JACK DEJOHNETTE - MADE IN CHICAGO
Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, bass flute; Roscoe Mitchell: soprano/alto saxophones; Muhal Richard Abrams: piano; Larry Gray: double bass, cello; Jack DeJohnette: drums.
This album is a lesson on how to play this type of music with refinement, competence, and gusto. These veterans can’t be a better inspiration for the ones who like to open wings and fly freely throughout atmospheric, dissonant, and unexplored galaxies. Always expertly organized in terms of structure.
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Chant
02 – Jack 5
04 – Museum of Time
THE RESONANCE ENSEMBLE - DOUBLE ARC
Ken Vandermark: baritone saxophone, clarinet; Dave Rempis: alto/tenor saxophones; Mikolaj Trzaska: alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Waclaw Zimpel: clarinets; Magnus Broo: trumpet; Per-Ake Holmlander: tuba; Steve Swell: trombone; Christof Kurzmann: loops; Mark Tokar: double bass; Tim Daisy: drums; Michael Zerang: drums.
Vandermark’s vibrating saxophone timbres had glorious days with the superb quintet known as Vandermark 5. His versatility and poise continue to impress me as I hear him in his own projects and collaborations. The Resonance Ensemble’s new album is a collection of neurotic and electric divagations that often convey a welcoming melodic sense. Whenever introduced, the electronic components have a beneficial effect on the groovy whole.
Favorite Tracks:
02 (cd1) – Section B
03 (cd1) – Section C
04 (cd2) – Section D
MYRA MELFORD - SNOWY EGRET
Myra Melford: piano, harmonium; Ron Miles: trumpet; Liberty Ellman: guitar; Stomu Takeishi: bass guitar; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.
The ones who are familiar with the work of the creative pianist/composer Myra Melford won’t have problems understanding what’s going on here. Melford’s compositional virtuosity gains a sympathetic expression, and even some accessibility, with this impeccable quintet. Adequate resolutions are given to the stylish harmonic sequences and auspicious melodic threads.
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Night of Sorrow
03 – Promised Land
10 – The Strawberry
METTE HENRIETTE - METTE HENRIETTE
Mette Henriette: saxophone; Eivind Lonning: trumpet; Henrik Norstebo: trombone; Andreas Rokseth: bandoneon; Johan Lindvall: piano; Sara Ovinge: violin; Karin Hellqvist: violin; Odd Hannisdal: violin; Bendik Bjornstad Foss: viola; Ingvild Nesdal Sandnes: cello; Katrine Schiott: cello; Per Zanussi: double bass; Per Oddvar Johansen: drums.
Mette Henriette’s auspicious debut album as a leader is already a valuable conquest for the ECM records. Adorned with delicate and nostalgic touches while invoking distant memories and a strong heritage, the 35 homogeneous little pieces are distributed by two discs, each of them played by a different trio. The organic, entrancing sounds, whether peaceful or slightly agitated, may shovel us into treeless arctic tundras or misty forests.
Favorite Tracks:
02 (cd1) – .OoO.
01 (cd2) – Passé
13 (cd2) – I
TOM RAINEY TRIO - HOTEL GRIEF
Ingrid Laubrock: tenor/soprano saxophones; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Tom Rainey: drums.
Effusively exploratory, “Hotel Grief” falls in a sort of jazz-rock whose atonal rambles and knotty textures are connected with logic and intention. Often balancing expansive moments with more introspective ones, it was great to hear Rainey’s tribal whirlwinds and disruptive hums, Halvorson’s dissonant chords occasionally molded by effects, and Laubrock’s unobstructed yet punctilious tenor speeches.
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Last Overture
03 – Briefly Lompoc
04 – Proud Achievements In Botany
NATE WOOLEY QUINTET - (DANCE TO) THE EARLY MUSIC
Nate Wooley: trumpet; Josh Sinton: bass clarinet; Matt Moran: vibraphone; Eivind Opsvik: double bass; Harris Eisenstadt: drums.
Nate Wooley is a boundless trumpeter with a knack for free improvisation. Six out of the nine tunes presented here have the signature of Wynton Marsalis. They were sumptuously rearranged by Wooley, who instill them competent strokes of modernity and sophistication with the help of Matt Moran’s atmospheric vibes, Josh Sinton’s clarinet counteractions, and the bang-up cohesion between Opsvik and Eisenstadt on bass and drums, respectively.
Favorite Tracks:
1 – Hesitation
4 – Delfeayo’s Dilemma
8 – Skain’s Domain
MARILYN CRISPELL / GERRY HEMINGWAY - TABLE OF CHANGES
Marilyn Crispell: piano; Gerry Hemingway: drums, percussion, vibraphone.
This fruitful association between Crispell and Hemingway, who first play together in the 80’s with the fabulous Anthony Braxton, is rhythmically rich and melodically daring. The album’s incisive callings, powerfully charming but never easy, requires multiple listenings in order to be fully absorbed.
Favorite Tracks:
01 – Spirings
07 – Ev’rytime We Say Goodbye
08 – Change of Tables
RODRIGO AMADO - THIS IS OUR LANGUAGE
Rodrigo Amado: tenor saxophone; Joe McPhee: pocket trumpet, alto saxophone; Kent Kessler: double bass; Chris Corsano: drums.
Loaded with energetic and pulsing dialogues, the vigorous language played here and conducted by the Portuguese tenor saxophonist, Rodrigo Amado (Lisbon Improvisation Players), is approved. The contribution of three consecrated avant-gardists was primordial for the success.
Favorite Tracks:
02 – This is Our Language
04 – Ritual Evolution
JAMIE SAFT - TICONDEROGA
Joe McPhee: saxophones; Jamie Saft: piano; Joe Morris: bass; Charles Downs: drums.
The compositions might be a bit long in duration, but they gradually hauled me to the quartet's frantic expeditions, which have no obvious destinies. Saft’s intuition and responsive comping were crucial as a reaction to the arguments and brawls suggested by McPhee. The combustible rhythm section, consisting of Morris and Downs, never eased up.
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Simplicity of a Man
04 – A Backward King
INGRID LAUBROCK - UBATUBA
Ingrid Laubrock: tenor/alto saxophones; Tim Berne: alto saxophone; Ben Gerstein: trombone; Dan Peck: tuba; Tom Rainey: drums.
Enigmatic enough to attract us into its methodical textures, “Ubatuba”, a complex horn-driven reciprocation, arises multiple sensations as we move from tune to tune. One can expect apprehension, perplexity, uncertainty, and a mysterious tension that never weakens, persisting below the surface. Ms. Laubrock’s articulated language and captivating timbre are remarkable.
Favorite Tracks:
02 – Homo Diluvii
06 – Hypnic Jerk
