Post your jazz and jazz-adjacent, your avant-garde and your nu-classical or whatever you want to call it, your sound collages and beat tapes, your electronic adventures, etc.

I'm trying to write a bit more about music this year so hopefully I'll circle back here and share some thoughts along the way.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

still bumping Mansur Brown's Heiwa from late 2021 https://open.spotify.com/album/42rdDg3nul8w1TIhDFsRgx

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

1. Thanks for this post.

2. I slept on Makaya McCraven.

3. I've been enjoying Nala Sinephro's Space 1.8 a lot lately.

4. I'm still running Emma Jean Thackray's Yellow LP.

I need more stuff like this.

https://digife.com

>1. Thanks for this post.

No problem! Let's try to keep it alive for a while.

>2. I slept on Makaya McCraven.

Yeah, he's actually someone that grows on me with every release. Whenever there's something new from him, I find myself going back and listening again to something older from him and appreciating it more and more. It doesn't hurt that he plays with a lot of folks I love, too.

>3. I've been enjoying Nala Sinephro's Space 1.8 a lot lately.

Soooooo good. I've listened to it a lot but I'm still noticing all sorts of new bits and pieces and the vibe is *just* right.

You might check out stuff from this article on "ambient jazz" -- I'm still not sure how I feel about the label but there is some really good stuff named here:

https://pitchfork.com/features/article/ambient-jazz-pharoah-sanders-floating-points-nala-sinephro/

But there is something special about Space as a whole. It just feels extra thoughtful, every step considered even if it is largely improvisational.

>4. I'm still running Emma Jean Thackray's Yellow LP.
>
>I need more stuff like this.

Absolutely. I like that one because it doesn't feel quite like anything coming out of the UK jazz scene right now -- it's very much it's own voice. I was half-expecting something more explicitly jazz-oriented but she pulled out the dance element more and it's all the better for it.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/nala-sinephro-interview/

Some interesting stuff here. Sounds like she has other stuff in the works so she's going to be one to watch, for sure.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Spent some time last week with two new jazz records that both incorporate string quartets: Fred Hersch's "Breath by Breath" and Dave Stryker's "As We Are." The former tends more toward a third-stream/ECM-ish style and is presented as a suite reflecting aspects of Buddhist meditation/mindfulness practices. Stryker's album hits more postbop notes. Neither really pulled me in initially and yet I've gone back several times and found more to appreciate on each listen. I honestly have no idea if I'll fall in love with either or ultimately find them "just ok" --- but they're each fun in their own way.

The most distinct thing about each project is its string use -- which neither project takes advantage of especially well! Bringing a string collective into a jazz combo situation is always a bit risky. If the strings are directed to "play jazz" as an ensemble, they often feel too tight; yet they also can feel a bit too on the nose if they are playing a more traditional string-quartet-ish role ... a touch kitschy, too cloying. In both projects here, the strings often feel like a layer added to, rather than organically a part of, the music. There are lots of exceptions, of course, like Hersch's "Worldly Winds," where the strings feel a bit more like a folk ensemble than elsewhere. Hersch also thoughtfully uses the strings to frame his gentle lullaby "Awakened Heart" to great effect, having them set the stage before leaving him and his piano alone to lilt for a bit, then coming back to gently close the tune out.

But by far their most stunning use is on Stryker's interpretation of Nick Drake's "River Man," which is almost certainly my favorite performance of either project and something I know I'll go back to over and over for a while. At the start of the tune, the strings eerily creak and rustle and ebb and flow, allowing Stryker's guitar to come in and lay down the familiar Drake melody, eventually giving way to the rest of the jazz combo to take shape, but returning near the end with their ebb and flow, bringing to mind a night river lapping at the shore. There's an effective violin solo here, too, and Brian Blade doing what Brian Blade does so well on the drums, bringing a ton of texture and reminding you of just how musical percussion can be. It's stunning and I recommend everyone at least check it.

Stryker, "River Man": https://youtu.be/Qb9mZqLDR44


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Blind
https://jameszoo.bandcamp.com/album/blind

I copped his last full length album Fool based on the strength of "Flu"
his collabo with Arthur Verocai.
I'll admit it took me a while to fully get the album cause
my ears weren't really ready to process some of the abstract things he was doing.
But when I got it, IT HIT HARD, and I love it.
("Soup" is my favorite and worth checking out)

Soooo, I was hype about this new album but I'm already kinda "eh" on the single.
I already pre-ordered cause I might just need some time with it.
In fact, most of the music in the last Jazz-ish post I ended up loving after spending some time with it.

https://digife.com

Pretty sure I dug "Fool" too but it's been a minute since I checked in on him. Good chance to revisit his stuff!

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

https://ecmrecords.com/shop/1634797466

Out last week, listened this morning --- wow. I was probably in just the right mood for it but I thought it was simply beautiful: a 30 minute suite with a whole lot of energy all the way through. It's on ECM and it definitely has that feel. These movements have a lot of character - ranging from hummable, plaintive melodies to restless crashes of sound - but underneath it all is this insistent pulse that just drives every tune and the whole project forward. Can't wait to listen again.

Also, huge shout here to Ziv Ravitz on drums, who I've been exploring a lot lately. Is he one of the most unsung talents in improvisational drumming today? The scope of sounds he's assembled as part of his toolkit is just enormous and he seems as comfortable bringing them into softer ambient situations as louder, more raucous or traditional outings. He released a an album with pianist Verena Zeiner earlier this year that I also highly recommend, "The Sweetness of Finitude." He reminds me a lot of Brian Blade in the best ways.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

My mans with another awesome album!

https://wejazzrecords.bandcamp.com/album/koma-west

Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album "Koma West", out on We Jazz Records, 18 March 2022. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh (Petter's mom!). The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation.

At 14 tracks, "Koma West" is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop & go production style, Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalise, but nevertheless a recognisable style of composing, producing and arranging.

Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up – he's from a tiny town called Lysekil. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go and you can hear that here as well, especially on cuts such as "Närhet", beautifully sung by Sofia Jernberg.

Petter Eldh says:

"In a way, it's a concept album and a celebration of the Swedish West Coast. The first single is called 'Koma Kaprifol', and kaprifol is the landscape flower of Bohuslän on the West coast, where I grew up. I'm not too wild about attaching strong narratives to my music but there's no way around it this time. The oysters, a common snack around the coast, are a strong conceptual presence here. Anyway, they seem to pop up here and there quite often already thus far in the Koma Saxo narrative, even though it's not always so obvious. Koma Vocals! Koma Strings! I love the presence of Sofia Jernberg here and I love writing string arrangements, too, although I never thought I would do it for Koma, but of course, Koma should have some strings, why not?. Koma Saxo should and can become anything."
credits
released March 18, 2022

Petter Eldh - Double Bass, Sampler, Piano, Percussion
Sofia Jernberg - Voice
Christian Lillinger - Drums
Otis Sandsjö - Tenor Saxophone, Alto Clarinet
Jonas Kullhammar - Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Slide Saxophone
Mikko Innanen - Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone
Lucy Railton - Cello
Maria Reich - Violin
Kiki Eldh (the momvillain) - Accordion
Kit Downes - Piano

Produced by Petter Eldh
Executive producer Matti Nives

All compositions by Petter Eldh
except “Närhet”, written by Fritz Sjöström, arranged by Petter Eldh
Recorded at Atlantis, Stockholm, 14th of April 2021, by Niclas Lindström
Additional recordings by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin
Some of the voice and piano additions recorded by Sofia and Kit somewhere in Europe
Kiki Eldh recorded by Petter Eldh at Mountain Man Studios, Lysekil
Mixed by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin
Mastered by Martin Ruch at CONTROL ROOM BERLIN
Design by Matti Nives

Nice, thanks for this!

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

https://youtu.be/rDH-TZErOJQ

Gave the album a listen last night and *really* enjoyed it. I've checked a few of the other albums from him that you've shared but I don't think I'd listened to this specific lineup/project. Will definitely dive in further this week.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

dig it so far.

https://digife.com

https://youtu.be/MWn5J9BT3_I

One of my new favorite artists…

Nonesuch Records releases Ghost Song, the label debut of singer / songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant. Ghost Song features a diverse mix of seven originals and five interpretations on the themes of ghosts, nostalgia, and yearning.

Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is a singer and composer bringing historical perspective, a renewed sense of drama, and an enlightened musical understanding to both jazz standards and her own original compositions. Classically trained, steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, and drawing from musical theater and vaudeville, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire that broadens the possibilities for live performance. Salvant’s performances range from spare duets for voice and piano to instrumental trios to orchestral ensembles.

but really enjoyed it a lot. initial highlights for me were the super dope Kate Bush interpretation (Wuthering Heights), the Gregory Porter tune (No Love Dying), and a number of her own tunes (the title track and "Dead Poplar" to start). Her albums so far always include some unexpected moments and this one was true to that in a good way.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I just love the title track and how the song ends.
I saw her in concert last year based on hearing just one song of hers (“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”) , which I was stuck on for months. I got to see how talented she is as a vocalist will be spending lots of time discovering her work and those unexpected moments you mentioned.

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
http://soundcloud.com/user305437292

Just a quick appreciation for the taking-it-to-the-edge character of this album:

* It opened with WUTHERING HEIGHTS
* It then melted a vaudeville OPTIMISTIC VOICES, via tempo and crazy key modulation, into a just ridiculous version of NO LOVE DYING that kills

And the whole album is just choice after choice like these, song-by-song, combo-by-combo.

Best of jazz lists suck because the landscape is so vast and the term so problematic, in terms of genre. But she deserves the accolades.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

https://oblivionrecords2.bandcamp.com/album/the-complete-legendary-live-return-concert-at-the-town-hall-nyc-november-4-1973

A review of this release can be found at https://thebaffler.com/latest/44-thoughts-for-cecil-taylor-ho-bynum

.....

Proudly, I can announce the revival of my label Oblivion Records to present the entire concert recording of Cecil Taylor’s Return Concert of 1973. The previous release of only one half of the performance, “Spring of Two Blue-J’s”, was hailed as one of his best recordings ever (and until now was only available as a European bootleg). The addition of a 90 minute quartet will only sharpen that opinion.

The concert is available now only on your favorite digital service, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Cecil Taylor estate.

50 years ago, two partners and I started a tiny record label to record world class blues and jazz musicians, and at the same time I’d oversee live jazz broadcasts at WKCR-FM, my college radio station in New York City. One day a manager asked if I’d record the concert of Cecil Taylor Unit’s triumphant return to New York City after several years teaching at midwestern US colleges. I jumped at the chance to work with one of the three acknowledged leaders of avant-garde jazz.

The second set would be perfect for the two sides of a vinyl LP which Cecil released on his own label; a side long solo backed with a quartet performance with stalwarts Andrew Cyrille, Jimmy Lyons and Sirone. Hailed as one of his best recordings ever, Cecil’s lack of interest in running a company allowed the 2000 copies to fall out of print, eventually only being available as a European bootleg ripped from the vinyl.

For years I hadn’t listened to the first half of the concert –”Autumn/Parade” was one uninterrupted hail of 88 minutes with the entire Unit– but during the pandemic I pulled out the tapes and realized history had been sitting on my shelves for almost half a century. Putting it together with the two part “Spring…” would allow the world to hear the astonishing progress of Cecil’s vision.

–Fred Seibert

credits
released February 15, 2022

1. Autumn/Parade 88:00
(quartet)
2. Spring of Two Blue-J’s 16:15
Part 1 (solo)
3. Spring of Two Blue-J’s 21:58
Part 2 (quartet)

Cecil Taylor: composer, piano
Jimmy Lyons: alto saxophone
Andrew Cyrille: percussion
Sirone: bass
.....

Produced by Fred Seibert
Recorded live in concert by Fred Seibert
Assisted by Nick Moy
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
New York, New York

Track 1: Mixed by Fred Seibert, Summer 2021
Tracks 2 & 3: Mixed by Fred Seibert, Jeff Ader, Alan Goodman, David Laura and Tony May, Spring 1974
Digital tranfers from the original analog 4-track and stereo recordings by Sonicraft, Red Bank, NJ
Promotional CD Mastering: Tom Nunes, Atomic Disc, Salem, OR

Graphics by The Oblivionettes
Publicity: Lydia Liebman Promotions

Special thanks to Mark Seiden

Sorry för the late response-I actually heard this album upon release-but this might be my favourite archival release of the last few years. Cecil fans will have something to look forward to in a while: another set from the 1980 live-shows that spawned the GREAT Hat Hut "It's in the brewing luminous" record with a line up featuring Cecil, Jimmy Lyons (duh!), Sunny Murray (yay!), Alan Silva (double yay!!) violinist Ramsey Ameen and percussionist/second drummer Jerome Cooper!!! Christmas comes early this year! I think It's supposed to come out in May or something... my only complaint is that I wish that they would release all sets since it was all recorded...

Up, looks like a have some music to catch up on...appreciated...

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

Released in March.

Only fully listened once but I'm mad I haven't seen this blasted anywhere yet! It's a cool collaboration between Sly5thAve and the Mexican composer/pianist. I was impressed with how genre-less a lot of it feels; it's clearly playing with jazz, hip hop, Sly's electro-dance-funk sound, and some latin-american inspiration --- but it doesn't feel forced at all. On first listen, it started a bit slow/light but it sucked me in by the second or third tune.

Plus, Silvana Estrada vocals on the title track.

The notes on the Bandcamp page make it sound like they had a blast making it and it really comes through in the music. There are a number of times on the record you can hear them talking to each other; it feels very alive. And there's not a single tune on here that is summed up in its first thirty seconds -- every one is full of development and detours and unexpected twists and genuine improvisational spirit.

https://sly5thavenue.bandcamp.com/album/agua-de-jamaica

A few faves off the first listen:
Agua de Jamaica - https://youtu.be/iHI3zB3PzxQ

Ensencialmente - https://youtu.be/crGrqIC_4kM (holy sax and stacked synths, man!)

Poinciana - https://youtu.be/Y3vvcoL0TKk (beautiful rendition, I think that's Estrada on vocals here, too)

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I haven't really kept up on Clayton's music in a few years so was pleased to see this new release, both as something to check out but also as a reminder that I probably have some catching up to do. And if he's done anything else like this record recently, then that is doubly true.

This is a much quieter album than I expected. The first tune, "Water's Edge," opens with a long-line melody played by a cello (!) with minimal backing, then developing over that melody from there but in all directions: in texture, mood, depth. That melody is killing me though -- it feels like a hymn or spiritual reference I am not able to identify, not a straight lift but maybe an inversion of some kind. Whatever it is, the song is a JOURNEY in the best way possible and might be one of my favorite tunes of the year so far.

The album on the whole is a quieter affair mainly anchored by drums, piano, bass/cello, and occasional vocals from someone named MARO. Each performance is very poised, very elegant, but never polished to the point of losing its verve. As a pianist, Clayton is pretty restrained on this record but gives himself space to stretch out on two excellent solo interpretations of the standard My Ideal, and on the long duet with Charles Lloyd, "Peace Invocation." (How is Charles Lloyd 84 years old and still able to not just play so well, but put out music so frequently!!!)

The album is definitely worth very close listening, imo. Grabbing the vinyl asap.

Water's Edge - https://youtu.be/t8f9O2jTlfo

Damunt de tu Nomes les Flors (a Mompou composition) - https://youtu.be/wFzl4kPBLfo

My Ideal 2 - https://youtu.be/kb47y2BcKUI


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

https://punktvrtplastikintakt.bandcamp.com/album/zurich-concert

“A supergroup” is what the German music magazine Jazzthetik calls Punkt.Vrt.Plastik. Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh and Christian Lillinger make up this trio – “Two musicians and one musician who are among the most exciting and active that the European avant-garde has to offer.” and Die Zeit writes: “They reinterpret an entire genre at once: the good old piano trio.” The trio convinces with a highly individual sound and a rarely heard clarity and precision, even where there is free improvisation and where rhythm, melody and metrics dissolve. now, a year after their celebrated album Somit, they present an impressive live statement that takes up the material from their eponymous first album and Somit and impressively demonstrates the live realizations of studio ideas. “It is a stunning reminder that whatever else it can be, music is a fundamentally communicative enterprise. It is our great fortune that the microphones were up on this night so that Punkt.Vrt.Plastik can again tell us what they said”, writes Alexander Hawkins in the liner notes.

Reviews: www.intaktrec.ch/rev380.htm
credits
released March 11, 2022

Kaja Draksler: Piano
Petter Eldh: Bass
Christian Lillinger: Drums, Percussion

Music by Kaja Draksler (Buma), Petter Eldh (STIM), Christian Lillinger (GEMa). Recorded live May 14, 2021, at unerhört!-Festival at Rote Fabrik in Zurich by Michael Brändli. Mixed at Hardstudios in Winterthur by Christian Lillinger and Michael Brändli. Mastered at Hardstudios by Michael Brändli. Midi quarter-tone keyboard programmed by Gianluca Elia. Cover photo: Kaja Draksler. Graphic design: Paul Bieri. Liner notes: Alexander Hawkins. Band photo: Palma Fiacco. Produced by Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh, Christian Lillinger and Intakt Records. Published by Intakt Records.

https://kajadraksler.bandcamp.com/album/in-otherness-oneself

Kaja Draksler states that “as a person who speaks and understands different languages, I have an impression that my identity is multifaceted, I have to lose something in myself in order to let the “spirit” of a new language inside me. So in this way I am constantly becoming in otherness myself.”

In building this album pianist and composer Kaja Draksler worked on developing specific musical languages for each piece. She attempted to restrict herself to maintaining each language although as she points out “leakages” did take place, and the pieces somehow ended up influencing each other, as spoken languages do. Kaja refers to voodoo as an inspiration. Her intention is to take possession of the rhythm, pulse and melody and at the same time to allow the music to take possession of her. In that way she is influencing the context but also she lets the context have an influence on her. She is one of those musicians who are able to work out the paradox of combining composition and open improvisation sometimes within the same piece. Aware as she is that both structure and freedom can be as much a burden as an asset, she uses those parameters with brillance.

The title of the album comes from a line in the poem Aquoueh R-Oyo. by
Cecil Taylor, and Kaja’s objectives for this body of work resonates further with the poem: “to relate instantly, and build concomitant,” “to capture dark instinct,” or, “to play what one hears.” Draksler referencing the Afro American heritage as a European artist educated in the tradition of experimental Jazz is testimony to the complexity of her ‘languages’ and her awareness of her position in that cultural lineage. In 'In Otherness Oneself' Kaja Draksler creates languages and lets her identities speak.
credits
released April 5, 2022

COMPOSED & PERFORMED BY KAJA DRAKSLER

Recorded on April 13, 2021 at Splendor, Amsterdam. Recorded & mixed by Andy Moor, mastered by Yannis Kyriakides.

The quarter-tone keyboard was programmed by Gianluca Elia, the keyboard set-up was inspired by Cory Smythe. The words on Away! are from ‘In the Clearing’ (1962), written and recited by Robert Frost, singing by Laura Polence and Björk Níelsdóttir. The words on Tenis Stołowy are from ‘Dzienniki’ (1953-56), written and read by Witold Gombrowicz. The title of this album refers to the poem ‘Aquoueh R-Oyo,’ by Cecil Taylor (1973).

OMG! They released another one!

https://stevelehman.bandcamp.com/album/xaybu-the-unseen

Sélébéyone:
Steve Lehman - Alto Saxophone
Maciek Lasserre - Soprano Saxophone
Hprizm/High Priest - Vocals (English)
Gaston Bandemic - Vocals (Wolof)
Damion Reid - Drum Set

Xaybu: The Unseen is the highly-anticipated sophomore release from Sélébéyone, the international avant-rap collective comprised of MCs HPrizm (New York City) and Gaston Bandimic (Dakar), and saxophonists Steve Lehman (Los Angeles) and Maciek Lasserre (Paris). Described as “legitimately new” and a “revelation” by Pitchfork, the group’s eponymous 2016 debut was hailed as a game-changing synthesis of underground hip-hop, modern jazz and live electronic music. On Xaybu, Sélébéyone – which means “intersection” in Wolof – continues to build on its groundbreaking work with shifting rhythms and state-of-the art sound design, now with a newfound sense of effortless fluidity. The result is a profound musical statement that deftly explores spirituality and mysticism through the lens of experimental music.

The word “xaybu” in Wolof refers to the concept in Islamic mysticism of al-Ghaib – that which is unknowable and unseeable. HPrizm, Gaston Bandimic, and Maciek Lasserre are all Sufi Muslims, and that spiritual connection and sense of abandon and giving in to the unknown has been a cornerstone of the group since its inception. The Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty is heard on the track “Djibril” describing his creative process, which directly reflects Sélébéyone’s own artistic ethos:

It’s very simple. You must close your eyes.
Have you closed your eyes?
You see points of light. Close them tightly.
Each time that you want to see the light, you must close your eyes.
(Translated from French)

Throughout the album, the voices of master musicians like Billy Higgins (on “Gagaku”) and Jackie McLean (“Go In”) – both of whom converted to Islam – are heard speaking to the complex relationship between their spiritual and creative practices. The nuance of those connections is reflected in the otherworldly sonorities and intricate compositional structures that permeate the record. Nearly unheard of for projects of this scope, Lehman and Lasserre not only handle all of the instrumental writing, but also every aspect of the production on their respective pieces, including drum programming, sampling, and overall sound design. The result is an unprecedented integration of complex compositional forms, pre-recorded samples, and electronic sounds. And after multiple tours throughout the United States and Europe, the group has also cultivated a repertoire of hard-won performance strategies that make radical shifts in tempo and texture feel organic and inevitable.

An award-winning saxophonist and composer, Lehman – who holds a doctorate in composition from Columbia University – is widely celebrated for his “sure-footed futurism” (New York Times) in the domains of modern jazz and contemporary classical music. Here, he showcases yet another side of his astonishing creativity in producing and overseeing nearly every aspect of Xaybu. The project makes frequent use of advanced compositional techniques and cutting-edge improvisation: Each aspect of Lehman’s musical identity is an inextricable part of this artistic statement. Pulling this off requires enormous trust and commitment among the musicians, which is only possible through Lehman’s longstanding musical relationship with the members of the group. HPrizm (a.k.a. High Priest), a legend of New York’s underground hip-hop scene and a founding member of Antipop Consortium has been one of Lehman's closest collaborators for almost two decades. Saxophonist Maciek Lasserre, began studying with Lehman in 2005 and introduced him to the burgeoning Senegalese hip-hop scene in 2010. Lasserre later urged Lehman to include Gaston Bandimic – one of Senegal’s most distinctive young rap stars – as a founding member of Sélébéyone. Drummer Damion Reid has also been an integral member of Lehman’s ensembles since 2006. His innovative drum set adaptations of J-Dilla beats on Robert Glasper’s In My Element (2007), are often cited as the beginning of the “drum set as MPC” wave amongst the current generation of young drummers. True to form, Reid’s playing on Xaybu is remarkably adept at moving back and forth between electronic and acoustic textures – check out his work with brushes at the beginning of “Dual Ndoxol.” Pieces like “Gagaku,” “Zeraora,” and “Gas Akap” highlight Reid’s improvised interactions with both saxophonists in a series of explosive duets.

Tracks like “Djibirl” and “Lamina” feature unconventional sonic landscapes that throw HPrizm and Bandimic’s searing lyricism into relief. Both integrate contemporary notions of Islamic mysticism into their rhyme schemes, and frequently mine profound connections between spirituality and artistic practices. On “Liminal” they calmly navigate a meticulously-crafted quagmire of polyrhythms and Lehman’s characteristic razor-sharp saxophone lines. Percussive accents drift in and out of time, ebbing and flowing one moment, and snapping into the grid the next. On “Souba,” Lehman’s experience in the contemporary classical music realm comes to the fore, with the subtle orchestration of harp, strings, flutes, and percussion, deftly shadowing the rhythmic nuance of Gaston’s rapid-fire verses.

Lehman reflects on the evolution of Sélébéyone: “When we first came together in 2016, I think we really had to work hard to see if this thing could even work, not just in terms of finding a way to perform together on stage, but even the artistic viability of it all. But, this time around, it really felt like we already know how to do this and we know what we’re about. And for that reason, there was very little discussion about how we were going to bring the second record to life. And even the guiding principle of xaybu/al-Ghaib emerged almost on its own. That fascination with the invisible, the imperceptible, the kind of concealed elements of spirituality and creativity is what really ties us all together. And I think this album kind of represents that on-going search for music that we haven’t heard before and that doesn’t sound like anything else."

Thanks for sharing this. First album was fire and seeing this made me go back and revisit. Looking forward to another release for sure.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Cool! Didn't know of any lesson head that liked the last one.

I'm new to this, but I liked the small bit I heard.
I want to listen to the first album first.

https://digife.com

https://www.okayafrica.com/wolof-selebeyone-hip-hop-jazz/

Sélébéyone Is at the Intersection of Experimental Hip-Hop, Jazz & Wolof

By Frank L'Opez

The international 'avant-rap collective' deliver a new album packed with impressive rhymes from Senegal's Gaston Bandimic.
Shrouded in birdsong, Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty opens up “Djibril,” the second track on Sélébéyone’s new album with grave certainty. In French he tells us: "You must close your eyes. Have you closed your eyes? You see points of light. Close them tightly. Each time that you want to see the light, you must close your eyes."

It encapsulates an astounding album in Xaybu: The Unseen that sounds like a spiraling Miles Davis as cosmonaut lost in geometric prisms of Africa. Free jazz in the lost outer dimensions may not be for everyone but this ‘international avant-rap collective’ as they like to call themselves sound less like session musicians polishing off their licks when Senegalese star, Gaston Bandimic, is cutting loose at the heart of it all.

Down wormholes of terror and abject confusion this group’s best moments are when they shoot for spiritually and mysticism through sonic chaos. Saxophonists Steve Lehman of Los Angeles and Maciek Lasserre of Paris ride off the energy that pours out of Bandimic. He delivers in Wolof as if it were for the last time.

That he and Lasserre are both Sufi Muslims, makes the record take on a shape of its own and attempts to reveal the connection they have with the unknown. When I manage to track him down he is in Lyon with his family. A hip-hop star back in Africa, he appears on this transatlantic album that sounds at times like a bad dream in an 80s movie. What is the deal here?

Bandimic describes making music as making new universes, citing “the symbiosis of cultures and civilizations” and how “jazz is not symmetrical, it’s another level — just as the spirit is not palpable. It is abstract”.

“This is an album of trying to find something,” Bandimic explains, “How humans are a universe unto themselves. How we all contain the universe within us. The sun and the moon are in me. To truly understand nature is to understand this”

It is quite clear that there is no shying away from the profound in this work. “With all this connection, a human must live like he is alone on earth. Face to face with another person he is face to face with himself. Doing harm to others is doing harm unto yourself, do you understand?”.

Touring across the world as a live band they have gone from an outfit that sends files to each other online to becoming a unit with purpose. For them: forging something finally bigger than themselves.

“We come from a system that’s handed down from generation to generation as a way of life,” he says, “We made this record to share our way of thinking and transmit the world we want to see”.

Born in Dakar, Bandimic is back and forth between two worlds and many projects. Raising his family in France but constantly returning home. “African society wants to look like Europe. Language, fashion, television…” He trails off contemplating how all culture vanishes one way or another. “The French say their culture is at risk. They don’t like that Arabs eat Halal and speak their own language but the whole world is scared of losing its identity.”

On Xaybu, which means ‘the unseen,’ the notion of clinging on to anything seems unnatural. That in our own worlds, order and ‘normal’ are as abstract as anything else. Bandimic ends our chat asking us to pay heed. “The internet has stolen our humanity. Too much perversion and liberty is abusive,” he warns “Humanity is hidden in darkness right now. Today humans have lost true value and richness of spirit. It’s material wealth that is taught from when we are young, even in our schools. There has to be more than that.”

https://tyshawn-sorey.bandcamp.com/album/the-off-off-broadway-guide-to-synergism

The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism is a blazing three-volume set recorded live at The Jazz Gallery in New York, featuring drummer Tyshawn Sorey’s trio with special guest alto saxophonist Greg Osby. Increasingly celebrated for his notated works in the contemporary classical realm – Sorey was recently called “composer of the year” by The New York Times – and generally associated with the avant-garde, Off-Off Broadway is a return to his musical roots: a celebration of collective improvisation over well-known jazz standards.

Featuring his trio of pianist Aaron Diehl, best-known for his association with singer Cécile McLorin Salvant; bassist Russell Hall, who has played with Wynton Marsalis and Joey Alexander; and Osby, whose illustrious four-decade long career includes 14 highly-acclaimed releases on the Blue Note record label. One of those, Banned in New York, which captured the rough and tumble of his quartet in a live setting and is considered by many to be among his finest – is an inspiration for this release. Mesmerism, Sorey’s earlier trio foray with its curated selection of jazz standards that also features Diehl, is something of a sister release. But whereas that album is elegant, pristine, and jewel-like, The Off-Off Broadway Guide is raw, fiery, and intense. The band plays with wild abandon, careering seamlessly from one song to the next, a true spontaneous combustion of master musicians uniting through the common language of improvisation.

just a heads up that this isn't on Spotify *fully* -- just a handful of its tracks right now.

wish the digital was a tiny bit cheaper. I don't really buy many CDs any more but 30 for a digital run feels like a lot (only a feeling, i know it's worth it and reasonable in the long run).

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Tidal has the whole thing. It's listed in the "live album" category.

Berlin-based collective - picked this one up yesterday and really love it!

https://villagelive.bandcamp.com/album/automated-improvisation

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https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/atalaya

This is par for the course for International Anthem, really good, kinda cosmic, but not too free & out there. If you like this & haven't heard it, a couple years back Dezron did a record with Brandee Younger called Force Majeure, & you should check that out too.

>https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/atalaya
>
>This is par for the course for International Anthem, really
>good, kinda cosmic, but not too free & out there. If you like
>this & haven't heard it, a couple years back Dezron did a
>record with Brandee Younger called Force Majeure, & you should
>check that out too.

Missed that this had dropped, thanks for the heads up.

Yeah, that Force Majeure record was dope. Someone recommended it as a very COVID-based artifact and so now when I listen to it, I really think of it as a reflection of a very particular time.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

A quick shout out for this record --- some ambient, some chamber jazz-ish, dawn richard layering vocals throughout --- ethereal's a good word, very open and shifting.

first listen didn't catch me, some cuts on shuffle started bringing me back, now it's getting lots of replay --- especially while working.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

100000% agreed, this album is phenomenal.

I've really been getting into "ambient jazz" recently. This album and the nala sinephro albums are ones I listen to at least once every week.
And the latest Bremer/McCoy album "Natten" on David Byrne's label is also fantastic.

The pigments album is a good mix of instrumental with Dawn coming in at key moments before the music gets monotonous.

The ending of Crimson / Cobalt / Umber is ridiculously good, especially Umber.

I copped the blue vinyl for $20 at amazon. Great pickup.

Also, if you like this album, check out their early collab from a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL5EZmjO_U8

Only found this a month or two ago but GOOD LORD it is ridiculously good.

One of those albums that will catch you even if you're not paying attention and force you to listen, bring you in, and genuinely affect you in the process. It just inhabits a space that is its own.

I don't think there is anything inherently innovative about it (although a leading vibraphonists are not super common, I guess). It's more about the writing and the playing as a whole: it feels like a 51 min journey.

Don't know anything about its inception and I kind of don't want to, but the track names say a lot: PRAYER/GUILT/CHOICES/WAIL/THE IMPETUS/DOXOLOGY/BENEDICTION.

Probably among my top 10 instrumental albums for the year, amid a year of some absolutely wonderful music.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

one of the best of the year. and the players are so young. inspiring stuff.

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i came to it a bit late so i feel like i'm still processing it but it's already gotten a ton of play, and every listen feels new.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Incredible, such a mood

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I like this.

Marcus Gilmore - drums
Mauricio Herrera - percussion
Kim Cass - bass
Patricia Brennan - vibraphone with electronics, marimba

https://patriciabrennanpyroclastic.bandcamp.com/

Does this count?

J. Rawls
https://polarentllc.bandcamp.com/album/jazzhop-2

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

Does this count?

Oh yes!
Just came back from a live concert, what an experience!

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