Henry Threadgill 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg - Dirt... And More Dirt (2018)

Henry Threadgill 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg
Dirt... And More Dirt
2018 - Pi Recordings: PI73
https://pirecordings.com/albums/dirt-and-more-dirt/
https://henrythreadgill.bandcamp.com/album/dirt-and-more-dirt



* Henry Threadgill : alto saxophone, flute, bass flute
* Liberty Ellman : guitar
* Christopher Hoffman : cello
* Jose Davila : tuba
* Jacob Garchik : trombone
* Ben Gerstein : trombone
* Jonathan Finlayson : Bb trumpet, F trumpet
* Stephanie Richards : Bb trumpet
* Roman Filiú : alto saxophone, alto flute
* Curtis Robert Macdonald : alto saxophone
* David Bryant : piano (left)
* David Virelles : piano, harmonium (right)
* Thomas Morgan : bass
* Elliot Humberto Kavee : drums, percussion (left)
* Craig Weinrib : drums, percussion (right)

https://www.henrythreadgill.com/
https://henrythreadgill.bandcamp.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Threadgill
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Threadgill
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/henry-threadgill-mn0000673638

Recorded by Warren Riker, assisted by Emily Rittenhouse, at Water Music,
Hoboken, New Jersey (NJ), USA, on September 24-27, 2017.

Reviews

By Tim Niland
https://jazzandblues.blogspot.com/2018/05/henry-threadgill-14-or-15-kestra-agg.html

Saxophonist, flutist and composer was inspired to form a new group and write
new music by the conceptual art installation “The New York Earth Room” and the
sculptures of Stephen De Staebler. These works must have been very thought
provoking, as Threadgill formed this large ensemble with some of the core
musicians he has worked with in the past, while also injecting new blood to
create two suites that are steeped in nuance, using a wide range of color,
light and shadow to excellent effect. "Dirt - Part III" is a wonderful example
of this as the leaders lithe and gliding saxophone weaves around tuba,
percussion and piano creating a very interesting musical concept that is able
to build into a complex improvised section. This shifts to an interesting brass
interlude, supported by percussive piano and drums, framed by wheezy
harmonium. Cutting saxophone emerges to push the group further along with a
strong solo section over complex background interaction. The large ensemble has
instruments that weave in as out as the arrangement and conduction desires as
evidenced on "Dirt - Part IV" where the palate of the music waxes and wanes,
leading to short solo sections for differently tuned trumpets, moving over the
thick tuba and drums. While the music can seem unconventional, it unfolds
logically and rationally, and each of the compositions is a strong unit within
the greater whole. "Dirt - Part VI" ends the first suite in a very exciting
fashion with a complex arrangement of instruments opening the piece, before the
colors branch out in a kaleidoscopic fashions with horns interacting with reeds
playing with brass who are frolicking with drums, creating a multi-layered and
complex setting that drops off unexpectedly for a section of spare flute
playing. This moves seamlessly into "More Dirt - Part I" where spacious
drumming sets the stage for the return of the other instruments which build a
lightly toned theme with flute and other reeds taking charge. The tuba, central
to so much of Threadgill's work, solos in a clean and pure fashion adding the
bottom, but also fresh ideas to the proceedings. The collective improvisation
is fast and intricate as one of the pianists stretches out over insistent
percussion and melded reeds, and then takes a brief unaccompanied solo. This is
the longest track on the album and it unfolds episodically as cells of
musicians are called upon to improvise and interact within the performance
itself. "More Dirt - Part III" is a short and light feature for flute and other
reeds, taking flight and fluttering rapidly like a group of hummingbirds in
search of nectar. The interplay is complex and intricate, but always accessible
to the listener. This was an excellent album, with a very talented ensemble led
by one of the most iconoclastic performer on the modern jazz scene. Henry
Threadgill's work is unique, inspiring and completely unpredictable.

--

By Paul Acquaro
http://www.freejazzblog.org/2018/06/henry-threadgill-double-up-plus-and-14.html

By Ed Hazell
http://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD63/PoD63MoreMoments6.html

By Karl Ackermann
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dirtand-more-dirt-henry-threadgill-pi-recordings-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

By Dan McClenaghan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dirtand-more-dirt-henry-threadgill-pi-recordings-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

By John Garratt
https://www.popmatters.com/henry-threadgill-double-up-2569437468.html

By Filipe Freitas
http://jazztrail.net/blog/2018/5/14/henry-threadgill-dirt-more-dirt-album-review

By Anthony Dean-Harris
http://nextbop.com/blog/henrythreadgill14or15kestraaggdirtandmoredirt

Par France Musique (fr)
https://www.francemusique.fr/jazz/jazz-bonus-henry-threadgill-dirt-and-more-dirt-62117

Por «el intruso» (es)
http://elintruso.com/2018/01/27/el-nuevo-proyecto-de-henry-threadgill/