The new and improvised music scene is incredibly alive because artists, performer, promoters, multimedia collaborators and audiences take risks. The risks are real: boredom, ridicule, financial loss, embarrassment, anger, and wasted time and energy.

Recall the last time you hated a piece of recorded music a friend played for you and how you said so. Recall the last time you saw a live performance which didn’t work for you and how you said so aloud, later finding out the performer’s mother or the composer was sitting behind you. Recall the music you once hated but now find nourishing; also the music you’ve decided to put behind you. Sadly, recall the incredible performance you'll never forget as long as you live, and that there were only two other people in the audience.

The music venues I’ll be covering in this column are mostly in New York, because that’s where I live, but remember this: the performers, composers, record labels, are universal, both geographically (viz. the Sun Ra Astro Infinity Myth-Science Arkestra, Scriabin’s “Mysterium,” and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s and Anthony Braxton’s intergalactic operas) and because you, dear reader, are reading these dots and dashes from a chair anywhere in the world.

New music, experimental music, improvised music, composed music... call ‘em anything but new age, please, and I'll be there. Like the quote attributed to Big Bill Broonzy: “It’s all folk music, cause horses don’t sing.” Nor forget Edgard Varèse’s aviso: “I do not write experimental music. My experimenting is done before I make the music. Afterwards, it is the listener who must experiment,” and so here we begin, continuing a column I began in LaFolia.com.

ALP. Out and About With Alp. Soleilmoon SOL 124, 46:49, soleilmoon.com

Alp is Roger Harberry of England, and the notes describe this as “the secret sound of Amsterdam,” taken entirely from “a contact mic on the streets and canals of the city centre.” I was excited; I love sound environments and the tricks that be done with this. Harberry has processed this to a shimmering drone with no flavor of Amsterdam, although it’s pretty and innocuous. “Markt” begins with an edgy, almost-panpipe of a whistle sound, but after a few minutes it too gets shimmery. “Kade” is dark and cloudy, and, given its winds and imaginary monsters, the track I like best.

B3 BOMBERS featuring CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD. Live At The Green Mill. AllTribe Records ATR074, 72:06, alltribe.com

Sadly, this organ funk group neither bombs nor bombs, which makes it a basic bar band. Recorded live in Chicago, I’d expect more heat from the players and the audience. Maybe they ran out of beer that day. Nothing musically wrong, mind you, just perfunktory. Ditto for drummer Stubblefield and his vocals. The instrumentals do their thing well enough, mind you, but if you are going to cover James Brown’s “Make It Funky,” you had damned well better have something fresh and rhythmic to incant. B.B. King would be blue from Stubblefield’s vocal on his song “Sweet Sixteen.” The “rapper/poet” Elo Him (in Hebrew, “Elohim” is one of God’s names; I assume it is similar in Arabic) has absorbed a lot of Gil Scot-Heron and tired clichés about “princesses” and “devils,’’ although it is a biracial band. Some nice psychedelic funk guitar from Mike Standal.

MICHAEL BISIO / EYVIND KANG. MBEK™ Duos. Meniscus MNSCS 005, 68:21, morga041@tc.umn.edu.

Kang works in so many modes and genres I had no clue what to expect here. John Coltrane’s “Seraphic Light,” the opening track, is a powerful blues-imbued duet where Kang’s violin has clear Asian sonorities. It makes me think of Leroy Jenkins in The Revolutionary Ensemble’s Vietnam as well as Jenkin’s blues pieces. “After The Break” find the two grinding against each other with the astounding sensitivity acrobats require for safety while placing themselves entirely at risk. The entire disc is a superb series of eight risky acoustic violin-bass duets, and every leap of faith and breath held is immensely rewarded. Their Seattle engineering and mastering team deserve applause as well.

ANDY BISKIN. Dogmental. GM 3044, 72:24, GMRecordings.com

Clarinetist Biskin’s quintet is a trip. I grinned throughout the opener, “Laughing Stock.” The followup, “Field Days,” has a suave Ellingtonian slide, with some delicate dissonances making all the difference, as William Carlos Williams would say. Superb arrangements for all fifteen tracks by the leader. This quintet consist of bassist Ben Allison, drummer Matt Wilson, both of whom are always simultaneously subtle and brilliant (save sometimes on their own discs), and trumpeter Ron Horton with Bruce Eidem on ‘bone. Less raucous than groups like Sex Mob or the Breuker Kollektief, but with the same delicious slyness. At times Dogmental brings to mind the pre-commercial Don Byron. I can’t imagine anyone to whom this wouldn’t have appeal.

BLACK FACTION. Internal Dissident, Part 1. Soleilmoon SOL 127 CD, 70:03, soleilmoon.com

Black Faction is Andrew Landmanis Diey. He takes the concept of ambient and messes around with it, adding what might be beats, but in the “Introduction” could just be jaw harp. Yup, beats show up all right but I’d not label this electronica. It has a humor, all too often missing in these genre-straddling discs, and not just from the little munchkin sounds adding texture here and there; it has clever timing, and one doesn't usually think of timing and phrasing with such synthesized music. The beats are not pervasive, or consistent. There are as many slashes and elements of collage and musique concrète here as anything else, and this would appeal at least as much to collectors of those if they have the breadth to also enjoy dark ambient, not only musically, but some of the rarely appearing silly dark texts done seriously. “Afghan Front v1.1,” like the other tracks, were recorded 1998-1999, and has texts regarding the Soviet Union and the Cold War. “Odessa” and “Causus Burial Tape Part 1” do use beats to the detriment of those pieces; no need to be a dark ambient lite-Enigma.

ROB BLAKESLEE QUARTET. Last Minute Gifts. Louie 019, 60:45, louierec@peak.org

I haven’t heard from the leader, a fine blower of trumpet and fluegelhorn, who also hits percussion, since his fine 1994 Long Narrows (Nine Winds NWCD 0167) with Bisio and Golia. Here his compatriots are trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, with bassist Clyde Reed and drummer Dave Storrs. All compositions are Blakeslee’s, and interesting ones, with plenty of room for stretching out for soloing and duoing. Each of these six original pieces average ten minutes and this is the kind of disc folks might overlook for being to mainstream, and although not avant, let’s be thankful for this band of fine improvisers who have gone beyond postbop and know how to make every second count without the need to show off.

JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY. Boom Bop. Jazz Magnet/PAO JAM-2005, jazzmagnet.com

Guitarist Bourelly has straddled the rock/jazz genre so long and so well. This is my first encounter with his use of African vocals and drums, courtesy of Abdourahmane Diop, and this rightly should filed under all these rubrics: jazz, rock, blues, world, Africa. The guitar solos, with just fillips of Hendrix (my favorite Bourelly release remains Tribute to Jimi on DIW), lead some of the songs, but it’s the vocals that clinch it here. Diop’s Arab-African gruff griot growl alternates perfectly with Bourelly’s in-the-tradition blues calls, making the Afro-Blues connection clear in “New Afro Blu.” Not all is superb when it comes to lyrics. “Invisible Indivisible” contains a rap where you can feel his lips sneer appropriately, but his rhyming is wack, boyee: “The lyrical is metaphysical and physical” or some such. “Silent Rain” channels weak sixties jazz lyrics about love, soul and truth: “To the bliss of your love I’ll never lie.” Nevertheless, the music on both these tracks is strong. Gratefully, there’s no sampling, or accession to beats hip-hop-faux.

It would be foolish to not point out the contributions of the jazzers listed on the cover, for this record deserves to sell, so a welcome to Archie Shepp and Henry Threadgill, who make good discfellows and integrate seamlessly, as does bassist Reggie Washington. I wish the notes gave information about the lesser known performers and instruments: Big Royal Talamacus on filtered boom bass, Samba Sock on boograboo, and Slam T. Wig (nom du disque?) on drums.

GUILLERMO E. BROWN. Soul At The Hands of The Machine. Thirsty Ear Blue Series THI 57118.2, 48:00, thirstyear.com

Well, the title doesn’t lie. The soul is throttled. Let’s start out politically incorrect and call this jungle music. (The ‘proper’ term for this stuff is drum’n’bass. In reality, it’s drum kit, synth and midbass- like the kids impressing you with their woofers installed in their trunks.) Add some of the nifty electronic samples, slurs and whooshes done well more than a generation ago by Jon Hassell. I prefer Hassell’s theme for the t.v. show E.R. File this under fusion, and store it in your trendy basement converted to illegal club. Oh, Daniel Carter plays some fine sax, but there’s no need to catch him here. If you do like RemixRemodel music, try the superb Masses by Spring Heel Jack, also in this series, featuring Brown, Carter, Tom Berne, Roy Campbell, Mat Maneri and Evan Parker. Strikingly attractive cover art, typical of the Blue Series (but why the yellow spine?).

JOHN WOLF BRENNAN and DANIELE PATUMI. Time Jumps - Space Cracks: Live In Boswil. Leo CD LR 331, 70:19, leorecords.com

Pianist Brennan has been championed by producer Leo Feigin through a serious of diverse and rewarding partnerships, this time with the Italian bassist Patumi. They both play inside and out of the box, if you will. These thirteen pieces have great variety. Patumi’s bowed bass with Brennan’s inner-piano harp strokes create luxurious but not pretty textures in a free improv context, exploring where the music leads them. Other pieces use traditional piano keys and pizzicato bass; some use the plucked strings to a slightly Asian effect. For a totally different view, also try Brennan’s HeXtet ensemble (Leo LR 254) which sets poetry by Seamus Heany, Poe, Julie Tippetts and others to freely improvised work with an cast including Chris Cutler, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford and especially the brilliant Julie Tippetts who can recite, improvise and transport you in this idiom as well as Cathy Berberian did in hers. These are my favorite Brennans, but if you like these, explore his more “traditional” free improv trio Momentum.

DAVE BRYANT. The Eternal Hang. Accurate AC-5035, 49:52, accuraterecords.com

Half bebop, half Frank Zappa, and yet another half of a mutant-lovechild of Jack McDuff and Sun Ra. The leader is a keyboardist; here it seems to be organ and acoustic piano with a wee bit of tasty synth where it’s integral to the piece. He’s been a key (pun intended) player with Ornette’s Prime Time for over a decade. It’s recorded in Harlem and mixed in Nashville. The ensemble contains bassist John Turner, tenor George Garzone, and drummer Bob Giulotti. The disc is exciting, and it might be too weird for radio play, and avant gardists might overlook it. Try a bite; it’s easy to like.

BUCKETRIDER. Adoration of the Lamb. Dr Jim 24, 37:13. Guignol’s Band. Dr Jim 25, 39:14. www.ozemail.com.au/~drjim/

Despite the titles, these are not dark ambient or gothic music. Adoration is free sax squeal and guitar scree mixed with downtown silences, odd electronic pigeon flickerings and structures of NY-style “downtown” music. Throw in some vocal hardcore skronk and there’s Bucketrider. Guignol finds this Australian group in a part-improv, part proggy-punk mode. The latter is mostly due to heavy bass guitar and often four-square drumming, but the saxes, shawms and clarinets play free. Some of the head vamps work like a rougher Big Band swing section, tight and nasty. For special tastes, and you’ll respond differently to each of these.

ABRAHAM BURTON - ERIC McPHERSON QUARTET. Cause and Effect. Enja ENJ-9377-2, 60:31, kochentertainment.com; enjarecords.com

I first encountered tenor Burton in the Village Vanguard, one of two horns in the last band of the late drummer Art Taylor. He blew me away as he does here. One needn’t be in the advance guard to be far out. It doesn’t hurt to have James Hurt on piano, Yosuke Inoue on bass and McPherson on drums. The original compositions by Hurt (2), McPherson (1) and Burton (3) are each strong; not mere disposable heads for soloing. Burton’s “Dad” is wistful without being wispy; a most moving work.
In McPherson’s “Cause and Effect,” Inoue casts out a powerful arco line, but the sixteen minute piece evolves from grinding emotion to speeding, heart-pounding, hard blowing postbop. Each moment of this disc is a deliberate call of involvement. Burton’s “Forbidden Fruit” grips you in the throat; a ballad-barcarolle that invokes, by design or not, “Strange Fruit.” It’s disturbing in the way that all music should aspire to.

DAVID BUDBILL, WILLIAM PARKER, HAMID DRAKE. Songs For A Suffering World. Boxholder BXH 044, 58:45, boxholdr@aol.com

Budbill is a poet who lives in the Vermont mountains and writes about this life as seen through a Buddhist worldview. The two subtitles of this disc are “Incantation and Improvisation” and “A Prayer for Peace, A Protest Against War.” Chicago percussionist Drake joins New York bassist Parker, who has recorded with Budbill before, in this sequence of poems which are more parable than didactic, using anecdotes about Buddha, the poet Issa, and Confucius to reflect feelings about the wars and “emperor” we have today.

There are many ways to approach Songs For A Suffering World. The music generally consists of vamps over which Budbill incants his text, with the musicians singing phrases much as backup singers do in pop. Frequent also are both Budbill and Parker on ethereal shakuhachi, and Parker’s glockenspiel, not to mention pocket cornet and pocket trumpet and a host of other instruments. Although most of the pieces skirt with New Age, the improvising backgrounds of these two master musicians keep the proceedings more on the earthy side. The percussive tattoo of drummer Andrei Strobert (who engineered the disc) on “Bambata’s Song,” a “freedom song,” makes the piece remarkably Brechtian.

The closer, “We Want To Live/Song of Piece” is the strongest, because of a text that asks some interesting although obvious questions, and because of Parker’s acoustic bass. The soundstage puts Budbill front center with the others a somewhat hazy halo. Full texts are in a foldout booklet inside Boxholder’s standard, attractive, gatefold sleeve, whose spines I wish were a little thinner.

JACQUES CHANIER TRIO. Quilt. Accurate AC-5051, 60:36, accuraterecords.com

With bassist Thomas Kneeland and drummer Brooke Sofferman, Boston area pianist Chanier turns in a set of varied styles, each track in this crazy quilt standing out in its own way. The opener makes if seem as if we’ve just slit open a new, vintage Prestige album. Then, “The Infamous Balloon Man” pops that impression with its crazy, jagged head. Jarrett fans might appreciate the way Chanier, too, often wiggles around a single note before looping out around his partners, and without humming! “Endless” is a quavery seven minute stringy journey through, um, endlessness. I’m surprised no one’s thought of the title pun “March Mellow” before, and it’s a swinging head and solo piece. Laid out like an LP, with tracks 1-5 in once column, the 6-10 tracks make a B side which isn’t as strong because the tunes aren’t as distinctive, and the playing is more internal. Interestingly, “Take It Easy” jumps around a lot, while “Viva la Revolución” is meditative. Kneeland’s live digital sampling and electronics are not gimmicky and are a positive contribution to the set. Likewise, Sofferman’s rainsticks, shakers and ethnic percussions are used when appropriate to the music, like any other instrument, not, as in the old adage of the dog, “because it can.” Give this an audition.

CAB CALLOWAY. The Hi-De-Ho Man, 1930-1933. Allegro Jazz Legends JAZ 2002, 63:51, allegro-music.com/jaz

Everyone knows hipster bandleader Calloway, even if just the image of the zoot suit and his trademark “Minnie the Moocher.” Often people think of his just as a clown in the later, Spike Jones mold, but check out these sides: total control within total abandon. Just the first of these twenty-one tracks, “St. Louis Blues,” will sell you. Calloway is himself a musical instrument. When he sings he doesn’t even need to use scat to turn his whole being into a horn, and when I say horn, he’s not only coming way far out of the Dixie, blues, and swing traditions, synthesizing them all; I swear you can hear Bessie Smith, Charlie Parker, and Lord Buckley morphed into one superbeing. Listen to the note held strong and steady on the word “blues” from 0:45 until 0:57, when it breaks into a two-note coda and continues the lyric ease. At 1:50 there’s a mad ripping shriek that out-Little Richards anything you’ve heard. Insightful notes by Scott Yanow, and fab art-deco band photos.

ROSEMARY CLOONEY. Jazz Singer. Columbia/Legacy CK 86883, 53:41, columbialegacy.com

Clooney is a fine big band singer, more in the jazz than the cabaret mold. I forget what she looks like physically (I’m working from an advance), but her voice is a looker, with long legs, long black nightclub hair; a real sophisticated lady who don’t take stuff from any man. This disc opens with “It don’t matter if it’s sweet or hot, give that rhythm everything you’ve got” and she sure does. Clooney recently passed, and there is a fine double on Concord Jazz which has one disc of her earliest work (superb) and a second of her most recent, very successful work for Concord (good.) In this set, when her mama done told her, she sounds like a tough young woman, although she’s surrounded by a vocal quartet which, according to taste, makes this sound either dated or fab ‘fifties vintage. “How About You” finds the mixed chorus in a corny scat and a strong arrangement of the lyric, and text change to “Godard Lieberson’s looks give me a thrill” is delightful, he the exec at CBS at the time. My mama done told me to always look for diamonds in every kind of setting, and these ain’t carrots, doc. A talent that can convey a lyric, twist a phrase, wink at you, hold an extended note with no tremolo, a tough broad who can easily stand up to any strings thrown at her. Made for your portable, with even richer sound at home. Good mastering job.

GEORGE COLLIGAN TRIO. Live at Blues Alley. Jazz Connect JCC001, 72:43, jazzconnect.com

A mainstream set, which alternates the leader’s acoustic piano trio with a synth trio. Half the synth stuff (“This I’ve Always Known”) is... synthetic. The other half is strongly played Korg CX3 organ (“Thought Police”) which approaches but doesn’t become radio fusion. The acoustic works, if not original, don’t need to be. The opener, “Desire,” is chock full of vibrant, infectious energy. Bassist David Ephross and drummer Steve Haas are strong partners. “The Middle of Somewhere” filigrees a central note a la Jarrett. “Battle Cry” finds no weapons of mass destruction but has interesting maneuvers. “Last Tango In Brooklyn” has little of my hometown in it; instead look for lukewarm Jimmy Smith. A mixed but savory bag, with the fusion-funk ten-minute closer (“Sun Stone”) the only real let-down.

ALEX DE GRASSI. Now and Then: Contemporary Arrangements for Guitar. 33rd Street Records 3317-2, troporecords.com

These are pleasant guitar amblings around familiar American folk tunes, for the NPR crowd, mostly. At times he reveals his a penchant for rapping on his guitar for a bassline. Those who’d like a rather more “out” take on traditional songs done by solo guitar would do well to check out Marc Ribot’s Don’t Blame Me on Japanese DIW.

“DELMARK RECORDS: 50 YEARS OF JAZZ AND BLUES: JAZZ.” Delmark DD-904, 65:01 + 67:22, delmark.com

Anthologies are tricky affairs; poorly slapped together they can do you like a steam tray in an all-night buffet restaurant. I begin with a blanket statement: I love Delmark Records. Like any label, I don’t love every release, but since I was a kid and bought my first Delmark discs which introduced me to Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble, and Kalaparusha, I have savored the out, the in, and the in-and-out, like the controlled fire on trumpeter Roy Campbell’s discs. This is what you get when you offer not only the avant but the roots from Illinois Jacquet’s jukebox jazz sax to Junior Wells’ blues. This very well-programmed double set of (jazz only) celebrates the Chicago label that emanated, as so many of our great labels have, from a record store run by music fanatics.

The first disc starts swinging with the Salty Dogs, chills with the smoothness of Coleman Hawkins’ “Rainbow Mist” (originally on Apollo Records, which Delmark acquired) followed by a flaming brass “Night In Tunisia” by the Barrett Deems Big Band, an ensemble new to me, with a clever change in style to Art Hodes’ “Cake Walking Babies From Home.” Other delights of a well-made anthology are the nuggets you’d never hear otherwise, and, positioned between appropriate mates, stand out or give new insights. Roscoe Mitchell opening for Dinah Washington, the Chicago Underground Trio preceding Illinois Jacquet; what a treat. I’d never heard of singer Francine Griffin, who has amazing style, even if some note go astray; she is a find. The first disc flows better than the second, although the tracks are all worthy.

As for packaging, the two-in-one jewelcase is appreciated, as are colleague Howard Mandel’s succinct, informative liner notes. Six of the twenty-eight tracks had not been silvered before; it implies they had been on vinyl. The tacky cover art, reminiscent of LRC releases, will either draw in the unsuspecting, showering them with great music, or repel the fans. Superb photos abound inside the booklet, though.

HANNES ENZLBERGER. Tango 1-8. between the lines btl 030, 47:34, btl@DSF-FRA-de

The bass player returns from last year’s fine Songs To Anything That Moves (btl 022) with another excellent release, inspired by his listening to Carla Bley’s “Reactionary Tango.” Each tango is interspersed with an improvised solo, duo or trio. The tangos recall some of Astor Piazolla’s work, naturally, but this is a lower-key, Eurojazz/third stream force in which less bombast makes for tighter ensemble. The improvs are superb miniatures which contrast with yet effectively link the tangos. Thomas Berghammer’s fluegelhorn starts out quite ascerbic, and that pungency adds intrigue. The fingers of both hands of accordionist Otto Lechner touch tango and improv without strain. If you enjoy C. Bley’s work, this will leave with you a similar smile. I always delight in between the line’s packaging, a threefold gate of thick stock which is very thin on your shelf, yet so sturdy it doesn’t bend and crease. The artwork, too, is classy and appropriate to the music. The die-cut slot for the disc is horizontal, with a circular dip in the center, which leaves no fear of flying.

DAVID FIRST. Universary: Songs, Drones and Refrains of Life. Analysand A-KCS 9128, 65:37, davidfirst.com

The subtitle tells you most of it, and with clever allusions to Wm Blake and George Crumb. The title tells more, and First mostly succeeds in being a master of all. I know throwing comparisons to other artists is often an easy way out, but while listening I honestly felt connections to the whole history of a certain type of rock music. Here are often extended pieces with suite-like qualities. In a different vein, think of Jane Siberry’s longer pieces, or Roy Harper’s. Some pieces use saxophone (or trumpet) extremely well, as did Pink Floyd in Dark Side and Wish. There are quivering choruses, electronically manipulated. The lyrics are clever and singable, like Bare Naked Ladies, also using those types of harmonies.

First’s musical base is the song-rooted branch of prog-rock, using keyboards and guitars. The electronic keyboard and sampler is a tricky instrument to integrate; he does it well. Despite drum machine rhythms, the ten-minute opener “When the Blue Sky Divides,” rivets me; I realized I had to dance to it for it to make total sense; that’s how my body reacts to such sounds.

Another highlight is the busy and witty “Another Passenger” (To Train). The closer, “Enough,” fits alongside, vocally and structurally, Bowie’s early first RCA discs filtered through, lyrically and vocally, Roy Harper, and alludes melodically to the Beatles complete with a “Day In The Life” build-up that stops short into a string trio an overdubbed baby cry.

Collaborators include the cream of New York jazz and genre-hopping musicians, many covered in these electronic pages before, among them trumpeter Roy Campbell, cellist Jane Scarpantoni, singer Shelley Hirsch, electric harpist Zeena Parkins. If you like, musically, Nick Mason’s Fictictious Sports, and can substitute First’s sensibility for Carla Bley’s, you’re the audience for this disc. In a better world, this is the kind of music that would be included on pop radio. A most clever disc that will surely appeal to the Peter Blegvad/Henry Cow crowd.

Note that this is very different from First’s other fine discs, the drone piece The Good Book’s (Accurate) Jail of Escape... (oo discs 23) and the process works in Resolver (oo discs 5)

SLAVA GANELIN and ESTI KENAN OFRI. Birds of Passage. Leo CD LR 366, 67:58, leorecords.com

Pianist Vyacheslav Ganelin, famous from the improvising trio carrying his name, here mostly uses synth, creating a shimmering soundscape one is loathe to call ambient, for it is not vapid, nor is it ELP arena-rock synth. It simply, effectively creates a floating mood, appropriate for a work with this title. At times, the synth is used percussively, through slashing orchestral strikes. Regular readers know I usually cringe at the way synths are (ab)used in improvised music; here, for the most part, it fits in its own world.

Ofri is a singer from Jerusalem, and she only comes in halfway through the twenty-six minute “From a Nest,” and from then on there is no doubting this work, despite a few minutes of inferior synth work and the final track. sadly, From sung syllables to spoken words to improvised vocal, this is a voice which commands attention. If you like Lauren Newton, Ellen Christi, Lisa Sokolov or Shelley Hirsch you’re likely to be captured by this as well. I don’t speak Russian, Arabic or Hebrew, but often it sounds like the Semitic languages of her land; the notes tell of her specializing in Sephardic and Arabic songs. Luciano Berio wrote his 1988 Ofanim for her, which I can’t find in my considerable collection of this favored composer. I do intend to seek out her other recordings. Ganelin has over fourteen Leo discs, inclusion on many anthologies, and a few on small labels.

Despite great piano work and vocals, the minutes closing “Gravity,” involve an ineffective rock-funk synth riff, changing Ofri’s singing into the special effects category, Nonetheless, the six minute closer, “Turn Me Into a Bird,” return to the beauty of the majority of this work, leaving the listener effectively moved. The synth’s pipe-like notes recall the sound and mood at the end of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” I’m keeping this one.

J. A. GRANELLI and MR. LUCKY. Gigantic. Loveslave Lvslv 108, lvslv.com

This ensemble of bassist Granelli with Dave Tronzo on slide gitbox, Jamie Saft on organ and mellotron and, here, Diego Voglino, has never let me down. Each of their previous releases made my Best of the Month list in a different magazine. The opening ballad, “Merle,” reminds me a bit of Booker T. and The MG’s McLemore Avenue, their suave and soulful take on Abbey Road. “Happy, Pt. 1” is a rollicking roadhouse jaunt which dares your behind to remain in the seat. Wahwah adds to the fun. The mellotron and neon guitar flares make “Gigantic” half Beatles and half Spirit, both in sound, and in the sonic layering. I’d like to use the truly -- “13.5” for the blaxploitation flick I have in my mind. “Happy, Pt. 2” is a reggae, dub style, not needing special effects. It’s always a treat to hear musicians who know their history, but extend that history rather than tread water as a retro cover band. Once again, listening to Mr. Lucky, I simply sigh, “Oh yeah!”

WENDELL HARRISON & MAMA’S LICKING STICK CLARINET ENSEMBLE. Rush and Hustle. Enja ENJ-9342-2, 40:54, kochentertainment.com

This group might be likened to the Jazz Messengers of the clarinet. Those familiar with the more out-there Clarinet Summit and Gebhard Ullman’s Clarinet Trio will find this old fashioned, but in a good way. The ensemble includes pianist Harold McKinney and, among several percussionists, Jerry Gonzalez on timbales. The six clarinets include the leader, of course, on B-flat and on tenor sax, Harold Orr on bass clarinet, and James Carter on double B-flat contra bass clarinet. The notes describe Carter as handling the massive instrument like “a dancing bear.” I second the emotion, but carry it farther: he’s a basso profundo gazelle. “Gonna Take You Out” has a simplistic rhythm (and title) readymade for “jazzradio,” but the lovely “Urban Lullabye” is a delight on many levels. The arrangements of all instruments makes the gorgeous theme sound like a giant accordion in relief, then hits the Latin Tinge. Tasty, though mainstream.

GERRY HEMINGWAY. Songs. between the lines btl 024, 76:55, btl@DSF-FRA-de

The master drummer, always looking for ways to expand his amazing range of work, checks in with a set of songs: sung texts with music. Frustratingly, as I am a hemingway fan, most of these are weak, stucturally and as songs, whether they are considered pop songs or vehicles for improvising.

Often Hemingway’s using drum machines and samplers, and the superb improvisers add texture, but for naught. Musicians include Walter Wierbos, Kermit Driscoll, Herb Robertson, John Butcher, Ellery Eskelin, James Emery and Thomas Lehn. Trumpeter Robertson’s is the voice which most frequently comes through, strengthening the cut. Emery’s guitar, too, makes one think he should be called in to raise the ante in pop sessionwork, as early Van Morrison and Laura Nyro discs used the likes of bassist Reggie Workman to create the sound and structures of their masterpieces.

Sample text: “Thistle kiss/ like a Swiss twist/ thumpling doors/ bewildered floors/ making lulu/ ain’t it cool you/ swinging like/ a dust bin.” It has musical potential phonetically and is clever, but just doesn’t make it in practice. “Hall of Mirrors,” about uncertainty, is strong musically and lyrically, worthy of being covered by others. “Anton,” inspired by the wartime death of Webern, has some excellent lines: “Amongst the futile rubble/ footnotes hold lost fortunes,” but it ends on “All we need to do it care.”

The vocal chores are handled by master singer/improviser Lisa Sokolov who again was brilliant at Vision Festival 2003, causing me to again pull out her disc Angel Rodeo, and again got goosebumps from her sound and her ideas. The cover photo and title of her disc, though, make it look like a country record, and indeed I picked up my copy while browsing in a shop’s country music bin. You, however, should get it any way you can. It’s different from and as near perfect a disc as Jeanne Lee’s Nuba or Cassandra Wilson’s Blue Skies.

HISS. Zahir. Rossbin RS 011, 46:01, rossbin.com

Of the all the British avant pianists, I have never been able to get into Pat Thomas, often partnering with saxophonist provocateur Lol Coxhill. Here Thomas only uses keybs and electronics, to strong effect. One wouldn’t expect to find a “serious” player discovering his wit in a plink and squink, “little instruments” group like this, but their simple but varied palette of sounds display a good ear for partnership and the well-chosen note. Derek Bailey-influenced guitar notes and squeaks courtesy of Ivar Grydeland; Ingar Zach (honcho of Norway’s invaluable SOFA Records) masters on percussion à la Art Ensemble of Chicago, 1960s. Tonny Kluften’s bass is possible to overlook accidentally because his arco grinds and notes often second, acoustically, that of the guitar and percussion, but he plays strongly throughout.

There is no ground broken, but the free interplay is thoroughly engaging, and the 46:01 timing is perfect. The last two of the five tracks have an especially fascinating flow; if this were live you’d be leaning forward at the edge of your seat. Rossbin has traded in their elegant slim cardboard gatefold sleeves for standard jewelcases, but happily their attractive graphics remain. Unfortunate for potential customers, the musicians’ names are listed solely inside the booklet, plus it is hard to discern which name is the group’s, and which the disc title, a frequent Rossbin quandary.

THE HUB. Trucker. Innova 579, composersforum.org

This is not to be confused with the fine Canadian ensemble which mixes live with computer music. If it weren’t on Innova, the label of the American Composers Forum, known for their fine Harry Partch sets and other significant releases of modern music, I’d even pass mentioning this pleasantly generic, electric bass driven, Knitting Factory type of funkified jazz. But it is on Innova, and the name is The Hub, so be aware.

ADBULLAH IBRAHIM. African Symphony. Enja/Nova ENJ-9410 2, 52:48, kochentertainment.com

The South African pianist Adbullah Ibrahim continues varying the settings for his work, from trio to solo to ensemble. This is a symphony is so far as that there are strings, and many “concerto” pieces for the pianist to play against the strings, which instead function rather like a Don Sebesky stringy backdrop, with a few tasty brass parts to prevent too much sweetness. This is the kind of thing I’m inclined to dislike, but the parts of it which highlight Ibrahim’s piano are strong, as are a few of the more rhythmic “instrumentals.” Tracks 8 is a successful hybrid, the really swinging strings reminiscence of some of Motown’s “modern” productions (as on the late Temptations “social realism” works like Masterpiece), astringent township piano, the shrike of winds. Track 9 & 10 are a valedictory Elgarian processionals. Only the closer is has a straight township beat, and with the horn arrangements, are very exciting. We’re grateful to Enja for supporting his projects for over twenty years. Taste this first.

JUNIOR MANCE AND JOE TEMPERLEY. Monk. Chiaroscuro CR(D)370, 66:13, allegro-music.com

The full title, on the back tray, reads “Junior Mance And The Floating Jazz Festival Trio With Joe Temperley Play The Music of Thelonious Monk.” They forgot to add “1996, plus an encore of ‘Hackensack’ from 2000.” I’ve been excited by the playing of Mance, especially in drummer Alvin Queen’s ensemble. Monk is known for compositions almost universally dubbed “angular.” Here, with saxer Temperely, they’ve rounded all the edges so one gets none of the crags and all of the melody- beautiful in itself- of these now standard tunes. It’s an interesting take on Monk, and mainstream fun which is not stodgy. The pure sound of Temperley’s bari sax and bass clarinets (he mostly plays soprano sax) are gorgeously reproduced. Bassist Peter Washington is always a tasty act, and drummer Mickey Roker assures swing. (Ketter Betts and Jackie Williams are the year 2000 rhythm section.)

NAFTULE’S DREAM. Job. Tzadik TZ 7153, 55:28, hipsroad.com

Named after klezmer great Naftule Brandwein, this is one of the many new ensembles to take klezmer into the twenty first century. They do it with wit and intelligence. Their basic building blocks are the klezmer melodies, and filter them through the such behaviors as free jazz, free heavy guitar, low brass and accordion, and an upbeat keystone chase a la Willem Breuker Kollektief. Each tune is memorable, which is no mean feat. “Naftule’s Dream” is a ten-minute freilakh, a joyous dance song, that dares you to remain sitting. Throughout this disc, both the arrangements and the engineering make the sound large, yet each instrumental line is clear. This is especially notable for two reasons: it is a live performance, applause edited out, and the “mix translation” [sic] is by Bill Laswell. Regular readers will note that I’m often disappointed by watered down or pop-ed up takes on traditional music. Job is hot.

nmperign and GüNTER MüLLER. more gloom, more light. Rossbin RS 010. 38:21. www.rossbin.com

nmperign is a long-standing standard bearer of what some have labelled “lower case sound,” their flavor being stretches of silence, single notes, breath, spittle; improvised pointillism. Trumpeter Greg Kelley and saxophonist Bhob Rainey are revered for their work using mouthpieces, often with very quiet and detailed textures. Here with electronics by Günter Müller, the trio buildings sustaining momentum with their sounds. One hears room space, one hears expectation. If low key implies subtlety, here it does so by building surprise and expectation. Some of this comes from an underlying low wind, with Kelley a distant, threatening train about to burst through the tunnel. Each piece works by building tension, not necessarily linear. I highly recommend their two Twisted Village discs, and their collab on Intransitive with loopy tape loopist Jason Lescalleet, who is a wonder to behold in performance. Add this to a superb discography. nmperign keeps developing.

KERRY POLITZER. Watercolors. Polisonic 01, 47:35, www.kerrypolitzer.com

This pianist’s mainstream date with bassist Dan Fabricatore and drummer Scott McLemure smartly uses paints that are not a wash. A highlight is her take on “A Foggy Day,” which via use of pedaling and an onomatopoetic left hand, her fog irritates my arthritis. Fine playing by all three make this tired piece fresh. “Whim” is happily upbeat and a joy, using a clever Monk-like head as a fine excuse for trading fours, yes, but not pastels. There are no notes about the performers.

SCOT RAY QUINTET. Active Vapor Recovery. Cryptogramophone CG117, 66:29, cryptogramophone.com

The lead trombonist is new to me, but the Nels Cline- Alex Cline- Jeff Gauthier- Steuart Liebig nexus is a known Northwest quantity. That’s electric guitar, drums, contrabass guitar and electric violin, respectively. The bass guitar driven compositions give this a rock/fusiony structure. Zappa and Spirit fans will be delighted. There are great guitar-trombone duos in some of the compositions. The standout tracks are the two extended works, “Man As Kite” and “Trouble With Sugar,” clocking in at eleven and fourteen minutes, but exciting, high energy, rock-informed improvisation is the order of the day. “In Cleveland,” with it’s great trombone solo and wacky rhythms, make it a great dance numbers for those whose bodies enjoy rhythms more than click tracks. Great title and accompanying illustrations.

HOWARD RILEY / JOHN TILBURY/ KEITH TIPPETT. Another Part Of The Story. Emanem 4088, 66:09, emanemdisc.com

Riley brought together this piano trio, that is to say, a trio of three pianists. Tilbury is most famous as part of the AMM and, in the US, is gaining prominence for his work with composers such as Feldman and Cardew. (The British knew of this aspect all along.) Tippett is known for his work in early British prog-rock, prog-jazz, solo concerts, and a recent fascinating disc with a Georgian ensemble. Their differing backgrounds made an interesting combo, and as Riley notes in the notes, “to find three marched grand pianos is irresistible.” This is a fun disc, although it wouldn’t be my first recommendation to those who don’t know them. All have prepared the pianos in different ways, and “little instruments” are used as well. The session is more fun than it is deep, and that’s not a bad thing in the world of improvisation. All pieces here are freely improvised.

MATTHEW SHIPP String Trio. By The Law of Music. hatOLOGY 574, 60:46. hatOLOGY 558, 56:04. hathut.com

This string trio, a long term organization now, consists of the leader’s piano, Mat Maneri’s violin and William Parker’s violin. Expansion, Power, Release is quite varied, from waltzes to abstract works. It all swings lightly, yet deeply. By The Law of Music, in some aspects, channels the abstract blocks of sound of Cecil Taylor’s seminal Unit Structures disc, but Maneri has long stretches of solo time which are reminiscent, in its breath and breadth, of the solo violin sonata of Bartók. This is a rewarding but demanding disc; if you don’t listen seated, paying close attention, it passes right over you. It closes with a deliciously raucous “Solitude” that will take away all feelings of loneliness. (This is a reissue of hatART CD 6200.)

SPRING HEEL JACK. AMaSSED. Thirsty Ear thi 57123-2, 50:35, thirstyear.com.

Han Bennink, John Edwards, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler, and Matthew Shipp on a Fender Rhodes. These free improvising dudes join this pop-electronic ensemble for eight tracks that shift delightfully in mode and mood in a follow-up to last year’s excellent Masses. This time, instead of solos, it seems the ensemble shifts as much as the music does. There are no liner notes to guide you. A fun, stimulating trip.

JOHN STETCH. Ukrainianism. Justin-Time JUST 187-2, 48:35, justin-time.com

Pianist Stetch performed last year at a meeting of the Jazz Journalist Association held at Birdland, to meet fellow jazz writers from the former Soviet Union. It was a fine, sociable time, but when Stetch played, I had to cease conversation. The pieces he played then were either based on or reflective of Ukrainian folk songs, even “The Children of Chernobyl.” I begged a review copy from him, and it’s just a strong as his live work. Whether the songs are folk-based or originals, they have a momentum which derives from mastery of jazz piano styles as well as an obvious knowledge of composed piano music ranging from Debussy’s “Children’s Corner” to romantic, pedalled Rachmaninoff. The packaging is as bright and tasty as the music, and the six recipes for Ukrainian borscht on the inside traycard. The performer’s liner notes are both personal and informative about the works and about Ukrainian history and culture. This music is full of vitamins and minerals, and keeps you warm throughout the year.

JODI STEVENS. Girl Talk. Sons of Sound SSPCD011, 50:56, sonsofsound.com

Don’t look for jazz singing here; the title song will lead you compare with Betty Carter’s extraordinary version and you will not find that kind of thing. This Broadway singer’s credits include the starring role in Jekyll and Hyde. She has a fine Broadway voice, and she’s backed with an excellent jazz ensemble including trumpeter Lew Soloff, pianist Ted Rosenthal (especially good here), bassist Jay Leonhart and Akira Tana on drums. The concept is fine, as as the delightfully 60’s-ish packaging, as is Stevens’ singing. Kudos to Stevens’ sly and sexy “Come On A My House,” which tease the hell out of you.

AKIRA TANA. Secret Agents. Sons of Sound SSPCD012, 64:00, sonsofsound.com

This drummer, most frequently heard in duo with bassist Rufus Reid (in the ensemble here) takes on classic spy themes, followed by five ringers. Dr. Lonnie Smith offers excellently timed organ swipes on the title track. It’s a treat to hear Lalo Schifrin’s “Mission Impossible” and Lyn Murray’s “Alfred Hitchcock Theme,” a tune that should be tackled more often. Unfortunately, other than the title cut, there are few risks taken; these agents play it professionally safe, and so we wind up with a good jazz organ and guitar based disc, but nothing like what could have happened had the music slouched as much as Tana’s hat on the cover.

RAFAEL TORAL. Early Works. Tomlab tom19, 35:04, www.tomlab.de.

It’s always both fun and frustrating when dealing with works electronic in nature,
“a” is a kind of drone, probably from guitar, but the drone works like an Indian drone; one is always aware, but the ear hears mostly the reaction to it. Here it is a dyad, two notes sounding for all the world like another world, perhaps a violin with no bottom or a bowed cymbal, and another layer of drone, perhaps a processes guitar. It’s a powerful, yet simple, four minutes. “b2” works the same way, but turned on its side. The dyad, like an animal call, is joined by many others, as well as flickering (gated?) zips of (assumedly) backwards tape. “c” is less interesting; a drone of a drone. “b1” is fun; the sounds twist around each others, the little chirpy things are adorable, not saccharine. “a VIII” complicates the elegant simplicity of “a,” although I don’t know whether it was developed from “a.” It comes closer to the type of ambient music that the Hypnos label does so well. “sand precision” is a fifteen-minute guitar improvisation, abstract, and not very interesting. These pieces were created between 1987 and 1990 in Lisbon, and that’s all we’re told, save that Toral at first thought these piece unworthy, and now sees a clear path between these and his subsequent works, which I’m eager to hear.

SARAH VAUGHAN. It’s Magic! 1944-1950. Allegro Jazz Legends JAZ 2004, 62:05, allegro-music.com/jaz

On these twenty-two early sides, The Divine Sarah is at least as much a big band crooner as a jazz singer, which is not at all a bad thing. Although my favorite Sarah is always, like Ella, when she is caught onstage, these youthful sides catch her full of energy or wistfulness. Her beautiful voice continually proffers long arcs of sound which can slide you to dreamland. Audition track 7, “Tenderly,” for a master class on phrasing, holding notes without strain and creating sung arcs within syllables. There is not one hint of the trademark yodel which developed in the following decades. The transfers, which which I have no others to compare, have that warm sound audiophiles call tube-like, although there is absolutely no tape hiss and a slight lack of top, but it’s still easy on the ears. Critic Scott Yanow has written excellent notes and in fact is curating this new series from Allegro which features excellent photography on the traycards and on the discs. They are intended to sell for under ten, but visually, the packaging is a class act all the way.