... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

(Classical, Out Sound) CD

An early moment of genius from composer Gavin Bryars – and a set that was issued on Brian Eno's Obscure Records label in the mid 70s, which ensured that Bryars' music found a larger audience outside the realm of avant classical! That turns out to be a good thing here, as the music here is almost of its own genre – warmer and more personal than some of the arch modes of the CRI generation – as Bryars mixes a small string group with his own piano, a bit of spoken word, and tapes of additional strings – which add in this eerie sort of ghost vibe to the piece – a slight current of sentiment, but not in a romantic way. The second piece is equally important to Bryars' career – the wonderful "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet" – which uses a found recording of the older song by an elderly singer, then echoed and augmented by work from Michael Nyman on organ and Derek Bailey on guitar, plus a bit of strings. LP, Vinyl record album

Modern art, but of the sonic variety – served up here by composer Daniela Casa on a rare sound library album, but with a free-thinking quality that rivals the best of the avant garde at the time! Unlike some more staid, academic record, there's no overarching concept here – no detailed notes that you need to read to "get" the music. Instead, Casa creates these short, dark little passages of sound – sometimes very abstract, occasionally tuneful – with elements that move between free jazz, atonal piano and woodwinds, offbeat strings, and even a bit of Fender Rhodes! The whole thing's a great reminder of just how much genius was bubbling up in Italy during the 70s – so much so that a record like this, which would have been worthy of release by Columbia or Deutsche Grammophon in bigger scenes, was only pressed up in small quantities by the Flipper music label. Titles include "Concetto Informale", "Dimensione Umana", "Prima Maniera", "Ricerca Della Materia", "Visione Surreale", and "Ricerca Cromatica". (Sound Library, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing project from Mats Gustafsson – and one that's a great reminder of his ability to create music in so many different and incredible ways! This time around, Mats acts as the conductor – at the head of NyMusik Trondheim and Avant Art Ensemble – both larger groups who mix together acoustic instrumentation with electronics, but all in these very spare, often subtle ways that hardly make you aware of their size at all. There are moments of full-on sonic activity, but much of the proceedings focus on smaller sounds and more focused expressions – served up with solo work from Anders Nyqvist on trumpets, Colin Stetson on amplified bass sax, Hedvig Mollestad on tuba, Jerome Noetinger on revox tape machines, and Dieb 13 on turntables – next to other work on cello, violin, prepared piano, accordion, and guitar. Titles include "Mirrors 1", "Echoes 1", "Shadows 2", "Outro", "Intro", and "Reflection". (Jazz, Out Sound) CD

To most ears, trumpeter Jon Hassell first burst on to the world through his experiments with Brian Eno on EG Records, or maybe his 80s work on ECM – but here, on his debut for the small avant label Lovely Music, it's clear that Jon's already in complete control of his sound – and is ready to become the kind of performer that would captivate listeners for decades to come! Hassell's horn has that special sort of effect quality on most numbers here – spacey, but never slick – and electrified, but far from any sort of Miles Davis mode – especially considering that the music is full of earthy, organic percussion from Nana Vasconcelos and some other players, who balance out the set's work on Fender Rhodes, Arp, and Serge synthesizer. The spirit of the set is very much in Hassell's classic "fourth world" recordings – and titles include "Toucan Ocean", "Hex", "Blues Nile", "Vernal Equinox", and "Caracas Night September 11, 1975". (Rock, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A totally cool session of avant Parisian jazz – assembled by the great Andre Hodeir, whose Jazz Et Jazz is one of the best modernist jazz efforts from postwar France. The work attempts to set music to the writings of James Joyce – and it features the voices of Nicole Croisille and Monique Aldebert, plus the musicians Pierre Michelot on bass, Bernard Lubat on vibes, Daniel Humair on drums, Michel Portal and Pierre Gossez on saxes, and Roger Guerin on trumpet. A bit odd – but very nice! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from the modernist underground late 50s Paris! Andre Hodeir was one of the city's best-known jazz composers and arrangers at the time – a key part of the postwar scene, and its development into its own style away from strictly American sounds. Hodier's working here with a great batch of French players that include Martial Solal, Roger Guerin, Pierre Gossez, and Pierre Michelot – plus the then-French resident Kenny Clarke. The music swings much more than on other sessions of this type, and works extremely well throughout at blending tight jazzy lines with very "out there" concepts – especially in a way that we never really see in 50's recordings like this. Christine Legrand is on vocals, and although this was years before the Swingle Singers did their thing, and especially before they went onto do avant garde material by Berio, she's got these insane vocals here that are simply astounding. Tracks include "Jazz Et Jazz", "Trope A Saint-Trop", "Jazz Cantata", and "Osymetrios". Very good stuff, and unlike anything else we can think of! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing bit of free jazz – hardly the set of solos you might guess from the title, and instead a performance of live improvisation by a larger group – done at the famous Leo Castelli Gallery, an important locale for avant activity on the downtown scene in New York in the 70s! There's more of a European free jazz vibe going on here than some of the loft work of the city at the time – with searing work from leader Richard Landry on tenor, soprano sax, and electric piano – alongside Richard Peck on tenor, Robert Prado on trumpet, Jon Smith on tenor, Allan Brafman on alto, and David Lee on drums – all captured on tape by Kurt Munkacsi, the sonic force known for some more important avant classical sides of the time. The set features seven selections in all – some pushing well past the 15 minute mark! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early set on the Okka Disk label – the important Chicago avant imprint who began documenting an important stretch of the career of Joe McPhee – much as the Hat Hut label had begun 20 years before! The set features performances recorded during McPhee's first appearance in Chicago during the mid 90s – the start of a beautiful relationship that would continue for decades to come – and McPhee blows both reeds and trumpet, in a trio with Ken Vandermark on saxes and Kent Kessler on bass – all working together in a very open studio format that has the players shifting between trio work, to solo and duo performances too. The recording is crucial – as McPhee's sensitivity brings out a whole new side of both Chicago players – on titles that include "Heart Of The Matter", "A Meeting In Chicago", "Breakneck Ridge", "Lalibela", "Empty Bottle Blues", "Fourteen Years Later", and "I Leave You Love". (Jazz, Out Sound) CD

A bold new frontier for use of the harp in experimental music – and that's saying a lot, given that Ayako Shinozaki recorded this album during the generation of Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby! Shinokazi takes the instrument a bit back towards its use in more serious music, but with definite avant leanings, and certainly a sound that's inspired by the bold frontiers of free improvisation – as she opens up the harp in ways that are very different than some of the sweeter, softer styles that were often used in the 20th century – and instead uses it with a really keen ear for experimental tones and sharper-edged sounds! Two pieces are solo – readings of Toru Takemitsu's "Stanza II" and Katsuhiro Tsubono's "Poem Of Rim" – and the second half features a duet with violinist Takehisa Kosugi on "Heterodyne". LP, Vinyl record album