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Blastitude # 21

George Steeltoe Ensemble "Church of Yuh"

And now, here's yet another absolutely ripping new free jazz vinyl LP, this one by some folks I've never heard of before called George Steeltoe Ensemble. There are 9 musicians listed on the back cover, and the only name I recognize at all is Daniel Carter, the great multi-instrumentalist from Test (them again), and even he only appears on side two. Each side is a single long piece by a sextet, but only three musicians appear on both: Jay Dunbar (bass), Lathan Hardy (alto & tenor saxophones), and Brian Osborne (percussion). The respective trios that join them don't bring a lot of traditional jazz instrumentation, favoring multiple electronics, guitars, keyboards, tapes, and a guy who plays "contact mic, tin can, tone generator." Carter is the only exception; on side two he manages to get to alto & tenor saxophones, flute, trumpet, and piano before the runout groove hits. The result of all this various input is some noisy, cluttered, and refreshingly nasty garbage jazz all the way, maybe even a new kind of fire music, some shitty city fire like a stolen car burning in an alley behind some slum apartments next door to fledgling condo conversions. Makes sense that it was recorded in Brooklyn, even though, get this, I'm just learning that this collective originated a few years ago in Lexington, Kentucky! And the aforementioned Kark is from Louisville, Kentucky! And then with Graveyards from not too far away in Michigan.....maybe it's just that this is the decade for free jazz from the MIDWEST......the East Coast had their say in the 1990s, and certainly the Midwestern jazz capital Chicago is still going strong, even if you long since gave up on it for being "post-rock" or something.....folks like Dave Rempis, Nicole Mitchell, Jeb Bishop, Jim Baker, Josh Abrams, Jason Ajemian, Tim Daisy, Frank Rosaly, Uncle Ken Vandermark, and many others who I'm forgetting and/or haven't even heard of yet (because I don't get out much) could all make some killer garage jazz vinyls if they shook the 'classy' CD culture that seems to predominate in Chicago......c'mon, any of you, put out something in an edition of 200 with a paste-on cover! Oh yeah, and I can't forget Fred Anderson, still ruling and running the Velvet Lounge at age 77....he's even great when he puts out CDs! Hey, don't mind me, I'm just raving, but seriously, keep an ear on Chicago, visit lots of Graveyards, and make sure that at least every Sunday you drop by a service held at the
Church of Yuh....

- Blastitude # 21