Percussionist Milford Graves recorded his first and only ESP-Disk'
recording on August 5th, 1966 along with fellow percussionist, the late
Sonny Morgan. According to Milford Graves, the titles were given numbers
according to how many beats were in each measure. Milford Graves has
been one of the main drummers in the free mode scene (known for skillful
inclusion of Asian and African rhythmic ingredients into his solos). He
worked with the New York Art Quartet, Giuseppi Logan, Albert Ayler, Don
Pullen, Andrew Cyrille and many more. This unique combination of
percussion conversations between Milford Graves is a welcomed addition
in the new series of digipak re-issues. Liner notes, photos and more...
digitally remastered from the original tapes.
Herbie Hancock - Jazz To Funk (Blow Up Sessions / Kawaida)
2CD Aim (Australia), 1966/1969
A pair of early sessions from Herbie Hancock – both very different than his Blue Note work of the 60s! The set features 11 tracks from material that Herbie recorded for the Warwick label earlier in the decade – material issued with a title makes it seem like the cuts are from Herbie's score to the film Blow Up – although we're guessing that they're not, although they've always been issued without much in the way of session details! That hardly matters, though – as Herbie is great on piano – younger and rawer, more soul jazz than modern – on titles that include "Smoochie", "Far Out", "Afro Boogie", "Rock Your Soul", "Jammin With Herbie", "Herbie's Blues", and "Night Walker". Next is a record that wasn't actually first issued under Herbie's name – a super-hip batch of spiritual jazz tracks by Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – working here on a rare session as a leader, with a sound that's right up there with the Heath Brothers' early work for Strata East!! The lineup is incredible – as Heath is joined by players that include Don Cherry, Buster Williams, Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, and Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out! Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili".
Unlike jazz or rock, both of which originated in the US, jazz-rock was born simultaneously in the US and Europe, with a British band the first off the blocks. Soft Machine’s eponymous debut was released in 1968. It was followed by drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime’s Emergency! in 1969 and trumpeter Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew in 1970. So, unlike European jazz musicians in the mother tradition, European jazz-rock musicians have never had to “catch up” with their American cousins. The genre continues to develop on a level playing field on both sides of the pond and some of the most exciting developments of the late 2010s have come from Scandinavia.
Norway’s Elephant9 trio — multi-keyboardist Stale Storlokken, electric bassist and guitarist Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen and drummer Torstein Lofthus — have been in the forefront of the style since their debut, Dodovoodoo, was released on Rune Grammofon in 2008. They have kept the faith musically, and stayed with the same record label, through seven subsequent albums, culminating in two live doubles in 2019, Psychedelic Backfire 1 and 2, each of them exercises in scorched-earth music making that are not for the fainthearted. Arrival of the New Elders was recorded at Oslo’s Studio Paradiso in September 2020. It is—relatively speaking—a more varied and reflective set than its immediate predecessors and it signals a tweaking of the band’s trajectory. If pursued, this will take it to a more through-composed style with less of the feel of a tripped-out jam band, and more of the feel of a tripped-out jazz band. Whether the new direction is sustained, or whether it is something of a breathing space after the ferocities of the 2019 live albums, remains to be seen. It is, however, the band’s most satisfying release to date. Hængsle and Lofthus, as ever, lay down grooves that are both nuanced and dancetastic, and sonic wizard Storløkken, focusing on Rhodes piano, but also playing Hammond organ, grand piano, Eminent 310, Mellotron and Continuum, shines like the Northern Lights (both the night-sky phenomenon and the late, lamented early British strain of superweed). The wonder and enchantment are all the more powerful for the shifting dynamics of light and shade as the set progresses. Jazz-rock at its finest. — AllAboutJazz
“The morning of May 29, 2003 when I awoke I could not breathe any more. I
was taken to the emergency room, and there I was told that I had a
cardiac arrhythmia. They made me an electrocardiogram and they showed it
to me. I found that the arrhythmias were not very interesting, that I
could do better”
Herbie Hancock - Jazz To Funk (Blow Up Sessions / Kawaida)
2CD Aim (Australia), 1966/1969
A pair of early sessions from Herbie Hancock – both very different than his Blue Note work of the 60s! The set features 11 tracks from material that Herbie recorded for the Warwick label earlier in the decade – material issued with a title makes it seem like the cuts are from Herbie's score to the film Blow Up – although we're guessing that they're not, although they've always been issued without much in the way of session details! That hardly matters, though – as Herbie is great on piano – younger and rawer, more soul jazz than modern – on titles that include "Smoochie", "Far Out", "Afro Boogie", "Rock Your Soul", "Jammin With Herbie", "Herbie's Blues", and "Night Walker". Next is a record that wasn't actually first issued under Herbie's name – a super-hip batch of spiritual jazz tracks by Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – working here on a rare session as a leader, with a sound that's right up there with the Heath Brothers' early work for Strata East!! The lineup is incredible – as Heath is joined by players that include Don Cherry, Buster Williams, Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, and Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out! Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili".
Ah so the Kawaida album gets another reissue. If anyone is a fan of Hancock's Mwandishi period this was an important early step on the way. I think Albert Toodie Heath paid for the studio time which is why he got the original credit. Interesting stuff.
Ethan Iverson has an insightful review of Keith Jarrett's first trio/quartet (the American Quartet) from the 60s & 70s (https://ethaniverson.com/shades-of-jazz-keith-jarrett-charlie-haden-paul-motian-dewey-redman/). He has a bit of a discussion of the too obscure pianist Lowell Davidson. His only available album is The Lowell Davidson Trio (available at a remarkably low price at 7 Digital) and it is enjoyable.
An epic suite of short pieces for solo piano inspired by the later sketches of the great English painter J.M.W. Turner. Subtitled Images and Impressions for Piano this expansive suite includes a variety of styles and forms including études, preludes, color studies, seascapes, moonscapes, nocturnes and impromptus. One of Zorn’s longest compositions, this major new work for solo piano is brilliantly performed by Stephen Gosling, a long time Zorn specialist and one of the best new music pianists in the world.
Drawing inspiration from Ligeti, Scriabin, Bach, Glass, Busoni, Debussy, Bartók, Berio, Feldman, Xenakis, Cecil Taylor, Schoenberg and more, this is one of the most stylistically diverse piano suites ever written.
So great to hear from Shepp, and what a perfect pairing. Tough call for purchasing...It's available at Bandcamp, but Amazon and other sites have extra tracks
So great to hear from Shepp, and what a perfect pairing. Tough call for purchasing...It's available at Bandcamp, but Amazon and other sites have extra tracks
The extra tracks are also available on Presto jazz for download with flac at just a bit more than the Bandcamp price (the mp3 price there is cheaper than both the Bandcamp and the Amazon price).
John Zorn, Nove Cantici Per Francesco D'Assisi - "This album is a suite of music John Zorn composed for the Frick Gallery to commemorate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Played by the acoustic guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Gyan Riley and Julian Lage, the music has a sense of understated and meditative beauty unique among Zorn's oeuvre." Music and More review
Comments
2019 Triumvirate
2010 Progression 2011 Abbey Pub - 5/28/11 nyp
2011 Empty Bottle - 12/15/11 Free 2011 Gdim13 nyp
Herbie Hancock - Jazz To Funk (Blow Up Sessions / Kawaida)
2CD Aim (Australia), 1966/1969
A pair of early sessions from Herbie Hancock – both very different than his Blue Note work of the 60s! The set features 11 tracks from material that Herbie recorded for the Warwick label earlier in the decade – material issued with a title makes it seem like the cuts are from Herbie's score to the film Blow Up – although we're guessing that they're not, although they've always been issued without much in the way of session details! That hardly matters, though – as Herbie is great on piano – younger and rawer, more soul jazz than modern – on titles that include "Smoochie", "Far Out", "Afro Boogie", "Rock Your Soul", "Jammin With Herbie", "Herbie's Blues", and "Night Walker". Next is a record that wasn't actually first issued under Herbie's name – a super-hip batch of spiritual jazz tracks by Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – working here on a rare session as a leader, with a sound that's right up there with the Heath Brothers' early work for Strata East!! The lineup is incredible – as Heath is joined by players that include Don Cherry, Buster Williams, Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, and Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out! Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili".
Norway’s Elephant9 trio — multi-keyboardist Stale Storlokken, electric bassist and guitarist Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen and drummer Torstein Lofthus — have been in the forefront of the style since their debut, Dodovoodoo, was released on Rune Grammofon in 2008. They have kept the faith musically, and stayed with the same record label, through seven subsequent albums, culminating in two live doubles in 2019, Psychedelic Backfire 1 and 2, each of them exercises in scorched-earth music making that are not for the fainthearted.
Arrival of the New Elders was recorded at Oslo’s Studio Paradiso in September 2020. It is—relatively speaking—a more varied and reflective set than its immediate predecessors and it signals a tweaking of the band’s trajectory. If pursued, this will take it to a more through-composed style with less of the feel of a tripped-out jam band, and more of the feel of a tripped-out jazz band. Whether the new direction is sustained, or whether it is something of a breathing space after the ferocities of the 2019 live albums, remains to be seen. It is, however, the band’s most satisfying release to date. Hængsle and Lofthus, as ever, lay down grooves that are both nuanced and dancetastic, and sonic wizard Storløkken, focusing on Rhodes piano, but also playing Hammond organ, grand piano, Eminent 310, Mellotron and Continuum, shines like the Northern Lights (both the night-sky phenomenon and the late, lamented early British strain of superweed). The wonder and enchantment are all the more powerful for the shifting dynamics of light and shade as the set progresses. Jazz-rock at its finest. — AllAboutJazz
Ah so the Kawaida album gets another reissue. If anyone is a fan of Hancock's Mwandishi period this was an important early step on the way. I think Albert Toodie Heath paid for the studio time which is why he got the original credit. Interesting stuff.
Chris Rea
1978 Whatever Happened To Benny Santini? 1979 Deltics
1980 Tennis 1981 Chris Rea
1983 Water Sign 1984 Wired To The Moon
1985 Shamrock Diaries 1986 On The Beach
An epic suite of short pieces for solo piano inspired by the later sketches of the great English painter J.M.W. Turner. Subtitled Images and Impressions for Piano this expansive suite includes a variety of styles and forms including études, preludes, color studies, seascapes, moonscapes, nocturnes and impromptus. One of Zorn’s longest compositions, this major new work for solo piano is brilliantly performed by Stephen Gosling, a long time Zorn specialist and one of the best new music pianists in the world.
Drawing inspiration from Ligeti, Scriabin, Bach, Glass, Busoni, Debussy, Bartók, Berio, Feldman, Xenakis, Cecil Taylor, Schoenberg and more, this is one of the most stylistically diverse piano suites ever written.
1975 Ensemble Pieces
(see Ubuweb Goodies) - with thanks!
2012 Paraphrases 2017 Conversations
Ps- 2 most enjoyable listens!!
2020 Wayfinding
Bandcamp, Emusic
2015 Mist 2016 Grace
2018 Journey To The End Of August
The extra tracks are also available on Presto jazz for download with flac at just a bit more than the Bandcamp price (the mp3 price there is cheaper than both the Bandcamp and the Amazon price).
GREGORY SPEARS A Distant Ridge of Earth, performed by DAVID BYRD-MARROW
-Wow !
Looking forward to the new Lucier work, but no.
2014 A Retrospective 2015 Brother I Prove You Wrong
Emusic
Ps- Well worth the wait (Still on eMusic), Thanks!!!
New release of a 2015 live recording - "the Ritual and the Dance" by Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed. Cover art by Roscoe himself!
2010 cloud becomes your hand 2011 doggy paddle
2014 Rocks Or Cakes 2016 Rest In Fleas
https://www.ecmrecords.com/shop/143038752945/the-carla-bley-big-band-goes-to-church-the-carla-bley-big-band
From the Guvera ill-gotten gains.