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SO MANY ROADS / SO MANY
RECORDS TO BUY
Stephen MiddletonÕs review of 2003
JAZZ / IMPROVISED (10 CDs)
CD of the Year / Reissue of the Year
Visitation by Joe McPhee with the Bill
Smith Ensemble (Boxholder Records)
Visitation was, still is, my record
of the 80's. Put simply (in a sentence - where Bill Shoemaker's excellent
booklet takes, er, a booklet) this compellingly sketches out the
possibilities inherent in combining and extending Coltrane and Ayler's
ferocity and spirituality with the severity of the AACM. It does it with
wonderful instrumental meshes (violin / tenor, etc) and virtuosity, putting
it an iota ahead of other such excellent McPhee recordings of this era as Oleo, Old Eyes, & Linear B.
and best CD of newly released music in 2003
Arcanum Moderne by Ellery
Eskelin with Andrea Parkins & Jim Black (hatOLOGY)
This is one
of the best groups in improvised music, with Eskelin's beautiful tenor sound
interwoven distinctively with Andrea Parkin's accordion. She also plays
piano, and makes inventive but discreet use of samples, whilst percussionist
Jim Black is wonderfully creative. I saw them at the Vortex, circa 98, and
their CD One Great Day* - an epochal concert. This CD finds the cutting edge
trio in brilliant form, building lyrical swells in fragmented opuses.
Chicago Tenor Duets by Evan
Parker / Joe McPhee (Okka Disk)
Closely
argued duets by two great virtuosi, both underestimated in different ways on
this instrument : Evan because his spectacular soprano playing is allowed to overshadow
his deeply satisfying tenor work, Joe because of easy comparisons to Albert
Ayler (easily exposed as inadequate). This CD shows both men to be absolute
masters of the horn in a demanding format. Sometimes lyrical, often severe,
occasionally jaunty, fantastically rewarding.
Zephyrs by Satoko Fujii Quartet
(Not Two Records)
Versatile
pianist / composer / arranger Satoko Fujii, with trumpeter (the trumpeter at present?) husband Natsuki Tamura,
first heard here, live and on CD (the awesome How Long?
(Leo Lab) in duo, here with The Ruins' drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and yawing
electric bassist Takeharu Hagekawa in what has become a regular group.
Monstrous live - the CD also has crisp themes, savage workouts, ferocious
solos, everything from post Miles (reflective / electric) to tango, by
musicians gleeful on the cutting edge.
Winter Oranges by Graham
Collier & The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra (Jazzprint)
Spiky big
band music by hugely influential (songs ÔFor My FatherÕ, ÔSymphony For
ScorpionsÕ, ÔThe Third ColourÕ, etc), vastly under-rated composer, now
resident in Spain.
Stretching the form and top European orchestra, characterised by
ever-inventive use of guitar in this setting. Some 2004 UK concerts are
promised and should not be missed. Ditto this CD.
Let Freedom Ring by Denys
Baptiste (featuring Ben Okri) (Dune)
Adventurous,
timely, and the blending of Okri's voice with ensemble works well. Elements
of Coltrane, the Caribbean, Mingusian trombones (NB - Estelle, I wrote to you
about the war, and now you're trying to get young people to play trombones
and tubas with reference to classical music. What about jazz, the second line / brass bass, reggae, La
banda...?). This work runs the gamut as it celebrates / commemorates the 40th
anniversary of Martin Luther King's ÔI Have A DreamÕ speech.
Fugace by Gianluigi Trovesi
Ottetto (ECM)
One of the
many key figures in Italian New Jazz (other include Giorgio Gaslini, Pino
Minafra, & Mario Schiano) mixing traditional and cutting edge, acoustic
and electric, Italian and American (and African, significantly - Italy is a
Mediterranean county). La Banda and the second line swing into the 21st
century in the hands of mighty alto saxophonist / clarinetist and his top
notch group.
Sustain by Mat Maneri Quartet
featuring Joe McPhee
(Thirsty Ear Recordings / The Blue Series)
From the much
heralded, but occasionally directionless Blue Series, this is one to keep.
With Mat Maneri's devastating microtonal viola playing, Craig Taborn coming
across as inspired by experiments Miles' keyboard players were essaying in
the early 70's and Joe McPhee adding his distinctive soprano, this feels a
happier event (not least for the musicians) than some of the others in the
series. Hereby hangs a tale or two (one, about buying one of these CDs sorta
sums it up. Too long for this round up. I may trouble Stride with it in 2004).
Double Mirror by Stefano
Maltese with Evan Parker, Keith Tippett, Antonio Moncado (Splasc[h])
Recorded, as
a deal of fine music is, at an Italian jazz festival (in 95), this surfaced
in 2003. I'm pleased to include it because Evan Parker it was, along with Leo
Feigin, who introduced me to Italian New Jazz, which he, like Tippett, and,
more recently, Tim Berne, seems to find so stimulating. This, to generalise.
is a good example of the less madcap / formal / operatic / humorous strain,
being more completely improvised, with two long pieces of great beauty and
passion with potent lyricism and rhythmic impulses.
part reissue / part repackage / part new discovery
Monk at Newport 1963 & 1965
(Columbia)
Monk is
generally thought to have been past his best by this stage - and whilst these
recordings (about two thirds of which have been available before, but
incoherently packaged) don't offer the glories of the 40s Blue Notes or the
50s sessions with Coltrane, or his solo thoughts, they do afford the chance
to savour his playing at length in a setting that he loved, and to hear the
wonderful experiment that paired him with maverick Dixieland clarinetist Pee
Wee Russell in the context of the concert from which it came. If, as Pee Wee
concluded, it was not ultimately a successful meeting, it is a truly
fascinating failure, worth many a contrived, over rehearsed (they had no
rehearsal) ÔsuccessfulÕ All Star meeting.
BLUES (1 DVD / 4 CDs)
The American Folk Blues Festival 1962 -1966 (Reelin' In The Years Productions)
Amazing
footage (from Germany). Awkwardly posed on occasion, traditional porches, one
million and more miles from either juke joints / country frolics, or Chicago,
but redeemed by performances of wonder from Muddy Waters, Sippie Wallace,
that great vulture Sonny Boy Williamson 2, Walter ÔShakeyÕ Horton, Lonnie
Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and with a bonus to cherish; Earl Hooker, legendary pupil of Robert
Nighthawk, and often thought to be the greatest blues guitarist of them all -
a reluctant singer - heard here singing country in the dressing room and
mesmerizing the audience, and his band, on stage, not long before his
untimely death.
Fool Me Good by Precious Bryant
(Terminus Records)
There are so
many versions of the blues Ur text and so many strains of the blues.
Precious, born in 1942, embodies the tradition of part of Georgia. Less raw
and insistent than Delta blues (which itself is a diverse beast) she has a
fine voice and an easy picking guitar style, though her songs can be wary (of
the Devil and other ogres). "I used to play that a long time ago for
some older people", she says at one point. Thankfully these songs / this
tradition is now preserved.
ÔThe RootsÕ: The Soul of Chris Thomas King (21st Century Blues Records)
As part of
what appears to have been the year of the blues, one of the stars of Oh
Brother Where Art Thou? (the song itself
is heard here a cappella) plays some of the songs that inspired him. More
usually heard fusing blues with hip hop, he performs evocative versions of
Skip James's 'Hard Time Killing Floor Blues' and'Cypress Grove', as potent as
they are unusual, and guest harmonica star James Cotton takes an awesome turn
on Robert Johnson's 'Come On In My Kitchen'. King's originals are fine and he
captures Son House's Ôabout to explodeÕ tension - that one body / one studio
could barely contain. Excellent.
When Lightnin' Struck The Pine
by CeDell Davis and Friends (Fast Horse Records)
Fine CD by
legendary polio afflicted / wheelchair bound guitarist, who has crafted a
distinctive sound - fretting a right handed guitar left hand style with a
butter knife as bottleneck - here joined by members of REM, The Screaming
Trees & The Wayward Shamans. They are in good company - Ornette Coleman
was once in his backing group. Earlier CDs on Fat Possum and Wolf, where you
can get more information about him, are also worth chasing up. Here the great
man talks, tells a joke, name checks Lowell Fulsom and T-Bone Walker, and
plays up a wild storm. He also met Sonny Boy Williamson 1, Big Joe Williams,
was a friend of Dr Ross, worked with the legendary (see above) Robert
Nighthawk, and he and Ornette should play together now. Record of 2004. Any
genre. Shoe in.
Skip James Rare & Unreleased Studio Sessions (Vanguard Records)
Not the
greatest Skip James ever, these recordings from 1967, but any is manna
from...somewhere. This man had the greatest falsetto ever, was one of the
most extraordinary guitarists of the 20th century, and was the quirkiest
pianist produced by the blues (an eerie harbinger of Monk - who was also
nicknamed Skippy in his youth). Here he concentrates mostly on spirituals
and, occasionally, sounds almost happy. At his finest he could be
spinechilling. An interesting slant on a man whose 1931 recordings were a
major influence on Robert Johnson.
CONCERTS (6 /7)
Joe McPhee/Paul Hession, Termite Club, Leeds and Cornerhouse, Newcastle
(January)
By the last
two concerts of their tour (see Events) this duo was devastating, and
audience reaction was commensurate. Joe McPhee is not only one of the great
improvisors, he is also one of the great listeners - this was some of the
most involving music that I've ever heard. As Paul Hession, who should be
much better known for his all round percussion abilities, from discreet to
ferocious and every way station between, put it, ÔI've been playing drums for
30 years and this is a highlight for meÕ. He's from Leeds. He doesn't often
say stuff like that, and when he does... The national press mostly missed the
finest tour and best individual concerts of the year. The venues were packed,
though, and the audiences were enthralled.
Satoko Fujii Quartet The Vortex
(November, London Jazz Festival)
See Zephyros, but more dynamic live. An annual event now,
November time - originally as a duo
(see above), now this fabulous quartet two years running. In 2001 the
duo was part of a double header with the great Mats Gustafsson Trio. They
always seem to be involved in breathtaking concerts. Wonderful musicians both
(as are Tatsuya Yoshida and Takeharu Hagekawa) and delightful people. Satoko
Fujii is vastly talented, also composing and arranging for big band (South
Wind [Leo] and Double Take [Ewe]), and playing in a trio with Jim Black and
bassist Mark Dresser (Towards ÔTO WESTÕ [Enja]). Natsuki Tamura seems more content just to play, and what a
trumpeter he is. Check out How Long? and his solo Song for Jyaki (Leo Lab) and White & Blue (Buzz), with drummers Black and Aaron Alexander.
Wadada Leo Smith with Mark Sanders/John Edwards/Evan Parker/J Spaceman/Spring
Heel Jack, Conway Hall, London (March)
Wasn't sure
whether to go to this - slight reservations about the match up of Leo Smith,
who I'd never seen live and was very keen to catch, and Spring Heel Jack etc
/ severe ill health / middle of war sapping morale. All swept aside by the
glorious tone and blues inflections (as befits a man born in Leland,
Mississippi) of Smith's trumpet and Evan Parker's lines counterpointed
against bubbling, rising samples - or descending multiphonics against rising
cacophony. An antidote to nightly lies and little green men. Leland smokin' /
Baghdad burning down. Smith, a recent convert to Islam, had just returned
from Haj in Mecca - beautiful and frightening, he said. That, and the
concert, seemed very apposite.
Union Chapel Blues Robert
Belfour/Bettye Lavette (with Pinetop Perkins/Carey Bell), Union Chapel,
London (November)
Robert
Belfour is from the same Mississippi hill country that nurtured Jessie Mae
Hemphill, Othar Turner, R. L. Burnside, and more. Though now based in
Memphis, he retains the raw, hyphotic, trance like idiom of his roots. I
first heard him on a Cello / Music Maker sampler (where I also encountered
Precious Bryant for the first time) performing a devastating version of of
late cohort Junior Kimbrough's ÔBlack MattieÕ, and I just had to catch him
here. Sinewy, beguiling blues, that - lyrics and antecedants - I had to
explain to a pewful of white Mississippians next to me (though they, and all
around us, loved the groove). I bought the excellent What's Wrong
With You (Fat Possum). Then we were
entertained by Bettye Lavette - more soul than blues, but a phenomenal
showstopper and, as her finale, she brought on two of the previous evening's
stars, the venerable Pinetop Perkins (who pianistically, and politically - he
calls George W., ÔThe TreeÕ ...from the neck up...is still in fine fettle at
85, going on 90) and Carey Bell, the greatest living harmonica player. Bettye
herself is of the Ônever knowingly under emotesÕ school, but, here, that
seemed fitting. The blues men were all magical.
Ken Vandermark School Days/Oren
Marshall & Cor Fuhler, Purcell Room, South Bank Centre (November / London
Jazz Festival)
Ken
Vandermark's core achievement has been to hit the ground running, and, in a
relatively short career, revitalise the Chicago improvised scene, put it in
touch with hot beds of activity in Europe, while simultaneously celebrating
some of America's less celebrated wonders such as Joe McPhee, Chicago hero
Fred Anderson, as well as the late Frank wright, and, remarkably, the UK's
Joe Harriott
(only now getting belated, sadly late, attention here). Ken was heard here
with hugely impressive / expressive trombonist Jeb Bishop, a regular
cohort,and a brace of brilliant Scandinavians. The use of vibes and a
generally more studied feel made this less full throttle but no less
fascinating than some of his Free Jazz Classics programmes. Oren Marshall, a
marvellous UK tuba player (Estelle), played a quiet and demandingly intense
first set with Dutch pianist Cor Fuhler.
The Monk Project, The Monk Liberation Front, Pizza Express FreeStage, Royal
Festival Hall (November / London Jazz Festival)
In which all
of MonkÕs compositions were played, over 6 hours by a changing cast of expert
improvisors. At the heart of the project, pianist Jonathan Gee, saxophonist
Tony Kofi ( who blew beyond the call of duty), and composer Philip Clark, who
added an original, Monk inspired piece. Only the substitution of Evan Parker,
from the original Festival brochure disappointed - how would he have circular
breathed, or growled, his way around, say, ÔMisteriosoÕ? - but since his
replacement seemed to be the inventive Chris Biscoe all was forgiven. Good to
report a sighting of rarebird (these days) brilliant vibesman Orphy Robinson
too. A treat. And free.
EVENTS (5)
Joe McPhee/Paul Hession Tour
Joe McPhee's
first visit to the UK for 24 years. Four thrilling concerts in London,
Liverpool, Leeds & Newcastle (see above). Joe is a player who responds to
his surroundings - in his positioning, movements, stance. Apart from finding
these concerts as fascinating as an aural experience, as any I've attended,
they were interesting in visual and interactive (non computer sense) ways.
That is the joy of seeing improvisors as accomplished as this over a period
of days - not just once.
Iron, The Royal Court,
London (Feb)
A searing
prison drame, with Sandy McDade as imprisoned murderess Fay, visited by her
daughter, for the first time, after 15 years inside. After putting this list
together I learnt that Sandy McDade had won Best Actress in the Evening
Standard Drama Awards. I'm not surprised.
I was within touching distance of the cold metallic stage and could feel the
anguished energy expended by all the astonishing cast, but especially McDade
(there's a hunger strike scene of terrible power). Amazingly there were two
performances a day.
Eva Hesse, Tate Modern, London (early 2003)
I found this
far more stimulating than I expected. Things of wonder in some of the smaller
pieces as well as the later, tubular, decaying ones. An interesting
comparison with Anya Gallaccio in the treatment of ephemerality/decay. It was
a treat to see such a quantity of this beautiful (often humorous) work, while
it can still be seen close to how it looked when it was created.
After Mrs Rochester, The Lyric,
Hammersmith (May)
Another Evening
Standard Award winner (Polly Teale). The
company are Shared Experience and Jean Rhys, on whose writing of Wide
Sargasso Sea the play is based, was, was
wonderfully played by Diana Quick and (young Jean) Madelaine Pottere,but
everyone is excellent. There is no room to do it justice here. Some of its
themes are people and stories suppressed and liberated. As far as my own
obsessions go (mind your own business but...) it always occurs to me, what
with her Creole background, rediscovery, ÔkeptÕ periods, problems with
alcohol, occasional jail experiences, belief in voodoo, and her birth date,
how closely Jean RhysÕ life resembles those of some of the great blues men
and women (even hints of Ôimposters/impersonatorsÕ). Appropriated/stolen
lives. Discuss. Or not.
Anti War Marches, London ( Sept
2002, Feb 2003, March 2003, Nov 2003, Central London + local London events)
I went on
four, and various smaller protests. The one big march I missed - I was in
hospital having a major league blood transfusion. Not an option for a lot of
Tony's victims. Camaraderie, music, costume, witty slogans, inventive
transportation, the widest social, age, & racial range I've ever seen in
my life, and just more people
than ever before anywhere... And I hate crowds normally. The only thing was -
it didn't stop our blood stained, arms dealing leaders from their killing
spree. Here's a plan. Next time - don't go past Downing Street. Man wants a
Big Conversation. And we could all take a tuba or trombone for Estelle.
You're all tainted. Resign. Their man at The UN helped train the 3-i6
Battalion. Half of them are Iran Contra War Criminals. That's who Tony's
blood price was paid for - by everyone but Tony. These people go back to My
Lai and beyond. I warned you Estelle, I wrote to you a year ago when you were
on Question Time and didn't seem to know anything, so I told you about
Negroponte, and Poindexter, and Cheney, and you wrote and said it was very
confusing but there'd be a UN resolution that'd make it all OK, but there
wasn't and now you're back in Government saying you don't know much about
music but you'd like kids to play bass instruments - and I'm maybe being a
silly person but one day maybe you'll get a job you know something about but,
anyroad, thanks for writing back and, hey, let's talk trombones...
©
Stephen Middleton 2003
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