RIBOT, MARC Y LOS CUBANOS POSTIZOS s/t (Warner) cd 16.98

RIBOT, MARC'S SHREK LIVE Yo! I Killed Your God (Tzadik) cd 15.98
Marc Ribot's comedy record? Sorry, we love Marc Ribot, but this is, um, not so good. Indeed, one listen to the title track (skronk-punk with perhaps the worst vocal ever) will cause a painful full-body cringe. The original Shrek record on Avant was lovely, stick with that.

RICHTER, MAX Songs From Before (130701) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Song"
MPEG Stream: "Flowers For Yulia"

RITZ, LYLE How About Uke? Lyle Ritz Plays Jazz Ukelele (Verve) cd 12.98

RIVERS, SAM Crystals (Verve) cd 15.98

RIVERS, SAM TRIO Firestorm (RivBea Sound) cd 14.98

ROBAIR, GINO / OLUYEMI THOMAS Unity In Multiplicity (Rastascan) cd 13.98

ROBERTS, HOWARD Antelope Freeway / Equinox Express Elevator (Impulse!) cd 16.98
We've been stoked on the series of 2-on-1 remastered cd reissues of classics from the vaults of avant-jazz label Impulse!, among 'em discs we've reviewed by Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Albert Ayler, and Gabor Szabo, with more to come.
Among the latest batch of Impulse! twofers, we discovered this one, featuring two albums, Antelope Freeway (1971) and Equinox Express Elevator (1975), by jazz guitarist Howard Roberts. No, we hadn't heard of him before, perhaps you have, apparently he did a lot of session work, and cut a number of records for Capitol as a bandleader in the '60s. We're now curious to hear those (1963's H.R. Is A Dirty Guitar Player is supposed to be really good) to see how "straight" they were, 'cause while Howard Roberts might be a bland sort of name, turns out these two Impulse! albums of his are some darn freaky records!
Well, it WAS 1971, and Roberts and his session cat colleagues were obviously turned on to the psychedelic rock scene... and drugs... so they made Antelope Freeway, a "jazz" record with tracks seamlessly flowing from one to another, interspersed and layered with field recordings of highway traffic noise on account of the album's loose 'on the road' concept. There's song titles like "The Ballad Of Fazzio Needlepoint" and "Five Gallons Of Astral Flash Could Keep You Awake For Thirteen Weeks", plenty of experimental ambience, electronic effects, and, most importantly, tasty playing. There's surreal stoner humor to it for sure, but the actual emphasis is on groovy, beautiful instrumental sounds. Lots of funky jazz-rock jamming AND wacked out weirdness...
Even a boogie track like "De Blooze", which starts out quite cliched, intentionally so (the title is a tip off), by its fifth minute has gotten quite warped...
To give you an idea where Roberts was coming from, Antelope Freeway's original sleeve includes shout outs to the Firesign Theatre (whose comedy records may have inspired the subversive, quasi-narrative sound collage elements of this album) and guitarist Joe Walsh of the James Gang. Walsh is specifically credited with "Optimization of space-time energy transformations" here, which likely has something to do with his immortal quip, "The smoker you drink, the player you get!"...
Recorded at sessions in '72 and '74, Equinox Express Elevator is just as freaky, similar to Antelope Freeway but with extra Moog synth added to the mix. Tracks range from the delicate, droney "Unfolding In", to the abstract burble and textural drift of "Real Freak Of Nature Historical Monument", to the herky-jerky "Harold J. Ostly, The County Tax Assessor".
Across the two albums, there's 19 tracks in all, each one uniquely lovely and/or strange. The cd booklet considerately contains the original artwork (front, back, gatefold interiors) for both albums. Definitely a recommended reissue twofer fer sure - much thanks to Impulse! for bringing back, and bringing to our attention, these trippy '70s jazz gems.
MPEG Stream: "That's America Fer Ya"
MPEG Stream: "De Blooze"
MPEG Stream: "Sixteen Track Firemen"
MPEG Stream: "Timelaps"
MPEG Stream: "Slam"

ROBOTOBIBOK Jogging (Vytvornia) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
An odd, odd blend of jazz with drum'n'bass and a bit of post rock... from Poland! Shifting percussion, heavy doses of saxophone, spaced-out textures.

ROLLINS, SONNY Soneymoon (Get back) cd 16.98

ROOF Untraceable Cigar (Red Note) cd 19.98
1996 uber-group recording featuring Tom Cora on Cello, Lux Ex on Bass, Phil Minton on Vocals and Michael Vatcher on drums. One of those rare and amazing efforts that continues to impress me every time I hear it. I guess it takes heavyweights such as these four, with broad backgrounds in music to produce such a unique album that is both completely out there skronk, and retaining catchy songlike membrane to every piece. Highly recommended. Includes a cover of Harry Partch's "The Letter."

ROTH, ALAN Inside Out In The Open (ESP) dvd 14.98

ROVA As Was (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98
The beloved Bay Area saxophone quartet (whose Bruce Ackley managed AQ around the time this record was released!) gets the honorary reissue treatment from Atavistic's wonderful Unheard Music Series. This originally self-released 1981 record has never before been available on disc, and it features 5 pieces of wonderful originality. ROVA specializes in complex improvisational schemes that they take great delight in working out thru the music. Each player is assigned his own indiviually defined role within a given piece; when the structures are in place, improvisation can begin. The liner notes go into this in nice detail, so the listener is not lost without a map. Finally ROVA's signature sound is big and fat and full, if you play this at top volume like the the quartet recomends, you will be overwhelmed in the best way.
RealAudio clip: "Escape from Zero Village"

ROVA :: ORCHESTROVA Electric Ascension (Atavistic) cd 15.98

ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET Morphological Echo (Rastascan) cd 14.98
New one from San Francisco's world-renowned Rova. Featuring the six-part Zorn-style game-piece "Maintaining the Web...".

RUDD, ROSWELL Blown Bone (Emanem) cd 19.98

MPEG Stream: "It's Happening"
MPEG Stream: "You Blew It"

RUDD, ROSWELL Roswell Rudd (America) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
WOW. And do we mean WOW!! Fifteen classic free jazz records from the late sixties / early seventies, long out of print, finally getting the ULTRA deluxe reissue treatment. For some reason these are incredibly limited, so they've been a bit tough to get, so we're going to list a few at a time as we can get them.
Ahhh, the trombone, not the most common of jazz instruments, but one of the most versatile and powerful, "the voice of God" according to one 19th century composer, and to our ears one of the strangest and coolest. Roswell Rudd may very well be one of the better known masters of the jazz trombone, as well as one of the few white players in the sixties free jazz scene. Having done time with a handful of big jazz names (including Cecil Taylor) this is a reissue of Rudd's first record as a band leader. Featuring Rudd on trombone,ÊJohn Tchicai on Alto Saxophone, Finn Von Eyben on double bass and Louis Moholo on drums, these five tracks smolder and smoke, it's free, but not chaotic and skronky, instead, the sounds here sort of drift and intertwine, these pieces smolder, dark and brooding, murky and subterranean sounding, the drums are a constant skitter, a dense tangle of impossibly free rhythms, the bass wrapped around the drums like a warm blanket, Rudd's trombone and Tchicai's sax are slippery slithering snakes one moment, then wisps of smoke the next, occasionally turning sharp and jagged, but usually slipping back into the shadows. A dark dreamy blend ofÊmarching band music, traditional African music, New Orleans jazz, and random avant free drone clatter and shuffle, with long stretches sounding like they came straight off some lost Avarus or No Neck record. So mysterious and beautiful. HIGHLY recommended.Ê
Comes in a gorgeous diecut fullcover three panel sleeve, with new artwork, as well as a huge booklet with the original album sleeve notes, new liner notes in french and english as well as a bunch of cool photos. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Old Stuff"
MPEG Stream: "Sweet Smells"

RUINS Pallaschtom (Sonore) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally available in the States via French label Sonore, is the Ruins record we've been waiting for since last October! For those who don't know, the Ruins are a Japanese duo on bass and drums who since 1985 or so have played a pretty unique form of hyper-kinetic hardcore prog rock with schizoid changes, influenced by weird French progsters Magma -- and themselves influencing stuff like John Zorn's Naked City. Mastermind Tatsuya Yoshida (drums) and his current sidekick Hishashi Sasaki (6-string bass, MIDI) kick out the jams yet again on this, the Ruins' upteenth (15th?) cd. Beware their percussive frenzies, sizzling bass guitar acrobatics, and bizarre vocals (with lyrics in their own improvised language, that seems to mean something to them, even though they don't). With "Pallaschtom" the Ruins have really settled into a tight, mind-bogglingly complex compositional style, that's perhaps not as catchy as some of their past classics, but is still definitely insane and amazing, and incorporates some new, what you might call "post-rock" influences (i.e. there's moments on here that sound more like a Storm & Stress record than your usual Ruins stuff). And, it's also true that they are further in danger of garnering official "novelty act" status, especially with their newfound penchant for cover-song medleys: for instance, this disc ends with a track of 26 classical music themes (well-known tunes by Beethoven, Satie, Musorgsky, Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc.) run through in a little over one minute! Exhausting, and entertaining! Novelty act or not, they're still one of our favorite bands.
RealAudio clip: "Guamallapish"
RealAudio clip: "Blimmguass"

RUNNING MAN, THE s/t (Akarma) cd 16.98
Early '70s British progrock reissue, heavily featuring obscure jazz guitar legend Ray Russell. So yeah, it's kind of jazzy, with tons of fantastic Russell soloing.

RUSSELL'S CHEMICAL FEAST, HAL Elixir (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98
Live recording of eccentric Chicago jazz experimentalist Hal Russell, from 1979.

RUSSELL, RAY Live at the I.C.A./Retrospective (Moikai) 2cd 18.98
British jazz guitarist Ray Russell has been having a renaissance of sorts, first with two albums early '70s albums reissued on import, now with this domestic double cd on Jim O'Rourke's Moikai label. Known for his guitar freakout on the Dr. No soundtrack album (?!), Russell has had a fairly low-profile career, but can count among his fans the likes of O'Rourke, Henry Kaiser, Rudolph Grey, and Alan Licht. The latter contributes very personal liner notes in which he compares Russell to Masayuki Takayanagi, Sonny Sharrock, Jimi Hendrix, and John McLaughlin, concluding that Russell is, for him, the ultimate free jazz/psychedelic rock fusion guitarist. Licht: "Heavy metal guitar heroes are getting harder and harder to find (after all, you don't see Brad Gillis on too many magazine covers these days), and free jazz can be a bore after awhile. This CD restores my faith in both."
Russell's band was definitely a jazz group, with sax, trumpet, piano, etc. appearing on most cuts, but with Russell's solid body guitar skree taking things into the realms of rock, psych, and beyond. Gorgeous stuff. This collection includes both live and studio versions of Russell's most killer composition, "Stained Angel Morning". Thanks, Jim, for making this stuff available!!

S.T.S. Systeme Solaire (GT ) cd 17.98
We know that Magma mainman/genius Christian Vander is back on the scene with a new, updated version of that classic monster prog rock band of the seventies. And he's been doing quite well (as the lucky few who saw Magma perform at '99 SF Progfest know) at maintaining Magma's formidable reputation as France's amazing prog-rock answer to both John Coltrane and Richard Wagner. But what of his '70s Magma bandmates, who aren't involved with the current line-up? Here's a disc that shows what bassist extraordinaire Jannick Top (best known for his proto-Ruins composition "De Futura" on Magma's 1976 album "Udu Wudu") has been up to lately. STS is his trio with sax player Eric Seva and drummer Claude Salmieri, and "System Solaire" is a live concert recording from '97, for which they were joined by guest guitarist Thibault Abrial. The nine planetarily-aligned tracks are both moody and energetic, dark jazz fusion with heavy Magma touches (Top and the drummer lock into some unmistakably Magmoid grooves), and the guitar adds a definite psych-rock element. The booklet features a photo of bald-headed Top looking very metal indeed in shades and leather.

SABU Palo Congo (Blue Note) lp 12.98

SAMARAI CELESTIAL Isis Sun (Carrot Top) cd 14.98
Former Sun Ra Arkestra drummer chants and plays electronic finger drums, among other things, and wears a gold cape given to him by Mr. Ra. At a 1995 show in New York, his electronic drums temporarily refused to work, so he gamely chanted a single phrase whilst fixing the thing. Reminded me of the time Rick James was playing "Super Freak" on Solid Gold and one of the synthesizer's legs partially collapsed. Panic crossed his face but he played on.

SANDBOX TRIO / BETH CUSTER Nocturnalis (self-released) cd 13.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Deaf Dumb Blind (Impulse) cd 16.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Elevation (Impulse) cd 12.98
First time on cd outside of Japan for this early '70s album from Coltrane contemporary and torch-bearer Sanders, a free jazz saxphone legend in his own right. As you might expect, it's a disc both meditative and groovy, with a strong spiritual vibe and definite African/Nigerian influences, as on the uplifting "Ore-Se-Rere" which features lots of rhythmic percussion and vocal chant, or the 14 minute "The Gathering". The title track is also quite a lengthy number, 18 minutes long, of which quite a few are occupied by spurts of hard-blowing outside improv skronk, which you'll also find in "The Gathering" expressively wailing to a downright scary extreme. This was one of Sanders' last albums for the Impulse label, issued in 1974, and has much to recommend it to fans of his other Impulse sides. Herewith the recording details, like we're the DJ on a jazz radio station...
Personnel: Pharoah Sanders (vocals, soprano, tenor saxophone, shaker, percussion, bells); Joe Bonner (vocals, wooden flute, cow horn, piano, harmonium, percussion); Calvin Hill (vocals, bass guitar, tambora); Lawrence Killian (vocals, congas, percussion, bells); John Blue (vocals, percussion); Sedatrius Brown (vocals); Michael White (violin); Michael Carvin (drums, percussion); Kenneth Nash, Jimmy Hopps (percussion). Recording information: The Ash Grove, Los Angeles, California (09/1973); Wally Heider Studio, San Francisco, California (09/13/1973).
MPEG Stream: "Elevation"

SANDERS, PHAROAH Izipho Zam (Sunspots) cd 16.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Jewels Of Thought (Impulse) cd 15.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Live At the East (Universal (Japan)) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SANDERS, PHAROAH Tauhid (Impulse) cd 12.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Thembi (Impulse) cd 15.98

SANDERS, PHAROAH Village of The Pharoahs / Wisdom Through Music (Impulse) cd 16.98
We have a trifecta of free jazz "twofers" this week from way deep down in the Impulse catalog. Check out the reviews elsewhere on the list for Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. While the Coltrane features two of our favorite titles from her, the Ayler and Sanders releases are from albums we're less familiar with, or at least hadn't reviewed before, but have been psyched to (re-)discover. While perhaps not the best place to be introduced to these artists, these records reward those seekers of the overlooked deep cuts without the hefty collector/import price!
Village of The Pharoahs is from 1974, and while that may be a late year for most cosmically-minded free jazz (most jazz at the time was hurtling towards fusion), this record does not disappoint. Fans of classic Sanders records like Thembi and Karma will find lots to love in the opening three part title suite. Sitars, piano, clattering percussion, and chanting vocals evoke a majestic marching groove rife with drama as soon as Sanders comes in with his elliptical eastern horn phrases, culminating later in a hypnotic three part tribal chant breakdown. Deeper spiritual vocalising permeates the short track, "Myth" as well, before building onto the long-form piano-led meditation "Mansion Worlds". The final two tracks, "Memories of Lee Morgan" and "Went Like It Came" venture more into Blute Note territory as he eulogizes the late trumpeter with a wistful pastoral piece that also includes flute and piano, then ends the album with a kind of rollicking skronky blues bop with a soulful female vocalist.
That last track would probably read as a bit out of place on the album proper, but paired up with 1972's Wisdom Through Music, that kind of hard stylistic change-up is a perfect segue into one of Sander's more diverse outings. Opening with the energetic "High Life", Sanders channels the exuberant vibe of percussive African horn music followed by the celebratory and soulful "Love Is Everywhere". The title track that follows brings us back into cosmic mode with harp trills, tampura, and majestic waves of droning reeds, followed by the lyrical string excursion of "The Golden Lamp" and the final long-form vocal incantation, "Selflessness". Quite Stunning!
MPEG Stream: "Village of The Pharoahs Part One"
MPEG Stream: "Memories of Lee Morgan"
MPEG Stream: "Wisdom Through Music"
MPEG Stream: "Selflessness"

SARMANTO, HEIKKI Moonflower (Porter Records) cd 16.98

SATLAH Exodus (Tzadik) cd 16.98
More Zorn-sponsored New Jewish Music from this excellent and young downtown NYC jazz group led by 20-or-so year old Israeli expat Danny Zamir. Fans of Masada and the like, should like.

SAVIOURS Into Abaddon (Kemado) lp 16.98
NOW ON VINYL!
Local boys Saviours are kind of SF's answer to The Sword from Texas and Early Man from New York. The New Wave Of American Indie Ironic Hipster Metal, y'know? They're on the same label as The Sword, home also to the heavy psych likes of Dungen and Danava. Yet while an argument can be made that The Sword and Early Man are indeed indie ironic hipster metal at best (which doesn't stop 'em from rockin', we should note!), a loud listen to Saviours new full-length Into Abbadon ought to convince the most diehard metaller that these dudes are in fact fully, no foolin, METAL. If the cover art (by Joe "Motorhead" Petagno) didn't already. Nothin' ironic about it. Not that such arguments matter much anyway, what's important is, does this album rule or not? Our call: yea, and verily, it doth rule.
The sinuous guitar harmonies in the first track "Raging Embers" remind us a lot of the late great epic doomsters Solstice, whilst track two, the title track, gallops out of the gate like a mixture of The Fucking Champs and High On Fire... And on it rages, a showcase of sheer metal mastery. No ballads. No death metal monotony, or black metal makeup. No trendy emo bullshit. Just pure pedal to the metal, metal.
The riffage is righteous, the guitars shred, it's old school '80s to the max but HEAVY as heck. The only element that keeps this from attaining total true metal acclaim from the 'heads here at AQ are the punkish vocals, hoarse and shouty and not-so-melodic. Your mileage may vary, lots of folks like that style. But anyway the vocals are more than made up for by the guitars, which provide plenty of melody amidst the aggression, and atmosphere too. As well as, like we said, shred. Tasty solos abound, including guest six string tickling from Tim Lehi of Draugar and Isiah Mitchell of Earthless!
In truth, we're a little surprised by how much we dig this album (and Crucifire too, before it). Maybe because they're local we had been taking Saviours for granted, or feeling a little bit of an unwarranted NWOAIIHM backlash. Also we've seen them live many a time (they have a knack for opening for a lot of touring metal bands we want to see) but didn't really fall under their spell until hearing 'em at home, when all their true metallic grandeur could really sink in, without the distractions of shitty sound systems or somebody spilling beer on us. Songwriting nuances are revealed on record that were were perhaps numb to in person. At the end of the day, we're pretty into Into Abbadon.
MPEG Stream: "Raging Embers"
MPEG Stream: "Narcotic Sea"

SAX RUINS Yawiquo (Ipecac) cd 16.98
Do you like sax? Do you like the Ruins? Then, hey, have we got a deal for you! Ruins drummer/mastermind Tatsuya Yoshida teams up with jazz improviser Ono Ryoko (alto sax) in this new unit, Sax Ruins (sorry, no idea what that name means, how did they come up with it?). The Japanese band Ruins has been Yoshida's vehicle for heavy duty, ultra mathy, Magmoid post-punk prog mania since 1985, and has pretty much always been a drums / bass two piece, Yoshida accompanied by several different insane bass players over the years. Their last album was 2002's Tzomborgha, also on Mike Patton's Ipecac label... and then in 2004 bassist number four (Sasaki Hisashi) left the band, yet to be replaced as far as we know. So Ruins is now defunct, or at least on an indeterminate hiatus, but that hasn't stopped Yoshida from performing Ruins songs, in a mindboggling one-man-band format called Ruins Alone. And now, in the Sax Ruins duo!
As you might expect, it's hyper frenetic and jumpy, but also... boppy. The buoyant saxophone helps make this duo's uber uptempo activity feel positively infectious, a joyful noise indeed. And it's not all frantic musical athletics, there's room here for some really lovely, melodic passages too, as on "Epigonen". Ono Ryoko really pulls out all the stops, drawing on her experience playing not only jazz but also funk/R&B, prog, and psych (the latter in collaboration with Acid Mothers Temple). She delves into extended techniques, circular breathing and such, and somehow is a match for Yoshida in the endless energy dep't. Together, what they unleash here is exciting stuff, way more complex and catchy than your average freakout. Imagine a stripped down, pepped up marching band playing really wild Carl Stalling / Raymond Scott style cartoon music. And wisely, Yoshida has kept this instrumental, none of his crazy vocals getting in the way of the sax blasts.
The 17 tracks here include saxified reinterpretations of classics from the Ruins' vast catalog, such as "Hyderomastgroningem" and "Pallaschtom", plus some new tunes too, including the album's title track and grand finale, that one a showstopper for sure.
So, again, definitely for fans of Ruins - who also like saxophone. And those into the likes of Zu, Flying Luttenbachers, 16-17, Alboth, and other exemplars of jazzprogcore craziness. Oh, and of course any John Zorn / Naked City fan ought to be ecstatic! Dunno if we'll really need any MORE albums from Sax Ruins though, 'cause as cool as this is, we're still keen for more Bass Ruins...
MPEG Stream: "Zworrisdeh"
MPEG Stream: "Gravestone"
MPEG Stream: "Yawiquo"

SCHLIPPENBACH QUARTET Hunting The Snake (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98

SCHOOF, MANFRED European Echoes (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98
Another "Archive FMP Edition" from Atavistic's Unheard Music Series. This 1969 recording features a veritable who's who of '60s/'70s Euro improv folks: Peter Brotzmann, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Fred Van Hove, Alexander Von Schlippenbach, Irene Schweizer, Peter Kowald, Han Bennink, trumpter/bandleader Schoof himself of course, and quite a few others. The usual suspects, in other words -- assembled into a big band with three pianists, three sax players, three trumpeters, three bassists, and two drummers, plus guitar and trombone (maybe this tripling of most instruments is where the "echoes" in the title comes from, although echoes are rarely this intense). Yes, as you might expect from such a large grouping, this is loud, powerful stuff, with solos from everyone and much massed music-making -- a blast of freedom sounds that heralded the birth of the Free Music Productions label and the new jazz scene FMP would promote. Two tracks (two LP sides) of about 15 minutes duration each, historically significant and still sonically fearsome. Crank it up!
RealAudio clip: "Part 1"

SCHOOL OF VELOCITY *homework* (Grob) cd 16.98
Evan Parker et. al.

SCHOTT, JOHN Shuffle Play: Elegies For The Recording Angel (New World Records) cd 15.98

SCORCH TRIO Brolt! (Rune Grammofon) cd 17.98
The aptly-named Scorch Trio is back with another blast of electric guitar fueled n' frenzied Nordic free improv on the Rune Grammofon label. If you liked their previous 3 or 4 discs on Rune G, or the recent Box album featuring Scorch Trio guitarist Raul Bjorkenheim, you're probably eager to grapple with Brolt! Likewise if you're into similar sorts of "dangerous jazz" from, say, Nels Cline's various bands. Yeah, it IS jazz, but with plenty of sharp electric edges and dense drum-battery. While jazz vet Bjorkenheim's six string scorchin' deserves top billing (and he also cranks the electric viola da gimbri), the other 2/3rds of this power trio make plenty of noise too: Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (electric bass, electronics) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums & percussion), both of whom also play in "garage-jazz" freakout combo The Thing with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.
Track one gets into skonky-rhythmic territory that recalls the spazz-prog of Japan's Tatsuya Yoshida before it's over, while the next one delves into more atmospheric, textural zones a la Supersilent. And so it goes, the whole album chock full of skree-filled soundscapes veering from the moody to energetic.
MPEG Stream: "Olstra"
MPEG Stream: "Gaba"

SCORCH TRIO Luggumt (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
Such a good name for this band! At least right from the get-go with the slash and burn 12-minute opening track it sure seems appropriate. That's some searing and scorching electric guitar there! The album closes with another double-digit epic as well, and in between the trio of guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim, bassist Haker Flaten and percussionist Paal Nilsen-Love do let up and explore a variety of grooves and moods, from ominous textural soundscaping, to roiling slide workouts, to y'know, burbling sorta melodic stuff that might pass for 'jazz' of the highball-in-hand, nightclub variety. Although, the electric element of about-to-explode skronk always seems just under the surface. Fans of Nels Cline's various bands know the feeling, and ought to enjoy Bjorkenheim and co.'s own, similar brand of 'dangerous' electric jazz... Heck the type of AQ customer for whom names like Cline, Sharrock, Russell, McLaughlin, Takayanagi, and the like mean something (and occupy a portion of their record collection) stand a good chance of being quite happy if they give this a listen. All of those are all individually quite different of course but it's that rock-aware, energetic and amplified style of electric guitar improv (with dense guitar/bass/drums interplay) that this fits right in with, y'know.
MPEG Stream: "Kjole Hole"
MPEG Stream: "Furskunjt"

SCORCH TRIO Luggumt (Rune Grammofon) 2lp 27.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Such a good name for this band! At least right from the get-go with the slash and burn 12-minute opening track it sure seems appropriate. That's some searing and scorching electric guitar there! The album closes with another double-digit epic as well, and in between the trio of guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim, bassist Haker Flaten and percussionist Paal Nilsen-Love do let up and explore a variety of grooves and moods, from ominous textural soundscaping, to roiling slide workouts, to y'know, burbling sorta melodic stuff that might pass for 'jazz' of the highball-in-hand, nightclub variety. Although, the electric element of about-to-explode skronk always seems just under the surface. Fans of Nels Cline's various bands know the feeling, and ought to enjoy Bjorkenheim and co.'s own, similar brand of 'dangerous' electric jazz... Heck the type of AQ customer for whom names like Cline, Sharrock, Russell, McLaughlin, Takayanagi, and the like mean something (and occupy a portion of their record collection) stand a good chance of being quite happy if they give this a listen. All of those are all individually quite different of course but it's that rock-aware, energetic and amplified style of electric guitar improv (with dense guitar/bass/drums interplay) that this fits right in with, y'know.
MPEG Stream: "Kjole Hole"
MPEG Stream: "Furskunjt"

SCORCH TRIO s/t (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98

SCOTT, RAYMOND The Secret 7: The Unexpected (Basta) cd 16.98
Oooh...The Secret 7. I already like the sound of this. And it was Raymond Scott's band, so it's got to be good. Scott, for those who don't know, was a quirky composer -- a bonafide genius of very strange music -- who experimented with 'electronica' decades before it became fashionable, and whose big-band jazz was used to score Warner Bros. cartoons and must have inspired John Zorn as a young 'un. Anyhoo, back in 1960 Raymond Scott put together this seven-piece ensemble of anonymous yet all-star jazzers and cut The Unexpected. With this reissue the mystery of their identities is solved (we're warned on the back cover "This package contains new information about the SECRET lineup"). Turns out the Secret 7 included harmonica player Jean "Toots" Thielmans, sax player Sam "The Man" Taylor, and drummer Elvin Jones, among others! So the secret's now blown, but this LP is still alluring, featuring as it does these cats playin' some cool, swinging jazz tuneage by Mr. Scott as well as standards...Cole Porter, Gershwin, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"...but is it weird or wacky? Well, check out the demented chipmunk vocals (yes!), nursery rhyme lyrics and hyperactive arrangements. Yep it's a fine Raymond Scott fix indeed. So pour a cocktail and get to snappin' yr fingers!
MPEG Stream: "And The Cow Jumped Over The Moon"
MPEG Stream: "In The Beginning"

SCOTT, RAYMOND Toonerville Trolley 1940-1944 (Jasmine) cd 13.98
"Good evening dancing America, and lovers of exciting dance music. We present Raymond Scott, extraordinary composer of modern music, and his Orchestra, featuring Nan Wynn. All this exciting music comes to you from the equally exciting Panther Room of the hotel Sherman's College Inn in downtown Chicago." So says the announcer on track one of this cd, introducing pianist/arranger/composer and nowadays cult figure (best known for the use of his music in Carl Stalling's classic Warner Brothers cartoon scores, and also for his later electronic experiments) Raymond Scott and his band in what was originally an exciting 1940 live radio broadcast. This disc sees Scott updating many of his classic, quirky Quintette compositions to the swingin' big band format of the forties. Female vocalists Nan Wynn and Dorothy Collins (later Scott's wife) sing on a couple of numbers, but mostly this is instrumental dance fare. The 24 cuts here are culled from studio and live radio performances circa 1940-1944, and are mostly jaunty and playful Scott-penned tunes, like "At An Arabian House Party", "Caterpiller Creep", "Eagle Beak", "An American In Russia", "The Lark Leaped In", and "Toonerville Trolley". Some of the non-Scott material includes a song by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Scott's jazzed-up take on the traditional "Pop Goes The Weasel"! One for fans of Raymond Scott and/or oldsters among you... seriously, lots of nostalgic, energetic fun!
MPEG Stream: "At An Arabian House Party"
MPEG Stream: "Mocassin Glide"

SCOTT, RAYMOND QUINTETTE, THE Microphone Music (Basta) 2cd 19.98
Double disc set of 41 Raymond Scott Quintette tracks -- and while many of them are alternate takes of pieces you may already own, over a dozen of the tunes were never recorded by the Quintette and are only available to us now because they were captured as live radio rehearsals and broadcasts. Includes the only known recording of Raymond Scott singing! Liner notes include an old Time magazine article about Scott, plus an interview with his first wife. Possibly for Scott completists only.
MPEG Stream: "Square Dance with Eight Egyptian Mummies"

SECRET CHIEFS 3 - TRADITIONALISTS Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (Web Of Mimicry) cd 13.98

SECRET CHIEFS 3 / JOHN ZORN Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 (Secret Chiefs 3 Plays Masada Book Two) (Tzadik) cd 15.98
Let's state right from the outset that Trey Spruance's musical entity known as Secret Chiefs 3 is simply impossible to nail down and describe. Words really do not do SC3 justice, especially in the case of their latest work -- sprawling in scope, intricate in detail and majestically presented -- but we will make a valiant attempt here. Indeed, adjectives such as magical, mysterious and mind-blowing do apply, however they barely scratch the surface. We'd say 'spectacular' but the folks at Tzadik already beat us to the punch by using it on the cd's obi blurb. On Xaphan they've joined forces with their comrade John Zorn, performing eleven passages from his epic work, Masada Book Two. The eleven players embrace, attack, caress and devour the compositions with an otherworldly zeal. They come together as a single inimitable force, at once seeming absolutely unhinged and utterly in control. The threads of the SC3 aural tapestries are always densely knotted and woven with ace musicianship and from a myriad of disparate styles and inspirations delving into spy thriller soundtracks, exotica, metal, surf, esoteric knowledge and so much more. So it is on Xaphan, and the formidable outcomes may seem impervious to some and electrifyingly listenable to others. Breathtaking.
MPEG Stream: "Sheburiel"
MPEG Stream: "Barakiel"