Charles Downs Quartet: Inner

   

      The music of the Charles Downs Quartet on Inner is precisely what you’d expect from the storied ESP-Disk label: unfettered free improvisation that employs a broad range of strategies to move the music forward. Drummer/leader Downs, now 82 years old, performed under the name Rashid Bakr for most of his career, playing with several editions of Cecil Taylor’s bands, as well as with Jemeel Moondoc and Other Dimension In Music. He reverted to his birth name earlier this century, playing in the Flow Trio with Joe Morris on bass and Louie Belogenis on tenor sax, and with multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee. Morris joins him for this outing, Downs’ very first release as leader. Jamie Saft, whose musical résumé is dauntingly lengthy, plays piano, and Hery Paz is out front on tenor saxophone. Downs’ nuanced drumming, dynamic control, and polyrhythmic expertise serve to energize his companions. Paz’s growly sound and quick reflexes are complemented by Saft’s incisive piano lines and Morris’ adventurous bass. The exemplary ebb and flow of this session makes for a wholly enjoyable recording. Recommended. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5044; Hery Paz (sax) Jamie Saft (p) Joe Morris (b) Charles Downs (d); Brooklyn, NY, December 16, 2024; Inner, parts 1-5; 58:02. espdisk.com

Jeong/Bisio Duo : Morning Bells Whistle Bright

     The Jeong/Bisio Duo is pianist Eunhye Jeong on piano and Michael Bisio on bass. For their debut release, Morning Bells Whistle Bright, the pair is joined on several tracks by Joe McPhee on tenor saxophone and Jay Rosen on drums. On the first four tracks, the intrepid duo demonstrates their intense connection, achieved after only one previous duet concert. Joe McPhee was at the show. His tenor powers Drinking Galactic Water with his commanding presence and deep experience with totally improvised music. The sensitive Rosen introduces Morning Bells Whistle Bright with a bright wash of cymbals, exquisitely captured by Jim Clouse at his Park West Studio in Brooklyn. The moods of this improvising assembly of musicians range from peaceful to jittery. The back cover reads that all tracks “collectively composed spontaneously by the musicians,” and sometimes it can be hard to believe. For one example, on the second half of Morning Bells Whistle Bright, the quartet finds a groove and sticks with it. McPhee, taking his saxophone up into the stratosphere and down to the deep bottom, duels with an unperturbed Jeong on Disclosure. It’s usually the case that it isn’t very helpful to describe albums like Morning Bells Whistle Bright with any kind of description of what the musicians seem to be doing. Although utterly serious, there is a light-hearted and playful approach by the Jeong/Bisio Duo and friends that makes this a bracingly enjoyable (and relatively long) listening experience. Definitely recommended. 
    The storied ESP-Disk’ label has had a few slogans since it was started in 1963, including “you never heard such sounds in your life” and “the artists alone decide what you will hear,” but I think the latest is the best: “If you don’t like ESP-Disk’s releases, that’s your fault.” 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5095; Eunhye Jeong (p, exc on 9) Michael Bisio (b exc on 8) Joe McPhee (ts on 5-7, 10) Jay Rosen (d on 5-10); Brooklyn, NY, March 8, 2023; 1.Pont Expands to World/ 2.And Then She Was There/ 3.Dusts into Substantiality/ 4.Points Multiply Constant Beauty/ 5.Drinking Galactic Water/ 6.Morning Bells Whistle Bright/ 7.Disclosure/ 8.Jaybird/ 9.Superpreternatural/ 10.Coda for Tomorrow; 73:30. espdisk.com

A pair of guitar duos: Joe Morris & Elliott Sharp/Eyal Maoz & Eugene Chadbourne

     Two of modern music’s most outré guitarists, Joe Morris & Elliott Sharp, unite for an absolutely wild session they’ve dubbed Realism. Now this collaboration, involving acoustic guitars and electric guitars plus Morris’ effect pedals and Sharp’s electronics, is nearly as far from realism as you can get. I say “nearly” because the instruments are usually recognizable as guitars. Noisy, scrabbly, and definitively weird, their abrasive sounds will certainly not be to everyone’s taste. But so what? As producer and current ESP honcho Steve Holtje reminds us, one of the early slogans of the label was “you never heard such sounds in your life,” and that’s certainly true of this set. Totally improvised, and chock-full of surprising moments, this music twists and turns in so many directions at once it can feel somewhat dizzying. From the first fairly gentle flurries of sound on Shapes Mentioned to the whoops and clangs of the lengthy Arrokoth, Realism is both insanely beautiful and beautifully insane. Totally recommended.

 ESP-Disk’ ESP5084; Joe Morris (g, effects) Elliott Sharp (g, electronics); Brooklyn, NY, July 17, 2023; Shapes Mentioned/ Neither Odd Nor Even/ Light Asking/ Freezing in Hell/ Soft Version/ Arrokoth; 64:40. espdisk.com

    Another guitar duo, Eyal Maoz & Eugene Chadbourne, has a big batch of fun on The Coincidence Masters. Freely improvised music needs surprising coincidences to result in more than a random jumble of noise, and veteran weirdo Dr. Chad along with Maoz are more than ready to create the right conditions for those surprises to erupt. Where the Morris/Sharp duo is prone to big noises with lots of electronic effects, Maoz and Chadbourne take a calmer approach to their interactions. Chadbourne’s many projects over the years have nearly always had a humorous edge to them, and The Coincidence Masters is no exception. It comes through in the quietly subversive back and forth that the pair engages in, as well as the titles they’ve given for their improvised encounters. Song titles like And Now, All Is Left Is The Titles Search and The Last Track point directly at their playful attitudes in the recording studio. But in the end, They are no less serious about their music than the more raucous Morris/Sharp duo. Listened all the way through, the CD feels like a kind of suite, with track times running from the thirty-eight seconds of Eager for the Ad-Lib to a pair of lengthy excursions in Unexpected, Also For Us, clocking in at just over ten minutes, and the longer Naming Comforts People. The Coincidence Masters is a delightfully entertaining showcase of improvisation, mastered by none other than Elliott Sharp! 

Infrequent Seams (CD, digital album); Eyal Maoz, Eugene Chadbourne (guitars); NYC, June 10, 2022; Words Are Not Intended/ Two Guitarists/ Improvisation Enthusiasm/ On-the-Spot/ Eager for the Ad-Lib/ Unexpected, Also For Us/ And Now, All Is Left Is The Titles Search/ We Need It/ Naming Comforts People/ All Through / The Last Track; 52:05 . infrequentseams.bandcamp.com

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

Mark Reboul/Roberta Piket/Billy Mintz: Seven pieces/ about an hour/ saxophone, piano, drums

The legendary ESP-Disk label, which recorded such prominent avant-garde artists as Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, and Marion Brown, also released albums by relatively obscure musicians who remained unknown to all but a few cognoscenti. I’m thinking of players like pianist Lowell Davidson and reedist Marzette Watts. To that small list, add the name of saxophonist Mark Reboul, an almost unknown player from the New York scene. The newly issued Seven pieces/ about an hour/ saxophone, piano, drums was recorded back in 2004 by the trio of Mark Reboul, Roberta Piket & Billy Mintz. ESP-Disk’ has been through several incarnations since it was founded in 1963, but the original dictum that “the artists alone decide what you will hear” is still in force. The current manager of ESP, Steve Holtje, solicited this set from Reboul who he knew from attending one of his rare gigs. Unlike a lot of what’s usually called “free jazz” with its stereotypical connotations of blasting saxophones and bashing drums, Reboul’s music is quietly intense and often very slowly paced. The solemn breathiness of his saxophones is nicely complemented by Piket’s careful comments at the keyboard and Mintz’ typically subtle and spare drumming. Seven pieces is a fascinating document of an underexposed talent who is well worth hearing. Recommended. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5041; Mark Reboul (sax) Roberta Piket (p) Billy Mintz (d); Brooklyn, NY, 2004; 7¾/ 10/ 13/ 3/ 6¾/ 9/ 11¾; 61:49. www.espdisk.com

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp: Fruition

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is not the kind of person who does anything halfway. His commitment to free improvisation, with no discussion or pre-conceived ideas, is total. He’s a hard worker, judging from the endless flow of new projects he’s involved with. One ongoing situation clearly energizes him: duets with pianist Matthew Shipp. Fruition is the eighteenth release by the Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp duo, and they’ve also played together in a variety of trio and quartet settings. Perelman says that the pair “believes it’s our best effort so far.” (Perelman is so prolific that I know that I won’t have the time to listen to all of them and judge for myself.) Fruition starts out in rapturous territory, with the stunning explorations of Perelman’s tenor and the utterly commanding piano of Shipp. It should go without saying that there’s not much point in even attempting to describe anything about the music. All I can say is that the power and conversational nature of these duets affect me in a profoundly soul-stirring way. By pure coincidence, I’ve just been reading China Miéville’s 2011 novel Embassytown. His speculative fiction concerns itself with an alien race who speak with two voices at once. Since they have no understanding of a single voice speaking to them, the humans who interact with them have evolved a system of ambassadors, paired humans who are so intimately connected that when they speak as one, the aliens understand them. The amazingly deep affinity that Shipp and Perelman continually exhibit in real time strikes me as a true-life manifestation of Miéville’s fascination with the very structures of language and thought. One factor, exposed here for perhaps the first time in Perelman’s massive oeuvre, is the resequencing of their improvisations, starting with Nine and concluding with Eleven. Whatever the criteria for this reordered batch of improvisations, Fruition is a thoroughly absorbing and fascinating display of two extraordinary talents at work and play. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5070; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, June 25, 2021; Nine/ Thirteen/ One/ Seven/ Fourteen/ Two/ Six/ Three/ Four/ Ten/ Eleven; 59:20. www.espdisk.com

Piano Trios!! (Part 3): Matthew Shipp, Steve Boudreau, Manel Fortià

  The Matthew Shipp Trio, with pianist Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, first recorded in 2015, with The Conduct of Jazz on the Thirsty Ear label. Since then, three more CDs as a trio have appeared, and they’ve also recorded with saxophonist Rich Halley (on Terra Incognita and The Shape Of Things, both on Halley’s Pine Eagle imprint) and with flutist Nicole Mitchell (All Things Are on Rogue Art). The latest trio release is the magnificent World Construct, where this unit’s power, delicacy, and sublimely interactive approach to Shipp’s compositions are deftly and constructively balanced. The eleven tunes range in length from under two minutes to over ten minutes. Some pieces, like the brief opening track, Tangible, hint at the blues. The meditative Sustained Construct, a solo piano piece, continues with a late-night bluesy feeling, but considerably more abstract. With Spine, we move into even freer territory, with assertive bass by Bisio and careful commentary by Baker. Shipp and Bisio spend most of the four minutes provoking one another in an extended dialogue. The tempo of Jazz Posture is pretty fast, with Shipp working across the full range of the piano as he unleashes long convoluted lines. Fast fingers from Bisio and a liberated Baker drive him along and keep the momentum going when the piano drops out for a spell. Beyond Understanding is both simple and mysterious, with Baker’s cymbals and Bisio’s deep tones hovering around Shipp’s skeletal melodies. The slightly meandering free movement of Talk Power is rather lovely, a carefully caressed melody with rhapsodic bass and minimalist drumming. At three and a half minutes, the music is a prime example of the taut constraint of the trio’s interactivity and their essentially ego-less unity of intent. It doesn’t surprise me that this revelation comes at the midpoint of this carefully sequenced disc, which juxtaposes changes in tempo to achieve an emotional arc to the full hour. Talk Power is followed by the explosive Abandoned, with an attack that’s strong enough to blow you out of your seat even if you’re expecting it. The band’s triologue continues with the less-fearsome A Mysterious State, with both Shipp on piano and Baker mostly on snare drum getting downright obsessive as Bisio’s bass dances all around them. Stop the World, not at all an unusual sentiment in this turbulent era, is a somber dialogue for piano and bass, with Bisio playing a powerfully heartfelt solo against Shipp’s sparse chording. Sly Glance is funky and in the pocket, which comes as a bit of surprise this late in the program, but definitely a welcome interlude. It tells me that they’re still having some fun with the music, even in the middle of a pandemic. The finale is the title track, and the longest piece. It opens with Shipp alone at the piano in a classical vein, and soon joined by Bisio and then Baker to embark on a deeply engrossing extended musical conversation. This driving upbeat number features Baker’s spectacular brushwork, Bisio’s patient throb, and Shipp’s endlessly flowing lines. World Construct is an instant classic, and very highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk ESP 5059; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 15, 2021; Tangible/ Sustained Construct/ Spine/ Jazz Posture/ Beyond Understanding/ Talk Power/ Abandoned/ A Mysterious State/ Stop the World/ Sly Glance/ World Construct; 58:12. www.espdisk.com

Canadian pianist and composer Steve Boudreau leads his trio with bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas through nine original tunes and a Wayne Shorter piece on the distinctly pleasurable Cherished Possessions. There’s an easy-going charm to Boudreau’s songs and playing, and with Vedady and Doxas in elegant and engaged support, you can’t go wrong. Boudreau’s limber pianism and bright melodies give the trio plenty to work with. Especially fine are the title track, which opens the date with a prime example of the sonic pleasures that await you over the rest of the disc, the touching ballad Words of Hope, the buoyant and upbeat Rolling Oil, and the dancing rhythms of Charlie’s Family Reunion, which sounds like it was quite a party. Shorter’s immensely attractive Go, from Schizophrenia (a 1967 album on Blue Note) receives an effective mid-tempo treatment. Also worthy of note is the introspective Hear Wisdom. This piece is played very slowly, at a tempo that in lesser hands might drag and almost fall apart. Here the players treat the piece with just the right amount of movement and delicacy, with Vedady’s lyrical bass at the core. All in all, Cherished Possessions is a joy to listen to, and it’s warmly recommended. 

self-produced; Steve Boudreau (p) Adrian Vedady (b) Jim Doxas (d); Québec, PQ, October 2021; Cherished Possessions/ Words of Hope/ For Staff Only/ Descending Blues/ Encumbered/ Hear Wisdom/ Go/ Rolling Oil/ Isobel/ Charlie's Family Reunion; 47:35. www.steveboudreaumusic.com

When I started listening to Despertar, I was immediately grabbed by the soulful bass of Manel Fortià, evoking Charlie Haden as he played the introduction to Dormir, the brief opening track. With pianist Marco Mezquida and drummer Raphaël Pannier alongside, Fortià enjoys thoroughly dynamic and sympathetic support for this suite of original compositions. The CD is structured as a musical dream diary of New York City. The set opens with the brief Dormir (“to sleep” in English). Most of the next eight pieces reflect various aspects of the city, starting with the energetic bustle of Circular, dedicated to the JFK airport AirTrain. Other pieces are dedicated to some of New York’s vibrant neighborhoods, including Harlem (Espiritual), Astoria (Saudades), and Jackson Heights (the bouncy Simple). For just one track, El Día Después, the dream returns to Spain and La Rambla de Barcelona. Otherwise, we treated to the lasting impressions of Fortià from his stay in the city between 2016 and 2020. And then Despertar, and he awakens with a wistful and vaguely optimistic theme that morphs into a more anthemic style. Fortià has worked with both Mezquida and Pannier before, but on separate projects. United here, they form an ideal vehicle for Fortià’s vigorous and varied compositions. Track after track reveals the workings of a restless musical mind brought to an exciting realization by this finely honed trio. A triumph, and heartily recommended. 

Segell Microscopi; Manel Fortià (p) Marco Mezquida (b) Raphaël Pannier (d); Girona, Spain, no dates indicated; Dormir/ Circular/ Saudades/ Espiritual/ El Día Después/ Crescente/ Aires de Libertad/ Simple/ Despertar; 54:13. www.microscopi.cat

Jones Jones: Just Justice

  In an era of tremendous social upheaval around the world, a listener might expect rage and driven intensity from improvising musicians. After all, that’s what has heard on a lot of early ESP albums from the turbulent 1960s. But the world-class musicians of Jones Jones take a decidedly more thoughtful route for most of Just Justice, their new ESP-Disk CD. Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino saxophones, Mark Dresser on bass, and Vladimir Tarasov on drums and percussion brought many hours of mutual musical encounters to the studio for this session, their first US release. The three first toured as a unit in 2008, with a few pieces released from concerts in Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. The flow they’ve developed for what the back cover describes as “spontaneous evocations” is nothing short of astonishing. All three of the musicians have been members of ground-breaking ensembles. Ochs is a founding member of the Rova Saxophone Quartet, begun in 1977 and still going strong. He has also participated in a number of other configurations, including this gem with a long-time collaborator, drummer Donald Robinson. Dresser was a member of the Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1985-1993, while Tarasov was one-third of the influential Ganelin Trio from the mid-Seventies until 1986. When you take a trio of masters who are committed to ego-free and deliriously empathetic music making, something special is liable to happen on a good day. And this January 2020 session in San Diego came on a very good day indeed. Musicians often have curious senses of humor, which explains the plain moniker they’ve attached to this band and the evocation of “Jones” in all of the titles assigned to their spontaneous inventions. From the nuanced Jones in the Sonar System to the wistful RBG Jones to the gently conversational And His Sisters Called Him Jones, Jones Jones’ music is carefully shaped in the moment, the result of deep listening and the kind of collective interaction that’s become second nature to these seasoned veterans. Highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk ESP5072; Larry Ochs (ts, sop s) Mark Dresser (b) Vladimir Tarasov (d, perc); San Diego, CA, January 16, 2020; Articulating Jones/ Bali Hai Jones/ Call of the Jones/ Jones in the Sonar System/ Jones Free Jones/ RBG Jones/ The Further Adventures of Ms. Microtonal Jones/ And His Sisters Called Him Jones; 49:53. www.espdisk.com

GULFH Of Berlin

Aggressively bold live sound manipulation by Michael Haves makes all the difference in giving the freely improvised music of GULFH Of Berlin its special character. The group’s name is derived from the names of the participants: “G” is for Gerhard Gschlössl, playing trombone and sousaphone. “U” is for Gebhard Ullmann, heard on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. “L” is for Jan Leipnitz, on bass and cello. “F” is for Johannes Fink, drums and objects. “H,” of course, is Haves. A quartet of freewheeling improvisers can generate plenty of surprises without electronics, but Haves’ continual manipulation of his instrumental surroundings makes virtually every moment fresh and invigorating. The prolific Ullmann is probably the best known player on the date, and his many innovative recordings have led to him being described as a “disciplined sculptor of sound” (Steve Loewy), someone who shapes “his improvisations like a sculptor” (Neil Tesser). For this ensemble, he seems to have abdicated his usual role by inviting Haves and his electronics into the band and letting him have the lead in tailoring the results. It’s generally pointless to attempt to describe improvised music, but in this case, it seems even more meaningless than usual. Let’s just say that you’re in the mood for three-quarters of an hour of vigorous, uncompromising and utterly fascinating improvised sound, this one’s for you. Recommended, especially for headphone enthusiasts. 

ESP-Disk ESP5054; Gerhard Gschlössl (tbn, sous) Gebhard Ullmann (ts, bcl) Johannes Fink (b, clo) Jan Leipnitz (d, objects) Michael Haves (live sound processing); Berlin, Germany, March 6, 2018; Nether/ K3/ Joja Romp/ GG/ Tellus/ Serenade/ Prisoner’s Dilemma/ Mann aus dem Himmel/ 5 Elements/ Jeton; 43:33. www.gebhard-ullmann.com www.espdisk.com

Ochs-Robinson Duo: A Civil Right

  Saxophonist Larry Ochs and drummer Donald Robinson have played together countless times over the past three decades. They were both members of Glenn Spearman’s Double Trio and formed What We Live, a trio with bassist Lisle Ellis that recorded seven albums between 1994 and 2004. Then there’s the Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core, with Ochs, Robinson and fellow percussionist Scott Amendola, and more. Living not too far from one another has made it easy for them to spend many hours playing. No surprise, then, that the Ochs-Robinson Duo serves up a pungent and inspired helping of free jazz on A Civil Right. The pair dives right into an adept dialogue of tenor saxophone and drums on Arise the Poet. It serves as a richly detailed introduction to their conversational and improvisational styles. A beautifully developed Robinson cymbal solo starts off Yesterday and Tomorrow, which features Ochs on sopranino saxophone, an octave higher than an alto. The best moments of the piece come when Robinson switches to thunderous drums and Ochs takes flight with long, sinuous tones. Ochs’ gruffly vocalized and testifying tenor on Robinson’s A Civil Right is a showcase for the saxophone language that he’s developed over decades in the Rova Saxophone Quartet and myriad other projects. After an initial drum roll flurry, Robinson merely keeps time with bass drum and hi-hat for the entire piece. Ochs’ The Others Dream is a strong full-bore burst of sound, with some biting sopranino work, more powerhouse tenor and hard-driving drumming by Robinson, including a lengthy and absorbing drum solo. The doomy sound of mallets on tom-toms opens the finale, Regret, a ravishing melody by Ochs that’s emotionally rich and piercingly tender. Robinson, a minimalist at heart, keeps the rolling toms going for the entire performance, another gem in a series of superb performances. Absolutely recommended. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5052; Larry Ochs (ts, sop s) Donald Robinson (d); Oakland, CA, 2018-2019; Arise the Poet/ Yesterday and Tomorrow/ A Civil Right/ The Others Dream/ Regret; 45:58. www.espdisk.com

Michael Bisio, Kirk Knuffke & Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Art Spirit

  A trio of peerless improvisers, namely Michael Bisio, Kirk Knuffke & Fred Lonberg-Holm, combine forces for The Art Spirit. Bass, cello and cornet is an unusual and, I believe, unique lineup, but it works here surprisingly well, thanks to the open ears and concentrated listening skills of bassist Bisio, cornetist Knuffke, and cellist Lonberg-Holm. Bisio is the instigator, inspired by the American painter Robert Henri (1865-1929). His r. henri is one of three pieces he composed for this outing. This delicately textured and very moving tribute is one of the CD’s most effective performances. The tune was also a highlight of Now Then by the Tani Tabbal Trio. Knuffke is one of the most imaginative performers around, and he sounds quite at home performing in this setting with two string players. Because Bisio and Lonberg-Holm are equally adept at arco and pizzicato approaches to their instruments, a formidable array of contrasts and conversational strategies opens up. The resulting music ranges from jittery and nervous to smoothly sonorous. Dive right into Not a Souvenir of Yesterday and let the music draw you into their sound world of lightning quick mutual inventions. And good luck trying to figure out what’s composed and what’s improvised in this hour. Not that it matters, as the border between them grows more illusory by the year anyway. Particularly fine in addition to r. henri are the group improvisations Both Keys Belong to You, with anxious strings and inventive cornet solos and the playful Like Your Work As Much As, which features some genuinely gnarly cello work by Lonberg-Holm, an impressively forceful solo by Bisio, and some of the weirdest cornet sounds I’ve ever heard from Knuffke or anyone else. The Art Spirit is clearly flourishing in this fascinating and deeply exploratory music. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5053; Kirk Knuffke (cnt, soprano cnt) Michael Bisio (b) Fred Lonberg-Holm (clo, elec); Kingston, NY, September 24, 2018; Not a Souvenir of Yesterday/ r. henri/ Both Keys Belong To You/ Use Them/ Orange Moon Yellow Field/ Things Hum/ Like Your Work As Much As/ A Dog Likes to Gnaw a Bone; 61:54. www.espdisk.com

Duck Baker: Confabulations

  In their co-written liner notes for 1979's Under The Volcano, an album of guitar duets by Stefan Grossman and John Renbourn, Ed Denson and Dan Forte declared that finger-picking guitarist Duck Baker had “come to be considered one of the more astounding musicians on the scene.” He’s still pretty astounding, while the scene he inhabits has widened considerably, encompassing solo renditions of compositions by Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols, the free jazz solos of Everything That Rises Converges (2009), duets with Jamie Findlay (2001), a trio with clarinetist Alex Ward and bassist Joe Williamson (succeeded by John Edwards), and much more. His latest collection is Confabulations, a sampling of collaborations, mostly recorded in the 2000s, with two tracks realized in Mark Dresser’s studio in 1994. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “confabulate” in three ways. It means “to talk informally” or “to hold a discussion” or “to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication.” Just the right word for a totally improvised conversation, where there’s nothing to remember and all of the gaps need to be filled in. As I started to absorb these Confabulations, each track was my favorite as it unfolded, only to be replaced by the next selection. Which is how it should be, I suppose, for instant compositions that might exist only for the moment unless there’s someone near with a recording device. How fortunate we are to have something like Indie Pen Dance, the exuberant duet with the late Derek Bailey at the guitarist’s home in 2002, or the sparkling interplay of East River Delta Blues with the late trombonist Roswell Rudd, a master of the outside blues, to listen to again and again. Another highlight is The Missing Chandler, a 2009 live encounter with tenor saxophonist John Butcher, as Baker’s imperturbable lyricism meets Butcher’s typically astringent and carefully nuanced phrasing. Another duo with Rudd, from the same New York show in 2002, ends the hour with a free improvisation based on Taps. As Baker writes in his chatty liner notes, “Rudd always seemed to throw in a few wrinkles” when they played together. “It sure put juice into things!” There’s plenty of juice in these carefully culled and artfully sequenced improvisations. Highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5065; Duck Baker (g) with ... Imp Romp 2 (Michael Moore, as; 10/10/08)/ Shenandoah (Mark Dresser, b; 1994)/ Indie Pen Dance (Derek Bailey, g; 7/4/02)/ East River Delta Blues (Roswell Rudd, tbn; 1/9/02)/ Ode to Jo (Alex Ward, cl, & Joe Williamson, b; 9/12/10)/ Duo for 225 Strings (Steve Beresford, p; 9/18/09)/ The Missing Chandler (John Butcher, ts; 9/19/09)/ Tourbillion Air (Alex Ward, cl, John Edwards, b, & Steve Noble, d; 3/7/17)/ Pope Slark (Mark Dresser, b; 1994)/ Signing Off (Roswell Rudd, tbn; 1/9/02); 59:26. www.espdisk.com

Flow Trio with Joe McPhee: Winter Garden

  Multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, playing only tenor saxophone, joins the aptly named Flow Trio for a vigorous and roof-raising session of free jazz on Winter Garden. As producer and ESP-Disk general manager Steve Holtje notes, however you date the appearance of free improvisation (Lennie Tristano in 1949, Ornette Coleman in 1960, or Albert Ayler around the same time), free jazz “has existed for over half of jazz’s recorded history.” Playing trumpet, Joe McPhee made his recording debut in 1968, on Clifford Thornton’s Freedom And Unity album, so he’s been a participant in much of that history. Here he is, hundreds of sessions later, still on the scene and working with like-minded musicians around the globe. As ever, his distinctive fiery approach fits in perfectly, broadening the Flow Trio’s already formidable attack. Saxophonist Louie Belogenis, bassist Joe Morris, and Charles Downs (a/k/a Rashid Bakr) on drums have been together on and off since their 2004 debut CD, The Flow, a live set on Ayler Records, with a second Ayler release in 2009 from another performance. Winter Garden is a glorious collection of instant compositions by the quartet, accommodating full-bore blowouts like the opening Rabble-Rouser and the squawky and relentless Incandescence along with pieces that tend to be quieter and more conversational, like Recombinant, with its 3-note riff passed around the band from sax to bass and back, the gently meandering and quite lovely Glistening, and the elegiac closer, Winter Garden, which bathes the listener in beauty for the last minute or so. An early ESP slogan was “You never heard such sounds in your life.” That wasn’t just hype, it was the truth, and it remains the truth as long as there are committed and adventurous musicians like McPhee and the Flow Trio who create their music totally in the moment. Definitely recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5040; Joe McPhee (ts) Louie Belogenis (ts, ss) Joe Morris (b) Charles Downs (d); Brooklyn, NY, January 11, 2020; Rabble-Rouser/ Recombinant/ Harbinger/ Incandescence/ Glistening/ Accretion/ Winter Garden; 57:42. www.espdisk.com

Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/Bobby Kapp: Ineffable Joy

With an album called Ineffable Joy, and track titles like Jubilation, Ebullience, and Bliss, there’s no need to wonder about the way that the special quartet of Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker & Bobby Kapp feels about their April 2018 ESP recording. There’s a ton of history connected with this release. Saxophonist Perelman and pianist Shipp have recorded dozens of duo sessions over the last quarter-century, and bassist Parker has joined them for several trio and quartet dates over the years. Shipp and Parker were long-time partners in the David S. Ware quartet, and have participated in numerous other projects together. Drummer Kapp made his first recordings as a member of Noah Howard’s group for ESP-Disk in 1968. After a big gap in his recording activities, he made a duet album with Shipp in 2016, joined Perelman and Shipp for the trio release Tarvos: The Art of Perelman-Shipp Vol. 2 (Leo Records), and with Parker on board, played on the 2017 Leo quartet release Heptagon. William Parker’s first recording session was also for ESP, on Frank Lowe’s Black Beings in 1973. And since 2012, Matt Shipp has done four projects for the revitalized ESP imprint. The juxtaposition of Perelman’s virtuosic saxophone, Shipp’s lush voicings and torrential playing, Parker’s deeply rooted bass, and Kapp’s carefully calibrated percussion results in a true bounty of sound. As fascinating as it is to follow along with the Perelman-Shipp duo music as saxophonist and pianist provoke one another, when there are four powerful personalities involved in a free improvisation, the listener’s task is complicated by the sheer force of the music. With so much happening at every moment, it’s tricky to know what to pay attention to. Music that exists in the moment can be, paradoxically, ripe for hearing again and again. First to glean the general picture, then a second pass to listen closely to the sax, another for piano, and so on. After a couple of plays, I find myself partial to both the frisky and urgent Bliss, which maintains its manic intensity for nearly nine minutes, and the swirling maelstrom that they call Exuberance. But next time, and every time thereafter, new facets and nuances will continue to be revealed. Strongly recommended.
ESP-Disk ESP5036; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) William Parker (b) Bobby Kapp (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 21, 2018; Ecstacy/ Ineffable Joy/ Jubilation/ Ebullience/ Bliss/ Elation/ Rejoicing/ Exuberance; 50:06. www.espdisk.com

Piano Trios, Part 3: Shipp, Thollem, Yonezawa

Moving to the outside, with three ESP-Disk releases ...

The boundless empathy of the Matthew Shipp Trio is what’s most striking about the title track that opens Signature. Pianist Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker first recorded as a unit in 2015 and again a year later, both times for the Thirsty Ear label, and they’ve established a searching, exploratory group identity. Their lope into the tune eases the listener into the graceful intensity of the music. Next up is Deep to Deep, just Bisio with his bow, pulling a dark sound from his bass for 47 seconds. The crackling Flying Saucer, with its quick-change dynamics, drum interjections, and left hand rumbling from Shipp, is a romp. Baker’s cymbal work is exceptionally fine on this one. The drummer’s turn in the solo spotlight comes with Snap, a two minute drum solo with Baker concentrating on his snare drum. The Way starts out with Shipp moving intricately through time and space. He’s then joined by throbbing bass from Bisio plus taps on drums, rims and cymbals by Baker. The trio proceeds to ponder the situation at length, with each musical gesture leading naturally to the next and yet remaining unpredictable in the richness of its details. It’s a winning and engaging performance. Stage Ten has a percolating R’n’B feel, with a sinuously convoluted melody and slightly aggressive drumming by Baker. There’s an added bonus of some prepared piano interjecting fresh colors. The ruminative Speech of Form has previously been recorded twice by the trio of Shipp, violist Mat Maneri, and bassist William Parker. In this unit’s hands, it becomes a sort of ballad, with Bisio and Baker playing quietly in support of Shipp’s peaceful meanderings. The busy and interactive Zo #2 reprises a tune that first appeared on Zo, a 1994 duet with William Parker on bass. Here, it becomes the occasion for some frisky and good-natured interplay. New Z is nearly four minutes of thoroughly mysterious sounds, with tinkling bells, rattles, cymbal crashes, and all sorts of nameless percussion. The relatively quiet aura of New Z sets the listener up for the long finale, This Matrix, which finds the trio in perfectly balanced form. The piece features a long and busy bass solo before Shipp returns to finish the track in a reflective mood. Shipp, who has played on scores of albums since his first recording in 1987, is always on the verge of bowing out of recording new material. So far, he’s always changed his mind. As the pianist’s long time collaborator William Parker once told liner note writer Mark Jacobson, Shipp “has a lot of ideas and he’s not shy about expressing them. The lucky thing is you want to hear what he has to say.” The always articulate Parker is, of course, totally correct, as he usually is when it comes to musical matters. Shipp is one of the great disrupters when it comes to creative music. He is always worth hearing, and the riveting Signature is no exception.
ESP-Disk’ ESP-5029; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn NY, July 9, 2018; Signature/ Deep to Deep/ Flying Saucer/ Snap/ The Way/ Stage Ten/ Speech of Form/ Zo #2/ New Z/ The Matrix; 62:23.

The Thollem/DuRoche/Stjames Trio stretches out on three extended improvisations on Live In Our Time. According to his website, pianist Thollem McDonas “has been continuously on the road since 2006 throughout N. America and Europe,” playing with like-minded musicians at every stop. In Portland, Oregon, in 2015, he hooked up with the late bassist André St. James and drummer Tim DuRoche. The results are loose and flowing, as befits a pickup ensemble playing in what’s described as “a community gathering place.” Persisted Resistance opens the session as the three men try and figure out what they can achieve together. They hit a together groove around the half-way point, but of course, in time-honored free improvisation fashion, they move on from there into another zone. The last third of the track is quieter and sparser, with a focus on St. James’ conversational bass lines. The organic ebb and flow of Reparation Apparition builds and builds, erupting into a quick-step tangle of rapid musical gestures. A quiet middle section puts the spotlight on St. James once again. After a brief arco solo, the music falters a bit, effectively treading water until the next inspiration hits. It takes a few minutes, but Thollem starts to play more forcefully for a spell. St. James returns to the forefront with more of his melodic soloing. The finale, Sunshine Pipeline, is mellow and elegiac at first, giving us another chance to admire the playing of André St. James, a Portland mainstay and a respected figure on the local scene, who passed away in May 2018. Thollem McDonas, generally thought of as a strong and relatively vigorous performer, seems more laid-back than I was expecting here, although maybe that the fault of the recorded balance which places his piano down in the mix. Not essential, perhaps, but a fitting tribute to one of Portland’s favorites.
ESP-Disk’ ESP-5020; Thollem McDonas (p) André St. James (b) Tim DuRoche (d); Portland, OR, July 11, 2015; Persisted Resistance/ Reparation Apparition/ Sunshine Pipeline; 45:03.

Boundary is the initial release by the trio of Megumi Yonezawa, Masa Kamaguchi & Ken Kobayashi. Bassist Kamaguchi has the highest profile in the group. He first recorded in a group led by drummer Jimmy Weinstein in 1993. Since then, he’s worked with such notables as trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, saxophonists John O’Gallagher and Sonny Simmons, and pianists Frank Kimbrough, Satoko Fujii, and Russ Lossing. Pianist Yonezawa has participated in five previous releases, notably with saxophonist Greg Osby on Public in 2004, while drummer Kobayashi has appeared on four sessions since his debut in 2006. The lead-off track, which gives the album its name, starts calmly with the resonance of a single piano note. A three-way musical conversation ensues that, ever so slowly, builds in intensity and density in an impressive display of improvisatory gusto. That’s the way that the trio rolls: starting simply and seeing where things lead. Typically, pianist Yonezawa sets the mood by herself, with bassist Kamaguchi usually joining in before drummer Kobayashi enters the fray. The fleet Meryon is a prime example of the power and grace exhibited by this impressively together trio. Another fast number, Wavelength, offers Kobayashi, an especially relaxed percussionist, a chance to cut loose. Only Onement fails to excite, getting on my nerves as it relies on a maniacally repeated piano note that made my head hurt. There is one standard peeking out from the set list, Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal’s 1938 song I’ll Be Seeing You. In their hands, this classic tune, familiar from famous versions by Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, becomes a vehicle for spacious piano from Yonezawa with sympathetically melodic playing by Kamaguchi and deftly understated drumming by Kobayashi. As pianist Matthew Shipp observes in his characteristically astute liner notes, this trio “sounds like they were destined to play together since time began ...,” which says a lot from someone with his impeccable credentials. Characterized by deep listening and instant reactions to the musical environment, Boundary is a fine example of the way that like-minded musicians create highly effective and enjoyable music by merely (merely!) setting up and playing. I’m in agreement with Shipp on this one: “Sit back and enjoy the ride.”
ESP-Disk’ ESP-5023; Megumi Yonezawa (p) Masa Kamaguchi (b) Ken Kobayashi (d); Brooklyn, NY, June 4, 2017; Boundary/ Alchemy/ Tremor/ Meryon/ I’ll Be Seeing You/ Reef/ Veil/ Onement/ Wavelength/ Nostalgio; 66:20. www.espdisk.com

Mars Williams: Presents An Ayler Xmas, Volume 2

One of the wildest discs to come my way lately is led by the versatile and excitable Chicago saxophonist Mars Williams, who Presents An Ayler Xmas, Volume 2 to grace the holiday season. I’m not at all interested in Christmas music, but than again, except for Volume 1 (2017), Xmas albums don’t usually sound anything like this. In one sense, the combination is a no-brainer, given Ayler’s folk-song tendencies, but it does take a rather special sensibility to come up with the concept and make it work. Three of the tracks were recorded live in Chicago with Williams’ Witches & Devils ensemble, featuring a cohort of the Windy City’s premier improvisers. The other two pieces are taken from a gig with local musicians at Porgy & Bess, a nightspot in Vienna. Every track is a medley with Ayler’s pieces embedded in Christmas standards. If you’ve ever wanted to hear O Tannenbaum, sung here in a quivering voice by Christof Kurzmann, combined with Spirits, one of Ayler’s best-known tunes, then this CD is what you’ve been waiting for. Williams makes it all work surprisingly well, so if this concept intrigues you, you’ve got some new and radically different sounds to enjoy on Christmas eve.
ESP-Disk’ ESP5030/ Soul What SWR 0004; Mars Williams (sax, toy instruments) on 1, 3 & 4 with Josh Berman (cnt) Jeb Bishop (tbn on 1) Fred Lonberg-Holm (clo) Jim Baker (p, Arp synth, vla) Kent Kessler (b) Brian Sandstrom (b, g, tp) Steve Hunt (d, perc); on 2 & 5 with Thomas Berghammer (tp) Hermann Stangassinger (b) Didi Kern (d, perc) Christof Kurzmann (lloopp, vcl); 1,3,4: Chicago, IL, no date specified; 2 &5, Vienna, Austria, no date specified; 1. Xmas Medley/ 2. O Tannenbaum/ Spirits/ 12 Days of Christmas/ 3. Love Cry/ Christmas Wrapping/ 4. Carol of the Drum/ Bells/ O Come Emmanuel/ Joy to the World/ 5.Universal Soldiers/We Wish You a Merry Xmas; 53:45. espdisk.com