HAGYOU (2008)

YOSHIMI (SHE OF THE BATTLE WITH THE PINK ROBOTS IN THE FLAMING LIPS ALBUM TITLE) IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE SICKEST DRUMMERS AND BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS OF MY LIFETIME SO COMING TOGETHER WITH JIM AND VENERABLE SAXOPHONIST AKIRA SAKATA WILL BRING *THE HEAT* SURELY!

I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE DIVISION OF LABOUR IS HERE BUT SAKATA BLOWS A MEAN HORN - NOT PARTICULARLY ABSTRACT OR WEIRD STUFF, EITHER - IT'S JUST THE BACKING OF REVERBED KEYS AND SQUELCHY ELECTRONIC NOISES PUTS YOU IN A VERY LIGHTLY EXPERIMENTAL MODE. IT'S ACTUALLY PLEASANT. IT HAS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON FEEL TO IT. OCCASIONALLY SAKATA SINGS PLAINTIVELY.

THIS RECORD IS A NICE SURPRISE. IT LIVES NEARER TO TRADITIONAL FORMS OF JAZZ THAN I WAS EXPECTING, THOUGH THE STUFF JIM AND YOSHIMI ARE DOING AROUND THE EDGES IS DIFFERENT AND COOL AND MAKES FOR A LISTENING EXPERIENCE I'VE NOT HAD BEFORE. MAYBE IF YOU LIKE MATANA ROBERTS YOU COULD GIVE THIS A BASH.

STEAMROOM 3 (2013)

A RECORDING OF A LIVE SET IN KOBE, THOUGH A QUESTION IS FOR SETS THAT INVOLVE A GREAT DEAL OF COMPUTER IS HOW MUCH OF THE LIVE EXPERIENCE IS LIVE, AND WHAT EXACTLY IS LIVE MUSIC ANYWAY? IN THIS ERA WHERE GIGS ARE VERBOTEN I FEEL LIKE I WOULD GO AND SEE SOMEONE PRESS PLAY ON A TAPE IN A ROOM JUST FOR THAT EXPERIENCE OF BEING THERE.

THIS IS A NICE DRONE RECORD THAT WAS PROBABLY GREAT FUN LIVE. THERE ARE PROGRESSIVE DYNAMIC CHANGES BUT NEVER VVV FORTISSIMO OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THE INTERVALS MOVE BETWEEN COSMIC, TROUBLED, AND PLAINTIVE. USE IT TO SOUNDTRACK THE LAUNCH OF YOUR NEXT LUNAR MODULE.

FEAR NO FALL (1998)

THE 1997 KLAPSTUK FESTIVAL IN LEUVEN, WHICH IS KINDA HALFWAY BETWEEN BRUSSELS AND THE BORDER WITH THE NETHERLANDS, SAW SEVERAL BIG NAMES IN THE WORLD OF FREE IMPROVISATION, EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ, MODERN COMPOSITION, AND OTHER GENERAL FLAVOURS OF NON-CONFORMIST MUSIC-MAKING COME TOGETHER FOR A 5 DAY JAMBOREE OF INTERPLAY AND MAYHEM.

ON EACH DAY OF THE FESTIVAL A DIFFERENT LINE-UP OF MUSICIANS COMPRISING SOME *BUT NOT ALL* (EXCEPT ONE TRACK) OF THE ABOVE-NAMED PERFORMERS IN A KIND OF SHAPE-SHIFTING EXPLORATORY VOLTRON. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY HAD A BRIEF TO PURSUE A PARTICULAR THEME OR FOLLOW ON FROM THE PREVIOUS SESSION (IT DOESN'T REALLY SOUND LIKE IT) OR WHETHER THE PROMOTER JUST SAID "HAVE A GREAT TIME OUT THERE U GUYS" AND THE PERFORMERS DID THE REST.

THE BEST STUFF IS THE STUFF WITH BELGIAN PERCUSSIONIST DIRK WACHTELAER; HE'S A GREAT DRUMMER BUT IMPORTANTLY HE IMPOSES SOME SEMBLANCE OF STRUCTURE ON MUSIC THAT GETS, FOR ME, A BIT ONANISTIC IN PARTS. FOR INSTANCE THE PIECE BETWEEN VETERAN SAMPLER DAVID SHEA AND JIM O'ROURKE SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE TUNING UP AND THEN A JAW'S HARP OR SOMETHING. UNEDIFYING.

TO BE HONEST MOST OF THE BEST STUFF HERE DOESN'T FEATURE O'ROURKE: THE TOSHINORI KONDO/WACHTELAER TRACK IS A JAM. THE SHOWPIECE MEETING OF SIX MINDS ON ONE TRACK SUFFERS FROM A TOO MANY COOKS/NOT ENOUGH CHIEFS THING.

IT'S FREE IMPROVISATION FOR FREE IMPROVISATION FANS AND THUS IT ISN'T FAIR TO EXPECT TRADITIONAL FORMS. I DID EXPECT TO HATE IT FROM THE OPENING 5 MINUTES BUT THERE ARE SOME TREATS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT, BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO THINK THESE GUYS MISSED A CHANCE TO BECOME THE HOT BAND OF THE 00S. 

F-O'R (2009)

COR FUHLER, THE ARTIST WITH WHICH JIM COLLABORATED ON THIS RELEASE, PASSED AWAY EARLIER THIS YEAR AT THE AGE OF 56. THIS AUTOMATICALLY SEEMS TO SUGGEST COVID-19 (IF YOU ARE READING FROM THE FUTURE, THERE IS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AS I WRITE THIS AS A WAY OF PROTRACTEDLY IGNORING THE NEWS ON THIS ISSUE AND SEVERAL OTHERS WHICH CAUSE CRIPPLING BOUTS OF ANGER AND DEPRESSION) TO ME. YOU CAN'T FORGET MORTALITY EVEN IN THE SONIC PLAYGROUND OF CONTEMPORARY IMPROVISED MUSIC. SIGH.

FUHLER'S THING WAS THE USE OF ELECTRO-MAGNETISATION TO STIMULATE ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTATION - CREATIVE USE OF EBOW AND SUCH, AS WELL AS INVENTING VARIOUS ELECTROACOUSTIC HYBRID INSTRUMENTS. I GENERALLY LIKE WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A MATERIAL IMPACT AS WELL AS A SONIC ONE, OR WHEN THE TWO THINGS ARE INTERRELATED. 

THE GREAT SUMMIT MEETING OF THESE TWO SONIC TITANS OCCURRED IN 2000 AND THIS RELEASE IS A LIVE SET PERFORMED BY THE TWO. IT FEELS LIKE FUHLER IS THE KEY GENERATOR OF SOUNDS AND O'ROURKE IS GENTLY TWISTING THE SOUNDS WITH A BUNCH OF GIZMOS. IT IS PLAYFUL AND BOHEMIAN IN TONE.

TRUTH BE TOLD THOUGH I REALLY DON'T LIKE THIS. AGAIN IT STOPS SHORT OF BEING A DUD BECAUSE I CAN FEEL THE IDIOSYNCRASY OF APPROACH EVEN THROUGH THE SPEAKERS. THIS ISN'T PHONED-IN IMPROV MUSIC AND FUHLER SEEMS LIKE A VERY INTERESTING AND NOVEL GUY IN THIS WORLD. 

THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR ME IS I FOUND IT PROFOUNDLY IRRITATING; AT ONE POINT I COULD BOIL THE SOUND DOWN TO 'MAN PLAYS VIOLIN BADLY AS A SLOWED-DOWN RECORDING OF DOG BARKING AND TUGGING AT HIS CHAIN GLITCHES'.