Tag: Instruments

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Performances

Grid Mesh / BCPH Quartet in Syracuse

From Metropolis Underground:

March 18th 2009 – Grid Mesh w/BCPH Quartet

Andreas Willer, guitar
Frank Paul Schubert, alto and soprano saxophones
Rudi Fischerlehner, drums

Grid Mesh: As usual in Berlin, the Grid Mesh group is the result of a project involving musicians who themselves are involved in many other projects of apparent complete stylistic heterogeneity. Consequently, a Grid Mesh piece of music is rarely monolithic when it comes to style and instead draws from the various free improvisation backgrounds of the musicians while still resulting in a unique band sound that often has early Jazz collective improvisation qualities. The best metaphor is probably to compare it to a trans-continental journey by train where every time you look out the window the landscape has completely changed while still feeling at home.

http://www.myspace.com/gridmesh

BCPH Quartet

John Bateman: Bass, Steven Cerio: Drums/Percussion, Michael Hentz: Guitars/Loops, Michael P: Guitars/ Loops

BCPH Quartet is part of the burgeoning Central NY, experimental scene featuring members of Atlantic Drone, American Sphinx, and Words For Snow. They combine elements of Free Jazz, Psychedelic & Prog with a touch of Drone.

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General

Zu’s Carboniferous Reviewed

Cover of "Igneo"
Cover of Igneo

The latest from this heavy Italian free-jazz band is reviewed:

Here’s a hypothetical question for you- how many bass strings would you get through a month if you were Masimo Pupillo, the bassist in Italian trio Zu?

A lot, would be your answer, had you been listening to Carboniferous recently. I haven’t heard a bass sound as dense as the unearthly throb which hails the start of “Ostia”, the opening track of the jazz metaller’s latest opus, in a very long time. It’s an all-consuming deathly hum, menacingly clear and crisp yet absolutely huge sounding. Think Jesus Lizard, think Shellac, think hard house, think dub, think whatever you like, just think big.

Thankfully for the listener, there’s more than that (admittedly wondrous) bass sound going for Zu. The Italian trio are on their 14th album, but it seems that where last album Igneo started their slow acceptance into a larger audience, Carboniferous will be the one that cements it. Not because it’s released on avant metal guru and former Faith No More-er Mike Patton’s Ipecac label, nor because it features Patton on vocals, and probably not even because Melvins head honcho King Buzzo lends some guitar riffery to the churning “Cthonian”, but most likely because it’s about as friendly as Zu have yet been.

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Performances

Tiffany Lin: Piano Racket in Seattle

From WAYWARD MUSIC on March 13.

8:00 PM; $5 – $15 sliding scale donation at the door.

Seattle pianist and toy pianist Tiffany Lin performs Piano Racket: Music for the Unconventional Piano, a concert featuring solo music for prepared piano, string piano, retuned piano, and toy pianos. The program features a double world premiere of music especially written for this event by composers Byron Au Yong and Kraig Grady. Flirt, Au Yong’s portable interludes for toy pianos and ping pong balls, finds love in the little things of life with lip smacks, whistles, pops, swoops, yelps, and woofs. Grady’s first piece written for the piano in 35 years of composing, Corroded Communes, explores the retuned piano based on a specific tuning developed by musician George Secor.

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The Greatest Little Big Band in the History of the Megaverse in Portland

From Portland Eye and Ear Control:

John Gruntfest’s Trio – alto sax
Megan Bierman – tenor sax
Jack Duval – drums

PDX Large Ensemble includes: Jonathan Sielaff (Mouthpieces), Jef Brown (Evolutionary Jass Band), Kelvin Pittman (Oregon Artificial Limb Co.), Reed Wallsmith (Blue Cranes), John Niekrasz (Why I Must Be Careful, Thicket), Ben Kates (The Naked Future, Thicket), Brian Mumford (Dragging an Ox Through Water), Alyssa Reed & Ryan Stuewe (Eet), and more.

8PM Friday, March 13th 2009
At the Artistery (4315 SE Division)
$9 general/$7 students & members

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Reviews

KFJC Reviews

former logo
Image via Wikipedia

From KFJC:

Mueller, Jon/Jason Kahn – “Topography” – [Xeric]
Percussionist John Mueller collaborates with Zürich-based sound and visual artist Jason Kahn. Recorded on tour in early 2007. Slow developing sounds, reverbing, feedbacking, resonating. Electro-acoustic and experimental. Very vibrating, you can even hear it bouncing off the snare drum heads. Meditation for aliens.

Lee, Okkyung – “I Saw The Ghost of an Unknown Soul and It Said…” – [Ecstatic Peace!]
Korean cellosist Okkyung Lee had been in music school since she was 3. Moving to NYC (LES) she found musical freedom. Her debut CD was released on Tzadik and she’s played along with such musicians as Nels Cline, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins, John Zorn and many more. Crazy and furious cello playing here. Frantic and spazzy. Sounds with intent, always on path. Beautiful as is, or layered over a soft drone.

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Performances

Grey Gersten, Jeremiah Cymerman’s Graphic Scores, and Toby Driver Ensemble at Zebulon

Kayo Dot in Santa Cruz
Image via Wikipedia

Coming up at Brooklyn’s Zebulon:

Tuesday, March 10th

Zebulon
258 Wythe Ave (between Metropolitan Ave and North 3rd St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-218-6934

9:00 Grey Gersten solo
Grey Gersten (guitar, effects)

10:00 Jeremiah Cymerman’s Graphic Scores
Jeremiah Cymerman (clarinet) Nate Wooley (trumpet) Mary Halvorson (guitar) Christopher Hoffman (cello) Tom Blancarte (bass) Harris Eisenstadt (percussion)

11:00 Toby Driver Ensemble- Kayo Dot mastermind premieres a new piece AND a new ensemble!!!

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Bern Nix Trio & James Keepnews’ Stalker at RUCMA

From RUCMA:

Start: 03/09/2009 – 8:30pm
End: 03/09/2009 – 11:30pm

Bern Nix Trio & Stalker

Bern Nix Trio — 8:30 PM
Bern Nix – guitar
Francois Grilliot – bass
Jackson Krall – drums

Stalker – 7 PM
James Keepnews – guitar, electronics
Todd Nicholson – bass
Michael Golub – drums

Monday March 9
The Local 269
269 East Houston Street
at the Corner of Suffolk

Admission $10 / $7 students/seniors
Map of The Local 269

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Reviews

Free Jazz Blog Reviews

From Free Jazz:

Monday, March 2, 2009
Steve Lantner Quartet – Given/Live In Münster (Hatology, 2008) ****

Saturday, February 28, 2009
Fattigfolket – Fattigfolket (ILK music, 2008) ***½

Friday, February 27, 2009
Denman Maroney Quintet – Udentity (Cleanfeed, 2009) ****½

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KFJC Reviews

Chris Cutler at the Hyperion Ensemble Spectrum...
Image via Wikipedia

From KFJC:

Tickmayer, Stevan Kovacs – “Cold Peace Counterpoints” – [Rer Megacorp]
A crazy cut-up tour de force of keyboards, string instruments, percussion, and sampling, all whirled together in Tickmayer’s compositional blender. Piano, organ, and harpsichord-type sounds are heard throughout, but it’s not all about keyboards; Track 7 goes heavy on electric guitar, and Track 9 features violin. Chaotic arrangements keep the surprises coming, with Tickmayer holding the throttle wide open for most of this 50-minute CD. Tracks 6 and 8 give us a bit of a breather before we dive back into the madness. Among the guests is Chris Cutler (Henry Cow, Art Bears) on drums/percussion.

Ellman, Liberty – “Ophiuchus Butterfly” – [Pi Recordings]
Album is named for the Butterfly nebula in the Ophiuchus (Oh-fee-YOU-cuss) constellation. Former Bay Area resident Liberty Ellman is a fine guitarist who now lives in New York City. This is not a guitar album, however; guitar interplays with alto and tenor saxes, tuba(!), bass, drums. Some electronics on “Snow Lips” and Borealis.

Halvorson, Mary and Walter, Weasel – “Opulence” – [Ug Explode]
Virtuoso playing from Brooklyn based composer and improviser Mary Halvorson on guitar and Oakland based Weasel Walter on drums (and clarinet mouthpiece!) makes for eight tracks of energetic, madly improvised insanity. Humorous, mostly fast-paced, genre defying – is it rock, jazz, experimental? Simultaneously strange and a good listen.

Emeralds – “What Happened” – [No Fun Productions]
Ambient drone: John Elliott (synth), Steve Hauschildt (synth), and Mark McGuire (guitar) form Emeralds, a Cleveland-based improv group who have been compared to Tangerine Dream. Shimmering synths leave you awash and “Alive in the Sea of Information”

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Interviews

An AAJ Interview with Larry Ochs

From All About Jazz:

Best known as a member of the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Mr. Ochs has recorded over two dozen albums in the past two decades plus with this ensemble. The material that Rova covers is diverse, challenging, and rewarding to both the band and listener alike, extending from raw, pure improvisation to complex composition (contributed by Mr. Ochs and band mates Steve Adams, Jon Raskin, Bruce Ackley in addition to Anthony Braxton, Tim Berne, John Carter, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jack DeJohnette, Barry Guy, Lindsay Cooper, Fred Frith, Robin Holcomb, Alvin Curran, and Terry Riley).

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