Avant-Garde, "New Music", Now Playing>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Very different from what one might expect from a Corsano outing. Michael Flower is brilliant.

 

Livio Minafra -- La Dolcezza Del Grido (Pino's son reminds me of Sergey Kuryokhin, love 'em both.)

 

Got my Corbett vs. Dempsey order in today with 3 great albums. This one is outstanding. Mats Gustafsson wrote the very enthusiastic, informative liners of this album. Free jazz that sounds like it was recorded this year, but incredibly in 1964!

 

Another new one from Corbett vs. Dempsey. Another no brainer also. Disc one made up tracks from the 54 disc ICP box and a Dutch promo box from '69, both unlikely to ever sit on my shelves, and disc 2 previously unreleased. And of course the music is as great as one would expect. If anything, some of it is tamer then I thought it would be, not to suggest it's lame. Beautiful packaging which is kind of standard with C v. D.

 

Sergey = Russian Zappa

 

Alex Zethson Ensemble - Some of Them Were Never Unprepared
2021, Relative Pitch Records

Torbjörn Zetterberg, bass
Elsa Bergman, bass
Leo Svensson, cello
My Hellgren, cello
Anna Lindal, violin & contact mic
Josefin Runsteen, violin
Giannis Arapis, guitar
Anton Toorell, guitar
Kasper Agnas, guitar
Andreas Hiroui Larsson, drums and gongs
Niclas Lindström, shaker
Karin Ingves, piano (right)
Alex Zethson, piano (left)


This record is right up my alley, 33 minutes of perfection and I can't stop listening to it the last few days. It reminds me of The Necks, very repetitive and hypnotic. Although there are a ton of musicians involved, the music is never too busy. There is a great atmosphere with sounds coming from all over the place. The first track sets the stage, then picks up nicely in the last few minutes, but the second track is serious business... 4 minutes in, an serious beat picks up that never relents, and they just keep adding layers to it until the very end. Amazing.

 

Last of the most recent batch of Corbett vs. Dempsey releases, this '96 recording of Cecil Taylor in Berlin, featuring the immense Sunny Murray on drums. A great, if typical, late period Cecil performance. If you love him(who doesn't), then you'll love this.

 

Slow Arrow
by Giannis Arapis, Vilhelm Bromander, Vangelis Dimos
2021, Ramble Records

Giannis Arapis: electric guitar
Vilhelm Bromander: double bass
Vangelis Dimos: drums

I've only listened to a few records from this label, but what I've heard so far has been excellent. This is a really nice 25 minute session with Arapis leading the way. His guitar sounds fantastic, pretty clean and easy to follow.

 

Sometimes There Were Four
by Abrams/Damon/Graham/Mendoza
2020, self-released

Joshua Abrams - Bass
Tyler Damon - Percussion
Forbes Graham - Trumpet
Ava Mendoza - Electric Guitar

Recorded in 2019 during the Elastic Arts Exposure Series in Chicago. Some photos on the website look like they might be from these sessions. It's a great lineup, but Mendoza steals the show... She is phenomenal.

 

GoGo Penguin.

 

An oldie but goodie

 

Blanket Swimming "Leaves Painted In A Dark Blue"

 

Big fan of everyone in this group, so quite upset that I missed the earlier cd releases by this great ensemble, but at least I got this. Very ECM'ish, and I mean that in the best way possible. The Bandcamp description is spot on. For those who don't mind DL's and a little mellowness in their avant stylings, this one fits the bill.

Natsukashii (懐かしい), by Fuubutsushi

 

New Threadgill!!

 

Have been enjoying collecting and listening to a lot of the releases from Tripticks Tapes, a small label out of Western Massachusetts that is currently releasing some of the most interesting experimental sounds on very limited cassette release and DL that I've heard in some time. This particular one has really perked my ears. Reminiscent of things I used to hear on the Bead label with horns and bass squeaking, squawking and rumbling from all areas of the room. Perfect morning coffee sounds! Anyway, take a look at the link and then explore the label and I bet some of you will find something worth exploring. Or not.

Now if they would just expand enough to do some vinyl, and maybe make a tshirt for their most ardent supporters...

Thip, by Fraser / McCowen / Weinberg

 

And another one. I'll let you read the blurb, but it's fantastic.

KM28, by The Pitch

 

@sberger I'm with you on Tripticks Tapes. I have the Shiroishi, Ava Mendoza, Brandon Lopez and Luke Stewart titles so far and all of them are excellent. The new one with Forbes Graham was a little over the top for me on first listen, but I do like that one by The Pitch and might pick that up. Definitely a nice label!!

 

Tim Buckley...Lorca (1970)

Named for the avant-garde poet Federico Garcia Lorca, the album begins with the loose 5/4 time of its title track. Lee Underwood’s ominous horror-soundtrack keyboards introduce a dramatic, rhythmless groove that’s gently pushed forward by a spectral pulse, initiated by Buckley’s acoustic plucks and a sliding, warm standup bass. The lacy spider web of a song trembles, moving through the listener as opposed to remaining accessible to the listener. Buckley’s voice is the central instrument, his mastery of tone drawing out the emotive quality of the title track. His ghostly vibrato and provocative moans paint a lush narrative, imbuing the lyrics with rich vibrant colors.

On Second Thought: Tim Buckley - Lorca (1970) - Something Else!

 

Claude Debussy
Preludes, Book 2

The second set of Preludes' for piano features Debussy at his most avant-garde; dissonant harmonies evoke moods and images. In the mysterious Canope — the title refers to a burial urn which stood on Debussy's working desk—he resurrects distant past so eloquently that pianist Claudio Arrau called the piece one of Debussy's greatest preludes: "It's miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth."[9] -wiki

 

I saw two of the above mentioned - John Butcher and Phil Durrant - last night at Cafe Oto which was a launch gig for three albums (Limulus, Distinctions & Discernment) by Dominic Lash which can be found here.

First half was a quartet - Jon Butcher, Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, Steve Noble - usual high quality improv that you'd expect from such stellar players.

Second half was the Consorts who made one of the albums - Distinction - minus a few who couldn't be there. But this was the lineup:

Douglas Benford - harmonium and percussion
Steve Beresford - electronics
Marjolaine Charbin - piano
Chris Cundy - bass clarinet
Seth Cooke - steel sink and metal detector
Angharad Davies - viola
Phil Durrant - modular synth
Matthew Grigg - guitar/amplifier
Bruno Guastalla - cello
Martin Hackett - Korg MS10
Tim Hill - baritone saxophone
Tina Hitchens - flute
Sarah Hughes - zither
Mark Langford - bass clarinet
Dominic Lash - double bass
Yvonna Magda - violin
Hannah Marshall - cello
Helen Papaioannou - baritone saxophone
Yoni Silver - bass clarinet
Alex Ward - clarinet/amplifier

40 minutes of electro-acoustic. Superb.

 

Whoa that's a huge lineup! Awesome.

 

Phicus - Liquid
2021, Tripticks Tapes

Ferran Fages -. electric guitar
Àlex Reviriego - double bass
Vasco Trilla - drums

Ferran Fages is the guitarist in Tàlveg, the trio I came across last week. I didn't realize he was also in Phicus. I'd heard their previous album Solid, released on Astral Spirits awhile back. This one has a slow moving, kind of creepy vibe to it. Still lots of noise for three musicians, with sounds coming from all over the place... Excellent.