| Float Upstream | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2017 | |||
| Recorded | January 19, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Brooklyn Recording, NYC | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 43:23 | |||
| Label | Intakt | |||
| Producer | Tom Rainey | |||
| Tom Rainey chronology | ||||
| ||||
Float Upstream is an album by American jazz drummer Tom Rainey, the second with his band Obbligato, which freely interpreted jazz standards. It was recorded in 2017 and released by Intakt Records. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Down Beat |   [2] |
The Down Beat review by J.D. Considine says "The jazz standard may be the most renewable resource in popular culture. Obbligato, drummer Tom Rainey’s 'standards' band, takes an approach that respects the melody and harmonic structure of these compositions while employing strategies from collective and free improvisation." [2]
The All About Jazz review by Dan McClenaghan states "Trumpeter Alessi and saxophonist Laubrock complement each others styles in fluid dances, by turns haunting or joyous, serpentine or terse—rarely unison. And always—in conjunction with this on-edge rhythm section—pushing the boundaries of straight ahead in the direction of freedom." [3]
The Point of Departure review by Chris Robinson says "If nothing else, Float Upstream reminds us that in the hand of inventive and committed musicians, there's plenty of life left in songs that seem to have been played to death. This is a superb album." [4]
Tim Berne is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones.
Tom Rainey is an American jazz drummer.
Ingrid Laubrock is a German jazz saxophonist, who primarily plays tenor saxophone but also performs and records on soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones.
Sylvie Courvoisier is a composer, pianist, improviser and bandleader. She was born and raised in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been a resident of New York City since 1998. She won Germany’s International Jazz Piano Prize in 2022 and was named Pianist of the Year for 2023 in the international critics poll of Spanish jazz publication El Intruso. NPR’s Kevin Whitehead has encapsulated the distinctive character of Courvoisier’s art this way: “Some pianists approach the instrument like it’s a cathedral. Sylvie Courvoisier treats it like a playground.”
Capricorn Climber is an album by Canadian jazz pianist Kris Davis, which was recorded in 2012 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label.
Pool School is the debut album by American jazz drummer Tom Rainey, which was recorded in 2009 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label.
Camino Cielo Echo is the second album by American jazz drummer Tom Rainey, which was recorded in 2011 and released by Intakt Records. The record features the same trio as his debut album Pool School, with saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and guitarist Mary Halvorson.
Obbligato is the third album by American jazz drummer Tom Rainey, which was recorded in 2013 and released by Intakt Records. He leads a quintet with the same lineup as the collective LARK quartet, expanded by Drew Gress on bass. The album features a selection of standards, most of them taken from the Great American Songbook.
Sleepthief is the eponymous debut album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's free improvisation trio with British pianist Liam Noble and American drummer Tom Rainey. It was recorded in 2007 and released on the Swiss Intakt label. Laubrock and Noble played together since 2005 and recorded the duo Let's Call This.... While Rainey was visiting the UK they decided to get together and Sleepthief was born.
The Madness of Crowds is the second album by Sleepthief, a free improvisation trio led by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock with British pianist Liam Noble and American drummer Tom Rainey. It was recorded in 2010 and released by Intakt Records. The song titles as well as the album's title are taken from the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Scottish writer Charles Mackay.
Anti-House is the eponymous debut album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's band with guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist John Hébert, drummer Tom Rainey and pianist Kris Davis, credited as a guest on about half the pieces. It was recorded in 2010 and released on the Swiss Intakt label. In the summer of 2008 Laubrock relocated from London to New York, where she participated in the collective trio Paradoxical Frog, but this was her first recording as leader in the U.S.
Strong Place is the second album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's Anti-House, a quintet with guitarist Mary Halvorson, pianist Kris Davis, bassist John Hébert and drummer Tom Rainey. It was recorded in 2012 and released on the Swiss Intakt label.
Zurich Concert is an album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, which was recorded live in 2011 at the Rote Fabrik in Zurich and released on the Swiss Intakt label.
The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith with drummer Ed Blackwell, a radio broadcast at WBRS recorded live in 1986 at Brandeis University but not issued until 2010 on Smith's own Kabell label.
Roulette of the Cradle is an album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, which was recorded in 2014 and released on the Swiss Intakt label. It was the third recording by her Anti-House quintet, the first band that she formed on her relocation to New York with guitarist Mary Halvorson, pianist Kris Davis, bassist John Hébert and drummer Tom Rainey. They are joined by clarinetist Oscar Noriega on two tracks.
Serpentines is an album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, which was recorded in 2016 and released by Intakt Records. It features a septet with an unusual line-up, with Miya Masaoka playing the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument, and individual instrumental parts manipulated electronically by Sam Pluta. Laubrock assembled the band for the Vision Festival 2015.
Ubatuba is the eponymous debut album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's quintet featuring saxophonist Tim Berne, trombonist Ben Gerstein, tuba player Dan Peck and drummer Tom Rainey. It was recorded in 2014 and released on Firehouse 12.
Hotel Grief is an album by American jazz drummer Tom Rainey, which was recorded in 2013 and released on the Swiss Intakt label. After two studio dates, this was the first live recording by his trio with saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and guitarist Mary Halvorson.
Planktonic Finales is an album by a collective trio consisting of bassist Stephan Crump, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and pianist Cory Smythe. It was recorded in 2015 and released by Intakt Records.
Celestial Weather is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and bassist John Lindberg, which was recorded in 2012 and released on the Finnish TUM label. Although they have played together as a duo over the years, this album is their first duo recording.
