Lacy - Potts - Aebi: Tips

Steve Lacy/Steve Potts: Tips (Corbett vs Dempsey)

This was my sole Record Store Day purchase. I picked it up at the Corbett vs Dempsey gallery prior to Bob Gluck speaking about his new book on the Miles Davis "Lost Quintet." Recorded in 1979 and originally released by HatHut in 1981, Tips was recently reissued by Corbett vs Dempsey.

The trio of Steve Lacy (ss) Steve Potts (as) and Irene Aebi (vocal) play 14 pieces, labeled A through N, inspired by Georges Braque's advice to artists. Lacy set these "tips" to brief melodies (two or three bars in length) creating a song cycle that I have found very engaging (on the 1st two and a half listens!).

Although the pieces tend have similar form - Aebi stating the melody with horns accompanying, improvisation by the horns (collective or solo), move to the next melody - it doesn't seem to weigh down the album. In fact, this structure combined with the brevity of the works (each clocking in around the three minute mark) are strengths of the album. The themes are short, the improvisations brief and album as a whole is very concise. Everybody stays on point, yet there is still plenty offered during the improvised passages as intensity and textures shift throughout the album to keep things moving.

A: We Will Never Have Any Peace - The Present Is Perpetual  
B: Do Not Imitate What You Wish To Create  
C: I Want To Be In Tune With Nature Rather Than Copy It  
D: I Don't Do As I'd Like, I Do As I Can  
E: Art Is Made To Trouble, Science Reassures  
F: The Only Thing Valuable In Art, Is What Cannot Be Explained  
G: One Must Achieve A Certain Temperature That Makes Things Malleable  
H: Limited Means Lead To New Forms, Invite Creation, Make Style  
I: Impregnation, Obsession, Hallucination  
J: It's The Change Happening That Reveals To Us, Day To Day Existence  
K: Echo Answers Echo, All Is Repercussion  
L: For Every Gain There Is A Corresponding Loss - That Is The Law Of Compensation  
M: Progress In Art Is Not About Extending It's Limits, But In Better Understanding Them  
N: With Age, Art And Life Become One 

Outside his work with Lacy, I only can recalling hearing one recording of Potts - an area to explore in the future perhaps. And I find similarity between Potts and Charlie Rouse - their long service to a bandleader overshadowed or blinded people to their work in other settings.

Corbett vs Dempsey have reissued a few 70s HatHut albums lately (including some from Joe McPhee and Jimmy Lyons) and it sounds like they have more on the way.

Nick Mazzarella Solo

Corbett vs Dempsey have hosted a number of concerts this year and I have tried to get to as many as possible. On Saturday afternoon the gallery presented a solo concert by alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella (nestled amongst artwork by Peter Brötzmann).

Brotzmann: Untitled (Landscape) 2012

The hour long set filled the gallery with Mazzarella's searing, overdriven tone containing plenty of bite and vocalized distortions (and the occasional bell chime).

Mazzarella is lightning quick around the horn and his use of trills, repeated phrases, sequences and the gallery's acoustics, created a "wall of sound" that, at times, reached near breaking point.

The opening piece, with it's wide intervals, sudden dynamic shifts and space was another example of his awareness of the room to help his notes harmonize/overlap/clash with themselves.

When his notes bent and swooped an acidic, barbed Johnny Hodges came to mind. 

I would have liked to heard him explore the quiet end of the spectrum a little more. When he did, it was particularly effective - another dimension was added to his sound and the subtleties of his pitch inflections and dynamic range were more pronounced.

Mazzarella's trio is playing at Chicago Jazz Festival Saturday 31 October 12.30pm

Brötzmann : Hideout

Wednesday night I got over to The Hideout for Umbrella Music's Immediate Sound Series.

I was expecting a big turnout as the night's two sets were by the trio of Peter Brötzmann (as,ts, clar, táragató) Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone) Hamid Drake (drums, perc). 

Having missed Brötzmann's last appearance in Chicago (I was out of town) I decided to get there nice and early. I'm glad I did as it didn't take long for the house to fill. Great to see people getting out to hear improvised music - the biggest crowd I have seen at The Hideout. It's a nice venue, plenty of character, some nice beers, good sound and sight lines, and a cozy feel.

The first set had Brötzmann switching between alto sax, clarinet and táragató. For the second he was on tenor sax. While he far from my favorite saxophonist, Brötzmann is someone I have wanted to hear in person. At 72 years of age he is still blows up a sonic storm - an avalanche of sound that must make some want to cower in the corner. The music does ebb and flow but for the most part, energy levels remained high across the two sets. Just when you think he has reached breaking point somehow he pushes through the barrier. At times I felt this got a little predictable - climbing the ladder of high and loud - but fascinating nonetheless. There is an intent to the way he starts and finishes notes/sounds - an intense focus. While there is a definite physicality to his playing, there are times when he appears to be surprisingly relaxed while playing in a manner that would cause many other saxophonists to look as though they are about to explode (perhaps it's hidden by the facial hair?). I wonder if Adolphe Sax envisioned Brötzmann's approach when inventing this wonderfully flexible instrument 167 years ago?

Nice turnout at The Hidout

Adasiewicz's playing - particularly his work accompanying the horn - really stood out. A creative player well worth checking out if you haven't already. I have heard him a number of times around Chicago and he is often the stand out player. Of his recorded work I am only familiar with "Spacer" a fine album with his trio Sun Rooms. Adasiewicz and Drake locked in well together - a duo concert/album from these two would be great to hear.

The funk/soul/disco tracks playing before the set and during the break made quite a contrast to what everyone came to hear.

Brötzmann and Drake return to The Hideout next Wednesday when they will play with Ken Vandermark (reeds) and Chad Taylor (drums).
Brötzmann's latest artworks are in town too. Left / Right opens at Corbett vs Dempsey on Saturday 27 July and runs through to August 17.

Catalytic-Sound is the place to find many of  Brötzmann's recordings. 

Rob Mazurek Solo

Saturday afternoon I headed over to Corbett vs Dempsey for a solo concert by Rob Mazurek.
About 40 or so people turned out on a beautiful Chicago afternoon. I'm not that familiar with Mazurek's work so I approached this performance with a pretty clean slate.

The set was one long piece/suite of solo Cornet, Percussion, Electronics, and Voice. If I were to hear any of the movements in isolation I probably wouldn't have thought much of it. But joined together they created a work that unfolded wonderfully.  

Starting with a single pitch repeated, moving through blurs and splattering from cornet interspersed with percussion (mostly in the form of various shakers) an interlude on wooden flute, building to a wall of sound courtesy of swelling electronics, cornet, and eventually a giant shaker, cutting off to end with the breath of Mazurek. 

As an improviser I took away a couple of things in particular. 
Dynamics - From a whisper to a roar. Sudden changes as well as crescendo/decrescendo.
Space - Silence was embraced, especially early on and between movements. It was very much part of the performance.
Pacing - The performance was not rushed.
Texture/Density - As the wall of sound grew denser the cornet playing simplified, a nice contrast.  

In a couple of weeks CvD will be exhibiting works by Peter Brotzmann - I must add that to the calendar.

Ned Rothenberg Solo

Last week Ned Rothenberg was in town performing and recording with James Falzone's "Renga Ensemble" - thankfully there was time for a Saturday afternoon solo concert.
Performing on Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, and Shakuhachi the set at Corbett vs Dempsey flew by - one piece on each horn and an encore on clarinet. I have only recently started getting into his work in the last 6-7 months - via some of his solo albums. I really enjoyed his playing here and with the Renga Ensemble (in fact for me, he was the standout in the group).

For the sax nerds..... his alto has been modified (or retro-fitted, if you like) - it now has two octave mechanisms (like the original saxes had) allowing him to by-pass the auto opening and closing of the upper and lower vents. Without going into much detail he said it helps with some of the techniques he uses. For some reason I didn't ask who did the modification.

An ICP Weekend

The Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orchestra have been in town this weekend - there has been plenty to keep me busy.

ICP Orchestra

Saturday night was the much anticipated opening of Constellation - Chicago's latest venue for creative music and the arts. A full house (not sure the exact number but there were more than 120 people) was on hand for the ICP Orchestra - Han Bennink (d) Tobius Delius (ts/cl) Michael Moore (as/cl) Ab Baars (ts/cl) Wolter Wierbos (trb) Thomas Herberer (trpt) Mary Oliver (Violin/Viola) Tristan Hosinger (cello) Ernst Glerum (b). The space got a real workout with everything from solo drums through to the 9-piece group in full roar with plenty of other combinations in between - one of the great things with the ICP Orchestra is that throughout a performance the group breaks down into various duos/trios/quartets etc - don't expect your typical large ensemble gig. From where I was sitting the sound was nice - perhaps some definition was lost when the full group opened up but nothing too major. My third time hearing them live and each time has been a rewarding experience. A very fitting group to open the venue.

Sunday was particularly busy...
First up was Ab Baars playing an afternoon solo set at Corbett vs Dempsey. A modest crowd (a little over 30... I was expecting more) were nestled amongst the glass sculptures of David Hartt's "For Everyone A Garden". Half a dozen pieces - free improvisations and his own
compositions played on Tenor Sax, Clarinet and Shakuhachi. A powerful, full-throttle sound on both tenor and clarinet Baars leapt between dynamic levels with great effect. He exploited the live acoustic of the gallery nicely too - intense high register notes bouncing around your head. I enjoyed his presentation too: relaxed and with some humour he gave the pieces a little background - tunes inspired by/dedicated to John Carter, Misha Mengelberg, and Sidney Bechet. In the case of Bechet he mentioned an Evan Parker interview in which he related the story of Bechet practicing scales/long tones (all the usual saxophonic things) and then finishing off by exploring the instrument creating animal sounds etc. When as why he did it Bechet replied he was contemplating the nature of sound and music - What is music? What is sound? ... I must track down that Parker interview.
Baars finished off with a piece of his titled "Von" - a tribute to tenorist Von Freeman. I have enjoyed both concerts I have attended at Corbett vs Dempsey - nice, relaxed atmosphere, with a audience keen to listen and plenty of warmth from the gallery owners. Looking forward to Ned Rothenberg there this weekend.

ICP meets Links Hall at Constellation

That evening it was back out to Constellation. This time members of the ICP where performing with dancers from Links Hall dance company. The set could be divided into 3rds - first up Han Bennink (perc) Mary Oliver (Viola/violin) and dancers Lisa Gonzalles & Julie Ann Graham. Followed by Michael Moore (clar) Tristan Honsinger (Cello) and dancers Taisha Paggett & Travis Robb. Ending with both groups sharing the stage. Quite a contrast between the two groups - the unpredictability of the first and the continuity of the second. Not as packed out as the previous night - 50 or so there at a guess.

I had the added bonus of getting there nice and early - sitting by the door listening to Han Bennink warm up with brushes on snare. Michael Moore joined in on clarinet for an informal duo too - sweet.

I look forward to getting back to Constellation - Roscoe Mitchell is there in a couple of weeks but I may be out of town for Joe McPhee & Peter Brotzmann in J
une... need to double check my calendar. If you are in Chicago be sure to check out there performance calendar.

Set 1 Hungry Brain April 7 2013

Following that it was off to the Hungry Brain (just around the corner) for Sunday night sets presented by Umbrella Music. Two quartets mixing the ICP with Chicagoans:

Set 1: Thomas Heberer (trpt) Ernst Glerum (b) Tomeka Reid (cello) Jason Stein (B.Clar)

Set 2: Toby Delius (ts/clar) Wolter Weirbos (trb) Nate McBride (b) Michael Zerang (d)

Set 2 Hungry Brain April 7 2013

Whilst both sets had their moments I wasn't as into it as I would have liked - perhaps I ears needed a break! I'm still glad I got along to it though. Sitting next to Han Bennink added to the experience - shouts of approval, percussive stamps of the feet, and grunts of disapproval - the only person who can get away with talking through a set at the Brain??

Vandermark & Gustafsson Duo

The Corbett vs Dempsey gallery was the scene for the duo of Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark.
The half a dozen improvisations - Mats on alto/tenor/baritone saxes and Ken on tenor sax/clarinet/bass clarinet - was the duo's debut though their association dates back to 1994.
Nice to see a sizable crowd too!

The set was recorded, so keep an ear out for it at Catalytic-Sound.

This was my second time hearing Gustafsson in person - the 1st was when The Thing toured New Zealand in 2011. Unfortunately I couldn't get to the gig(s). However I did make it to the trio's improvisation workshop -  one of the best workshops from touring artists that I have attended.