Author Archives: Joseph Neff

Electric guitarist Jessica Ackerley’s improvisational and compositional skills flourished in the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, where they played in the duo ESSi and the quintet SSWAN, along with leading the Jessica Ackerley Trio. They also collaborated with free jazz great Daniel Carter on Friendship: Lucid Shared Dreams and Time Travel, which featured in this website’s Best New Releases of 2021. A move to Hawai’i and a blossoming interest in painting further expanded Ackerley’s musical range, as their new LP All of the Colours Are Singing integrates aspects of classical, ambient, and rock. It’s an emotionally resonant, often beautiful work available August 16 through AKP Recordings.

All of the Colours Are Singing is a work of growth, transitions and new possibilities. Ackerley’s move to Hawai’i to pursue a PhD broadened their stylistic palette while also impacting how the aspects of their work that still thrived on improvisation were realized. In short, time was limited and travel was required; the album was recorded in Manoa Valley, O’ahu, Hawai’i in October of 2022 with Walter Stinson on upright bass and Aaron Edgcomb on drums.

The strings, arranged by Ackerley beginning in the spring of 2023 and played by Concetta Abatte on violin and viola, were added to the recording later. Early in the arrangement stage Ackerley’s closest friend in Honolulu was diagnosed with cancer, a circumstance that had an understandable impact on the shape of Ackerley’s arranging. Roughly a week prior to the album’s completion, Ackerley’s friend passed.

The presence of composed strings is immediate, as “Introduction” establishes an ambient and neo-classical approach, though Ackerley’s guitar brings distinctiveness and edge to the meditative atmosphere. The next piece, “Forward motion is never a straight line,” opens with a noirish, almost ’80s Downtown NYC jazziness, with the assertiveness of Ackerley’s guitar ebbing and flowing, always inquisitive, and peaking with a delicious blast of free skronk in the tradition of Sharrock and Ulmer.

Read More »

It’s never easy to tell which bands will burn bright but briefly and which will harness their intensity and progress with staying power. With the release of 3+5, Melt-Banana, since 2013 pared down to the duo of vocalist Yasuko Onuki and guitarist Ichiro Agata, reignites the fire with a blitz combo of noise rock, hyperpop, hardcore, metal, and video game soundtracks that’s unrelenting and glorious. Replacing bass guitar and drum kit with synths and machine rhythms bolsters an approach that goes far beyond caffeinated and into the realms of elevated hyperactivity. Manically precise and often catchy, 3+5 is available August 23 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Melt-Banana’s label A-ZAP Records.

3+5 is Melt-Banana’s eighth studio album (or ninth, depending on how Cactuses Come in Flocks is counted) since debuting with Speak Squeak Creak in 1994, that album issued by Japanese noise guitar titan K.K. Null’s NUX Organization label. This connection placed them on a roster with Zeni Geva (Null’s band), Space Streakings, and Merzbow and as part of a wider wave of Japanese noise that featured Boredoms at the forefront.

It was a 1995 tour with Mr. Bungle and the release of Scratch or Stitch late that year by the Skin Graft label that really broke Melt-Banana to a larger US audience. They’ve been prolific since, with two live albums and two singles compilations expanding their discography, but it’s been over a decade since Fetch, their first release as a duo, came out.

The good news is that 3+5 shows no traces of rust. To the contrary, the music thrives as ever on a heightened level of precision that’s rarely heard outside of prog rock (or its post-hardcore stylistic descendent, math-rock). But Melt-Banana are only fitfully inclined toward proggy-mathy intricacy; instead, the focus is on torrid paces, unfaltering stamina, heaviness, density, elasticity, abrasion, and an increased attention to contemporary arena pop aesthetics. When combined with those video game-like synthetic textures, the music’s thrust is pummeling as the melodic surges are welcoming.

Read More »

As summer rolls on, Elemental Music continues to bring the heat with three more entries in the Motown Sound Collection series. This month’s titles combine two classics from the label’s heyday with a transitional record by one of Motown’s defining groups. More Hits By the Supremes and Make It Happen by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, both offered in mono editions, and Get It Together by The Jackson 5 on red vinyl in a die-cut sleeve, are all available August 16.

Contrary to the title, More Hits By the Supremes is not a compilation; issued in 1965, the vocal group’s sixth album was instead their first non-thematic full-length release since their second, Where Did Our Love Go, which came out a year prior. The themed albums were the British Invasion-focused A Bit of Liverpool, The Supremes Sing Country, Western and Pop, and We Remember Sam Cooke. Another themed album, Merry Christmas, followed in late 1965.

That’s six LPs within two calendar years, quite an impressive feat, particularly as an aura of the slapdash never arises when soaking up these albums in sequence. Of course, they are not all equal in terms of quality. The strongest are the two LPs focused on the compositions of Holland-Dozier-Holland, a partial emphasis in the case of Where Did Our Love Go. For More Hits, the dozen songs are all sourced from the team as the record was produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier.

As representatives of Motown at its most chicly sophisticated, the group’s work could acquire a grandness of scale that sometimes registered as intended for adults instead of encapsulating The Sound of Young America, so the production moxie is worthy of note. Circa More Hits, the sound is still targeting teen dances and malt shop jukeboxes, not the supper club.

Read More »

Celebrating Lawrence Hayward, born on this day in 1961. —Ed.

Apparently Lawrence Hayward’s whole plan was to release ten LPs and ten singles in ten years. Through growth and perseverance he pulled it off in the ‘80s via the band Felt. Their later albums are the ones most talked about these days, but that doesn’t mean the discerning post-punk/indie pop fan should neglect the early stuff. If interested in hearing the whole story, than Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty is the place to start.

Back in the day the proto-punk club was a pretty exclusive joint. A person could count the most important members on the fingers of one hand, even; there was The Stooges and the MC5 from Detroit, The Modern Lovers from Boston, and The New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground from New York.

Of course the list could be expanded a bit, with the digits on the opposing paw including Bowie and T. Rex from England and Rocket from the Tombs and Electric Eels from Cleveland, which leaves one solitary wiggler left to represent the ‘60s garage wave detailed on the original Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets volume.

But the march of time has uncovered a smattering of once ultra-obscure names and unearthed new discoveries that have expanded the proto-punk sphere quite a bit, with bands like Ontario CA’s Simply Saucer, Detroit’s Death, Minneapolis’ Michael Yonkers, and others deepening the field considerably. Plus, Nuggets bands like The Monks, The Sonics, and ? Mark and the Mysterians, once primarily known for a song or two on comps, have been given a much larger role in the proto-punk universe through reissues and even reunion shows. Throw in an expanded role for Krautrock, UK pub-rock, and glam, and the proto-punk arena could theoretically take up its own section in a well stocked record shack.

Read More »

Cuneiform Tabs is the Bay Area-UK project of Matt Bleyle and Sterling Mackinnon, two indie scene long haulers whose self-titled debut album, a terrifically bent excursion into the land of lo-fi that’s spiked with uprisings of subterranean pop, was built the old-fashioned way; by trading tapes through the mail. Released on LP this past February in a tiny edition that sold out quickly, the lack necessitated Superior Viaduct subsidiary W.25TH to bring out a fresh pressing that’s due out August 9.

Matt Bleyle and Sterling Mackinnon have been in numerous bands prior to the formation of Cuneiform Tabs. Bleyle was in Abi Yoyos, Sopors, Rat Columns, Caged Animal, and Beatniks, while Mackinnon was in Broken Nobles, Holy Ghost Revival, and The False Berries. Most important is that Bleyle and Mackinnon played together up close in Violent Change; the name teases hardcore but the sound is indie rock, rough-edged and loose. With the duo spread out, Cuneiform Tabs takes a turn for the strange.

Opener “Healthy Reaction” is riff-laden but hazy and with the vocals pushed way back. Around mid-way through, there’s a jump cut into a loose drifting slow motion swirl, and then a fade out. “Penitence My Lord” begins as a slightly cleaner (but still substantially hissy) acoustic affair with addled echoey vocals and a ren faire folky vibe that’s fleetingly similar to a non-sexed-up version of first album Frogs.

“Gonged Fantasy” starts out with a mingled loop that’s suggestive of audio captured from the space ship in John Carpenter’s Dark Star, but then shifts into a lazy-day sunshiny psych-pop number with a judiciously applied sprinkling of crackle and glitchy fuzz. “I Think I Need You Tonight” is next, rising up with a song in progress and then dissipating just as quickly, only to reemerge as if the tape has been rapidly rewound and the volume turned up on an AM radio that’s wafting out a forgotten nugget of ’60s love ache.

Read More »

If ever a mountain sculpture is dedicated to the groundbreaking masters of Minimalism, Terry Riley’s bearded mug will be amongst those chosen for the chiselers. An avant-gardist with unusually wide appeal and creative longevity, Riley’s approach remains distinctive even as he’s influenced thousands across numerous genres. Documenting a live performance at the Metamusik Festival in Berlin in 1975 and released by the Kuckuck label in 1982, Descending Moonshine Dervishes is not one of Riley’s most celebrated recordings, but it belongs in the discussion of his greatest works. Having reissued the album on vinyl in 2016, Beacon Sound of Portland, OR is offering a fresh edition on August 9.

Born on June 24, 1935 in Colfax, CA and thankfully still with us, Terry Riley is justly renowned for an innovative body of work that stemmed from the great 20th Century bohemian tradition. On the scene since the 1950s, Riley studied composition in the Bay Area where he met fellow Minimalist heavyweight La Monte Young; they both studied with Pandit Pran Nath, and Riley would go on to be an occasional member of Young’s legendary Theater of Eternal Music.

Along with such major avant-garde figures as Morton Subotnick, Pauline Oliveros, Jon Gibson, and Steve Reich, Riley was involved in the San Fransisco Tape Music Center. It was at the SFTMC that Riley premiered In C on November 4 and 6, 1964. Along with Riley, all the names at the top of this paragraph took part in those performances. For the Columbia Masterworks recording released in 1968, the personnel had shifted to include trumpeter Jon Hassell. Along with Riley (who played saxophone), trombonist Stuart Dempster was the only holdover from the SFTMC premiere.

That Tony Martin operated the light show for the In C premiere brings a bit of foreshadowing to Riley’s artistic pursuits. That is, the 1969 Columbia Masterworks release Rainbow in Curved Air was the Minimalist album of choice for many an adventurous hippie; sure, they likely just considered it “head music,” possibly getting turned onto it through a freeform station on the FM dial (in a long set that might’ve also included Sun Ra, Sandy Bull, Red Crayola, Soft Machine, and the United States of America. Those were the days).

Read More »

Celebrating Kristin Hersh in advance of her birthday tomorrow.
—Ed.

In October 2013 Throwing Muses released their ninth album and first in ten years on CD in tandem with a book of photos, artwork, lyrics, and short essays by leader Kristin Hersh. An atypical yet smart combination. Intrigued parties who missed it should not dally to investigate, for it finds the three-piece of Hersh, drummer Dave Narcizo, and bassist Bernard Georges in skilled, vibrant form.

Another encroaching year’s end foretells many things, and a certainty is a surge of Best Lists. I enjoy reading them almost as much as writing them, as I’ve done a few times here at TVD. What’s important is to not take them too seriously, in part because nobody, not even rapscallions and dandies living lives of utter leisure, can absorb everything released across the span of a dozen calendar pages, and most assuredly not by the 31st of December.

For instance, I’ve just recently become acquainted, roughly 12 months after its emergence, with Throwing Muses’ outstanding Purgatory/Paradise. Now, I could chalk up the delay to the music’s unusual connection to the publishing industry described above, but that wouldn’t be accurate. I’ll simply confess to not keeping up with the singer-guitarist-bandleader’s activity post-University back in ‘95. As stated, one cannot hear it all. Bluntly, I’m very pleased to have belatedly caught up with this record.

Last year’s dual release is frankly a savvy idea, one I’m surprised hasn’t been employed with more frequency. And I do look forward to examining Purgatory/Paradise’s accompanying tome, for clearly the text will provide scores of insights into a rather unique collection; however, this review is specifically concerned with those 32 tracks. Not to worry, for their uniqueness stands up easily on its own.

Read More »

Trumpeter Howard McGhee was a vital figure in the emergence of bebop, a collaborator of Charlie Parker and a leader of distinction during the period when the formal parameters of the style were still being defined. Like many players, McGhee struggled with addiction, but his is not a tragic story; the peak of his comeback was 1961, the year Maggie’s Back in Town!! was released. Its 180 gram vinyl reissue is available August 9 through Craft Recordings’ Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series.

After playing in regional bands, Howard McGhee landed a spot with Lionel Hampton in 1941 and quickly moved on to Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, where he made his recording debut and was featured on “McGhee Special.” McGhee then joined the bands of Charlie Barnet, Georgie Auld, and Count Basie before relocating to California with Coleman Hawkins in 1945, where he played on some noteworthy (and still highly satisfying) sides with the tenor saxophonist that document the stylistic transition from swing to bop.

Although no recordings survive, McGhee took part in the legendary Minton’s Playhouse jam sessions in 1941-’42 that lit the fuse of the bop explosion. This made his trumpet a solid fit in the Jazz at the Philharmonic initiative of Norman Granz, but far more importantly, McGhee was a participant in alto saxophonist Charlie Parker’s 1946-’47 sessions for the Dial label, recordings that are amongst the most essential works in 20th Century music.

McGhee’s own recordings for Dial from the same period are a consistent pleasure and are wholly necessary to a fully rounded collection of early bebop, showing just how sharp and distinctive a player McGhee was as he entered his prime. In 1976 the Spotlight label collected McGhee’s Dial material on the Trumpet at Tempo LP and around 20 years later they gave it the CD expansion On Dial – The Complete Sessions (Parker’s Dial sides have been compiled numerous times; the master takes are indispensable to any jazz collection).

Read More »

In the annals of lost rock records, Dark Shadows by Cold Sun ranks high. Recorded in 1970, the LP’s stature is wholly deserved, with nary a speck of hype attached to the album’s reputation. This is especially impressive given that psychedelia is the style. However, this Austin, TX-based unit’s intent was serious and their sound dark and distinctive through the use of an electric autoharp. Production ingenuity seals the deal. The record was reissued on vinyl in 1990, but in an edition so minuscule that hardly anybody heard it. A 2008 release suffered from botched mastering. Guerssen Records’ definitive 2024 vinyl pressing has sold quickly, with a few copies left in stores. CD and digital is still available.

The Cold Sun story is told very well in the Guerssen release’s liner essay by Ezra Lesser, so I will truncate to the relevant specifics. In the wilds of Texas in the late 1960s, the band Cauldron morphed into Amethyst. Alongside guitarist Tom McGarrigle, the main songwriter and creative catalyst was Billy Bill Miller, later of Bleib Alien and Roky Erickson’s backing band The Aliens.

Members of the 13th Floor Elevators and The Lost and Found briefly made the scene, but with Mike Waugh and Hugh Patton joining on bass and drums respectively, Amethyst’s core lineup was secured. Changing their name to The Daily Planet, then Dark Shadows and finally Cold Sun, they attracted the interest of the local Sonobeat label and recorded an album-length demo with its owner-operator Bill Josey Sr.; he’d previously thrusted Johnny Winter into the clutches of Columbia Records. The shopped-around demo had no takers and laid dormant for decades as Miller had second thoughts on its worth.

Fueled by mescaline rather than LSD, Dark Shadows’ psychedelic comportment is appropriately sunbaked and with a lack of bogus formal flowerings. The tripping is legit. At the same time, the visions, particularly lyrical, are far out enough to give the LP a private press vibe that surely would’ve scared off the squares at Columbia or any other major label of the period, for that matter.

Read More »

Jazz music is flush with tributes, but few are as vigorous as the homage that UK pianist Pat Thomas has paid to the late Paul Bley. It’s a group filled out with double bassist Dominic Lash and drummer-percussionist Tony Orrell, both fellow Brits. The first record in the project, simply titled BleySchool, was released by 577 Records in 2020, with vinyl copies still available. On August 2, its follow-up BleySchool: Where? arrives, also via 577, on compact disc in a limited edition digipak (100 copies) and digital through Bandcamp. The set’s seven pieces beautifully extend Thomas’ celebration of Bley and reinforce that there’s still plenty of gas in the piano trio tank.

It’s important to note that the music on BleySchool: Where? continues to be more than just a tribute to Paul Bley, while never losing focus on the Canadian pianist’s multifaceted artistry. As on the first set, the trio tackles “Ida Lupino,” a composition by Bley’s ex-wife Carla Bley, which was introduced to the record buying public as the opening track on his 1966 album Closer. It was his second of two records for ESP-Disk, a trio date that featured Steve Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on percussion.

That “Ida Lupino” is heard on both BleySchool releases isn’t a bit unusual. Bley recorded it again on his very next album following Closer, the 1967 BYG Actuel release Ramblin’ with Altschul and bassist Mark Levinson. It’s also doubly appropriate that BleySchool dig into “Ida Lupino” on a Bley homage, as the song was itself a tribute to the great actress and trailblazing film director.

Bley’s playing of “Ida Lupino” on those albums is gorgeous and concise, staying true to the melody, the first version clocking in at 2:55 and the second 3:30. For Thomas, Lash, and Orrell the piece is a launching pad for improvisation and a source of expansion, deconstruction and rebuilding, rather than a mere copy (imitation flatters, but is ultimately shallow).

Read More »

It’s already been a busy 2024 for Craft Recordings Latino, as the label has placed some prime reissues in the racks with more releases available for pre-order. Thoughts are found below on Vagabundeando! Hangin’ Out by the Joe Cuba Sextet, Cañonazo by Johnny Pacheco, Gypsy Woman by Joe Bataan, The Big Break – La Gran Fuga by Willie Colón with Hector Lavoe, and Latin-Soul-Rock by the Fania-All Stars. All are available on vinyl and digital now except for Cañonazo; that one’s scheduled to hit stores September 13.

Formed in the mid-1950s in New York City, the Joe Cuba Sextet was a well-honed unit by the time of Vagabundeando! Hangin’ Out’s recording in 1964. It was the band’s third LP and the first for Tico Records after two for the Seeco label. Cuba had already cut a few albums, including one with an orchestra, prior to debuting his sextet on wax in 1961, but from that point they remained the conguero bandleader’s focus for the rest of the decade and into the next.

Known as the Father of Latin Boogaloo, Cuba was still a couple years away from unveiling that stylistic milestone. Instead, Vagabundeando! Hangin’ Out delivers a strong Afro-Cuban thrust with a considerable Salsa vibe and a rich tonal spectrum, as two alternating vocalists, Cheo Feliciano, singing in Spanish, and Jimmy Sabater, crooning in English, complete the lineup.

Ballads? Oh, yes, but they don’t dominate the proceedings. Vibraphonist Tommy Berrios lends a distinct flavor, forceful and in the pocket rather than mallet spillage riding roughshod, as Cuba, bassist Jules Cordero and pianist Nick Jiménez establish a foundation that’s sturdy but flexible. Everything comes together in the slowed-down groove potency of “El Ratón,” the album’s highpoint amongst a handful of standouts.

Read More »

Remembering Martin Phillipps. —Ed.

For some, the two early 1990s releases from New Zealand’s The Chills, Submarine Bells and Soft Bomb, served as a doorway of introduction to one of the finest tunesmiths in the whole pop-rock shebang. But for folks who were previously clued-in to the band’s work for the Flying Nun label, these albums, both cut for Slash Records, represent leader and sole constant Chill Martin Phillipps’ already considerable pop ambitions in full flower. Both albums are available through Fire Records.

Although it was never my preferred format, back in 1990 when Submarine Bells came out, I was still in the habit of occasionally buying music on cassette. I mention this because I did indeed initially purchase Bells on that very format, a decision spurred by impatience, as on my visit, the store didn’t have any copies in stock.

This pained me a little at the time, but I also knew I could remove the shrink wrap and pop that tape right into the car’s deck for immediate listening out on the highway, which was enticing as The Chills’ sound, which flows from a jangle pop/ indie pop fount with tangible if savvy nods to the 1960s, is well-suited for vehicular absorption. Upon reflection, Submarine Bells hits something of an apex in the windows down volume up mode, beginning with one of the band’s signature tunes, “Heavenly Pop Hit.”

That song’s stature relates largely to pure skill in the construction, but as said up above, Submarine Bells was many folks’ intro to The Chills, and sequenced on that album first, “Heavenly Pop Hit” no doubt deepened this first impression. Along with reaching No. 2 on the New Zealand singles chart (the album hit No. 1, as The Chills weren’t an u-ground thing at home), it snuck into the UK singles sales list at No. 97 and even made the Alternative Airplay chart in the US at No. 17.

Read More »

An undersung figure in the New York City loft jazz scene of the 1970s, Alan Braufman remains an inspiring figure in the jazz landscape. His latest album is Infinite Love Infinite Tears, available now on pink or black vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Valley of Search. It features Braufman on alto saxophone and flute, Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, James Brandon Lewis on tenor saxophone, Ken Filiano on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, and Michael Wimberly on percussion. It’s an energetic and welcoming set, expertly conceived and executed, very much a tonic for troubled times.

Alan Braufman’s discography is a compact one, offering only five releases a leader. His first, Valley of Search, came out in 1975 through the India Navigation label. The album shares its name with the label run by Braufman’s nephew Nabil Ayers, who released it on vinyl and compact disc in 2018 (copies of both formats are still available). Along with Braufman on sax, the band included Cooper-Moore (then named Gene Ashton) on piano, dulcimer, and recitation, Cecil McBee on bass, David Lee on drums, and Ralph Williams on percussion.

Valley of Search followed up that well-received set the next year with Live at WKCR May 22, 1972, an archival dive into duo exchange with Brafman on sax and Cooper-Moore on piano. The limited edition (250 copies) of the one-sided vinyl is unsurprisingly sold out, but the music lives on as a digital release on Bandcamp.

Released in 2022, Live in New York City, February 8, 1975 is still available on 2CD and 3LP (holding five sides of music). Captured in WBAI’s Studio C a few months after the session that produced Valley of Search, the band for February 8, 1975 retains Braufman, Cooper-Moore and Williams and adds William Parker on bass, John Clarke on French horn, and Jim Schapperoew on bass.

Read More »

The discography of the incalculably influential Bad Brains is in the midst of a long-overdue reissue program, and as the releases are coming through Bad Brains Records with assistance from ORG Music, this return to circulation has been a sweet development for both the fans and the band. I Against I, the beloved 1986 album from this stylistically restless outfit returns to availability this week; the options are compact disc, cassette, and black or plutonium color vinyl tucked into its original sleeve or a fresh Punk Note jacket designed by John Yates. Arguments will long persist over Bad Brains greatest achievement, but this album, their third and biggest seller, is surely a contender.

The Bad Brains story has been well documented. One of the few bands to come to punk from jazz fusion, they were a powerhouse of precise energy that barreled forth so furiously that the barrage could register as barely controlled. African-Americans in a scene dominated by Caucasians, Bad Brains stood out and excelled because they remained true to their experience, broadening the punk landscape rather than conforming to its more prevalent norms.

For some listeners, Bad Brains are the only hardcore punk band that matters. I don’t share this viewpoint, but do acknowledge that the list of worthy contemporaries is a short one, and will add that many of the other solid HC bands from the same era took direct inspiration from singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson.

Bad Brains weren’t perfect, however. They were enthusiastic about reggae (enough so that they became Rastafarians), and while that was admirable (and as said, helped to set them apart), the band’s excursions into the style, if not terrible, are still pretty far from top tier. I Against I is the first Bad Brains full-length release to not include any straight reggae tunes, which makes it their most consistently satisfying album to that point, even as its stand out moments don’t rocket as far into the stratosphere as those on the self-titled debut from 1982.

Read More »

Adam Rudolph and 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner Tyshawn Sorey are two of the very finest composer-percussionist-drummers on the current scene. With Archaisms I and Archaisms II, they’ve combined forces for two of the year’s best releases. The first is a duet recorded on December 16, 2021, the second a percussion quintet captured on February 9, 2023; both are live performances that thrive on inspired, intense interaction and robust compositional strategies. The sets are out now through Yeros7, with Meta Records handling the 180 gram vinyl in North America and Defkaz Records shipping everywhere else.

On record, Adam Rudloph’s creativity spans back to the 1970s where he was co-founder of the Mandingo Griot Society with Gambian kora player Foday Musa Suso; released by the Flying Fish label in 1978, their debut album featured Don Cherry as a guest. Versatility, a common trait in drummer-percussionists, is reinforced by Rudolph’s playing partners. Amongst them are Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, Jon Hassell, Philip Glass, Wadada Leo Smith, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Andre 3000. In 1988, he began a lengthy and fruitful association (15 releases) with multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef.

Tyshawn Sorey’s recording debut came on Vijay Iyer’s 2002 disc Blood Sutra. From there, the collaborations flowed as he continued conservatory study; he’s currently a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Sorey’s on record with Anthony Braxton, Sirone, Billy Bang, John Zorn, Roscoe Mitchell, Steve Lehman, Myra Melford, Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, Marilyn Crispell, Craig Taborn and many more. Sorey’s also the leader or co-leader on over 20 releases; Uneasy, issued by ECM in 2023 with Iyer and Linda May Han Oh, is a gem.

Sorey’s Pulitzer Prize for Music was awarded for his composition Adagio (for Wadada Leo Smith). Like Rudolph, Sorey has played with Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Dave Leibman and Bill Laswell. Rudolph is also the leader of numerous projects including Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures and Go: Organic Orchestra; 2019’s Ragmala: A Garland of Ragas, featuring Go: Organic Orchestra with Brooklyn Raga Massive, is a magnificent joining of forces.

Read More »