Masters at Play + A Pleasing Surprise

Over the past seven years, saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman has been touring and recording with his Expansions quintet. The group –– Matt Vashlishan (alto sax, flute, clarinet, EWI), Bobby Avey (piano, electric piano, synth), Tony Marino (acoustic bass), and Alex Ritz (drums, frame drum) –– is extremely versatile with each musicians having impressive credentials. I had the joy of seeing the group live at The Side Door Jazz Club in CT and their interactions along with Mr. Liebman's compositions (this was around the time of the release of the band's fourth album for Whaling City Records, "Earth" in late 2019) made for compelling listening.  

Mr. Liebman & Expansions fifth album is "Selflessness: The Music of John Coltrane" –– it's their first for Dot Time Records and continues the saxophonist's decades-long quest to investigate and to reinvigorate the music produced in the last eight years of Coltrane's life (1959-1967).  The nine-song program opens with with "Mr. Day" (from "Coltrane Plays the Blues"): here, the quintet ups the tempo and the front line dances away. Vashlishan goes first with a fiery alto solo which leads to a really funky piano romp over the rampaging drums. Mr. Liebman enters, his soprano sax solo (he only plays soprano on this album plus one track with wooden flute) starting in a cool vein before Ritz's fiery drums push him to dig in. A lively frame drum intro sets an Andulausian atmosphere to "Ole" before the wooden flute, clarinet, and electric piano push the music into a trance-like feel.  Marino's foundational bass line moves the reeds and piano to address the theme. Avey's synth solo sounds more like a guitar until his phrases remind one of the work Chick Corea produced with the electric Return to Forever.  Both Mr. Liebman and Vashlishan's solos have a Middle-Eastern tinge. 

As you move through the program, you stop making comparisons and bask in the excellent music.  "Peace On Earth" is a stunning reminder that John Coltrane could produce the loveliest of musical prayers while "Compassion" echoed the composer's embrace of meditation practices. On the Expansions version, the soprano sax weaves its way through fields of electronic sounds (EWI and synths) while the rhythm section keeps a steady rhythm for all to ride atop.  The album's title track opens with an Eastern feel before the rhythm section create a start-stop that gives the bottom a Hip Hop feel with the soprano and alto saxes move in and around each other which becomes a call-and-response. Avey's acoustic piano solo has touches of classical, Bud Powell, thundering chords, and more.

Photo: Ray Cho/studio MYEL

One of the bigger surprises is the quintet's take on "My Favorite Things".  After a lovely solo piano intro, the band enters in a rapid-paced 4/4 beat with the piano, alto, and soprano addressing the theme.  Vashlishan takes the first solo over the driving rhythm section (no piano) –– Mr. Liebman is next over the responsive bass and drums, Avey churning out solid chords as the intensity builds.  The energy emanating from the speakers is exhilarating.  

"Selflessness" closes with a reverential take of "Dear Lord".  After a powerful prayer-like bowed bass introduction, flute (Vashlishan) and soprano sax present the theme over a soft synth wash, bass, and the "pitter-patter" of the drums. It's the perfect finishing touch to an album that grows stronger upon each listen and leaves one wanting more. Dave Liebman Expansions does more than pay tribute to John Coltrane; they illustrate how alive with possibility his music continues to be and do it all without resorting to imitation. They give this music new wings.  You'll also notice that while Dave Liebman is the leader, this quintet is truly a cooperative, allowing all voices to be heard.  

Dot Times Records released "Selflessness" on September 3 and Mr. Liebman celebrated his 75th birthday on the following day.  May he live long and play on!

For more information, go to https://davidliebman.com/home/groups/expansions-dave-liebman-group/.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://dottimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/selflessness. 

Here's the ensemble's fascinating take on "My Favorite Things":

It's been two decades since Kate McGarry released her first album.  Much has happened in that time, some sad, a lot good.  Ms. McGarry has worked with Fred Hersch, in John Hollenbeck's Big Band alongside Theo Bleckmann, in the vocal quartet known as MOSS, left New York City for North Carolina with her partner (life and musical) guitarist/ arranger Keith Ganz. Besides her debut album (reissued in 2003 by Palmetto Records), she's recorded six more albums as a leader or co-leader (with Ganz).  Each one covers a lot of musical territory, has an atmosphere all its own, and illustrates just how splendid a vocalist Ms. McGarry is.  It's been three years since she, Ganz, and keyboardist Gary Versace crowd-funded and issued "The Subject Tonight is Love".  At the time, I spoke with her and she said that they recorded a lot of material and it might show up as another album.

Now there is a new album. "What To Wear in the Dark" (Resilience Music) is credited to the "Kate McGarry  + Keith Ganz Ensemble (featuring cornetist Ron Miles & Gary Versace)".  Five of the 10 tracks were recorded in May of 2017, the same sessions that produced the previous album. The group becomes a quintet with the addition of drummer Obed Calvaire. Four tracks were recorded in March of 2020 without Miles and, this time, the rhythm section is Sean Smith (bass) and Clarence Penn (drums). One other track, "On the Road To Find Out", composed by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) for his 1970 Lp "Tea For The Tillerman", was  recorded in March 2021 at the individual musician's home; besides Ms. McGarry and Ganz, that ensemble features Erin Bentlage (vocals, vocal arrangement), Becca Stevens (vocal, charango), Michelle Willis (vocals, Wurlitzer), Christian Euman (drums), and James Shipp (brushes, pandiero). 

Photo: David Goddard

Ms. McGarry arranged the opening track, the Howard Dietz/ Arthur Schwartz classic "Dancing In The Dark". Versace's accordion creates a waltz tempo while the vocalist digs into the lyrics. Miles' cornet accompanies her vocal improvisation while Calvaire's brushes dance over the drums.  The song sets the stage for a surprising program, one that includes Donald Fagen & Walter Becker's "Barrytown", a lovely, emotional, expansive, take of Joni Mitchell's oft-recorded "Both Sides Now", and a playful stroll through Paul Simon's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", complete with bubbly Wurlitzer electric piano and a low-key cornet solo that is the essence of "groovy" and "gritty".  The opening of that last track features an except from pianist-author Hal Galper's "A Touring Musician" –– Ms. McGarry rushes her way through the description of how tough it is for working musicians on all levels of popularity to find and make their way. After a breathless climax, she and the quintet break into "Slow down, you move too fast".  And don't we all feel that's the way is.  The "groove" is irresistible as is Ron Miles' delightful solo.

There's plenty to love on this album.  The lovely trio (vocal, guitar, and organ) take on "Desperado" which has the feel of a James Taylor piece as well as that stunning version of "Both Sides Now". That latter track is one of Joni Mitchell's most-recorded pieces yet just listen to how Ms McGarry weaves her way through the words. The whisper-soft brush work of Clarence Penn and wonderfully melodic bass work of Sean Smith build a soft foundation for Versace's impressionistic piano and Ganz's quiet acoustic guitar lines.  Ganz's smart re-arrangement of George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun" revolves around the the galaxies of melody, acoustic and electric guitar, the throbbing rhythm section, and Versace's burbling organ (listen below –– does the organ sound like Rod Argent's iHammond B-3 in The Zombies "Time of the Season" to you?)

The team of Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz is proving to be a formidable one; "What To Wear in the Dark" has so much to offer a listener in search of songs that touch the heart, the mind, and the feet (several of these tunes will make you want to dance, in the dark and in the light!) Add to that the fine musicianship of Gary Versace and Ron Miles as well as the other musicians and voices that are on the recording and you have an unforgettable musical experience.

For more information, go to https://katemcgarry.com/.  

Hear "Here Comes The Sun":

Photo: Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen

Vocalist and educator Sheila Jordan is, to quote many aficionados, a "jazz singer's Jazz Singer."  After growing up in the coal-mining country of Pennsylvania, she discovered Charlie Parker, found her way back to her birthplace, Detroit MI, where Ms. Jordan worked with numerous Black musicians. After performing with a jazz vocal trio, she moved to New York City where she married Parker's pianist Duke Jordan.  It was believed that she made her recording debut with George Russell as well as a brilliant 1963 Blue Note Lp, "Portrait of Sheila", a session that featured guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Denzil Best.  There was no immediate follow-up; in fact it was 15 years until her SteepleChase recording "Sheila" with bassist Arild Andersen. She's gone on the record numerous albums including a series of dates with pianist Steve Kuhn as well as duos with bassist Harvey S.

Imagine everyone's surprise when Capri Records issued "Comes Love: Lost Session 1960".  Recorded in June of 1960 on tje long defunct with an unnamed piano trio (at the time, Ms. Jordan had been working with pianist Johnny Knapp but no information from this session exists), the 11 standards find the vocalist in full voice, her great control, phrasing, and ability to make a song hers right in place.  None of the songs appear on the Blue Note album but you can hear all the elements that would be the mature Sheila Jordan. She and the trio dance their way through the 98 seconds of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Don't Got The Swing), her scatting and vocal style hinting at Ella Fitzgerald. "I'll Take Romance" also swings delightfully; the vocalist doesn't take many liberties with the melody but her voice is so youthful and the song satisfies.

Ms. Jordan 1953

The ballads are worth the price of admission. Whether it's the opening track, "I'm The Track", the dark-tinged "Ballad of the Sad Young Men", Billie Holiday's bittersweet "Don't Explain" (you can hear the composer's influence on Ms. Jordan's performance), the wistful "These Foolish Things", or the impressionistic "Glad to Be Unhappy", her enunciation, the sympathetic rhythm section, and the vocalist's conviction draw the listener and you realize this album is a true treat.  

The final track, the swinging "They Can't Take That Away From Me", illustrates many of Ms. Jordan's performance style that remains 61 years later. She can be sassy, she can break your heart, but Sheila Jordan always make the listener feel she's singing just to him or her.  Great find and kudos to Capri Records for buying the rights to release "Come Love". 

For more information, go to www.sheilajordanjazz.com.  

Give a listen to the opening track:

Braithwaite & Katz · I'm The Girl - Sheila Jordan

Revealing Stories & Prevailing Winds

Photo: John Marolakos

In the months that have passed since "Dialogues on Race, Vol. I" (self-released) was initially supposed to be issued (March 17, 2020), so much has happened that speaks to the topic. The two-disk set is an expansive treatise on race relations in the United States told using music, spoken word, and poetry composed and curated by bassist Gregg August.  COVID-19 came to this country, with people of color being affected more than others, then the discovery of the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Brionna Taylor plus the televised execution of George Floyd, and the continuation of a brutally bitter and divisive Presidential campaign. The United States has been violently shaken and those tremors continue.

Depending on which song you listen to, you might think this album is a celebration of Black Culture, of the music that inspires the 21 musicians to play from the heart.  And, it is. Whether it be the somber opening of the first track "Sherbet (just to be certain that doubt stays on our side of the fence)" which breaks into a raucous dance to the swinging middle section of "I Rise" (based on the Maya Angelou poem of the same name) to the dancing rhythms of the final three tracks.  "Sweet Words on Race" (based on a poem by Langston Hughes) is a Latin-flavored "shout" tune,  the foppish "The Bird Leaps" (inspired by Ms. Angelou's "The Caged Bird Sings"), and the most-hands-on-deck jump tune "Blues Finale", this music would not sound like it does without the inspiration of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charles Mingus, Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis, Chico and Arturo O'Farrill, and other musical giants.  The pieces mentioned and several others in the 12-song program speak to the power created by this music, how the music takes one out of the everyday and makes your body move.

Photo: Kaelen Burkett

The centerpiece of the album is the commemoration of the life and death of Emmett Till (the 65th anniversary of his death is 8/28/20) plus the celebration of the work his mother Mamie Till Mobley (1921-2003) did throughout her life to shed life on his torture and lynching. There are three "statements" of "Your Only Child": "First Statement" features Frank Lacy singing an excerpt from Marilyn Nelson's "A Wreath for Emmett Till" ("Sonnet V" - read here) while "Second Statement" is a bass solo from the leader, and the "Third Statement" features the seven string players, tenor saxophonist JD Allen, and the voice of Shelly Washington singing the Nelson excerpt. The track that precedes "Third Statement" features the voice of Ms. Mobley––the music is solemn, her voice electronically altered, but the words sear into your brain as it describes when the bereaved mother saw when she opened the coffin.  Her words are graphic, stunning, and serves to remind one that the kind of treatment her 14-year old son received has been happening to Black people since their forced arrival in the United States.

There is plenty of music to be heard when listening to "Dialogues on Race, Vol. I" but you really have to read and listen to the words. Music should entertain us, we often listen to block out the b.s. When you look back at music, no matter what country, no matter what time, composers and performers strove to tell stories and educate their audience (especially music created by the lower and middle classes). The music of Gregg August reflects the sounds of a movement sparked 160 years ago by Frederick Douglass (and his love the possibilities of the Constitution of the United States), stoked by the likes of Zora Neale Houston, Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, Marilyn Nelson, and today by Claudia Rankine, Colson Whitehead, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ibram X. Kendi and many more.  Timely music for unseemly times––listen and pay attention.

For more information, go to www.greggaugust.com.  To listen to more and to purchase the album, go to https://greggaugust.bandcamp.com/album/dialogues-on-race.

Here's the powerful "Letter to America"( based on a poem by Fransisco Alarcón):



Personnel:

John Ellis, soprano saxophone
Bruce Williams, alto saxophone
JD Allen, tenor saxophone
Ken Thomson, bass clarinet
John Bailey, trumpet / flugelhorn
Rafi Malkiel, trombone / euphonium
Marcus Rojas, tuba
Luis Perdomo, piano
Gregg August, bass / composer
Donald Edwards, drums
Mauricio Herrera, congas / shekeréb / castanets (tracks 1, 2, 3, 10)
Frank Lacy, vocals (tracks 3 and 12)
Shelley Washington, vocals (track 9)
Forest VanDyke, vocals (track 7)
Leah Asher, violin (track 9)
Lena Vidulich, violin (track 9)
Yuri Namkung, violin (track 9)
Johnna Wu, violin (track 9)
Wendy Richman, viola (track 9)
Brian Zenone, viola (track 9)
Madeline Lafayette, cello (track 9)
Wayne Smith, narrator (track 2)

Photo: Eric Antoniou

Vocalist, composer, pianist, and reed player, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, born and raised in Turkey, began his piano studies with his father when he was very young––in fact, he gave his initial piano recitals at the age of 5.  Later on, after his studies with Turkish pianist and composer Aydin Esin, Sanlikol came to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music where he came in contact with Herb Pomeroy plus went on to work with artists such as Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Cobham, Anat Cohen, Antonio Sanchez, and Dave Liebman. Plus, he created his own label, Dünya Productions, to document his music and other work.  It was NEA Jazz Master Liebman who, in 2017, commissioned Sanlikol to create a piece for his soprano saxophone and large ensemble.

The commission has resulted in "The Rise Up; Stories of Strife, Struggle, and Inspiration" (Dünya), credited to Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext? Featuring Dave Liebman. The music, composed and arranged by Sanlikol, posits the soprano saxophonist in he midst of a 22-piece orchestra (see personnel below). The program features three three-part "Suites", each telling its own story. Suite #1,"Rumi", the "pen name" of 13th Century Sufi  poet Mevlana Celaleddin, opens with a traditional song ("The Sun of Tabriz") that features the ney flute followed by Mr. Liebman's soprano that leads into "A Vicious Murder", the darbuka drum ushering the sections in (a hint of Gil Evans "Sketches of Spain" sounds in the brass and reeds plus a lovely reading of the time by the oboe of Mary Cicconnetti) that opens in a whirling dervish of a soprano sax solo.  The final section, "Rumi's Solitude", takes a deliberate pace with the traditional flute and soprano playing in unison before various voices within the ensemble share the melody. After a handsome soprano solo, everyone drops out as the composer steps up to sing a plaintive melody based on a Rumi poem.  This coda is deeply emotional and highly effective.

The second suite, "Sephardim", is named for the Jews expelled from Spain in during the Inquisition but taken in by the Ottomans where the two cultures began a long and fruitful collaboration.  The combination of Middle-Eastern rhythms with a traditional  Sephardic/ Ladino melody is introduced in the first movement, "Spain, 1492" celebrating the time Jews lived and flourished on the Iberian Peninsula while the next section, "Temmuz" ("July" in Turkish) has a martial beat over which the sections play a recurring pattern of phrases.  The various "voices" rising up out of the ensemble speaks to the urgency of those fleeing Spain on their way to a new home. As the piece continues, the focus changes to illustrate the sounds the refugees heard as they entered the Turkish territories including the Muslim call to prayer. The final section, "A New Land, A New Music", combines the traditional Ladino music heard earlier with the oud and percussion showing how various elements can create new sounds.

The third and final suite is titled "Sinan", the story of an Orthodox Christian boy who was abducted by the Ottomans early in the 16th Century––he adopts the Muslim faith and becomes an architect for several of the world's finest mosques.  One hears a male choir singing the "Kyrie Eleison" but as the voices chant, a marching band enters playing a somber traditional melody, the blare of the reeds and the dissonance of the horns giving the music a dark feel. The next section, titled "Rise Thru The Barracks", swings heartily not unlike a Duke Ellington piece with a rollicking solo from Mr. Liebman. The suite and the album ends with a sweet ballad, "The Owl Song", that builds like one of Maria Schneider compositions until the horns and brass are caressing the melody and the harmony, culminating in a call-and-response with the soprano saxophonist.  The music is forceful but not frantic, more about the melody than the rhythm.

"The Rise Up" is such a fascinating journey, a splendid mixture, with a such a panoply of sounds as well as melodies based on traditional music.  Mehmet Ali Sanlikol played to his strengths as a musician, composer, and arranger, giving Dave Liebman an excellent showcase for his powerful, musical, soprano saxophone. The ensemble, Whatsnext?, features a large number of Boston-area musicians who play with power and elegance.  The stories on this album are timeless and speak to the truths of human existence.  Give this music a good listen!

For more information, go to www.sanlikol.com. To hear more and purchase the album, go to https://dunya.bandcamp.com/album/the-rise-up-stories-of-strife-struggle-and-inspiration.


Personnel:

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol - voice, ney, zurna, ud
Dave Liebman - soprano saxophone
Mary Cicconnetti - oboe, English horn
Rick Stone - alto + soprano saxophones, flute
Mark Zaleski - alto saxophone
Rick DiMuzio - tenor saxophone, clarinet
Aaron Henry - tenor saxophone, clarinet
Melanie Howell Brooks - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
Rebekah Lorenz - French horn
Mike Peipman, Jeff Claassen, Sam Dechenne, and Jerry Sabatini - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bulut Gülen, Chris Gagne, and Bob Pilkington - trombones
Angel Subero - bass trombone
Bill Lowe - tuba
Utar Artun - piano
Fernando Huego - bass
Bertram Lehmann. drums, tam tam
George Lernis - percussion
Five voice choir led by Spyridon Antonpoulos

Ken Schaphorst - conductor


Here's "A Vicious Murder" from the "Rumi" suite:

Whirlwind of Saxophone Sounds

Photo: Joao Gonzalez

Alto saxophonist Will Vinson, born in London, England, has been a resident of New York City for over two decades.  He's worked or still is working with groups led by pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, drummer Ari Hoenig, saxophonist Miguel Zenón, and many others.  He's a founding member of the cooperative trio OWL (with bassist Orlando Le Fleming and guitarist Lage Lund) plus has issued five albums as a leader on various labels including Criss Cross Records and Smalls Live.  For "441", his debut on Whirlwind Recordings, Vinson chose to record with four different pianists – Sullivan Fortner, Tiger Hamasyan, Gerald Clayton, Fred Hersch, and the afore-mentioned Rubalcaba – and five different rhythm sections – bassists Matt Brewer, Matt Penman, Rick Rosato, and Larry Grenadier paired with (in order) drummers Obed Calvaire, Billy Hart, Jochen Rueckert, Clarence Penn, and Eric Harland (Brewer also plays with Penn). 

The results are a fascinating blend of styles, ideas, and interactions. 11 tracks, nearly 77 minutes of music, with originals mixed with one standard ("Love Letters" from Edward Heyman and Victor Young) plus songs from Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, Bryn Roberts, and John Lewis. Each pairing opens with a saxophone and piano duet with the following track featuring bass and drums. Fortner is the only pianist with three tracks, the opening two and the delightful duet with Vinson on Lewis's "Milestones" the album closer.  The saxophonist's "Boogaloo" opens the album; it's a sweet blues that rolls along on the full piano chords and Vinson's lithe alto lines.  Brewer and Calvaire, now partners in the current edition of the SF Jazz Collective, have a delightful time pushing and pulling at the rhythms of "Love Letters" while the saxophonist and pianist chase variations of the melody lines throughout.

Photo: Jimmy Katz

There's nary a weak track in the program. Each pianist brings his style and strengths to the music.  Hamasyan is featured on Vinson's "Banal Street" and Jarrett's "Oasis."  The former rolls along pleasingly with both musicians enjoying presenting the melody and then Hoth taking sweet solos.  The quartet captures the European Quartet characteristics of "Oasis" with Vinson even channeling Jan Garbarek's tart alto tone. Matt Penman and Billy Hart sparkle in support.  Clayton and Vinson pair up on two originals, the blues-soaked ballad "I Am James Bond" (powerful solos from both) and another slower original, "Cherry Time."  Also a blues, the ballad gets a strong push from Penn and Brewer who really lock in under the solos, paying close attention to shifts in intensity and lightness.  No surprise that Hersch brings a Monk tune to the party; he and Vinson dance their way through "Work", the subtle blend of richness and minimalism in the pianist's approach meshes well with the alto's jaunty solo.  Vinson turns to soprano sax on Robert's handsome ballad "KW." Composed with Kenny Wheeler in mind, there's plenty of space in the opening sax-piano duo that is enhanced by the addition of bassist Rosato and the splendid brush work of Reuckert.  Rubalcaba caresses the melody of Vinson's "The Way To You" which the saxophonist literally sings through his horn.  They then share the album's longest track (10:18) with Grenadier and Harland – "That Happened" is quite a happening with the pianist and drummer in sync on the rhythms, fine solos from all four, and a breezy quality that builds to an intensity that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Lots and lots of music on "441", an album that invites one in and compels you to stay all the way through.  Will Vinson must have had a ball mixing and matching the five pianists with the material as well as the rhythm sections.  They all inspire his playing and, in turn, are inspired by his adventurousness and desire to have fun while telling these 11 stories.  Take your time and let the music soak in – it's well worth the effort.

For more information, go to www.willvinson.com.

For purchasing information and to read more about the album, go to willvinson.bandcamp.com/album/four-forty-one.


Here's the opening track featuring pianist Sullivan Fortner:

Slovenian-born and now New York City-based saxophonist (tenor and soprano plus bass clarinet) Jure Pukl is back with his third album for Whirlwind.   "Broken Circles" finds Pukl in the company of a quartet of "young lions" including bassist Matt Brewer, guitarist Charles Altura, and especially vibraphonist Joel Ross (who is on a slew of recordings issued in the past four months), plus drummer Kweku Sumbry (The latter two can be heard on the powerful new Whirlwind release from bassist Harish Rhaghavan - read my review here).

Pukl created this program with this group in mind; the vast majority of the 11 tracks (plus the radio edit of "Separation") are originals with the one exception. "Gloomy Sunday" was composed in 1932 bu Hungarian composer Rezső Seress with the original lyrics plus the English translation linked to multiple suicides. The composer's story is fascinating yet this version is pushed forward by Sumbry's active drums.  The melody is shared by the bass clarinet and vibes with guitar counterpoint.  As an immigrant to the United States, Pukl composes songs that deal with broken families but also pieces that reflect life in a freer environment.  An example of the former is "Separation", a somber ballad in which the tenor sax, guitar, and vibes each have a voice as does Brewer with a fine solo and the drummer taking the piece to its conclusion.

Photo: Aljosa Videtic

The center of the program is ballad-heavy. After the track above, "Compassion" opens with a kalimba melody before dropping into a slow, moody, ballad. Pukl's soprano plays the melody aided by quiet counterpoint from Ross and Brewer.  "The afore-mentioned "Gloomy Sunday" is several tracks later followed by "Empty Words."  There's a sparse quality to the tracking, at times, the rhythm stops. But, listen to how the musicians respond to the melody and to each other, not allowing excess emotion overtake the music.  Near to the end of the program, "Kids" opens with Pukl's child offering a wordless vocal duo with Dad's tenor sax before the band enters with a sweet ballad. Altura's fine solo is a highlight but pay attention to what Brewer and Sumbry are creating beneath the guitar.

There's plenty of high-powered materials as well.  The album kicks off with "Sustained Optimism", with the tenor sax and vibes playing the speedy melody while the drummer kicks everyone Ito gear.  The title track follows; the song has quite a kick tumbling out of the rhythm section and the front line of tenor, vibes and guitar all take advantage to create strong solos. ""Triumph of Society" is also a very optimistic piece, tumbling forward with a delightful flow.  The final track (before the extra radio edit) is the delightful "Sky Is The Limit" – Pukl's soprano sax shares the melody with guitar and then jumps into his solo, his melodic phrases high up in the soprano's range caught up in the powerful rhythmic flow below him.

Listening to "Broken Circles", one hears a quintet of musicians working and playing to create messages that resonate. Jure Pukl has been an impressive player since first coming to critical attention in the early years of the previous decade.  His writing keeps on maturing as does his playing. He's recorded and/or worked with musicians such as pianist Vijay Iyer, drummer Damion Reid, the Vienna Sax Quartet, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and his wife, saxophonist Melissa Aldana.  This current quintet deserves to be heard in person as each person brings great musical knowledge to the project.  Pay attention!

For more information, go to jure-pukl.com.

Here's the first track on the album:

Been over two decades since saxophonist and NEA Jazz master Dave Liebman began his musical exploration and interpretation of the four Natural Elements. Starting in 1997 with "Water" (featuring Pat Metheny, Billy Hart, and Cecil McBee), then moving on to "Air" (a 2006 duo with computer whiz Walter Quintus), and then 2016's "Fire" (with Kenny Werner, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette.  Liebman brings the cycle to a close with "Earth" (Whaling City Sounds), a 14-piece suite that features his touring and recording group Expansions. The leader brings his signature soprano saxophone plus wooden recorder; the group consists of Matt Vashlishan (Wind synth, reeds), Bobby Avey (piano, keyboards), Alex Ritz (drums), and longtime associate Tony Marino (electric bass).

Liebman constructed this band to be an electro-acoustic outfit and no one exemplifies that more than Vashlishan. having seen the group in concert, it's impressive how he blends the wind synth in the more traditional sounds of piano, bass, and drums.  One can hear that in all its glory on "Volcano/Avalanche" where his instrument creates the former and Liebman's darting soprano lines the other.  Marino's bass and Ritz's drums keep the music from falling apart as well as add to the energy needed to tell the story.  "The Sahara" is introduced by the percussion/ wooden flute "Interlude", complete with wind sounds from the synth and bass. The evocative soprano sax lead then blends with the wind synth to push the song into a different mood. Avey's electric piano solo over the powerful drum playing stands out.

Photo: N Hayashi

There are amazing moments throughout.  The short "Interludes" not only serve as solo spotlights (in the instances above and below, an augmented duo) but also introduce the following track. Avey's piano spot may remind some of a waterfall or a gentle rain outside the window while Vashlishan's seems other-worldly but not unlike  the synth work of the late Joe Zawinul.  Ritz's spot is conversational while Marino plays a chordal riff with the drummer keeping time.  Liebman's soprano solo "Interlude" is evocative of standing on a ridge and leads into "Grand Canyon/ Mt. Everest", a musical appreciation of these natural wonders with each voice stepping forward and then back into the ensemble in a slow procession that compels the listener to sit and let the music unfold, not to rush to move forward but take in the beauty of creation.

Photo: Attila Kleb

The music moves back from its close examination of the natural wonders of "Earth" to its place in the greater Cosmos.  The album closes with "Galaxy", a raucous, funk-driven piece that has the feel of the music Miles Davis created for the "On The Corner".  Marino and Ritz really drive this piece with Avey's chattering keys, Vashlishan's squealing wind synth, and Liebman's  fiery soprano lines fluttering over the top of it.  Midway through the piece, Avey steps out with just Ritz supplying the pulse before Marino reenters and pushes them harder.  The ends then come in and help to take the piece into a short restatement of "Earth Theme", bringing the project back to a close but also serving as an invitation to reenter this music's rich atmosphere.

Photo: N. Hayashi

The pictures that Dave Liebman Expansions creates on "Earth" come into clearer focus each time you listen.  This is music that connects you to the natural world in unexpected ways, asking one to pay closer attention to the majesty of what is all around you, impelling you to go outside away from the daily hustle if only for a short walk in the woods or by a river or near a pond or up to a mountain top.

For more information, go to davidliebman.com/home/new_releases/earth/. Dave Liebman Expansions is appearing at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme CT on 2/22 and then at Dizzy's Club NYC on 2/28-29.  Click on the names for more information.

Here's "Sahara":

Three Gig Night

Saturday evening April 28, CT jazz mavens have a tough decision to make. Do they head to Middletown and Wesleyan University to catch T.S. Monk celebrate the music of his father, Thelonious Monk?  Perhaps, there's drummer. composer, and arranger John Hollenbeck who brings his Large Ensemble to Western CT State University for a rare appearance. Then again, you may want to take a trip to Old Lyme to see/hear saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman perform with his Expansions quintet.  What's a fan to do?

A number of great jazz artists celebrated their 100th birth anniversaries in 2017, none, arguably, more influential than Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917 - 1982).  Monk moved out of the post-World War II "be-bop" explosion to create a music that had its roots in blues, in "free" improvisation, in melodic adventure, with an uncanny sense of creating melodies that caught your ear and, often, made the listener want to tap his feet and shake his head.  While Monk only published 60+ compositions in his career, many of them have served as guideposts for several generations of creative musicians, from John Coltrane to Jason Moran and beyond.

T.S. Monk (born 1949) played in his dad's band later in the elder Monk's career. After his father's passing, the son created the Thelonious Monk Institute, not only to honor his memory but also to help young musicians along their way. The son had success in the r'n'b field in a group that featured his sister Barbara but turned to jazz in the 1990s, traveling the world and continuing his father's legacy.

T.S. Monk brings his Sextet to Crowell Concert Hall, Wyllys Avenues, in Middletown for an 8 p.m. concert.  Titled "Celebrating 100 Years of Thelonious Monk", the drummer/leader heads a fine band that includes the excellent young pianist Theo Hill plus Willie Williams (tenor saxophone), Randall Haywood (trumpet), April May Webb (vocals), Patience Higgins (alto saxophone, flute), and Kenny Davis (bass) - I realize that it's actually a septet but that's jazz for you.  For ticket information, go to www.wesleyan.universitytickets.com.

Here's a track from one of T.S. Monk's early (1997) tributes to his father:


The John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble gathers at 7 p.m. in the Veronica Wegman Concert Hall, 43 Lake Avenue Extension on the campus of Western CT State University in Danbury.  The 20-member ensemble is celebrating its 20th anniversary (!) have a new album, "All Can Work", released earlier this year on New Amsterdam Records (my review is here).  The album illustrates Hiollenbeck's myriad influences, from Kenny Wheeler to William Shakespeare to Billy Strayhorn to Cary Grant's experiments with LSD to the great trumpet teacher and Ensemble member Laurie Frink (who passed in 2013), and more.   The biggest influences on the composer and arranger Hollenbeck have been his long associations with Meredith Monk and Bob Brookmeyer (1929-2011).  One can hear the influences in the melodies the drummer creates, how he uses voice, and his fascinating arrangements.

I love how this group can go from "a whisper to a scream" in a heartbeat, how the solos grow organically out of the ensemble work, and how vocalist Theo Bleckmann is part of the ensemble sound as well as lead vocalist.  The band is stocked with many of the best musicians working in creative music, many of whom have been members since the group's inception.  For more information and a listing of the personnel, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/23rd-annual-jazz-fest-featuring-the-john-hollenbeck-tickets-44268366877.

Here's the JHLE in action:

Photo: Wolfgang Gonaus

Saxophonist, flute player, and composer Dave Liebman is in the midst of a long and successful career. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1946, the NEA Jazz Master (2011) first came to critical notice in the 1970s playing join the bands of Miles Davis and Elvin Jones. His association with pianist Richie Bierach began during that time period, culminating with the fusion-jazz group Lookout Farm whose early albums on ECM are quite impressive.  He's recorded with so many people, teaches now at the Manhattan School of Music even as he conducts workshops all around there world.  Liberian continues to work with Bierach in various settings including the powerful Quest group (with drummer Billy Hart and bassist Ron McClure).  In recent years, he's recorded with Saxophone Summit, with the University of Toronto (CA) Jazz Orchestra, with percussionist Adam Rudolph, with the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, and his own Big Band.

Dave Liebman returns to The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme with his impressive Expansions quintet.  This band - Matt Vashlishan (alto sax, flute, clarinet), Bobby Avey (piano, keyboards), Alex Ritz (drums, percussion), and Tony Marino (bass, electric bass) - has been in existence for eight years, has released three albums on Whaling City Sounds, and stays busy with tours and residencies.  The music covers a large swath of musical territory with all members contributing original material and arrangements.

The first set commences at 8:30 p.m.  For more information and reservations, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-2600.

Here's Expansions dancing its way through one of Wayne Shorter's classic tunes:

Masters At Play & Eight Makes Great (Music)

Perfect listening for a snowy March day in central Connecticut,
"Live at U of T" (UofT Jazz) is the second CD led by the saxophone duo of Dave Liebman (soprano, tenor, flute) and Mike Murley (tenor, soprano). The former has been on the faculty at the University of Toronto as a visiting artist/adjunct Professor since 2013 while the latter has been teaching there since 2011.  Joining them is bassist Jim Vivian (who has worked with both leaders in the past, especially with Murley for over three decades) and the veteran drummer Terry Clarke (John Handy, the Fifth Dimension, Rob McConnell Boss Brass).  The quartet sounds loose and limber, each musician playing with great fire and joy.

The program includes four compositions by Liebman, two by Murley, one by Vivian, Joe Lovano's "Blackwell's Message", and a smashing cover of Ziggy Elman's "And the Angels Sing" (which was first recorded by its composer as a Klezmer-style tune in the mid-1930s before he adapted it for the Benny Goodman Big Band and Johnny Mercer added lyrics).  The quartet swings the heck of the Elman, with the two tenors trading leads and and then "trading 4's".  The rhythm section really pushes the proceedings, something they do throughout the album.

Among the highlights is "Small One", a ballad/waltz composed by Liebman where both he and Murley play soprano sax.  Both create excellent solos over the easy-going rhythm section. Listen to how they intertwine the melody and harmony of the theme section.  The two sopranos play sans rhythm section on Liebman's "Missing Persons", a piece that has the feel of a modern classical composition (yet the timbre of the sopranos and direction of the music reminds this listener of the song "Fertility" from the "Buster Bee" album on Sackville by Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake.)  There's a sense of the mysterious in Murley's "Open Spaces", starting with the flute sounds of Liebman.  When the tenor saxophones enter, one hears the influence of John Coltrane.

"Blackwell's Message", a piece that Joe Lovano wrote in tribute to drummer Ed Blackwell, opens with a delightful drum solo by Clarke. He then falls into a New Orleans "strut" over which the soprano and tenor saxes play the plaintive melody.  Dig how Vivian creates a drone then plays in and round the pedal point.  Both Liebman and Murley create powerful solos with the drummer pushing them forward with such glee.

"Live at U of T" is a treat for those listeners who like to listen "deeply" to music.  The Liebman/Murley Quartet plays with fire, grace, intelligence, a sense of the past and present of music, and with great joy.   You should listen.

For more information, go to mikemurley.com/2017/11/new-liebmanmurley-recording-now-available-on-itunes/.

Here's the Elman/Mercer tune:

Mike Murley and Terry Clarke show up again as members of the Dave Young/Terry Promane Octet, the ensemble that has just issued "Octet: Vol. 2" on Modica Music.  Bassist Young is a veteran of the Toronto music scene, having worked in the early 1960s with guitarist Lenny Breau plus a 35 year association with pianist Oscar Peterson.  Trombonist Promane has played and taught in the Toronto scene as well (not as long as his partner), playing in pit bands for touring Broadway shows as well as with artists such as the late Kenny Wheeler, Rob McConnell, Mike Murley's Septet, and so many others. He's been on the faculty of the University of Toronto where he leads the Jazz 12Tet.  For this album, he's joined in the brass section with Kevin Turcotte (trumpet and flugelhorn) while tenor saxophonist Murley is surrounded by Vern Dorge (alto sax) and Perry White (baritone sax). Young and Clarke are the foundation of the Octet along with pianist Dave Restive.

Like "Vol. 1" (which was issued in late 2012), the new album features music from Charles Mingus ("Duke Ellington's Sound of Love") and Dizzy Gillespie ("Bebop") but there is only one original and that's Murley's "Can't You See" (the earlier album contained three tunes from Promane). This time around, the band plays music from Rodgers & Hammerstein II (the opening "O What a Beautiful Morning"), Cedar Walton (the closer "Hindsight"), Duke Pearson ("Jeannine"), Alec Wilder & Morty Palitz ("Moon and Sand"),  Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields ("I Can't Give You Anything But Love"), Michel Legrand ("You Must Believe In Spring"), and Jimmy Frigo, Herb Ellis, and Lou Carter ("Detour Ahead").

With the leaders contributing four arrangements apiece, the music shows vitality, wit, and intelligence throughout. Those listeners who like swing will enjoy the rollicking "Bebop" (with a super solo from Turcotte) and the driving "Can't You See" (with its melodic bass solo and mellow trombone spotlight). Turcotte also romps through "Jeannine" as does White.

For this listener, it's the ballads that shine.  Young's arrangement of fellow bassist Mingus's "Duke Ellington's Sounds..." celebrates the song's handsome melody while featuring a heartfelt alto sax solo from Dorge.  Murley's tenor leads the way into and throughout most of "Detour Ahead" with the only other solo courtesy of the bassist.  Restivo dances through "You Must Believe In Spring" (a more uptempo take than usual) and "Hindsight", two medium tempo delights.

"Octet: Vol. 2" is good listening music.  The Dave Young/ Terry Promane Octet moves easily through this music, never taking anything for granted. This could easily be background music but the fine arrangements and strong solos holds one's attention throughout.

For more information, go to thejazzbox.ca/dave-young-terry-promane-octet/.

Two Masters at Play, One Trio Exploring

Recorded at the 2016 Jazz & Wine Festival Bordeaux, "Masters of Bordeaux" (Sunnyside Records) finds pianist Martial Solal in a set of duo conversations with saxophonist (soprano and tenor) Dave Liebman. The two did not play together until the tour that accompanied the appearance at this Festival but they sound like old friends as they move through the program, six recognizable standards that the duo make sound fresh.  Solal, 19 days short of his 89th birthday, and Liebman, one month shy of his 70th, do what one hopes masters will do; that is, the music they create keeps the listener glued to his/her seat wondering where the pieces will go next.

photo by Jean-Baptiste Millot

Opening with "All The Things You Are", the duo, with Liebman on expressive soprano sax, dance their way through the Jerome Kern/ Oscar Hammerstein II classic. Liebman switches to tenor for their exploration of Cole Porter's "Night and Day" yet, after his excellent solo, Solal's far-ranging solo stands out for its inventive is of melody and shifting rhythms.  Back to soprano for Miles Davis's "Solar", the duo dance through the melody while the solos will make smile, even gasp at times, at the melodic and harmonic leaps both musicians take.

Honestly, there's not a weak moment on this recording. Both Martial Solal and Dave Liebman are on top of their game, taking chances because of their mutual trust and love for improvisation yet never ignoring the songs.  "Masters of Bordeaux" is an apt title for these two musicians are truly masters of music and, in the parlance of the best red wines from the region in which this concert took place , are "Premier Cru Classe."

For more information, go to www.sunnysiderecords.com/release_detail.php?releaseID=896.

Give a listen to one of the fine collaborations:

Kevin Sun may be recognizable from his work with the quartets Great on Paper (cd review here) or Earprint (reviewed here) or his byline as a transcriber of several of Ethan Iverson's interviews. The Harvard/New England Conservatory graduate (he was the first to complete the schools' combined 5-year degree program) studied composition with Miguel Zenón and John Hollenbeck and has written on his blog ("A Horizontal Search")  an understanding of both the history and forward motion in jazz. "Trio | Kevin Sun" (Endectomorph Music) is his debut recording as a leader. Like the best saxophone trio recordings (Sonny Rollins's "Way Out West" and "Freedom Suite", Joe Henderson's "The State of the Tenor Vols. 1 & 2", Bernie McGann's "Bundeena"), this music works because it is a collaboration of Sun (tenor saxophone, c-melody saxophone, clarinet) with the impressive rhythm section of bassist Walter Stinson (Adam O'Farrill Quartet) and drummer Matt Honor (Cowboys & Frenchmen, Cat Toren).

photo by Jessica Carlton-Thomas

"Trio" contains a lot of music (72 minutes), is composed of most original works (11 Sun tunes, one standard, and two group pieces), and goes in myriad directions.  Opening with "Tranaccidentation", one immediately hears how the three musicians listen closely to each other, how Sun does not force the action and has a subtle, softer,  tone on tenor sax.  In fact, it's Stinson and Honor who push the piece forward in the manner of bassist Fred Hopkins and drummer Steve McCall of Trio Air.  Sun moves to clarinet on the next track "Loading Screen", the angular melody paired with the clanging percussion and bass counterpoint.  The C-melody saxophone shows up twice, first in the mysterious group piece "One Never Knows Now" (Stinson's impressive bowing underpinning the improvisations) and then on the standard "All of Me" - Sun's softer approach on the saxophone leans more towards Lester Young yet the brisk tempo and his delightful solo has a good dollop of Sonny Rollins in it.

photo by Jessica Carlton-Thomas

Several pieces contain great power. "Announcements" is a frisky romp that drives for the entire 2:13 while "Misanthrope" has a "heavy metal" feel at the open, Nirvana-like with bleating saxophone and crushing drums.  "Air Purifier", at nearly 12 minutes, is the longest track and goes through a number of changes in tempo and dynamics, with Sun moving from clarinet to tenor after the opening section.  There's a powerful bass and drum conversation before the piece slows again; Sun goes back to clarinet, plays a somber melody, and the bassist takes the lead. The somber tone lasts through the close of the piece.

There is so much to explore on "Trio | Kevin Sun" and I know hard it can be sitting through a long program.  But this music is worth the time and effort.  The compositions are adventurous, the skill, effort, and ideas of the musicians stand out, and one wishes to be in the audience when they explore these pieces.  Go to thekevinsun.com/p/upcoming.html to find out when this Trio is playing near you - this is "alive" music and should be seen and heard.

Here's a taste of the Trio: