This reissue of Sun Ra’s Nothing Is . . . comes “complete”—or at least more complete, with ninety minutes of extra music—one complete concert set from St. Lawrence University in Potsdam, New York, on May 1996, plus a partial second set and a sound check from that same evening. The liner notes, sadly, do not match theContinue reading “Sun Ra. College Tour Vol. 1: The Complete Nothing Is…”
Genre Archives
Various Artists. Sixty Interpretations of Sixty Seconds.
One very strong impression that remained with me after listening to the duration of Sixty Interpretations of Sixty Seconds was that David Sait would make an excellent DJ. Perhaps that sounds like a trivial or flippant remark, but without that curator’s clever and highly musical sequencing and keen sense of timing, this project—or any projectContinue reading “Various Artists. Sixty Interpretations of Sixty Seconds.”
Eric Leonardson & Steve Barsotti. Rarebit.
Leonardson and Barsotti have both fashioned their own peculiar sonic contraptions that provide all manner of congruently peculiar noises over the span of this disc. Each track encompasses its own world, constructed of noises that are both highly physical and also difficult to trace back to an actual source. You can almost feel the itchyContinue reading “Eric Leonardson & Steve Barsotti. Rarebit.”
Electric Eclectics 5. The Funny Farm, Meaford, Ontario. July 30–August 1, 2010.
True to its moniker, Electric Eclectics is more than just a head-spinningly diverse festival of modern music. It’s also a truly eclectic experience. Equal parts experimental music festival, bush party, camping trip, participatory art happening, and gathering of lovable misfits, EE is a one-of-a-kind event. In five short years, it has become a must-see summerContinue reading “Electric Eclectics 5. The Funny Farm, Meaford, Ontario. July 30–August 1, 2010.”
Sound Symposium XV. St. John’s, Newfoundland. July 2–10, 2010.
Sound Symposium XV offered up in equal portions traditional concerts, sound installations, urban music, and everything in between. The festival itself became a nine-day art event, greater than the sum of its parts, and for that, the curatorial team deserves to be applauded. For the duration of the festival, the whole city became an auditorium,Continue reading “Sound Symposium XV. St. John’s, Newfoundland. July 2–10, 2010.”
John Zorn, Fred Frith. Late Works.
It helps, I think, to imagine John Zorn as the rude one in this couple, and Fred Frith as the polite one. In their collaborations, as in their work outside those collaborations, alto saxophonist (and Tzadik label maven) Zorn waved a rude goodbye to listenability ages ago; his followers must now concentrate through barrages ofContinue reading “John Zorn, Fred Frith. Late Works.”
David Sait, Glen Hall, Gino Robair, Ladonna Smith. Postage Paid Duet–Vol. 2.
With the Postage Paid Duets, Toronto musician David Sait brings us a remarkable collection of improvisation. His instrument, the guzheng (or Chinese zither), is rather unique in the improv world, and his platform for improvisation—by mail—also adds another layer of novelty to this collection of music. Dubbed “time-delayed free improvisations,” the seven tracks find himContinue reading “David Sait, Glen Hall, Gino Robair, Ladonna Smith. Postage Paid Duet–Vol. 2.”
Sainkho Namchylak, Nick Sudnick. Not Quite Songs.
Sainkho Namchylak, a native of Tuva, is relatively well known for her brilliant accommodation of throat-singing techniques to free improvisation, using a body of traditional techniques to create music of extraordinarily expressive power, mixing high-pitched metallic sounds and multiphonics in ways that can both surprise and move a listener. Her partner here, Nick Sudnick, isContinue reading “Sainkho Namchylak, Nick Sudnick. Not Quite Songs.”
Dave Liebman, Evan Parker, Tony Bianco. Relevance.
The saxophonists Dave Liebman and Evan Parker might not immediately strike one as likely associates: Liebman, a one-time member of Miles Davis’ electric band, usually works well within the jazz tradition; Parker is usually associated with free improvisation and a mastery of techniques including circular breathing and polyphonic lines. However they share strong common rootsContinue reading “Dave Liebman, Evan Parker, Tony Bianco. Relevance.”
Joëlle Léandre, François Houle, Raymond Strid. Last Seen Headed: Live at Sons d’Hiver.
Few musicians in the international improvising community can find as many varied settings with which to create an ever-expanding musical language as can French bassist Joëlle Léandre. She appears here as part of a trio with Vancouver-based clarinettist François Houle and Swedish percussionist Raymond Strid. The group’s distinguishing compositional quality is its linearity, an abilityContinue reading “Joëlle Léandre, François Houle, Raymond Strid. Last Seen Headed: Live at Sons d’Hiver.”