Chicago Reed Quartet at The Hideout

I was at The Hideout on Wednesday evening for the Immediate Sound Series. This week they were presenting the Chicago Reed Quartet - Mars Williams (tenor/alto/soprano/sopranino saxes) Ken Vandermark (baritone/tenor saxes, clarinet/bass clarinet) Dave Rempis (baritone/tenor/alto saxes) and Nick Mazzarella (alto sax). Earlier this year the quartet had a weekly spot at Elastic which, due to school, I was unable to attend so I was keen to check them out this time around.

The two sets were comprised of about a dozen original compositions evenly spread between the quartet's members. The pieces sounded well rehearsed with nice tight ensemble passages and the countless combinations of instrumentation provided plenty of colour and textural variety. There was plenty of rapport during improvised sections too as evidenced in the solo trading section of Mars Williams' "Inner Circle" (I tried scribbling down the song titles but missed a few… apologies if I got them wrong) with brief solos getting "passed" around the quartet. I also noted the smooth transitions between the written and improvised sections and the overall balance of composition and improvisation.

I was a little surprised that the audience wasn't larger (at a quick glance it looked to be between 20-30). Perhaps late nights mid-week put off those that need to rise early for work (I live relatively close and I usually don't get home until around 1am). For those that would like to catch them a bit earlier, The Chicago Reed Quartet will be playing at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesday evening (August 12) from 5.30-8pm.

During the set break I hit the merchandise table and picked up a copy of Vandermark's recent release from his group Audio One - The Midwest School. This group will be playing at Constellation on August 22 & 23. I heard them at the Green Mill last year and it's a group worth checking out.

James Falzone at The Hideout

On Wednesday evening I was at The Hideout  for  Umbrella Music's "Immediate Sound Series" who were presenting clarinetist James Falzone.

The first set featured the solo work entitled "Sighs Too Deep For Words." Falzone combined clarinet, bells, shruti box and singing bowls for the 45 minute piece that ebbed and flowed between meditative and powerfully intense (with plenty in between). His clarinet tone is full of variety - whispers, growls, microtonal shadings,  very powerful high register and great use of dynamics.
During one section the shruti box functioned as a drone. Aside from that it was used sparingly - mostly a single chord to start or end a phrase/section (the chord remained the same throughout the set). At first I was a little disappointed he was playing through the P.A but it helped bring out the percussive key/finger sounds and it added positively to the overall sound. The live sound was good for the entire night (although they pushed my volume limits at times) and both sets were recorded.

For the second set Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone) and Frank Rosaly (drums) joined Falzone (on Bb and Eb Clarinet) for the Trio's debut performance.  If I was to sum things up quickly I would say the vibes laid down a pad of sound over which the clarinet played melodies (lyrical, but not as you would expect) as the drums moved between time and texture playing. But that is selling things short. It was a very coherent set. There was a nice sense of form from the trio playing what I assume were two free improvisations. Things were paced well and the trio used a variety of density, textures and dynamics. If they decide to release the recording I will be keen to revisit it.

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. 

James Falzone's Renga Ensemble

L-R Vandermark, Stein, Rothenber, Goldberg, Jackson, Falzone

The Renga Ensemble made its debut last week. An all reed group conceived and led by clarinetist James Falzone. I got to two of the three performances - Wednesday night at The Hideout and Thursday at the Chicago Cultural Center (later that night they played at Elastic but as much as I wanted to go I thought it was better for me to stay at home and fight off the cold I had picked up).
All of the pieces were written by Falzone and each member had a feature piece. Alongside some of Chicago's finest, Falzone also drew on talents from San Francisco (Goldberg) & NYC (Rothenberg)...

James Falzone

Anyway, the full line up was:
James Falzone (Clarinet, Eb Clarinet)
Keefe Jackson (Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet)
Ben Goldberg (Clarinet, Contraalto clarinet)
Ned Rothenberg (Alto Sax, Clarinet)
Jason Stein (Bass Clarinet)
Ken Vandermark (Bari Sax, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet)

The instrumentation ranged from 6 clarinets through to 3 clarinets & 3 saxes with pretty much every combination in between. A very enjoyable couple of performances -  dynamic with sustained interest throughout. Hopefully it's not a one-off and they are able to get together and develop their group sound. Also, it would be interesting to hear compositions from the rest of the ensemble. The group spent Friday in the studio so keep your ears peeled for a future release.

Chicago Cultural Center April 11 2013