New Cadence Reviews

The Jul/Aug/Sep 2009 issue of Cadence arrived to subscribers this week, and with it a number of enthusiastic reviews of our clients’ recent recordings.

Here are a few highlights:

In his review of Garrison Fewell’s Variable Density Sound Orchestra (Creative Nation Music), Phillip McNally writes, “Using the blues and improvised melody, Fewell’s sextet creates something like a completely tonal yet free music…the results are solid, approachable and at the same time richly complex…I for one would love to catch this Variable Density Sound Orchestra live.”

“I unhestiatingly give Muse my highest recommendation,” declares David Kane in his review of The Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra’s second release. “She claims Maria Schneider and Bob Brookmeyer as muses but, to my ear, she has already equaled and perhaps surpassed these august icons in sheer musical sophistication. It’s quite clear on the evidence of this recording that Ayn Inserto has a bright future ahead of her.”

Jay Collins calls David S. Ware’s Shakti (AUM Fidelity) “intensely personal, with a spiritual directness that looks to India, but, also, with an outcome that is surprisingly accessible. Ware remains faithful to his sense of purpose and direction, while also offering sounds that are palatable enough for folks that may have been overwhelmed by previous work.”

“This band has an impressively wide range of textures to draw upon,” explains Stuart Kremsky in his review of William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity). “The infectious and insistent rhythms of the ensemble draw you right in, and the pleasing density of the band keeps you there. Parker’s projects as a leader invariably result in some of the most rewarding and creative music being made by anyone, and this gem is no exception.”

William Parker CDs Reviewed At PopMatters.com

Photo by Nick Ruechel

John Bohannon’s new joint review of William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity) and Petit Oiseau (AUM Fidelity) was posted yesterday at PopMatters.com.

Bohannon declares, “William Parker has the ability, talent, and scene support to put jazz back into the public consciousness on a wide level.”

Of Double Sunrise Over Neptune he writes, “The interaction between musicians to create a whole is unparalleled.”

He also calls the William Parker Quartet “quite possibly the greatest working quartet in jazz today.”

2008 Cadence Record Poll

The Jan/Feb/Mar 2009 issue of Cadence arrived yesterday and with it the results of the magazine’s annual Record Poll.

Bill Dixon’s 17 Musicians In Search Of A Sound: Darfur (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity) earned the fourth place slot in the Readers’ Choices Poll (only nine votes behind the winner three slots above), as well as a full-page review further on in that same issue written by Jason Bivins.

Bivins wrote, “Put briefly, this group doesn’t once (collectively or individually) commit the cardinal sin of large ensemble group improv: overplaying.  Rather, they listen, leave space and make each dynamic shift count as they realize Dixon’s dark musical vision.  That vision emerges in great detail, thanks firstly to a quite rich and colorful score, but also thanks to a very clear recording.”

In the Critics’ Choices Poll, for which contributors choose their 10 favorite releases covered in one of the magazine’s four 2008 issues, Jay Collins picked Mario Pavone’s Trio Arc (Playscape Recordings) and Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown (482 Music), Michael Coyle chose Eri Yamamoto’s Duologue (AUM Fidelity), and Michael Rosenstein selected Peter Evans’ The Peter Evans Quartet (Firehouse 12 Records). 

Congratulations to the clients listed above and all those recognized in the poll results.

Three AUM Fidelity Titles On Culture Catch’s Top 10 Avant-Jazz Albums of 2008

 In 2008, AUM Fidelity, in association with Arts for Art, Inc., released a series of three live recordings from Vision Festival XII in 2007. Each documented a large-scale piece, written by Roy Campbell, Bill Dixon and William Parker respectively, commissioned by, and premiered at, the festival.

All three of these releases are included on Culture Catch’s Best New Avant-Jazz Albums of 2008 list, written by Downtown Music Gallery’s Bruce Gallanter, who included a blurb about each.

On Roy Campbell’s Akhenaten Suite:
The sound of this quintet (which also includes violinist Billy Bang, vibraphonist Bryan Carrott, bassist Hill Greene, and drummer Zen Matsuura) is much like an early ’70s Blue Note date, always swinging infectiously. This was one of the most enchanting sets of last year’s Vision Festival and it still sounds wonderful on disc.

On Bill Dixon’s 17 Musicians In Search Of A Sound: Darfur:
I’ve caught professor/composer Bill Dixon on a number of occasions; sometimes his group is just great and sometimes they are amazing. This set was by far the best I’ve heard from him. 

On William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune:
An outstanding work and perhaps Parker’s finest moment yet!

JazzTimes’ Top 50 CDs of 2008: Update

In its February issue, now reaching the hands of subscribers, JazzTimes lists its Top 50 CDs of 2008, as compiled from a list of ballots from its contributors. 

As you may know from our December 19th post on the subject, based on the results published on JazzTimes.com a few weeks ago, the Mary Halvorson Trio’s Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12 Records) made the list. The print version confirms this and ranks the disc at number 43.

In his related blurb, Managing Editor Evan Haga writes, “As close as you can get to ‘rising star’ in the avant-garde, Halvorson, a Braxton disciple, is that rarest of out players: A guitarist whose startling effect relies not on sonics but on jarringly angular composition and improvisation.”

What we didn’t know until now, as it was not included in the results posted online for whatever reason, is that another client release, Mario Pavone’s Trio Arc (Playscape Recordings), also squeezed on to the (last but not) list at number 50.

In a reprinted excerpt from the magazine’s original review, Steve Greenlee writes, “A feeling of tethered freedom pervades Pavone’s excellent new record, which reunites him with old comrade Paul Bley on their first recording together in 35 years…What a reunion, and [Matt] Wilson fits right in. His symbiosis with Pavone is remarkable.”

So, a belated congratulations to Mario, who, btw, you can catch live celebrating his other 2008 release, Ancestors (Playscape Recordings), at Iridium on Wednesday night. 

And, in a final note on this best-of issue, Nate Chinen included the June 13th performance by Kidd Jordan/Fred Anderson/William Parker/Hamid Drake at Vision Festival XIII on his list of 10 memorable performances from 2008 in his monthly column, The Gig.

AAJ-NY’s Best Of 2008

We’re pleased to report that several of our clients are honored in AllAboutJazz-New York’s Best of 2008 feature in the January 2009 issue. Please find the details below.

The complete issue, also featuring a cover story on William Parker, is available free in venues and jazz-related sites all over New York and downloadable as a PDF by clicking here.

Congratulations to all the musicians, labels and organizations named among the year’s best.

Record Labels of the Year:
AUM Fidelity

Performances of the Year:
Billy Bang/Kidd Jordan/William Parker/Hamid Drake @ Vision Festival XIII
William Parker’s Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield @ Vision Festival XIII

Albums of the Year:
Mario Pavone, Trio Arc (Playscape Recordings)

Vocal Releases of the Year:
Yoon Sun Choi/Jacob Sacks, Imagination: The Music of Joe Raposo (Yeah Yeah Records) 

Tribute Recordings of the Year:
Yoon Sun Choi/Jacob Sacks, Imagination: The Music of Joe Raposo (Yeah Yeah Records) 

Debut Albums of the Year:
Mary Halvorson Trio, Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12 Records) 

Honorable Mention:
Bill Dixon, 17 Musicians In Search Of A Sound: Darfur (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity) 
Garrison Fewell/Eric Hofbauer, The Lady of Khartoum (Creative Nation Music)
Nicole Mitchell, Xenogenesis Suite: A Tribute To Octavia Butler (Firehouse 12 Records)
William Parker, Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity)
William Parker Quartet, Petit Oiseau (AUM Fidelity)
George Schuller’s Circle Wide, Like Before, Somewhat After (Playscape Recordings)

Avant Music News Ranks Mary Halvorson and William Parker Among 2008’s Ten Best

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avant Music News has named the Mary Halvorson Trio’s Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12), William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity) and the William Parker Quartet’s Petit Oiseau (AUM Fidelity) to its Top 10 list for 2008.

Mary Halvorson Trio’s Dragon’s Head Among JazzTimes’ Top 50 Critics Picks Of 2008

The votes are in and the Mary Halvorson Trio’s Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12 Records) has earned a spot on JazzTimes‘ Top 50 Critics Picks for 2008.

The list is compiled from all the Top 10 lists submitted by the magazine’s editors and contributing writers.  

William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity) and Mario Pavone’s Trio Arc (Playscape Recordings) were also nominated by multiple voters.

Congratulations to all the artists and labels who were recognized as among the year’s best.

Vision Festival XIII Reviewed in the December Issue of Jazz Improv NY

This just in from our better-late-than-never bureau, writer Ken Weiss’ extensive review of Vision Festival XIII, held in New York this past June, graces the pages of the December issue of Jazz Improv NY.  

The review, which spans four pages, including an entire page of original photos, covers a wide range of performances from three of the six nights of the festival, as well as the Saturday afternoon Emerging Artist Showcase.

It’s a great way to get a feel for the diversity of this seminal week-long event, which Weiss calls “New York City’s premier annual avant-garde mystical happening.”  He adds, “this festival continues to serve as the foundation that stabilizes the city’s creative jazz music scene, offering a meeting place for fans (many of whom come from Europe each year) and fellow musicians to experience some of the current integral soundshapers and also for industry types to congregate and make new connections with artists.”

If you don’t live in New York, where the magazine is distributed free at venues and other jazz-related sites, you can download this month’s issue, with Jimmy Heath on the cover, here (PDF).  The review begins on page 10.

William Parker’s Double Sunrise Over Neptune A 2008 AllMusic Favorite

The staff at AllMusic (AMG) has chosen William Parker’s orchestral release, Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Arts for Art/AUM Fidelity), as one of its Favorite Jazz Albums of 2008.

Earlier in the year, in his review of the record for the site, AMG’s Michael G. Nastos wrote, “While each project reaches ever higher levels, this recording from the twelfth annual Vision Festival in New York City might be close to his zenith.  The music is as stunning as any Parker has devised in his career…”