Marc Ribot - The Young Philadelphians Live in Tokyo

Marc Ribot: guitar; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Jamaaladeen Tacuma: bass; G. Calvin Weston: drums; Takako Siba: viola; Yoshie Kajiwara: violin; China Azuma: cello.

It’s curious to see two explorers and recognized avant-gardists such as the guitarists Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson adapting disco, funk, and soul to the current days in the Young Philadelphians, a band that besides the guitarists and a couple of Phillies, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass and G. Calvin Weston on drums, also hinges on a Japanese trio of classic strings - violin, cello, and viola.
In my eyes (or ears), “Live in Tokyo”, with its mash-up of influences and inheritances, didn’t extract the better of these two creative guitarists. However, this doesn’t mean they haven’t done a competent job.
The first tune, “Love Epidemic”, is a soul-rooted disco tune from the 70’s, recreated with hints of David Bowie’s spatial rock. Ribot’s delirious guitar riffs are complemented by Halvorson’s fills, which come wrapped in effects.
The soothing wha-wha grooves in Teddy Pendergrass’ “Love Tko” make it the best rendition of the album. A breezy sensuality flows, spiked by Ribot’s bluesy approach and Tacuma’s bass solo. 
Far more festive is “Fly, Robin, Fly”, a 70’s disco hit popularized by the German group Silver Convention, whose funky guitar chords bring to mind the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin”. 
“TSOP” unfolds sentimental melodies within a commercial approach, heavily contrasting with “Love Rollercoaster”, a rock celebration with a chorus sung with the tics of David Byrne. “Do It Anyway You Wanna” throws up an energetic compound of funk, rock, and R&B, moving in the same line of James Brown, while “The Hustle” is more ABBA style but packed with Halvorson’s odd effects.
Nostalgic and gleeful, “Live in Tokyo” is set as a wingding. Although not my cup of tea, this is another peculiar entrance into the guitarist's multi-colored discography.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – Love Epidemic ► 02 – Love Tko ► 06 – Do It Anyway You Wanna

Wadada Leo Smith - America's National Parks

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Anthony Davis: piano, Ashley Walters: cello; John Lindberg: bass; Pheeroan akLaff: drums.

Wadada Leo Smith, a gritty and lyrically stunning trumpeter/composer, releases a double CD stuffed with highly-articulated music that envisions to provide historic insight and social-political conscience about the America’s National Parks. 
Similar to what had happened in “The Great Lake Suites” (2014), each disc comprises three movements. However, the band Wadada enlisted for this project was an expansion of his dream-team of veterans known as The Golden Quartet (Anthony Davis on piano, John Lindberg on bass, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums), with the acquisition of the young cellist Ashley Walters, who adds a chamberesque texture and diversified colors to the organic divagations. 
“New Orleans” is an incredible 20-minute piece that advances like an enigmatic dark dance, hypnotizing us with its quasi-theatrical inflections of deep dramatic weight. Lindberg and AkLaff do a superb collective job, transforming the tune into a sort of ritual that gains a lofty expressiveness through Davis’ uncanny chords and Wadada’s emphatic attacks. Later on, the cello transfigures this prior nature into a hearty moan.
In “Eileen Jackson Southern” the levels of abstraction and introspection are considerably raised. Wadada’s trumpet, frequently hitting long high-pitched notes, opposes to the cello-piano mosaics that occur in a lower register. “Yellowstone’s intro, configured by trumpet, piano, and then cello, takes its time to engage in a fantastic 4/4 groove laid down by Lindberg, a stupendous bassist who boasts a ravishing sound. Davis also deserves an ovation for his fast-moving right-hand approach while the bandleader’s bravura comes from the soul, not from the head.
The CD2 opens with the volatile 31-minute movement “The Mississippi River”, which takes us on a dark and mournful trip to a past of awes. After a while, it brings us lusty protests delivered in the form of cyclic harmonic episodes.
The shortest tune of the record, “Sequoia/Kings Canyon”, features Wadada in great interactions with his peers, especially akLaff during the final improvised section. The brilliant suite culminates with the sparse “Yosemite”, an exercise in contemporary chamber music.
Cerebrally structured and emotionally haunting, this is a literate masterpiece that will marvel not only the trumpeter’s followers but also the avant-gardists in general.  

Favorite Tracks:
01 (cd1) – New Orleans ► 03 (cd1) – Yellowstone ► 01 (cd2) – The Mississippi River

John Scofield - Country For Old Men

John Scofield: guitar; Larry Goldings: piano, organ; Steve Swallow: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

The music of John Scofield, a technically skilled and emotionally consistent guitarist, doesn’t confine itself to just one style. 
His salutary versatility and originality have been noticeable throughout a successful career that spans more than 40 years, addressing styles such as jazz, funk, rock, M-base, post-bop, and fusion with the same unquestionable quality. After last year’s “Past Present”, a Grammy-winning masterpiece of original works, Scofield releases “Country for Old Men”, an album exclusively made of covers that pay homage to American country music. 
The first great moment of the record happens forthwith with Hank Williams’ widely known hit “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, which is fabricated with a modernistic post-boppish attitude. All the fluency and creativity of his language lies here, solidly backed by Steve Swallow’s famous swinging bass, Bill Stewart’s firm pulse, and Larry Golding’s oddly atmospheric organ comping.
James Taylor’s “Bartender’s Blues” comes wrapped in a velvety softness, a mood that is repeated in the folk song “Wayfaring Stranger”, a traditional piece that gains a bluesy feeling with Scofield’s guitar and soulful contortions during Golding’s piano improvisation. 
“Wildwood Flower” is a groovy incursion into the Far West slightly deviated from its country roots during the improvisations, while the impeccably and swiftly executed “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard, resorts to trading fours by the end, a process that we can hear again in “Red River Valley”, a rockabilly effort that also swings.
Dolly Parton’s influence during the 60’s and 70’s was acknowledged with the addition of her popular “Jolene” whose bluegrass foundation fades into a more airy atmosphere. The merry “Faded Love”, an original by Bob Willis, is geared up as a jazz standard impregnated with a pastiche of country and blues.
Keeping the integrity of his approach and amazing sound, Mr. Scofield and his associates sculpt these westerners with finely-calibrated jazz strokes and intense feeling. Even lacking the spectacularity of his original compositions, this new one is another worthy entry in Scofield’s vast and many-sided discography.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry ► 05 – Wayfaring Stranger ► 08 – Faded Love

Ricardo Grilli - 1954

Ricardo Grilli: guitar; Aaron Parks: piano; Joe Martin: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

“1954” is the title of the sophomore album of originals from the Brazilian-born New York-based guitarist Ricardo Grilli, who was joined here by a tremendous team of musicians: Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Martin on bass, and Eric Harland on drums.
Following the recent trends of jazz and influenced by his own past and the Space Age, Grilli packs up nine tunes that disclose influences from diverse styles.
On the first track, “Arcturo”, his sustained guitar strumming lays anchor in rock, fantastically honed in by Harland. The guitarist uses most of the guitar arm for a brisk improvisation that encompasses several octaves, showcasing his abilities as a soloist. 
The repose of “Breathe”, a modern cha cha cha with soft harmonic textures and no improvisations, is repeated in “Rings”, a soaring ballad that finds support in the beauty of its relentless chord progression.
The galloping “Radiance”, inhabiting in a fusion universe of jazz, rock, and pop, is arranged with intrepid guitar riffs, implacable rhythms, and culminates with warmly expressive solos by Parks and the bandleader.
“Cosmonauts” hits a darker side, suggesting mystery and uncertainty. Our apprehension turns into amazement when we listen to Parks’ motivating solo. One can find a certain Brazilian lyricism in the tune’s melody and glimpses of Radiohead in Grilli’s fingerpicking.
The last tune, “Pulse”, leaves behind any connotation with the pop/rock universe and swings along in a hasty pace, resorting to well-known bebop dialects. Besides the fluidity of the guitarist and composer, we have estimable improvisations by Martin and Parks.
Ricardo Grilli sharpens his voice, liberates his creativity, and delivers a consistent new album.

Favorite Tracks: 
04 – Radiance ► 07 – Cosmonauts ► 09 – Pulse

Will Vinson - Perfectly Out of Place

Will Vinson: alto and soprano saxophones; Mike Moreno: guitar; Gonzalo Rubalcaba: piano, Fender Rhodes, synth; Matt Penman: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums; + guests.

Originally from London, the saxophonist Will Vinson is a frequent presence in the fervent NY jazz clubs like the Smalls, where he recorded a live album in 2012 with a quintet that included the guitarist Lage Lund, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
For his latest release, “Perfectly Out of Place”, Vinson not only convenes a new quintet, but also extends it by adding a few guests for the strings, vocals, and percussion. The cats that follow him are also respected bandleaders such as Mike Moreno on guitars, Gonzalo Rubalcaba on keys, Matt Penman on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums. 
“Desolated Tango”, which could perfectly fit in Charles Lloyd’s world-jazz repertoire, opens the doors, carrying a good amount of nostalgia and sadness at its core. Feeling like a ballad, this isn’t the only composition that invites us to sail in pacific waters. Also “Willoughby General”, featuring colorful solos by Penman and Moreno, “Limp of Faith”, in which Rubalcaba’s piano work emphasizes the initial lugubrious undertones set by sax and strings, and “Chalk It Up”, a beautiful exercise on breathing and relaxation, are tender ballads. 
Looking to attain balance among paces and moods, the quintet boasts a provocative Latin groove in “Skyrider” where strings, percussion, and especially the voice of Jo Lawry, entangled in complex phrasings delivered in unison with the sax and the guitar, contribute heavily to the impactful outcome.
Controlled chunks of funk-rock build up the straight-ahead piece “Stiltskin (Some Drunk Funk)”, while the last couple of tunes, “The Clock Killer”, retrieved from “Live at Smalls”, and the title-track, got me impressed due to Vinson’s giddy improvisational aptitudes.
This is a mature record that transpires emotional warmth. It was capable of establishing a mutual perception among the bandmates, authenticating Vinson as an accomplished composer and bandleader, in addition to the valuable sideman he has been all these years.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Desolation Tango ► 04 – Skyrider ► 09 – The Clock Killer

The Bad Plus - It's Hard

Ethan Iverson: piano; Reid Anderson: bass; Dave King: Drums.

The genius of the ingenious New York city-based jazz trio The Bad Plus can be heard again on their twelfth studio album entitled “It’s Hard”, a collection of covers that originally inhabited the pop, rock, country, jazz, and electronic music universes.
Its concept contrasts with the last year’s mandatory album, “The Bad Plus Joshua Redman”, whose tracks were composed by the members of the quartet. 
The album opens with “Maps”, an original song by the American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which is treated with a relentless musical hammering produced by bass-drums movements, getting more chaotic as it moves forward without losing any of its melodic sense.
Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers”, a massive hit in the UK in 1971, is rhythmically well crafted and gains a newfound perspective. Yet, its melody remains completely recognizable.
In terms of pop tunes, Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” is a pure delight, with Anderson’s bass ‘singing’ the falsetto part of the original, complemented with the crescendo of Iverson’s piano, which builds up an arresting polyphony at some point. In turn, Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time” is given a downtempo accentuation by King’s sparse beats while “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, a hit from the mid 80's by the Australian pop band Crowded House, plunges into real dreamy tones as it flows as a ballad.
The jazz is also well represented by a couple of tunes that carry a graceful musicality. The first one, “Alfombra Magica”, authored by the saxophonist Bill McHenry, evinces classical cadences. The second is Ornette Coleman’s “Broken Shadows”, which proceeds calmly and softly as in a morning sunrise.
Definitely a highlight, “The Robot”, a 1978 song composed by the German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, pulses with a forceful energy, inviting us to a robotic dance.
All the ten jazz renditions boast a relevant freshness through the treatments they were subjected to, proving The Bad Plus as one of the most stylish and versatile piano trios of our times.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Maps ► 06 – The Beautiful Ones ► 10 – The Robots

Cameron Mizell - Negative Spaces

Cameron Mizell: guitars; Brad Whiteley: piano, keyboards; Kenneth Salters: drums, percussion.

Boasting an inviting sound and evincing a compelling dexterity in his original compositions, Brooklyn-based guitarist Cameron Mizell shapes “Negative Spaces” with rigor and variety.
Together with his competent bass-less trio, Mizell effortlessly mixes rock, blues, funk, country, Americana, and jazz with ingenuity, building up an inspired album that speaks with a proper voice without shutting up its main influences.
Ethereal and illuminated, the introspective musical piece that lends the title to the album runs smoothly and engagingly. 
“Big Trees” is a short but captivating avant-folk piece layered with electric guitar on top of acoustic strumming. The song is energetic enough but transmits a peaceful aura at the same time, preparing the ground for the combination of blues and folk that are on the base of “Yesterday’s Trouble”, where Mizell’s haunting sound is clearly influenced by Marc Ribot. “Whiskey for Flowers”, unhurriedly immutable in pace, comes up in the sequence of its predecessor, immediately leading the way to “Take the Humble”, a smooth jazz-funk that coolly swings in its B section. Here we feel the good vibes of Mizell’s bluesy guitar, reminiscent of John Scofield, and the gratifying keyboard solo of Whiteley, who brought me into mind Lou Donaldson’s glorious albums from the 60’s.
The distinguished “Clearing Skies” is painted with grey hues but ultimately clears the clouds with the hope and affection set free from Mizell and Whiteley’s improvisations. 
Salters’ self-assured drumming marks the well-defined pace of “Unfolding” whose beautiful melody remains in our heads, making us wanting to hear it over and over again.
Ribot’s freewheeling rock style is spotted again in the first segment of the record’s last song, “Echoing Echoing”, which ends up in an agitating harmonic turnaround.
Cameron Mizell doesn’t need words to show he’s a great storyteller. Besides that, the two qualified musicians that follow him have that clarity that facilitates his way of expression, adding also their own personal touch.

Favorite Tracks: 
05 – Take the Humble ► 06 – Clearing Skies ► 10 – Unfolding

Tim Daisy - Relucent

Tim Daisy: marimba, turntables, electronics.
 
Tim Daisy, a drummer, marimbist and composer from Chicago, had a solid background in the avant-garde jazz scene as a member of the explosive The Vandermark 5 and Rempis Percussion Quartet, as well as through fruitful collaborations with the saxophonist Fred Anderson and the pianist Marc Riordan.
In his first solo project, released on Relay Records, he presents music for marimba, radios and turntables.
“Relucent” is a highly experimental album and a very difficult one (at least for me) to assimilate and become involved with.
With a bold musical concept in mind, Daisy, who also has a strong relationship with the visual arts, frontally assumes the risk of making unconventional music that likely will only bring him a minority of followers. However, that fact doesn’t hamper him from embarking on this weird exploration of sounds that comprise static noise, percussive rattles and tic-tacs, tuneful melodies of marimba (an instrument he dominates effortlessly), and turntable manipulations and collages.
The hypnotic “Burkina” relies on the surprising effects that are laid over a well-defined melodic/rhythmic idea. In turn, “Blue Rectangle” is a quite curious piece grounded on intermittent static noise and euphonious marimba articulations.
The sweetness of the marimba can be fully enjoyed in “Green Town”, while “The Spring Rust” transports us to the early days of cinema.
Even if this is not a genre I’m particularly looking for, “Relucent” reveals an unnerving posture with its percussive babbles and optimistic chants.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Burkina ► 03 – Blue Rectangle ► 08 – Green Town

Myriad3 - Moons

Chris Donnelly: piano, synth; Dan Fortin: upright and fretless bass, synth; Ernesto Cervini: drums, glockenspiel.

Myriad 3 is the name of an urban Canadian trio whose members are Chris Donnelly on piano, Dan Fortin on bass, and Ernesto Cervini on drums. 
While I was listening to “Moons”, their third album on Alma Records, it became quite clear that I wouldn’t be able to find a bandleader. 
In the place of individual show-offs, the band guarantees both collective tightness and spontaneity along the eleven tunes that comprise this kindred album.
An involving rhythm is set up for “Skeleton Key”, a pop/rock song that impulsively confronts dreamy intimacies and energetic assemblages. 
Half-lyrical, half-obscure, “Noyammas” conquered me right away with the piercing low notes on the piano falling on top of the sprawling cadences formed by thumping bass sounds and rockish drumming. 
If “Unnamed Cells” starts as a shattered R&B, evolving into a danceable rock rhythm that could be a modern dance floor hit, “The Stoner” sweeps the air with a stoned relaxation, gaining some tension as it moves forward, just to release it again near the end. 
“Counter of the Cumulus”, a musical creation by the electronic artist Disasterpiece, flourishes with jazz, rock, and classical elements, anticipating “Ameliasburg”, a relentless waltz that really asks for the next piece, “Sketch Eight”, a 6/8 march of grandiose instrumentation.
The blissful “Moons” is adorned with a suitable synth effect and feels unhurriedly good, opening space to the rhythmically bold “Brother Dom”.
Myriad3's musical unity and compositional quality result in an immensity of sounds that please our ears with honest music. Intuitively explored, “Moons” is a great album that deserves more visibility.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Noyammas ► 06 – Counter of the Cumulus ► 08 – Sketch Eight

Quinsin Nachoff - Flux

Quinsin Nachoff: tenor saxophone; David Binney: alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, keys; Kenny Wollensen: drums, percussion.

Toronto-born tenor saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff assembles a bass-less quartet of unquestionable quality to put together six brilliantly structured compositions that are translated into a burbly new jazz. “Flux” marks his debut on Mythology Records, the label owned by the alto saxophonist David Binney, who forms here a respected frontline together with bandleader. 
The take-off was made with “Tightrope”, a forward-thinking piece that bounces with beautiful counterpoints and crisp unisons. Mitchell’s harmonies put together dark and crystalline tones that pulse confidently in conjunction with Wollesen’s prosperous drumming. Nachoff’s improvisation is provocative enough to stir surprise while Binney’s well-cooked approach fights fire with the fire. After Mitchell’s outstanding solo the tune advances for a swaggering collective trip. 
“Complementary Opposites”, fueled by Binney’s rapid runs on a first occasion, makes an unexpected incursion into reggae during the final part of Nachoff’s improv.
“Mind’s Ear”, split into two parts, is particularly interesting in the last one, where the freewheeling piano cadences drawn by Mitchell are accompanied by the tribal drumbeats of Wollesen. Nachoff shows the potency of his blows with a volcanic improvisation. 
“Astral Echo Poem”, influenced by the Brazilian Hermeto Pacoal, was executed with gorgeous intonations and flows with certainty.
The album finishes with “Tilted”, a composition that returns to the same impetuosity of “Tightrope” and boasts another breathtaking escapade by Binney. The control is only reestablished with Mitchell’s clear-minded interventions.
Marked by an impenetrable unity, “Flux” overflows with great resourcefulness, becoming a distinct echo of modernity and inspiration.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Tightrope ► 04 – Mind’s Ear I ► 06 – Tilted

Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio - Incantation Suite

Tony Malaby: tenor and soprano saxophones; Ben Monder: guitar; Eivind Opsvik: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

The intuitive American saxophonist Tony Malaby continues enriching his amazing discography with audacious projects and knotty jazz.
Seven years after Paloma Recio’s first appearance with their enigmatic self-titled album, Malaby reunites the super-quartet to release “Incantation Suite”, an equally intricate but far more powerful album.
“Glass” begins with a lyrical, velvety texture created by the combination of Monder’s fingerpicking and Opsvik’s bowed bass. Malaby’s soprano saxophone sounds lamenting and grave at first, but becomes fiercely unquiet by the end, while Nasheet's tom-tom drumming and cymbal blowouts are fundamental to give continuity to this less lyrical and more contorted section.
The following composition, entitled “Artifact”, is a mutable piece that gains a swinging balance with the unison entrance of Malaby and Monder.
The guitarist gives wings to his imagination, extemporizing a fantastic solo, followed by Malaby who, using both dark and harsh timbres, strenuously improvises over a thick layer of bass and drums. The tune acquires a darker temperament for its finale thanks to Monder’s spectral guitar sounds.
In “Hive”, Malaby’s solo introduction on soprano is capable of hypnotizing both serpents and human beings. This is a tune that generates a sense of danger mostly due to Opsvik’s scathing bowed bass. Patiently searching for something unknown, Malaby and Monder alternate between individual spontaneity and parallel melodic lines. The former’s language, summoning Coltrane and Lacy, intertwines with the whirlwinds of distortion of the latter.
The 17-minute “Procedure” opens with a bass intro, flowing energetically to exploratory places that hold astonishing guitar embellishments sank in vibrant effects and growled saxophone clamors well backed-up by the responsive drummer. 
Cohesion, motivation, and an insuperable taste for experimentation are the secret potions for this hypnotic incantation.

Favorite Tracks: 
01 – Glass ► 02 – Artifact ► 03 – Hive

Sylvie Courvoisier - Miller's Tale

Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Evan Parker: soprano and tenor saxophone; Mark Feldman: violin; Ikue Mori: electronics.

Brooklyn-based Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier is known for her unreserved exploratory tendencies associated with modern composition, making of the unexpectedness her best weapon.
In her latest album, she convened a quartet whose familiar associates have similar tastes and approaches.  
The abstract “Death of a Salesman” takes off with a scratchy violin and odd noises, passing through an unaccompanied saxophone divagation that later on ends up tangled up with the low notes of Courvoisier’s piano. 
“A View From a Bridge” takes form in our minds as an unrushed contemplation, but gains an intensive life as it moves forward when it suggests heavy traffic and ungovernable agitation. The beautiful expressiveness of Feldman’s violin combines terrifically with Evans’ relentless phrasing, but is the piano pointillism set by Courvoisier that links everything together. 
“The American Dream” was gloriously sketched through fateful strokes of a restless piano intertwined with Mori’s meddling effects, just until Feldman claims a space for his lachrymose violin, flying solo. Evans sneaks in, and gradually gains ground by throwing in cyclic saxophone trills, setting a spiky conversation with the violinist, mediated by the pianist’s thoughtful voicings. 
Evans’ soprano saxophone appears surprisingly pensive in “Up From Paradise”, but doesn’t take much time to develop into uninterrupted cascades. The tune takes a dreamy path when Courvoisier gets involved and introduces stunning piano punctuations.
These first four tunes, played in quartet, have the compositional signature of the four elements of the band, in opposition to the next five, which resulted from duo collaborations, and whose highlights are “Playing For Time”, which joins Courvoisier and Evans in a beautifully strange dance, and the broody closing tune, “A Fountain Pen”, creation of the pianist and Mori.
Riding freely, “Miller’s Tale” easily puts the listener alert through its engrossing complexity.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – A View From a Bridge ► 03 – The American Dream ► 06 – Playing For Time

Miroslav Vitous - Music of Weather Report

Miroslav Vitous: double bass, keyboards; Gary Campbell: saxophones; Roberto Bonisolo: saxophones; Aydin Esen: keyboards; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous deftly revitalizes the progressive jazz-fusion of his former band Weather Report, which he co-led with the keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the saxophonist Wayne Shorter during a few years.
The opening track, “Scarlet Woman Variations” leads us to tranquil landscapes surrounded by a placid spirituality, a mood that shifts completely in the more flustered “Seventh Arrow”, where our senses are caught in the provocative rhythm, dazzling keyboard sounds, and the expressiveness of the horns that juxtapose each other with jumpy phrases. 
“Birdland Variations” takes on Report’s “Birdland” from the 1977 album “Heavy Weather”, dropping its playfully cheerful atmosphere in detriment of a more free and abstract approach peppered with strict unisons and frequent rhythmic disruptions set by two of the greatest drummers of our times. 
Shorter’s “Pinocchio” was subjected to a radical treatment by Vitous, who displays his characteristic wha-wha bass sounds, inviting the reedists to embark on the same air bubble.
Truly powerful is “Acrobat Issues” where a saxophone ostinato brightens a funk-rock irruption. Campbell and Bonisolo play in a sort of ecstasy in their improvisations. 
“Scarlet Reflections”, a lyrical and cogitating little piece transmits good energies, just as the last track “Morning Lake”, even if immersed in further abstraction.
Working as interludes, the three parts of the “Multi Dimensional Blues” are also loose collective improvisations.
Vitous continues thinking ahead. Here, he skillfully transforms Weather Report's old repertoire into a fresh and modern jazz album.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Seventh Arrow ► 04 – Birdland Variations ► 07 – Acrobat Issues

Julian Lage - Arclight

Julian Lage: guitar; Scott Colley: double bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums

Julian Lage is a dauntless guitarist who explores a multitude of possibilities and genres with the same conviction and straightforward attitude. Last year, he delighted us with the album “Room”, recorded in duo with Nels Cline, another electrifying master guitarist who moves in different ways but whose collaboration sounded incredibly impactful. This year, equipped for the first time with a Fender Telecaster, he oriented a wonderful trio that includes the talented Scott Colley on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. 
“Fortune Teller” sparks with the guitarist technique and bright sound that works on top of the groovy tapestry weaved by Colley and Wollesen.
Despite of its title, “Persian Rug” takes the shape of a Django’s gypsy jive rather than anything from the Middle East, contrasting in tone and timbre with the easy-on-the-ear folk tune, “Nocturne”, and the little samba, “Supera”, in which Lage continues displaying his refined melodic/harmonic abilities.
While “Activate” is a brief straight-ahead piece that enraptures us with its spells, “Stop Go Start” is delivered as a floating dance swamped in engaging guitar statements, buoyant bass motions, and Wollesen’s outstanding percussion.
Colley comes to the forefront when playing the head’s melody of “Presley”, a mid-tempo waltz that features a thrilling solo by Lage. To confirm his versatility, the guitarist does not only take us to Western landscapes with “Prospero”, which flows at a galloping rhythm, and to the American folk of “Ryland”, but also presents another pervasive standard entitled “I’ll Be Seeing You”.
Fresh, impetuous, and diversified, “Arclight” is a solid fourth album, the first in trio, of a tremendous guitarist who is here to be taken seriously.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Fortune Teller ► 03 – Nocturne ► 05 – Stop Go Start

Henry Threadgill - Old Locks and Irregular Verbs

Henry Threadgill: composition; Jason Moran: piano; David Virelles: piano; Roman Filiu: alto saxophone; Curtis MacDonald: alto saxophone; Christopher Hoffman: cello; Jose Davila: tuba; Craig Weinrib: drums.

The veteran and Pulitzer-awarded saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, Henry Threadgill keeps on creating art with a unique voice. This time around, surrounded by a brand new band, he has abdicated to play in order to better sculpt the compositions of this record, a tribute to his late fellow composer, conductor, and longtime friend, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris.
The addition of two pianists instead of guitar, as well as two altoists, gives a different dimension to Threadgill’s layouts.
“Part One” is a 19-minute piece that pretty much follows the leader’s free-form philosophy. After the heartening piano intro, the reeds proceed to a dynamic assault, and the tune leads us to both individual and collective improvisations over the compact and extravagant textures driven by the bass-less rhythm section.
“Part Two” falls in the scope of chamber music, echoing with a devout interaction between cello and tuba. Also, Weinrib doesn’t disappoint when called for a drum solo.
The tones and attitude conveyed in “Part Three” are similar to “Part One”, yet here we have the expansions and contractions of Moran and Virelles’ interplay, which infuse extra colors on an already colorful canvas. The wandering solos from the pair of saxophonists and the mellow tones drawn by Hoffman’s cello are something worthy to indulge in.  
After a four-minute piano intro wrapped in dreamlike tones, “Part Four” becomes increasingly dramatic as it moves forward, carrying mournful intonations that seem wanting to say the last goodbye to Morris.
Different sound, same conception, another Threadgill’s respectful signature.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Part One ► 03 – Part Three ► 04 – Part Four

Dave Douglas - Dark Territory

Dave Douglas: trumpet; Shigeto: electronics; Jonathan Maron: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums. 

For his new album entitled “Dark Territory”, the versatile trumpeter Dave Douglas reunites the same quartet that conceived the successful “High Risk”, one of the highlights of last year’s jazz releases. Together, they plunge into an inventive electronic music populated by deft ideas that rely on atmospherically jazzy melodies over dusky textures. 
“Celine” is a great opening, incorporating downtempo grooves underneath an assertive melodic speech. Actually, I felt this particular tune wanders more on light rather than dark territories.
A consistent hip-hop beat breaks out from “All The Pretty Horsepower”, where Shigeto’s effects draw darker atmospheres increased by the bandleader’s melodic lines. This menacing undertone is repeated in the intro of “Let's Get One Thing Straight”, which gains an attractive beat enriched by the funky bass drives of Maron and the usage of voice samples.
After the astuteness presented in “Mission Acropolis”, “Ridge Hill” conveys a busy urban feeling through a twitchy pulse. Douglas excels throughout an outstanding solo delivered with intense feeling and adorned with unimpeachable effects. 
“Neural”, marked by a highly syncopated rhythm, is quite surprising as its anatomic variations keep on flowing with rigorous dexterity. Douglas spreads the immensity of his warm sound all over, showing his incredible technique without resorting to any type of fireworks.
Even not reaching the levels of satisfaction of “High Risk”, “Dark Territories” is encircled by this disarming consistency that very much cultivates the fresh experimental current that Douglas resolved to grasp.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Celine ► 05 – Ridge Hill ► 06 – Neural

Avi Rothbard Trio - City Colors

Avi Rothbard: guitar; Vicente Archer: bass; Darrell Green: drums.

Avi Rothbard, a New York-based, Israeli-born guitarist with a clear and expressive language, releases his fifth album in trio, presenting a few compositions of his own, together with some emblematic songs that were part of his childhood.
The melody in Gerry Rafferti’s “Baker Street”, a widely known soft pop/rock tune from the 70’s, echoes in style and transpires the trio’s confidence and joy while interplaying. 
In “Lawra” we have Archer and Green holding on an encouraging swinging groove while Rothbard’s guitar flows sparsely, letting the music breathe by itself. His improvisation arrives impregnated of catchy motivic figures. 
“Maya’s Waltz” breaks the predominant 4/4-meter and introduces contrasting flavors in a record that also presents “Apache”, an instrumental hit from the 60’s written by Jerry Lordan and popularized by The Shadows, and a less muscled and more groovy homage to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” in the bluesy “Smoke Screen”. The stereotyped “Before the Noon Comes”, also a blues, doesn’t add much to the record. 
“Bennie and the Jets”, one of Elton John’s highlights, loses its glam-rock outfit in favor of a mid-tempo swinging pace and traditional jazz patterns. In turn, the breezy “See Walk” exhibits an enjoyable melody over the well-drawn bossanova accentuations.
Interweaving past and present, Rothbard, even not sounding particularly innovative, shows solid compositional skills and has the ability to give fresh dimensions to old popular songs.

Favorite Tracks:
03 – Lawra ► 06 – Bennie and the Jets ► 07 – See Walk

Andre Santos Trio - Vitamina D

André Santos: guitar; Matt Adomeit: bass; Tristan Renfrow: drums.

Portuguese guitarist, André Santos, uncompromisingly defies boundaries in his latest CD, “Vitamina D”, recorded in Amsterdam with a trio composed of Matt Adomeit on bass and Tristan Renfrow on drums, both American.
The album has an electrifying opening with “Rainstorm”, a tune that initially suggests patchy drizzle through the soft textures created, but gradually takes the proportions of a menacing deluge that comes accompanied by gusts of distortion and harmonic amazement.
The title-track, on the contrary, brings us balmy sunrays and the fresh air of the morning, aiming to our senses with a tactful melody surrounded by floating tones. Following a gradual crescendo, it goes into an effusive vamp that resounds with vigorous chords and Renfrow’s ebullient drumming.
Santos implies bluesy undertones in “Super Mario”, but goes beyond that. The trio spends some time working the dynamics toward a finale that sets free the adventurous drummer who excels over a guitar-bass ostinato.
“Buzzlightyear” is a short yet rhythmically rich passage that makes the bridge to “Francamente”, an imaginative pop-rock song that skews into a charming waltz during a brief moment, only to return to robust zones and fill our ears with its ear-catching guitar riff.
“BrokeBad” is pure indie rock and benefits from the multiple rhythmic disruptions. I imagine it playing in some dirty Western movie directed by Tarantino. The suave “Espanta Espíritos” closes the album, breathing both warm and melancholic breezes.
You’ll still need the sun to get the vitamin D, however, Santos, who reveals an astounding compositional maturity and a laudable spirit of adventure, assures moments of fun, insight, and energy. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Rainstorm ► 02 – Vitamina D ► 05 – Francamente

Jeff Lederer's Brooklyn Blowhards

Jeff Lederer: tenor and soprano saxophones; Petr Cancura: tenor saxophone; Kirk Knuffke: cornet, trumpet; Brian Drye: trombone; Art Bailey: accordion; Gary Lucas: guitar; Matt Wilson: percussion; Allison Miller: percussion; Stephen LaRose: percussion; Mary LaRose: vocals.

Saxophonist Jeff Lederer, a staunch representative of today’s creative jazz, has a new album entitled “Brooklyn Blowhards”, whose interesting concept mixes Albert Ayler’s music, Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, and sea shanties, which are a particular type of work songs connected to the sea and shaped mostly as marches and folk songs. The result is a pretty amazing combination of push-pulling cadences that transpire resistance, survival, and spiritual. 
Ayler’s “Bells” starts like a frolicking fanfare just until Lederer’s boisterous solo erupts alongside Bailey’s imperative accordion. “Haul Away Joe”, plays like a hymn and boasts unflinching improvisations. “Dancing Flower” initially suggests a ballad but shifts into a rhythm that easily gets under your skin by bestowing a rich, serpentine locution that comes out of the leader’s soprano sax. 
One of the most impressive tracks is “Black Ball Line” where we have exciting calls-responses by the saxophonists, momentarily interrupted by another effusive popular march. Gary Lucas and Mary LaRose, respectively guitarist and singer, are firstly heard on the strongly folk “Shallow Brown”, a sort of Zappa meets Crosby, Stills, and Nash. 
Both “Santi Anno” and “Hail on the Bowline” are impeccably led by Knuffke’s cornet and propelled by the percussive expansions and contractions created by Wilson and Allison. Before the talkative last tune, a seaman’s hymn, we have “The Language Of Resistance”, a cheerless lamentation professed with fervor and intuition.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Bells ► 04 – Black Ball Line ► 06 – Santi Anno

Erik Friedlander - Rings

Erik Friedlander: cello; Shoko Nagai: piano, accordion, electronics; Satoshi Takeishi: percussion.

Erik Friedlander is a multifaceted cellist and composer based in New York City who is not afraid of setting foot on different styles and moods. With last year’s “Oscalypso”, recorded with a sturdy quartet (Michael Blake, Trevor Dunn, and Michael Sarin), he made an incursion on pure bop territory with reinterpretations of nine emblematic compositions from the bassist Oscar Pettiford, a confessed influence. “Rings”, in turn, marks a welcoming return to a much more appealing creative freedom, mixing the incantations of the world music, the gallant tones of the modern classical, and the unexpectedness of the avant-garde jazz. 
“The Seducer” is truly a seductive piece that sumptuously takes us to distant worlds through a fulfilling combination of weeping cello, conversational accordion, and the motivating percussion. 
In the contemplative “Black Phebe” I can see a train of camels crossing the desert at the same tranquil pace this song moves. Provocatively playful, “A Single Eye” proves to be suitable for an animated movie. In turn, “Fracture” is an affectionate ballad that transpires sentiment, opposing to “Risky Business”, one of those festive tunes played at Oriental weddings. 
There are a few atmospherically calm tunes that touch the abstract, and one of them, “Canoe”, gets eerie outlines with the addition of electronics. One is able to sing “Small Things”, a cantabile pop tune driven by Friedlander’s plucking cello and filled with Nagai’s melodious accordion. Great is the levitating aura of “Flycatcher”, which features a great cello work by Friedlander peppered by Takeishi’s contagious rhythms, and the rapturous sounds of Nagai, who stands out with a terrific unaccompanied piano solo.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – The Seducer ► 02 – Black Phebe ► 11 – Flycatcher