AK:BA

 

1000 — Charles Tyler/Voyage From Jericho: After the legendary ESP discs, this is Charles Tyler’s first record on his own label, and the hard work he put into it is more than evident. Check out the personnel: Charles Tyler, alto and baritone sax; Arthur Blythe, alto sax; Earl Cross, trumpet; Ronnie Boykins, bass; Steve Reid, drums.

 

1010 — Charles Tyler/Live in Europe: Recorded live at the 1975 Umea Jazz Festival in Sweden. Charles Tyler (alto & baritone sax), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Melvin Smith (guitar) and Steve Reid (drums). The compositions played are “Voyage From Jericho”, “Fall’s Mystery” and “Folly”. . . . And the crowd goes wild.

 

1020 — Barry Wallenstein/Beast Is: Wallenstein, straight out of the “Jazz Poetry” tradition reads his works with accompaniment provided by Stanley Cowell (piano) and Cecil McBee (bass).

 

1030 — Arthur Doyle/Alabama Feelings: Arthur is on Tenor Voice-O-Net, Richard Williams on bass, Charles Stephens on trombone and two drummers: Rashid Sinan and Bruce Moore. We might best be able to remember Arthur for his work with Milford Graves.

 

1040 — Barry Wallenstein/Taking Off: “Hey I say watch it, Be more careful . . . Careful he says — why I’m so careful I don’t even see you.” Wallenstein’s hip poetics about life, especially New York life, blend perfectly with the sounds and rhythms of jazz. This is jazz-poetry improvisation in the “beat” tradition buoyed by the emotional saxes of the great Charles Tyler and the airy-eery flute of Jeremy Steig. With Bill Chelf on piano, and Jeff Meyer on drums.

 

ALACRA

 

1002 — Mario Pavone/Digit: Mario Pavone (bass), Mark Whitecage (alto and soprano saxes, flute), Bobby Naughton (vibraphone) and Pheeroan AkLaff (drums). Someone trying to reduce this beautiful music to words might try by saying that the moods are constantly changing and that it’s more than well played.

 

1004 — Mario Pavone/Shodo: Music for Marimba and Horn Choir: Mario Pavone with Bobby Naughton (marimba) and Pheeroan AkLaff (drums), and a four-person “horn choir,” perform music that would be at home on any prime time police show. Which is not to fault it; sound tracks make interesting music.

 

1005 — Tom Chapin/The Bell of the Heart: The horn choir, featured on Alacra 1004, reappears here on a more jazz-oriented LP. With Tom Chapin (flute), Mario Pavone (bass), and Emmett Spencer (drums).

 

1008 — Joe Fonda Ensemble/Looking for the Lake: “Joe Fonda en quartet explore, dans une oeuvre originale, le domaine des possibilities harmoniques sans l’appui d’aucun instrument polyphonique.” Avec, Joe Fonda (bass), Cliff White (tenor sax), Clair Arenius (drums), and Tim Moran (alto sax).

 

ALIA

 

001 — Craig Burk/Codes of Abstract Conduct: “Two-minute songs that are packed with detail, free associative lyrics like pieces from different puzzles set to chromatic phrases that continuously shift speed and direction . . . Four backup musicians add pointillistie sounds — a guitar chord here, a noise there, a tape of breaking glass, a beat from a rhythm machine. The effect is akin to Schoenberg’s ‘Pierot Lunaire’, a poetry reading with sound effects, and the compressed quasi-rock songs of the no-wave band DNA — fascinating, obsessive mini-aturism.” — N.Y. TIMES (12" EP)

 

ALIVE

 

101 — Norman Salant/Saxophone Demonstrations: New Wavish solo sax overdubs by Norman, who also presents his one-man sax section with a quartet on one cut. He’s also on the Residents’ Tune of Two Cities.

 

ALTERNATIVES IN AMERICAN MUSIC

 

1 — George M’Lely/Original Edition: George, who has done everything from fur trading with Alaskan Indians to being a telegraph operator with the Great Northern Railroad and who has studied with Lennie Tristano, has this to say about his music: “I have made forms and structures, tied together with ‘line’ that are called ‘pieces’ in which the action of improvisation takes place each time the pieces are performed.” George M’Lely, Solo Piano.

 

2 — George M’Lely/The Soloist: “There is something of Monk’s quirkiness, but the touch is rock solid.” — CONTEMPORARY KEYBOARD. “An adventure in a fantasy world of keyboard sound, with a guide.” — SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER. “Un pianiste extrement brilliant . . .” — JAZZ (Paris).

 

3 — George M’Lely/Trio: “The influences I hear in the pianist’s third self-produced album are hardly common-place — Vince Guaraldi’s lucid blues-based melodicism and Herbie Nichols’ elastic writing and rhythms. I’m impressed . . .” — GARY GID-DINS, Village Voice. With Eddie Moore (drums) and Peter Barshay (bass).

 

AMERICAN CLAVE

 

1001 — Jerry Gonzalez/Ya Yo Me Cure: “I’ve Been Cured” is Jerry’s first album under his own name, but he’s been causing a stir on the local Latin scene for some time, and has recorded with Dizzy and George Benson in the past. This session finds him in the company of Hilton Ruiz, Don Alias, and some of the hottest percussionists coming in from Cuba. With this great line-up and material, this album has made waves with both the jazz and Latin crowds. Tunes include Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti”, Monk’s “Evidence”, and a wild version of the Ellington/Tizol classic, “Caravan”.

 

1002 — Teo Macero/Teo: Teo Macero has been Miles’ producer for the last twenty years, not to mention a list of others that reads like a who’s who in jazz — but did you know he is also a composer in his own right? The pieces on this record are, for the most part, unreleased performances by the likes of Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz and Bill Evans culled from sessions and music written and arranged by Teo.

 

1003 — DNA/A Taste of DNA: “Lying on the sofa of life obviously, normally, usually, naturally your knees bend, easily your eyes open, musically you’re in demand, naturally your legs bend, easily your eyes open, musically hand me that.” — Arto Lindsay, vocals and guitar; Tim Wright, bass; and Ikue Mori, drums. (12" E.P.)

 

1006 — Conjure: Music for the Texts of Ishmael Reed: CONJURE is a magical mixing of some of the best of today’s composers and musicians with the texts of the celebrated author Ishmael Reed. Kip Hanrahan’s select group of composers led by Steve Swallow, Allen Toussaint, Taj Mahal, David

Murray, Carla Bley, Carman Moore, Lester Bowie, and of course himself, each manage to express a highly individual portrait of Ishmael. However, the strength of his cultural-lyrical personality gives a wonderful unity to these diverse pieces. CONJURE is a magic spell, brewed with the soulful New Orleans gumbo of Allen Toussaint, the pungent blues of Taj Mahal, the funky free jazz of David Murray and Olu Dara, the latin flavorings of Milton Cardona, and is all held together by the wizard Steve Swallow and rock-steady Billy Hart. Guest appearances by Kip’s usual cast of thousands. This music, like Ishmael Reed and his writing, is funny and hip in the best sense of the word.

 

1007 — Kip Hanrahan/Coup De Tete: Film maker, world traveller, raconteur, Kip Hanrahan directs a veritable who’s who of contemporary music in this larger than life 70 millimeter production. Using members of DNA, The Lounge Lizards, Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time, Massacre, and the salsa band Libre, Kip forges a meeting of the minds. Ex-Lounge Lizards’ drummer Tony Fier and the Latin percussionists along with bass players Bill Laswell or Jamaladeen Tac-uma are seamlessly melded with individual soloists Fred Frith, Chico Freeman, Mike Man tier, et al to form electric eclectic tracks of Rocky Latin Funk. As great as these players are individually, together they mix into a level of musicianship you have yet to experience. Also appearing are Arto Lindsay (guitars), Carla Bley (vocals), Teo Macero (saxophone), Jerry Gonzalez (congas), Daniel Ponce (congas), and Dave Liebman (saxophone).

 

1009/8 — Kip Hanrahan/Desire Develops An Edge: Kip Hanrahan applies the auteur-ist theories of cult (and non-cult) films to record-making. His first record exposed the Downtown Wave crowd to Cuban and Puerto Rican percussionists, jazz soloists, and each other, and was responsible for such groups as The Golden Palominos. On this record, he expands on Haitian themes, with a guitarist from one of the premier Haitian bands, Elysee Pyronneau of Tabou Combo, and a combination of Haitian and Latin drummers. He has the ex-Cream vocalist Jack Bruce and exceptional jazz saxophonist Ricky Ford layered on top. Even though out-rockers Arto Lindsay and Anton Fier reappear here, the album at times has a lilting Brazilian Jobim/Gilberto feel, and at others takes a rave up Caribbean stance. (LP & EP)

 

AMERICAN SOUND

 

1001 — John Holland/Music from a Small Planet: John Holland’s piece uses a method of composition modeled after the biological process of self-improvisation (multiplication by division). A single music pattern, made up of a finite number of sounds, is generated electronically and then copied repeatedly onto a single audio-track.