Trios Magic

Three different trios, three varied approaches, and all three fascinating to explore! 

It's been over six years since Nicole Mitchell (flutes, electronics), Tomeka Reid (cello), and Mike Reed (drums, percussion) recorded "Artifacts" for 482 Music. The album was a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the AACM, the Chicago, IL-based organization that all three are members of. The delightful album featured compositions by original members of the organization plus one by later member, guitarist Jeff Parker.  Ms. Mitchell, Ms. Reid, and Mr. Reed have all been very busy in the intervening years with the ladies joining the expanded Art Ensemble of Chicago while the drummer recorded AEC's Roscoe Mitchell.  They have also continued to play in their own various ensembles.

The trio has taken the name "Artifacts". Their new album, "...and then there's this" (Astral Spirits) features seven works by the band members plus one each by Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell.  The music is, by turns, funky, earthy, improvisational, quiet, devotional, and emotionally rich.  Drummer Reed's "Pleasure Palace" opens the program on a dancing beat and raucous cello before Ms. Mitchell's tears her way through the melody.  "A. F. (dedicated to Alvin Fielder)" is a group piece built off the distorted flute sounds, the rhythm from the cowbell, and the hard-edge cello lines. The track and several others should remind the listener of the 1970s ensemble Air (Henry Threadgill, bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall).  Ms. Reid shines on Ms. Mitchell's "Blessed", showing the influence of Abdul Wadud on her bluesy pizzicato lines.  

There's a large amount of aural variety on these tracks.  The cellist's "In Response To" swings with abandon featuring hearty solos from the trio while her "Song For Helena" is a stunning ballad, the rich tone of the flute meshing with the full-toned arco cello before the drummer sets a gentle pace with his brushes for Ms. Mitchell's graceful solo.  Muhal's "Soprano Song" jumps out over the solid rhythm section, the flute leaping atop the propulsive rhythms.

The program closes with the "get down funky" rhythms of Roscoe Mitchell's "No Side Effects"  – while Mr. Reed keeps the song the grooving, Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Reid dance around each other. Te music gets pretty "sweaty" in just 2:27.  "...and then there's this" is a delight from start to finish.  In just 39 minutes, Artifacts trio will make smile many times, maybe even get up and dance as well. Kudos to Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, and Mike Reed for creating one of the finest albums of the past several years!

To hear more and purchase the album, go to https://astralartifacts.bandcamp.com/album/and-then-theres-this.

Here's the opening track:

Here's a link to a live date from earlier in 2021: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnbuGVMuFM.

Guitarist Lionel Loueke hails from Benin in West Africa and first came to the United States in the mid-1990s. Since completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) and the Thelonious Monk Institute (Los Angeles, CA), he has been one of the busiest musicians on the planet. Not only did he co-found the trio Gilfema but also worked and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Terence Blanchard, Esperanza Spalding, Dave Holland, and Gretchen Parlato (and many others) plus he's recorded nine albums under his own name.

In 2017, Loueke went into the studio under the auspices of Newville Records to record an album of standards with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland. Released in 2018 as vinyl-only, the recording (with three extra tracks) has now been issued on CD and as a download by Sounderscore.  The label, owned by bassist (and Gilfema member) Massimo Biolcati, hired David Darlington to do the mixing and mastering; the sound quality is suberb! The 11-song program features two tunes each by John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk as well as pieces by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Henry Mancini, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers, Bernice Peterke ("Close Your Eyes"), and Johnny Green ("Body and Soul"). At times, the music sounds like a tribute to Jim Hall but the unpredictability of many of the arrangements plus the freewheeling rhythm section puts the album in a class by itself.   

Check out the Caribbean-inspired "Skylark", the percussive guitar playing the melody over bass counterpoint and playful percussion; the long fade reminiscent of Charles Lloyd's "Forest Flower".  There's an atmospheric take of "Moon River" with minimal drum backing as well as a lovely reading of "Body and Soul" –– Rogers's resonating bass accompaniment and Harland's hand drumming serve to set off the lyrical guitar playing.  The trio swing the daylights out of the album opener, "Footprints" followed several tracks later with a delightful romp through "Blue Monk". 

Come to "Close Your Eyes" for the strong guitar work of Lionel Loueke but chances are very good you'll really get into the inventive and fun playing of Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland.  O, what sounds await the eager listener –– dig in, dive in, and enjoy!

For more information, go to www.lionelloueke.com.  To purchase the album, go to https://lionelloueke.bandcamp.com/album/close-your-eyes. 

Go ahead, dig you some T. Monk:

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Photo: Matt Marantz

Alto saxophonist and composer Aakash Mittal, born in Texas to a New Delhi native father and Nebraska-born mother, is a busy writer, educator, traveler, and musician.  His journeys has taken him throughout the United States, India, Mexico, and elsewhere. Mittal has won many commissions as well as fellowships, recorded with Amir elSaffar, Dennis Gonzalez, and Ravish Momin plus he has self-released four recordings as a leader.  He leads various groups including a Quartet and now the Awaz Trio. The latter ensemble includes Miles Okazaki (guitars) and Rajna Swaminathan (mrudangam and kinjara).

That trio has just issued its debut album. "Nocturne" (self-released); the program includes the five-part title track, a three-part "Street Music", and an "Opening".  The 82-second "Opening" starts with a lecturer speaking about oral tradition then Ms. Swaminathan enters;  the warbling alto sax line and expressive guitar play a short melody that leads directly into "Nocturne  I" –– the music for the album is based on Mittal's journey to Kolkata, India, to study Hindustani evening and night ragas. One can hear the influence of raga music in Mittal's linear phrasing while both guitar and murdangam (often spelled "mridangam") add the rhythmic base.  After that short piece fades (2:34), a field recording begins with hand-held percussion dancing through the speakers; the musicians do a short interpretation before the street musicians reenter.

As the album sweeps along, one can hear how the sounds of the Indian city influences the music.  While the title suite is more lyrical, it's not a typical Western classical nocturne but certainly a fine illustration of a warm evening in Kolkata or Mumbai.  "Nocturne IV" is a quiet three-way conversation, like three friends walking at 3 a.m. through the city streets.  There are moments of dissonance but, mostly, the piece draws the listener in and leads through unfamiliar yet friendly territory. Okazaki's solo shines while the often-quiet percussion follows the path of the melody. The last section of the suite ("V") jumps from the very start, featuring great accompaniment, powerful interactions, and a rippling saxophone solo that bounces atop the guitar's lower notes and the rapid-fire drumming.  Mittal's playing is alive, swift melodic phrases blended with short fragments.  

The album closes with the high-powered "Street Music III" with just the trio playing the music of the parade band moving through the streets. Mittal's melody is locked in with the percussion and the guitar chords, moving decisively and powerfully to the close.  When you listen to "Nocturne", you need to stow away your "Western Music" ears and surrender to a music that ties with serious roots in an ancient culture and the lively madness of contemporary life. Aakash Mittal has composed a number of pieces about Indian street life for previous albums; yet, these acoustic pieces illustrate how he has grown as composer, interpreter, musician, and human being.  

For more information and to check out his previous work (an earlier version of Awaz Trio featured Rez Abbasi on electric guitar), go to www.aakashmittal.com.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://aakashmittal.bandcamp.com/.  

Here's "Nocturne I":

The Drummer Tells the Story (Pt 1)

I was lucky to grow up in Middletown, CT, for many reasons: one in particular was the presence of Wesleyan University, its bookstore, galleries, theater, and, especially, the Music Department.  The University greatly expanded its World Music studies under the auspices of Robert "Bob" Brown introducing the students (and curious community members) to Javanese gamelan music as well as South Indian classical music. Members of the faculty were two brothers, T. Vishwanathan, an amazing flutist, and T. Ranganathan, who played the mridangam, a double-headed drum. "Ranga", as he was called, was one of the most out-going people one could ever meet. He had a great sense of humor and was strikingly humble about the fact he was an amazing percussionist (here he is in the 1960s - click here).  He died much too young - at the age of 62 - but I can still hear his incredible laugh and his amazing hands as they created such amazing rhythms and melodies.  Like the great tabla master Alla Rahka, Ranga could make you marvel at his technique as well as being thrilled by joyous playing.

Meet Rajna Swaminathan. She plays mrudangam (variant spelling), having studied with several current masters of the drum including Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman.  Ms. Swaminathan, born in Maryland, has been involved in both the world music and jazz scene in New York City since 2011 working with artists such as Vijay Iyer, Amir ElSaffar (she's a member of his Two Rivers Orchestra), Steve Coleman, and saxophonist Maria Grand.  She's currently a Graduate Student at Harvard University and has worked with Iyer in that capacity as well as on several concerts.  Ms. Swaminathan also composes for dance and theater productions including 2015's "The Worry Machine" (music from the Anu Yadav play, "Meena's Dream").  Her frequent musical companion is her sister Anjna who is a composer and violinist. Together with their father Dr. P.K. Swaminathan, they run a 5013-C called Rhythm Fantasies, INC, whose goal is to "promote South Indian classical music and dance in a space that encourages education and enrichment through innovation and cross-cultural collaborations."  

Now Rajna has her first album as a leader "Of Agency and Abstraction" (Biophilia Records).  The recording, co-produced by Iyer, features her group RAJAS, a quintet that features her sister (violin), Ms. Grand (tenor saxophone), Miles Okazaki (guitar), and Stephan Crump (bass) plus guest Amir ElSaffar (trumpet) and Ganavya Doraiswamy (vocal).  One of the joys of this music, this beautiful collection of original compositions, is that while it's obvious these musicians are brilliant technicians, there's more emotion inside the motion, a flow that enters one's mind, closes the eyes, and allows you to breathe easily (that's what it does for me).  Note how easily the percussive [luck of the guitar combines with the singing violin, bowed bass, bouncing mrudangan, and dancing tenor saxophone blends. 

The tendency to want to discuss this music gives way to the belief that each listener approach there album with an open mind.  If you're looking for a message, take your time to find it.  The leader describes the group's mission as one that is "a network of like-minded improvisers from multiple/overlapping traditions to experiment with new horizons of relation through hybrid forms, textures, and sensibilities." After all, RAJAS means passion/action" in Sanskrit. 

Yet, there are moments throughout that stand out.  Ms. Grand's breathy tenor leads the way on "Peregrination" with the violin in counterpoint and the rhythmic guitar in sync with the percussion.  The splendid "singing" violin meshing with the guitar at the onset of "Vigil" begins a journey that spreads over 10 minutes with the various voices adding counterpoint and harmony.  Ms. Doraiswamy and Mr. ElSaffar join the quintet on "Departures" - while you may not understand the words, the trumpet and violin create a call-and-response that helps to transmit the emotions of the lyrics.  Don't ignore the contributions of bassist Crump - his arco work throughout is deep and resonant. Without a "regular" drummer, he's free to be melodic as well as foundational.

Just listen.  As I write these words, the windows are open and birds are singing in the trees close to the house.  Their songs fit in nicely with the sounds swirling out of the speakers.  Late at night, listen.  Early in the morning, listen. Give this music all the attention you can. Time will fall away and the beauty inherent in these songs, these collaborations, the myriad voices, will seep into your soul.  Too poetic for you?  This music is quite lyrical, gentle, soothing, and challenging.  "Of Agency and Abstraction" stands out amidst the noise of the everyday. Rajna Swaminathan took plenty of time to create this music, to find the right musicians, the right sonic combinations, and the results are very impressive, very moving.  Listen.

For more information, go to www.rajnaswaminathan.com.

Here's an example of the wondrous sounds:

The drummer, educator, and mentor Ralph Peterson literally burst into the public ears in 1985 as a member of O.T.B. (Out of the Blue), a group of young musicians that Blue Records Records created to showcase younger talent.  He worked with so many musicians through his career including Tom Harrell, Terence Blanchard, Geri Allen, Charles Lloyd, and Betty Carter.  But the once person who made the biggest impression on his person and career was drummer Art Blakey.  Peterson was one of the few drummers who the great master invited to play in his bands, the talent incubator known as The Jazz Messengers.  The younger man learned that you give everything on the bandstand and that you expect the same from the people you work with as well as to pass on the jazz traditions through your music and through teaching.  Peterson has done just that over the years creating groups that featured younger players such as clarinetist Don Byron, vibraphonist Bryan Carrott, pianist Orrin Evans, and trumpeter Sean Jones (among others).

Peterson has been recording prolifically over the past few years for his own Onyx label. Most of those albums feature younger musicians recorded live.  The newest addition to the catalogue, "Legacy Alive: Volume 6: Live at The Side Door", is credited to Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy, a sextet composed of musicians who played with Mr. Blakey (1919-1990) in the late 1970s and through 80s.  What a unit - Bill Pierce (tenor saxophone), Bobby Watson (alto saxophone), Brian Lynch (trumpet, Essiet Essiet (bass), and Geoffrey Keezer (piano), who along with Peterson, swing their way through 11 pieces associated with the Jazz Messengers repertoire (the group stayed active for 35 years!)

Photo: Peter Leng Xiong

The program was recorded over two nights in October 2018. The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme is owned and operated by Ken Kitchings (Rich Martin does the booking) and there is no bigger or more vocal supporter of the music in the state than he.  If you listen closely, you can hear Kitchings shouting his encouragement throughout and the end of songs. Why not?  The sextet is having a great time, they all play with gusto, the material is top-notch, and the sound is great. The drums and piano come through loud and clear; Brian Lynch's trumpet cuts through the mix with his delightful blend of riffs, smears, and articulated lines. It's so great to hear Bill Pierce playing so strong, his bluesy solos are a treat.  Bobby Watson, who joined the Messengers in 1977, has always played with wit, humor, and when called for, grace. He does so here as well.  He also has blues in his background but he can fly with ease over this band. Check him out on his "In Case You Missed It", a tune on which everyone solos with abandon.  Geoffrey Keezer, who joined the Messengers when he was 18, also plays with great wit and spontaneity.  Listen to his unaccompanied opening of "That Ole Feeling" - he sets the pace for the band who dance delightfully behind his sparkling keyboard.  His solo on Curtis Fuller's  "A La Mode" is flat-out amazing

As for the leader, he's always been fun to listen to. Yes, his power can overwhelm some groups but not this one.  His ability to push a band, to prod soloists, to stop-on-a-dime, to create a storm that not only dazzles listeners and make them shout but also is so darn joyous - Peterson is having fun, even as you realize that some of this material was composed 40, 50, over 60 years - this band makes it sound contemporary.  The Juan Tizol - Duke Ellington classic "Caravan" was first recorded in 1936. Listen here and it's alive, ebullient, and powerful.  "Three Blind Mice", credited to Anthony Rooley and Thomas Ravenscroft (who wrote the melody in 1611), was recorded by Blakey in 1962 in a quintet that included Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard.  The arrangement is quite similar and the overall effect is as well.  The sextet also takes an energetic run through Shorter's "Children of the Night" (which he composed and recorded with The Messengers in 1961).

Thanks to the great engineering and mastering, the music on "Legacy Alive" is loud and clear. Every member of the Messenger Legacy gives his all (just as Art Blakey commanded them to do during their tenure with him) - it's that dedication, that desire to communicate living history, that makes this music so thrilling.  Just start with first track "A La Mode": if that does not make you jump up and shout, call the doctor immediately! Also, check out the great cover collage by CT-based artist Andres Chaparro. It exemplifies the powerhouse that Ralph Peterson has been throughout his career and who is today.

For more information, go to www.ralphpetersonmusic.com.

Here's that opening track: