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

Steve Lacy The Forest and the Zoo

Pretty good, I liked the Zoo better than the Forest

 

Peter Brotzmann For Adolphe Sax

First time I think I ever listened to this. It's pretty hardcore; I was digging it but got bored hy the end. Part of the problem I think is it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. But we'll see on future listens.

 

It *might* have been recorded in a tin can. Focus on Kowald when he uses the bow. Remember recorded in June 1967.

 

Wow. I've owned this for the longest time. I took so long to play it, Volume 2 was out. So I waited until Volume 2 arrived so I could have a full experience.

Both discs are awesome. The bass will shake your house. Not that it's crazy, wold stuff, it's got some ambient elements, loose melodies, and plenty of improv. All guitars, of course, but the bass and drums are great here. Love Sonar, but these two discs are fantastic.

 

MANAS Live at Rhizome feat. Wes McCoy
by MANAS
2018

MANAS trio featuring Wes McCoy live at Rhizome (DC) June 8th, 2018
Tashi Dorji - Guitar
Wes McCoy - Drums
Thom Nguyen - Drums

 

Chicago/London Underground A Night Walking Through Mirrors

This has some amazing stuff, although it's a lot of music and I didn't absorb it all I don't think, needs another listen soon

 

Absolutely lovely album of music played under water. It's a bit like listening to a William Basinski album, but with a deeper palette. It's never overwhelming, and also would work as a wonderful coda to Gavin Bryars Sinking of the Titanic.

Interestingly, Sub Rosa has picked up some of this Underwater Music and is reissuing it. It's not entirely clear to me which pieces they're using, but the first (I assume they will do at least one other covering the tracks here) is framed as being from the 1979 to 1987. I don't know if they have changed track titles, or whether the Sub Rosa is a first release of that material.

Either way, it's beautiful music.

 

I was there when that was recorded as well...at some point I might have a look to see how many albums were recorded there when I was present!

 

various - An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music / Seventh and Last A-Chronology 1930-2012 (Sub Rosa 3CD, 2013)

The hardest volume to find, but I finally did, through the SHF For Sale forum.

 

Manas - Live at Nash Hall
2020

Thom Nguyen- Drums
Tashi Dorji- Guitar

This duo is seriously unbelievable.

 

Henry Flynt – Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Volume 1

 

Focus and Field, by Adam Rudolph

 

Zubi Zuva -- Jehovah (Tzadik)

 

First Kuzu, then Mako Sica, and now this...

The End - Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen (2018) / Allt Är Intet (2020)

Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen, by The End (Sofia Jernberg, Mats Gustafsson, Kjetil Møster, Anders Hana, Greg Saunier)
Allt Är Intet, by The End (Sofia Jernberg, Mats Gustafsson, Kjetil Møster, Anders Hana, Børge Fjordheim)

Ecstatic music for the end of days...

 

I love a Far East shamanic vibe here. Excellent!

 

Nothing beats it!

 

Mazzoll & Arthymic Perfection A

"Yass" i.e., Polish avant-garde jazz or jazz-adjacent music from the 90s....a lot of repetitive riffs, in that regard a bit reminiscent of The Thing and Natural Information Society (although it precedes those things, of course). Probably a little rock influence, and reputedly Polish folk music too.

Some of it is really great. The album is a little long, and not everything is as great as everything else, but it's all pretty good.

 

The title track of Allt ar Intet is the greatest thing ever

 

Gerry Hemingway Quartet Devil's Paradise

This is so great I can't even say how great it is, every track is fantastic

 

Gerry Hemingway Quartet Johnny's Corner Song

I love the hell out of everything I've heard thus far from Gerry Hemingway so, if I keep wanting to call him "Gerry Mulligan," it's nothing personal

Anthony Braxton Five Pieces

I don't know--the first three bored me but then I loved the last two. Maybe I probably need to listen to it some more and get wise to what's happening then.

 

Go directly to Willisau 1991 (4 CD set) & Santa Cruz 1993 (2 CD set) with the classic quartet / Braxton with Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser & Hemingway. Both on hat ART.

and for the 70’s - Dortmund Quartet 1976 with George Lewis, Dave Holland & Barry Altschul is the ultimate “jazz” based Anthony Braxton recording. Never has the trombone been played more fluidly by any human than it s here. George Lewis is beyond ridiculous at this concert. Also on hat ART.

 

Mark Helias' Open Loose New School

Really good stuff with Malaby and Rainey trio

 

Another great live band. From ~2009 thru maybe 2014 or so they played Cornelia Street quite often. I probably saw them 4-5 times. A couple of those shows featured Tony blowing the roof off the place. Sometimes it took until 20 minutes left in the second set but these guys take their time. Sometimes the peaks were more subtle. Helias is a great bassist and a good writer.

 

Yeah I love "Gentle Ben" (by Helias) which Hemingway's outfit does on Devil's Playground, which made me think to listen to the Open Loose album (which is a live album)