Assif Tsahar Trio - Ein Sof (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

The Assif Tsahar Trio has recently been causing a stir in downtown New York music circles and at one or other summer jazz festival, as for example the one held in central Massachusets - at Amhurst - on July 27th, 1996. "The afternoon segment ended with a trio led by young tenor player Assif Tsahar. Joined by bassist William Parker and drummer Susie Ibarra, the three delivered a set of graceful muscularity. Tsahar is clearly influenced by players like David Ware and Charles Gayle, his full throaty tenor spilling out roiling waves and driving torrents. He is clearly developing his own voice on the horn, combining an energetic exhuberance and full command of the extended vocabulary of overblowing and harmonics with a sense of vocalized phrasing and open dynamics.

The combination of Parker and Ibarra was simply breathtaking. Parker has established himself as the pre-eminent bassist of Free Jazz. Building upon his tenure with Cecil Taylor, he has a potent command of shaping group interactions, slipping effortlessly between scorching arco and pummelling plucked lines. Having spent time studying with Milford Graves, Ibarra is quickly becoming a drummer of choice, working in ensembles such as those led by both Parker and David Ware. She masterfully drove the pulse of the music with circling...  more

1. Is Here Tomorrow Will 10:32

2. Ephemeral Symbiosis: III. 01:59

3. Ephemeral Symbiosis: II. 01:34

4. Through Forgotten Ancestors 12:31

5. Sun Drops 07:56

6. Ein Sof 07:12

7. Ephemeral Symbiosis: V. 02:37

8. Ephemeral Symbiosis: I. 01:34

9. Shadow Puppets 10:36

10. Internal Dialogue 11:38

11. Ephemeral Symbiosis: IV. 01:53

12. Ephemeral Symbiosis: VI. 01:43

Assif Tsahar tenor saxophone

William Parker bass

Susie Ibarra drums / percussion

Yuko Fujiyama - Night Wave (INNOVA MUSIC March 23, 2018)

Born in Sapporo, Japan in 1954, Yuko Fujiyama started playing piano at the age of four. But it wasn’t until a summer morning in 1980 standing on a sidewalk in New York’s East Village that she found her calling; someone was playing a Cecil Taylor tape and she was transfixed by the piano sounds. That someone was Taylor’s drummer, Jerome Cooper, and that moment opened a door for her to the abstract beauty of music. She has been “looking for musical structures” ever since. “Recently, I’ve been trying to be free from a feeling of linear time. This album, Night Wave, is the result of my long search.”

Joining her in this quest are three esteemed fellow travelers in the art of improvisation: percussionist Susie Ibarra, violinist Jennifer Choi, and cornet/flugelhornist Graham Haynes: “It was a joy to play with these beautiful musicians. I appreciate Susie for her earthy but sensitive sound Jennifer for her beautiful melodies, and Graham for his simple and rich expressions.”

The album weaves a delicate series of colorful musical glimpses, from aggressive and ominous stories to melancholic flashes of freedom and silence. Listen at night, on a sidewalk, or wherever you might like sounds to arrest you.

YoshimiO / Susie Ibarra / Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - Flower of Sulphur (Thrill Jockey Records February 23, 2018)

Flower of Sulphur is a transfixing piece of continuous improvisation from three experimental luminaries: multi-instrumentalist YoshimiO (Boredoms, OOIOO, SAICOBAB), internationally acclaimed percussionist Susie Ibarra, and artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Lichens). The trio's jaw dropping performance was recorded in December 2016 at Roulette in Brooklyn. Flower of Sulphur documents a singular evening of exquisite sound and exceptional performance. Absolutely an essential album, pristinely recorded, and capturing a rare performance. A must have for any fans of creative innovation and improvistation. The trio are hoping to make additional live performances throughout 2018. 'In the seemingly impenetrable, fantastic murkiness of Japanese experimental psych pop, more often than not, Yoshimi has been a beacon.' - FADER '[Susie Ibarra is] a highly regarded and ubiquitous figure on New York's fertile downtown improvising scene.' - Modern Drummer 'Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe is an enduring voice in the US underground, producing everything from math rock to ambient to vocals in sci-fi blockbuster Arrival. -The Guardian

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