David S. Ware: Organica

David S. Ware (sax)

Organica (Aum Fidelity; 2011)

Organica is the second volume in a series of solo saxophone performances that the great David S. Ware has begun to record and is even more amazing than the first outing. Recorded live over the course of 2010 at two separate performances in Brooklyn and Chicago, Ware illustrates why he is one of the most technically proficient and exciting free-thinkers on the scene today.

Both performances feature two selections ("Minus Gravity," "Organica"). The concept other than the fact it is a solo performance, is Ware's use of multiple saxophones. For these concerts, Ware's main instruments are the sopranino and tenor. "Minus Gravity" is the more intimate piece of the two on both evenings. Ware uses the sopranino here and it provides a more clear and high tone that gives the piece a lot of air to breathe. In addition it allows "Minus Gravity" becomes more of a spiritual journey.

The difference in the performances can be felt in the intimacy of the rooms and production. The first performance in Brooklyn feels closer and deep. The Chicago show has a little more distance but still travels along a heavenly vibe, and the both versions have wonderful cascading endings that are sublime.

"Organica" is the more free moving and improvised of the two numbers. On tenor this time, Ware shows why he is one the most creative players about a quarter of the way through when he switches direction from moves up and down through about two or three cords. It may seems like screeches to the uninitiated but to the Ware fans at heart this is pure mystification. Ware gets more expressive and humorous as the piece enters its middle section before it's return to a settled and constructive conclusion.

The Chicago version feels dense and reflects an almost blues tone to it. There's a lot more emotion in the power laid into this evening's version than Brooklyn. The notes are short, sharp and tense. Ware seems to have found a groove that makes a definite impact from start to finish in Chicago.

Organica is an explosive and emotional recording. A real lesson on what a solo performance is suppose to feel like. And a superb treat for fans of David S. Ware. An artist who seems to go from strength to strength. 

Ada Rave Cuartet: La Continuidad

Ada Rave Cuarteto (group)

La Continuidad (Pan Y Rosas Discos; 2011)

Ada Rave (sax)

Wenchi Lazo (guitars)

Martin de Lassaletta (bass)

Martin Lopez Grande (drums)

Argentine, Ada Rave, has produced an exciting and enterprising debut with La Continuidad (Pan Y Rosas Discos). A bright collection of avant garde/free jazz and bop that is reminiscent to Anthony Braxton, Ornette Coleman and even a little bit John Zorn. For a modern correlation, you might imagine is a calmer, Ingrid Laubrock. Ada delivers a maximum punch on sax but she also possess a nice shifting array of themes with her quartet's debut.

"Jardin Chino" lights sparks in every direction. Short, crisp improvised notes from Rave and Lazo are augmented by quiet, searching notes by Grande and de Lassaletta. It almost feels like I was sitting in a club in Chicago listening to one of the various Ken Vandermark outfits. "Balia Con Monk" is an delicious little nod to the legendary pianist. Rave delivers with some superb playing that really does feel like you are experiencing Monk's piano instead of the power melody of a saxophone. It's odd but works perfectly.

Rave is bold and direct. "El Modo y la Etica Braxtono" illustrates a brave composers/improviser utilizing expression, melody and freedom for her bandmates to move and create at their own pace. Grande and de Lassaletta shine with counterpoints that are both simpatico and discordant. Lazo's performance here lies somewhere between Arto Lindsay and Marc Riot. All around killer expressionism.

"Out To Lunch" has a more disjointed more slightly introspective quality to it that becomes inviting and unique all at once. Lazo provides a weird presence that gives the piece more originality and not your standard cover version. "Uptopias Humanicas" provides a postmodern stoppage point on this journey that is both free form and inspired bop. Rave mixes Vandermark inspiration with Laubrock aggression and it's a sonic harmony that concludes the album with beauty.

La Continuidad is an impressive debut from the wildly talented Ada Rave and her quartet. A brilliant combination of abstract expressionism and fluid modernism. Excellent. 

Dan Blake: The Aquarian Suite

Dan Blake (sax)

The Aquarian Suite (BJU Records; 2011)

Jason Palmer (trumpet)

Jorge Roeder (bass)

Richie Barshay (drums)

Dan Blake is a significantly rising talent on the scene today. He has garnered a number of strong awards and played with a good array of musicians (including Julian Lage and Ricardo Gallo) along the way. While only releasing two albums in six years, he is still one of the most in-demand and definitely "one to watch out for" of the most recent list of saxophonists of the last ten years. He has a quality that is both attuned to tradition but also looking to the future.

While listening to Dan Blake's latest record, The Aquarian Suite (BJU Records) you will automatically harken back to a bebop era when music was fresh and vibrant with life. But you will also witness an artist creating a vital spin on tradition. I sense shades of Sonny Rollins or Jackie McLean but with new ideas that are bursting at the seams. "The Whistler" bleeds with variant colours that are both exciting and enchanting. A calm and clever tune that moves up and down providing excellent moments of expression by Blake and a number conversations between each member of the quartet.

"The Best Of Intentions" is a sophisticated ballad that drips with passion and deep respect. It's a soul searching piece and can bring a tear to the eye. "Aquarian" contains a bluesy jump tone and almost spy-like bass tingling performance from Roeder. Moving quietly it begins like an experimental piece and then turns into a crackingly upbeat, as it heads toward the middle. There is a vivid and fun atmosphere that is laid out between Blake, Palmer and Barsahy that becomes inviting and infectious. "Cavemen Do It Too" is euphoric and reflective; with punchy overtones from Roeder and Blake. This is followed by a great solo period from Roeder which is killer. Definitely the hippest highlight of the session but also the perfect way to close it out.

Dan Blake has dedicated individual pieces to those that have been an influence (Monk, Mingus, Braxton, Davis) but really what he has done is created one of the few albums that bridges the gap between the benchmark and launchpad for what many composers/saxophonists should be considering. Blake is a rising talent with all the right ideas and The Aquarian Suite is another piece in a growing arsenal of brilliance.

Animation: Asiento & Agemo

Animation (group)

Asiento/Agemo (RareNoise Records; 2011)

Bob Belden (sax)

Tim Hagans (trumpet)

DJ Logic (electronics, turntables)

Guy Licata (drums)

Scott Kinsey (keyboards)

Matt Garrison (bass)

There have a been a few Miles electric-era inspired records in the last few years. Spanning Mark Isham, Bill Laswell, and Wadda Leo Smith to name just a few. All of these are excellent records and we've discussed a few in the past. But one group that seems to manage this material better than most is Animation. This sextet was originally formed by Bob Belden and Tim Hagans back in the late '90s where they recorded two exciting albums (Imagination and Re-Animation Live) for Blue Note. Well worth checking out.

As for Asiento, this is a live re-interpretation/reinvention of Bitches Brew that sounds and feels more organic than the two previous Animation albums. The music is exquisitely played and while you may want to immediately compare this with the original Miles Bitches Brew album it really doesn't make a lot of sense. "Pharaoh's Dance" has a trippy-er almost Future Sound Of London or mid-period Orb feel to it.


Each member stands out on multiple levels here. Hagans trumpet is heavier and dense on "Bitches Brew" while being wrapped in some cosmic linear passages from Kinsey and Licata. Belden's performance is killer with some really swirling, psychedelic melody. "Spanish Key" is awesome with a real dose of "drum and bass" which transforms the piece and makes it almost unrecognizable from the original.

Agemo is the expected and well deserved remix of the album over two discs. While the first disc is not drastically different, the mix adds a touch of midtempo range to Asiento versions thanks to the same production company that sound mixed the Orb's Metallic Spheres release. And in the case of "Spanish Key," transform it into a more raucous affair. On "Bitches Brew," Belden, Garrison and Hagans all seem to get a rising emphasis in this mix.


The keyboards were always hauntingly beautiful on the Asiento version but on tracks like "John McLaughlin" they feel very much in tune with the dream-like state of Miles originally conjured up four decades ago. "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" retains the acid blues vibe it always had. Here it's driven more by Hagans and DJ Logic whom both create a sweet counterpoint that is stunning, screaming out of the stereo as well as the headphones.


The second disc really transforms into something different. Spanning dub, ambient and dance. "Bitches Brew" gets a weird and highly interesting dub reggae beat. "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" turns into a funky orbital trip psych-out. And "Sanctuary" becomes an even slower hypnotic trance of a piece. Expertly done mixes by the likes of Bill Laswell, Joe Claussell and DJ Logic make Agemo a superior remix album than even Laswell's Panthalassa.

Asiento and Agemo are two seriously deserving documents in the ever-expanding understanding and reinterpretation of Miles Davis' seminal statement. This is a totally different way of thinking about Bitches Brew. Animation have created two albums that stand alone from their originating base work and serve as a groovy introduction to one of the best jazz albums ever recorded.