(New) Air live in the 80s

As many live jazz videos that have been uploaded to You Tube, coming across one of Air or even (New) Air (heck there aren't even one of Henry Threadgill's great 80s Sextet(t)), have proven a fruitless. That is, until yesterday.

While the video was uploaded a year or so ago, it was buried several pages into a search for "Threadgill" that I conducted last night. The video is taken from a film called A Place For Jazz, filmed live at the 1369 Jazz Club in Somerville, Ma., as part of a documentary on that venue, which closed in 1988. There is more info on the club and the documentary here:

Andrew Cyrille joins Henry Threadgill and Fred Hopkins here, which suggests this was filmed sometime around 1986, when Cyrille also joined Hopkins and Threadgill for gigs in Europe under the name (New) Air (Pheeroan AkLaff had taken over the drum stool after Steve McCall left in 1982).

It's a short clip, and not one of the band at their most ferocious or, *ahem* killing, but a gem nonetheless.

Henry Threadgill's Society Situation Dance Band

Henry Threadgill's Society Situation Dance Band never recorded commercially, it was a band made for the purpose of live performance, but short clips from a TV recording of a performance in Hamburg, Germany, in 1988 have been available on YouTube for some time. Recently, though, a user called redobstacle has uploaded the full recording in three parts. This is a treasure, not only because it seems to be the only way to hear (and see) what the Society Sitation Dance Band was about, but also because it's truly great music.

Everybody else is doing it... Jazz faves of 2010

I've been reluctant to post this now, as I often am, since I still feel there are a few more records to cover. This year, more than the previous five or so years, I've also not been able to hear a handful of well received albums that I suspect might have had an impact on the list.

In a few cases, such as William Hooker's Earth's Orbit (NoBussiness) - which also has contributions from Adam Lane and Darius Jones, who ended up topping this year's and last year's lists respectively - the albums have been exclusively available as vinyl only imports. The same goes for Jason Ajemian's Protest Heaven (482 Music), much praised by Stef Gijssels. I'm very much pro-vinyl, but it makes it difficult for jazz writers like me to get a listen (copies have been ordered, but will probably not arrive until well into the new year). Another one I am yet to hear is Billy Bang's Prayer For Peace, which Tom Hull has as his number one pick. I've not been able to find it on eMusic, which I rely on for a good percentage of new jazz, nor on iTunes or any of the streaming sites available to me. I am currently not on TUM's mailing list, either, so ... (EDIT April, 2011: Got the Bang record just after his passing. It would certainly make a push for a top 5 spot. Still, I'll let the list below stand as published).

I have, 'though, been spinning a few of records that have popped up on various year-end lists here and there, such as Jason Moran's Ten (Blue Note), but none of them have impressed me in any particular way. The Moran record seems to be a hot tip for consensus jazz album of the year, but apart from a promising first few tracks, to me the bop-derived albeit modern sounding music on the album seems too safe, and Moran over plays at times, especially on the (failed, in my ears) Monk cover "Crepuscule With Nelly". For Monk interpretations, I have more faith in the more humor friendly and angular approach of The Microscopis Septet, whose new record of Monk tunes, Friday the 13th (Cuniform), is another one I'm yet to hear.

Anyway, complaining about the records I haven't gotten around to is useless, so here is a list of the jazz records I have been able to hear, "won", as it were, by a record of vibrant post-Mingus jazz (even Ellingtonian at times) filtered through Loft Jazz and informed by avant-rock, full of both powerful and beautiful music: Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra's Ashcan Rantings.

1. Adam Lane: Ashcan Rantings (Clean Feed)
2. The Mark Lomax Trio: The State of Black America (Inarhyme Records)
3. Mostly Other People Do the Killing: Forty Fort (Hot Cup)
4. Dual Identity (Rudresh Mahanthappa & Steve Lehman): Dual Identity (Clean Feed)
5. Angles: Epileptical West - Live in Coimbra (Clean Feed)
6. Wadada Leo Smith & Ed Blackwell: The Blue Mountain (Kabell, rec. 1986)
   
7. David S. Ware: Onecept (Aum Fidelity)
8. Mike Reed's Loose Assembly: Empathetic Parts (482)
9. The Nels Cline Singers: Initiate (Cryptogramophone)
10. Henry Threadgill's Zooid: This Brings Us To, vol. 2 (Pi Recordings)

Ten more:

• Mary Halvorson Trio & Quintet: Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12)
• Mike Reed's People, Places & Things: Stories and Negotiations (482)
• Vandermark 5 Special Edition: The Horse Jumps & The Ship Is Gone (Not Two)
• Jon Irabagon: Foxy (Hot Cup!)
• Steve Swell Slammin' the Infinite: 5000 Poems (Not Two)
• Henry Grimes & Rashied Ali: Spirits Aloft (Porter)
• Zanussi Five: Ghost Dance (Moseróbie)
• Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green: Apex (Pi Recordings)
• Juxtaposed: Tsar Bomba (Bolage)
• Tarbaby: The End Of Fear (Posi-Tone Records)
  

Edit (Dec. 29th, 20109:

I did not add a list of reissues when I wrote this, and as I don't have a reasonably good overview in front of me as I write this addition, I won' t attempt to make one ('though, I know Air's Air Raid and Marion Brown's Why Not? is on the list on the 2010 section of the blog). Still, I'd be surprised if any reissue could topple the Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air box set released by Mosaic. Threadgill was, and still is, one of the most exciting and original jazz composers of the past 35 or so years -- not to mention a terrific sax player -- and both his Sextet(t) and not least Air with Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall were among the best and most exciting groups during that same time frame. Add to that statement the fact that I regard both Air's Air Lore and the Sextet recording Rag, Bush and All, both included in the set, as solid 10s (or A+, if you are so inclined), and that all of the other albums on here are interesting and exciting, and most of them highly engaging and original to boot, both in terms of composition and execution, my reasons for naming it my fave reissue of 2010 should be clear. If there is one draw back to the set, it would be the the orignal albums are spilt between discs, meaning one half of a record may appear on one disc, the other half on another, with the first few tracks of a second album following. Since I own the ones I truly treassure on original vinyls and/or CDs, this is not a big issue with me. But other listeners may want to program their CD players (or import the discs to iTunes or similar and spilt them into their respective albums there) to get the record by record listening experience.

Henry Threadgill Mosaic Box Set update

Image from Mosaicrecords.com

Just received notification from Mosaic that the Henry Threadgill box set Complete Nvus/Columbia Recordings is now available for pre order, though its official release is at the end of September.

Air's Air Raid reissued

Note to self: read my e-mails once I get them!

Received notification from the JazzLoft on May the 13th that they have Air's second studio album, Air Raid (Why Not, 1976. 2010 reissue by Candid), available for orders (original recording details, courtesy of Lars Backström).

Air Raid is at times edgier and tougher than their first record, Air Song, and perhaps even better. The title track and opening piece of the record, starts off at rip roaing speed, but travels through some mellower patches, only to return to the "action" the title suggests we're in for. It's both a disturbing and almost beautiful contemplative piece of music. Fred Hopkins' powerful bass lines, or should I say "thundering runs", are particularly enthralling. That's not to say that Threadgill and McCall are out of step, by no means; Air Raid proves that this was a gorup whose interplay was second to none. The embodiment of free jazz' democratic principles, as outlined by Ornette Coleman.

Having said that about the album's opener, I thought I'd leave you with teaser of the second track instead. "Midnight Sun" slows things down after the heady run of "Air Raid", and stands as an early proof that Threadgill was developing a knack for a writing a damn good tune. Have a listen:




Note: the embedded track was lifted off a previous reissue of the album, and may not be indicative of the sound quality of the new version.

Henry Threadgill link-a-thon & box set

Henry Threadgill's return to recorded music, with the excellent This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 (Pi Recordings), has gladly lead to a renewed interest in the great man and his music. Not only is there a long piece and interview in the latest issue of The Wire, Nate Chinen has written a profile for the New York Times (pub. Nov. 6th, 2009) (and add to those, my piece in the previous issue of the quality fanzine FAN).

The increasing interest in Threadgill and his music is of course welcome and long overdue. The really good news, though, is that Mosaic Records have announced that they have a Threadgill box-set scheduled for release in early 2010. I'm sure they'll allow me to copy/paste from their site:

"Henry Threadgill: The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air
(Release Date: Early 2010)

Henry Threadgill was among the first wave of distinctive and utterly original artists to emerge from Chicago’s Association for The Advancement of Creative Music along with Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton and the member of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago.

As a saxophonist, he delivers his unique style with a big, dry sound and precise articulation. As a composer, he was an American original, influenced by the entire spectrum of music. He creates distinctive sonic canvasses for a variety of ensemble. And his work is infused with a wonderfully dry, almost absurdist sense of humor.

This set covers three important eras in Threadgill’s career, beginning with the three albums that Air made in 1978-79 for Arista Novus including the celebrated “Air Lore” with unique reinterpretations of the music of Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton. Air was a remarkable co-operative trio formed by Threadgill, bassist Fred Hopkins and drummer Steve McCall in 1975.

In 1979, Threadgill made his first album as a leader for Arista Novus. “X-75. Volume 1” featured the unique ensemble of four reeds, four basses and the voice of Amina Claudine Myers. A volume 2 was made and never issued. It is released for the first time in this set.

In 1981, Henry formed his Sextett, which consisted of seven musicians! This unique ensemble consisted of trumpet, trombone, cello, bass and two sets of drums as well as Threadgill. Beggining in 1986, the group recorded three albums for RCA Novus all of which are included here.

Threadgill closed out the century with three albums on Columbia (“Carry The Day,” “Makin’ A Move” and “Where’s Your Cup”) recorded between 1994 and ’96 with varying ensembles of unusual instrumentation.

This set cover three distinct and fertile peak periods in Threadgill’s long and ever creative career."

The albums included in the set should thus be Open Air Suite; Air Live at Montreux Suisse; Air Lore; X-75 Vol. 1 (all prev. on Arista Novus); X-75 Vol. 2 (prev. unreleased), You Know the Number; Easily Slip into Another World; Rag, Bush and All (all prev. on Novus); Carry The Day; Makin’ A Move and Where’s Your Cup (all three prev. on Columbia).

Most of these have been out of print for a while, although I've come across second hand copies on various occasions and web sites. Allthough all are great records, the availability of classics Air record Air Lore as well as the Sextett releases Rag... and Easily... are especially welcome.

Side note: my jazz list/grades has not been updated for ages, but both Air Lore and Rag, Bush and All receive top grades (10/10). I may have underestimated Easily..., I think it's better than the 8/10 I gave it a few years back, but I will wait until I have time to update the whole list with new records and grades before I decide whether to change it.

Catching up... Darius Jones & post-summer jazz records

I really should set, and stick to, a goal of writing at least one post a week, preferably on a specific day. Lately, other projects have prevented me from wiritng much here, and it's not been for lack of want or lack of music or topics to write about. A more structured time table should allow me to juggle various tasks more easily, and give me time to write more regularly here. There's been no "Music of the Week" for a while, and my much touted update of the 2009-list has not come to fruition.

So, I'd thought I'd use some space to do some catching up with a couple of the best jazz records I've come accross since sometime this summer (a few of them have been included on previous MotW posts). I'll only write a few lines about most of them, but the first certainly deserves extra space.

• Darius Jones Trio: Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing)

Darius Jones is an up-and-coming saxophonist living in Brooklyn in New York having arrived form Richmond, Virginia in 2005. The Southern heritage is apparent in much of the music on this stunning debut. The record is bluesy, and (like the title says) both raw and beautiful, with Mr. Jones often using simple melodic lines as the basis of the music, much like Albert Ayler used to. There's a similarity between Jones and Ayler in the physicality of their playing and the wailing tones as well, 'though Jones can certainly hold his own and more often switches to softer themes than similar players tend to do. The band - with elder statesmen Cooper-Moore on the bass-like (and ancient) diddley-bo(w) as well as piano, and Rakalm Bob Moses on drums completing the trio - swithch between fairly loose structures and stricter blues based rhythms. Cooper-Moore has a knack for blending the seemingly simplistic and potent, as he does with his own band Digital Primitives.

On "Cry Out", for example, Cooper-Moore plays a rough blues walk on the piano, Bob Moses shuffles and Jones plays a slightly plaintive melodies on top. The tune has a certain noir quality to it. "Chasing the Ghost" is another highlight, with Cooper-Moore playing vibrating low bass notes on the diddley-bo(w), Bob Moses skitting over and under, while Jones plays variations and improvised lines over a strong melodic theme. The "chasing" of the title sends ones thoghts to one of Coltrane's classic work-outs, while the "ghost" part, well, it certainly opens up to other interpretations of what the piece is about. The result is nonetheless both beautifully disturbing and powerful. Having been roughed up by much of the music on the album, the simplistic loveliness of the closing "Forgive Me" becomes extra heartwrenching by the juxtaposition alone. Cooper-Moore plays a Satie-like chordal theme, with Jones seemingly exorcising his demons with a softer, almost weeping tone. It is simply one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard all year. A bonus track with Adam Lane on bass Jason Nazary on drums is more in line with a rougher blues-bop tradition, but it's still a collaboration I'd like to hear more from, Lane himself having a similar knack for roughing things up.

• Digital Primitives (Cooper-Moore, Assif Tsahar, Chad Taylor): Hum Crackle & Pop

Bluesy, slightly funky, free and with a hint of eastern and African melodic sensibility. Much like their previous record, but equally good.

• Quartet Offensive: Carnivore

Baltimore band, improvising over rock riffs and beats, made more apparent by the inclusion of a fuzz driven guitar. "Rock" means both Led Zeppelin and Fugazi here, and the result is often quite rivetng.

• Henry Threadgill Zooid: This BringsUs To, Vol. 1

The great man in a playful mood (when has he not been?) with what is probably his most interesting and flexible group since the amazing Sextet(t) of the 80s.

• J.D. Allen Trio: Shine

Tenor saxophonist J.D. Allens best record yet, a slightly more traditional post-bop sax, bass & drums trio, but one that has not gone untouched by later musical strains. The rhtyhm section blends simplistic power with great mobility, and Allan plays strong melodic themes as well as flying improvised solos. The track "Sonhouse" in particular is a favorite.

• Marcus Strickland Trio: Idiosyncracies

Another sax, bass, drums trio. Strickland plays tenor and soprano. The music is slightly soulful jazz, and rhythmically the music has tinges of modern R&B and hip-hop. The album includes reworkings of music by Björk, OutKast and Oumo Sangare, to name a few interesting choices. "Set Free", though, has a Coltrane-like quality.

Threadgill previewed * Destination: Out!

Head on over to Destination: Out! now for a preview of Henry Threadgill's upcoming album This Brings Us To, vol.1. Some thoughts by the man himself in that very same post.

Closing with a qoute from Studs Terkel:

“It would be difficult to overestimate Henry Threagill’s role in perpetually altering the meaning of jazz..…He has changed our underlying assumptions of what jazz can and should be.”

Quick round-up: new Henry Threadgill, the Feelies and Horace Tapscott re-issues

As mentioned in the recent Destination-Out post, the great Henry Threadgill will release a new album, called This Brings Us To, with his group Zooid on 27th of October (US date?). While I love his work with Air and his 80's Sextet and Sextett records, I've not been quite as taken with his later work. But the man is a favorite nonetheless and I am very much looking forward to this one. Destination-Out will preview the record next monday. There's a review of the record at Music & More (I've yet to read the whole thing myself, though).




The re-issue of the Feelies classic Crazy Rhythms is finally out on Bar/None after some trouble with the previous attempt by Water. Sasha Frere-Jones has some thoughts and valuable info on the Feelies and that record on his New Yorker blog.



Also re-issued is the great 1989 record The Dark Tree by pianist Horace Tapscott. Stef at Free Jazz has revied it here.

Steve Lehman Octet - Threadgillian stuff

In what looks to be a decent year for large ensemble jazz records - Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and Hypnotic Jazz Ensemble, to name but two - the preview from Steve Lehman Octet's new record posted by Destinatio: Out! the other day sounds especially promising. The track, "Echoes", does the trick of sounding at once very contemporary and modern, especially in the way the horns and bass riff and in Tyshawn Sorey's hip-hop influenced drumming, while at the same time echoing (right!) the works of past masters. I have to agree with Ben Ratlif in hearing a similarity with Henry Threadgill's music in the ways the riffs and beats are orchestrated. Steve Lehman himself has a wail that is reminiscent of the great Eric Dolphy both because of his gruff tone and in how his solo leaps out and swirl around the rest of the music. I'm very much looking forward to hearing more of this record.

Travail, Transformation and Flow is released by Pi Recordings and is available from, among others, Jazz Loft and amazon.com (see below).

I mentioned that the talented Tyshawn Sorey plays on the record. In this Q&A he reveals himself as a man with diverse (and almost impeccable) tastes. Beefheart, Nirvana, Braxton and Prince. Gotta love it.

Air Song reissue

Good news. The label Why Not is about to re-issue Air's first album, Air Song, (from 1975, originally on India Navigation) on February 17. Hopefully, this will mean that Air Raid, my favorite of the two India Navigation-records, is on the way too. Let this be the year when Air finally get's the recognition they deserve.