Program 675: Stirred, Not Shaken - Jazz Hybrids
KALW Broadcast Date: November 21, 2021 | Host: Mark Abramson
This program presents a few recent recordings that give us some examples of jazz hybrids, combinations of jazz and other musical genres. The centerpiece of this program is an extended improvised jam featuring German free jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, master Moroccan Gnawa musician, singer, and guembri player Maâlem Moukhtar Gania, and highly regarded American drummer Hamid Drake. Drake was just here in San Francisco, participating in Other Minds Festival 25 as part of William Parker’s ensemble. The trio was recorded improvising live in Bologna, Italy in 2019. This recording oscillates between free jazz passages and sections where the Moukhtar Gania takes over with Drake and Brötzmann supporting the Moroccan’s infectious grooves. The combination makes for some thrilling music, and we’ll listen to almost an hour of uninterrupted improvised magic. Other jazz hybrids we’ll hear tonight include work from pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson, from their recent album Searching for the Disappeared Hour. Sylvie and Mary also played the Other Minds Festival 25 and their set was particularly impressive. We’ll also hear a track from the Sylvie Courvoisier Trio to start off our program. We’ll also hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and saxophonist Henry Threadgill, a brand new recording from 2021 titled “Poof.” We’ll hear a track from a 2018 album by composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire which features both a rapper and a string quartet. And we’ll hear a brand new track by the edgy free jazz ensemble, Irreversible Entanglements and from Sarathy Korwar and the Upaj Collective.
Program Audio
30-Second Spot
Track Info & Links
Title: Just Twisted
Composer: Sylvie Courvoisier
Performers: Sylvie Courvoisier, piano; Drew Gress, bass; Kenny Wollesen, drums
Recording Title: Free Hoops (2020)
Record Label: Intakt Records
Catalog Number: CD 351
Title: Faceless Smears, Mind Out of Time
Composers: Mary Halvorson, Sylvie Courvoisier, piano
Performers: Mary Halvorson, guitar; Sylvie Courvoisier, piano
Recording Title: Searching For the Disappeared Hour (2021)
Record Label: Pyroclastic Records
Catalog Number: PR 17
Title: Poof
Composer: Henry Threadgill
Performers: Henry Threadgill – alto saxophone, flute, bass flute; Liberty Ellman – acoustic guitar; Jose Davila – tuba, trombone; Christopher Hoffman – cello; Elliot Humberto Kavee – drums
Recording Title: Poof (2021)
Record Label: Pi Recordings
Catalog Number: PI92
Title: Americana / The Garden Waits For You To Match Her Wilderness
Composer: Ambrose Akinmusire
Performers: Drums, Computer – Marcus Gilmore; Piano, Keyboards – Sam Harris; Saxophone – Walter Smith III; Strings – MIVOS Quartet; Vocals – Kool A.D.; Words, Trumpet, Whistle, Keyboards – Ambrose Akinmusire
Recording Title: Origami Harvest (2018)
Record Label: Blue Note
Catalog Number: B002866202
Title: Keys to Creation
Composer: Irreversible Entanglements
Performers: Camae Ayewa – voice; Keir Neuringer – saxophone; Aquiles Navarro – trumpet; Luke Stewart – bass; Tcheser Holmes – drums
Recording Title: Open The Gates (2021)
Record Label: International Anthem
Catalog Number: IARC0049
Titles: The Catch of a Ghost, Almost With the Sun, Sound That Shimmers
Composers: Peter Brötzmann, Maâlem Moukhtar Gania, Hamid Drake
Performers: Peter Brötzmann tenor saxophone, tarogato; Maâlem Moukhtar Gania guembri, voice; Hamid Drake drums
Recording Title: The Catch of a Ghost (2020)
Record Label: I Dischi Di Angelica
Catalog Number: IDA 041
Titles: Elephant Hangover
Composers: Sarathy Korwar & Upaj Collective
Performers: Sarathy Korwar – Drums; Tamar Osborn – Saxophone; Achuthan Sripathamanathan – Violin; Giuliano Modarelli – Guitar; Alistair MacSween – Keys
Recording Title: Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc Sessions (2020)
Record Label: Night Dreamer
Catalog Number: ND004
