The Long Form

All About Jazz is running this long interview with pianist Vijay Iyer.

I won’t lie to you: I haven’t even started reading the thing yet.  I just wanted to celebrate the fact that they run interviews like this at all.  (Charlie Hunter was another recent subject.)  In this age of dying media, long-form magazine-like content is rapidly becoming a casualty.

It’s partly because of the shift to the Internet — yes, you have an infinite number of pages at your disposal, but publishers can’t command the same level of ad rates as they could in print, making it difficult to pay the writers who have the talent to produce compelling, long-form stories.

On top of that, you have an audience that’s increasingly geared toward quick-hit, Digg-style news bites, or dumb short blog entries like this one, rather than nonfiction as a form of literature.  But that’s too easy a target. More of the blame goes to the monetary side. The audience is there, but the avenues for creating the content are limited.

So, the publication of an extended interview like this one — or the long interviews and analyses that Ethan Iverson has been doing on Do the Math — is cause for celebration.

Now, I’d better stop procrastinating and go read the thing. And congratulations to Iyer for what’s been a spectacular 2009, at least in terms of recognition. It’s well deserved.

Non-Jazz Update: Wynton Has His Say

Oh, this is too rich.  Regarding that fan who wanted his money back because Larry Ochs wasn’t jazzy enough — Wynton Marsalis has gotten involved.

Wynton’s people contacted The Guardian (UK newspaper) in hopes of contacting the fan.  The Guardian, of course, turned it around and wrote not one but two blog entries about it: Apparently the fan’s been found and will soon receive a crateload of Wynton’s music.

All of this is reopening wounds in the “What is jazz” debate, since Wynton is infamous for declaring what musics are and aren’t worthwhile — and he finds abstract jazz to be an “aren’t.”  I haven’t read his opinions extensively — and I should, because he’s quite knowledgeable — but I did get some exposure to his thinking back around 1987 or 1988, when I heard him slag on rap music during an evening talk.  He explained his position this way: The music you listen to can be an expression of what’s deep in your soul. And what does it say if all that’s in your soul is “boom, ba-DOOM. boom, ba-DOOM.”

He’s got a point. I’m not saying rap isn’t worthwhile — but neither is it the pinnacle of creativity. Fun music is OK, but you need to have something more meaningful in your life.  (Actually, I’d need to qualify the first part of that sentence. I tend to go all Wynton on American Idol and that whole style of plastic, overacted pop music.)

But does that argument carry into the realm of avant-garde jazz?  That’s where Wynton and I have to disagree, because I do find a richness of expression there that, to me, represents a worthwhile evolution of the jazz tradition.  The more extreme examples arguably don’t carry forward the jazz tradition, but neither do they try to.  My understanding is that Derek Bailey and his UK compatriots weren’t trying to create a next phase of jazz when they worked on non-idiomatic improvisation in the ’60s — in fact, they expressly said it wasn’t supposed to be jazz, didn’t they?

Getting back to the Wynton vs. “not-jazz” topic, his overture to this fan comes across as a slap in the face to the avant-garde, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant that way. The whole incident wasn’t even meant to be publicly known, Wynton’s people told The Guardian. (The moral being, watch yourself when you talk to a journalism outfit, even if you’re not talking to a reporter.) It’s more a nod from one purist to another.  Arrogant, to be sure, but you also have to admit it’s a nice gesture, probably made on a whim. I’m not as annoyed by this as I probably ought to be.

‘Code Flat-Nine, People: Move Out!’

Here’s a rich one: Someone called the cops on Larry Ochs for not playing “jazz.”

From the Guardian:  “The jazz purist claimed his doctor had warned it was ‘psychologically inadvisable’ for him to listen to anything that could be mistaken for mere contemporary music. … [K]haki-clad police officers listened to the saxophone-playing and drumming coming from the festival stage before agreeing that the purist might, indeed, have a case.”

The band in question? Ochs’ Sax and Drumming Core, the band I’d noted for having a “songlike feel.”  One man’s candy is another’s psychologically inadvisable brain poison, apparently.

Part of Ochs’ comment to the Guardian: “After this I will at least have a story to tell my grandchildren.”

Hat tip to KZSU DJ Ragnar of Ravensfjord for pointing this one out.  CORRECTION: Turns out it was DJ Fo who originally saw the item.  Thanks, Fo!

Go, Go, Go-Go!

Go-Go Fightmaster — Sound 1 (Edgetone, 2009)

The first Go-Go Fightmaster album was a display of aggressive free jazz, stacked with heavy moments but also featuring often bright sax- and guitar-led pieces, and even a Monk cover.

Six years later, the band’s second album is out, and it’s a lot more in the brain-scrambling noisy jazz mode. Loads of fun.  They should be a real treat to see live on Tuesday — that’s Dec. 8 at the Uptown in Oakland, possibly with Aram Shelton as a newly added band member; Shelton’’s Oakland Active Orchestra is also on the bill.

At KZSU, the band is most famous for that first album’s opening track, “Buffy Is Dead.”  The phrase meant a more back then and drew more than a few chuckles. And the track has an appropriate sound, with babbling sax played over a guitar death march — a tongue-in-cheek jazz/metal hybrid.

Jazz elements remain on Sound 1 but they’re more thoroughly dressed in Michelin-Man layers of noise.  “Evil Bohemian” is a happy, swingy sax line that gets backed by a sinister yet toe-tapping guitar riff. It ends up in an accelerated free-jazz rush with Aaron Bennett’s saxophone blaring like a swingy alarm klaxon.

“I Drink from the Big Girls Cup” goes straight for alarm-bells mode, fast and relentless. (Hit single!) Lisa Mezzacappa’s bass comes across in aggressive slaps; Vijay Anderson on drums plays like he’s The Flash chiseling apart the Eiffel Tower, and his subsequent solo is a real treat.  You’re left feeling exhausted.

Some tracks are engineered for raw firepower.  “I Smell the Devil” is thick with John Finkbeiner’s metal-distorted, jazz-hating guitar sound.  “A Fall” is loud in a more granular way, a swirling, crazed tumult.  The longer it goes on, the deeper it eats into your brain.

Bass tends to get short shrift in a loud band, but Mezzacappa gets more than a few moments of glory. In particular, there’s a seriously athletic bass solo on “Put One Fourth,” with small curls of guitar and drums as accompaniment.  The audible out-of-breath huffing on the track is probably Mezzacappa’s — an appropriate effect, because it’s a physically strong solo, an audio version of digging to China.

Yes, there are moments of quiet virtuosity, passages of calm reflection, and even a slowish track. (“The Cosmic Cogitator, with a sinister ritualistic sound and a snazzy, angular guitar solo.)  But the album’s philosophy is best summed up by the three short snippets titled “Sound One” (and Two and Three). They sound like instruction pieces: “You have 20 seconds to obliterate them all. GO.”  Very cool.

I enjoyed the first album partly because of its variety of moods and styles, but the more cohesive sense of group purpose on Sound 1 cannot be denied. It’s a superior effort, the sound of a band that’s daring you to a game of chicken. Go on, take your chances.

Weasel Walter: Exit, Stage Right

On the site for his ugExplode record label, you can see that Weasel Walter, who’s been a Bay Area resident for the past few years, is up and moving to New York.

Sad news for us.  It was nice having him in town, playing in bands and in pickup improv ensembles, stirring the pot to create regular live gigs at places like The Uptown, releasing CDs that make apartment neighbors call the police at 2:00 a.m.

But like so many other musicians from so many other places, Weasel (I’m using his first name here, as if we’re best buds) hears the call of NYC. He’s leaving next week.

It’s the natural cycle of the Bay Area music scene — and it’s the same in hundreds of other places, I’d imagine. It takes a lot of work to keep a scene going when the economic returns are slim, when alcohol-serving venues are reluctant to host oddball music, and when local authorities are downright hostile to DIY events.

(Sure, the letter of the law requires permits and fire exits, but for some of these shows, you’re talking about 40- and 50-year-olds sitting in chairs listening intently to quiet, crystalline music.  The legal codes set for punk/metal fire-and-brimstone acts shouldn’t have to apply there. Granted, Weasel’s stuff  isn’t exactly quiet most of the time, but his free jazz doesn’t draw a pit-warning crowd either.)

The good news: Weasel will be able to work with NYC artists more regularly, including trumpeter Peter Evans and guitarist Mary Halvorson, both of whom he’s recorded with recently.  As an ongoing, working trio, they’ll be immense. Radio WFMU got a taste of the possibilities earlier this year.

Best of luck, Weasel!

What Charlie Hunter Says

All About Jazz is running a good interview with guitarist Charlie Hunter, talking about his principles when it comes to playing music; his long-ago brush with the big side of the music industry; and why he doesn’t use the Hammond organ sound on his guitar any more. (“When I hear my old records with that sound, I want to punch that guy in the face. It sounds so cloying to me.”)

Hunter has been on my mind a lot this year because of his association with Go Home. (See earlier posts Ben Goldberg, Charlie Hunter, Go Home; ‘Go Home’ Comes Out; and Subway Series: New York.) It’s a treat to see him live. And it’s great to know that I’m not the only one blown away by Hunter’s trick of playing the bassline and guitar lines, with rich counterpoint, by himself.

They’ve titled the interview “Charlie Hunter: Seven-Stringed Samurai,” and you can find it here.

Hunter also says he’s done with the all-improv Groundtruther, a band featuring himself, Bobby Previte (drums), and a different guest star on each of three albums. That’s OK, because Hunter’s usual funky, rhythm-heavy music is plenty tasty.  His latest album as a leader, Baboon Strength, is well worth a listen.

David S. Ware: Back at Work

The New York Times reports that David S. Ware was back on stage Thursday night, his first appearance after a life-saving kidney transplant.

The story goes through the whole mini-drama of Steven Joerg (of AUM Fidelity records) putting out his plea to fans over Ware’s situation.

The article’s short and heartwarming. The Times interviewed Ware and kidney donor Laura Mehr.

Thanks to Avant Music News and Twitterer @lynhortonmusart for pointing this out.

Aram Shelton’s Active Music

Oct. 13: First Tuesday morning live interview. Went off without a hitch. (That is, without a hitch that was traceable back to me. )

The subject was Aram Shelton, who had a few gigs coming up that he wanted to publicize. At the same time, this morning’s interview was a good way for me to find out what he’s up to, as far as organizing shows. He’s been a busy guy since coming here from Chicago to attend Mills College — and that’s without his Ton Trio intact, as one member’s fled to the midwest.

Here’s what he has (or had) coming up, mostly under the banner of what he’s calling the Active Music Series:

* Active Music Orchestra, a 13-piece group that has a monthly residency at The Uptown. This is particularly exciting, because the group will stay together long enough to cohere into a group, something that’s so hard to accomplish these days. They’ll be playing various group members’ compositions. Sadly, I’m a day late in telling you about this, but they’ll be back on the second Tuesday in November.

* Ton Trio will be making an appearance, with Chicago drummer Frank Rosaly, at Bluesix on Thurs., Oct. 15.

* Aram is part of the newly re-formed Go-Go Fightmaster, which has a new CD (yes!) and is playing as part of the SIMM series: Sunday, Oct. 18, at the SF Musicians’ Union Hall (116 9th St. near Mission).

Aram’s compiling a blog of his shows. Awesome title: The Last Time I Played.

I’m grateful to Aram for being my first guinea pig. Not that a morning interview is painful or anything; it’s just that Friday afternoon made for easy scheduling no matter who wanted to be on the show, whether live or via phone, whether in person or from the east coast. But when you’re talking Tuesday morning, you get interference from day jobs, sleep cycles, and kids. I sense a lot of Monday evening pre-recording sessions in my interviewing future.

Sax & Drumming Core

Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core — Stone Shift (Rogue Art, 2009)

* Appearing Sunday, Oct. 4, at 21 Grand, w/Ochs’ Kihnoua (see below)
* Also in NYC on Oct. 13, performing at Roulette.
* And lots of other east/midwest cities (see below)

Drumming Core puts Larry Ochs‘ sax in the middle, flanked by drummers: Donald Robinson on one side and Scott Amendola on the other. It’s not a unique setup (see Ken Vandermark and Sound in Action), but it’s compelling, and Ochs has gotten good mileage out of it.

While Stone Shift is the third Drumming Core album in seven years — a decent track record for avant-garde groups — tours and shows for the group have been sporadic, probably a byproduct of busy schedules and the usual economic handicaps.

Based on Ochs compositions, Drumming Core pieces have a songlike feel. The drums get plenty of freedom, but for long stretches, they’re also responsible for keeping an overt rhythm to the pieces, creating an interweaving of rhythms and soloing that doesn’t get overwhelming.

In live shows, it’s a treat watching the contrast between Robinson and Amendola. Both play all kinds of styles, of course, but each has trademark moves that are particularly satisfying — Amendola’s traces of funk in the beat, Robinson’s deliciously intricate mallet work on the toms. Their styles overlap quite a bit, too, but the differences make a live Drumming Core show really percolate.

For the past couple of years, Drumming Core has added the team of Satoko Fujii (piano) and Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), who appear on Stone Shift. The result opens up more possibilities for interplay and new sounds, of course.

I really enjoyed the dry, stripped-down feel of the original trio, but I also can’t blame Ochs for wanting to explore new territory with the band and the compositions. Stone Shift is a good listen, built of four extended pieces that make good use of all the band’s talents.

“Across from Over” opens in a swingy, thumpy vein, Ochs buzzing on tenor sax with the drummers playing rhythms that could have fit a blues jam. After a few minutes, the trumpet makes its entrance — but then, everything condenses into a quiet improv, pocked with tiny blips of organ-sounding synth.

The final minutes get into an exciting rhythmic pulse, with heavy-handed piano and ecstatic trumpet blares over a deep drumbeat. It shows how the extra two instrument can kick up the level of drama.

Some of that drama also shows up in “Finn Veers for Venus,” which goes for an open and spacey sound accented by occasional synth flurries. (Every Drumming Core album has had a Finn/planet track: “Finn Crosses Mars,” then “Finn Passes Pluto.”)

“Abstraction Rising” shows off the compositional nature of Drumming Core, in the form of unison sax/trumpet lines, a sound that draws from the late ’60s well. The track puts Fujii’s piano up front right away, a combination of abstract splashing and ocean-deep middle-register phrases. As the sound settles down, the trumpet and sax play out a unison jazz line that draws from the ’60s well. After some brisk group improv, another composed line surfaces from a pulverizing sea of low-register piano (a Fujii trademark).

The quiet opening to “Stone Shift” shows off the subtle possibilities of the drums, including an especially tight, soft roll that could be either drummer but conjures up Robinson in my mind.

I have to admit, Fujii’s use of synthesizer on here is weird and sometimes distracting, like a gimmick. You could call that a bias on my part — here’s a new sound that my ears don’t associate with this type of music, or at least with this band, so it’s getting rejected like an organ transplant. Could be. Or maybe, just as the bagpipes or piccolo wouldn’t sound right in certain settings, the synth isn’t what’s needed here. At any rate, she uses it sparingly, and sometimes to good effect — a bubbling low-register synth backing serves well against an energetic Ochs solo on “Stone Shift,” like a menacing lava pool just under the surface. And near the end of the piece, there’s a sparse phase of muted trumpet and tiny sax sounds — it reminds me of parts of Cecil Taylor’s Unit Structures — with light synth that acts as a background curtain.

All told, this is a solid album. Catch this group while you can. Like Finn passing all those planets, they don’t come around as often as you’d like.

By the way, a word about Kihnoua, which will be performing at the Oct. 4. show. It’s an improvisatory group that includes Amendola, vocalist Dohee Lee, and various guests: Okkyung Lee or Joan Jeanreneaud (cello) in the permutations I’ve seen; Fred Frith (guitar) or Liz Allbee (trumpet) on the Oct. 4 show. I wrote up a brief review of a performance last year, and Ochs is aiming for a CD release in the spring.

Here’s the rest of the Drumming Core tour itinerary, for those who aren’t in the Bay Area or NYC:

Oct 8: The Whole Music Club, University of MN, Minneapolis
Oct 9: Sheldon Concert Hall, St Louis, MO
Oct 10: Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
Oct 11: Timicula White House, Orlando, FL
Oct 12: Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY
Oct 13: Roulette, New York City
Oct 15: Real Artways, Hartford, CT
Oct 16: Portland Conservatory of Music at Woodford¹s Church, Portland, ME

New Radio Time: 6-9 a.m. Tuesdays

For the fall, and possibly longer, I’m moving my radio show off of Fridays and onto Tuesday mornings, 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Pacific. This starts tomorrow morning.

Upside: Easier parking. Quiet early-morning hours. Drive-time audience.

Downside: A lot tougher to get live interviews and live bands onto the show. And I’ll miss ending my work week by relaxing at the station, spinning brain-crackling music. By contrast, I’ll have to hit the ground running at work right after my show.

In the final tally, though, the Friday spot had its downside too, and after seven or eight years, I’m ready to try something different. I might return to the time slot when summer rolls around, and I’ll certainly claim some Friday time during December, when we’ll need subs.

For now, I’m commited to Tuesdays through at least January 5. Please tune in.