Playing the saxophone free jazz

[Jules]

I'm thoroughly enjoying delving into the world of free jazz at the mo. Any free jazz experts out there? If so- what do you class as the seminar works. So far I'm annoying all and sundry with...
various Ornette Coleman CDs (love 'em)
Out to Lunch- Eric Dolphy (likewise)
Machine Gun- Peter Brotzman (jazz punk, incredibly spiky)
A compilation of Albert Ayler (very abstract but oddly soulful)
working on Coltrane's Ascenssion (not clicking with this one yet)
Jan Garbarek- Triptikon (pre- folk period, classic free european sounds)

who else is worth exploring in this genre?

 

[phil_edwards]

Hi Nacho, you been to that place nearby (Springfield Road) yet?

Phil

 

[rmdickaty]

David S Ware...Live in the world.
Coltrane...Intersteller Space.
Frank Wright...Your Prayer.
Noah Howard....Live at Judson Hall.
Frank Lowe.....Black Beings.
Fred Anderson...so many records.
Kidd Jordan..Charles Gayle...Louis Belogenis...Kalaparush Mcintyre Trio.....Odean Pope......Charles Tyler.......Paul Flaherty..
Paul Dunmell..Mats Gustafsson..Ken Vandermark..John Butcher.. Marion Brown..Evan Parker..Sabir Mateen...Sam Rivers...The Thing..
Oh the list goes on....
Everything from full on blowing, to spiritual blues based American Free Jazz too European tiddly bonk, folk based improv, electronica, concentration on small sounds (the new London silence..) so much and very variable.
This is why I get cross when people just dismiss free music as a load of noise, because like any genre it has many different forms, some more musical and approachable than others...
The above list concentrates on sax players...

 

[Pete Thomas]

Keeping it British: (with varying degrees of freeness)

Trevor Watts/John Stevens
Lol Coxhill
Elton Dean
Joe Harriott
John Surman
John Zorn
Evan Parker

 

[Jules]

cheers guys- Ray, that list is great, one name that's got me intrigued on this list- Kid Jordan. I'm a big fan of new orelans bands and the rebirth brasss band do a great track called kid jordan's second line blues- can you enlighten me as to the link between avant garde free jazz and slightly hip hop inflected new orleans street brass band music?
john surman keeps on coming up as a point of reference- must investigate further.
I totally get what you mean about the dismissing it as a load of noise angle- not sure if i'vev mentinoed it here but I come from an art school painting & scupture background- there's always a conflict between the accessible vs raw self expression, where-ever that might lead.

off to investigate i go.... thanks chaps.

 

[rmdickaty]

Cheers Pete,
Some fine additions to the list there "frog dance" by Lol Coxhill which I have on vinyl..!! is a beautifully intriguing record..
Joe Harriot/John Mayer "Indo jazz fusions" another great. Along with "freeform" and "abstractions" Ornette before Ornette..!!

John Surmans beautiful Live Duet album with Jack De Johnette "invisible nature" (ECM Records) first track mysterium is 16 mins of pure bliss..

Nacho, wiki link for Edward Kidd Jordan..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidd_Jordan
This explains his connection to Rebirth, he was/is a teacher of jazz studies at Southern University at New Orleans and it was one of his students who formed the Rebirth, for which kidd wrote second line..
He was playing with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and many others.
.."Its all music whether free or not....just good or bad..."

Check out his CD with Chicago sax player Fred Anderson (of AACM)
"2 days in April" (Eremite Records)
william Parker bass, Hamid Drake Drums..
A stunningly musical improv/free jazz forray recorded live at MIT 1999..where you can hear the cry of the blues, the exhaltation of gospel, pure abstraction and melodic inventiveness in a no holds barred musical interaction of four amazing players steeped in musicality.
Also, one of my all time faves "Palm of Soul" Kidd Jordan, William Parker, Hamid Drake...A very considered, meditative recording made pretty soon after Hurricane K, ripped through New Orleans destroying Kidds home..(Aum Fidelity Records)

 

[Bobby G]

Sun Ra!

 

[josh_johnson]

Pete Thomas wrote:
Keeping it British: (with varying degrees of freeness)

Trevor Watts/John Stevens
Lol Coxhill
Elton Dean
Joe Harriott
John Surman
John Zorn
Evan Parker

Is John Zorn British? Let's not forget about Steve Lacey, a great influence on Coltrne's soprano playing.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Josh Johnson wrote:

Pete Thomas wrote:
Keeping it British: (with varying degrees of freeness)

Trevor Watts/John Stevens
Lol Coxhill
Elton Dean
Joe Harriott
John Surman
John Zorn
Evan Parker

Is John Zorn British? Let's not forget about Steve Lacey, a great influence on Coltrne's soprano playing.

No, he's possibly Canadian?

 

[Jules]

I always thought of John Zorn as being of the classic downtown New York school of wierdness?

 

[filipe]

I've been enjoying a lot the sax&drums duos like John Coltrane's Interstellar Space, Paul Flaherty & Chris Corsano and one of my favorite albums in this area, Rashid Ali & Frank Lowe - Duo Exchange.

Also, Frank Wright - uhuru na umoja , soulful album sorta like Albert Ayler

 

[rmdickaty]

Frank Wright - uhuru na umoja
Rashid Ali & Frank Lowe - Duo Exchange.
Excellant albums...Filipe...Yes Flaherty and Corsano, serious stuff..!

For Zorn albums, relating to Ornette, Nacho, try "spy vs Spy" John Zorn and Tim Berne play the music of Ornette Coleman..
A great introduction to Zorn, as he has so many projects, some more popular than others...... I still find I return to this particular album.

 

[Djangette]

Mike Osborne - Shapes

Just sold my CD on Amazon ... can share a track on request, though it might be available elsewhere.