| Cosmic Nickelodeon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2016 | |||
| Recorded | December 12, 2015 | |||
| Studio | Park West Studios, Brooklyn, New York | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Label | Relative Pitch RPR1047 | |||
| Jemeel Moondoc chronology | ||||
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Cosmic Nickelodeon is an album by saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and bassist Hilliard Greene. It was recorded on December 12, 2015, at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 2016 by Relative Pitch Records. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [3] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ [4] |
In a review for All About Jazz , Mark Corroto called the album "a set of unhurried and deliberate exchanges" and "a comfort food variety of recording," and wrote: "a gospel tinge permeates the session. Moondoc's alto mixes Ornette Coleman's articulation with that of late-period Art Pepper." [3]
Derek Taylor of Dusted Magazine stated: "Both alto saxophone and double bass are beautifully recorded, the fine grain particulars of each audible alongside the frequent sighs and asides of satisfaction from the musicians." [5]
Writing for Jazz Right Now, drummer Marc Edwards commented: "I enjoyed the music and the performances from Jemeel and Hilliard. I hope they decide to do another recording in the future. If you are into melodic musical explorations, than this CD is for you." [6]
The Morning Star's Chris Searle remarked: "From his first tunnelling notes of opener 'Blues for Katie', Greene digs deep. His plangent, declamatory notes carry through into 'Spiritual Medley', where both musicians' roots are proudly and pulsatingly asserted, while Moondoc's wailing phrases explore 'The Founding of a Lost World' on a record of sheer discovery by two ardent founders of sound." [7]
The editors of The New York City Jazz Record included the album in their May 2016 list of "Recommended New Releases." [8]
Steve Swell is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator.
Jemeel Moondoc was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style.
Nostalgia in Times Square is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded in 1985 and released the following year on the Italian Soul Note label. He leads a quintet that features Ornette Coleman guitarist Bern Nix, former Roland Kirk pianist Rahn Burton, bassist William Parker and drummer Denis Charles. This is Moondoc's first date with piano since his 1977 debut album, Muntu's First Feeding.
We Don't is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc with drummer Denis Charles, which was recorded in 1981 but not issued until 2003 by the Eremite label. The title track is a traditional Caribbean tune.
Tri-P-Let is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded in 1996 and became the first release on the Eremite label. It was Moondoc's first recording since 1985. He leads a trio with two Boston based musicians: bassist John Voigt and drummer Laurence Cook. "Triplet" is an extension of the album Judy's Bounce. "Another One the Hard Way" is dedicated to Ornette Coleman, while "Campbell’s Soup" is named after trumpeter Roy Campbell. "Ruby Riches" has the same scale as John Coltrane used in his song "Dear Lord".
Fire in the Valley is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded live at the Fire in the Valley Festival in 1996 and released on the Eremite label. He leads a trio with bassist John Voigt and drummer Laurence Cook, the same lineup as the previous studio album Tri-P-Let.
New World Pygmies is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and bassist William Parker, which was recorded live at the Fire in the Valley Festival in 1998 and released on the Eremite label. It was Moondoc's first recorded encounter with Parker since Nostalgia in Times Square. "Another Angel Goes Home" is a tribute to drummer Denis Charles.
Live at the Vision Festival is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded live at the 2001 Vision Festival and released on Ayler Records, a Swedish label founded by Jan Ström and Åke Bjurhamn. It was the second recording by the Jus Grew Orchestra, a large ensemble founded by Moondoc in the early 80s.
Live at Glenn Miller Café Vol 1 is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded in Stockholm and released on Ayler Records, a Swedish label founded by Jan Ström and Åke Bjurhamn. Moondoc leads a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. The rhythm section had recorded the studio album ...and William Danced a few hours earlier with local saxophonist Anders Gahnold.
Two is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and pianist Connie Crothers, which was recorded at Connie's Brooklyn loft in 2011 and released on Relative Pitch Records, a NYC based record label founded by Mike Panico and Kevin Reilly. It was the first time they recorded together and Moondoc's first studio recording in 15 years, the previous was Tri-P-Let.
New World Pygmies vol. 2 is a double album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and bassist William Parker, which was recorded live in 2000 and released on the Eremite label. The first disc documents a duo performance from Madison, while the second includes guest drummer Hamid Drake from a Chicago set at the Velvet Lounge.
The Zookeeper's House is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded in 2013 and released on Relative Pitch Records. It was his first album leading a full band in over a decade.
Hilliard Greene is an American bassist specializing in modern creative, improvised, and jazz music, as well as a music educator.
Eremite Records is an independent American jazz record label founded in 1995 by Michael Ehlers, with early involvement from music writer Byron Coley. Ehlers was a student of Archie Shepp's at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After college, he began producing concerts in the Amherst area, and Eremite evolved from those events. The label name came from an alternate title to the Thelonious Monk tune "Reflections": "Portrait of an Eremite". The label's logo, designed by Savage Pencil, is an image of a robed Joe McPhee playing soprano saxophone. Eremite organized a concert series in Western Massachusetts that ran through 2008 and produced roughly 100 concerts, including five Fire in the Valley festivals. From 1998–2018, Eremite managed a touring organization that arranged hundreds of concerts across North America for its artists.
Relative Pitch Records is an American independent record label specializing in free jazz and avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and experimental music. Run by Kevin Reilly, Relative Pitch has been ranked among the top jazz record labels in The New York City Jazz Record and DownBeat year-end lists, and praised by publications and organizations including The Guardian, NPR Music, The Brooklyn Rail, and in Bandcamp Daily's label profile, "Relative Pitch is Built on Enthusiasm for Experimental Music".
Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace is an album by bassist William Parker, his debut as a leader. It was recorded during 1974–1979, and was initially released on LP in limited quantities by Parker's Centering label in 1980. In 1998, the album was reissued on CD by Eremite Records in expanded form. The recording features Parker in ensembles of varying size.
Live at the Black Musicians' Conference, 1981 is a live album by saxophonist Marion Brown and pianist Dave Burrell. It was recorded on April 10, 1981, at the Black Musicians' Conference at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts, and was released in 2018 by NoBusiness Records. The album features two compositions by Brown, three by Burrell, and two by Billy Strayhorn.
The Astral Revelations is a live album by the Jemeel Moondoc Quartet, led by saxophonist Moondoc, and featuring pianist Matthew Shipp, double bassist Hilliard Greene, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. Moondoc's final recording prior to his death in 2021, it was recorded on February 5, 2016, at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and was released in 2018 by RogueArt.
Muntu Recordings is a three-CD box-set compilation album by alto saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and the ensemble known as Muntu. Disc 1 restores to circulation the group's debut album First Feeding, recorded in a New York City studio in 1977, and originally issued on vinyl that year by Moondoc's Muntu Records as the label's inaugural release. On First Feeding, Moondoc is joined by trumpeter Arthur Williams, pianist Mark Hennen, double bassist William Parker, and drummer Rashid Bakr. Disc 2 is a reissue of Muntu's second recording The Evening of the Blue Men, recorded live at St. Mark's Church in New York City in 1979, and originally issued on vinyl that year as the Muntu label's second and final release. On this recording, Moondoc is accompanied by trumpeter Roy Campbell, double bassist Parker, and drummer Bakr. Disc 3 is a previously unissued 1975 live recording from Ali's Alley in New York City featuring Moondoc, Parker, and Bakr. Muntu Recordings, released in 2009 by NoBusiness Records, also includes a 115-page book containing essays, photographs, and a complete Muntu sessionography.
Memories of a Tunicate is an album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and cellist and electronic musician Fred Lonberg-Holm. Featuring seven free improvisations named after various types of tunicate, it was recorded on June 12, 2019, at GSI Studios in New York City, and was released in 2020 by Relative Pitch Records.