Scowl

Jazz | Sep 2011

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2011-09-04
WOOLEY/LOONEY/SMITH/WALTER: Scowl
ugEXPLODE, 2011

FREE IMPROV – Recorded back in 2008, this compact session joins New York and Bay Area (or ex-Bay Area, now) musicians in some brisk, high-level abstract improvisation. Nate Wooley’s trumpet gives it a sense of direction, while Damon Smith’s bass and Weasel Walter’s restless percussion provide bottomless reserves of spontaneous energy. And Scott R Looney is just great on “hyperpiano,” weaving through it all and wrapping it up in tight knots. Solid work all around.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 5

1. 12:39 – alternately spacious and dense, rushing forward or pulling way back with tight interplay: very squeaky in the middle, then scurries quietly

2. 7:47 – brisk, tense pacing with some striking duo breaks at the midpoint

3. 9:04 – thick, buzzing aggression; just a few detours into wide-open spaces

4. 10:15 – quieter rumbling, agitated but moody: expands into creepy space, condenses into long section of curving scribbles, ends in a murmur

5. 13:30 – starts quiet, slow: piano strings & bass squeaks; muttering trumpet stretched paper-thin, second half turns hyperactive, driven by the drums, gets extra-crunchy near the end, but falls to silence

[ Fo ] - August 2011

Recent airplay

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Anglewise Blind
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Scan Meltdown
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Charting

2011-09-04 — 2011-11-06 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Nov 6 1
Oct 30 1
Oct 23 1
Oct 16 1
Oct 2 1
Sep 25 1
Sep 18 1
Sep 11 1

Track listing

1. Anglewise Blind
2. Carps Daemon
3. Tomb Trisects
4. Scan Meltdown
5. Canard Poems