The Squid's Ear
Writing about unusual and experimental music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales

Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Jacques Coursil with Alan Silva 
  FreeJazzArt: Sessions for Bill Dixon
  (RogueArt) 


  
   review by Brian Olewnick
  2015-01-28
Jacques Coursil with Alan Silva: FreeJazzArt: Sessions for Bill Dixon (RogueArt)

The skeptic in me, upon seeing this release, said, "Wow, that would have been a potentially fantastic recording had it been done in 1969 or '70." Well, this one is from 2011 and I'm happy to have been proven premature in my judgment.

Coursil, who always engenders fond memories for his classic release, Black Suite on BYG from back in the day, has assembled three more suites, each similarly fashioned in five brief movements, all of the music influenced by his late 60s associate, the trumpeter and composer Bill Dixon. There's a certain amount of self-similarity in the pieces, which can be read as virtually a series of fifteen miniatures, that might well put off listeners anticipating a free jazz frenzy but they'd be doing themselves a great disservice not committing to listen more deeply, to hear all the nuances in Coursil's playing, much as they'd have been forced to do with Dixon.

Accompanied by Silva (a veteran, of course, of ensembles led by the likes of Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and others and who, happily, has returned to the acoustic bass after some time eschewing same for electric keyboards), Coursil creates generally clear lines in space, referring obliquely to jazz and blues but more from the chamber-like remove that Dixon often favored, melodic but never settling into a tune. Silva is extremely sympathetic, plucking or bowing (the latter most often), both musicians engaging in considered conversation, never coming remotely close to any simple demonstration of chops but concerning themselves with music at a far deeper level: questioning, not accepting but probing without rage or sarcasm.

There's a wonderful absence of crowding, of the all-too-typical free jazz need to jam as much playing into a given time span as possible. Instead, there's the strong feeling that each musician comments as necessary (within, one presumes, a framework established by Coursil as a compositional guideline). It does maintain a similarity of sound and attack throughout but rather than thinking of it as redundant, the careful listener should be appreciating the pieces as fifteen small jewels. A lovely, thoughtful recording.



Jacques Coursil with Alan Silva: FreeJazzArt: Sessions for Bill Dixon
Is Sold at Squidco!
Squidco




Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Berlin Art Quartet (
Schubert /
Bauer /
Muller /
Bruggemann):
Live At MIM
(Unisono Records)



Jimmy Lyons:
Rivbea Live! Series,
Volume 3
(NoBusiness)



Erik Klinga:
Elusive Shimmer
(thanatosis produktion)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj /
Mike Majkowski /
Magda Mayas /
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion /
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Brass Clouds:
Escape Vessels
(Bathysphere Records)



Fire! Orchestra:
Echoes
[2 CDs]
(Rune Grammofon)



Sophie Agnel /
John Edwards /
Steve Noble:
Three On A Match
(Otoroku)



Satoko Fujii
This is It! (
w/
Natsuki Tamura /
Takashi Itani):
Message
(Libra)



Sorry For Laughing (
G. Whitlow /
M. Bates /
Dave-Id /
E. Ka-Spel):
Rain Flowers
[2 CDS]
(Klanggalerie)



New Origin (
feat. Christoph Rocher /
Joe Fonda /
Harvey Sorge):
The Poet Walks
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Simon Nabatov:
Agree to Disagree
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Von Schlippenbach, Alexander /
Barry Altschul Quartet w/
Joe Fonda &
Rudi Mahal:
Free Flow
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Thelonious Monk with
Sonny Rollins:
1953 To 1957
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Daniel Carter /
Ayumi Ishito /
George Draguns /
Ed Wilcox:
Makeshift Spirituals
(577 Records)



Kory Reeder:
Homestead
(Another Timbre)



John Cage:
Chamber Works 1943-1951
(Another Timbre)



Josh Sinton:
Couloir &
Book Of Practitioners
Vol. 2
Book "W"
[2 CDs]
(FiP recordings)



Elliott Sharp /
Scott Fields:
Reimsi Geara
(Relative Pitch)



KnCurrent (
Brennan /
Cooper-Moore /
Davis /
Hwang):
KnCurrent
(Deep Dish)



Biota:
Measured Not Found
(Recommended Records)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (37255)