The free-improvising pianist Fred Van Hove from Belgium has died at the age of 84. He had been suffering from dementia in his later years and passed away after a long illness.
Highly regarded in free circles for his work with Han Bennink and Peter Brötzmann (on the German's classic Machine Gun for instance) van Hove's records stretching back to the 1960s appeared on such labels as MPS, Vogel, FMP, Nato, BV Haast and Slam.
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A gem of an album David Binney reuniting with Craig Taborn on this quartet studio affair. Binney originals sit well in a mix of material that includes a version of the 1940s standard 'I Had the Craziest Dream' as well as a clutch of Vince Mendoza, Jan Garbarek and Ralph Towner numbers. The Garbarek track 'Blue Sky' is a big highlight that sees the quartet capturing the weightlessness of the piece in its time feel so well with bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Dan Weiss admirably agile and supportive.