AVANT Label: In the Constellation Of John Zorn

Japanese AVANT label was formed by John Zorn and Kazunori Sugiyama in 1992 as a home for music created by Zorn, his colleagues and yet plenty other avant-gardists, jazzmen and related artists. Part of the broad and ambitious Zorn's music plan, AVANT label reflects a spirit similar as its founder's, innovative, adventurous and subversive. Apart from labelman, composer and performer John Zorn has been involved himself in many other artists releases as a producer and although his music visions has been served since 1995, mainly by his own TZADIK label, AVANT continued offering up to the middle of the next decade exciting episodes of contemporary open-minded art, counting overall about 80 releases.

A selection of essential AVANT moments compiled by LaFolieDuJour:

WAYNE HORVITZ - FOUR PLUS ONE ENSEMBLE crispin and lisa's duet

("From A Window", 2001)

ANTHONY COLEMAN trend man

("Disco By Night", 1992)
DIM SUM CLIP JOB jive stalking
("Harmolodic Jeopardy", 1995)
JOE MANERI why don't you go away
("Paniots Nine", 1998)
SLOWPOKE sixth sense
(V.A. "In His Own Sweet Way", 2000)
CYRO BAPTISTA dansa do indio branco
("Vira-Loucos / Villa-Lobos", 1997)
IKUE MORI, MARC RIBOT, ROBERT QUINE mojave
("Painted Desert", 1995)
WAYNE HORVITZ - FOUR PLUS ONE ENSEMBLE willy's music
("From A Window", 2001)
DRAGON BLUE fragments realm
("Hades Park", 1998)
VIVIAN SISTERS a gift from france
("Vivian Sisters", 2001)
DAVE SOLDIER graffiti from a ninth century manuscript
("Smut", 1994)
HARRIET TUBMAN chief of police
("The Prototype", 2000)
JENNY SCHEINMAN QUARTET 25 at 2525
("Live At Yoshi's", 2000)
MARK FELDMAN, SYLVIE COURVOISIER gugging

("Music For Violin and piano", 1999)

Avant Label Compilation

ANTHONY COLEMAN

Pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer Anthony Coleman (born 1955) is a notable artist in New York Downtown avant-jazz scene as well as a pioneering figure of the Jewish traditional and modern jazz. Active since late 70s, Anthony Coleman has contributed on 80s albums such as "The Big Gundown", "Spillane" and other classic works which established John Zorn as an avant-garde super star. In early nineties Coleman created his first major solo work "Disco By Night" (1992). He also extended the circle of his collaborations, he wrote commissioned music and did many live appearances in free-jazz, klezmer or improvised music festivals all over US and Europe.

Among many collaborations and projects we note Coleman's work with Krakauer Trio, Glenn Branca, the duos with Roy Nathanson, his contributions on soundtrack "Camp Stories"and his own groups Sephardic Tinge, Selfhaters...The main body of his music can be found on labels Avant, Knitting Factory, Tzadik...

An introduction to Anthony Coleman:

01 Anthony Coleman, Roy Nathanson Bird-jews
("The Coming Great Millenium...", 1992)
02 Anthony Coleman Trend man 
("Disco By Night", 1992) 
03 Anthony Coleman Quando el rey nimrod
("Sephardic Tinge", 1995)
04 Sephardic Tinge Ghetto (ich bin ein marrano)
("Morenica", 1998)
05 Professionales takah
("Voices From The Wilderness", various artists, 2003) 
06 Camp Stories Camp stories opening credits
("Camp Stories", o.s.t., 1996)
07 Sephardic Tinge La cantiga del fuego 
("Morenica", 1998) 
08 Anthony Coleman Belz
("Sephardic Tinge", 1995)
09 Anthony Coleman, Roy Nathanson Sheik of avenue B
("The Coming Great Millenium...", 1992)
10 Sephardic Tinge Morenica
("Morenica", 1998)
11 Selfhaters A house is not a home
("Great Jewish Music: B. Bacharach", various artists, 1997)
12 Sephardic Tinge Youkali
("Our Beautiful Garden Is Open", 2002)
13 Camp Stories Camp Stories closing credits 
("Camp Stories", o.s.t., 1996)

compiled by LaFolieDuJour

Anthony Coleman Collection (approx. 1 hour)

V.A. He Didn't Even Draw A Fish On My Shower Curtain (GER,1992)

Limited Mermaid Records (Germany) CD compilation with a A5 size booklet. 22 small bands carrying the amateurism spirit in early nineties. Indie popers, psych popers, lo-fi janglers, humorists, obscurities armed  with tiny melodies and innocense continue the never ending (for them) story of sixties and early eighties.Television Personalities and Deep Freeze Mice are main influences here.

Listen Here

The Austrian Avant-Art Cuisine of DIE KNÖDEL

Die Knödel was an austrian ensemble, formed by Christof Dienz, active the period 1992 - 2000.  Basis of their music is the rich classical heritage and the traditional folk past of their country. Die Knödel's post-modern approach involves also jazz, mild avant garde, world folk influences, cinematic atmosphere, and overall offers an acoustic avant-art fusion exiting to romantic landscapes, imaginary dancehalls, fairytale lands, and yet images of contemporary life often humorously viewed.

Musicians: 

Christof Dienz (basson, dulcimer and most of composing), Alexandra Dienz (bass, hammered dulcimer, voice), Margret Koll (harp), Cathi Aglibut (viola, voice), Julia Fiegl (violin , voice), Walter Seebacher (clarinets, hammered dulcimer), Michael Ottl (guitar, voice), Andreas Lackner (bass, flugelhorn, trumpet, voice).

Works: 

"Verkochte Tiroler" (1993)

"Die Noodle!" (1995)

"Panorama" (1995) ...interpretations on works of various composers

"Der Unfisch" (1997) ...film soundtrack

Die Knödel with Amy Denio:

"Non Lo So, Polo" (1998) ...Marko Polo's travel as a folk opera

Die Knödel walzer (from "Verkochte Tiroler")


La Folie Du Jour selects music from Die Knödel albums:

DIE KNÖDEL (16 tracks)

NURSES " Hearts / Cardiac Arrest " (US, 1979)

Hearts / Cardiac Arrest, 7'' single, (Round Raoul Records, 1979)

Nurses were a pop punk band from Washington D.C., active the period 1978-81.Their output comprises cassettes with live & studio recordings, singles and appearances on era's compilations. Nurses songs reflect the changing of 70's american power pop into 80's garagy revival sound.

Mainman, bassist-singer Howard Wuelfing has played as well with Afrika Korps, Slickee Boys, Half Japanese, Howard & Tim's Paid Vacation... but he 's rather more known as a  rock critic.

Nurses

MINERS OF MUZO "Sandman" EP (HOL, 1988)

Miners Of Muzo was among the remarkable dutch garage rock bands in 80's and early 90's. Most of their music has released on alternative dutch label Eksakt Records and german psych-revival label Music Maniac.  This 3-track EP "Sandman" comes from their best period, when they recorded the full album "Make My Day". 

The band has been back in action and if you visit their site minersofmuzo.com you can have a listen to their recent material.

"Sandman" EP

TEO MACERO " Teo " (US, 1980)

"TEO" is the historical second release of Kip Hanrahan's label American Clave. Hanrahan throws, here, the lights towards the pure artistic but less known side of the man who was, as a producer, behind the making of some of the most popular works in jazz history ("Kind Of Blue", "Bitches Brew" and numerous others). The several eras  material, the variety of styles and collaborations, along with the playing, composing, and arranging skills of TEO MACERO (1925 - 2008) make this collection a good listen for the friends of eclectic jazz sounds.

TEO (12 tracks, 37min)

DIFONDO "Habitat" (ITA, 2010)

Italian experimentalists DIFONDO continue their explorations in electroacoustics! Their new work "Habitat" is available for free downloading through My Space

FOTE "Perfect Sense" + "Shaking The House" (1981)

British musician Robert Haigh has released since 80's a diverse series of  musics with origins to piano minimalism, ambient, avant-electronics, ritual music, experimentalism...

His early obscure years comprise eponymous solo works,  and also several collaborations and disguises under bandnames as  Sema, Truth Club, Fote, and others... 

Fote - "Perfect Sense" (12'', Le Rey Records, 1981)

Fote was a Haigh's experimental project circa 1980-81. Line up included drummer Trevor Reidy (Nurse with Wounds, Danielle Dax, Monochrome Set...) and Deborah Harding on vocals. They released two 12'' EPs "Perfect Sense", "Shaking The House" and the Truth Club / Fote  split 7'' single "Sleight / Looking For Lost Toy".

Fote - "Shaking The House" (12'', Le Rey Records, 1981)

Wider recognition and commercial success for Robert Haigh came in 90's, when Haigh dealt both as musician (Splice, Omni Trio, etc...) and labelman (Parlament Music, Candidate Records...) with  pioneering and hardcore dance electronica, drum'n'bass, jungle... mixing his  atmospheres with breakbeats.

Recently Haigh has returned to ambient-classical piano works.

"Perfect Sense" + "Shaking The House"

JAVIER PAXARIÑO "Perihelion" + "Temura"

Perihelion 

 Temura

Spanish wind player (flutes, clarinets, saxes...) and composer Javier Paxariño makes music based, mainly, on the traditions and the history of mediterranean civilizations. His explorations through space and time bring in light elements from cultures grown in Iberica, South Europe, North Africa, Balkans, Middle East... and fuse them in seductive world-jazz-folk forms.

 These efforts -that although don't seek a new, genuine language, they lack no originality-  reach their best with albums "Temura" (1994) and "Perihelion" (1996) , two works that demonstrate Paxariño's ability for composing clarity and imaginative arrangements, perfectly balanced between ethno-colours and modern instrumentation.

"Temura", influenced by judaic esoterica, is named after a cabbalistic technique to extract hidden meanings from the mystery of sentence. "Perihelion", on the other hand, focused on the timeless worship of light, recalls the ancient sun ceremonies of mediterranean and subsaharian lands.

Ali Farka Toure & Tony Coe

Ana Sefalelku

'Ana Sefalelku' is a song from the collaboration of Ali Farka Toure with english saxophonist and clarinetist Tony Coe. It appeared in the Coe's album "Les Voix d'Itxassou" (Nato, 1990). It is posted here in memory of great Ali and for the Malian friends who have asked to listen to it...

The JazzWorld of The ACT Company

German ACT Company, one of the most successful world-music labels of the current era, founded in 1992 by Siegfried Loch. Internationally acclaimed for its debut -inspired and produced by Loch himself- projects, ACT extended activities and soon became home to many popular jazz artists. ACT's releases are focused on german new jazz scene, nordic contemporary music and ethno-fusions of mediterranean, african, latin, far east and american origins... This remarkable global-sound profile is portraited here:

Act One
TORBJORN SUNDE arctic
("Meridians", 1998)
NGUYEN LE mangustao, pt 2
("Tales From Viet-nam", 1996)
HUONG THANH the soaring of the heron
("Moon and Wind", 1996)
MARKUS STOCKHAUSEN lonconao
("Sol Mestizo", 1996)
JONAS KNUTSSON, JOHAN NORBERG resan
("Skarren:Norrland III", 2008)
NGUYEN LE, DHAFER YUSSEF kithara
("Homescapes", 2006)
ULF WAKENIUS u-dance
("Notes from the Heart", 2005)
BEIRACH, HUEBNER, MRAZ around dubrawuschka
(V.A. "Global Magic", 2001)
ESBJORN SVENSSON TRIO serenade for the renegade
("Strange Place For Snow", 2002)
ACTRONIC frontside backside
("Hamlet", 2001)
ODDJOB where eagles dare
("Clint", 2010)
MICHAEL RIESSLER orange
("Orange", 2000)
CORYELL, CATHERINE, KUHN deus xango
("Twin House + Splendid bonus tracks" [reissue], 1992)
GERARDO NUNEZ templo de lucero
("Andando El Tiempo", 2004)
KNUT ROESSLER, JOHANNES VOGT canaries
("Between the Times", 2007)
NILS LANDGREN emil kahl
("Gotland", 1996)


Act Two
GERMAN JAZZ MASTERS song for bam bam
("Old Friends", 2000)
SORIBA KOUYATE, DIDIER MALHERBE diya
(V.A. "Global Magic", 2001)
PAOLO FRESU predagoria
("Sonos E Memoria", 2001)
ROBERTO DI GIOIA TRIO sahara
("Abracadabra" [celebrating Klaus Doldinger], 2006)
RENAULT GARCIA-FONS, GERARDO NUNEZ un amor real
(" Jazzpaña II, 2000)
JAVIER PAXARINO, GLEN VELEZ temura
("Temura", 1994)
KLAUS PAIER, ASJA VALCIC tango loco
("A Deux", 2008)
CARSTEN DAERR, DANIEL ERDMANN reveal your identity
("Berlin Calling", 2007)
JONAS KNUTSSON polska efter jon marsen (trad)
("Cow Cow: Norrland II", 2005)
LARS DANIELSSON, LESZEK MOZDZER follow my backlights
("Pasodoble", 2007)
ODDJOB sewerside blues
("Sumo", 2008)
ELBTONALPERCUSSION st agnes & the burning train
("Four Elements", 2005)
LAUER, GODARD, HUSBAND de cuir et de cuivre
("Blues In Mind'', 2007)
JENS THOMAS sakyi's song
(V.A. "Global Magic", 2001)
PETER APFELBAUM & NY HIEROGLYPHICS it is written
("It is Written, 2005)
NILS LANDGREN, ESBJORN SVENSSON song from the valley
("Layers Of Light", 2001)

ACT one + ACT two

compiled by LaFolieDuJour