Bruce Eisenbeil Sextet, Inner Constellation, Volume One, 2007

Bruce Eisenbeil is a contemporary avant guitarist who has developed a playing style pretty much all his own. He also composes music that fits the approach he has to the guitar in ways that complement his improvisatory ear and extend the approach for some highly advanced ensemble music. We've covered a few of his earlier CDs on this page in the past year. Now for another, an especially intriguing work, Inner Constellation, Volume One (Nemu 007).

It's an extended piece for sextet, in this case a worthy gathering of improvising musicians: Bruce on acoustic and electric guitars, Jean Cook, violin, Nate Wooley, trumpet, Aaron Ali Shaikh, alto sax, Tom Abbs, acoustic bass, and Nasheet Waits, drums.

The piece is structured so that written thematic sections, loosely realized collectively, alternate with solo sections for a particular instrumentalist. There are elements that remind one of Cecil Taylor and Bill Dixon's work, in the way they play out more so than in the way they sound. In turn the way Ornette's "Free Jazz" and John Coltrane's "Ascension" were structured has something to do with all this as well.

But in the end what grabs me is Bruce Eisenbeil's lucidly eloquent guitar work. He has by the time of this recording fully mastered his own way of creating rolling-tremelo picking patterns, limber and varied har-melodic phrasings that lay out with maximum expressiveness.

But then the other soloists generate plenty of interest, as does the compositional content and framework.

This is quite serious, quite substantial extended music that makes the sextet into a mini-improvising orchestra, gives plenty of latitude to each individual player (Nate Wooley alone is enlightening to hear in how he reacts and interacts) and turns what might be an "ordinary" free session into a vehicle for a longer work that achieves what is most difficult, to remain vibrantly fresh and maintain listener interest while exploring some of the outer reaches of new jazz possibilities.

This may be a few years old but it is a rather unsung, vital recording that anyone into advanced guitarwork and new improv writing should hear. Eisenbeil needs to be recognized!

Brian Drye's Bizingas: The Heft of Rock; the Musical Girth of Jazz

Trombonist Brian Drye shows convincingly in his debut Bizingas ((NCM East 40130) that the power and excitement of contemporary rock can be joined with the compositional and improvisational inventiveness of the best contemporary jazz.

The quartet Brian put together and the roles that each play are critical to the success of the outing.There is of course Brian on trombone (and keys) and Kirk Knuffke on cornet. The horns function as a two-man frontline part of the time, playing written parts that suggest the entire history of jazz and the many brilliant moments such tandems have produced from NOLA to Duke and through to today. That too is the case with their improvisational interactions, which are worth the price of admission alone. Guitar and drums-percussion sometimes split off and function as a rhythm team, or take part in a four-way dialog, provide rock and avant riff power, and/or add their texture to the mix. Brian's piano and synth give the ensemble a fifth voice that can provide foundational chording or weave lines in and out of the mix, coupling improvisationally-compositionally with a myriad of possible instrument combinations.

The compositions are quite expressive and weighty. There are new wrinkles on out rock-funk, shred jazz, contrapuntal form, and thematic through-ness and/or written-improvisational vehicles where the two elements are integrated so thoroughly that there is an of-the-moment immediacy to all of it. Brian writes some really interesting lines that are not in the least bit hackneyed, but totally fresh and inventive.

Then there are the musical personalities of the players, which are distinctive. Brian the full-bodied limber trombonist with ideas to spare; Kirk Knuffke and his coronet, who manages to sound both timeless and very contemporary. Jonathan Goldberger plays some outstanding electric guitar, subtly free at one point, powerfully crank-rocked another. Ches Smith on drums has been turning in performances lately that put him among the best of the "new" players. He is versatile and knows all about the deeper sound production aspects of the drum kit. And he can be anchor-propulsive.

On just about any level you can think of--compositionally, conceptually, improvisationally, freely, propulsively--this is outstanding music. It bodes well for where the new jazz is and will be in the future. I mean that. Thank you Brian Drye. Give us some more, please. We need a second helping!

The Unknown Masada from John Zorn

Originally posted on April 28, 2008

There is something intriguing about John Zorn. His music combines all kinds of styles at any given time: Jewish, free improv, death metal, downtown, jazz, thrash, world, you name it. As his CDs on Tzadik attest, Zorn collates and reworks all kinds of amalgams in his own special way.

The Masada group concept has been his staple over the last decade and he always peoples it with strong players. To celebrate Masada’s tenth anniversary, Zorn has created a series of special CDs. One of them, The Unknown Masada, looks at some previously unrecorded Zorn pieces and has an ever shifting lineup of styles and densities. It is quite an experience to hear.