Posts Tagged Improvisation
Archive
June 13, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Wayne Shorter (June 8, Wgtn)
Wayne Shorter Opera House, Wellington Wednesday, June 8 Joining the legendary saxophonist were three virtuoso talents, the incredible Brian Blade (drums), the sublime John Patitucci (bass) and the thoughtful Danilo Perez (piano). This quartet has been performing together across the last few years as Shorter leaves his reputation as a composer to the side and […]Archive
March 21, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Uri Caine with The New Zealand String Quartet (March 20, Wgtn)
Uri Caine w/ The New Zealand String Quartet MFC Sunday, March 20 I had looked forward to this – but as soon as the show started, the pairing of Uri Caine (piano) with The New Zealand String Quartet seemed like an odd mismatch, a pointless exercise. I feel cheated too that we didn’t get one […]Archive
November 19, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Susan Alcorn (November 19, Wgtn)
Susan Alcorn MEOW Wednesday, November 19 Baltimore-based Susan Alcorn has lifted the pedal steel guitar up and away from country music. You can still hear that weepy quality, that yearning in her sound. But, in fact, you hear the history of so many guitar noises in her sound – from the mythical B.B. King playing […]Archive
September 15, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 821
Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Improvisations to Music (1959) Nichols and May, love them. Went through a phase, a decade or so ago, where I was looking for the old – great – comedy records. And I got onto the duo of Nichols and May, I knew about them – and of course knew about […]Archive
July 20, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Preview: The Winter + Fredd Marshall + Confluence at Pyramid Club
This Thursday, July 23, The Winter, Fredd Marshall and Confluence will be playing at the Pyramid Club ($10 waged/$5 unwaged). The Winter is a band I play in – we formed a dozen years ago, we meet up once a year or not even, and we see what sounds we can make. It’s been fun. […]Archive
July 17, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Marc Ribot: One NZ Show (Aug 2015)
Marc Ribot is a guitar hero – if you love mangled sounds and inventive colours, from squeals and squalls to acoustic improvisation. He can do the Hendrix rock-out thing (in more of a Sonny Sharrock kind of way actually) or play jazz. He can do it all, sideman or out front on his own. He’s […]Archive
November 16, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
Samin Son: Orira
Samin Son Orira pseudoarcana Samin Son is a Wellington-based composer, performer and artist. And Orira is a single-track EP (available on 8” lathe cut with download or as simply the digital files). Orira is a vocal improvisation based around a traditional Korean folk form – as with Samin Son’s amazing performance-art video installation, currently on […]Archive
November 5, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
Keiji Haino/Jim O’Rourke/Oren Ambarchi: Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It A Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be As of Yet Unseen
Keiji Haino/Jim O’Rourke/Oren Ambarchi Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It A Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be As of Yet Unseen Black Truffle Here we have three great improvisers all working beautifully together across one single album-length track. The magic here is in the subtlety, O’Rourke’s 12-string […]Archive
October 24, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
1982: A/B
1982 A/B Hubro 1982 is a Norwegian improvisational trio – freaturing Erik Johannessen of Jaga Jazzist (which is what got me to prick my ears up) – and A/B is their forth record – the first track, what would be the side A of A/B, is one long piece of improvisation taken from the sessions […]Archive
March 31, 2014 by Simon Sweetman