WNUR Jazz Report, 12/18/95
Reports compiled by:
Jim Zanghi, Jazz Music
Director / jazz-md@wnur.org
89.3 WNUR FM, Chicago's Sound Experiment, broadcasts jazz every
weekday from 5:00 am until 12:30 pm.
Comments
There is no top 25 this week since it's the winter holiday break at
NU. This frees up some time to comment on the new CD's added this
week. Remember, the opinions below are my own, not WNUR's. There's
15-20 DJ's playing whatever their hearts' desire, so you're bound to
hear DJ's digging stuff I dislike and vice versa.
- The Szemö (I'm not certain, but I think he's Hungarian)
release is a 30 minute composition. Leo Feigin typically produces CD's
packed to the limit, but he decided to omit the second and longer
piece from this release because he feels that "having listened to the
final mix of TRACTATUS it bacame obvious to us that this piece is
totally unique. It should stand alone". It consists of a steady
humming, piano fragments, and text narrated by seven different people
all of different nationalities. Definitely unique.
- The Normand Guilbeault Ensemble is a swing band hailing from
Montreal. The recently had a release out on the Red Toucan label.
Both releases are fantastic in my opinion. Basso
Continuo consists of new, original and extraordinarily dynamic
arrangements of compositions from great jazz bassists such as Mingus,
Chambers, Pastorius, etc.
- In my opinion, McCoy Tyner's "Prelude and Sonata" is very boring
and predictable jazz interpretations of various classical (eg. Chopin)
and classic pop (eg. Chaplin) tunes plus some Tyner originals. He's
accompanyed by 4 neo-boppers including Joshua Redman and Antonio Hart.
Redman's playing on the ballads are so bland and sappy that I think
I'm listening to the tenor version of Kenny G. On the up-tempo tunes,
these guys sound so cliche. I wish they would vary their tone just
once in a while. The hornless trio's music is adequate, and I like
Marvin Smith's drumming.
- On the other hand, for some serious swingin' music, check out
the "Alberta Clipper" feauring Tom Butts (tenor sax) and Chuck Wayne
(guitar). This self-produced CD is a mix of standards and Wayne
compositions.
- Steve Lacy's Weal & Woe is a reissue from 2
LP's. The "Weal" is Lacy's very first solo concert and is extremely
intense music recorded in '72 in what Lacy describes as "the
disaffected church belonging to the Chene Noir Theatre Group in
Avignon. The acoustics are superb and the vibes were good". "The
Woe" is a studio recording with Steve Potts, Irene Aebi and some
others "conceived in the horrors of the Vietnam War". Equally intense
and very passionate to me.
- Charles Earland plays his Hammond B-3 organ on his new release.
Eric Alexander accompanies him among others. Earland has been a
resident in South Chicago for a few years now but rarely performs
live. I've seen him billed at the Green Mill, but supposely he appears
at obscure little clubs on the South Side every so often. If you like
WNUR & WHPK DJ Rick Wojcik's music, you'll like Earland.
- Pharoah Sander's Thembi was purchased, and is NOT
new, but Impulse will probably reissuing it shortly on 20 bit digital.
- The Brand New Bag is a New Orleans style band featuring Hamiet
Bluiett on baritone sax. Loads of fun.
- The 3 Zorn discs are part of the 5 CD Tzadik Archival Series.
Locus Solus was recorded in '83 and consists of 38
tracks, with the Whiz Kid, Arto Lindsay, Christian Marclay, Anton
Fier, etc. The other 2 Zorn CD's were recorded a few years ago.
Kristallnacht is "the premiere work of Radical Jewish
Culture".
- The Armstrong CD consists primarily of 1938 recordings and
includes 5 previously unissued takes.
- New York bassist William Parker recently produced an album in
which he conducts an entire orchestra. He also performs regularly
with Mathew Shipp and David S. Ware. On this new release he performs
solo. I'm not real wild about listening to a 20 minute solo bass
piece or two, but he is pretty damn incredible on this album. He
credits European bassist Barre Phillips among others, who I had the
opportunity to see live at the recent FMP Festival in Chicago. For
more info on Testimony, email to zeroin@bga.com.
- John Scofield's new one is really groovin' as the title
suggests. Much better than most of the stuff Blue Note is releasing
these days. Includes Larry Goldings on organ and a variety of horns,
including a tuba :-).
Adds this week
New releases
- Ray Brown Trio: Seven Steps to Heaven (Telarc Jazz)
- Tom Butts & Chuck Wayne: Alberta Clipper
(independent)
- various: Justin Time for Christmas (Justin Time)
- Charles Earland: Ready 'n Able (Muse)
- Ebony Brass Quintet: Brand New Bag (Mapleshade)
- Normand Guilbeault: Basso Continuo (Justin Time)
- William Parker: Testimony (zero in)
- John Scofield: Groove Elation! (Blue Note)
- Tibor Szemzo: Tractatus (1991-1995) (Leo)
- McCoy Tyner: Prelude and Sonata (Milestone)
New reissues
- Louis Armstrong: Pocketful of Dreams(Decca)
- John Coltrane Quartet: The Complete Africa/Brass
Sessions (Impulse!)
- Steve Lacy: Weal & Woe (Emanem)
- John Zorn: Elegy (Tzadik)
- John Zorn: Locus Solus (Tzadik)
- John Zorn: Kristallnacht (Tzadik)
Not new