Sun Ra: At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977

  With so much music available by Sun Ra and his Arkestra, you might not think there was room for more. But At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977 is special, with excerpts from two performances at Chicago’s premier jazz spot. The Arkestra on these occasions was one of the man from Saturn’s finest assemblies of musicians, with the all-time great reed section of Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, John Gilmore, Eloe Omoe, and Danny Thompson, a trumpet section that included Ahmed Abdullah and Michael Ray, and the mighty percussion team of Luqman Ali, Eddie Thomas, James Jacson, and Atakatune. I had the pleasure of seeing the Arkestra a number of times during the Seventies and Eighties, and I can truly say that there is nothing like a Sun Ra concert. There was always a galaxy of sound, including Sun Ra’s amazing electronic keyboard solos, plus Afrofuturist spectacle, space chants, wild costumes, and more. Let’s just say it was always a trip into the unexpected and his music thrilled audiences like nothing else could. At The Showcase was judiciously assembled by Michael D. Anderson, who was appointed by Sun Ra as the band’s archivist in the late Seventies. It’s been issued with the full cooperation of impresario Joe Segal’s estate and the Sun Ra estate. These sections of two sets, separated by nearly two years, provide a taste of what could be happening on stage (and sometimes in the aisles!). Both sets are in excellent sound, likely with a feed directly from the club’s mixing console. The 1977 performance feature the Arkestra in peak musical form. Starting out with New Beginning, an exotic flute and percussion piece, the band moves into View From Another Dimension, a riot of electronic keyboard, blaring trumpet, and percussion madness, before moving on to Ra perennials like Ankhnaton and Velvet, plus the swing-era tune Rose Room. The 1976 set on disc 2 is pretty wild, heavy on the chants and Ra’s other-worldly keyboards. It also features one of the most insane things I’ve ever heard, Ebah Speaks in Cosmic Tongue. A 36-page booklet features Hal Rammel’s photos from the Chicago shows; he also contributes his recollections of being on the scene. There are more photos from an October 1980 show in San Francisco, taken by Tom Copi. The main liner notes are by the multi-talented John Corbett. He begins his piece by writing “Sun Ra had a storied history with Chicago,” and goes on to discuss the evolution of the Arkestra’s involvement in the city as well as these particular shows. Anderson also writes about his life with Sun Ra and his close collaboration with Corbett. Between the two of them, they “have everything Sun Ra did.” Given the Arkestra’s peripatetic wanderings, it comes as no surprise that the tapes are “a puzzle,” often with little or no written information as to dates, venues, and songs. It’s taken heroic efforts by Corbett, Anderson, and Irwin Chusid of the Sun Ra estate to bring this high-profile project to fruition. We also get to read reflections on Sun Ra’s music by the great Marshall Allen, nearly 100 years old and still leading the Arkestra. Finally, there are comments by a broad array of musicians: Michael Weiss, Dave Burrell, David Murray, Jack DeJohnette, Matthew Shipp, Amina Claudine Myers, Reggie Workman, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. I think I’ll leave the last word to Mr. Shipp: Sun Ra “occupies his own position in the jazz firmament.” 

At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977; Michael Ray, Ahmed Abdullah, Emmett McDonald (tpt) Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) Marshall Allen (as, fl, kora) Danny Davis (as, fl) Eloe Omoe (as, bcl) John Gilmore (ts) Danny Thompson (bari s, fl) Dale Williams (g) Sun Ra (p, electronic kybds) Richard Williams (b) Luqman Ali (d) Eddie Thomas (perc) Atakatune (cga) James Jacson (ancient Ihnfinity d, oboe) June Tyson, Cheryl Banks-Smith, Wisteria (Judith Holton) (vcl); Chicago, IL, November 4 & 10, 1977 (disc 1) and February 21, 1976 (disc 2); Disc 1 (52:14): New Beginnings/ View From Another Dimension/ Synthesis Approach/ Ankhnaton/ Rose Room/ Moonship Journey/ Velvet. Disc 2 (36:46): Calling Planet Earth & The Shadow World/ Theme of the Stargazers/ Space is the Place/ Applause/ Ebah Speaks in Cosmic Tongue/ Greetings From the 21st Century. deepdigsmusic.com

Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy: The Mighty Warriors

  Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy first played and recorded together in 1958, when Waldron was the house pianist for Prestige Records and the soprano saxophonist was making his second album for the label’s New Jazz imprint. That album, called Reflections: Steve Lacy Plays Thelonious Monk, is a wonderful exploration of Monk tunes at a time when programs of only Monk songs was a rarity. Lacy and Waldron bonded over their mutual love of Monk. Waldron went through a very rough period in the Sixties, after a breakdown caused by a drug overdose. Treatment left him without the ability to play piano, and he relearned it over several years. His sound had grown darker and somewhat obsessive when he re-emerged late in the decade. He settled in Munich in 1967. Lacy became an expatriate as well, moving to Paris in 1970. Their proximity in Europe led to a reunion in 1971 when they made Journey Without End, a quartet session recorded for the Japanese Victor label. The continued to meet in studios and on stage throughout the Seventies, Eighties, and the early Nineties. Their work, recorded once or twice a year in a wide variety of formats including duets, has been documented on many different labels in Europe and Japan, and finally, in 1990, on an American label, with the duo set Hot House for Novus. The release of The Mighty Warriors brings their awe-inspiring collaboration to a rousing conclusion, with 98 minutes of music from a 1993 concert celebrating Waldron’s 70th birthday in Antwerp, Belgium. Bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille are on hand to help “lift the bandstand,” a saying of Monk’s that Lacy took to heart. “That's magic, man,” he said in an interview, “when the bandstand levitates. I didn't know how to do it but I knew what he was talking about. Old dreams but they're still valid." The professionally recorded tapes of the concert were in the archive of Patrick Wilen, son of Belgian saxophonist Barney Wilen. The program, which was played without an intermission, starts with a lengthy version of Waldron's hard-driving What It Is, a perennial feature of Waldron’s set after its initial appearance on a 1981 quartet session. Epistrophy follows, the first of two Monk pieces that surround Lacy’s recent Monk-like composition Longing. Workman’s mini-suite Variation of III gives everyone a chance in the spotlight. The concert ends with a spectacular excursion through Snake Out, an insistent Waldron original that was frequently performed by Waldron after it debuted on a 1973 Enja album that featured Workman and drummer Billy Higgins. Among the many highlights of the Antwerp performance are Cyrille’s beautifully constructed solo on Monk’s Dream and his no holds barred assault on Snake Out, the interplay between Waldron’s piano and Workman’s bass on Variation of III, Lacy’s wide-ranging solo on Snake Out, and Waldron’s unaccompanied introspective solo Variations on a Theme by Cecil Taylor, curiously played before the return to the theme of Snake Out. The booklet, filled with Hugo Peeters’ black and white photographs of the performance, includes informative liner notes by Adam Shatz, a reminiscence by Hiromi Waldron (Mal Waldron’s widow), and reflections by Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Jane Bunnett, David Virelles, Dave Liebman, Vijay Iyer, and Evan Parker. Together, these personal and musical memories help to paint a fuller picture of their long-running collaboration. Great music in superb sound, loving comments, and pictures of the band on stage: what more could you ask? Heartily recommended. 

Elemental Music 5990446 [CD; also on vinyl]; Steve Lacy (ss) Mal Waldron (p) Reggie Workman (b) Andrew Cyrille (d); Antwerp, Belgium, September 30, 1995; Disc 1 (48:32): What It Is/ Epistrophy/ Longing/ Monk’s Dream. Disc 2 (50:11): Variation of III/ Medley: Snake Out, Variations on a Theme by Cecil Taylor. www.elemental-music.com

Sonny Rollins: Freedom Weaver - The 1959 European Tour Recordings

  I’ll leave to the likes of Joe Lovano and Branford Marsalis to sing the praises of the saxophone colossus, Sonny Rollins. It’s long been an article of faith among the intense Rollins fans to hold the sax, bass, and drums trio format that was his main setting from 1957-1959 in the highest esteem. The existence of recordings from the trio’s brief European tour was no surprise; they had all been bootlegged. But Freedom Weaver - The 1959 European Tour Recordings presents the first authorized release of this material. The bassist throughout is Henry Grimes. Pete La Roca started the tour on drums, was replaced by Joe Harris on one occasion, and later by bebop pioneer Kenny “Klook” Clarke. The repertoire is a mix of standards (including a few he never otherwise recorded), a handful of jazz compositions, and a few of Rollins’ original tunes. The first thing we hear, appropriately enough, is St. Thomas, one of Rollins’ most endearing songs. It’s the only surviving piece from a March 2 concert in Stockholm. The rest of the first CD is given over to two performances in the same city on March 4. Joe Harris plays on the evening show at the Södra Teatern. La Roca is back behind the drum kit the next day in Zürich. The aim of producer Zev Feldman was to present these tracks in chronological order, but he got blindsided by late-appearing information. Although the printed material credits three performances in Laren, The Netherlands on disc 2 as occurring on March 7, an errata sheet included with the booklet reveals that the Laren concert took place on February 21, at the very start of the tour. The balance of the second disc was recorded at a concert in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 9. Blumenthal notes that “[T]ensions that make the music crackle with energy proved insurmountable on a personal level,” and La Roca left the tour the next day. Luckily, expatriate Kenny Clarke was available. We get to hear him on the third disc, with three lengthy tunes recorded at a club appearance in Aix-en-Provence, France. Right from the start of Dizzy Gillespie’s classic Woody ‘n’ You, we can hear the difference that a new drummer makes. There’s a taste of that effect when Harris takes over for those 3 tracks on disc 1, but the presence of Clarke really moves things onto a new level. As well as Rollins has sounded up until now, he sounds even better here, more relaxed and exploratory. The 56-page booklet, copiously illustrated, includes notes by Bob Blumenthal, plus interviews that Feldman conducted with Marsalis, Lovano, James Carter, James Brandon Lewis, and Peter Brötzmann. Perhaps the best thing is the commentary by Rollins himself. He reflects on the trio format, and on the 1959 tour specifically. He notes that sax, bass, and drums afforded him “the best opportunity to do whatever I could do, whatever that was that had some resonance with people.” About Grimes, he says that he “seemed to not be afraid of playing without a piano, whereas a lot of bass players need a piano.” He has nice things to say about La Roca and Harris, but he saves most of his praise for “Klook,” whom he describes as “one of my giants.” Listening to these tracks from the past, the notoriously self-critical Rollins has to say “that they do have merit” and that they “do have a certain flair.” Fans of the great Sonny Rollins have had to put with inferior sounding examples of these songs for decades, so it’s a wonder that this sounds as good as it does. If you love to hear Sonny Rollins, and who doesn’t, don’t miss this release. 

Resonance HCD-2065 [CD; also on vinyl]; Sonny Rollins (ts) Henry Grimes (b) Pete La Roca, Joe Harris*, or Kenny Clarke# (d); Disc 1 (68:39) : Stockholm, Sweden, March 2, 1959: St. Thomas; Stockholm, March 4: There Will Never Be Another You/ Stay As Sweet As You Are/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ How High the Moon/ Oleo/ Paul’s Pal; Stockholm, March 4 : Sonny Rollins interview/ It Don’t Mean a Thing*/ Paul’s Pal*/ Love Letters*. Disc 2 (57:43): Zürich, Switzerland, March 5: I Remember You/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ It Could Happen to You/ Oleo/ Will You Still Be Mine?; Laren, Holland, February 21: I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ I Want to Be Happy/ A Weaver of Dreams; Frankfurt, West Germany, March 9: It Don’t Mean a Thing/ Cocktails For Two/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ I Want to Be Happy. Disc 3 (52:26): Aix-en-Provence, March 11: Woody ‘N’ You#/ But Not For Me#/ Lady Bird#. www.resonancerecords.org

Art Tatum: Jewels In The Treasure Box: The 1953 Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings

  One day while working for Fantasy Inc., I was entrusted with compiling The Best Of The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces of the great pianist Art Tatum, selecting from a 7-CD boxed set. A more pleasant task is hard to imagine. Listening intently to that much music made me even more of a life-long Tatum fanatic. Although he is often thought of a solo performer, Tatum led two very successful trios during his career. His second trio, with Everett Barksdale on guitar and Slam Stewart on bass, lasted from 1951 until Tatum’s death in 1956. A new multi-disc package, titled Jewels In The Treasure Box: The 1953 Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings, captures this under-recorded unit at roughly the mid-point of its lifespan. With thirty-nine tracks recorded at a Chicago night spot in the summer of 1953, all previously unreleased, we’re privileged to hear these 70 year old performances that somehow manage to sound as fresh as the day they were made. Tatum, who can barely stop soloing at all times, is ably accompanied by Barksdale, a fine, if underrated, electric guitarist, and Stewart, a rock-solid bassist and a pioneer of humming along with his arco solos. The trio swings like mad as they offer a survey of the Great American Songbook. Dip in anywhere to be carried away on waves of excitement that are flowing from the stage. As a special treat, we get to hear Tatum’s resonant speaking voice several times, introducing songs and thanking the audience in a relaxed and friendly manner. It’s easy to be dazzled by the sheer virtuosity of Tatum’s playing. Many pianists, hearing him on record for the first time, have been convinced that it wasn’t possible for one person to play that much piano. But it was, and from a man who drank copious amounts of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer while he performed. Brent Hayes Edwards contributes a general outline of Tatum’s life and career in the booklet, making valuable observations about Tatum’s piano mentors and conceptional framework. The booklet also includes appreciations by Sonny Rollins, Terry Gibbs, pianists Ahmad Jamal, Michael Weiss, Spike Wilner, Monty Alexander, ELEW, and Johnny O’Neal, plus photos and memorabilia from the club. Like all of producer Zev Feldman’s projects, this collection is fully authorized. This one originated with the family of Frank Holzfeind, who operated the Blue Note in Chicago for fifteen years. These tapes come from his personal collection, which makes me wonder about what else is in that vault. While we’re waiting, there’s nearly three hours of Art Tatum to treasure and hear again and again. Absolutely recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2064 [CD; also on vinyl]; Art Tatum (p) Everett Barksdale (g) Slam Stewart (b); Chicago, IL, August 16, 21* & 28#; Disc 1 (53:41) : Night and Day/ Where or When/ On the Sunny Side of the Street/ Don’t Blame Me/ Soft Winds/ These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)/ Flying Home/ Memories of You/ What Does it Take/ Tenderly/ Crazy Rhythm/ The Man I Love/ Tea For Two. Disc 2 (59:21) : I Cover the Waterfront/ Body and Soul/ Laura/ Humoresque/ Begin the Beguine/ Medley: There Will Never Be Another You; September Song/ Just One of Those Things*/ Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams*/ St. Louis Blues*/ After You’ve Gone*/ Someone to Watch Over Me*/ Elegy*. Disc 3 (60:31) : Sweet Lorraine*/ (Back Home Again in) Indiana#/ Tabu#/ Judy#/ Lover#/ Dark Eyes#/ Stompin’ at the Savoy#/ If#/ Out of Nowhere#/ Would You Like to Take a Walk?#/ Stardust#/ Air Mail Special#/ I’ve Got the World on a String#/ The Kerry Dance. www.resonancerecords.org

Matthew Shipp Trio: New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz

  The Matthew Shipp Trio, with Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums, has been together for nine years, recording both as a self-contained unit and in quartets with flutist Nicole Mitchell (once) and with tenor saxophonist Rich Halley (three times). New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz is their latest effort, and although the title is reminiscent of classics like Bill Evans’ New Jazz Conceptions (1957) or Stan Kenton’s New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm (1952), this freely improvised set is most assuredly music of today. To be more precise, a specific day: August 2, 2023. That’s the day Shipp and company arrived at Park West Studios in Brooklyn to record New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz. It surely would have been at least a little different the day before - or the day after. As producer Steve Holtje writes, “Shipp comes in with a plan sketched out - not compositions, but a roadmap for all the tracks ...” There’s a stark simplicity to the openings of many of the pieces, often with short repeated phrases that develop and evolve through the complex interactions among the players. The overall feeling is ruminative and meditative, with occasional bursts of more feverish playing. As in most long-term relationships, whether personal or musical, Shipp, Bisio and Newman frequently appear to be mind-readers, but they have their little spats as well. The closing piece, Coherent System, is both the longest track (11:39) and also the most uninhibited. Shipp’s busy pianism is matched by Baker’s exuberant attack, as Bisio holds down the center with his usual calm approach. I really loved their previous ESP release, World Construct, and the more time I spend with New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz, the more I delight in its nuances. It’s worth concentrating on each individual player while listening. Shipp’s time sense and use of unexpected silences form the foundation for these explorations. Bisio’s fat sound and unerring sense of the absolutely correct note is always a pleasure. And Baker’s work throughout the set is exceptionally fine, from his exquisite brush work on Sea Song to his assertive duet with Bisio that opens the jittery Non Circle. But it’s the occult alignment of the trio’s sensibilities that truly elevates this set into a gem of the improviser’s art. Absolutely recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5085; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, August 2, 2023; Primal Poem/ Sea Song/ The Function/ Non Circle/ Tone IQ/ Brain System/ Brain Work/ Coherent System; 47:23. www.espdisk.com

Samo Šalamon/Vasil Hadžimanov/Ra-Kalam Bob Moses: Dances of Freedom

  Three boldly imaginative musicians, Samo Šalamon, Vasil Hadžimanov & Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, combine for Dances of Freedom. The set opens with Cream of Emotion, where Šalamon’s banjo, Hadžimanov’s synthesizer and Moses’ percussion create an ominous feeling of space music mired in Mississippi mud. Šalamon’s busy electric guitar and Hadžimanov’s ethereal electronic keyboard washes are buoyed by Moses’ aggressive percussion on Free Dances, where the music doesn’t develop as much as it just keeps pushing forward. On Ocean Calimba, Šalamon is back on banjo. He manages to evoke the sound of a thumb piano, with Moses clattering on what sounds like hand drums and cymbals while Hadžimanov contributes some other-worldly tones to the proceedings. For Dirty Zone, Hadžimanov moves to piano, and the music is mostly an upbeat duet between piano and drums, with occasional interjections by Šalamon on acoustic guitar. The meditative Morphbed is worth savoring again and again thanks to its mysterious blend of organ-like swells, piercing electric guitar, and chattering percussion. Even more shrouded in haze is Pans, where the combination of acoustic guitar, lightly tapped percussion, and unusual synth timbres yields a track of alluring beauty. Hapi Mai ends the album. This intriguing and introspective piece features subdued but insistent percussion over which Hadžimanov on piano and Šalamon on insistent electric guar. trade melodic lines to excellent effect. Endlessly stimulating and full of surprising textures, Dances Of Freedom makes for rewarding listening. Recommended. 

Samo Records; Samo Šalamon (el & ac g, bjo) Vasil Hadžimanov (kybds, p on *) Ra Kalam Bob Moses (d, perc); Moribor, Slovenia (probably), August 2021; Cream of Emotion/ Free Dances/ Ocean Calimba/ Dirty Zone*/ Conga/ Morphbed/ Pans/ Indian Base/ Hapi May*; 44:14. samosalamon.bandcamp.com/music

Alma Tree: Sonic Alchemy Suprema

  Percussion ensembles have been a viable format for improvisers at least since Art Blakey’s series of albums made for Columbia and Blue Note in the late Fifties. Swiss pianist George Gruntz teamed with five percussionists for his 1977 ECM release titled Percussion Profiles. And let’s not forget Pieces Of Time, a 1983 collaboration by Kenny Clarke, Milford Graves, Andrew Cyrille, and Famoudou Don Moye. And of course, there’s the mighty M’Boom ensemble, founded by Max Roach. To that illustrious list, add Sonic Alchemy Suprema, a vibrant new release from the percussion trio Alma Tree, featuring Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Vasco Trilla, and Pedro Melo Alves. The veteran Moses is no stranger to drum-centric projects. He played on Dave Liebman’s 1974 album Drum Ode, and performed duets with drummer Billy Martin on Drumming Birds in 1987. On five tracks, the percussion trio is joined by a saxophone trio with João Pedro Brandão, José Soares and Julius Gabriel. With the credits indicating positions (left, right, and center), Sonic Alchemy Suprema is especially savored on headphones. Most of the pieces were created by the percussionists, while the delicate One With Infinite Spaces and the murky Prayer were composed by Moses. Drums, cymbals struck and scraped, gongs, frame drums, bells and more are the tools for this trio’s cheerful racket. The horns add some spice to the proceedings, usually providing a sustained drone to underpin the drummers. Particularly fine are the three pieces featuring each of the percussionists (Alma Ra Kalam, Alma Pedro, and Alma Vasco), the somber and slow-moving Cosmic Weaving Loom, the longest piece here at just over seven minutes, the aggressive Animal Instinct, and the closing Soaring Leaf, a rambunctious improvisation that finally allows the horn section to cut loose. Snippets of dialog and laughter at various points reinforce the good feelings that abounded in the studio and are palpable in the group’s endeavors. Definitely recommended. 

Carimbo Porta Jazz PJ 099; Ra Kalam Bob Moses (d, perc: right) Vasco Trilla (d, perc: center) Pedro Melo Alves (d, perc: left) On * add João Pedro Brandão (as, fl : center) José Soares (as: right) Julius Gabriel (ts; left); Porto, Portugal, May 30, 2022; Opening/ One With Infinite Space#*/ Alma Ra Kalam/ An Ominous Odyssey/ Prayer#*/ An Eerie Garden Sighting/ High Spirits/ Dusk To Dawn Animalia*/ Cosmic Weaving Loom/ Plate Waltzing/ Alma Pedro/ Animal Instinct/ Dance of the Celestial Madmen*/ Alma Vasco/ Soaring Leaf*; 56:27. pedromeloalves.bandcamp.com/music

Ivo Perelman/Chad Fowler/Reggie Workman/Andrew Cyrille: Embracing the Unknown

  Reggie Workman’s musical saw and Andrew Cyrille’s percussion are the first sounds you hear on Embracing the Unknown, a tremendously exciting new release by the quartet of Ivo Perelman, Chad Fowler, Reggie Workman, & Andrew Cyrille. Tenor saxophone giant Perelman’s basic vision serves to embrace the unknown by leaving all preconceptions behind when starting to play. Chad Fowler, performing boisterously on stitch and saxello, makes a fine partner in the front line with Perelman’s commanding tenor playing. Both bassist Workman and drummer Cyrille, now in their 80's, are oriented to positive listening and immediate responses to what they’re hearing from the other players. Between them, they have participated in over 450 sessions over the decades, and they’ve played together many times since they both worked in the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra back in 1968. Cyrille played in the Reggie Workman Ensemble in the Eighties, Workman played in Cyrille’s quintet in the early Nineties, and the pair also appeared frequently with saxophonist Oliver Lake as Trio 3, so it is obvious that there’s a mountain of mutual respect. It’s worth noting that Cyrille’s first appearance on record was in 1961 with the master saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (The Hawk Relaxes, for Prestige). For him to play on this date emphasizes both the underlying continuity of the jazz tradition and the always forward-looking attitude of this broadly experienced musician. As the energy level rises and falls and rises again over the 21 minutes of the opening title track, it becomes clear that this is a deeply attuned unit, balanced and mutually attentive to the smallest musical gesture. Soul Searching, which starts out as a marvelous duet between an almost bluesy Perelman and Cyrille’s scintillating brush work, grows into a dramatic quartet blow-out around the half-way point. The saxophones shriek and moan together, Workman holds down the bottom with his dexterous walk, and Cyrille is all over his drum kit. Self-reflection begins with a surprisingly sweet sax duet, and evolves into a sort of free ballad. The joyous Introspection is a vigorous musical conversation that bounces happily along. Self-analysis has a curiously spiritual aspect, with moaning horns, prominent bass, and Cyrille using lots of space in his playing. I’m especially fond of the closing Self-contemplation, featuring a highly animated opening saxophone duet. In the middle of the tune comes a chipper Cyrille solo, played on what sounds like the rims of his drums and a cowbell, soon joined by Workman’s bowed bass. The piece develops into an appealing four-way conversation, and just like that, 68 minutes of intense music is over. To embrace the unknown is to be absolutely prepared to accept the world as it comes. Good advice for living, and superb advice for improvisers. Totally recommended. 

Mahakala Music MAHA-076; Ivo Perelman (ts) Chad Fowler (stritch, saxello) Reggie Workman (b, saw, perc) Andrew Cyrille (perc); Brooklyn, NY, no date specified; Embracing the Unknown/ Soul Searching/ Self-reflection/ Introspection/ Self-analysis/ Self-fulfilment/ Self-contemplation; 68:02. mahakalamusic.bandcamp.com

Art Pepper: The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings

  Back when I was the tape archivist for Fantasy Inc., I looked after a vault with thousands of tapes from labels including Prestige, Fantasy, Riverside, Pablo, Contemporary, Stax, Specialty, and more. When I would talk to people about the job, nearly everyone would wonder how much of that I got to hear during the work day. Sadly, although this was the coolest possible job for a jazz fan, I really didn’t get to listen to much of it. Much of what I did was to pull reels of tape off the shelves and bring them downstairs to the studio, then bring them back when the engineers were done with them, and make sure the tape boxes ended up where they started. One of the smaller labels under the Fantasy umbrella was Galaxy Records. Originally an R’n’B imprint, it was revived in 1977 as a jazz label. Among their notable artists were Roy Haynes, Hank Jones, and alto saxophonist Art Pepper. When the time came for Fantasy to be sold and the tapes moved away, one of my concerns was to get important tapes that were in the vault, but not owned by the label, to the rightful owners. In this case, Pepper’s widow Laurie Pepper, for whom I was storing a couple of shelves worth of tape. But I still didn’t get to hear it! That’s where the fantastic 7-CD boxed set The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings comes in. Pepper recorded extensively for Galaxy between 1978 and 1982, with enough material to fill 16 compact discs in the boxed set of his complete recordings for the label. That not quite complete package included the originally issued tracks from a trio of album releases (Roadgame. Art Lives, and APQ) and added more selections for a total of 21 tracks. Now we get every note from the three nights of recording at this Los Angeles nightclub, for a total of 42 pieces, plus Pepper’s introductions to the songs and the musicians. Pepper’s hard-working quartet for these shows had George Cables on piano, David Williams on bass, and his favorite drummer Carl Burnett. Omnivore has put it all into a handsome (if delicate) bound book, with extensive reminiscences by the always enjoyable Laurie Pepper, plenty of photographs of the band from that time, some images of my old friends the tape boxes, and some of Pepper’s own notes on the tunes from hearing rough mixes on cassette. It’s like having a fascinating concert at home from one of the finest alto saxophonists of the era, and the set provides a rare opportunity for the dedicated listener to make his own choices of quality and compare them to the original albums sequenced by Ed Michel and Laurie Pepper, who co-produced all of Pepper’s Galaxy recordings. Definitely worth waiting for, and totally recommended. 

Omnivore OVCD-521; Art Pepper (as, cl on +) George Cables (p) David Williams (b) Carl Burnett (d); Los Angeles, CA, August 13-15, 1981; Disc 1 (77:04): Road Waltz/ Mambo Koyama/ Everything Happens to Me/ For Freddie/ Donna Lee*/ Begin the Beguine#/ Without a Song. Disc 2 (72:25): Samba Mom Mom/ What’s New?*/ “Landscape” Introduction/ Landscape*/ “Valse Triste” Introduction/ Valse Triste*/ Allen’s Alley/ Thank You Blues*/ Band Introductions. Disc 3 (75:54): “Straight Life” Introduction/ Straight Life/ Whims of Chambers/ “Allen’s Alley” Introduction/ Allen’s Alley/ Begin the Beguine#/ “Don’t Play the Clarinet Ever Again…”/ Everything Happens to Me/ “How the Sets Are Going to Go…”/ Landscape. Disc 4 (73:50): “Road Waltz” Introduction/ Road Waltz*/ Band Introductions/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*/ “Yours Is My Heart Alone” Introduction/ Yours Is My Heart Alone/ “Mambo Koyama” Introduction/ Mambo Koyama*/ “We’ll Be Back in Five Minutes…”/ Samba Mom Mom/ Valse Triste. Disc 5 (71:45): But Beautiful*/ “Donna Lee” Introduction/ Donna Lee/ “We’ll Be Back Tomorrow Night…”/ Roadgame/ Band Introductions/ Without a Song/ Everything Happens to Me*/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*. Disc 6 (63:21): “Allen’s Alley” Introduction/ Allen’s Alley/ Road Waltz*/ “We’ll Be Back to Finish the Night…”/ “Samba Mom Mom” Introduction/ Samba Mom Mom/ “Mambo Koyama” Introduction/ Mambo Koyama*/ “When You’re Smiling” Introduction/ When You’re Smiling*. Disc 7 (67:26): But Beautiful* (duet for alto saxophone & piano)/ Roadgame*/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*/ Road Waltz/ Donna Lee/ Arthur’s Blues*/ “The Record Will Be out Soon…”. Tracks with * have been previously issued on the Galaxy label. omnivorerecordings.com

Sonny Clark: The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions

  In the mid-Eighties, Giovanni Bonandrini of Black Saint Records prodded pianist Wayne Horvitz into recording an album dedicated to the music of pianist and composer Sonny Clark. With John Zorn on alto saxophone, Ray Drummond on bass, and Bobby Previte on drums, The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet recorded seven of Clark’s distinctive originals as Voodoo. Most of them first appeared on albums that were out-of-print at the time (1987). The release somehow made Clark’s music hip for a new generation of jazz fans. Zorn, in a trio with trombonist George Lewis and guitarist Bill Frisell, went on to record News For Lulu and More News For Lulu (both on hat Art) with songs by Clark, Kenny Dorham, and Hank Mobley, among others. Now comes what seems like the ultimate accolade for the undeservedly obscure pianist, a Mosaic boxed set. The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions compiles nine albums, including a few that were first issued in Japan, as well as all the bonus tracks and alternates that have appeared on CD reissues of this material over the years. The big attraction here, besides the sheer pleasure of having it all in one place, is the phenomenal sound quality of this collection. Every session was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with all but the final date done at his original studio in Hackensack. (The 1961 album Leapin’ And Lopin’ was made in Englewood Cliffs.) As earlier Blue Note reissues have noted, “No multitrack recording was used and consequently no mixing was required.” In other words, the session tapes became the masters with no intermediary steps. New high-resolution transfers of the original analog tapes were mastered with 24-bit technology. The results are stunning, and since the stereo spread reproduces the actual spatial orientation of the performers, listening to these CDs puts you right into the room with the musicians. As Bob Blumenthal, tells us in his typically fine and informative liner notes, Clark arrived in New York with Dinah Washington’s group after a few years of work on the West Coast. Clark’s first appearance on Blue Note was on a Hank Mobley sextet date, recorded on June 23, 1957. An impressed Alfred Lion of Blue Note signed him to a contract, and just a month later, on July 21, Clark did his own first date as a leader for any label with Dial “S” For Sonny. While this box is devoted to Clark’s sessions as a leader, he also appeared regularly in this period as a sideman with the likes of Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, Curtis Fuller and Dexter Gordon. He’s also been featured on previous Mosaic collections, including The Complete Recordings Of The Buddy DeFranco Quartet/Quintet With Sonny Clark and The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Grant Green With Sonny Clark. What distinguishes Clark’s music is the “sustained level of melodic invention” (Blumenthal), his “bright, irresistible swing” (Michael Cuscuna) and his “finesse and an exceptional technique, too” (tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin).  What’s sad about it is that as busy as he was playing music, he was also, like so many of his contemporaries, a heroin addict who overdosed at the age of 32. Clark himself was quite self-aware. ''Your soul is your conception,” he said to Nat Hentoff, “and you begin to have it in your playing when the way you strike a note, the sound you get and your phrasing come out of you yourself, and no one else.'' Sonny Clark always sounded like himself, and this marvelous anthology is his enduring testament. Absolutely recommended.

Mosaic MR6-276; Disc 1 (78:28) Dial “S” For Sonny + Sonny’s Crib; Disc 2 (77:34) Sonny’s Crib concluded + My Conception; Disc 3 (49:06) Sonny Clark Trio; Disc 4 (75:26) Sonny Clark quintet + Cool Struttin’; Disc 5 (62:38) singles session + Blues In The Night; Disc 6 (55:37) Leapin’ And Lopin’. For complete discographical details, go here. Limited edition available from mosaicrecords.com

Looking in the Rear View Mirror, Part 3: Location Location Location, Pirog, Gray, Simone

  What can a musician do to stay active during a pandemic that severely restricts gatherings and performing spaces? Location Location Location, a trio of guitarist Anthony Pirog, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Mike Pride came up with a solution. For Damaged Goods, the group’s first effort on Cuneiform, each man recorded his parts in different locations: Pirog in California and Maryland, Formanek in New Jersey, and Pride in upstate New York. The three players bring widely varied musical experiences to bear on this project. Since his first appearance on CD with Michael Formanek and drummer Ches Smith (Palo Colorado Dream, 2014), Pirog has recorded with the likes of saxophonists Jon Irabagon and James Brandon Lewis, the late trumpeter Jaimie Branch, and fellow guitarist Henry Kaiser. Formanek’s credits are legion, going all the way back to a 1976 album with the Dave Leibman Quintet, while drummer Pride, since his debut with his own quartet in 2002, has played with everyone from Anthony Braxton to Jon Irabagon to Kirk Knuffke. Pirog’s effects-laden guitar sound is the project’s main focus. Given the odd circumstances of its creation, and the need not to makes things overly complicated, Damaged Goods becomes a largely fusion-oriented set. Most of the tracks are credited to the trio, with one piece each written by Formanek (Verdigris) and Pride (the cheerfully grooving 79 Beatdowns) plus two by Pirog (The Door and Apperceptions). The lengthy opening track, Branch, Breezy, keeps shifting gears and showcasing each member of the trio, complete with a short and unexpected burst of electric guitar at the very end. Formanek’s Veridgris, gliding along with Pride’s stately beat, Pirog’s emphatic guitar lines, and the composer’s steady bass, is one of my favorites. Another is the brief Drips, which makes a brief departure from the big beats of the surrounding tracks. Pride leads the way on marimba, shadowed by Formanek’s calm and responsive lines on acoustic bass. The wild finale, Crisis of Attention, is another highlight, as Pirog rages on guitar, Pride rumbles on drums, and Formanek holds it all together. Big fun, indeed! Cuneiform RUNE 518; Anthony Pirog (guitar, guitar synth, synthesizers: recorded in Monterey, CA, & Silver Spring, MD) Michael Formanek (4 & 5 string electric and double bass, guitar: recorded in West Orange, NJ) Mike Pride (drumset, marimba, bongos, dub: recorded in Chester, NY; Branch, Breezy/ Verdigris/ Trap Door/ Ground Zero/ Drips/ 79 Beatdowns/ Apperceptions/ A Sound That Shapes a Thing That Thinks/ Damaged Goods/ Crisis of Attention; 49:12. cuneiformrecords.com

Guitarist Anthony Pirog had another pandemic idea, a combination thought experiment and music smorgasbord. Pirog asked musicians from a broad spectrum of styles what the word “ambient” meant to each of them, and requested a piece of music that reflected that understanding. Pirog then added his own ideas, for The Nepenthe Series, Vol. 1. Per Wikipedia, “figuratively, nepenthe means 'that which chases away sorrow,'" an apt description of the project’s purpose. For this first foray, Pirog mostly contacted a group of fellow guitarists in a broad spectrum of styles, with contributions from Nels Cline, John Frusciante, Andy Summers, Brandon Ross, Wendy Eisenberg, and Ryan Ferreira. There’s also one track pairing Pirog with Luke Stewart on electric bass, another with Pirog’s wife and producer Janel Leppin on pedal steel guitar, and a lone solo piece for guitar synthesizer, Bernal Heights. The music ranges from the organ-like swells of Ripples of Light (with Cline) to the relatively bouncy Dense Blazing Star (with Stewart) to the melancholy melodicism of Inflorescence (with Summers) to the droning electronic soundscape of Bernal Heights to the mysterious haze of Night Winds (with Eisenberg), and more. The Nepenthe Series, Vol. 1 is a well-conceived and boldly provocative collection, well worth a listen. Is it “ambient”? That depends on how you mean it. Otherly Love Records (digital album & vinyl); Ripples of Light (Nels Cline, AP - guitars)/ Aurora (John Frusciante - monomachine, AP - guitar)/ Dense Blazing Star (Luke Stewart - electric bass, AP - guitar)/ Inflorescence (Andy Summers - guitar, AP - guitar, guitar synth)/ Glowing Gesture (Janel Leppin - pedal steel guitar, AP - guitar)/ Bernal Heights (Pirog) (AP - guitar synth)/ Cirrus (Brandon Ross - guitar, AP - guitar, guitar synth)/ Night Winds (Wendy Eisenberg, AP - guitars)/ The Eternal River (Ryan Ferreira, AP - guitars); 40:48. anthony-pirog.bandcamp.com

Like many frustrated musicians during the pandemic, percussionist Devin Gray turned to solo performance. Most Definitely is a compendium of percussive techniques, with Gray exploring a variety of experimental approaches to sound production, plus occasional electronic manipulation. He also includes a few dedications to influential drummers, with the buoyant Blackwell Magic particularly inspired. At seventy-two minutes, this collection is probably not going to be played from start to finish very often, but it seems designed to be something you might dip into for a track or three. With just a few exceptions, most of the 23 pieces last for two minutes or less. For ultimate contrast, two tracks are much longer: Soldier on, Milford, an ultra-dynamic dedication to the late drummer and teacher Milford Graves, is a bit over twenty minutes long, and Tough Love, a meditation on tonal contrasts in the drum kit, fills nearly nineteen minutes. Think of these tracks more as compositions and improvisations for percussion, rather than drum solos, with all the negative baggage that phrase drags along with it. That will put you more in the frame of mind to enjoy your foray into Gray’s uniquely stimulating world of sound. Rataplan (limited edition vinyl & CD; digital album); Devin Gray - drums, percussion; no locations or dates noted; Hunker Down/ Pull To Refresh/ Bad WiFi/ Most Definitely/ Upstate Berlin/ Tailgate Lunches/ Blackwell Magic/ Hoi Polloi/ Digital Nomads/ 2077/ Crypto Punks / Doom Scrolling/ Only the Poets (for Daniel Levine)/ Soldier on, Milford/ Case By Case/ Data Pollution/ Jack De Blues/ Tough Love/ Anthony, Burroughs/ Millennial Hotel/ Vone Call/ Subscription Fatigue/ Vone it in ; 72:11. rataplanrecordsnyc.bandcamp.com

Finally, in You've Got To Learn, we have a newly unearthed performance by the great Nina Simone at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. Recorded for posterity, deposited at the Library of Congress, it was then forgotten about for decades until it was discovered in the vault. Performing with her regular touring quartet of the era, featuring guitarist Rudy Stevenson, bassist Lisle Atkinson, and drummer Bobby Hamilton, Simone made the most of her half-hour slot on a day that included quartets helmed by Charles Lloyd, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and Thelonious Monk, the Horace Silver quintet, and the Charlie Byrd trio. Her voice and piano get right into your soul with the preachy original title song, and she remains emotionally direct and affecting throughout her appearance. Her performance that afternoon of Mississippi Goddam is one for the ages, angry as hell, and, sadly, no less relevant today than it was in 1966. I seldom write about vocalists, but You've Got To Learn should not be missed. Verve; Nina Simone (vcl, p) Rudy Stevenson (g) Lisle Atkinson (b) Bobby Hamilton (d); Newport, RI, July 2, 1966; You've Got To Learn/ I Loves You, Porgy/ Introduction to Blues for Mama/ Blues For Mama/ Be My Husband/ Mississippi Goddam/ Music For Lovers; 32:58. www.ververecords.com

Looking in the Rear View Mirror, Part 2: Kell, Mendoza*Hoff*Revels, Sickafoose, Turner

  I’m pretty much of a sucker when it comes to bands of two electric guitars, bass, and drums, which makes bassist Arthur Kell’s Speculation Quartet, captured Live At LunÀtico, a total treat. Nate Radley and Brad Shepik are the guitarists, Allan Medyard is on drums, and the enthusiastic audience, warming up by the band on a couple of February nights, is also a key part of the show. Bar LunÀtico is co-owned by Kell, so it’s no surprise that he feels right at home on the tiny stage. The tight setting, glimpsed in an online video of the quartet at work, provokes this band into intimate instant reactions. Kell’s compositions are essentially frameworks for improvising, and the quartet makes the most of their opportunities. Radley and Shepik trade lead and rhythm guitar duties seamlessly. The surging Dry Delta is a good example of the guitarists spurring one another on to ever more inventive zones while a rock-solid Kell and the hard-driving Mednard provide a potent rhythmic base. Kell has a fairly thin discography since his recorded debut on pianist Peggy Stern’s Actual Size back in 1998, and while I haven’t heard all his work, I really enjoyed his two Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases in 2008 (Victoria) and 2011 (Jester), and I’m glad to add this winning session to the shelf next to them. Recommended. Origin 82884; Nate Radley, Brad Shepik (g) Arthur Kell (b) Allan Mednard (d); Brooklyn, NY, February 15-16, 2022; Speculation (Intro)/ Haflat Zifaf/ The Djado/ Lullaby;Omi/ Pisciotta Blue/ Dry Delta/ Dark Green No. 15/ Regatta/ Polyamorphous/ Speculation; 71:17. arthurkell.com

If you’re looking for some over-the-top and almost brutal noise, then Echolocation just might be what you’re searching for. In Mendoza * Hoff * Revels, guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devin Hoff are joined by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Ches Smith for 49 minutes of crunchy and unabashedly electronic rave-ups. Hoff and Mendoza split the composing chores, with the guitarist and saxophonist Lewis as the main solo voices. Hoff and drummer Smith have recorded together frequently since they first played in San Francisco keyboardist Graham Connah’s Jettison Slinky ensemble back at the turn of the century, so their lock on these dense and lively rhythms comes as no surprise. Mendoza, whose unhinged guitar pyrotechnics have graced albums by the likes of Allen Lowe, Moppa Elliott, and Erik Friedlander, sounds like she’s having a great time mixing it up with her bandmates. Crazy, thunderous, and totally relentless, Echolocation will either have you dancing with abandon or running out of the room. AUM Fidelity AUM117 (CD, DL or vinyl); James Brandon Lewis (ts) Ava Mendoza (e gtr) Devin Hoff (b) Ches Smith (d); Brooklyn, NY, no dates specified; Dyscalculia/ Echolocation/ Interwhining/ Babel-17/ New Ghosts / Diablada/ The Stumble/ Ten Forward; 49:16. aumfidelity.com

It’s been a few years since Bear Proof was recorded, but bassist and leader Todd Sickafoose has been a busy man, with producing, orchestrating, and composing chores, so it seems like this project was on the back burner for a while. The nine original compositions on Bear Proof were intended to be played straight through, and the music was recorded just that way, as one continuous take. This stellar and well-rehearsed ensemble includes cornetist Kirk Knuffke, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, violinist Jenny Scheinman, guitarist Adam Levy, pianist Erik Deutsch, accordionist Rob Reich, and drummer Allison Miller. Over 62 minutes, Sickafoose unveils what he describes in a brief liner note as “a surreal meditation on BOOM and BUST.” Even if that intent never becomes clear to the engaged listener, the shifting textures and intricacies of Sickafoose’s arrangements, along with the manifest skills of his bandmates, will provide a heap of enduring pleasure. With brief solos darting out of the ensemble, and the surrounding support, there’s plenty of details to savor, and I expect that there will be fresh surprises to discover when this stirring set is played again and again. Secret Hatch SH054; Kirk Knuffke (cnt) Ben Goldberg (cl) Jenny Scheinman (vln) Adam Levy (g) Erik Deutsch (p) Rob Reich (acc) Todd Sickafoose (ac b) Allison Miller (d); Berkeley, CA, 2018; The Gold Gate/ Bent Into Shape/ Switched On/ Flush/ Magnetic North/ Boom Bust Startup Ruin/ Turns Luck/ Prospects/ Reverse Fortune; 61:52. toddsickafoose.bandcamp.com

Trumpeter Jason Palmer and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner are beautifully matched in the Mark Turner Quartet, with Joe Martin on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums. Live At The Village Vanguard, from Jimmy Katz’s Giant Step Arts project, gathers eleven tunes recorded over two nights at the fabled New York nightspot. Turner wrote all the pieces for this date, and he has the knack of composing tunes that hold your interest without being too convoluted as well as proving to be valuable springboards for improvisation. While the closing Lennie Groove first appeared on Turner’s 1998 album In This World, the bulk of the repertoire comes from his well-received 2019 CD Return From The Stars. That ECM release was recorded with the same quartet that appears here, and their deep immersion into the material gives the music a special lift in this live setting. As soloists, Palmer’s fluid and expressive trumpet and Turner’s sensuous and seemingly off-hand tenor are always a pleasure, but it’s their intertwined duo exchanges that really stand out. The performances rely on the penetrating rhythms and unbounded creativity of the Martin and Pinson team. Live At The Village Vanguard is a most satisfying 130 minutes of music; strongly recommended. Giant Step Arts; Jason Palmer (tpt) Mark Turner (ts) Joe Martin (b) Jonathan Pinson (d); NYC, June 18-19, 2022; Disc 1 (63:32): Return From the Stars/ Terminus/ Bridgetown/ BrotherSister/ Nigeria 2/ Lincoln Heights. Disc 2 (67:17): 1946/ Unacceptable/ It’s Not Alright With me/ Wasteland/ Lennie Groove. www.giantsteparts.org

Looking in the Rear View Mirror, Part 1: Perelman, Shipp, Childs, Akinmusire, Fiedler

  2023 was a tumultuous year, both in the world and in my household. Events seemed to conspire to keep me from listening and writing for this blog as much as I (and the publicists who send me music) would have liked. And yet, in what was also a very busy year for new releases, there was quite a variety of new music to discuss and recommend. Hence this three-part post of very brief reviews of some releases I couldn’t find the energy to get to in a timely fashion.

Successful free improvisation needs the participants to be compatible and equally fearless. The duo of Ivo Perelman & Elliott Sharp definitely fits the bill. On Artificial Intelligence, tenor saxophonist Perelman and guitarist Sharp, playing a Strandberg Boden 8-string instrument plus electronics, match wits with an air of casual intensity. Squeaks, squeals, and funny noises of all sorts abound, and at times it’s hard to tell who’s doing what. But that’s part of the fun to be had soaking up the unusual pathways the duo provides. There’s nothing artificial about Artificial Intelligence. This is the real thing, music made by real people in real time. I loved every second! Mahakala Music MAHA-054; Ivo Perelman (ts) Elliott Sharp (Strandberg Boden 8-string guitar, elec); Brooklyn NY, January 2022; Parts 1-4; 57:58. mahakalamusic.com

John Coltrane, among many other musical innovators, didn’t want liner notes on his albums, letting the music speak for itself. Poets and film directors have taken a similar stance, saying that if they could have told you what it meant, there wouldn’t have to be a poem or a movie. Creative individuals tell you who they are by their works. Pianist extraordinaire Matthew Shipp gives the best indication of his inner life on the totally absorbing The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp, a solo set. Echoes of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Cecil Taylor and many others mingle and coalesce in Shipp’s musical world. Shipp once wrote an essay on what he calls “Black Mystery School Pianists,”an investigation into what he describes in his liner notes for a Hasaan Ibn Ali release as “a line of iconoclastic pianists that descended from Thelonious Monk who used an alternate set of parameters in their nomenclature and attitude that was different than the usual mainstream jazz.” I think it’s safe to say, some 37 years after his first appearance on record (Sonic Explorations, a duo with altoist Rob Brown on Cadence Jazz Records), that Shipp has assured his place in that lineage of innovators with the many remarkable releases as both leader and sideman in that time. And if you don’t know his 1990 trio album Circular Temple, it’s just been reissued by ESP-Disk. As NY poet and novelist John Farris concluded his liner notes for the original release, “Whose language are we speaking? The answer to that question is at one and the same time both easy and complex: the language of the trio. Matt Shipp’s language. If you want to understand, you simply have to listen. Dig?” These many years later, I’m still listening, and still digging it. 

Intrinsic Nature : Mahakala Music MAHA-061; Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, March 4, 2023; The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp/ Crystal Structures/ That Vibration/ The/ Jazz Emotions/ The Essence/ Jazz Frequency/ Tune Into It/ The Bulldozer Poetics/ Essence Of Silence; 50:15. mahakalamusic.com

Circular Temple : ESP-Disk’ ESP4082; Matthew Shipp (p) William Parker (b) Whit Dickey (d); NYC, October 16, 1990; Circular Temple #1/ Circular Temple #2 (Monk’s Nightmare)/ Circular Temple #3/Circular Temple #4; 46:19. www.espdisk.com

Veteran pianist Billy Childs assembled a dynamite quartet for The Winds of Change, with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade. Childs writes intricate compositions, full of dynamic changes, tempo shifts and surprising yet inevitable seeming melodic progressions. The quartet more than rises to the occasion, imbuing their performances with deep feeling and irresistible rhythmic vitality. Childs and company also pay homage to a pair of influential pianists, with a soothing reading of Crystal Silence, by the late Chick Corea, and an uptempo version of The Black Angel, a tune by the still-active Kenny Barron. This composition was introduced as the title track of a 1969 Freddie Hubbard album on Atlantic. Childs played in Hubbard’s band for six years in the Seventies, making the song’s inclusion here a double tribute. The exquisite trumpet stylings of Akinmusire are beautifully displayed in the quartet setting, making for some truly compelling listening. While I’m partial to the spirited exploration of the 10-minute long title track, as well as Master of the Game, a Childs original with an optimism  that’s evoked by the melody, to tell the truth, there isn’t a dull second on this winning collection. Mack Avenue MAC 1200; Ambrose Akinmusire (tpt) Billy Childs (p) Scott Colley (b) Brian Blade (d); Hollywood, CA, May 14-16, 2022; The Great Western Loop/ The Winds of Change/ The End of Innocence/ Master of the Game/ Crystal Silence / The Black Angel/ I Thought I Knew; 52:36. mackavenue.com

And speaking of Ambrose Akinmusire, he surprised just about everyone with the release of Beauty Is Enough, an absolutely gorgeous solo trumpet album, recorded in the vast reverberant space of Église Saint-Eustache. In a photo of this church, in Paris’ 1e arrondissemont, it appears to tower over the surrounding trees and buildings. Completed in 1632 after a century of work, the lively echoing and re-echoing from the stone gives a performer essentially a steady partner for his improvisations. Over sixteen tracks that generally last between 2 and 4 minutes each, Akinmusire uses his horn and the room to explore a world of pure sound. The man’s imagination seems to have no boundaries, and over the 48 minutes of this recital, we get to overhear his musical musings. It’s as if we have all been invited to listen to his unmediated experimentation with the myriad timbral and manipulative possibilities of the trumpet. The multi-instrumentalist and composer Anthony Braxton was a pioneer of solo improvising. Back in 1979, in his prescient liner notes for Alto Saxophone Improvisations 1979, he wrote about “the forming of a new kind of creative musician - whose activity transcends any one criterion and whose scope cannot be limited by superficial boundaries ... In actual terms we can now experience a spectrum of solo musics involving every kind of instrument ...” In Akinmusire’s capable hands, the future is now. Origami Harvest; Ambrose Akinmusire (tpt); Paris, France, no dates indicated; To: Taymoor/ 2->1<-/ Carvin./ Turns/ Launchpad/ Olusiji SR/ Off the ledge/ To: Shabnam/ Achilles/ Boots and Jewels/ Wallace/ -Ann_/ Rio/ Self-Portrait/ Sunknees/ To: Cora Campbell; 48:41. origamiharvest.bandcamp.com

Another spectacular solo brass release in 2023 was The Howland Sessions by the accomplished trombonist Joe Fiedler. Named for the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY, where the music was recorded, the release is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the innovative trombone master Albert Mangelsdorff’s audacious solo performance in Munich as part of Joachim-Ernst Berendt’s Solo Now festival. Fiedler, who named his Multiphonics Music label after Mangelsdorff’s trademark innovation, is a truly awesome performer. Using a panoply of extended techniques, he has immense control over his instrument and his breathing (check out that circular breathing on The Long No, for one instance). A gifted composer, he’s got the imaginative range of melody and emotion to put all that technique to use. Decidedly not designed for casual listening, the music of The Howland Sessions demands your attention. You’ll be repaid with a surfeit of beauty, and music to return to again and again. Multiphonics Music MM07; Joe Fiedler (tbn); Beacon, NY, April 26-27, 2022; The Jack Rabbit/ Otter Cam/ Fiedlowitz Manor/ The Long No/ Singer/ Empire Trail/ Sisyphean/ ‘72; 52:15. joefiedler.com

2023: Strange times to be sure, but a flood of excellent music

It was another strange year, both in the world at large and at home too.

Music, as always, helped to navigate all the stresses. Here are my favorites from 2023.

First, New Releases (in alphabetical order):

Ambrose Akinmusire - Beauty Is Enough (Origami Harvest)

Billy Childs - The Winds Of Change (Mack Avenue)

Satoko Fujii - Torrent (Libra)

Tomas Fujiwara - Pith (Out Of Your Head)

Rich Halley - Fire Within (Pine Eagle)

Louis Hayes - Exactly Right! (Savant)

Arthur Kell’s Speculation Quartet - Live at LunÁtico (Origin)

James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily Quartet - For Mahalia, With Love (TAO Forms)

Ivo Perelman & Elliott Sharp - Artificial Intelligence (Mahakala Music)

Rudy Royston Flatbed Buggy - Day (Greenleaf Music)

Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp (Mahakala Music)

Denny Zeitlin - Crazy Rhythm: Exploring George Gershwin (Sunnyside)

And then, Archival Discoveries:

John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy - Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse)

Wes Montgomery with the Wynton Kelly Trio  - Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings (Resonance)

Art Pepper - The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings (Omnivore)

Nina Simone - You've Got To Learn (Verve)

Cal Tjader - Catch The Groove: Live At The Penthouse 1963-1967 (Jazz Detective)

Endless thanks to the publicists and record labels who keep me busy. 

And above all, eternal thanks to all the musicians!!