Showing posts with label JP Schlegelmilch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JP Schlegelmilch. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Old Time Musketry - Different Times

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2013
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 53:06
Size: 87,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Star Insignia
(6:28)  2. Parade
(5:01)  3. Different Times
(5:50)  4. Cadets
(8:34)  5. Hope for Something More
(5:43)  6. Anger Dance
(4:31)  7. Highly Questionable
(5:28)  8. Underwater Volcano
(5:59)  9. Floating Vision

Brooklyn-based Old Time Musketry is a band whose moniker foreshadows one aspect of the sound it's after, steeped in folk music and Americana. But the quartet's debut, Different Times, contains so much more. First and foremost, Old Time Musketry is a jazz quartet. Sure there's quite a bit of accordion and clarinet on this recording, but these guys are jazz guys. Mostly. The title track, with its rhapsodic tenor and piano melody sprawling over pattering free-ish rhythms, evokes memories of '70s-era pianist Keith Jarrett and his quartet with saxophonist Dewey Redman. On "Underwater Volcano," saxophonist Adam Schneit's tenor rides a headlong rush of crisp drums and funky Wurlitzer piano like a crazy surfer. Different Times' most memorable tune, "Parade," marries a truly jaunty lead line to a chugging second line rhythm. Here, pianist JP Schlegelmilch's rapier sharp solo invokes Monk, Don Pullen and Jarrett without imitating. The CD's two ballads "Hope for Something More" and "Floating Vision" have a yearning sort of sound and loping rhythms that lapse into a slow-rock feel. "Hope for Something More" has an especially lovely, almost stark, melody that's echoed by Schlegelmich's oddball keys, with Schneit's understated clarinet drifting over the rhythm section like a lonely bird.

The rootsy, Americana side of the band if it could even be called that comes to the fore on the album's remaining tracks. It's not a straight-up, Ken Burns style of Americana; instead, Old Time Musketry deals in the odd, the difficult, and the spooky. Musical kindred spirits include artists such as guitarist Bill Frisell, percussionist John Hollenbeck, and clarinetist Andy Biskin all of whom have constructed complex, multihued musical worlds that embrace the entirety of American music. Composer Charles Ives and pianist Cecil Taylor. Pianist Duke Ellington and singer Woody Guthrie. The one thing these pieces have in common is the extensive use of clarinet and accordion, instrumentation that really lends itself to a sort of "otherness" that associates itself with old-time music as well as Eastern European ethnic music. It's practically archetypal. "Star Insignia," with its plodding rhythm and accordion drone, seems an odd choice for an opening track, but the tune builds and grows dramatically, providing a fine example of Old Time Musketry's stellar song-craft. Before veering off into some fairly abstract territory, "Cadets" features a strong melody and really interesting changes that recall some of Hollenbeck's work with Claudia Quintet. "Anger Dance" and "Highly Questionable" both seem to draw some inspiration from Klezmer and Eastern European music without being purely ethnographic explorations. As its title implies, "Anger Dance" gets pretty aggressive, tottering on the edge of free jazz before going off in an entirely different direction. Really, that's what Old Time Musketry seems to be about: confounding expectations; not just going to unexpected places, but finding something unexpected in places that might be seem all too familiar. Different Times is a beautifully realized snapshot of a fully matured band with massive compositional and instrumental chops, and, most importantly, some very interesting ideas. ~ Dave Wayne https://www.allaboutjazz.com/different-times-old-time-musketry-steeplechase-lookout-review-by-dave-wayne.php

Personnel: Adam Schneit: saxophones, clarinet; J. P. Schlegelmilch: piano, Wurlitzer, accordion, glockenspiel, synthesizer; Phil Rowan: bass; Max Goldman: drums, melodica.


Different Times

Friday, November 4, 2016

JP Schlegelmilch - Throughout: The Music Of Bill Frisell

Styles: Solo Piano
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:42
Size: 97,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. Throughout
(4:31)  2. Rag
(3:42)  3. Resistor
(3:21)  4. This Land
(4:04)  5. Hangdog
(4:01)  6. Monica Jane
(2:38)  7. Jimmy Carter
(5:40)  8. Child At Heart / Beautiful E
(3:26)  9. Twenty Years
(4:18) 10. Deep Dead Blue

JP Schlegelmilch is a Brooklyn-based pianist, accordionist, electric keyboardist and composer. Born in New Hampshire, JP began instruction in classical piano at age 6 and went on to study music at Berklee College of Music and SUNY Purchase. After moving to Brooklyn in 2006, JP began performing with his own groups and has also had the opportunity to perform with some of New York’s most esteemed improvising musicians. JP’s current projects include the indie-jazz-folk ensemble Old Time Musketry, which features his unique approach to the accordion as well as piano and electric keyboards. The band’s first album “Different Times” was released in 2012 and received much critical acclaim, including a 4-star review in Downbeat magazine. It was also mentioned on several “Best Albums of 2013” lists by journalists George Grella and Tom Hull.

In 2013 JP released his first solo piano recording, “Throughout”, which focused on the compositions of iconic guitarist Bill Frisell. The album was called “a warm and elegant new solo effort" by Time Out New York, and was mentioned on a “Best Jazz Albums of 2013” list on the Big City Blog. In addition to his own groups, JP has toured with the indie-classical chamber group Fireworks Ensemble; performed with avant-jazz legend Tim Berne; and played on the soundtrack to the Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild. JP also frequently plays with rock bands and has toured the country with the chamber-pop group The Silent League, and the indie rock singer Abby Payne. In each musical project JP seeks to synthesize his diverse musical interests, creating a personal and non-genre-specific music. He strives to continually enrich his musical language through studying various musical traditions including jazz, experimental music, classical music, and folk music from around the world. http://jpschlegelmilch.com/about/

Personnel: JP Schlegelmilch (piano)

Throughout: The Music Of Bill Frisell