''Altitude'' is an album by American jazz guitarist Joe Morris which was recorded live in 2011 and released on the AUM Fidelity label. It documents the first time performance by Morris, bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver as a trio during a two-week of dates curated at

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

's club The Stone by label owner Steven Joerg.''Altitude''
at AUM Fidelity For the second set, excerpted in the final two cuts of the album, Parker played

sintir The sintir ( ar, سنتير), also known as the guembri (), gimbri or hejhouj or Garaya in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body ca ...

, the Moroccan bass lute, instead of upright bass. All the tracks are collective and completely improvised.Original Liner Notes by Joe Morris

Reception

The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

by Mark Corroto says "Piece-by-piece the trio builds their three way dialogue, forgoing the classic model of building tension followed by release. They maintain a constant exchange throughout."Corroto, Mark
''Altitude'' review
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Another review for

by John Sharpe remarks "Inspired by the lengthy expositions of Coltrane and Cecil Taylor (although sounding nothing like either) the threesome maintains an urgent pace throughout the first extended piece."Sharpe, John
''Altitude'' review
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In a review for ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' Brad Faberman states "Playing steady time can be confining, but the opposite extreme—abandoning rhythm altogether—is just as much a jail... The free-improvising trio has chosen to operate somewhere in between, bending beats until they’re vague and uncountable but still deeply felt."Faberman, Brad. ''Altitude'' review. ''Down Beat'' October 12: page 70. Print. The ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' review by Shaun Brady says "The two collectively improvised sets are all about forward motion, all three players enjoying a constant propulsion."Brady, Shaun
''Altitude'' review
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'' In a review for ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' John Garratt notes that "''Altitude'' doesn’t feel intricately experimental. It sounds like three guys picking up the free jazz thread and pulling at it for one night, simply for the joy of it."Garratt, John
''Altitude'' review
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'' The ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' review by Glen Hall states "The first two tracks clock in at over 25 minutes apiece. They are jam-packed with fervour and potent playing, especially from drummer Gerald Cleaver, who is utterly relentless in his invention of responses to his cohorts and his assertions... ''Altitude'' is intellectual energy music."Hall, Glenn
''Altitude'' review
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Track listing

:''All compositions by Morris / Parker / Cleaver'' # "Exosphere" – 26:22 # "Thermosphere" – 25:22 # "Troposphere" – 12:04 # "Mesosphere" – 8:39

Personnel

* Joe Morris -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* William Parker –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Gerald Cleaver –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Joe Morris, state=autocollapse 2012 live albums 2012 collaborative albums Joe Morris (guitarist) live albums AUM Fidelity live albums