Showing posts with label Bill Laswell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Laswell. Show all posts

13 April 2014

Blixt live at Moers 2013



Here's a full performnce of this power trio at last year's Moers festival in Germany. The announcer draws the power trio lineage as far back as Cream, a band that always left room for long stetches of improvisation, even though their repertoire was song-based. This lot, though, is fully improvisational throughout, or at least, that's how it sounds. Raoul Björkenheim has worked in the trio format before, notably with the Scorch Trio which has been inactive lately and Bill Laswell played in the Painkiller trio with John Zorn and Mick Harris. We'll get to the Scorchers in due course. The name, meaning lightning in Swedish, does sort of indicate what they're up to.

I saw them last year, on the same tour I think, and recorded the entire thing on the cell phone, but listening to the playback, quickly realised that a cell phone can't handle the sonic barrage of these gentlemen. Of course, listening and watching this video is hardly any substitute for watchng them live. The propulsive playing of drummer Morgan Ågren betrays his background in prog and metal which was to some extent a defining characteristic of Painkiller which in fact  released some of their work on metal labels. Anyhow, here's a set of loudness interspersed with quieter passages, but not for too long. I happen to like the quiet parts better, but that's just me.

Blixt
Moers Jazz Fest
Moers Germany
May 18 2013

Webcast>Jaksta>Flv>You

This is the Arte live Webcast of Blixt's red hot performance at moers

Raoul Björkenheim Guitar
Bill Laswell bass
Morgan Ågren Drums

Technical point: This video is in the flv format and it works well with the VLC player. I should add that the action starts at the eight minute mark. Ideally it could have been cut shorter, but I don't have the requisite software for that.

Kudos to "punkjazz" at the Dime site for grabbing and uploading.
To be ferociously enjoyed, as always.

18 February 2008

Bill Laswell, Derek Bailey, Jack DeJohnette, DJ Disk - Live Frankfurt 1998




I'm one of the few around here who does not appreciate Derek Bailey's fine qualities, so I'm not the ideal person to present this. Perhaps some afficionado can add some more qualified opinion after listening. I was intrigued by his cohorts on this recording when I came across it. Jack DeJohnette is one of my all-time favourite drummers, but I've never heard him playing the sort of music you'd normally expect Bailey to play. Bill Laswell I only know from his projects with John Zorn, but if you look at his career, he's played in countless rock and fusion bands. I won't comment on Mr Disk !

I must admit I haven't heard this in it's entireity, but from bits that I've listened to, Bailey almosts seems to play in time with the rhythm section a la John McLaughlin, but then there are other parts where he seems to ignore them.

I'm posting this in flac. Could somebody please do the honours and upload an mp3 version.

Concert details:
Transmutation 1998-6-7


Bill Laswell - bass
Derek Bailey - guitar
Jack DeJohnette - drums
DJ Disk - turntable

June 7, 1998
Frankfurt, Germany

Lineage is unknown, but possible a soundboard recording. Thanks to malleable for seeding.