The Squid's Ear Magazine


Futterman, Joel / Ike Levin Duo: The Present Gift (IML Music)

A meeting in the studio in 2001 between frequent collaborators, pianist Joel Futterman, also performing on curved soprano saxophone & wooden Indian flute, and Chicago tenor saxophonist Ike Levin, also on bass clarinet and Brazilian Kalimba, beautifully capturing the extraordinary conversation of strongly articulated dialog between the two improvisers; impressive!
 

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Personnel:



Joel Futterman-piano, curved soprano saxophone, wooden Indian flute

Ike Levin-tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, Brazilian Kalimba


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UPC: 801821900421

Label: IML Music
Catalog ID: IML 26-003
Squidco Product Code: 29598

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2001
Country: USA
Packaging: Jewel Case
Recorded at Bay Records Recordings Studios, in Berkeley, California, in August, 2001, by Mike Cogan.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"This release represents a follow up to the artists' 2000 trio effort featuring bassist, Randall Hunt. With this outing we find saxophonist, Ike Levin, and pianist/saxophonist, Joel Futterman enjoying a discernible comfort zone via their often-emotive call and response type exchanges and adventurous fabrications. Moreover, this production sports extraordinary sonic characteristics, where every subtlety and nuance shines through in crystalline splendor.

Known as a versatile avant-garde jazz pianist, whose Cecil Taylor influences cannot be underestimated, Joel Futterman also performs on the curved soprano saxophone, while utilizing a wooden Indian flute on, "Arrival." Futterman's multitasking abilities surface on more than one occasion. At times, he toggles between piano and curved saxophone as the instrumentalists frequently take turns commandeering the various storylines.

They taper the proceedings down in spots, while Levin's muscular attack and breezy lines complements Futterman's circuitous developments. On "The Gift," Futterman lays down a lower register ostinato groove amid Levin's darting choruses and animated inflections. Here, lucid imagery abounds as the twosome subsidizes all of the excitement via a series of spontaneously rendered micro-themes. Recommended."-Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Joel Futterman, Piano and Indian Flute

Determined to push the limits of the piano to techniques never heard in jazz, Joel began a 25-year regimen of practicing 8-10 hours a day. During this period, he developed a three-hand technique based on completely autonomous playing between the hands. With more than 70 recordings, he is considered one of the most innovative yet enigmatic new music pianists.

Known for his spirited, highly imaginative, and innovative piano technique, Joel Futterman is an internationally recognized veteran pioneer into the frontiers of spontaneous, improvised music. He is considered one of the foremost inventive and adventurous artists shaping the creative, progressive music scene today. Futterman continuously pushes the limits of the piano as he explores new musical horizons. He has performed across North America and Europe including at such noted music festivals as the Tampere Jazz Festival in Finland, the Vision Festival in New York, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Guelph Festival in Canada. He has performed with such notable jazz innovators as Jimmy Lyons, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Paul Murphy, Joseph Jarman, Richard Davis, William Parker, Alvin Fielder, and Hal Russell; as well as Edward 'Kidd' Jordan, with whom he has had a highly productive association. For many years, Futterman has also played the Indian Wooden Flute.

Joel Futterman was born in Chicago, IL. He grew up and lived in Chicago until 1972. Joel had piano lessons from about age 9-11, then continued playing on his own, eventually studying theory and harmony with Alan Swain. Joel met Clarence (Gene) Shaw when he was 18 and studied with Clarence for two years. Clarence was an important influence at the time. One night Clarence invited Joel to his home for a party. He introduced Joel to Charles Mingus. Joel recalls that Mingus gripped his hand firmly and stared up at the ceiling.

Joel attended University of Illinois in Chicago obtaining a (B.S.). Herman Finer, professor of political science, was a profound influence and encouraged Joel to pursue his creative endeavors.

While Joel was in college, his mother passed away and he isolated himself and began practicing 12 to 16 hours a day. Practicing was the only comfort for him at this time.

Joel attended Northeastern University in Chicago and worked on an MS in Education. He was nine hours short of receiving the degree when he decided to leave Chicago. Joel did receive an MS in Education with an endorsement in Reading at Old Dominion University in 1975.

In 1972, Joel moved to Virginia, where he resides today, in a personal quest to develop his creative voice. His first album, CAFETERIA, was released in 1980 to considerable acclaim due to its originality. Since then, his recordings have included a number of jazz legends, such as Jimmy Lyons, Richard Davis, Hal Russell, William Parker and others. In 1994, photographer Michael Wilderman introduced Joel to Edward 'Kidd' Jordan, and since then Joel has enjoyed many rewarding musical collaborations with Kidd and drummer Alvin Fielder. Also, Joel Futterman has had a deep association with artist Ike Levin, founder of the Charles Lester Label."

-Joel Futterman Website (www.joelfutterman.com/about.htm)
3/13/2024

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

"Ike Levin has been playing reed instruments professionally for over 28 years. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Ike was an active performer in the windy city's vibrant jazz, blues, and new music scene before relocating to the San Francisco Bay area. He studied music composition at the Roosevelt University Conservatory of Music and in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While a student, Ike performed as a regular member of the University of Illinois Jazz Orchestra and played with the Jazz Members Big Band comprised of many of the Chicago area's top jazz musicians who used the Band as a forum for original arrangements and experimental compositions. Ike studied privately with legendary jazz saxophone master Joe Daley who helped him develop his technique and establish his neo-bop foundations.

Ike also studied with Fred Anderson, one of the co-founders of the Chicago based avant-garde jazz organization Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). Under the tutelage of Fred Anderson Ike began to explore new musical frontiers for his improvisational work unencumbered by harmonic structures and strict time meter. As he tells it, "At first, I thought Fred was going to get me into abstract concepts of the music, but initially we used to play Charlie Parker heads over and over again together. He was getting me into Bird's amazing concept of phrasing which is the foundation of all improvisational work." However, his real development as a jazz musician came from listening and occasionally sitting in with the many great jazz artists who came through Chicago's jazz clubs during the 70's and early 80's. Whether its "straight ahead" or freer forms of jazz, Ike is never content to rely on clichés or simply replicate past musical phrases. Instead, he is always searching for new musical ideas and sounds all the while focusing on keeping the music swinging.

Ike's orientation to his instruments and approach to jazz improvisation has had a multitude of influences. Some of his major influences include the saxophonists John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Lyons, Sonny Rollins, and Dexter Gordon, as well as Albert Ayler. The music of Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus have also influenced his approach and concept of improvisation. Additionally, Ike identifies such 20th century composers as Bartok, Perdercki, and Boulez as influencing the way he conceives of musical composition and tonality.

In addition to Chicago and San Francisco, Ike has performed in cities across the US and Canada including Portland, Cleveland, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Toronto. For the past 7 years, Ike has had a very productive association with pianist Joel Futterman with whom he performs and records regularly. He has also performed with such internationally acclaimed musicians as Ira Sullivan, Robert Barry, Wilbur Campbell, Reggie Nicholson, Alvin Fielder, Ed Petersen, and Bay Area jazz stalwarts Oluyemi Thomas, Randall Hunt, Smiley Winters, Walter Savage, and Kash Killion. Ike has also led his own quartets and small ensembles comprised of veteran jazz talents."

-All About Jazz (https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/ikelevin)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Night Owl 9:24

2. Respite 1:03

3. Horizon 0:55

4. Arrival 6:22

5. Pathway 3:52

6. Eternal 2:32

7. The Present 3:33

8. The Gift 10:00

9. Observation 1:53

10. Remembering 3:37

11. Dream 1:24

12. Tasty 3:31

13. Coolin' In 7:28

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Piano & Keyboards
Woodwinds
Duo Recordings
West Coast/Pacific US Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv

Search for other titles on the label:
IML Music.


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