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Modern/Avant New Releases: A running thread


colinmce

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back to new releases....

this is vinyl only I think

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Keith Tippett/Paul Rogers/Mchel Pilz/Jean-Noel Cognard in quartet and other combinations across 4LPs

released on Bloc Thyristors

Can't seem to find this online, samples anywhere ?

I bought it blind (or deaf?) through Discogs. i don't think I saw any samples., sorry. You might see if Soundohm (who list the label) have samples - they sometimes do. I also saw it listed on French site Metamkine

Sound is excellent (on the one LP I've listened to). Music is great

Edited by mjazzg
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Some very interesting comments here. My interest new music out strips my budget but what's more problematic for me is identifying clear recommendations. The general decline in jazz journalism means that a lot of this stuff gets minimal reviews. Views of posters here have become for me the most valuable tool of what to try next.

Good point. It's something I'm constantly frustrated by. The powder puff, never-say-a-negative word "review" may soothe ruffled feelings but does nothing for the art of jazz. It ends up functioning as a back-patting circle, even in the supposedly more prestigious journals. Occasionally one fins a reviewer who is willing to be candid, but the general standard is to provide soft PR.

Some very interesting comments here. My interest new music out strips my budget but what's more problematic for me is identifying clear recommendations. The general decline in jazz journalism means that a lot of this stuff gets minimal reviews. Views of posters here have become for me the most valuable tool of what to try next.

Well, you have generous full-track samples - or even full-album streaming - available to check the music out before buying, what do you need the critics for? Musical journalism is a dying breed indeed, and as far as I am concerned, a good riddance.

Good riddance? I wouldn't go that far either. Great critics have often been instrumental in advancing the state of the art by explication and deep analysis. To take the field of art for example, Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg did maybe more than anyone to advance the understanding of the action painters and modernist art. The problems we have grooming and sustaining great critics are a result of an economic system that is increasing cut-throat and philistine, that make such academic and cultural work exceedingly difficult; too big a subject for here. But I do believe we need people to talk and write about jazz in a compelling way, candidly and with demonstrable insight. Continuing to churn out the critical mush that we have is not the way.

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Regarding jazz journalism, critics/reviews etc, the problem as i see it is that we don't really need to be told whether an album is 'good' or 'bad' at this stage in history, we need to be told to what degree we are going to enjoy it or find it exciting, and with everybody on different pages with their listening that's just not going to happen.

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Thoughtful essays on recorded music can be stimulating. I probably would not have entered this music world without reading opinions and "think pieces" while in school. I continue reading today.

Agreed, I got a lot out of reading about jazz when I first started listening.

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Thoughtful essays on recorded music can be stimulating. I probably would not have entered this music world without reading opinions and "think pieces" while in school. I continue reading today.

Agreed, I got a lot out of reading about jazz when I first started listening.

So did I - Martin Williams, Nat Hentoff, Max Harrison, Ralph J. Gleason, Gunther Schuller, even Ira Gitler.

Maybe they don't make 'em like they used to - exception being the esteemed Mr. Kart.

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Or Brian Morton who remains as astute as any writer mostly specializing in jazz and related improvised music.

Without the Penguin Guide's critical and mostly brilliant and informative critical analysis of jazz including especially the detailed chronicling of non-mainstream jazz of the 70's through the 90's especially who knows if I would have had the impetus to explore wonderful musicians ranging from John Law, Paul Dunmall to Gianluigi Trovesi among many others.

No one else in the mid to late 90's was writing about Pino Minafra or John Stevens or Eddie Prevost or even Eight Bold Souls.

Who else wrote about Horace Tapscott of Gerry Hemingway or Ellery Eskelin in 1998?

No one as far as I know.

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Not so much a new release, but an interesting thing I stumbled on:

V/A: Free Jazz West (RCA Red Seal, 2008)

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Free-Jazz-West/release/3627771

A compilation of West German free jazz from the 70s, part of a much larger series on avant garde German music 1950-00. Mostly FMP material, with a couple leasings from Po Torch, Birth, and others. A nice looking disc-- I wish it was easier to find, as I only managed to track it to this single source. Still considering going in for it as it's a nice way to sample some rare music. There are a few other jazz-related volumes including a companion, Free Jazz Ost and one featuring various solos & duos:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Free-Jazz-Ost/release/4313114

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Solo-Und-Duo-1970-2000/release/4313235

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Not so much a new release, but an interesting thing I stumbled on:

V/A: Free Jazz West (RCA Red Seal, 2008)

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Free-Jazz-West/release/3627771

A compilation of West German free jazz from the 70s, part of a much larger series on avant garde German music 1950-00. Mostly FMP material, with a couple leasings from Po Torch, Birth, and others. A nice looking disc-- I wish it was easier to find, as I only managed to track it to this single source. Still considering going in for it as it's a nice way to sample some rare music. There are a few other jazz-related volumes including a companion, Free Jazz Ost and one featuring various solos & duos:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Free-Jazz-Ost/release/4313114

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Solo-Und-Duo-1970-2000/release/4313235

Thanks very much for highlighting these. They look right up my street

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Thoughtful essays on recorded music can be stimulating. I probably would not have entered this music world without reading opinions and "think pieces" while in school. I continue reading today.

I agree, and I also miss the enthusiasm that reading those sorts of pieces created in me. That's just not to be found (or at least it's rarely found) today.

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Thoughtful essays on recorded music can be stimulating. I probably would not have entered this music world without reading opinions and "think pieces" while in school. I continue reading today.

I agree, and I also miss the enthusiasm that reading those sorts of pieces created in me. That's just not to be found (or at least it's rarely found) today.

The majority of what is missing is the critical analysis of current jazz and improvised music. So many of the people who can write are too close to the musicians and are blinded by their relationships and therefore espouse the positive and promotional aspect of the music or stay silent.

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Thoughtful essays on recorded music can be stimulating. I probably would not have entered this music world without reading opinions and "think pieces" while in school. I continue reading today.

I agree, and I also miss the enthusiasm that reading those sorts of pieces created in me. That's just not to be found (or at least it's rarely found) today.

The majority of what is missing is the critical analysis of current jazz and improvised music. So many of the people who can write are too close to the musicians and are blinded by their relationships and therefore espouse the positive and promotional aspect of the music or stay silent.

There is (or perhaps should be) a distinction made between one-off "reviews" that tend to come off as promotional or overly effusive, and more instructive writings that can offer the listener some sort of broader context for a piece of music; commentary that can help the listener understand how this music came to be. What was its inspiration? What are the musical signposts I should be paying attention to? Etc.

Probably few of us need someone to tell us that a musician shredded a solo, or played with great passion, tenderness, etc. Nice to know, but I find that the more context I can get for a piece of music, the more I'm likely to enjoy or appreciate it.

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Posted this on the "What are you listening to" thread. I wanted to double down here because I feel like this performance really succeeds on a couple of levels (at least). While the music can get "outside" at times, it always remains moored to Ellington. And these guys can (and do) turn on a dime to bring everything right back in the pocket.

There's nothing "forced" about how this music strives to achieve its intent, if that makes sense. The whole thing flows quite beautifully.

Anyways, if anyone else has thoughts on this one ...

61fwgZ3eceL._SY300_.jpg

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Posted this on the "What are you listening to" thread. I wanted to double down here because I feel like this performance really succeeds on a couple of levels (at least). While the music can get "outside" at times, it always remains moored to Ellington. And these guys can (and do) turn on a dime to bring everything right back in the pocket.

There's nothing "forced" about how this music strives to achieve its intent, if that makes sense. The whole thing flows quite beautifully.

Anyways, if anyone else has thoughts on this one ...

61fwgZ3eceL._SY300_.jpg

I'm a little iffy on the vocals. Otherwise I like it a lot.

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Aram Shelton's new Ton Trio ll album, On and On, is out now on Singlespeed:

http://singlespeedmusic.org/store/current/onandon/

TT2_OAO-Square-300x300.png

Really been looking forward to this.

Thanks. I really enjoyed his playing with Arrive but for some reason never invetigated his leader dates. Time to change that with this, I think

Everything for Somebody, also on Singlespeed, is also worth checking out. There's a song from it on the label's website. Not a leader date as such but Cylinder on Clean Feed with Darren Johnston, Lisa Mezzacappa and Kjell Nordeson is also well worth checking out.

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All a bit 70s, Aram Shelton, don't you think?

Hmmm... honestly, he's never struck me as being retro, if that's what you mean. For me, whatever Shelton is doing he's doing it right. His playing speaks to me and overall his music just has a flavour that i dig. But yeah, Shelton's never given off an overtly retro vibe for me, anyway. Now that you mention it though, i can kind of see it. I can't gather my thoughts at the moment on the whole 'retro = bad, overtly futuristic = good' thing, suffice to say as the years have gone by it's become much more murky and less black and white for me. Basically if the music that's been created has that magical quality that moves me then i'm in, simple as that. Substance over style, not that you can't have both.

Thanks for putting it out there, by the way. I feel like we should question each other more around here.

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