Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey - Brink

August 15, 2024

Label: Intakt Records, 2024

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; Tom Rainey: drums.

Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey present a fresh and captivating exploration of sound in their latest album, Brink. This album not only showcases their individuality as creative artists but also highlights the unique duo identity they have honed through numerous sessions, including those recorded in their Brooklyn apartment during the pandemic.

Brink continues their intimate and nuanced relationship with sound and texture, alternating between shorter, intricately designed pieces ("brinks") and more extended forms where they deftly navigate both tempestuous and delicate atmospheres. What fuels the album’s opening track, “Flock of Conclusions”, is the fluidity of a conversation that ebbs and flows vividly, reaching a relevant expressive dimension.

The co-composed piece “Coaxing” showcases Laubrock’s assertive tenor saxophone phrases, which gradually gain weight and meaning over Rainey’s deep, resonant tom-tom work. The controlled flow gives way to an eruptive rhythmic surge in the final section, a cathartic exploration of freedom. Rainey, with his acute sense of musical integration, contributes significantly to Laubrock’s enigmatic composition “Liquified Columns”, where sparse yet tense free musings are punctuated by metallic sounds, deep drumming, and growling saxophone multiphonics. The closing track, “Said, Been Said”, shares a similarly intense spirit.

In “A Peculiar Logic”, another collaborative composition, the duo creates a tight lock-step rhythm, with Laubrock soaring high on soprano sax over Rainey’s comfortable cymbal and snare chatter. “Scrunch Repercussions”, which came out of Laubrock’s mind, is obliquely cut through, a masterclass in articulation and synergistic interplay that evolves in a distinctly tangy style, incorporating martial snare fluxes, well-aligned saxophone outputs, and powerful riffs that trigger dynamic rhythmic motions.

Throughout the album, the telepathic communication between Laubrock and Rainey is on full display, bringing unpredictable forms, surprising timbres, and strains of melody underpinned by exquisite rhythms. Sparking with inventiveness, these freewheeling pieces navigate a range of moods, offering a rich source of inspiration for creative jazz explorers.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Coaxing ► 07 - A Peculiar Logic ► 09 - Scrunch Repercussions

Ingrid Laubrock - The Last Quiet Place

March 29, 2023

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2023

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Mazz Swift: violin; Tomeka Reid: cello; Brandon Seabrook: guitar; Michael Formanek: bass; Tom Rainey: drums.

Visionary saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock reaches a new height of expression with The Last Quiet Place, a sprawling, ambitious album that demands to be heard and felt. Leading an otherworldly avant-garde sextet that is receptive of other genres and experimentation, she managed to infuse so much freedom within the organized procedures and deliberate structure of six fully realized gems. They all show the bandleader’s incredible knack for modern composition and unpredictable choices in the arrangements.

“Anticipation” is set up with duo and trio combinations, making us feel the astonishing breadth of these musicians. At an early stage we hear Brandon Seabrook’s sparse guitar chords, the lyrical violin of Mazz Swift, and understated drumming by Tom Rainey. There’s occasional bass and cello injections by Michael Formanek and Tomeka Reid, respectively, who discreetly join the undisturbed communion. Afterwards, it’s Laubrock who stands out by spiraling over diagonal bass matrixes. Unisons announce the theme, and you’ll eventually find stylish brushwork, timely bass plucks, fabulous guitar comping, and responsive string activity.

The contagious dynamism of “Grammy Season” brings an invigorating motion and a fun funky feel reinforced by electric guitar. This piece, combining fertile melodic imagination and an astute approach to form, includes parallel lines, counterpoint, and plenty of rhythmic hooks before becoming cinematically mysterious in its final chamber impression. “The Last Quiet Place”, whose oneiric title stemmed from the readings of books by American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert, leans more toward the alternative pop/rock milieu via its chordal sequence and odd rhythmic flow. Laubrock sounds great on the soprano, blowing over pointillistic guitar and distorted harmonies, nuanced bass pedal points, and expertly brushed drums. The string players also soar around the edges.

“Delusions” conveys a deep sense of cohesiveness, whether through the precise and angular figure that defines its theme or the contorted shapes thrown in by Seabrook, who, together with Laubrock, is extremely active. The demure “Afterglow” features a tenor solo over drums, with intermittent stormy washes from guitar. The album closes with “Chant II”, a previously recorded modular piece (see Laubrock/Rainey duo album Utter from 2018) that, at this juncture, comes to life with swarming buzzes and humming undertones. Rainey excels throughout, and melodic synchronism arises from the six-beat obbligato that leads to the end.

Laubrock makes a huge impact with this disc, showing not just her personal connection to the material but also with the excellent group she leads.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Anticipation ► 02 - Grammy Season ► 04 - Delusions

Ingrid Laubrock / Andy Milne - Fragile

June 8, 2022

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Andy Milne: piano.

Saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock teams up with pianist Andy Milne as part of her sax/piano duo works for Intakt Records. Fragile, the third installment in the series, follows Kasumi (2019) with Aki Takase, and Blood Moon (2020) with Kris Davis, and features ten Laubrock compositions that blend written and improvised sections with perceptiveness.

“Equanimity” is made of pure accessibility, achieving a curious degree of collaborative empathy between the two musicians. Milne creates some mystery through reflection, with the light brushstrokes of the saxophone giving a final composition to that background. The dialogue is intensified before ending in the same self-possessed vein as it started.

Three pieces suggest the world music fusions of Art Ensemble of Chicago, branding a sort of mysticism that seems to celebrate nature in all its splendor. Two of them, “Fragment” and “Splinter”, are versions of the same piece that, taking the form of an indigenous ritual, feature soprano streams and prepared piano with African-tinged overtones. The other is “Shard“, which includes a smattering of air sounds and piercing long notes. Milne, a former member of Steve Coleman’s Five Elements and Ralph Alessi’s This Against That, credits fellow pianist Benoit Delbecq for the inspiration in the production of these singular effects.

If this selection of three feels more celebratory than off-kilter, then “Unapologetically Yours” strips away nuance and shading in lieu of a hearty expressionism. It morphs from fidgety to balmy, without achieving the delicate reverie of the previous track, “Ants in my Brain”. Conversely, “Illusion of Character” brings Laubrock’s melodic sinuosity to the fore, reaping the benefits of Milne’s vertiginous whirls, which, in a few cases, end in a crashing root note.

Milne provides sensational comp for Laubrock’s compositional sophistication. Their successful interactions inform us of their refined musical sensibilities.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Fragment ► 07 - Unapologetically Yours ► 08 - Illusion of Character

Brandon Lopez / Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey - No Es La Playa

March 8, 2022

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Brandon Lopez: double bass; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; Tom Rainey: drums.

Bassist Brandon Lopez joins the long-time duo of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey, forming a constructive trio of free improvisers who create new worlds of expression with rhythmic consolidation and appropriate levels of abstraction. After a mesmerizing first gig at Brooklyn’s Barbès in 2017, the trio vowed to work together and transported all their musical chemistry to this first outing, No Es La Playa, whose story has a flow, and each of the six tracks has a role in its imaginative telling.

The expedition begins with the title track, which, running past the 13-minute mark, is the longest piece of the set. After a cautious start - with accurately limned tenor melodies, precise bass note configurations and entrancing drumming - the rhythm section exquisitely swings while sustaining conversational lines atop. The sounds and cadences here often recall Parker, Braxton and Ornette. An unheralded ritualistic pulse follows, impeccably driven by Rainey’s exuberance, and with Lopez’s propulsive ostinatos sneaking through the mix. Shortly after this implementation, Laubrock switches to soprano, and the ride ends up in moderate cacophony.

“Saturnian Staring” is launched with unequivocal, persistent drum work, swooning sax melodies, and bubbling bass underpinning. Lopez then embarks on unusual intervals and occasional pedal points that, in trance, support staccato horn lines. This livelier mood is challenged by the somber atmospherics of “When the Island is a Shipwreck”, a tribute to American poet Fred Moten. Its moody tension goes from a mutual entwinement between arco bass and saxophone to the abrupt silence of a break that transforms the former panorama into a wildly ebullient scenario. During the first section, Rainey’s unparalleled drum style comes to the fore with opportune snare drum rattles and bright cymbal shatters.

Making for a brilliant album closer, “The Black Bag of Want” also paints with bowed bass and tenor sax brushstrokes at the outset, but is darker in tone. Laubrock’s shouts and multiphonic roars lead to a furious rhythm, and the energy bursts intensely. Her perpendicular phrases and abundant motivic ideas are also in evidence in “Camposanto Chachacha”. As Einstein once said, “creativity is intelligence having fun”; that’s the sentiment we have while listening to this recording.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - No Es La Playa ► 03 - Saturnian Staring ► 06 - The Black Bag of Want

Ingrid Laubrock - Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt

November 19, 2020

Label: Intakt Records, 2020

Personnel includes - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Sam Pluta: electronics; Cory Smythe: piano, quarter-tone keyboard; Robert Landfermann: double bass; Tom Rainey: drums; Adam Matlock: accordion; Josh Modney: violin; Zeena Parkins: electric harp + EOS Chamber Orchestra

Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock’s latest release, Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt, displays her unwavering talent as not only an improviser but as a composer/arranger as well. Recently, she has been focusing more on large scale composition, with her previous outing, Contemporary Chaos Practices (Intakt, 2018) receiving general praise. Yet, this new double-album features two disparate versions of five compositions originally written for small ensemble and later re-worked and expanded for chamber orchestra. The main inspiration for the pieces was Laubrock’s dream diaries.

Disc one features the EOS Chamber Orchestra and a group of talented soloists that bring their improvisational creativity to the fore - electronics/sound artist Sam Pluta, keyboardist Cory Smythe, bassist Robert Landfermann, drummer Tom Rainey, and Laubrock herself on tenor and soprano saxophones. On the other side, disc two features a core trio with Laubrock, Pluta and Smythe plus Zeena Perkins on electric harp, Adam Matlock on accordion, and Josh Modney on violin.

“Dreamt Twice” (orchestra version) feels like a feather when compared with its wild, experimental small-ensemble version, “Twice Dreamt”. The former, benefitting from the strong presences of piano and saxophone, embraces counterpoint, rhythmic abstraction and composed atmospheres with poetic gestures and enigmatic tones alike; it ends pacifically with strings. The latter, on its side, alienates through a glacial melancholy cut by sudden serrated attacks from electric harp.

“Snorkel Cows” offers another wonderful orchestral experience, but starts with a loose jazz tapestry weaved by piano, bass and drums. The sounds of woodwinds and strings come into view for textural consistency and also adorn Smythe’s thrilling solo before a state of suspended uncanniness is established. On this section saxophone melodies are set to a slow swaying.

Note that the two dissimilar treatments applied to each composition make them totally autonomous when not stripped down to its essence. Take the case of “Drillings” (disc one), which, like a ballad, starts by spreading poignancy through a soft yet incisive orchestration receptive of modern classical and avant-garde idioms. Although considering the additional tension that erupts from the second half - you’ll find gracious tenor stunts, a persuasive cinematic appeal and well-integrated electronics - nothing can be compared to the massive, relentless drones that launch the disc-two interpretation. The unexpectedness of a folk dance brought in by Matlock’s accordion, as well as thoughtful sax lines hovering over the piano accompaniment serve to lessen the preliminary sonic commotion.

With respect to “I Never Liked That Guy”, the small-ensemble version triumphs as a result of a haunting atmosphere that keeps pushing us into dark corners with skittering soprano diagonals over prostrate piano shapes and mysterious electronic effects. It all ends in a feast of ostinatos.

This extended opus offers a substantial listening with all its transitions, integrations and innovations. Laubrock’s music can be slow-burning and quietly exploratory in one moment, combustible and antic the next. Here, she manages to keep the freshness and vibrancy for which her music is known.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (disc one) - Dreamt Twice ► 02 (disc one) - Snorkel Cows ► 03 (disc two) - I Never Liked That Guy

Ingrid Laubrock / Kris Davis - Blood Moon

June 18, 2020

Label: Intakt Records, 2020

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Kris Davis: piano.

Two of the most admired improvisers and composers of our times - saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and pianist Kris Davis - join forces in a full-fledged duo session that sparkles with creativity and maturity. The program includes nine tracks - four by Laubrock, three by Davis and two completely improvised - that conjure a broad variety of timbres, moods and textures. Most of them were penned specifically for this record, which showcases the incredible musical understanding between these musicians.

Davis’ “Snakes and Lattice” launches the proceedings and provides a happily modern, amiable trippy spin with spot-on synchronism, spectacular pointillism and coiled chains. At an early stage, Laubrock deliberately embraces pleasant melody, eliciting the standard “Lover Man” to pop into my head. This ephemeral moment evolves into a fusion of classical and avant-garde music where the cool attacks of the pianist send us over the moon.

Laubrock’s “Blood Moon” lures us into its microtonal narratives. Relatable on an emotive level, this is a mainly reflective piece created with elasticity in timbre and a laid-back posture. Tradition is pulled into this orbit, yet the duo digs deeper for a little while, delving into an immersive risk-taking atmosphere.

The saxophonist infuses “Whistlings” with turns and jumps, making it a free rhythmic dance. There are arresting unisons and fragmented episodes full of life and color.

The discrepancy between “Flying Embers” and “Golgi Complex” are noticeable, yet both came from Davis’ creative mind. The former is a low-key, sometimes ethereal exercise on intangibility with sustained sounds and long notes, while the latter, drawn from the pianist’s latest album Diatom Ribbons, appears with a new outfit. In addition to the advanced language spoken throughout, we have an energizing groovy section by the end.

Just like the previously described piece, Laubrock’s soprano inundates “Gunweep”, a duo improvisation where she blows with bracing expression, agile technique, and a fair amount of charm. Davis' whirling vertigo is the perfect foil for this type of phrasing. It comes out of the right reaches of the keyboard and it's complemented with deep chordal sequences drowned in smart extensions.

What I really fancied about this work was the fact that it avoids the oversaturation and convoluted sonic vortexes commonly associated with the avant-garde jazz. The dynamics are more polished in a way, and the comfortable transitions occur with logic, being extremely pleasant to the ear. Both Laubrock and Davis boast a brilliantly-earned self-sufficiency in their playing. They also do wonders whenever their attractive sounds cross paths.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Snakes and Lattice ► 02 - Blood Moon ► 03 - Gunweep

Ingrid Laubrock / Sylvie Courvoisier / Mark Feldman / Tom Rainey - TISM

October 31, 2019

Label: RogueArt, 2019

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone; Mark Feldman: violin; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Tom Rainey: drums.

TISM joins two regular consistent duos in a unique and democratic avant-jazz quartet. Drummer Tom Rainey and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock team up with pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman for an improvised work whose chapters don’t get too far from their signature styles.

That being said, I got the sensation that these mutable improvised forms lean a bit more on the reflective side, bringing a laid-back feeling that, nevertheless, never lose the perspective of genuinely spontaneous compositions.

The unfussy “Spectral Ghost” and “Maisons Fragiles” are patiently cooked without simmering, remaining in a controlled state of sensitive conscience. The former opens the recording with stilled brushwork (later morphing into a primitive and resonant percussive texture centered on toms), glimpses of folk melodies bounced off of the violin, a mix of cooperative and disengaged saxophone deliberations, and intricate piano textures. In turn, the latter piece, observant in its brittleness, has Courvoisier sweeping the piano strings with delicacy and Laubrock injecting gruff lines to give a boost to the last segment.

The saxophonist is also in evidence on “Tism”, initiating an energetic interlocution with Feldman. Their terse motivic remarks, long-limbed phrases, and contrasting tones are joined by the rhythmic wallops of the pianist and the intense blast-beats of the drummer. This abstract clamor softens halfway, focusing on idyllic landscapes that, in specified periods of time, are pigmented with slightly obscure tones.

Rainey’s off-centered percussion maneuvers give a unique flavor to “Tooth and Nail”, a 15-minute mind-blowing ride filled with engrossing textural fluctuations. Preceding the initial cries and whispers, Rainey enters in a candid conversational mode that stimulates Laubrock’s neurotic eruptions and Courvoisier’s astounding prepared piano. Feldman alters the scenario by adding vivid lines, and interactive dialogues succeed with openness. At some point, closer to the end, our attention turns to shrilling violin glissandos and cultivated piano meditations.

The closer, “A L’Infini”, is my favorite chapter. In addition to Rainey’s exotic percussion, which catapulted my mind to other parts of the world, we have oddly conjugated sounds from piano and violin. The spotlight is directed to Courvoisier, whose eccentrically creative sounds can be incredibly swinging. Laubrock’s outlandish decorations fit beautifully in the context, before she and Feldman embrace a feel-good lethargy. Sensations and passions become stronger in the final phase with Laubrock and Courvoisier on the cutting edge of a formidable cooperative effort. The former is earnestly expressive in her coherent narratives, while the latter accompanies with grandiose dissonant chords.

The members of this quartet collaborate and know one another for a long time, and their huge capacity of reaction to whatever may happen around them is impressive. Thus, avant-gardists and proclaimers of unfettered creativity have in TISM another motive to rejoice.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Tism ► 03 - Tooth and Nail ► 05 - A L’Infini

Ingrid Laubrock - Contemporary Chaos Practices

December 10, 2018

Label: Intakt Records, 2018

Personnel includes Ingrid Laubrock: saxophone, composer; Eric Wubbels: conductor; Taylor Ho Bynum: conductor; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Nate Wooley: trumpet; Kris Davis: piano; and many more.

Not everything is chaotic in Contemporary Chaos Practices, the new visionary work from immensely talented saxophonist/composer Ingrid Laubrock, an indispensable name whenever creative jazz is the topic. Ms. Laubrock, who is German but Brooklyn-based, ventures into the large ensemble format (42 musicians), conceiving two works for orchestra with two conductors - Eric Wubbels and Taylor Ho Bynum - and first-line soloists such as guitarist Mary Halvorson, pianist Kris Davis, trumpeter Nate Wooley, and herself.

The first work gave the album its title and is divided into three tracks that decrease in time but not in motivation or vitality. The opening piece “Part 1 & Part 2” is affected by a magical gravity that will take you to a different dimension where eerie vibrations are commingled with punchy frisson. After Halvorson’s introduction, the bandleader sounds as expressive as ever on tenor, filling the air with excited exclamations uttered with a solid tonal control and spiced by an effective usage of extended techniques. Each distinct segment is shaped by a careful selection of instruments, which ably move through different stages, leading to moments of whether composed candor or organized orchestral convolution.

We find deep sounds on “Part 3”, which contrast with Davis’ shrill punctuations. This happens before a rushed collective passage breaks out, carrying a wide sense of urgency and urbanity that may be associated with the city of New York.

Lasting approximately three minutes, “Part 4” completes the so-called practices, having vibraphone, strings, and woodwinds bestowing a dreamy intonation apart from the sensation of danger and restlessness that substantiates its cliché-free orchestration.

The nearly 18-minute “Volgelfrei”, meaning outlaw, is an independent composition on the album, a cinematic narration with two distinct sides: one ethereal, here reinforced by the vocal choir, and one earthly, whose matrixes of sound fall somewhere between the clean and the dirty. In this odd framework of splendor and drama, be ready to come across with unheralded rhythmic manifestations, unrelenting circular movements, and glorious crescendos subjected to abrupt fractures. The final section decelerates like a locomotive when is almost reaching its destination.

Continually oozing energy and following an impressive narrative arc, this progressive big band recording is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Part 1 & Part 2 ► 02 - Part 3 ► 04 - Volgelfrei

Ingrid Laubrock - Serpentines

January 11, 2017

Ingrid Laubrock: saxophones, glockenspiel; Peter Evans: trumpet; Dan Peck: tuba; Craig Taborn: piano; Miya Masaoka: koto; Sam Pluta: electronics; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

German-born Brooklyn-based saxophonist, Ingrid Laubrock, an active hipster within the modern creative jazz scene, who knows how to prod and when to loosen up, doesn’t stop to amaze me with her projects. Following a great duo record with the inventive drummer Tom Rainey, she presents five brand new compositions in the company of a debutant group. In Serpentines, she explores diverse sonorous landscapes and never sounds the same twice, giving her peers – trumpeter Peter Evans, pianist Craig Taborn, drummer Tyshawn Sorey, koto player Miya Masaoka, tuba player Dan Peck and electronics wizard Sam Pluta – the opportunity to intervene with fantasy, cohesiveness, and reverie.

The opening tune, “Pothole Analytics”, was split in two parts, working as an invitation for a variety of textures and calculated structures that will come next. The first part is sparse in movements, organic in its musical intercessions, and uniform in intensity. It moves in a sort of limbo, promising to explode any time with a provocative tangibility. The second part brings us the scintillating effervescence we always expected on the first one. The vivid interactions, suffused with irony and the polyphony generated by Laubrock, Evans and Peck, can be described as a controlled cacophony where no one stands out but the collective. Constantly searching for balance and carefully eschewing altercation, Masaoka and Taborn sketch agitated figures while Sorey confidently takes the rudder in his hands, propelling the starship into the vastness of space.
Their spectrum gets darker in the obscure “Chip in Brain”, a quasi-cinematic experience of startling textures. Surreptitiously, the tune evolves into a dreamy aura with the contribution of Pluta’s effects, Evans’s long notes, and Masaoka’s gentle touches.

“Squirrels”, a modern hymn, blossoms with tortuous lines of soprano sax and trumpet. Lurking in the corner, Peck’s tuba is attached as a guideline while Taborn balances everything with his monster creativity and freedom, well accompanied by Sorey’s fleet drumming. To better define the sections, unisons are injected as interludes, and the tune culminates with a diptych of Masaoka’s strumming and Pluta’s noise, before assuming the form of a prodigious march.
Chimerical and explorative, the title track bursts with rhythm, becoming cautiously atmospheric as the textures weaved by Taborn, Sorey, and Pluta invite Peck’s low vibes. The bandleader resumes the melodic contours with the help of Masaoka’s exotic sounds.

Accurately composed and wrapped in fantastic chemistry, Serpentines reaffirms Laubrock as an indispensable figure in the contemporary jazz. New York is her home, but this music has no borders, showing solid, serpentine roads paved with freedom and discipline, expansions and contractions, composure and convulsion.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Pothole Analytics Pt. 2 ► 04 – Squirrels ► 05 – Serpentines

Jazz Albums 2016 - Weekly Listening Jul 4-10

July 11, 2016

Another 6 fresh Jazz records to enjoy!

INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - BUOYANCY

Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Tom Rainey: drums.

Two Brooklyn-based innate adventurers and partners, both in music and life, Ingrid Laubrock and Tom Rainey are really impressive in the way they dominate their instruments and express themselves.
By sounding so tight and natural, “Buoyancy”, let the couple’s perfect communication flow both in its fast and furious vindications or hushed sensitivities. It’s their new excavation of rhythms and sounds.
If you’re familiar with their work, you’re probably imagining that rhythm might take over melody throughout the four pieces presented here. Well, this is partly true, if we take into account that this genre lives mostly from the gradual rhythmic alternations, motivic ideas, and interchanges. Still, sweet melodic murmurs and lulls can be assimilated.
“Buoyancy” is a special record, not only for its creators, but also for those who look for intensity, agility, and creativity in the expansive world of modern jazz.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Buoyancy ► 02 – Twenty Lanes ► 03 – The Museum Of Human Achievement

DANIEL FREEDMAN - IMAGINE THAT

Lionel Loueke: guitar, vocals; Jason Lindner: piano, keyboards; Omer Avital: bass, oud; Daniel Freedman: drums; Gilmar Gomes: percussion.

The flexible New York drummer Daniel Freedman convenes a super multicultural band to play in “Imagine That”, a penetrating record that crosses the boundaries of jazz and world fusion.
The Brazilian Gilmar Gomes, a member of Forro in the Dark, joins Freedman for the first time, in opposition to the Israeli-American bassist Omer Avital, the American pianist Jason Lindner, and the fantastic and influential Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke, who are longtime collaborators.
The leader, who incorporated two compositions of Lindner, one of Loueke, and a remarkable interpretation of Radiohead’s “Codex”, boasts his West African and Middle Eastern influences with four dulcet pieces of his own authorship. Three of them were enveloped in cheerful demeanors and the remaining one was delivered with elegiac undertones.
The sum of the parts makes a solid whole, and the noteworthy “Imagine That” sparks as a universal festivity.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Baby Aya ► 04 – Codex ► 05 – Mindaho

THE CLAUDIA QUINTET - SUPER PETITE

Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Red Wierenga: accordion, piano; Matt Moran: vibraphone; Drew Gress: acoustic bass; John Hollenbeck: drums.

Minimally composed and meticulously conceived, the music of The Claudia Quintet, led by the drummer/composer/arranger John Hollenbeck, is always difficult to categorize.
I describe it as a sort of cerebral jazz that merges with fragments of modern classic and folk music, and then is delivered in the form of ethereal, unobstructed, and hypnotic dances.
The tunes are more programmed than improvised, only occasionally opening space to Chris Speed’s non-aggressive saxophone/clarinet, which sound soars over the moods created by Moran’s vibes, Wierenga’s accordion, and the rhythm section. “JFK Beagle” and “Philly” are the tracks that better illustrate this exception.
Hollenbeck’s phenomenal percussive timbres match Gress’ subtle bass work in an irreproachable way. A generalized relentless symbiosis is created, emphasizing the whole rather than the individual.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – JFK Beagle ► 04 – Philly ► 10 – Mangold

SERA SERPA / ANDRE MATOS - ALL THE DREAMS

Sara Serpa: vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes; Andre Matos: guitar, electric bass, percussion; Pete Rende: synthesizer; Billy Mintz: drums, percussion.

Dreamy and atmospheric, “All the Dreams” soars higher with every listening.
Its airy, often sedative effect comes from the compelling melodies sang by Ms. Serpa, who spreads a sweet languor over the well-crafted textures delineated by her husband, the guitarist Andre Matos. The Portuguese duo, besides playing other instruments that aren’t normally associated with them, counted on the subtle-yet-determined synthesizer of Pete Rende and the percussive skills of the veteran Billy Mintz, in order to materialize their compositions.
Tinged with several influences - from pop to jazz to Middle Eastern music - and featuring the poetry of William Blake, Luis Amaro, and Alvaro de Campos, these tunes sound authentic, taking us to the very particular musical universe of Serpa/Matos.
Get yourself ready to experience minimalism, complexity, and sophistication throughout this eclectic fusion.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – A La Montagne ► 03 – Estado de Graça ► 06 – Água

BRIAN GRODER TRIO - R TRAIN ON THE D LINE

Brian Groder: trumpet, flugelhorn; Michael Bisio: bass; Jay Rosen: drums.

Brian Groder’s “R Train on the D Line” is an excellent follow-up to “Reflexology”, which was recorded with exactly the same partners in 2014.
The leader’s talking trumpet/flugelhorn evinces melodic consistency and a disarming eloquence regardless the pace and mood of the tunes. Groder's phrasing slides freely and whimsically over the non-static rhythmic masses created by the dauntless bassist Michael Bisio, a distinctive skipper in the pizzicato and bowing approaches, and the off-kilter drummer Jay Rosen.
Attentive listeners will notice transitory swinging sections being intercalated with the more exploratory ones, an option that avoids steady routines by suggesting a different trajectory.
The super balanced trio approaches Groder’s crisp compositions with discipline, maneuvering the sounds and rhythms with perception, purpose, and accuracy. Multiple listenings will bring new discoveries.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Quanta ► 02 – Retooled Logic ► 05 – Praxis

LEFTERIS KORDIS - MEDITERRANA

Lefteris Kordis: piano; Petros Kamplanis: double bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums;

Greek pianist Lefteris Kordis takes us on a nice cruise, sailing on accessible waters that are shared by jazz and Eastern Mediterranean folk territories.
We can have a better notion of Korda’s beautiful lyricism in the tunes he plays in trio, with the double bassist Petros Kamplanis and the drummer Ziv Ravitz. Sometimes their sound reminisces Steve Kuhn’s textural compositions.
However, it’s not uncommon to hear exotic scales and allusions to flamenco played on top of the more traditional folk songs. This is achieved with the juxtaposition of some other elements such as a restless ney flute, a melodious harmonica, a moving accordion, a crying clarinet, or the medieval touch of a lute. To join these assorted combinations, Mr. Korda seamlessly jazzified “And I Love Her” by The Beatles, giving it a personal touch.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – In the Land of the Phrygians ► 02 – Yota ► 05 – The Raven and the Fox