Search results for: “amn reviews braxton”

Saxophonist Steve Lehman is still a mystery even though we know so much about him. An accomplished composer, improviser, and educator who did his doctoral studies with Tristan Murail, George Lewis, Fabien Lévy, and Fred Lerdahl, he combines jazz, classical, open improv, electroacoustic music, and even hip-hop. Listening to a new Steve Lehman album is…

Necks drummer Tony Buck is worth checking out in any context. Here, he offers up a nearly 2-hour continuous piece of music that is a slowly-evolving and densely-overlapped amalgam of instruments that manages to both have direction and remain open-ended. Unsurprisingly, the most dominant sounds are from drums, cymbals, bells, and other percussives. These are…

Last Sunday, Marilyn Crispell (piano) put on a rare performance in Chicago along with Bostonian Damon Smith (double bass) and Chicagoans Jason Stein (bass clarinet) and Adam Shead (drums). It took place at the Hungry Brain, a small venue with great sightlines and sound. I have been a fan of Crispell since hearing her on…

Last Sunday, Anna Webber brought her latest ensemble, Shimmer Wince, to Chicago as part of its brief midwestern tour. A five-piece consisting of Webber on sax and flute, Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, Mariel Roberts on cello, Elias Stemeseder on synth, and Lesley Mok on drums, this outfit has not been recorded yet. But given Webber’s…

Pat Thomas proves his versatility once again on this release. Admittedly, WAZIFAH Vol. 1 is a departure even for Thomas, who is known for his free improvisation and many collaborations, as well as for reinterpreting the works of Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Anthony Braxton. Here, Thomas employs the IRCAM TimeStretch software to explore sounds, textures, and…

At first blush, this quartet’s structured free improvisation is reminiscent of that of Anthony Braxton. It moves along the axis between composition and pure spontaneity, lingering at various points along the way. It is not clear from a listener’s perspective, however, whether they follow the “musical system” approach of Braxton. But ultimately that does not…

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – Organizers of the 38th Festival International de Musique Actuelle kicked off their most varied and extensive lineup since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were a few bumps in the road. Still, there was a major buzz among fans of this highly-regard showcase for bold and innovative music at opening…

Bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck recorded a series of duets over the course of two years, which serve as the material for this self-titled release. Her collaborators include Harris Eisenstadt, Nels Cline, the Mitchells (Nicole, Roscoe, and Matt), Mark Dresser, Wayne Horvitz, Peggy Lee, and Robin Holcomb. Schoenbeck has appeared on a wide range of recordings and…

In hindsight, pianist/synthesist Matt Mitchell and drummer Kate Gentile are the perfect combination – both have the ability to effortlessly write and play modern creative music of labyrinthine complexity. Snark Horse is a 6CD boxed set of their works that also features Kim Cass on bass, Ben Gerstein on trombone, Jon Irabagon on saxes and…

One of the unexpected trends over the last dozen or so years is the emergence of the avant-jazz big band. Recordings from Darcy James Argue, Anna Webber and Angela Morris, Anthony Braxton, John Korsrud, Dan Weiss, Fred Ho, and Brian Krock are just a few examples. As we slowly emerge from a pandemic that has…

Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor – Long Tall Sunshine It is always encouraging to hear a new album from a senior member of the creative jazz community, especially one with as long and rich a track record as Barry Altschul. His 3Dom Factor trio includes fellow veteran Joe Fonda on bass along with the much younger…

About a year ago, I started having a Pavlovian reaction to news of a release from Anna Webber – it automatically gets placed in my “must listen” list regardless of what form it takes. Recently, these forms have been a raw live recording (Rectangles), a co-led big band (Both Are True), and complex chamber jazz…

I really needed this. After an unprecedented year of limited physical movement and anxiety, it is more than refreshing to hear violinist Sana Nagano embrace chaos, noise, and energy. Even better, she does so with 60 minutes of intellectually-challenging and complex avant rock that incorporates more than a bit of joy. What could be better?…

Thumbscrew, the trio of guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, has produced a series of must-have releases over the last 6 years, culminating in 2020’s The Anthony Braxton Project. During that session, they also worked on originals that make up their newest offering, Never is Enough. Indeed, the influence of Braxton…