Rodrigo Amado Northern Liberties - We Are Electric

Label: Not Two Records, 2021

Personnel - Rodrigo Amado: tenor saxophone; Thomas Johansson: trumpet; Jon Rune Strøm: double bass; Gard Nilssen: drums.

The saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, the most representative figure of the Portuguese free jazz scene, proceeds with fruitful international collaborations, this time leading a new quartet rounded out by three qualified Norwegian players namely, trumpeter Thomas Johansson (from the adventurous quartet Cortex), bassist Jon Rune Strøm (a regular in the Paal-Nilssen Love Large Unit), and drummer Gard Nilssen (a bandleader of excellence who spearheads the Acoustic Unity trio and the Supersonic Orchestra). Their debut, We Are Electric, consists of four improvised tracks recorded live at ZDB in Lisbon, and finds the foursome exploring creative idioms with a rare cohesion. 

Clocking in at 17+ minutes, “Spark” bears a manic energy right from the start. Vivid contortions created by a saxophone that cuts in with fiery aplomb and a muted trumpet that explores timbre with logic in the phrasing, heat up the densely packed rhythmic mesh. In one minute, the frontline men engage in well-rounded motifs, but in the next they have things thriving with slapping-tongue staccatos on the saxophone and uncompromisingly keyed trumpet. At some point, the group swings, and later we are immersed in a free rock 'n’ roll from outer space. The piece ends with the horn players in absolute control, just like they do on “Response”, a number that has the particularity of being finalized with a long hoarse tenor shriek.

“Ignition” starts unhurriedly, set in motion by bowed bass and sparking brushwork. A simple two-note figure serves as an excuse to start a dialogue between Amado and Johansson, but all this is stretched and expanded into a boiling collective commotion that is interrupted by the subsequent piece, “Activity”. Here, the multiphonics, muted trumpet and palpable melodic lines denote a lyricism that counterbalances the effusiveness that comes next. They even set up a nice swinging motion and inflict a bluesy feel on this one. This is well-developed improvised music made by an intrepid quartet who knocks down all the pins in all contexts.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Spark ► 02 - Ignition ► 03 - Activity

Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double - March

Label: Firehouse 12 Records, 2022

Personnel - Tomas Fujiwara: drums; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Brandon Seabrook: guitar; Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet; Ralph Alessi: trumpet.

Brooklyn-based drummer/composer Tomas Fujiwara leads his working sextet Triple Double with courage for a riper sophomore album titled March. Inspired by dance and protest, this stunning comeback features a wide range of influences spread throughout six Fujiwara postmodern originals and an improvised 17-minute drum duet.

The lead-off track, “Pack Up, Coming For You”, exhibits a defiant indie rock posture on top of a disorienting rhythm laid down by the bandleader. The inflexible cornet of Taylor Ho Bynum carries on with valiant resistance while Mary Halvorson’s guitar reaches epic surface-noise levels. The process repeats in stereo but the protagonists are now the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, guitarist Brandon Seabrook and drummer Gerald Cleaver. The procedure may be equivalent but the sounds are very unique as each musician is singular. Before the end, all six members became involved at the same time, articulating triumphantly without getting on top of each other.

Other titles, like the revolutionary “Wave Shake Angle Bounce” and the polyrhythmic “Docile Fury Ballad” make clear the potential heft of this ensemble by knitting tapestries with vivid colors and rugged textures. The former rocks and marches with swaggering impulsivity after placing a striking melodic phrase at the center; the latter, more heated than temperate, first engages in a passage with muted trumpet, murmuring guitarism altered with spiky crests, and an accented foundation, before welcoming a combative fuzz guitar over the multi-timbral drive provided by the drummers.

“Life Only Gets More” is jazzier in the chordal work, poignantly melodic, and supported by offbeat two-way drumming in a spontaneous approach to the written material. “March of the Storm” slows things down, taking the form of a lamentation. The unit cohesion develops it into a crescendo of sound and texture. Bridging the amenable extremities, there’s an intricate odd-metered passage delivered with unapologetic tones and psychedelic imprints.

The album closes out with “For Alan, Part II”, a beautifully coordinated drum duet in tribute to Fujiwara’s childhood teacher, Alan Dawson. Well stocked with shape-shifting electro-acoustic parades, March is contagious in its unfettered exchanges of artistic expression.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Life Only Gets More ► 03 - Wave Shake Angle Bounce ► 04 - March of the Storm

Melissa Aldana - 12 Stars

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Melissa Aldana: tenor saxophone; Lage Lund: guitar; Sullivan Fortner: keyboards; Pablo Menares: bass; Kush Abadey: drums.

Born in Santiago, Chile, and based in Harlem, New York, the saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana presents her first release on the Blue Note label, leading a quintet of bright musicians. The seven originals that comprise 12 Stars were co-written with the Norwegian guitarist Lage Lund.

Aldana's horn permeates the repertoire with determination, and “Falling” begins this journey with a tight-knit head that finds her delineating a breezy, unfurling melody over the throttling bass of Pablo Menares and the harmonic sophistication negotiated by Lund and the pianist Sullivan Fortner. The bandleader probes stunning intervals in her improvisation, exploring the high and low registers of the tenor with focused direction. Subsequently to a functional comping, Fortner adds up cascading reverie to the setting.

Other standouts of the album include: “Intuition”, a tango-ish exertion with sax-guitar agreement and a forward marching snare that sounds more sultry than threatening; and the rhythmically fascinating “Los Ojos de Chile”, a number inspired by the demonstrations and riots for civil rights that spread over that South American country in 2019, and where the group finds a cool burn through tension and release. After the beautiful theme, we have resourceful piano playing, ascendant guitar motifs that precipitate slices of swinging motion, and a squirrelly then surgical tenor statement that concurrently encourages and weeps.

The poignant, cerebral ballad “Emilia”, which came out of a dream related to motherhood, prompts drummer Kush Abadey to caress the skins and cymbals of the drum kit with soft brushes. As a soloist, it’s Lund who stands out here by taking peculiar paths suffused with color. 

Abadey infers distinct rhythmic feels on “The Bluest Eyes” and “The Fool”. He tosses in a methodical ride cymbal drive for a swinging feel on the former, and paves the latter with gentle Brazilian-flavored rudiments. Both “The Fool” and the closing track, the one that gave the album its name, are a product of the bandleader’s curiosity about tarot, a practice she learned during lockdown. Aldana emerges stronger on 12 Stars, backed by competent partners who respond to her calls with appropriate action.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Falling ► 02 - Intuition ► 07 - Los Ojos de Chile 

THAR [Taylor Haskins / Andrew Rathbun / Matt Pavolka / Tom Rainey]

Label: Koshkil Records, 2022

Personnel - Taylor Haskins: trumpet; Andrew Rathbun: saxophone; Matt Pavolka: bass; Tom Rainey: drums.

The Canadian saxophonist Andrew Rathbun reunites with his long-time collaborator, the American trumpeter Taylor Haskins, in an interesting session with a simpatico unit that strives to reach new grounds. The recording, which encloses composed tunes and sketchy collective improvisations, opens with Haskins’ “Wake Up Call”, a 2002 cut where a firm, open-ended rhythmic foundation encourages the horn players to deliver angular unisons and expressive concurrent statements. The known indefatigable robustness of bassist Matt Pavolka is eased on pieces such as “Sun Dogs” and “Slow Vignette”. The former is a Haskins-penned waltzing ballad with streamlined conversation between sax and trumpet, whereas the latter, written by Rathbun, flows with rubato delicacy, bringing about melodic lyricism as well as an arresting tenor solo. 

Also from the pen of Rathbun, we have the witty “Go Ahead and Try to Have a Conversation Online” and “Do Not Call List”, where the opulent rock bottom transports one of those melodic stamps that are not easy to sing along. The saxophonist employs exotic scales and infuses bright ideas on the soprano, while the formidable bass delineation goes perfectly well with drummer Tom Rainey’s willful playing. His drum chops shimmer in the background or provide a skeleton of rhythm that hangs everything on. It's all played with wide-open ears. 

“March” stands out, displaying brave snare rattling sounds paving the way, delay-affected trumpet, sparse bass accompaniment, assertive saxophone, and an ultimate polyphonic discourse. Rathbun and Haskins create effortlessly, exhibiting distinct sounds and approaches that, for example, on the short-lived improv “Skwonk” sets frenzied high-pitched soprano lines against flat muted trumpet. Always stretching to do something new, THAR sometimes pushes the music to alluringly uncharacteristic places. 

Favorite Tracks:
05 - Slow Vignette ► 08 - Do Not Call List ► 10 - March

Happy Thief - Hello Cacus!

Label: Ears&eyes Records, 2022

Personnel - Elias Stemeseder: piano; Petter Asbjornsen: bass; Federico Isasti: drums.

Happy Thief is an exploratory triumvirate whose first work, Hello Cacus!, resulted from the strong musical connection established by its two founding members: the Norwegian bassist Petter Asbjornsen and the Argentinian drummer and audiovisual software developer Federico Isasti. Days after meeting at a New York residency, the twosome bumped into the Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder, best known for his work with drummer the Jim Black and guitarist Nels Cline, and the compositional concept gained a concrete shape.

It’s far from ordinary what these guys do here, and we have that notion right from the start. “For Petter” starts off with spiky rolling drums that, at some point, fixate in a quintuple-meter figure. Cross rhythms and undercurrents are a constant throughout these musings, and the intriguing tones take us to a minute of entropy by the end. The following piece, “No. 3”, conjures a similar mood, yet, adding a tad more bliss to the melodic motifs and exposing those polyrhythmic counteractions created by bass and drums in an accented response to the piano playing.

Nuances in tempo and texture mark “Tren A Formia”, which alternates busy rhythms with quietly sober moments. There are also “Gammal Ice”, where a revamped bass figure works as the spinal axis of an asymmetric 24-beat cycle, and “Federico’s Idea”, which draws our focus from harmony toward rhythmic displacement. There’s a sense of amorphousness within the structure that feels greater in pensive numbers such as “Great Title” and “Lagerbygning”, both marked by the unshowy, rich brushwork of Isasti. 

Happy Thief creates architecturally inquisitive music that shimmers in its own dialect. Considerable doses of ambiguity in the interlocking cadences will make listeners search regularly for a palpable trajectory, and that’s the most rewarding aspect of this recording.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - For Petter ► 02 - No. 3 ► 03 - Tren a Formia

Marta Sanchez - SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)

Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2022

Personnel - Roman Filiu: tenor saxophone; Alex LoRe: alto saxophone; Marta Sanchez: piano; Rashaan Carter: bass; Allan Mednard: drums. Guests: Camila Meza: vocals, guitar (#5); Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet (#5); Charlotte Greve: synths (#5).

The pianist/composer Marta Sanchez was born in Madrid and works in New York, where she has already demonstrated bold compositional skills with contemporary jazz pieces that adhere to form and structure. The quintet has been her preferred format since 2015, but on this new outing, SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum), she recycles the lineup with new musical partners. She maintains the Cuban saxophonist Roman Filiu in the frontline - here surprisingly playing tenor only - and welcomes Alex LoRe, whose blustery alto statements are an excellent match. The group is complemented by a zestful rhythm section in which Sanchez teams up with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Allan Mednard. 

As the title implies, this recording mixes elements of her Spanish and American experiences, but its central piece, “Marivi” - a tribute to Sanchez’s mother who passed during lockdown - falls outside the predominant mood as she abdicates from the saxophone players to feature the guest vocalist/guitarist Camila Meza, who sings in Spanish, and the trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, who sails serenely with a mix of keening and brightness.

Most of the pieces have relatively short themes, and “The Unconquered Vulnerable Areas” ushers in a stimulating rhythmic drive, having the expeditious LoRe delivering gracious ideas. After that, there's a shared soloing moment in which Sanchez and Filiu articulate a nice musical conversation. Displaying more reflective tones are the following: “Dear Worthiness”, a ballad with a three time feel in direct relation to an onerous sense of insecurity; “The Eternal Stillness”, a pool of gorgeous effulgence; and “The Hard Balance”, a delicate chamber-like number with horn polyphony and polyrhythmic feel that spotlights the group’s atmospheric strengths. The latter two pieces feature bass improvisations.

The always intelligent and sophisticated playing of Sanchez can be savored on the title track, where a relentless piano motif underlays the theme statement before morphing into sparse chordal work. Her dexterity reinforces the background in support of explorative saxophone deliberations. The piece kind of shapes up as a colorful Latin march by the end. Also, the closing short-themed track, “When Dreaming is the Only”, is a showcase for an ever-interesting dialogue between saxophonists eagerly trading off ideas back and forth.
This is a strong album whose music emanates inextricable feelings derived from a particularly intense time in the life of this gifted Spanish pianist.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Unconquered Vulnerable Areas ► 03 - SAAM ► 09 - When Dreaming is the Only

David Binney - A Glimpse of the Eternal

Label: Criss Cross Jazz, 2022

Personnel - David Binney: alto saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano; Eivind Opsvik; bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

The David Binney Quartet returns with lots of color on A Glimpse of the Eternal, a 13-track album featuring originals, covers, and three solo interludes (two for piano and one for saxophone). By comparison with the quartet's previous outing - Time Verses (2017) - we have the intrepid pianist Craig Taborn, a long-time collaborator, occupying the piano chair that belonged to Jacob Sacks. The core of the rhythm section remains assigned to bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Dan Weiss.

The album’s first three tracks are fluttering, breathy pieces delivered with a great deal of subtlety - “Our Place” is one of Binney’s new compositions, flowing with a straight eight feel and gentle traction; “In a Way”, which was penned by the L.A.-born pianist Michael Cain, keeps the relaxing tones; while “Ambivalence”, one of the two pieces borrowed from the repertoire of composer/arranger Vince Mendoza, is a fine ballad that, mellowing the mood through impeccable brushwork, is elevated by Binney’s high-emotional statement and Taborn’s exquisite accompaniment.

This relative simplicity is converted into functional complexity on the fourth track, “Vibe Changer”, whose defiant rock posture and spasmodic gestures force the soloists to become brisker in nature. The impetus eases again with Jan Garbarek’s “Blue Sky”, a picturesque title built with an optimistic melody and crescent cross-stick syncopation. Yet, it's with the beautiful take on Ralph Towner’s folksy “Nightfall” that the group reaches a peak. A strange combination of tense and easygoing forces arises from the arco pedal and firm drumming, and then Binney and Taborn stun. The former transcends with his sinuous outside-in playing, whereas the latter deconstructs and reinvents via ingenious piano acrobatics.

Equally curious yet distinct, the title track presents an intriguing first part that leads to a slow singable waltz whose texture and tempo shift along the way. The album ends with a totally different vibe as a consequence of a blazing interpretation of “I Had the Craziest Dream”, a jazz standard. Here, the saxophonist blows a mile a minute, but the result is not as great as on other occasions. Overall, this is a strong album that solidifies Binney’s stature as a major player. 

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Ambivalence ► 04 - Vibe Changer ► 07 - Nightfall

Hedvig Mollestad - Tempest Revisited

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2021

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar, vocals, upright piano; Karl Hjalmar Nyberg: alto saxophone; Martin Myhre Olsen: soprano, alto and baritone saxophones; Peter Erik Vergeni: tenor saxophone, flute; Marte Eberson: vibraphone, synth; Trond Frønes; bass; Ivar Loe Bjørnstad: drum set, percussion + guest Per Oddvar Johansen: drum set (#1).

Norwegian guitarist and composer Hedvig Mollestad carved out a singular spot for herself in the creative music orb. For her new outing, Tempest Revisited, she sought inspiration from the avant-garde composer Arne Nordheim and his work The Tempest while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Parken Culture House in her hometown, Aleslund. The disc, even not as ceiling-shaking as other adventures, comprises five mesmerizing excursions where a nearly telepathic understanding is established among the musicians involved.

“Sun On a Dark Sky” opens with a feathery flute, but you can feel the storm approaching from behind. Ritualistic chants increase the sense of feverishness while a guitar ostinato gives the piece a perceptible, clearer shape. The trio of saxophonists first go for lines of tranquility until a fusion-imbued 13-beat cycle makes them insert woozy lines. An asymmetric, odd-metered cycle is also spotted on “High Hair”, a prog-rock-like exertion with reeds and guitar working in tandem and an energy that will win you over.

Mollestad was gifted with a variety of sonic palettes to choose from, and “Winds Approaching” stresses that aspect by expertly blending styles. Following the initial percussion festivities with clapping and horn chants, there’s rock muscularity stemming from the heavy guitar, and then jazzy bass lines welcoming brilliant harmonic colors. The adaptable horn players match up their textural lines, occasionally dovetailing phrases and easing off their impetus according to the mood. Besides sax and guitar, this piece features a zig-zagging synth solo.

“Kittiwakes of Gusts” results in a cool mixture of hard rock and R&B, and the feel is all groovy and burning. The group embarks on seamless modulation, interchangeable saxophone impressions that later become tangled, and searing overdrive-infused guitar. In turn, “418 (Stairs in Storms)” combines ambient awe and gutsy riffery to create contrasting tones of sheer beauty. Delivered with iron-fisted discipline and controlled power, this edgy yet accessible Tempest Revisited resounds in the listener’s head with a sense of bewilderment and exuberance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Sun On a Dark Sky ► 02 - Winds Approaching ►04 - 418 (Stairs in Storms)

The Nu Band - In Memory of Mark Whitecage

Label: Not Two Records, 2022

Personnel - Mark Whitecage: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute; Thomas Heberer: quarter-tone trumpet; Joe Fonda: double bass, flute; Lou Grassi: drums, percussion.

The Nu Band, an explorative quartet within the avant-garde jazz movement for more than two decades, released a live album that serves as a tribute to its singular saxophonist, Mark Whitecage, who passed away in March last year. This live recording, captured in 2018 at The BopShop in Rochester, New York, features compositions by all four members of the ensemble. 

The session opens with two different Whitecage numbers, the flute-infused “Prayer for the Water Protectors” and the animated “Five O’clock Follies”, a spectacular freebop blowout whose frantic short theme immediately takes us to a bass solo solely supported by hi-hat drops. Unison sax-trumpet motifs disintegrate and reshape into autonomous improvisatory rants. The indefatigable swinging drive created by the rhythm section stimulates the horn players who display their attractive language with unlimited confidence. The drummer Lou Grassi also gets a solo taste, vibrantly measuring and articulating before the theme returns to its bones.

“One For Roy” is Thomas Heberer’s tribute to the late trumpeter Roy Campbell, a former member of this quartet whom he replaced in 2014. The group reveals maturity in the interplay as they go from a rubato abstraction disrupted by bursts of tension to a swaggering motion. The second piece brought by the trumpeter, “The Closer You Are, the Further it Gets” is a highlight. Clocking in at 14 minutes, this piece begins with a fantastic solo bass statement in which Joe Fonda shows off his pure intuition, incredible rhythmic control, and great ears for sound. He even rocks at some point, before a 15-note figure takes over. Afterwards, Heberer works on the lower registers before expanding his sound, and Whitecage steps up the game by employing trilling circularity and growling sounds. The group finishes it off in rollicking mode.

After admitting a free, shapeless exploration with clarinet, flute, trumpet and percussion, Fonda’s “Christophe and Ornette” establishes a groove in six over which the horns spill wonderful angularity. The album draws to a close with Grassi’s “Dark Dawn in Aurora”, a mournful piece marked by a patterned marching strut and revealing folk-blues connotations, which had been previously recorded in 2015 to be included on the Nu Band’s album The Cosmological Constant.

The under-recognized Whitecage will be missed; his fans have here another document that brings his soloing capacities to the fore as well as The Nu Band’s sense of shared space and cohesive interplay.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Five O’clock Follies ► 04 - The Closer You Are, the Further it Gets ► 07 - Dark Dawn in Aurora

Tyler Mitchell - Dancing Shadows

Label: Mahakala Records, 2022

Personnel - Marshall Allen: alto saxophone, EVI; Chris Hemmingway: tenor saxophone; Nicoletta Manzini: alto saxophone; Tyler Mitchell: bass; Wayne Smith: drums; Elson Nascimento: percussion.

Veteran bassist Tyler Mitchell was a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 1980s, participating in two of their albums, After Hours and Reflections in Blue, both from 1986. He also played with saxophonist George Coleman, singer Shirley Horn, and drummer Art Taylor. Not as active as a leader, Mitchell released Live At Smalls under his own name in 2012, an auspicious debut album in which he was in command of a pliant New York quintet. Now he presents Dancing Shadows, a 12-track effort featuring a multi-generational sextet which, in addition to a couple of originals, tackles five pieces by Sun Ra and one by Thelonious Monk. On board with him for this sonic journey is the current leader of the Arkestra, the 97-year-old maestro Marshall Allen. 

The group infests Ra’s “Interstellar Low Ways” with a melody that recalls “Tenderly” and solos from the three reedists - Nicoletta Manzini, who occasionally revisits the melody, Chris Hemmingway, who mixes outside playing with bluesy incursions, and Allen, who concludes ebulliently. Other Ra numbers include “Angels and Demons at Play”, where all things flutter around a 14-note, 10-beat-cycle bass figure; the uptempo free romp “Dancing Shadows”, which swings at the bottom and twists at the surface with multiple horn deliveries; and “Care Free”, whose three time feel welcomes Allen at the front. There's also this beautiful “Enlightenment”, offering an enjoyable melodic narrative over a confident rhythmic strut, whereas “A Call For All Demons” concludes the program with exoticism.

Monk’s intricate groover “Skippy” finds a spot for the bassist/bandleader, who penned the brushes-driven ballad “Nico” for Manzini and the percussively inspired “Marshall the Deputy” with Allen in mind. The group fearlessly embraces abstraction in Manzini’s “Spaced Out”, which flows in Ra’s cosmic fashion with conspicuous EVI adornments. Pure tradition interlaces with explorative space jazz and modern adjustments in an album that brings nostalgia and new discoveries to the table.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - Dancing Shadows ► 08 - Marshall the Deputy ► 11 - Enlightenment

Kit Downes - Vermillion

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Kit Downes: piano; Petter Eldh: double bass; James Maddren: drums.

The British pianist and composer Kit Downes returns to the trio format and delivers a set of low-key musings in the company of musical cohorts Petter Eldh and James Maddren, bassist and drummer respectively. These musicians have played together several times in different contexts, but only once in trio, under the name of Enemy (Edition Records, 2018). In a similar way of the album I just pointed out, the new Vermillion, comprises originals by Downes and Eldh (five by each) but with the particularity of culminating with an abstract rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand”, where the band rocks to some degree over the circular harmonic movement that marks its final portion.

The opening piece, “Minus Monks” is elegantly stated by a trio in profound consonance with the sounds they envisioned for this work. Akin to the latter, the two following numbers, “Sister, Sister” and “Seceda”, were penned by Downes. The former, underpinned by restless brushwork, pulls out a contemporary folk feel from the melody that shapes it, whereas the latter is a beautiful impressionistic waltz that, even swinging gently with a Bill Evans type of lyricism atop, might have sprung from the imagination of Debussy.

Elhd’s compositions possess the same essential nature than those by Downes, but bring a bit more rhythmic bait to them. They both find elemental means to construct narratives that are at once rooted in tradition and forward-looking. Examples are “Plus Puls”, which, guided by confident bass lines, has Downes working closer to his backers before finishing it solo; “Sandlands”, which, effortlessly shifting meters, conjures up some Chick Corea’s lively vibes; and “Waders”, which is firmly backed in rhythmic detail.

Although lacking punchy moments, the music is technically well executed and searches in its own way, tending to shed further sparkle with repeated listens. A very homogeneous body of work.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Sister, Sister ► 03 - Seceda ► 06 - Sandlands

Ethan Iverson - Every Note is True

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Ethan Iverson: piano; Larry Grenadier: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

On his Blue Note debut recording, the pianist/composer Ethan Iverson hooks up with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jack DeJohnette, forming a pliant yet cohesive trio that navigates genres and ambiances with a penchant for tradition. Still, they have the ability to give them enough fresh context to blossom and surprise. Iverson and the legendary drummer recorded together for the very first time, in opposition to Grenadier, who played on Costumes Are Mandatory, a quartet album from 2013 that also featured the late saxophonist Lee Konitz and the drummer Jorgy Rossy.

Every Note is True opens with the title track, making the song format very present through the 44-voice virtual choir that sings lyrics penned by the pianist's wife, Sarah Demings. The trio proceeds with “The Eternal Verities” in which classical influences are particularly pronounced. This piece, inspired by Iverson’s mother-in-law, also has a popified impressionism contributing to it.

Flawlessly articulated, “She Won’t Forget Me” also embraces the pop music cannon, taking us to the musical universe of The Bad Plus, a groundbreaking trio of which Iverson was a member from 2000 to 2017. We can hear the pianist play precise bass notes with the left hand and, with his right, extract clear melodies from the higher registers of the keyboard. During the gently propulsive waltz “For Ellen Raskin”, he pays tribute to the American children’s writer and illustrator in the title. This song sails smoothly, concluding with bowed bass and melodic piano playing. “Goodness Knows” brings a happy lyricism to the setting while infusing a litany of rhythmic figures and a swinging bopish intonation that inspires Grenadier to a groove-laden statement. The piece ends with a conclusively unfurling piano solo. 

A sense of rapture builds from track to track, and both “Merely Improbable” and “Praise the Travel” convey so much enjoyment. Whereas the former evokes Duke Ellington by encapsulating motivic articulations on the piano, crisply accentuated drumming, and bass lines that elegantly swing along, the latter is a blues infusion with tinges of gospel, spiritual jazz, and classical aromas. The album includes another fine blues, “At the Bells and Motley”, but my favorite piece is DeJohnette’s “Blue”, a gorgeous, emotionally effective rendition of the drummer's 1978 composition, here narrated with true melody set against cascading notes and imminent chordal foreplay.

Tastefully and masterfully executed, Every Note is True is a complete experience; a product of a mature artistic vision over an extended segment of the jazz spectrum.

Favorite Tracks:
05 - Blue ► 06 - Goodness Knows ► 08 - Merely Improbable

Avishai Cohen - Naked Truth

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Yonathan Avishai: piano; Barak Mori: bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums.

Picking out the quartet format, the Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen puts out Naked Truth, a much quieter follow up to the electronic-tinged Big Vicious, released on the ECM Records in 2020. Here, and just like happened on his masterpiece Cross My Palm With Silver (ECM, 2017), he teams up with pianist Yonathan Avishai and bassist Barak Mori. The exception is Ziv Ravitz, who holds the drum chair once occupied by Nasheet Waits. These are musicians with whom he has struck an excellent rapport through several years of collaboration.

The nine chapters of this suite put on display the sleek style of a trumpeter whose imperturbable sense of phrasing wraps around the listener since “Part I”, where he seeks a beautiful communion with Mori, until the last track, “Departure”, whose poem by Israeli writer Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (read by Cohen) is set against a combination of majestic piano chords, bass lyricism, and sculptural brushwork.

Flowing in nine, “Part II” initially bears the motif that started all the compositional process for this album, and there are bright trumpet melodies shining over arpeggiated piano sequences. In turn, affecting harmony leads to the sheer magnificence of classical realms on “Part III”, whereas on “Part IV”, the emotion hangs in the spaces left unfilled. Subtlety and introspective musing transpire in Ravitz’ drumming.

If “Part V” takes the form of a pastoral reflection, then “Part VII” emerges through a fine blend of spiritual modal-sounding jazz and pop melody reminiscent of The Beatles. Don’t expect a groove-laden recording; this is rather a program that focuses on spontaneous lyrical playing and understated rhythmic settings. The music of Cohen and his peers is inviting, and you won’t regret being transported to a musical world all their own.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Part II ► 03 - Part III ► 04 - Part IV

Kahil El'Zabar Quartet - A Time For Healing

Label: Spiritmuse Records, 2022

Personnel - Kahil El’Zabar: drums, cajon, kalimba, voice; Isaiah Collier: saxophones, reeds, percussion; Corey Wilkes: trumpet, spirit bowls, percussion; Justin Dillard: keyboards, percussion. 

Active since the 1980s, the Chicago-born percussionist and composer Kahil El’Zabar spent many years honing his sound alongside seminal vanguardists like David Murray, Lester Bowie, Billy Bang and Hamiet Bluiett. Vouching to pass positive energies to a wounded world, A Time For Healing finds him in the command of a renewed quartet of Chicagoans that includes the up-and-coming reedman Isaiah Collier, trumpeter Corey Wilkes, and keyboardist Justin Dillard. By comparison with What It Is! (Delmark, 2013) - his previous quartet outing - only the latter musician remained in his post.

The nine tracks on this recording bring that spiritual side into which El’Zabar likes to immerse himself, but the vast majority of the pieces are excessively long, following a circularity that, after a while, becomes a bit prosaic regardless of the solos at the top. The driving rhythmic tapestry within the soulful title track is brought by kalimba and percussion, with Collier extracting sinuous Eastern lines from his saxophone before embarking on soothing unisons with Wilkes.

Defined as an invocation of inner strength to escape global consumption, “Drum Talk (Run’n in the Streets)” displays layers of drums in support of El’Zabar’s encouraging words - “if we use our heads we won’t die in the land of the dead. We’re coming out of the dark side”. Strong African roots are spotted on “Urban Shaman”, which builds its way with a series of juxtaposed ostinatos that are later joined by horn chants and supplications.

“Time Is” and “Eddie Harris” have funk cementing their foundations. The latter, which celebrates the soul-jazz icon in the title, replicates his vibrant energy with a throttling groove and a saxophone solo that is not shy from exploring outside the boundaries.

The breezily groovy “The Coming of Spring” relies on a confident walking bass to make the soloists comfortable, while Coltrane’s “Resolution” is a highlight due to the energy produced by the foursome. The album finishes with another cover - a relaxed, low-key reading of Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Without brilliancy, these healing vibes sound as familiar as they are artful.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Time For Healing ► 05 - The Coming of Spring ► 06 - Resolution

Azar Lawrence - New Sky

Label: Trazar Records, 2022

Personnel - Azar Lawrence: tenor and soprano saxophone; Lynne Fiddmont: vocals; Calesha “Bre-Z” Murray: vocals; Oren Waters; vocals; John Beasley: keyboards; Nduduzo Makhathini: keyboards; James Saez: guitar; Greg Poree: guitar; Gregory “G-Moe” Moore: guitar; Destiny Muhammad: harp; Sekou Bunch: bass; Tony Austin: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion.

The veteran saxophonist Azar Lawrence, whose musical credits include Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Marvin Gaye, Woody Shaw and The Earth, Wind & Fire, delves into a variety of material as he channels optimistic vibes into our troubled pandemic times. A deep connoisseur of tradition, Lawrence leads a combo of versatile players who provide him with excellent jazz, R&B and Brazilian-tinged backgrounds.

“All in Love” opens the way with warm colors and a properly defined structure that condensates portions of funk, reggae, post-bop, and a mix of Afro and Middle Eastern feels. Following the sagacious tenor statement, there’s an eruptive rock-inclined guitar solo that brings an extra flavor to the mixture.

Steeped in Brazilian funk, “New Sky” conjures up the energizing spiritual vibes of Kamasi Washington, presenting clever modulations while being brilliantly sung by Lynne Fiddmont. The spirit rejoices with hope, not only here but also on the Coltrane-influenced modal pieces “Birds Are Singing” and “Revelations”. Both are passionately carried out with elliptical soprano flights, but while the former is a newly composed waltz, the latter - thriving with Destiny Muhammad’s refreshing harp plucks, Nduduzo Makhathini’s poised piano playing, and Tony Austin’s syncopated cymbal crashes - is taken from the bandleader’s 2009 album Speak the World.

A different kind of emotion lies at the core of pieces such as “Ain’t No Doubt About It”, a R&B effort with inflectional hip-hop vocals by Bre-Z and expeditious tenor phrasing; “Just Because of You”, a classic soul jazz breeze that will make the fans of George Benson and The Earth,Wind & Fire equally happy; “I Really Love You”, in which a gospel melodic thread is appended to the crossover jazz; and the 1975-penned “From The Point of Love”, whose samba flavor is unequivocal. There’s also “Peace and Harmony”, which, featuring a resonant electric bass solo by Sekou Bunch, mixes Latin, R&B and post-bop essences.

The exciting thing about this album is how effortlessly Lawrence adapts to different styles with the same grandiose positivism. New Sky showcases the leader’s eclectic writing and provides a smooth, pleasant listening that comes right on time to appease minds and spirits.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - All in Love ► 03 - New Sky ► 07 - Birds Are Singing

Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - (Exit) Knarr

Label: Odin Records, 2022

Personnel - Ingebrigt Haker Flaten: acoustic and electric bass; Mette Rasmussen: alto saxophone; Atle Nymo: tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet; Eivind Lønning: trumpet; Oddrun Lilja Jonsdottir: vocals, electric guitar; Oscar Grönberg: piano, keyboards; Veslemøy Narvesen: drums, percussion; Olaf Olsen: drums, percussion.

Originally from Norway and living in the US, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten developed a solid reputation as a bass player while working in the free jazz universe alongside artists such as drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and saxophonists Mats Gustafsson, Joe McPhee and Dave Rempis. His most recent outing as a leader, (Exit) Knarr, is a favorite of mine. Not being as free as most of the projects he’s been involved in lately, it’s still tremendously explorative and rewardingly palpable. Spearheading a stellar aggregation of Scandinavian musicians, Flaten demonstrates his compositional abilities throughout six fully realized offerings of breathtaking quality. Each piece, dedicated to a different city, describes the trajectory of the musician with a very particular feel.

“Miles Avenue (for Austin)” is a slow-burning celebration introduced by clapping, percussion and keys. The layers pile up with long horn wails and electric guitar, but the stirring comes from a vibrant 29-beat-cycle groove conjointly pronounced by double bass and bass clarinet. This invigorating dance prompts horn unisons, yet the spotlight falls into trumpeter Eivind Lønning, whose animosity precedes the final theme.

Rowdy pieces like “A La Lala Love You (for Chicago)” and “Chaos Pad (for Mexico City)” denote a punky, nervy attitude that favors explosive improvisation. The former is a mighty groovy avant blast that features soloists Atle Nymo on tenor and Oscar Grönberg on keyboards. In turn, the latter composition is an out-of-the-box ranchera set up with a straightforward triple meter and featuring a blustering solo by altoist Mette Rasmussen. She builds it with timbral fervor, incorporating splatters of upper register tickles.  

Far more composed in nature and folksy in tone are “Brinken (for Trondheim)” and “Hakkaran (for Oppdal)”. The former displays Nymo’s clarinet soaring and crashing with a John Surman-like spiritual-mindedness, whereas the latter, immersed in fusion brilliancy, finds a moment for the alluring dusky sounds of the bandleader. It’s impossible not to notice the presence of guitarist/vocalist Oddrun Lilja Jonsdottir on both pieces.

The album comes to completion with “Museumplein (for Amsterdam)”, a melancholy indie rock hymn with nice melody, droning backup, and mutable foundation. It becomes denser and busier with the rhythmic vortex delivered by drummers Veslemøy Narvesen and Olaf Olsen, while the horns blow together in thrilling fashion. This is a breathtaking album to be cherished and revisited.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Miles Avenue (for Austin) ► 05 - Chaos Pad (for Mexico City) ► 06 - Museumplein (for Amsterdam)

Linda Fredriksson - Juniper

Label:  Wee Jazz Records, 2021

Personnel - Linda Fredriksson: alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, guitar, piano, voice, synth; Tuomo Prättälä: Rhodes, synth, piano; Minna Koivisto: synth; Mikael Saastamoinen: double bass, effects; Olavi Louhivuori: drums + guests Matti Bye: piano (#3); Joonas Saikkonen: granulator (#4).

What a wonderful debut album, this Juniper by the Finnish saxophonist Linda Fredriksson. Best known as a member of the groups Mopo, Superposition and The Northern Governors, she wrings out every last bit of emotion out of her horn but also plays other instruments and uses her voice with clarity and purpose. I’m guessing she will be putting out even stronger recordings under her own name in the future.

The opener, “Neon Light (And the Sky Was Trans)”, gets off to a transcendental beginning with a facile melody set against the soft keyboard tapestry, and later complemented with tasteful effects and effective drum play. The final section, infused with both high-pitched clamors and snippets of raucous timbre, is heavenly and exploratory.

Fredriksson’s compositional process primarily includes guitar, keys and vocals before being taken to the band. Hence, it’s not surprising to hear a singer/songwriting blend of folk and pop music on titles like “Pinetree Song” and “Lempilauluni”. The former displays a strange, hypnotic guitar substratum that alternates with a well woven net of tangible bass notes and the fluid, if smothered, drumming by Olavi Louhivuori. The latter piece, delivered in five, embraces the song format even stronger. Fredriksson hums and stretches on the baritone, and the group also finds a spot for bassist Mikael Saastamoinen’s self deliberations.

These tastefully designed sounds easily bring emotion with them, but “Nana-Tapelle”, a mournful pedal-point-affected ballad dedicated to Fredriksson’s late grandmother, is a special moment. The bandleader naturally tends to be the focal point, but she trusts Matti Bye’s mellifluous piano to conclude this piece, one that vibrates with breaking points and surprising sonic vistas. 

In a different mood and fueled by the rumbling low notes of the baritone, the title track shapes up as a ritualistic dance that suggests the energetic rhythms of David Byrne and brings the epic tones of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” into the stacking layers of reeds and synth. There’s a lot to admire here.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Neon Light ► 02 - Juniper ► 03 - Nana-Tapelle

Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Micah Thomas; piano; Daryl Johns: bass; Kweku Sumbry: drums + Elena Pinderhughes: flute (#5, 6)

The impressive saxophonist/composer Immanuel Wilkins has given proof of immense talent. On The 7th Hand, the follow up to his admired debut Omega, he takes a bright quartet - with Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Johns on bass and Kweku Sumbry on drums - under his leadership, presenting seven cuts that unfold with masterful strokes.

“Emanation” starts off this journey with a perfect blend of relaxation and tension, melody and harmony, all tied up in a rhythmic mesh that disorients and captivates. Wilkins’ phenomenal soloing capabilities stand out with infinite inside/outside trajectories and a fervent expression imbued with speed and articulation. He's followed by Thomas, whose sometimes earnest, sometimes soaring pianism goes from modal to dreamy to effusively cascading and contorted. 

Working like a suite, the album takes us immediately to “Don’t Break”, which celebrates his friendship with Sumbry; the irrepressible percussion of the Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble propels it with gusto. From here, we are taken to the waltzing ballad “Fugitive Ritual, Selah”, a slightly gospelized hymn to Black spaces, introduced by an unpretentious bass statement and vamped with a recurrent riff at the center. Sumbry drives it delicately with brushes before installing a relaxed beat progressively stirred by syncopation.

“Shadow” and “Witness” are somewhat circular in their approach, probing more curvilinear than angular shapes. The former, also displaying a specific riff at its heart, is the closest to minimalism we can get here, while the latter has an excellent spot for guest flutist Elena Pinderhughes. It lands on a resolved, if revelatory, final section. Pinderhughes is also featured on “Lighthouse”, where her cerebral melodic conduction diverges from Wilkins’ tightly coiled improvisation. The bandleader strolls exuberantly in a passage of rare swinging ecstasy, and the piece ends up on a cyclic path with beautiful melody and intriguing drumming.

Played live and free, the concluding seventh movement, “Lift”, offers us 26+ epic minutes of prayerful avant-garde jazz in the line of Coltrane/McCoy, becoming a kind of 21st-century A Love Supreme. There’s polyrhythmic intention in the way Wilkins blows atop of Thomas’ harmonic jabs; meanwhile, insistent bass intervals and drum chops with cymbal color flow underneath. The next section is slightly ominous, presenting the dark-toned alto as a droning element together with chiaroscuro piano attacks. After a brief passage marked by tensile bass work, whirling piano, and rapid-fire snare drum, Wilkins reaches high up into his upper register and reinforces his clamor with fiery detail.

The 7th Hand strikes with the force of a comet and wows, whether through abrasive sections built with consummate torrents of sound or conciliatory moments of simplicity and restraint.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Emanation ► 06 - Lighthouse ► 07 - Lift

Emile Parisien - Louise

Label: ACT, 2022

Personnel - Emile Parisien: soprano saxophone; Theo Crocker: trumpet; Roberto Negro: piano; Manu Codjia: guitar; Joe Martin: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Emile Parisien is an intensely focused soprano saxophonist whose warm contemporary playing denotes a myriad influences. With a rich background that hails from classical, jazz and progressive traditions, Parisien assembles a triumphant sextet for his new outing, Louise. The album pairs him with the American trumpeter Theo Crocker for a strong frontline that is served by the harmonic backing of the pianist Roberto Negro and the guitarist Manu Codjia, two of his most trusted collaborators. The ensemble is completed with the bassist Joe Martin and the drummer Nasheet Waits, an American rhythm team with a lot of mileage in the New York scene.

Parisien penned most of the nine tunes that compose the album, and the recording opens with one of them, “Louise”, whose arresting sound unspools as it progresses. An initial misty dawning, established with a bass pedal at the base, soon evolves to driving pizzicato, unison melodies, and solos by Crocker and Codjia, who, respectively and by turns, enjoy the chordal coloring of guitar and piano in the background.

Whether the bandleader delves into modernized bop lines encouraged by avant-garde touches on the swinging “Jojo”, folds Italian yearning melodies and world rhythms on Negro’s “Il Giorno Della Civetta”, or embraces rhythmic voraciousness on Codjia’s “Jungle Jig”, the results are balanced and technically impressive. 

With “Memento”, he crafts a fantastic three-part suite that flows with silky tones, authoritative march-like snare waves, a modern classical piano effort followed by electronics and majestic rhythms, and a groove-laden carpet that, covering the floor of “Part III”, supports thoughtful trumpet, bold piano, and acrobatic soprano playing.

Swinging, contracting and expanding, the group reaches quality peaks on Joe Zawinul’s “Madagascar”, a fusion piece that originally appeared on the Weather Report’s 1980 album Night Passage. The horn players take separated routes before linking lines on the theme statement; they rely on the rhythm section to provide an extremely captivating pulse. The record comes to an end with Crocker’s ballad “Prayer 4 Peace”, which loops up declamatory tenderness. This powerful album finds Parisien on the cusp of his brilliance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Louise ► 02 - Madagascar ► 05 - Memento: Part III

Tim Berne / Gregg Belisle-Chi - Mars

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Tim Berne: alto saxophone; Gregg Belisle-Chi; acoustic guitar.

An exciting sound and impressive improvisatory qualities are offered on Mars, the first duo album by Tim Berne, a jaw-drop alto player and composer, and Gregg Belisle-Chi, an up-and-coming guitarist who, playing acoustic, is reinventing the jazz as we know it. The latter, a confessed admirer of Berne, released a solo album last year - Koi (Relative Pitch Records, 2021) - in which he interpreted pieces by the saxophonist. Here, they present a sophisticated menu with 12 Berne originals, and the result is less abstract than the above mentioned recording as it is easier for the listener to place the two instruments in context and grasp a more defined sense of direction.

“Rose Bowl Charade” opens the album in an alternative folk-jazz atmosphere, having the guitar slathered in acoustic magnificence and the alto toggling between tart and sweet tones. It sounds as much immersive as it is explorative, boasting a number of sustained pedals with pulsating notes floating around their centers.

Tossing off fragments of melody that replicate, match and integrate beautifully, “Purdy” (originally appeared on Berne/Mitchell’s Spiders album) is a highlight that shows a radiant lyrical vein. In turn, “Gastrophobia” remains in perpetual tension, while the duo’s capacity to articulate and create moods through mystery and timbre are in evidence on several titles - “Palm Sweat” is characterized by a fantastic conjoint work; “Frosty” denotes blues connotations (brought further to the fore on “Middle Seat Blues”) in addition to some rock chops and bop innuendos in an ode to tradition; “Not What You Think They Are” goes beyond with extra timbral allure, including droning multiphonics and guitar harmonics; and the short-lived “Giant Squids” is stripped down to its melodic essence.

Belisle-Chi sticks to his acoustic principles in the intro to “Big Belly”, where delightful dissonance and outstanding balance lead to the piece’s central figure. The cerebral “Dark Shadows” sets woozy, searching melodies against the churning flow that serves as a base. The temporary sparse accompaniment (just bass notes) does wonders and Berne rambles free in the middle register, grabbing that dazzling, sometimes inscrutable kind of beat in his phrasing that leaves no one indifferent.

Working with interesting frameworks, Berne and Belisle-Chi show a genuine, instinctual rapport in an album where their fearless inventive spirit and capacity of adaptation are fully on display.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Rose Bawl Charade ► 02 - Purdy ► 09 - Dark Shadows