Book & Music

 

Phil Freeman, the editor and producer of the web zine "Burning Ambulance" as well as the label of the same name, started writing "Ugly Beauty: Jazz in the 21st Century" (zerO Books) in the midst of the pandemic. It was at a time when no one was quite sure when life would return to normal and we could go out to clubs and concerts, galleries, movie theaters, restaurants, concerts, etc.  What Freeman has produced in the 250-page book is more than a retrospective of the first two decades of the 2000s but a powerful reminder that Black American music (jazz, if you'd rather) continues to be be relevant even as major labels and news outlets debate the music genre's death.  Freeman writes about innovators, about musicians from around the world and in the United States. he reminds the reader that the music has always reached out beyond the borders proscribed by producers, critics, and record companies that need to slap recognizable labels on music. Within the pages, you'll find short profiles of 42 different artists mostly written after viewing the musicians in concert and speaking with them. The lineup ranges from Jeremy Pelt to Mary Halvorson to Shabaka Hutchings to Theo Croker to Matana Roberts and on. If you have ever read "Burning Ambulance" and listened to Freeman's podcast of the same name, you know that the author loves the music, respects the artists, asks probing questions and never patronizes the artists or their repertoire. 

Best of all, "Ugly Beauty" makes one want to listen to the music the musicians have made and chances are good even you are familiar with the material, you'll hear it with "new ears".  Phil Freeman undoubtedly  respects the history of jazz (listen to his podcast) but he is even more interested as to where the music is coming from and where it's going to go.  

To find out more, go to https://philipdfreeman.com/books/.  

Photo: Sylvian Gripoix

For his eighth album as a leader for ACT Records, soprano saxophonist and composer Emile Parisien has assembled an incredible sextet  of internationally acclaimed musicians. From the United States is Theo Croker (trumpet) plus the rhythm section of Joe Martin (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), from Italy and the Republic of Congo is Roberto Negro (piano), and from France is Manu Codjia (guitar) –– the album, "Louise", features nine tracks, five composed by Parisien and one each from Codjia, Croker, Negro, and the late Joe Zawinul (after the keyboard master passed in 2007, Parisien played in The Syndicate, a large ensemble comprised of many members of the Zawinul Syndicate). The saxophonist also created an ensemble in 2017 with his frequent musical partner Vincent Peirani called File Under Zawinul, an eight-piece group (also featuring guitarist guitarist Codjia) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the keyboardist's passing.

The influence of Zawinul can be hear through the many and varied textures of sounds as well as the occasional poly-rhythmic attack that dominated much of the composer's uptempo music. "Madagascar", the one non-original on "Louise", opens quietly with Croker and Parisien wrapping lines around each other before the rhythm section kicks in and one hears the twisty-turny melody lines that Zawinul loved to write. Listen to the interplay of Negro with the front line and how Waits and Martin push the music forward.  

The program is filled with highlights. The leader's three-part, 15 minute+, "Memento" opens as a ballad for trumpet and soprano sax with guitar, bass, and drums adding textures. As "Part 1" moves forward, the music picks up in intensity, with a roaring guitar solo that carries the piece into "Part II" as Negro's piano moves forward alone. His solo lines ripple outwards until the band reenters, the drums leading the way in a playful fashion. Parisien and Croker state the melody up until the start of "Part III" when the rhythm section jumps forward pulling Croker's growling trumpet along.  There are a pair of quick stops for a rapid-fire phrase and then the pianist takes the lead as the rhythm section breaks down and in and out of the fiery pace. The leader then enters with a solo that starts slowly but quickly picks the pace as the bass and drums threaten to burst out beneath the soprano sax.  

Photo: Samuel Kirszenbaum

Two ballads stand out. The first is Negro's "Il Giorno Della Civetta (The Day of the Owl") – taking its name from a 1968 crime drama (released in the US as "Mafia"), the ballad slowly moves forward with atmospheric guitar, muted trumpet, and throbbing drums. Croker's solo is sad, introspective, while the saxophone, guitar, and piano weave flowing phrases behind him. The trumpeter's composition "Prayer 4 Peace" closes the program, his simple yet heartfelt melody rising over the shimmering backdrop of guitar and piano, bass counterpoint, and rolling drums. Reminiscent of Zawinul's "In a Silent Way", the intensity rises as Croker and Parisien continually repeat the lovely melody with the latter moving out from and back to the melody. Listen on repeat as the music draws you in to its complex yet peaceful world.

"Louise", recorded in January of 2021 in Amiens, France in the midst of the pandemic, is music that will excite and ultimately satisfy your soul. The Emile Parisien Sextet is quite a unit, bringing worlds of influences and sounds to these nine pieces, taking the listener on an amazing ride of melodies and rhythms. Join in!

For more information, go to www.actmusic.com/en/Artists/Emile-Parisien.  To hear more and to buy the album, go to https://emileparisien.bandcamp.com/album/louise.

Here's the rollicking "Jojo":