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Jazz records without bass or drums. Or piano.


David Ayers

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A recent solo album listening project (Parker, Brotzmann, Schlippenbach) got me thinking. I'm already often not much entertained by piano, and in my zen-like paring down of my interests I've begun to realise it is much time since bass instruments or drums had much to say that I cared about. So I am looking for ideas on jazz or 'jazz' recordings with no bass or drums and probably no piano.

My two recs to kick off are Brotzmann, Nothing to Say (FMP) and Sonore, Only the Devil has no Dreams (Jazzwerkstatt). Anyone want to mention favorites?

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sticking strictly to a 'no piano' rule as that would open the floodgates these came immediately to mind

favourite solo recordings

Evan Parker - Chicago solo. Tenor solos that bring a whole different perspective to his solo work

Arve Henriksen - Sakuteiki. Some may argue the 'jazz' element but I'm nmore than happy to include him

Mats Gustafsson - Bengt

Leo Smith - the solo Kabell albums

and not solo

Julius Hemphill Sextet - Five chord stud

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I know quite a few of the Evan Parker solo recordings though not Time Lapse - recently turned to Whitstable solo (Psi) which I'd recommend to anyone as a first Evan Parker record (great engineering apart from anything else). The 'classic' EP solo for me will always be 'Saxophone Solos' (Incus/Psi).

Next stop Five Chord Stud...

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I know quite a few of the Evan Parker solo recordings though not Time Lapse - recently turned to Whitstable solo (Psi) which I'd recommend to anyone as a first Evan Parker record (great engineering apart from anything else). The 'classic' EP solo for me will always be 'Saxophone Solos' (Incus/Psi).

Next stop Five Chord Stud...

Yes, i agree Whitstable solo is a fine starting place not least as it was the recording where I finally really 'got' EP's soprano solo playing after many attempts with other albums.

This could too easily become an Evan Parker thread as I'd add 'Trance Map' (Psi) with Matthew Wright and if church organ is permitted then Parker's fine duo with Sten Standell 'Psalms' (Psi)

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Most of Tim Berne's albums have no bass. But instruments by themselves have little to say, so I don't understand your aversion to bass, drums, or piano?

Well, that's just my quirky way of putting it, maybe. I could have started a thread about solo albums, but what I was thinking about was how people construct a music, maybe for one or maybe for smaller or larger groups, where the fallback of the rhythm section has been removed, so that in some way functions of the rhythm section have been moved up to the 'lead' instruments, and in some ways the interest has to be provided in other ways. So I am just curious what projects of this kind people find to their liking. doesn't Berne usually use a drummer, by the way?

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I know quite a few of the Evan Parker solo recordings though not Time Lapse - recently turned to Whitstable solo (Psi) which I'd recommend to anyone as a first Evan Parker record (great engineering apart from anything else). The 'classic' EP solo for me will always be 'Saxophone Solos' (Incus/Psi).

Next stop Five Chord Stud...

Yes, i agree Whitstable solo is a fine starting place not least as it was the recording where I finally really 'got' EP's soprano solo playing after many attempts with other albums.

This could too easily become an Evan Parker thread as I'd add 'Trance Map' (Psi) with Matthew Wright and if church organ is permitted then Parker's fine duo with Sten Standell 'Psalms' (Psi)

Matt and Evan are local to me and played 'from' Trance Maps here only last week. Count me in on that. Don't know if I can allow organ though...

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Most of Tim Berne's albums have no bass. But instruments by themselves have little to say, so I don't understand your aversion to bass, drums, or piano?

Well, that's just my quirky way of putting it, maybe. I could have started a thread about solo albums, but what I was thinking about was how people construct a music, maybe for one or maybe for smaller or larger groups, where the fallback of the rhythm section has been removed, so that in some way functions of the rhythm section have been moved up to the 'lead' instruments, and in some ways the interest has to be provided in other ways. So I am just curious what projects of this kind people find to their liking. doesn't Berne usually use a drummer, by the way?

Pianists, of course can function as lead and rhythm, but since you don't want to hear piano, fingerstyle guitarists would be a good choice.

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So "bass instruments or drums had much to say that I cared about" but you want albums with no bass? Did you forget a "not" in that sentence? I'm a bit puzzled, but seem only me, the others seem to get what you say, so ignore at will...

In the two basses thread there have been some mention of bass duo albums, in case you "do care about". Marks Brothers, Holland/Phillips - fine stuff.

Should I thrown in Dino Saluzzi albums on ECM? I guess not ...

The Bechet/Spanier Big Four? No drums, but bass.

There's then the Max Nagl Big Four with Steven Bernstein, Brad Jones and Noel Akchoté (t/as/g/b).

The Gene Krupa Trio. Drums, piano, sax - a line-up still heard this day in several bands that have been mentioned (Tim Berne, I'll add Ingrid Laubrock).



Obviously, there's the various Jimmy Giuffre projects ... and the Brötzmann Trio with Schlippenbach/Bennink and no bass player.

But I'm not sure any of this is on topic.

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So "bass instruments or drums had much to say that I cared about" but you want albums with no bass? Did you forget a "not" in that sentence? I'm a bit puzzled, but seem only me, the others seem to get what you say, so ignore at will...

In the two basses thread there have been some mention of bass duo albums, in case you "do care about". Marks Brothers, Holland/Phillips - fine stuff.

Should I thrown in Dino Saluzzi albums on ECM? I guess not ...

The Bechet/Spanier Big Four? No drums, but bass.

There's then the Max Nagl Big Four with Steven Bernstein, Brad Jones and Noel Akchoté (t/as/g/b).

The Gene Krupa Trio. Drums, piano, sax - a line-up still heard this day in several bands that have been mentioned (Tim Berne, I'll add Ingrid Laubrock).

Obviously, there's the various Jimmy Giuffre projects ... and the Brötzmann Trio with Schlippenbach/Bennink and no bass player.

But I'm not sure any of this is on topic.

Something got lost in translation! There must be NO bass, NO drums, and probably NO piano....

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Slightly more traditional -- as much as these truly idiosyncratic artists are part of a tradition -- but excellent nonetheless:

31Hg6YM1EGL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Joe Diorio / Ira Sullivan, THE BREEZE AND I

Also, Julius Hemphill's mulitracked solo masterpieces: ROI BOYE AND THE GOTHAM MINSTRELS and BLUE BOYE... and his duets with Oliver Lake (BUSTER BEE).

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So "bass instruments or drums had much to say that I cared about" but you want albums with no bass? Did you forget a "not" in that sentence? I'm a bit puzzled, but seem only me, the others seem to get what you say, so ignore at will...

In the two basses thread there have been some mention of bass duo albums, in case you "do care about". Marks Brothers, Holland/Phillips - fine stuff.

Should I thrown in Dino Saluzzi albums on ECM? I guess not ...

The Bechet/Spanier Big Four? No drums, but bass.

There's then the Max Nagl Big Four with Steven Bernstein, Brad Jones and Noel Akchoté (t/as/g/b).

The Gene Krupa Trio. Drums, piano, sax - a line-up still heard this day in several bands that have been mentioned (Tim Berne, I'll add Ingrid Laubrock).

Obviously, there's the various Jimmy Giuffre projects ... and the Brötzmann Trio with Schlippenbach/Bennink and no bass player.

But I'm not sure any of this is on topic.

Something got lost in translation! There must be NO bass, NO drums, and probably NO piano....

Oops -- sorry. I'd just gotten up.
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Braxton/Parker/Rutherford - Trio (London) 1993

Braxton/Diamond Curtain Wall - Trio (Victoriaville) 2007

Bynum/Morris/Schoenbeck - Next

Dixon/Lacy/Koglmann - Opium

McPhee/Jaume/Boni - A Future Retrospective, Tales & Prophecies

a fine list most of which I enjoy. There's probably other McPhee's (and Braxton's) with similar line-ups too. I didn't know about 'Opium' so I'm off to hunt it down.

Jaume/Guiffre duos need to be mentioned too, I feel

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The old Lonnie Johnson-Eddie Lang duets are wows. There are several terrific Roscoe Mitchell a cappella works, for ex. most of the "Nonaah" collection on Nessa and his several solo sax albums beginning with the AECO reissue. Of the hundreds of goodies on overseas labels, two favorites are Paul Rutherford's "Tromboleneum" and "The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie," quite different from each other. Check out the ROVA sax quartet, Lester Bowie's solo pieces on ECM, Leo Smith's "The Burning of Stones," Hemphill, Lacy, (list goes on and on and on...)

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