Lazaro Vega

With that Voyager program Lewis has interfaced his trombone with the computer, and there was a lot of that at the performance in Ann Arbor, as well as the more orchestral wash of sounds from "just" the lap top. He's found a way of using one of those Yamaha silent practice mutes, the ones that attach to headphones so you can hear your full sound but it is quiet in the room, as a midi interface between trombone and computer. Having heard Lewis and Abrams improvise as a duo during the AACM's 25th Anniversary concert at the Getz Theater (and the long mostly duo piece "Dramaturns" on "Streaming,") I went to Ann Arbor expecting that, and was suprised in a Homer Simpson sense that what transpired was much more akin to or evolved from "L-R-G" than anything else. The interplay between Lewis and Roscoe was far, far along a personal musical understanding -- there was nothing tentative about it. Muhal was often silent in the concert. Since I stayed for both "sets" and heard up to two hours of this it was easier to hear how Muhal found his way in. The concert was one of the finest experiences in music I'd ever heard -- so mature now. Going out later to hear other bands was a complete let down. Having hear this, too, while reading Konitz's book made it that much more vivid and clear. I'd like to write more about the performance but my daughter just walked in, hollered "Good morning 'bazzooes'" lifted her skirt over hear head, ran full blast at me and without slowing down jumped into my lap and is now pointing at the emoticons on the screen and laughing.

Any other opinions on New records from 2007?

Was "Streaming" in '06? Glad there were follow up tours from it this year. The Abrams solo album, then, this year.

Yes, Abbey Sings Abbey is a more compelling album. Shank does alright with the music, she just dosn't bring it to life the way Abbey does. There's a version of "Down Here Below" where Shank is cast alongside a bass clarinet, from what I remember, and it works musically -- yet when Abbey sings it you know right off that this song is a prayer first and always then a song. The Slate list is good. Hard to argue with. For a fuller view of the year include something from the Monterey Jazz Records series, the Miles Quintet with George Coleman, Herbie, Carter and Williams for instance; as well as mention of the great King Oliver re-issue from Off the Record. As for new albums, this year was made that much richer with "Streaming" by Muhal, Roscoe and Lewis; as well as The Exploding Star Orchestra, "We Are All From Somewhere Else."

http://www.slate.com/id/2180205/

The Hornsby album's alright from what I've heard of it, though it didn't catch my attention enough to return to it again and again. He's trying some different approaches to Un Poco Loco, but could anything be greater than Bud's original?

"The power of positive swinging." "Hawg Jaws." "Bayside Cookout." Perfect as "Puck." He's using a lot of the third valve by itself in that video.

The Hornsby album features Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride and includes a previously un-recorded Ornette Coleman composition, so, yeah -- it's a jazz trio album trying to find a place amid that crowded field of instrumentation.

It was good cross promotion, in any case, having a program of his music on Friday and another on his birthday Sunday. Seeing that he's from Michigan originally it was a strong tribute to his music, even though in both programs we focused on "the good stuff" and not his more popular music.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.nysun.com/article/67690 The Shape of Jazz's Past & Present Live Review By Will Friedwald Jazz BY WILL FRIEDWALD December 7, 2007 URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/67690 Over the decades the terms for a particular, oft-employed jazz technique have changed, just as the technique itself has drifted into and out of fashion: In descriptions of jazz of the 1920s, it is called a "chase chorus." In the annals of swing-era jam sessions, it's referred to as "trading fours." Later, Charles Mingus and other modernists had their own variations on the idea. The idea sounds simple: One soloist plays a few bars (usually a metrically divisible number, such as eight measures, four, or two), then another horn player answers him with a solo statement of the same brief length. Then the first player responds to the second, and so on. Traditionally, these exchanges were used for the sake of variety, or as an excuse to give the drummer a chance to interact with the front-line horns at the end of a set. But lately, as in the music of the Dave Douglas Quintet ‹ which is appearing this week at the Village Vanguard ‹ and that of the all-star quartet Shapes of Jazz, with Joe Lovano and Tom Harrell ‹ appearing until Sunday at Iridium ‹ this formerly marginal concept is becoming a key driving force in the way contemporary jazz is created. It could be described as a "conjoined solo." In the opening set for each group ‹ Mr. Douglas on Tuesday and the Shapes on Wednesday ‹ the first two numbers included a piece that was tightly composed, with a clear and distinct opening melody, and another that was largely improvised, leaving lots of room for the two central horns to interact and create something new on the spot. Mr. Douglas began with a memorable and hummable new piece, "Campaign Trail," before progressing to "Moonshine," in which the melody was less important than the interaction the trumpeter-leader achieved with his longtime fellow front-liner, the tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin. "Moonshine" is also heard in a very different form as the title cut on a new album by Keystone, Mr. Douglas's more electronica-driven group, which will be distributed to stores next month but is already available for downloading at Musicstem.com. The Douglas quintet at the Vanguard also utilized some pop elements, notably a Fender Rhodes in place of acoustic piano, played by Orrin Evans, and, frequently, an underlying foundation of funk vamps. On many of his conjoined solos with Mr. McCaslin, Mr. Douglas played with a hard-driving, straight-ahead attack, while the tenorist has developed a style that strings short, percussive notes into long phrases that come off as somehow staccato and legato at the same time. The two horns sounded together, yet distinct. It's also important to note that even when Mr. Douglas, as a composer, doesn't stress the opening melody, he nonetheless takes the trouble to write out transitional passages in between solos and even backgrounds for the horns to play behind Mr. Evans's keyboard solo. Where Messrs. Douglas and McCaslin work together regularly in this long-standing quintet, the saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter Tom Harrell only appear jointly on special occasions. Still, they share a history of more than 25 years of working together in different situations, all of which they can channel in concert. Their most famous collaboration was on the 1994 "Quartets: Live at the Village Vanguard," and, since this week they're working in the same format of trumpet, tenor, bass (Cameron Brown), and drums (Cindy Blackman), they began with two tunes from that set: Mr. Lovano's "Fort Worth" and Mr. Harrell's "Sail Away." Both are strong melodic lines, but it's the way the two tackle them together that's remarkable. On Wednesday, Mr. Harrell played "Fort Worth" on flugelhorn, and Mr. Lovano, appropriately, softened his own sound in response. The latter can play with a biting edge when he wants to, but here he made the timbre of the horn match the flugel, and the two interacted throughout, playing equal parts that added up to a tune. "Sail Away" is perhaps Mr. Harrell's most widely heard composition, a slower piece that's not quite a ballad. At the Iridium, it sounded more joyous and upbeat than on most of its many recordings, possessing a Gerry Mulliganesque quality that I've never heard before. This was contrasted by the next piece, which referenced the leader of the most famous two-horns and two-rhythm group of all time, Ornette Coleman, via Mr. Coleman's famous dirge, "Lonely Woman." Here, Messrs. Lovano and Harrell matched their sonic personalities once again: When Mr. Harrell switched to the harsher sound of the trumpet, Mr. Lovano pulled out the sharper-sounding and less mellow soprano saxophone. The Vanguard and Iridium sets had something else in common, too: The two groups concentrated on their own originals at the beginning, then moved on to jazz standards at the end. Halfway through Tuesday's set, Messrs. Douglas and McCaslin treated us to one of Thelonious Monk's most touching ballads, "Reflections," in a loose, not restrictively Monk-ish interpretation. Here, Mr. Evans's solo was particularly impressive; I can imagine that it must be imposing to tackle the work of the man who made the piano sound like a completely different instrument on a Fender Rhodes. Mr. Douglas's big surprise was "Nobody Else But Me," one of Jerome Kern's final songs, and one, unfortunately, that is rarely played by jazzmen, as Mr. Douglas indirectly acknowledged when he said he learned it from a Mabel Mercer album. He gave it a bright and open tone, more like a swing stylist (e.g., Roy Eldridge or Bobby Hackett), taking the tune seriously but with a sense of humor to lighten it. For the second half of their set, Messsrs. Lovano and Harrell also gave us unique takes on standards, or rather, variations on variations, namely "I'm All for You" (the tenorist's revision of "Body and Soul"), and they closed with a hell-for-leather "Oleo," Sonny Rollins's take on the "I Got Rhythm" changes. In fast and furious numbers over familiar chord changes such as these, the two horns up front tend to engage in more of a duel than a collaboration, which is another venerated tradition of jazz: Even when they're playing against each other, they're still playing with each other. wfriedwald@nysun.com --

David, What was the music on the promo?

In the 20's today. Hope it stays this way until March. None of this snow, thaw, snow, thaw, snow, thaw routine which produces too much flu.

Blue Lake featured Donald Byrd this Friday -- "Lover Come Back to Me" from Off To the Races; "Air Mail Special" by Hampton's Big Band; "Little Rootie Tootie" by Monk at Town Hall; and "Here I Am" from Byrd in Hand is how it began. What a musician in that period. One of the reasons we don't hear as much from him today as we could have is because of that embrochure pictured above: he set up to expose more of the soft flesh inside his lips, which gave him a great sound, but it was unsustainable, even detrimental. Or that's what I've been told by other trumpets. Byrd's 1955 session with Frank Foster, Hank Jones, Paul Chambers and Kenny Clarke, Long Green, was the first Savoy label recording I'd ever owned. Still can't get enough of his "Star Eyes" from that date. Where's Larry's quote from?

Listening to Brubeck's quartet with Paul Desmond from "Last Time We Saw Paris" where Desmond quotes "Harlem Nocturne" and "Night Train" during his solo on "These Foolish Things." Kicks. Will feature excerpts of an extensive interview with Brubeck tonight on Jazz From Blue Lake. 87.

Jazz From Blue Lake Playlist Thursday, November 29, 2007 (Billy Hart) Artist—Song Title – Album Title – Record Label 10 p.m. Eastern Time Bennie Green, Blow Your Horn; Blow Your Horn: Decca. Jimmy Smith, The Sermon; Europe 1: RTE. Buck Hill, Scope; Scope: Steeplechase. Shirley Horn, I’m Old Fashioned/There’s No You; Lazy Afternoon: Steeplechase. Jazz Datebook, www.bluelake.org/datebook.html. Red Rodney/Charlie Rouse, Social Call; Social Call: Uptown. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Nica’s Tempo; Hard Bop: Mosaic. Linda Ciofalo, You Took Advantage of Me; Sun Set: Lucky Jazz. Gerald Wilson Orchestra, I Concentrate On You; Monterey Moods: Mack Avenue. 11 p.m. Frank Morgan, Billie’s Bounce; A Night in the Life: Heads Up. Stryker-Slagel Band, Bird Flew; Latest Outlook: Zoho. Tim Armacost, While My Lady Sleeps; Rhythm and Transformation: Artist Share. Fred Hersch Trio, Rhythm Spirit; Night and the Music: Palmetto. Jazz Datebook Kurt Elling, The Waking; Night Moves: Concord. Marvin Stamm, Alone Together; Alone Together: Jazzed Media. 12 a.m. Billy Hart, Lullaby For IMKE; Quartet: Heads Up. Mimi Fox, Salute to the Groove; Pepetually Hip: Favored Nations. Billy Hart, Iverson’s Odyssey; Quartet: Heads Up. Eddie Henderson, Prince of Darkness; So What: Columbia. Bob Leto, Inner Urge; Cheesecake: CAP. Richard Cole, Shade; A Shade of Joe: Origin. Rashied Ali Quintet, Thing For Joe; Judgement Day Vol 2: Survival. Joe Henderson, Isotope; Monterey Sampler: Monterey Records. Jazz Datebook 1 a.m. Herbie Hancock, Tell Me A Bedtime Story; Mawandishi: Warner Bros. Herbie Hancock, Hidden Shadows; Sextant: Columbia. Miles Davis, Jabali; Complete On the Corner: Columbia. Bennie Maupin, Past Present Future/Jewel In the Lotus; Jewel In the Lotus: ECM Jason Lindner Big Band, Song for Amos; Live at the Jazz Gallery: Anzic. 2 a.m. Billy Hart, Confirmation; Quartet: Heads Up Mary Lou Williams Collective, Aires; Zodiac Suite Revisited: Mary Records. Charles Lloyd, Hymn to the Mother; Lift Every Voice: ECM. Randy Weston, Kucheza Blues; Uhuru Afrika: Capital. Gigi Gryce, Rat Race Blues; Rat Race Blues: New Jazz. Peter Lerner, Minority; Cry For Peace: BluJazz. Pierre Dorge, A Minor Disturbance for Mr. Neilson; Jazz Is Like A Banana: Steeplechase. Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio 300 East Crystal Lake Road Twin Lake MI 49457 WBLV FM 90.3, Twin Lake/Muskegon; WBLU FM 88.9, Grand Rapids www.bluelake.org

Expectations and playing outside of them -- the audience, any audience, likes to hear what it knows. The pure improvisatory musical life is full of such ups and downs musically -- Sonny Rollins, Lee Kontiz -- that few choose the path. Clem -- Barry Guy's music is a bitch, no doubt an "influence" on Tentet.

Decode with Sound Grammar. Playing on changes, playing free: there's oceans of room in the pool for personalized sound identity when playing at the highest level of either approach. Tentet is striving for that as a working ensemble. Their "time" is yet to come, in that sense -- the journey is underway and not, Tiger Rag, over before it began. The "cracks" aren't closed up in improvised music. Still canyon spaces to fill. The point that there are repertory jazz ensembles is not lost, however I'm not hearing the Tentet or the Territory band in that light. Maybe they are. Some of the most beautiful, compelling, WHOLE music heard recently in these parts was by Muhal, Roscoe and Lewis. The level of music they achieved in their improvised performances in Ann Arbor is unmatched in my experience. Time, long working relationships, and active touring all came together for that night. When dealing with a large group, however, there are fewer examples of how to move forward. That realm is not exactly over populated. So it's not "The Magic City" but what is or ever will be again?

The board and the web site has to be sustained by members. That a band is supporting these discussions is wrong, and that they're staying in debt and not going forward with a new cd is completely unacceptable. I'll pry some bread from my wife's purse and lay it on you. Keep a running total of how much needs be made each month, how close the giving has gotten to it, at the top of the page -- like a united way themometer, only jazz. Good luck, Jim. Don't be afraid to ask for money. The people who can afford it will come through. At this point it isn't a choice. That the band's artistic progress, potential financial reward and continuing documentation has been retarded by the forum is a SIN. LV

Jazz From Blue Lake Playlist Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Artist—Song Title – Album Title – Record Label 10 p.m. Eastern Time Bennie Green, Blow Your Horn; Blow Your Horn: Decca. Clifford Brown, Wail Bait/Hymn of the Orient; Memorial Album: Blue Note. Gigi Gryce/Clifford Brown Quintet, Minority: Paris Collection Vol. 2: Inner City. Donald Byrd/Gigi Gryce, Social Call; Modern Jazz Perspective: Columbia. Jazz Datebook Joshua Redman, East of the Sun; Back East: Nonesuch. Bobby Hutcherson, Don’t Blame Me; For Sentimental Reasons: Kind of Blue. Lennie Tristano, Judy; Lee Konitz: Prestige. Gary Versace, Lennie’s Pennies; Reminiscence: Steeplechase. Clare Fischer Clarinet Choir, Isreal; A Family Affair: Fischer Records. Jim Cooper, This Could Be The Start of Something Big; Itichin To Groove. 11 p.m. Howard McGhee, Futurity; Vol. 2: Blue Note. Gig Gryce, Nica’s Tempo; Signals: Savoy. Art Farmer, A Night At Tony’s; When Farmer Met Gryce: Prestige. Thad Jones, Let’s; The Magnificent Vol. 3: Blue Note. Jazz Datebook Blue Lake Faculty Jazz 6tet, Just Friends, Live 7-2-07. Dena DeRose, Speak Low; Live at the Jazz Standard: Max Jazz. 12 a.m. Out On Blue Lake Coleman Hawkins, Picasso; Ken Burns Jazz: Legacy. Coleman Hawkins, Dali; Dali: Stash. Lennie Tristano, Intuition/Digression; Intuition: Capital. Ornette Coleman, Sleep Talking; Sound Grammar: Sound Grammar. Paul Bley/Jimmy Giuffre/Steve Swallow, The Life of a Trio: Sunday: Owl. Steve Swell/Gebhard Ullmann Quartet, Improvisation; Live in Grand Rapids, 4-7-07. Jazz Datebook 1 a.m. Oscar Pettiford Orchestra, Nica’s Tempo; Deep Passion: Impulse. Oscar Pettiford, Bohemia After Dark; Another One: Bethlehem. Gigi Gryce Orchestra, Brown Skins; Clifford Brown Paris Session V.1: Vogue. Donald Byrd/Gigi Gryce, Satellite; Modern Jazz Perspective: Columbia. Lee Morgan, Mesabi Chant/Tim Toeing; Complete 1950’s Blue Note…: Mosaic. Stacey Kent, I Wish I Could Go Traveling Again; Breakfast on the Morning Tram: Blue Note. Jason Lindner Big Band, Intro: Song for Jason; Live at the Jazz Gallery: Anzic. Drew Gress, Your Favorite Kind; The Irrational Numbers: Premonition. Paul Motian, Whirlpool; This Meets That: ECM. 2 a.m. Steve Lehman Quintet, On Meaning; On Meaning: Pi Records. Nels Cline, McNeil Island/Pumpkin; New Monastery: Cryptogramophone. Myra Melford Trio M, For Bradford; Big Picture: Cryptogramophone. Peter Paulsen, Nefertiti; Change of Scenery: Wahoo. Donald Byrd/Gigi Gryce, Minority; Young Bird: Milestone. Donald Byrd/Gigi Gryce Jazz Lab, Splittin’/Batland; At Newport: Verve. Clifford Brown, Brownie Eyes; Memorial Album: Blue Note. Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio 300 East Crystal Lake Road Twin Lake MI 49457 WBLV FM 90.3, Twin Lake/Muskegon; WBLU FM 88.9, Grand Rapids www.bluelake.org

Don't know what you're talking about. The realm for "improvement" with this ensemble was their collective, ensemble oriented playing, rather than a string of solos. Not that they were that black and white about it when I heard them several years ago in Kalamazoo -- interludes and transitional instrumental groupings occured through arrangement, it seemed, but the organic collective ecstacies of spontaneous ensemble improvisation wasn't as operative as one might have hoped. Otherwise, as Plankton would say, "Bringth it on knave!" Listening to Brotzmann in full throat is like laying down a bike and relating to the pavement in your leathers for a few hundred meters. The sound turns corn to maze.

Jazz From Blue Lake Playlist Tuesday, November 27, 2007 Artist—Song Title – Album Title – Record Label 10 p.m. Eastern Time Bennie Green, Blow Your Horn; Blow Your Horn: Decca. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Cerulean Skies; Sky Blue: Artist Share. Kurt Elling, The Waking; Night Moves: Concord. Herbie Hancock, Solitude; River: The Joni Letters: Verve. Bennie Maupin, Winds of Change; The Jewel In the Lotus: ECM. Pierre Dorge/New Jungle Orchestra, Forgotten Highway; Jazz Is Like A Bannana: Steeplechase. Drew Gress, Blackbird Backtalk; The Irrational Numbers: Premonition. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Footprints; Red Earth: EmArcy. 11 p.m. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Aires De Lando; Sky Blue: Artist Share. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Dance You Monster To My Soft Song; Evanessence: Enja. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Giant Steps; Coming About: Enja. Scolohofo, Oh!; Oh!: Blue Note. Hank Jones/Joe Lovano, Kids Are Pretty People; Kids: Blue Note. Steve Lehman, Process; On Meaning: Pi. Michael Musillami Trio/Mark Feldman, Stark Beauty; The Treatment: Playscape. 12 a.m. Peter Lerner, Cry For Peace; Cry For Peace: BluJazz. Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Pretty Road; Sky Blue: Artist Share. Nordic Connect, Flurry; Flurry: Artist Share. Gary Versace, Lennie’s Pennies; Reminiscence: Steeplechase. Eric Rasmussen, Marshmallow; School of Tristano: Steeplechase. Lennie Tristano, C Minor Complex; Atlantic Jazz Keyboards: Atlantic. 1 a.m. Lee Konitz, Exposition; Rhapsody II: Evidence. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Rich’s Piece; Sky Blue: Artist Share. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Concert in the Garden; Concert in the Garden: Artist Share. Marcus Printup, Bird of Paradise; Bird of Paradise: Steeplechase. Bob Leto Trio, Four On Six Years; Cheesecake: CAP. Tom Guarna, Half Nelson; Wingspan: Steeplechase. 2 a.m. Von Freeman, Moose the Mooch; Best of.: Premonition. Marvin Stamm, Invitation; Alone Together: Jazzed Media. Maria Schneider Orchestra, Sky Blue; Sky Blue: Artist Share. Ryan Cohen, Checkmate; One Sky: Motema. Antonio Sanchez, Inner Urge; Migration: Cam Jazz. Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio 300 East Crystal Lake Road Twin Lake MI 49457 WBLV FM 90.3, Twin Lake/Muskegon; WBLU FM 88.9, Grand Rapids www.bluelake.org

Jazz From Blue Lake Playlist Monday, November 26, 2007 Artist—Song Title – Album Title – Record Label 10 p.m. Eastern Time Bennie Green, Blow Your Horn; Blow Your Horn: Decca. Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond, Koto Song/Balcony Rock; Duets 1975: A&M. Paul Desmond, Out of Nowhere; Complete RCA Quartets with Jim Hall: Mosaic. Paul Desmond/Modern Jazz Quartet, East of the Sun; Town Hall: Red Baron. Brent Jensen, Birk’s Works; One More Mile; Origin. Carl Sanders Exploration, Ow!; The Lost Bill Holman Charts: Mama. 3 Cohens, Lies and Gossip; Braid: Anzic. Bob Devos, As Me Now; Plays For Keeps: Savant. 11 p.m. Dave Brubeck Quartet, Take 5; Time Out: Columbia. Paul Desmond, Take 10; Complete RCA Quartets with Jim Hall: Mosaic. Dave Brubeck Octet, The Way You Look Tonight; Octet: OJC. Dave Brubeck Quartet, The Way You Look Tonight; Jazz at Oberlin: Fantasy. Kim Richmond Ensemble, Invitation; Live at the Café Metropole: Origin. Mahnattan Jazz Quintet, Fly Me To the Moon; Someday My Prince Will Come: Video Arts Music. Rosemary Clooney, Thanks for the Memory; 70: Concord. Ruby Braff/Flying Pizzarelli’s, I Didn’t Know What Time It Was; C’est Magnifique: Arbors. Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio 300 East Crystal Lake Road Twin Lake MI 49457 WBLV FM 90.3, Twin Lake/Muskegon; WBLU FM 88.9, Grand Rapids www.bluelake.org

Jazz From Blue Lake Sunday, November 25, 2007 Artist—Song Title – Album Title – Record Label 7 p.m. Jackie Ryan, Let There Be Love; You and the Night and the Music: Open Art. Keith Jarrett Trio, The Song Is You; My Foolish Heart: ECM. Gerald Wilson Orchestra, I Concentrate On You; Monterey Moods: Mack Ave. Cyrus Chestnut, Suspicious Minds; Cyrus Plays Elvis: Koch. John Scofield, Behind Closed Doors; This Meets That: EmArcy. The Bad Plus, This Guy’s In Love With You; Prog: Heads Up. Marvin Stamm, Invitation; Alone Together: Jazzed Media. Stacey Kent, I Wish I Could Go Traveling Again; Breakfast on the Morning Tram: Blue Note. 8 p.m. Andreas Pettersson, The Man I Love; Gershwin On Guitar: EmArcy. Joe Lovano Nonet, Focus; On This Day: Blue Note. Joe Lovano, Raincheck; Billy Strayhorn, Lush Life: Blue Note. Ryan Cohen, Checkmate; Open Sky: Motema. Richard Cole, P.C. Wannabe; Shade: Origin. Carol Sloane, Serenade to Sweden/Mood Indigo; Dedicated to Duke: Arbors. Miles Davis Quintet, Autumn Leaves; Live at Monterey: Monterey Records. 9 p.m. Frank Sinatra: A Voice In Time, one-hour radio special Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio 300 East Crystal Lake Road Twin Lake MI 49457 WBLV FM 90.3 / WBLU FM 88.9 www.bluelake.org

Howard Reich's review of the Tentet's 12/1/07 concert: No wonder they call him "Machine Gun." Firing off phenomenally fleet bursts of sound on alto saxophone, articulating piercing high notes fueled by explosive rhythms on clarinet, the German reedist Peter Brotzmann over the weekend easily lived up to his sobriquet (which also happens to be the title of his landmark recording of 1968). But, remarkably, he was far from the most incendiary of musicians who shared the stage Saturday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Serving as eminence grise for an ensemble of largely younger artists, Brotzmann set the tone for the night but saw his followers play harder, faster and more furiously than he. Yet that always has been part of the charm of the decidedly unconventional Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with this sold-out show. By convening acolytes to build upon the "free jazz" vocabulary Brotzmann long has championed, he magnified the power of his aesthetic several fold. The Chicago Tentet, and its various offshoots, has played often here and across Europe since its inception, and the experience shows. Subtler, more controlled and less frenetic than in 1997, when it practically blew the fixtures off the ceiling at the Empty Bottle in Wicker Park, the tentet today segues almost seamlessly from shattering climaxes to softly stated chorales. If the personnel for this version of the Chicago Tentet weren't precisely the same as when the band first appeared (for starters, this version was staffed by 11 artists), most of the key players were present. Perhaps that explains why these musicians could improvise as a unit without benefit of score, tunes, chord changes, rhythmic beats or you- name-it. The Chicago Tentet long since dispatched with practically all the conventions that define most jazz performances these days. Yet the group proved seductive from the outset, each of the players spinning out long lines at a slow tempo, evoking the spirit of an old New Orleans dirge (though one steeped in 21st Century dissonance). Before long, saxophonist Brotzmann was producing the tough and leathery tone that is his signature, his lines dovetailing elegantly with bowed phrases from cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and bassist Kent Kessler. Some of the best music of the night emerged when particular members of the band played off of one another. The serene duets between muted trombones, the sharp give-and-take between brass and rhythm players, the fugal counterpoint among several players (with lyric poetry from Joe McPhee's valve trombone and Ken Vandermark's bass clarinet) reminded listeners that free jazz is not necessarily about noise. Not that there wasn't plenty of that -- a slight excess, in fact. But better these artists celebrate their anniversary with too much excitement, rather than too little.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27493