In no particular order, below are the records I turned to again and again in 2003, with some explanation designated by *.
John Cage, Ryoanji. HatArt, 1996.*
DJ Spooky, Optometry. Thirsty Ear, 2002.*
Davis S. Ware, Threads. Thirsty Ear, 2003.*
Paul Bley, Time Will Tell. ECM, 1994.*
Shadow & Light. Drimala Records, 2002.*
Steven Walcott, White Noise. Engine Studios, 2003.*
Amon Tobin. "4 Ton Mantis," on Supermodified. Ninja Tune, 2000.
*Ryoanji is a 60 minute long recording of silence, interrupted idiosyncratically by single beats of a timorous wood block/gong combo, with some occasional trombone growls, wailing female voice, long string bowing, and spooky wood flute. The tchonk of the wood blocks/gong is what makes this piece work. A shorter version of this piece where the tchonk is the striking of a high-hat, quickly muted, is irritating. This version is truly meditative. It is relentless and soothing at once.
*Optometry is a DJ's mixture of tunes played by some of the best working NYC downtown avant jazz musicians, but it is an especially interesting record insofar as the tunes and the mixing are conceived from the beginning as a single product; there is no real version which then gets mixed down. The funky groove on the title cut is worth the price of admission, but the rap job on the tune 'Asphalt' is pretty nice. I saw a version of this band perform live in the refurbished Winter Garden, and though the sound in that cavernous space sucked, the live remixing worked.
*David S. Ware is known for blowing his brains out on tenor saxophone. Here he plays nice, alongside strings, and he even lays out of two very long and delicate compositions, long shifting string chords led by William Parker's bass thunking.
*Time Will Tell is essentially an open conversation between three pros who can really listen as they play. It represents the best of a certain style, where dynamics of tone, accent, speed and space are explored together. It is the kind of dance that one can visualize but one does not often hear it with the ear. Evan Parker, in particular, plays inside the rules of the game, minimalist and striking.
*White Noise is a 25 minute long recording of a vacuum cleaner, with subtle variations. It was played on 'repeat' for at least 10 hours every night during the months of October and November to keep infant Moses asleep, on the theory that the loud vacuum sound adequately corresponds to the noisy environment in the womb. I am not sure that it did anything at all to keep Moses asleep, but it certainly drowned out the small whimperings so his parents could sleep, and it meant that we awakened, more or less, only when necessary.
*Shadow & Light features Joe McPhee and Joe Giardullo. It was recorded in NYC the afternoon of September 11th, 2001, with the event of the twin towers far too near to have yet become memory. Apparently the recording session had been planned in advance, and when everyone showed up, they decided to go ahead with it. The result is a mournful, searching and desperate sound. Rough cut bass clarinet; brush work on snares like a haunting. Microtonal scratchings.The jazz here is fully improvised and dominated by lots of thoughtful space and energy.