Jazz Alchemist radio with saxophone

David S. Ware. photo from the official site.

The two recent radio playlists were focused on a special subject of chosing (musical humour and All Saints day). It's been a long while since the last 'regular' radio playlist (aired before the summer) and during that time a fair amount of 40 reviews has appeared on the blog. I'll try to gradually come back to at least some of those cds. 

Tomorrow, 8pm CET on www.radiofrycz.pl I'll wait for you with a selection of music in where saxophone leads the way (in a duo, trio or a quartet). Beside the material from reviewed cds there will be also a spot for two giants of the horn: David S. Ware (born 07.11.1949 - best happy birthday wishes from fans from all over the world) and Peter Brotzmann (playing tuesday - 08.11 - in Krakow with special Japanese trio).

I hope to catch on facebook chat during the program. The playlist will appear below as will the mixcloud player once the show will be uploaded.

1. Brian Settles Central Union - Zui Quan (from "Secret Handshake")
2. Peter Van Huffel Quartet - Enghavevej (from "Like The Rusted Key")
3. Rob Wagner, Hamid Drake, Nobu Ozaki - Childhood Memory (from "Trio")
4. Frank Gratkowski & Hamid Drake - Well It's Complicated (from "Frank Gratkowski & Hamid Drake")
5. David S. Ware - Ganesh Sound (Happy Brithday David!!! ; version from NoBusiness LP "Live in Vilnius")
6. Brian Settles Central Union - Secret Handshake (same as above)
7. Rob Wagner, Hamid Drake, Nobu Ozaki - Penumbria (same as above)
8. Peter Van Huffel Quartet - Tangent (same as above)
9. Peter Brotzmann & Peeter Uuskyla - Ain't Got Money (Peter Brotzmann playing tomorrow in Krakow)
10. Brian Settles Central Union - Gardenia (same as above)

Jazz Alchemist radio with saxophones. 07.11.2011 by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

Fank Gratkowski & Hamid Drake - S/T [VALID]

Frank Gratkowski - alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Hamid Drake - drums and percussion

Valid Records 2010

Sax(reeds)-drums duos are among my favourites, this format is a vehicle that allows the musicians the freedom to go any direction they want, while providing the means to play simply just the two elements that are primal to music - rhythm & melody.

Add to that premise the presence of Hamid Drake who brings light and life to the music anytime he plays and is one of the busiest drummers in the field - it's a true joy to see him live on stage whatever the group he's playing  with as he makes the drums set dance and sing and play. 

Free Jazz Alchemist Radio with Little, Scott and Frank

Tomorrow we will remember Scott LaFaro and Little Booker - two incredible musicians that died at a very young age. Also birthday of Frank Gratkowski.

radiofrycz.pl at 8pm CET. see you :)

1. Bill Evans Trio - Gloria's Step (take 2) (Scott LaFaro's birthday on 03.04)
2. Booker Little - We Speak (Booker's birthday on 02.04)
3. Frank Gratkowski Quartet - Annaherungen III (Frank's birthday on 30.03)
4. Max Roach - Freedom Day
5. Bill Evans Trio - Jade's Vision
6. Eric Dolphy - Fire Waltz
7. Frank Gratkowski Trio - Senga
8. Ornette Coleman - The Alchemy of Scott LaFaro
9. Frank Gratkowski Trio - Three Vegetables for Double Happiness
10. Bill Evans Trio - Some Other Time
11. Booker Little - Man of Words
12. Bill Evans Trio - My Romance (take 1)

Oirtrio (Frank Gratkowski, Sebastian Gramms, Tatsuya Nakatani) - Kanata [Not Two]

Kanata

Oirtrio:
Frank Gratkowski - alto saxophone, clarinets
Sebastian Gramms - double bass, bows
Tatsuya Nakatani - percussion, bowed gongs

Not Two 2010

(yet another review rewritten  for You in english, to justify the presence of the cd in subject on my 2010 favourites list (originally written in polish on magnetoffon.info). This was the first written text after a long pause so I think the english version is now much better then the original one. I promise that next review will be posted soon and will  a fresh one)

"Kanata" is a cd that offers a handfull of challenges/surprises. Firstly, of a philological nature. If I managed to guess it right (thanks to aunt wikipedia and uncle google) the name of the group comes from spanish 'oir' which "means "to listen" (and it's a big "If" since the graphics and the track titles point towards japanese, the title of the cd - "Kanata" means in japanese "far away" or "beyond"). You can have fun with trying to find the meaning of track titles, I was lucky only in some cases.

Than you have the instrumental line-up. It seems to be a typical, free jazz pianoless trio with sax (clarinet) - bass - drums. But it's deceiving - where else have You seen a similar description - Sebastian Gramms plays double bass and bows (quite unusal naming 'bow' an instrument) and Tatsuya Nakatani percussion and bowed gongs which is also more specific that your usual 'drums'.

And finally, the sounds You can hear. Music (as generic and of little precision a term it is) on this cd was recorded live, divided into 7 tracks but in fact there are only 2 improvisations, first one, around 35 mins, spanning tracks 1 to 5 and the second, tracks 6 and 7, about 10 and something mins. And by the begining of the second track You can put aside all those notions about music like melody, harmony, rhythm, phrase, note. While all those appear, none of them is what You expect it to be. You have to just listen ('oir') to the activity of the sounds and let Yourself go.

You will hear whispers, clicks, bangs, cries, singings of birds and stomps of little feet, all kind of sounds. Forget about what You know about music, even the one of free improv kind, this one manages to create a world that is unique and that have little to do with whatever music might have been played before or after. Impressive task on its own, but, while the sounds are going and coming from all directions, the sense of unity, of focus is immense and makes it not only a curiosity or musical experiment but a piece of real, if unreal, beauty.

This is a sonic adventure, music from other world, from the outside, from far beyond ("kanata" indeed). It's like listening to great poetry in the language You don't understand, where You can recognize some structures, phrases, sounds reappearing in order, rhymes and rhythms, but You still have no idea what does it say. The instruments loose their characteristics sound (it really is sometimes to tell which sound is coming from which player), everything goes into micro scale and You have to find a magnifying glass to see those microtonalities, microstructures, micromelodies.  No sense in analyzing the tracks or the playing (although it's hard no to think about what kind of metallic objects is Tatsuya moving on the drumhead, I don't think he's ever concerned really with something as trivial as playing rhythm on drums).

You will need a lot of focus, You will need to clear Your mind (the drones of bowed gongs help a lot). And You will be taken into another world. And while it won't be anything like the world You know, it is quite amazing.



ps1. Hard not to notice the amazing sound quality, You can hear each physical aspect of this metaphysical playing, objects moving on plastic, metal, wood or through the thin air, strings being plucked, keys tapped, fingers moving. Like a magnifying glass indeed.