These Are a Few of My Favorite.....(Pt 1)

At the risk of repeating myself from the 10,000th time, what a great year for creative music, Black American Music and contemporary classical music.  I have voted in several polls including the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, in which the writers are limited to 10 new releases and 3 Re-issues or Historical releases. If you followed this blog as well as the column/blog published by the Hartford Courant from from 1997-2009, being confined to 13 is not easy for me.

For this post, I'll start with the list for the NPR poll. Next week, I'll get to the ones  that just missed making that list but deserve recognition. Click on the labels to go to pages that tell you more about the albums and more.

J.C. Sanford Orchestra (pictured above) - View From the Inside - Whirlwind Recordings)

Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suite - TUM Records - features Henry Threadgill, John Lindberg and Jack DeJohnette (above left).

Darryl Harper - The Need's Got To Be So Deep - HiPNOTIC Records - This could easily have been at the top - the music and the concept are so fresh.

Kavita Shah - Visions - Inner Circle Records - Co-produced by Lionel Loueke, also chosen as my best vocal album of the year. Her show at The Side Door Jazz Club earlier this year was a knock-out.

Hafez Modirzadeh - In Convergence Liberation - Pi Recordings - stunning music from an ensemble that includes ETHEL, trumpeter Amir ElSaffir and the great vocal work of Mili Bermejo.

Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - The Offense of the Drum - Motema Music - Also my choice for Latin Jazz album of 2014.

Eric Hofbauer Prehistoric Jazz Volumes 1 & 2 - The Rite of Spring + Quintet For The End of Time - Creative Nation Music - Brilliant arrangements of truly classic works by Stravinsky and Messien for the guitarist's top-notch quintet.  (For the Top 10, I only listed "The Rite..." but both are excellent.)

Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Band - Mother's Touch - Posi-Tone Records - Soulful, bluesy, creative and exciting, Mr. Evans struck it rich this year with this ensemble plus his work with Tarbaby.

The David Ullmann 8 - Corduroy - Little Sky Records -  Going back to this CD, I realize just his fresh this guitarist's music is - could easily be higher in the list.

Noah Garabedian – Big Butter and The Eggmen - BJU Records - The music created by this bassist for his debut (!) is quite mature and great fun.

My picks for Historical Albums and/or Reissues include Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories (Resonance Records), Jimmy Guiffre 3 & 4 – New York Concerts (Elemental Music) and Charlie Haden/Jim Hall – Live 1990 (Impulse Records). 

How "Alternating Current" Came To Be

Matthew Shipp is one of the finest modern pianists in creative music (and a gleeful rabble-rouser) while William Parker has established himself as a voice/force for new music and new approaches to creative music.  Throw into that mix drummer Jeff Cosgrove, who lives and works in the Mid-Atlantic region, and who has studied with Matt Wilson and Andrew Cyrille (among others), a musician who seems to have no fear of jumping into unknown situations, and the music comes alive.

I finally got around to listening to Jeff's June 2012 interview with Jason Crane on"The Jazz Session" as I was reviewing the CD (the link to the interview is here and to my review here).  At that time, the drummer explained how he formed the ensemble to record his debut CD "Motian Sickness: the Music of Paul Motian" and it made me curious how this meeting with Mr. Shipp and Mr. Parker came about.  His response is below:

"I've wanted to play with Matthew and William for years.  They became instant musical heroes when discovering their music in college.  I would tell my wife, then girlfriend, every time I listened to their records that I wanted to find a way to play with both of them.  It really seemed like a stretch then because my playing was not near the level it's on now and I still feel like I've got so much to learn to be on the level of those two great masters.  It was also interesting because I was not well regarded in the music program of the college I went to...I ended up with a psychology degree, if that tells you anything.

Fast forward to 2009, I had won a West Virginia Arts study grant to continue my studying with Andrew Cyrille and Matt Wilson.  I had mentioned to Andrew how much I was into both Matthew and William's music, hoping he would talk about his associations with them.  We mentioned the gigs he had done with William in various ensembles and it was really inspirational.  Matt and Andrew have never played together, even though they've been friends for years.  I tried to casually mention how I wanted to play with them...but, it wasn't as eloquent as I had hoped.  Andrew simply said, “it will happen when the time is right.”

In the spring of 2013, I saw Andrew in NY and mentioned to him again how I wanted to do a recording with Matt and William and without hesitation, he sent me their info.  Just the fact that Andrew had the confidence in me put me on cloud nine.

I reached out to Matthew first who was in Europe at the time.  He wanted to check out my "Motian Sickness" recording that featured Mat Maneri, a frequent collaborator of Matthew's.  To my surprise he dug the record and felt that Maneri and I played really well together – performances that I’m really proud of.  We talked on the phone one evening after he had listened to my record and we just talked about records, inspirations, and playing solo concerts.  It was really great to get his perspective given his experiences and just get his down to earth vibe.  After that call, Matt was in.  He said he would take care of getting William on board as they have been close for many years.  Now I was freaked out!  I was going to be doing a recording with Matthew Shipp and William Parker in front of an audience…it was a lot to take in. 

Photo by F Schindelbeck

I connected with William in New York when he was playing with Tony Malaby and Nasheet Waits at Greenwich House with my friends Jimmy Katz and drummer Deric Dickens.  William was really looking forward to the date and couldn’t have been nicer.  We talked a little about his upcoming schedule and some general pleasantries but nothing about the recording other than the date. 

The night of the concert finally arrived and my wife and I were in New York.  Klavierhaus has some of the beautiful pianos, as well as, an incredible recital hall but no drums.  Deric Dickens had arranged for me to borrow a set of drums from Steve Maxwell’s Vintage Drums but the only trick was that we had to get them from their Times Square studio to the Klavierhaus near Lincoln Center at rush hour.  I was more than a little stressed about the performance and if we would be able to even get to the gig in enough time to set up based on the traffic but somehow everything aligned perfectly and we got to the venue in no time. 

When we walked into Klavierhaus, Jimmy was already setting everything up around the piano and I began to get the drums up.  Then, suddenly, Matthew runs in out of breath because he had literally run several blocks because he went to the wrong address.  We had a good laugh about it as he caught his breath and you could just see his excitement to play the Fazioli piano.  While Matthew can sound amazing on any piano, to hear him on an instrument that really is up to the level of his ability is truly inspiring.  When you couple that with the connection he has with one of the greatest bass players living, it put me in a place of pure joy.  I knew anything could happen and that was what I wanted.  This would be a night that I had prepared for but never thought would arrive.  Two masters and musical heroes playing with me.  To make it better, if possible, they are two of the kindest and most thoughtful people. 

We didn’t talk about what we would play at all.  The only thing we discussed was that "Victoria", the Paul Motian composition, would be the last piece of the evening.  We just started to feel the music from the first notes.  It was an on the spot decision to dedicate the last piece of our first set to Andrew.  He is just such a special player that the three of us have known, that it only seemed right.  "Alternating Current" just seemed like a fitting title for the piece because AC are Andrew’s initials, as well as, he has always been at the forefront of evolutions of jazz. Bridges of Tomorrow was really where we hit our stride.  It was the opening of our second set and I just felt that opening pattern with the mallets and it was like Matt and William were reading my mind.  They just played with exactly what the music needed and every time that I thought the music had peaked, they could push it further. 

Playing with Matt and William was like being hit by a musical freight train and I mean that in the best possible way.  By the end of the first piece that we played, I had sweat through my shirt.  It was strong but sensitive, as well as, free but it never seemed out of control.  My wife commented that she had never seen or heard me play like that.  Matthew and William brought out a side of my playing that I didn’t know was there.  That was what it was like playing with these masters.  They unlocked things in a service to the music that changed my playing forever.  It was one of the greatest musical experiences of my life.  I had so much adrenaline running through my body, whew, I could have run back to the hotel.

Hopefully, we will be doing more playing together soon!"

For more information and links to purchase Jeff's CDs, go to jeffcosgrovemusic.com. 

This is Josh's Music!

Received an email the other day from publicist Scott Menhinick (of Improvised Communications and JazzDIY) about an upcoming  project from baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton (that's him on the left.)  The text follows below:

Brooklyn-based baritone saxophonist/composer Josh Sinton is trying something new to get his latest recording noticed and heard. He will make its 11 tracks available online in serialized form via five weekly blog posts (July 16th through August 13th), accompanied by detailed personal essays and corresponding artwork he commissioned from Brooklyn artist Elizabeth Daggar. These digital-only elements will be available to preview online at both Sinton's own site and the site of the label releasing the complete project, Prom Night Records, which will sell the tracks as downloads.

The record in question is called "Pine Barren", the second and final release from his now-defunct quintet, holus-bolus, featuring saxophonist Jon Irabagon, guitarist Jonathan Goldberger, bassist Peter Bitenc and drummer Mike Pride. Sinton disbanded the group last year in response to the kind of industry-related obstacles he's challenging with this alternative approach, many of which he details in his essays, resulting in this insightful multimedia document of his own motivations and the realities facing an independent bandleader in today's jazz industry.

"For the first time," Sinton explains, "I made something without any regard for my musical training. I made something with no thought about how it might fit into the current musical landscape. I wrote it in the hope that something positive could be created from something negative. When I finished this record (about a year in the making), I went through the normal channels for capturing ears and interest—label owners, colleagues, 'star' musicians, critics, publicists, etc., anyone I remotely thought could help me get the record out to an audience of listeners. At a time when it is so much easier to record, to publish, to document, it has become so much harder to get anyone to pay attention."

"A few individuals responded with encouragement, and about the same small number replied with disinterest," he continues. "But, for the most part I was met by a large, stony wall of silent indifference. I'd like to think this is mostly because people are either a.) too busy to listen to the record, or b.) they're confused by it. Confused because, I will admit, Pine Barren doesn't really sound like any record I've heard or own. So in the interest of attracting more listeners, I'm going to do what I'm terrified of doing: I'm going to explain Pine Barren. I hope all these words and images make the sounds of Pine Barren a little bit less opaque. But mainly I hope people will give the project just a little bit of their time and listen."
 
Active in projects ranging from his own solo performances to trumpeter Nate Wooley's quintet to such large ensembles as the Andrew D'Angelo Big Band and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Sinton has been one of New York's premier low-end reed specialists since 2004. A former member of the Chicago and Boston creative music scenes, he was raised in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, an area that has provided inspiration for many of his compositions and ensembles. In addition to holus-bolus, his other projects include Ideal Bread, which celebrates the legacy of his former teacher, Steve Lacy, and multiple small-group collaborations with other musicians around New York.

Learn more about Josh Sinton and his various projects at joshsinton.com. 

The Aura of Anthony Braxton's Ouevre

There's much buzz around Anthony Braxton these days. The composer- conceptualist- reed player is to be feted with a 4-night event to be held at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.  The "Festival", titled "Anthony Braxton: Energies, Ideas. Intuitions", will feature several world premieres and United States debut - the full schedule is below.

The 66-year old Braxton has been a force on the creative music scene since the 1968 release of his groundbreaking Delmark Records Lp, "For Alto."  He has written music for all sizes and shapes of ensembles, from duos, trios, quartets, orchestras, multiple orchestras to100 tubas!  He has recorded with drummer Max Roach, vocalist Jeanne Lee, synthesizer master Richard Teitelbaum, trombonist George Lewis, the Robert Schumann String Quartet, pianist Chick Corea (along with bassist Dave Holland and percussionist Barry Altschul in Circle), bassist Joe Fonda, guitarist Joe Morris, cornet player Taylor Ho Bynum and many. many others.

Speaking of Bynum (one of many former Braxton students who still record and tour with him), he is the President of the Tri-Centric Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing the major works of composer of Professor Braxton and preserving his artistic legacy. The Foundation is truly the on-line archive for his music and offers subscribers access to works (through its New Braxton House imprint) that were released on Lps and CDs that have gone out-of-print or never been released.  Anthony Braxton is nothing if not prolific and these new releases range from solo to septet to 3 Orchestras.  See them all at http://tricentricfoundation.org/label.

As promised, here is the schedule for the Festival at Roulette to be held from October 5 - 8. 
Wednesday, Oct. 5

The world premiere of Pine Top Arial Music, a new interdisciplinary system combining dance and music; a set of Braxton’s through-composed solo piano music; and his Falling River Music Quartet, which interprets evocative graphic scores.

• Pine Top Arial Music – Anthony Braxton (reeds), Taylor Ho Bynum (brass), Matt Bauder (reeds), Anne Rhodes (voice), Rachel Bernsen, Melanie Maar (movement)
   
• Composition 30 – Cory Smythe (piano)
   
• Falling River Music – Anthony Braxton (reeds), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon), Shelley Burgon (harp), Renee Baker (violin/viola)

Thursday, Oct. 6

The US debut of Braxton's Diamond Curtain Wall Trio, with interactive electronics. The Tri-Centric Orchestra will perform ensemble pieces with three simultaneous conductors and language music improvisations.

• Diamond Curtain Wall Trio – Anthony Braxton (reeds, electronics), Taylor Ho Bynum (brass), Mary Halvorson (guitar)
   
• Tri-Centric Orchestra – Jason Hwang, Mazz Swift (violins), Renee Baker (viola), Tomas Ulrich (cello); Nate Wooley, Chris DiMeglio (trumpets), Mark Taylor (French horn), Dan Blacksburg, Chris McIntyre (trombones), Anthony Braxton, Daniel Blake, Dan Voss, Matt Bauder, Salim Washington, Josh Sinton (reeds), Angelica Sanchez (piano), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Ken Filiano (bass), Tyshawn Sorey (percussion), Taylor Ho Bynum, Jessica Pavone, Aaron Siegel (conductors)

Friday, Oct. 7

Featuring the debut of a 13-member vocal choir, performing Braxton’s syntactical Ghost Trance Music. The composer’s 12+3tet plays Echo Echo Mirror House Music, where the musicians wield iPods in addition to their instruments, combining live performance and sampled sound from Braxton's extensive discography.  

• Syntactical Ghost Trance Music Choir – Anne Rhodes, Kyoko Kitamura, Amy Crawford, Jean Carla Rodea, Fay Victor, Kamala Sankaram, Elizabeth Saunders, Nick Hallett, Vince Vincent, Wesley Chinn, Chris DiMeglio, Michael Douglas Jones, Adam Matlock (voices)
   
• 12+3tet Echo Echo Mirror House – Anthony Braxton, Andrew Raffo Dewar, James Fei, Steve Lehman, Chris Jonas, Sara Schoenbeck (reeds), Taylor Ho Bynum, Reut Regev, Jay Rozen (brass), Renee Baker, Erica Dicker, Jessica Pavone (strings), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Carl Testa (bass), Aaron Siegel (percussion)

Saturday, Oct. 8

A world premiere concert reading of two acts of Braxton’s opera Trillium J, featuring a cast of twelve singers and 35-piece orchestra, with Braxton conducting.

• Trillium J (Acts I and III) - Amy Crawford, Anne Rhodes, Kyoko Kitamura, Fay Victor, Kamala Sankaram, Elizabeth Saunders, Nick Hallett, Vince Vincent, Wesley Chinn, Chris DiMeglio, Michael Douglas Jones, Jeremiah Lockwood (voices)
  
  Erica Dicker, Jason Hwang, Sarah Bernstein, Olivia DePrato, Renee Baker, Skye Steele (violins), Jessica Pavone, Amy Cimini, Lilian Belknap (violas), Tomas Ulrich, Nathan Bontrager, Daniel Levin (cellos), Ken Filiano, Carl Testa (bass), Cory Smythe (piano), Chris Dingman (percussion), Michel Gentile, Yukari (flutes), Christa Robinson (oboe), Katie Scheele (english horn), Sara Schoenbeck, Brad  Balliett (bassoons), Mike McGinnis, Oscar Noriega, Jason Mears, Josh Sinton (clarinets), Nate Wooley, Gareth Flowers (trumpets) Mark Taylor (French horn), Reut Regev, Sam Kulick (trombones), Jay Rozen (tuba), Anthony Braxton (conductor)

 For more information, contact Doron Sadja, doron@roulette.org, or call (917) 267-0363.

On top of all that, on October 11, New Braxton House will release the 4-CD set of Professor Braxton's opera, "Trillium E."  Described thusly "Each of Trillium E’s four acts features a different episode: a genie in a bottle, the invention of human cloning, interplanetary space travel, and the exploration of a jungle pyramid."  The cast, as befitting the project, is quite large - 12 vocalists and 44 musicians -  many of whom have worked with the composer in the past and present. The sessions, produced by Bynum and engineered by Jon Rosenberg, took place over 5 days in March of 2010 at Systems Two in Brooklyn.  Professor Braxton and Nick Lloyd (of Firehouse 12 in New Haven) served as Executive Producers. To find out more, go to http://tricentricfoundation.org/. 

Interviews, Musicians and Writers

May I recommend for your edification over the Holiday weekend an Internet journey to several websites.

If you have never perused the offerings at dothemath.typepad.com, the home of pianist/journalist Ethan Iverson (pictured left), do so now. There's a 4-part interview and discussion with and about Henry Threadgill that is worth spending the time to read. No one composes and orchestrates like Threadgill and he's been at it over 4 decades. The conversation between he and Iverson has lots of insights into the music, into the history of American music (you might call it jazz but Threadgill would not) and into the influences that shaped Threadgill.  Just follow this link and get cracking - dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/interview-with-henry-threadgill-1-.html.

And, for a taste of The Bad Plus (the trio with Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King) in concert with the HR Big Band, with arrangements by Jim McNeely, go to www.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/kultur/index.jsp?rubrik=2023.  The music is quite impressive, sound and picture quality very good, and well worth another chunk of your time.

The jovial drummer/composer/arranger John Hollenbeck is the subject of the cover interview at NewMusicBox, the web magazine of The American Music Center. He chats about the Claudia Quintet (with videos), about his Large Ensemble and about how he approaches composing and playing.  It's not as long as the Threadgill piece but very informative.  Here's the link - www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=6906. 

If you want investigate more about creative music, go to - A Blog Supreme at www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/ - now that "The Treme" is into season 2, ABS author Patrick Jarenwattananon and Josh Jackson (he of The Checkout on WBGO-FM) are breaking down each episode. 


Also, for a viewpoint across the Northern border, Peter Hum of The Ottawa Citizen continues to be one of the more readable writers about the contemporary music scene.  Not only does write about jazzers from the United States but he also does a wonderful job of giving exposure to many Canadian artists.  For example, his column about pianist/composer David Braid led me to download his 2 CDs from emusic.com - click on the name to find out more.  To check out Mr. Hum, go to communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/jazzblog/default.aspx and dig in. 

Need To Know

Yes, life has been crazy around Step Tempest HQ and I nearly missed telling you about this event. The poster speaks for itself but, if you want to find out more, go to http://nhic-music.org/events/VergeFest2011/VergeFest2011.html.

Just another busy night for great music in New Haven (Firehouse 12 welcomes the Daniel Levin Quartet - read about it here.)

Live Music Keeps One Alive

Don't know about you but there are times I am afraid to turn on the news or open the morning papers.  Tragedies abound, many of them man-made and, often, there is no recourse, nothing one can do to make it better. Yes, we can (and should) donate money or supplies at times of famine, natural disaster and other horrific events.

Music has always been my escape valve; when my sister died, I played the Bach "Cello Suites" while writing her eulogy. Sadly, the older one gets, it seems that bad news often outweighs the good.

This week, with the horrible news from Japan amidst the continuing political unrest at home and abroad, I really felt the need for "live" music. Luckily, the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet decided to play a "warm-up" gig before he headed off to Europe for 5 weeks and then entering the studio later in the Spring. The group assembled in The Big Room, a new performance space in New Haven and proceeded to blow the roof off the place (figuratively, of course.)  Joining Bynum (pictured above) was trombonist Bill Lowe, alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs, guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Tomas Fujiwara.  The sextet were using the evening to revisit "Apparent Distance", a long, multi-sectioned composition that Bynum created thanks to a grant from Chamber Music America/The Doris Duke Foundation.  They warmed up with a piece dedicated to trombonist Lowe (partially in honor of his 65th birthday), "Look Below", a hard-bop romp where everyone got the chance to "strut their stuff."  Ms. Halvorson's wonderfully angular guitar lines worked well with Hobb's high-energy saxophone and Filiano's agile bass lines.  The birthday celebrant blew long and hard lines that swung mightily atop Fujiwara's active brush work.  Bynum's cornet sputtered, spattered, whooshed, and danced above the fray.
"Apparent Distance" opened with a long unaccompanied introduction from the composer.  Utilizing "circular breathing" (a method in which the musicians must breathe through his nose while continuing to expel air through his mouth, allowing him to play a constant tone on the instrument while inhaling), Bynum made all sorts of noises, from short melodies to sputters to snorting and more. Once the ensemble entered, they played a long, flowing, melody that opened into numerous solo sections.  Hobbs is one of the more energetic alto players one will ever hear  - he absolutely "wails" on the sax, with so much force there are moments onje expects he will just explode.  Ms. Halvorson played fascinating counterpoint on several of the solos and created her own statement, manipulating her foot pedals, bending strings, varying her volume.  Everyone got the spotlight and all played well. At one point, the cornet, saxophone and trombone played sans rhythm section, weaving lines in and around each other.  This is the piece they will record in May and one will be able to hear how the sections flow together as well as how the piece continually moves forward from the opening statement.
For an encore, the Sextet played the blues.  "Bowie" hit hard and low, with a "beat" that struck the listener in the chest, making the body shake.  Hobbs and Ms. Halvorson combined for a squalling duo, both wailing over the beat, the saxophonist making the most harsh yet fascinating sounds.  Lowe started his solo by digging into the slow beat but the rhythm section had other ideas, doubling the pace, lowering the volume and "swinging" through the changes.  Filiano played a lovely solo (yes, the bass can make lovely sounds), filled with melodic fragments, overtones and harp-like flourishes.

Was it fun? Absolutely!  My "blues" melted away as the Sextet wailed into the evening.  Harsh at times? O yes, there were moments when noise supplanted melody but the music never lost its way.  The bad stuff is still there, happening all the time but, for 75 minutes, I had the good fortune to forget it all and enjoy great creative music.

Here's a video from last summer of the band hard at play.



Click on this link to watch the video in full size.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ-YmC8SNYI&feature=related

The Braxton Archive and Beyond

Anthony Braxton, over his long and multi-faceted career, has produced scores of recordings, so much so that it has always been hard to keep track of what he's doing and when he did it.  All that is about to change - no, the good Professor (he's on the faculty of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT) is not laying down his many reeds or his pen.  Read the informative press release below and follow the links provided.

ANTHONY BRAXTON AND THE TRI-CENTRIC FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH NEW WEBSITE MARCH 1

New York, NY - On Tuesday, March 1st, Anthony Braxton and the not-for-profit organization Tri-Centric Foundation will publicly launch a comprehensive new website documenting the composer's music and legacy. The site, to be accessible at http://tricentricfoundation.org, will offer an array of unprecedented features, including exclusive access to Braxton's extensive personal archive of live recordings and the first-ever digital downloads of the complete out-of-print catalog of releases from his own Braxton House label.

True to its name, the Tri-Centric site will be split into three parts: a one-stop informational home for the composer and the foundation; a 'friendly experiencer' section for an immersive jump into Braxton's sound world; and New Braxton House Records, an online label dedicated to offering Braxton's music for convenient and affordable download.

New Braxton House Records will be releasing two album-length downloads per month, with material ranging from recent Ghost Trance Music concerts to rare recordings from the 1970s, from solo saxophone recitals to orchestra performances. The label's initial release will be a Sextet (Philadelphia) 2005, a double album-length performance from Braxton's long-time working ensemble featuring the composer on saxophones, with Taylor Ho Bynum (brass), Jessica Pavone (viola), Jay Rozen (tuba), Carl Testa (bass), and Aaron Siegel (percussion). Additionally, for a limited time the website will be offering a free album download: Septet (Pittsburgh) 2008 with the same ensemble plus Mary Halvorson (guitar). The full catalog of the old Braxton House imprint from the late 1990s will also be available in downloadable format for the first time.

Customers can buy any recording on an a la carte basis, or may choose to become subscribers, receiving each month's two new downloads plus 10% off all back-catalog items for $12+1 a month, with all proceeds from the sales directly supporting the Tri-Centric Foundation. Additionally, in a move reminiscent of Frank Zappa's Beat the Boots, the website will be culling from the hundreds of unauthorized Braxton concert bootlegs available online, 'liberating' those with the most historical value and offering them free-of-charge.

About the Tri-Centric Foundation:

The Tri-Centric Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports the most ambitious work of eminent musician/composer Anthony Braxton, while also cultivating and inspiring the next generation of creative artists to pursue their own visions with the kind of idealism and integrity Braxton has demonstrated throughout his long and distinguished career.

Specifically, the foundation encourages broad dissemination of Braxton’s music through creation of, and support for, performances, productions, recordings and other new media technologies. It also documents, archives, preserves and disseminates Braxton’s scores, writings, performances and recordings and advocates for a broader audience, appreciation, funding and support base for Braxton’s work. The new www.tricentricfoundation.org website is a critical component of this larger mission. 

Follow Tri-Centric Foundation on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tricentricfoundation
Twitter http://twitter.com/tricentricfdn

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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Tri-Centric Foundation
contact@tricentricfoundation.org
www.tricentricfoundation.org

PO Box 22935
Brooklyn, NY 11202-2935
(347) 433-8742

Facebook www.facebook.com/tricentricfoundation
Twitter http://twitter.com/tricentricfdn

Willem Breuker and Daniel Schorr

The first time I heard the music of Willem Breuker, who passed today at the age of 65, must have been in the late 1970s.  I had begun a correspondence with Bob Rusch, publisher/editor/writer for CADENCE Magazine.  There was a review of the Breuker's Kollektief "Live In Berlin 1975" (FMP Records) and I became curious. We talked, I purchased and I began to dig into the Dutchman's music. Breuker mixed it up - his 10 piece band (later to become 11) tackled thorny original music, filled with twists, turns, squawks, honks, pounding rhythms, and "wild" melodies.  The ensemble tackled Weill, Gershwin, Satie, oratorios, film music, musical theater, television and more.  He hired great musicians, players who could read and improvise without fear. He started his own label, BVHAAST, at a time when few musicians were doing that, documenting not only his own music but that of his band members and other Dutch and European composers/musicians.

Willem Breuker, born in Amsterdam, began his musical career in the1960s,.  He played with many of the European "New Jazz" players, such as Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg(with the latter 2, he formed the Instant Composers Pool (ICP).  He organized the Kollektief in 1974 and the band plus the label was the main source of his musical output.  He played in all sorts of settings, in many different-sized ensembles, with string sections, chamber groups, and whoever could play his music. He never rested on his laurels, always moving forward, always challenging audiences and listeners.  To find out more, go to www.xs4all.nl/~wbk/.

Commentator and reporter Daniel Schorr also passed today and one can read any number of tributes (npr.org., cbsnews, etc) but there is one memory of Mr. Schorr that I want to share.  He came to speak at Wesleyan University shortly after the events of September 11, 2001.  He wondered aloud about President Bush's reaction - though the President dubbed the terrorist attack as an "act of war", he told Americans to go shopping.  Schorr thought back to World War II and the weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt made sure to tell his constituents that this would be a time of sacrifice, that every citizen needed to pitch in for the war effort.  Schorr shook his head at the notion of "going shopping." Today, a small percentage of Americans are soldiers or nurses, doctors or pilots and some continue to return to Iraq and Afghanistan, many choosing of their own volition to go back. Yes, it's a such different world than the days of World War II and even Vietnam. News has become entertainment, often personal opinion instead of reporting. Daniel Schorr was a reporter who became a commentator, an elder statesman, a trusted voice and he worked right up until the end.  He, too, will be missed.

Fay Victor at Firehouse 12

Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven, hosts the Fay Victor Ensemble for 2 shows this Friday, May 28.

Ms. Victor and her trio - Anders Nilsson (guitar), Ken Filiano (acoustic bass) and Michael "TA" Thompson (drums) - created one of the most original CDs of 2009.  "The Freesong Suite" (Greene Avenue Music) is a collection of 3 "suites", each with a room number, and the music is a often cerebral mix of "free" improvisation and word plays - yet, when one pays close attention, you hear how the pieces fit, how the band and vocalist weave around each other, breathe together, support and prod each other.  There are blues, rock, country, jazz and more influence throughout the program.  Bassist Filiano is, often, the heart of this music, allowing Thompson to "color" the procedings and Nilsson's unique guitar sounds to move in and out of the mix.  Victor is the soul and the fire of the band, her poetry/stories growing out of the music.  She interacts naturally with the band, nothing is forced and nothing is static.  To find out more, go to www.fayvictor.com.

The first set begins at 8:30 p.m., the second at 10 p.m. - for more information, go to www.firehouse12.com or call 203-785-0468.

Here's the Ensemble in action:

Bob Brookmeyer: 80 Years & Going Strong

Trombonist-composer-arranger Bob Brookmeyer celebrated his 80th birthday on December.  If you don't know Brookmeyer's music (shame on you), you may have heard works by composers who the Kansas City, Missouri, has taught and mentored, people such as Jim McNeely, Maria Schneider, Ayn Inserto, Dave Rivello, John Hollenbeck, and Darcy James Argue.  Click on Argue's name and you can read his loving tribute to the man and hear 5 cogent examples of his work.

Brookmeyer is opinionated (as you will hear in the video excerpt below) but he backs up his words with the music he has created over the past 6 decades. He created brilliant melodies and charts for the Gerry Mulligan Concert Big Band, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra which became the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and, after the drummer's death, the Vanguard Orchestra. Amazingly, he has no "American" band but most of the music he has produced over the past 15 years has come from his association with the NewArt Orchestra, an 18-piece big band based in Holland.

My suggestion is to go to www.bobbrookmeyer.com and check out what the man has done.  It's been a career filled with ups and downs but the music has been consistently strong.  And, believe me, he's not done yet.

Firehouse 12 Fall 09 Series Draws to a Close + CD Pick

The final show for the 13-week series takes place Friday December 18 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven and features the Daniel Levin Trio. Led by cellist/composer Levin, the 3-some (also featuring drummer Frank Rosaly and bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten) creates music that combines through-composed lines with challenging improvisations and keeps the listener involved. The music rarely roars but is often filled quietly heated interplay.  A fascinating combination of the sonorous cello and deep, full, tones of the acoustic bass gives this music depth. To find out more about Levin and t get a taste of his original music, go to www.daniel-levin.com.

The trio plays 2 sets, 8:30 and 10 p.m. - for ticket information, call 203-785-0468 or go to www.firehouse12.com.

The Bill Frisell Trio, with Eyvind Kang (violin) and Rudy Royston (drums), will play a special show at Firehouse 12 on Tuesday March 9, 2010.  Two separate sets, 8:30 and 10 p.m., each at the cost of $30.  Last time Frisell was in New Haven, the show sold out in less than a week (and, for good reason - Frisell's music is complex and rich, filled with creative twists and turns.) Call the phone # above for more information.

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David Chevan (bass) and Warren Byrd (piano, vocals) have played music together for over a decade, creating a hybrid of African America spirituals, Jewish liturgical music, jazz, blues, country blues and more. Over the years, the Afro-Semitic Experience has grown into quite a working band, with the dynamic rhythm section of Alvin Carter Jr. (drums) and Baba David Coleman (percussion) and the highly expressive violin and dobro of Stacy Phillips.  I've been impressed with the development of reed player Will Bartlett (tenor sax, clarinets) - his voice has gotten stronger in the band's mix, with solos that blend fire and melody. 

For its new recording, "The Road That Heals the Splintered Soul" (Reckless DC Music), the sextet has added the harder-edged sound of trumpeter Saskia Laroo to its mix. Recorded at Firehouse 12, the program really cooks, from the opening "Shout Out From The Mountain", with its Klezmer-influenced horn and string lines over fiery latin/African percussion.  The title track hearkens back to the easy, sweet, soul music of the 1970s , with heartfelt vocals and gospel-influenced piano from Byrd and rich resonator guitar riffs from Phillips. The solos section rides atop Chevan's active walking bass lines. "Adon Olam", a prayer usually sung at the end of the Sabbath morning service, gets a funky Earth, Wind & Fire makeover, with the tenor sax, violin and trumpet weaving in and around the danceable beats. "A Torah Afloat in a Leaky Boat Lands in Congo Square", a tune influenced by events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, builds slowly from percussion and bass to a second-line groove celebration of survival (great clarinet work from Bartlett.)  The tenor saxophonist's "Road to Redemption" opens with a fine piano solo that leads into a bluesy statement of the theme by Laroo.  Later in the tune, Bartlett plays an emotionally rich tenor solo that plays off the emotion of the piece.

The Afro-Semitic Experience continues to evolve as a unit, creating music that is truly American, the America of immigrants who fused their native customs and sounds to the dreams of freedom.  No one voice stands above the fray - this is truly a "team" effort. Highly spiritual but quite earthy, melodically strong and rhythmically charged, "The Road That Heals The Splintered Soul" is a musical journey that goes in many directions but never leaves one unsatisfied. Get the CD then see them live, for this band can really shake the rafters. For more information, go to www.chevan.addr.com.