One of the joys of reviewing is when a CD (or digital download) arrives in the mail and you are immediately bowled over by a musician unknown to you . The day "Gentle Giants" (self-released) showed up, so did the album below with vocalist Danielle Wertz. Both feature pianist and composer Tal Cohen, a young Israeli-born musician who finished school in Perth, Australia, before attending graduate school at the University of Florida in Miami. He's won numerous awards for his musicianship, has performed with Joe Lovano and George Garzone plus drummer Ari Hoenig and Australian saxophonist Jamie Oehlers, and is now living in the United States.
Listening to "Gentle Giant", I am reminded of my initial reaction to Wynton Marsalis's 1986 album, "Black Codes From the Underground." There is an audacious quality to the music, making one sit up and pay attention to what each musician is playing and how the ensemble interacts. We could argue all day long whether the music is "new" or not but that's not the point here. Cohen and company - Robert Hurst (bass), Nate Winn (drums), Greg Osby (alto and soprano saxophone on four tracks), and the afore-mentioned JamieOehlers (tenor saxophone on six tracks) - make this music breathe, alive with possibility, and going in unexpected directions. Case in point - the album opens with "Nardis", arguably the most famous Miles Davis composition that the trumpeter never recorded to his satisfaction but was pleased by pianist Bill Evans's many recordings of the tune. The music grows outward from the rhythm section, the slinky bass line that opens the piece and the atmospheric introduction. Oehlers (a mentor to the pianist in his school years in Australia and beyond) plays the melody while the piano, bass, and drums give the rhythms a Middle-Eastern feel. Listen to how Cohen builds his solo, the intensity he discovers, the interactions with Hurst and Winn. There is delight in this performance, power as well but a great feeling of playfulness.
The album is filled with fine melodies (all but the opening track are Cohen originals), many with the combination of Israeli folk songs blended with the influence of Chopin and Scriabin. "Lo Haya" is a two-part piece, the first a lovely duet with Oehlers, the second a lullaby built from a phrase from the original melody. "Part 2" opens with a lovely introspective piano solo then adds the rhythm section building to a powerful interchange between the two saxophonists as the intensity builds and builds. The saxophonists also combine on the delightful "Great PK (for Shuli)" which swings powerfully right from the get-go with strong solos all around. Osby gets the spotlight on "Gavetsch"; he follows a particularly high-spirited piano playing with pieces of the melody, interacting with the rhythm section, spurring both Hurst and Winn to respond - in an odd choice, the tune's reprise "Hazil Magil" is programmed three tracks previous and is a different take of the piano solo only. The album closes with "Chopin Meets Abach". Paraphrasing Cohen's notes, it's music that contrasts the peace the composer gets from classical music (Chopin) and the Israeli citizens need for a protective mask (Abach is the name of the mask's manufacturer) during the Gulf War. With eh rhythm section creating a powerful racket, Osby's soprano saxophone phrases rise like a flock of birds.
"Gentle Giants" is an excellent introduction to Tal Cohen, his music and his vision. This is music that is easy to get lost in, to let the sounds flow in and out of you. While, at times, the music sounds so spontaneous, one can hear that the music spent time living with the pieces, playing them and finding so much depth. This album is actually Cohen's second as a leader - his debut "Yellow Sticker" (also featuring Jamie Oehlers) was released in 2011 - and is a delight from start to finish.
"Intertwined" (self-released) features the combined talents of Tal Cohen and vocalist Danielle Wertz. Ms. Wertz, a native of Virginia, met the pianist when both were studying at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Her voice will remind some of Kate McGarry, Gretchen Parlato, Sara Gazarek, and Sheila Jordan. There's a quality of lightness that shines through whether she is romping through the melody, as she does on the title track or wrapped in the gentle melody of "Autumn Leaves." On the latter track, Jamie Oehlers adds his breathy tenor saxophone, responding to the vocalist as well as creating a memorable solo. Listen to how Cohen weaves his lines throughout the piece, not only building the foundation but also responding to the emotion of his companions. The sparsity of the accompaniment allows Ms. Wertz to explore the words, their meanings, their relationship to the melody and the improvisations.
Actually, the first sounds one hears on the opening track is Oehlers's hypnotic melodic fragment leading in "Beautiful Love", a song first made famous in 1931 by the Wayne King Orchestra. The gentle vocal and the articulate piano work join the saxophone as the trio open the piece, each one listening to the other and responding. Cohen's "Chopin Meets Abach" blends wordless vocals with a rolling piano line, the power of the music coming from his the voice builds along with the piano, not always in contrast but in union with the message of the composition.
The story the duo tells on "Manhattan In the Rain" (composed by Duncan Lamont) is powerful description of chance encounter that goes from good to sad. It is performed without sentimentality or treacle but with honesty and beauty (the rainstorm conjured up by Cohen's piano is magical). Throughout the program, one can hear how time the musicians spent exploring the songs, moving away from cliched performances into interpretations that are more personal. That's what audiences usually want. If artists are going
perform standards, make the pieces sound brand-new. If the emotions are honest, the music has power.
"Intertwined" is powerful. Danielle Wertz and Tal Cohen have created an album that transports the listener beyond the ordinary. Be open and the music will seem like an adventure, a good and satisfying experience.
2017 is upon us but I can't let a number of the CDs I received in 2016 to go unnoticed and unreviewed (by me). Over the next week, I'll shine a spotlight on a number of deserving albums.
Kendra Shank & Geoffrey Keezer - Half Moon: Live in New York (Ride Symbol) - Once upon a time, one could go to a smoky nightclub to hear a vocalist and pianist work their way through a program of standards, an intimate setting for music that reaches deep into the soul. Nowadays more often than not, the "intimate" setting is a living room as "house" concerts are more more and more common (although, I suppose, the "rent parties" of the 1920s could be considered "house" concerts.)
The duo of Kendra Shank and Geoffrey Keezer came together when the vocalist was in need of a pianist for a quartet date on the West Coast and Mr. Keezer filled in. They discovered a "simpatico" that, although this is not a "working duo", is there on every gig." What also stands out on this album, recorded on January 3 of 2015, is how both voices stand out without either person stealing the spotlight.
"Alone Together" is a perfect opening track. The song displays how Ms. Shank creates her vocal off of the piano lines. After the opening theme, the duo create counterpoint, go in different but sympathetic directions, changing the dynamic constantly. The "impressionistic" piano solo inspires a splendid "scat" solo. The way they reenter the lyrics is magical.
This recording has so many of those magical moments. From the quiet corners of "Kneel" (a brilliant song poem composed by Jeremy Siskind) to the improvised "Half Moon" (inspired by the light one can see on the album cover and in the video below) to the pair of Abbey Lincoln songs (the playful "The Music is the Magic" and the tender yet bittersweet ballad "When Love Was You and Me", Ms. Lincoln's lyrics set to Thad Jones's "The Summary"), this concert pulls the listener in closely. You listen for the turns of phrase in pieces such as in the sprightly "Life's Mosaic" (music by Cedar Walton) and the joyful "I'm Movin' On" (composed by Judy Niemack and Kirk Nurock).
The intimacy is never forced. As personal as the music can be - "Healing Song" is an original tune inspired by Ms. Shank's recovery from a back injury - this music reaches out to touch on our own personal experiences, from deep heartbreak to expansive love and more. The best way to listen to "Half Moon" is to sit back and listen to the whole program. You'll be surprised and impressed each time by the musicianship, by the creativity and freedom of both vocalist and pianist, And, yes, by the intimacy. One also hears how this album has tinges of the great Tony Bennett/Bill Evans duos from the 1970s as well as the work pianist Ran Blake has been doing this decade with Sara Serpa and Christine Correa (which refer back to his 1960s work with Jeanne Lee); Yet, this duo succeeds handsomely in creating its own personality. Kudos to Kendra Shank and Geoffrey Keezer for this great recording and for the many hours of pleasure it gives and will continue to give.
The duo plays a "CD Celebration" on Monday January 9, 2017, at Mezzrow, 163 10th Street in New York City. The first set starts at 8 p.m. For more information, call 646-476-4346 or go to mezzrow.com. For more information about Ms. Shank, go to www.kendrashank.com. For Mr. Keezer, the website is geoffreykeezer.com.
Here's the duo live on the night of the recording (note the lamp):
2016 was a great year for music and terrible in the sense that the world lost so many great artists. Composer, arranger, author, and educator David Baker died in March at the age of 84. Baker, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, was known for his trombone work in the 1950s with composer George Russell's Sextet as well as the Quincy Jones Orchestra but a traffic accident he had suffered in the early 1950s curtailed his horn playing by the early 1960s. He countered by turning to cello. But, David Baker is most famous for his work in the field of education. In 1968, he founded the Indiana University Jazz Studies which he headed until 2013. He was named a NEA Jazz Master in 2000.
Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra recordedBasically Baker Vol 2: The Big Band Music of David Baker (Patois Records) in June of 2016, nearly a decade after releasing Volume 1 (which is set to be re-released by Patois later this year). The 21-member orchestra, conducted by Brent Wallarab (who studied with Professor Baker and teaches at Indiana University) feature many alums of the IU program including some names you may be familiar with such as saxophonist Rich Perry and trumpeter Tony Kadleck who both play with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. Special guests Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Dave Stryker (guitar) appear on one track, the lovely ballad "Kirsten's First Song."
According to the liner notes, much of the material on this Two-CD set "comes from (Baker's) first decade at Indiana University" (approximately 1966-1975), a time when big bands such as Thad Jones-Mel Lewis were beginning to be noticed, even as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Woody Herman still brought in audiences. Overall, this is not "ground-breaking" material but the songs are so melodically rich and the arrangements so intelligent that the music does not sound dated at all. The one non-Baker composition, Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop", is a dazzling display of musical derring-do in the solos as well as the sparkling section arrangements (plus a "shout-out" to the fine rhythm section of pianist Luke Gillespie - no relation to Dizzy - bassist Jeremy Allen, and drummer Steve Houghton.)
Playful moments abound. The album opens with "Harlem Pipes" (dedicated to Marian McPartland), a high-energy romp, the great swells of brass underpinned by an active rhythm section and the fine baritone saxophone work of Ned Boyd. The buoyant bop of "The Georgia Peach" displays ample blues roots plus fine solos from co-leader Mark Buselli (trumpet), Freddie Mendoza (trombone), and Rich Perry. Love the Afro-Caribbean strut of "Walt's Barbershop" and the Ellingtonian styling of "Black Thursday" but it's the gorgeous 'Soft Summer Rain" and its evocative soprano saxophone melody (unidentified musician) that might just take your breath away. The deep tones of the bass trombone and tuba build the foundation of the piece while the reeds and brass ebb and flow behind the melody. Sweet solos by Perry and trombonist Tim Coffman (the rhythm picks up for the latter solo) stand out.
The handsome brass fugue that opens and closes "Honesty", the delightful reeds and brass interactions on "25th and Martindale" (named for the area where the composer grew up in Indianapolis), and the bouncy blues of "Terrible T" are highlights on the second disk. Still, it's there afore-mentioned "Kirsten's First Song" (composed for Baker's granddaughter) that resonates deep within the soul. From Gillespie's solo piano opening to fine solos by vibraphonist Mitch Shiner, Brecker, and Stryker to the sweet celeste and guitar coda at the close (Monika Herzig and Stryker), the music is a lullaby writ large.
I've not heard any of the music created by the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra before but, based on this fine recording, one can tell they are quite a professional group. Because the majority of the members who appear here have had contact with David Baker as students, fellow musicians, and appreciative fans, the performances on "Basically Baker Vol 2" have great emotion and spirit, just like the person who created the music and arrangements did during his productive lifetime.
Posts
Listening to "Gentle Giant", I am reminded of my initial reaction to Wynton Marsalis's 1986 album, "Black Codes From the Underground." There is an audacious quality to the music, making one sit up and pay attention to what each musician is playing and how the ensemble interacts. We could argue all day long whether the music is "new" or not but that's not the point here. Cohen and company - Robert Hurst (bass), Nate Winn (drums), Greg Osby (alto and soprano saxophone on four tracks), and the afore-mentioned Jamie Oehlers (tenor saxophone on six tracks) - make this music breathe, alive with possibility, and going in unexpected directions. Case in point - the album opens with "Nardis", arguably the most famous Miles Davis composition that the trumpeter never recorded to his satisfaction but was pleased by pianist Bill Evans's many recordings of the tune. The music grows outward from the rhythm section, the slinky bass line that opens the piece and the atmospheric introduction. Oehlers (a mentor to the pianist in his school years in Australia and beyond) plays the melody while the piano, bass, and drums give the rhythms a Middle-Eastern feel. Listen to how Cohen builds his solo, the intensity he discovers, the interactions with Hurst and Winn. There is delight in this performance, power as well but a great feeling of playfulness.
