GA Russell

I've had some computer problems today, and the old thread has disappeared. So let's start a new one. ECM Tigran Hamasyan, Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang Atmosphères Tigran Hamasyan: piano Arve Henriksen: trumpet Eivind Aarset: guitar Jan Bang: live sampling, samples U.S. Release date: September 9, 2016 ECM 2414/15 B0024902-02 UPC: 6025 471 4269 6 For this recording, Tigran Hamasyan, Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang came together as a quartet at the invitation of Manfred Eicher, and Atmosphères captures the newly-formed group’s evocative music as it unfolded in a highly-creative session at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo in June 2014. The entire double album was recorded and mixed in one pass, the project completed in just three days, in the tradition of many improvisational ECM recordings. The idea for the recording was triggered by a September 2013 Deutschlandfunk radio program which included a brief excerpt from a performance at Norway’s Punkt Festival in Kristiansand, featuring pianist Tigran Hamasyan in duo with live sampling musician Jan Bang. Eicher felt there was potential to be explored here and, after talks with the players, it was decided to bring trumpeter Arve Henriksen and guitarist Eivind Aarset into the project. The Norwegian participants had previously played in diverse configurations on ECM, of course: Jan Bang on Eivind Aarset’s Dream Logic, for instance, and Bang and Aarset on Arve Henriksen’s Cartography, but with the involvement of Tigran Hamasyan, other inspirational sources were activated. Hamasyan, in this period, was concurrently preparing material for his album of new choral arrangements of Armenian sacred music, Luys i Luso, which was recorded three months after Atmosphères. Armenian themes from Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) are incorporated into this quartet album, too, as islands in the flow: the waves of the music slowly swell and subside around them. An experimental album of ambient allure, it can be approached at a number of levels. The listener is invited, by turns, to drift with the music, explore its sonic detail, and follow the improvisations as structural forms are revealed or new shapes created. The band members have different responsibilities in the music. If its melodic orientation comes often from Tigran Hamasyan’s world (“Tsirani tsar”, “Garun a”, “Hoy Nazan”), Arve Henriksen picks up on the implications of the Armenian material with remarkable verve. With his uncanny ability to approximate the sound of the duduk on the trumpet, he gets inside the songs in his own way, and leads them somewhere else. “Atmosphères” could be said to be Eivind Aarset’s particular specialization: he’s a creator of soundscapes which unfold with their own dream logic. A subtle player, too, who can almost unobtrusively establish a musical environment with sustained single notes or drones. This is happening from the first moments of “Traces I” on the present recording. Jan Bang’s real-time sound processing (effectively a mix within the mix, as one of the music’s textural components) and his scatterings of live samples serve to thicken the plot. Because Bang is often reflecting the sounds of his co-musicians back into the ensemble for further development, his contributions are not always immediately identifiable to the listener, but they are integral to the album’s enveloping sense of mystery, its persuasive atmospheres. Returning the music to one of its points of genesis, the quartet plays a special album release concert at Norway’s Punkt Festival on September 3. The group continues with concerts at Oslo’s Victoria Nasjonal Jazz Scene (September 8), Paris’s Cité de la Musique (September 9), Schloß Elmau in the Bavarian Alps (September 10), and Munich’s Prinzregententheater (November 29). * Further listening: In addition to recordings mentioned above, Arve Henriksen can also be heard this season on Sinikka Langeland’s new album, The Magical Forest, and recent ECM releases with Eivind Aarset include River Silver by Michel Benita’s group Ethics, and Surrounded By Sea by the Andy Sheppard Quartet. Other albums with compositions of Komitas include Kim Kashkashian’s Hayren: Music of Komitas and Tigran Mansurian, and Komitas by the Gurdjieff Ensemble. Sacred music of Komitas is also incorporated in Tigran Hamasyan’s Luys i Luso. ECM Iro Haarla Ante Lucem for Jazz Quintet and Symphony Orchestra Iro Haarla: piano, harp Hayden Powell: trumpet Trygve Seim: soprano and tenor saxophones Ulf Krokfors: double bass Mika Kallio: drums & percussion Norrlands Operans Symfoniorkester Jukka Iisakkila, conductor U.S. Release date: August 26, 2016 ECM 2457 UPC: 6025 473 2371 2 “Few jazz artists are as successful as Haarla in creating a world, a scope of feeling, and making it their own.” JazzTimes Ante Lucem, a powerful work for jazz quintet and symphony orchestra by Finnish pianist/harpist/composer Iro Haarla, was commissioned by the Norrlands Opera Symphony Orchestra and its leader Marco Feklistoff and premiered at the Umeå Jazz Festival in October 2012. It was recorded at the Concert Hall of NorrlandsOperan in Umeå, and the album is drawn both from the premiere concert and from sessions on the following days. Ante Lucem was subsequently mixed in Stockholm by Torbjörn Samuelsson, Manfred Eicher and Iro Haarla. In a review of the Umeå Festival for All about Jazz, John Kelman pointed out that “what distinguished [Ante Lucem] from other symphonic collaborations was its remarkable integration. This was not a case of alternating passages for orchestra and quintet, though there were plenty of feature spots for Haarla’s group (…) Instead this suite, intended to reflect on that quiet time of day between moonset and sunrise, traversed a great range of imagery and emotion…Haarla’s writing moved from maelstrom-like turbulence to deeper melancholy and, ultimately, that gentle silence-approaching beauty which evokes so much promise at the start of each and every day. Whether it was more dramatic turns with the full orchestra or breakdowns into smaller subsets, it was an evocative and provocative performance.” Ante Lucem is comprised, Iro Haarla explains in her liner notes, of “four separate yet closely linked pieces”: “Songbird Chapel”, “Persevering with Winter”, “…and the Darkness has not overcome it…”, and “Ante Lucem – Before Dawn”. Each of these compositions, in different ways, reflects upon the “struggle between darkness and light” and “our earthy pilgrimage through sufferings, and overcoming difficulties.” The opening “Songbird Chapel”, with stark harp and a mournful melody for saxophone and trumpet soon taken up by the strings, is dedicated to the memory of Haarla’s mother. Much of the inspiration for Haarla’s music comes from nature, its relentlessness as well as its beauty. The title “Persevering With Winter” means what it says: “It’s an allegory for winter in the north…the long period of darkness, and clear frosty days…the northern winds which sweep mercilessly over the horizon.” In the closing title track “Ante Lucem - Before Dawn”, the scene shifts to the Garden of Gethsemane… Born in Tampere, Finland, in 1956, Iro Haarla studied piano and composition at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, then put her own creative ambitions on hold as she devoted herself to the music of Edward Vesala (1945-1999). Haarla was orchestrator and arranger of much of the music played by Vesala’s Sound & Fury band, as heard for instance on the ECM albums Lumi, Ode To The Death of Jazz, Invisible Storm and Nordic Gallery. In going on to present her own music to the world, she has had the continued support of musicians previously associated with Vesala. Foremost amongst these is Ulf Krokfors, the former Sound & Fury bassist. Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim played with Vesala in the mid-1990s, and credits the drummer/composer as a formative influence. Ulf Krokfors and Trygve Seim appeared as members of Haarla’s quintet on two previous releases, Northbound (recorded 2004), and Vespers (2010). Bassist Krokfors previously recorded for ECM with Vesala on Ode To The Death of Jazz and on two albums with Raoul Bjkörkenheim’s band Krakatau (Volition, Matinale). Saxophonist Seim has played on many ECM discs including, this season, his own Rumi Songs, as well as The Magical Forest with Sinikka Langeland and Rubicon with Mats Eilertsen. On Ante Lucem the Haarla group is completed by Hayden Powell, the British-born and Norwegian-raised trumpeter, whose work with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and as leader of his own trio has received critical praise. Finnish drummer Mika Kallio played with Ulf Krokfors in pianist Samuli Mikkonen’s trio in the late 1990s. Kallio has worked with virtually all of Finland’s leading jazz musicians and with international improvisers including Tomasz Stanko, Wadada Leo Smith and John Zorn. The Norrlands Operans Symfoniorkester grew out of what was originally a military brass band, formed in 1841. The string section was added in 1974. The Orchestra took on its current form and formal status in 1991 and has undergone significant development over the past 35 years. Conductor Jukka Iisakkila studied with Jorma Panula, Martyn Brabbins and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He has won many awards and given numerous first performances of works by contemporary composers. ECM Trygve Seim Rumi Songs Tora Augestad: vocal Trygve Seim: tenor and soprano saxophones Frode Haltli: accordion Svante Henryson: violoncello U.S. Release date: September 9, 2016 ECM 2449 B0025523-02 UPC: 6025 473 2253 1 Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim introduces his new quartet and a wide-ranging program of compositions which draw inspiration from the poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi. With pieces variously influenced by the classical Lieder tradition, by contemporary chamber music, Arab music, Indian music and more, these Rumi Songs resist concise definition. Some of the songs are tightly written, while others incorporate intense and inventive improvisation from bandleader Seim, accordionist Frode Haltli and cellist Svante Henryson. Mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad rises splendidly to the challenge of singing Seim’s settings of Rumi, which are based upon English translations of the poems by Coleman Barks and Kabir Helminski. “The adventure,” says Trygve, “has been to drive this song cycle in different directions by seeking many of the layers and colors in the poems and using them musically.” With the encouragement of the late soprano singer Anne-Lise Berntsen, Trygve Seim composed his first Rumi Songs in 2003, and he has been developing the project since then, along the way exploring different instrumentation (from voice, church organ and piano to the massed ranks of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra) before settling on the present line-up. In 2013 the full cycle of Rumi Songs was premiered in Østfjold, Norway, and further fine-tuned on tour before the present recording, which was produced by Manfred Eicher at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in February 2015. The project’s genesis is described in detail in the album’s liner notes. Trygve Seim made an immediate impact with his ECM leader debut Different Rivers which won the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik as Album of the Year in 2001. Since then he has been heard on more than 20 ECM albums including Sangam with his large ensemble, on recordings with the collective The Source, in duos with Frode Halti and with Andreas Utnem, with Jacob Young’s group, and more. This summer he is omnipresent, appearing also with Mats Eilertsen’s septet on Rubicon, with Iro Haarla and symphony orchestra on Ante Lucem, and with Sinikka Langeland and the Trio Mediaeval on The Magical Forest, as well as his own Rumi Songs. A masterful jazz improviser, Trygve Seim expanded his palette with studies of Arab music in Cairo, and between 2005 and 2010 collaborated often with Egyptian musician Fathy Salama. For Seim’s complete discography, visit his web site: www.trygveseim.com Tora Augestad makes her first ECM appearance with Rumi Songs. In demand as both singer and actor, her early performing life found her specializing in Hanns Eisler, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. She has worked often with Swiss theater director Christoph Marthaler and given first performances of works including Beat Furrer’s opera Wüstenbuch. Cage, Schoenberg, Cathy Berberian and Berio all feature in her recital repertoire, and she leads her own band Music For A While, which spans jazz and early music. Frode Haltli is one of the most creative contemporary accordionists, working in the fields of new music, improvisation, and traditional folk. His recordings on ECM include Looking on Darkness with music of Bent Sørensen, Asbjørn Schaathun, Magnus Lindberg, PerMagnus Lindborg, and Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, and Passing Images featuring Garth Knox, Maja Ratkje and Arve Henriksen, as well as Yeraz, a duo recording with Trygve Seim. ECM New Series will shortly issue the album Air with music written for Haltli by Bent Sørensen and Hans Abrahamsen and featuring the accordionist playing solo and with the Arditti Quartet and the Trondheim Soloists. Cellist Svante Henryson, who has previously appeared on ECM recordings in duo with Ketil Bjørnstad (Night Song) and as a member of Jon Balke’s Magnetic North Orchestra (Kyanos, Magnetic Works), began his musical career as principal bassist with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. As bass guitarist he worked with Yngwie Malmsteen’s group, and as cellist has been a chamber music partner to Anne Sofie von Otter. A veteran of numerous sessions across the idioms, he is also a composer of orchestral, choral and chamber music. Jelaluddin Rumi, born in 1207 in Balkh, now part of Afghanistan, grew up in Waksh in Tajikistan, before moving with his family to the Anatolian city of Konya, where he spent most of his life as religious teacher and vastly prolific poet. Tolerance and open-mindedness are key themes in his verse, and legend has it that his funeral in 1273 was attended by mourners of every faith. Trygve Seim describes his work as “very human poetry, beyond religion, countries, race.” Trygve Seim launches Rumi Songs with a special concert at the Oslo Jazz Festival on August 20th. Carla Bley piano; Andy Sheppard tenor & soprano saxophones; Steve Swallow bass "Andando el Tiempo features a handful of inventions for her longtime trio with Mr. Swallow and the saxophonist Andy Sheppard. Chamber-like and willowy, suffused with melancholy, it reflects her sly noncompliance with jazz and classical conventions.” –Nate Chinen, New York Times Jack DeJohnette: drums, piano, electronic percussion; Ravi Coltrane tenor, soprano and sopranino saxophones; Matthew Garrison electric bass, electronics “Jack DeJohnette's trio reconfigures recent jazz history into a rich, forward-looking spiritual aesthetic.” –Mike Hobart, Financial Times Avishai Cohen trumpet; Yonathan Avishai piano; Eric Revis double bass; Nasheet Waits drums; Bill McHenry tenor saxophone. "Besides being Cohen's finest composing and playing to date, Into the Silence is an extraordinary project on every level. There is a transcendence in this music that is both uplifting and heartbreaking [...] A masterpiece." –Karl Ackermann, allaboutjazz Tord Gustavsen piano, electronics; Simin Tander voice; Jarle Vespestad drums "Tord Gustavsen’s piano quietly rumbles, chimes modally, then slides chromatically sideways into unexpected cadences of different flavors: gospel, blues, hymns, Herbie Hancock, Brahms." –Richard Lehnert, Stereophile Nik Bärtsch piano; Sha bass clarinet & contrabass clarinet; Kaspar Rast drums, percussion; Nicolas Stocker drums, tuned percussion; Etienne Abelin violin; Ola Sendecki violin; David Schnee viola; Solme Hong cello; Ambrosius Huber cello "Continuum, is a hushed jewel of Bärtsch’s self-described “ritual groove music,” . . . spiraling rhythmic patterns with sexy and subtle built-in tension-and-release moves." –Richard Gehr, Relix ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019 ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019 Releasing August 5th Sinikka Langeland kantele, vocals; Trygve Seim soprano & tenor saxophones; Arve Henriksen trumpet; Anders Jormin double bass; Markku Ounaskari drums, percussion; Trio Mediaeval (Anna Maria Friman, Berit Opheim; Linn Andrea Fuglseth) vocals The colors of The Magical Forest glow in this remarkable recording which brings together Sinikka Langeland’s Norwegian-Finnish-Swedish Starflowers quintet with the singers of the Trio Mediӕval. It’s an inspired concept: the Trio Mediӕval, with their affinity for folk music and their unique vocal blend, adapt themselves ideally to Sinikka’s sound-world, which is at once archaic, timeless and contemporary. The quintet members, all bandleaders in their own right, are amongst the most characterful players in Scandinavia today, and Sinikka sets them free to improvise around her cycle of songs, built upon myths and legends of the world tree. Trygve Seim tenor & soprano saxophones; Eirik Hegdal soprano, baritone sax, clarinet & bass clarinet; Thomas Dahl guitar; Rob Waring marimba & vibraphone; Harmen Fraanje piano, Fender Rhodes; Mats Eilertsen double bass; Olavi Louhivuori drums Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen has been a strong and supportive presence on a dozen ECM sessions to date. With Rubicon he steps forward to present his own music, with an international cast. The album features compositions originally written in response to a commission from the Vossajazz Festival. All About Jazz reviewed the premiere performance: “Rubicon proved to be a very dynamic work. Eilertsen ensured that each of the instrumentalists took their share of the spotlight, brought together combinations of players that emphasized tonal variation, and created ensemble sections bursting with life.” After fine-tuning the material on tour, Mats brought his septet to Oslo’s Rainbow Studio, where Manfred Eicher produced this definitive version of Rubicon in May 2015. ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019 John Taylor piano; Palle Danielsson double bass; Peter Erskine drums The newest addition to ECM’s popular Old and New Masters Series is a box set reprising the four albums made by Peter Erskine’s American-British-Swedish trio with John Taylor and Palle Danielsson between 1992 and 1997: You Never Know, As It Is, Time Being and Juni. If its core concept – a piano trio led by a drummer – was unorthodox, the group was nonetheless influential, and the recordings provide an excellent environment for appreciating the distinctive writing and playing of John Taylor. The British pianist was the Erskine Trio’s primary composer, with the drummer-leader and bassist Danielsson also contributing pieces and the repertoire topped up with tunes by Vince Mendoza and Kenny Wheeler. Of his trio mates Erskine says, "We drew out our most explorative and interesting playing from each other. Without trying to be, we were a truly unique group. I’ve heard nothing like it before or since.” Jack DeJohnette drums, piano, organ; John Abercrombie electric guitar DeJohnette has recorded prolifically for ECM since 1971 and this unique solo album stands as a classic among early ECM recordings. DeJohnette paints evocative aural soundscapes with ally Abercrombie complementing him on a few tracks. Nana Vasconcelos Berimbau, Percussion, Voice, Gongs Egberto Gismonti Super 8-String Guitar Members of the RSO Stuttgart; Mladen Gutesha conductor Nana translated “Saudades“ as “big nostalgia“ and his first leader record for ECM was intended to convey his feelings for his native country, Brazil. The music for strings on Saudades was written by Egberto Gismonti who also plays in a beautiful duet with Nana called “Cego Aderaldo”. Paul Bley piano; John Surman soprano & baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Bill Frisell guitar; Paul Motian drums Recorded 1986. A classic ECM production project, and a gamble that works beautifully. Bley and Motian hadn’t played together for more than 20 years, and Frisell and Bley met for the first time in the studio. Compositions by Carla Bley and Annette Peacock are placed alongside new pieces by each of the participants. John Surman baritone & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet; Paul Bley piano; Gary Peacock double bass; Tony Oxley drums Recorded 1991. Keen to further the adventurous spirit of the collaborations with Bley, British reedman John Surman proposed a quartet again juxtaposing old associations and new encounters. Repertoire is mostly from Surman’s pen, but also includes Bley’s old tune “Figfoot”, another reworking of Carla Bley’s “Seven”, and Gary Peacock’s “Only Yesterday”. Paul Bley piano; John Surman baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Gary Peacock double bass; Tony Oxley drums Recorded 1991. More material from the richly creative Adventure Playground session, this time emphasizing solos and duos but with all four participants coming together on “Interface”. Paul Bley piano; Evan Parker tenor & soprano saxophones; Barre Phillips double bass Recorded 1994. Paul Bley and saxophonist Evan Parker play together for the first time in this highly attractive, totally improvised session with Barre Phillips on bass as mediator between their respective sound worlds. “Superb” – The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD. ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019 ECM Mats Eilertsen Rubicon Trygve Seim: tenor and soprano saxophones Eirik Hegdal: soprano and baritone saxophones, clarinet and bass clarinet Thomas Dahl: guitar Rob Waring: marimba and vibraphone Harmen Fraanje: piano, Fender Rhodes Mats Eilertsen: double bass Olavi Louhivuori: drums U.S. Release date; August 5, 2016 ECM 2469 B0025280-02 UPC: 6025 477 4315 2 “Rubicon proved to be a very dynamic work. Eilertsen ensured that each of the instrumentalists took their share of the spotlight, brought together combinations of players that emphasized tonal variation, and created ensemble sections bursting with life.” - All About Jazz, reviewing the live premiere of Rubicon To ‘cross the Rubicon’ is to pass the point of no return. Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen has been a strong and supportive presence on a dozen ECM sessions to date, in contexts ranging from the Tord Gustavsen Ensemble to the bands of Nils Økland, Mathias Eick and Jacob Young. By temperament a team player, with Rubicon he steps boldly forward to present his own music, with an international ensemble. The album features a cycle of pieces originally written in response to a commission from the VossaJazz Festival, and premiered there in 2014. After fine-tuning the material on tour, Mats brought his septet to Oslo’s Rainbow Studio, where Manfred Eicher produced Rubicon in May 2015. “An album is a different context from live performance, Mats says, “and in the studio I recognized a need for more focus. We recorded a lot of material and then, with the help of Manfred, selected the music that worked best.” The Rubicon band rounds up Eilertsen associates from diverse projects. Mats has played extensively with Norwegian guitarist Thomas T. Dahl and Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori in the Skydive Trio. Saxophonist Eirik Hegdal is an associate from days at the Trondheim Conservatory where the band Dingobats was founded. Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje and Mats first collaborated when Eilertsen was living in the Netherlands; in recent years they’ve played together in a trio completed by Thomas Strønen. Vibraphonist Rob Waring, originally from New York, and a resident of Oslo since the early 1980s, has worked with Mats Eilertsen in singer Elin Rosseland’s trio. And Mats and Trygve Seim also have plenty of shared experience, including work in The Source with Øyvind Brække and Per Oddvar Johansen (documented on the band’s eponymously-titled 2005 ECM recording). Seim was drafted into the Rubicon band as a last minute substitute for Tore Brunborg at the Voss festival, but his individual voice as a player was rapidly integrated into Eilertsen’s musical conception. Indeed, part of the success of the project is the way in which Mats’s writing reveals its own identity while framing and guiding the soloists and finding fresh colors in the juxtaposing or blending of their sounds. “I liked the idea of having both piano and guitar,” says Eilertsen, “and Harmen Fraanje and Thomas Dahl work together really well, in a way that many other guitarists and pianists couldn’t. And then I wanted to add Rob Waring’s vibraphone as another color, because I really like that ringing, overwhelming, mallet percussion sound.” A sense of space remains in the music. “That was the challenge for me as a composer and leader, to retain a clear signature in the material while leaving enough room in the pieces for the individual improvisers to feel that they can contribute to the music. I tried to give the players the kind of freedom that I like to have when I join somebody’s musical project. I wanted to create a musical environment in which the players would feel inspired. In concert, there were extended solo sections from the musicians that hooked up at different places.” Of these, Harmen Fraanje’s piano feature “Crossing The Creek” has been retained. Added to the program is the improvisation “Wood And Water”, which features Mats’s bass, Rob Waring on marimba, and Eirik Hegdal on clarinet, in an intermingling of woody tonalities. Elsewhere, Hegdal’s reeds are contrasted effectively with Trygve Seim’s. “Eirik is such a resource to have in a band,” Eilertsen enthuses. “He plays a whole range of instruments, has really good ideas for orchestration and instrumentation, and knows how to blend into any formation in a humble way...” In general in Rubicon, the art is in the blending, and in the changing instrumental colors. It is not demonstrably a ‘bass player’s album’, though there is plenty of soulful and lyrical bass to be heard already from the opening “Canto” onwards, but Eilertsen has always been a very musical player committed to the context at hand. Reflecting on his musical journey so far, Mats Eilertsen notes that his artistic development “hasn’t been a straight line. There have been lots of detours and expeditions in the dark, finding musical ideas that I’ve wanted to carry along with me. It feels to me that there is so much music still to be played. In the last few years, much of the music I’ve played has been very melodic, low-keyed music. There was no plan, that’s just the way it happened. Looking back at the beginnings, it wasn’t like that at all.” (Mats’s early years included textural and electronic experiments with the first edition of Food, improvised chamber jazz with the group Parish, and fiery performances with Sonny Simmons.) “But I don’t feel like I’ve abandoned any musical areas, and I still like to do many different things…” The idea of exploring other sound combinations has been furthered in recent performances in which MatS’s trio, with Harmen Fraanje and Thomas Strønen, has been joined by the singers of the Trio Mediaeval. ECM Sinikka Langeland The Magical Forest Sinikka Langeland: kantele, vocals Trygve Seim: soprano and tenor saxophones Arve Henriksen: trumpet Anders Jormin: double bass Markku Ounaskari: drums, percussion Trio Mediaeval: Anna Maria Friman, Berit Opheim; Linn Andrea Fuglseth: vocals U.S. Release date : August 5, 2016 ECM 2448 B0025284-02 UPC: 6025 477 6831 5 The Magical Forest brings together Sinikka Langeland’s Norwegian-Finnish-Swedish Starflowers quintet with the singers of the Trio Mediӕval. It’s an inspired concept: the Trio Mediӕval, with their affinity for folk music and their unique vocal blend, adapt themselves ideally to Sinikka’s sound-world, which is at once archaic, timeless and contemporary. Quintet members Trygve Seim, Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin and Markku Ouanskari are amongst the most strikingly original players in Scandinavia today. All bandleaders in their own right, they have been putting their concerted musical energies at the service of Langeland’s concepts for a decade and more: the quintet appeared both on Starflowers (recorded 2006) and The Land that Is Not (2010), and Seim and Ounaskari, furthermore, played on The half-finished heaven (recorded 2013, released 2015). The earlier releases with the quintet were also explorations of sung poetry, setting texts from Hans Børli, Edith Södergran and Olav Håkonson Hauge. This time, the kantele player and verse-maker/composer from eastern Norway’s “forest of the Finns”, looks at much older texts in a fresh cycle of songs built upon myths and legends... “It is inspiring, says Sinikka, “to find traces and fragments of ideas about the world tree, axis mundi, in Finnskogen. I have transformed these and some parallel stories into songs that are encircled by instrumental passages and improvisations by the musicians.” She quotes the late historian-philosopher Mircea Eliade: "Every Microcosm, every inhabited region, has a center, a place that is sacred above all." The songs here, beginning with Sinikka’s setting of a traditional rune song text, “Puun Loitsu (Prayer to the Tree Goddess)”, celebrate the spirit of place. Langeland has been based in Finnskogen since 1992, and the sounds of the forest and the deep history of the region are integral to her work. In her notes to The Magical Forest, she writes that “Finnskogen can be regarded as the western part of a cultural belt that runs eastward through Finland, Russia and Siberia all the way to Japan.” Common to this shamanistic pathway are songs and hunting rituals, such as the one Langeland illuminates on “Kamui”. Sinikka Langeland was born in Kirkenær in southeastern Norway in 1961, and studied piano, guitar and contemporary folk song. In 1981 she began to play the kantele, the Finnish table-harp which would become her primary musical interest, along with singing. In the 1980s she also devoted time to theater work and to studies at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and at the University of Oslo, where she earned a degree in musicology in 1992. She then became absorbed in a massive research project, foraging for old songs and music from Finnskogen. In performance, her exploration of older forms has always been an open-minded one. Improvisers including Anders Jormin began appearing on her recordings from the mid-1990s, with Arve Henriksen first joining Sinikka on disc for the 2002 collection of rune songs, Runoja. With the recording of Starflowers, the combining of archaic and free elements resounded most positively. Since then, the ensemble has gained in strength. The idiosyncratic talents gathered in this band are also players who delight in shaping a group sound: nobody is clamoring for solo space, and new colors emerge in exchanges among the musicians and in free ensemble playing. As Langeland’s own instrumental confidence has grown, the kantele has come to have an increasingly important role also in the improvisations. Interaction in this band is further strengthened by a network of musical associations and alliances. Saxophonist Trygve Seim and trumpeter Arve Henriksen have collaborated in many contexts, and Arve has played as a member of Seim’s ensembles (refer to the albums Different Rivers and Sangam). Henriksen also works closely with Trio Mediaeval (an ECM album of this configuration is in preparation), while Trygve Seim and Markku Ounaskari now play together in the drummer’s Kuára trio. The Trio Mediӕval was founded in 1997 as a vocal group specializing in early music, open to collaboration with contemporary composers, and with a strong interest also in folk ballads. In recent years, Trio Mediӕval has also worked increasingly in projects with jazz improvisers. The Magical Forest was recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in February 2015, and produced by Manfred Eicher. The full album line-up with Sinikka Langeland’s Starflowers group plus Trio Mediӕval will be appearing at Oslo’s Cosmopolite on October 28 and at Røgden Bruk Finnskogen on October 29. For further information, visit Sinikka’s web site: www.sinikka.no IN CONCERT July 28 - Lenox, MA (Tanglewood Music Festival - Seiji Ozawa Hall) July 29 - Katonah, NY (Caramoor Center - Spanish Courtyard) July 31 - Woodstock, NY (Maverick Concert Hall) Aug 1 - Ottawa, Canada (Dominion - Chalmers United Church) Aug 5, 6, 7 & 10 - La Jolla, CA (MCASD - Sherwood Auditorium) The Danish String Quartet, one of the most widely-acclaimed chamber groups of the present moment, makes its ECM debut playing a program of British and Danish music: Thomas Adès’s Arcadiana (composed 1994), Per Nørgård’s Quartetto Breve (1952), and Hans Abrahamsen’s 10 Preludes (1973). The pieces were all written when the respective composers were each barely into their 20s, and have a freshness and intensity vividly conveyed in the DSQ’s interpretations. “. . .the Danish are remarkable, as ever – capable of intense blend, extreme dynamic variation (in which they seem glued together), perfect intonation even on harmonics, and constant vitality and flow.” – Andrew Mellor, Gramophone “Among all the dauntingly good young string quartets currently doing the rounds, the Danish String Quartet stand out: not because they’re shinier or plusher or pushier than the rest, but because of their nimble charisma, stylish repertoire and the way their light and grainy shading can turn on a dime. It’s an exacting program requiring grace, grit and clarity and the Danish players sound terrific – lithe and glassy in the Abrahamsen, richer in the Nørgard, able to capture the picturesque watery shimmer of the Adès but also the slime and murk below the surface. It’s a sophisticated performance.” – Kate Molleson, The Guardian ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019

Laurie posted on Facebook today that the release date for Art & Warne will be November 11.

Happy Birthday 2016 Laurie!

Laurie has released today another sample, this one of two minutes, from the Art & Warne album. http://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/2-minute-sample-art-warne

We have two weeks to catch up with, so let's get started with Week 7. Winnipeg 37....Hamilton 11 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2300/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-winnipeg-blue-bombers/#boxscore http://www.cfl.ca/games/2300/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-winnipeg-blue-bombers/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2300/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-winnipeg-blue-bombers/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/08/04/ticats-shocked-weather-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/08/04/nichols-bombers-back-track-_-thoughts/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/08/04/bad-worse-hamiltons-humbling-loss-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/08/05/despite-loss-ticats-weathered-early-season-storm/#comments ***** BC 38....Montreal 18 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2301/bc-lions-vs-montreal-alouettes/#boxscore http://www.cfl.ca/games/2301/bc-lions-vs-montreal-alouettes/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2301/bc-lions-vs-montreal-alouettes/#preview ***** Calgary 35....Sask 15 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2302/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-calgary-stampeders/#boxscore http://www.cfl.ca/games/2302/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-calgary-stampeders/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2302/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-calgary-stampeders/#preview ***** Ottawa 23....Edmonton 20 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2303/edmonton-eskimos-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#boxscore http://www.cfl.ca/games/2303/edmonton-eskimos-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2303/edmonton-eskimos-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/08/07/redblacks-edge-eskimos/#comments Henry is candid during the halftime interview. http://3downnation.com/2016/08/06/henry-burris-tells-haters-shove-fiery-halftime-rant/#comments ***** Week 7 Plays of the Week http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/08/kegsize-plays-of-the-week-wk-7/

No, not the guitarist. Rather the host of The McLaughlin Group, who has passed away at 89. Did anyone ever read Don Novello's book The Lazlo Letters? I always thought of that whenever I watched the TV show! http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/16/mclaughlin-group-host-john-mclaughlin-dead-at-89.html

I've never before seen a Beatles CD priced this low. Abbey Road - $5.17 prime https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Figure-Amazon-Exclusive-Bundle/dp/B017IF3SZI

Happy Birthday 2016 kinuta! May I assume you celebrated by watching a good movie?

Happy Birthday Mark!

I finally got around to opening this up last week, and I love it. This will definitely be on my year's Top 10 list. Most of these are vocals. This is the sort of record that could make jazz popular.

Today, in anticipation of the upcoming Art & Warne release, Laurie has put out for download Rhythm-A-Ning. http://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/rhythm-a-ning-tiny-sample

Happy Birthday Lon!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/06/clarinetist-pete-fountain-dies.html RIP, Pete! In 1964 he autographed my copy of his album New Orleans at Midnight. I also got to see his Half Fast Walking Club down Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras once.

Well, since no one has guessed, I will tell you the answer. The shortest #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart was Stay by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, which clocked in at 1:37.

Happy Birthday Shawn!

On this date in 1958, Billboard published its first Top 100 list. Coming in at number one was Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson. http://www.businessinsider.com/billboard-hot-100-began-58-years-ago-here-are-the-top-hits-from-1958-2016-8 I thought of this thread a couple of days ago when I read in the paper the identity of the shortest song ever to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. Anybody want to guess before I tell the answer?

More Week 7 picks... 3Down http://3downnation.com/2016/08/03/week-7-picks-ticats-heave-favourites-bombers/#comments Mark Fulton http://3downnation.com/2016/08/03/week-7-statistical-powerranking-game-predictor-stamps-still-best/#comments Justin Dunk http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/week-7-cfl-picks-can-durant-fuel-roughriders-bounceback/ Rod Pedersen http://www.rodpedersen.com/2016/08/ckrms-week-7-cfl-picks-2016.html Dieter Brock & Robert Drummond http://thegruelingtruth.net/football/cfl/cfl-weekly-pickem-show-week-7-wdieter-brock-robert-drummond/ ***** 8/3 checking down http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/03/checking-down-the-latest-on-durant-collaros-and-more/ ***** Week 7 game notes http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/02/cfl-ca-game-notes-a-look-at-week-7/ ***** Danny Nykoluk died Friday at 82. I had his bubble gum card in 1964. http://www.tsn.ca/former-argos-lineman-nykoluk-passes-away-1.536919

Week 6 review... Winnipeg 30....Edmonton 23 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/winnipeg-blue-bombers-edmonton-eskimos-20160728/Stats http://www.cfl.ca/games/2296/winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-edmonton-eskimos/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2296/winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-edmonton-eskimos/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/07/29/n-other-thoughts/#comments Matt Nichols had a great game, and I expect that he will be the Bombers' starter for a while. Drew Willy had good stats, but couldn't find the end zone. ***** Montreal 41...Sask 3 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/saskatchewan-roughriders-montreal-alouettes-20160729/Stats http://www.cfl.ca/games/2297/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-montreal-alouettes/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2297/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-montreal-alouettes/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/07/30/riders-take-big-step-backward-loss-alouettes/#comments ***** Calgary 44....BC 41 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/bc-lions-calgary-stampeders-20160729/Stats http://www.cfl.ca/games/2298/bc-lions-vs-calgary-stampeders/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2298/bc-lions-vs-calgary-stampeders/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/stampeders-take-step-forward-winning-heavyweight-west-division-battle/#comments The Lions led 34-19 after three ***** Toronto 23....Ottawa 20 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/toronto-argonauts-ottawa-redblacks-20160731/Stats http://www.cfl.ca/games/2299/toronto-argonauts-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2299/toronto-argonauts-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#preview http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/kilgore-leads-argos-first-place-east/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/15-thoughts-redblack-loss-argos/#comments ***** The league has announced that Ottawa will host the Grey Cup game next year. http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/official-2017-grey-cup-held-ottawa/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/31/ottawa-host-105th-grey-cup-2017/ http://www.tsn.ca/ottawa-to-host-2017-grey-cup-coinciding-with-canada-s-150th-anniversary-1.536116 ***** The Als asked Brandon Bridge to take a pay cut. He said "no," so they cut him. http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/alouettes-ask-bridge-take-pay-cut-release-declines/#comments http://www.tsn.ca/canadian-qb-bridge-released-by-alouettes-1.536383 http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/01/report-alouettes-release-national-qb-brandon-bridge/ ***** The Bombers have brought back Clarence Denmark. http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/31/bombers-add-familiar-face-in-denmark/ ***** 8/1 - 9 thoughts on 9 teams http://3downnation.com/2016/08/01/nine-thoughts-nine-teams-2-3/#comments ***** Scott Cullen 8/2 power rankings http://www.tsn.ca/stampeders-still-lead-cfl-power-rankings-1.536820 ***** Malcolm Kelly 8/2 power rankings http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-power-rankings-1.3704196 ***** cfl.ca 8/2 power rankings http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/02/stampede-city-new-no-1-nissan-titan-power-rankings/ ***** Jamie Nye Week 7 picks http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/02/weekly-predictor-will-eskimos-roughriders-turn-things-around/ ***** Dan Ralph Week 7 picks http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/cfl/injuries-to-receiving-corps-present-nichols-bombers-with-challenges-388976001.html

The Doors - A Collection (6 CDs) - $17.34 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Doors/dp/B0052FG750/

Wasn't some Sonny and Cher on Atco? Like maybe the one where she is listed as "Cleo?"

Monday night... Toronto 30....Montreal 17 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/montreal-alouettes-toronto-argonauts-20160725/Stats http://www.cfl.ca/games/2295/montreal-alouettes-vs-toronto-argonauts/#playbyplay http://www.cfl.ca/games/2295/montreal-alouettes-vs-toronto-argonauts/#preview I think that this was the first time this year that an Eastern team won at home! Ricky Ray hurt his knee, and will miss 3-6 weeks. http://www.tsn.ca/argos-ray-out-3-6-weeks-with-sprained-mcl-1.532784 http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/25/ray-leaves-argos-win-against-als-with-leg-injury/ http://3downnation.com/2016/07/26/ricky-rays-knee-went-sideways-now-see-argos-season-will/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/27/patience-pays-off-argos-qb-logan-kilgore-gets-shot/#comments ***** As I expected, Matt Nichols will start for the Bombers tonight (on ESPN2). http://3downnation.com/2016/07/25/nichols-start-qb-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/26/lack-scoring-proves-willys-downfall/#comments http://www.tsn.ca/old-eskimos-friends-ready-for-bombers-nichols-1.533793 http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/24/bombers-tab-nichols-to-start-in-week-6/ ***** power rankings Malcolm Kelly 7/26 http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-power-rankings-week-5-1.3696506 cfl.ca 7/26 http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/26/roughriders-climb-nissan-titan-power-rankings/ Scott Cullen 7/26 http://www.tsn.ca/stampeders-return-to-no-1-in-cfl-power-rankings-1.533120 Mark Fulton 7/27 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/27/quick-six-stamps-ride-top-week-6-statistical-powerrankings-game-predictor/#comments ***** Justin Dunk 7/26 9 thoughts on 9 teams http://3downnation.com/2016/07/26/nine-thoughts-nine-teams-2-2/#comments ***** Tony Golab and the 1939 Rough Riders http://3downnation.com/2016/07/27/ottawas-tank-corps-the-story-of-the-1939-rough-riders/#comments ***** More on the Ticats' epic comeback http://3downnation.com/2016/07/24/good-bad-hamiltons-history-making-come-behind-win-eskimos/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/24/ticats-struggle-explain-epic-comeback/#comments ***** More on Ottawa's situation. Trevor Harris is now hurt, but Henry is coming off the injured list. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/23/redblacks-fail-overcome-injuries-missed-calls/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/27/report-burris-to-start-for-redblacks-in-week-6/ ***** Week 6 checking down http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/27/checking-long-awaited-debut-holes-fill-week-6/ ***** Week 6 game notes http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/27/cfl-ca-game-notes-a-look-at-week-6/ ***** Week 6 picks 3Down http://3downnation.com/2016/07/28/week-six-cfl-picks-can-riders-go-streaking/#comments Dan Ralph https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/veteran-quarterback-burris-returns-under-225636589.html Jamie Nye http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/27/weekly-predictor-can-nichols-help-turn-things-around-winnipeg/

Thanks!

I enjoy this one, and can recommend it. Generally it has the sound I am looking for, although sometimes the music wanders. Let us know if you have found it for streaming.

Vocalist Barbara Dane To Release "Throw It Away ... ," Her First New Recording in 14 Years, On Her Dreadnaught Music Label August 19 Dane Is Backed by Pianist Tammy Hall, Bassist Ruth Davies, & Drummer Bill Maginnis, With Guest Spots by Pablo Menéndez on Blues Harp & Richard Hadlock, Soprano Saxophone CD Release Show Set for August 24 At Yoshi's, Oakland July 22, 2016 Barbara Dane's extraordinary life has been distinguished by decades' worth of collaborations with major artists in jazz, blues, folk, and world music as well as by uncompromising public stands for social justice and civil rights. At 89, the indomitable Oakland-based singer is still active, still performing, and, on her new CD Throw It Away..., in inspired form. The disc, her first new recorded work in 14 years, will be released on August 19 by Dane's Dreadnaught Music imprint. Dane points to her chemistry with the elegantly swinging pianist Tammy Hall as having "given me the freedom to explore new ways of singing." A Dallas native and longtime San Franciscan, Hall is the latest of great piano players to have recorded with Dane, including Earl "Fatha" Hines and Don Ewell. "She pays attention to what the singer is saying, and this is rare," says Barbara. "Tammy knows how to clarify my meaning through the music, and oh my, does she swing!" Rounding out the rhythm section are in-demand bassist Ruth Davies, known for her years of work with Elvin Bishop and the late Charles Brown, and the vocalist's old friend and colleague, Bill Maginnis, on drums. Barbara's son Pablo Menéndez, leader of the Cuban group Mezcla, produced the date on a visit from his home in Havana. And although his main instrument is guitar, here he blows some terrific blues harp on three tracks. The other special guest on the project is trad jazz veteran Richard Hadlock, who contributes soulful soprano sax on the ballad "All Too Soon." Tammy Hall and Barbara Dane (photo: Tom Ehrlich). This is Barbara's most eclectic and subtle set of songs to date. Starting out with a juicy Memphis Minnie blues ("I'm Sellin' My Porkchops"), she explores tunes from the jazz canon by Abbey Lincoln (the title track), Duke Ellington ("All Too Soon"), and Fats Waller ("How Can You Face Me?"); songs by singer-songwriters Paul Simon ("American Tune"), Lennon-McCartney ("In My Life"), and Leonard Cohen ("Slow" -- "That's a woman's song if I ever heard one"); two original blues and one old folk tune reimagined by Mose Allison with new words by Dane; a hilarious jazz waltz ("The Kugelsburg Bank"); and a country-style topical song by a local postman. When Barbara burst onto the scene in the late 1950s, Playboy magazine's jazz critic Leonard Feather called her "Bessie Smith in Stereo" and Time magazine described her voice as "pure, rich . . . rare as a 20 karat diamond." Nowadays her rich alto tones retain their customary warmth, but instead of shouting the blues, she has found new ways of communicating, using a more relaxed and intimate way of singing. In the 1950s and '60s the Detroit-born Barbara Dane performed and recorded with many of the greats of jazz and blues including Jack Teagarden, Benny Carter, Lightnin' Hopkins, the Chambers Brothers, Memphis Slim, and Willie Dixon. Her first album, Trouble in Mind, appeared in 1957 on the San Francisco Records label. She recorded Livin' with the Blues for Dot in 1959 with a combo that featured Earl Hines with Shelly Manne, Plas Johnson, and Benny Carter. Dane appeared on national TV's Timex Jazz Show with Louis Armstrong and was featured on Playboy After Dark, receiving a special award from Hugh Hefner as one of the outstanding jazz artists of the year. She scored a Top 40 hit in 1960 with a single on the Trey label titled "I'm on My Way" that was produced by Lee Hazlewood and Lester Sill and has become a cult classic in recent years on England's Northern Soul scene. Her album On My Way (Capitol Records, 1961) featured a different version of the song, which can be heard throughout the 2010 PBS special Freedom Riders. Never confining herself to one genre, Dane also performed and recorded folk and world music, taking a cue from early mentor Pete Seeger. Many young singers such as Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, and Ry Cooder were exposed to her music at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles, where Dane was a frequent headliner. In the 1960s and '70s, she sang at demonstrations in Washington and in small towns all over America, from the Freedom Schools of rural Mississippi to the gates of military bases in Japan and Europe. In l966, Barbara became the first American musician to tour post-revolutionary Cuba. (Nine of her earlier recordings are available on her web site, and another five of her classic albums can be purchased from Smithsonian Folkways.) In the fall of 2017, Barbara's 90th year will be celebrated with a weekend of events culminating in a concert at UCLA's Royce Hall. Nina Menéndez, the new CD's executive producer, is now heading up The Barbara Dane Legacy Project. Among the project's goals are the placement of her extensive archives; a PBS-style TV special profiling Barbara's life; and the publication of Dane's soon-to-be-completed autobiography. On August 24, Dane returns to Yoshi's in Oakland for a CD release concert, having performed there for a sell-out crowd in January of this year. Throw It Away... reveals a unique and uncompromising artist whose command of melody and lyrics remains intact, who has never lost her sense of humor, and whose depth of feeling has only ripened more richly over the years. Photography: CD cover photo by Ashley James; Tammy & Barbara by Tom Ehrlich; young Barbara courtesy of the artist; portrait of Barbara by Steve Kahn. Barbara Dane with Tammy Hall, "Throw It Away ... " Web Site: barbaradane.net Like: Follow:

Cleveland.com (lucky for you, Jeff!) says that today's Powerball will be worth $422,000,000. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/07/powerball_jackpot_at_422_milli.html