The Squid's Ear Magazine


Cooper-Moore / Assif Tsahar: America (Hopscotch Records)

Half protest statement and half call for renewal, America offers a wonderful combination of the familiar and the unexpected in improvised and heartland music.
 

Price: $13.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Cooper-Moore-voice, bango, deedly-bo, piano, mouth bow, flute, drums

Assif Tsahar-tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, classical guitar


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 015568230875

Label: Hopscotch Records
Catalog ID: HOP 18
Squidco Product Code: 2407

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2003
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardstock Sleeve
Recorded at Hopscotch Studios, in August, 2003, by Assif Tsahar and Cooper-Moore.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Half protest statement and half call for renewal, America offers a wonderful combination of the familiar and the unexpected. The heartland music known as Americana-for lack of a better term-meets up here with an eager partner in the form of improvisation.

As a definitive missive of social protest, the opening track presents the only vocals on the record: a cry for justice ("America, do you think about the lives that you have stolen?") followed by a statement of return ("America, we're gonna put you on the homeward bound train"). Cooper-Moore sings and plays the diddley bow (a rumbling bass instrument with a percussive attack) while Assif Tsahar adds intermittent cries on tenor saxophone. The loping shuffle has a catchy groove which works as a complement for Tsahar's shrill blowing, together laying out the emotional themes to which the duo will refer through the course of America.

Tsahar, whose reeds are familiar in out jazz circles for their energy and timbral range, takes multiple opportunities here to amble along the relative straight and narrow. The aptly titled "Back Porch Chill" offers a relaxed country blues, as does "Beyond The Years"; the two pieces identically entitled "Lament For Trees" unfold as sparse, open ballads with gentle overtones of swing. None of these tunes would work without Cooper-Moore's thoroughly grounded, organic playing on banjo, piano, mouth bow, and diddley-bow. Cooper-Moore has never been one for the spotlight and his obvious humility serves this project well.

But lest you get too comfortable, America shoots some fiery sparks as well. "12th Avenue Messengers" juxtaposes Tsahar's overblown, emotional horn alongside punchy drums and cymbal. It's a pointed and binding reminder of the record's message. "Wounded Knee" opens up in a similarly edgy, forward vein. Cooper-Moore, for all of his work on the folksy instruments, is in his true element on the piano, which he hammers mercilessly in swirls around Tsahar. Following an extended open stretch, both players close out the record with another emphatic blast.

For its open candor and unforced message, America is a near masterpiece. It's most certainly not for the faint of heart, despite a generally friendly feel, but that's all part of the message. This is unequivocally one of the finest records to emerge this year. (Even though friendly critics everywhere have assembled their lists before they even had a chance to hear the disc. Their loss, not yours, at least in this case.)"-Nils Jacobson, All About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"As a composer, performer, instrument builder/designer, storyteller, teacher, mentor, and organizer, Cooper-Moore [b. August 31, 1946] has been a major, if somewhat behind-the-scenes, catalyst in the world of creative music for over 40 years. As a child prodigy Cooper-Moore played piano in churches near his birthplace in the Piedmont region of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. His performance roots in the realm of avant jazz music date to the NYC Loft Jazz era in the early/mid-70s. His first fully committed jazz group was formed in 1970 - the collective trio Apogee with David S. Ware and drummer Marc Edwards. Sonny Rollins asked them to open for him at the Village Vanguard in 1973, and they did so with aplomb. A studio recording of this group was made in 1977, and issued as Birth of a Being on hatHut under Ware's name in 1979 (re-mixed and re-issued in expanded form on AUM Fidelity in 2015!). Following an evidently rather trying European tour with Ware, Beaver Harris, and Brian Smith in 1981, Cooper-Moore returned home and completely destroyed his piano, with sledgehammer and fire, in his backyard. He didn't play piano again until some years after, instead focusing his energies from 1981-1985 on developing and implementing curriculum to teach children through music via the Head Start program. Returning to New York in 1985, he spent a great part of his creative time working and performing with theatre and dance productions, largely utilizing his hand-crafted instruments. It was not until the early 90s, when William Parker asked him to join his group In Order To Survive, that Cooper-Moore's pianistic gifts were again regularly featured in the jazz context. In the early 'aughts the group Triptych Myth was his own first regular working jazz group in decades and together they blazed some trails and released two albums: one rich formative, and one exquisite. A destined creative re-union with David S. Ware in the Planetary Unknown quartet, the Digital Primitives trio with Assif Tsahar & Chad Taylor, and continued work with William Parker followed. Cooper-Moore's creative life continues well-strong and unabated into the present day. He will be/was the Lifetime Achievement Honoree at the 22nd iteration of Vision Festval, NYC on May 29, 2017."

-Aum Fidelity (http://www.aumfidelity.com/cooper-moore.html)
10/2/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Assif Tsahar (born Israel, June 11, 1969) is an Israeli tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist. He lived in New York City from 1990 to the early 2000s, returning to Israel.

He has performed with Cecil Taylor, Butch Morris, William Parker, Mat Maneri, Hamid Drake, Peter Kowald, Susie Ibarra, Rashied Ali, Warren Smith, Wilbur Morris, Le Quan Ninh, John Tchicai, Fred Anderson, Rob Brown, Roy Campbell, Gerald Cleaver, Agusti Fernandez, Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler, Joe Daley, Herb Robertson, Cuong Vu, Chris Jonas, Ori Kaplan, Oscar Noriega, Roman Stolyar, Alex Harding, Steve Swell, Cooper-Moore, and Tom Abbs

He founded the label Hopscotch Records in 1999. In 2006 he opens the music club Levontin7 with Daniel Sarid in Tel Aviv. "

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assif_Tsahar)
10/2/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. America 4:47

2. Back Porch Chill 4:52

3. Tuscarora's Cry 6:37

4. 12th Avenue Messengers 3:33

5. Lament For Trees 2:35

6. The Tortoise & The Buzzard 3:11

7. No Cracklin No Bread 5:07

8. Lament For Trees 6:44

9. Beyond The Years 5:07

10. Wounded Knee 9:04

Related Categories of Interest:

Improvised Music
Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Song Based Music
Hopscotch Records
Duo Recordings
Before April-2006
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
Improvised Music
Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Song Based Music
Hopscotch Records
Duo Recordings
Before April-2006
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos

Search for other titles on the label:
Hopscotch Records.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Parker, William / Cooper-Moore / Hamid Drake
Heart Trio [VINYL]
(Aum Fidelity)
A mesmerizing and organically spiritual album of collective improv from three global travelers based around the NY and Chicago scenes--long-time collaborators William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Hamid Drake--their instrumentation on this beautiful album also uniquely global, including doson ngoni, shakuhachi, bass dudek, Serbian flute, Ney flute, ashimba, hoe-handle harp and frame drum.
Parker, William / Cooper-Moore / Hamid Drake
Heart Trio
(Aum Fidelity)
A mesmerizing and organically spiritual album of collective improv from three global travelers based around the NY and Chicago scenes--long-time collaborators William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Hamid Drake--their instrumentation on this beautiful album also uniquely global, including doson ngoni, shakuhachi, bass dudek, Serbian flute, Ney flute, ashimba, hoe-handle harp and frame drum.
Mela, Francisco feat. Cooper-Moore / William Parker
Music Frees Our Souls, Vol. 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)
The second volume of Music Frees Our Souls, the trio of Francisco Mela on drums, Cooper-Moore on piano and William Parker on bass, recording in the studio in Brooklyn two extended, far reaching and powerful collective improvisations of music performed under the influence of Mela's work with, mentorship by and encouragement from pianist McCoy Tyner.
Mela, Francisco feat. Cooper-Moore / William Parker
Music Frees Our Souls, Vol. 2
(577 Records)
The second volume of Music Frees Our Souls, the trio of Francisco Mela on drums, Cooper-Moore on piano and William Parker on bass, recording in the studio in Brooklyn two extended, far reaching and powerful collective improvisations of music performed under the influence of Mela's work with, mentorship by and encouragement from pianist McCoy Tyner.
Tsahar, Assif / William Parker / Hamid Drake
In Between The Tumbling A Stillness [VINYL]
(Hopscotch Records)
A fierce free jazz concert recorded live at Levontin 7, in Tel Aviv by three players with a long history of collaboration and dynamic trio settings, from Israeli saxophonist formerly based in NYC Assif Tsahar, bassist William Parker and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, in two extended, energetic and inventive improvisations and a concise closing "Stillness".
Tsahar, Assif Brass Reeds Ensemble
The Hollow World
(Hopscotch Records)
Tsahar's 9-piece Brass Reeds Ensemble Herb Robertson, Chris Jonas, Rob Brown, Susie Ibarra, &c. is an ambitious and incredible undertaking of group improvisation.
Seabrook, Brandon (w/ Cooper-Moore / Gerald Cleaver)
Exultations
(Astral Spirits)
The title aptly describes the intense excitement and exhilaration of NY guitarist Brandon Seabrook's second trio album on Astral Spirits, performed with rhythm giants Cooper-Moore on Diddley Bow (a single-string bass) and free jazz drum legend Gerald Cleaver, the two creating a percolating interactive foundation for Seabrooks powerfully expressive and investigative playing.
Tsahar, Assif / Tatsuya Nakatani
I Got It Bad
(Hopscotch Records)
The third collaboration from the duo of Israeli saxophonist Assif Tsahar and Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, an amazing journey in tone and rhythm from two kindred spirits through 20 short, inventive, and stunning improvisations.
Digital Primitives
Lipsomuch & Soul Searchin' [2 CDs]
(Hopscotch Records)
The trio of saxophonist Assif Tsahar, drummer Chad Taylor and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore in the 3rd Digital Primitives release, rhythmic and soulful improvisation with an inventive New York attitude.
Ibarra, Susie Trio
Radiance
(Hopscotch Records)
Drummer Ibarra's trio with Cooper-Moore and violinist Charles Burnham blur boundaries in a band of great versatility, taste and collective musicianship.
Cooper-Moore
Solo - Deep in the neighborhood of history and influence
(Hopscotch Records)
Cooper-Moore's astonishing solo piano album live in Guelph shows his immense knowledge of jazz idioms crossed with mind-altering, outer-edge playing, Moore's "improvisation as lifeblood".
Tsahar, Assif and the Zoanthropic Orchestra
Embracing the Void
(Hopscotch Records)
Tsahar's 60-minute suite with his NY heavyweights Zoanthropic Orchestra is a sort of self-portrait in sound, drawing on auditory memories from his childhood on.
Digital Primitives (Cooper-Moore / Tsahar / Taylor)
Hum Crackle Pop
(Hopscotch Records)
The 2nd Digital Primitives release (Cooper-Moore, Asif Tsahar, Chad Taylor) digs in deep to fuse a new sound from blues, folk, jazz & funk, with accents from the music's African antecedents.
Cooper-Moore / Tsahar, Assif / Taylor, Chad
Digital Primitives
(Hopscotch Records)
Prolific and working incredibly fertile creative ground, New Yorkers Cooper-Moore, Tsahar and Taylor release their first as a trio on Tsahar's Hopscotch label.
Tsahar, Sahar Project / Tatsuya Nakatani / The Kjla String Fourtet
Solitude
(Hopscotch Records)
Alto saxophonist/composer Tsahar further investigates what 3rd stream music left behind, a gorgeous exploration of sound and movement with percussionist Nakatani and the KJLA String 4tet.
Tsahar, Assif / Tatsuya Nakatani
Come Sunday
(Hopscotch Records)
Performing at Astor Place in the East Village, NYC every Sunday for 3 years prior to this recording created the unique sound and tight interactions of these remarkable recordings.
Tsahar / Maneri / Black
Jam
(Hopscotch Records)
Three creative young musicians in New York Tsahar, Mat Maneri and Black in a trio of warmly orchestrated free improv with witty restraint in extended conversation.
Tsahar, Assif
ayn le-any
(Hopscotch Records)
A freestyling solo album from NY/Israeli saxophonist Assif Tsahar, performing on tenor sax and bass clarinet in an exciting three-part improvisation of avant forms of technical dexterity and extended range through emphatic and sustained expression of long lines and cycling figures that shift and transform; a great example of Tsahar's skill and imagination.
Other Recommended Releases:
Cooper-Moore & Stephen Gauci
Conversations Vol. 2
(577 Records)
The second of two volumes from legendary Downtown NY pianist Cooper-Moore and saxophonist Stephen Gauci, recorded after a seven-month residency at Happylucky No. 1 Gallery in Brooklyn, allowing the two players to develop a natural dialog of unique and idiosyncratic approaches to their instruments, resulting in these seven solid recordings freely improvised in the studio.
Cooper-Moore / Stephen Gauci
Conversations Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)
The first of two volumes from legendary Downtown NY pianist Cooper-Moore and saxophonist Stephen Gauci, recorded after a seven-month residency at Happylucky No. 1 Gallery in Brooklyn, allowing the two players to develop a natural dialog of unique and idiosyncratic approaches to their instruments, resulting in these 6 commanding recordings freely improvised in the studio.
Kabako, Solo Dja
Solo
(Hopscotch Records)
Blind guitarist and singer Solo Dja Kabako is an important figure in Burkina Faso in West Africa, whose talent took him from begging on the streets as a kid to being a treasured artist in his country, here in an album recorded in his home in Ougadougou by saxophonist Assif Tsahar after a festival where they met; a record of warm, sincere music and song.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Great Sakata Quintet (Sakata / Schwedt / Eckhardt / Borghini / Lillinger)
Tornado
(Euphorium)
After three Luten and two Brotzmann quintets, pianist Oliver Schwerdt, drummer Christian Lillinger and two double bassists--John Eckhardt and Antonio Borghini--invite Japanese multi-reedist and vocal improviser Akira Sakata to join them in concert at naTo, in Leipzig for a wild concert, releasing a monumental improvisation in a full length CD and a 2nd set on 3" CD.
Guy, Barry Blue Shroud Band
All This This Here
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
The title and text drawn from Samuel Beckett's last poem and meditation on language, "what is the word" and also his "Brief Dream", plus a poem from Barra O Seaghdha and two 18th century Edo Haikus, Barry Guy's exquisite work about life in transit through eight movements is performed with a stellar ensemble including Agusti Fernandez, Maya Homburg, Lucas Niggli, Percuy Pursgolve, &c.
EUPHORIUM_freakestra (feat Wadada Leo Smith / Barre Phillips)
Free Acoustic Supergroup (Chicago New York Berlin, Dresden Luzern Leipzig) [2 CDs]
(Euphorium)
The incredibly creative EUPHORIUM_freakestra as a mid-size ensemble performing at naTo in Leipzig, Germany are joined by legendary free jazz players, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Barre Phillip on double bass, extending the incredible assemblage of players including Oliver Schwerdt, Axel Dorner, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Urs Leimgruber, Christian Lillinger, Gunter Baby Sommer & Michael Haves.
Kimura, Izumi / Artur Majewski / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez
Kind Of Shadow
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Complementing their 2022 release Kind Of Light, recorded the same day at Agnieszka Osiecka Polish Radio Concert Hall in Warsaw in 2021 after their performance at the Ad Libitum Festival, the quartet of Izumi Kimura on piano, Artur Majewski on trumpet & electronics, Barry Guy on bass and Ramon Lopez on drums & percussion release this magnificent 11-part improvisation.
Armaroli, Sergio (Armaroli / Minton / Schiaffini / Turner)
I Dream I Was An Earopean
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Two percussionists--vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli and drummer/percussionist Roger Turner-- and two brass players--trombonist Giancarlo Schiaffini and trumpeter Phil Minton, who doubles on voice improvisation--are heard in these studio recordings from Udine, Italy for nine "Dreams" that turn introspective slumber into restless visions through profoundly paced playing.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC