Free Jazz

asking last.fm to gimme similar artists to Keiji Haino eventually made it spit out tracks by Derek Bailey and Albert Ayler; both were significantly more neato than I had suspected they'd be. =)

but I'm still a noob at zis.

 

 

Intruder wrote: Miles never got entirely sucked into that free jazz abyss....Miles was really into form, space, texture.....I know there are some moments from the overly ripe period of his post-quintet period, albums like Agatha and Pangea or on some looser jams around the time of On the Corner, but I feel that was more he and the band spreading out a "scorched Earth" atmosphere, that Miles was intending to communicate through chaos a message of where he felt society/music/politics was heading....it really is heavy stuff, as tough to listen to at times as the Ayler, late Coltrane, Coleman records of the sixties.   I can handle those Japanese double albums from Miles, but pure free jazz still has too much of the "yank on the elephant's tail" sound....all formless screech that DOES at times communicate the aching soul of the artists, but it's just too much.....like watching the Sorrow and the Pity over and over....just too much pain and nothing to groove on....all work and no play.

Yikes, never would have suspected South Korea could do THIS to a man...

have you heard Cecil Taylor/Max Roach - Historic Concerts? thats pretty barbaric stuff,

also Pat Metheny/Derek Baily/George Bendian/Paul Wertiico - The Sign of 4, 3xCD set, is really good,

I have some Steve Lacy and Even Parker LPs in my shelves, I'll have listen to those again, its been a while

Evan Parker's great, he played with The Spontaneous Music Ensemble if memory serves...

Just got hold of some Masayuki Takayanagi New DIrection Unit, there's some great guitar-based noise there. Still looking for April Is the Cruellest Month, I heard it's one of Takayanagi's best.

Conference of Birds, anyone?

Actually this music destroys my brain (in the best possible way) for the last 5 years. My 10 favorites records at this time are:

1) Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler (for me, Ayler is THE icon of free jazz. He is the best free jazz saxophonist ever lived and noone will ever achieve what he achieved. His ability to express feelings and emotions in that direct complex way, easily,  is beyond comprehension.)
1) Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village by Albert Ayler
1) At Slug's Saloon, Vol. 1 by Albert Ayler
2) The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman
3) Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, No. 1 by Die Like a Dog Quartet (Brotzmann' Project - You can clearly see his admiration to Ayler in this record)
4) The Black Ark by Noah Howard (The most underrated free jazz musician of all times. Period)
5) For Alto by  Anthony Braxton
6) Matanohi no yumemonogatari by Kaoru Abe (absolutely stunning musician from Japan, in the vein of Braxton - Yukorin, track him down)
7) Pakistani Pomade by Alexander von Schlippenbach Trio
8) Repent by Charles Gayle (Really interesting story behind this incredibly skilled saxophonist. This album is probably the most spiritual record after Ayler's Spiritual Unity)
9) Koln by Last Exit (Brotzmann's project once more. Master Sharrock shines once again)
10) Unit Structures by Cecil Taylor


electricsilence, great suggestion. Conference of the Birds is undoubtedly, the best work of Dave Holland. It really is an inspiring record full of joy and color.


The only popular one I cannot appreciate much, is Coltrane in this matter (I love  some of his 'conventional jazz' works). His free jazz records are just spineless, out of place and dizzy. But that just me, and I'm only judging his Ascension period.

Also, as mentioned, Sonny Sharrok has some shining gems in his discography. He was remarkable and innovative guitarist.


Yukorin, dive in!


Edited by oracus - May 15 2008 at 19:30

I just realized noone mentioned Brotmann's Machine Gun, since Yukorin requested the hard stuff!  I can't say I fond this (I much prefer his debut and 14 Love Poems) but I surely can say that it is one of the most dificult pieces of free jazz I 've ever encounter. If you want to bleed your ears and vanish every melody detector in your brain, check it out.

P.S. I wrote your name wrong in the previous post, because I have in mind a Japanese friend of mine with the name Yukari. Is Yukari the female version of Yukorin?


Edited by oracus - May 15 2008 at 19:27

Mithrandir, you seem to be a black metal fanatic; how come and you are interested in jazz and especially free jazz (that's a great thing!)?