New Jazz from Italy part 4: Hanuman - Soundhousing [Leo Records]

Hanuman Jazz Quartet:
Fabio Martini - Eb, Bb and alto clarinets
Marco Franceschetti - tenor and soprano saxophones
Stefano Solani - double bass
Danilo Sala - drums, objects


Leo Records 2014

Leo Records continues its dedication to the italian jazz, examples of which have appeared already on the blog on multiple occasions. Hanuman Jazz Quartet was founded in 2009, a piano-less quartet with a bit unusual clarinet - saxophone frontline which I believe is responsible for the sound faithful to the very core of |the Italian spirit - the love of melody.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 4 - Anastasia Masloboeva, Evgeny Masloboev and Alexey Kruglov

The final chapter and the cd that gave the title to our mini-cycle.

Russian Folksongs in the Key of New Jazz
Anastasia Masloboeva - voice, cymbalo

Evgeny Masloboev - percussion, drums, plastic bucket, metal washbasin, speaker
Alexey Kruglov - soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, baby saxohphone, prepared saxophones and clarinet, mouthpieces
Sergey Starostin - russian folk wind instruments
Renat Gautalin - piano, prepared piano, programmed synth
Arkady Shilkloper- french horn, alpine horn; Anton Kolosov - bass guitar; Vitaly Labutin - el. guitar

Leo Records 2012

"Russian Folskongs in the Key of New Jazz" was recorded when Anastasia and Evgeny came from Irkutsk to Moscow and met with Alexey Kruglov, a busy-bee of the Moscow's improvising scene. The three are joined by Sergey Starostin on folk wind instruments and Renat Gataulin on piano and synth (Arkady Schilkoper plays on three tracks and Vitaly Labutin and Anton Kolosov guest on one).  The music included on the cd is truly an amalgam of personal styles and musical genres.


There's something truly beautiful in the contrast between the pure crystal voice of Anastasia and Alexey's raw sax sound. "Kukushechka" is possibly my favourite song, and it opens the cd (after a short instrumental interlude) with Anastasia's voice surrounded by the frenetic sax, joyful flutes played by Starostin and lyrical piano ornaments by Gataulin. The cd will close with the similarly happy tones of "Gulbushka" (with a particularly soulful sax solo and proud tone by Arkady Shilkloper). The "Pacification" gives a chance to listen to Kruglov-Masloboeva duo alone and the two connect on every level as they entangle together the tone and timbre of human voice and saxophone.
"Over the River" is a bit whimsical battle of whistling, a reminder of how folk music is for Homo Ludens, while minimalistic "Nora" or "Lullabye" bring back the ethereal, metaphysical feeling from the Evgeny-Anastasia duo cds (the first one features as well majestic tone of Arkady Shilkloper's horn again). "Kvashnya" is the other favourite of mine, a mixed bag of sounds with tumultuos drums and bass-drum tone, rapid flute, rushed tune and possibly the most feverish sax solo of the cd (Kruglov's hot tone reminds often of Rahsaan Roland Kirk).

Half of the 14 pieces are composed by Evgeny Masloboev and they emphasize the "russian folksongs" aspect of the recording. The other half (and mostly instrumental) are group improvisations, given the changes in the line-up there's less consistency but the effects are worthwhile nonetheless. Especially the "Siberian Song" with circular sax line (inc, insisted cymbalo figure, some more agressive singing by Anastasia and dense, forward-pushing drumming by Evgeny. The cd ends with a spare, romantic piano tones. The pauses filled by the resonating sound of a metal gong.

"Russian Folksongs in teh Key of New Jazz" is a definitely happy and successful marriage of ethno, folk, free jazz and just a hint of electronica. Highly original sound, with love from Moscow courtesy of Leo Feign.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 3 - Goat's Notes - Fuzzy Wonder

Goat's Notes:
Grigory Sandomirsky - piano, melodica
Vladimir Kudryavtsev - bass
Maria Logovet - violin
Piotr Talalay - drums
Andrey Bessonov - clarinet
Ilya Vilkov - trombone



Leo Records 2013

Goat's Notes (name created when Grigory Sandomirky was filling his notebook "Goals & Notes") is quite a peculiar bunch. Grigory and Vladimir made a commitment to play music together after Anthony Braxton's Quartet performance in Moscow in 2008 (the concert, if you're interested, is released by Leo Records). And so the pianist and the bass player (also an architect and experimental theatre founder) joined their forces and soon found partners in crime - a classically educated violinist involved with both jazz and rock groups, a jazz drummer who flirts with electronica, a linguist-rock music historian-clarinetist and a big band trombone player. Let's meet Goat's Notes.

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 2 - Kruglov / Lapin / Sooaar / Yudanov - Military Space

Kruglov / Lapin / Sooaar / Yudanov - Military Space
Alexey Kruglov - alto and tenor saxes, bassethorn, block-flute, tenor sax with trombone mouthpiece, prepared saxes
Jaak Sooar - electric guitar, live electronics
Alexey Lapin - piano, prepared piano
Oleg Yudanov - drums, percussion

Leo Records 2013



The part 1 of this mini-cycle features "Impulse" recorded by Kruglov / Lapin / Yudanov, here the trio is augmented by the Jaak Sooar from Estonia on guitar (check "Karate" recorded with his trio and Kruglov for previous references).

Russian music in the key of New Jazz on Leo Records part 1

Leo Records' efforts in documenting improv scene in Russia continue and the results are as inspiring as ever. Russia's scene seems to be flourishing and I gathered below (and in the next post) my favourite examples of the trend. (You can also check previous posts about Alexey Kurglov's "Identification", his performance with Jaak Sooar trio  or "Pandora's Pitcher by Second Approach Trio).



Evgeny Masloboev and Anastasia Masloboeva
"Your Beutiful Face Makes Me Cry"

Evgeny Masloboev - cymbalo, drums, turkish and soviet cymbals, darbuk, block-flutes, trumpet, folk wooden and clay whistles, hunters manki, african transtsa, digital and acoustic piano, prepared piano, prepared guitar, kitchen utensils, metal plates, metal and plastic pipes, voice
Anastasia Masloboeva - main vocal, reverse singing

Leo Records 2012

This the fourth duo's release on Leo Records (previous titles are "Russian Folksongs in the Key of Rhythm", "...in the Key of Sadness" and "...in the key of Winter"). In the centre of the music there's Anastatasia's voice - pure and bright, slightly distant, ethereal.

Ivo Perelman on Leo Records part 3 - "Serendipity" and "The Passion Accoding to G.H"

The follow-up to the few posts on the blog including the "Ivo Perelman on Leo Records part 1" and this week "part 2". No other parts are scheduled to be posted at the moment, but given how prolific an artist Ivo Perelman is, it's safe to assume more will appear.

Serendipity
Ivo Perelman - tenor sax
Matthew Shipp - piano
William Parker - bass
Gerald Cleaver - drums

Leo Records 2013


The recording session was scheduled as a trio date with Ivo, Matt and Gerald (eventually recorded a week later and released as "The Foreign Legion"), William Parker was called at the last moment to fill a spot in the recording studio. It turned out the missing musician made is as well, hence a quartet recording and hence the title "Serendipity".

Ivo Perelman on Leo Records part 2 -"The Art of the Duet - Volume One" with Matthew Shipp

It was quite a while ago that "Ivo Perelman on Leo Records part 1" was posted and it's only appropriate that part 2 would follow, if only now. Ivo Perelman released fifteen albums (as far as I know) since 2010, ten of which within the last year and a half on Leo Records. All of which are easily recommended I might add, some of which have already been presented on the blog ("Stream of Life" duo with Brian Wilson, "Hour of the Star" by the quartet with M. Shipp, J. Morris and G. Cleaver as well as the two albums in trio with J. Morris and G. Cleaver).

The albums tribute works of a brasilian writer Clarice Lispector which creates a common narrative thread between each release. The second crucial element of the series is the musicians pool, that consists in only few of artists' long-time collaborators with whom Perelman, as it seems, decided to play in every possible line-up. The recordings feature Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris, Michael Bisio, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver and Whit Dickey in a various duo, trio or quartet configurations

As it would probably be excessive to try to present the entire voluminous output, the consistent excellency of the performances released makes it incredibly hard to make a definite selection. On a different day I might choose otherwise but at the moment I believe the albums that I'll present this week deserve a special recognition within the series. 

The Art of The Duet - Volume One

Ivo Perelman - tenor sax
Matthew Shipp - piano

Leo Records 2013

Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp have already recorded a duo cd, back in 1996. "Bendito of Santa Cruz" (Cadence Records) is a strong example of Perelman's early attampts at reinterpreting brasilian folk music within the fiery avant-free jazz context.

Ivo Perelman on Leo Records part 1 - "Family Ties" and Living Jelly" with Joe Morris and Gerald Cleaver

Ivo Perelman continues the supreme series of albums entitled after works by Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector (you can find on the blog more about "Stream of Life" duo with Brian Wilson as well as "Hour of the Star" by the quartet with M. Shipp, J. Morris and G. Cleaver). I can't speak for the quality of books but I the consistent  quality of the albums is something to behold. 

In 2012 Leo Records released 6 new albums by Ivo and a collective review seems only logical and long overdue.

Family Ties

Ivo Perelman - tenor sax, kazoo, mouthpiece

Joe Morris - bass

Gerald Cleaver - drums

Leo Records 2012

Two of the tracks presented on "Hour of the Star" were actually recorded as a pianoless trio and it comes as no surprise the three wanted to play more together. Without the anchor of the Matthew Shipp's piano the saxophone is freer yet the music gets much lighter, while the perfect timekeeping by the Joe Morris - Gerald Cleaver team is even more transparent and essential.

MMM Quartet - Live at the Metz' Arsenal [Leo]

MMM Quartet
Joelle Leandre - double bass
Fred Frith - guitar
Alvin Curran - electronics, piano
Urs Leimgruber - soprano and tenor saxophone


Leo Records 2012

This quartet is born out of Joelle Leandre's experience in Mills College in Oakland (where she got introduced to Alvin Curran and Fred Firth) and it brings together four musicians who, together, cover possibly the entire ground of modern experimental music - improvised, composed, acoustic, electro-acoustic and electric.

Paul Giallorenzo's GitGo - Emergent [Leo]

Paul Giallorenzo - piano
Jeb Bishop - trombone
Mars Williams - saxophones
Anton Hatwitch - bass
Marc Riordan - drums


Leo Records 2012

Chicago's vivid and vibrant jazz scene is an endless source of musical surprises and here's another one for you as the piano player Paul Giallorenzo assembles together a heavyweight jazz quintet with Jeb Bishop and Mars Williams in the frontline and Anton Hatwitch with Marc Riordan to provide the rhythmic backbone.

Ullmann/ Dahlgren/Thomas - BASSX3 - Transatlantic [Leo]

BASSX3:
Gebhard Ullmann - bass clarinet and bass flute
Chris Dahlgren - double bass and objects
Clayton Thomas - double bass and objects



Leo Records 2012






It used to be usually the pride of any musician (vocalist) to get the highest note possible on the instrument, clear and crisp. The idea of assembling together three low-register instruments might not be revolting today but nevertheless it's not something you meet too often. Which is but one of the reasons BASSX3 project should attract your attention.

Swedish Mobilia - Knife, Fork and Spoon [Leo Records]

Swedish Mobilia:
Andrea Bolzoni - guitar + live electronics
Dario Miranda - bass + live electronics
Daniele Frati - drums + percussions





Leo Records 2012

It's a funny world where to get to know what's going on with Italian jazz scene one need to follow a british label but so it seems to me recently. I've had a distinct pleasure of writing about

Apart from my personal interest in Italy (I'm an almost pd in italian philology) what caught my interest about the cd is the band's name and cd's title. Swedish Mobilia? Knife, fork and spoon? Just for this kind of "and now for something completely different" you've got to get some credit. But there's much more to give the credit for.

4tet - Different Song - Step into the Future [Leo Records]

4tet - Different Song:
Yang Jing - pipa, gugin
Michael Wintsch - piano
Baenz Oester - double bass
Norbert Pfammatter - drums, percussion

Leo Records 2012

I Hope you're familiar with 2009 release by WHO trio "Less is more" by (WHO stays for Michael Wintsch, Gerry Hemingway and Baenz Oester) - a brilliant and beatifully spare and subtle music, a minimalistic view on modern piano trio.

Now, the present cd share many qualities with that, to begin with two of trio's members playing together again, Norbert Pfammatter is filling the drums spot and this oh-so-traditional line-up of jazz trio is expanded by Yang Jing who plays traditional chinese instruments : pipa and guqin. Needless to say this particular detail makes a huge difference.

Cello in duos - Reverie Duo - Stagioni [Slam] / Anto Pett / Bart van Rosmalen - Playwork [Leo]

Two completely different duos with cello. Both worthy of recommendation:

Reverie Duo - Stagioni

Redi Hasa - violoncello

Valerio Daniele - acoutic guitar

SLAM Productions 2012

For something completely different a surprising release from SLAM records, a label that usually presents british improv scene. Instead here we have something simple, crystal clear and, well, incredibly enjoyable. A chamber duo of guitar and cello sound beatifull, the compositions are joyfully melodic, the sound light and bright. It's a collection of instrumental songs filled with the classical beauty of acoustic sound (the way the tones of arco cello and struck guitar chords corrispond is just perfect) and non genre-specific melodies. Simple, charming, mostly nostalgic, (although there are some more heated moments), beautifully played, precious. Just check the heartwarming melody of "Reverie" or "Frymemarrje", the gypsy passion of "Baci e Ferraglia", dramatic "Il Valzer dell'Arancio", the peacefull "Dodico Voci".

An incredibly refreshing music, a well needed rest for mind and body, uniqely inspiring. Enchanting. The kind of music, the kind of sound for which the word is one and simple - beauty.

the cd is featured in the playlist presented 10.09.12.

Anto Pett - piano and prepared piano

Bart van Rosmalen - cello

Playwork

Leo Records 2012

Anto Pett and Bart van Rosmalen not only play (improvise) but are also working professionals in the theoritical field of the improvisation. And vice-versa, so to speak, I invite you to read the liner notes in which they explaing their conceptrion of the improvisation. Of "play" that becomes a "work" - a final, finished artistic act, and how, at one point, it's the "play" that takes over the performance, and the musician's task is just to surrender and follow it. But mostly I invite you to listen to the music they "playworked" which is registered on the cd.

Deep, searching, immaginative improvisations, fillled with passages of wild and harsh passion, of sheer virtuosity but also thoughtfull minimalism. And, as they say, the play can go in any way. Playfull (with the toy sounds of prepared piano and hand drumming on the cello, Playwork 1), dark and menacing (dense chord piano clouds in Playwork 2), mysterious and misty (metallic noises of Playwork 3). There's classical elegance and chamber beauty to the tone, avant-guarde harmonic, dynamic, timbral richness and the emotional immediacy of improvisation that comes from the passion of unknown, unusual, undiscovered and unpredictable. Being thus a perfect confirmation of their own words  - while improvising in life situations is looking for ways that "in the meantime, till the real thing arrives, will do", the musical improvisation has its start and end, its direction (however unpredictable) and, its performance acquires all the qualites (focused, cohesive, intentionall act of expression) of any other work of art.

A highly recommended to anyone interested in the kind of music where tradition of european classical music meets the avant-guarde in the act of on-the-spot creation.

the cd is featured in the playlist presented 10.09.12.

Solo albums 3 - Matthias Ziegler - La Rusna (Music for Flutes) [Leo Records]

Matthias Ziegler - alto flute, bass flute, contrabass flute

La Rusna (Music for Flutes)

Leo Records 2012

I have to admit the idea of a solo flute record didn't seem to exciting at first but once I hit the play button I had to re-evaluate quickly my position. 

The title track that starts the cd is a 20 minutes long meditation that will transport you into an otherwordly sonic reality of echoes, drones, evershifting, interchangeable, trembling, vibrating sounds coming from a deep ancient well. Surreal, gripping. Matthias Ziegler presents an unique palette of sounds, making use not only of wide range of flute types and extended techniques but also augmenting the sonic possibilites, or the perception of the sound objects with carefully placed microphones.

Orchestra Part 1 - The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra - Evocations [Leo

I will try to make up for the recent lack of activity on the blog by putting together series of brief reviews/impressions of albums that share something in common. The first round will see paired together two orchestras, a musical entity of many diverse historical backgrounds - as one could think of jazz big band as an expansion of combo band as well as genre-transgression of classical symphony group. And this bi-polarity is well exemplified by the pair of the orchestras about which below and in the next post.

The Aadvark Jazz Orchestra

Evocations

Mark S. Harvey - music director, conductor, trumpet, piano

Saxophones & woodwinds: Arni Cheatham (as, ts, fl), Peter Bloom (as, fl, picc), Phill Scarff (ts, ss, cl), Chris Rakowski (ts, cl), Dan Zuban (bs, cl, bs cl), Will Swank (ts); Trumpets: K.C. Dunbar, Jeanne Snodgrass, Eric Dahlman; Trombones: Bob Pilkington, Jay Keyser, Jeff Marsanskis, Russel Jewell, Ethan Fenn; Bass Trombone/Tube : Bill Lowe

Guitar : Richard Nelson; Double Bass : John Funkhouser / Victor Belanger /Rick McLaughlin; Electric Bass : Jerry Edwards; Drums : Harry Wellott; Percussion : Craig Ellis; Theremin : Brian Robison

Leo Records 2012

I'd like to think that Jazz Orchestra is somewhat of a balancing act. You have a massive sound at your disposal, a ton of colours and shades, yet you have to make a wise use of those, as it's so easy to loose the power of singular vision, personal statement, within all the mass. And I think that set of tunes composed for the band by Mark S. Harvey does just that.

The cd starts with "March of the Booboisie", with its steady rhythm and quirky, whimsical dissonance of the various horn sections and somewhat comical trombone - trumpet duet, yet at certain point it breakes into the heroic line of  and ends with eerie, mournfull, reflective chords.

Alexey Kruglov - Identification [Leo]

Krugly Band:
Alexey Kruglov - alto & tenor saxophones, saxophones without mouthpieces, mouthpieces only, piano, prepared piano, block-flutes
Dmitry Denisov - bass
Vladimir Borisow - drums

Leo Records 2011

Not so long ago I wrote about Kruglov's album with Jaak Sooar trio "Karate" which was already his third album for Leo Records in barely over one year. Now, just a couple of months later, he's back to present what is to be he's most profound and monumental work as "Identification" presents a single 64-minute long  composition.

Kruglov explains in the liner notes how he used monogramic pattern (translating letters into the notes) to create some of the melodies that stay from musicians' names - a musical identification. Don't get discouraged though by the sheer length of the work or the teorethical premises.

Fourth Page - Blind Horizons [Leo]

Fourth Page:
Charlie Beresford - vocals, acoustic guitar, khaen
Carolyn Hume - piano
Peter Marsh - bass
Peter May - percussion

Leo Records 2011

It's difficult to find a band of such unique sound and vision as Fourth Page and that alone makes this cd worthy of a recommendation.What makes this music so unusual is the negation of apparent contraddiction between the terms of song and improvisation. And yet Fourth Page creates exactly that - improvised (even if it doesn't sound so) songs.

The Second Approach Trio - Pandora's Pitcher [Leo]

The Second Approach Trio :
Andrei Razin - piano, keayboards, percussion, voice (on track 4)
Tatiana Komova - voice, percussion
Igor Ivanushkin - acoustic bass, percussion

Leo Records 2011

Leo Feign continues his crusade to explore and present the depths of creative music scene in Russia and this disc is yet another reason to be thankfull and wishfull that he'd continue to do so. As a result the Leo Records keeps proving my ignorance, and keeps surprising me with a great music from artists whom I never heard before, which I love by the way. The Second Approach Trio's discography , printed on the inlay, sports 7 titles including a last year release on Leo or a session with Roswell Rudd, which obviously means that the trio is a long-term working band and it achieved already some exposure.

Lisa Mezzacappa & Nightshade - Cosmic Rift [Leo]

Cory Wright - Bb and bass clarinet
John Finkbeiner - electric guitar
Tim Perkis - electronics
Lisa Mezzacappa - acoustic bass
Kjell Nordeson - vibraphone and percussion

Leo Records 2011

Autumn comes lurking around and this album fits great this kind of weather (quite aptly named group indeed). And while Lisa Mezzacappa cites various inspirations on some pieces, her personal compositional stamp and the group's cohesive sound make this work whether you're familiar or not with the source of inspiration (which you can read about in the liner notes).

The instrumentation of this band is crucial to the resulting music - the brooding, dark and melancholy and somehow elegant sound, while the smooth velvety-heavy textures are fractured with subtle electronics accents.