Crown Trunk Root Funk

Double Sunrise Over Neptune "Noteworthy solos featured Lewis Barnes on trumpet, Dave Sewelson on baritone saxophone, Shiau-Shu Yu on cello, and Brahim Fribgane on oud. Joe Morris started on banjo and moved to guitar, where his interaction with violinist Jason Kao Hwang was electrifying. However, the beauty ...	Rabo de Nube To celebrate his 70th birthday, (March 15th) Charles Lloyd presents his first live quartet album; a really exciting set of music recorded in Basel in 2007 featuring a revamped Quartet now with young stars Jason Moran on piano and Reuben Rogers on bass both making ECM debuts here....	Tragicomic Imagine a pianist with Thelonious Monk s angularity, Cecil Taylor s force, and Andrew Hill s genius, coupled with a profound compositional mind that extends, elevates, and elaborates on the traditions of jazz, world, and Indian music, and you ll get Vijay Iyer, the most criticall...	Saxophone Summit: Seraphic Light When Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano - arguably the greatest jazz saxophonists of their time - first assembled in the mid-1990s as Saxophone Summit, their mission was to explore the outermost edges of jazz, most notably through the experimental avenues originally pav...	Akhenaten Suite "Roy Campbell growls like Ellingtonian Cootie Williams, erupts into long sprinting lines and funky blues inflections that would do Lee Morgan proud, and peppers his solos with free-jazz smears and abstract sounds." -- Boston Phoenix "Roy Campbell exemplifies the type of originali...
A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music Founded in 1965 and still active today, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is an American institution with an international reputation. From its working-class roots on the South Side of Chicago, the AACM went on to forge an extensive legacy of cultur...	Petit Oiseau Long-awaited new album from this incomparable quartet. Beautiful 6-panel digipak features liner notes by William Parker and art by renowned painter David Kroll. Previous albums have been chosen Album of the Year by NY Times, JazzTimes, and more.	Quartet 2006: Ghost Trance Music "Anthony Braxton ... remains as prolific, diverse, inspired, and intriguing as ever." -- One Final Note "His music is often playful, with lines shooting out from all angles, and tempos picking up only to slow down." -- New York Times Quartet (GTM) 2006 is Anthony Braxton's first...	Pass It On Pass It On features newly-realized arrangements of some potent Holland compositions from past recordings, including "Lazy Snake" and "Equality" (from 1995's Dream of the Elders), the uptempo burner "Double Vision" (from 1984's Seeds of Time), the dynamic, mood-shifting suite "Riv...	The Irrational Numbers

Rob Brown Plays His Alto Better Than You Know What
Rob Brown's alto saxophone with William Parker on bass, Detroit's Gerald Cleaver on drums, and Craig Taborn on piano(electronics on 1 cut). Another fine outing from Rob. Everybody plays and listens well. This is particularly evident on the slower numbers where the musical contributions -which seem improvised- are delicately passed between players. The tunes range from the slower, more organic, improvised feel to the swinging post bop grooves with everyone digging in for the ride. I especially enjoy the tunes that employ that rhythmic drive. Craig Taborn's piano is a bonus here. He fits in well, employing a sensitive touch that suits each musical situation and enriches the aural landscape enormously. I've heard him as a powerhouse with other players and he does that well. His contributions here are more about finding his space within Rob's musical concepts and he does that brilliantly. Gerald Cleaver can add a light touch to the gentler pieces or seriously drive the band mid and uptempo. He can play swinging hard bop grooves or add colour and texture in a freely improvised setting. He is a remarkable soloist as well, a great drummer to see live. William Parker needs no introduction here. Rob Brown has been one of his musical collaborators for twenty years now. The music benefits in every way from this familiarity. I'm sure Mr. Cleaver and Mr. Taborn were attuned to this special relationship as well. There is a nice variety in the tempos and in the way in which the pieces are addressed, keeping the listener's interest throughout. I've always thought Rob Brown has been one of the most consistantly interesting and thoughtful players on the scene today. He surely has a broad musical imagination. This is a stong offering on every count and is recommended for purchase. ***Rogueart's 'Right Hemisphere' with Matt Shipp on piano is another Rob Brown quartet date that is strongly recommended.***