"Where it all went down was in a living room. It started that way when Helen Gillet got together with some friends and played out. Some other friends showed up, and they joined in, too. It was like a potluck, but, y’know, with instruments. The recording session went down in that same living room. The sense of sharing and the variety of sounds on Horizon, it all comes off like a potluck, too. Gillet is keyed into the traditions of her New Orleans home turf. Even though Horizon takes all kinds of genre detours, this music is mainlined into a traditional sound. The boisterous “Unzen” makes it clear right from the start, however, that anything old-school is likely to be populated with students of new-school experience and no-school visions. The gospel groove of “Valles Caldera” breaks free at will, sometimes in a disintegrating bop and other times unleashed from any tag at all. The three-part “Elden Suite” adds some chamber elegance to the affair, and then gradually betrays the view that fun is more important than elegance. On the subject of fun, it’s particularly enjoyable when the ensemble runs wild and free and then suddenly coalesces into boozy, euphoric shout of the blues. “Stromboli” is a good spot to check that out. For an immersion into the rhythmic pulse of the recording, “Erta Ale” and “Krakatoa” are different views on how repetition or randomness can both lead to focus and unity.“Piton de la Fournaise” brings the album to a close, and does it with the same exuberance and diversity the album introduced itself with, as well as the same attitude of fun. There isn’t a moment on Horizon that isn’t joyful." -Bird is the Worm, September 20th, 2017
Helen Gillet (Judith Owen & Leland Sklar, Gillet Singleton Duo, Arcade Fire, Holy Warriors ft. Bill Summers)
- cello, loops, effects, xylophone, voice
Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Nolatet)
- piano, melodica
Jessica Lurie (Living Daylights, Tiptons Sax Quartet, Indigo Girls)
- alto saxophone, flute, loops, toys, voice
Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power, Dumpstafunk, Beyonce)
- drums, xylophone, voice
Featuring: Alex Massa - trumpet, Rex Gregory - saxophones, flute, melodica, Weedie Braimah - djembe, voice, Annie Ellicott - ambient claps, voice
Recorded live at Helen's house in New Orleans, LA on March 6th, 7th, 8th, 2017 by Andrew "Goat" Gilchrist
Mastered by Collin Jordan at Boiler Room in Chicago, IL
Artwork by Erin Walters-Bugbee
Graphic Design by Courtney Keller
Produced by Helen Gillet
Long Haul, Jessica Lurie, 2017
"Jessica Lurie's new aptly titled release Long Haul (Chant, 2017) is a statement not of an arduous journey of endurance, but of her devotion to craft over three decades that has seen her carve out a musical identity of great diversity and depth. Her career personifies her experience as a strong woman instrumentalist, composer and vocalist in a male dominated genre, steeped in joyous interpretive revelation. While citing influences ranging from Klezmer, to Cuban, to jazz, Lurie's music is her personal musical narrative expressed compositionally, and embellished with her inventive approach to improvisation. It would be very easy to brand this record, and those Lurie has recorded previously, to be a fusion music, or a musical crossroads identifying cultural variance. But if one defines jazz as expressing the human condition, as the true original American art form, then the ethnic and cultural diversity of its artists and patrons must be expressed without inhibition. In this sense, Lurie is a jazz artist utilizing the cultural springboard that is her family roots, and traditions. Lurie often refers to her music as "weird folk songs," taking on the narrative that is her father's Jewish heritage, and her lifelong fascination with various forms, including classical music, and jazz. The title track in many ways encapsulates Lurie's musical journey to date, her creative "long haul" that has drawn from an eclectic prism of tonal and rhythmic colors. My thoughts drifted towards Ravel at first listen, with the piece both opening and closing adrift in ostinato that defies the passing of time. The collective improvisation, highlighted by spirited interplay between Lurie's alto and pianist Brian Marsella, can be imagined as Buddhist chants rising from the collective om. These ostinato drifts surround a melody that provides a narrative seemingly without end, beautifully articulated by Lurie and Marsella. There is a sonic resonance throughout this recording provided by drummer Allison Miller, bassist Todd Sickafoose, and guitarist Mike Gamble. The sound is an eerie Bill Frisell sort of feel reminiscent of Dave Douglas' masterpiece, Strange Liberation (Bluebird, 2004). This feel truly rises to the surface on the New Orleans style rant, "Calder's Circus." The tune glides from full March mode, to hard core swing, with Lurie, and trombonist Naomi Moon Siegel soloing in jubilant tones. "Rare Flares" is a nod to Lurie's first instrument, the flute, and her father's Jewish heritage. There are melodic traits that are steeped in Klezmer, in classical music, and indeed in Lurie's eclectic approach to folk harmonies. Featuring Lurie on flute, there is an eastern European texture of which Lurie and Marsella completely deconstruct, and rebuild, both through improvisation and composition. "A Tiger For William Kentridge," features a layered rhythmic demolecularization of variant time, featuring sonic washes of sound from guitarist Gamble. Lurie plays a cutting solo that jumps and leaps through the harmonic pockets provided by her mates. The melody in and out is a rollicking, downhill stumble and glide that ultimately lands in a collective heap. The music on Long Haul feels as if it is pulling in opposite directions, creating a perfect arc. In varying instances, it's akin to minimalism, or the triumph of ostinato. In others, it moves between globe trotting musical landscapes, while speaking to the personal aesthetic from where Lurie's narrative arises. Most importantly, it exudes the strength, courage, and relentlessly eclectic edge we have come to expect from a Lurie project." -All About Jazz, 12/22/2017
Jessica Lurie - alto, tenor, soprano, and baritone saxophones, flute, alto flute
Todd Sickafoose - acoustic bass
Brian Marsella - piano, Rhodes, pump organ, prepared piano
Mike Gamble - guitar
Allison Miller - drums, percussion
Naomi Moon Siegel - trombone
Recorded by Billy Barnett at Gung Ho Studios, Eugene, OR
Mastered by Floyd Reitsma at Resonant Mastering, Seattle, WA
Artwork by Jim Lurie
Graphic Design by Erin Walters-Bugbee
Produced by Todd Sickafoose and Jessica Lurie
Ryan Brown - piano
Travis Blotsky - saxophone
Mike Robbins - upright bass
Ry D'Antonio - drums
Erin Walters-Bugbee - vocals
Featuring: Jeremy Kelly - saxophone, Rick Roff - trumpet & flugelhorn
Recorded, mixed & mastered at Fudge Recording Studios, New Orleans, LA, by Ryan Brown
Produced by Ryan Brown & Erin Walters-Bugbee
Artwork by Erin Walters-Bugbee
Shape is Erin Walters-Bugbee and her Wurlitzer 200a.
Erin is a visual artist who performs music by herself and with others in New Orleans. She sings jazz and plays piano. Currently she is working on a project called SHAPE, a compilation of pop, rock, gospel, folk, reggae, rhythm, & blues covers.
Erin Walters-Bugbee - Wurlitzer 200a, vocals
Recorded by Erin Walters-Bugbee at Maker Home, 2016-17
Artwork & Graphic Design by Erin Walters-Bugbee
Produced by Erin Walters-Bugbee