New Releases Only

[KBerube80]

Ches Smith's These Arches - Hammered (Clean Feed)




Personnel: Tim Berne: alto saxophone; Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Andrea Parkins: accordion & electronics; Ches Smith: drums.

[xybert]

Originally Posted by KBerube80

Ches Smith's These Arches - Hammered (Clean Feed)




Personnel: Tim Berne: alto saxophone; Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Andrea Parkins: accordion & electronics; Ches Smith: drums.

Awesome! Did some googling and it looks like the release date is March 5th. I'm hoping when Clean Feed updates their site that the new September Trio album is part of the same batch of new releases as this.

[dsschicago]

Originally Posted by xybert

Awesome! Did some googling and it looks like the release date is March 5th. I'm hoping when Clean Feed updates their site that the new September Trio album is part of the same batch of new releases as this.

It's an astounding album. Andrea Parkins brings a marvelous velvety element to the hard-edged music. I can't find anything anywhere for you to stream by way of preview, but that's kind of how Clean Feed rolls unfortunately. I'm positive if anyone listened to the first track alone, they'd purchase the album immediately.

Cheers.

[KBerube80]

Originally Posted by xybert

Awesome! Did some googling and it looks like the release date is March 5th. I'm hoping when Clean Feed updates their site that the new September Trio album is part of the same batch of new releases as this.

Originally Posted by dsschicago

It's an astounding album. Andrea Parkins brings a marvelous velvety element to the hard-edged music. I can't find anything anywhere for you to stream by way of preview, but that's kind of how Clean Feed rolls unfortunately. I'm positive if anyone listened to the first track alone, they'd purchase the album immediately.

Cheers.

Yeah, I'm stoked. The youtube vids do it justice already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klbm7_EWTxQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHWFSdtAesU

What a tremendous lineup.

[robmid]

Michael Blake - In the Grand Scheme of Things 2012



Not sure how I missed this, as Blake is one of my favorite sax players. His "Elevated" from 2002 is one of my all time favorite albums. Scheme is brilliant, mysterious, beautiful and quite unlike anything I've heard before.

Interview with Blake about the album here: http://www.songlines.com/interviews/grandscheme.html

Cheers, Robert

[JETman]

The interview with Conrad Herwig appearing on AAJ today reminded me that he's got a relatively new release that's only available on his website:

http://www.mmsies.com/store/index.ph...ent=0&store=21

I was wondering if anyone has picked this up yet. If so, can you recommend it?

[KBerube80]

Curtis Hasselbring - Number Stations (Cuneiform)



Curtis Hasselbring (trombone, guitar), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Chris Speed (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Matt Moran (vibraphone, marimba), Trevor Dunn (acoustic and electric bass), Ches Smith (drums, marimba), Satoshi Takeishi (drums, percussion)

Another Fantastic release.

[LWayne]

Prolific.

Are there any new releases that Mary Halvorson ISN'T playing on?


LWayne

[KBerube80]

I know it. She's also on the new Ingrid Laubauck album...

[Justin V]

Barry Altschul - The 3dom Factor, with Jon Irabagon and Joe Fonda. This is Altschul's first album as a leader in 27(!!!) years. People seem to forget that Altschul is one of the greatest living drummers. I caught him with the Ullmann-Swell 4 last year and was quite impressed.

[jcam_44]

Nicholas Payton - #BAM Live at the Bohemian Caverns

I don't care about the "BAM" movement one way or another, but I do enjoy Payton's playing. Cd available at cdbaby.com

[jkelman]

My review of Charles Lloyd's superb duo recording with pianist Jason Moran, Hagar's Song, today at All About Jazz.

The saxophonist has shared a number of long-term relationships with pianists over the years, from Keith Jarrett in the 1960s, when he came to both fame and fortune, to Bobo Stenson, when he made an active return to regular work as a solo artist in 1989 when he joined the ECM roster. Moran deserves to be mentioned alongside these other two, especially now as the last few years have seen tremendous growth. Moran has more often than not been a better sideman than a leader, but with Hagar's Song, their first duo record together, he demonstrates that he's now on an equal level, as capable of pushing and prodding Lloyd as the saxophonist is in return.

On a set that ranges from Lloyd originals and standards to songs by Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson, the chemistry honed in Lloyd's quartet since 2008's Rabo de Nube is now at a near-mitochondrial level, making Hagar's Song highly recommended. It also suggests, very clearly, that the time may be approaching for Moran to do a solo piano recording, as his a cappella work here is outstanding.

Review here.

[xybert]

Originally Posted by jcam_44

I had it pre-ordered from Amazon... wasn't crazy about what I heard in samples so I nixed it. For some reason I'm not too crazy about Rob's large ensemble stuff. I have no idea why, but it doesn't do it for me.

Originally Posted by xybert

For me there's a particular distinctive flavour that runs through most of the Rob Mazurek music that i've heard... i'm sure the new album is good but i've just kind of had enough of that flavour for the moment.

Despite my ambivalence i just couldn't resist getting this. It was just bugging me too much as to whether i was missing out or not so i ended up including it in an order for a few other CDs i wanted.

First listen i thought that i had gambled and lost. It wasn't bad, and i knew it wasn't going to be bad, but it just sounded like fairly safely generic Energy Music, albeit with a strong dash of that Mazurek/Adasiewicz/Herndon flavour flowing through it, but still something i was likely to shelve and never listen to again = not something i'd be embarrassed to have in my collection but not something i hugely enjoy or will listen to much.

That first listen was distracted and after a hard day. It's now Saturday midday here and this album really hit the spot earlier this morning. The album is divided into 5 tracks, and although i wouldn't really go so far as to describe it as suite-like i thinks it's definitely an album that should be listened to from start to finish ideally without the distraction of browsing the internet etc. It has an ebb and flow that gets missed when listening to individual tracks/skipping through.

Anyway, just thought i'd share my thoughts. I have a feeling that this album will grow on me more and more but i still don't know if it will end up being a favourite. I have a feeling it might end up being one of those albums that i have a brief love affair with but once it gets 'shelved' i won't reach for it very often. At least i'll look on it fondly rather than mildly regretting it's purchase as i did on first listen.

[xybert]

Originally Posted by jkelman

Moran has more often than not been a better sideman than a leader

I say this with the best intentions, but although Moran has recorded more often as a sideman than as a leader, i'd take his playing on Ten or Black Stars just to name two over any of his sideman work any day. His sideman work reminds me of when Mehldau plays as a sideman = you can hear it's Mehldau but he sounds reigned in (for want of a better way of putting it, i don't intend any negative connotations to the pianists or the artists they act as sidemen to). I love both Moran and Mehldau's work with Lloyd but i still prefer their work as leaders.

I might be getting it twisted; i haven't heard everything he's recorded as a leader (nor as a sideman) and you could argue that technically he has 'more often' been a better sideman than a leader, but i feel like you're just straight saying he's a better sideman than a leader, and i just don't think that's true. In my opinion it's 100% subjective as to whether a person prefers his sideman work to his leader work. Personally i much prefer his work as a leader.

Anyway, apologies in advance if i'm projecting or misinterpreting. I don't want to start a fight and i hope this doesn't come off as nasty or nit-picky, but i just couldn't resist commenting.

[brijazz123]

Originally Posted by xybert

I say this with the best intentions, but although Moran has recorded more often as a sideman than as a leader, i'd take his playing on Ten or Black Stars just to name two over any of his sideman work any day. His sideman work reminds me of when Mehldau plays as a sideman = you can hear it's Mehldau but he sounds reigned in (for want of a better way of putting it, i don't intend any negative connotations to the pianists or the artists they act as sidemen to). I love both Moran and Mehldau's work with Lloyd but i still prefer their work as leaders.

I might be getting it twisted; i haven't heard everything he's recorded as a leader (nor as a sideman) and you could argue that technically he has 'more often' been a better sideman than a leader, but i feel like you're just straight saying he's a better sideman than a leader, and i just don't think that's true. In my opinion it's 100% subjective as to whether a person prefers his sideman work to his leader work. Personally i much prefer his work as a leader.

Anyway, apologies in advance if i'm projecting or misinterpreting. I don't want to start a fight and i hope this doesn't come off as nasty or nit-picky, but i just couldn't resist commenting.

Agree. I find the comments on Moran a little bit dismissive. "Ten" was at the top of many "best of" lists for 2010, and Black Stars is without question a classic. How these can be overshadowed by his sideman work I'm not sure.

re:

It also suggests, very clearly, that the time may be approaching for Moran to do a solo piano recording, as his a cappella work here is outstanding.

He released his 1st solo album over a decade ago. "time may be approaching"???