Hafez Modirzadeh - Facets

February 25, 2021

Label: Pi Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Hafez Modirzadeh: tenor saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano; Kris Davis: piano; Tyshawn Sorey: piano.

The Iranian-American saxophonist and composer Hafez Modirzadeh is a true visionary and musical conceptualist who often integrates cross-cultural sounds into a very personal line of work. His new album, Facets, consists of achingly lyrical and tonally immersive sax-piano duets and solo piano pieces blessed with the talents of Craig Taborn, Kris Davis and Tyshawn Sorey.

For this specific work, certain notes on the piano had their pitch lowered according to a specified amount, generating a quirky sound. A re-tuning that instills a sort of bittersweetness in the music, like if the emotional cinematic worlds of G.W. Pabst and Fritz Lang had been reinvented with fascinating modernistic abstraction. But, of course, this only happens in my mind, since the inspirations for the record came from the classical spheres of Bach and Satie, the jazz obliquity of Monk, and some traditional folk currents within the Persian and Turkish musical universes.

Taborn’s improvised solo narrative on “Facet Taborn” haunts us into the album’s intriguing awakenings via a similar impression that occurs when, looking into a blurred canvas, we still think we can figure out what’s in there.

“Facet Sorey” is distinct from the latter, being at turns explosive, meditative and then inquisitively cascading. Sorey’s dark pianism and intricate clusters are stronger than ever on pieces like “Dawn Facet” and “Facet 39 Mato Paha”, where the involvement with Modirzadeh’s poetic tenor declamations are noticeable. Both are seen in an unparalleled spiritual communion on “Facet 29 Night”.

If Davis explores smoother than habitual textures on “Facet 27 Light” and stresses tones drawn from the keyboard’s lower and middle registers on “Facet 28 Nora” (allowing the extensive saxophone leaps to stand out), then on the solo effort “Facet 31 Woke” she delves into an avant-garde realm filled with unexpected turns and heavy block juxtapositions.

Based on Monk’s “Pannonica” and “Ask Me Now”, “Facet 34 Defracted” is another Davis solo digression whose finale exhibits a right-hand motif in counterpoint to a pulsating pedal on the left. Both Monk selections have separate, dedicated readings as duets, with Taborn in command of texture and the bandleader expressing an exquisite melodicism. This duo is equally admirable on “Facet 33 Tides”, where Modirzadeh’s Persian allure is in every note he breathes.

Sculpted with brilliancy, Facets is as much mystifying as it is bewitching. It cannot be overlooked and should not to be missed.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Facet 27 Light ► 05 - Facet 29 Night ► 11 - Facet 33 Tides

Joe Chambers - Samba De Maracatu

February 24, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Brad Merritt: piano, synthesizer; Steve Haines: bass; Joe Chambers: drums, percussion, vibraphone; Stephanie Jordan: vocals; MC Parrain: rap.

Samba de Maracatu, the new recording from legendary drummer Joe Chambers on the Blue Note label, shows his openness to musical directions and a passion for blending creative post-bop and tasteful exotic rhythms of different provenance. Playing alongside pianist Brad Merritt and bassist Steve Haines, the bandleader envisioned for this outing three originals, three fresh readings of formidable compositions by Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and Bobby Hutcherson, and a couple of well-worn jazz standards.

It’s exactly with one of the latter, “You and the Night and the Music”, that the trio starts to jump off things in absolute amusement. Merritt’s skilled piano playing traverses three choruses with improvisational elasticity. Haines and Chambers, more succinct in their individual statements, hand out a spirited swinging propulsion for most of the time.

The vibrant “Circles”, which Chambers composed for Max Roach’s percussive unit M’Boom, is rhythmically announced with hot Latin-flavored drums and complemented with a bass figure in five that shifts in the B section, adapting to the six beats per measure. The bandleader is not only a drummer of broad fluency but also an excellent vibraphonist whose melodically enthralled work transpires here. He also plays this instrument with a notably sensitive touch on Bobby Hutcherson’s “Visions”, a dreamy and ethereal post-bop anthem.

Another long-lasting tenure of his career was with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, whose piece “Rio” appears here with a lyrical abstraction meant to obscure boundaries. The main theme emerges at the end with no loss of that Brazilian tinge we hear on Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator (Blue Note, 1978), where it was originally included.

His love of Brazilian music is also patented on his “Samba de Maracatu”, a hypnotic dance whose rhythmic pattern combines surdo, snare drum, claves, and shaker. Merritt outlines the introductory section alone, later sharpening his comping to better serve the soloing intentions of Chambers on the vibraphone.

Adding even more variety to the eclectic mix, there’s a bossa-soul rendition of “Never Let Me Go”, sung by Stephanie Jordan, and “New York State of Mind Rain”, an intersection of tunes by Nas and Chambers, whose hip-hop-fueled foundation welcomes the guest rapper MC Parrain.

An alluring array of melodies and percussive textures make this album a required stop for true eclectic jazz lovers.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - You And the Night And the Music ► 02 - Circles ► 04 - Visions

R + R = Now - Live

February 23, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Robert Glasper: keys; Terrace Martin: synthesizer, saxophone, vocals; Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: trumpet; Taylor McFerrin: synthesizer; Derrick Hodge: bass; Justin Tysonn: drums; Omari Hardwick: spoken word.

This live recording from the eclectic, socially conscious collective R+R=NOW led by keyboardist Robert Glasper consists of five previously recorded songs, one unreleased original, and one cover. Captured in 2018 during a month-long residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, the music is extended in time but adds little to the band’s debut, Collagically Speaking.

Sporting a groove-laden spirit and electric relaxation, the band opens with “Respond”, where the effect-infused trumpet of Christian Scott soars to top of the harmonic definition of Derrick Hodges’ streamlined bass and Justin Tyson’s focused snare and drum kick activity. The relaxing stratus is gradually densified via textural layers and growing energy. This is followed by “Been on my Mind”, a pneumatic, soul-infused song featuring robotic-like vocals by Terrace Martin and a slow boom-bap beat.

Besides the aforementioned pieces, three others had been included in the debut album. They are “Change of Tone”, a crafty blend of R&B, hip-hop and jazz-funk whose passages flow with soulful chords, brittle synth beams and an extended, if rhythmically interesting, piano solo from Glasper; “Needed You Still”, which features the spoken word of Omari Hardwick while delightfully propelled by Hodges’ fat bass notes and Tyson’s stunning drum work; and the pungent fusion of “Resting Warrior”, an over-25-minute stretch stirred up with Afro-inspired vibrations and consecutive solos, beginning with Terrace on the alto saxophone.

There's a natural elasticity in Tyson’s rhythmic pulsations that also applies to the new compositions. “How Much a Dollar Cost” is an R&B enterprise from the pens of Kendrick Lamar and Martin, where trumpet and synthesizers dance unabashedly, whereas “Perspective / Postpartum” splices compositions from Scott and synth player Taylor McFerrin. This audio track is largely stuffed with dispensable interaction with the audience, relying on circular progressions with triple and double time feels to engage us in.

Although unessential and somewhat unconnected, fans of the band have here another musical object to explore.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Respond ► 05 - Perspective / Postpartum ► 07 - Resting Warrior

Susie Ibarra - Talking Gong

February 22, 2021

Label: New Focus Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Susie Ibarra: drumset, gongs, percussion; Alex Peh: piano; Claire Chase: piccolo, flute, bass flute.

The immensely talented drummer/composer Susie Ibarra makes use of her distinctive signature storytelling in a fascinating commissioned work whose chapters take form in different groupings - solo, duet and trio. Teaming up with the classical-trained pianist Alex Peh and the MacArthur-fellow flutist Claire Chase, Ibarra, whose past collaborators include Derek Bailey, William Parker, Wadada Leo Smith and John Zorn, shows a penchant for world sounds inspired by her Filipino heritage, which she formidably merges with contemporary chamber music and free improv.

Bookended by four less-than-a-minute musical snacks (“Meriendas 1-4“), the album has in the suite-like “Talking Gong” its central piece. The trio, following a part-discipline, part-freedom approach, navigates through a myriad of rhythms and ideas that follow one another with strategic coherence. It all starts with classical piano eloquence, passing through a hooky dance trance made of rocking drums and fleet-fingered piano, and then stopping by the Filipino tradition, here melodically conducted by flute. This is only the beginning... Rhythmically vibrant sections demarcate from the quieter reflections in such a way that, at a given moment you may experience eerie chiming sounds, airy flute whistles and talkative drums beefing up the texture with percussive momentum; while in another times there are pensive chordal movements, soothing gongs, melodious flute and plenty of cymbal color.

The consecutive “Paniniwala” and “Dancesteps” are piano and percussion duets boasting an incredible tonal connection within a superlative sound design. The former consolidates wide-ranging piano work with lively, kaleidoscopic percussive chatter, while the latter piece, being folksy and expressively motivic, explores ambiances that go from playful to zealous to quietly ruminative within a seven-minute ride.

“Kolubrí”, meaning hummingbird, is an opportunity to hear Ibarra playing solo and absorb the emulated sounds of agile wings flapping in the breeze and other gracious bird movements. The most abstract piece here is perhaps “Sunbird”, a multi-layered solo effort developed by Chase, who creates friction through piccolo, C flute and bass flute.

Talking Gong is an outstanding document showcasing the compositional and technical abilities of Ibarra, who, in very good company, takes this music to interesting places.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Talking Gong ► 04 - Paniniwala ► 05 - Dancesteps

Emmet Cohen - Future Stride

February 17, 2021

Label: Mack Avenue Records, 2021

Personnel - Emmet Cohen : piano; Russell Hall: bass; Kyle Poole: drums + Melissa Aldana: tenor saxophone; Marquis Hill: trumpet.

American pianist Emmet Cohen has cemented a favorable career with valuable collaborations - Jimmy Cobb, Albert 'Tootie' Heath and Ron Carter among them - and a deep taste for tradition. His new outing, Future Stride, revives the language, flair and energy of the vintage style known as stride jazz piano, which is adapted here to new settings. Cohen, who plays alongside bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, also enlisted the aid of tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and trumpeter Marquis Hill for a few numbers.

The album kicks off with a trio version of “Symphonic Raps”, a gleeful piano rag made popular by Louis Armstrong and the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, which retains the playful melody and harmonic stimuli.

Other trio efforts include Fred Fisher’s “Dardanella”, whose smooth integration of foxtrot and jazz waltz is shaken by an unceremonious ragtime bounce before serenading again for the closing theme; “My Heart Stood Still”, a widely played Rogers/Hart standard enriched with melodic fragments of Parker's "Confirmation", some nuance in the rhythm and tradeoffs with the drummer; “Future Stride”, whose quicksilver rhythmic alternations are topped off with the tuneful provocations of the musical era that evokes plus some hard-bop feel in the manner of Art Blakey; and the Jimmy Van Heusen-penned ballad “Second Time Around”.

The hard-swinging “You Already Know” aims for higher flights with the quintet in full force. You’ll find hot solos from Aldana and Hill as well as stimulating exchanges between the soloists and Poole. This is the most vibrant piece on the album.

By comparison to the ever-shifting “Toast to Lo”, a vivid tribute to the late drummer Lawrence Leathers where each soloist works individually on top of a distinct tapestry, “Reflections at Dusk” drips peacefulness from its hushed line of thoughts. The pianist’s lyrical meanderings are on display here, also showing up on “Pitter Panther Patter”, a piano/bass duet that conjures up the Harlem-based stride of Duke Ellington, who wrote it, and Jimmy Blanton in the 1940s.

Employing a broad musical palette and developed technique, Cohen only sporadically transcends with a set of tunes that turned out pretty but not totally memorable.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Reflections at Dusk ► 07 - Dardanella ► 08 - You Already Know

Dan McCarthy - A Place Where We Once Lived

February 11, 2021

Label: Self released, 2021

Personnel - Dan McCarthy: vibraphone; Thomas Morgan: bass; Rudy Royston: drums.

This New York musical rendezvous between Canadian vibraphonist Dan McCarthy and the rhythm team of Bill Frisell Trio - bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston - deserves more than just a digital release. The set of music presented here - 11 McCarthy originals and one cover - was recorded one day before the vibraphonist has left New York, his home for 15 years, to permanently return to his country of origin and base himself in Toronto.

Perhaps representing McCarthy’s best writing on the album, the first two tracks also provide evidence of the drawing power of his instrumental artistry. Whereas “Sonder” unfolds from an assertive bass intro and lands on a magical, asymmetric groove whose dreamlike musings are increased by the warm melodicism and sustained harmonic envelope provided by the bandleader, “Trail Maker” has that emotional strength that I always look for in a song of this nature. Both tunes benefit from Royston’s subtle textures and attractive colors.

The swinging escapism found in “Cloud Hopping” breezes in with a fluidity of language and a modal finesse that recalls the vibist Bobby Hutcherson. Yet, if the latter influence is implicit, then Gary Burton, another masterful vibraphonist, comes explicitly referred on the title “Desert Roads (For Gary Burton)”. On this one, we have pop and folk elements rubbing off on the post-bop enrapturement to create a strong crossover appeal.

Steve Swallow’s “I’m Your Pal”, which is also intimately connected to Gary Burton, shares balladic qualities with numbers that allow our souls to soar. I'm referring here to “Sombre Sleep”, a rubato exertion, and “Goodnight Sweet Cat”, a slow earworm that made me want to play it again. In absolute contrast to these cuts, the super dynamic “Go Berserk” flows with McCarthy’s mallet work racing against a vigorous rhythmic grid.

With the superlative interplay creating several moments of beauty, A Place Where We Once Lived is very much worthy of your time.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Sonder ► 02 - Trail Maker ► 12 - Goodnight Sweet Cat

Alexander Hawkins - Togetherness Music

February 10, 2021

Label: Intakt Records, 2021

Personnel - Alexander Hawkins: piano, composition; Evan Parker: soprano saxophone; Aaron Holloway-Nahum: conductor; Rachel Musson: flute, tenor saxophone; Percy Pursglove: trumpet; James Arben: flute, bass clarinet; Neil Charles: double bass; Mark Sanders: drums, percussion; Matthew Wright: electronics; Benedict Taylor: viola; Hannah Marshall: cello + The Riot Ensemble

To celebrate his 40th birthday, the pianist/composer Alexander Hawkins put together a flexible 16-piece ensemble, including the mighty free jazz saxophonist Evan Parker, to tackle an expansion of a piece commissioned by the American conductor Aaron Holloway-Nahum for the London-based Riot Ensemble. The six-movement opus Togetherness Music has the group negotiating adventurous charts with heart and devotion, forging a sound and language that mark not only the vision of Hawkins as a composer, but also the collective identity he envisioned for the project.

Evans is pivotal on the relentless “Indistinguishable From Magic”, where his enchanting soprano wizardry pushes the envelope of technique through breathing circularity. Then, a sustained harmonic point with subtle eeriness slowly transforms, surrounded by layers of strings and spectral aeriform figures that surface and melts away. The ideal counterbalance between free improvisation and oriented structure is remarkably achieved here.

“Sea No Shore” showcases the immense talents of drummer Mark Sanders and trumpeter Percy Pursglove, who speaks and chants with attractive intervals. Again, the modern classical idiom forms a liberal alliance with the free-flowing improv. “Ecstatic Baobabs”, on its part, is airy and unimpeded. This feel persists, even when convergences and crosses occur within a composed scenario that put on show Neil Charles’ bass lines in constant search for ground.

Evans and Hawkins work so well together and that’s not coincidental since they have collaborated in 2015 and 2016. In “Ensemble Equals Together”, nuanced and tensile piano details provide the perfect foil for the pervasive soprano agitation. The catchy strings perfuse the setting with orchestral exuberance and, moments later, the ensemble intensifies the energy, just to land minutes after in the relaxed swing tapestry of the following track, “Leaving the Classroom of a Beloved Teacher”. Allowing Hawkins to express his boldness throughout the keyboard, the latter piece strides with a marching posture, but with a progressive tendency for narrowing the steps and speeding its way up through the lane. By the end, we have piano, woodwinds and strings employing the same language and responding to one another’s calls.

Juggling self-possession and irreverence, “Optimism of the Will” concludes the record with a modernistic outfit that includes a gorgeous beat-driven flow and Matthew Wright’s electronic configurations. The finale, which comes after a pointed trumpet solo and a collective passage, bubbles with heavily weighted beauty, featuring articulate piano comping and the otherworldly undercurrents of Evans.

This is one of those rare examples where improvisation-oriented music is brilliantly thought-provoking from start to finish. There is no loss of direction and perspective.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Indistinguishable From Magic ► 03 - Ensemble Equals Together ► 06 - Optimism of the Will

Ben Monder / Tony Malaby / Tom Rainey - Live at the 55 Bar

February 9, 2021

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2020

Personnel - Ben Monder: guitar; Tony Malaby: tenor and soprano saxophones; Tom Rainey: drums.

Theoretically, if you have the outstanding guitarist Ben Monder, the inquisitive saxophonist Tony Malaby and the idiosyncratic drummer Tom Rainey playing in the same group, the music has to be awesome. That prognostic is confirmed on this fully-improvised recording captured live last year at the iconic New York venue 55 Bar. The immersive session consists of a long-form three-part suite so-called 3320, which alludes to the date it was performed, March 3rd, 2020.

The finely structured piece takes us to the musicians' recondite and enigmatic sonic world, where light and darkness nail down a deal. Developed with extraordinary intuition, the moods are predominantly foreboding but also catchily obsessive, overcast with gravitas and power alike.

Monder infuses the chorded passages with perplexing sounds and colors, sometimes soaring in suspension with short bursts of light after rising from the occult and the underground. Malaby is often expansive and infectious in his subterranean statements, which sometimes take the form of agonizing, full-throated growls. The tempo is not what certainly matters here, and Rainey is pleased about that, given that he always appreciated freedom and keeps breathing freedom in his playing. His mindfulness and balance help keep things together, whether his rhythmic patchwork is infused with snare drum swirls that cut like knives, high-strung pulses of considerable complexity, or sensitive brushwork that underlines space as opposed to density.

The first part of the suite runs for nearly 17 minutes; the second lasts over 29; and the third, keeping the close interplay but delivered with speed and stamina, adds about 15 minutes more for a total of one whole hour of music. While navigating a marvel of harmonic rivers and unique textures, the group embraces free improvisation with occasional goth and doom metal influences, and the constant ebb and flow in their explorations contribute for a gray state of incertitude and amazement.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Suite 3320: Part II ► 03 - Suite 3320: Part III

Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed - The Ritual and the Dance

February 8, 2021

Label: Astral Spirits

Personnel - Roscoe Mitchell: reeds; Mike Reed: drums, percussion, electronics.

The free jazz genre is graced by the dynamic duo of multireedist Roscoe Mitchell, an unapologetic nonconformist, and drummer Mike Reed, an artisan of the rhythm. The sophomore release of these AACM artists is called The Ritual and the Dance and was recorded live in 2015 during their European tour. It consists of a nearly 37-minute uninterrupted storytelling with no idle moments.

The high-pitched soprano laments delivered by Mitchell take the form of piercing indigenous chants blown vertiginously with circular breathing and patterned stimuli. The dry rat-a-tat of the snare drum makes a beautiful tonal contrast with the deep bass drum kicks, establishing an intense, sedulous workout routine that will put you in a state of bemused fascination.

The impressive versatility of Reed surfaces not only when he seats behind the drumset, but also when he operates electronics with subtle sensitivity. At some point, his adept pulses are transformed into droning backgrounds, whose dark tones allow the saxophone to reflect brightly. Reed then resumes the stomping cadence but keeps changing its colors.

The turbulent environment is refrained at the minute 20, when Mitchell switches to tenor, seeking folk melodies and exploring some long notes that oscillate in pitch. His beefy, occasionally raucous tone is unadorned, if slower, here, but he switches horns again for a stimulating final stretch.

Adventurous jazz listeners will be struck by the force of this music, certainly wishing that Mitchell and Reed can collaborate again soon.

Jakob Bro - Uma Elmo

February 5, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Jakob Bro: guitar; Arve Henriksen: trumpet; Jorge Rossy: drums.

The music of Danish jazz guitarist Jakob Bro has the ability of giving me inner peace, which is something that not every musician is apt to. His new ECM release, Uma Elmo, consists of nine pieces, old and new, that explore new avenues and create impressive atmospheres with quietly involving sounds and textures. Bro opts for the trumpet-guitar-drums format here, recording for the first time with the Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and the Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy. The album title refers to the middle names of his two children, with a newborn serving as inspiration as well as the current state of the world.

Having been included in the 2008 album The Stars Are All New Songs with the late Paul Motian, “Reconstructing a Dream” appears here surrounded by a crystalline aura, whose stillness veers from introspective to slightly brooding in the last segment. Bro’s fine loops are followed with minimal gestures by Rossy, whose playing invokes Motian, and the soaring lines of Henriksen, who also speaks clearly on the elegiac “To Stanko”, even when hushing, murmuring and crying. This piece, a dedication to the late trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, also involves classical-inspired guitar fingerpicking and understated percussion as part of its aesthetic concept.

Another dedication is “Music For Black Pigeons”, a piece written for the alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, with whom Bro used to have interesting conversations. Obeying to its own cadence, this number boasts a beautiful melody scattered throughout and a loose brushwork for a soft and fluid illumination.

Both “Beautiful Day” and “Slaraffenland” had been previously recorded, while “Morning Song” is a brand new mind-pacifier that sonically describes wide-open landscapes awakening for life. The trio seems to breathe in sync with the earth.

“Housework” is another great new composition. The group displays the same quietude and disposition for openness, circularity and immensity, but explores some different timbres, with the trumpeter emitting a droning vibration like a didgeridoo and the guitarist making a tasteful use of electronics and looped sequences.

Pronounced with an unshakeable serenity, Bro’s meditations are rich in both improvisation and discipline. An artistic enlightenment with so many small things to be appreciated. Like in life.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Reconstructing a Dream ► 02 - To Stanko ► 05 - Housework

Aki Takase / Christian Weber / Michael Griener - Auge

February 3, 2021

Label: Intakt Records, 2021

Personnel - Aki Takase: piano; Christian Weber: bass; Michael Griener: drums.

The resourceful Japanese pianist/composer Aki Takase fronts this newly formed trio project, Auge, featuring Swiss bassist Christian Weber and German drummer Michael Griener, the same rhythm team that has been backing the tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin.

Evincing an intimate musical understanding that seems to have been forged in years, the threesome navigate the improvised realms of jazz with dexterity throughout 14 relatively short pieces whose durations range between the 1:30 and 6:30 minutes. Both from the pen of Takase, “Drops of Light” and “The Pillow Book” are pure rhythmic delights. While the former explores compulsive forward motions with dizzying cascading effects and crescendos, the latter is inundated with Monk-inspired riffs, evolving with a bouncing ecstasy.

There’s also the spontaneous “Motion in the Ocean”, impeccably executed with rollicking rhythmic figures dynamically swelled by the briskness of left-hand crashing chords. A percussive blast happens. Yet, while the brushed effervescence in Griener’s drumming begins to show some roots, Weber installs a mad swing that is all stability. The pianist is the lucky one here, absorbing the perks of this environment to implant elaborated chops and pronounced melodic accentuations.

“Face of the Bass” is another group improvisation solely introduced by Weber. The piece soon becomes a duet with the addition of drums and then the piano completes the trio, leading to a chunky, if swirling, finale.

The fusion of avant-garde jazz with other stylistic elements is spotted on Takase’s “Are Eyes Open?” and “Calcagno”. The former piece sounds like a traditional folk song delineated with stimulating intervallic leaps, while the latter shows off a deliberate melodic fragmentation with a strong folk charisma and whose logic allows us to absorb it as a whole. These tunes prove the group capable of meeting both ends of the jazz spectrum. Going even further, the collectively imagined “Who’s Going to Bell the Cat?” is a cocktail of folk, funk, tango and free improv that comes to the table with a refined presentation.

The idea of multiplicity and unity is reinforced with “Last Winter”, the Paul Motian-esque divagation that opens the record, and “No Tears”, whose reflective stillness unexpectedly veers into a sort of polka before going astray to indefinite places.

This pleasurable first musical meeting deserves repeated listenings.

Favorite Tracks:
02- Drops of Light ► 10 - Motion in the Ocean ► 13 - Who’s Going to Bell the Cat?

Sabir Mateen / Christopher Dell / Christian Ramond / Klaus Kugel - Creation

February 2, 2021

Label: 577 Records, 2020

Personnel - Sabir Mateen: tenor saxophone, voice; Christopher Dell: vibes; Christian Ramond: double bass; Klaus Kugel: drums.

This free jazz session, recorded live at A-train in Berlin in 2012, brings together Philadelphia-born, New York-based saxophonist Sabir Mateen and a German rhythm section composed of vibraphonist Christopher Dell, bassist Christian Ramond and drummer Klaus Kugel. Creation comprises three parts, the last of which is a bonus track only available in the digital format.

“Creation (Part One)” enters upon a straightforward storytelling with nimble tenor phrases, digressive vibraphone movements and loose groundwork from bass and drums. The often jittery drumming goes against the soft vibes but shares the same state of mind of Mateen, who improvises with anxious fervor, expressing lucid motifs that exclaim, ask and sometimes answer. For this, the saxophonist employs a timbral alchemy that applies to the whole range of his instrument.

Clocking in at 31 minutes, the second movement starts with a steady flux of vibes, bass and drums, but its textural surface is not always maintained even. On top of this, Mateen unleashes raucous staccatos and multiphonics, fluttering whistling blows and winding phrases occasionally enhancing ascendant and descendant movements through a pinned note as a reference. These oblique trajectories are quite thrilling. At times the group goes for cathartic left turns and sharp angles as they muscle up the procedures, on other occasions they swing in an open manner, virtually soliciting the scat-singing abilities of the American frontman. The piece doesn’t come to an end without Kugel’s rollicking drum solo.

The third part is perhaps the one shrouded in louder and more intense sonic waves, generating a similar sense of engagement and freedom.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Creation (Part One)

Peter Kronreif Wayfarers - Aeronautics

February 1, 2021

Label: Fresh Sound New Talent, 2021

Personnel - Lucas Pino: tenor saxophone; Andrew Gould: alto saxophone; Addison Frei: piano; Martin Nevin: double bass; Peter Kronreif: drums. Guests - Matthias ‘Pedals’ Loescher: guitar (#3); Alex Wintz: guitar (#7).

The tangible rhythmic work of Austrian-born, Brooklyn-based drummer/composer Peter Kronreif has been enriching projects by the German pianist Florian Hoefner and the American saxophonist Remy LeBoeuf. Aeronautics marks his return as a leader, comprising nine original compositions where we find him at the helm of his renewed group The Wayfarers. The ensemble features musicians with whom he has developed a special kinship throughout the years, including saxophonists Lucas Pino and Andrew Gould (the only member that transitioned from the 2010 debut Gloaming), pianist Addison Frei and bassist Martin Nevin.

The opening piece, “Obviously Obvious” is pleasantly laid down with warm melody, an inquisitive tempo and adroit soloing that derives from the productive vocabularies of Pino, whose tenor navigates tight curves and acute angles, and Nevin, whose beautiful touch puts up a light and thoughtful statement.

The initial idea for the title track, “Aeronautics”, was developed in various airports, and the group only takes off the ground after bass and drums entwine in a sturdy foundation. On top of it, it’s Frei’s glowing pianism that stands out. The combination of rock music and contemporary jazz sets a rich background for Pino, who makes some spine-chilling notes soar high before reuniting in unison with his fellow reedman for a subsequent polyrhythmic section.

The band concentrates efforts in certain details that tie everything together, and that comes to our view on pieces like “The Undefeated”, an energetic look at Hemingway’s short story of the same name, here told with firm melodic imprints; “Verdura”, a breathable sonic bubble featuring electric piano and giving off a tranquil aura dedicated to everything green on our planet; and “Trees”, which, following the latter piece in the message, thrives with exuberant exchanges between the saxophonists.

Guest guitarists Matthias Loescher and Alex Wintz are featured on one track each. The former provides textural pigmentation to “Obeisance”, a swinging post-bop number whose extraordinary grace and plush lyricism are inspired by Kronreif’s major influences, John Coltrane and Brian Blade. In turn, Wintz boasts his immense sound and resilient drive on “Nodoc”, shaping up a rhythmic figure in five that helps better define the backbone.

Leading and composing with charisma, Kronreif should keep on doing his own thing.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Obviously Obvious ► 02 - Aeronautics ► 07 - Nodoc

Marc Copland - John

January 28, 2021

Label: Illusions Mirage, 2020

Personnel - Marc Copland: piano.

In addition to an exceptional career as a leader, American jazz pianist Marc Copland has partnered with saxophonist Dave Liebman, bassist Gary Peacock, and guitarist John Abercrombie for many years. His latest solo album, John, is a tribute to the latter musician and friend with whom he worked closely since the 1990’s.

Gathering nine Abercrombie’s early and late compositions, Copland get the session started by burrowing into the deep beauty of “Timeless”. He adds a rich melodic intro before entering that circular, heartfelt progression that keeps us soaring among spacious clouds. It’s an immediate gratification we get on this fantastic piece.

“Isla”, which first appeared on the 1982 duo recording Five Years Later with Ralph Towner, ensures another introspective and haunting experience, creating gentle and tightly focused soundscapes in a slow-burning routine. Embracing a similar mood, we have “Sad Song”, which heightens the melancholy, and “Remember Hymn”, a rubato amazement devised with chordal brilliance and impeccable note choices.

While “Sunday School” oozes nostalgia from all pores with sheer sentiment, the not so known but no less brilliant “Flip Side” brings the post-bop creativity of both composer and interpreter to the fore. Copland’s nimble fingering fuels the subtleness of the song with suspended contrapuntal motion.

Taking into account the color, shade and tone of its narrative, “Vertigo” is perhaps the piece that, waltzing and rambling with effortless abandon, better goes with the formerly described piece.

Copland has the ability of never overstuffing the music too much. He sticks to smooth textures that, never disrupted, lulls the listener with plenty of emotion. This is a great record for listening late at night in a relaxing environment.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Timeless ► 02 - Isla ► 03 - Flip Side

Shai Maestro - Human

January 27, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Shai Maestro: piano; Jorge Roeder: bass; Ofri Nehemya: drums; Philip Dizack: trumpet.

The Israeli-born, Brooklyn-based pianist Shai Maestro appears on the ECM label for the second time as a leader with Human, an album featuring the same rhythmic foundation of his previous work - bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ofri Nehemya - plus the excellent trumpeter Philip Dizack, who brings further melodic possibilities to the table. With huge ears, the members of this quartet achieve top-notch levels of musicianship in the course of a cohesive narrative that consists of 10 Maestro originals and one jazz standard.

“Time” gets the show on the road like a liberation hymn with plenty of sophistication. Yet, it’s the mid-tempo waltz “Mystery and Illusions” that instantly grabs my attention with its amiable musical temperament and organic constitution. The dynamics are intensified, and the emotions flow naturally with the stirring piano and the lofty trumpet conjugating their sounds with tasteful poise.

Maestro is a fluent, well-rounded pianist with a soulful approach to musicality, and that transpires on the title cut, “Human”, a short but memorable number where he delves deep in harmonic resplendence. His signature lyricism is also patented on “GG”, a 3/4 composition containing melodically challenging routes to be delivered in unison with Dizack.

If “Hank and Charlie”, a tribute to the duo formed by pianist Hank Jones and bassist Charlie Haden, probes gentle balladry with an attractive, polished aesthetic, then a reading of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” gets a modern hip-hop-ish vibe. This version was partly influenced by multi-generational artists, the contemporary vibraphonist Joel Ross and the jazz giant who most popularized it, John Coltrane.

In “Prayer”, the fidgety drum work of Nehemya creates a fervent contrast with the calm acoustic surroundings. Having jazz, folk and ambient sounds coalescing together, as well as a mix of tradition and originality at its essence, Human is a record to revisit.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Mystery and Illusions ► 03 - Human ► 10 - In a Sentimental Mood

Joe Lovano's Trio Tapestry - Garden of Expression

January 26, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Joe Lovano: tenor and soprano saxophones, tarogato; Marilyn Crispell: piano; Carmen Castaldi: drums.

In the second installment of the Trio Tapestry, Garden of Expression, the leading saxophonist Joe Lovano wields his horn with tact, engraving profound melodies on the understructures created by his sterling associates, the pianist Marilyn Crispell and the drummer Carmen Castaldi. The album comprises eight Lovano compositions, most of them written on the road, which whir with splendorous lyricism and spirituality.

Dipped in reflection, “Chapel Song” joins these shimmering tenor melodies with the dreamy quality of Crispell’s piano work and the selective drum chops of Castaldi. This number was the product of Lovano’s listening to an organ playing in a Viennese church. A quiet illumination comes from the trio’s musical affinity and that warm feel is seamlessly passed to “Night Creatures”, a meditative exercise in which Lovano’s expressive playing becomes affectingly emotional. He’s well supported by cymbal legato and other percussive subtleties as well as deep silences. This serene, free-flowing nature often recalls the work of drummer Paul Motian.

If “The Sacred Way” comes up with a new way of playing modal jazz, more delicate and laid-back than ever, then the title track, “Garden of Expression”, draws harmonic mystery from every passage. Melodically poignant at first, this piece evolves into brisk weavings of melodic saxophone that immediately made me think of Charles Lloyd. The focused piano of Crispell is overshadowed by Castaldi’s effusive drumming here, while Lovano plays gongs in the last section. The trio’s deep musicality is on full display.

Under the drummer's steady tapestry, “Dream On That” kicks in with a lovely piano declaration to which the saxophone responds assertively. The convergence of the two instruments ultimately occurs, and a finely articulated theme, mixing blithe post-bop and Monk angularity, is delivered with unbending belief.

The album closes with “Zen Like”, a soaring piece where the trio combines gongs and cymbals, plucked piano strings and low pedals, and adds horn laments for the resulting chemistry.

The open music of Trio Tapestry casts a mesmerizing spell, shining with colors that, being less flashy than most of the modern genres, are everlasting and opalescent.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Night Creatures ► 04 - Garden of Expression ► 07 - Dream On That

Vaux Taux - Watch You Walk

January 25, 2021

Label: Self-released

Personnel - Benjamin Karp: guitar; Chris Coyle: bass; Matt Scarano: drums.

Bassist Chris Coyle leads the Philadelphia-based trio Vaux Taux, for which he is the main composer and arranger. The other members of this jazz-meets-indie-rock clan - guitarist Benjamin Karp and drummer Matt Scarano - joined him throughout the fluid proceedings that make their debut record, Watch You Walk, something not to be overlooked.

The strong musicianship shared by the threesome comes with a crossover appeal, and that’s immediately noticeable on the opener, “Tender”, an odd-metered ride boasting arresting rhythms and harmonic comfort. The fantastic energy and drive, which is positively affected by a slower passage, feels appropriate to the experimental trait of the guitarist, whose language melds the blaze of indie rock and the attractive colors of jazz.

The title track takes the pop/rock and jazz influences into breezy territories, but ends up in muscular circularity. Working in tandem with the guitar for a slightly psychedelic effect during the theme, the bass then finds some residual funk in a path that also crosses a dreamy section right before reaching the finale. Also with a sticky funky feel, the rhythmically worked out “21 Skidoo” has an infectious danceability linked to the visceral immediacy of the fusion genre. Besides the Alan Holdsworth-like vibe, there’s this fine melodic fingerpicking embellishing its middle passage.

Combining craft and spontaneity, the dulcet guitar intro of “Skymall” arrives with a good amount of restraint. It’s easy to identify gorgeous melodies, organized interplay, a melody-driven bass solo and some unexpected organ effects spotted by the end.

“You’ve Been Here Before” overtly draws from the alternative rock and indie pop canons, being shortened by a steep fade out. In contrast, “Vaux Taux” gets closer to folk rock in an early instance, later becoming a showcase for Karp’s hybrid language poured out over the steady rhythmic underpinning provided by Coyle and Sarcano.

With each member selflessly dedicated to creating organic music, this is the favorable outcome of their efforts as a group.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tender ► 04 - 21 Skidoo ► 05 - Skymall

Chrome Hill - This is Chrome Hill

January 21, 2021

Label: Clean Feed, 2020

Personnel - Asbjorn Lerheim: baritone and electric guitars; Atle Nymo: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Roger Arntzen: double bass; Torstein Lofthus: drums.

Norwegian quartet Chrome Hill have released six albums since its formation in 2001, with the latest being This Is Chrome Hill, a stable body of work inspired by several contrasting elements provided by the Norwegian island of Sula as well as Japan, where the group has been touring regularly. These jazz noir practitioners with openness to Americana, noise rock and other stylistic elements are Asbjorn Lerheim (the group’s sole composer) on baritone and electric guitars, Atle Nymo on tenor saxophone, Roger Arntzen on double bass and Torstein Lofthus on drums.

“Clockwork”, a mournful dirge with mysterious dark tones, exemplifies the group’s powerfully relatable music and teamwork. A pounding bass pattern joins the rattling snare drum, winding saxophone blows, electronics, and distorted guitar with clever outside inflections during the impromptu segments. On occasion, Pink Floyd’s soft psychedelia crosses my mind.

Both “10-4”, in which we find the group playing at its airiest, and the enigmatic “Limbo” give the impression that Jan Garbarek’s post-bop progressions are working together with the hooky alternative-rock obscurity of Mogwai and the film scores of Ennio Morricone. The latter piece, displaying a regular rhythmic flux in 5/4 for most of its duration, occasionally shifts into 4/4 sections. Designed with the first tempo as a reference, Nymo’s tenor solo goes from nonchalant to vibrant, benefitting from the harmonies and details of a guitar comping selective on how it sounds.

If “Ascend” is an uplifting cocktail of post-punk, indie rock and krautrock with enough margin to create melodically atop, then “Particle” is a thought-out conjunction of noise rock and free improv, whose simmering intensity is deeply grounded on jittery drumming, guitar dissonance and edgy sax lines in turmoil.

In turn, “Within” embraces an indie-pop veneer while displaying a yearning melody, while “Interlude” falls into pensive indie-folk balladry. Lerheim’s guitar filigree are central and distinct on those atmospheric worlds, resembling velvet in the latter, and employing overdrive, reverb and delay effects on the former.

“Light” closes out the journey by infusing a little more optimism in the proceedings. It feels like having a rural folk song going electric with the crying guitar.

The diverse range of moods and arrangements given by Chrome Hill has my approval.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Clockwork ► 02 - Limbo ► 06 - Particle

Conference Call - Prism

January 20, 2021

Label: Not Two Records, 2020

Personnel - Gebhard Ullmann: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Michael Jefry Stevens: piano; Joe Fonda: acoustic bass; Dieter Ulrich: drums.

Working together for 20 years, Conference Call is one of those quartets where you can’t go wrong when searching for music. Championing a formidable avant-garde jazz, the group of pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, saxophonist Gebhard Ullmann and bassist Joe Fonda, welcomes a new partner for this record, with the Swiss drummer Dieter Ulrich sitting in the chair that once belonged to Matt Wilson, Han Bennink, George Schuller and Gerry Hemingway. With the exception of Ulrich, all the musicians contribute compositions to Prism, the ensemble’s 10th release, in which they fruitfully flaunt explorative methodologies.

The album opens and closes with Ullmann’s compositions taken from his 2019 album mikroPULS (Intuition, 2019). Although divergent in nature, both have the saxophonist showing off his oblique storytelling with a tart tone. The opener “F.J.D.” is a dedication to Eddie Harris’ smashing hit “Freedom Jazz Dance” that navigates odd tempos. The genius pairing of Ullmann and Stevens is on display in the first minutes, prior to an off-kilter dance already with bass and drums involved, where the saxophonist steps the borders of tonality. Benefitting from a good support by Fonda, Ulrich lays down a synergistic rhythm with moderate whirlwind procedures and syncopation, infusing timely cymbal crashes whenever the flux is broken. The closer, “Zeit Lupe”, is an unconventional ballad dedicated to the amazing saxophonist Charles Lloyd. Also penned by Ullmann, who wields the bass clarinet here, “Variations on a Master Plan (Pt.2)” comes with enigmatic inscriptions on it, even if it's more pensive and frayed on the edges.

The bass clarinet also plays a role in Fonda’s “The Bee”, a number built with a stationary quality but denoting an excitable temperament. Yet, it was the other composition by the bassist, “Listen to Dr. Cornel West”, a dedication to the provocative democrat mentioned in the title, that trapped me completely in its mercurial sequences. This piece had been recorded twice in 2015 and 2019 by the Nu Band and OGJB quartet, respectively. Here, it kicks off with bass and drums at the center, creating an impressionistic underpinning on top of which angular saxophone interjections and fierce piano chords take place. On its following passage, the group nails the balance between the dreamy and the cacophonous and past towards the middle of the tune, Fonda’s brisk legato leads to a magnetic Latin-flavored groove. After that, it's time for conspicuous call-and-response episodes between sax and piano.

Introduced by Stevens’ sensitive pianism, “Prism” is a lush, gently brushed waltzing ballad, while “Sal’s Song”, a wondrous blues that he also composed, boasts rubato freedom and a thrusting pulse underlining nice lilting moments.

Carefully dosing abstraction and clarity in their virtuosic playing, Conference Call can easily play in a quiet, intimate way or stretch a tune into a maximum range of tension.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - F.J.D. ► 03 - Listen to Dr. Cornel West ► 05 - Sal’s Song

Ethan Iverson - Bud Powell in the 21st Century

January 19, 2021

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2021

Personnel - Ethan Iverson: piano; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Dayna Stephens: tenor saxophone; Ben Street: bass; Lewis Nash: drums + Umbria Jazz Orchestra

The imaginative pianist/composer/arranger Ethan Iverson celebrates the music of Bud Powell, a leading figure in the development of bebop and one of the greatest jazz pianists of all times, through a big band work recorded live at the 26th edition of Umbria Jazz Winter in 2018. In addition to the Umbria Jazz Orchestra, the suite features a core quintet of renowned first-call jazz musicians - trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Dayna Stephens, bassist Ben Street, drummer Lewis Nash and Iverson himself - in an attempt to evoke the only session recorded by Powell to include horns (1949).

In terms of arrangements, the inspiration came from Stravinsky, Carla Bley, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, in a program of 16 tracks - eight by Iverson, seven by Powell and Thelonious Monk’s “52nd Street”.

The lyrical melodic intricacies and flying chordal scents of a number of Powell’s hits are executed with incredible power - “Celia” is given a lush arrangement with luminous hard-bop flair and where sax and trumpet float over the automatic rhythmic interlock of Street and Nash; the 1949 composition “Tempus Fugit” is delivered with orchestral punch, announced by the brilliancy of Nash’s drumming and featuring searing solos from Iverson and Jensen; “Bouncing With Bud” leisurely swings after an authoritative sax/trumpet statement in unison; and the defiant swagger of “Wail” finds purpose in a faster tempo and brisker workout.

Iverson’s “Bud Powell in the 21st Century” is split into two parts, the first of which is a chorale expressed with reasonable linearity, and the second, a swinging stream that includes not only Powell’s nimble piano improvisation over “Cherokee” but also an explicit tenor avowal of passionate post-bop delivered by Stephens, with layered contrapuntal horn fills as stereo reinforcements. Another composition by the bandleader, “Nobile Paradiso”, also employs Powell’s thoughts on “All The Things You Are”, presenting no clutter of any kind as it straddles between relaxation and buoyancy. There are also five Iverson-penned ‘simple spells’ intercalated throughout, and the last of them serves to give notice of “I’ll Keep Loving You”, where Giovanni Hoffer’s French horn comes to the fore.

The rhythmic eccentricity of the Latin-soaked “Un Poco Loco”, one of Powell’s most cherished pieces, brings a sensational closure to a record that, sealed with Iverson’s unique creativity, opens up a glorious new phase in his career.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Bud Powell in the 21st Century, Part 2: Continuity ► 03 - Celia ► 16 - Un Poco Loco