Rolling Jazz Thread 2018

The text itself may grow on me, but so far doesn't seem up to several Pinter plays I'm more familiar with, though Mantler can highlight the weak spots in his literary sources, maybe by blurring some of the plot points.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is gonna be livestreaming their tribute to Ornette tonight at 8 PM EST. I saw a little clip from the rehearsals on Twitter; arranging Ornette's melodies for a big band turns them into...well, big band melodies, basically. But I'll check it out anyway, and compare it to the Broken Shadows show I described upthread, for my Stereogum column.

https://www.jazz.org/media/live-webcasts/

I know I'm a year late on this, but I just got into Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's Centennial Trilogy and it's pretty awesome. They were playing all of it on WWOZ last night, and I had it on in the background and it was one of those things where at a certain point I was just like, "What IS this?"

been listening to the sprawling Dave Holland/Evan Parker/Taborn/Ches Smith - Uncharted Territories LP and the new Mehldau today, glad they both exist!

NYC based Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto's Big Band album Back to the Sunset has some nice material. Guests on it include Henry Threadgill and Steve Coleman. While I like Eddie Palmieri's album from last year better, maybe they shouldn't even be compared.

Always want to hear Latin x post-out or whatever it's called now, will check that thanks.

@JustinFarrar 14 hrs ago
Of course, the highlight of #tripmetalfest3 was getting to see the #artensembleofchicago. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. They played HARD, with #roscoemitchell setting the tone early.

@residentmusic
Fasinating collaboration incoming from Charles Lloyd & The Marvels (@CharlesLloydSax) + Lucinda Williams (@HappyWoman9)

'Vanished Gardens' out via @bluenoterecords 29.06.18

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DeDmQkQXUAA7tzZ.jpg:large

Wow speaking of and with Dave Burrell, re unperson's excellent podcast upthread---next dig this: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/arts/music/dave-burrell-archie-shepp-vision-festival.html

Open Land - Meeting John Abercrombie TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3UQFY9_II

More details here

My latest podcast is up - I interviewed David Murray.

new JD Allen album of ballads is really lovely and chill. I got lost in my thoughts and became convinced I was listening to Sonny Rollins about half way through it.

Yeah, he's very Rollins-esque at times. A big, big tone. I've interviewed him a couple of times before, and I'm hoping to have him on the podcast this summer.

Lost 1963 Coltrane album discovered

xp
The JD Allen album - Love Stone, is deffo my fave of his yet, although I've only listened to a few, but this current band he has is A+.

xp More on the Trane album (Both Directions at Once) in Search & Destroy: John Coltrane

I finally bought Starebaby and I love it. I'm planning to go see that group at this year's jazz festival, maybe Herbie Hancock and Angles 7 too.

Saw Kamasi Washington last night (he was opening for Alt-J at Forest Hills Stadium; the rest of his US tour is club dates, I think). Two songs from Heaven & Earth, one from Harmony Of Difference, one from The Epic. I hadn't seen him live since 2015, when The Epic was just out. Really good show, and the overwhelmingly young, indie-rock crowd was really into it (I think having their skulls crushed by the double drummers helped a lot).

A bassist I've done some playing with put out his debut as a leader, don't know what I expected but it's really lovely:
https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dear-friend-2

Has some folk elements that remind me of the Fellowship.

x-post- Kamasi Washington is also on new Florence and the Machine album coming out June 29, and doing some shows opening for her/them

Silkheart is putting their catalog up on Bandcamp.

https://silkheart.bandcamp.com/

Tons of crucial early titles by Charles Gayle (they were the first label to record him), David S. Ware, Other Dimensions in Music, Matthew Shipp, and a ton more. All for just $7 each.

So I'll be in NYC (staying in the Village) June 23-July 1, and I'm hoping to use the opportunity to hear some jazz. There's quite a bit going on, e.g., William Parker, David Murray, Ravi Coltrane, and JD Scott afterhours at Smalls (not to mention a lot of other stuff). As I've never been to NYC for jazz, any must-see things or places?

!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DhnVAXn22k

Wow

If any band can give shredding a worthy context...

My latest Stereogum column is up. This is such a ridiculously stacked month: Kamasi Washington, John Coltrane, JD Allen, the R+R=NOW record, two new Thumbscrew albums, albums by Shamie Royston and Tia Fuller (they're sisters)...

I'm so glad someone has mentioned that ace Matt Penman album, some really nice pulsating fender rhodes work from Parks on there as well, I love it!

I saw Craig Pedersen Quartet the other night. They put on a really good show, with a lot of out playing but always grounded in melodic themes and (complex) grooves. The quintet CD from last year that I picked up is really good too: took a couple of listens to digest. Thierry Amar (GYBE) is probably the most famous guy who plays in the band but Linsey Wellman's circular breathing and extended techniques on sax probably make the group for me.

Angles 7 tonight.

They put on a really good show, playing things from the last couple of Angles 9 albums, I gather. Drummer kept a solid 4 or 12 most of the time, with intricate but still singable horn riffs and out breaks. We caught Tanya Tagaq doing an outdoor set from the fence on the way home too, which was great. (I feel a bit bad about not paying but I rationalize that I've spent a lot on the festival and have paid to see her twice.) Dan Weiss/Starebaby tonight: I'm most excited about this; I haven't seen Monder live before.

love that Starebaby album!

Yeah, I've been playing it all the time since getting it.

Just came across this interview which seems to have a lot of interesting detail: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2018/05/milt-bernhart-have-trombone-will-travel.html

Also, how was that show? Did you talk to Ben?

just listening to the new Jamie Saft Quartet - Blue Dream. Finding it most agreeable.

Starebaby were very good, even inspiring. So tight and precise. They were playing from sheet music. I was a little surprised that some of the lines on the album that I thought were played on guitar were actually synth/keyboard parts and vice versa. Monder played really fast, really complex parts without missing a beat, playing a note out of place, or making a facial expression. I introduced myself and looked at his pedals afterwards but got nervous and left him alone.

I almost feel bad that I didn't coach you ahead of time about how to talk to him but maybe what works for James Redd wouldn't work for Sund4r.

Herbie did a great all-electric set last night. Age isn't slowing him down. Loueke was dazzling, getting all sorts of timbres out of his guitar and effects and singing through a harmonizer.

Wait is there some sort of festival going on there?

Yeah, it finished today.

You didn’t go to see Russell Malone, did you?

I didn't. I had to pick my events this year, for a couple of reasons, but I'm not that familiar with Malone tbh. Listening to him on Youtube, he sounds pretty good.

https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0004/252/MI0004252938.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
his last album could be a nom for worst lp covers of our era, but it's excellent.

He’s a super nice guy , too.

Came to ask Phil if he has ever interviewed Harold Mabern or thought about doing so.

I have never talked to him, no. I liked his last album, though.

Harold Mabern, To Love And Be Loved (Smoke Sessions)
Pianist Harold Mabern has been on the scene since the 1950s, recording more as a sideman than as a leader, though he’s got over 20 albums to his name. This is his third release for the Smoke Sessions label, and his first since 2012 not to feature bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth; instead, Nat Reeves is on bass and Jimmy Cobb (the last living member of the band from Miles Davis’s Kind Of Blue) is behind the kit, with Eric Alexander on tenor sax, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet on three tracks, and Cyro Baptista contributing percussion to the opening title track. Mabern has done everything from accompanying singers to playing smooth jazz-funk electric piano to playing with multi-piano ensembles. Here, though, he’s in hard bop mode, leading the band through standards like “If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “I Get A Kick Out Of You.” They also play Lee Morgan’s “The Gigolo” (Mabern was in Morgan’s final band, and was present the night he was shot and killed by his girlfriend, in 1972), which is an excellent showcase for Hendrix’s fiery trumpet. The version of “So What,” from Kind Of Blue, is less successful, mostly because Reeves pushes the bass line too forcefully instead of letting it drift along. Still, this is a great, straightforward “jazz-club jazz” album by a crew of veterans.

Based on my chat with him at The Jazz Standard on the 4th I think he would be an excellent interview subject.

Cool interview earlier this year with Steve Swallow and John Scofield.

Gets into some of the different jazz scenes around NY and elsewhere. Found out that Ian Underwood later of The Mothers of Invention and LA studio player was college friend of Swallow and they played music together then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZe7HoJhcIY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZe7HoJhcIY&feature=youtu.be

Just recorded an interview with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt for the podcast. It started out rough - he answered my first three or four questions with single sentences - but then we clicked into gear and the stories started flowing. It's gonna be a good one.

Will check that one. And speaking of Harold, leave us not forget this 'un with Wes:

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

― dow, Friday, February 2, 2018

Yeah, that's a great album.

― grawlix (unperson), Saturday, February 3, 2018

this new Binker and Moses, alive in the east album is so good.