Source: NY Times
(Used without permission.
Click the pic for the NYT story.)

Source: eMusic

"One Two Six Four Two Dies" (maybe the title is the new emergency number) has a more properly "jazz" feel to open the record, especially in Smith's drums, but the prickly guitar soloing lets you know the rock and possibly modern-classical influences are stewing under the surface.

"Screws Loose" has become a favorite track of mine on here. It's a short song that feels like an indie-rock instrumental.

Like Peter Evans, Halvorson is a relatively new sighting on my horizons. I recall seeing her name on Anthony Braxton sessions, but it's only recently that I've gotten chances to hear her playing. You can find out a little more about her here, and of course, there are the abovementioned records to delve through.

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

Tim Berne -- "Huevos" -- Science Friction Screwgun, 2002)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

* Brinsk -- "Svensfagel" -- A Hamster Speaks (Nowt, 2008)

Source: Myspace
While this isn't as crazy as you'd think, judging from the album cover, it's still plenty adventurous. It's hip, young, energetic, and thoughtful jazz that plays off a base of free improvising but also includes some catchy composing.

On the latter front, you've got jazzy pieces like "Svensfagel" and "One," bringing out the band's kicking three-horn attack. The slower, more abstract tracks are just as rewarding, though. "Laser Eyes" is a standout, a dark mysterious jungle of horn squawks and heavy drums. "Mrs. Zurne" has gloomy overones but carries on patiently, the spare drumming masking what's actually a brisk pace. "Soul Devoured" might best exemplify the band's demeanor, starting out with a slow pulse that's tough and solid, building into a nicely percolating jam.

You've also got two tracks with vocals, which is a little different. "Andy" is a weird, slow song (as in, actually sung, in stumbly, breathy tones). "The Gun I Used To Be" is a sparse, evil improv fronted by a croaking, deep-voiced narrative that crafts a dark mood.

That cover ... it's a secret-agent or superhero hamster who's using a laser-eye weapon to defeat an attacking robot snake. (Or maybe it's an integrated cyborg/bio-snake; it seems to spout blood.)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

* Jean Martin and Evan Shaw -- "Me Softly With His Kill" -- Piano Music (Barnyard, 2007)

Previously noted here.

See above.

I'm not going to lie and say I can compare these performances to others; I'm not that well versed in classical, and certainly not in Bartok string quartets. It sounds plenty good to me and the Bartok 5th is a dynamic, intriguing piece. This final movement has lots of swooping drama, as well as some plinking quiet zones that resemble the tiptoeing music in Chuck Jones cartoons. I also like the quiet fourth movement; it's got a lot of motion and tension to it.

The Bartok is paired with Paul Hindemith's String Quartet No. 4. It's got its bold moments and a bit of good heavyhandedness, but it's just not as edgy as the Bartok.

So, according to those Web links up there, Kyron and Griddle are different people who combined forces for this hour-long "remix." It's cool-handed electronica, with some nicely crunchy noisy tracks like this one.

* Carla Kihlstedt, Gino Robair, Matthew Sperry -- "After Sonarchy" -- Sonarchy 1998 (Majmua, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Piano work that we've classified as "jazz" but really belongs in the "smart-assed nearly classical" section. Many tracks are characterized by heavy pounding or rollicking, fast rhythms, often contrasted with quiet segments to show that, yes, McDonas is messing with you. It's a very college-radio kind of piano album.

Previously noted here.

Because Carter is still alive, I'm giving his centennial more attention than Messiaen's (and apparently, I wasn't the only one). In other words, he gets an extra spin after last week's, and it's a good 20-minute one, at that.

There's a local mailing list for creative/avant-garde musicians, kind of an offshoot of the Transbay calendar, where some folks were listing their favorite Carter compositions. Weasel Walter happened to note this string quartet, likening it to being punched in the face repeatedly for two hours, in a good way.

How can you not follow up on a recommendation like that? We didn't have this one in the library, though, so I took the desperation YouTube route. The reason this was so important: This quartet has the viola and bass playing at one tempo, and the violins at a faster tempo. It's not as much of a pileup as the Darius Milhaud 5th quartet (where each player is in a different key), but it was still plenty jumbling and confusion upon first listen.

So, I introduced the Carter piece with very short snippets if the third quartet. Funny thing is -- the snatches I played on air seemed to make sense, much more so than when I'd first listened. Did I just get used to the music, or did I get "lucky" and find less crazy passages ... or is it really not as insane as the description makes it seem?

As for Carter in general ... his 100th was celebrated with a warm profilein this week's NY Times.

A 20-minute piece in six continuous movements. I'd meant to play only about half of it, but I really got into it and decided to just let it roll. It's a dynamic, exciting piece, and Fred Sherry really can let sparks fly on the cello. He's also the star on the Steven Mackey piece noted here.

* Rudresh Mahanthappa -- "Snake!" -- Kinsmen (Pi Recordings, 2008)

* New Haven Improvisers Collective -- "Darkmatter" -- Interference (self-released, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

You normally associate Tzadik with dark, serious material, stern classical abstractions, creepy aggressive music ... but here, you've got a fun Klezmer soundtrack with a damn funny narration about a very Jewish New Yorker time vacationing in the catskills and turning down all the activities offered there except for the eating. The stereotypical accent and attitude are played 'way over-the-top, as are the sounds of the partying crowd during the chorus. Big fun.

bLevin bLechdom -- "Avian Enamel..." -- Gular Flutter (Aagoo, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Another extended free-form jazz exercise from Futterman on piano and sometimes sax, Fielder on drums, and Levin on sax. Big power-jazz passages that start from a McCoy Tyner kind of storminess on piano and ascend into Cecil Taylor territory.

* Frank Lowe -- "In Trane's Name" [excerpt] -- Black Beings (ESP-Disk, 2008; orig. released 1973)

Previously noted here.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.