Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters: hometown show in Chicago w/ V.V. Lightbody

Chicago based progressive improv jazz trio Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters will be sharing the stage with V.V. Lightbody @ Cafe Mustache on January 5th.

Gregory Uhlmann will be presenting his solo album Odd Job on January 18th @ Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, sharing the bill w/ Jeff Parker and Superet.

» Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters on Facebook

HCTF review of Typical Sisters.

HCTF's best of 2016 (5-1)

Where's ...
David Bowie, Radiohead, Nick Cave? Or that album that you liked so much?

Simple. HCTF picked the 20 best albums that were actually reviewed on this blog.

HCTF lists the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come.

2016 was a memorable year for music lovers.

• Vinyl is back.
• The majors are still running around in circles, trying to keep their cashflow alive.
• streaming is now big business (for the artist not so much).
• "Self-released" has become a regular tag. Even big time acts go for crowdfunding to cover the costs of making an album, sometimes aided by a small network of indie labels to carry the load of distribution.
• Software is catching up with the studio as a means of home recording - untrained ears will have a hard time to hear the difference.

One thing will never change: independent music is where it's at when you are on the look out for something interesting to listen to.

Sadly some of the greats are no longer with us - David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen as well two of the finest sidemen - Scotty Moore and Bernie Worrell. As 2016 drew too a close underrated Stus Quo rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt and singer George Michael also checked out.

Today: final countdown from number 5 to 1.

Go here for 10-6 | 15-11 | 20-16.

Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters: Typical Sisters

BEST OF 2016
5
HCTF

Can you cut an album in one day? Chicago based progressive improv jazz trio Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters pulled it off, setting up shop in a basement studio, armed with a few more or less finished compositions and chord progressions to work with. In order for such a scheme to work, all those involved must have an instant rapport and logged countless hours of performing together.

Typical Sisters has shards of progressive rock (After Thought is the prime example), straight up jazz and freak-out avant-garde. The abstract, adventurous textural explorations will be appreciated by jazz buffs, while their tidbits of more accessible noodlings might seduce less advanced listeners to step into their sonic maze. Uhlmann's muso-friendly glorious guitar tone gets properly challenged by Sommer's and Carroll's flawless command of shifting time signatures.