jones, tenor saxophone

10:00  Louie Belogenis, tenor saxophone, Ken Filiano, bass; Michael Wimberley, drums

Friday, August 22

8:00 Kevin Norton, Vibes, percussion; Ed Schuller, bass; Roger Mancuso, drums

10:00 Eva Lindal, violin; Tomas Ulrich, cello; Michael Bisio, bass

Saturday, August 23

8:00 Richard Tabnik, alto saxophone; Ken Filiano, bass; Roger Mancuso, drums; Mark Weber, poet

10:00 Richard Tabnik, alto saxophone; Ken Filiano bass; Roger Mancuso, drums

Sunday, August 24

8:00 Pauline Oliveros, accordion, electronics

10:00 Cheryl Richards, voice

Connie Crothers Quartet - photo by Scott Friedlander

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.

Questionnaire

I lifted this questionnaire straight from bassist Ronan Guilfoyle's blog Mostly Music (he adapted it slightly from Ethan Iverson's blog Do The Math). 

It's a few years old but I thought it would fun to fill out. I tried not to spend a lot of time making my choices - here's where they stand at this time.

Here's part one & two from Ronan's blog.

Give us an example or two of an especially good or interesting:
1. Melody: 

J.S Bach: St. Matthew Passion - "Aus Liebe Will Mein Heiland Sterben" The recording I know best has beautiful ensemble playing with Barbara Schlick's soprano voice.

Early Lee Konitz (as a leader and with Tristano Sextet/Birth of the Cool/with Kenton etc) 

2. Harmonic language: 
Connie Crothers
Hayden Chisholm: saxophone works such as "Love In Numbers" & "Auto Poetica."

3. Rhythmic feel: 
Jo Jones/Walter Page/Freddie Green
Billie Holiday/Lester Young - individually & together
Ken Filiano/Roger Mancuso - great pairing I've hear live a few times. There are a couple of recordings here & here that feature them.

4. Classical piece: 
Bach Two Part Inventions
Bartok String Quartets

5. Jazz album: 
Lennie Tristano: Intuition (Capitol)
Billie Holiday: Columbia Recordings

6. Book on music: 
Steve Lacy: Findings

7. Name a great recording by someone that has influenced you:
Bill Payne & Connie Crothers: Conversations (now part of the 2cd package - The Stone Set).
Lester Young: Kansas City Sessions. The first 10 tracks (from 1938) are gems.

8. Name someone whose music has influenced you, but that people who know your music would probably be surprised by: 
Evan Parker.

Many seem surprised when I tell them how much I enjoy Frank Sinatra.

9. Name a player on your instrument whom you think is very underrated: 
Hayden Chisholm (as/ss)
Richard Tabnik (as) 
Lenny Popkin(ts)
Steve Lacy (!) Ok, so this one may be a bit contentious - but I feel he is. Most people focus on the sidebars of the soprano (it's still a novelty to many) and his embrace of Monk's music and forget the original approach he brought to the music.

Feel free to send in your answers.

In the original, Ethan Iverson threw in a few more: 
- Movie Score
- T.V Theme
- Hip-Hop Track
- Smash Hit
- Non-American Folkloric Group
- Name and Rock or Pop album that you'd wish had been a commercial smash hit
- Name a favorite drummer, and an album to hear why you love that drummer:  

Some of these make me wonder if he was looking for Bad Plus repertoire ideas ;-)

Spring Listening

Sam Newsome: "Blue Soliloquy" (self release)
Newsome's solo soprano sax outing released in 2009.
Throughout The album Newsome incorporates techniques such as Multiphonics, Microtones, Slap tongue, and the Doppler effect.

I feel that the pieces are very arranged and perhaps a little more spontaneity would loosen things up a little. However, this highly organized manner of playing presets these techniques in a very approachable way for the uninitiated. The track lengths also helps -  of the 14 originals and a Monk tune, the majority fall in the 2 - 4 minute range ( with only two over 5 mins)
This is his second (of three) solo soprano albums - in time I will check out the others.

Trance Formation: "In Concert" (New Artists Records)
Connie Crothers (p) Ken Filiano (b) Andrea Wolper (v)  Don't expect your run-of-the-mill vocalist out front of a rhythm section here - Tranceformation are a collaborative trio performing eight free improvisations taken from two live performances in 2009/10 (a souvenir for me as I was at The Stone concert in 09... perhaps there's another post - live albums from gigs you attended?). Risks are taken, but never at the expense of the music or group sound - the three blend so well together resulting in pieces and an album that have wonderful continuity. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this exciting trio.  Recommended for those looking for more adventurous vocal recordings.

"Fo[u]r Alto: 4 Compositions by Frank Gratkowski" (Leo Records)

Saxophone quartet Four Alto playing Four Compositions For Four Alto Saxophones... oh, and the Anthony Braxton reference too. I think that covers the title.  The group is led by Frank Gratkowski and is rounded out with fellow German's Florian Bergmann, Benjamin Weidekamp & Christian Weidner.
I first heard this group in 2009 (fairly early in its life) during Hayden Chisholm's annual workshop in Greece. It took a little time but their first album was released at the end of 2012 (two other discs from Gratkowski were released at the same time). Microtonality looms large - you have been warned. I will post a bit more on this one later.


Miles Davis: "Kind of Blue" (Columbia) - see this entry.

The week in NYC

I’m back in Chicago after a week in New York City - great view of the city and its surrounds on the way home yesterday afternoon. In fact it was quite clear all the back to Chicago with wonderful views of the great lakes. Anyway.... Here’s a quick run down of the last week.

Got straight into things on my first night in town. The New York Jazz Workshop held an interview with saxophonist John O’Gallagher. The two hours served as an introduction to O’Gallagher’s workings with twelve tone techniques in jazz composition and improvisation and coincided with Advance Music’s publication of O’Gallagher’s book on the subject - available this month... It’s a thick volume accompanied with two CDs. An interesting talk but don’t expect this method to be a quick fix - it is very involved and I imagine would take many years to absorb and use these ideas spontaneously.

A number of my friends have been playing at the Friday evening jam session hosted by pianist Galen Pittman at Tender Trap in Williamsburg. It’s nice and low key without the ego you associate with some jam sessions around NYC. It was great hearing them play again but the evening was somewhat frustrating as the soreness in my arm (I had been playing a little in the afternoon and it didn’t agree with me) was stopping me joining in. The guys really enjoy playing there so hopefully it continues to develop.

Richard Tabnik Trio

A few of us left the session early to head out to ibeam for the Richard Tabnik Trio - RT (as) Ken Filiano (b) Roger Mancuso (d). I was stoked to be in town when Richard had a gig. The trio improvised on standards and played a couple tunes from Richard’s later album. These three are full of surprises - Mancuso & Filiano are great pairing and there is something about Richard’s tone that needs to be experienced in the flesh for its full spectrum to be revealed.

Tagged along with some friends to another Williamsburg jam session on Sunday night. This one is hosted by saxophonist Matt La Von at Ba-sik. There’s a little attitude on show here (mostly from just 1 or 2 players) but for the most part it’s pretty good. We arrived in time to hear Nick Lyons tearing it up. Nice to hear some flute too (hi David). Afterwards there was a fun hang over falafel sandwiches.

Ba-sik Jam Session

About nine of us got together for a session at Carol’s on Monday night. Over the span of the evening I played four pieces - three free improvisations (duo & trio) and “Out Of Nowhere” with a larger group. I was careful to pace myself leaving time between tunes to rest my arm - there was some aching towards the end of the night .... I would have loved to played more but I'm glad I didn’t over do it. Lorenzo was quick to sense the tiger balm. Considering the lack of playing of late I was pleasantly surprised - sure, my execution wasn’t always top shelf but I feel I contributed to the music. Great company too.

I was glad to be in town for Connie’s opening class at Jazz at Lincoln Center. This week the focus was on Billie Holiday (Lester Young got a bit of attention too). Many of my favourite tracks were played including.... "All of Me", "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", "Them There Eyes", "God Bless The Child", "Body & Soul", "Foolin' Myself", "Laughing At Life", "A Sailboat In The Moonlight" among others.

The message from the night - "Sing with these recordings!" - Tristano said that singing with records was his greatest teaching discovery and the key to transmitting jazz feeling to the student.

If you are a student of the music and want your playing to open up invest some time into singing with the great jazz soloists - it's a blast!

Played a duo session with Pianist/Vocalist Carol Liebowitz - a mix of standards and free improvising. Again, I took things pretty easy so as not to aggravate anything. Similar feeling to Monday night - while I wasn't at 100% we still made some nice music.

Roulette was the venue for my last night in NYC and then scene of a spellbinding set of solo piano improvisations from Connie Crothers. The next morning I made a few notes in the gig book - Mesmeric, Relaxed Intensity, Nuance, Sound Transformation, Clarity, Surprise, Dynamic. It really was a thrilling experience... I could go on and on.
This was my visit time at the new location - very nice space. Thankfully the roadworks out front didn’t bleed into the concert hall.

Lots on this weekend too. The ICP Orchestra is in town - they have gigs on Saturday & Sunday night and Ab Baars is playing a solo set on Sunday afternoon.

Off to NYC

Off to NYC for a week - I have a few concerts to get to:

Friday 29: Richard Tabnik Trio at Ibeam - with Ken Filiano (b) & Roger Mancuso (d)

Saturday 30: Pauline Oliveros at Roulette - with David Arner (p) Doug van Nort (electronics) & FILTER (computer)

Tuesday 2: Connie Crothers at Jazz at Lincoln Center's 'Swing University' or see my post.
Wednesday 3: Connie Crothers at Roulette - solo piano

Also, I would like to make it out to Louis Armstrong House if time allows and may go to John O'Gallagher's masterclass at New York Jazz Workshop tonight....

No doubt there will be some playing too - I wonder how the thumb will get on? (and the lip!!).

Lennie's Listening Lessons with Connie Crothers

Starting next week (April 2nd) Connie Crothers is back at Jazz at Lincoln Center's "Swing University" - It just so happens to be I'm in town for the opening night - Billie Holiday.
Here's the info from the website:

Lennie's Listening Lessons with Connie Crothers
Register Now!
$200.00
Eight Tuesday Nights: April 2 (Billie Holiday), 9 (Lester Young), 16 (Roy Eldridge), 23 (Charlie Christian), 30 (Charlie Parker), May 7 (Bud Powell), 14 (Fats Navarro) , 21 (Lennie Tristano)
6:30–8:30pm
Irene Diamond Education Center (IDEC)

Lennie Tristano, a virtuoso jazz pianist and a primary performer in the Bebop and Cool years of the 1940s and 1950s, was also a pioneer in jazz education. Tristano had his students listen to Lester Young's work from 1936–1941, Billie Holiday (primarily in The Swing Era), Roy Eldridge, Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, and Bud Powell's 1944–1953 output. Pianist Connie Crothers has been the central teacher of Lennie's Listening Lessons since Tristano's death in 1978, and carries on his credo: if you listen to these artists, then you will know jazz.

The List

There are times that see me attending lots of live performances (notably my stays in NYC during 2004 & 2009 when I went out most nights) and other times that I seem to buy lots of albums. The last few months I have been in the latter mode.

Since moving here at the end of September with album buying is at a higher than average rate for me... Aided by online sales at Leo Records and Cadence with 10 disc minimums.

My friend Mike once said "I never make a list." At that time he seemed to buy more cds than anyone I knew. I tend to keep a list but rarely do I stick to it 100%. The recent sales at mentioned above gave me reason to pick up a few discs I would otherwise pass by in favor of something on the list. Not that they aren't list-worthy - just more opportunistic purchases on my part.

The list can be specific (a particular album) or vague (any solo sax album)

The List as it currently stands....
Tranceformation: In Concert
Alexis Parsons & Connie Crothers: Hippin’ - these two fall in the anything by Connie Crothers category
Sean Mac Erlaine: Long After The Music Is Gone
Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet: Callicoon Sessions (I don’t think this has been released yet)
Frank Gratkowski: Fo[u]r Alto
Ted Brown & Brad Linde: Two of a Kind
Ted Brown & Kirk Knuffke: Pound Cake
Solo saxophone recordings - a particular area of interest - I still haven't got Braxton's "For Alto"... that must be near the top of the list.
Schoenberg: piano works

Soprano?

Hearing Steve Lacy & Evan Parker in concert during the 1999 Wellington Jazz Festival wasn't the catalyst. I enjoyed both concerts - Parker's set in duo with Richard Nunns has since been released as 'Rangirua' on Leo Records. I added Lacy to my listening list (having only heard 'Evidence' at the time of the concert). Parker's music, whilst fascinating, seemed out of my reach at that time.

Anyway... I was well entrenched with the alto back then and didn't get a soprano until several years later when I found a used one for an excellent price. I dabbled here and there but eventually it found its way under the bed! There it stayed until one morning I woke having dreamt about playing the soprano. So out it came... I played it that day and had a bit of fun as I struggled away. Once again it retreated behind the alto.

I wasn't listening to much soprano then (I had listened to a fair bit of Lacy a couple of years before). Around that time I was listening a lot to Bill Payne (clarinet) & Connie Crothers (piano) duo album "Conversations" . Five or six months passed (October-ish 2010 at a guess) and I woke having experienced a very similar soprano dream - this time more intense; high contrast black & white, muted sound, but the physical sensation of playing was present. Out came the soprano - still a struggle but I was digging it. This time the horn stayed out and I started working on it in conjunction with the alto. Eventually the soprano starting getting more attention than the alto to the point that I didn't play the alto for a week, then only when I was teaching. Had I become a soprano player? Yes.