Live In Germany 1983 (2CD)

NoBusiness Records Releases Commitment: The Complete Recordings 1981/1983 * Historic Reissue Set Features Rare LP and Previously Unreleased Concert * 'Best Re-Issue of 2010,' New York City Jazz Record 'The New York Loft era Commitment put one album out over it's five-year existence, with this collection showcasing mostly new material to enthusiastic audiences. This band featured a young group with the fiery, driving Jason Hwang on violin, viola and bird calls,; William Parker on bass; drummer Zen Matsuura and Will Connell Jr. on flutes, alto sax and bass clarinet. Intensity drives everything, but there's also a magnetic tendency towards space and openness.' DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE '...the music on this two-CD set delivers graceful harmonies, delicate instrumentation and confident virtuosity paired with a previously unreleased live recording that shows how tight, arresting and purposeful the band could be on stage. The Complete Recordings 1981/1983 is a prime candidate for Unearthed Gem of the Year.' All About Jazz (now known as the New York City Jazz Record) '...music lies in that sweet spot where Sixties free jazz meets the pan-stylistic reach of Chicago's AACM with a dose of 'world music' thrown into the mix as well. It's that blend, and the co-operative quartet's collective power that make this a band worth remembering. The IAJRC Journal '...definitely no doubting the grandeur and graphic power of this work and the strength of the fearless personalities behind it.' JAZZWISE MAGAZINE LINER NOTES Commitment: The Inclusive Landscape of the Soul In some ways, Commitment-a collective quartet with violinist Jason Kao Hwang, reeds and flute player Will Connell, Jr., bassist William Parker, and drummer Takeshi Zen Matasuura-was typical of many bands of their time. Between 1978 and 1984, they enjoyed a modest success by the subterranean standards of the Lower East Side. They struggled for gigs during the waning years of the New York loft scene, enjoyed higher profile gigs at several Kool Jazz Festivals, made one short European tour, and recorded one LP. But their music is more significant than this story might indicate. Hwang was among the first improvisers to emerge out of the Asian American movement. His presence in the band as composer and improviser makes Commitment one of the first Afro-Asian free jazz ensembles. The presence of Asian American, African American, and Asian musicians in one band was almost unprecedented in the New York lofts, and their fusion of elements from Asian and African American cultures was unique. In these respects, Commitment plays an important role in the development of the music. (In San Francisco around this same time, Asian American improvisers such as Russell Baba, Gerald Oshita, Francis Wong, Jon Jang, Mark Izu, Anthony Brown, and many others were also creating a strong Asian American jazz scene.) Certainly, Commitment was important for the development of the individuals involved. Hwang, energized by the burgeoning New York Asian American movement, began to understand his dual Chinese and American heritage and the musical implications of this identity. Connell found himself composing and improvising in one of the most sympathetic settings in which he ever performed. Drummer Matsuura likewise found one of the most congenial settings in which he ever worked. For the first time, he could draw on his full range as a percussionist, showcasing his ability to play free pulse, his exceptionally musical approach to timbre and texture, as well as his swing and drive. The Commitment recordings are also essential documentation of the early evolution of Parker, who despite his active presence in the lofts as a sideman and as a leader, was not widely recorded at the time. Several factors strengthened the artistic and personal bonds that made Commitment cohere into such an exceptional ensemble. It was a setting in which like-minded musicians could further refine and develop their ideas about the purpose and function of a collective improvising group. Hwang, who was only 21 when the band was formed, was being exp