|
|
Jazz CG Review Notes: Done
I keep notes on all possible Jazz Consumer Guide records in the Notes
section of the in-progress file. When I'm done with a record, the notes
get moved to here. Once you get past the main section reviews, I usually
wind up writing more about a record here than actually shows up in the
Jazz CG. Also some records here will never show up in the Jazz CG, mostly
because they're neither good enough to be Honorable Mentions nor bad enough
to be Duds.
- Bill Anschell/Brent Jensen: We Couldn't Agree More
(2008 [2009], Origin):
Duets, Anschell playing piano, Jensen soprano
sax. Anschell is a Seattle pianist with a half dozen or so albums
since 1997. Jensen teaches in Idaho; started out on alto, but has
played more soprano recently, exclusively on his last couple of
albums. The latest, a quartet with Anschell called One More
Mile, made my A-list. This is less flush, of course, but the
strong points are still here. Ends with a remarkably schematic
take on "Sunny Side of the Street."
B+(***)
- Steven Bernstein/Marcus Rojas/Kresten Osgood: Tattoos and
Mushrooms (2008 [2009], ILK):
Osgood is a Danish drummer,
b. 1976, doesn't have much under his own name, partly because he
hasn't bothered to push his name up front in multi-artist credits.
He's showed up on several good records recently -- Scott DuBois'
Banshees, Michael Blake's Control This. He probably
should be considered the leader here: the original material has
one group credit, one shared with Bernstein, three more just Osgood,
including a terrific closer called "The Beat Up Blues"; moreover,
he's on his home turf here. Rojas plays tuba, starting off burying
a Charles Brackeen piece deep under, and he provides a dependable
bottom to Bernstein's trumpet and slide trumpet. Also covered are
pieces by Monk and Mingus, and a deep, slow, lovely run through
Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."
B+(***)
- Michael Blake/Kresten Osgood: Control This (2006
[2009], Clean Feed):
Sax-drums duo. Blake plays soprano, alto, and
tenor, uncharacteristically favoring the alto this time. Osgood
is a Danish drummer, b. 1976, has appeared on several good albums
recently -- Scott Dubois' Banshees is one. Starts a little
awkward, but picks up through a version of Ellington's "Creole Love
Call" that spend a long time away from the melody, and retains its
interest to the end -- a second cover, Charlie Parker's "Cheryl."
(Well, almost -- didn't get the final joke.)
B+(**)
- Ran Blake: Driftwoods (2008 [2009], Tompkins Square):
Solo piano, a set of covers picked through so sparely
and meticulously that the only one I recognized was the impossible
to miss "You Are My Sunshine." He plays it off center, slow and
somewhat arch, very tasty. Wish I could focus equally on the
others. He's always been an enigma to me, and remains so.
B+(***)
- Seamus Blake Quartet: Live in Italy (2007 [2009],
Jazz Eyes, 2CD):
Tenor saxophonist, born 1969 in England, raised
in Canada (Vancouver), studied in Boston (Berklee), lives in New
York. Ninth album since 1993, fairly large number of side credits,
where he always sounds good. Quartet includes David Kikoski, a
first-rate pianist. The live cuts range from 8:10 to 17:07, cherry
picked from at least three shows: open, wide-ranging, vigorous.
B+(**)
- Theo Bleckmann/Kneebody: Twelve Songs by Charles Ives
(2008 [2009], Winter & Winter):
On paper this looks dicier than
The Refuge Trio, but it comes off better. Ives' songs suck
up enough Americana to contain their artiness, and his fondness for
juxtaposing things provides a bit of edge. Kneebody has some names
I barely recognize (Ben Wendel on tenor sax, Adam Benjamin on piano,
Shane Endsley on trumpet) and others I don't (Kaveh Rastegar on bass,
Nate Wood on drums). Bleckmann's voice fits the songs nicely, only
rarely slipping into his angelic upper register.
B+(**)
- Bik Bent Braam: Extremen (2008, BBB):
Braam is
Michiel Braam, Dutch pianist, b. 1964. Don't know what "Bik Bent"
means. One suggestion was Big Band, but online Dutch-to-English
dictionary don't confirm that. The band is big: 13 pieces. None
of the other names seem to figure in. Five reeds, with three saxes
switching off to clarinet, another to bassoon. Five brass: cornet,
trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba. A few players I recognize:
Wilbert de Joode and Michael Vatcher from Braam's trio; trombonist
Walter Wierbos; saxophonist/clarinetist Frank Gratkowski, who
hitherto may have ranked as the most famous jazz musician I had
never managed to hear. (No idea who moves up, but surely someone
does.) As is often the case with avant-garde orchestras, the pieces
are little more than cues for variation and improvisation. Starts
somewhat tentative, but before long the players start to find their
moments. A Spanish twist in a piece called "Franxs" especially
grabbed my attention, but it was probably just a mistake. Hard
to tell.
B+(**)
- Anthony Branker & Ascent: Blessings (2007 [2009],
Origin):
Branker's credit here: compositions & music
director. Got a BA from Princeton in 1980, and has taught there
since 1989; currently working on an EdD at Columbia. Had a
Fulbright scholarship 2005-06 which took him to Estonia. Second
album under this attribution, although he also has a record
For the Children as Tony Branker. Plays trumpet, but
left that slot empty in this 7-8 piece group -- the delta is
Renato Thoms, playing congas on two of nine cuts. Mostly
well-known musicians: Steve Wilson (alto sax), Ralph Bowen
(tenor & soprano saxes), Clifford Adams Jr. (trombone),
Bryan Carrott (vibes), Jonny King (piano), Belden Bullock
(bass), Wilby Fletcher (drums). Not sure that it all holds up,
but this starts off with an impressive balance of instruments,
with Carrott's vibes central and indispensible, drawing a
nice range of colors out of the horns, except on the rare
cases where they get tied in lockstep. I don't pay much
attention to what other critics say, but Branker's website
has a rave from Maria Schneider: "beautiful writing, and
such great people to realize all of it." Mostly right.
B+(***)
- Anthony Braxton/Milford Graves/William Parker: Beyond Quantum
(2008, Tzadik):
Five pieces, named "First Meeting," "Second Meeting," etc.
The "Fourth Meeting" is the most immediately compelling -- probably just
the straightest and most accessible. Braxton plays "saxophones": alto is
his preferred tool, and he's one of the most dexterous and expansive alto
saxophonists ever, especially when he doesn't have to navigate his own
contorted compositions. He plays sopranino toward the end; probably others,
but he gets such a wide range of sound out of alto I could be wrong. Graves
is a little-recorded percussion legend, adding some vocalizing and other
strange effects here and there. Parker is a massively-recorded bass legend.
Much food for thought all around.
A-
- Brötzmann/Pliakas/Wertmüller: Full Blast: Black Hole
(2008 [2009], Atavistic):
Could parse
artist/title differently, but this seems like the most useful
way. Pliakas plays electric bass; Wertmüller drums. Haven't run
across either of them, but the point is the reed player, who
lists B-flat clarinet and tarogato ahead of alto/tenor sax this
time, not that it makes much difference. When he's not just
screeching -- mostly limited to the opener, maybe just to prove
he still can -- he can come up with remarkably clever sequences.
B+(***)
- Alison Burns and Martin Taylor: 1: AM (2008 [2009],
P3 Music):
Burns is a singer, from Scotland, grew up in Dundee;
website says she's Scottish-Canadian, but MySpace bases her in UK.
Second album. Has a voice I disliked at first, but makes it work
in subtle ways. Accompanied by nothing more than Taylor's guitar,
which doesn't seem like a lot of support, but could hardly be more
fitting. One original. Mostly standards I rarely run across.
B+(***)
- Butcher/Muller/van der Schyff: Way Out Northwest
(2007 [2008], Drip Audio):
Vancouver label, two
local musicians, a guest saxophonist from the UK who is a big name
in very small circles. First pass I was blown away by this ugly
free-for-all, but in returning to it I find myself less charmed.
Butcher gets a lot of unorthodox sounds out of his saxes -- tenor
and soprano -- but the clicks and pops could just as well come
from bass or drums.
B+(**)
- Teddy Charles: Dances With Bulls (2008 [2009], Smalls):
Vibraphonist, b. 1928 (Theodore Charles Cohen); got his
first break on piano playing for Coleman Hawkins as an emergency
replacement for Thelonious Monk; cut a pile of records 1951-63,
five called New Directions, another the legendary Tentet;
then retired, moving to the Caribbean, opening up a sailing business;
eventually returned to New York, where he still sails. This is his
first studio album since: sextet, with Chris Byars on alto sax/flute,
John Mosca on trombone, Harold Danko on piano, Ari Roland on bass,
Stefan Schatz on drums. One Mingus tune -- Charles' resume includes
Jazz Workshop work with Mingus -- the rest originals. The vibes can
swing, bop, or just tinkle, and are most mesmerizing at high speed.
The young horns are a little slick, happy to be here. Danko is one
of those well-regarded pianists I've been meaning to get to but
still have no feel for.
B+(**)
- Lajos Dudas: Jazz on Stage (2006-07 [2008], Jazz Stick):
Clarinet, b. 1941 in Budapest, Hungary, based in Germany,
has a dozen or so albums since 1982. This is drawn from three
live shots: a duo with guitarist Philipp van Endert; a trio with
van Endert and percussionist Jochen Büttner; a quartet with van
Endert, bassist Martin Gjakonovski, and drummer Kurt Billker.
Never ran across Van Endert before, but he has at least five
albums since 1996. Plays in a nice lyrical postbop style, which
works very nicely as support here and for solo spacing between
the clarinet leads. The Büttner trios are a bit dramatic, but
the duos show a delicate sensibility, and the quartets pick up
the pace.
B+(***)
- Oran Etkin: Kelenia (2009, Motema):
Plays clarinet,
bass clarinet, and tenor sax. Born in Israel, now based in Brooklyn;
started studying with George Garzone at age 14, which suggests a
Boston connection (not to mention good luck). Back label instructs
to "file under jazz or world." Core group includes Joe Sanders on
bass, and two Malians: Balla Kouyate on balafon and Makane Kouyate
on calabash and vocals. They set up gentle, near-hypnotic grooves,
which Etkin plies his reeds on. Some other guests show up, with
Abdoulaye Diabate taking over vocals on two tracks, Lionel Loueke
playing guitar on three, John Benitez subbing on bass on three,
Jessie Martino and Sara Caswell adding strings on one. Attractive
fusion concept, although the vocals are less than compelling.
B+(***)
- Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come Easy Go (2008 [2009], Decca):
Not a jazz singer of any recognition, but
interpreting a bunch of songs -- only "Solitude" counts as
a standard, with "Ooh Baby Baby" (Smokey Robinson) comparably
famous and not much more than "Sing Me Back Home" (Merle
Haggard) easy to place (title song was part of Bessie Smith's
repertoire) -- with Hal Willner producing more than qualifies.
Willner's worked effectively with Faithfull before, producing
her 1987 record Strange Weather -- a candidate for
the last record she's done this good, although it's possible
you'll have to go back to 1979's Broken English, not
that I'd totally discount 1997's Twentieth Century Blues --
and perhaps more importantly turned her loose on Kurt Weill on
the Willner's wondrous Lost in the Stars (1985). Willner
brings several things, starting with networking. The only guest
vocalist I find actively annoying is Antony (on "Ooh Baby Baby"),
but Nick Cave, Sean Lennon, Chan Marshall, and Rufus Wainwright
aren't even on my B-list -- Teddy Thompson and Keith Richard
might be. But the revolving band is superb: horns include Steven
Bernstein, Marty Ehrlich, Ken Peplowski, Lenny Pickett, and Doug
Wieselman; Marc Ribot and Barry Reynolds on guitar; Rob Burger,
Gil Goldstein, and Steve Weisberg on various keyboards; Greg
Cohen on bass and Jim White on drums; and a string quartet on
five cuts, never too conspicuous. Leads off with Dolly Parton's
"Down From Dover" which Faithfull's accent moves from Tennessee
and her gravitas lifts from pity to tragedy. Nothing else is
transformed so powerfully, but it's all worth pondering. Can't
think of many real jazz singers who can do that.
A-
- Avram Fefer Trio: Ritual (2008 [2009], Clean Feed):
Reed player -- I have him listed clarinet first based on earlier
work, but credits this time are ordered alto sax, tenor sax,
soprano sax, bass clarinet, which seems like the right order.
B. 1965, near San Francisco, family moved around, settling in
Seattle; picked up a liberal arts degree at Harvard, while
studying music at Berklee and New England Conservatory. Spent
some time in Paris, wound up in New York. Sixth album since
2001, a trio with Eric Revis on bass, Chad Taylor on drums.
Basically, a series of freebop pieces, varied mostly by horn.
Played it four straight times while fighting with my cabinet
work and reading about the CIA, enjoying it while not finding
much to say, and need to move on. The bass clarinet piece
stands out, and Taylor is a bundle of focused energy.
B+(**)
- The Fully Celebrated: Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones
(2008 [2009], AUM Fidelity):
Boston group, a trio with Jim Hobbs on alto
sax, Timo Shanko on bass, and Django Carranza on drums. Not familiar with
the latter two, but Hobbs had a couple of albums in 1993 (Babadita
and Peace & Pig Grease) then largely disappeared. I noticed
him when he appeared on Joe Morris's Beautiful Existence and
flat-out stole the show. There is a 2002 album by a slightly larger
group (add Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet) billed as The Fully Celebrated
Orchestra: Marriage of Heaven and Earth. Same lineup also appears
on a 2005 album, Lapis Exilis, as Jim Hobbs & the Fully
Celebrated Orchestra. Don't know what the mythology signifies, but it
strikes me as a ruse. Most of the cuts here start with basic funk or
blues grooves and lay on deceptively simple sax melodies, just shy
of honking, but thoughtfully close to the edge. The odd tune out is
"Conotocarius," where they run free and thrash -- it can get a bit
tedious.
A-
- Andrea Fultz: The German Projekt: German Songs From the
Twenties & Thirties (2009, no label):
Four songs by
Friedrich Hollaender; seven by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill,
one by Brecht and Hanns Eisler. Fultz was born in Munich, 1974,
German mother, American father. Passed through Austria on her
way to San Francisco in 2003. First album, with Bob Reich on
accordion, Dina Maccabee on violin, Adam Shulman on piano, Eugene
Warren on bass, and Micha Patri on percussion. Starts with the
flamboyantly English-speaking "Alabama Song," which seems too
simple and obvious to make the point. Beyond that it's almost
all in German, a treat if you're so inclined. Brecht-Weill is
a touchstone for me, a fact I may be overly compensating for,
especially given how sublime the Hollaender songs come off --
"Johnny" and "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt"
ring a bell even if the composer's name doesn't. The violin
and accordion nail the milieu perfectly. Fultz won't make you
forget Lotte Lenya, or even Marlene Dietrich. But then, who
wants to?
B+(***)
- Gaucho: Deep Night (2008 [2009], Gaucho):
San
Francisco group, played every Wednesday night for five years at
a "dive" called Amnesia. Plays gypsy jazz -- the name reportedly
derived from the Spanish gadjo. Lineup: Bob Reich (accordion),
David Ricketts (guitar), Michael Groh (guitar), Ralph Carney
(horns), Art Munkers (bass), Pete Devine (drums), with guest
Craig Ventresco for more guitar on 4 tracks. Carney, who started
out with Tin Huey in Akron, travelled all around with Tom Waits,
and seems to be everywhere in San Francisco these days, is the
best known. Ricketts and Groh have worked in Hot Club of San
Francisco, another Django-styled group. This group strikes me
as qualitatively cooler than their model, which isn't such a
bad thing. The opening "Tea for Two" is delightful, "The Sheik
of Araby" has some spark, "Valse a Bambula" is sly and elegant,
but "St. Louis Blues" is too crude for this crew.
B+(**)
- Stephen Gauci's Basso Continuo: Nididhyasana (2007,
Clean Feed):
Two basses provide the drive and drone, the
phat sonic middle, while two horns -- Gauci's tenor sax, Nat
Wooley's trumpet -- work harder at blending in than at standing
out. No drums, although now and then you do hear some percussion,
probably tapping on the heavy, hollow bass bellies.
B+(***)
- Stephen Gauci's Stockholm Conference: Live at Glenn Miller
Café (2007 [2008], Ayler, 2CD):
Tenor saxophonist, b. 1966,
based in Brooklyn, plays free, has a few records out, has yet to
establish himself as a distinctive leader but usually gives a solid
team performance. Two quartet sets here, both with Ingebrigt Håker
Flaten on bass and Fredrik Rundqvist on drums; the first adds Mats
Äleklint's trombone, the second Magnus Broo's trumpet. The trombone
actually has a little more hop to it.
B+(**)
- Bobby Gordon: Plays Joe Marsala: Lower Register
(2007, Arbors):
Marsala was a clarinetist from Chicago, 1907-78,
with most of his recordings on two Classics volumes from 1936-46,
plus appearances with Wingo Manone, Eddie Condon, Adrian Rollini,
and many other trad jazz artists -- although Dizzy Gillespie and
Charlie Parker also pop up. Marsala wrote or co-wrote all of the
songs in this tribute. Gordon was born in 1941, first saw Marsala
when he was 5, and wound up not only playing clarinet but taking
lessons from Marsala. Gordon has a dozen or so albums starting
in 1963, including a similar Pee Wee Russell tribute. This one
is a delight, with a first rate band including Randy Reinhart
on trumpet and James Chirillo on guitar, with pianist Keith
Ingham contributing arrangements.
B+(***)
- Steve Haines Quintet with Jimmy Cobb: Stickadiboom
(2007 [2009], Zoho):
Bassist, teaches in North Carolina (Director
of the Miles Davis Program in Jazz Studies at UNC Greensboro).
Quintet is a solid hard bop unit, with drummer Thomas Taylor
making way for Cobb, who must feel right at home. Trumpeter
Rob Smith makes more of an impression than tenor saxophonist
David Lown or pianist Chip Crawford, but all are sharp enough,
and a couple of bass solos by the leader are spot on.
B+(**)
- Arve Henriksen: Cartography (2006-08 [2009], ECM):
Trumpeter, from Norway, b. 1968. AMG classifies him as
Avant-Garde, presumably factoring in his classical training,
fascination with Japanese shakuhachi, use of electronics, and
utter lack of swing. Fourth album since 2001, the first three
on Rune Grammofon. The music is mostly built on samples --
quiet, peaceful, ethereal -- mostly by Jan Bang, with tiny
bits of guitar (Eivind Aarset on 2 cuts), bass (Lars Danielsson
on 1 cut), synth (Erik Honoré on 4 cuts), and drums (Audun
Kleive on 1 cut, percussion on 2 more), and David Sylvain
spoken words (2 cuts). So subtle it could slip by unheard,
which would be a shame.
B+(***)
- Rainbow Jimmies: The Music of John Hollenbeck
(2007-08 [2009], GPE):
Might as well file this under Hollenbeck,
even though he subcontracts several cuts to various artists.
The first seven pieces are collectively titled "Gray Cottage
Study": they were written for violinist Todd Reynolds, with
Hollenbeck on drums and/or Matt Moran on vibes occasionally
helping out. Fairly static chamber music, not a lot of beat
to them, unlike the others: two Claudia Quintet cuts, a 12:51
piece by the Youngstown Percussion Collective and Saxophone
Quartet ("oh yeah") and another 12:02 by Ethos Percussion Group.
Hollenbeck's beatwise pieces are irresistible -- he is first
and foremost a drummer -- but his impressionistic chamber music
hangs in there too. What could be a scattered collection keeps
catching your ear.
B+(***)
- Abdullah Ibrahim: Senzo (2008 [2009], Sunnyside):
Solo piano from the great South African pianist, now approaching 75.
Originals, many titles I recognized from his past records, strung
together into a single, long meditation, with "In a Sentimental
Mood" slipped in as yet another nod to his accidental mentor, Duke
Ellington. I don't normally fall for solo piano, but none of the
usual rationales seem to apply here -- in particular, the one that
it takes too much effort to follow such intricacy. This one seems
as natural as crystal streams flowing under gentle breezes, with
an occasional figure to fix the location in mother Africa.
A-
- Aaron J Johnson: Songs of Our Fathers (2007 [2009],
Bubble-Sun):
Plays trombone and shells here, bass trombone and tuba
elsewhere. B. 1958, from Washington DC, studied at Carnegie Mellon,
degree in electronic engineering and economics; lives in Irvington
NJ, works in/around New York City, mostly working in big bands.
First record, all originals (despite the title), a mainstream
quintet with Salim Washington on tenor sax (also flute and oboe),
Onaje Allan Gumbs on piano, Robert Sabin on bass, and Victor Lewis
on drums. Old fashioned -- I've seen this referred to as hard bop,
but Lewis is too subtle to fall for that. Washington is underrated,
Gumbs is overly fancy but spices this up, and the trombonist holds
it together.
B+(**)
- Darren Johnston: The Edge of the Forest (2007-08
[2008], Clean Feed):
Trumpet player, from Canada, based in San
Francisco, first album as leader, although his name shows up on
another album I have in the queue, plus he has a couple of side
credits. Seems like someone I should have recognized -- in fact,
he appeared on a former Pick Hit here, Adam Lane's Full Throttle
Orchestra's New Magical Kingdom. Pianoless quintet here --
like one of those quartets but with a third horn, the range of
colors and timbres spread wide by Ben Goldberg's clarinet and
Sheldon Brown's tenor sax (or narrowed with bass clarinet), but
they tend to cycle against each other rather than fly apart.
Devin Hoff plays bass, Smith Dobson V drums, and Rob Reich
appears on accordion on one track. Brown is a strong soloist --
another guy I've run across a couple of times, but should
remember from now on. The rhythm section keeps things moving,
and Goldberg is superb as the guy who ties it all together.
A-
- Darren Johnston/Fred Frith/Larry Ochs/Devin Hoff/Ches Smith:
Reasons for Moving (2005 [2007], Not Two):
Respectively:
trumpet, electric guitar, tenor/sopranino sax, bass, drums. Johnston
comes from Ontario; wasn't familiar with him until recently, but he
has an album on Clean Feed, The Edge of the Forest, that I
like a lot. Ochs is one of the saxophonists from Rova. Frith has a
long career on the avant fringe, including some innovative (if not
exactly listenable) solo work with prepared guitar. He's really the
center here, holding a lot of parts together that are predisposed
to fly apart, not least by stating rhythmic parts often enough to
keep them in mind. The horns are choppy and abstract, which works
most of the time.
B+(***)
- Nigel Kennedy: Blue Note Sessions (2005 [2007], Blue Note):
Booklet says "Kennedy may be the world's best selling
classical violinist." Never heard of him, myself, but AMG lists
about 110 credits going back to the early 1980s. Also says,
"Kennedy" has always been a jazz player" -- mentions that he
studied Stephane Grappelli as well as someone named Menuhin
(no first name given; sounds vaguely familiar). He certainly
got the treatment here, with classic-looking Blue Note cover
art; Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette for rhythm; Joe Lovano,
Kenny Werner, and Lucky Peterson dropping in here and there;
Raul Midón playing guitar and singing on one piece. Two songs
credited to Kennedy -- "Stranger in a Stranger Land" is a good
title. The others are mostly jazz staples like "Song for My
Father," but Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" is
especially appealing. The groups are nearly faultless, and
I like the sound of his violin quite a bit. He could have a
future if he decides to stick with it.
B+(***)
- The Ray Kennedy Trio: Plays the Music of Arthur Schwartz
(2006 [2007], Arbors):
Quartet, actually, with guitarist Joe Cohn also
listed as "special guest" on the front cover, although not on the spine.
Kennedy is a pianist. Don't know much about him: his website proclaims
"coming soon." This looks to be his second album -- the first is called
The Sound of St. Louis -- but he has a bunch of credits going
back to 1990, most frequently with John Pizzarelli. Schwartz (1900-84)
composed for Broadway and film, mostly in the '30s and '40s, mostly
with lyricists Howard Dietz, Dorothy Fields, and Frank Loesser -- at
least those are the credits whose words don't actually appear here.
The music is none too familiar, but never quite out of mind. Kennedy
brings a light touch and easy swing to the pieces, and Cohn builds on
that.
B+(***)
- Ruslan Khain: For Medicinal Purposes Only! (2008, Smalls):
Bassist, from Leningrad (booklet says St. Petersburg),
Russia, b. 1972, in New York since 1999. Hard bop quintet --
could have been cut by Hank Mobley (actually, Chris Byars) or
Lee Morgan (Yoshi Okazaki) in the 1960s. Maybe a little looser,
a bit less hard (by which I don't mean soft; more like less
rigid). Richard Clements is on piano; Phil Stewart on drums.
B+(***)
- David Kweksilber + Guus Janssen (2003-06 [2006],
Geestgronden):
Clarinet and piano duets, recorded over -- or more
likely picked from -- a series of sessions, mostly live, but one
at Janssen's home. Like all such encounters, especially among the
avant-leaning, this seems small -- thin sound, moderately paced,
tentative, exploratory. Unlike most, the miniaturism maintains
its interest. And it does pick up a bit of groove at the end with
a barely recognizable "Honeysuckle Rose" -- a treat.
B+(***)
- Matt Lavelle and Morcilla: The Manifestation Drama
(2008 [2009], KMB Jazz):
Starts off with an ugly, arresting bass
clarinet riff, followed by fractured piano and conga, with Lavelle
soon switching back to trumpet (or more likely flugelhorn). It's
a thrilling piece -- "God Love Sex" is the title -- but when he's
done he's off to something else. Not all of the ugly turns sublime,
and not all of the pieces to ugly. There's some simple bass/trumpet
stuff that's haunting, and François Grillot's bass solo is a gem.
Pianist Chris Forbes does a crashingly good Cecil Taylor bit, but
can comp gently as well. Andre Martinez's congas give the record
a tribal feel. Lavelle has been studying with Ornette Coleman,
who's pushing him to find his own sound grammar. Not sure what
that means. Feels like a work in progress.
B+(***)
- Ray LeVier: Ray's Way (2007 [2009], Origin):
Drummer,
based in New York, has worked with KJ Denhert for 10 years, but doesn't
have much in the way of credits. First album. Must have worked his
way around, for he came up with a name roster, having to divide the
guitar slots between John Abercrombie (5 cuts, with Joe Locke on
vibes) and Mike Stern (4 cuts). Dave Binney play sax on two cuts
with each guitarist. François Moutin and Ned Mann split bass duties,
and Federico Turreni gets one cut on soprano sax. LeVier wrote 2 of
9 songs, picking up others from the band, plus "Blues in the Closet"
by Oscar Pettiford. Straightforward postbop, providing an especially
good showcase for the guitarists, with Stern more than holding his
own.
B+(**)
- Lucky 7s: Pluto Junkyard (2007 [2009], Clean Feed):
Septet, from Chicago, led by two trombonists, Jeff Albert and Jeb
Bishop. Others are: Josh Berman (cornet), Keefe Jackson (tenor sax),
Jason Adasiewicz (vibes), Matthew Golombisky (double bass), and Quin
Kirchner (drums). Tough group to characterize, more freebop than
avant; despite the group size there doesn't seem to be anyone at
the helm with postbop arranger ambitions. I thought their previous
album, Faragut, had a bit of New Orleans gumbo in it, but
don't get that feel here -- maybe it's that the vibes are better
integrated. The cornet adds some high contrast, but the sax seems
to be here mostly for muscle, the trombones rooling.
B+(***)
- Mark Masters Ensemble: Farewell Walter Dewey Redman
(2006 [2008], Capri):
Big band arranger, b. 1957, started playing
trumpet, learned his craft under Stan Kenton. Eighth album since
1984 -- others include Jimmy Knepper Songbook, The Clifford
Brown Project, and Porgy and Bess: Redefined. This one
is dedicated to the late Dewey Redman, mostly featuring his songs,
with one from Masters, two from the group, and "My One and Only
Love." Arrangements are crisp and detailed, as you'd expect, but
the main point is the solo space, and what makes it work is that
Oliver Lake is the main focal point.
B+(**)
- Jim McAuley: The Ultimate Frog (2002-07 [2008],
Drip Audio, 2CD):
Skipped this over many times, not feeling up to
a double CD, and not realizing who was on this other than the
to-me-unknown guitarist. The one that should have done the trick
for me was the late violinist Leroy Jenkins. Best known for his
1970s string trio Revolutionary Ensemble, Jenkins put violin
onto the avant-jazz map almost single-handedly -- Billy Bang
came later, and now there are a dozen or so good jazz violinists,
notably including Jesse Zubot, who I mention because he runs the
label that released this. McAuley turns out to be an enigmatic
character, b. 1946 on a farm in Kansas, based in Los Angeles,
with a previous record on Nine Winds from 2005 and a credit in
Acoustic Guitar Trio, a 2001 album with Nels Cline and
Rod Poole on Derek Bailey's Incus label. Reviewers tend to liken
him to Bailey, which strikes me as convergence -- all solo avant
guitarists are inevitably bound to overlap -- but then I can't
claim to know or understand much about Bailey. In an interview
I found, McAuley talks about John Fahey, which make sense, and
recounts playing with John Carter and Horace Tapscott in LA,
which also fits. The two discs include 23 duets plus a solo,
"For Rod Poole." Seven duets with Jenkins date from 2002, the
names just "Improvisation" with a number. They are slight, but
the violin is bracing, the guitar gently picking around the
edges. The other duos -- with guitarist Nels Cline, bassist
Ken Filiano, and percussionist Alex Cline -- date from 2006-07,
fleshing out the album refocusing it on the guitarist. Haven't
really sorted out the guitarists, but the drum counterpoint is
especially vivid, and Filiano is always invaluable. I almost
never fall for abstract, minimalist, avant guitar, but there
always seems to be an exception to every rule, and this is it.
A-
- Joe McPhee/Paal Nilssen-Love: Tomorrow Came Today
(2007 [2008], Smalltown Superjazz):
McPhee strikes me as the most
doggedly anti-commercial avant-gardist of the last three or four
decades. It's not so much that he's inaccessible but that he's so
preoccupied with his own inner logic that he could care less what
you think -- a couple of meetings with Ken Vandermark, who idolizes
McPhee, come to mind. Norwegian drummer Nilssen-Love, on the other
hand, doesn't seem to have any notion that what he does shouldn't
be embraced by everyone. He came up in rock groups, plays free,
and sometimes ties them all together. His Dual Pleasure
duos with Vandermark were unusually lucid and engaging sax-drums
duos, and here he does the same trick for McPhee.
A-
- Eric McPherson: Continuum (2007 [2008], Smalls):
Drummer. First album, but has an impressive list of credits
starting around 1990. Studied with Jackie McLean, and has some
sort of relationship to Max Roach (M'Boom). Other credits
include: Jesse Davis, Abraham Burton, Myron Walden, Avishai
Cohen, Steve Lehman, Jeremy Pelt, Luis Perdomo, Andrew Hill,
Steve Davis, Jason Lindner, Charnett Moffett. Burton was the
name that caught my eye. An alto saxophonist with roots in
Belize, he cut two of the best albums of the 1990s (on Enja,
look for 1995's The Magician) but has scarcely been
heard from since. He appears here, playing tenor and soprano
as well as alto, plus a bit of flute, and he's rivetting on
all but the flute. Relatively short at 39:39, cut over three
sessions with two bassists and occasional guests, this is a
little scattered, but the pieces are interesting in their
own right. Carla Cherry does a spoken word piece over drums
and Trevor Todd's yirdaki (Australian instrument, may or may
not be same as didgeridoo). One cut subs Shimrit Shoshan's
Fender Rhodes for David Bryant's piano. But mostly, hope to
hear more from Burton.
B+(***)
- Chris Morrissey Quartet: The Morning World
(2008 [2009], Sunnyside):
Bassist, b. 1980, from Minneapolis/St. Paul area, now
based in Brooklyn. First album. Side credits since 2004 with Mason
Jennings, Andrew Bird, Haley Bonar, and Ben Kweller -- those
I recognize are rockers (more/less), and AMG misfiled this as
Pop/Rock. With Michael Lewis (all kinds of saxes) and David King
(drums) this is virtually a Happy Apple record. Piano is split
between Peter Schimke (5 cuts) and Bryan Nichols (3). Chris
Thomson adds another sax to one cut. Record doesn't specify
electric or acoustic bass, but Morrissey's MySpace page shows
him pretty juiced up. He wrote all of the pieces here, mostly
propulsive bass lines which King emphatically pushes along.
That may not sound like much, but Lewis does a terrific job
of exploring the jazz angles tangential to the grooves, and
he can wax eloquent even when he doesn't have much to go on.
Record doesn't specify which sax he plays when, but they tend
toward higher registers -- alto, probably a lot of soprano too.
Working behind his group name and on the side like this he's
way underrecognized.
A-
- Roy Nathanson: Subway Moon (2009, Yellow Bird/Enja):
A follow up to Nathanson's vocal-dominated 2006 Sotto Voce --
the front cover and booklet have "sottovoce" in small print to the
left of Nathanson's name and to the left and above the title, so
there is some temptation to work that in somehow. Nathanson plays
alto and soprano sax, and has a vocals credit along with several
others here. He came out of the Jazz Passengers with Curtis Fowlkes
(also here, on trombone). Most of the vocals are spoken word, poems
over slippery jazz grooves, presumably Nathanson himself, but the
album starts off with a cover of Gamble and Huff's "Love Train"
with Tim Kiah taking the lead. Nathanson's albums often pick a pop
song and play it close enough to cash in on its hooks but loose
enough to make you think they could do anything with it. Haven't
sussed out all of the poetry yet -- some is in the booklet, but
not all. But the music between the lines is full of delights, not
least Sam Bardfeld's violin, Bill Ware's vibes, and Marcus Rojas's
tuba.
A-
- Michael Occhipinti: The Sicilian Jazz Project (2008
[2009], True North):
Guitarist, has one of those web bios
that offer no info before his professional debut in 1994, but
presumably from Toronto, Canada -- at least his older brother,
bassist Roberto Occhipinti, is. (Plus he has JUNO nominations,
including one for an album of Bruce Cockburn songs.) Father
may have been Sicilian. (Note postcard dated 1952, Palermo),
but his musical interest goes back to 1954 field recordings
by Alan Lomax. The weak spot here, as usual, is the vocals:
Dominc Mancuso and Maryem Tollar, appropriately authentic as
far as I know, sounds rather like flamenco, or a Sardinian
I ran into once. Seven of nine cuts are powered with Louis
Simao's accordion, Ernie Tollar on sax or flute, and (six
cuts) Kevin Turcotte on trumpet. Two cuts substitute a string
quartet, and the opener has everything, even an extra oud.
B+(**)
- Larry Ochs/Miya Masaoka/Peggy Lee: Spiller Alley
(2006 [2008], RogueArt):
Ochs is one of the saxophonists in ROVA.
I had read a rave this release in Stef's Free Jazz blog, knew that
I'd never gotten so much as an email response from the label, but
was curious enough to approach the artist. After an amusing round
of emails, Ochs sent me a couple years' output, which I'll slowly
work my way through. Thought I'd start here. Masaoka plays koto
and Lee plays cello, so there's a dominant string motif here.
Ochs plays tenor and soprano sax, the former listed first but
the latter seems the more temperamental fit -- in any case, he
tends to defer to the koto lead, coloring in rather than blowing
ahead. Likewise, Lee plays more like a bassist, just a little
off pitch. Good example of mutual listening, three musicians
feeling their way through difficult and unforseen terrain.
B+(***)
- The October Trio/Brad Turner: Looks Like It's Going to Snow
(2008 [2009], Songlines):
The October Trio consists of Even Arntzen (tenor
sax), Josh Cole (bass), and Dan Gaucher (drums). They are based in Canada --
Vancouver, I think. They have two previous albums: Live at Rime
(2005) and Day In (2006), both at CDBaby, neither heard by me, nor
have I run across any of the three in other contexts. Turner plays trumpet,
also based in Vancouver. He shows up with some frequency, on 6-10 records
I've heard since 1997, many more that missed me. Trying to look up Turner,
I discovered that his Wikipedia page had been deleted. Someone thinks he's
not "notable" -- someone, I dare say, who doesn't have very good ears. As
a quartet, this is a formidable group. The rhythm section is tight and
propulsive. The horns can work together or fly apart. A 16:37 piece called
"The Progress Suite" is varied and elaborately textured. (The notes cite
a C.S. Lewis quote: "If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing
an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the
man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.")
B+(***)
- Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: The Moment's Energy
(2007 [2009], ECM):
It seems odd that Parker's one shot on a label
someone might actually hear should be focused on this strange large
group but certainly not a big band. This is the group's fifth album
on ECM. Parker plays soprano sax, but it's hard to pick him out even
though he's generally the easiest soprano saxophonist in the world
to recognize. From the start, violinist Philipp Wachsmann has been
the group's key member -- probably also the ECM connection -- but
mostly for his interest in electronics. It's taken a while for the
electronics to take hold as something more than occasional blips
and squiggles, but this is where they finally pay off, perhaps
because they've finally gained majority status. Sample credits:
Wachsmann (violin, live electronics), Paul Lytton (percussion, live
electronics), Lawrence Casserley (signal processing equipment),
Joel Ryan (sample and signal processing), Walter Prati (computer
processing), Richard Barnet (live electronics), Paul Obermayer
(live electronics), Marco Vecchi (sound projection). The acoustic
contingent is more likely to provide fodder for the knob twiddlers,
but it's also the case that they've been beefed up this time, with
Peter Evans' trumpet standing out, joined by Ko Ishikawa's sho and
Ned Rothenberg's clarinets and shakuhachi. Odd stuff, piled on
deep. Takes a while, but I inadvertently got stuck in it, and
kept playing it until it made sense.
A-
- Andrew Rathbun: Where We Are Now (2007 [2009],
Steeplechase):
Saxophonist, plays tenor and soprano, has been
rather prolific since 2000, recording for Fresh Sound New Talent
and more recently SteepleChase -- third album there. (By the way,
this is the first SteepleChase album I've received since starting
Jazz Consumer Guide. They're an important Danish label, since
the late 1970s a safe harbor for American expatriates starting
with Dexter Gordon and Duke Jordan, with a small minority of
European artists -- Piere Dørge, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen,
Tete Montoliu are three who come to mind. Mostly mainstream
postbop; deep catalog; a lot of things on my scrounging list.)
Previous record (haven't heard it) was called Affairs of
State, with songs themed on the Bush administration: "We
Have Nothing but Tears," "Around the Same Circles, Again and
Again," "5th Anniversary" (of 9/11), "Fiasco," "Folly (of the
Future Fallen)." This one is a quintet: Nate Radley (guitar),
George Colligan (piano), Johannes Weidenmuller (bass), Billy
Hart (drums). Rathbun's tenor sax is a bit light and sly,
slipping easily around the complex rhythm. Radley has some
nice solo spots, and Colligan is superb.
B+(***)
- Joshua Redman: Compass (2008 [2009], Nonesuch):
Final copy has the song-by-song credits, so my speculation of
two separate sax trios is wrong. Bassists Larry Grenadier and
Reuben Rogers double up on 7 of 13 cuts, the other splitting
3-3. Drummers Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson double up on
5 cuts, splitting the rest 5-3 in favor of Blade. Redman plays
tenor sax on 10 cuts, soprano on three. I've played this like
six times in a row now, feeling indifferent for stretches,
then hearing something I like -- often something real simple
like "Insomniac" which is just a repeated riff he rides out.
Redman remains a superb tenor saxophonist, but only so-so on
soprano. This seems like an average record for him, probably
no worse than the Branford Marsalis record I have down as an
HM.
B+(***)
- The Rocco John Group: Devotion (2008 [2009],
Coalition of Creative Artists):
Pianoless quartet, based in New
York, led by Rocco John Iacovone (alto sax, soprano sax), with
Michael Irwin spinning off on trumpet. Freebop with some kick
to it. Group's previous album, Don't Wait Too Long, made
my HM list, although it languished in my files a long time.
This is another one at pretty much the same level -- deserves
some recognition, but probably won't get it. [Found my HM line
on his website, and it still applies: "Iacovone plays alto sax,
cut his teeth in '70s lofts, cooled his heels in Alaska, returns
as gray-haired demon."]
B+(**)
- Rova: The Juke Box Suite (2006 [2007], Not Two):
Saxophone quartet, founded in 1977 (same year as the World Saxophone
Quartet), name originally derived from initials of its four founding
members -- Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt and Bruce Ackley --
but Steve Adams replaced Voigt in 1988, breaking that link. Group has
25 albums since 1978 (more, but not by a lot, than WSQ). I've never
much like saxophone quartets or choirs, regardless of how brilliant
I regard the individuals to be: as much as I like the sound of most
saxophones, they have a harmonic monotony unless you add something
to the mix -- bass, drums, almost anything helps. I've heard almost
everything WSQ has released -- their players are major stars in my
view of the jazz galaxy. By contrast I've only lightly sampled Rova --
Beat Kennel and two takes of Coltrane's Ascension, the
second a Penguin Guide crown album -- and never connected to
anything, not that my sample is a good test. (I've always regarded
Ascension with indifference, a feeling that Rova faithfully
regenerated.) In contrast to WSQ, Rova's saxophonists remained unknown
to me -- when I started to write Ochs requesting an unrelated album
from a label I had no contact for, I didn't realize he was part of
Rova. Same for Adams when Clean Feed recently dropped an album of
his. So, obviously, I'm pretty low on the learning curve here. But
this album is a revelation. My complaints about tone and color are
still operative, but are overcome are nearly every front. The world
music juke box concept doesn't ensure danceability, but there's
enough of a pulse, especially from Raskin's baritone, to keep it
all moving, through pieces keyed to Afro-Balkan, Mambo, Niggum,
Choro, Finnish folk (Värttinnä), and Detroit (White Stripes). The
slower, unison themes are rich and often gorgeous; the breakaways
startling and sometimes thrilling.
A-
- Cynthia Sayer: Attractions (2006 [2008], Plunk):
Plays banjo, sings; originally from Massachusetts, now in New York.
Resume spotlights 10 years with Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band,
and soundtrack work on Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo and
with Marvin Hamlisch on Sophie's Choice, but I'm more curious
about "The New Spike Jones Show." Several albums, starting with
The Jazz Banjo of Cynthia Sayer, which I don't have a date
on. That one had "featuring" credits for Dick Wellstood and Milt
Hinton. This one features Bucky Pizzarelli, but aside from a duet
he hardly stands out beyond a superb trad-oriented band, with Scott
Robinson (saxes, clarinet), Randy Sandke (trumpet), Jim Fryer
(trombone), Sara Caswell (violin), Greg Cohen (bass), and Joe
Ascione (percussion). Half vocals, starting with Sidney Bechet's
reefer song "Viper Mad" and Hank Williams' "Half as Much," and
winding on through "Romance Without Finance" and "You Are My
Sunshine" and "Aba Daba Honeymoon." Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody"
is reduced to a banjo feature, which is fine with me.
B+(***)
- Louis Sclavis: Lost on the Way (2008 [2009], ECM):
French clarinetist, b. 1953, has been a major figure since
the early 1980s. Quintet, with Matthieu Metzger on soprano and
alto sax blending in near seamlessly, and Maxime Delpierre on
guitar, not just fitting in but sometimes busting out in solos
that have more to do with Jimi Hendrix.
B+(***)
- Will Sellenraad: Balance (2007 [2008], Beeswax):
Guitarist, from New York. Third album since 2000. Haven't heard
the first two, but they seem to have a soul jazz focus. This
quartet is advanced bop, with drum master Victor Lewis managing
the beat, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa pushing a relentless groove,
the guitarist drawing that out into long postbop lines, and
alto saxophonist Abraham Burton building on all that. I've
always been real impressed with Burton, and he's in his usual
fine form here.
B+(***)
- Jim Shearer & Charlie Wood: The Memphis Hang
(2008, Summit):
Wood is a sly singer, probably more at home with
simpler country/blues fare, but he tackles some difficult pieces
here -- not just Dave Frishberg and Andy Razaf but Joni Mitchell's
lyrics to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and Mike Ferro's to "Well, You
Needn't" -- and stays on top of it all. He also plays keyboards,
principally Hammond B3, which gets sharpened up considerably by
Billy Gibson's harmonica. Shearer is less conspicuous, but tuba
is sort of the running gag of the brass section, and his oom-pah
keeps the whole affair in good humor.
B+(**)
- Andy Sheppard: Movements in Colour (2008 [2009], ECM):
Saxophonist, mostly tenor but plays some soprano here, b.
1957, England. His early work -- four 1988-91 albums on Antilles,
originally a dub sub-label of reggae giant Island -- tended to
fusion with funk beats, suggesting a possibly more interesting
David Sanborn. His discography has been erratic since then, but
lately he's been showing up on Carla Bley albums. His ECM debut
shows a gentler strain, with guitar (John Parricelli and Eivind
Aarset), bass (Arild Andersen), tabla (Kuljit Bhamra) and some
electronics (Aarset and Andersen) paving the way. Takes a little
while to settle into the groove and let the sax colors flower.
A-
- The Matthew Shipp Trio: Harmonic Disorder (2008 [2009],
Thirsty Ear):
I assume this was recorded in '08.
Booklet doesn't say, which is par for this label -- I thought
about complimenting them for including the record date in the
Halvorson/Pavone, as it seemed a breakthrough. This is actually
an earlier release. It got lost in the mail and had to be
resent, or so the story goes -- actually, same thing happened
with Shipp's previous record, Piano Vortex, which I
got to so late I wound up skipping, despite the fact that it
is a very good record. In any case, this one may be better.
Joe Morris on bass and Whit Dickey on drums both stand out,
but Shipp does it all, from the simple pacing of "Mel Chi 2"
to the rollicking combustion of "Zo Number 2." I often bemoan
my difficulties grasping piano trios, but this one just jumps
up and grabs you. Not done with it, but figure this grade as
a baseline.
A-
- Idit Shner: Tuesday's Blues (2008, OA2):
Alto saxophonist,
grew up in Israel, studied in Oklahoma, graduated from UNT, played in
Sherrie Maricle's DIVA Jazz Orchestra; now based in Oregon. First record,
a quartet with Stefan Karlsson on piano, Mike League on bass, Steve
Pruitt on drums. Four of seven songs are listed as traditional: "Yellow
Moon," "Elisheva Doll," "Adon Haselichot," and "Ha Lachma." I wouldn't
classify them as klezmer, but the folk melodies help center the album.
A bit of solo sax near the end is particularly nice.
B+(**)
- The Joel LaRue Smith Trio: September's Child
(2007 [2009], Joel LaRue Smith):
Piano trio, with Fernando Huergo
on bass, Renato Malavasi on drums. Don't know much about pianist
Smith, except that he studied at Manhattan School of Music under
Jaki Byard and Barry Harris, and teaches at Tufts, directing their
Jazz Orchestra. Debut record. Wrote 7 of 11 pieces, with a strong
Afro-Cuban accent, and does an impressive job of carrying it off.
Some of the quirkiness of Afro-Cuban jazz is inevitably lost in
reducing it to straight piano trio, but he nails it pretty well.
B+(***)
- Lisa Sokolov: A Quiet Thing (2008 [2009], Laughing Horse):
Singer, musical therapist, lay cantor, acompanies herself
on piano when working alone. Moved to New York in 1977 -- doesn't
mention anything before that. Fourth album since 1993. An audacious,
astonishing interpreter: she tears "Ol' Man River" apart line by
line to magnify its emotional impact -- her "fear of dying" has
never been more palpable; nor has "Lush Life" ever come across as
fully felt, the comfort but also the ennui. The group cuts smooth
her out, and Todd Reynolds' violin is a plus. But she's most
effective solo, and the intensity can be wearing. (Look for "Ol'
Man River" on YouTube.)
A-
- The Stone Quartet: DMG @ the Stone: Volume 1 (2006 [2008],
DMG/ARC):
Group name comes from the venue, although
none of the principals are especially associated with it, nor for
that matter with each other. Rather, this looks like a supercollider
experiment dreamed up by DMG honcho Bruce Lee Galanter: let's smash
some quarks together and see if any muons emerge. Top quark is Roy
Campbell Jr. (trumpet, flute); bottom Joelle Leandre (bass); charm
Marilyn Crispell (piano); strange Mat Maneri (viola). Even in such
close proximiity, they tend to keep to themselves.
B+(**)
- Rob Thorsen: Lasting Impression (2008 [2009],
Pacific Coast Jazz):
As I scan through Thorsen's web bio, I'm
growing impatient, flashing on Jack Webb, wanting to say: "just
the facts, ma'am." Bassist, based in San Diego, spent some time
in San Francisco. Old enough he's a little short on top. Website
lists four albums, including one attributed to Cross Border Trio,
but not including this one. No dates on those. Album rotates
musicians in and out, splitting piano between Geoffrey Keezer
and Josh Nelson, with Gilbert Castellanos on trumpet/flugelhorn
and/or Ben Wendel on tenor sax/bassoon on most cuts. Mostly
bebop tunes -- two from Parker, one from McLean, "Giant Steps"
from Coltrane -- plus "Smile," "The Man I Love," and four
originals that fit in nicely. Bass is noticeable and makes
a fine impression -- check his solo on "Cigarones." Castellanos
also stands out.
B+(**)
- Nicolas Thys: Virgo (2008 [2009], Pirouet):
Bassist, b. 1968, from the Netherlands, graduated from Hilversum
Conservatory. First album, after ten or so side credits since
1998. Quintet, with Chris Cheek (tenor sax), Jon Cowherd (piano),
Ryan Scott (guitar), and Dan Rieser (drums). Wrote all of the
pieces. They have a light, propulsive feel, helped along by the
guitar, with the sax fitting closely to the melodies and the
piano straying a bit.
B+(***)
- Ton Trio: The Way (2008 [2009], Singlespeed Music):
Sax-bass-drums trio, more/less based in Oakland, CA. Led by Aram
Shelton on alto sax and bass clarinet, with Kurt Kotheimer on bass
and Sam Ospovat on drums. Shelton moved to Oakland in 2005 from
Chicago, about the time he released the only album under his own
name, Arrive (482 Music). Has a couple dozen credits since
2001, some with Chicagoans I recognize, most with groups under my
radar, some of which he seems to run. Plays free; has some ideas,
interesting but not compelling yet. Bass clarinet has more appeal,
probably because it's more unusual, hence distinctive.
B+(**)
- Vassilis Tsabropoulos/Anja Lechner/U.T. Gandhi: Melos
(2007 [2008], ECM):
Let's start with Lechner here. She plays cello,
the loudest and least mobile instrument here, which makes her the
sonic center, with Tsabropoulos's piano and Gandhi's percussion
revolving around her. Haven't found much on Lechner -- basic things
like where she comes from [Germany?]. Has the usual classical training --
does any cellist not? Has four albums under her own name, each with
"Tango" in the title. This is her third appearance on an ECM album,
following Ojos Negros with Dino Saluzzi and Her First Dance
with Misha Alperin. I found the bandoneon-cello duets rather thick, liked
Alperin somewhat more, but this is the first one that I've heard that
really seems to work. Some of the songs come from G.I. Gurdjieff, a
name I recall from the philosophy section of bookstores but never
paid any attention to. Most are by Tsabropoulos, a Greek pianist on
his third ECM album -- from Athens, also classically trained, with
a stretch at Juilliard. Gandhi, by the way, was born in Italy -- the
U.T. intials stand for Umberto Trombetta.
B+(***)
- Jeremy Udden: Plainville (2008 [2009],
Fresh Sound New Talent):
Saxophonist, plays alto and soprano, from Plainville MA
(the source of this title), based in Brooklyn. Second album. Starts
out in a sly groove, using Brandon Seabrook's banjo and guitar and
Pete Rende's pedal steel to hint at country music. Rende also plays
pump organ and Fender Rhodes, a layering that Udden's sax builds on --
at least until he breaks loose on "Big Lick," which is set up by RJ
Miller's razor-sharp drums.
B+(***)
- Ken Vandermark/Pandelis Karayorgis: Foreground Music
(2006 [2007], Okka Disk):
A rare Vandermark plus piano album, a duo,
writing credit count split evenly -- off the top of my head, the only
others I can think of are the Free Fall and Atomic records with Håvard
Wiik, occasional encounters with Jim Baker, and No Such Thing,
a trio with Karayorgis and missing link Nate McBride. Karayorgis and
McBride have a piano trio called Mi3 that scored a pick hit here for
Free Advice. Karayorgis is a free player who can hang onto a
beat long enough to gig in rock clubs. Still, without McBride (and
Curt Newton) providing that pulse, he seems a little lost here, poking
and jabbing, trying to provoke Vandermark, who's actually most eloquent
when the pianist lays out. Not as in-your-face as the title, or the
credit line, or the label, implies.
B+(**)
- Johnny Varro Featuring Ken Peplowski: Two Legends of Jazz
(2007 [2009], Arbors):
You'd think if they were going to have two
legends of jazz, they wouldn't relegate Peplowski to the "featuring" slot.
But then, you'd think if they were going to celebrate legends of jazz,
they'd pick a couple more, uh, legendary than Varro and Peplowski. Varro
is a good Teddy Wilson disciple, born around the time Wilson was starting
out, getting close to 80 now. Peplowski is nearly 30 years younger, which
leaves him with less hair than Varro has, and not much darker. He was
always the second tier young fogey behind Scott Hamilton -- a good side
man, either on clarinet or tenor sax, but never a very inspired leader.
He sticks to clarinet here, and plays as fine as ever. Frank Tate and
Joe Ascione provide all the backup they need. Very nice work.
B+(**)
- Frank Wess Nonet: Once Is Not Enough (2008 [2009],
Labeth Music):
Born 1922, one of jazz's most senior citizens, still
going pretty strong. He might not be as well known as he is had he
not played more and better flute than any other saxophonist of his
generation (which basically means James Moody), or any subsequent
generation (except Yusef Lateef, maybe). The flute has made him a
consistent poll winner, although I'd take his tenor sax any day --
and submit "Lush Life" here as proof. Still, his real claim to fame
was as one of Count Basie's New Testament arrangers, something he
reminded us of in 1989 when Concord gave him a new lease and he
responded with Dear Mr. Basie -- also credited to Sweets
Edison, who provided the Old Testament fire and brimstone. He's
still recycling here, but the Nonet is a nice fit for a crack
arranger, and being a legend he gets folks like Terrell Stafford,
Steve Turre, Ted Nash, and Scott Robinson lining up to play with
him. He even has to slide Peter Washington aside to give Rufus
Reid a couple of cuts on bass. Plays more sax than flute this
time, too.
B+(**)
- White Rocket (2008 [2009], Diatribe):
Irish trio
with eponymous debut album. I filed it under trumpeter Jacob Wick,
figuring him for the lead instrument; pianist Greg Felton matches
Wick's four songs, and drummer Sean Carpio adds one more. Serious
free jazz, often played off against repeated piano riffs.
B+(**)
- Yuganaut: This Musicship (2005 [2008], ESP-Disk):
Piano trio. Steven Rush doesn't actually list piano among the dozen-plus
instruments. Moog and Fender Rhodes are his main instruments, plus lots
of percussion and blow-toys (ranging from harmonica to elk calls). Rush
teaches at Michigan, where he directs the Digital Music Ensemble, an
out fit that plays John Cage, Philip Glass, and LaMonte Young. Bassist
Tom Abbs -- the member I recognize due to his work with Assif Tsahar
and others in New York -- wanders to violin, cello, tuba, didjeridoo,
and percussion. Drummer Geoff Mann adds cornet, flute, and mandolin
to the more expected vibes, mbira, and percussion. Something of a
scattered noise fest, interesting here and there, cluttered, not so
much annoying as random at worst. Last cut, the 10:09 "Hymn for Roscoe"
(presumably Mitchell), is unusual for its straightforward structure,
even when it erupts in the album's loudest passage. Choice cut.
B+(**)
- Miguel Zenón: Awake (2007 [2008], Marsalis Music):
He explored his native Puerto Rican music to impressive effect on
Jíbaro, but doesn't betray a hint of that here, even in a
quartet with Luis Perdomo and Hans Glawischnig, who live and breathe
that music. Two cuts with strings don't do much for me, but suggest
that he might do more in the future. The quartet tracks blow wide
open, with one ugly noise blast and a lot of Coltraneish searching.
Arguably the best alto saxophonist of his generation, which you
can't help but notice, then wonder why this doesn't pan out even
more impressively.
B+(**)
|