Jazz

São Paulo Underground – Beija Flors Velho E Sujo

Style: Future Jazz, Abstract Groove, Psychedelic Fusion

Vibe: Adventure, Futuristic, Triumphant, Spacey, Psychedelic, Energetic, Bombastic, Complex

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Thematic, Progressive, Percussive, Uncommon Time Signatures

Personnel:
Mauricio Takara – Percussion, Cavaquinho, Electronics
Guilherme Granado – Keyboards, Synths, Sampler, Voice
Rob Mazurek – Cornet, Evolver, Ring Modulator, Analog Delay, Harmonium

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Fire! – Defeat

Style: Avant-Garde Jazz, Progressive Fusion

Vibe: Nocturnal, Groovy, Primal, Surreal, Alien, Propulsive, Powerful, Seductive, Suspenseful, Moody, Monochromatic

Musical Qualities: Rhythmic, Polyphonic, Complex, Dissonant, Extended Technique, Thematic Improvisation, Repetition, Experimental Vocals

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Revolutionary Ensemble

Style: Free Jazz, Creative Music

Vibe: Ritualistic, Loose, Cathartic, Complex

Musical Attributes: Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Polyphonic, Active Listening, Instrumental, Dynamic, Live

Instrumentation: Violin, Upright Bass, Drums

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Albert Ayler – New Grass

One can only imagine how Ayler bringing more commercial styles like R&B, Rock, and Gospel into his avant-garde music messed with critics and fans alike when it came out—the way it looked like commercial pandering to the Free Jazz listeners but was probably still too weird for new listeners. It helps to remember that Ayler came from R&B and went straight to the Free Spiritual Jazz of the early 60s, making Jazz critics highly skeptical skeptical by not climbing the bebop ranks like Coltrane before plunging into freedom. On New Grass, Ayler really started to synthesize the spiritual elements of many forms of Great Black Music, making more accessible music not as a way of selling out, but a way of sharing his beautiful spiritual message and sound with a wider audience. Plus this thing has Bernard Purdie on drums so of course it slaps.
If you dig this LP, I think he succeeded in this sound direction even more on his following albums Love Cry and Music is the Healing Force of the Universe. Albert Ayler was a pure soul that left this world too soon, grateful for the gifts of music and wisdom he left behind.

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John Coltrane – Africa / Brass

Released in 1961 on Impulse! Records Red Ring 70s Reissue Format: LP Style: Modal Jazz, Post-Bop Musical Attributes: Polyrhythmic, Acoustic, Melodic, Dense, Improvisation, Instrumental, Africa-Inspired, Technical, Modal Personnell: John Coltrane – Tenor Saxophone Elvin Jones – Drums Reggie Workman – Upright Bass McCoy Tyner – Piano Horn section: Eric Dolphy – Arrangements Pat Patrick – baritone

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Sam Rivers – Waves

Released  in 1979 on Tomato Records Format: LP, Promo copy Style: Free Jazz Vibe: chaotic, complex, energetic, manic Musical Attributes: Polyphonic, Improvisation, Dense, Instrumental Personnel: Sam Rivers – Saxophone (Soprano and Tenor), Flute, Piano; Dave Holland – Upright Bass, Cello; Joe Daley – Tuba, Baritone Horn; Thurman Baker – Drums, Percussion

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Irreversible Entanglements – Who Sent You?

Irreversible Entanglements follows up the scathing fire music of their debut with regenerative and ritualistic earth music. “Who Sent You?”, is a record that looks not only to the violent “rhythms of oppression”, past and present, that need to be burnt to the ground, but to a future built from the ashes of these unjust systems. Irreversible Entanglements are simply one of the most powerful bands in existence, building their symbiotic improvisations with fervent passion, hypnotic rhythm, and urgent truths.

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Anthony Braxton – Five Pieces 1975

Released in 1975 on Arista Records Format: LP Syle:  Avant-Garde Jazz Vibe: Cerebral, Complex, Exploratory, Impressionistic Musical Attributes: Improvisation, Innovative, Melodic, Technical Personell: Anthony Braxton (Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute), Kenny Wheeler (Trumpet, Flugelhorn), Dave Holland (Upright Bass), Barry Altschul (Drums)

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Cecil Taylor – Unit Structures

Album Information: Originally released in 1966 on Blue Note Records Recorded May 19, 1966 1973 Reissue Format: LP Personnel: Cecil Taylor – Piano Alan Silva – Upright Bass Henry Grimes – Upright Bass Andrew Cyrille – Drums Jimmy Lyons – Alto Saxophone Eddy Gale Stevens, Jr. – Trumpet Ken McIntyre – Alto Saxophone, Oboe, Bass

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Circle – Paris-Concert

While more cerebral than emotive, this live set is a frenzied demonstration of what four virtuosic musicians sound like when they give in to the intuitive whims of collective improvisation. Even when playing a composition, this quartet will stretch and mutate the melody into every possible pattern without ever playing it directly. The group interplay is often bombastic and can be overwhelming, but thankfully they vary the dynamics through mellower sections, as well as solo and duo pieces.

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Anthony Shadduck – Quartet & Double Quartet

“Side one features a collection of songs performed by a pliant and almost pristine quartet playing songs by Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian, Chris Schlarb, and Shadduck himself, while side two finds Anthony leading a loose, rocking and roiling double quartet performing more obliquely structures pieces and employing a healthy dose of spontaneous improvisation. Both ensembles strike my ear as CLASSIC, spanning the areas of jazz impressionism and edgy-yet-controlled “free jazz” with dedication and distinction.”
[From the liner notes, written by Nels Cline]

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