More Sounds for Spring

There's been quite a crop of new releases since the beginning of the year –– here are three more worth your attention. 

Photo: Richmond Lam

CODE Quartet was formed in 2017 and includes Christine Jensen (alto and soprano saxophones), Lex French (trumpet), Adrian Vedady (bass), and Jim Doxas (drums).  On the surface, the obvious influence is Ornette Coleman and the band he lead on his historic Atlantic Records albums in the late 1950s and early 60s.  Without a chordal instrument, the rhythm section has to be quite strong while the front line concerns itself with the melodies, harmonies, and interplay.  Everyone in the band save for drummer Doxas contributes, at least, two compositions (trumpeter French composer three) plus there's a fascinating version of the Medieval Christian hymn (credited to J.S.Bach) "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (which listeners may recognize is the melody for Paul Simon's "American Tune").

The Quartet's debut album "Genealogy" (Justin Time Music) opens with French's blues-soaked "Tipsy" –– you can hear the influence of the song Otis Blackwell's "Fever" in the bass line as well as in the "cool feel" of the tune).  There are excellent solos all around but do play attention to what Doxas is playing throughout the track.  The drummer's interactions, sly fills, powerful drive, os the key element in moving the music forward.  He adds depth to Vedady's "Watching It All Slip Away" and a solid rock to Ms. Jensen's "Wind Up", connecting with the bassist on the latter track to add fire underneath the soloists.  The title tracks reminds this listener of "One For Eric", a piece that drummer Jack DeJohnette composed for his Special Edition group. The song here , composed by Ms. Jensen, is a rapid-fire piece with strong solos and thunderous drums.

The more you listen, the more you realize just how good this band plays as a unit.  They listen and respond, compose for each other's strengths, pushing the music to sound original instead of a copy of the original Coleman sound.  The albums closes with two delightful tracks, Ms. Jensen's frolicking "Day Moon" and French's Caribbean-influenced "Beach Community". The former jumps out of the speakers on the strength of the rhythm section while the latter grooves a la "St. Thomas".  The alto sax and trumpet wrap the melody around each other and then dance on into the solos.  The music almost falls apart but Vedady's rock-solid bass lines keeps it all together. 

The music on "Genealogy" feels so alive, probably sounds great in person. You'll feel good after spending these 52 minutes with the CODE Quartet –– dive right in!

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/CODEQuartet.

Here's "Tipsy" live:

Photo: Bryan Lasky

Saxophonist, composer, arranger, and yoga teacher Pat Donaher is a native of Boston, MA, where he lives now after a time in New York City.  A graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, he has played with guitarist Brad Shepik, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Maria Schneider, dave Liebman, and many others.  Upon his return to Boston, he studied with Bob Brookmeyer and has recorded three albums as a leader.

His fourth recording, "Occasionally" (self-released), features a stellar sextet composed of the alto saxophonist, drummer Allison Miller, bassist Tony Scherr, pianist Carmen Staaf, guitarist Tim Watson, and trumpeter Jason Palmer. Recorded last August in the midst of the pandemic, the brightness, originality, and joyful aspects of the music serves as a panacea to the stress of the lockdown.  All nine songs have well-thought out melodies with harmonies and counterpoint galore.  Plus, Donaher's arrangements are also top-notch.

The album opener, "Wedding Day (for Luke and Jen)" (composed for his brother's wedding), starts in an elegant fashion and has a melody line with echoes of Aaron Copland.  While the rhythm section builds the foundation, the guitarist, leader, and Ms. Staaf each get a solo with Donaher's standing out.  "Whoosh/ Ooomph" follows. After a solo saxophone (with effects) introduction, Ms. Miller drops into a modified "Second Line" beat with Watson's funky guitar riff introducing the melody played by sax and trumpet together and separately.  Solos by Watson, Donaher, and the drummer add to the joyful feel of the music.  Later in the program, "Bouncin' Off The Walls (Pandemic Practice)" is an up-tempo account of feeling most musicians have had the past 14 months. The airy yet nervous rhythm section work leaves plenty of room for excellent solos from the leader, Palmer, and Ms. Miller.  

Another standout track is "Black Suits, White Smoke (for Brian)" –– the song features a fine opening melody until Donaher's singing alto steps out for a long and emotionally rich solo, the rhythm section building in intensity beneath him before cooling down for a splendid piano solo. Listen to Scheer and Ms. Miller underneath; they are active without being intrusive and that sets the stage for the guitarist to add his colors.  Palmer's trumpet solo helps to raise the heat but the music never boils over.

"Occasionally" closes with "Warm and Fuzzy (for Everybody)", a rubato epilogue that encapsulates the listening experience reminding us that melody and interplay are what the album is about.  This recording will please those people who love intelligent and smartly-constructed melodies in creative music as well as those who enjoy excellent solo turns.  Pat Donaher has found a good balance on this recording, an album that shines from start to finish.

For more information, go to www.patdonaher.com.  To hear the music and to purchase "Occasionally", go to https://patdonaher.bandcamp.com/album/occasionally.  

Here's the title track:

Cellist Christopher Hoffman is, perhaps, best known for his work in several ensembles led by Henry Threadgill: Zooid, Double Up, and 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg.   He's also performed and recorded with the Anat Cohen Tentet, James Brandon Lewis's Red Lily Quintet, and Rudy Royston's Flatbed Buggy.  He's issued several albums, one with the Silver Cord Quintet that features saxophonist Tony Malaby, pianist Kris Davis, and others plus a larger ensemble called Company of Selves which features vocalist Christine Courtin and Frank LoCrasto on keys.  Listening to his music, he is generous with solo time for the band members. 

His new album, "Asp Nimbus", is his first for the Brooklyn, NY-based Out of Your Head Records.  The album, recorded in January 2020, features a quartet composed of the cellist/ composer with Bryan Carrott (vibraphone), Rahsaan Carter (bass), and Craig Weinrib (drums), all of whom, save the bassist, have played with Threadgill.  The music, like that of fellow Zooid member Liberty Ellman (guitarist), shows the influence of the 2021 NEA Jazz Master, especially in the lengthy melody lines, the headlong rush of the rhythm, and the intelligent interplay.  Hoffman composed all nine pieces and does an impressive job of making sure each instrument is integral to the success.  Carrott's playing is exemplary throughout, his ability to integrate his lines with the rest of the band as well as to create powerful solos is a delight to hear.

Another Threadgill ensemble alum, pianist David Virelles, shows up on the lively "Dylan George".  The opening solo section is actually a "give-and-take" with the leader which takes place over the skittish rhythm section.  Everyone slows down for the impressionistic vibes solo, Virelles's piano quietly contributing with counterpoint created by Hoffman's pizzicato cello.  The title track opens with Hoffman and Carter plucking out lines before Carrott comes in with the melody.  The gentle opening on "Non-submersible" is notable for the handsome bowed cello melody. Hoffman plays a support role during Carter's high-energy solo; still, the performance maintains its cool throughout (plus another delightful vibes solo).   

The album closes with "The Heights of Spectacle", opening with a bass solo over a gentle Middle-Eastern rhythm.  Hoffman (pizzicato) and Carrott introduce the melody before the cellist steps out for his plucked solo. Again, the rhythm section keeps it cool right through to the abrupt finish.  

"Asp Nimbus" is both original and accessible music, an album that eschews genre for a celebration of melody and rhythm.  The interplay stands out, the solos are strong and often lyrical, and Christopher Hoffman builds off the foundations he was introduced to by Henry Threadgill –– this is music that is adventurous and entertaining!

For more information, go to christopherhoffman.com.  To hear more music and to purchase the album (note: the vinyl copy of the album is due in July), go to https://outofyourheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/asp-nimbus. 

Here's "Discretionary" –– video by Christopher Hoffman:

Summertime Hues (Part 1)

Life has been busy around this reviewer's household and different communities but that does not stop (thankfully) the new releases coming through the mail or the ether.  This column starts a series of shorter reviews of recordings that arrived over the past few months.

Saxophonist, composer, and arranger Quinsin Nachoff is no stranger to utilizing strings in his compositions and performances––in fact, his 2006 debut "Magic Numbers" (Songlines) featured his quartet paired with a string quartet. Violinist Nathalie Bonin played on that project as well as on 2008's "Horizons Ensemble" so she asked her fellow Canadian (she's from Montreal while Nachoff is from Toronto) to write her a concerto.  It took the composer a number of years but the piece was first workshopped in 2014 and then recorded in 2018.  Nachoff decided to collect his classical or classically-inspired works on one album. The results, three different pieces, can be heard on "Pivotal Arc", released this month (August 2020) on Whirlwind Recordings.

The "Violin Concerto" is in three parts, nearly 46 minutes long and features all the musicians listed below save for the composer. Very much in the traditional form but quite non-traditional orchestration, the music features Ms. Bonin's striking and powerful playing throughout but one cannot ignore the work of the Molinari String Quartet as well as the rhythm section of Michael Davidson (vibraphone), Mark Helias (bass), and Satoshi Takeishi (drums, percussion) plus the colorful reeds and brass (kudos to bass trombonist Bob Ellis for his strong low tones).  In his research, the composer paid close attention to a number of 20th Century composers, among them Alban Berg, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weill, and others but one also hears folk, jazz, and African elements in the rhythms.

Photo: Evan Shay

The 16+ minute "String Quartet" was commissioned by and is performed by the Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based Molinari Quartet. This music is brash like the Concerto but with even more allusions to the experimentation of 20th Century classical composers.  Through-composed, there are moments in each of the movements that feel "free', as if the musicians were "cueing" each other to make quick shifts in intensity.

The 15-minute title track closes the album opening with a powerful bowed bass solo from Helias.  Ms. Bonin plays the first theme, joined first by the string and then the composer on tenor saxophone.  Various voices move in and out but pay close attention to impressive and, at times, playful percussion of Takeishi.  The brashness of the earlier pieces is replaced by an airiness, a sense of swing instead of flow: listen to the sections float around above the tenor solo and how, as the intensity picks up, for just an instance, so does the tempo.  Ms. Bonin returns closer to the end, the storminess of the middle section is not replaced by a lengthy melody shared by several instruments until the bowed bass returns to take the piece to its gentle conclusion.

As an album, "Pivotal Arc" serves to show the world the versatility and maturity of the composer Quinsin Nachoff.  Listeners might prefer to listen to the "Violin Concerto" in its entirety then come back at a later time to listen to the "String Quartet" and the title track.  There's a lot happening in this music and you really want to pay close attention to hear the richness of the melodies, the excellent musicianship, and the powerful work of violinist Nathalie Bonin. One of this year's more fascinating releases, "Pivotal Arc" is worth your time.

For more information, go to www.quinsin.com.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://quinsinnachoff.bandcamp.com.

Here's the "Second Movement" of composer Nachoff's "Violin Concerto", Natalie Bonin, violin soloist:



Personnel:

Nathalie Bonin - violin soloist 

Molinari String Quartet: 
Olga Ranzenhofer - violin I 
Antoine Bareil - violin II 
Frédéric Lambert - viola 
Pierre - Alain Bouvrette - cello 

Quinsin Nachoff - tenor saxophone, composer 

JC Sanford - conductor  
Michael Davidson - vibraphone 
Mark Helias - bass 
Satoshi Takeishi - drums, percussion 
Jean-Pierre Zanella - piccolo, flute, clarinet, soprano sax 
Yvan Belleau - clarinet, tenor saxophone 
Brent Besner - bass clarinet 
Jocelyn Couture - trumpet I 
Bill Mahar - trumpet II 
David Grott - trombone 
Bob Ellis - bass trombone 

Photo: Brian Cohen

Bassist and composer Michael Formanek has been in ears of creative music listeners for nearly five decades. He first came to critical attention when he joined drummer Tony Williams's ensemble and has gone on to play with Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Fred Hersch, Jane Ira Bloom, Marty Ehrlich, Harold Danko, Tim Berne, and a host of others. Currently, he is one/third of the cooperative trio Thumbscrew with guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. He's recorded for ENJA Records, Screwgun, Intakt Records, and ECM, the label that issued "The Distance" by his amazing Ensemble Kolossus. His latest release is the third in a trio of albums that bassist Adam Hopkins issued in July and August of this year on his Out of Your Head Records label. All of the albums (the others include bassist Nick Dunston in a quintet setting and saxophonist Anna Webber's Quartet) were recorded live under less-than-ideal conditions or "Untamed" as the label has written on each release).

Formanek's contribution is "Pre-Apocalyptic": recorded in 2014 (but the artist is not sure where), the music, all tracks composed by the bassist, features Tim Berne (alto saxophone), Craig Taborn (piano), and Gerald Cleaver (drums), the same group that recorded his first two albums for ECM in 2010 and 2012––in fact, five of the seven songs come those albums, one from Ensemble Kolossus, and one newer work.  This quartet lives and breathes the music with the ability to stop and start without a dropped note, play complicated melody lines, and all solo with creativity.  Because the four musicians had worked together so often by the time of this gig, their familiarity with the music gives them license to push it forward.  And they do!

The album opens with "Pong", a melody built of repeated three-note phrases which shift in to a circular five-note phrase.  Then Berne and Taborn take off soloing in and around each other, both building off the intensity of Formanek and Cleaver. The bassist leads off the expansive (14:07) "Rising Tensions and Awesome Lights" with a long solo, melodic and percussive, before dropping into a walking bass line while the saxophone and piano work through the melody.  Taborn's wide-ranging powerful, and exciting solo leads into Berne's exploratory jaunt supported by throbbing bass hand-held percussion.  The other 14-minute track, "Intro and Real Action", starts quietly before Cleaver takes over for a lengthy solo that builds in intensity but drops back into a quiet mode for Berne to begin his statement.  There's a bluesy feel in many of his short phrases but he soon begins to interact with the other musicians, making the music louder. Yet, the music never boils over.  This Quartet may have been the first of Formanek's groups to perform "The Distance"––it's such a lovely ballad with an excellent solo from Berne, strong counterpoint from the composer, and excellent colors created by the pianist and drummer.

"Pre-Apocalyptic" overcomes its supposed "lo-fi" beginnings, hence a tip of the hat to mixing and mastering engineer Nathaniel Morgan for making this music sound so alive.  Michael Formanek has always been an impressive musician plus he is also one of the better composers in Creative American Music.  At times noisy, at others subtle, this album documents a quartet at the height of its power. Let these sounds move you!

For more information about the bassist, go to www.amibotheringyou.com. To listen to more songs and purchase the recording ($1.00 of every sale goes to Black Lives Matter), go to https://outofyourheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pre-apocalyptic.

Here's a lengthy piece from the album:

Personal Statements on the Saxophone (trio & solo)

Eric Alexander began playing his tenor saxophone over three decades ago as a freshman in college (he had started on clarinet then moved to alto sax in high school) and, judging by his constant touring and ever-growing discography, has no intention of stopping.  After transferring to William Paterson College in New Jersey, he came into contact with pianist/educator Harold Mabern (a relationship that continues to this day) and studied with Joe Lovano and Rufus Reid (and a host of other fine musicians. After college, he moved to Chicago, began a recording career (his 1992 debut, "Straight Up", was issued by Delmark Records) and soon began a career that has taken him around the world.

"Leap of Faith" is Alexander's debut for Giant Step Arts, the new label started by Jimmy and Dena Katz. For long-time fans of the saxophonist, it's one of the few opportunities to hear him moving away from the hard-bop sounds that have been his bread-and-butter over the decades.  In fact, on the opening two tracks ("Luquitas" and "Mars"), one can hear the influence of John Coltrane in his powerful phrases and gutsy sounds.  Plus, this s a trio date - no piano (save for the saxophonist's piano chords on "Corazon Perdido") - and that "freedom" helps to open new avenues for Alexander's music.  Joining him on this journey are bassist Doug Weiss (a fellow William Paterson grad whose career has seen him work with artists such as Pete Seeger, Brian Blade, Lizz Wright, George Coleman, and many more) and drummer Johnathan Blake.

Recorded live at The Jazz Gallery in New York City, the music often crackles with great energy.  The trio digs into "Hard Blues"; not the Julius Hemphill tune but a short yet equally powerful blues "shout" that opens with Alexander, solo, pushing quite hard.  "Big Richard" is also a ballad, a piece that the saxophonist wrote for his father who had recently passed.  This piece is quite gentle, the saxophone traveling over the melodic bass lines and Blake's active yet sensitive brush work.  There's more than a touch of the blues here as well yet the overall feel is one of reflection and memory.

Photo: Jimmy & Dena Katz

And there's fire - "Frenzy" lives up to its as the rhythm section sets a torrid pace for Alexander to push against and to ride atop.  The saxophonist often stays in the tenor's mid-range but he certainly plays with great passion.  He utilizes a wider range on "Mars" and it's a joy to hear how Blake's rampaging drums push the saxophonist to let loose.  Alexander is in quite the playful mood and infuses the piece with the joy of playing.

"Second Impression", the longest track on the program (13:28). closes the album with more energy.  A bit of Sonny Rollins, some more Coltrane, Don Byas, Hank Mobley - pick whoever you choose - Alexander flies high, soaring over the powerful rhythm section (dig Weiss's rollicking bass lines and Blake's insistent drive). He plays and plays, never tires, for the entire piece. It's quite the performance. Play the track loud and imagine the excitement of being in the audience as the trio blazes its way.

"Leap of Faith" is quite the leap for Eric Alexander. Even if you have any or many of his albums, you know he always plays with great energy and thought. Yet, this album, this trio, this music, this setting, opens his big sounds even more, his ideas and phrases often leaping with joy, his ballads even more emotional.  Kudos to Doug Weiss and Jonathan Blake for their splendid work and to Jimmy & Dena Katz for creating the platform for Alexander to make such passionate music.

For more information, go to www.giantsteparts.org/eric-alexander or to www.ericalexandermusic.com.

The album will be issued on May 17.  In the meantime, here's the opening track:

Photo: Russ Rowland

Alto saxophonist, pianist, and composer Michaël Attias, born in Haifa, Israel, and raised in Paris, France, has quite the biography. His parents moved the family to Minneapolis, MN, when he was nine and exposed him to all sorts of music including recordings by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Ornette Coleman. Coleman's eclectic work led the 15-year old Attias to the alto saxophone and he began a life-long journey that took him back to Paris for college, to Connecticut to study at Wesleyan University, and onto New York City and collaborations with Anthony Braxton, Oliver Lake, Paul Motian, and many others.  As a leader, he has worked and recorded with trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist John Hébert, drummers Tom Rainey, Nasheet Waits, and Satoshi Takeishi, plus pianists Aruàn Ortiz and Matt Mitchell - many of his albums can be found on the Clean Feed label.

"Échos la Nuit" (released on bassist Adam Hopkins' Out of Your Head Records) is his first solo album. Recorded in one day (in just over an hour!) in a French studio, Attias plays alto sax and piano at the same time; every once in a while, he utilizes the inside of the latter to help enhance the sound of the former.  What stands out is how quiet the music is. The opener "Echoes: I - Mauve" sets the tone for the program with its combination of long, winding, alto sax phrases and spare piano accompaniment. The pictures Attias paints often are ethereal yet the attentive listener can intuit that while he is searching as he plays, the music tells stories have deeper meaning.  "Grass" blends long breathy saxophone notes and silence to evoke a quiet night, as if the musician is staring across a big field at the distance.  "Autumn I" and "Autumn II", with the piano and saxophone often in unison, has the simple yet emotional feel of composers Erik Satie and Morton Feldman.

Still, one Attias has distilled this music from his years traveling the world as well as the work he has done composing for theater.  The dramatic circular lines and popping stops of the saxophone on "Rue Oberkampf" have an undeniable energy while the deep piano notes  mixed with the airy alto sax melodies on "Sea In The Dark" have a stillness that is sheer poetry.

With "Échos la Nuit", Michaël Attias has invited the listener into his world of creativity, a world of (mostly) calm exploration mixed with wonder.  Just as the music does not hurry or even scurry, take your time to allow the sounds to float in your room and into your mind. Those sounds have the clarity of an ECM recording and an emotional pull that keeps one returning to these songs time and again with renewed wonder.

For more information, go to www.outofyourheadrecords.com/michael-attias.

Here's a track to whet your appetite: