Nels Cline - Dirty Baby CD

Dirty Baby album for sale Trumpeter/composer Jon Hassell has worked with innovators Brian Eno and La Monte Young, and he's immersed himself in the traditional musics of Africa and Asia; the result is a practically new genre. Call it electro-acoustic world music or fourth world, but Hassell's approach is both unique and influential. On first listen, LAST NIGHT THE MOON. is nothing startlingly different from his other discs, yet it's a beautiful refinement and expansion of his approach. All the usual suspects are present--Hassell's trumpet married to electronics (giving it an almost vocal tone); precise, echoing percussion; a hazy, sultry ambiance; and assorted instruments easing in and out of aural focus. But MOON consists of 10 relatively concise tracks, though many are quite lengthy (i.e., the title track, which clocks in at over 11 minutes). Also, the influence of the electric music of Miles Davis is slightly more pronounced (more in the way of tribute, not imitation)--at times, sections of MOON could be the more sensuous outtakes from Davis's BITCHES BREW. Liner Note Author: Jon Hassell . Recording information: Courtrais, Belgium; Kings Place, London, England; Pernes-Les-Fontaines; Studios La Buissonne. Photographers: Gérard De Haro; Peter Freeman. Personnel: Jon Hassell (trumpet, keyboards); Rick Cox (guitar, strings); Peter Freeman (guitar, percussion); Eivind Aarset (guitar); Kheir-Eddine M'Kachiche, Kheir Eddine M'Kachiche (violin); Thomas Newman (strings); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards, drums); Helge Norbakken, Peter Lockett (drums); Steve Shehan (percussion); J.A. Deane, Jan Bang (sampler); Pedram Khavarzamini. Audio Mixer: Peter Freeman.

Dirty Baby CD music With five A-list horn players -- Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones, Antonio Hart on alto sax and flute, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Alex Sipiagin on trumpet and flügelhorn, and Robin Eubanks on trombone -- on board, and anchoring supplied by Dave Holland's bass, Nate Smith's drums, and Steve Nelson's marimba and vibes, there's a lot of swing residing within these grooves. There is also empathy to spare. Pathways, recorded live at New York's Birdland and the first release by the Holland Octet, is tightly woven, devoid of bloat, and constantly in motion. Holland, in his multi-decade career, has worked within every conceivable format, and he smartly positions the octet precisely where it should be by definition, midway between the standard small-group configuration and the all-bases-covered grandness of a big band. The arrangements often seem larger than life while simultaneously feeling succinct, and every solo -- not the least of which are Holland's own masterful excursions -- is carefully considered and masterfully executed. The album's seven tracks are all written by bandmembers -- five by Holland, one each by Sipiagin and Potter -- and two of Holland's, "Shadow Dance" and "How's Never?" (both of which he's recorded before), are the longest of the show, allowing for multiple shifts in mood, tempo, and color. Holland uses those pieces, in particular, as launching pads for dynamic solo exhibits and inspired duets, but in the end it's not the dexterity of the individuals that impresses most, but rather the groupthink of the ensemble. ~ Jeff Tamarkin Recording information: Birdland, New York City (01/07/2009-01/11/2009). Photographer: Richard Conde. Personnel: Antonio Hart (flute, alto saxophone); Chris Potter (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Gary Smulyan (baritone saxophone); Alex Sipiagin (trumpet, flugelhorn); Robin Eubanks (trombone); Steve Nelson (vibraphone, marimba); Nate Smith (drums). Audio Mixer: James Farber.

Dirty Baby buy CD music Henry Threadgill has, in the framework of abstract music, been a stalwart, spontaneous composer whose personal sound is near impossible to identify, or certainly codify. A listener who enjoys very challenged music would have difficulty in discerning what is made up or written out. The elusive nature of Threadgill's kind of progressive jazz has to confound even those most oriented to his quirky pieces. Where the quintet Zooid lands in this quirky quandary of pegging a signature sound is subject to guesswork, but it definitely has its own brand of concentrated cohesion. Between Threadgill's scattershot flute and alto sax, the sleek tuba or trombone work of Jose Davila, and Liberty Ellman's thorny electric guitar, sparks are always flying about in a collective discourse that is completely unpredictable. Electric bass guitarist Stomu Takieshi and drummer Elliot Humberto Kavee are practically secondary in this mix of give-and-take improvisation that needs little rhythmic support or urgency. What seems telepathic or in zig-zag patterns is bursting with colors to the point where those lines are blurred with the virtuosity of these players. Then again, most of the tracks do have a funky underpinning anchored by Takieshi and Kavee that lends a more contemporary, updated feel to the proceedings. Threadgill has always used contradictions as a foundation for his music, and that is something his fans should expect at this juncture. His flute playing is exceptional as featured on the first half of this session, traipsing along in cat-like fashion for the intriguing film noir-shaded "White Wednesday Off the Wall," or the funkier, heavy water experiment "To Undertake My Corners Open." Ellman and Davila take hefty respective solos on these tracks, alleviating Threadgill of any heavy leadership burden, but "Chairmaster" is more a collective jam, as Davila's chunky tuba gets the ball rolling for Ellman's spatial guitar, the in-late flute, and a diffuse melody that cannot be pinned down. With the other three selections featuring Threadgill's atmospheric and wooden alto, you hear more gothic tones, still funky but intangible within Ellman's color palette during "After Some Time." A driving free bop pattern anchors "Sap" at the outset, but bursts in all directions at once like fireworks, while "Mirror Mirror the Verb" staggers short phrases like bursts of dimmed light. A most unique combination of musicians that collectively sounds like no other modern jazz ensemble, Threadgill's Zooid must be heard to be appreciated, especially live, as the studio does not do the band justice. This CD is identified as a first volume, and though clocking in at a brief total time of under 40 minutes, it must mean there's more in store. ~ Michael G. Nastos Recording information: Brooklyn Recording, Brooklyn, NY (11/2008). Personnel: Liberty Ellman (guitar); Henry Threadgill (flute, saxophone, alto saxophone); Jose Davila (trombone, tuba); Stomu Takeishi (bass guitar); Elliot Humberto Kavee (drums). Audio Mixer: Liberty Ellman.

Dirty Baby songs Guitarist Nels Cline has generated a high profile since becoming a member of Wilco, but it's his solo work that defines him -- he can always be counted upon to thwart expectations. Initiate is the fourth album by the Nels Cline Singers, a power trio with Devin Hoff on contra and electric bass, and Scott Amendola on drums, percussion, and electronics. Initiate is a double-disc recorded by producer David Breskin and engineer Ron Saint Germain. The first disc is a studio recording, the latter was cut live in San Francisco in 2009. Disc one's second track, "Floored," kicks off with Amendola's drum kit followed by an exploratory fusion funk groove with Cline moving angularly around Hoff's electric bass (think Tony Williams' Lifetime). "Divining" is a hallucinatory track that commences acoustically with mbiras and double bass before Cline's acoustic enters. It gradually mutates texturally and dynamically to become an open-ended electric jazz-cum-world music orgy, as wordless vocals and layers of percussion move it toward a far freakier geography -- it's a more dangerous-sounding exploration of terrain that Pat Metheny is familiar with. "Grow Closer" mutates around various Latin tropes and rhythmic patterns occasionally drifting into North African modes. "King Queen" explores the early Santana band's ability to jam around a theme with killer organ by guest David Witham. Cline responds aggressively and imaginatively to the band's shapeshifting, hypnotic rhythms. Whereas disc one changes moods and directions with studied perfection, disc two enters dissonant rock and jazz terrain from the jump. "Fly Fly" begins as a swinging jazz tune that quickly evolves into a sick, twisted, guitar trio freakout that nearly lifts off. "Raze" is molten hard rock, with feedback, squall, and scree allowed nearly free rein. "Blues Too" is an homage to Jim Hall that employs his wide harmonic sense while speaking with Cline's knottier, more complex melodic interests. There's a beautifully rendered cover of Carla Bley's "And Now the Queen" and a new reading of "Thurston County" (off 2008's Coward). This live disc is far more satisfying for its wide-ranging sonic expeditions and spiraling architectural drama. The disc closes with a smoking version of Joe Zawinul's "Boogie Woogie Waltz" -- from Weather Report's underrated Sweetnighter LP. At over 14 minutes, it takes its time developing the tune's spooky groove, but with electric guitar, acoustic bass, and drum kit, it goes further afield; it transcends harmonic constraints while exploiting its rhythmic barrier to the breaking point. It sounds like Jimi Hendrix fronting WR. Arguably, Initiate is the most fully realized project Cline has devoted himself to yet, and extends the musical frontiers the Singers are capable of not only engaging, but conquering. ~ Thom Jurek Recording information: Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA (03/23/2009-03/25/2009); Fantasy Studios, Berkeley (03/23/2009-03/25/2009); Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA (09/03/2009); Fantasy Studios, Berkeley (09/03/2009). Photographer: Simon Norfolk. Personnel: Nels Cline (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Devin Hoff (bass guitar); Scott Amen (drum set, percussion, electronics, loops). Audio Mixer: Ron Saint Germain.

Dirty Baby album for sale Recording information: Charlestown Road Studio, Hampton, NJ (06/2009). Photographer: Valerie Trucchia. Personnel: Craig Taborn (piano); Gerald Cleaver (drums); Tim Berne (alto saxophone); Michael Formanek (double bass). Audio Mixers: James A. Farber; Manfred Eicher.

Dirty Baby CD music Avant-jazz guitarist and part-time Wilco member Nels Cline teams with alto saxophonist Wally Shoup and percussionist Chris Corsano for this wild, energized bout of group improvisation. The compositions careen from blistering aggression to fluttering ambient passages (fleshed out with a battery of effects from Cline) and quietly unsettling lyricism. Kinetic energy and keen group chemistry (especially the high, furious dialogues between Cline and Shoup) are what make this heavily experimental work-out session tick. Recording information: Catasonic, Los Angeles, CA (04/05/2005). Photographer: Jeff Levine. Unknown Contributor Role: Chris Corsano. Personnel: Nels Cline (electric guitar); Nels Cline; Wally Shoup (saxophone, alto saxophone); Chris Corsano (drums). Audio Mixer: Mark Wheaton.