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Borah Bergman – Stefano Pastor

Live at Tortona

Mutable Music

Pianist Borah Bergman’s signature style employs both hands with dizzying ambidexterity. Bergman’s rigorous practice routine creates what he calls ambi-ideation: “each hand can go in its own way when it wants to.” His ambitious improvisations are equally freed from technical and ideological constraints. Although steeped in bebop and post-bop traditional styles, Bergman can also let rip cacophonous free jazz with the best shredders out there.

Bergman is joined by violinist Stefano Pastor for a 2007 live date in Tortona, Italy. Three compositions by Bergman, and two duo improvisations, underline the pianist’s dualistic division of labor between honeyed bebop and frenetic free playing. Some passages of his composition “Spirit Song” adopt a balladic lyricism imparted with yearning, sostenuto beauty; elsewhere, he prefers dissonant runs and bellicose clusters. “Wellspring” incorporates the blindingly fast uptempo harmonic changes of bop with a hyperambidexterity that makes the listener apt to do a double take, checking the liner notes to see if this is for piano four-hands.

Pastor proves a worthy foil for Bergman. Apt to bend a pitch rather than leave it statically squared in the middle, he revels in microtones and attacks bravura passages with an acid-toned eschewal of neo-romanticism. Like the pianist, he is steeped in traditional jazz styles, but is able both to adopt and, in turn, parody their conventions with equal believability. A baldly triadic passage in “Spirit Song” finds Pastor lampooning simple major-chord arpeggios before setting off on a skittering chromatic solo – one envisions an impish grin on the violinist’s face. On “Wellspring,” he matches Bergman sixteenth note for sixteenth note down the breakneck home stretch of the piece’s climax. His violin keens cantorially on the effervescent set-closer the “Mighty Oak,” providing a sinuous pedal against Bergman’s cadenza-like riffs. One hopes that this is merely the beginning of a series of collaborations for this formidable pair.

This morning I’m banishing the rainy day blues with pianist George Colligan’s new trio CD, Come Together (Sunny Side).  Colligan is joined by bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards for a stirring date that combines neo-trad staples with fresh-sounding new pieces.

Apparently, Beatlemania’s recent resurgence has extended to the jazz world, as the CD leads off with a killer version of “Come Together:” funky, raucously swinging, and full of punchy rhythmic vitality.

The recording’s other cover is Johnny Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile,” which the trio gives a delicate yet potent reading.

The rest of the material consists of originals by Colligan. The music takes on an ominous, sinuous cast on “Venom,” featuring athletic lines from Kozlov and chromatic chord solos from Colligan.

Another highlight is “Open Your Heart,” a ballad that manages an earnestly straightforward approach and considerable melodic appeal without ever lapsing into sentimentality.

Come Together closes with the sci-fi jazz of “Uncharted Territory,” a lengthy excursion into alternate accentuations and nonstandard scale types that brings the trio to the brink of “out” but retains a swinging sensibility.

George Colligan

Evan Parker

John Zorn’s The Stone is affording New York experimental and improvisation audiences an extraordinary opportunity this October. Saxophonist Evan Parker will play over twenty concerts in an extended residency at the new venue.

Parker is well known both for his solo concerts and for his work in a variety of group contexts. On June 30, he released Moment’s Energy, ECM’s fifth recording of the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, a group of more than a dozen improvisers from a number of disparate musical traditions.

Moment's Energy

Thus, if you’re not in the area, you still have a chance to hear some of his recent music-making. But if you’re in striking distance of NYC next month, one imagines there will seldom be so many opportunities to hear this vital and fascinating artist at work.

Evan Parker Residency at the Stone: Dates

10/1 Thursday 8 pm
Evan Parker Solo (soprano and tenor saxophone)
The legendary saxophonist begins his two week Stone Residency with his ear bending solo music.

10/1 Thursday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Richard Teitelbaum
Richard Teitelbaum (electronics) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophones)

10/2 Friday 8 and 10 pm
Evan Parker, Okkyung Lee and Peter Evans
Okkyung Lee (cello) Peter Evans (trumpet) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/3 Saturday 8 pm
Evan Parker & Milford Graves
Milford Graves (drums) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/3 Saturday 10 pm
Evan Parker & George Lewis
George Lewis (trombone) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/4 Sunday 8 pm
Evan Parker, Mark Dresser and Gerry Hemingway
Gerry Hemingway (drums) Mark Dresser (bass) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/4 Sunday 10 pm
Gerry Hemingway, Mark Dresser, Evan Parker and Herb Robertson
Herb Robertson (trumpet) Gerry Hemingway (drums) Mark Dresser (bass) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/6 Tuesday 8 pm
Evan Parker & Sylvie Courvoisier
Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/6 Tuesday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Ikue Mori
Ikue Mori (electronics) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/7 Wednesday 8 pm
Evan Parker & Wu Fei
Wu Fei (guzheng) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/7 Wednesday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Henry Kaiser
Henry Kaiser (guitar) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/8 Thursday 8 pm
Evan Parker & John Zorn
John Zorn (sax) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/8 Thursday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Ned Rothenberg
Ned Rothenberg (reeds) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/9 Friday 8 pm
Evan Parker & Suzie Ibarra
Suzie Ibarra (drums, percussion) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/9 Friday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista (percussion) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/10 Saturday 8 and 10 pm
Evan Parker, Matt Shipp and William Parker
Matt Shipp (piano) William Parker (bass) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/11 Sunday 8 and 10 pm
IMPROV NIGHT—A STONE BENEFIT
Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone) John Zorn (sax) Ned Rothenberg (reeds) Okkyung Lee (cello) Ikue Mori (electronics) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Shanir Blumenkranz (bass) Eyal Maoz (guitar) and many special surprise guests.
Come out for this extra special Improv Night and help the Stone survive through its monthly Musical Rent Party—an East Village tradition!

10/13 Tuesday 8 pm
Evan Parker & Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell (bass) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/13 Tuesday 10 pm
Evan Parker & Chris Corsano (drums)
Chris Corsano (drums) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/14 Wednesday 8 and 10 pm
Evan Parker & Dave Holland
Dave Holland (bass) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/15 Thursday 8 and 10 pm
Evan Parker & Fred Frith
Fred Frith (guitar) Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)

10/16 Friday 8 pm
Evan Parker, Tim Berne and Earl Howard
Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophones) Tim Berne (alto sax) Earl Howard (alto sax)

10/16 Friday 10 pm
Evan Parker Solo
Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone)
The legendary saxophone innovator ends his two week Stone run with another virtuosic solo saxophone concert.

Bebel Gilberto

Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto releases her latest album, All in One, on September 29 (Verve Forecast).

Primarily singing in Portuguese, Gilberto has merged traditional Brazilian music with postmodern pop and jazz inflections. Abetting her efforts are a number prominent Brazilian and English musicians, including Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls), Carlinhos Brown (Caetano Veloso), Daniel Jobim (grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim), and John King (the Dust Brothers).

You can hear rousing a song off the LP, entitled “Chica Chica Boom Chic,” available for download below:

MP3: Chica Chica Boom Chic

Andreas Willers on Leo Records

Andreas Willers

Drowning Migrant

Leo CD LR 532

Andreas Willers has been recording for many imprints since 1981 as a leader and with such artists as Paul Bley, Gebhard Ullmann, and Louis Sclavis. But even an avant-garde guitarist with as extensive a pedigree as Willers must be excited to have two labels releasing solo albums in the same year. In 2009, Drowning Migrant appears on Leo, while Jazzwerkstatt presents Orange Years. According to the artist, each has a very different approach to music-making. I can only comment on the Leo release, as I’ve yet to nab a copy of Orange Years (stay tuned).

Drowning Migrant exhibits an engaging, multifaceted approach to experimental solo playing. The sonic palette Willers employs is diverse and robust. On pieces like the title track and “Eight Nocturnes,” it sometimes seems like the soundscaping atmospheres of Frippertronics on steroids. But “Cranberry Pineapple” show jazz chops aplenty, while “Extrakt 4” is a shredding fusion vignette. Elsewhere, there’s a bit of whimsy. Breatharan” uses vocal sounds (primarily, intakes of air and exhalations) and melodica, while “Industrial Banjo” distresses and mutates banjo sounds in an extended alt-electronica tone poem. Drowning Migrant may not concern itself with coalescence into an overarching approach, but it’s a rewarding mélange of a host of styles and sounds.

The Bird and the Bee have released a video, a single from their latest LP Ray Guns are Not Just the Future (Blue Note). The LP has been in heavy rotation around here – a delightful mix of electronica, Sixties pop, and suave jazz with Inara George’s winsome vocals and a bevy of trendy beats.

Video: My Love (YouTube)