By Paul Acquaro Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon is having a busy 2022, just half-way into the year and there are at least four recordings that he has released, two of which my colleague Matt Banash reviewed this week: Joy and Sorrow and Pure and Simple. Going back to the start of the year, Salamon released … Read more
Albert Ayler – Revelations: The complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental 5-LP or 4-CD set. 5990443. Album review by Jon Turney) Three great saxophonists helped ease jazz out of the initially liberating but ultimately confining conventions of bebop. John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman’s contributions to this new-found, or reinvented, freedom are recognised as monumental, … Read more
Bill Bruford – Making A Song And Dance: A Complete Career Collection (BMG 5053875290. 6-CD Set. Album review by John Bungey) “Listening back to old efforts is a bit like looking back through faded photo albums; you’re mostly embarrassed not only by the terrible jeans you wore, but by the fact that you didn’t know … Read more
By Lee Rice Epstein What can any of us add to the legacy of Albert Ayler? What can be said that hasn’t been said better by his own horn and vocals? In 2004, on the Holy Ghost box, listeners finally heard Ayler’s final performance, a short set from July 28, 1970, with his last quintet, … Read more
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) announced the nominees for the 2022 A2IM Libera Awards Presented by Merlin, continuing its 17-year tradition of supporting and honoring the extraordinary talent of the independent music sector. Nominees in the 33 categories range from the experimental pop of Japanese Breakfast (the most-nominated artists of the year with … Read more
By Lee Rice Epstein First thing first, given this audience tends to prefer physical media, inarguably digital is the right, best solution for this release. Yes, inarguably. Here’s why: the last major group performance recorded before 1973, The Great Concert of Cecil Taylor or Nuits De La Fondation Maeght, Vols. 1–3, is one set split … Read more