Record Reviews

MICHAEL FORMANEK ~ THE RUB AND THE SPARE CHANGE ECM 2167 (Barcode: 602527395142) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is the debut album for the prestigious ECMFind albums on this label label by American bassist Michael FormanekFind albums by this artist. It was recorded with a brilliant all-American quartet, which includes saxophonist Tim BerneFind albums by this artist, pianist Craig TabornFind albums by this artist and drummer Gerald CleaverFind albums by this artist, all three belonging to the top class of American musicians today. All the music was composed by Formanek and the quartet performs it brilliantly, from start to finish. Both Berne and Taborn have distinctive voices of their own and their contributions are superb throughout. Formanek and Cleaver work together harmoniously and brilliantly as a rhythms section, turning this quartet into a splendid music-making unit, with very few rivals around. The music is strongly influenced by European aesthetics, which is unusual for American Jazz musicians, but common (not surprisingly) to those recording for ECM. This is a very strong album, which should appeal to all Jazz connoisseurs. Highly recommended!

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DAVE HOLLAND ~ UNCHARTED TERRITORIES DARE2 010 (Barcode: 634457860728) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a brilliant 2CD album by legendary British Jazz bassist / composer Dave HollandFind albums by this artist released on his own Dare2Find albums on this label label. He invited another British veteran, saxophonist Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist and two much younger American Jazz players, pianist Craig TabornFind albums by this artist and drummer Ches SmithFind albums by this artist to take part in a spontaneous two-day recording session, which resulted in six hours or recorded music, of which twenty-three tracks appearing here were selected. Only three of the tracks were composed, two by Smith and one by Holland, and the rest are spontaneously improvised pieces. As expected, the performances are all stellar, and contrary to the fears and reservations many people might hold against Free Jazz / Improvised Music, the result is completely audible and even likeable by most Jazz listeners, with just a bit of openness and slack / patience require to absorb this complex, but completely coherent music. Both the veterans and the “youngsters” display phenomenal improvising skills, mutual respect and telepathic communication with the other players, which is immediately apparent from the very first notes played. As usual in these circumstances, the four musicians create all possible variations of solo, duo, trio and quartet involvement, which change constantly, and create streams of musical passages, that sound very melodic, even if no solid melody is actually present. Overall, this is brilliant example of what Free Jazz / Improvised Music should sound like, which in reality happens extremely rarely. There is no one moment of cacophony or chaos on this album, in contrast to so many other albums in this genre, and as such it is truly exemplary and outstanding. Even if Improvising Music is not your cup of tea, do yourself a favor and try this one, which should be able to convince anybody of the true nature of the beast. Absolutely not to be missed!

Updated: 09/10/2022Posted: 09/10/2022

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CRAIG TABORN ~ AVENGING ANGEL ECM 2207 (Barcode: 602527636375) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 US pianist / composer Craig TabornFind albums by this artist has been one of the most notable young piano players on the Jazz scene since the mid 1990s, recording with many first class Jazz artists and ensembles. Many of these recordings have been released on the prestigious ECMFind albums on this label label, but this is his debut album as a leader on that label, and appropriately it is a solo piano recording – an ECM trademark. The album contains 13 pieces, all composed by Taborn, which are beautifully performed by him. The music is restrained and minimalistic, balancing nicely between melody and ambience, which is often dark and gloomy. Taborn has definitely reached a level of maturity and developed a personal and unique voicing, which earn him an honorable place on contemporary Jazz scene. Not an easy listening experience, but ultimately deeply rewarding and wholeheartedly recommended!

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