Acquisitions- Still Digital

I’m lazy. Converting all of the vinyl I’ve been buying to digital is labor-intensive and requires more patience than I have right now. So, here’s some new music I’ve purchased on CD and/or download.

Tarbaby- The End of Fear

Orrin Evans, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits make for a compelling trio and the interplay between them here is mostly strong. Guest spots from horn players JD Allen, Oliver Lake and Nicholas Payton more often serve to muddle the proceedings than heighten, though Payton’s performance on the Waits’ penned “Hesitation” is a high point. My favorite tracks are just the trio, including the track below, “Brews”, which nods to Monk without so many of the cheap tricks often used to nod to Monk. Overall a good record, but I imagine a live set from the trio would be infinitely more satisfying.

Geri Allen, Charlie Haden & Paul Motian- Live at the Village Vanguard

Speaking of trios I’d love to hear live… I’m of the opinion that Haden + Motian + a broken fire alarm would sound pretty good, so pairing a great rhythm section like that with a genius like Geri Allen produces great music. I’m not too familiar with Allen’s playing, but she seems able to combine Evans-like melodies with more adventurous forays away from the center. The track below has both of those styles, and some great stretching among the three.

Wayne Shorter Quartet- Beyond the Sound Barrier

Another live set from the current best band in jazz. This one was released in 2005, three years after Footprints Live! and the added time together really shows. Shorter lays out for long stretches and lets his rhythm section find their way without him. Danillo Perz, John Patitucci and Brian Blade communicate more through rhythm than melody, often taking on the feeling of a highly evolved drum circle. The pushing and pulling creates a churning tension that is the perfect canvas for Shorter’s searing entrances.

Albert Mangelsdorff, Jaco Pastorius and Alphonse Mouzon- Trilogue-Live!

Multiphonics motherfuckers. The best jazz music is about interplay; high-level communication between masters of improvisation all tapping into a higher plane simultaneously.  When that moment happens and instantaneous creation is happening there is nothing better. However, sometimes you just want to hear some badasses killing it. There isn’t much (if any) subtlety happening here, but who cares? Motherfucking multiphonics.