Yearly Archive: 2018
Rez Abbasi & Invocation – Unfiltered Universe – Whirlwind
Rez Abbasi & Invocation – Unfiltered Universe [TrackList follows] – Whirlwind WR4713, 50:00 [11/10/17] ****: A heady infusion of ‘creative music with a jazz weighting’. (Rez Abbasi – guitar, co-mixer, producer; Rudresh Mahanthappa – alto saxophone; Vijay Iyer – piano; Johannes Weidenmueller – double bass; Dan Weiss – drums; Elizabeth Mihael – cello) Things inevitably must end. With his 50-minute, seven-track album Unfiltered Universe, guitarist Rez Abbasi concludes a trilogy of records with his group Invocation. The band started with Things to Come (2008) and then issued Suno Suno (2012). These three releases have two items in common. They incorporate elements of Indian and Pakistani music. The first project highlights Hindustani influences; the second focuses on Qawwali as a base; and Unfiltered Universe uses Carnatic music as a foundation. All three Invocation CDs also include artists who have garnered a lot of acclaim over the years: Abbasi on guitar, Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto saxophone, pianist Vijay Iyer, drummer Dan Weiss and bassist Johannes Weidenmueller. Cellist Elizabeth Mihael also returns as a special guest. Those who might think this is an overt Indo/Pak-Western hybrid are wrong. Abbasi perceives his subconscious reactions as an inspiration. “I have an intuitive way of approaching […]
Club d’Elf – Live at Club Helsinki – Face Pelt
Club d’Elf – Live at Club Helsinki [TrackList follows] – Face Pelt 5003 (2-CDs) 62:47, 63:52 [1/10/17] ****: A jazz, Middle Eastern, jam band exhibition. (John Medeski – Hammond B3 organ, electric piano, clavinet, mellotron, melodica; Duke Levine – guitar; Mister Rourke – DJ; Mike Rivard – sintir, bass kalimba, bass; Brahim Fribgane – oud, voice, percussion; Dean Johnston – drums; Thomas Workman – flute, (CD 2, tracks 1 and 2)) There is an extensive range of material from Club d’Elf on the group’s double-disc live album, Live at Club Helsinki. Formed in 1998, Club d’Elf utilizes many musical styles, including jazz, Moroccan Gnawa, hip hop, psychedelia, electronica, avant-garde and dub. The ever-evolving assemblage is led by bassist Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, with musical associates flowing in and out for live gigs and recording dates. Guitars, Fender Rhodes, turntables, laptops, horns, Indian percussion and other types of instruments have been employed. This outing—taped in mid-November 2012 at the Hudson, NY club where Club d’Elf have done shows since 2001—comprises Rivard on sintir (a three-stringed, skin-covered bass plucked like a lute), kalimba and bass; Johnston on drums; special guest John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin and Wood) on several keyboards; […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
