In my Semi-Isolation listening I have this week turned to the music of the American saxophonist and composer and founder member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Roscoe Mitchell. and through his music to that of the Transatlantic Art Ensemble led by Roscoe and Evan Parker.
I have heard Roscoe play on a number of occasions, always in London and sadly never in Birmingham. The first time was with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, but more recently I have heard him in small groups he has led under his own name at Café Oto. In the performances at Oto I have been impressed by both his playing and his stage presence. On his saxophones, mostly alto and soprano, he weaves long flowing lines that have a complexity that can be quite challenging to absorb, but ultimately the experience of engaging with them is extremely rewarding. And somehow his rather austere stage presence matches the music; he has always been dressed very smartly in a suit and tie and his demeanour is committed and serious. He hardly ever addresses the audience.
Roscoe has a huge legacy in terms of recordings; there are all the Art Ensemble of Chicago albums and then the albums with the Note Factory Ensemble and recently the excellent Bells for the South Side which presents a number of different trio configurations. But it to his 2004 album Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 that I often return. It is a fascinating album that came about as a result of a symposium about improvised music in Munich. For this Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker were commissioned to set up the Transatlantic Art Ensemble, an ensemble of 14 improvisers for which they would both write music. The 14 players were divided equally between players from UK and from USA and were carefully selected by Roscoe and Evan. A list of the personnel is at the end of this piece.
Two Cds on the ECM label emerged; Roscoe Mitchell’s Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 and Evan Parker’s Boustrophedon. The recordings were taken from the live performances and the personnel is therefore the same on both Cds.
The music on Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3, moves between notated passages and freely improvised sections which may be with one soloist, or a section within the ensemble such as the string section or the two percussionists, or the whole ensemble. The improvisations with the whole ensemble have a particular energy and excitement and create a wonderful blast of a sound. The music also moves fairly seamlessly between a classical feel and a jazz feel, but throughout there is a unity to the writing that comes from the mix of unique ensemble sounds and textures; these arise from the varied instrumentation of the ensemble and the individual character of the musicians.
On the Cd there are 9 pieces listed with Roman numerals; the connection of these to the title, Nos 1, 2 & 3 is not explained in the Cd notes. Track III is perhaps characteristic of the CD; it features Evan Parker on tenor sax and he begins playing solo. He is then joined by the strings, i.e. violin and viola, followed by a series of interactions with pianist Craig Taborn which are gradually enhanced by the backing from the ensemble. This leads into a long wild improvisation from the whole ensemble; Evan stands out at first, but gradually it becomes a group improvisation; the track concludes with a short composed line for trumpet and strings. Track IV is characteristic of another aspect of the Cd; it’s much gentler piece with a beautiful solo from John Rangecroft on clarinet which is intensified by some subtle textures from the bass and the ensemble. Overall I believe that the performance brings together very successfully composition and improvisation and the feel of both classical and jazz music.
Evan Parker also has a huge legacy of recorded material, but this is much more in the area of totally improvised music. However, he has been involved with larger ensembles such as the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble and the flexibly sized Trance Map. In these ensembles the writing provides a structure around which the improvisations are built.
For the Boustrophedon Cd the format focusses in each track on duets between one of the UK players and one of the US players, thus we have in Furrow 1 (after an overture each track is called a Furrow) a duet between US pianist Craig Taborn and UK flautist Neil Metcalfe, Furrow 2 has the two string players, Phil Wachsmann (UK) on violin and Nils Bultman (USA) on viola, Furrow 3 is between cellist Marcio Mattos (based in UK, but from Brazil) and saxophonist Anders Svanoe (USA), but they do not interact very much with Mattos’ cello going first and then leading into a forceful solo from Svanoe with energetic ensemble backing, Furrow 4 is between UK clarinettist John Rangecroft who has a very enjoyable musical conversation with US trumpeter Corey Wilkes before the latter takes the track out with some brilliant playing, Furrow 5 is between the two double bass players Barry Guy (UK) and Jaribu Shahid (USA) who join in a lively conversation that also brings in Craig Taborn who supports with a repeated rhythmic motif. The final two tracks, Furrow 6 and the Finale, present some of the most exciting and impressive music of the two Cds; Furrow 6 features the two leaders, first Evan Parker whose solo is supported by some remarkable sounds from the ensemble, and then Roscoe Mitchell whose solo is supported initially by piano and drums and then equally amazing sounds from the ensemble. The Finale has short solos from various members of the ensemble punctuated by short blasts from the ensemble and the whole things climaxes with some stunning textures from the whole ensemble.
The two Cds provide some wonderful listening and are a perfect example of how composition can be integrated with free playing.
Both Cds are on ECM: https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038751721/composition-improvisation-nos-1-2-3-roscoe-mitchell-the-transatlantic-art-ensemble and https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038751723/boustrophedon-evan-parker-the-transatlantic-art-ensemble
The personnel is as follows:
- Roscoe Mitchell– soprano saxophone
- Evan Parker– tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Anders Svanoe– alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Corey Wilkes– trumpet, flugelhorn
- John Rangecroft– clarinet
- Neil Metcalfe – flute
- Nils Bultmann– viola
- Philipp Wachsmann– violin
- Marcio Mattos– cello
- Craig Taborn– piano
- Barry Guy, Jaribu Shahid– bass
- Paul Lytton, Tani Tabbal– drums, percussion
The quote in the heading is from Downbeat journalist Bill Shoemaker and refers to the German tenor and soprano saxophonist Gerd Dudek. Dudek is now in his 80s and I’m not sure whether he is still playing. He is well known in Germany, but very little known outside. He was born in Breslau, the German city that became part of Poland as Wrocław in 1945, but has lived in Germany for the whole of his adult life. He was a key figure in the early free jazz movement in Germany, playing in the band led by Manfred Schoof and occupying a key position in the Globe Unity Orchestra established in 1966.
Pianist Myra Melford is a particular favourite of mine and she was due to play with a stunning band with Ron Miles on cornet – he has always favoured the cornet over the trumpet – Liberty Ellman on guitar, Stomu Takeishi on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. I particularly remember an Arts Council tour a few years ago with Chris Batchelor’s Big Air that played in Birmingham’s CBSO Centre. Melford was a key member of that band playing beautiful flowing mesmeric solos and with a particularly intense stage presence. She is also a fine composer as is apparent from her highly regarded Snowy Egret album. You can access a track from the the album 
I was very much looking forward to hearing Keyon Harrold, a young trumpeter whose group is unfamiliar to me. I have, however, heard his own trumpet playing in that he provided the trumpet playing for the rather odd biopic film about Miles Davis Miles Ahead. Harrold is clearly very versatile and plays with leading artists in the hip hop and soul genres such as Common, Lauren Hill, Jay-Z and Erikah Badu as well as with his own jazz groups. Wynton Marsalis has described him as ‘the future of the trumpet’. You can hear some of his own music 
This year we were particularly proud to be presenting Norma Winstone for the first time under her own name. Norma is a legend and I’m not sure why we have not featured her before. Discussion with Norma led to the suggestion of her appearing with the German pianist Pablo Held; they have been working together recently and both were enthusiastic about doing so at Cheltenham. There are no examples online of them performing together, but there is a fascinating interview with Norma as part of Pablo’s Pablo Held Investigates series. Just Google that title to access it. Norma is of course a key player in the late 1960s/early 1970s generation of musicians along with Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor who began to develop a distinctive voice for British jazz.
Another duo that was due to play the PAC is that of Danish saxophonist Mette Rasmussen playing with drum legend Chris Corsano. They form a powerful partnership and they would have been playing a totally improvised set with all the drama and excitement that style of music can generate. There are YouTube videos of the duo, but I haven’t found anything on Bandcamp of this particular duo, but check out her duo with French guitarist Julian Desprez 
One collaboration that intrigues me is that between the London band Maisha with American saxophone legend Gary Bartz. I find Maisha, led by drummer Jake Long, to be one of the most interesting of the young London based bands associated with Gilles Peterson and the Brownswood label, and the prospect of the collaboration with Gary Bartz was enticing. Bartz’s playing on the alto saxophone is a key link between the hard bop days of the 1960s and the fusion movement that followed, and he is also a forerunner of the movement built around Kamasi Washington that is so influential today. Check out their music 
And finally a truly jazz super group the Liebman/Brecker/Copland Quintet with Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Marc Copland plus a fantastic rhythm pairing of bass player Drew Gress and one of my favourite drummers Joey Baron. Check them out on YouTube. Will they be touring again next year? I hope so!
I originally heard this band at its first ever performance at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival in the Austrian Alps. I was impressed and was delighted, finally, to get them onto the Cheltenham programme. The band is led by bass player and mad Manchester United fan Lukas Kranzelbinder and has an attractively different line up with two bass players, two drummers and three horns, which gives the music a very strong rhythmic drive. Since that premiere the band has recorded three albums and the latest, Gris Gris, has been described as ‘sitting between the realms of spiritual jazz, Afrobeat and just utter madness. Shake Stew have forged a herculean record which is utterly scintillating’ (Jazz Revelations). You can access this album 
I first heard Leila Martial at the Südtirol Jazz Festival in Bolzano, Italy, and was totally carried away by her vocals and stage presence. Since I have heard her in duo with cellist Valentin Ceccaldi and, more recently, with the Baa Box Trio. Leila is a totally charismatic live performer; she has an amazing vocal range and her wordless solos are stunning. Leila originally trained as an actor and as part of that studied the work of clowns; she retains a strong element of theatricality in her live performances. See her website 
I heard this guitar bass drums trio at the 12 Points Festival in Dublin last year. That festival presents 12 young bands from 12 different countries chosen from a huge list of applicants. For me, Rite of Trio was one of the outstanding groups presented by 12 Points and one I was immediately keen to book. It’s a power trio with elements of punk jazz and rock, but still always closer to the jazz end of contemporary music spectrum. It’s a band that that will nonetheless appeal to metal and prog rock fans as well as jazz fans. Have a listen or buy 
I have on a couple of occasions written about the Hubro label in Norway and how much I enjoy their output. It is all beautifully presented with very helpful notes about the music, and the label has a clear focus on what are for me the most interesting parts of the burgeoning Norwegian scene.
Erlend Apneseth: Fragmentarium
Stein Urheim: Downhill Uplift 
Gard Nilssen Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully The Music Is Yours 
Christian Wallamrød Ensemble: Many 
Kim Myhr and the Australian Art Orchestra: Vesper 
My first memory of McCoy is of hearing him with the great John Coltrane Quartet at Birmingham Hippodrome in November 1961. I was in my teens and still discovering jazz. To be honest, I was not yet ready for the impact and intensity of the great Coltrane Quartet at its peak. I had been listening to Giant Steps and his solos on Kind of Blue, but the quartet had moved on into the more integrated power of the mid-period Coltrane Quartet. I was puzzled and at the same time intrigued by it so much so that over the years I have retained a strong memory of it, and also completely forgotten that Dizzy Gillespie was playing in the double bill with Coltrane that toured UK that year. McCoy’s solos were the part of the concert that I was most able to relate to and I retain in my mind’s eye an image of him sitting at the piano and creating those dense solos and those left hand chords that I have come to love so much.