Abdullah Ibrahim - 3

January 25, 2024

Label: Gearbox Records, 2024

Personnel - Abdullah Ibrahim: piano; Noah Jackson: double bass, cello; Cleave Guyton Jr.: flute, piccolo.

The legendary South African pianist and composer, Abdullah Ibrahim, is heard leading a trio - with members of his EKAYA band: bassist/cellist Noah Jackson and flutist Cleave Guyton Jr. - in a double album that captures music in different contexts. The first disc consists of six originals recorded without an audience ahead of a concert at London’s Barbican Centre in 2023. The second disc is the concert itself, featuring a blend of original compositions and covers.

Expressing himself with distinctive idioms, Ibrahim flows calmly, benefiting from the wholehearted accompaniment of his peers, who tackle old tunes like “Tswake” and “Ishmael” on their own. The former starts with a flurried bass, and the flute imparts a pronounced bluesy and jazzy feel, while the latter revolves around a central bass groove. To contrast these piano-less numbers, “Krotoa-Crystal Clear”, previously included in the album Mukashi - Once Upon a Time (Sunnyside, 2014) - takes the form of a solo piano meditation with rich, exquisite harmonies sustaining quietly poignant melodies where emotions flow effortlessly.

The opening track, “Barakat”, rests in a slow movement characterized by grace, elegance, and space. The flute takes center stage, complemented by an enriching cello operating on the groove side but also melodic at times. “Marába” is a reverential African folk song delivered with a delicate touch, positive attitude, and gentle rhythm. The first half concludes with the meditative classic “Mindif”, at once beautiful and heartbreaking.

The second disc includes not only well-known Ibrahim compositions like “Water From an Ancient Well”, “The Wedding”, and “Nisa”, but also renditions of tunes by Duke Ellington (“In a Sentimental Mood”), John Coltrane (“Giant Steps”), and Thelonious Monk (“Skippy”).

Nothing really burns intensely on Ibrahim’s latest release but the music, possessing healing powers, maintains its flow with a refined gloss that reflects the heritage, unique playing, and masterful compositional prowess of a great artist.

Favorite Tracks (Disc One):
01 - Barakat ► 04 - Marába ► 06 - Mindif

Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke - Lean In

May 15, 2023

Label: Edition Records, 2023

Personnel - Gretchen Parlato: voice, percussion; Lionel Loueke: guitar, voice, percussion // Guests - Mark Guiliana: drums, percussion (#3,6,7,9,11); Travis Burniss: electric bass (#3,6,11); Marley Guiliana: voice (#3,6,12); Lisa Loueke: voice (#3).

With Lean In, American singer Gretchen Parlato and Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke celebrate musical cultures in a successful pairing where they complement each other on 12 absorbing cuts. This session, a response to pandemic times, captures the two at the height of their abilities, embracing a world jazz vibe centered on West African grooves and rhythms. On specific pieces (including two wonderful interludes), the duo strategically used guest artists, elevating their instrumentality to another plane; they are drummer Mark Guiliana and bassist Travis Burniss.

Penned by Loueke, the opening number “Akwê” and the fourth track “Okagbe” were retrieved from his creative jazz trio Gilfema's self-titled album (2005). The former piece is sung in Fon (the indigenous language of Benin) - with two voices in perfect consonance - and features brilliant guitar work, which, delineated with expert riffage, provides the contagious rhythm; the latter number, seductively expressed in seven, was shortened into an apt interlude that takes us to “Astronauta”, a melancholic detour into Brazilian bossa with Portuguese lyrics. A touch of Afro-Brazilian color is also spotted in “Muse”, whose tonal relaxation and English lyrics reminded me of Bebel Gilberto. This piece develops in nine with key changes and includes a captivating guitar solo.

Parlato excels on “I Miss You”, an incisively percussive reading of Klymaxx’s 1984 ballad. With the vocal backing of Loueke, her warm-toned voice carries a very pleasing lightness. The Afro-centric “Nonvignon”, a Loueke tune, was previously included in her eponymous debut album from 2005, whereas a new cut, “Painful Joy”, has concurrent wordless vocals tracing a poignant melody that lets emotions flow naturally.

The duo co-wrote the impeccably layered title track with Guiliana, and the order the musicians enter here reflects how this piece came to life. The drummer’s energizing rhythms lock in with Travis’ bracing bass lines on “If I Knew”, a kinetic work powered by a funky groove, crisp afrobeat, electric wah-wah currents, a gorgeous chorus, and an alluring synth effect released by Loueke’s guitar during his burning improvised statements.

With a strong collaborative work that spans 20 years, Parlato and Loueke are both multilingual in a musical sense. They explore the plights and points of their inspirations in duo for the first time, searching for beauty and distinguishing themselves in sound and language.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - I Miss You ► 03 - If I Knew ► 07 - Muse

Mehdi Nabti & Prototype - Code Source

December 8, 2021

Label: Self released, 2021

Personnel - Mehdi Nabti: alto saxophone; Joy Anandasivam: electric guitar; Nicolas Lafortune: electric bass; Bertil Schulrabe: drums, tabla; Kullak Viger Rojas: timbales.

There are remarkable musicians who, deeply reverent of their roots and influences, bring them into modern jazz aesthetics with successful outcomes. Examples include Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abbasi, David Virelles, Hafez Modirzadeh and Amir ElSaffar.

The Montreal-based saxophonist Mehdi Nabti also claims a space for himself, whether applying his Afro-Berber continuum or specific patterns associated with geomancy, as it is the case with this new recording, Code Source. He has been using this latter method intermittently for a decade now, fostering it to further development here with the help of his pliant Prototype group.

“Anzar” boasts a punchy funky rhythm and a bass groove in 10 on top of which a melodic figure suggests an Eastern dance form. Also progressing with odd-meter, “Barca” follows a similar recipe but with an infectious groove that feels very particular. Nabti’s phrasal and timbral agility are noticeable as well as the collective staccatos meant to impart a certain rhythmic stimulation.

“Chronos” puts on show a nimble, deliberate funk work on the core, featuring guitarist Joy Anandasivam in a tasteful solo uttered with the right amount of distortion and effects. The nature of this piece contrasts with “Gurzil”, a relaxing exercise that, gradually adding layers of sound, culminates with a melodious pop song feel. Exquisitely introduced by electric bass, the piece sees its well-developed backbone enriched with chordal guitar playing and percussion, after which Nabti rounds it out with expressive melody. Also infused with melody, “Teryel” denotes a different vibe but a similar meter signature when compared to “Mencey”.

The bass-drum foundation of Nicolas Lafortune and Bertil Schulrabe has a sextuple groove moving on “Beneharo”. Noticeable aspects here are: the guitar performing harmonic and rhythmic tasks, the sinuous eloquence and dancing quality of the Orient and sub-Saharan Africa in the saxophone trajectories, and a final vamp for the drummer.

Drawing stimulating ideas from the concept, Nabti and his peers engage in progressive rhythmic schemes that will keep the ears of fusion devotees well-glued to the music.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Barca ► 04 - Chronos ► 06 - Gurzil

Leni Stern - 4

June 16, 2020

Label: Leni Stern Recordings, 2020

Personnel - Leni Stern: vocals, guitar, ngoni; Leo Genovese: keys; Mamadou Ba: electric bass; Alioune Faye: percussion + guest Mike Stern: guitar.

For a few years now, German-born, New York-based guitarist/vocalist/composer Leni Stern has been exploring unparalleled world-jazz territories imbued with West African influences. On her new outing, 4, Stern’s trio with Senegalese musicians - bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Alioune Faye - is augmented with the addition of Argentine keyboardist Leo Genovese. In this manner, the group earns ampler harmonic and rhythmic magnitudes as well as a deeper improvisational perspective.

“Lambar” is a Malian rhythm that, in the case at hand, is adapted and hyped up with wafting electric bass articulations, n’goni and synth sounds. However, I was far more attracted to “Amadeus”, a gorgeous ambient-pop ballad with some bluesy piano details that would make Tom Waits happy. Both the voice and the piano are very melodically driven and there’s a soulful guitar solo that builds a special aura. Also balladic in nature, the breezy “Chartwell” exposes a three time feel that is extended to the inventive “Japalema”, a Genovese composition that intertwines melodies based on the Japanese pentatonic scale, the spirit of the blues and rich rhythms. Ba’s funkified bass lines are heard in the first half minute, but then the song takes us into places other than what had been suggested at a first glance. The experimental effusions from Genovese become the song’s irresistible attraction.

Featuring Leni’s husband - the iconic guitarist Mike Stern - as a guest soloist, “Habib” dives deep in the groove and African rhythm, detaching from the more tempered nature of “Miu”, which, carrying an appealing, sunny feel, appears as a tuneful confluence of styles with inspired Nigerian rhythms. Both “Amadeus” and “Miu” were written for and titled after Leni’s cats.

These eight songs, very picturesque in their in-depth eclecticism and peculiar instrumentation, provide a different listening experience.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Amadeus ► 05 - Japalema ► 07 - Habib

Gilfema - Three

April 27, 2020

Label: Sounderscore Records, 2020

Personnel - Lionel Loueke: guitar; Massimo Biolcati: bass; Ferenc Nemeth: drums.

The cooperative trio Gilfema features the same musicians of Lionel Loueke Trio, with the particularity that the recorded material is penned by all the three members. This world jazz collective, which besides the acclaimed Benin-born guitarist also includes Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth, hadn't released an album since 2008, returning now with 13 cuts filled with rhythmic panache and eclectic crosscurrents.

Fronting the operations, Loueke is an inimitable force of nature, whose musicality benefits from the sometimes cool, sometimes animated lyricism of his partners. Highly rhythmic titles such as “Lé”, “Brio” and “Aflao” are very much representative of the West African music tradition, here fused with contemporary jazz elements. The opener, “Têkê”, also falls into this category, but it’s a quite special one, boasting peculiar nylon-stringed guitar sounds wrapped in marvelous effects, in conjunction with strong hi-hat manifestations and snappy bass moves.

All the aforementioned compositions have the signature of Loueke, with the exception of “Brio”, which he co-penned with Biolcati. The pair collaborated in three other, but the highlight is the odd-metered “13th Floor to Heaven”, a.more jazzified, deliberately paced oddity devised with a relaxing mood, intervallic patterns of great quality and noteworthy vocals forming dulcet unisons with the guitar.

Equally navigating through undisturbed waters, Loueke’s “Dear JL” and Nemeth’s “Requiem For a Soul” are synonyms of a hybrid jazz sophistication. The former, aligned in 5/4 time, has tight brushwork and malleable bass maneuvers underpinning Loueke’s inspired guitar work, whereas the latter, pulsating in seven, showcases the group’s infallible communication. Nemeth also composed “Happiness”, a Fela Kuti-like exercise whose blend of wah-wah funk and afrobeat supports synth-laden melodies and improvisatory segments alike.

Loueke’s fantastic expressionism has the ability to hypnotize, and his peerless vision catches the ear again on a superlative acoustic rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ballad “Little Wing”, a piece to listen over and over again.

Embracing interesting and viable musical forms, Gilfema is the artistic expression of world jazz sculptors gifted with varied talents and enjoying full maturity.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Têkê ► 02 - Little Wing ► 12 - Requiem For a Soul

Dave Holland / Zakir Hussain / Chris Potter - Good Hope

February 4, 2020

Label: Edition Records, 2019

Personnel - Dave Holland: double bass; Zakir Hussein: tabla; Chris Potter: tenor and soprano saxophones.

The incredible world fusion trio co-led by British bassist Dave Holland, Indian tabla expert and percussionist Zakir Hussain, and American saxophonist Chris Potter is in the active since 2018. When playing in this configuration, these virtuosos are collectively called Crosscurrents Trio and their debut record, Good Hope, is now out on Edition Records. The album comprises eight compositions, three from Holland, three from Potter, and two from Hussain. Each of them are individual, but they perfectly integrate here as a whole, to the point of making us think it could have been composed by only one person.

The combination of Indian classical and Western instrumentation comes immediately to our attention on the opening track, “Zindi”, where Holland and Hussain lay down a sumptuous baseline that serves Potter’s hybrid cooking, naturally infused with post-bop and Eastern seasoning.

The East-West-minded sensitivity is again strongly present in tunes such as “J Bhai”, delivered with an incantatory three time feel and promoting several shifts in tempo, and “Bedouin Trail”, which, while advancing with hypnotic rhythmic layers at a caravan-like pace, features Potter exchanging bars with his associates. This piece focuses on the traditional folk from South Asia.

Far more Westerner and post-bopper in nature, “Island Feeling” is perhaps the jazziest piece on the record, but can’t surpass the cross-cultural emotions of “Lucky Seven” and the title track. The former, penned by Holland, is an emissary of coruscating energy. Hussain initiates the ride with a complex tabla rhythm, with Holland interlocking a half-Indian, half-funk groove. The spirited, curvy high flies of Potter’s soprano come impregnated with rhythmic figures and chromaticism, with the tune ending in circular movement that emphasizes rhythmic accentuation. In turn, Potter’s “Good Hope” is all about the groove and the richness of interplay. The sidestepping improvisatory maneuvers from bass and saxophone contribute to elevate this piece into dizzy heights.

Good Hope offers a ripe set of music made by masters who bring myriad colors and influences into their playing. By navigating through exquisite series of textures and producing energizing chants, the trio calls up a potential range of beautiful, exotic images with these tunes. Listening to them is a phenomenal experience.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - J Bhai ► 03 - Lucky Seven ► 07 - Good Hope

Dave Anderson - Melting Pot

September 13, 2018

Label: Label 1, 2018

Personnel - Dave Anderson: soprano and alto saxophones; Dave Restivo: piano; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Memo Acevedo: drums; Roberto Quintero: percussion; Bryan Davis: trumpet; Itai Kriss: flute; Need Murgai: sitar, voice; Ehren Hanson: tabla; Deep Singh: tabla.

Saxophonist/composer Dave Anderson celebrates New York City’s cultural differences in his latest album Melting Pot, for which he convened an incredibly professional world-jazz ensemble to dispatch five eclectic originals. The pieces, elegantly woven into an integrated sonic tapestry, are personalized with his unique signature.

Anderson starts off with the three-part Immigrant Suite, suffused with Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Indian influences. Its first part, “Juror Number One” has the rhythm section - pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, drummer Memo Acevedo, and percussionist Roberto Quintero - launching an irresistible Latin rhythm to sustain a blues progression that serves as a magic carpet for the jazz peregrinations of the improvisers. Propelled by an elated rhythm of drums and pandeiro, “Querida”, meaning sweetheart in Portuguese, is also the title of a Jobim song. However, there’s no relation between the two, aside from being impregnated with smooth Brazilian-jazz flavors. The suite is concluded with “A Candle For Isaac”, which additionally features Bryan Davis on trumpet, Itai Kriss on flute, Need Murgai on sitar, and Ehren Hanson on tabla. The song was penned for Anderson’s girlfriend’s father (whom he never met) and blends the vivacity of the post-bop and the distinctive aesthetics of the Indian ragas. Anderson’s tone is particularly attractive here, and his off-kilter hooks enhance the already coloristic instrumentation.

The bandleader cooks another great solo on alto on the closing “Trance-like”, discharging sequences of notes that show his propensity for combining inside and outside playing. As a product of emotional inspiration, the piece feels inebriant, lifted up by the exotic sounds of the sitar and tabla.

“Mantra” is pure jazz-fusion anchored in a deft groove, departing from a funky slogan repeated by Fender Rhodes and sax. Emboldened by the presence of Deep Singh’s tabla, the band navigates chord changes with forceful impulsivity, also revealing high levels of proficiency in the art of rhythm.

Melting Pot provides memorable songs that I plan to revisit many more times. Anderson transpires integrity and versatility in a refreshing, concise work whose energizing aural vibe is also disseminated by his kindred accompanists.

Favorite Tracks:

03 - Immigrant Suite: A Candle For Isaac ► 04 - Mantra ► 05 - Trance-like

Meg Okura - Ima Ima

May 9, 2018

Label: Self produced, 2018

Personnel - Meg Okura: violin, vocals, erhu; Tom Harrell: trumpet; Sam Newsome: soprano sax; Sam Sadigursky: bass clarinet, clarinet; Anne Drummond: flutes; Riza Printup: harp; Rez Abbasi: guitar; Brian Marsella: piano, electric piano; Pablo Aslan: bass; Jared Schonig: drums.

Japanese violinist Meg Okura records for the fourth time with her Pan-Asian Chamber Ensemble, this time having first-rate improvisers Rez Abbasi and Tom Harrell in the roster, guitarist and trumpeter, respectively. Containing seven original compositions, the album Ima Ima put on view her lucid musical vision as she explores material across the world-fusion spectrum. Thus, it’s more than common to hear timeless Eastern melodies running over contemporary jazz arrangements.

“Black Rain” is one of those cases, with the Japanese pentatonic scale integrating so well with the harmonic progression of the jazz classic “Invitation”. The inaugural Oriental enchantment that stems from violin, harp, and soprano, suddenly mutates to a bolero cadence that serves the individuality of pianist Brian Marsella.

“Ima”, meaning mom in Hebrew and now in Japanese, is a phenomenal opening. The beautiful piano/flute and harp/soprano combinations create cinematic tension throughout the introductory section, which is subsequently deviated to a waltzing route varnished with sporadic swinging segments. Sopranist Sam Newsome energizes his impromptu statement with literate swoops and rhythmic focus.

Brimming contemporary vibes, “A Summer in Jerusalem” displays Israeli sounds through the self-disciplined combination of Okura’s violin and Pablo Aslan’s bowed bass. Sam Sadigursky makes you tap your feet to the cadence by wielding a powerful deep-toned groove in seven. This steams up polychromatic keyboard attacks and punchy rhythmic accents that emerge from Jared Schonig’s roiling drumming. A chamber passage, vaguely resembling “Concierto de Aranjuez”, jumps at us before the discerning improvisations from Harrell, Abbasi, and Okura, who also colors with her vocal chants. Everything is so gentle and exciting at the same time. The complex structure still encompasses a vamp that brings back the trumpeter and the violinist to the spotlight before the reinstatement of that rousing, groovy theme.

“A Night Insomnia” is a sophisticated fusion feast. The band keeps groovin’ aplomb while embarking on a journey replete with smooth soul, funk, and ever-shifting rhythms that are constantly disrupted, just like the eight note figure that accompanies the song throughout. The violinist employs swift patterns and phrases to leap between registers, whereas Harrell swings and funks with a clever choice of notes. You’ll also hear improvisations from flute, bass clarinet, and soprano sax at the very end.

Reflective strings and woodwinds bring “Birth of Shakyamuni” to life. Sandwiched by moments of contrapuntal ostinato, Abbasi speeds up a concise yet highly articulated solo à-la Larry Coryell, contrasting with Sadigursky, whose tranquil melodies lead to a classy tango passage turned classical epic. The guitarist returns afterward for another supersonic intervention before a compelling flute incursion.

With the bandleader’s classically trained voice in evidence, “Blues in Jade” seems to explore the incorporeal. Conversely, “Tomiya” feels gleefully secular as it recreates the rhythm of a taiko drum ensemble. Elements of Japanese folk merge with jazz harmonies, shaping a gracious chamber jazz that lands on an uplifting Latinized vamp dominated by Harrell’s soloing aptitude.

Ms. Okura was able to create magical crossover soundscapes with intimacy and subtlety, resorting to a pure lyricism and fascinating collective passages that never put the homogeneity of the whole into question.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Ima ► 02 – A Night Insomnia ► 03 – A Night Insomnia

Erik Friedlander - Rings

August 17, 2016

Erik Friedlander: cello; Shoko Nagai: piano, accordion, electronics; Satoshi Takeishi: percussion.

Erik Friedlander is a multifaceted cellist and composer based in New York City who is not afraid of setting foot on different styles and moods. With last year’s “Oscalypso”, recorded with a sturdy quartet (Michael Blake, Trevor Dunn, and Michael Sarin), he made an incursion on pure bop territory with reinterpretations of nine emblematic compositions from the bassist Oscar Pettiford, a confessed influence. “Rings”, in turn, marks a welcoming return to a much more appealing creative freedom, mixing the incantations of the world music, the gallant tones of the modern classical, and the unexpectedness of the avant-garde jazz.
“The Seducer” is truly a seductive piece that sumptuously takes us to distant worlds through a fulfilling combination of weeping cello, conversational accordion, and the motivating percussion.
In the contemplative “Black Phebe” I can see a train of camels crossing the desert at the same tranquil pace this song moves. Provocatively playful, “A Single Eye” proves to be suitable for an animated movie. In turn, “Fracture” is an affectionate ballad that transpires sentiment, opposing to “Risky Business”, one of those festive tunes played at Oriental weddings.
There are a few atmospherically calm tunes that touch the abstract, and one of them, “Canoe”, gets eerie outlines with the addition of electronics. One is able to sing “Small Things”, a cantabile pop tune driven by Friedlander’s plucking cello and filled with Nagai’s melodious accordion. Great is the levitating aura of “Flycatcher”, which features a great cello work by Friedlander peppered by Takeishi’s contagious rhythms, and the rapturous sounds of Nagai, who stands out with a terrific unaccompanied piano solo.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – The Seducer ► 02 – Black Phebe ► 11 – Flycatcher