Is, the
Reviews
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2005-01-02
Reviewed 2005-01-02
Free jazz with an avant-garde bent, as you can hear in the opening moments of the first track. A local trio led by Michael Cooke on sax et.al., joined by cello and percussion.
Cooke displays a nice range. Most tracks are in a traditional free jazz mode -- that is, they're based on recognizably "jazz" compositions and get a bit daring with the solos, usually showing tasteful restraint. A few of the tracks wander into more abstract, academic territory but still sound downright friendly (#10 comes to mind).
By the way -- the name of the album is "The Is."
1- Crazy, scrabbly avant-garde: wild, with quiet spots
2- Wandering and lyrical
3- Strong midtempo led by sly low-register riff
4- Indian feel. Quiet start.
5- A quasi-Klezmer stomp, fairly fast but subdued
6- Busy, high-energy groove. Slow start.
7- Bassoon! A spritely feel, gets energetic
8- A fast burble with rubber-band cello intro and nice clarinet
9- Upbeat, stumbling swing.
10- Peppy but sparse. Brightly abstract.
11- A low-key casual groove, nice smoky feel
Cooke displays a nice range. Most tracks are in a traditional free jazz mode -- that is, they're based on recognizably "jazz" compositions and get a bit daring with the solos, usually showing tasteful restraint. A few of the tracks wander into more abstract, academic territory but still sound downright friendly (#10 comes to mind).
By the way -- the name of the album is "The Is."
1- Crazy, scrabbly avant-garde: wild, with quiet spots
2- Wandering and lyrical
3- Strong midtempo led by sly low-register riff
4- Indian feel. Quiet start.
5- A quasi-Klezmer stomp, fairly fast but subdued
6- Busy, high-energy groove. Slow start.
7- Bassoon! A spritely feel, gets energetic
8- A fast burble with rubber-band cello intro and nice clarinet
9- Upbeat, stumbling swing.
10- Peppy but sparse. Brightly abstract.
11- A low-key casual groove, nice smoky feel
Recent airplay
4+#11M6M7
Memory Select — Apr 22, 2005
Mondrian En Amerique
The Dog and Pony Show — Feb 26, 2005
Alex in Wonderland, Mondrian En Amerique, (Track 9), 4+#11M6M7
Memory Select — Feb 18, 2005
Marchin' Home
Umami Jazz Program — Feb 15, 2005
R'izhii
Umami Jazz Program — Feb 08, 2005
Alex in Wonderland
Memory Select — Jan 28, 2005
Charting
2005-01-03 — 2005-03-07
Jazz
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Feb 27 | 1 |
| Feb 20 | 2 |
| Feb 13 | 1 |
| Jan 30 | 2 |
| Jan 16 | 1 |
| Jan 9 | 3 |
Track listing
| 1. | Mondrian En Amerique | ||
| 2. | Augmented | ||
| 3. | Iram | ||
| 4. | (Track 4) | ||
| 5. | R'izhii | ||
| 6. | Alex in Wonderland | ||
| 7. | 4+#11M6M7 | ||
| 8. | (Track 8) | ||
| 9. | (Track 9) | ||
| 10. | Spirits | ||
| 11. | Marchin' Home |