* 5 Stars *
"Ware says that spirituality is what you are and music is what you do. Because there is a lot of experience in this band their music can be 100 percent intuitive, very refined, and spontaneous. I really felt sad when Ware came to an end with his legendary quartet with Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Guillermo E. Brown. But – my god – he has replaced it with another supergroup."
Based in Rotterdam, and joining two Portuguese living in that city, Hugo Costa (alto sax) and Gonçalo Almeida (electric bass) to the German drummer Philipp Ernsting, the band Albatre plays a schizoid music which has free jazz and rock (as envisioned by punk and metal) as idiomatic poles. Everything immerged in distortion and with a sometimes heavy, sometimes crazily fast beat.
PARQUE is a project of the intermedia artist Ricardo Jacinto, with the instrumental contributions of Nuno Torres, Nuno Morão, João Pinheiro, Dino Récio and André Sier, and “Earworm Versions” the remaining tail of an exhibition and performance-installation presented at Culturgest, Lisbon, in 2008.
Nearly. Nearly a song, somewhat familiar. Nearly comfortable, almost fulfilling. The melody stays ever-open, indefinite, and then the song departs, breaks, never arrives. It’s not surrender, it’s a game, open to the listener.
Rimbaud is a fascinating collection of four stylistically diverse, wildly imaginative, mostly manic pieces by John Zorn, all inspired by the 19th century French Symbolist poet.
"A Vision In Blakelight" is another addition to what's being described as John Zorn's 'mystical' works. It is a curious blend of jazz, classical and meditative esthetics. In this case, the music is inspired by the writings of William Blake. 'When the Morning Stars Sang Together' is a life affirming and relaxed opener.
Rather than a John Zorn conceptual recording, Nosferatu was a commissioned work for a Polish theater group's dramatic production based on the Bram Stoker novel. Zorn gathered Rob Burger (piano and organ), Kevin Gordon (xylophone, drums, bells, and Tibetan prayer bowls), and bassist Bill Laswell together for this project.
Borscht Belt Studies is Jamie Saft's first record on Tzadik since 2009's stellar Black Shabbis, a death metal meditation on the historical persecution and homelessness of the Jewish people. Obviously, Borscht Belt Studies is stylistically different. Saft returns to more familiar territory here, playing only piano and Fender Rhodes throughout.
I was early on March, 22nd, 2012. I wanted to have a good seat, like the one I had the day before. I put my jacket on a chair in the first row and went outside to have a drink. The weather was really nice, the days were getting longer and the people were enjoying springtime.
