Jason Adasiewicz: From The Region

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)
From The Region (Delmark, 2014)
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass)
Mike Reed (drums)

There are times when I feel like Jason Adaasiewicz has channeled the spirit of Walt Dickerson, another great vibraphonist. Both posse a unique talent of making their instrument and compositions sound and feel more personal than what it appears.

Adasiewicz has done it again with his latest release, From The Region. It's dark and lovely with brushes of intimacy at its center. Crafting a hard bop vibe on "Classic Route," Adasiewicz invites you in with some warm opening chord progressions. Then waiting to just about the middle of the number to begin showing the listener the trios full impact with hypnotic tones and tight calculated notes which soon round back to the opening lines and guide the listen out.

Flaten starts off "Two Comes One" with some superb low notes as both Adasiewicz and Reed slide in smoothly. While Reed takes the swinging action of the piece, Flaten and Adasiewicz revolve around his playing with a mixture of groovy details and free form. "Is A Bell A Rose" is a steady ballad that allows the trio ease you out of session on a heavy, somber tone but with sweet mixture of longing and desire for more.

Jason Adasiewicz has really come into his own in the last few years and after taking a really long spin with From The Region, I feel like this is probably my favourite of all his records. And it is by far one of my favourite records of the year. An well balanced and high developed session. Highly Recommend!

Nicole Mitchell: Aquarius

Nicole Mitchell (flute)

Aquarius (Delmark; 2013)
Frank Rosaly (drums)
Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone)
Joshua Abrams (bass)

Nicole Mitchell returns to scene with her fifteenth album, Aquarius. And--as always, its a majestic affair. Pared with fellow Chicago creatives, Rosaly, Adasiewicz and Abrams, Nicole Mitchell has breathed new life into her already ethereal compositions.

The spirit of Coltrane and Dolpy floats swiftly through "Aqua Blue." Filled with a funky blues vibe, Abrams and Rosaly moving the melody along mixed with Mitchell and Adasiewicz swirling harmonics solidifies a beautiful opening number. Abrams sets a dark tone on "Aquarius." His opening lines and strokes are heavy, intense and intricate. The rest of group slowly arrive, creating a choral ballad that slides and drifts from structure to improvised, effortlessly. Mitchell's tone and steady pace is augmented by the freedom she allows her bandmates to explore through the last quarter of the piece.

I loved the soulful bebop ride of "Sunday Afternoon." A groovy number with an infectious rhythm section that sets up Mitchell's richly spiritual spacial patterns. Closing with the tribute to Chicago legend and one of my personal favourite musicians, Fred Anderson is lovely sentiment. Guest vocalist, Calvin Gantt delivers the importance his presence was (and is) to the scene. A pray and a testimony to his greatness.

Aquarius is yet another excellent session from Nicole Mitchell. And with another great set of young musicians, Mitchell brings a fresh perspective that just might be what those who haven't heard before need. Aquarius will be one of those records that you'll want to tell everyone friend you know to get. Highly Recommended.

Josh Berman: There Now

Josh Berman (cornet)

There Now (Delmark; 2012)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)

Joshua Abrams (bass)

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Jeb Bishop (trombone)

Frank Rosaly (drums)

Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet)

Jason Stein (bass clarinet)

Josh Berman has once again created an album built on traditional themes but with highly evolved modern structures. There Now, his latest with a revolving but closely knit contingent of the Chicago free jazz scene, Berman combines the aforementioned ideals and presents them all anew for the modern generation. It's a blast to listen to--even for the newcomer to Berman's world!

There Now is a superb homage to late '20s large ensembles, not that unsimilar to Josh Berman's outfit. But Berman also drops in his own compositions which fit nicely and build a bridge between past and future. The group work through new Berman material as well as classic but rarely heard tunes and really put their own stamp to it.


"Sugar" is almost unrecognizable under Berman's arrangement. A tune originally featuring the great Jimmy McPartland on cornet, Berman's version keep the fresh ferocity of original but infuses it with modern tempos and free movement that is reminiscent of his work with Chicago Luzern Exchange. There's a killer solo by the versatile Frank Rosaly towards the end the Gene Krupa would be proud of (or he'd probably yell at him for being so good).

"Cloudy," a Berman original, Bishop and Jackson takes the early lead with strong exchanges which are fascinating to absorb. The latter end of the piece is dominated by Adasiewicz's splendid dreamlike notes on vibes.


The ballad "Jada" sees Berman sticking slightly the traditions of the Bob Carleton original, but allowing the Gang to spin off two-thirds of the way in to improvise. Jackson stretches the sound and elevates the group upward. This is sublime compositional skill from Berman who fuses benchmarks with new forms to create a piece that is fun, intriguing and delightful.


Closing out with "Mobiles And Blues" provides the octet a chance to bring the session into the 21st Century. Harmonics and fallen structures all folding into final signal of goodbye and see you soon.

There Now swings with creativity while bridging the gap between past and future. Josh Berman is also giving all of us a nice lesson of where jazz started and a new direction of where it can go. Highly involved and highly recommended.

Jason Adasiewicz: Spacer

Jason Adasiewicz's Sun Rooms (trio)

Spacer (Delmark; 2011)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)

Nate McBride (bass)

Mike Reed (drums)

Jason Adasiewicz is burning a lasting impression on the Chicago jazz scene and the global scene as of late. His last album, and introduction to his new trio, Sun Rooms (Delmark; 2010) garnered justifiable critical acclaim. His trio have followed that up with the mystical Spacer (Delmark). While I've always seen him as this combination of Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, Dave Pike and Bobby Hutcherson, Adasiewicz has really come into his own with unique structures and patterns on Spacer that really are astonishing.

The quiet improvisational "Solo One" opens the proceedings to be followed by the hypnotic "Hi-Touch" which slowly gathers each member's thoughts and patterns and wraps them around a more modern bebop groove. The unity that the trio exemplifies on "Run Fly" is sublime. There's an understanding between Adasiewicz and Reed where as they are almost performing in counterpart, somehow it all burns together as one. Then midway into the piece, McBride's thumping and plucking boils in the background and your senses start to move from one instrument to the other. Reed's brief solo towards the end allows the band to turn and refocus as a unit in order to head out to the conclusion.

"The Volunteer," written by McBride is a slow angular groove that while dominated by pulsating tones of Adasiewicz and Reed are molded around some bright and crafty lyricism from McBride. The soft brushes, subtle mallet touches and string movements that open "Bobbie" is beautiful. This ballad, written by one of Adasiewicz's fellow collaborators, Eric Boeren, is soft, sweet and romantic but still has the ethereal affect circling around the melody.

There's certain timbre to Adasiewicz music that most fans are familiar with. It's the way the tunes build, float and gravitate. "Waiting For The Attic" is just that kind of tune. It builds nicely and there are a number of improvised sections that are played to such a perfection that they feel like written notes. The piece then travels to climax in the middle with all instruments rolling along. And then gently settles you down for the conclusion.

I had been wanting to write a piece on Spacer for weeks now. I had intended it to be on my best of 2011 list but I just didn't get the time to absorb the music as much as I liked in order to put word to paper. I'm actually glad I waited, because no matter what, this is definitely one best records to have heard at the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012. Jason Adasiewicz has reinvented the vibes and turned the sound into something more other-worldly. And with Spacer, he has created his best work yet. Highly Recommended.

Rob Mazurek's Starlicker: Double Demon

Starlicker 

Double Demon (Delmark; 2011)

Rob Mazurek (cornet)

John Herndon (drums)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone)

I have been a fan of Rob Mazurek for only a couple of years, after picking up a copy of one of his many collective groups, Exploding Star Orchestra. One of the great things I've always liked about Mazurek's records is how different they are from each other. There are many artists in recent years who collaborate with different group and ensembles but the material somehow ends up sounding very similar. For the most part that's not a bad thing. But it does leave the listening with the question, "What's next?".

Rob Mazurek's latest project, Starlicker, and there debut Double Demon, is definitely in the category of "what's next". A collection of deep exploratory sounds built on a number layered themes. In all it works beautifully. Double Demon while recorded by a trio has the muscle and dexterity of an ensemble. Those you will familiar with this trios individual works will know that they all enjoy the use/manipulation of space and sound. Together this unique lineup (no bass) have created a highly enjoyable and other-worldly recording. There have always been comparisons with Sun Ra when it comes to the compositional structure Rob Mazurek writes but this trio plants a different seed in the listener's ear.

Double Demon was born out improvising sessions and then a brief tour to coordinate material in front of an audience. The music and the trio work as tight well, organic unit. The title track illustrates this wonderfully. It's a fierce opening number with rolling patterns and moments where vibes, drums and cornet become one. It may sound like a cacophony but it's actually beauty in rhythm. "Triple Hex" moves with delicate low level sonic patterns with Mazurek and Adaisewicz combining with well balance ambient tones. The tune finally erupts with the inclusion of Herndon with some impressive percussive work. It's hypnotic and challenging and highly illuminating. "Andromeda" gives off a vibes of the title tracks little brother. Except here, Herndon is the driving force with Adaisewicz and Mazurek both adding the harmonic to exciting effect.

Double Demon is a unique session in the Mazurek catalogue in the way he has stripped his usual quintet, quartet or ensemble format. It has allow for more focus and concentrate build up on song structure than previous outings. Rob Mazurek still might not everyones cup of tea but his ability to make varied and exciting recordings every time out is just one of many reason you need to take the journey and listen to Starlicker. Enjoy...

Klang: Other Doors

Klang (group)

Other Doors (Allos Musica; 2011)

James Falzone (clarinet)
Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone)
Jason Roebke (bass)
Tim Daisy (drums)

Guest Musicians
Jeb Bishop (trombone)
Josh Berman (cornet)
Keefe Jackson (sax; bass clarinet)
Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello; electronics)

There once was a time when Benny Goodman was considered "avant garde", "outside the mainstream" or just plain "what the hell was that he just played". Goodman's ground-breaking benchmark, Live At Carnegie Hall is evidence of how left of center Goodman was for his time. Fast forward just under 75 years later to Goodman's hometown of Chicago. You will find a vibrant avant-garde/free jazz scene that while not based on Goodman's playing, definitely has Goodman's spirit of collectiveness. Enter the quartet Klang led by clarinetist, James Falzone. Klang, with an unusual lineup of clarinet, vibes, bass and drum have set forth a different direction compared to their more veracious Chicago contemporaries.

Klang's third album, Other Doors investigates the music and legacy of Mr. Goodman but with a very unique free form spin. The album was originally born out of a Chicago Jazz Festival performance that paid tribute to the Chicago native and legendary clarinetist. Other Doors is fun, crisp and filled with improvised moments that turn this session into one of the best Chicago outings of the last few years. "Stompin' At The Savoy" sounds completely fresh and revitalized in the hands of this quartet. It contains all the elements of the swing classic but it's infused with spontaneous exchanges and ethereal swirls (led by Jason Adasiewicz's always sublime performance on vibes). Falzone's playing is respectful but never imitating. He brings some gentle phrasing to certain lines raising this version far above homage and places it into a post modern must listen.

"Memories Of You", a midtempo ballad gets deep, dark re-visitation under Klang's direction. With some great manipulation of space by Falzone, Adasiewicz, and guest Longberg-Holm. Falzone's performance is passionate and introspective and reflects Goodman's own moments were he gets lost in the music but the listener become wrapped inside the rhythm. The title track has an impressionist approach. It's lyrically beautiful and paints a slow but delightful picture that is led by the horn section. Rich and textural with a free spirit, you will find very rewarding.

"The Already And The Not Yet", a track originally written on one of Falzone's earlier albums by the same name, is a delicate but operatic piece that becomes hypnotic and enveloping towards its conclusion. "Goodman's Paradox" is the moment in which the group let's loose (sort of) and delivers an extended workout of swing and experimentation that will take you by surprise but it fits perfectly in context. Goodman would be wowed.

While each of the members and the guest musicians on Other Doors lead their own groups, as Klang they together achieve something completely different from their respective groups. This is a dynamic quartet that experiments with past themes and creating future music. Other Doors is no tribute. It's a complete enlightened re-imagining of one of the most legendary and important figures in jazz. Highly Recommended.

Rez Abbasi

Rez Abbasi (guitars)
Natural Selection (Sunnyside Records)

Bill Ware (vibes)

Eric McPherson (drums)

Stephan Crump (bass)

Rez Abbasi has been layering his multi-cultural rhythms on the scene for almost 20 years. I really only knew about him in name. I had seen his name in live listings but never really ventured out to check him out. This past week I was surprised when a friend gave me a copy of his latest album, Natural Selection (Sunnyside Records).

Abbasi is originally from Pakistan but has been in the US for most of his life. He has studied and played with a variety of genre bending musicians including, Greg Osby, Rudresh Manhanthappa, Kadhri Gopalnath, Tony Malaby and Marilyn Crispell to just name a small few. Rez Abbasi like Manhanthappa and Gopalnath, has seamlessly blended his Eastern heritage into his Western learning and it is perfectly done on Natural Selection. It is a straight ahead jazz album but you get his life experience as the foundation throughout the session.

Natural Selection gets started with a cover of one of my favourite artists of all time, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 's "Lament". This caught me completely off guard because I didn't really look at the track listing before I put the CD on. And I knew within seconds who he was covering and my head went spinning. So now that he's caught my attention... "Lament" is a somber tune and driven by what in this case would be usual instruments from the traditional Pakistani style--guitar, vibes, drums and bass--this turns out be a beautiful swirling opener and homage to the legendary voice.

"Pakistani Minor" delivers an almost John Abercrombie-esque quality with some wonderful passages and manipulation. Eric McPherson sounds extremely stunning on drums. In addition, Bill Ware and Stephan Crump hide dreamlike inside the melody making this Abbasi original a real standout. "Up On The Hill," a dedication to the great pianist Andrew Hill, has many of Hill's philosophy built in. There are multi-faceted statements here both large and small. Complex, but a real delicate beauty as played out by Abassi and Ware in unison. One of those foundation points for me was "When Light Falls", a short piece with just Abbasi on guitar, but what you get is that East-West blend from an instrument that is clearly Western in nature. Played with the intimacy and integrity of years of understanding.

"Blu Vindaloo" is an adventurous number which could easily appear on a Jason Adasiewicz album. The performance from Ware sounds almost like a piano at times. Crump and McPherson shine here in slow midtempo blues. "Ain't No Sunshine" (the Bill Wither's classic) closes out the album in a soulful and spiritual way. Abbasi delivers this rendition fairly straight forward and romantically. But it also shows a soft tone and versatility that many current guitarists may not take with number like this. A really superb passage.

For me, Natural Selection was a rich surprise from a unique talent that I probably should have been listening to for awhile. The use of all acoustic instruments and the manner in which each musician tackles the compositions is truly stunning. And at times you really wonder "how'd they do that?" I may be late for the train and some of you might be too--so let's get onboard together. Rez Abbasi has delivered a document of high quality and inventiveness that is well worth your time.

Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Quintet

Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece (sax; vibes)


Getting excited about new jazz music is very easy for me. While there are very few artists who are trying to reinvent the wheel; there are quite a few that just trying to keep tradition alive and sounding fresh. One of those groups is the Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Quintet.


One of the instruments outside of the piano and saxophone that I love the most is the vibraphone. It may seem like an easy instrument to incorporate into the mix of any group but you would be gravely mistaken. It does add an ethereal element to mix but it is difficult to get it to the point where the instrument is one of the leading parts of the group. The greatest players, Bobby Hutcherson, Lionel Hampton, Gary Burton, Dave Pike, Milt Jackson to today's new guard, Joe Locke, Jason Adasiewicz, Stefon Harris, Mike Mainieri and Steve Nelson have made it look easy. While all of these artists (past and present) have shined as leaders; they have had the dueling counterparts to accompany them and challenge them.


Now I think we are all about to stumble upon another group that hopefully will stand the test of time and be mentioned in the breath with the new guard of vibraphonists and their co-leaders. Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece already with two albums under their belt are those co-leaders who really posed for much larger attention.


Seeing Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece live fully convinced me that this pairing, with a bit of longevity could live up to some of the great groups like Chick Corea/Gary Burton, Milt Jackson/John Coltrane, Bobby Hutcherson/Herbie Hancock, etc. Big lofty claims--maybe. But this quintet is the real deal.

Both Both Fowser and Behn Gillece honed their skills together in Philadelphia before continuing their studies in New York. They performed together and separately with various local groups in the late 2000s but it wasn't until 2009 that they paired up and released their first record together as the Fowser/Gillece Quintet with the debut Full View (PosiTone Records).


Full View featured veteran pianist and One For All member, the great, Dave Hazeltine, Adam Cote on bass and Paul Francis on drums. While the majority of the music is written by Gillece you wouldn't really notice it because its so fluidly perfected for both sax and vibes that you don't realize who really is the leader on any particular piece.

Full View is a wonderful and exciting debut, rich with a modern hard bop, romantic styles that shows these guys know exactly what their doing and where they want to take the listener.

"The Hutch" gets the proceedings jumpin' and immediate interaction between Fowser and Gillece shows that they have worked together for years. Fowser then takes the lead and shows some impressive chops with Hazeltine handling rhythm masterfully in the background. Fowser then turns the duo over to Gillece and Hazeltine. Cote and Francis rise later to the occasion, both with considerable voice and emotion. As expected Fowser and Gillece close this out on a gentle but still uptempo note.

On "Act Of Disguise" the group adds a little funkier groove but it's still in the hard bop tradition. Hazeltine's solo work here fabulous. "Act Of Disguise" could settle nicely on a Hazeltine or Eric Alexander record. The group perform a lovely rendition of Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes" that with the element of vibes makes this already sombre piece seem a bit more ethereal and kind of uplifting. A precious moment indeed.

Ken Fowser's "Two Pair" features some great work from Adam Cote on bass in addition to Fowser and Gillece's seamless communication making them almost the same note inside your head. It's a young group outside of the veteran Hazeltine but they perform with a maturity that is far beyond their years.

That maturity would soon explode wide open with their latest release, Little Echo (PosiTone Records). This time out with a whole new lineup featuring young but also veterans in the New York jazz scene, Quincy Davis (drums), Ugonna Okegwo (bass) and Rick Germanson (piano). Okegwo recently performed with saxophonist, Alexander McCabe and pianist, Uri Caine (on McCabe's Quiz album), Germanson has been lighting up the scene for awhile now with his own group and the always dynamic, Quincy Davis (worked with Tom Harrell, Walt Weiskopf and Ted Rosenthal) has added a unique timbre to this session.

While "Resolution" sets a swingin' tone on the outset, its the Fowser penned "Ninety Five" that really shows the collaboration of Fowser and Gillece have taken the step up from Full View. The playing is more bold and well developed. Fowser and Gillece sound fully comfortable and the rest of the group are higher up in the mix and involved from every note. The material on Little Echo is for each member and each member stands out more as a result.While Full View had the classic mixture of originals and interesting covers, Little Echo screams with colourful and expressive self-penned material.

"Sap" is a fiery piece which Gillece and Gemanson have some great back and forth conversations. Gemanson is the real revelation for me form this session. His playing is solid with a really high energetic voice. The whole group gets in on this one with some fantastic solo performances both from Germanson, Davis and Fowser. And while Okegwo's bass may sound down in the background you can hear he's tearing it up as well.

"Vigilance" is another moment in which the quintet delivers a sizzling performance and you really get a feel for how Fowser and Gillece interact with the rhythm section on their respective parts. Gillece is killer with Davis and Germanson while Fowser is a bit more refined letting the rest of group construct the colour and shape around him. But together the quintet is smokin' and you really want "Vigilance" to go another five minutes.

"You" is a lovely midtempo piece where you don't really notice the leaders as much as you notice the cohesion of the quintet. At this point you realize this is probably the quintet that should record together all the time. It's a group that challenges and follows each other with a dynamic and unique vision and a sound that is beautiful in execution and hopeful together again despite the commitments of the various groups they all oversee.

Both Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece perform separately and together throughout New York City (mainly Smoke and Smalls in particular). You need to check them out because it's the live experience that will really make the final connection for you. This duo is and will be formidable for year to come. Little Echo is a great document of quick maturity from the first album and a real statement on the quality of the new generation of jazz. Excellent stuff.

JazzWrap Best Albums Of 2010 Recap

It was a fantastic year for music. Here's a recap of JazzWrap's Best Albums Of 2010.

Mary Halvorson
Mikrokolektyw
One For All
Soweto Kinch
Soil & Pimp Sessions
Jason Moran
The Vandermark 5
Polar Bear
Bobby Avey
Dave Stapleton

There were a couple of albums I didn't get a chance to write about in our Best Of 2010 list. More because I was ill for a few days and couldn't put brain to computer to get the words out. These are by no means "honorable mentions". These are fantastic and in some cases (Jason Adasiewicz, Curtis Fuller, Kris Davis and Ricardo Gallo) phenomenal records that are worth every moment hunting down.

Ricardo Gallo Resistencias (Laidstrito Fonica)
Kris Davis Good Citzen (Fresh Sounds/New Talent)
Brian Eno Small Craft On A Milk Sea (Warp Records)
Curtis Fuller I Will Tell Her (Capri Records)
Tom Rainey Pool School (Clean Feed Records)
Keefe Jackson Seeing You See (Clean Feed Records)
Magnus Broo Swedish Wood (Moserobie Music)
Jason Adasiewicz Sun Rooms (Delmark)

I discovered a lot of new music this year. This was in part to some great friends, musicians, record labels and other blog writers. I especially wanted to mention my two favourite blogs Minimalistic Music and Jazznyt. Both are a little more avant garde than JazzWrap and provide a different perspective on the global community.

In addition, contributing editor, Kristopher Spencer has the insansely insightful site Scorebaby that discusses soundtrack music from every part of the globe as well as a great book on soundtracks that he wrote a year ago which you must own. I highly recommend you check them all out.

We have enjoyed working with and hearing from everyone and we hope to continue with some great new material in 2011. I hope you dig the music and have discovered some cool stuff. For us its all about turning people on to music that's both accessible and adventurous. As always we want to hear from you as well. So if you have a record you feel would be a great fit for us to know about please let us know.

And we are looking forward to another solid year of adventure in 2011.

Video: Tom Rainey Trio (Tom Rainey, Mary Halvorson and Ingrid Laubrock)From all of us at JazzWrap, thank you.

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.

Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes

Exploding Star Orchestra
Stars Have Shapes (Delmark; 2010)
Rob Mazurek (cornet, electronics) Matt Bauder (clarinet, sax)
Jeb Bishop (trombone) Jason Stein (bass clarinet)
Nicole Mitchell (flute, voice) Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)
Greg Ward (sax) Matthew Lux (bass)
Josh Abrams (bass) John Herndon (drums)
Mike Reed (drums) Damon Locks (word rocker)

Exploding Star Orchestra is a rotating ensemble led by cornetist Rob Mazurek, a free jazz fixture on the Chicago scene. ESO is one of many groups Mazurek heads up including The Chicago Underground Trio/Quartet, The Chicago Underground Orchestra, Isotope 217, Tigersmilk and the Rob Mazurek Quintet. Stars Have Shapes is an album I couldn't put back on the shelf. Each day for two weeks I would stop and think about one of the songs and remember a passage that I had to hear again. I kept thinking to myself, "wait a minute, there's something else going on here."

Stars Have Shapes builds on the previous efforts of ESO "We Are All From Somewhere" and two self titled albums featuring the late Bill Dixon. Each of these albums circles around the slow ascension of found sounds. In the case of Stars Have Shapes it is rain from the the Amazon, various field recordings and sound manipulation of basic woodwind instruments. The comparisons to the latter material of Coltrane (especially his epic "Ascension"), Sun Ra and even the Detroit collective led Phil Ranelin, The Tribe, are right in discussing. But these legends are only the foundation on the which Stars And Shapes might use to catapult into the stratosphere.

Opening with the episodic journey "Ascension Ghost Impression #2, for me reminiscent of the larger ensemble pieces of Alice and John Coltrane, Mazurek states the case that outing is clearly spiritual trip inward for the listener. Mazurek took the listener on a similar path with "Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers" from the We Ar All From Somewhere. It's a piece that builds and moves through hypnotic and caustic with relative ease. As I mentioned the piece is lengthy (20 minutes) but you quickly get swallowed by wonderful world Mazurek and the musicians have built that you never notice the songs length until you move into the more groove laden beat of "ChromoRocker."

"ChromoRocker" is the shortest piece on Stars Have Shapes but is has beat led by Jason Adasieicz (vibes) and Josh Abrams (bass), two other Chicago stalwarts, that's fast paced, exploratory and shifting in melody.

"Three Blocks Of Light" is the second long player on this never ending journey. It's patterns are a more electronic and densely focused with the ensemble setting a more ethereal tone throughout. There are muted trumpets, tone pitches, insect noises and other manipulated reconstructions are making for some highly inventive listening.

The final piece "Impression #1" is slightly more structure with delicate pulsating touches from Adasiewicz and some rich playing from the horn section. It's a slow moving ballad. Almost gospel like in nature but with a very cerebral tone.

Mazurek's writing and direction on throughout this piece and the entire recording is teeming with originality and diversity. Mazurek dedicates the Stars Have Shapes to Bill Dixon and Fred Anderson, two of the most important avant garde icons to the Chicago scene. Rob Mazurek has turned Exploding Star Orchestrea into one of the most innovative and dynamic avant garde collectives of the new century. And I think both Anderson and Dixon would be extremely proud.