As many critics and writers in the jazz or improvised music circles, I like to get listed my favourite albums of the year. Of course there are recordings and labels that I can't write about because i don't get them. Also I am focusing on free improvisation although I appreciate other kind of musics like contemporary composition or early classical (baroque or renaissance), much traditional musics (Indian (Southern and Northern), Persian, Turkish, Central Asia, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, African and so on), jazz musics etc... But I don't write about it because I think that I am not competent enough and also it should take too much time. Also being myself a practician and performer of free improvised music, I suppose that it helps writing on this subject.
I am buying a good deal of the recordings which are reviewed here and I receive also from some labels. Thanks a lot ! But I can't afford for more CD's and my listening and writing time is limited. I dislike writing for other magazines or blogs other than french Improjazz because no one else than Philippe Renaud and his colleagues allow me to write as long as I wish without any censoring or cutting.
Some musicians love to send me their recordings and I am trying to get the right kind of words their music and talent deserve, even if there is the kind of albums that I would have not bought for my collection. Sometimes I get some very nice discoveries. I buy cd's of some improvisers with the purpose to listen and to write about. Even, I do prefer buying them as it is sometimes embarassing to get a cd from a very nice person and not being able to appreciate and translate in the kind words his work eventually deserves.
There are also free improvisers' musics whose albums I don't review much or not at all, because their CD's are reviewed very often elsewhere and even everywhere else. I think that the interest in improvised music lays in its great diversity. There a huge numbers of great players who are remaining unknown because, by example, they are not touring much, they have a side day job or they live in the middle of nowhere. Not being very codified free improvisation is allowing the musicians to get into very individual (and collective) expression. I wouldn't also make too much distinctions in my appreciation between what we call "free-jazz" and the so called "free improvisation" or "non-idiomatic music", although the sequencing of events and the role of soloists and rhythm team bass and drums seems often boring to me. My awareness of the music grew in the seventies at a time when very innovative players of the free jazz scene were performing in unusual instrumental configurations like Steve Lacy and Anthony Braxton solo performances and AB's duos with George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell's Noonah album, Joe Bowie and Oliver Lake duo, Barre Phillips' Journal Violone and his duo with Dave Holland or the Dialogue of Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves. And there was the great european scene with Bennink, Bailey, Brötz, Parker, Rutherford etc..
At the time, the hard-core listeners were enjoying the concerts and recordings without dabbling what should be it. So by now, you have quite specialized players in a sort of attitude / focused musical direction like the harpist Rhodri Davies and others who are developing a multiple choice search as trombone maestro Paul Hubweber.
So :
my favourite solo wind albums : Cycles of Steve Lacy on Emanem 5205, Everybody Digs Michel Doneda on Relative Pitch and Veracity of Trevor Watts on FMR.
Without drum and quite microtonal : Two Men Walking of Mat Maneri and Ivo Perelman on Leo.
From the Jazz tradition and beyond : That Deep Calling of Deep Whole trio Paul Dunmall Paul Rogers and Mark Sanders FMR CD 370 and Le Fonds de l'Air François Tusquès, Mirtha Pozzi and Pablo Cueco, improvising beings 31.
Nice intersection point between free jazz and free improvisation : Clocks and Clouds of Luis Vincente, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Fausto Hernani and Marco Franco FMR CD 371.
The Trio Box of the Year : I Wish You Were Here by The Recedents : Lol Coxhill, Mike Cooper and Roger Turner on FreeFormExpression.
The 80's Concertson SAJ : 5cd's of Sven Åke Johansson with Wolfgang Fuchs, Gunther Christmann, Tristan Honsinger, Mats Gustafsson, Alex von Schlippenbach, Torsten Müller, Richard Teitelbaum, Steve Beresford, Rudiger Carl and Hans Reichel.
Vario 51 : Gunther Christmann, Alberto Braida, Michael Griener and Elke Schipper. Edition Explico.
Dialog(ue)s : interaction of music and drawing Gunther Christmann and Jörg Huffschmidt. Edition Explico.
A nod to contemporary and exceptional, SFD : Gruppen Modulor , Simon H Fell and Alex Ward Bruce's Finger 123 download.
With two lost voices et vraiment fou : Instants Chavirés of Peter Kowald, Annick Nozati and Daunik Lazro, FOU records.
Little Theatre Club 73/74 reissued : Dynamics of the Impromptu, Trevor Watts, Derek Bailey and John Stevens FMR
Clockwork free improvisation : Gateway ’97 WTTF Phil Wachsmann Pat Thomas Roger Turner Alexander Frangenheim Creative Sources and Zuebeschanali by Roland Ramanan, Tom Jackson and Daniel Thompson Leo 600.
Psychédélique boîte du jour : Sonny Simmons Other Matter Bruno Grégoire Anton Mobin Aka Bondage nobodisoundz
Leaving Knowledge Wisdom and Brilliance / Chasing the Bird ?
8 CD Improvising Beings ib 25-26 .
Bohmans noise : Secluded in Jersey City Secluded Brontë Adam and Jonathan Bohman, Richard Thomas Pogus Production.
Trane Tribute number one : Tribute to John Coltrane et Thank You John Coltrane Paul Dunmall and Tony Bianco SLAM 290 et 292.
Most wanted musician's future recording not yet issued : Paul Hubweber.
Most sought after but not in my collection because I can't afford these very expensive items : Triple Points supreme wax quality vinyle boxe of New York Art Quartet of John Tchicaï Roswell Rudd and Milford Graves and various bass players and double lp OUT LOUD of Frank Lowe with Joe Bowie William Parker and Steve Reid.
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I am buying a good deal of the recordings which are reviewed here and I receive also from some labels. Thanks a lot ! But I can't afford for more CD's and my listening and writing time is limited. I dislike writing for other magazines or blogs other than french Improjazz because no one else than Philippe Renaud and his colleagues allow me to write as long as I wish without any censoring or cutting.
Some musicians love to send me their recordings and I am trying to get the right kind of words their music and talent deserve, even if there is the kind of albums that I would have not bought for my collection. Sometimes I get some very nice discoveries. I buy cd's of some improvisers with the purpose to listen and to write about. Even, I do prefer buying them as it is sometimes embarassing to get a cd from a very nice person and not being able to appreciate and translate in the kind words his work eventually deserves.
There are also free improvisers' musics whose albums I don't review much or not at all, because their CD's are reviewed very often elsewhere and even everywhere else. I think that the interest in improvised music lays in its great diversity. There a huge numbers of great players who are remaining unknown because, by example, they are not touring much, they have a side day job or they live in the middle of nowhere. Not being very codified free improvisation is allowing the musicians to get into very individual (and collective) expression. I wouldn't also make too much distinctions in my appreciation between what we call "free-jazz" and the so called "free improvisation" or "non-idiomatic music", although the sequencing of events and the role of soloists and rhythm team bass and drums seems often boring to me. My awareness of the music grew in the seventies at a time when very innovative players of the free jazz scene were performing in unusual instrumental configurations like Steve Lacy and Anthony Braxton solo performances and AB's duos with George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell's Noonah album, Joe Bowie and Oliver Lake duo, Barre Phillips' Journal Violone and his duo with Dave Holland or the Dialogue of Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves. And there was the great european scene with Bennink, Bailey, Brötz, Parker, Rutherford etc..
At the time, the hard-core listeners were enjoying the concerts and recordings without dabbling what should be it. So by now, you have quite specialized players in a sort of attitude / focused musical direction like the harpist Rhodri Davies and others who are developing a multiple choice search as trombone maestro Paul Hubweber.
So :
my favourite solo wind albums : Cycles of Steve Lacy on Emanem 5205, Everybody Digs Michel Doneda on Relative Pitch and Veracity of Trevor Watts on FMR.
Without drum and quite microtonal : Two Men Walking of Mat Maneri and Ivo Perelman on Leo.
From the Jazz tradition and beyond : That Deep Calling of Deep Whole trio Paul Dunmall Paul Rogers and Mark Sanders FMR CD 370 and Le Fonds de l'Air François Tusquès, Mirtha Pozzi and Pablo Cueco, improvising beings 31.
Nice intersection point between free jazz and free improvisation : Clocks and Clouds of Luis Vincente, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Fausto Hernani and Marco Franco FMR CD 371.
The Trio Box of the Year : I Wish You Were Here by The Recedents : Lol Coxhill, Mike Cooper and Roger Turner on FreeFormExpression.
The 80's Concertson SAJ : 5cd's of Sven Åke Johansson with Wolfgang Fuchs, Gunther Christmann, Tristan Honsinger, Mats Gustafsson, Alex von Schlippenbach, Torsten Müller, Richard Teitelbaum, Steve Beresford, Rudiger Carl and Hans Reichel.
Vario 51 : Gunther Christmann, Alberto Braida, Michael Griener and Elke Schipper. Edition Explico.
Dialog(ue)s : interaction of music and drawing Gunther Christmann and Jörg Huffschmidt. Edition Explico.
A nod to contemporary and exceptional, SFD : Gruppen Modulor , Simon H Fell and Alex Ward Bruce's Finger 123 download.
With two lost voices et vraiment fou : Instants Chavirés of Peter Kowald, Annick Nozati and Daunik Lazro, FOU records.
Little Theatre Club 73/74 reissued : Dynamics of the Impromptu, Trevor Watts, Derek Bailey and John Stevens FMR
Clockwork free improvisation : Gateway ’97 WTTF Phil Wachsmann Pat Thomas Roger Turner Alexander Frangenheim Creative Sources and Zuebeschanali by Roland Ramanan, Tom Jackson and Daniel Thompson Leo 600.
Psychédélique boîte du jour : Sonny Simmons Other Matter Bruno Grégoire Anton Mobin Aka Bondage nobodisoundz
Leaving Knowledge Wisdom and Brilliance / Chasing the Bird ?
8 CD Improvising Beings ib 25-26 .
Bohmans noise : Secluded in Jersey City Secluded Brontë Adam and Jonathan Bohman, Richard Thomas Pogus Production.
Trane Tribute number one : Tribute to John Coltrane et Thank You John Coltrane Paul Dunmall and Tony Bianco SLAM 290 et 292.
Most wanted musician's future recording not yet issued : Paul Hubweber.
Most sought after but not in my collection because I can't afford these very expensive items : Triple Points supreme wax quality vinyle boxe of New York Art Quartet of John Tchicaï Roswell Rudd and Milford Graves and various bass players and double lp OUT LOUD of Frank Lowe with Joe Bowie William Parker and Steve Reid.
