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Last Call April Label Spotlight: Cuneiform Records

Cuneiform Records has just released a new batch of adventuresome jazz discs. Their usual high standard of creative brilliance continues with a number of fine recordings, most notably The Rob Mazurek Octet's  Skull Sessions.

The 17 minute piece that begins the date, Galactic Ice Skeleton, is an explosive tour de force that features Rob Mazurek's cornet with Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Nicole Mitchell on flute,    Guilherme Granado on keyboards and electronics, Carlos Issa on guitar and electronics, Mauricio Takara on percussion and cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele),  Thomas Rohrer on C melody saxophone and rabeca (a rustic Brazilian viola associated with the northeast). Making a huge contribution here is drummer John Herndon whose explosive drum kit drives the band forward, relentlessly.  Rob Mazurek's reputation as one of the boldest explorers of the frontiers of jazz is further cemented by this remarkable session. Mazurek, as part of the Chicago Underground Duo, performed in Omaha several years ago at the Bemis Underground. The evening was a profound, cosmic experience of music beyond category. The present volume is another demonstration of Mazurek's brilliant artistry.    

Other new Cuneiform Records include New York Trombonist/guitarist Curtis Hasselbring's Number Stations. Inspired by the existence of mysterious coded messages heard from time to time on shortwave radio stations,  Hasselbring leads an ensemble which explores a bold program of music that resembles Charles Mingus and the Mothers of Invention in adventuresome spirit. Ttrombonist/composer Curtis Hasselbring leads an all-star septet which features these major players: Mary Halvorson (guitar), Trevor Dunn (bass), Matt Moran (vibes and marimba) and Chris Speed (tenor sax and clarinet), both of The Claudia Quintet, and dual drummers Ches Smith and Satoshi Takeishi.

Other new releases on Cuneiform Records include Los Angeles drummer Dylan Ryan and his Sand trio for Sky Bleached.  Ryan is best known as the catalyst behind the progressive jazz sextet  Herculaneum. Ryan is a bandstand veteran. He is joined by Tim Young, a much in demand guitarist  and bassist Devin Hoff, who has worked with the Nels Cline Singers.    

Also of note is the debut of The  Kandinsky Effect, billed as a jazz power trio for the 21st century. Based in New York City and Paris,  the band features Warren Walker on saxophone and electronics, Gaël Petrina on bass and electronics and Caleb Dolister on drums and laptop. They have just release a roller coaster ride of a debut disc,  Synesthesia.

For more information you may visit http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/index.shtml

Chris Cooke has been a voice on radio in Omaha since 1988. While at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he studied radio broadcasting, history and religion. Working at KVNO-FM, Cooke hosted a weekend adventuresome jazz show on the station in addition to duties as an on-air announcer on overnights, weekends and holidays. He also worked at KBLZ (the then student-run radio station) as well as KYNE-TV, and The Gateway as a reporter.
In November 1992, Cooke signed on at KIOS-FM and has been there ever since. He has hosted the Tuesday and Thursday editions of Jazz in the Afternoon since 1996 and has also hosted Last Call since that year. A long time fan of jazz music, Cooke enjoys talking with the musicians who make jazz music. He has interviewed Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, David Liebman, Airto Moreira, Jessica Williams and Karrin Allyson, to name a few. While not at the station Cooke maintains a web design consultancy business that has served a number of non-profit and music clients for over 20 years.
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