Master saxophonist Oliver Lake has retired from playing (due to health reasons) but we can thank the saxophone gods that he was back in 2017 at a live gig in Luna, Sweden. Lake met Swedish pianist Mathias Landaeus and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood for a riveting spontaneous performance. The resulting recording, “Spirit”, is one of the feature albums in this episode, along with “Almost Natural” from German bassist Florian Herzog, “Faking An Imperfect Utopia” by bassist Lisa Hoppe and YSOP (also from Germany), pianist Aruan Ortiz inspired by the speeches of MLK, guitarist John Scofield, and a number of powerful saxophonist-led records (Chad Fowler, Stephen Gauci, Paul Dunmall & Loren Stillman).
00:00 Loren Stillman Trio * Time And Again – Sunnyside * Backyard * USA
06:27 Host speaks
08:56 Chad Fowler, George Cartwright et al * Miserere – Mahakala Music * Inhaling and Exhaling For Davey Williams * USA
25:09 Sylvie Courvoisier * Chimaera – Intakt * Annao * Switzerland
33:41 Host speaks
35:09 Lisa Hoppe’s YSOP * Faking An Imperfect Utopia – Self-released * Moons Of Jupiter Texture Of Sand * Germany
41:54 Anti-Rubber Brain Factory * Ensuelos Bulescos – LFDS * Family Afternoon * France
49:37 Host speaks
50:59 Stephen Gauci, Santiago Liebson, Colin Hinton & Adam Lane * Live At Scholes Street Studios – Gauci Music * Improvisation 1 * USA
1:02:04 Myra Melford’s Fire & Water Quintet * Hear The Light Singing – Rogue Art * Insertion 2 * USA
1:08:42 Host speaks
1:10:11 Florian Herzog Quartet * Almost Natural – Tangible Music * Dia * Germany
1:14:17 Florian Herzog Quartet * Almost Natural – Tangible Music * Ten Days To Go * Germany
1:19:25 Eva Novoa, Masa Kamaguchi & Gerald Cleaver * Novoa Kamaguchi & Cleaver Trio Vol. 1 – 577 Records * Grafitismo * USA
1:25:20 Christophe Monniot * Freestyles – Live At Le Triton – Le Triton * Free Funky * France
1:31:18 Host speaks
1:33:53 Aruan Ortiz * Pastor’s Paradox – Clean Feed * Turning The Other Cheek No More * USA
1:40:35 Aruan Ortiz * Pastor’s Paradox – Clean Feed * The Dream That Wasn’t Meant To Be Ours * USA
1:50:44 The Source * But Swinging Doesn’t Bend Them Down – Odin * Limbo * Norway
1:56:47 Host speaks
1:58:33 Mathias Landaeus, Oliver Lake & Kresten Osgood * Spirit – Self-released * Aztec * Sweden/USA/Denmark
2:05:02 Dennis Gonzalez * No Photograph Available – Clean Feed * Hymn For Julius Hemphill * USA
2:15:23 Jeff Cosgrove Noah Preminger & Kim Cass * Confusing Motion For Progress – Grizzley Music * Slips * USA
2:21:37 Host speaks
2:23:17 Paul Dunmall * Bright Light A Joyous Celebration – Discus * Bright Light A Joyous Celebration * England
2:31:43 Eclectic Maybe Band * Bars Without Measures – Discus * A Move To Unchange The Place * England
2:40:31 Angelica Sanchez * Night Time Creatures – Pyroclastic * CB: The Time Traveler * USA
2:47:35 Jure Pukl Quartet * Melt – Whirlwind * Lost * Slovenia
2:53:49 Host speaks
2:55:43 John Scofield Trio * Uncle John’s Band – ECM * Mr. Tambourine Man * USA