Free Zone Appelby 2003

Abstract improv in radio-friendly snippets (3 to 9 minutes). Acoustic combinations -- mostly quartets and quintets -- that were performed as part of the Appelby Jazz Festival, which every year gives a bit of the program to this kind of way-out-there music.

The usual improv elements are here -- good group dynamics that define the "mood"; lots of virtuoso scribbling; unusual sounds on otherwise normal instruments. Nice stuff.

Evan Parker is on saxophone for tracks 4, 7 and 13. Kenny Wheeler, who hung out with these very folks in the '60s before going more mainstream, plays flugelhorn on 4, 10 and 13 and shows nice "improv" chops.

1- Busy and squirrely. Quiet ending.
2- Anchored with some really cool bass lines. Starts slow, gets aggressive
3- Slashing violin. Ends with quiet, nervous strings.
4- Evan Parker/Kenny Wheeler duet. Quiet start, into some nice fast interplay
5- Brash and menacing, slow.
6- Fast and popping
7- Swirly and aggressive; meaty tenor sax from Evan Parker
8- Lots of really fast rattling; percussive. Kind of quiet except for a BURST in the last few minutes.
9- Cool fluttery-flute intro. Slow.
10- Fairly slow-moving, led by Wheeler's horn.
11- Twangy plucked strings. Gets furious! then slows up
12- Slow, sad
13- Studious; a relaxed pace. Picks up speed in the middle.
14- Eerie mood with slow, bowed strings -- nice and questioning