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Peter Evans Being & Becoming (Evans / Ross / Jozwiak / Ode):
Ars Memoria (More Is More)

The second album from New York trumpeter Peter Evan's band Being and Becoming stretches out his concepts in five extended works that dovetails superb contemporary jazz integrating extended techniques and solid vibraphone work with beautifully rich and explorative passages, masterfully performed with Joel Ross (vibes), Nick Jozwiak (bass) and Michael Shekwoaga (drums). ... Click to View


Peter Evans Being & Becoming (Evans / Ross / Jozwiak / Ode):
Ars Memoria [VINYL 180gm] (More Is More)

The second album from New York trumpeter Peter Evan's band Being and Becoming stretches out his concepts in five extended works that dovetails superb contemporary jazz integrating extended techniques and solid vibraphone work with beautifully rich and explorative passages, masterfully performed with Joel Ross (vibes), Nick Jozwiak (bass) and Michael Shekwoaga (drums). ... Click to View


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Recording with the legendary rhythm section of bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and stritch & saxello player Chad Fowler perfectly complement each other as they play off and complete each other's lines and phrases under the support of astute foundational support, an exemplary album of collective, cross-generational free improvisation. ... Click to View


Gregorio / Smith / Bryerton:
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Andre Duchesne:
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Bill Harris:
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Dante Boon (Beuger / Boon / Elina / Holtkamp / Schuppe / Van der Ster):
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A collection of works from pianist & composer Dante Boon in diverse duos and virtual duo compositions that reflect on John Cages's "inner clock" concept from "Two2", each of Boon's compositions directing the players through systems of notation and counting unique to each player, varying the rules of how the two players eventually synchronize their performances. ... Click to View


Joane Hetu / Ensemble SuperMusique:
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A fascinating work dedicated to improvising cellist Remy Belanger de Beauport written by Montreal composer Joane Hétu and performed by the large Ensemble SuperMusique with Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Scott Thomson, dian Labrosse, Danielle Palardy Roger, Pierre Tanguay, &c. commissioned and perofrmed for the Ensemble's 40th anniversary and expanded for this studio edition. ... Click to View


Joelle Leandre / Pascal Contet:
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A collaboration that goes back 30 years, French improvising bassist Joëlle Léandre and avant accordionist Pascal Contet in their fifth album together, turning from their more typically extended conversations to a series of 10 "Miniatures", shorter and diverse dialogs recorded live in 2022 at the beautiful Arsenal Concert Hall in Metz, France. ... Click to View


Chad Fowler / Shanyse Strickland / Sana Nagano / Melanie Dyer / Ken Filiano / Anders Griffen:
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Highlighting the parallel to changes in birdsong in urban areas because of anthropogenic ambient noise, this diverse ensemble demonstrates the evolution of improv approaches through unique origins and backgrounds; with Chad Fowler (stritch, flute), Shanyse Strickland (French Horn), Sana Nagano (violin), Melanie Dyer (viola), Ken Filiano (bass) and Anders Griffen (drums). ... Click to View


Hal Russell NRG Ensemble:
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This 1996 recording of the Hal Russell NRG Ensemble of Mars Williams (reeds), Brian Sandstrom (bass, guitars, trumpets), Kent Kessler (bass, trombone) and Steve Hunt (drums & percussion) was recorded five week before Russell's passing, a wild parting gift of twenty succinct improvisations covering an incredible amount of territory with power, humor and amazing musical skill. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Dirk Serries / Joao Madeira / Jose Oliveira :
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crackle box, João Madeira on double bass and Jose Oliveira on percussion, extended to a quartet with Netherland's New Wave of Jazz/Vidna Obmama archtop guitarist Dirk Serries, presenting the 9-part "Dripping" series of free chamber-oriented lowercase improvisation. ... Click to View


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Niels Lokkegaard Lyhne / Quatuor Bozzini:
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Copenhagen composer Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard's long form work refers to units of compositional structure and in systems of instruments, each a "bubble" that interacts and collides creating fluctuations, ruptures and tension release in an hypnotic sonic tapestry, performed by Montreal's Quatuor Bozzini on violins, viola, cellos and harmonica; mesmerizing. ... Click to View


Merzbow:
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Charles Mingus:
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Three sides of Charles Mingus in this remastered reissue set: the 1961 Candid album Mingus Presents Mingus with the classic quartet of Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson and Dannie Richmond; then the Mercury release Pre-Bird from the same year, in ensembles performing the music of or influenced by Duke Ellington, along with the ambitious and brilliant through-composed work, "Half Mast Inhibition". ... Click to View


Franz Koglmann:
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Presented in two versions--a stereo mix and a binaural mix for headphones--flugelhorn improviser and composer Franz Koglmann leads his septet of exceptional players through 10 original Koglmann compositions, sophisticated works that show influences from Ellington to Franz Joseph Haydn or Johann Strauss, in pieces influenced by or tipping the hat to modern artists, musicians and writers. ... Click to View


Nikolaus Gerszewski :
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Giusto Chamber Orchestra performs three works for twelve strings by German composer and visual artist Nikolaus Gerszewski, whose music of shifting pitches, vibrations and volumes--compared with experimental sound & noise work--is influenced by composers Radulescu and Dumitrescu's spectral music, James Tenney's "swell form" and Cornelius Cardew's graphic scores. ... Click to View


Void Patrol (Sharp / Stetson / Martin / MacDonald):
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A wild and adventurous concert and one of the highlights of the 39th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville from the electric improvising quartet of Elliott Sharp on electric guitar & electronics, Colin Stetson on bass, alto & tenor saxophones, Billy Martin on drums & percussion and Payton Macdonald on marimba, vibraphone & African xylophone. ... Click to View


Federico Ughi (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez):
Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 (577 Records)

The first album under 577 label leader and drummer Federico Ughi's name in five years brings together the incredible bass skills of Brandon Lopez and expansive Argentinean keyboard sonics of Leo Genovese, the first of two planned volumes recorded in the studio for a boundary-less album of acoustic and electric improv influenced by the music and philosophy of Sun Ra. ... Click to View


Federico Ughi (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez):
Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The first album under 577 label leader and drummer Federico Ughi's name in five years brings together the incredible bass skills of Brandon Lopez and expansive Argentinean keyboard sonics of Leo Genovese, the first of two planned volumes recorded in the studio for a boundary-less album of acoustic and electric improv influenced by the music and philosophy of Sun Ra. ... Click to View


Sven-Ake Johansson / Alexander Von Schlippenbach:
uber Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel [VINYL 2 LPs & PAL DVD] (Trost Records)

Documenting the 1994 avant music drama composed by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and accordionist Sven-Ake Johansson, uber Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel (on the cause and effect of the disagreements over the building of the Tower of Babel) through a double LP, DVD, libretto and 16-page booklet in a solid box set. ... Click to View


Musicworks:
#147 Winter 2024 [MAGAZINE + CD] (Musicworks)

Winter 2024 issue of Canada's premiere new music magazine, with Saxophonist Andrew MacKelvie on the cover; plus features on Indonesia's Music Subculture; Sonny-Ray Day Ride; Solidaridad Tango; A History of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble; plus album reviews, essays and a CD of tracks from artists covered in the magazine. ... Click to View


Witches & Devils (Williams / Vandermark / Lonberg-Holm):
At the Empty Bottle (Knitting Factory Works)

Before his ecstatic Xmas series, An Ayler Xmas, Chicago saxophonist Mars Williams led the Witches & Devils quintet of Mars Williams on reeds, Ken Vandermark on reeds, Jim Baker on keyboards, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and Kent Kessler on bass, an incredible and passionate free jazz group paying tribute to the music of Albert Ayler, heard live at The Empty Bottle in 1997. ... Click to View


Simulacrum:
Mechatronics (Evil Clown)

This ensemble features 3 core Evil Clown members--David Peck on reeds, winds, percussion & electronics; Eric Woods on analog synth; and Bob Moores on space trumpet, guitar & electronics--with guests Michael Caglianone on reeds & percussion, Robin Amos on electric zither and keyboards; Faruq Hassan on samplers & keys; Albey OnBass on bass; and Michael Knoblach on military devices. ... Click to View


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love:
Chicken Shit Bingo (Trost Records)

Often performing together as a duo after their initial 2004 Chicago Tentet encounter, drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen and multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann typically released albums of live performances, this 2015 studio date in Antwerp unique in their catalog, an exemplary set of recordings, particularly with Brötzmann on a new contra-alto clarinet and Paal adding gongs to their improvisations. ... Click to View


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love:
Chicken Shit Bingo [VINYL] (Trost Records)

Often performing together as a duo after their initial 2004 Chicago Tentet encounter, drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen and multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann typically released albums of live performances, this 2015 studio date in Antwerp unique in their catalog, an exemplary set of recordings, particularly with Brötzmann on a new contra-alto clarinet and Paal adding gongs to their improvisations. ... Click to View


Jean Derome:
La Chaleur De La Pensee (Ambiances Magnetiques)

Concepts of community, dialog, sharing and transmission, or "recontre", are the linking ideas between these four works commissioned of Montreal composer and wind player Jean Derome, developed for four Quebec ensembles, these pieces combine contemporary and improvisational forms, the scores shaped by constraints from the combinatorial mathematics of Marin Mersenne. ... Click to View


Giuseppe Doronzo / Andy Moor / Frank Rosaly:
Futuro Ancestrale (Clean Feed)

Having worked together in other collaborations, this was the first meeting as a trio by Giuseppe Doronzo on baritone sax & Iranian bagpipe, Andy Moor on electric guitar and Frank Rosaly on drums, performing live at BIMHUIS in Amsterdam for a contemplatively charged set of unorthodox instrumental approaches using contemporary improv attitudes through structured and collective playing. ... Click to View


Norbert Pfammatter / Florestan Berset / Francesco Losavio:
A Vol D'Oiseau (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

The Swiss guitar trio of Florestan Berset on electric guitar with Norbert Pfammatter on drums and Francesco Losavio on double bass perform a mix of lyrical compositions from Berset, along with lyrically inclined collective improvisation from the group, each player bringing unique approaches to their instruments in a highly compatible set of conversations. ... Click to View



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  Nate Wooley 
  Mutual Aid Music  
  (Pleasure of the Text) 


  
   review by Marc Medwin
  2021-09-07
Nate Wooley: Mutual Aid Music (Pleasure of the Text)

The memory is crystal clear, even after several years. A trill, a smear, various fluctuations, another trill, and then, silence. The solo opening trumpeter, composer and philosopher Nate Wooley's first Battle Pieces album pulls no punches as it plunges past dualistic conventionalities, even those involving the supposed limitations of his own instrument. I conjure this astonishing inaugural moment to introduce Mutual Aid Music partially because that transcendent playing remains, but also because it's an extension, refinement and eschewing of that quartet strategy. Attempting any verbal elucidation is really unnecessary, as Wooley already does so in this double disc's accompanying booklet.

Anyone familiar with the battle pieces will have some idea of what to expect: transparency, history-skewing counterpoint, timbral intrigue, pitches between the pitches, and, obviously, the stunning contributions of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and vibraphonist Matt Moran. In the Anthony Braxton tradition, they've become an ensemble representative of this facet of Wooley's concept, and they reprise that role here augmented by violinist Joshua Modney, cellist Mariel Roberts, pianist Cory Smythe and percussionist Russell Greenberg.

Data collecting aside, and as Wooley explains, this is music of communal interaction. negotiating conditions of ego and selflessness in the moment, each ensemble member then judges what is necessary to better the musical experience as a whole. Evoking boundaries he wishes elsewhere to blur, he calls the eight pieces concertos, even providing a transcription to illustrate the solutions brought to the table by these genre-busting musicians, but all that's needed is to listen to the first piece, to revel in its inexorable bloom, to dig the tempo-defying motion as obvious chord and melody are replaced by an environment in which point and line intersect, like the diverse histories each sound evokes. Notions of solo and group are similarly and simultaneously employed and dispelled, as with the stark, almost ritualistic opening of the fifth piece. The synergies are often achingly beautiful. Obviously working with composed material, the sixth concerto opens with piano, strings and vibes skating across an icy aggregate of rhythmic configurations but just as soon forsaking it for related pointillism and then for a pool redolent of tremoloed drone.

The dialectical process of turning, returning and beginning again may be the only constant here. As Wooley slides in and out of era-evoking vibrato and diverse articulation, engaging in the inter-registral thrust and parry bespeaking epic and allusion, the other musicians follow suit, as on the final concerto, where Laubrock jabs and jibes in sympathy. Listen to Roberts and Modney doing their chamber music impressions to the two pianist in microtonal interaction, or to the delicacy of vibraphonal interplay, to hear what symbiotic interaction achieves. Over and over again, despite changes in intensity, sympathy and empathy in communication are the overriding themes on which endless variations are constructed. The battle isn't won, because the structures in play ensure that it isn't actually fought; the music's beauty and serenity speaks to the conclusions inherent in each step along the journey.



Nate Wooley: Mutual Aid Music
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Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Federico Ughi (
w /
Leo Genovese /
Brandon Lopez):
Infinite Cosmos
Calling You You You,
Vol. 1
(577 Records)



Sven-Ake Johansson /
Alexander Von Schlippenbach:
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und Wirkung der
Meinungsverschiedenheiten
beim Turmbau zu Babel
[VINYL 2 LPs & PAL DVD]
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Pre Bird,
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Ltd)



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Melancholy
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