We were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the great Sam Rivers. That last name is as right as rain - his talents were so varied, multifarious, they were like streams that fed into the greater ocean of jazz. Best known as great saxophonist equally adept at the tenor and soprano, he was also a remarkable flutist and pianist, who quietly put his stamp on both instruments. As anyone who has seen Rivers live can attest, he was an astonishing improviser who could instantly summon pieces that were both dramatic and affecting, wrought in [...]
SOUNDDANCE, PT. 2 Muhal Richard Abrams, with George Lewis SoundDance Pi Records : 2011 MRA, piano; GL, trombone, laptop. FOCUS, THRUTIME... -> TIME, PT. 3 Muhal Richard Abrams, with Fred Anderson SoundDance Pi Records : 2011 MRA, piano; FA, tenor saxophone. We're continuing our exploration of the work of the [...]
Muhal Richard Abrams may be most widely acknowledged as a composer, but he improvises like a bat out of hell. Give him some help, and it's even more so. If you are reading this, chances are that you are already acquainted with pianist Muhal Richard Abrams' music. And if that's the case, you are already aware of just how uncompromising his craft is, be it composed or improvisational. Abrams has spent a lifetime pillaging both, and believe it or not, at the ripe old age of 80, he's still in the mood to playfully topple over our ideas of [...]
We're thrilled to be able to present a second erudite guest post from saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa . Here he riffs on his association with the unsung altoist Bunky Green, and provides several views and sonic snapshots of Green's career to date. Over to you, Rudresh! & & & I am honored to be back at D:O for a guest post! Last time I was here , I was discussing my relationship with Indian Classical music, as I had just released [...]
ENCORE Fred Anderson & Muhal Richard Abrams Live in Verona Sala della Guardia : 1979 FA, tenor sax; MRA, piano. Fred Anderson, RIP. We can't quite muster the words to do Fred Anderson justice, so let this exceptional live track featuring him and Muhal Richard Abrams serve as our aural epitaph, for now. Thanks to Hank Shteamer for the tip. This is an especially appropriate cut given Abrams' deeply-felt musical tribute to Anderson [...]
UNKNOWN Muhal Richard Abrams Tin Palace, NYC 1976.07.18 MRA, piano; Anthony Braxton, alto sax; George Lewis, trombone; Fred Hopkins, bass; Steve McCall, drums. ARHYTHM SONGY Muhal Richard Abrams 1-Oqa+19 Black Saint : 1977 MRA, piano; Anthony Braxton, alto sax; Leonard Jones, bass. PANORAMA Muhal Richard Abrams [...]
Filed under: All About Jazz The jazz festival season is now upon us, which means that this column will be doing quite a bit of that kind of coverage in the coming weeks. A favorite annual rite is the Vision Festival, held in the Lower East Side of Manhattan for the last 14 years. This will take place June 20-30 at a number of locations and even includes a free outdoor performance. Rather than list the six different venues myself, click here for a complete and up-to-date listing of the details. [...]
SWEET EARTH FLYING, PART 3 ELEVEN LIGHT CITY, PART 1 Marion Brown Sweet Earth Flying Impulse : 1974 MB, alto and soprano sax; Muhal Richard Abrams, organ, electric piano, piano; Paul Bley, organ, electric piano, piano; James Jefferson, bass; Steve McCall, drums; Bill Hasson, percussion. SWEET EARTH FLYING His Name Is Alive Sweet Earth Flower High Two : 2007 [...]
Mosaic Records revives composer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton's complete Arista recordings - 13 LPs on 8 CDs - featuring a variety of ensembles from the mid-1970s.
![D:O [Heart] The 80s, Part Three](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/1469832_lg.jpg)
CHARLIE M Art Ensemble of Chicago Full Force ECM : 1980 Lester Bowie, trumpet; Joseph Jarman, saxophones; Roscoe Mitchell, saxophones; Malachi Favors Maghostus, bass; Famoudou Don Moye, drums, percussion. BLACK BLUES The Henry Threadgill Sextett Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket About Time : 1983 Henry Threadgill, alto and baritone saxophones; Olu Dara, cornet; Craig Harris, trombone; Diedre Murray, cello; Fred Hopkins, bass; John Betsch [...]
"And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual." Steinbeck Black Medicine Music from Stag Hare , rapidfire freejazz from Chicago's DKV Trio (Hamid Drake, Kent Kessler , Ken Vandermark), Murky urban ghetto tales from Ciccone Youth aka Sonic Youth, [...]
ANCIENT AND FUTURE REFLECTIONS Â DU KING (DEDICATED TO DUKE ELLINGTON) DUET FOR ONE WORLD Muhal Richard Abrams Blues Forever Black Saint : 1982 MRA, piano and conductor; Baikida Carroll, trumpet, flugelhorn; Craig Harris, trombone; Wallace Laroy McMillan, baritone sax, flute; Jimmy Vass, alto sax, flute; Eugene Ghee, tenor sax, clarinet; Vincent Chancey, French horn; Howard Johnson, tuba, baritone sax; Jean-Paul Bourelly, guitar; Michael Logan, bass; Andrew Cyrille, drums. [...]
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