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This
hardworking freebop outfit from the West Coast – Jason Mears
(alto sax, clarinet, wood flute), Kris Tiner (trumpet, flugelhorn),
Ivan Johnson (bass) and Paul Kikuchi (drums) – used to have
a Scrabble-player’s nightmare for a band-name, but in the
gap between these two albums they have rechristened themselves the
Empty Cage Quartet. Day of the Race, a studio album, focuses
on short self-contained tracks, but the greater concentration and
sharp-focus sound work to the benefit of the music. Aside from the
spacious “Not Finding Anything/The Beast Wheel’s Revenge,”
the pieces gravitate toward brisk freebop and nagging funk, the
grooves pulled so taut that the music has a compulsive, locked-in
feel that builds up considerable tension over the course of a track.
This music is a sinuous dance, but one where every move, every exit
and entry, every bob and weave, is made with razor-sharp precision;
at times the players even get into a delirious high-stepping polyphony
recalling Braxton’s earlier preoccupation with marches. But
Johnson and Kikuchi are inventive and supple enough to keep the
music from relentlessness, and the bass player’s contributions
in particular draw the ear as often as the soloists. The front line
works off the contrast between Mears’ mordant angularity and
Tiner’s supercharged mix of old-school jazz trumpet and the
radical self-questioning of the avant-garde. His feature on “Attack
of the Eye People” is evidence of his rare ability to use
effects in a way that is fully expressive at a melodic and rhythmic
level. The two-CD set Hello the Damage! received its cheery
title from a Babelfish translation of a French reviewer’s
pan of the previous disc. There's something of a lost-in-translation
quality to the album, unfortunately, since the concert recording
is far from satisfactory – the poor audio quality is particularly
hard on Johnson and Kikuchi. Aside from that major caveat, this
is a welcome complement to Day of the Race and a good example
of the group’s different approach to live gigs. The quartet
uses pre-composed materials sparingly and flexibly, treating them
as navigation points within long, open-ended improvisations. Tiner
is again extraordinarily inventive: his solo on “Swan-Neck
Deformity” is a stunner, suggesting still-untapped potentials
in Miles Davis’s legacy – it’s as if Tiner has
plumbed the most daring, piercing moments in Davis’s music
to propose a boldface musical language utterly different from the
usual stylized fragility of Miles disciples. The greater emphasis
on long-form improv risks the odd musical dead spot (and shows up
Mears’s tendency to filibuster), but also gives the musicians
the chance to explore colour and mood at length in a way largely
ruled out by the jump-or-die linearity of Day of the Race.
Alongside Shot x Shot and Exploding Customer, the Empty Cage Quartet
finds a new way forward for the modern-day free jazz quartet.
Following
their excellent Nine Winds studio recording Day of the Race,
this double disc live set finds the newly christened Empty Cage
Quartet (formerly the MTKJ Quartet) exploring a set of pieces that
stretch across their brief, but rich discography. One of the West
Coast's best acoustic Jazz quartets, these four engage a set of
intricate compositions that merge vigorous improvisation with primal
drive and subtle dynamics. Multi-reedist Jason Mears and trumpeter
Kris Tiner hold the front line in this youthful, inventive quartet.
Bassist Ivan Johnson and drummer Paul Kikuchi provide ample support
for the horns, empathetically locking together through a diverse
array of rhythms and endlessly modulating tempos. Utilizing a modular
compositional model, the Empty Cage Quartet borrows from the aesthetic
structural qualities of Anthony Braxton's post-1970s innovations,
as well as the contemporary ensembles of such luminaries as Tim
Berne and Ken Vandermark. By allowing each player to reference the
core components of any of their other pieces within a given composition,
the quartet's interplay expands exponentially. Modal vamps, atmospheric
dirges and grinding, deconstructed Funk rhythms alternate with rhapsodic
flights of Be-Bop taken at blistering tempos. The rhythm section
is incisive, stretching endless shifts in tempo and dynamics in
tandem. Kikuchi's scintillating percussive asides and pneumatic
tom-tom work occasionally sounds almost electronically generated
and alien in their timbre. Johnson's bass is resolute and on target,
melodically focused through tight and involved passages. The front
line is an expressive and well-matched pair. Tiner's timbre is brassy
and full, capable of tranquility, but prone to pugnacious elation,
especially when handling a plunger mute. Mears plies yearning clarinet
musings with searing focus and vertical intensity, his serpentine
alto sax is equally turbulent and buoyant. Weaving together disparate
lines, they play with subtlety and chamber-esque restraint on "Who
Are They If We Are Them?" Chasing the driving rhythm, they
link like barbed coils on the breakneck pace of "The Empty
Cage" before drifting into sultry Blues territory on the swaggering
"Swim Swim Swim, Eat Eat Eat." Each is given ample solo
time across the two sets, but just as often they end up soloing
in unison, interweaving complimentary counterpoint with one another
in and endless exchange of ideas, both melodic and textural. Noticeably
progressing with each release, the Empty Cage Quartet embodies some
of the West Coast's finest acoustic improvisation. Transcending
their influences, these four rise to the challenge of carving out
their own space and sound. West
coast trumpet player Kris Tiner and East Coast guitarist Mike Baggetta
both have wide-ranging backgrounds, from Bop-based Jazz ensemble
playing to freer contexts. For this working duo, compositional forms
by both players are used as frameworks for abstract improvisations.
On some pieces, the two navigate their way through a maze of angular
lines that bring to mind Braxton's composition. Others use a strategy
of conversational interplay, making the most of the timbral contrast
between Tiner's trumpet arsenal (from piccolo trumpet to flugelhorn)
and Baggetta's steely prepared acoustic guitar. Cafreful listening
is always evident as the two play off of each other, whether shadowing
lines or counterbalancing densities and textures of the freely evolving
pieces. Tiner's playing displays a stronger use of space with wafts
of melodic threads, certainly influenced by his studies with Wadada
Leo Smith. Baggetta has a distinct sound, matching the sharp plectrum
attack of picked lines with skewed, jagged chords. What stands out
is the tension the two create as they shape the improvisational
forms with the juxtaposition of raw extended technique and resonating
tones and hanging harmonics. Throughout the series of 12 relatively
short improvisations, the two maintain a taut, insightful approach
to duet interaction. What
a fine young quartet this is. They’ve clearly absorbed the
inside-out music, and the young avant-garde, of the mid-1960s; they
specialize in the kind of freebop heard not only on Jackie McLean,
Sam Rivers, or Grachan Moncur dates, but also made by contemporary
masters like Paul Smoker, Roy Campbell, and Nine Winds honcho Vinny
Golia himself. They all studied at Cal Arts and clearly absorbed
a lot of deep lessons from the likes of Wadada Leo Smith. After
two self-released discs, and a lot of time in the van, this group
has really made a fine statement with Making Room for Spaces. They
generally combine long improvisational passages with elaborate multi-part
compositions (a bit of Brax, a bit of KV, a bit of Tim Berne). Tiner
in particular is a really compelling voice, blending the timbral
resourcefulness of Smoker or Wadada with the focused linear constructions
of, say, Booker Little. Mears is a far raunchier player, somewhat
in the mold of Dave Rempis (though he has also played in many a
new music ensemble, with Golia, with Wadada Leo Smith, and with
Jeff Kaiser). When they inhabit time-keeping roles, Kikuchi and
Johnson aren’t quite as limber and versatile as one might
hope for, by which I mean that they don’t really throw any
monkey wrenches into things. Still, when they are given solo space–as
on Johnson’s long lone statement during the provocatively
titled ‘Like That, She’s Gone’–or when they
abandon these traditional roles (as they frequently do), the more
than redeem themselves. The group does a nice job of shifting voices
and darting this way or that, keeping things cooking throughout
this excellent release. That might be obvious since most of this
date is comprised of two long suites-–these guys are anything
but careless about structuring their music–-but it's refreshing
nonetheless. While they can cook it up hot, they can also draw you
in with more abstract gestures (with Mears compelling on clarinet),
as on ‘And So It Goes.’ by the time they reach ‘Fish
Face,’ it’s difficult not to be won over by the group’s
seemingly drunken cavorting–with hesitations, slurring, and
falling-down-stairs rhythms all jumbled up together. I don’t
know quite what to make of the titles on ‘Suite 2’ but
who cares? The opening of ‘Nuts and Gum’ features a
really heady section of what might, I suppose, be a kind of fractured
counterpoint–four limbs moving in a different direction. And
that’s just what these guys do quite well: they follow many
different musical paths, all the while maintaining a pretty stimulating
group voice. Well done. While
they have their overt moments (the sprung rhythms of 'Winddrone,
Water Drying,' the bumptious clatter of 'Metal Skin' and 'Force
a Smooth Thing'), these ten tracks form a set of carefully considered
studies, one that imposes a welcome, reflective mood upon the listener.
'They Mistook Time for Line,' one of the track titles, could almost
be a group manifesto. Tiner's trumpet and flugelhorn work is both
conversational and eliptical, much like Bill Dixon's in its unhurried
examination of space. The guitarist and bassoonist work similar
paths, reacting to each other with a slight narrative push here,
a noisy squiggle there; 'Force a Smooth Thing' is a tour-de-force
of guitar/electronics helter play, while Schoenbeck's command of
her difficult, ghetto-ized instrument is admirably full and entertaining...
Well-executed ferocity aside, it's the quietly entrancing moments
of tracks like 'A Wind Shift,' 'Road From Kumasi,' and 'Like Red
Flowers' that draw the listener in to this trio's fascinating sound
world. Hope there's more to come.
Stratostrophic, the LA based Empty Cage Quartet's second CD under that name, defies the usual description of West Coast jazz in that what they play is more akin to the wide-eyed, adrenalised music of certain downtown NYC ensembles. They're a crisp and crunchy unit, placing as much emphasis on composition as they do on improvisation. Jason Mears (alto sax, clarinet), Kris Tiner (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ivan Johnson (double bass) and Paul Kikuchi (drums, electronics) are a perfectly weighted foursome, highly cohesive while each pursuing an individual path through the music. Though they don't call their pieces suites, there seem to be occasional thematic links between tracks, such as the repeated staccato phrase that emerges within the closing measures of "Again A Gun Again A Gun Again A Gun", which underpins the brief following track, "Freedom Is On The March". The compositions offer unpredictable arrangements and shifts in direction that the players fuly exploit. This is a blue chip recording, one of the best things in jazz to emerge in the new millennium. Tin/Bag are the bicoastal and unusually lyrical free Improv duo of Los Angeles trumpeter Kris Tiner and New York guitarist Mike Baggetta. The beautifully plangent title track which opens the disc is not what you'd expect from free Improv, a mood also found on the Leo Smith tribute "Wadada", with its echoes of Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto, and the radiant "Fishers Of The Star". For those misled by appearances, though, the spiky "Bienvenue" clearly asserts the pair's essentially exploratory approach. Throughout there's an open, intensely emotional quality to the duo's playing. Percussionist Harris Eisenstadt and clarinettist Brian Walsh join them for the 23-minute "Recourse To Unison" – spare, haunting, with hints of modernist avant garde gestures – and the "Half-Life" suite.
"Trumpets
can do more than you ever imagined when John Fumo, Jeff Kaiser,
Kris Tiner and Dan Rosenboom are doing the doin’." The
things that sometimes rankle about the Empty Cage Quartet (formerly
MTKJ) are exactly the things that make them exceptional. No question
about the basics: Alto saxist Jason Mears possesses slippery technique
and a distinctive metalwood tone; trumpeter Kris Tiner can turn
barbed wire to beauty; drummer Paul Kikuchi and bassist Ivan Johnson
could make a groove out of a fall downstairs. So if a tune begins
in tics and gimmicks, hang in there; virtually every time it’ll
coalesce into amazing interplay that wouldn’t have been possible
without a foundation in risk. Trained like the others at CalArts,
Mears and Tiner resemble an Eric Dolphy and Booker Little for our
time — or, not so distantly, a Vinny Golia and Rob Blakeslee. Bearish
Kris Tiner, the solo opener, breathed animalistic trumpet multiphonics,
and his single-note urgings provoked responses from our feet even
sans beat. Joining opposite, Joseph Berardi bent scribelike to execute
subtle clanks, clonks, bass thumps and strange grooves (from Nippon
to Buddy Rich) on his percussion mess. Tiner faded; Berardi went
solo - that was the format throughout - and the latter's triggered
voice samplings eased a subliminal transition to elegant vocal priestess
Weba Garretson, whose intense narrative dynamics ranged from cool
water to violent freezing orgasm and sleep. Keyboard miser Mitchell
Brown dreamed/droned onward in harmony, wafting a Zen mood with
solemn organ and gentle synth loops. A fresh but sad Petra Haden
overlapped, singing bare and vulnerable before stretching resiny
beauty from her violin. G.E. Stinson ghosted his white goatee into
the dusk with rarefied guitar effects, interpolating a loop of Asian
chanting that reinforced one of the evening's unstated motifs. Tiner
faded back in to close the circle, and it all slipped away... "The
spacious, subliminally rhythmic quartet of Jason Mears (alto), Kris
Tiner (trumpet), Paul Kikuchi (drums), and Ivan Johnson (bass) takes
you straight back to 1965 New York, when everything seemed possible
and the idea of structure wasn't yet unhip - my idea of classic
jazz." This West Coast USA-based quartet brings quite a bit to the proverbial table. With a seamlessly integrated bag of concepts and methodologies, the unit merges staggered unison phrasings, dense layers, and spacious environs to its irrefutably divergent arsenal. Moreover, trumpeter Kris Tiner and alto saxophonist Jason Mears manage to complexly reengineer the thematic component amid poignant extended note choruses and knotty time signatures.The musicians alter various flows where they venture into modern mainstream, bop and avant-garde, chamber music. Thrills a minute as they say! And in other areas of this album, the artists engage in off-kilter military type progressions via regal horns voicings along with periods of introspection and deep-grooves. Needless to state, they're a musically well-versed bunch as surprises come at you on a per track basis. The quartet also explores the freer side of matters, to round out a wondrously balanced program. On “The Illusion of Transparency,” bassist Ivan Johnson and drummer Paul Kikuchi delve into some asymmetrical cat and mouse type dialogues. Then with the album finale titled “Don’t Hesitate to Change Your Mind,” the hornists and rhythmic section generate an ascending climax via glaring horns and soaring movements. There you have it: one of the finest jazz outings of 2008. To that end, good things should be on the horizon for this very exciting and strikingly clever outfit.
-Glenn Astarita, JazzReview.com, review of Stratostrophic Empty Cage Quartet – formerly known as the MTJK Quartet –
is a longstanding collaborative project featuring trumpeter Kris
Tiner in the front line along with saxophonist Jason Mears, backed
by bassist Ivan Johnson and drummer Paul Kikuchi. Though I was not
familiar with the other players on this fine 2-disc set, I have
long been a fan of Tiner's trumpet playing - his contributions here
(and elsewhere) combine peerless technique with a rigorous, Miles-like
economy, and a folksy sort of lyricism that one does not usually
find in avant-jazz. Their music draws on the legacy of avant-jazz
greats such as Bobby Bradford, John Carter, and Ornette Coleman,
while exploring the extended compositional forms pioneered by Anthony
Braxton and Tim Berne. The emphasis, as Hello The Damage amply demonstrates,
is on creating something new around the historical framework of
avant-garde jazz. Though hampered somewhat by the flat, mediocre
sound quality of the live two-track recording, the music on this
sprawling two-disc set is uniformly excellent. Each track (there
are only three spread over 2 CDs) encompasses two or three distinct
compositions which – according to the liners – can be
cued by any band member at any time during the performance. Lacking
familiarity with the compositions, it was hard for me to tell which
ones begin where. The music really grooves throughout, and there
is no lack of thematic material, so much - but not all - of Hello
The Damage comes from the jazz side of the avant garde continuum.
There is a focus and forward motion to this music that I found to
be consistently engaging, despite the length of the pieces. Yet,
when the group engages in total improvisation, the results are pointed
and cogent. In this way, The Empty Cage Quartet resembles Tim Berne’s
Bloodcount groups from the late 1990s. Both Mears and Tiner are
aggressive, adventurous soloists with one foot planted firmly in
post-Ornette modern jazz, and the other wandering around into all
sorts of musical areas. Mears definitely prefers the alto saxophone,
though he is quite effective on clarinet and flute - he picks up
each only briefly. On the second disc, the band really catches fire
as Tiner and Mears trade solo features through the different sections
of the continuous 45-minute-long set. Throughout, bassist Johnson
and drummer Kikuchi seem to be of one mind, taking cues from –
and giving cues to – the horn players, and shifting effortlessly
from one groove to the next. For the adventurous listener with a
yen for novel modern jazz, “Hello The Damage” is 90-odd
minutes of high-content entertainment. Give these guys a major-label
budget, and they may well take over the world! There,
Just As You Look For It is free-jazz, ala Paul Bley and Evan
Parker, conceived within traditional compositional boundaries. Amongst
the caterwauling, wailing, spleeches, splops and sploops, these
two avant-garde artists manage to create, in no uncertain terms,
a true musical dialogue. No this isn’t, in any sense of the
notion, your father’s jazz. Their precision in playing lines
of like-mind and character, as well as their honed and shared sense
of musical proportion is remarkable. Their common bond is best expressed
in those pieces when one can easily hear the compositional process
in play. “A Delicate Touch,” for example, opens with
a true trumpet melody with guitar accompaniment. As to whether the
music is improvised or written is not the point, what matters is
the shared sense of concept that pervades the entire piece as it
unfolds. From there the music moves off to unison rhythmic lines
followed by introspection before returning back to the concept of
true melody with accompaniment. That their harmonic and technical
language is not bound by the traditional is just added gravy. Tiner
and Baggetta work in the same manner the early serial composers
worked, by taking the traditional concepts of music and superimposing
a new harmonic/sound language. When viewing the entire CD as a suite
it’s remarkable how each piece leads to the next. Baggetta’s
uniquely expressive, read introspective here, solo on “Your
Aftermath” leads exquisitely into the “Quadrants”
four-movement suite. The same can be said for the way “Caffeinated
Weasels” leads so perfectly into “One More Chance.”
Happenstance is not in the musical lexicon of these artists. Whether
all of the music contained on the disc works is almost not the point.
Sure, there are sections when they should have self-edited a little
more - Tiner gets a little pedantic on “WE” and Baggetta
a bit repetitive during “The Road To El Paso” - but
you don’t come to this kind of music for succinctness. If
you want to open your ears this is a good place to start, but remember
you have to approach this music with open ears. This
excellent CD is all about atmospheric experimentation. The members
of the trio play their instruments to compliment one another, so
this is not a slugfest of blaring trumpet and lead guitar solos.
As a matter of fact, the bassoon, played by Sara Schoenbeck, is
an instrument I wish more jazz musicians would incorporate into
their music. Essentially, the bassoon becomes a replacement for
the traditional bass parts and possesses a very different textural
feel which allows for greater flexibility. Another avenue of exploration
that the experimental jazz genre needs to take a hold of is electronic
media. Guitarist Noah Phillips uses everything from controlled feedback
and various electronic sound effects including, I think, a bowed
guitar. These effects modernize the sound, without trashing the
jazz roots of the compositions. Kris Tiner’s subdued trumpet
and flugelhorn tends to carry most of the melodies throughout. “Force
A Smooth Thing” is a fine example of the potential for experimental
electronic music within the jazz medium. As far as I am concerned,
this is experimental contemporary jazz at its best. I hope to hear
more of this type of music in the near future.
Going
from an acronym to a personalized license plate, the Empty Cage
Quartet releases their latest juxtaposition of the path and pathlessness
with Hello the Damage! featuring live performances from Café
Metropol. Each of the two CDs features a set from that evening in
Los Angeles documenting the madness of their method (weaving freedom
loving solos around spontaneously chosen themes). This fresh evidence
of their growing empathy and prowess also documents their palpable
delight in sonic expansion. Beginning with Jason Mears' angular
"Attack of the Eye People," Paul Kikuchi and Ivan Johnson
(drums and bass respectively) pursue a shared pulse as Mears' alto
scorches and soars. Kris Tiner drops flares, staying understated
until ripping vivid lines lead into a dissolve that births "Who
Are They If We Are Them." Trumpet and clarinet play inquisitive
lines, soon joined in the lurching mode by the rhythm section. Mears
snakily threads melody, then tears into the reed, taking the clarinet
into the otherworld. Tiner spaciously duos with Kikuchi, the quartet
returning to full voice for "The Mactavish Rag," with
Tiner muted for the somewhat sideways rag. The second set/CD opens
with Kikuchi's "Swan-Neck Deformity," the sly theme giving
way to Johnson's playful tag with Kikuchi's sedate rhythm. Sedate
until Tiner stirs up the rhythm section with a gritty push. The
bass continues to finger pop around Mears' building alto momentum.
From its graphics by artist Kio Griffith, to its liners by poet
Dottie Grossman, Hello the Damage! adds to the Empty Cage's small,
but sizzling discography, further underlining their place as crucial
new millennial jazz essentials. Formerly
known as the MTKJ Quartet, the Empty Cage Quartet consists of Jason
Mears (alto saxophone, clarinet, wood flutes), Kris Tiner (trumpet,
flugelhorn), Paul Kikuchi (drums, percussion) and Ivan Johnson (bass).
The title of this recording comes from an English translation of
a negative French review of one of the MTKJ Quartet's previous releases.
Negative French review or not, with its constant touring, the Empty
Cage Quartet has been burning up clubs in the US for years. The
music on Hello The Damage! was recorded during a West Coast tour;
two sets in Los Angeles on a night in December 2005 comprise the
music in this two-disc package. Mears, Tiner, Kikuchi and Johnson
are dedicated to the performance of spontaneous composition while,
according to Dottie Grossman in the disc's liner notes, attempting
to transcend 'traditional' improvisation and composition as well
as the 'cliches of ‘free jazz,'' avoiding any tendency toward
self-expression at the expense of musicality. The music begins with
direction: a seemingly obvious melody, possibly composed, but not
so blatantly or rigidly structured that the group can't improvise.
Mears (playing alto) and Tiner (playing trumpet) hack away at structure
in the melody while Kikuchi and Johnson improvise in broken time.
This soon gives way to an uptempo swing. Kikuchi and Tiner duet,
playing off of each other, and as Johnson comes back in to support
Kikuchi, the music picks up steam. After a few minutes of Tiner
soloing on top of the rhythm section, the tune gradually gives way
to timelessness, first with bass and drums playing almost no time
at all, and then with the bass soloing. The two horns come back
in very slowly, playing a broken melody in tandem and creating a
feeling of transcendence and surrealism. Kikuchi accentuates this
with press rolls and hi-hat work, laying down a backbeat, while
Mears switches to clarinet to solo and bring the music further toward
transcendence. The timelessness of the group's music is pronounced
with Mears's wailing alto saxophone—shrill, piercing high
notes—until Kikuchi brings in a completely broken, swinging
rhythm. Johnson bows his bass fiercely to create texture while Mears
and Tiner exchange improvisational phrases. The rhythm stops, with
only Kikuchi playing small percussion and cymbals with mallets,
alone creating the musical tapestry with the timbre of his instruments.
In slow, classical form, Johnson starts back in over Kikuchi's rhythms,
and Mears and Tiner duet with improvised melodic phrasing. The intensity
grows while the tempo keeps at a slow pace, and the horns continue
their melodic exploration while Kikuchi lays in hard on the drums
to bring the piece to a crescendo. As the music once again gives
way to near-timelessness, it is clear that this quartet is a formidable
jazz unit with the ability to play powerful swing time and solid
rhythms, going after the music from completely outside in a manner
approaching the classical avant garde. Even
with commitments across the West Coast musical spectrum, the members
of MTKJ manage to reunite for their fourth recording, their second
for Vinny Golia's 9Winds label. Day of the Race delivers
an exciting and fresh collection of performances that shows a great
band getting better. Their balance of subtlety and pyrotechnics
centers in compositions as interesting as the dynamic flights they
inspire. Paul Kikuchi's rainbow of rhythm, Ivan Johnson's velvety
nuanced bass, Kris Tiner's range of expression, and Jason Mears'
imaginative virtuosity make this quartet one of the best working
today. The quartet swarms over 'Swim Swim Swim, Eat Eat Eat,' Mears
blowing a disciplined circuitous route that resolves in a duet with
Tiner. Tiner plays hot blues with Johnson supplying cool counterpoint
on 'Sweet Nut Stomp.' Mears tears through involuted variations,
ending in dialogue with Tiner. Johnson muses softly to open 'The
Fewest Heartbeats,' Kikuchi joining to fill the holes in the sparse
theme. Tiner and Mears cut loose bringing the band to full force.
Mears' 'Attack of the Eye People' runs on Johnson's suspenseful
bass line, with Tiner flaming on trumpet. A heated exchange with
Mears precedes Johnson's ticklish variations. 'Golianation' switches
Mears to clarinet, as a rigid counterpoint theme bursts open for
Tiner to blow warm brass through followed by Mears' crossfire clarinet.
Tiner writes a swaggering rocker, 'I Hate Your Teapot,' with the
rhythm section playing a muscular old time shuffle, while Tiner
and Mears show what Dixieland on Mars might have sounded like. The
horns drop down to staccato support for Johnson's fluid bass thoughts.
With Day of the Race, the MTKJ Quartet asserts itself as
one of the most powerful and appealing jazz units currently active. Trumpeter
Kris Tiner and guitarist Mike Baggetta interpret this set of original
compositions with an ear toward meaningful conversation and an eye
on balance. Baggetta's light, acoustic guitar spits and spurts with
understated emotion, while Tiner's horns express a wide range of
feelings. Their musical conversation heats up in places and slows
to a crawl elsewhere as the two artists labor to get their intended
message just right. Thus, the session lacks spontaneity and relies
instead on repetition, sustained space, and gradual changes. From
high harmonics and bowed phrases on guitar to the unusual sound
of a saxoflugel, the duo's performance offers new and different
timbres. The best parts of the the program come when Tiner and Baggetta
allow a few melodies to flow naturally. 'WE' consists of a little
classical guitar harmony along with solo trumpet melodies. 'I' adds
a solemn oath to the session. 'One More Chance' features muted trumpet
and acoustic guitar in a classical music frenzy. At other times,
the two musicians may sound as if they're tuning up or practicing.
Nevertheless, they've allowed free choices to affect the outcome,
and they grab hold of their music with an unbridled spirit. East
meets west with this collaboration between California’s Kris
Tiner and New York’s Mike Baggetta. With various trumpets
and prepared acoustic guitar, they explore a variety of compositional
models while leaving plenty of room for showcasing improvisational
prowess. Tiner plays through a spectrum of tones and approaches,
well matched by Baggetta’s inventive, wiry guitar inventions.
Both embrace an aural adventurousness that leads the listener to
unforeseeable soundscapes and ear dreams. The
set opens with 'The Road to El Paso.' Tiner spreads jagged honey
blues, sometimes with throbbing vibrato. Baggetta gets less is more
and throws metallic gleam accents in over his dark dirge. Tiner
creates some cubist blues tough-guy crying persona that takes loneliness
into the night. This could be Harry Dean Stanton’s walk on
theme. On 'Second Preference,' Tiner emits shapely warbles against
Baggetta’s needle and tweak, then sideways riffs end with
a child’s toy, a sort of secret serialism with joyous bursts.
Baggetta's 'A Delicate Touch' creates tension with a rumbling bass,
which Tiner smears with a saxoflugel. Back on trumpet, he flies
through Baggetta’s tangle of strings. 'Your Aftermath' has
Baggetta glassy and solo, sounding like a piccolo koto. Tiner finds
unique sound and intervals on his a capella 'Caffeinated Weasels,'
while his muted musings on 'One More Chance' collide with Baggetta’s
spiky lines and bowed modes. Baggetta slides around like an elastic
octopus beneath Tiner’s fanfares on 'Choke on It.' The title
track returns Tiner to soulful mode, going rich and lyrical with
Baggetta providing sensitive subdued interaction. With their complimentary
sensibilities blending to challenge and comfort, There, Just
As You Look For It delivers pungent chamber music. "Of
interest... a time-worn context has proven itself with new blood
via the work of MTKJ." “…an
assured and adventurous quartet equally unafraid of free flight
and swing…. Making Room for Spaces will satisfy tastes
across the improvised music spectrum with its disciplined grooves
and free form blow outs.” Kris
Tiner (trumpet), Noah Phillips (guitar), and Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon)
fashion moody, thoughtful music that delivers unexpected warmth
and
familiarity. Phillips' stretchy metal dominates 'Skujellifeddy.'
Tiner and Schoenbeck play long unisons while Phillips buzzes and
shreds. Spontaneous instrument sounds and noises open, 'Winddrone,
Water Drying,' which shifts into high gear. The trio strikes gold
on Tiner's 'Road from Kumaasi.' Phillips repeats a simple, hopeful
figure and Tiner laces it with expressive, melodically strong variations.
Schoenbeck follows, like her fellows, exploiting her instrument's
richest range, shaping, bending, rounding notes. The intriguing
'They Mistook Time For Line,' features an oozing solo from Phillips,
soon joined by Tiner's tart mute. All three explore raw, ragged
tones to start 'Force a Smooth Thing.' Phillips employs a number
of effects boxes to achieve sounds unintended by their designers.
With their first release, Tiner, Phillips, and Schoenbeck establish
themselves as sound scientists of the heart. The
Mears/Tiner/Kikuchi/Johnson Quartet gathers four of LA’s best
young improvisers to create fiery compositions and improvisations.
While invoking Ornette or Braxton in passing,
the Quartet delights in creating new sounds with a classic configuration.
Since the magic of free improv lies in spontaneity, live recordings
can capture the spark more vividly than studios works. With several
recorded shows to draw from, Music from the 2003 West Coast Tour
delivers the goods. Often as these four blaze through a performance,
a single song might branch into three before the storm subsides.
They begin with Tiner’s 'Hooka Song.' However complex the
composition at hand, MTKJ manages to sound loose. After stating
the descending theme, Tiner and Mears discuss its ramifications
with Kikuchi and Johnson keeping the rough swing. Tiner solos in
trio riding his steady band mates. After the Tiner solo, a pause
gives Mears a chance to get Kikuchi’s 'Points of Focus' started.
Mears plays a lot of alto before Kris returns for some unison playing
and then Tiner goes again with much to say. Tiner’s 'Mearsyshmearsy'
brings the pace down with Kikuchi on percussion and Johnson reaching
around his bass. Mears plays clarinet, and joins Tiner in searching
duets before the rhythm sections kicks in creating funk. Tiner and
Mears circle each other through the outro. Primordial sounds introduce
Mears’ 'Who Knows the Wicker Man?' Extended techniques and
slow tempo disappears as the Quartet plays the theme and Tiner takes
off. Mears’ 'And Skip To' slows the pace again, with Tiner
and Mears playing peek-a-boo lines over the changing rhythm. 'Points
of Focus' returns from a Seattle performance. With the horns playing
the theme in heavy duet, Kikuchi moves all over his kit. With Johnson
and Kikuchi racing, Mears blows short bursts that gain in intensity.
He and Tiner get into it, then Tiner plays solo to introduce 'Fish
Face.' Atmospheric percussion supports his ruminations. Mears’
'Inspecktion' completes the medley, with Johnson’s imposing
bassline keeping it steady for Kikuchi’s active drumming and
Mears’ exploration of tones. A muted Tiner rejoins Mears for
few arrangements while the rhythm section boils, then Tiner creates
a downpour worthy of Johnson and Kikuchi’s thunder. A swaggering
reprise of the 'Hooka Song' closes out the collection, this one
bluesier and ballsier than the opener. The MTKJ Quartet burnt put
the proof onto disc. Their second release for Little Green Records
successfully captures the dynamic cauldron of creativity that is
the MTKJ experience. "...the
promise of tomorrow (Harris Eisenstadt, Jason Mears, Kris Tiner,
Noah Phillips)"
Making
Room for Spaces, The MTKJ Quartet’s first Nine Winds
recording, was an auspicious debut by a young group of West Coast
improvisers. Eschewing electronic improvisation for the classic
acoustic quartet structures of early Anthony Braxton and Ornette
Coleman, the quartet’s 2004 debut was a radically conservative
return to the sort of intricate structures and wild improvisation
that was standard in the heyday of late 1960s New Thing era free
jazz. The group’s second Nine Winds release, Day of the
Race, finds the quartet growing into its own sound and out
of its inspirations. Alto saxophonist/clarinetist Jason Mears, trumpeter
Kris Tiner, drummer Paul Kikuchi, and bassist Ivan Johnson are the
MTKJ Quartet. Kikuchi and Johnson have developed a nuanced, intricate
working method—they are adept listeners and their rhythmic
interplay is tangible. Johnson’s solid bass lines are the
perfect foil for Kikuchi’s resonant drum kit thrashings. Similarly,
Mears and Tiner make a seamless pair in the grand tradition of Ornette
Coleman and Don Cherry. Each has a preference for vocalized timbres,
with Tiner favoring mutes and half-valve smears and growls, and
Mears a tart and brassy alto sound, with a predilection for controlled
multiphonics. Often soloing in tandem, the two alternate between
complementing and contrasting each other’s lines. Individual
solos are often linked by collective improvisation and it is in
these moments that their kindred repartee is most apparent. The
MTKJ Quartet is no stranger to long-form composition, as multi-part
structures with numerous changes are the norm here—few pieces
are static in either their rhythm or melody. Although the lyrical
texture of early Ornette and the structural intricacies of early
Braxton are present, there are other precedents as well. The fractured
post-bop melodies of George Russell, Oliver Nelson, and Andrew Hill
find kinship with these tunes and their quirky lyricism. The adventurous
late 1960s Blue Note sessions of Grachan Moncur III, Jackie McLean,
and Sam Rivers occasionally spring to mind as well during the quartet’s
more exploratory moments. Never mere imitators, the MTKJ Quartet
has obviously done its homework. “Swim Swim Swim, Eat Eat
Eat” swings right out of the gate with a staccato opening
theme and sultry noir groove that wouldn’t sound out of place
on an early 1960s George Russell or Oliver Nelson record. And “Sweet
Nut Stomp” embodies the sort of deconstructed circus melody
that Braxton was fond of in the late 1970s. Tiner unleashes a strong,
expressive solo full of smeary growls and half-valve effects, while
Mears builds his solo from dissonant multiphonic variations into
a piercing theme. Both “The Fewest Heartbeats” and “Not
Finding Anything / The Beast-Wheels Revenge” begin as somber
ballads akin to “Lonely Woman” but quickly dispense
with such simple comparisons. “Not Finding Anything / The
Beast-Wheels Revenge” modulates gradually from solemn lyricism
to boisterous collective improvisation and strong individual solos,
especially Mears’ clamorous alto saxophone convulsions. “Attack
of the Eye People” is a short bouncy number, with a catchy
rhythm line on par with the best of Ken Vandermark’s writing.
Mears’ clarinet is featured heavily on the march-like “Golianation”
and his studies with honoree Vinny Golia are present in his timbre
and phrasing, but never slavishly. The album closes with “I
Hate Your Teapot”, a strident roadhouse blues grind with caterwauling
horns set on stun. A stop-on-a-dime interlude reveals a melodic
bass solo cadenza that gradually modulates into a walking rhythm,
complete with a raucous trumpet solo that breaks out into a final
alto sax and trumpet dogfight before the quartet shuts the piece
down hard in unison. Day of the Race is another indication
of the MTKJ Quartet’s burgeoning growth and one of the left
coast’s most underexposed treasures. This album may give them
a fair shot at the recognition they deserve.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary year of Ornette Coleman’s breaking onto the recording scene – albeit with pianist Walter Norris in tow on Something Else!!! (Contemporary, 1958). Though he wasn’t the first jazzman to proffer a music liberated from chordal constraints and make the pianoless quartet de rigeur, he was certainly the most notable for it, in a group with trumpeter Don Cherry and a number of bass/drum teams until his first exit from the scene in 1962. By now, however, it’s fair to say that the pianoless quartet can be relatively free from Ornette baggage. From the Ted Curson-Bill Barron unit of the mid-60s to Jeff Arnal’s Transit, there are innumerable ways to approach this format. Los Angeles’ Empty Cage Quartet (formerly known as MTKJ) is yet another variation on the instrumental theme. A cooperative made up of four of Los Angeles’ busiest young improvisers, reedman Jason Mears, trumpeter Kris Tiner, drummer Paul Kikuchi and bassist Ivan Johnson, their earlier recordings on Nine Winds as MTKJ belied an influence, perhaps regional, of the John Carter-Bobby Bradford Quartet, one of the earliest aesthetically post-Ornette units but made up of two of Ornette’s contemporaries. With 2006’s double-disc release on pfMentum, Hello the Damage!, they were reintroduced as Empty Cage. Perhaps the name change signified a moving away from earlier influences; “Again a Gun” finds Tiner and Mears stating the onomatopoeic theme over the sharp rat-a-tat of arco bass and percussion. Tiner’s trumpet is hot and brittle, and his phrasing combines fleet, boppish runs with fat smears and Don Ayler-esque multiphonics. Mears enters with his alto in tart keening cries as they collectively declaim – sonically, the horns might be most invigorating in tandem, their unison and collective lines a shattering affinity. They dart and jab in trio with Kikuchi’s towel-dampened chatter, as Johnson’s fingers pluck and shade an essence of forward motion. At other times, their head statements ache with pathos. A simple scalar theme characterizes the tense place-holder of “Feerdom is on the March,” their poise in the face of explosiveness palpable. In fact, though three of the eleven tracks on Stratostrophic are over the ten minute mark, most of the cuts are rather short, almost programmatic statements of mood that wouldn’t sound out of place in a free-improvisation version of Gelber’s The Connection. Stitched together, rousing freebop and subtonal explorations would surely form an interesting suite. Though much can be made of Tiner and Mears’ brilliantly-paced lines (brassy bravura paired with bent, dervish-like clarinet work), Kikuchi straddles an interesting line between Philly Joe licks and Paul Lovens kitchen-sink, while Johnson’s concentrated propulsion is as much investigative as it is kinetic. Stratostrophic is a powerful statement from what’s clearly one of the West Coast’s foremost ensembles.
Giving
voice to the 'Exquisite Corpse'
"The
Industrial Jazz Group + Chris Welcome, Jonathan Moritz, Shayna Dulberger
and John McLellan + Mike Baggetta, Kris Tiner, Ken Filiano and Lukas
Ligeti... The Industrial Jazz Group is a well-oiled L.A. big band
playing in an eclectic contemporary style. The music has its unsettling
moments, but little of the outright abrasiveness suggested by the
name. Two promising improv ensembles set the stage." "TIN/BAG
Quartet + Josh Sinton's Ideal Bread + THPT plays Hendrix... This
enticing bill features progressive young jazzers from round here,
mingling with their L.A. counterparts. Local guitarist Mike Baggetta
and West Coast trumpeter Kris Tiner colead TIN/BAG Quartet..."
EMPTY
CAGE QUARTET - Hello The Damage! [2 CD set] (pfMentum 040; USA)
Featuring Jason Mears on alto sax, clarinet & flutes, Kris Tiner
on trumpet & flugel, Ivan Johnson on contrabass and Paul Kikuchi
on drums & percussion. This is the third offering by this same
quartet, who used to be called The MTKJ and have two fine CDs out
on Nine Winds. This CD was recorded live in L.A. in December of
2005 and each disc consists on one set. The first set/disc consists
of two long suites, each over 20 minutes. The first suite has the
quartet meandering together at first until they hit their stride
and start swinging hard. Both Jason on alto and later clarinet,
Kris on trumpet and Ivan on bass take long inspired solos. The tempo
and intensity pick up in the second suite, which progresses in an
organic way, moving in waves, from rambunctious to quieter seconds.
The second set consist of one long suite called "Swan-Neck
Deformity/The Empty Cage/Swim Swim Swim, Eat Eat Eat". The
lop-sided groove is a memorable one with a long, flowing solo from
Kris on trumpet, as well as a fine Ornette-meets-Zorn alto solo
from Jason. The rhythm team do a fine job of moving tightly through
waves together, speeding up and slowing down as one force. Whereas
the first disc has some fine moments, the second disc is pretty
amazing throughout. MTKJ
QUARTET - Making Room for Spaces (Nine Winds 245) Featuring the
next generation of creative musicians from the west coast with Jason
Mears on alto sax & clarinet, Kris Tiner on trumpet & flugel,
Ivan Johnson on double bass and Paul Kikuchi on drums & percussion.
Considering I haven't heard of any of these fine players, it continues
to amaze me that Vinny Golia's Nine Winds label consistently finds
these gems. This was recorded at Sonarchy Radio in Seattle, so perhaps
that's where the MTKJ Quartet is from. This disc consists of one
opening piece and two suites. The tunes were written by either reed
or horn player, both of whom write and play superbly together, often
shadowing each other with a similar warm and enchanting tone. Their
bassist plays a fine solo in the middle of that first piece, which
is followed by a nice alto solo where Jason slows down and slurs
the notes just right, the tempo spinning more quickly around him
until they all come together as one unit, with both horns spinning
intricately together. Rather Masada-like in their tricky execution.
"Suite 1" begins with "And So It Goes...", starts
spaciously and freely. The muted trumpet and alto sax play their
delicate parts together, the quartet sounding like Braxton Quartet
of the mid-seventies, no small feat. Jason plays one of those cautious,
high-pitched solos that are often difficult to control, unless of
course you are someone like John Zorn who has worked hard at perfecting
this difficult task. Again, the quartet blends that modern classical-like
writing with that quirky freer spirit while keeping everything well
balanced. Quite marvelous for these young whipper-snappers. When
I played this in the store the other day, our old pal John Horan,
who is almost 20 years older than me, was astounded once again,
that neither of us had heard of any of these players previously.
Another gem from the Nine Winds world of wonders. KRIS
TINER / MIKE BAGGETTA - There, Just as You Look for It (pfMentum
025)... Mike plays a couple of lonely chords over and over as Kris
takes a solemn solo. Mike launches off into Derek Bailey/Eugene
Chadbourne-like fractured guitar playing as Kris throws ideas back
and forth. There is a strong balance of written and free sections,
intricately put together. If it weren't for the written bits, someone
might mistake this for Dr. Chad and Kondo, minus the hijinks. This
is a completely acoustic duo and both players are well matched,
listening and responding quickly and creatively.
Constitué
de jeunes représentants du jazz West Coast d’aujourd’hui,
Empty Cage Quartet profite d’un concert donné en 2005
pour convaincre d’un potentiel certain. Mis surtout au service
des compositions de deux de ses membres – Kris Tiner (tp)
et Jason Mears (as, cl, fl) –, celui-ci donne une actualité
élégante à un hard bop qui accueille avec bienveillance
quelques tentations free. Le tout porté par une section rythmique
assurée – Ivan Johnson (b), Paul Kikuchi (dm) –
et voici recommandée l’écoute d’Hello
the Damage!
L’enregistrement
s’ouvre par quatre morceaux de Mike Baggetta, en fait une
Suite qui ne dit pas son nom. Elle est suivie par une pièce
de Kris Tiner en quatre parties. Le dernier tiers du cd est aussi
constitué de quatre morceaux ; le douzième répond
au premier dans un évident désir de clore le cd. Très
organisée et extrêmement libre, cette musique poursuit
ce que nous savons déjà de l’esprit du label
de Jeff Kaiser. The road to El Paso rappelle Rio Bravo et Alamo,
est chanté par une trompette pleine de growl (il faut retrouver
ce vieux mot) sur les accords métronomiques et rouillés
de la guitare préparée. De ce lyrisme cahotant on
passe à deux thèmes free qui régressent de
l’excitation vers l’accalmie, puis un solo de guitare
clôt le premier mouvement sur une simple battue du temps.En
passant d’un instrument à l’autre, Tiner manifeste
les différentes aspect de sa voix propre. Au cours de la
suite Quadrants, il interroge les vibrations sur l’embouchure,
soumet les sons au travail du souffle et de la pulpe des lèvres,
intégre sobrement les notes au son dans un démarche
de compositeur autant que d’instrumentiste. Les morceaux qui
suivent font entendre une musique très concentrée,
qui met en valeur la souplesse du jeu de Baggetta et fuit toute
conclusion définitive, jusqu’à une sorte de
frénésie de répétition avant le moment
d’arrêt que donne un douzième thème un
peu solennel, sur lequel Tiner tient un discours ténu, fait
de bric et de broc, qui intègre des émotions très
différentes sans perdre le sens de la construction du morceau
dans la durée. Un très beau disque par deux improvisateurs
/ compositeurs intelligents et attentifs qui citent sur le revers
du livret La vérité à la lumière de
l’aube de Hemingway: « regarder les choses sans les
voir est une grande faute ». Ces
chroniques se terminent en apothéose (peur des mots, moi
?) avec soNu et MTKJ. Le quartet reprend une composition instrumentale
éprouvée par le bop sous forme de quintet avec piano,
puis allégé par Mulligan, Coleman, Braxton, Zorn (dont
le Masada semble une influence importante ; que les Masadaphobes
ne fuient pas, les différences sont grandes). Les musiciens
sortent du California Institute of Arts dirigé par Wadada
Leo Smith, trois sont diplômés en 'Africain-Américan
Improvisational Music'. Le trompettiste Kris Tiner déclare
: 'Nous ne faisons rien de neuf. Nous utilisons les exemples de
Leo Smith et tous ces types. Nous en faisons notre propre version…
nous utilisons leur approche, nous ne copions pas leur son'. Modestie
et savoir. Faisant bon usage de ses études, le quartet utilise
les conventions (exposé du thème, chorus) comme point
de départ de la construction. Les passages d'un soliste à
l'autre par exemple s'inscrivent dans cette musique comme les mouvements
d'une œuvre écrite. L'improvisation étant un
travail d'écriture, le nouveau jaillit de l'ancien : il y
a là une émotion tout à fait particulière
liée bien sûr tout particulièrement aux musiciens
en scène. Je terminais la chronique du trio de Kris Tiner
sur pfmentum (Breathe in, feed out) en disant que la nature
labyrinthique de sa musique se révélait de plus en
plus au fil des écoutes, ça reste vrai ici. On peut
avoir le sentiment que le groupe ralentit le temps, qu'il scrute
au microscope un morceau de bop (un peu comme le faisait Miles Davis
par le biais de sa sonorité), s'attardant sur une inflexion,
lui donnant (jeu individuel et organisation du groupe) tout le développement
que Charlie Parker, pressé par la création, le destin
ou ses besoins chimiques, ne pouvait lui donner. On peut aussi,
une autre fois, entendre un groupe qui 'chauffe', et prêter
alors une oreille plus attentive à certains aspects du jeu
de Jason Mears (qu'on entend aussi dans les groupes de Vinny Golia).
Dans sa quête musicale amoureuse le quartet emploie des stratégies
dont j'ai tenté de noter au vol quelques unes : modération
des tempos, sortes d'itinéraires en boucle explorant un motif,
sonorités que j'ai envie de qualifier 'd'expositrices', solos
absolus comme des gros plans, processus alternatifs de mise en avant
d'un instrument. Jamais le groupe ne tente de nous 'embarquer' ou étourdir,
il nous laisse le temps de regarder, d'écouter, de décider.
Mais il se passe tellement de chose dans cette lenteur simulée
qu'on en est d'autant plus fasciné. Grand.
Formerly
known as the MTKJ Quartet, the Empty Cage is Jason Mears (alto sax,
clarinet, wood flute), Kris Tiner (trumpet, flugelhorn), Paul Kikuchi
(drums, percussion) and Ivan Johnson (contrabass). The four started
playing together in 2002 ("horrible music", Tiner remembers),
and have progressively worked to free themselves from the worst
clichés of jazz and free jazz, all the while showing due
respect to major players such as Coleman and Braxton. This double
CD presents two live sets captured in Los Angeles at the end of
2005. It sounds like a single-microphone recording, as there’s
a sense of collective wholeness to the sound rather than a focus
on individual instrumental nuances. Tiner is the most prominent
soloist, his lines remaining comprehensible enough even for regular
jazz fans, but certain frictions between Mears and Johnson are the
real attention-catchers on the first disc. The second evolves into
a different kind of interaction, with Kikuchi and Johnson laying
down riffs over which Mears and Tiner (unconsciously?) evoke the
sound of classic British jazz (are you listening, Harry Miller?).
As the performance develops, the quartet seems to be searching for
some kind of illumination that lies over the hills and far away.
Two things detract from an otherwise successful album: the recording
quality (I would really like to hear these fine players in a studio
setting) and the double CD format. Editing it into a 60-minute single
disc would have distilled the music instead of diluting it. One
of the more quietly eye-opening releases of 2004 was Making Room
for Spaces, the Nine Winds debut of this Los Angeles-based group.
Their music reflected their absorption of many influences, none
more so, to these ears, than the Braxton/Wheeler/Holland/Altschul
quartet from the 1970s. Their newest release continues that trend,
but with some extra assurance and risk-taking. Composition credits
are shared between reedist Jason Mears and trumpeter/flugelhornist
Kris Tiner; Mears’ pieces tend to be drivingly uptempo, Tiner’s
more introspective, at least until you get to the final cut, Tiner’s
delightfully rousing 'I Hate Your Teapot', which manages to successfully
incorporate wood flutes in a barn-burner. Mears’ solo work
on alto saxophone is well-constructed and admirably free of obvious
influences; he’s also adept on clarinet, as in 'Attack of
the Eye People', and at times adds the flutes for colour. Colour
is also important for Tiner, who makes shrewd use of mutes and growls
in his solos and in ensemble playing. Ivan Johnson on bass provides
the complex time-changes and contrapuntal arrangements with a steady
rhythmic foundation, and drummer Paul Kikuchi clatters away rambunctiously
in the manner of the Vandermark 5's Tim Daisy, keeping time while
shaking things up every so often. This is the type of release –
small label, no recognizable names – that tends to get overlooked.
As with the Respect Sextet, there is plenty of substance behind
the appealing façade, and the group deserves wider exposure.
They’ve also removed one minor obstacle to their becoming
a household name since this disc appeared: according to their website,
the band name is now the more phonetically pleasing Empty Cage Quartet.
On
now to Hello the Damage by the Empty Cage Quartet, which although
innovative and loose is more recognizable as a jazz release than
Zugzwang, whose experimentation would not sound out of place on
the roster of electronic labels like Warp Records. This is a double
CD covering two live performances, and it must be said that the
production instantly gives off a very live, though clear, feel.
Audience sound is retained, cropping up occasionally during the
tracks as well as the start, when some of the more intense moments
give rise to whoops and cheers that would be more expected at a
rock concert. Each track (two on the first disc, just one on the
second) is credited as either two or three actual compositions,
but the liner notes help clarify that these are more in the line
of prepared motifs to be improvised around. Due to the smooth development
throughout it‚s often hard to spot where these shift into
the other, and the variety in the pieces might just as easily indicate
a dozen different movements. One of the particularly noticeable
aspects of this group is their tight control of dynamics, and the
swift reaction to change instigated by another player. The rhythm
section is constant, using kit and contrabass, but the two wind
players range from using trumpet, flugelhorn, alto sax, clarinet
and wood flute, and these two players in particular have an excellent
instinctive relationship. The opening of the first track is marked
by weaving, rhythmic interplay between the two brass players that
balances free and slightly dissonant playing with a comfortable
groove and enjoyable quirkiness, given a strong counterpoint by
drums and bass that hold it together without taking away the spontaneous
feel. As the track progresses the drums drop slightly but the beat
becomes steadier, and the bass more rolling, allowing the track
to gain momentum even as the brass lines break off into freer improvisation.
All players are capable of tremendous restraint as well as the exuberance
so instantly apparent, in fact there are moments of near perfect
silence, and it is noticeable that there is no sound to be heard
whatsoever from the crowd. I can imagine why. As sound creeps back
in the quartet comes into its own, sonorous bass swells and clanging
cymbals and bells build up at a snail‚s pace, as one of the
wind players switches to clarinet, engaging in more beautiful interplay
with his brass counterpart. The drama of this piece is excellently
balanced, with sometimes extreme bending and vibrato, and sudden
dynamic swells and contractions. This builds to the moment that
really sold me on this group, despite my limited experience of free
jazz; 22 minutes into the track it creeps into what I assume is
the third and last movement, 'The Mactavish Rag'. This is, plain
and simple, fun. A nursery-like, jaunty tune, it shows quite ably
that these are musicians who are in it for enjoyment, not some highbrow
standard of 'appreciation', and that's all to the good. While this
is my favorite moment of the album, both discs contain excellent
performances that take a listener far beyond clichés of noisy,
atonal, free jazz, and into an atmosphere where propulsive, exciting
grooves can sit alongside floating, lounge-like passages and carnival
excitement. The long silence between the perfectly restrained end
of the performance on the second disc and the enthusiastic applause
hints at what a great spectacle these players would be live.
Stratostrophic es la segunda grabación del grupo de Los Ángeles (California) Empty Cage Quartet. Es obligatorio indicar que a pesar de su juventud son ya seis las grabaciones publicadas por este cuarteto. A las dos publicadas a nombre de Empty Cage Quartet hay que añadir las cuatro primeras que fueron editadas a nombre de MTKJ Quartet. Este bagaje previo se nota fuertemente en la música de su última grabación. Su propuesta artísitica incorpora elementos provenientes de diferentes estéticas dentro del jazz. Estos pasan desde un bop más o menos free (“Old Ladies”, “We Are All Tomorrow’s Food”, “Beedie And Bob”) hasta formas contemporáneas (especialmente en las composiciones más extensas como “Again A Gun Again A Gun Again A Gun“,“Through The Doorways Of Escape Come The Footsteps Of Capture” y “Don’t Hesitate To Change Your Mind”, que sin que se indique explícitamente aparecen planteadas a modo de suites). Sin embargo, el aspecto más relevante de la grabación es que la escucha de la música deja la presesencia de una voz común, muy trabajada y llena de recursos tanto colectivos como individuales por parte de los cuatro músicos. Stratostrophic es una grata sorpresa por parte de un grupo no muy conocido, que gracias a obras como la publicada en Clean Feed bien merecería comenzar a alcanzar un mayor reconocimiento entre los aficionados al jazz.
Kris
Tiner/Mike Baggetta - THERE, JUST AS YOU LOOK FOR IT : The
opening moments of this track take me back to some of the earliest
recordings I heard my friend Ernesto Diaz-Infante perform prepared
guitar works on... Baggetta's style is similar in some ways, but
the recording on this effort is superb... Tiner's brass (flugelhorn,
trumpet, piccolo trumpet & saxaflugel) provides stark contrasts
to the wide-ranging string sequences that Mike plays, but they somehow
wind up (very much) "in synch" throughout the album.
This isn't music for "regular" listeners... it requires
a degree of concentration and focus that even some players can't
muster up... but, if you're looking for something that will challenge
your aural horizons, & stretch your mind a bit - GET THIS ONE!
One of my fave tracks is cut 9, 'Caffeinated Weasels'... short,
but intense (to say the least). The title track is a killer,
too, clearly cut from cloth that hasn't been designed yet... plenty
of room for the listener to fill in with colors, swirls & stripes
that will make it their dreamcape. I'm impressed, & any
listener who is looking for something 'more' will agree with me
when I declare it MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED listening.
Long
before at-home technology made everyone and their mother a record
producer, Los Angeles based musician/composer, Vinny Golia founded
Nine Winds Records in 1977. His goal: to capture the best of West
Coast New Jazz, Contemporary Classical, and Improvised music. Friday,
one of the record label's younger jazz quartets - The Empty Cage
Quartet (formally MTKJ Quartet) - will play at Café Metropol
for the release of their Day of the Race album. Not your
typical background jazz music, this local group is in your face,
angular, fresh, and assertively spontaneous.
Very
new – and cool as Blue... High Mayhem Studios hosts
the MTKJ Quartet from Los Angeles. The highly skilled jazz band
has a list of accomplishments longer than the rap sheet of the worst
perp on NYPD Blue. Just to mention some of the high points:
Kris Tiner (trumpets) and Jason Mears (woodwinds) each hold a master's
degree in African-American improvisational music from California
Institute of the Arts; besides being a percussionist and faculty
at the West Sound Academy in Washington, Paul Kikuchi is an instrument
maker; Ivan Johnson (contrabass) has been an artist in residence
at Stanford University, and plays in a tango band and a traditional
Iranian music group.
"And,
on the subject of twists... This young quartet of improvisers consists
of Jason Mears on alto saxophone and clarinet, Kris Tiner on trumpet,
Paul Kikuchi on drums and Ivan Johnson on bass. The band maintains
its coherence while walking on the edges of improvised music."
SFR
Pick: "MTKJ promises a wildly eclectic night of improvisational
and noted jazz from seasoned performers that have toured and collaborated
with celebrated creative artists all over the country."
Empty
Cage Quartet is Jason Mears (alto saxophone, clarinet, wood flutes),
Kris Tiner (trumpet, flugelhorn), Paul Kikuchi (drums, percussion),
and Ivan Johnston (contrabass). Though the name might imply a connection
with modern classical artist John Cage, his influence on these proceedings
is fairly slight as these folks are treading in pure jazz territory.
Hello the Damage! is a lengthy double CD featuring this quartet
performing live in Los Angeles, California. The tunes are spontaneous
and based on improvisational communication. What we find intriguing
about this band's approach is how well they are able to incorporate
a great deal of classic jazz into their music. Rather than just
ranting away into noisy oblivion, they create cool grooves that
allow their listeners to enter their world. Accidental and yet with
a sense of purpose...these live tracks are lively, original, and
sometimes puzzling. Top picks: 'Attack of the Eye People,' 'And
Who Is Not Small,' 'Swim Swim Swim, Eat Eat Eat.' (Rating: 5)
The
style of this double CD is within Avantgarde Jazz, although it also
has New Music traits represented by the most experimental atmospheres.
Some passages are like urban folk music of the future. With this
band, one must expect the unexpected. The sonic adventures of these
four musicians are surprising. This
is a daring release merging Avantgarde Jazz with acoustic experimentation
and influences from New Music, as well as other, more difficult
to place, traits which contribute to endow this release with a great
originality... The succesive sonic textures take us step by step
into an unexplored terrain.
Fresh
jazz sounds. Three long, eventful medleys of original jazz compositions
from this first-rate group, formerly known as MTKJ Quartet. Trumpet
and alto sax are the main voices on the front line, with flugelhorn,
clarinet, and wood flute also making appearances. Many twists and
turns as the group navigates its way through the ever-changing material,
including a short but cool ambient percussion thing in CD1-Track
2. My favorite sections are probably the ones in which the bass
and drums drop into a spare, Bitches Brew-type funk, while the horns
provide melodic interest and inspired soloing on top (such as about
halfway through CD1-Track 1 and also at the beginning of CD2). Acoustic
guitar and trumpet post-jazz possibilities are explored by two young
jazz improvisers of west and east coasts respectively. Baggetta’s
style is of Spanish influence with a Derek Bailey sound of chimes
and tweaks, giving Tiner’s chamber trumpet sound a percussive
fabric to play into. Space is the canvas, timing is relative. The
full timbre and resonance of tones suspend in time, then evaporate
into the surrounding wake of sound. Evening is the mood and all
is calm as these young lions of free music eloquently pursue the
masters’ path. Like
ROVA, MTKJ feels so strongly bout the connection between members
that they’re all in for a letter and all in for the long haul.
(Well ROVA stuck with it even when it became ROAA) Anyways this
is NOT your father’s West Coast jazz, nothing as sunny as
a convertible drive by the beach, instead we’re looking over
the edge of windy, desolate seaside cliff. We’re treated to
stellar composition, utilizing dramatic pauses (tightened by Paul
Kikuchi’s snare rolls) and major thematic shifts, check out
the 3 minute mark into the leadoff track! Just gorgeous, later that
same piece sounds like Salt Peanuts are mixed in. Composition includes
other moments of homage along with setting up great dual play between
Kris Tiner’s trumpet and Jason Mears’ reeds. Everyone
gets a chance to solo shine, including bassist Ivan Johnson who
can tiptoe tap on the great intro to #4, or get rubbery as he desends
down the end of the final cut, leading a Mears landing. The album
title speaks volumes in the silence these guys keep alive like fragile
bubbles in convoluted metal sculpture pulled through a soap rinse.
Gaze with your ears.
"The
disc has a bit of a desolate, eerie, ghost town feel to the improvisation;
Bagetta adds a bit of twang to his Derek Baileyisms and Tiner complements
nicely with an open, airy sound. Very interesting." "From
L.A. or thereabouts, a nice improvising
trio that keeps to a gentler sound with the occasional electronic
burst...A bit of a chamber-jazz feel with good stretches of exporatory
improvising."
Trumpet
and acoustic guitar duet Tiner and Baggeta serve up a dozen tracks
of their own original compositions. Spare, ultra-modern and nonlinear,
the musical pieces are all founded on improvisation, with little
or no symmetry. That does not mean they don't make sense, in and
of themselves--they do; but instead of melody lines and rhythm,
you hear mostly grunting bursts of horn over jumbled, jangly, atonal
guitar scuffle. In track number ten, 'One More Chance,' these lapses
into madness are broken by islands of melodic calm. At other times
the guitar becomes a percussion instrument (with knuckle tapping)
and is bowed into raspy scree with a violin bow (by Baggeta, in
this case a guitarist obviously not trying to be Jimmy Page). While
this well-made yet spartan recording brings plenty of atmosphere
with it, I have a hard time picturing its context. Is it romantic
or existential? Urban or pastoral? Lyrical or elegaic? Jazzy or
more classical? Does it take after Stravinsky or Coltrane more?
It could be that its many amiguities are what's good about There,
Just As You Look For It, in the first place. It depends on how impressed
one is by musicians who are able to get as many different varieties
of sound out of their instruments in a non-rock-and-roll or non-electronic-music
setting, without smashing them to bits. JACKAL BLASTER "Wonderful...it's
a minimalist approach that never loses its quiet, stretching atmosphere
and stark, naked beauty. Never too chaotic, it is a spacey, moody,
somewhat dark and at times noisy minimalism that seeks to bring
life to the barren, lonesome, jagged landscapes of its photography."
"Twelve,
mostly short, improvs of wild serenity."
Yes
more from Jeff Kaiser’s label – this a double album
of a concert by Jason Mears (sax, clarinet, flute), Kris Tiner (trumpet,
flugelhorn), Paul Kikuchi (percussion) and Ivan Johnson (bass).
My exposure to jazz is not very extensive, and while I understand
‘they are bent on transcending the clichés of ‘free
jazz’’, I cannot comment on the ‘homage without
imitation to Anthony Braxton and Ornette Coleman quartets’.
What I can say is that the music has a lovely swing, fits together
seamlessly with some sqonking sections, but overall is approachable
and fulfilling – the 88 minutes roll by without flat spots
or harsh constrictions. Each of the three tracks is based around
a number of songs, though the transitions are not obvious –
The Mactavish Rag being about the most distinct. Bass and percussion
form a flexible bed but also have subtle solos, and the two-track
live recording is crisp and clear with excellent instrument distinction.
Mear’s excursion into wooden flutes provides additional variation.
I’m not sure about the pricing of this, but if it is regular
price I congratulate pfMentum for allowing the whole concert (rather
than trimming some minutes off) (and of course if it double price
for that extra 10 minutes then brickbats!). Composed
pieces, but they have a freedom and looseness of improvisation,
and a general mood of enjoyment. Tiner’s brass moves through
melodic and musical moments into fluttering and some squonk, without
straining the listener too much. The guitar picks, strums (a lovely
percussive beat with prepared tings on The road to el paso) and
considered music (ITS) or a sliding scamper fill (Choke on it).
The instruments play off each other - and while Baggetta composed
most pieces, the brass dominates to my mind - and occasionally in
a wonderful unison. As with much improv, it is easier, more enjoyable
when it approximates to tunes and melodies (such as the title track),
this release provides a range of moods and delivery that makes it
work. The Tiner Phillips Schoenbeck combine group pieces with three composed by Tiner and arranged by the trio, recorded on 18/11/02. They have an interesting mix of instruments – brass and reeds; guitar and electronics; bassoon (in order) – and the combination offers a uniqueness that gives the trio something to differentiate them. The bassoon plays the part of bass and drums – a subdued support with occasional solo – and while sometimes you expect a real rhythm section to drop in, they are not really missed. Across the album there are three main directions. There are a few wild and squeally improv moments throughout – the opening (of course) Metal skin, parts of Clocks and maps, Windrone – not too many, not too disharmonious and balancing overall. There are too few tracks that bring in the second aspect, the electronics. Where it is, in Clocks or Force a smooth thing, for example, it adds an extra and complementary dimension. Then the third mood – longer ambient pieces where the instruments are given space for solos and to slowly develop themes and moods. Melodic, restrained, beautiful are words that came to mind. The tones and moods that the trio display across t |
