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Louie Belogenis

Louie Belogenis is a self-taught musician who came of age during the heady days of the old East Village, when the remnants of a New York City avant-garde were still alive. Influenced by Buddhism, poetry, film, music, dance, and theater (he was a member of Richard Foreman’s Ontological-Hysteric Theatre for four years), Louie felt like a bohemian Alice in an esoteric Wonderland.

At this time he became friends with John Zorn, who selected Louie’s first saxophone from We Buy on Third Avenue and 11th Street. Encouraged by Zorn and musicians like Bill and Wayne Horvitz, Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester, he entered the proverbial woodshed,  occasionally emerging to perform in public. It was during a gig with William Hooker’s ensemble that Rashied Ali heard Louie play, and invited him to visit his studio, the site of the former club Ali’s Alley. That fortuitous meeting led to the band Prima Materia, and many recordings and tours throughout the mid- and late 90’s. The relationship with Rashied continued up to the master’s untimely passing in 2009, with Louie visiting – sometimes on a weekly basis – to play and listen to stories from ‘back in the day.’

Louie has played with musicians such as Sunny Murray, Laurie Anderson, Borah Bergman, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Roy Campbell, Dave Douglas, Bill Laswell,  Joe Morris, Tony Malaby, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Connie Crothers, Russ Lossing, Billy Mintz, and Roberta Piket, among others. He has recorded with the bands Unbroken, Flow Trio, Magical Listening Hour, Twice Told Tales, Old Dog, Prima Materia and Exuberance, as well as with numerous eponymous projects. His current trio, Terton, with bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ryan Sawyer has just released “Outer, Inner, Secret” on Tzadik. He always seeks to find his way into the music through his heart.

 

 

 

 


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10
Album Review

Terton: Outer, Inner, Secret

Read "Outer, Inner, Secret" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Terton's Outer, Inner, Secret is a leading-edge set that transcends the conventional boundaries of jazz, venturing into the realms of the avant- garde with unparalleled finesse. Released by the future-facing powerhouse Tzadik Records, it stands as a beacon of innovative musical exploration, pushing the boundaries of sonic experimentation. The musicians' remarkable ability to convey complex emotions through their instruments is evident throughout the album, offering an improvisational listening experience that is both introspective and expansive. Each ...

3
Album Review

Flow Trio with Joe McPhee: Winter Garden

Read "Winter Garden" reviewed by Mark Corroto


The thing about free jazz is that it is very much like abstract expressionist painting. Many an inexperienced museum goer will spot a Jackson Pollock and say to herself, “I coulda done that." Actually, you couldn't. Same thing with free jazz. From a distance, it's all hubbub and din, but try your hand at it, and you're just creating babel. In the hands of masters like the Flow Trio and their guest Joe McPhee, that cacophony becomes a beautiful thing, ...

Album Review

Blue Buddha: Blue Buddha

Read "Blue Buddha" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala


Blue Buddha riunisce due calibri da novanta della scena contemporanea come Dave Douglas e Bill Laswell. Gli accosta un giovane batterista e compositore che si distingue tra le nuove personalità per caratura e ingegno, autore già in prima persona di lavori notevoli, tra cui That / Not e Alloy. Ma pure coprotagonista con Roscoe Mitchell dello strepitoso Duets. Il leader di questo progetto, e del CD omonimo, porta il nome meno esposto, anche se Louie Belogenis, sassofonista tenore, è ben ...

171
Album Review

Louie Belogenis: Live at Vision Festival

Read "Live at Vision Festival" reviewed by Sean Patrick Fitzell


The Vision Festival has cemented its reputation as the premiere event of the creative improvising scene. It celebrates artists dedicated to expanding the art, those (not coincidentally) often overlooked by the haughtier jazz festivals. The confluence of musicians, poets, dancers and appreciative listeners at Vision spawns creative energy and inspired performances. The meeting of saxophonist Louie Belogenis, trumpeter Roy Campbell, Jr., bassist Hill Greene and drummer Michael Wimberly under the moniker Exuberance at the 2003 edition, captured on Live at ...

216
Album Review

Louie Belogenis: The Other Shore

Read "The Other Shore" reviewed by Mark Corroto


The working group known as Exuberance, formed in 1999, has released its first studio recording in The Other Shore. Dedicated to the late Wilber Morris, the disc is a reflective and joyful affair.The quartet is made up of saxophonist Louie Belogenis (Prima Materia), trumpeter Roy Campbell, Jr. (Other Dimensions In Music, Pyramid Trio, Peter Brötzmann Tentet), bassist Hill Greene (Jimmy Scott, Cecil Taylor), and drummer Michael Wimberly (Charles Gayle). Roy Campbell's recent recordings for Delmark and Thirsty Ear, ...

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126

Recording

Louie Belogenis Trio - Tiresias (Porter Records, 2011)

Louie Belogenis Trio - Tiresias (Porter Records, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

The deep-seated and haunting nature of the music links this album to Albert Ayler's free-jazz masterpiece Spiritual Unity, not the least because both sessions share the same drummer, the great free percussionist Sunny Murray. Louie Belogenis' sandpaper raw saxophone tone and sparse use of swirls and slurs make him a natural heir to Ayler, but it is his patience and ability to let the music breathe that really allows this session to thrive. Nowhere is this more evident than their ...

Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals
Albert Ayler
saxophone, tenor
Sonny Rollins
saxophone
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto
John Coltrane
saxophone
Warne Marsh
saxophone, tenor
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto
John Zorn
saxophone, alto

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