Joel Futterman - 'Kidd' Jordan Quintet: Nickelsdorf Konfrontation (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"For lovers of this music, here is a disc with a definitive place reserved for it, a very lofty place." 

Gustave Cerutti, Improjazz, October 1996 

"(Futterman) can zip out those tone clusters, which have given him a reputation as a Taylorite, but there is much variation in density – sometimes on this CD the clusters metamorphose into quiet little sprinkles in the top octave of the piano. His ability to move from keys to strings and back again continues to impress. Co-leader Edward 'Kidd' Jordan's duet with Futterman on Soul Mates is an excellent sample of his art; he always counterbalances his harshest outpourings with heartfelt lyricism. Elsewhere the music fares best when Jordan is setting the tone, as in the balladic first half of Nickelsdorf Summit, Part Two. Even when the proceedings begin to babble in tongues à la late-period Coltrane, his line is readily discernable and always coherent. Alvin Fielder contributes mobile drumming in the tradition of Ed Blackwell; just check out what he does on the tom-toms, and savor the solo that opens his piece in honor of Vernell Fournier (another key member of the New Orleans drumming fraternity). 

Robert L. Campbell, Cadence, April 1997 

Nat Hentoff wrote the following in his liner notes for...  more

1. Hear with You 01:23

2. Soul Mates 09:03

3. Meeting Place 06:43

4. Nickelsdorf Summit: I. 07:55

5. Nickelsdorf Summit: II. 07:58

6. Nickelsdorf Summit: III. 03:17

7. Nickelsdorf Summit: IV. 06:48

8. Nickelsdorf Summit: V. 05:24

9. Nickelsdorf Summit: VI. 05:55

10. Nickelsdorf Summit: VII. 06:51

11. Fournier 05:18

12. Going with You 01:53

Joel Futterman piano, curved soprano saxophone, Indian flute

Edward 'Kidd' Jordan tenor saxophone

Mats Gustafsson tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone

Barry Guy acoustic bass

Alvin Fielder drums

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - 21st Century Union March (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has been "breaking the habit of boredom and pushing beyond nostalgia into the present" for almost 20 years. Their music fuses traditional African rhythmic and melodic sensibilities with popular African American musical forms. The Ensemble's unique instrumentation – trap drums, African and Latin hand-percussion, saxophone, trombone, digeridoo, bass clarinet and kalimba – endow their music with a warm textural richness and depth. Within a framework of organic, understated compositions, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble imparts an ancestral wisdom and conjures an energy and sparks rarely encountered in contem-porary music.

In 1976, Kahil El'Zabar, having just graduated from the school of Chicago's legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, teamed up with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. Wilkerson has been called "one of the most thoughtful minds in modern experimental music", and is himself the leader of the premier Windy City Octet Eight Bold Souls and the big band Shadow Vignettes. Kahil El'Zabar is an accomplished trap drummer, having worked with acclaimed soul blues and R&B artist Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and jazz greats from Cannonball Adderley to David Murray. El'Zabar is also a virtuoso kalimba player...  more

1. Crumb Puck You Let Slide 06:51

2. Fanfare 09:00

3. Lover Man 03:25

4. How the Cow See Cirrus 11:45

5. Missing Miles 05:03

6. Burundi 10:08

7. Love Outside of Dreams 06:28

8. Unlisted 07:41

9. Dear Albert 09:04

10. Procession 03:14

Joseph Bowie trombone, miscellaneous percussion

Edward Wilkerson tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, miscellaneous percussion

Kahil El'Zabar earth drums, sanza, miscellaneous percussion, vocals

Playlist for Tom Ossana – The Thin Edge – June 27, 2018 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.

http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.

Claudio Quartarone - Changes (WORKIN' LABEL 2018)

“Changes” è il punto di congiunzione tra due mondi, la musica classica e il Jazz, un ritratto intimo della visione musicale dell’Artista, un viaggio sonoro affrontato in undici brani, tra composizioni originali e interpretazioni di standard Jazz, unicamente in chitarra classica sola. Il lavoro ripercorre la formazione di Quartarone, tra influenze classiche, e personale visione dell’Arte di interpretare gli standard che ricalca il contemporaneo mondo musicale senza dimenticare l’importanza della più pura improvvisazione, manifesto della poetica dell’Autore.

Claudio Quartarone è considerato uno dei più grandi chitarristi italiani della sua generazione, musicalmente versatile ma strettamente ancorato alla tradizione classica di cui ha esteso i confini. Inizia lo studio della chitarra classica all'età di otto anni, strumento attraverso il quale si fa subito notare per il grande talento.

Giovanissimo si esibisce regolarmente in chitarra solo, vincendo numerosissimi concorsi musicali, tanto da essere considerato nell'ambiente della chitarra classica un enfant prodige. Nel 2007 vince, attraverso la fondazione Siena Jazz, una borsa di studio per rappresentare l'Italia al convegno internazionale "I.A.S.J." in Lettonia, premio istituito nel 1989 da Dave Liebman.

Durante l'esperienza senese è stato notato dal trombettista Enrico Rava che decide di coinvolgerlo nella sua band "Special Edition", con la quale si esibirà in diversi Jazz Festival sul territorio nazionale. Lo stesso Rava elogia il suo talento dichiarando al Corriere della Sera: "Un chitarrista veramente incredibile, penso non ho mai sentito in Italia uno così, si chiama Quartarone, viene da Catania, come Francesco Cafiso, quella zona sta dando musicisti mostruosi".
   
Ha collaborato con alcuni dei maggiori esponenti del jazz italiano, oltre che avere un’intensa attività come compositore. Ha inciso dischi per la Rai e ha lavorato come produttore discografico, imponendosi sulla scena musicale italiana come punto di riferimento chitarristico oltre le sole consuetudini del jazz.

1. Honey (C. Quartarone)

2. E. (C. Quartarone)

3. 528 (C. Quartarone)

4. Buster Douglas (C. Quartarone)

5. Modal Age (C. Quartarone)

6. Cherokee (B.Powell / R.Noble)

7. Notune (C. Quartarone)

8. Pietro Calvagna (C. Quartarone)

9. You don’t know what love is (Don Raye / G. De Paul)

10. Polka Dots and Moonbeams (J.Van Heusen / J. Burke)

11. Trap (C. Quartarone)

Tutte le tracce sono suonate da Claudio Quartarone su Chitarra Classica

Registrato nel 2018 a Even8 Studio

Produttore esecutivo Andrea Rapicavoli

Grafica Jessica Benfatto

Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble: Chicago Now - Thirty Years of Great Black Music, Vol​.​2 (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"The music on Chicago Now! is dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians)." There was a sharp sense of pride in the voice of reedist-composer Ernest 'Khabeer' Dawkins. Leaders of one of the most exciting and adventurous working groups today; the New Horizons Ensemble, Dawkins has much to be proud of The accolades of media and audiences worldwide attest to its new found success.

Builders of new parameters in modern black music, the AACM'ers have placed a valued importance on capturing the social essence of history, its meaning and purpose. Hence the guiding credo of the grassroots organisation: Great Black Music Ancient To The Future. This is particularly fitting when discussing artists known for framing their social/political visions through their art. Ernest Dawkins and New Horizons are no exception.

They are a marvelous example of just how the music has richly absorbed the impact of history, events and the moment. These are men who could capture the passion and glory of an era - in just a fragment, in just a second of artistic virtue. 

This vision of tradition runs deep within the mind, heart and soul of Dawkins. The music has baptized and cleansed him. Part of a new generation of AACM'ers; among them Kahil El'Zabar's...  more

1. Monk's Temptation 10:58

2. Running from the Rain (alt) 09:35

3. Planet East 10:38

4. Zera (alt) 12:56

5. Improvisation #3 11:04

6. Looking for Ninny 04:34

7. Many Flavors 13:04

Ernest Dawkins alto sax, tenor sax, flute, percussion, vocals

Steve Berry trombone, percussion

Ameen Muhammad trumpet, percussion, vocals

Jeffery Parker electric guitar

Yosef Ben Israel bass

Reggie Nicholson drums, percussion

Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble: Chicago Now - Thirty Years of Great Black Music, Vol​.​1 (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Ernest Dawkins' Chicago Now (vol 1) is definitely in the category of lively, colorful music and is full of surprises and unpredictable music. He and his versatile sidemen perform a wide variety of originals. Improvisation #1 evolves from sound explorations to a riff section and back while Improvisation #2 is a lowdown but spacey blues. The longer pieces tend to be episodic and a little reminiscent of Charles Mingus in the way they reinvent the past a bit to form a new and uncertain future. Dawkins' fiery alto playing on Dream For Rahsaan is a tribute to Roland Kirk. The final three numbers are consistently exciting, trumpeter Ameen Muhammad adds power to the group, trombonist Steve Berry blends well with Dawkins' alto and the pianoless rhythm section is alert and driving. This is a highly recommended disc that keeps alive the Chicago AACM tradition." 

Scott Yanow, Cadence, December 1996 

Surprise. Of the three albums on which Ernest Dawkins has led his New Horizons Ensemble, this one presents the group at their most exciting, their most accessible and yes, their most surprising. In fact, "Chicago Now" may startle all but the most loyal fans of this truly contemporary sextet. With this outing, the level of their musicianship seems to have risen yet again. The musical and...  more

1. Improvisation #1 06:25

2. The Time Has Come 14:37

3. Improvisation #2 (My Baby Blues) 03:37

4. Bold Souls 07:44

5. Dream For Rahsaan 10:20

6. Zera 10:53

7. Flowers for the Soul 12:20

8. Runnin' from the Rain 06:04

Ernest Dawkins alto sax, tenor sax, flute, percussion, vocals

Steve Berry trombone, percussion

Ameen Muhammad trumpet, percussion, vocals

Jeffery Parker electric guitar

Yosef Ben Israel bass

Reggie Nicholson drums, percussion

Other Dimensions in Music featuring Fay Victor - Kaiso Stories (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

Kaiso – A music of western African derivation and Spanish colonial influence. The precursor to the modern Calypso, narrative in form and often has a cleverly concealed political subtext. Kaiso probably has its origins in the Hausa language, where it’s used to exclaim approval such as "Bravo!" 

Many of my childhood summers were spent at my grandmother's house in Belmont, Port of Spain - the capital of the tiny sister republic of Trinidad & Tobago - the southernmost Caribbean Islands. This yearly cycle of me leaving the Greater New York area for the summer and heading to Port of Spain started after kindergarten and continued until my early teens. Trinidad, the island where my Mom was born and raised, and my Dad grew up as well, was my cultural home. Going there immersed me in another world I felt drawn to and a part of: the food, the patois, the humor, the melodic cadence in the speech, the sun, the fruits, the sea; the music, like school-girl songs such as “London Bridge is Falling Down” and “Brown Girl in the Ring” that my sister and I used to sing and play patty-cake to. Calypso music was a steady soundtrack in the background of island life. I saw my Aunt Mary and her friends 'wine down' at parties and we kids were encouraged to do the same, we were meant to dance this way...  more

1. Maryanne Revisited 13:32

2. Three Friends Advised 15:24

3. Kitch Goes Home 07:35

4. Saltfish Refried 10:46

5. John Gilman Wants Tobacco 01:56

6. An Open Letter 10:01

7. De Night A De Wake 06:44

8. We Is We Trini 08:23

Roy Campbell trumpet, pocket trumpet, flugelhorn, flute, pipes, bells

Daniel Carter alto, tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, trumpet, clarinet

William Parker double bass, gembri, bass duduk, trombonium

Charles Downs drums, percussion

Fay Victor voice

Roy Campbell Pyramid - Communion (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"The music and perhaps also the recording technique, cause the sound to be utterly woven together and this promotes listening to the whole picture rather than to the details, which I find attractive. We hear how the group, tightly together, works itself forward. Campbell's impressions and influences come from different cultures and parts of the world, but this music is incontrovertibly modern American jazz." 

Leif Carlsson, Gränslöst, March 1995 

"That trumpeter Campbell is a part of New York's downtown scene is apparent in the fire and adventure of this trio session. Parker and Nicholson, two other major voices on the scene, are phenomenal, often keeping both melody and rhythm going while Campbell shows off out front. Together the three create beautiful work." 

Jerome Wilson, Option, July 1996

"At whatever point you hit on a circle, it's still a circle," says trumpeter Roy Campbell, whose Communion is his third outing as a leader and his debut recording with his Pyramid trio of Campbell on trumpet, pocket trumpet, fluegelhorn and various percussion instruments, William Parker on bass and Reggie Nicholson on drums.

There's much in the lineage of Campbell's music, from a lyricism reminiscent of Gil Evans' rich orchestrations for...  more

1. Communion 09:15

2. Vigilance 09:18

3. Chant for Don Cherry 12:04

4. Air Pockets 14:32

5. Blues for Albert and Don Ayler 15:22

6. One for Hannibal 14:10

Roy Campbell trumpet, fluegelhorn, pocket trumpet, cornet, percussion

William Parker bass, percussion

Reggie Nicholson drums, percussion

Charles Gayle Quartet - Raining Fire (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"The all-out assaults of his earlier sessions gives way here to a more open rhythmic sensibility. Gayle's playing takes on an emotionally incantatory urgency here over the shifting layers of dual basses and Wimberly's tumbling, flexible attack. Raining Fire is the more fiery of the two CDs, from the opening blasting hurricane charge through In Christ with Gayle's most incendiary playing of the two. Translations (Silkheart 134) and Raining Fire are welcome additions to Gayle's growing discography, documenting Gayle's uncompromising intensity and continued growth." 

Michael Rosenstein, Cadence, November 1994

Standing on a Chinatown streetcorner, waiting for his ride to a New Jersey studio for day two of recording Raining Fire and Translations (Silkheart 134), Charles Gayle found himself flanked by two guys who wanted him to do something - wanted him to document his playing on chord changes. Gayle's Rollins-like hurtling hurdles usually heard during second sets, live are startling, all the more to folks who keep insisting outcats can't really play.

So these two unlikely allies, with very different relationships with Gayle, were trying to get a stubborn independent to see things their way. One of them had gently pressed Charles...  more

1. In Christ 17:09

2. Blood's Finality 12:52

3. Death Conquered 15:34

4. Grace 14:50

5. Raining Fire 08:20

Charles Gayle tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, viola

William Parker bass, cello, half-size violin

Vattel Cherry bass, kalimba, bells

Michael Wimberly drums

Jim Hobbs Fully Celebrated Orchestra - Peace & Pig Grease (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Jim Hobbs' Fully Celebrated Orchestra is a piano-less trio that plays very much in the tradition of the early Ornette Coleman groups. While bassist Timo Shanko and drummer Django Carranza are alert and stimulating in support of the leader, the focus throughout is on Jim Hobbs' colorful alto. This is an impressive outing of fiery and explorative yet often melodic music that is easily recommended." 

Scott Yanow, Cadence, December 1996 

"You can compare us to the Renaissance guys of the avant garde, the kind of attitude that Ornette Coleman had in his music. You can mix that with a punk-rock aesthetic because we don't want to have to play the jazz mantra all the time" 

Jim Hobbs 

Even by jazz's sometimes bizarre standards, alto saxophonist/ composer Jim Hobbs is an anomaly. A twenty something Fort Wayne, Indiana born renegade; Hobbs is the spokesman/leader of the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, a collective ensemble which is actually a trio comprised of bassist Timo Shanko and the slash and burn drums of Django Carranza. The eclecticism of his influences is what sets him and his group apart - Duke Ellington Suites, heavy metal, Don Cherry and Willie Nelson's song stylings ("the way he can twist melodies that are common"). This seemingly disparate mix and match of...  more

1. Theme 02:35

2. Freedom, Right Now! 07:10

3. Peace & Pig Grease 03:35

4. Cry for Help 05:04

5. Imposter Pot Belly 04:17

6. Witch's Witch 02:48

7. The Celebration 04:35

8. Wot Not 07:26

9. Pulaski Skyway 02:21

10. Chandini 04:42

11. (Up Against a Wall) With a Chicken Wing 05:41

12. B. Now C. 02:52

13. A Posse 03:04

14. Ice on Fire 10:08

Jim Hobbs alto saxophone

Timo Shanko bass

Django Carranza drums

Bob Ackerman Trio - Old & New Magic (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Ackerman and cohorts play some hard driving jazz on Old And New Magic, evoking aural images of the energy of the young Archie Shepp and the intensity of Charles Gayle... Morris and Charles have the ability to drive and direct this 'energy' music. This is a very strong rhythmic duo and often threatens to overpower Ackerman when he plays flute... As with most Silkheart releases, the sound quality heard here is above average, with the presence of bass and drums very definite. Old And New Magic will be enjoyed by all who appreciate creative improvised music." 

Leonard J. Bukowski, Cadence, May 1995 

When we got together at his home in Irvington, Bob Ackerman eventually asked me if I could suggest some suitable musicians for a group he'd like to put together. I thought for a while and told him I couldn't imagine anyone better to begin with than Wilber Morris, and he lived just a few blocks away. I called Wilber and he came over to visit us, with his bass. He was pretty weary after a day of rehearsals, but Wilber and Bob got along famously. They rapidly became firm friends and were soon musical buddies.

I came across Wilber Morris as one of the late Charles Tyler's friends and I recall him speaking well of Wilber on any number...  more

1. Mr. Knox 07:14

2. Dennis is Driving 07:19

3. Tres X 4 07:03

4. Tranein' In 10:21

5. Ode to Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter 08:31

6. Re: Béla Bartók 16:06

7. Voices Beyond 14:14

8. The March That Stopped the Band 03:56

Bob Ackerman saxophones, clarinet, flutes

Wilber Morris bass

Dennis Charles drums

Hal Russell - Joel Futterman Quartet: Naked Colours (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Mostly one is washed over in a turbulent gush of geyser power like the wild snaking of a firehose on the rampage. Russell has a worthy sidekick in Joel Futterman, whose manic, deftly fingered piano playing blows up a storm. Textures collide and capsize, thrown upon each other with not a thought for thrift or stability. These two manically ecstatic musicians are backed up by virtuoso bass and drums playing."

Thomas Millroth, Gränslöst, April 1996 

"Futterman's blazing melody-tumbles fall into one another in a most impressive cadence, but Russell's full tenor/sop/tpt range is also on breathtaking display – playful honking, upper-register overblowing, and manic flashing runs that simply swing very f. hard. All spilling so much energy and sounding so alive that any last date scenario claims would seem rather mawkishly inappropriate." 

Nick Cain, Opprobrium, November 1996

Consider the chances. The brief musical association between Hal Russell and Joel Futterman is one of those lasting "what ifs." As products of Chicago's jazz scene they are a full generation removed. Until 1991, they had never met despite both having devoted 20 years to the uncompromising development of the free jazz form. They performed two concerts together, the first ever in Berlin for...  more

1. Part I: 278,000 Shades 19:31

2. Part II: Solid Colours 21:56

3. Part III: Naked Colours 23:43

Hal Russell trumpet, tenor and soprano saxophones

Joel Futterman piano, recorder

Jay Oliver bass

Robert Adkins drums

Charles Gayle Quartet - Translations (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"At a time when too many musicians rely on arch referential irony or a reverence to catholic, stylistic recreations, it is bracing to hear a musician who unabashedly ignores fads and styles to aggressively pursue a music imbued with such powerful, emotional depth." 

Michael Rosenstein, Cadence, November 1994

This January Thursday breaks bright, boding well. At 10:15 that morning, a motorcade of taxicabs, its drivers protesting hazardous working conditions, moves slowly down Broadway toward City Hall, car horns in a distinctive staccato rhythm - a rhythm often favored by Charles Gayle, standing on the corner of Canal Street as they drive past. 

This cold, windy Manhattan day feels oddly warm. Maybe it's the pale winter sun, or knowing that 12 years of Reagan and Bush have ended. It is the first full day of the Clinton administration.

At the inauguration in Washington the previous noon, at a podium a few feet from the new president, the distinguished African-American writer Maya Angelou had read an impressive entry in that difficult genre, public poetry rifting on the triple trophes laid out in the opening lines: "A Rock, A River, A Tree" 

The horizon leans...  more

1. Joyous Fellowship 14:40

2. Healing 19:01

3. Holy Mountain 14:38

4. Hymn of Praise 08:53

5. Suffering for Love 14:00

Charles Gayle tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, viola

William Parker bass, cello, half-size violin

Vattel Cherry bass, kalimba, bells

Michael Wimberly drums

Jim Hobbs Trio - Babadita (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Jim Hobbs plays with a sharp and peppery saxophone sound and has a tight trio who take a firm grip on the music, directions are clearly indicated from the outset. Theirs is not a music which suffers from hesitation. The thrust and power is there and so is the skill and knowledge. Vehemence and hot-headedness exist side by side with ritual incantation and rhyme. The childlike aspect is united with the youthful fervor." 

Thomas Millroth, Gränslöst, February 1995

"He's absorbed Ornette's style of playing without copying it. He's really taking harmolodics in a new direction," says Bern Nix (former Coleman Prime Time guitarist) about alto saxist Jim Hobbs of the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, a collective ensemble with bassist Timo Shanko and drummer Django Carranza (appearing on their debut Silkheart CD Babadita).

What initially led Hobbs to listen to Coleman's early trio recordings was his fascination with trumpeter Don Cherry. "I liked the way he would smear a bebop line," said Hobbs. After hearing Cherry on Coleman's landmark This Is Our Music, Hobbs immersed himself in Cherry's efforts, listening to Orient, Where's Brooklyn? and Symphony for the Improvisers. From these recordings, he went on to...  more

1. Off Blue Shirt 05:51

2. A Possé 04:01

3. Balderama-Lama-Ding-Dong 03:42

4. Chandini 04:36

5. B. Now C. 03:12

6. Devil Sews Expensive Clothes 05:06

7. Quit Stallin' 05:19

8. Pulaski Skyway 02:07

9. The Moon, a Star and a Little Red Car 07:11

10. The Ol' Pick and Roll 05:41

11. V 02:09

12. (Up Against a Wall) With a Chicken Wing 04:58

13. Babadita 07:48

14. Travel Song 04:46

15. Bad Medicine 04:30

Jim Hobbs alto saxophone

Timo Shanko bass

Django Carranza drums