Search - Kazutoki Umezu :: First Desserter

A Lotta Affinities with Curlew, Only Better

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 06/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Cora at the top of his game--pretty formidable. This strikes me as the best Cora on disc, which is saying quite a bit. I also think, although it can't, of course, be established, that George Cartwright is eating his heart out over this release, which has more of a Curlew vibe than the best Curlew disc ever released, excepting, perhaps, Fabulous Drop, which is the ultimate Curlew disc for me.Really, this should is spectacular music: Downtown NY vibe, accessible, rockin', gorgeous. Why isn't this at the top of the jazz charts? You tell me."

Great Stuff

Allan MacInnis | Vancouver | 04/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had mixed feelings about ECLECTICISM, the Knitting Factory disc that also featured Umezu, Bennett, and Ribot -- it had a great dark raunchy urban skronk thing happening, which I liked, but it never infected me like this disc. FIRST DESERTER is intensely intelligent, perversely playful, beautiful, odd, and really enjoyable. If you're a fan of any REAL jazz happening now, buy it; Dr. Umezu is one of the most entertaining players on the Japanese jazz scene. There are freeish moments on the disc but I think even people who are scared of noise would be able to have fun with it. Check out his klezmer project, too --! (And yeah, indeed, the lineup here includes Tom Cora and Wayne Horvitz. Oh -- for the record, there's a piece -- an outtake from these sessions? dunno -- by what I assume is the same lineup on the Tom Cora Tzadik tribute, HALLELUJAH ANYWAY, which is also a terrific disc)."