Old Locks and Irregular Verbs | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 April 2016 | |||
Recorded | May 22, 2015 | |||
Studio | Systems Two, Brooklyn | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 47:00 | |||
Label | Pi Recordings | |||
Producer | Liberty Ellman | |||
Henry Threadgill chronology | ||||
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Old Locks and Irregular Verbs is an album by American jazz saxophonist Henry Threadgill, which was recorded in 2015 and released on Pi Recordings. It features an extended work that Threadgill composed as a tribute to cornetist and composer-conductor Lawrence D. Butch Morris, who died in 2013. Morris and Threadgill were old friends and colleagues on the New York City jazz scene; they both performed on Ming (1980) by David Murray. Threadgill formed a new band for the occasion named Ensemble Double Up, a septet where he doesn't play, but instead conducts. [1]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Down Beat | [2] |
PopMatters | [3] |
All About Jazz | [4] |
The Pitchfork review by Seth Colter Walls states, "Despite the fact it doesn’t contain a single note of his own searing saxophone playing, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs remains pure Threadgill—and a highlight in career stocked with more than a few classics." [5]
In a review for Stereophile , Fred Kaplan says about the album, "It's his true career milestone, one of the great jazz compositions of the past several years, a musical masterpiece beyond category." [6]
The Down Beat review by Bill Meyer notes, "Threadgill doesn’t attempt to shape the music on the fly the way Morris did, but ensures that the transitions from full-band statements to smaller interactions occur without loss of momentum or clarity." [2]
In his review for PopMatters John Garratt states, "Henry Threadgill may be in his early 70s, but he continues to make music that sounds like no one else. Even when he branches out and doesn’t quite sound like himself, he remains inimitable to a startling degree." [7]
The All About Jazz review by Dan Bilawsky says, "Threadgill's masterful blend of the independent and interdependent is alive and well in Old Locks and Irregular Verbs." [8]
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He has performed and recorded with several ensembles: Air, Aggregation Orb, Make a Move, the seven-piece Henry Threadgill Sextett, the twenty-piece Society Situation Dance Band, Very Very Circus, X-75, and Zooid.
Pi Recordings is a jazz record label founded by Seth Rosner in 2001. He was joined as partner by Yulun Wang in 2002. Pi specializes in avant-garde jazz. Its first albums were by Henry Threadgill.
Murray's Steps is an album by David Murray released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1982. It feature his Octet consisting of Murray, Henry Threadgill, Bobby Bradford, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Craig Harris, Curtis Clark, Wilber Morris and Steve McCall.
Everybodys Mouth's a Book is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring eight of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill & Make a Move. The album was the first album on the Pi Recordings label and was released simultaneously with Up Popped the Two Lips by Threadgill's Zooid in 2001.
Up Popped the Two Lips is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Zooid. The album was the second album on the Pi Records label and was released simultaneously with Everybodys Mouth's a Book by Threadgill & Make a Move in 2001.
This Brings Us to Volume 1 is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Zooid. The album, Threadgill's first in eight years besides the limited edition Pop Start the Tape, Stop (2005), was released on the Pi Recordings label in 2009.
Accelerando is a studio album by Indian-American pianist Vijay Iyer recorded in 2011 and released on the ACT label in 2012.
Sacred Ground is an album by American jazz drummer Whit Dickey recorded in 2004 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label. Dickey leads a quartet with Roy Campbell on trumpet, Rob Brown on alto sax and Joe Morris on double bass instead of his usual guitar, the same lineup as the previous album Coalescence.
Spirit House is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded live in 2000 at the Magic Triangle Jazz Series organized by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and released on the Eremite label. It was the debut recording by the Jus Grew Orchestra, a large ensemble founded by Moondoc in the early 80s. For this concert Moondoc studied Butch Morris's conduction techniques of guided improvisation with hand gestures. Morris was the original conductor of the band.
The Thompson Fields is an album by the Maria Schneider Orchestra that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2017. Schneider was the composer, conductor, and co-producer of the autobiographical work. The title comes from the Minnesota farm where she was raised.
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.
In for a Penny, In for a Pound is an album composed by Henry Threadgill for his jazz quintet Zooid, featuring Jose Davila, Liberty Ellman, Christopher Hoffman, and Elliot Humberto Kavee. It was released by Pi Recordings and was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Made in Chicago is a live album by drummer and composer Jack DeJohnette with fellow Chicagoan musicians pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, bassist Larry Gray and saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill recorded at the 35th Chicago Jazz Festival in 2013 and released on the ECM label. The album documents the reunion of DeJohnette with colleagues from Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.
Miles Ahead is the original motion picture soundtrack of the 2015 film of the same name. Released on April 1, 2016, the soundtrack features music by Miles Davis, Robert Glasper, and Taylor Eigsti, with dialogue tracks by Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregor, and Phil Schaap. Consisting of 24 tracks, the ranges of album's genre include jazz-instrumental, jazz-funk, trumpet jazz, modal music, hard bop, and fusion.
Daylight Ghosts is an album by Craig Taborn, with Chris Speed, Chris Lightcap, and Dave King. It was released by ECM Records in 2017.
Tactiles is an album by jazz guitarist Liberty Ellman, which was recorded in 2003 and released on Pi Recordings. He leads a quartet with Mark Shim on tenor sax, Stephan Crump on bass and Eric Harland on drums. The album also features alto saxophonist Greg Osby on three tracks.
Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry, Spp is an album by American jazz saxophonist Henry Threadgill with his band Zooid, featuring Jose Davila on trombone and tuba, Liberty Ellman on guitar, Stomu Takeishi on bass guitar, Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums, and new member Christopher Hoffman on cello, who joined the group making it a sextet. It was recorded in 2011 and released on Pi Recordings.
Bringin' It is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band. The record was released on September 22, 2017 via the Mack Avenue label—both on CD and on LP. After The Good Feeling released in 2011, this is his second album as a big band leader and fourteenth overall. The album consists of 11 tracks: a mix of his own compositions and famous jazz standards including a version of "Mr. Bojangles" featuring his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. The album opens with the song "Gettin’ to It", which is the title of his 1994 debut album.
Curtis Macdonald is a composer and saxophonist. He moved to New York City in 2003 and lives in Brooklyn. He is Faculty at The New School for Jazz.
Hudson a studio album by jazz musicians Jack DeJohnette, John Medeski, John Scofield, and Larry Grenadier. The album was released on June 9, 2017 by Motéma.