Tom Harrell - Something Gold, Something Blue

March 15, 2017

Tom Harrell: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Charles Altura: guitar; Ugonna Okegwo: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums; Omer Avital: oud.

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With more than 40 records under his belt and a career that spans nearly five decades, Tom Harrell, a deft cool-tone trumpeter and extremely skilled composer, has been spreading fragrances of quality within the jazz genre.
The multiple awards are a deserved recognition for his talent and dedication to an enthralling style that, despite centered on postbop and straight-ahead jazz, often searches for other sources of inspiration.

The variety of paces, textures, and moods found in Something Gold Something Blue, his new recording on HighNote Records, mirrors exactly that permissiveness and spirit of innovation.
In order to perform the eight originals and a rendition of the classic ballad “Body and Soul”, Harrell convened a group of rousing musicians – trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and guitarist Charles Altura are categorical new acquisitions for the quintet, while bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Johnathan Blake are recurrent choices with the important mission of assuring a sensitive, stabilized rhythm flow.

The opening number, “Circuit”, registers a short theme statement designed with horn alignments laid over the surefooted foundation built by Blake’s nervy drumming and Okegwo’s propulsive plucking. Among the soloists, Harrell stands out due to the playfulness and detachment of his gestures.

While “Travelin” accepts the term ‘song’ for itself in accordance to the exposed guitar chords and facile melodies, “Trances” is no less than an adventurous fantasy composed of rich harmonies, nuanced grooves, and seamless fluctuations in tempo. After the introductory percussive proclamation, Blake maintains composure between the alternating 6/8 and 4/4 sections with the help of Altura’s warmly-amplified voicings. Moreover, Akinmusire and Harrell’s trumpet solos coexist with color, purpose, and zero conflict.

Through the ethnic fusion of “Delta of the Nile”, a winding Middle Eastern narrative that counted on special guest Omer Avital on oud, Harrell takes us to other parts of the globe. Yet, the mood shifts again with “View”, an uplifting locomotion fabricated with complex and arresting accentuations, and with “Sound Image”, whose touches of funk and Brazilian bossa emit amiable vibes.
The swinging “The Vehicle”, moving in a more traditional way, closes the album.

Simultaneously, Harrell assures powerful individual contributions from his likes and exceptional group dynamics.
His remarkable compositional creativity, instrument control, and musical adventurism are all here to turn this recording into a spellbinding modern classic. Mandatory!

Label: HighNote Records, 2016
Favorite Tracks:
03 – Trances ► 04 – Delta of the Nile ► 08 – Sound Image

John Ellis - Evolution: Seeds and Streams

March 14, 2017

John Ellis: piano, keyboards; Sam Healey: alto sax; Ellie Smith: trombone; Helena Jane Summerfield: tenor sax, clarinet, flute; Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh: kora; John Haycock: kora; Jessica Macdonald: cello; Pete Turner: bass, synth; Rick Weedon: percussion.

First of all, I would like to clarify that this John Ellis is a British pianist, composer, and producer and not the better-known American saxophonist that you're probably thinking of. Ellis was a co-founder of The Cinematic Orchestra and one of the brains behind it. He also worked with Tom Jones, John Squire (The Stone Roses), Lily Allen, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

His debut feature album as a leader, Evolution: Seeds and Streams may include some loose elements from these artists here and there, but has more to do with the Cinematic’s musical posture where the sonic descriptions are deeply connected with visual stimulation. However, the mood and sound here are quite distinct from that band, thanks to the addictive sounds of the kora, a 21-string lute-bridge-harp originally from West Africa.
The Evolution project gained expression in 2015, after the pianist’s collaboration with the emergent filmmaker Antony Barkworth-Knight.

Pushing us higher and higher in the sky, “Flight” boasts a soaring synthesizer ostinato, disciplined horns, boisterous piano fillings, a weeping cello, and tardy kora dances. It also features a stirring solo by the altoist Sam Healey, who steps forward once again in “Unidentical Twins”, a soul-healing celebration dominated by the exoticism of the kora’s elocution. A steady foundation, laid down by the intersection of Ellis’ keys, Pete Turner’s bass, and Rick Weedon’s percussion, ensures the appropriate stability and flow.

The comforting energies conveyed here are reutilized in “The Ladder”, a hypnotic and slightly spasmodic exercise filled with Eastern melodic phrases, where the excellence of the keyboardist’s gestures can be admired together with a nice solo by trombonist Ellie Smith.
Two interludes of dissimilar conceptions open the doors to “Unidentical Twins” and “The Ladder” - “Interlude One” can be compared to a little prayer of pensive cogitation while “Interlude Two” is a longer, more atmospheric combination of vibrating sounds.

The heartening “Poemander” starts by imposing sublime poetic articulations designed by piano and cello. It gains further density through the participation of kora and reed players.
The goodbyes arrive masquerade of melancholic tones and bathed in a shimmering radiance with “Arrivals”.
It’s not surprising that Ellis has been captivating many listeners with his compositional genius, adroit arrangements, and extraordinary musical vision.

Evolution: Steeds and Streams, a fruitful collection of instrumentals embroidered with strong emotional charge, has the facility to project us into stunning, distant landscapes and inflate our imagination.

Label: Gondwana Records, 2016
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Flight ► 03 – Unidentical Twins ► 05 – The Ladder

Jason Roebke Octet - Cinema Spiral

March 12, 2017

Jason Roebke: double bass; Greg Ward: alto saxophone; Keefe Jackson: tenor saxophone; Jeb Bishop: trombone; Jason Stein: bass clarinet; Josh Berman: cornet; Jason Adasiewicz: vibraphone; Mike Reed: drums.

A persistent curiosity is drawn when we hear the music of Chicagoan Jason Roebke, a forward-thinking avant-garde bassist who's conquering more and more space within the modern jazz styles.
Throughout a career that spans for 20 years, Roebke has recorded with drummer Mike Reid, trumpeter Nate Wooley, cellist Tomeka Reid, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, and the Chicago quartet Klang. The recordings under his own name are established with a variety of formations – solo, typical guitar and clarinet trios, and bigger ensembles.

Just like High/Red/Center (Delmark Records, 2014), Cinema Spiral, released on NoBusiness Records, was recorded with his ebullient octet and comes fully equipped with challenging modern compositions structured to accommodate individual statements and high-flying collective divagations.
The octet's lineup didn’t change, maintaining a five-horn frontline with Greg Ward on alto saxophone, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, and Josh Berman on cornet. Joining him in the rhythm section are vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz and the intrepid drummer Mike Reed.

With the tunes connected as a suite, Cinema Spiral opens with “Looking Directly Into the Camera”, whose unconventional structure takes us to hallucinogenic cinematic universes. Roebke roams through an early solo, corroborating with the idea that, for that particular moment, an unobtrusive atmosphere is worthier than a stormy agitation. Layers get thicker after the reed players arrive.

In the stimulating “Focusing”, the behavior of the rhythm section makes the 4/4-swing feeling less obvious. In addition to the highly aesthetic vibes of Adasiewicz, the multi-horn aggregation provides for creative meddling.
We are immediately transported to quieter territories with “For a Moment”, which for a few minutes is governed by the soothing trumpet melodies of Berman. After Roebke’s visionary improvisation, the tune becomes luxuriant, yet invariably consistent.

Both “Getting High” and “People Laughing” have riotous interactions in common. While the former gradually changes from musing to riotous, the latter does the opposite, serenading the rambunctious brassy whirlwinds as it moves forward.

“Waiting” is a strong one. It features solos by Bishop and Stein, whose rhythmic idea get prompt responses from his likes. The individual improvisational passages are interspersed with invigorating collective cacophonies.
Roebke finalizes with “L’acmé”, a fanciful tempo-shifting inspiration that highlights polyphonies and unisons, encouraging free interplay.

Packed with liberating densities and asymmetries, Cinema Spiral feels like a stony trip into the vagueness. Taking into account the quality of his compositions and style, Roebke deserves to stand above the radar, side by side with other hyper-creative fellow bassists such as Mario Pavone, Joe Fonda, and William Parker.

Label: NoBusiness Records, 2016
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Focusing ► 06 – Waiting ► 07 – L’acmé

Ellery Eskelin / Christian Weber / Michael Griener - Sensations of Tone

March 9, 2017

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone; Christian Weber: double bass; Michael Griener: drums.

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A contemporary sax-bass-drums trio formation makes of diversity its raison d’être. It’s even more enticing when we realize that American saxophonist Ellery Eskelin is part of it, accompanied by a European rhythm section composed of Swiss bassist Christian Weber and German drummer Michael Griener.

I was always a big fan of Eskelin’s music, especially that unforgettable trio with Andrea Parkins and Jim Black that delighted countless avant-jazz fans in the 90’s and 00’s. Recently, I had the pleasure to hear him conjuring up rough-hewn aesthetics in Rhombal, a highly groovy project led by the bassist Stephan Crump.

Adventurous by nature, the three musicians are not estranged to one another and that factor weighs in the interactive easiness they exhibit. Here, they focus on exploration-improvisation, and, surprise!, early jazz classics.
They got down to business and came up with the idea of mixing on the same recording avant-garde and traditional jazz, digging it with their personal style and vision.

In Sensations of Tone, Wiener and Griener combine in perfection, creating diversified textures whose consistency is a tonic for Eskelin’s conversational fluency pelted with colorful facets. Although the album title derives from von Helmholtz’s work on sound and acoustics dated from 1863, it’s more than natural to think of the grainy, warm tones of Eskelin’s tenor as part of the process.
You’ll find four urban avant-garde pieces, apparently inspired by some streets and places of New York (according to its titles), evenly intercalated with four gorgeous renditions of traditional swinging jazz songs.

Probing different sonic concepts, “Orchard and Broome” is audacious in nature, opening with the deeply reverberant sounds of Griener’s drums, which soon have the company of Weber’s grumbling bowed bass. Eskelin’s intriguing phrasing blossoms, whether with calmness or turbulence until we reach the boiling point where the voracious power of his tenor can be felt. The outbreak eventually stabilizes for the finale.

With more or fewer levels of abstraction, we have “Cornelia Street”, a true proof that experimentation sometimes leads to ebullient swinging grooves, “Ditmas Avenue”, where Weber displays his penetrating round sound and exceptional technique, and “Dumbo”, whose mood is more alarming than playful.

The classics are Jelly Roll Morton’s “Shreveport Stomp”, whose start recalls the Muppet Show theme, “China Boy”, a popular song from the 20’s that ends up with Eskelin trading fours with Griener, Bennie Moten’s “Moten Swing”, and the widely known “Ain’t Misbehavin”, which sparks with Eskellin’s motivic approach and Griener’s invitation to a tap dance.

The trio’s idea of putting together austere melodic material with ear-pleasing pieces was clever.
Regardless if searching for similarities between styles, the alternation of moods provides agreeable and less exhausting musical dissections.

Label: Intakt Records, 2017
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Orchard and Broome ► 03 – Cornelia Street ► 04 – China Boy

David Binney - The Time Verses

March 8, 2017

David Binney: alto saxophone; Jacob Sacks: piano; Eivind Opsvick: bass; Dan Weiss: drums - Guests: Jen Shyu: vocals; Shai Golan: alto saxophone.

Long-revered altoist phenomenon David Binney is certainly proud of having created a very personal style within the modern jazz. In the course of his remarkable career, he has joined forces with other ingenious artists such as Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, Donny McCaslin, Craig Taborn, Scott Colley, Edward Simon, Brian Blade and Kenny Wollesen. Those collaborations spawned truly exhilarating albums - Free to Dream (Mythology, 98), Welcome to Life (Mythology, 04), Out of Airplanes (Mythology, 06), and Graylen Epicenter (Mythology, 11) should be on the shelves of any jazz lover. The brand new The Time Verses is now out to join them.

His compositional structure and patterns are immediately identifiable in “Walk”, which flows with a rock pulse for a while until decelerating toward an oneiric passage efficiently controlled by the rhythm section. The final part thrives with cyclic harmonic sequences, so appropriate for Binney’s resolute attacks and imaginative phrases replete with intervallic wisdom. Vocal samples and electronics are tastefully added.

Airing a folk-ish melody, “Arc” is a ballad that grows athletic muscle throughout Binney’s improvisation, returning to the soft primary movements in order to conclude. However, the Zen trophy goes to “Seen”, a soaring balm for the spirit and mind, earnestly sung by Jen Shyu, who also wrote the lyrics. After Opsvik’s empathic solo, Binney sets off on a soulful, quasi-metaphorical improvisation that defies time and space. His wise sense of resolution, especially after ‘outside’ flights, is a rare gift.

A jittery intro of sax and drums in “The Reason to Return” seems to push us into heavier territories. Despite more saturated in color, the tune remains faithful to the bandleader’s philosophy as he embarks on edgy declarations congested with melodic awareness, well followed by Weiss’s graceful rhythmic drives and Sacks' exciting piano swirls.

“Where Worlds Collide” is a typical-Binney creation, well structured from roots to branches and rejoicing with plenty of life. Weiss enchants with his percussive clear-sightedness, and after the tremendous saxophone bursts, Sacks shows why he’s one of the most rhythmically daring pianists on the scene. This particular tune features guest saxophonist Shai Golan on the theme statement.

A bracing swing takes hold of “Fifty Five” whose title makes reference to the 55 Bar in NY where this quartet often plays. The tune intersects Binney’s fluid language with moods of Wayne Shorter and Sam Rivers.

The Time Verses gives us everything we could expect from a visionary saxophonist of multiple talents and resources as David Binney. This is his most brilliant work in years.

Label: Criss Cross, 2017
Favorite Tracks:
06 – Seen ► 08 – The Reason to Return ► 11 – Where Worlds Collide

Rich Halley / Carson Halley - The Wild

March 7, 2017

Rich Halley: tenor saxophone, wood flute; Carson Halley: drums.

Rich Halley, a tenor saxophonist and composer born and based in Portland, is a confessed enthusiast of asymmetric compositions and an inveterate improviser whose approach ranges from mildly melodic to unruly powerful.

Since 2011, he has released at least one album per year, most of them with his quartet known as Rich Halley 4, which includes trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, bassist Clyde Reed, and drummer Carson Halley, his son. The latter conceived the rhythmic structure in The Wild, a duo album with his father, released on Pine Eagle Records.
Last year, Rich decided to extend the band into a quintet, with the inclusion of multi-reedist and frequent collaborator Viny Golia. The resultant album, entitled The Outlier (Pine Eagle, 2016), was one of the most satisfying avant-garde works of the year, deserving a lot more exposure.

The Wild is a collection of eight free-form improvisations where father and son explore their interactive affinity with ample vision.
The first two tracks, “Wild Land” and “Progenitor”, take us to the universes of Coltrane and Ayler, bursting with forcefulness and often humor. In the latter, Carson modulates taut drum chops, culminating in a great solo moment, while Rich starts with a dark, low-pitched tone that, at intervals, changes to fleshy and sparkling.

The adjective wild can be perfectly applied to “Cursorial”, a piece where Rich explores sonic possibilities, phrasing vigorously on top of an uptempo beat well-marked by hi-hat and snare drum. Carson adorns it with revolutionary fills. I love how this tune ends.

The opulence of mutable African grooves drives Rich’s fiery saxophone throughout the disquieted “From Memory”. In turn, “The Stroll” vibrates with syncopated funk-rock pulses while evincing the audacity of the saxophonist who, despite freewheeling, doesn’t abstain from introducing tractable melodies.

More reflective are “Fat Plane of the Sky”, which plays with silence and sound, and “The Old Ways”, which takes us to exotic and ancient countries through the sounds of Rich’s wood flute and Carson’s primitive approach.

The Wild serves as a showcase for father and son to explore multiple textures and timbres within a unique musical approach.
It’s always challenging to make saxophone and drums sound consistently good, but the Halleys felt at 'home', with sufficient space for their creative freedom.

Label: Pine Eagle Records, 2017
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Progenitor ► 05 – Cursorial ► 07 – From Memory

Tigran Hamasyan - Atmospheres

March 6, 2017

Tigran Hamasyan: piano; Arve Henriksen: trumpet; Eivind Aarset: guitar; Jan Bang: sampling.

Tigran Hamasyan is an Armenian pianist and composer whose unparalleled music is strongly built with elements of folk music from his country of origin.
The double-disc Atmosphéres, his ninth album and the second for the ECM label, has a trio of Norwegians in its lineup: Arve Henriksen on trumpet, Eivind Aarset on guitar, and Jan Bang on sampling.

Just by considering the instruments involved in this recording, one may expect to find accessible or even conventional music. But that’s not the case since Hamasyan’s compositions go beyond the expected. Moreover, Henriksen and Aarsen use their instruments in peculiar ways. The trumpeter, whose career has been highly influenced by minimal Japanese music, often sounds like a flutist. The guitarist, a manipulator of sound in the true sense of the word, opts to draw soft textural layers at every stroke.

The 15 pieces that populate this artistic work are divided into two subsets. The first comprises 10 originals from the quartet entitled “Traces”. The remaining five are compositions by Komitas, an Armenian priest, musicologist, and composer who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music.

The original compositions vary considerably in tone and structure. “Traces I” and “Traces III” are both gently textured. The first part maintains a dreamy atmosphere along the way while the third is a weeping song.
“Traces II” is far more provocative in its conception, moving straight ahead through stirring sequences of piano notes and floating trumpet melodies. It contrasts with “Traces IV”, which asks for a meditation with the sunset on the horizon, and “Traces X”, a darker song that arrives from somber realms.

“Traces VI” and “Traces VII” are great avant-garde compositions. The former brings some madness and the right amount of ambiguity to an instrumental conversation; the latter, is oddly percussive, strategically layered, and becomes minimalist as it moves forward.
The airy “Tsirani Tsar” and the meticulous “Shushiki”, both by Komitas, are inevitably strong highlights.

Through the erudite interpretations of the quartet, we are able to experience a different culture and apprehend its sounds. It’s almost as if we were physically visiting another world. Once there, we can’t escape the dazzle caused by exotic scents and the sight of stunning landscapes.
Atmosphéres will reward those who don’t give up at the first listening.

Label: ECM, 2016
Favorite Tracks:
02 (cd1) – Tsirani Tsar ► 07 (cd1) – Traces VI ► 01 (cd2) – Traces VII

Winston Byrd - Once Upon a Time Called Right Now

March 6, 2017

Winston Byrd: trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone; Mahesh Balasooriya: piano; James Santangelo: piano; David Sampson: guitar; Julian Coryell: guitar; Steve Graeber: tenor saxophone; Mark Zier: keyboards; George Rabbai: trumpet, vocals; Nick Rolfe: keyboards, synth; Mike Boone: bass; Mychael Lomas: bass; Donzell Davis: drums; Gene Lake: drums, etc.

Winston Byrd is a versatile trumpeter who developed his own language while playing on the road in small and big bands. Despite the past collaborations with David Murray and Oliver Lake, his musical instincts are not oriented to the styles of those two. In Once Upon a Time Called Right Now, he rather blends straight-ahead and traditional jazz, hard bop, soul, and funk in considerable amounts, joining the influences of Dizzy Gillespie and Arturo Sandoval, and the jazz fusion of Larry Coryell and Blood, Sweat & Tears, with whom he played before.

Ornette Coleman’s “Ramblin” is a thrilling festivity that oozes wha-wha funk and bracing sound effects from every pore. It ends up with an unabashed collective improvisation and bass solo.

Retrieved from the musical Evita and arranged by Joel Martin, “On This Night Of A Thousand Stars”, a composition by Andrew Lloyd Weber, is an excellent showcase for Byrd’s virtuosity. The interesting treatment this song was subjected to, includes multiple changes in pace and groove, and also features the crisp rumbles of Steve Pemberton on drums.

An electrifying version of Frank Loesser’s “Brotherhood of Man”, where the bandleader has the company of George Rabbai on trumpet and James Santangelo on piano, makes us jump, while Eric Otis’s “Grandma Jo’s House”, transforming a 3/4 into a 4/4, cools the temperature down with its moderate swing.

Anticipating Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo A La Turk”, in which the pianist Mahesh Balasooriya lets out a mix of classical and jazz temperaments, we have the crossover jazz of “Borrowed Time”.

In “Anne Rising”, an illuminated ballad, Byrd embarks on a duet with the pianist Steve Rowlins. He accelerates the pace in “Mumbles”, a provocative bebop blues composed by Clark Terry, where he scats with Rabbai. The tune culminates with Byrd saying: ‘love ya grandpa Clark!’.

The following couple of tunes are the product of the collaboration between Byrd and his right hand, Giovanni Washington-Wright, who besides composing, also produced, arranged, and orchestrated in this recording. “Times”, the first original of the recording, is dominated by the eloquent guitar by Julian Coryell who sounds pretty much like Gary Moore. The second and last, is “Brown Eyes”, a smooth funk that invites us to a deep breath while relaxing to the cool sounds of the band.

Winston Byrd’s third record will cheer you up with its moods, grooves, and gracious amplitudes. From the arrangements to the interplay, the quality and consistency of the whole are guaranteed by the participants’ synergies and dynamics.

Label: Ropeadope, 2016
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Ramblin ► 03 – Brotherhood of Man ► 10 – Brown Eyes

Akua Dixon - Akua's Dance

March 3, 2017

Akua Dixon: baritone violin, cello; Freddie Bryant: guitar; Kenny Davis: bass; Victor Lewis: drums + Ron Carter: bass; Russell Malone: guitar.

Born and raised in New York, cellist-composer-arranger Akua Dixon boasts a silky jazz style solidly anchored in African and Latin roots.
With an enviable musical background, Ms. Dixon recorded/performed with a panoply of superior artists, from the jazz masters Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie to pop icon David Byrne to soul diva Aretha Franklin.
In the 90’s, she led the Quartette Indigo, a chamber-jazz group that included violinists Regina Carter and Marlene Rice, and violist Ron Lawrence.

Akua’s Dance is her third album, a decorous follow-up to her 2015 eponymous CD, which besides famous jazz standards, included music from Mingus, Mancini, and Piazzolla.
In comparison to the previous, the new album shows a stronger personality since Ms. Dixon, besides jazz standards and pop hits, resolved to include a considerable number of exotic originals. In order to achieve a more full-bodied sound, she opted to play baritone violin in many of the songs.

Seven of the 10 tracks feature her habitual trio: guitarist Freddie Bryant, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Victor Lewis. On the remaining three tunes, guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Ron Carter contribute with their special touch and expertise.

“I Dream a Dream”, melodically driven by the epicurean Eastern-like sounds of Dixon’s baritone violin, is stimulated with a Brazilian rhythmic accent, in a clear incursion into world music.

Honoring the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie through a mix of swinging groove and Latin American beams, “Dizzy’s Smiles” is a gentle and hybrid compliment to the master. It features clear-spoken solos by Davis and Dixon, whose melodies, intentionally or not, reminisced the great standard “How About You”.

“If My Heart Could Speak To You” is a ballad that straddles between “Tenderly” and “Body and Soul”, while Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away” is the only tune where we can listen to Dixon’s warm voice.

“Afrika! Afrika!”, marked by Dixon’s penetrating cello intro, Malone’s gallant guitar solo, and cool African vibes is probably the recording’s most pungent and absorbing song, together with “Akua’s Dance”, which features a sumptuous bass groove and acoustic guitar.
With no remarkable traits, Sade’s pop hit “The Sweetest Taboo” is also on the roster.

Dixon convenes a superb ensemble of top musicians to back her ideas and facilitate melodic expressiveness.
The sultry passion of Akua’s Dance will better please fans of mainstream and Latin jazz rather those seeking for something daring and unusual.
The force of the rhythmic cadences compensates the predictability of the harmonic passages, and you may tap your feet to the beat.

Favorite Tracks:
05 – Akua’s Dance ► 07 – Afrika! Afrika!

Jeremy Cunningham Quartet - Re: Dawn (from afar)

March 2, 2017

Jeremy Cunningham: drums; Jeff Parker: guitar; Josh Johnson: alto saxophone; Dustin Laurenzi: tenor sax; Andrew Toombs: wurlitzer, piano; Matt Ulery: bass.

Chicago-based drummer/composer Jeremy Cunningham leads a debutant sextet composed of Josh Johnson on alto saxophone, Dustin Laurenzi on tenor sax, Jeff Parker on guitar, Andrew Toombs on Wurlitzer and piano, and Matt Ulery on bass, whose sonic maneuvers deserve to be urgently assimilated.
The bandleader, who considers Elvin Jones and the music of Coltrane his great inspirations, also reveals compositional adroitness.
Cunningham displays pliant drumming skills, which adapt to different styles as we had the chance to confirm in a couple of albums by trumpeter Marquis Hill.

His debut album, Re: Dawn (from afar), was released on Ears&Eyes Records and unwraps a wonderful tune to open it. “Bémbé” flows with a straightforward African-samba-rock pulse that only eases on brief calmer passages. The theme’s melody is designed alternately by sax and guitar, suggesting a fair trade of ideas. As for the solos, Parker shows to be equally comfortable playing within the traditional and unconventional, Johnson thinks quickly and executes with agility, while Toombs seamlessly adapts himself to the funk direction assumed for the last minutes.

“Pulses” places sax-bass unisons on top of jittery African cadences. Cunningham drives with a steady hand as the tune gets a boost through majestic improvisations – rock-solid in the case of the guitarist, winding when it comes to the saxophonist.

A slow-yet-consistent 7/4 groove is laid down by the rhythm section in “Leaves Rain”, which despite the epic propensity, ends up in a shimmering vamp painted with Brazilian watercolors.

Both the title track and the last tune, “Visions”, linger in the air for quite awhile. The former is a ballad where the great communication between Cunningham and Ulery becomes evident, while the latter is a downtempo 4/4 piece, strongly accentuated by snare drum on the third beat.

The quartet expresses its love for pure, melodious jazz in the colorful “Constituent” whose breezy hooks are much appreciated.

Whether playing fistfuls of chromatic clusters on top of challenging rhythms or simple melodies on top of refreshing textures, this band never ceases to captivate.
Re: Dawn (from afar) is the type of debut album that many newcomers would like to do. Despite the few recordings, Cunningham reveals maturity and sensitivity galore.

Label: ears&eyes Records
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Bémbé ► 02 – Pulses ► 07 – Visions

Adam Schneit Band - Light Shines In

March 2, 2017

Adam Schneit: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Sean Moran: guitar; Eivind Opsvik: bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums.

Based in Brooklyn since 2005, Adam Schneit is a saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer whose musical past is directly related with the eclectic jazz quartet Old Time Musketry, as he once was its co-leader and an influent composer. After two albums released and several years of performances, the band’s life cycle reached an end, but Schneit didn’t waste time and immediately started working out on his career as a leader. His debut feature album, Light Shines In, is now available on Fresh Sound New Talent label.

Schneit picked excellent partners to be part of his cohesive quartet. If guitarist Sean Moran has been trying to gain prominence through his interesting ensemble Small Elephant Band and a chamber jazz quartet called Four Bags, Eivind Opsvik and Kenny Wollesen are two experienced heavyweights who, more than rhythmic stability, guarantee inventiveness and superior dynamics from below.
And that’s exactly what they do in “Different Times”, a steamy ride electrified by Moran’s guitar groans. The transition from Moran’s solo to Shneit’s fits hand in glove, with the saxophonist catching the guitarist’s last phrase on a rousing moment and giving it a lucid sequence.

Prior to this tune, we had the unhurried “A Clearer View”, which dabbles in the colorful meadows of pop music and blurs the line of genre by adding pinches of jazz and folk-rock. Despite distorted, the guitar chords of Moran are perfectly contextualized with the soft-textured foundation deftly conjured by Opsvik and Wollesen. The trio created the ideal conditions for the bandleader to exhibit his articulated language and blatant relationship with melody.

Titled with the name of his former band, “Old Time Musketry” clasps an entrancing 7/8-metered groove and features solos by Schneit, who spontaneously assimilates bop passages in his swift phrasing, and Moran who opts for a more cerebral approach.

With “Hope for Something More” and the title track, the quartet embraces a conciliatory relaxation, allowing us to imagine contemplative landscapes. The former’s melody sticks in our minds due to its beauty, and not even the torrent of notes that fly from the bandleader’s clarinet removes its affectionate temper.

The pace and intensity are raised again in “My Secret Hobby”, a tune that encourages musical freedom and boundless creativity, in a sort of Tim Berne-meets-Marc Ribot experience.

The final track, “Song for Silence”, feels like a tastefully jazzified pop/rock ballad that oozes integrity and gravitas. Even wrapped in slightly dark tones, the light is still there.

Light Shines In is an auspicious debut whose content conveys an immense musicality.
My empathy for this quartet increases with the number of listenings, telling me that Adam Schneit, whose compositions go beyond the traditional jazz scope, is here to stay.

Label: Fresh Sound New Talent, 2017
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Different Times ► 04 – Hope for Something More ► 06 – My Secret Hobby

Craig Taborn - Daylight Ghosts

March 1, 2017

Craig Taborn: piano; Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Chris Lightcap: acoustic and electric bass; Dave King: drums and percussion.

In addition to an admirable technique, postmodernist pianist Craig Taborn owns an enviable versatility that makes him one of the most in-demand musicians of our times. Although feeling comfortable in any genre, his preferences are clearly steeped in modern creative jazz and free improvisation. Throughout his explorations and reflections, we may identify a compound of other genres such as funk, classical, electronic, and less often Eastern music.

His third album of originals on the ECM label, is entitled Daylight Ghosts and features Chris Speed on reeds, Chris Lightcap on bass, and The Bad Plus’s Dave King on drums, all of them consistent bandleaders who have nothing to prove at this point.

When you see this lineup, it would be reasonable to think of tempestuous rhythms and burning interaction, but what you’ll find here is of more cerebral nature. This doesn’t mean it’s less intense or passionate, and “The Shining One”, the auspicious first tune of the recording, is there to demonstrate that. As expected, Taborn’s piano doesn’t join the rhythm section in a typical way, but rather juxtaposes as a textural layer, rambling freely without ever losing direction. Brief-yet-swift melodic lines are occasionally thrown in by Speed, building aesthetics, and the tune ends up in an elucidatory unison.

Feathery breaths of wind slide into “Abandoned Reminder” and “The Great Silence”. Their soothing ambiance would be better absorbed if you close your eyes and empty your mind. However, while the former gets more adventurous in its final section, mixing avant-jazz and modern classical within a bold 6/8-metered pace, the latter, embellished by Speed's clarinet, acquires a gentle percussive flow.

This mood is turned aside by a couple of gratifying dances – the insidiously Latinized “New Glory”, which sways along with elegance and thrives through Taborn-Speed strange dialogue, and “Ancient”, well anchored in an unflinching cool groove and African pulse that feeds a crescendo. On both these tunes, Lightcap shows off his influential conducting capabilities and superior musicianship.

The title track is a lyrical poem that advances at a swooning 4/4 tempo, transiting to a 5/8 when King’s steady beat together with Taborn's ostinato and Lightcap’s bass pedal are triumphantly superimposed. At this phase, hopeful tones prevail over the previous wistful ones.

Highly contrasting are the plaintive rendition of Roscoe Mitchell’s “Jamaican Farewell” and the last track, “Phantom Ratio”, a half-hypnotic half-psychedelic electronic-tinged voyage propelled by a robotic pulse.

Suffused with finesse and lyricism, Daylight Ghosts bristles with great dynamics and a very personal character, feeling pretty urban and contemporary. It shows Taborn in its maximum force and a quartet that corresponds accordingly. The power of the collective, overriding any individual moment, leads us to unexplored trajectories and magnificent discoveries.

Label: ECM Records, 2017
Favorite Tracks:
01 – The Shining One ► 03 – Daylight Ghosts ► 04 – New Glory

Iro Haarla - Ante Lucem

February 28, 2017

Iro Haarla: piano; Trygve Seim: saxophone; Hayden Powell: trumpet; Ulf Krokfors: bass; Mika Kallio: drums.

I’ve always had a huge respect for the Finnish pianist, harpist, and composer Iro Haarla, admiring her approach to music (including composition and arrangement) since the time she used to work with her late husband, the avant-garde drummer Edward Vesala.
Classically trained, she prefers the contemporary to traditional as she seamlessly interweaves modern classical and chamber-style jazz.

Two years ago, we could find her interpreting wonderful psalms and prayers in Kirkastus (Tum Records), a duo album recorded with the saxophonist/flutist Juhanni Aaltonen.

Ante Lucem, her third album for the ECM Records, was written for symphony orchestra and jazz quintet and mirrors all the musical qualities of the artist in four separate, yet highly-connected pieces.
It was recorded at the Concert Hall of NorrlandsOperan in Umea, Sweden, with her competent quintet composed of habitual collaborators - Trygve Seim on saxophones and Ulf Krokfors on bass - and a couple of new additions - Hayden Powell on trumpet and Mika Kallio on drums, who replaced Mathias Eick and Jon Christensen, respectively.

“Songbird Chapel”, a compound of sweet-tempered jazz and zealous classical music, gains epic dimensions with the time. Seim had the permission to give one step forward in order to speak frankly through his timbre-oriented drives. Strong emotions are set free when the orchestra pushes the mood to befit wondrous cinematic frames.

Haarla, who had unleashed breezy harp sweeps in the previous tune, switches to a dramatic piano in “Persevering with Winter”, a 19-minute piece whose first step is given with slightly ominous tones, triggering instantaneous clouds of obscurity. It’s like opening a web-covered ark full of secrets. Beautiful unisons and sophisticated textures can be found inside. The horn players have a preponderant role here, whether soloing individually or plunging into noisy collective maneuvers.

The final piece, “Ante Lucem: Before the Dawn” has a slow, harmonious awakening. In an early phase, its conduct oscillates between contemplative and dreamy. However, and even before halfway, there’s a radical turn triggered by rumbling percussion, firm bass lines and sparse piano voicings. This environment couldn’t be more propitious for the horn section to explore with confidence and pleading attitude, before all returns to the initial melancholy.

Pushing the boundaries of modern composition, Haarla intersperses light and darkness within a structured sound essay that can be teasing, glacial, or methodically declamatory.
This album is simultaneously evocative and revivifying.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Persevering With Winter ► 04 – Ante Lucem: Before the Dawn

Megumi Yonezawa Trio - A Result of the Colors

February 28, 2017

Megumi Yonezawa: piano; John Hébért: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.

Hokkaido-born pianist, Megumi Yonezawa, summoned the consistent bassist John Hébért and the reliable drummer Eric McPherson to be part of her trio. A Result of the Colors, released on Fresh Sound New Talent, is the product of their musical experience and chemistry, and love for the music.
The pianist’s refined musicality has enchanted not only Jason Moran, who wrote her a deserved recommendation, but also Greg Osby, with whom she played in his 2004 album Public alongside trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Rodney Green.

Yonezawa’s debut album opens elegantly with the sophisticated title track, which outspokenly tells us with which colors she intends to fill this nine-track palette. “Children of the Sun”, a rhythmically audacious song with interesting melodic accentuations, instantly triggered a favorable reaction in me. Spreading class over the ballroom, the trio arranged this one as a dissimulated jazzistic bossanova. This first couple of tunes is decorated with Hebert’s sculptural bass solos.

“Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide” reflects the mutability of the characters it makes reference. Hebert and McPherson throw themselves at a vivid swing that serves as a tight guideline for the pianist’s bright melodic incursions.

The shortest piece of the recording, “Sketch”, is enveloped in a peaceful yet experimental musicality, in opposition to the unique cover of the album, “For Heaven's Sake”, a well-defined ballad written by Don Meyer, Elsie Bretton and Sherman Edwards in 1958.
Embarking on a fantastic instrumentation, the trio fabricates “Nor Dear or Fear”, making us rejoice through a juxtaposition of hard-bop breezes and Monkish postures.

Challenging in her approach, Yonezawa possesses a strong technique with flexible, independent hands constantly seeking to choose the right notes and weaving propitious textures to compose the whole.
Strongly influenced by Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett, Greg Osby, Jessica Williams and Bach, the pianist proved capable of speaking with her own voice.
A Result of the Colors is a fearless, positive debut, objectively oriented to captivate and make us ask about Yonezawa’s future moves.

Favorite tracks:
02 – Children of the Sun ► 04 – Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide ► 07 – Nor Dear or Fear

Nels Cline - Lovers

February 24, 2017

Nels Cline: guitar; Michael Leonhart: trumpet; Steven Bernstein: trumpet; Alan Ferber: trombone: Charles Pillow: reeds; Ben Goldberg: clarinets; Julian Lage: guitar; Jeff Gauthier: violin; Kenny Wollesen: vibraphone; Zeena Parkins: harp; Erik Friedlander: cello; Davin Hoff: bass; Alex Cline: drums, etc.

Innovative, ingenious, and thought-provoking are all suitable descriptive words to define the 61-year-old American guitarist Nels Cline whose career embraces a variety of styles and projects.
With an instinctive inclination to explore, Cline has consolidated his position as one of the most exciting contemporary guitarists and bandleaders out there.

A few years ago, he was shaping the progressive folk-jazz of Quartet Music, probing modern creative directions alongside Tim Berne and Vinny Golia, offering robust layers to the alternative country-rock of the Chicago-based band Wilco, blowing our minds with his subliminal avant-garde group Nels Cline Singers, and roaming unrestrictedly with his fellow, and much different guitarist, Julian Lage, with whom he associated with in 2014 to record Room.
Lage is part of the all-star ensemble gathered by Cline in order to build Lovers, his debut on Blue Note Records.

Under the conduction of trumpeter-arranger Michael Leonhart, the recording session counted on stars such as vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, violinist Jeff Gauthier, horn players Seven Bernstein, Ben Goldberg, and Alan Ferber, harpist Zeena Parkins, bassist Devin Hoff, and Nels’s twin brother Alex Cline in the drummer’s chair.
The very personal selection of songs conveys an unexpected romanticism, so atypical of Cline's former projects.

Besides a few beautifully orchestrated standards such as “Glad to be Unhappy”, “Secret Love”, “Why Was I Born?”, and “Invitation”, which was immaculately arranged with sounds and rhythms associated with Sun Ra, the recording brings us five originals by the bandleader. “Hairpin & Hatbox” captivates due to a sweet melody placed on top of balmy harmonies, while the dreamy “The Bond”, interlacing acoustic and electric sounds, ends with a chord progression proper of a pop song.

Other rich interpretations of compositions from disparate artists were included: Jimmy Giuffre’s blues-rooted “Cry Want” starts with a solo guitar ostinato, gradually being thickened with background layers of instrumentation; Sonic Youth’s “Snare, Girl” was handled with a tribal rhythm, straight melody, and psychedelic vibes; Gabor Szabo’s 6/4-metered “Lady Gabor”, spiced by Zeena Parkin’s harp, flows assertively with groove.

Completely divergent in mood “It Only Has to Happen Once”, a song by the eclectic duo Ambitious Lovers, is propelled by steady beats, gaining a chill-out mood and a propensity for tango in the same line of Thievery Corporation.

This is one of those typical cases where the past is brought into the present with completely different colors, blurring the line of time and genre. Nels Cline's conscientious dedication to this album is quite evident. Shifting musical tastes, polished arrangements, and a combination of textures and flows are put to work in Lovers, providing safe listenings.

Favorite Tracks:
06 – Lady Gabor ► 13 – It Only Has to Happen Once ► 15 – Snare, Girl

Mostly Other People Do the Killing - Loafer's Hollow

February 23, 2017

Jon Irabagon: tenor and sopranino saxophones; Steven Bernstein: trumpet; David Taylor: trombone; Brandon Seabrook: banjo and electronics; Ron Stabinsky: piano; Moppa Elliott: bass; Kevin Shea: drums.

mostly-other-people-killing-loafers-hollow-2017

The versatile jazz band Mostly Other People Do the Killing, abbreviated as MOPDtK, first appeared in 2005 as a quartet. Saxophonist Jon Irabagon, trumpeter Peter Evans, and drummer Kevin Shea, joined the bandleader, main composer, and bassist Moppa Elliott. They immediately drew attention with their musical irreverence and easy-going posture, parodying the music of jazz giants through provocative originals and scattered covers.
Avant-garde, bop in all its variations, Americana, swing jazz, and blues are common ingredients of their boisterous musical cocktail.

Throughout the years, there were some changes made both in sound and lineup. In 2003, when they released Red Hot!, the quartet was expanded into a septet with the addition of pianist Ron Stabinsky, trombonist David Taylor, and banjo player Brandon Seabrook.
For the next two recordings, Blue (an unnerving recreation of Miles’ Kind of Blue) and Mauch Chunk, they returned to the quartet formation with Stabinsky staying put to assure harmonic (in)stability and compensate Evans’ absence.

With the all-singing, all-dancing Loafer’s Hollow, the septet formation (trumpeter Steven Bernstein is the novelty) continues absorbing a variety of influences and spreading originality. The band evinces a clear tendency to hold onto jazz roots and adapt them to our days with blasts of post-modernity. Here, they show an instinctive fondness for merging traditional swing from the 30’s and 40’s with avant-garde jazz, creating coruscating ideas garnished with humor and color.

Elliott’s eight tunes (four of them dedicated to literary figures) exude a cheerful ecstasy, starting with the frolicking opener “Hi-Nella”, a semi-fanfare comprising swing, folk, blues, and even a pinch of Mexican ranchera. Bernstein entertains us with a solo intervention packed with zingy notes and mellifluous phrasing.
Even incorporating rock-solid movements, the same convivial disposition is transferred to “Mason & Dixon”, where we bump into ragtime rhythms enhanced by the banjo contortions of Seabrook, here more restrained than when he has an electric guitar in hand.

“Bloomsburg”, a modern “Hello! Dolly”, has everything a Broadway classic may ask for, plus alternate 4-bar virulent improvisations and a few extemporaneous rhythmic freak-outs by Shea as bonuses.

While the horn-driven “Honey Hole” feels like a pre-bop standard, the pop tones of “Meridian” brings the melody of Huey Lewis’ “This is It” into mind.
In opposition to these, “Kilgore” has a predilection to explore grunts, squeaks, squawks, and other curious noises, getting a bizarre-circus feel when Stabinsky has his solo stretch.
The recording closes with “Five (Corners, Points, Forks)”, a buoyant ride instigated by dreamy toy sounds of piano and sopranino.

Loafer’s Hollow is just about fun and energy. It’s an addictive album that may easily attract fans of mainstream and modern jazz due to its hybrid nature.

Favorite Tracks:
03 – Bloomsburg ► 04 – Kilgore ► 06 – Meridian

Matt Holman - The Tenth Muse

February 22, 2017

Matt Holman: trumpet; Chris Dingman: vibraphone; Bobby Avey: piano; Sam Sadigursky: clarinet and flute.

New York-based trumpeter and composer Matt Holman has been upping the ante in the creative jazz universe through several valuable collaborations with Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, Kurt Elling, Andrew Rathbun, and Darcy James Argue.

With sufficient artistic ambition to considering different styles, Holman inspired himself on the work of the ancient Greek poet Sappho to give life to his sophomore album. The Tenth Muse has 16 fragments, running between one and eight minutes, and features talented musicians and leaders in their own right, such as the vibraphonist Chris Dingman, pianist Bobby Avey, and clarinetist/flutist Sam Sadigursky.

“Fragment 104b” feels like a fugue, launching articulated melodic statements hinged by Avey’s offbeat accompaniment. Here’s a pianist who treats harmony with devotion. The zenith is achieved when a sparkling collective improvisation ignites a controlled-yet-stimulating fire.

In “Fragment 147”, Holman bridges classical intonations with lumps of jazz improvisation. In complete accord, the quartet sets off for consistent interactions, allowing us to indulge in Holman-Sadigursky’s parallel phrasing, Dingman’s elegant melodies, and Avey’s attuned piano movements. By the end, after the bandleader’s improvisation, Avey creates a darker mood, getting well-timed responses from the two-horn frontline.

Perhaps the most intriguing composition is “Fragment 29a” due to its exploratory inclinations. We find ourselves in a scenario where the pianist smothers the sound of a repeatedly hit key and the horns draw pronounced rhythmic-melodic ideas. Off the hook, Dingman instinctively injects harmonic texture together with meticulous rhythmic figures.

More accessible are “Fragment 120”, which flows with artistic balladry, and “Fragment 4”, mounted with vigilant languor and sleek volatility.
There are four compositions translated into solo performances, one for each member of the quartet.

More than any artistic embellishments from Greece, I’ve spotted glimpses of Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor’s literate music, which efficiently mingled with Holman’s own vision and sound, are beneficial and stimulating.
The Tenth Muse spawns an emergent trumpet star who boasts elevated compositional skills, musical maturity, and individual spontaneity.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Fragment 104b ► 06 – Fragment 29a ► 09 – Fragment 4

Klaus Gesing / Bjorn Meyer / Samuel Rohrer - Amiira

February 21, 2017

Klaus Gesing: bass clarinet, soprano saxophone; Bjorn Meyer: bass guitar; Samuel Rohrer: drums, percussion.

The European trio co-led by German saxophonist and clarinetist Klaus Gesing, Swedish bassist Bjorn Meyer, and Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer, releases their sophomore album, Amiira, on the drummer’s label Arjuna Music.

The trio appeared for the first time in 2013 with Open Source Music. Before committing to this project, Gesing released two solo albums and recorded with Anouar Brahem, whose quartet also integrates Meyer. In turn, Rohrer has recorded with the Ambik project and Daniel Erdmann, and is currently working with the Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje.

Amiira opens with “Shine On Me”, a celestial ode that illuminates as Gesing’s soprano spreads engaging melodies over the fluffy layer created by the composite of bass and drums. Meyer opts for a disjointed approach before sticking to cyclic pop-rock lines.

“Minne” feels simultaneously beautiful and sad, evoking the elegy of Jobim’s “Retrato em Branco e Preto” and the nostalgia of Pieranunzi’s Fellini Jazz.
“Fulminate” moves in a different direction, incurring in a lucid experimentalism that encompasses hip-hop beats, funky bass lines, and an accordion-like effect on the saxophone.

Percussive noises unfold "After You’ve Left”, an atmospheric downtempo divagation where Gesing's dulcet phrasing finds solace in the underlying layer brought up by the rhythm section. Meyer almost transforms his bass into a sitar.

A vital, electrifying percussion sets “Source One” in motion and waits for Gesing’s bass clarinet to lead the way toward a fulgurant ecstasy of color.
The very suggestive “Clouds Below” is a levitating piece à-la John Surman. It diverges in rhythm but not in posture from “Sirènes Sacrées”, a silky and perfectly synchronized spin of pacific enchantment.

I see Amiira as a compendium of sheer prayers arranged with freedom but also discipline. The trio, showing maturity and an excellent understanding, transports us to diverse sonorous landscapes where an audacious avant-garde jazz intertwines with soulful world music.

Favorite tracks:
01 – Shine On Me ► 06 – Source One ► 09 – Sirènes Sacrées

Mark Solborg & Herb Robertson - Tuesday Prayers

February 21, 2017

Mark Solborg: guitar; Herb Robertson: trumpet.

mark-solborg-herb-robertson-tuesday-prayers

Mark Solborg, a distinctive Danish/Argentine guitarist with a quirky sound, and Herb Robertson, an American trumpeter known for his free-mindedness and avant-garde punches, joined at Koncertkirken, an old church located in downtown Copenhagen, to fully embrace this duo recording.

The performance occurred on a Tuesday evening in 2014, and the album got the appropriate title of Tuesday Prayers. This worshiping music is celebrated through a variety of forms: fresh contemporary psalms, supplicant hymns, and fervorous invocations.
Solborg and Robertson already had recorded an album together in 2009 entitled Nod.

“The Flute” was the ideal choice to open. It’s a cute short piece in which Robertson plays a pennywhistle, a six-holed woodwind instrument typical from UK and Ireland. The shrill sounds in addition to the beautiful dissonances of Solborg’s guitar, takes us to distant and impenetrable Asian forests.

In “I Know You”, Robertson enters with the same determination, this time on trumpet. He spreads that characteristic sound that populated many albums from the alternative jazz scene of the 80's and 90's, not only as a leader but also as a sideman of accomplished authors like Satoko Fujii, Gerry Hemingway, Mark Helias, Marc Ducret, and Tim Berne. Here, his authoritative phrasing finds the perfect accompaniment in Solborg’s string bends and devoted chords.

We are taken into another stratosphere in “Hymn”, a sort of Indian reverence that combines expressive trumpet murmurs with dotted guitar notes.
The longest tune of the record is the title track, a sometimes-burbling, sometimes-contemplative 17-minute exultation whose abstraction is increased through a trumpet solo that oscillates between hoarse and strident, and the subsequent unruffled textures delivered by the guitarist.

“Shout, Landscape and Goodbyes” offers exactly what the title suggests. While Robertson fierily shouts complex melodic lines at first, Solborg joins him later, maintaining an active layer of distortion while exploring possible melodies.

The ones who pray have their methods and rituals, and Solborg and Robertson also found their own. There’s a transcendental harmony that surrounds them and facilitates the attainment of a perfect balance.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – I Know You ► 03 – Hymn ► 04 – Tuesday Prayers

John Abercrombie Quartet - Up and Coming

February 17, 2017

John Abercrombie: guitar; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Joey Baron: drums.

It's always pleasurable listening to John Abercrombie for the simple fact that he has this strange approach to songs, which he delivers with an appealing sound while avoiding standardized lines.

Abercrombie was responsible for unforgettable albums, true masterpieces that should be mandatory for any jazz lover. As a leader, I can point the progressive Timeless and Gateway as quintessence choices, but also Open Land, Class Trip, and Abercrombie/Johnson/Erskine as wonderful listenings. As a sideman, he was highly in demand for almost half-century, endorsing his unique musical impressions to musicians like Charles Lloyd, Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, and John Surman.

Lately, he has been joined by a categorical quartet that comprises the pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Joey Baron, and three years ago, they recorded 39 Steps on ECM. Besides originals (also with Copland's contribution), the guitarist picked “My Melancholy Baby”, a jazz standard to give it a bit more color.
Now, on the new Up and Coming, released on the same label, the story repeats itself. This time it was Miles Davis’ “Nardis”, the outside song, which shines as one of the recording’s highlights. Its mood is perfect for the style of the guitarist who allows Baron to untie himself and embark on a temperate dialogue with Gress.

The opening tune may be called “Joy”, but it rather sticks to a wintry melancholy. This introspective mood appears again in Copland’s “Tears”, a more fitting title for Abercrombie's intimate confessions, here well sustained by the pianist’s achingly emotional chords. This tune is arranged with exactly the same structure of “Sunday School”, which despite brought by Copland’s ad-lib intro, obeys to the sequence theme-solos(guitar/bass/piano)-theme.

“Flipside” feels quite familiar, affiliating Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” and Shorter’s “Yes or No” in its melody.
A tune we don’t easily forget is “Silver Circle”. Composed by Copland, this polished modal exercise, earnestly marked by Baron’s hi-hat, is prone to wider exploration and is where Abercrombie cooks his best solo.

Built in a smooth crescendo, Up and Coming exceeded my expectations, surpassing 39 Steps. I’m glad to realize that one of my favorite post-bop guitarists is still around, in good shape, and promises to come back soon with more.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Flipside ► 06 – Silver Circle ► 07 – Nardis