Hyeonseon Baek - Longing

Label: You & Me Music, 2024

Personnel - Hyeonseon Baek: vocals; Lucas Pino: tenor saxophone (#1,4,6,10); Kevin Hays: piano; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Jochen Rueckert: drums.

The up-and-coming Korean-born, New York-based jazz singer Hyenseon Baek makes his debut alongside high-caliber accompanists and improvisers, including pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Jochen Rueckert. The energetic tenorist Lucas Pino enriches four tracks of the program, which encompasses originals and covers.

Baek, who puts his heart on each of the songs, starts off with “Caravan”, tackling it with a smooth, soulful approach reinforced by dancing bass lines and an appealing percussive background. The main theme is beautifully sung, followed by galvanizing solos from Hays and Pino, who end up dialoguing with the vocalist by the end. Diving deep in jazz tradition while showing refined interpretative skills, Baek advances to Joe Henderson-penned “Black Narcissus” with confidence, rambling free with Oh’s bass lines in the first instance.

The vocal composure in the treatment of soft ballads is admirable, and Mingus’ “Duke Ellington’s Song of Love” comes with a coy sweetness, revealing some analogies with Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life”, which feels just a tad too long here. Pianist Jimmy Rowles’ classic “A Timeless Place”, also known as “The Peacocks”, is interpreted with poignant pathos, with Baek giving the best expression to Norma Winstone’s impressive lyrics. 

If these slower pieces are explored with gentle moodiness, then “West 4th St.”, a Baek original inspired by the vibrant New York jazz scene, flows with hard-bop energy both in its Korean and English versions, where gorgeous melodic parallels between Baek and Pino deserve attention. Another original, “My Temptation”, carries a Latinized, bolero-ish feel that comes from the bouncing bass groove, featuring Pino as a soloist.

Baek is warm and lyrical throughout, his engaging music packed with the wisdom of these musicians’ hard-learned ears. It’s an auspicious debut, one that anticipates a promising career.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Caravan ► 02 - Black Narcissus ► 10 - West 4th St (English version)

Cécile McLorin Salvant - Mélusine

Label: Nonesuch Records, 2023

Personnel - Cecile McLorin Salvant: vocals, synth (#7,9,13); Sullivan Fortner: piano (#3,5,6,11,12); syhths (#6,10), kalimba (#12), vocals (#12), celeste (#14); Aaron Diehl: piano (#1,2); Paul Sikivie: bass (#1,2); Kyle Poole: drums (#1,2); Lawrence Leathers: drums (#2); Godwin Louis: alto saxophone (#3,5), vocals (#12); Luques Curtis: bass (#3,5,12,14); Weedie Braimah, percussion (3,4,5,12,14); Obed Calvaire: drums (#3,5,12); Daniel Swenberg: nylon string guitar (#8).

Lauded singer Cecile McLorin Salvant combines elements of French mythology, Haitian voudou, and apocrypha in this European folkloric tale called Mélusine. She sings in French on most of the tracks, but you can also hear Haitian kréyol, Occitan, and English.

Composed of five originals and nine songs whose origins range from the 12th century to the mid 1980’s, the album challenges norms but also plays off safely within conventions. The French chanson takes both hauntingly sad and dramatic proportions in the opener, Léo Ferré’s “Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent?”, as well as on Veronique Sanson’s 1985 pop hit “Le Temps Est Assassin”. 

A dominant Afro-Latin tinge permeates “Doudou” and “Wedo”. Both came from the pen of Salvant who, on the latter piece, offers an upbeat African chant over a modernistic synth tapestry that she plays herself. In Charles Trenet’s easy-listening “La Route Enchantée” we bump into a cabaret-driven enchantment that thrives under the rhythmic propulsion of pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie, and a pair of drummers: Kyle Poole and Lawrence Leathers. 

The title track is partly sung in English, finding its sagacious balance with the help of Daniel Swenberg’s acoustic guitar, whereas Michael Lambert’s “D'un feu secret”, a 17th-century courtly song, has its lyricism stirred by Sullivan Fortner's odd synth accompaniment.

We all know what Salvant is capable of. Her magnificently appealing voice is paired with an unblemished technique and often novel ideas. However, I must confess that, even if the results are consolidated, it’s been hard for me to return to this recording. Stylistically, it puts me a bit off, and is far from the greatness of Ghost Song (Nonesuch, 2022), a modern vocal jazz masterpiece.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - La Route Enchantée ► 05 - Doudou ► 08 - Melusine 

Antonio Sanchez Shift - Bad Hombre Vol. II

Label: Arts Music, 2022

Personnel - Antonio Sanchez: drums, percussion, electric bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, synthesizer, ukulele, vocals + Guests - Dave Matthews: vocals; Pat Metheny: guitar; Ana Tijoux: vocals; Becca Stevens: vocals, guitar; Trent Reznor: vocals; Atticus Ross: synth; MARO: vocals; Thana Alexa: vocals, beat box; Lila Downs: vocals; Meshell Ndegeocello: vocals, electric bass; Silvana Estrada: vocals; Kimbra: vocals, guitar; Rodrigo Y Gabriela; guitars; Ignacio López Tarso: featured artist.

Renowned Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez is a prominent bandleader (Migration is probably his best project) and valuable sideman (Gary Burton, Pat Metheny) with an eclectic taste. His second insdtallment of Bad Hombre (the first was released in 2017 on CAM Records) comprises 16 tracks where he plays several instruments. 14 of those tracks feature guest artists and were recorded remotely in its vast majority, but the super-polished production winks to a more commercial audience.  

The themes are sculpted with some rhythmic provocations, but as a whole, this work is less successful than what I was hoping for, struggling to maintain momentum. The mix of styles presented here is definitely not my thing, and while some collaborations gain an unschooled spark, others curb the impetus by adopting a fairly restrained temperament.

The album opens with the words of Sanchez’s grandfather, the 97-year-old Mexican actor Ignacio López Tarso, on top of a light and cool instrumentation. Yet, the standout tracks are: “Eh Hee 2.0”, a glamorous push into a sort of trad-rock arena featuring the American singer-songwriter Dave Matthews (who penned it) and the iconic crossover jazz guitarist Pat Metheny; “I Think We’re Past That Now”, a dark and muscular ebb and flow of industrial rock and electronic music with Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on board; and “Alambari”, a dreamy sound cloud fronted by Portuguese singer Maro, which starting with odd-meter disposition, is ultimately rounded up to a symmetric cycle. 

There’s also “The Bucket” (feat. Becca Stevens), which probes an alternative pop/rock style driven by shifting textures and peculiar beats; “Trapped (Red Room)”, whose mysterious and dark tones à-la NIN are embraced by Croatian American vocalist Thana Alexa; and the nu-soul incursions of “Waiting”, a solo effort, and “Comet Come to Me”, where Meshell Ndegeocello sings atop of a strong dub vibe and exotic rhythms.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Eh Hee 2.0 ► 05 - I Think We’re Past That Now ► 06 - Alambari

Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song

Label: Nonesuch Records, 2022

Personnel - Cécile McLorin Salvant: vocals, piano; Paul Sikivie: electric and acoustic bass, synth; Sullivan Fortner: piano, Fender Rhodes, vocals; Alexa Tarantino: flute; Aaron Diehl: piano, pipe organ; Marvin Sewell: guitar; James Chirillo; banjo; Daniel Swenberg: lute; Burniss Travis: bass; Kyle Poole: drums; Keita Ogawa: percussion.

The classically trained jazz singer and composer Cécile McLorin Salvant, a three-Grammy winner and McArthur fellow, puts together a top-shelf diamond of a record that comes replete with memorable songs. Seven of her originals and five renditions of tunes (both jazz and non-jazz) are included in a track list whose sequence really works. Revealing a diversity of influences and a fearless risk-taking approach, she excels on this album, counting on the unconditional support of a talented crew of musicians.

Kate Bush’s '80s art-pop hit “Wuthering Heights” leads off the set, being tackled with undeniable virtuosity. Salvant begins this impeccable version with a sean-nós singing (traditional Irish solo style), being magnificently accompanied in the chorus by the bassist Paul Sikivie, who also plays synth. This inspiring opener takes us to another grandiose moment: “Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying”, a conjunction of Stothart/Arlen’s composition for the film The Wizard of Oz and Gregory Porter’s soulful opening track of his 2013 album Liquid Spirit. The treatment given to these pieces is wonderfully innovative, with the former deftly interspersing ragtime banjo and avant-garde slices, whereas the latter, marked by a deliciously slow old-school boom-bap beat, has Alexa Tarantino’s sinuous flute appearing between vocal lines.

Both “Obligation”, an original by the singer, and “The World is Mean”, which was taken from Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 musical play The Threepenny Opera, are theatrically jazzy. The latter keeps effortlessly shifting in tempo, texture and mood, ending up oozing a tango feel. Salvant’s “Ghost Song” mixes Americana and R&B elements, sounding like a bluesy work song and featuring the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (in its final section), keyboardist Sullivan Fortner on Rhodes and guitarist Marvin Sewell on the steel-string acoustic guitar. Velvety guitar-piano layers are also discernible on “Thunderclouds”, which, despite the title, is tenderly and optimistically narrated by the bandleader. She also penned the brushed jazz ballad “Moon Song”, whose balmy sweetness contrasts with the pandemic-driven tension of its predecessor, “I Lost My Mind”. Here’s an attempt at getting out of the dark with haunting staccato repetitions of an odd-meter vocal riff supplemented by Aaron Diehl’s prophetic pipe organ.

You get the notion that Salvant can embrace any song she wants with glow and singularity after listening to “Until”, a medium-fast waltz by Sting, which here begins rubato and later recalls Brazilian choro thanks to the work of percussionist Keita Ogawa and banjo player James Chirillo. Without stretching the duration of the songs and putting her lyrical melodies in perpetual motion, Salvant has in Ghost Song a work of ardent ambition and a career highlight.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Wuthering Heights ► 02 - Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying ► 05 - Until

Jazzmeia Horn and her Noble Force - Dear Love

Label:  Empress Legacy Records, 2021

Personnel includes - Jazzmeia Horn: vocals; Bruce Williamson: alto sax; Freddie Hendrix: trumpet; Sullivan Fortner: organ; Keith Brown: piano; Eric Wheeler: bass; Anwar Marshall: drums.

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Possessing extraordinary vocal gifts, the self-assured jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn was one of those rare artists who immediately ascended to stardom with a debut album. If Social Call (Prestige, 2017) brought her the deserved attention through renditions of known straigh-ahead jazz tunes, her second outing, Love and Liberation (Concord Jazz, 2019), was even better, consolidating her vocal abilities with more originals than covers. Now, the much-anticipated Dear Love holds special significance for Ms. Horn, who releases it on her own label. She put it together with the Noble Force, a 15-piece ensemble featuring expert soloists such as alto saxophonist Bruce Williamson and trumpeter Freddie Hendrix in the frontline, and an adequate rhythm section composed of pianist Keith Brown, bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Anwar Marshall.

The album straddles between pure jazz tradition and more progressive exercises in the line of Sun Ra. In the first category we have pieces like “He Could Be Perfect”, which had me flashing back to Carmen McRae and Dee Dee Bridgewater; “He’s My Guy”, which channels Sarah Vaughan with further range; and “Lover Come Back To Me”, a showcase for her razor-sharped scat singing. The forward-thinking stuff can be exemplified with numbers such as “I Feel You Near”, propelled by a caravan-like Afro rhythm and colored with Jason Marshall’s baritone lines; “Nia”, an emotionally resonant modal jazz incursion with superb vocal work and a great saxophone solo by Williamson; and “Strive (To Be)”, perhaps Horn’s most triumphant original, measured with preliminary rattling percussion, epic grandeur in the horn arrangement, modal intonation and enough experimental fair to please avant-gardists. 

“Where We Are” brings a smell of R&B balladry, and there’s even a curious take on The Beatles’ “Money Can’t Buy Me, Love”, but it’s “Let Us (Take Our Time)”, leaning on the ballad side with strategic pauses and featuring a muted trumpet solo by Hendrix, that will probably get more attention. The album closes out in the spirit of Aretha Franklin with “Where is Freedom”, where gospel and blues take part in the fun.

With an unapologetic personal touch, Jazzmeia knows how to freshen the old straight-ahead ways and dares to explore new possibilities. On top of that, she adds conscious social message, sometimes in the form of spoken word. Dear Love is her best album so far.

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Favorite Tracks:
09 - Nia ► 11 - Strive (To Be) ► 14 - Where is Freedom