The Bad Plus - Complex Emotions

December 3, 2024

Label: Mack Avenue Records, 2024

Personnel - Chris Speed: tenor saxophone; Ben Monder: guitar; Reid Anderson: bass, synth; Dave King: drums, synth.

The Bad Plus, a quartet of first-rate musicians renowned for their genre-blurring compositions, returns with their latest album, Complex Emotions. Saxophonist Chris Speed and guitarist Ben Monder, who joined founding members bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King in 2021, have become integral to the ensemble. Their second album as a quartet features eight original compositions—four by Anderson, two by King, and one each by Speed and Monder. Together, these pieces explore the individual compositional voices of the band members who rove beyond the confines of stereotyped jazz and rock to create something wholly distinctive.

The album opens with two Anderson-penned tracks. “Grid/Ocean” is smoothly laid down with a blend of wet and dry percussion timbres, a soulful melody that puts light in the horizon, and a circular pop/rock harmony. Monder’s guitar work dazzles, glowing with intensity as King’s cymbal flourishes build to an exhilarating climax. The next track, “French Horns”, is marked by an invigorating rhythm, drawing freely from alternative rock and featuring synchronized guitar-sax melodies, anthemic chordal patterns supporting Speed’s nimble improvisation, and a scorching, metal-inspired guitar solo by Monder.

King’s flair for rhythmic complexity and tricky meters shines on “Casa Ben”, which, delivered with a progressive rock posture, showcases a killer theme centered on a dazzling descendant phrase, and variations of 10 and 12 beat-cycle passages. Speed’s “Cupcakes One” channels a punk rock vibe and a pop melody, elevated by Monder’s inventive solo. The track’s infectious rhythm invites listeners to move, much like Anderson’s expansive “Carrier”, a groove-laden piece driven by an off-kilter beat shuffle. Nonetheless, Monder and Speed provide a contrasting dreamy feel, creating a Mazzy Star-kind of melancholy, while Anderson’s bass shifts seamlessly from understated to commanding.

The adventurous “Deep Water Sharks”, another Anderson composition, offers a vibrant krautrock-inspired groove filled with rapid ideas, guitar noise and scattered harmonics, as well as melodic fluidity. Speed’s improvisation injects further vitality into the track. The album concludes with Monder’s “Li Po”, an eery, atmospheric number filled with dark suspensions and continuous tension. Previously featured on Monder’s triple album Planetarium, this haunting piece feels tailor-made for a mystery or horror film soundtrack.

Complex Emotions solidifies The Bad Plus as a sensational post-modern jazz act. By forging fresh paths and emphasizing the distinct musical identities of its members, the album offers a compelling and multifaceted listening experience, confirming the quartet’s creative vitality.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Grid/Ocean ► 02 - French Horns ► 05 - Cupcakes One ► 06 - Carrier

Dave Harrington / Max Jaffe / Patrick Shiroishi - Speak, Moment

March 11, 2024

Label: AKP Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Dave Harrington: guitar, electronics; Max Jaffe: drums, sensory percussion, effects; Patrick Shiroishi: saxophones, bells, tambourine.

The trio co-led by guitarist Dave Harrington, drummer Max Jaffe, and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi delivers deeply improvisatory yet subtly nuanced performances in their debut album, Speak, Moment. Comprising five collective improvisations recorded in a single afternoon, the album explores atmospheric sonic environments with intuition and spontaneity.

The album opens with the guard-down rubato balladry of “Staring Into the Imagination (of Your Face)”, whose wispy contemplative tone results from tranquil saxophone melodies with slightly dissonant slips and vibrato, ambient guitar, and coruscating brushwork with incidence on cymbals. At the end, we can hear an arpeggiated sax phrase that repeats with electronics in the background. “How to Draw Buildings” has Harrington assembling droning persistence, Eastern melodies, and rock experimentalist over Jaffe’s shamanic percussion. The sounds become weepier as the piece progresses.

“Dance of the White Shadow and Golden Kite” takes the form of a hypnotic elliptical dance with strange exoticism exuding from the rich timbres of the rhythm. There’s admirable saxophone work and effects here, and the overall picture transports us to some eclectic ECM albums by Jan Garbarek and Collin Walcott. Contrasting with the other pieces, “Ship Rock” channels the skronky guitarism of Sonny Sharrock, in a combination of shredding, staccato-infused electric guitar, fleet saxophone lines, and high-strung drumming.

The album concludes with “Return in 100 Years, the Colors Will be at Their Peak”, a foray into freer territory after walking a tightrope between Eastern and American sounds. Tidal guitar waves are pelted with distortion, the saxophone toggles between gravitation and compression, and the percussion mutates with elasticity. It ends with raspy droplets of guitar, while angular asymmetric saxophone lines fizz between the cracks.

Sharing a positive and open affiliation, this trio delves into charming ambiances with an impulse to disrupt the norms and redraw the lines.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - How to Draw Buildings ► 03 - Dance of the White Shadow and Golden Kite ► 05 - Return in 100 Years, the Colors Will Be at Their Peak

Dan Pitt Trio - Stages

August 31, 2023

Label: self released, 2023

Personnel - Dan Pitt: guitar; Alex Fournier: bass; Nick Fraser: drums.

If the Canadian guitarist/composer Dan Pitt has been flying under the radar, now is the time he gets some attention via Stages, a nervy sophomore album made with his working trio, featuring bassist Alex Fournier (Triio) and Nick Fraser (Tony Malaby, Kris Davis). These musicians possess ample resources to make you want explore their sounds, probing powerful rock-influenced settings with plenty of room for improvisation.

Several titles make reference to time. The opener, “Fourteen Days” is a downtempo excursion bookended by interspersed chords and single notes with a nearly classical intonation. In the middle, we have sharp cymbal demarcations, bass lines that turn everything darker in tone, and the melodic eruption of the guitar in an intriguing solo designed with inside/outside allure. “Tape Age” is minimal and lyrical, whereas “Fifteen Minutes” is cooked up in seven with the authority of alternative rock. There’s pressurized rhythmic accentuation too, as well as sharp unisons and muscular drumming.

“Part Two” springs up with a melancholy bass monologue that matures into an exotic odd-metered Eastern dance textured with fine aesthetic judgment. In turn, “Stages” feels like a cinematic neo-country rock song, which, displaying its propensity for free and experimental sounds, concludes with a wired, edgy guitar solo over a vamping sequence.

Darker musical pigments cover both “Foreboding” and “Ghosts”, transporting listeners to a somber reverie. Funneling elements of the indie rock and metal genres, the former adds up beat cycles of six and eight, and terminates with distortion. The latter piece, also ending up in a gritty electrified tone, starts off introspectively with shimmering harmonic reflections and poetic arco bass qualities.

Pitt is an interesting composer whose work we want to keep an eye on. This set, by turns delicate and vigorous, hangs together nicely and cohesively, demonstrating the contemporary art of this trio.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fourteen Days ► 05 - Fifteen Minutes ► 07 - Stages

The End - Why Do You Mourn

June 29, 2023

Label: Trost Records, 2023

Personnel - Sofia Jernberg: voice; Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone, flutes, electronics; Kjetil Møster: clarinet, tenor saxophone, electronics; Anders Hana: baritone and bass guitars, langeleik; Børge Fjordheim: drums.

The apocalyptic North European post-jazz-rock outfit, The End, released its third album, Why Do You Mourn, a collection of seven eerie contemporary pieces that fuse dark and mystic sounds with style-defying personality.

“Snow” inaugurates this peculiar excursion with a gloomy, suspenseful underpinning empowered by Anders Hana’s nebulous baritone guitar. The gnarly vocals of Sofia Jernberg and the saxophones of Mats Gustafsson and Kjetil Møster go nearly arm in arm; the scintillating drum work of Børge Fjordheim adopts a phlegmatic talkative vein at this point, becoming more ferocious over the following 12-bar heavy-rock vamp that sustains a clamorous tenor solo. After a sudden break, we wake up in another sonic world via a calm folk-infused passage driven by langeleik, a droned Norwegian zither. This gives the piece a sort of medieval, Eastern-tinged quality.

“Doomfunk MCs” is pelted with blasts of baritone guitar, saxophone multiphonics, atmospheric electronics, and petrifying horror-induced vocals. Despite the darkness, it will take you to a serenely composed landscape at the end. Totally divergent, “Winter Doesn’t End” comes immersed in world music erudition with langeleik and flute at the center.

“Wasted Blame” takes the form of an elliptical dance with noise guitar at the base and enthusiastic horn unisons atop. Jernberg’s vocals arrive by the end, accompanied by wailful baritone sax winds. On occasion, the saxophonists steal the show, but the vocalist excels on “Whose Face”, a doom metal anthem in the guise of a common tune with particularly discernible melody and harmony. The drummer displaces the rhythm flow, taking the guitarist with him at some point, and then comes a powerful, agonizing tenor improvisation by Møster.

The album comes to an end with the simmering “Black Vivaldi Sonata”, a surprising incursion into R&B with a menacing guitar drone, disconcerting beat, and multi-layered vocalization. Ending with electronic clatter, this would have given another great funk hit for Prince to sing.

Playful on one side, inexorably severe on the other, The End’s experimentation here don’t surpass those of the previous albums. Yet, if you like your music pummeled with staggering revelations and sinister sensations, then this is a disc you should try.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Snow ► 03 - Wasted Blame ► 05 - Whose Face

Erik Friedlander - She Sees

June 6, 2023

Label: Skipstone Records, 2023

Personnel - Erik Friedlander: cello; Ava Mendoza: electric guitar; Stomu Takeishi: electric bass; Diego Espinosa: percussion.

She Sees, the second studio album by American cellist Erik Friedlander’s Sentinel - originally a trio and now a quartet - clearly leans on muscular rock while moving in mysterious ways. Driven by genre-fusing ardor, the group welcomes Japanese bassist Stomu Takeishi - he collaborated with Friedlander on fantastic albums such as Topaz (1999), Quake (2003), Prowl (2006) and Ring (2016) - who joins the core trio completed by Brooklyn-based avant guitarist Ava Mendoza and Mexican percussionist Diego Espinosa.

“Baskets, Biscuits, Rain” follows a typical anthemic rock song format but suggests a propulsive swinging feel through the dynamic bass. The quartet gets lean on “Wit & Whimsy”, which sounds like classic arena-rock, and sinewy on “Heatwave”, a fusion piece with excellent command of tempo and tone, and enlivened by an inner/outer travelogue delivered by Friedlander. The cellist, who recently underwent Deep Brain Stimulation to fight Parkinson’s disease, appears here as fit as a flea.

“Tremor, Blink” is funk-rock rapture. Cello and guitar are seen partially in tandem to create a sort of contrapuntal effect, whereas “Sliding” focuses on a gutbucket jazz n’ bluesy style redolent of Tom Waits. In turn, “Summit” explores the pop genre with cello pizzicato and a reverb-drenched guitar solo with distorted contrails. Mendoza is also impressive on “Ache, Air”, championing a jangling funky rhythm contraction with punk-rock attitude.

If the engrossing “Rush. Rush Slowly” is treated with ethnic intrusions and Eastern tangents, then “Soak! Soak!” and the closer, “Moneycake: Corrupting”, are pinned with stylish riffs. The former develops with a three-time feel, while the latter gets under way in seven, changing meter signatures en route.

Adding warped sounds to its rock-steeped temperament, this new Sentinel disc falls well behind the group’s debut album (2020), but deserves some support for its bold sounds and explorative intrepidity.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - Ache, Air ► 07 - Sliding ► 10 - Moneycake: Corrupting

Will Bernard - Pond Life

June 23, 2022

Label: Dreck to Disk Records, 2022

Personnel - Will Bernard: guitar; Tim Berne: alto saxophone; John Medeski: keys; Chris Lightcap: bass; Ches Smith: drums.

Despite some great releases, guitarist/composer Will Bernard remains largely overlooked outside the New York scene. This new record, in particular, shows his varied but consistent modernistic creations, and features the best lineup so far - drummer Ches Smith and keyboardist John Medeski have been regular collaborators, while bassist Chris Lightcap and saxophonist Tim Berne team up with the guitarist for the first time on record, fully supporting his inspired ideas and glorious skronky tone.

“Poor Man’s Speedball” is an odd-metered, fusion-oriented number whose avant-garde jazz and indie rock-styled demeanors conflate in a stratospheric texture paved with keyboard cushions. The rock influence is constantly present, being particularly noticeable on “Still Drinkin’?”, a progressive effort in which powered chords whip up Berne for an invigorating solo; and “That Day”, a full-tilt anthem turned polyrhythmic symphony thanks to Lightcap’s propulsive thrust and Smith's unpredictable drive.

“Type A” takes a path of ambiguity, hopping with lightness during the flawless chorus demarcated by hi-hat and opportune cymbal placement. A middle passage undergoes a change of air; a quietly breathing ambience with piano in the background and bass at the fore. In turn, “Four is More” is made of lovely riffing, triggering an ingenious hall of metric mirrors supported by an inventive harmonic work with alluring electronics. Bernard and Medeski are on the same mindset here.

“Pond Life” embraces relaxation before a bass figure imposes its mighty presence with a six-beat duration. On the other hand, “Surds” brings a strong Americana flavor to the table with odd meter, rhythmic accents, and bluesy tones contributing to pump the energy. In the same vein, but featuring Bernard on the acoustic guitar, “Lake of Greater Remnants” has playful blues-inflected lines blending right into the affectionately brushed yet lilting asymmetric tapestry.

The stellar quintet covers a lot of ground stylistically. Their languages brimming with rare facility and abandon. I was taken by the quality of the sound, the progressive tendencies, and the acuteness of the arrangements.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Still Drinkin’? ► 06 - Four is More ► 10 - Lake of Greater Remnants

Dave Gisler Trio with Jaimie Branch and David Murray - See You Out There

April 4, 2022

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Dave Gisler: guitar; Raffaele Bossard: bass; Lionel Friedli: drums; David Murray: tenor saxophone; Jaimie Branch: trumpet.

The extroverted Swiss trio led by guitarist Dave Gisler is powerfully augmented here with the wealth of experience and blaze brought by saxophonist David Murray and the creative musical sensibilities of trumpeter Jaimie Branch. Even probing other moods, the stylistic predominance on the trio’s third outing, See You Out There, can be specified as acute avant-jazz meets raw-boned punk rock.

The boisterous opener, “Bastards on the Run”, ensures an explosive start. Played at a blistering tempo, the piece shows off an aggressive and pliable rhythm section - composed of bassist Raffaele Bossard and drummer Lionel Friedli - paving the ground for concurrent spontaneous incursions of guitar, saxophone and trumpet. A cacophonous noise delirium comes out of the speakers at full force, inundating the surroundings with ferocious energy. Other punkier tracks include “Medical Emergency”, which, inspired by true Covid events, revels in horn unisons, muscular drumming, and fiery solos from guitar and tenor; and “What Goes Up…”, whose pummeling rhythmic drive and loud guitar strumming are in a position to defy The Sex Pistols. This number, together with the closing 3/4 bluesy cut “Better Don’t Fuck with the Drunken Sailor”, originally appeared on the 2020 album Zurich Concert, which also featured Branch.

“Can You Hear Me” and “Get a Doener” have strong improvisational flairs. The former, with unaggressive chordal work and sharp trumpet notes pointing to the sky, becomes heavier, then darker and then percussive; the latter, squeezing a hip-hop feel out of its rhythmic fragmentation, has Gisler and Murray engaged in an uproarious dialogue. At odds with these ambiences yet with distinct natures, we have the eerily atmospheric title track and “The Vision”, whose irresistible theme plays like a spiritual hymn. Over the course of the tune I just mentioned, one finds melodious trumpet lines set against a fuzz-painted wall of noise, an inside/outside guitar improvisation delivered with hammer-ons and resolute phrases, and Murray’s volcanic blows over a prodding krautrock rhythm. This captivating album is a squall of musical intensity and puissant improvisation.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Bastards on the Run ► 04 - The Vision ► 06 - Medical Emergency

Hedvig Mollestad - Tempest Revisited

February 14, 2022

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2021

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar, vocals, upright piano; Karl Hjalmar Nyberg: alto saxophone; Martin Myhre Olsen: soprano, alto and baritone saxophones; Peter Erik Vergeni: tenor saxophone, flute; Marte Eberson: vibraphone, synth; Trond Frønes; bass; Ivar Loe Bjørnstad: drum set, percussion + guest Per Oddvar Johansen: drum set (#1).

Norwegian guitarist and composer Hedvig Mollestad carved out a singular spot for herself in the creative music orb. For her new outing, Tempest Revisited, she sought inspiration from the avant-garde composer Arne Nordheim and his work The Tempest while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Parken Culture House in her hometown, Aleslund. The disc, even not as ceiling-shaking as other adventures, comprises five mesmerizing excursions where a nearly telepathic understanding is established among the musicians involved.

“Sun On a Dark Sky” opens with a feathery flute, but you can feel the storm approaching from behind. Ritualistic chants increase the sense of feverishness while a guitar ostinato gives the piece a perceptible, clearer shape. The trio of saxophonists first go for lines of tranquility until a fusion-imbued 13-beat cycle makes them insert woozy lines. An asymmetric, odd-metered cycle is also spotted on “High Hair”, a prog-rock-like exertion with reeds and guitar working in tandem and an energy that will win you over.

Mollestad was gifted with a variety of sonic palettes to choose from, and “Winds Approaching” stresses that aspect by expertly blending styles. Following the initial percussion festivities with clapping and horn chants, there’s rock muscularity stemming from the heavy guitar, and then jazzy bass lines welcoming brilliant harmonic colors. The adaptable horn players match up their textural lines, occasionally dovetailing phrases and easing off their impetus according to the mood. Besides sax and guitar, this piece features a zig-zagging synth solo.

“Kittiwakes of Gusts” results in a cool mixture of hard rock and R&B, and the feel is all groovy and burning. The group embarks on seamless modulation, interchangeable saxophone impressions that later become tangled, and searing overdrive-infused guitar. In turn, “418 (Stairs in Storms)” combines ambient awe and gutsy riffery to create contrasting tones of sheer beauty. Delivered with iron-fisted discipline and controlled power, this edgy yet accessible Tempest Revisited resounds in the listener’s head with a sense of bewilderment and exuberance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Sun On a Dark Sky ► 02 - Winds Approaching ►04 - 418 (Stairs in Storms)

Jones / Skolnick / Grohowski / Motzer - Pakt

October 26, 2021

Label: Moonjune Records, 2021

Personnel - Tim Mother: guitar, electronics; Alex Skolnick: guitar; Percy Jones: bass guitar; Kenny Grohowski: drums.

Pakt consists of four experienced fusion practitioners and progheads who gathered last year at Brooklyn’s ShapeShifter Lab for two sets (two discs) of totally improvised music grounded with a fierce sense of exploration. While fearless guitarists Alex Skolnick (Testament) and Tim Motzer (David Sylvian, Burnt Friedman) form a powerful frontline, Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno) and Kenny Grohowski (Simulacrum/John Zorn, Imperial Triumphant) conserve their firm bass-and-drum hook up from start to finish.

The first disc is divided into five parts, and the opening track, “Emergence”, emerges as an ample lane of crocheted bass and stunning drum work, over which the two guitarists cut across with personality. Motzer stands out on the electro-acoustic guitar while Skolnick delivers suspended ambient chords on the electric, before the show grows energetically polyrhythmic. They stop for a relaxed dialogue that revolves around a certain melodic idea and then conclude atmospherically, surrounded by electronic sounds.

“Brothers of Energy” is an avant-prog alchemy that feels prayerful and tense, pictorial and hypnotic. It becomes delirious in its rhythmic drive, a friction turned ecstasy with the communicative guitars atop.

Geared for dealing effectively with density and dynamics, “Over Strange Lands” leaves some funk-rock perfume in the air, whereas “The Mystery” escalates to a pulse-pounding wash of funk and rock virility after flirting with ambient. While in transit, we detect guitar harmonics and tremolos, phrases with delay effect, wah-wah-infused chords, softly fingerpicked sequences and voltage-charged solos. And of course, with Jones’ fluttering bass conductivity and Grohowski’s mercurial temperament guaranteeing an excellent foundation.

The group’s grayish patchwork of progressive rock and experimental jazz continues on the second disc, whose highlights are “The Sacred Ladder” and “The Great Spirit”. The former goes bluesy and groovy in its athletic rock spiral, whereas the latter includes measured pointillism and cyclic progressions, putting on display some interesting ideas by the blistering guitarists.

Pakt’s creative energy and quality of sound can be acknowledged on this stout double album.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (Disc1) - Emergence ► 05 (Disc1) - Brothers of Energy ► 02 (Disc2) - The Sacred Ladder

Gordon Grdina / Jim Black - Martian Kitties

August 9, 2021

Label: Astral Spirits, 2021

Personnel - Gordon Grdina: guitar, oud; Jim Black: drums, electronics.

This outstanding set of improvised pieces by the guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina and the drummer Jim Black, bristles with multi-genre paradoxes and incredible articulations. Recording together for the second time (after Grdina’s Nomad Trio’s debut album), these lads bring lots to the table with their faultless synergy and love for the avant-jazz, prog-rock, indie electronic and world music.

Things get down to business immediately with “Martian Kitties”, the track that gave the album its title, which pairs down an incisive krautrock rhythm with noise-rock, two ingredients that always go well together. The density is momentarily decongested through spacious effects before the reinstatement of the zest via torqued high-pitched ostinatos and walloping drumming.

The next piece, “A Monkey Could Do It”, changes dialects into an avant-fusion where an extraordinary oud rhythm functions properly over the mutating abrasions of wood on metal and skin provided by Black, an authentic guru of the rhythm.

“Buggy Whip” is dark and sinister, with heavy electric guitar and taut drum in a confluence that seems to join the doom metal of Paradise Lost and the noise-rock of Lightning Bolt. Totally different is “Conservative Conservation”, which takes us into a journey crystallized by beauty and tension alike. This is created by Black’s unpredictable and highly syncopated fluxes and Grdina’s full-of-feeling oud peregrination.

Pieces that are short in duration (clocking in at less than two minutes) provide a panoply of otherworldly atmospheres - “Black Lodge” exudes a classical-inspired etherealness; “Weird Funk” is made of unhinged smears of odd beat, crushing guitar and sampling; “Social Scene 1 and 2” trench on ambient electronic while adding some wistful tones; “Short Scale” has visceral oud playing laid atop a muscular rhythm; and “Fuzzy Goats” takes you to a psychedelic trip.

The creativity of both is discernible, and “Abercrombie” exemplifies that in perfection during its two phases - firstly, by sporting bowed cries over a dark, noisy electronic texture, and then by underscoring the narrative with a menacing rumble that comes from offbeat drum gushes and cyclic guitar lines.

This is adventurous music by two idiosyncratic players who have excellent results by joining their own visions.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Martian Kitties ► 10 - Conservative Conservation ► 12 - Abercrombie

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - Hope

June 22, 2021

Label: Northern Spy Records, 2021

Personnel - Marc Ribot: guitar, vocals; Shahzad Ismaily: bass, keyboards, backing vocals; Ches Smith: drums, percussion, electronics, backing vocals // Guests - Darius Jones: alto sax (#6,7); Rubin Khodeli and Gyda Valtysdottir: cello (#8); Syd Straw: background vocals (#3).

Whether skirting rock, jazz, blues or funk, the guitarist/composer Marc Ribot always creates something fresh and finds powerful messages to deliver in our turbulent times. Hope is his third outing with the revolutionary Ceramic Dog project, in which he teams up with the bassist Shahzad Ismaily and the drummer Ches Smith. They are seen at the height of their powers in nine energy-filled tracks that were a direct product of the pandemic lockdown.

“B-Flat Ontology”, pinned with a minor chord whose colors take me to a particular passage of R.E.M.’s “Drive”, serves as a harbinger of Ribot's discontentment and frustration. According to him, it’s a depressing song, but it’s also an ironic one, where he doesn’t spare shocking performing artists, rock stars and young guitarists playing arpeggios at high velocity, contemporary poets, post-modern philosophers and pretentious singer/songwriters - “Isn’t it amazing? It’s just amazing! I’m just amazed!”, he sings.

The old and the new combine on “Nickelodeon”, a rockified reggae with a slippery bass groove, steady backbeat and a Talking Heads-like chorus; and also on “Wanna”, whose strong melodic riff and danceable slap beat were maybe fetched from to the 1980’s, including traces of funk rock that are redolent of Cameo’s “Word Up!”.

The satirical “The Activist” covers a lot of stuff in the spoken word (“I don’t accept…, I refuse, I resist.”), which flows atop slick bass moves and funk guitar interjections. Yet, I personally go for the instrumentals, two of which are bolstered by the guest presence of alto saxophonist Darius Jones who infuses extrovert avant-garde forays with fiery tones on “They Met in the Middle”, a country song, and “The Long Goodbye”, where the sophistication of Robert Wyatt meets the melodic distortion of Sonic Youth.

If “Bertha the Cool” navigates the groovy seas of smooth jazz via warm guitar octaves and licks, then “Maple Leaf Rage”, featuring two guest cellists - Rubin Khodeli and Gyda Valtysdottir - has two distinct halves: the first, more atmospheric, has Smith chattering fluently with brushes, whereas the second morphs into a blistering electric rock in which influences of Zappa and then Pink Floyd are noticeable.

The trio concludes the album with a cover of Donovan’s psychedelic pop song “Wear Your Love Like Heaven”, which they transform into a sort of evocative ballad sung in a Lou Reed style.

Ribot is a necessary figure in the current musical panorama, and the eclectic Hope has so many great flavors to be savored.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - They Met in the Middle ► 07 - The Long Goodbye ► 08 - Maple Leaf Rage

Dave Holland - Another Land

May 25, 2021

Label: Edition Records, 2021

Personnel - Dave Holland: bass; Kevin Eubanks: guitar; Obed Calvaire: drums.

Dave Holland is a mighty bassist who is equally at home in world fusion and post-bop environments as with avant-garde ensembles. Another Land is a blistering fusion work delivered with a new trio that includes the versatile guitarist Kevin Eubanks, a longtime associate whose first collaboration dates back to 1990 (Holland’s quartet album Expansions), and drummer Obed Calvaire, a member of the SFJazz Collective since 2013, who joins him on record for the very first time.

The album’s nine instrumentals - four by Holland, four by Eubanks and one by Calvaire - will keep you engrossed in a kaleidoscopic musical sphere molded with startling emotional honesty.

Eubanks’ “Grave Walker” invites you to cut a rug at the rhythmic consistency of a pungent funky bounce strengthen with thoroughly imposing accents. A calmer passage emphasizes Holland’s lilting phrasing, and then there’s bluesy guitar licks fusing with tenacious rock washes, causing a radiant energy to build up.

Penned by Holland, the title cut is a soothing charmer grounded in a bass figure that gives a measured pace to the route, fortifying it with modal impression and groove. The acoustic guitar invests in an irresistible folk jazz intonation, precipitating Holland into a picturesque storytelling that stimulates the imagination.

Alluding to a deplorable year, “20 20” kicks off on a sad note, bolstered by a morose arco bass, but soon metamorphoses entirely by juxtaposing Jimi Hendrix-inspired chops with the exquisite curves of the Miles Davis Quintet and the weeping bends of the blues genre. A concluding rocking vamp brings Calvaire’s astute stretches to the fore. The drummer’s compositional traits are fully expressed on “Gentle Warrior”, which, propelled by a bass figure in five, soars into a higher plane with inward funk disposition, African folk magic and an ecstatic, rock-powered guitar solo that evokes… Hendrix once again.

The funk-rock feast continues with titles such as “Mashup”, which burns with groove before climaxing in a vamp in five, and “The Village”, which seamlessly handles changes of meter.

Holland’s allegiance isn’t to genre but to musical excellence. Whatever the context his group plays in, their sense of unity and enjoyment becomes evident, not just while riding the great themes but also when departing from the written notations to embark on thrilling improvised stories.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Another Land ► 03 - Gentle Warrior ► 07 - The Village

Xander Naylor - Continuum

November 12, 2020

Label: Chant Records, 2020

Personnel - Xander Naylor: guitar, synths; Elijah Shiffer: alto sax; Nicholas Jozwiak: bass; Raphael Pannier: drums; Angelica Bess: vocals; Sarah Pedinotti: vocals; Alex Asher: trombone; Cole Kamen-Green: trumpet; Alec Spiegelman: baritone sax, bass clarinet.

Brooklyn-based guitarist and improviser Xander Naylor studied Western and Eastern traditions, a relevant detail underlining his multi-genre compositions. The bandleader gathers a cast of competent and well-traveled musicians to join him in Continuum, a body of work that reveals an expansive side of his musical self.

Rhythmically unbridled, “Lunar Acropolis” creates unexpected effects through fragmented rhythms, solid and compact drones in the back and the guitar at the leading. This fluid sonic journey relies on an adaptable framework whose toppings move from electronica-inspired patterns to temperamental post-rock attitudes to danceable jazz infiltrations. Naylor’s vast musical vistas are also noticeable on other acrobatic numbers such as “Pursuit”, a frenetic dance permeated with punk rock and free jazz elements, as well as “Surrender”, in which the group toggles from passive to aggressive while drawing inspiration from avant-garde jazz and noise-rock. Here, you’ll also find an engaging solo from alto saxophonist Elijah Shiffer and Indian music influences in Naylor’s guitar sound and language. These Indian flavors come off with a meditative quality on “Who Laughs First?”, where chromatic notes and bends make for a more spiritual exploration.

“Export For Screens” and “Riddlin’” are two intense distinct exercises in sound. The former, suitable for a David Lynch flick, waves darkly with fat, round bass lines and mysterious guitar, getting further stabilization when the drums switch from torpid to steadfast routines, joining an inexorable guitar figure to offer rhythmic support to the three-horn activity. The latter piece, instead, dives into a simmering prog-metal procedure with scattered focuses on noise. There’s a passage where the vocals of Angelica Bess and Sarah Pedinotti are in strict communication with Naylor’s guitar, while in another, the raw, industrious rhythm laid down by electric bassist Nicholas Jozwiak and drummer Raphael Pannier serves Shiffer’s soloing ferocity.

The group builds a triumphant conclusion with “Leverage”, an electro-avant-pop piece rhythmically exacerbated by the circularity of Alec Spiegelman’s baritone saxophone and where concurrent alto sax and guitar statements ultimately harmonize.

Controlling the density of the ideas being tossed into the swirl, Naylor manages to create a satisfying work that should resonate with anyone interested in eclectic contemporary jazz.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Export For Screens ► 03 - Surrender ► 06 - Riddlin’

The Nels Cline Singers - Share the Wealth

November 10, 2020

Label: Blue Note Records, 2020

Personnel - Nels Cline: guitars; Skerik: saxophone; Brian Marsella; piano, keyboards; Trevor Dunn: bass; Scott Amendola: drums; Cyro Baptista: percussion.

The spunky music of farsighted American guitarist Nels Cline glitters with jagged detail and unfolds with a progressive attitude. Following-up on Microscope (Mack Avenue, 2014), his previous work with the squad The Singers, Share the Wealth is a grippingly disorienting double album that results from a two-day recording of spontaneous music.

The current formation - a sextet - allows Cline to merge stylistic currents with complexity and sophistication, and the fantastic opener, Caetano Veloso’s “Segunda” is a case in point. A visceral folk dance working within a more conventional song format and delivered with irresistible rock and Brazilian flavors, shows that Cline not only is unafraid to step into risky musical forays, but also does it successfully. The rich percussive spectacle is co-credited to experienced West Coast drummer Scott Amendola and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, while the impetuous saxophone lines by saxophonics-pioneer Skerik draws, by turns, responsive reactions from Cline and keyboardist Brian Marsella. Epic stuff.

The jazzy guitar chords that introduce the luxuriant “Beam/Spiral” can be misleading in the direction the group will take. A balanced suspension is achieved through electronics, hi-hat routine and thin clouds of synth topped by saxophone. Yet, at some point, that impalpable state of abstraction is pulled into the earth by the power of Trevor Dunn’s bass lines, with everything ending up in an indie rock sphere. The pinnacle of the song occurs by the end, when a distorted guitar layer sustains a delirious conjoint moment headed by an outgoing saxophone and synths.

Having light intensities in common, “Nightstand” is a spacious, slow-dance number, while “Headdress” gets its dreamy tones through a mix of ambient dub and neo-soul. In turn, “Princess Phone” boasts a punk-ish attitude with a groove that allows wah-wah-infused guitar, rapid bass runs, jittery drumming and vibey Rhodes propagations; whereas “The Pleather Patrol” progresses into an unannounced EDM episode that will make you move your feet.

Clocking in at 17 minutes, the polychromatic, transgressive and genre-defying “Stump the Panel” is the paradigm of an eclectic doctrine that is never predictable. Under mesmerizing electronic undercurrents and percussive slapbacks, the cutting noise and riotous patterns cut in for an aggressive punk-rock-meets-avant-jazz aesthetic that later morphs into experimental ambient, free funk, and murmured electronica sequences loaded with bassy-beat hooks and catchy ostinatos . The group ends things with a heavy metal vibe.

An then we are disarmed again by the acoustic folk appeal of “Passed Down”, a piece written by Cline as a consequence of a friend’s suicide.

Touting nearly telepathic interplay, this thought-provoking record is an absolute joy for the ears and a must listen for all lovers of modern music. Indisputably, one of my favorites of 2020.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Segunda ► 04 - Stump the Panel ► 06 - Princess Phone

Erik Friedlander - Sentinel

October 27, 2020

Label: Self released, 2020

Personnel - Erik Friedlander: cello; Ava Mendoza: guitar; Diego Espinosa: drums, percussion.

American cellist Erik Friedlander, a key figure in the New York’s Downtown scene for years, showcases his rich tones on a program where he puts an eclectic, contemporary spin on eight original compositions. Admirably assisted by the intense slabs of Ava Mendoza’s electric guitar, and the rhythmic sensibility of Mexican multi-percussionist Diego Espinosa, Friedlander managed to confer an unexpected dimension to the music. Although the members of Sentinel had never played together before, the results are at once fascinating and provocative, corroborating the bandleader’s description of the project as a ‘garage band for 2020’.

“Flash” opens the album by carrying an ostinato at its core and providing an eventful narrative mastered with thrilling edginess, powerful energy and epic contours. Subtly, the bandleader gives the listener a sense of his jazz and classical perceptions, and the elements drawn from these scopes are gracefully torqued by the liberating indie-rock muscularity of Mendoza’s distortion.

At the start, “Glow” is streamlined by chimes, jazz guitar chords with colorful extensions, and cello cries. The theme, leaning on the pop/rock genre, shapes up into a strange waltz with worthy spots for the individual creativity of the threesome.

The relaxing Americana on “Feeling You” also suggests a good-natured pop-ish feel during the proceedings. Agility, punctuation and intension come from Friedlander’s down-to-earth plucking technique, with the trio seeking to create some more frisson at a later stage through expressive rhythmic nuances that anticipate the conclusion.

Offering more than sharp concord and synchronicity, “Foozle” makes our hearts pound faster through a heavy, polyrhythmic fusion marked by robustness and elasticity. The energy of rock from the 1970s is not surprising here, if we take into account the admiration that Friedlander nurtures for the music of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Yes, as well as the electrifying deconstructions and experimentalism that Mendoza vouches for.

The languid “Ripleyisms” verges on the blues rock, whereas “Awake”, also unhurried yet a bit more interesting in terms of tone and ambiance, places a catchy, grungy ostinato at the center. From here, a diligent workout defines the harmony and strides alongside the pulse.

The aching lyricism and gripping cadences of the cello combine with the off-center rebelliousness of the guitar and the rhythmic pulsation of the drums to deliver structurally simple and technically superb musical moments. The quality of sound is equally remarkable.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Flash ► 02 - Glow ► 07 - Awake

Caterpillar Quartet - Threads

August 4, 2020

Label: ESP Disk, 2020

Personnel - Henry Raker: alto saxophone; Steve Holtje: keyboards; Jochem van Dijk: electric bass; Ken Kobayashi: drums.

Caterpillar Quartet - Henry Raker on alto sax, Steve Holtje on keyboards, Jochem van Dijk on electric bass, and Ken Kobayashi on drums - operates in an ecosystem of its own since 2018, the year of its formation. Threads, the sophomore album by the New York-based group, offers nine new compositions that predominantly blends elements of free jazz with alternative, ambient and underground rock music.

The session is launched with “Intimations”, a moody piece that never goes beyond the taciturn places initially proposed. Both the tonal stagnancy and lethargy in pace are common characteristics to other tunes. Such is the case with the gently psychedelic “Noir”, which, in spite of the title and the low-pitched bass routines, is a pop-ish stew with a rudimentary, uniform beat underneath. In the same bunch, we have “Essence”, a conveyor of serenity marked by crepuscular wisps of immaterial forms, and “Requiem”, in which incisive saxophone cries cause streaks of vivid color to appear over the sustained harmonic tapestry. There’s also “Inside Out”, the heart-rending ballad that closes out the album, warmly brushed by Kobayashi and carrying a nice, sweet melody at the center.

Contrasting with the numbers described above, “Skronky” overflows with detail within a boisterous context. The tension and density created by bowed bass and thumping drums serve as a thrilling playground for the saxophonist, whose melodic figures and expressive outputs feel as much supplicant as sardonic. Following a similar line of action, “Tempest” is a free jazz contortion informed by irregular swinging bass walks, expansive post-bop language, and a fervency akin to Marion Brown’s prayerful appeals. Anyway, it holds a meditative section where the piano becomes the focus.

If “Embers” boasts roaring electronic-like drones while demarcating a funk rhythm with refracting twirls, then “The Machine in the Ghost” embraces dark atmospheres, injecting static noise for extra tension and opacity. Raker blows playful rhythmic phrases with circularity on the former, whereas, in the latter, he enters in a convulsive spiral as his horn vociferates with cutting and gruff tones.

This quartet firmly commands our attention to its textures and moods, applying perspicuity in the process without forgetting the necessary portions of adventure and intrigue.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Skronky ► 05 - Tempest ► 09 - Inside Out

Bobby Previte / Jamie Saft / Nels Cline - Music From the Early 21st Century

February 26, 2020

Label: RareNoise, 2020

Personnel - Bobby Previte: drums; Jamie Saft: Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, MiniMoog; Nels Cline: electric guitar, effects.

The sensational trio of drummer Bobby Previte, keyboardist Jamie Saft, and guitarist Nels Cline fleshes out a collection of 10 spontaneous pieces with conspicuous evocations from the past and many hills and valleys to be explored. Music From the Early 21st Century displays a large number of influences and genres, and you can find the trio experimenting with viscous ambient soundscapes, venturing through alternative hard-rock fare, and creating energetic jazz-rock fusions with unfettered ease.

“Photobomb” starts with guitar noise, muscular drumming, and a spectacular Hammond sound that conjures up the powerful vibes of Deep Purple’s 1972 hit “Highway Star”. This brash rock influence is also found on “Occession”, the longest track on the album at 14 minutes, and there, Cline’s experimental sounds are extended to bright harmonics, pitch-shifting Hendrix-like vibratos, and densely noise freakouts á-la Sonic Youth. This particular tune is slightly sinister in mood, for which Saft's dark drones and Previte's cascading tom-tom work contribute significantly.

While listening to “Paywall”, a darker version of “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors popped up in my head. This early allusion evolves into the heavier architecture of The Who, but with a raucous organ building its thick walls. It ends with a frantic swinging incursion. “Parkour” seems a continuation of the previous tune, but goes from a noir ambient rock to a controlled noise splash. Previte’s energetic drive is on display. Not just here, but also on the krautrock-tinged “Machine Learning”, an amalgamation of shock-oriented sounds that work amazingly well, and also on “Flash Mob”, a danceable Marilyn Manson-like metal effort with glitchy electronica.

Also percussively rich, “The Extreme Present” is another alternative sonic ride that gradually becomes infected with a blues-soaked energy. If Cline ploughs heavier in his abrasive licks here, then he designs with more controlled detail on “The New Weird”, a psychedelic blues infused with a mix of single-note phrases, octave technique, and perfectly contoured rhythmic shapes. Regardless the beauty of it, it was Saft who delighted me the most through a mesmerizing organ intro shaped with a blend of corporeal and spiritual charismas. That happens way before everything crashes into a last-minute noisy explosion.

While “Totes” emphasizes tone and atmosphere within a loose structure, “Woke” combines the circularity of a typical rock harmonic progression with snare rattles and a fine electronic touch.

The group utilizes instrumentation in powerful ways. You just have to sit back and wait to be petrified by their sounds and energy.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Photobomb ► 06 - Occession ► 07 - The New Weird

Mike Baggetta / Mike Watt / Jim Keltner - Wall of Flowers

April 4, 2019

Label: Big Ego Records, 2019

Personnel - Mike Baggetta: electric and acoustic guitars, live processing; Mike Watt: electric bass; Jim Keltner: drums, percussion.

Mike Baggetta may not be as well known as his fellow guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Ben Monder, but his creative playing is definitely a valuable discovery for everyone who bumps into his music. An adept of unconventional sounds and electronic effects, Baggetta was previously featured in solo, quartet, and trio sessions, and it’s precisely to the latter configuration that he returns on the album Wall of Flowers. This time, he is joined by unlikely bandmates such as veterans Mike Watt and Jim Keltner, bassist and drummer, respectively. The former co-founded the punk-rock group Minutemen and was a member of Iggy Pop’s The Stooges in the early 2000s; the latter played with the members of The Beatles plus Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder. The two had never met before, but the outcome of this one-day-only session mirrors the quality of these musicians.

“Hospital Song” has a beautiful, if dismal, acoustic guitar intro. However, the trio kicks things into high gear by channelling their energy into a livelier indie rock marked by sturdy bass lines, an unflinching straight-up 4/4 rhythm, and guitar melodies punctuated by occasional atonal detours.

“Blue Velvet”, the main theme of David Lynch’s cult film of the same name, is subjected to solo and duo treatments. Both have the rustic tones of the acoustic guitar coloring them, yet the former picks up on an undeniable ambiguity in contrast with the latter, soberly introduced by Keltner's soft brushwork.

A couple of collective improvisations reflect some of the best moments on the album. “I Am Not A Data Point” feels very experimental, relying on an intransigent, languid bass ostinato a-la Rage Against The Machine, percussive adaptability, and distorted guitar outcries that affect positively our ears with washes of capricious effects in often discordant audacity. The other impromptu experience is “Dirty Smell of Dying”, a dark, neo-psychedelic exercise carried in Sonny Sharrock-mode, and where the massive waves of sound coming toward you acquire both exciting and foreboding perspectives.

Fruit of Baggetta’s mind, the title track closes out the album as a shimmering art rock song. Musical moments like these demonstrate the trio’s rock affinity and the album is the expression of a fortunate collaboration.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - I Am Not A Data Point ► 06 - Dirty Smell of Dying ► 08 - Wall of Flowers

Dave Harrington - Pure Imagination, No Country

January 31, 2019

Label: Yeggs Records, 2019

Personnel - Dave Harrington: guitar, bass, synth, pedal steel, electronics; Lars Horntveth: electric piano, string synth; Will Shore: vibraphone; Jake Falby: violin; Andrew Fox: keyboards, synth, electronics; Samer Ghadry: drums.

Listening to Dave Harrington Group can be a challenging assignment, especially for the ones who like everything neat and arranged with a sense of anticipation. On his latest effort, Pure Imagination, No Country, Harrington, who is an experimental multi-instrumentalist with a predilection for guitar, is accompanied by Will Shore on vibraphone, Andrew Fox on keyboards and electronics, Samer Ghadry on drums, Jake Falby on violin, and Lars Horntveth, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and one of the main songwriters of experimental jazz group Jaga Jazzist. This release finds them melding rock, jazz and electronic music with a gut-feeling that reflects our current times.

The short overture, “Well”, has the band diving headfirst into psychedelic rock. It presents a thoroughly crafted drumbeat, pretty active bass lines with some dirtiness surrounding them, and multicolored vibes. Hooked in the drumming showcase of Ghadry, “Belgrade Fever” intermingles the melodicism of Pink Floyd’s early years and the persistent krautrock-like atmosphere of Can. However, it was “Then I Woke Up” that quickly conquered my ear due to the gripping aesthetic of distorted guitars, dance-rock drumming, and consolidated electronics. The synth bass keeps this pop/rock circularity running as we hear sonic pollution covering the canvas in a progressive direction. The band makes atmospheric stops along the way, spreading some mystery in the air by way of a long-standing thrum.

“Slides Redux” purges a giddy, paranoid sonority before brooding synth chords and searing guitar lines take over. Conversely, “Neoarctic Organs” is a slow-core exercise with some ethereal flights and a crescendo that terminates brusquely.

The group sets “Patch One”, the longest track on the record, with some doses of abstraction, proposing an unsettling murk. Percussive punches and cymbal splashes are a constant in a relentless exercise that feels feathery on one hand and heavy on the other. From midway through, a jazzy pulse meets the noise rock, thickening up the texture and reminiscing some works of The Cinematic Orchestra.

Counter-parting the more experimental flux of the album, which Harrington admits inspired by Miles Davis’ electric years, “Pure Imagination” works like redemption with its beautiful country/folk orientation. There’s something profound and special in this particular dreamlike ambience, which closes out the album like an act of emancipation.

Harrington, who has the capacity of sustaining a wealth of moods while building hypnotic tension, has a fine album here.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Then I Woke Up ► 07 - Patch One ► 09 - Pure Imagination

Harriet Tubman - The Terror End of Beauty

November 19, 2018

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2018

Personnel - Brandon Ross: guitar; Melvin Gibbs: electric bass; JT Lewis: drums.

Powerhouse trio Harriet Tubman (named after the African-American slave turned abolitionist and political activist) - Brandon Ross on guitar, Melvin Gibbs on bass, and JT Lewis on drums - continues to trail an audacious path in modern music without confining themselves to a particular genre. Notwithstanding, jazz, blues and rock, in its written and improvised forms, can be considered their strongest motivations, especially if we take a closer look to their newest album The Terror End of Beauty, a great addition to the Sunnyside Records’ catalog.

Gibbs penned the opening track, “Farther Unknown”, and shaped it as a danceable psychedelia, plotted with a steady, highly charged tribal African pulse and Hendrixian distorted guitar sounds. Call it acid Afro-rock if you like.

The bassist shows his compositional versatility by setting a completely different mood on the title track, a tribute to guitarist Sonny Sharrock and one of the hippest tracks on the record. There’s a balladic jazz vision here, but also the dirty texture associated with the alternative rock music genre, which is indisputably alluring. It evolves into something ampler, with Lewis’ kinetic drumming underpinning a massive noise-rock experience.

The remaining compositions are credited to the trio and their producer, Scotty Hard, except “Redemption Song”, a noir, free-form reading of Bob Marley’s song of freedom, here turned into a harmonically clear rock anthem. Although we can’t pronounce the latter tune as reggae, even coming from Marley, we can identify the genre disguised on the playful “Five Points”, which overlaps tempos and also melds funk and electronic music in an experimental crossing between Front Line Assembly and Parliament-Funkadelic.

“3000 Worlds” also sprawls some funk through the work of Gibbs and Lewis, who stick to a rounded funky ostinato and a hi-hat-centered rhythm, respectively. In contrast, Ross dives in dark expressive melodies.

“The Green Book Blues” is another danceable, hardcore, yet relentlessly groovy piece in the line of The Prodigy but with occasional percussive thumps instead of a highly syncopated rhythm. Regardless of the change in the groove, the arcane mood is maintained. Unlike this piece, “Unseen Advance of the Aquafarian” doesn’t have the word blues in the title but is heavily rooted in the genre. It also displays a strong electronic-like vibe.

Not conflicting with the rest, but definitely closer to a prog-metal à-la Nine Inch Nails, “Protoaxite” sort of suffocates in a raucous, rock-powered atmosphere.

By intelligently interspersing moments of opaque obscurity and sheer beauty, Harriet Tubman achieves a perfect balance in its incisive and concise writing. The record, not too dense but not too immediate, never refrains in emotion and rewards in abundance after multiple listenings.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Farther Unknown ► 07 - Redemption Song ► 09 - The Terror End of Beauty