Guitarist, vocalist, composer and producer Lionel Loueke came to the United States in the late-1990s to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He had left his home in Benin, West Africa, several years earlier to study in Paris, France. Almost immediately after arriving in the US, he met bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth, forming a musical ensemble that remains intact to this day. They first toured and recorded as Gilfema, releasing several fine albums. Mr. Loueke has also worked with Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, and vocalist Gretchen Parlato as well as producing the debut recording of vocalist Kavita Shah.
Now dubbed the Lionel Loueke Trio, they will performing this Friday (February 5) at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme. Loueke's new Blue Note CD, "Gaïa" was issued in late October of 2015 to excellent reviews and the music shows the band at its best. Recorded "live" in the studio with the 3 musicians in the same room, no headphones, no overdubs, it's certainly the most visceral music the band has produced. Listeners used to the earlier recordings may be surprised the crackle and snap of this new music. The rhythmic drive of the trio is incredible, making impossible to sit still.
While the new recording has its softer moments, the Trio really "rocks out" on several tracks. In person, one can hear the years of friendship and musical interactions step to the fore, making the music come alive. They'll take the stage at 8:30 p.m. - for ticket information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-0886.
On Saturday night, The Whitfield Family Band returns to The Side Door for 2 exciting sets. Led by guitarist Mark Whitfield, who has played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock and Chris Botti, and recorded 14 albums as a leader, the WFB also includes Mark Jr. (drums), son and brother Davis (piano) and Yashushi Nakamura (bass). The music they grow plays is a reflection of Dad's career - he has never been afraid to cross genres, from easy listening to funk to straight-ahead jazz to hard bop.
The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the first notes ringing out an hour later. Call 860-434-0886 for reservations.
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Here are 2 more recordings from 2015 that you should be aware of; both are the product of trombonist/composers and both have a decidedly "progressive" edge.
O, what to make of "Ye Olde" (Yester Eve Records), the 3rd album of trombonist, composer, and arranger Jacob Garchik? It comes 3 years after his fascinating solo extravaganza, "The Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Album" and features 3 guitarists - Jonathan Goldberger, Mary Halvorson, and Brandon Seabrook - plus drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. The 14-song, 37-minute album tells the mythical story of the village of Flatbush in the year 1014.
That written, the music Grachik created for his quintet has its roots in the progressive "rock" of the 1970s and 80s. groups such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and King Crimson as well as artists such as Lou Reed and David Bowie. The results are loud yet rhythmically strong with the trio of plectrists adding many layers of sound to Garchik's overdubbed choir of trombones blended with his alto and tenor horns.
Sperrazza pushes, coaxes and bludgeons (at times) the music forward, his forceful drums bringing to mind the work of John Bonham and Bill Bruford. There's a playful quality to the project (as one might expect from the subject matter) and, if one takes the time to really listen, Garchik writes excellent melodies and the arrangements for the guitars give each musician an important voice in the songs.
"Ye Olde" is wonderfully off-kilter music and that's a compliment. Jacob Garchik has a playful edge to his music and we are the beneficiaries. For more information, go to jacobgarchik.com.
Mr. Garchik is also a member of The Four Bags, a group that features reedman Michael McGinnis, guitarist Sean Moran, and trombonist Brian Drye (Garchik mainly plays accordion for the ..Bags). Brian Drye leads his own quartet, Bizingas, and their 2nd CD "Eggs Up High" (NCM East) came out (or escaped) in November 2015. Drye wrote all the tunes, playing trombone, synthesizer, organ and piano, and created the arrangements for Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Ches Smith (drums, drum machine, rada drum, electronics) and the ubiquitous Kirk Knuffke (cornet). Mr. Goldberger's role in this band is quite similar to his work on the Garchik recording - his highly amplified riffs dance around the hearty drumming, weaving in and out of the brass players (check his blistering work on "Once").
Yes, this is "fusion" music but it goes in so many unexpected directions. After a rollicking synth and drums opening, trombone and trumpet play the theme of "Hawaii" in half-time (the handsome melody bears resemblance in several lines to Bob Dylan's "Lay Down Your Weary Tune"). "Plant-based" opens with synth drums, hand percussion and solid piano chords. This time, the melody find its way through the guitar effects and opens to a long solo from Drye (on trombone) and into a section that would not spend out of place on Weather Report's "Mysterious Traveler." Knuffke creates a excellent solo, against the grain of the piano chords.
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"Along" wildly dances atop a forceful beat, raucous guitar and organ chords. On the opposite, "Shane" enters on a handsome piano melody which opens to Knuffke's countermelody. His solo has soft, burry, edges that have an emotional edge. Surprisingly, the drums and guitar enter with but 1:25 left in the song joining the corner and piano in replaying the melody. Funk a la James Brown mixed with DEVO is what the opening minute of "Slip" sounds like. Goldberger enters and the piece begins to really explode cornet and trombone dueling over rapid-fire drums. A burping synth drum beat leads the trombone in on "Pedal" - Drye's melody line is quite handsome and he is supported, at various times, by a guitar counterpoint. Smith returns, this time on "live" drums and the song dances forward.
Nearly 5 years passed between the first and second Bizingas albums - if you heard the self-titled debut, you'd hear that Brian Drye wanted this band to rock harder than The Four Bags but have a similar sense of direction(s). If you like music where anything is possible, from heart-felt melodies to full-blown guitar shredding, burbling synths to impressionistic brass arrangements, "Eggs Up High" is a mighty tasty meal.
Fields of Moons - Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band (Jazzheads) - Chris Washburne's previous CD was recorded in the midst of the second George Bush Presidency, a dark time of war and retribution and his music, released on "Land of Nod", reflected the artist's sadness about the state of the world. While one would be hard-pressed to say that the world is a more peaceful place at the moment, this new CD is filled with tuneful ballads and love songs. The program, a sweet mix of originals by Washburne and several band members alongside 4 fine covers, ranges from suave Latin tunes (such as Pedro Flores' "Obsesiøn" and the standard "Poinciana") to a danceable take of Benny Carter's "When Lights Are Low" to a hopeful and somewhat raucous version of "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" (fine tuba work from the leader.) The originals stand up well, especially saxophonist Ole Mathisen's handsome "Non Spoken" (with its melody split among the saxophone and brass) and pianist Barry Olsen's lovely "Long Time Coming" (strong solos from the composer, leader and Mathisen.) The rhythm section of electric bassist Leo Traversa, drummer Diego Lopez and percussionist Cristian Rivera keep the the music percolating, even on the slower tunes.
The title track, composed by Washburne, includes a lovely melody line and an intelligent arrangement that weaves the brass and reed around each other in mesmerizing fashion. Mathisen's soprano sax solo is exciting, especially atop the active work of Lopez, but never pushes too far.
"Fields of Moons" is a perfect panacea for those listeners beaten down by bad news or frustrated with current events. Soothing, sensuous, heartfelt and rich in melodies and harmonies, this music will transport the listener out of any sort of doldrums. For more information, go to www.chriswashburne.com.
Hear the title track, courtesy of Jazzhead and IODA Promonet: Fields of Moons (mp3)
Delicious and Delightful - Steve Turre (HighNote) - Trombonist and master of the conch shells, Steve Turre seems to be incapable of making dull music. With a top-notch band including veterans Billy Harper (tenor saxophone), Larry Willis (piano), Dion Parsons (drums) and relative newcomer Corcoran Holt (bass) plus guests Russell Malone (guitar on 2 tracks) and Pedro Martinez (African percussion on the hypnotic "Dance of the Gazelles"), Turre blends Latin, Boogaloo, blues and straight-ahead jazz into a compelling and satisfying program. The music blasts off from the opening notes of "Light Within", Parsons' pounding drums beneath the leader's soulful conch work leads to a soulful melody. Harper, who composed the tune, takes the first solo and just about tears the speakers open with his initial phrases. He's much more subdued on his other contribution, "Speak to Me of Love, Speak to Me of Truth", allowing space for beautiful solo statements from Willis and Turre (and no tenor solo.) The title track features guitarist Malone on a tune related to Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder" in spirit and feel. The solos are short and spirited, leaving one wishing the song was half again as long. Turre's "Blackfoot" is a romp, with fiery solos from Parsons and Harper as well as a strong "trading eights" section that closes the piece. Malone returns on "Ray's Collard Greens", a tune Turre wrote for and performed with Ray Charles. Everybody "gets down and dirty", especially the leader on his conch shells (it still is amazing how much music Turre can create with those shells.) Willis takes several fine solos and provides strong accompaniment throughout, his chordal work and sympathetic lines behind the soloists is always engaging.
This CD has just the right monicker, it is most certainly both "Delicious and Delightful." If it has one shortcoming, some of the tracks could be a bit longer so that the soloists could stretch out a bit more. That said, the music has passion and light, making it worth your while to check out. For more information, go to www.steveturre.com.
Big City Circus - Joel Yennior Trio (Brass Wheel Music) - For his first CD as a leader, trombonist Yennior, who's been a mainstay in The Either/ Orchestra since the late 1990s, decided to step out front with a fascinating sonic line-up. Guitarist Eric Hofbauer (leader of the InfraRed Band and co-owner of the Creative Nation Music label) and drummer Gary Fieldman (principal percussionist with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and leader of his own quartet) are Yennior's co-conspirators and the results go in myriad directions. The opening track, "Dancing Dave", has a boppish feel, with light guitar chords and "swinging" drums. Moving on to "A House in Not a Home", one hears the trombonist caress the sweet Burt Bacharach melody while the guitarist offers bluesy chords and Fieldman swirls around the drum kit with deft brush work. One of Thelonious Monk's lesser-known works, "Gallop's Gallop", gives the trio another opportunity to "swing" and play off each other.
It's not all "fun-and-games" - a stint on jury duty for a murder case led Yennior to create "Justice Lost: A Suite in Three Parts." Moved by the responsibility to find justice for the victim's family, the trombonist creates a work based in the blues and filled with fire, anger and emotion. Part 1, "Blood on the Street" has a harrowing feel, a flexible and shifting percussion beneath the declarative trombone and rumbling guitar. There's growling gutbucket trombone on part 2, "Blues For Justice Lost", built off a 6-note guitar riff. A martial beat underpins the melody on Part 3, the track that bears the name of the CD. The melody and execution may remind some of Kurt Weill's style, especially on his writing for "The Three-Penny Orchestra."
The CD ends on a joyous note, with a sweet romp through "Estrellita", a tune from the early 20th Century by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce. Fieldman's snappy brush works well beneath the bouncy melody line, Hofbauer's catchy solo and as a spotlight for the drummer.
Joel Yennior has produced a fine debut CD, with an intelligent blend of serious and swinging music. The music is not very loud nor does it feel empty - the interplay of the 3 musicians and the fine melodies holds one attention throughout. For more information, go to wwwbrasswheelmusic.com.
Live!! at the Berklee Performance Center - Phil Wilson & Makoto Ozone(Capri Records) - This fun CD is a reissue of a 1983 Lp recorded in November of 1982 in Boston, Massachusetts. Veteran trombonist and educator Wilson got together with then 21-year old piano phenom Ozone and just let it fly from the opening note. The pianist's stylings range from Art Tatum to Bill Evans with a bit of Oscar Peterson thrown in and is the perfect complement to the highly swinging trombonist. Even today, most people would hear "Stella By Starlight" and "Here's That Rainy Day" as straight ballads but, here, both men kick it up several notches. In the middle of "Stella...", Ozone's left hand falls into a heavy stride groove and Wilson follows suit. It takes them a few minutes to push the tempo on "...Rainy Day" and this time it's Wilson who prompts the pianist. "Gravy Waltz", from the team of Steve Allen and Ray Brown, hearkens back to "Fats" Waller with Ozone displaying that flashy left hand and some impressive 2-hand work. Wilson contributes the ballad "These Are The Days" and the duo give the fine melody a loving treatment. "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me" is a tune from 1919 - one can tell its pedigree from rolling piano lines and the spunky, hummable, melody. Both men take fine solos. Wilson goes unaccompanied and his blowsy, strutting, phrases set the pace for Ozone's frolic. They have as much fun on the final track, "Giant Steps", playing the tune very fast, with a 2-way conversation in the middle that is as playful as it is musical.
If you missed this recording first time around, Capri Records gives you the opportunity to atone. Even though the concert took place almost 3 decades ago, the duo's interactions and sense of experimentation sounds quite modern. That's the spirit of jazz. For more information, go to www.caprirecords.com.
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