James Brandon Lewis Quartet - Code of Being

November 8, 2021

Label: Intakt Records, 2021

Personnel - James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Aruán Ortiz: piano; Brad Jones: bass; Chad Taylor: drums.

Despite the challenges we all know, this is definitely the year of James Brandon Lewis, who is ranked well up among the most creative saxophone players working today. On the heels of the incredible Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms, 2021), comes Code of Being, a quartet effort that largely plays by the same rules defined in Molecular (Intakt, 2020), as he continues to invigorate spiritual and conceptual sonic crusades in jazz. Having penned all eight selections on this album, Lewis not only shines individually but also achieves a highly inviting group sound in the company of pianist Aruan Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Chad Taylor.

“Resonance” starts off as a splendid jazz waltz turned into a groove that wafts along in quintuple meter. Lewis’ lines are passionate and rhythmically intense. And then it’s Ortiz, who first seats a peculiar harmonic tapestry on top of the rhythmic foundation as he prepares for an individual statement with coiled figures. It all funnels into an enlightened finale.

There are three dedications on the album: the intimate “Every Atom Glows” is for painter Norman Lewis - a figure of the abstract expressionism who mainly focused on black urban life - and features Taylor’s classy manipulation of cymbals and toms as well as Jones’ thoughtful bass deliberations; the slightly romanticized “Where is Hela” is dedicated to Henrietta Lacks, the African-American woman associated to the first immortalized human cell line; and the lyrical, sometimes prayerful “Tessera” finds its ways to champion the abstraction of American painter/sculptor Jack Whitten.

The innate spirituality that erupts from “Archimedean” draws inspiration from the civil rights movement and the African-American artistic collective named Spiral (1963-1965). The tune is set in motion by a polyrhythmic bass-piano texture before fixating in a modal flux delivered at a medium 6/4 tempo. Lewis conjures Coltrane and his A Love Supreme here.

A trio of compositions resulted from Lewis’ molecular systematic music concept. One of them, “Per 4”, kicks off with unaccompanied swinging tenor, proceeding with polyrhythmic detail via the tribal force of Taylor’s drumming and the pianism of Ortiz, who also reacts spontaneously to the saxophone expressions. This avant-garde irreverence is also felt in the maniacally infectious “Per 5”. The title track is infused with rhythmic glare and inside/outside flexibility, revealing qualities of Americana and modal jazz. It’s natural to think of Archie Shepp and McCoy Tyner at some point due to the transcendental mood and nature of sound.

This is another stunning offering from a brilliant saxophonist still in his thirties and fated to be a jazz giant.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Resonance ► 02 - Archimedean ► 05 - Code of Being

Andre Carvalho - Lost in Translation

November 4, 2021

Label: Outside in Music, 2021

Personnel - André Carvalho: double bass; José Soares: alto saxophone; André Matos: guitar.
Guest - João Almeida : trumpet

André Carvalho, a clever composer and sturdy bassist originally from Lisbon, has been based in New York for seven years now. After getting critical acclaim with his previous album, The Garden of Earthly Delights, he blazes a new trail in a record mostly performed in the trio format - alongside saxophonist José Soares and NY-based guitarist André Matos, and with guest appearances by trumpeter João Almeida. Comprising 12 tracks, Lost in Translation channels the bassist’s interest for untranslatable words, an inspiration for the sounds and moods conveyed on the album.

“Luftmensch” (meaning dreamer in Yiddish) and “Kilig” (a Tagalog word related to when something romantic or idealistic occurs) set the tone as the group creates certain ambiances that walk the tightrope between modern composition and spontaneous exploration. The former number invests in tranquility but doesn’t stop from searching via nuanced ostinatos, texture-minded guitar work with polyphonic intention, saxophone trills, and impeccably synced movements. In turn, the latter selection has its peaceful tones disturbed by Matos’ wired clustered chords while the bowed bass and the saxophone perform side by side.

This conscious avant-garde setting is extended to “Goya”, which explores further oblique angles and leans harder into jagged edges through distorted guitar and the interaction between Soares and Almeida. Their horns join forces again on “Karelu”, a piece brimming with melodic exclamations and whose static foundational overture is reshaped into a definitive celebratory dance. The ruggedness that comes from Matos’ electronic effects are turned into chiming and ringing tones on “Resfebar”, which he fills with excellent guitar voicings. This composition displays a strong central melodic idea to express the mixture of anxiety and anticipation (of a traveler) that the Swedish word in question refers to. Also based on a Swedish word, “Mangata” embraces a more defined song format as it uses folk and modern classical tinges to depict the road-like reflection of the moon in the water.

Carvalho employs his poignant, well-developed arco sound here, which also entirely shapes “Boketto” and introduces “Uitwaaien”. The latter flows with a nice, levitating pulse before being slightly rockified by monstrous bass plucks in its final section.

Although not every track touches us deeply, Carvalho’s new trio has its own musical vernacular, binding sounds with a cultivated purpose and non-obvious directions.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Kilig ► 07 - Karelu ► 11 - Resfebar

Artifacts - … And Then There’s This

November 3, 2021

Label: Astral Spirits Records, 2021

Personnel - Mike Reed: drums; Tomeka Reid: cello; Nicole Mitchell: flute, electronics.

Artifacts is a trio of front-rank modernists and respected bandleaders - drummer Mike Reed, flutist Nicole Mitchell and cellist Tomeka Reid - who dive deeper into groove on their sophomore album, …And Then There’s This. As members of the prestigious Chicago institution AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), the threesome carries its legacy forward and pay tribute to a few of its influential figures, living and departed. In contrast to their self-titled debut (482 Music, 2015), this strengthened followup includes originals by all members of the trio.

Reed’s elated “Pleasure Palace” evokes the Afro sounds of the Art Ensemble of Chicago by means of a grooving pulsation, furtive cello attacks and fluttering flute deliberations. Two founders of the cited avant-garde jazz group are referred in different ways. Penned by the saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, “No Side Effects” is put forward with a mix of hip-hop and reggae influences, having the raspy cello interacting with the ever-dancing flute. Mitchell and Reid are also busy during the collectively built “Song for Joseph Jarman”, likely the most abstract and ponderous piece on the record.

Another spontaneous trio effort, “Dedicated to Alvin Fielder”, eulogizes the late drummer with Eastern-flavored chromaticism, flutter-tonguing flute, slow-motion groove and tickling percussion. Mitchell, who explores the upper and lower registers of her instrument with both stability and abandon, also employs cute electronic effects on Reid’s “In Response To”, which swings and rocks with unfailing energy. Also composed by the cellist, “Song For Helena” dawns with solemnity before embracing a waltzing delicacy where the melody is crucial.

“Soprano Song”, composed by the AACM co-founder and pianist Muhal Richard Abrams (he first recorded it in 1987 on the album Colors In Thirty-Third) gets a bracing interpretation here, where an elastic backdrop is guaranteed through apt rhythmic mutations provided by cello and drums. Its contrasting tones and textures immediately hit you.

The combination of primitive energy and charming up-to-date aesthetics sweeps the whole album, and Mitchell’s “Blessed” is not an exception, bringing a straight 4/4 backbeat into a pop/rock-inspired scenario that also contemplates a fine cello solo.

Patching together elements that fully cohere, the Artifacts trio experiences synergistic forces guiding their instrumental proficiency.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pleasure Palace ► 04 - In Response To ► 07 - Soprano Song

Pedro Melo Alves Omniae Large Ensemble - Lumina

November 2, 2021

Label: Clean Feed Records, 2021

Personnel - Pedro Carneiro: maestro; Pedro Melo Alves: drums, percussion; José Soares: alto saxophone; João Pedro Brandão: alto saxophone, flute; Albert Cirera: tenor and soprano saxophone; Frederic Cardoso: clarinets; Álvaro Machado: bassoon; Gileno Santana: trumpet; Xavi Sousa: trombone; Ricardo Pereira: trombone; Fábio Rodrigues: tuba; Clara Saleiro: flutes; José Diogo Martins: piano; Mané Fernandes: electric guitar; Luís José Martins: classical guitar; Luís André Ferreira: cello; Pablo Moledo: double bass; Alvaro Rosso: double bass; Mariana Dionísio: voice; Nazaré da Silva: voice; Diogo Ferreira: voice; João Miguel Braga Simões: percussion; João Carlos Pinto: eletronics.

Channeling his progressive inclinations into a 75-minute opus conceived for an enlarged version of the Omniae Ensemble, the Portuguese drummer/composer Pedro Melo Alves works with 21 like-minded cohorts to give the intended shape to his through-composed creation. The three selections on this record had been included in the previous 2017 installment, but on Lumina they are put together with singers, stringed instruments, brass, woodwinds, electronics and a pivotal rhythm section. These landscapes of sound unearth several energies and moods that are a challenge worth meeting.

Schematized with chained up sequences, “Obi” kicks off with dark-hued, low-pitched sounds that, later on, are defied by piercing flutes, electronic noise, rattling percussion, and both wailing and howling vocals. The singers become courageous in the darkly epic, quite cinematic progression that follows, and then a temporary suspension serves the quirkiness of guitarist Mané Fernandes before the ensemble digs into an open-minded texture over which a sax solo takes place. There are denser, pushing-forward movements contrasting with ethereal chants and pacific horn playing in all its transcendent glory.

“Phelia” is introduced by the poised piano playing of Jose Diogo Martins , which, blending tradition and avant-garde abrasiveness, emerges from an indistinct cloud of noise. Vocal and instrumental elements shade in careful moderation, and a somber mood results from the mixture of exotic and hapless vibes, here reinforced by bowed bass and cello. Subsequently, we have a thumping cadenced rhythm with vocal counterpoint leading to impetuous orchestral concentrations that gradually dissolve for a serene finale.

Backdropped with an angst-ridden texture, “Onírea” displays an authoritative tuba resonating closer to the buzzing torment created by irregular drum pluses, electronic disruptions and noise discharges. Rhythmic accentuations, swarming fluxes and soloing opportunities are provided, and everyone leans into the musical idea, contributing to the synergistic power of the experience. Meanwhile, the bandleader emerges from behind the drum kit fanning the fancy textures with precise articulation.

Lumina is clearly a winning step with respect to the previous Omniae installment, brimming with avant forays, challenging foundations and plenty of surfacing interjections and combinations.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ubi ► 03 - Onírea

Sigmar Matthiasson - Meridian Metaphor

November 1, 2021

Label: Reykjavík Record Shop, 2021

Personnel - Sigmar Matthiasson: double bass; Ásgeir Ásgeirsson: oud, tamboura; Haukur Gröndal: clarinet; Ingi Bjarni Skúlason: piano; Matthías Hemstock: drums + guests Ayman Boujlida: konnakol, percussion (#5); Taulant Mehmeti: çifteli (#).

The Icelandic bassist, composer and arranger Sigmar Matthiasson fronts a dynamic ensemble that perfectly serves his compositional abilities in merging Eastern and Western influences. Reflecting his musical personality, Meridian Metaphor, seamlessly integrates the jazz idiom with sounds of the world (mostly Balkan and Arabic), combining different hues and emotions in a pleasant, organic way.

The opening piece, “Don”, flows in three and transports us to a picturesque Eastern landscape that I personally imagine with high mountains and clear, starry skies. If looking for a point of comparison, I could mention the jazz fusion in the collaborative duo Dave Holland/Zakir Hussein, but this music flows with its own voice. Some rock stamina is brought by an 11-beat cycle passage before returning to the central theme, and the transitions from one solo to another are smooth and efficient.

Boasting an additive meter (6+5), “Fordómalausir” thrives with the sophistication of its melody, which also conveys some mystery. The oud gives it a special touch in the texture, and its player, Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, also shines in an improvisation over a bass pedal.

Rhythms intersect with envelope-pushing aesthetics in “East River” and “Karthago”, which are both warmly celebratory and folk-induced in nature. The latter piece features guest percussion from Ayman Boujlida and spotlights pianist Ingi Bjarni Skúlason who dishes out some ascendant phrases ascertained by chromatic splendor.

The amiable balladic side and lounging qualities of “Stinningskaldi” contrast with the excitement of “Nu Rock”, which starts in slow motion with bowed bass and oud but ends in fractured avant-garde mode.

“Mehmetaphor” closes out the album with a Middle Eastern temperament that evolves from a deliberate introductory section to a sumptuous dance in six over which the clarinetist Haukur Gröndal shines. The group eventually returns to the initial pulsation, and one can detect the çifteli and the oud working together.

Matthiasson’s facility to establish lovely moods with a nice empathy is noticeable and his bandmates certainly haven’t let him down with their dedicated work. This disc contains imaginative sonic worlds ready to be discovered.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Don ► 03 - Fordómalausir ► 08 - Mehmetaphor

Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson - Searching For the Disappeared Hour

October 28, 2021

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2021

Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano.

Displaying seriously brilliant musicianship, guitarist Mary Halvorson and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier are two singular voices united in a powerful duo to explore notions of time. The result of their collaboration is Searching For the Disappeared Hour, a record that reflects the colorful sounds and inventive textures that populate their minds.

Three of the twelve tracks are credited to the duo, including “Four-Point Interplay”, where the prepared piano takes a percussive role and the ruminative guitar threatens to morph into indie rock behavior.

Albeit catchy, the cited tune can’t be compared in terms of sonic pleasure with Halvorson’s “Golden Proportion” and Courvoisier’s “Lulu’s Second Theorem”. The former - a collage of vignettes with an Erik Satie feel - opens the record by enlacing classical and avant-jazz ambiances through dissonant, pitch-distorted guitar in strategic balance with the ebbs and flows of the piano; in turn, the latter song grooves with highly rhythmic ostinatos, odd-metered passages and expeditious melodic anatomies before shifting halfway to more reflective and abstract zones.

Two other Courvoisier compositions had an incredibly positive effect on me. One of them is “Moonbow”, which, after being playfully set in motion, segues into a serene 4/4 pop progression whose textural base is alternately provided by each musician. After that, we have a more accelerated section where the guitar whoops with timbres that recall slot machines, video games and robotic language. The other song is “Mind Out of Time”, a poignant, dark aural experience that seems to want to unravel secrets in the depths of our souls. By the end, compelling unison lines are briefly incorporated without losing a bit of the texture.

Halvorson penned “Bent Yellow”, a bluesy plunge that feels bold in the interaction, angular in the theme and resolute in the proceedings, as well as “Gates & Passes”, a sad, shimmering ballad sunk in a myriad of interesting effects.

The guitar playing and pianism of these amazing musicians are so rich and satisfying that the album catches our senses with striking assurance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Golden Proportion ► 02 - Lulu’s Second Theorem ► 07 - Mind Out of Time

Javier Subatin - Mountains

October 27, 2021

Label: Habitable Records, 2021

Personnel - Javier Subatin: guitar; Demian Cabaud: bass; Pedro Melo Alves: drums. Guests - João Mortágua: alto saxophone; Samuel Gapp: piano; Ricardo Jacinto: cello.

Javier Subatin, a versatile Argentinian guitarist based in Lisbon, gathered with fellow countryman bassist Demian Cabaud and Portuguese drummer Pedro Melo Alves for a stimulating new album. Guest performers appear on six of the 12 tracks.

The central pieces on this record - Subatin’s ‘Mountain’ compositions - are interspersed with more abstract collective improvisations that can go from avant-garde settings with constant restless motions (“Birds”) and controlled tension (“Shadows”) to slightly eerie episodes with a percussive emphasis (“Caves”).

The opener, “Mountain#1”, is among my favorites, showing the trio in absolute command of multiple meter signatures. Before the final straight-to-the-gut rock muscularity limned by Alves’ drum work, there’s a strident improvisation by Subatin. He makes an impact by engaging in rhythmic ideas that shifts chromatically.

The polyrhythmic “Mountain#3” brings us discernible, emotionally charged harmonic movements in 13/8 before opting for a symmetric jazz rock groove with hints of funk. This is celebrated by the enthusiastic interplay between Subatin and guest pianist Samuel Gapp.

Also featuring an ostinato-driven passage in 13, “Mountain #5” is atmospherically drafted for freedom but also includes thoroughly composed parts. The tension grows and the peak is reached halfway, during the bandleader’s revved-up soloing process. Yet, all ends pacifically with the bowed bass orienting us toward a circular trajectory.

Diversity is an asset here, and if “Mountain#4” blossoms like a folk dance and shows signs of fusion, then “Mountain#2” suggests chamber classical music with appropriate counterpoint, for which much contributes the cellist Ricardo Jacinto. By contrast, “Mountain#6”, which starts breezily in seven, features the suppleness of altoist João Mortágua and a solo dissertation by Cabaud in a well-paced ride. As a conclusion, all guests take part in “Solo#5”, a melodic and beautifully textured piece with a flowing sense of pop song.

The contemporary aural descriptions of these ‘mountains’ make us want to climb them to the top. Moreover, the telepathic camaraderie between the musicians is noticeable and the ambitious musical experiment wins.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mountain#1 ► 05 - Mountain#3 ► 10 - Mountain#6

Jones / Skolnick / Grohowski / Motzer - Pakt

October 26, 2021

Label: Moonjune Records, 2021

Personnel - Tim Mother: guitar, electronics; Alex Skolnick: guitar; Percy Jones: bass guitar; Kenny Grohowski: drums.

Pakt consists of four experienced fusion practitioners and progheads who gathered last year at Brooklyn’s ShapeShifter Lab for two sets (two discs) of totally improvised music grounded with a fierce sense of exploration. While fearless guitarists Alex Skolnick (Testament) and Tim Motzer (David Sylvian, Burnt Friedman) form a powerful frontline, Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno) and Kenny Grohowski (Simulacrum/John Zorn, Imperial Triumphant) conserve their firm bass-and-drum hook up from start to finish.

The first disc is divided into five parts, and the opening track, “Emergence”, emerges as an ample lane of crocheted bass and stunning drum work, over which the two guitarists cut across with personality. Motzer stands out on the electro-acoustic guitar while Skolnick delivers suspended ambient chords on the electric, before the show grows energetically polyrhythmic. They stop for a relaxed dialogue that revolves around a certain melodic idea and then conclude atmospherically, surrounded by electronic sounds.

“Brothers of Energy” is an avant-prog alchemy that feels prayerful and tense, pictorial and hypnotic. It becomes delirious in its rhythmic drive, a friction turned ecstasy with the communicative guitars atop.

Geared for dealing effectively with density and dynamics, “Over Strange Lands” leaves some funk-rock perfume in the air, whereas “The Mystery” escalates to a pulse-pounding wash of funk and rock virility after flirting with ambient. While in transit, we detect guitar harmonics and tremolos, phrases with delay effect, wah-wah-infused chords, softly fingerpicked sequences and voltage-charged solos. And of course, with Jones’ fluttering bass conductivity and Grohowski’s mercurial temperament guaranteeing an excellent foundation.

The group’s grayish patchwork of progressive rock and experimental jazz continues on the second disc, whose highlights are “The Sacred Ladder” and “The Great Spirit”. The former goes bluesy and groovy in its athletic rock spiral, whereas the latter includes measured pointillism and cyclic progressions, putting on display some interesting ideas by the blistering guitarists.

Pakt’s creative energy and quality of sound can be acknowledged on this stout double album.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (Disc1) - Emergence ► 05 (Disc1) - Brothers of Energy ► 02 (Disc2) - The Sacred Ladder

Gulfh of Berlin - Gulfh of Berlin

October 25, 2021

Label: Esp Disk’, 2021

Personnel - Gebhard Ullmann: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Gerhard Gschlossl: sousaphone, trombone; Johannes Fink: bass, cello; Jan Leipnitz: drums, objects; Michael Haves: live sound processing.

This chord-less German ensemble called Gulfh of Berlin is composed of musicians with an incredible capacity of adaptation to different settings. Their approach actually goes places as they boast a strong reeds/brass frontline with Gebhard Ullmann and Gerhard Gschlossl in command, and a quirky rhythm section made of bassist/cellist Johannes Fink and drummer Jan Leipnitz. Rounding out the group here is Michael Haves, invited to be at the wheel of the live processing.

The rhythmically interesting “Nether” touts a drifting flow, going along with a fresh beat-making that occasionally verges on dark industrial rock. With the conspicuous sousaphone vaulting the texture with its special tone, we also have a bass statement that ends up in a pitched murmur.

“K3” remains in a perpetual ambiguity and suspension regardless Leipnitz’s intentional sizzling cymbals, whereas “Serenade” adopts a swinging posture, exhibiting the horn players in animated conversation before focusing on a long, one-note drone with noisy electronics atop.

“Tellus” brings Ullmann to the fore. At some point, he switches the acrobatic tenor sounds for a timid, multiphonic bass clarinet, being followed closely by octave-modulated brass and the measured fragmentation of the drums. Although enjoying total freedom, the bass ends up with a regular pulsation.

The highly experimental “Joja Romp” probes uncharted territories with a visionary multi-genre approach, revealing vague Eastern connotations in the melody before inhabiting a transitory darker space that leads to a ‘batucada’ cadence. Tropical bass flavors are added to connect the eclectic contemporary dots.

The eruptive “Mann Aus Dem Himmel” and the squirrelly improvised “5 Elements” fall into more traditional avant-garde territory. The former, marked by kinetic drumming and sturdy tenor, progressively emphasizes the electronics; the latter bears the energy of rock, which is complemented with croaking cello and Ullmann’s defiant attitude on tenor in opposition to a more meditative and melodic course taken by Gschlossl on the trombone.

These musicians take absolute control of their instruments, making music that you’ve probably never heard before.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Nether ► 03 - Joja Romp ► 09 - 5 Elements

Craig Taborn - Shadow Plays

October 21, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Craig Taborn: piano.

Extremely skilled in the way he explores his instrument, the modern creative pianist Craig Taborn involves us in a drape of sounds and textures that range from literate to empowering and from rigorous to freewheeling.

Fully improvised and recorded live, his second ECM solo piano effort, Shadow Plays, starts with the 17-minute “Bird Templars”, where an ostinato-driven flux coalesces with deliberate bass notes, implying, by turns, electronic music build-ups, modern classical streams and pop music progressions. Avoiding to clutter the music by carefully weighing every element, Taborn remains wedded to music in all its forms, exploring calm waves and juxtaposed rhythms with the same dedicated passion.

“Conspiracy of Things” evolves expeditiously, presenting a different kind of swing that only visionary pianists can achieve. In “A Code With Spells”, he lets the power of the harmony shine through, exploring several patterns with odd meter, while on “Shadow Play”, the epic tones at the very beginning twist into heavy, maniac dollops of fierce energy before forming an amazing map of sounds that engulf dancing folk lines, asymmetric groove and repetition of ideas.

If the sonic games of “Discordia Concors” and “Concordia Discors” can be tricky to follow in their expansions, contractions, convergences and divergences, then the concluding “Now in Hope” wraps up every tension, whether by waltzing with a delicate melody or flowing rubato with amiable temper. It sounds very jazzy in both cases.

This recording illustrates what Taborn is capable of when his extravagant imagination comes alive. The more you revisit it, the more you take pleasure from what’s being offered.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Conspiracy of Things ► 06 - Shadow Play ► 07 - Now in Hope

Johnathan Blake - Homeward Bound

October 20, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Joel Ross: vibraphone; David Virelles: piano; Dezron Douglas: bass; Jonathan Blake: drums.

Jonathan Blake, one of the most respected and sought-after jazz drummers on the scene, carved a path through the contemporary jazz with some powerful albums released under his name (The Eleventh Hour; Trion) as well as fruitful collaborations with Tom Harrell, Kenny Barron and Dave Holland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jaleel Shaw and Maria Schneider.

For Homeward Bound, the fourth entry in his personal discography and his debut on the Blue Note Records, he convenes a freshly formed quintet, Pentad, which features prodigious musicians such as saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibist Joel Ross, bassist Dezron Douglas and pianist David Virelles.

A one-minute drum intro prepares the terrain for the title track, a beautiful theme that Blake composed for saxophonist Jimmy Greene's daughter, Ana Grace, whose life was taken at the age of six during the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012. Marvelously expressed with odd meter signature, the piece is illuminated by a slick harmonic progression and radiant melodic insight. It also encapsulates mesmerizing improvisation from Ross and Wilkins, who alternate bars with a focused sense of direction, and then Virelles, who scrumptiously blurs the picture with impeccable note choices. Blake also shines, becoming lyrically busy over a vamp marked by contrapuntal adorn.

Boasting a silky synth-soaked texture, “Rivers & Parks” has everyone swinging and grooving, but it’s Wilkins who leaps out, exploring outside boundaries and heating his vocabulary with fervid figures. His mesmeric improvised flights also come into view during the extroverted reworking (in six) of Joe Jackson’s 1982 electropop hit “Steppin’ Out”. Virelles, who enters the stage alone on this one, provides wonderful comping throughout while bass and drums embrace this delicious state of ecstasy.

The two other tunes that didn’t come from the pen of Blake are “Shakin’ the Biscuits”, a bouncy, funkified, bopish frolic written by Douglas that will put you in a great mood, and “Abiyoyo”, a traditional South African children’s song in sextuple meter whose lullabyish melody runs in circles.

Blake’s “LLL”, a dedication to the late drummer Lawrence 'Lo' Leathers, is a stirring post-bop number that gives Ross plenty of time to showcase his progressive mallet prowess.

The elegant drumming of Blake permeates the album. His accomplishment here is not just a direct result of an accumulated experience throughout the years, but also the refined taste that shows up in everything he does.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Homeward Bound ► 04 - Shakin’ the Biscuits ► 08 - Steppin’ Out

Jazzmeia Horn and her Noble Force - Dear Love

October 19, 2021

Label: Empress Legacy Records, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thomas Heberer - The Day That Is

October 18, 2021

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2021

Personnel - Thomas Heberer: trumpet; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; John Hébert: acoustic bass; Michael Sarin: drums.

The German-born, New York-based trumpeter Thomas Heberer was active during the Covid lockdown, composing some new tunes that go pretty well with some previously developed material. The resulting work comes together in The Day That Is, a 10-track album of originals featuring collaborators he considered to be ideal for his musical purposes. He called forth the improvising talents of fellow countrywoman and lauded saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, who joins him in the frontline, as well as the rhythmic facility of bassist John Hébert, with whom he plays in the Angelica Sanchez Nonet, and Michael Sarin, a fellow teacher at Maine Jazz Camp, whose work (especially with Thomas Chapin in the 90s) left a mark on him.

Marching and rocking by turns, and sometimes simultaneously, the title cut opens the album with angular traits in the theme, after which we're presented with wide-ranging conversational trumpet and incredibly danceable fleet soprano movements.

The topics and motivations are diversified. “Erg Chebbi” was inspired by a camel ride in Morocco and infuses a sultry warmth in that picture. In turn, “Seconds First” was influenced by the compositional ingenuity of veneered pianist Andrew Hill, examining a combination of hushed reverie and controlled disharmony. And the well-oiled “One For Roy”, which features extended techniques and quirky noises by the horn players, was composed for The Nu Band and dedicated to its late member, the trumpeter Roy Campbell, whom Heberer replaced in 2014.

“Caro Pook” offers a plain yet tightly channeled rock pulse delivered by Sarin, who also articulates energetically at an early stage on “Mapping the Distance”. Here the group plays with the meter, and the soloing exuberance of Laubrock on soprano is highlighted, suddenly bringing Steve Lacy to mind.

The sweet-tempered “The Sleeping Bag Unfolds” evolves with nice melody and solos, with Heberer and Laubrock employing their specific timbres and idioms to stimulate the senses.

This album doesn’t disappoint.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Day That Is ► 03 - Seconds First ► 10 - Mapping the Distance

Enrico Rava - Edizione Speciale

October 14, 2021

Label: ECM Records, 2021

Personnel - Enrico Rava: trumpet, flugelhorn; Francesco Bearzatti: tenor saxophone; Giovanni Guidi: piano; Francesco Diodati: guitar; Gabriele Evangelista: double bass; Enrico Morello: drums.

Enrico Rava ranks high among the contemporary trumpeters/composers of the past five decades. He has been lauded for an incredible facility to incorporate jazz tradition and avant-garde liberties in his very personal music. This new ECM outing, recorded live two years ago at the Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp with an Italian sextet of talented musicians, shows his outstanding versatility through music that forges ahead with personality and style.

Rava’s “Infant”, the most fascinating number on Edizione Speciale, develops with a manic glee, starting with rhythmic accentuation in the melody and gorgeously synced movements. The outstanding guitar dissonances heard after the theme statement are infused with bright harmonics and foreboding noise, catching the attention. The mood recalls the spontaneity of one of my favorite albums of all times - The Pilgrim and the Stars (ECM, 1975), which featured Rava alongside American guitarist John Abercrombie and the Nordic rhythm section of Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. The squalling guitar playing of Francesco Diodati continues after Giovanni Guidi’s piano whirls, which usually crash in the lower registers with indomitable energy, and the improvisations succeed one after another, with bassist Gabriele Evangelista, saxophonist Francesco Bearzatti, and Rava, who concludes the section with a mix of angularity and feathery etherealness.

A pair of tracks combine two different tunes. One of them takes us from “Once Upon a Summertime”, originally a French ballad composed by Michel Legrand, to the medium-fast tempo that characterizes Rava’s 1996 piece “Theme For Jessica Tatum”, in which the improvisations stretch for a bit too long. The other one starts off with the very Italian melody of “Le Solite Cose”, which leads to “Diva”, a post-bop piece where Rava applies all the color and amplitude at his disposal. He repeats the feat on the popular Cuban song “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás”, during which both the group and the audience seem to have had so much fun.

Rounding out the track list, we have “Wild Dance”, which prematurely fuses melancholy nostalgia and contemplative spirituality before reaching an ambiguous, noisy nebulae in its effect-drenched sonic cosmos; and “The Fearless Five”, another old tune (first recorded in 1978 with trombonist Roswell Rudd in the lineup) that, featuring an animated trumpet/sax duel, brings into the fold elements of disparate forebears such as Andrew Hill, Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Infant ► 04 - The Fearless Five ► 05 - Le Solite Cose / Diva

Rova Saxophone Quartet - The Circumference of Reason

October 13, 2021

Label: Esp Disk’, 2021

Personnel - Larry Ochs: tenor saxophone; Jon Raskin: baritone saxophone; Steve Adams: alto and sopranino saxophone; Bruce Ackley: soprano and tenor saxophone.

The San Francisco-based Rova Saxophone Quartet has been active since 1977, creating timbre-concentrated music that, typically following defined structures, finds ample room for improvisation. The four technically brilliant members of the ensemble - Jon Raskin, Steve Adams, Bruce Ackley and Larry Ochs - are known for their wide range approach, rhythmic inventiveness and intriguing arrangements, which incorporate a variety of tone colors.

On this new album, The Circumference of Reason, they opt for less cathartic grooves and a more self-possessed posture that achieves better outcomes on the opening and closing tracks, curiously both related to the late American free jazz saxophonist Glenn Spearman. The former cut, “The Extrapolation of the Inevitable”, is one of his compositions, presenting synchronized angular melodies and extemporaneous concessions as parts of Ochs’ competent arrangement; the latter number, “The Enumeration”, is Adam’s dedication to Spearman, where a solid horn-consummated background sustains fierce improvisation, and well-aligned collective passages take advantage of winding counterpoint.

The group harnesses its privileged communication, deepening the dialogues spontaneously on the two versions of “NC17”. The Version 1 seeks hybrid states by infusing atmospheric ostinatos, drones and casual blows whose repose is occasionally disturbed by muscular incursions, percussive techniques and multiphonic grumbles. In turn, Version 2 is busier at the outset - including squawking cacophony and a pulsating baritone - before becoming whisperingly lost in thought. The tension returns in bursts for the final section, and the persistent ebb and flow that characterizes their pieces doesn’t apply to the minimalist title track, a limbo of hushed, disperse sounds that left me lightly somnolent.

This mildly enjoyable Rova still provides some moments of fascinating horn interplay.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Extrapolation of the Inevitable ► 05 - NC17 Version 2 ► 06 - The Enumeration

Yuma Uesaka / Marilyn Crispell - Streams

October 11, 2021

Label: Not Two Records, 2021

Personnel - Yuma Uesaka: tenor saxophone, clarinets; Marylin Crispell: piano.

Purveyors of an irresistible avant-garde jazz, the up-and-coming Japanese-American saxophonist Yuma Uesaka and the experienced American pianist Marilyn Crispell set off in an explorative duo session that merges their modern free universes. Although belonging to different generations, the musicians display a formidable sense of unity that makes their music a genuine pleasure to listen to.

Connecting contralto clarinet and piano, “Meditation” ushers in low-pitched droning patterns to create an atmosphere of stillness that is not devoid of tension. The deep tones become brighter on “Iterations I”, in which imperfect parallel phrases make this music so human. This number by the saxophonist, intensely fixated on an atonal melodic synchrony that has the earmarks of Anthony Braxton, flows with a fragmented narrative via Crispell’s marvelous configurations of chords and textures. Wielding his tenor with authority, Uesaka throws a consistent flow of ideas on top of that, in advance of a pacific and harmonically logic ending.

“Streams” starts as an idyllic composure, maintaining its sonic cultivation even when the dissonance increases and the terminology gets as much accentuated as passionately intense. The twosome is awesome in balancing delicacy and exuberance, but “Torrent” leans on the latter quality, starting with piano leaps, sharp pulses and steep angularity. In the course of this piece, Uesaka switches from tenor sax to clarinet, showing incisiveness when attacking the former instrument and being a bit more ruminative on the latter.

The funny cadenced movements that wrap up the formerly described piece take us to the closing track, “Ma/Space”, which signals the most outstanding moment on the album. Nearly prayerful, this number aims to another dimension. It’s a nod to Uesaka’s Japanese heritage and the ancient court music of Gagaku, and features a third element as a guest: Chatori Shimizu on shō, a Japanese free reed aerophone.

Don’t sleep on this record because there’s plenty of detail to be admired and enough sagacity and enchantment to make it notable.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Iterations I ► 03 - Streams ► 06 - Ma/Space

Borderlands Trio - Wandersphere

October 7, 2021

Label: Intakt Records, 2021

Personnel - Stephan Crump: acoustic bass; Kris Davis: piano; Eric McPherson: drums.

The Borderlands Trio is made of three inventive musicians - Stephan Crump on double bass, Kris Davis on piano and Eric McPherson on drums - who explore freely without any genre constraints or forcing moods. Their new outing on Intakt, Wandersphere, is a double disc with four improvised pieces recorded in New York during the 2020 pandemic. The group expands views with purely instinctive spontaneity, assuring that their music flows even more naturally (no editing) than on their debut album Asteroidea (Intakt, 2017).

“Super-Organic” quietly gets shape through clever cymbal layouts, relentless bowed bass and a gorgeously atmospheric pianism that benefits from Davis’ attentive preparation of her instrument. The piece segues into some ostinato-driven passages before entering a magical ballroom where mutable grooves join both the cascading and entangling piano. The trio accomplishes wonders and everything fits in the right place, even when Crump’s fingers glide in exploration of higher registers with Davis assuming the bass lines. The gamelan-like sounds of the prepared piano contribute a strong African feel to the concluding vamp.

Crump says: “the goal of the trio is to offer and receive simultaneous, relinquishing as much ego as possible.” This spirit is felt throughout the album, and the 41-minute “Old-Growth” has a lot to be discovered, evolving from being lyrical to consciously vague and exploratively jazzy to offering hypnotic cadences that could have been inspired by or be transported to electronic music. After insinuating a lopsided swing over which Davis delivers some pure jazz phrases, there’s this intimate arco bass expression, surrounded by exotic sounds, that progresses with spiritual development.

“An Invitation to Disappear” conveys this inescapable sense of being trapped in a bubble of solvent molecules, but soon veers to a kinetic, rock-inspired thrust, probing grooves that are as much complex as they are relatable and assimilable. There is tremendous tension at certain times, which are slightly eased on the buoyant “Possible Futures”, another copious outpouring of ostinatos, grooves and other ideas that fully cohere.

Imaginative and inspiring, the Borderlands Trio extemporizes with grand musical gestures and sweeping elegance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (Disc 1) - Super-Organism ► 02 (Disc 1) - An Invitation to Disappear

Jeff Lederer's Sunwatcher - Eightfold Path

October 5, 2021

Label: Little (i) Records, 2021

Personnel - Jeff Lederer: tenor saxophone; Jamie Saft: piano, organ; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Matt Wilson: drums.

After a decade, the cutting-edge tenor saxophonist Jeff Lederer reunites his Sunwatcher project with one change in the lineup: the legendary electric bassist Steve Swallow replaces Buster Williams, another legend. The keyboardist Jamie Saft and the drummer Matt Wilson round out the quartet for a stirring record made by inspired musicians. The eight recorded pieces were conceived to reflect the law of Dharma in its fundamental ideas. All of them are first takes from a session that took place during the summer of 2020 in the yard of Saft’s home studio in the Hudson Valley.

The group’s energy is promptly personified on the opening track, “Right Concentration”, where the relaxing sound of gongs prepares us for sudden organ strikes, sparse bass notes and filling drums, which complete the substratum while offering an ample bed to Lederer’s magnetic phrases. Together, they form a fragmented psychedelic scenario.

The main idea bookending “Right Speech” first comes in the form of an irresistible reed/drum tide. The middle section is marked not only by Swallow’s stunning bass lines, which are imbued of warmth and groove, but also by vivid and oblique organ reverberations and dynamic sax trajectories populated with strong rhythmic figures.

“Right Effort” evinces a more reflective, laid-back posture, a fact that doesn’t curb Lederer from articulate a considerable amount of notes with impressive speed, and “Right Resolve” harkens back to the groovy rock of the 70s - the sound of Janis Joplin and Deep Purple suddenly crossed my mind. Additionally, “Right Action” grooves with soulful intensity.

Following “Right Livelihood”, a powerful concoction of soul, jazz and funk, the quartet ends the journey with “Right Mindfulness”, endorsing contemplation through a mantra-like piano premise. Wilson’s beautifully designed cymbal maneuvers add extra special flavor here.

The return of Lederer’s Sunwatcher provides some great musical moments.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Right Speech ► 04 - Right Action ► 08 - Right Mindfulness

Eivind Aarset - Phantasmagoria

October 4, 2021

Label: Jazzland Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Eivind Aarset: guitar, electronics; Wetle Holte: drums, percussion, metallophone, metronome, drum programming, organ; Erland Dahlen: drums, percussion, vibraphone, drum programming; Audun Erlien: bass, Casio synth + guests Arve Henriksen: trumpet; Jan Bang: sampling; John Derek Bishop: field recordings and sound treatments.

Phantasmagoria or A Different Kind of Journey is a new experimental proposition by Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset, whose power of invention takes this record to more accessible yet no less stunning places. Aarset teams up with versatile drummers and percussionists Wetle Holte and Erland Dahlen as well as the bassist Audun Erlien, and counts on guest appearances by the atmospheric trumpeter Arve Henriksen, the sampling wizard Jan Bang and the electronic musician John Derek Bishop.

Aarset’s “Intoxication” makes us plunge into an ambient jazz universe painted with cinematic imagery and fetching timbral qualities. Sustained chord washes, guitar distortion, and impeccable drumming get the company of Erlien’s one-time Casio synth patch.

“Pearl Hunter” and “Soft Grey Ghosts”, two pieces that develop in a streamlined quintuple meter, also came to life by Aarset’s pen. While the former sets aside the sinister indie rock demeanor in detriment of an assumed composure that probes recondite routes at a later phase, the latter seems to have been born from gothic Americana, also suggesting an imaginary crossing between Bjork’s syncopated textures and Nick Cave’s lugubrious tones.

If “Outbound” has a dancing quality to it, thriving with prog-rock attitude, noise pollution and elements of ambient, then its twin, “Inbound”, raises the bar with an off-kilter instrumentation and sound design that show the fertile imagination of the musicians involved.

Over the course of the fairly accessible “Manta Ray”, it’s Henriksen’s trumpet that soars high over a warped texture whose inquisitive, breathing layers probe delicate and comfortable atmospheres. This track contrasts with the next, “Didn’t See This One Coming”, a wired quartet improvisation with shredded guitar, spectral samples engendered by Bang, and a sort of motorik beat.

Loosely based on “Waiting for a Boat” by Bel Canto’s singer Anneli Drecker, “Light on Shanzu River” concludes the album by lulling us into a pleasant dream-state.

This hallucinatory fusion of experimental rock, avant-garde, ambient and noise is a thoroughly engrossing trip to Aarset’s mystified musical cosmos.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Intoxication ► 05 - Manta Ray ► 08 - Inbound

Gonzalo Rubalcaba / Ron Carter / Jack DeJohnette - Skyline

September 30, 2021

Label: 5Passion Records, 2021

Personnel - Gonzalo Rubalcaba: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

On his newest trio album, Cuban-born piano maverick Gonzalo Rubalcaba reunites with the mentors of his youth, the bassist Ron Carter and the drummer Jack DeJohnette. The former associated himself to the pianist’s musical cause on the album Diz… (Somethin’ Else, 1994), while the latter appeared on Images (Somethin’ Else, 1991) and The Blessing (Somethin’ Else, 1991).

Skyline, the first installment of an intended trilogy to be delivered in the classic piano trio format, comprises two previously recorded pieces from each musician. The program is rounded out with two Cuban classics - Miguel Metamoros’ “Lagrimas Negras”, a romantic bolero-son which opens the disc displaying slick bass and crescendo piano solos, and Jose Antonio Mendez’s “Novia Mia”, an affecting, slow-moving bass-piano duet shed in exemplary moderation.

The Rubalcaba pieces feel somewhat modest when compared to the other tunes. They are “Promenade”, a dedication to Carter that doesn’t really stick out despite some fine stretches by DeJohnette, and “Siempre Maria”, a bolero with some ultimate groovy patterns, which was first recorded in 1992 for the album Suite 4 y 20 (Blue Note).

Carter gets the loose intro of his 1979-penned “Gipsy” underway, and then installs a walking bass motion occasionally adorned by impeccable glissandos and pedals that provides plenty of space to be filled by Rubalcaba. The pianist’s eloquent melodies never loses articulation and his speed of language is glaring. He complements them here by transient, crashing left-hand chunks.

The album closes with “RonJackRuba”, a spontaneous lilting exercise credited to the threesome, but before that we have DeJohnette’s numbers, “Silver Hollow” and “Ahmad the Terrible”. The former wafts delicately toward a beautiful, hypnotic waltzing cadence where the piano wraps around the bass and drums like a cocoon; the latter piece, which first appeared on the drummer’s Special Edition’s Album Album (ECM,1984), offers a somewhat arcane introduction before the theme kicks in with Brubeckian insinuation and rhythmic punch.

Not the best Rubalcaba we’ve heard, but a good Rubalcaba.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Gipsy ► 03 - Silver Hollow ► 07 - Ahmad the Terrible