ALEXANDER von SCHLIPPENBACH | AKI TAKASE — Live at Cafe Amores (2018) Chap Chap Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Jackhammer 13:01
Composed By – Alexander von Schlippenbach
2    Na Na Na Is Das Der Weg 11:35
Composed By – Alexander von Schlippenbach
3    You Are What You Is 3:23
Composed By – Frank Zappa
4    Mingus Mix: Dukes Choice - Boogie Stop Shuffle 14:26
Composed By – Aki Takase, Charles Mingus
5    Misterioso - Evidence 12:33
Composed By – Thelonious Monk
6    Skippy 5:55
Composed By – Thelonious Monk
7    Lulu's Back In Town 3:06
Composed By – Harry Warren
8    The Morlocks 12:50
Composed By – Alexander von Schlippenbach
Credits :
Piano – Aki Takase, Alexander von Schlippenbach

ALEXANDER von SCHLIPPENBACH — Slow Pieces for Aki (2020) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Haru No Yuki (Frühling Im Schnee)    2:49
2    Improvisation I    2:15
3    Torso    4:28
4    Improvisation II    1:46
5    Improvisation III    1:27
6    Tell You    2:36
7    Improvisation IV    2:18
8    Cleo    4:40
9    Improvisation V    3:01
10    Naniga Nandemo    2:46
11    Improvisation V    1:59
12    A-Blues    1:49
13    Blues B    2:31
14    Improvisation VII    1:14
15    I Told You    3:34
16    Improvisation VIII    1:26
17    Improvisation IX    2:21
18    Dydo    2:11
19    Improvisation X    1:13
20    Frage Nicht    2:41
21    Zycado    2:42
Credits :
Piano, Composed By – Alexander von Schlippenbach
Calligraphy – Aki Takase

PARKER | GUY | LYTTON | SCHLIPPENBACH TRIO - 2 X 3 = 5 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The title refers to the two trios of Parker/Schlippenbach/Lovens and Parker/Guy/Lytton, each of which groupings has performed on innumerable occasions, and some of which are documented on some extraordinary albums. Here, the two trios are united for one long, live piece, and the results are as good as to be expected. Considering that the piece is nearly 80 minutes, it is remarkable that Parker and colleagues are able to continuously maintain the listener's interest. This is a meeting of five like-minded, fully compatible, yet highly individual musical mavens who are capable of reaching extraordinary heights on their instruments. The use of two drummers might imply a certain fierceness that is simply not found here. The two Pauls (Lovens and Lytton) are each delicate performers, artists who never step on one another's toes, and who spur the music to sophisticated levels. Pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and bassist Barry Guy, outstanding practitioners on their instruments, are in perfect harmony, as Schlippenbach's fingers glide across the piano keys with alarming rapidity, and Guy's bass performs in ways that must be heard to be believed. Parker, of course, is frenetic, with his usual blend of tricks on tenor and soprano saxes. While it is true that there is no new ground broken, this wonderful recording of the quintet should thrill Parker's legion of fans, and introduce others to his uniquely splendid approach. Steve Loewy  
Tracklist :
1    2X3=5    1:17:07
Credits :
Bass – Barry Guy
Drums – Paul Lovens, Paul Lytton
Music By – A. Schlippenbach, B. Guy, E. Parker, P. Lovens, P. Lytton
Piano – Alex von Schlippenbach
Saxophone [Saxophones] – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER TRIO & PETER BRÖTZMANN TRIO - Bishop's Move (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

A happening. Not that these two heavyweight reedsmen had never shared a stage, but this was going to be a face-off, a clash between two of the hardest-working free improv trios on the circuit. On the left side of the stage: Evan Parker, with drummer Paul Lytton and pianist Alex von Schlippenbach, the latter filling in for bassist Barry Guy. On the right side: Peter Brötzmann and his trusty rhythm section, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. These are two highly experienced and gifted trios, with different approaches (complementary ones, some will say). And what happened on-stage, as The Bishop's Move testifies, was a magical 75 minutes of relentless improvising, with a constant shift between open-ended sharing and thrust-and-parry dynamics. The single continuous piece begins with all six musicians on stage. Right out of the gate, the players hit an energy peak, eager to demonstrate that this meeting will not be for the weak. Things do quiet down afterwards, especially as players start walking off and coming back, sifting through a number of subgroupings, including the original two trios and a piano-plus-double-percussion segment. Parker displays his unmatched technique early on, while Brötzmann waits until 50 minutes in before taking the stage by storm and literally stealing the show, first with an inspired clarinet solo over Parker's bass and Drake's frantic djembe, then with a devastating sax segment as Drake moves back to the drumkit. Most supergroups don't live up to expectations, but this one delivers all the promises contained within its name. Compared to the laid-back performances found on the recent Parker/Schlippenbach/Lytton two-CD set released on Psi (America 2003, recorded during the same tour), The Bishop's Move is surprisingly high-energy. And all for the better. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    The Bishop's Move    1:13:31
Credits :
Double Bass – William Parker
Drums, Djembe, Percussion – Hamid Drake
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano – Alex Von Schlippenbach
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató [Tarogato], Alto Clarinet – Peter Brötzmann

SAM RIVERS & ALEXANDER von SCHLIPPENBACH - Tangens (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded during the Total Music Meeting in 1997, this seemingly historic meeting between the legendary American avant jazzman Sam Rivers and Euro improv giant Alexander von Schlippenbach was anticipated to be a free jazz blowout. One hopes that expectations, though completely thwarted, were not dampened by the remarkable music that occurred between these two men. Rivers long ago ceased to be a "blower"; his music has increasingly been concerned with an idiosyncratic narrative quality that takes nothing away from an immediate encounter with musical language, but orders it is such a way that a system is developed revealing a kind of story that walks a line between musical impressionism and expressionism. With the possible exception of Irène Schweizer, von Schlippenbach is perhaps the most adaptable of the European improvisers. Playing the music of Bill Evans or his own spontaneously combustible compositions, von Schlippenbach's pianism changes color and shape at a moment's notice. The turbulences here are not gigantic; they flow into eruption and dissipate just as gradually. There are complex melodies at work in the chromatic suggestions Rivers makes. Von Schlippenbach, for his part in all this, takes Rivers' well-erected lyrical structures and gently breaks them down into elemental units in order for Rivers to build some other slightly towering yet wonderfully ornate creations. This is music that requires the patience of the players as well as listeners. Rivers has never been one to hurry through anything -- which is what frustrated Miles Davis so when Rivers toured with him -- but this is also what made his own recordings such as Fuchsia Swing Song and Streams so satisfying. Gradual discoveries are usually deep discoveries, and these two men must now know each other deeply on a musical level. This set transcends so much of what is currently on the scene and passes for improvisation: It expresses emotion, transfers it to listeners, and offers them places in the text -- of music -- to find themselves and consider their own, very necessary places in this communication. Tangens is tender, beautiful, and edifying music by two empathic giants.
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Tracklist :
1    Tangens Alpha    6:26
2    Tangens Beta    31:47
3    Tangens Gamma    14:58
4    Tangens Delta    7:08
5    Tangens Epsilon    9:48
Credits :
Piano, Composed By – Alexander von Schlippenbach
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Composed By – Sam Rivers