PAUL BLEY — Improvisie (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1971 for the French America Recording label, Improvisie captures pianist Paul Bley, Annette Peacock, and master percussionist Han Bennink in concert in Rotterdam. Bley plays electric piano and synthesizer here, with Peacock playing both electric and acoustic piano, synthesizer, and electric bass as well as singing. There are two pieces on the set, the elegiac title cut, which is nearly 14 minutes in length, and the much more adventurous "Touching," which is nearly 24. On "Improvisie," elements of jazz phrasing and harmony usher in the piece haltingly, purposefully, almost reverently. A melody asserts itself from the ether, decorated by Bennink's hushed use of multiple percussion instruments and Peacock's accents on the theme itself. Tones and harmonic fragments whisper their way into the mix, governed by a crystalline use of spatial dynamics. Even as Bennink ups the ante with his instruments, Bley and Peacock dance very slowly through their interaction. It isn't until the six-and-a-half-minute mark where things begin to get atonal and angular, but even here, space is the key to expression. The unhurried procession of tones and colors makes the piece, no matter how strange and ethereal it gets, feel purposeful and accessible in its exploration. "Touching" begins on the fringes as electronic sounds mash up against one another and Bennink decorates the blips and gratings with the organic rhythmic material that keeps it all on the ground. The intensity with which the work begins is off-putting at first, but quickly opens up and out into a more relaxed and perhaps even inviting manner. Peacock's block chords add weight to Bennink's light percussion and Bley goes to elongated, deeply held tones on his synthesizer, single notes as opposed to dense washes of sound. Peacock is clearly the force behind "Touching"; it is her pace, her piano lines, and her sense of time that unwind it from its elementals. When she begins to sing about six minutes in, the work becomes something else entirely: a new song form, or a new framework for it. Her poetic lyric illustrates the music rather than vice versa; whether she is crooning, droning, or emoting powerfully at the margins of her voice, the sheer musicality and ghostly richness in her approach are captivating and beguiling. Bley's filling the spaces between her verses ranges from lilting melodic interplay to harsher, grinding tones that respond to Bennink's manic yet taut and gentle percussive dance. The industrial sounds that begin to assert themselves about halfway through never quite overpower the musicality inherent in the piece's foundation. Even 35 years later, "Touching" is still a brave and uncompromising work, one that asks as many questions as it answers, and one that renews its freshness with each repeated listening.
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ANTHONY BRAXTON - Saxophone Improvisations Séries F (1972) RM | 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Inner City label reissued this album not out of some great commitment to avant-garde solo saxophone, but because there was a licensing deal with the shady French label called America, and Braxton himself had elevated his position back home. He was a contracted artist with Arista when this reissue popped out, and had some big write-ups in magazines such as Rolling Stone -- none of which could possibly prepare an uninitiated listener for the onslaught that is his solo saxophone music in the early days when his manner of presentation was less refined and documentation was low-budget. This early-'70s recording is a bit better quality than his landmark solo recording done for Delmark on a cassette player that probably cost less than the price of watching Braxton for two sets at a New York club, back when they were hiring him. But it still sounds like it was recorded in someone's kitchen, and the pressings that either label involved in this release were willing to pay for weren't exactly top of the line. The next thing is to say that all this is part of the charm, but that would be a lie. Cheesy recording mars some of the quieter and subtler parts of the first side, and is only a bit less of a problem on the loud distorted sections. Some listeners may feel like tossing the album onto the fireplace in the first five minutes, with the opening suite coming across as a bit precious and inevitably compounded by gouges and shrapnel in the pressing. Nonetheless, the extended performance that makes up all of the second side is one of the greatest things Braxton has ever put on disc, a demonstration of energy, versatility, manipulation of tone, and perverse musical logic that stands as one of the best solo horn performances in the jazz discography. And although the early recordings of Braxton seem to be marked by frustration and failure, this is a suitable follow-up to For Alto as well as an improvement, a great accomplishment in itself. Eugene Chadbourne
Tracklist :
1-1    BWC-12 N-48 K (Stage 1-3)    4:59
1-2    NR-12-C (33 M)    9:07
1-3    RFO-M° F (32)    6:51
1-4    JMK-80 CFN-7    17:58
2-1    178-F4 312    2:19
2-2    NBH-7C K7    5:25
2-3    MMKF-6 (CN-72)    6:58
2-4    (348-R) C-233    7:20
2-5    104°-KELVIN M-12    19:01
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Composed By – Anthony Braxton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Donna Lee (1972-2004) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Donna Lee 9:10
Composed By – Miles Davis
2    H-204/3=HF/G (Composition 23L) 12:00
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
3    You Go To My Head Part 1 6:18
Composed By – Haven Gillespie, Fred Coots
4    You Go To My Head Part 2 10:15
Composed By – Haven Gillespie, Fred Coots
5    6O666 C-66M (Composition 23K) 5:15
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Double Bass – Peter Warren
Drums – Oliver Johnson
Piano – Michael Smith

ARCHIE SHEPP - Black Gipsy (1970-2004) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Black Gipsy is an interesting album, not just because it's one of the very few dates where Archie Shepp plays soprano exclusively, but because the album also features a harmonica player, Leroy Jenkins on viola, and a vocalist named Chicago Beauchamp (aka Chicago Beau), who also performed with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Jimmy Dawkins. This is in addition to Clifford Thornton, Noah Howard, Sunny Murray, and the great Dave Burrell on piano. On "Black Gipsy," after an intro by Jenkins, Murray and bassist Earl Freeman set up a powerful martial groove, pushed by Burrell's low-end piano work. The horns and harmonica use this as a launching point, while Chicago Beauchamp sporadically spouts his street poetry. "Epitaph of a Small Winner" is something of a travelogue suite, starting in Rio de Janeiro with a light, upbeat melody. Casablanca is next, where the proceedings become a bit mellower and mysterious, then it's on to a near bluesy romp for the last stop in Chicago. "Pitchin' Can" closes the album with more ensemble playing over another upbeat theme based on a simple ostinato. This music gets intense, but melody is always at its core: this is not just a free blowing session. The rhythm section keeps things well grounded, aided greatly by Burrell's marvelous comping while the horns and harmonica take the melodies and run with them. Good stuff. Sean Westergaard
Tracklist :
1    Damn If I Know (The Stroller) 6'12
Written-By – Walter Davis Jr.
2    Frankenstein 13'50
Written-By – Grachan Moncur III
3    Fiesta 9'54
Written-By – Archie Shepp
4    Sophisticated Lady 7'08
Written-By – Duke Ellington
5    New Africa 12'55
Written-By – Grachan Moncur III
6    Bakai 10'04
Written-By – Cal Massey
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Noah Howard
Double Bass – Earl Freeman
Drums – Sonny Murray
Harmonica – Julio Finn
Piano – Dave Burrell
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Clifford Thornton
Viola – Leroy Jenkins
Vocals – Chicago Beauchamp

ARCHIE SHEPP - Coral Rock (1970) lp | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Coral Rock features an absolutely monster free jazz lineup. Fans of other releases on America or the BYG Actuel series should be familiar with a number of these sidemen: Bobby Few, Clifford Thornton, Muhammad Ali, Joseph Jarman. Particularly of interest, though, might be the under-recorded Alan Shorter, who contributed the title track. This piece is especially reminiscent of "Mephistopheles," a tune that appeared (in different capacities) on his brother Wayne's similarly great Blue Note LP The All Seeing Eye and certain reissue pressings of the self-titled Marion Brown record on ESP. Like "Mephistopheles," "Coral Rock" features a lumbering, march-like bassline and incredibly dissonant head. "Coral Rock," however, is much looser and, for this reason, it would be difficult to imagine it on a Blue Note release of any kind. This is free jazz straight out of the late-'60s/early-'70s Paris scene. Very serious stuff. That having been said, the inclusion of the standard "I Should Care" may come as a surprise, but one should keep in mind that no matter how far out Archie Shepp got, his roots have always been firmly planted in the past. It is seemingly presented here more as a vehicle for pianist Bobby Few than anything else and, within Shepp's catalog, might be compared to the free blues of "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)" from his 1968 Impulse LP, The Way Ahead. This session was reissued in the States by Prestige. Brandon Burke
SIDE A     Coral Rock 21'35
Alan Shorter
SIDE B     I Should Care 14'05
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / Paul Weston
Credits :
Bass – Bob Reid
Congas [Conga Drums] – Djibrill
Drums – Mohamed Ali
Flugelhorn [Flugal Horn] – Alan Shorter
Percussion – Ostaine Blue Warner
Piano – Bobby Few
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor-Sax], Piano – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Lester Bowie
Valve Trombone [Valve-Trombone] – Clifford Thornton