Confluence of the Basses

 Here we have three relatively new releases from three fine bassists and songwriters. This is powerful music that jumps out of the speakers and pulls the listener in.

"Ultraviolet" (Contagious Music) is the third album by the quartet of Billy Mohler (bass, compositions), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Shane Endsley (trumpet), and Nate Wood (drums).  Like the previous two, the music is built upon the hardy interplay of bass and drums while the sax and trumpet often weave melodies around each other.  While this ensemble's shape is based on the classic Ornette Coleman lineup on the Atlantic Records he made with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and either Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell, the short opening track "Matador" leads one to believe that the real influence in the music is Dave Holland's 1973 classic ECM recording "Conference of the Birds" (with Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton, and Barry Altshul). You can hear it in the interactions on tracks such as "The Wait" and "Aberdeen" as well as in the short, free-form, "Disorder II" and "I".  Only one track exceeds five minutes and that's the closing "Reconstruction" (7:57) –– after an excellent bass intro, the well-designed melody opens to strong solos from Speed and Endsley. Even though Wood does not solo, his drums are upfront in the mix and you hear how he listens to and prods the soloists.

Photo: Jenny Rolapp

"Ultraviolet" stands out for numerous reasons (compositions, musicianship, great sound quality) but especially because the music sounds so alive.  Released in October 2023, it's one of the better releases of that year or any year!

For more information, go to www.billymohler.com. To hear more of the bassist's fine music and to purchase the albums, go to https://billymohler.bandcamp.com/album/ultraviolet.

Here's the title track:

Bassist Ethan Philion released his second album "Gnosis" (Sunnyside Records) in October of 2023, just 13 months after his powerful debut "Meditations on Mingus". The earlier album featured a wonderful 10-person ensemble playing the bassist's rearrangements of eight classic Charles Mingus compositions. The new album features three stalwarts of the Chicago Creative Music scene including Greg Ward (alto saxophone), Dana Hall (drums), and Russ Johnson (trumpet).  The six-song program features five Philion originals and one Charles Mingus but what a track!  The quartet swings, soars, roars, and explores its way through "What Love", the older bassist's musical contraction of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "You Don't Know What Love Is". First recorded on "Charles Mingus Presents Mingus" in 1960 with trumpeter Ted Curson, multi-reed artist Eric Dolphy, and drummer Danny Richmond, the free-wheeling performance set the tone for a number of jazz artists of the early-to-mid 60s.

If the classic Mingus Quartet is the influence for the shape and sound of Philion's ensemble, his original compositions stand out for how he writes pieces to the strength of his group, how the music music builds on tradition without sounding stuffy or imitative, and how the power in the rhythm section (Hall and Philion are a muscular duo!) gives the front line music to work with.  There are "kick butt" pieces such as the rollicking opener "The Boot" plus "Sheep Shank" and the exploratory "Comment Section".  For a much different feel, listen below to "Nostalgia".  Philion's bass opening sounds like rain falling on the windows which leads to Johnson's somber melody line.  Ward warbles in the background while Hall adds percussion sounds.  When the trumpet and sax complete the opening theme in unison, the music takes on the feel of its title.  The pure tone of the alto sax blends with high, finely-etched trumpet before Ward takes off on an excellent wide-ranging solo. The rhythm section picks on his energy and really pushes the music higher.

The title track closes the program. Starting slowly, the music agains gains power as as it struts fowards with the rhythm section feediong off the interwoven lines created by the sax and trumpet.  This is the kind of music that sounds so alive and you want to be in the room as it is being created. "Gnosis" should warm the hearts of listeners who love adventurous music, excellent soloists, and musicians who really listen and create!  With his first two albums, Ethan Philion has shown he is a musical force to be reckoned with.

To learn more and to purchase the album, go to https://sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/gnosis. 

Here's "Nostalgia":

For his fourth album (and third for Sunnyside Records) as a leader, bassist and composer Gui Duvignau pared his group down to a trio and decided to record live.  "Live in Red Hook" finds him in the company of pianist Jacob Sacks and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell performing a program and nine originals plus one tune each by Ron Carter ("Eighty-One") and Baden Powell ("Deixa").  The trio deconstructs the Carter piece before diving into the recognizable melody while the lovely ballad by Powell gets the gentle touch.  The album opener "Idee Fixe" illustrates how the three musicians listen closely and interact and how comfortable they are with "opening up" the music.  Ellman-Bell really pushes Sacks' playful solo forward while the leader holds the center. Listen below to "Right? Wow!" for another example of the trio's playfulness and cat-like ability to instantly change directions.

Photo: Tatiana Kahvegian

Duvignau's composition are not only witty but also well-constructed.  "Miniature for Drums" has a gentle melody line that bass and piano keep repeating Ellman-Bell plays his cymbals and floor toms.   "One at a Time" has a Herbie Nichols-feel in the rising melody line –– the bassist is also quite melodic through the thematic sections, moving to a strong "walking" bass line while Sacks dances on piano.  The pianist also stands out on "Still Untitled" stating the melody with classical precision (with a slight sense of anarchy in the two-handed dance at times). The bass and drums happily play around through the solo, stopping, starting, bouncing, whispering, anything but playing it safe.     

The album closes with "Scriabingus" which reads like a skin ailment or what it really is, a piece influenced by two very different composers.  It gives the listener the opportunity to hear the leader create an impressive solo.  But, note how Sacks and Ellman-Bell acquit themselves in the service of the far-ranging composition.  "Live in Red Hook" was recorded over two nights in the Coffey Street Studios in Brooklyn –– if you are a fan of adventurous but not "free" music, you should dig into this new release from Guy Duvignau. It will bring a smile to your face and mind!

For more information and to purchase the album, go to https://guiduvignau.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-red-hook. 

Give a listen to "Right? Wow!":

Charles Mingus at 100: Just as Contemporary, Just as Meaningful

Plenty of attention being paid to bassist, composer, activist, author, and bandleader Charles Mingus (1922-1979) in this year, the 100th anniversary of his birth.  Those of us who followed Mingus when he was alive knew how important he was as a link from the bebop generation  to the new Black Music of the late 1960s and into the 1970s. If you listen closely to the music of The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Dave Holland, Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Dave Douglas, you can, at times, hear the Mingusian approach. 

Into the mix steps bassist Ethan Philion.  The Chicago-based musician has made a name for himself working alongside saxophonist Greg Ward, violinist Mark Feldman, saxophonists Gary Bartz and Ernest Dawkins plus many others. He was chosen in 2015 to take part in the Betty Carter Jazz Residency at Lincoln Center where he worked/studied with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Eric Revis, vocalist Carmen Lundy, saxophonist JD Allen, and others. Currently, Philion leads three ensembles including a piano trio, a piano-less quartet, and a 10-piece ensemble dubbed Meditations on Mingus––it's that last group whose new recording, released August 26 on Sunnyside Records, that we're concerned with in this post. Arranged and produced by the bassist, "Meditations on Mingus" features Russ Johnson and Victor Garcia (trumpets), Rajiv Halim, Geof Bradfield, and Max Bessessen (saxes, bass clarinet, flutes), Norman Palm and Brendan Whalen (trombones), Alex Lombre (piano) and Dana Hall (drums).

The eight-song, 76-minute, program features pieces Mingus fans will recognize plus a few surprises.  The album opens with "Once Upon a Times, There was a Holding Corporation called Old America" which was composed for "Mingus at Monterey 1965" but not heard until a 1966 live recording at UCLA.  It's an episodic adventure that plays to the strengths of both the collective and individual soloists. "Meditation for a Pair of Wirecutters" also showed up in 1966 ––at 15:11, it's the longest track on the disk and, as most of these pieces, goes in several directions, from a piano solo over arco bass to a lovely bass clarinet solo (Bradfield) over shifting rhythms to powerful ensemble work.  Philion's arrangement allows all the instruments to be heard even when the music gets cluttered. Hall's drum playing is exemplary throughout but especially on "...Wirecutters".  

Longtime favorites such as "Haitian Fight Song" and the rip-roaring "Better Get It In Your Soul" sparkle with splendid playing, the ensemble joyously dancing through the melodies before the solos.  The former track opens with a powerful bass statement leading into the familiar intro before melody comes rolling in. The buildup to the full ensemble is great fun with trumpets blaring, bluesy trombones, and thick piano chords. Powerful solos from Palm (trombone), pianist Lombre, and the leader stand out. "Better Get It...", with its delectable soul-gospel melody, features fire in the rhythm section, delightful "shouts" from the brass and reeds during the piano solo, a powerful alto sax solo (Bessessen), and a "stomping" drum spot for Hall. The music is so infectious you'll want to press "repeat"! Dig the coda!!

There's a lovely take of "Self-Portrait in Three Colors" with a long and powerful trumpet solo from Johnson over different ensemble backgrounds. Also, check out the bluesy, playful "Prayer for Passive Resistance" with a smashing alto solo from Rajiv Halim.  "Remember Rockefeller at Attica" from 1975's "Changes One" gets a sparkling arrangement (with a little hint of "Fables of Faubus" thrown in to enforce the fact how stupid Governors can be)––the pace is powerful led by the throbbing bass and dancing drums.  

Thanks to Ethan Philion and to "Meditations on Mingus" for reminding us that there are many ways to interpret the music of a Master and how rewarding it can be to dive right in. Play it loud! 

For more information, go to https://ethanphilion.com/. To preorder the album, go to  https://sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/meditations-on-mingus-2.

Here's the band in action on "Haitian Fight Song":

Music From the Great Midwest - Chicago (Part One)

Over the past 13 years, bassist, composer, and record label owner Matt Ulery has proven himself to be one of the more adventurous souls in contemporary music.  Sit through one of his albums and you'll hear elements of jazz, "prog-rock", art music, classical strains and much more.

That description hold true on his latest effort.  "Sifting Stars" (Woolgathering Records) is his eighth album as a leader. The program is two distinctive suites played by two very different ensembles.  The first four songs features the Sifting Stars Orchestra, a 16-piece unit (although all 16 do not play together on each track) along with vocalists Grazyna Auguscik or Katie Ernst on three of the tracks as well as four members of eighth blackbird, the wonderful Chicago-based chamber sextet.

Photo: Harvey Tillis

The opening two pieces have arrangements that feature an emphasis on the strings.  Ms. Auguscik's voice is featured on "The Remanent of Everything" telling a story of loneliness and disconnection, all the while the strings flow in and around her with both the melody and arrangement being quite lovely. Ms. Ernst, bassist in the trio TwinTalk and a solo artist in her own right, takes the lead vocal on "Pictures in Grey", a fascinating song with lush film-noir string sweeps plus a section with a rhythmic pattern influenced by Steve Reich.  The voice becomes part of the ensemble and one must literally "go with the flow' of words and melody.

The six person brass section is more prominent on the next two tracks. Ms. Auguscik returns for "I'm So Shallow" that, after repeated listenings, sounds like a blend of a Paul McCartney melody with a Philip Glass arrangement. Yet, one grasps for comparisons; other listeners will hear other songs in this music.  At times gentle, over times, the music becomes darker.  The fourth song is all instrumental. "The Prairie Is a Rolling Ocean" is another melody with trombones, French horn, bassoon, and trumpets blending with flute to move the piece forward.  There is a splendid pianist solo from Ulery's long-time musical partner Rob Clearfield with different horns and reeds rising out of the background to create a compelling counterpoint.

The album then shifts sonic gears.  "Ida" is a six-part suite performed by Axiom Brass, a quintet also based in Chicago.  Ulery was inspired to write the suite after viewing the Ivan Albright painting, "Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida" (see it here). Here, the composer creates a world for the character in the painting, what she may be thinking and feeling at the moment captured by the artist.  Look and listen. Do you see and hear emotion?  Are their feelings that are not easily defined by mere words but better by the sounds you hear?

"Sifting Stars" is quite a recording. Not only does the music created by Matt Ulery, the Sifting Stars Orchestra, and Axiom Brass make you pay attention but it also transports one beyond the everyday, the mundane.  This is an album for a cold morning as the sun rises or late in the evening when the house is quiet and the streets are still. Give this music time and you will be moved.  

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

Here's one of the tracks:


Personnel:

Sifting Stars studio orchestra: 

Matt Ulery – double bass and voice 
Rob Clearfield – piano 
Michael Caskey – percussion 
Grazyna Auguscik – voice 
Katie Ernst – voice 
Yvonne Lam – violins 
Jeff Yang – violins 
Aurelien Pederzoli – violas 
Nick Photinos – cellos 
Michael Maccaferri – clarinets 
Nathalie Joachim – flutes 
Ben Roidl-Ward – bassoons 
Andrew Nogal – oboes and english horns 
Liz Deitemyer – french horns 
James Davis – trumpets 
Chad McCullough – trumpets 
Steve Duncan – trombones 
Chris Shuttleworth – trombones 

Axiom Brass: 

Dorival Puccini – trumpet 
Kris Hammond – trumpet 
Melanie Erena Kjellsen – french horn 
Mary Tyler – trombone 
Kevin Harrison – tuba 

Photo: The Chicago Reader

Trumpeter and composer Russ Johnson has been one of the busier musicians for the past quarter century.  A list of his associations on record and the bandstand includes artists such as Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow, pianist Kris Davis, bassist Matt Ulery, alto saxophonist Greg Ward, and a host of others. He was a member of the Other Quartet and has recorded seven albums as a leader or co-leader.  It's easy to hear why. He possesses quite a powerful and expressive sound plus a facile mind.

His newest album, "Headlands" (Woolgathering Records) is his third since leaving New York City for the midwest.  Since 2010, Johnson has been Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin/Parkside. Located 65 miles north/northwest of Chicago, IL on the shores of Lake Michigan, the trumpeter is often in the Windy City for gigs.  The program is a 12-song suite, through-composed with six songs, 4 short improvisations (one for each member of the ensemble), plus a theme at the beginning and a longer reprise at the close (notice how the bass line is similar to that of the "hook" of Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin").  Joining Johnson is bassist Ulery, Rob Clearfield (keyboards), and Jon Deitmeyer (drums) - the album recalls the work of Miles Davis in 1969 just before "Bitches Brew", the music channeling mainstream jazz, rock elements, fiery passages, and impressive interplay.

Photo: The Chicago Reader

But Davis comparisons aside, this music moves in its own creative fashion.  There are moments when the blend of the active drums with the bass serving often as counterpoint to the soloist, the atmospheric electric piano while the trumpet plays flowing melody lines stand out. The handsome "Fjord" and the darker  "Kapoj" are pieces that open in a quieter fashion but both tunes pick up in intensity along the way, especially the latter cut. And there are times when the quartet breaks into hard-edged pieces that push against any soft edges, with roiling sounds from both Johnson and Clearfield plus powerhouse work from the bass and drums.  Tunes such as "Serpent Kane", the roller-coaster-like "Mons Calpe", and "Wellenpeitschen" offer a much different feel. The last track mentioned starts quietly with an handsome trumpet intro before the the rhythm section kicks in and the music takes off.  The title can be translated as "wave whip" - one hears that in the kicking drums and the rapid-fire melodic lines.

The liner notes state that the suite is "...intended to be listened to in its entirety."  That makes great sense, although s few people have the patience to do that on record.  You actually do not realize this is a "live" album until the applause comes in at the end.  Russ Johnson has created music on "Headlands" that may remind you of the stormy months and events of the late 1960s, a time that many people have been equating to what's been happening in the United States for the past decade.  "Headlands" is an album one can play play several times in a row and discover new elements each time. Give it a try.

For more information, go to www.russjohnsonmusic.net.

Here's one of those "heated" tracks: