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Recent jazz releases
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Dave Douglas -
Freak In (RCA Bluebird) Feb 18
Trumpeter Dave Douglas's tour for his 2001 album
Witness featured two keyboardists, Jamie Saft and Craig Taborn, and laptop computer percussionist Ikue Mori. The sounds of the electric keyboards inspired him to use more electronics and studio techniques on his new album, Freak In.
Most of Douglas's previous albums have included some cover tunes; on Freak In all the pieces are Douglas originals. Douglas recorded most of the new one with a core rhythm section of Saft, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Joey Baron. Douglas then rearranged the music on the computer with the help of Saft (who also co-produced the album) and then added the other musicians—Mori, Taborn, tabla player/percussionist Karsh Kale, saxophonists Chris Speed and Seamus Blake (on alternating tracks) and guitarists Marc Ribot and Romero Lubambo.
Douglas gets a rich sound from his nonet of musicians.
Despite the use of electronics and studio manipulation, the record has an organic feel. Some of the tunes, such as the title tune "Freak In" and "The Great Schism" (which later has a very nice tabla solo), have a Milesean vibe, perhaps continued from his previous album,
The Infinite. There's good variety on the album—from the ballad-like start of "Maya" (which later gets louder and has an intense trumpet solo) and the pretty tune "Traveler There Is No Road," to the funkier wildness of "Eastern Parkway" and the multiple electronic keyboards of "Culver City Park."
Antipop Consortium -
Antipop vs. Matthew Shipp (Thirsty Ear) Feb 18
This new release is a collaboration of the avant-garde hip-hop trio,
Antipop Consortium, with free-jazz pianist
Matthew Shipp in his more melodic Thirsty Ear Blue Series incarnation.
Shipp is playing here with his trio of bassist William Parker and drummer Guillermo E Brown plus vibist Khan Jamal and trumpeter Daniel Carter.
The collaboration combines some rather laid back hip-hop with some spacey jazz. (I chuckled at the slow "All Blues"
quote on "A Knot In Your Bop. ")
This isn't your typical popish hip-hop. The group has produced some haunting melodies and riffs that stay in your head.
New Issues
New releases for the week of 2/18 include two genre-mixing albums: Dave Douglas on RCA Bluebird and the Antipop Consortium/Matthew Shipp on Thirsty Ear (see capsule reviews above).
Also out are new titles by Daniel Carter/Reuben Radding on AUM Fidelity; a piano trio from Bruce Barth on MaxJazz; and 'Papa' John DeFrancesco and Bill Heid on Savant.
Plus titles by Cecil Taylor on FMP; Gary Lucas/Jozef van Wissem on BVHaast and Steve Lacy on Sketch; Orna on A440; and The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet on Horn Hut.
Reissues & Vintage Issues
Reissues & vintage issues this week include two 1980s Therasa titles by Pharoah Sanders and John Hicks being reissued by Evidence; both have bonus material. (A review of the Sanders CD is coming soon).
Fantasy Jazz has a batch of titles on the Prestige, Milestone and Riverside labels, with titles by Gary Bartz, Shelly Manne, Natt Adderley, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Shirley Scott, McCoy Tyner, Charlie Byrd and Gene Ammons/James Moody.
Also out is a set of historic 1964 performances by Albert Ayler with his under-documented quartet with Don Cherry, Gary Peacock and Sonny Murray on Ayler Records.
There are also reissues from Herbie Mann on Atlantic; Don Shirley and Nina Simone on Collectables; and Kidd Thomas on 504.
As always, more titles and personnel information follow below. Information on releases for the future are on our website. And you can help suport JAZZMATAZZ by visiting our sponsors.
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Upcoming
Jazz Releases
[home.att.net/~lankina/jazz/upcomingcds.html]
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Recent
jazz releases
(from Oct to last week)
[home.att.net/~lankina/jazz/newjazz.html]
~~~
Earlier jazz releases
(from Jan-Dec 2002)
[home.att.net/~lankina/jazz/cds2002.html]
[home.att.net/~lankina/jazz/jazzmatazz_cds2002.zip]
Clicking on the album title will link to the CDuniverse or Amazon site, which includes sound
samples (indicated by
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for many of the CDs. Sound samples often aren't posted until the CD is released,
so be sure to check back for them on the
recent releases and earlier
year 2002 and
year 2001
pages.
(Also take a look at our list of music coupons and my sale list )
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Please send comments to Alan Lankin (jazzmatazz@att.net).
last update 15 March 2003
