Sinikka Langeland - Wind and Sun

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Sinikka Langeland: voice, kantele, Jew’s harp; Trygve Seim: tenor and soprano saxophone; Mathias Eick: trumpet; Mats Eilertssen: bass; Thomas Strønen: drums.

Norwegian vocalist and kantele player, Sinikka Langeland, makes a return with an ace roster of Norwegian bandmates after the release of her excellent solo album, Wolf Rune (ECM, 2021), whose musical enchantments are not matched here. Nevertheless, this sometimes enthralling, sometimes touching sonic journey offers much to appreciate as the band, originally assembled for celebration concerts in honor of the bandleader’s 60th birthday, paints scenic landscapes with their individual stamp. Here, Langeland plays the 5, 18 and 39-string variations of kantele, a traditional Finnish instrument, and sings the poems of Jon Fosse, whose quests of faith and proclivity for mysticism serve the folk nature of the music. 

The album opens with “Row My Ocean”, a beautiful song also featured on her previous album. The new arrangement weaves it into a feathery web that is both tranquil and emotional. Trumpeter Mathias Eick, a new addition, and saxophonist Trygve Seim, a frequent collaborator, discourse simultaneously, while Mats Eilertsen’s bowed bass adds another melodic layer. The horn players once again alternate lines in the sung version of “Wind and Sun”, whereas the instrumental version allows some tension to erupt from the pacified atmosphere. This is achieved through a swiftly plucked bass pedal and the varied percussion options - ranging from rattles to gongs to cymbals - introduced by drummer Thomas Strønen.

Set in motion by an admirable bass delineation, “It Walks and Walks” carries a mournful tone, interspersed with a few rays of light during Seim’s tenor statement. This spirit borders the introspective ambient folk of “A Child Exists”, which bathes in minimalistic waters, and differs from “When the Heart is a Moon”, a levelheaded folk pop song with a well-defined harmonic progression, as well as “The Love”, an unexpected rhythmic digression into warm bossa nova territory.

Segueing from theme to theme, with kantele comping slithering underneath, the album comes to an end with “You Hear My Heart Come”, a soothing waltzing piece with a jazzy feel and solo space. Preceding this, Langeland showcases her skills on the Jew’s harp in “Wind Song”, evoking the essence of the Earth with linearity and expressive freedom.

Langeland doesn’t reinvent the wheel with this album, but that’s not the point. Each song carries its share of pathos and incantation, illuminated by her captivating voice and absorbing playing.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 - Row My Ocean ► 08 - The Love ► 12 - You Hear My Heart Come

Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - Family

Label: We Jazz Records, 2023

Personnel - André Roligheten: tenor sax, bass saxophone, bass clarinet; Per ”Texas” Johansson: tenor sax, contrabass clarinet, Bb clarinet; Kjetil Møster: tenor sax, baritone saxophone, Bb clarinet; Mette Rasmussen: alto sax; Maciej Obara: alto sax; Signe Emmeluth: alto sax; Eirik Hegdal: sopranino sax, C-melody sax, Bb clarinet; Thomas Johansson: trumpet; Goran Kajfes: trumpet; Erik Johannessen: trombone; Guro Kvåle: trombone; Petter Eldh: double bass; Ole Morten Vågan: double bass; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: double bass; Håkon Mjåset Johansen: drums; Hans Hulbækmo: drums; Gard Nilssen: drums, composition.

Known for his remarkable tonalities and explosive charts, Norwegian drummer and composer Gard Nilssen is a prominent figure in the creative jazz sphere. The new material, comprised of eight tracks co-written with saxophonist Andre Roligheten (a colleague in his trio Acoustic Unity) and recorded live in the Netherlands in 2022, is excellent. This marks his second outing with the chord-less Supersonic Orchestra, composed of 11 horn players, three bassists and three drummers. Inspired by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, the work consists of firmly played expressionistic textures topped by dazzling improvisations from a number of top-class creatives. 

The program begins with “The Space Dance Experiment”, which, bursting as a fanfare-ish parade, sets an asymmetric groove that is perfect for trumpeter Goran Kafjes’ enthusiastic blows. There’s a change of pace and ambience in the boisterous angular designs of saxophonist Mette Rasmussen, a flame-thrower whose sound takes us to Albert Ayler and Frank Lowe. At some point, her statement meets powerful and motivic orchestral elements that give place to Nilssen’s boiling drum solo, which segues into “Spending Time With Ludde”. Channeling Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman, the drummer wrote this one for his son with a fine crossing between melodious spiritual folk and swinging avant-jazz in mind. Saxophonists Per ‘Texas’ Johansson and Signe Emmeluth are spotlighted here.

The elated “Boogie Stop Tøffel” will force you to move your feet to the contagious rhythm. Following Roligheten’s discourse, the band finds room for an extended bass prowl by Swedish bassist Petter Eldh. “Supersonic” is where things catch fire with a rambunctiously cacophonous collective explosion followed by massive unisons, a pungent rhythm, a two-way trombone conversation, and a fragmented if sinuous alto solo by Polish saxophonist Maciej Obara.

The ensemble probes surprising paths in “The Healing Force of the Trojan Horse” and “Dolphin Disco”. Whereas the former piece offers a sustained Brazilian samba rhythm and innocuous flute rambles, the latter, more composed, infuses modern classical elements at the outset before veering into amiable disco with a defiant tempo that would make the Bee Gees a little bemused.

Closing out the album, “SP68” feels like a Sun Ra epic space voyage enlivened by Kjetil Møster’s free-wheeling tenor blows over a tapestry of percussion and a bass saxophone groove provided by Roligheten. 
With rapid-fire interlocked passages and deliciously unhinged improvisations, Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra keeps generating vanguard sounds that travel through the air with aerodynamic agility.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Space Dance Experiment ► 02 - Spending Time With Ludde ► 08 - SP68

Steve Lehman & Orchestre National de Jazz - Ex Machina

Label: Pi Recordings, 2023

Personnel - Steve Lehman: alto saxophone, electronics; Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet; Chris Dingman: vibraphone + Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) includes: Frédéric Maurin: direction, electronics; Julien Soro; tenor sax, clarinet; Fanny Ménégoz; flutes, piccolo; Fabien Debellefontaine: baritone sax, clarinet, flute; Catherine Delaunay: clarinet, basset horn; Christiane Bopp: trombone; Daniel Zimmermann: trombone; Bruno Ruder: piano, synth; Stéphan Caracci: vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, percussion, synth; Sarah Murcia: double bass; Rafaël Koerner: drums; and more.

The virtuosic composer, altoist and improviser Steve Lehman explores the vast possibilities of spectral jazz and technology in partnership with Frédéric Maurin and his vibrant Orchestre National de Jazz. The album, aptly titled Ex Machina, includes compositions from both musical master minds, and are shaped with the help of computer generated responses (created by Jerome Nika) as well as live electronics. This musical interdependence between humans and machines evokes the work of 20th-century French composer Gérard Grisey and his studies of time. 

Maurin’s “39” opens the album with an enveloping sound fixed on magnetic drumbeats and extraordinary orchestral grandeur. Lehman steps forward, dishing out fragmented saxophone delineations of superior quality and skill, while having a panoply of electronic noises - ranging from metallic to digital - around him. Bassist Sarah Murcia takes her time to speak, benefiting from the dainty grace of the backdrop.

Lehman’s “Los Angeles Imaginary” marries electronic music and free funk with metric intricacy. It’s a visionary piece highlighted by alternate improvised ideas from tenorist Julien Soro, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and Lehman. Similar boisterous soloing occurs on the wondrous “Les Treize Soleils”, but this time, trumpet and alto are joined by flutist Fanny Ménégoz in a pugilistic dance with as much freedom as synchronicity. 

Other Lehman-penned standouts are “Chimera”, a showcase for the brilliant mallet work of vibraphonist Chris Dingman; “Ode to AkLaff”, a tribute to the influential avant-garde drummer Pheeroan AkLaff, which, starting off ambiguously, provides a tension-filled rhythmic backbone and highly satisfactory statements by pianist Bruno Ruder and drummer Rafaël Koerner; and last but not least, “Jeux D’Anches”, a nod to a spectral piece by Lehman’s former teacher Tristan Murail, whose insistent rhythmic patterns serve well the tortuous soloing intentions of Dingman, Finlayson and Lehman. The former two artists are members of the latter’s famous octet that made sensation with albums such as Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi, 2009) and Mise En Abime (Pi, 2014).

The bounces we find here are no fluke and their infectiousness is exquisitely detailed in Maurin’s compositions “Speed Freeze” and “Le Seuil”, each of them composed of two parts. They sound experimental, ruminatively microtonal and mysterious, with different perceptions of tempo.

Lehman, here in a fruitful collaboration with Maurin and his futuristic large ensemble, continues to push post-modern jazz forward in an entirely original way. I have no hesitation in marking this newfangled opus as an essential listen.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - “39” ► 02 - Los Angeles Imaginary ► 07 -  Les Treize Soleils

Joshua Redman feat. Gabrielle Cavassa - Where Are We

Label: Blue Note Records, 2023

Personnel - Joshua Redman: tenor saxophone; Gabrielle Cavassa: vocals, guitar (#13); Aaron Parks: piano; Joe Sanders: bass; Brian Blade: drums // Guests - Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar (#2); Joel Ross: vibraphone (#3); Nicholas Payton: trumpet (#6); Peter Bernstein: guitar (#7).

Esteemed American saxophonist Joshua Redman has harnessed significant inspiration during pandemic times and conceived his first album with vocals. Teaming up with New Orleans-based vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, one of the brightest new discoveries in vocal jazz, and bringing together a trusty new rhythm section of Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass and Brian Blade on drums, Redman creates an engrossing conceptual album that takes us on a journey across cities and regions of the US. On selected tracks, four jazz heavyweights join the core ensemble as guests to pay homage to their respective cities.

The ride begins brilliantly with “After Minneapolis”, the sole Redman composition, which contains excerpts of Woody Guthrie’s famous folk song “This Land is Your Land”. The saxist starts unaccompanied, squeezing notes with dramatic expression before Park's stealthy entrance. Then it’s Cavassa who injects warmth and vulnerability, having Sanders working in parallel. The hitherto composed atmosphere is shaken by rhythmic kicks followed by an irresistible harmonic flow over which Redman dishes out a scene-stealing solo packed with energy.

The following couple of tracks feature amazing guests. The firm rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” is elevated by an unassisted preface by guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, who shows off his flexible fingers. Cavassa sings over Blade’s impeccable beat, with Parks and Sanders joining a minute later to generate a temperate propulsive funky groove. “Chicago Blues” is an expert assemblage of Count Basie’s smooth swing classic “Goin' to Chicago Blues” and several motifs drawn from “Chicago” by the indie pop multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. With an emotional Moby-like piano pattern at the base, it highlights the always-to-the-point mallet work of vibraphonist Joel Ross.

The remaining two pieces with guests are “Do You Know What Means to Miss New Orleans”, a cool vehicle showcasing an expressive Nicholas Payton trumpet statement as well as Redman’s distinguished phraseology; and “Manhattan”, a wonderful tune that shines brightly with the presence of guitarist Peter Bernstein. He and the bandleader alternate sections of the main melody with gusto.

Heading Northeast, “That’s New England” keeps its airily sweet balladic tone even while instilling excerpts from 20th-century modernist composer Charles Ives’ “Three Places in New England”. The Southeastern state of Alabama is a required stop as a saxophone intro leads to the standard “Stars Fell on Alabama”, delivered as a sax/vocals duet, and then ends in John Coltrane’s “Alabama”, a soul-stirring escape that explores a bit more off the limits, into abstract modalism.

Where Are We is another compelling offering from a marvelous saxophonist who found the perfect singer to fly with.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - After Minneapolis ► 07 - Manhattan ► 12 - Alabama

Jerome Sabbagh - Vintage

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2023

Personnel - Jerome Sabbagh: tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron: piano; Joe Martin: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.

Favoring straight-ahead jazz flavors and plain structures over complex modernistic approaches, the new outing by French-born, New York-based saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh, Vintage, is a tribute to tradition and jazz heroes. One of them, the veteran pianist Kenny Barron, is in this quartet, assuring a lusty rhythm section with younger yet accomplished foundation connoisseurs such as bassist Joe Martin and drummer Johnathan Blake. The saxophonist was struck by Barron’s playing as a teenager in a Paris concert by saxophonist Stan Getz. This marks his first work as a leader with piano as harmonic accompaniment, after years working with guitarists Ben Monder and Greg Tuohey.

The hooky title cut is a Sabbagh hard-bop-fueled piece motivated by nostalgia, slightly latinized at the end, and marked by hot improvisations from saxophone and piano. The two men at the center deliver two elegant ballads in duo - Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lonesome Thing” and Monk’s “Ask Me Now”, the latter of which closes the album on a nice relaxed note. There’s more Monk before that, with a playful, groovy rendition of “We See”, whose theme is expressed in unison with Barron. The pianist shows artistry in the stride piano comping that follows.

Tadd Dameron’s classic “On a Misty Night” advances with a cool, breezy flow and a no-holds-barred bop posture. Sabbagh seems channeling Getz and Rollins; Barron is harmonically explicit; Martin’s bass lines assure a fluent stream; and Blake’s zealous brush technique vouches for timekeeping. 

The saxist's considerable compositional acumen can be heard in “Slay the Giant” and “Elson’s Energy”. The former number embraces a composure that recalls Yusef Lateef, while the latter, written with a childhood friend in mind, arises as a post-bop knockout with a Brazilian rhythmic feel.

This studio date satisfies without dazzling, showing youthful vigor within the classic jazz style but not exactly experimenting new pathways. It certainly would have benefited from more original material, and yet, the repertoire here was logically chosen and gracefully expressed.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Elson’s Energy ► 05 - Slay the Giant ► 06 - We See

Tomas Fujiwara - Pith

Label: Out of Your Head Records, 2023

Personnel - Tomas Fujiwara: drums; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Tomeka Reid: cello.

Boston-born, Brooklyn-based drummer and composer Tomas Fujiwara has been a fixture of the creative jazz scene for about 15 years. His main projects as a leader and co-leader include the brass-guitar-drums sextet Triple Double, the quartet Illegal Crowns, and the trios Thumbscrew and 7 Poets. It’s with the latter group, which pairs him up with vibraphonist Patricia Brennan and cellist Tomeka Reid, that he returns with a tentatively triumphant work composed of five of his puzzling compositions and one collective improvisation. Pith follows the evolutionary path left by their debut album 7 Poets Trio (RogueArt, 2019) and is expertly designed with both compositional and experimental competence. 

The unusual instrumentation helps to provide a wonderful escape to more conventional jazz, and the opening piece, “Solace” comes with churning ensemble playing, steadfast sweeping vibes, and cello pizzicato emulating rock power chords. There’s a break in the relentless flow at some point, creating a suspended moment that serves Reid’s solo.

“Swelter” also pulsates with energy and remarkable fluidity until its sultriness is broken. Embracing ambiguity but with vitality, this piece follows a curious architectural foundation with an intriguing sequence of 12 and 10-beat cycles that urges us to search deeper. Conversely, the lilting Andrew Hill-esque “Josho” takes a straightforward trajectory, becoming more accessible to wider audiences. However, it is no less intriguing in the sonic choices and in the way the threesome interlock their sounds for a notable whole.

“Resolve” and “Breath” are two different Fujiwara sonic sculptures. The former is immersed in chamber jazz tranquility and created by gentle brushwork, poetic vibes, and melodic cello pensiveness; the latter is elegantly harmonized, containing bold synchronism and refraction, congruent rhythmic reflexes pursuing the angular unisons, and an intuitive communication between Reid, who solos with downright passion, and Brennan who answers her various suggestions with big ears and accuracy. The record wouldn’t be complete without a collective improv: “Other” is etched by harmonic complexity, an enduring drum stream, and various cello timbres, ending with throbbing [mallet-driven pulsations].

With a refreshing openness to new sounds and textures, these masters of the atmosphere reveal an exquisite sense of narrative that makes this music distinctive. We’ll keep listening to this while waiting for their next installment.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Solace ► 04 - Josho ► 06 - Breath

James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet - For Mahalia, With Love

Label: Tao Forms Records, 2023

Personnel - James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Kirk Knuffke: cornet; Chris Hoffmann: cello; William Parker: bass; Chad Taylor: drums.

The highly anticipated return of saxophonist James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily Quintet is an affectionate dedication to Mahalia Jackson, the influential New Orleans-born gospel diva whose music shaped the way the saxophonist approached music as it was introduced to him by his grandmother. Thus, on this double disc, Lewis is not showcasing his tantalizing originals but rather presenting arrangements of popular gospel songs and African-American spirituals included in Mahalia’s repertoire. 

The exceptions to the rule are the pieces bookending the album. The opening number, “Sparrow”, is a leisurely medley of “His Eye is on the Sparrow”, a gospel hymn composed by Charles H. Gabriel, and Lewis’ “Even the Sparrow”, which was included on his recent album Eye of I (Anti-, 2023). In turn, the closing cut, “Precious Lord”, was the favorite song of Martin Luther King who often asked Mahalia to sing it at civil rights rallies to inspire crowds. Here, it easily slides into avant-garde jazz, embracing polyphony.

The quintet’s soulful explorations keep on track with “Swing Low”, where the gospelized sax sounds, at first questioning and answering in monologue, occasionally reach kinetic improvisational momentum. The rhythm section of cellist Chris Hoffmann, bassist William Parker and drummer Chad Taylor guarantees loose-limbed textures that are progressively infused with tension. Taking advantage of the sonic environment, Lewis and cornetist Kirk Knuffke maintain a close communication with flowing melodicism and an elastic sense of time. The gale-force saxophone blowing is the perfect foil for the advanced, forward-thinking cornet melodies, and that communion transpires on “Elijah Rock”, in which the band dares to dive into an open rock-tinged rhythm.

The spiritual “Go Down Moses” is made joyously swinging with an exhilarating bass groove underpinning the theme before ending in pronounced elation. Another widely known Black spiritual, “Deep River”, boasts a great groove, polyrhythmic feel, and a fluid dialogue of strings, with Hoffmann and Parker exchanging ideas with intention. They had created a fleshy droning effect on the previous track, “Calvary”, a plaintive dirge. Defying this mood, the riveting “Wade in the Water” creates just enough friction as it advances with polyrhythmic feel at a medium fast tempo.

The sometimes thoughtful, sometimes freewheeling instrumentation echoes the breadth and imagination of devotional jazz, but travels its landscapes with harmonies and melodies adapted to our times. Not transcending the greatness of Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms, 2021), For Mahalia, With Love is crafted with enough passion, unity and fascination to claim jazz spotlight. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Swing Low ► 05 - Calvary ► 06 - Deep River

Dan Pitt Trio - Stages

Label: self released, 2023

Personnel - Dan Pitt: guitar; Alex Fournier: bass; Nick Fraser: drums.

If the Canadian guitarist/composer Dan Pitt has been flying under the radar, now is the time he gets some attention via Stages, a nervy sophomore album made with his working trio, featuring bassist Alex Fournier (Triio) and Nick Fraser (Tony Malaby, Kris Davis). These musicians possess ample resources to make you want explore their sounds, probing powerful rock-influenced settings with plenty of room for improvisation.

Several titles make reference to time. The opener, “Fourteen Days” is a downtempo excursion bookended by interspersed chords and single notes with a nearly classical intonation. In the middle, we have sharp cymbal demarcations, bass lines that turn everything darker in tone, and the melodic eruption of the guitar in an intriguing solo designed with inside/outside allure. “Tape Age” is minimal and lyrical, whereas “Fifteen Minutes” is cooked up in seven with the authority of alternative rock. There’s pressurized rhythmic accentuation too, as well as sharp unisons and muscular drumming. 

“Part Two” springs up with a melancholy bass monologue that matures into an exotic odd-metered Eastern dance textured with fine aesthetic judgment. In turn, “Stages” feels like a cinematic neo-country rock song, which, displaying its propensity for free and experimental sounds, concludes with a wired, edgy guitar solo over a vamping sequence. 

Darker musical pigments cover both “Foreboding” and “Ghosts”, transporting listeners to a somber reverie. Funneling elements of the indie rock and metal genres, the former adds up beat cycles of six and eight, and terminates with distortion. The latter piece, also ending up in a gritty electrified tone, starts off  introspectively with shimmering harmonic reflections and poetic arco bass qualities.

Pitt is an interesting composer whose work we want to keep an eye on. This set, by turns delicate and vigorous, hangs together nicely and cohesively, demonstrating the contemporary art of this trio.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fourteen Days ► 05 - Fifteen Minutes ► 07 - Stages

Joe Melnicove - You is You

Label: 577 Records, 2023

Personnel - Joe Melnicove: flute; George Garzone: tenor saxophone; Ben Street: bass; Billy Hart: drums. Guest - Jerry Bergonzi: piano (#8).

Like me, you've probably never heard of Israeli-born flutist Joe Melnicove, a classically trained, Berklee School graduate musician who makes his debut as a leader with You is You. Playing side by side with his mentor, the super post-bop saxophonist George Garzone, and backed by the dream rhythm team of bassist Ben Street and veteran drummer Billy Hart, Melnicove presents an adventurous set of competently made music, where he displays his skills as an exploring flutist. 

All tunes on the album are Melnicove’s with the exception of two - “Sky Shines on August Sunday” is a dulcet ballad composed by Argentinian saxophonist Liana Catalano, who dedicates it to Garzone’s late son, Anthony. The saxophonist blows his horn here with a Ben Webster airy gloss and the piece features Jerry Bergonzi on piano. The other cut is Garzone’s compellingly catchy “Between Two Cities”, which flows like a sultry bolero propelled by Hart’s efficient mallet work while carrying a mix of Western and Eastern flavors. By the end, the drummer showcases his less-is-better principle throughout his dry drum statement.

Melnicove’s pieces deserve attention, starting with the concise opener, “Monday Night”, a laid-back modal poem with a gentle gravitational pull. It should have been extended such is the beauty of the flute and sax interplay, scintillating cymbals, and resonant bowed bass. “Sketch/Graphite” cuts right to the chase with a keen sense of counterpoint and communicative disposition. The improvisations, imbued with narrative authority, slide across the impeccable rhythmic and harmonic net offered by Street and Hart.

Whereas “No Applause” and “Day Job” adopt swinging articulation and range of motion within a context that highlights post-bop stability and ambitious avant-jazz, “Compilation” benefits from a motivic thematic treatment, zippy interactions, and an appropriate rhythmic stimulation. It boasts an Eric Dolphy-esque vibe.

You is You is an accessible album, where the quartet keeps the swing percolating nicely while venturing beyond on account of individual statements.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Sketch/Graphite ► 04 - Between two Cities ► 10 - Compilation

Mehdi Nabti & Prototype - Continuum

Label: Self released, 2023

Personnel - Mehdi Nabti: alto saxophone, claves, composition; Thomas Morelli-Bernard: trombone; Philippe Bernier: electric guitar, trombone (#3); Nicolas Lafortune: electric bass; Alain Bourgeois: drums; Kullak Viger-Rojas: congas. 

Prototype is an inviting progressive project from Paris-born, Montreal-based alto saxophonist Mehdi Nabti, who vouches his serious eclectic jazz pedigree and compositional style. His latest body of work, Continuum, develops in the same contemporary world jazz-funk line as the previous entries but denotes a few novelties worth exploring.

“Astarté” is a precise rock-inflected exercise with strong Northern African type of melody atop. The arrangement is metronomic, with regular bassist Nicolas Lafortune and new drummer Alain Bourgeois ushering us to the changes while buoying the solos in the company of guitarist Philippe Bernier. The latter, who replaced Joy Anandasivam, and the bandleader delivered stately improvisations on this number.

Powerfully polyrhythmic, “Trantor” reinforces the go-getter attitude via the solos from Nabti and trombonist Thomas Morelli-Bernard, whereas the less exuberant “Garamantes” is propelled by ornate guitar pointillistic patterns and the driving congas of Kullak Viger-Rojas. Regardless of the caravan-like pace, this is a tonal piece of epic ambition.

Curling bass lines invade “Laptis Magna”, which, being fluid and harmonically perceptible, evolves with odd-meter and an underlined funky feel. There’s a vamp for the drummer at the end, just like on the following track, “Positron”, which burns in seven with a catchy, optimistic theme that seems inspired by singable R&B and rock harmonic resolutions.

Unanticipated is also the lively closer, “Techno Sapiens”, which emulates the genre mentioned in the title with reiterative energetic riffs. Imagine a Latin rave with propulsive congas while the guitar infuses funk counterpoint in the accompaniment. 
Continuum is another bold entry in Nabti’s discography, one that deserves consideration as the music agitates with stoutness.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Astarté ► 02 - Trantor ► 03 - Garamantes 

Hery Paz - Jardineros

Label: 577 Records, 2023

Personnel - Hery Paz: saxophone, flute, piano, suona; Román Díaz: percussion, voice; Francisco Mela: drums.

With an uncanny ability to mix freedom and substance, the Cuban-born, New York-based multi-instrumentalist and painter Hery Paz surprises and enchants at every step of his new recording, one that evokes his fascinating, rich and complex cultural identity. Jardineros is a powerful statement made in the company of two fellow countrymen with advanced percussive skills - Román Díaz and Francisco Mela.

The two-minute opener, “Calle Libertad”, is based on the Cuban traditional rhythm Danzón. It throws agile folk-soaked flute lines on top of the deep, resonant tones of Diaz’s bonkó enchemiya drum. Paz embraces the duo format on two other ocasions, both with Mela, who makes use of his diverse drum-sound palette: “Arroyo Lajas”, which, adopting a free jazz posture, showcases Paz’s sturdy tenor sound and breathtaking language; and “Miel de la Tierra”, which merges Cuban folklore and unchained expression with a bright sense of vitality. By switching from flute to saxophone, the bandleader fires up the infectious avant-garde jazz foray that concludes the latter piece.

“Jardineros” is set in motion with crisp alignments between sax and flute, lively drum sounds, and cymbal shimmering. On this cut, calls and responses are triggered by a numbered series of symbolic drawings, but it’s the coiling tenor lines that seem to be in command, straddling between motivic chants and avant-jazz diffusion. Totally different timbres come to the fore on “Conga Espirituana”, where Paz plays two suonas simultaneously, a traditional double-reed Chinese instrument that gives the music a strange Eastern spell. It floats right above the percussive haze of Afro-Cuban rhythms in an evocation of spiritual roots and nature.

“Comunión”, an instrumental marked by irresistible interplay, displays syncopated conga cadences, restrained drumming, and focused tenor blows. It contrasts with the two numbers that accommodate lyrics - “El Real de las Palmas” was written by Diaz, who also provides a wonderful narration of the text. Paz’s piano work - sometimes abstract, sometimes mysterious - runs in the background. In turn, “Barrio del Jobo” was penned by Paz, and captures the nostalgia for his land and family.

Upending the jazz world with a multi-cultural vision that goes beyond the conventional, Paz is a musical force to be reckoned with.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Jardineros ► 03 - Arroyo Lajas ► 06 - Miel de la Tierra

Russ Johnson - Reveal

Label: Calligram Records, 2023

Personnel - Russ Johnson: trumpet; Mark Feldman: violin; Ethan Philion: bass; Tim Daisy: drums.

After 23 years living and working in New York, creative post-bop trumpeter Russ Johnson relocated to Chicago, a move that helped him reconnect with violinist Mark Feldman. The latter took the same path, returning to the city where he was born after several years contributing to the New York scene. To round up his brand new quartet, Johnson, who recorded with Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow and Ohad Talmor, called on bassist Ethan Philion and drummer Tim Daisy. Although both based in Chicago, these two rhythm pillars had never worked together before this date.

The winsome nine tracks in Reveal sound as if the quartet had developed an easy familiarity over the years, such is the fluidity and effortlessness demonstrated in a demanding, explorative style that doesn’t linger in a particular bound. “Skips”, the album’s fantastic opener, utilizes a seven-note riff that acts as a fanciful dancing motion. The ideas spur one another articulately with Johnson and Feldman upholding an interactive communication, especially when a new section emerges in 7/4 tempo.

“The Slow Reveal” emerges contemplative before conveying a fully considered folksy feel in the second half. This is chamber music with a progressive leaning, taking us to the following piece, “Long Branch”, with legibility. The latter is a mournful procession with a slow three time feel that pays tribute to the late avant-jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch. It begins with a plunger mute-infused wah-wah trumpet monologue and ends with a shift in tempo and tearful violin-trumpet unisons.

The spellbinding aesthetic takes further expression in “Dog Gone It”, a tip of the hat to saxophonist Julius Hemphill’s “Dogon A.D.”. Deep reverberating arco bass sets a groove that is complemented by Daisy’s funk-rock drumming. Johnson and Feldman plunge into heavy avant-garde expression, indulging in spectacular interplay before finishing in tandem. They are also in evidence on “Agnomen”, firstly by echoing a rhythmic figure over Daisy’s tom-tom currents and hi-hat pulsation, and later by manifesting advanced soloing skills.

The music never settles into controlled autopilot, not even during totally improvised trio numbers such as the drum-less “REM Unit” and the bass-less “TRM” (the letters correspond to the initials of the musicians’ first names). Not as prolific as we would like him to be, Johnson at least makes quality his absolute priority, turning every record into something we are eager to revisit.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Skips ► 03 - Long Branch ► 08 - Dog Gone It

Peter Brotzmann / Majid Bekkas / Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts

Label: ACT, 2023

Personnel - Peter Brotzmann: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Majid Bekkas: guembri, voice; Hamid Drake: drums, percussion.

The late German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, who left us on June 22nd at the age of 82, was at the wheel of numerous free jazz outings over the course of a rich six-decade career. His last recordings - An Eternal Reminder of Not Today (with the experimental rock outfit Oxbow) and Naked Nudes (with cellist Fredrik Lonberg-Holm and pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh) are worthy musical journeys, as well as this entirely improvised live recording, Catching Ghosts, a culture-blending trio effort with Moroccan guembri player and vocalist Majid Bekkas and American drummer Hamid Drake.

Brotzmann was open to exploring new territories on every session, and the threesome here frame their distinct sounds into an offbeat hybrid fusion of gnawa songs and free jazz. The program, recorded live at Jazzfest Berlin 2022, offers four free-flowing and unrehearsed gnawa traditional pieces that, following consistent textural palettes, are galvanized by the driving force of Brotzmann’s saxophone playing. The opener, “Chalaba”, blazes the trail. The two-stringed, camel-skin-backed guembri can sound like a bass in the lower registers, soon establishing a sextuple time groove while having clean cymbal scintillation by its side. The saxophone clamors find space between phrases, entering this dance arena with either growling intensity or hoarse moaning, yet invariably with class and personality.

The following three pieces were included on Bekkas’ 2002 album African Gnaoua Blues. “Mawama” appears here with strong hi-hat pulsation and snare activity, putting more emphasis on the vocals than the sax; the 14-minute “Hamdouchia” presents a 10-beat cycle groove, having Brotzmann - in all his fiery, subversive and provocative style - responding to Bakkas’ voice; and “Balini”, both propulsive and airy, features Brotzmann’s whining clarinet prayers over rhythmic interlocking patterns generated by Bekkas and Drake.

These musicians take chances, each serving the material with musical passion and care. This is a wonderful goodbye from Brotzmann, a force of nature who will be deeply missed by all free jazzers.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Chalaba ► 03 - Hamdouchia

Joel Harrison - Anthem of Unity

Label: High Note Records, 2023

Personnel - Joel Harrison: guitar; Greg Tardy: tenor saxophone, flute; Gary Versace: Hammond B-3 organ, piano; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

American guitarist/composer Joel Harrison showcases the pragmatic eclecticism that characterizes his music on Anthem of Unity, his 25th album as a leader. The disc features phenomenal rhythmic pulsations engendered by legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette, the adventurous melodicism of saxophonist Greg Tardy, and the extra harmonic color of organist Gary Versace, who, together with Harrison, creates colorful groove-centered tapestries.

Inspired by the influential late guitarist Mick Goodrick, the title track opens the album as an enjoyable concoction of funk, rock and Americana. The anthemic theme reveals a mild temperament but the solos by Tardy and Harrison are pure fire. In a similar tone but with a more incisive post-bop attack, “Survival Instinct” features another otherworldly tenor statement and the excellent underpinning of DeJohnette, who assures that his drum fills shine with a special energy.

Only two of the eight tracks that compose this work weren’t penned by Harrison, namely, “The Times Are A-Changin’” and “Doxy”, by Bob Dylan and Sonny Rollins, respectively. The former, a protest folk tune, waltzes smoothly with jazzy colors; the latter, served with jazz and funk ingredients at the base, boasts its heavenly melody with transparency and a laid-back groovy feel.

“Migratory Birds” develops in five and at some point places a heart-reaching flute at the center in unison with guitar, whereas “Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday” swings energetically with casual post-bop fling. Before bringing the album to a close with “Mohawk Valley Peace Dance”, a blues rock incursion with a saucy wah-wah guitar solo on top of a dub substratum, Harrison offers “Parvati”, a rousing fusion with a great melodic theme, chromatic shifts, and a drum intro that’s quite interesting to hear.

Versatility abounds in a record that, not reaching the levels of America at War (Sunnyside, 2020), consistently satisfies. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Survival Instinct ► 05 - Doxy ► 07 - Parvati

Evan Parker / Matthew Wright, Trance Map+ - Etching the Ether

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Evan Parker: soprano saxophone; Matthew Wright: live electronics, sound design; Peter Evans: trumpet, piccolo trumpet; Mark Nauseef: percussion.

This recording reunites the British saxophonist Evan Parker and his fellow countryman, the electronic musician, turntablist and sound designer Matthew Wright. Together, they are Trance Map, a project in constant mutation. As usual, ambiguity and experimentation prevail, with two talented guest musicians helping them build something unique on the spur of the moment. The participation of trumpeter Peter Evans and percussionist Mark Nauseef, and the way they deal with sound and texture, makes Etching the Ether a much more exciting record than the previous, Crepuscule in Nickelsdorff (Intakt, 2019).

Putting today’s technology at their service, the foursome begin their inexhaustible post-jazz excursion with “At Altitude”, combining high-pitched whistles, droning electronics, infinite soprano roundabouts, growling trumpet multiphonics, sparse gong vibrations, and a mix of tinkling, rattling, and metallic percussion sounds.

With tense layers of sound as their grooves, and a fusion of circularity and obliqueness as their language, “Drawing Breath”, at nearly 21 minutes, is an instigation with breadth of vision. There’s an intensification of the percussive tract at an early stage and a buzzing tapestry over which Evans unpacks swift trumpet phrases with an excitable temperament. Parker joins him to probe orbicular and elliptical trajectories that, occurring in parallel, create an intensively flickering stimulus on the ear. Riffing in ecstasy, they reach magnitudes of sound whose color, shape and motion are difficult to anticipate. By the end, electronic murmurations accommodate dark synth-like waves and noisy patterns of different pitches.

For “Engaged in Seeking”, the leaders gave full rein to Nauseef, who created an elusive background in post-production. He contributes heavily to a wider and deeper dimension of the music, whose intensities are masterfully commanded by Parker and Evans. They reach a climax before the quiet finale, with the trumpeter stretching erratically over a granular texture. This stirring, free-flowing ride is best experienced in sequence.

Favorite Tracks: 
02 - Drawing Breath ► 03 - Engaged in Seeking

Russ Lossing King Vulture - Alternate Side Parking Music

Label: Aqua Piazza Records, 2023

Personnel - Russ Lossing: piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer; Adam Kolker: tenor and sopranino saxophones, bass clarinet; Matt Pavolka: bass; Dayeon Seok: drums.

American pianist and composer Russ Lossing had a great idea while going through the process of alternate side parking (ASP) in his Manhattan neighborhood. This exasperating operation consists of removing your parked car from one side of the street to the other to allow street cleaning, and then realigning to park again. For this 10-track album, composed while seated in his car, Lossing assembled a flexible quartet featuring longtime collaborator Adam Kolker on saxophone and clarinet, and the new powerful rhythm section of Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok on bass and drums, respectively. 

As usually occurs whenever Lossing puts his artistry to work, the music sidesteps the obvious in a way that leaves the listener searching and wanting more. The appropriately titled “Honk”, the album’s opener, has that pleasurable effect of taking us beyond the familiar as the theme blooms into staccato riffing glory. The piece is what Rossing calls ‘transparent composition’, which gives players freedom to choose what they want to do. This strange, engaging dance carries satirical humor and passes the idea of wanting to rush while being stuck. “Parallel Park” comes with more fluidity in the process and achieves a fantastic sense of intuition in its labyrinthine treatment of tempo.

The pianist has the ability to generate awesome rhythms by working with complex tempos and forms. Like the playful “Meter Made”, which includes a lucid funky passage with a ’70s feel; and the closer, “Turn”, which expands two beat cycles at every turn. Another example is “Double Park”, spiked with a snare-driven rudiment that inflates over time, a tense bass groove, and captivating solos from bass clarinet and electric piano, sometimes conjuring up Eastern fusion.

Some tunes alternate between sections while others tend to move along in a more linear way. “Cloned” relies on a punching low-pitched figure that composes the keyboarded wah-wah groove on the bottom. This figure, a melodic clone of a Schoenberg piano piece, is mimicked by everyone, before everything gets funkified in a contemporary fashion. 

“Next 3 Km” denotes a more atmospheric disposition at the outset with Kolker on the bass clarinet, but becomes vividly skittish at some point, before returning to the churning theme. Also with arching improvisatory gestures, “Move it Over” feels more spasmodic and harmonically exposed.

Lossing’s new quartet dazzles in its ability to navigate new musical developments; they can be tight and focused one minute, exploratory and unconventional the next. To be savored at home, away from the alternate side parking nuisance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Honk ► 02 - Cloned ► 06 - Double Park

Guillermo Klein Quinteto - Telmo's Tune

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2023

Personnel - Guillermo Klein: piano, composition; Chris Cheek: tenor and soprano saxophones; Leo Genovese: Fender Rhodes, keyboards; Matt Pavolka: bass; Allan Mednard: drums.

Argentinian pianist Guillermo Klein is thoroughly established as one the most genial composers of our time. His imaginative music and arrangements are all over the course of nine originals that compose the new album, Telmo’s Tune, titled after a composition for his son. You can hear him mastering styles, in which he always puts a stamp of his own, in a quintet with creative New York-based instrumentalists such as saxophonist Chris Cheek, keyboardist Leo Genovese, bassist Matt Pavolka, and drummer Allan Mednard.

The first track, “Criolla”, is a propulsive and expertly rendered diatonic folk piece whose complex rhythmic juxtapositions feel natural to the ear. Following changes in pace and texture, the music, with its grandiose and hopeful vibe, is a charming showcase for Cheek’s wondrous soprano playing. “Push Me Not” mixes and matches sounds in an unusual way, flirting with elements of tango and electronic music (mostly due to Genovese’s periodic glitchy pulse) while squeezing in something from Tom Waits and Kurt Weill. Odd meters are carved all over the map and Mednard is very comfortable with it. He finds the space to stretch out over a vamp here, as well as in “Camello” (an episode of Klein’s 2008 Solar Return Suite), whose additive tempos {7+5}, curling bass groove, rock-influenced demeanor, and overlapping layers give it a fusion look.

Drawn from his 2008 album Filtros, the mercurial “Amor Profundo” features plenty of exquisite variations, denoting modern classical and jazz influences. It’s not hard to spot the leader’s hand as the piece is intricately crafted with provocative tempo shifts and other nuances that often causes us to get lost in its rhythmic mesh. Meticulously composed, “Quiero” shows another side of Latin, here overlapped with an afrobeat in seven, whereas “A Navarro” touches on Brazilian choro.

Quieter tunes include: “Si Vos me Queres”, a balladic mystery full of searching and synchronicity that is introduced by Pavolka; the title track, which surfs cool harmonic waves in waltzing mode; and the dreamlike “Burrito Mirror”, which keeps everything slightly off-kilter, between possibility and reality, while mirroring the arco bass and tenor parts.

Klein’s deal is very unique, using different genres but playing beyond them to form a style that undertakes tricky and graceful interactions. Skirting jazz in its pure forms, this is another vibrant and disarming recording from a first-class composer whose oeuvre deserves all our esteem.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Criolla ► 02 - Push Me Not ► 07 - Camello

Johnathan Blake - Passage

Label: Blue Note Records, 2023

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

Drummer Johnathan Blake demonstrates virtuosity in his compositional itineraries and pragmatism in his band leading. He has been a busy sideman working alongside the likes of Kenny Barron, Bill Frisell, Tom Harrell and the late Dr. Lonny Smith. Passage is his sophomore release on Blue Note and a powerful follow-up to the deservedly acclaimed Homeward Bound, picked by JazzTrail as one of the best jazz albums of 2021. There are no changes to the lineup of his excellent multi-generational Pentad ensemble, which features saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist David Virelles and  bassist Dezron Douglas.

Dedicated to Johnathan’s late father, the jazz violinist John Blake Jr., the album kicks off exclusively percussive at the sound of mallets and cymbals, but plays like a melody. The tidal pull of his approach takes us to his father’s tune “Passage”, where we indulge in a beautifully swinging post-bop. The caressing theme statement is asserted by Wilkins, who takes the first solo with impetuous genius. He’s followed by the always rhythmically interesting Virelles, who besides contributing one of his sultry Afro-Cuban-infused compositions named “Tiempos”, delivers a fantastic solo on Blake’s “West Berkley St.”, a soulful, Motown-inspired tune full of groove and joy.

Equal parts cheerful and cool, Blake’s “Groundhog Day” has Wilkins and Ross driving the piece to ecstatic heights. They also find wide harmonic avenues to explore - with adventurous notes that fall in and out of scope - on Douglas’ “A Slight Taste”, which is etched by a smokin’ funky groove. Virelles stretches out on Minimoog, to which he adds Fender Rhodes sounds on “Muna & Johna's Playtime”. Despite the odd meter, the piece is seamless in the flow with a folk contour in the melody, featuring Wilkins and Virelles in a stimulating musical interlocution. Ross, who steps forward here in the final vamping sequence, is also at the center of “Out of Sight, Out of Mind“, a bewitching, horn-less ballad delivered with a Bobby Hutcherson vibe.

Open to different genres, grooves and intensities, Johnathan Blake puts out a lovely recording that brims with openheartedness and positive expression. He remains one of the most sought-after drummers of the scene as he adapts to classic jazz environments as well as modern contexts with remarkable prowess.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Passage ► 05 - Groundhog Day ► 08 - A Slight Taste

MØ:San - Mr. Mountain's Folktales

Label: AMP Music & Records, 2023

Personnel - Jung-Jae Kim: saxophone; Finlay Hare: cello; Amund Nordstrøm: drums, modular synth. 

This Norway-based improvisational trio called MØ:SAN trades in avant-garde jazz atmospheres and hinges on interaction to express their creativity. South Korean saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim leads the group and provides all eight compositions that compose this first album, Mr. Mountain’s Folktales. The pieces are drawn from conventional and unconventional musical aspects, including graphic scores, with Kim being joined by British cellist Finlay Hare and Norwegian drummer Amund Nordstrøm.

The ship sets sail with “Mountain Blue”, traversing waves of abstraction that are formed by deep raspy cello, contemplative saxophone chants, and considerable percussive variety. On “Reverberation” we have mantric undulations via a cello drone, mystic horn murmurs and volatile if resolved drumming.

There’s a mix of refined and unpolished expressions, fruit of the bevy of sounds with which they play. Take the example of the subtle and minimalist “Conjunction”, with its rattling percussion, poppy sax notes, and sparse cello pizzicato turned into occasional strumming to reinforce harmonic background. This piece gets closer to the soaringly prayerful “Ascension”, whose formless ambience of pacific tones enables modular synth curlicues prepared by Nordstrøm. These two pieces differ in mood and texture from “Tapestry”, a spiky-but-pretty number that develops with growling and multiphonic blows, winding cello patterns that range in pitch, and adequate drum playing.

Whereas the multiphonics-infused “Tube” starts off moody and ends up forcefully, “Irony” hits the sweet spot of chamber music with its classical intonation and scintillating melodic conduction. Cleverly, the trio adds some elements of surprise.

With unpredictable soundscapes, Mr. Mountain’s Folktales is a testament to the power of collaboration and sound arrangement as an art form. Kim tells a story about a man in the mountains and his relationship with nature in a work that is organically constructed according to the musical freedom he vouches. MØ:SAN knows where they’re stepping onto, opening up a narrative path to sound discoveries.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mountain Blue ► 04 - Conjunction ► 05 - Tapestry

Mat Maneri Quartet - Ash

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2023

Personnel - Mat Maneri: viola; Lucian Ban: piano; John Hébert: bass; Randy Peterson: drums.

The second consecutive outing of violist Mat Maneri in quartet with Romanian-born pianist and regular collaborator Lucian Ban, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Randy Peterson is called Ash, and continues the hauntingly atmospheric explorations started with the previous, Dust (Sunnyside, 2019).

The minimal architecture of the pieces encompasses slow, circumspect developments that might seem understated in terms of individual improvisation but are strong as a collective effort. It’s precisely with a collective improvisation, “Ash”, that they start off the proceedings. There’s crawling viola lines emerging sinuously from dark subterfuges and places of mystery. The search is endless with the body of the bass and flickering cymbal energies aligning forces for a strange coalition with the congruous piano, whose harmonic texture glues everything together.

The microtonal restraint of Maneri darts around on “Moon”, a piece based on a melody by violist James Bergin whose sounds are somber and sleep-inducing. Its floating detachment doesn’t seem to take us anywhere in concrete but ends with more percussive flavor than it started. Also wandering in rubato style, “Earth”, which is based on a melody by Mat’s father Joe Maneri, joins avant-garde jazz and modern classical influence, reserving a space for Peterson’s adroit drum flow by the end. Another classical-influenced piece is “Brahms”, which revisits the Romantic Classicism of the German composer in the title with beautiful melodic suspensions and resolutions that sweep through a richly brushed rhythmic tapestry.

Overtonal balance is achieved with Ban’s “Glimmer”, whose discernible main statement, delivered in parallel by viola and piano, is a reference point. The group distills their tonal language into an ample musical space, and their interplay - especially between Maneri and Ban - stands out. The quartet finalizes with “Cold World Lullaby”, a picturesque folk-imbued number carried with a slight sense of hopelessness and Eastern tinges. This last polytonal piece was based on melodies by American film music composer Sol Kaplan, Romanian traditional Lume, and a Sicilian lullaby.

Once the mood of a piece is established, shifts and metamorphoses are infrequent. Yet, the warp knitting, angular measurements and gloomy harmonic impressions of this music examine something deeper. We could say this is the sadcore branch of jazz.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ash ► 05 - Glimmer ► 07 - Cold World Lullaby