HurdAudio Rotation: The Devil's Got To Burn

Myra Melford / Tanya Kalmanovitch: Heart Mountain. 2007. Perspicacity: PR03.
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin
Myra Melford: piano, harmonium

Nineteen pieces of striking brevity formed through free improvisation. Idiomatically, this music draws from a stream between jazz and classical without favoring one over the other. It's the striking compatibility of ear and instinct that draws these two players together and yields a music of understated gravity. "Annapurna" in particular jumps out with its interplay of viola and harmonium carving its melody and harmony out of an overlap of timbre. This is musical beauty with all the resiliency and quiet introspection of any natural wonder.

James Blood Ulmer: Birthright. 2005. Hyena Records: TMF 9335.

James Blood Ulmer: guitar, voice, flute

What James Blood Ulmer can do with a guitar is equal only to what he can do with his voice. The expressive combination of the two cuts deep. His demonic cackle in "Devil's Got To Burn" rises up from the depths of Hades. Blues so real and so informed by life's ragged experience that the air takes on a thickness with this sound. Profound and emotional with an honesty few can tolerate. James Blood Ulmer is one of the best.

Bela Bartok: String Quartets. 1992. Hyperion Records: CDD22003.
The New Budapest Quartet
Andras Kiss: violin
Ferenc Balogh: violin
Laszlo Barsony: viola
Karoly Botvay: cello

It had been too long since I last sat down with the scores for the six string quartets of Bela Bartok and took a full dose of what an intense and awesome accomplishment this cycle of pieces is. These are amazing feats of composition and each one cuts a sharp angle to reveal the inner workings of the universe. The string quartets trace the arc of Bartok's creativity over the span of his development as a composer. The first two are expressive, inventive pieces that follow up upon the Beethoven model of development with a decidedly early twentieth century twist. The middle two quartets move toward more abstraction as formal elements and pitch theory begins to enter the picture. The final two quartets are a consolidation of these early impulses with a sophisticated sense of tonality. The voyage through these works as an entirety is exhilarating. A tangible reminder of what high accomplishment in this medium sounds like.

HurdAudio Rotation: Cold Hearts and Blood

Cold Reading Trio: Life of Ghost. 2007. Form Function Records: f(F)0701.

John O'Brien: drums, percussion
Evan Mazunik: accordion, melodica, electric piano
Christian Pincock: laptop computer

That strange noise coming out of Brooklyn is the creative integration of live sample/playback in the service of layering within the timbral universe - and relentless impulse - of live accordion and drums. Cold Reading Trio evades the obvious traps of building upon ostinato patterns in favor of heavy, live manipulation along a low-repetition soundscape. The dynamic range of this group is particularly striking with collective phrases of all lengths that both work within an open, quiet texture or build upon layers toward full saturation. This is a collaboration that makes the case for live electronics within an improvising ensemble.

Myra Melford/Tanya Kalmanovitch: Heart Mountain. 2007. Perspicacity: PR03.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin

A much welcome return spin in the rotation for this understated gem of improvised chamber music. There's a lean responsiveness to this music. Seemingly absent of performer habit and ego. Each responds to the other with flawless technique and empathetic telepathy. The fact that Myra Melford has incredible ears is well established. The musicians she takes along in small duo outings like this one invite generous listening to her network of creative travelers.

James 'Blood' Ulmer: Birthright. 2005. Hyena Records: TMF 9335.

James 'Blood' Ulmer: vocals, guitars, flute

This stuff is raw, direct and grounded in the blues in every sense of the term. It speaks to the human condition without compromise with a musicality that is simply unmatched. It's amazing how much can be captured in recording a solo artist like this in just one take.

HurdAudio Rotation: Of Mountains and Celestial Pathways

Myra Melford/Tanya Kalmanovitch: Heart Mountain. 2007. Perspicacity: PR03.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin

These 19 brief tracks flow like movements from a single work. As improvisers, Melford and Kalmanovitch frame a wide range of sonic ideas and responsiveness to each other that keeps things fresh throughout this listening experience. This is incredibly pleasant music and it's a welcome spin in the rotation.

James 'Blood' Ulmer: Birthright. 2005. Hyena Records: TMF 9335.

James 'Blood' Ulmer: vocals, guitars, flute

How does one man channel so much feeling and soul-drenched expression into a solo sound? Not only is James 'Blood' Ulmer on a first-name basis with the devil, with a blood curdling cackle to go along with such familiarity, but Ulmer can also put the dark lord in his place and make credible demands of the angels as well. With a gravelly voice and honest words about vice, deed and intention Birthright is an impressive collection of raw, beautiful blues playing.

Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road. 1987. Rounder Records: CD 3035.

Sun Ra: keyboards
Michael Ray, Curt Pulliam, Walter Miller: trumpets
Craig Harris, Tony Bethel: trombones
Harry Wilson, Damon Choice: vibes
Richard Williams, Steve Clarke: bass
Vincent Chancy: french horn
John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Elo Omoe, James Jacson, Danny Thompson, Kenny Williams, Hutch Jones, Sylvester Baton, Noel Scott: reeds
Luqman Ali, Reg McDonald: drums
Artaukatune: percussion
Skeeter McFarland, Taylor Richardson: guitar
June Tyson, Rhoda Blount: vocals

A much appreciated slice of Sun Ra. And on this side of the holidays the lengthy, rambling grooves with sprawling segments of "space age" poetry, free improvisation and funk is exactly the tone to bring on a new year. Hearing Vincent Chancey's horn playing within an Arkestra setting is a particular aural treat within a large ensemble stacked with outstanding (and underrated) talent. Of the vast Sun Ra catalogue, this isn't his most striking or most challenging recorded evidence. But it is a piece of the sound and journey of the Saturn soul and each face of his arrangements and large ensemble sensibility is well worth a listen.

HurdAudio Rotation: I Heart Heart Mountain

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Film scores by Marc Ribot:
Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) - directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola

Landlord Blues (1987) - directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Aelita Queen of Mars (1928) - directed by Yakov Protazanov
Marc Ribot: guitar
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995 - 1996) - directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) - directed by Charlie Levi
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums

With the unseen drama, jump cuts, narrative wrinkles and closing credits, these short episodic compositions cut a wide gamut. At times atmospheric before turning into a salsa, surf music or late night bar band. And with Ribot's chops and sensibilities (not to mention guitar playing) behind these works it all comes off as convincing. It's hard to imagine any motion picture worthy of such a soundtrack.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-crackers. 1999. Victo: CD066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lisle Ellis: bass
Scott Amendola: drums

A sound full of rich substance that manages to feel unencumbered by the weight of so much jazz history and technique at work behind it. The improvisational ideas soar and get caught in all kinds of eddies and currents as Plimley takes the lead in an effort that is equal parts free improvisation and whimsy. Titles like "We Got Noh Rhythm" and "After Boulez, a Doorbell with Perfect Pitch" bring a smile every time. The roots of this music run deep. Many disparate elements of jazz tradition are thoroughly absorbed and rendered audible. There are many surprising turns in the melodic and harmonic content. This one is an understated masterpiece.

Myra Melford/Tanya Kalmanovitch: Heart Mountain. 2007. Perspicacity: PR03.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin

The creative compatibility of Melford and Kalmanovitch is exquisitely audible in this collection of brief collaborations of wordless poetry. Melford's spare extended technique inside the piano, adding pizzicato piano strings to Kalmanovitch's plucked viola lines, or sculpting tones from scrapes and preparations blends warmly as the sound of these two performers melt together throughout this listening experience. The combination of harmonium with viola makes for a shimmering track. Even as Melford works the ivories, as she does for most of this recording, it's the conversant interplay between these players that casts a spell. This is one to savor.

Resonating Strings - Myra Melford and Tanya Kalmanovitch at An Die Musik

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin

Each time I've heard Myra Melford play live she manages to reach a state of improvisational Zen for a few moments where the attentive listener is rewarded with an amazing sequence of ideas and formal development that manages to be cohesive and unexpected at the same time. She hit that a couple of times in this set. And with Tanya Kalmanovitch on viola and violin she had a like-minded extension to her compositional/improvisational world.

This duo played a mix of free improvisations and Myra Melford compositions. They began with three short improvisations where one would begin playing solo and the other would enter by reflecting gestures at the other player as the performance would then evolve into an interaction between performers. Seeing this live, I was struck by all the arrested gestures - the decision at the last moment not to play the note or bow the string just before following through. Great care seemed to be taken not to add more to the sound than was needed.

One technique I hadn't seen Melford employ before was her "prepared piano on the fly" technique where she would add objects to the interior of the piano during a performance. Hearing her select just the right nodal point on the piano string to insert a stopper or plucking the strings inside the piano added a nice balance to the timbral depth of the viola and violin as it brought out the similarities of the string-ness of the piano.