Customer Reviews

New York Is Now!: The New Wave of Free Jazz

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First of all, I love free jazz and frequently buy recordings and attend performances of the musicians covered in this book.

There are some good parts to this book, unfortunately they are few and far between. The discussion of alternate marketing and the (brief) biographies are interesting. However most of the book is dedicated to describing recordings and performances (in sickening barrages of meaningless praise) of the limited roster of artists he presents in the book. Freeman badly misses his mark not only by treating the musicians as gods, but also by attempting to describe the music in the most non-musical terms possible.

One example of over the top praise is Freeman's discussion of (the divine) Matthew Shipp. Now I like Shipp's music and totally respect where he is going, but come on! At one point Freeman goes into a lengthy contrast of Shipp and Cecil Taylor where Taylor's music comes off as inferior in rhythm, melody, and conception. This is just one example of the ridiculous amounts of praise he gives the music of his favorite artists.

Freeman is also way too concerned with the label "free-jazz" and who does and does not belong in this elite group. He seems hell-bent on convinving the audience that John Zorn is not a jazz musician. What's more, he seems to think that Zorn's music is destroying jazz. Most musicians will tell you that they are not concerned with making music that belongs within a particular genre, but rather in creating their own unique type of music. Freeman, again, misses this point.

I could keep going on Freeman's elitist, uneducated (he hadn't heard of Art Tatum until Ken Burns), rantings, but I would be wasting more time than I already did reading his book.

OK, the one star is because this is still the only book-length study of this school of NYC musicians that I know about, and that's worth something. I tried to read this book when it came out, found it unreadable. Recently I gave it another try and it still sucks.

Freeman seems to think he's the only person who can define what free jazz / improv is, let alone understand it. His exclusionary negativity is appalling - the guy directs juvenile, incoherent attacks at just about everyone who doesn't fit his mold: writers Amiri Baraka and Howard Mandel as well as musical giants like Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, John Zorn (a 'dilettante'), and (!) Cecil Taylor (apparently inferior to Matthew Shipp).

Regardless of what you might think about those names, they're part of the tradition and history of jazz and improv, a tradition Freeman is obviously ignorant of - his attempts to sum up jazz history are laughable. The thing is, he doesn't even seem interested in the context that his musical heroes came from, as much as he is in having a space to rant and make himself look like a badass.

Now I've seen David S. Ware, Matt Shipp, and William Parker play many times; I've been fortunate enough to rap with them about music a few times. They couldn't be bothered trash-talking John Zorn or Derek Bailey (who William's played with anyway) - they've got better things to do, like making music. Lord help us if we should have guys like Freeman on our side.

Essentially Freeman is an orientalist - he's got the bougie white kid's need to build up his identity by seeking out the most 'authentic' exotica. I can't believe they let him write for the Wire - then again, they've had Ben Watson kicking around for years. Twits.

Freeman's credibility is as bankrupt as his opinions. This is a book riddled with factual errors and a total disregard for research, history or insight. Freeman is a very young critic, and it shows in his writing. Virtually any other book on the subject is more informed than this half-baked diatribe.

I have one big problem with this book, namely the author's style. Freeman expresses himself "fan" style, much like a pre-pubescent teenager gushing about a heartthrob-of-the-week. While I respect Freeman's right to express his opinions about the music being discussed, his style is a great distraction. Freeman's approach can best be described as "Beavis and Butthead"-style, except that he is adulating free improv recordings instead of heavy metal videos. This is silly....

The interview content is interesting and the format and layout of the book are respectable, but Freeman doesn't really add much to the discourse. He writes on the jacket, "If you don't agree with me, write your own book and I'll read it." How about this quote from ME, Phil? "I'll pass on your book and buy some music."

C'mon folks. I'll admit that Phil Freeman is definitely opinionated about what he likes and doesn't like. What music/film/art critic worth reading isn't? I enjoy reading Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch for their biased and passionate takes on jazz.

I came across this book at a local indie record store last month , snatched it up due to the scarcity of writing on this "genre" of music and have been turned onto lots and lots of great music I otherwise might never hear of. I've long been a fan of Ornette, Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, etc. but the passion that Freeman brings to his subject fueled my desire to dig deeper into William Parker, Matthew Shipp, David Ware and company, and have not been disappointed. I'm curious what punk and metal bands he would recommend that go well with the energizing, spiritually-infused music he writes about. It's been a number of years since this book came out. I hope he still gets to the Vision Festival and listens to and lives the music. Thank you Phil for your passion.

Word is, Mr. Freeman is working on a new book on Miles Davis for Backbeat. Let's hope it makes more sense than this one did. New York is Now! Not Freeman's New York, and not Anytime Soon. Free jazz is just a house on fire. The fact that he thinks to connect everything to death metal is just ridiculous. Approach this book like you would that cap worn by Michael Moore. Peeking inside could prove to be psychologically damaging.

This author certainly wanted to gain attention and
perhaps create a reputation as an enfant terrible among
jazz writers. He makes some stupid claims, attacks other
writers and muscians, and seems to think all of the recordings
made by the musicians he profiles are worth owning.

Matthew Shipp better than Cecil Taylor?
Derek Bailey's palying sounds autistic?
Please.
Plus, he seems to be kissing up to Ware, Parker, Shipp,
and company in much the same way he criticizes other jazz

writers.

This author certainly wanted to gain attention and
perhaps create a reputation as an enfant terrible among
jazz writers. He makes some stupid claims, attacks other
writers and muscians, and seems to think all of the recordings
made by the musicians he profiles are worth owning.

Matthew Shipp better than Cecil Taylor?
Derek Bailey's playing sounds autistic?
Please.
Plus, he seems to be kissing up to Ware, Parker, Shipp,
and company in much the same way he criticizes other jazz

writers.

I would have given the book one less star if it wasn't about the only book I have found to talk about the New York avant jazz scene in recent years. I agree that the author does not seem to be a good authority to write about the music (he doesn't really pretend to be). It reads more like one fan's experience in beginning to learn about the music. And that fan has a chip on his shoulder. Although I agree with many of the authors opinions, I didn't find his statements convincing or inviting to new/non listeners. I'm a casual fan of of creative improvisation, and I have been fortunate to live near the Empty Bottle, the Hothouse and the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, where I have heard Susie Ibarra, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafson, Nicole Mitchell, Milford Graves, Peter Brotzmann, Hamid Drake, Steve Lacy and so many other wonderful musicians play. I also listen to musicians/critics/DJ's discussing the music on WNUR (on the web if you're not from Chicago). So that's the background I'm coming from. I've been looking for books to understand more about what I'm listening to (history, perspective, theory, tips on what to listen for), and to find out about people who play elsewhere, but this book really didn't do much of that for me, except to mention a handful names and one more venue that I'll look up on the web and visit if I go to NYC.

There aren't many books that talk about free improvised music, free jazz, avant jazz, etc. and the others I have
bought were much better books, in my opinion. Kevin Whitehead's New Dutch Swing, Derek Bailey's Improvisation, John Corbett's Extended Play, John Litweiler's The Freedom Principle are all far better books, but with different subject matter (Different cities, a wider variety of music, historical/social/musical in approach, some were written years ago). I would recommend one of these books instead (or in addition) unless you're very specifically looking for a book on some contemporary artists in New York City. When I first went looking for these books, they were somewhat difficult to find. I don't think many search engines will turn up these books, though most are linked to this page as recommendations, or books bought by other readers.

A great book if you want to learn about the current free jazz scene. Written with a great sense of humor and over the top bombast. Info about performers and records that I've heard of, and the book turned me on to artists that I wasnt familiar with before.

And oh my, Mr. Freeman certainly seems to rankle a few readers (see review below), but its his biting commentary, which seems to be written to incite people, that makes this book such an entertaining read. A needed lightness and loosening up for a genre of music that is too often relegated to University lecture halls and a nodding coterie of hipsters.