HurdAudio Rotation: The Long View

Annie Gosfield: Flying Sparks and Heavy Machinery. 2001. Tzadik: TZ 7069.

EWA7 (1999)

Annie Gosfield: sampling keyboard
Roger Kleier: electric guitar
Ikue Mori: electronics
Jim Pugliese: drums, percussion
Sim Cain: drums, percussion
Hans-Gunter Brodmann: metal factory percussion
Matthias Rosenbauer: metal factory percussion

Flying Sparks and Heavy Machinery (2000)

Flux Quartet
Tom Chiu: violin
Cornelius Dufallo: violin
Kenji Bunch: viola
Darrett: Adkins: cello

Talujon Percussion Quartet
Michael Lipsey: percussion
Dominic Donato: percussion
Tom Kolor: percussion
Jim Pugliese: percussion

Annie Gosfield has a stylistic sensibility that cannot be described without sounding like less than the stunning results she achieves through her music.  As a composer who collects samples to build a big part of her sonic pallet (performing many of these samples herself as part of the ensemble) she is hardly treading into revolutionary territory.  Yet the musicality of her pieces is astonishing and way ahead of so many who have worked with similar materials.  Her craft is the kind of music that these ears have craved.  Realizing the potential rarely found by so many armed with samplers and an idea for integrating real world sounds into music.  Her pieces are music first, never outstripped by their concept, execution and intention.

Both of the pieces on this disc focus on the sonic matter of factory sounds.  Steering clear of the theme of "dehumanization" of factory work and machinery, it instead brings a wide open ear to the beauty inherent in the sonic materials of industrial scale mechanics.  Sounds that reveal a deeper humanity within sonic materials revealed by percussionists and recordists alike.  EWA 7 builds upon a shifting symbiotic relationship between sampled materials and live players with an all-encompassing sense of groove and texture.  All of which makes excellent use of the materials and the players at hand in its realization.  Flying Sparks and Heavy Machinery then takes this same textural and inspirational content and applies it to composed music.  Peeling away a layer of abstraction just below the sampled textures found in EWA 7.  Taken together, these two pieces form two halves a singular sonic vision and a startling sense of what is possible when wide open ears and blistering intelligence are brought to bear upon the tools of sampling technology and compositional prowess.  Highly recommended.

Fantastic Merlins: Look Around. 2007. Innova: 670.

Nathan Hanson: tenor saxophone, electronics
Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan: cello, electronics
Brian Roessler: bass
Federico Ughi: drums

The music of the Fantastic Merlins is informed by many influences and sources.  My ears can hear the gentle tug of fellow Minnesota resident George Cartwright's angular compositions and early Curlew sounds.  Much of this is reinforced by the cello and saxophone arrangements.  But there are also passing references to a full body of jazz history and grounded feeling for a world of musics.  The slower tempo tracks finding expressive force through long phrases that exhale through harmonic terrain.  Faster tempos touching briefly upon ostinato patterns and groove before dissolving into a sophisticated sense of texture.  One can even hear the bitter cold winters of Minneapolis and the undercurrents found in the music of The Bad Plus.  Not every shifting passage leaves a lasting impression, but it does leave an itch to hear Look Around again.  

Marty Ehrlich: The Long View. 2002. Enja: 9452-2.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, bass clarinet
Sam Furnace: alto saxophone, flute
Ned Rothenberg: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Robert Debellis: tenor saxophone, clarinet
JD Parran: tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Andy Laster: baritone saxophone, clarinet
Eddie Allen: trumpet
James Zollar: trumpet
John Clark: french horn
Clark Gayton: trombone
Marcus Rojas: tuba
Mark Dresser: bass
Michael Sarin: drums
Mark Helias: conductor, bass
Mark Feldman: violin
Ralph Farris: viola
Erik Friedlander: cello
Eddie Bobe: bongos, cowbell
Bobby Previte: drums, bass drum, tambourine
Wayne Horvitz: piano
Ray Anderson: trombone
Pheeroan AkLaff: drums

This disc was a "must have" just on the strength of the personnel included in these sessions.  The fact that this is a multi-movement work for shifting ensembles composed by Marty Ehrlich and realized by this all-star ensemble makes this one a long-running favorite in the rotation.  The fourth movement in particular is pure bliss with its Wayne Horvitz introduction leading into a brilliant quartet performance from Ehrlich, Horvitz, Dresser and Previte.  The rockin' Marcus Rojas tuba introduction for the fifth movement is another highlight. As is the Eddie Allen trumpet solo in the first and the soprano saxophone plus strings, drums and percussion second movement.  It's a "must hear."  Long form jazz compositions rarely get such aggressively solid realizations as this and the musical material gives these players plenty to dig into.

HurdAudio Rotation: Your Face Arrives in the Redbud Trees

Chris Mosley Trio: The Miraculous Aspect of Time. 2006. Red Button Records: RBR-101.

Chris Mosley: guitar, fretless guitar, 36-tone guitar
Damian Erskine: electric bass
Drew Shoals: drums

I could easily go for a full length recording of the "Interlude" material that Chris Mosley barely hints at on this set. Which is not a knock on the trio pieces that fill out the bulk of this recording with his thoroughly intimidating guitar chops and inventive sense of melodic development. It's just that I've heard a lot of insane guitar chops and inventive melodic development and it's the introspective, 36-tone guitar pieces that carve out new harmonic territory that hit me right where I live. The prospect of hearing a full hour (or several hours) of insane guitar chops and improvisational ability applied to a xenharmonic world is incredibly tantalizing and the brief "Interlude" pieces are just a wisp of what could be. Beyond that, Mosley is clearly a guitar talent that bears watching regardless of what creative directions he pursues.

Myra Melford/Be Bread: The Image of Your Body. 2006. Cryptogramophone: CG131.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Brandon Ross: electric guitar, bajo, voice
Cuong Vu: trumpet, electronics
Stomu Takeishi: electric bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar, electronics
Elliot Humberto Kavee: drums

The familiar Melford composition "Equal Grace" opens this collection with an arrangement that pulls these ears in with incredible gravity. Promising an aural journey over the span of this disc and then delivering with breath taking accuracy. Myra Melford's compositions and arrangements (and titles) are infused with poetry and an absorption of Sufi spirituality. A poetry that emerges for just one track as Brandon Ross reads the poem from which so many of the titles on this disc are derived in "The Image Of Your Body." Poetry and music that is grounded within a sensibility of self and selflessness. This music turns inward and more spiritual through the tracks that Myra Melford switches over to harmonium. Forming the core of this set before moving back to piano and the mix of composed themes pollinated by bursts of free improvisation and ensemble textures. This is a remarkable recording.

The Ray Anderson-Marty Ehrlich Quartet: Hear You Say - Live in Willisau. 2010. Intuition: INTCHR71303.

Ray Anderson: trombone
Marty Ehrlich: clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Brad Jones: bass
Matt Wilson: drums

My first impression is that Brad Jones and Matt Wilson are accomplished enough musicians to deserve equal billing in this convergence of titans. Matt Wilson in particular has a way of propelling everything to the next level just by working the drum kit. This quartet is no exception even though one wouldn't think that Ray Anderson and Marty Ehrlich could possibly have a "next level" to go to. Each musician brings their own personality into this mix. And that means the compositions brought into this set allow plenty of room for both the "crazy" solos and a deep grounding in the history of jazz. These are musicians that play that history without wallowing in it. They bring the same kind of energy and sense of time that has been such a vital part of swing and bop through the ages and deliver a synthesis of something astonishingly vital. A great document of what happens when living masters collide on stage.

HurdAudio Rotation: Richter Scale

Bill Frisell: Richter 858. 2005. Songlines: SGL 2551-2.

Bill Frisell: guitars, electronics
Hank Roberts: cello
Jenny Scheinman: violin
Eyvind Kang: viola

Eight compositions for an electric guitar variant of the string quartet that draw upon Gerhard Richter's Abstract Pictures as the trigger for the formal, textural and substantive material of these works. Improvisation plays an important role, as it does in the paintings themselves. The strong sense of horizontal line and vibrant colors are beautifully captured. The fluidity of paint and brush stroke finding a strong parallel in bows and strings. Recorded live without overdubs, these performances hang in the air to be savored in the same manner the paintings hang on the wall. This recording is a small detour away from the Americana sound that Frisell has made into his signature style. Yet it is also a return to his earlier sound (and collaborations, in the case of Hank Roberts) as well as the kind of record long time fans of this guitarist have been hoping he would make. Much of the sound retains that familiar Frisell sound, in much the same way even the most abstract brush stroke of Gerhard Richter retains the DNA of its creator.

Marty Ehrlich: News On the Rail. 2005. Palmetto Records: PM 2113.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, clarinet
James Zollar: trumpet, flugelhorn
Howard Johnson: tuba, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
James Weidman: piano, melodica
Greg Cohen: bass
Allison Miller: drums

Marty Ehrlich explores his brilliance as both composer and performer within the medium of the "large small" ensemble. Weaving material through the sextet as it alternates between big band type writing to smaller combinations of players that show off the considerable talents of the individuals involved. This material is focused, melodic and tight. There isn't a spare moment that doesn't propel toward the next on this set. Allison Miller's drum work in particular is a revelation.

Donkey Monkey: Ouature. 2007. Umlaut Records: UMCD 0005.

Yuko Oshima: drums, voice, sampler
Eve Risser: piano, voice, turntables

Oshima and Risser pack a lot into the 32-minutes of music found here. Along the way they don't forget to pack in a lot of fun. The first two tracks kick this adventure off with an aggressive dose of fun as this duo rocks things out with equal doses of whimsy and brutally intense playing. The feeling that exudes from this pair makes for a bright spot along the rotation. Highly recommended. It will make you want to get up and dance and put new wrinkles in the brain along the way.

HurdAudio Rotation: Knocking on the Door of the Cosmos

Marty Ehrlich & Myra Melford: Spark! 2007. Palmetto Records: PM 2129.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, clarinet
Myra Melford: piano

"For Leroy" is one of the more heartfelt tributes, sonic prayers and expression of joy expressed in the passing of Leroy Jenkins that I've heard. A musical offering from two musicians who had the experience of knowing and playing with the great improvising violinist. That same reverence comes around as Erhlich and Melford interpret "Images of Time," composed by the late Andrew Hill. It is this impressive outward expressiveness balanced against the inward dialogue between these musicians that makes Spark! such a rewarding listen. My familiarity and appreciation for Melford's compositions runs a notch deeper with these versions of "Night," "A Generation Comes and Another Goes" and the fantastic "I See A Horizon." The Marty Ehrlich compositions call for a similar appreciation and familiarity with his work. The soul of blues and gospel music surges within this music - sometimes only barely perceptible beneath its surface. And the ability to draw upon a small number of elements that build toward a larger resonance gives this disc a sound much larger than a duo recital. This is living, vibrant music paired down to these two forces and it is very good.

Killick: Smudgeriffic. 2007. Sul Ponticello: 021 - limited run CD-R (#9 of 33).

Killick: guitar

Killick embraces the practice of free improvisation with an all consuming abandon. Every component of sound that the electric guitar can produce is fair game in this single movement study of solitary exploration. Simply plugging the instrument into the amplifier becomes a subject for rhythmic exploration. And each idea becomes subject to interruption from the next idea. In many ways, the "smudges" of Smudgeriffic is the restless movement from one timbral space to the next. Much of which reinforces my enthusiasm for the sound worlds and sensibilities this artist brings to life.

Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra: Sleeping Beauty. 1979 (re-issued in 2005). Art Yard: CD 003 & LP 003.

Sun Ra: piano, electric piano, organ, vocals
Marshall Allen: alto saxophone, flute
John Gilmore: tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals
Eloe Omoe: bass clarinet, flute, percussion
Michael Ray: trumpet, vocals
Danny Thompson: baritone saxophone, flute, percussion
Luqman Ali: drums, vocals
Noel Scott: alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, percussion
Craig Harris: trombone
Tony Bethel: trombone
Vincent Chancey: french horn
James Jackson: bassoon, flute, percussion
Walter Miller: trumpet
June Tyson: vocals
Rhoda Blount: vocals
Richard Williams: electric bass
Stanley Morgan: congas
Harry Wilson: vibraphone
Curt Pulliam: trumpet
Kenny Williams: tenor saxophone, flute
Hutch Jones: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Taylor Richardson: electric guitar
Steve Clark: electric bass
Damon Choice: vibraphone, vocals
Eddie Thomas: drums
Reg McDonald: drums
Atakatune: percussion
Sylvester Baton: reeds

A surprisingly laid back and deep groove pathway through the cosmos. Thick with keyboards and an Arkestra of astonishing talent. The John Gilmore solos send chills down the spine with their explosive energy. The "space jazz" message feels disguised by the soulfulness of this session. But it is ever present in the chants that wind through this material. Proving that Sun Ra's interstellar vision didn't exist in a vacuum as it adapted to the twists and bends of genre while still running light years ahead of its time. Put this one on the turntable on a hot day with the windows open.

HurdAudio Rotation: Long Views

Marty Ehrlich: The Long View. 2002. Enja: 9452 2.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, muted alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Sam Furnace: alto saxophone, flute
Ned Rothenberg: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Robert Debellis: tenor saxophone, clarinet, soprano saxophone
JD Parran: tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Andy Laster: baritone saxophone, clarinet
Eddie Allen: trumpet
James Zollar: trumpet
John Clark: french horn
Clark Gayton: trombone
Marcus Rojas: tuba
Mark Dresser: bass
Michael Sarin: drums
Mark Helias: conductor, bass
Mark Feldman: violin
Ralph Farris: viola
Erik Friedlander: cello
Eddie Bobe: bongos, cowbell
Bobby Previte: drums, bass drum, tambourine
Wayne Horvitz: piano
Ray Anderson: trombone
Pheeroan akLaff: drums

A multi-movement long-form jazz composition that is highly revered at HurdAudio. Marty Ehrlich's musical ideas are filtered through the shifting instrumentation between each movement to great effect. The all-wind (plus bass) ensemble of the third movement setting a shimmering sonic texture leading into the quartet of the fourth movement. And that fourth movement is achingly beautiful as it opens with an understated set of phrases played on the piano by Wayne Horvitz. The writing and arranging is spectacular. The performances are even more so. It's amazing to me that accomplishments such as this aren't more widely on people's radar.

Dave Douglas Quintet: Live at the Bimhuis. 2002. Greenleaf Music: GRE-P-011/GRE-P-012.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Rick Margitza: tenor saxophone
Uri Caine: fender rhodes
James Genus: bass
Clarence Penn: drums

An earlier manifestation of a quintet that has since evolved. And a reminder at how good this group has sounded along the way. Two discs documenting two sets at Amsterdam's Bimhuis drawing upon the early Dave Douglas originals found on the first two studio releases from this group and few covers. The take on Beck's "Ramshackle" feels more like a bass feature and transition out of Bjork's "Unison" than a full on arrangement. There's generous helpings of Uri Caine solos (who sounds absolutely smokin' on the fender rhodes) on "Waverly" and "The Frisell Dream." This quintet has been a great vehicle for Dave Douglas that has been generously documented.

The Peter Brötzmann Trio: For Adolphe Sax. 1967 ("Lovingly remastered" in 2002). FMP: UMS/SLP230CD.

Peter Brötzmann: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
Peter Kowald: bass
Sven-Ake Johansson: drums

plus Fred Van Hove (on one track): piano

The debut recording of Peter Brötzmann and his cathartic release of aggression through the saxophone. His role in the European free jazz scene and his ability to completely unload through his instrument is a particular fascination of mine and this recording represents the necessary origin for tracing that noise arc. The bonus track offers an insight into how Fred Van Hove integrated piano improvisation into this brutal texture. It's not as forceful as Machine Gun, but that legendary session is cleanly foreshadowed here. Peter Brötzmann is a forceful argument for trusting one's intuition with musical rage.

HurdAudio Rotation: Railin'

Anthony Braxton 12+1tet: 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 - disc 2. Firehouse 12 Records: FH12-04-03-001.

Recorded live: March 16, 2006 at Iridium Jazz Club, New York City.

The Anthony Braxton 12+1tet
Anthony Braxton: composer, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone, clarinet and Eb contalto clarinet
Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet, flugelhorn, trumpbone, piccolo trumpet, bass trumpet, shell
Andrew Raffo Dewar: soprano saxophone, c-melody saxophone, clarinet
James Fei: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Mary Halvorson: electric guitar
Stephen H. Lehman: alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone
Nicole Mitchell: flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo, voice
Jessica Pavone: viola, violin
Reut Regev: trombone, flugelbone
Jay Rozen: tuba, euphonium
Sara Schoenbeck: bassoon, suona
Aaron Siegel: percussion, vibraphone
Carl Testa: acoustic bass, bass clarinet

Disc 2 = Composition 351 - dedicated to the composer/scholar Harvey Sollberger
The ghost trance music of Anthony Braxton is a compelling slice of the modular body of works that makes up the Baxton catalogue. The overall duration of these pieces - at approximately an hour each in this box set - in conjunction with the collectivist sound of the ensemble achieved through improvisative means pulls at a sense of ritual through a number of approaches toward linear and pulse logics. A textural wash along an ambitious canvas with endless threads of detail woven in from these individual players. A cerebral swing with meditative intent. These ears dig it and offer up a respectful nod to the staggering ideas Braxton has set into motion through sound.

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Symphonies [disc 1]. Recorded in 1994. The International Music Company: 205297-305.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 1 in C Major (op. 21)
Barry Wordsworth: conductor

Symphony No. 2 in D Major (op. 36)
James Lockhart: conductor

As far as historical referential points go, the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven are about as dense a gravitational center one can expect to find. It is possible to effect a renewal with any work of art. But this is more so with the highly fetish-like works from this canon. There is a reason so many ears return to these familiar works - and it's more than the familiarity at work. Starting my own "renewal" with the first two symphonies marks a return to the Hayden-esque roots of Beethoven. The churning, classical sound with a larger sense of polished momentum lurking underneath. The harmonic turns that rattle the chains - but don't actually break them the way later works would.

Marty Ehrlich: News on the Rail. 2005. Palmetto Records: PM 2113.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, clarinet
James Zollar: trumpet, flugelhorn
Howard Johnson: tuba, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
James Weidman: piano, melodica
Greg Cohen: bass
Allison Miller: drums

The fact that this six-piece ensemble sounds so much larger - treading often into big band textures - speaks to the versatility of Ehrlich's writing for ensemble. The salient echoes of Andrew Hill, among other influences, courses through this jazz-rich sound. The versatility of materials also speaks volumes about the quality of composition as well as the outstanding collection of improvising players assembled for this recording. One would be hard pressed to find a Marty Ehrlich project that was less than stellar, and this one offers many layers of deeply thought, felt and played ideas. Layers that call for repeated listening.

HurdAudio Rotation: Duo in Italy, Trio with a Fuse, and a Duo with a Spark!

Nels Cline/Elliott Sharp: Duo Milano. 2007. Long Song Records: LSRCD 103.

Nels Cline: guitars
Elliott Sharp: guitars

With two guitarists working a similar territory of extended technique on acoustic and electric guitars, listening to this recording leads to several moments of puzzling out who is playing which part. With a few tell-tale Sharp licks in the right speaker I'm inclined to conclude that Nels Cline is on the left. This overlap of sensibilities makes for an engaging listen. The duo format is one that Elliott Sharp has explored frequently - particularly with string players - and his developed technique finds an exceptional sonic environment on this disc. The clean, well-recorded production serves this music well.

Matthew Shipp Trio: Circular Temple. 1994. Infinite Zero: 9 14506-2.

Matthew Shipp: piano
William Parker: bass
Whit Dickey: drums

This early Matthew Shipp effort is well worth revisiting - particularly in light of how much these ears have learned about Shipp and William Parker since the last time I gave this disc a spin. The more I hear, the more impressed I am with these figures of New York's Vision Festival. In Circular Temple there is a great dose of free improvising in four movements held together by a consistent approach and chemistry between players. The intensity and focus in this music is high while the range of durations between movements - from under four minutes to just under half and hour - gives the overall compositional feel an organic quality. The ability of Shipp to light a sonic fuse that Parker and Dickey pick up and throw around makes for a timeless listening experience. Beautiful, texturally thick and focused.

Marty Ehrlich/Myra Melford: Spark! 2007. Palmetto Records: PM 2129.

Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, clarinet
Myra Melford: piano

This one is nearly flawless. Two of the best composer improvisers meeting each other as collaborators with some of the most grounded, intuitively ranging duets for piano and reeds. It's not hard to pick out which pieces are composed by which player. Yet it's the addition (and subtraction) that makes these performances so engaging. Ehrlich's "Hymn" opens and closes this set with its gospel-like inflections and soul-drenched sensibility while "Night" may be my new favorite Melford composition with its tantalizing restraint. Spark! deserves many spins.

HurdAudio Rotation: Dreaming the Long View

Marty Ehrlich: The Long View. 2002. Enja Records: ENJ-9452 2.

Marty Ehrlich: composer, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, bass clarinet
with:
Sam Furnace: alto saxophone, flute
Ned Rothenberg: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Robert DeBellis: tenor saxophone, clarinet, soprano saxophone
JD Parran: tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Andy Laster: baritone saxophone, clarinet
Eddie Allen: trumpet
James Zollar: trumpet
John Clark: french horn
Clark Gayton: trombone
Marcus Rojas: tuba
Mark Dresser: bass
Michael Sarin: drums
Mark Helias: conductor, bass
Mark Feldman: violin
Ralph Farris: viola
Erik Friedlander: cello
Eddie Bobe: bongos, cowbell
Bobby Previte: drums, bass drum, tambourine
Wayne Horvitz: piano
Ray Anderson: trombone
Pheeroan AkLaff: drums

One of Ehrlich's better efforts - and he hasn't had any weak creative outings that I've heard. With a long form mix of through-composed and improvised music for ensembles ranging from duo to 14-piece bands this is an ambitions and deliriously satisfying work of chamber jazz. With so many key players from the New York "downtown" scene this one is a must-have and must-hear from the personnel list to the multi-hued timbres that blow through the speakers. The rockin' tuba of Marcus Rojas to kick off the sixth movement is reason enough to put this one into regular rotation.

Dave Douglas Quintet: Live at the Bimhuis. 2002. Greenleaf: Paperback Series vol. 1.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Rick Margitza: tenor saxophone
Uri Caine: fender rhodes
James Genus: bass
Clarence Penn: drums

It's odd how when the Bad Plus play covers of pop tunes they find themselves falsely accused of being "ironic" while the Dave Douglas Quintet can put a spin on Bjork, Beck and Rufus Wainwright without similar charges. Right or wrong, the Bad Plus have developed a reputation for "cheeky covers" despite the strength of their original charts. While the Dave Douglas Quintet does take some sidelong swipes at pop culture - and transforms it onto something else entirely - it's the Dave Douglas originals that deliver the sonic goods with this ensemble. One of the advantages of running his own label (long live Greenleaf Music!) is the ability to lavish plenty of attention on this quintet's live sound. Having seen this group live a couple of times in two different cities I know first hand how incredible the live experience is with this quintet.

Ursel Schlicht/Reuben Radding: Einstein's Dreams. 2005. Konnex Records: KCD 5165.

Ursel Schlicht: piano
Reuben Radding: bass

There are many reasons why improvisers record so many duo projects - not the least of which being the sonic gem of Einstein's Dreams that unfolds within the focused interaction between two individual performers. With the creative minds in alignment, the piano and bass fold together as two large instruments with strings. The textures of extended techniques building outward in the aptly named "Unexpected Vision" is counterbalanced by the melodic fragments that fly in "Modulation of Light." Schlicht and Radding seem to push each other on as they answer textural shifts with new challenges of their own. One compelling reason for duo projects such as this is the stunning and rare kinship struck between like minds exploring such expansive territories and the clarity of such independent sonic identities finding immediate recognition within such spontaneous creation.

Spark! at An Die Musik

Myra Melford/Marty Ehrlich Duo @ An Die Musik, Baltimore, MD
October 25, 2007

Myra Melford: piano
Marty Ehrlich: alto saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet
with special guest -
Michael Formanek: bass

Out to promote their second CD as a duo; Spark!, Myra Melford and Marty Ehrlich bring considerable creative energy and deep musical chops as their sound sparks and often ignites. And as closely as I've followed Myra Melford's recording career - as well as several live performances - she continues to surprise my ears with unexpected turns and breathtaking synthesis of so many different influences and experiences. In this particular performance she moved seamlessly between the two distinct sides of her personal style that erased the gap I've often felt between her early trio recordings and her Same River Twice ensemble releases.

The first set featured interpretations of original compositions by Melford and Ehrlich along with a great Andrew Hill piece. Their take on Ehrlich's For Leroy - written for the late Leroy Jenkins - was particularly stirring. The second set focused on longer takes of fewer pieces with Michael Formanek sitting in to fill out a trio sound as these musicians settled into a deep, rhythmically tight pocket for some amazing music.

HurdAudio Rotation: Encumbrance Essence

Marty Ehrlich: The Long View. 2002. Enja Records: ENJ-9452 2.

Marty Ehrlich: composer, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, bass clarinet
with:
Sam Furnace: alto saxophone, flute
Ned Rothenberg: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Robert DeBellis: tenor saxophone, clarinet, soprano saxophone
JD Parran: tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet
Andy Laster: baritone saxophone, clarinet
Eddie Allen: trumpet
James Zollar: trumpet
John Clark: french horn
Clark Gayton: trombone
Marcus Rojas: tuba
Mark Dresser: bass
Michael Sarin: drums
Mark Helias: conductor, bass
Mark Feldman: violin
Ralph Farris: viola
Erik Friedlander: cello
Eddie Bobe: bongos, cowbell
Bobby Previte: drums, bass drum, tambourine
Wayne Horvitz: piano
Ray Anderson: trombone
Pheeroan AkLaff: drums

Each name on that long personnel list raises expectations for this ambitious project several notches. Consistent as always, Marty Ehrlich finds a way to exceed even impossible expectations with the composition and performances found in The Long View. Conceived as a collaboration with painter Oliver Jackson, the allusions to great abstract painting are rendered in sound as Ehrlich deftly uses the wide timbral range of these performers to explore many shades and colors with phrases that feel like well placed brush strokes along a breath-taking canvas. The understated piano lines performed by Wayne Horvitz at the start and finish of the fourth movement never cease to suspend whatever thought or action I'm engaged in once I hear them. And you'd be hard pressed to find a more rockin' tuba solo than what Marcus Rojas delivers at the onset of the sixth movement. As a high achievement in jazz composition equal to the great works of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn or Gil Evans, The Long View works from a perspective steeped in jazz history with optimistic vision for the future of the genre. This is a work much celebrated at HurdAudio.

Dave Douglas Quintet: Live at the Bimhuis. October 24, 2002. Greenleaf Music: GRE-P-011/012.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Rick Margitza: tenor saxophone
Uri Caine: fender rhodes
James Genus: bass
Clarence Penn: drums

The Dave Douglas Quintet has been one of the eclectic band leader and record label mogul's more fruitful endeavors. While one would be hard pressed to cite a collaboration or band Dave Douglas has recorded over the past couple of decades that didn't live up to a high standard, this quintet has become a particular fascination at HurdAudio. And this live double-CD captures the Rick Margitza incarnation (the saxophone slot has had some turnover over the years) at a pre- Meaning and Mystery and Strange Liberation point of their existence. This live performance in particular allows for interesting creative stretches that would be improbable as a studio recording. The seamless transition between the cover of Bjork's "Unison" into Beck's "Ramshackle" allows for long stretches of improvised bass as the Beck piece is completely transformed. (I am unfamiliar with the Bjork version of "Unison" and wonder if my continued ignorance of her music will begin to look unflattering as so many people I admire increasingly site her as a significant point of reference). "The Frisell Dream" stretches slightly longer than the frustratingly short version found on Strange Liberation. And there are excellent 20+ minute soakings of "Penelope" and "Deluge" that bookend this collection and offer rich substance. And the unbelievable sound that Uri Caine conjures from the fender rhodes is a big part of the sonic addiction to this music.

Briggan Krauss: Descending to End. 1999. Knitting Factory Records: KFW-251.

Briggan Krauss: composer, reeds, electronics

Dark, stark and refreshingly noisy. I'm still a little stunned that free improvisation saxophonist Briggan Krauss has made a full-length electronic recording. But I'm not surprised that it reveals so many rich details with focused listening. With a malleable rhythmic sensibility and a crafted sonic soundscape built upon processed, echo heavy saxophone, drums (with plenty of reversed percussion sounds) and turntables Krauss coaxes a rich world from the recesses and crevasses of his musical intuition. He has a rare ability to get loud without abusing that end of the dynamic spectrum. This allows for coarse anger to flow through this music without short-circuiting introspection. "Encumbrance Essence" is a particularly good example of this. Composed with the sensibility of an improvising instrumentalist, this effort avoids the pitfalls of musique concrete and emerges as a musically satisfying work by remaining true to such compelling sensibilities.