Malamute Jim Black

• 1 Almost Awake 03:59
• 2 Toys Everywhere 04:34
• 3 Dusk Scout 03:27
• 4 Chase Rabbit 03:57
• 5 Into the Pool 02:57
• 6 Stray 05:51
• 7 Just Turned Two 05:27
• 8 Sought After 03:46
• 9 Cool Doze 02:31
• 10 Eat Everything 04:08
• 11 Full Dish 05:40
• 12 Pugged 02:22
• 13 No Leash 03:44
• Total Runtime 52:23

Info for Malamute

Malamute is Jim Black’s latest gathering of like-minded musical souls. The band toured Europe for the first time in May 2015 performing sketches of the music to be, experimenting with different ways songs and structures could be recombined to reflect on each of their musical voices, distilling a band sound from their chemistry.

One year later Malamute went into the studio with new compositions and arrangements recording their debut album. Based upon the idea of mix tapes and playlists, the music changes every few minutes, a sort of “short attention span” approach to improvisation and composition that keeps the listener engaged there it was time to form a band together.”

Óskar Guðjónsson, tenor saxophone
Elias Stemeseder, keyboards
Chris Tordini, electric bass
Jim Black, drums, sampler

Session produced, recorded, and mixed by Amandine Pras at Water Music, NJ, on March 25/26, 2016, and August 20/21, 2016
Engineered by Gabriel Bento, Christian Pelaez, Josh Gomersall
Mastered by Alan Silverman, Arf! Productions
Produced by Patrik Landolt

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Jim Black
is at the forefront of a new generation of musicians bringing jazz into the 21st century. In addition to being one of the most influential drummers of our time, he is also the leader of one of the world's most forward-thinking bands, AlasNoAxis, featuring his longtime collaborators Chris Speed, Hilmar Jensson and Skúli Sverrisson. Based on the foundation of his virtuosic but highly personal approach to jazz drumming, Black's aesthetic has expanded to include Balkan rhythms, rock songcraft and laptop soundscapes. Though he is revered worldwide for his limitless technique and futuristic concepts, what many listeners treasure in most Jim Black's work is the relentless feeling of joy and invention he brings to his performances. Jim Black's smiling, kinetic, unpredictable presence has enthralled and inspired audiences worldwide for over twenty-five years.

Since the mid-90's, Black has played a major role in the incorporation of new sounds and techniques into the jazz/creative music context. As a member of the collective group Pachora (with Speed, Sverrisson, and guitarist Brad Shepik) Black was one of the leaders in the study and adaptation of Balkan music into jazz-based music. His advanced techniques abstracted the odd time signatures of the Balkans into a new polyrhythmic language equally informed by modern jazz, drum&bass and the dumbeks of the Balkans. Black has also been an innovator in the use of electronics in improvisation, bridging the gap between electro-acoustic improv and more jazz-based traditions. Today, Black's performances are just as likely to feature his laptop-based electronic textures as his drumming.

Born in 1967, Jim Black grew up in Seattle alongside future colleagues Chris Speed, Andrew D'Angelo and Cuong Vu. After cementing their personal and artistic relationships in Seattle's various youth jazz ensembles, in 1985 they moved to Boston, where Black entered the Berklee School of Music. In Boston, Black, Speed and D'Angelo formed Human Feel with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, which rapidly attracted the attention of the jazz cognoscenti in Boston, New York and beyond.

By 1991, Black and the other members of Human Feel had moved to New York City, where they electrified the Downtown music scene then centered around the Knitting Factory and rapidly became among the city's busiest sidemen. Black's early years in New York saw him take featured roles in some of the most critically acclaimed bands of the time, like Tim Berne's Bloodcount, Ellery Eskelin's trio, and Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio. Thus began fifteen years of near-constant touring and recording, with the above bands as well as artists like Uri Caine, Dave Liebman, Nels Cline, Steve Coleman, Tomasz Stanko, and Laurie Anderson.

This album contains no booklet.