Newsletter 63 - Reviews of New Releases for January 2002

1. SUSIE IBARRA TRIO - songbird suite (Tzadik 7702) People still marvel at the distinctive way that Susie Ibarra plays drums and ethnic percussion and often mention this when they first see her perform live at Tonic shows. Susie keeps busy is a variety of contexts - Zorn's group improvs & 'Cobras', duos with Derek Bailey & Evan Parker, a trio with Sylvie Courvoisier & Ikue Mori, as well as in Pauline Oliveros' New Circle Quintet. This is Susie's second and current trio - which consists of Jennifer Choi on violin (Zorn utilizes her on his classical pieces), Craig Taborn on piano (from various Tim Berne projects, Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory & a recent trio cd as a leader), plus special guest Ikue Mori on laptop computer/electronic sampled percussion. Susie's composing continues to mature and evolve. 'songbird suite' opens with "Azul" - which has a playful yet angular Latin groove, while the violin and piano criss-cross and swirl like angry bees. The title track drifts in with hushed and humming percussion and delicate violin fragments and minimal piano droplets which occasionally become more dense, but never rise above a whisper - do I hear birds chirping in the distance or is it outside my window? Towards the end, the trio speeds up and flies, playing intricate lines together. Susie's suspenseful and exotic percussion tell a story on "Trance No. 1" which flows naturally through a variety of textures. "Illumination" has a dreamy, ultra subtle ambience for mallets, little string plucks and floating piano clouds. "Trance No. 2" is a mesmerizing duo for Susie and Ikue with hypnotic acoustic and electronic percussion elegantly weaving together. "Flower After Flower" was the title of Susie's previous Tzadik release it features Jennifer's violin erupting and then calming down, as things get more dense Ikue rejoins and adds spice to Susie's percussive wizardry. The violin explodes on "Nocturne" as the piano and percussion provide a droning cushion beneath, eventually all three players tap out flashes of morse code-like lines. Ikue's spooky sonic seasonings are at the center of "Trance No. 3" as the rest of the trio also flutter free fragments together in a dark and moody trance. The only tune here to come out of the jazz world is the closing piece "Passing Clouds" - a fine, bluesy, laid back piece with a quaint, finger-snapping groove. This entire cd is more about textures, moods and densities. Nice work from Ms. Ibarra and her colleagues. $14.

2. ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ - El Danzon de Moises (Tzadik 7158) I've come to know the charming Latin percussionist Roberto Rodriguez over the past few years from his work with Marc Ribot's Los Cubanos, Steve Bernstein's Diaspora Soul, improv with John Zorn and duo with Susie Ibarra. Turns out that Roberto played in Cuban bands at Jewish affairs and has done a fine job of blending those two ethnic streams into an enchanting new brew. His all-star ensemble includes Mark Feldman, Dave Krakauer, Matt Darriau, Peter Apfelbaum, Ted Reichman, Marcus Rojas, Craig Taborn, Jane Scarpantoni, Brad Jones, Susie Ibarra and R. Luis Rodriguez. "El Polaco" has an uplifting groove with short infectious solos from the accordion (Ted), the clarinet (Dave) and the tuba (Marcus). The slow, sensuous rhythm of "Danzonette Hebreo" makes me want to sway as Mark's violin and Dave's clarinet swirl together reminding me of days gone by. I dig the subtle tapping percussion of "The Shvitz" in which Feldman takes one his riveting violin solos, and then Krakauer also causes a joyous exhilaration. "Guahira" has an amusing way breaking down to sections which stop and just stand still for a second and then turn into something else, yet continue the flow of the tune. What's great is how well each of these soloists work with the different Latin rhythms provided - although their tones come from a more klezmer-sounding background. Jane's cello, Marcus' tuba and Ted's accordion - consistently provide great counter melodies or cushions for others to solo on top of. The title track begins with a simple hypnotic theme played by the cello, clave and piano - over and over, with Marcus taking a fine tuba solo near the end. Things get rather weird on "Comparsa En Altamar" when some unexpected beats turn inside out. The sped-up and infectious rhythm of "Jerusalem Market" is a knock out as Peter's soprano sax and the clarinets sail together to a burning conclusion - yeah! You just don't want it to end. $14.

3. STEVE BERESFORD - Cue Sheets II (Tzadik 7513) Pianist/composer Steve Beresford is one of the silliest, shrewdest and most difficult to pin down of all the British improvisers we have come to know and love. One minute taking an astounding free-jazz piano solo and crooning a Doris Day the next. A veteran of countless bands and projects, from the Slits to the Melody Four (with another wacko - Lol Coxhill) to extreme improv with Derek Bailey & Han Bennink. 'Cue Sheets II' is Steve's third release for the Avant/Tzadik empire and it is filled with much needed humor, surprise and intrigue. 'CSII' consists of eight works scored for British television and films. Known participants include an odd selection of characters - Najma Akhtar, Hans Reichel, Clive Bell, Pat Thomas, Roger Turner, Rhodri Davies and more than a dozen other musicians with whom I am unfamiliar. On each track, we enter a different world, with different directors - only Jeremy Wooding getting four tracks and Margaret Williams getting two. "Soul Patrol" is from a vampire film set in contemporary London and reminds me of Zorn's tribute to Morricone with slick and sexy sax stylings one moment to sleek strings in the next, Latin percussion to sampled bird calls - all evoking a variety of enticing moods. Beresford does a fine job of utilizing the talents of many musicians in just the right ways - the haunting tone of Jason Yarde's alto sax, the rubbery, suspenseful sound of John Edwards' double bass and consistently inventive percussion ring true throughout this long piece. "Exposure" is a satire on media voyeurism and Beresford plays all the instruments - once more evoking a variety of moods from Martin Denny-like exotica to a British blast of Bollywood called "Sari and Trainers" which opens with the enchanting droning voice of Najma, and then turns into that cheesy Bollywood funk groove silliness, but still moves through a bunch of different exotic terrain. "The Yawning Man" is filled with suspense and spaciousness - the acoustic harp of Rhodri Davies (recent Company player) is featured and very well recorded so that each sound evokes different ghosts. "Paris, Brixton", from a bohemian romance, also wanders through a variety of somber moods with well selected trumpet, double bass, percussion playing and string quartet. "Watermark" features our old pal Hans Reichel on daxophone, which has a bizarre/ridiculous, vocal-like quality and sounds like nothing else - just a few ghosts burbling and droning. Very odd! It ends up with a corny accordion and quaint string section. Beresford's sinister electronic keyboard sounds and funky electric piano are featured on "Derren Brown", while the final piece - "Going Going" is a short and elegant trio for acoustic harp, soprano sax and humming keyboard. Even without the visuals that these sounds accompany, Steve Beresford's music does a wonderful job of providing intriguing cues for our imagination's eye-lid movies. $14.

4. GORDON MUMMA - Live-Electronic Music (Tzadik 7074) Mr. Mumma co-founded the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music with Robert Ashley in Ann Arbor during the sixties, worked with John Cage & David Tudor composing music for Merce Cunningham in the mid-sixties, performed with the Sonic Arts Union with Ashley, David Berman and Alvin Lucier beginning in 1966 and has since collaborated with Anthony Braxton, Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros and Christian Wolff. Gordon's recordings are quite infrequent, with this release covering five works composed from 1963-1985. The most recent work is "Than Particle" from 1985 and it is performed by William Winant on acoustic percussion and Gordon on synthesized percussion via computer. The computer is sampling an older drum machine/device, which gives the piece an older or dated sound. Winant's acoustic percussion sound more clear, real and blend well with the subtle electronic percussion. "Hornpipe" from 1967 is for waldhorn and valve-horn with a cybersonic console which responds to the sound of the horns and the acoustic resonances of the performance space. A double-reed is also used on the horns for extended techniques and the solo piece turns into duo mid-stream as the performer moves around the room and the sounds of the horn are mutated through the electronic devices. The foghorn like notes often twisted, bent and disturbing, but surrounded by enough space to not be too much. "Mesa" is from 1966, was commissioned by Merce Cunningham and is performed by David Tuder on bandoneon with Mumma expanding its range with more cybersonics. The bandoneon is a type of accordion made popular by Astor Piazzolla, but here sounds nothing like that other charming squeeze-box. Here we find more dentist drill-like humming, buzzing, droning, more naked spirits in agony as they are prodded by occasional electric torture devices. Overall I would say that most of this is exceedingly difficult listening, sometimes fascinating, sometimes excruciating. $14.

5. ALVIN SINGLETON - Somehow We Can (Tzadik 7075) Brooklyn born composer Alvin Singleton, studied at NYU and Yale, spent 14 years living, working and composing in Europe and served as Professor of Composition at Yale University once again. His Tzadik debut features four works for string quartet, trumpet and piano duo, solo for electric five-string viola and chamber orchestra. All four are quite different and fascinating as well. The title track "Somehow We Can" (1995) is a string quartet piece dedicated to Marian Anderson. The strings sound nervous and agitated at the beginning, but soon glide into softer waves - balancing between two extremes - eventually going back to a somber episode - then back to that nervous, string buzzing frenzy creating a well balanced and complex picture. "Vous Compra" (2001) is for a duo of Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and the piano of Anthony Davis, two fine musician/composers who also attended Yale. This piece also jumps around different styles - from free fragments through swinging sections - solos into duos into solos - muted trumpet flurries - engaging and evolving throughout. "Mookestueck" (1999) is for the solo electric five-string viola of Martha Mooke, who has played here at DMG in an amazing duo with guitarist Randy Hudson. This solo work uses a few layers of delays, soft, warm and enchanting - repeating a hypnotic line and dancing elegantly on top, finally winding down to hushed, floating and a blissful fade-away. "Again" (1979) is for a chamber orchestra supervised by Mr. Singleton and it is a phenomenal, kaleidoscopic work with swirling strings, percussive punctuation - delicate, yet intense simultaneously. Spirits emerge from the waves which moves through soft and occasionally explosive sections. There appears to an inner logic or dialogue which is the thread that binds the entire work from beginning to the end. The result is another fine gem from the vast and growing Tzadik Composer Series catalogue. $14.

6. MUJICIAN - Spacetime (Cuneiform 162) Mujician is thee all-star British improvising quartet featuring Keith Tippett on piano, Paul Dunmall on soprano & tenor saxes, Paul Rogers on contrabass and (the other) Tony Levin on drums. This is their fifth fabulous release as a quartet and each has been a treasure of European modern jazz improvisations at its best. What's beautiful is that over the past few years DMG has been spreading the word about Tippett and Dunmall and finally there is a small, enthusiastic and ever-growing audience for these often under-recognized giants - hooray! 'Spacetime' consists of two long suites and each one is mind-blowing! Right from the opening splash of piano innards, bass humming, soprano sailing and percussive fluttering - you know we are in store for another cosmic journey. All the right elements are in place - suspense, adventure, natural flow, close listening and quick, sharp reacting. The suite is broken into smaller parts - each exploring a different part of whole - part "2" is filled with precious, little nuggets - the glistening rubbing of cymbals, rubbery sliding bass sounds, playful soprano and piano weaving slow waves - building, getting more dense and abrupt as each player responds, connects and intersects - spinning their lines together more rapidly and eventually exploding together. Everything submerges back to silence and the end of each part and then builds back up again. Part "4" features ultra subtle soprano sax which ascends higher as it flows into a solo drums section - also sailing and building into a solo bass section - Paul Rogers never ceases to amaze me - he is so full of ideas, sounds, craftiness - as incredible as any of the other contrabass greats we know and love. Dunmall takes another wondrous escalating soprano solo as the bass hums down below as the soft drums are played with hands in a ritualistic fashion - eventually and quietly growing more intensely once more until Rogers takes one of his spirited bowed bass solos which melts as Dunmall's tenor sax answers each bending their notes into a fine tapestry as the rest of quartet swirl together in controlled chaosSThe second suite is called "Exquisitely Woven Spiritual Communication" (EWSC) and the cosmic flow of natural events continues. Tippett has long used a small block of wood to mute notes inside the piano to give it a quaint, percussive sound like a music box breaking down. As the suite progresses, the intensity and layers of lines erupt and explode more rapidly - then breaking down as the currents get darker and scarier at times. You can tell that these men having been playing together for quite some time as they follow each other through various currents and flashes in intense spirits - free yet focused - always as one body arriving together. Bravo bravo! Keith Tippett's (21 piece) Tapestry Orchestra will be featured at the Victoriaville New Music Festival this coming May up in Quebec - it will be their only appearance in North America, so you know where me & Manny will be! All members of Mujician are in this incredible large ensemble, as well as Elton Dean. Maybe someone will be wise/lucky enough to bring Mujician down to the Vision Fest - who knows, stranger things have happened. $13.

7. NED ROTHENBERG & DENMAN MARONEY - tools of the trade (CIMP 248) I have known Ned for more than twenty years and I'm always excited by each and every project he works on, since a great deal of work goes into each endeavor. Each project is very different, each a challenge. Although, I've mainly seen/heard Ned on alto sax and occasionally shakuhachi, he has been also concentrating on clarinet and bass clarinet in recent years. On this duo cd Ned plays all three - alto sax and both clarinets. Denman Maroney plays hyper-piano in that he explores sounds often inside the piano with metal bowls and other objects. I have also been watching him evolve over the past decade playing solo or in duos with Mark Dresser, Earl Howard and more recently with Hans Tammen. Here we have yet another duo excursion by two local masters. In the liner notes, Denman explains how each piece works in terms of which objects are used and overall structure. "Saw" starts things off with wooden-toned bass clarinet and piano throbbing quickly together - Ned plays slower, more ponderous bent notes at the center as Denman spins more quickly around him - sprinkling notes both on the keyboard and occasionally inside as well. "Jug" is a playful, sort of Monkish jazz-like tune that swings in an odd, twisted sort-of way - Ned sails on alto sax as Denman also spins quickly with his fragmented lines. I dig the way certain notes connect, while others fly around each other and come close, just a bit off-center. Denman does bend and mute notes inside the piano on "Plank" while Ned also flies, often also bending certain notes so that they also intersect in a fractured yet focused way. There is fascinating section where Ned spins a tight stream of notes while Denman also matches him with quick note-bending inside-the-piano flurries - eventually both players begin twisted their notes into strange alien sounds which sound just right together, but eerie and bizarre none-the-less. "Plane" is even more sinister with lone notes buzzing or humming as Denman coaxes dreamy, drifting sonorities from inside the piano and Ned slowly caresses each note, only slightly bent, but more lyrical in tone as Denman rubs the strings with buzzing and banging activity as punctuation. On "Crab", Denman shifts between percussive buzzing inside the piano and low-end rumbling at the keyboard while Ned keeps a fairly normal clarinet tone mostly until both begin bending sharp notes into the higher toned regions. Ned's "Skeleton" has a fine slow walking memorable melody which sounds perfect on bass clarinet and regular keyboard piano - Denman plays an interesting solo with one hand at the keyboard and the other rubbing a bowl muting notes inside. Ned opens "Feet" by stretching notes out on alto - both players begin playing flurries of notes following each other as the scenery thickens - soon the notes get thinner as Ned starts popping percussive sounds as Denman both rubs inside and spins webs at the keyboard - later they swirl together as the plot thickens once again. Both players switch roles throughout "Ham" as each short section shifts into different textures, densities and shapes - this is the most exciting piece here, as it leaves on the edge of their sets with anticipation. "Drill" is the final piece and it is a solo work for mutated inside-the-piano dark and twisted sounds - like alien insects buzzing around their hive. $14.

8. CURLEW - "meet the curlews!" (Cuneiform 157) Curlew's colorful history goes all the back to the beginning of the downtown scene, their first self-titled record came out in 1980, when they were co-run be two transplanted southerners - George Cartwright on saxes and Tom Cora on cello. Their members have included many of downtown's best - Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, Nicky Skopelitis, Rick Brown, Pippin Barnett, Ann Rupel, Davey Williams and Chris Cochrane. Tom Cora eventually left and then passed away, leaving only George and Davey as the only two members of long-standing. George moved back down to Memphis a few years back, worked on a few solo cd's and puts Curlew back together every few years. The latest version includes Chris Parker on pianos (a first), Fred Chalenor on basses (from Zony Mash & Hughscore), Bruce Golden on drums with George & Davey up front. After a half dozen releases over two decades, Curlew returns with yet another fine, quirky, laid-back and unique jazz/rock gem. Each member of the quintet contributes a song or two. Chalenor's "Space Flight Cat" is first and I have really come to love Fred's writing and (occasional fuzz) bass playing in Hughscore. This tune has a cool lumbering rhythm, which shows where Soft Machine and Zony Mash meet. George's "Late December" is next and it also has a slow, hypnotic, dreamy sort of vibe - nice to hear Davey playing an enchanting, laid back slide guitar solo instead of his often explosive solo insanity. The piece ends with a lovely, bluesy tenor sax and piano duo. The title cut is kicked off by Fred's hip bass lines and features some fabulous jazz piano from Chris, as well as another wonderful sluggish groove melody penned by George and short, sick, guitar eruption from Davey! "Cold Ride" has Fred's el. bass pumping hard and thick as it opens - it bounces between dense (on the verge of exploding) and funky groove sections and has George spewing thick lines on his tenor as the piano also flies high and wide. George's "Arm" is dedicated to former Curlew bassist Ann Rupel and it is an elegant, laid back and haunting piece with some cosmic fuzz bass from Fred Chalenor soaring at the center. Davey's "Sensible Shoes" is a soulful, bluesy jazz tune with an ancient sounding melody like some old Christmas chestnut, with funky sax from George. "Barn Door" has one of those groovy, drunken-sounding oft-kilter and fun melodies and fabulous tale-spinning piano solos from Chris. "Lemon Bitter" has more of that Curlew-like slightly twisted funk/jazz thang happening, beginning with a cowbell/wooden block/earthy geetar groove and stomping rhythm and featuring one of off-the-wall, subtle-yet-sick guitar solos. "Late December" returns for dreamy, haunting solo piano rendition. "Middle and Fall" concludes this fine laid back gift with a rambunctious guitar solo, heart-warming tenor sax and lovely waves of cascading piano lines. Curlew haven't played NY in quite a while, so here's to hoping that this new fine version does come our way someday soon. $13.

9. THE NU BAND - Live at the Bop Shop (Clean Feed 002) The Nu Band is Roy Campbell on trumpets, Mark Whitecage on alto sax, Joe Fonda on bass and Lou Grassi on drums. This is/was a new project for four distinguished downtown giants with long resumes, yet this is only their third gig as a Nu Band. The Bop Shop is a record store in Rochester, NY where numerous bands have played and occasionally recorded, sometimes on their way to a recording session for CIMP. What's interesting is that this new label Clean Feed is based in Portugal. Their set/cd features four long and winding tunes. Mark's "Court Street" opens with some fire-breathing alto from Mr. Whitecage at the opening, soon both horns start flying as the rhythm team gets into a groove and Latiny head appears soon thereafter. Mark takes his time building his solo with its bittersweet (Eric) Dolphy-esque tone - with Lou pushing hard on pounding tom-toms underneath, Roy's solo unfolds in the opposite direction - he fans the flames high at the beginning of his inspired solo and sails down to a softer landing. Lou actually takes a nice yet subtle drum solo which splinters into fragments as the horns come back in a freer, more intense episode - they eventually get back to the head before the tune ends. Joe Fonda's "Fast" is next and it is indeed a quick, tight, difficult piece with intricate parts well handled by all - the amazing rhythm section sets the pace and outlines the challenging hairpin turns as both horns also play their furious parts in and around each other - Joe's bass in the central character that is in constant motion - buzzing, burning, walking at an impossible pace with Lou's drums matching him with equally intricate punctuation until the drums explode in a frenzy of activity In some ways, this piece reminds me of the challenging composing that Anthony Braxton's mid-70's quartet used to deal with. Joe slows it down on his next tune "Gone Too Soon" a sad, slow, requiem for the late, great saxist Thomas Chapin, who Joe used to play with, both of whom are/were Connecticut natives. The piece is mournful, touching, soft and moves in slow motion. Roy's trumpet solo is unaccompanied and filled with an inner flame which burns bright on the final tune and tribute "One for Hannibal" dedicated to the astounding trumpeter and Roy's friend - Hannibal Peterson. The quartet do a marvelous job of capturing Hannibal's burning spirit - Lou Grassi's drums kicking hard as they push Roy's trumpet higher and higher! Mark Whitecage's alto sax continues the vibration as it also reaches for the heavens building and burning and erupting molten spirits! Both horns soon race together, as the skies open up and the sun shines though and the level of intensity reaches its zenith. It doesn't get any better than this! What more can I say?!? It's all yours for a mere $14.

10. DAVE KERMAN/5UU'S - Abandonship (Cuneiform 158) This is master prog drummer Dave Kerman's first actual solo effort, since he does play practically every instrument on this fine release, with Thinking Plaque's Deborah Perry doing most of the singing. Dave has been an essential member of numerous progressive bands from 5UU's to U Totem (from L.A.) to Present (Europe) to Thinking Plague (Colorado). He now seems to live in Israel, where this solo project was conceived, composed and recorded. The cd opens with a wind-up toy monkey playing drums which is interspersed with some quirky real drums (triggering) tight bass/keyboard/guitar parts. Dave loves to layer instruments, which constantly turn into other instruments - the drums are often at the center, but there are loads of intricate parts which well placed in complex compartments - Deborah's deadpan voice is the only calming presence, while everything changes into something else. Often a hypnotic rhythmic pattern will emerge and repeat, while other intricate instruments are piled on in complex well integrated patterns. There are loads of unexpected surprises found here - on "Thoroughly Modern Attila" there is a sort-of doo-wop vocal sample that appears from nowhere, but still fits. Dave does a fine job of building parts which often mutate into other sections, then fall away revealing an inner pattern or structure, as another section enters and builds to something different, yet related. Baroque keyboard fragments, Zappa-ish percussion snippets, dark Art Bears-like female vocal bits, eerie mutant voice (?) samples and an overall vibe of desperation, anguish and lyrics that deal with the hopelessness of the difficult times in which we live. I dig the pieces that ascend to powerful and intense conclusions like "Noah's Flame" and the disturbing use of car horn samples on "Hill of Spring". The final piece "Belly-Up" is nightmarish work, that rocks in a tortured way, but stops in places while the silence and suspense builds - going through different sections, some somber, yet haunting, some over the top and intense. It is fascinating that war-torn state of Israel where this desperate work was born, it feels like a soundtrack to the strife and struggle we hear about each day in the world news. $13.

11. MARK DRESSER TRIO - Aquifer (Cryptogramophone 111) This is the great contrabassist Mark Dresser's current trio featuring Mathias Ziegler on various electro-acoustic flutes and Denman Maroney on hyper-piano or inside-the-piano explorations. The title of this cd refers to "aquifers which are the pipelines of the earth's intricate subterranean water processing system and a rich metaphor for the creative process." I have witnessed this extraordinary trio live and each player reaches deep inside to come up with the sonic manipulations through extended techniques of playing beyond the usual boundaries. "FLBP" opens with ultra subtle, suspenseful sonic fragments which drift slowly - distant ghosts hover - is that bowed bass or low-end flute flutters? Soon enough, we can tell - it is that arco bass buzzing as the flute floats in and bounces with piano - both dancing nervously together - Mark is banging a dowel slowly on his bass as the flute and piano slowly swirl together. "Digestivo" is a playful, well-written piece for some lovely high pitched flute and soothing walking bass patterns and rather cute piano keyboard quirkiness - not something one would expect from these three. Mark's mesmerizing, bowed bent string mysteriousness is featured on "Threaded/Spin X" which also contains some extremely eerie inside-the-piano rubbing and haunting low-end flute flutters - together the trio creates a fascinating alien landscape. "For Bradford" is dedicated to trumpeter Bobby Bradford, who was a teacher of Mark's - both Denman and Mark bend their notes into odd shapes - swirling in and around each other in strange yet connected ways - later Mathias also plays his flute through some device making it sound like an electric reed instrument. The spirits begin soaring once again on "Sonomatopoeia" as bowed bass soars and then all three spin spastic lines together - descending into dark and weird waters. What I like most about this is how piece seems to evoke a variety of strange moods - occasionally soothing, but more often haunting. "Pulse Field" is another more intricate work where the each part of the trio must move together as their lines intersect and connect at angles - even when the textures change, they must continue to play their patterns as one force. The title track has Denman buzzing scary sounds from inside the piano as both the flute and bass also softly howl like the sirens seducing passing sailors on ships. "FLAC" is a complex and quick paced piece for high flying bass and flute with the muted piano also moving in a flash together - kind of Braxton-like. Appropriately, the final tune is "Modern Pine" which is a sort of somber, bluesy ballad and a perfect way to let us come back down to earth on a soft descent. A rich display of moods, textures and haunting terrain. $14.

12. THE MUSIC ENSEMBLE - self/titled (Roaratorio 03) The Music Ensemble was an early free-jazz unit during the loft jazz days of NYC which featured Billy Bang on violin, Daniel Carter on saxes, flutes & percussion, Malik Baraka on trumpet, William Parker & Herb Kahn (1 track) on basses and Roger Baird on drums & percussion. This historic document was recorded at Kingsbrough College in Brooklyn in April of 1974 and at Holy Name School in February of 1975. This is some of the earliest recordings of Daniel & Billy, although we find William Parker on Frank Lowe's 'Black Beings' from the late sixties. I am also unfamiliar with Roger (who recorded & put this out), Malik (who died of drug abuse) and Herb. It was recorded on a Sony stereo cassette machine with a single stereo mic, the same equipment I also used from '79 - '95 to record thousands of gigs. In some ways, this is like the beginning of what would become Other Dimensions in Music, who I just saw at CB's earlier this week and who still blow minds. The Music Ensemble begins with "Stance Dance" which is over 31 minutes and starts slowly and peacefully with buzzing basses, flowing trumpet and sax, swirling drums - everyone is listening and the spirits are flowing - the drummer is restless and in constant motion, but never overwhelms - everything ascends and builds to a controlled frenzy, but not a complete eruption. "Arithmetrical Mystic" weaves more somber trumpet, melancholy violin and minimal percussion, which gradually builds into slightly more intense and swirling world of free-floating space. Sometimes, you just want these cats to explode and soar, perhaps on another day. On "Echoes Wind Transpire" Billy finally takes off for the stratosphere and the tension builds somewhat, but still never goes too far. $14.

All above reviews by that crazed music junky & never-ending gig-going sponge for out-there sounds - Bruce Lee Gallanter!