Tarbaby feat. Oliver Lake - Dance of the Evil Toys

Label: Clean Feed Records, 2022

Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums + Guests: Oliver Lake: alto saxophone; Josh Lawrence: trumpet; Dana Murray: percussion (#4).

The new outing from Tarbaby, the acoustic avant-jazz trio co-led by pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits, primarily guests the legendary altoist Oliver Lake, and also greets the up-and-coming Josh Lawrence on trumpet and Dana Murray on percussion on selected tunes. Dance of the Evil Toys, their first album for the Clean Feed label, comprises 11 compositions - three by Revis, two by Lake, two collective improvisations, two surprising covers, and one each by Waits and Lawrence.

The album opens with “Blessed One The Eternal Truth” by the soul jazz keyboardist Trudy Pitts, featuring vocals by Evans over a wonderful accompaniment of bass and brushed drums. The pianist brings out a bright chordal sequence in the B section of the tune and his singing becomes more and more captivating. The two following numbers are by Lake: “Bonu” was originally included in the saxophonist duo album with William Parker, To Roy, and later revisited in 2017 by the Trio 3. This current version features Waits at the outset - his command of the kit involves cymbal washes and subdued tom-tom activity - and then Lake, who formulates his melodies with expressive intonation over a protean texture that never rushes but tentatively swells in intensity. His phrases find echoes in his peers’ actions. The other piece is “Bumper”, where the altoist leads by blowing with eloquence, triumphantly backed by a rhythm team that stretches loose with swinging motions and pulsing vitality. Evans is marvelous in his harmonic deconstructions and Waits gets our attention here again with explicit snare maneuvers and unexpected accents.

The composition that gave the album its title is the first of three Revis offerings. As you may recall, this piece was the opening track of Branford Marsalis’ outstanding album The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. This straight eight avant-garde expedition can take us anywhere in our mind, and the simultaneous presence of Lawrence and Murray expedites bass perambulations and other fragmented passages with enough tonal inquiries. The trumpeter’s laid-back “Purple” doesn’t distract from the staples the trio defines for itself, and comes fueled by the distinct yet effective articulations of Lawrence and Lake, who blow their horns both separately and combined. Preceding that, Waits’ “Ke-Kelli” revealed as much enigmatic tones as shifting precision, reaching its apex with a stupefying piano solo over a vamping sequence with stately teamwork between bass and drums. 

Tarbaby’s take on Prince’s haunting pop ballad “Sometimes it Snows in April” ends the recording on a soft note. Yet, intuitive players of the highest order like these rarely allow you to rest in their infinite search for something.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Bumper ► 04 - Dance of the Evil Toys ► 06 - Ke-Kelli

Anteloper - Pink Dolphins

Label: International Anthem, 2022

Personnel - Jaimie Branch: trumpet, electronics, percussion, vocals; Jason Nazary: drums, synth + Jeff Parker: guitar, bass guitar, percussion, synth; Chad Taylor: mbira (#2)

Anteloper is a modern duo of intense improvisers whose versatility and layering capabilities make them sound bigger than a simple duo. The co-leaders, razor-sharped trumpeter Jaimie Branch (Fly or Die) and exciting drummer Jason Nazary (Darius Jones Trio), invited guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise) to play in and produce this five-track electro-hop-jazz meets punk-rock album. Pink Dolphins, their third release, is the follow-up to Kudo (2018) and Tour Beats Vol.1 (2020).

“Inia” starts the proceedings by carving out a pinpoint grid of caustic electronics, synth, and snappy drums for a trippy experience. At its crest, we spot Branch’s trumpet lines, which may take the form of coiled freakazoid wires or simply composed observations. With a similar posture, “Baby Bota Halloceanation” alludes to the Wadada Leo Smith type of vibrations but with an abreast rhythmic design that creates shuffling momentum.

Special guest and respected drummer Chad Taylor plays mbira on “Delfin Rosado”, a more tangible piece with an-easy-to-follow melody and an adroit pulse. The approach is, nevertheless, disarming, as they mitigate the chasm between indie rock, electronica, and avant-jazz. These guys do this better than many other outfits around. Like the track I’ve just described, “Earthlings” has the finger of Parker, being very much jazzified by his electric sound. Still, Branch is the one who steals the show with her singing. There’s this irresistible swirling of the drums stitching the texture, a blurry emotional chorus that sounds awesome, and that settlement between the boisterous and the mellow makes it the elected alternative rock tune of the summer.

Clocking in at nearly 15 minutes, “One Living Genus” is the new-psychedelia effort that concludes the album. It comes packed with synth washes and a regular 4/4 rhythm in its early stage; then it bubbles more than crunches with successive doses of flamboyance before prolonging for seven minutes the static atmospheric restraint with which it ends.

This is provocative music for curious ears. Definitely fresh numbers with singular moods and in-context progressive modernity.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Delfin Rosado ► 03 - Earthlings

Kirk Knuffke Trio - Gravity Without Airs

Label: TAO Forms Records, 2022

Personnel - Kirk Knuffke: cornet; Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass.

Prescinding of drums, the avant-garde cornetist Kirk Knuffke is in very good hands while teaming up with two magnificent explorers from a different generation who have been recording extensively together for years now: pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio. If the former played with Knuffke for the very first time here, then the latter was featured alongside him in both duo and trio (with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm) configurations. The program chosen for this double disc CD includes six Knuffke compositions and eight improvised numbers. 

Knuffke’s “Gravity Without Airs”, whose title was taken from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, opens this recording of the same name with epic chordal movements, digging-deep bass sounds and mesmerizing cornet melodies delivered with impressive tonal range and intervallic elasticity. The players are definitely at the top of their game here, and the grandiosity of their musical imagination is used every second of the tune’s 11:37 minutes to astonish. The album is stronger when it comes to twisty revelations, and this piece, out of nowhere, takes us to staggering rhythms as well as invigorating motions and struts. 

His creative opus proceeds with the improvisation “Stars Go Up”, which, without being explicitly dark, immerses us into a pool of mystery filled with lyrical maturity. Knuffke’s pitched screams clash with the spasmodic contortions of the rhythm section, just like in the modal “The Water Will Win”, an openwork of perplexity and liberation.

“Between Today and May”, a non-cloying ballad written by the bandleader, feels more spiritual than physical, exhibiting beautifully haunting bowed bass and tender piano melodicism. If Bisio sounds fabulous at every pluck of the string in “Birds of Passage”, then Shipp never hesitates in his articulation of cadenced hammered piano clusters whose locomotion winds down progressively. 

Knuffke never fails to generate ideas, stimulated by the groundwork force from his two associates. That fact is perceptible on “Heal the Roses”, where they hit peaks and valleys, full of prep with taut exchanges between cornet and piano. “Shadows to Dance”, for example, plunges into a pleasant reverie but then switches gears, embracing something murkier and menacing for the most of its duration. “Today For Today”, another composition by the cornetist, ends the record with subtle liquid phrasing - more like Chet Baker than Don Cherry - over a palpable and beautiful texture. 

The possibilities of the material are vast and the trio constantly catches and opens our ears with sublime excursions marked by cohesiveness and expansiveness. Gravity Without Airs is a highlight in Knuffke's discography.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Gravity Without Airs ► 02 - Stars Go Up ► 03 - Between Today and May ► 08 - The Water Will Win 

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - Elastic Wave

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - André Roligheten: tenor, soprano and bass saxophones, clarinet; Petter Eldh: acoustic bass; Gard Nilssen: drums.

The fourth album of Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity, the first on the ECM Records, doesn’t low the bar set on previous recordings, displaying a well-oiled trio with as much lyricism as rhythmic inventiveness. As habitually happens, multi-reedist André Roligheten and bassist Petter Eldh are in tune with Nilssen’s vision, and the eleven compositions on Elastic Wave succeed one another with tapestries littered with dizzying propulsion and soulfully intoned melodies.

With the opening track, “Altaret”, the trio transpires devotional lyricism, falling into a calm, sweet mode that resonates emphatically with the listener. Before its close, there’s a brushed folk-infused vamp enhancing beautiful brights. Following a similar pathway, “Spending Time with Ludvig”, intertwines folk and avant-garde jazz, recalling the spirituals of Albert Ayler, Pharaoh Sanders, and Archie Shepp. The tune, written for Nilssen’s young son, shapes up and builds momentum through genuine saxophone expressions, dancing basslines, and a highly articulated drum flow.

Another piece rooted in the vernacular of folk and straddling traditions is “The Room Next to Her”, where the deep aphorisms pronounced by the bass saxophone mix with the impeccable tom-tom rumbles and cymbal crashes of the bandleader. This earthly feel contrasts with the ethereal spirituality found on “Lokket til Jon, og skjerfet Paul”, a ballad that honors drummers Jon Christensen and Paul Motian, mentioning their cymbal and scarf, respectively, in the title.

If Eldh’s “Dreignau” enables us to feel the silkiness of the clarinet, a nonuple meter that shifts along the way, and an impeccable ground layer that defines its pulse, then “The Other Village” features Roligheten’s two-horn signature blowing, meaning he plays the tenor and soprano saxes simultaneously. It’s hard not to succumb to accented-themed avant-garde thrusters such as “Influx Delight”, with its tireless bass and drums flow; “Acoustic Dance Music”, which bounds into an energetic hard-swinging motion; and “Boogie”, an upbeat, staccato-delivered romp with a singable melody, and where Eldh and Nilssen keep the groove alive.

Daringly outlined and yet expansive and open, this new collection of compositions shows the ability of three highly articulated speakers to create with equal parts inspiration, responsiveness, and artistry.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Spending Time with Ludvig ► 03 - Dreignau ► 07 - Boogie

Lisbeth Quartett - Release

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Charlotte Greve: alto saxophone; Manuel Schmiedel: piano; Marc Muellbauer: bass; Moritz Baumgärtner: drums.

Release marks the anticipated return of the German Lisbeth Quartett to the studio albums, 13 years after its debut, Grow (Double Moon Records, 2009), and ceasing a five-year hiatus since its latest release, There is Only Make (Traumton Records, 2017). This work, the first for the European Intakt label, generates more elegance than turbulence through eight impeccably written pieces - seven by saxophonist Charlotte Greve and one by bassist Marc Muellbauer - that gain an extraordinary poetic nature in the hands of four musical narrators. 

“Full Circling” is an impassively quiet solo-less piece whose mantric roundness purposely eschews heaviness. The next two tracks demand close listening. “Bayou” is an old song, revisited with a drum recital upfront. Comfortable behind the kit, Moritz Baumgärtner keeps his thing going after pianist Manuel Schmiedel echoes a 12-beat-cycle piano figure with class and groove. Saxophonist and bassist function in parallel, but it all shifts in texture and tempo with astonishing candor. There’s solo piano introspection before Greve’s heartfelt statement announces the curtain-close of a journey that suddenly returns to a streamlined rhythm in the last 30 seconds. Then it's Muellbauer’s “Le Mistral” that arrives, almost touching on a medieval troubadourism and expanding with incisive chordal work, pulsing bass lines that feel as loose as gripping, and tight complex lines delivered in unison by piano and saxophone. A magnetic alto solo with significant discursive range is brought before the main theme.

The emaciated “Ellipsis” spreads both emotional honesty and intimacy, trailed by a beautiful melody that sails across the enchanting accompaniment with lightness. It includes elementary bass pedals, cymbal scintillation, and modal piano intersections characterized by harmonic nuance. With “Arrow”, the trio shows some rhythmic bite, pressurizing the atmosphere with a rock-hard collective commitment, fine solos, and an exciting finale.

Before the short, intangible “Outro” that concludes this strong body of work, there’s the title track, which has Baumgärtner weaving exquisite details and throwing syncopated responses against the serene instrumentation that surrounds him. The last third of the song welcomes an insistent bass pulsation that doesn’t spoil the appealing nature of the song.

This quartet synthesizes their influences in an original way, and the result is a strangely affecting album to be savored many times with a guarantee of newly discovered elements at each listening.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Bayou ► 03 - Le Mistral ► 04 - Ellipsis

Randal Despommier - A Midsummer Odyssey feat. Ben Monder

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2022

Personnel - Randal Despommier: alto saxophone; Ben Monder: guitar.

Randal Despommier, an up-and-coming saxophonist born in New Orleans and based in New York, teams up with guitarist Ben Monder in a rich duo album that comprises nine interpretations of tunes by Swedish baritonist Lars Gullin. A Midsummer Odyssey is the second collaboration between the saxophonist and the guitarist, following their involvement in the former’s debut album Dio C’è (Outside in Music, 2021), which was put together in a sextet configuration. 

The lead-off track is the peculiarly titled “Toka Voka Oka Boka”, which brings a strong sense of Swedish folk and classical poetry in the melody, an atypical time feel, and a gorgeous rock twang in the texture. The capacity for hooking listeners with their tasteful lyricism is present again on “Danny’s Dream”, a ballad written for Gullin’s son, which, despite being more conventional in sound, is subjected to a lush harmonization by Monder. It was thanks to this piece that Despommier first had contact with Gullin’s music in 2005 while studying in Perugia, Italy.

The rubato minor mood of “Mazurka” strikes a perfect balance of wistfulness and comfort. The original piece, included in Gullin’s 1974 album Bluesport, was partly inspired by Chopin. The beautiful sense of melody and storytelling continues with “Dyningar”, a shimmering waltz with an occasional understated touch of bossa nova in the solo guitar section. This Brazilian-derived style is taken further by the radiant “I Min Smala Sang”, which was originally written to accompany a poem by Dutch-born Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk.

“I Hope It’s Spring For You” is another well known tune in Sweden due to its linkage to a popular TV series for which it was written. Charlie Parker’s common-law wife, Chan Parker, wrote the lyrics in the ‘70s, but this instrumental version verges on the balladic side, consistent with Monder’s textural moves and Despommier’s sailing facility over the tranquil harmonic seas. The duo also brings their finely-honed telepathy into “Igloo”, whose theme is played in bright unison with some descendant triplets in a fully-colored swinging jazz style. There's more incantation than agitation here.

Despite their distinct personalities, Despommier and Monder pair up very well as they take on the chosen Gullin repertoire with acumen and serenity.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Toka Voka Oka Boka ► 05 - Mazurka ► 06 - Dyningar

Caleb Wheeler Curtis - Heat Map

Label: Imani Records, 2022

Personnel - Caleb Wheeler Curtis: alto and soprano saxophone; Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Excellent compositions and a captivating sound distinguish the new outing from Caleb Wheeler Curtis, an accomplished saxophonist who, with a fine-edged sense of openness, is keen on extraordinary melodies, lean progressions, and ear-catching textures. Heat Map comprises ten originals that started to take shape in 2021, during a four-week MacDowell residency. Curtis wrote them with a monumental lineup in mind: pianist Orrin Evans (a regular collaborator since 2016), bassist Eric Revis (a fellow colleague in Evans’ Captain Black Big Band), and drummer Gerald Cleaver (the saxophonist's new co-conspirator). Each of them is a terrific bandleader and improviser with a huge capacity for catching the moment.

The title cut opens with a poignant introductory piano playing that suggests introspective balladry. However, we are taken somewhere else, abstractly exciting, as a bass pedal and a more restless drumming loom from the ground. Yet, the melody endures. Evans is exquisitely lyrical in his statement, while Curtis infuses tension and firms up the atmosphere with a defiant language that accommodates John Coltrane, Julius Hemphill and Ornette Coleman mannerisms in it.

If the fragile “Trees For the Forest” and the breathable “Limestone” take a plunge inward, then “Surrounding” gives an air of casualty and insouciance, even when expressing its well-worked Ornettian theme. As an option, the staccato-infused “Splinters” conjures an imperative mood of freedom. The improvised discourses by Curtis - who throws in fragmented lines à la Steve Lehman - and Evans contain enough spicy elements to hold our attention throughout.

“Spheres” demonstrates coordination, accentuation, focus, and elasticity in its thematic section, where long notes are set against a nuanced piano ostinato. Support is given via the unbreakable uniformity that stems from the Revis/Cleaver cooperative game. The rhythm team pushes us into another giddy spin with “C(o)urses”, an angular frenzy with delirious figures and circular runs that capture the group’s adventurous spirit. In this case, Curtis’ semi-cacophonous blows ebb over the rhythmic texture, triggering excellent responses from Evans. The pianist is absolutely fantastic on “Trembling”, standing out through a mix of textural gradients, enigmatic chords, and persisting figures. This polyrhythmic effort enables great dramatic passages where the sense of space and motion is extended.

Brimming with mesmeric ideas, these compositions gain insight into multiple depths of field and modern color palettes.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Heat Map ► 05 - Splinters ► 07 - Trembling

Gordon Grdina / Mark Helias / Matthew Shipp - Pathways

Label: Attaboygirl Records, 2022

Personnel - Gordon Grdina: guitar, oud; Mark Helias: bass; Matthew Shipp: piano.

New York-based Canadian guitarist and oud player Gordon Grdina is seen here with bracing partners and stalwarts of the downtown jazz scene, Mark Helias on bass and Matthew Shipp on piano. Pathways, their sophomore album (succeeding to the 2019 Skin and Bones), consists of a fully improvised set of pieces with risk-taking propensity. The result is challenging for the ears but never uncomfortable.

The opener, “Palimpsest” provides a poetic, if duskier, musical experience. Dark and wistful tones take over, with Grdina and Shipp perfectly integrated in a plaintive melancholy, while Helias roams freely, variating intensity and speed. The free diction of “Deep Dive” seems to have kinetic forces pushing it forward, and glimpses of a hidden blues emerge by the end.

With a fabulous interplay and a dazzling assortment of ostinatos, “Trimeter” is a dance from afar with plenty of harmonic coloration and exhilarating crossing rhythms getting underway. The numbers where the oud is present, namely the expressionistic “Synapses” and the concluding piece, “Sanctum”, also cultivate an unconventional language with the help of an exquisite instrumentation. The former cut feels positively revolutionary in its stirring motion, whereas the latter, non-obvious in the moves and alluring in texture, has Grdina looking for those microtones to bend and warp, leaving you with and exquisite feel and atmosphere. These are musicians who are not afraid to travel outside the conventional jazz universes.

Complex phrasal architectures come into view on the deliberately suspenseful title track, which creates enough tension and bendability en route. In the back, Helias is strong as a rock, rolling to the sides with propulsive drive and returning to the point of origin with determination; Shipp asks questions in a particular register and responds to himself in another; Grdina makes the perfect foil for those two, countering with lines that later converge with the pianist’s. Their rhythmic prowess is even more striking on “Flutter”, an abstract mesh with interesting percussive fluxes and appeasing moments alike.

Grdina’s output has been more and more prolific but consistently interesting. This recording cannot be classified as just another.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Palimpsest ► 04 - Trimeter ► 08 - Synapses

Tyshawn Sorey Trio - Mesmerism

Label: Yeros 7 Music Records, 2022

Personnel - Aaron Diehl: piano; Matt Brewer: acoustic bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

Multi-awarded drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey has several elements in his musical personality that work in his favor. Firstly, he always knows where he wants to go regardless of the context he’s playing; secondly, he’s willing to take risks when making music. With Mesmerism, he pays tribute to some of his influences and dabbles in a couple of inventive reworkings of classics from the Great American Songbook.

The superb playing of the new trio members - Matt Brewer and Aaron Diehl on bass and piano, respectively - substantiates the drummer’s clear success in this effort, which transitions from avant-garde ventures based on complex notated music to a more relaxed setting without losing any creativity. 

The chosen repertoire is tackled with a supreme elegance, lovely detail, as well as disarming originality. It’s a colossally tuneful program that kicks off with Horace Silver’s “Enchantment”, in which the trio shares a natural simpatico. The enveloping sound of Diehl is so enriching, interlacing exquisite clusters of chords with single-note melodies. His pulsing chromaticism gains further expression against Brewer’s bass pedal, which eventually expands. The tempered yet crisp drumming and cymbal luster of Sorey work as a fulcrum between the two other men. Together, they create a lush atmosphere of excitement and reverie.

Over the course of the album, the trio celebrates two other pianists: Muhal Richard Abrams would certainly be proud of this version of “Two Over One”, which was originally presented in his 1976 duo album Sighsong, with bassist Malachi Favors. It’s a catchy waltz overflowing with ideas in an organic balance between the earthly and the spiritual. One can hear something of Bill Evans in it, as cascading waves and occasional piano tremolos find an excellent supportive net on bass and drums. The other is Duke Ellington, whose in-the-pocket “REM Blues” closes the album on a high note.

Sorey plunges into abstraction and stillness with a take on drummer Paul Motian’s “From Time to Time”, whereas the jazz standards “Detour Ahead” and “Autumn Leaves” are crafted with irresistible lyricism and no shortage of surprises. The former is 14+ minutes long and includes a thoughtful bass solo over smooth brushwork in addition to an extended piano statement that gets bluesier and mellower with the time; the latter, extraordinarily transfigured but still recognizable, announces the trio’s faultless command of tempo and texture while exuding a comfortable warmth throughout.

With no need for flash or gratuitous gestures, this is music made with a striking degree of intelligence. Tradition gives a newfound perspective to Sorey’s artistic genius.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Enchantment ► 03 - Autumn Leaves ► 05 - Two Over One

Steve Cardenas / Ben Allison / Ted Nash - Healing Power: the Music of Carla Bley

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2022

Personnel - Steve Cardenas: guitar; Ben Allison: double bass; Ted Nash: tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet.

The charming drum-less trio of guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Ben Allison, and multi-reedist Ted Nash makes a come back with renditions of tunes by the iconic pianist and composer Carla Bley. The nine-track Healing Power is their third installment, following-up to Quiet Revolution (2016) and Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs (2019), the first of which, featured compositions by groundbreaking jazz guitarist Jim Hall and clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, an influential duo that inspires their playing.

“Ida Lupino” opens the program with a sensitive touch, having a cadenced bass consistency undergirding Cardenas and Nash’s soloing efforts. Allison also brings his thoughts to the table, just as well as in “Olhos de Gato”, which, given the wonderful treatment, unfolds with poignancy, enchantment, and mystery.

Nash is heard on clarinet in the latter piece, but it's his tenor that comes to sight during the serpentine “Donkey”, which, revealing thematic clarity, has Cardenas catching the tail of the saxophonist's statement and progressing with aplomb. The final interplay is very natural here and includes taut exchanges.

“And Now the Queen” is a rubato ballad with a contemplative narration, but the impeccable interpretation of “Lawns”, one of Bley’s most endearing tunes, is what got our attention as a result of its jaw-dropping beauty. Both “Ictus” and “King Korn” rely on precise coordination of movements, action-reaction dynamics, and high-class polyphony in the latter track. 

“Ad Infinitum” takes the form of a buoyant 3/4 dance, morphing from an Eastern-tinged sumptuosity to a medium swing. It’s filled with blue notes, expedited soprano rides, and bass lines fully immersed in its underlying activity. The album closes eminently bluesy with the title track, a light emitter with skeletal melody, uncluttered surfaces, and purity of sound.

Employing a fascinating assortment of elegant textures and tones, Nash, Cardenas and Allison contribute on equal terms to an album that expresses their respect and love for Bley’s musical artistry.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Donkey ► 05 - Lawns ► 09 - Healing Power 

Heroes Are Gang Leaders - LeAutoRoiOgraphy

Label: 577 Records, 2022

Personnel - Thomas Sayers Ellis: bandleader poet; James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Devin Brahja Waldman: alto saxophone, synthesizer; Heru Shabaka-ra: trumpet; Bonita Lee Penn: poet; Randall Horton: poet; Nettie Chickering: voice; Jenna Camille: piano, vocals; Melanie Dyer: viola, vocals; Brandon Moses: guitar; Luke Stewart: bass; Warren "Trae" Crudup III: drums.

The newest outing from Heroes Are Gang Leaders consists of previously released material recorded live in Paris. Under the baton of poet Thomas Sayers Ellis, the group delivers five tracks inspired by New Jersey poet-activist Amiri Baraka, whose powerful words toward the Black liberation and racial justice made a difference. All pieces were culled from the 2019 album The Amiri Baraka Sessions, with the exception of bassist Luke Stewart’s “Mista Sippy”, which was first presented on record in 2020, on the album Artificial Happiness Button. This number, initially stripped down to a piano-vocals duo, follows a slow triple tempo while embracing a cool-jazz mood that serves spoken word reason. However, at more than 16 minutes long, it feels stretched beyond what it should be.

The opening piece, “Amina”, was penned by the tenor sensation James Brandon Lewis who took Amiri’s wife as an inspiration. Here, it takes the form of a three-part suite that offers a more enveloping sound than the scattered short stories presented in the studio work. The first section, “The Dutchman’s Three Buttoned Suit” makes for a slow, prayerful entrance with sax and viola, followed by thin layers of keyboard and guitar. This is succeeded by “Poetry iz Labor”, whose ghostly drone functions as a loop. A nicely marked hip-hop feel comes with the piano harmony while the horn players articulate beautifully atop. The sequence ends with a rowdy, free interplay that swells to a catharsis in the the third part, “Forensic Report”.

Another highlight, “LeAutoRoiOgraphy”, pairs up soulfully quiet piano playing and sensitive vocals at the outset. The pianist, Jenna Camille, then charges with a striding cadence in 3/4. She’s joined by the spoken-word poets and singers, the rhythm section, and ultimately the horn players, whose lines skew across in celebratory activity. By the end, the meter changes once again to simple quadruple in a vamp infused with pumped-up energy. The album ends with “Sad Dictator”, motivated by Baraka’s poem Valéry as Dictator. There’s grit in the saxophone and an unfettered eclecticism that unites soul jazz and hip-hop with a sense of whimsy.

Bobbing and weaving through the arrangements, this roster of fascinating musicians continues to run their stylized gamut, from observantly reflective to passionately incendiary. This is a very listenable but not essential recording.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Amina ► 03 - LeAutoRoiOgraphy

Marta Warelis - A Grain of Earth

Label: Relative Pitch Records, 2022

Personnel - Marta Warelis: piano.

Polish pianist Marta Warelis has been based in the Netherlands since 2010, having collaborated with intrepid avant-jazzers such as saxophonists John Dikeman, Ada Rave and Michael Moore, bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, violinist Carlos Zingaro, and more recently with trumpeter Dave Douglas, in his 15th-century-art-inspired album Secular Psalms.

A Grain of Earth is her first solo essay in which she addresses creation and destruction with both intrigue and an appetite for communicating with the listener almost in a visual way. Gliding through measures and frequencies, “Echoes” sort of takes us to the origin of things, starting a journey that culminates with a thrown of ashes to the sea. The impressionistic opener is underpinned with percussive and pitched beats created by prepared piano, and streamlined with both tranquil and supple melodies in the upper register.

The following piece, “(into) Body in Pieces” plays like an offbeat collage of sounds ranging from incisively piercing to percussively scratchy to spine-chilling sweepy. The same type of experimentation can be heard on “Miniature Creatures”, where the conversational prose expands, and also on “Invisible Threads”, whose corrosive droning legato results from bowing the strings of the piano. 

A more familiar avant-jazz narrative is offered with “Trip on the the Light Toe”, which brings a variety of tone qualities during the exquisite melodic entanglements that often crash into a low-pitched explosion. Without signaling any particular change of direction, “In Waves” emerges as another crucial point in the sonic developments. It gains the form of an incredibly hypnotic dance at once exotic and familiar. The beautiful title track, “a Grain of Earth”, is gracefully honed piano escapism performed on a very profound level. Melody becomes meaningful and thoughts are intimately expressed.

With notable technique and inventiveness, Warelis finds her place in the modern improvised sphere. The qualities in her playing suggest a career filled with many inspiring and experimental musical moments to be shared with the world.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Echoes ► 05 - In Waves ► 06 - a Grain of Earth

Brian Landrus - Red List

Label: Palmetto Records, 2022

Personnel - Brian Landrus: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flutes; Ryan Keberle: trombone; Nir Felder: electric guitar; Geoffrey Keezer: Rhodes, organ, piano, synth; Lonnie Plaxico: electric and acoustic bass; Rudy Royston: drums; John Hadfield: percussion. Guests - Jaleel Shaw: alto saxophone (#5,14); Ron Blake: tenor saxophone (#2,9,10); Steve Roach: trumpet, flugelhorn (#1,4,7,12,15); Corey King: vocals (#1,6,11). 

Boasting an authoritative language, baritonist Brian Landrus wades in his typical aesthetic variety with some big hooks and a non-aggressive posture despite the massive tone of his instrument. His new recording, Red List, finds him well supported by highly committed bandmates and special guests who embrace the amiable nature of the compositions with devotion. The main topic of this body work is Earth’s endangered species and climate crisis.

“Canopy of Trees” plunges into the pop/rock canon with the presences of Nir Felder’s rock-steeped guitar crunch, Lonnie Plaxico’s electric bass reassurance, Geoffrey Keezer’s scattered keyboard waves, and Rudy Royston’s fidgety drumming. The baritone solo, clear at all times and never chewy, is dovetailed by an unison-delivered theme that includes trombonist Ryan Keberle and trumpeter Steve Roach. The type of energy created here opposes to the brighter and glossier feel of “The Distant Deeps”, a waltz with vocals by Corey King and solos from trombone and flute. It also deflects from a pair of reggae/dub incursions, namely “Save the Elephants” (the title refers to an organization with which Landrus is working) and “Leatherbacks”. 

The Steely Dan-like title cut is a sleek, streamlined fusion affair built on elements of rock, jazz, R&B, and funk. Landrus, who hits the bottom notes with unshakable confidence, is followed by the tenorist Ron Blake, who is even more impressive on “Bwindi Forest”, a modal jazz enterprise with beautiful piano playing as well as bass clarinet and saxophone bravura cutting through from both sides. This number takes us directly to “Congo Basin”, which, pivoting to a triple time feel, features a fine guitar stretch over the funk fringe that runs underneath.

Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw wields his alto with personality on “Tigris”, a more popish jazz push with a neat painterly touch that soon breaks and expands into a wider type of fusion. In turn, “Nocturnal Flight” offers clear and velvety balladry texturized by Felder’s adroit guitarism, and with Landrus on flute and baritone.

Delivered in a pretty straightforward way, these set of tunes systematically strip away any possible sonic discomfort or violent collisions. They are uncomplex in tempo and immediately accessible. Landrus sticks up to this posture while finding his own groove and fluency.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - The Red List ► 04 - Nocturnal Flight ► 05 - Tigris

Nils Eikmeier - Stories

Label: Mons Records, 2022

Personnel - Nils Eikmeier: guitar; Yaroslav Likhachev: tenor saxophone; Julian Walleck: bass; Thomas Wörle: drums.

Cologne-based guitarist Nils Eikmeier makes his debut as a leader with Stories, a quartet album steeped in the jazz tradition and with fair touches of modernity. This body of work consists of seven originals delineated with a variety of inspirations and moods in mind. With him are saxophonist Yaroslav Likhachev, bassist Julian Walleck and drummer Thomas Wörle, musicians whose synergy makes the music thrive.

“Auckland” is a post-bop 4/4 workout based on a simple form that places Eikmeier right in the center. His honeymoon in New Zealand served as an inspiration, and his reverb-drenched guitar solo, sounding explicit and alluring, conveys joyful moments. He is followed by Likhachev, whose darting lines arrive with full-bodied tonal flavors and logical articulation. This opener is the strongest piece on the album, and is only rivaled by “A.I.”, a minor blues in 5/4 whose early guitar-bass-drums moments include searing licks and expressive lyricism all around. Then, is the saxophonist who steps forward to smear the sonic tapestry with melodies that are as much eloquent as they are colorful.

Also immersed in a spellbinding contemplation of tinges, the popish “Autumn Song” finds the group in a quiet, breezy communion while modulating conveniently within its structural outlining. With a whole lotta energy and yet with a conventional posture, “Borders” and “Spectrum” share an identical spirit, festooned with verve and swinging drive. In contrast, the laid-back title track, “Stories”, could be described as another leisurely stroll, but carries no less feeling than the other numbers. The guitarist fills the air here with a sense of movement and freedom. 

Stylistically, the album doesn’t break new ground. However, the rapport and the energy of the unit makes it worth a visit.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Auckland ► 06- A.I. ► 07 - Autumn Song

Will Bernard - Pond Life

Label: Dreck to Disk Records, 2022

Personnel - Will Bernard: guitar; Tim Berne: alto saxophone; John Medeski: keys; Chris Lightcap: bass; Ches Smith: drums.

Despite some great releases, guitarist/composer Will Bernard remains largely overlooked outside the New York scene. This new record, in particular, shows his varied but consistent modernistic creations, and features the best lineup so far - drummer Ches Smith and keyboardist John Medeski have been regular collaborators, while bassist Chris Lightcap and saxophonist Tim Berne team up with the guitarist for the first time on record, fully supporting his inspired ideas and glorious skronky tone.

“Poor Man’s Speedball” is an odd-metered, fusion-oriented number whose avant-garde jazz and indie rock-styled demeanors conflate in a stratospheric texture paved with keyboard cushions. The rock influence is constantly present, being particularly noticeable on “Still Drinkin’?”, a progressive effort in which powered chords whip up Berne for an invigorating solo; and “That Day”, a full-tilt anthem turned polyrhythmic symphony thanks to Lightcap’s propulsive thrust and Smith's unpredictable drive.

“Type A” takes a path of ambiguity, hopping with lightness during the flawless chorus demarcated by hi-hat and opportune cymbal placement. A middle passage undergoes a change of air; a quietly breathing ambience with piano in the background and bass at the fore. In turn, “Four is More” is made of lovely riffing, triggering an ingenious hall of metric mirrors supported by an inventive harmonic work with alluring electronics. Bernard and Medeski are on the same mindset here.

“Pond Life” embraces relaxation before a bass figure imposes its mighty presence with a six-beat duration. On the other hand, “Surds” brings a strong Americana flavor to the table with odd meter, rhythmic accents, and bluesy tones contributing to pump the energy. In the same vein, but featuring Bernard on the acoustic guitar, “Lake of Greater Remnants” has playful blues-inflected lines blending right into the affectionately brushed yet lilting asymmetric tapestry. 

The stellar quintet covers a lot of ground stylistically. Their languages brimming with rare facility and abandon. I was taken by the quality of the sound, the progressive tendencies, and the acuteness of the arrangements.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Still Drinkin’? ► 06 - Four is More ► 10 - Lake of Greater Remnants

Masayo Koketsu - Fukiya

Label: Relative Pitch Records, 2022

Personnel - Masayo Koketsu: alto saxophone.

The Japanese saxophonist Masayo Koketsu shows stimulating storytelling capabilities through a single 46-minute piece that signals her solo debut record. Steeped in the free jazz tradition of Japan, this effort summons her bravery, denoting remarkable levels of agility and a wide range palette of tonalities. Fukiya is the Japanese blowgun, which seems to have inspired Koketsu to throw sonic darts here with a focused precision. 

Not having who pave her way gives her complete freedom, and this improvised journey begins with extended multiphonics delivered with occasional tremolo. They are regularly interrupted by silences that help set an atmosphere of unexpectedness, awe, and search at every turn. Bubbling here, and charging there, the lines are delivered with more or less friction, simmering without boiling. However, you should be prepared for abrupt piercing screeches interlaced with sweeter articulations, in a constant ebb and flow that, varying in intensity and emotion, feels like a tidal wave of thought and conversation with her psyche.

There are sections where the melody takes a more regular shape. Yet those passages are constantly stricken by throaty cries, controlled shrieks, and brisk contortions. Multi-directional flows convey anger and repose without damaging any narrative coherence, and halfway she becomes prayerful, later throwing in hiccuped popping sounds and one-stroke sketchy lines that, in my head, serve to paint an imaginary sky of red and blue. The final part brings a little bit of the Coltrane spiritual fervor mixed with some gut-wrenching pleas and circular patterns.

As with any solo effort, especially when harmony is not involved, you have to be open-minded and in the spirit to follow the recital. This is not for casual listening, and demands attention from the listener. Free jazz saxophone enthusiasts will be the targeted consumers of a recording where Koketsu’s burning fire claims for international recognition.

Charles Lloyd - Trios: Chapel

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Charles Lloyd: tenor saxophone, alto flute; Bill Frisell: guitar: Thomas Morgan: acoustic bass.

The unequal Charles Lloyd, a premier saxophonist with a six-decade career at the highest level, puts out the first of three trio recordings featuring different lineups. Trios: Chapel features five previously recorded tunes - three originals and two covers - marvelously reworked here by a refreshing trio completed with guitarist Bill Frisell (a member of Lloyd’s eclectic quintet The Marvels) and bassist Thomas Morgan, who has been a regular collaborator of the guitarist both in duo and trio settings. The tremendous rapport between these three instrumentalists couldn’t be more transparent and the music is the natural product of their musical talents.

Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count” opens the set with Lloyd speaking an alluring language whose empathy extends to Frisell’s serene comp and focused touch. Guitar layers merge with Morgan’s activity on the bass, which, going beyond the mere definition of the chords, provides a tasteful anchor for the saxophone. This piece was originally recorded by Lloyd on the double-CD album Lift Every Voice (ECM, 2002), just like his own “Beyond Darkness”, a flute-driven excursion that soars here with chordal mystery and a curious cross-cultural tinge.

Exuding goodwill and enchantment, “Song My Lady Sings” was retrieved from his 1965 quartet album Of Course, Of Course (Columbia). Working closely, the guitarist and the bassist start the proceedings with a warm, glowing radiance that later welcomes the mighty presence of the bandleader. His sweetest side is on display throughout this waltzing stride, but goes even deeper in the magnetic exploration of Bola de Nieve’s Cuban ballad “Ay Amor”, a tune that was also included in his latest album with The Marvels, Tone Poem (Blue Note, 2021). The simple delineation of the theme is remarkable, with Lloyd making everything more luminous with nimble arpeggios. The rock-solid Morgan lets it flow from the bottom while Frisell excels in his melodic poignancy.

The trio concludes the album with the beautiful “Dorotea’s Studio”, which refers to the working space of Lloyd’s wife/agent/producer Dorothy Darr. The folk expressiveness will treat you with a complete relaxation. I’m very much looking forward to the couple of volumes that will follow - the second featuring pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Anthony Wilson, and the third with percussionist Zakir Hussain and guitarist Julian Lage.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Ay Amor ► 04 - Beyond Darkness ►05 - Dorotea’s Studio

Matt Aronoff - Morning Song

Label: Adhyâropa Records, 2022

Personnel - Jason Rigby: tenor saxophone; Yago Vazquez: Fender Rhodes; Matt Aronoff: bass; Henry Cole: drums.

Matt Aronoff is a qualified bassist who recently fell under notice while underpinning the orchestrations of saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf in his Assembly of Shadows ensemble, as well as playing with guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi on his excellent Mass-inspired album, Book of Hours. 

With Morning Song, he debuts as a leader, presenting a set of live recorded pieces written for his father - who was diagnosed with cancer - and commanding an international quartet of special musicians that includes American tenor player Jason Rigby (Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, Alan Ferber BigBand), Spanish keyboardist Yago Vazquez, and Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole (Miguel Zenón, Fabian Almazan Trio).

The title track seems to have been designed to convey optimism with a mix of laid-back and energetic currents. It feels at once placid and restless. Vazquez wants more than just going with the tidal flow, and his brisk collateral moves persuade Rigby to exchange a few zestful phrases. Aronoff also provides a cerebral discourse with sparse Rhodes accompaniment, before courting a gentler muse and nodding to Debussy (in its initial phase) with the 3/4 ballad “El de Lun”. These two first numbers don’t really surprise in their plenitude, but still quash the earliest ennui with a few good details before completion.

An intelligible three-minute bass interlude announces “Hodgman”, a tribute to author/humorist John Hodgman, which unfolds quietly with a glamorous aesthetic inspired by the minimal traits of Steve Reich’s Four Organs. The driving odd-metered groove that sustains the high-flying soloing experiences from Rigby, a trenchant narrator, and Vazquez, who articulates rhythmic figures and phrases with appreciable quality, make this cut a far more involving effort.

The two tracks that follow, “June 25th” and “Blue Quokka”, are equally exciting, allowing the album to grow in a crescendo of emotion. Whereas the former embodies a fusion-like complexity with odd-meter, sturdy textures, and exquisite melodies, the latter, starting off with a post-bop-meets-avant-garde maneuver created by Rigby and Cole, wraps up the whole recording with a blues progression and hard-swinging flow.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Hodgman ► 05 - June 25th ► 06 - Blue Quokka

Matthew Shipp Trio - World Construct

Label: ESP-Disk, 2022

Personnel - Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

The fabulous trio of pianist Matthew Shipp, a creative force with incessant grand concepts in mind, returns with World Construct, a collection of 11 tracks whose diverse moods and sounds take you on a well-sequenced musical journey. To say that Shipp has been busy is an understatement since his collaborations are numerous. However, he has built a very particular and special sound world with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker that we rarely see in other groups.

The album's opener, “Tangible”, is true to its title and focused on a graspable groove with a colorful piano display that would serve a hip-hop tune. Shipp patiently builds “Sustained Construct” as a solo piano segment that  guides us into “Spine”, a controlled abstraction that feels more mournful than cheerful. The occasional pounding pedals and supple bass figures are replaced by distorted shapes on “Jazz Posture”, a lively and searing explosion of rhythmic fluxes. Baker concludes this energetic tidal rubato with a dynamic drum dissertation.

Another piece that finds the trio in an agitated state of despair is “Abandoned”. It’s confrontational, oblique in movement, opaque in spirit, always powerful. It doesn’t have the beauty of “Stop the World”, a pensive modal piano-bass duet that, from the first minute, turns the spotlight to Bisio. 

The listening grows into a crescendo, and the last tracks develop with skill and passion. “A Mysterious State” alternates the time feel between quadruple and triple, strutting all along with snare drum rolls, arcane harmonies, and serpentine melodies. The genius harmonic chops of the pianist move forward and reach the final part of “Sly Glance”, whose supreme jazz vibe makes it the coolest track of the album. 

The three musicians use their masterful understanding of sound and timbre to combine several ideas spontaneously and form complex passages right through “World Construct”, the closing piece, which, at more than 10 minutes, is the longest ride of the set. The Matthew Shipp Trio remains in top form, and World Construct is highly recommended.

Favorite Tracks:
09 - Stop the World ► 10 - Sly Glance ► 11 - World Construct

Jones Jones - Just Justice

Label: Esp-Disk, 2022

Personnel - Larry Ochs: tenor and sopranino saxophone; Mark Dresser: acoustic bass; Vladimir Tarasov: drums, percussion.

The cooperative avant-garde jazz trio Jones Jones provides non-linear narratives rooted in collective improvisation that, pushing boundaries, compels us to search. At the vertex, veteran saxophonist Larry Ochs (from Rova Saxophone Quartet) makes a perfect foil for the two musicians at the base, bassist Mark Dresser, a stalwart of the improvised music scene, and the not so recognized Russian-born Lithuanian drummer Vladimir Tarasov.

Their newest album, Just Justice, comprises nine tracks recorded in the studio before Covid struck in 2020. The recording is launched with “Articulating Jones”, an abstract proposition that revels in dark-hued tenor lines, a mix of harmonizing bowed bass and fierce pizzicato, and navigable rhythmic fragmentation. The piece that follows, “Bali Hai Jones”, has nothing to do with the tune composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the 1949 musical South Pacific. It feels more like world music from an unknown distant place where dancing is a rule. Rhythms and conversations are dynamically updated along the way, and a similar vibe is felt on “RBG Jones”, which, referring to former Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the title, unspools into dexterous bursts of saxophone before ending pacifically. 

“Jones Free Jones” takes in the three-way intersection of sounds to build a certain climax halfway. There’s beauty in the intervallic dissonance created by Dresser, whether he uses the arco or his fingers. “Call of the Jones”, where Ochs really cuts loose over anxious drum fluxes, is much more interesting to me than “Jones in the Sonar System”, where an irregular percussive mesh gives the thumbs up to fluttering sopranino moves. Ochs’ mournful cries and sighs are even more expressive in the humorously titled “The Further Adventures of Ms. Microtonal Jones”. 

Creativity sometimes gets stuck in repetitive patterns and few changes in direction. Yet, the closing improv, “And His Sisters Called Him Jones”, expresses a more outlined sense of storytelling complemented by an intriguing droning footing. This explorative trio finds their path in ambiguity, rarely tapping into emotional territory. Even without exceeding expectations, their signature aesthetic should be enough to please enthusiasts of free interplay.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Call of the Jones ► 06 - Jones Free Jones  ► 08 - And His Sisters Called Him Jones