Record Reviews

JOËLLE LÉANDRE ~ LIVE IN ISRAEL KADIMA COLLECTIVE 17 (Barcode: 634479851179) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 French bassist Joëlle LéandreFind albums by this artist is one of a relatively few women pioneers on the Free Jazz and Improvised Music scene to earn a legendary status. Her activities on the scene have brought her in contact with the most distinguished performers, both European and American (such as Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist). She also worked in the field of contemporary Classical music with composers like Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist and John CageFind albums by this artist. In 2007 Joëlle visited Israel and her live performances there have been recorded and are now issued on this double CD. The first CD includes 7 solo bass (and voice) performances and the second CD offers her playing in duo, trio and sextet settings with the top Israeli Improvised Music artists: Jean Claude JonesFind albums by this artist – bass, Steve HorensteinFind albums by this artist – baritone and soprano sax, flute, Sameer MakhoulFind albums by this artist – oud and voice, Assif TsaharFind albums by this artist – bass clarinet, Daniel SaridFind albums by this artist – piano, Hagai FershtmanFind albums by this artist – drums, Albert BegerFind albums by this artist – tenor sax and Ariel ShiboletFind albums by this artist – soprano sax. These wonderful musical moments are some of the highlights of the Improvised Music created in Israel, a small but quite lively scene led by Jones and consistently documented on his Kadima CollectiveFind albums on this label label. Connoisseurs of the genre will be quite delighted to hear this stuff.

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JOËLLE LÉANDRE / BARRE PHILLIPS ~ A L`IMPROVISTE KADIMA COLLECTIVE 16 (Barcode: 634479752964) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 French bassist Joëlle LéandreFind albums by this artist is one of a relatively few women pioneers on the Free Jazz and Improvised Music scene to earn a legendary status. Her activities on the scene have brought her in contact with the most distinguished performers, both European and American (such as Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist). She also worked in the field of contemporary Classical music with composers like Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist and John CageFind albums by this artist. Her partner for this recording is no other than another bass virtuoso – American born (but living in France since the early 1970s) Barre PhillipsFind albums by this artist, one of the most esteemed Free Jazz and Improvised Music players, with a career stretching back to the 1960s and cooperation with such great musicians like John SurmanFind albums by this artist, Derek BaileyFind albums by this artist, Paul BleyFind albums by this artist and many others. His ECM album with Dave HollandFind albums by this artist “Music From Two BassesFind albums with this title” was the first bass duo recording (1971), which brings us to this superb duet. Excellently recorded by the French Radio, the music is a completely improvised set, full of beautiful conversations and exchanges between the players, who display almost telepathic contact. Full of deep feeling and lyricism, but always inspired by the fire and passion for the music, the duo performs some incredible music, which although demanding, is most enjoyable. It is a great example of how Improvised Music can stay being Avant-Garde in nature, but become mature and technically flawless. Highly recommended to lovers of acoustic bass and challenging musical experiences.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD-R 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

P.U.R. COLLECTIVE ~ NICHI NICHI KORE KO NICHI FOR TUNE 0056 (Barcode: 5902768701425) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This album presents a recording of Improvised Music created by the P.U.R CollectiveFind albums by this artist, which consists of musicians from Poland, Ukraine and Russia (hence the ensemble´s name): prominent contemporary composer Krzysztof KnittelFind albums by this artist, who is in charge of electronics, saxophonists Yuri YaremchukFind albums by this artist and Alexey KruglowFind albums by this artist, guitarist Maciej StaszewskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomek CholoniewskiFind albums by this artist. The album consists of seven spontaneously composed and improvised pieces. The album´s title is a quotation from a lecture by John CageFind albums by this artist. The music is an example of radical musical Avant-Garde, which shuns away everything most people associate with the term music, i.e. melody, harmony and rhythm. To most listeners this album will sound like a collection of random noise, which although made by humans using instruments, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Only a tiny fraction of people follows collective music improvisation of the kind presented here, but the fact that there are such people is a good enough reason for such records to be made. Armed with a lot of patience and open-mindedness this music can be actually enjoyed, by following the line of thought (or perhaps intuitive reaction), which stands behind this music. These musicians improvise collectively, i.e. listen carefully to each other and exchange musical ideas between them, even if most people simply can´t hear it. The two saxophonists deliver some first rate improvisations, the rocky distorted guitar takes the music into another direction and the excellent drum parts prove that drums are much more than a time keeping devise. The electronics are kept pretty much in the background and provide mostly an atmospheric element. Overall this kind of music demands total attention and complete freedom of aesthetic definition of the music idiom, expanding the definition considerably. This album is highly recommended to brave hearted and unconventional listeners only.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

RACZKOWSKI & KOSTKA ~ DUO SJ 028 (Barcode: 5912596066313) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by the Polish duo comprising of pianist / composer Franciszek RaczkowskiFind albums by this artist and violinist / composer Mikolaj KostkaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve relatively short compositions, eleven of which are originals: six by Raczkowski, three by Kostka and two co-composed by them both and one is a John CageFind albums by this artist composition. The music was beautifully recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist. The music is conceptually closer to contemporary Classical music than Jazz, but has obvious Jazz ties. It is also very delicate, minimalist and deeply lyrical and it seems that every single note earned its place in these compositions by deliberate contemplation. However, in spite of the sparingness and careful use of notes, the music is fully developed and bodied, creating a wonderful overall effect of coherent musical message being conveyed. Of course in case of a duo, it is the dialogue that the two players are able to develop that matters the most. In this case the dialogue is wonderfully balanced and the soloing by one of the musicians is always excellently accompanied his partner, creating a continuous conversational mode. Kostka displays strong ties with Polish musical Folklore, which is not surprising as many players of his generation show deep love and respect of Polish musical sources, incorporating them in their music. He also joins the ranks of the revered Polish Jazz Violin School, which grows rapidly. Both musicians display a mature approach to their instruments, with obvious talent and technical proficiency, which is always astonishing with the members of the young Polish generation of musicians. Complimented with the noticeable mutual understanding, respect and common musical goals, the duo is a wonderful example of a whole being much more that the sum of its ingredients. Although still very young, these musicians display a coherence, maturity and skillful appliance of their talents, which is usually only achieved at much later stage of musical careers. Overall this is stunning debut, which deserves to be heard by as many music connoisseurs, way beyond the strict circle Jazz aficionados. It is a wondrous amalgam of Jazz, contemporary Classical music and Folklore, which is powerful in spite of its serene appearance. Absolutely not to be missed!

Updated: 23/07/2018Posted: 23/07/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend