Free Jazz: Loren Stillman - Trio Alto Vol. 2 (Steeplechase, 2007... http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2007/12/loren-stillman-alto-tri...

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Free Jazz
Free = liberated from social, historical, psychological and musical constraints ___________________________
Jazz = improvised music for heart, body & mind

1 of 3 12/6/09 11:41 AM
Free Jazz: Loren Stillman - Trio Alto Vol. 2 (Steeplechase, 2007... http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2007/12/loren-stillman-alto-tri...

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Loren Stillman - Trio Alto Vol. 2 (Steeplechase,

OVERVIEW OF ALL CD REVIEWS
2007) ****
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Earlier this year I reviewed Loren Stillman's Trio Alto Vol. 1, and I wrote
that I looked forward to the second volume, and here it is, but it's
another trio, this time with John Hebert on bass and Take Toriyama on
Satoko Fujii
drums. And it's even better. The trio plays hard, sensitive, tight, open,
structured, free, ... not easy to classify, but fun from beginning to end.
The musicians are excellent : Stillman's tone is warm and rich, and his
improvizations are absolutely great and inventive : he goes on without
ever loosing sight of the basic melody, without needing to abandon the
clarity of his tone to keep the attention going. But his calm and
restraint are nicely balanced with the power of the rhythm section.
Toriyama on drums is really strong, hard-hitting (real hard at times!), Photo Peter Gannushkin
energetic and creative, and Herbert holds the center, keeping the core
melody, but often reacting extremely well to Stillman's improvizational Subscribe in a reader
excursions. The music is well-structured, controlled, but real free. A
great balance. A great album. MY OTHER BLOGS

LITERATURE REVIEWS (in Dutch)

FREE JAZZ BLOG (Dutch version)
Loren Stillman - Blind Date (Pirouette, 2007) ***

Matana Roberts

And then Stillman releases yet another album, this time with a different
musical concept, more mainstream, with Gary Versace on piano, Drew
Gress on bass and Joey Baron on drums. His tone is still the same, but
the overall atmosphere is lighter, more accessible, his playing is more
frivolous, joyful, dancing, intimate, ... as you would expect from a blind CDs of the month
date. The compositions are of course much tighter, more complex, with
Lotte Anker - Floating Islands
much less room for improvisation. Of course, the musicianship is among
the best you can get, but there is less adventure, and in the end, also Joëlle Léandre & Jean-Luc
less memorable, at least to me. For fans of post-bop and mainstream, Cappozzo - Live Aux Instants
this record will be a treat. Chavires
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Free Jazz: Loren Stillman - Trio Alto Vol. 2 (Steeplechase, 2007... http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2007/12/loren-stillman-alto-tri...

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