Weird of Mouth - Weird of Mouth

Label: Otherly Love Records, 2024

Personnel - Mette Rasmussen: alto saxophone, preparations, bells; Craig Taborn: piano, preparations; Ches Smith: drums, percussion.

Decidedly quirky and subversive in their approach to individual and collective sound, the trio Weird of Mouth—featuring kindred spirits Mette Rasmussen on alto saxophone, Craig Taborn on piano, and Ches Smith on drums—makes an impactful debut with an entirely improvised session recorded in Brooklyn in 2022. The trio’s expansive and exploratory sound offers an exhilarating dive into the depths of modern creativity, with each piece varying in texture and intensity.

“Wolf Cry” asserts itself with authority, building catchy aesthetics through bold saxophone intervals and sinuous phrases, supported by Taborn’s edgy propulsions and enlivening harmonies, which often slide into motif-rich pianism. Smith’s dynamic drumming is exquisite refinement, punctuated by grand cymbal splashes and fluid brushwork. The track concludes in a dreamy tone, while “Dogs in Orbit” has a positively vibrant opening, with Rasmussen enjoying her fiery saxophonics over explosive drum bursts that only cease when Taborn adds playful prepared piano. The group’s musical unpredictability takes us into a rubato flow that dazzles and transcends.

“Existension” starts conversationally before escalating into a dense, turbulent storm of energy. Jolting with scuffling punk moments, we are thrust into a sonic vortex with growling saxophone shouts over a tense environment of expansive piano chords and zestful percussion. The intensity of this piece contrasts with the slow, meditative “In Search of a Soul Plane”, where vibing prepared piano, resonant saxophone vibrations, and exotic percussion blend into a freewheeling, abstract exploration. 

The sprawling “Planisphere” showcases Smith’s broken rhythms and syncopations, building to a ferocious intensity with nearly-mechanical pulsations, but also offering moments of release. Taborn’s pianism moves effortlessly from dreamlike wisps to enveloping grandeur, while the trio nods to hip-hop, making the interplay both danceable and richly textured. The album closes with “Proven Right, Then Left, Then Right”, an exploratory finale that layers drifting melodies over a web of percussive sounds, gradually increasing in textural complexity. 

With Rasmussen, Taborn, and Smith at the height of their improvisational prowess, Weird of Mouth’s debut is a formidable addition to the free jazz and avant-garde canon, showcasing their unique ability to traverse soundscapes that are as challenging as they are rewarding.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Wolf Cry ► 02 - Dogs in Orbit ► 05 - Planisphere

Darius Jones - Legend of e'Boi

Label: AUM Fidelity, 2024

Personnel - Darius Jones: alto saxophone; Chris Lightcap: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Darius Jones, a visionary saxophonist and composer with a sharp, angular approach and pungent tone, ranks among the best in contemporary improvised music. His latest trio album, Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye), marks the seventh chapter in his comprehensive Man’ish Boy series, which began in 2009 and will eventually encompass nine parts. This album delves into themes of Black mental health and healing of personal and collective trauma through therapy, community, and creative expression. Jones is accompanied by bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver—both masters of groove and technique—who help channel the volcanic energy and tempered explorations Jones uses to convey his message.

The album opens with “Affirmation Needed”, where Jones delivers an emphatic, dynamically accented, and often motif-driven performance, erupting over a solid rhythmic foundation that provides grounding. Following a bass solo by Lightcap, delivered with impeccable articulation, Jones returns, probing the depths of his horn with incisive, expressive sounds. “Another Kind of Forever" begins with a joint effort by sax and bass, posing repeated musical questions, to which Cleaver’s drums respond with precision and creativity. The piece then picks up momentum, reminiscent of a train speeding along, before arriving at a ternary vamp, with a signature saxophone riff dancing above. The rhythmic idea persists, developing into a state of manic agitation.

“No More My Lord”, the only non-original piece on the album, is a poignant recreation of a prison song recorded by Alan Lomax at Parchman Farm, Mississippi, in 1947. Jones' saxophone cries out with seismic intensity, pleading for freedom and healing, set against Lightcap’s slashing arco bass and Cleaver’s magnetic cymbal configurations. “We Outside” is loosened up with considerable ambiguity even when anchored by a steady 12-beat bass groove. In contrast, “We Inside Now” offers a more restrained, harmonious ballad where Jones blows his horn with a controlled, comfortable assurance.

The album concludes with “Motherfuckin Roosevelt”, a track where shifting tempos and moods provide a sense of elasticity. At the outset, we can feel a rock n’roll spirit, something raw and primitive that expands in its will to take us to different and better places. The musicians throw themselves into the music with an unrelenting passion. Their fascinating playing is intriguing, raw, and lush. Legend of e’Boi is a keeper.

Favorite Track:
01 - Affirmation Needed ► 02 - Another Kind of Forever ► 03 - No More My Lord

Brian Marsella / Jon Irabagon - Blue Hour

Label: Irabbagast Records / Red Palace Records, 2024

Personnel - Jon Irabagon: mezzo soprano, tenor and sopranino saxophones; Brian Marsella: piano, Yamaha CS-60, Korg BX-3, Ritm-2.

Saxophonist Jon Irabagon never lets me down, regardless of the context or format he’s playing in. He can compose exceptional straightforward tunes inspired by jazz tradition and be a spectacular improviser who colors outside the lines, bringing novelty to the setting. The fully improvised duo album Blue Hour marks his first collaboration with innovative pianist/keyboardist Brian Marsella, known for his work with iconic saxophonist and composer John Zorn.

Purposely unsystematic in form, the music often volleys between enigmatic atmospherics and fleshier impulsions. The first two tracks were recorded live at The Stone. The album’s opener, “A Day That Will Live in Infamy”, starts with a psychedelic freeflow of effect-drenched keyboards and a panoply of saxophone timbres. There’s a passage that seems to evoke liturgical classical music with poignant saxophone melodies atop, later evolving to something more contemporary, in an agitated cacophony filled with whirling figures. The piano is louder than it should be at this phase, and the piece ends enigmatically, exploring darker alleys.

The second track, “Zeros and Ones and a Nine”, puts Marsella’s synths on the rise with glitchy sounds and digital frequencies, insistent bass notes, and animated piano delivered with a rag feel. This abrasive experimentalism suits Irabagon, a master of timbral mutation who uncoils ever-climbing spirals, racing, swinging, and grooving through the harmonic tapestries. The mood veers to dreamy before ending in manifest discomposure.

Tracks 3 to 6 are studio recordings, where the impressive technical quality of the players also unveils their impeccable sense of direction. The title “Centrifugal Machine Goes to the Scrapyard” makes you take your own conclusions beforehand, displaying saxophone extended techniques and gritty dissonance before morphing into wistful melancholy. The rollicking final track, “Bird Games With a Tragic Ending” surprises, hitting at swing, blues, and stride with a disarming naturalness.

This is killer stuff, deeply ingrained in the experimental side of jazz. For both artists, Blue Hour feels like a creative leap in a different direction that we urge them to explore further.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Day That Will Live in Infamy ► 02 - Zeros and Ones and a Nine ► 06 - Bird Games With a Tragic Ending

Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz

Label: ESP-Disk, 2024

Personnel - Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

The trio of American pianist Matthew Shipp, featuring bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, has been deservedly praised for their complex rhythmic calculus and hypnotic reveries. Their intriguing frameworks, rich in abstract compositional constructs and impromptu discourse, cohere in each album, and that’s no exception for their new endeavor, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz.

“Primal Poem”, delicate and focused with a perceptible riff at the core and a three time feel, starts the album, followed by “Sea Song”, a tonally noir exercise with sizzling brushwork, recurrent bass pedals, and well-cadenced piano textures.

Other reflective tracks include “Tone IQ”, “Brain System”, and “Brain Work”, but the winners are “The Function” and “Non Circle”. The former, straddling the line between familiar and new, features walking bass lines supporting Shipp’s expressionism, which manifests as ricocheting rhythmic motions, fully-formed figures, and splendid note constellations. “Non Circle”, initially defined by Baker’s solid groove, denotes a disjointed nature, eventually taking heavy steps with polyrhythmic adornments. The motion here impresses, while the intense piano spurts often surprise. “Coherent System” completes the album with another telepathic, charismatically progressive performance underpinned by Baker’s martial snare fluxes. 

Not as brilliant as Piano Song (2017) or The Unidentifiable (2020), these new concepts still exemplify Shipp Trio’s musical capacity and inventiveness.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - The Function ► 04 - Non Circle ► 08 - Coherent System

Borderlands Trio - Rewilder

Label: Intakt Records, 2024

Personnel - Stephan Crump: acoustic bass; Kris Davis: piano; Eric McPherson: drums.

The Borderlands Trio, a unit co-led by resourceful musicians and established figures in the creative music world such as bassist Stephan Crump, pianist Kris Davis, and drummer Eric McPherson, is adept at amorphous, often knotty musical settings that sound natural to the ear. Their third release, a double album called Rewilder, is marked by assured improvised frameworks built with freedom and patience, and with a penchant for nuance and subtlety. Drawing spontaneously from a wide musical palette that spans avant-garde jazz, modern classical, experimental chamber music, and even world fusion, the trio crafts mesmerizing sonic tapestries.

The opener, “Cyclops Mountain”, starts off languidly, immersed in a rubato introduction before delving into intriguing grooves and motions. Piano motifs succeed one after the other, and folk melodies appear here and there over hazy bass walks and rattling percussion. “Axolotl” follows suit, initially somber and contemplative - centered on bowed bass and prepared piano with a vibing, percussive trait - before transitioning into melodic and harmonic clarity.

Spanning over 18 minutes, “Monotreme” showcases bemusing and fearless interplay. Bass and drums take their way, riding avenues with more or less speed and impetus, ending up in a swinging buoyancy over which Davis propagates thrilling cascades, prominent pulsations, and oblique melodic invention. On the heels of a compelling arco bass statement and moments of fun piano activity, the trio concludes on a symbiotic groovy note. “Tree Shrimp” closes the first disc, infusing an intrinsic hip-hop vibration in the beat, irresistibly funky bass imprints, and wooden xylophone-like sounds via prepared piano, before a decisive swinging flight toward abstraction. 

The second disc comprises three large-canvas improvisations delivered with control and authority. The tense pulsations of “Echidna” stand out, forming a delightfully percussive bubble that keeps you trapped in its confines. Rewilder provides a thrilling listening experience filled with surprises and musical liberation.

Favorite Tracks:
02 (CD1) - Axolotl ► 04 (CD1) - Monotreme ► 02 (CD2) - Echidna

Luke Stewart's Silt Trio - Unknown Rivers

Label: Pi Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Brian Settles; tenor saxophone; Luke Stewart: bass; Trae Crudup: drums (#1-4); Chad Taylor: drums (#5-7).

Esteemed bassist Luke Stewart, who has been enriching the creative jazz scene through projects like Irreversible Entanglements and his Exposure Quintet, makes his debut on Pi Recordings with Unknown Rivers, a daring exploration in the trio format. Consisting of seven tracks, the album showcases Stewart's versatility and innovation, featuring drummer Trae Crudup on the first four studio recordings and Chad Taylor on the final three tracks from a live performance at Detroit’s Trinosophes. Renowned saxophonist Brian Settles lends his melodic sagacity to both sessions.

The album opens with “Seek Whence”, driven by Crudup’s modern hip-hop beat and Stewart’s bass fragmentation. Despite its polyrhythmic feel, there’s a weightlessness that vanishes as Settles blows freely over a rich tapestry affiliated with a danceable punk-rock act. The title “Baba Doo Way” transports its phonetic articulation to the motif at the center, which expands and transforms whimsically. Here, devotional tenor phrases expose a chanting quality, while the irregular, complex rhythmic mesh provided by bass and drums accelerates into a confident swinging walk.

In “You See?”, the deep, thick sounds of Stewart work closely with Crudup’s amazing timbres. The piece gradually evolves into a triologue where Settles’ bursts of irreverence standout prior to a calm conclusion. In turn, “The Slip” exhibits a groovy vibe in seven, with the bassist anchoring a palpable harmonic progression under balmy saxophone lines.

The presence of Chad Taylor on the last three tracks brings a new dimension to the album. In “Amilcar”, after a percussion solo introduction filled with joy and tasty licks, we feel like a devastating force in the way the adventurous drummer pairs up with Stewart. Taylor’s high-energy attacks on drums and cymbals brings the exoticism of Afro-Brazilian percussion, while Stewart throws in a provocative odd-metered figure that impels Settles to explore both diction and tone in a prayerful exaltation.

The spiritual-infused “Dudu” features bowed bass and consistently inventive percussion in the line of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, while the closer, “Unknown Rivers”, exudes vibrancy and unconstrained fervency with its sextuple meter feel.

Exploring eclectic avenues with boldness, Stewart steps forward artistically with a risk-taking album whose tracks conjure a synergistic collective spirit that is always on the move, never settling for the ordinary. It underscores his reputation as one of the most inventive and energetic bassists in the field.

Favorite Tracks:
05 - Amilcar ► 06 - Dudu ► 07 - Unknown Rivers

Brandon Ross Phantom Station - Off the End

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2024

Personnel - Brandon Ross: electric guitar, soprano guitar, vocals; Graham Haynes: cornet, electronics; David Virelles: piano, keyboards; JT Lewis: drums; Hardedge: sound design.

American guitarist Brandon Ross ventures into the realm of free experimentalism with Phantom Station, a project that originated as a duo with sound designer Hardedge but has now expanded into a quintet with the addition of seasoned cornetist Graham Haynes, skillful Cuban pianist David Virelles, and versatile drummer JT Lewis. Off the End is a sprawling live suite that spans over an hour, exploring a spectrum of dark musings and illuminated spaces for contrast. 

Working in the moment, the group creates spontaneously, guided by the feeling in hand and intuition. “May Forever Pass Between” opens the album with percussive chops and enigmatic sounds, including eerie whistles and high-pitched vibrations, courtesy of Hardedge and Lewis. The highly explorative “Through the Heart of my Demarcation” unfolds with long cornet notes and intermittent electronic drones, evoking a dark ambient atmosphere propelled by Lewis’ rolling rhythm. Virelles demonstrates why he’s a sought-after pianist, throwing blobby bass lines with his left hand, and then whirling at full speed with the right. At this point, the density is thick, further escalated by Ross’ distorted surges. The piece culminates in a mystery redolent of Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks film score.

“The Gate is Open” introduces vocals by Ross, accompanied by synth undulation, bluesy guitar cries, and apt cornet melodies for a smooth atmospheric texture. “Your Shoes Point Like Arrows” relies on a deep drone substratum to support Haynes’ remarkable upper-register blowing, occasional piano bursts, and caustic guitar incisions. Akin to the latter, Ross summons up a dense nest of notes (this time playing soprano guitar) on “I Can See All of This”, whose gleeful balladry becomes harmonically palpable thanks to Virelles’ brilliant work. Yet, Haynes is off-the-hook here, transcending cliché with unimaginable note choices. It all moves toward a loose end with noodling guitar, utopian piano perspectives, and coruscating brushwork.

Right after the doleful “How Will I Ornament Your Mouth”, comes “Sometimes I Stand Behind You”, which features stark counterpoint and shifting rhythmic cadenzas. However, the standout piece is “Leave it on the Ground”, an avant-garde, sometimes-bluesy affair underpinned by loose-limbed brushes and irregular piano chords, allowing ample room for responsiveness, fragmentation, and diffusion. 

Navigating between light and darkness, Brandon Ross Phantom Station delivers a ceremony that is both loose-jointed and tightly focused, revealing a fearless spirit unbound by stylistic constraints.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Your Shoes Point Like Arrows ► 05 - I Can See All of This ► 10 - Leave it on the Ground

Dan Weiss - Even Odds

Label: Cygnus Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Miguel Zénon: alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano; Dan Weiss: drums.

Drummer and composer Dan Weiss emerges as a rhythmic magician on his captivating new album, Even Odds, infusing every beat and spark with profound meaning and context. With a rare ability to craft narratives through music, Weiss collaborates with saxophonist Miguel Zénon and keyboardist Matt Mitchell to deliver an intriguing collection of six written compositions and provocative improvisations. On the latter, he provides risk-taking, magnetic rhythmic tapestries on top of which his trio mates create freely.

From the frantic energy of “It is What it is”, where pulsating angularity evolves into a dynamic rhythmic tapestry punctuated by insistent saxophone attacks, articulated piano flurries, and Weiss' rock and African-tinged drumming, to the reflective poignancy of Weiss' compositions “The Children of Uvalde” and “Ititrefen", each track offers a unique exploration of its thematic elements. The former piece, written in response to a tragic school shooting in Texas, unfolds as an elegiac ballad with intriguing harmonic vibrations, while the latter pays tribute to Wayne Shorter's “Nefertiti” in a clever reversal of the title.

“Fathers and Daughters” celebrates parenthood with more tenderness than friction, while “Max Roach”, fueled by a fabulously syncopated drum work, delves into the secrets behind the late drummer’s playing in Charlie Parker’s “Klactoveedsedstene”. Weiss also pays homage to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in “Nusrat”, infusing an irresistible, chilled-out nu-beat that resulted from transplanting a Qawwali tabla rhythm into the drum set.

Among the impromptu material, the following provocative pieces stand out: “Bu”, a free-form communicative effort whose principle consists in a pattern by iconic drummer Art Blakey; “Rising”, which sets a visceral shuffling beat against tranquil saxophone and piano lines; “M and M”, placing fractal saxophone runs and galloping motifs side by side with piano constellations built in clever intervals; and “Five to Nine”, laced with odd-metered undercurrents and contrapuntal interplay. 

Each track, whether composed or improvised, serves as a testament to Weiss’ multifaceted, brainy sense of rhythm and his peers’ facility to connect and expand musical horizons. Even Odds offers results that, transporting listeners beyond ordinary realms, invites them to embrace the extraordinary.

Favorite Tracks:
09 - Five To Nine ► 14 - Max Roach ► 20 - Nusrat

Fire! - Testament

Label: Rune Grammofon Records, 2024

Personnel - Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone; Johan Berthling: bass; Andreas Werliin: drums.

The explorative Swedish trio Fire! - comprising saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Johan Berthling, and drummer Andreas Werliin - first convened in 2009 before expanding successfully into an orchestra. Their eighth album, Testament, comprises five tracks presented in a more skeletal form, stripped down to pure sax-bass-drums tapestries devoid of electronics or additional elements. All the same, these cuts exalt the artistic and improvisatory leanings of the musicians.

“Work Song for a Scattered Past” imposes circularity with a patterned bass phrase, invigorated by dynamic drumming and growling saxophone blows. They elastically push apart but, at the end, converge into consonance. “The Dark Inside of Cabbage” displays relaxed if lumbering baritone lines over a rhythmic bed of bass drones and skittering drum chatters.

“Four Ways of Dealing With One Way” unfolds as a hypnotic, repetitive exercise, its mutable saxophone tones deceptively floating through time. Gustafsson’s performance on “Running Bison, Breathing Entity, Sleeping Reality” captivates as he blends growling expressions, breathing techniques, multiphonics, and a mix of popping and flapping sounds filled with rich tonal resonances. Over time, it becomes chanty with the assistance of rumbling and tidy bass as well as percussion, gradually evolving into a mesmerizing slowcore enchantment.

Strangely accessible, the album comes to a close with “One Testament, One Aim, One More to Go, Again”, where a plain eight-beat cycle bass figure, neatly backed by Werliin’s understated percussion, gives free rein to a smoky rock stride and flavorful Eastern influences. Testament was recorded live in the studio on analog tape and expertly mixed by renowned rock audio engineer Steve Albini.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Work Song for a Scattered Past ► 04 - Running Bison, Breathing Entity, Sleeping Reality ► 05 - One Testament, One Aim, One More to Go, Again

Dave Harrington / Max Jaffe / Patrick Shiroishi - Speak, Moment

Label: AKP Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Dave Harrington: guitar, electronics; Max Jaffe: drums, sensory percussion, effects; Patrick Shiroishi: saxophones, bells, tambourine.

The trio co-led by guitarist Dave Harrington, drummer Max Jaffe, and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi delivers deeply improvisatory yet subtly nuanced performances in their debut album, Speak, Moment. Comprising five collective improvisations recorded in a single afternoon, the album explores atmospheric sonic environments with intuition and spontaneity.

The album opens with the guard-down rubato balladry of “Staring Into the Imagination (of Your Face)”, whose wispy contemplative tone results from tranquil saxophone melodies with slightly dissonant slips and vibrato, ambient guitar, and coruscating brushwork with incidence on cymbals. At the end, we can hear an arpeggiated sax phrase that repeats with electronics in the background. “How to Draw Buildings” has Harrington assembling droning persistence, Eastern melodies, and rock experimentalist over Jaffe’s shamanic percussion. The sounds become weepier as the piece progresses.

“Dance of the White Shadow and Golden Kite” takes the form of a hypnotic elliptical dance with strange exoticism exuding from the rich timbres of the rhythm. There’s admirable saxophone work and effects here, and the overall picture transports us to some eclectic ECM albums by Jan Garbarek and Collin Walcott. Contrasting with the other pieces, “Ship Rock” channels the skronky guitarism of Sonny Sharrock, in a combination of shredding, staccato-infused electric guitar, fleet saxophone lines, and high-strung drumming.

The album concludes with “Return in 100 Years, the Colors Will be at Their Peak”, a foray into freer territory after walking a tightrope between Eastern and American sounds. Tidal guitar waves are pelted with distortion, the saxophone toggles between gravitation and compression, and the percussion mutates with elasticity. It ends with raspy droplets of guitar, while angular asymmetric saxophone lines fizz between the cracks. 

Sharing a positive and open affiliation, this trio delves into charming ambiances with an impulse to disrupt the norms and redraw the lines.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - How to Draw Buildings ► 03 - Dance of the White Shadow and Golden Kite ► 05 - Return in 100 Years, the Colors Will Be at Their Peak

Ivo Perelman - Seven Skies Orchestra

Label: Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023

Personnel - Ivo Perelman: tenor sax; Nate Wooley: trumpet; Mat Maneri: viola; Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello; Joe Morris: bass; Matt Moran: vibes.

Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman stands as an unwavering improviser who refuses to tread standardized paths. His open-mindedness and creativity are mirrored in an extensive discography of duos and trios, but his latest release, Seven Skies Orchestra, is a chamber improvisational work that offers a rare opportunity to hear him leading a larger ensemble of fantastic sonic painters. He pairs up with trumpeter Nate Wooley in the frontline, having vibist Matt Moran providing sinuous harmonic context, and a trio of string players - violist Mat Maneri, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, and bassist Joe Morris - designing a multitude of paths with color and detail. The double album comprises ten improvised expositions, but for the present review, I’m going to focus on disc one.

In “Part One”, Moran’s transcendent vibes sets the stage, later backed by Morris’ loose foundation over which Perelman and Wooley engage in a dialogue with unccpompromised freedom. It’s like listening to a superbly articulated conversation whose intensity ebbs and flows whimsically. The protagonists change, dialoguing often in pairs, with logic and abandon. By the end, we are presented with nicely robust and exquisitely shapeless passages.

“Part Two” commences with expert slides and glides, with Wooley infusing sinuous phrases and Perelman responding with contrasting low-register blows, circular patterns, and thrilling staccatos. This occurs while Maneri and Lonberg-Holm instill a folk innuendo into the avant-jazz setting, and the piece becomes almost collectively mantric, in an expression of unity that goes beyond improvisation.

The introductory interplay of “Part Three” stems from the cogitation of the instruments clashing and acquiescing in a positive manner. It’s a pondering piece that builds to a peak with a tenor improvisation over bass and vibes, in a more contemplative demonstration of the group’s capacities.

The music constantly lives of dynamism and mood shifts, and “Part Four” is here to prove it. It can be busy and tumultuous one minute, hushed and cool the next.
Perelman always considers new collaborators to explore fresh sounds and expand musical horizons. Seven Skies Orchestra stands as a singular entry in his extensive body of work.

Favorite Tracks (CD1):
01 - Part One ► 02 - Part Two ► 04 - Part Four

Rich Halley - Fire Within

Label: Pine Eagle Records, 2023

Personnel - Rich Halley: tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

Fire Within, the fully improvised third recording by Rich Halley with the trio of pianist Matthew Shipp - featuring bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker - unfolds as a speculative fiction, coherently weaving elements from both the past and the present. 

Rooted more in the earthy than the cosmic, the album opens with the title track, “Fire Within”, where Halley unleashes feverish Coltrane staples against the instinctive drive of the rhythm section. Shipp, swinging along with inventive pulsations and advanced melodic and harmonic approaches, reaches epic proportions in his comping when Halley takes the lead. Baker seizes an unaccompanied moment, bringing his carefully chosen timbres and excellent technique to the fore prior to the beautiful melodicism that concludes the piece.

On “Inferred”, the meticulous and devotional bass work by Bisio comes first, and the piece evolves from balladic tones to a more vigorous, busy, and highly explorative passage with intensive saxophone blows. Shipp follows with a piano monologue, validating his status as a progressive thinker and the source of many propulsive motions.

While “Through Still Air” invites musing reflections with smooth, cerebral playing, “Angular Logic” takes on a dancing quality, digging in deep and never letting up. You’ll find marching routines in Baker’s snare moves, with Shipp interjecting lower-register harmonic chunks and bewildering right-hand whirls in his mercurial exploration of rhythmic cadences.

Aptly titled, “Following the Stream” kicks off with well-rounded drums before acquiring a loose feel, at times impetuous. A lilting breeze is embraced when Shipp is at the helm, and Halley joins the invitation, throwing in motifs. The piece ends with lines and accentuations reminiscent of Coltrane and Art Blakey, respectively.

Halley adeptly navigates textures with genuine sensibility, while the rhythm team surprises listeners with their ability to intuitively connect. Fire Within brims with contagious ideas, showcasing the synergy and creativity of the quartet.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fire Within ► 02- Inferred ► 03 - Angular Logic

Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins

Label: Trost Records, 2023

Personnel - Rodrigo Amado: tenor saxophone; Alexander von Schlippenbach; piano; Ingebrigt Haker Flaten: bass; Gerry Hemingway: drums.

The Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado has consistently explored the outer boundaries of improvised jazz, striving to breaking new ground at each new collaboration. His latest recording, Beyond the Margins, features an international quartet known as The Bridge, with German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and American drummer Gerry Hemingway. This three-track album is a leap forward for Amado who, fully committed to bringing expressivity and energy to the setting, extracts the utmost from the group’s push-and-pull inventiveness.

The journey begins with the title cut, a sprawling 40-minute piece filled with spontaneous detours, a bountiful fruit of their visionary creativity. Amado’s tenor, skillfully bending notes to create a sense of delightful dissonance in the phrasing, dances atop a dreamlike Coltranean texture that, steering away from melancholy, soon escalates in density and intensity. The music follows a focused direction, painted by amorphous bass moves and colorful drum work. Burnished high-range saxophone lines and agile piano take turns in the melodic thread, and we realize these musicians respect each other’s spaces within the framework.
Fine melodies and balanced rhythmic cadences are complemented with bright figures, which usually culminate in moments of visceral impact. Tricky harmonic choices, crisp angularity, and staggering rhythms are all part of the music tapestry. As the piece unfolds, we have expansion and contraction as expected, ending with a swinging eruption driven by Haker Flaten, who previously had operated with arco, and Hemingway, a sophisticated drummer who infuses meticulously placed rhythms throughout.

A piano riff sets “Personal Mountains” in motion, soon joined by bracing drumming, candid bass lines, and folk-inspired saxophone chants that gain further expression in “(visiting) Ghosts”. The latter, a free interpretation of Albert Ayler’s original piece, plays out like a spiritual ballad at the outset before exploding with energy.

Amado and The Bridge demonstrate a remarkable ability to work at both micro and macro levels, crafting moments that captivate the attention of open-eared listeners. Alternating between apparent stagnancy, simmering tension, and fiery explosions, this is a record free jazzers should go for.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Beyond the Margins ► 02 - Personal Mountains

Nicole Mitchell & Alexander Hawkins - At Earth School

Label: Astral Spirits Records, 2023

Personnel - Nicole Mitchell: flute, voice; Alexander Hawkins: piano, bells.

American flutist Nicole Mitchell and British pianist Alexander Hawkins stand as two indelible forces in the avant-garde jazz scene. Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging World (FPE Records, 2017) and Togetherness Music (Intakt, 2021), respectively, are stunning albums that I personally consider essential listening experiences.

Recorded live last year at London’s Cafe OTO, this duo effort brings their adept improvising skills and bubbling chemistry to the fore while seamlessly transitioning from soothing atmospheres to intense avant-garde expression. Exuding fascination, “Miracle Witness” immediately earns our ears and hearts through an impeccably intoned flute whose reflective melodies shine over the dreamy piano textures that support them.

Both “Interlocking Imaginations” and the closing piece, “Flicker Bounce Glide”, are more agitated, maintaining a dynamic rhythmic quality that never compromises responsiveness in their interplay. On the latter, Mitchell, toggling between flute and voice, operates over the resilient pulsing vivacity that emerges from Hawkins’ nimble pianism.

A complex mesh of avant-garde and modern classical elements often enriches these pieces’ tapestries. “What Are You Afraid of”, a confrontational rumination on fear, freedom, and truth, is stirred by Mitchell’s provocative narration, before segueing into “There is a Balm in Gilead”, a traditional African American spiritual delivered with elegant tenderness.

“The Stars are Listening” evokes the sounds of a primeval forest, breathing ample air via tinkling bell sounds, sparse piano notes (with occasional extended techniques), and multi-timbral flute calls. On the other hand, “Jalopy Ride” is an inventive blues piece delivered with a modern striding technique, showcasing the twosome’s ability to play with no particular concern with time. They definitely ear each other, interacting with bold shapes of their own.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Miracle Witness ► 03 - Jalopy Ride ► 09 - Flicker Bounce Glide

Hery Paz - Jardineros

Label: 577 Records, 2023

Personnel - Hery Paz: saxophone, flute, piano, suona; Román Díaz: percussion, voice; Francisco Mela: drums.

With an uncanny ability to mix freedom and substance, the Cuban-born, New York-based multi-instrumentalist and painter Hery Paz surprises and enchants at every step of his new recording, one that evokes his fascinating, rich and complex cultural identity. Jardineros is a powerful statement made in the company of two fellow countrymen with advanced percussive skills - Román Díaz and Francisco Mela.

The two-minute opener, “Calle Libertad”, is based on the Cuban traditional rhythm Danzón. It throws agile folk-soaked flute lines on top of the deep, resonant tones of Diaz’s bonkó enchemiya drum. Paz embraces the duo format on two other ocasions, both with Mela, who makes use of his diverse drum-sound palette: “Arroyo Lajas”, which, adopting a free jazz posture, showcases Paz’s sturdy tenor sound and breathtaking language; and “Miel de la Tierra”, which merges Cuban folklore and unchained expression with a bright sense of vitality. By switching from flute to saxophone, the bandleader fires up the infectious avant-garde jazz foray that concludes the latter piece.

“Jardineros” is set in motion with crisp alignments between sax and flute, lively drum sounds, and cymbal shimmering. On this cut, calls and responses are triggered by a numbered series of symbolic drawings, but it’s the coiling tenor lines that seem to be in command, straddling between motivic chants and avant-jazz diffusion. Totally different timbres come to the fore on “Conga Espirituana”, where Paz plays two suonas simultaneously, a traditional double-reed Chinese instrument that gives the music a strange Eastern spell. It floats right above the percussive haze of Afro-Cuban rhythms in an evocation of spiritual roots and nature.

“Comunión”, an instrumental marked by irresistible interplay, displays syncopated conga cadences, restrained drumming, and focused tenor blows. It contrasts with the two numbers that accommodate lyrics - “El Real de las Palmas” was written by Diaz, who also provides a wonderful narration of the text. Paz’s piano work - sometimes abstract, sometimes mysterious - runs in the background. In turn, “Barrio del Jobo” was penned by Paz, and captures the nostalgia for his land and family.

Upending the jazz world with a multi-cultural vision that goes beyond the conventional, Paz is a musical force to be reckoned with.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Jardineros ► 03 - Arroyo Lajas ► 06 - Miel de la Tierra

Peter Brotzmann / Majid Bekkas / Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts

Label: ACT, 2023

Personnel - Peter Brotzmann: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Majid Bekkas: guembri, voice; Hamid Drake: drums, percussion.

The late German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, who left us on June 22nd at the age of 82, was at the wheel of numerous free jazz outings over the course of a rich six-decade career. His last recordings - An Eternal Reminder of Not Today (with the experimental rock outfit Oxbow) and Naked Nudes (with cellist Fredrik Lonberg-Holm and pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh) are worthy musical journeys, as well as this entirely improvised live recording, Catching Ghosts, a culture-blending trio effort with Moroccan guembri player and vocalist Majid Bekkas and American drummer Hamid Drake.

Brotzmann was open to exploring new territories on every session, and the threesome here frame their distinct sounds into an offbeat hybrid fusion of gnawa songs and free jazz. The program, recorded live at Jazzfest Berlin 2022, offers four free-flowing and unrehearsed gnawa traditional pieces that, following consistent textural palettes, are galvanized by the driving force of Brotzmann’s saxophone playing. The opener, “Chalaba”, blazes the trail. The two-stringed, camel-skin-backed guembri can sound like a bass in the lower registers, soon establishing a sextuple time groove while having clean cymbal scintillation by its side. The saxophone clamors find space between phrases, entering this dance arena with either growling intensity or hoarse moaning, yet invariably with class and personality.

The following three pieces were included on Bekkas’ 2002 album African Gnaoua Blues. “Mawama” appears here with strong hi-hat pulsation and snare activity, putting more emphasis on the vocals than the sax; the 14-minute “Hamdouchia” presents a 10-beat cycle groove, having Brotzmann - in all his fiery, subversive and provocative style - responding to Bakkas’ voice; and “Balini”, both propulsive and airy, features Brotzmann’s whining clarinet prayers over rhythmic interlocking patterns generated by Bekkas and Drake.

These musicians take chances, each serving the material with musical passion and care. This is a wonderful goodbye from Brotzmann, a force of nature who will be deeply missed by all free jazzers.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Chalaba ► 03 - Hamdouchia

Evan Parker / Matthew Wright, Trance Map+ - Etching the Ether

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Evan Parker: soprano saxophone; Matthew Wright: live electronics, sound design; Peter Evans: trumpet, piccolo trumpet; Mark Nauseef: percussion.

This recording reunites the British saxophonist Evan Parker and his fellow countryman, the electronic musician, turntablist and sound designer Matthew Wright. Together, they are Trance Map, a project in constant mutation. As usual, ambiguity and experimentation prevail, with two talented guest musicians helping them build something unique on the spur of the moment. The participation of trumpeter Peter Evans and percussionist Mark Nauseef, and the way they deal with sound and texture, makes Etching the Ether a much more exciting record than the previous, Crepuscule in Nickelsdorff (Intakt, 2019).

Putting today’s technology at their service, the foursome begin their inexhaustible post-jazz excursion with “At Altitude”, combining high-pitched whistles, droning electronics, infinite soprano roundabouts, growling trumpet multiphonics, sparse gong vibrations, and a mix of tinkling, rattling, and metallic percussion sounds.

With tense layers of sound as their grooves, and a fusion of circularity and obliqueness as their language, “Drawing Breath”, at nearly 21 minutes, is an instigation with breadth of vision. There’s an intensification of the percussive tract at an early stage and a buzzing tapestry over which Evans unpacks swift trumpet phrases with an excitable temperament. Parker joins him to probe orbicular and elliptical trajectories that, occurring in parallel, create an intensively flickering stimulus on the ear. Riffing in ecstasy, they reach magnitudes of sound whose color, shape and motion are difficult to anticipate. By the end, electronic murmurations accommodate dark synth-like waves and noisy patterns of different pitches.

For “Engaged in Seeking”, the leaders gave full rein to Nauseef, who created an elusive background in post-production. He contributes heavily to a wider and deeper dimension of the music, whose intensities are masterfully commanded by Parker and Evans. They reach a climax before the quiet finale, with the trumpeter stretching erratically over a granular texture. This stirring, free-flowing ride is best experienced in sequence.

Favorite Tracks: 
02 - Drawing Breath ► 03 - Engaged in Seeking

MØ:San - Mr. Mountain's Folktales

Label: AMP Music & Records, 2023

Personnel - Jung-Jae Kim: saxophone; Finlay Hare: cello; Amund Nordstrøm: drums, modular synth. 

This Norway-based improvisational trio called MØ:SAN trades in avant-garde jazz atmospheres and hinges on interaction to express their creativity. South Korean saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim leads the group and provides all eight compositions that compose this first album, Mr. Mountain’s Folktales. The pieces are drawn from conventional and unconventional musical aspects, including graphic scores, with Kim being joined by British cellist Finlay Hare and Norwegian drummer Amund Nordstrøm.

The ship sets sail with “Mountain Blue”, traversing waves of abstraction that are formed by deep raspy cello, contemplative saxophone chants, and considerable percussive variety. On “Reverberation” we have mantric undulations via a cello drone, mystic horn murmurs and volatile if resolved drumming.

There’s a mix of refined and unpolished expressions, fruit of the bevy of sounds with which they play. Take the example of the subtle and minimalist “Conjunction”, with its rattling percussion, poppy sax notes, and sparse cello pizzicato turned into occasional strumming to reinforce harmonic background. This piece gets closer to the soaringly prayerful “Ascension”, whose formless ambience of pacific tones enables modular synth curlicues prepared by Nordstrøm. These two pieces differ in mood and texture from “Tapestry”, a spiky-but-pretty number that develops with growling and multiphonic blows, winding cello patterns that range in pitch, and adequate drum playing.

Whereas the multiphonics-infused “Tube” starts off moody and ends up forcefully, “Irony” hits the sweet spot of chamber music with its classical intonation and scintillating melodic conduction. Cleverly, the trio adds some elements of surprise.

With unpredictable soundscapes, Mr. Mountain’s Folktales is a testament to the power of collaboration and sound arrangement as an art form. Kim tells a story about a man in the mountains and his relationship with nature in a work that is organically constructed according to the musical freedom he vouches. MØ:SAN knows where they’re stepping onto, opening up a narrative path to sound discoveries.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mountain Blue ► 04 - Conjunction ► 05 - Tapestry

Daniel Carter / Leo Genovese / William Parker / Francisco Mela - Shine Hear Vol. 1

Label: 577 Records, 2023

Personnel - Daniel Carter: saxophones; Leo Genovese: piano; William Parker: bass, gralla, shakuhachi; Francisco Mela: drums, voice.

This potent quartet composed of two veteran leaders of the downtown free jazz scene - saxophonist Daniel Carter and bassist William Parker (here taking a larger role as he joins the frontline playing woodwind instruments) - and two excellent  musicians of a younger generation - Argentine pianist Leo Genovese and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela - deliver a cutting-edge session of free improvisation in which they show not to be afraid of dissonance, atonality, and experiment with sound.

“Intertext Salute” exhibits a moderate yet assured percussive drive at the outset, with irregular piano coiling, fully framed bass work in the forms of sturdy pizzicato and burbling arco, and poised manifestations of saxophone angularity. At some point Parker brings the gralla (a Catalan double reed instrument) into the game. He and Carter burn through simultaneous phrases that, emphasizing accentuation, create a sophisticated and witty musical dialogue. Tonally brilliant, Genovese’s playing feels like a tornado of tremendous force, and the energy peak coincides with when Mela’s Cuban chants start to intensify.

Many will say the intensity wanes on “Shine Hear”, a splendorous modal piece of immense beauty, but moments like this one do make the difference. With big ears and resourceful skills, they express themselves in a prayerful communion where saxophone and shakuhachi interact closely.

The concluding cut, “Glisten Up” goes through a cycle of different moods and textures. Furious gralla lines fly atop the martial snare drum flow; subsequently, we have soaring piano hooks rambling until crashing loudly in the low register; and then a repetitive vocal phrase uttered by Mela while maintaining a steady rhythmic pulse. This becomes the motivic center for what comes next. Carter seems to evoke the black spiritual “When the Saints Are Marching In” at the beginning of his statement; there are reflective phrases over mechanic rat-a-tat-tas and apt chordal work; and everything fades into a dreamy ambience with bowed bass at the fore.

Assembled with structural and sonic invention, this disc is a vast sea of interminable motion and mood. With ensembles like this, one can still find coherent free jazz cooked with taste and passion. With new sounds but also with the intensity of the old times.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Intertext Salute ► 02 - Shine Hear

Lurch Purse - Don't Mess With Lurch Purse

Label: Mother Brain Records, 2023

Personnel - Michael Eaton: tenor saxophone; Max Kutner: electric guitar; Kevin Shea: drums.

The collaborative free-improv trio Lurch Purse, composed of saxophonist Michael Eaton (James Brandon Lewis, Dave Liebman and Lionel Loueke appeared on his recordings), guitarist Max Kutner (Grandmothers of Invention) and drummer Kevin Shea (Most Other People Do the Killing, Peter Evans Quartet), debuts with Don’t Mess With Lurch Purse, an album whose title works like a warning for the avalanche of tense and intense sounds built.

Their rough-around-the-edges approach has authoritative saxophone expressions combined with guitar interjections and irregular drumming, giving way to unstoppable forays - Eaton explores range and multiphonics within blunt-toned phrases, Kutner delves into roaring distorted rampages inspired by thrash metal, and Shea provides rambunctious drum work with unremitting energy. 

Following this first improvisation titled “Five Years in a Concrete Egg”, comes “Boite de Lune”, which offers air sounds and long saxophone notes contrasting with speckled guitar noodling. It all changes into fast runs and vehement drumming, in a restless agitation that lasts eight minutes, time when Eaton spits out jumpy intervals to obtain off-the-wall responses from Kutner. The thing with this free jazz ensemble is that intensity is constantly peaking and that can become exhausting.

The musicians certainly show admirable skills, but this recording is in need of more twists to fully work, being one of those ear-puncturing blasts that are too manic to reward a close listening. “Crack Goblins” falls into cacophonous delirium, with intermittent drum attacks and strangled guitar gamboling over it. This is the type of record that would benefit from more variation in the dynamics or, if maintaining the level of verve, less duration. Still, it will probably appeal to those searching for free form, bursting energy, and pugnacious improvisation in music.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Five Years in a Concrete Egg