Pay Attention

 It's back in the writer's chair for me again.  The fracture in my left arm is healing and it does not hurt to type. So much music has collected on my desk and desktop since the beginning of April, and much of this music is stellar!  

When flutist, composer, and arranger Jamie Baum assembles her Septet+, she always has an important story to tell. The group's fifth album (including the first album, 2003's "Moving Forward, Standing Still" released on OmniTone Records which is credited only to the Septet)  and fourth for Sunnyside Records, "What Times Are These", is most definitely a Pandemic-inspired recording. Ms. Baum came off the road in March of 2020 and, like her contemporaries, her performance slate was wiped clean. As the early weeks of the shutdown wore on, she found that Bill Moyers has created a site ––  billmoyers.com/spotlight/poetry-for-the-pandemic-2/   –– where the composer found a treasure chest of poems that spoke to the conditions of the day.  She collected a group of poems and began composing melodies and arranging the pieces for her larger ensemble.  The results, a 10-piece program, are impressive for its wide focus, the excellent music, and the various voices (Ms. Baum, Mr. Finlayson, Aubrey Johnson, KOKAYI, Sara Serpa, and Theo Bleckmann) who bring the words (and sounds) to life. 

Photo: Lisa Hagen Glynn

There's so much to digest here. Start with the music. The album opens "In The Light of Day", Luis Perdomo's insistent one-note surrounded by percussion until the French horn of Chris Komer plays a melody before leading Jeff Hirschfield and the rest of the ensemble in.  Ms. Baum takes the first solo followed by the crisply-executed notes of the trumpet. Then, the next cut, "To Be of Use", introduces the poetry of Marge Piercey (born 1936) –– the leader reads the text while Sam Sadigursky's clarinet and Perdomo's piano dance beneath her.  After the poem, the music slowly tiptoes in before a change in tempo introduces a melody that leads to a powerful guitar solo from Brad Shepik.  Listen below and pay attention to the excellent electric bass work of Ricky Rodriguez as well as the overall arrangement. 

Perhaps the most surprising track is "Sorrow Song" that blends a poem by Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) with the Hip Hop-influenced rhythms and words of KOKAYI.  While the original poem is from 1988, the words are sadly relevant today with the thousands of children dying In Israel and Gaza. While the rhythms and powerful voice pull you in, there are also strong solos from Ms. Baum, guitarist Shepik, and drummer Hirschfield, the last solo framed by the singer and the wordless vocal of Aubrey Johnson. I would be remiss not to mention the excellent vocal work of Sara Serpa and Theo Bleckmann, both in helping the listener understand the intention of the poetry and in the sensitivity of their vocal work.

All seven poems are by women (besides two from Ms. Piercey and one from Ms. Clifton, there are two pieces from Adrienne Rich plus one each from Tracey K. Smith and Naomi Shihab Nye) –– the Moyers' website offered Ms. Baum multiple choices but the ones on the album are the ones that fit her music the best.  What fascinating music and intelligent arrangements! Take your time with this 75-minute program, savor the performances, find your experiences or those of your loved ones or even a reason to change how you live your life in the words, and imagine a better world built upon this music.

For more information, go to https://jamiebaum.com/projects/septet-plus/. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://jamiebaum.bandcamp.com/album/what-times-are-these.  

Here's a piece based on a poem by Marge Piercey:

Personnel:

Jamie Baum - flutes, spoken word
Jonathan Finlayson - trumpet, spoken word
Sam Sadigursky - alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Chris Komer - French horn
Brad Shepik - guitar, singing bowls
Luis Perdomo - piano, Fender Rhodes
Ricky Rodriguez - bass, electric bass guitar
Jeff Hirshfield - drums
Theo Bleckmann, KOKAYI, Sara Serpa, Aubrey Johnson - vocals
Keita Ogawa - percussion

Slowly but steadily, pianist and composer Marta Sanchez is making her music heard. The native of Madrid, Spain. Ms. Sanchez began her career in her native country leading a trio and quartet plus working as a sideperson in various projects.  A Fulbright Scholarship brought her to New York City in 2011 to study at NYU. Soon, she organized her own Quintet, recording three albums for Fresh Sound New Talent and 2022's brilliant "SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)" for Whirlwind Recordings.  Her latest recording, and first for Intakt Records, is "Perpetual Void" –– the 11-song program, all composed by the pianist, feature her interactions with the rhythm section of bassist Chris Tordini (Steve Lehman, Tyshawn Sorey) and drummer Savannah Harris (Aaron Parks, Joel Ross). I saw the Trio perform in late March of this year at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, CT (see picture below) and can tell you that they are a dynamic ensemble in person.

Photo: The Author

Judging by the song titles ("Prelude to a Heartbreak", "The Absence of People You Long For", and "Prelude to Grief"), one might think the music is dark and foreboding or a set of mournful ballads. But, in an interview with Ms. Sanchez, she denied that she was writing from a "dark place" or that the music was a form of catharsis.  What much of it is is powerful, rhythmic, and demanding of your attention. "3:30 AM" does refer to a bout of insomnia the composer had been dealing with yet the music flies with a joy and power that belies any harsh feelings.  Because the music has several hairpin changes, the Trio has to really be paying close attention to each other and it shows here. Mr. Tordini and Ms. Harris are locked in from the beginning of the song and have a dynamic interaction before the piece returns to is opening theme. Listen below to "The Absence of People You Long For", pay attention to each instrument and their relationship to the melody and rhythm. No matter where you drop the needle on the album, the Trio is engaged and the music is open for the listener to engage with the musicians.

"Perpetual Void" does throw a new spotlight on the music and musicianship of Marta Sanchez as it's her first international release in a trio setting. Technically, she's an excellent pianist yet her melodies often "sing" while her solos show power and delicacy when called for. Her work on this album with Chris Tordini and Savannah Harris stands out and one hopes they continue to move in new directions.

For more information, go to https://www.martasanchezmusic.com/.  To hear more and to purchase the album, https://intaktrec.bandcamp.com/album/perpetual-void. 

Listen to "The Absence of People You Long For":

Saxophonist and composer David Murray (born in 1955) seemingly burst on to the Black Music Scene in the mid-1970s and has been a major voice ever since. From his work with the World Saxophone Quartet to his Octet to bands led by James "Blood" Ulmer, Jack DeJohnette and others, his fiery and bluesy playing never fails to excite audiences around the world.  Over the past several years, he's been working with a quartet that features pianist Marta Sanchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter.  After a late Fall 2023 European tour,  the Quartet finally got the opportunity to go into Hardstudios in Winterthur, Switzerland, in November –– the results can be heard on "Francesca" (Intakt Records).  If you're a David Murray fan, rest assured. This is an impressive collection of tunes, all but one of the eight tracks a Murray original.

The title track opens the program. Dedicated to Murray's wife, Dr. Francesca Cinelli Murray, the music is a fast waltz with the warmth of the saxophonist's emotions heard in the opening melody and wide-ranging solo that follows. Ms. Sanchez colors the background as the rhythm section push the music forward.  Listen below to "Ninno", play it loud and feel how the music dances atop Carter's drums and Stewart's bouncing bass lines.  Feel the swing elements, listen to how the pianist supports and responds to the saxophone's melodies, then sit back for Murray's powerful tenor solo. Ms. Sanchez does not try to match the leader's intensity but she really dsigs into her solo blending melody and rhythms with her partners. One imagines this is the kind of music that brings an audience to its feet when played in concert.  

Photo: Martine Barrat

Murray's bass clarinet playing is featured on two tracks. "Shenzen", named for a Chinese city north of Hong Kong, has a quiet opening and a handsome melody. The mellow bass clarinet sound is supported by drummer Carter's mallet-driven drum work, a dancing bass line, and Ms. Sanchez's impressionistic piano chords and counter-melodies.  The piano solo contains tinges of McCoy Tyner in the glistening high notes runs.  Later in the program, the leader pays tribute to A.A.C.M. founder and collaborator Muhal Richard Abrams with his interpretation of pianist Don Pullen's "For Richard".  The waltz-line rhythms leave room for fine solos by Murray, Ms. Sanchez, and Stewart , all with smart interactions from Carter.

The album closes with two more powerful examples of this fine ensemble's ability to blend melody, rhythms, and dynamic variations to create an inviting and exciting sound.  "Free Mingus" has yet another fine melody line but be sure to pay attention to how the bass and drums push the song forward. Stewart's lines push and pull at the frames of the song but never lose their way while Carter's drums suggest funk, swing, and more.  Ms. Sanchez's solo is quite impressive and the bass spot shows just how melodic and expressive Stewart is.  The final track, "Cycles and Seasons", is, at times, bouncy and bright as well as powerful and cyclonic. Murray's tenor displays his trademark swagger and power as well as how he locks in with the rhythm section.

Over the course of five decades of transcending genres and creating powerful Black Music, David Murray remains at the pinnacle of Creative Music. He's been mentoring young musicians for many years but this quartet, comprised of young veterans, is, arguably, his best working group in many years.  Play this album often and marvel at how tight yet "loose" this music can be, then hope he brings this Quartet to a venue near you so that you can "feel" these sounds moving through your body and mind!

For more information, go to https://davidmurray.xyz/.  To listen to and purchase the album, go to  https://intaktrec.bandcamp.com/album/francesca.

Take a look and give a listen to "Ninno":