Nu Band at Alchemia (11.03)

Joe Fonda

Nu Band played in Krakow couple of years back, also released on of their cd in Krakow-based Not Two label. This quartet celebrated last year its 10th anniversary it's great to see that those four still find enough gas in tank to tour, compose, play and enjoy it so much.

As written above -  they've been around as a quartet for more than a decade now so if you've been following the (free)jazz scene you should be pretty familiar with them. Fantastic musicianship, wild immagination and music that is rooted deeply in the jazz avant-guarde of the 60's, in the historical sax-trumpet-bass-drums format,. You can hear the blues foundation, you can tap your foot trying to follow quirky swinging syncopations of Lou Grassi's toms.

Lou Grassi PO Band with Marshall Allen - Live at the Knitting Factory vol. 1 [Porter Records]

Live at the Knitting Factory Volume 1

PO Band:

Lou Grassi - drums

Marshall Allen - alto sax, flute

Paul Smoker - trumpet

Steve Swell - trombone

Perry Robinson - clarinet

Wilber Morris - double bass

Porter Records 2010

recorded at Knitting Factory on September 26, 2000

While some of the most active avant-garde / free-jazz musicians release a handfull of records each year other remain criminally underrecorded which makes each available cd/lp even more precious. Bill Dixon comes to mind - an extraordinary artist of immense vision whose almost entire recorded output fits comfortably into one small box ("Complete Recordings on Soul Note and Black Saint" box set). What makes the recording presented here worthwile is obviously the music, but the fact that You get to hear such musicians like Perry Robinson, Paul Smoker or Marshall Allen (whose recordings outside of the Sun Ra Arkestra are extremely rare) makes it also one of a considerable historic value for jazz maniacs like You and me (or maybe just me). This is also somehow of an archival set since the concert presented took place a decade ago.