Henry Threadgill, composer, arranger, saxophonist, flutist, 2021 NEA Jazz Master, and Pulitzer Prize winner (2016), and bandleader, is in the midst of an amazing career. An early initiate into the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), he has steadfastly gone his own way for the past five-plus decades. Mr. Threadgill has led numerous ensembles of varying sizes but the longest running of them all is Zooid. The quintet –– Mr. Threadgill, Liberty Ellman (guitar, mixing and mastering), Jose Davila (tuba, trombone), Christopher Hoffmann (cello), and Elliot Humberto Kavee (drums) –– has had a fairly stable lineup since 2001 when Pi Recordings issued the ensemble's debut album "Up Popped the Two Lips". At that time, Dafnis Prieto was the drummer and Dana Leong the cellist. Kavee joined for 2009's "This Brings Us To, Vol. 1", an album that also featured Stomu Takeishi on acoustic bass guitar. Cellist Hoffman joined for 2012's "Tomorrow Sunny/ The Revelry, SPP" playing alongside Takeishi whose departure created the current lineup. The group's 2015 album, "In For a Penny, In For a Pound", led to Mr. Threadgill receiving the Pulitzer for music.
Now there is "Poof", five new originals from Mr. Threadgill, all of which contain the unique Zooid sound. In a recent WBGO podcast during which hosts Nate Chinen and Greg Bryant picked six albums to pay attention to this Autumn, Chinen said that "Zooid sounds like no other band on the planet." Absolutely right –– it's also true that none of the ensembles Mr. Threadgill has organized over his career has sounded alike or like anything else. There is no mistaking the leader's tart tone, long phrases, short riffs, and his ability to climb in and out of the flow. The composer blurs the lines between composition and improvisation so that one flows into the other throughout any given song. Ellman's mix is so clear that even when everyone is playing at the same time, you hear voice clearly.
Mr. Threadgill's use of space, silence, and sonic juxtaposition is just so impressive. When the guitarist goes into his solo on "Poof on Street Called Straight", everyone else drops out. When the ensemble returns, the alto sax leads the way with cello, guitar, and tuba playing counterpoint. Davila switches to trombone on "Beneath The Bottom" and he too gets an unaccompanied solo. The deliberate pace of the early part of the song continues for more than half of the piece until the group breaks into a quicker tempo for the continuation of Davila's solo. Hoffman plucks out the bass line, Kavee locks in with him, and the piece takes on a modern "funky" feel.
Zooid 2015
"Poof" closes with "Now and Then", an uptempo mover and shaker during which Mr. Threadgill's piercing alto sound is only hear for the five seconds at the onset of the song and again for the last 30 seconds. In between, the quartet, led by Ellman's rollicking guitar, Davila's dancing tuba, and Hoffmann's cello counterpoint, take a high-energy aural journey. Quite impressive.
Honestly, either you surrender to the amazing music of Henry Threadgill or you tip-toe around it. He asks a lot of his musicians and of his audience. "Poof" is the best Henry Threadgill album since the last one and we are excited to see and hear where this Music Master goes next!
For more information, go to www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/henry-threadgill. To purchase this and other albums by Zooid as well as other Henry Threadgill recordings, go to
Anyone with even a casual link to creative music has heard the work of Liberty Ellman but may never have heard of him. Born in London, England, his family moved to the United States when the guitarist was still in the early grades of school. Settling on the West Coast, he got involved with artists such as Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Coleman as well as hip-hop groups and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. Ellman made his recording debut with pianist Iyer in 1995 and his first album as a leader, "Orthodoxy", was issued by Noir Records in late 1997. After moving back to New York City, Ellman worked with many artists across the musical spectrum, from pianist Jason Moran to Wadada Leo Smith to Rwandan composer/ vocalist Somi to pianist Myra Melford's Snowy Egret and more; not only did he perform and record with these artists but also mixed and mastered the recordings. His work with alto saxophonist and composer Henry Threadgill began when he became a member of Zooid in the latter part of 2008; he's now recorded six albums with the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist, all on Pi Recordings.
"Last Desert" is Ellman's fifth album as a leader, his first in five years, and fourth for Pi. He's composed seven pieces for a sextet that appeared on 2015's "Radiate": his guitar, Steve Lehman (alto saxophone), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Jose Davila (tuba), Stephan Crump (bass), and Damion Reid (drums). The album's title refers to the international ultramarathon "4 Deserts", in which competitors race across several of the harshest environments in the world. The album is no competition but a smartly-shaped set of songs that range from the introspective opening track, "The Sip" to the Threadgill-inspired speedy "Rubber Flowers" (splendid drumming from Reid while Lehmann and Ellman spar) to the funky "Doppler" (listen to how the tuba, drums, bass, and guitar bounce off each other while trumpet and alto sax play a percussive melody). Finlayson, Lehman, and Ellman converse in short solos built off the main melody which as a bit of Thelonious Monk lurking in there. The blend of Lehman's tart sound, the crisp, soaring, phrases of Finlayson, and the percussive melodicism of the leader
Photo: Alan Nahigian
The title track is, actually, two pieces that stretch out to over 15 minutes. "I", an episodic composition, opens with a through-composed melody for trumpet lead, tuba bottom, and saxophone counterpoint. The guitar and drums enter filling out the melody line and providing color. Crump joins to fill out the sound. The next section moves forwardly rapidly thanks to the active rhythm section while Ellman and Finlayson create powerful solos. Near the close of the piece, Lehman and Rojas play a strong counterpoint to the trumpet before a quick restatement of the initial theme. "II" starts similarly with trumpet lead, saxophone counterpoint but also tuba and guitar counterpoint. When Reid and Crump enter, the music falls into a skewed blues pattern while the alto sax and guitar take the lead––the drums beneath the sax solo are explosive, on a rampage, as the guitar and bass play sparse riffs. Davila steps out alone leading the way to a powerful trumpet solo . There's much to listen to here between the rhythms, the background voices, the tuba and bass support while Finlayson leads the way to the close.
The program comes to a close on the funky "Liquid" with an opening that brings to mind James Brown, Steve Coleman, West African pop, hip hop, and more without being like any of those names and styles. Again, Reid is the spark that moves the music forward; yet, like the other tracks, the mood and pace change on a dime before the hardy tuba solo.
"Last Desert" is truly modern music. Grown on the fertile ground that Ornette Coleman, Jamaldeen Tacuma, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Henry Threadgill, and others churned up in the 1980s and 90s, Liberty Ellman moves into a newer territory, one where you hear the individual voices in the ensemble weave in and around each others, sometimes joining together, other times spinning away, yet always keeping your attention. You might not truly appreciate this music on the first or second listen but giving it time and attention will open the amazing worlds Ellman and his cohort are creating.
Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel (born 1965 in Judenburg, Austria) has been active on the international music scene since his student days in Graz, Austria. He first studied classical music but was exposed to jazz and, over the next three+ decades, he has kept his hands in both genres while expanding into singer-songwriter territory. While at the Berklee School on Boston, MA in the mid-to-late 1980s, he studied with Mick Goodrick and his first major gig was with the Gary Burton Group. Muthspiel stayed in the United States until 2001, moving to Vienna that year where he still lives. Many of his earlier recordings as a leader appeared on his own Material Records label (where you can find the singer-songwriter albums); the guitarist signed with ECM in 2013 as member of a trio with fellow guitarists Ralph Towner and Slava Grigoryan. In 2014, the label issued "Driftwood", Muthspiel's trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Brian Blade. The guitarist has since gone on to release two other ECM albums, both featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Brad Mehldau.
Muthspiel's latest for the label is "Angular Blues"; the ensemble is back to a trio still with Brian Blade and now Scott Colley playing bass. The nine-song program features seven originals by the guitarist plus, for the first time in his ECM career, two "standards", Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" and Gene Paul's "I'll Remember April." The former, inspired by the Keith Jarrett Trio's version, swings on the power of Blade's delightful brushes and Colley's counterpoint. Muthspiel caresses the melody and then plays a wide-ranging solo. Colley also contributes a fine solo––he's one of the more melodic players of the bass––all the while, Blade dances underneath. The latter tune, actually, the final track, has a lively Caribbean rhythm under the guitarist's playful reading of the melody; Colley solos first over a steady beat and quiet chords. Both he and Muthspiel stay close to the melody for their solos plus there's a lengthy rubato section that may remind some of Marc Johnson's "Bass Desires" group (John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Peter Erskine) for ECM
The opening three tracks feature the guitarist on nylon-string acoustic. "Wondering" starts the album, an up-tempo tune that shows just how well the rhythm section interact with the softer guitar. The title track follows, a rambunctious piece with impressive interaction, excellent use of the bass as counterpoint, and a stop-and-go approach in the early minutes before opening to an expansive guitar solo and another excellent solo from Colley. Listen to how Blade interacts with the guitarist during his solo and how both he and Muthspiel frame the bass solo. The final acoustic guitar piece is the lovely "Hüttengriffe"' its folk-like melody and gently county-western strolling rhythm pulling in the listener and asking nothing more than total attention.
The remainder of the program features electric guitar and each track offers new delights. Look out especially for the rapid-fire "Ride" for the loping melody and Blade's super brush work. Also, check out "Kanon in 6/8", a trio romp that features sparkling guitar work (involving subtle looping) and "Kanon in 5/4" which is a solo piece for electric guitar. One can certainly hear Muthspiel's classical training throughout the piece; he's playful and even ebullient at times but always quite melodic.
"Angular Blues" is a delight-filled album from the trio of Wolfgang Muthspiel (leader), Scott Colley, and the always masterly Brian Blade. The usually pristine ECM sound allows the listener to hear each musician and their glorious interactions are an integral part of what makes the recording so enjoyable. Check it out!
Guitarist and composer Jeff Swanson, a native of Indiana and graduate of Northern Illinois University (located in DeKalb, IL), has been based in Chicago for the better part of the past 10 years. He's performed and recorded with saxophonist Caroline Davis and drummer Charles Rumback (in the trio called Whirlpool) plus formed the quartet Living Bridge (you can find albums by both groups on bandcamp.com). Swanson has also toured with many of the area's more progressive jazz bands. In 2018, he released his debut album as a leader on his own Bace label––titled "Case-fitter", the recording featured an octet including saxophonists Greg Ward and Dustin Laurenzi, trumpeter Quentin Coaxum, drummer Greg Artry plus Fender Rhodes player Paul Bedal.
Bedal and Artry are part of Swanson's new album, "Fathoms" (Bace), now featuring electric bassist Matt Ulery and taking the group name from the title of the guitarist's debut album. Ward and Laurenzi show up on four of the 10 tracks. Swanson's music takes elements of jazz, blues, prog-rock, rock, and more, to create textures that catch the ear even as they make you want to dance. What one should notice immediately is these songs, all composed by the guitarist, have strong melody lines, even, as in the instances of "Replicant" and "Let The Children Play", the group is thrashing away; that latter tune has an excellent intro featuring Ward's alto in the lead. There is a flow to Swanson's phrases when he is soloing while his arrangements for the expanded group on the four songs give the saxophonists the opportunity to stretch out. The opener, "Gaussian" (named for a friend), introduces the "prog-rock" from the get-go with the OP-1 synth (played by the guitarist) supplying strings. Artry and Ulery really lock in on the track, really pushing the song forward as they create a cushion for the guitar solo.
There are less intense moments scattered throughout the program such as the insistent "Roads", "Elisha" (with a guitar solo that starts quietly and picks up slowly), and the medium-tempo blues "The Accutron" (which also has several ballad sections that Ulery and Swanson use to begin their solo)s. Bedal takes the lead on "Fyra", first with an unaccompanied section that opens him interacting with Ulery and Artry while the leader creates eerie noises in the background. "Tre" is a handsome ballad with a long opening section in which Swanson sticks close to the melody before Ulery's melodic bass solo (the only person to get a solo on the track).
There's more than a touch of West Coast funky swing on "Färvel" with the drummer's clicking sticks and the bassist's thumping bottom notes. Swanson's intense solo stands out as does Ward's romping spot. As the climax, the band drops the volume quickly and reprises the opening. On the afore-mentioned "Let The Children Play" (the track that closes the album), Swanson's guitar work and subsequent solo evokes sonic images of both Jimi Hendrix and Vernon Reid.
"Fathoms" is one of those albums that dances across so many musical genres that the smartest move is to just let it rip through your speakers at a high volume and enjoy the ride. What fun!
Like many modern musicians, Anna Webber (tenor saxophone, flutes) is an extremely busy player. She has four ensembles of her own, performs with, at least, a dozen more. Her newest recording, "Clockwise" (Pi Recordings), features a impressive septet performing nice original compositions all based on Ms. Webbers's study ofvarious percussion compositions by Iannis Xenakis, Morton Feldman, Edgard Varése, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Milton Babbitt, and John Cage. In her own words,“The goal was not to re-contextualize the composers’ original intents or ideas, rather it was to find hidden sympathetic points of resonance within the primary compositions that I could abstractly develop into new works."
What one hears is a fascinating collection of songs with the seven musicians weaving their sounds in and out of each other. On "Idiom II", the forward motion is provided by Matt Mitchell (piano) and the drums of Ches Smith. The melody is made up of various short phrases, often repeated, played by the band (including Smith) - at times, the reeds create a siren sound over the rest of the ensemble. The title track moves slowly on on the bass lines of Chris Tordini, the leader's bass flute, and Smith's vibraphone. As the rest of the group enters one by one, the music maintains its slower pace with the flute warbling above the lower tones. Later in the piece, the melody is shared by the piano and flute, adding trombone (Jacob Garchik), clarinet (Jeremy Viner), cello (Christopher Hoffman), and more of Smith's melodic drumming. The episodic nature of the piece opens up to several different textures, all of which have a trance-like feeling.
The experimental nature of several compositions may put some listeners off but stay with it. "King of Denmark I/Loper" starts with a starburst of sounds that all drop away for Smith's crisp, almost martial, drums that provide the foundation for the reeds, cello, trombone, piano, and bass to play a shared melody line. There is a powerful tenor sax solo from Viner with Hoffman's cello as counterpoint - there are moments throughout the song that remind this listener of thematic of King Crimson.
Photo: Peter Gannushkin
It would be wise to find your own way through "Clockwise." It might take a while to hear the music as a whole. Notice how the solos are conversations between several musicians - you cannot help but notice how brilliant the playing of Ches Smith is throughout the program. Then again, after you listen three times, the brilliance of the music is not just the settings Anna Webber creates but how everybody's voice is equal. Ms. Webber also takes solo pieces from Smith and Chris Tordini, cuts them up, and reassembles them to create "King of Denmark II" and "III." All told, an amazing project and a fascinating recording.
While the picture on the left looks like a folk music trio in the style of The Kingston Trio (well, no matching shirts), it's actually Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio. The bassist and composer formed the group in 2004 by inviting guitarists Liberty Ellman (acoustic) and Jamie Fox (electric) to play pieces that Crump had composed post-9/11/01. Their trio's debut album was issued early in 2006 on the bassist's Papillon Sounds label to be followed in 2010 by "Reclamation" and in 2013 by "Thwirl", both on Sunnyside Records.
In 2019, it's back to Papillon Sounds for the trio's fourth album, "Outliers." Nine new originals (all by one by the bassist - the exception is Ellman's "Cryoseism"), each song a delight. Yes, the music is quiet but most of the pieces have a powerful forward motion. All three play"rhythm" parts, supporting each other, playing melodies and riffs together, telling communal stories. Listen to the title track, how all three create the hypnotic melody/rhythm, and how the music opens up to the short solo interactions. As Crump solos, the guitarists soften their respective sounds, making the music more melodic. The final section, with Fox supplying the repetitive phrase, finds Crump bowing the bass while Ellman plays melodic counterpoint.
The following track, "Synapse", opens with quickly strummed guitars a la The Who's "Pinball Wizard" and Prince's "Kiss." The song then moves into a delightful interchange between the two guitarists with Crump pushing the piece forward. The song is actually pretty funky, especially the lines played by Ellman on acoustic. "Away From, A Way To" is a handsome and emotional ballad with all three musicians having a role in the melody, solos, harmonies, and counterpoint.
"Outliers" may be pleasing "background" music but, if you truly sit and listen, the music is a delight from start to finish. The melodies are intelligent and the musicianship is quite impressive; even more important to note is how Stephan Crump, Jamie Fox, and Liberty Ellman work so well - intuitively - together as an ensemble. The Rosetta Trio, excellent music that will warm your heart and mind!
Drummer, composer, and educator Ethan Ardelli, a native of Nova Scotia and now a resident of Toronto, has worked with pianist David Virelles and recorded with flutist Jane Bunnett. Besides his own quartet, he has steady gigs with trombonist Darren Sigesmund's Quintet, the Nancy Walker Quintet, Alexander Brown's Sextet, the Brian Dickinson Trio and guitarist Harley Card's Quintet.
His debut as a leader, "The Island of Form" (self-released", came out in November of 2018 and features alto saxophonist Luis Deniz (Hilary Duran Latin Jazz Band), pianist Chris Donnelly (Myriad3), and bassist Devon Henderson (Civil Wray). All eight tracks are Ardelli originals, all written for these musicians, and all feel as if the band spent plenty of time together. Not that that the music feels "perfect" but that the four musicians really listen to and push each other. Plus, the compositions all have strong melodies which opens so many possibilities for the soloists. On initial listens, one might hear traces of the recent iterations of the Charles Lloyd Quartet (in the airiness of saxophone sound and the group dynamics) plus a kinship with the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Miguel Zenón Quartet. Still, Ardelli's music and the band's performances seem to owe allegiance to no group or musician in particular.
My suggestion - dive right in to this album. "Agua" opens the program with a taste of Caribbean rhythms and a touch of Lloyd's "Forest Flower." Once the quartet enters the body of the song, the beat gets "heavier" and the well-developed melody takes off over the rhythm section. Deniz steps out first, building a delightfully intense yet melodic flight fancy. Donnelly leads the way into "The Serpentine Path", an impressionistic ballad that feels through-composed - there is a long unaccompanied piano section right after the full band plays the theme. The pianist ratchets up the intensity but then drops it way down for the handsome bass solo (splendid cymbal work from the leader in the background). Deniz also works off the melody for an excellent, full-toned, solo.
Later in the program, the quartet play with great fire on "Thanks For Something", the drummer again leading the way with his propulsive style. The album closes with "Shangri-La Pearl" which rolls along on Donnelly's strong piano chords, Deniz's lyrical alto saxophone playing plus the interactions of the rhythm section.
"The Island of Form" is an auspicious debut. Ethan Ardelli has taken the time to develop his music, to form a group sympathetic to his vision, one that would carry it out in surprising and very musical ways. Excellent music and well worth your time!
Not one but two new recordings and ensembles playing the music of Henry Threadgill have been released this month on Pi Recordings. Aficionados of the Chicago native, Pulitzer Prize winning, composer, saxophonist, and flutist, received an early New Year's gift when "Dirt...And More Dirt" was issued online 12/31/17. It's the first recording by 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg, a 15-member ensemble that features three alto saxophonists (including the composer), two drummers, two pianists, two trumpeters, two trombonists, tuba, bass, cello, and guitar. The program consists of two suites, the six-part "Dirt" and the four-part "And More Dirt", both inspired by artworks (Walter de Maria's "Earth Room" and the sculptures of Stephen De Staebler).
The music builds off of the work of Threadgill's Zooid ensemble (cellist Christopher Hoffman, guitarist Liberty Ellman, drummer Elliot Humberto Kavee, and the stunning tuba player Jose Davila) not only with the more expansive sonic palette but with even greater dynamic variations. If you are familiar with Threadgill's music, the pieces often have choppy rhythm parts, usually move from melody to another melody, matching disparate sounds, going in unexpected directions, and rarely concerned with solos. In those ways, the music on these albums may remind some of the work of Lawrence "Butch" Morris (1947-2013) as well as the large ensemble writing of Muhal Richard Abrams (1930-2017).
You need to hear this music without the prejudices of a reviewer or critic. Sit down and listen, then listen again. Play it loud. Pay attention. Look at the cover image taken by long-time colleague Jules Allen. How does the music relate to the image? Listen again and take notice of the conversations between musicians. Be open. The music Henry Threadgill composes, arranges, and plays is unlike any other. Like Morris and Abrams, like Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Roscoe Mitchell, all members or former members of the AACM, Threadgill's music is unique.
Personnel: Henry Threadgill - alto saxophone, flute, bass flute Chris Hoffman - cello Liberty Ellman - guitar Jose Davila - tuba Ben Gerstein – trombone Jacob Garchik – trombone Jonathan Finlayson - Bb trumpet, F trumpet Stephanie Richards –Bb trumpet Curtis Robert Macdonald – alto saxophone Roman Filiú - alto saxophone, alto flute David Bryant - piano David Virelles – piano Thomas Morgan - bass Elliott Humberto Kavee – drums, percussion Craig Weinrib - drums, percussion
Take a listen:
"Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus" is the second recording by Threadgill's Ensemble Double Up, that made its debut on the 2016 Pi Recording "Old Locks and Irregular Verbs." The "Plus" on the new album refers to the fact that the group is now an octet adding a third pianist to the lineup of saxophonists Curtis MacDonald and Roman Filiú, Jose Davila (tuba), Christopher Hoffman (cello), and Craig Weinrib (drums). Vijay Iyer and David Virelles were the pianists on the first album - Virelles returns but now is joined by Luis Perdomo and David Bryant. In the past, Threadgill rarely included piano in his music but it is fascinating to hear his he uses the instrument in the ensembles reviewed here. Listen to "Clear and Distinct From the Other A", notice how all the voices are utilized either in duos or trios, how the piano moves in and out, in one instance making room for Virelles's harmonium and also playing a short passage with just piano and harmonium. When the rhythm section, notice the interaction between drums, cello, and tuba - that trio's forward motion is often dizzying and pushes the various soloists to dig deeper.
Photo: Dragan Tasic
The program also features "Clear and Distinct From the Other B" which may be the same composition but approached in a different manner. Both performances open with solo piano and then different combinations of musicians create fascinating interactions. There is more focus on the piano on "B" with several moments of powerful solo playing.
This two cuts are followed by "Clear and Distinct" - again, the piece opens with a solo voice and here it is Davila's stunning tuba playing (includes several moments of multiphonics). One by one, other instruments enter and the focus shifts to a long piano statement. In fact, all three pianists solo and support each other on this track. Again, the rhythm section shines. The interaction of tuba and cello (especially Hoffman plucks the strings) is a treat to listen to.
Pulitzer.org
What stands out for this listener is how playful this music is. Not that the music isn't "serious" but Threadgill has composed melodies and created arrangements that open up to allow the ensemble the freedom to move. Solos abound as do "groups-within-the-group" interactions (listen to "Game is Up" below) and, because these musicians have a great understanding of what the composer needs of and from them, the results are so pleasing.
"Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus" has elements of the music that Henry Threadgill has created for nearly five decades. And, the addition of piano has opened up the aural landscape even more for a composer who continues to create compelling music on so many levels.
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