Record Reviews

JULIE TIPPETTS / MARK WASTELL ~ UNRAVELLING THE WATERFALL CONFRONT 02 (Barcode: 5055300397638) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a live album by the duo comprising of British Improvising Music vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist Mark WastellFind albums by this artist, captured live at the legendary London’s Café OTO. The album presents one track of spontaneous improvisation by the duo, lasting just over half an hour. The album was released on Wastell’s ConfrontFind albums on this label label, dedicated to the British Avant-Garde / Improvised Music scene. The music is exactly what one might expect from such intimate meeting, featuring primarily Julie’s vocalese, accompanied by a plethora of percussion and other instruments. The tribal chanting is mesmerizing and hypnotizing, as always, and the two musicians complement each other perfectly in every sense. This is obviously a minimalist exercise in patience and open-mindedness, which requires total submission to the moment captured on record, which might prove to be beyond the attention span of some listeners, but those able to immerse themselves in this sonic experience will be richly rewarded. Overall, as every recording involving Julie proves to be uniquely attention-grabbing, this album is no exception. It took me a while to find a copy as it seems to have disappeared from the market pretty quickly, but it is proudly a part of my collection now. Of course, it is wholeheartedly recommended to all her many admirers and all Improvised Music buffs. Thanks again to Mark for capturing such moments for posterity.

Updated: 09/06/2023Posted: 09/06/2023

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TONY OXLEY ~ BEAMING CONFRONT 13 ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is an album by iconic British Free Jazz / Improvising Music pioneer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist recorded with German percussionist Stefan HolkerFind albums by this artist, who is a member of Oxley’s Celebration OrchestraFind albums by this artist. Oxley is in charge of the album’s concept and electronics, whereas Holker plays acoustic percussion. The album presents a six-part improvised sonic painting divided into what Oxley calls “frames”. Aged 81 at the time of the recording (2019) Oxley still fronts the European Music Avant-Garde as boldly as he did for many decades, proving that age is after all a state of mind, rather than a chronological phenomenon. The music is, as expected, completely associative and the listener remains at liberty to interpret whatever comes into his mind at any given moment. Nevertheless, the aural experience presents a coherent continuum of sounds, which rather than telling a story tries to induce the storytelling within the listener’s brain, which results in as many different stories as individual listeners, or even listening sessions. The fact that the music is created solely by percussion instruments is insignificant as far as the result is concerned, since it sounds like performed by a full orchestra. Oxley’s music is as unique as music can be and obviously is not able to communicate with everybody. It takes a lot of openness and submissiveness to embrace this music and let it into one’s mind and heart, which are not very common characteristics among music listeners, especially these days. But for those who are able to embrace his music, Oxley is a true Magician. It is truly rewarding to see / hear Oxley being active and creative again and although Improvised Music usually works much better live that on record, this is one of the few cases where the music stands proudly on its own without the physical presence of the musicians. Of course all those who know Oxley’s music need little encouragement to reach out and grab a copy of this Gem!

Updated: 10/02/2021Posted: 10/02/2021

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TONY OXLEY / ALAN DAVIE ~ ELABORATION OF PARTICULARS CONFRONT 20 ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1977 - 1978 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by the British duo comprising of drummer / electronic music composer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist and musician / painter Alan DavieFind albums by this artist, who plays piano, percussion and ring modulator on these studio recordings. The album presents eight tracks of freely improvised conversations between the two musicians. Oxley and Davie met in the early 1970s and played together for the entire decade, and later on stayed friends until Davie’s death in 2014. The music was recorded over a period of two years. In the brief liner notes Oxley describes the experience of performing with Davie as “another thing entirely”, which listening to the music herein perfectly describes. He also states that his music “has evolved and developed enormously” since… In retrospect the material sounds pretty evolved and developed already at that time, compared to what was happening in Jazz or Improvised Music, especially those involving electronics, at the time. Oxley and Davie were obviously pioneers of electro-acoustic Improvised Music, and the music they created together remains as fresh and innovative as it was at the time of the recording. Listening to these recordings raises quite complex questions as to the nature of music and obviously requires a much broader definition of music beyond melody, harmony and rhythm, which this music obviously lacks according to the norms of the traditional approach. This music is not only freely improvised, but it also employs unconventional sounds, which cannot be defined or even annotated in the conventional notation systems. And yet this music certainly boasts other aspects of music, like telepathic communication between the performers, high emotions and coherent aesthetics, creativity and inventiveness, all of which obviously cannot be written down on a piece of paper (or computer file). Therefore, for music lovers able to appreciate music beyond the obvious, music that demands open-mindedness and open heart, music that challenges and inspires cerebral activity, this is something they would not want to miss. Kudos to Mark WastellFind albums by this artist and his ConfrontFind albums on this label Recordings (confront indeed!) for swimming against the current and keeping life interesting, and Tony of course for opening the vaults - well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 23/07/2021Posted: 23/07/2021

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ALAN SKIDMORE ~ A SUPREME LOVE CONFRONT 33 (Barcode: 5060446128084) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1961 - 2019 Released: 2023 This is a colossal career-spanning archival 6CD Box Set by British Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist, which presents recordings between 1961 and 2019, documenting almost six decades of music making by one of British Jazz most prominent figures. Although most of the music was played by ensembles led by Skidmore, it also includes his work with Alexis KornerFind albums by this artist´s Blues IncorporatedFind albums by this artist, S.O.S.Find albums by this artist and S.O.H.Find albums by this artist trios, UbizoFind albums by this artist, Mask OrchestraFind albums by this artist and even Weather ReportFind albums by this artist. Most of the music was composed by Skidmore, but, as the title suggests, a significant portion of it was composed by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, with Skidmore admitting to being his devoted disciple. A vast majority of the 46 tracks included in this Box Set are previously unissued. Over the years Skidmore played with the absolute crème de la crème of the modern British Jazz musicians, including John SurmanFind albums by this artist, Mike OsborneFind albums by this artist, Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist, Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Ron MathewsonFind albums by this artist, John TaylorFind albums by this artist, Dave HollandFind albums by this artist, Chris LaurenceFind albums by this artist and many others, as well as many pioneering European and American Jazz musicians. The music is presented chronologically and beautifully illustrates the gradual metamorphosis of Skidmore from Blues and mainstream Jazz player towards more adventurous areas towards the exploration of Free and Avant-Garde Jazz, which occurred by the end of the 1960s. The last two CDs are dedicated to the exploration of the music of John Coltrane, including a live performance at the legendary Café OTO from 2019 on CD6. The music is of course brilliant from start to finish, and the release of this Box Set is a truly festive occasion to hear so much music previously hidden from the public ear, all of which is essential to every true British Jazz fan around the globe. The level of the performances is stellar of course, with Skidmore displaying his amazing technique and passion, which obviously are old news for any British Jazz follower, but appear herein in their full might and splendor. Thank God for the depth of Skidmore’s private archives, which made this Box Set possible, and perhaps those might be reexamined in order to find more of such treasures? Of course thanks to Mark WastellFind albums by this artist, the owner of ConfrontFind albums on this label Recordings, for making this dream come true. Overall, this is an absolutely essential piece of British Jazz history, with hours upon hours of brilliant music, which sees the light of day for the first time. It presents the development of the British / European Jazz scene from the perspective of just one of its many heroes, but considering the incredible gathering of musicians who play on these tracks, it becomes way more than just a story of one man, as important as he might be thanks to his own achievements, constituting in fact a reflection of an Era.

Updated: 01/10/2024Posted: 21/06/2023

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