Tony Malaby's Apparitions "Voladores"
By this day you get used to have only great albums coming from this new giant of the tenor saxophone, but watch out: “Voladores” is nothing less than a masterpiece, the best music ever Tony Malaby put to record. At his seventh release, after “Sabino”, “Apparitions”, "Adobe", "Warblepeck", "Tamarindo" and "Paloma Recio", the two-drum project of the New York musician became a true wonder. Inspired by the Mexican troup of "Voladores" that Tony watched as a young child at Mexican festivals in Tucson, Arizona (there is an initial dance made by five men, the instruments being a carrizo flute, a tamborcillo and maracas. The men, each representing the five elements of the indigenous world climb a top a 100ft. pole, one of them stays on the pole playing a flute and dancing while the remaining four descend the pole with a rope tied by one of their feet. The rope unwraps itself 13 times for each of the four flyers, symbolizing the 52 weeks of the year). With the new addition of John Hollenbeck, who adds vibraphone, marimba, xylophone and melodica to his drumkit, Tony's group Apparitions takes a new sonic leap and achieves soaring heights. With bassist Drew Gress making wonders, drummer Tom Rainey on top of his game and Hollenbeck fitting in as if he was always a member of the group,"Voladores" is the strongest release by Malaby (along with 6 new compositions by Malaby, 3 group improvisations and a never recorded composition by Ornette Coleman). Now it's our time to have the privilege to sense it.

Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet "Things Have Got to Change"
Things Have Got To Change is Marty Ehrlich’s dynamic new CD featuring his Rites Quartet. Inspired by the sound of Julius Hemphill’s landmark recording “Dogon A.D.”, Ehrlich presents five new compositions, ranging from the urgent to the reflective in mood. Joined by long time musical colleagues James Zollar on trumpet, Erik Friedlander on cello, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums, Things Have Got to Change moves from dance rhythms into elegiac chorales, tied together by Ehrlich’s distinctive voice on alto sax. Two previously unrecorded compositions by Julius Hemphill’s are brought to light by the Rites Quartet on this CD, as well as a rocking version of his signature work Dogon A.D. The CD’s title points both inward and outward, to the task of keeping the past alive in the present, and as one of Ehrlich’s pieces “Song For Tomorrow” expresses, keeping our sights forward.

Joe Morris / Barre Phillips "Elm City Duets"
Guitarist (and sometimes bassist) Joe Morris has in “Elm City Duets” a new chapter of his ongoing objective to play with his lifetime heroes: after the meeting with the renowned multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton, resulting in a box with 4 CDs released by the label Clean Feed, here is another duo with a veteran of improvisation: Barre Phillips. And what a wonderful encounter this turned to be! The most magnificent music was created spontaneously by these two improvisers of the finest order, one a much respected protagonist of the current avant jazz scene, the other a cult and historical figure who performed with the greatest, like Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre and Archie Shepp, among many others, released the first solo double bass album ever in 1968, “Journal Violone”, and, with Dave Holland, also recorded the first bass duo LP, in 1971, “Music From Two Basses”. Morris admiration for Barre Phillips is very clear in the liner notes he wrote for this CD, but his playing isn't reverential and passive. What we have here is a vivacious dialogue between two equals, with precious and incisive arguments by both parts. Your record colection will be incomplete without this!

Magnus Broo / Adam Lane / Paal Nilssen-Love / Ken Vandermark "4 Corners"
If you already sensed that the free bop style played by Ken Vandermark has roots in rhythm 'n' blues, here is the recording that confirms your impression. The context enables him to show his origins, and is provided here by a rock solid rhythm section formed by Adam Lane (sometimes with his double bass plugged to a distortion pedal, and when that happens it really grooves) and Paal Nilssen-Love, a drummer who seems to have four arms and four legs A second horn, the trumpet of the amazing Magnus Broo, relates to the saxophonist and clarinetist just as Donald Ayler did with his brother Albert. The compositions, by Vandermark himself and Lane, are reminiscent of the Sixties writing of Ornette Coleman, with the addition of a strong melodic suggestibility - "Lucia" is a good example. But the music is not a celebration of past achievements. This is jazz of the 21st century, reflecting the many musical interests of its performers, going from Mingus flavours and Berio's ideas to a Black Sabbath-like energy and the balance of Funkadelic. "4 Corners" was recorded live in a bar atmosphere during a festival in Coimbra, Portugal, and it reflects the very special moment of communication with the audience they were capable to ignite. This is powerful, loud, intense music, the kind that vibrates in your soul beside your senses and your body. With lots of fun but also profoundly serious in its purpose to gather people in these times of cultural and civilizational conflict

Elliott Sharp / Scott Fields "Scharfefelder"
Listening closely to the duo of Elliott Sharp and Scott Fields one can hear a compact history of modern composition and improvisation. Although the duo has a sound all its own, under the surface you can sense traces of “New Music,” minimalism, free jazz, and blues. For this duo, the two composer-instrumentalists focuses on the interactions of two acoustic guitars, the pure unprocessed sound of metal strings shaking wood. This is intimate music. The CD was recorded live to tape in a small room with the two musicians facing each other. Both of the musicians have long been interested in composition, improvisation, and borders between them. That’s why, without discussing “rules” for the project, Sharp and Fields each packed their compositions for the duo with a mixture or conventional notation, graphic notation, and structures for improvisation.
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and sound-artist Sharp has central to the experimental music scene in New York City for more than thirty years. He has released more than 200 recordings spanning the musical spectrum. He pioneered ways of applying fractal geometry, chaos theory, and genetic metaphors to musical composition and interaction as well as pioneering use of computers in live improvisation. His compositions have been performed by the RadioSinfonie Frankfurt, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Rezonanz, Kronos Quartet, and Zeitkratzer. His “Quarks Swim Free” premiered at the Venice Biennale in September 2003 and his chamber opera “EmPyre” premiered at the 2006 Biennale.
Scott Fields was born in Chicago in the early 1950s. As a teenager he played guitar, sang, and wrote songs for rock and blues bands. In 1969 Fields formed the trio “Life Rhythms,” which was certainly the loudest avant-jazz group in Chicago at the time and it performed most often at rock venues and festivals. In addition to guitar, in this group Fields played tenor and soprano saxophone, flute, clarinet, and sundry percussion. Soon after that time, however, Fields stopped performing. In 1989 Fields began working as a musician again. Since then Fields has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has released 18 CDs as a leader or co-leader and has been a sideman on many other recordings. He has been commissioned by the Milwaukee Improvisers Orchestra, Kanopy Dance, Li Chiao-Ping Dance, the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers, Yoshiko Kanda, Douglas Rosenburg, Arno Oehri, and the Köln Musiktriennale.