COVID-19 Lockdown: Day 6

Root 70 On 52^nd 1/4 Street got the day rolling. The 1^st of the conceptual series, features original lines written over the harmonies of classics from the American Songbook. It has been fun revisiting the Root 70 catalogue at a time when the pandemic shut down their 20^th Anniversary Tour. Only a few more albums to go.

Then the afternoon saw some more overdue listening, and it made for a definite change of pace from the morning as we moved into the realm of free improvisation. This time it was Wet Robots by Fay Victor’s SoundNoiseFunk. This one has been my radar for a while due to a couple of reasons. 1) The couple of times I heard Fay live I was really impressed but I’m not at all familiar with her recorded work. 2) Sam Newsome. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with his solo recordings, and increasingly want to hear him in ensemble settings. Wet Robots checks both boxes (and much more!). Fay recently posted that the follow-up album is in the can. I won’t wait so long this time.

Music for Commuting: A Bunch of Sam Newsome

For the last couple of weeks solo recordings from Sam Newsome have been accompanying the ride. I regularly read Sam's blog and follow him on social media, but it was about time I started catching up with his discography and these four are all new to me. I don't particularly like having to drive to work, but the music helps ease the pain - even if it is far from an ideal listening situation.

Sam often uses "extended" techniques in a way that those unfamiliar with them may find quite approachable. Over the last couple of years he's been working with "prepared" soprano saxophone
and while I dig the results of "Chaos Theory", I do miss the tone of his "unprepared" straight horn (although there are a couple of tracks where it appears).

There’s plenty here to keep me out of trouble (as there are with the other 4 discs I have of Sam’s), and I'm going to give each of these some dedicated time in the near future. And eventually I’ll get around to hearing his earlier work on Steeplechase... and his more recent ensemble recordings too (keen to hear him with Fay Victor).

Straight Horning: Sam Newsome - Blue Soliloquy

Originally planned for last week, this post was placed on hold due to the Coltrane birthday post. The upshot being I was able to spent a little more time with Blue Soliloquy this week.

I’ve only heard Sam Newsome live once. It was a few years ago at Smalls along with Tim Berne, Andrew Cyrille, and Ethan Iverson - a pretty interesting lineup. I think it was a one-off gig, but I really enjoyed the two sets of free improvisation (not what you really expect at Smalls) and hoped that they would make a record together. That hasn’t happened (yet!) and Newsome has continued to focus on solo recordings. But last week he posted about his upcoming release - Magic Circle, a duo with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc - and it made me reach for Blue Soliloquy.

The first time I heard this album I was struck by Newsome’s upper registers (3^rd & 4^th octaves). It had been quite a while between spins, but once again it was the upper register playing that really popped out at me. He has a really full tone, with a laser-like focus, that doesn’t thin out or get overly bright as he hits the upper reaches (“Blue Beijing” "Blue Sunday"). The evenness across the entire range of the horn is a standout and I recommend soprano players to check him out - if they haven't already (even if they aren’t investigating the upper register). An added bonus of a solo recording is that it can allow you to hear nuances that may have been hidden by an ensemble.

I like how Newsome presents techniques in way a that may be a bit more palatable to more mainstream audiences. Multiphonics (“Blue Swagger”), quartertones (“Blue Monk”), and slap tongue (“Mandela’s Blue Mbira”) are just some examples that appear in his album-long exploration of the blues. But it’s not just a string of variations of the usual 12-bar format; instead Newsome delves into various musics from around the globe as inspiration for blues exploration. Also, these techniques add plenty in terms of colour and texture, preventing the album from getting bogged down by streams of single note lines (not that this is necessarily a problem, but you have to be pretty special to pull that off of an entire solo sax album).

Sometimes I feel that Newsome’s playing is a little too “arranged.” And while it could be viewed as weakness, I’ve come to view it as adding strength to his solo recordings. It brings focus to the pieces and cuts down on the possibility of them drifting (for what it’s worth… I didn’t have this “arranged” feeling when I heard him live). The length of the pieces, 15 tracks running between 2 and 5 minutes (with only “Blue Sunday” clocking in at 7:45), makes for a program of tunes that remain on the move, and again makes the pieces quite approachable to listeners that may not be accustomed to solo recordings or the “exotic” sounds employed by Newsome.

Also on the cards last week was re-reading various chapters of Newsome's book. I tend to prefer books on jazz from the artists point of view (such as Art Taylor’s Notes and Tones, Ran Blake’s Primacy of the Ear, the Arcana series, Lacy’s Findings and some of Liebman’s books). Life Lessons from the Horn, pulls together short essays on his approach and philosophy of practicing and playing makes for some interesting reading in a very digestible form (adapted from his blog posts).

In a music where everyone struggles to “find” his or her voice, Sam Newsome definitely has one that is his own (and Life Lessons details some of that journey). If anything, Blue Soliloquy has reminded me I need to listen to more Sam Newsome. Eventually, I would like to work through some of his earlier soprano albums (such as his pre-solo work on Steeplechase), but the newly released Magic Circle will likely be my next stop.

Lambic Jazz Vol. 3

It's Wednesday night after class and that means beer and jazz time. Only one disc tonight as there are dishes waiting to be done - Kieth Jarrett's The Survivor's Suite (ECM) from 1976 with Jarrett (piano, soprano sax, bass recorder, celeste, osi drum) Dewey Redman (tenor sax, percussion) Charlie Haden (bass) Paul Motian (drums, percussion)

The album is comprised of two tracks, each running over 20 minutes with fluctuations in feel and density that keep things moving along and engaging, which makes for a really well-paced album.

While many listeners are probably more interested in Jarrett's piano playing, I'm curious about his work on soprano saxophone. His playing doesn't sound like other players of the straight horn or that era (or since really). It's a stripped-back approach, kind of raw and unpolished with an emphasis on melody, sound and texture rather than flashy chops. Sam Newsome describes Jarrett's approach to the soprano as "organic" - it's definitely not genetically modified. Well worth checking out (as is Sam's playing!).

Haden's bass playing is a wonderful lesson in economy that is seldom heard. As and accompanist and soloist, he has the rare quality of being able to use the minimum amount of notes to maximum effect - with a great sound to boot. His partnership with Motian is one of my favorite rhythm sections. For that reason alone I don't know why I haven't checked out more from this group (aside from some listen sessions at the library some years ago). Add it to the list I guess! I'll get around to it, but before I do, The Survivor's Suite will get a few more listens. The 48 minutes fly by (hence this being a rather quick post). Highly recommended. And now it's time to do the dishes.

More Lambic Jazz: Volume 1 - Volume 2

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.

Recent Purchases - NYC

I got to a few record stores but didn’t go overboard on the record buying front - even went to the Jazz Record Center and managed not to buy anything (I was this close to getting a Johnny Hodges disc)......I haven't got around to listening to any yet. Anyway, here’s what I picked up.

J&R: J&R have significantly downsized the jazz selection - still plenty of gems there though
with the bonus that you pay less than the sticker price.
Frank Gratkowski “Fo(u)r Alto” (Leo) I heard this group during 2009 in Greece. This is their first album - released at the end of 2012.

Downtown Music Gallery: hadn’t been there for a while. It’s small but you could spent a lot of time (and $$) there. Bruce is always friendly & helpful. I wanted to pick up a couple of solo sax discs and found these two....
John Butcher “Resonant Spaces” (Confront)
Sam Newsome “Blue Soliloquy”  (Sam's Blog)
Bonus purchase of the day was a book I had be looking at buying online.
Joe Morris “Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music”

While I was in the neighborhood I had some cheap and greasy dumplings for lunch.

Stetson & Gustafsson

Other Music: Another I try to get to while I’m in town. The jazz selection can be a bit hit and miss but there is usually something of interest this time it was solo & duo saxophones.
John Butcher “Bell Trove Spools” (Northern Spy)
Colin Stetson & Mats Gustafsson “Stones” (Rune Grammofon)

Academy Records (18th st): Jazz selection isn’t huge but I couldn’t pass up this “used” (still sealed) disc - recordings from two live performances in NYC.
Tranceformation: In Concert (New Artists Records)

Strand:
John Corbett: “Extended Play: Sounding from John Cafe to Dr. Funkenstein”
Sean Mac Erlaine posted a quote of Derek Bailey’s from this book on his Facebook page. Strand had it for a nice price so I picked it up - looks very interesting...includes interviews with improvisors such as Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Peter Brotzmann & Sun Ra.