After more than 10 years of working together, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry Altschul asked saxophonist Oliver Lake and trumpeter Graham Haynes to join in this quartet, their name taken from their first initials, as they present compositions from all four players, plus a poem from Lake, ending with two collective improvisations; a solid and dynamic start to a new quartet.
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Oliver Lake-alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Graham Haynes-cornet
Joe Fonda-double bass
Barry Altschul-drums, percussion
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UPC: 6430015280502
Label: Tum
Catalog ID: TUMR50.2
Squidco Product Code: 27341
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: Finland
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded at the System Two Studios in Brooklyn, New York City, on July 2nd, 2016, by Joe Marziano.
"By the time the OGJB Quartet came into existence in 2015, Barry Altschul and I had already played together quite extensively for more than 10 years, touring and recording first with the late great Billy Bang in the FAB Trio and then, after Billy´s untimely passing, with Jon Irabagon in the 3dom Factor.
The OGJB Quartet was originally conceived as the OJB Trio. I had just finished a tour with the Generations Quartet featuring Oliver Lake and, after that tour, thought what great trio Oliver, Barry and myself would make. I had mentioned the idea of this trio to Kunle Mwanga, a friend to all of us, and Kunle replied by asking: "Why not make it a quartet and add Graham Haynes as the fourth member?" To me and Barry, this seemed like a great idea as we have both always loved the combined sound of the trumpet and the alto saxophone and Graham was a perfect choice. So, the OJB Trio became the OGJB Quartet.
The music on this recording sings and strolls down the street, it swings, it dances, it swirls around your body like water and it grooves with a deep sense of its musical history. We feel that a perfect synergy is found within this quartet. What more could we ask for?"-Joe Fonda
"[...] An avant-garde all-star outing featuring the democratic collective of saxophonist Oliver Lake, cornetist Graham Haynes, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry AltschulÑthe first letters of the first names giving the group its nameÑBamako presents a free-end-of-the spectrum sound that breaks new ground while maintaining its grip on a late-fifties/mid-sixties foundation of flexibility. Like alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman's early recordings the music holds sway without a chording instrument, with a sax joined by a cornet to replace the sound of Don Cherry's pocket trumpet. And like pianist Cecil Taylor's mid-sized ensemble mid-sixties outings, those horns enjoy maximum freedom. In fact, a good place from which to approach Bamako is coming off a listening session of Coleman's Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic Records, 1959), followed up by Taylor's Unit Structures (Blue Note, 1966), to reset the radar back to a free-jazz receptivity.
The album opens with "Listen to Cornell West," a tumultuous Joe Fonda composition featuring a seismic rhythm behind horns that flow initially in unison before breaking into a searing squabble. The title tune, from Haynes' pen, features the horn man on the dousn'gouni, a West African instrument that, in conjunction with Altschul's contribution on the mbira, and Oliver Lake recitation of his poem, "Broken In Parts," makes the tune the most otherworldly and hypnotically beautiful segment of the recording. Bassist Barry Altschul's "Be Out S'Cool" has the horns ruminating over rhythmic jumble; and Oliver Lake's "Stick'' stutters ahead in a freewheeling a fire and brimstone mode.
Bamako closes with a pair of inspired collective improvisations, "OGJB #2" and "OGJB #1," the former a patiently-delivered introspective sound-poem; the latter sounding like a soundtrack to a psychedelic dream, wrapping up an innovative free-jazz outing. "-Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Get additional information at All About Jazz
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Oliver Lake "Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer and poet. He is known mainly for alto saxophone but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s Lake worked with the Black Artists Group in St. Louis. In 1977 he founded the World Saxophone Quartet with David Murray, Julius Hemphill, and Hamiet Bluiett. He has worked in the group Trio 3 with Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille. He is the father of drummer Gene Lake. Lake has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey." ^ Hide Bio for Oliver Lake • Show Bio for Graham Haynes "Graham Haynes (born September 16, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cornetist, trumpeter and composer. The son of jazz drummer Roy Haynes, Graham is known for his work in nu jazz, fusing jazz with elements of hip hop and electronic music. With aspirations to push jazz beyond its traditional boundaries, Graham Haynes' first foray into electronic music came in 1979 upon meeting alto saxophonist Steve Coleman. Together, they formed a band called Five Elements, which launched an influential group of improvisers called M-Base Collective. After the formation of his own ensemble Ð Graham Haynes and No Image Ð and the subsequent release of an album (What Time It Be?), Haynes would spend the balance of the 1980s studying a wide range of African, Arabic and South Asian Music. After a move to France in 1990, Haynes incorporated these far-off influences into his next two releases Ð Nocturne Parisian and Griot's Footsteps. Haynes returned to New York City in 1993 to take advantage of the flourishing Hip-Hop scene; and the resulting album was the sample heavy Transition. After the release of yet another hybridized album Ð 1996's Tones For The 21st Century Ð Haynes discovered drum 'n' bass and began working with some of the genres finest DJs and producers in London and the U.S. This manifested in the release of 2000s BPM, a fusion of drum n' bass beats with the classical music of Richard Wagner. Over the years, Haynes has kept busy with several critically acclaimed multimedia projects, composed the score for films Flag Wars and The Promise, and lectured at New York University, while receiving two nominations for the prestigious Alpert Award For The Arts. He has collaborated with artists such as Roy Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Vernon Reid, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Roots, David Murray, George Adams, Ed Blackwell, Bill Laswell, Steve Williamson, and Bill Dixon. He is featured on Vijay Iyer's 2017 ECM album, Far From Over." ^ Hide Bio for Graham Haynes • Show Bio for Joe Fonda "Joe Fonda is a composer, bassist, recording artist, interdisciplinary performer, producer and educator. An accomplished international Jazz artist, Fonda has performed with his own ensembles throughout the United States ,Canada , Europe and Asia. He has collaborated and performed with such artists as Anthony Braxton ,Archie Shepp, Ken McIntyre, Lou Donaldson, Bill and Kenny Barron, Leo Smith, Perry Robinson, Dave Douglas, Curtis Fuller, , Bill Dixon, Han Bennink, Bobby Naughton, Xu Fengia, Randy Weston, Gebhard Ullmann, Carla Bley, Carlo Zingaro, Barry Altschul, Billy Bang. Fonda was the bassist with the renowned Anthony Braxton sextet, octet, tentet, from 1984 through 1999. Fonda also sat on the Board of Directors from 1994 to 1999, and was the President from 1997 to 1999 of the newly formed Tri-Centric Foundation. He has also performed with the 38-piece Tri-Centric orchestra under the direction of Anthony Braxton, and was the bassist for the premiere performance of Anthony Braxton's opera, Shalla Fears for the Poor, performed at the John Jay Theater in New York, New York, October 1996. As a composer, Fonda has been the recipient of numerous grants and commissions From Meet the Composer New York and the New England Foundation on the Arts . He has released twelve recordings under his own name. (Reviews and recordings available). Fonda was also a member of The Creative Musicians Improvisors Forum directed by Leo Smith, and was the bassist with the American Tap Dance Orchestra in New York City, directed by world renowned tap dancer, Brenda Bufalino. In 1989, Fonda performed with Fred Ho's Jazz and Peking opera in its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. From 1982 to 1986 Fonda was the bassist and dancer with the Sonomama Dance Company. An independent producer since 1978, Fonda is the founding director of Kaleidoscope Arts an interdisciplinary performance ensemble and is the producer and musicial director for the Connecticut Composers and improvisors Festival from 2001 to 2011. Currently Fonda has been recording and touring extensively with the Fonda-Stevens Group, Conference Call , The Fab Trio, The Nu Band and Bottoms Out , with performances at the Bim huis in Amsterdam, Holland, Prague Jazz Festival, Czech Republic, Jazz Halo Festival, Belgium, Jazz Festival Thurinsen, Weimer, Germany, Berlin Jazz Festival Berlin Germany , Jazz Im Agusto Festival Lisbon Portugal, Natt Jazz Festival Bergen Norway, The Vision Festival New York, New York, Jazz and More Festival Sibiu Romania, Bakau Jazz Festival ,Azerbijan, Tondela Jazz Festival Tondala portugal , Vancouver Jazz Festival ,Vancouver Canada, Guelph Jazz Festival ,Guelph Canada . Two of Fonda's most recent projects are From the Source, The Off Road Quartet. From the Source is a group that incorporates the tap dancing and poetry of Brenda Bufalino and the healing arts of Vicki Dodd, and four jazz musicians. The group has released their first CD entitled, Joe Fonda and From the Source, on Konnex Records. The Off Road Quartet is comprised of four musicians from four different countries. Ux Fengia from Beijing China , Carlos Zingaro from Lisbon Portugal , Lucas Niggle from Zurich Switzerland and Joe Fonda New York USA. The Off Road Quartet blends the musics from all four of these musicians cultures into a unique musicial and visual experence." ^ Hide Bio for Joe Fonda • Show Bio for Barry Altschul "Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, New York City)[1] is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who gained fame in the late 1960s with the pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea. Altschul, having initially taught himself to play drums, studied with Charlie Persip during the 1960s. In the latter part of the decade, he performed with Paul Bley. In 1969 he joined with Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Anthony Braxton to form the group Circle. At the time, he made use of a high-pitched Gretsch kit with add-on drums and percussion instruments, which he integrated seamlessly in a whirlwind of sound. In the 1970s Altschul worked extensively with Anthony Braxton's quartet featuring Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, and George Lewis. Braxton, signed to Arista Records, was able to secure a large enough budget to tour with a collection of dozens of percussion instruments, strings and winds. In addition to his participation in ensembles featuring avant-garde musicians, Altschul performed with Lee Konitz, Art Pepper and other "straight ahead" jazz performers. Altschul also made albums as a leader, but after the mid-1980s he was rarely seen in concert or on record, spending much of his time in Europe. Since the 2000s, he has become more visible, with two sideman appearances on the CIMP label with the FAB trio (with Billy Bang and Joe Fonda), the Jon Irabagon Trio recording "Foxy", and the bassist Adam Lane. Altschul has played or recorded with many musicians, including Roswell Rudd, Dave Liebman, Barre Phillips, Denis Levaillant, Andrew Hill, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, and Lee Konitz."-Wikipedia ^ Hide Bio for Barry Altschul
11/20/2024
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11/20/2024
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11/20/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/20/2024
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Track Listing:
1. Listen to Dr. Cornel West 14:58
2. Bamako 6:35
3. Be Out S'Cool 5:04
4. Stick 3:25
5. GS #2 7:28
6. Just A Simple Song 6:49
7. Is It Alright 3:28
8. 3 Phrase 09 5:28
9. OGJB #2 6:34
10. OGJB #1 4:04
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Quartet Recordings
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Jazz & Improvisation Based on Compositions
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