Last Exit, Still The Heaviest Jazz-Metal Band Ever
Vincent Haycock
Plus: Kamasi Washington's Fearless Movement and more of the month's best new jazz releases
Bill Laswell, the legendary bassist and producer, is in rough shape these days. He’s had a lot of health issues since before the COVID-19 pandemic started, and since he’s been effectively unable to work, he’s been in danger of losing both his home and his New Jersey studio, Orange Music, which he’s been running for over 20 years since leaving his former longtime spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There’s a GoFundMe to help him stay afloat, but another way people can support Laswell is by subscribing to his Bandcamp page, which I’ve been doing for the last couple of years. For $22 a month, you get access to a tremendous amount of music from his vast archives, much of it previously unreleased.
There are recordings by all sorts of projects, but the most exciting things for me have been a half dozen live concerts by the group I’m going to focus on in this essay: the free jazz/punk/metal/improv quartet Last Exit.
Laswell formed Last Exit at the beginning of 1986 with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. He had history with each man. He’d met Brötzmann in Downtown and European improvised music contexts; the guitarist had been a member of his band/collective, Material, since the early ’80s; and he’d produced an album for Jackson’s band, the Decoding Society. But they’d never worked together collectively, and there was no rehearsal prior to their first live performance in Vienna, Austria in February 1986. As Jackson put it in an interview with The Wire, “I met [Sharrock] on the plane and I met [Brötzmann] on stage.”
After that initial string of live performances, which included shows in Paris, Frankfurt, and Köln, they reunited again at the Moers festival in May 1986, and before the end of their first year together they had also played in Sweden, Finland, and Japan.
Last Exit’s music was a shock to many in 1986, and nearly 40 years later, it’s still like getting a pitcher of ice water thrown in your face without warning. Their self-titled debut album, recorded at the aforementioned Paris gig, is a thunderous blend of Brötzmann’s squalling saxophone, Sharrock’s unhinged free-jazz guitar, Laswell’s massive postpunk bass, and Jackson’s rolling and tumbling, Texas-blues-as-avalanche drumming. But it’s not a mere barrage of noise; they frequently slow down to a doom-blues crawl, or let one instrument take the spotlight for a long, tense (because you’re waiting for everyone else to come crashing back in) solo interlude. Their music has groove, but it also has the harmolodic spirit — Jackson was an early member of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time — wherein anyone can become the leader at any time. When it was the drummer’s turn, he might set up a foot-stomping beat and begin breathlessly chanting the lyrics to an old blues song, or quote poet Wallace Stevens’ “The Emperor of Ice-Cream.”
The Japanese shows, documented on the second Last Exit CD, The Noise Of Trouble: Live In Tokyo, demonstrated the flexibility of their concept. They swung; they played the blues; they got ferociously heavy; and they invited guests to the party. Japanese free jazz saxophonist Akira Sakata dueled with Brötzmann on a stormy eruption based on Sharrock’s composition “Blind Willie,” and Herbie Hancock(!) joined the fray, adding a Latin piano groove to a piece called “Help Me Mo, I’m Blind.”
1987 was another great year for Last Exit and its members. In January, Laswell made a duo album with Brötzmann, Low Life, on which bass saxophone, electric bass, and dubby electronics created a nerve-jangling experience, all low farts and sudden shrieks. In March, the saxophonist joined Sharrock, second guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, and bassist Jan Kazda in a short-lived group led by drummer Ginger Baker; they were dubbed No Material in a nod to Laswell and to their free-improv methodology. The music had more lilt, and more of an African groove, than Last Exit, but Brötzmann and Sharrock were able to drag it into the gutter and turn it into something genuinely frightening at times.
When I interviewed Brötzmann in 2019, shortly after Baker’s death, he told me, “When we had the first meeting, kind of rehearsal, Ginger looked at me like, What is this guy doing? He couldn’t believe it. And it was in the beginning not such a really friendly feeling. But then we were sitting down at a table and killed a couple of bottles of scotch…and after that, it was working very well. Eventually we came to quite a good understanding.”
In the spring and summer of that year, Last Exit reunited for more tour dates in the US and Europe, some of which were excerpted on Cassette Recordings ‘87. Their music had, if possible, gotten even heavier; that album’s 20-minute opening track, “Line Of Fire,” begins with a hoarse horn-guitar fanfare over a drum roll from Jackson, and quickly becomes a thundering funk-metal assault, halfway between Black Sabbath and Miles Davis’ Agharta. But on the same album, you can hear Jackson sing Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man” and his own tribute to legendary blueswoman “Ma Rainey.” As he told The Wire in 1986, “If you don’t have no history or no tradition then the source you’re drawing from is blank. It’s more than just ‘improvising,’ it’s connecting up to the richness of a whole reservoir of information that’s already been fed in. We’re four people, but in terms of what’s happening we are like four multiplied by 90.”
“This is the most special thing that’s happened in this area of music in a long time,” Laswell told The Wire. “People may disagree…fuck ’em.”
In 1988, the unthinkable happened: This wildass improv project, that had spent two years barnstorming through the US and Europe terrifying jazz festival audiences with pure audio napalm, went into the recording studio and emerged with an album of complex, riff-oriented art-metal. Iron Path, which was somehow released on Virgin Records (Laswell has always been good at securing financing for his projects), was produced with real care; the group members’ playing was as energetic as ever, but it was now placed in the service of real compositions that also featured temple bells, drones, shouted vocals, and abstract percussion interludes that gave it all the feel of a dark ritual. It represented a whole other side of the band, and is startlingly beautiful at times.
Last Exit continued to pop up here and there in 1989; a European tour was documented on the CD Headfirst Into The Flames, though it wasn’t released until 1993. The last gig I know of was in February 1990 at the Knitting Factory in New York. Afterward, the various members all went their separate ways. Sharrock died 30 years ago next week, on May 26, 1994; Jackson died in October 2013; and Brötzmann died last June. So there’s never gonna be a Last Exit reunion of any kind. But like I mentioned above, Bill Laswell has been digging into his archives and putting things up on Bandcamp, and to date he’s released six live recordings by the group, all of which are strictly for subscribers, since they’re likely to be the kind of diehards for whom this stuff is absolute catnip.
The most recent release is Frankfurt, documenting their third-ever gig, on Valentine’s Day 1986 (the Paris show was their fourth, and the album Köln captures their second). He’s also released Moers, a performance from May 1986 where they’re joined onstage by violinist Billy Bang and vocalist Diamanda Galás, and that’s as balls-out and terrifying as you can imagine; Stockholm, a comparatively restrained — but still explosive — gig from two nights later; Tampere, a Finnish show from November 1986; Allentown, an 80-minute 1987 performance, a brief excerpt of which previously appeared on Cassette Recordings ‘87, and Somerville, a Massachusetts show from February 1990, the night before the Knitting Factory gig I mentioned (which has not been released in full…yet). When you listen to all this stuff — about eight and a half hours of live material, plus one studio album — in order, you can really hear four highly volatile elements blending together, gradually creating one of the most potent musical blends I’ve ever come across. There’s no genre tag that fits Last Exit’s music. They played a lot of jazz festivals and clubs (like the Knitting Factory, or Fasching in Stockholm) that typically booked jazz acts, but they were loud, fast, furious and heavy enough that they could easily have taken the stage at CBGB and held even hardcore bands at bay.
I leave you with this video of Last Exit at the Deutsches Jazzfestival in 1986 (the gig just released to subscribers on Laswell’s Bandcamp), and bear in mind, once again, that this was their third performance ever. They’d been a band for less than a week. There was nothing like them at the time, and even the bands that have come up in their wake haven’t picked up the gauntlet they laid down, because they were four once-in-a-century figures who Voltron-ed together to become something genuinely terrifying.
TAKE 10
Luke Stewart's Silt Trio - "Seek Whence"
You know bassist Luke Stewart from Irreversible Entanglements, from the late Jaimie Branch’s Fly Or Die band, possibly from James Brandon Lewis’ trio (where he was paired with drummer Warren Trae Crudup III, who also appears here)… the man is in constant motion, and between his recordings, his gigs, and his organizing of musical events in New York and Washington, DC, he’s shaping up to be as crucial a figure as William Parker. The Silt Trio features Stewart and DC-based saxophonist Brian Settles, who’s also a member of drummer Chad Taylor’s trio. Taylor plays drums on the second half of this album. “Seek Whence” is the opener, a shoulders-back, funky vamp on which the saxophonist spits low single notes, eventually sliding into an almost romantic meditation as Stewart and Crudup crawl deep into the groove behind him. Soulful, introspective, and passionate, this is a heavy record well worth your time. (From Unknown Rivers, out now via Pi Recordings.)
Kenny Barron - "Tragic Magic"
This is a genuinely multi-generational album; Kenny Barron is 80, while alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins is just 26. (Vibraphonist Steve Nelson is 69, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa is 65, and drummer Johnathan Blake is 47.) It includes reworkings of tunes from Barron’s own back catalog, some standards like “The Nearness Of You” and “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise” done as a quick — it’s both short and fast — piano-drums duo, and a rarely recorded Thelonious Monk piece, “We See.” The track shared here, “Tragic Magic,” is a new piece, I think. It’s a fast, strutting bebop tune with a jumpy melody played by Barron, Nelson, and Wilkins, before the saxophonist dives into a quick-thinking solo full of flurrying phrases and bluesy cries. Behind him, the pianist lays down powerful but still somehow gentle chords, displaying the refinement that comes with true mastery before taking a beautiful solo of his own. (From Beyond This Place, out now via Artwork/PIAS.)
Gilbert Holmström - "Blues For NYCF"
Saxophonist Gilbert Holmström is another veteran; he’s been one of the most respected figures on the Swedish jazz scene for six decades. His debut album, 1965’s Utan Misstankar (Without Suspicion), is a key document of that country’s music. I first heard Holmström in 2001 or so, when Waves From Albert Ayler, by his Mount Everest Trio, was reissued as part of the Atavistic label’s Unheard Music Series. Now 87, he’s keeping the flag flying, playing with musicians much younger than himself. Peak features Norwegian trumpet player Erik Kimestad, pianist Matthias Landæus, bassist Johnny Åman, and drummer Cornelia Nilsson. Four of its six tracks are Holmström’s own compositions; the other two are by Ennio Morricone, pulled from his soundtrack to the gangster epic Once Upon A Time In America. On the 12-minute “Blues For NYCF,” Holmström kicks things off with a fanfare-like melody and leads the band through a beautiful piece. (From Peak, out now via Moserobie.)
Ron Miles - "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears"
Trumpeter Ron Miles, who died in 2022, had a long-standing group with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade. They made two albums together, 2012’s Quiver and 2014’s Circuit Rider, then added pianist Jason Moran and bassist Thomas Morgan on 2017’s I Am A Man and 2020’s Rainbow Sign. All of these albums are extraordinarily beautiful, full of slowly unfolding melodies and graceful interactions that nonetheless hold a coiled tension, mostly released when Blade will suddenly slam his snare drum or insert a fill where you don’t expect it. This previously unreleased live recording comes from early in the band’s lifespan; it was recorded in 2011, and most of the set list (five of seven tracks) would later appear on Quiver. On this version of a song from the 1920s, also recorded by Bix Beiderbecke with Bing Crosby singing, they start abstract and wind up waist deep in the blues. (From Old Main Chapel, out now via Blue Note.)
Tom Skinner - "Oasis"
Drummer Tom Skinner, formerly of Sons Of Kemet and currently part of the Radiohead spinoff the Smile, released a solo album, Voices Of Bishara, in 2022, featuring saxophonists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings, bassist Tom Herbert, and cellist Kareem Dayes. The project was inspired by the music of drummer Tony Williams and cellist Abdul Wadud, and when called upon to play live, Skinner indulged those inspirations even more deeply. On this live album, which features saxophonists Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael in place of Hutchings and Garcia, the group performs three Wadud compositions — “Oasis,” “Camille,” and “Happiness,” all from his 1978 solo album By Myself. This 20-minute version of “Oasis” is amazing, vacillating between throbbing North African grooves (the bass sounds like a guembri) and a fierce, fiery solo from Carmichael. Skinner himself mostly lays back, augmenting the groove without ever dominating. He has confidence in his bandmates, and it’s justified. (From Voices Of Bishara Live At “Mu,” out now via International Anthem.)
Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers - "Conservatory Gardens"
It’s amazing to me that trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Amina Claudine Myers have never recorded together before now. They’ve both been members of the AACM for decades (she performed at the organization’s second concert, in 1965; he joined two years later), pursuing highly individual creative paths that have finally intersected. This collection of spare, beautiful duos is almost entirely inspired by various aspects and features of New York’s Central Park; the sole exception is “Albert Ayler, A Meditation On Light.” The nine-minute opener, “Conservatory Gardens,” is mostly a showcase for Myers’ piano style, which is closer to classical here than the jazz, blues and gospel that she usually focuses on. When Smith’s horn comes in, though, his tone is rich and full, more romantic and soulful than in some other contexts. At its best, this album really feels like two lifelong friends singing love songs to each other. (From Central Park’s Mosaics Of Reservoir, Lake, Paths And Gardens, out now via Red Hook.)
Magnus Öström & Dan Berglund - "Tuesday Wonderland"
Magnus Öström and Dan Berglund were the drummer and bassist, respectively, in e.s.t, the Esbjörn Svensson Trio. The group existed from 1993 until Svensson’s death in 2008 in a scuba diving accident. This album, intended as a 30th anniversary celebration of the group by its two remaining members, was recorded at an October 2023 concert in Köln, Germany, at which they were joined by trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, saxophonist and flautist Magnus Lindgren, pianist Joel Lyssarides, and guitarist Ulf Wakenius. The music of e.s.t. was a new kind of European jazz at the time, and absolutely paved the way for groups like GoGo Penguin, BADBADNOTGOOD, Dawn Of Midi, and many others. These live performances, while obviously expanding the sonic palette, are very much in the spirit of the original group; this 10-minute version of “Tuesday Wonderland,” the title track from their 2006 album, features Lindgren and Lyssarides in joyous, meditative flight. (From E.S.T. 30, out 5/31 via ACT Music.)
Jake Long - "Silhouette (Radio Edit)"
Drummer Jake Long is the founder of the spiritual jazz ensemble Maisha, and a key figure on the London jazz scene. The sessions for his first solo album, City Swamp, took place in 2019, and featured saxophonists Tamar Osborn, Nubya Garcia, and Binker Golding, guitarist Shirley Tetteh, multi-instrumentalists Artie Zaitz and Amané Suganami, keyboardist Al MacSween, bassist Twm Dylan and drummer Tim Doyle. Long took those tapes home with him, and used analog technology and vintage/classic/retro production techniques to loop, edit, and dub them into something psychedelic and trance-inducing, as if Miles Davis and Teo Macero had brought Lee Perry in to consult on the Bitches Brew sessions. There are just four tracks on the record; “Silhouette” is the closer. The radio edit gets to the point faster than the album version, settling into a deeper, dubbier groove built on a repeated guitar figure from Tetteh, over which the horns float thoughtfully. (From City Swamp, out now via New Soil.)
David Murray Quartet - "Ninno"
Saxophonist David Murray is introducing a pretty amazing new band on his latest album: pianist Marta Sanchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter. Francesca, named in honor of Murray’s wife, is a joyous, uptempo collection of bouncing, strutting tunes — the sole exception is “Shenzhen,” a thoughtful ballad on which he switches from tenor to bass clarinet. Murray has always balanced a strong sense of tradition with a willingness to leap face-first into the avant-garde, letting his solos vault into the tenor’s upper register almost without warning but also demonstrating a tremendous sense of swing that’s rooted in R&B and gospel music. Overall, this disc has the happy, vibrant energy of mid ’80s quartet albums like Morning Song and I Want To Talk About You. “Ninno,” which is 10 minutes long on the album, is a tribute to a beloved dog from Paris, the city the Oakland-born Murray calls home. (From Francesca, out now via Intakt.)
Kamasi Washington - "Road To Self (KO)"
Kamasi Washington came out of the gate nine years ago with such a distinctive sound that it’s been the way people perceive his music ever since. The Epic surrounded a relatively traditional small jazz group — tenor sax, piano, upright bass, drums — with meticulously arranged strings, a massive choir, and numerous guest instrumentalists, creating a sound that hit like Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane on a Hollywood blockbuster budget and, let us not forget, lasted three fucking hours. The 32-minute Harmony Of Difference EP, released two years later, was a gentle six-movement suite that seemed to owe as much to downtempo hip-hop as to early ’70s spiritual jazz, and the zooming synths at the margins were a sign of things to come. On 2018’s Heaven And Earth (and its secret third disc, The Choice), he embraced funk and dense thickets of rhythm, allowing his double drummers to stretch out and keyboardist Brandon Coleman to take the band into deep space. Each release was a step forward from the one before, but it was all instantly, identifiably Kamasi Washington music.
On Fearless Movement, he’s continuing his journey, and this time it’s taking him in multiple directions at once. When was the last time you heard an album that included versions of songs by Roger Troutman and Zapp (“Computer Love”) and Astor Piazzola (“Prelude”)? This is the first time, I bet. Washington has always added musicians to his core band, but they’ve usually been part of his existing circle of friends: vocalist Dwight Trible, alto saxophonist Terrace Martin, bassist Thundercat. Fearless Movement includes a bunch of guest stars from the broader world of Black music, including funk pioneer George Clinton, D Smoke, BJ The Chicago Kid, rappers Taj and Ras Austin (the sons of LA rapper Ras Kass), and André 3000. And Washington is allowing himself to strip things down and get weird. There are no strings or choirs on this album, but there are a lot of synths, some vocoders, and some stunning production choices.
“Road To Self (KO)” has no guest vocalists, and/but it’s maybe my favorite track on the album. It features Dontae Winslow on trumpet, Ryan Porter on trombone, Brandon Coleman on keyboards, Cameron Graves on piano, Woody Aplanalp on guitar, Miles Mosley on bass, Tony Austin and Ronald Bruner Jr. on drums, and Allakoi Peete and Kahlil Cummings on percussion. At more than 13 minutes, it’s the longest track on the record by far, and could almost stand alone as its own mini-epic. It begins with spacy keyboards and gentle percussion, before Graves’ piano comes in, followed by deep, almost dubby bass and finally the drums, ticking and booming from the corners of the mix. The horns enter as one, playing one of Washington’s trademark choral melodies, but as they continue it becomes clear that they’re being fed through electronic effects; their notes bounce off everything else in a way that’s almost psychedelic. And when Washington begins soloing, his lines float away on clouds of echo and reverb, even seeming to double back on themselves at times as the piano and percussion come in and out like a dub mix. Heard on headphones, this is a mind-bending and brilliant track that posits a future form of jazz that has one foot in tradition, but is nonetheless striding forward, eyes up and focused on the horizon. It’s fucking wild, and I love it. (From Fearless Movement, out now via Young.)
OUTWARD BOUND
@theitaliandrummer Bebop Spangalang #drums #bebop #bopdrumming #tonywilliams #pushpull #tony5 #jazz #zildjian #constantinople @zildjiancompany @Zildjian Company ♬ suono originale – Marco Cirigliano
