Max Johnson - The Prisoner

Max Johnson

The Prisoner

NoBusiness Records

Ingrid Laubrock - Tenor Saxophone 

Mat Maneri - Viola
Max Johnson - Bass
Tomas Fujiwara - Drums

I’ve never watched The Prisoner, the 1967-68 British TV series that starred Patrick McGoohan as a secret agent help captive by a mysterious organization, but I know it has reached iconic status over the years. Bassist Max Johnson, who recently released the excellent The Invisible Trio, has composed a tribute to the series that plays as an extended suite. 

It begins slowly, almost hesitantly, as if in a fog, with long tones from the bass and viola. Then Ingrid Laubrock sounds a siren, or perhaps a clarion call, and the first theme of the album emerges. 

The rest of The Prisoner alternates between composed and improvised sections, but even in the freer passages there’s always something anchoring the music - a rhythm, a bass line, a repeating figure - that provides some structure but doesn’t sacrifice the feeling that the musicians generate. There are some exciting passages where free-form explorations suddenly transition into theme statements with a swinging pulse, and then take a right turn in another direction. You never know what’s coming next, which from what little I know of the plot of the show is probably what is intended. 

This is a record that you can listen to one or twice and enjoy, but as you dig deeper more layers reveal themselves. Johnson constructs some interesting textures with just four instruments, and as you might expect everyone is stellar. Ingrid Laubrock can wax lyrically, reminding me of Mark Turner in spots, and then go totally abstract, utilizing extended techniques. Mat Maneri might be the most immediately recognizable string player around, and he and Johnson create a dense thicket of sound, possibly mirroring the confusion and uncertainty that plagued McGoohan’s character Number 6. Tomas Fujiwara has never been better, accenting the music perfectly and providing plenty of drive.

As I listen to The Prisoner, I get the feeling that the music is programmatic, tracking certain developments in the plot that I wish I knew. That’s one indication that The Prisoner is a success; the other is that the music stands on its own as a fascinating glimpse into the musical mind of one Max Johnson.

Sound samples and ordering information are available on Max’s Bandcamp page. 

Here's a video of the group playing this material live back in 2013:

The Young Mothers – a mothers work is never done

The Young Mothers

a mothers work is never done

Tektite Records

Jason Jackson – Alto, Tenor & Baritone Sax

Jawwaad Taylor – Vocals, Trumpet & Drum Programming

Jonathan F. Horne – Guitar

Stefan Gonzalez – Vibraphone, Drums & Vocals

Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – Acoustic & Electric Bass, Electronics

Frank Rosaly – Drums & Percussion

“This is the story of Ingebrigt and Stefan too
Two Young Mothers with nothing better to do…”

I thought about writing this review a la the lyrics to Steve Miller’s Take the Money and Run, but I decided I would spare everyone that agony. Maybe at a show…with enough drinks...

The Young Mothers is a group formed in Austin by Ingebrigt Haker Flaten that synthesizes free jazz, electronics, punk, rap and God knows what else in their pursuit of musical mayhem. For the record, I generally hate these kind of groups, because many times the components sound grafted onto each other, or they’re really a rock band that adds some scronky sax with no context in relation to the whole. When Dennis Gonzalez of Yells At Eels told me about this project, I was thinking to myself, “Um, how am I going to tell this nice man that this thing sucks?”

But one listen to a mothers (sic) work is never done and I was a fan. First of all, you’ve got great musicians in the mix: Besides Ingebrigt, there’s Chicago stalwart Frank Rosaly, Stefan Gonzlez from Yells At Eels, and young firebrand Jason Jackson, who sometimes guests with that group. Horne and Taylor are new to me, but they more than hold their own.

Overall, a mothers work is a blast of energy that hits you across the face and doesn’t back down. If that mix of elements mentioned earlier doesn't melt your face off, Haker Flaten includes a dreamscape arrangement of a Benjamin Britten piece, and the album concludes with Ruth, which is based on a traditional Ugandan melody. On Wells, the original, Jackson’s tart, angular alto on top of a No Wave guitar riff reminded me of The Contortions, a pioneer of this approach. In fact, the No Wave scene probably comes closest to summing up what this record sounds like, but that’s really a loose approximation.

Probably the biggest stumbling block for me, given my tastes, is the rapping. I’m very old school when it comes to hip hop; the last album I bought was It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. But Taylor spits (do people still say that?) some tense verses that are generally well-integrated into the proceedings. And the dude can play some trumpet too.

I’ve enjoyed blasting this on my car stereo with the sunroof open. It’s a jolt of energy that gets you going before work, that’s for sure. And it’s a helluva lot of fun.

You can listen to some tracks at Ingebrigt's Bandcamp page.

Kartet - Grand Laps

Kartet

Grand Laps

Songlines

Guillaume Orti - Saxophones
Benoit Delbecq - Piano
Hubert Dupont - Acoustic Bass
Stephane Galland - Drums

Kartet is a group operating somewhere in the intersection of avant-garde, mainstream and chamber jazz. I was not familiar with them before Grand Laps (French for "a long while"), but as it turns out the group began 25 years ago and this is their sixth album, although it’s been seven years since their previous release.

Even though the line-up is that of a classic jazz quartet, this is not a horn-with-rhythm section album; it’s more egalitarian in design. The music on Grand Laps generally unfolds at an unhurried pace, and the structures the group use emphasize dialog, not blazing displays of virtuosity. At some points I was reminded of Miles’ second quintet in their more introspective moments. There’s an MBase influence lurking as well in the angular nature of some of the compositions.

The most distinctive element of Kartet’s sound is owed to the presence of pianist Benoit Delbecq. His percussive style is immediately recognizable, and goes the furthest to define the group’s identity. Delbecq also shows his impressionistic side, with a wonderful blend of lyrically abstract playing. 

Guillaume Orti primarily plays alto, with a tone that’s a little thin in the upper register for my taste, as well as C-Melody and soprano saxes. He gives the music plenty of breathing room, although at times I wanted more direction from him to propel the music forward. Dupont does a nice job of providing support when needed while adding his own commentary. Galland, who replaces original Kartet drummer Chandler Sardjoe, implies the rhythmic structures with his shading, but turns up the intensity when required.

Kartet does a good job of integrating composed and improvised sections so that each flows easily into the other. The music on Grand Laps is challenging to the listener, but has a lyrical, attractive quality that is unexpected. A late night avant-garde album, perhaps?

Here's a video on the making of the album:

KARTET - GRAND LAPS from Igor Juget on Vimeo.

Steve Swell - Schemata and Heuristics for Clarinets #1

Tim Daisy's Relay Recordings has just released a new composition by trombonist Steve Swell as part of the Relay New Composer series. The piece is scored for four clarinets; the musicians involved are Ned Rothenberg, Guillermo Gregorio, Miguel Malla and Zara Acosta-Chen. If you're a fan of contemporary composition, or a fan of the clarinet, it's definitely worth checking out. The piece is available as a download from Relay Recordings' Bandcamp page.

Clean Feed Releases for April, 2014

Now listed on the Clean Feed site:

In Memory of Things Yet Seen
Eric Revis Quartet 

Wire Quartet
Rodrigo Amado Wire Quartet 

II
Lawnmower II 

The Visible Ones
Matthieu Donarier / Albert van Veenendaal 

Salvation Modes
Sei Miguel 

In Memory of… will be Revis’ third for the label, and based on the other two, one I’m really looking forward to hearing. Stef’s Free Jazz Blog already has a review of it. I also have high hopes for the new Rodrigo Amado; I thought Searching for Adam from 2010 was really strong.

Bobby Bradford/Frode Gjerstad/Ingebrigt Haker Flaten/Frank Rosaly/Yells At Eels - Dallas 3/24/14

Dallas was fortunate to host former resident Bobby Bradford on Monday evening, along with a group consisting of Frode Gjerstad (Norway), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (Austin) and Frank Rosaly (Chicago). Dennis Gonzalez of Yells At Eels was instrumental in bringing the group up to North Texas, with their appearance sandwiched between tour stops in Austin and Houston.

Yells at Eels opened the show, which was held in a storefront in Exposition Park called the Beefhaus. They were augmented by young tenor saxophonist Jason Jackson from Houston, like drummer Stefan Gonzalez a member of Ingebrigt's new group The Young Mothers.

Rather than go into detail about each performance, suffice it to say that it was an energizing, uplifting night. Some random impressions: Dennis Gonzalez is just getting better and better, Jason Jackson reminds me of a young, pre-smooth jazz Gato Barbieri, Frank Rosaly plays drums in a way you have to see to understand, and Bobby Bradford is holding his own in intense company just shy of his 80th birthday. Here are some photos from the concert: