Sonic Explorations of the Soul

Dr. Lewis Porter is a musicologist, author, and educator who happens to be one fine pianist. Over the seven years, he has released several trio albums and a slew of duo performances.  His new recording, "Solo Piano" (Next To Silence LLC), is his first going it alone.  Since the good Doctor is a historian of jazz music, you won't surprised to find that the music on the album has a wide variety of influences including standards, originals, blues, and, of course,  jazz. Best of all, it often sounds as if Porter is having fun.  Listen to the original "Ragtime Dreams" - there is a bit of dissonance in the melody line reminiscent of Randy Newman. "Blues for Sunset", also an original, is a sweet meditation that moves on an "easy rollin'" left hand while the pianist digs dances and creates a solo with phrases that seem to dance in the air.

Photo: Ed Berger

Three of the pieces are "standards", starting with the opening exploration of Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love."
The long playful solo goes through several styles while stand connected to the melody line throughout.  Porter paints quite a portrait on George Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy." There's an orchestral feel to the piano and an intelligent use of occasional silence.  Later in the program, Porter's take on "Body and Soul" is truly lovely. Sit back and let music fill your ears, listen to how articulate the pianist is (reminding this listener of Fred Hersch), and enjoy the ride.

Photo: Bill May

Other originals include the delightful and hypnotic "Mixolydia", the meditative yet expansive "Through the Sunset", and "For Eddie Harris."  The "...Harris" track is notable in its combination of short melodic phrases and an insistent rhythmic but notice how the piece threatens to break down in the middle yet never loses its way.

The album closes with a handsome version of John Coltrane's "Central Park West."  Here again, the pianist takes his time to create a fine story from the opening melody. There are moments when the piano lines take flight and others when it seems like the piano is sweetly singing. Actually, one could write that about many of the songs on "Solo Piano."  Lewis Porter certainly understands the power of melody, especially when combined with a strong, rhythmic, left hand. This collection is a delightful addition to his catalogue and deserves your attention.

For more information, go to www.lewisporter.com. (The album will be released on 3/29/18.)


Our house is quiet this mid-February morning with only the sounds of pianist Lucian Ban and clarinetist Alex Simu wafting through the rooms.  The duo's new Sunnyside album, "Free Fall", is inspired by and dedicated to Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008).  Giuffre, who played tenor saxophone and clarinet, graduated from North Texas Teachers College (now North Texas State University, one of the premier music schools in the USA) and went on to play with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the Buddy Rich Band before joining Woody Herman's Thundering Herd. For Herman, he composed what may still be his most famous composition, "Four Brothers" (1949) which featured the tenor saxophones of Giuffre, Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and the baritone saxophone of Serge Chaloff.  In the mid-1950s, Giuffre organized a drummer-less band with guitarist Jim Hall and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer (replaced a year later by bassist Ralph Pena) and recorded the classic "Western Suite" Lp for Atlantic Records.  In the early 1960s, the reed master (who also played soprano and baritone saxes plus flute and bass flute) formed a new trio with pianist Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow, moving into a "freer" sound.  Giuffre went on teach for several decades, all the while still recording even adding electronics to his groups.

For the Ban and Simu CD, recorded live in Bucharest, Romania, (both musicians are natives of the country) in February of 2018, the duo mixed original pieces with several improvisations (including the title track) plus a lovely version of Carla Bley's "Jesus Maria" and two pieces from Giuffre (both recorded with Bley and Swallow as was the Bley piece). Here, Ms. Bley's lovely ballad rolls in on a piano figure not unlike a piece by Erik Satie.  Simu moves lightly through the melody and creates a long, impressionistic, solo.  "Cry, Want", the first of the two Giuffre compositions that actually come at the end of the program, opens with an unaccompanied clarinet solo. One can hear the influence of the blues on the composer, even more so when Ban enters. The piece moves slowly and quietly with one really hearing the "cry" in Simu's phrases.  "Used To Be", the other Giuffre piece, has a livelier feel. The gospel sound in Ban's thick piano chords, reminiscent of Abdulah Ibrahim, creates a great cushion for Simu to explore the higher range of his instrument.

The album opens with the pianist's "Quiet Storm", setting the tone for the rest of the program. As the music moves forward, the duo opens up, their lines dancing in and around each other, never very loud but you almost see Ban and Simu watching each other anticipating the next moves.  The title track builds off a dark piano riff that slowly lightens up as the clarinet - then, they begin to really dig in challenging each other yet making sure to stay connected.  There's a similar feel to the other improvised work, "Mysteries." The piano creates a quiet riff while the clarinet plays long tones, even dissonant tones.  That dissonance is a foreshadowing of how the music will pick up in intensity and even move int "freer" territory.  Still, the duo never loses the connection to Ban's left hand, the quiet riff that is the glue of the music.

"Free Fall" demands your attention, doing so not by shouting in your ears but, most often, whispering into them.  Lucian Ban and Alex Simu are influenced not just by Jimmy Giuffre's music but also by the composer's desire to move beyond the cliches that often permeate music. Several of the pieces, especially the originals, are influenced by the blues, using that musical language as a touchstone for personal and duo explorations.  This music, the concert, and the resulting album is certainly an enjoyable listening experience.

For more information about these musicians, go to www.lucianban.com and www.alexsimu.nl.

Such Delight in Duos

What do you get when you pair a clarinetist whose ability to play so many different types of music with a master pianist and composer who is always "thinking" forward without ignoring his roots?  Judging by the opening track of "Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch" Live in Healdsburg" (Anzic Records), you get "A Lark." "A lark" is defined as "something done for fun, especially something mischievous or daring; an amusing adventure or escapade" (Oxford English "Living" Dictionary). This album, a recording from the June 2016 Healdsburg (CA) Jazz Festival, certainly has its moments of mischief but, overall, this is "serious fun" music at its best.  

Oregon Music News

The program opens with two Hersch, the aforementioned "A Lark" and one of the pianist's more adventurous composition "Child's Song."  The latter tune moves from its richly melodic opening into a gentle rolling melody. After the duo plays the melody, the pieces moves into a rubato section for Ms. Cohen's delightfully ascending solo before the duo takes the piece a bit "out" - here, it reminds this listener of Jimmy Giuffre's early 1960s work with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow.  And it's a treat to hear how they bring the song back to the theme.

Ms. Cohen's composition "The Purple Piece" (first recorded in 2007 with her Quartet on the "Poetica" album) follows. Slower than the earlier version, it goes in several directions and moods, starting out somber then becoming more open and playful during the clarinet solo. Pay attention to how Hersch accompanies the solo and just how closely he's paying attention to his musical partner. The pianist's solo is a pleasing two-handed journey that is also emotionally rich.

The album also includes a number of recognizable standards ("Jitterbug Waltz", "The Peacocks", "Isfahan", and "Mood Indigo") but, surprisingly for a Fred Hersch album, no Thelonious Monk. Nevertheless, the listener should enjoy how the duo approaches the classic jazz tunes.  Jimmy Rowles oft-recorded "The Peacocks" is a fascinating 10:25 journey with Ms. Cohen, at first, caressing the melody, giving the song a bluesy feel. Hersch's solo is breath-taking, also referencing the blues yet with such dynamic and melodic variation.  When the clarinetist returns, the duo slows down the piece, making the music shimmer and the listener hang on every note.

For the encore, the duo take a slow stroll through the elegant Ellington composition "Mood Indigo". There are moments here (and elsewhere) where this listener as is the pianist is creating a very fancy "rent party." Ms. Cohen enjoys the challenge, dancing with her partner on "Jitterbug Waltz" and Hersch's "Lee's Dream" where she is darting in and out of his solo with quiet flurries of short phrases.  "Live in Healdsburg" is a gift from two distinctive musician, Anat Cohen and Fred Hersch, both of whom play with such joy and "daring", on "a lark" when they hit the stage to make the listeners smile.

For more information, go to www.anatcohen.com or fredhersch.com.

Give a listen:

Vocalist Kavita Shah first came to critical attention with her fascinating 2014 album "Visions" (Inner Circle Music), an adventurous collection of songs co-produced by guitarist Lionel Loueke (my review here). Bassist François Moutin has been playing since he was five years old, first on guitar and piano, then moving to the bass in his teens.  After earning a doctorate in physics, he became a professional musician.  Before coming to the United States in 1997, he had worked with artists such as pianists Martial Solal and Jean-Michel Pilc. Since settling in the New World, Moutin has never lacked for steady work, playing alongside Billy Hart, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Oliver Lake, and Dave Liebman (among many others).

Photo: Jacob Blickenstaff

When the bassist approached Ms. Shah to create this duo (he had first met her when she subbed in trumpeter Amir elSaffar's ensemble), the vocalist felt it was the right time.  She has studied music from around the world and has worked with numerous artists. Born in New York City, she studied with Theo Bleckmann, Jim McNeely, and Peter Eldridge.  A chance meeting (on the subway, no less) with Sheila Jordan turned the young Ms. Shah towards the idea of being a jazz singer.

Mr. Moutin and Ms. Shah have created and released "Interplay" (Dot Time Records), an album of duos and trios (Ms. Jordan and pianist Solal are each featured with bass and vocalist on two tracks).  From the outset, one can immediately hear that Ms. Shah's voice has matured, that she is willing and able to take chances. The program opens with just voice on the standard "You Go To My Head" (first recorded as a vocal by Billie Holiday in 1938). When the bass enters, one hears a musician who has mastered his instrument.  Moutin is melodic, percussive, plays counterpoint and solos with ease as well as inventiveness.  Because is Ms. Shah is so comfortable in this setting, the bassist is free to be creative and not just hold the bottom.  The following track is an terrific romp through "La Vie En Rose" with the vocalist singing a part for tabla while the bassist pounds on his instrument. They perform the melody together with Moutin creating quite the call-and-response (with himself).

Ms. Jordan is heard on "Falling In Love (With Love)" but not until Ms. Shah dances through the melody (you can really hear the "smile" in her voice) - when Ms. Jordan enters, she sings a counterpoint to the original melody.  The two voices swap "wordless 4's) before one hears the original melody, and as a coda, the two vocalists take the piece out.  For the track of the album, the trio of voices and bass create a lovely version of Horace Silver's "Peace".   The blend is so handsome, especially because of the wonderful bass work. Ms. Jordan, who was one of the first to record with just bass accompaniment, is in fine voice (still inventive as she approaches 90!) and has taught Ms Shah (through example and friendship) how to tell a story as well as be part of an ensemble.

NPR.org

Monsieur Solal, who turned 90 in Augusr 2017, was one of bassist Moutin's first employers. Here, he joins the duo for a "free-leaning" exploration of his piece "Coming Yesterday" (which he recorded with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian in 1998). The musicians give the vocalist plenty of room but also follow her through the melody as the song moves forward. The pianist is also featured on "Aigue-Marine" (green-blue), an original he first recorded in 1962 and to which Ms. Shah composed the lyrics. The music has the feel of Bill Evans, the melody opening to playful solos (it's fun to hear the piano and bass scurry around).

There's much to enjoy here.  François Moutin is quite the musician, such a melodic and inventive bassist. Kavita Shah is also quite a musician, with a mature voice that holds your attention and seemingly no fear. One can't help but hear how the duo has built up trust in each other.  There are surprises throughout "Interplay" but the focus is on creativity and excellent musicianship.  Get this, sit down, then let the sounds into your heart and mind.

For more information. go to www.kavitashah.com or www.moutin.com/Francois.html.

Here's one of the pieces with Martial Solal: