Ron Stabinsky - Free For One

Ron Stabinsky: piano.

Ron Stabinsky - Free For One

Ron Stabinsky, a pianist from Pennsylvania who likes to extemporize, releases his debut solo album Free for One on Hot Cup Records.
Adaptable, Stabinsky has been highly influential in successful projects such as Most Other People Do the Killing and Peter Evans Quintet.
For this recording, he comes equipped with impeccable technique and artistic power, presenting eight solo piano improvisations from 2015.

When the notes of “…After It’s Over” started to echo, I had the impression I would be taken somewhere surrounded by magic and mystery. The pianist’s articulated, and somewhat somber textures came to life from a nuanced blend of neo-classical and avant-jazz.
The cathartic “31” goes right to the gut. The pianist’s rapid right-hand attacks are counterpointed with the lightness of the low notes on his left hand. Everything is bundled in complexity. 
“Viral Infection” moves between Cecil Taylor and Monk, unveiling rhythmic ideas that eventually surprise. It differs from the puzzling four-minute meditation “Gone Song”, as well as from “For Reel”, the avant-garde twin of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

The longest track of the record is “Not Long Now/Long Now”, which presents a multitude of variations and moods after taking us to the imposing “Rapture”, a blow of animated, and sometimes disperse piano chops.
The unagitated “Once, But Again” is the recording’s last piece and the most accessible one, detaching from any complexity and diving deliberately into agreeable jazzy waters. 

Adopting a freewheeling attitude, Free to One is limited to audiences whose ears are receptive to infinite explorations. If you’re an explorer yourself, you’ll certainly find something to admire throughout these very personal divagations.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – … After It’s Over ► 03 – Viral Infection ► 08 – Once, But Again

Adam O'Farrill - Stranger Days

Adam O’Farrill: trumpet; Chad Lefkowitz-Brown: tenor saxophone; Walter Stinson: bass; Zack O’Farrill: drums.

Adam O'Farrill - Stranger Days

Young and extremely talented, Adam O’Farrill is a modern jazz trumpeter from Brooklyn, NY, who comes from a lineage of marvelous musicians. His father, the widely known Cuban pianist, composer, and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill, has all the reasons to be proud of a son who, at the age of 21, has collaborated with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joe Lovano, and more recently Stephan Crump’s Rhombal.
For this recording, Adam had the company of his brother Zack on drums, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on tenor saxophone, and Walter Stinson on bass.

Outlined for quartet, Stranger Days was pretty much influenced by film and theater. Each tune attempts to paint a scene whose variable natures are somehow connected.
Sturdy and concise, the 6/8 “A & R Italian Eatery” relies on precise unisons and simultaneous improvisations, while the rhythm section flows through a fleet-footed bass and elegant brush drumming. 
“The Stranger”, inspired by Albert Camus’ novel, is one of the strongest tunes of the record, starting with Adam’s intro and evolving into a beautifully melancholic march that alternates with passionate swinging passages. The effective improvisations succeed one another with color and feeling.
Highlighting Stinson's basswork and Zack's dry drumming, “Survival Instincts” appears as an awkwardly disconcerting dance that gets epic contours. It opposes to the simplicity of movements revealed in Stinson’s “Why She Loves”. 

“Alligator Got the Blues” is another high point, showcasing a leisurely-paced introductory section before exploring alternative beats with a strong foundation in rock music. The mood is animated and the horns’ feast is no less vibrating.
Melodic repetition seems to have a purpose in “Forget Everything You’ve Learned at School”, contrasting with “Building the Metamorphosen Bridge”, which deals with a curious rhythmic complexity as it privileges interaction. “The Cows and Their Farm Walt”, stepping on a scenic ground, precedes the album's last tune, “Lower Brooklyn Botanical Union”, a contrafact of Billy Strayhorn’s “UMMG” that mixes bop and post-bop elements.

In this wonderful debut as a bandleader, Adam O’Farrill shows off all his qualities both in composition and arrangements. Because modernity in jazz is not always synonym of weird sounds, Stranger Days can be simply described as accessible freshness for our ears.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – A & R Italian Eatery ► 02 – The Stranger ► 05 – Alligator Got the Blues

Stephan Crump - Stephan Crump's Rhombal

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone; Adam O’Farrill: trumpet; Stephan Crump: acoustic bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

Stephan Crump - Rhombal

Stephan Crump, an extraordinary bassist/composer of great sophistication, puts together a brand new quartet whose freshness, robustness and creativity are to be praised. 
Rhombal showcases a two-horn frontline composed of Ellery Eskellin on tenor saxophone and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, and a persuasive rhythm section with Crump and the drummer Tyshawn Sorey. They integrate funky grooves and avant-garde artistry in a fascinating way.

“NoD for Nelson” makes a strong entrance. The initial vamp boasts a gracing urban groove that consistently supports the reedists’ work, whether playing in unison or individually. If the ingenious young O’Farrill stands out on this opening tune, the astute Eskelin is impressive in “Grovi”, which gently flows with its laid-back posture and luscious melodies. It also shows a pretty active Sorey, who enriches the scenario with delicious and insightful percussive details.
With the frolicking “Skippaningam”, it’s time for a slice of hard-bop at full speed, all enveloped in a swinging mood that eventually shifts to more exploratory territories during the sax-trumpet improvisational rite. 
“Loose Bay” captivates through enigmatic undertones. Crump’s occasional bowed bass intensifies the atmosphere while O’Farrill and Eskelin deliver beseeching and steadfast solos, respectively.

A danceable funk-rock returns with “Eskima Dream”, vigorously delineated by the obliging rhythm section and adorned with terrific horn unisons and counterpoints. 
“How Close Are You”, a dainty ballad of complacent melody, opposes to the confidently swinging “Tschi”, just before we get to “Birdwhistle”, the only tune exceeding ten minutes long, which levitates with a sort of hiccupped melodic phrases. Crump’s fluidity and tempo, together with Sorey’s combustible drumming, weave an exciting foundation for the improvisers. Throughout Eskelin’s raucous solo, the tune plunges into avant-garde territory before returning to the groovy head.
The enchanting “Pulling Pillars-Outro for Patty” closes the cycle in a well-marked 6/8 time signature.

Expeditious yet never aggressive, Rhombal makes its moves with perseverance, unity, and self-expression. This collective accomplishment is already in the competition for the grooviest album of the year.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – NoD for Nelson ► 02 – Grovi ► 08 – Birdwhistle

Anna Webber's Simple Trio - Binary

Anna Webber: tenor saxophone, flute; Matt Mitchell: piano; John Hollenbeck: drums.

Anna Webber Simple Trio - Binary

Anna Webber, a genuine Brooklynite reedist, reconvenes the Simple Trio - Matt Mitchell on piano and John Hollenbeck on drums - and releases Binary, her second album of originals on Skirl Records.
Focusing on a strong collective improvisational concept, Webber and her valuable peers often exercise in tension and release, building up intense musical moments and avoiding conventional approaches or structures.

A provocative, dark-hued exaltation can be felt in “Impulse Purchase”, a tune that constantly balances the light and the heavy, the thoughtful and the impulsive, the contemplation and the action. It starts with Webber’s serpentine saxophone phrases, which are joined by the broken comping of Mitchell, a master in the harmonic deconstruction, and the urgent vitality of Hollenbeck’s exciting drumming. The trio gradually galvanizes energies toward the end.
In “Underhelmed”, Hollenbeck finds his way into a muscled rock, while Mitchell remains devoted to his philosophy of generating breathtaking harmonic passages brewed up together with giddy rhythmic intentions. Webber, in turn, holds onto a state of intense melodic-rhythmic creativity. The tune’s energy switches on our body movements for a spasmodic dance.

The compositional nature of “Tug O’ War” and the choice of flute, calls Henry Threadgill to the scenario. Yet, the reinforcement of the iterative musical ideas translated into an organic compound of sounds is reminiscent of Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet’s explorations. After the storm, the trio slows down for a sober finale.
The title track, alternating between mournful and effusive, starts to be shaped with the help of Mitchell’s melancholic piano textures, the dark timbre of Webber’s beseeching saxophone, and Hollenbeck’s alert brushwork. The inherent tension initially created is widely expanded as the tune moves forward, bringing us short, and often surprising, rhythmical transmutations and mood discrepancies.
Scattered throughout the record, six energizing short tracks named “Rectangle” share similar melodic patterns, cyclic harmonic progressions, and relentless rhythms.

A fervent freedom can be felt in Binary, an avant-garde vessel that navigates among ripe ideas and pugnacious sounds.

Favorite Tracks: 
02 – Impulse Purchase ► 05 – Underhelmed ► 08 – Binary

Matthew Shipp Trio - Piano Song

Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

Matthew Shipp Trio - Piano Song

JazzTrail had the privilege to listen to Matthew Shipp’s luminous new album, Piano Song, to be released on January 27, 2017. Recorded in trio with the bassist Michael Bisio and the drummer Newman Taylor Baker, this will be Matthew’s last record on the Thirsty Ear label. These groundbreaking musicians display a tremendous sound as they continue to embrace hypnotic textures within an idiosyncratic universe.

Shipp’s elegant solo piano captivates in the solemn “Links”, the opening tune, while “Cosmopolitan” brings Miles Davis’ “So What” to mind through Bisio’s evocative bass line and Shipp’s suggestive melodies. Both the bassist and the drummer had the opportunity to express themselves individually here, as well as in the piano-less “Scrambled Brain”. 
Baker’s swell hip-hop beats stand out in the memorable “Flying Carpet”, which erupts gradually into an upheaval as Shipp increases tension through his vehement playing. A similar impetuosity is put on the kinetic “Gravity Point”, a loud, rhythmic extravaganza that may take your feet off the ground.

Functional minimalism is associated with titles such as “Blue Desert” and “Void on”, opposing to “Mind Space”, which invites us to another hallucinating trip into the abstract. 
Even distinct in nature, the exclamatory “Micro Wave” and the wandering “The Nature of”, have motivational energies in common. The former, blossoming as an extravagant march filled with complex melodic replicas, while the latter boasts a piano soliloquy that fills our ears with great, unobvious melodies. 
The album culminates with the title track, in which a solo piano gently pushes us into an imperturbable serenity.
 
Matthew Shipp Trio will open the New Year spreading magical moments of grandiose musicality. 
Piano Song is an album to get lost in; a bottomless well of impactful creativity and divine inspiration that consolidates Shipp as a forward-thinker with a radiant, unique voice. 

Favorite Tracks: 
02 – Cosmopolitan ► 05 – Flying Carpet ► 07 – Micro Wave

Mark Dresser Seven - Sedimental You

Nicole Mitchell: soprano and alto flutes; Marty Ehrlich: clarinet and bass clarinet; David Morales Boroff: violin; Michael Dessen: trombone; Joshua White: piano; Mark Dresser: bass; Jim Black: drums.

Mark Dresser - Sedimental You

The experienced American bassist Mark Dresser, who has worked in the past with modern-creative luminaries such as Anthony Braxton, Tim Berne, and John Zorn, continues serving up astounding original music. “Sedimental You” only reinforces the idea that he's a giant of the avant-garde jazz scene.

To start, let me tell you that the accentuated and contrapuntal “Hobby Lobby Horse” is a magnificently orchestrated overture that balances stamina and charm through its unconventional grooves, tortuous tempos, regular disruptions, and witty improvisations. Every peer had the opportunity to speak their souls, stirring different emotions and generating an intricate complexity that is more enriching than puzzling.
Everything stated above is brought to the title track, an abstract ten-minute rendition of the jazz standard “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”, here infused with metric modulations and a myriad of odd sounds. 
The expressionistic trades of the politically-charged “TrumpinPutinStoopin” first gains foundation through the intelligible textures created by piano, bass, and drums. At some point, the texture thickens as the horns and strings intensify its manifestations, adding extra color.

Ravishingly beautiful is “Will Well”, a melodic incantation dedicated to the respected 80-year-old trombonist Roswell Rudd, which starts as an ensemble chant before taking the form of a spiritual prayer led by piano and bowed bass. The trio's devotional harmonic cycles extract the best of Ehrlich and Mitchell, whose controlled discourses are followed by the young Boroff's more outgoing approach on the violin. All is gratifying and compatible. 
Inspired by memories of the late singer Alexandra Montana, “I Can Smell You Listening” spreads scented chamber sounds over the air while working as a receptacle for eloquent improvisations and rhythmic disturbances.
In turn, Dresser sought inspiration in darker places for “Newton Char” - the mass shootings in Newton and Charleston. This composition, engulfed in unpredictable clouds, boasts perplexing solos by all the magnificent seven, under a propelling bass-drums groove. This dashing posture heavily contrasts with the closing tune, a short chamber piece named “Two Handfuls of Peace”, composed in honor of the saxophonist, pianist, and composer Daniel Jackson.

Incredibly adventurous without discarding the rigor of the written material, this is Dresser’s best record in years. Indeed, it's a thought-provoking body of work.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – Hobby Lobby Horse ► 04 – Will Well (for Roswell Rudd) ► 06 – Newton Char

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext? - Resolution

Lineup features: Mehmet Ali Sanlikol: conduction and multiple instruments; Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone; Anat Cohen: clarinet; Tiger Okoshi: trumpet: Antonio Sanchez: drums.

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol - Resolution

Turkish-born Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, a Grammy-nominated composer, vocalist, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist based in Boston, has been getting wide recognition through his palpitating fusion of modern jazz and world music. 
His new installment with the project Whatsnext?, whose new additions include Dave Liebman, Anat Cohen, Tiger Okoshi and Antonio Sanchez, is now out and fully grown to conquer more listeners. 
Sanlikol demonstrates his true value when he puts together a 13-piece jazz combo and a 17-piece big band, and makes them sound amazingly articulated.

The opening title, “The Turkish 2nd Line”, is a glorious concoction that besides Ottoman influences has the New Orleans scene in perspective. Driven by electric guitar and embellished by the horns, it makes transitions into funk, reggae, and a pleasurable swinging jazz that serves as a vehicle for Anat Cohen’s dashing improvisation on clarinet.
 “A Dream in Nihavend” is an appealing vocalized lament conducted by sparse piano harmonies, but Sanlikol’s sublime compositional character and stylistic vision are much more in evidence throughout the three-part “Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Jazz Orchestra in C”. The first part, “Rebellion” is a medium funk shuffle that expands its horizons by stepping onto a catchy crossover jazz; the part two, entitled “Reminiscence”, is a soulful ballad that flows serenely at the sound of Mr. Liebman’s delightful melodies while occasionally exhibiting guitar/piano fillings; and the part three runs up-tempo and swings with aplomb.
In turn, “The Niyaz Suite” is subdivided into two movements. The first savors the eminent Antonio Sanchez exhibiting his consistent drumming skills, just before a floating dance of woodwinds takes the lead. The stimulating second one works as a showcase for the trumpeter Tiger Okoshi who draws a portentous solo.

Filled with intoxicating driving pulses, exotic timbres, and film noir music influences, these nine eclectic and well-orchestrated pieces are Resolution, a powerful and urgent album.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – The Turkish 2nd Line ► 05 – Reminiscence ► 08 – An Afro Semai

Guillermo Klein - Los Guachos V

Guillermo Klein: piano; Bill McHenry: tenor saxophone; Chris Cheek: soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones; Miguel Zenon: alto saxophone; Diego Urcola: trumpet, trombone; Richard Nant: trumpet; Sandro Tomasi: trombone; Taylor Haskins: trumpet; Ben Monder: guitar; Fernando Huergo: electric bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Argentine-born Guillermo Klein is not merely a refined pianist but also a magnificent composer, arranger, and bandleader. In addition to these talents, he only hires musicians of superior quality to be part of his projects.
Los Guachos, an 11-piece ensemble project that has been active since 1999, has its fifth album released on the Sunnyside Records. 
“Los Guachos V” interweaves postmodern jazz and modern classical, but Klein also throws in elements of Argentinean folklore to pepper his well-seasoned dishes.
The album, relying on the concepts of symmetries, patterns, and variations, is composed of two suites and two loose ballads that completely fit in the process.
Klein initiates this journey with the sophisticated three-piece suite entitled Indiana, which includes a hopping and uncompromising interpretation of Miles Davis’ “Donna Lee”, in an arrangement populated with profuse rhythmic counterpoints and featuring Chris Cheek on the baritone sax.
The following 7 tunes are portions of the rich Suite Jazmin whose symmetric ends are precisely entitled “Symmetry I” and “Symmetry II”. In the middle, we are pushed into memorable places with “Si No Sabes”, in its variations of 4/4 and in 9/8, and two 'mirrors' of Klein’s previous compositions: the hypnotically languid “Burrito Hill”, first recorded for the album “Carrera”, and the stylized “Human Feel”, a piece retrieved from “Bienestan”, an album co-led by Klein and Aaron Goldberg. Only Ben Monder and Diego Urcola had green light to improvise. All the rest is pure teamwork.
The album closes with two resplendent ballads - Andrew Hill’s little-known “Ashes” is a 19-bar form that saw the daylight in Greg Osby’s “Invisible Hands”, while Klein’s “Quemando Velas” is a touching piece layered with harmonious sounds.
“Los Guachos V” is a magical record that unveils the art of reinventing jazz today with insight and finesse. Guillermo Klein, an erudite visionary, is the man to follow.

Favorite Tracks: 
02 – Donna Lee ► 05 – Si No Sabes 4/4 ► 07 – Burrito Hill Mirror

Steve Lehman & Sélébeyone - Sélébeyone

Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Gaston Bandimic: vocals; HPrizm: vocals; Maciek Lasserre: soprano saxophone; Carlos Homs: piano, keyboards; Drew Gress: acoustic bass; Damion Reid: drums.

The remarkable alto saxophonist Steve Lehman is always immersed in interesting projects, whether under his own name or working as a sideman. 
Last year he delighted us with “Mise en Abime”, recorded with his first-class octet, and did a great job in Liberty Ellman’s “Radiate”. Now he embraces a different adventure, holding on a septet that fuses modern jazz and underground hip-hop. This wasn’t really a surprise for me, since in 2005, Lehman had incurred into more explorative beats, electronics, and turntables in “Demian as a Posthuman”. 
For the Sélébeyone project, he teams up with the rappers Gaston Bandimic and HPrizm, who sing in Wolof and English, respectively, and also with the soprano saxophonist Maciek Lasserre, who composed four of the nine tunes. The rhythm section, so fundamental in this urban environment, was entrusted to jazz diggers such as the surprising keyboardist Carlos Holms, who worked with Peter Evans in “Ghosts”, the exemplary bassist Drew Gress, and the exciting drummer, Damion Reid.
“Laamb” opens with a confident attitude, drawing a relentless hip-hop groove decorated with a piano ostinato. The cadenced lyrics are uttered in two different languages while Lehman improvises in his precise, twitchy style.
Both Lehman and Lasserre intercalate their sounds in “Are You in Peace?”, first in unison and then splitting up for another jolt by the altoist. Holms injects keyboard eerie sounds at some point while Gress and Reid remain irreproachable in their drive. This incredible synchronization continues to stand out in tunes such as “Origine”, which causes apprehension through the keyboard effects, and “Cognition”, where Lehman leads the way by throwing in numerous questions and exclamations, pushing Lasserre to the conversation. 
Balanced and well produced, "Sélébeyone" opens different horizons for both hip-hop and improvised jazz.

Favorite Tracks: 
02 – Are You in Peace? ► 04 – Origine ► 05 – Cognitio

Victor Gould - Clockwork

Victor Gould: piano; Myron Walden: tenor saxophone; Godwin Louis: alto saxophone; Jeremy Pelt: trumpet; Ben Williams: bass; E.J. Strickland: drums; Pedrito Martinez: percussion; Anne Drummond: flute; Yoojin Park: violin; Heejin Chang: viola; Veronica Parrales: cello.

Victor Gould, a meritorious pianist who worked with Donald Harrison, Ralph Peterson, and Wallace Roney in the past as a sideman, has an auspicious debut as a bandleader with “Clockwork”, a solid album that puts into practice his pungent compositional work.
Forming a stark foundation together with the bassist Ben Williams and the drummer EJ Strickland, Gould diversifies the moods and textures of his music by constantly altering the group’s format throughout the record.
Cooked in trio, we have the eloquent “Mr. Carter”, which pays tribute to the veteran bassist Ron Carter, and “Nefertiti”, a naturally enigmatic tune composed by Wayne Shorter and disseminated by Miles Davis on his 1968 album of the same name. However, it was with “Blue Dales”, when the rhythm section was empowered with the addition of Martinez’ percussion, that the trio impressed me most, relying on a stunning piano expressiveness and sparkling interplay to punch us hard.
The horns become simultaneously prevalent and influent throughout some of the tracks with Pelt, Walden, and Louis offering us dazzling improvisations. This happens in the title track, a tune that fills the air with a percussive exuberance, “Room 416”, whose harmonization and melody also carry something from Shorter, “Apostle John”, the most striking piece of the record, which advances at a swaggering rhythm as it resorts to incisive modal detours, and “Three Souls”, an empathic spiritual celebration pelted with awesome solos occasionally intercalated with winning collective improvisations.
Even if the variables keep changing, the formula remains consistent, making us conclude that Gould’s clockwork operates with a Swiss precision. 

Favorite Tracks: 
04 – Blue Dales ► 07 – Apostle John ► 11 – Three Souls

Sebastian Noelle - Shelter

Sebastian Noelle: guitar; Marc Mommaas: tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano; Matt Clohesy: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Backed up by a great quintet, the German-born guitarist, Sebastian Noelle, puts up his third album on the Fresh Sound label.
Throughout the tunes that make part of “Shelter”, it’s easy to identify consistent ideas and refined sounds that occasionally step aside from the common jazz boundaries. “Ahir Bhairav”, a Hindustani classical raga, shows exactly that consistency and openness.
Another tune that called my attention was “Unlikely Heroes”, a rhythmically complex composition that inhabits in the rock genre, evincing Weiss’ great agility with the bass drum as well as a visionary improvisation by Noelle. A broken swing erupts on the spur of the moment for Mitchell’s haunting solo.
Both the polyrhythmic “Home In A Strange Land” and the strapping “Naphta vs Settembrini” display interesting dialogues between the bandleader and the communicative Dutch saxophonist Marc Mommaas. In the former tune, this interaction takes the form of a stimulating shared improvisation, while in the latter, it relies on two distinct melodies that simulate a philosophical conversation between Thomas Mann's "Magic Mountain's characters mentioned in the title.
In “Seven Up”, it’s outstanding how Clohesy and Weiss play slightly behind the tempo with sophistication. Mitchell shows his explorative side and creativity in a great solo, while Noelle, exhibiting a bright sound, picks unconventional notes to cause admiration. 
Expansive and well-founded, “Shelter” will reveal many new aspects to be discovered at every listening.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Seven Up ► 06 – Unlikely Heroes ► 08 – Ahir Bhairav

Marc Ribot - The Young Philadelphians Live in Tokyo

Marc Ribot: guitar; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Jamaaladeen Tacuma: bass; G. Calvin Weston: drums; Takako Siba: viola; Yoshie Kajiwara: violin; China Azuma: cello.

It’s curious to see two explorers and recognized avant-gardists such as the guitarists Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson adapting disco, funk, and soul to the current days in the Young Philadelphians, a band that besides the guitarists and a couple of Phillies, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass and G. Calvin Weston on drums, also hinges on a Japanese trio of classic strings - violin, cello, and viola.
In my eyes (or ears), “Live in Tokyo”, with its mash-up of influences and inheritances, didn’t extract the better of these two creative guitarists. However, this doesn’t mean they haven’t done a competent job.
The first tune, “Love Epidemic”, is a soul-rooted disco tune from the 70’s, recreated with hints of David Bowie’s spatial rock. Ribot’s delirious guitar riffs are complemented by Halvorson’s fills, which come wrapped in effects.
The soothing wha-wha grooves in Teddy Pendergrass’ “Love Tko” make it the best rendition of the album. A breezy sensuality flows, spiked by Ribot’s bluesy approach and Tacuma’s bass solo. 
Far more festive is “Fly, Robin, Fly”, a 70’s disco hit popularized by the German group Silver Convention, whose funky guitar chords bring to mind the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin”. 
“TSOP” unfolds sentimental melodies within a commercial approach, heavily contrasting with “Love Rollercoaster”, a rock celebration with a chorus sung with the tics of David Byrne. “Do It Anyway You Wanna” throws up an energetic compound of funk, rock, and R&B, moving in the same line of James Brown, while “The Hustle” is more ABBA style but packed with Halvorson’s odd effects.
Nostalgic and gleeful, “Live in Tokyo” is set as a wingding. Although not my cup of tea, this is another peculiar entrance into the guitarist's multi-colored discography.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – Love Epidemic ► 02 – Love Tko ► 06 – Do It Anyway You Wanna

Wadada Leo Smith - America's National Parks

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Anthony Davis: piano, Ashley Walters: cello; John Lindberg: bass; Pheeroan akLaff: drums.

Wadada Leo Smith, a gritty and lyrically stunning trumpeter/composer, releases a double CD stuffed with highly-articulated music that envisions to provide historic insight and social-political conscience about the America’s National Parks. 
Similar to what had happened in “The Great Lake Suites” (2014), each disc comprises three movements. However, the band Wadada enlisted for this project was an expansion of his dream-team of veterans known as The Golden Quartet (Anthony Davis on piano, John Lindberg on bass, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums), with the acquisition of the young cellist Ashley Walters, who adds a chamberesque texture and diversified colors to the organic divagations. 
“New Orleans” is an incredible 20-minute piece that advances like an enigmatic dark dance, hypnotizing us with its quasi-theatrical inflections of deep dramatic weight. Lindberg and AkLaff do a superb collective job, transforming the tune into a sort of ritual that gains a lofty expressiveness through Davis’ uncanny chords and Wadada’s emphatic attacks. Later on, the cello transfigures this prior nature into a hearty moan.
In “Eileen Jackson Southern” the levels of abstraction and introspection are considerably raised. Wadada’s trumpet, frequently hitting long high-pitched notes, opposes to the cello-piano mosaics that occur in a lower register. “Yellowstone’s intro, configured by trumpet, piano, and then cello, takes its time to engage in a fantastic 4/4 groove laid down by Lindberg, a stupendous bassist who boasts a ravishing sound. Davis also deserves an ovation for his fast-moving right-hand approach while the bandleader’s bravura comes from the soul, not from the head.
The CD2 opens with the volatile 31-minute movement “The Mississippi River”, which takes us on a dark and mournful trip to a past of awes. After a while, it brings us lusty protests delivered in the form of cyclic harmonic episodes.
The shortest tune of the record, “Sequoia/Kings Canyon”, features Wadada in great interactions with his peers, especially akLaff during the final improvised section. The brilliant suite culminates with the sparse “Yosemite”, an exercise in contemporary chamber music.
Cerebrally structured and emotionally haunting, this is a literate masterpiece that will marvel not only the trumpeter’s followers but also the avant-gardists in general.  

Favorite Tracks:
01 (cd1) – New Orleans ► 03 (cd1) – Yellowstone ► 01 (cd2) – The Mississippi River

John Scofield - Country For Old Men

John Scofield: guitar; Larry Goldings: piano, organ; Steve Swallow: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

The music of John Scofield, a technically skilled and emotionally consistent guitarist, doesn’t confine itself to just one style. 
His salutary versatility and originality have been noticeable throughout a successful career that spans more than 40 years, addressing styles such as jazz, funk, rock, M-base, post-bop, and fusion with the same unquestionable quality. After last year’s “Past Present”, a Grammy-winning masterpiece of original works, Scofield releases “Country for Old Men”, an album exclusively made of covers that pay homage to American country music. 
The first great moment of the record happens forthwith with Hank Williams’ widely known hit “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, which is fabricated with a modernistic post-boppish attitude. All the fluency and creativity of his language lies here, solidly backed by Steve Swallow’s famous swinging bass, Bill Stewart’s firm pulse, and Larry Golding’s oddly atmospheric organ comping.
James Taylor’s “Bartender’s Blues” comes wrapped in a velvety softness, a mood that is repeated in the folk song “Wayfaring Stranger”, a traditional piece that gains a bluesy feeling with Scofield’s guitar and soulful contortions during Golding’s piano improvisation. 
“Wildwood Flower” is a groovy incursion into the Far West slightly deviated from its country roots during the improvisations, while the impeccably and swiftly executed “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard, resorts to trading fours by the end, a process that we can hear again in “Red River Valley”, a rockabilly effort that also swings.
Dolly Parton’s influence during the 60’s and 70’s was acknowledged with the addition of her popular “Jolene” whose bluegrass foundation fades into a more airy atmosphere. The merry “Faded Love”, an original by Bob Willis, is geared up as a jazz standard impregnated with a pastiche of country and blues.
Keeping the integrity of his approach and amazing sound, Mr. Scofield and his associates sculpt these westerners with finely-calibrated jazz strokes and intense feeling. Even lacking the spectacularity of his original compositions, this new one is another worthy entry in Scofield’s vast and many-sided discography.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry ► 05 – Wayfaring Stranger ► 08 – Faded Love

Ricardo Grilli - 1954

Ricardo Grilli: guitar; Aaron Parks: piano; Joe Martin: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

“1954” is the title of the sophomore album of originals from the Brazilian-born New York-based guitarist Ricardo Grilli, who was joined here by a tremendous team of musicians: Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Martin on bass, and Eric Harland on drums.
Following the recent trends of jazz and influenced by his own past and the Space Age, Grilli packs up nine tunes that disclose influences from diverse styles.
On the first track, “Arcturo”, his sustained guitar strumming lays anchor in rock, fantastically honed in by Harland. The guitarist uses most of the guitar arm for a brisk improvisation that encompasses several octaves, showcasing his abilities as a soloist. 
The repose of “Breathe”, a modern cha cha cha with soft harmonic textures and no improvisations, is repeated in “Rings”, a soaring ballad that finds support in the beauty of its relentless chord progression.
The galloping “Radiance”, inhabiting in a fusion universe of jazz, rock, and pop, is arranged with intrepid guitar riffs, implacable rhythms, and culminates with warmly expressive solos by Parks and the bandleader.
“Cosmonauts” hits a darker side, suggesting mystery and uncertainty. Our apprehension turns into amazement when we listen to Parks’ motivating solo. One can find a certain Brazilian lyricism in the tune’s melody and glimpses of Radiohead in Grilli’s fingerpicking.
The last tune, “Pulse”, leaves behind any connotation with the pop/rock universe and swings along in a hasty pace, resorting to well-known bebop dialects. Besides the fluidity of the guitarist and composer, we have estimable improvisations by Martin and Parks.
Ricardo Grilli sharpens his voice, liberates his creativity, and delivers a consistent new album.

Favorite Tracks: 
04 – Radiance ► 07 – Cosmonauts ► 09 – Pulse

Will Vinson - Perfectly Out of Place

Will Vinson: alto and soprano saxophones; Mike Moreno: guitar; Gonzalo Rubalcaba: piano, Fender Rhodes, synth; Matt Penman: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums; + guests.

Originally from London, the saxophonist Will Vinson is a frequent presence in the fervent NY jazz clubs like the Smalls, where he recorded a live album in 2012 with a quintet that included the guitarist Lage Lund, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
For his latest release, “Perfectly Out of Place”, Vinson not only convenes a new quintet, but also extends it by adding a few guests for the strings, vocals, and percussion. The cats that follow him are also respected bandleaders such as Mike Moreno on guitars, Gonzalo Rubalcaba on keys, Matt Penman on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums. 
“Desolated Tango”, which could perfectly fit in Charles Lloyd’s world-jazz repertoire, opens the doors, carrying a good amount of nostalgia and sadness at its core. Feeling like a ballad, this isn’t the only composition that invites us to sail in pacific waters. Also “Willoughby General”, featuring colorful solos by Penman and Moreno, “Limp of Faith”, in which Rubalcaba’s piano work emphasizes the initial lugubrious undertones set by sax and strings, and “Chalk It Up”, a beautiful exercise on breathing and relaxation, are tender ballads. 
Looking to attain balance among paces and moods, the quintet boasts a provocative Latin groove in “Skyrider” where strings, percussion, and especially the voice of Jo Lawry, entangled in complex phrasings delivered in unison with the sax and the guitar, contribute heavily to the impactful outcome.
Controlled chunks of funk-rock build up the straight-ahead piece “Stiltskin (Some Drunk Funk)”, while the last couple of tunes, “The Clock Killer”, retrieved from “Live at Smalls”, and the title-track, got me impressed due to Vinson’s giddy improvisational aptitudes.
This is a mature record that transpires emotional warmth. It was capable of establishing a mutual perception among the bandmates, authenticating Vinson as an accomplished composer and bandleader, in addition to the valuable sideman he has been all these years.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Desolation Tango ► 04 – Skyrider ► 09 – The Clock Killer

The Bad Plus - It's Hard

Ethan Iverson: piano; Reid Anderson: bass; Dave King: Drums.

The genius of the ingenious New York city-based jazz trio The Bad Plus can be heard again on their twelfth studio album entitled “It’s Hard”, a collection of covers that originally inhabited the pop, rock, country, jazz, and electronic music universes.
Its concept contrasts with the last year’s mandatory album, “The Bad Plus Joshua Redman”, whose tracks were composed by the members of the quartet. 
The album opens with “Maps”, an original song by the American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which is treated with a relentless musical hammering produced by bass-drums movements, getting more chaotic as it moves forward without losing any of its melodic sense.
Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers”, a massive hit in the UK in 1971, is rhythmically well crafted and gains a newfound perspective. Yet, its melody remains completely recognizable.
In terms of pop tunes, Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” is a pure delight, with Anderson’s bass ‘singing’ the falsetto part of the original, complemented with the crescendo of Iverson’s piano, which builds up an arresting polyphony at some point. In turn, Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time” is given a downtempo accentuation by King’s sparse beats while “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, a hit from the mid 80's by the Australian pop band Crowded House, plunges into real dreamy tones as it flows as a ballad.
The jazz is also well represented by a couple of tunes that carry a graceful musicality. The first one, “Alfombra Magica”, authored by the saxophonist Bill McHenry, evinces classical cadences. The second is Ornette Coleman’s “Broken Shadows”, which proceeds calmly and softly as in a morning sunrise.
Definitely a highlight, “The Robot”, a 1978 song composed by the German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, pulses with a forceful energy, inviting us to a robotic dance.
All the ten jazz renditions boast a relevant freshness through the treatments they were subjected to, proving The Bad Plus as one of the most stylish and versatile piano trios of our times.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Maps ► 06 – The Beautiful Ones ► 10 – The Robots

Cameron Mizell - Negative Spaces

Cameron Mizell: guitars; Brad Whiteley: piano, keyboards; Kenneth Salters: drums, percussion.

Boasting an inviting sound and evincing a compelling dexterity in his original compositions, Brooklyn-based guitarist Cameron Mizell shapes “Negative Spaces” with rigor and variety.
Together with his competent bass-less trio, Mizell effortlessly mixes rock, blues, funk, country, Americana, and jazz with ingenuity, building up an inspired album that speaks with a proper voice without shutting up its main influences.
Ethereal and illuminated, the introspective musical piece that lends the title to the album runs smoothly and engagingly. 
“Big Trees” is a short but captivating avant-folk piece layered with electric guitar on top of acoustic strumming. The song is energetic enough but transmits a peaceful aura at the same time, preparing the ground for the combination of blues and folk that are on the base of “Yesterday’s Trouble”, where Mizell’s haunting sound is clearly influenced by Marc Ribot. “Whiskey for Flowers”, unhurriedly immutable in pace, comes up in the sequence of its predecessor, immediately leading the way to “Take the Humble”, a smooth jazz-funk that coolly swings in its B section. Here we feel the good vibes of Mizell’s bluesy guitar, reminiscent of John Scofield, and the gratifying keyboard solo of Whiteley, who brought me into mind Lou Donaldson’s glorious albums from the 60’s.
The distinguished “Clearing Skies” is painted with grey hues but ultimately clears the clouds with the hope and affection set free from Mizell and Whiteley’s improvisations. 
Salters’ self-assured drumming marks the well-defined pace of “Unfolding” whose beautiful melody remains in our heads, making us wanting to hear it over and over again.
Ribot’s freewheeling rock style is spotted again in the first segment of the record’s last song, “Echoing Echoing”, which ends up in an agitating harmonic turnaround.
Cameron Mizell doesn’t need words to show he’s a great storyteller. Besides that, the two qualified musicians that follow him have that clarity that facilitates his way of expression, adding also their own personal touch.

Favorite Tracks: 
05 – Take the Humble ► 06 – Clearing Skies ► 10 – Unfolding

Tim Daisy - Relucent

Tim Daisy: marimba, turntables, electronics.
 
Tim Daisy, a drummer, marimbist and composer from Chicago, had a solid background in the avant-garde jazz scene as a member of the explosive The Vandermark 5 and Rempis Percussion Quartet, as well as through fruitful collaborations with the saxophonist Fred Anderson and the pianist Marc Riordan.
In his first solo project, released on Relay Records, he presents music for marimba, radios and turntables.
“Relucent” is a highly experimental album and a very difficult one (at least for me) to assimilate and become involved with.
With a bold musical concept in mind, Daisy, who also has a strong relationship with the visual arts, frontally assumes the risk of making unconventional music that likely will only bring him a minority of followers. However, that fact doesn’t hamper him from embarking on this weird exploration of sounds that comprise static noise, percussive rattles and tic-tacs, tuneful melodies of marimba (an instrument he dominates effortlessly), and turntable manipulations and collages.
The hypnotic “Burkina” relies on the surprising effects that are laid over a well-defined melodic/rhythmic idea. In turn, “Blue Rectangle” is a quite curious piece grounded on intermittent static noise and euphonious marimba articulations.
The sweetness of the marimba can be fully enjoyed in “Green Town”, while “The Spring Rust” transports us to the early days of cinema.
Even if this is not a genre I’m particularly looking for, “Relucent” reveals an unnerving posture with its percussive babbles and optimistic chants.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Burkina ► 03 – Blue Rectangle ► 08 – Green Town

Myriad3 - Moons

Chris Donnelly: piano, synth; Dan Fortin: upright and fretless bass, synth; Ernesto Cervini: drums, glockenspiel.

Myriad 3 is the name of an urban Canadian trio whose members are Chris Donnelly on piano, Dan Fortin on bass, and Ernesto Cervini on drums. 
While I was listening to “Moons”, their third album on Alma Records, it became quite clear that I wouldn’t be able to find a bandleader. 
In the place of individual show-offs, the band guarantees both collective tightness and spontaneity along the eleven tunes that comprise this kindred album.
An involving rhythm is set up for “Skeleton Key”, a pop/rock song that impulsively confronts dreamy intimacies and energetic assemblages. 
Half-lyrical, half-obscure, “Noyammas” conquered me right away with the piercing low notes on the piano falling on top of the sprawling cadences formed by thumping bass sounds and rockish drumming. 
If “Unnamed Cells” starts as a shattered R&B, evolving into a danceable rock rhythm that could be a modern dance floor hit, “The Stoner” sweeps the air with a stoned relaxation, gaining some tension as it moves forward, just to release it again near the end. 
“Counter of the Cumulus”, a musical creation by the electronic artist Disasterpiece, flourishes with jazz, rock, and classical elements, anticipating “Ameliasburg”, a relentless waltz that really asks for the next piece, “Sketch Eight”, a 6/8 march of grandiose instrumentation.
The blissful “Moons” is adorned with a suitable synth effect and feels unhurriedly good, opening space to the rhythmically bold “Brother Dom”.
Myriad3's musical unity and compositional quality result in an immensity of sounds that please our ears with honest music. Intuitively explored, “Moons” is a great album that deserves more visibility.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Noyammas ► 06 – Counter of the Cumulus ► 08 – Sketch Eight