Brian Charette - Power From the Air

March 17, 2021

Label: Steeple Chase, 2021

Personnel - Brian Charette: organ hammond B3; Mike DiRubbo: alto saxophone; Kenny Brooks: tenor saxophone; Itai Kriss: flute; Karel Ruzicka: bass clarinet; Brian Fishler: drums.

Armed with an extended knowledge of tradition, NYC organist Brian Charette reunites his groovin' sextet to perform a selection of eight color-rich originals and two jazz standards. The group appears here reformulated with some new members - Kenny Brooks on tenor, Karel Ruzicka on bass clarinet, and Brian Fishler on drums replace Joel Frahm, John Ellis and Jochen Rueckert, respectively, while altoist Mike DiRubbo and flutist Itai Kriss remain in their positions.

Graciously melding hard-bop and soul jazz, “Fried Birds” spurs the same swinging motion and harmonic pulsation that brought fame to Lou Donaldson in the ‘60s. Working on top of a monumental groove, the soloists, one after another, explore their melodic pliability, which culminates with Fishler’s brief spread of chops over a final vamp.

Also packed with multiple stretches is the familiar “Cherokee”, one of the two covers on the album. The other one is “Harlem Nocturne”, a romanticized yet mysterious piece written by Earle Hagen in 1939 for the Ray Noble Orchestra. The screaming tremolos sustained by the Hammond B3 are supplemented with adrenaline-fueled horns in concurrent spiraling movements.

Avoiding sounding tired, the group takes a couple of pieces to a more interesting rhythmic level. While “As If to Say” is initially delivered in nine and then reshapes into a regular uptempo swing, “Silver Lining” has its main melody sliding comfortably over a groove in 11.

However, it was the eclectic aesthetics of “Power From the Air” that really grabbed me. The asymmetrical form of the theme doesn’t impede an irresistible soul jazz steam from gushing forth out of the structure’s surfaces. Other stylistic cross-pollinations include “Want”, a shifting number where the classical suggestions diverge to funk, and “Frenzy”, whose gospelized glee inspires us to dance.

This album illustrates how extremely versatile Charette is.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fried Birds ► 03 - Harlem Nocturne ► 06 - Power From the Air

Kuzu - The Glass Delusion

March 16, 2021

Label: Astral Spirits, 2021

Personnel - Dave Rempis: alto, tenor and baritone saxophone; Tashi Dorji: guitar; Tyler Damon: drums.

If you have a watchful eye and taste for free jazz, you’ve probably have heard of Kuzu, an experimental trio co-led by saxophonist Dave Rempis, Bhutan-born guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Tyler Damon.

Their abstract mechanics is right on display throughout their second Astral Spirits recording, The Glass Delusion, a proper follow-up to Hiljaisuus, released in 2018 (the year of the group's formation) on the same label, as well as Purple Dark Opal, which came out last year on Rempis’ label Aerophonic Records.

The first two improvisations are titled “It Simply Becomes Jammed”, with part one clocking in at 21-and-a-half minutes and the second at 10. During the first installment we have a buzzing effervescence gaining prevalence until being completely refracted via complex guitar noodling and pointillistic counterpoint that supports and responds to the bursts of saxophone delivered with magnetic timbral variety. The energized drumming proposed by Damon embraces primitive rhythmic states at the core, but on the surface, both chops and textures are filled with a pleasing intricacy. Spreading their sounds in every direction, the trio assembles decorative sonic mosaics using repetitive figures, droning murmurs and perceptive rhythmic cadences.

Part 2 kicks off with improvisational firepower. Guitar pollution joins the jumpy drum work, generating a chaotic feel gingered up by the herculean saxophone raids atop. Rempis, a titanic force in the Chicago free jazz scene, is a constant searcher, whose prolific ideas often ignite the spark for rhythmic reactions. Whether encouraged or backlashed by the rhythm team, his actions always stir something worthy of attention.

The third and last track on the album, “Gnash”, probes more pacific, sometimes mantric atmospheres well anchored in Dorji’s exotic guitar. With the trio united in prayer, this is like having a psychedelic stew made of free improv and Eastern patterns. The finale highlights the work of the guitarist, who explores tapped harmonies, looped sequences and piercing, chiming effects.

Bending, tugging and expanding, the music of Kuzu confirms they keep looking ahead.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - It Simply Becomes Jammed Part 1 ► 03 - Gnash

César Cardoso - Dice of Tenors

March 15, 2021

Label: Self released, 2021

Personnel - César Cardoso: tenor sax; Miguel Zenón: alto sax; Jason Palmer: trumpet; Massimo Morganti: trombone; Jeffery Davies - vibraphone; Oscar Graça: piano; Demian Cabaud: bass; Marcos Cavaleiro: drums.

Taking best advantage of his arranging skills for big band and honoring some of his musical heroes, the 39-year-old Portuguese saxophonist César Cardoso trails an arresting musical path with his newest album, Dice of Tenors. With this purpose in mind, he gathered a supple octet in which he shares the frontline with two American horn mavericks, Miguel Zenón and Jason Palmer, and the Italian trombonist Massimo Morganti. The program includes two originals and six famous tunes whether penned or made famous by titanic reedmen such as John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Benny Golson and Dexter Gordon.

Golson’s “Along Came Betty” arrives with an intricate reharmonization, thriving with a Latinized groove and metric adventure. It’s a wondrous jazz fantasy whose arrangement recalls the Dave Holland Quintet, in part due to the substantial presences of vibraphone and trombone. The solos come from bassist Demian Cabaud, Cardoso, and drummer Marcos Cavaleiro, whose final expansions are tinged by horn colorings.

Irving Berlin’s “Remember” evokes the high-spirited vibe of Hank Mobley’s hard-bop, which is reinforced by Palmer’s killing solo and then slightly deflected through the positive misconstruction offered by the pianist Oscar Graça.

The focus on bringing the contemporary and the tradition together is also evident on “Three O’Clock in the Morning”, here tested in seven for an enchantment other than that offered by Dexter Gordon on the album Go (1962). Another example is Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”, impeccably crafted with shifts in tempo and no interruption of the energy flow. Palmer delivers again, but it's the master Zenón who steals the show with elastic bursts of expression.

The original material, “Rafaela” and “Agueiro”, matches the spirit that Cardoso envisioned for this body of work. The former, embracing relaxation and flowing with an additive meter (3+3+3+4), allows us to experience a polyrhythmic effect as the melody takes shape; the latter sculpts a post-bop narrative with an occasional balladic touch.

Joe Henderson’s “Recorda-Me” and a curious arrangement of Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas” complete the session.

At the first sight, the familiarity of the track list may cause some bold listeners to turn up their noses at the disc. Yet, if that's the case, the ambitious arrangements and the apt execution are here to make them change their minds.

Favorable Tracks:
01 - Along Came Betty ► 05 - Giant Steps ► 10 - St Thomas

Dan Blake - Da Fé

March 11, 2021

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2021

Personnel - Dan Blake: soprano and tenor saxophone; Carmen Staaf: piano, Rhodes; Leo Genovese: synth, piano, Rhodes; Dmitry Ishenko: acoustic and electric bass; Jeff Williams: drums.

On his new outing, saxophonist Dan Blake ponders about climate change, poverty and hunger, at the same time that pays tribute to the spiritual leaders and activists committed to make this world a better place. Blake, who carved out his musical skills with Anthony Braxton and Julian Lage, plays exclusively originals on Da Fé, forging an empathic bond with his peers while offering us opportunities to bask in his catchy and articulate sonic imaginings.

“Prologue - A New Normal” opens the record as a beautiful solo piano work. The performer is Carmen Staaf, who combines dreamlike cascading lines and chordal sustains to create tension. What could have been round corners are bent into moderately sharp angles, and by the end, eerie electronics reinforce the sense of danger.

In “Cry of the East”, a dedication to the Palestinian people, a shifting rhythmic figure and sinewy soprano lines flow along a jazz waltz. At some point, I felt like having Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane performing on the same wavelength.

“Like Fish in Puddles”, whose title stems from Atthakavagga, a collection of Buddhist poems, features the inventive Argentinian keyboardist Leo Genovese, whose futuristic sounds were added in post-production. Identified as modal jazz, this number highlights a fervently prayerful soprano sax on top a Tyner-esque piano practice. Expansions and contractions occur with a no-frills work by the rhythm team of bassist Dmitry Ishenko and drummer Jeff Williams, and the final section welcomes well-balanced saxophone overdubs and fluttering, laser-like synth effects into a vamp.

The finely layered title track, benefitting from Eastern sounds and Genovese’s off-kilter synth moves, lashes together sluggish bass lines and energetic saxophone discharges for an interesting outcome.

Both “Doctor Armchair” and the noir “The Grifter” have one foot in the post-bop terrain and the other in the avant-garde jazz. Whereas the latter piece takes two saxophone threads to an agreement after a turmoil, the Monk-tinged “The Cliff” initially aligns them to form a kinetic chain of neo-bop caliber, and then separates them for a polyphonic aesthetic that coalesces, perplexes and connects effortlessly. The groove in seven from where everything had departed is resumed after a bass monologue.

Each piece encompasses a self-sufficient storyline with no obvious hooks, which is wonderful, and the enduring “Pain”, Blake’s emotional response to some recent losses in the family, is another good example. The bandleader shouts continuous tenor cries delivered with an extraordinary range, crisscrossing the cosmic rubato textures he might find in the way.

It’s hard not to appreciate what Blake puts together here with so much passion. The special and unique personality of Da Fé is on full display as its creator seeks for justice, truth and compassion through music.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Like Fish in Puddles ► 04 - Pain ► 06 - The Cliff

Malnoia - Hello Future

March 10, 2021

Label: Outside in Music, 2021

Personnel - Jorn Swart; piano; Benni von Gutzeit: viola; Lucas Pino: bass clarinet.

Questioning what means to be human and the value of art in a technological age, the trio Malnoia - led by the pianist/composer Jorn Swart and featuring Benni von Gutzeit on viola and Lucas Pino on bass clarinet - releases their sophomore album, Hello Future, and fills it with carefully crafted scores that escort commissioned short stories about science fiction and the future. The trio boasts a boundary-leaping style with abundant lyricism, pointillism and contrapuntal movements, showing a masterful control over the flow of their music and its artful transitions.

“First Ocean” blends tempered folk and contemporary chamber music in a seamless, enjoyable manner. There’s a practical urgency in the harmonic accompaniment that counterbalances the poignancy of the melody. The result does justice to a story, written by Swart himself, about a space traveler who has forgotten the smell, feel and sensation of the sea.

The nature of “Paultjuh” moves the band into a lulling, shimmering space capable to create a balmy, if nostalgic, effect on the listeners. The viola cries appear to be moaning howls, while the bass clarinet validates the emotionally-driven piano harmony through patterned constellations of notes. There’s more light than darkness in this poetically profound exertion inspired on Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song”.

Whereas “The Ghost” is a slow waltz drowned in pathos, the classical-soaked “New Religion” embeds three layers of a time-shifted melody that evolve with grace, in a pure investment of uplifting Mozart-like dynamics.

Classical and Latin passages are coupled with elegance on “DemocrApp”, while “Choro Humano”, disclosing its real nature on the title, explores the Brazilian genre with the happy vibe and staggering virtuosity for what it’s known. It’s all here, with no need for bass or percussion.

“Tubifoot” brings back all that jazz, exhibiting a mainstream posture and swing language. Distant from this mood, “Prelude to Singularity” employs unwavering dreamy piano, euphonious viola scratches and ruminative woodwind sounds to sonically depict the story of a man who found out that the concert that most affected him emotionally had been created by an algorithm. The latter number precedes the suave closer, Vangelis' “Tears in Rain”, the sole non-original composition on the album, which served as an emotional intensifier of Roy Batty’s famous monologue in the sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

All contrasting stylistic elements of Hello Future are woven together with a methodically organized discipline and filtered into a unique blend of music that has its charms.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - First Ocean ► 02 - Paultjuh ► 07 - Choro Humano

Wadada Leo Smith / Douglas R. Ewart / Mike Reed - Sun Beans of Shimmering Light

March 9, 2021

Label: Astral Spirits, 2021

Personnel - Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Douglas R. Ewart: woodwinds; Mike Reed: drums.

Sun Beans of Shimmering Light is a fantastic set of improvised music by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, Jamaican-born woodwind player Douglas R. Ewart and drummer Mike Reed, all AACM musicians known for bringing a fresh perspective to any project.

This special encounter happened in 2015, but, criminally, only now is being released on the Astral Spirits label. As a true sensory catharsis, the music takes several forms, sometimes going from delightfully descriptive to energetically dynamic. The opening track, “Constellations and Conjunctional Spaces”, wields contemplative, audacious and prayerful moments in a constant exchange of energies. By plunging their instruments in tonal contrasts, Smith and Ewart create beautiful effects during a dialogue that stirs passion. While the former artist embraces infinite abstraction and multiphonic enchantment, the latter takes us to exotic places, exploring astringent cascading lines, whether on the bassoon or the sopranino. Reed’s pummeling percussion is often amorphous but well honed, cohering with whatever it’s going on at the fore.

The album’s title track displays crystal clear trumpet notes underpinned by chiming and rattling percussion at first, before evolving into a meditation with flute at the center. Near the end, this same flute probes elliptical trajectories, becoming occasionally percussive as it supports the boldness of Simth’s muted trumpet.

“Super Moon Rising” assimilates extra percussion in the aesthetics, imposing the majesty of toms, cymbals and snare drum rolls in order to grapple with the fierceness and the projection of the trumpet. Ewart then skitters around between Eastern-patterned arches before expressing his final thoughts.

Although enjoying the freedom of not having to deal with tempo, the trio suggests a three time feel on the introductory riff of the short “Dark Tango”, whose intuitive denouement is fabulous.

Each track churns with impressively cohesive ideas; all is improvised, nothing is disjointed. Hence, what Smith, Ewart and Reed do here resonates with musical assurance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Constellations and Conjunctional Spaces ► 03 - Super Moon Rising ► 05 - Dark Tango

Logan Richardson - Afrofuturism

March 8, 2021

Label: WAX Industry / Whirlwind Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Logan Richardson: alto saxophone; Igor Osypov: guitar; Peter Schlamb: vibraphone, keys; Laura Tagliatela; vocals; Dominique Sanders: bass; Ryan J. Lee: drums; Corey Fonville: drums; Ezgi Karakus: strings.

Afrofuturism signals the 5th album release from alto saxophonist Logan Richardson, who summoned the most recent convening of his Blues People group to play two of the 14 tracks on the album. Born in Kansas, Missouri, and having lived in New York and three different European countries, Richardson is influenced by all kinds of music, but here he pivots away from his previous albums to engage in a more encompassing style that, even if not so triumphant, comes with important social messages.

The album kicks off with the voice of vibist Stefon Harris on “Say My Name”, after which the aforementioned unit is called for “The Birth of Us”, a mid-tempo romp whose rawness is partially softened by the production. The formidable drumming of Ryan J. Lee joins a well-calibrated mass of synth and guitar. Together they spread the energy, which is given a considerable boost through Richardson’s explorations on the higher register.

There are a lot of interlude-like pieces whose broad sonic variety causes a sensation of dispersion. We have archive recordings, vocal tracks, synth-soaked soundscapes, vignettes driven by hard-hitting beats, and a solo sax piece, “For Alto”, whose familiar title discloses a tribute to the sensational living legend Anthony Braxton.

The assortment of genres continues even when the bandleader plays unaccompanied and takes full control of the instrumentation. If “Light” is a mellow ballad with reverb-drenched synth beams, “Trap” paves the balladic Southern terrain with a hip-hop rhythm. In turn, “According to You” blends playful R&B with some neo-soul and psychedelia.

With a lot of elements tossed in, the album comes off feeling more conflicting and sketchy than integral, yet the whole quintet has a positive come back for the circular “Round Up”, which tries to call attention for the police behavior during recent American protests. Here, Richardson’s lamenting riff becomes part of the base that supports Igor Osypov’s mordant guitar. Nonetheless, it was “Black Wallstreet” that impressed me the most. Remembering the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921, the latter cut not only features Ezgi Karakus' magnificent string arrangement but also motivates the alto saxophonist, who rises well above the sonic tapestry with poignancy and intervallic awe.

Decidedly not the most vital work from Richardson, the uneven Afrofuturism will still find an enthusiastic niche audience. The thing is: ample eclecticism doesn't necessarily come into a favorable outcome. And that’s the case with this record.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - The Birth of Us ► 07 - Trap ► 10 - Black Wallstreet

Benoit Delbecq - The Weight of Light

March 4, 2021

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2021

Personnel: Benoit Delbecq: piano, prepared piano.

By curbing any conventional direction for his music, the classically-trained Paris-based pianist Benoit Delbecq takes us to uncharted territories that are sometimes challenging to explore. That’s the case with this recording, The Weight of Light, his first solo effort in more than a decade.

Motivated by movement-centric perspectives on shadow and light, Delbecq’s frameworks encapsulate prepared piano for a robust rhythmic feel, as well as improvised lines that search for a flow, whether when aimlessly digressing or tracing a calculated route.

Three pieces from the excellent jazz quartet album Spots on Stripes (Clean Feed, 2018) resurface here, obviously with completely different shapes, moods and colors. Whereas “The Loop of Chicago” concedes a space to an ancient feel that stems from the percussive left-hand work (with prepared piano) alongside the modern creative pianism, “Dripping Stones” pricks us with pungent chromaticism in the harmonic movements. In turn, “Broken World” feels less rhythmically synthetic and consequently more mellifluous and emotional.

If “Family Trees”, another previously recorded selection, increases the sense of rootiness with its mbira-like rhythmic fluxes, “Chemin Sur Le Crest” envelops us in a cloud of hypnotic rhythm and relentless melody. Like on other pieces, I kept sensing a primitive side that bonds with the bright contemporary touches.

Nevertheless, my absolute favorites on the album are “Anamorphoses” and “Pair Et Impair”. The former, organically designed and sonically captivating, combines exotic portions of melody and droning ideas with ritualistic tendencies; the latter, impeccably synchronized and erratic on the beat, has a danceable quality to it, feeling lightly skittering in the keyboard approach.

Eschewing dense textures, Delbecq delivers exactly enough. Everything is laid bare on behalf of a peculiar atmosphere.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - Anamorphoses ► 08 - Pair Et Impair ► 09 - Broken World

Matty Stecks & Persiflage - Night Cravings

March 3, 2021

Label: Self released, 2021

Personnel - Matthew Steckler: saxophones, flute; Curtis Hasselbring: trombone; Todd Neufeld: guitar; Dave Ambrosio: bass; Satoshi Takeishi: drums.

American saxophonist/flutist Matthew Steckler (aka Matty Stecks) is probably most known as the leader of the joyful reeds-infused sextet Dead Cat Bounce. Still, it’s Persiflage, one of his other projects made in New York, that immediately jumps out for its diversity, fun and energy. The band’s debut album was released in 2006, featuring New York-based jazz luminaries such as Curtis Fowlkes, Michael Cain, Lonnie Plaxico and Pheeroan akLaff. 2021 marks the return of the ensemble, totally renewed in terms of performers, in a set of potent originals recorded at the esteemed and now extinct Avatar Studios in Manhattan in 2012. The saxophonist, who was living in Brooklyn at that time, is backed here by respectable artists such as trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, guitarist Todd Neufeld, bassist Dave Ambrosio and drummer Satoshi Takeishi.

A gooey groove comes right out of the gate on “Night Cravings”, where the band luxuriates in an interesting post-bop infused with a funk-rock feel. There’s a liberating sense of freedom in how the saxophone and trombone deliver their lines before joining in unison. Cool rhythmic figures are built in an energetic saxophone statement that triggers spontaneous reactions in the guitar comp. Takeishi concludes the improvisations with a malleable percussive elongation.

“Do the Betty Rubble” makes its Eastern-tinged main theme take unexpected detours as it blossoms into an elated swing adorned with generous slices of hard rock. The solos belong to Ambrosio, Hasselbring and Steckler.

“Agriturismo” and “What Seems Eternity in Salem” are like night and day. While the former shapes up as a rollicking, good-humored fanfare taken to avant-garde territories, the latter, more subdued and sparse, reveals a romantic idealization that embraces introspection. Neufeldt’s work is particularly attractive on the acoustic guitar.

The two last tunes on the album share some tonal patterns and on-the-nose parallel movements. “Unison” leads off with a passionate, furious vibe, but then plunges into an unceremonious improvisational pool of multiple intensities; “Ant Colony” consolidates melodic sensibility and rhythm invention, affixing a lovely cycle of chords in due course for a rich guitar solo.

Night Cravings surpasses the Persiflage’s debut, having Steckler and company posing with sporty optimism and crisp musicality.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Night Cravings ► 02 - Do the Betty Rubble ► 04 - What Seems Eternity in Salem

Charles Lloyd and The Marvels - Tone Poem

March 2, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Charles Lloyd: tenor saxophone, flute; Bill Frisell: guitar; Greg Leisz: pedal steel guitar; Rueben Rogers: bass; Eric Harland; drums.

The incredible Charles Lloyd, 82, has in Tone Poem his third work with The Marvels, a piano-less ensemble composed of Bill Frisell on guitar, Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Rueben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums. On this recording, the sui generis sound and approach of the saxophonist are fully intact and in perfect balance with the bluesy and folk intonations of the band that supports him. The program consists of a mouth-watering selection of originals and covers, which pivoting between contemplation and ecstasy, achieve wonderful results.

Lloyd initiates this journey by stamping his personal signature in two notorious compositions by Ornette Coleman - “Peace”, which carries an offbeat avant-country vibe while embracing the spiritual side of things, and “Ramblin’”, a static delight made of hypnotic drumming, chromatic bass moves, and rock’n’roll-ish guitar continuum adorned with bluesy chops, over which cascades of lyrically kinetic tenor lines are thrown in abundance.

The group airs a folk-pop melancholy while driving Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” with a slow yet assured pace, while on the romantic “Ay Amor”, penned by Cuban singer/pianist Bola de Nieve, Lloyd and Frisell have the power to stun and petrify, such is the beauty of their expressions. The final two-chord vamp in this piece feels like a slow motion of “Tone Poem”, a prominent Lloyd piece where the saxophonist careens off modal avenues with astonishing brilliancy. Although less fervent in comparison with that unforgettable 1985 Town Hall interpretation (in a quartet with Petrucciani, McBee and DeJohnette) for the jazz film One Night with Blue Note, this new exposition of the song oozes groove and denotes subtle nuances in the melody in addition to an introductory sax/percussion ramble.

Having been included on the previous outing - Vanished Gardens (Blue Note, 2018) - as a duet with Frisell, “Monk’s Mood” is revisited here with sculptural layers of guitar and a full rhythm section. Two other previously recorded pieces to appear on the track listing - “Lady Gabor” and “Prayer” - were tackled by the Chico Hamilton Quintet, of which Lloyd was a member in the 1960’s. The former number, ecstatically percussive, surfaces with flute articulation and guitar atmospherics with episodic rock washes; the latter emits a warm glow and features a fine arco bass statement.

A new Lloyd blues, “Dismal Swamp”, works as a dulcet yet stimulating tonic where flute-guitar unisons follow a path through the functional light-funk area defined by the rhythm.

With a consummate ability to touch our hearts and speak to all of us through his majestic music, Charles Lloyd has here his best recording with The Marvels and another timeless work to be cherished.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Ramblin’ ► 04 - Ay Amor ► 07 - Lady Gabor

Soft Works - Abracadabra in Osaka

March 1, 2021

Label: Moonjune Records, 2020

Personnel - Elton Dean: alto saxophone, saxello, Fender Rhodes; Allan Holdsworth: guitar; Hugh Hopper: bass; John Marshall: drums.

The fusion supergroup Soft Works was born from the earliest attempt to revive the venerated experimental jazz-rock unit Soft Machine. The short life of this group generated one single album, Abracadabra, but now, drawing from a 2003 live session at Namba Hatch in Osaka, Japan, comes this double album mastered by English guitarist Mark Wingfield.

The magnetic music invites us to indulge in saxophonist Elton Dean’s sinewy inventiveness, examine the melodic precision of guitarist Allan Holdsworth while he mixes the speed of metal with rock stamina in the form of hot personal guitar licks, be intrigued by the humming roundabouts and relaxed grooves of bassist Hugh Hopper, and surrender to the rhythmic activity of drummer John Marshall.

Both the personal solos and collective interplay are consistently rewarding throughout, yet the highlights are Dean’s “Seven Formerly”, whose early atmospheric harmonization evolves calmly toward exciting realms, Holdsworth’s darkly engaging “Alphrazallan”, and Hopper’s “Abracadabra”, which carries a chromatic Spanish tinge at the core.

This tour-de-force concert was turned into a treat of a record.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Seven Formerly ► 02 - Alphrazallan ► 07 - Abracadabra

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.