Houseplant (album)

Houseplant
Studio album by Jim Black and AlasNoAxis
Released	February 20, 2009
Recorded	September & October 2008 in Brooklyn, NY
Genre	Improvised music, jazz
Length	60:37
Label	Winter & Winter 910 154
Producer	Jim Black
Jim Black chronology

Last updated April 07, 2019

Houseplant is the fifth album by drummer Jim Black's AlasNoAxis featuring clarinetist/saxophonist Chris Speed, guitarist Hilmar Jensson and bassist Skúli Sverrisson recorded in 2008 and released on the Winter & Winter label.^[1]

Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music.

Chris Speed is an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.

Skúli Sverrisson is an Icelandic composer and bass guitarist.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]
AllAboutJazz	^[3]

In his review for Allmusic, Dave Lynch said "it would be inaccurate to describe Houseplant as stifled music -- the nearly epic title track might even be heard as soundtracking the titular foliage’s dream of escape, complete with the walls tumbling down -- but at the very least Black, even with his often economical and even understated drumming here, seems intent on exploring how deeply held emotions can be expressed with a minimum of adornment".^[2] On AllAboutJazz Glenn Astarita stated "Once again, the leader and his comrades uncannily merge a cheery vibe with modern jazz improvisation and hardcore rock parameters that nicely blend into one neatly wrapped package"."^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Jim Black

"Inkionos" - 4:45
"Cahme"- 4:36
"Houseplant" - 7:09
"Fyr" - 1:05
"Malomice" - 7:09
"Littel" - 4:32
"Elight" - 5:55
"Naluch" - 5:08
"Cadmium Waits" - 3:25
"Adbear" - 7:23
"Lowers in a Nine Sense" - 5:03
"Downstrum" - 3:45

Personnel

A drum kit — also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums — is a collection of drums and other percussion instruments, typically cymbals, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drumsticks held in both hands, and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbal and the beater for the bass drum. A drum kit consists of a mix of drums and idiophones – most significantly cymbals, but can also include the woodblock and cowbell. In the 2000s, some kits also include electronic instruments. Also, both hybrid and entirely electronic kits are used.

A laptop computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a "clamshell" form factor, typically having a thin LCD or LED computer screen mounted on the inside of the upper lid of the clamshell and an alphanumeric keyboard on the inside of the lower lid. The clamshell is opened up to use the computer. Laptops are folded shut for transportation, and thus are suitable for mobile use. Its name comes from lap, as it was deemed to be placed on a person's lap when being used. Although originally there was a distinction between laptops and notebooks, as of 2014, there is often no longer any difference. Laptops are commonly used in a variety of settings, such as at work, in education, for playing games, Internet surfing, for personal multimedia, and general home computer use.

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B♭ (while the Alto is pitched in the key of E♭), and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding an octave and a major second lower than the written pitch. Modern tenor saxophones which have a high F♯ key have a range from A♭₂ to E₅ (concert) and are therefore pitched one octave below the soprano saxophone. People who play the tenor saxophone are known as "tenor saxophonists", "tenor sax players", or "saxophonists".

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References

↑ Winter & Winter discography, accessed November 27, 2014
1 2 Lynch, Dave. Jim Black – Houseplant > Review at AllMusic . Retrieved November 27, 2014.
1 2 Astarita, G., AllAboutJazz Review, October 9, 2009

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[1] Winter & Winter discography, accessed November 27, 2014

[Allmusic-2] 1 2 Lynch, Dave. Jim Black – Houseplant > Review at AllMusic . Retrieved November 27, 2014.

[AAJ-3] 1 2 Astarita, G., AllAboutJazz Review, October 9, 2009