We are very excited to present a first time meeting of the incredible trio of Nick Mazzarella, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten & Avreeayl Ra! “Azimuth (Live at Constellation)” is exactly that…their first meeting recording live at Constellation in Chicago, IL one year ago in September 2014. 60+ minutes of pure free improv that finds each member of the trio venturing outside of their comfort zones.
When Ingebrigt initially gave us the recordings of this show he made a specific point to mention that Avreeayl is on fire…and indeed Avreeayl is quite animated, stretching into many different zones (and beyond) where the Phil Cohran/Sun Ra influences are quite apparent. But this is a TRIO recording and both Haker-Flaten & Mazzarella turn in masterful performances. Haker-Flaten as always knows when to turn on the power and when to lay back into the groove, always with a masterful command that shapes and prods the improv. Nick Mazzarella may be a (slightly) lesser-known name in free jazz circles but I’m sure that will change very shortly. Mazzarella has been tearing up the Chicago scene (playing with his own trio as well as Ken Vandermark’s Audio One, Chicago Reed Quartet, and many many more) and is set to become one of the head honchos…Mazzarella’s playing on the opening 30 minute epic “Vega” goes from measured tones to almost Roscoe Mitchell-esque runs by the end and all levels in between. Most of what we’ve heard from Nick has been in more compositional settings so it’s extra exciting to hear him really stretch out around a world class free improv rhythm section.
I could go on and on and on about how much I love this tape…and how much I think these are 3 of the top improvisers around…but I’ll spare us both. Listen below for yourself. This is not to be missed.
