Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas vol. 2 (Soul What Records / ESP-Disk, 2018)

I abhor Christmas music with a vehemence usually saved only for climate change deniers and Cowboys fans. But yoke it to the indelible melodies of Albert Ayler and infuse is with the free jazz improvisations of some of the best musicians in Chicago and Vienna and I can be convinced to grant a reprieve. Band leader Mars Williams is a saxophonist who's work has ran the gamut from the AACM to rock and pop, but we're clearly in the free jazz realm here and he is right at home. "Xmas Medley" opens the album, with guest Jeb Bishop sitting in on trombone, the music has the ragged joy that Ayler drew from traditional tunes, but applied to seasonal fare, and then torn asunder with powerful muster. Cello saws mightily, aside threshing percussion and horns, and Williams leaps out with a very impressive saxophone solo, pushed hard by the surging band. Blustery brass and crushing drums take up the mantle and push the music even further forward in a very exciting interlude, before the music drops to a dynamic quiet for strings and bells. The horns gradually fill in, developing an excellent sounding texture with the strings, they embark up on another melody, with the horns taking point, regaining the volume and force, charging ahead and repeating the theme faster and faster to the conclusion. "O Tannenbaum/Spirits/12 Days of Christmas" has stoic bowing, bass and vocals leading the group into the performance, which then explodes into an Ayler like theme and takes off into a powerful collective free improvisation. The Vienna group is a tight five piece band and they absolutely soar with the bass and drums locked in and the horns flying overhead and subtle electronics adding heft. A sparkling trumpet solo leads the group into another powerful collective improvisation, incorporating snatches of the themes into their muscular playing as they power through a roaring performance. Williams picks apart the "12 Days" theme with a blustery upper register screech, then the band returns to slam the door on the performance. The short "Love Cry/Christmas Wrapping" is a blast, combining one of Ayler's most memorable themes with a hit by a rock band Williams played in, The Waitresses. The horns invoke Ayler's music and then tear it open, unleashing a performance that could rend space and time with the power of the horns, and the crushing rhythm. "Carol of the Drum/Bells/O Come Emanuel/Joy to the World" opens with fractured rhythm section playing, and the music gradually pulls together as the horns enter and state a theme and the full band falls in behind it, moving into Ayler's own martial like theme "Bells." The group weaves deft improvisation with the themes presented in this medley, creating a powerful group sound that resonates throughout this lengthy performance. Charging ahead and then slowing dramatically, the music is a dynamic force to be reckoned with, as raw scalding guitar rakes the ground along with rampaging horns, and a raucous conclusion. Finally "Universal Indians/We Wish You a Merry Christmas" has the band riffing on a bright Ayler theme to begin, led by Williams strident saxophone playing and some taut electronics and trumpet. They gracefully shift gears into the holiday song, even singing a greeting as the music leaves a genuine and pleasant farewell. An Ayler Xmas Volume 2 - amazon.com

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Francis Davis / NPR 2018 Jazz Critics Poll Ballot

These are the choices I made for the upcoming Francis Davis / NPR 2018 Jazz Critics Poll. The usual caveats about me being a fan/enthusiast and not a critic apply. Thanks to Davis and Tom Hull for putting this together, and a special thank you to all of the musicians and music writers who continue to make life bearable.

• Choices for this year’s 10 best New Releases (albums released between last Thanksgiving and this, give or take) listed in descending order one-through-ten.

1. Assif Tsahar / William Parker / Hamid Drake - In Between The Tumbling A Stillness (Hopscotch)
2. Andrew Cyrille / Wadada Leo Smith / Bill Frisell - Lebroba (ECM)
3. Full Blast - Rio (Trost)
4. Daniel Carter / William Parker / Matthew Shipp - Seraphic Light Live At Tufts University (AUM Fidelity)
5. Jon Irabagon - Dr. Quixotic's Traveling Exotics (Irabbagast)
6. Mia Dyberg Trio - Ticket! (Clean Feed)
7. Rodrigo Amado - A History of Nothing (Trost)
8. Angles 3 - Parede (Clean Feed)
9. The Thing - Again (Trost Records)
10. Chris Pitsiokos CP Unit - Silver Bullet In The Autumn Of Your Years (Clean Feed)

• Top-three Reissues or Historical albums, again listed in descending order

1. Milford Graves - Babi (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
2. David S. Ware - The Balance (Vision Festival XV +) (AUM Fidelity)
3. Charles Mingus - Jazz in Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Selden (BBE Music)

• Choice for the year's best Vocal album

William Parker - Flower In a Stained-Glass Window and The Blinking of The Ear (AUM Fidelity)

• Choice for the year's best Debut album

Adam Hopkins - Crickets (Out Of Your Head Records)

• Choice for the year’s best Latin jazz album

David Virelles - Igbo Alakorin: The Singer's Grove Vol. I & II (Pi-Recordings)

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Harriet Tubman - The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside, 2018)

Harriet Tubman was a larger than life American Hero and it's understandable how she could be a guiding light for the trio that invokes her name. Brandon Ross on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass and JT Lewis on drums seamlessly meld jazz, rock and dub reggae in an original fashion, and use a telepathic sensibility in their improvisations honed over many years performing together. The album opens with "Farther Unknown" which builds through crisp drumming and stinging guitar playing, to develop quite a sense of momentum that bursts into a strong improvisation with shards of feedback, deep and resonant bass and muscular rhythm. Their trio improvisation is a majestic flight above the clouds buoyed by gale force updrafts of soaring guitar and and ever shifting bass and percussion groove, reaching apogee and gliding quietly for a spell with spare guitar in space, taking in the view before landing. "3000 Words" has bass building a rock solid foundation for the drums and guitar to slash the air around them like samurai locked in combat. The music is heavy and visceral, inhabiting a tight space, with large bounding notes of bass guitar taking up physical space and strong backbeat with the producer adding mysterious loops and effects. There is some great funky drumming on "The Green Book Blues" where Lewis is just in the zone, as the heavy bass and the electronics and effects swirl around him like a fever dream. Bass and guitar power through, making this track into more of an intricate and experimental soundscape, filled with fun house mirrors that reflect the sound through loops and pedals, before releasing a powerful electric guitar solo, that is eventually swallows up by the maelstrom of sound that surrounds it. “Unseen Advance of the Aquifarian” has a powerful full band theme with shimmering sparks of guitar, thick bass and slashing cymbals. The music picks up pace to a very impressive and exciting collective improvisation, as the band powers forward relentlessly, all for one and one for all, invoking the fusion of Lifetime or the Decoding Society as they reach for the cosmos in an explosive performance. Their version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" is fascinating, swathed in electronics and backward sounds, the melody is hinted at and the song is played with reverence, with stark guitar reaching out, melding and sculpting the theme along with the bass and percussion, as the song is played with a stoic and defiant beauty. "The Terror End of Beauty" has a mellow beginning of strummed guitar, which quickly grows with the addition of bass and drums, with the dynamism building energy as the volume and pace grow exponentially and the band lifts off into a powerful collective improvisation that is thrilling to hear. Ross is shedding at a Sonny Sharrock level and the drums are apocalyptic, only to have the band pull back into a bass anchored melodic section where they regain their bearings and race for the finish line. Engineer Scotty Hard was important in helping the band achieve the sound they were looking for, and this shows how committed the band is to forward movement, their songs and playing are first rate on this excellent and commendable album. The Terror End of Beauty - amazon.com

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Ken Vandermark / Klaus Kugel / Mark Tokar - No​-​Exit Corner (NotTwo Records, 2018)

This is a very exciting creative improvised jazz album by a trio featuring tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark, drummer Klaus Kugel, and bassist Mark Tokar, recorded in Krakow during 2016. "Left Sided Driver" opens the album with raw tenor saxophone astride tight bass and drums playing a very hard and exciting improvisation right out of the gate, their sound is lacerating and powerful with scouring saxophone, thick sounding bass and shattering drumming creating a thrilling overall sound that sweeps the listener away, with seemingly limitless creativity at a very high speed. There is a powerful brief drum solo that develops a mighty rhythm, which is then melded into their overall muscular free jazz blowout. The music eases into a well articulated bass solo, played with well grounded patience and style, and framed by cymbals, then the group reestablishes its communication, coming together to improvise as a cohesive unit, driving relentlessly toward the performance's conclusion. There is a slippery bowed bass introduction to "Everyday Fabric" that is very well played, introducing textures and hues with percussion and horn gradually edging in. The music is spare and abstract, with much open space, that builds in pace and volume ever so slightly, leading to a more forceful and frenetic improvisation with gale force drumming and howls of saxophone anchored with stoic bass playing. The band roars forth like an unstoppable train roaring down the tracks, only to drop off for an abstract section of sculpted little sounds, proving that this band doesn't have to simply roar to get its point across. "Objective 49" has quicksilver clarinet, skittish percussion and bowed bass setting an interesting tone for the forthcoming performance, the improvisation is very interesting, with shorter jabs, and longer held tones creating an unfolding, unpredictable feat with wonderful bowed bass and pops of clarinet and chimes. Another short track, "Split Hinge," has a fast pace and a torrential free improvisation that is very exciting to listen to, with the raw and powerful tenor saxophone's dark and cutting tone meeting up with sand blasting drumming and strong bass playing to generate a quick jolt of powerful excitement, the free jazz equivalent of the Ramones going 1-2-3-4 and then pinning their ears back and howling. The final track, "Message to the Past," has a quieter and more reverential focus with spare cymbals and chimes and cello like bowing. A circular sound builds along side them, with Vandermark on clarinet, adding color and texture to the slow and spare performance. The music develops faster with swirls of artistic clarinet then saxophone around bowed bass and washes of cymbals creating a unique atmosphere, turning it into a classy and cunning collective improvisation that makes the most of everyone's talents, and marks the perfect ending to a compelling and successful album. No-Exit Corner - Bandcamp

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Trio Heinz Herbert - Yes (Intakt,2018)

Trio Heinz Herbert is an electronic jazz band consisting of Dominik Landolt on guitar and effects, Ramon Landolt on synths, samples and piano and Mario Hänni on drums and effects. Mixing free jazz with psychedelic rock and aspects of modern electronic music to create a true modern  fusion, driven by energetic improvisation. The opening track "J" has scattered beats and electronic passages with acoustic piano layered within them. They create a wide soundscape, where the atmosphere has breathing room, pulsating electronic beats upping the pace, with crisp drumming creating a full undulating sound for the band. Swirling arcs of electronic sound weave around the beats and chattering sounds, leading into pummeling percussion, as the never still music marches on. "J++" bursts out with the full band creating a vibrant and in your face sound of electronics and drumming that beats like the heart of an animal and cries with snarling electric guitar over its short running time. "Kohasion" develops a subtle guitar groove, that soon meets thick drumming and resonant piano in an ominous performance that would be perfect in a Scandinavian crime drama. They reach out melodically and rhythmically, developing the piece thematically as it gradually increases in pace and volume. They meet a glitchy section that clanks and whirrs alarmingly before gaining strength for the conclusion. "Silo Partikel" leads with crunchy electronics grinding their way forward, developing a tight rhythm, and an enclosed atmosphere that borders on claustrophobic. bursts of sound, static and oppressive marching beats bear down upon the listener, opening into beams of electronics and heavy drumming, building a swirling miasma of sound. Their mastery of dynamic flow allows the trio to blend in areas of uneasy calm to the overall sound sculpture, providing definition of the whole of their creation. Lightening the mood a bit "Gravity" inserts a solid rhythm against a keyboard motif, before taking flight in a fast paced krautrock meets alt-rock flight into the upper atmosphere. Hanni's tight beat is the key providing a fulcrum around which the loud and strange electronics can ply their wares. "Darkspace" has a haunted ambiance of a science fiction film or video game, with spare electronics and guitar providing the atmosphere of loneliness, exploring a derelict spaceship orbiting a distant planet, with smears of electronic noise and melancholy piano used to chilling effect. If you're into post-modern fusion, this is definitely an album worth checking out, these musicians have the benefit of the most up to date technology and use it to create music that defies easy categorization. and challenge their audience to listen and explore with them. Yes - amazon.com

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Kaja Draksler / Petter Eldh / Christian Lillinger - Punkt.Vrt.Plastik (Intakt, 2018)

This was a very impressive modern jazz record by Kaja Draksler on piano, Petter Eldh on bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. They first met at an improviser's summit in Amsterdam where their musical chemistry clicked, eventually recording this album in February of 2018 in Cologne. "Nuremberg Amok" has snappy drumming and thick bass playing, allowing the piano to reach out and range widely, adding clusters of notes that are interesting, and providing color for a collective improvisation that floats grandly. Wonderful filigrees of piano notes lead into a brisk and exciting solo, egged on by insistent bass and drums. There is a deep robustness to the bass that anchors the trio to the world around it, and the drumming is passionate and unpredictable. Gliding warmly out, "Punkt Torso," displays the three musicians engaged in a bright and thoughtful performance. Bursts of fast drumming alternate with dreamier sections, creating excellent dynamic range. Draksler carefully picks out her notes and chords, gently lining them up over the ever shifting rhythmic foundation. "Azan" has a medium fast speed that suits the trio well, with dry sounding clattering drumming and thick bass developing an interesting rhythm in duo format, by kneading and stretching the sound. The piano re-enters carefully, deftly engaging with the bass and drums, then moving the improvisation into the three sided space gradually reeling out long lines of cascading notes that work perfectly amid the churning bass and drums, as the band leans in as one for the conclusion.There is a quieter notion to "Veins," a sense of mystery to the sound, with its probing and slightly obtuse feeling, the musicians moving separately yet pulling together in the same direction. The music is subtle and stretches like taffy, according to the whims of the musicians, developing long cascading layers of piano, before morphing back into a group sound. "Body Decline" has deep low end piano with elastic bass and drums creating a dreamscape or fantasia of dark colors, like heavy dark red velvet, evoking the crushing weight of age and illness. They exit this room into a lighter more nimble section of taut bass, feathering percussion and deft runs and pulsating piano chords, creating a very exciting atmosphere. The combination of the tree trunk strong bass and hummingbird fast drumming is very alluring, and gives the pianist a wide area to express herself. There is a quickness to "Momentum" that is a joy to hear, it is subtle and not overbearing, percussive piano, steady bass and rapid drumming, moving briskly and never breaking stride. This group was very impressive, it was difficult to understand what was improvised and what was composed, because the music melded together so well. I hope this group has opportunities to perform live and record live because they are clearly onto something special. Punkt.Vrt.Plastik - amazon.com

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David Virelles - Igbó Alákọrin (The Singer’s Grove) Vol. I & II (Pi Recordings, 2018)

Pianist David Virelles has long wished to record in his birthplace of Santiago, Cuba and that dream comes alive vibrantly on this album where he presents a wealth of large band arrangements and intimate duo performances on this very successful album. On the first part of the collection, Virelles leads the big band Orquesta Luz de Oriente, which plays music that is associated with the the musical history of Santiago. "El Rayaero" uses bright piano, ebullient vocals and horns with crisp rhythm, as the music swings graciously. The large group shows its many layers as the warm singing and horn playing invite the listener into their unique sound world. There is some call and response between the strong lead singer and the background chorus, and a break for deep piano and percussion that propel the music forward, soon rejoined by all hands as the group pushes the strong groove to the finish line. There is a strong swaying groove to "Echa pa' Allá" with a warm saxophone solo over riffing horns and rippling rhythm section, with extra percussion adding wonderful flavor. This may be the jazziest track on the album and it works very well, melding mainstream jazz with the wonderful rhythmic possibilities inherent in Cuban music to excellent effect, as the vocal chorus coming in at the end to help carry the tune home. "Sube la Loma, Compay" has an exciting rhythmic sensibility with unexpected flourishes that keep things moving briskly. Virelles piano has a full and rich sound that fits in well with the ride range of percussion that surrounds it, with the music filling in considerably with the introduction of the horns and vocal chorus. The second half of the album is an intimate duet between Virelles on piano and Rafael Abalos on guiro, a Latin American percussion instrument. "Tira la Cuchara y Rompe el Plato" is a good example, where the ringing and classically inflected piano meets the scratching percussion to excellent effect, creating a romantic sounding yet resonant music. The sound of the music seems to be heavy with emotion and it is easy to imaging this being played at a cafe as it was originally was, waxing and waning through more yearning and subtle moments. The finale, "Tres Lindas Cubanas" has a tight and nimble rhythmic foundation for the two musicians playing together, dynamically shifting from quieter, softer shading, into louder and more grand statements. The music evolves organically and naturally, with the performance unfolding fluidly and with grace that is the hallmark of this fine album as a whole. Igbo Alakorin (The Singer's Grove) Vol. I & II - amazon.com

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VWCR - Noise Of Our Time (Intakt, 2018)

During Ken Vandermark's very productive 2016 residency at The Stone he formed the idea for this group, but it took over a year to get everybody into the studio to record. Bringing together this collective unit, indicated by their are initials, they are Vandermark on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and Tom Rainey on drums. The album opener "Checkpoint" features fleet solo saxophone soon joined by the remainder of band in a bright and nimble performance. There is fast paced strong tenor saxophone, nimble piano and drums and shading trumpet. Wooley's trumpet soars with piano and drums in open space, filling in with fascinating and unpredictable rhythm leading to excellent rapid piano and percussion feature with horn accents. Evolving to a full band collective improvisation, which is very exciting and filled with unexpected angles to be explored, then returning to the original theme for a brief pass. Gradually building up to "Track and Field" with instruments slowly entering, the group is adept at establishing a drumbeat and arcing short and long lines of horns as the piano starts to stoke the engine of the music. The sound begins to gather pace and volume through fits and starts, spidery sounds from piano and drums open up the space and allow the group to let their ideas fly like in a piano supported horn conversation that operates on multiple levels. "Sparks" develops quickly into a melodic forward moving performance that embraces the freedom available, with some absolutely vibrant piano playing leading the quartet into an appealing collective improvisation. Short bursts of horns playing accents punctuate the music as Rainey's drums fill, and also lay out, adding further drama to this short but excellent performance. Crisp drumming underpins "Tag" with strong horn playing and spare piano creating an emotional edge, as the music gathers strength and Vandermark launches on a scouring and soaring tenor saxophone solo, adroitly supported by the remainder of the band. The piano solo that follows is angular and exciting, locked in with Rainey's unpredictable drumming, and they add an interesting twist that Wooley picks up upon and uses as fodder for an excellent feature of his own. "Song of Innocence" is a textured and layered performance that uses a dreamy theme to set the players in motion and allows them to improvise upon this setting. The music becomes tense before Vandermark's clarinet breaks free for a drum fueled escape that is exciting yet seemingly fraught with danger. 'VWCR" has sound effects from the horn mouthpieces, met with piano experiments giving a very abstract and experimental feel, before the band clicks and comes together as Vandermark develops a brawny tenor saxophone solo that roars and grows menacingly. The horns flutter and drums and piano shimmer, exploring the shadowy borderlands between abstract experimental music and modern free jazz where this intriguing band ply their trade. All of these musicians lead or co-lead many other groups, but hopefully time will permit them to reconvene soon to build upon the foundation begun by this provocative album. Noise of Our Time - amazon.com

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Milford Graves - Babi (Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2018)

Drummer Milford Graves self-produced 1976 album Babi with saxophonists Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover was a milestone of mid seventies free jazz, reflecting the proud DIY aesthetic of the New York City loft scene. The original master tapes of this album have been lost in the intervening years, so this reissue was carefully pieced together from unplayed copies (!) of the original run of the LP, done with Graves' blessing. The original artwork and photographs are restored and a second disc of previously unreleased music has been added, with the same trio playing in an unknown New York City location in December of 1969. The restoration of the original album on disc one is excellent, the music sounds bright and vibrant, and you would hardly know that it was mastered from an LP. The music itself is flat out extraordinary, with all of it composed and led by Graves, you will hear him count out and play these complex beats and rhythms and scat their sounds which become folded into the fabric of the music itself. The record is very hot, Graves is loud and thrilling to hear, his playing is a cascade of sound that defies explanation but never seems out of control or out of place. The two saxophonists play with explosive intensity, digging in and boiling on the lengthy "Ba" and "Babi" and allowing Graves more space on the shorter "Bi." Everything really comes together well, making for a short compact album that hits like a haymaker. The provenance of the 1969 tapes is unknown, they may be rehearsal tapes, with the trio playing four lengthy spontaneous improvisations, beginning with the sprawling "1969 Trio 1" that clocks in at over twenty eight minutes. The recording quality is a few degrees poorer than the previous disc, but once you dial your ear in, it ceases to become a problem, and you essentially become a fly on the wall listening in to the evolution of this trio. The music is a little more raw, but the seeds are there, Graves is astonishing, playing with ceaseless energy and innovation, and continuously feeding sparks to the saxophonists who run with them in interesting directions. Their energy and commitment is admirable and makes this session well worth listening to. This is a very exciting two disc set that is highly recommended to fans of high energy American free jazz; Graves is a master of the form and deserves recognition as such. Babi - amazon.com

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William Parker - Flower In a Stained-Glass Window / The Blinking of The Ear (Centering / AUM Fidelity, 2018)

Recorded during a burst of creativity during 2017 and 2018 bassist and composer William Parker led a medium sized ensemble in creating this very impressive double disc set. Disc one is called Flower In a Stained-Glass Window and features the amazing vocals of Leena Conquest, and a powerful seven piece band and all compositions (music and lyrics) are by all Parker. "Fallen Flower" is a spoken word piece with subtle accompaniment, the words are focused social commentary and are recited with lacerating effect. Bowed bass and trumpet support sung vocals longing for peace on "Gone," invoking nature and the futility of war in a haunting manner then moving into a free jazz squall of "Emmett Till"as Conquest implores the lynching victim's name. "Broken Earth" features bowed bass as there is spoken word recitation about climate change framed by ripe piano, leading into the gospel flavored hand claps of "I Had a Dream Last Night" as shaken percussion leads Conquest to invoke a dream of a female Jesus who absorbs the pain of the downtrodden, with her beautiful soulful singing as the lyrics invite pantheism, and a multi-ethnic, all inclusive peace. The short "Flag" speaks of blood and revolution, and the refusal to pick cotton, moving into "Give Me Back My Drum" which uses the full band and demanding vocals, strong full bodied piano, great horn arrangement and rhythm section playing, which develops into a wonderful collective improvisation that really takes off and soars. "Living Hope" sees the band playing darker but not despondent tones of music, along with well articulated spoken word, every word defiant in hope with the realization that the people you ask for freedom are not free themselves, and the very judges are criminals themselves. Thick propulsive bass powers "Children" leading with the story of the bomber the Enola Gay and the dividing line between soldier and murderer. The music rises to meet the strong speak singing, where politics equals death, and generations of children are lost. Storming brass and rhythm section fly then downshift for vocals, and all the while deep and resonant bass shows the way. "What is That About?" has bright and bouncy piano, scatting vocals, and a manic feeling of excitement though the Earth is dying. Impressionistic vocals, speaking and singing in complete control, about ecology, freedom and civil rights, the music frames the words and singing perfectly as sawing bowed bass and droplets of piano fall, punchy brass leading to another wonderful full band conclusion. The delicate flute and chimes of "Music Song" recount the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. from a spiritual perspective and the first disc ends on a positive note with "Samba," where spoken word pleads with listeners to wake up and change alongside great rhythmic drums and percussion Conquest appealing for change from the inside out, freeing yourself from yourself. Disc Two is called The Blinking of the Ear and it features mezzo soprano AnnMarie Sandy singing Parker's lyrics with a tight modern/free jazz quintet. "Meditation on Freedom" opens with piano, bass and drums creating a subtle and stable foundation, as the horns ease in, the music begins to gradually build in volume and intensity, the band sounding resourceful and playing with a purpose. The singer cries for freedom halfway through, her operatic voice is a dramatic change from the previous disc, ending with a lengthy well executed band improvisation. The singer reaches and holds notes on "Without Love Everything Will Fail" as the band rotates around her, light and nimble percussion and trumpet, a supple bass solo with piano comping and her voice intoning freedom and love, gradually evolving into a full band performance. "Dark Remembrance" features stark singing seeking spiritual grace, with leaps of voice, and lyrics about lynching and racism - powerful metaphors met my stoic music, haunting and graceful. "Heavenly Home Meditation on Peace (Part One)" has bass and horns uneasily building to a potent full band momentum and playing in tight formation. The singer cries free at last, her emotional voice framed by gentle horns, and swinging drumming then a fine piano feature leading to more operatic singing. "(Part Two)" uses slowly opening music, the singer's soaring voice reaching for the sky framed by piano, as the music fills in gradually, yet still open and lonely as the singer becomes well integrated with the group, her voice an instrument in the ensemble. This is a very well performed collection of music, which is continuing Parker's interest in vocal music. From gospel, jazz, or poetry to classical music, the compositions and improvisations in this are natural and  organic and the musicians are deeply focused with one another, creating graceful and profound music. Flower in a Stained-Glass Window / The Blinking of the Ear - amazon.com

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Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey - Utter (Relative Pitch, 2018)

This is a very well played and consistently interesting album with Ingrid Laubrock on soprano and tenor saxophone and Tom Rainey on drums. Normally on their tours they play freely with minimal forms, but on this album, they composed music for several of the tracks. "Flutter" opens the album with a bouncing saxophone theme and dry sounding drumming that seems tight and claustrophobic. The music opens up nicely with a lean and taut improvisation that sees the saxophone deve deep into the music and the strong drumming become the foundation and an rhythm base that melds the shape of the music which builds to a conclusion of gruff tenor and powerful drumming. A combination of complex subtle percussion rhythms and discreet saxophone mumbles ushers in "Murmur" with the skittish improvisation moving unpredictably forward, before the saxophonist offers unexpected long tones of sound, which are met by rapid fire drumming, the musicians seemingly on a different plane from one another, but the combination works very well. They reunite in a strong collaborative improvisation that is a thrilling race to the finish line. "Chant II"is the only spontaneously improvised piece on the album, and is works quite well, opening with piercing saxophone and unique sounding percussing which makes use of the entire drum kit and more in creating a sound world that is fascinating and at times alien and wild. Pops of saxophone and then blasts of sound provide the dynamic yang to the spacey and open ying on this performance. A complex opening of fast and spiraling sound begins "Riddled" developing a complex rhythm, but through a very exciting and disciplined duet performance. Laubrock devises a great brawny tenor sound, astride explosive drumming which seems to be everywhere at once. There is a compelling section for solo saxophone, long textured passages of breath, varying in character and essence, but consistently compelling. This builds patterns for the duo to explore gathering room to develop context for the explosive finish. "Dusk" has a medium tempo opening for skittish cymbals and fast percussion, saxophone engaging and roughing things up as the music grows faster and deeper, becoming a brazenly fast episode with a tough sandpaper edge. The choppy feeling of "Clickety-Smash-Boom" recalls Eric Dolphy's leaping saxophone, as Laubrock's soprano saxophone is rhythmically charged by excellent drumming and maks for a very exciting performance that is full of heart. "Shutter" concludes the album, with wild and exciting dynamism allowing the musicians to take the music from a relatively calm placid place and blast it into orbit, continuing to make the sound of surprise the most important thing in this compelling album, one the musicians are committed to playing in the moment where their sense of curiosity and delight extends to the listener. Utter - amazon.com

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Fredrik Nordström - Needs (Cleen Feed, 2018)

Needs is a very interesting album in which saxophonist Fredrik Nordström brings together a double quartet, much like Ornette Coleman did on the epochal album Free Jazz. But where Coleman brought together the larger ensemble together to perform an album of mostly free improvisation with a couple of thematic nuggets, Nordström takes a modern jazz approach with well designed compositions, themes and sections for soloing and smaller group cell playing. The band consists of Nordström on tenor and baritone saxophones, Mats Äleklint on trombone, Filip Augustson on double bass and Christopher Cantillo on drums in the left channel. Fredrik Ljungkvist on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Niklas Barnö on trumpet, Torbjörn Zetterberg on bass and Fredrik Rundqvist on drums are in the right channel. The performance "Fake Face" is a short but exciting one with strong drumming and stout saxophone playing. The band plays a strutting theme, as more instruments lend their voices giving the music a big band feeling, before a couple of the saxophonists take flight to joust with decidedly modern tones and approaches. The group moves the a serious collective improvisation that is very exciting with powerful forward movement with high volume and energy surging though the performance, before dropping back into the punchy theme. Bass leads into "Hometown Prophet" as the music has a dark and muscular sound with surging low end horns that ride the wave of the percussion and trumpet fanfare into a potent opening section. Trombone works well adding a brassy interlude to the setting with elastic bass and dexterous percussion. Lighter toned saxophones surge underneath lifting the sharp edged trumpet even higher, brashly painting the sky with blistering runs, before being subsumed by the band leaning into its conclusion. "Brand New Dollars" has a brisk and alluring theme that moves fast and fluidly as the group acts as a whole zooming off into the distance, horns riffing, then a fine uptempo saxophone solo breaks loose well tended by fine rhythm from the bass and percussion. The band's playing is bright and exciting with the solos supported by punchy accompaniment, forceful rhythm section playing, and a deep sense of cohesion. There's a roaring blast of brass playing that keeps the momentum moving into the final fanfare closing melody that ends a fine and worthwhile album. Needs - amazon.com

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Julien Desprez and Luis Lopes - Boa Tarde (Shhpuma, 2018)

This album is a collaboration between two electric guitar players, Julien Desprez from France and Luis Lopes from Portugal, and they use their instruments as a way to sculpt and paint with sound as a physical artist would, using noise as their palate and the air around them as the canvas. "Iris" is the first and most lengthy track, one that begins slowly and patiently with gradually building tones, probing the space around them. Using patches of feedback and altered sound the music is subtly altered, as waves of sound drift outward, with the musicians piling tone and sound upon each other building an edifice of noise and creeping forward movement. At about the half way mark, grinding slashes of guitar appear and lead to a faster murkier grinding sound pushing their amplifiers into higher volume and states of feedback. They are really going for broke, creating a thrilling improvisation, shredding ever faster, and playing with blinding speed and facility, later shifting to a quieter but no less energetic section. "Adelaide" is a shorter piece with more menacing guitars scraping and crunching, moving quickly into a maelstrom of sound with no preamble. The guitars lash out with bolts of electricity as the music turns jagged and chaotic with great blasts of pure electronic noise at the center of the action. The second long track, "Gracinda," uses grinding sounds like industrial machinery to set a powerful foundation for the improvisation that follows. Like men at work, taking larger slabs of music and smashing them into granules, the music progresses, adding and withdrawing textures and approaches for the manipulation of sound, and varying the amount of energy they use. From blasts of migraine static to near silent scans of the cosmos. The musicians work together, never trying to blow the other away, but building on their partner's ideas. The finale is "Constanca" which has an eerie and ghostly beginning, horror movie vibe, with long arcing tones that seem to bend around corners and peek around the other side to piercing jabs of sound hitting the payoff with an all or nothing blowout. This was a very interesting and well made album, it's certainly not for everybody, but if you are a fan of noise or experimental music it is highly recommended. Boa Tarde - amazon.com

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David S. Ware - The Balance (Vision Festival XV +) (AUM Fidelity, 2018)

This album is the fourth edition in the David S. Ware archive series, focusing on the trio Ware led, playing tenor saxophone, stritch and saxello, with longtime confederates William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums. The first half of this album presents the group live at the fifteenth annual Vision Festival playing a three part suite Ware composed for the occasion. "Vision Suite Part One" opens with the huge and welcoming tone of Ware's tenor saxophone, muscling through the theme of the suite unaccompanied, the sound vibrant and full of life. The bass and drums crash in, adding exciting momentum as Ware holds one long passage before embarking on a breakneck collective trio improvisation. Ware holds long tones via circular breathing and punctuates this with quicksilver runs up and down the saxophone as the bass and drums respond with cat like quickness. Smith's drumming and Parker's bass playing are the perfect match for Ware, framing and supporting whatever he chooses to do, allowing his creative energy to flow unimpeded, in an extraordinary performance. Moving into "Vision Suite Part Three," with the stentorian saxophone and powerful drums and bass embarking on an epic conclusion to their suite. Ware is patient in letting the music develop, but knows when to throw down, with torrid gales of sound, and digging into the the enormously deep pocket that Parker and Smith have carved for him. The three playing as a whole are an unstoppable force, with decades of experience and hard won victories behind them, they play with grace and beauty. Ware and Smith trade passages while Parker mediates, and the music erupts with withering and glorious sound, before opening up for unaccompanied saxophone with a held breathing tone that seems to defy human physiology. The trio becomes tight, fast compact unit, cruising to the finish line and well deserved ecstatic applause. The second half of the album comes from the Onecept album session in 2009, making you reconsider how great that album is if these tracks didn't make the cut for the finished album. "Kama" has deeply elastic bass and drums, setting a open ended foundation for the track, with Ware enter entering, and weaving around the rhythm and then engaging with it. The music develops gradually, as Smith adds excellent accents to his percussive flavor and Ware responds in kind with bursts of rolling notes, as Parker anchors everything together. The music breathes, with the space available allowing the musicians to develop their own sensibility and share it gracefully, interacting with the others as equals. Always a deeply spiritual man "Bodhisattva" reflects his ceaseless curiosity, with long peals of sharper notes, and urgent bowed bass and hollow percussion giving the music and exotic feeling. The music is deeply felt and powerful, moving into areas of texture and hue that are unusual but very moving. Ware (playing saxello or stritch) gets a tart and piercing tone that is framed well by the bowed bass and tympani, and this is a very powerful and though provoking piece of music, proving once again that David S. Ware was one of the true titans of the music. Any music. The Balance (Vision Festival XV +) - amazon.com

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Peter Brotzmann and Heather Leigh - Sparrow Nights (Trost, 2018)

The musical empathy and bond between pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh and multi reed instrument master Peter Brotzman has deepened over the course of recordings and live performances, culminating in this mysterious and powerful gem of an album. Brotzmann makes full use of his arsenal of instruments, including b-flat, bass and contra alto clarinets, and alto, tenor and bass saxophones. The album reaches its peak on "This Time Around" with scalding, near industrial strength steel guitar with a torrential ringing tone that is also scratching, and howling in a feral manner. This is met by tenor saxophone, playing lone bellowing tones, sharp and hot as the the duo coalesces into a withering improvisation heading through the atmosphere and out into space. Brotzmann is in full bellowing mode and the amount of color, light, and shade that Leigh is able to summon from her instrument is very impressive, especially when she takes a brief solo that seems to consist of a shower of multicolored aural sparks flying in the air to cap this amazing performance. This is followed by another excellent track, "River of Sorrow" which is a long improvisation, beginning with spirited rivers of guitar tone rising and cresting as the horn enters, but the performance remains fairly relaxed in the opening section, developing an exploratory mindset. Brotzmann begins to open up, roaring into his instrument with sounds akin to tearing metal, ripping and rending, which gets truly wild as Leigh ups the ante with close encounters type alien sounds coming from her guitar. The tones and sounds the two musicians are so disparate from one another that they work perfectly together using their own personal means of communication to creating a sound image that is unforgettable. The piercing tones of pedal steel guitar are met by growling tenor saxophone on "All of Us" with Brotzmann marking his territory in a bear like apex predator manner while Leigh raises and lowers the tone and volume of her instrument in an attempt to sooth the savage beast. They work well as a team, moving to a near quiet section with some bluesy accents and abstract soundscapes. This was the duo's first studio album and allowed them more time to experiment and explore. It's a lengthy album, with the compact disc version is well over seventy minutes, but it is worth savoring because these are two musicians who have developed a synergistic relationship and use it to create original music that is beyond genre and classification. Sparrow Nights - amazon.com

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King Crimson - Meltdown: Live In Mexico City (DGM, 2018)

Since roaring back to life in 2012, the legendary progressive rock band King Crimson has released a number of live albums and official bootlegs as well as a generous helping of free downloads that have charted the band's progress. This latest release is comprised of three compact discs and one blu-ray, consisting of music performed during the band’s five night residency in Mexico City during July 2017. The liner notes of the collection have some wonderful photos, and highlights from bandleader Robert Fripp's diary. Fripp is the only musician to have been in all incarnations of the group going back to 1969, and he states that this version of the group is one of only four definitive formations of the band and the first one since 1981. The band has solidified as an eight piece with the now customary three drummer front line that runs like a fine sports car. The three compact discs represent a typical concert for the 2017 tour, but as Fripp and other musicians mention in the liner notes these concerts were special, the Mexican audiences were particularly respectful and generous, and the band responded in kind by playing at a very high level, performing music from the length of their nearly fifty year career. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" Parts One and Two bookend the first CD, allowing the drummers to enter with a subtle world music feeling on the former and blast righteously along with the guitars in the latter. The dynamism of the percussionists is also on display on tracks "The Hell Hounds of Krim" and "The Talking Drum," which allow them to weave a thoughtful and complex tapestry of percussion that can support or lead the band. After an amicable arrangement with the band's former lyricist Adrain Belew, tracks from the 1980's period of the band have returned to the setlist, as evidenced by the inclusion of slightly re-arranged version of "Indiscipline" and "Neurotica." Well represented are some new compositions that the band have developed, which are quite potent, including the driving title track "Meltdown," but it is also a real treat to hear this larger band play material from the early years of their existence, many which went unplayed from the mid seventies until the band reformed 2012. Tracks such as "Cirkus" and "Islands" are given quite dramatic readings on the first disc, and on the second rare tracks "The Letters" and "Sailor's Tale" make an appearance. Their most well know compositions from the late sixties through the mid seventies receive raucous performances from a skull crushing "Easy Money" and a soaring version of "Red" to simply majestic versions of "Starless" and "21st Century Schizoid Man." The blu-ray has excellent multi-camera footage of a full concert, either in 5.1 surround sound or high resolution stereo, along with extended concert audio, either in 5.1 surround sound or high resolution stereo. Overall it is an excellent package with the band at the height of their powers and offering a wide variety of viewing and listening choices, and it is highly recommended. Meltdown: Live In Mexico City - amazon.com

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Andrew Cyrille / Wadada Leo Smith / Bill Frisell - Lebroba (ECM, 2018)

This is a beautiful album from revered veterans Andrew Cyrille on drums and percussion, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Bill Frisell on guitar. Cyrille's developed the album's title Lebroba as a contraction of the birthplaces of the creators of this music which ranges from all shades of jazz to West African music and shades of the blues. "Worried Woman" begins the album with dusty and ghostly trumpet and guitar, joined by percussion in a fearless improvisation, with golden toned trumpet arcing high in the sky framed by guitar accents. Cyrille's drums are everywhere, casting a spectral backdrop for the beams of pure trumpet sound and a collective improvisation that is stoic and powerful, with Smith at his grandest and Cryille playing the improvising Loki, changing shape at will. This is followed by the epic tribute "Turiya:Alice Coltrane Meditations and Dreams:Love" which proceeds like a hymnal or procession, with Cyrille's deftly played cymbals meeting patient trumpet with a quiet sense of purity. The quality of experience exuded by these musicians is potent as crisp trumpet solos over low percussion and spare guitar chords. Frisell is the wild card here and on the album as a whole, he shouldn't work, but does, adding just the right touch and stepping aside at just the right time. Cyrille develops this track in a state of grace, he doesn't need to overplay, just add subtle shading, color and framing. Spare long tones from trumpet and guitar hang in space, joined by the drummer whose very stroke is individually placed. This is a long improvisation, over seventeen minutes, that gains it success from the respect the players have for each other and the honoree. "Lebroba" has guitar and drums playing in a light and frisky manner, giving the memorable theme a clear Frisellian stamp. Smith's pinched trumpet gives the music a late night noir feeling, spacious and mysterious, and Frisell's guitar solo slowly builds the drama in a cinematic fashion, that is further extended by Smith's and Cyrille's retorts. There are free sounding cymbals and smears of electronics from the guitar on "TGD." The electric freak out is initially a shock, but neither the trumpeter or drummer are fazed in the slightest, rippling forth with muscular playing amidst the scalding electric guitar. It is weird but worthy and keeps the track interesting, breaking out the entire arsenal of effects, balanced by the acoustic trumpet and drums. As if to prove they can do anything, the album ends with an absolutely stunning ballad called "Pretty Beauty," with soft and emotional trumpet and guitar meeting natural and haunting shimmering cymbals and deft brushwork. This is a quiet mainstream jazz treat, sure to stump the recipient of any blindfold test, as the music gradually blooms with patience and beauty and approaches Zen grace. Cyrille's brushes are a constant, ever shifting, as the shining trumpet rises like the breaking dawn. Lebroba - amazon.com

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Hamid Drake / Ralph M. Jones / Adam Rudolph - Karuna ((Meta Records, 2018)

This album is an excellent collaboration between old friends Hamid Drake on drums and percussion, Ralph M. Jones on soprano and tenor saxophones, flutes, bass clarinet and spoken word and Adam Rudolph on percussion, keyboards and many other instruments. The music is based in jazz, but draws on the music of many other peoples, in a respectful and non derivative manner, creating a very enjoyable cross cultural journey. "Myth Science" may allude to Sun Ra, but goes its own way with a tight percussive beat that resonates across the sound stage, with sharp peals of noise arcing across the the percussive foundation, saxophone and and another instrument, perhaps a keyboard, adding further texture and keeping the performance exotic and interesting. The sound of the track becomes filled as the trio improvises and allows their creativity to take hold and guide the music further afield while still being grounded by the ever shifting beat. Subtle hand drums and flute open "Etymologies" allowing open space for the music to develop. The flute cries out, answered by short clusters of piano notes an cascades of percussion pushing the mysterious music to its conclusion. "Visions of Beyond" has a sense of being almost ceremonial with soft flute and percussion and framing instruments to keep them in the foreground. The flute is quite delicate and is joined by something that sounds like strummed instrument, bass or guitar, giving the music a different feel then the percussion laced tracks that proceeded it, one of floating and of being unmoored from time and space. Crisp drumming with chimes and flute are part of "Water Voices," weaving a delicate path and adding further reed and other instruments to broaden the sound path of this performance. The music develops a wider format enveloping drum set, saxophone, plucked instruments without overwhelming the delicate nature of the sound regardless of the speed at which the band performs. "Mosaics" builds from from insistent cymbals and tenor saxophone that builds in giving the music a deeper and heaver sound than anywhere else on the album. The withering tone of the saxophone fits in nicely with the waning tone of other instruments in a call and response formation that also adds a strong hand percussion element with flute and electronics shading and framing the improvisation. "Two in Three" is the longest song on the album with deep tenor saxophone and drum kits approaching traditional jazz improvisation with a powerful and exciting improvisation. Jones' tenor playing is strong and virile and the drummers are deep and rhythmic in their support. The second half of the performance is spacier with hand percussion and short bursts of saxophone playing off against one another. Album Preview -YouTube Karuna - amazon

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Friends and Neighbors - What's Next (Clean Feed, 2018)

Friends and Neighbors is named after an obscure but exciting Ornette Coleman album, and they take the Coleman sound of energetic and melodic free jazz, developing a language that jumps out, with nods going back to traditional post bop as well as more revolutionary sounds. The band consists of André Roligheten on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Thomas Johansson on trumpet, Oscar Grönberg on piano, Jon Rune Strøm on bass and Tollef Østvang on drums. The music was recorded in Norway during February of 2018, and a track like "WLB" gives you a sense of what they are all about with a fierce and urgent thematic statement leading into the powerful front line of horn players pushing the music even further along as the rhythm section boils beneath them, settling in behind a soloing saxophonist and creating a strong dynamic flow. The music is raw and stripped of ornament, making for a very exciting improvised sound, that takes the classic Coleman model and updates it for the modern day. Pulsating trumpet engages with elastic sounding bass, taut piano and crisp drumming for a further encounter, one that adds further fuel to the fire of this excellent performance, with a choppy section of recapitulated theme leading to the fiery conclusion of the track. There is a softer and more textured approach to "Kubrick´s Rude" as the band employs multiple shades of hue and color in developing their opening melody, before gradually easing into an improvised section. The horns weave into each other dexterously and they rhythm team plays with subtle grace, giving the music air to breathe and develop organically and communicating very well together. The music gradually builds to a potent climax with all of the instruments pulling together to rise up as one before gently drifting away. "Mozart" has an interesting piano opening, into which the horns then bass and drums eventually glide join in a frictionless manner, creating a bouncy step as they go. A strong trumpet feature backed by mighty bass bounds forth playing fast and stark series of notes in an expansive and exciting manner, accompanied by some very fast and powerful drumming. The saxophonist calls for a halt with a quieter duet with the pianist, which is then given further context by the arrival of bass and drums, and the full band coalescing for a well articulated statement and send off. Finally, "Headway Heat" simmers with energy, dynamically pushing out into loud declarative statements and then falling back into sparkling individual improvisations such as the one for piano backed by wondrous bass and drums, before drifting back to a more languorous saxophone solo, one that shakes off its pallor and strides purposefully off into the future. What's Next - Clean Feed Records.

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