Boston Based 'Bones

Big City Circus - Joel Yennior Trio (Brass Wheel Music) - For his first CD as a leader, trombonist Yennior, who's been a mainstay in The Either/ Orchestra since the late 1990s, decided to step out front with a fascinating sonic line-up.  Guitarist Eric Hofbauer (leader of the InfraRed Band and co-owner of the Creative Nation Music label) and drummer Gary Fieldman (principal percussionist with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and leader of his own quartet) are Yennior's co-conspirators and the results go in myriad directions. The opening track,  "Dancing Dave",  has a boppish feel, with light guitar chords and "swinging" drums. Moving on to "A House in Not a Home", one hears the trombonist caress the sweet Burt Bacharach melody while the guitarist offers bluesy chords and Fieldman swirls around the drum kit with deft brush work.  One of Thelonious Monk's lesser-known works, "Gallop's Gallop", gives the trio another opportunity to "swing" and play off each other.

It's not all "fun-and-games" - a stint on jury duty for a murder case led Yennior to create "Justice Lost: A Suite in Three Parts."  Moved by the responsibility to find justice for the victim's family, the trombonist creates a work based in the blues and filled with fire, anger and emotion. Part 1, "Blood on the Street" has a harrowing feel, a flexible and shifting percussion beneath the declarative trombone and rumbling guitar.  There's growling gutbucket trombone on part 2, "Blues For Justice Lost", built off a 6-note guitar riff. A martial beat underpins the melody on Part 3,  the track that bears the name of the CD. The melody and execution may remind some of Kurt Weill's style, especially on his writing for "The Three-Penny Orchestra."  

The CD ends on a joyous note, with a sweet romp through "Estrellita", a  tune from the early 20th Century by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.  Fieldman's snappy brush works well beneath the bouncy melody line, Hofbauer's catchy solo and as a spotlight for the drummer.

Joel Yennior has produced a fine debut CD, with an intelligent blend of serious and swinging music.  The music is not very loud nor does it feel empty - the interplay of the 3 musicians and the fine melodies holds one attention throughout.  For more information, go to wwwbrasswheelmusic.com.  

Live!! at the Berklee Performance Center - Phil Wilson & Makoto Ozone (Capri Records) - This fun CD is a reissue of a 1983 Lp recorded in November of 1982 in Boston, Massachusetts.  Veteran trombonist and educator Wilson got together with then 21-year old piano phenom Ozone and just let it fly from the opening note.  The pianist's stylings range from Art Tatum to Bill Evans with a bit of Oscar Peterson thrown in and is the perfect complement to the highly swinging trombonist.  Even today, most people would hear "Stella By Starlight" and "Here's That Rainy Day" as straight ballads but, here, both men kick it up several notches. In the middle of "Stella...", Ozone's left hand falls into a heavy stride groove and Wilson follows suit. It takes them a few minutes to push the tempo on "...Rainy Day" and this time it's Wilson who prompts the pianist. "Gravy Waltz", from the team of Steve Allen and Ray Brown, hearkens back to "Fats" Waller with Ozone displaying that flashy left hand and some impressive 2-hand work. Wilson contributes the ballad "These Are The Days" and the duo give the fine melody a loving treatment.  "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me" is a tune from 1919 - one can tell its pedigree from rolling piano lines and the spunky, hummable, melody. Both men take fine solos. Wilson goes unaccompanied and his blowsy, strutting, phrases set the pace for Ozone's frolic.  They have as much fun on the final track, "Giant Steps", playing the tune very fast, with a 2-way conversation in the middle that is as playful as it is musical.
If you missed this recording first time around, Capri Records gives you the opportunity to atone.  Even though the concert took place almost 3 decades ago, the duo's interactions and sense of experimentation sounds quite modern. That's the spirit of jazz. For more information, go to www.caprirecords.com. 

Human Music

Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider - Dollison and Marsh (ArtistShare) - What a great idea!  Adding voices to to the music of Maria Schneider.  The composer has employed Luciana Souza on her last 2 CDs but Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh decided to tackle this project from a different angle.  Use Ms. Schneider's superb rhythm section (pianist Frank Kimbrough, guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Jay Anderson and percussionist Clarence Penn) and replace the saxophones, clarinets, flutes, trumpets and trombones with their voices.  Utilizing multi-tracking and wordless vocals, the duo "becomes" the orchestra and the results are stunning and quite successful.  The opening of "Journey Home", led in by Kimbrough's richly melodic piano, is a vocal tour-de-force, with Dollison's higher voice soaring over the deeper tones of Marsh. Then he rises out of the rhythm section, displaying a wide range and dancing atop Penn's fine drums. All of a sudden, it's a dozen Marshes behind the solo voice, high and low - Dollison soon returns, the piece rises in intensity until the voices drop out and Monder takes a long solo of rippling notes that ultimately begin to bring up the heat while the vocalists dance back in. Listen to the power of Clarence Penn near the close of "The 'Pretty' Road" as he stokes the fires while the vocalists expand upon the song's theme.  Like his musical compatriots, he never overplays yet does not hold back when the piece calls for him to provide propulsion.
"Sky Blue", one of the prettiest ballads ever composed, is treated with both respect and creativity.  On the original version, Steve Wilson's soprano saxophone solo literally took my breath away. Here, the vocal  choir beneath Dollison's reading of the main theme may remind some of the ethereal vocals of The Beach Boys or their influence, the Four Freshmen, with Marsh's low notes equating to the trombones that the composer uses to bolster the song. Dollison's solo ranges far and wide, sometimes angelic, bird-like at times, chattering, keening, swooping, reaching for the sky.  Like Wilson's long and heartbreaking solo, this is simply divine.
"Hang Gliding", with Anderson's solid underpinning and Kimbrough's Brazilian-tinged piano, gives the singers a forum to "let go" - they weave in and around each other, trading lines like 2 saxophonists at a jam session.  The sweet shuffling rhythms of "Dança Ilusoria"allows the leaders to layer their voices, creating a rich forest of sound.  Anderson's expressive bass lines, Penn's stealthy brush work and Kimbrough's sprightly solo, all the while the voices adding textural commentary. After the piano solo, Marsh scats with glee and abandon while Monder drops little riffs that one might miss if not paying close attention, and it's a moment before one realizes Dollison's voices are back in the mix.
As I wrote at the top, a great idea - Julia Dollison & Kerry Marsh (now wife and husband) spent many hours (some under the watchful eye of the composer) giving this great music a fresh and enjoyable re-working. For more information, go to www.juliadollison.com/ or www.kerrymarsh.net/.

Rotondi's Art

1000 Rainbows - Jim Rotondi (Posi-tone Records) - Jim Rotondi is a trumpeter out of the Freddie Hubbard/ WoodyShaw school with roots in Clifford Brown (his sweet articulated notes remind this listener of Brownie.) On record, he rarely ventures into unknown territory and that's just fine because his music never sounds stale.  Surrounded by veterans like Joe Locke (vibraphone) and Bill Stewart (drums) and younger players Danny Grissett (piano) and Barak Mori (bass), this program is well-played and plenty of fun for the listener.

It may take one a minute or so before you realize the band is hitting on Lennon & McCartney's "We Can Work It Out" but it's a smart reworking. Locke glides over the dancing drum work and fine chordal interjections from Grissett before Rotondi jumps in with an assertive solo. The title track is from the pen of Buddy Montgomery, the bassist brother of guitarist Wes and is a medium-tempo confection with a bluesy bass line and a  hint of parade drums from Stewart.  Rotondi stays in the horn's mid-range for most of his long solo, really working through the changes. Locke takes over and builds his groove off of the drum patterns. Mori is rock-solid beneath the band, really filling out the sound. The trumpeter swings his socks off on the opening chorus of his original "Gravitude", moving aside for a short vibes solo and then flying over the changes with an energetic and often fiery solo.  "Born to Be Blue" sounds like the kind of music one makes on a rainy day, an smoothly played ballad with sweet solos from the leader and Grissett (Locke sits out this track.)  Rotondi uses a mute for the high-stepping "49th Street", a Bill Mobley composition replete with a dominant bass line (and strong solo), sharp, classy, brushes work and a quick knockout solo from Grissett.  One of the highlights is the vibes/trumpet duo that closes the program.  "Not Like This" is a heart-felt ballad that British-born arranger Jeremy Lubbock wrote for Al Jarreau.  Here, Locke plays the introduction unaccompanied, his notes swirling and reverberating -  Rotondi enters and delivers the melody without needless embellishments. The piece is a perfect capper to this most musical experience.

Jim Rotondi has a winner on his hands with "1000 Rainbows" - he and his cohorts may not be "breaking new ground" but this swinging session satisfies the soul.  For more information, go to www.posi-tone.com.

Take a listen to Rotondi's "Bizarro World", courtesy of Posi-Tone Records and IODA Promonet:

Bizzaro World (mp3)

More Than Just a Timekeeper

Drum Lore - Owen Howard (BJU Records) - The catalyst for this delightful recording was a "dis" drummer/composer Owen Howard received at a summer jazz workshop on composition, basically questioning the percussionist's participation.  He did not get angered - he got even by producing this classy collection of works composed by drummers (including, of course, himself.)  There are works from the 1930s (Chick Webb's "Stompin' At The Savoy"), 1940s (Denzil Best's "45º Angle"), 1950s (Shelly Manne's "Flip")  and right up until the present day (Howard's "Roundabout.") Howard's rhythm section partners include the probing, pensive pianist Frank Carlberg and the solid, melodic, bassist Johannes Weidenmuller. The basic quartet also contains alto saxophonist John O'Gallagher - to that fine ensemble, Howard adds Adam Kolker (tenor sax on 3 cuts, soprano sax on 1 and bass clarinet on 3), Andy Middleton (tenor sax on 3 cuts and soprano sax on 3 others) and the creative trombone work of Alan Ferber (4 tracks).(Speaking of the trombonist, he's played on some of the best CDs of the year, from his own "Chamber Songs" to the "Asphalt Orchestra" release on Canteloupe to the Jacam Manricks release on Posi-Tone to the new Charlie Hunter.)

Howard's choices are inspired, from Jack DeJohnette's swinging dance/rubato ballad/bouncing bass line/drum feature "Zoot Suite" to the West Coast-swing take on "Stompin'.." It's a treat to hear the band's take on Ed Blackwell's "Togo" - Ferber leads the band in with an unaccompanied trombone rumination then Howard's lays down a West African beat that thunders yet has a definite melodic feel.  There's shimmering cymbal work on Paul Motian's contemplative "It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago" which also features the melody line carried by the bass clarinet and alto sax while Carlberg dances beneath the horns. "Bulgaria", a Peter Erskine composition that the drummer recorded with John Taylor and Pale Danielson, features a floating rhythm section and evocative soprano saxophone work from Middleton.  It's just  Ferber, Kolker and Howard on the irresistible "Flip", adapted from Manne's classic "The Three" and "The Two" Lp from 1954.  Reminiscent of Jimmy Guiffre's work with Bob Brookmeyer, the sprightly melodic line is supported by the drummer's snappy brush work.
Howard's "Roundabout" has a driving beat, a well-drawn melody shared by the pianom trombone, soprano and alto saxophones, and several fiery solos. The bass and drum is exemplary, with Weidenmuller really pushing forward and the leader moving dynamically in and around the soloists.

"Drum Lore" can't help but make the curious listener smile, not only because Owen Howard as honored his fellow drummers but also because the music is rife with melodies, so well-played and involving.  Find it and dive right in - the rewards are endless.  For more information, go to www.owenhoward.net.

Here's a tasty take on Peter Erskine's "Bulgaria", courtesy of BJU Records and IODA Promonet:
Bulgaria (mp3)

I am not trying to sound like a shill for NPR (yesterday, I wrote about the "First Listen" session featuring the new CD by Esperanza Spalding) but I must commend them for the work they did this past weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival (by the way, who decided to schedule the Litchfield Jazz Festival the same weekend as Newport?)  Should you so chose, you can go to npr.org/newportjazz and listen to 16 different sets from the likes of the Maria Schneider Orchestra (pictured above, courtesy of Eric Jacobs/NPR) to Gretchen Parlato to the J. D. Allen Trio to Darcy James Argue's Secret Society to Fly to Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound.  Many of the sets are available as downloads.  Do take advantage of the organization's largesse.  Granted, the sound quality is not super but the music transcends the128kbs.

30 Days of Reviews, Day 2

From Brooklyn With Love: Live at Freddy's - Orlando Le Fleming (19/8 Records) - British-born Le Fleming originally wanted to play cricket (and did) but has been a first-call bassist on both sides of the Atlantic for the past decade.  He's worked and recorded with Jason Rebello, Don Braden, Seamus Blake, Jane Monheit, Billy Cobham, Will Vinson and Lage Lund.  The last two musicians (alto saxophone and electric guitar respectively) are on this live date along with drummer Antonio Sanchez. The bassist wrote all 6 tracks and, while there are plenty of long solos, each track has a well-defined melody, choruses and pleasing interplay. That's good, because with 3 cuts over 12 minutes, the quartet is asking a lot from the listener at home.  In person, it's easier to relate to what the musicians are creating. Another good aspect of the disk is that each player has a well-defined personality. Sanchez really pushes the band yet he can lay back and allow pieces, such as the title track, to grow in intensity without rushing to an early climax and having nowhere to go.  The blend of Lund's softer electric tone with Vinson's probing and often limpid approach to the alto sax makes them a formidable front line.  The quartet works together well throughout but especially on "Rummaging For Significance" where the active and propulsive bass lines, the poly-rhythmic drive of the drummer and the interwoven melody lines truly gel. They do catch fire on the opening track, "False Dilemma" yet there is clever use of dynamic variation to keep the 12-minute track engaging from beginning to end. "Enchantress" opens with a long, unaccompanied, guitar solo displaying Lund's affinity for Jim Hall and the way that veteran guitarist caresses a melody.  After that, Vinson gets to present another handsome theme and the ballad moves gently along. 
Recorded by master photographer Jimmy Katz, this debut from Orlando Le Fleming  has much to offer the serious listener.  Despite initial fears, this is no "blowing" date but fine music played with fire and grace.  For more information, go to www.orlandolefleming.com or www.nineteeneight.com. 

Speaking of bassists, NPR.org is offering Esperanza Spalding's new CD, "Chamber Music Society", to be released at the end of the month by Heads Up!, in its "First Listen" program.  You can, and should, listen to a stream of the entire CD, recorded with pianist Leo Genovese, drummer Terri Lynne Carrington, a 3-piece string section (playing arrangements by Gil Goldstein) and guest vocalists Gretchen Parlato and Milton Nascimento.  Spalding, who is rarely photographed without her acoustic bass, sings throughout the program and her voice is quite attractive and natural (like Ella Fitzgerald and Kendra Shank, Ms. Spalding knows how to enunciate without losing or hiding the musicality in her voice.)

To acess this fine new CD, go to www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129003770 and follow the cues.  It's a treat!

Solid Sounds

This blog has been quiet lately for many different reasons but not for lack of material.  There's a review of 7 CDs with trombonists as leaders that is just waiting for a rainy morning and 4 strong new releases from Accurate Records that deserves both my attention and yours. In the meantime, it's the one-step-at-a-time approach.

Coin Flip - Nathan Eklund Group (OA2 Records) -  A native of Washington state who's been in New York City since 1998, trumpeter/composer Nathan Eklund has been steadily inching his way into the ears of jazz fans. He leads 2 different quintets and has worked and recorded with Spyrogyra, Richie Cole, Chuck Loeb and others.  He's performed with Joe Lovano, Claudio Roditi, Eddie Daniels as well as subbing in Broadway "pit" bands.

The Group recorded here, its first CD for the Seattle-based OA2 label, features Craig Yaremko (saxophones), Kellen Harrison (bass), the dynamic Shawn Baltazor (drums) and Steve Myerson (Fender Rhodes).  On the surface, it's easy to compare this ensemble with the Miles Davis Quintet on the late 1960s but a better comparison would be to the Dave Douglas ensemble with Uri Caine on electric piano. This music goes in many directions, from the hard-bop romp of "Triple Shot Espresso" to the intricately drawn portrait that is "Happy Sadness." Eklund has a clean, clear, tone on both trumpet and flugelhorn - his solos often are articulated phrases where one can hear each note ("One Year Ago Today" is a prime example, a piece that aso stands out for Yaremko's sweet soprano sax work.)
The music is rarely rushed, the soloists take their time to develop their statements, and the songs have real melodies and not just riffs that lead directly to solos.  The use of Fender Rhodes might make one expect a "fusion" sound but this music is solidly post-bop and mainstream.  Myerson's solos have, on the uptempo tracks, great forward motion - his introduction to "Happy Sadness" is soft, subtle and quite rich.  The rhythm section work is solid and fluid, with deep bass lines and propulsive drumming.  Best of all, they don't "overplay" or overwhelm the music.
"Coin Flip" is attractive music, featuring a group that really plays together and the results are joyously musical.  For more information, go to www.nathaneklund.com or www.oa2records.com. 

The Power and Joy of Interplay

Little Black Bird - Ernesto Cervini Quartet (Anzic) - I started to review this CD several months and got sidetracked, then mislaid the disk.  Talking to Joel Frahm prior to a live performance prompted me to go searching.  Glad I did as this CD, Cervini's 2nd as a leader, really shines.  Bursting out of the gate with "Coconut Bill", a rampaging hard-bop burner, the music is alive and often lively.  Joining the drummer/composer is pianist Adrean Farrugia (piano) and Jon Maharaj (bass), both of whom played on Cervini's 2006 debut. Replacing saxophonist Mike Murley is the afore-mentioned Frahm, whose dexterity and soul continues to impress.  What stands out is the quality of Cervini's original music - he knows his sidemen well and the music is challenging and fun.  Farrugia's rippling piano lines flow behind and in front on "Mia Figlia." The drummer rides the waves of sound, pushing and accenting the piece.  Dedicated to his grandmother, "Nonna Rosa" is a sweet and sad ballad with a lovely tenor sax solo. Farrugia switches to electric piano for a pair of pieces, one written by Radiohead ("2+2=5") and the other ("Seven Claps") inspired by the British quintet's "15 Steps."  The Quartet captures the sense of Radiohead's sensual melodies and their unique rhythmic flair - Frahm plays soprano sax, displaying a sweet tone and the influence of Wayne Shorter. Perhaps the "hottest" playing comes on "Jimmy Rey" which continues to build in intensity until Cervini takes over for a long, thundering, solo before the piece closes out.
Great playing all around and one can sense the joy the quartet gets from playing this music and playing as an ensemble.  For more information, go to www.ernestocervini.com.

Transmit - Ideal Bread (Cunieform Records) - This quartet, led by baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton, has dedicated itself to the original music of soprano saxophonist/teacher Steve Lacy  (1934-2004).  In the early days of Lacy's career, after he had moved beyond playing Dixieland music, he co-led a group with trombonist Roswell Rudd (playing the music of Thelonious Monk) and I'd like to think that this front line of baritone and trumpet (the fine young brass player Kirk Knuffke) is a subtle and smart variation on that theme. The rhythm section of Reuben Radding (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums) is creative and forceful throughout.  "As Usual" has a funky tribal beat, crisp trumpet lines and solid interaction of the front line (sometimes playing in unison, other times in harmony.)  "The Dumps" has as boppish lead line and features a halting, stuttering, ultimately hard-edged solo from Sinton and a playful romp from Knuffke.  "Longing" is a quiet ballad that slowly moves forward, Fujiwara simmering beneath the soloists but never taking over or forcing the action. There is more heat on "Cliches", with its long, twisting, melody line and fiery solos (especially Sinton.)  "Papa's Midnite Hop" swings with glee, gets a bit wild near the end but never loses its way (thanks in great part to Radding's solid bass lines.) 
Steve Lacy had a long career, much of it spent in Europe. He returned to the United States early in the 21st Century and began teaching at the New England Conservatory. That's where Josh Sinton met befriended and studied with him and the idea of Idea Bread was born. The quartet's recordings shine a light on Lacy's, showing listeners its roots and its originality. Give a listen.  For more information, go to http://joshsinton.com.

Prayer for Peace - Billy Bang (Tum Records Oy) - This lovely collection of music was recorded 5 years and is only now seeing the light of day (and on a label based in Helsinki, Finland.)  The violinist and his band (trumpeter James Zollar, pianist Andrew Bemkey, bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer Newman Taylor-Baker) hit the target from the opening note.  "Only Time Will Tell" is a tune composed by violinist "Stuff" Smith and one can hear Smith's love of blues and swing in Bang's sweet solo and Zollar's affectionate nod to Louis Armstrong. Bang has often been tagged with the label "avant-garde" but much of the music here is melodic, quite rhythmic, fiery yet in control.  The title track is a 20-minute meditation that slowly rises out of the nearly silent rubato opening, features a lyrical trumpet solo, a quiet, contemplative, piano spot under which one can the rhythm of the piece begin to take shape in Taylor-Baker's active brush work.   Bang does not enter until nearly 12 minutes in and his solo builds from short lyrical phrases to longer flowing lines and to a plaintive pizzicato line.  Percussionists Milton Cardona (congas) and Joe Gonzalez (bongos) join the band on 2 tracks, the Brazilian flavored "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" and Compay Segundo's Cuban-salsa piece "Chan Chan."  The first piece has great drive, smart solos and great rhythms created by the percussionists and pianist Bemkey.  Hang around for Bang's fiery coda.  The second piece is slower, sensual, with a growling, swaggering trumpet solo and a lovely, classically inspired solo from Bang.  The program closes with "Jupiter's Future", a bouncy yet hard-edged romp dedicated to Sun Ra.  Bemkey takes the opening solo, setting the bar high with an intense exploration. Zollar and Bang follow, pushing the music even further.  The violinist's unaccompanied closing lines set the stage for a powerful drum spot before the piece returns to its opening theme.
"Prayer for Peace" is no solemn set. Yes, it has its quieter moments (and the leader does want us to quash our war-like tendencies) but Billy Bang and company have truly given us a many-hued rainbow of creative music that deserves your attention. For more information, go to www.tumrecords.com.