Trygve Seim / Frode Haltli - Our Time

August 29, 2024

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - Trygve Seim: tenor and soprano saxophone; Frode Haltli: accordion.

Effortlessly navigating between folk-inspired melodies and open drift, the Norwegian duo of saxophonist Trygve Seim and accordionist Frode Haltli returns with Our Time, their second collaborative release following their 2008 debut Yeraz. The duo exhibits a sharp-eared empathy for diverse, world-inspired sounds, infusing each track with unique energy and churning detail, all while maintaining their characteristically lyrical approach.

This distinctive synergy is apparent from the outset. Haltli’s “Du, Mi Tid” plunges into a folk-ambient soundscape, exuding transcendent beauty. The delicate saxophone lines soar over shimmering layers of accordion, a design that continues on “Improvisation No. 1/Fanfare”, where the duo evokes distant worlds through a blend of cries and whispers. A buzzing, cyclical pattern leads to the pure melody of Seim’s “Fanfare”, a piece emotionally heightened by the musicians’ deeply felt intonation.

Seim’s “Arabian Tango” is delivered with fervent passion, while the traditional Ukrainian lullaby “Oy Khodyt Son, Kolo Vikon” serves as a soothing balm, flowing graciously as upper register soprano melodies spool out leisurely. The duo arranged this piece with the harpist Ruth Potter, a member of the Trondheim Symphonic Orchestra.

The album takes a detour into North Indian folk with “Improvisation No. 2/Shyama Sundara Madana Mohana”, yet it’s the brief, free take on Stravinsky’s “Le Cinq Doigts No. 5” that stands out. Here, modern classical elements are transformed into a philosophical dialogue, further intensified in “Improvisation No. 4”, where it grows dramatically interesting. Haltli’s rippling, enigmatic accompaniment in this piece has the power to transport listeners to another realm. The album closes with “Elegi”, a mournful chant delivered with deep-seated melancholy.

Having played together for nearly a quarter of a century, Seim and Haltli’s deep musical connection is evident in their well-versed exploration of texture and melody. Our Time is a work that may leave some purists of sound sighing with pleasure, a testament to the depth of their artistic expression.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Du, Mi Tid ► 02 - Improvisation No. 1 / Fanfare ► 07 - Improvisation No. 4 / Les Cinq Doigts No. 5

Fred Hersch - Silent, Listening

April 16, 2024

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - Fred Hersch: piano.

Pianist and composer Fred Hersch, a 17-time Grammy nominee with collaborations alongside jazz legends like Art Framer and Gary Burton, possesses a unique ability to emphasize beautiful melodies within sophisticated harmonizations as well as explore uncharted territory in the moment. These qualities are on full display in Silent, Listening, an introspective solo album that reasserts his stature as a prime pianist with a broad artistic vision.

Presenting brilliantly crafted nocturnals, the set begins with Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn’s “Star-Crossed Lovers”, whose narrative process involves poignancy, reflection, and exquisite beauty. Hersch’s original compositions, like “Night Delight” and “Akrasia”, are equally captivating, where something is always transpiring, even in the quietest of the moments. The former, hazy and secretive, immerses us in a baffling, inconclusive dream, while the latter dreams up mysterious shadows, with Hersh anchoring austere pulsations on the lower register while coloring bucolic impressionistic landscapes several steps higher in pitch.

Breaking away from convention, the pianist explores new realms and finds new spaces on openly improvised numbers like “Aeon”, where he traverses the keyboard to express intriguing findings, and “Volon”, whose prevailing stillness is interrupted by sudden bursts of movement. On the other hand, “Little Song”, originally written for his duo collaboration with Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava, introduces a palpable rhythm and harmony into a streamlined musical form.

The music continues to soar with inspired renditions of Sigmund Romberg’s “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise”, which Hersch immediately associates with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and Alec Wilder’s haunting ballad “Winter of My Discontent”. This is where the most straightforward lyricism touches the soul.

Hersch always evokes sincerity and emotion with his piano playing, and Silent, Listening is one of his most worthy solo albums in recent years.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Star-Crossed Lovers ► 03 - Akrasia ► 11 - Winter of My Discontent

Vijay Iyer - Compassion

February 26, 2024

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - Vijay Iyer: piano; Linda May Han Oh: double bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

Revolutionary pianist Vijay Iyer reunites with bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, making their second appearance with Compassion, the knockout follow-up to their debut album, Uneasy (ECM, 2021). The trio, denoting a remarkable maturity, presents 12 tracks, including nine originals and three covers.

The album opens with the mesmerizing title track, “Compassion”, characterized by a modern creative gloss and a captivating equilibrium. Soft cymbal rubs and gentle snare pressure set the tone, gradually building alongside subdued bass and poignant pianism, evoking a vast harmonic landscape of emotional depth. “Arch”, dedicated to the anti-apartheid South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, follows suit with a piano figure and poised rhythmic matrix.

“Maelstrom” is a stunning composition rooted in classical protocols yet infused with a forward-thinking jazz feel. Expertly played, it features Iyer’s percussive attack on the lower register at some point, giving it a rock-solid danceability. “Tempest” is wild and metrically challenging, oozing an indomitable energy as the group navigates chord clusters and expresses fleet thoughts in the form of pivotal notes and screwy lines. Both pieces pay homage to the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Iyer drew inspiration from Chicago poet Eve L. Ewing on two selections, namely, the epic “Where I Am”, forging ahead with a robust rhythm and spartan fortitude, and “Ghostrumental”, driven by a nice pop/rock beat.

In addition to original compositions, the bandleader offers interpretations of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”, boosted by a kinetic three-time feel, Roscoe Mitchell’s “Nonaah”, a vivacious avant-jazz narrative with fragmentation and dilatation, and a mashup of John Stubblefield’s “Free Spirits” and Geri Allen’s “The Drummer’s Song”.

In the hands of these visionary musicians, jazz remains elegant and transformative. Iyer has proven time and time again that he explores deep, with imagination. Compassion confirms his special talents, echoing with an easy-on-the-ear sophistication.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Compassion ► 02 - Arch ► 04 - Maelstrom ► 06 - Tempest

John Surman - Words Unspoken

February 22, 2024

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - John Surman: soprano and baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Rob Luft: guitar; Rob Waring: vibraphone; Thomas Stronen: drums.

English multi-reedist John Surman makes a captivating return with this quartet album, Words Unspoken, featuring bandmates guitarist Rob Luft, vibraphonist Rob Waring, and Norwegian drummer Thomas Stronen. The title aptly reflects the group’s approach to music, and the words intuition and illumination come to mind whenever the pragmatic harmonic circularity of Surman’s modal pieces is on display as well as the outstanding improvisational prowess of all band members.

There’s an ancient allure in this music that compels listeners to search as they navigate vivid sonic landscapes, both real and imaginary. The timbral hues are varied, and “Pebble Dance” sets the stage with its intriguing blend of vibraphone dexterity, ambient guitar chords, and delicately brushed drums, establishing a hypnotic groove in 5/4 tempo. Surman shines brightly in a magnificent soprano saxophone solo, showcasing freedom, speed, and agility. The touching title track, “Words Unspoken”, discloses a more introspective side, as Surman delivers emotive baritone saxophone melodies against a backdrop of gently spinning celestial particles.

“Flower in Aspic” kicks off with reverb-drenched guitar, echoing with grace while having all musicians sharing an intrinsic connection with stability and resolution. “Around the Edges” exudes a mysterious aura, inviting us to unlock a forgotten dimension. The folksy “Onich Ceilidh” dances with exhilarating waltzing movements, having Stronen’s understated clutter enhancing the irresistible textural spell of the rhythm section.

Both “Belay That” and “Hawksmoor”, melodically anchored by Surman’s bass clarinet, offer a departure from the prevalent modal mood. The former denotes magnetic jazzy and bluesy inclinations, while the latter shows off a playful theme marked by staccato accents and a swinging cultivation underneath.

The album’s perfect blend of sounds manifests Surman’s consummate musicality and artistic vision. Words Unspoken is another winning album in a catalog full of them.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pebble Dance ► 02 - Words Unspoken ► 08 - Belay That

Maciej Obara Quartet - Frozen Silence

September 20, 2023

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Maciej Obara: alto saxophone; Dominik Wania: piano; Ole Morten Vagan: bass; Gard Nilssen: drums.

Polish saxophonist and composer Maciej Obara released Frozen Silence, featuring his working quartet with fellow countryman Dominik Wania on piano, and a Norwegian rhythm team consisting of Ole Morten Vagan on bass and Gard Nilssen on drums. Obara, known for his adaptability, is also a member of the drummer’s Supersonic Orchestra, but the propulsive energy and buoyant spirit of that ensemble contrast with what you'll experience with this third album for ECM. Written during the pandemic, these compositions have a direct relationship with nature and isolation, exposing the introspective side of the composer.

Bathed in contemplative expression, “Dry Montain” shimmers into the atmosphere with crystalline prose and profound intimacy. Finding space, the instrumentalists contribute beautifully to the whole, but it’s Obara's intonation and racing phrases that stand out, sometimes evoking the spirit of Charles Lloyd.

However, he acknowledges some inspiration from trumpeter Bill Dixon on “Black Cauldron”, a disconsolate chimera that pairs well with the rubato reflection of “High Stone”. There’s deep drama, even melancholy, in Obara’s music, yet “Twilight” finds hopeful rays of light in the dusky landscape. Immersed in a luxurious repose, the piece is enhanced by Nilssen’s excellent mallet drumming.

The title track, “Frozen Silence”, stands as one of the album’s glorious achievements. It’s set in motion with a dancing bass figure around which everything else revolves and gravitates. Wania speaks hybrid idioms - made of folk and jazz elements - with extraordinary clarity, and introduces “Rainbow Leaves” with a classical touch, after which a glaring 4/4 rhythm is established with the help of the remaining members of the rhythm section. The dynamics shift along the way, building toward its creative peak and then receding again to reinstate the early composure. This latter piece was co-written with pianist Nikola Kolodziejczyk.
Hardly revolutionary, Obara’s new album has moments of transcendent beauty, showcasing remarkable interplay.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Dry Mountain ► 03 - Frozen Silence ► 05 - Rainbow Leaves

Dominic Miller - Vagabond

May 16, 2023

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Dominic Miller: guitar; Jacob Karlzon: piano, keyboard; Nicolas Fiszman; bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums.

Argentine-born guitarist Dominic Miller is best known for his work with Sting. He’s an even-tempered musician with a firm yet understated voice who mostly opts for solo and duo sessions. Nonetheless, in this recording he leads a quartet with two new faces in the lineup, namely Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon and the sought-after Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz, who demonstrated rhythmic abilities in the trios of Christopher Irniger and Shai Maestro, as well as in a couple of outings from saxophonist Oded Tzur. Rounding out the group is bassist Nicolas Fiszman, a recurring collaborator.

The music on Vagabond - titled after John Masefield’s poem - is soft on the ear and appeasing to the soul and mind. The opening title, “All Change”, is an open-ended cycle with an impressionistic underpinning, whereas “Cruel But Fair” is a brushed pop ballad soaked in Sting fashion. This precedes the rubato “Open Heart”, a cozy sonic space for reflection and where a world-inspired placidity reinforces the high levels of intimacy.

The ensemble is meticulous in crafting late-night slow dances and “Clandestin” glistens with a delicate pulsing quality and graceful funk demeanor. It might seem restricted to a bass pedal and undeviating percussion, but that’s not necessarily an obstruction to freedom. Moreover, it’s cuddled with nice linguistic observations by Karlzon. “Mi Viejo”, composed for Miller's father, is a yearning solo guitar effort that anticipates the poignant closer “Lone Waltz”.
The easy listening offerings in Vagabond don’t transcend or frustrate.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - All Change ► 03 - Open Heart ► 08 - Lone Waltz

Bobo Stenson Trio - Sphere

March 14, 2023

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Bobo Stenson: piano; Anders Jormin: bass; Jon Fält: drums.

Sphere is another beautiful album by the 78-year-old Swedish pianist and composer Bobo Stenson who, with a unique style, brings his trio to new heights. The musicians involved in the project are Anders Jormin, a poetic bassist who has been accompanying him since the mid ‘80s, and Jon Fält, a sensitive drummer who first joined them in 2008 for the album Cantando (ECM).

Per Nørgård’s “You Shall Plant a Tree” opens and closes the album with two different versions, immersing us in a vast sea of tranquility and deep feelings. The second track, “Unquestioned Answer”, is in memory of the modernist American composer Charles Ives, taking the same title as one of his unusual musical works. It’s a spacious Stenson piece shrouded in mystery and restraint where the trio explores emotional atmospheres with occasional abstract scraps and loose threads.

The rubato dramatics of “Spring”, a classical composition by Sven-Erik Bäck, contrast with the palpable terrain offered by “Kingdom of Coldness”, one of the most bewitching cuts on the album. The latter was penned by Jormin, who makes a good use of the arco to define a circular ostinato; Fält creates an irregular stream through hair-raising cymbal scratches and brushed skins; and Stenson is as lucid and sensitive as ever in his melodic candor.

Stenson, who played with legendary saxophonists Charles Lloyd and Jan Garbarek as well as with trumpeters Don Cherry and Tomasz Stanko, doesn’t hide the classical intonation on Bäck’s “Communion Psalm”, touching our souls with an introspective sense of freedom. His superlative melodies are even more intense on the exquisite “The Red Flower”, on which the bassist and the drummer build a subtle, stably rooted foundation.

The immense beauty of Sibelius’ “Valsette Op 40 No. 1” is possible due to the extraordinary cohesiveness of a one-of-a-kind trio that knows how to navigate spaces with both tantalizing vagueness and conscious direction. Virtuosity lives here with no need to show it off.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Kingdom of Coldness ► 06 - The Red Flower ► 08 - Valsette Op 40 No. 1

John Scofield - John Scofield

May 5, 2022

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - John Scofield: electric guitar, looper.

John Scofield, a glorious guitarist with a slightly twisty guitar sound and a language that often comes adorned with elements of funk, country and rock, has all the reasons to feel jubilant about his new recording. That's because this self-titled album is his first solo effort in a career spanning over half a century.

The chosen repertoire - five originals and eight covers - heralds new sonic directions (including traditional and rock n’roll songs), and the guitarist works his grooves and ambiences to great effect while adding some understated electronic manipulation. The recording initiates with Keith Jarrett’s “Coral”, whose relaxed 4/4 step includes an early overdubbed solo. The following step is a reworking of “Honest I Do”, an original collected out of his Grace Under Pressure album (Blue Note, 1992). Other standout tunes from Scofield’s pen are the cool “Elder Dance”, where he swings unabashedly with jazz n’ bluesy solos and opportune octave inflections; “Mrs. Scofield’s Waltz”, a lovable, gentle piece which first appeared on the superlative album Works For Me (Verve, 2000) with Brad Mehldau; and the fusion-laced “Trance De Jour”.

Both “Danny Boy”, a country/Americana folding whose soloing section is backed by loop waves, and “Junco Partner”, a 16-bar blues from Louisiana, are traditional numbers that show his love for American roots music. However, two of the most stirring cuts are interpretations of standards: “It Could Happen to You” and “There Will Never Be Another You” demonstrate Scofields’s unerring instinct to put his own soulful stamp in the traditional jazz language. Besides the marvelous improvisation, he spices up the former piece’s theme with nice glissandi, and finishes the latter with an awesome quirky chord. Conversely, “My Old Flame” doesn’t have the same impact as the other two.

The reading of Buddy Holly’s rockabilly number “Not Fade Away” comes etched with Americana inscriptions and round bending notes. Here, Scofield experiments a bit more with the sound, infusing muffled bass notes and cyclic funkified electronics. The record closes out with Hank Williams’ “You Win Again”, a leisure walk through the serene prairies of country music. With all these songs serving as a catalyst for the electric hooks and phraseology of the guitarist, this is a sweeping album with a wide range of flavors.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - It Could Happen to You ► 06 - Mrs. Scofield’s Waltz ► 08 - There Will Never Be Another You

Mark Turner - Return From the Stars

March 24, 2022

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Jason Palmer: trumpet; Joe Martin: bass; Jonathan Pinson: drums.

With Return From the Stars, the resourceful saxophonist Mark Turner returns to his own quartet, eight years after Lathe of Heaven (ECM, 2014). There were two alterations in the lineup, with the young trumpeter Jason Palmer replacing Avishai Cohen and the drummer Jonathan Pinson grabbing the chair that belonged to Marcus Gilmore. Rounding out the group is bassist Joe Martin, who remains as one of the rhythm section’s pillars.

Eschewing any type of conformism in his compositional strategy, the bandleader’s employment of a chord-less ensemble taps into his musical intentions. He named the album, and its magnificent opening track, after Stanislav Lem’s sci-fi novel of the same name, whose topics fall into social alienation and dystopia. The thematically strong title cut has saxophone and trumpet working in conjunction, and launches the improvisations with Martin, who never lets go of the groove. After him, working over blowing changes in triple meter, there is a scintillating dialogue between Turner and Palmer. The saxist, vibrant in tone, blows with an extraordinary sense of phrasing, while the trumpeter articulates notes with admirable precision.

A couple of cuts imply some discontentment with the current state of the world. One example is “It’s Not Alright With Me”, where inventive tenor diagonals cut across several choruses in full force. “Unacceptable” is another one, which, after being accented with inspired phrases in the head, shows horn-driven discipline during the 13-beat cycle (the same that gets the piece off the ground) that separates Turner’s combustible solo from the patiently built narrative of Palmer.

Following the intriguing Shorter-esque “Terminus”, which fluidly shifts between moods, texture and tempo, there’s the brightly shine of “Bridgetown”, a nearly anthemic Afro-Caribbean-flavored piece delivered with a pompous glory. “Nigeria II” is an uptempo bop-inflected workout that swings and dances with unhesitant, nimble steps, whereas “Waste Land” sounds like a chamber piece in which the ensemble interacts with a spacey kinship. The intensity swells underneath via Pinson’s chop-infused drumming, which is considerably mitigated during the sculptural “Lincoln Heights”, a temperate 3/4 consolidation of jazz and pop/rock. Rest assured that all eight pieces on this album reveal high levels of musicianship, maturity and chemistry.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Terminus ► 05 - Nigeria II ► 07 - Unacceptable

Kit Downes - Vermillion

February 8, 2022

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Kit Downes: piano; Petter Eldh: double bass; James Maddren: drums.

The British pianist and composer Kit Downes returns to the trio format and delivers a set of low-key musings in the company of musical cohorts Petter Eldh and James Maddren, bassist and drummer respectively. These musicians have played together several times in different contexts, but only once in trio, under the name of Enemy (Edition Records, 2018). In a similar way of the album I just pointed out, the new Vermillion, comprises originals by Downes and Eldh (five by each) but with the particularity of culminating with an abstract rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand”, where the band rocks to some degree over the circular harmonic movement that marks its final portion.

The opening piece, “Minus Monks” is elegantly stated by a trio in profound consonance with the sounds they envisioned for this work. Akin to the latter, the two following numbers, “Sister, Sister” and “Seceda”, were penned by Downes. The former, underpinned by restless brushwork, pulls out a contemporary folk feel from the melody that shapes it, whereas the latter is a beautiful impressionistic waltz that, even swinging gently with a Bill Evans type of lyricism atop, might have sprung from the imagination of Debussy.

Elhd’s compositions possess the same essential nature than those by Downes, but bring a bit more rhythmic bait to them. They both find elemental means to construct narratives that are at once rooted in tradition and forward-looking. Examples are “Plus Puls”, which, guided by confident bass lines, has Downes working closer to his backers before finishing it solo; “Sandlands”, which, effortlessly shifting meters, conjures up some Chick Corea’s lively vibes; and “Waders”, which is firmly backed in rhythmic detail.

Although lacking punchy moments, the music is technically well executed and searches in its own way, tending to shed further sparkle with repeated listens. A very homogeneous body of work.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Sister, Sister ► 03 - Seceda ► 06 - Sandlands

Avishai Cohen - Naked Truth

February 3, 2022

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Yonathan Avishai: piano; Barak Mori: bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums.

Picking out the quartet format, the Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen puts out Naked Truth, a much quieter follow up to the electronic-tinged Big Vicious, released on the ECM Records in 2020. Here, and just like happened on his masterpiece Cross My Palm With Silver (ECM, 2017), he teams up with pianist Yonathan Avishai and bassist Barak Mori. The exception is Ziv Ravitz, who holds the drum chair once occupied by Nasheet Waits. These are musicians with whom he has struck an excellent rapport through several years of collaboration.

The nine chapters of this suite put on display the sleek style of a trumpeter whose imperturbable sense of phrasing wraps around the listener since “Part I”, where he seeks a beautiful communion with Mori, until the last track, “Departure”, whose poem by Israeli writer Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (read by Cohen) is set against a combination of majestic piano chords, bass lyricism, and sculptural brushwork.

Flowing in nine, “Part II” initially bears the motif that started all the compositional process for this album, and there are bright trumpet melodies shining over arpeggiated piano sequences. In turn, affecting harmony leads to the sheer magnificence of classical realms on “Part III”, whereas on “Part IV”, the emotion hangs in the spaces left unfilled. Subtlety and introspective musing transpire in Ravitz’ drumming.

If “Part V” takes the form of a pastoral reflection, then “Part VII” emerges through a fine blend of spiritual modal-sounding jazz and pop melody reminiscent of The Beatles. Don’t expect a groove-laden recording; this is rather a program that focuses on spontaneous lyrical playing and understated rhythmic settings. The music of Cohen and his peers is inviting, and you won’t regret being transported to a musical world all their own.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Part II ► 03 - Part III ► 04 - Part IV

Craig Taborn - Shadow Plays

October 21, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Craig Taborn: piano.

Extremely skilled in the way he explores his instrument, the modern creative pianist Craig Taborn involves us in a drape of sounds and textures that range from literate to empowering and from rigorous to freewheeling.

Fully improvised and recorded live, his second ECM solo piano effort, Shadow Plays, starts with the 17-minute “Bird Templars”, where an ostinato-driven flux coalesces with deliberate bass notes, implying, by turns, electronic music build-ups, modern classical streams and pop music progressions. Avoiding to clutter the music by carefully weighing every element, Taborn remains wedded to music in all its forms, exploring calm waves and juxtaposed rhythms with the same dedicated passion.

“Conspiracy of Things” evolves expeditiously, presenting a different kind of swing that only visionary pianists can achieve. In “A Code With Spells”, he lets the power of the harmony shine through, exploring several patterns with odd meter, while on “Shadow Play”, the epic tones at the very beginning twist into heavy, maniac dollops of fierce energy before forming an amazing map of sounds that engulf dancing folk lines, asymmetric groove and repetition of ideas.

If the sonic games of “Discordia Concors” and “Concordia Discors” can be tricky to follow in their expansions, contractions, convergences and divergences, then the concluding “Now in Hope” wraps up every tension, whether by waltzing with a delicate melody or flowing rubato with amiable temper. It sounds very jazzy in both cases.

This recording illustrates what Taborn is capable of when his extravagant imagination comes alive. The more you revisit it, the more you take pleasure from what’s being offered.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Conspiracy of Things ► 06 - Shadow Play ► 07 - Now in Hope

Enrico Rava - Edizione Speciale

October 14, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Enrico Rava: trumpet, flugelhorn; Francesco Bearzatti: tenor saxophone; Giovanni Guidi: piano; Francesco Diodati: guitar; Gabriele Evangelista: double bass; Enrico Morello: drums.

Enrico Rava ranks high among the contemporary trumpeters/composers of the past five decades. He has been lauded for an incredible facility to incorporate jazz tradition and avant-garde liberties in his very personal music. This new ECM outing, recorded live two years ago at the Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp with an Italian sextet of talented musicians, shows his outstanding versatility through music that forges ahead with personality and style.

Rava’s “Infant”, the most fascinating number on Edizione Speciale, develops with a manic glee, starting with rhythmic accentuation in the melody and gorgeously synced movements. The outstanding guitar dissonances heard after the theme statement are infused with bright harmonics and foreboding noise, catching the attention. The mood recalls the spontaneity of one of my favorite albums of all times - The Pilgrim and the Stars (ECM, 1975), which featured Rava alongside American guitarist John Abercrombie and the Nordic rhythm section of Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. The squalling guitar playing of Francesco Diodati continues after Giovanni Guidi’s piano whirls, which usually crash in the lower registers with indomitable energy, and the improvisations succeed one after another, with bassist Gabriele Evangelista, saxophonist Francesco Bearzatti, and Rava, who concludes the section with a mix of angularity and feathery etherealness.

A pair of tracks combine two different tunes. One of them takes us from “Once Upon a Summertime”, originally a French ballad composed by Michel Legrand, to the medium-fast tempo that characterizes Rava’s 1996 piece “Theme For Jessica Tatum”, in which the improvisations stretch for a bit too long. The other one starts off with the very Italian melody of “Le Solite Cose”, which leads to “Diva”, a post-bop piece where Rava applies all the color and amplitude at his disposal. He repeats the feat on the popular Cuban song “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás”, during which both the group and the audience seem to have had so much fun.

Rounding out the track list, we have “Wild Dance”, which prematurely fuses melancholy nostalgia and contemplative spirituality before reaching an ambiguous, noisy nebulae in its effect-drenched sonic cosmos; and “The Fearless Five”, another old tune (first recorded in 1978 with trombonist Roswell Rudd in the lineup) that, featuring an animated trumpet/sax duel, brings into the fold elements of disparate forebears such as Andrew Hill, Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Infant ► 04 - The Fearless Five ► 05 - Le Solite Cose / Diva

Marcin Wasilewski Trio - En Attendant

September 29, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums.

This accomplished Polish trio led by Marcin Wasilewski, a sensitive pianist who favors clarity of touch, got known for its improvisational facility and strong sense of resolution. Their new album, En Attendant (the seventh on the ECM Records) comprises a tripartite improvised piece, one original by the pianist, and personal renditions of disparate compositions by Carla Bley, The Doors and J.S. Bach.

Lasting between six and seven minutes, the three parts of “In Motion” are lyrically conceived. The first part is shaped with pulchritudinous melodic and harmonic contours, whereas the second, more percussive and peacefully atmospheric, reveals lovely timbral shades as a result of the communication between the pianist and the two excellent players at the foundation - the bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and the drummer Michal Miskiewicz. The Part III, enhancing the charms of the piano and bass deliveries, allows the delicate cymbal washes of the drummer to become salient before the trio sports its more explorative side.

Both Wasilewski’s “Glimmer of Hope” and Carla Bley’s “Vashkar” are revisited here, appearing as heartfelt horn-less manifestations after having been included on last year’s album Arctic Riff with Joe Lovano. If the former is initially guided by the vaunted brushwork of Miskiewicz, the latter piece includes a transparent bass solo and a more eloquent piano statement that never spins out of control.

The versatility of the trio allows them to cull songs from different genres in order to enrich their repertoire. The classical minor-tinged ideals of Bach are heard on “Goldberg Variation no. 25”, a ballad carrying a deep sense of sadness and loss that the trio navigates with a feel of their own. There’s also The Doors’ pop/rock classic “Riders on the Storm”, a serious candidate to the best track on the album, in which an elegant jazzistic approach and warmly burnished groove give it a special note.

En Attendant attests Wasilewski’s ability to make honest, breathy music that is a balm for the ears.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - In Motion (Part II) ► 05 - Glimmer of Hope ► 06 - Riders on the Storm

Andrew Cyrille Quartet - The News

August 19, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Bill Frisell: guitar; David Virelles: piano, synth; Ben Street: double bass; Andrew Cyrille: drums.

The News, the second platter offered by a quartet led by accomplished drummer/composer Andrew Cyrille, encompasses different flavors and spices that should be tried. There's one change in the group's lineup with the addition of Cuban pianist David Virelles, a logical replacement for the late Richard Teitelbaum, who died last year at the age of 80. Virelles had never played with guitarist Bill Frisell before but had enlisted Cyrille and bassist Ben Street to support him on his 2012 album Continuum.

The album opens with the imperturbable composure of Bill Frisell’s “Mountain”, which brings a sheen-polished dose of Americana to the table. Virelles opts for a deep and dark sonority here, but not on “Leaving East of Java”, a piece by pianist Adegoke Steve Colson where his adventuresome choices include an instinctive Latin tinge and a captivating avant-jazz nimbleness. The tune, previously tackled by Cyrille in the company of his Trio 3 partners - saxist Oliver Lake and bassist Reggie Workman - starts with a long intro before entering in that soft groove that gradually increases in speed while inviting to improvisation.

In addition to the album's aforementioned opener, Frisell contributes two other pieces: “Go Happy Lucky”, a blues where his mellow guitar licks go beautifully with the piano accompaniment that emerges from the low register, and “Baby”, whose genuine sense of bonhomie makes us rest in a clear sea of tranquility. At this spot, Cyrille’s just-right brushwork shows how poetically expressive his art form can be.

The bandleader encourages interpretive freedom with “The News”, an electronic-fueled avant-garde piece he wrote that favors collective interaction, and also “Dance of the Nuances”, in which he shared compositional efforts with Virelles, straddling genres through an amalgam of elements drawn from ambient, avant-garde, experimental and electronic music.

I couldn’t leave Virelles’ “Incienso” without a mention because those poignant piano chords laid over a sensuous rhythm caught my ear immediately. Not only the interplay between Frisell and Virelles provides a wider, often polyphonic scope, but also Street’s sense of restraint and Cyrille’s impeccable rhythmic embellishments become preponderant so that everything sounds pleasantly organic as it is.

Cyrille’s specialty was always free and avant-garde jazz but this quartet opens further possibilities, making his musical menu diversified. It’s also a perfect fit for the known ECM sound.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Go Happy Lucky ► 06 - Baby ► 07 - Dance of the Nuances

Stephan Micus - Winter's End

June 16, 2021

Label: ECM Records

Personnel - Stephan Micus: 12-string guitar, chikulo, sinding, nohkan, nay, charango, sattar, suling, kalimba, tongue drum, Tibetan cymbals, vocals

Winter’s End, the 26th solo album from German multi-instrumentalist Stephan Micus on ECM was mounted with 11 instruments from 10 countries and impeccable vocal layers.

“Autumn Hymn” fuses the heaven and earth through an ethnic dance that incorporates the nohkan, a traverse Japanese bamboo flute that darts and weaves over droning throbs and clicking noises of a trio of chikulos, a bass xylophone from Mozambique.

On the first page of the CD booklet we read the following quote from the Japanese poet Murakami Kijo: “Although there is the road, the child walks in the snow”. Inspired by it, Micus delivers both “Walking in Snow” and “Walking in Sand” in a 12-string guitar that oozes kindness, poignancy and a quiet vibration that is complemented with occasional harmonics.

Whether “A New Light” probes eastern chamber tones thanks to the sattar sounds (a long necked bowed instrument used by the Uigurs, a Turkman people from Western China), “Oh Chikulo” builds its nomadic narrative with deeper percussive sounds, employing four chikulos for the effect. This last instrument is also at the base of “Black Mother”, which admits clever modulation and a tuneful choral of 11multi-pitched voices recorded by Micus. He takes his singing gift even further on the beautiful “The Longing of the Migrant Birds”, whose dancing rhythm and spellbinding 14 layers of voice take us into a spiritual journey from Europe to Africa.

With expressive melancholy, “Southern Stars” drops passionate, romantic vibes emitted by four charangos (a small Andean stringed instrument), five sulings (Indonesian bamboo ring flute), one sinding (West African harp) and two nays (ancient Egyptian hollow flute).

This album, in all its simplicity and beauty, might not surpass its two predecessors - Inland Sea (2017) and White Night (2019) - but Micus’ harmonious and rhythmic qualities are found intact.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Walking in Snow ► 03 - The Longing of the Migrant Birds ► 11 - Walking in Sand

Sinikka Langeland - Wolf Rune

June 9, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Sinikka Langeland: kantele, vocals.

I’m completely captivated by the entrancing, meditative music of the Norwegian folksinger and kantele player Sinikka Langeland. Having collaborated with known jazz personalities in the past - including the bassist Anders Jormin, trumpeter Arve Henriksen and saxophonist Trygve Seim - Langeland goes solo on Wolf Rune, her sixth outing on the ECM Records.

Here, she plays three different kantele instruments (a zither-family table-harp with rich tones), being more rooted in the incantatory and poetic tales of the Finnskogen folklore tradition than in jazz. Yet, a contemporary feel inundates these 12 tracks made of rune songs, folk hymns and dances, and mystic religious chants. Each of them works its own magic, generating a marvel of sounds that search for the elemental beauty in nature.

Langeland’s impeccable voice and the special 39-string concert kantele can be heard on the hypnotic “Row My Ocean”, in which she sings a text by contemporary Norwegian poet/playwright Jon Fosse; the tranquil “The Eye of the Blue Whale”, whose active low notes sustain the glowing upper sweeps and her own lyrics; “When I Was a Forest”, a mysterious and liturgical chant articulated with the words of the 13th-century mystic/philosopher Meister Eckhart; and “Don’t Come to Me With the Entire Truth”, where the 1961 poem of the same name by Olav H. Hauge soars above the bucolic nature of the music.

On the stunning “Winter Rune”, Langeland adds the 5-string kantele to the concert one, making a case for an ambient spaciousness that develops into occasional abstract textures that she sculpts (briefly using the bow) and molds with quill-plucked grace. When her voice is embedded in the last section, it comes with a pleasurably shivering sensation.

Configured like a lullaby-ish folk pop tune, the traditional “Polsdance From Finnskogen” merges the ancient and the contemporary, while “The Girl in the Headlands” is a trollspringar (Norwegian folk dance) carrying grace and emotion. The record ends with the title cut, a 1808 rune song wrapped in mythology and mysticism.

Conjuring incantatory landscapes and moods, this is a record of immense beauty that touches the heart and quiets the mind.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Row My Ocean ► 08 - Winter Rune ► 10 - The Girl in the Headlands

Nik Bartsch - Entendre

March 18, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Nik Bartsch: piano

Recording solo for the first time in 20 years, Swiss pianist/composer Nik Bartsch has here a wonderful return to his much appreciated modular pieces, which are no more, and no less than functional templates where minimal, repetitive elements are assembled in a ritualistic exploration.

A groovy framework emerges right away on the opener, “Modul 58_12”, a conjunction of two pieces previously and separately recorded with his groups Ronin and Mobile. An obsessive note is contextualized by the consistent left-hand harmonic underpinning, which later morphs into a frantic motion. At that stage, there’s a slowly-built melody coming out of his right hand, carving out an impromptu lyricism into the rhythmic structure. Some prepared piano playing contrasts in tone with dreamlike ambiances that are not averse to create suspense.

The architectural rigor in Bartsch’s sonic orbit is also found on “Modul 55”, whose sweepings across the strings of the piano push us into a stationary bubble of conscious rumination. The sound is more gracious than gloomy, and the scattered percussion gives the piece a special touch.

“Modul 26” was also tackled in the past by Ronin and Mobile, on the 2004 albums Rea and Aer, respectively. Its relentless variations find a favorable balance here through a sort of dancing choreography between harmony and melody.

Both excellent mood-shifters, “Modul 13” and “Modul 5” were retrieved from the 2002 solo album Hishiryo Piano Solo. The former boasts an airiness that becomes sequestered by mystery; the latter starts off with compulsive muted notes that lead to an undiminished hectic and near-mathematical propulsion framed with contemporary expressionism. Modern classical influences affiliate with this modernistic discipline.

With a penchant for timing and space, Bartsch makes you lean in to catch every pattern he plays. Entendre is a stirring listen.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Modul 58_12 ► 02 - Modul 55 ► 04 - Modul 13

Jakob Bro - Uma Elmo

February 5, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Jakob Bro: guitar; Arve Henriksen: trumpet; Jorge Rossy: drums.

The music of Danish jazz guitarist Jakob Bro has the ability of giving me inner peace, which is something that not every musician is apt to. His new ECM release, Uma Elmo, consists of nine pieces, old and new, that explore new avenues and create impressive atmospheres with quietly involving sounds and textures. Bro opts for the trumpet-guitar-drums format here, recording for the first time with the Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and the Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy. The album title refers to the middle names of his two children, with a newborn serving as inspiration as well as the current state of the world.

Having been included in the 2008 album The Stars Are All New Songs with the late Paul Motian, “Reconstructing a Dream” appears here surrounded by a crystalline aura, whose stillness veers from introspective to slightly brooding in the last segment. Bro’s fine loops are followed with minimal gestures by Rossy, whose playing invokes Motian, and the soaring lines of Henriksen, who also speaks clearly on the elegiac “To Stanko”, even when hushing, murmuring and crying. This piece, a dedication to the late trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, also involves classical-inspired guitar fingerpicking and understated percussion as part of its aesthetic concept.

Another dedication is “Music For Black Pigeons”, a piece written for the alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, with whom Bro used to have interesting conversations. Obeying to its own cadence, this number boasts a beautiful melody scattered throughout and a loose brushwork for a soft and fluid illumination.

Both “Beautiful Day” and “Slaraffenland” had been previously recorded, while “Morning Song” is a brand new mind-pacifier that sonically describes wide-open landscapes awakening for life. The trio seems to breathe in sync with the earth.

“Housework” is another great new composition. The group displays the same quietude and disposition for openness, circularity and immensity, but explores some different timbres, with the trumpeter emitting a droning vibration like a didgeridoo and the guitarist making a tasteful use of electronics and looped sequences.

Pronounced with an unshakeable serenity, Bro’s meditations are rich in both improvisation and discipline. An artistic enlightenment with so many small things to be appreciated. Like in life.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Reconstructing a Dream ► 02 - To Stanko ► 05 - Housework

Shai Maestro - Human

January 27, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Shai Maestro: piano; Jorge Roeder: bass; Ofri Nehemya: drums; Philip Dizack: trumpet.

The Israeli-born, Brooklyn-based pianist Shai Maestro appears on the ECM label for the second time as a leader with Human, an album featuring the same rhythmic foundation of his previous work - bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ofri Nehemya - plus the excellent trumpeter Philip Dizack, who brings further melodic possibilities to the table. With huge ears, the members of this quartet achieve top-notch levels of musicianship in the course of a cohesive narrative that consists of 10 Maestro originals and one jazz standard.

“Time” gets the show on the road like a liberation hymn with plenty of sophistication. Yet, it’s the mid-tempo waltz “Mystery and Illusions” that instantly grabs my attention with its amiable musical temperament and organic constitution. The dynamics are intensified, and the emotions flow naturally with the stirring piano and the lofty trumpet conjugating their sounds with tasteful poise.

Maestro is a fluent, well-rounded pianist with a soulful approach to musicality, and that transpires on the title cut, “Human”, a short but memorable number where he delves deep in harmonic resplendence. His signature lyricism is also patented on “GG”, a 3/4 composition containing melodically challenging routes to be delivered in unison with Dizack.

If “Hank and Charlie”, a tribute to the duo formed by pianist Hank Jones and bassist Charlie Haden, probes gentle balladry with an attractive, polished aesthetic, then a reading of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” gets a modern hip-hop-ish vibe. This version was partly influenced by multi-generational artists, the contemporary vibraphonist Joel Ross and the jazz giant who most popularized it, John Coltrane.

In “Prayer”, the fidgety drum work of Nehemya creates a fervent contrast with the calm acoustic surroundings. Having jazz, folk and ambient sounds coalescing together, as well as a mix of tradition and originality at its essence, Human is a record to revisit.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Mystery and Illusions ► 03 - Human ► 10 - In a Sentimental Mood