Frank London and The Elders - Spirit Stronger Than Blood

Label: ESP-Disk, 2024

Personnel - Frank London: trumpet; Marilyn Lerner: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums + Greg Wall: tenor saxophone (#1,2,3,4).

In addition to being the co-founder of The Klezmatics and the leader of Glass House Orchestra and Klezmer Brass Allstars, trumpeter and composer Frank London has worked with a wide range of artists in different musical contexts such as John Zorn, Lester Bowie, Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop, LL Cool J, and David Byrne. Recently diagnosed with myelofibrosis, an extremely rare blood cancer, London decided to release Spirit Stronger Than Blood as a celebration of life.

Encompassing six originals, the program kicks off with “Let There Be Peace”, an eternal prayer whose modal jazz appeal evokes the elated spirit and pure fire of Pharaoh Sanders. London pairs beautifully with saxophonist Greg Wall in the frontline, well supported by the rhythm section of pianist Marilyn Lerner, bassist Hilliard Greene, and Matthew Shipp Trio’s drummer Newman Taylor Baker.

The swinging modalism of “Resilience”, which London dedicates to the late trumpeter Lester Bowie, serves the burning saxophone outpours of Wall, who, very much in the foreground here, works on top of Lerner’s unceasing harmonies. The title track, “Spirit Stronger Than Blood”, is heartbreakingly introduced by piano and trumpet in a meditative rubato passage that soon gives way to a 3/4 rhythmic flux delicately underpinned by bass and drums. Imbued with an encouraging, positive energy, this number ends with emotive trumpet wails conveying both beauty and sorrow with dramatic flair.

“Poem for a Blue Voice” is soulful ballad sweetness with its rich theme expressed in unison, while the groovy “Abundant Love”, dedicated to London’s family - his artist wife Tine Kindermnann and their two children - carries a gorgeous Eastern-tinge throughout that certainly feels very liberating for the soloists. The album concludes with “Resistance/Healing”, another modal tour-de-force delivered at 3/4 tempo that brings Alice Coltrane’s spiritual excursions to mind. It’s dedicated to trumpeter Ron Miles.

This is a solid effort by London, who shows no signs of weakness in his music but rather an optimism and a magnetic energy that are laudable. Wishing him a quick recovery and a triumphant return to the jazz world in which he’s passionately immersed.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Let There Be Peace ► 02 - Resilience ► 03 - Spirit Stronger Than Blood

Alex Harding / Lucian Ban - Blutopia

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2024

Personnel - Alex Harding; baritone saxophone; Lucian Ban: piano; Mat Maneri; viola; Bob Stewart: tuba; Brandon Lewis: drums.

Baritonist Alex Harding and pianist Lucian Ban forged a friendship and musical collaboration around 1998 when the latter arrived in New York from Romania to attend the New School. Their first recording was for Ban’s debut album Somethin’ Holy (CIMP, 2002). With Blutopia, the pair expands the duo work presented in Dark Blue (Sunnyside, 2019), adding singular musicians such as violist Mat Maneri, tubist Bob Stewart, and drummer Brandon Lewis.

Having their musical ethos defying conventional jazz practices, the group begins hauntingly with “Speak Our Silence”, a collective improvisation that drifts slowly across the horizon, benefiting from the plodding dark sound of the tuba at the end. In the same vein but with touches of world music in its percussive tract, Ban’s “Mist” is inspired by Sun Ra, who seemed to be the inspiration for the album’s title. Paul Motian’s “Fantasm” perfectly fits the mood as an ambiguously exquisite piece limned by meditative cooing and a pleasant contrast of timbres.

Sculpted as a transcendental Eastern-tinged lament, the beautiful and hypnotic “Marrakesh”, inspired by and dedicated to the late pianist Randy Weston, showcases exceptional moments of improvisation and synchronicity between Harding and Ban. The group explores other directions, offering gospel and classical chamber narratives in Harding’s “Spirit Take My Hand” and Ban’s “Hymn”, respectively.

One of the most energetic pieces on the album is Andrew Hill’s “Blue Black”, here permeated with a monumental groove, gorgeous unison lines, and solos from Maneri, who employs his arresting exploratory melancholy to paint out of the frame, and Harding, whose bluesy wails expand into intense euphoria. Ban’s “Hieroglyphics” carries an implacably engaging blend of folk, avant-garde jazz, and fanfare-ish ragtime, with Lewis’ drumming standing out.

Blutopia underscores the maturity of these musicians who, engaged with focused attention, ascend emotional peaks together with multi-layered soulfulness.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Speak Our Silence ► 02 - Blue Black ► 06 - Marrakesh 

Oded Tzur - My Prophet

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - Oded Tzur: tenor saxophone; Nitai Hershkovits: piano; Petros Klampanis: acoustic bass; Cyrano Almeida: drums.

New York-based saxophonist and composer Oded Tzur showcases impressive evolution in My Prophet, his fifth album as a leader and third for ECM Records, featuring high-quality compositions that take the form of incantations. The quartet lineup signals one change, with the young Brazilian drummer Cyrano Almeida replacing the seasoned Johnathan Blake, while Nitai Herskovits and Petros Klampanis remain on piano and bass, respectively. 

Inspired by an all-powerful deity that reveals one's true self, the album consists of a myth-like suite of five movements, beginning with the short whisper of “Epilogue”. This leads into the hair-raising lyricism of “Child You”, where folk and post-bop currents blend seamlessly. This piece, harmoniously impressionistic in tone, showcases a conscious spiritual quality that is carried to Tzur’s gravitas-filled solo, becoming further exploratory during Hershkovits’ improvisation.

The group’s distinctive soulful sound continues in the delicate “Through a Land Unsown”, establishing a profound connection between melody and harmony. Klampanis’ bass work here is focused and dulcet, contrasting with Hershkovits’ pianism, which consistently pushes beyond what’s expected. Tzur’s saxophone radiates light in a gentle freedom dance filled with intelligent subtlety and positive vibes. While “Renata” is a clinically-sculpted waltz, “My Prophet” has the power to rarefy the air with Indian classical introspection, softly brushed to a hush until it takes the shape of a murmuring prayer.

With artistry and charismatic personality, Tzur draws in anyone seeking for a new sense of spirituality in jazz, which reaches uplifting and fervent tones in the closer, “Last Bike Ride in Paris”. Here, synergistic interplay and odd rhythmic placement make everything so exciting. As Tzur states: “there’s freedom within the form”, and that’s palpable. 

My Prophet is a magical record, a transfixing masterpiece of restraint enchantment and passionate eruptions that places Tzur at the crest of contemporary spiritual jazz. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Child You ► 03 - Through a Land Unsown ► 05 - My Prophet ► 06 - Last Bike Ride in Paris

Lakecia Benjamin - Phoenix

Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2023

Personnel - Lakecia Benjamin: alto saxophone, vocals, synth; Victor Gould: piano, organ, Fender Rhodes; Ivan Taylor: acoustic and electric bass; EJ Strickland: drums; Josh Evans: trumpet (#1,2,3,8,12,13); Nêgah Santos: percussion (#5); Wallace Roney Jr.: trumpet (#7); Anastassiya Petrova: Fender Rhodes, organ (#5); Orange Rodriguez: synth (#1,3); Jamal Nichols: bass (#2); Dianne Reeves: vocals (#4); Angela Davis: spoken word (#1,13); Sonia Sanchez: spoken word/poet (#6,7); Georgia Anne Muldrow: synth, vocals (#3); Patrice Rushen: piano (#5); Wayne Shorter: spoken word (#11).

 This new album from saxophonist and composer Lakecia Benjamin gave her plenty of stylistic variety to expand the possibilities of her instrument. Accompanied by highly malleable musicians, she included relevant guests to bolster her pertinent messages and states of mind. 

The album, co-produced with Terri Lynn Carrington (a terrific drummer and bandleader), starts off with the burning “Amerikkan Skin”, romping around the activism words of Angela Davis with a plain, direct musical speech. It incorporates unequivocal unisons with an Eastern tinge over a disarmingly effervescent texture. Benjamin’s dazzling improvisation comes with multiple figures and a revolutionary urge, while trumpeter Josh Evans steps into a different sequence of chords which also serves as a solid support for the witty dialogue that follows.

“New Mornings” injects gently grooving soul and funk in the jazzy envelope, but it’s “Phoenix”, featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow on synth and vocals, that thickens the tapestries via an accented sleek funk. The cool patterns are perfect for colorful parallel lines and a sax solo puffed up by dexterous in-and-out trajectories and clamorous trills.

Dianne Reeves brings her vocal range and unique timbre into “Mercy”, whose delicacy contrasts with the energy of “Jubilation”. The latter piece thrives under the propulsive Latin feel provided by Brazilian percussionist Nêgah Santos and the guest pianism of Patrice Rushen. The ebullience of “Moods” finds Benjamin and Evans in stark counterpoint. They are the soloists here, with drummer EJ Strickland searching for space too with an outgoing posture.

Buoyed by modal jazz and fervent spirituality, “Trane” prowls familiar musical ground as it presses forward on the heels of Benjamin’s previous album, Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope, 2020). The linguistic competence of John Coltrane and the fluidity of McCoy Tyner are evoked with the bandleader and keyboardist Victor Gould at the fore. The album is completed with “Basquiat”, a muscular avant-garde wallop that swings in homage to experimental art.

Benjamin’s grandiose comeback is replete with energy, an astonishing fluency, and strong ideas.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Amerikkan Skin ► 03 - Phoenix ► 12 - Basquiat

Ville Lähteenmäki Trio - Introducing: Ville Lähteenmäki Trio

Label: Ultraääni Records, 2022

Personnel - Ville Lähteenmäki: bass clarinet; Nicolas Leirtrø: double bass; Trym Saugstad Karlsen: drums.

Led by the Finnish bass clarinetist and composer Ville Lähteenmäki, this avant-garde Nordic trio rides streams of intriguing, enjoyable sounds with a zealous devotion for the modal spiritual music of the late ‘60s and ‘70s.

“Prelude” has Lähteenmäki’s clamorous bass clarinet lines operating above the frictional netting surface created by the Norwegian rhythm section of bassist Nicolas Leirtrø and drummer Trym Saugstad Karlsen. Brewed with liberation, this passage of freedom gives way to a swinging modalism and bluesy feel that anticipate a well-hinged bass solo.

During his stroll on “Shakti”, the bandleader infuses a lot of rhythmic figures, energetic crescendos, and timbral exploration on the edge, helping to create a dense wave of fervency that naturally invokes John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner. The kinetics are eased in “Calling Alice”, a tribute to Alice Coltrane, where a vamping bass figure is recycled at every 16-beat measure, having rattling percussion giving it that required mysticism we all love. 

The trio clearly draws from tradition but heads in unexpected directions, plunging into a sonic haven of both ebullient and relaxing moments that comes to the fore on “Mare Incognitum”, an uptempo piece in six that unfolds before our ears after Karlsen’s imaginative and empathetic drum introduction. At this time, agile bass clarinet acrobatics are leavened with rapid-fire blows, refusing any possible circumspection.

The discreetness arrives in due course with the closing track, “Best Wishes”, but with an unguarded emotional core that is redolent of Pharaoh Sanders and his primitive-sounding explorations. This piece instigates strong group interplay in the form of a template that incorporates bowed bass, shamanic percussion, and contemplative, nearly prayerful melody. It all ends in a quiet soliloquy.

Lähteenmäki’s chosen path for his working trio is as much daring as it is likable.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Prelude ► 02- Shakti ► 04 - Mare Incognitum

Alchemy Sound Project - Afrika Love

Label: ARC Records, 2021

Personnel - Samantha Boshnak: trumpet; Erica Lindsay: tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto flute; Salim Washington: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, oboe; Michael Ventoso: trombone; Sumi Tonooka: piano; David Arend: bass; Chad Taylor: drums.

alchemy-sound-project-afrika-love.png

The Alchemy Sound Project often blurs the line between notated music and improvisation while carrying a pronounced modal flair and spirituality in the style of John Coltrane, Billy Harper, Horace Tapscott, Pharaoh Sanders and Charles Tolliver. As had been the case with the previous records, the core quintet - woodwind players Erica Lindsay and Salim Washington, trumpeter Samantha Boshnack, pianist Sumi Tonooka and bassist David Arend - invites a trombonist and a drummer to join them. Michael Ventoso and Chad Taylor, respectively, were the elected ones for this third outing. 

Comprising five original pieces, one by each member of the group, the record opens with Arend’s triumphant “The Fountain”, where a mix of articulated unisons and counterpoint traverses powerful harmonic vibrations in a compact, slick arrangement. Following the initial tenor solo by Washington, there’s a bridging vamp with ebullient drumming that takes us to the adventurous pianism of Tonooka. Before the catchy main theme is reinstated, Lindsay juxtaposes two different tenor statements.

The latter contributes “Kesii” to the track list, a 5/4 expedition launched by a bass clarinet figure and anchored in several bass grooves. By shifting pace and mood along the way, the group enjoys the incantation of self-invention, attaining equal parts mystery, bliss and relaxation in its itinerary.

Whereas Tonooka’s “Dark Blue Residue” flows within an asymmetrical structure, incorporating a middle passage in six for collective reflection and a drum solo at the end, the Randy Weston-like “Afrika Love” tinges its African-rooted fabrics with intriguing and balladic tones. Washington, who is based in Durban, wrote it for the South African pianist Afrika Mkhize, but, according to Tonooka, the title also applies to the group’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The amiably ramble of “The Cadillac of Mountains” denotes a very personal touch and compositional contrast that come from Boshnack, who penned it and put her trumpet in the lead. Juggling excitement and pondering, the piece is about being in awe of the nature’s magnificence, and becomes a wonderful showcase for the talents of Taylor, whose elegant propulsions come to a climax in the 15-beat cycle vamp that leads to the ending.

Alchemy Sound Project is a solid group with charismatic vibes.

Grade B

Grade B

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Fountain ► 03 - Afrika Love ► 04 - The Cadillac of Mountains