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Heavy Rotation For A Pandemic Summer

By Mark Corroto
August 27, 2020
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In the summer of 2020 one result of the COVID-19 isolation, and artists inability to tour and perform is that they have time to deal with projects halted by this pandemic. Musicians, producers, and engineers have mixed, mastered and released an abundance of music. Many of the titles have been, and will be covered by our staff, but within this prolific time, we want to give readers a taste of what has been recently released and what is upcoming.

We return often to

Matt Wilson

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Wilson's Hug! (Palmetto) (reviewed by senior editor Dan McClenaghan), especially the track "Space Force March/Interplanetary Music" where the Donald Trump's infamous weaponizing of space bumps heads with

Sun Ra

piano
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Sun Ra's vision. In the same vein as spinning satellites is

Dan Willis

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Willis And Velvet Gentleman's The Monk Project (Belle Avenue Records). The saxophonist brings the same 'WTF?' to

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's compositions as he did with his two Erik Satie Projects. His quintet including guitarist

Pete McCann

guitar
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Pete McCann and guest

Kermit Driscoll

bass
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Kermit Driscoll who rejig Monk's music with an electric twist, while keeping its spirit alive. Another tribute release is by The

Claire Daly

saxophone, baritone
- 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Claire Daly Band RAH! RAH! (Ride Symbol Records). Everyone's favorite baritone saxophonist pays tribute to

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

woodwinds
1935 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Rahsaan Roland Kirk with delicious covers of "Serenade For A Cuckoo," plus "Volunteered Slavery" that segues into Sly Stones's "Everyday People."

Saxophonist, producer, and label chief at Aerophonic Records

Dave Rempis

saxophone
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Rempis has released multiple projects in CD, LP and digital formats lately. Ballister with

Fred Lonberg-Holm

cello
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Fred Lonberg-Holm and

Paal Nilssen-Love

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Paal Nilssen-Love follow up Slag (Aerophonic Records, 2017) with Znachki Stilyag which was recorded in 2019. The Chicagoan also features his trio with

Elisabeth Harnik

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Elisabeth Harnik and

Michael Zerang

drums
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Zerang on Triple Tube (Not Two Records, 2020). Rempis also guests with the trio TOC (Ivann Cruz,

Jeremie Ternoy

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeremie Ternoy, and

Peter Orins

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Orins) Closed For Safety Reasons (Circum-Disc, 2020). Maybe more exciting (and daunting) are the weekly digital editions released on Bandcamp. Rempis casts his net back to 2005 with Live At The Velvet Lounge and the Triage trio with

Tim Daisy

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Daisy and

Jason Ajemian

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason Ajemian. There is also the 8-piece Heaven Orchestra Live In Chicago 2013, Sugar Shack with Daisy and

Terrie Ex

" data-original-title="" title="">Terrie Ex, Hornithology a duo with

Mars Williams

saxophone
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Mars Williams, his band Wheelhouse with

Jason Adasiewicz

vibraphone

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason Adasiewicz and

Nate McBride

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Nate McBride Live At WNUR, The Engines Wooden Legs, a solo recording from 2017 Coast To Coast, and a seemingly unending stream of music. Rempis has created for us, a most wonderful rabbit hole here.

Guilty listening pleasures can also be extraordinary releases, like the pandemic session Solo Guitar Improvisations (Lizard Breath Records) by

Dan Phillips

guitar
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Phillips. In normal circumstances we might hear him with the Chicago Edge Ensemble or his quartet, but this very intimate 2-CD release feels like a private concert between your ears. Nobody can reimagine a popular song than saxophonist

Roy Nathanson

saxophone
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Nathanson and trombonist

Curtis Fowlkes

trombone
1950 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Curtis Fowlkes. They do so on Heart (Panoramic Recordings) in the Endangered Quartet with Jesse Mills (violin) and Tim Kush (bass), covering everything from Bach to Lennon/McCartney's "Blackbird," and Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene."

Joe Fiedler

trombone
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Fiedler's 3-trombone plus tuba Big Sackbut Live In Graz (Multiphonics Music) is a smile inducing brass oxymoron of futuristic throwback party music. Certainly a party should also rock. That is, rock from jazz musicians. Drummer

Dan Weiss

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Weiss' second Starebaby release Natural Selection (Pi Recordings) features his killer quintet of

Matt Mitchell

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Mitchell,

Craig Taborn

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Taborn,

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder, and

Trevor Dunn

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Trevor Dunn navigating doom metal by way of electronic music, and improvisation. As long as we are hanging out there, electric guitarist

Raoul Bjorkenheim

guitar
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Raoul Bjorkenheim surfs late-period Coltrane on Solar Winds (Long Song Records) with

Silvia Bolognesi

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Silvia Bolognesi,

Tiziano Tononi

drums
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Tiziano Tononi, and

Emanuele Parrini

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Emanuele Parrini. The music is simultaneously reverential and audacious.

One of this year's most highly anticipated recordings is the

Maria Schneider

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Maria Schneider Orchestra Data Lords (ArtistShare, 2020), a double CD with download video interviews and behind the scene content. The 18-piece orchestra includes

Donny McCaslin

saxophone, tenor
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Donny McCaslin,

Scott Robinson

saxophone, tenor
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Robinson,

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder, and

Frank Kimbrough

piano
1956 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Kimbrough among other stars. As always with Schneider, the music is ambitious and the sound immaculate. Also ambitious is the 15-piece self-titled DNA Orchestra release by

Andrew D'Angelo

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew D'Angelo, a digital-only release found on Bandcamp. The music is packed with what D'Angelo describes as "healing, love, darkness, anger, disco dancing, sex, and even more in between the lines."?Another addition to the recent spate of

Roscoe Mitchell

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Roscoe Mitchell orchestral releases is Splatter (I Dischi Di Angelica) recored with Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Tonino Battista conductor, plus a 45-minute improvisation duo with organist Francesco Filideri at the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi.

Set aside time for some historic recordings. Werner X. Uehlinger's Hat Hut sub-label ezz-thetics has remastered and reissued several notable sides which include

Sun Ra

piano
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Sun Ra Arkestra's 1965 Heliocentric Worlds 1&2 Revisited, the

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane Quartet My Favorite Things: Graz 1962,

Marion Brown

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Marion Brown's 1965-66 Capricorn Moon To Juba Lee Revisited and 1966-67 Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited, plus remastered gems by

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker and

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler. Lithuania's NoBusiness Records may single-handedly be preserving the memory of the late

Sam Rivers

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Rivers with the historic releases Emanation from 1971, the 1977 quintet session Zenith, and 1978 Ricochet with

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland and

Barry Altschul

drums
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Barry Altschul. There is also the 577 Records release of TEST And Roy Campbell from 1999 and Dark Tree Records' continuation of

Horace Tapscott

piano
1934 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Tapscott series Ancestral Echoes -The Covina Sessions, 1976 with The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and Live At LACMA, 1998 which adds The Great Voice Of UGMAA choir.

Evan Parker

saxophone, soprano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Parker and

Paul Lytton

drums
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Lytton's first collaboration was in 1970 and their latest, a 2019 session is Collective Calls (Revisited) (Jubilee) (Intakt Records). Saxophonist

Ingrid Laubrock

saxophone
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Ingrid Laubrock thrives in the duo space and a few new releases include Blood Moon (Intakt Records) with

Kris Davis

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kris Davis, Kasumi (Intakt Records) with

Aki Takase

piano
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Aki Takase plus an ongoing series of downloadable duets with drummer

Tom Rainey

drums
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Rainey called Stir Crazy Episodes. They number twenty-two at the time of this writing and are available on Bandcamp as a "name your price" purchase. Several other duos may grab your attention.

Tim Berne

saxophone, alto
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Berne &

Nasheet Waits

drums
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Nasheet Waits' The Coand? Effect (Relative Pitch Records) is the sound of two masters making music, as is How To Turn The Moon by

Angelica Sanchez

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Angelica Sanchez &

Marilyn Crispell

piano
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Marilyn Crispell (Pyroclastic Records), Improdimensions by

Agusti Fernandez

piano
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Agusti Fernandez &

Liudas Mockūnas

saxophone
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Liudas Mockūnas (NoBusiness Records), Christian R?nn &

Aram Shelton

saxophone
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Aram Shelton's Multiring (Astral Spirits), Pictures from

Michael Musillami

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Musillami and

Peter Madsen

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Madsen, and Channeling The Gateway by LaDonna Smith & Leland Scott Davis (self released).

Anthony Braxton

woodwinds
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Braxton performed a series of duos with harpist Jacqueline Kerrod during AngelicA, Festival of Internazionale Di Musica in Bologna heard on Duo (Bologna) 2018. Then there is the massive 8-CD Duo (Improv) 2017 (New Braxton House) where

Anthony Braxton

woodwinds
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Braxton wields six different saxophones and contrabass clarinet vs.

Eugene Chadbourne

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Eugene Chadbourne's various banjos and guitars. The nearly eight hours of music might just be what gets us through this pandemic.

In the trio universe, several recordings capture the moment we are currently surviving. One is Phos (5049 Records) by Bloodmist,

Jeremiah Cymerman

clarinet
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeremiah Cymerman, Mario Diaz De Leon, and Toby Driver. It's dark electroacoustic sounds require attentive listening and maybe deep dive headphones session in the dark. While the lights are off, why not spin

Josh Sinton

saxophone, baritone
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Josh Sinton's What Happens In A Year Cérémonie/Musique (FiP Recordings) with

Todd Neufeld

guitar
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Todd Neufeld and

Giacomo Merega

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Giacomo Merega. Overflowing with a patient confidence, the trio execute the quietest freely improvised music you may ever hear.

On the heals of the odds-on album of the year The Piano Equation (Tao Forms), pianist

Matthew Shipp

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Shipp can be heard on

Whit Dickey

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Whit Dickey's Morph (ESP Disk) in duo with the drummer and trio adding

Nate Wooley

trumpet
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Nate Wooley. Add to that Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 (577 Records) with

Daniel Carter

saxophone
b.1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Daniel Carter,

William Parker

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">William Parker, and

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver, plus Okuden, saxophonist

Mat Walerian

saxophone, alto
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Mat Walerian's project entitled Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn't Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter (ESP Disk), and of course a year wouldn't be complete without a duo with

Ivo Perelman

saxophone, tenor
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Ivo Perelman Amalgam (Mahakala Music). Early fall will also find Shipp's trio with

Michael Bisio

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Bisio and

Newman Taylor Baker

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Newman Taylor Baker releasing The Unidentifiable (ESP Disk).

Last up are a discs from two much-loved European labels.

Jonas Kullhammar

saxophone
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonas Kullhammar's quartet gives us The Father, The Sons & the Junnu (Moserobie Music Production) with legendary Finnish saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen. This is mature and exceedingly gentle music making culled from the tradition of Scandinavian jazz. Bassist

Torbjorn Zetterberg

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Torbjorn Zetterberg & Den Stora Fr?gan, his octet, meet at the convergence of composition and improvisation with Are You Happy? (Moserobie Music Production). The small big band threaten hurly-burly but ultimately keep the wheels on with the talents of players such as Kullhammar,

Alberto Pinton

saxophone, baritone
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Alberto Pinton,

Susana Santos Silva

trumpet
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Susana Santos Silva, and

Mats Äleklint Quartet

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats ?leklint Quartet. The fourth release by

Luís Lopes

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Luís Lopes Humanization 4tet Believe Believe (Clean Feed) with

Rodrigo Amado

saxophone, tenor
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Rodrigo Amado, Aaron and Stefan Gonzalez marks their 12 years of existence. The music is a constant tug-of-war between punk metal and cool jazz. The electricity of improvised rock is countered by post-bop swing that reads as confusion, but is far from it. The eight covers from the Italian ensemble Roots Magic heard on Take Root Among The Stars (Clean Feed) include the composers Charley Patton, Phil Cohran, John Carter, Sun Ra, Skip James, Kalaparusha (Maurice McIntyre), Charles Tyler and Ornette Coleman. On this, their third release we affirm their roots run deep and maybe more important, they run true.

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