Record Reviews

ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ DARK FORCES CREATIVE SOURCES 195 (Barcode: 5609063401950) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2003 - 2010 Released: 2011 Israeli (resident in NY) keyboardist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist emerges as one of the most remarkable musicians of the new generation. His exceptional work with his TalatFind albums by this artist quintet in the field of radical Jewish music and his piano trio recording released recently were both refreshing and of exceptional quality, but nothing could prepare his audiences for this momentous work, which reveals him as a major Avant-Garde composer / performer. Recorded over a period of seven years, this album presents a series of compositions for electronic keyboards and a Jazz ensemble, merging ambient, electronic, Free Jazz and Improvised Music. The list of players reads like the who´s who of contemporary US Free Jazz / experimental scene and includes bassist Mark DresserFind albums by this artist, bass clarinetist Ned RothenbergFind albums by this artist, guitarists Henry KaiserFind albums by this artist and Elliott SharpFind albums by this artist and many other outstanding musicians. The music consists of electronic ambient layers, which serve as basis for the Jazz players to paint their improvisations on top. It is heavily atmospheric, magical and enthralling, pulling the listener deeper and deeper into the strangely beautiful world of sound created by the composer and the performers. Of course such music requires attentive listening, but as Avant-Garde as it is, it remains highly communicative, even to the lesser trained ears. This album proves that Nechushtan is a surprisingly versatile musician, with lots to offer, which means he should be closely followed as he keeps surprising us again and again. Great stuff!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

GLUE ~ CHATS WITH THE REAL MCCOY CREATIVE SOURCES 257 (Barcode: 5609063402575) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is the second album by the Improvised Music trio GlueFind albums by this artist, consisting of three Berlin based musicians: British trumpeter Tom ArthursFind albums by this artist, Canadian bassist Miles PerkinFind albums by this artist and Greek drummer Yorgos DimitriadisFind albums by this artist. Together they perform eight original pieces all attributed collectively to the trio members and of course all improvised. The music is an intimate conversation between three musicians, who give each other a lot of space and respect, creating an on the fly trialogue of rare beauty. Listening to this music is like eavesdropping on a tête-à-tête by three friends, who are freely exchanging ideas and supporting each other to express them. In complete contrast to most Improvised Music recordings, this music is so minimalistic and non aggressive, that listening to it requires nothing more than an open mind and pushing conventional approach to music aside. The trumpet work by Arthurs is obviously the most impressive piece of the puzzle, with futuristic sound vistas, virtuosic triads and single notes thrown in the air like fireworks and innovative approach to the trumpet, changing its role within the Free Jazz / Improvised Music idioms, like Don CherryFind albums by this artist did five decades earlier. But of course Glue is all about communal experience and the work of Perkin and Dimitriadis is an integral part of the end result. Both play little of what might be considered as traditional role of the rhythm section, exploring their degrees of freedom to the max. The bass, used very percussively, in addition to the usual plucking, adds an entire layer which gives this music its bodily essence, whereas the percussion plays constantly, but never any steady rhythmic patters, simply ornamenting the overall result with a myriad of one note accents and pulsations. The resulting music becomes a one of its kind experience, which miraculously holds water after it was recorded. Most of Improvised Music may be communicative or fascinating enough to be heard live but fails to retain the magic on record. This album proves that creating a lasting Improvised Music piece is possible. Although Improvised Music connoisseurs are a tiny minority even among the Jazz lovers, they tend to be extremely faithful as fans, and therefore I hardly recommend to all of them to listen to this album as this music is truly worth being discovered and followed in the future.

Updated: 18/09/2016Posted: 18/09/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

MARCIN BOZEK / MARIE TAKAHASHI ~ SADOIL CREATIVE SOURCES 804 (Barcode: 5609063408041) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025 This is an album by the duo of Improvising Music Artists: Polish bassist Marcin BozekFind albums by this artist and Japanese (resident in Berlin) violist Marie TakahashiFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, all completely improvised, together lasting slightly under half an hour and released on the small Portuguese label Creative SourcesFind albums on this label, which specializes in Improvised Music recordings, which includes an impressive number of almost 900 releases! The music is as a classic example of totally improvised exchange between two highly skilled performers, full of fast tempo races and pizzicato barrages, and yet completely non-aggressive and fully coordinated. As usual in case of Improvised Music, this is a spur of the moment affair, and is completely unique and unrepeatable. Bozek is of course a true “veteran” of the Polish Improvised Music scene and his numerous recordings, including those as a member of Olbrzym I KurdupelFind albums by this artist duo, as well as his leadership of the Gdynia Improvisers OrchestraFind albums by this artist have already established his position. His neck-breaking bass guitar performance are truly “something else”. Takahashi is also a Baroque Music player, something that is hard to imagine after hearing her performances on this album, but the skills needed to perform some of the tricky Baroque pieces are surely helpful. Together, they offer an explosive continuity, which is short, but impressive, and I had a blast listening to their exchanges and admiring the virtuosity, but as usual in this case, this is definitely not music for weak-hearted listeners and probably not an album one would return to often. Overall, lovers of Improvised Music are in for a feast, and considering the fact that a bass guitar / viola lineup is not something one hears every day, this is a highly recommended encounter.

Updated: 21/03/2026Posted: 21/03/2026

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