Paul Lytton & Nate Wooley: The Nows

Paul Lytton (percussion)
Nate Wooley (trumpet)
The Nows (Clean Feed; 2012)
Ikue Mori (electronics)
Ken Vandermark (sax, clarinet)

An ambitious duo project from Nate Wooley and Paul Lytton that began only a few years ago but has evolved into an exciting collaborative effort. And with the two disc opus, The Nows, the listener gets to experience it in two separate live settings with guest musicians.

Lytton and Wooley have a chemistry that feels as though it goes farther back than just a few years. They begin their conversations slowly and roll into a volcano of improvised patterns that still maintain strong organic structure. "Free Will, Free Won't" features various crackles from Lytton's kit meshed against Wooley extended harmonics that feel like the tea kettle boiling over and no one cared.

"Abstractions and Replications" adds Ikue Mori's electronics to the proceeds. Mori's gadgetry turns the piece into an underwater scifi journey. There are smooth curling motions with tiny and intricate treatments. You have to stay still to hear the minor notes. This kind of skill requires the listeners undivided attention. And it's a brilliant discovery.

The second live set is with one of my favourite musicians, Ken Vandermark. "Automatic" sees Wooley share passages with Vandermark and it/s beautiful to hear the conversation escalate than drop out as one horn takes the lead. This all the while with Lytton ram shackling the hues in the background. It may read like chaos--but its a beautiful chaos. Vandermarks clarinet is deep and billowy.

"The Ripple Effect" is the shinning conclusion to this experimental journey. Wooley and Lytton are in fiery form and Vandermark quietly marches in toward the middle passages. Vandermark really compliments the duo, adding the exclamation points in each verse.

Lytton and Wooley are a powerful and emotion-bending duo that get even more creative with each guest musician. The Nows is another example of terrific collection of free thinking crafting new outlooks. An absolutely great live set.

Eric Revis: Parallax

Eric Revis (bass)
Parallax (Clean Feed; 2012)
Ken Vandermark (sax, clarinet)
Nasheet Waits (drums)
Jason Moran (piano)

So I'm really writing this as I listen. I'm so excited that I wanted to immediately start talking about this record. Four incredible musicians on the scene today. And two of my favourite musicians of the modern era (Vandermark and Moran) joining forces under the direction of Eric Revis to create a cinematic and powerful document of free jazz.

This really unbelievable line-up formed in 2009 briefly for a few shows in New York before actually putting pen to chart in the studio. But the results of this session, Parallax, are some of the best you will have heard all year. And what better time for it to arrive than the final few weeks of the year. 

The opening "Prelusion" and "Hyperthral" present the combination of styles of the modern free movement and the crisp traditions each musician inhabits. Revis' composition tone is calm but always with a crisp sense of experimentalism through the spectrum. The trio of Vandermark, Waits and Moran sounds quite commanding and mature with Moran and Waits tearing through lines at a fierce pace. Vandermark sounds brilliant in an almost laid back manner than previous sessions.

"MXR" is a pounding march led by Vandermark (on clarinet), Waits and Revis. It's fun yet tricky intertwined lines provide a challenging but fruitful listen. "Celestial Hobo" is a well structured improvised piece. Revis allows each musician an opportunity chart a course that is introspective and works the lines of the tunes dedication to author Robert Kaufman.

"Winin' Boy Blues" sees the quartet gently reworking the Jelly Roll Morton classic. It's a beautiful Sunday Morning blues sent through a corkscrew. The group rise to the top of this piece with superb performances. This is one number I would love to see live.

Eric Revis doesn't have a lot titles as leader. He is widely known as an essential band member. But with Parallax, Revis has entered the realm of significant composer. This session is simply outstanding and should not be missed by any jazz fan; you don't get a set of musicians together like this in today's modern scene. Don't miss out. Parallax is one of the best records of the year. Highly Recommended!

Platform 1: Takes Off

Platform 1 (quintet)

Takes Off (Clean Feed; 2012)

Magnus Broo (trumpet)

Ken Vandermark (sax)

Steve Swell (trombone)

Joe Williamson (bass)

Michael Vatcher (drums)

Another couple of weeks and another excellent project featuring some of the best on the Free Jazz scene. Platform 1 is an international combination that has worked together in various forms (most recently as Resonance Ensemble). But what makes Takes Off slightly different is the freedom in which the musicians create and utilize the space around them to superb effect.

"Portal #33" had shades of Vandermark's main outfit, The Vandermark 5. The sound is fast paced but with a fun well-intended groove. Williamson, Swell and Vatcher are killer. The piece swerves with more improvised lines towards latter portions before Broo and Williamson lead the quintet gently out.

This gives way to a steady, quiet and introspective "Stations," in which Broo's passages have a sweet delicate beauty to them. Williamson has a great quiet solo towards the end that is later joined by Vandermark. Really touching harmonies of dedication.

"Deep Beige/For Derek's Kids," a double melodic suite written by both Williamson and Swell, moves with dark entrancing tones through subtle notes from the horn section and some free movement by Vandermark on clarinet. This first portion lulls the listener into a quiet sense of abandon.

The mood becomes slightly more open and spacious with the second movement. Swell adds a blues-like touch that soon ventures into a very calculated abstraction and cacophony of the final album track "In Between Chairs." An excellent closing number that brings the session full circle with a boisterous bit humour but also a solid sense that Platform 1 could be one of Vandermark's more adventurous groups going forward. Solid stuff worth your listening pleasure.

Martin Kuchen: Hellstorm

Martin Kuchen (sax, electronics)

Hellstrom (Mathka; 2012)

Maybe I get excited by the most primal stuff. But when you experience albums like the newest solo effort, Hellstorm, from multi-reed man, Martin Kuchen, you realize why you enjoy music.

The Swedish born experimentalist seems built from the same cloth as Peter Brotzmann, Roscoe Mitchell or Rashan Roland Kirk. This angular and at times atmospheric sound is present in contemporaries like Ken Vandermark and Colin Stetson. But Kuchen creates haunting melodies through just a few notes and ideas. And that's what we get from Hellstorm.

This is a solo document of Kuchen's family history. And while you are taken on a dark resonate path, its immensely eloquent at the same time. It moves at a much slower intense pace than his pervious solo work, The Lie & The Orphanage.

Taking a long deep pace and creating circular patterns which slowly bend and become more hypnotic, "Allemagne Annee Zero," begins the journey on baritone sax. It's a somber passage filled with tiny little holes and capture your subconscious to hold you there until he says you can go.

The passion, blood and anger can be felt on "Sarajevo." Kuchen's tone is long and spacious. He creates notes that start and stop like a resuscitating heart. The sound soon becomes eerie and enveloping. "Ritual Defamation" is a tidal wave moving slowly but battering against the shores of your brain with a force that will leave you scared. It's modular effects are brief but emotionally powerful.

Hellstorm is a highly personal and emotional work that creates a singular soundscape for the listener. Even without knowing the full personal history, Hellstorm stands alone as one of my favourite Martin Kuchen albums. It will also become one of my top albums of the year. Primal stuff indeed. Highly Recommended.

Rodrigo Amado: Burning Live At Jazz Ao Centro

Rodrigo Amado (sax)

Burning Live At Jazz Ao Centro (JACC Records; 2012)

Jeb Bishop (trombone)

Miguel Mira (cello)

Gabriel Ferrandini (drums)

A brief set but long in the compositional sense, Burning Live At Jazz Ao Centro, sees Rodrigo Amado in blistering form. This is a fierce recording of a live event that was probably exciting and very intense on concentration.

This group consists of Amado's Motion Trio augmented by trombonist Jeb Bishop (known not only for his own groups as well as his work with Ken Vandermark). For this live evening, Bishop provides strong, bold muscular lines that challenge the rest of the trio. "Burning Live" is just as it says--a fiery opener that later rounds into a rhythmic pattern that hovers almost blues-like thanks to Bishop. Ferrandini adds the abstract passages against Bishop's notes as both Amado and Mira quietly begin to re-emerge and set the piece aflame again. The quartet finally comes resting with calm clashes but still a heavy spirit.

"Imaginary Caverns" moves like a ballad but with the philosophy of free association. Quiet motifs soon rise and fall with Amado and Ferrandini's perspective on the harmonics. Midway through Amado's tone becomes a scorching mixture of Ornette Coleman/Albert Ayler. It's intense and beautiful but not for every ear. Bishop, Mira and Ferrandini beam with solid atonal exchanges that drain you until just the right moment when Amado returns to add some toppling hues to the closing bars.

Rounding out the evening is "Red Halo," led by Mira sounding fully focused and moving the group in a calm fashion toward the inevitable wall of sound. Mira's pace quickens while Amado and Bishop's dialogue starts to sound like one instrument. The quartet finally roll into one another in the final moments bringing an intense jubilant session to its logical yet bewitching end.

Truly, an absorbing performance and another very creative outing for Rodrigo Amado. There are only a handful of saxophonists on the European scene today that are as acute and descriptive as Amado. Burning Live At Jazz Ao Centro is a perfect example as to why. This same group will also have a new studio album out on Not Two later this year. 

Inner Ear: Breathing Steam

Inner Ear (group)

Breathing Steam (1kilogram Records; 2012)

Mikolaj Trzaska (sax)

Tim Daisy (drums)

Per Ake Homlander (tuba)

Steve Swell (trombone)

Made up of members from Ken Vandermark's Resonance Ensemble, Inner Ear takes much of the Chicago sax man's ethics and expands on it for this stellar debut, Breathing Steam. The reduced size of the group (a quartet) allows the themes from Resonance to--as the title suggests--breath. There is a bit more experimentation as well as harmonic resilience throughout this session.

There's no leader here, so each musician gets an opportunity to stretch their chords as only the burst energy that is the opener, "Lonely Consumer." Trzaska and Daisy tear through notes in counterpoint fashion. It's a duel of juxtapositions, with Trzaska screeching into heavens; while Daisy adds staccato patterns all around. It's beautifully laid out. Vandermark would be very happy. "Monster Confession" is dark and loose. The group move in various haunting directions with Homlander's tuba presenting some ominous sounds and then folding into some great improvised work by Daisy and Swell.

"For Our Mothers" has soft avant-blues texture to it. The quartet moves slowly through some dark passages with Trzaska portraying almost a funeral-like tone. Swell and Homlander add a  billowing quality to this offering that quietly fades into the distance just as it began.

Breathing Steam might be just a one-off for these members of the larger Resonance Ensemble but its a rich and organic experience that is many times over worth listening and looking out for. Sometimes the sum is just as good and significant as the whole. Inner Ear is rewarding stuff.

Sonore: Live At Cafe Oto

Sonore (trio)

Live at Cafe Oto (Trost; 2012)

Peter Brotzmann (tenor, alto sax, clarinet, taragato)
Ken Vandermark (tenor sax, clarinet)
Mats Gustafsson (baritone sax)

When this trio gets together you can always expect high decibels and sonic architecture. Live at Cafe Oto is probably the shorter but most palatable of the four albums this trio has recorded. There's still a lot to digest over the span of four songs  in just under 40 minutes.

Each musician attacks the notes with aggression but also a sense of beauty, as they softly create and destroy patterns. "Fragments For An Endgame" comes swirling down upon you like hail drops through a funnel. The tones are sharp and crisp with spikes that build and build. They hit there peak quickly before descending further into a overpowering arpeggio.  The trio is all the while improvising each note. But these three have played together so often they know each other movements and changes down to a tie.

"Le Chien Perdu" see Brotzmann rip through the scales at will. The piece has a perfect balance between Brotzmann's howls and improvised segues accompanied by subtle tones of Vandermark and Gustafsson around the edges. "Oto" is just sheer fire in the well. The trio let loose a wall of sound but shift effortless back and forth between blistering chords changes and gentle swathes of harmonics. Only to end with a resounding joyful call to arms, New Orleans style.

Live At Cafe Oto is powerful stuff and by far the best Sonore record to date. Highly Recommend.

The Ames Room: Bird Dies

The Ames Room (group)

Bird Dies (Clean Feed; 2011)

Jean-Luc Guionnet (sax)

Clayton Thomas (bass)

Will Guthrie (drums)

Power trios come with various sounds and sizes. The Ames Room may be small but their sound is bold and forceful. This French/Australian trio lays into you like the first time you got beat up as a kid. It's sheer brute force and once you finally give in there is this little blissful nature that sets in. The feeling that this might be all there is left for you. But The Ames Room help you realize there's more inside the noise than you realize.

The Ames Room have only been on the scene for a short time (since 2007) but have crafted a sound that is blistering and beautiful. Fans of Vandermark, Gustafsson, Haker Flaten and Nilssen-Love are sure to gravitate to the trio's new album, Bird Dies (Clean Feed). This one piece live recording follows up where their debut, IN (Monotype Records; 2010), left off--a full frontal attack of chords against the borders of a genre.

There's no build up here. The Ames Room make their statement known from the first note. They come out of the gates ripping forward like Gustafsson's The Thing in mid-performance. The staccato drums, breakneck sax and suffocating basslines that dominate the first 15 minutes of the piece are impressive for the duration as well as the stellar delivery.


The gears shift only slightly around the 23min mark. Guionnet's takes the lead but is challenged perfectly by Guthrie's cascading patterns. Meanwhile Thomas paints a small rhythm in the background. There are moments just after the half hour mark that remind of Ornette Coleman's Change Of The Century. A calm descends on the closing ten minutes only to be resurrected to the opening salvo of white noise which cuts deep then comes full-stop.

The audience at this performance was probably left in awe. You can only briefly feel it from low volume mic on the audience. But make no mistake The Ames Trio is building a following and will leave an indelible mark on your senses. Bird Dies is challenging music but isn't that what music is all about?

Enjoy...

Aram Shelton & Kjell Nordeson: Incline

Aram Shelton (sax)

Kjell Nordeson (drums)

Incline (Singlespeed Music; 2011)

Aram Shelton has been one of my favourite discoveries over the last few years. There's a forcefulness and deep intuitiveness to his performances that has always amazed me.

Kejell Nordeson is a terrific and inventive drummer whom I have followed since his days with Swedish outfit Aaly Trio (due to their recordings with Ken Vandermark).

It's no really surprise that these two creative forces finally found each other with their group Cylinder. The two minds are on a very distinct and similar wavelength.

While Cylinder is an improv masterclass, the duo's project, Incline (Singlespeed Music) is more a free-thinking sprawling yet very honed study of personal interplay. "Village" is an incredible opening track. A torrent of sound on par with David S. Ware/Andrew Cyrille. The piece builds rapidly as the two scream back and forth with notes that peel the skin from your eardrum. Fun, eh?!?

"Orbit" is more a solo outing for Nordeson as he picks, clangs, taps and pounds notes from the ether. Beautiful and investigating, it all flows nicely into "Test", a melodic piece that is percussive and emotional. Led by heavy, deep undertones from Shelton and Nordeson create a blossoming atmosphere that fills the space yet is completely free of structure.

"Rig" sees Shelton in the solo role. Here stretching and constructing notes paint a slow moving Jackson Pollack-esque picture. The piece is short but moves nicely into "Soles," a mountain of a piece that rips the top off of everything. Shelton and Nordeson seems to be in a completely higher plane. The piece gets louder and louder with the two seemingly melding into one until a gentle all-halt.

Incline is an album of multi-layered complexity. The unity between the Nordeson and Shelton is very apparent through each note. This is the duo that was long in the making but we are better off for it. Incline is another keen masterpiece in the history of both Aram Shelton and Kjell Nordeson.

This video features Cylinder but gives a great insight into the two musicians unique talents as well as a fascinating look at their quartet.

Side A: A New Margin

Side A (group)

A New Margin (Clean Feed; 2011)

Ken Vandermark (sax; clarinet)

Havard Wiik (piano)

Chad Taylor (drums)

A Ken Vandermark record is always a welcomed addition in the JazzWrap office. And Vandermark's newest project, Side A is a massive inclusion to the catalog.


The trio formed last year but somehow it feels like they've played together for much longer; Vandermark and Wiik have been together in various projects (Vandermark 5, Atomic/School Days, and Free Fall). A New Margin (Clean Feed), the trio's debut, is a document of their collaborative efforts over the last year. 

Side A kicks the proceedings off with the slow moving and haunting "Boxer." It's like a mystery ride that never seems to end and you're constantly turned on to some new element in the piece. Whether it's the plodding downward keys of Wiik, the sky-rocketing velocity of Vandermark on sax, or Taylor's free-wheeling movement on the kit--this is a journey that's going to take many different shapes before its done.


"Arborizaltion" flows peacefully with each member improvising in between the space. It's not wild movements; more a steady pattern of ideas that all fold together in one harmonic gesture.

When "The Kreuzberg Variations" first came on I was startled by the spacial depth of the piece. It's a classical movement as the title would suggest but with more owed to the Steve Reich motif than Brandenberg. The piece builds and builds until its boisterous conclusion where musician and sound collide in what is quite a beautiful noise.


"Giacometti" is a blustery but euphoric number that sees the trio bouncing sound off each other. Taylor adds a delicate touch in the beginning, while Vandermark and Wiik create some vivid colour spectrums. This comes to a rousing denouement that nicely bookends the possession filled opening of the "Boxer."

Side A is yet another in long list of progressive outings from Ken Vandermark and company that challenges the way we think of jazz and how it will expand. A New Margin is by far one Vandermark's best projects (outside of Vandermark 5) of the last 12 months. Great stuff.

Martin Kuchen: The Lie & The Orphanage

Martin Kuchen (sax)

The Lie & The Orphanage (Mathka; 2010)

Swedish saxophonist, Martin Kuchen, has explored various soundscapes for almost two decades now.

He has worked with Magnus Broo (in the quintet, Angles), Exploding Customer, Taco Bells trio and Erik Carlsson to name a few. He has worked with both avant garde settings as well as slight straight-ahead trio outings. But with each project he shines on multiple levels.

His bellowing arches of sound made on both baritone and alto sax almost sound like a full quartet at times. On his most recent solo release, The Lie & The Orphanage (Audio Tong), Kuchen creates a host of other worldly atmospherics that are beautiful, frightening and revelatory.

"The Testimony Of Marie Neumann" is a rolling experiment in chord changes. Kuchen manipulates the sax with different breathing techniques and additional found sounds. It's awesome. Like a futurist, Ken Vandermark. You get the feeling you are on a journey through a long cavern with dying flashlight. "The Orphanage" and "Plausible Lies" both feel like an audio collage to a dark nightmare that you somehow can't get out of. It's dense passage and crackling movements swirl inside one's psyche until you realize there is no resistance.

"Killing The Houses, Killing The Trees" inflects a layered and almost tribal element into the setting. The harmonics are pulsating and the focus really becomes the up and down movements of Kuchen's techniques both through breathing and precise note placement. It has cavalcade affect with little shots of intricately placed noise towards its closing notes.

Well most of The Lie & The Orphanage can be placed within the context of improvisation, there is not doubt that there is a melody and orchestration in place that leads the listen on the journey. I am a big fan of baritone sax and when someone finds new ways of conjuring up different sounds and theories it blows me away. Kuchen has done just that on his third solo outing. It really isn't a hard listen but it is definitely a must listen for everyone...

Resonance Ensemble: Kafka In Flight

Resonance Ensemble (group)

Kafka In Flight (Not Two Records, 2011)

Ken Vandermark (sax, clarinet)
Mikolaj Trzaska (sax, clarinet)
Mark Tokar (bass)
Michael Zerang (drums)
Tim Daisy (drums)
Steve Swell (trombone)
Per -Ake Holmander (tuba)
Dave Rempis (sax)
Magnus Broo (trumpet)
Waclaw Zimpel (clarinet)

This is an album I have been waiting for since I read about it on Ken Vandermark's twitter feed a few months ago. The Resonance Ensemble is the brainchild of the great Chicago saxophonist, Ken Vandermark. In the similar vein to Peter Brotzmann's Tentet (which Vandermark is also a member), Resonance embarks on large scale compositions. But where PBT tend to move into the upper stratosphere in theory--Vandermark is keeping things within a linear pattern as far as the tone is concerned. There is a great deal of improvisation happening but its within the melody and rhythm of the writing.

Resonance Ensemble was first developed out of a series of concerts and studio sessions that were later recorded in 2008 (Live In Lviv) and then for the 10CD box (Resonance Box). What's remarkable is that as Vandermark states in the notes to this album, because of the size of the band and the various groups they lead and projects they participate in, its difficult to get any rehearsal time before live shows or recording. I don't think any of us would notice or care. Why you ask? Because the results are something truly unbelievable.

For the group's third album Kafka In Flight, recorded live in Poland, Vandermark guides the group with three lengthy pieces of jubilant free form that would make you feel as if Ellington, Coltrane, Cherry, Coleman, Blakey, Chambers (and take the your pick of the rest) had gotten together in your backyard. Kafka In Flight is smokin'. Unlike even Vandermark's main group (The Vandermark 5), Resonance Ensemble seem to enjoy mixing the past in a large bowl and coming up with interesting and riviting concoctions. The opener, "The Pier" is fast moving and allows for moments in which each member can contribute and expound on Vandermark's material. It's a real treasure of ideas that surface. The always incredible Tim Daisy delivers an excellent improvised mid-section, accompanied by a good portion of the horn section and Vandermark on clarinet, explore and exchange some intense possibilities but it works unbelievably well.

"Rope" is a bit more cinematic, led by some great performances from Per-Ake Holmlander on tuba (a rare instrument in modern free jazz) and Magnus Broo (trumpet). "Rope" moves from funky to experimental to comforting (so-to-speak) and gives the listener a lot to absorb. Michael Zerang and Tim Daisy are superb as they duel it out with sharp intersecting chant from each of the wind players. "Coal Marker" rounds out this hour long journey in style. It's the ensemble releasing all it's force into your speaker (and you better be able to deal with it). There are spontaneous moments that sees the group in unison but also exchanging circular rhythmic patterns. This is a group that somehow, despite little time together, knows exactly what the other is going to do and each is up for the challenge.

Kafka In Flight is an album and performance that is built around the ability of Ken Vandermark to write excellent material that is interchangeable for each member. You can picture most of these notes performed by different members and each coming up with a different result. But the result would still be amazing. Kafka In Flight is yet another step in the already legendary career of Ken Vandermark. While the first two albums are both hard to find and in the case of the boxed set--expensive--you should definitely seek out Kafka In Flight. It is well worth every avant garde fan's dollars. One of our Top Albums Of The 2011.

Rodrigo Amado

Rodrigo Amado (sax; b. 1964)

Searching For Adam (Not Two Records; 2010)

The multi-talented Rodrigo Amado was responsible for one of my favourite jazz labels, Clean Feed (co-founding member) and now running his own label European Echoes.

But he is also an accomplished photographer and highly creative and challenging spirit in the free jazz arena. His style is clear, vibrant, adventurous and soaring. For me shades of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers and Ornette Coleman surround his music.

But while this improvising spirit stretches across the spectrum, the listener actually gets the unique experience of song structure that may not have been a predetermined result. Amado is working in a similar arena that can only be possessed by fellow improvisers Ken Vandermark (Vandermark 5) and Mats Gustafsson (The Thing).

Amado has six album as leader, working in trio and quartet formats but also in standard setting as well as string based outfits. In addition to collective work with his band, Lisbon Improvisation Players and guest works with the likes of Luis Lopes and Dennis Gonzalez.

Two records that I highly recommend are a trio session he recently did with Paal Nilsson Love (drums) and Kent Kessler (bass), The Abstract Truth (European Echoes; 2009) and Teatro (European Echoes; 2006). Both are provide an excellent balance between avant garde and modern structure. The interplay between three is highly rewarding for the listener.

Amado's most recent release, Searching For Adam (Not Two Records; 2010) is phenomenal. Featuring the stellar lineup of Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet/flugelhorn), Gerald Cleaver (drums) and John Hebert (bass), Amado has created the perfect work built out of improvised vision and dynamic European moods, creating a beautiful causal structure.

Searching For Adam is an album that moves through abstract aggression and delicate time changes that appear at the precisely the right moments throughout this session.

While being the longest piece on the album, "Waiting For Andy" is also the most touching and exploratory. The interplay between Bynum and Amado is lovely to experience. Moving up and down the scale with fierce attraction. "Newman's Informer" features some impressive time keeping from Cleaver (someone who I believe is criminally under-rated) and Amado has moments of Shepp and Ware spinning throughout.

On "Renee, Lost In Music", John Hebert begins with delicately stroking the chords for Amado to then join in on a light but richly free flowing piece that exploits the best phrases from Amado. "4th Avenue, Adam's Block" has swathes of Atlantic era Coltrane. A real bold well structured piece that again shines light on the brilliant musicianship of Rodrigo Amado.

Similar to my obsession with Mary Halvorson after I picked up Dragon's Head, I became obsessed with Rodrigo Amado's work. In the last few weeks I have managed to buy (yes, I did buy them) all of his work as leader. I'm hoping to find a chance to tell everyone about them soon.

As for today, I think if you are familiar with Ken Vandermark, Keefe Jackson, Mats Gustafsson, I highly recommend you check Searching For Adam. An album that is truly deserving of a wider listen from us all.

Keefe Jackson: The Future Of Chicago?

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Keefe Jackson, a native of Arkansas, is slowing becoming a major force in the ever-evolving Chicago Free Jazz scene. A combination of complex and complete compositions and bold well-rounded playing is making a lot of people outside of Chicago stand up and take notice.

As discussed here at JazzWrap many a time, the Chicago Jazz scene is a breeding ground for some of the most solid, hard framed improvisational jazz coming out of the U.S. Yes, many New Yorkers would argue this point but I'm moving forward with my statement.

Keefe Jackson was already a well toned musician by the time he arrived in Chicago in 2001. But his association and contributions to such local groups as Chicago Luzern Exchange, Lucky 7s, Fast Citizens and the Josh Berman Quintet really established his credibility within the scene. In a town where Ken Vandermark looms large, it probably is extremely hard to break out from the presence. Keefe Jackson is doing just that. Not by following the same avant garde path as Vandermark but creating a rich base of post bop sensibility filled with forward-thinking lyricism.

While I do recommend any of the albums by the above mentioned groups (definitely Josh Berman and Lucky 7s), I want to really focus on the three albums Keefe Jackson has made as leader. These all show a progression to imploding convention of free jazz and resurrecting it in a cohesive exploration of free ideas. Ideas which many listeners will find challenging but highly rewarding.

Ready Everybody (Delmark; 2006) is a fantastic debut as leader by Jackson. The album is actually under the title, Keefe Jackson's Fast Citizens (named after the collective which the musicians belong to). The opening number "Ready Everybody" travels some similar territory as Atlantic era Ornette Coleman or Charles Mingus but with a very playful nature wrapped by some illuminating song structure and phrasing from Jackson.

"Signs" is haunting piece with some fabulous distortion work from Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello) and additional brilliance by both Josh Berman (trumpet) and Anton Hatwich (bass). Frank Rosaly, whose omnipresent drum work can be found on many Chicago jazz albums is superb here as well as the rest of this session. "Saying Yes" is a number where Jackson, Berman and Aram Shelton (alto sax) have some seriously delicious interplay that is both rhythmic as well as inventive.

While Fast Citizens documents a collective that has become a truly cohesive force on the music scene; it also shines light on creative writing of Jackson. This idea is moved forward on Jackson's second release as leader, Just Like This (Delmark; 2007). Just Like This is a massive 12 piece brass/woodwind ensemble that takes starts in foundation on themes of Ellington, Armstrong and other large swing ensembles and injects them with a large dose of Chicago improvisation.

The group includes such Chicago luminaries as Jeb Bishop (trombone), James Falzone (clarinet), Dave Rempis (alto sax) and more. A beautiful exchange expression and melodies moves throughout Just Like This, giving the listener a real sense of depth and freedom by this group Jackson has constructed.

"Dragon Fly", a funky, avant garde yet mid-tempo opener fills the airwaves with its complex arrangements and chord changes but shows a real sense of unity amongst the many players. There's a lot going on here but you are captivated by the varying passages and performances. The title track, "Just Like This" is another mid-tempo gem filled with hard hitting moments of colour by Jackson and clarinet/cornet section (including Berman again in this session).

A real standout here is "Wind Up Toy" written by drummer Frank Rosaly is a tempo shifting ride that feels like elements of crime jazz, swing and avant garde put through the mixer and coming out as an exquisite sundae delight. Just Like This may have Ellingtonian touches but also paints a Jackson Pollack-esque picture with Jimmy Giuffre and Ornette Coleman type brushes.

In 2010, Keefe Jackson returned with the magnificent Seeing You See (Clean Feed Records). Here Jackson pairs things down to a quartet featuring regular collaborators Noritaka Tanaka (drums), Jason Roebke (bass) and Jeb Bishop (trombone). Jackson and Bishop play point/counterpoint throughout Seeing You See with beautiful results. "If You Were" is a great example of their scintillating stylistic duel. This is aided by the subtle rhythms of Roebke and crisping (Billy Higgins-like) timing of Tanaka.

With the previous two albums exploring various themes and influences, Seeing You See approaches things from a slightly straight-forward free form of ideas and utilization of space. For me it's like listening to Giuffre's Free Fall. This is especially evident on "How-A-Low" a downtempo blues where the quartet maneuvers with gentle grace and beauty.

"Seeing You See" is rich with space and tonal structures that get bent in different directions by Roebke during a solo midway through the piece. The proceedings get jumping (slightly) with "Turns To Everything" where the group becomes one force of sound-in-rhythm with ripping chord changes and patterns that better experienced on headphones. "Word Made Flesh" a fierce composition which Frank Rosaly and Jackson have done as a duo previously, sounds even more venomous as a quartet.

"Close" silently takes you through a final journey a spacious undertones. This is led by Roebke's delicate bass lines and some wonderful and haunting movement from Bishop and Jackson (on bass clarinet) combined. Seeing You See really shows how Keefee Jackson has grown as a musician and more importantly a leader and composer.

Listening to the progression not just over these three records but over the course of the last decade in various groups encapsulates how significance Keefe Jackson has had on the Chicago scene. Among the new breed of Chicago improvisers, Keefe Jackson is becoming as prominent and as important as Ken Vandermark was a decade earlier. Keefe Jackson is a talent that everyone needs to start following if you haven't already. Start with the Delmark releases and then move forward to Seeing You See.

Scorch Trio

Scroch Trio (group; formed 1998)
Melaza (Rune Grammofon; 2010)

Raoul Björkenheim (guitar)
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass)
Frank Rosaly (drums)

Helsinki based, Scorch Trio have been active for over a decade now. All three members are successful musicians with various other bands and solo projects (most notably The Thing and Atomic). But Scorch Trio is no "jazz supergroup". This is a unit that functions flair and an intent on pulling at the boundaries of jazz.

Originally the group started with Paal Nilssen-Love on drums. He has recently left the band to continue his other projects. The even more versatile Chicago native, Frank Rosaly (who has preformed with Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Josh Berman and Keefe Jackson among others) settles into the kit chair for now. And the result are quite interesting for me especially.

I have to admit, I own all four Scorch Trio albums, but I haven't been totally convinced--that is--until today. I'm definitely not saying the previous records lacked anything. I think I wasn't hearing what I was supposed to hear (if that makes sense). With the their new album Melaza (Rune Grammofon), this trio has created a document with solid compositional structure that moves like a great rock/jazz album. Like Bill Laswell's Last Exit fused with Tony William's Lifetime and Mahavishnu, Melaza has really blown me away.

The title track "Melaza" really spells things out. It's a pounding bit of fusion that has all the elements you would want--swirling McLaughlin-esque guitar, deep wrenching bass lines and pulsating timing on drums. This is three minutes of bliss jazz rock bliss. "Fajao" is another stunner that truly how well Rosaly has integrated into the band. The interchanges between Rosaly and Björkenheim here are absolutely fantastic. "Raitru" displays the more improvisational and intimate side of the trio. Midtempo patterns with some nice individual colour expressed by the band members.

Melaza isn't going to be for everyone, but if you are fan of the above mentioned influences and especially if you are a fan of some of free jazz and eclectic releases from the venerable Rune Grammofon label, Scorch Trio is well worth investigating. This is bright, fun, electrifying stuff that's will turn your ear (possibly upside down).

Now I have to go back and sit with the previous three records and see where my ears went wrong. Talk to you all later. Enjoy...

This video is of the original lineup with Nilssen-Love on drums.

A New Vision Of Chicago: Josh Berman

Josh Berman (cornet; b. 1972)
Old Idea (Delmark Records)

Keefe Jackson (sax)
Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)
Anton Hatwich (bass)
Nori Tanaka (drums)

(photo: Jim Newberry)

Surprisingly, this is cornetist Josh Berman's debut album. But Old Idea (Delmark) shows a lot of strength from an artist who really is a veteran player on the Chicago scene. Josh Berman's resume is deep; with solid Chicago credentials that include Lucky 7s, Umbrella Music collective, Luzern Exchange, Exploding Star Orchestra, Fast Citizens and Rolldown (led by Jason Adasiewicz). So he has been around the block and in the circuit long enough. A first album really shouldn't be a surprise. Neither should it surprise anyone how fantastic Old Idea truly sounds.

On first spin Old Idea could sound like many of the other free jazz brass ensembles that have come out of Chicago in the last decade. Many emulating the power and creativity of the revered Ken Vandermark/Vandermark 5. But after closer inspection you realize that all of them stand apart quite nicely. And this quintet stand up forcefully well, all led on strength and direction of Berman.

Fueled by multiple inspirations ranging from the fellow Chicago native, Brad Goode, the late Bill Dixon, Miles Davis and Dave Douglas, Berman has created his own lyrical style which is both inventive as it is sensitive. His band has played together in various forms in the aforementioned bands since around 2001.

The beauty interplay throughout this group is phenomenal. On the opener "On Account Of A Hat" you can hear the mixture of improvisation, creativity and sensuality in the playing as each member slowly comes into the performance. Starting with Jackson and Berman on horns, Adasiewicz with Hatwich gently nimbling his way and resulting in Tanaka on drums mixing it up with Adasiewicz until Jackson and Berman come counterpointing back.

What sets Berman's Old Idea apart is the free sparse arrangements he written for this group. While it is definitely based in the Chicago Free Jazz tradition, it definitely utilizes the aspects of space and breath for the listener to jump in and absorb. On "Let's Pretend", one of my favourite new Chicago performers Keefe Jackson, delivers some near perfect phrasing that is muscular but delicate. Delivered in a Rollins-like model, Jackson moves the material along as Adasiewicz adds the spacey earth-tone elements to proceeding. As the piece strays into "Out There" territory, Berman turns in a veracious yet cerebral performance that sort of tells you all you need to know---this cat is bold, serious and highly engaging.

The ballad "Almost Late" is a lovely piece led by Adasiewicz's moody Dave Pike meets Bobby Hutcherson momentum with swathes of rhythmic beauty from both Tanaka and Hatwich with Berman and Jackson combining to add some lush overtones. "Almost Late" is a exquisite piece of writing that had me coming back to this track over and over.

There are three short pieces entitled "New Year (A, B and C)" spread across the session that demonstrate the duo and collabrative efforts of the members within Berman's material. While the three pieces are different, they definitely show top-notch musicianship of the players. Particularly New Year C in which the full band add elements of space, colour and subtle improvisation that make it an absolutely beautiful way to close out a great recording.

Overall, Old Idea is an album highlighted by veteran performers with a leader in Josh Berman who's absorbed a lot over the last decade and it's finally made its way into the studio. This is an awesome debut if you want to call it that. Chicago has a rich tradition of Free Jazz artists. It's sometimes very hard to know where to start; I think Josh Berman is a great, creative and accessible way to dig your ears in for a taste of an artist with true vision for the future. I hope that he continues to strike out on his own in addition to the performances with his collective in Chicago.

Joe Morris/Nate Wooley Create Fascinating Rhythms

Joe Morris/Nate Wooley
Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed; 2010)
Joe Morris (acoustic guitar)
Nate Wooley (trumpet)



For me Joe Morris is a slightly new discovery. I don't own any of his material as leader. I mainly have a couple of records he's been on with Ken Vandermark--most notably a DKV Trio recording from 1998 entitled Deep Telling (Okkadisk). Nate Wooley, I was aware of through some his work with avant garde drummer Tyshawn Sorey.

So when I found this new duo recording with Nate Wooley, Tooth And Nail (Clean Feed), I decided to give it go. Knowing that Morris is an excellent guitarist and his oblique way of playing was something that I also thought was interesting and inventive; this album is probably going to very excited. And it is.

Tooth And Nail is an improvised and technically brilliant work. There a very sparse passages throughout with Morris delicately picking in far reaching angularity. Nate Wooley's creates some interesting soundscapes that seem like combinations of Arve Henriksen and Enrico Rava. There are some very interesting exchanges on "Gigantica" and "Steelhead" where you can hear the improvised moments but they work in such a timely fashion that it becomes a beautiful melody.

"Noble Reasoning" is another moment in which Wooley and Morris really take off. There is a simpatico that occurs towards the final few minutes of the piece that the notes come rolling fast and furious but its never overbearing or distracting. And it folds perfectly into the next piece "Forest Grove" where Morris' playing feels like cello in hands of an angry child.

The closing number "A Terrific Snag" is another scale jumping moment where Wooley's work really comes to the fore. While Joe Morris sets the parameters, Wooley is exercising some lovely and ingenious phrasing.

One of things that really attracted me to this record was the pairing of guitar (especially acoustic) and trumpet. It's rare. You usually see the regular pairing of drum and sax, sax and piano or sax and sax. Tooth And Nail felt like an anomaly. But its sounds like a well woven piece of art. It's a deep bit of storytelling but I think if you are a fan of Ken Vandermark and the Chicago and New York underground scenes you will definitely find Tooth And Nail a fascinating listen.

The Vandermark 5 On Fire Again!

The Vandermark 5 (group)

The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone (2CDs; Not Two Records)

Ken Vandermark (sax; clarinet)

Tim Daisy: percussion  Dave Rempis (sax)
Kent Kessler (bass)  Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello)

Magnus Broo (trumpet)  Havard Wiik (piano)

The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone is The Vandermark 5's fifteenth album. For this outing Ken Vandermark takes the unique step of inviting two of his regular collaborators in his other projects, Magnus Broo (trumpet) and Havard Wiik (piano) (of the group Atomic) to sit in and it has some stunning results. The album features a number of tracks that appeared on the band previous two albums Annular Gift and Beat Reader.

It is rare to hear Ken Vandermark in any of his groups, with a pianist, let alone his mainstay V5. The other groups being Free Fall and the supergroup Atomic-School Days actually also include Havard Wiik as well as the full Atomic group.

The addition of the two Atomic member does add a bit more fire to the session. It seems Vandermark's material here is more challenging and each member has allot to counteract with throughout the recording. Things get started heavy with fierce opening number "Friction" where Wiik's heartpounding progression an intensity and urgency to band that I haven't heard in a few records. On the next piece, "Some Not All," the group subtle into a rhythm lead by the pianist and Tim Daisy on drums with some unbelievable work from Longberg-Holm on cello. The horn section led by Vandermark provides a wonderful battle like Godzilla vs all of Japan.

Wiik contributes to magnificent pieces to this set "New Weather" and "Green Mill Tilter", the latter featured recently on the Atomic live album, Theater Tilters (Jazzland). "New Weather" is nice and complex piece with the horn section leading the way in the early going and quietly giving way to some trio interplay by Wiik, Longberg-Holm and Daisy. Then returning to the horns for some rich, bold statements on each players part. Wiik has written a piece that suits V5 perfectly. Since each of the members have played with one another in very forms you have to except there is a great deal of knowing each others movements and strengths. Wiik and Vandermark have picked up on that perfectly throughout The Horse Jumps...

"Cadmium Oranage" begins with some swirling clarinet work by Vandermark that would make Jimmy Guiffre proud. The track becomes a melodic, avant funk workout for me reminiscent of Vandermark's work with another of his side projects, Spaceways. "Desireless" is beauty piece of avant garde in which Rempis, Vandermark and Broo have an interplay that uncanny drives the rest of the group forward. While Wiik's playing again standouts, its Kessler who is the glue that holds things together here. Kessler's propulsive work is the counterpoint rhythm that keeps the group in track.

And speaking of glue, "Cement' is another piece in which Daisy, Wiik and this time, Kessler lead the rhythm with the horn section coming in as cinematic response chords. It gets funky and it gets wild and before you know it--its over. This is amazing piece written by Vandermark which provides another set of opportunities for each member of ensemble to shine accordingly.

The final track "Nameless" hits you like a wildfire. The sheer ferocity of Rempis and Vandermark monumental playing here soon opens to a wall of distortion from Longberg-Holm and then returns to some quiet but humorous interplay between horns, piano and drums and finally a destructively perfect ending solidifying well rounded and accomplishing outing.

The Vandermark 5 as I have said before, are one of the few bands pushing jazz forward and beyond. The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone is no exception. It is a compelling and sprawling work that challenges everything in free jazz and shows this American quintet plus two to be in peak form. The Vandermark 5 get better with each record. And I have to say this is probably in my top three favourite V5 albums ever. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Jason Adasiewicz: Sun Rooms

Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone; b. 1977)
Sun Rooms (Delmark)
Nat McBride (bass)
Mike Reed (drums)

If you don't already know the a name, Jason Adasiewicz, you need to. Hailing from the increasing fertile and creative Chicago Underground scene which has also produced the Lucky 7s, Exploding Star Orchestra, Ken Vandermark and Jeb Bishop, Jason Adasiewicz is fast becoming one to of the most important exponents from the windy city. His newest release, Sun Rooms (Delmark) is only his third album as leader but he has been making his presence felt on a number albums as a session member for almost ten years now (including some the aforementioned).

While Adasiewicz previous releases, Rolldown (482 Records) and Varmit (Cunniform) both show a growing creativity on vibes and in writing, Sun Rooms is incredibly spacious and inventing. At times Adasiewicz feels more like a pianist moving effortless along the scales. Some comparisons to Bobby Hutchinson (circa Blue Note) or the Dave Pike Set might seems logically but don't necessarily fit. He has sited Andrew Hill as an influence which does come out at times in the complexity of his pieces.

His trio which includes Nate McBride and Mike Reed take Adasiewicz's compositions and envelope them with warm abstract tones. This is accompanied by Adasiewicz's delicate but forceful rhythmic structure. This is evident of the cover of Hasaaan Ibn Ali's "Of My Back Jack" and the wonderful version of Sun Ra's "Overtones Of China."

But its not just the covers that make this a really supreme step up from his previous albums. The material Adasiewicz has written for Sun Rooms shines with quality. "Get In There" and "Life" show intricacies and playfulness that Thelonious Monk would love. Fast paced and hard hitting "You Can't" shows some forceful interplay between McBride and Adasiewicz with Reed keeping the rhythm fresh and subtle in the background.

There is a hypnotic nature to these pieces that after the first spin you really can't get the rhythms out of head. That to me is the sign of a great record. Jason Adasiewicz is definitely a fresh nice voice from a avant garde scene that reveals New York in every way. Sun Rooms is a record that should not be overlooked by jazz fans.

Sonore: A Journey Into Sound

Sonore (group; formed 2003)

Peter Brotzmann (tenor/baritone sax)
Ken Vandermark (tenor/baritone sax, clarinet)
Mats Gustafsson (alto/bass/tenor sax, clarinet)

On the scene for over 40 years, German born, Peter Brotzmann has led groups of varying sizes. But the one constant is the sheer devotion to exploring the outer reaches of jazz. He is an aggressive player and for some (even the die hard avant garde fan) it may be hard to find the structural element in the piece. This is usually the time in which you should just sit back and enjoy the musicianship and the structure will find you.

Brotzmann is responsible for some of the most important European free jazz albums in history (Machine Gun (1966), Nipples (1969), Die Like A Dog (1993) and Octet/Tentet (1997)). While those are massive statement records of Brotzmann's intent and talent, there is one more recent group that he leads with musicians that he has influenced that appeals to me even more---Sonore.

Led by the European free jazz godfather, Sonore is an adventurous, dangerous yet wonderful collaboration from three of the most renowned saxophonists on the avant garde scene. Each with their own groups which they lead to equal success (The Vandermark 5, Gustafsson with The Thing and Brotzmann with his Tentet and Die Like A Dog among others). Slightly similar to Brotzmann's work with Bill Laswell in Last Exit but completely without a rhythm section--on the agrression of saxophones to lead the emotion and structure.

It is staggering and joyful to hear and witness live the power and influence Peter Brotzmann has had on his two disciples in Vandermark and Gustafsson. The interplay and respect each musician has for one another makes their three albums (Call Before You Dig; Only The Devil Has No Dreams, and No One Ever Works Alone)highly enjoyable. There isn't really one album that is better than the other. I would say the newest album Call Before You Dig (Okka Disk) which is a live and studio double album is good way to get the two sides of the band an idea of the strength of this amazing improvising outfit.

Trust me, this is not music for the faint at heart. This is improvising at its best. Two generations of musicians who are the best at their craft meeting for a brief and fruitful conversation through sound. Highly Recommended for those not afraid of sound.