Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies

July 1, 2024

Label: Origin Records, 2024

Personnel - Antonio Orta: alto and soprano sax; Mike Cemprola: alto sax, flute, clarinet; Tedd Baker: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Xavier Perez: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Doug Morgan: bari sax, flute, bass clarinet; Bill Mulligan: piccolo (#1), flute (#3); Brian MacDonald: trumpet; Kevin Burns: trumpet; Luke Brandon: trumpet; Alec Aldred: trumpet; Ben Patterson: trombone; Kevin Cerovich: trombone; Dave Perkel: trombone; Ben Polk: bass trombone; Shawn Purcell: guitar; Chris Ziemba: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards; Paul Henry: electric bass; Todd Harrison: drums, percussion; Fran Vielma: congas, percussion (#3,4,6).

Washington DC-based trombonist, composer, and arranger Ben Patterson is an adept of furious fluid dynamics, infusing his music with a relentless exuberance that permeates all six tracks of his new album, aptly titled Groove Junkies. Boasting a 22-year stint as the lead trombonist for the Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the US Air Force, Patterson commands his vigorous 17-piece orchestra with rapture, counting on occasional additions of flute and percussion.

The album gets you off to an energetic start with a punchy arrangement of Chris Potter’s “Exclamation”, a dynamic fusion of jazz, funk, and rock elements played with breakneck propulsion. The track features audacious swagger in the magnetic solos from tenor saxophonist Tedd Baker and keyboardist Chris Ziemba.

“Interesting Times” develops in seven, anchored by regular groovy bass steps and wah-wah-infused keyboard comping that emerges from the ground. On this occasion, the soloists are alto saxophonist Antonio Orta and the bandleader, both of whom are exciting in their articulation and expression. “Cheese Hat” features a fierce funky groove interspersed with calmer passages, highlighting the work of electric bassist Paul Henry, who stretches out over staccato guitar chords and groovy twangs.

“The Way of the Groove” boasts a booming rhythm that mixes funk and Latin vibes, with extra percussion provided by Fran Vielma. Flutist Bill Mulligan drives a passage in the middle of the solos, which culminate eloquently with guitarist Shawn Purcell’s super busy rides. The closer, “Espiritu Valiente”, emphasizes the Latin spirit with frisky liveliness.

Patterson leads the orchestra with zest, exploring intense and gripping jazz territories without ever becoming cluttered. If you’re looking for maximum energy in big band jazz, Groove Junkies is a record to grab.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Exclamation ► 02 - Interesting Times ► 03 - The Way of the Groove

Fire! Orchestra - Echoes

July 10, 2023

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2023

Personnel includes - Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone, flute; Mette Rasmussen: alto sax, flute; Fredrik Ljungkvist; tenor sax; Joe McPhee: tenor sax, vocals; Per ‘Texas' Johansson: oboe, bassoon, contrabass clarinet, bass clarinet, flute; Mats Äleklint: trombone; Susana Santos Silva: trumpet; Goran Kajfes: trumpet; Per Åke Holmlander: tuba; Sten Sandell: piano; Alex Zethson: piano; Reine Fiske: guitar; Johan Berthling: electric and acoustic bass; Andreas Werliin; drums; Thomas Öberg: vocals; Mariam Wallentin: vocals; David Sandström: vocals; Juan Romero: percussion, berimbau; and more.

Constantly evolving, the Fire! Orchestra welcomes you to the hippy cosmos of their progressive symphonic journeys with a new double-disc outing of enormous impact. The band creates staggering momentum with each recording and Echoes is no exception to the rule.

The opening piece, “Echoes: I See Your Eye, Part 1” boasts a laid-back groove with strings surrounding it. There’s a glorious cinematic feel that steps further when Mats Gustafsson - he founded the ensemble in 2012 with bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Andreas Werliin - unleashes a heartfelt saxophone statement loaded with warping laments and rumbling growls. The second part of this piece bookends the album with vocals by Joe McPhee. The American saxophonist brings his flaming horn to “Echoes: Last Eyes in the Dying Hand”, a 14-minute expedition that experiences electro-vibes prior to bursting into a violent detonation of sound. The vocals here are by David Sandstrom from the hardcore punk group Refused, and there’s a vibraphone-driven passage spruced up with polyphonic horn lines. It ends frenetically, with acrid explosiveness.

The haunting vocal work by Mariam Wallentin is featured on “Echoes: to Gather it All. Once”, an alternative pop/rock exercise that brings Nick Cave's Birthday Party to mind. Despite the bittersweetness, the piece is propelled gently with brushes while displaying a consistent riff sidelined by the voice. It also includes a fine trombone solo by Mats Aleklint.

The bracing jolt of “Echoes: a Last Farewell” is carved out with tuba, rattling percussion, and then a cyclical bass groove that evokes space-age freedom. Sun Ra and Art Ensemble of Chicago are references that we can also associate with “Echoes: Cala Boca Menino”. This soulful Brazilian tune with a smooth funky pulse was composed by Dorival Caymmi and arranged by João Donato, with lyrics by Swedish singer Thomas Öberg. The title translates into ‘shut your mouth, boy”.

The piece I just mentioned is not the only Brazilian-inspired flow. The strophic “Echoes: Forest Without Shadows” extracts shamanic energy from its 2/4 frevo drive with prominent percussion work at the base, tight strings, and bustling solos from trumpet and alto sax. There’s also this comfortable capoeira dance, “Nothing Astray. All Falling”, which features Juan Romero on berimbau. Just like this one, there are other shorter pieces that explore several soundscapes with Eastern tinges, sinister drones, chiming bells, tortuous and buzzing horn sounds, strident guitar, and other avant-garde forays.

Fire! Orchestra gets better and better with time; its music is never messy, even when they delve into infectiously unbridled, rapid-fire jaunts.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (CD1) - Echoes: I See Your Eye, Part 1 ► 05 (CD1) - Echoes: Last Eyes in the Dying Hand ► 01 (CD2) - Echoes: A Lost Farewell

Joe Chambers - Samba De Maracatu

February 24, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Brad Merritt: piano, synthesizer; Steve Haines: bass; Joe Chambers: drums, percussion, vibraphone; Stephanie Jordan: vocals; MC Parrain: rap.

Samba de Maracatu, the new recording from legendary drummer Joe Chambers on the Blue Note label, shows his openness to musical directions and a passion for blending creative post-bop and tasteful exotic rhythms of different provenance. Playing alongside pianist Brad Merritt and bassist Steve Haines, the bandleader envisioned for this outing three originals, three fresh readings of formidable compositions by Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and Bobby Hutcherson, and a couple of well-worn jazz standards.

It’s exactly with one of the latter, “You and the Night and the Music”, that the trio starts to jump off things in absolute amusement. Merritt’s skilled piano playing traverses three choruses with improvisational elasticity. Haines and Chambers, more succinct in their individual statements, hand out a spirited swinging propulsion for most of the time.

The vibrant “Circles”, which Chambers composed for Max Roach’s percussive unit M’Boom, is rhythmically announced with hot Latin-flavored drums and complemented with a bass figure in five that shifts in the B section, adapting to the six beats per measure. The bandleader is not only a drummer of broad fluency but also an excellent vibraphonist whose melodically enthralled work transpires here. He also plays this instrument with a notably sensitive touch on Bobby Hutcherson’s “Visions”, a dreamy and ethereal post-bop anthem.

Another long-lasting tenure of his career was with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, whose piece “Rio” appears here with a lyrical abstraction meant to obscure boundaries. The main theme emerges at the end with no loss of that Brazilian tinge we hear on Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator (Blue Note, 1978), where it was originally included.

His love of Brazilian music is also patented on his “Samba de Maracatu”, a hypnotic dance whose rhythmic pattern combines surdo, snare drum, claves, and shaker. Merritt outlines the introductory section alone, later sharpening his comping to better serve the soloing intentions of Chambers on the vibraphone.

Adding even more variety to the eclectic mix, there’s a bossa-soul rendition of “Never Let Me Go”, sung by Stephanie Jordan, and “New York State of Mind Rain”, an intersection of tunes by Nas and Chambers, whose hip-hop-fueled foundation welcomes the guest rapper MC Parrain.

An alluring array of melodies and percussive textures make this album a required stop for true eclectic jazz lovers.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - You And the Night And the Music ► 02 - Circles ► 04 - Visions

Dave Bryant - Night Visitors

June 30, 2020

Label: Self released, 2020

Personnel - Dave Bryant: keys; Charnett Moffett: electric bass; Gregg Bendian: drums, percussion.

With one foot in the fusion genre and the other in the harmolodic approach of free-jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, Boston-based keyboardist Dave Bryant releases Night Visitors, a trio effort where he is joined by bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Gregg Bendian.

Even though the steadfast “Lime Pickle” has resulted from an exercise for Bryant’s students, the way its rhythmic complexity and melodic abandon relate makes us conclude that an experienced hand is required.

Bryant, who was a late member of Ornette’s Prime Time ensemble, pays tribute to his post-graduate mentor by evoking him on several pieces. The saxophonist’s “Dee Dee”, which was first recorded in 1966 with a trio that included Charnett’s father, Charles Moffett, appears as the sole cover on the album, acquiring the form of an expressionist organ-driven piece shaped with genuine swinging excitement. On the other hand, “The Night Flock” mixes Ornette and Monk’s moods, allowing the trio to interact and stretch farther with rhythmic elasticity.

Fuzzier and heavier in sound, “In Transit” alludes to electronic music through synth fireworks, unstoppable bass runs and frantic drumming, being completely disconnected from the organized “Skywritten”, the piece that immediately follows. Here, the bass is bowed at the tune’s extremities, taking the shape of a walking pizzicato groove in the middle section in order to support the effortless eloquence of the pianist. A stringent articulation contours his phrasing.

Sounding like a fun exercise, “Chihuahua Pearl” lives from the humor and flippancy between the funky bass and the high-energy keyboard, with the drums adhering to the provocation with low-key drama. Much more exciting is the blues-tinged “Scorpio 80”, written for the 80th birthday of comic books artist Jim Steranko. It was through the latter that Bryant met Bendian.

The album closes with the three-part suite “Three Night Visitors”, which offers that kind of abstract pleasures that I would be happy to find in greater extent. You’ll find glockenspiel enlaced with curious percussive elements, ritualistic proceedings and nice sound effects as parts of a cadenced dance, and a spontaneous three-way conversation between glockenspiel, piano and the bass, which interchanges pizzicato and arco techniques.

Although this record only partially worked for me, loyal fusion devotees may well go for it.

Favorite Tracks:
07 - The Night Flock ► 09 - Three Night Visitors I ► 10 - Three Night Visitors II

Tomchess & Zach Swanson - Ghost Narratives

May 18, 2020

Label: Self released, 2020

Personnel - Tomchess: oud, ney, morsing; Zach Swanson: upright bass.

Ghost Narratives is a collaborative work between multi-instrumentalist Tomchess and bassist Zach Swanson. Having played together in different contexts, these two improvisers first met when Tomchess was searching for a bassist to play in Nima Farzeneh's No-Lands Band.

The music on this recording results from their duo sessions at Tomchess’s apartment between 2018 and 2019, and combines traditional Arab music and free improvisation. The gorgeous melding of their instruments can be heard throughout and, while tones can easily change from smooth to barbed, the intensities keep ranging according to their whims.

“If Going Again” opens the record by probing experimental ways that are also very communicative. The sparseness of the bass plucks contrasts to the oud requests before settling into a more specific groove, becoming percussive by the end. The erratic gravity exerted by the oud is also noticeable on “Liberation of the Mirror”, where shades of light and dark coexist. Swanson sets the mood, which doesn't hamper him from exploring new routes in the accompaniment, while Tomchess, in certain passages, nearly evokes the eloquence of flamenco through flurries of notes sequenced with chromatic invention.

However, my favorite pieces are “Tapestry of Evidence”, where the duo drops down into a dark shimmer before leading their instruments into a contrapuntal dance, and the title cut, a flexible conjugation of Eastern classical moods where the musicians alternate roles as the leading voice and accompanist. Amidst pensive reflections and racing progressions, there are well-defined cadences.

The main problem with this album is the extended length of the tunes, with the monochromatic soundscapes lingering in the same state for too long. Nonetheless, each piece reflects the enthusiasm of these musicians for improvisation and free form. The nearly 19-minute “The Innocent River” is more cinematic and no less tense either. Tomchess plays ney, a typical flute from the Middle East, as well as morsing, an instrument commonly associated with Carnatic Indian music. Vocals are also added as a percussive element.

Ney also appears at the center of “Wilderness Harmony”, where Tomchess takes the bulk of the lead by throwing beseeching chants. Yet, Swanson’s woody bass plucks stand out, complemented with feathery harmonics, robust two-note intervals, and keening arco laments.

It’s a long road, but totally rideable for lovers of improvised music and alternative sonorities.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Liberation of the Mirror ► 05 - Tapestry of Evidence ► 07 - Ghost Narratives

Bartosz Hadala Group - Three Short Stories

March 9, 2020

Label: Self Released, 2020

Personnel - Bartosz Hadala: piano, Fender Rhodes; Luis Deniz: alto saxophone; Eric St-Laurent: guitar; Brad Cheeseman: electric bass; Marito Marques: drums, percussion + Kelly Jefferson: soprano saxophone; Michael Manring: bass guitar; João Frade: accordion.

Polish-Canadian pianist Bartosz Hadala moved from New York City to Toronto in 2010. His most prominent recording happened that year, when he put together The Runner Up with an ensemble featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker and drummer Antonio Sanchez. With his latest work, Three Short Stories, he sets another bold move and points to a different direction as his electric group navigates a beguiling mix of styles and tackles 12 original compositions that pay tribute to his hero, the pianist Chick Corea.

“Prologue - Slow To Anger” opens the recording with a mix of quirky chords, arpeggiated ideas and harmonics brought to light by virtuosic electric bassist Michael Manring. This exquisite overture almost serves as an intro to “True North X”, an inceptive funk-Latin stew that steeps further into jazz fusion when adding classic rock suggestions to the mix. Explicit in his improvisation, Hadala gives rise to both counterpoint and unisons in the company of guitarist Eric St-Laurent. By the end, the latter also gets to interact with altoist Luis Deniz.

“Once Upon a Time” and its associated “Epilogue” are harmonically designed with Fender Rhodes, but while the former adds bluesy and funky tones to its post-bop essence and turns the spotlight to soprano saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, the latter is romanticized with João Frade’s accordion on one hand, and stimulated by the reggae-ish pulsation in the guitar accompaniment, on the other. Everything works over a smooth jazz-funk substratum.

“Itsy Bitsy Spider Blues” somehow reminded me of the witty musicality shared by Carla Bley and Steve Swallow. In turn, the title track falls into a crossover jazz that passes through danceable, breezy, and Eastern-tinged territories. It ends as it started, in a style evocative of David Sanborn.

“Monk’s Unfinished Symphony” echoes a few recognizable tics of the iconic pianist referred in the title, but it is “EST”, with its well-coordinated rhythmic and genre-defying interpolations, that resonates higher. With less collisions and incidents, “Longing” and “Slow to Anger” rely on calmer, sweet-lead melodies that didn’t make them look more attractive as other pieces on the album.

Hadala is a courageous pianist, whose music includes plenty of color. I see this kaleidoscopic musical universe as a natural reflection of his open-mindedness.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Prologue - Slow to Anger ► 02 - True North X ► 07 - EST

Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown

March 3, 2020

Label: International Anthem / Nonesuch, 2020

Personnel - Jeff Parker: guitar, synth, drums, piano, percussion, glockenspiel, sampling, mbira, vocals; Josh Johnson: alto sax, electric piano; Rob Mazurek: piccolo trumpet; Nate Walcott: trumpet; Paul Bryan: bass guitar; Jamire Williams: drums; Makaya McCraven: drums; Jay Bellerose: drums, percussion; Ruby Parker: vocals; Katinka Kleijn: cello.

Jeff Parker is an extremely versatile guitarist who gained notoriety in experimental groups such as Tortoise, Isotope 217, and Chicago Underground Quartet.

On his newest album as a leader, Suite For Max Brown, he reconvenes The New Breed group to homage his mother, at the same time that looks into ways to surprise the listener by fusing contemporary music approaches (there is an adequate spectrum of beats and samples) with the classic jazz artistries of John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, here represented by renditions of their “After The Rain” and “Black Narcissus” (renamed to “Gnarciss”), respectively. The former piece, delivered in the standard guitar-piano-bass-drums format, fully embraces contemplation, while the latter flows at a faster tempo with a hip-hop vibe, featuring Makaya McCraven on the drums and Rob Mazurek on piccolo trumpet. These two numbers, together with the closer, “Max Brown”, rely on relatively larger ensembles, while the rest of the tracks features Parker performing in essentially solo and duo configurations (he handles multiple synthesizers, piano, samplers, drums and percussion, glockenspiel, midi programming, as well as vocals in several different contexts).

“Build a Nest”, for example, is vocally layered in the company of his 17-year-old daughter Ruby Parker. On “Del Rio”, he teams up with electric bassist Paul Bryan to set an African-tinged atmosphere composed of monochromatic mbira patterns, gooey bass lines and a trancy beat. “3 For L” is an improvised jazz piece in 3/4 time, charged with translucent shades of soul. It's another duet, this time with drummer Jay Bellerose.

Both “Fusion Swirl”, a solo exertion, and “Go Away”, shaped in classic guitar trio with Bryan and McCraven, denote an unyielding funk circularity. The former tries out a danceable electronica outfit before remaining in a sort of mantric mode until folk melodies populate the concluding segment; the latter piece, instead, comes rhythmically charged like an African dance/chant.

Parker continues to probe sounds with feeling, plunging into diverse sonic milieus with that same intent for innovation that marked his previous works.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - Gnarciss ► 09 - 3 for L ► 11 - Max Brown

Javier Rosario Trio - A Celebration of Life

February 6, 2020

Label: Self produced, 2020

Personnel - Javier Rosario: electric and acoustic guitars; Scott Kiefner: bass; Zak King: drums.

Javier Rosario, a Dominican guitarist/composer with an inclination to mix jazz and rock idioms, got inspiration from another guitarist, the ever-explorative Joe Morris, to release his first album, A Celebration of Life. The guitarist benefits from the vast rhythmic avenues open up by his trio mates, bassist Scott Kiefner and drummer Zak King, over which he rides at variable speeds.

“Ghost Town” is a powerful opening tune, where the bandleader interweaves expressive voice leading, pungent chords, and crystalline harmonics with unflinching confidence. Following a clearly pronounced bass solo, Rosario plunges into a distorted metal-like spiral, whose broad dirty sound evolves until reaching the tidal chordal washes that conclude the piece.

“On The Road” is a less-than-two-minute rock exercise that anticipates “Improv”, a spontaneous diligence where fluxes of guitar energy are spilled over King's bickering drum work. Another guitar-drums partnership happens in “Shades of Grey Pt. 1”, a piece whose melodic conduction immediately brings Monk’s “In Walked Bud” into the mind. The second part of this composition incorporates bass and confers more freedom to the drummer.

Revealing a far more introspective side, “Transitions of the Heart” and “Changes of Heart” are solo acoustic guitar pieces delivered with some pathos and colored with a neo-romantic harmonic palette. The trio returns to the rocking ways on “Heading North”, where bass and drums operate in such a way to pass the idea of displacing tempo, and on the album’s closer “Passing Through (Dedicated to Ben)”, in which we find bass lines bouncing with a temperate Latin feel, cymbal-oriented drumming (especially during Kiefner’s soloing), and a punchy guitar work that attains a flammable point whenever fluidity and corrosion are increased.

Sketchy in some cases, these tunes are patterned with instinct and muscle. Even if they don’t completely knock me out, competence is all around for a favorable debut release.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ghost Town ► 04 - Transitions of the Heart ► 09- Passing Through

The Dave Liebman Group: Expansions - Earth

February 5, 2020

Label: Whaling City Sound, 2020

Personnel - Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone; Matt Vashlishan: woodwinds; Bobby Avey: piano; Tony Marino: bass; Alex Ritz: drums, kanjira.

Top-notch hornman Dave Liebman reunites his adventurous multi-generational Expansion quintet - reedist Matt Vashlishan, pianist Bobby Avey, veteran bassist Tony Marino, and drummer Alex Ritz - to present a new suite called Earth. The album marks the fourth outing of the group, also being the fourth and last installment of Liebman’s element series, whose previous chapters were released in 1996 (Water), 2006 (Air), and 2016 (Fire) with different bands and configurations. Liebman, who composed each track on Earth with a specific interval in mind, rips through these earthly sceneries in a freewheeling fashion, devising ambitious electro-acoustic sonorities that push the envelope of conventional jazz.

“Earth Theme” bookends the album, going from vagueness to consistency, but it’s “Volcano/Avalanche” that instantly earns our attention through parallel lines based on intervals of sixth and effect-laden synth tapestries. Arranged with intelligence, this textural wizardry has its vision projected into the future, and to hear Liebman’s unquiet soprano rides over humming drones is like having an acid trip.

Strategically placed between the main compositions, there are interludes in a total of six. Each of them features a particular instrument or two. Take the case of the percussion/flute collaboration, which works as a perfect preamble for the desert-inspired “The Sahara”. Intervals of major and minor second confer the latter piece the desired exotic touch, yet the wind effects, bass trance, and corrosive synth chords create an ambiance of mystery that goes beyond the sky-and-sand landscape.

Whereas the more tranquil “Grand Canyon/Mt. Everest” makes use of Ritz’s fine brushwork to soar to the height of the mountainous regions that describes, “Concrete Jungle” lives in a wildly toxic swinging acceleration. With more angles than curves, this piece places a spotlight on Avey and then embarks on an animated call-and-response between Vashlishan and the bandleader.

“Dust to Dust” consists of a bunch of motifs echoed in sequence. If the attentive communication between the musicians is plainly expressed here, then it transcends expectations on the intoxicating “Galaxy”. The latter piece, previously introduced by wind synthesizer, falls into a sort of free funk pervaded with brisk and ebullient breakbeats, soprano madness, and mercurial electro-synth mosaics.

Not all the parts of Earth are at the same level, but this rich sensory experience is keen to captivate enthusiasts of jazz fusion and futuristic post-bop alike.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Volcano/Avalanche ► 09 - Concrete Jungle ► 13 - Galaxy

The Comet Is Coming - The Afterlife

January 29, 2020

Label: Impulse! Records, 2019

Personnel - Shabaka Hutchings: saxophone; Dan Leavers: synth; Max Hallett: drums, percussion.

The leader of Sons of Kemet, Shabaka Hutchings also leads The Comet Is Coming under the pseudonym of King Shabaka. This London-based trio, which includes Dan Leavers on synthesizers and Max Hallett on drums, releases its third full-length album, the second for the legendary Impulse! label.

Following quickly on the heels of Trust in the Lifeforce of Deep Mystery and despite has been created at the same time, The Afterlife doesn’t have the same boldness and hallucinogenic effect of its antecedent. Way more controlled, Shabaka’s discursive ideas still ignite some cosmic fire here, with the band deftly juggling elements of jazz, funk, electronica, and rock.

The opener, “All That Matters is the Moments”, has the prophetic voice of Joshua Idehen announcing ‘the comet is coming / Babylon burned down / our time has come / our clock has run down’. This is placed on top of trancing electronic synths and beseeching saxophone prayers. Yet, the tune builds up to a rock-infused section with a strong thematic riff and a ritualistic Afro rhythm with a tinge of hip hop.

While “The Softness of the Present” rises from the mist to settle in an unexciting ambient electronica, the title track inflicts the atmosphere with a mix of airiness and tightness. Expect synth-soaked layers, droning sounds, steady tribal beat, and circular sax riffs.

Using both space and dynamics favorably, the group devises “Lifeforce” as two distinct four-minute parts. The first one feels like a mythological spiritual journey, but everything glides back to the Earth on the second, via a danceable electro-funk, more in the line of the hit “Summon the Fire”.

“The Seven Planetary Heavens” concludes the session with a simple and soft electronic preparation that, by the end, sees its beat reshaped with a three time feel.

Jazz purists won’t go this way, but admirers of eclectic modern music may want to dive into the hybrid, apocalyptic sonic pool of The Comet.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - All That Matters is the Moments ► 04 - Lifeforce Part I ► 06 - The Seven Planetary Heavens

Christy Doran's Sound Fountain - For The Kick Of It

January 6, 2020

Label: Between The Lines, 2019

Personnel - Christy Doran: guitar; Franco Fontanarrosa: electric bass; Lukas Mantel: drums.

70-year-old Irish-born guitarist Christy Doran is known for his longtime association with powered rock music (he founded OM in the 70’s) but also a noteworthy presence in the avant-garde scene, especially due to a favorable trio collaboration with trombonist Ray Anderson and drummer Han Bennink.

The third recording by the eclectic Sound Fountain trio, which features electric bassist Franco Fontanarrosa and drummer Lukas Mantel, opens with a punk rock attitude and reaggae-ish riffery. “Every Dog Has It’s Day” is the first of two unrecorded pieces on the album, navigating moods that range from boisterous, with danceable ostinatos and rhythmic punch, to quiet suspensions, in which jazzier modes are dominated by colorful chord extensions, occasional bass fibrillation, and unimposing crisp drumming. Fontanarrosa stretches out under the three-time rhythmic spell generated by the drummer and endorsed by the guitarist.

The other previously unrecorded composition is “Thanks to Otmar”, which evokes an imaginary crossing between Dire Straits and The Police, being, in truth, a static parade motivated by brushes and cyclic bass figures. Doran infuses his playing with effects and bright harmonics, which are also noticeable on the time-shifting fusion “Andromeda”. In that particular context, they coexist with lubricated bass slides in a first phase, before the trio embraces an uncompromising funk rock, reserving some eastern-inflected rhythmic surprises for the last section.

Just like the previous tune, “Bad News Babe” was taken from the album 144 Strings For a Broken Chord (Between The Lines, 2018), which Doran composed for 20 guitars, four electric basses and drums. This number closes the program by intermingling the flaming bluesy riffs of Jimi Hendrix, always a major inspiration for Doran, with the unpolished funk metal once exposed by Red Hot Chili Peppers in the 80’s.

Fontanarrosa and Mantel contribute one composition each, “Abstraccion Felina” and “The Spanish Moment”, respectively. Both tunes were included in the group’s second album Undercurrent (Intuition, 2017), but if the former mixes the prog-rock of Tool with atmospheric electronic vibes, the latter procures abstraction, falling into moderately dreamy tones.

On the title track, “For The Kick Of It”, these artisans of rhythm return to the dance-like pulses and populate them with hooks and jabs. They concentrate energies in punk rock and jazz funk, having lots of fun playing it.

Favoriter Tracks:
03 - Andromeda ► 07 - For The Kick Of It ► 09 - Bad News Babe

Rez Abbasi - A Throw of Dice

December 5, 2019

Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2019

Personnel - Rez Abbasi: guitars, electric sitar-guitar; Rawan Benjamin: saxophone, flute, bensuri; Jennifer Vincent: bass, cello; Rohan Khrishnamurthy: mridangam, ghatam, khanjira; Jake Goldbas: drum set.

A Throw of Dice is the new outing by the highly regarded guitarist Rez Abbasi, who, for the very first time in his career, wrote a score to be played live in a film, namely, the Indian-German classic movie of the same name, dated back to 1929. For the effect, the guitarist gathered a cross border quintet, whose members - saxophonist/flutist Rawan Benjamin, bassist/cellist Jennifer Vincent, Carnatic percussionist Rohan Khrishnamurthy, and drummer Jake Goldbas - contribute a great deal to the pleasing hybrid aesthetic, where Indian ragas and rhythms fuse with Western elements, such as jazz and rock.

Abbasi smears the tracks with his empathic virtuosity, and his sitar-guitar intensifies the world fusion contexts of “Love Prevails”, a piece with interesting nuances in the rhythm, and the deceptively balladic “Facing Truth”, which incorporates bass pedals, tenor circularity, and guitar/flute unisons.

His acoustic chordal work is like a symphony to the ears on the exquisitely beautiful “Mystery Rising”, which positions the flute in the spotlight while advancing with propulsive three and four time feels, as well as on the tranquil “Seven Days Until News”, a piece momentarily bewitched by Vincent’s solemn cello.

However, two of the most impressive selections feature electric guitar, forging ahead with the progressive vision of their creator. I’m referring to “Blissful Moments”, whose initially relaxed fingerpicking gets the company of soprano sax and cello before veering into a stream of rock limned with a mix of raga and reggae feels; and “Wedding Preparation”, a marvel in seven whose centrifugal force comes from adroit jazz phrases and a myriad of colorful rhythms and harmonic textures that serve to affirm Abbasi’s improvisational thread. After embarking on coincidental ideas, guitarist and saxophonist end up dialoguing with suppleness. They reiterate this idea on “Jugglers”.

Other pieces deserving mention are “Changing Worlds”, a well-synchronized coloration of timbres with rhythmic momentum and outside tenor ventures, and “Chase for Liberation”, a sort of jazzatronica manipulation with a contemporary vibe.

Denoting tremendous sagacity in the arrangements and juggling a variety of influences, A Throw of Dice provides aural pleasures in each of its narrative episodes. Abbasi’s first cinematic essay comes filled with expressive charisma and musical substance, resulting in an extremely positive experience.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - Blissful Moments ► 12 - Wedding Preparation ► 17 - Changing Worlds

Miles Okazaki - The Sky Below

November 20, 2019

Label: Pi Recordings, 2019

Personnel - Miles Okazaki: guitars, electronics; Matt Mitchell: piano, Fender Rhodes, Prophet-6; Anthony Tidd: electric bass; Sean Rickman: drums.

The advanced musical skills by contemporary jazz guitarist Miles Okazaki continue to impress on his new quartet effort The Sky Below. His sixth album as a leader is a natural follow-up to Trickster, whose tracks were reduced to their basic components before being transformed into new material that sonically illustrates an oceanic odyssey. The results are superior to those presented on the aforementioned 2017 Pi Recordings release. In what concerns to the personnel, the novelty here is the inventive keyboardist Matt Mitchell, who, replacing Craig Taborn with more advantage than loss, denotes an incredible rapport with the bandleader. The collaborative venture in question is grounded on the attractive rhythmic decors of bassist Anthony Tidd and drummer Sean Rickman.

The lead-off track, “Rise and Shine”, is launched with a beautiful integration of guitar, piano, and bass, before Rickman contributes a superlatively spunky rhythm that is responsible for an anxious shift of mood. A polyrhythmic flux of energy invades the unorthodox danceable setting, and the piece ends with an urgent, effect-laden combination of guitar and keyboards.

A funk bass ostinato sets the groove of the trippy “Dog Star”, a M-base exaltation heightened by ideas that repeat and expand. There’s a bracing energy throughout and moments of tight synchronization. Okazaki and Mitchell share the joy of taking risks and a taste for highly intricate language as they solo with admirable concentration and sense of aesthetic. Their improvisational resources also come to the forefront on “The Lighthouse”, a sophisticated reading of a standard packed with gorgeous parallel lines and relentless vibrancies. It ends surprisingly bluesy.

Brimming with a melancholic groove and dazzling acoustic guitar strums, “The Castaway” is melodically challenge in its avant-pop overture. Yet, it sounds accessible when compared with the art-rock unconventionalities of “Seven Sisters”, whose peculiar dialogue of tone-shifting rhythmic figures shows a preference for convergence rather than disparity.

“Monstropolous” is a rip-roaring rollercoaster of curious expressions proper for a modern dance floor. Its fast pulsation differs from the strange and beautiful musings of “Anthemoessa”, which incorporates distortion as it grows more and more compact, and “To Dream Again”, expertly conceived with microtonal dissonance. Although brought to life with a searching quality, these simmering slow jams show some sadcore tendencies.

Definitely rewarding a deep dive from the listener, this masterwork uses ingenious rhythmic tapestries, mind-boggling grooves, harmonic erudition, and acrobatic stunts in the melody to tell a story with a lot to be absorbed, felt, and pictured. Avoiding comfort zones, Okazaki, who brings five different guitars and multiple effects to the setting, stretches his musical views as a composer and instrumentalist. The Sky Below is for unconditional exploration.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Dog Star ► 06 - The Castaway ► 07 - The Lighthouse

Gordon Grdina Quartet - Cooper's Park

October 23, 2019

Label: Songlines Recordings, 2019

Personnel - Gordon Grdina: guitar, oud; Oscar Noriega: alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Russ Lossing: piano, Rhodes, clavinet; Satoshi Takeishi: drums.

The unique and interdisciplinary vocabulary of Canadian guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina can be fully enjoyed on his new quartet album Cooper’s Park, the excellent follow-up to Inroads (Songlines, 2017), which, as it is the case here, featured the same adventurous New York musicians: keyboardist Russ Lossing, multi-reedist Oscar Noriega, and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. Throughout five original compositions, the quartet offers plenty of instrumental possibilities (four musicians play a total of eight instruments), invalidating any type of fatigue or indifference.

Take the example of the title cut, an intricate 18-minute creation with a lot to chew up. Inquisitive melodic expressions are presented in the form of unisons, leading to a free collective extemporization where melodies keep flying from different angles. After a rubato reflexion suffused with harmonic and melodic pathos, it’s Lossing who improvises beautifully in a setting that also accommodates juxtaposed guitar-sax unisons. Two of the most stunning moments occur when Noriega projects his scorching tenor over a ravishing ostinato and extroverted drumming, and when Grdina discourses with certitude, having Lossing’s funky oddities on the clavinet running in the the background.

Four of the five tunes go over 10 minutes, attaining a solid narrative arc that relies on the virtuosity of each musician. If the bandleader brandishes his guitar on the brooding “Benbow”, driving an acoustic lyrical intro before the invigorating interplay and solos attain a sonically feverish state, he does the same with the oud on “Wayward”, which develops in a calm state of mind, interweaving the placid and the somber as well as Western and Eastern sounds, prior to flaring up with insurgence and move into an indie-rock aesthetic. Takeishi shines ahead of the theme reinstatement.

Grdina’s compositional eclecticism hits active crossroads that have the power to ground us to the avant-jazz realm in a way, and simultaneously transport us to another worlds and cultures. The patiently layered “Seeds II” fuses some folk esprit wrapped in wha-soaked keyboards with rock tenacity, using hot/cold routines to challenge dynamics. It expresses a wide range of emotion that reflects the musical vision of the composer. At a late stage, we are shaken by a resonant hard-rock foray featuring burning saxophone cries with jolting dissonance.

Culminating an intriguing set of explorative music, “Night Sweats”, the shortest tune on the record, is an ode to dance that I wished it were longer. Following a psychedelic intro, an athletic 15/8 groove is installed to lift your feet off the floor.

More than fulfilling any improvisational liabilities, Grdina and his peers explore their instruments with passion, giving the appropriate direction to an admirable sonic conception. The album is dedicated to Ken Pickering, co-founder of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and long-time artistic director of the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Cooper’s Park ► 03 - Seeds II ► 05 - Night Sweats

Miguel Zenón - Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera

September 10, 2019

Label: Miel Music, 2019

Personnel - Miguel Zenón: alto saxophone; Luis Perdomo: piano; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Henry Cole: drums.

Phenomenal saxophonist Miguel Zenón has proved to be a master in synthesizing his Puerto Rican musical heritage - mainly represented by currents like Plena, Bomba, and Jibaro music - into an organic, personal sound grounded in contemporary jazz. For his new outing, Sonero, he gathered the long-standing international quartet that gives shape to his music - Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Henry Cole on drums. Collectively, they apply their potent chemistry to explore 11 salsa songs made popular by Afro-Puerto Rican singer Ismael Rivera. Zenón pushes the envelope through bold arrangements, creating an unrivaled hybrid sonority that makes his musical personality shine through. And guess what? The result is fresher than ever.

The 1961 hit “Quitate De La Via, Perico”, written by Juan Hernandez, is definitely one of the highlights. The saxophonist owns the moment, delivering a superlative solo fueled by the dazzling rhythm and making emotions flow in abundance as he reaches an extensive range on the instrument. With the rhythmic accents and variations preventing any possible monotony, Perdomo conducts a motif-oriented improvisation on top of a danceable Latin extravagance, and then is Cole who, behind the drum kit, energizes the setting with his vitality. The ostinatos spotted here and in several other tunes result from Zenón’s remakes of sonic cells drawn from the original songs, including Rivera’s vocalizations as well as fragments of bass lines and brass sections.

“El Negro Bembón” was another mega hit within the genre, here configured with enough expansions-contractions and tempo variations in a world-class arrangement that, once more, brings Cole’s drumming to the forefront in the last section. This is one of the two Bobby Capó-penned compositions on the album. The other one is the engaging “Las Tumbas”, which, re-ordered as a triplet like the original, gets a soothing nature in the hands of Perdomo before acquiring a spiritual vibrancy when Zenón takes the helm. The latter’s improvisation occurs already with a luxurious bass groove running underneath.

Filled with expeditious sax-piano unisons and impeccable rhythmic emphasis expressed with a deliberate push-pull traction, “La Gata Montesa” features solos from saxophone and bass. The passionate dissertation by Glawischnig is professed with such an empathic and clear melodicism that I found myself wishing it wouldn't come to an end. As a matter of fact, the rhythm section reveals an incredible generosity in numbers like “Traigo Salsa”, “Colobó”, and the closing “El Nazareno”, a song of faith that ends the session on a high note. Adventurously propelled by magnetic rhythms and aligned with cross-cultural elements, these tunes preserve the spirit and essence of the originals, but also allow us to luxuriate in the richness of jazz improvisation, especially through Zenón, who points out his vision with an electrifying combination of freshness, eloquence, and ferocity. He can really keep the listener on his/her toes.

Even on the affecting “Hola”, which reveals extra sentiment and absorption, the energy is strongly felt, whether through the iterative moves of piano and bass or through the bandleader’s laments subjected to a posterior vulcanization.

Surpassing Yo Soy La Tradición, its preceding album, Sonero is enlivened by the group’s immense sound and top quality. The rhythmic and textural diversity presented throughout never put the album’s wholeness in question, with each member contributing a little of themselves to create something meaningful and special.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Quitate De La Via, Perico ► 03 - Las Tumbas ► 08 - Hola

Marco Ambrosini Ensemble Supersonus - Resonances

June 26, 2019

Label: ECM Records, 2019

Personnel – Marco Ambrosini: nyckelharpa; Anna-Liisa Eller: kannel; Anna-Maria Hefele: overtone singing, harp; Wolf Janscha: jew’s harp; Eva-Maria Rusche: harpsichord, square piano.

Italian-born nyckelharpa player Marco Ambrosini, a co-founder of the Ensemble Oni Wytars, is not a stranger to the ECM catalog, having made his first appearance on Rolf Lislevand’s 2005 recording Nuove Musiche. After a duo collaboration with French accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier in 2014, he resurfaces on the label, leading his own project: the one-of-a-kind Supersonus. The quintet explores archaic-ethnic sounds and forms but gives it a contemporary spin, layering and combining the quirky sounds of instruments like the nyckelharpa (a Swedish fiddle), harpsichord, kannel (an Estonian chordophone instrument), and jew’s harp (a mouth-played lamellophone with a low-pitched indigenous-like sound). Resonances is the ensemble’s first record.

The disc's first offering is “Fuga Xylocopae”, a solo nyckelharpa piece and the only one penned by Ambrosini. The sort of droning ostinato at the base of this song is transferred to Heinrich Biber’s 17th-century “Rosary Sonata Nr. 1” and followed with a murkier reverberance by Wolf Janscha’s jew’s harp on. The distinguishable classical facet, delicate and familiar, assumes a Baroque configuration through the harpsichord playing from Eva-Maria Rusche. The keyboardist contributes “Erimal Nopu”, in which sympathetic sounds hold one another with both groove and sophistication to imply a polyrhythmic feel.

The liturgical medieval song, “O Antiqui Sancti” by Hildegard Von Bingen, provides the most transcendent experience, shimmering with abashed affection with a near-telepathic musical involvement that draws us into a flood of emotions. The overtone singing technique of Anna-Maria Hefele, beautifully accompanied by Anna-Liisa Eller’s kannel, is remarkable here, and she delivers again on the self-penned “2 Four 8”.

Jansche composed “Ananda Rasa” and “Ritus” as two lively classical dances adorned with present-day harmonic progressions and percolating rhythmic maneuvers. The latter piece closes out the record like a Celtic-tinged foray.

Whereas “Toccata in E Minor” and “Praeludium, Tocatta Per L’elevazione”, penned by 17th-century keyboard music composers Froberger and Frescobaldi, respectively, embark on a lightly-fingered, wondrously arpeggiated sort of romanticism, Veli Dede’s “Hicaz Humayun Saz Semaisi” brings Ottoman court music to the table, going from elegiac to spirited.

Multiculturalism is taken further with the inclusion of the Swedish traditional song “Polska”, where Ambrosini brings some pathos into the music. The quintet finds a space uniquely their own with incantatory melodicism and erudite collective involvement.

Often blurring the line between written material and improvisation and retreating from the major traits of jazz, Ambrosini and his associates create breathtaking sculptures of sound while bridging cultural styles. Resonances is a satisfying world-fusion opus.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - O Antiqui Sancti ► 04 - Erimal Nopu ► 05 - Polska

Ayumi Ishito - Midnite Cinema

June 5, 2019

Label: Self Produced, 2019

Personnel – Ayumi Ishito: tenor sax, celesta; Hajime Yoshida: electric and acoustic guitar; Steve Brickman: keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizers; Yoshiki Yamada: electric bass; Carter Bales: drums; Alessandra Levy: vocals.

Based in Brooklyn since 2010, Ayumi Ishito is a Japanese-born saxophonist/composer whose spunky style consists in a contemporary amalgamation of genres with a profusion of mood changes and predicated in demarcated structures that involve both group texture and individual improvisation. Her sophomore album is called Midnite Cinema and, contrary to her debut trio album, features a supple quintet with guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums.

The first two tracks, “Lost Sheep” and the adventurous “Caterpillars”, follow similar methodologies, shifting time signatures and sharing a common denominator: progressive rock. Still, their passages vary in style, and in the case of the former piece, propelled by a pumping bass, you even get a bit of R&B in the 4/4 section, sax ostinatos over a more commercial hard rock approach, and an openly groovy solo by keyboardist Steve Brickman, who takes us to a psychedelic electro-funk crescendo. He delivers again on the classic metal-tinged “Under the Raff”. The cinematic “Caterpillars” even brings other elements in, like when a brief soft popish moment blows in after an accented, in-your-face rhythmic passage that is no more than a breath away from prog-rock. There’s also a gritty sax solo dipped in effects running on top of a rock-solid vamping that veers into another vamp to feature guitarist Hajime Yoshida and his patterned metal licks. Guest vocalist Alessandra Levy makes an impact, fortifying the obscure choruses suitably arranged by Brickman.

“Not Today” is an indie pop song that starts like a lullaby, but gets Ishito’s wah-wah-drenched saxophone speaking expressively in the guise of a guitar. If simplicity is the word that better fits here, then “Clown Ride” feels like a kitsch cocktail of genres where everything is taken to the extreme with soft pop/rock, slippery American marching extravagances, bolero sumptuosity, and avant-garde pompousness.

Even a bit too strained sometimes, compensation arrives from “Antler Velvet”, which boasts a jazzy atmosphere in tones of ballad along with a fancy crawling beat, and “Eight Steps”, a wider step into the free/avant jazz universe where enthusiastic galloping runs contrast with darker sounds. At this point, Ishito maximizes timbral work and evokes Coltrane, while a toxic guitar noise gradually infiltrates, shoving its way toward the final.

Conceived with a mix of sly wit and calculated naivety, Midnite Cinema is rigorous fusion with uncountable transitions and some peremptory unexpected turns.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Not Today ► 04 - Eight Steps ► 06 - Antler Velvet

Ilhan Ersahin's Instanbul Sessions - Solar Plexus

September 25, 2018

Label: Nublu Records, 2018

Personnel - Ilhan Ersahin: saxophone; Alp Ersonmez: bass; Izzet Kizil: percussion; Turgut Alp Bekoglu: drums + guests Erik Truffazz: trumpet; Ibrahim Maalouf: trumpet; Nils Petter Molvaer: trumpet; Dave Harrington: guitar; Mauro Refosco: percussion; Arto Tuncboyaciyan: percussion; Kenny Wollesen: drums.

New York-based Swedish-Turkish saxophonist Ilhan Fredrik Ersahin is not only an eclectic musician and composer but also a successful club owner since 2002, the year he opened Nublu in Manhattan’s East Village.

Boasting the same alternative sounds this club has been cultivated for more than a decade, the project Istanbul Sessions has another album coming out on Nublu Records with the title Solar Plexus. The core members - bassist Alp Ersonmez, percussionist Izzet Kizil, drummer Turgut Alp Bekoglu - are joined by a set of respected guests on this album, broadening textures and creating gripping soundscapes. They are French trumpeter and longtime collaborator Erik Trufazz, drummers Kenny Wollesen and Brandon Lewis, guitarist Dave Harrington, percussionists Mauro Refosco and Arto Tuncboyaciyan (also a singer), and trumpeters Ibrahim Maalouf and Nils Petter Molvaer.

“Overture Solar Plexus” mixes atmospheric synth, saxophone wails, and pounding rhythmic strokes that have little in common with the dancing percussion of the piece that follows it. On “Farewell to Earth”, the linearity of the bass groove, laid down with a quasi-tribal, funky feel marks the nucleus of this piece, which explodes with seismic intensity in the last minute with a rampant synth invasion.

“Infinite Gathering” feels like a work song. Introduced by a rebellious saxophone and wet percussion, this number also displays epic chants uttered with the force of Karmina Burana. Before the triumphant finale, there are soaring trumpet lines and keyboard-driven modulations that take us to Jocelyn Pook’s mechanisms used in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

The longest piece, at more than 11 minutes, is the flickering “Pris”, a trippy voyage that is not averse to dark tonalities, especially in its last phase. Along the way, you will find melodious trumpet, lamenting vocals, psychedelic synth sounds, distorted guitar, saxophone aphorisms, and a static rhythm established by the deep resonance of electric bass and mallet drumming.

Ersahin explores saxophone timbres with echoing effects on “Rachel & Rick”, which starts off with airy electronic pointillism. The music goes through a radical change when an elated, danceable rhythm is put into practice before returning to calm waters.

Malleability is a key factor in the group’s performance and that is obvious on pieces like “Moon Dance”, a trip hop-ish exercise with an invariably downtempo vibe a-la Massive Attack; the contemplative yet rhythmically uninhibited “Sea of Stars”; and the imaginative yet unsettled closing piece, “Arrival”, which was wrapped in wha-wha acidity in a part obscure, part primal exploration.

Ersahin makes use of his wide-ranged influences to explore mood with a sense of comfort and delightfulness. If you have a penchant for the experimental ambient genre in its multiple variations and forms, this is a record for you.

Favorite Tracks:

02 - Farewell to Earth ► 03 - Infinite Gathering ► 05 - Rachel & Rick

Charles Pillow Large Ensemble - Electric Miles

September 10, 2018

Label: Mama Records, 2018

Personnel – Charles Pillow: alto and soprano sax, flutes; David Liebman: soprano sax; Colin Gordon: alto and soprano sax, flute; Luke Norris: tenor sax, clarinet; CJ Ziarniak: tenor sax; Karl Stabnau: bass clarinet; Michael Davis: trombone; Abe Nouri: trombone; Jack Courtright: trombone; Gabe Ramos: bass trombone; Tony Kadleck: trumpet; Charlie Carr: trumpet; Clay Jenkins: trumpet; Tim Hagans, trumpet; Julian Garvue: electric piano; Chuck Bergeron: electric bass; Mike Forfia: acoustic bass; Jared Schonig: drums.

Besides being a sought-after sideman in both pop and jazz genres, saxophonist Charles Pillow is also a qualified bandleader whose musical adroitness shines through on his latest work for large ensemble, aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bitches Brew and the strong heritage of the early electric period of Miles Davis’ music.

Conveniently entitled Electric Miles, the album features amazing soloists such as saxophonist Dave Liebman and trumpeters Tim Hagans and Clay Jenkins in a cross-pollination of jazz and rock with ample textural dimension. Aggregating 8 tightly structured compositions (four by Miles, three by Joe Zawinul, and one by Wayne Shorter), the program is competently handled by a 17-piece big-band comprising gifted multi-generational musicians with an unaffected ability to read and improvise.

Zawinul’s “Pharaoh’s Dance” opens with a deep-running tranquility, indicating that this music can be satisfyingly funkified with coolness and strongly boosted by legitimate solos. Pillow’s voice erupts with clarity after a short interlude that echoes trumpet riffs. Before him, it was Hagans who delivered a great solo with pure post-MIles intention.

Also penned by Zawinul and popularized by Miles, “In a Silent Way”, displays a blatant variation in the rhythmic intensity, having the inaugural docile atmosphere veering to an electrifying rock groove populated by Jared Schonig’s stupendous transition fills and Julian Garvue’s keyboard ecstasy. The drummer takes the liberty to embark on a short solo ride before concluding the piece with the rest of the band.

Rendered with grandiose counterpoint and delicious unison lines, “Bitches Brew” never boils over, except when Hagan's trumpet hits the stars. In turn, the solo-free “Sanctuary”, which honors Wayne Shorter, is filled with abundant serenity, in opposition to the relentless, outgoing moves of Miles’ “Spanish Key”, fueled with passionate improvisations from Jenkins and Pillow..

Coaxing wide dynamics with broader hooks “Black Satin” and “Yesternow” are set on fire due to Dave Liebman’s stunning flights on soprano. His discourses are designed with flashy outside efforts, lavish emotional crescendos, and brilliant resolve. While “Satin” thrives with the rhythmic magnetism of powerful bass lines and rocking drum fluxes, “Yesternow” is elegantly brought to life by a creamy alto flute.

Mr. Pillow shaped up Electric Miles with scrupulous arrangements containing fluttering horn lines and expressionistic individual solos. Everything flows with an electrifying poise.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pharaoh’s Dance ► 04 - In a Silent Way ► 07 - Yesternow

Thumbscrew - Ours

June 5, 2018

Label: Cuneiform Records, 2018

Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Michael Formanek: double bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

Avant-jazz trio Thumbscrew, a collaborative project co-led by guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, augmented their discography with the release of two new complementary if conceptually distinct albums, suitably entitled Ours and Theirs. Following the example of their second album, Convallaria, these sessions were born from a residency at Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum and demonstrate the strong sonic chemistry of musicians who have been regular presences in one another’s bands.

Theirs consists of ten visionary renditions of non-originals, including standards (“East of the Sun”, “The Peacocks”), post-bop sensations (Wayne Shorter’s “Dance Cadaverous”, Herbie Nichols’s “House Party Starting”, Stanley Cowell’s “Effi”), hard-bop classics (Benny Golson’s “Stablemates”), avant-garde numbers (Misha Mengelberg’s “Weer is een dag voorbij”), and even Brazilian (Jacob do Bandolim’s “Benzinho”) and Argentinean (Julio De Caro’s “Buen Amigo”) pieces.

Conversely, Ours exclusively comprises originals, having each artist contributing with three compositions.
Halvorson’s “Snarling Joys” exudes a sonic exoticism brought forth by flamenco-like attacks on the guitar and a thoughtful bass solo over a more temperate texture. There’s depth in the groove, yet, unrelated with the one presented on “Saturn Way”, which thrives with the percussive incantation of Fujiwara, its author, and also impresses through Formanek’s fluttering arco rumination.

Suffused with lamenting chords, “Smoketree” advances at a medium-slow tempo imposed by a groove in nine. The inventive artistry of Halvorson, the snare drum palpitations of Fujiwara, and the empathic statement of Formanek are prominent. The bassist also delivers on “Unconditional”, a flirtatious tune driven by Fujiwara’s mallet appeal. This composition still sounds intriguing despite carrying a more standardized jazz phrasing and harmonization.

Formanek’s “Cruel Heartless Bastards” goes back and forth in tempo, jolting with changed-up rhythms and textures. Although rhythmically complex, the piece encloses rock-driven passages outlined with power chords, robust bass pumps, and effusive drumming that bear some resemblance with Pixies or The Fall, even if not so rough on the surface. Its energy has less to do with the groovy march of “Thumbprint”, but gets closer to “Words That Rhyme With Spangle”, a post-rock piece that cracks out dynamic kinetics, morphing into a jumbled amalgam of speckled drum chops, unfettered bass, electronic seizures, and revolutionary guitar spins.

An advanced post-bop harmonization affiliates with sharp melodic angularity to fabricate “Rising Snow”, which finds a sensitive equilibrium between the raw strokes of the pulse and the atmospheric velvety of the guitar.

The experimental sounds of Thumbscrew evolve with large amounts of imagination and boldness not to disappoint you. Whether playing originals or covers, their rhythmic deconstructionism and eccentric melodic conductivity make you dabble in this luxurious sonic bubble bath for the ears.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Cruel Heartless Bastards ► 04 - Smoketree ► 08 - Words That Rhyme With Spangle