Believe it or not, the duo of Dan Weiss (drums) and Miles Okazaki (guitar) has been together for 25 years playing with other musicians in various combinations; saxophonist and composer Ohad Talmor just issued his latest album "Mise en Place" (Intakt Records) with the duo serving as his musical partners. Both Weiss and Okazaki were commissioned to compose pieces for their duo by John Zorn's Stone Commissioning Series in early 2020; only the guitarist's eight-part "The Memory Palace" received its performance debut (2/26/2020). The drummer's debut of "Middlegame" was set for late March but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Now Cygnus Recordings has issued the two suites on CD, digital download, and as a two-Lp set. Aptly titled "Music for Drums and Guitar", the music is a fascinating amalgam of the two musicians various interests and how they communicate in sound. Okazaki's 36-minute piece, has moments of sly funky beats, throbbing grooves, flourishes of folk and classical influences, prog-rock and more. Plus there's a feeling of playfulness that inhabits pieces such as "Part II" and "Part IV" –– the guitarist digs in to the groove Weiss lays down and the dance forward. The melody of "Part VII" is long but flows atop a river of percussion that builds in intensity until a flurry of guitar notes rain down on the frenetic drums. "Part VIII" closes the suite slowly at first but the circular guitar riff begins to expand –– note how the snare echoes the rapid-fire guitar riffs. As the performance builds to a fiery climax, Okazaki steps on the "fuzz' pedal and the proceedings explode right up to the final chord.
Photo: John Rogers
Weiss's seven-part suite "Middlegame" displays all of his strengths without the music turning into a mere display of technique. First and foremost, not only does the drummer "swing", he is quite a melodic player. Note how "Parts I and II" set up the template for the rest of the work. Weiss leads the guitarist in, all the while creating rhythms that have power and depth. "Part III" finds the drums up front with Okazaki as the support and melodic foil. By the last 90 seconds of the piece, the guitarist is locked into the beat, his percussive lines in step with Weiss. The longest piece in the suite and on the album (12:52), "Part V", is also driven by the rhythms with the guitarist being the "foundation" while Weiss steps up. The drummer moves in and around the guitar switching from swinging the beat to being "conversational" on his kit.
Dig deeply into "Music for Drums and Guitar" and you will find a world of endless possibilities. As stated above, Dan Weiss and Miles Okazaki have history together so they know each other's strengths. There are no 'dead" spots in this program; instead, the music continues to move forward, slowly down now and then to contemplate textures and introspective interactions. There's much to discover!!
The duo of Mary Halvorson (guitar, effects) and Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) first recorded together on 2017's "Crop Circle" (Relative Pitch Records), a collection of tracks that highlighted each musicians strengths as well as how they intuitively move through both composed and improvised material. In June of this year, the duo got back together and recorded the 12 tracks that make up the two musicians second album and debut for Pyroclastic Records. "Search for the Disappeared Hour" features five pieces composed by the guitarist, four by the pianist, and three improvisations. The music draws in the listener while also challenging one's expectations.
Ms. Halvorson's "Golden Proportion" opens the program; the opening melody is played by the guitar supported by powerful piano chords and rippling runs. On occasion, the musicians venture outside the stated rhythm yet never lose sight of the main thrust of the music. Listen carefully and, right before the end, you'll hear a quote from Beethoven. The pianist's "Mind Out of Time" finds Ms. Halvorson experimenting with sounds from the guitar while Ms. Courvoisier plays a dark, 20th Century style classical background. The guitarist's "Bent Yellow" has a piano rhythm that references the music of Robin Holcomb; note how both musicians move in and out of blues patterns from the middle of the track forward. there are splashes of humor, the playful interactions of the duo creating a lightness that's hard to ignore.
Photo: Self-portrait
Among the many delights on the recording is how the duo frame melodies so that they stand out. "Gates & Passes" is a ballad that builds up from the opening long melody into a long, dissonant, guitar solo. Note how Ms. Courvoisier never changes her pace or mood building her solo off the song's handsome chord structure. "Party Dress", an impromptu piece by the duo, has such a gentle feel even with the extended reverb on the guitar. "The album's closing piece, "Blizzard Rings", is also an improvisation that sounds like a dream, one in which someone is in a room full of wind-up toys –– the piano and guitar move in and around each other through to the soft finish.
"Searching for the Disappeared Hour" is quite an aural adventure through the creative minds of Mary Halvorson and Sylvie Courvoisier. If you are a fan of the two musicians, the music will delight and surprise you; if you are new to their explorations, keep an open mind and notice how the duo feeds off each others ideas, energy, and melodies.
Does the end of Daylight Savings Time get you down? Knowing that the evening starts earlier and the night lasts longer truly bother you? My prescription for surviving the next several months is a healthy dose of "Reconvexo". No, it's not a new drug like the ones you might see on the nightly newscasts –– it's actually the new Anzic recording by the duo of Anat Cohen (clarinet, bass clarinet, voice) and Marcello Gonçalves (7-string guitar, voice). Recorded in January of 2020 while the duo was quarantined in Rio de Janiero, the nine-song program features songs from the Música Popular Brasileira songbook. Their debut collaboration, "Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos", came out in 2017 so this time, they decided to play songs by some of Brazil's most popular composers.
The album opens with the title track. Composed by Caetano Veloso for his sister Maria Bethânia for a 1989 album, the song has been covered by a slew of artists. It's a bright melody that Ms. Cohen exults in while Gonçalves provides not only support but a percussive drive that pushes the song forward. Veloso and Milton Nascimento co-wrote "Paula e Bebeto", an episodic piece where the guitar and clarinets (Ms. Cohen overdubs bass clarinet) share the melody before the pace slows down for a lovely clarinet solo. The brightness of the guitar is expertly recorded so that you marvel at the brilliant accompaniment and how the piece moves organically. Nascimento had his hand in composing two other songs on the album; he composed the words for Fernando Brant's lovely "Maria, Maria" which comes from a 1978 album about the legacy of slavery in Brazil while "Ânima" (composed with Zé Renato) is the title track for the singer's 1982 album. The performance is truly beautiful with a melody that sounds like birds singing on a Spring morning.
Other composers included in the program are Dori Caymmi, Gilberto Gil, the team of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfa, the 19th Century Venezulean composer Heraclio Hernandez, and the team of Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright. "Never Dreamed You's Leave in Summer" is the tune that closes the album –– the sparkling arrangement of the Wright/ Wonder song does not sound out of place in this delightful collection.
"Reconvexo" is splendid from start-to-finish, sounding lovely at any time of day (early morning as the sun rises works for me) –– the duo of Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves has created a delight-filled alternative to moping and negativity. One should feel cleansed after listening to this music!
There is something soothing about two steel-string guitarists playing through their way through a set of songs that makes you long for sitting around a fire soaking in the sounds. Cameron Mizell and Charlie Rauh have played together for a number of years but never like they have over the eight-plus months it took the duo to record its second album, "Local Folklore" (Destiny Records). Both players contributed five songs to the program and both recorded in their own studios. Despite the "remote" recording, this music sounds bright, collaborative, highly melodic and harmonic with a wistful quality permeating the songs. Mizell and Ruah are busy leaders on their own yet when they come together, their musical conversations feel like a respite from the road, a quiet evening lost in melody and stories.
That's what "Local Folklore" is, a melody-laden journey into the heart. Mizell's title song leads off the program on a uptempo note,, the strumming guitars setting the pace for the well-crafted melody and the fine, articulate, solos that follow. Rauh's "Petey & Kyle" follows with its Beatles-like melody just begging for words. Yet, you can tell this is a story of two friends walking through life together Still, Mizell's pieces also have stories connected to them whether. When you just sit and listen, you probably know people who the guitarists describe with their instruments and melodies.
Mizell switches to electric on several tracks mostly for the sustain and effects that add atmosphere and an orchestral feel to pieces such as Rauh's "A Forgiving Sort of Place" and lovely "Arolen". The sounds are not intrusive; instead they add a sense of shimmering light off a mountain lake to the songs. On he album closing "On Sundays I Walk Alone", the overdubbed electric plays both rhythm and the theme while Rauh's acoustic plays counterpoint.
"Local Folklore" is music for early in the morning and late in the evening. The melodies are soothing, the musicianship impressive, a cooperative journey into the human heart and soul. Cameron Mizell and Charlie Rauh may have had to curtail their "live" shows in the pandemic but, judging by the quality of their new album, both musicians made good use of their time.
When drummer, percussionist, and composer Ches Smith lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2000, one of his gigs was to accompany a Haitian dance class. He soon moved to NewYork City where he began to play and record with guitarists Mary Halvorson, Nels Cline, and Marc Ribot plus saxophonists Tim Berne, John Zorn, and Darius Jones. Smith also began to immerse himself in Haitian music, picking up several mentors along the way and began to incorporate the various rhythms in his music. In 2015, he went into the studio with pianist Matt Mitchell and master percussionists Daniel Brevil and Markus Schwartz to record an album of instrumentals and chants under the monicker of We All Break. Issued only on Bandcamp, the album received very little publicity.
We All Break has expanded to twice its original size with the addition of vocalist Sirene Dantor Rene, acoustic bassist Nick Dunston, drummer/ vocalist Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene, and alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón. The octet's new album, "Path of Seven Colors" (Pyroclastic Records), expands upon the ideas of the debut album (included at no extra cost if you purchase the CD –– you should do that because it's one of the loveliest packages on the market today). One can know hear how Smith and company are able to be more melodic and more experimental. From the opening minutes of the first track "Woule Poe Mwen" ("Roll it for Me") when the hand percussion and rolling piano lines usher in the lead singer and vocal responses, you hear the more traditional Haitian music. Whereas the first voice you hear on the following track "Here's The Light" is Miguel Zenon's expressive alto saxophone. The male and female leads tell their story with the choir gently ululating in response. The saxophonist's expansive solo over the poly-rhythmic piano, bass, and drums not only channels the voices but also the spirit of traditional music
Photo: YouTube
Four of the eight tracks are over nine minutes and are episodic in that they incorporate several melodies and rhythms. "Leaves Arrive" (9:39) with Ms. Dantour leading the chorus in a chant praising the great forest and the spirit over minimalist accompaniment. The rhythm picks up led by the voices and clapping hands. When the voices depart, Zenón and Dunston lead the melody in; both solo over the powerful drumming aided by Mitchell's percussive piano lines. "Lord of Healing" (13:36) is the longest track. Mitchell quietly leads in the melody, Daniel Brevil takes over, first singing by himself and then joined by the choir. There's a long section for solos –– Mitchell and Zenón create impressive improvisations over the drums and bass (Dunston is described in the liner notes as the "fifth drummer" – he's all that and a melodic powerhouse as well) and the music becomes more exciting and intense.
Daniel Brevil and Ches Smith
The music rolls forward throughout the album. The program is a delightful hybrid, asking the listener to accept the traditional songs with the modern themes of Ches Smith's original music. And it works very well. The vocals, with deep roots in the tradition, help to "ground" the music, giving the musicians the freedom to explore. When you listen to the title track, the piano opening is modern and angular but when the drums enter, the music, with its blend of ancient and contemporary, feels timeless (Mitchell's solo work is stunning throughout).
"Path of Seven Colors" is an absorbing, exciting, musical adventure. Blending the spiritual and community aspects of Vodou music with Black American music and concepts Ches Smith & We All Break has surprised the listener and soothed him/her at the same time. Go, get lost in the amazing aural adventure.
At the beginning of this year, many of us knew that we would have to suffer through the Presidential Election cycle, that the amount of money spent on Federal and State elections would reach epic heights, and the possibility of lies and half-truths flying through the air might rent this country asunder. We did, it did, but hardly anyone predicted that a deadly virus would kill so many people, close up so many businesses, turn cities into deserts, and touch so many families around the country and the world.
Here at the cusp of 2021, there are now vaccines to fight the virus beginning to be distributed around the world, there will be a new administration in Washington, D.C., and we will soon be able to venture outdoors to begin the process of healing our communities. On a personal note, my older sister passed in April and my wife's brother in September; like many older people, our family is spread around the country and we only see them on FaceTime or via ZOOM. Our friends suffer in the hospital and we cannot visit to help buoy their spirits. Even worse, unless we can go outside, there's no breaking of bread, no sharing of wine and desserts, no going to plays or concerts or galleries.
Yet, music remains a constant and 2020 was a sparkling time for Black American Music. Whereas many of the albums that topped the "Critics List" were recorded in 2019 or before, by the end of the year we were hearing music produced in the pandemic months. The spirit of creativity has not suffered even as so many musicians, who depend on live performances to pay the rent and feed their families, often have to apply for grants and gifts to stay afloat. As a reviewer, I am blessed with plenty of promotional CDs and audio files; artists appreciate reviews but the only money they will see form that are the royalties when the album is sold. Many of them have turned to Bandcamp, perhaps the fairest of all the music sellers in the world (the website's "First Fridays", a day when over 90% of the money paid for a music file or album goes directly to the artist)––you'll see links to the artist's Bandcamp page at the bottom of nearly all the albums in Step Tempest. Listen when you can, purchase what you can. Music brings hope, solace, awakens our senses and emotions, and makes our blood flow.
Below are albums that I reviewed this year and that stand out from the rest.
Chad Taylor Trio - The Daily Biological (Cuneiform Records) – This album arrived several weeks after my sister's passing. The energy and beauty in the music reminded me that music has the power to cut through grief, to amplify emotions, and to soothe us in times of loss. Listening to the music created by drummer and composer Chad Taylor, tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, and pianist Neil Podgurski wafting through our house as the Spring breezes danced through now-open windows shook me from my lethargy and mourning to confront and savor how these three musicians tackled diversity, melody, and rhythm over the course of nine songs in 61 minutes. Sounds fresh each time I listen and it remains a "go-to" recording. To listen and purchase, go to https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-daily-biological.
(Honorable mention: "Live in Willisau" – James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor - (Intakt Records)
Eric Revis - "Slipknots Through a Looking Glass" - (Pyroclastic Records) - Bassist and composer Revis, a mainstay of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, releases the most interesting albums as a leader and this one is no exception. With a band that includes Chad Taylor (drums, mbira), label head Kris Davis (piano, prepared piano), Darius Jones (alto saxophone), Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone), and Justin Faulkner (drums on two tracks), this music is experimental, funky, fiery, loud, and soothing, an album that makes you sit up and dig in. Taylor and Revis together could light up the night sky; mix in the piano and reeds and the music takes off in so many fascinating directions. To listen and purchase, go to https://ericrevispyroclastic.bandcamp.com/album/slipknots-through-a-looking-glass.
Aubrey Johnson - "Unraveled" - (Outside In Music) - It took three years for this album to reach the public but Ms. Johnson's performance, her song choices, and the delightfully simpatico quintet of musicians was well worth. Her voice is supple, emotionally full, and she sounds so invested in the material that you believe ebery word she sings. Her ability to take a piece like Jimmy Rowles oft-recorded "The Peacocks" and make it her own (kudos to the bass clarinet of Michael Sachs for her fine counterpoint) or the opening "No More I Love Yous" (made a hit by Annie Lennox) which brings the lyrics into focus is a listener's delight. The pandemic cut off the "Album Release Tour"––let's hope she gets to bring this impressive group and music to the public soon. To listen to more and purchase the album, go to. https://aubreyjohnson.bandcamp.com/album/unraveled.
Doxas Brothers - "The Circle" - (Justin Time Records) - This recording snuck up on me, quietly but stealthily invading my brain and my heart. Brothers Chet (tenor saxophone) and Jim (drums), along with Adrian Vedady (drums) and the magnificent Marc Copland (piano) present a nine-song program (eight originals, one standard––Gordon Jenkin's "Goodbye") that is rich in melody, inventiveness, and, when called for, great fire. Copland's solos and support are fascinating to listen to throughout, eschewing cliches for thoughtful interaction and melody. The Brothers, who play with Dave Douglas and Steve Swallow in Riverside, are mighty impressive players who do not overplay. For more information and to purchase the recording, go to https://doxasbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle.
Matthew Shipp Trio – "The Unidentifiable" - (ESP-Disk) – Pianist and composer Shipp turned 60 a few weeks ago (December 7) but shows no signs of slowing down. He's on a slew of albums again that were releases in 2020 including this delightful Trio recording on ESP. With his tremendous rhythm section of Michael Bisio (bass) and Newman Taylor Baker (drums), the pianist pounds, darts, dashes, swings, and sings a splendid 11-song program. Over the last few Trio recordings, Shipp has embraced melody in a way that is adventurous and not cloying, thoughtful without technical histrionics. He can still wail on piano but his music is concerned with texture, interplay, and finding the links between darkness and light. To listen and to purchase, go to https://matthewshipp.bandcamp.com/album/the-unidentifiable.
Max Bessesen - "Trouble" - (Ropeadope Records) – There were a number of debut albums this year (Aubrey Johnson, for instance) but none that captured my imagination more than young Mr. Bessesen's recording. The Denver, CO, native began playing alto saxophone as a teenager and mentored by great cornettist Ron Miles. He attended Oberlin Conservatory and, after traveling the world through a Fellowship, he settled in Chicago and started his own band. The death of one of the band members––guitarist Zac Nunnery––spurred the saxophonist to bring the his (now) quartet into the studio. The resulting album is quite exciting, musical, and well worth exploring. An added bonus is the presence of Mr. Miles on six of the 10 tracks!
The first half of this list of 20 also includes four of the Large Ensemble albums I posted about the other day. They include Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble "The New Immigrant Experience: Music Inspired by Conversations with Dreamers", Maria Schneider Orchestra "Data Lords", Gregg August "Dialogues on Race, Vol. I", and Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra "The Four Questions".
Bassist and composer Eric Revis (pictured left) has got serious pedigree. He's graduated from the school of Betty Carter, has also worked with Steve Coleman, Jason Moran, Lionel Hampton, Andrew Cyrille, and Orrin Evan and Nasheet Waits in the collective trio Tarbaby. Revis has spent the past 23 years in the rhythm section of the Branford Marsalis Quartet playing alongside Jeff "Tain" Watts and his successor Jason Faulkner. A prolific composer, he has contributed songs to the Marsalis Quartet repertoire and received several prestigious grants and fellowships.
His eighth album as a leader, "Slipknots Through a Looking Glass", is his first for Kris Davis's Pyroclastic Records label. The recording features Ms. Davis on piano plus his "working" quartet of Chad Taylor (drums, mbira), Darius Jones (alto saxophone), and Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone with afore-mentioned Faulkner on drums for two tracks. The resulting music (nine Revis originals, one each from both the saxophonists, and one credited to the bassist, drummer, and pianist) runs the gamut from funk to fiery blowouts to subtle ballads, and never a dull moment. The program opens with "Baby Renfro" (listen below), a serious slab of funk underscored by Faulkner's drums, Ms. Davis's "rhythm guitar-like" piano, and and the leader's thick bass lines. The overdubbed saxes play a robotic rhythmic line plus there are several slowdowns but most of the piece romps forward.
Photo: Jati Lindsay
Faulkner also appears on "Earl and the Three-Fifths Compromise", a slinky piece that features a circular (and hypnotic) bass line, impressionistic piano chords, and a lengthy conversation feature the two saxophones. It's Taylor's drums that set the torrid pace "Shutter" on which both McHenry and Jones tear a hole in the ozone layer with their powerful, frantic, and raucous solos. Ms. Davis dances all over the keyboard while Revis rips out a thunderous walking bass line. "Vimen" opens with a bass and drums dialogue before the pianist joins the fray laying down a series of angular lines blended before Jones scrambles atop the rhythm section and leaps into action. When it's his turn, McHenry takes a softer approach but slowly builds towards a powerful climax.
The title track is split in three short parts, all of which features the bassist in both speakers, quiet piano in the background, and a high-pitched but barely intelligible squeals as white noise. The "second" "Slipknots..." leads into "House of Leaves" which unfolds over four minutes of jagged, rubato, interaction before dropping into a slow funky groove and turning into a moody, introspective, work.
The most intriguing song "SpÆ", an improvised work for bass, mbira, and treated piano that flows from Revis's opening pattern and quiet piano figures and the percussive mbira into a more steady pace. Also a three-part work, the music flows from section to section seamlessly. The trance-like effect of the overdubbed mbira takes over the final moments slowing down with the bass to the fade. McHenry's lovely ballad "When I Become Nothing" features the band moving forward together with only Ms. Davis moving around the two saxophones. While not a conventional ballad, the music has a subtle beauty and a yearning quality.
"Slipknots Through a Looking Glass" continues the impressive body of music that Eric Revis has produced over the past two+ decades. The sound quality of the recording is quite impressive as you can clearly hear all the voices, even when there is a lot of noise. This is neither simple music nor "art-for-art's-sake" but true creative Black American Music.
Who better than drummer, composer, educator, and impressive human being Matt Wilson to bring a smile to one's face in the midst of the pandemic. From a distance––a socially responsible distance––he and his musical cohorts (reed man Jeff Lederer, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, and bassist Chris Lightcap) have conspired to give a musical "Hug!" (Palmetto Records). And, darned if we don't need a big one (hug, that is) plus a reason to smile through our collective fears and worries.
It's been six years since the MWQ released an album of its own––the members all appeared on Wilson's 2016 "Beginnings of a Memory" album as part of his Big Happy Family ensemble. The band's 2014 recording, "Gathering Call", also featured pianist John Medeski but "Hug!" is just the four musicians making their own fun. The 11-song program opens with Gene Ammon's rollicking "The One Before This", a joyous "blues shout" that features solid bass work, crashing drums and cymbals, and stand-out solos from Lederer (tenor sax), Knuffke, Lightcap, and the leader. Everybody gets loose so the audience can sit back and rest assured the music will be top-notch!
Off they go into a collection that features pieces by Abdullah Ibrahim ("Jabaloni"), Charlie Haden ("In The Moment"), Dewey Redman ("Joie de Vivre"), five Wilson originals, one riotous collaboration with Sun Ra ("Space Force March/Interplanetary Music"), and a Wilson favorite from his youth, Roger Miller's "King of the Road". If you are a long-time Wilson fan, his choice of material shouldn't surprise but the Miller tune stands out for its delightful....well...."joie de vivre". Lederer's clarinet leads the way, Knuffke gets a short solo, Lightcap contributes the foundational bass line while Wilson's subtle percussion sets an ambling pace––his "tap dancing solo near the close will are you smile even wider.
Photo: John Abbott
Another surprise is the presence of the voice of President Donald Trump. He's there to announce the Space Force initiative as the band contributes a Charles Ivesian background and then break into the "Space Force March" as the President serves as counterpoint to the musical mayhem. The Quartet then segues into Sun Ra's "Interplanetary Music" (hear the original) and creates a pastiche of bouncy blues riffs with a touch of New Orleans. They sing Sun Ra's lyrics while the President interjects his "Space Force" words.
There are plenty of other highlights. Wilson's "Every Day With You" is a lovely ballad, heartfelt, emotional, and richly melodic. "Sunny & Share", also an original, may be a tribute to the 1960s hitmakers but, in reality, it's a raucous and rapid melody line punctuated by short solos from each member of the band. The title tune (listen below) may just bring Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass to mind. Complete with a string accompaniment (all parts arranged and performed by Matt Combs, a Nashville, TN-based fiddler), the piece is quite sweet and deserving of its title.
Photo: John Abbott
"Hug!" closes with the aptly-titled "Hamba Kahle (Goodbye)"––the title is from the Zulu language and the music hearkens back to the sounds of Abdullah Ibrahim. The solid drumming, the dancing electric bass line, the sweet melody line (from the drummer), and the gentle fade all serve to close the album on a hopeful note. Having attended numerous performances by Matt Wilson either in a leadership role or as a sideman, his music and playing are often imbued with joy. He can be silly, and irrepressibly so at times, but he is always serious about making good music. The music of the Matt Wilson Quartet obliterates borders, ignores genres, and embraces melody and improvisation. You should partake of this bounty!
If you've spent any time paying attention to creative music in the 21st Century, you know that there are a group of pianists who are always pushing the envelope. Artists such as Jason Moran, Myra Melford (who started out in the last decade of the previous century and has never stopped exploring), Craig Taborn, Aruan Ortiz, John Escreet, and Kris Davis. Ms. Davis seemed to spring out of nowhere with her 2003 debut on Fresh Sound New Talent and over the course of 13 albums as a leader or co-leader, she has continually expanded her musical palette. In 2016, Ms. Davis inaugurated her own label Pyroclastic Records with "Duopoly", a series of two duets each with eight artists. "Octopus" followed in early 2018, also an album of duets only this time her dialogue was with fellow pianist Craig Taborn. She also leads a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts (dubbed January Painters), another trio (this one named Borderland Trio) with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Eric McPherson, plus she has a duo with saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock. One would not go wrong calling Kris Davis a very busy musician.
Her latest recording, "Diatom Ribbons" (Pyroclastic), is a program of 10 compositions (eight by the pianist and one each by Michaël Attias and the late Julius Hemphill) played by various sized ensembles ranging from a duo to septet with several others in between. The one constant partner throughout is drummer Terri Lyne Carrington appearing on every track with other participants including turntablist Val Jeanty (all but two tracks), acoustic snd electric bassist Trevor Dunn, vibraphonist Ches Smith, guitarist Nels Cline, saxophonists JD Allen (only on the first and last tracks) and Tony Malaby (on three tracks) plus two cuts with guitarist Marc Ribot. Esperanza Spalding adds her voice to two tracks, Attias's "The Very Thing" and "Certain Cells". Attias's song has a lilting melody that the drummer underpins with her expressive playing with Malaby's tenor pushing in the background and Jeanty's swooshes and splashes painting quite a backdrop. "...Cells" builds from Gwendolyn Brooks's powerful poem "To Prisoners" and is a tour-de-force for Ms. Carrington's robust drumming.
Photo: Peter Gannushkin
There are moments throughout the album that capture the mind. The voice of composer Olivier Messiaen moves and out of "Corn Crake" as Ms. Jeanty's electronics swirl beneath the rambling piano lines and the rock-steady drumming. Ribot's lines spew out with force on the rocking "Golgi Complex (The Sequel)" (dig how Ms. Carrington and bassist Dunn lock into the groove) then engages in a duel with Cline on the following track "Gogol Complex." That track not only pits the guitarists against each other but pay attention to the power coming from the rhythm section and Ms. Davis's thunderous piano work.
Photo: Daniel Sheehan/Martin Sarrazac
The album closes with Hemphill's "Reflections" (first recorded in 1975 on his second album as a leader "Coon Bid'ness"), a multi-sectioned piece that opens in an introspective mode with the two saxophones playing in unison behind the dancing piano lines and the counterpoint of the drums. Dunn's bowed acoustic bass moans quietly while also producing overtones as the saxophones begin to state the song's theme. A bit past the halfway point, the drums and bass drop into a funky beat, the saxophonists repeat the melody, and a highly processed proper British voice talks about learning. Both Allen and Malaby solo, dancing atop the beat and Ms. Davis's pounding piano chords, the voice jabbering in and out of the background.
One of the more delightful attractions of "Diatom Ribbons" is how Val Jeanty adds her distinctive turntable sounds to the mix. How Kris Davis utilizes her talents makes the album all the more intriguing, an integral part of a program in which all parts are integral – there is no wasted space. Ms. Davis first teamed up with Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding to play a series of concerts to honor the memory and work of Geri Allen. That connection pushed Ms. Davis to create this project, one that will greatly appeal to the curious mind. Dig in, pay close attention.
Saxophonist Samuel Blais came to New York City in the early years of this decade to study with saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master David Liebman. In 2012, Liebman helped the young man create a saxophone quartet in NYC that featured the two of them (on soprano and baritone saxophones) in a partnership with tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin and alto saxophonist David Binney. They toured in Quebec that year playing compositions by all four members, the first time both Binney and McCaslin had written for this kind of ensemble. The ensemble got back together in May of 2015, entered Red Rock Studio in the Poconos Mountain in Pennsylvania and, over the course of two days, recorded the 10 tracks that make up "Four Visions" (Sunnyside Records)
Interestingly, the four musicians each only play one reed instrument throughout the program although all but Binney play different saxes. That choice gives the music more of a classical feel. The entire is composed of originals by the band members insulting three each by Blais and Binney plus two each by Liebman and McCaslin. On initial listening, one hears the influence of the World Saxophone Quartet, especially the writing of Julius Hemphill. Once you dig into each track, the composers individual voices come out. Liebman's "A Moody Time" starts as a ballad with each voice stepping out of the ensemble for short, solo, lines. Suddenly, the baritone sax falls into a groove and the soprano takes off. The tenor joins the bari while the soprano and alt take the melody and off the quartet goes. Binney's "Dunes" opens with the fours saxes sounding like a church organ but soon the quartet is off on a sonic adventure filled with melodic excursions and lightning-fast tempo changes. "Empty Sunbeams" hs a similar opening but falls into a groove, one tha bears the sound of WSQ.
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McCaslin contributes the handsome ballad "Buy a Mountain", a piece that hints at the blues, the phrases the members play when they step out echoing Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, Wayne Shorter, and others along the jazz continuum. "Et Voit Le Jour" (translated as "and see the day"), composed by Blais, has room for a handsome baritone solo but be sure to listen to what the other three play behind him. The support for the tenor solo is the same – make sure to listen to how clearly the band articulates the supporting lines.
Julius Keilwerth Saxophones
Liebman's "Inside Bach's Studio" is the longest track (15:53), through-composed yet leaves room for each saxophone to step out for solos. Those "spotlights" are truly solo (sans accompaniment) and rubato yet fit perfectly into the expansive fabric of the composition. There are several moments where one believes the piece is ending only to hear the quartet move into a new written section.
"Four Visions" is the work of four fertile minds brought together by Samuel Blais and Dave Liebman. It's such a treat to hear both Donny McCaslin and David Binney in this setting, creating music that challenges them as much as the listeners. What a treat1
Here's the Quartet in concert playing an expanded version of the piece:
Photo: Harvey Tillis
Bassist, composer, orchestrator, and arranger Matt Ulery has been a busy member of the Chicago music scene since arriving two decades. He studied at both Roosevelt University and Depaul University and played professionally with the likes of Patricia Barber, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and trumpeter Marcus Hill. he first recorded as a leader in 2007 and, since then, has worked with numerous different-sized ensembles, from trios to quintets to nonets to a brass band and a jazz orchestra. His compositions have been performed by groups as diverse as Eighth Blackbird, Axiom Brass, and the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago. In 2016, Ulery inaugurated his own label, Woolgathering Records, with red;eases by his Loom/Large ensemble, pianist Rob Clearfield, trumpeter Russ Johnson, and saxophonist Tim Haldemann.
Woolgathering Records
His new album, "Delicate Charms", features long-time associates Zach Brock (violin), Greg Ward (alto saxophone), Quin Kirchner (drums), pianist Clearfield, and the leader on bass and all compositions. Ulery worked on the pieces for this lineup over the course of several years and the quintet went to Portugal in late 2018 where they received an ecstatic reaction from the audiences. Immediately on arrival back in Chicago, the group entered the studio. As to be expected, the music is beyond category but one can not miss the composer's love for melody, harmony, and counterpoint. The rhythm section is a major component in the music as well, not just with its use of polyrhythms but their own medic additions. What immediately stands out is the blend of the violin and alto sax – when Brock and Ward play together, the sound is so full and it's hard to tell them apart unless one is under headphones. Listen to the opening moments of the first track "Coping"; with Ulery and Brock bowing while Ward is playing, they sound like a string trio. Then, the violinist takes the melody and Ward plays the counter-melody. And, then they switch throughout the reading of the theme and verses.
Photo: Harvey Tillis
There are numerous delights on this hour-plus program. Ward, who is my choice for 2019 MVP (most valuable player) shines on "Taciturn" – his wide-ranging solo pushes Brock who follows with his own sparkling performance. Meanwhile, the rhythm section is rocking beneath them. Clearfield's piano solo at the onset of "Nerve" (the final track) has a classical feel with overtones of Appalachian folk music. The melody that follows carries on that sound with a melody that pulls at the emotions Pay attention to Kirchner's active drumming as well as to how he puts the rhythm on simmer underneath Ulery's excellent solo. Notice the soulful alto solo where the phrases take flight, reaching towards the skies.
Every track on "Delicate Charms" is worth exploring in depth. Over his career, Matt Ulery has created music that expands inside one's ears and mind, making the listener return to discover all that's in the music. With this album and July's release of "Wonderment" (a trio date with Brock and drummer Jon Deitmeyer), Matt Ulery has produced two of the best recordings of 2019!
The older I get, the more comfort I derive out of music that sounds like the musicians are having a great time playing. Not sure how I can tell other than there are occasions of one band member extorting on the others but one feels the comfort these musicians have taking chances, interacting with one another, and the "dancing" quality that inhabits the music. Drummer Ali Jackson (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra), bassist Omer Avital (Third World Love), and pianist Aaron Goldberg (Joshua Redman Quartet) all are busy sidemen as well as leaders – they have known each other for over two decades and, early in the 2010s, decided to form a trio. They took the name Yes! Trio and released their debut album on Sunnyside Records in 2012.
Seven years later, Yes! returns with a new album on a new label (Jazz & People, based in France) but with a renewed spirit and a whole mess of joy. "Groove du Jour" features 10 tracks with four composed by Avital, three by Jackson, one from Goldberg plus "Dr. Jackle" by Jackie McLean and the standard "I'll Be Seeing You." That final track listed is an excellent a=example of the trio's delightful approach – after a quiet beginning, Jackson settles into a slow shuffle beat and the song is permeated by the blues. Listen to the delightful piano solo. The program ranges from the powerful "Escalier", a Jackson composition that opens with the power of a McCoy Tyner that settles into a swinging groove. Avital's "Muhammad's Market" hints at a Middle eastern groove while it rumble forward on the strength of the drums and bouncing bass lines. Jackson's "Claqué" dances in on the funky drums, the high bass melody, and Goldberg's Thelonious Monk-like blues feel.
The album closes with Avital's "Bed-Stuy", yet another delightfully swinging song. Each member the trio gets to "strut his stuff" yet no one steps on anyone's toes. This music is so alive and lively you'll want to get into "Groove du Jour" many times. This is soul-affirming music from Yes! Trio!
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