#Bill Milkowski

[jazzandother-blog]

Patrick Moraz/Bill Bruford: Music for Piano and Drums

listen here

Throughout his career, British drummer Bill Bruford has played progressive rock (with Yes, Genesis, King Crimson) and jazz (with the electric Bruford and the acoustic Earthworks) with equal authority. On his new record labels, Summerfold and Winterfold, he showcases his jazzier output, supplementing the albums with an extra CD of interviews and audio samples.

Originally recorded in 1983, Music for Piano and Drums (Winterfold) pairs Bruford’s precision playing on the kit with Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz, formerly of Yes and the Moody Blues. The most daring tracks are the two improv pieces: “Living Space” showcases Bruford’s deft touch with brushes in an engaging dialogue with Moraz, and the frantically swinging “Any Suggestions” has Bruford keeping a steady boppish pulse on the ride cymbal while matching Moraz’s rapid-fire keyboard runs with Max Roach-like snare and tom-tom statements. Bruford fuels Moraz’s outre Cecil Taylor-esque excursions on “Symmetry” with some furious playing of his own, then provides supportive brushwork behind the pianist’s rhapsodic ballad “Galatea.”

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A lo largo de su carrera, el baterista británico Bill Bruford ha tocado rock progresivo (con Yes, Genesis, King Crimson) y jazz (con los Bruford eléctricos y los Earthworks acústicos) con igual autoridad. En sus nuevos sellos discográficos, Summerfold y Winterfold, muestra su producción más jazzera, complementando los álbumes con un CD adicional de entrevistas y muestras de audio.

Originalmente grabado en 1983, Music for Piano and Drums (Winterfold) combina la precisión de Bruford al tocar la batería con la del teclista suizo Patrick Moraz, ex miembro de Yes and the Moody Blues. Las pistas más atrevidas son las dos piezas de improvisación: “Living Space” muestra el hábil toque de Bruford con los cepillos en un diálogo atractivo con Moraz, y la frenéticamente oscilante “Any Suggestions” muestra a Bruford manteniendo un pulso boppish constante en el platillo ride mientras combina las rápidas ejecuciones de teclado de Moraz con declaraciones de caja y tom-tom al estilo de Max Roach. Bruford alimenta las estrafalarias excursiones al estilo Cecil Taylor de Moraz en “Symmetry” con una interpretación furiosa propia, y luego proporciona pinceladas de apoyo detrás de la balada rapsódica del pianista “Galatea”.

Source: jazztimes.com by Bill Milkowski

[projazznet]

The Omar Hakim Experience – We Are One

"We Are One stands as the great drummer's magnum opus in a long and illustrious career, - "Bill Milkowski. “We Are One is a wide-ranging and wildly diverse project that captures Hakim in his element, both as an in-demand musician and as an artist ambitiously, aggressively and audaciously pursuing his own goals. This eminently impressive album deserves to be heard and enjoyed by anyone who considers themselves a fan, or who simply wants to hear something boldly fresh and stylishly original which rewards with every listen. It is time to get experienced.” – Jeff Winbush/AllAboutJazz.

[larissaligus]

In 2021, he spoke of his admiration for Vai on Sirius XM’s Guitar Greats show. “There was an issue of Guitar Player in [February 1983] that had [Zappa] on the cover with a tiny, little electric guitar,” he recalled. “It had an extra interview [with] who was then the guitar player in his band, Steve Vai, and it was called Zappa’s ‘Little Italian Virtuoso.’”

Of Italian heritage himself, Frusciante goes on to say, “I felt very connected to this person. I loved the way he talked about the instrument and the way he talked about his practice… There had never been a guitar player in Frank Zappa’s band who could do those things.” “[Vai’s] duties in the band are mostly to play the hard-written lines and real complicated stuff that is beyond my capability,” Zappa told Bill Milkowski in 1983. “All that whammy bar stuff on Stratocaster.”

Vai’s superlative skills were the result of sheer hard work and dedication to practice.

“I used to divide my day into about 12 hours,” he explained to GP’s Tom Mulhern. “The first nine hours were divided into three equal sections. I used to be ridiculous, because I would overload myself. I had finger exercises, scales, and chords. Eventually I added reading.”

Committing himself to a similarly intense regime, Frusciante regularly embarked on lengthy practice sessions, all the while lapping up as much of Vai’s recorded material as he could, including the Alcatraz album Disturbing the Peace(opens in new tab) and David Lee Roth’s Eat 'Em And Smile(opens in new tab).

While speaking of Frusciante in this 2020 interview(opens in new tab), Vai told Paul Reed Smith, “He’s such a dedicated player.”In the above clip captured on tape in 1987, Frusciante is seen using a Vai-style SuperStrat and Zappa-endorsed Carvin X-100B amp.

He used the same rig to perform with the Chili Peppers after replacing founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988.

In the following clip shot on October 8th that year, Frusciante is seen at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in L.A. playing one of his earliest gigs with the band.

This line-up includes former Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro (1959-2022) with whom Frusciante had struck up a musical friendship several months prior.

When they hit the stage, vocalist Anthony Kiedis introduces the Chili Peppers’ new recruit (who happens to be dressed in a comedy Superman outfit): “This is John. He’s only 18 years old.”

[donospl]

Bill Milkowski „Jaco. Niezwykłe i tragiczne życie Jaco Pastoriusa”

Bill Milkowski „Jaco. Niezwykłe i tragiczne życie Jaco Pastoriusa”

Wydawnictwo Ipsum Bonum, 2019

Po intensywnych bojach prawno-organizacyjnych, światło dzienne ujrzała wreszcie polska edycja biografii Jaco Pastoriusa. Oryginalne wydanie, autorstwa Billa Milkowskiego ukazało się w USA w roku 2005.

Bill Milkowski, amerykański krytyk muzyczny, dziennikarz i biografista, był z Pastoriusem – w ostatnim okresie życia muzyka – w dość zaży��ych stosunkach.…

[riffsstrides]

Daniel Freedman

Bamako By Bus

Anzic Records, 2012

Avishai Cohen – trumpet, Lionel Loueke – guitar and vocals, Jason Lindner – keyboards, Meshell Ndegeocello – bass, Omer Avital – acoustic bass (track 7), Daniel Freedman - drums, percussion, Pedrito Martinez, Abraham Rodriguez – vocals and percussion, Mark Turner – tenor saxophone, Joshua Levitt – Ney (Arabic flute), Yosvany Terry, Davi Viera, Mauro Refosco – additional percussion

Drummer Daniel Freedman, a New York native and member of the band Third World Love, steps out with his second album as a leader, blending jazz with Yoruban prayer chants, Moroccan music, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk and pop. With Freedman on traps, the core group is rounded out by bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, keyboardist Jason Lindner and trumpeter Avishai Cohen. Special guests on this musical travelogue include bata master and vocalist Abraham Rodriguez, who plays on two folkloric numbers, “Odudua” and the clave-fueled “Rumba Pa’ NYC,” and the great Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke, who appears on the polyrhythmic jam “Elegba Wa” and three other African-flavored numbers. Tenor saxophonist Mark Turner also appears alongside trumpeter Cohen on the soothing ballad “Alona” and the grooving 7/8 number “Saaba.”

Bill Milkowski in Jazztimes

[everlarkedalways]

Is it normal to see certain actors/actresses and think: oh this person gives me total Peeta/Katniss vibes? lol for instance, I was watching this polish show on Netflix called The Woods and this actor Hubert Milkowski gave me major Peeta vibes, it was uncanny 👌Not that I have anything against the actual cast. I think they all did a great job in bringing our beloved characters to life, but physically speaking I can't help but notice that there are others who fit the bill better.

Oh totally. It's hard for me to speak against our cast because I LOVE them! But I feel you. I think that's what being Everlarked is all about. You see Everlark on everything you do and see! I'll have to check that show out.

[diskilop]

Zacc harris

#Zacc harris full#

"Guitarist Zacc Harris delivers a sound that is lucid, clear.providing rich. Harris did all the composing, and gets anĪ grade for penmanship." - Tom Surowicz, Star Tribune Quintet features the cream of the Twin Cities scene: Bryan Nichols, Brandon Every track isĪrresting and well thought-out, delivering freshness, fire and filigree. " is no offhand affair, no jamming session. even if you can still hear those influences." - David Cazares, MPR News Once a player who sought to emulate greatĪrtists like Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino, Harris now has a distinct voice. " has been a key part of an emerging Twin Cities sound, fused from Likes of Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny." - Rick Mason, City Pages "The Garden showcases Harris's compositions, which adeptly andĬompellingly link the past and future of jazz, and guitar work, which isĬonsistently articulate with an enticing fluidity seemingly influenced by the With skill and focus, the sextet bring the tracks to life, making it veryĮnjoyable to listen to.the performances matching the quality of the compositions, resulting in a fineĪlbum from the Zacc Harris Group." - Mike Gates, UK Vibe "There’s a warm, thoughtful narrative running through this recording, not surprising given the "Small Wonders is big on melody, intelligent arrangements, and powerful as well as thoughtful solos." The album features 9 new originals and a allstar sextet with John Raymond, Brandon Wozniak, Bryan Nichols, Chris Bates and JT Bates.

#Zacc harris full#

The album received high acclaim with the Star Tribune calling it "quietly resonant" and City Pages saying, "It’s a collection of smart contemporary jazz interpretations of folk standards.Harris’ eloquent guitar work highlights pointed commentary with a deft array of melodic abstractions, tempo shifts and harmonic changes." All About Jazz wrote, "the arrangements are full of fresh twists, all played with an understated warmth." In Fall of 2021, Harris will release Small Wonders on Shifting Paradigm, the long awaited Zacc Harris Group follow up to The Garden. In 2017, Harris released his second album as leader, a trio project called AMERICAN REVERIE on which he explored a range of nostalgic songs, from Americana classics to Bob Dylan, re-imagined with a jazz tilt. City Pages writer Rick Mason says, "The Garden showcases Harris's compositions, which adeptly and compellingly link the past and future of jazz, and guitar work, which is consistently articulate with an enticing fluidity seemingly influenced by the likes of Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny." The American Composers Forum chose Harris for one of its three Minnesota Emerging Composers Awards in 2016, to write and record a second album with this group, due out in September 2021. Renowned jazz critic Bill Milkowski wrote for JazzTimes Magazine, "Twin Cities modern jazz renegades shift nimbly from a punk-jazz aesthetic to ECM-ish sensitivity.startlingly original stuff." In 2012, Harris released his first album as leader, THE GARDEN, on Shifting Paradigm Records. Jazz Improv Magazine says, "Harris delivers a sound that is lucid, clear.providing rich-sounding accompaniment, and well-crafted solos" while Cadence Magazine calls some of Harris' work with Atlantis Quartet "worthy of John McLaughlin." MPR News states, "Harris makes his own mark on standards with enough new hooks to keep jazz alive." As co-leader of Atlantis Quartet, Harris has released five critically acclaimed albums since 2006, as well as a digital anthology of the band's first decade together. Harris has toured as leader and sideman throughout the US and UK, including a 2016 run with Zacc Harris Group at London's famed Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. He performs in a host of creative projects including Atlantis Quartet, winner of the 2015 McKnight Fellowship and named 2011 Best Jazz Artist, as well as the Zacc Harris Group, American Reverie, and Zacc Harris Trio which has had the longest running weekly jazz gig in Minnesota since 2007. Since moving to Minneapolis in 2005, Zacc Harris has gained a reputation as one of the area's top guitarists, being named 2017 Twin Cities Best Jazz Artist by the City Pages.

[mosaicrecords]

A Mosaic Review

The Absolute Sound Review of Mosaic's Bing Crosby Box Set

The Yuletide season approaches, when thoughts have a way of turning to the chestnut White Christmas and its most celebrated performer, Bing Crosby. In his Absolute Sound review, Bill Milkowski makes the compelling case for the even more enduring artistry of Bing Crosby as jazz singer, with Mosaic's limited edition box set, The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (with its "superb" recorded sound) as Exhibit One. While it's still in print, go here to listen to samples and to order your set.

Read the review… Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter

[sensitive-virgo]

Here’s an upgrade about my healing from Open Heart Surgery, and the statement of a really cool brand-new weekly series pertaining to allure Video Guy channel starting Friday, November 5, 2021 – The Michael Brecker Podcast. And please, have a look at Bill Milkowski’s terrific brand-new book, Ode to a Tenor Titan, The Life and…

[mozgoderina]

Chet Baker Quartet - She Was Too Good To Me (Paste Magazine)

Back in the day, it was common for comedians to open for jazz groups in the clubs. Richard Pryor opened each night of a month-long stint that John Handy had in 1967 at the Village Gate. Redd Foxx routinely opened for the likes of Barry Harris, Kenny Burrell and Sonny Stitt at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. Even Jay Leno has stories of being on the road, doing standup early on in his career as an opening act for Miles Davis. George Wein decided to recreate some of that old school nightclub atmosphere by having comedian Phyllis Diller do a bit a standup before introducing trumpeter Chet Baker who came out to do his set at Carnegie Hall. Following her barrage of one-liners, Diller introduces Baker and his sidemen - Canadian vibraphonist Warren Chiasson, pianist Harold Danko, alto saxophonist Bob Mover, bassist Dave Shapiro and veteran drummer Jimmy Madison.

Baker and his crew kick it off their all-Rodgers & Hart set (as part of program entitled "Salute to Jazz and the American Song") with a spirited, swinging version of "With a Song in my Heart" featuring Baker on vocals. Mover contributes some pungent and fluid alto work here and Baker adds some potent trumpet work. But it must be said that the leader searches in vain for the proper intonation through this opening number. Next up is the melancholy ballad "She Was Too Good To Me," title track of his 1974 CTI comeback album featuring altoist Paul Desmond. Baker wrings every drop out emotion out of this tune with his fragile vocals while Mover and Chiasson add meaningful solos. Baker's trumpet solo here is pained and poignant. They close out their brief set on a vibrantly swinging note with a rousing rendition of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" With Madison playing brushes and Shapiro walking steady eighth notes, Chiasson, Mover, Danko and Baker shine in their respective solo turns.

One of the most visible exponents of the West Coast cool school of jazz, trumpeter Chet Baker played in an intimate style that was far more restrained and mellow than incendiary boppers like Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro or aggressively blowing hard boppers like Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard.

Born in Yale, Oklahoma, Baker grew up in California, where he studied trumpet in junior high school. Dropping out of high school at age 16 to join the Army, he was stationed in Berlin and played trumpet in the 298th Army Band. Following his discharge from the Army, Baker began spending time in San Francisco jazz clubs like Bop City and the Blackhawk. After a brief apprenticeship with Stan Getz, Baker was chosen by bebop icon Charlie Parker for a series of West Coast gigs, which instantly elevated his profile. In 1952, he joined Gerry Mulligan's piano-less quartet, which was considered a revolutionary idea in jazz at the time. The Quartet's version of the melancholy ballad "My Funny Valentine," featuring a particularly expressive Baker solo, was a major hit, and became a song that was forever associated with the trumpeter.

After the baritone saxophonist and bandleader went to jail in June 1953 on a drug charge, Baker formed his own quartet with pianist Russ Freeman, bassist Carson Smith and drummer Bob Neal and launched a solo career at age 25 with the 1954 Pacific Jazz album Chet Baker Sings. Shortly after its release, Baker was named Best New Trumpet Talent in the Down Beat Critics Poll. His popularity during the '50s was enhanced by his matinee idol good looks, which also made him a natural for magazine covers during his heyday. Baker recorded prolifically through the 1950s and 1960s but his addiction to heroin would rob him of both his chops and his photogenic appeal later in his career.

Shortly after this appearance at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, Baker made his motion pictures debut in the Hell's Horizon, which was released in the Fall of 1955. Following that brief fling with Hollywood, he returned to the jazz scene with a vengeance and formed a more hard boppish quartet in 1956 with pianist Bobby Timmons. In 1957, he toured the U.S. with the Birdland All-Stars and later took a group to Europe. Baker settled in Italy in 1959 and acted in another film there. By this time, Baker's heroin habit began interfering with his career. He was arrested in Italy during the summer of 1960. Ironically that same year, Hollywood released a fictionalized account of his life, All the Fine Young Cannibals, starring Robert Wagner as Chad Bixby. Through the '60s, Baker endured frequent arrests and jail time for drug offenses while living alternately in England, France, Spain and Germany. He tried mounting various comebacks but his condition had deteriorated so much by the end of the '60s that he rarely performed anymore and only recorded infrequently. By the early '70s, he stopped playing altogether. A triumphant reunion concert with his old colleague Gerry Mulligan at Carnegie Hall in November 1974 (documented by Epic Records) gave Baker's career a much-needed boost.

In 1978, Baker moved to Europe and began mounting a comeback, performing and recording frequently into the mid 1980s. His tragic demise came on May 13, 1988, when he fell out of a second-story hotel window in Amsterdam. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle and the death was ruled an accident. But 13 years earlier, at Carnegie Hall, Baker was feeling no pain and grooving hard with his compatriots on the bandstand.

  Source: Paste Magazine / Written by Bill Milkowski. Link: She Was Too Good To Me Illustration: Marco Glaviano. 'Chet Baker, Pescara', 1975. Moderator: ART HuNTER. ✓ FAcEBook pAGE →  ✓ piNTEREsT BoARD → 

[projazznet]

In this extended version of an October 2012 article, Bill Milkowski engages with the approachable, talkative and extremely opinionated Branford Marsalis.

[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: The Dave Wilson Quartet-One Night at Chris' (2020)

 The recording is a document of one evening of music recorded live, no overdubs, no second takes and with all the nuances, surprises and magic known as Jazz. One Night at Chris’ bristles with a kind of visceral energy and sheer burn from one magic night! Liner Notes from One Night At Chris':As brawny-toned tenorman Dave Wilson said, in reflecting back on this inspired set, “It was a good night!” That’s an understatement. One Night at Chris’ bristles with a kind of visceral energy and sheer burn that lit up the crowd at the famed Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia in March of 2018 and makes for invigorating listening now. Wilson’s fifth recording as a leader and first live outing captures his quartet’s simpatico on an exceptionally good night. “There was just a real good interaction in the rhythm section,” noted the saxophonist, saluting his stellar crew of pianist Kirk Reese, bassist Tony Marino and drummer Dan Monaghan. Together they deliver the goods on four Wilson originals along with savvy adaptations of familiar pop tunes, filtered through a distinctly jazzy prism. A student of the great tenor saxophonist and educator Bill Barron, whom he studied with at Wesleyan University during the mid ‘70s, Wilson is a dedicated jazzman with one foot in bebop and the other striding into the New Thing, following a path pioneered by one of his biggest influences, iconic tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. “Trane got me into playing the saxophone when I was 15 years old,” says the Bronxville, New York native and longtime resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “I was a clarinet player and then listening to him on Live at the Village Vanguard and My Favorite Things around 1970-71 really got me involved in playing the tenor.”While immersing himself in Trane and later Dexter Gordon, Wilson also came under the spell of rock’s original jam band. “During the late ‘70’s to early ‘80s, I saw the Grateful Dead many a time and it turned my head around,” he recalled. Wilson would later put his jazzy stamp on the Dead’s “Cassidy” on his 2015 release, There Never Was. Here he tackles “Friend of the Devil” in a brisk, Latin flavored reading that has him soaring in lyrical fashion on soprano sax.Along with covering the Dead, Wilson’s quartet also interprets other pop tunes — The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” Creed’s “My Own Prison,” Ambrosia’s 1980 hit single, “Biggest Part of Me,” and the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” “There are certain pop tunes that I feel like I have a personal relationship with,” he explained. “They just reach out and grab me.”The set kicks off with Wilson’s earthy original, “Ocean Blue,” a funk-tinged boogaloo that previously appeared on the saxophonist’s 2010 studio album, Spiral. His bold tenor playing in both the low register and altissimo range of his horn resonates with old school authority here as he swaggers and double-times with impunity on his solo. Pianist Reese floats nimbly here, pushing the harmonic fabric of the tune while showcasing incendiary chops and a couple of Herbie Hancock-isms along the way. “We’ve been playing together for a long time, so we know each other pretty well,” said Wilson of his piano partner. “He’s got strong roots in this area and he stayed in this area. I’m lucky to have him.”Wilson has equally high praise for Monaghan, whose intuitive swing factor fuels this session. “For me, a lot of what’s happening in the music comes from the drums, and Dan is one of the top drummers in Philly right now. He’s more from the bebop tradition and he plays with (Philly tenor sax legend) Larry McKenna, so he’s regarded as more of a swinging type of cat.”Reese’s deft keyboard work comes to the fore on the quartet’s brisk romp through “Friend of the Devil” and underscores a mellow, lightly swinging take on “Norwegian Wood,” which has Wilson delivering sumptuous tones and flowing lines around the familiar theme and also features a probing bass solo from longtime Dave Liebman sideman Marino, a key contributor on this live date. “For at least every concert type of gig I do, I’ll call Tony first,” said the bandleader, “because he brings out the best in me and the music and also provides a comfort level non-paralleled.”The quartet next delves into a rollicking rendition of “My Own Prison,” an anthemic tune from the ‘90s post-grunge band from Tallahassee, Creed, before settling into a smooth take on Ambrosia’s 1980 hit single, “Biggest Part Of Me.” Midway through this subdued but hypnotic take, Wilson unleashes some urgent tenor blowing spurred on by Monaghan’s whirlwind approach to the kit.Wilson delivers full-bodied tenor tones and sinuous lines on his potent Afro-Cuban flavored original, “Movin’ On,” a surging 12/8 vehicle that also has Reese contributing a cascading piano solo. Wilson’s take on his namesake’s “God Only Knows” (the Brian Wilson tune from the Beach Boys’ 1966 classic album, Pet Sounds) is underscored by Monaghan’s loosely swinging pulse and showcases the saxophonist’s soprano work in deep exploratory mode.Sparks fly on “Untitled Modal Tune,” a kinetic burner that has Reese channeling his inner McCoy Tyner and Wilson wailing with abandon. Previously recorded on the saxophonist’s 2002, album, Through the Times, this live version is the perfect uptempo blowing vehicle to show off both Reese’s and Wilson’s strengths. Monaghan propels this cooker, pushing the soloists to some ecstatic heights before engaging in some fiery exchanges of eights with them. Their rhythmically-charged, Afro-Cuban take on the Gershwin classic, “Summertime,” launches into some exploratory free blowing midway through and also showcases a riveting unaccompanied drum solo from Monaghan.The set concludes with Wilson’s “Spiral” (also the title track of his 2010 release). A pulsating piece that opens up to some heady excursions by the group, it culminates in some heated exchanges between saxophonist and pianist. The crackling intensity of One Night at Chris’ is a testament to what can happen on the bandstand on any given night. And this was a particularly good night indeed. — Bill Milkowski via Blogger https://ift.tt/2u4R0mn

[righteoustuff]

Luaka Bop and John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards

“I have no interest in running a record company. That’s the last thing I want to do,” moans John Lurie, cult movie star, fashion plate, saxophonist and founder of the Lounge Lizards. “I just wanted to get my own stuff out, you know?”  John Lurie

Granted, the Lounge Lizards’ music is neither radio-friendly nor easy to categorize, which Lurie believes has rendered the band as an outcast in today’s tight-fisted industry. Yet, this hip, genre-hopping band of downtown renegade jazzbos has built up a healthy fan base over the past two decades, both Stateside and abroad. So Lurie has established Strange & Beautiful Music to service the outre needs of those fans. After disappointing experiences with labels like Editions EG and Island, Lurie tried marketing the Lounge Lizards’ 1989 album Voice of Chunk   strictly mail order via the band’s 800 number. His savvy placement of tv ads for the album during popular late night shows helped net over 25,000 in sales; a relative smash hit, considering the huge percentage of profits going to the artist (as opposed to the miniscule share that artists are generally granted by record companies). His parting with Island had been less than amicable. “They still haven’t sent statements for the first three years we were with them (for 1986’s Big Heart: Live in Tokyo  and 1987’s No Pain for Cakes ),” he complains. “But I guess that’s par for the course.” Following another failed marriage with a record company, this time with the German Intuition label, which released two volumes of Live in Berlin  (’93 and ’95, respectively), Lurie was about to abandon hope of ever recording again. “Nobody else wanted this stuff,” he says. “And quite honestly, I feel like I have a gift, you know? And the gift doesn’t end if I just play this music in my apartment. I feel obligated to get it out there. I feel like even if I write the best music in the world I’m a failure if it doesn’t have any effect on the universe. So I feel obligated to get it out.” That’s when David Byrne and Luaka Bop came along. A Warner Bros. imprint that specializes in world music exotica, Luaka Bop seemed like the perfect refuge for the Lounge Lizards in 1996. “We had just done a three-week run at the Knitting Factory, which was sold out every night,”recalls Lurie. “The band was sounding incredible. And then David Byrne came to me and said, ‘Can you make us a record of this material you’re doing?’ At the time I just felt that Luaka Bop was exactly where we should be. So we made this record for them. But then everything turned ugly. It would take 20 minutes to tell the whole story. It amounts to Yale Evelev, who runs the label, and David Byrne saying things were going to go one way but having no business promising that because all the decisions were ultimately up to Warner Bros. It was disgusting.” The next much-anticipated Lounge Lizards release, Queen of All Ears, sat on the shelf for over a year before Lurie was able to get out of his deal with Luaka Bop and put the record out on his own Strange & Beautiful Music, which he formed in January of 1997. The album is a typically enigmatic and sophisticated blend of styles. Traces of Monk, Trane, and Ornette bump up against klezmer and cartoon music. Add in elements of Gershwin-like swing, burundi tribal beats, African juju and gnawan music from Morocco and it’s a little easier to understand why Lurie considers the band unsignable in today’s conservative climate. Lurie’s total disdain for an industry that he perceives to be rampant with hacks, morons, and incompetents eventually forced him to gain complete control over his music, including the packaging and marketing of it. “To have some nitwit like David Byrne telling you what should be on the album cover…it’s just appalling, you know?” Lurie says. “But it’s not even David Byrne in most cases. Usually it’s like…god knows who…Mr. White Man With Small Penis telling you what he thinks should be on your album cover. It’s absurd! (The cover of Queen of All Ears  is a disturbing/intriguing painting by Lurie himself.) “And the really appalling thing,” he continues ranting, “is that these record company guys are complete losers. Not only are they jealous of musicians but they’re inept at their job. They’re inept at selling things; they’re inept at figuring out what will work. In the record business, people move to the level that they can’t handle, you know? Maybe it’s like this with the aluminum siding industry, but I don’t think so.” Lurie says he has no intention of signing artists and building a roster. “I think for now it’s going to be a vanity label,” he says of Strange & Beautiful Music, which is being distributed in North America by Koch and by several independent distributors overseas. Aside from the recently releasing Queen of All Ears  and the soundtrack to Fishing with John  (his mock travelogue tv series aired on the Independent Film Channel and Bravo network), Lurie will re-release Voice of Chunk  along with soundtracks to Stranger Than Paradise, Down by Law,  African Swim, and Manny and Lo . He also plans to record new material later this year with the current edition of the Lounge Lizards (Tony Scherr on bass, Mauro Refonsco on percussion, Doug Weiselman on clarinet and guitar, Jane Scarpantoni on cello, Michael Blake on tenor sax, Steven Bernstein on trumpet, Calvin Weston on drums, Evan Lurie on piano, and John Lurie on saxes). “This band is probably the best I ever had and the most kind of love, kind of unified vibe,” says the head Lizard. “I’m really pleased with it. Basically, I’m pretty lucky. I’m making a living doing creative stuff, you know?” Lurie’s come a long way from his “fake jazz” days with the first edition of the Lounge Lizards. He’s evolved into a fine player, an accomplished composer, charismatic bandleader, and record company exec to boot.

November 1, 1998April 25, 2019 – By Bill Milkowski

[matwalerian]

DownBeat Magazine - Jazz, Blues & Beyond since 1934 - review - Matthew Shipp Quartet with Mat Walerian Michael Bisio Whit Dickey “Sonic Fiction” - by Bill Milkowski

"(...) travels from a tempestuous duet between piano and saxophone to a turbulent trio among saxophone, piano and bass, closing on a simpatico note with a flexible, free-boppish excursion by the full quartet."

Sonic Fiction reunites Shipp with his long-standing rhythm tandem of bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey, and adds Polish woodwind player Mat Walerian (a member of the Toxic trio with Shipp and bassist Willilam Parker). The mysterioso opener, "First Step", has Shipp feeding Walerian spikey chords to sail over on alto saxophone as Bisio bows and Dickey colors the proceedings with rubato flourishes. "Blues Addition" opens with more stirring, Ellington influenced solo piano by Shipp before he gives way to a conversational duet between Bisio's bass and Walerian's clarinet, which he plays with a keening kind of conviction.

Some of Shipp's most dynamic playing here can be heard on the tumultuous and incendiary "3 By 4", which also finds Walerian wailing in the altissimo range on alto. And the 12-minute closer travels from a tempestuous duet between piano and saxophone to a turbulent trio among saxophone, piano and bass, closing on a simpatico note with a flexible, free-boppish excursion by the full quartet.

With 85 albums under his belt as a leader or co-leader, Shipp has become an elder statesman on the free-jazz scene. His catalog is deep and his influence undeniable, just as Cecil Taylor and Don Pullen - firebrands from another era - had been a generation before.

read full review here :

http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2018/DB1805/single_page_view/57.html

http://www.downbeat.com/

[deepartnature]

James Blood Ulmer & Pharoah Sanders - Live 2003

"Born in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Ulmer began his career playing with various soul jazz ensembles. He first recorded with organist Hank Marr in 1964. After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley,Rashied Ali and Larry Young. In the early 1970s, Ulmer joined Ornette Coleman; he was the first electric guitarist to record and tour extensively with Coleman. He has credited Coleman as a major influence, and Coleman's strong reliance on electric guitar in his fusion-oriented recordings owes a distinct debt to Ulmer. His appearance on Arthur Blythe's two consecutive Columbia albums. It was described at the time as 'avant-gutbucket', leading writer Bill Milkowski to describe the music as 'conjuring images of Skip James and Albert Ayler jamming on the Mississippi Delta.' ..."

Chriss & Co.

Ponderosa Stomp

YouTube: The Music Revelation Ensemble. James Blood Ulmer - guitar, vocals. Calvin Jones - bass. Cornel Rochester- drums. Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone. 1/7, 2/7, 3/7, 4/7, 5/7, 6/7, 7/7

2015 November: Prime Time (1981), 2016 September: Black Rock (1982), 2017 May: Are You Glad to Be in America? (1980), 2017 June: James Blood Ulmer solo live @ Skopje Jazz Festival 2015

2015 December: Maleem Mahmoud Ghania With Pharaoh Sanders - The Trance Of Seven Colors (1994), 2016 January: Ptah, The El Daoud - Alice Coltrane & Pharoah Sanders (1970), 2016 November: Tauhid (1967), 2017 May: The Pharoah Sanders Story: In the Beginning 1963-1964, 2017 November: Let Us Now Praise Pharoah Sanders, Master of Sax, 2018 February: Anthology: You've Got to Have Freedom - Pharoah Sanders (2005)