Bruce Lee Gallanter's Recommended Disc Picks for 2016. Five main lists & three label lists!
2016. The year of Women as Heroes, Inspirations and Innovators. Although most of us will remember the painful, embarrassing and absurd moments of an election from hell, let’s not forget the women who inspired us through the year: Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren, are the two that come to my mind.
The Downtown Scene, which is closing in on its fourth decade, was dominated by strong women composers, bandleaders and instrumentalists this year: Mary Halvorson, Ingrid Laubrock, Kris Davis, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Angelica Sanchez. Leila Bordreuil, Jessica Pavone, Anna Webber, Ava Mendoza... plus a number of swell out-of-towners like Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Myra Melford, Silke Eberhard, Susan Alcorn, Eve Risser, Sylvaine Helary, Lotte Anker, Joelle Leandre and many more, all have released great discs and/or played here during the past year. Reasons to be cheerful, indeed!
It took me a couple of months to put these Recommendation lists together so take your time when you look them over. The five main lists are all in alphabetical order since it would too much work to place them in an order of preference. If you wish to read reviews of any of these titles, you can check the DMG database for my and the occasional borrowed reviews.
The last three lists are three labels I admire for their persistence in documenting creative music, no matter what category or terminology it is placed in: Clean Feed, Tzadik and Relative Pitch. There are mainly reference guides to see how much important music has been released by these great local labels. And considering that Clean Feed released fifty (!) discs in 2016, while most labels we promote released around a dozen, let us give a shout out to Pedro Costa & co. at Clean Feed for again unleashing a deluge of great music, year after year! How they do ir, remains a mystery but we are sure glad they do! - Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG - February 9th, 2017
50 Essential Discs of 2016 in Alphabetical Order:
AFRO-HORN/FRANCISCO MORA CATLETT With SAM NEWSOME/SALIM WASHINGTON - At the Edge of the Spiral (AACE 16-0001; USA) 2 CD Set
BASSDRUMBONE With MARK HELIAS / GERRY HEMINGWAY / RAY ANDERSON JASON MORAN / JOE LOVANO - The Long Road [2 CD Set] (Auricle 16 17; USA)
ANTHONY BRAXTON QUARTET With TAYLOR HO BYNUM/INGRID LAUBROCK/MARY HALVORSON - Au Vivo Jazz Na Fabri Ca (Selo Sesc 0066/15; Brazil) [2 CD Set]
ANTHONY BRAXTON With MARY HALVORSON/TAYLOR HO BYNUM/JESSICA PAVONE/ et al - 3 Compositions [EEMHM] 2011 [3 CD Set] (Firehouse12 01-02-020)
PETER BROTZMANN & ICI ENSEMBLE - Beautiful Lies (Neos 41601; Germany)
PETER BROTZMANN / HEATHER LEIGH - Ears are Filled with Wonder (Not Two 940; Poland)
PETER BROTZMANN / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE - Song Sentimentale (Otoroku 016; UK)
CHICAGO PLAN With STEVE SWELL / GEBHARD ULLMANN / FRED LONBERG-HOLM / MICHAEL ZERANG - Chicago Plan (Clean Feed 396; Portugal)
THE CLAUDIA QUINTET - Super-Petite (Cuneiform 427; USA)
NEL CLINE / HENRY KAISER / JIM THOMAS / ALLEN WHITMAN / WEASEL WALTER - Jazz Free (Fractal Music; USA)
NELS CLINE With ERIK FRIEDLANDER/ZEENA PARKINS/JULIAN LAGE/YUKA HONDA/DEVIN HOFF/STEVEN BERNSTEIN/ALAN FERBER/JD PARRAN/BEN GOLDBERG/JEFF GAUTHIER - Lovers [2 CD Set](Blue Note B002505102; USA)
SYLVIE COURVOISIER / MARK FELDMAN / IKUE MORI / EVAN PARKER - Miller’s Tale (Intakt 270; Switzerland)
SYLVIE COURVOISIER / NATE WOOLEY / CHRIS CORSANO - Salt Task (Relative Pitch 1044)
THE DKV THING TRIO [MATS GUSTAFSSON/KEN VANDERMARK/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/KENT KESSLER/HAMID DRAKE/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - Collider (Not Two 930; Poland)
MARK DRESSER SEVEN With NICOLE MITCHELL/MARTY EHRLICH/MICHAEL DESSEN/DAVID MORALES BOROFF/JOSHUA WHITE//JIM BLACK - Sedimental You (Clean Feed 387; Portugal)
PAUL DUNMALL / LIAM NOBLE / JOHN EDWARDS / MARK SANDERS - Chords of Connections (FMR 419; UK)
PAUL DUNMALL / PHILIP GIBBS / ASHLEY JOHN YOUNG - Now Has No Dimension (FMR 408; UK)
ELLERY ESKELIN TRIO With GARY VERSACE / GERRY HEMINGWAY - Willisau Live (Hatology 741; Switzerland)
MICHEL EDELIN’S FLUTE FEVER ORCHESTRA With NICOLE MITCHELL/SYLVAINE HELARY/JOHN BETCH/ et al - Kalamania - The Song of the Mad Faun Domus (Rogue Art 070; France) - 2 CD Set
MICHAEL FORMANEK ENSEMBLE KOLOSSUS With MARY HALVORSON/CHRIS SPEED/TIM BERNE/RALP ALESSI/KRIS DAVIS/DAVE BALLOU/ et al - The Distance (ECM 2484; Germany)
CHARLES GAYLE / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE - Live at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz (JazzWerkStatt 155; Germany)
BARRY GUY With AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / MAYA HOMBURGER / MICHEL GODARD /LUCAS NIGGLI / RAMON LOPEZ / et al - The Blue Shroud (Intakt 266; Switzerland)
MARY HALVORSON OCTET With JON IRABAGON/INGRID LAUBROCK/JONATHAN FINLAYSON/JACOB GARCHIK/SUSAN ALCORN/CHRIS LIGHTCAP/TOMAS FUJIWARA - Away with You (Firehouse 12)
HENRY KAISER/ALEXEI PLIOUSNINE with MARCO ENEIDI/JON RASKIN/SCOTT R. LOONEY/DAMON SMITH/GINO ROBAIR - Indestructible Fantasy (Fractal 310; USA)
VIJAY IYER / WADADA LEO SMITH - A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke (ECM 2486; Germany
INGRID LAUBROCK SEPTET With PETER EVANS / MIYA MASAOKA / DAN PECK / SAM PLUTA / CRAIG TABORN / TYSHAWN SOREY - Serpentines (Intakt 272; Switzerland)
NICOLE MITCHELLS’ BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE & ENSEMBLE LABORINTUS - Moments Of Fatherhood (RogueArt 68; France)
TISZIJI MUNOZ With DON PATE / TONY FALCO / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES - Tathagata Guitar: Whisperings of Peace (Anami 067; USA)
TISZIJI MUNOZ With JOHN MEDESKI/DON PATE/JOHN LOCKWOOD/RAKALAM BOB MOSES/FRANKLIN KIERMYER - Alpha Nebula Expanded: The Monster Peace (Anami Music 58) - 2 CD set
MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA - Symphony No 106 (Victo 129; Canada)
THE OUT LOUDS [TOMAS FUJIWARA/BEN GOLDBERG/MARY HALVORSON] - The Out Louds (Relative Pitch 1042)
WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET With ROB BROWN / LEWIS BARNES / HAMID DRAKE - Ao Vivo Na Fabrica (Selo Sesc 0076/16; Brazil)
IVO PERELMAN / MATTHEW SHIPP / MICHAEL BISIO / WHIT DICKEY - Soul (Leo 739; UK)
IVO PERELMAN / MAT MANERI / JOE MORRIS / GERALD CLEAVER - Breaking Point (Leo 753; UK)
NED ROTHENBERG / MARK FELDMAN / SYLVIE COURVOISIER - In Cahoots (Clean Feed 394)
ALEX VON SCHLIPPENBACH / EVAN PARKER / PAUL LOVENS - Warsaw Concert (Intakt 275; Switzerland)
CHES SMITH With CRAIG TABORN / MAT MANERI - The Bell (ECM 2474; Germany)
WADADA LEO SMITH With GOLDEN QUINTET: ANTHONY DAVIS/ASHLEY WALTERS /JOHN LINDBERG/PHEEROAN AKLAFF - America’s National Parks (Cuneiform 430/431; USA)
MIKE SOPKO / BILL LASWELL / THOMAS PRIDGEN - Sopko/Laswell/Pridgen (Self-Released; USA)
TYSHAWN SOREY With CORY SMYTHE STRING QUARTET - The Inner Spectrum of Variables [2 CD Set] (Pi Recordings 065; USA)
JOHN TCHICAI and EVAN PARKER - Clapham Duos [LTD Edition of 500/Silver Embossed crab cover](Treader 22; UK)
HENRY THREADGILL ENSEMBLE DOUBLE UP [With JASON MORAN/DAVID VIRELLES/ROMAN FILIU/CURTIS MacDONALD/JOSE DAVILA/CRAIG WEINRIB] - Old Lock and Irregular Verbs (Pi 64)
THUMBSCREW [MICHAEL FORMANEK / MARY HALVORSON / TOMAS FUJIWARA] - Convallaria (Cuneiform 415; USA)
KEITH TIPPETT - Mujician Solo IV - Live in Piacenza (Dark Companion Records 001; Italy)
KEITH TIPPETT OCTET With JULIE TIPPETTS / PETER FAIRCLOUGH / et al - The Nine Dances of Patrick O’Gonogon (Discus 56; UK)
DAVID S. WARE & MATTHEW SHIPP DUO - Live in Sant'Anna Arresi, 2004 (Aum Fidelity 100; USA)
DAN WEISS With MATT MITCHELL/JACOB SACKS/MILES OKAZAKI/ANNA WEBER/DAVID BINNEY/MIGUEL ZENON/BEN GERSTEIN/OHAD TALMOR/JACOB GARCHIK/ et al - Sixteen: Drummers Suite (Pi Recordings 63)
NATE WOOLEY With COLIN STETSON/JOSH SINTON/DAN PECK/RYAN SAWYER/BEN HALL/C. SPENCER YEH/BEN VIDA/MATT MORAN/TILT BRASS OCTET/ et al - Seven Story Mountain: V (Pleasure of the Text 1304; USA)
JOHN ZORN//CLAIRE CHASE/JOSH RUBIN STEPHEN GOSLING/CHRISTIAN McBRIDE/TYSHAWN SOREY/AMERICAN BRASS QUINTET - Commedia dell’arte (Tzadik 8347)
JOHN ZORN / SIMULACRUM: MATT HOLLENBERG / JOHN MEDESKI / KENNY GROHOWSKY - 49 Acts Of Unspeakable Depravity In The Abominable Life And Times Of Gilles De Rais (Tzadik 8348)
JOHN ZORN The Classic Guide To Strategy - Vol. 4 (Tzadik 8349; USA)
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Bruce’s Recommended Historic/Archival/Reissues of 2016:
AMERICAN JAZZ QUINTET [ELLIS MARSALIS/HAROLD BATTISTE/ALVIN BATISTE/ED BLACKWELL/ et al] - Gulf Coast Jazz - Wade in the Water (VSOP 129; USA)
ALBERT AYLER QUARTET [With DON CHERRY / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY] - European Radio Studio Recordings 1964 (Hatology 678; Switzerland)
ANTHONY BRAXTON QUINTET With GEORGE LEWIS / MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS / MARK HELIAS / CHARLES “BOBO†SHAW - Quintet (Basel) 1977 (Hatology 676; Switzerland) - reissue
BORBETOMAGUS - The Eastcote Studios Session (Dancing Wayang 011; UK) - LP
THE PETER BROTZMANN SEXTET/QUARTET With EVAN PARKER/DEREK BAILEY/FRED VAN HOVE/HAN BENNINK/ et al - Nipples (Cien Fuegos 013; Austria) - original release in 1969 - LP only
TIM BUCKLEY - Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions (Future Days Recordings 631; USA)
DON CHERRY / JOHN TCHICAI / IRENE SCHWEIZER / LEON FRANCIOLI / PIERRE FAVRE - Musical Monsters (Intakt 269; Switzerland)
BETTY DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN / LARRY YOUNG / HERBIE HANCOCK / WAYNE SHORTER / HARVEY BROOKS / MITCH MITCHELL / et al - The Columbia Years 1968-1969 (Light in the Attic 135)
MILES DAVIS With STEVE GROSSMAN/CHICK COREA/DAVE HOLLAND/JACK DeJOHNETTE/AIRTO MORIERA - The Lost Broadcast (Left Field Media 542; EEC) from 1969
MILES DAVIS With REGGIE LUCAS/CARLOS GARNETT/KHALIL BALAKRISHNA/CEDRIC LAWSON/MICHAEL HENDERSON/MTUME/BADAL ROY/AL FOSTER - Paul's Mall. Boston, September 1972 (Hi Hat 3032; UK)
MILES DAVIS With DAVE LIEBMAN / PETE COSEY / REGGIE LUCAS / MICHAEL HENDERSON / MTUME / AL FOSTER - Tokyo 1973 (Iconography 056; EEC)
THE EX With HAN BENNINK/AB BAARS/MATS GUSTAFSSON/KEN VANDERMARK/PETER EVANS/JOHN BUTCHER et al - At Bimhuis (1991-2015) [2-CD Set](Ex Records 143/144; Netherlands)
JIMMY GIUFFRE 3 With PAUL BLEY / STEVE SWALLOW - Bremen & Stuttgart 1961 (Emanem 5208; UK) - 2 CD Set
KEIJI HAINO - 1973 Live - Milky Way [LTD Edition/LP Only](Black Truffle 026; Australia)-LP
TRISTAN HONSINGER With SEAN BERGIN / TOSHINORI KONDO / TIZIANA SIMONA / JEAN-JACQUES AVENEL / MICHAEL VATCHER - Picnic (CvsD 28; USA / Data 852; Netherlands)
WILLIAM HOOKER With DAVID S. WARE/DAVID MURRAY/JEMEEL MOONDOC/ROY CAMPBELL, JR., BOOKER T WILLIAMS/ALAN BRAUFMAN/LEWSI BARNES/RICHARD KEENE/ et al - Light - The Early Years 1975-1989 [LTD Edition 4 CD Set] (No Business 82-85; Lithuania)
KING CRIMSON: ROBERT FRIPP/ADRIAN BELEW/TONY LEVIN/BILL BRUFORD - On (And Off) The Road 1981-1984 [19 CD Set: CD’s/DVD’s/Blu-Rays](DGM ; UK)
PETER KUHN with TOSHINORI KONDO/ARTHUR WILLIAMS/WILLIAM PARKER/DENIS CHARLES - No Coming, No Going. The Music of Peter Kuhn, 1978 - 1979 (NoBusiness 89-90; Lithuania)
JIMMY LYONS With KAREN BORCA/MUNEER BERNARD FENNELL/HAYES BURNETT/ROGER BLANK - Push Pull (CvD 022; USA) - 2 CD Set
HERBIE MANN With SONNY SHARROCK/STEVE MARCUS/ROY AYERS/MIROSLAV VITOUS/BRUNO CARR LINDA SHARROCK - Live at the Whiskey 1969; The Unreleased Masters (Real Gone Music 439)
HARRY MILLER WITH KEITH TIPPETT / TREVOR WATTS / LOUIS MOHOLO / ALAN WAKEMAN / ALAN TOMLINSON - Different Times, Different Places - Volume 2 (Ogun 045; UK)
SAL MOSCA - Too Marvelous for Words / June 1981, Five Concerts from the Netherlands [5 CD Set](Cadence Jazz 1248; USA) 5 CD Set
SONNY MURRAY With ALBERT AYLER/DON CHERRY/HENRY GRIMES/LOUIS WORRELL/LEROI JONES [AMIRI BARAKA] - Sonny's Time Now (Skokiaan 005; Germany)
YOKO ONO - Plastic Ono Band (Secretly Canadian 281; USA)
RAVI SHANKAR - In Hollywood, 1971 (Northern Spy 073; USA) 2 CD Set / 2 LP Set
WADADA LEO SMITH - Red Chrysanthemums/Solos 1977 (CvsD 025; USA)
SPIRIT - Live At The Ash Grove, 1967 Volume 1 (Flashback 1009; UK)
SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE [JOHN STEVENS/BARRY GUY/EVAN PARKER TREVOR WATTS/DEREK BAILEY/KENNY WHEELER/PAUL RUTHERFORD] - Withdrawal [1966/67] (Emanem 5040; UK)
SUN RA & HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA - I Roam The Cosmos (Art Yard 2021; UK) - Unreleased LP!
JOHN SURMAN With TERJE RYPDAL/MALCOM GRIFFITHS/JOHN TAYLOR/CHRIS LAURENCE/JOHN MARSHALL - Morning Glory (Fledg’ling 310; UK)
TREVOR WATTS STRING ENSEMBLE - Cynosure 3 Bonus Tracks (Hi 4Head 018; UK)
LARRY YOUNG With NATHAN DAVIS / WOODY SHAW / BILLY BROOKS / et al - In Paris: The ORTF Recordings [2 CD Set] (Resonance Records; USA)
FRANK ZAPPA - Road Tapes, Venue #2 (Zappa Records 20131; USA)
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Recommended Vocal/Rock/World Records of 2016:
Every year my vocal/rock/roots list gets smaller as I seek out less rock, folk, roots and ethnic music. There seems to be less interesting music magazines for me, although I do read Mojo, Uncut, Ugly Things and the Big Takeover. I did get a compilation from Uncut magazine called, ’Sounds of the New West’ and I thought most of it was pretty great! Never heard of any of the 15 bands/artists except for the Drive-By Truckers. There is some hope for me I believe.
IDRIS ACKAMOOR & THE PYRAMIDS - “We All be Africans†(Strut 144; UK)
DAEVID ALLEN WEIRD QUARTET - Elevenes (Purple Pyramid 0043; USA)
DAVID BOWIE With DONNY McCASLIN/BEN MONDER/JASON LINDNER/TIM LEFEBVRE/MARK GUILIANA - Blackstar (Sony; USA)
ANTHONY BRAXTON - Trillium J [4 CD Blu-Ray Set Thick Booklet](Firehouse12 NBH 906)
BUCK CURRAN - Immortal Light (ESP-Disk 5014; USA)
DEFUNKT [With JOSEPH BOWIE / BILL BICKFORD / RONNIE DRAYTON / et al] - Live at Channel Zero (ESP Disk 5008)
GONG STEVE HILLAGE / DIDIER MAHLHERBE - Rejoice! I’m Dead! (Madfish 1049; UK)
HAGL [HEROES ARE GANG LEADERS] - Highest Engines Near / Near Higher Engineers (Flat Langston’s Ark Eyes 2015; USA)
JACK DUPON - Empty Full Circulation (Nova Records BAM 072; France)
JACK O' THE CLOCK [With DAMON WAITKUS/JASON HOOPES/JORDAN GLENN] FRED FRITH/DARREN JOHNSTON - Repetitions of the Old City - I (JOTC 05; USA)
BERT JANSCH - Strolling Down The Highway (Secret Records 147; UK) 2 CD 1 DVD Set
KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JAKKO JAKSZYK/MEL COLLINS/TONY LEVIN/BILL RIEFLIN/GAVIN HARRISON/PAT MASTELOTTO] - Live in Toronto - November 20th, 2015 [2 CD Set](DGM 675013)
KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JAKKO JAKSZYK/MEL COLLINS/TONY LEVIN/PAT MASTELOTTO/BILL RIEFLIN/GAVIN HARRISON] - Radical Action To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind (DGM ; UK) - 3 CD 1 Blu-Ray Set
STEVE LEHMAN & SELEBEYONE with MACIEK LASSERRE/CARLOS HOMS/DREW GRESS/DAMION REID GASTON BANDIMIC/HPRIZM - self/titled (Pi Records 66; USA)
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS With JAMAALADEEN TACUMA/RUDY ROYSTON/SUPERNATURAL/PEARL LEWIS - Days of FreeMan (Okeh/Sony 88875082762; USA)
GARY LUCAS’ FLEISCHEREI Featuring SARAH STILES JEFF LEDERER/MICHAEL BATES/ROB GARCIA - Music From Max Fleischer Cartoons (Cuneiform 405; USA)
MARGO PRICE - Midwest Farmer’s Daughter (Third Man 70226)
JOHN ZORN - For Six Female Voices Madrigals (Tzadik 8339; USA)
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2016 - Bruce’s Recommendations for DVDs/Books/Box Sets:
TOMOMI ADACHI / JAAP BLONK / OWEN F. SMITH / DUANE INGALLS - 4 Contemporary Sound Poets [DVD Audio] (Pogus 21083; USA) - DVD
GINGER BAKER - In Africa (Gonzo 186; UK) DVD
PAUL BOWLES - Music of Morocco: Recorded by Paul Bowles, 1959 [4 CD Box Set/Book](Dust-to-Digital 046; USA) - rel April, 2016
JOHN CAGE & MORTON FELDMAN - Radio Happenings (1966-67) [Hardcover book audio DVD] (Mode 289)
THOMAS CHAPIN - Night Bird Song - The Incandescent Life of a Jazz Giant/Directed by Stephanie J. Castillo [DVD](Akasha; Inc.; USA)
PASCAL COMELADE - Rocanrolorama (1974-2016)(Because Music 5156515; France) - 6 CD Box Set
BARRY GUY BLUE SHROUD BAND With AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / PETER EVANS / TORBEN SNEKKESTAD / MAYA HOMBURGER / LUCAS NIGGLI / RAMON LOPEZ / SAVINA YANNATOU / et al - Tensecrity [4 CD Box Set](Not Two 938; Poland)
HELMUT LACHENMANN - String Quartets [DVD] (Neos 51001DVD; Germany)
EVAN PARKER / PAT THOMAS / JOHN RUSSELL / JOHN EDWARDS / ALEX WARD / ALISON BLUNT / BENEDICT TAYLOR / DAVID LEAHY / KAY GRANT - Mopomoso Tour 2013 / Making Rooms [4 CD Box Set](Weekertoft 1-4; UK)
WASHINGTON PHILLIPS - Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams (Dust-to-Digital 049; USA) - CD/BOOK
ALEXANDER Von SCHLIPPENBACH TRIO With EVAN PARKER & PAUL LOVENS//A Film by BERND SCHOCH - But the Word Dog Doesn’t Bark [Aber das Wort Hund belle ja Nicht] [DVD/LTD Edition of 450] (Self-produced; Germany) [PAL format, region free]
LINDA SHARROCK With ITARU OKI / et al - The Network [2 CD set](Improvised Beings 46; France)
KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN & EDGAR VARESE - “Les Grandes Repetitions†- 2 Films by LUC FERRARI and GERARD PATRIS [DVD](Mode 276; USA)
WEATHER REPORT - Morning Lake (Blueline 1142607; Germany) Live 1972 - DVD
FRANK ZAPPA - Trouble Every Day: Legendary Broadcasts (Laser Media 645; Germany) DVD
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Bruce’s Recommended Picks for Obscure Discs of 2016:
ANIMAL CERAMICO - Nicotina os Primavera (Buh Records 77; Peru)
ARASHI - AKIRA SAKATA / JOHAN BERTHLING / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE - Semikujira (Trost 146; Austria)
BURNING GHOSTS - Burning Ghosts (Orenda 030; USA)
DANIELE CAVALLANTI and THE MILANO CONTEMPORARY ART ENSEMBLE - Songs of Hope (Rudi Records 1026; Italy)
[THE] CORE TRIO [SETH PAYNTER/THOMAS HELTON/JOE HERTENSTEIN] MATTHEW SHIPP - Live Featuring Matt Shipp (Evil Rabbit 23; Netherlands)
THE DELEGATION - Evergreen [2 CD Set](Canceled World)(ESP Disk 5017; USA)
DISORDER AT THE BORDER With DANIELE D’AGARO / GIOVANNI MAIER / ZLATKO KAUCIC - Plays Ornette (Not Two 943; Poland)
MARCO ENEIDI / ITZAM CANO / GABRIEL LAUBER - Cosmic Brujo Mutafuka (Dimensional 002; Mexico)
EVIL GENIUS - Bitter Human (Orenda Records 0022; USA)
SANDY EWEN / DAMON SMITH / WEASEL WALTER - Live in Texas (BPA LTD 707; USA)
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS With ANDRE ROLIGHETEN / THOMAS JOHANSSON / OSCAR GRONBERG / JON RUNE STROM / TOLLEF OSTVANG - What’s Wrong? (Clean Feed 392; Portugal)
GHOSTS OF THE HOLY GHOST SPERMIC BROTHERHOOD [DAVID GROLLMAN / MICHAEL EVANS / ANDY HAAS] - For (Resonant Music 013; USA)
I AM THREE [With SILKE EBERHARD / NIKOLAUS NEUSER / CHRISTIAN MARIEN] - Mingus Mingus Mingus (Leo 752; UK)
I.P.A. [MAGNUS BROO / ATLE NYMO / MATTIAS STAHL / INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN /HAKON MJASET JOHANSEN] - I Just Did Say Something (Cuneiform 422; USA)
PETER KUHN/DAVE SEWELSON/LARRY ROLAND/GERALD CLEAVER - Our Earth/Our World (pfMentum 0096)
LEAP OF FAITH ORCHESTRA With DAVE PEK/GLYNIS LOMON/YURI ZBITNOV/ANDRIA NICODEMOU/FORBES GRAHAM/SYDNEY SMART/ et al - Supernovae (Evil Clown 9125; USA)
FRANTZ LORIOT SYSTEMATIC DISTORTION ORCHESTRA With JOE MOFFETT/BEN GERSTEIN/SAM KULIK/SEAN ALI/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER/ et al - The Assembly (Out Now 024; USA)
BILLY MINTZ / TONY MALABY / JOHN GROSS / ROBERTA PIKET / HILLIARD GREENE - Ugly Beauty (Thirteenth Note 010; USA) - 2 CD Set
MOTIF With MICHAEL THIEKE/EIVIND LONNING/ATLE NYMO/HAVARD WIIK/OLE MORTEN VAGAN/HAKON MJASET JOHNASEN - My Head is Listening (Clean Feed 395; Portugal)
ANGELIKA NIESCIER / FLORIAN WEBER RALPH ALESSI / CHRIS TORDINI / TYSHAWN SOREY - NYC Five (Intakt CD 263)
PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER LE 7EME CONTINENTE [With EVE RISSER/JOACHIM BADENHORST/PHILIP ZOUBEK/ et al] - Talking Trash (Clean Feed 373; Portugal)
TIM O’DWYER With CARL LUDWIG HUBSCH / et al - The Fold / Kohn Project (Leo 721; UK)
ZOE PIA - Shardana (Caligola 2218; Italy) with Roberto De Nittis, Glauco Benedetti, Sebastian Mannutza
DOMINIQUE PIFARÉLY QUARTET With ANTONIN RAYON / BRUNO CHEVILLON / FRANCOIS MERVILLE - Trace Provisoire (ECM 2481; Germany)
CHRIS PITSIOKOS/NOAH PUNKT/PHILIPP SCHOLZ]/PROTEAN REALITY - Protean Reality (Clean Feed 358; Portugal)
PUGS & CROWS & TONY WILSON - Everyone Knows Everyone 2 [2 CD Set/LTD Edition](Phonometrograph; Canada)
RED TRIO JOHN BUTCHER - Summer Skyshift (Clean Feed 372; Portugal)
EVE RISSER WHITE DESERT ORCHESTRA With SYLVAINE HELARY - Les Deux Versants Se Regardent (Clean Feed 399; Portugal)
LUCA SISERA ROOFER - Prospect (Leo 737; UK)
JACOB SACKS QUINTET With ANDREW BISHOP/DAN WEISS/ et al - No Man’s Land (Yeah-Yeah Records 0007; USA)
LINDA SHARROCK With ITARU OKI / et al - The Network [2 CD set](Improvised Beings 46; France)
SIX-IN-ONE [PAUL DUNMALL / BRUCE COATES / COREY MWAMBA / SETH BENNETT / WALT SHAW /MARK SANDERS] - Subjects and Structures (Slam 2102; UK)
SLD TRIO [PAULA SHOCRON/GERMAN LAMONEGA/PABLO DIAZ] - Anfitrion (Self-Released; Bolivia)
RON STABINSKY - Free for One (Hot Cup 151; USA)
THE SYNC [SYLVAINE HELARY / FRED LONBERG-HOLM / EVE RISSER / MIKE REED] - The Bridge Sessions 02 (Across the Bridges TBS 02; France)
3, 5, 7 ENSEMBLE - Amongst the Smokestacks and Steeples (Milk Factory 005; USA)
THYMOLPHTHALEIN [ANTHONY PATERAS/NATASHA ANDERSON/WILL GUTHRIE/JEROME NOETINGER/CLAYTON THOMAS] - Mad Among the Mad (Immediata 002; Australia)
[SEYMOUR WRIGHT / PAUL ABBOTT] XT - Pah’ (Pleasure of the Texts Records 1306)
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Clean Feed & Shhpuma Releases of 2016 - Label of the Year Once again! It is amazing!
While most labels have slowed down of the past few years with the number of releases they put out, very few have increased their number. I can only think of tow that have increased their numbers: Sunnyside and Clean Feed and Clean Feed have released 50 discs this year!!!
January 26th:
1. HARRIS EISENSTADT With TONY MALABY/JEB BISHOP/JASON ROEBKE - Ole Growth Forest (Clean Feed 359; Portugal)
2. DARREN JOHNSTON / FRED FRITH - Everybody's Somebody's Nobody (Clean Feed 357; Portugal)
3. RENKU [MICHAEL ATTIAS/JOHN HEBERT/SATOSHI TAKEISHI] - Live in Greenwich Village (Clean Feed 354; Portugal)
4. DRE HOCEVAR With CHRIS PITSIOKOS/LESTER ST. LOUIS/BRAM DE LOOZE/PHILIP WHITE - Collective Effervescence (Clean Feed 360; Portugal)
5. PROTEAN REALITY [CHRIS PITSIOKOS/NOAH PUNKT/PHILIPP SCHOLZ] - Protean Reality (Clean Feed 358; Portugal)
March 18th:
6. ALEXANDER HAWKINS / EVAN PARKER - Leaps in Leicester (Clean Feed 362; Portugal)
7. ERIC REVIS TRIO With KRIS DAVIS/GERALD CLEAVER - Crowded Solitudes (Clean Feed 363;)
8. ROY NATHANSON & FRIENDS [With MARC RIBOT / CURTIS FOWLKES / ANTHONY COLEMAN /MYRA MELFORD / ARTURO O’FARRILL / LUCY HOLLIER] - Nearness and You, Duets and Improvisations at The Stone (Clean Feed 365; Portugal)
9. STARLITE MOTEL [With JAMIE SAFT / INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN / KRISTOFFER BERRE A LBERTS / GARD NILSSEN] - Awosting Falls (Clean Feed 364; Portugal)
10. TWENTY ONE 4TET [With JOHN DIKEMAN / LUIS VICENTE / WILBERT DE JOODE / ONNO GOVAERT] - Live at Zaal 100 (Clean Feed 366; Portugal)
11. JULIE KJAER 3 With JOHN EDWARDS / STEVE NOBLE - Dobbeltgaeenger (Clean Feed 361; Portugal)
12.ANDRE GONCALVES With PEDRO BOAVIDA/RODRIGO DIAS/GONCALO SILVA - Currents & Riptides (Clean Feed/Shhpuma 019; Portugal)
13. JOAO CAMOES / JEAN-MARC FOUSSAT - A La Face Du Ciel (Clean Feed/Shhpuma 022; Portugal)
May 20th:
14. TONY MALABY PALOMA RECIO [With BEN MONDER/EIVIND OPSVIK/NASHEET WAITS] - Incantation Suite (Clean Feed 367; Portugal)
15. NICK MILLEVOI With JAMIE SAFT/JOHNNY DeBASE/CHES SMITH] - Disertion (Shhpuma 024)
16. RED TRIO JOHN BUTCHER - Summer Skyshift (Clean Feed 372; Portugal)
17. PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER LE 7EME CONTINENTE [With EVE RISSER/JOACHIM BADENHORST/PHILIP ZOUBEK/ et al] - Talking Trash (Clean Feed 373; Portugal)
18. SEI MIGUEL With RODRIGO AMADO/HERNANI FAUSTINO/FALA MARIAM/ et al - (Five) Untold Stories (Clean Feed 374; Portugal)
19. JOSE BRUNO PARRINHA/LUIS LOPES/RICARDO JACINTO - Garden (Clean Feed 369; Portugal)
20. FESTEN [With ISAK HEDTJARN/LISA ULLEN/ELSA BERGMAN/ERIK CARLSSON] - Festen (Clean Feed 368; Portugal)
21. JONAS CAMBIEN TRIO With ANDRE ROLIGHETEN/ANDREAS WILDHAGEN - A Zoology of the Future (Clean Feed 370; Portugal)
22. LUME With MARCO BARROSO/MANUEL LUIS COCHOFEL/PAULO GASPAR/ et al - Xabregas (Clean Feed 371; Portugal)
23.ICH B!N NINTENDO - Lykke (Shhpuma 020/Clean Feed; Portugal)
July 15th:
24.SUSAN SANTOS SILVA / LOTTE ANKER / STEN SANDELL / TORBJORN ZETTERBERG / JON FALT - Life and Other Storms (Clean Feed 379; Portugal)
25.WHIT DICKEY / KIRK KNUFFKE - Fierce Silence (Clean Feed 376; Portugal)
26.STIRRUP [FRED LONBERG-HOLM / NICK MACRI / CHARLES RUMBACK] - Cut (Clean Feed 378; Portugal)
27. CARATE URIO ORCHESTRA [With JOACHIM BADENHORST / FRANTZ LORIOT / PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER / SEAN CAPRIO / et al] - Ljubljana (Clean Feed 382; Portugal)
28.CORTEX [THOMAS JOHANSSON/KRISTOFFER ALBERTS/OLA HOYER/GARD NILSSON] - Live in New York (Clean Feed 381; Portugal)
29.MOUNT MEANDER With KARLIS AUZINS/LUCAS LEIDINGER/TOMO JACOBSON/THOMAS SAUERBORN - Mount Meander (Clean Feed 375; Portugal)
30.MODULAR STRING TRIO - Ant Bees and Butterflies (Clean Feed 377; Portugal)
31.GONCALO - The Hundred Headed Woman (Shhpuma 023; Portugal)
September 23rd:
32.BLACK BOMBAIN & PETER BROTZMANN (Shhpuma 026; Portugal)
33.ELLIOTT HARP AGGREGAT [with TAYLOR HO BYNUM / BRAD JONES / TERRY L. GREENE II / BARRY ALTSCHUL - Dialectical (Clean Feed 386; Portugal)
34.JOHN BUTCHER & STÃ…LE LIAVIK SOLBERG - So Beautiful it, Starts to Rain (Clean Feed 390; Portugal)
35.JOHN LINDBERG BC3 With WENDELL HARRISON / KEVIN NORTON - Born in an Urdan Ruin (Clean Feed 388; Portugal)
36.JOHN LINDBERG RAPTOR TRIO With PABLO CALOGERO / JOE LaBARBARA - Western Edges (Clean Feed 389; Portugal)
37.STEVE NOBLE & KRISTOFFER BERRE ALBERTS - Coldest Second Yesterdays (Clean Feed 380; Portugal)
38.NAKED WOLF With LUC EX / YEDO GIBSON / GERRI JAGER / FELICITY PROVAN / MIKAEL SZAFIROWSKI - Ahum (Clean Feed 383; Portugal)
39.PUNKT3 With TOBIAS PFISTER / NOAH PUNKT / RAMON OLIVERAS - Ordnung Herrscht (Clean Feed 384; Portugal)
40.DAMANA [DAG MAGNUS NARESEN OCTET] With ANDRE ROLIGHETEN / KRISTOFFER ALBERTS - Cornua Copiae (Clean Feed 387; Portugal)
41.MOMENTUM With JORGEN MATHISEN/CHRISTIAN MEAAS SVENDSEN/ANDREAS WILDHAGEN - Momentum (Clean Feed 391; Portugal)
42. FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS With ANDRE ROLIGHETEN / THOMAS JOHANSSON / OSCAR GRONBERG / JON RUNE STROM / TOLLEF OSTVANG - What’s Wrong? (Clean Feed 392; Portugal)
43. EVAN PARKER / DAUNIK LAZRO / JOE McPHEE - Seven Pieces - Live at Willisau 1995 (Clean Feed 397)
44. MARK DRESSER SEVEN With NICOLE MITCHELL/MARTY EHRLICH/MICHAEL DESSEN/DAVID MORALES BOROFF/JOSHUA WHITE//JIM BLACK - Sedimental You (Clean Feed 387)
45. NED ROTHENBERG / MARK FELDMAN / SYLVIE COURVOISIER - In Cahoots (Clean Feed 394)
46. CHICAGO PLAN With STEVE SWELL / GEBHARD ULLMANN / FRED LONBERG-HOLM / MICHAEL ZERANG - Chicago Plan (Clean Feed 396; Portugal)
47. DRE HOCEVAR With SAM PLUTA/METTE RASMUSSEN/LESTER ST. LOUIS/HENRY FRASER/ et al - Transcendental within the Sphere of Indivisible Remainder (Clean Feed 393; Portugal)
48. EVE RISSER WHITE DESERT ORCHESTRA With SYLVAINE HELARY - Les Deux Versants Se Regardent (Clean Feed 399; Portugal)
49. MOTIF With MICHAEL THIEKE/EIVIND LONNING/ATLE NYMO/HAVARD WIIK/OLE MORTEN VAGAN/HAKON MJASET JOHNASEN - My Head is Listening (Clean Feed 395; Portugal)
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A Dozen Relative Pitch Discs of 2016:
1) LEILA BORDREUIL / MICHAEL FOSTER - Caustic Ballads (Relative Pitch 1034; USA)
2) THE OUT LOUDS [TOMAS FUJIWARA/BEN GOLDBERG/MARY HALVORSON] - The Out Louds (Relative Pitch 1042)
3) JEMEEL MOONDOC & HILLIARD GREENE - Cosmic Nickelodeon (Relative Pitch 1047)
4) KEIR NEURINGER / RAFAL MAZUR - Diachronic Paths (Relative Pitch 1046; USA)
5) INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - Buoyancy (Relative Pitch 1048; USA)
6) MICHAEL BISIO & KIRK KNUFFKE - Row for William O. (Relative Pitch 1043; USA)
7) AB BAARS / IG HENNEMAN / INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - Perch Hen Brock & Rain - Live @ The Jazz Happening Tampere (Relative Pitch 1051; USA)
8) JOE MORRIS With CHRIS CRETELLA/DAVE PARMELEE - Shock Axis [LTD Edition of 250] (Relative Pitch 1050; USA)
9) JESSICA PAVONE - Silent Spills (Relative Pitch 1038; USA)
10) CATHERINE SIKORA - Jersey (Relative Pitch 1049; USA)
11) FOREBRACE With ALEX WARD / ROBERTO SASSI / SANTIAGO HORRO / JEM DOULTON - Steeped (Relative Pitch 1052; USA)
12) SYLVIE COURVOISIER / NATE WOOLEY / CHRIS CORSANO - Salt Task (Relative Pitch 1044)
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Tzadik Releases of 2016:
1) JOHN ZORN - Madrigals For Six Female Voices (Tzadik 8339; USA) - Jan 22
2) JOHN ZORN - The Hermetic Organ Vol. 4 - St. Bart’s, NYC (Tzadik 8340; USA) - Jan 22
3) JOHN ZORN//FLAGA With CRAIG TABORN / CHRISTIAN McBRIDE / TYSHAWN SOREY - The Book Of Angels Volume 27 (Tzadik 8341; USA) - Feb 26th
4) JOHN ZORN//SIMULACRUM [With MATT HOLLENBERG / JOHN MEDESKI / KENNY GROHOWSKY] KENNY WOLLESEN - The Painted Bird (Tzadik 8342; USA) - March 18th
5) CYRO BAPTISTA With VINCENT SEGAL/IRA COLEMAN/TIM KEIPER/ROMERO LUBAMBO/IKUE MORI/BRIAN MARSELLA/KEVIN BREIT / et al - Bluefly (Tzadik 4014; USA)
6) JOHN ZORN/NOVA EXPRESS QUINTET [JOHN MEDESKI/KENNY WOLLESEN/TREVOR DUNN/JOEY BARON CYRO BAPTISTA] - Andras - The Book of Angels Volume 28 (Tzadik 8343; USA) - April 15th
7) JOHN ZORN //[GNOSTIC TRIO] BILL FRISELL / CAROL EMANUEL / KENNY WOLLESEN - The Mockingbird (Tzadik 8344; USA) - May 20th
8) ROBERT DICK - Our Cells Know (Tzadik 4015; USA) - June 24th
9) JOHN ZORN//JACK QUARTET - Sacred Visions (Tzadik 8345; USA) - July 22nd
10) AUTOYNO//JOHN ZORN - Flauros: The Book Of Angels - Volume 29 (Tzadik 8346; USA)
11) JOHN ZORN//CLAIRE CHASE/JOSH RUBIN STPEHEN GOSLING/CHRISTIAN McBRIDE/TYSHAWN SOREY/AMERICAN BRASS QUINTET/ JAY CAMPBELL / et al - Commedia dell’arte (Tzadik 8347; USA) - Aug 26th
12) UNNATURAL WAYS [AVA MENDOZA/TIM DAHL/SAM OSPOVAT] - We Aliens (Tzadik 7814; USA) - Aug 26th:
13) JOHN ZORN / SIMULACRUM: MATT HOLLENBERG / JOHN MEDESKI / KENNY GROHOWSKY - 49 Acts Of Unspeakable Depravity In The Abominable Life And Times Of Gilles De Rais (Tzadik 8348) - Aug 26th:
14) JOHN ZORN - The Classic Guide To Strategy - Vol. 4 (Tzadik 8349; USA) - Nov 4th
15) SHANE PARISH - Undertaker Please Drive Slow (Tzadik 4016; USA) - Nov 18th