Angelica Sanchez Trio - Sparkle Beings

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2022

Personnel - Angelica Sanchez: piano; Michael Formanek: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Plenty of introspective moments are found in Sparkle Beings, the new trio outing by the adventurous pianist Angelica Sanchez. This intimate set features a couple of collective improvisations and newfound interpretations of noteworthy tunes by influential pianists like Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor, Mary Lou Williams, and Mario Ruiz Armengol. Completely aligned with the pianist’s vibes and moods is the bassist Michael Formanek, a longtime collaborator, and the veteran drummer Billy Hart, who, for the first time, helps to add depth and texture to one of her recordings.

“A Fungus Amungus” is an enticing opener kept constantly in motion. Composed by Mary Lou Williams, this piece gets a thorough thematic delineation, with the piano in communion with erudite bass lines and conversational tom-toms. Formanek’s solo comes upfront, followed by fragmented piano phrases and runs consisting of unpredictable, shifting intervals and harmonies. For the final section, a motivic vamp arises with energetic fields dancing around its core.

Both “Generational Bonds”, which is completely improvised, and “Phantasmic Friends” adopt a more reserved posture that is also detected on Cecil Taylor’s “With (Exit)”, a tune first encountered on the 1968 Blue Note album Conquistador! For this variant, they managed to maintain its quasi-epic look with a low-key treatment.

The pensive mood and comfortable atmosphere are prolonged into the first moments of the title track, a 15-minute excursion launched by Hart’s percussive wonders. This quiet deliberation gives way to a strutting section where the bass and the piano walk arm in arm. Subsequently, the sounds get more abrasive, leading to notes colliding at surprising angles and maniacally repeated figures uttered with more grace than flamboyance.

The closer, “Before Sleep / The Sleeping Lady and the Giant That Watches Over Her” consists of a Sanchez-penned interlude that calls for Duke Ellington’s lush tune taken from his Latin American Suite (Fantasy Records, 1972). It’s the most immediately relatable piece on the album; not just due to the light that emits but also because the threesome squeezes distinct, innate ideas into a narrative that coheres. There’s more than one opportunity for Formanek to speak out, both unaccompanied and assisted, and the piece proceeds into a soulful, lyrical passage with the melodic charisma of an indelible pop song.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Fungus Amungus ► 06 - Sparkle Beings ► 07 - Before Sleep / The Sleeping Lady and the Giant That Watches Over Her

The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus

Label: Edition Records, 2022

Personnel - Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Ben Monder: guitar; Reid Anderson: bass; Dave King: drums.

After 21 years of activity, the sensational contemporary trio The Bad Plus releases its eponymous, 15th studio album with a new lineup that, prescinding from piano, includes the progressive guitarist Ben Monder (David Bowie, Paul Motion Band) and the constructive saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Speed (The Claudia Quintet, Tim Berne’s Bloodcount). This new alliance, forced by the step down of pianist Orrin Evans, is embraced by the co-founders - bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King - with great spirit and excitement, staking out a new musical direction that, besides imperiously modern, is sonically impactful.

Rounding its edges at every 24-beat cycle, “Motivations II” makes for a marvelous starting point. Monder’s phenomenal guitar playing infuses depth and creates ambience; Reid and King demonstrate an excellent rapport through the unwavering cadenced groove; and Speed blows soberly throughout, working for the sake of the song rather than individual ambition. More defiant in the rhythm and melody, King’s “Sun Wall” challenges our ears with a 7/4 meter signature, disclosing affinities for art rock, neo-psychedelia, and hard rock. The clear-toned saxophone works well with the crunchy guitar, and we have a memorable if eccentric improvisation by Monder over the explorative rhythmic investigations of King, who, no matter what, never loses the pulse of things.

Etched by propulsive drum slams, “Not Even Close to Far Off” has its light and dark sides organically melded as the group sonically integrates punk attitude and specks of metal. Speed is the soloist in evidence on this occasion. Another King-penned cut with a jagged edge is “Sick Fire”, where an intricate avant-garde jazz intersects with prog-rock, resulting in plenty of angularity, experimental flair, and risk-taking improv. On the latter, guitar and saxophone overlap with wide tonal range on top of a powerful and uninterrupted bass/drums current.

It’s clear that Anderson’s compositions are less rock-oriented and more atmospherically designed. In addition to the above-mentioned opener, the bassist contributed “You Won’t See Me Before I Come Back”, a luminous ballad with no room for obscurity; “Stygian Pools”, whose supplicatory poignancy turns easily into affection; and “In the Bright Future”, in which a straight eight groove provides expansion to a more intimate and spiritual start. To conclude, King’s “The Dandy” combines the crisp pop/rock art of Fleetwood Mac and The Go-Betweens with bits of Primal Scream’s psychedelia. Balance rules, and it all works.

Not too ‘out’ and not too ‘in’, this work shows the group evolving, advancing their stellar past material. Seldom or even at no time, had the fans an opportunity to hear such a thing. It’s one of the year’s highlights to explore repeatedly and in depth.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Motivations II ► 02 - Sun Wall ► 03 - Not Even Close to Far Off

Clemens Kuratle Ydivide - Lumumba

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Dee Byrne: alto saxophone; Chris Guilfoyle: guitar; Elliot Galvin: piano, electronics; Lukas Traxel: bass; Clemens Kuratle: drums, electronics.

This debut album by the up-and-coming Swiss drummer and composer Clemens Kuratle deserves attention. Not just for the well-constructed music itself but also for the socio-political vision (and emotions associated with it) on inequality, power, war, and climate. With this purpose in mind, he pairs down with four cohorts from the British, Irish and Swiss jazz scenes who share a similar taste for structured frameworks and unfettered improvisation. 

Ydivide (‘why divide’) tackles seven Kuratle compositions and a completely improvised piece. The quintet sizzles right out of the gate with “Lumumba”, a tune inspired by RD Congo's former prime minister Patrice Lumumba. A solid figure in five is expeditely thrown in by the hand of the drummer, shifting to a slower, marching 4/4 flux that serves the theme. Guitarist Chris Guilfoyle brings his fretboard skills to the fore, after which an odd-metered groove with plenty of displacement chops is installed. It's an invitation to saxophonist Dee Byrne to channel her inner energy through a proficient solo.

Pianist Elliot Galvin introduces “Another One For Rose”, whose subsequent textural counterpoint leads to a crest of rock power set with brawny drum gushes and distorted guitar. Another high point is “Bwegshit”, a trenchant criticism of England’s Brexit, which includes a caustic drone as premature backdrop, a transient sudden explosion, intricate accents, and syncopated rhythms. The piano solo is strong, providing impetus for Kuratle’s patterned cymbals; it's followed by a saxophone vortex at the tag.

The group shows to have a gift for understatement when necessary, and “Marvelling” proves it with minimalist sculpting and soft tones. This number contrasts with the freeish agitation and electronics that randomly navigate “They Haven’t Learned Anything”. A tighter snare drum demarcation points out a more defined path that leads us directly to the vamping “No Cynicism”. The album is concluded with “Optimism”, where we find a happy communion between winding folk and modern post-bop.

There’s outside-the-box composing and playing on Lumumba. A sheer breadth of sound remarkably put together by a group that has a word to say in a not less resonant European jazz scene.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Lumumba ► 02 - Another One For Rose ► 06 - Bwegshit

Enrico Rava / Fred Hersch - The Song is You

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Enrico Rava: flugelhorn; Fred Hersch: piano. 

Italian trumpeter and flugelhornist Enrico Rava and American pianist Fred Hersch have been performing in a variety of settings for more than five decades, showing a particular fondness for the duo format. Rava paired up with other pianists in the past such as Enrico Pieranunzi, Ran Blake, and Stefano Bollani, whereas Hersch established duo associations with vocalist Jay Clayton, guitarist Bill Frisell, reedist Michael Moore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. The Song is You marks their first musical encounter on record, as well as Hersch's first appearance on the ECM Records. 

With the natural ability to find their own spaces, the duo embarks on a set of ballad standards, one casual improvisation, and one original from each musician. They belt the poignant Brazilian poem “Retrato em Branco e Preto” - composed by Tom Jobim and Chico Buarque - with that genuine pathos that serves so well the emotionally driven style of Rava. Hersch is pretty efficient both in his harmonic choices and improvised abandonment. The following number, “Improvisation”, is exactly what the title suggests. They opt not to speed up, maintaining a similar flow of the aforementioned song but going motivic in the communication.

Hersch’s mature original “Child’s Song” was written for the late bassist Charlie Haden and plays like a lullaby smoothed out by beautiful melody. In turn, Rava’s “The Trial”, formerly included on the albums Noir (1996) and Happiness is (2003), lets us realize that a rich sound can have a light touch.

Regardless of the originals added, Rava and Hersch don’t take particularly new directions here, but their interpretation of standards always brings subtle variations and transformative ideas to the table. This is the case with the stripped-down version of “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”, which rises into staccato piano comping and unabashed brass emotion; and “The Song is You”, another ballad that goes abstract up to a point in its denouement. The infrequent risk-taking factor is still spotted on Monk’s classic “Misterioso”, a ride that, going from quiet to playful, has Hersch exploring wonderful intervals and chord sequences around which Rava’s horn hovers and darts with poise. The album is finalized in solo piano mode with “Round Midnight”, another paradigmatic tune drawn from Monk’s repertoire.

This is not a mandatory listening, but a competent jazz recording with a few intimate musical moments to admire.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Retrato em Branco e Preto ► 03 - I’m Getting Sentimental Over You ► 04 - The Song is You

Zurich Jazz Orchestra & Steffen Schorn - To My Beloved Ones

Label: Mons Records, 2022

Personnel includes: Steffen Schorn: C-melody saxophone, contraalto clarinet, composition; Thomas Luthi: tenor saxophone; Reto Anneler: alto saxophone; Lucas Heuss: alto clarinet; Adrian Weber: trombone; Raphael Kalt: trumpet; René Mosele: bass trumpet; Theo Kapilidis: guitar; Gregor Muller: piano; Patrick Sommer: acoustic bass, E-bass; Pius Baschnagel: drums, percussion, and more.

To My Beloved Ones, the third installment in the trilogy of the Zurich Jazz Orchestra’s recordings of music by saxophonist and composer Steffen Schorn, has everything in the right place, making the sounds glow with an air of collective consciousness.

The opening cut, “Tango”, deceives due to its title, since it’s more a cross-pollination of different rhythmic flavors than really a tango. It starts with sax and guitar in parallel but it’s the horn that takes the lead, navigating with softness and mystery an impressively tuneful backdrop that feels spongy and sweetly melodic. At the minute 5:20 everything is transformed, and the band enters into Brazilian territory with a contagious rhythm that motivates two brass solos in a row - René Mosele on bass trumpet and Raphael Kalt on trumpet. The final section takes another turn, playing like a carnival parade full of rhythm and color. For a moment, a fleet electric guitar stands out amid the forest of horns.

Inspired by the beautiful Greek island of Crete, “Die Tochter des Tyrannen” has a pronounced folkloric quality to it. Delivered in seven with fluid Eastern dynamics, the piece is a showcase for guitarist Theo Kapilidis, who feels totally at home. Conversely, “For Me Is Just Now Anytime” is an athletic waltz dedicated to Steffen’s wife, the cellist Ulrike Zavelberg. With no signs of warp, the fine collective moments surpass those of improvisation. 

Featuring three saxophonists engaged in a conversation where every note seems independent and broad, “Käpt’n Blaubär" was inspired by the book The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by German writer and cartoonist Walter Moers. It takes a quintuple time flow and an occasional bluesy strike to evoke the adventurous and imaginative tones of the story. 

The album is completed with the enchanting title track, which, perceived as a figurative painting with graceful notions of form and space, features Steffen Schorn on C-melody saxophone pairing up nicely with pianist Gregor Muller. Tension and release with long exposition and shortcuts alike, give the album an elegant final touch. 
With notes colliding and harmonizing, the album pays handsome dividends for those looking for orchestral sumptuousness.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tango ► 04 - Käpt’n Blaubär ► 05 - To My Beloved Ones

More Better Quartet - More Better

Label: Self-released, 2022

Personnel - Miles Keingstein: trumpet; Declan Sheehy-Moss: tenor saxophone; Samantha Reiss: bass;  Alex Yoo: drums.

Hailing from New York, the piano-less More Better Quartet is especially drawn to an improvisation-charged jazz in the line of Ornette Coleman and Old and New Dreams. Although not being exactly free, abundant moments of freedom are found on their eponymous debut album, which encompasses eight tight-knit compositions modernized with electronics and effects.

“Keepin It” makes for a great opener with a calypso-like groove whose bass figure is reiterated at every 12-beat cycle. It morphs into a 4/4 tempo to provide a different ground to the horn players - trumpeter Miles Keingstein and tenorist Declan Sheehy-Moss - who weave their free blowing style with a strong sense of melody. Yet, and this is particularly noticeable when we hear the saxophonist, the phrases are eked out with effective inside and outside routines. The piece gets playfully bluesy right before the reinstatement of that groove where everything started.

Drummer Alex Yoo stands out in the next couple of tunes. On the idyllic “Ignorance is Bliss”, his brushwork dances alongside earthy bass plucks and vertical slides offered by the bassist Samantha Reiss, whereas on “Untitled 04", he sturdily applies a few chops at the outset, anticipating the breezy melody, some fine Latin accents in the rhythm (the B section evoking Cedar Walton’s “Bolivia”), and another pair of solos by the frontline architects.

The quartet keeps the lively energy well in hand on “Public Alley”, where they dive headfirst into a frenetic swing, and “Dr. Jackle”, where they champion hard-bop and free bop with a graceful sync and electronic distortion. The effects and electronics are not much of an asset both on “Concoction”, which, under buzzing noises and gently blurred tones, has a rippling current that doesn’t change much; and “Forgotten”, whose insouciant spirit includes bowed bass and discontinuous drumming.

Firmly performed, this album breathes life with an adventurous, if familiar, posture that showcases the quartet’s tight musical communication.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Keepin It ► 02 - Ignorance is a Bliss ► 03 - Untitled

Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra - Conspiracy

Label: Mons Records, 2022

Personnel includes - Tobias Hoffmann: composer; conductor; Patrick Dunst: alto and soprano sax, flute; Andy Schofield: alto sax, clarinet, flute; Robert Unterköfler: tenor and soprano sax, clarinet; Martin Harms: tenor sax, clarinet; Robert Bachner: trombone, euphonium; Jonas Brinckmann: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Jakob Helling: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kasperi Sarikoski: trombone; Vilkka Wahl: guitar; Philipp Nykrin; piano; Ivar Roban Krizic: acoustic and electric bass; Reinhold Schmölzer: drums, electronics, and more.

Tobias Hoffmann is a skilled bandleader, saxophonist, and modern composer born in Germany, whose work could be admired in the Vienna Spittelberg Jazz Orchestra from 2014 to 2017. Following Retrospective, an interesting work for nonet, he now conducts an 18-piece aggregation that swells and sprawls with potent compositions favoring musical interchange and organic unity. 

Sparkling with color while sonically addressing the dangers of conspiracy theories, “Conspiracy”, which gave the album its name, is delivered at full force. It boasts a functional contemporary layout and resoluteness in the arrangement, which includes intricate tempos, challenging beat-cycle vamps and a tangible tenor saxophone solo unleashed by Robert Unterköfler.

Some pieces incorporate rock elements into the marrow of his style. This is the case of “Relentless”, which, bold in the pulse, revels in unisons, counterpoint, shifting passages and meter. It also squeezes in the most adventurous saxophone solo on the record, perfused with unpredictable intervals and resonant timbre by altoist Patrick Dunst. Another example is the closer, “Who Knows”, a danceable 4/4 jazz-rock number fueled by guitarist Vilkka Wahl, who strikes with a fusion-soaked improvisation upfront.

“Awakening” maintains a heartfelt, ruminative mood in its strangely familiar progression after a smooth introduction populated with strings and reeds. The pathos is endorsed by flugelhorn player Jakob Helling, but there’s a more optimistic grit as the time advances. By a contrasting effect and owing much to tradition, we have “December Song”, a soul-strutting piece inspired by Vince Mendoza, and “Trailblazers”, a fluid blues progression in six that pays homage to the legends of jazz. The latter grooves high with Jonas Brinckmann and Kasperi Sarikoski, on baritone sax and trombone, respectively.

This sort of ritual of transformation keeps going with the Darcy James Argue-influenced “Renegade”, a slow burn in nine with such a groove firmly in place. With the following number, “Impostor Syndrome”, the band propels the music forward again with a rollicking mass of horns, but also concedes a thoughtful unaccompanied passage for Austrian pianist Philipp Nykrin.
Hoffmann promotes a solid group ethos throughout this tautly constructed program.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Conspiracy ► 05 - Relentless ► 08 - Impostor Syndrome

Triio - Six-ish Plateaus

Label: Elastic Recordings, 2022

Personnel - Bea Labikova: alto and soprano saxophone; Naomi McCarroll-Butler: clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Tom Fleming: guitar; Michael Davidson: vibraphone; Alex Fournier: double bass; Stefan Hegerat: drums.

Alex Fournier, a supple bassist and excellent composer from Ontario, Canada, leads his galvanizing sextet Triio in this impressive follow-up to their debut album released in 2019. The 5-track program of originals, whose sounds carve into your skin and mind with a complexity that feels human, not mechanical, comes filled with sly rhythms and distinguished avant-garde traits that don’t adhere to conventional patterns. 

Vouching for a perfect balance between robustness and refinement, as well as empathic accompaniments with fine solos atop, the group first attacks with “An Intrepid Toad”, alluring us to its rhythm and calling our attention to a well-oiled improvisation with inside out distortions by guitarist Tom Fleming. He’s followed by altoist Naomi McCarroll-Butler, who expresses her thoughts over a less dense substratum.

Being as much pointed as it is charming, the title track, “Six-ish Plateaus”, starts off with a free posture in a funny conversational mode, but reveals a shapeshifting character over the course of its eight-and-a-half minutes. It gains an identifiable configuration before the minute two, alternating patterned odd-metered cycles with a rock-infused 4/4 drive. The energy is cut back for a moment, claiming repose with a passage delimited by vibraphone, guitar and bass. The final section has Fournier and drummer Stefan Hegerat engaging in a dazzlingly crisp rhythmic drive with reedists Bea Labikova and McCarroll-Butler whirling in parallel motion.

Also with considerable twists along its structure, the funnily titled “Saltlick City” documents labyrinthine paths while displaying fair amounts of melody, ostinatos, and imaginative rhythms. Gutsy drumming with nice beat displacements during an odd-metered cycle; bowed bass and the horns in close proximity, triggering multi-rhythmic responses from vibraphone and drums; intoxicating solos from alto sax and bass clarinet - all take part in the mercurial temperament of the piece.

Fournier’s music can bend and bruise but can also meditate and sooth. Examples are the unhurried “Aneda/Agenda”, whose relentless curvatures and sharp corners feel like a crossing between Bobby Hutcherson and Sam Rivers; and “Tragic Leisure”, which indulges in a lethargic abstraction.  Both these pieces radiate energy in their last segments with just enough of a crisp edge, especially the latter, which swings and rocks simultaneously. 

Profuse in ideas, these compositions are strong enough to stand up proudly in the modern jazz sphere. Fournier and his group rightfully deserve acclaim as their sound evolve significantly.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - An Intrepid Toad ► 02 - Six-ish Plateaus ► 05 - Saltlick City

Mattias Risbergs Mining - Krantzkommun

Label: Kullen Reko, 2022

Personnel - Mattias Risberg: keyboards, composition, lyrics; Jennie Abrahamson: vocals; Sten Sandell: voice, recitation; Fredrik Ljungkvist: saxophone, clarinet; Per Texas Johansson: saxophone, bass clarinet, bassoon, oboe; David Stackenäs: guitar; Stina Hellberg Agback: harp; Eva Lindal: violin; Josefin Runsteen: violin, viola, mallets, percussion; Dan Berglund: bass; Jon Fält: drums.

Krantzkommun, a multifaceted opus where several genres are entwined, is the last installment of Mattias Risbergs Mining trilogy, which started in 2019 with Live in Stripa and continued in 2020 with Zauberberg. The septet featured in the first two acts is expanded into an 11-piece ensemble here, allowing for a peculiar instrumentation with extra reeds and strings, recitation, and harp. Risberg keeps setting down his memories of Bergslagen, the historical Swedish mining district where he grew up.

Combining English lyrics and Swedish recitation, the album kicks off with “Overstyr”, whose percussive noise, abrupt interruptions (giving place to a mix of prog-rock and cabaret music), as well as impetuous guitar and synth stabs give an idea of what to expect next. Over this provocative fusion, we have Jennie Abrahamson’s vocals and the deep recitation of Sten Sandell creating a swelling, eerie atmosphere. It all ends up in a classical pool of serene strings. The title track - worthy of both popular burlesque and riotous proto-punk performance - relies on a vigorous rhythm that alternates with quieter vocal passages. You can think of it as an elaborate fusion of hard and sophisticated rock approaches (Rammstein, Can, and Kate Bush come to mind) and experimental avant-garde sounds to which the horns contribute actively.

With harp, keyboards and strings at the center, the cinematic “Flee” feels achingly lyrical in an almost surreal way. It shares some musical qualities with the enigmatic “Extend”, which doesn’t hide the influence of Kate Bush in the narrative. It also doesn’t get anywhere near the dynamic pulsation of the following chapter, “Ping Pong”, whose syncopated patterns contrast with a more playful pop/rock side, or even the concluding track, “Who Needs a Story”. This latter piece is launched in nine, morphing into a propulsive triple time flow when accommodating the horns. The last section is powerful, built in ecstasy, with the phrase “the mine is mine” being throbbingly repeated.

Krantzkommun is an ardent work rather than coldly metallic. Being personal and bold in the conception, it’s so unlike any other music being made at the moment that it will certainly put some listeners into a kind of trance.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Krantzkommun ► 05 - Ping Pong ► 09 - Who Needs a Story

Yako Trio - OdesSea

Label: Fair Weather Friends Records, 2022

Personnel - Leandros Pasias: piano; Vangelis Vrachnos: double bass; George Klountzos Chrysidis: drums + Guests: James Wylie: alto saxophone (#1,3,5,6); Nicolas Masson: tenor and soprano saxophone (#2,4).

Paying homage to the sea, the Yako Trio shows considerable musical malleability on their sophomore album OdesSea. The follow up to their self-released debut Ode to Yannis (2018), which paid tribute to the late Greek composer Yannis Konstantinidis, is made of six diversified tunes that, influenced by jazz and classical idioms, evokes the mercurial temperament of the trio formed in Thessaloniki, Greece, by pianist Leandros Pasias, bassist Vangelis Vrachnos, and drummer George Klountzos Chrysidis. 

Heavily invested in an upbeat post-bop and delivered in a winged 3/4 tempo, “The Call” opens the album with modal brilliance, showing that Pasias’ writing is not pedestrian. Guesting on this one to steal the show is the New Zealander saxophonist James Wylie, a member of Anna Webber’s septet Percussive Mechanics. His outside incursions and zigzagging maneuvers find a continuous harmonic track in the fluidity of the piano playing. An unaccompanied bass statement winds up with a pedal point, transitioning to an ecstatic finale where the saxophonist flanks his spiked-punch phrases with long, stunningly timbral one-note blows.

The title track is percussively stable, cooked with restraint despite the dynamic soprano solo by Swiss saxist Nicolas Masson, who switches to tenor on the Vrachnos-penned “Sand”, a ballad with emotional heft. Navigating a completely different wavelength, “Afromacedonian Dance”, another piece by the bassist, explores non-Western sounds with the gravitational pull of a 15-beat bass groove that defines its smooth dancing quality. Wylie dialogues with Pasias, before Vrachnos and Chrysidis enhance their parts.

With less individualism and more collectivism, “Indian Dream” calmly develops in seven, spreading a gentle breeze that involves us earnestly. However, Wylie steps forward, cascading lyrically over the swelling texture of the song’s last segment. The album closes with Pasias’ “Lullaby”, a fragile song driven by subtle brushwork and economic, if well-measured, bass plucks.

This is a very satisfying set by a trio that pushes itself to fertile territories with firm-footing consistency and modern taste.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Call ► 03 - Afromacedonian Dance ► 05 - Indian Dream

Shawn Lovato - Microcosms

Label: ears&eyes Records, 2022

Personnel - Shawn Lovato: bass, composition; Michael Attias: alto saxophone; Patti Kilroy: violin; Hannis Brown: guitar; Santiago Leibson: piano; Vinnie Sperrazza: drums; Colin Hinton percussion.

This commissioned opus composed by bassist/composer Shawn Lovato is structurally interesting, blurring the line between composition and improvisation with an up-to-date vision. The eight parts of the suite take us from the abstract to the concrete and were designed for a septet that integrates Lovato’s concert trio mates in Hotel Elefant - guitarist Hannis Brown and violinist Patti Kilroy - and New York-based jazz improvisers of the first order such as saxophonist Michael Attias, keyboardist Santiago Leibson, and drummers Vinnie Sperrazza and Colin Hinton.

The bandleader gets things cooking right away with some enigmatic vibes in the opener “Microcosms (opening)”. At first you hear deep arco bass playing, flimsy saxophone vibration, inscrutable violin screeches, a slightly eerie piano ebb and flow, and warped guitar contortions. The texture is later supplemented with drums, slowing down again when thoughtful bass plucks make a bed for Attias’ altissimo circular notes and terse phrases. The saxophonist has the word on “Modular Ascension”, choosing his idioms with freedom and getting suitable feedback from Leibson. The complex rhythm is driven nicely here, but the group also swings unabashedly, enjoying a more familiar jazz atmosphere.

Guitar and violin are preponderant on “Serenity Amid Absurdity”, which goes from a nearly transcendental Eastern psychedelia to a contrapuntal abstract setting that is far more serene and composed. Its last segment brings everyone together in a contrast of rhythms that creates considerable internal tension.

Sperrazza plays a tightly weaved solo drum part at the outset of “Splitting Hairs Part I”, which evolves into a collective dirge with the help of Leibson’s underpinning. The last section of “Splitting Hairs Part II” is even more exciting with Attias blowing his horn convincingly against a controlled cadenza.

With a well-measured melodic cell concept at the base, “Splitting Atoms I” has Lovato’s bandmates responding with stellar playing to his compositional challenges. They absolutely float free, but with violin, guitar and glockenspiel standing out in close communication. Before “Microcosms (closing)” finishes the cycle in a sort of classical chamber mode, Lovato claims the deserved spotlight on “Splitting Atoms II”, an unaccompanied bass effort. 

There’s a fresh, unmannered feel in these tangled septet explorations devised with considerable room for individual expression. Many other avenues may be beckoning for Lovato’s talents, and it will be interesting to see what he does next. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Microcosms (opening) ► 02 - Modular Ascension ► 06 - Splitting Atoms I

Julia Hulsmann Quartet - The Next Door

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - Uli Kempendorff: tenor saxophone; Julia Hulsmann: piano; Marc Muellbauer: double bass; Heinrich Kobberling: drums.

The Julia Hulsmann Quartet is one of the most reliable jazz projects that hails from Germany. The pianist reassembles her excellent quartet for The Next Door, the follow-up to the well-received Not Far From Here (ECM, 2019), after spending considerable time on tour with them. The program consists of originals by each of the members plus a sweet rendition of “Sometimes it Snows in April” by Prince, here expressed with a similar unpressurized atmosphere that characterizes the original version.

Delicately churning, “Empty Hands” feels like a rainy dawn illuminated by a golden ray of light. A hopeful 14-beat piano ostinato gives it a solid texture, and the statements from Hulsmann - who composed it - and saxophonist Uli Kempendorff toggle between winding and breathable. The pianist also wrote the following piece, “Made of Wood”, which, denoting a less floaty quality, is underlined by a nicely swinging flow that recalls Carla Bley and Steve Swallow. Exhibiting discipline in the composition and intuition in the interplay, “Fluid”, another highlight by Hulsmann, sounds exactly as the title suggests. It goes from rubato to polyrhythmic to expandable, invariably driven by a powerful sense of communication.

A definitive testament to the empathy among the group members is Kempendorf’s “Open Up”, a slippery, chromatically agile post-bop-meets-avant-jazz number with a notated bass part, classy swinging quality, and angular deflection. I’m pretty sure the result would please as  much Joe Lovano as Anthony Braxton. 

“Post Post Post” arrives by the pen of drummer Heinrich Kobberling, playing like a nocturne while interlacing poignant and delicate tones with a sextuple meter feel. In turn, “Wasp at the Window” features bassist Marc Muellbauer in an intervallic-wise bass intro, before pinning a supple groove in nine that, occasionally speeding up, shields the whole piece. Besides the tune I just mentioned, the bassist also contributes the pacifying “Valdemossa”, a piece based on the harmony of Chopin’s “Prelude no. 4 in E minor”. With a refreshing new melody navigating the chords, the song invites us to picture agreeable landscapes filled with abundant color. 

Whether compressing or loosening up elements, the music of Hulsmann and her peers is a strikingly precise affair.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Empty Hands ► 08 - Open Up ► 11 - Fluid

Keefe Jackson / Oscar Jan Hoogland / Joshua Abrams / Mikel Avery - These Things Happen

Label: Astral Spirits Records, 2022

Personnel - Keefe Jackson - tenor and sopranino saxophone; Oscar Jan Hoogland: piano; Joshua Abrams: double bass; Mikel Patrick Avery: drums.

This wonderful quartet - a cooperative association between the skilled Amsterdam-based pianist Oscar Jan Hoogland and three multifaceted members of the Chicago jazz scene, saxophonist Keefe Jackson, bassist Joshua Abrams, and drummer Mikel Patrick Avery (now based in Philadelphia) - has the capacity to reinvent classic tunes from Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, and Dewey Redman with excitement and accessibility without sounding repetitive or outdated. Comprising six grown-up tracks, These Things Happen is a concise work that, without stretching past the 22-minute mark, includes two original compositions by the pianist.

Implemented with polyrhythmic zest, a fine marching-like strut, and shifting meter ability, Monk’s inevitable “Epistrophy” sets a scalding hot temperature from the start. Jackson combines magnitude and winning aesthetics in his phrasing, obtaining clever commentary from Hoogland, whose tradition-steeped pianism is dazzlingly beautiful. There’s more Monk and “Bemsha Swing”, here modified to look like a sketchy, explorative, and charmingly abstract murmuration.  

Dewey Redman’s “Gotta Get Some Sleep” first appeared on Keith Jarrett’s 1970 quartet album Bop-Be (the lineup was rounded out with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian), getting his dose of innovation here through fragmentation, melodic wooziness, buzzing sounds, drones, and circular patterns. It simmers without reaching hyper-activity, staying from from the swaying, swooning and unique groove of Herbie Nichols’ gem “The Happenings”. Taking advantage of a cohesive and focused rhythm section, Jackson excels in this latter tune with an absolutely breathtaking drive. He’s followed by Abrams, who employs portions of the stunning main melody as reference points to expand his solo. 

The record wouldn't be the same without Hoogland’s two originals: the soulful and quiet “Wimpel” passes the idea of making peace with itself by bringing back an old idea, reshape it with a newfound energy, and then moving on. “Aanhanghuis” was the perfect choice to close an outstanding set. Jackson goes to exotic places while convincingly blowing the sopranino sax, and his deliberate out-of-focus construction and catchy hooks are much welcome in a piece that marries avant-jazz angles and swinging motion. Hoogland, in turn, explores different ranges on the keyboard, going effortlessly and blithely from low to high registers.

Rich in melodic material and with maturity in both the arrangements (by the pianist) and impromptu speeches, These Things Happen benefits from the open-mindedness and extraordinary energy of all four players.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Epistrophy ► 04 - The Happenings ► 06 - Aanhanghuis

Jon Cowherd Trio - Pride and Joy

Label: Le Coq Records, 2022

Personnel - Jon Cowherd: piano; John Patitucci: bass; Brian Blade: drums - with guests Chris Potter: tenor and soprano saxophones (#1,2,5); Alex Acuna: percussion (#1,2,5). 

Pianist/composer Jon Cowherd is known for employing a fluid language and sincere approach to the keyboard. Pride and Joy showcases his fantastic trio - with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade - attacking eight tracks that show their powerful chemistry and technical wizardry. The album celebrates the pianist’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter on one hand, also signaling his recent move from New York City to Grand Junction, Colorado. 

The opening track, “Grand Mesa” reflects this new environment - surrounded by mesas and red mountains - he currently enjoys with his family. This is the first of three pieces where the trio is augmented by two distinguished guests: the powerful saxophonist Chris Potter and the understated percussionist Alex Acuña. 

An out-of-time post-bop outlook prevails on the formerly described tune, as well as on “Little Scorpio”, which gently develops in seven with a perfectly singable soprano sax melody on top of a tight chordal sequence; and also on the title track, another soulful effort that crackles with energy, especially in the vamp toward the end where Potter blows with verve and stamina. Both these numbers refer to Cowherd’s daughter, Simone.

Patitucci and Blade confirm their highly musical association through elegant underpinnings that elevate the trio pieces, namely Cowherd’s “The Colorado Experiments”, which, surrounded by an impressionistic aura, carries echoes of Chick Corea; and “Chickmonk”, Patitucci’s double tribute to the just mentioned pianist and Thelonious Monk. Here the trio opens up by delivering loose-limbed solos with a swinging posture. 

Waltzing with a dragging beat and demonstrating control at every point, “Honest Man” was written for Cowherd’s first jazz teacher, Ellis Marsalis. The album finishes in solo piano mode with “Quilt City Blues”, which Blade composed for Cowherd. Both share more than two decades of musical partnership.

Rooted jazz lineage branches out in all directions over the course of a repertoire that, not being surprising, feels all the more compelling for moving effortlessly between written passages, spontaneous interactions, and individual statements.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Grand Mesa ► 03 - The Colorado Experiment ► 05 - Pride and Joy

Sélébéyone - Xaybu: The Unseen

Label: Pi Recordings, 2022

Personnel - Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Maciek Lasserre: alto saxophone; HPrizm: vocals (English); Gaston Bandimic: vocals (Wolof); Damion Reid: drums.

Sélébéyone is a groundbreaking collaborative outfit involving American, African and European musicians. These fusion practitioners bring together left field rap, nu-break flows, modern jazz eloquence, African rhythmic concepts, and experimental electronics in a collage of seriously infectious sounds inspired by the Islamic mysticism of al-Ghaib.

Declaring the two front-line saxophonists - trailblazing American Steve Lehman and French dynamo Maciek Lasserre - as producers, the group’s sophomore album, Xaybu: The Unseen, is bookended by the offbeat and vibing pulsations of “Time is the First Track”. The skillfully programmed disparities and juxtapositions of this piece continue on “Djibril”, a tribute to the Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty. On top of the ecstatic beatmaking there’s not only torqued freak saxophone notes forming angular heat waves and intervallic unconventionality, but also the Wolof, French, and English words pronounced by the two MCs - respected New York underground hip-hop artist HPrizm and young Senegalese star, Gaston Bandimic. 

Both the African-flavored “Lamina” and the more aggressive “Liminal” deal with easily shiftable broken rhythms. The former piece, being very electronic-oriented, is surrounded by mechanically surreal patterns and synthetic grooves; the latter, instead, was made slightly more ominous through persistent drones, effusive percussion, and volcanic saxophone playing. The meaning of the words in “Gagaku” ('guided through illusion in the land of the lost'), where New York City life is addressed with hopelessness, is complemented by a voice sample of legendary jazz drummer Billy Higgins.  

The top-to-bottom push-pull in terms of sound design is not to be ignored, and “Poesie I” is a superlative example of how to do it. Damion Reid’s versatile drumming locks in the group’s explosive chemistry on numbers such as “Dual Ndoxol” and the more straightforward “Zeraora”. He brushes his kit with swinging elegance on the former, creating a cool jazz atmosphere that later morphs into chilled-out electronic riffery stirred by caustic saxophone forays. 

To like or not to like this post-electro-jazz-rap album is likely a matter of genre-related taste since one can’t find dubious choices in Sélébéyone’s response to their already highly raised bar. Anyone seeking boldness, complexity and fire in music should look for this.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Djibril ► 06 - Gagaku ► 13 - Zeraora

Jeremy Cunningham / Dustin Laurenzi / Paul Bryan - A Better Ghost

Label: Northern Spy Records, 2022

Personnel - Jeremy Cunningham: drums, percussion; Dustin Laurenzi: tenor saxophone, OP-1, electronics; Paul Bryan: bass, synth + Guests - Jay Bellerose: percussion; Katie Ernst: vocals; Josh Johnson: alto saxophone; Will Miller: trumpet.

Displaying maturity, this trio collaboration between drummer Jeremy Cunningham, saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi (both from Chicago) and L.A.-based bassist/producer Paul Bryan is a success. These technically enlightened musicians navigate new sonic waves that are fascinating, sometimes ethereal, and consistently magical. The nine enticing Cunningham-Laurenzi compositions on A Better Ghost were developed at a distance. While touring with the alternative folktronica/pop/rock group Bon Iver, the saxophonist came up with several ideas on the OP-1 and sent them to the drummer, who gave them melodic elasticity and rhythmic grace through his modern musical sensibilities. Then, Bryan, sliding across keys with futuristic vision and figuring disciplined bass lines, granted the final touch to a body of work that is pleasurable in all its unfolding detail.

“Everything” is an easy listening experience masterfully weaved with a relentless one-note drone in the background and untethered by Laurenzi’s inside/outside tour de force on tenor. “Worlds Turn” admits multi-instrumentalist Josh Johnson on alto saxophone, with Cunningham’s energized clarity in the beat allowing for latent syncopation. The synth vibes sound like playful toy music by the end, creating a particular atmosphere that is redeployed to the groovy title track.

If “Comfort Station” is a cyclic effort impacted by an uncanny bass figure, then the deceptively slow-burning “Ray Tracing” surprises in its last section with a transfixing rhythmic fabric and a saxophone sound that enthralls. Further deeply involving is “New Dust”, whose introductory reverb-drenched sax monologue in good time enjoys the company of bass and drums for a feel-good, moderately exotic dance. An asymmetric 14-beat cycle is contemplated before the trio aligns it to a more commensurable measure of 16 beats, just to conclude it after a little while with the bassist at the fore. “The Way We Remember” brings the album to a conclusion, guesting singer Katie Ernst, who co-wrote the lyrics. This one is a dedication to Cunningham’s late father, shaping up as an elegiac cinematic anthem where one readily perceives the power of the drums.

Demonstrating tastefulness and high quality in the chops, these modern jazz practitioners find a harmonious balance between composition and freedom. They definitely make me want to hear more of what they do.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Everything ► 02 - Worlds Turn ► 05 - New Dust

Nate Wooley - Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2022

Personnel - Nate Wooley: trumpet, amplifier; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Susan Alcorn: pedal steel guitar; Mat Maneri: viola (#2); Trevor Dunn: electric bass (#4); Ryan Sawyer: drums.

Impregnated with chilly dystopian-like vibes, the sophomore release of trumpeter Nate Wooley’s Columbia Icefield is a suite whose three main parts and four interludes derive from heroic inspirations. A film by Frank Heath accompanies Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes, which creates a cinematic universe of its own through otherworldly sonic sensations and field recordings. The ensemble remains with no alterations, transversing modern jazz forms and experimental foundations specified in Wooley's composition.

“I Am the Sea that Sings of Dust” stealthily steps in, attempting to mediate the struggle between the natural world and the human expression. Sparse guitar chords, background electronic noise, and effusive drumming by Ryan Sawyer draw a distinction to an early phase that plunges further into a downcast chamber atmosphere accentuated by plaintive trumpet lines and the pastoral glissandi winks that pour from Mat Maneri’s viola. This disenchanted impression is transferred to the interlude that follows: a suspended mode with moderately warped guitar sounds and trumpet tranquility.

Clocking in at nearly 15 minutes, “A Catastrophic Legend” was penned for the late cornetist Ron Miles. The constant vigilant state of the piece hypnotizes more than shakes in the initial phase, when Wooley and Halvorson engage in unpredictable parallel moves over a quiet substratum reinforced by guest bassist Trevor Dunn. The texture then varies in intensity, falling in with rock-infused distortion and asymmetric progression. After a trumpet solo, there’s a convoluted passage with electronics and rollicking drums.

“Returning to Drawn Myself, Finally” is based on a Swedish dalakoral (religious song). The trumpet lamentation leads to a modernist abstraction delineated by Halvorson, an electric guitar innovator whose loose-fitting phraseology can be heard concurrently with Alcorn’s pedal steel electrification. Serenading activity replete with ostinatos takes us to a closure.

Emphasizing more the collective than the individual, Wooley explores creative approaches to music making by combining strange and foreboding elements. This is a curiously atmospheric if not essential album.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - I Am the Sea that Sings of Dust ► 04 - A Catastrophic Legend ► 06 - Returning to Drawn Myself, Finally

Marc Mommaas - The Impressionist

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2022

Personnel - Marc Mommaas: tenor and soprano saxophones; Gary Versace: piano; Nate Radley: guitar; Jay Anderson: acoustic bass.

Dutch saxophonist Marc Mommaas, who has been based in New York since 1997, records regularly for the Sunnyside label with small drum-less ensembles. For his latest album, The Impressionist, he drew inspiration from the music of 20th-century French composer Gabriel Fauré (an icon of impressionism in music) as well as the New York pandemic times. Enlisting the talents of keyboardist Gary Versace, guitarist Nate Radley and bassist Jay Anderson, Mommaas outlined the eight tracks on the album with a quiet, floaty quality that comes to terms with his own feelings during difficult times. Although more conceptual than some of his previous works, I experienced dilemmas while trying to relate with complexions that, favoring more order than chaos, needed some more stimulation.

The highlights of the album, “Nostalgia” and “Float Away”, are stamped with emotionally induced saxophone solos. Launching the album, the former piece develops soulfully and plaintively with Mommaas and Anderson in melodic consonance, while Radley and Versace successfully avoid messing up the space when it comes to comping. There’a also silvery elucidation from Anderson here in a statement filled with lyricism. The latter piece, instead, besides the nice unison melody designed by soprano sax and piano, lives from fluid improvisations.

The title track pretty much flows in the same vein of the opening tune, featuring the flickering, tremolo-steeped synth-like guitar of Radley throughout. The theme is not as impressive though as the comparable piece I just specified. “C’est La Vie”, a tune about contemplation and acceptance, arrives with understated and emotive detail in the call-and-response between guitar and piano, shifting to triple meter in its denouement. Dedicated to the one who inspired him for this work, Mommaas made “Fauré” unequivocally classical, enhancing the gallantry in the harmony for a chamber music mood.

The last two tracks attempt something different. “Free Above All” explores more freely, employing distorted guitar swells and featuring the saxophonist in a soprano monologue turned interlocution with the arrival of the pianist. “Moving On” brings the album to a close with the optimism of a soothing pop song.

The placid temper of the majority of the songs results in a mix of dreamy and pale atmospheres. There’s definitely strong interplay among these great musicians, but a wide-ranging perspective would have given the album a more imposing character.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Nostalgia ► 05 - Float Away ► 07 - Free Above All

Julian Lage - View With a Room

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Julian Lage: electric guitar; Bill Frisell: electric guitar, baritone guitar; Jorge Roeder: acoustic bass; Dave King: drums.

American guitarist Julian Lage cultivates a unique sound that combines roots and progression. He has been calling attention both through his own albums and sideperson credits (Charles Lloyd, Gary Burton, John Zorn, and Nels Cline). The awaited sophomore album on the Blue Note imprint, View With a Room, is the follow-up to last year’s Squint, featuring his working trio with bassist Jorge Roeder and The Bad Plus drummer, Dave King. But for this outing, the gifted guitarist Bill Frisell was invited to play a few tracks, perfectly serving the musical sensibilities of Lage compositions. The two guitarists are in absolute control of the fretboard, and never resort to pyrotechnics to impress. Instead, they deliver beautifully texturized music with an immense and effortless harmonic scope. 

“Tributary”, the opening piece, and “Echo”, which was written and arranged by Lage and Roeder, are highlights, exemplifying this capacity to create rich textures and employ stunning melodies without overplaying. Bookended by tasteful electronics and an Americana-tinged atmosphere, the former flows with silky chord progressions and passages with delicate detail, spectacular staccatos, lustrous octaves, and smartly controlled articulations. The latter tune, starting with a prominent bass figure, brings together charming tones and a certain cinematic mystery. Excellent note choices elevate the poignancy, just like in “Let Every Room Sing”, a chorale-like song impregnated with warm classical innuendos. Complementary guitar layers with occasional harmonics rest on top of the spare, if loose, commentary provided by Roeder and King.

Lage and his partners leap into the closer, “Fairbanks”, as well as the sprightly “Chavez”, whose B section recalls Sting’s former group The Police, with a pop/rock frame of mind. In reality, this album is made of borderless music, and if “Temple Step” is a blues with a reggae touch (Frisell plays baritone guitar here), then “Auditorium” promotes an alliance between country-pop and the crunchy, contemporary snare-driven rhythmic tapestry at the base. On its part, the waltz “Word For Word”, delivered in trio, has that irresistible bounce of Jim Hall and Bill Evans, as well as a polyrhythmic feel edged by triplets on the drummer’s side.

This recording, displaying the magnitude of the composer’s gifts, exudes virtuosity and sincerity all around - from composition to sonic maturation to execution.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tributary ► 02 - Word For Word ► 05 - Echo

Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra - In the Valley

Label: Stricker Street Records, 2022

Personnel - Todd Marcus: bass clarinet, composition; Greg Tardy: tenor saxophone; Brent Birckhead: alto saxophone, flute; Russell Kirk: alto saxophone; Alex Norris: trumpet; Alan Ferber: trombone; Xavier Davis: piano; Jeff Reed: bass; Eric Kennedy: drums.

American bass clarinetist of Egyptian descent Todd Marcus put his bold orchestral plans into effect in this new recording, In the Valley, commanding a supple nonet that includes experienced musicians with outstanding soloing credentials such as saxophonist Greg Tardy, trumpeter Alex Norris, trombonist Alan Ferber, and pianist Xavier Davis. The fusion of Middle Eastern music and both straight-ahead and modern jazz idioms borders on perfection.

With references to maqam music, “Horus”, titled after the ancient falcon-headed Egyptian god, inhabits a kaleidoscopic universe of fascinating sounds. One finds passages with understated Arabic and Latin touches, and dense layering of horns are complemented with compelling improvisations. Marcus flies East and West in profuse excitement, exposing the marvelous timbres of the bass clarinet; Norris blows his horn with hard-bop flexibility; and then there’s the eight-beat cycle bass groove that stimulates Eric Kennedy for some extra drum chops. Lastly, we have the horn players engaged in enthusiastic volleys.

In its depiction of modern-day Cairo, “The Hive” feels grandiose in posture and dusky in tone, bridging moods that evoke Grachan Moncur III and Jackie McLean. This mysterious aura coupled with an odd tempo doesn’t intimidate trombonist Alan Ferber, who launches the improvised statements with clarity. “Cairo Street Ride” is another piece inspired by the capital of Egypt, specifically its chaotic traffic. It’s infectious in the temperament and filled with heady tangents and crossings, moments of polyphony, parallel orientation, and stirring counterpoint. The featured soloists are bassist Jeff Reed, who often employs chromaticism in the narrative, and Tardy, who puts his soul on every note.

“Final Days”, an elegiac ballad, displays an instrumentation that shrinks and swells with conspicuous flute, mallet drumming, and wailing reeds. A nicely flowing conclusion is brought by the title track, whose punchy lines and odd meter help to invoke images of grandiose Egyptian sites.

Clear yet mystery-induced arrangements motivate beautiful ensemble playing throughout. This recording solidifies Marcus’ credentials as a creative composer. His imaginative vision fits our modern days.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Horus ► 03 - The Hive ► 04 - Cairo Street Ride