Mostrando postagens com marcador Tony Oxley. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador Tony Oxley. Mostrar todas as postagens

9.9.24

STEFANO BATTAGLIA | TONY OXLEY — Explore (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is an interesting title in the wake of the notion that Stefano Battaglia composed most of these pieces and has performed them on earlier recordings -- both solo and with various groups -- and that Tony Oxley is such a renowned improviser. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this music, all listeners have is this music, and this meeting is as awe-inspiring on record as it is on paper. Battaglia is Italy's premier new jazz pianist. Deeply influenced by the pointillistic chromaticism of Paul Bley, Battaglia is at home playing in both vanguard and "straight" settings. Here, listeners get his lyrical side for the most part, relying on Oxley as a percussionist more than as a drummer. Of the 13 selections on this set, Battaglia and Oxley collaborated on only two. So Oxley is free to roam, holding up whatever light stick he wishes to the prism of Battaglia's timbral panorama and illustrating it any way he wishes. The clear standout tracks here are the more experimentally arranged ones such as "RTA," with Battaglia playing both the inside and the outside of the piano simultaneously, improvising on a melody he wrote based on a folk song from Sardinia. It's all different shades of D minor, and Oxley, delighted by the turn of the strings being plucked, uses rattles and shakers on his cymbals and his skins while Battaglia rumbles across the middle register inverting each of the sequential chords and turning them inside out with two pedals down the entire time. Also notable is the joint composition in two parts that serves as the title work, where Oxley assumes his role as one of a melodist along with Battaglia, who opens up shimmering harmonic vistas to create room for the drummer's shards of bells, sticks on wood, rattles, etc. There isn't a weak or unbeautiful moment on Explore; it is the mature work of two grand masters of modern music.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Moonstone 3:35
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
2    Explore 1 4:59
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia, Tony Oxley
3    Hits, Breaks And Blocks 1:19
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
4    South Africa February Dance 4:44
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
5    Uneven 2:34
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
6    Rapture 4:45
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
7    Jar 4:38
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
8    RTA 8:42
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
Piano [Prepared Piano] – Stefano Battaglia

9    Chant Of The Ocean Sirens (Mana Of The Sea) 5:15
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
Gong – Tony Oxley

10    Mr. Hooks Beats The Band 6:45
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
11    Amethyst 3:13
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
12    Still Rain 3:27
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia
13    Explore 2 3:27
Composed By – Stefano Battaglia, Tony Oxley
Credits :
Drums – Tony Oxley
Piano, Percussion – Stefano Battaglia

11.2.24

PAUL BLEY | GARY PEACOCK | TONY OXLEY | JOHN SURMAN — In the Evenings out There (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a remarkable encounter between four top-notch musicians: Paul Bley on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, Tony Oxley on drums, and John Surman on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet. All four appear together only on "Interface" and "Article Four." Otherwise, they play solo and are paired off in twos or threes. Peacock's unaccompanied features, "Portrait of a Silence" and "Tomorrow Today," are technical marvels. Surman's baritone solo flight on "Alignment" is well-formed and unusual. Bley's solo pieces are varied: "Married Alive" and the ironically titled "Soft Touch" are busy and intense, while "Note Police" and "Afterthoughts" are more placid and lyrical. Oxley interacts brilliantly with Peacock on "Speak Easy," and with Bley on the very brief "Spe-cu-lay-ting." His percussive textures are unpredictable, enticing, and quite unlike those of any other drummer.

Most of the music is entirely improvised, although the Bley/Peacock duet "Fair Share" is in tempo and sounds more or less like a pre-written piece. Although the record falls solidly within the "free jazz" category, it has a mysteriously soothing, meditative quality. Fans of these four greats shouldn't miss it. David R. Adler          Tracklist & Credits :

6.2.24

PAUL BLEY | FURIO DI CASTRI | TONY OXLEY — Chaos (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a fascinating set. Although the instrumentation (pianist Paul Bley, bassist Furio DiCastri and Tony Oxley on drums and percussion) may lead one to expect a conventional piano trio, in reality the 13 selections consist of four drum solos, one unaccompanied bass piece, two piano solos, a piano-drums duet and just five trio numbers. Bley's use of space and dynamics gave free jazz pianists in the 1960s an alternative approach to Cecil Taylor; here he sounds quite creative and his opening "Chaos" is a near-classic. DiCastri, who is very inventive on his unaccompanied "Touching Bass," is intuitive and displays a huge tone. However, it is Oxley who often steals one's attention. His wide array of equipment makes one think that he raided a junkyard, and his four solos are full of color rather than technique, surprises rather than swing. While many drum/percussion solos lose a great deal when the visual element is not present, Tony Oxley's transfer very well to disc. This set of concise free improvisations is highly recommended to open-minded listeners. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

23.2.23

EVAN PARKER | CECIL TAYLOR | BARRY GUY | TONY OXLEY - Nailed (CT: The Quartet) (1990-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A super-session in theory, this one-off gig was recorded in Berlin in 1990 during another of Cecil Taylor's extended stays. According to the liner notes, this gig was tense from the start because of some ill will between some of the band's members, hence the title of the album. Whatever. The two tracks that comprise this set are full of the explosive, full-bore playing each of this quartet's members is well-known for. It's easy to believe there is tension here, the playing from the outset starts at furious and gets wilder. But what's more interesting is that given Taylor's gigantic stature among musicians, even the three he's playing with, he doesn't dominate the proceedings. This is group improvisation the way it's supposed to be, with ideas being tossed into the fire from every angle. Some are picked up and extrapolated upon; others are left smoldering in the ashes. When it is time for Taylor to solo, none of the others stay out of the mix completely, not even Parker. Guy's bowed bass accompanies Taylor through each theme and phrase, each color and mode change until Taylor cedes the floor. Yes, it is all about muscle: all competition, all struggle, all music. As in the bebop days of old, this is a cutting contest in the purest sense of that word. Everybody bleeds here. At times, the playing is so intense the listener just wants to hate everyone on the bandstand, at others, so forceful (s)he is beaten into submission, and still at others, nothing but a resounding YEAH! Throughout the house or car will do. Sizing up the individual contributions to this mass of aural mayhem is fruitless. This is a group who insists on being individuals in a collective setting and, therefore, the listening level is so high -- so as not to miss any gauntlet laid down -- the attention to execution and imagination can't help but be top-notch. So, in essence, this is a super-session, but not one in the usual sense. It is among the finest of all the recordings released under Taylor's name from either of his Berlin periods, and, for the others, it charts with their best playing anywhere. This is group improvisation at its angriest, freest, and truest.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    First    52:20
2    Last    25:48
Bass – Barry Guy
Drums – Tony Oxley
Piano, Composed By – Cecil Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker

17.1.23

BARRY GUY | ANTHONY BRAXTON & THE LONDON JAZZ COMPOSER'S ORCHESTRA — Zurich Concerts (1988-1995) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This double-CD outing of Barry Guy's London Jazz Composers' Orchestra features two compositions, one by Guy, which takes up disc one -- he also conducts and plays bass on it. The other disc is taken up with four works by Anthony Braxton with sundry others from his book augmenting them, as is his wont. Braxton directs but does not play on his own pieces. First up is the nearly 40-minute work by Guy, beginning with Steve Wick's tuba calling out a melodic frame for the rest of the band -- which includes but is not limited to Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, Phil Wachsman, Barre Phillips, Dave Holland, Paul Lytton, Tony Oxley, Radu Malfatti, Jon Corbett, and Paul Dunmall. There are 19 players in all. What is most notable about Guy's "Polyhymnia" is its insistence on the ostinato and elongation of tonal sequences that often move far beyond the duration of modes and intervals. These tonal sequences can be comprised of any number of instruments at a given time, and are charted only to follow the director's feeling for dynamic and duration. Their dramatalurgical and linguistic individuations are free for the manipulation by the given player. There are certainly crescendos over this long stretch, but more importantly there are silences that equate one instrument with another tonally -- especially microtonally -- rather than pit them against each other. Give a listen to the way the basses engage the tuba and the violin in intricate patterns of exchange and elucidation and you'll get the heart of the entire piece. And it has considerable heart. On Braxton's works, dynamic and drama are the order of the day. As is usual with a large group, he begins very quietly, establishing the tonal color palette at his disposal, and for the edification of the audience. He moves through the band in sections, directing them to utterance in small, parsed phrases before opening up the entire orchestra to a wellspring of sonic inquiry. The questioning happens on the level of linguistic possibility: How much can a group of instruments speak in unified freedom to one another without falling off into the abyss of ego and riffing? For nearly an hour, Braxton examines inside and outside the context of group interplay, how micro and polytonal universes examine and explain one another in the context of a musician's attack and phrasing as well as his improvisational ideas. In this sense, this is among Braxton's most fascinating larger-ensemble works, and will hopefully be one of his most enduring. Indeed, the attendees at these Zurich concerts were treated to the most intimate and prophetic of expressions in these two evenings. They were also given evidence of the very ground on which free improvisation and new composition stand linked to one another.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1-1    Polyhymnia 37:30
Composed By, Directed By [Director] – Barry Guy
2-1    Compositions 135 (+41,63,96), 136 (+96), 108B (+86,96),135 (+96) 56:47
Composed By, Directed By [Director] – Anthony Braxton
Credits :
Bass – Barre Phillips (pistas: 1-1), Barry Guy, Dave Holland (pistas: 2-1)
Cornet – Marc Charig
Drums – Paul Lytton, Tony Oxley (pistas: 2-1)
Piano – Howard Riley
Reeds – Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Peter McPhail, Simon Picard, Trevor Watts
Trombone – Alan Tomlinson, Paul Rutherford, Radu Malfatti
Trumpet – Henry Lowther, Jon Corbett
Tuba – Steve Wick
Violin, Electronics – Phil Wachsmann

16.1.23

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989 (1989-2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The great avant-garde reed player Anthony Braxton (who on this set switches between alto, C-melody sax, clarinet, flute, soprano and sopranino), bassist Adelhard Roidinger and drummer Tony Oxley play five of Braxton's complex originals, Oxley's "The Angular Apron" and the standard "All the Things You Are." As usual Braxton's improvising is quite advanced and original but is colorful and fiery enough to always hold on to open-eared listener's attention. This is one of literally dozens of stimulating Anthony Braxton sessions currently available. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Composition 40D / Composition 40G (+63)    19:36
All The Things You Are / The Angular Apron / Composition 6A    
2a    All The Things You Are 10:40
Written-By – Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein
2b    The Angular Apron 8:20
Composed By – Tony Oxley
2c    Composition 6A    7:35
3    Composition 40J / Composition 110A (+108B+69J)    12:06
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Saxophone [C-melody], Clarinet, Flute,
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Double Bass – Adelhard Roidinger
Drums – Tony Oxley

14.10.21

CECIL TAYLOR - It is in the Brewing Luminous (1980-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Originally released as a double-LP and then reissued as a single CD, this continuous 71-minute live performance from 1980 features pianist Cecil Taylor with a particularly intriguing sextet comprised of his longtime altoist Jimmy Lyons, violinist Ramsey Ameen, Alan Silva on bass and cello and both Jerome Cooper and Sunny Murray on drums. Not too surprisingly, the playing is quite intense and dense with only a few moments of lyricism popping through. Taylor sounds very much like a human dynamo while Lyons' solos are full of fragile beauty. This is brilliant music that will not sound "safe" or "easy listening" even a century from now. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     It Is in the Brewing Luminous 1 09:59
Cecil Taylor
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Lyons
Bass, Cello – Alan Silva
Drums – Sunny Murray
Drums, Balafon [African Balaphone] – Jerome Cooper
Piano – Cecil Taylor
Violin – Ramsey Ameen

CECIL TAYLOR & TONY OXLEY - Lef Palm Hand (1998-2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The duet between pianist Cecil Taylor and drummer Tony Oxley during Taylor's one-month stay in Berlin in 1988 is a study in contrasts. Musically, there is a similarity of approach between the two: Both are physical players with an ear for dark dramatics. Percussively, each attacks his instrument in the same way, palms down, forcing off the fingertips and into the instrument, whether drums or piano. Improvisationally, they differ greatly in that Taylor -- so used to being a soloist -- is proactive while Oxley is reactive; here, they attempt to bring both those roles into sync. Oxley moves his own attack up a notch, employing more elementals than just his kit, trying to "sing" the drums. For the entire hour, Taylor looks deeply toward a romantic sensibility he seldom shows, creating harmonic fixtures from accents and triples, while simultaneously constructing lyric melodies for Oxley to play from. And he does, weaving absolutely thrilling cymbal and bell lines through Taylor's arpeggios, turning his rhythms inside out to create the appearance of a harmonic register that engages all of the different figures Taylor is firing off like lit matches. There's no letup for the entire set; it's one dazzling display after another until the piece just implodes from exhaustion -- physical, that is, as the ideas still come fast and furious -- and leaves the listener dazed and awed by such a soulful yet pyrotechnic display. This is one of Cecil Taylor's most "melodic" improvisations ever.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Stylobate 1 17:26
Paul Lovens / Cecil Taylor
2     Leaf Palm Hand 42:20
Paul Lovens / Cecil Taylor
3     Chimes 3:50
Paul Lovens / Cecil Taylor
4     Stylobate 2 3:23
Paul Lovens / Cecil Taylor
5     The Old Canal 2:42
Paul Lovens / Cecil Taylor
Credits :
Drums, Music By – Tony Oxley (faixas: 1, 2, 4)
Piano, Music By – Cecil Taylor

 

THE FEEL TRIO — Looking (Berlin Version) The Feel Trio (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This three-part group improvisation by Cecil Taylor's Feel Trio was recorded in the summer of 1989, exactly a year after his series of concerts in the same city, and about a week before the Berlin Wall fell. After its members had played together sporadically over the previous couple of years, the Feel Trio was a working group, and the empathy and instinct provided by that luxury is certainly in evidence here. As usual, it's Taylor who starts things off, but with very few notes as opposed to his trademark solo beginnings, in order to find a language all the musicians in his group can speak from. Oxley and Parker chime right in, flowing into the heart of Taylor's idea, a loosely structured series of themes -- all linked by sixths and ninths and most extended beyond recognition -- by Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and even Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. But Penderecki, Lutoslawski, and Stravinsky also emerge in this wildly crisscrossing match of musical wit and dexterity. The pieces all "swing," and while it's true that there are flourishes and lines taken from Taylor's formative years with his first trio and with the late Jimmy Lyons, the proceedings are very much rooted in the now, and in the dynamic of this particular band. They play together flawlessly with Parker and Oxley trading eights, 16ths, and even 32nds with Taylor and each other! It's more than just listening for a rhythm section to get this far inside the pianist's voice, it's more than empathy or affinity, it's downright musical telepathy. There are no extra notes played here, no lazy harmonic structures or modal clichés. This is new music in the purest sense of the phrase. The listener is treated to, and hopefully moved by, the sound of something being born, coming from silence, and an hour later returning there somehow -- making it even bigger, more cavernous, and colorful as a result of this trio's awesome creation.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     First Part: Looking the Feel Trio 36:22
Tony Oxley / William Parker / Cecil Taylor
2     Second Part: Looking the Feel Trio 5:05
Tony Oxley / William Parker / Cecil Taylor
3     Third Part: Looking the Feel Trio 30:49
Tony Oxley / William Parker / Cecil Taylor
Credits :
Double Bass – William Parker
Drums – Tony Oxley
Piano, Composed By [All Music] – Cecil Taylor

4.9.18

JOHN SURMAN — How Many Clouds Can You See? (1970-1998) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 John Surman's second album remains his most impressive, anticipating the sound and scope of the European free jazz movement that would blossom in the decade to come -- boasting an extraordinary roster highlighted by trumpeter Harry Beckett, tenorist Alan Skidmore and bassist Barre Phillips, How Many Clouds Can You See? captures a singular moment in the evolution of British jazz, forging a new and distinct sound with few musical antecedents. Surman is a force of nature here, wielding his baritone, soprano and bass clarinet as if they were weapons -- no less impressive is his control, however, and no matter how far How Many Clouds Can You See? may travel, the music never lapses into self-indulgence or swallows its own tail. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1 Galata Bridge  15:01
Alto Saxophone – Mike Osborne
Baritone Saxophone – John Surman
Bass – Harry Miller
Drums – Alan Jackson
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Trombone – Malcolm Griffiths
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Harold Beckett
2 Caractacus  4:19
Baritone Saxophone – John Surman
Drums – Alan Jackson
3 Premonition  4:27
Alto Saxophone – Mike Osborne
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – John Warren
Soprano Saxophone – John Surman
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Alan Skidmore
Trombone – Chris Pyne, Malcolm Griffiths
Trumpet – Dave Holdsworth, Harold Beckett
Tuba – George Smith
Written-By – Warren
4   Event (18:42)
4a Gathering
4b Ritual
4c Circle Dance
5 How Many Clouds Can You See? 3:25
Credits
Baritone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – John Surman (tracks: 4, 5)
Bass – Barre Phillips (tracks: 3 to 5)
Drums – Tony Oxley (tracks: 3 to 5)
Piano – John Taylor (tracks: 1, 3 to 5)
Written-By – Surman (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5)

ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — Winter In Venice (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Esbjörn Svensson has stood not only once on stage in Montreux. He was already a guest in the summer of 1998 at the jazz festival on Lake Gen...