Rolling Jazz Thread 2018

Finally, this is legit and remastered from original: live in '65 Paris, Wes is into Trane, shadowed by Harold Mabern, and later Johnny Griffin shows up, intriguingly enough (astute excerpts and comments by Kevin Whitehead)https://www.npr.org/2018/01/31/582118519/in-paris-recording-guitarist-wes-montgomery-shows-his-head-for-melody

Yeah, that's a great album.

A bit of a row in Germany over the Echo Jazz awards ceremony – best newcomer winner Anna-Lena Schnabel wasn't allowed to perform any of her own music. The producers rejected her piece "Plop" :-) and four other suggestions, and they asked her to do her version of Horace Silver's "Peace" instead. The show was televised on NDR, a non-commercial broadcaster, which denies censorship and says it wanted "the young generation" included on the show... just not playing anything written after 1959.

German public media are usually open-minded about new jazz afaik – they filmed Schnabel's full concert below, and public media told her side of the story first in a documentary where they accused themselves of censorship. It's a good system. Enjoy!

- http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?mode=play&obj=69772
Anna-Lena Schnabel @ JazzBaltica: online til 20 Oct 2018

I had no idea that a new Bad Plus album w/Orrin Evans came out weeks ago, hadn't heard a single thing about it until listening to your podcast. The three tracks on soundcloud are cool, if maybe not quite as distinctive-sounding? Don't love how the drums were recorded/mixed on this one.

Listening to some Orrin Evans stuff on Spotify today, the trio with Christian McBride and Karriem Riggins is nice.

I heard the clips of that Wes Montgomery record on NPR and it sounds burning, never heard it before I don't think.

Pretty sure I'd only heard OE as a sideperson before, like on Ralph Peterson records.

Also, while I'm sure it wouldn't be ideal in some ways, I'd love to hear a version of the Bad Plus with Eric Lewis on piano.

I'm still getting my head around the Bad Plus continuing with the same name without Iverson. I'll listen, though.

my local public radio jazz station is usually pretty trad but has one show on a weeknight that does more "adventurous" stuff

they played a band called The Comet is Coming? British, and sort of electronic, jazz, R&B hybrid...wouldn't be out of place on an old Thirsty Ear comp

Yeah, The Comet Is Coming is one of Shabaka Hutchings' projects.

ah i'm really enjoying it

Just got the promo of the next Sons of Kemet album, their debut for Impulse!. The cover art is wild.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVc_N_3VoAASHZj.jpg

Anyone have any thoughts on Badbadnotgood? I randomly watched a What's in My Bag video with them and liked their taste and what they had to say. Where is a good place to start with them?

their album with ghostface is great! no idea about their regular stuff

Yeah, I haven't checked them out yet either. I may get to see them this summer, though - I'm hoping to get press access to the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, and they're playing.

they seem to skirt the line between jazz and Budos Band type stuff

I was a hater when they first blew up, because they were goofy college kids who made a video doing jammy covers of Odd Future beats and sent it to Tyler, then they were playing festivals doing jammy covers of EDM tracks.

But I've got to give it up, they matured and learned some restraint, and that 'IV' album is pretty cool. Nice '70s-style production, the collabs with Colin Stetson and Samuel Herring work, lots of attention to sound and texture. Good for them!

Gurls: Norwegian trio at the poppier end of the spectrum I guess, though pretty understated with sax + bass + vox only; opened here for a-ha (!) a few days ago; album just released. Quite enjoying this in the middle of the night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDqBG1jrR9Y

The lineup for this year's Vision Festival is out, and it's amazing. I would go every night if I could, but it's in Brooklyn so I'm almost certainly gonna miss the whole damn thing. Get there if you can.

https://www.artsforart.org/vf23lineup.html

Is this the first Vision fest to not feature a William Parker-led band? I see he's joining a few groups but his relative absence seems a bit conspicuous given his involvement in previous festivals

Might make the trip once day passes are announced. Ambrose Akinmusire has become one of my favorite trumpeters. He and Mehldau are both incredible here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BKVfbwI3X4

Definitely enjoyed that

yup, that was great

My latest Stereogum column is up. I talk about the Bad Plus, GoGo Penguin, and a bunch of other stuff, including a book on 1970s jazz that kinda disappointed me.

Re Parker and Vision Fest, doesn't seem so odd, especially as many of his regular bandmates are presenting their own projects. He's maybe taking a backseat from leader projects atm? Or perhaps he's cooking something big up. He has an album coming out soon with his wife Patricia Nicholson on his own Centering records.

Electronic Press Kit for new David Murray/Saul Williams alb, out 2/16, anybody heard the whole thing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgAmvDz6fQ

Yeah (I was trying to get Murray on my podcast, but the publicist totally dropped the ball). It's pretty good. I wrote about it in this month's Stereogum column (linked above):

Saxophonist David Murray met poet Saul Williams at Amiri Baraka’s memorial service in 2014. The day after hearing Williams read, Murray knew he wanted to make an album with him. Four years later, here it is, billed as a tribute to Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, a major figure on the Turkish jazz scene. The core band includes Orrin Evans on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums, with additional contributions from Jason Moran (on Fender Rhodes), Murray’s son Mingus on guitar, Craig Harris on trombone, and Aytac Dogan on kanun, a zither-like Turkish instrument. Williams discourses on a variety of subjects, some political, others more celebratory of life. On “A Mirror Of Youth,” Williams’ impassioned delivery — and his vocal timbre — remind me of Black Thought, while the band behind him goes just as hard, without ever abandoning melody. Murray, like Archie Shepp, has always been a living bridge between avant-garde jazz and its roots in blues and swing; he can scream like Albert Ayler, or sing low like Coleman Hawkins, and here he’s in a hard bop mode, spinning out passionate lines that always keep one foot on the ground.

"This group is smoking, but wouldn't it be even better if they had someone sorta-rapping-but-not-really-rapping on top? Like slam poetry, you know?" - no jazz fan ever

I interviewed Tony Allen for Down Beat.

The new issue of The Wire is out today; I wrote the cover story on Mary Halvorson, reviewed Anthony Braxton's new 11CD box set (first line, which I can't believe they kept: "Anthony Braxton has developed gigantism") and the new Sons of Kemet album, and profiled French avant-metal band Chaos Echoes, who have an album coming out that's a collaboration with Mats Gustafsson.

Wow, I've really liked a lot of what I know from Halvorson and am curious about the Braxton. (Marking some midterms with essays about Braxton rn, actually!)

anyone recommend a good 2018 spotify list to follow?

this one has lots of good stuff, but it's mostly Danish https://open.spotify.com/user/jazzyniels/playlist/1KpooeZNb18FltdeWgWlSy

Nels Cline 4 jam concisely on song from new album, info and live-in-studio vid link here:
https://www.stereogum.com/1986225/the-nels-cline-4-imperfect-10/music/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
Mainly of interest to me for the Cline solo, also like the way its momentum lifts the full group at end (but mainly his solo).

That sounds surprisingly similar to, like, John Scofield w/Medeski Martin & Wood. I like it, that's a very funky 5/4. Tom Rainey is fun to watch.

Oh yeah, I like this. Cline and Lage in the same band! I've been enjoying the Lage album a lot too; will buy it.

Oh no I am thinking of Jon Raney and Doug Raney, sons of Jimmy Raney, never mind.

So there's jazz guitarists Julian Lage and also Lage Lund, huh (the latter is married to a singer I went to college with).

Yes. This is often discussed. I believe Julian Lage was a protégé of or at least studied under a guitar teacher named Randy Vincent who has written some good books but employs a very stretchy, risky, Johnny Smith-like left hand technique, so it wasn’t totally surprising when the student developed some kind of tendinitis.

Lage has tendonitis at such a young age? Man.

Oh right, I've probably made the same post at least three times, huh. Too much time on ilx.

Think he did some work and took some posture lessons so that the tendonitis/tendinitis (seems both spellings are acceptable) has abated

The new issue of The Wire is out today; I wrote the cover story on Mary Halvorson, reviewed Anthony Braxton's new 11CD box set (first line, which I can't believe they kept: "Anthony Braxton has developed gigantism") and the new Sons of Kemet album

― grawlix (unperson)

Enjoyed the Braxton piece. Good choice of word given the size of this release (and his back catalogue!). I'm tempted but it's $150 on his Bandcamp.

Listening to lots of Henri Texier. He's got a swarmingly intimidating catalogue but current favourites are Varech (obvs) and his Suite Africaine, with Aldo Roman and Louis Sclavis.

Listening to the Julian Lage record and enjoying it, I like the folky/pop feel. S/o to Kenny Wollesen, the only drummer in jazz who tunes his snare way down.

Kind reminds me of some Scofield and Ribot records, which is a good thing.

Milford Graves followed by Mary Halvorson on the front cover of the Wire, it's almost like it's a jazz magazine.

I thought Mary's recent Tzadik album is really brilliant, one of her best yet.

This one?
http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8356

Also - wow, I didn't know Zorn was working toward an endpoint:
After 13 years and 32 CDs Zorn’s expansive “Book of Angels” project is now complete! This final installment presents the last 10 unrecorded compositions from “Masada Book Two” and the variety, drama and lyricism is just as strong as the very first volume. Mary Halvorson, a longtime Masada fan and one of the most acclaimed guitarists of her generation, leads a dynamic quartet featuring Miles Okazaki, Drew Gress and Tomas Fujiwara. The music is intense, wild and incredibly varied—a beautiful and fitting conclusion to this historic Masada series—hailed as one of Zorn’s best!

yep, and even in such a giganto series it's quite right to say this is one of the best!

The folk/pop feel of the Lage also reminds me of some mid-period Frisell stuff.

Joe Lovano is playing Wednesday to Friday at my local jazz club, I feel like going

Whaaaat, there is a new Brian Blade Fellowship album from Nov 2017, and it didn't make last year's thread (or this one)? I'm very disappointed in all of you (and Blue Note).
http://www.bluenote.com/artists/brian-blade/body-and-shadow

Yep; I wrote about it for Stereogum back in September:

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, Body And Shadow (Blue Note)
Drummer Brian Blade’s latest release might be the shortest jazz album of 2017: nine tracks in under 32 minutes. The group — Myron Walden on alto sax and bass clarinet, Melvin Butler on tenor sax, guitarist Dave Devine, pianist Jon Cowherd, and bassist Chris Thomas — has been together for 20 years. This is their fifth release. They’ve never been a traditional jazz group; their debut was produced by Daniel Lanois, and their music has always had a wafting, atmospheric feel. They incorporate elements of country, blues and gospel into their slow-walking compositions, and solos are subued, though still vibrantly alive. There are some interesting structural experiments here; the title piece is played three times (“Morning,” “Night” and “Noon”), and there are two back-to-back versions of the spiritual “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” — a solo take that sounds like it’s played on a harmonium or accordion, and a full-band version. “Broken Leg Days” has one of those meandering, slowly building seesaw melodies that seem to dominate 21st century jazz, but when Blade brings the drums crashing in, he ups the energy level about five notches in an instant. This is a very enjoyable way to spend a half hour.

I like it, he reminds me of Dave Burrell somewhat, who is a bit of an old grand master of heavy, clanging blues with avant-garde exploration.

https://the1959project.com/

Natalie Weiner is doing this look at jazz in NYC 60 years ago effort. With postings every day she says. She posted photos and more re a Rollins/Mingus doublebill at the Five Spot

just picked up the LP/DVD combo for this https://hypnoticbrassfilm.com/ yesterday, haven't listened yet. Was unfortunately not able to find any Shabaka Hutchings-related vinyl at Amoeba SF :(

that Nick Payton set upthread is great, what releases does he have that are similar/worth picking up?

I've heard some previous albums by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - felt like they lived up to their name a little too much but maybe I'll give them another chance.

The Heritage EP is my favorite, agree they can get a bit same-y

who else is doing winterjazzfest with me? Some great sets in the offing!

I don’t feel like I can stay our late enough to make it worthwhile but tell me more. Also, seriously thinking of going to Birdland tonight

I'm considering going but may not make it. I really want to see these shows:

Thursday, January 10 - Gary Bartz Plays Another Earth with Pharoah Sanders; Nubya Garcia opening
Friday, January 11 - Marathon, Night 1 (I'm hoping to see Ezra Collective, Makaya McCraven, and Aaron Parks' Little Big)
Saturday, January 12 - Marathon, Night 2 (I'm hoping to see Anteloper, Nubya Garcia, and Irreversible Entanglements)

I have 12 nominations left for the ILM poll if anyone has used up their noms and wants any jazz/improv/classical/avant on the ballot.

i heard a cut from makaya mccraven's universal beings today and was honestly quite blown away. and i never expected i'd be taken in by a jazz record like that.

What was the name of the song? I'm way behind in checking out the last few MM things

Not sure if this is the right thread, but the new Jeff Parker album is phenomenal

Yeah, Universal Beings is wonderful.

xp the song was "suite haus"! i haven't yet listened to the full album but i'll get to it soon i hope

The mew mccraven gil scott heron project sounded great live. Cant wait to chow down on the album.

I've just discovered McCraven's CHICAGOxLONDON mixtape from 2018 which is fantastic. Lots of lovely Rhodes piano.

i heard a cut from makaya mccraven's universal beings today and was honestly quite blown away. and i never expected i'd be taken in by a jazz record like that.

― dyl, Monday, January 20, 2020 11:30 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

thank you for this, this track is incredible

Universal Anthem is where it's at!!

i mean International Anthem!!!!
lol

anyway it's a great record label https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/

Something I was shockingly old when I learned (this week, in fact): this isn't a jazz-centric rebrand of the guitar soli-type label from a few years ago. Obviously I was confusing it with Imaginational Anthem

This revive has really brought my “should I start a dedicated McCraven or an International Anthem thread?” dilemma to a head. Anyone have a preference?

I like label threads because you can talk about more stuff in there. I made one for Soundway records and do not regret it :)

Also IA are really doing an amazing job elevating their artists to the international level, like it's kind of amazing

It really is, and it's nice that they're so thoroughly Chicago-focused.

That's my fave track on Universal Beings.

McCraven thread is overdue imo

I agree and will probably make one anyway when the GSH thing drops, but in the meantime: International Anthem: S/D

Too late to vote but fwiw I too like the idea of a dedicated thread. I thought about starting a similar one for Astral Spirits but, err, didn't

astral spirits is such a sick label start the thread

intl anthem thread good too, keep up the good work posters