"Music doesn't go seasonable to me." Rolling Jazz Dm7♭5 Thread 2017

Thanks.

To continue the radio live blog: I never knew anything about Bobby Scott before. Very interesting to learn about.

Just realized Cyrus Chestnut is doing a solo show here this Friday in a nice small room. Not at all versed in him, but for $25 it seems like a safe bet, yes?

I saw him at Dizzy's when he was part of that Pavement project which was a mixed bag or blessing. Based on that I would definitely try to see him do his own thing in a small venue like you mention.

the latest Terrell Stafford "Forgive and Forget" is excellent.

Yeah, that is a good album. I liked his previous one, too - it was a Lee Morgan tribute, but the performances were good enough that it stood on its own and didn't just make me wish I was listening to Lee Morgan.

So apparently there's a new album out with the Matthew Shipp Trio called Piano Song. Anyone heard it?

Yeah, I've heard it; it's good. It's his final album for Thirsty Ear - Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums, same as his last one, The Conduct of Jazz. Baker is a really swinging, conventional drummer compared to other guys he's had in the band, so the album is much less "free jazz" than a lot of his work.

I wound up skipping Winter Jazzfest entirely, but went out last night to see an excellent triple bill at the Cell Theatre in Manhattan.

First up was the James Brandon Lewis Trio (Luke Stewart on electric bass; Warren G. Crudup III on drums) with guest guitar from Anthony Pirog. They were great - funky and almost rocking at times, and Pirog was shredding all over the place.

The second group was an eight-piece ensemble that was just stacked with really good players - Rob Reddy on soprano saxophone; John Carlson on trumpet; Josh Roseman on trombone; Charlie Burnham on violin; Christopher Hoffman on cello; Marvin Sewell on guitar; Dom Richards on double bass; and Pheeroan akLaff on drums. The music was a really interesting blend of old-style jazz (it was a tribute to Sidney Bechet) and chamber music; Burnham got the best solos.

The last group was Harriet Tubman - Brandon Ross on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass, and JT Lewis on drums. Gibbs had some minor sound problems early on, but got it under control on the second song, and they tore it up. They play a kind of ambient, post-rockish jazz-metal; I guess I'd compare them to Blind Idiot God, with less of an emphasis on Riffs and more on creating a huge, room-filling, weather system-type sound. Their new album - their first studio recording in 15 years - comes out next month on Sunnyside. It's got Wadada Leo Smith on it, and liner notes from Greg Tate, who was at the show last night.

Very exciting report--sure hope the octet incl. Burnham makes an album (have they?), and looking fwd to the new release by Harriet Tubman, who tore it up at an otherwise sometimes tentative re-gathering of Threadgill-related line-ups on Jazz Night In America.

now THIS is electro-free jazz i can get behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwF7uJF5YL0

Thanks Scott! Reminds me I need to check out Republic of Mars, based on (joanie loves chachi)'s rec and your response.

Another friend alerted me to the recent death of Charles "Bobo" Shaw, whom I've heard on several records, but didn't know all this:

an overview:http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2017/01/charles-bobo-shaw-1947-2017.html"> http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2017/01/charles-bobo-shaw-1947-2017.html

A pair of killer 1973 cuts from the Human Arts Ensemble:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AqJamdqkcI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hJ1OFu6mRM

An excellent 1978 recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weA2duvKbZo

A 1977 record he made with Lester Bowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bCKNL8ejak

And a glimpse of him playing with a bunch of other drummers just a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqltK5d8qys

I first saw Bobo play in 1973 at Studio Rivbea, Sam Rivers's loft in SoHo, with the Black Artists Group, featuring Lester's brother Joe, future leader of Defunkt. I saw him gig around town a few more times in that jazz era of huge ambition and microscopic budgets, but didn't get to know him until late in the decade. Following the coterie success of the Lounge Lizards, many avant-garde jazz players started playing funk, like for dancing: Defunkt, Luther Thomas's Dazz, Oliver Lake's Jump Up, and a bunch more that either went unrecorded or were not recorded to their best advantage... Bobo was all over that scene, which was dominated by players from St. Louis.

The main venue for these outfits was the Squat Theater on 23rd Street, run by Hungarian expats including the parents of Eszter Balint (of Stranger Than Paradise fame, among other things)....

sorry, should have posted that first link this way:
http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2017/01/charles-bobo-shaw-1947-2017.html

Wynton Marsalis, clueless as ever, on facebook:

In the countdown to Friday's inauguration, I find myself being asked - at least once a day - whether or not I would agree to play at the festivities, if invited.

Yesterday, while fellowshipping with a number of college-aged youngsters, both my willingness to perform, and my interest in joining a protest were called into question. "Would I perform, if asked?" "Yes," I said. "Would you protest the accepted outcome of the election?" "No," I said, and quickly followed up with, "I'll at least wait for him (or them) to actually do something that I feel should be protested against.”

Well, not expecting these answers, the young people were extremely dissatisfied and became quite agitated. The conversation quickly shifted to what constitutes “selling out” and the somewhat rhetorical questioning of whether or not selling is a natural side effect of aging. It then detoured into uniformed suspicious speculation on the Electoral College, which gave way to pure conjecture about the role of Putin in the electronic balloting process. This, predictably, boiled down to a conclusion that the election itself was not legitimate (and by deduction, that voting itself is a waste of time).

It was all so sincere and heartfelt that the veteran in me had to smile, chuckle and shake my head. "What's funny?" they asked. I replied, "When a process yields results you really don't like, that's the perfect time to endorse that process. It proves your belief in the larger agenda. And that's why, if asked, I would be happy to play. As far as protesting goes, I did that on November 8th. The election was the protest."

It got me thinking about my great uncle, born in 1883 in rural Louisiana. He was known for going to vote on every Election Day, in spite of being turned away. He was said to be so persistent that after some absurdly large number of years, he was finally allowed to cast his vote. When I asked why he would return year after year to face that humiliation, he told me, "Make people cheat you to your face, son."

Being a child of the Civil Rights Movement, I grew up knowing that activists from all walks of life courageously faced injustice head on. They even had the theme song "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round." Being present was their calling card. I think that many of the people boycotting this inauguration seem to have forgotten our democratic mandate to participate and our responsibility to be present. Now is not the time for leaders to disappear and allow the national dialogue to be shifted away from the sometimes impossible negotiations of conflicting viewpoints that are essential to the well being of our democracy.
Participation is the way to honor all of the sacrifices of our ancestors and to create the world we would like to bequeath our descendants. Let's be present.

– Wynton

I bet if Trump went electric Wynton would be out there protesting.

I think his cut-off point of all music with a right to exist is about 1963 innit? He is an absolute tool when he talks politics or music.

The first installment of Ugly Beauty, my jazz column for Stereogum, just went live. Hopefully you'll find something you like.

Cool, thanks, will check out later.

nice, i'm enjoying going through these. really like the Shipp and the Art Hirahara so far. also going to check out a lot of stuff now that i realized that all the Criss Cross records have auto-generated videos on Youtube.

(really disliked that Henry Spencer thing, but whatevs)

also it's weird to me that contemporary jazz records that are essentially based on beats are still mixed like, well, jazz records. the cymbals/overheads are super upfront with the kick & snare de-emphasized, even though they are driving the music. thinking about this while listening to that Tom Tallitsch track. the Shipp recording does a good job of avoiding this, and sounds so much better than almost everything in the column.

lol Henry Spencer's track was the only one to grab me but I don't listen to much jazz, so...

that's a very well written column, enjoyed reading it a lot (although the music is not exactly to my taste)

it's gathered a lot of comments for a jazz column as well, but how odd that commenters on a "nerdy" music forum would exchange recommendations in the form of name-dropping only the most canonical of albums and artists that any google search/spotify playlist/Rolling Stone feature would lead you too

There's a new Led Bib album out today

http://www.rarenoiserecords.com/led-bib

been listening to some Herlin Riley today, his album from last year specifically and excellent it is.

that Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus one is another totally sick album from last year I completely missed despite it having the holy trinity of Halvorson/Davis/Fujiwara on board. I even read a couple of rave reviews but never got round to it.

RIP Jean Georgakarakos, the "G" in legendary free jazz label BYG Records.

i know this is last year but i am still listening to the yussef kamaal all the damn time

Been participating in the Twitter-based Music Writing Exercise, where you listen to an album you've never heard before every day in February and tweet your impressions. I've decided to spend the majority of the month rooting around Spotify for semi-forgotten '70s and '80s albums by relatively well-known players. Today I checked out Gary Bartz's Music is My Sanctuary, a 1977 album produced by the Mizell Brothers (the same guys who did Donald Byrd's disco-funk records, and Bobbi Humphrey's). It sounds like what you'd expect - smooth disco-funk jazz, with some vocals - but there are some really nice horn charts and weirdo arrangements on the track "Swing Thing," and the title track is really good.

Nate Chinen has left the NYT
https://deadline.com/2017/02/new-york-times-culture-desk-charles-isherwood-leaves-as-layoffs-loom-1201903894/

Chinen's doing (and commissioning) good work for WBGO:

http://wbgo.org/term/music

Yes and yes! Bummer that jazz is often awol at the times tho'.

Today I got hung up on young Larry Young in his pre-Miles/Jimi etc. 1960s, listening to Unity several times, incl. right now---Woody Shaw not only shines as performer, he contributes several ace tunes, plus the LY/Elvin Jones duet on "Monk's Dream." Joe Henderson's the least distinctive stylist here, but no prob, what with his rough-edged incisions--plus he wrote "If", one of my faves here, not that I don't favor them all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EWEOOztqIk

That is, Young and Jones are the only ones on "Monk's Dream", which works great.

Anybody heard the 2014 Japanese edition of this, with alt. takes of several titles? Do they add anything worth seeking out?

Finally, keep wanting to follow it with a G7b9.

G7#5 imo

Lol

I've tried and tried with Larry Young but his stuff's never really done it for me, except for Lawrence of Newark. And I want to like Unity, because I love Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson. But I don't know. I prefer more traditional, bluesy organists - John Patton, Baby Face Willette, Freddie Roach, et al.

I love 'Unity'.

Looking forward to checking out this Craig Taborn record w/Dave King, thanks pfork.

dow, be sure to check out Young's Into Somethin', from the previous year. Elvin plus Grant Green and (dramatic pause) Sam Rivers. Easily Unity's equal.

Will have to listen to it again---Elvin Jones seems under-mixed, also under-utilized, or maybe he chose to under-play, compared to Unity. Also, Green seems to alternate otm moments with coasting (which reminds me I've read that his own albums on Blue Note tended to the same, only moreso: here's a whole good album, there's a meh, here's a good, etc.). But yeah, I'll listen again, not like my attention span is always otm.

Not that I'm that crazy about Green's (Burrell's, Montgomery's) burble-y approach anyway, for the most part (not that I've heard their best work either, no doubt).If you're gonna do it that way, be Les Paul.

But hell yes, Sam Rivers spins out of and bears down on all these bouncy sounds!

agree somewhat re: Green. I don't think Jones is underplaying and/or holding back at all, but he is lower in the mix than on Unity -- or rather, Young is much higher in the mix. But yeah, Rivers is totally killer, and it's fascinating to hear him in this context.

Yeah, I wonder if he did anything else like this---kinda reminds me of what Sonny Sharrock does in the middle of Herbie Mann's corny "Philly Dog" on Live At The Whiskey, although Rivers has a lot more chops than Sharrock did then, and nothing on Young's album is like that toon.

What did you guys think of the Darcy James Argue from last year? I bought it on Bandcamp's ACLU day, eager to hear a 12-tone big band album. I've been playing it a fair bit; it's all at least interesting. I don't know if I'm as sold on some of the funk moves and don't really know what to make of the spoken bits.

I like Argue's first album, Infernal Machines, the best of all his work. The newest one is good, but I agree it doesn't all work as well as it could.

Great video of Woody Shaw's quintet live in France, 1979:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJTXfhIGy5w

What did you guys think of the Darcy James Argue from last year? I bought it on Bandcamp's ACLU day, eager to hear a 12-tone big band album. I've been playing it a fair bit; it's all at least interesting. I don't know if I'm as sold on some of the funk moves and don't really know what to make of the spoken bits.

From what I heard I thought it was...not good.

Never listened to anything after Infernal Machines, figured it was only going to go downhill from there.

I never heard all of Infernal Machines tbh. I better pick that up because I'm pretty into Argue's ideas. I also got this one, which I am pretty impressed with. There's a lot going on to listen for; not lightweight by any means. Some p sophisticated compositions; nice extended bowed bass techniques.

I just found out that Larry Coryell passed away Sunday. I think this hurts me more than any of the other musician deaths in recent memory.
http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/02/20/516245069/guitarist-larry-coryell-godfather-of-fusion-dies-at-73