2021 – Music That Moved, Soothed, Educated, and Inspired (Part 2)

 Since I began this blog in 2009, I realized that every Top Ten list has a number 11, 12, and so on. When hundreds of recordings are released every year, it's physically impossible to give every one of those albums the time it deserves to be heard but I believe that every reviewer/ critic has favorites that could quite easily replace several, if not more, of the recordings listed 1-10.  Ergo, here's Part 2.

Fergus McCreadie – "Cairn" (Edition Records) – The young Scottish pianist and composer has proven himself to be a technical wizard but this album shows he has a delightful and potent lyrical side. Wit an equally impressive rhythm section, this music sings.

Go to https://fergusmccreadie.bandcamp.com/album/cairn. 

Joe Fiedler's "Open Sesame" – "Fuzzy and Blue" (Multiphonics Music) –  Trombonist, orchestrator, and composer Fiedler has the music director of "Sesame Street" for over a decade embraces his playful side. Along with trumpeter Steven Bernstein, saxophonist Jeff Lederer, bassist Sean Conly, drummer Michael Sarin, and (occasional) vocalist Miles Griffith, he takes this "kids music" and brings out the funky, jazzy, side. 

Go to https://joefiedler.bandcamp.com/.

William Parker – "Migrations of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World" (AUM Fidelity) – 10 albums, 10 different ensembles, hours of fascinating music: released early in 2021, this collection continues to display/ uncover the bassist's endless springs of  creativity each time you play one or more of the recordings. In those hours when the despair in the world has tried to overtake the days/ nights, Mr. Parker's music reminds one that music is a welcome oasis.

Go to https://williamparker.bandcamp.com/album/migration-of-silence-into-and-out-of-the-tone-world-volumes-1-10. 

In 2021, the Finnish label TUM Records celebrated Wadada Leo Smith's 80th birth year by releasing four projects, three in multi-disk boxed sets that the trumpeter, composer, and conceptualist recorded in the past six year. All four deserve to to be listed in Part 1 of these posts and in any "Best of" list. The picture on the left is the cover of "A Love Sonnet for Billie Holiday" featuring Wadada with drummer/ percussionist Jack DeJohnette and pianist/ organist/ synth player Vijay Iyer.

"Trumpet" (pictured left) is three albums of solo trumpet music recorded in St Mary's Church in Pohja, Finland. Before you shake your head and walk away, know that this is an amazing journey filled with introspection, joy, feistiness, freedom, and more, never failing to satisfy the adventurous listener. One can hear the spirits of Louis Armstrong, Lester Bowie, Booker Little, and Clifford Brown shaking their collective heads and shouting "Amen"!

"Sacred Ceremonies" is also a three-CD set, one with Wadada and percussionist Milford Graves, one with the trumpeter and bassist Bill Laswell, the third with all three artists.  The sound quality of these albums is stunning, one feels as he or she in the middle of a room watching the the musicians creating in the moment.  Music without borders played by musicians who love and respect each other so they create without ego.

Go to https://tumrecords.com/tum-info to find out more and also to check the 38-minute video of Wadada's 80th Birthday tribute.  

Gabriel Vicéns – "The Way We Are Created" (Inner Circle Music) – Puerto Rican-born guitarist and composer Vicéns strikes gold with his third album as a leader. His mature, intelligent, and playful compositions are performed by a splendid sextet including Roman Filiú (alto sax), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Rick Rosato (bass), E.J. Strickland (drums), and Victor Pablo (percussion). One can get lost, entranced, in the flow of this wonder-filled collection.

Go to https://gabrielvicens.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-we-are-created. 

Roxana Amed - "Ontology" (Sony Music/Latin) – The Argentinean-born, Miami, FL, vocalist, composer, and educator has had a long and distinguished career in Latin America. Since moving to the US, Ms. Amed has created alongside Guillermo Klein, Frank Carlberg, Leo Genovese, and others – this album runs the gamut from introspective ballads to performances in a "freer" style and a voice that move one to the edge of his seat.

Go to https://roxana-amed.com/. 

Jen Shyu – "Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses" (Pi Recordings) – There are albums and artists whose music enters my brain and soul yet I cannot really describe why. Ms. Shyu, an amazing composer, musician, and performer has the innate ability to make "foreign" sounds feel familiar; in the case of this album, much of which is inspired by the loss of her father, it's because she is telling a story mostly all of us live through, facing pain with the need to create music that "frees" feelings. Her ensemble – Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Dan Weiss (drums, percussion), Thomas Morgan (bass), and Mat Manieri (viola) –  aids in her quest with creativity and dignity for the subject matters.

Go to https://jenshyu-pi.bandcamp.com/.

Lorraine Feather – "My Own Particular Life"  (Relarion Records) – Ms. Feather has proven herself time and time again to be one of the finest lyricists of the past 20 years. Over the past decade, her albums have become even more personal even as she displays quite a love for science as well as more arcane subjects. This may be her most personal album as there are songs that address her former husband's battle with dementia, how one lives a real life during the pandemic, and a few more.  But there are also new examples of her delightful humor. The band, all recorded remotely (including the late percussionist Michael Shapiro who recorded his work in the Philippines!), is her usual band of suspects including the wondrous violin of Charlie Bisharat.  

Go to https://lorrainefeather.com/. 

Art Hirahira – "Open Sky" (Posi-Tone Records) – Over the past decade, pianist and composer Art Hirahira has issued six albums as a leader for the Los Angeles-based Posi-Tone Records: he started out strong in 2011 with "Noble Path" and his music has only gotten stronger and more delightful since.  Here, he is backed by Posi-Tone's "pandemic" rhythm section (bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston with guests vibraphonist Behn Gillece and tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover performing on selected tracks) and the results are exciting, lyrical, exploratory, and so much more.

Go to https://arthirahara.bandcamp.com/album/open-sky.

Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge – "Within Us" (MAMA Records/ Summit Records) – Composer, arranger, and educator Owen (who retired this year) has produced one fine large ensemble album. The lyricism, the musicianship, the delightful violin of guest artist Sara Caswell, and a 19-piece band that is so responsive that the music flows seemingly without effort, Mr. Owen has kept this band together for 25 years (this album celebrates that longevity), continuing to produce music filled with ideas, possibilities, dreams, and realities.  

Go to www.summitrecords.com/release/within-us-celebrating-20-years-of-the-jazz-surge/. 

As I look back over this list, all of them deserve top 10 status so I'll call them #11 A-L.  I'll unveil a list of #12s next week.  

Be safe!

Life, Loss, Wisdom, Moving Inward & Forward

How do our personal experiences affect the music we make, the music we listen to?  Can one truly describe those experiences through music?  I believe most of us would say yes.  

Photo: Steven Shreiber

In early 2019, composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu was in the midst of creating a long-form composition/ performance work, "Zero Grasses".  She was in Japan on a research mission for the project when she received an email to tell her that her 78-year father had died in his sleep.  Needless to say, Ms. Shyu returned home  and, as she and her mother were cleaning out her father's closet, they found her childhood diaries.  That discovery changed the arc of her project (which debuted in October 2019) –– the importance of living one's life, the racism in our society, how the Music industry treats women, and more became the subject of her songs. As did the Pandemic and the death of Breonna Taylor in the months before finishing her new album.

"Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses" (Pi Recordings) is the result of two studio sessions (January 11, 2019 and August 11-12, 2020).  Accompanying Ms. Shyu (who plays percussion, piano, Taiwanese moon lute, Japanese biwa) is Jade Tongue which consists of Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Mat Maneri (viola), Thomas Morgan (bass), and Dan Weiss (drums), the same quartet that appeared on her 2015 Pi Recording "Sounds and Cries of the World" (Maneri, Morgan, and Weiss also appear on 2017's "Song of Silver Geese"). The album (her eighth) opens with the 4-part, nine minute "Living's a Gift"; the lyrics for the piece were composed by choir students (grades 6-8) from the MS 51 William Alexander Middle School in Brooklyn, NY.  The songs speak on the strangeness of living in the Pandemic. Listening to how Ms. Shyu multi-tracks her voice and how the quartet move along with her, never playing over here but as partners.  

She writes and sings about her Father's loss on the somber, dark, "Body of Tears".  How Ms. Shyu uses her voice to portray shock and sorrow as well as the matter-of-fact quality of the email notifying of her Father's death.  Meanwhile, the trumpet shouts, the viola wails until the music calms a bit at the close.  "Lament for Breonna Taylor" starts with quiet percussion into a couplet from a poem by pianist Armen Nahlbandian.  Soon, one hears long notes from Morgan (bowed bass), Maneri, and Akinmusire before the piano plays chords.  As the music rises slowly in intensity, Ms. Shyu sings lyrics from two different interviews with Ms.Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer.  That piece melts into Ms. Shyu's "The Human Colour", a jazzy ballad about hope and how even in war, we are more like than dissimilar. 

Photo: Marco Giugliarelli

"When I Have Power" utilizes an incident related in the composer's teen years when she was called a "chink". Her 15-years old self does not understand, the music created behind her goes from "free-form" into rhythms from Timor-Leste and Ms. Shyu breaks into a chant which emboldens her and she says she will change the world.  The final two tracks, "With Eyes Closed You See All" and "Life As You Envision", speak to lessons learned with the passing of her father. The gentle interactions of the musicians on the former serve as a counterpoint to the piano-driven melody under the vocal.  Ms. Shyu leads the group playing a trance-like melody on biwa (see picture above). As she sings on love and loss, Akinmusire often plays long tones until the final verse when he and the music becomes turbulent.

The best way to experience "Zero Grasses" Ritual for the Losses" is to play it over and over.  This is not "conventional" music; instead, Jen Shyu shatters genres yet stays true to the folk traditions that underlie her incredible music. Her voice is so supple, easily changing timbre but never sacrificing emotion.  This is music that adheres itself to your soul and to your heart!

For more information, go to www.jenshyu.com.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://jenshyu-pi.bandcamp.com/album/zero-grasses-ritual-for-the-losses. 

Here's a video introduction to the album:

Photo: Tae Cimarosti

Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi (1939-2015), the Japanese native, played with so many great American Jazz artists over the 40+ years of his career (from Billy Harper to Gary Peacock to Paul Motian to Gil Evans). 18 months before he died, Kikuchi entered Klavierhaus in New York City and recorded the sessions that comprise his new album.  "Hanamichi" is the first recording to be released on Red Hook Records and is the last session "Poo", as Kikuchi was affectionately called, recorded. It's his fifth solo piano album and quite unlike others in that producer Sun Chung pushed him to play "songs" instead of mostly improvising in the studio.

The 42-minute program opens with "Ramona", a Mabel Wayne composition from 1928, that the pianist slows down.  Like his friend and associate Paul Motian, Kikuchi never rushes his way through a ballad. After a formless opening, the pianist lovingly moves into the melody, relishing each note. "Summertime" follows –– it, too, opens ever-so-slowly but the pianist dives into the George Gershwin melody and, like the previous track, is in no hurry.  It's the longest track –– 11:23 –– never bogs down or becomes boring. A meditation on the classic, the music is comfortable and comforting.  There are two versions of "My Favorite Things"; "I" opens in a wistful mood then notes begin falling like rain, splintering the melody into fragments, never returning to the melody.  The feel of Erik Satie inhabits "II" at the onset before the pianist drops into a deliberate yet stunning reading of the melody.  Kikuchi creates a new melody after the first verse, never in a hurry, relying on the sustain of heavy chords to move the music forward. 

Photo: Hiroyuki Ito

The final two tracks include the aptly-titled "Improvisation" and the pianist's tune for his daughter "Little Abi."  The former rumbles forward in the style of Matthew Shipp and Cecil Taylor.  Kikuchi does not startle one with terrific technique but displays how one create melody out of dissonant phrases and how, when he slows down, the music gently comes together.  "...Abi" is a piece the pianist recorded several times but first on a trio date led by drummer Elvin Jones.  While it seemed in later years that Kikuchi would just improvise throughout his concerts, he always returned to this song.  It's "pretty" without being saccharine, a slow, pensive, memory of a young child who captivated the artist, innocent and gentle.  

If "Hanamichi" leads you to discover more music by Masabumi Kikuchi, you will be richly rewarded. If you are already a fan, you will be pleased that the pianist continued exploring up to the end of his life.  This is music out of the ordinary and you should let yourself surrender to its whimsical beauty. 

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/redhookrecords/.  For an in-depth conversation conducted by Ethan Iverson in 2012, go to ethaniverson.com/interviews/interview-with-masabumi-kikuchi/. 

Canadian-born vibraphonist Dan McCarthy has been a mainstay on the North American jazz scene for over two decades. Before moving to the United States, he played with artists such as drummer Ted Warren, vocalist Laila Biali, guitarist Lorne Lofsky, and drummer Terry Clarke.  After his move to the States, McCarthy played alongside and/or with bassist Steve Swallow, guitarist Ben Monder, saxophonist Myron Walden, and drummer Gerald Cleaver plus many more.  He's recorded and self-released several albums (which you can find at Bandcamp –– https://vibraphonedan.bandcamp.com/) plus two albums released by the Seattle, WA- based label Origin Records.  

His new album, "A Place Where Once We Lived", was recorded in February of 2019 the day before McCarthy moved back to Toronto (and three months before his second Origin release "City Abstract", a musical tribute to Gary Burton, featuring his Canadian quartet).  A trio date with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston, "A Place...." sparkles with ideas, excellent musicianship, intelligent interactions, and strong solos from all.  The first sounds you hear at the onset of "Sonder" is Morgan's rich bass tones anticipating the ballad that follows.  The full-sounding vibes mesh well with bass sound. Royston plays with subtle power as he links his "swing" with Morgan's ambling phrases.  One can hear the influence of Burton but the music is reminiscent of Pat Metheny's debut on ECM "Bright Sized Life."  Pieces such as "Trail Marker" and "Desert Roads" have an airiness that allows the music to breathe plus they seem to encourage and suggest lyrics or poems. 

There are three "Short Stories" in the 11-song program.  None are over 1:24 and each seems like an introduction yet all stand nicely on the own.  The first, "A Short Story About Birds", has a slow melody for bass and vibes but also one hears Royston's "nervous" fills.   Next is  "A Short Story About Distance" with its hypnotic vibes and drum opening, and the melody played by Morgan's bass.  The third and shortest (54 seconds), "A Short Story About Quiet", seems to hover in the sound space as if waiting for the next track "Go Berserk" to erupt.  While the trio never really gets loud, the urgency and intensity of the music is palpable.  

The ballads McCarthy composes stand out for their emotional power as well as their musical intelligence.  The title track spotlights Morgan as he leads the tune in and takes a richly melodic solo near the close (his work beneath the vibraphonist's solo is also impressive.  "Somber Sleep" moves gently with moments where the musicians are in conversation with each other (note how Royston's splendid brush work interacts with the melody and how McCarthy's vibes in the middle of the piece sound like a marimba).  "I'm Your Pal" (listen below) features more fine brush work, yet another melodic bass solo, and a jazzy vibes solo that reverberates gently through the soundscape.

"A Place Where We Once Lived" closes with "Goodnight Sweet Cat", another handsome ballad.  Once again, the conversation between vibes and bass is the heart of the song while the ever-so-gentle drumming of Royston puts a fine frame around the piece.  With this sessions and these songs, Dan McCarthy says "goodbye" to the United States in the nicest fashion.  The music on this album does not point to any one era or genre but is just that –– music. Good music. Honest music.  Music that just asks you to listen, to submerge under the sounds and come out refreshed. 

For more information, go to www.vibraphonedan.com.  To hear more and to purchase this and other Dan McCarthy albums, go to https://vibraphonedan.bandcamp.com/album/a-place-where-we-once-lived. 

Here's "I'm Your Pal":

2017, What A Year (Pt 4 - Unique Voices)

This "Best of" list is in no order other than coming from the pile of CDs on the desk. Each album holds the power to capture the mind, to ask questions, to illustrate technical prowess but not for the sake of the narrative. I discovered that my original list of 36 did not include reissues or "albums of historical note" plus a pair of delightful solo piano disks so, "Yes Virginia, there will be a Part 5."

Saxophonist and composer Noah Preminger made this album in the heat he felt following the 2016 US Election (as did Ryan Keberle - see "2017..Pt 1"). The songs, originals and selected "covers", speak to the dysfunctional nature of politics and government to be able to see its inherent problems (and its strengths) and do something - anything - that benefits the people.  It's no surprise that the album cover is in black & white because there are days when it seems that there are no shades in between.  Yet, this music is not all "doom and gloom"; feelings of hope enter into pieces such as "Give Me Love", "A Change is Gonna Come", and "We Have A Dream."  Kudos to Preminger, trumpeter Jason Palmer, bassist Kim Cass, and drummer Ian Froman for lighting up the dark nights.


It's been over 10 years since saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón made an album that just featured him with his oft-dazzling quartet of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole.  "Típico" (Miel Music) arrived in February of 2017 and shows just how delightful this "working" band can be.  Friends who attended "live" shows have told me that the ensemble often breathes as one.  In many ways, this quartet reminds me of the  "classic" John Coltrane quartet in that no one voice is more important than any one else, that they share the same goals, that they listen, respond, and are sympathetic. In its finest moments, one can hear how these musicians are in the midst of a most delightful dance, one in which they may go in separate directions but come back together with such delight, spirit, and gentleness.

I did not review or write about "Song of Silver Geese", the splendid new recording by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jen Shyu. Honestly, I am not sure what to tell you other than the album is a culmination of Ms. Shyu's years of studying the music and stories of East and West Timor, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, and elsewhere in Asia.  Using Eastern and Western instruments (vibraphone, string bass, piano, Taiwanese moon lute, zither, plus a string quartet), this music is truly like nothing you have heard.  To this observer, the main point is human beings around the world share stories, think about our existence in a fragile world, dream of the supernatural yet are aligned with the sun, planets, and stars.  We may not understand the lyrics - read the translations - but the underlying emotions are universal.  Powerful music that deserves not only to be heard but certainly to be seen.

In the space of a week, three separate albums featuring pianist Tal Cohen arrived on my doorstops (physical and digital).  "Gentle Giants" (self-released) emerge quickly as my favorite, the powerful melodies and emotional ballads sparking to a musician who has absorbed his influences and is not afraid to take chances. Add saxophonists Greg Osby (alto) or Jamie Oehlers (tenor) to the rhythm section of Cohen, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Nate Winn and the music soars with inventiveness, exhibiting the joy that musicians have when they are playing well together.  Cohen digs into every solo as if it was his last, mining the melodies and harmonies to create cogent statements as well as exciting flights of fancy.

For those of following the career of bassist Linda May Han Oh, her fourth album as as leader "Walk Against Wind" (Biophilia Records) continues to show her development as a composer and soloist.  Written for her "regular" band -  Ben Wendel (tenor saxophone), Matthew Stevens (guitar), and Justin Brown (drums) - and featuring pianist Fabian Almazan (on three tracks) plus percussionist Minji Park (on one track), this music is ever-so-melodic with unexpected turns, fine solos, and Ms. Oh's expressive bass work.  And the more you return, the more you hear.  This artist can certainly hold her own in any rhythm section but you can't help but marvel at how her instrument can help create the sound of a band - that writ, her interactions with Brown really stand out.

Saxophonist Ralph Bowen's self-title Posi-Tone release is, arguably, the most impressive release of his long and varied career.  Recorded with Jim Ridl (piano, Fender Rhodes), Kenny Davis (bass), and Cliff Almond (drums), the bulk of the album's time is dedicated to the saxophonist's (mostly tenor) original work "The Phylogeny Suite" - the 42-minute, six-part, work covers a large amount of musical territory and neither flags or loses its direction. Playful, honest, at times soaked in blues, the program shows a musician at the top of his game and a band that pushes, prods, and fiercely supports his every move.  Kudos as well to Nick O'Toole for a splendid recording and his usual excellent mastering.

Tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger Paul Jones used several different ensembles in the recording of "Clean" (Inside Out Music) including a sextet with two saxes, guitar, piano, bass, and drums plus a wind trio with cello, a saxophone quartet, and a flute-piano duo.  The sextet appears on the majority of the longer tracks bur the guests rarely intrude and the music really flows.  Soaked in melody, the music goes in many directions without getting lost. The stories Jones is telling deal with creativity, with the musician's search for growth, and wanting to connect with as many people as possible. Is it possible to be true to your "muse", to want to continue to grow each and every day, and to want people to join you on your journey?  We say yes! We say that "Clean" is a delight from start to finish!

I did not review "The Sky Remains" (Steel Bird), the latest album for pianist and composer Josh Nelson, but I did listen to the delightful album many times. The music is a love-letter to and appreciation for his hometown, the city of Los Angeles, CA.  Many of us think of LA as one giant freeway but the area was first settled in the late 1780s, incorporated as a city in 1850 and is currently the second most populous city in the U.S. There is so much to learn reading to liner notes and much to enjoy listening to how Nelson's music gives an emotional heart to his urban area.  Kathleen Grace adds her luminous voice to four of the tracks. Also pay attention to Nelson's classy arrangements especially how he utilizes Chris Lawrence (trumpet, flugelhorn), Josh Johnson (alto sax, flute), and the expressive clarinets of Brian Walsh.  Take this journey and you will be so pleased!

Violinist Sam Bardfeld, who has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Anthony Braxton, and the Jazz Passengers, came back as a leader this year with "The Great Enthusiasms" (BJU Records). Joining him on this aural journey was pianist Kris Davis and drummer Michael Sarin - the stores they tell are inspired by the likes of Richard Nixon and the music of the 1970s (the trio covers Bruce Springstreen's "Because The Night" plus do a knock-out version of The Band's "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"). The trio does not play it safe, meaning the music goes in many and varied directions. With influences ranging from bluegrass, rock, the explorations of Leroy Jenkins and Billy Bang, and more, Sam Bardfeld and company create a program that is challenging, exciting, rich with ideas and interactions, and well worth exploring.