Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed - In Pursuit of Magic [482 Music]

Roscoe Mitchell - woodwinds,
Mike Reed - drums, percussion

482 Music 2013

A meeting of an avant-guard legend and a few decades younger disciple, one of the most active animators of the modern jazz scene in Chicago- ain't that a definitive prove of art's continuity? Roscoe Mitchell and Mike Reed, that duo not so long ago mesmerized the audience, my fortunate self included, during the Made in Chicago festival in Poznan. Together, they created a world of sculpted sounds, in constant "pursuit of magic", a sucessfull pursuit I'd like to add as I believe the concert to be THE concert of 2013.

Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed at Made In Chicago Festival (30.09)

Made in Chicago in Poznań is quite an unique jazz festival. Dedicated to one city but not to any particular fraction of jazz-purists or avant-guardists or whateve. The idea of gathering, or musical community, of continuity - those elements are innate in the festival's formula. I missed friday concerts unfortunately, the first performance of saturday was an example of inter-generation dialogue and continuity in music. On one side of the stage, a true legend of avant-guarde jazz movement, founding member of AACM, co founder of Art Ensemble of Chicago. On the other side, over three decades younger musician, nonetheless an accomplished artist and well-established person on the musical map of the windy city.

John Butcher & Mark Sanders - Daylighy [Emanem]

John Butcher - tenor & soprano saxophones
Mark Sanders - percussion


Emanem 2012

I have mentioned on many occasions that sax - drums duos are among my favourites, the most basic vehicle for the punch and kick - melody and rhythm, seemingly limited measures for unlimited purposes. You'll be hard put to look for any basic rhythm and melody on the recording did by two mainstays of british free improv scene - John Butcher and Mark Sanders.

Peter Brotzmann & Jorg Fischer - Live in Wiesbaden [Not Two]

Peter Brotzmann - alto & tenor sax, clarinet, tarogat
Jorg Fischer - drums


Not Two Records 2011

Sax-drums duos are among my favourites and regular readers of the blog are well aware of that. Peter Brotzmann at 70 years old blew me away last autumn with his Japan Trio concert and now he does it again with this cd.

Anyone interested in the slighthest in free jazz and improvised music knows well how Brotzmann plays - he's a heavywegiht champion, he can sound like a tank moving at the light speed, almost bending the space around him. His sound is physical and sometimes even brutal. When he blows hard it's like a heavyweight championship box fight. And while it's hard to dismiss the omnipresent vibrato distorion of his saxophone cries it's easy to overlook the fact that Peter is quite a lyrical soul at times, his playing full of details, pensieve and moody, especially on tarogato.

Waclaw Zimpel & Wolfgang Reisiger at Klub Re (27.02)

My admiration for Waclaw Zimpel's way of playing is no secret and there are lot of posts here on the blog that exemplify this on the blog. Which is why I'll be as brief as possibly - the duo concert with Wolfgang Reisinger brought to Klub Re music that was soulfull and immaginative. Wolfgang proved to be an excellent partner, continuator of european tradition, strongly focused on the melody of drums, adding to that some nice electronic touches. While Zimpel played passionately and with conviction, whether investigating delicate chamber moods or launching some fiery explosions.

The playing was focused but the atmosphere relaxed, the last concert of the small tour, musicians comfortable with each other. Short, yet satisfying set that plus the encore which show even more clearly how Waclaw and Wolfgang enjoyed the stage - a romping and stomping blues by Charles Mingus (can't get the title though), a piece they enjoyed so much they decided to play it twice. And the audience, me included, couldn't be more pleased. 

Waclaw Zimpel - clarinet, bass clarinet, basset horn
Wolfgang Reisiger - drums, electronics

Klub Re. Krakow. 27.02.2012

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love at Alchemia (25.10)

There's only a handfull of musicians who played more often in Alchemia in recent years. And only a handfull of musicians who constistently play at the level this duo does. A fact known well by Krakow audience which filled up completely the audience (corridor, backstage, floor) space of Alchemia.

Tim Daisy & Ken Vandermark - Conversation [Multikulti]

Tim Daiy - drums

Ken Vandermark - Bb and bass clarinet, tenor sax

Multikulti 2011

Tim Daisy and Ken Vandermark has played together a countless number of gigs in a numerous (but definitely easier to count) Vandermark's project, starting with the duo, through The Vandermark 5 up to the large ensembles like Resonance. "The Conversation" is their third duo release after the self-released "August Music" (2007) and the double lp on Laurence Family "Light on the Wall" (2010).

William Hooker & Thomas Chapin - Crossing Points [NoBusiness]

William Hooker - drums
Thomas Chapin - sax

NoBusiness Records 2011

Thomas Chapin's death from leukemia at the age of 40 is one of the most tragic twists in jazz history (and jazz history has its share of those - where would Coltrane be or Clifford Brown if they were to live longer?). This post-mortem release comes as unexpected but tremendously welcomed surprise for all the fans of this musician and presents him outside the common setting of his trio as he features on one concert of a series of duos played by William Hooker in NYC in 1992.

"Subway" is a 28mins long marathon, Hooker's colossal, muscular drumming keeps the charge, relentless and restless, while Chapin tries to keep up with fresh ideas and harden the tone. It is bit exhausting in the middle but they surge back with great energy in the end, although I feel that Hooker is overpowering the music a little bit.

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. 

Dave Rempis & Frank Rosaly Duo at Alchemia (06.04)

The sax-drums duo could easily be my favourite line-up in free jazz territory. The recording by Coltrane & Ali was the first free-jazz I listened to and fell in love with. And some excellent releases coming from recent years (Paal Nilssen-Love with Vandermark or Brotzmann or McPhee, Vandermark with Tim Daisy ...) keep my appreciation for this set-up well and alive. It's rhythm & melody, plain and simply. Basic. But it's also punch & scream (I stole this one from the liner notes to "Born Broke" by Brotzmann & Uuskyla) - a primal expression, the first music that was created. With Dave Rempis (an old friend of Alchemia who played in Krakow countless times) and Frank Rosaly (been here before with Rempis Percussion Quartet) you get all of that.

Dave is a beast on stage. He would play a phrase, repeat a couple of times, until it verged on obsession, then slowly changed it, introduced new elements, new notes, new rhythm patterns. Mutation? Evolution? And then the idea, completely deconstructed or expanded, exploded. And it's time to look for a new one. His playing wa dynamic, the tone full and energetic.

Frank likes to play loud and fast, there's rock energy to the way he plays, and even while creating a cloud of sounds all over the place, he maintains the pulse in an incredible way. He listens closely and pushes the music forward, in constant journey, always looking for the new. The instant reactions between the two players showed a deep understanding and long partnership as they've been playing together (in duo and other settings) for a long time now.

That was the first set and the second one was even better. The musicians were warmed up, so was the audience. Dave started with a cookin' solo going up and down the saxophone's scale (his agility on the instrument is impressive), also had a beautiful short sax-only spot, with soft sounds, delicate chord structures (I know it's a melodic not harmonic instrument, but there was a chord structure in what he was doing, putting the base line with just a hit on the keys, adding notes that were more air than notes actually). Second set also gave more solo space to Frank, who would rock it hard or play gentle and abstract, impressive in both cases.

It was definitely highly satisfying to attend this concert. You may have listened to a lot of sax-drums duos, you may have seen Dave Rempis and Frank Rosaly on stage before, whatever the case is it doesn't make their playing together any less impressive and the music they do any less passionate and fresh. 

The duo is still on the tour so check if you can still get to see them.
More photos from the concert as provided by Krzysztof Penarski to be found here.

Dave Rempis - alto sax, tenor sax
Frank Rosaly - drums

Alchemia. Krakow. 06.04.2011

Ivo Perelman & Brian Willson - The Stream of Life [Leo]

The Stream of Life

Ivo Perelman - tenor sax

Brian Wilson - drums

Leo Records 2010

Ivo Perelman released a couple of great records last year and with this one he made the last second jump to my El Intruso 2010 Poll votes on saxophone so I guess I should put some writing behind that vote. 

Sax - drums duos are easily among my favourites (beginning with Coltrane & Ali on "Interstellar Space", my first truly free listening experiene, the one that opened new both stellar and interstellar spaces in my mind). With just two instruments this is as simple as it gets, primal indeed - just kick and cry, rhytm and melody, and yet (or thus) it can go all ways and directions imaginable, with two instruments and two instrumentalists on full display, bare, without any possibility to hide from Your ears.