HurdAudio Rotation: Three Faces of Rare Beauty

Muhal Richard Abrams/George Lewis/Roscoe Mitchell: Streaming. 2006. Pi Recordings: 22.

Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, bell, bamboo flute, taxi horn, percussion
George Lewis: trombone, laptop
Roscoe Mitchell: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, percussion

Three legends with a lifetime of achievement in creative improvised music collide for a long set of spontaneous dialogue. It's no surprise that Streaming is excellent. The surprise is the calm reactions that develop between these players. The astonishing maturity of George Lewis' electronic vocabulary on the laptop combined with the ways Abrams and Mitchell weave their own textures into that sound. My own ambivalence toward George Lewis' computer music work eroding completely away as it emerges with all the nuance and creative verve of his trombone playing. The sensitivity of Muhal Abrams' touch at the piano combined with his sense of when to insert himself into the real-time composition. Roscoe Mitchell bringing an expansive sense of timbre - particularly his mouthpiece work - in ways that reveals how his ears are interpreting these fleeting moments. I look forward to each time this one comes up in the rotation.

Miles Davis: The Complete On The Corner Sessions [disc 4]. 2007. Sony BMG Music Entertainment: 88697 06239 2.

Miles Davis: trumpet, electric piano, organ
Dave Liebman: tenor saxophone, flute
John Stubblefield: soprano saxophone
Reggie Lucas: guitar
Pete Cosey: guitar
Michael Henderson: electric bass
Al Foster: drums
Mtume: congas, percussion
Dominique Gaumont: guitar

Disc 4 takes the thick, funky stew and breaks it down into two half hour studies of restraint. The invisible hand of Miles Davis can be detected directing this stripping down after the initial burst of energy on "Calypso Frelimo." The Michael Henderson fueled groove holds steady with a rhythmic bed while shards of trumpet and saxophone improvisations emerge and disappear into the salty mist. The overall impression is an admiration of what is possible when time is allowed to recede into the distance without the confines of form. An oddly urban expansiveness in sound.

Ornette Coleman: Beauty is a Rare Thing [disc 3]. 1993. Rhino/Atlantic Jazz: R2 71410.

Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone
Don Cherry: pocket trumpet
Charlie Haden: bass
Ed Blackwell: drums

The third disc in this box focuses squarely upon the threads spun by this quartet that continues to reside at the roots of free jazz. This time with Ed Blackwell sitting in for the original Billy Higgins - with just a noticeable ripple along the fabric of this sound with the change in drummers. The spontaneity of this ensemble retains the forceful turns and intervallic contours that made this sound such a spark half a century ago. Cascading sheets of melodic material that continue to be such an important part of Ornette Coleman's sound. The value of abundance that this box set offers allows the ears to alternate between the wonder of Don Cherry's improvisation, Charlie Haden's unerring instincts and the raw beauty of the performances offered on such pieces as "Some Other" or "The Legend of Bebop."

HurdAudio Rotation: Filled with Anima

Muhal Richard Abrams/George Lewis/Roscoe Mitchell: Streaming. 2005. Pi Recordings: PI22.

Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, bell, bamboo flute, taxi horn, percussion
George Lewis: trombone, laptop
Roscoe Mitchell: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, percussion

Three giants of the creative improvised music community doing their thing in collective collaboration. While I struggle to warm up to George Lewis' Voyager - and his electronic works in general - I find his contributions on laptop on Streaming to be incredible. Even when the electronics are not subtle or interwoven with the other players in this trio. The responsiveness of Abrams and Mitchell to these other-worldly soundscapes is fantastic. Each of these individuals is an inspiration in their own right. Taken together like this is pure indulgence for the friendly experiencer.

Ornette Coleman: Beauty is a Rare Thing: The Complete Atlantic Recordings [disc 3]. 1960 (re-released in 1993). Rhino/Atlantic: R2 71410.

Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone
Don Cherry: pocket trumpet
Charlie Haden: bass
Ed Blackwell: drums

This music was controversial in its day? It sounds so alive. The passage of time may have dulled the reasons to object to the ways of "free jazz," but the vitality of these sessions is still audible. The previously unreleased (prior to this box set) "Revolving Doors" would be a standout composition on most releases. Here it reinforces the sound and character exploding forth from Ornette Coleman at this 1960 session. And Don Cherry. What an innovator on trumpet. This box set documents an incredible chapter in jazz development.

Thomas Chapin Trio: Anima. (Disc 2 from Thomas Chapin: Alive box set). 1991/1999. Knitting Factory Records: 35828 0282 2.

Thomas Chapin: alto saxophone, flute, alto flute, voice changer, laff box
Mario Pavone: bass
Steve Johns: dums
with guest -
Michael Sarin: drums

The Thomas Chapin Trio sound runs sharp angles around funky corners, starts and stops, melodic logic and a tight rhythm section to back it all up. Which is a summary of the Knitting Factory sound back when that venue mattered to jazz. Chapin was on the bleeding edge of that sound in its days. A sound that still anchors many of my own sensibilities.

HurdAudio Rotation: Spinning Streaming in the Age of Streaming

Matthew Shipp Trio: Circular Temple. 1990. Infinite Zero: 9 14506-2.

MatthewShip: piano
William Parker: bass
Whit Dickey: drums

Intense free jazz improvisation that explodes in bursts. The extreme brevity of the third movement is offset by the epic, rolling duration of the fourth. The Second movement is subtitled "Monk's Nightmare" as the odd melodic angles evoke a clear nod toward Monk's sensibilities and a sense of reverence toward the deep roots this Circular Temple is built upon.

Killick: Smudgeriffic! 2007. Sulponticello: 021 (#9 of a one-time pressing of 33).

Killick: guitar

A 38-minute slice from within the mind and improvisational sensibilities of Killick as the physical properties of the instrument itself are fair game for creative interpretation. The noises of turning effects switches on and off and plugging and unplugging the line input fill the sound field well ahead of plucked and strummed strings with a halting start/stop sound that finally gives way to an energy that seizes upon the ad hoc textures and harmonic constructs as they are discovered. This is an aggressive and quiet music that carves out unusual sonic territory.

Muhal Richard Abrams/George Lewis/Roscoe Mitchell: Streaming. 2005. Pi Recordings: PI22.

Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, bell, bamboo flute, taxi horn, percussion
George Lewis: trombone, laptop
Roscoe Mitchell: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, percussion

Given the caliber and excellence of past projects spearheaded by each one of these improviser/composers as individuals it's still surprising how outstanding this effort is. This is the kind of sound that keeps me scrambling for new CDs in the age of digital downloads. While George Lewis's trombone playing is (and always has been) a joy to hear and his Shadowgraph compositions are pure genius, I've always been secretly disappointed with Voyager along with his other electronic works. But his laptop work on Streaming surprised me with the rich timbral range and the way it meshes and even interacts with Abrams' piano playing. There's a surprising amount of percussion sound in these textures - even to the point of long stretches without Roscoe's reed work in the sonic picture. The percussion and electronics create vast oceans between the piano/trombone/saxophone configuration. This is a trio effort unlike any other and the aggressive interplay of trombone and piano at the onset of "Dramaturns" makes this one well worth many repeated spins.