HurdAudio Rotation: Anomalous Soul

Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles. 1964 (1998 Rudy Van Gelder Edition). Blue Note Records: 7243-4-98796-2-1.

Herbie Hancock: piano
Freddie Hubbard: cornet
Ron Carter: bass
Tony Williams: drums

If the qualities of this Blue Note classic could be bottled up and drunk like champagne then we would all be living on Empyrean Isles. This one is a real high point creatively for Herbie Hancock. Especially the formally ambiguous "The Egg" with its evolutionary meanderings. Then there are the hook-heavy grooves of "Cantaloupe Island" and "One Finger Snap" drawing the ears toward the intoxicating effects of this energy. It's a little disappointing that too many of these tracks simply fade out - an artificial, studio driven device - rather than unfolding these layered patterns toward a more organic ending. But the quality of these compositions and top-form solos more than make up for that unfortunate decision. This remains one of the records that justifies enthusiasm for Herbie Hancock and any one of his partners in crime from this session.

Michael Moore Trio: Chicoutimi. 1993. Ramboy: 06.

Michael Moore: clarinet
Fred Hersch: piano
Mark Helias: bass

This disc continues to be a pleasant surprise each time it cycles back around in the rotation. As a quiet, understated outing it leaves an increasing impression each time it catches the ears off guard with its outstanding interplay and unerring sense of melodic material. Each player is stretching out in spite of the incredible restraint that forms the foundation of this sound. The brevity of each piece allows for complete gems to form without overstating or over-developing each thematic turn. And this brevity always feels exactly proportional as the set of sixteen pieces forms a complete whole. This is how great musicians show off without being showy.

James Tenney/The Barton Workshop: Spectrum Pieces. 2009. New World Records: 80692-2.

The Barton Workshop
James Fulkerson: co-director
Frank Denyer: co-director
Jos Zwaanenburg: flute, bass flute
Ned McGowan: flute, bass flute
Eduardo Olloqui: oboe
Alexander van Eerdewyk: cor anglais
John Anderson: clarinet, bass clarinet
Ymke Broers: also saxophone
Krijn van Arnhem: bassoon
James Aylward: bassoon
Joeri de Vente: horn
Emmanouil Ventouras: horn
Reijer Dorresteijn: trumpet
Gertjan Loot: trumpet
Koen Kaptijn: trombone
Arne Visser: tuba
Tobias Liebezeit: percussion
Paula Chico Martinez: percussion
Frank Denyer: piano
Nora Mulder: piano
Mirjam Rietberg: harp
Martin Kaaij: guitar
Marieke Keser: violin
Boris M. Visser: violin
Max Knigge: viola
Manuel Visser: viola
Anne Magda de Geus: cello
Stefan Pliquett: bass

Spectrum 1 (1995) - violin, trumpet, bass clarinet, 2 percussion, piano, bass
Spectrum 2 (1995) - flute, cor anglais, clarinet, bassoon, horn
Spectrum 3 (1995) - chamber orchestra
Spectrum 4 (1995) - violin, alto recorder, vibraphone, guitar, piano, bass clarinet, trombone, bass
Spectrum 5 (1995) - flute, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, vibraphone/percussion, harp, piano, viola
Spectrum 6 (2001) - flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello
Spectrum 7 (2001) - flute, cello, piano, and tape delay system
Spectrum 8 (2001) - viola obbligato and flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello

These late works of James Tenney are a revelation. My ears came into these pieces with the expectation of his earlier works exploring the harmonic series: Saxony, Septet for Electric Guitars and Spectral Canon for Conlon Nancarrow. Works that methodically unfold the harmonic frequencies of the harmonic series into a shimmering aural image of psycho acoustic beauty. These Spectrum pieces are startling in the shift away from emphasizing the strong tonal harmonies of the lower partials of the series and hover within a surprisingly rich territory within a field of tones within the series. The use of computer assisted algorithmic technique allows for Tenney to step back from this sound as its composer and gently guide the fabric of acoustic phenomena. Revealing that the harmonic series as compositional inspiration is not limited to a singular sonic fingerprint. The reinforcing just intervals offering up an image of both stasis and movement. This is some profoundly beautiful chamber music.

HurdAudio Rotation: Three Sides of Tonality

Michael Harrison: Revelation: Music in Pure Intonation. 2007. Cantaloupe Music: CA21043.

Michael Harrison: piano, composition, tuning

I have to think that equal temperament played no small role in the necessary "crisis" that led Arnold Schoenberg and others to develop an atonal harmonic system. The layers of compromise (and poor thirds) laid out in even twelfth-root-of-two semitones along the piano keyboard had robbed tonality of so much color and contrast. So it is no accident that Michael Harrison and others bring a renewed interest in tonality once the harmonic limitations of equal temperament are addressed. The piano itself, and the just intonation system applied to it, is the aural focus of this music. There is brilliant range of consonance and dissonance in this music. A beautiful sound that compositionally owes so much to the great (and sadly difficult to acquire) Well-Tuned Piano of LaMonte Young. The language of "tone clouds" and the "Homage to La Monte" movement are clear nods to an abiding apprenticeship to Young. And also the meditative approach of "Revealing the Tones" and "Revealing the Commas." Indeed, it was the avoidance of harmonic commas - the so-called "wolf tones" that arise from pure intervals not fitting cyclically into 12-notes per octave - that fueled the push toward compromise and equal temperament in the first place. Here, those bitter, dissonant spices are "revealed" and folded into the harmonic fabric. An ear opening work that also reveals the qualities of tonality available when one can hear them in tune.

Philip Glass: From the Philip Glass Recording Archive: Volume II - Orchestral Music. 2007. Orange Mountain Music: 0047.

Days and Nights in Rocinha (1998)
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Russell Davies: conductor

Persephone (1994)
The Relache Ensemble
Joseph Franklin: director

Music written with such clarity and simplicity that I can almost imagine a full transcription as it plays. With large tonal consonances that leave me speculating how they would sound in just intonation. If you have any familiarity whatsoever with the musical style of Philip Glass then this is a music that develops without any surprises. And in many ways it leaves me a little hungry for his earlier, edgier and brutally static works. And even a little hungry for dissonance and surprise. But this sound is undeniably pleasant and listening to it is an indulgence. As orchestral works they won't stand out from the Glass oeuvre. But I do enjoy hearing them.

Available Jelly: Happy Camp. 1996. Ramboy: 10.

Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Tobias Delius: tenor saxophone
Eric Boeren: cornet, melodica
Wolter Wierbos: trombone
Ernst Glerum: bass
Michael Vatcher: drums, percussion

Available Jelly plays with a hard swing that simmers their Amsterdam sound with a helping of New Orleans flavor. And a musical sensibility that draws upon a deep reservoir of jazz history without coming up weighted down by everything that has come before. Happy Camp kicks off with a wonderful arrangement of "Nilentika" and "Tanzana Kely" - traditional melodies from Madagascar and then makes a turn toward a sultry rendition of Duke Ellington's "The Feeling of Jazz" before jumping headlong into a set of brilliant Michael Moore originals. Along the way the ears are treated to an ever shifting array of improvised material that never loses sight of its swinging impulse. An absolutely solid disc from a great band. Recommended with enthusiasm.

HurdAudio Rotation: Trudel, Hancock and Hersch

Marianne Trudel Quintet Live: Sands of Time. 2006. Marianne Trudel: TRUD 2007-1.

Marianne Trudel: piano, composition
Rob Mosher: soprano saxophone, oboe
Jonathan Stewart: tenor saxophone
Morgan Moore: bass
Robbie Kuster: drums

Underneath the polish and gentle luster of this melodically centered, harmonically lush collection of Trudel originals lurks a jazz pianism and sensibility that is unusually striking. The members of the quartet perform feats of musicianship and weave in their own personalities. But it is the peculiar angles of this French-Canadian pianist that sets the tone and casts a spell over this session. Lyrical lines and inventive harmonies cast interesting shadows along a jazz sound bubbling with optimism. Beauty that leaves these ears curious and unsated.

Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles. 1964 (re-issued in 1999 as a Rudy Van Gelder edition). Blue Note Records: 7243 4 98796 2 1.

Herbie Hancock: piano
Freddie Hubbard: cornet
Ron Carter: bass
Tony Williams: drums

"The Egg" is a revelation to these ears - every time I hear it. Bob Blumenthal's liner notes describe it as "an open improvisation that grows from the slightest fragments." Free improvisation featuring Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard. The creative impulses reverberating through the decades on this classic document. The sound, and the spaciously open settings explored by Freddie Hubbard makes the argument for why he is so revered (and missed). And of course there are the classic tracks of "One Finger Snap" and "Cantaloupe Island" bringing gravity to repeated listenings to this wonder.

Michael Moore Trio: Chicoutimi. 1993. Ramboy: 06

Michael Moore: clarinet
Fred Hersch: piano
Mark Helias: bass

This one has wormed its way into my "favorite CD" category with its completely unassuming excellence. Trio music hovering in a territory vaguely between composed and improvised - leaving no impression of where one begins and the other leaves off - through a set of short bursts of sonic poetry. Understated without being undramatic. Melodic without relegating any player to a background role of support. Chicoutimi never hits one over the head with its quiet genius. But there is so much detail contained within each expressive moment that the ears and mind are drawn completely in and won over by it all.

HurdAudio Rotation: Ramboy in the Elephant Sanctuary

Dave Douglas: Sanctuary. 1997. Avant/Disk Union: AVAN 066.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Cuong Vu: trumpet
Yuka Honda: sampler
Anthony Coleman: sampler
Hilliard Greene: bass
Mark Dresser: bass
Chris Speed: saxophone
Dougie Bowne: drums

This one is a much revered recording in the rotation and in the land of HurdAudio. The nod toward Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz comes across in a downtown take on the almost double ensemble. Part of the joy of listening to Sanctuary comes in the moment-to-moment unfolding of this improvised texture as it ranges freely between pulse and open rhythmic ripples. More joy still comes from puzzling which of the two trumpets, which of the two samplers and which of the two bassists are making the individual layers of this sound. The familiarity I have with these players adds a dimension to that part of the listening. One of Dave Douglas' more "avant" projects and one of his best.

Clusone Trio: Trio Clusone. 1991. Ramboy: 01.

Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, melodica
Ernst Reijseger: cello
Han Bennink: percussion

Given the kinetic force that is Han Bennink combined with the tight-yet-free skittering through a wide spectrum of jazz and creative music styles that marks the Clusone Trio's sound I'm still struck by the pockets of unhurried calm that form within the tapestry of music found on this recording. The trio that could veer off into any direction is equally adept at delivering a solid cover of Hermeto Pascoal's "Bebe" or stretching out long sheets of freely improvised tranquility. But it's the expectation of wild flights that keep the ears reaching for this disc. And it hardly disappoints on that front. It's the tension of that potential energy lurking in the sound - with explosive bursts into kinetic - that makes for a standout listening experience with this one.

Jack DeJohnette - featuring Bill Frisell: The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers. 2006. Golden Beams Productions: GBP-CD-1116.

Jack DeJohnette: drums, percussion, vocal, piano
Bill Frisell: guitar, banjo

Bill Frisell gets to play with all the best drummers. In a list that includes the likes of Joey Baron, Ginger Baker, Kenny Wollesen, Elvin Jones and numerous others, adding Jack DeJohnette to that list is a natural. Recorded live in Seattle at the Earshot Jazz Festival in 2001 and touched up with some light post production work from Ben Surman, this one continues Frisell's track record of outstanding recordings. The range of textures (DeJohnette is a fine pianist - as evidenced by a sensitive rendition of John Coltrane's "After the Rain") and musicianship is staggering. Individually these players inspire awe. As co-conspirators they've turned in a great record for the ages.

Playing Through the Music of Bob Dylan

Jewels and Binoculars @ An Die Musik, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, May 3, 2008

Michael Moore: clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, melodica
Lindsey Horner: bass
Michael Vatcher: drums, percussion

Michael Vatcher brings a light touch to the drum kit. With brushes, chop sticks, bare hands, small metal sticks - some quite reverberant - and an assortment of custom objects Vatcher plays within a tasteful universe of percussive sound that ripples with variation. Add in his deep sense of musicianship and you have an ideal collaborator for building sonic jewels.

Jewels and Binoculars takes the music of Bob Dylan and turns it into beautifully lyrical pieces for a trio of improvisers. Sometimes turning the poetic melodies into chamber works or settling into the steady swing of a jazz standard. The balance between playful creativity and respect for the source of this music never dissolving into a showy cleverness or rigid tribute. Each piece finding a formal shape that develops and builds with organic shifts in texture from all three players. The inspiration flowing through this music gently prods at my relative unfamiliarity with the music of Bob Dylan.

HurdAudio Rotation: Moments and Monuments

Don Byron: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker. 2006. Blue Note Records: 0946 3 41094 2 0.

Don Byron: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
David Gilmore: guitar
George Colligan: hammond B-3 organ
Brad Jones: bass
Rodney Holmes: drums, tambourine
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Chris Thomas King: vocals, guitar
Dean Bowman: vocals

There are days when the music one puts on simply hits the target squarely and delivers a much needed jolt to the weary ears, mind and heart. Do The Boomerang is exactly that disc for today. The band is outstanding while the ever versatile Don Byron focuses upon and channels the incredible vibe of Junior Walker. Things have been running full tilt at HurdAudio and the sensibilities pouring out of this wonderful Blue Note is exactly the tonic for too many busy days. The ears even embrace the vocals of King and Bowman without any reluctance. The funky, blues-infected words carve the air and simply feel just right.

Available Jelly: Monuments. 1993. Ramboy: 07.

Eric Boeren: trumpet, alto horn
Jimmy Sernesky: trumpet
Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Tobias Delius: tenor saxophone
Gregg Moore: trombone, tuba, mandolin, electric bass
Alexei Levin: piano, accordion, organ
Eric Calmes: bass, bass guitar
Michael Vatcher: percussion

This one was long overdue for a repeat spin in the rotation. Reedsman Michael Moore (not to be confused with the film maker of the same name) has a knack for putting together ensembles, projects, compositions and arrangements that draw upon a balance of creative impulse and historical references that is completely irresistible to these ears. The elastic energy of Monuments that pivots between swinging themes, traditional anthems from Madagascar and collective improvisation makes this as enduring as any "monument." The accordion lines from Alexei Levin and percussive work of Michael Vatcher are a particular draw on this go around.

Wally Shoup/Toshi Makihara/Brent Arnold: Confluxus. 2004. Leo Records: 399.

Wally Shoup: alto saxophone
Toshi Makihara: drums
Brent Arnold: cello

Knowing each of these players individually from different contexts (and different coasts) allowed me to view this disc with a sensation of "wow, these guys would be great collaborators." Each instrumentalist in this trio is completely tuned into the moment of creation and this documentation of their overlapping paths still glows with the heat of their interactive fabric. The independent roles of saxophone, drums and cello are subsumed into a singular wash of sound as the form and substance of this music molds timbre into a singularity. These three players are great collaborators and Confluxus delivers both to the expectation and the curiosity with the moments shaped over time on this outing.

HurdAudio Rotation: A World of Sonic Contrasts

Michael Moore Trio: Chicoutimi. 1993. Ramboy: 06.

Michael Moore: clarinet
Fred Hersch: piano
Mark Helias: bass

Understated and exquisite. Moore brings a perfect clarinet tone to these short pieces as Hersch and Helias bring a calm, high caliber musicanship to these improvised textures.

Arnold Schoenberg: Moses und Aron. Recorded in 1996. Deutsche Grammophon: 449 174-2.

The Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Pierre Boulez: conductor

The "who est Moses?" lines in the chorus that open the second act is one of my favorite sounds in all of operatic literature. Arnold Schoenberg took the most gaudy, most spectacle-prone medium of "serious" music and expressed a profoundly personal sense of faith. Like most opera, this one is full of quirks that take some adjusting on the part of the listener. Such as the fact that only two acts of a planned three acts were completed. And there is something undeniably strange about hearing the book of Exodus in German. But musically, this one has always had a strong pull for me for the kind of sonic environment Shoenberg created for this ancient story.

Skeleton Crew: Learn To Talk/The Country of Blinds. 1984, 1986 - re-released in 2005. Fred Records/Anthill Music: ReR/FRO 8/9.

Tom Cora: cello, bass guitar, casio, drums, home-made drums and contraptions, singing
Fred Frith: guitar, 6-string bass, violin, casio, home-mades, piano, drums, singing
Zeena Parkins (on The Country of Blinds): organ, electric harp, accordion, drums, singing

There's really no better way to follow up a heady opera than with the extreme contrast of of this 1980's era punk/jazz/noise pair of classics from Skeleton Crew. "It's Fine" from Learn To Talk is pure brilliance while every manipulated sample, hard groove and screamed utterance on these recordings bends toward sarcastic observation that painfully withstands the test of time. The playful beauty of Tom Cora's cello playing is a sound that is sorely missed since his passing in 1998. This is crazy and relentless music that offers razor sharp edges at every turn and it's best appreciated with one's full attention.

HurdAudio Rotation: Finding Sanctuary

Dave Douglas: Sanctuary. 1996. Avant: Avan 066.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Cuong Vu: trumpet
Yuka Honda: sampler
Anthony Coleman: sampler
Hilliard Greene: bass
Mark Dresser: bass
Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Dougie Bowne: drums

With a clear nod toward Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz recordings the almost-double band (with a single drummer panned to the center along with Speed's reeds) places an interesting compositional structure just beneath the surface of this pool of improvisers. The result is a sound that sits extremely close to my own sensibilities. This is the Dave Douglas music that courses through my veins. This time through I'm struck by how much Yuka Honda affects the overall sound on this project. In many ways, Sanctuary is the precursor to Douglas's later electronic efforts such as Witness, Freak In and Keystone and the sonic quality that most readily sets this early work apart is Honda's peculiar sound (as opposed to sounds contributed by Ikue Mori, Jamie Saft or DJ Olive on those later projects). And of all the individuals involved with this project it is Honda that I have yet to hear in isolation. The sampled groove patterns that coalesce within this sound create an interesting tension.

Clusone Trio: Clusone 3. 1991. Ramboy: 01.

Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, melodica
Ernst Reijseger: cello
Han Bennink: percussion

There are just some Sunday mornings that call for the finest Dutch jazz to compliment a pot of coffee with the morning paper. And there's something about Han Bennink's drumming on this one that keeps the feet moving in sympathetic parallel to his kick and high hat work. This music is steeped in the tradition and wickedly fun to listen to as the frenetic energy of this trio simmers beneath a sharp focus and boils over at key moments.

Anthony Braxton/Taylor Ho Bynum: Duets (Wesleyan) 2002. 2002. Innova: 576.

Anthony Braxton: sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, F alto saxophone, Eb alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, Eb contralto clarinet, Bb contralto clarinet
Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet, trumpbone, shell, mutes

More impressive than the fierce energy that erupts between Braxton and Bynum is the calm, unhurried conversational tone that these improvisers often take with one another. Braxton's "Composition 304" and "Composition "305" serve as bookends to a set where these players lend generous energy toward each other's compositions. Braxton's deep reserve of improvisational approaches finds a resonant ally in the student brass player as Taylor Ho Bynum's "Scabble," "To Wait" and "All Roads Lead to Middletown" seamlessly grows from the sonic worlds and vocabulary Braxton has developed.

HurdAudio Rotation: Two Blue Notes and a Ramboy

Ornette Coleman: At the Golden Circle, Volume One. 1964, re-issued in 2002. Blue Note Records: 7243 5 35518 2 7.

The Ornette Coleman Trio, recorded live at Gyllene Cirkeln, Stockholm on December 3-4, 1965:
Ornette Coleman: compositions, alto saxophone
David Izenzon: bass
Charles Moffett: drums

A brilliantly re-mastered (thank you, Rudy Van Gelder) and augmented (the alternate takes add some significant depth and time to this experience) set from this legendary trio from 1964. This is my first time hearing "European Echoes," and it's an unusual part of the Ornette Coleman canon. But as a thematic launching pad for inspired trio improvisation it holds my ears through both versions contained on this disc. The clarity of the individual players on this recording brings out the artistic mastery of both bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett, both sadly no longer with us. They prove to be an excellent rhythm section for Ornette's creative and far reaching playing.

Don Byron: Do the Boomerang:the Music of Junior Walker. 2006. Blue Note Records: 0946 3 41094 2.

Don Byron: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
David Gilmore: guitar
George Colligan: hammond b-3 organ
Brad Jones: bass
Rodney Holmes: drums, tambourine
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Chris Thomas King: vocals, guitar
Dean Bowman: vocals

It's no secret that I picked up this disc to hear Don Byron. Being completely unfamiliar with the music of Junior Walker it was the strength of Byron's previous projects that drew me toward this experience. Byron has introduced my ears to unfamiliar composers and fresh interpretations of familiar ones from a wide swath of genres and he typically makes a believer out of me. Byron has happily pulled me into the musical worlds of Mickey Katz, Raymond Scott, Frederic Chopin, Stephen Sondheim, and Billy Strayhorn just to name a few. And he's also recorded impressive collections of his own compositions as he skirts into Latin, hip hop and swing. With Do The Boomerang Byron takes a spin at the Motown sound of the 1960s and actually spends more time playing tenor saxophone than his usual clarinet. 1960s Motown is about as remote from my own sensibilities as it gets so it's taken some extra spins in the rotation to hook me on this sound. And today I'm hooked. This one really hits the spot with its steady grooves and outstanding production values.

Available Jelly: Monuments. 1993. Ramboy: 07.

Eric Boeren: tumpet, alto horn
Jimmy Sernesky: trumpet
Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Tobias Delius: tenor saxophone
Gregg Moore: trombone, tuba, mandolin, electric bass
Alexei Levin: piano, accordion, organ
Eric Calmes: bass, bass guitar
Michael Vatcher: percussion

Each listening to Monuments reveals layers of compositional detail, humor and inspired playing that catch the ear in a new way. Music as intricately and beautifully arranged as this begs to be observed from multiple angles. The rich dynamic range, the humor and the tasteful balance between horns and rhythm section keeps everything fresh as one grows more familiar with the abrupt transitions and inspired moments. It leaves me curious to hear more Ramboy releases.

HurdAudio Rotation: From Empyrean Isles to the Country of Blinds

Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles. 1964 (Re-issued in 1999). Blue Note: 7243-4-98796-2-1.

Herbie Hancock: piano
Freddie Hubbard: trumpet
Ron Carter: bass
Tony Williams: drums

1964 was a great year for Blue Note Records and this is an all time great quartet in their prime. Ron Carter's arco solo in "The Egg" may be one of the greatest recorded bass improvisations in jazz history. It's records like this that give Herbie Hancock a significant legacy as a pianist and composer.

Michael Moore Trio: Chicoutimi. 1993. Ramboy: 06.

Michael Moore: clarinet
Fred Hersch: piano
Mark Helias: bass

The 5/8 patterns of "L'Opera" is just one example of the conceptual and lyrical beauty that ripples throughout this disc. In 16 tracks, this trio of outstanding musicians quietly unfolds an astonishing variety of ideas that makes Chicoutimi a tangible pleasure within the HurdAudio rotation. Something so rich in substance while completely without flash and dazzle often gets overlooked, and this release - now 14 years after its recording date - doesn't get nearly the praise heaped upon it that it deserves.

Skeleton Crew: Learn to Talk/The Country of Blinds. 1982/1986 - re-released in 2005. Fred Records/Anthill Music: ReR/FRO 8/9.

Tom Cora: cello, bass, accordion, drums, contraptions, singing
Fred Frith: guitar, 6-string bass, violin, home-mades, drums, singing
Zeena Parkins: organ, electric harp, accordion, drums, singing

The re-release of these two brilliant Skeleton Crew records from the '80s will give more ears a chance to revel in and puzzle over the frenetic sonic energy of Cora, Frith and Parkins. The chance to hear Tom Cora's beautiful and deeply original cello playing is a major draw to these recording. The heaping helpings of detached irony and political commentary is like an added bonus as the biting critique of the puritanical impulse that took hold during that era (and still plagues American politics in the current decade) gives the aesthetic pleasures of Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds an added punch.

HurdAudio Rotation: Taking the Holiday to Listen to Dave Douglas and Dutch Jazz

Dave Douglas: Sanctuary. 1996. Avant: Avan 066.

Left channel:
Hilliard Greene: bass
Yuka Honda: sampler
Dave Douglas: trumpet

Center channel:
Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Dougie Bowne: drums

Right channel:
Cuong Vu: trumpet
Anthony Coleman: sampler
Mark Dresser: bass

Sanctuary is my all-time favorite Dave Douglas sound/project/composition. It's an unusual part of the Douglas oeuvre. With clear roots in the Ornette Coleman Free Jazz double quartet, Dave Douglas puts a twist on the "double" instrumentation by placing a single drummer in the center channel who plays with (and against) the smattering of sampled drum loops introduced by the samplers at the left and right channels. Structurally, this expansive free improvisation texture thrives within the expansive horizons of these two, hour-long expressions as intriguing ideas and performances wash in and out of the overall picture.

Clusone Trio: Clusone 3. 1992. Ramboy: 01.

Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, melodica
Ernst Reijseger: cello
Han Bennink: percussion

The Clustone Trio is the flip side of Sanctuary's large ensemble long-form free improvisation. And Clusone 3 reveals the pleasure of small group improvisation in a series of short, intense, energetic compositions. On this particular pass through this great CD I'm struck by the parallel - in sound, spirit and instrumentation - to Third Person (particularly when Kazutoki Umezu was the "third person" on reeds) a trio active in the same era on this side of the Atlantic. Ernst Reijseger captures that funky, beautiful cello improvisation in much the same way as the sorely missed, late Tom Cora. The difference in sound, and approach, is that the Clusone Trio attacks compositions by other composers (notably Hermeto Pascoal and Misha Mengelberg) with the same intensity and serious whimsy that they bring to their free improvisations.

Dave Douglas: Charms of the Night Sky. 1998. Winter & Winter: 910 015-2.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Guy Klucevsek: accordion
Mark Feldman: violin
Greg Cohen: bass

Charms of the Night Sky is a great CD that doesn't spend nearly enough time spinning in the tray for my tastes. It features a drummer-less quartet bathed in near-ECM levels of reverb playing painfully beautiful arrangements of Dave Douglas' klezmer-inspired compositions. The range of timbral color pouring out of this combination of instruments is stunning as the sequence of pieces frequently shifts between introspective, arching solos and rollicking, odd-meter forays.

HurdAudio Rotation: Music from 3 Eras

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets. - disc 1. 1989. Performed by The Orford String Quartet. Delos International: D/CD 3031.

String Quartet in F Major op. 18 no. 1
String Quartet in E-Flat Major op. 127

Andrew Dawes: violin
Kenneth Perkins: violin
Terence Helmer: viola
Denis Brott: cello

By straddling the late Classical and early Romantic eras Beethoven's music has opened my ears to the two musical periods that have, at times, felt most distant to my own sensibilities. The Romantic Era in particular had seemed remote as many works from composers following Beethoven veer into an opaque chromaticism motivated by an emotional energy long since lost over time. The late Beethoven works (which the opus 127 is one) is a long way from the heavy-handed music of Wagner that would be composed later in the peak excesses of the Romantic Era. But in the juxtaposition of the early and late, which this CD does with opus 18 and 127, it is abundantly clear how Beethoven helped transition away from the clinical neatness of classical forms - something he was already starting to stretch the boundaries of in his early works - and usher in a new creative direction.

Don Byron: Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker. 2006. Blue Note: 41094.

Don Byron: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
David Gilmore: guitar
George Colligan: Hammond B-3 organ
Brad Jones: bass
Rodney Holmes: drums, tambourine
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Chris Thomas King: vocals, guitar
Dean Bowman: vocals

Anyone who follows the "downtown" scene of New York City will recognize that personnel lineup as one smokin' band. Add to that the versatility of reeds man Don Byron and a soul tribute to Junior Walker on the Blue Note label one can only have high expectations for this listening experience. So I was a little surprised that it wasn't until "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" - the second to last track on this disc - that I was finally won over. Like Beethoven's Classical/Romantic genre, the 1960s R&B/Motown sound is a musical sensibility that feels remote to my ears and it takes a push from the likes of Don Byron for me to focus my attention on unfamiliar territory such as this. I'm curious how this one will affect me when I revisit it later.

Available Jelly: Monuments. 1993. Ramboy: 07.

Eric Boeren: tumpet, alto horn
Jimmy Sernesky: trumpet
Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Tobias Delius: tenor saxophone
Gregg Moore: trombone, tuba, mandolin, electric bass
Alexei Levin: piano, accordion, organ
Eric Calmes: bass, bass guitar
Michael Vatcher: percussion

Now here's a sound and an era I feel an immediate affinity for. This is the second time I've applied ears to this disc and this time I'm hearing new layers to the excellent arrangements for this 8-piece ensemble. The final track, "Dorthy," in particular is one composition I might have to transcribe and work up for solo piano one of these days. Overall, there's an animated charm to the music on Monuments.

HurdAudio Rotation: Of Bebop and Form

Michael Moore Trio: Chicoutimi. 1993. Ramboy #06.

Michael Moore: clarinet
Fred Hersch: piano
Mark Helias: bass

Over a span of 16 exquisite pieces this trio ranges through a lot of different textures. The balance between composition and improvisation - and the seamlessness between the two - makes for a rewarding listen. There's a spare softness to this music that draws the ears to the surprising ripples that sweep across the surface.

Joe Henderson: Mode for Joe. 1966. Blue Note: CDP 7 84227 2.

Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Lee Morgan: trumpet
Curtis Fuller: trombone
Bobby Hutcherson: vibes
Cedar Walton: piano
Ron Carter: bass
Joe Chambers: bass

When you reach for a Blue Note recording from this era - and with this lineup of musicians - you know you're going to hear something solid and enduring. I like Mode for Joe in particular because it features some Joe Henderson original compositions like "A Shade of Jade," "Caribbean Fire Dance" and "Granted." So many of the same qualities that made Henderson such a great improviser are lurking within these compositions and this ensemble brings it out.

James Tenney: Postal Pieces. 2004. Performed by the Barton Workshop. New World Records: 80612-2.

Eleven performances of a series of compositions consisting of instructions or notations that fit within the confines of a single postcard. These are radically simple conceptions that reveal a great deal about sound, form and the act of listening.

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.

HurdAudio Rotation: Ludwig Van Riley

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Quartets/The Orford String Quartet - disc 1 - consisting of and String Quartet in F Major, op. 18 no. 1 and String Quartet in E Flat Major, op. 127. The chasm between early-Beethoven and late-Beethoven is made abundantly clear by the juxtaposition of these works. The creative growth that this composer went through between these two works is astounding. I will need to dwell on these string quartets.

Available Jelly: Monuments. After hearing Michael Moore play with ICP last week I had a good idea there would be a wealth of material worth checking out from this fine reedsman and composer/arranger. Available Jelly is an 8-piece group consisting of:
Eric Boeren - trumpet, alto horn
Jimmy Sernesky - trumpet
Michael Moore - alto sax, clarinet and bass clarinet
Tobias Delius - tenore sax
Gregg Moore - trombone, tuba, mandolin, electric bass
Alexei Levin - piano, accordeon, organ
Eric Calmes - bass and bass guitar
Michael Vatcher - percussion
Monuments features compositions by Gregg and Michael Moore and Eric Boeren. This 1993 disc is excellent. I love the sequence of textures that unfolds with this group. Look for plenty of Moore on future rotations.

Terry Riley: Cadenza On the Night Plain. Released in 1984, this was the original collaboration between Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet. I've been applying ears to Riley lately and "Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector" is one reason why. Conceptually, this is music with a narrative form that works well. And it's one reason why I've looked toward applying narrative form to my own compositional work.