Sunday, April 08, 2007

HurdAudio Rotation: The Easter Free Jazz Blues Resurrection

Clusone Trio: Clusone 3. Ramboy #01, 1991. Continuing with my explorations of Michael Moore's creative output I turn my ears to the Clusone Trio:
Michael Moore: alto sax, clarinet, melodica
Ernst Reijseger: cello
Han Bennink: percussion
high energy drumming is restrained to mere glee through some spirited This is a great trio and a great listen. Bennink'sinterpretations of music by Moore, Bobby Troup, Paulo Moura, Franky Douglas, Berbie Nichols, Hermeto Pascoal and Misha Mengelberg. The arrangements, improvisations and compositions are pure joy. I suspect Michael Moore will continue to become a sonic obsession at HurdAudio.

Elliott Sharp's Terraplane: Blues for Next. 2000. KFW-85. Terraplane is:
Sim Cain: drums
Sam Furnace: alto and baritone sax
David Hofstra: electric and acoustic bass, tuba
Elliott Sharp: guitars, tenor sax, compositions
This is a double-CD. The first disc: "Plus" is a mixed bag of Terraplane plus a guest performer. These guests include: Dean Bowman: vocals, Eric Mingus: vocals, and Hubert Sumlin: electric guitar. The second disc: "Quartet" showcases works performed by Terraplane featuring some great solos from the late Sam Furnace.

My usual, knee-jerk aversion to vocals has eroded somewhat over the past few years. Eric Mingus is the standout vocalist on the "plus" collection and there is a real satisfaction to hearing great blues singing over this band. Some of the other tracks on "plus" are a bit rough and leave the vocals disconnected from the overall experience. The "quartet" disc is a more focused and consistent experience as Elliott Sharp brings his sound and compositional approach to the blues format with some meaty results.

Terry Riley: Atlantis Nath. This one is becoming a frequent part of the HurdAudio rotation as the ears continue to crave this multi-faceted expression from this deeply spiritual composer. Terry Riley doesn't get nearly enough credit both for his arrangements and the substance of compositional ideas.

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