Far Counrty

Recorded live in Burghausen, Germany in 2007, Far Side features journeyman avant-garde saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and his ensemble the Note Factory performing in a concert. Joining Mitchell here are trumpeter Corey Wilkes, pianists Craig Taborn and Vijay Iyer, bassists Jaribu Shahid and Harrison Bankhead, and drummers Tani Tabbal and Vincent Davis. Beginning with the epic three-part 30-minute suite "Far Side/Cards/Far Side," the concert is an atmospheric and cinematic mix of Mitchell's longstanding musical touchstones including free jazz, European classical music, and modern creative group improvisation. Tracks such as the fragmented and atonal "Quintet 2007 A for Eight" and the similarly inclined "Trio Four for Eight" have the feel of composed classical music while evincing a more freely improvised aesthetic. This is often achieved by juxtaposing bowed cello and bass parts against improvised piano and sections where each musician seems to interject a melodic idea into an overall harmonic theme. There are moments of layered percussion, expansive atonal soundscapes, and fiery and combative moments between Mitchell and Wilkes as well as windy, drawn-out passages that tilt upon silence. If you're a hardcore Mitchell aficionado and/or fan of ECM's cerebral jazz catalog, Far Side would be a stellar addition to your library.

Pink was not only the unlikeliest of pop stars to grab the reins of success in the 2000s, but she outdid her similarly marketed contemporaries, scoring an impressive succession of hit singles. Even when she hit bumps in the road she bounced back, adding different elements to her sound without changing its core. She is one of the few who hit the mainstream circa 1999 who maintains staying power, and "Greatest Hits…So Far!!!" proves why…

Dreams & Prayers (nominated for the 2015 Grammy award for best chamber music/small ensemble performance) century-hops over a millennium of music, juxtaposing A Far Cry’s own arrangements of music by Hildegard von Bingen and Ludwig van Beethoven with recent works by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol (b. 1974) (created for and premiered by A Far Cry) and Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960) (an arrangement receiving its first recording by A Far Cry). This premiere release on Crier Records consists entirely of premiere recordings.