Zack Lober - No Fill3r

Label: Zennez Records, 2023

Personnel - Suzan Veneman: trumpet; Zack Lober: bass; Sun-mi Hong: drums.

The musical career of Canadian-born bassist and composer Zack Lober spans two decades and is filled with constructive collaborations as a sideman. Saxophonist Chet Doxas and flutist Jamie Baum are some of the examples. Lober, who's also a DJ and turntablist and lived 11 years in NYC before moving to the Netherlands, also played with David Binney, John Escreet and Dan Weiss in his Ancestry Project, a multimedia quintet performance concerning the life of his family, as it was told to him by his Polish grandfather.

The opening cut from his debut album, No Fill3r, was drawn from the latter project, showing syntactic maturity in the language of Dutch trumpeter Suzan Veneman and a mix of earthiness and coolness in the rhythmic mesh weaved by Lober and South Korean drummer Sun-mi Hong. The piece in question, called “Mid Music”, is a strong introduction to the trio, preserving a swinging flow and illustrating gracious melodic angularities that are redolent of Ornette Coleman.

The mind-set of the trio maintains high standards in the gorgeously soothing “Force Majeure”, which refers to forces that are greater than ourselves. It’s delivered in six with a solid core and a beautiful songlike touch. Things go more frenzied on the title track, a freely improvised number that jangles and bubbles with polyrhythmic interplay while pushing the envelope of the trumpet-bass-drums format. There’s jazz, rock and electronic music influence here, and the bass hooks that pin the groove dissipate into the next number, “Blues”. The latter may sound archetypal in its 12-bar progression but is melodically off-grid.

The threesome has found common ground in these compact compositions, and “Chop Wood”, inspired by Buddhism and its benevolent philosophy, flows under soft brushes and a more eloquent, if loose, bass drive. Sober trumpet lines populate this pavement and contribute to making “Luck (Alice)”, penned for Lober’s wife, a cheerful song.

Lober plays with inspiring self-respect but also shows recognition for his peers and their sounds. Their willingness to create new music is very much sensed in this positive debut recording. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mid Music ► 02 - Force Majeure ► 04 - No Fill3r

Sara Caswell - The Way to You

Label: Anzic Records, 2023

Personnel - Sara Caswell: violin, Hardanger d’Amore; Jesse Lewis: guitar; Ike Sturm: bass; Jared Schonig: drums; Chris Dingman: vibraphone (#1,2,5,8).

From the opening selection of The Way to You, violinist Sara Caswell's third album as a leader, we can sense the eclecticism and ambition of a group of qualified musicians. The album is the culmination of a 17-year journey during which she toured/recorded with amazing artists such as Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding, Linda May Han Oh, and Donny McCaslin. She’s also a member of Joseph Brent's 9 Horses trio.

“South Shore”, a composition by the sui-generis trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, is instigated by jazz-folk contours and a rock music feel, like if Jean-Luc Ponty had joined Sting’s The Police. Vibraphonist Chris Dingman, who sits in on four tracks, exteriorizes thoughts with speed of execution here. His harmonic streams and textures are well integrated with those of guitarist Jesse Lewis and both create one of the most exciting moments on the album when their burning licks and phrases populate guitar-vibraphone tradeoffs on Kenny Barron’s “Voyage”. The post-bop linearity of the theme segues into the swinging amusement of the improvisations. 

Other appealing numbers are “Stillness”, an acoustic guitar-driven song with a 3/4 balladic feel (bassist Ike Sturm, who penned it, soars with flexibility); Egberto Gismonti’s “7 Aneis”, an exuberant Brazilian choro with quick changes and a festive disposition; and Tom Jobim’s “O Que Tinha de Ser”, an intimate musical poem where Caswell plays the Hardanger d’Amore, a 10-string Norwegian fiddle able to produce peculiar, resonant tones.

Although expansive in mood and style, I got the sense that a bit more provocation was needed on pieces like “On My Way to You”, a product of French composer Michel Legrand, which moves at a glacial pace; as well as on Caswell’s compositions “Warren’s Way”, an old-timey romantic waltz with hints of Americana dedicated to her partner in life (the drummer Michael W. Davis); and “Spinning”, a gently swaying popish song. Conversely, “Last Call”, which was co-composed with Davis and guitarist Dave Stryker, is the stronger of her originals, benefitting from the electrified bluesy chops and harmonic clusters of Lewis.

Caswell demonstrates her sense of command but some of the material holds her back, resulting in a partially satisfying recording that, being colorful, is not always surprising.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - South Shore ► 02 - Stillness ► 09 - O Que Tinha de Ser

Kendrick Scott - Corridors

Label: Blue Note Records, 2023

Personnel - Walter Smith III: tenor saxophone; Reuben Rogers: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums.

For his fifth outing, American drummer/composer Kendrick Scott embraces the trio format for the first time as a leader with the bright assistance of saxophonist Walter Smith III (Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard), and bassist Reuben Rogers (Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman). The album, titled Corridors, is exclusively made of Scott originals (composed during lockdown) with the exception of “Isn’t This My Sound Around Me?” by the great late vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. This piece, displaying shambling yet elegant brushwork at the take off, balances a finely composed theme with an extrovert swinging posture during the soloists’ digressions. Scott and Rogers pull the needlepoint together nicely.

Still and all, the disc kicks off with the impressive “What Day is It?”, whose theme flourishes with a classy bass groove, nervous cymbal activity, and expedite saxophone melody. A relentless pedal point lives through the improvisations, occasionally slipping into a swinging pulse, with Smith infusing a mix of folk and post-bop flavors in the melodic sequences. The title cut, which starts off with a beautiful bass soliloquy, demonstrates the scope of Scott’s open-minded musicality by employing a pensive charm and genuine simplicity. Smith bores into conversational phrasing by pouring transparent ideas with excellent technique and taste.

“One Door Closes” and “Another Opens” are less-than-a-minute vignettes expressed with fittingly layered saxophone and impeccable bass/drums cooperation, respectively. The titles are concatenated on “One Door Closes, Another Opens”, which, marrying melodic and textural material with emotional heft, has a soulful croon reinforcing the proceedings. This number pays tribute to the ones who died and were born during the pandemic.

The album concludes with the stirring “Threshold”, a twisted blues whose plain-spoken motivic theme leaves a groovy thang in the air. The dynamics are on high, and the lush licks recall John Coltrane and Kenny Garrett. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 - What Days is It? ► 02 - Corridors ► 09 - Threshold

Michael Hudson-Casanova - Animus

Label: Passerine Records, 2023

Personnel - Michael Hudson-Casanova: saxophones; Erik Skov: guitar; Gustavo Cortiñas: drums + guest: James Davis: trumpet (#2). 

In his most recent work, Chicago-based saxophonist/composer Michael Husdon-Casanova presents a repertoire of all originals that, being contemporary, doesn’t disregard traditional concepts and ideas. Probing new sonic terrain, the saxophonist convenes two apt musical partners: guitarist Erik Skov and drummer Gustavo Cortiñas, with whom he provides pleasurable sonic moments in a bass-less trio format.

The melodious if slightly parched “Recycle” initiates the session with reverb-drenched guitar and a confined drumming that gains more breadth in the last few minutes; the bandleader coats this fabric with soft, velvety linings. The listening experience is considerably elevated with the gently pop/rock textures of “What If Everything is Not Enough”, a reflection on craving where low-pitched guitar notes are responsible for a patterned groove, atmospherically surrounded by generous cymbal work. You’ll certainly enjoy the rhythmic accents and the presence of guest trumpeter James Davis, who is in the spotlight for most of the time. He seems to appreciate Cortiñas' fulfilling chords as well as his melodic responses.

The well-versed compositional traits of Hudson-Casanova are on display in the spiritually vibrating “Animus”, which is put in motion with a polyrhythmic character, and the empathic “Aftermath”, another tune we want to revisit afterwards. The former finds the saxophonist testifying with restrained fervor over the brightly shimmering sweep of guitar and drums; the latter cut, bestowing effervescent snare activity for a start, is where the improvisers have their chemistry on lock by expressing a fine mix of focus and adventure. Hudson-Casanova is genuinely inspired here while Skov assists his own distorted solo with a harmonically contextual chordal loop. 

“Continuum”, which is delivered in seven and generates a churning vortex culled from contorted rock, jazz and electronica, diverges from the two introspective versions (trio and sax-guitar duo) of “Etude for Clementine”, a hellenistic sculpted number. Hudson-Casanova gives a step forward in his career.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - What if Everything in Not Enough ► 04 - Animus ► 08 - Aftermath

Alex Weiss - Most Don’t Have Enough

Label: ears&eyes Records, 2023

Personnel - Alex Weiss: tenor saxophone ; Dan Blake; soprano saxophone; Yana Davydova: guitar; Dmitry Ishenko: bass; Ches Smith: drums; Marta Sanchez: piano (#3,9).

The sociopolitically-themed Most Don’t Have Enough, a stark set of incandescent hybrid pieces by Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer Alex Weiss, is inspired by the world of our times: the damage caused by Trump’s presidency as well as the violence and precariousness seen a bit everywhere around the world. He leads an amazing quintet that includes luminous stars like the soprano saxophonist Dan Blake and drummer Ches Smith. 

All but two of these nine tracks are originals. The attractive themes, the easy flow with auspicious time shifts, and the quality of the arrangements are immediately found on “The Leonard Nimoy Method”, where an indie rock melodicism mixes with avant-jazz angularity to please the ear. The song, dedicated to the actor of The Invasion of Body Snatchers, is stirred up by a tenor solo delivered with passionate lyricism and deep intensity, a fine collective envelope, and wonderful soprano rambles.

Blake also channels his positive vibe and energy into the final moments of “Homage to Elijah Cummings”, the first of two pieces guesting the virtuosic Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez. The other cut she participates in - delivering an unorthodox statement - is the closing “Akira: Sun and Moon”, whose odd-meter groove altered periodically with a 4/4 rock drive are meant to celebrate Weiss’s son, Akira.

Disgusted with what Trump brought to America, Weiss makes “Your Dark Shadow Arrives at the Door” unfold with 3/4 curiosity, whereas in “Organized Religion”, which mentions another known predicament, there’s a combination of rock muscularity (reinforced with Yana Davydova’s distorted guitar) and jazz fluidity (in the form of unreserved unisons, counterpoint and polyphony). 

The two gorgeous covers presented here are swinging attractions with audacious melodic lines, well-shaped figures, and deft runs conducted with purpose. We’re talking about Chris Speed’s “Really OK”, which brings to our mind the music of Herbie Nichols and Steve Lacy; and “Humpty Dumpy” by the groundbreaking saxist Ornette Coleman, another tremendous influence on Weiss’s musical vocation.

The rhythms and concepts might not be a novelty but Weiss’s tunes bounce with zesty enthusiasm. It’s a feel-good record that runs a nice gamut between substantial rock and accessible avant-jazz.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Leonard Nimoy Method ► 05 - Really OK ► 09 - Akira: Sun and Moon

Ricki Malet Trio - Ricki Malet Trio

Label: Self released, 2023

Personnel - Ricki Malet: trumpet; Alistair Peel: bass; Bronton Ainsworth: drums.

For some time now, Perth-based trumpeter and composer Ricki Malet has been enriching Australian ensembles led by bassist Kate Pass (Kohesia Ensemble) and multi instrumentalist Mace Francis (Orchestra; The Hounds). Presently, he leads a close-knit trio - featuring bassist Alistair Peel and drummer Bronton Ainsworth - with tradition in its primal nature and core. They tackle six Malet originals and four well-known standards, whose modern jazz sensibilities and arrangements make them escape the generally tendency to over refine tradition.

“The Great Indoors” is the captivating opener, developing from cymbal scintillation, sparse yet groovy bass notes, and clear brass expression. The harmony is defined with no ambivalence and the beneficial synergy between the three musicians is on display, even during improvised excursions that are perceptible, suggestive and naturally grounded in the mood. 

Relaxed and effective, “Mama (for Jess)” is a 3/4 spin with a few blues-inflected specifics, whereas “Low Five” gives you all the information in the title: it’s in five with a despondent temperament. “The Waking”, in turn, is breezy and mellifluous, conveying a heavenly sense of comfort in its musical amenities.

The covers get underway with pianist Bud Powell’s bop classic “Dance of the Infidels”. In a first instance, this piece is a showcase for Ainsworth’s rudiments, which serve as fillings for the intermittent discontinuation of the chord progression. Malet and Peel paint their improvisations here with tasteful designing. 

The bassist returns with a dissertation on Charlie Parker’s “Segment”, where straight-ahead boplicity commutes to a momentary Afro-pulsing vamp that resembles Billy Harper’s “Somalia”. The group is constantly in motion during the mercurial rendition of “Someday My Prince Will Come”, which begins at a non-waltzing tempo, as well as on “What is This Thing Called Love”, where they depart from a bolero feel and sluggish pace to land on a swinging field of exuberance.

Malet’s compositions are agreeable surprises, benefitting from the melodic confidence of the bandleader and the complementary resources of his associates.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Great Indoors ► 02 - Mama (for Jess) ► 08 - Low Five

Chris Potter - Got the Keys to the Kingdom: Live at Village Vanguard

Label: Edition Records, 2023

Personnel - Chris Potter: tenor saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano; Scott Colley: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.

The indispensable jazz saxophonist Chris Potter is gifted enough to create fantastic worlds out of a traditional setting. This is true even when he’s not playing his own tunes. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, the most desired venue of New York, Got the Keys to the Kingdom displays refreshing non-original material that bolsters the bandleader’s versatility, huge sound, and sophisticated language. Potter is backed by a stupendous rhythm section composed of inventive pianist Craig Taborn, confident bassist Scott Colley, and intrepid drummer Marcus Gilmore.

His genre-crossing aptitude is immediately visible on the opener “You Gotta Move”, an African-American spiritual song popularized by the hill country blues singer/guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell. This soulful interpretation seems to amalgamate modal jazz, post-bop and soul music with passion, and encapsulates powerful statements from saxophone and piano. Taborn, who starts his improvisation tastefully casual and ends it wildly intervallic, helps to keep an ultimate 12-beat cycle vamp alive for Gilmore’s expansions. The drummer shines even brighter on the title track, another spiritual played with a specific, challenging tempo.

“Nozani Na” is provided with exotic percussive flavors and colorful tapestries. The dancing quality of this Amazonian folk tune, transcribed by Edgar Roquette-Pinto and the great Heitor Villa-Lobos, contemplates serpentine melodies and exuberant solos. By its side, Charlie Parker’s infrequently played “Klactoveedsestene” evokes the good old times as a grooving bop number that swings aplomb, and also shakes during the bar exchanges with the drummer. Before that, Potter delivers an absurdly energetic improv over a sturdy rhythmic grid of bass and drums.

If the aforementioned pieces feel grounded, then the kind and soft-tempered pieces such as Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count” and Jobim/Buarque’s “Olha Maria” are hypnotizing in all their magnificent splendor. The former, enigmatically introduced by Taborn, has its dour, dreamy feel magnified by the rubato tempo; the latter, fusing classical innuendo and modal jazz intonation, gives a voice to Colley, who provides qualitative introductory description and wonderful accompaniment.

Potter, who has the right stuff for every occasion, is caught here in full grasp of his capabilities. Every new work from him is an event, and here, his colleagues respond instinctively and expertly to his vibrancy. The results are stellar.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - You Gotta Move ► 03 - Blood Count ► 05 - Olha Maria

Fred Frith / Susana Santos Silva - Laying Demons to Rest

Label: RogueArt Records, 2023

Personnel - Fred Frith: electric guitar; Susana Santos Silva: trumpet.

Captured live in France in 2021, Laying Demons to Rest marks the second collaboration (the first in duo) between British avant-garde guitarist Fred Frith and inventive Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva. On the heels of the memorable double-disc trio album Road (Intakt, 2021), which conquered our ears and senses with incredible guitar-trumpet-saxophone moments, Frith delivers nearly 42 minutes of continuous free improvisation, weaving an off-the-wall musical fabric centered on timbre and atmospherics.

The duo embraces vast amorphousness within a progressive structure that begins with droning trumpet, airy sounds, electronic noises, and dissonant chords. Then the crystalline guitar drops give way to a distortion-soaked provocation that skyrockets intelligible trumpet phrases in the upper registers.

The story develops with cinematic suspense and the roles readjust; now they set piercing guitar screeches against low-pitched brass. An instant later, we hear organ-like sounds with a percussive tract in the bass notes of Frith’s axe. Concurrently, Santos ruminates via popping sounds just to raise notes to an opera house level.

Several suspended passages keep the tension alive but the duo extricates from raucous conversations by focusing on simple ostinatos that create a strobelike repetition.

These two creatives have immense musical potential and already proved their skills. This recording, despite being an unrepeatable product of their distinct sound worlds, felt somewhat dry. At times, I wished their tone-paintings had some more grip, something less sketchy and more palpable in terms of rhythmic expression.

Buster Williams - Unalome

Label: Smoke Sessions Records, 2023

Personnel - Jean Baylor: vocals; Bruce Williams: alto saxophone, flute; Stefon Harris: vibraphone; George Colligan: piano; Buster Williams: bass; Lenny White: drums.

Bassist/composer Buster Williams is a living jazz legend who worked with Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, just to name a few. He was also a frequent and reliable choice of celebrated singers such as Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter. For this session at Smoke, he delivers eight pieces - four originals (old and new) and four covers - in an old-fashioned way (in the best sense of the word), celebrating his 80th birthday with musical intensity. Faithful to this idea, the album title, Unalome, refers to a Buddhist symbol representing individual transcendence and the path to enlightenment over the course of one’s life.  

The bassist’s voluptuous tones can be heard pronto on “Stairways”, an extremely pleasant new original and my favorite track on the album. Vocalist Jean Baylor (co-leader of the Baylor Project) brings auxiliary expression to the melodic threads in the head, while the soloists - saxophonist Bruce Williams, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and pianist George Colligan - infuse their statements with clarity and honesty, mixing tradition and inventiveness while illuminating around the edges of a safe rhythmic net mounted by the bandleader and his long-time associated drummer, Lenny White.

“Estate”, written by Italian pianist Bruno Martino and popularized by Brazilian singer/guitarist João Gilberto, takes the form of a romantic 4/4 bolero marked by a two-bar bass groove. “Tayamisha”, an old original penned for the bassist's daughter, is recovered with an Asian-tinge and a gentle but determined swinging propulsion. Buster’s hands splatter across the bass for a solo that sounds unorthodox in particular spots. 

Tradition is all around, being eminently heightened during a fine reading of “You’ve Got the World on a String”, which, being sang with a laid-back posture by Baylor, develops in pure swinging fashion. The Warren/Dubin classic “42nd Street”, a hymn to New York midtown, thrives with a new arrangement that combines jazz and R&B. This number is introduced by Baylor, who seems to rejoice with opportune saxophone interjections during the theme.

The Buddhist influence appears on “The Wisdom of Silence”, where Buster spreads his famous singing lines over the vibing chords at the base. Later, he uses remarkable accompaniment to conduct a modal circularity that transmits a blend of poignancy and mystery.

Many of the cuts on Buster Williams’ Unalome sound familiar but the group handles them with a kind of grace that is indicative of their skills and good taste.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Stairways ► 03 - Tayamisha ► 07 - I’ve Got the World on a String

Jim Black & The Schrimps - Ain't No Saint

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Asger Nissen: alto saxophone; Julius Gawlik: tenor saxophone; Felix Henkelhausen: acoustic bass; Jim Black: drums.

Jim Black, an insightful drummer and composer with a propensity for knotty rock textures, joins forces with three European musicians with ages under 30: Danish alto saxophonist Asger Nilssen, German tenor player Julius Gawlik and German bassist Felix Henkelhausen. An indomitable energy prevails throughout the 12 tracks on Ain’t No Saint. 

The chord-less session starts powerfully with “The Set-Up”, a tribute to 76-year-old trumpeter Baikida Carroll with whom Black played on Tim Berne’s octet album Insomnia (Clean Feed, 2011). The ensemble rides raw surfaces, externalizing gestures with a gripping immediacy. Henkelhausen defines the harmony with permanent commitment, and his work is also relevant on two natural-sounding pieces that follow a more standard song format: “No Pull”, which slows things down through a leisurely 4/4 pop/rock stream; and “The Once”, which he introduces with empathetic involvement, later having long saxophone notes giving it harmonic context. Following his improvisation, the intensity of the latter piece is impetuously elevated into a pragmatic if athletic rock circularity.

“Snags” reveals swinging urgency with the saxophonists in synchronous activity during the main theme, and then becoming very communicative in their interspersed statements. Equally exposing a good swinging time, “Surely” is bounded by an incredible rhythmic stimulation, with Nilssen and Gawlik gearing up a pump of adrenaline before making their phrases converge in the last minutes.

There’s tremendous passion behind every drum stroke, and Black excels particularly on “Asgingforit”, a more overtly progressive cut imbued with a hymn-like solemnity, as well as “Bellsimmer”, where he contributes to the fray by tapering off into world-inspired rhythms and prog-rock terrain. The ritual insurgence embraced by the horn players here differ from the elated melody delivered in parallel on “Crashback”. The bandleader digs in on the occasion with an inexorable rhythmic drive, turning the piece into an entrancing groover.

Black’s implacable body of work will reward followers of muscular avant-garde jazz and resilient rock hybridity.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Set-Up ► 03 - Asgingforit ► 06 - Bellsimmer

Chris Brown / Ben Davis / Matt Ingalls / Marshall Trammell - Tremble Trove

Label: Artifact Recordings, 2023

Personnel - Chris Brown: piano, electronics; Ben Davis: cello; Marshall Trammell: drums; Matt Ingalls: clarinet and bass clarinet (CD2 only).

This quartet of free improvisers from Oakland manages the art of sound with a strong desire to be spontaneous and creative. 12 electroacoustic tracks spread throughout two discs, the first of which is presented in trio format - with Chris Brown on piano and electronics, Ben Davis on cello and Marshall Trammell on drums - and the second as a quartet with the addition of clarinetist Matt Ingalls.

You won’t find loads of melody in here but more of rugged and grainy textures as the group vigilantly avoids intemperate tunefulness. “The Theme”, stand-offish at first while carrying earnest low frequencies, still pulls some lyricism, electing despondency as it drops any vestige of gladness. “Brewing” is also stern, but contains a sparkling rumble of pianism, well-developed cello lines that later morph into bow raspiness, and a focused rhythmic print. 

“Among Us” is stealthy, indivisible and responsive at the same time, whereas the chilly “Undisturbed” is stationary but not devoid of tension. “Look Out”, for example, is ominous in tone and somewhat aggressive in posture, but also risk-taking and well-designed. It emerges from solid-body cello continuum, prepared piano, and tinkling percussive dramatization.

Brown’s electronics mark the outset of “Aviary”, which ends in a fiery climax, and the first disc culminates with the 26-minute “Suite”, where temperate meanderings abide with jittery motions.

Each of the four tracks on the disc 2 follows a specific structure that allows the quartet to engage in crescendos with a sequence of solo, duo, trio, and quartet moments. Ingalls probes highs and lows by whistling and harrumphing, but that doesn’t make the second disc better than the first. With a solid core and knotted fringes, these sonic fabrics will please more those who search indefinitely than the ones who like to tap their feet to the beat.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Theme ► 05 - Look Out ► 07 - Brewing 

Christoph Irniger Pilgrim - Ghost Cat

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Christoph Irniger: tenor saxophone; Stefan Aeby: piano; Dave Gisler: guitar; Raffaele Bossard: double bass; Michael Stulz: drums.

Zurich-based saxophonist and composer Christoph Irniger has been carving out a niche in the fertile European jazz scene. His project Pilgrim is a refined jazz quintet where harmonic structures can have a positively strange effect on the listener. Celebrating their 10th anniversary is Ghost Cat, the group’s fifth recording that includes six compositions, all but one by Irniger. 

The phlegmatic pragmatism of “Marvel” strikes up an instant connection from the very beginning. It’s stratified from the ground up with cymbal insistence, sparse piano chords colored with rewarding extensions, and reflective saxophone sentiment. Bass and guitar arrive at a later phase, reinforcing the brittle texture with a very musical purpose.

“Seven Down Eight Up” is a freakish excursion in its extraordinary rich. Pianist Stefan Aeby claims the spotlight, culling ideas from Monk, Jarrett, and Mengelberg. He develops and integrates them according to his own whim. The music, spiked up by Dave Gisler’s distorted guitarism, acquires a staggering rhythm, and one can appreciate Irniger’s considerations over half-muted bass rumbles, temperate guitar feedback and painterly drum work. 

Irniger and Gisler profess the melody together on “Ghost Cat” and “Walking with Dinosaurs”. An enigmatic guitar solo over an out-of-the-ordinary bass accompaniment and coruscating drumming smears the former piece, whereas the latter, terminating the proceedings, has an excellent if challenging bass groove locked in with the drums. This leaves the saxophone, the guitar and the piano free to create and communicate. Before that, the 13-minute long “Calling Spirits” call our attention, especially when the soloists hone their phrases with dominant power and admirable conviction.

Not being your ordinary composer, Irniger stands firm in his post-bop ventures, leading this project with authenticity and dedication.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Seven Down Eight Up ► 03 - Ghost Cat ► 06 - Walking with Dinosaurs

Michael Feinberg - Blues Variant

Label: Criss Cross Jazz, 2023

Personnel - Noah Preminger: tenor saxophone, flute; Leo Genovese: piano, keyboards; Michael Feinberg: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums + Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone, flute (#5-7);

Boasting two great saxophonists in the frontline of his energizing group, bassist/composer Michael Feinberg can make his elected moods range from portentous to puerile. The horn players are the exciting tenorist Noah Preminger and the accomplished sopranist Dave Liebman. Both had joined him on From Where We Came (Steeplechase, 2020), but here they expand timbral possibilities by adding flute. Argentinian keyboardist Leo Genovese is a regular collaborator, having played on his debut The Elvin Jones Project (Sunnyside, 2012) as well as on the enlivening Hard Times (Fresh Sound, 2021). The novelty here is the distinguished drummer Nasheet Waits who successfully pairs up with the bassist over the course of ten tracks.

Blues Variant is launched with the title track, a spectacular blues exercise carrying a buoyant latin pulse and odd meter signature (13/4). There’s plenty of exuberance and plasticity coming out of the piano solo, in which Genovese dances in and out with an obstinate oblique drive. He goes through it again on the great “Saqqara”, a modal, Middle Eastern-influenced piece in 5/4 that turns to swinging motion to better serve Preminger’s authoritative statement. Before that, there’s imaginative flute fantasy.

The aforementioned numbers are Feinberg’s but there’s a fine rendition of Herbie Hancock’s mercurial and ever-swinging “The Eye of the Hurricane”, which arrives steeped bluesy configurations and features Liebman in a melodically engaging solo that zigzags with laser precision. “The Water Spirit Brought Us, The Water Spirit Will Take Us Home” is a Feinberg composition inspired by Liebman’s waltzes of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The piece has a particularly exciting Preminger solo stacked with Coltranean bends. 

The bandleader is in evidence on the latter piece, but he further shines unaccompanied on “Improvisation (for Leslie)”. After “Cycle Song”, in which electric bass and Fender Rhodes pavements refreshingly grounds it in smooth crossover territory, the album comes to an end with “Year of the Ox”, a recipient of a groovy Afro-Cuban pulse, quirky melodies and an acute sense of harmony.

In the space of four recordings, Feinberg has established himself as a resolute bandleader and composer in the traditional sense, who likes to infuse his tunes with rhythmic sustenance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Blues Variant ► 02 - Saqqara ► 05 - The Eye of the Hurricane

Wolfgang Haffner - Silent World

Label: ACT Records, 2023

Personnel - Wolfgang Haffner: drums; Simon Oslender: piano, keyboards; Mitchel Forman: synth; Nicolas Fiszman (#5,10): bass; Thomas Stieger (#1-4, 6-9, 11): bass; Eythor Gunnarsson: synth, Rhodes; Sebastian Studnitzky: trumpet; Mark Wyand: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Norbert Nagel: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Bruno Müller (#1, 10): guitar; Dominic Miller (#5): guitar; Bill Evans: soprano saxophone (#1); Nils Landgren: trombone (#8); Till Brönner (#4): flugelhorn; Alma Naidu: vocals (#1-3 ,8); Rhani Krija (#4, 5): percussion.

German drummer Wolfgang Haffner is a musical pacifist who likes to paint beautiful landscapes in his music. Only one year has elapsed since the release of his last album on the ACT imprint, Dream Band Live in Concert. Apart from vibraphonist Christopher Dell and trumpeter Randy Brecker, all the musicians featured on the latter album play on Silent World: American saxophonist Bill Evans, Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren, keyboardist Simon Oeslender, and bassist Thomas Stieger. Many other guests enrich a body of work where Haffner stands poised to attract more followers.

Taking his own web of musical meaning, the drummer opens with “Here and Now”, establishing an alluring sweep that is simultaneously smoothing and propelling. The piece, which is invigorated by Evans’ soprano saxophone, takes the shape of a whirling ballad when the keyboards become noticeable. The following track, “Silent World”, unfolds softly and gently with a ternary pulse that is more akin to the pop/rock universe. Vocalist Alma Naidu and synth player Mitchel Forman are featured.

No other tune reflects and fuses so many inspirations than “La Casa”, whose attributes are closely identified with artists such as Tomas Stanko, Manu Katché and Mathias Eick. It all begins with a bass pedal and the trumpet amenities of Sebastian Studnitzky. World music influences are detected in the rhythmic flow and melody, but the group moves from a sweet, even sound to something that seems stirred up by electronic music.

With Sting’s guitarist Dominic Miller on board, “Faro” is a serene fusion piece with effective modulation and ample space to breathe. On “The Piece Inside” it’s the super melodicism practiced by the resolute flugelhorn player Till Brönner that stands out, whereas pieces like “Hope” and “Belief” are ambient rides where chill-out jazz adherents will find repose.

Despite the gentle synth washes and meek octave-modulated trumpet, “Life Magic” tries to resist the predominant ambiance with stereo percussive sweeps and a dancing rhythm that borrows from funk and Brazilian music. Haffner gathers well-honed material with a genre-crossing vision, letting things flow naturally rather than force any note or rhythm.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Here and Now ► 03 - La Casa ► 04 - The Peace Inside

George - Letters to George

Label: Out of Your Head Records, 2023

Personnel - John Hollenbeck: drums, piano, composition; Anna Webber: tenor saxophone, flute; Aurora Nealand: voice, alto and soprano saxophones, keyboards; Chiquita Magic: keyboards, voice, piano.

With an admirable career under his belt, drummer/composer/bandleader John Hollenbeck (founder of The Claudia Quintet) deserves praise for every release, and his new project, a super modern post-jazz outfit called George, is no exception. The music was specifically written and arranged to be played by creative saxophonist/flutist Anna Webber, tradition-fueled saxophonist/singer Aurora Nealand, and Colombian-born pop sensation Chiquita Magic. The results are surprisingly pleasurable as Hollenbeck and his female associates turn the preconceptions of new music upside down. All pieces, off-kilter and sensational, act as tokens of appreciation to people named George.

The opener, “Earthworker” (the translation of George in Greek) is molded with disorienting syncopated flexibility, purring keyboard arches, ethereal vocals, balmy flute, and saxophone unisons. The unpredictable shifts in Hollenbeck’s pulse are key, together with the precise synth bass punctuation and chord orderliness that serves as an anchor to Webber’s circuitous tenor solo. The following piece, “Clinton”, is dedicated to the Parliament-Funkadelic’s frontman George Clinton. It starts off with a combination of saxophone forays and thudding drum sounds, becoming less free and more focused when the keyboards enter. There’s an 28-beat-cycle vamp that reshapes effortlessly while the horns of Webber and Nealand remain interactive.

“Washington Carver” salutes the American agricultural scientist in the title with a spunky introduction. A series of summoning synth chords coalesces into a passage that is rhythmically complex, harmonically perceptible and melodically appeasing. Webber radiates energy on flute and then switches to tenor in order to maintain a head-to-head conversation with Nealand on soprano. “O’Keefe” grows in a crescendo of encouragement; while “Floyd” is a cry of despair with irreproachable drumming before all else.

“Can You Imagine This?” worked as a remote test piece for this group’s assemblage. It’s defiantly experimental, alternative and post-rock with Nealand’s haunting words, preconceived fluttering keyboards, and lots of freedom in everything else. Opposing to the relaxed ambient setting of the brushes-driven “Saunders”, there’s this glitchy electronic feel and industrial undertone coloring the closer, “Iceman”, which honors the former basketball player George Gervin.

Letters to George is explorative but never jarring, spreading sonic tinctures that blur the lines of genre. Hollenbeck’s thoughtful ideas definitely set him apart from any other drummer.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Earthworker ► 02 - Clinton ► 06 - Can You Imagine This?

East Axis - No Subject

Label: Brother Mister Productions, 2023

Personnel - Scott Robinson: tenor saxophone, trumpet, tarogato, alto clarinet, slide cornet; Matthew Shipp: piano; Kevin Ray: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

The sophomore outing from East Axis, an enthralling quartet made of experienced liberal-minded improvisers, is called No Subject and showcases a pleasing contrast of tones and moods that is meant to be explored loud and with open views. For this 12-track release, the founding members - pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist Kevin Ray and drummer Gerald Cleaver - enlisted the colossal multi-reedist Scott Robinson, who sits in for the captivating saxophonist Allen Lowe.

Tearful tarogato cries appear on top of a lyrical, requiem-like accompaniment in the opener “At the Very Least”. This piece gains a certain thrust as well as some weightiness in the step, but that doesn’t refrain Robinson from expanding his taut prose. The group goes for a lighter conclusion, which opposes to the heavier measures on the ominous “Metal Sounds”, where Shipp shows his superlative technique and drive, and Robinson his command of interesting rhythmic figures over swinging patterns.

With “I Like it Very Much”, the quartet engages in a rhythmic game that includes, at its very top, boppish linearity and angular boldness. Their penchant for swinging brings to mind a mix of Monk, Mingus and Cecil Taylor (without the dissonant crashes in the lower register). “Decisions Have Already Been Made” brings the energy even further with fiery saxophone, ebullient drumming, and tangled bass threads. Shipp’s delayed entrance makes an impact via the chordal impetus. He becomes the protagonist halfway, when the group finds a lull, and then is the bittersweet tone of Robinson’s trumpet that finishes the proceedings, leaving us with a funny sensation of grumpiness.

The tensile title track pairs sinewy clarinet with racing drum clatters at the outset. Balancing the dynamics, the volatile piano playing infuses a third dimension in the flux, which is maintained with proper glow until the end. Both “Sometime Tomorrow” and “Word and Respect” evoke a different spirit as two static forms of contemplation. The former is filled with mystery, underscored by Ray’s arco and pizzicato work; the latter creates more pathos via solemn piano chords, ponderous bass lines cymbal stretching sounds, and lamenting saxophone.

No Subject is pure creativity; a respectable follow up to Cool With That (Esp-Disk', 2021), whose impact was tremendous.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - I Like it Very Much ► 05 - Decisions Have Already Been Made ► 06 - Metal Sounds

Lakecia Benjamin - Phoenix

Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2023

Personnel - Lakecia Benjamin: alto saxophone, vocals, synth; Victor Gould: piano, organ, Fender Rhodes; Ivan Taylor: acoustic and electric bass; EJ Strickland: drums; Josh Evans: trumpet (#1,2,3,8,12,13); Nêgah Santos: percussion (#5); Wallace Roney Jr.: trumpet (#7); Anastassiya Petrova: Fender Rhodes, organ (#5); Orange Rodriguez: synth (#1,3); Jamal Nichols: bass (#2); Dianne Reeves: vocals (#4); Angela Davis: spoken word (#1,13); Sonia Sanchez: spoken word/poet (#6,7); Georgia Anne Muldrow: synth, vocals (#3); Patrice Rushen: piano (#5); Wayne Shorter: spoken word (#11).

 This new album from saxophonist and composer Lakecia Benjamin gave her plenty of stylistic variety to expand the possibilities of her instrument. Accompanied by highly malleable musicians, she included relevant guests to bolster her pertinent messages and states of mind. 

The album, co-produced with Terri Lynn Carrington (a terrific drummer and bandleader), starts off with the burning “Amerikkan Skin”, romping around the activism words of Angela Davis with a plain, direct musical speech. It incorporates unequivocal unisons with an Eastern tinge over a disarmingly effervescent texture. Benjamin’s dazzling improvisation comes with multiple figures and a revolutionary urge, while trumpeter Josh Evans steps into a different sequence of chords which also serves as a solid support for the witty dialogue that follows.

“New Mornings” injects gently grooving soul and funk in the jazzy envelope, but it’s “Phoenix”, featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow on synth and vocals, that thickens the tapestries via an accented sleek funk. The cool patterns are perfect for colorful parallel lines and a sax solo puffed up by dexterous in-and-out trajectories and clamorous trills.

Dianne Reeves brings her vocal range and unique timbre into “Mercy”, whose delicacy contrasts with the energy of “Jubilation”. The latter piece thrives under the propulsive Latin feel provided by Brazilian percussionist Nêgah Santos and the guest pianism of Patrice Rushen. The ebullience of “Moods” finds Benjamin and Evans in stark counterpoint. They are the soloists here, with drummer EJ Strickland searching for space too with an outgoing posture.

Buoyed by modal jazz and fervent spirituality, “Trane” prowls familiar musical ground as it presses forward on the heels of Benjamin’s previous album, Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope, 2020). The linguistic competence of John Coltrane and the fluidity of McCoy Tyner are evoked with the bandleader and keyboardist Victor Gould at the fore. The album is completed with “Basquiat”, a muscular avant-garde wallop that swings in homage to experimental art.

Benjamin’s grandiose comeback is replete with energy, an astonishing fluency, and strong ideas.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Amerikkan Skin ► 03 - Phoenix ► 12 - Basquiat

Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets - Pan Africa

Label: Impact Jazz, 2023

Personnel - Derrick Gardner: trumpet; Robert Dixon: alto and tenor saxophone; Vincent Gardner: trombone; George Caldwell: piano; Obasi Akoto: bass; Kweku Sumbry: drums, percussion.

Proficient trumpeter Derrick Gardner, a native from Chicago, Illinois, leads the Jazz prophets - a pliable sextet furnished with expressive players - since 1991. His latest effort, Pan Africa, was inspired by a visit to Ghana and pays tribute to his ancestors, the African diaspora and the Pan African movement.

The efficient djembe work of Kweku Sumbry marks the traditional “Djemba Kan”, which serves as an introductory channel to Jackie McLean’s exuberant “Appointment in Ghana”. The vibrant hard-bop tradition of this piece swings and shines with effortless perfection. The horn players make a powerful thematic announcement and then depart for individual solos, showing no reluctance when it comes to express their individuality - the bandleader chains slippery notes with a crystal bop sparkle; saxophonist Robert Dixon shows off outside flexibility; and Derrick’s brother, the trombonist Vincent Gardner, brings an understandable language to the fore prior to the reinstatement of the theme.

If the rhythmic patterns forge ahead in the latter, then on the Dixon-penned “10,000 Ships” there’s a controlled polyrhythm that stems from gorgeous melody set against a languid 12-beat-cycle bass groove. A 4/4 rock-driven rhythm marks the B section in a tune that call to mind oodles of African slaves in the sea.

The Afro-bop demeanor in “The Sixth Village” conjures up the supple spirit of Dizzy Gillespie (with whom Gardner worked in the past), being reinforced by a strong percussive backdrop. Incandescent horn unisons spread out for a collective improvisation by the end, and in addition to the frontline members, there is a soloing opportunity for pianist George Caldwell, who deftly commands his left hand to provide structure to the textural undertones. 

The bassist Obasi Akoto is featured on Victor Day’s danceable “Highlife Suite” and on Gardner’s “Vicente, the Afro Mestizo”, one of the best pieces on the album. The propulsive African-rooted rhythm of the latter's theme forms a refreshing aural palette and a swinging motion that boosts the improvisers for another round. They speak, not just frankly, but also eloquently. 

Developed in six and in an Art Blakey’s hard-bop fashion, "Nkrumah ‘da Rulah” shows off an enveloping warm sound that is challenged by the flamboyant breaks of Sumbry as he probes beyond normal routines. This catchy album showcases a variety of rhythms and textures, celebrating Pan-Africanism with brio and intensity.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Appointment in Ghana ► 04 - The Sixth Village ► 07 - Vicente, the Afro Mestizo

Stephan Micus - Thunder

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Stephan Micus: frame drum, dung chen, Burmese temple bells, Himalayan horse bells, ki un ki, bass zither, bowed dinding, kyeezee, shakuhachi, sarangi, nyckelharpa, kaukas, sapeh, voice, nokhan.

Thunder, the most recent release from multi-intrumentalist and world music practitioner Stephan Micus, is far from roaring despite paying tribute to several thunder gods around the world. It’s a rather sharply plotted musical excursion that keeps reimagining the limits of improvised world sounds. Micus, an eternal traveler with a long-legged career nearly exclusively made on ECM Records, plays 14 instruments here, and forges homogeneous stylistic paths in innovative ways over the course of nine tracks.

“A Song for Thor” unfolds firmly with reverberating frame drum sounds, low-pitched drones emitted by the bass zither, and - operating on a higher register - three Tibetan dung chen trumpets (Micus learned recently this four-meter long instrument at a Buddhist monastery in Katmandu and recorded it here for the very first time), and a ki un ki, a two-meter wind instrument used by the Udege people in Eastern Siberia. This musical state tiptoes into ritualistic territory, just like “A Song for Vajrapani”, whose mysticism shrouds the piece in an intriguing curtain of mystery. On the latter, the ki un ki is replaced by the nokhan, a transverse Japanese bamboo flute.

“A Song for Armazi”, with majestic percussive sweeps of bass zither and the bowed strings of the sarangis (India) and the nyckelharpa (Sweden), evokes the impressive stillness of a beautiful landscape. Taking the same instrumentation to a more melodic level, “A Song for Zeus”, flows with a gentle percussive drive, becoming one of the most immediate and compelling tracks on the album.

Both “A Song for Shango” and “A Song for Ishkur” incorporate voice layers (eight and three, respectively), kaukas (a pluriarc from South Africa) and sapeh (a lute from Borneo). They avoid commonplace with a contemplative spiritual insight.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Song for Thor ► 03 - A Song for Armazi ► 07 - A Song for Zeus

Mette Henriette - Drifting

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Mette Henriette: tenor saxophone; Johan Lindvall: piano; Judith Hamann: violoncello.

After an excellent double-disc debut on ECM, Norwegian saxophonist-composer Mette Henriette returns with Drifting, a chamber jazz trio effort with pianist Johan Lindvall and cellist Judith Hamann. Inhabiting a world of intrinsic ambiguity, this 15-track offer oft lags in serene atmospheres where everyone listens sharply to one another.

Displaying achingly reflective moods with an erudite temperament, the tunes comprising this album reveal a certain poignant vulnerability but also a calm and confident expression. “Across the Floor” and “Chassé” flow with a three time feel, in an egalitarian interaction that blends European jazz elements and classical chamber music.

“I villvind” is one of the most beautiful segments of this musical trail, radiating otherworldly beauty through undercurrents of utopian saxophone melody, sensible tidal piano fluxes and elegant cello. The serene contemplation continues with the title track, which suggests clear skies and a soft cold breeze. Modulation and circularity are considered in the three-layer instrumentation that engenders a breathable texture with surprising tenderness. “Oversoar” slowly prolongs this shimmering minimalism that is not so simple to achieve as one might think.

In her compositional material, Henriette seems to declare and confide, benefiting from the deep sympathy between her and her co-workers. “Rue de Renard”, for example, has pure, balmy saxophone lines sliding across the smooth wavy fabric at the bottom. On the other hand, “A Choo” is carved out with some improvisation and unisons over a relentless piano figure. A distinctive sound and delicate lyricism distinguish the music of Henriette, from whom we expect great things in the future. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Across the Floor ► 03 - I villvind ► 08 - Rue de Renard