Masters At Play May 2021

The decade between 1963-1972 was such a fertile time for Creative Music.  Musicians like John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Muhal Richard Abrams, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and others were stretching, even obliterating the boundaries of music and sound. The artists mentioned below, especially Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Holland, and the late Milford Graves, have never sat still waiting for the world to catch up with them; instead, they have dedicated their creative lives to continually exploring the myriad possibilities open to them and fellow musicians.

Photo: Petri Haussila

Wadada Leo Smith (12/1941, Leland. MS) began playing trumpet when he was 12 years old. After completing high school, Mr. Smith played in various soul rhythm 'n' blues, and blues bands before joining the U.S. Army, studying in the Music Program and playing in Army bands.  After leaving the service, the trumpeter settled in Chicago where he began playing with saxophonist Anthony Braxton and violinist Leroy Jenkins. Like a number of musicians associated with the AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Mr. Smith developed his musical philosophy which he called Ankhrasmation Symbol Language which he utilizes to this day.  In 1970, he moved to New Haven, CT,  working with numerous groups (including New Delta Ahkri and The Creative Improviser Orchestra) as well as studying at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.

Photo: Petri Haussila

In 1992, Mr. Smith moved to Southern California to teach at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) where he remained for two decades.  He organized new ensembles and worked alongside guitarist Henry Kaiser in Yo Miles! while still working with his AACM cadre.  Over the past two decade, Mr. Smith has recorded numerous albums with various ensembles that he has led (and still leads) plus continuing to work on solo material.  His albums have appeared on ECM Records, Tzadik, Moers Music, Cuneiform, Pi Records, Nessa, Clean Feed, his own Kabell label, and, since 2011, on the Finnish TUM Records label.

2021 will see a flurry of new releases from Wadada Leo Smith beginning with two three-CD sets from TUM. "Trumpet" is just that; a solo program recorded over 4 days in July of 2016 inside St. Mary's Church in Pohja, Finland (approximately one hour west of Helsinki).  Officially, it's his eighth "solo" album but only the second that is exclusively trumpet (the other one being "Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk" released by TUM in 2017 – 2001's "Red Sulfur Sky" on Tzadik is mostly trumpet and some flugelhorn).  If you are a devotee of Mr. Smith's music, you will be pleased by this 134+ minutes, 14-song program. The first two discs each contain a five-part composition while disk three contains two four-part pieces. Each disk is housed in a cardboard jacket featuring original artwork by the trumpeter.  For neophytes, it's best to just sit down, sit still, and listen.  Don't try to make sense of either the music or the fact that each work is dedicated to someone who has had a powerful influence or relationship with Mr. Smith.  Disk one opens with "Albert Ayler" and is followed by the five-part "Rashomon", named for the movie that so moved the composer.  Elsewhere there are works dedicated to violinist Jenkins, the author James Baldwin, drummer Steve McCall, pianist/ vocalist Amina Claudine Meyers, bassist Reggie Workman, and to Mr. Smith's family. 

Photo: Petri Haussila

There is no mistaking Mr. Smith's sound, his clarion call tone clear inside the church.  His ability to blend sound and silence, to make his muted trumpet cut through the air like a saber and sill be grounded in the blues, to absorb how his long notes resonate, and to sit straight up during his rapid-fire phrases, all this has only grown more powerful over his musical lifetime.  Plus, by dedicating these pieces to various people, curious listeners will discover musicians and thinkers who they may be able to learn from. To understand "Trumpet", you must surrender to the fact that you have entered the multi-cultural world of Wadada Leo Smith: his music, his rules, his ideas and ideals of freedom. 

Here's the album opener "Albert Ayler":

 

Braithwaite & Katz · Wadada Leo Smith - Albert Ayler

"Sacred Ceremonies" is the second three-CD set to released this month by TUM. Disk one (5/27/2016) is a duet with Wadada Leo Smith in musical conversation with percussionist Milford Graves, disk two a duo with Mr. Smith and bassist Bill Laswell (recorded the day before), and disk three with all three participants (recorded 12/11-12/2016).  While the bassist has worked with both the trumpeter and the percussionist in the past, this looks to be the first time Mr. Smith and Mr. Graves (who passed earlier this year) met in the studio.  The majority of the material on the duo albums is composed by the trumpeter while four of the seven trio tracks are credited to all three musicians.  Clocking in at 174 minutes, the three albums are chock-full of ideas, fascinating interplay, and the joy of three people creating musical conversations

Photo: R.I. Sutherland-Cohen

Unlike "Trumpet", "Sacred Ceremonies" is three distinct recordings yet sharing the same title.  Mr. Smith has always had a special affinity with drummers having recorded duo albums with Ed Blackwell, Jack DeJohnette, Adam Rudolph, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Gunter "Baby" Sommer, and now Milford Graves.  This session with Mr. Graves is a joy from start to finish with the drummer displaying his affinity to African drumming as well as rhythms from the Caribbean and South America.  Among the highlights is "Baby Dodds in Congo Square", a nearly 14-minute opus with drums that rumble and tumble while the trumpet sharp tone sings, shouts, and praises "freedom".  The interaction between the two throughout is a pleasure to hear.  Mr. Graves's high-hat work is fascinating on several tracks but especially on "The Poet: Play Ebody, Play Ivory"; the gentle rhythmic propulsion shimmers beneath the floating trumpet phrases.

Photo: R.I. Sutherland-Cohen

The combination of Mr. Smith and electric bassist Laswell hearkens back somewhat to both musicians love of electric Miles Davis.  The bassist appeared on Mr. Smith's "Najwa" album (TUM 2014), the recording with four guitarists. Recorded in Mr. Laswell's West Orange, NJ, studio, all of the tracks feature synths (presumably the bassist playing them) washing behind the musicians.  The program features performances dedicated to Prince, Donald Ayler, Tony Williams, and the late vocalist Minnie Ripperton.  "Prince –– A Blue Diamond Spirit" is actually quite funky with its dancing bass line, "wah-wah" bass, and overdubbed counterpoint bass while the trumpeter wails above. "Tony Williams" opens with a muted trumpet melody, circular in its intent.  The basses enter and the music bounces forward. Mr. Smith stays close to the original melody until he bursts out momentarily for 15-20 seconds before giving the music over to the synths.  

Photo: R.I. Sutherland-Cohen

The third disk brings the three musicians together for more adventures in creativity.  After Mr. Graves sets the pace on the opening track, "Social Justice –– A Fire for Reimagining the World", Mr. Smith makes a blazing statement atop the powerful rhythm section.  This album also hearkens back to the electric Miles period; you hear it in the rhythms and in the muted trumpet trumpet attack.  Throughout most of this recording, the drummer is the one who sets the pace, builds the foundation of the music while the bassist and trumpeter weave around each other.  Mr. Laswell's thick bass melody opens "Waves of Elevated Horizontal Force", soon joined by the muted trumpet on countermelody –– one hears echoes "In a Silent Way".  The pulsating and pounding drums change the mood and the music rumbles forward.  Mr. Graves leads the way into "The Healer's Direct Energy" (a reference to the work the drummer conducted on the healing properties of music); when Mr. Smith and Mr. Laswell enter, the music takes a slower route forward, one that depends upon the long trumpet tones and the bassist's responses.  

As Wadada Leo Smith moves through his 80th year in this dimension, he continues to create fascinating music in so many different contexts.  These two TUM releases, "Trumpet" and "Sacred Ceremonies", should certainly satisfy long-time listeners; if you have never spent time in his worlds, start with the Milford Graves/ Bill Laswell set as it covers so much territory.  If you love a challenge, go for the trumpet solo albums as the music will teach you and make you think.  

For more information, go to www.tumrecords.com/new-music.  To learn more about the trumpeter's amazing career, go to https://wadadaleosmith.com/home/. 

Here's the Trio and "Social Justice –– A Fire For Reimagining the World":

 

Braithwaite & Katz · Wadada Leo Smith - Social Justice - A Fire for Reimagining the World

Photo: Ralf Dombroski

Bassist and composer Dave Holland (born 1946) began his professional career at the age of 14 playing in dance bands in and around his hometown of Wolverhampton, England.  Four years later, he moved to London and soon began playing in jazz ensembles led by saxophonist Tubby Hayes, pianist Chris MacGregor, and reed master John Surman. The story goes that trumpeter Miles Davis heard young Dave Holland at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and invited him to join his new acoustic/ electric ensemble. Over the next few years, Holland played on "Filles de Kilimanjaro", "In a Silent Way", and "Bitches Brew", finding time to work with Chick Corea and the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra. After leaving Davis's employ, he joined pianist Corea, reed master Anthony Braxton, and drummer Barry Altshul to create the free jazz-minded Circle.  The bassist signed to ECM Records where, within a few years, he produced his first masterpiece in 1972, "Conference of the Birds" (with Mr. Braxton, Mr. Altschul, and Sam Rivers), and then co-created Gateway, a trio with guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Jack DeJohnette.  Holland became an in-demand studio bassist appearing on scores of ECM dates and more.  His original music and powerful as well as melodic bass playing has kept him in the spotlight for five decades.

In 2019, Holland debuted on Edition Records in Fall 2019 in "Good Hope", a trio with saxophonist Chris Potter and tabla master Zakir Hussain.  His debut as a leader for the label is "Another Land", a trio that reunites the bassist with guitarist Kevin Eubanks and is his first recording with drummer Obed Calvaire.  The Trio has actually been together over five years but this is its debut recording.  Holland, who knows how to to create a good groove, pulls out his electric bass for the opening "Grave Walker" –– he immediately locks in with Calvaire and the album is off to a deeply funky start.  Eubanks jumps right in and plays a powerful solo that includes long phrases, choppy r'n'b chords, and a percussive drive of his own.  Later in the program, the deep tones of the electric bass begin a mysterious journey title "The Village" that features a long, languorous, opening that explodes when Eubanks enters. Calvaire's solo is a thunderous treat that inspires a fiery guitar solo. 

Holland's thick acoustic bass lines lead in "Gentle Warrior", a piece that should remind you of pieces that the bassist has written for his sextet.  There's an airy quality to the melody line but Calvaire's drumming, front and center, keeps up the heat.  "20 20" opens with quiet work from the Trio but then Holland's electric bass plays a line that would not be out of place in a "prog-rock" setting. For the bulk of the tune, he shifts between the acoustic and electric basses, the former for solos.  The title track is a handsome blues-tinged piece buoyed by a repetitive bass line, gentle acoustic guitar, and quiet cymbal work as Eubanks (on electric) plays the gentle melody. One expects the piece to explode at any time yet the gentleness continues throughout (Holland's long solo is quite impressive while Calvaire's cymbal work never rises above a whisper). 

Photo: Megan V. Agins/ NY Times

Rockers such as "Mashup" and the rip-roaring "The Village" mesh nicely alongside the lovely ballad "Passing Time" and the elegant solo guitar piece, "Quiet Fire".  The solo piece is reminiscent of John Abercrombie's "Timeless"; not as trancelike, Eubanks moves easily through the melody without trying to dazzle or impress the listener. In fact, this is one of the most impressive recordings that the guitarist has made. He's creative and he does not let his impressive technique get in the way of his soulful, exciting, contributions.

"Another Land" closes with the deep blues of "Bring It Back Home". Featuring a subtle acoustic bass solo and a splendid guitar spotlight, pay attention to how Calvaire does not overplay but takes it nice and gritty.  We listeners are so lucky that Dave Holland continues to move forward, never resting on his imposing laurels.  Turn up the volume and give a listen! 

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

Here's "Mashup" –– play it loud!

Mr. Pavone

Photo: Steven Sussman

 5/15/2021 –– Just last week, Downbeat published an online article about bassist and composer Mario Pavone and his fight with cancer.  It was reported today that Mr. Pavone died at the age of 80.  As one of the finest musicians to hail from the state of Connecticut who traveled the world with musicians such as the late Thomas Chapin, trumpeter Bill Dixon, and saxophonist Anthony Braxton as well as his long-time friend, guitarist Michael Musillami.  Short in stature, Mr. Pavone had a "big" sound, writing fascinating music for his many ensembles, and always moving forward.  He sought out like-minded musicians to play his music, musicians such as saxophonists Jimmy Greene and Tony Malaby, pianists Craig Taborn, Peter Madsen, Matt Mitchell, and Angelica Sanchez, trumpeter Dave Ballou, and drummers Michael Sarin, Matt Wilson, Tyshawn Sorey, and Gerald Cleaver.  He also served on the faculty of the Litchfield Jazz Festival Jazz Camp.  

Photo: Litchfield Jazz/Youtube

I had the joy of seeing Mario play on numerous occasions. He came through Middletown CT (where I live) on numerous occasions. Once, when he and Michael Sarin were playing with Thomas Chapin, I talked with them about playing such small venues (on this occasion, a basement that attracted 15 paying customers).  Mario laughed, saying the Trio had just returned from the Northsea Jazz Festival where they played for overflow crowds of up to 20,000.  Not as intimate as the CT gig but much more exciting. No matter the size of the audience, Mario played with great fire and intelligence, his compositions stretching the borders of creative music and challenging the musicians and the audience.  

Photo: Lindsey Victoria

He recorded many of his albums for Playscape (Mr. Musillami's label) and for Clean Feed; his discography is filled with albums that never seem dated or filled with cliches.  The music language Mario Pavone created in the studio and on concert stages was inspired by the masters of Black American Music, people such as Messrs. Dixon and Braxton as well as John Coltrane, Paul Bley, Wadada Leo Smith, Muhal Richard Abrams, Marty Ehrlich, and others. Yet, he rarely sounded like any of those artists; even now, you can listen to any of his albums and hear something you had missed before.

Time takes all our friends and family and we should be glad for the time we did have with them.  It was always a joy to be in the presence of Mario Pavone, especially when he was on the bandstand.  He will be missed!

To check out his story and his discography, go to www.mariopavone.com.  

Inner & Outer Spaces

Two delightful new albums both influenced by the adventurous soundscapes of Wayne Shorter.

Photo: Geoff Countryman

Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone) and Dave Douglas (trumpet) created their co-led quintet Sound Prints in 2011 to celebrate the musical and artistic contributions of Wayne Shorter.  Both were members of the SFJazz Collective when that ensemble celebrated Mr. Shorter's music for its 2008 season.  Douglas's 1997 Arabesque album "Stargazer" was the trumpeter's first dedication to the saxophonist/ composer on record –– while the album only featured three songs by Mr. Shorter, the majority of Douglas's original pieces illustrate how he took the influences and adapted them without mimicking one of his musical mentor.

"Other Worlds" (Greenleaf Music) is the third album by Sound Prints and the first to feature all compositions by Lovano or Douglas.  The rhythm section supporting the two leaders remains the same: pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Joey Baron. The band went into the studio a day after finishing a week-long run at The Village Vanguard in New York City; those gigs took place in January of 2020, six weeks before the club, the city, and the world closed down.  The familiarity with the material makes this 70-minute program move organically forward with exquisite playing from all involved. You can hear the influence of both Mr. Shorter and of Miles Davis's classic quintet of the the mid-1960s on Lovano's "Life on Earth", especially in the piano support and Baron's driving drums a la Tony Williams.   Lovano's "Sky Miles" is less a tribute to the trumpeter as it is a hard-driving, hard bop tune in which the band plays with the tempo, speeding up and slowing down which, at times, is dizzying.  Listen to the rhythm section during the solos as there are moments when the pianist, bassist, and drummer are each going in different directions and other times when all five musicians are in sync. 

Photo: Merrick Winter

Overall, this music should not surprise fans of the two leaders. Neither one is afraid of showing their influences or for pushing into areas in which both the musicians and the listeners are challenged.  And this band can swing. Fields's piano support on "Pythagoras" allows the soloists to soar and Baron to explore.  On that track, the pianist and drummer offer support in the style of Jimmy Garrison and McCoy Tyner in John Coltrane's Quartet. "Antiquity to Outer Space" (composed by Douglas) could be a title of a Sun Ra album but here is a multi-sectioned that opens up to allow each musician to express him- or her- self. Fields, who has worked with Lovano and Christian Scott aTunde Dejuah, sparkles throughout the album and, especially, on this track.  The two duets –– Douglas with Ms. May Han Oh and Lovano with Baron –– are quite inventive.  The trumpeter's handsome ballad, "The Transcendentalists", contains a handsome melody as well as strong solo statements from Lovano and Douglas (muted trumpet) as well as Fields (why doesn't he have an album out under his own name?) 

"Other Worlds" is an album well worth exploring! Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Sound Prints is a group one needs to hear and (soon, one hopes) to see.  Yes, they play "in the tradition" but it's a very big, very wide, "tradition", a universe still ripe for traversing!

For more information, go to https://greenleafmusic.com/artists/soundprints/other-worlds/. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://soundprints.bandcamp.com/album/other-worlds. 

Photo: Anna Yatskevich

Trumpeter and composer Alex Sipiagin has been quite a busy musicians since moving to New York City from his native Russia in 1990. He's played in numerous ensembles, ranging from the Mingus Big Band & Orchestra to the Gil Evans Orchestra, to several groups led by bassist Dave Holland to Dave Sanborn to Michael Brecker to Elvis Costello and many others. Sipiagin has taught at New York University with residencies in both Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland.  His discography includes 11 albums on Criss Cross Jazz plus recordings on SunnySide Records, TCB-The Sound of Montreux, 5Passion, and others. His new album, "Upstream" (his debut as a leader on Posi-Tone Records), serves as a farewell to the United States as, since the October 2020 recording, the trumpeter and his wife have spent time in Singapore and have plans to settle in Northern Italy

The new album is the latest in Posi-Tone Marc Free's "pandemic" recordings.  With the "house" rhythm section composed of Art Hirahara (piano, Fender Rhodes), Boris Kozlov (acoustic and electric basses), and Rudy Royston (drums) (the same trio recorded on Alexa Tarantino's "Firefly" and Behn Gillece's "Still Doing Our Thing", the two Posi-Tone releases before this one), Sipiagin's trumpet powers and sings its way through  the nine-song program.  The leader composed five of the tracks, two are from bassist (and fellow Russian) Kozlov, plus one each from pianist Hirahara and a lovely reading ofWayne Shorter's "Miyako".  That last piece listed, a gentle ballad first played by the composer on his 1969 Blue Note release "Schizophrenia", spotlights Sipiagin's fine flugelhorn work.  The leader composed "Rain", another flugelhorn ballad, as he was waiting for his wife to be released from the hospital. Perhaps that is why the music sounds so emotionally strong as well as wistful.  Pianist Hirahara contributed album's other splendid ballad; "Echo Canyon" moves forward on a rising melody lines with supple flugelhorn pushed forward by Royston's active but respectful drums. The composer's powerful solo energizes Sipiagin, whose soaring solo is punctuated by the drummer's press rolls and splashing cymbals.

Photo: Anna Yatskevich

Throughout the recording, Rudy Royston plays like he's been released from solitary confinement  The album's opening track, "Call", may initially remind you of one of Wayne Shorter's open-ended pieces but the fire rising up from the drummer sets this piece apart.  Listen how Kozlov and Royston set a torrid pace that really pushes both the trumpeter and pianist to respond emphatically.  Later in the program, "SipaTham" (the title combines the composer's name with that of his wife Melissa Tham) is a response to the pandemic and how the world outside the couple's home is changing rapidly.  The give-and-take of the trumpet and piano, powered by the rhythm section, stands out.  The bassist's funky "Magic Square", was first played by Sipiagin and Kozlov when both were in school in Moscow in the 1980s.  The electric bass and the powerful drumming has the feel of Chick Corea's electric Return to Forever and Lennie White's dynamic power.  How Royston's explosive drumming did not blow the mute out of the trumpet I'm not sure, but the drum solo just might shake the speakers off the wall!

The title track closes the album on a high.  After Hirahara'a Fender Rhodes intro, the song flies forward on the strength of the drums and Kozlov's thunderous electric bass.  The piece features solos by the leader, Hirahara, and Royston whose brash solo sounds as if he's trying to chase away the pandemic with his hands and feet!  "Upstream" has plenty of power and beauty in its 55 minutes. Alex Sipiagin has made numerous albums with great rhythm sections (Kozlov appears on several as do drummers Antonio Sanchez, Eric Harland, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Johnathan Blake) –– this recording is among the best!  

To learn more about the trumpeter, go to www.alexsipiagin.com/ (needs to be updated).  

Click here to hear "Sight":

Posi-Tone Records · Alex Sipiagin - Sight