MAT

Tokyo, Japan - JazzTokyo - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

"His latest work is so fulfilling that I want to list it as the best album of the year … researcher of Indian and Japanese culture ... an understanding of Japanese artworks that value the beauty of blank space… Walerian composes songs filled with respect and deep understanding of Asian culture, especially Japanese paintings, films and music…"

"Walerian's saxophone and bass clarinet drift in the dark, with a hint of blues… wood-based sound like the sound effects used in kabuki and old Japanese movies."

"Shipp, Drake, Parker are familiar with his aesthetic sense, and the good compatibility and mutual trust of the four people have led to the success of this work…"

Mat Walerian's "Okuden" series 4th (ESP). This is an album by the Okuden Quartet, led by Mat Walerian, a lead player from Poland born in 1984, and his fourth leader work released on the US ESP label. I was at a loss as to which one to pick first among the albums from Poland, a country that boasts a particularly prominent jazz culture in Central Europe. His latest work is so fulfilling that I want to list it as the best album of the year, so I decided to choose his album regardless of its name recognition.

Walerian's co-stars include three influential figures who have made their names in the history of American free jazz. Those who know them well may be surprised to find that the three former David S. Ware co-stars are now playing with an almost unknown Polish lead player. Articles about Mat Walerian's albums often mention David S. Ware as the name of his co-star. They may have similarities, but they are almost a different type of lead player.

Mat is a researcher of Indian and Japanese culture, an understanding of Japanese artworks that value the beauty of blank space, and can be imagined as a person who tries to reflect that beauty in his own work. Matthew Shipp (p), Hamid Drake (ds), William Parker (b), are familiar with his aesthetic sense, and the good compatibility and mutual trust of the four people have led to the success of this work. Walerian's saxophone and bass clarinet drift in the dark, with a hint of blues. There may be a lot of heavy songs, but it's an album that I want you to listen to carefully.

The first song, "The Forest Council," which lasts more than 18 minutes, begins with a wood-based sound like the sound effects used in kabuki and old Japanese movies, followed by a heavy, roaring bass clang sound that reminds me of it. It was the old Western castles and forests shrouded in darkness. The sound of plucking the strings inside the piano and the bass sound of the biwa strumming lively. The next track, Thelonious Forever, despite its title, at first reminds us of the interaction between George Adams (ts) and Don Pullen (p). The trilogy that follows, Magic World, alternates between heaviness and lightness. The terrifying sounds of the bass clad are used humorously, and in Part 3 of the suite, you can feel the best groove of this work, but before long, the dimness that this quartet is good at sweeps over.

Even in the second half of Sir Denis, the atmosphere does not change, and although the four members' attitude is thorough, Hamid Drake's cymbals and Matthew Shipp's piano that can be heard as if the sun is shining through the clouds are beautiful and easy-going. The contrast with the soprano clarinet is interesting. Where William Parker's intense but poetic performance stands out even more in Business With William, the structure leading to the final song Lesson II, which solemnly begins, is splendid. Parker's shakuhachi and Walerian's flute clash violently before Parker reappears with his bass, strumming wildly.

As with the first song of this work, the four of them are not just playing a vaguely Japanese sound on this final song. Walerian composes songs filled with respect and deep understanding of Asian culture, especially Japanese paintings, films and music. I was surprised by the wonderful sense of using this for the opening and closing of the album, and I was impressed by the appearance of the other three performing improvisational performances as if they were close to Walerian's thoughts and challenged.

Well, how did Mat Walerian, who was active in Poland, get to know the important figures of the American avant-garde jazz world and come to sign with the ESP label in 2015? I'm curious about the reason, but anyway, according to information on the internet, he basically learned his current playing ability by self-study. He also seems to have studied Japanese music somewhere in Poland. The influence of Asian culture, including that of Japan, is strong in any of the four albums he has released, confirming this information.

He took lessons from Hamid Drake in 2008 and developed a relationship with him before meeting Matthew Shipp and getting the chance to work with them. Two people began to appear in regular concerts of the music project "Okuden Music" that he launched in the city of Torun. It was also released as a second album.

I can't find any materials that explain in detail why Walerian named the word Okuden to his music projects and quartets, but it means "to be taught a secret (from a teacher to a student)." He may have tried to connect this word with concept sharing in free improvisation. Some US jazz critics describe Okuden as 'inner teaching'. Reminiscent of the world of martial arts, this solemn-sounding word may well fit the atmosphere of the first and last songs of this album.

Finally, I would like to add about the bassist of this work, William Parker. Probably because he seems to be a great understanding of the Walerians.

The Okuden concert was being held in the city of Torun, which is less than three hours away from Warsaw, the capital of Poland. William Parker, an ally of the two, also admired Wallerian. Parker has written the liner notes for two albums, and they exude extraordinary excitement. It's a bit of a paraphrasing, but the words "Walerian's play is reminiscent of Sesshu's brilliant brushstrokes in Japanese paintings. There is a haiku-like narrative and a mysterious charm." will be represented in.

After that, William Parker, who co-starred with Walerian, drew a world full of Japanese emotions, sometimes adding to Walerian's paintings, and listened to his intense play, which can be felt as his true value. Praises abound for the other three, but when the bassist comes on board, you can't help but be overwhelmed by his playing. And this work is not his leader work, but I think it is memorable as an important work.

(William Parker appeared on Wallerian's third album as a member of the trio Toxic with Matthew Shipp before joining the quartet.)

Okuden Quartet / Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter JazzTokyo review available here :

Belgium, TFJC - Matthew Shipp about duets - Rob Brown, William Parker, Roscoe Mitchell, David S. Ware, Michael Bisio, Mat Maneri, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Darius Jones, Joe Morris and Mat Walerian

"Duos have become such an important part of my identity… major staple in my language… I have kind of become a specialist… thing that makes a duo work is the openness to each others language… commitment to whatever the gestalt is between… commitment to have that concept keep growing… "

"Most of my duos have been with peers who are around my own age… My very first album was a duo with him (Rob Brown)… duos with bass - with William Parker and with Michael Bisio... I have duo CDs with two great spirits and players –Sabir Mateen and Daniel Carter. I also have duos I am very proud of with the elders whose bands I had sideman gigs … David S Ware… Roscoe Mitchell… "

"Then there are duos with a younger generation like… Darius Jones… I also have a duo CD out with a fresh new talent-composer and conceptualist Mat Walerian. That CD is called "The Uppercut". It is on ESP records. In my opinion it is very special. "

"... duo with the great Joe Morris on guitar… also have a duo with Joe Morris playing bass… two duos with Mat Maneri… duos- duos –duos –duos –duos."

Duos have become such an important part of my identity. And I have had many duo partners. Duos have become a major staple in my language – I have kind of become a specialist. The first thing that makes a duo work is the openness to each others language between the duo partners. The second thing is the commitment to whatever the gestalt is between the 2 partners and the commitment to have that concept keep growing.

Most of my duos have been with peers who are around my own age. With my peers we tend to have a very similar concept of phrasing and how the duo will breathe. We tend to have a very similar world view as it relates to the music. We are peers - we come to it with a very similar viewpoint.

I also have duos I am very proud of with the elders whose bands I had sideman gigs with. These include David S Ware – we recorded a duo called "Live at Saint’Anna Arresi". This is on AUM Fidelity. I recorded a duo with Roscoe Mitchell –"Accelerated Projection " on the French label RogueArt. The CD with Roscoe was recorded in 2005 at the same festival in Italy that the CD in David was recorded at in 2004. AS far as these CDs with the bandleaders I did sideman gigs with the psychological space is a little different then the CDs with peers like Ivo or Rob Brown. But the CDs with Ware and Mitchell are interactive duos without a leader and I am very proud about how they came out-very proud.

Then there are duos with a younger generation like the duo CDs I have done with Darius Jones on AUM Fidelity or the duo I did with Nate Wooley on RogueArt. Playing with conceptual geniuses of a younger generation like Jones and Wooley are a lifeline to me –they really allow me to recalibrate myself and refresh myself.

But my major partners have been my peers Rob Brown and Ivo Perelman. Rob and I moved to NY around the same time in the early 80s-and we where playing duos in Boston before we moved to New York. My very first album was a duo with him –"Sonic Explorations’’ on Cadence Records. We now have a duo out on RogueArt- "Then Now" - With Ivo so much has been written on our commitment to the unique world we generate together in our duo. Both Rob and Ivo are among the greatest players on their instrument in the world.

I also have a duo CD out with a fresh new talent-composer and conceptualist Mat Walerian. That CD is called "The Uppercut". It is on ESP records. In my opinion it is very special. I also have duo CDs out with two great spirits and players – Sabir Mateen and Daniel Carter. And a very special duo with the great Joe Morris on guitar –"Thesis’’-on Hatart. That CD created some controversy for whatever reason back in the day. And there are my duos with bass- with William Parker and with Michael Bisio –I also have a duo with Joe Morris playing bass. Oh and there are two duos with Maneri - one on HatArt one on RogueArt. Duos- duos –duos –duos –duos.

Matthew Shipp The Free Jazz Collective interview available here :

The New York Jazz Scene and Beyond - NYC Jazz Trail - Matthew Shipp about Mat Walerian duo

"When I first shook hands with him, I knew we would really hit it off and it just happened… he obviously is influenced by some of the same people I am, like Coltrane, etc…. "

"... it's different and a new form and mode of presentation plus he has found a really unique and unpretentious way of wedding his Zen and martial arts philosophy to the music... real honesty about who they are... honest and completely unpretentious… are vibrant for that reason plus their talents. "

Matthew Shipp Jazz Trail interview available here :

Perfect Sound Forever - Matthew Shipp about saxophone duets - Rob Brown, Roscoe Mitchell, David S. Ware, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Darius Jones, and Mat Walerian

"... I get excited by a sax player that has an authentic jazz phraseology and language ... consider myself a specialist in duets, especially with sax players … I have duets out with Roscoe Mitchell, David S. Ware, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Darius Jones, and Mat Walerian… "

"I consider that a specialty that I've honed over the years by doing it so much. It's a form of communication, a mode of communication that I think has not been explored a lot in jazz history, but I'm kind of become a specialist at it."

"I think there's an intimacy in that language that gets at a very specific thing that a lot of other jazz rhythm sections do not exactly get you in the way that format gets you to it."

I kind of consider myself a specialist in duets, especially with sax players, I have a whole history of that. I have a bunch with Rob Brown, alto player, and I've been doing a lot with Ivo Perlman, the tenor player. Plus, I have duets out with Roscoe Mitchell, David S. Ware, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Darius Jones, and Mat Walerian. It's a format that I kind of specialize in. I get excited by a sax player that has an authentic jazz phraseology and language. I fancy myself as really being able to kind of enter their soul and flesh out the details and give them a bed to bounce off of. I consider that a specialty that I've honed over the years by doing it so much. It's a form of communication, a mode of communication that I think has not been explored a lot in jazz history, but I'm kind of become a specialist at it. I think there's an intimacy in that language that gets at a very specific thing that a lot of other jazz rhythm sections do not exactly get you in the way that format gets you to it.

I would say if you want to answer that, listen to my records, the duets with sax players. It's hard to quantify in words. Sure. I know that like the whole idea of I'm trying to be a vortex and suck the sax into the core of your sound, and the way you generate kind of the rhythmic background without drums and bass in that setting, that just creates a different music. You know, it's a whole different kind of premise and a whole different music. Then if you have a rhythm section and you are taking your allotted role, or even if you're being rebellious against the allotted role of a piano in the rhythm section in a jazz quartet, it's just a different kind of universe that comes into being. I don't really know historically- I mean, growing up, I was actually just thinking about this the other day. Since I've done so many piano-sax duets, did I listen to them a lot?

I couldn't remember any albums. I remember having a record as a kid that was a sax-piano duet was a Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams album [Duets 76]. I remember really liking it. There was a version of "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin, which is really fun the way they do it. And I really liked that. There was one ballad on the album I really liked- it was a version of "Miss Ann" by Eric Dolphy on that album. But you know, I don't recall like thinking that they defined this super hyper rarified space. I liked those cuts and a few other things about the album, but I don't recall like listening to many piano-sax duets growing up. I just don't. I mean, again, that's the only record in my album collection (and I have quite a few albums) that I recall being a piano-sax duet.

So listening-wise, growing up, it was not a focus of mine but I think I ended up playing with the sax players. Like I played with Rob Brown before I moved to New York. I met him in Boston. And there was another sax player named Gary Joynes who lived in Boston at the time. And I used to play with him and we just started, we were playing every day and it just ended up being piano-sax duos. So, you know, it kind of was happenstance. That was a situation that I worked in a lot.

Matthew Shipp Perfect Sound Forever interview available here :

Israel, The Soundtrack Of My Life - review - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake - by Adam Baruch

"... archetypal example of a metaphysical conversation between experienced musicians … perfect coherence and mutual respect …remarkable calmness and ease, without any compromise..."

"... definitely the strongest and most mature statement by Walerian so far ... brings on a true satisfaction to see a Polish Jazz musician perform with esteemed American partners without any inferiority complex. It must be said that as far as Shipp, Parker and Drake are concerned, this is also some of the best work they recorded..."

"... recommended to all listeners of Free Spirited Jazz music anywhere … which will be rewarded by a couple of hours of highly aesthetic and spiritual experience."

This is the fourth album by Polish (resident in NY) Jazz multi-instrumentalist / composer Mat Walerian, released by the reanimated legendary NY ESP label. The lineup, under the Okuden moniker, is expanded to a quartet and includes all three musicians who took part in the three previous recordings: pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake – icons of the American Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene. The 2CD album presents six (one a three-part piece) original compositions, all by Walerian.

The music, recorded during one session, is an archetypal example of a metaphysical conversation between experienced musicians, which moves freely from subject to subject, in perfect coherence and mutual respect. Although Walerian sets the tone and direction, ever so gently, moving between the saxophone, clarinets and flute, the rest of the quartet follows suit fluidly and the musicians add their input to the conversation with elegance and remarkable aptitude.

Despite the “usual” aggressive atmosphere associated with Improvised Music, this recording offers a completely calm and orderly fashion of mutual exchange and development of ideas, relaxed cooperation and as strange as it might sound results in “pleasant” aural vistas, certainly not what one would expect from these musicians. Walerian proves to be not only an excellent catalyst, but also an anodyne. As a result, the music offers a remarkable calmness and ease, without any compromise whatsoever of the complexity and quality of the music.

Overall this is definitely the strongest and most mature statement by Walerian so far and brings on a true satisfaction to see a Polish Jazz musician perform with esteemed American partners without any inferiority complex. It must be said that as far as Shipp, Parker and Drake are concerned, this is also some of the best work they recorded, and they all have an extensive recording legacy to their credit.

In many respects this album is much better and more interesting than many Free Jazz / Improvising Music albums released in Poland lately, where this idiom seems to be lost wondering in the desert and devoid of clear musical / spiritual leadership, with many of the original Avant-Gardists being no longer with us.

This album is warmly recommended to all listeners of Free Spirited Jazz music anywhere and definitely worth the effort of searching out a copy, which will be rewarded by a couple of hours of highly aesthetic and spiritual experience.

read full review here :

Financial Times - Matthew Shipp trio album review - Okuden quartet mentioned within pianist's recent releases.

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake mentioned by Financial Times as one of Matthew Shipp recent releases next to pianist's solo album Piano Equation.

"Matthew Shipp sustains his free-jazz niche with multiple projects, continuous gigs and a prolific recording schedule. The pianist, 61, has been listed on 20 albums since the start of 2020. These range from the intense solo piano improvisations of The Piano Equation to the wonderfully named Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter, a left-field quartet recorded under reeds-man Mat Walerian’s name."

Matthew Shipp Trio: World Construct — a career-defining album article available here:

AllAboutJazz - Matthew Shipp: A Dozen Essential Albums - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” mentioned as one of "Matthew Shipp: A Dozen Essential Albums" by ALL ABOUT JAZZ!

(...) The pianist values his professional relationships, often recording unfamiliar music in familiar company. He has so far appeared on more than twenty recordings each, with saxophonist Ivo Perelman and bassist William Parker. Other regular collaborators include Michael Bisio, Guillermo E. Brown, Daniel Carter, Kevin Ray, Whit Dickey, Newman Taylor Baker, and Mat Walerian.

(...) The following albums are not the only Matthew Shipp projects worth checking out, but they represent a cross-section of the artist's interests and settings.

(...) Walerian's original music continues to incorporate elements of chamber, jazz masterworks and Asian scales, all while facing to leading-edge statements of improvised music.

(...) Walerian has a matchless style shaped by many influences but attributable to none in particular.

(...) clarinet conjures up the deep roots of the swing tradition, melded with an exploration of the instrument's complete range.

Matthew Shipp: A Dozen Essential Albums article available here :

BEST OF THE YEAR 2020 - ALL ABOUT JAZZ - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” made it to the ALL ABOUT JAZZ Karl Ackermann's Best Releases of 2020 list !

The place to be. Thank you.

Best releases of 2020 list by Karl Ackermann available here :

FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS - LAS VEGAS WEEKLY - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” made it to LAS VEGAS WEEKLY Spencer Patterson favorite albums of 2020 list!

BEST OF THE YEAR 2020 - TOP 10 - JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” made it to the JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION W. Royal Stokes Top 10 Best of the year list !

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2020 - New York's Jazz Trail - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” made it to New York's Jazz Trail Best Jazz Albums of 2020 list by Filipe Freitas.

Thank you !

Best Jazz Albums of 2020 list by Jazz Trail New York available here :

BEST OF THE YEAR 2020 - Kyoto, Japan - Masayuki Sasaki // Just A Music Lover - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” chosen as Best Jazz Album of 2020 by Kyoto based critic Masayuki Sasaki // Just A Music Lover

Belgium - BEST OF THE YEAR 2020 - The Free Jazz Collective - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake - by Gregg Miller

Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake "Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter” made it to the Belgian Free Jazz Collective Gregg Miller's top 10 Best of the year list !

Best of the Year list by The Free Jazz Collective available here :

Tel Aviv, Israel - Third Ear Jazz - review - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake.

"Mat Walerian, who has already become the home project of the iconic New York label... in this recording, Walerian's sound also rises to the league of the greats."

This album has a strange title, the music is true...

The collaboration of Brooklyn saxophonist Mat Walerian, who has already become home project of the iconic New York label - ESP Disk ' - with who would later be the best rhythm section in the world, the avant-garde jazz anchors, William Parker and Hamid Drake, and the brilliant pianist Matthew Shipp, who is simply amazing here.

The sound, the being, the music, the constant search below the surface, the daring, the silence and the madness, are all there.

It seems that in this recording, Walerian's sound also rises to the league of the greats.

Of those things that do not leave much room for wonder, music that takes place in the here and now.

Something Else - EDITOR’s PICK - review on the front - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake - by S. Victor Aaron

"Mat Walerian’s latest Okuden project is his most ambitious yet and when you understand the sweeping, cutting-edge careers of his sidemen, you see an artist whose ambitions matches theirs."

"Walerian seems to be just getting started, which is a scary proposition."

Reedist and flautist Mat Walerian served notice in 2015 that he was a fully-formed jazz talent positioned on the vanguard when he released an audacious debut that was a duo with established piano trailblazer Matthew Shipp. But Walerian wasn’t about to stop expanding his artistry. The following year, he unleashed another concert memento with Shipp and adding jazz drumming legend Hamid Drake.

The year after that, Walerian teamed with Shipp and Downtown bass boss William Parker on a studio date. But the Polish-born adventurer took three years to be heard from again, and this time he assembled an ultimate super-quartet by including both Drake and Parker along with mainstay Shipp for his 2020 studio creation Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter.

As we finally get to hear Walerian with the full complement of a complete (super)band, Every Dog is his most complete artistic statement yet. But each of his eight compositions sprawled out over two discs are self-contained entities of complete expression.

“The Forest Council” establishes that ‘complete artistic statement’ pattern: Parker kicks things off creating faux echoing figures, leading to a completely different motif where Walerian’s bass clarinet bellows nearly in the background with light accompaniment from Parker and Drake to establish a dark, lonely mood. That feeling continues when Shipp essentially takes on Walerian’s role and Parker grows more active. Another segment of Parker alone, but this time he displays his dexterous fingering technique. In a later spot with only Shipp framing the melody, Walerian’s anguished bass clarinet can be heard crying in the background. Discreetly switching to flute, he leaves much of the melodic development in the hands of Parker and then just as covertly moves over to soprano clarinet.

“Thelonious Forever” suits Shipp just fine, whose own style is informed by Monk, but the tastiest moment comes in a closely-paired electric moment between him and Parker. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s succeeded by a Drake drum solo that over time corrals everyone into the fray and ending with passionate arco bass from Parker.

For “Magic World Pt. 1 – Study,” Walerian’s bass clarinet competes with a bass sawed to blend in with the low-end sonorities of that low reed. But it’s interesting to hear the Dr. Jekyll of Walerian’s bass clarinet with the Mr. Hyde of his soprano clarinet (and later, the alto sax); he easily adapts his personality to fit the instrument, not just the music at hand. At one point, the floor is ceded to Shipp, who too is so adept at adapting, playing an agile, thoughtful solo of the sort that would almost seem out of place on his own records. The whole song looks back at the heritage of jazz from its front edge.

A surprising, syncopated groove greets us at the start of “Magic World Pt. 2 – Work,” and as Walerian diverges to improvise on various reeds, Drake and Parker keep the vamp going strong and never really let go of it. “Magic World Pt. 3 – Life” is even more surprising in that this one commences with a second line beat, something that you don’t often hear alongside Dolphy-isms from a bass clarinet. Drake digs deep into that groove and Shipp bores into it without ever having to resort to familiar phrases.

“Sir Denis” neatly straddles the fence between dissonance and accordant, Walerian’s playing his sax with a creamy consistency as the rest generate just enough of a fracas to rub up against Walerian’s motif the right way. When Walerian pivots to clarinet, who can hear a lot of tradition as he makes it seem right at home within the avant environment created by the veteran practitioners of the form.

There’s a lonesome soprano clarinet on “Business With William,” the title meaning Walerian is conversing very closely with Parker on this reed/bass duet until the whole band breaks out into a loose and grimy swing midway through. The main delight from “Lesson II” comes Walerian dubbing in one flute over another, making them entwine over a parched backdrop. At the conclusion of that part, Parker introduces the next stop in the journey, featuring Walerian on the high clarinet as Shipp pours out the pensive melody and then all four allow the development of this thread run at its own pace.

Mat Walerian’s latest Okuden project is his most ambitious yet and when you understand the sweeping, cutting-edge careers of his sidemen, you see an artist whose ambitions matches theirs. Walerian seems to be just getting started, which is a scary proposition.

read full review here :

Boston, MA - The Arts Fuse - review - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake - by Michael Ullman

"...Notable because of its superstar line-up... Walerian’s horns are a haunting presence - they seem to be calling from some tucked-away space... It also proffers a wonderful way to demonstrate to doubters that free jazz isn’t all sound and fury..."

Mat Walerian, who plays clarinets and flute as well as tenor, proclaims himself to be a mostly self-taught instrumentalist — though he admits he has studied with Shipp, with whom he collaborates. Besides having the longest album title I can remember, his two-disc set Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat is Getting Fatter is notable because of its superstar line-up, with includes the always estimable William Parker on bass, Shipp on piano, and Hamid Drake on percussion. They call themselves the Okuden Quartet.

The recording begins peaceably enough with “The Forest Council.” This forest is eerily quiet for most of the time. Walerian’s horns are a haunting presence — they seem to be calling from some tucked-away space (behind a tree?).

The tune begins, though, with Parker’s powerful solo: he’s a wonder throughout, serving up an apposite forcefulness. Walerian (on bass clarinet) and Shipp enter after a minute and a half with the pianist contributing out of tempo chords and Walerian huskily sounding off in the background.

Although Walerian is the titular leader, this group seems to be more of a cooperative. Despite the waggishness of its theme, “Thelonious Forever” does not openly reflect Monk’s music: it is a series of duets between Shipp and Walerian and later an encounter between Shipp and Parker. The latter is aptly at the heart of “Business with William.”

The two-disc set ends with “Lesson II,” whose silences are as impressive as the subdued notes Parker and Shipp emit at the beginning of the tune. Every Dog is full of riches: it also proffers a wonderful way to demonstrate to doubters that free jazz isn’t all sound and fury.

read full review here :

Kyoto, Japan - Just A Music Lover - review - Okuden | Walerian Shipp Parker Drake - by Masayuki Sasaki

"... it might be the best of the year... Even in the middle of the day the mysterious feeling of "between" and "silence" is surprising ... I can't think of similar performance and it's more cool than anything."

"I feel the music that this person wants to do is packed... the calm is receding but the music world that has drifting in the dark is going to be waged... the feeling of night... I highly recommend it."

Polish reed player Mat Walerian's Okuden Series. This is the first time I've heard it. The title is long. I've been presenting an album with the members so far but as a quartet it's the first recording. All songs are originals from Walerian.

The back of the band is William Parker, Hamid Drake and Matthew Shipp so naturally there is strong groove in the avant-garde world but even in the middle of the day the mysterious feeling of "between" and "silence" is surprising ...

I can't think of similar performance and it's more cool than anything. Especially in the long 1st track and final track. I feel the music that this person wants to do is packed. In the middle of the album the calm is receding but the music world that has drifting in the dark is going to be waged. The feeling of night.

Tracks 3-5 are a suite format called Magic World. The first song is fun with contrast between the intense impromptu and the bass singing humorous. 2nd song that is persistent and repeatable is too addictive. The 3rd song does not stay in the impromptu battle. I'm tired, I tell you. It's so hot around here you forget the calm of the opening. It's also an album that can be enjoyed by the Parker's bass so If you are not familiar with it I would like you to listen to it by all means.