Byłem na 13 Vision Festival w NYC.

[wojciech iwaszczukiewicz]

W dn 10.06 08-15.06.08 uczestniczyłem w 13 edycji festiwalu Vision w Nowym Jorku.

Było to dla mnie niesamowite przeżycie zobaczyć i usłyszeć na własne uszy czołówkę nowojorskiego i światowego free i freebopu.Muzyków których od lat słucham z płyt Eremitu,Clean Feedu,Delmarku,AUM-u,Tsadika itp.

Bo kogo tam nie było....ale po kolei:

Pierwszy dzień Dave Douglas Magic Cirkle - z Uri Caine i Bryan Carrott wibr.

Nu Band - M.Whitecage,J.Fonda,R.Campbell,L.Grassi

M.Dresser i D.Maroney

Dzień drugi:K.Jordan,H.Bluett,D.Burrell

Kidd Jordan z J.Futterman,C.Kerr,W.Parker i A.Fielder

F.Anderson z K.Jordan,W.Parker i H.Drake

Trzeci dzień:Oliver Lake New Quintet Project

James Spaulding Swing Expressions

H.Bluiett'sBio -Electric w składzie oprócz lidera H.Bankhead,B.Bang i H.Drake.

Ensemble of Possibilities - W.Dickey,D.Carter,R.Brown,Jason Kao Hwang,J.Morris

Dzień czwarty-Ullman/Swell4featuring Altschul/Greene

Sonny Simmons/Bobby Few

Sabir Mateen/Henry Grimes Quartet

Wadada Leo Smith Golden Project-Smith,V.Iyer,Don Moye,J.Lindberg

Dzień piąty:P.Nicholson's Cekestial Moon Beams Funk(L.Barnes,Hwang,S.Mateen,T.Nicholson,R.Brown,G.Cleaver)

Maththew Shipp Trio(J.Morris,W.Dickey)

Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille

Dzień ostatni:William Parker's Inside Songs Curtis Mayfield(Parker,D.Foster,H.Drake,S.Mateen,L.Conquest,L.Barnes.D.Burrell).

Największe wrażenie zrobiły na mnie projekty:K.Jordana,Jamesa Spauldinga,H.Bluietta,Swella,Wadady Leo Smitha.

A oprócz muzyki kontakty z muzykami i zwiedzanie Manhatanu.

a oto garść fotek z festiwalu:

 

Mam problem z wklejeniem zdjęć daletego wrzucam je serwer.

 

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

Ukryta Zawartość

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść.

Zaloguj się, aby zobaczyć treść (możliwe logowanie za pomocą )

[zwykłybanan]

Tylko pozazdrościc.

Ehhh

[tyszkens]

nie byłem na festiwalu, ale dotarła do mnie (newsletter www.downtownmusicgallery.com) recenzja tegorocznego, napisana przez szefa sklepu z płytami w NYC, fana muzyki improwizowanej.

 

dłuuga... czytajcie:)

 

Vision Festival XIV Review by Bruce Lee Gallanter

 

Vision Festival 14 began on June 9th, 2009, at the Abrons Arts

Center on Grand St. The previous year's Vision Fest took place at the

Soto Clemente Center which had no working air conditioning during a

sweltering week of June. It was a nightmare to sit through those

long, hot nights for the audience and for many of the performers as

well. No doubt it turned off some of the fans who were considering

attending this year's fest. Their loss. Both the brisk, welcome AC

and the mostly great sound made this fest a much better experience

for us all.

 

Tuesday, June 9th got off to great start with an Opening

Invocation featuring Patricia Nicholson doing voice and dance,

William Parker on gimbri (4-string African bass) and Hamid Drake on

frame drum. Ms. Nicholson is the Vision Fest's main organizer and the

epicenter of good vibes that flow through every Vision Fest that I've

attended, which is all of them. This was a perfect opening with a

ritualistic vibe. Patricia chanted, "Change is Coming" and this is

something we can all agree with. In the past year, we've seen things

change for the worst around the world, we've seen the end of evil

Bush administration and hopefully the dawn of a better day with

Barack Obama. What I dig is the sound of William's four-string and

Hamid's frame drum, it is a perfect blend of American and African

spirits, ancient and modern at the same time.

 

Brass Bang was next with Billy Bang on violin, Ahmed Abdullah,

Ted Daniel & James Zollar on trumpets, Dick Griffin on trombone and

Russell Carter on drums. Billy Bang is a consistently inspired

soloist and a fine composer. He organized quite a different band from

previous years with violin and trombone on either end, 3 trumpets in

the middle and a drummer in the back. Trombone legend Dick Griffin

opened one piece with a stunning, multiphonic solo and often played

righteous basslines throughout the set. Each of the three great

trumpeters got a chance to take a couple of great solos and of course

Billy Bang took a number of riveting solos as well. Billy continues

to be influenced by his experience in Vietnam and still writes some

fine, exotic Eastern melodies for his last few bands. Brass Bang

ended with a great, unexpected version of "Take the A Train" which

mixed old school jazz with some freer sections.

 

AACM flute sensation Douglas Ewart and his Inventions Ensemble

was next and they were one of the highlights of this year's fest.

Inventions featured an unique line-up with Mr. Ewart on flutes,

sopranino sax, dijeradoo, percussion and voice, Joseph Jarman on

flutes, soprano sax, poetry and melodica, JD Parran on bass sax,

flutes and percussion, Donald Smith on piano, Thurman Barker on

marimba and percussion and special guest Amiri Baraka on poetry.

Longtime AACM legend Douglas Ewart doesn't come to NY very often so

it seems he had to make this set special. You can tell that this was

a truly an AACM set since it involved so many layers of ideas. One of

the first pieces featured Ewart, Jarman and Baracka all reading texts

simultaneously, much of it involving the names and qualities of many

of AACM members past and present. It has most mesmerizing and thought

provoking effect. All members of the sextet got a chance to shine

whether through solos played separately or together. Every solo was

profoundly memorable: JD Parran on bass sax, Joseph Jarman on soprano

sax or flute, Donald Smith on oblique piano, Thurman Barker on

marimba & drums, Amiri Baraka's poetry and Mr. Ewart on flutes,

dijeradoo, sopranino and more. There were moments that were scary

like when Douglas' dark dijeradoo backed Jarman's heavy recitation,

screaming and singing. There were times when the sounds were quite

haunting. "This music is healing" was one of the chants that went

down. Amiri Baraka's final poem about children was a great way to

bring this set to a close. Perhaps this set was a bit too long, it

didn't matter since it was a transcendent set that no one will likely

forget anytime soon.

 

The final set that night was Butch Morris' "Conduction No. 187,

Erotic Eulogy" for a chorus of poets and a string ensemble. This was

another extraordinary set! There were a few of downtown's best up

there like Jason Hwang on violin, Okkyung Lee on cello and Shelley

Burgon on harp. Butch Morris has been performing these conductions

for more than two decades and each one is a unique event. This one in

particular was mind-blowing! The eight poets were upfront across the

stage and featured through most of the set. The texts that they spoke

or sung dealt with various ways of looking at erotic words. One had

to listen closely to hear all (some?) of different interconnected

words and layers of strings. Each of the poets/speakers/singers had a

different voice and approach. There was laughter, weird phrases,

twisted words, repeated texts, sometimes confusing or enticing, but

most often fascinating. Butch has developed his own approach to

conducting and continues to evolve depending on who he has to work

with. This ensemble was one of his best ever. I loved the way the

strings would move in waves and currents, as if Butch were conducting

a sea of (musical) fish. There were only a few solos that emerged

from wonderful ensemble playing that really hit me by Okkyung Lee and

Shelley Burgon. Overall this was closer to modern chamber music than

to jazz, but then again only a fool of jazz critic would care. Butch

received a well-deserved ovation and played a rich bodied 10 minute

encore that brought this long evening to grand conclusion. "Bravo" to

Mr. Morris and his incredible ensemble.

 

Wednesday, June 10th was the second day of Vision Fest 14 and it

was a celebration of the life of Marshall Allen. Marshall Allen has

been a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra since its inception in the

mid-fifties, for more than a half century! Since Sun Ra's passing in

1993, Mr. Allen has been the leader/director of the legendary

Arkestra, as well as keeping his own solo career going strong with

numerous concerts and discs over the past decade. Considering that

Marshall is 85 years young, he continues to be a marvel as a

musician, bandleader and a completely possessed & positive spirit.

Patricia Nicholson gave Mr. Allen a nice monetary award for "A

Lifetime of Recognition" and we can think of no one more worthy than

him.

 

The night began with a short film by Luciano Rossetti called

"Vision of New York". Mostly is was a high speed collection of photos

from a previous Vision Fest at the Orensanz Center with street pics

of New York City interspersed. The soundtrack was provided by the

Sabir Mateen Quartet and I felt that the film did a good job of

capturing the adrenalin-pumping excitement that free jazz can and

does offer. This was an appropriate intro to the next set, which was

often frenzied free/jazz from an all-star quintet.

 

The first set was by the Marshall Allen All-Stars (my term) and

it was good way to begin the night. This group featured Marshall

Allen on alto sax & EWI (electronic wind instrument), Kidd Jordan on

tenor sax, William Parker on bass, Henry Grimes on bass & violin and

Hamid Drake on drums. It began with a spaced out EWI solo by

Marshall. Sun Ra himself loved to experiment with various keyboards &

synths and had the Arkestra once play some new instruments known as

"strange strings" for an album by the same name. Marshall has

continued to experiment and uses the EWI often in his solo spots, a

strange square black tube with a round pitch bending device at the

end. It does sound like an ancient synthesizer. So Marshall started

off with a fine Sun Ra-like EWI solo with the rest of the quintet

soon joining in. Like John Gilmore, another early member of the Sun

Ra Arkestra and influential saxist, Marshall helped to invent those

intense, bent-note and multiphonic sax sounds. Hence, Marshall still

has his own unique sound on sax, rooted in the jazz tradition but

always reaching for the stars or at least Saturn, Sun Ra's homeworld.

When Marshall finally reached for his alto sax and began to take off

for regions unknown, Mr. Grimes switched to violin and took a solo

instead. Marshall waited gracefully before finally launching off and

twisting his sax notes inside out. The set progressed organically

with a simmering solo from Kidd Jordan while William & Hamid, who

have played together for years, locked in and pushed the rhythms

higher and higher. I felt that this set had some great moments but

was a bit uneven. Since this evening was part of Marshall Allen

Recognition Day, I felt the Mr. Grimes could've have given Marshall a

bit more space to his own thing at a couple of points.

 

Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble was next and were the complete

opposite of the previous set. The personnel featured Mr. Cole on

double reeds (musette?), Joe Daley on tuba, Shayna Dulberger on

contrabass, Atticus Cole on congas, Warren Smith on drums & marimba

and Althea Cole on vocals. The frontline of this ensemble was what

made it unique: tuba and musette, one of the lowest toned instruments

and one of the highest toned. Mr. Daley and Mr. Cole have worked

together in different versions of this group and sound great

together. Mr. Cole's music is a fine blend of eastern and western

harmonies, exotic and desert-like at times. The music was often

skeletal yet rich. Bill chose a great rhythm team, the fine young

bassist Shayna Dulberger, the elder statesman drummer/percussionist

Warren Smith plus Atticus Cole on congas. Everyone in the sextet got

a chance to solo at least once and each solo was special and well

integrated into the group's sound. Bill Cole's snake-charming double

reed is something else and cast a subtle yet cosmic spell on those in

attendance.

 

The main attraction of the night was the Sun Ra Arkestra under

the direction of Marshall Allen and the night was sold out and

completely packed. The anticipation ran high. Steve Dalachinsky read

a poem by Sun Ra and this was a good intro into the unique world of

Sun Ra's mysterious words. Although I have seen the Arkestra more

than 30 times in the seventies through the nineties when Mr. Ra was

alive, this was only the second time in the past decade that I've

caught them. They were in fine form. Commencing with the controlled

chaos with Marshall conducting the screams and shrieks of the other

horn players, 5 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, plus 2 basses, 2

percussionists, guitarist, piano/synth player and a older style

singer. After the long, crazy and intense opening section, they went

into an old standard called "All You Got to Do is Dream". When they

soon broke into "Discipline", I was all smiles since this is my

favorite Sun Ra song/riff. What I dug about this set was that it was

a classic Sun Ra Arkestra set with a great balance free jazz,

ballads, chants, crazed solos, big band (Fletcher Henderson)

arrangements. I recognized many of the chants from the yesteryears of

Ra gigs like, "Interplanetary Music", "Don't Give That Jive Jack",

"Space is the Place" and "I'll Wait for You". Of course, the Arkestra

was decked out in sequined costumes and hats and a number of players

did some great dance steps and acrobatics. What more could anyone

want?!? The return of Sun Ra himself to the planet earth, as one

heckler asked on the previous evening. No need since Mr. Ra was there

in spirit anyway. If you weren't there, the new new Sun Ra Arkestra

does capture the current band quite well indeed.

 

Thursday, June 10th was Day 3 of the Vision Fest. One of the

things that makes the Vision Fest special is that it feels like a

community of folks who get together for a week every year and spend

some special time doing a variety of tings together, not just

listening to music. There is a good deal of dance and spoken word,

occasional singing and some commerce like CD's, T-shirts, posters,

books, as well as home-made food and drinks. Although I don't

appreciate dance so much, it was often fascinating to see it in every

nook & cranny of the Abrons Arts Center. Besides the main auditorium

which was air conditioned and had relatively good sound, there was

also another live music space downstairs called the Experimental

Theatre.

 

For me Day 3 began with a wonderful trio of David Budbill

(voice), William Parker (bass) and Hamid Drake (snare & frame drums &

1 cymbal). Mr. Budbill is a great poet and one of the festival's

better MC's. For this set he quoted many musicians about the meaning

of the word "jazz." He picked many great quotes from historical

figures like Art Blakey, Betty Carter & Duke Ellington, as well as

many contemporary voices like his colleagues, William & Hamid. Every

quote seems to have a somewhat different version of the word "jazz"

and what it means to each musician. Throughout the set, William and

Hamid kept a constant flow of grooves, pulses & rhythms. Hamid

continues to amaze us by just using a snare or frame drum and just

one cymbal. The flow of ideas between all three players was

beautiful, thought-provoking and uplifting.

 

The next set was completely different on many levels. The William

Hooker Trio with Darius Jones on alto sax, Adam Lane on contrabass

and William on drums played to a rare silent movie from 1920 called

'Symbol of the Unconquered' by Oscar Micheaux. The film itself dealt

with racial problems in the rural US during the depression, black

folks trying to pass for whites and evil ways of the Klux Klux Klan.

The movie was often poignant, riveting, disturbing and provocative.

Mr. Hooker played solo drum set in the first half and did a great job

of matching the music with the feeling that movie produced in the

audience. Even better was when he was joined by alto saxist Darius

Jones and bassist Adam Lane. The trio matched the power of the film

in a most gripping way. The images of the Klan riding on horses in

sheets with torches in their hands was quite disturbing and I don't

think I will forget about these images anytime soon.

 

The Ernest Dawkins New Horizon Ensemble from Chicago was next and

were fantastic. The ensemble featured Ernest on alto & tenor saxes,

Steve Berry on trombone, Darius Savage on bass and Isaiah Spencer on

drums. The set began with the band facing east in silence, a ritual

that I've seen the Art Ensemble do a number of times. This quartet

was super-tight, energetic, exuberant and intense. The frontline of

sax and trombone was consistently inspired, both the writing and

playing. Each solo by either horn was great and often on fire. The

rhythm team, although quite a bit younger than the horn players were

also outstanding. The John Coltrane Quartet seems to be a major

influence here, especially when Ernest was playing tenor. Every tune,

every melody was quite memorable and this was a set of all new

material recorded for a future CD. They ended with an appropriate

song called "Bagdad Boogie" which was rather funky with an

infectious, pumping, repeating riff. This song had an anti-war

sentiment and Ernest had the audience chanting, "No more war!".

Another perfect set from some of Chicago's finest!

 

The final set that night was by the highly anticipated Sunny

Murray Quartet with Odean Pope on tenor sax, Sabir Mateen on alto &

tenor sax, Lee Smith on acoustic bass and Sunny Murray on drums.

Although Sunny Murray helped to invent "free/jazz" drumming more than

forty years ago, he loves to confound people's expectations. He

started the set by playing slowly and methodically, keeping a certain

subdued but cosmic flow. Although all four musicians originally come

from Philly, the backgrounds and musical experiences are quite

different. Odean Pope is one of the elder statesman of jazz leading

bands (like his Sax Choir) and playing with legends like Max Roach.

Sabir, who moved to LA and worked with Horace Tapscott's Orchestra in

the eighties & nineties, is an integral part of the avant/jazz scene

in New York for the past decade or so. Odean & Sabir's tones and

playing are very different yet their contrast often worked with Sunny

directing by setting up his own space groove. Both saxists played a

handful of skeletal themes together in a harmonious way and then took

inspired but very different solos. Bassist Lee Smith is one of those

best kept secret legends and an extraordinary acoustic bassist. Mr.

Smith is the father of bassist Christian McBride and one of the best

bassists I caught in recent memory. His constant interaction with

Sunny and both saxists was often astonishing. Both saxists traded

solos slowly, each solo telling a different story. As the set

evolved, Sunny slowly increased the tempo nudging the saxists to wail

a little higher. Although the set was only 25 minutes, for me it

seemed like it was just about enough, of course some folks grumbled

about the length of the set. Sunny got up from the drums and talked a

bit about the importance of Vision Fest and Patricia Nicholson's hard

work. He also discussed living in Paris where there is socialized

health care and where they treat artists better. He mentioned the way

American (jazz) musicians his age (73) have been abandoned. He says

to not forget that we don't have be a part of capitalist society, we

too can move to France , although it is not so simple.

 

Day 4, June 12th, began with an interesting trio with Miriam

Parker doing dance, Jason Hwang on violin and Joseph Daley on tuba.

The stage was mostly in the dark with minimal lighting. I dug the way

Ms. Parker danced and moved slowly around the stage since it was

easier for me to comprehend than other dancers that I've seen at the

Vision Fest. Jason Hwang's sound on violin was much different than in

other contexts. He did a good deal of plucking the strings and

manipulated these sounds with loops or delays. The high pitched

plucks and bowing provided a strong contrast for the low-pitched

sounds of the tuba. Joe Daley used growls, smears and assorted

extended sounds on his tuba. The sounds that the duo made were very

effective at creating odd yet intricate accompaniment for the dance

moves.

 

I hadn't heard much from Charles Gayle in a while gigwise, just

the occasional CD on Not Two or Clean Feed. For this set Charles

played with a great bassist that he hadn't played with until recently

Lisle Ellis and his old comrade Michael Wimberley on drums. Nowadays

Charles plays mostly alto sax and piano when he performs. For this

set Charles surprised us by pulling out his tenor, something he

hasn't done in years. Although this trio did play freely, they played

with more restraint than we've come to expect from Mr. Gayle. Charles

gave a good deal of space over to his rhythm team. Formerly Vancouver

and then California (Bay area & San Diego) based bassist Lisle Ellis

moved to NY a couple of years back and has become an important part

of the downtown scene. He is one of the best contrabassists around

and got a chance to do a couple of superb solos in this set. Michael

Wimberley also sounded great. For couple of pieces, Charles slowed to

pace down to a free ballad space, stretching out each note

cautiously. Charles also played some piano, another thing he just

keeps getting better with. I am not sure how many times this trio has

ever player together but they sounded flawless at working together,

the the music flowing seamlessly.

 

Local saxist Ras Moshe has played at our store on the Bowery more

than any other bandleader, mostly because his music is always

inspiring and he is a good friend of ours. I was very glad to see Ras

get a premiere set at the Vision Fest and his groups was even better

than any time I've heard them in the past. The Ras Group features Ras

Moshe on tenor & alto saxes, Matt Lavelle on trumets, Dave Ross on

guitar, Shayna Dulberger on acoustic bass and Charles Downes

(formerly Rashied Bakr) on drums. Ras' writing really stood out here

as each piece had a most memorable and complex theme. After the first

opening theme, Ras took a long, intense tenor solo that was truly

amazing, which was followed by an equally burning trumpet solo from

Matt Lavelle.The rhythm team of Dave Ross on guitar, Shayna on bass

and Charles on drums was outstanding throughout. Guitarist Dave Ross

is in constant motion, splaying hundreds of notes up and down the

neck of the guitar, whether supporting either or both horns or

pulling off an occasional astonishing solo. Although the overall

sound of the band is one of being mostly free, Ras directed them and

kept them tightly flowing together.

 

The Ayler Project are another new downtown all-star quartet

featuring Joe McPhee on tenor sax & pocket trumpet, Roy Campbell on

trumpets & flute, William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums,

gongs & other percussion. The quartet are a tribute to the legendary

free/jazz originals, Albert & Donald Ayler. They play a few of

Ayler's own songs as well as a few songs influenced by the Aylers.

Commencing with some ritualistic gongs and spoken words by Roy, it

was an auspicious beginning. The first piece featured some burning

solos from Roy on trumpet and Joe on tenor with William Parker bowing

up a storm on bass. One song reminds of some sort of South African

ballad lovely flugel and tenor harmonies. Warren Smith is a master

drummer and played with astonished taste and creativity throughout

the set. "Our Prayer" featured Warren on mallets and was filled with

suspense with two great but restrained trumpets up front. There were

times when the quartet burned like a MF and times when they sound

like the cosmic sounds of the Ayler Bros. themselves.

 

Another great thing about the Vision Fest is when they present a

new and/or under-recognized artist who turns out to be a great new

discovery. This was certainly true about South African reedsman, Zim

Ngqawna. There has been a buzz about Zim over the past few years and

it turns out that he has a few fine discs out already, none of which

I've heard. For this set, Zim's Collective Quartet featured some of

downtown's best with Matt Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass,

Nasheet waits on drums and Zim on soprano, alto & tenor sax & flute.

The set started with a strong trio of Matt, William & Nasheet,

rumbling and then soaring together powerfully with Zim soon entering

on tenor. Zim's fine, dark tone and intense tenor shined as he rode

on the waves provided by the rest of the quartet. Nasheet is one of

the best new jazz drummers and has a distinctive style, a quiet storm

who never overplays. Zim soon switched to soprano sax with Matt

playing spooky sounds inside the piano while William played some

haunting bowed bass. Zim then took an amazing flute solo with

wonderful interplay amongst the four fine musicians. Although this

set seemed to be mostly improvised, everything the quartet did was

connected and successful. Everyone in the quartet got a chance to

shine and solo and all four rose to the occasion. Time to search for

some discs by Zim Ngqawana, a new true young giant.

 

Saturday, June 13th was a double-header with an afternoon series

and an evening series, unfortunately due to work I had to miss the

afternoon series once again. I especially would've liked to hear

Darius Jones Trio with Bob Moses. Both Darius & Bob are friends of

mine and Darius is one of the best new alto players to come along in

recent memory. For me this night started with an incredible solo

piano set from Matt Shipp. After a number of years experimenting with

electronics & beats for Thirsty Ear, Matt has been concentrating on

mostly acoustic piano recently with some wonderful solo & trio discs

on Rogue Art & Thirsty Ear. His solo sets develop in unpredictable

ways. He will often take a few melodic fragments and slowly turn them

inside out, eventually adding flurries and dark clusters as the piece

evolves. It took some patience and concentration in order to hear or

feel the underlying themes that emerged throughout the long set. For

a number of my friends in the audience, this proved to be one of the

best sets of this entire festival. I found it often quite challenging

and will take some time to absorb fully. I would like to hear it

again a few times to really take it all in, but this is one of

responsibilities of a hungry or enlightened audience to take it all

in and then go on to another set a short time later.

 

The next set was also of this fest's best, it featured a new Rob

Brown Trio with Rob on alto sax & compositions, Craig Taborn on piano

and Nasheet waits on drums. At just about every Vision Fest, Rob

Brown presents a new work and/or band and astounds me/us every time.

This set was especially transcendent. Starting with a powerful drum

solo from the great Nasheet Waits, I must admit that Nasheet (son of

jazz drum legend Freddie Waits) has his own style and focus, much

different from anyone who plays in a freer jazz style. He

concentrates on a certain area of the drums and never wastes a note.

The theme that Rob had written for the first piece was tight-knit and

challenging to play, completely different from anything we've heard

from Rob before. The second piece was much different, starting off

spaciously and then played in slow motion. The haunting harmonies for

the piano and alto sax were both rich and sublime. Rob stretched out

each notes cautiously, reminding me of Lee Konitz, an unexpected

delight. With Nasheet on precious brushes, Craig took a sparkling,

stunning piano solo. Over the past decade, I've heard Craig Taborn

play more electronic than acoustic keyboards with Tim Berne, so it

was wonderful to hear him playing exclusively acoustic piano for this

set. It was one of Craig's best sets, so I would hope to hear more of

this from him. This piece ended with a torrential downpour of notes

that really blew some minds! The third piece started with just alto &

drums and was one of the difficult start & stop songs that Zorn loves

to write for Masada. All three musicians had to shadow each other

closely to make this piece work, it was not an easy feat. The last

piece began quietly and was filled with suspense, finally building to

volcanic solo from Craig before it calmed back down. This set was

astonishingly great and I hope that it is released on CD so those of

you who were not there can still hear it.

 

Legendary drummer, professor, healer and percussion innovator,

Milford Graves, plays live all to rarely. He put together a new

quartet just for this fest (his only NY area performance this year)

and it was indeed a strong one. It featured D.D. Jackson on piano,

William Parker on contrabass & d'son goni (sic), Grant Langford on

tenor sax and Milford on drums & vocalizations. There are a few

things that make Milford unique, his distinctive playing style, vocal

sounds and his odd, home-made drumset, with pictures painted on the

sides of the drums. The way Milford swirls around his set is

something special to see and hear, reminding me of Ginger Baker at

times, no doubt they both started out professionally around the same

time (early 60's). The set started with an amazing free duo explosion

of drums and piano. Before the set started I was wondering why

Milford had picked DD Jackson to play with, a certainly more straight

ahead jazz player. No doubt that Milford saw something special in DD

and he was an important part of this set. The first piece was a

frenzy of activity and astonishing to watch as well as hear. Choosing

William Parker seems like an easy decision since William is indeed

one of the best acoustic bassists on the planet and works well in

many situations. He added to the hurricane-like force of the quartet

perfectly. Saxist Grant Langford I believe was a student of Milford's

and also fit well blowing some fine tenor no matter where the quartet

headed. For the second piece, William switched to his d'son goni, an

acoustic African instrument that Don Cherry used to play and the vibe

calmed down. I dug this piece since we could finally hear some great

cross communications between all four musicians, duos into trio into

quartets. The final piece was more of a controlled frenzy with

powerful waves crashing on other waves. It was great to see/hear DD

slamming his hands on the piano in a most Don Pullen sort of way.

This piece built to a grand conclusion and was a most impressive way

to bring the set to close. Milford gave a little talk at the end

explaining how he chose each of his collaborators and thanking

Patricia and the rest of the festival organizers for an important

meeting the spirits.

 

For as long as DMG has been around (18 years last May), we have

always had a hard time selling discs by jazz singers. I am not so

sure why this is, but avant/jazz fans seem to prefer

instrumentalists. I have always had a fondness for the likes of Leon

Thomas, Joe Lee Wilson & Eddie Jefferson, as well as Cassandra

Wilson, Ellen Christie, Jay Clayton & Lisa Sokolov. I have long loved

experimental singers, so the weirder the better. I was glad to see

that Ms. Sokolov was on the bill for this fest, for me it was a much

needed break from what we've come to expect. For this set Lisa had

just a trio with Cameron Brown on bass, her son Jake Sokolov on cello

and Lisa on piano & vocals. What I dig about Lisa is that she is full

of surprises, she draws from different styles and genres and twists

her voice into some unexpected shapes. The first piece she did

reminded me of Laura Nyro, one of the soulful singers and songwriters

to emerge from the sixties. The way Lisa caressed each note with her

voice was a marvel, not afraid to bend certain notes or words in

unique ways. Next Lisa took Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" and

deconstructed it, speeding it up and slowing it down in odd ways and

making it fresh and new. Contrabassist Cameron Brown remains one of

the best bassists around and was a perfect foil for Lisa throughout

the set. His intro on "Lush Life" was enchanting and he did a

splendid job of backing Lisa's voice on this song as well. Cellist

Jake Sokolov also did a fine job of interweaving with Lisa's voice on

a piece called "I am a Broken Wand". I loved the way Lisa took "Ole

Man River" and stripped it down, adding words and transforming it

into a different song. What amazed me throughout the set was the way

that Ms. Sokolov was able to change the sound of her voice and alter

the meaning of her songs in a variety of different ways.

 

The final set of the night was also an unexpected turn. It was

Joe Morris' Go Go Mambo, a tribute to Prez Prado?!? Joe Morris is one

of the finest avant/jazz guitarists and bassists around and

consistently releases great, challenging discs with mostly trios or

quartets. For this set, Joe organized a ten-piece group and played

relatively straight arrangements of songs made popular by Latin

legend, Prez Prado. I was familiar with some of the members of this

band (from previous Morris projects) like Bill Lowe, Timo Shanko,

Steve Lantner, Jim Hobbs and special guest Tony Malaby. I must admit

that I not familiar with Mr. Prado or very much Latin music except

for Mongo Santamaria & Dizzy Gillespie's work with different Latin

musicians. The band was tight and music seemed to be well-played, but

I wasn't sure why exactly Joe Morris would debut this band at the

Vision Fest. There were a number of strong solos from Bill Lowe on

trombone, Steve Lantner on piano and Jim Hobbs on alto sax. Perhaps

it was too late in the evening and I was too tired to really enjoy

this set fully. After all this was the 5th day of the Vision Fest and

the last set of the night and I had a long trip home to make...

 

Sunday, June 14th was the 6th day of the Vision Fest and the last

day at the Abrons Center. This night opened with another fine trio

called Planet Dream with Rob Brown on alto sax, Steve Swell on

trombone and Daniel Levin on cello. As far as I could tell, this set

was completely improvised, unlike the previous Rob Brown Trio set I

heard the night before. What I dug about this set was the way it

unfolded, slowly and carefully with each member of the trio shifting

the direction by playing, reacting and conversing with the other two.

At times cellist Daniel Levin would take up the bass position by

plucking his strings and providing a bass line and/or a beat

underneath. For many in attendance, this was improvised music at its

best. There was much focused listening and attention to detail in

this trio, hence the interaction was often exciting and demanding. It

felt as if a play was unfolding with different relationships between

the players constantly shifting, responding and evolving into the

next scene. I noticed that it took more concentration in order hear

everything that was going on. Perhaps a second listen would provide

even more things to consider if that is possible.

 

The (New) Fred Anderson Trio were next and it was great but not

what some expected. This version of the trio featured Mr. Anderson on

tenor sax, William Parker on acoustic bass & d'son goni and Hamid

Drake on drumset & frame drum. Fred Anderson remains one of the most

intense and influential of all present day Chicago jazz legends,

which is pretty incredible considering that Fred just turned 80

earlier this year. Fred and younger Chicago drum wizard, Hamid Drake,

have been playing together for longer than any other musician who

Hamid still plays with since their families have been friends for

many years. Hence there is a special connection between Fred and

Hamid which was apparent throughout this fine set. The set started

with Fred on tenor, William on d'son goni and Hamid on frame drum and

it was a sublime beginning, subtle and building slowly to a more

intense conclusion. William soon picked up his double reed (musette?)

which moved the vibe in trance-like music, completely mesmerizing.

The second piece started with a tenor solo which was intense yet

without any screaming?!? I dug the way the rest of the trio came in

(contrabass & drums) and built until the energy was boiling. William

& Hamid have also long worked together and make a perfect rhythm

team. When then kicked it into high gear the feeling was one of a

cosmic ascension. Both Hamid and William took amazing solos during

the next piece and continued to blow minds. Now this what free/jazz

is really about: powerful, triumphant and uplifting for all in

attendance.

 

A nice change of pace was the next set by Michele Rosewoman &

Quintessence. Ms. Rosewoman has long led some fine multi-horned bands

here in NY with a number of great discs as a leader. She always picks

great musicians to work with so her new ensemble featured a stellar

crew: Loren Stillman & Jacob Yoffee on saxes, Vincent Gardner on

trombone, Rich Padron on guitar, Brad Jones on basses, Tyshawn Sorey

on drums and Ms. Rosewoman on acoustic & electric piano. Michele has

always been a gifted jazz composer and some of her music reminds me

of M-Base music slowed down a bit, challenging to play but not too

difficult to understand. I dug the way the piano, guitar, bass and

drums played their intricate lines while the horns played other

complex lines on top. Choosing Brad Jones (who sounded amazing on

electric & acoustic bass) and young upstart Tyshawn Sorey (who

occasionally sounds like a Tony Williams w/ Miles) was a particularly

smart move since both players are so strong in different situations.

Besides the consistently engaging composing, there were a number of

impressive solos from Mr.'s Gardner on trombone, Stillman on alto,

Padron on guitar, Yoffee on tenor and Michele on both pianos. There

was one tune where Michele used that somewhat funky clavinet setting

on her electric piano that recalled the 70's which I found refreshing

and not so dated.

 

The next set was also a woman led trio featuring Eri Yamamoto on

piano, Daniel Carter on multi-reeds & trumpet and Whit Dickey on

drums. For more than a decade, Ms. Yamamoto has led a more straight

jazz piano trio with a regular gig in the Village and a half dozen

releases. Since hooking up with Matt Shipp & William Parker and

recording of Thirsty Ear, Eri's playing has been getting freer and

going further out. Still, none of her previous recordings prepared us

for this set which was mostly free and consistently intense. It

started out spaciously and cautiously with Daniel playing some

sublime trumpet, slowly filling in the space with ghostlike sounds.

Eri did a great job of adding phrases and occasional themes to keep

the trio focused. Each time Daniel picked a different horn (soprano,

tenor, flute & clarinet), the vibe of the trio would change. I've

heard Ms. Yamamoto on a few occasions (once at our Bowery store) but

here she was at her most impressive. There were times when she would

explode into dense orchestral runs and times when she slowed things

down to a ballad-like grace. She picked to other master improvisers

who listened closely and responded with strong interaction on

different levels. This was yet another set of free/jazz at its best

with some occasional themes or melodic fragments to give the set a

more organic flow.

 

The final set that night was the much anticipated and aptly

titled Full Blast, a power trio featuring Peter Brotzmann on saxes &

clarinets, Marino Pliakas on electric bass and Michael Wertmuller on

drums. To say that this set was loud and controversial would be

putting it mildly. This set was incredibly f**king loud, over-the-top

and in-your-face! It reminded of the way the Last Exit, which also

featured Brotzmann, used to piss off jazz critics and other more

mellow folks. What's interesting is this: no doubt that all three of

these fellows are fine players but when it is that loud you can't

hear anything other than an explosive, corrosive roar. I dig their

two discs where I can actually turn it down to hear their individual

playing. My feeling is that Full Blast should be playing at rock or

noise festivals and not at the Vision Fest. I am a longtime fan of

Peter Brotzmann and would love to hear him with just about any other

project but I found this set to be ultimately boring and predictable.

One of my friends seemed angered by this set and said that he hated

it. This a strong reaction but not completely hard to comprehend.

 

The final night of the Vision Fest took place at the Orensanz

Center on Norfolk Street, where a number of previous Vision Fests

have taken place. This room is a vast old synagogue with good but not

great sound and a more spiritual vibe. The first set a special one

featuring Jason Kao Hwang's Spontaneous River, which was a massive

string ensemble with some 36 members. The ranks included Charles

Burnham, Henry Grimes & David Soldier on violins, Ron Lawrence,

Daniel Levin, seven guitars, a half dozen contrabassists (Francois

Grillot, Michael Bisio & Ken Filiano) and Andrew Drury on drums &

metals. Jason did a good job of conducting this large string

orchestra, moving waves upon other waves. There were moments of that

eerie sliding string sound pioneered by Penderecki and Xenakis. I

felt that the title of the ensemble, Spontaneous River, was most

appropriate since it did sound like a constantly moving river of

sounds, with slow and more rapid shifts. I dug the way Jason would

play a phrase or two on his violin and then direct sections of

musicians to repeat and/or alter what he just played. The balance

between the directed and charted sections was most often impressive

and no doubt difficult to pull off. My only complaint was the piece

was a bit too long and could've been edited down. Overall it was most

impressive and a great to begin the final day.

 

One of my favorite of all free/jazz trios is of course Trio X who

feature Joe McPhee on reeds & trumpet, Dominic Duval on contrabass

and Jay Rosen on drums. As always, their set was one of this

festival's best! They started with a most haunting, skeletal sound

with Joe on alto sax slowly bending each note one at a time. Each

member of the trio was wearing shades (and looking a bit foreboding),

yet their sound was most poignant and touching. Each piece was

dedicated to another jazz legend, from Ornette to Max Roach to

Freddie Hubbard to Henry Grimes. The beginning of "Take it to the

Max" for Mr. Roach had a wonderful Max-like drum solo which build

organically with a great Pharoah-like tenor solo from Joe. "Little

Sunflower" (for Mr. Hubbard) had a solemn bass intro with Joe on

Freddie-like pocket trumpet runs which were stunning. "Remembering

the Call" (for Mr. Grimes) had some superb bass and brushes from Jay.

This trio has the perfect balance of the lyrical and the freer

elements. This was a perfect set, the restraint and subtly were quite

magical. Every set I've heard from Trio X has been wonderful and

quite different.

 

Patricia Parker's Dance Ensemble were next and featured a trio

with Jason Hwang on violin, William Parker on bass & other

instruments and Cooper-Moore on two drumheads percussion. The four

dancers (2 women & 2 men) were all in white and did a good job of

creating their own scenes while the musicians played intensely on the

right hand side of the stage. William played some haunting

shackuhachi while Jason plucked his violin rhythmically, Copper-Moore

creating counter-beats. It took nearly the entire set before the

three musicians broke into some sort of groove. This was another

strong set that would've been better if were shorter.

 

The final set on the final night featured the William Parker

Quartet with guests. William's main quartet features Rob Brown on

alto sax, Lewis Barnes on trumpet, William on bass and Hamid Drake on

drums with special guests Bobby Bradford on cornet, James Spaulding

on alto sax and Billy Bang on violin. They started off with one of

those great grooves the William's quartets always specialize in. They

gave legendary cornetist Bobby Bradford the first solo which I

thought was not a good idea since he didn't know the material like

the rest of the members of the quartet so it took him a while to warm

up to the task. Hence by the time Lewis Barnes took his solo, the

quartet was already cookin' and Lewis blew up a storm. Rob Brown took

a great Dolphy-like solo but the highlight was the solo by James

Spaulding, perhaps the oldest member of the group and a sixties Blue

Note All-Star and longtime professor. This solo inspired Billy Bang

to also reach of the heavens with his solo as well. The group

eventually broke into a joyous reggae/funk sort of groove which was

infectious and had all of the members taking strong spirited solos.

This set was pretty great, not too long and a bit anti-climatic. The

great Bobby Bradford who rarely comes to NYC got a chance to lead a

jam session later that night at Local 269, but by that time I was on

my way home.

 

Vision Festival 14 was a strong festival overall and had many

great sets. I was pretty exhausted by the end since seven nights and

more than thirty sets is a bit too much for this old trooper. The

spirit of the festival, the feeling of a yearly family or community

reunion is what always brings me back. There are a few dozen folks

who come almost every year and seeing them, talking, eating and

experiencing the music, dance, vocals and artwork is what connects us

all to each other. Now more than ever we need a Vision to help us

connect with the spirit that is inside of all of us and rarely gets a

chance to be rejuvenated properly. Thanks once again to Patricia

Parker and her hard working staff, to all of the musicians, dancers

and artists involved and to all of the members of our extended family

who come together for another joyous yearly get-together.

 

Love, peace & happiness from Bruce Lee Gallanter / Downtown Music Gallery

[Zombywoof]

Tylko pogratulować koledze.

[barca]

Szczerze gratuluję i chyba troszeczkę zazdroszczę. Może kiedyś.. Tyle wspaniałej muzyki że nie wiem co bym chciał najbardziej zobaczyć. Napewno Freda Andersona i Wadade Leo Smitha ale z tego co czytam praktycznie każdy koncert to perełka.

[broy]

WI był w 2008, to jest recenzja z 2009.

pzdr