| Ithra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2018 | |||
| Recorded | December 18, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Elastic Arts, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Label | Aerophonic Records AR019 | |||
| Producer | Dave Rempis | |||
| Dave Rempis chronology | ||||
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| Tomeka Reid chronology | ||||
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Ithra is an album by saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Tomeka Reid, and double bassist Joshua Abrams. Consisting of eight improvised tracks, it was recorded on December 18th, 2017, at Elastic Arts in Chicago, and was released in 2018 by Aerophonic Records. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork |    [3] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ [4] |
In a review for Pitchfork , Andy Beta wrote: "The gap between listening and reacting is so small so as to seem instantaneous... while Ithra isn't exactly playful, at times the musicians resemble children in a garden, focusing on one small aspect of the sound before drifting apart, making new discoveries, and then reconvening elsewhere. Pick virtually any point on the album and you'll find them wholly immersed in the beauty of the moment." [3]
John Sharpe of The New York City Jazz Record called the pieces "collective inventions with oblique but still discernible ties to the jazz tradition," and noted: "It helps that Abrams is on board as it frees Reid to follow her own path without any notional responsibility to fill or hold down the bottom. In fact the trio thrives on the three-way interplay between the principals." [5]
Stereogum's Phil Freeman stated: "This music could be improvised, it could be composed, or it could be some combination of the two; what matters is that it becomes three people speaking with one voice... They're listening to each other, they're leaving a lot of space and exploring the value of silence." [6]
Writing for Dusted Magazine, Bill Meyer commented: "the real essence of [the trio's] bond is a shared commitment to improvising music that expresses a unique collective voice that is derived as much from what they don't do as what they do." [7] Meyer included the album in his "Best of 2018: Jazz/Improv" column for Magnet Magazine, [8] as well as in his portion of The Wire's 2018 Rewind. [9]
Fotis Nikolakopoulos of The Free Jazz Collective featured the album in his 2018 "Top 10" list, writing: "The warmness of their playing goes along with high energy and pathos." [10]
Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and composer who teaches jazz at the University of Virginia. She is a former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Tomeka Reid is an American composer, improviser, cellist, curator, and teacher.
Intergalactic Beings is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell with her Black Earth Ensemble, which was recorded in 2010 and released on FPE. The work was commissioned by the Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and the album is the result of the live performance. It was her second suite based on the Xenogenesis novels of American science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Aphelion is the debut release by the regular working trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Joshua Abrams and percussionist Avreeayl Ra, which was recorded live at Chicago's Elastic and Constellation venues during 2013 and released on Rempis' Aerophonic label.
Spectral is the debut release by the free improvising trio consisting of saxophonist Dave Rempis alongside Bay Area improvisers Darren Johnston and Larry Ochs, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Rempis' Aerophonic label.
From Wolves to Whales is the debut release by the free improvising quartet consisting of trumpeter Nate Wooley, saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Pascal Niggenkemper and drummer Chris Corsano, which was recorded in 2014 and released on Rempis' Aerophonic label. This first document of their work was made in the studio following three concerts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Joshua Abrams is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays the double bass and guimbri.
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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".
Irreversible Entanglements is an American free jazz collective formed in 2015. The improvising quintet consists of vocalist Camae Ayewa, drummer Tcheser Holmes, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart. Their albums have been celebrated as among the best in new music by The Wire, The Quietus, Magnet, NPR Music, and Stereogum.
Tomeka Reid Quartet is an album by the jazz ensemble of the same name, led by cellist and composer Tomeka Reid, and featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, double bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. It was recorded on September 1, 2014, at Strobe Recording in Chicago, Illinois, and was released in 2015 by Thirsty Ear Recordings as part of their Blue Series.
Cipher is an album by double bassist and composer Joshua Abrams. It was recorded at two Chicago locations, Riverside Studios and the Empty Bottle, and was released in 2003 by Delmark Records. On the album, Abrams is joined by saxophonist and clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio, trumpeter Axel Dörner, and guitarist Jeff Parker.
Magnetoception is a 2015 album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams, on which he is joined by members of the Natural Information Society.
The Mouser is an album by cellist Tomeka Reid and percussionist Filippo Monico. It was recorded during 2015 at Monico's studio in Milano, Italy, and was released in 2019 by Relative Pitch Records.
Signaling is an album by saxophonist Nick Mazzarella and cellist Tomeka Reid. It was recorded on April 17, 2015, at Fox Hall Studio in Chicago, and was released in 2017 by Nessa Records.
Represencing is a 2012 album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams, on which he is joined by members of the Natural Information Society.
Geometry of Caves is an album by cellist Tomeka Reid, vocalist Kyoko Kitamura, cornetist and trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, and guitarist Joe Morris. It was recorded on December 22, 2016, at Firehouse 12 Studios in New Haven, Connecticut, and was released in 2018 by Relative Pitch Records.
Shards and Constellations is an album by pianist Alexander Hawkins and cellist Tomeka Reid. It was recorded on April 13, 2019, at Challow Park Studios in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and was released in 2020 by Intakt Records. While eight of the album's ten tracks were collectively conceived, the recording also features versions of "Peace on You" by Muhal Richard Abrams, originally heard on the album Afrisong, and "Albert Ayler " by Leroy Jenkins, which first appeared on The Legend of Ai Glatson.
Empathetic Parts is a live album by Mike Reed's Loose Assembly. The group's third release, it was recorded on November 7, 2009, at the Umbrella Music Festival held at The Hideout in Chicago, and was issued on CD in 2010 by 482 Music. Led by drummer Reed, the group features saxophonist Greg Ward, cellist Tomeka Reid, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, and double bassist Joshua Abrams, plus guest saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell.