Don & Camille Dietrich – Dietrichs (Pica Disk, 2017) Cecil Taylor Segments II (Orchestra of Two Continents) – Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants) (Soul Note, 1985) Cecil Taylor – In Florescence (A&M Records, 1990) No-Neck Blues Band – Qvaris (5 Rue Christine, 2005) Glenn Branca – Lesson no. 1 (Superior Viaduct, 1980) Brad Whiteley – Presence (Destiny Records, 2018) Talibam! – Endgame of
My grandfather’s name was Mason E. Guthrie and he was born in a small town called Gastonia, North Carolina, in the 1920s. I don’t know much about his childhood, save for a few family legends and what he told me during an interview I conducted with him when I was in middle school. He and
About a third of the way through Robert Mugge’s classic 1980 documentary, A Joyful Noise, a group of young men on the street talk about mythic Sun Ra and his Arkestra’s presence in their neighborhood in Philadelphia’s Germantown section. “I live a few doors from Sun Ra, it’s a nice group . . . I see
It has been about 24 hours since a speeding car struck me in North Philadelphia (9/21/2018, approx. 8pm). The fact that I can sit down and write about it so soon afterward will hopefully enlighten the reader to how fortunate I am to be here to compose this for you . . . and more
EAVE is a free jazz group based out of Montreal. The band is comprised of Anna Webber and Erik Hove (saxophones & flute), Vicky Mettler (guitar), and Evan Tighe (drums). Webber works out of New York. Their self-titled album opens gently, slowly unfolding sound like a swaying wind chime. “Merriweather” seems to me a prelude to
Cataclysmic Commentary – Audience Participation (Eschatology, 2018) Carlo Costa – Oblio (Neither/Nor, 2018) Jamie Saft Quartet – Blue Dream (Rare Noise, 2018) Various – Sub Rosa: An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, vol. 3 (Sub Rosa, 2004) [3 LPs]
On September 5, 2018, violist Joanna Mattrey convened a quintet of superb improvisers that included trombonist Ben Gerstein, trumpeter Joe Moffett, bass clarinetist John McCowen, and vocalist Nina Dante. Their set was an exploration of the possibilities of minimalist improvisations in a collective context. The music began with small sounds, as if emerging from all
Originally from Maine, drummer Devin Gray has been active in New York City for over a dozen years. His two main projects as a leader have been Dirigo Rataplan, a quartet with saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, trumpeter Dave Ballou, and bassist Michael Formanek, and RelativE ResonancE, a quartet with reedist Chris Speed, pianist Kris Davis, and
Colombian electric bassist, Carlos Quebrada, based in Buenos Aires, joined New York drummer Weasel Walter and saxophonist Sam Weinberg for an intense, visceral performance at Wonders of Nature on Wednesday, September 5. This trio presented a set of jagged-edged, high-energy improvised music that really pushed the boundaries. Saxophonic squeaks, rapid, percussive bass lines, and hard,
Fridman Gallery is celebrating its fifth anniversary in the West Village and they are hosting a week of amazing concerts. The bills pay tribute to the wide variety of cutting edge music happening right now in New York and beyond. For a full listing, see the Fridman Gallery website.
