Fred ANDERSON & Harrison BANKHEAD - The Great Vision Concert: rec 2003 live at the Vision Festival NYC  CD  Ayler ∫ Fred Anderson ts; Jarrison Bankhead b ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, Jason Bivins: ... a fine live date ... when the mood strikes, there's little like that dark brooding that Anderson can sometimes achieve, perfectly partnered by Bankhead, whose lyrical playing seems midway between Hopkins and Haden ... they shadow each other perfectly, but not with tiresome mimicry - rather, they do so with deep sympathy and a shared vision ... the whole thing swings like hell, and people were dancing in the aisles. A really good one

Jon BALKE - Book of Velocities: CD  ECM => weblink ∫ Jan Balke piano solo ∫ reviews - DRS2, Jazz aktuell 16.10.07, Empfehlung Jürg Solothurnmann

Billy BANG - Above & Beyond / An Evening In Grand Rapids: rec 2003  CD  Justin Time ∫ Billy Bang vio; Frank Lowe ts; Andrew Bemkey p; Todd Nicholson b; Tatsuya Nakatani dr ∫ reviews - coda 09.07, Andrey Henkin: ... Lowe was one of those unsung heroes of the New York avant garde, cutting sides with Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali and Don Cherry as well as a number of records as a leader for various obscure labels ... this album is typical Bang in its bluesy melodicism and almost delicate song construction ... the younger rhythm section of acquits itself well but the energy flows directly from the intimacy between Bang and Lowe

Jerry BERGONZI - Tenorist: CD  Savant => weblink ∫ Jerry Bergonzi tgs; John Abercrombie g; Dave Santoro b; Adam Nussbaum ∫ Pannonica / La Mesha a.o. ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, G.A. Edwards: Bergonzi's latest disc puts him in good company ... bassist and drummer lay down the rhythm section foundation with big ears and strong swing and, of course, guitarist Abercrombie has become an institution in his own right ... Bergonzi shows he has not stood still over the years, but has continued to refine his approach and syntax ... the CD is on the modern edge of the mainstream, with seven good Bergonzi originals and a couple of refreshed items from the Jazz repertoire / Bill Milkowski: "His bold penetrating tone and furiously paced streams of notes make for a commanding voice indeed. His passionate improvisations are marked by a consistency of strength in every register and a penchant for harmonic development"

David BINNEY - Cities and Desire: rec 2006 CD  Criss Cross ∫ David Binney as; Mark Turner ts; Craig Taborn b; Thomas Morgan b; Dan Weiss dr ∫ Originals by David Binney: Lisbon / London / Intro To Toronto / Toronto Los Angeles / Intro To Carpinteria / Carpinteria / Intro To Rome / Rome / Montreal / Intro To Miami / Miami / New York City  ∫ reviews - cadence 03.07, Jerome Wilson: ... this is an ambitious experiment in long form composition by David Binney, a continuous suite of pieces all based on some of Binney's favorite cities ... this record is an unexpected treat, a kaleidoscopic suite of sounds and emotions performed by a marvelous group. This is one of those major projects that deserves widerpread attention, which I hope it gets / DownBeat 03.07 ****

David BINNEY / Edward SIMON - Océanos: rec 2004 CD  Criss Cross Jazz =>  weblink ∫ David Binney as; Edward Simon p; Scott Colley b; Brian Blade dr; Luciana Souza voc; Adam Rogers g; Shane Endsley tp; Jesse Newman tp; Alan Ferber tb; Pernell Saturnino perc ∫ Originals by Binney, Simon, Colley ∫ reviews - coda 09.07, Nate Dorward: As composers Binney and Simon both share an ability to create harmonically and metrically intricate structures that nonetheless flow quite naturally ... the music is often very beautiful - especially when the textures are further deepened and softened by the addition of Luciana Souza's wordless vocals and Adam Rogers's guitar - but it never succumbs to stasis: the intricate dovetailing of musical themes and moods give the listener the impression of circling around a central beauty that remains tantalizingly just out of reach ... It's a bit a puzzle why the CD, originally recorded in 2004, has waited so long for release, but in any case it's good to hear this fine session at last

Michael BRECKER - Pilgrimage: rec 2007 CD  EmArCy => weblink ∫ Michael Brecker sax; Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau p; Pat Metheny g; Jack DeJohnette dr; John Patitucci b ∫ reviews - coda 09.07, Scott Yanow: Brecker is in typically miraculous form throughout playing at his peak with what sounds like boundless energy and also doubling a little on the EWI. The pain he was feeling is absent in the music and his solos are full of fresh ideas and impossible-to-play phrases along with that distinctive sound /  JazzThetik 07.07 ***** / DownBeat 07.07 ****  Paul de Barros: In effect his own epitaph, Pilgrimage is the only album Brecker ever made featuring only his own tunes and features his last recording (the title track). Given the circumstances, the aptly named and curiously hopeful Pilgrimage epitomizes the searching final period in which the saxophonist aimed his monumental technique at making consistently better, deeper and more beautiful music. / Radio Magazin 06.07 ***** Empfehlung Beat Blaser / DRS2, Jazz aktuell 22.05.07, Empfehlung Peter Bürli

John Wolf BRENNAN - Zero Heroes:  rec 2003, live at Vancouver Festival, Cda  CD  Leo Records ∫ Peggy Lee cel; John Wolf Brennan p; Dylan van der Schyff perc ∫ reviews - Greg Buium: Zero Heroes isn't some reckless piece of bravado. John Wolf Brennan just loves playing with words. Puns and puzzles and all sorts of poetic trickery seem second nature to him. Think of his song and CD titles maybe "Flarps & Shats" or "ConZENtration" or "Para.ph(r)ase" as a kind of shortcut into his musical mind. In part, it seems like a good bit of fun, but if you look a little closer you'll probably find something there to unpack: something shrewd and, often, quite telling. So it is with Zero Heroes, the name he's given to this astonishing trio performance, with cellist Peggy Lee and drummer Dylan van der Schyff, recorded in Vancouver in March 2002. Sure, the title rhymes. And, as Brennan told me, it's also a cryptic and timely reference to the world after September 11th. ("There is zero need for heroism in the American cowboy sense: shoot first, then think. No beating about the Bush here...") But Zero Heroes is, really, about the improviser's art: its impromptu events and matter-of-fact connections, its nuanced notion of freedom and nearly preternatural sense of form. And it's also about how we the audience listen ... ∫ soundclip ∫ J.W. Brennan

Willem BREUKER Kollektief - At Ruta Maya Café: rec 2005 CD  BVHAAST∫ Willem Breuker reeds, cond, comp; Maarten vna Norden, Alex Coke ts; Hermine Deurloo as, hca; Andy Altenfelder, George Pancras tp; Bernard Hunnekink, Andy Bruce tb ; Henk de Jonge p; Arjen Gorter b; Rob Verdumen dr ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, David Kane: ... somewhat surreal mixture of wacky theatricality, circusy music, big band Jazz, lederhosen infused '20s style Broadway tunes and Spike Jones type eclecticism ... / DownBeat 04.07 ***° 

BRINK MAN SHIP - Elephant and Castle: rec 2003  CD  Universal Jazz CH ∫ Jan Galega Brönnimann sax; René Reimann g; Emanuel Schnyder b; Christoph Staudenmann dr ∫ reviews  jamaica observer, 06.04: «With leader Jan Galega on sax, René Reimann on guitar, Emanuel Schnyder on bass and Christoph Staudenmann on drums, Brink Man Ship, billed as part of the Euro Jazz Invasion, opened the festival and proceeded to mesmerise the small gathering with their special brand of jazz, described by enthusiasts as urban electronic. The band has been creating extensive press and public attention in Europe with their current release Elephant and Castle and took the audience on a tour of that castle with a smooth performance that lasted nearly an hour.» / DRS2 Jazz aktuell 03.03 Empfehlung Peter Bürli / Luzerner Zeitung 03.03, Pirmin Bossart: «Die Band des Saxofonisten Jan Galega Brönnimann steht an der Schwellle von traditionellen Jazzharmonien und elektronischen Klangbildern, elastischer Rhythmik und repetitivem Beat. In mustergültiger Weise gelingt ihnen die Fusion von gestern und Heute zu einem eigenen Sound. Dabei werden weder die Traditionalisten vor den Kopf gestossen, noch die Soundästheten der experimentellen Elektronik beleidigt. Das lässt die brandaktuelle Cd "elephant and castle" hören. Die Cd ist auf Universal erschienen. Offensichtlich rechnet sich das Major-Labelmit diesem fein abgestimmten Electronic-Jazz eine gute Verkaufschance aus. Die Combo hätte es verdient. Ihre Musik zeugt von Können und Geschmack.»

Jaki BYARD - Sunshine Of My Soul / Live At The Keystone Korner 1978: released  2001 CD  HighNote => weblink ∫ Jaki Byard piano solo ∫ European Episode / Emily /  Daydream / Seasons / Round Midnigh / Sunshine of My Soul; God Bless the Child; Lush Life / Charles Mingus Medley: Fables Of Faubus, Peggy's Blue Skylight / Spinning Wheel / Besame Mucho / Two Different World ∫ reviews - cadence 08.07, D.D. McNeil: Here we have the master pianist/composer/arranger who effortlessly embraces and articulates a variety of piano styles single-handedly ... he works his way from the beginning to the end of "the ivories", tickling all eighty-eight keys in a tribute to Ragtime and Stride; Avant Garde and New Orleans Blues; and moving from Classical to the curious ... He's such a magician at the keyboard you might say he's churnign butter to gold. Byard takes the familiar and transforms it. His magnificent talent will mystify your ears and challenge your imagination / DownBeat 07.07 **** Greg Buium: Sunshine Of My Soul begins with a declaration and a nod, “Tribute To The Ticklers” (think James P. Johnson and Willie “The Lion” Smith) and a medley for Charles Mingus. Then comes Byard’s “Hazy Eve,” an emblematic intersection of an Ellingtonian line and European color. It’s a master class in musical architecture: plush lyricism wedded to a wicked blues rumble (“Songs Of Proverbs”), pop song (“Spinning Wheel”) and a Mexican classic (“Because Mucho”) redesigned./  DRS2, Jazz aktuell 01.05.07, Empfehlung Jürg Solothurnmann

CHICAGO UNDERGROUND TRIO - Chronicle: rec 2006  CD  Delmark => weblink ∫ Rob Mazurek co, electr; Chad Taylor dr, vib;  Noel Kupersmith b;  Jeff Parker g ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, Marc Medwin: ... much of the disc's charm and power lies in viceralgia; the loudest sections shake walls and break glass ... there are also moments of supreme space near silence, where only a few percussives, or Mazurek's Dixonesque cornet, disturb the stillness ... this is a fine document and abold timbral statement worthy of repeated listening /   DownBeat 07.07 *** James Hale: A live performance filled with atmospheric electro-acoustic trnasformations, Chronicle resents a trio with a range of textures, tonalities and approaches to group interaction

CYMINOLOGY - Bemun: rec 2006 CD  Double Moon => weblink ∫ Cymin Samawatie voc; Benedikt Jahnel p; Ralf Schwarz b; Ketan Bhatti dr; special guest: Frank Möbus ∫ reviews - JazzThetik 10.07 **** / Radio DRS2, Jazz aktuell, 10.04.07 Empfehlung Peter Bürli / JazzThing 03.07, Ralf Dombrowski: ... vertonte persische Lyrik ... kompakt, mit klanglichen Querverweisen auf die mittleren Aufnahmen Flora Purims ... mannigfaltig variierte Klangfarben, manchmal sogar an von Steve Reich inspirierte Repetitionsmotive und mäandrierende Linienführungen ... Kompendium der Möglichkeiten musikkulturellen Dialogs auf jazzender Basis, thematisch dicht gewebt und mit Tendenz zu kammermusikalischer Verinnerlichung / Berliner Zeitung: ... sehr impulsive Mischung aus alter persischer Lyrik und zeitgenössischem Jazz zu einem unerwartet spannenden Hörabenteuer / JazzThetik 02.07 ***°

Martin DAHANUKAR / Blood System - Nanda Devi: rec 2006  CD  Zodiac Sounds => weblink ∫ Martin Dahanukar (tp), Vinz Vonlanthen g, loops; Samuel Joss b; Peter Horisberger dr ∫ Kommentar: JazzThing, Martin Laurentius: Der Schweizer Trompeter mit indischen Wurzeln hat eine Vorliebe für dunkle Farben...die acht Originals setzt Dahanukar raffiniert und gekonnt zu einer kontrastreichen, mal mystisch, mal spirituell klingenden Suite zusammen. Wenn er mit seinem scharfen Trompeten-Ton in die stürmischen Rock-Gitarren-Riffs schneidet, wenn digitale Loops und Samples den rauschenden Modern-Jazz-Strom in ruhigere Ambient-Fahrwasser lenken, dann besitzen Dahanukar und die Musiker seiner von ihm auch als Electrified Quartet bezeichneten Band eine Reife und Emotionalität, wie man sie so nicht erwartet hätte. Grossartig und einzigartig. / Musik wie der nächtliche Anflug über einer asiatischen Megapolis. Still aufglimmende Glut des Lichtermeers im Atem des nahen Dschungels. Blood System ist Martin Dahanukars  elektrifiziertes Quartett. Mächtige Rhythmen unter Gitarrenstürmen vermischt mit asiatischen Zwölftonmelodien wechseln mit Klängen voller Sanftheit. Wie schwarze Seide ein schwebendes Negativ der menschlichen Seele. / Olaf Behrens: Mit dieser gekonnten Mischung aus Rock und Jazz gelingt Martin Dahanukar ein geradezu einzigartiger Wurf. / Dahanukar is quite a charmer, both with melodies and words...his latest jazz compositions sound more Indian than anything else. Dahanukar has even created a composition inspired by the dark components of Amitav Ghosh's „The Hungry Tide“. But not all of Dahanukar's compositions are dark. There are some happy ones that draw from Bollywood music.

Alessandro D'EPISCOPO - Meraviglioso: rec 2005  CD  Altri Suoni => weblink ∫ Alessandro D'Episcopo p; Hämi Hämmerli b; Elmar Frey dr ∫ In Walked Bud / Rhythm A Ning / Ugly Beauty / a.o. ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, Michael Rosenstein: ... the set is dominated by a soft lyricism: even the Monk pieces are phrased with a smoothly polished swing ...t he leader's fleet melodicism shapes the music, draping his improvisations with lush harmonic voicings ... charting out a rolling momentum with his left hand, his right hand lines dance across  the themes ... bassist Hämmerli is a well-known sideman on the Swiss scene, and his tasteful, warm, sonorous tone and nimble phrasing melds with the pianist ... Frey has a light hand on the kit able to provide a simmering momentum to the music without overwhelming the mix ... the pieces are played with an accomplished sense of group dynamic and technical mastery / George Gruntz ruft ‚Bravo‘ und gratuliert in seinen Liner Notes zur neuen CD.

DIRK - That How Much You Mean To Me: rec  2003  CD  Elite Special ∫ Helen Iten voc; Eliane Cueni p; Sandra Merk e-b ∫ reviews : JazzLinks, Chan: Die Damen-Band überrascht durch eigenwillige Themen, eigenständige Ausdrucksweise und professionelle Darbietung. Der Jazz wird zwar nicht neu erfunden, jedoch auf eine sympathisch-weibliche Art präsentiert.

Christy DORAN / John Wolf BRENNAN / Patrice HÉRAL - Triangulation: rec 2004  CD  Leo Records ∫ Christy DORAN g, el-g; John Wolf BRENNAN kb; Patrice Héral perc & live etr ∫ reviews - Label: The three viruosi triangulate among genres, moods, pacing, attack and pause, throwing into the pot their huge experiences of playing jazz, rock, and new music. ∫

Christy DORAN's NEW BAG - Now's The Time: rec 2006  CD => weblink ∫ Christy Doran b; Bruno Amstad voice; Hans-Peter Pfammatter keyb; Wolfgang Zwiauer ac b-g; Fabian Kurartli dr ∫ reviews - Jazzdimensions „Komplexe Kompositionen (fast alle aus der Feder von Christy Doran), vertrackte rhythmische und dynamische Abläufe und Schichtungen, virtuoses Zusammenbringen ganz unterschiedlicher Stilelemente.“ / Berner Zeitung „Man staunt 51 Minuten lang über ausgefuchste Improvisationen, die kraftvoll, witzig, unbeugsam und brachial zum Ziel eilen.“ / Jazz’N’More 07.06 **** Irische Volksmusik, Rock, Jazz, Klassik und klassische Avantgarde, improvisierte Musik, Instant Composiong und ethnische Musik sind Grundlage Doran's Projekte ... "Now's The Time", ein Hörvergnügen. Johannes Anders

Anat FORT - A Long Story: rec 2004  CD  ECM => weblink ∫ Anat Fort p, Perry Robinson cl/ocarina, Ed Schuller b, Paul Motian dr∫ Not A Dream? / Just Now, Var. I / a.o. ∫ reviews - coda 09.07, Ken Waxman: Fort announces herself as a stylist wedded to the contemporary American piano tradition. Prodigious in her playing she balances bravura invention from both hands with a gift for composing serpentine melodies / cadence 09.07; Robert Iannapollo: Fort chose her sidemen wisely ... Motian, playing with Schuller (their association goes back to the early '80s),the two give this music with its tricky passages and subtle rhythmic shifts just the energy it needs ... Fort has assembled an excellent recording. It's a disc that reveals itself as it progresses and over repeated listenings. 'A Long Story' tells a story that's well worth hearing / Radio Magazin 01.07 ***** / DRS2, Jazz aktuell 02.07 empfohlen durch Peter Bürli

Billy FOX - The Uncle Wiggly Suite: rec 2007  CD  clean feed => weblink ∫  Billy Fox cga, triangle; Mark Dresser b; Deanna Witkowski p; John Savage as, fl; Gary Pickard ts, ss; Percy Pursglove tp; John O'Brien dr; Christopher Hoffman cello; Paul Faatz cl, bcl, bs; Arun Luthra ts, ss; Skyle Steele vio; Scott Shaeffer b; Danny Katz shamisen ∫ Originals by Billy Fox ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, Jerome Wilson: Billy Fox is one of those composers, like Maria Schneider, who uses an orchestra as his instrument ... bassist Dresser sets the pace on most of the longer works, like 'Uncle Wiggly', where his furious playing leads to the horns blaring out a spare five note theme against a brisk rhythmic pace ... Fox shows plenty of composing and arranging skills on this CD

Hal GALPER - Furious Rubato: rec 2006, released 2007 CD  Origin => weblink ∫ Hal Galper p; Jeff Johnson b; John Bishop dr ∫ Milestones / Valse Cool / Zen / Figurine / Chromatic Fantasy / Naima / Miles Ahead / Other Days ∫ reviews - cadence 09.07, Marc Medwin: Galper's offering war the biggest surprise ... it's the furthest out, his playing much more adventurous than I would have expected. Clearly in the tradition, his keyboard attack is nevertheless somehow brazen, bold and certain, as with Andrew Hill of the 'Strange Serenade' period ... Johnson and Bishop provide wonderful support ...  I could certainly recommend this release to thos that view Jazz as background music, but even more strongly to those that relish a fresh look at the familiar. Hats off to' Origin' for the achievement 

Heinz GEISSER & Guerino MAZZOLA - Live at Airegin: rec 2004 live at the Vision Festival NYC CD  Ayler => weblink ∫ Guerino Mazzola p; Heinz GEISSER perc; Takayuki Kato g; Yuki Saga voc ∫ reviews - Signal to Noise, Bill Barton: If, back in the day, you got up one morning, knocked back a couple of quadruple-shot espressos, did a few lines of Peruvian marching dust, then took a ride with Miles Davis in his Ferrari, you may have felt a little like this music sounds. To call this music high-energy would be an understatement: it's wired, amped, Fire Music that rages like an inferno. Long-time compatriots, drummer Geisser and pianist Mazzola are both incessant, loquacious improvisers who tend to operate at a light-speed intensity that demands deep listening and an attention span geared to long-form creativity. It's demanding music that comes at you like a tsunami.