Jazz
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It’s not often we’re treated to a pairing of two such accomplished, internationally admired musicians. Peter Brötzmann has a back catalogue that’s bigger than most people’s record collection – he’s a part of well over 100 titles. Besides a long list of solo discs, he’s recorded with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bill Laswell,…
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Speaking of Chicago and the Hungry Brain, here’s another pair of superb live recordings from the city’s vibrant jazz scene. Featuring Dave Rempis on saxophones, Matt Piet on piano and Tim Daisy on drums, Throw Tomatoes includes two action-packed live improv sessions. “To Play Is The Thing” was recorded last May at Elastic Arts in…
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Next time you’re in Chicago, check out Myopic Books over on N. Milwaukee Ave. You can get there on the CTA; it’s a short walk from the Damen Blue Line stop in Wicker Park. Besides earning top used book store rankings from both The Chicago Reader and Chicago Magazine, Myopic features a live improvisational/ experimental…
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The most powerful free jazz often features extraordinary range. This is somewhat counterintuitive. The genre is most often associated with lengthy aural assaults, interrupted only long enough to flip to side B. But the ability to separate blasts of freneticism with differently paced sounds, and perhaps even a bit of white space, can turn a…
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Berlin’s Jazz-O-Tech label is off to a ripping start with its first release. The White Gardenia Vol.1 compilation offers up half a dozen acts combining sophisticated electronics with varying degrees of jazz influence. Every name here is worth marking down. Painè starts us off with an old-fashioned bop drum solo, sax and snapping fingers. He…
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As a child, my wife Lisa was desperate to learn the piano. She was too young to understand how big an ask this was of her hard-working parents. Hilda and Stan were as generous as they could be with their two kids in those days. But a piano was no small thing, financially or otherwise.…
The Moderns 