Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas Vol. 5 (December 3, 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. The Divine Peacemaker Plays Dreidel In Frightful Weather

2. The Angels Sing With The Old & New Ghosts In The Manger

3. Did You Hear They Found Light In Darkness

Mars Williams - Sax, Suona, Toy Instruments

Josh Berman - Cornet

Jim Baker - Piano, Viola, Arp Synth

Brian Sandstrom - Bass, Guitar, Trumpet

Steve Hunt - Drums

Peter Maunu - Violin

Kent Kessler - Bass (Tracks 1 & 2)

Krzysztof Pablan - Bass (Track 3)

Track 1 & 2 Recorded by: Dave Zuchowski 7/28/21

Track 3 Recorded Live at Constellation Chicago 12/19/20

Mixed & Mastered by: Hermey at Island Of Misfit Toys Studios

Design by Rich Good

TRACK 1 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Divine Peacemaker” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” By Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne © Imagem Music /Cahn Music and Chappell and Co. / Producers Music Publishing Co.

TRACK 2 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Ghosts” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) “New Ghosts” © Spurt Music (BMI); Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Feliz Navidad” By: José Feliciano © BMG Gold Songs / J&H Publishing

TRACK 3 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Light In Darkness” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Do You hear what I Hear” By: Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker (Jewel Music Publishing Co. Inc.)

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY SONGS: PUBLIC DOMAIN MUSIC ARRANGED BY: MARS WILLIAMS (Music From Mars /BMI)

PREORDER

Matt Piet & His Disorganization - Rummage Out (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

There are some new protagonists in the Chicago jazz scene, due to the revelation of a younger generation of musicians and the defection of some of the big names to other American regions, like Jeff Parker and Rob Mazurek.

One of these Chicago exponents, gradually gaining importance, is pianist and composer Matt Piet, a former student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Leader of two fundamental bands in the city, Matt Piet Trio and Four Letter Words, and one of the vertices of the Rempis / Piet / Daisy triangle, he has broken into the Chicago improvised music community as a “melodic player” whose “tonefulness is thrillingly shaken by a rhythmic volatility and a fractal sense of phrasing”, according to the jazz journalist Peter Margasak, who compared his sound to Cecil Taylor in the late ‘50s and the early ‘60s. Piet’s is a welcome approach, considering that one of the members of the new band Matt Piet & His Disorganization is the saxophonist Nick Mazzarella, often described as a direct heir of the illustrious altoists Eric Dolphy, OrnetteColeman, Henry Threadgill and Oliver Lake, and like them driven to “embody the history of jazz while pushing it forward into new realms” (Troy Dostert).

The same characteristic defines cornet player Josh Berman, a player known to combine aspects of pre-bebop jazz with avant-garde experimentation, sometimes producing a strikingly dissonant New Orleans style. In this bass-less quartet, the drummer/percussionist is Tim Daisy, one of the most versatile rhythmicists in activity today, equally at ease with the fire music of Ken Vandermark and the electro-acoustic abstract explorations of Kyle Bruckmann. Chicago jazz is very much alive, and Rummage Out is fantastic proof.

1. Lost & Found 15:21

2. The Last Place You Look 22:21

Matt Piet piano

Josh Berman cornet

Nick Mazzarella alto saxophone

Tim Daisy drums and percussion

All music by Matt Piet & His Disorganization

Improvised live in performance at Constellation, Chicago IL on May 26, 2017 | Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Produced by Matt Piet | Executive Production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos | Photo by Matthew Schwerin

The Fulcrum Ensemble - Tim Daisy's Fulcrum Ensemble 'Animation' (RELAY RECORDINGS 2018)

The Fulcrum Ensemble is an experimental music sextet organized by Chicago based percussionist and composer Tim Daisy and is a primary vehicle for his compositional style which mixes intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation. 

The three compositions on the group’s latest release “Animation” take inspiration from a range of contemporary musical ideas including: the innovative performance and compositional techniques pioneered by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, structural and textural innovations connected to contemporary composers including Earle Brown, Anthony Braxton and Terry Riley, as well as the energy and spirit generated by the American “free jazz” movement of the 1960’s and 70's, notably the work of Julius Hemphill, Marion Brown, and Don Cherry. 

The intention of the Fulcrum Ensemble’s music lies in the assimilation of these multiple influences with the hopes of creating something new and unique. Utilizing some of the leading lights of today’s improvised music scene, the realization of these compositions would not be possible without the strong personalities, shared experience, good humor, inventiveness and collaborative spirit of the ensemble members. 

‘Animation’ is the second recorded document from the Fulcrum Ensemble (formerly called the Celebration Sextet – see relay records 016) and the group has every intention to keep creating these unique collaborative sounds together well into the future.

1. Corner Counter 11:10

2. Glass And Lead 08:52

3. Means To An End 16:33

James Falzone: Clarinet

Steve Swell: Trombone

Josh Berman: Cornet

Fred Lonberg - Holm: Cello

Dave Rempis: Alto and Baritone Saxophones

Tim Daisy: Drums/Marimba/Metronomes/Califone/Composer

The second release from composer/percussionist Tim Daisy's latest ensemble, (formerly known as the Celebration sextet.) Three brand new compositions mix intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation, performed by a cast of world-class improvisers. Recorded at the Elastic Arts Foundation in Chicago, IL

All Compositions by Tim Daisy (Split Music/ASCAP)

Recorded on August 8th, 2017 at the Elastic Arts Foundation, Chicago Il

Recorded by Dave Zuchowski / One Room Studio

Mixed/Mastered by Alex Inglizian at Experimental Sound Studio

Artwork/layout by Fede Peñalva