Three more albums which feature guitars in different settings are featured in this post––each one has its own strengths and should interest the curious listener.
Will Vinson (saxophones, electric piano), Gilad Hekselman (guitars), and Antonio Sanchez (drums) have created an album for Whirlwind Recordings with the punning title Trio Grande. All three have crossed borders to make New York City their base with Vinson coming from Great Britain, Hekselman from Israel, and Sanchez from Mexico. They are at the top of their game; this album illustrates how each brings different styles and how they have so much fun "playing" with melody, sound, dynamics, and more.
Even though there is no bassist, the first sounds one hears is the keyboard bass on the drummer's "Northbound". The feel and sound of the piece may remind some of Marc Johnson's Bass Desires but with a soprano sax in place of one of the guitars in that group. The joy is in the interplay, the chuckling as well as expansive playing of Hekselman juxtaposed with Sanchez's dancing drums. The opening moment of the guitarist's "Elli Yeled Tov" (Good boy, Elli) sound like a piece by Lionel Loueke, especially the tone of the guitar. Again, it's Sanchez playful drums that capture one's attention as does Vinson's delightful alto sax solo. Vinson's "Oberkampf" is a melancholy ballad with the feel of a Joni Mitchell piece. The soprano sax solo near the end of the piece has a more optimistic feel, lifting the energy of all involved.
Other highlights include Hekselman's super-funky "Scoville" which bops along atop Sanchez's conversational drums. The raucous guitar solo features stop-and-go rhythms which the drummer executes like a race car driver. The drummer's "Firenze" (the Italian name for Florence, Italy) is a handsome ballad, its fine melody lines pushed forward by the alto saxophonist who dashes off into an energetic solo. Sanchez's spare solo is a treat, he interjects silence into the spot while the sax and guitar move melodically behind him.
"Trio Grande" closes with the guitarist's "Will You Let It", a lovely ballad with an emotional melody, a splendid guitar solo which has a touch of Bill Frisell in Hekselman's solo. The sparkling cymbal work surrounds the other instruments with a glowing effect. The really fine aspect of this album from Will Vinson, Gilad Hekselman, and Antonio Sanchez is that the music defies categorization––is it Americana, jazz, rock or is it all that and more? Go with the latter and just listen and enjoy!
I first heard "A Love Supreme" by the John Coltrane Quartet in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, basically 1967, the "Summer of Love". The music was unlike anything I had listened up until then, having cut my teeth on AM radio and enamored of The Beatles and The Kinks. The person who played the album for me had been searching for new music and had been blown away by Coltrane's declaration of spiritual love and devotion. The album was my personal door that opened up within the next few years to Miles Davis, the AACM, Chick Corea, ECM, and beyond. Over the years, there have been versions by Turtle Island String Quartet, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, and others plus various recordings of particular movements––a favorite is Kurt Elling's brilliant take of "Part II: Resolution" that he recorded in 2004.
Drummer John Hanrahan (born December 9, 1966–two years to the day that the Coltrane Quartet recorded the album) had interviewed the group's drummer Elvin Jones in 2003 who led him to Ashley Kahn's incisive history of the album. That whetted the younger drummer's appetite and when he moved back to Chicago, he formed A Love Supreme Quartet. In 2017, Hanrahan met guitarist and conceptualist Henry Kaiser who introduced the drummer to Coltrane's 1966 album "Meditations" which many people, including the guitarist, feel is the "spiritual follow-up" to "A Love Supreme." The newer Lp, recorded nearly a year to the day after "...Supreme", added the musical voices of saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and drummer Rashied Ali to the Quartet––the sessions would the last time Coltrane recorded with Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner.
Kaiser and Hanrahan formed a quintet with saxophonist
Vinny Golia, electric bassist Mike Watt, and organist Wayne Peet. They went into the studio on February 19, 2019, and recorded the two-CD set "A Love Supreme Electric: A Love Supreme & Meditations" (Cuneiform Records). Subtitled "A Salvo Inspired by John Coltrane", the music captures the power of the original pieces and pushes the volume. Instead of the steadying piano of Tyner, Kaiser's often-raucous guitar is the "second voice" while Peet takes on the pianist's supporting role. His organ work hearkens back to the sounds of the Black Church but with a modernist twist. He does "fill out the sound" nicely. Golia, an impressive musician who's the dean of the New Music scene in Southern California, does not try to play like John Coltrane and, unlike the great master, does play soprano saxophone on several of the suites movements. He sets the tone on the opening "Part 1: Acknowledgement", producing his own fiery sounds. Mike Watt, a veteran of rock bands such as Minutemen and Firehose (currently, he's working with guitarist Mike Baggetta), is a steady presence, making sure his bandmates and listeners do not miss the four-note foundational bass line throughout the opening suite.
Photo: R.R.Jones
Hanrahan (pictured left) opens "Part 3: Pursuance" with a 3 minute-plus solo that really builds in intensity until Golia (on tenor) jumps into the theme before taking off into a powerful solo. Kaiser's off-balance attack and mighty roar comes next, with a call-and-response with the over-amplified Yamaha organ of Peet as Golia's baritone joins in the fray.
"Meditations", the lesser known of the two works, has more dynamic variety yet still has moments that rattle the rafters. Peet's organ has a more prominent place in the performance; his interactions with Watt and Hanrahan, especially on Love", stand out. He joins the fray on "Consequences" connecting with Kaiser and Golia to create a fascinating three-way conversation while the bassist and drummer create a maelstrom. The beat falls out in the middle, the volume drops out, and Golia steps up. "Serenity" opens quietly with Golia's tenor weaving in and out of the curious guitar sounds and Watt's bass serving as counterpoint. Hanrahan's solo is next and it has definite bounce and shape before the quintet crashes into a noisy, free-style, reprise of the opening section of "Meditations" titled "The Father and The Son and The Holy Ghost." The music is harsh with little reprieve but, like the original version, the overall performance can serve as a cleansing.
CD 2 and the program closes with "Acknowledgement reprise", another take of the opening movement of "A Love Supreme." Recorded at the same session, this take features Golia on both tenor and soprano sax plus a fine organ solo. The song ends as the the opening of the program started, witg John Hanrahan striking a gong.
"A Love Supreme Electric" uses the power and the glory of the original performance by the John Coltrane Quartet, expands its sonic blueprint, reminding us of how timeless this music is. The volume of this music may put some listeners off but do listen to these fine artists make this music their own, doing so with respect and wonder.
One can tell from the title of the new album, "Forest Standards Vol.2" (BIG EGO Records), from guitarist and composer David Lord that this is not his debut album. In fact, from his home in Wichita, Kansas, he has recorded solo guitar album under the monicker Francis Moss and with the groups The Wonder Revolution and Miki Moondrops. 2018's "Forest Standards Vol. 1" featured Chad Taylor (drums, mbira) and Devin Hoff (acoustic bass)––Taylor returns for "...Vol.2" but the bass chair now is filled by Billy Mohler plus guitarist Jeff Parker shows up on eight of the 14 tracks.
What's fascinating about this album is that the music moves in unexpected directions; the liner notes (written by Dave Segal of Seattle, WA's newspaper The Stranger) explain that Lord wrote all the tunes in the Lydian mode and how that changes how the pieces resolve. Listen to how Mohler and Taylor create the flow on the opening "Cloud Ear"––Lord and Parker weave their guitar lines in and around each other in a gentle manner. Chad Taylor, who can push a group with the best of them is often understated yet still helps to propel many of the pieces. His rhythmic dance on "Conifer Tuft" has a lightness as well as an urgency. The two guitarists take turns on solos but also support each others. Vibraphonist Sam Hake joins the quartet on several pieces include "Coltricia" where Lord overdubs his guitar lines but opens the middle for the ringing vibes.
There's a gentle yet probing quality to many of the pieces. The fine duet of Parker (electric) and Lord (acoustic), "An Amanita", allows the former to move around the sound spectrum like a wild while the latter keeps the structure of the piece. Hake and Lord handle the melody on "Nectaries" but you should also attention to Taylor's excellent brush work and Mohler's counterpoint as well as the backwards guitar loops at the end of each verse. Even though many of these pieces are short in duration, they are long in attention to melody and detail. Both Parker and Lord overdub multiple guitars on "Mossy Maze Polypore" and the textures mixed with quiet background noises first pull the listener in then make one pay attention to the various sounds.
One's appreciation of "Forest Standards Vol 2" grows each time you listen. This is not music for one impressed by flashy technique but for people who love to hear finely constructed music that embraces melody and experimentation. David Lord and his talented associates want you to take your time with this music––the sonic experience is well worth it!
Busy week for live music and very busy week for new recordings. Here is, at least, one event that ties performance and CD together. Pianist and composer Kris Davis comes to New Haven this Friday to perform two sets with fellow pianist Craig Taborn in the acoustically delightful Firehouse 12, 45 Orange Street. On the same day and on her own label, Ms. Davis releases an album of duets titled "Duopoly" (Pyroclastic Records), that features the pianist in musical conversation with not only Mr. Taborn but also Bill Frisell (guitar), Julian Lage (guitar), Angelina Sanchez (piano), Billy Drummond (drums), Marcus Gilmore (drums), Tim Berne (alto saxophone), and Don Byron (clarinet). Sharp-eyed readers will realize how important "Two" is to the project in that 1) - it's an album of duos, 2) - she plays 2 pieces with each musician, and 3) - out of the 16 tracks, there are two that are "standards." More about that below.
This performance marks the fifth time Ms. Davis has appeared in the Elm City venue and the sixth for Mr. Taborn. Both are intelligent improvisors, without fear, and can follow any path at the drop of a beat. All of which says they are fearless. Both lead busy lives as band leaders - Ms. Davis with her trio as well as with Paradoxical Frog while Mr. Taborn also leads a trio - and both have impressive "sideman" credentials.
The Davis-Taborn duo will play two sets, with the first starting at 8:30 p.m., the second at 10 p.m. For ticket information, go to firehouse12.com or call 203-785-0468. To find out more about Ms. Davis and her musical endeavors, go to krisdavis.net.
"Duopoly" is an series of conversations between the musicians. Ms. Davis composed five of the initial duos with one each by Ms. Sanchez, Thelonious Monk, and Duke Ellington. The other eight tracks are improvisations, each with the title of the musician the pianist is paired with and, in a circular twist (if that's possible), goes in the opposite order as the composed performances (Bill Frisell plays on track #1 and #16, Julian Lage on #2 and #15, and so on). The project pairs Ms. Davis with musicians she had played with but never recorded with as well as with others she had, in her own words, "only admired".
The optimum approach to this music is to just sit back and listen. As knowledgable listeners, we have expectations of each musician on this album, all of whom have recorded in groups small and large. We cannot help but be judgmental yet the fun of the recording is not only the compositions that Ms. Davis creates for each person but also how they interact in the improvisations. For instance, Mr. Drummond sounds just a bit tentative as they move through the opening moments of Monk's "Eronel" but he gets into the spirit of the duo by first following the pianist's lead then pushing her forward. The duo's improvisation piece builds off Ms. Davis's left hand and Drummond's increasingly powerful floor tom rhythm pattern. Marcus Gilmore gets into the spirit quicker, perhaps from his experiences with Vijay Iyer. His improvisation with the pianist has more sizzle and power, seeming too short at 3:34. "Trip Dance For Tim" is one of the more powerful works in the program, the throbbing piano chords supporting Berne's pointillistic forays into the upper range of the alto sax. Their "improv" features the saxophonist creating a percussive pattern on the keys of the saxophone and a breathy lead-in to his squealing, mewling, solo in a fiery interaction.
The four tracks with Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Taborn cover a lot of territory with the former's "Beneath the Leaves" featuring a stubborn melody but a flowing yet angular solo. The quiet "improv" with the latter pianist stand out for its quiet poetry, a musical haiku in the midst of odes. "Surf Curl" combines a percussive, nervous, piano figure with the stately steel-string guitar of Lage. As the piece continues, he plays longer lines; listen as the piano figures moves from the lower half to the upper keys, the result being Lage occasionally strumming a chord. It's quite a treat to hear Bill Frisell in a "free-er" mode, hearkening back to his work with John Zorn and Paul Motian. Not that he goes wild but listen as he wraps his country-style riffs around the impressionistic circular piano phrase in the opening half of "Prairie Eyes" before the pianist moves into a more Americana mode. Their improv closes the album in a dream-like collection of single-note piano fills and long guitar tones, slowly easing to a quiet close.
Kris Davis and producer David Breskin also filmed the proceedings which is included in the CD package. Watching the musicians obviously gives you a better feel for their interactions and it's educational to observe the creative process. "Duopoly" is an aural adventure for the mind that gives one fresh insights into the ever-expanding imagination of its creator and her compatriots.
Meanwhile, The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme continues its string of impressive weekends of music. On Friday (9/30), pianist and composer Hector Martignon comes to the Shore Line venue with his band, Foreign Affair. The Colombian-born leader has studied and recorded a number of different styles of music ranging from classical to Afro-Latin to Caribbean to Brazilian and more. The band he's bringing include two percussionist, Mino Cinelu and Samuel Torres, both amazing players, plus bassist Rudyck Vidal and vibraphonist Christos Rafalides.
October begins on Saturday night and what better way to usher in the new month than with the Jeremy Pelt New Quintet. Pelt, a trumpeter, composer, and educator (currently on the faculty at the University of Hartford/Hartt School,) remains one of the busiest musicians on the planet (go to his website and check out the "Appearances" page. His latest High Note CD, "#Jive Culture", is a return to acoustic jazz and features legendary bassist Ron Carter as well as pianist Danny Grissett and drummer Billy Drummond.
Mr. Pelt's new band includes the splendid bassist Vicente Archer, the fine young pianist Victor Gould, percussionist Jacqueline Acevedo, and Hartford-born drummer Jonathan Barber. One should expect that the uptempo pieces will crackle with excitement while the ballads will be emotionally strong. For ticket information and reservations, call 860-434-0886. To learn more about the trumpet player, go to jeremypelt.net.
Four years ago, Sam Sadigursky created a series of compositions that the acclaimed classical clarinetist Marianne Gythfeldt recorded as "25 Etudes for Solo Clarinet, Book 1." Issued on the reed player's Bandcamp page, the short pieces were created for advanced musicians. (He has since produced two additional books of compositions for clarinet.) Sadigursky, who is a member of numerous groups but most notably Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, has just issued (for download only) "Five Movements for Solo Clarinet" - this time, the composer plays his music and the five track/20-minute adventure moves from the Easter European flavored "Diasporas" with its combination of long and short tones, playful phrases mixed with series of "stops-and-goes" to the classically flavored "Short Stories" and its circular lines to the Baroque-feel of "Dance On" and its alluring melody. There are also two pieces under 1:25. "Express Train" is a rush of melody as is the rollicking "Jazz Hands", the latter being as close to "jump classical" (if that's a viable term) as one could get.
Sam Sadigursky may be best known for his various "Words Projects" plus his delightful 2015 "Follow The Stick" album but he's been seriously working on his composing for clarinet. "Five Movements for Solo Clarinet" won't cost you very much money - go to samsadigurskyclarinetetudes.bandcamp.com/album/5-movements-for-solo-clarinet to make your purchase. Let the music play all the way through and then listen again. There is much music, plenty of ideas and impressive melodies, in this 20-minute adventure. This is not just for clarinet aficionados (though they should enjoy the sounds) but also for people who savor music that is bold, thoughtful, and, at times, charming.
Guitarist and composer Gene Ess, a native of Tokyo, Japan, who is now a resident of New York City, has been an active musician for over three decades. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music, he began working with drummer Rashied Ali (with whom he recorded one album) and going on to work with bassists Lonnie Plaxico and Reggie Workman as well as with Archie Shepp. His first CD under his own name, "Sunrise Falling", was issued in 2003 on the ANP label. Since the 2005 release of "Sandbox and Sanctum", Ess has issuing his music on his own label, Simp Records. He has employed such great musicians as Donny McCaslin, Tyshawn Sorey, David Berkman, John Escreet, and vocalist Nicki Parrott.
His new recording, "Absurdist Theater", is his third collaboration with vocalist and librettist Thana Alexa and second with Clarence Penn on the drums. Rounding out the rhythm section is pianist Manuel Valera and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. Ms. Alexa is an excellent foil for the guitar not just for her lyrics to his original composition (this album has eight) but also for her wordless vocals that wend their way through several songs. Valera's rich solos and strong chordal backgrounds on tracks such as "Kunai" and "Out of the Ashes" really fill the sound spectrum yet leave room for Ess's flowing guitar solos. The pianist's bell-like electric piano tones introduce "Torii" which drops into a Santana-like romp with the guitarist and vocalist on the main melody. Both Ms. Alexa and the leader deliver powerful solos over the rampaging drums and thick electric bass lines. (see the video below). "Dejala Que Pasa" is a fascinating ballad, powerful drumming over rippling piano, synthesizer swells (played by Ess), and Ms. Alexa's lovely vocal which, despite the title, is all in English.
Among the highlights of this recording is the trio piece "Forkball (For Ornette)", which opens with just bass and drums before Penn joins during the opening statement of the theme. The piece changes tempo several times before dropping into a brisk "walking line" for the fine solo. The final track, "Upward and Onward", has a faster tempo and the quintet, pushed along by the splendid work of the rhythm section, concocts quite a heady brew.
"Absurdist Theater" is a fascinating recording, a continuation of the journey that Gene Ess, his guitar, and his ensembles have been taking since he set out on his own. It's grit, melody, swing, power, and the fine voice of Thana Alexa. The album is a journey adventurous audiences should enjoy.
It's been a busy several years for guitarist and composer Joel Harrison. The Washington D.C.-native has released a series of impressive albums, each different and each special. For Sunnyside, he recorded a tribute to Paul Motian arranged for a string quintet and 2 guitars (2011), a septet recording with its roots in classical music (2012), and a recording with a 19-piece orchestra (2013). For Cuneiform, he released a quintet recording with trumpeter Cuong Vu, Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, and drummer Dan Weiss (2012) plus a Blues-Rock guitar fest with bassist Michael Bates and drummer Jeremy "Bean" Clemons (2014). Also in 2014, he released an album for the London-based Whirlwind Recordings label that paired the guitarist with sarod player Anumpam Shobhakar, keyboard virtuoso Gary Versace and Mr. Weiss on drums (plus guests).
His second release for Whirlwind is titled "Spirit House"; the music features trumpeter Vu, Paul Hanson (acoustic and electric bassoon) plus the special rhythm section of Kermit Driscoll (acoustic and electric basses) and Brian Blade (drums, vocals). The album opens with "An Elephant In Igor's Yard", a noisy blend of bassoon, Vu's articulated trumpet lines and Harrison's hard-edged sound. The work of the rhythm section stands out, with Driscoll's melodic electric bass lines flying around over the propulsive drums. There's a sense of hope and wistfulness heard on the ballad "Johnny Broken Wing" -after the long solo looped guitar intro with its hint at the melody, the bass and drum move in and the handsome melody takes center stage. The solemn trumpet-bassoon opening of "Some Thoughts on Kenny Kirkland", the pianist who passed in 1998, leads to Blade's vocal telling the composer's story of hearing Kirkland playing a solo on the radio. Harrison's solo wails and cries over the overdubbed brass and bassoon. The other vocal track, "Look At Where You Are", features Harrison taking the lead and Blade supplying the harmony on lyric that celebrate a life now passed. The long notes of the trumpet in the middle lead back to the vocal that now shares the sonic space with the moaning bassoon and harsh trumpet washes.
Much of this music is reflective with long melodies and thoughtful solos. "Sacred Love" moves quickly forward on the driving drums but the melody is slow and measured. Vu's solo, at the beginning, interacts with Harrison's guitar squalls before he moves on his own. The guitar sound may remind one of Pete Cosey on Miles Davis's "On The Corner." Hanson's bassoon work runs the gamut, from hard-bop to classical to blues inflections. He also creates interesting settings with his electronics. How he weaves around the trumpet, guitar, bass and drums on the title track and rides atop Driscoll's active acoustic bass lines on "Old Friends", sounding like a baritone saxophone. That latter track also includes a very funky drum solo before returning to the somber melody.
"Spirit House" was recorded in 2013 after the Quintet had toured the West Coast. The music is, at turns, solemn, playful, wistful, impressionistic but never boring. Joel Harrison never lets technique get in the way of melody, even when the music takes a turn for the noisy (the close of the trumpet and bassoon solos on "Left Hook", for instance). Give a close listen and you will be pleased, even moved.
Several months back, I waxed on about guitarist Ross Hammond's acoustic recording "Flight" (review here). I noted that he's mostly known as an electric guitarist and he returns to an electrified mode for his new release knows as "Lowburn" (digital only, link below). The 2 tracks - "Basic Fundamentals" and "Making Friends Wherever We Go" - features the guitarist with the rhythm section of Jon Bafus (drums) and Steuart Liebig (electric bass) recorded live, the first track in March of this year while the latter was recorded last November. The Trio entered the venue, plugged in, tuned up, and just played. The results are raucous, hard-edged, rhythmically adventurous, and challenging for a casual listener. However, if you turn it the music up loud and let it roar, you cannot help but be impressed with the musicians' energy (Bafus rarely lightens up...well, maybe for a minute or 2 on "Basic Fundamentals").
"Lowburn" fires on all cylinders for the better part of 65 minutes. One hears allusions to Ornette Coleman's electric music, James "Blood" Ulmer as well, along with the more rock stylings of Hüsker Dü and other punk-rock bands, even a hint of the Nels Cline Singers. This is fearless music that bows to few conventions. It is, at times, exhausting for my aging ears but ultimately exhilarating.
Composer and arranger Michael Gibbs, born in 1937 in Zimbabwe (when the country was known as Rhodesia), first came to the United States in 1959 to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Before settling in Great Britain in 1964, he had studied at Tanglewood, the Boston Conservatory and the Lenox School of Music with the likes of the recently passed Gunther Schuller, Aaron Copland, George Russell and others. He went to work with Stan Getz, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, and a host of others in the pop, jazz and classical worlds.
Bill Frisell first met in Gibbs in 1975 in the guitarist's first year at Berklee (the arranger was artist-in-residence). When Frisell moved to Belgium in 1978, he subbed for Gibb's guitarist on a tour of the U.K. and met the bassist Eberhard Weber. The two musicians hit it off and Frisell made his first ECM recordings as a member of Weber's band.
"Michael Gibbs & The NDR Big Band Plays A Bill Frisell Set List" (Cuneiform Records) is fascinating recording of Gibbs with one of his "recording" ensembles plus Frisell (pictured left) and drummer Jeff Ballard. The program blends Frisell originals with pieces from Thelonious Monk (a guitar/drums duo on "Misterioso"), Gil Evans, Benny Goodman/Count Basie, Lee Konitz and John Lennon. Frisell and Ballard lead the band in on "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", taking their time to introduce the melody. Soon, the brass and reed have taken the melody and the guitarist moves around them, playing counterpoint on the chorus. Mr. Konitz's "Subconscious-Lee" is a delightful romp with the guitarist showing a touch of Les Paul in his swinging riffs. And, does he ever swing on "Benny's Bugle", riding the riffs of the brass and popping percussion (Mario Doctor on bongos alongside Ballard.) There's a touch of dissonance at the opening of Evans' "Las Vegas Tango" but one can hear the classic Miles Davis sound in the arrangement plus strong solos from pianist Vladyslav Sendecki, trombonist Klaus Heidenreich and Frisell (who really rises above the ensemble.) The guitarist unleashes his "loops" on the second half of his compositional medley "On The Lookout/Far Away." Gibbs captures Frisell's playful side on "Freddy's Step" the short track that closes the CD. He opens the piece for alto saxophonists Fiete Felsch, Lutz Büchner, and Peter Bolte to get short solos (4 bars at most). It's a treat, one that the audience at Überjazz Festival in Hamburg, Germany, really enjoys. Felsch returns on "Monica Jane" to produce a bluesy yet vibrant solo on one of Frisell's languid ballads, given a nice bit of swagger in the brass section. Michael Gibbs and Bill Frisell back together, albeit for the first time since the late 1970s. Along with Jeff Ballard and the NDR Big Band, they produce a lot of pleasing sounds. Most of the uptempo piece are playful, the arrangements frame and support the pieces well, and Frisell's guitar work, while a bit tamped down at times, still shines on the majority of tracks. For more information, go to cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/gibbs.html.
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