Free Jazz Music

Gato Barbieri is one of the best saxophonists out there in my opinion. His early work is very salsafied with a lot of drums and spanish rhythms. I own "Que Pasa" and thought that was great as well. Compared to this, it has been somewhat updated musically. This album has an old school feel to it--which isn't bad at all. I see this album as ideal summer music, good for playing in the background at a barbeque. It isn't souped up with today's mixing and arranging technology, but has just enough raw spicyness to it that you'll think you're at a Central American Club on the beach for vacation. If you like jazz like Tito Puente and such...you will enjoy this.

Forget Gato's new release - its overhyped smooth jazz compared to this, which is a good cross- section of the master blowing at his early best. This is from someone who's been listening to Gato since the 70's, when these tracks were first cut. Bravo RCA, let's hear more! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I love all of Gato's music from his free jazz days up through to his most recent release, Che Corazon, but the Flying Dutchman albums from which this new CD is compiled are personal favorites of mine. These releases are among THE most beautiful and inspiring of any music I own. What I really love about them is that on them you not only hear Gato's uniquely talented saxophone voice, you also really get a feeling for his incredible ingenuity as an arranger, AND you hear him singing (on "Yo Le Canto a La Luna") and playing flute ("Bolivia") as well (not to mention his stellar sidemen on these releases!). Both his voice and his flute-playing have a very natural quality and I would love to hear hime do both again. As collections go, this one is very nicely done - and much better than the Greatest Hits collection recently released by A&M. For one thing, this one has liner notes! My only gripe is that RCA did not include any of the music from El Pampero, Yesterdays or the Third World, but I suspect they did this for fear the screechiness of those albums might scare off those who enjoy his contemporary work so much. And if by structuring the collection this way, RCA succeeds in making this wonderful music more widely known and accessible to Gato's newer fans, it will be well worth the sacrifice. Bravo, indeed, RCA! Now how about making a box set of all seven releases available here in the U.S.? :-)

I'd never heard of Ken Nordine until just recently. Someone online suggested I give him a listen, so I bought this CD. It's a bunch of spoken word pieces recited by Ken Nordine, some with sound effects and music. Some of it's funny, and some just stupid. The language is interesting, though, since much of it is from the beat subculture of the 60s. You don't hear people talk like that anymore except in TV reruns. Or on Ken Nordine's CD.

Haunting me since I was a preschooler in the late `50's, from the sound of Ken Nordine's booming, string bass voice to his funny and frightening stories, right down to its paper collage cover, the original LP WORD JAZZ has lodged permanently in my psyche. I was delighted when the recording resurfaced in 1990, even if only in parts, on this compilation CD. At first I only revisited my old favorites, "Hunger Is From," a description of a sleepless, midnight raid on the refrigerator, complete with munching sound effects, "The Vidiot," a forecast, unfortunately, of the television addict I would become, "The Sound Museum," a dreamlike, wonderfully evocative "tour" of a series of aural exhibits and the artists who have created them, "Flibberty Jib," an immensely creepy portrait of religious zeal that reminds me of every facilitator of mass hysteria from Adolf Hitler to Jim Jones, and "Looks Like It's Going to Rain," in which the narrator invites the listener in to visit the noisy chambers of his brain. All of this is accompanied by the strains of cool jazz, with a tinkling piano here, noodling woodwinds there, and in several key places, some experimental electronic sounds and tape loops. Then I began to explore the other tracks on this CD, most of them new to my ears. My favorite of these previously unknown gems is "Faces In The Jazzmatazz," which I have listened to dozens of times now. Somehow it is so nostalgic that I have developed a false memory of having heard it before, somewhere in my distant past -- maybe I did, but I don't think so. Although the material on THE BEST OF WORD JAZZ, VOL. 1 is spoken, there is something so musical about Nordine's voice that, for me at least, I hear these pieces as songs, and can revisit them from time to time just as I can other favored music. The pleasure I derive from this album is so personal, and so connected to my childhood, that I don't know if I can recommend it to the uninitiated. One thing that anyone over the age of say, 30, might latch on to is Nordine's mellifluous baritone: it has been heard on more than just novelty recordings, as he has had a long career in voiceovers and narration on radio and television. So Ken Nordine will sound familiar even to those who have never heard his name.

I hope there's a Vol. 2 (may not happen, given the time that has elapsed since this CD was first released), and that it will include "Roger," a funny little nightmare scenario about a piano teacher that still gives me shivers when I hear it on my scratched up vinyl copy of WORD JAZZ.

I found this online doing some random searches, going outside my usual music genres. I had never heard of Ken Nordine, but the voice was very familiar. I listened to a few samples and thought maybe it wasn't for me, but I might buy it just for kicks...so I did. By the fourth track I had this big grin on my face...this man has such an amazing voice that anything he says holds my attention. He talks about eating food from his fridge and I just can't bring myself to turn it off. Instead I'm laughing and listening more intently than I have ever listened to anyone before. It's funny, it's thoughtful, and its just beautiful to listen to. It is also very inspiring and really brings out creativity, at least for me. If you don't think you'll like this type of spoken word recording, you probably will so buy it anyway. You can at least play it for parties and watch everyone's attention drift towards the stereo until everyone has a smiling, glazed over look on their faces.

Late at night, toss this into your cd player, press pause.

Turn off the lights.

Turn on the TV. Turn off the sound. Flip to channel 3...

Static...

Hit play attention...

Ken Nordine is the comforting yet oddly disturbing voice in your head that you try to ignore, but can't; he's the Twilight Zone for your ears.

Well not really. But Ken Nordine has opened a portal to a whole new and different musical space. This is Jazz-Rap. There are some great reviews on this page for this extraordinary album and I'm just another voice to endorse this work. Whatever you might expect - DON'T. There is humour here, pathos, and total dis-orientation. This album is way out in left-field, like the little schitzophrenic voice that torments all our souls from time to time. Give in to it! Take time-out from whatever you are into to get a whole new perspective of what music is capable of. This is Jazz not because of the sax stabs but because there is an improvisational logic to Nordines crazy stories. It is surrealism for the same reason. There is a stream-of-consciousnees feel to these tales. The net effect is slightly unnerving but great fun nevertheless. Highly recommended!

I'd never heard of Ken Nordine until just recently. Someone online suggested I give him a listen, so I bought this CD. It's a bunch of spoken word pieces recited by Ken Nordine, some with sound effects and music. Some of it's funny, and some just stupid. The language is interesting, though, since much of it is from the beat subculture of the 60s. You don't hear people talk like that anymore except in TV reruns. Or on Ken Nordine's CD.

Haunting me since I was a preschooler in the late `50's, from the sound of Ken Nordine's booming, string bass voice to his funny and frightening stories, right down to its paper collage cover, the original LP WORD JAZZ has lodged permanently in my psyche. I was delighted when the recording resurfaced in 1990, even if only in parts, on this compilation CD. At first I only revisited my old favorites, "Hunger Is From," a description of a sleepless, midnight raid on the refrigerator, complete with munching sound effects, "The Vidiot," a forecast, unfortunately, of the television addict I would become, "The Sound Museum," a dreamlike, wonderfully evocative "tour" of a series of aural exhibits and the artists who have created them, "Flibberty Jib," an immensely creepy portrait of religious zeal that reminds me of every facilitator of mass hysteria from Adolf Hitler to Jim Jones, and "Looks Like It's Going to Rain," in which the narrator invites the listener in to visit the noisy chambers of his brain. All of this is accompanied by the strains of cool jazz, with a tinkling piano here, noodling woodwinds there, and in several key places, some experimental electronic sounds and tape loops. Then I began to explore the other tracks on this CD, most of them new to my ears. My favorite of these previously unknown gems is "Faces In The Jazzmatazz," which I have listened to dozens of times now. Somehow it is so nostalgic that I have developed a false memory of having heard it before, somewhere in my distant past -- maybe I did, but I don't think so. Although the material on THE BEST OF WORD JAZZ, VOL. 1 is spoken, there is something so musical about Nordine's voice that, for me at least, I hear these pieces as songs, and can revisit them from time to time just as I can other favored music. The pleasure I derive from this album is so personal, and so connected to my childhood, that I don't know if I can recommend it to the uninitiated. One thing that anyone over the age of say, 30, might latch on to is Nordine's mellifluous baritone: it has been heard on more than just novelty recordings, as he has had a long career in voiceovers and narration on radio and television. So Ken Nordine will sound familiar even to those who have never heard his name.

I hope there's a Vol. 2 (may not happen, given the time that has elapsed since this CD was first released), and that it will include "Roger," a funny little nightmare scenario about a piano teacher that still gives me shivers when I hear it on my scratched up vinyl copy of WORD JAZZ.

I found this online doing some random searches, going outside my usual music genres. I had never heard of Ken Nordine, but the voice was very familiar. I listened to a few samples and thought maybe it wasn't for me, but I might buy it just for kicks...so I did. By the fourth track I had this big grin on my face...this man has such an amazing voice that anything he says holds my attention. He talks about eating food from his fridge and I just can't bring myself to turn it off. Instead I'm laughing and listening more intently than I have ever listened to anyone before. It's funny, it's thoughtful, and its just beautiful to listen to. It is also very inspiring and really brings out creativity, at least for me. If you don't think you'll like this type of spoken word recording, you probably will so buy it anyway. You can at least play it for parties and watch everyone's attention drift towards the stereo until everyone has a smiling, glazed over look on their faces.

Late at night, toss this into your cd player, press pause.

Turn off the lights.

Turn on the TV. Turn off the sound. Flip to channel 3...

Static...

Hit play attention...

Ken Nordine is the comforting yet oddly disturbing voice in your head that you try to ignore, but can't; he's the Twilight Zone for your ears.

Well not really. But Ken Nordine has opened a portal to a whole new and different musical space. This is Jazz-Rap. There are some great reviews on this page for this extraordinary album and I'm just another voice to endorse this work. Whatever you might expect - DON'T. There is humour here, pathos, and total dis-orientation. This album is way out in left-field, like the little schitzophrenic voice that torments all our souls from time to time. Give in to it! Take time-out from whatever you are into to get a whole new perspective of what music is capable of. This is Jazz not because of the sax stabs but because there is an improvisational logic to Nordines crazy stories. It is surrealism for the same reason. There is a stream-of-consciousnees feel to these tales. The net effect is slightly unnerving but great fun nevertheless. Highly recommended!

One disc approximately 62 minutes. Excellent sound. Recorded and mixed by Bill Laswell. This recording continues to prove that Anthony Braxton(saxophones) continues to make music that matters. To anyone with knowledge of this genre of music the three players on this disc need no introduction. Braxton,of course,has been recording for many years. I can remember when he would hustle chess matches to pay for some of his concerts when his style of music had fallen out of favor. Luckily for us all he is now a much revered musician and teacher. Milford Graves (percussion)has been in the avant garde scene for many years as well. His understanding of percussion work is outstanding-sometimes it sounds almost telepathic. Along with Sonny Murray (another drummer not on this recording) he has consistently stayed true to his style of music. William Parker,(bass)while not as well-known,has also made quite a name for himself in "outside" jazz circles. Together the music that they create is truly wondrous. Spread over five "meetings",the music on this disc ebbs and flows with a combination of big city grit and sounds that might have eminated out of Africa. The first track,at medium tempo and fairly dense,begins immediately with no real build-up or statement of theme,and continues to increase in density to it's final resolution. This track sets the tone for most of the other tracks. On the second track is where the African feel comes into play. Voices are used in conjunction with the three instruments and the wordless vocals add a fourth instrument into the mix. To often with music of this type the instrumental inter-play are the only sounds used to create what the players want to achieve. The use of vocalizations is very refreshing and gives this track a real organic feel. This track also benefits by a slow build-up to it's eventual climax. The third "meeting" is dense and very involved,with few spaces between notes. While it's nice it is nothing out of the ordinary. The fourth"meeting" starts out slowly with an ebb and flow between the instruments which gives this track a real identity. Graves' percussion touches are very apparent and hold the track together and keep the music from winding out of control. The fifth and final "meeting" is very dense from the get-go. Braxton is wailing away with Graves not far behind. Parker's bass is the grounding element here and though it's understated,his bass-playing holds everything together. Together,Braxton and Graves weave a sonic blanket that's very satisfying. This,of course,is the type of music that begs to be listened to over several days. Each time something new will pop up and will reward the listener with added delights. The sound is warm and organic feeling with good spatial qualities between the instruments. One can only hope that these three people will continue playing(and recording)together in the future for the benefit of us all.

The Bobby McFerrin I thought I knew was one of those artist who keep doing what they do best just to show us what makes him better than other artists. Music is just an instrument for them to accomplish this ambition. I hate them all.
I'm glad my prejudices didn't keep me from listening to this album. From track one, what you hear is Music taken as seriously and respectfully as it can possibly be, without one single false step. Then comes Kalimba Suite, able to grab your full attention from beginning to end. My god, what a wonderful song, this Silken Road. And so on. He keeps the same level of care and sensitiveness and wonder through all the tracks, always putting his admirable voice at Her service, never the opposite. And closes the album with a spiritually elevating song of a kind seldom ever heard. Beyond words. The title is actually more appropriate than anything that can be possibly be said about this album.

After seeing him live in Montreal, this CD was a bit of a letdown. It is too atmospheric for my taste. It lacks the wonderful humor and interchanges that occurred in concert, particularly with Richard Bona. Too bad a CD of the 2005 concert hasn't been released, and that the DVD is now out of print, because it really showcases McFerrin's incredible talent.

once, at a concert a woman asked bobby to sing " don't worry, be happy," bobby replied. " lady, i'm an artist..." this record is proof of his talent and mastery of the voice as a musical instrument...the songs are wordless, but you don't miss the words because the sounds he makes have a language all its own and the supporting cast compliments him brilliantly. there is a lot to love about this cd....

Get ready for action. Bobby joins Omar Hakim, Chick Corea, and Richard Bona to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Yum! Your guests will ask, "What in the world is this beautiful music?"

Beyond Words, is a well created and good-sounding CD. The vocals are not words, which I did not know when I bought the CD. Nonetheless, the CD is like nothing I have ever heard and has a lot of soul. It took me a little while to get into, as some CDs do, but it was definitely a good buy. Addressing the song selection, well, after about a good half hour you get sick of them, they get rather repetitious. Bobby McFerrin undoubtedly is a skilled musician, his vocal range is extraodinary and his jazz singing, (check out him with Chick Corea) is well unbelievably amazingly spectacular. Back to the CD, some of the songs sound very similar to the Circlesong CD, if you like that, you'll like this too. A tip I have for you considering this CD is listen to the sampler tracks and see if you like it before getting this CD.