Dance

I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to follow the typically adventurous path of Ken Vandermark and Peter Brotzmann through a handful of new recordings (though I begin with one by the duo of free jazz heavyweights Vandermark and Paal Nilssen-Love). I admit that on the surface these albums are only losely connected by some of the musicians involved, however, I feel that somehow they are more tacitly connected by a certain uncompromising musical vision…

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen Love – Letter to a Stranger (Smalltown Superjazz, 2011) ****

Starting out with a wash of percussion and the softer sounds of the A clarinet the duo of percussionist Nilssen-Love and reedist Vandermark quickly builds in focus and intensity. Nilssen-Love’s panapoly of percussion helps generate a strong foundation for Vandermark’s confident and commanding tone. The slow build of the first tune leads into the intense title track where the duo makes a racket akin to a full band, leaving no sonic stone unturned. I was particularly drawn to the disjointed phrasing in ‘Cat in the water’. The dyad’s crazy conversation jumps from phrase to phrase, with lines spilling from the A and bass clarinets that do not seem possible for mortals to make. Whether skirting the conventional sounds of the instruments or embracing the unintentional ones, this is absorbing collage of interactions and phrasing. The amount of sound and range that this duo covers is utterly compelling.

Sonore – Oto (Trost Records, 2011) ****

Here Vandermark is joined by woodwind masters Peter Brotzmann and Mats Gustafsson, whose ongoing project Sonore yields a whole other set of actions and reactions. The trio, now several years into their collaboration, deliver a rousing set at London’s Oto jazz club. With all three musicians in fine form, the free blowing set is replete with sonic drubbings and surprisingly tender moments. Unfettered or supported by a rhythm section of any kind, there is a lack of foundation that makes the music challenging and evocative. The amount of listening and empathy for each other’s playing is impressive, I image each instrument to be a rotating gear that works together mysteriously to bring a machine to life. For example the enigmatically titled “(I was arranging her) arms” features the deeper registers of a baritone sax (I assume) laying a crumbling foundation beneath the swirling of a clarinet, while small fluttering blasts from a third woodwind provides a pulse. The musicians are not shy about pushing their instruments to their technical limits, nor have any reservations about creating some beautiful passages as well.

Full Blast & Friends – Sketches and Ballads (Trost Records, 2011) ****1/2

Full Blast & Friends finds Vandermark, trumpeter Thomas Heberer, and timpanist Dirk Rothbrust joining regular Full Blast trio members Brotzmann, bassist Marino Pliakas, and drummer Michael Wertmuller. The expanded group delivers an captivating piece credited to Wertmuller. Rendered as one long tune, though overall album clocks in on the more succinct side at 38 minutes, the group fill every precious minute with telepathic connections, captivating blasts of atonal power and moments of sublime sound. Full on chaotic blasts are contrasted with beautiful solo and duo passages that fully exploit the tonal possibilities of the horns, a quick bass break about 5 minutes into the piece generates powerful sonic propulsion, and the timpani adds a fascinating and dynamic dimension. The song is a complex and varied piece that deserves many listens.

While it was fun to will into existence a theme running through all of these recordings, it is even more fun to just listen. Whether it is the intense crescendo of Vandermark’s and Nilssen-Love’s ‘Crippled Donkey’, a moment of a quiet with Sonore exchanging ideas, or a blazing passage from Full Blast, this is a set of recordings that I highly recommend for hearty musical adventurers.

By Joe Higham

When speaking about Bobby Previte you’re talking about the roots of the New York downtown scene(*). Previte and musicians, John Zorn, Ellery Eskelin, Wayne Horowitz, Elliot Sharp or Bill Frisell, were all in at the beginning of this whole movement which celebrates the alternative side of what improvised music could/should be. Previte’s music has always been a mix of inspiring and challenging writing with great soloists, mostly very accessible, and certainly never less than inspiring His groups (or projects) have ranged from solo work, the ‘Weather Clear, Track Fast’ septet, ‘The Pan Atlantic Band’ and a nice duo with Marc Ducret. As a drummer/composer his writing pays as much attention to melody as to rhythm, and naturally the interaction with his bands certainly produces sparks as on this record and possibly the sum of those elements, great melodies, rolling beats, tight arrangements and stellar soloing from all concerned.

New Bump is made up of long time associates; Bill Ware (vibes), Ellery Eskelin (sax), Brad Jones (bass) and – of course – Bobby Previte on drums. A powerful group that shows their skill and experience after having played together since years, playing a punchy jazz that’s melodic and modern. Bill Ware plays equally strong vibes either as an accompanist or soloist. It’s an instrument that lends itself to so many styles as testifies the recent playing of Chris Dingman, Jason Adasiewicz or even the mixed vibes lines in Tortoise. Ellery Eskelin is a sax player who remains a true original. His playing is a marvel to hear, a truly inspired saxophonist with an amazing sound concept and soloing style that is truly his own. Able to play convincingly in all areas of music, and someone who deserves wider recognition outside of the ‘musicians in the know’ circle. Together Eskelin and Ware equally divide the front line job of melody and soloist yet there are many moments when the two players shadow each other, creating lines inspired by the other. Previte and Brad Jones play their role sitting neatly on the fence between jazz and a more rock-ish style. Bobby Previte’s writing on this release encompasses boogaloo, rock, jazz and more, giving the two front line players plenty of material to work with. Tunes such as ‘The Saint‘, ‘D is for Drums‘ all rock along, or the changing sections of ‘The Inexorable March Towards Brutality‘ keep you guessing, in fact all the tunes are excellent. ‘Don’t Tell Pilar‘, ‘Client 9‘ and ‘Probably Not‘ all have wonderful melodies and plenty of exciting twists and turns, and to add to the whole every solo is truly exciting.

Listen, buy, or generally enjoy at Bandcamp.

* = Of course the Downtown Scene covered many areas of music from minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, performance art of Laurie Anderson and many others. Check out Wiki’s entry on downtown to get a general idea. 

© stef

» by The Kid Skoob February 21, 2012, 18:53pm

Bad Boy has become synonymous with “the remix,” so it’s only right that one of the label’s newest MC’s be anointed properly. French Montana hits the streets with a remix video for his smash hit “Shot Caller,” featuring Diddy and Rick Ross. French’s Bad Boy debut Excuse My French is on the way.

This video is definitely vintage Bad Boy right here.

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Photo: Vimeo

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It?s always a treat to see an artist?s first performance in the city in which you reside and last night, Los Angeles welcomed Knife Party with open arms. From beginning to end, it was a bass-heavy and high energy affair, filled with essential tunes and excellent DJing. Read on after the jump for the full review!

After a short cab ride from the West side to The Wiltern, we arrived at around 10 pm to catch the end of the first opener who then led into the madness that is Codes. Although people were still filing in, Codes cut to the chase and really took the crowd to the next level, which established the good vibes for the remainder of the night. I knew he was a versatile producer, but it was great to see that his eclecticism transfers into a very entertaining DJ set.

Kill The Noise took the stage immediately after and the excitement was building during his suspenseful piano introduction, so much so that the crowd began chanting his name. He kick started his set with a massive drop and then he quickly mixed into his new remix of Nero?s ?Must Be The Feeling,? which sounded awesome through The Wiltern?s system. Another highlight of his set was when he mixed out of Deadmau5?s ?Strobe? and then into Firebeatz? mix of ?Funky Shit.?  This was my second time seeing Kill The Noise and like the last time, he absolutely killed it. Insomniac couldn?t have billed better openers with their complimentary styles and sheer skill on the decks. It was one of those nights that was a sort of crescendo of good times, but things got much louder once Knife Party took control.

Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen played an incredible set that included hits, rarities, VIP?s, and even a brand new track. They played it all and in perfect form. There is a certain, distinct energy that is felt at dubstep-type shows and Knife Party did a great job in inciting that energy, as well as feeding off of it to create that currently highly sought-after sensory overload experience. A trend throughout the night was the mixing of several different tempos, and they continued to keep the crowd on it?s toes with great variety. There has been so much buzz around Knife Party that I had to see what they were all about in a live atmosphere, and it?s safe to say that they exceeded my expectations. If you like heavy dubstep/electro-house, they are a must-see act.

If you couldn?t tell already, I had a great Saturday night at just another quality Insomniac event.

T?ks

We?re proud to announce that GDD has teamed up with The Electric Pickle in Miami to launch our weekly Tuesday night party called Slap & Tickle, which launches tomorrow night at 11pm. The Electric Pickle is undoubtedly the premier venue in Miami for underground dance music (just check out their WMC line-up) and we are extremely stoked to breathe some life back in the Miami weeknight party circuit. Check out the promo mixes that residents Pirate Stereo, Santiago Caballero, and myself have curated.  We look forward to meeting our MIA GDD fam tomorrow (PS NO COVER!)

S&T 001 by Slapandticklemiami

S&T 002 by Slapandticklemiami