DINO SALUZZI - ALBORES (ECM Records, 2020)

Personnel - Dino Saluzzi: bandoneon.

The first time I heard Argentinean bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi was on Volver, a 1986 quintet record co-led with Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava. Recalling that moment, I was well impressed by the warm, wistful and nostalgic sounds explored. Albores, his first solo effort in 32 years, is predominantly taken by these strong emotional shades while traversing various themes with a delicate combination of quietness and expressiveness.

The mournful “Adios Maestro Kancheli”, a homage to the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, who died in 2019 at the age of 84, makes a good company to “Ausencias”, where it's easy to discern the harmonic and melodic richness of the instrument, and also to the inner soliloquy “Intimo”. Boasting an evocatively firm yet soft-at-the-edges intonation, Saluzzi has in “Segun Me Cuenta La Vida / Milonga” - a tango with equal portions of sadness and romanticism - and “Ficcion”, his most glowing pieces. Both were inspired by the work of Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges. There’s also “Don Caye”, a tender dedication to his father. Even in small doses, this music requires patience if you’re not in the right mood. [B-]

MARK SMALL - ONE DAY (Self released, 2020)

Personnel - Mark Small: tenor saxophone; Matt Brewer: double bass; Damion Reid: drums.

For his debut album as a leader, saxophonist Mark Small has gathered a trio that provides him an incredibly rhythmic support. One Day features eight original compositions written in the course of his busy musical life, probably when he was not touring with the singer Michael Bublé, occasionally performing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra or recording with Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society.

Small is heard unaccompanied in the intro of “Sonny”, a straight-ahead blues dedicated to one of his major influences, Sonny Rollins. The piece becomes inherently conversational from the moment that bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Reid start weaving a rock-solid net in the back.

Relaxedly brushed, “Tumbleweed” gets an extra layer with dubbed saxophone, whereas the ECM-inspired “The Charmer” reaches a strongly motivic disposition by displaying sax lines against a funkified rhythm.

Although the dynamic “Gee Zee” is authoritatively coordinated with bop articulation, the two last pieces on the album instantly had my fondness. The odd-metered “Conflict of Interest” flows like a burbling stream, while “Up”, an exciting sax/drums duet, concludes with loads of energy to burn. [B]

ALEX MOXON QUARTET (Self released, 2020)

Personnel - Alex Moxon - guitar; Steve Boudreau: piano; John Geggie: bass; Michel Delage: drums.

Guitarist Alex Moxon, a native of Ottawa, Canada, makes his debut as a leader in the company of fellow Ottawa players - pianist Steve Boudreau, bassist John Geggie, and drummer Michel Delage. Comprising seven originals and two covers, the album steps into several stylistic domains. If Woody Shaw’s strikingly vibrant “In a Capricorn Way” opens the album with a triple meter flow and a soul-inflected vibe that, calling Grant Green to mind, celebrates the birth of Moxon's son, then the solo version of Soundgarden’s poignant “Black Hole Sun” is layered with less enigmatic tones than the original, despite of an exciting final segment presented with impressive chordal work and harmonics. “Kaleidoscope” results from a seamless integration of smooth funk and post-bop; “Mining For Gold” is another solo effort that, by its design, takes us closer to the electro-pop universe; and pieces such as “Wood Chop” and “Scientology” revisit the hard-bop universe, shaping up in their own way. The record comes to a close with “Romantique”, a balladic serenade in five. Above all, Moxon demonstrates soulfulness while expressing his musical ideas. [B]

IRABAGON’S I DON’T HEAR NOTHIN’ BUT THE BLUES VOL. 3 (Irabbagast, 2020)

Personnel - Jon Irabagon: tenor saxophone; Mick Barr: guitar; Ava Mendoza: guitar; Mike Pride: drums.

The project I Didn’t Hear Nothing But the Blues, originally conceived as a duo by saxophonist Jon Irabagon and drummer Mike Pride, was progressively extended to trio and quartet formats on their subsequent editions. The third volume - Anatomical Snuffbox - features the twosome alongside boisterous guitarists Ava Mendoza and Mick Barr for a cathartic sonic mayhem that might sound atrocious for a day of headache, but liberating when you’re in those energy-bursting states that make you feel alive. Dedicated to Dutch bandleader Willem Breuker, this is a wild, unstoppable, 47-minute stretch of hyperactive activities walled in by a headstrong noisy envelope. In the course of swaggering cadences and circular trajectories of free improv, we hear the insurgent slaps, pops and howls poured out of Irabagon’s tenor, as well as Pride’s thumping percussion in prevalent disarray. The guitarists, while advocating a deliberate disharmony, help keeping the music on the edge. You can test your limits of noise endurance with this unrestrained extravagance meant for unshakable free jazzers. [B]

TIFFANY GOODE - TODAY WAS A GOODE DAY (Self released, 2020)

Personnel - Tiffany Goode: trumpet; Planet Vness: keys.

This record sonically depicts a day in the life of Richmond-born, Atlanta-based trumpeter/composer Tiffany Goode. With the jazz at the center, Ms. Goode invites us to other territories she explores with effortless spontaneity such as hip-hop, smooth funk and R&B. Whereas “Goode Morning” works as a motivator, offering layers of trumpet over a snare-driven rhythm, “Catch the Sun” has a nice, breezy flow with relaxing trumpet melodies crossing the harmonic roads paved by synth-generated wah-wah and percussion. The tune is about catching dreams. Both “Forward Movement” and “Movement One” feature Atlanta keyboardist Planet Vness, with the former piece flowing in three, and the latter inviting us to a chilled out yet confident atmosphere. It’s simple cool jazz washed by calm sonic waves. Far more produced are the hip-hop numbers, “Do It For a Dollar” and “Song 4 Jon”, where deep, booming beats mix with sedative, trance-like jazz lines. The title track also brings some glee to the table with a dash of funk. Although combining different styles and moods, the connection between the concise songs is evident. [B]

THE RUSSELL FORTUNATO PROJECT - 25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY (Self released, 2020)

Personnel - John Aruda: saxophone, ocarina, flutes, voice; Christophe Bilodeau: piano, flute, voice, percussion; Russell Fortunato: bass, voice; Michael Aiello: drums, percussion; Chris Anzalone: percussion, penny whistle.

The Boston project led by bassist Russell Fortunato celebrates 25 years with a record where they fluctuate between sound worlds and explore their edges.
Fortunato’s “Resting For Wrens” boasts a propulsive, epic theme later transfigured into a smoothly swinging tapestry for the saxophone solo. Aruda intertwines hard-bop and post-bop vocabularies with pragmatism, and there’s also a persuasive piano discourse as well. Substantiating this uncompromising post-bop affinity with some crossover appeal, Bilodeau’s “The Beginning and the End” flows at a 3/4 tempo, while the collective improvisations “Tale of Gwoh” and “Lost in Tibet” get closer to the percussive avant-garde craft of The Art Ensemble of Chicago. The former piece is populated by flutes and extricate bass lines; the latter, by a mysterious droning eloquence and vocals.
The grey atmosphere of “Lost But Not Forgotten” relies on elegiac melody-laden hooks, displaying a piano stretch over a bass pedal, and a brief dialogue between sax and piano over talkative snare drum routines. By contrast, the hummable “Regression” is based on a cyclic harmonic movement and ends somewhat abruptly with drums. An enjoyable ride. [B+]