Free Jazz / Avante Garde - CD Reviews (1158)
02 Aug
Sequenze Armonche (Some Gregorian Reflections) by Dolmen Orchestra Conducted by Nicola Pisani
I read the liner notes to "Sequenze Armonche" (Some Gregorian Reflections right after I began listening to the disc and immediately became quite excited. Francesco Martinel…
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The new release on Thirsty Ear Records, Painter's Spring, features William Parker on bass, Daniel Carter on reeds and Hamid Drake on drums. This CD contains more rhythmic c…
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I was quite tired when the stereo’s carousel moved over to the third spot and Double Exposure. My face was buried in a pillow and I hoped for an introspective release like …
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Fred Anderson has been a creative force in the Chicago scene since the 1960s and was a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians during t…
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This 2-CD set was made from a recorded live performance at the Jazz Bunker in Rotterdam, Holland during February 1980. It is a strange series of performances with even stra…
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I had barely begun an over three hour long drive this past Christmas Eve when I stumbled upon on the second and final cut of Nailed, "Last," already in progress. Even befor…
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For those who enjoy the piano music of Steve Cohn, his new "Bridge Over The X-Stream," features original compositions by Steve Cohn and some refreshingly original sounds! C…
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Improvised live performances have a tendency to begin awkwardly as even a group musicians that has long played together is likely to not gel perfectly at first. Then, as th…
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To call "Melaza" an extraordinary body of music is an understatement. Tenor saxophonist David Sanchez coaxes more shades from his horn than many better known players, and h…
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Passion for Passion - This is one of the most challenging reviews I have ever written because it involves writing about music that cannot easily be separated from itself to…
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My immediate reaction to The Other Bridge was quite simply that this sounds cool. It didn’t take much effort or focus for the music to instantly grab hold of me and take me…
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Both Joelle Leandre and Marilyn Crispell are respected household names in the world of Free Jazz and their collaboration on this project will be welcomed by devotees of the…
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Just when I thought it was "safe" to start being indifferent to most free-improvisational sessions (I know it's heresy in some corners, but I think that some free-improviso…
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Eremite Records has just released CHERRY BOX. This recording features three players: Marco Eneidi on alto sax, William Parker on bass and Donald Robinson on drums. This rec…
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Remember Third Stream, the "fusion" of the late 1950s/early 60s? The conjoining of jazz and classical music, then-controversial, reviled, ignored & then forgotten in the ro…
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The linear notes take a couple of paragraphs to explain why this quartet calls itself Lan Xang. Its a pretty tortured rationalization but basically boils down to Lan Xang b…
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A successful improvised solo performance -by which I mean a situation where a musician plays sans accompaniment- requires a great deal of both skill and creativity. Obvious…
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Starting off the year 2000, along comes Rare Blend with a remarkable improvisationaljazz CD titled "Infinity" which contains 9 selections of enjoyable jazz! "Z'Hadum" and "…
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In the brief linear notes Edward Ratliff dedicates Wong Fei-Hong Meets Little Strudel to film industry of Hong Kong. Not being familiar with this source, I can't vouch for …
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Pharoah Sanders is a figure that is hard to get a hold on. Best known for his work with John Coltrane in the last years of that legend's life, Sanders was one of the first …
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