Record Reviews

CHICAGO EDGE ENSEMBLE ~ DECAYING ORBIT NOT ON LABEL ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by American (from Chicago) quintet called Chicago Edge EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Mars WilliamsFind albums by this artist, trombonist Jeb BishopFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist, Polish (resident in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Phillips, who is the leader of the ensemble. In contrast to the music Phillips creates with his trio, which is original and interesting, the music presented here is mostly typical American Free Jazz, which did not change much in the last fifty years since its inception. Each of the tracks is based on a sketchy melodic riff, which is than expanded into lengthy improvisations performed by the three front players and supported by the rhythm section, which swings at times and plays free time at others. The ensemble sounds at its best when the music becomes more Fusion oriented, with a strong Rocky pulse and Phillips´ scorching guitar in the lead, but these moments are relatively rare. The music moves between organized passages, with clearly defined roles as far as the players are concerned, and completely Free parts, which are less impressive. All these musicians are excellent instrumentalist and play formidable solo parts, especially Phillips, whose guitar manages to be searching and expressive. Pabian plays beautifully and his pulsations keep the music together, especially in view of the challenging, but of course excellent drumming by Drake. The trombone and saxophone parts are technically impressive, but offer nothing that was not heard in Free Jazz time and again before. Overall this is a very solid offer by an excellent ensemble, especially for Free Jazz connoisseurs, but is also accessible to a broader audience since the Free elements are relatively tame and the album also offers quite a few Fusion oriented vistas. Definitely worth investigation!

Updated: 10/04/2018Posted: 10/04/2018

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CHICAGO EDGE ENSEMBLE ~ INSIDIOUS ANTHEM TROST 177 (Barcode: 9120036682733) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the second album by the American Jazz quintet Chicago Edge EnsembleFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist, which also includes trombonist Jeb BishopFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Mars WilliamsFind albums by this artist, Polish (based in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Phillips. In contrast to the debut album, the music on this album is much more organized, with clearly composed themes, which are pushed forward and directed by the leader, and then stretched into lengthy improvised passages, backed by a swinging rhythm section. As such this music is closer to contemporary modern Jazz, which includes freely improvised parts, but is focused in coherent more often than not. All five instrumentalists are obviously very experienced and talented, which contributes to the superb level of execution felt all the way through. Phillips, who uses a scorching Fusion oriented sound, is the most unique voice of the quintet, although Bishop and Williams contribute hot and inspiring parts as well. Pabian is a very distinctive bassist, perfectly balancing the rhythmic pulsations with the harmonic support he offers to the soloists. Drake is a Master drummer, who is well beyond the need to prove anything and his versatile rhythmic support is beyond reproach. Overall the album offers some very exciting modern Jazz, which offers an elegant balance between melody and Freedom, with the music swinging splendidly from start to finish. With first class musicianship and great compositions, the album is real pleasure to listen to and deserves repeated spins to get all the hidden complexities, which are revealed only after careful and attentive listening. Personally I believe this is a much better offering than the debut, which already makes me curious as to their next offer. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 26/03/2019Posted: 26/03/2019

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DAN PHILLIPS QUARTET ~ CONVERGING TRIBUTARIES LIZARD BREATH (Barcode: 075549198976) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by a jazz quartet led by American guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist, with trombonist Jeb BishopFind albums by this artist, Polish (resident in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and drummer Timothy DaisyFind albums by this artist. The album presents four original compositions, two by the leader and two improvised pieces co-credited to all four members of the quartet. Philips, Pabian and Daisy recorded several albums together as a trio but this is their fist recording in the quartet setting. The music is very diverse and moves between melody based contemporary Jazz / Fusion and Improvised Music. The presence of the trombone shifts the music more towards Jazz, in comparison to the a.m. trio recordings, that have a tendency towards Fusion. The two lengthy improvised pieces are typical group improvisations, which allow for solo statements and duo, trio and quartet conversations, which develop spontaneously, at times entering a hypnotic groove stage. The album enables all four players to display their individual statements, which are impressive, as well as showcase excellent team work, and altogether is a good example of contemporary Jazz, which refuses to stay within the boundaries set by the Jazz tradition and offers cross-genre fertilization. The rhythm section is given an equal status within the quartet and contributes equally, both on the compositional and instrumental levels. Overall this is an interesting album, which is worth investigating by the open-minded Jazz enthusiasts, who are ready to make an intellectual effort while listening to music, in order to embrace it. Well done!

Updated: 01/05/2018Posted: 01/05/2018

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DAN PHILLIPS TRIO ~ DIVERGENT FLOW LIZARD BREATH (Barcode: 755491110256) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the fifth album by American guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist and his trio with Polish (resident in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and American drummer Timothy DaisyFind albums by this artist, for whom this is the debut recording with this trio. The album presents seven pieces, five of which were composed by Phillips and two are improvisations attributed to all the trio members. The music is clearly highly improvised, but maintains some basic structure and melody contents, which makes it very accessible in spite of its free spirited nature. The themes are clearly stated at the onset of each of the composed tunes and then expanded into the Free realm, with an impressive trialogue between the trio members. Due to the clear and non abusive tone produced by the electric guitar, the bass and drums are clearly audible and the listener is able to enjoy their contributions in full. Phillips uses a lot of echo and reverb which give his guitar an eerie but attractive tone, which resembles early John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist´s recordings made almost half a century earlier. Pabian´s bass is a dominant ingredient of the music, laying the foundation upon the music slides elegantly. Daisy provides a rhythmic barrage, powerful but subtle, which manages not only to keep the music clicking but also ornaments it polyrhythmically. The trio manages to create a typical "less is more" intimacy, which works very effectively, creating an aura of delicate probing in parallel to the melodic lines. Even the freely improvised pieces manage to be deeply expressive and avoid the chaos which such music often falls victim to. Overall this is a highly original music, which offers superb musicality and a unique sonic experience, which should keep the hordes of guitar players out there licking their lips nervously. Both artistic and professional at the core, this music is a reflection of the Chicago based American progressive / Avant-Garde scene, which is an oasis of Jazz exploration on the great American desert. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 28/03/2018

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DAN PHILLIPS TRIO ~ FADING LIGHT LIZARD BREATH ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 - 2016 Released: 2017 This is the fourth album by American guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist and his trio with Polish (resident in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and American drummer Tim MulvennaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by the leader. The music is a highly sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion, with a lot of space for improvisation and excellent guitar riffs, which make it highly accessible in spite of its complex contents. The basic melodic themes stated at the beginning of each track are than expanded by the trio into lengthy improvisations, which remain coherent and highly organized for the entire duration. The individual performances are brilliant all the way through. Phillips manages to create a unique guitar sound, which includes a lot of reverb and echo, quite different from most straightforward Jazz / Fusion guitar sounds used by other players. Although he plays quite densely there is enough space left to be able to hear the brilliant bass and drums parts, which are nothing short of virtuosity. Pabian builds a solid ground upon which the entire sound of the trio is based, playing often shoulder to shoulder with the guitar at the same level of complexity. His plucking sound is round and beautifully melodic and his arco work (which he sadly uses way too seldom) is superb. Mulvenna is a very busy drummer and yet he manages to stay at the same level of intensity with the trio members, ornamenting the tunes with his polyrhythmic, but perfectly timed drum parts. Overall this is a brilliant Fusion album, which offers a unique musical concept and sound, something very rarely found these days. Guitar freaks, Fusion lovers and music connoisseurs in general should really enjoy this album in full, especially in view of the fact that it reaches a limited audience in today´s highly competitive and narrow minded music market and deserves to do much better. Highly recommended!

Updated: 05/04/2018Posted: 05/04/2018

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DAN PHILLIPS TRIO ~ SOUND ENERGY IN SPACE LIZARD BREATH (Barcode: 755491136904) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the sixth album by American guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist and his trio with Polish (resident in US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist and American drummer Timothy DaisyFind albums by this artist. It presents ten original compositions, nine by Phillips and one co-composed by Phillips and Pabian. The music is consistent with earlier recordings by the trio, presenting modern Jazz with some Fusion undertones and a lot of open space, which allows the musicians to express themselves extensively. Daisy´s presence opened a lot of new possibilities for the trio´s overall musical scope, as he is equally competent playing almost straightforward / swinging rhythms and free improvisation with the same ease and elegance. Pabian, as always, is the backbone of this music and his steady and beautifully rounded pulsations keep the music together. Phillips´ clean guitar tone and excellent technique create a barrage of notes which are all perfectly audible. Although not stated on the album´s artwork, some of the tracks feature electronically generated "white noise", which most probably refers to the album´s title and which I could easily live without. Overall this is a nice album, which guitar and Free Jazz fans should be able to enjoy in the same way as all earlier recordings by this trio. However in the great scheme of things it seems like the trio is somewhat stuck in the same space-time coordinates and even the change of the drummer didn´t manage to create enough momentum to make it move forward in any direction. Of course this does not negate some fine playing present herein.

Updated: 08/11/2019Posted: 08/11/2019

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QUARTET NEXT ~ DUTIFUL DISSENT LIZARD BREATH (Barcode: 755491150245) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by the American ensemble called Quartet NextFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Dan PhillipsFind albums by this artist and including saxophonist Dave RempisFind albums by this artist, legendary drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist and Polish (resident in the US) bassist Krzysztof PabianFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original pieces, seven composed by Phillips and one co-credited to all four members of the quartet. Philips records prolifically in the last few years with his trio, quartet and the Chicago Edge EnsembleFind albums by this artist, all of which include also Pabian on bass. Drake is also a member of Chicago Edge Ensemble, which already recorded a couple of albums. His music is mostly within the Free Jazz / Improvised Music idiom, although strong Fusion elements are also present. The music on this album is also a mixture of Free Jazz and Fusion riffs, which serve as breaks between the lengthy improvised passages. Despite the seemingly total freedom, the improvisations fall exactly within the tonal structures defined by the compositions. Rempis, a well respected member of the Chicago Jazz / Improvising Music scene, is a significant addition of fresh energy and variety and his playing expands the music into uncharted territory, taking the focus away from the guitar, which balances the overall sound of the quartet. His playing is a wonderful example of coherence and inner calmness, which keep the music well organized, but still open and far reaching. Phillips plays superbly, as usual, with traces of early Fusion but very open to exploring new ideas, sounds and techniques. On this album his playing is less dominant, mostly due to the space he allows for Rempis, and their dialogues are absolutely fascinating. Pabian and Drake provide the quartet with an excellent basis, always precisely on time and highly imaginative. Their work during the many relaxed / quiet moments on this album is truly superb. Overall this is a beautiful piece of music, relaxed and contemplative, which although firmly belonging to the Improvising Music idiom, is one of the most gentle, introspect and delicate manifestations of that genre. In many respects this is, for me, the most perfect album Phillips created so far and listening to this music is nothing short of pleasure incarnate. Kudos indeed to you, sir!

Updated: 31/10/2020Posted: 31/10/2020

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