like rain whispers mist

When it comes to Loren Stillman, read any liner notes or any review and you will learn how he performed with drummer Bob Meyer when he was fourteen years old at a jam session in New York. A year later, in 1996, he was in a studio with pianist Russ Lossing and bassist Scott Lee recordings Cosmos for Soulnote. And now with nine albums under his belt (and one co-op group called Jackalope with Meyer and John Abercrombie), I think one can dispense with the amazement in relation to his age and just revel in Loren Stillman's sound.

So let's move from there.

Somewhere between Lee Konitz and his angular, sinewy lines and the technique of Jackie McLean (more so than the tartness), Stillman has forged a stimulating sound unique in conception both improvisationally and compositionally. I could try and formulate his sound in words, but his own voice, which you can hear below, will suffice just fine.

And so the question hangs out there... if someone is so stimulating to hear, has recorded nine plus albums, is lauded by luminaries including Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Ted Nash, Konitz, Abercrombie, and is consistently gigging around the globe with the likes of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Andy Milne, John McNeil, Michele Rosewoman, Tyshawn Sorey, Paul Motian's Trio+2, as well as his own groups ...why (most likely) haven't you heard of him?

Good question...

The answer probably comes in the form of a commentary about the fractionalisation of jazz. It also probably goes hand in hand with why John Lurie's Jazz Lizards weren't as popular as they should have been, and how there is just a plain wealth of talent that is marketable to a relatively small segment of the overall population with varying degrees of heart and musicality for listener's ears (you know, that whole college vs. bandstand dichotomy that is both full of truth and falsehoods).

Another factor of why many don't know him is the fact that he has nine albums on six labels and none of them are readily available within the US. They can be had easily enough though through online retailers. His latest, Blind Date should be available on eMusic shortly, assuming Pirouet continues that association. The German label Nagel-Heyer's How Sweet It Is release and the European Fresh Sound New Talent release Gin Bon are available on Cd Baby and are highly recommended. Cd Universe and Amazon claim to have them as well, but personally I have had somewhat of a hard time pulling through those sources.

Nonetheless, Stillman is an artist who will rise over time simply by the virtue of his music. His albums are stimulating affairs full of surprises even after multiple listens and he works within the current mainstream but is unafraid to move beyond the standard fare without losing the listener when seeking higher ground. Part of this comes from the fact that he often composes melodies first and fits forms later for a more liberal 'stream of consciousness' style.

So the sounds below are 14 tunes compiled from his first seven albums. And since AMG offers nothing in the way of even a review of nearly any of these albums, here is a quick snapshot of each with links to info (sometimes not worth much at all - when will labels learn the importance of Internet presence?), a review and the corresponding track numbers to the songs you can hear in the widget:


Cosmos (SoulNote)
Record info here
Track 11 below

How Sweet It Is (Nagel-Heyer)
Record info here / Review here
Track 3, 6, 9 below

Gin Bon (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Record info here
Track 2, 8 below

Jackalope - Saltier Than Ever(Challenge)
Record info here / Concert review here
Track 12 below

It Could Be Anything (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Record info here / Review here
Track 1, 13 below

Trio Alto Volume 1 (Steeplechase)
Record info here / Review here
Track 4, 7 below

Brother's Breakfast (Steeplechase)
Record info here / Review here
Track 5, 10, 14 below

Trio Alto Volume 2 (Steeplechase)
Record info here
Not included below

Blind Date (Pirouet)
Record info here
Not included below

Labels: Listening Session, Mixtapes, Musicians O - S