BURNING AMBULANCE 2

I haven't made a big deal about it here, other than posting a link in the right-hand column, but I'm the editor of an intermittent journal of the arts called Burning Ambulance. We call it a "quarterly," but the first one came out in late February and #2 is out, well, now.

The idea's a pretty simple one: I gather a bunch of smart, funny, talented writers and talk them into long-form pieces about subjects that interest them. I write one or two myself. That's it. No consideration for what "everyone" is talking about this month; no worries about timeliness; nothing but love.

This issue features a cover story, by me, on alto saxophonist Darius Jones; a profile of the New Orleans metal band Eyehategod by "Grim" Kim Kelly (plus a half dozen poems by their vocalist, Mike IX Williams); an exploration of the music of Cris Aflalo and Heloisa Fernandes, two neotraditionalist composer/performers from Brazil whose work is much more interesting than a lot of what comes out of that country these days; a fantastic essay on Hollywood's attempts to come to grips with (and exploit) punk rock in the late '70s and early '80s by Phil Nugent, whose blog should be a daily stop for you and everyone you know; a beginner's guide to J-pop; and a tribute to Bill Dixon by musicians who worked with him, including William Parker, Alan Silva, Barry Guy, Rob Mazurek, Warren Smith, Joe McPhee and others. You get all that for just $10 (plus shipping), or $5 if you want a digital download instead of a handsome, perfect-bound hard copy. Interested? Click here.

STEPHEN HAYNES, "PARRHESIA"

Stephen Haynes is a trumpeter and longtime student of/collaborator with the late Bill Dixon. He can be heard on several Dixon albums, including In Italy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur and Tapestries for Small Orchestra. He also recorded a 2008 double trio album with Taylor Ho Bynum, which I reviewed for The Wire.

Parrhesia, which comes out on Tuesday, is his debut as a leader; the disc also features Joe Morris on guitar and Warren Smith on drums, percussion and vibes. It's a sparse and abstract disc, full of smeared horn phrases, sudden rattles, lots of space between bursts of sound, and micro-melodies that never resolve into traditional song form. Haynes and Morris don't dialogue much, but they always seem to be listening to each other and thinking very carefully about what they play and why. Perhaps even more importantly (from my point of view, anyhow), Smith (who recites a poem on the sixth track, "Yet and Still"—you've been warned) plays the drums in a fully engaged way, avoiding the diffident brushed-cymbals-and-tiny-gongs approach that makes so much capital-I improv the ideal soundtrack to a nap.

Haynes is a friend and collaborator (he wrote a terrific session diary about Tapestries for Small Orchestra, including observations from some of the other musicians present, for Burning Ambulance). But even if he was a total stranger to me, I'd say you should definitely check this disc out.

BILL DIXON 1925-2010

I've known this was coming for a few days, but was sworn to secrecy. Here's the email I just received from Scott Menhinick at Improvised Communications:

I've just been asked by his estate to deliver the sad news that trumpeter/composer/educator Bill Dixon died last night in his sleep at his longtime home in North Bennington, Vermont after a two-year illness.

He was 84 years old.

Dixon is survived by his longtime partner Sharon Vogel and two children.

Information about a memorial service and where to send donations in his name is forthcoming.

An official obituary is in the works and will be available shortly.

Update: Here's a terrific video clip I'd never seen before today:



Dixon was one of the most interesting people I've ever had the pleasure of interviewing (for The Wire; the piece is also included in Sound Levels). I'm gonna be listening to his music for a long, long time to come, and I'm sure other people will be, too. (I hope this loss, massive as it is, will if nothing else help get Intents & Purposes back in print on CD.)

Dixon's discography is far from massive, so it's not outlandish to suggest that one listen to as much of it as possible rather than recommending an ideal starting point. But if I had to pick personal favorites, they'd be:

Thoughts (Soul Note, 1986, w/Marco Eneidi, alto sax; John Buckingham, tuba; Peter Kowald, William Parker and Mario Pavone, bass; Lawrence Cook, drums)
Vade Mecum I & II (Soul Note, 1994/96, w/Barry Guy and William Parker, bass; Tony Oxley, drums)
Cecil Taylor/Bill Dixon/Tony Oxley, s/t (Victo, 2002)
Tapestries for Small Orchestra (Firehouse 12, 2009, w/Taylor Ho Bynum, Graham Haynes, Stephen Haynes and Rob Mazurek, trumpet, cornet, flugenhorn, bass trumpet, piccolo cornet and electronics; Glynis Lomon, cello; Michel Côté, bass and contrabass clarinet; Ken Filiano, bass and electronics; Warren Smith, vibes, marimba, drums and percussion)

Tapestries is indispensable because of its inclusion of a DVD that documents the recording sessions as well as lectures from Dixon on improvisation and ensemble playing. Indeed, if there's more of that footage (and I'm sure there is), it should really be made available. Musicians and listeners a like have a lot to learn from this man's body of work, and any ideas he chose to express directly need to be filtered into the cultural bloodstream as much and as soon as possible.

THE MERCH TABLE

So maybe you've noticed I've been posting here more frequently. I've definitely noticed an increase in traffic, and more people commenting, both of which are awesome. I would like to thank everyone who stops by with any kind of regularity; I'm gonna try to keep this blog flowing at the same pace going forward, and I welcome your comments.

I'd also like to point out the links in the right-hand column.

I self-published a book this year—Sound Levels: Profiles in American Music, 2002-2009. It's a collection of pieces I wrote for The Wire, Metal Edge, and Global Rhythm, with additional information about each story (how it came about, whether I thought the interview and/or the final piece was totally successful or could have been better, etc.), and I think you'd really enjoy it. So if that seems interesting to you, click the button and buy one. It's $15 for a physical book, $5 for a digital download, and Lulu.com (the site I used to publish it) is offering free shipping all summer on orders over $19.95.

"What can I buy that'll put me over the top?" you ask. Why, you could purchase issue #1 of Burning Ambulance, the quarterly zine I edit. The second issue is coming very soon, but in the meantime, you could be reading epic-length profiles of Matthew Shipp, a trawl through the massive discography of Henry Threadgill, a session diary from Bill Dixon's most recent recording sessions by members of the band, an exploration of the work of mysterious Spanish metal-and-more band Orthodox, and the ever-popular "much more." That's only $10 for a physical copy and $5 for a download.

Of course, if you haven't got shelf space for even one more book or magazine, but you still want to give me your money, there's a Paypal donation button over there, too. Any books, CDs, or DVDs (or, you know, food) I purchase with your money will naturally become fodder for the blog—that seems fair, right?