Label: Sunnyside Records, 2021

Personnel - Helen Sung: piano; John Ellis: tenor and soprano saxophone, flute; David Wong: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums + Harlem Quartet - Ilmar Gavilan: violin; Melissa White: violin; Jaime Amador: viola; Felix Umansky: cello.

Although well seated in the jazz tradition, Helen Sung extends that predominant language in this new album by melding it with classical infusions and other elements. Here, she leads a core jazz quartet that includes saxophonist John Ellis, bassist David Wong and drummer Kendrick Scott, but her wild card is played with the beguiling airiness of string arrangements (performed by the Harlem Quartet) while giving life to three new compositions, revitalizing two originals from previous recordings, and celebrating women’s artistry by finding new sonic outfits for pieces by influential female jazz composers.

It’s “Feed the Fire”, a post-bop explosion penned by the late pianist Geri Allen, that opens up the album with the expedite rhythm section in great style. Ellis draws empathy with his tenor skills and there’s a round for the drummer.

Both “Coquette”, inspired by one of the three Romances by German pianist Clara Schumann, and “Elegy for the City”, dedicated to the human losses caused by the pandemic in New York City, were composed by Sung who put a classical spin on them. The former, takes us from a classical ballroom dancing to a Brazilian groove that invites Ellis’ flute to the spotlight; in turn, the latter piece joins the poignancy of Chopin, the delicacy of Bill Evans and the melodic sentiment of Michel Legrand in a nuanced 3/4 effort that becomes Latinized for a moment. Speaking of 3/4, Mary Lou Williams’ aptly orchestrated “Mary’s Waltz” holds the step firmly while the violinist Melissa White shines, followed by improvisations from Wong and Sung.

Swinging propulsions are not rare and can be enjoyed on both Toshiko Akiyoshi’s “Long Yellow Road”, which carries a hooky rhythmic pattern in the lower register and stylish string details, and Marian McPartland’s “Melancholy Mood”, whose title stops making sense for a little while, after halfway.

Whereas “Lament for Kalief Browder” runs in circles with a cello figure and a spiraling soprano dancing atop, “Sungbird”, delivered in five with a drum-less configuration, flaunts an interesting fusion of Shostakovich and tango. These compositions were originally recorded in 2018 (Sung with Words) and 2007 (Sungbird album), respectively.

Carla Bley’s playful “Wrong Key Donkey” - first recorded by Gary Burton Quintet in 1976 - carries hints of funk and pronounced accent, being reinforced with a classical vein that assimilates both Eastern and Western currents. It’s perhaps the album’s most free-ranging piece.

Despite being quite cinematic as the well-integrated strings add emotional underscore, you won’t find eerie atmospheres or darker corners on an album that is liberally enveloped by a positive energy. That’s where the force of Sung’s music comes from.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Feed the Fire ► 07 - Long Yellow Road ► 08 - Wrong Key Donkey

Label: Stricker Street Records, 2018

Personnel - Helen Sung: piano; John Ellis: tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Reuben Rogers: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion + guests Jean Baylor, Carolyn Leonhart, Christie Dashiel, Charenee Wade: vocals

Helen Sung keeps up the glowing sophistication in her way of playing that withstands any sort of a synthetic approach to music. She puts this skill into use in her new recording, Sung With Words, the first containing all original compositions. Every single piece was inspired by the words of Californian poet Dana Gioia.

Sung puts together a central sextet with saxophonist/clarinetist John Ellis, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Kendrick Scott, and percussionist Samuel Torres. The vocal tracks, in which every syllable is served with lyric refinement after Gioia’s spoken-word intros, are ‘entrusted’ to whether one or two accomplished guest singers such as Jean Baylor, Carolyn Leonhart, Christie Dashiel, and Charenee Wade.

Scott’s drumming announces “Convergence” even when Gioia is still reciting the introductory poem. This straight-ahead instrumental is infectiously swinging, sparkled by the bopish idioms of Ellis and Jensen, and having a rhythmically daring Sung synchronizing single-note melodies with bouncy chordal movements. Splitting up solos are interludes that propagate ephemeral yet surprising Afro-Latin winds.

Other instrumentals that stand out are “Into The Unknown”, a post-bop exaltation, first enlivened by Ellis’ fluent digressions on tenor and then cooled down by Sung’s delicate pianism before Scott bursts in a drum solo over an odd-metered vamp; and “In The Shadowland”, which, spreading a gentle bossa nova scent in the air, burns with positive statements by Ellis (now on soprano) and Rogers. The bassist is also active on the seductive “The Stars on Second Avenue”, the first of two vocal songs sincerely expressed by Ms. Baylor's voice.

Dashiell and Leonhart team up on “Hot Summer Night” and “Too Bad”. The former composition is an R&B-tinged feast marked by a warm rhythm and great horn fills, also having saxophone, trumpet, and piano exchanging lines; whereas the latter, flowing with a three time feel, is enhanced by Jensen’s grooving solo, beautifully articulated with on-spot timbral variations. Sung follows her tenderly. Dashell also collaborates with Wade on “Mean What You Say”, a soul-jazz manifesto recalling the work of Horace Silver.

Based on a sad story of injustice, “Lament For Kalief Browder” kicks off in obscurantism, featuring Leonhart, who vocalizes ethereally with stable piano support. A wistful bass clarinet ostinato fortifies the foundation, yet the intensity of the music varies according to the shifting passages. There’s an opportunity here for Kendrick and Torres shine in a percussive coalition.

The rhythms and textures devised by Sung, an intelligent composer, somehow restore and revitalize Gioia’s poems in an ingenious combination of jazz and poetry. This work feels like a necessary, certainly confident step in the pianist’s career.

Favorite Tracks:

02 - Convergence ► 05 - Hot Summer Night ► 11 - Into The Unknown