#okudenquartet

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 :

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!