Month of December , 2007

Anthony Braxton interview: Part One, Part Two

This next one is new to me, but not new in the just-published sense:

Amina Claudine Myers article/interview by George Lewis

A video preview of an upcoming documentary about Teo Macero

The Listener: "As Oliver Sacks observes the mind through music, his belief in a science of empathy takes on new dimension."

I just finished Oliver Sacks' book Musicophilia: interesting if not as engaging as the other reading I've completed recently on music cognition, most notably in a similar accessible writing style, Daniel Levitin's This Is Your Brain On Music. Heavy on the case studies, which are fascinating, but a little too light on presenting new or interesting theories and ideas about the cases themselves. If you're interested in all things music cognition, there's a blog that might be of interest to you.

Critical Improv Intensive by David R. Adler: An article about Ajay Heble and the "Improvisation, Community and Social Practice" (ICSP) research project.

Woody Herman opens for Led Zeppelin (05/1969)

When I heard about the lineup for this album, I was already intrigued. Featuring Steve Lehman on alto sax, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Chris Dingman on vibraphone, Drew Gress on bass, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums, it appeared to be a collection of ambitious young players with emerging reputations and already developing unique voices on their respective instruments.

Some I was more familiar with than others - Steve Lehman's reputation preceded him as both a scholar and a musician, as I was familiar with his scholarly writing and with his playing in Fieldwork as well as on a Liberty Ellman recording. I was also familiar with Drew Gress in a variety of settings. I had heard wonderful things about Mr. Finlayson's trumpet playing, and similar endorsements of Tyshawn Sorey's drumming. Chris Dingman was new to me, but as I have mentioned before, I'm a sucker for the vibraphone so I welcomed his presence.

Provocatively titled On Meaning, the music comes across as kinetic, complex, and dense (Mr. Lehman's publishing company is aptly titled Density Music) while retaining a buoyancy and openness that contradicts the typical associations with music described as complex or dense.

It's a quality that I've noticed more often in music I've been listening to - I'm not sure if it's my own listening habits or perception changing, because in the past I would have described myself as someone who didn't particularly enjoy music that I would have tended to describe as complex or dense, at least compositionally. I think I shied away from music that I felt was overly flashy in terms of chops, a belief that musicality was being sacrificed for technicality.

None of these concerns cross my mind listening to this recording, which avoids all of these pitfalls by remaining utterly musical to my ears. Part of this has to do with the masterful mixing and mastering, which I see was done by Liberty Ellman, which affords each instrument its own sonic space. The other part has to do with the obvious interaction and sensitivity with which each of the musicians displays throughout the proceedings.

There are obvious precedents to Mr. Lehman's own playing and compositional style, none of which are worth mentioning because he ends up in unique territory.

All of the musicians that I looked forward to hearing on this recording are fantastic. Tyshawn Sorey is revelatory on the drums and I'm looking forward to picking up his new record on Firehouse 12. He shows an awareness of not only jazz, but also more modern rhythmic patterns found in drum and bass music, which he incorporates tastefully and with a powerful propelling effect. Chris Dingman is fantastic throughout, providing incredible support as well as producing some great solo passages. Finlayson proves himself to be an agile player with really beautiful tone, especially on Check This Out and the title track On Meaning.

There's a cohesiveness to the sound and feel of the 8 tracks on the album that lends itself to a sustained listening experience. It's the kind of album that will make me go back and listen to Steve Lehman's previous albums so I can trace the progression and see how he got to this place musically. It's also worth mentioning that this is yet another stellar recording from Pi Recordings, a label that I'm now developing a trusting relationship with. I haven't picked up a bad Pi release yet, and this recording only furthered my sense that they put out quality music.

A great recording from a great band - I wish I could see them live in the near future. Maybe someday.

I was not familiar with Rob Wagner's playing before hearing this album, his third release on Valid Records, which was recorded in 2005 in New Orleans, months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. According to the liner notes the album was originally scheduled to be recorded in September of that year, which did not happen for obvious reasons. It has been in my listening rotation since the end of the summer, but I'm just getting around to writing about it now for a variety of reasons. Sometimes words don't present themselves readily or eloquently when writing about a recording, but my repeated listens alone are an endorsement of the quality of playing that exists here.

Featuring Rob Wagner on clarinet, tenor and soprano saxophones, NObu Ozaki on bass, and Hamid Drake on drum kit and frame drum and eponymously titled, Rob Wagner Trio is filled with provocative titles such as "Deoparia (They handed out $12 billion cash in Iraq and couldn't even give New Orleans drinking water)" and "Freedumb (Aren't you glad to vote in America?)". I'm an unabashed fan of Hamid Drake's drumming which is in typically ebullient form here, and Nobu Ozaki's bass seems right at home in Drake's ample rhythmic pocket. Wagner is a revelation on his various reed instruments, with a unique voice that is amplified by his strong writing that showcases his playing well. His past in groups like the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars is apparent in his melodic sense, and his New Orleans rhythmic sense is always present in his playing. Together they create some great trio interplay

The mournful Plutino is a highlight to my ears, capturing the mood of a city destroyed and a return to the scene of the ongoing crime perpetrated on its residents by the federal and local governments. Where Is Home finds Hamid Drake on his frame drum, and Rob Wagner picking up the New Orleans signifying clarinet. The low points of the recording are when Wagner plays tenor, where he doesn't seem to have as strong a voice as on the soprano and clarinet. It is undoubtedly an unfair comparison, but when I hear a tenor player in trio with Hamid Drake on drums, images of Fred Anderson and Kidd Jordan come to mind, and to my ears Wagner doesn't take advantage of the range of expression that the tenor could afford him in this context. His playing is fine, but if I hear someone pick up a different instrument on different songs, I want to believe that it's for a reason.

There's an introspective mood that pervades the recording, with a tendency to move within a certain dynamic range and tempo rather than burn at an incendiary pace. It's a quality that I value in music when done well and this recording certainly fits that bill. When I listen, I hear a sense of sensitivity within a well conceived structure that lends plenty of opportunity for improvisation as well as composition. Hamid Drake is open-eared and rhythmically embracing as ever, and the connection between his playing and Wagner's is particularly strong.

You can buy it here.

There's lots of great music to be had in Chicago around the holidays.

Nicole Mitchell is playing the Chicago debut of her Xenogenesis suite that she debuted at the Vision Festival this year at the Chicago Cultural Center this Friday on December 7th at 7 PM.

At the Velvet Lounge we have two rare appearances by Famoudou Don Moye of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, playing with his own group on the 10th and the 17th.

Dee Alexander and Warren Smith are doing an Abby Lincoln/Max Roach Freedom Now Tribute on the 14th and 15th.

Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake are leading a group including Nicole Mitchell, Josh Abrams, and Jeff Parker on the 21st and 22nd.

Ms. Mitchell will also lead her own groups on the 28th and 29th.

Gerald Cleaver makes a rare Chicago appearance to play the Gallery 37 Downtown Sound series on December 17th.

Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang will play their annual Winter Solstice concerts at Links Hall on December 21st through 23rd, bright and early at 6 AM at Links Hall. If you've never been, it's a fantastic event and a great way to welcome the winter.

Peter Brötzmann continues his run of shows all over the city this week, including many members of his Chicago Tentet.

The Engines will play a record release show at the Hideout in support of their new release on Okka Disk.

Von Freeman will ring in 2008 at the Green Mill, as has become the tradition.

Not a bad run of music to close out the year.

In the meantime:

George E. Lewis is profiled in advance of a trip to Glasgow

Tyshawn Sorey is named a rookie of the year by Francis Davis. Mr. Davis also agrees with my assessment of Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers recording, which you may have read about recently here on the 'slope.

Dave Douglas has offered up a track for remixing. You can be sure I'm going to dub Moonshine into the stone age, and I'll post the results here.

The New York Times writes about what I've always suspected: rocks may have consciousness.

Amina Claudine Myers was profiled in advance of her visit to Vancouver.

More soon!