My original plan was not to isolate the recordings made by women into a separate post but these albums are so good that I could not resist.
Jo Lawry – "Acrobats" (Whirlwind Recordings) – What a real treat is this most delightful of Trio albums. Here, Ms. Lawry's voice is supported, pushed, prodded, cushioned by the excellent playing of bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Allison Miller. The title track, composed by fellow Australian Gian Slater, perfectly describes not only the lives of musicians in the 21st Century but also the exploratory nature of this program. The majority of the program is made of "standards" but there is absolutely nothing standard about this album. This listener found himself exclusively listening to the album over the course of a full week. Never too late to take the leap into this album!!
Nicole Zuraitis – "How Love Begins" (OutsideIn Music) – The genesis of singer, songwriter, and pianist Zuratis's fifth album as a leader was a meeting with bassist Christian McBride in 2018 who heard her playing in a New York City piano bar and said "we should do something together". The results of the duo working out the details amidst the Pandemic slowdown are a pure delight. Ms. Zuraitis's vocal work is the most assured of her career and co-Producer McBride makes sure we also hear what a fine pianist she is. With her husband Dan Pugach on drums, the sound is filled out by guitarist Gilad Hekselman, Maya Kronfeld on keys, and Mr. McBride's bass pushing the proceedings forward, this program is quite strong and quite listenable.
Magos Herrera – "Aire" (Sunnyside Records) – 2023 was the year this listener truly discovered the brilliant and adventurous Mexican-born vocalist Magos Herrera. I had heard of her before but this year, a deeper dive was called for. What a supple, emotional, and often stunning voice –– when she inhabits the song, you may not understand the words but, pay attention, you'll get the message. Surrounded by her "working" trio of guitarist Vinicius Gomes, bassist Sam Minaie, and drummer Alex Kautz plus a slew of guests (including an "orchestra" conducted by Eric and Colin Jacobsen), this music sounds alive, full of possibility, aware of the sufferings of the heart but open to hope. The 12-song program includes classic songs, originals, brilliant arrangements, and that marvelous voice.
Edward Simon, Featuring Magos Herrera – "Femeninas" (ArtistShare) – Right around the same date "Aire" was issued came the new ArtistShare project from pianist Edward Simon. Subtitled "Songs of Latin American Women", the program is that and more. Ms. Herrera joins Simon, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Adam Cruz, and percussionist Luis Quintero (plus guest Romero Lubambo playing guitar on several tracks) performing a 11-song program of works associated withJoyce Moreno (Brazil), Elizabeth (Chile), Chabuca Granda (Perú), Violetta Parra (Chile), Marta Valdés (Cuba), Rosa Passos (Brazil), and Georgina Hassan (Argentina). The excellent arrangements, the splendid musicianship, and the wonderful vocals makes this a "project for the ages".
Watch Mr. Simon and Ms. Herrera perform two pieces from the "Femeninas" project:
Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke – "Lean In" (Edition Records) – This is an intimate collection of songs from two fine musicians who have known each other several decades. Basically a duo album (there are several guest contributors) but the focus of the music is on the interplay of the voice and guitar. Both leaders brought music to the sessions yet the program feels and sounds organic. Mr. Loueke's guitar work is superlative throughout as are Ms. Parlato's vocals –– it's amazing how rhythmical this music is, how percussive the guitar work can be, and how sweet the results are. Let's hope this is just the first Editions Recording of this splendid duo.
Every once in a while, you pick a CD out of the stack on your desk, sit down to listen, and get transfixed. I know Nicole Zuraitis is a Connecticut native, that she has recorded several albums with her husband, drummer and composer Dan Pugach, is a member of Sonica (with Thana Alexa and bassist Julia Adamy), and has issued four albums as a leader since 2013. Her fifth album is now out––"How Love Begins" (Outside In Music) began percolating in the vocalist, composer, and pianist's mind when she met bassist Christian McBride in 2018 and he said that "we should do something together". It took them two a few years to reconnect; when she sent him a large amount of her newer material, he chose the 10 that make up the album. Ms. Zuraitis chose the musicians; besides her husband on drums and McBride on bass, there's Gilad Hekselman (guitar) and Maya Kronfeld (organ,Wurlitzer, Rhodes) with pianist David Cook (three tracks), drummer Billy Kilson (three tracks), and Sonica (one track).
The program is divided into two parts, "Oil" and "Water", each section having five songs. In conversation, Ms. Zuraitis said that the first section is really about "how love begins" while the second half is about "how love ends". What one notices on first listen is how strong a voice she has, how articulate she is in all registers, , and how flexible her voice can be. Pay attention as well to her piano work. Her McCoy Tyner-esque chords beneath the guitar solo on "Reverie" are both powerful and percussive, locking in with the bass and drums (in this instance, Mr. Kilson). "Travel", a track she composed with fellow vocalist Cyrille Aimée, features lyrics by the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay plus a lyrical guitar solo. It's just voice and guitar on "Let Me Love You", a bluesy plea. The intimacy and humor of the performance is an aural treat.
The "Water" section opens with "Two Fish"; based on a Hebrew poem written by Dahlia Rabikovich, the open seconds of the tune sound like the intro to Leslie Bricusse's "My Kind of Girl" before heading out on its path. It's really a sweet love song with lovely fills from pianist Cook and bluesy responses from Hekselman. The love affair begins falling apart on the soulful "Well Planned, Well Played" but the music is buoyed by the gospel organ work of Ms. Kronfeld and Hekselman's bent notes. Mr. McBride takes a short but melodic solo. The love affair is but over on "Like Dew", a slow, sorrowful, ballad in which Ms. Zuraitis's emotional vocal takes center stage but don't disregard her fine piano work. The program ends with "To The Garden", a Carole King-like melody that is both a vocal treat (delightful overdubbed vocal "responses") and a heartfelt musical experience––if you buy the CD, the "hidden track" is the original "Save It For a Rainy Day" in which the singer realizes that love has totally been eclipsed by a consistent and insistent storm.
Slowly, steadily, Nicole Zuraitis is making inroads as a singer, pianist, and especially as a composer. "How Love Begins" is a smashing album, filled with fine songs, excellent musicianship, led by a vocalist whose voice is inviting, intimate, playful, and emotionally real. Give the album several full spins and see how good you'll feel bathed in these sweet sounds.
Julius Gubenko (pictured left) was born in Brooklyn, NY, on October 13, 1924 and grew up to be Terry Gibbs, vibraphonist, composer, and bandleader. Doing gigs into his early 90s, he had played with Sarah Vaughan, was Steve Allen's musical director on television and in clubs for 17, and had played, as a young drummer, with the great Klezmer clarinetist Naftule Brandwein. The young Gubenko came by his career naturally as his father was a bandleader in the Catskills. Perhaps his biggest thrill was playing with Benny Goodman. In the mid-1950s. he moved to Los Angeles, CA, where another world of opportunities opened for him (such as studio work) but his pride and joy was his Dream Band (a big band) and the dozens of small groups he worked with over the decades.
Terry begat Gerry. The younger Gibbs, a drummer and composer, was born in 1964 and has been a professional musician since the early 1980s, working with a plethora of artists from Alice Coltrane, Harold Land, Billy Childs, and Parliament Funkadelic (among many others). As a leader, Gerry Gibbs has lead the Thrasher Trio, a sextet, a big band, and an orchestra. As a leader or co-leader he's issued 13 albums but, up until now, he's never dedicated an album to his father. "Songs From My Father" (Whaling City Sound) is just that –– it's a 19-song, two-CD set, that features drummer Gibbs with four sets of partners (his Thrasher Dream Trios) plus his percussionist wife Kyeshie Gibbs. 18 of the songs are Terry Gibbs originals with the final track, "Tango for Terry", composed and performed by Chick Corea in what probably was his final time in the studio before his untimely passing in February of this year.
The program opens with "Kick Those Feet" featuring pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Buster Williams. Those two great musicians also appear on "Take It From Me", "T & S", "Lonely Dreams" and on "Hey Chick" (more about that track below). The album also features Gibbs with pianist Patrice Rushen and organist Larry Goldings on the funky "Smoke 'Em Up", the Latin-flavored and fiery "Townhouse 3", the bluesy romp "Hippie Twist" and on the lovely ballads "Lonely Days" and "Pretty Blue Eyes". Pianist Geoff Keezer and bassist Christian McBride join the drummer for the rollicking "Nutty Notes", the bluesy "The Fat Man" (not the song by Fats Domino), the bouncy "For Keeps", and the witty "Gibberish".
Piano Master Corea not only plays with Gibbs and bassist Ron Carter on his afore-mentioned "Tango for Terry" but also on the charming "Bopstacle Course", the sensual "Sweet Young Song of Love", and the handsome "Waltz for My Children". It's really fun to hear the bassist's intelligent choice of phrases and counterpoint complementing the pianist. Meanwhile, the drummer dances, colors, and swings in support.
The most fascinating track, "Hey Chick", closes CD One, and is a wonder of technology. Recorded after Mr. Corea's death, Gibbs took his Dad's tune, "Hey Jim", changed the title with his Father's permission, and all the musicians on the album (except Corea) appear. The opening solo is actually Father Gibbs' vibes solo from the original 1961 recording over the quartet of Goldings, Geoff Keezer, Ron Carter, and the drummer son! The transitions are seamless and the music is amazing!
"Songs From My Father", featuring Gerry Gibbs with the Thrasher Dream Trios, is not just a love letter to his Dad but also a recognition of his fine compositions, many of them with well-designed melodies. Terry Gibbs may have retired his vibraphone but he remains in good health – this fine tribute is well worth investing in!!
Here's a video that gives you a look at the participants and the person they are celebrating:
Here are two more recordings that remind listeners music reflects the society we live in; the messages in these songs, whether overt or subtle, speak to all of us.
Bassist, composer, host of NPR's "Jazz Night in America" and "The Lowdown" on Sirius XM, and so much more, Christian McBride is a musician who makes his presence known. His list of sideman credits grows longer every month plus he leads a trio, a quartet (New Jahn), a quintet (Inside Straight), and an 18-member big band. A native of Philadelphia, PA, he is a master of both the acoustic and electric basses. In 1998, McBride was commissioned by the Portland Maine Historical Society as well as the National Endowment for the Arts to compose "The Movement, Revisited", an episodic work that speaks about the Civil Rights Movement through the words of Rosa Parks, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali. He toured the Northeasten United States with his quartet and a 30-member choir. In 2008, McBride revised the work, adding a section in honor of the election of President Barack Obama and scoring the piece for his Big Band.
McBride did not go into the studio until September of 2013 to record "The Movement, Revisited" and, thanks to Mack Avenue Records, the album is finally being released. Not sure why it's taken so long but now that the music is in wide release, make sure you listen. Chances are most people know the stories of these four heroes of the Movement yet, in this time of renewed racist activities, the growth of anti-Semitism, and fear of immigrants, the words one hears have renewed meaning. Among the highlights are the performances of all the "speakers", especially poet Sonia Sanchez and actor Wendell Pierce. The former brings great verve to her presentation of Ms. Park's words, tremendous rhythm and passion while the latter's sonorous tones may not match the "preacher's tones" of Dr. King, he brings a gravitas to the words that remind us of all the work that needs to be begun and carried.
Other voices stand out. Alicia Olatuja's impassioned vocal, supported by the Voices of The Flame choir, on "Brother Malcolm" elicits chills. Pay attention to the fine support from pianist Geoff Keezer, drummer Terreon Gully, and Ron Blake's equally passionate tenor sax solo. Warren Wolf's vibraphone and Steve Wilson's soprano saxophone solos on "Sister Rosa" ring out as do the voices of the choir. "Rumble In The Jungle" is a funky romp for the big band and choir – powered by Gully's thunderous drums, Carl Miraghi's foundational baritone sax locks in with McBride's bass to push the message across while the Choir celebrates the audacity that permeated the personality of Muhammad Ali.
Photo: John Watson
The album closes with "Apotheosis", a celebration of the election of Barack Obama in 2008. Instead of serving as the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement (which it did for many people), his rise to the most powerful office in the United States began a another campaign, one that attempted to discredit the unity that Barack Obama spoke about in his Election Night message. The four "narrators" (including Dion Graham and Vondie Curtis-Hall) take turns reading the powerful words – the accompanying music, especially the lovely soprano saxophone of Steve Wilson, is quite lovely and begins to intensify as the narrators intone "Yes We Can!" The music rises to a glorious climax with the choir repeating "Free at last" while the band grooves beneath them, culminating in an equally glorious "Amen."
The positivity that permeates "The Movement, Revisited" seems nostalgic in the light of the present administration's work to dismantle not only FDR's New Deal but the policies that President Barack Obama worked so hard to put place on the environment, voting rights, equal rights, and more. Yet, Christian McBride's music and presentations reminds us of the power that comes from unity, working from the ground up in our communities to make our communities thrive and prejudices again melt into the background.
Listen to "Soldiers" (music by Christian McBride, words by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spoken by Wendell Pierce):
Personnel:
Christian McBride – bass, compositions
Terreon Gully – drums
Warren Wolf – vibraphone, percussion
Ron Blake – tenor and soprano saxophones
Geoffrey Keezer – piano
Steve Wilson – alto saxophone, flute
Todd Bashore – alto saxophone
Loren Schoenberg – tenor saxophone
Carl Maraghi – baritone saxophone
James Burton – trombone
Steve Davis – trombone
Michael Dease – trombone
Doug Purviance - bass trombone
Lew Solo – trumpet
Frank Greene – trumpet
Freddie Hendrix – trumpet
Daryll Shawl – trumpet
Ron Tooley – trumpet
Guests:
Sonia Sanchez – Rosa Parks
Wendell Pierce – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Vondie Curtis-Hall – Malcolm X
Dion Graham – Muhammad Ali
Alicia Olatuja – vocal
J.D. Steele – vocal, choral arrangements
Voices of The Flame – vocals
Photo: Randy Cole
I cannot speak for other reviewers but I read a lot of my colleagues writings. Especially impressive are those writers who are also excellent musicians as they often can get to the heart of the music and how the musicians put the pieces together. Peter Hum, who is celebrating 20 years as a music and food reviewer for the Ottawa Citizen, is one of those fine writers who, when he puts his pen and sits down at the piano, makes intriguing music that is both inside and outside the "tradition".
For his third release (his first was issued in 2010, the second in 2015), Hum is in the company of most of the people on the other recordings – they include Kenji Omae (tenor saxophone), Mike Rud (guitar), Ted Warren (drums) plus Alec Walkington (bass on six tracks), and Dave Watts (bass on four tracks). Brooklyn, NY-based Dave Smith (trumpet) is the "new" member of the group replacing Nathan Cepelinski (alto and soprano saxophones). Hum, the composer, is on a mission and wants his music to reflect the changes in society over the past four years, i.e., the shift to nationalism, the closing of borders, disrespect for natural resources, and more. Yet, like some of the best of Charles Mingus's more pointed compositions, the music is neither strident or atonal. Notice when the band marches into "Rabble Rouser", led by Warren's martial drumming and Smith's trumpet parading on the top – the music has a powerful forward motion, fine supportive bass work (Walkington), and a positive feel. Just check out the groove the rhythm section falls into to usher in Omae's excellent tenor solo.
Photo: Randy Cole
Check out "Fake News Blues"; opening in a Jazz Messengers groove, the melody unfolds gradually thanks to the guitar, tenor sax, and trumpet. Rud's solo starts out understated but really digs in and raises the intensity. Omae follows – he displays a hard-edged tone without being shrill and this solo gets pushed forward by Warren's excellent drums. Bassist Walkinton and Warren share "fours" before the sextet returns to the theme. No half-truths here (the blues is always honest).
There are delights scattered throughout the program. "Tears For the Innocent" was composed after six Muslim worshippers were shot to death in Quebec City in early 2017. Strong solos from bassist Watts, Rud, and the composer highlight this powerful piece. "Safe Passage" is inspired by refugees fleeing oppression with the hope that they find asylum. The music, to these ears, has the feel of late 60s Herbie Hancock. Strong solos from Hum, Omae, and especially Smith play out over the active rhythm section. The ballad, "Embers", is a prayer that the"flames of progress" catch fire once again. The handsome melody is introduced by the guitar followed by a compelling statement from Smith. The "octaves" solo (in the stye of Wes Montgomery fthat Rud plays before the return too the theme truly catches the ears.
Photo: Randy Cole
"Ordinary Heroes" closes on the title track. Inspired by a quote from actor/ activist George Takei, the song reminds the listener that he, she, they, and all of us have the power within us to make the world a better place, to bring about positive change. The gospel and r'n'b feel in the rhythm section is echoed by the stunning guitar solo and heightened by the tenor solo.
Over the course of 73 minutes, Peter Hum and his fine ensemble create a world of possibilities, built on hope and the desire to make positive changes in this time of negativity. The composer and pianist knows there are people all over the world taking similar steps, tuning out the negativity from the majority of politicians and paying closer attention to their own neighborhoods, towns, cities, and countries. Music has more power than we think and can be used for good. "Ordinary Heroes" reminds us of the that all the way through.
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