What's he building in there?

This newsletter has been quiet, but I haven't...

Due to a busy few months - trips to Moers Festival, Cafe Oto, La Nature in Belgium on top of work - this newsletter has been semi-dormant, so here’s a roundup of my recent writing (and musicking) along with news of a fundraiser for an experimental and improvised music all dayer in Glasgow.

The Wire: Tomeka Reid, Michael Veal and more

It was a real honour to interview the great Tomeka Reid for last month’s Wire cover feature. As a bandleader, collaborator and organiser, the Chicago-based cellist, composer and improviser goes from strength to strength. The new album from her quartet is superb and I’m excited to hear the commissioned works she’s performed recently. As an online, I put together an annotated playlist which features her leader and co-leader projects alongside collaborations with Joe McPhee, Alexander Hawkins and more.

For the brand new issue, I’ve reviewed Michael Veal’s brilliant exploration of Miles Davis’s Lost Quintet and late period John Coltrane through the conceptual prisms of architecture and experimental photography. It’s hands down the music book of the year so far, opening up new ways of hearing these monumental artists (and music in general). I’ve also reviewed great new records from Alec Goldfarb and Alexander Hawkins/Sofia Jernberg, and report from the legendary Moers Festival.

As it’s been a while since I posted, see earlier 2024 issues for my features on Zoh Amba, [Ahmed], Angelica Sanchez and various reviews.

The Quietus: Minutemen, Chris Corsano

“Our band could be your life.” Truer words never spoken. I spiel at length about Minutemen’s visionary punk epic Double Nickels On The Dime on its 40th anniversary, exploring its resonances with James Joyce’s Ulysses, post-punk, funk, classic rock and free jazz, and foregrounding the group’s socialist, anti-racist and anti-imperialist ethos. My wife and I recently saw Mike Watt and his great Italian band Il Sogno del Marinaio: the man in the van with the bass in his hand remains an inspiration.

Seeing Chris Corsano in various contexts in the ‘00s rewired my brain - not least his legendary solo gig at Bloc in Glasgow circa 2005-6 - so it was a thrill to chat to him all these years later about his 13 favourite albums. His list is impeccable: hardcore, free jazz, gamelan, folk, reggae, soul and more. Read on!

Bandcamp: Shane Parish

Back in May, I reviewed Shane Parish’s excellent solo guitar set Repertoire for Bandcamp Daily’s Album of the Day. As it happens, he does Minutemen’s punk-flamenco classic ‘Cohesion’ alongside brilliant arrangements/interpretations of compositions by Aphex Twin, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, Captain Beefheart and more. I’ve another piece coming with Bandcamp soon - all will be revealed in the coming days.

The List: Elaine Mitchener

A short interview with the great Elaine Mitchener around her performance at Tectonics Glasgow in May. Be sure to check out her marvellous new album Solo Throat on Otoroku.

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1.5 Months Fundraiser

The excellent Glasgow experimental and improvised music event 1.5 Months are fundraising for an all-dayer on September 21. Help out if you can! Co-founder Alistair Quietzsch recently gave an epic two part interview for Eli Thayer’s excellent Idionomadic newsletter, where he discusses, among other things, Glasgow’s DIY scene. Eli is doing a great job of documenting the often disconnected jazz and improv scenes in Glasgow: be sure to subscribe!

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Tectonics Glasgow: Imaginary Orchestra

At May’s Tectonics Glasgow, I took part in Brian Irvine’s Imaginary Orchestra. It was a fantastic experience - democratic music making at its best! Here’s the full set - there’s lots of other great stuff to enjoy, including Mariam Rezaei and Matthew Shlomowitz’s 6 Scenes for Turntable and Orchestra, Elaine Mitchener’s solo vocal set and Charles Uzor’s Breaking of the Vessels.

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Until next time, keep jamming econo!