The diminutive but mighty acoustic bassist Malachi Favors was a charter member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio, and since his passing both groups have suffered. This recording for El'Zabar and his revamped trio including longtime member saxophonist Ari Brown and guest violinist Billy Bang is the first offering with bassist Yosef Ben Israel filling the chair of the late Favors…

There’s something about the title of “Pure Mode,” prologue to Mat Maneri’s first solo album, Trinity, that describes his abilities just right. Like the nine improvisations that follow, it jumps off of a prewritten motive (in this case, by Matthew Shipp) and offers us a four-stringed experience like no other. Maneri goes unplugged this time, feeling out the forest of richness already ingrained into the wood and gut at his bow. He stews in every design for what it’s worth and walks along a slippery melodic slope as if it were dry and even ground.

Art Ensemble of Chicago - Phase One (1971) {America Records–Universal 067 866-2 rel 2004}
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© 1971, 2004 America Records / Universal Music France | 067 866-2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative

By 1971, the Art Ensemble of Chicago had become true denizens of the city of Paris and its environ. Regularly playing and recording, they were able to delve deeply into their Great Black Music aesthetic and explore not only the boundaries of free jazz, but also the intricate demands of African folk forms in improvisation. Dynamic, long a part of the AEC's M.O., had become a dominant methodology for the group, as had textural interplay, and nowhere are these more evident than on Phase One. Issued in 1971 on the French America Records imprint, this set has been reissued over a dozen times on LP and CD.

Michael Musillami Trio + 3 - From Seeds (2009) {Playscape Recordings PSR#020109}
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© 2009 Playscape Recordings | PSR#020109
Jazz / Post-Bop / Modern Creative / Guitar

Connecticut-based Michael Musillami is a guitarist firmly rooted in the modern post-Coltrane jazz tradition but not above applying a rock-ish tone and aggression at times to good effect, as heard on the title track to From Seeds. His early work with the late saxophonist Thomas Chapin is worth seeking out but he really came into his own around 2000 when he formed a trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller.

Michael Musillami & Mario Pavone - Pivot (2002) {Playscape PSRJ121001 rec 2001-2002}
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© 2002 Playscape Recordings | PSR#J121001
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Guitar / Bass

Guitarist Michael Musillami and bassist Mario Pavone set out to design this outing with the intentions of employing rhythmic structures to be used as the compositional underpinnings. Hence, the base guitar trio revolves around the melodic components, as the band utilizes space and linear movements as a core methodology. They also incorporate various modes of the swing element throughout Pivot.

Best known for vibrant live concert performances, Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio feature jazz from an African improvised perspective, and the precepts of the Association For The Advancement Of Creative Musicians based in Chicago. This club date at Chi-town's Hot House in the fall of 2000 is released eight years after being recorded. It marks a prior coming of age for El'Zabar, who plays the drum kit almost exclusively (he is featured on the booklet with a giant mbira), and always honors the celebratory aspect of music making…

Dewey Redman - The Ear of the Behearer (1973) {Impulse! IMPD-271 rel 1998}
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© 1973, 1998 Impulse! / GRP /MCA | IMPD-271
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

This 1998 CD reissues Dewey Redman's entire The Ear of the Behearer album (although it leaves out an alternate take of "Interconnection" that was released on a different set), plus four of the seven selections from his Coincide record of a year later. Some of the music is quite adventurous and free, while other tracks include some freebop, a struttin' blues ("Boody"), and quieter ballads. Redman, a distinctive tenor saxophonist, actually plays alto on five of the first six selections; he is less memorable (although no less exploratory) on the smaller horn.

Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Warszawa 2019 (2021) {Fundacja Sluchaj}
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© 2021 Fundacja Słuchaj & Polish Music Council Foundation
Jazz / Electroacoustic / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

The ElectroAcoustic Ensemble was formed in 1990 as a sextet to explore the possibilities of real-time signal processing in an improvising context. and shortly became an opus magnum ensemble in the whole of Evan Parker's musical biography. Most of the CDs documenting the development of this exciting large ensemble were released by the legendary ECM label. The last time when EAE brought us its new CD titled Hasselt was nine years ago (PSI). Now, after this very long period, we proudly announce the brand new Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble is coming! Beautifully recorded two years ago on the Warsaw-based festival Ad Libitum by Kuba Sosulski and beautifully mixed by Fil Gomez and Evan Parker himself in the middle of 2020 at Arcobarco, Ramsgate, UK. So let's listen and enjoying the ten pieces ensemble led by one of the greatest musicians in the world. Here comes WARSZAWA 2019.

Pouf pouf, juger. Hormis cette belle pochette, Diego Imbert s'imprègne aussi de ce qu'on a appelé la nouvelle modalité, l'autre avant-garde, l'autre new thing, le post-bop, ce qu'on ne savait pas trop comment appeler et qui se trouvait effectivement chez Blue Note. Un soupçon de Dolphy première époque, du Freddie Hubbard deuxième époque, quelques traces de Hancock époque du milieu… En fait, pour sortir du label, surtout le second quintet de Miles. Et c'est toujours une bonne idée, surtout à entendre le son cristallin du bugle d'Alexandre Tassel. Prince of darkness pour lui.

Although altoist David Binney is the leader of the quintet on Out of Airplanes (Adam Rogers only plays guitar on two numbers), the dominant force is actually Bill Frisell. Without Frisell's wide variety of otherworldly sounds and effects, the music would have sounded radically different. The originals alternate between free-form noise, rock-like vamps and introspective ballads, with some selections being all three.

Julie Tippetts - Sunset Glow (1975) {Utopia–Blueprint BP317CD rel 1999}
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© 1975, 1999 Utopia / Blueprint Records | BP317CD
Jazz / Modern Creative / Jazz Rock / Canterbury Scene / Progressive Jazz

After leaving Brian Auger's band and becoming the musical and life partner of pianist/composer Keith Tippett, Julie Tippetts issued Sunset Glow, her first solo recording, in 1974 on the Polydor label. After her soul, pop, and R&B beginnings, Tippetts redeveloped her voice, taking it and her music in a different direction. She began to extend its reach in improvisation, breath control, and uncommon phrasing. She is one of the most compelling and original singers in recorded music's history. Sunset Glow is a curious recording, one that walks the razor's edge of composition and improvisation.

Cecil Taylor - The Complete Candid Recordings of Cecil Taylor and Buell Neidlinger (1989) {4CD Set, Mosaic MD4-127 rec 1960-1961}
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© 1960-61, 1989 Candid / Mosaic Records | MD4-127
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Piano / Bass

A bewildering collection of music, varying from the often quite difficult Taylor to bop fare with a twist. There is a twinge of masochism mounting this on the turntable but for me Taylor is a litmus test. Some people, whose judgement is impeccable in most things, tell me they are enraptured by Taylor, others class him somewhere between root canal treatment and filing tax returns. Punishment for some, but not as challenging as some later Taylor for others. Each time I play him, which I do from time to time, I am checking whether I have turned the corner, a zen moment, and finally “got” Cecil Taylor . So far he continues to elude me, but I keep trying.