WNUR Jazz: Best of 1996
Compiled by:
Seth Tisue, Jazz Music
Director
jazz-md@wnur.org
(847)
491-7102
Evanston, IL
The Poll
Our jazz DJ's were asked to pick their 10 favorite new releases and 10
favorite new reissues of 1996. (Some of these are actually 1995
releases that WNUR didn't receive until 1996.) Discs by Chicago-area
artists are marked [LOCAL].
Top 30 New Releases
- Fred Anderson: Birdhouse (OkkaDisc) [LOCAL]
Winner by a 2-to-1 margin! Legendary but underrecorded tenor
saxophonist and AACM "field representative" leads a quartet featuring
Jim Baker, Harrison Bankhead, and Hamid Drake. Look for a new
OkkaDisk CD in 1997 on which he is backed by the DKV Trio (Drake, Kent
Kessler, Ken Vandermark) -- also due out shortly is Chicago
Chamber Music, a double CD on Southport by Anderson with Tatsu
Aoki, Affifi Phillard, and Sparrow. When in Chicago, you can go see
him play at his South Side bar, the Velvet Lounge.
- NRG Ensemble: This Is My House (Delmark) [LOCAL]
Originally led by Hal Russell, whose musical approach drew on
everything from vaudeville to Albert Ayler, this band continues after
Russell's death under the leadership of reeds player Mars Williams,
with all new tunes and the power and intensity of the music upped to
fearsome levels. Their next record for Delmark is due out this year.
- Ornette Coleman: Sound Museum (2 CD's) (Harmolodic)
Two different looks at the same set of tunes by an acoustic
quartet including Geri Allen on piano, the first time Ornette has
worked regularly with a pianist since Paul Bley in the 1950's. If
only they would do a U.S. tour...
- Pino Minafra: Sudori (Victo)
Rollicking Italian jazz, similar in some ways to work of Dutch
bands like the Willem Breuker Kollektief. With Carlo Actis Dato.
- John Carter & Bobby Bradford: Tandem 1 (Emanem)
These previously unreleased live duet recordings (clarinet &
cornet respectively) from 1982 showcase the most radical side of this
pair's work together, which dates back to their Ornette
Coleman-inspired quartet in late-60's Los Angeles. A second volume
was recently released.
- Cinghiale: Hoofbeats of the Snorting Swine (Eighth Day) [LOCAL]
The reeds duo of Ken Vandermark and Mars Williams mixes tunes and
grooves with free improvisation. Future installments of the "Rat
Bastard" series are eagerly awaited.
- Mats Gustafsson, Barry Guy & Paul Lovens: Mouth Eating Trees and Related Activities (OkkaDisk)
Swedish-English-German free improvisation. One of two Gustafsson
trio discs to place in the poll, this one released on a Chicago-based
label. From a whisper to a hurricane and back again.
- Fredrick Lonberg-Holm: Personal Scratch (Eighth Day) [LOCAL]
Solo cello improvisations by this transplanted New Yorker now
resident in Chicago. In New York, he worked with God is My Co-Pilot
and Anthony Braxton among others; here, he's a member of Broken Wire,
Mars Williams' Albert Ayler tribute project Witches & Devils, In
Zenith, and other groups.
- Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 173 (Black Saint)
Musical theater piece. Our four heroes Arnold, Jeremy, Molly, and
Miss Tisingham battle unseen enemies using sound. I can only indicate
the flavor of this by quoting from the dialogue: "CT-1: Suppose we go
to area-space MQC and redirect the lines of the consonants. A move
like that could be useful for NC-GROUP interest. CT-3: Something like
that would require a kind of RRRBBBBBIIIIIIINEEENNNNXXXXINNNGFULSXZ
{2x slow, 4x fast} kind of sound that danced into the 'folders' of the
event space!"
- John Butcher, Phil Durant & John Russell: Concert Moves (Random Acoustics)
Action-packed improvisations for reeds and strings with great
quickness, clarity, and bite.
- Jon Jang Sextet: Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note)
One of the leaders in the integration of African-American and
Asian-American music. With David Murray, James Newton.
- Gerry Hemingway: Acoustic & Electroacoustic Solo Works (2 CD's) (Random Acoustics)
Solo percussion works, with and without electronic enhancement, by
the Braxton quartet drummer.
- Myra Melford: The Same River, Twice (Gramavision)
With Dave Douglas, Chris Speed, Erik Friedlander, and Michael
Sarin -- mostly extended, chamber-music flavored compositions,
although the Mingus tribute "Changes I & II" has the pulsing drive
of some of her other music. Melford's trio will perform at Unity
Temple on April 27th.
- Either/Orchestra: Across the Omniverse (Accurate)
Previously unreleased 80's and 90's recordings that wouldn't fit
on previous releases by this Boston group that has variously included
Matt Wilson, Charlie Kohlhase, John Medeski, etc.
- Mark Helias: Loopin' the Cool (Enja)
BassDrumBone bassist with Ellery Eskelin, two drummers, violin.
- Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet: Box (New World)
Five (?!) women (best-known: Amy Denio, Jessica Lurie): "a
street-corner Salvation Army band one minute, a nasty funk outfit the
next, and a wailing klezmer combo after that -- or all three
simultaneously" (Michael Bloom).
- Roy Campbell: Communion (Silkheart)
Trio date with William Parker and Reggie Nicholson by this freebop
trumpeter.
- Barry Guy, Mats Gustafsson & Raymond Strid: You Forget to Answer (Maya)
British bassist Guy meets two thirds of the Swedish trio Gush for
an hour of free improvisation. This trio will perform in Chicago at
the Empty Bottle on June 18th.
- Northwoods Improvisers: Fog and Fire (Arc)
Michigan-based trio, working together since the mid-70's, release
their first CD on English saxophonist Trevor Watts's label and explore
the intersection between vibes-bass-drums freebop and Chinese music.
- Sainkho Namchylak & Ned Rothenberg: Amulet (Leo)
Female Tuvan throat singer meets circular breathing New York reeds
player for thirteen bouts of "call and response".
- Famoudou Don Moye & Enoch Williams: Afrikan Song (AECO/Southport) [LOCAL]
Drummers from the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Muntu Dance
Theater of Chicago lead the Sun Percussion Summit through the
"Diaspora Express Suite".
- Peter Brotzmann, Marilyn Crispell & Hamid Drake: Hyperion (Music and Arts)
Chicago drummer Drake had previously recorded for OkkaDisk both
with Brotzmann (The Dried-Rat-Dog and Crispell
(Destiny), but this trio had performed together for
the first time only the night before.
- Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers: Lausanne 1960, 2nd Set (TCB)
Smoking previously unreleased 1960 live set by the famous
Messengers lineup with Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and Bobby Timmons.
- Ivano Torre Quintetto: Urt' O Logique (Unit)
Swiss-Italian drummer leads outre but swinging quintet with
unusual instrumentation (alto sax, accordion, baritone sax, tuba!).
- David S. Ware: Dao (Homestead)
Fiery, energy-music followup to last year's
Cryptology, with the same lineup of Matthew Shipp,
William Parker, and Whit Dickey. (Dickey has since been replaced by
Susie Ibarra.)
- Philip Johnston's Big Trouble: Flood at the Ant Farm (Black Saint)
Soprano/alto saxophonist leads octet through a program of
originals drawing on diverse genres including free and pre-bop jazz
styles.
- Jean Derome: Navre (DAME)
French-Canadian reeds player Derome with guitarist Rene Lussier,
drawing on avant jazz, prog rock, etc.
- Lisle Ellis, Larry Ochs & Donald Robinson: What We Live (DIW)
Bay Area trio (Ochs is a member of the sax quartet ROVA), explore
a delicate and intricately interactive free-jazz space.
- Evan Parker & Paul Lytton: Two Octobers (1972-1975) (Emanem)
Previously unreleased recordings by this English duo, catching
them at a time of very wide-ranging experimentation with
instrumentation (including electronics and homemade instruments) that
preceded the consolidation of their discoveries in the context of the
Parker/Guy/Lytton trio.
- Ari Brown: Ultimate Frontier (Delmark) [LOCAL]
This Chicago tenor saxophonist is a veteran of many groups
including Elvin Jones's group, Kahil El Zabar's Ritual Trio, Anthony
Braxton's Charlie Parker Project, and others, but this is his first
album as a leader, and it smokes.
Local artists also receiving votes: Aoki/Wong/Pavkovic,
Chora Ensemble, Kelan Phil Cohran, Guillermo
Gregorio, Vandy Harris, Carl Leukaufe.
Top 25 Reissues
- Roscoe Mitchell: Sound (Delmark)
The first AACM recording -- a shot heard round the world!
- Sun Ra: The Singles (2 CD's) (Evidence)
Contains every 7" every released by Sun Ra on his Saturn label, by
the Arkestra as well as other artists (most notably the thoroughly
demented R & B of Yochannon).
- John Zorn: The Classic Guide to Strategy (Tzadik)
Insanely extremist solo saxophone (and duck call) recordings.
- Ornette Coleman: Chappaqua Suite (Columbia (France))
Mid-sixties soundtrack, for a large (but uncredited) ensemble.
- Anthony Braxton & Derek Bailey: First Duo Concert (Emanem)
An intriguing aesthetic collision.
- Steve Lacy & Mal Waldron: Live at Dreher Paris 1981, Round Midnight Vol. 1 (2 CD's) (hat ART)
1981 concert -- moving and thoughful, delicate and forceful, dark
and sweet.
- John Coltrane: Crescent (Impulse!)
A later album by the classic quartet.
- Jimmy Giuffre: Free Fall (Columbia (France))
The last studio recording of Giuffre's trio with Paul Bley and
Steve Swallow at their most radical before they disappeared into
record-industry no-man's-land.
- Howard Riley: Flight (FMR)
Superb though little-known 1971 date with Barry Guy and Tony Oxley.
- Lennie Tristano & Warne Marsh: Intuition (Capitol)
A full album led by each man -- includes Tristano's
recordings of freely-improvised jazz from 1949 (!).
- Willem Breuker Kollektief: The Parrot (BVHaast)
Compiles tracks from various 1980's LP's by the Kollektief.
- Lee Morgan: Delightfulee (Blue Note)
Half quintet, half over-the-top big band charts arranged by
Oliver Nelson.
- Joseph Jarman: As If It Were the Seasons (Delmark)
His second album. With Fred Anderson.
- Alice Coltrane: Ptah the El Daoud (Impulse!)
Alice's best. With Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders.
- Muhal Richard Abrams: Young at Heart/Wise in Time (Delmark)
Early AACM, one half solo, one half with Leo Smith and Henry
Threadgill et al.
- Lester Young: The Complete Aladdin Recordings (Blue Note)
1942-47 compilation with cleaned-up sound, Young backed by a parade of greats.
- AMM: Combine and Laminates (Matchless)
1984 Chicago concert; includes a performance of Cornelis Cardew's
graphic score "Treatise". Donna Summers' "She Works Hard For the Money"
makes a brief cameo.
- Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre: Forces and Feelings (Delmark)
More early AACM: with Fred Hopkins, Rita Worford. Behold God's
sunshine!
- Tina Brooks: True Blue (Blue Note)
Hard bop classic (1960) by Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks, the finest
moment in the short-lived career of this overlooked tenor player.
- Hal McKusick: Now's the Time (Decca)
Underrated George Russell-associated alto saxophonist. With Art
Farmer, Bill Evans, etc. Recommended to fans of Russell, Giuffre,
Shorty Rogers.
- Eddie Jefferson: Things are Getting Better (Muse)
Jazz funk from 1974 by singer Jefferson with Joe Newman, Billy
Mitchell, et al.
- Roy Haynes: Out of the Afternoon (Impulse!)
Great quartet date with Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
- Max Roach: It's Time (Impulse!)
Max Roach, his chorus (!) and orchestra, with a fine entry in his
circa-1960 series of ambitious experiments.
- Count Basie: Count Basie & the Kansas City 7 (Impulse!)
Early sixties small-band date; Basie doubles on organ.
- Dizzy Gillespie: Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac (Impulse)
Quintet with James Moody.
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