Jazz Archives

The "version" of Painkiller John Zorn assembled for this performance in his month-long 50th birthday celebration at Tonic included Bill Laswell from the original incarnation and drummer Hamid Drake as well as vocalist Mike Patton. While Patton is no Yamantaka Eye, Drake is far more compelling as a drummer than Mick Harris. The insert on the set correctly claims that this unit is something completely different. Not only does this band play a less free version of jazz, punk, and rock, it also plays free of many of the dub trappings it had engaged in an earlier incarnation. This is a deeply groove-oriented set of vanguard funk, jazz, and rock. There are three tracks here, and all of them are driven by the bedrock of Laswell's dirty funk playing and Drake's propulsive kit work. Zorn is out front playing snake-wise, melding everything from hard bop, free jazz, soul-oriented groove lines, and his own unclassifiable sonic palette. Patton's vocals are heavily treated yowls and screams combined with rhythmic breath work and moans. Tape delays are employed here as well, making the entire set a compelling, singular workout that is exciting, harsh, intense, and compelling.

:::Review by Thom Jurek:::

Painkiller - 50th Birthday Celebration Vol.12 (2005)

1. Your Inviolable Freedoms (20:29)
2. DPM (16:24)
3. Prophethood Of Chaos (6:24)

Credits
- Bill Laswell / bass
- John Zorn / saxophone
- Hamid Drake / drums

Special Guest

- Mike Patton / voice

Guitarist Skopelitis' dustpan approach to world music sweeps various ethnic instrumental grit and grime into the whirling blades of co-producer Bill Laswell's shop-vac. Contributing to the unholy mess are Foday Musa Suso on kora, oudist/violinist Simon Shaheen, gospel organist Amina Claudine Myers, percussionists Zakir Hussain, Aiyb Dieng and Guilherme Franco, drummer Jaki Liebezeit, bassists Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble, and, consistently providing the most bracing moments, Bachir Attar (leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka) raising hell on the plague-of-locusts vernacular oboe, the rhaita. When Ekstasis's free-floating anxiety is at its peak, it could almost be the disc that Can fans have been waiting for since Ege Bamyasi.

:::Review by Bob Tarte:::

Nicky Skopelitis - Ekstasis (1993)

1. Tarab 7:19
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Jah Wobble
Written-By – Laswell, Wobble
Drums [Loop] – Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste
Violin – Simon Shaheen
Harp [Doussongoni] – Foday Musa Suso
Tabla – Zakir Hussain

2. Meet Your Maker 5:57
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Bill Laswell
Flute – Bachir Attar
Oud, Violin [Intro] – Simon Shaheen
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Cuica, Whistle, Other [Little Hammer] – Guilherme Franco
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers

3. Ghost Of A Chance 5:06
Performer [Chatan] – Aiyb Dieng
Bass – Bill Laswell
Baglama, Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Berimbau [Electric], Cuica, Cowbell – Guilherme Franco
Drums – Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers

4. Proud Flesh 4:48
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Jah Wobble
Kora – Foday Musa Suso
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Violin – Simon Shaheen
Tambourine – Guilherme Franco

5. Sanctuary 5:57
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Jah Wobble
Oboe [Ghaita] – Bachir Attar
Written-By – Attar, Wobble
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Talking Drum – Aiyb Dieng
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers

6. One Eye Open 4:41
Performer [Chatan] – Aiyb Dieng
Bass – Bill Laswell
Sitar [Coral], Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Written-By – Laswell
Drums – Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste
Violin – Simon Shaheen
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers
Berimbau [Electric] – Guilherme Franco

7. Heresy 5:36
Written-By – Suso, Wobble
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Jah Wobble
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Kora – Foday Musa Suso

8. Jubilee 4:39
Electric Guitar [12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Jah Wobble
Written-By – Suso, Wobble
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Talking Drum – Aiyb Dieng
Harp [Doussongoni] – Foday Musa Suso
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers

9. Witness 7:34
Bass – Jah Wobble
Written-By – Wobble, Shaheen
Drums – Jaki Liebezeit
Violin – Simon Shaheen
Harp [Doussongoni] – Foday Musa Suso
Baglama, Guitar [Dobro], Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis

10. Telling Time 4:57
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Amina Claudine Myers
Electric Guitar [6 & 12 String] – Nicky Skopelitis
Bass – Bill Laswell
Drums – Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste
Congas – Guilherme Franco


Credits
Artwork By [Cover] – James Koehnline
Artwork By [Layout And Design] – Aldo Sampieri
Engineer – Bruce Calder, Martin Bisi, Bob Musso
Engineer [Assistant At Greenpoint] – Imad Mansour
Engineer [Assistant At Platinum Island] – Chris Flam
Engineer, Engineer [Mix For Velocity] – Oz Fritz
Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
Photography – Ira Cohen
Producer – Bill Laswell, Nicky Skopelitis
Technician [Equipment] – Artie Smith
Written-By – Skopelitis

This album remains my absolute favorite of all. It is finally, after many years of searching, exactly my kind of music. There is the purity of ambient synthesizers, there is the sophistication of polyrhthmic beats. There is big boom of bass, the improvisation of bebop, the integration of Eastern themes. All that and Arabic lyricism as well. I have been following two threads of this kind of music since the 80s. One of them culminated in the music around Adrian Sherwood and OnU and the other around Bill Laswell and Axiom. In the end, Laswell was the champion and his music explores all the dimensions of sound I find fascinating, compelling and majestic. His collaborations with everyone from Sly and Robbie and Peter Namlook to his recreations of Bob Marley and Miles Davis are stunning. But in my opinion, his greatest work to date can be found on this album. It is track number seven, entitled The Hidden Garden / Naima. Yes, that Naima. It is, in my opinion, better than Coltrane's original. This is the music I have played in rented cars through the streets of Brooklyn and Tampa and Houston with the windows rolled down, just trying to show how that big boom can carry so much sophistication and flavor. This is the music that carries the literal wit of William S. Burroughs about deals with the devil.
The odd thing is with this album is like so many others, I don't associate a name with the songs. I just know them. They occupy a nameless place in memory because there is no communicating them. It's like a secret knowledge, a fountain of inspiration that you try to share but the water slips through your hands as you attempt to remove it from the source. I can say 'Laswell' to a few that know him and then what? There's this, of course, but there is also the perfect Dub Chamber 3. There's also the extraordinary Panthalassa. I know a man named Benzon who once looked after my son. If there's a man who knows my mind perhaps he is the one. In music he understands the power it transduces through the brain. I look at him with library envy and wish I could explain. I'll tell him Laswell and he'll nod, then pick up his horn and play a stretch and hang on to a note mystical and forlorn. And I'll say yes after a moment and say how did you know. He'll shrug and ask me don't we all who listen for the flow? And I forget this epic trance was dreamed in God's own mind, as I just wrangle syllables interpolated for the purposes of explicating that which transpired without any sense of time as if binded to the blind.

:::Review by cobb:::

Material - Hallucination Engine (1993)

1. Black Light 7:33
Written-By – B. Laswell, W. Shorter

2. Mantra 8:44
Written-By – B. Laswell, Caroline, Shankar
3. Ruins (Submutation Dub) 8:54
Written-By – B. Laswell
4. Eternal Drift 7:35
Written-By – B. Laswell, N. Skopelitis
5. Words Of Advice 3:58
Written-By – B. Laswell, W. Burroughs
6. Cucumber Slumber (Fluxus Mix) 7:30
Written-By – A. Johnson, J. Zawinul
7. The Hidden Garden / Naima 13:00
Written-By – B. Laswell, N. Skopelitis, S. Shaheen
8. Shadow Of Paradise 9:45
Written-By – B. Laswell, N. Skopelitis, Shankar

Credits
Arranged By – Bill Laswell
Bass – Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, Jonas Hellborg
Drums [Kit] – Sly Dunbar
Electric Piano, Organ [Hammond B-3] – Bernie Worrell
Ghatam – Vikku Vinayakram
Ghatam [Chatan], Congas, Percussion – Aiyb Dieng
Guitar, Sitar, Baglama – Nicky Skopelitis
Kanjira [Daff], Tambourine – Michael Baklouk
Ney – Jihad Racy
Oud – Simon Shaheen
Producer – Bill Laswell
Sampler, Programmed By [Beats, Loops] – Bill Laswell
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano] – Wayne Shorter
Synthesizer – Jeff Bova, Nicky Skopelitis
Tabla – Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain
Violin – Shankar, Simon Shaheen
Voice – Fahiem Dandan, Liu Sola, William S. Burroughs
Zither [Qanoum] – George Basil

The follow-up to Sonny Sharrock's entirely solo comeback album, Guitar, Seize the Rainbow puts the guitarist at the helm of a rock-styled power trio featuring bassist Melvin Gibbs and Abe Speller and Pheeroan akLaff on drums (producer Bill Laswell also plays bass on one cut). The overall sound of the album is surprisingly straightforward, heavy metal-tinged jazz-rock, though the caliber and taste of the musicians makes it something far more than what rock guitar virtuosos of the period were recording. Still, there isn't too much way-out craziness, aside from some of Sharrock's trademark slide-guitar explorations on the spiritual title track and the riff-driven rockers "Dick Dogs" and "Sheraserhead's Hightop Sneakers." For the most part, Sharrock's playing on Seize the Rainbow is more concerned with melodic themes and traditional single-note solo lines than textural experiments. Fortunately, his tone is still gloriously skronky, and his playing is no less passionate. Bill Laswell's production is bright and immediate, and the rhythm section's agility breathes a spark into the straight-up rock rhythms they're often asked to play. Even if it isn't quite as evocative as the solo sound paintings of Guitar, Seize the Rainbow does place Sharrock's playing in one of its most accessible settings, and it's perhaps the best starting point for rock fans wondering what the fuss is about.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Sonny Sharrock - Seize The Rainbow (1987)

1. Dick Dogs 5:10
2. My Song 6:25
3. Fourteen 9:55
4. J.D. Shaa 5:37
5. Seize the Rainbow 4:32
6. The Past Adventures of Zydeco Honeycup 5:22
7. Sheraserhead's High-Top Sneakers 4:07

Credits
Bass – Melvin Gibbs
Co-producer – Bill Laswell
Drums – Abe Speller, Pheeroan Aklaff
Guitar – Sonny Sharrock
Mixed By – Robert Musso

Claudia Heuermann's "A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: Twelve Stories About John Zorn" is not quite what it seems. Expectations ran high, a documentary about John Zorn, the man who rarely grants interviews and when he does, seems to say everything and not say anything at all, whose music jumps genre to genre in a matter of seconds, captivates some, horrifies others, and has a strange sway over its fan.
What Heuermann did though was quite a bit different-- she told the story about her trying to make the movie, about her relationship with Zorn, from the moment she first discovered him (a friend playing her Naked City's "Torture Garden") to her meeting him for the first time, travelling to New York and deciding to make a movie about Zorn. It's really a piece about self-discovery, about learning to be one's "own parent".
Along the way, we get snippets of interviews with Zorn, brilliant statements, footage of rehearsals, recording sessions, remastering of "The Big Gundown" and live performances from Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, Bar Kokhba, Emergency, and "Rituals". We also get a brief explanation of game pieces and a picture of a frustrated artist who can't stop looking, who views music as problem solving, and who does it not for listeners, but for himself and the musicians.
This is the second time I've watched this-- the first time was when it first came out, and I was still in the process of discovering Zorn's work through a chance encounter at an independent movie theater (Naked City was the house music before the show, and somehow I knew who it was). Three months and a dozen or so Zorn CDs later and this came out to guide my way, to help put the pieces together.
A year after that and my Zorn collection is bordering on obscene and the piece still holds weight. It still is entertaining, and yeah, its not a lot of revelatory stuff, but it's a worthwhile viewing. Truth to be told, in many ways, the piece gave validity to my own view on my choice of career and my great passions. And I keep thinking that maybe when my coworkers ask why I'm making the four hour trip to New York City yet again to see some obscure musician who they've never heard of (and who if they did hear, they'd probably dislike), maybe in those situations I should let them borrow this and certainly Heuermann's experience isn't really that much different from mine. Isn't that powerful enough to merit a recommendation to someone else?
If you're just learning about Zorn, get this, it's critical. If you're already initiated, you probably already have it. It's got its flaw, but invariably, it's a deeply personal expression, how could it not? Either way, it's a fun film to watch. Recommended.

:::Review from amazon.com:::

John Zorn - A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories about John Zorn, DVD (2004)

Credits
- Cyro Baptista
- Joey Baron
- Stefan Blum
- Anna Carewe
- Jennifer Choi
- Greg Cohen
- Anthony Coleman
- Ariadne Daskalakis
- Uwe Dierksen
- Dave Douglas
- Mark Dresser
- Yamataka Eye
- Mark Feldman
- Erik Friedlander
- Bill Frisell
- Fred Frith
- Mihoko Fujimura
- Joyce Hammann
- Wayne Horvitz
- Susie Ibarra
- Matthias Kaul
- Otis Klöber
- Briggan Krauss
- Bill Laswell
- Hartmut Leistritz
- Dave Lombardo
- John Medeski
- Ikue Mori
- Nele B. Nelle
- Mike Patton
- Jim Pugliese
- Marc Ribot
- Roberto Rodriguez
- Josh Roseman
- Jamie Saft
- Astrid Schmeling
- Michael Schröder
- Stefan Schäfer
- David Shea
- Chris Speed
- Jim Staley
- Mason Wendell
- William Winant
- Kenny Wollesen
- John Zorn

Releases information
DVD Tzadik (TZ 3001), Mar 2004

Mixing metallic guitar heroics with funk, hip-hop, electronica, and a cinematic soundtrack feel, Buckethead's Monsters and Robots is yet another eclectic opus inspired in large part by low-budget monster/horror, martial arts, and science fiction movies, especially those of Japan. Like any Buckethead album, the music does meander in spots, but this outing does improve on its predecessor Colma by employing a variety of guest bassists; Primus' Les Claypool (as well as drummer Brain), Bootsy Collins, and Bill Laswell all enliven the music's rhythmic underpinnings in ways that Buckethead's own bass playing on Colma didn't.
Plus, the contributions of guest DJs Phonosycograph Disk, DJ Eddie Def, and Xtrakd are inventive and stimulating, complementing rather than confusing the musical mix. It may not be completely consistent, but Monsters and Robots offers more than enough musical derangement to satisfy.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Buckethead - Monsters & Robots (1999)

1. Jump Man 4:20

Vocals - Bootsy Collins
Written-By - Buckethead , Pete Scaturro
2. Stick Pit 3:38
Written-By - B. Mantia , Buckethead , Les Claypool
3. The Ballad Of Buckethead 3:38
Backing Vocals - The Chicken Scratch Choir,
Vocals - Les Claypool
Written-By - B. Mantia , Buckethead , Les Claypool
4. Sow Thistle 4:28
Vocals - Bootsy Collins
Written-By - Bootsy Collins , Buckethead , Steve Freeman
5. Revenge Of The Double Man 3:34
Written-By - B. Mantia , Buckethead , Phonosycographdisk , Les Claypool
6. Night Of The Slunk 5:43
Written-By - Buckethead
7. Who Me ? 2:08
Written-By - Buckethead
8. Jowls 4:25
Written-By - Bootsy Collins , Buckethead , Pete Scaturro
9. The Shape Versus Buckethead 5:40
Rap - Oui-Wey
Vocals - Bootsy Collins
Written-By - Bootsy Collins , Buckethead , Steve Freeman
10. Stun Operator 4:15
Written-By - B. Mantia , Buckethead , Les Claypool
11. Scapula 4:04
Vocals - Max Robertson
Written-By - B. Mantia , Buckethead , Pete Scaturro
12. Nun Chuka Kata 4:28
Written-By - B. Mantia, Buckethead , Phonosycographdisk , Les Claypool

Credits
Bass - Buckethead (tracks: 1, 8, 11), Les Claypool (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 10, 12)
Drums - Brain (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 10, 12)
Guitar - Buckethead
Producer - Bill Laswell (tracks: 6), Extrakd (tracks: 4, 9) , Les Claypool (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13) , Pete Scaturro (tracks: 1, 8, 11), Rob Beaton (tracks: 1, 8, 11)
Turntables - Eddie Def (tracks: 4, 9), Phonosycographdisk (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12)

On Hear No Evil, Bill Laswell attempts to fuse his love of Eastern musical forms and textures with the tonality and sensibility of the Western world. The result is a harmonious though rather benign combination, with much of the trappings of new age music. The album title can be taken at face value; there is no danger in sight. Mostly, the instrumentalists mesh perfectly in a pastoral blend that never drifts far from its harmonic center. Percussionists Zakir Hussain (tabla) and Aiyb Dieng (talking drums) produce the bulk of the rhythm and guitarist Nick Skopelitis and violinist Shankar weave pleasant, droning melodies around Laswell's rubbery bass playing. The only discord comes with "Assassin," an ineffective attempt at dark, throbbing funk. Still, the track serves as a good model for Laswell's approach. In this case, the West wins. Skopelitis delivers some banal rock licks over a beat that's not nearly as heavy as it might aspire to be. A mixture of tabla and talking drums makes its way into the music's pauses, providing an Eastern undercurrent, and Shankar lends a wordless vocal to the texture. The most successful track is the closing "Kingdom Come." The introduction highlights the group's percussion trio; Hussain is even allowed a captivating tabla solo, approaching his instrument like a drum kit. For once, the musicians are allowed some room to roam, and they delve into the beginnings of an engaging, improvised dialogue. While the fusion elements present on Hear No Evil may have seemed groundbreaking during the late '80s, the passing of time has not been so kind. Laswell's compositions take few risks, requiring the instrumentalists to pull more of the weight but, unfortunately, they remain too subdued.

:::Review by Nathan Bush:::

Bill Laswell - Hear No Evil (1988)

1. Lost Roads 7:26
2. Bullet Hole Memory 7:13
3. Illinois Central 6:59
4. Assassin 6:24
5. Stations Of The Cross 7:13
6. Kingdom Come 7:33

Credits
Bass, Written-By, Producer - Bill Laswell
Guitar - Nicky Skopelitis
Percussion - Aiyb Dieng , Daniel Ponce , Zakir Hussain
Violin - Shankar

Arc of Testimony is one of the last recordings to feature legendary drummer Tony Williams, and its bold, experimental textures are a fitting epitaph to his career. Arcana was formed by bassist/producer Bill Laswell with the intention of exploring the outer reaches of fusion, ambient and free jazz. Like the group's debut, Last Wave (released only in Japan), Arc of the Testimony is a freewheeling, unpredictable blend of electronic and acoustic sounds. However, this record is even more adventurous, since it finds a common ground between improvisation and post-production studio trickery. All of the musicians Williams, Laswell, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, saxophonist Byard Lancaster, cornetist Graham Haynes, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis and guitarist Buckethead are open-minded and help push the music forward, resulting in a thoroughly involving, challenging listen.

:::Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:::

Bill Laswell - Extending energy and experimentation by Anil Prasad

Arcana - Arc Of The Testimony (1997)

1. Gone Tomorrow 9:39
2. Illuminator 6:07
3. Into The Circle 9:25
4. Returning 4:29
5. Calling Out The Blue Light 6:37
6. Circles Of Hell 7:15
7. Wheeless On A Dark River 4:27
8. The Earth Below 5:28

Credits
Bass - Bill Laswell
Cornet - Graham Haynes (tracks: 1, 3)
Drums - Tony Williams
Guitar - Buckethead (tracks: 2, 4, 6) , Nicky Skopelitis (tracks: 1 to 7)
Saxophone [Alto] - Byard Lancaster (tracks: 1, 3, 5)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Pharoah Sanders (tracks: 1 to 6)

When it comes to avant-garde jazz/rock noise, few bands kicked out the jams better than did Last Exit. A who's-who of jazz players with punk-ass attitudes, Last Exit -- guitarist Sonny Sharrock, bassist Bill Laswell, drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, and saxophonist Peter Brotzmann -- could swing, rock, and create an all-out free-jazz din all in the blink of an eye. More important, Last Exit was about was the thrill and danger of total improvisation; so much did they believe in this concept that their debut performance in Zurich in 1986 was completely improvised and unrehearsed. Granted, one person's free improvisation is another's tuneless chaos, but Last Exit, due primarily to the skill of its individuals, only infrequently fell off the precipice into the netherworld of arty wanking. These were four men that emotionally, intellectually, and musically belonged together: Sharrock had gotten his start playing blues, but rebelled against structured, proper guitar technique, preferring to play sheets of atonal metallic distortion; Shannon Jackson grew up playing Texas blues, but through working with players such as Blood Ulmer, explored a percussive world that was not regimented by time and meter; Bill Laswell played and produced rock, funk, and "straight" jazz, and in Last Exit he mashed all of these influences into one feral ball of noise and rhythm; and Peter Brotzmann didn't simply blow sax, he blew it to bits as if his life depended on it.

:::www.allmusic.com:::

:::Review by John Dougan@allmusic.com:::

Last Exit - Iron Path (1988)

1. Prayer 4:37
2. Iron Path 3:28
3. The Black Bat (For Aki Ikuta) 4:33
4. Marked for Death 2:19
5. The Fire Drum 4:18
6. Detonator 3:47
7. Sand Dancer 1:56
8. Cut and Run 2:30
9. Eye for an Eye 4:54
10. Devil's Rain 4:12

Credits
Bass - Bill Laswell
Drums - Ronald Shannon Jackson
Engineer - Martin Bisi
Guitar - Sonny Sharrock
Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
Photography, Artwork By [Front Cover Design] - Thi Link Le
Producer - Bill Laswell , Last Exit
Saxophone [Bass] - Peter Brötzmann

A trio consisting of alto saxophonist John Zorn, bassist Bill Laswell,and drummer Mick Harris, Painkiller was a novel blend of free improv, jazz, dub, and death metal. Although the lineup occasionally expanded to include the uniquely gifted Japanese vocalist Yamantaka Eye and other guests, Execution Ground is an investigation of the power and range of the core trio. The first disc of this inventive and unsettling two-disc set features three long improvisations that show off the band's dub influence. The second disc, subtitled "Ambient Dub," is a rethinking/remix of the third and first improvs on the first disc. Overall less thrashy than some Painkiller excursions, the improvisations here are striking for their greater sonic space without sacrificing any of the heaviness. At times, the band rests, making way for ominous breathing and distant sustained screams, which recur throughout. The transitions from silence to groove to noise and back are relentless and dramatic. Harris proves to be an astonishingly inventive drummer, consistently varying the foundation in surprising ways. Laswell's tone varies from the brightness of flanged round-wound strings scraping the frets to a clean, menacing low-frequency pulse, and sticks mostly to elemental, non-flashy lines that keep the mood deep and dark. Zorn's playing is excellent here, varying between extremely overblown piercing tones (perhaps the best way of being heard over such a rhythm section) and nearly conventional jazzy lines that confidently ride atop the din. An occasional microtonal chorus effect warps his playing, and the effect is so disturbing that it's surprising he soon abandoned this technique.

:::Review by Maurice Rickard:::

Painkiller - Execution Ground (1994)

Execution Ground
1-01. Parish Of Tama (Ossuary Dub) (16:05)
1-02. Morning Of Balachaturdasi (14:45)
1-03. Pashupatinath (13:47)
Ambient
2-01. Pashupatinath Ambient (20:00)
2-02. Parish Of Tama Ambient (19:19)

Credits
Artwork By [Layout, Design] - Studio T.
Bass, Samples - Bill Laswell
Drums, Samples, Vocals - Mick Harris
Engineer - Oz Fritz (tracks: 1-01 to 1-03) , Robert Musso (tracks: 2-01, 2-02)
Saxophone, Vocals - John Zorn

Even though Bill Laswell was already immersed in numerous projects since the end of the '70s, including leading his loose ensemble Material, he didn't release a solo record until 1984, and Baselines was quite a strange album. On the one hand, there's "Upright Man," one of the most infectious grooves Laswell has ever conceived, boasting ace bass playing and a weird taped sermon as sort-of lead vocals. Then there's "Work Song," which is funky and catchy and features Phillip Wilson's somewhat off-beat drumming (pun intended). The other tracks are more experimental, weird, and don't catch on as well -- although they all reward repeated listening, for at first the listener might get lost between Ronald Shannon Jackson's irate drumming, Michael Beinhorn's acid-drenched synths and snippets of tapes and shortwave, the stuttering horns of George Lewis and Ralph Carney, the undescribable contributions of Fred Frith, and the vocalisms and percussion (rhythmic and non-rhythmic) David Moss provides. It's an interesting record, but it's not essential listening, and beginners or fans of Laswell's less avant-garde music won't get much out of this. If the somewhat comparable Memory Serves by Material left you craving more, you might want to give this album a try.

:::Review by Chris Genzel:::

Bill Laswell – Baselines (1984)

1. Activate (3:22)
2. Work Song (7:13)
3. Hindsight (3:57)
4. Uprising (1:05)
5. Barricade (4:06)
6. Upright Man (3:51)
7. Moving Target (1:52)
8. Lowlands (4:22)
9. Conversation (3:05)

Credits
Artwork By - Felipe Orrego , Thi-Linh Le
Bass [Music Man Sting Ray, Fender 6-string, Ibanez 8-string, Steinberger, Fender Fretless Precision] - Bill Laswell
Congas - Daniel Ponce (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 8)
Drums - Phillip Wilson (tracks: 2) , Ronald Shannon Jackson (tracks: 1, 4 to 6, 8, 9)
Drums, Percussion - Martin Bisi (tracks: 3, 6, 7)
Guitar, Violin, Performer [Steinberger String Console] - Fred Frith (tracks: 4, 5, 8, 9)
Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
Producer - Material
Recorded By - Martin Bisi
Saxophone - Ralph Carney (tracks: 1, 2, 5)
Synthesizer, Performer [Shortwave], Tape - Michael Beinhorn (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8, 9)
Trombone - George Lewis (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 8)
Voice, Percussion [Non Metric], Drums [Steel] - David Moss (tracks: 3, 9)

This is pure, undiluted Sonny Sharrock. Taking advantage of the overdubbing process, Sharrock accompanies himself in a series of duets that demonstrate the range of his playing, from menacing to tender. The songs are fairly simple; a brief introduction and chord statement lays the foundation, then Sharrock flies about on top of it. The purity of his tone is both powerful and beautiful. "Broken Toys" is almost like a lullaby after the flying shrapnel of "Devils Doll Baby," where Sharrock shows off his dizzying, visceral slide guitar technique. "Black Bottom" is his take on the blues. "Princess Sonata" is a beautiful suite that encompasses all these aspects of his playing. Guitar makes a nice counterpoint to both Seize the Rainbow, a more rock-oriented release, and Ask the Ages, his reunion with Pharoah Sanders. Bill Laswell deserves some credit for revitalizing Sharrock's career in the '80s, and for sympathetic production on all three of these recordings. Guitar is a beautiful statement by one of jazz music's most unique voices.

:::Review by Sean Westergaard:::

Sonny Sharrock - Guitar (1986)

1. Blind Willie (4:50)
2. Devils Doll Baby (4:07)
3. Broken Toys (6:33)
4. Black Bottom (3:56)
5. Kula-Mae (5:05)
6. Princess Sonata (13:00)

Credits
Engineer [Assistant] - Jeff Lippay
Guitar, Written-By - Sonny Sharrock
Producer - Bill Laswell , Sonny Sharrock
Recorded By, Mixed By - Mike Krowiak

In the mid-'80s, Bill Laswell had a great idea. Why not combine rock's raging rhythms and volume with free improvisation's unfettered creativity and ferocity? To this end, he made three inspired choices to fill out his band. Drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson was a veteran of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time ensemble as well as a past member of Cecil Taylor's volcanic mid-'70s bands. Sonny Sharrock had burst onto the scene in the late '60s with Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, and others, establishing a unique approach to free electric guitar playing, only to retreat from the scene before being lured out of retirement by Laswell. The wild card was German saxophone behemoth Peter Brötzmann, known for his classic, shatteringly intense album Machine Gun from 1968 as well as multitudes of subsequent recordings where a premium was placed on visceral, gut-wrenching interplay among musicians. Mix these elements together and Laswell (with his own funky, dub-heavy electric bass anchoring the proceedings) had an incendiary formula, one that perhaps couldn't hold together long but, while it did, it produced some amazingly powerful music. Never was this more in evidence than on this first, self-titled release, one of the very finest albums of the '80s. Entirely improvised, Last Exit nonetheless based most of its pieces on blues forms, even if highly abstracted. This bedrock allowed the musicians, particularly Brötzmann and Sharrock (whose early death in 1994 would cancel any possibility, however tenuous at that point, of the group's continuation) to freely explore the outer boundaries of their instruments, sublimely soaring over the down to earth and dirty rhythm team of Laswell and Jackson. This tension, strongly shown on the first four tracks here, reached almost unbearable degrees; its release when they would slide back into a groove leaves the listener utterly drained. Subsequent albums (notably Koln) would come close to attaining this level of intensity and creativity, but Last Exit ranks as a pinnacle both in Laswell's career and in the rock/free improv genre it spawned. A classic release, one that should be in the collection of anyone interested in either contemporary free improvisation or the more creative branches of rock.

:::Review by Brian Olewnick:::

Last Exit - Last Exit (1986)

1. Discharge (3:23)
2. Backwater (5:27)
3. Catch As Catch Can (2:10)
4. Red Light (7:54)
5. Enemy Within (3:47)
6. Crackin (7:46)
7. Pig Freedom (3:59)
8. Voice Of A Skin Hanger (1:43)
9. Zulu Butter (2:21)

Members: Bill Laswell, Peter Brötzmann, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Sonny Sharrock