Wadada Leo Smith: Constellations And Hemispheres

     The pieces on Constellations And Hemispheres, the latest communiqué from trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith, are drawn from various sessions recorded over a five year period. Four different ensembles are represented, with plenty of overlapping personnel. Smith’s echo-laden trumpet floats over the top, like a visitation from another sound world. His drifting pieces strike me as spiritual exercises lightly disguised as extended meditations in sound. Most of the time, the focus is on Smith’s endlessly expressive trumpet, but there are sections for some of his associates to come to the fore. Pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, whose bold playing bolster Dark Energy, has collaborated with Smith a few times, notably with 2024's Angel Falls, a duet project. Most of the other musicians, notably drummer Pheeroan akLaff, have worked with Smith on a variety of projects, and it’s a special pleasure to hear vibraphonist Bobby Naughton back on record after a long absence. Deep Canyons on Mars, starting out with the wildly distorted electric basses of Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs, changes abruptly at the five-minute mark as akLaff’s cymbals and Naughton’s gentle vibraphone strikes usher in some hard blowing by Smith. For Meditation on Love, Smith plays without any echo, just his raw trumpet sound leading Naughton, akLaff, Lamar Smith on electric guitar, and a pair of percussionists. All in all, a fascinating compilation from the immensely talented octogenarian, well worth hearing. 

Burning Ambulance; Wadada Leo Smith (tpt) with Diamonds* (Sylvie Courvoisier, p; Marcus Gilmore, d), Nda Kultur# (Bobby Naughton, vib; Lamar Smith, el g; Mauro Refosco, Brian Jarawa Gray, perc; Pheeroan akLaff, d), Blue Dreams+ (Nda Kultur band plus Bill Laswell, Melvin Gibbs, el b), Springtime 5@ (Naughton, Laswell, Gibbs, akLaff); New Haven, CT, 2017-2022; Dark Energy*/ Lake Tanganyika#/ Dark Matter, Particles of Light, Mirror of the Unseen*/ Deep Canyons on Mars@/ Meditation on Love#; 59:13. burningambulancemusic.bandcamp.com

Bobby Watson: Continuum

 

   The late great Art Blakey had a lot of roles, as drummer, bandleader, and astute observer of young talent ready for his Jazz Messengers. A key role was as a teacher, helping new musicians in his group learn thing like pacing a set and comportment on the bandstand before turning them loose to lead their own groups. Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson was a Jazz Messenger from 1977-1981, and on his latest release, Continuum, he shows that he learned a lot from his tenure there. The sextet here includes younger musicians like trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr., trombonist Kysen Ellis, and pianist Jordan Williams. Joining Williams in the rhythm section are long-time associate Curtis Lundy on bass and the veteran Victor “Yahya” Jones on drums. This effective rhythm team provides just the right bluesy and soulful cushion for the front line. There are plenty of exciting solos scattered throughout the hour, including a fluid Roney solo and a flowing piano interlude by Williams on Pappy’s Prophecy, a tune written by bassist Lundy, Ellis’ carefully constructed solo on Watson’s Beatitudes, and Roney's fleet soloing on the closing Letter to Bobby. Watson is at his best on Mal Waldron’s classic Soul Eyes with a passionately engaging solo. In addition to the enjoyment of this release, there’s the anticipation of hearing more in the future from Wallace Roney, Jr., Kysen Ellis, and Jordan Williams. Recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7362; Wallace Roney, Jr. (tpt) Kysen Ellis (tbn) Bobby Watson (as) Jordan Williams (p) Curtis Lundy (b) Victor “Yahya” Jones (d); NYC, no dates specified; On the One/ Brothers Mine (The Six R’s)/ Carter’s Way (For Larry)/ Pappy’s Prophecy/ Soft Shoe/ Soul Eyes/ Beatitudes/ Karita/ Letter to Bobby; 61:24. www.jazzdepot.com 

Brandon Seabrook: Utility Modern

   On blues records back in the Fifties you’d often hear the singer signal an instrumental break by hollering something like “c’mon boys, make a racket!” Making a racket seems to be a chief concern of guitarist/banjoist Brandon Seabrook and his dynamite quartet on Utility Modern. With fellow guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Rashaan Carter on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums, this band makes quite a racket on this irresistible program of Seabrook originals. His tunes tend to have attention deficit disorder, with unexpected changes in tempo, volume, and attitude the rule. The guitar parts, particularly when both Seabrook and Frisell are playing electric instruments, often have rapidly played interlocking call and response riffs. Watching a video for The Guitar Is A Weather Event, Even that’s available on the album’s Bandcamp page, Frisell seemed delightfully surprised at what Seabrook was playing and responding with his own trenchant replies. It’s great to hear Frisell sounding so good and being musically challenged after some of his recent efforts have bordered on the soporific. With Carter taking a upfront role with fat bass lines, and the always impressive Gilmore on drums, this quartet is ready to take on whatever Seabrook’s imagination comes up with. Frisell and Seabrook’s frisky back-and-forth on The Guitar Is A Weather Event, Even, is one of the many high points of this set. Another is the delightfully eccentric guitar solo, probably by Seabrook, in the middle of Document and Tapestry. This is one tune that maintains a mood for its entire length without taking any noisy tangents. Seabrook writes that he intended “this music to sound like one giant guitar: a single instrument whose technical boundaries are stretched, blurred, and at times completely shattered.” That’s absolutely the sound that the band achieves on this truly impressive effort. Heartily recommended. 

Out Of Your Head Records OOYH 049 (lp and cd); Brandon Seabrook (el & ac g, bjo) Bill Frisell (el & ac g) Rashaan Carter (el b) Marcus Gilmore (d); Brooklyn, NY, no dates specified; Crater For Ascending Angles/ The Serial Fabulist/ Star-Crossed Phantasms/ Once Upon A Time in the Quest/ Document and Tapestry/ Membrane Soundtable/ The Guitar Is A Weather Event, Even/ Tapestry and Document; 43:52. www.outofyourheadrecords.com

Asaf Yuria: In Light of a New Moon

     It’s always a pleasure to hear fresh versions of tunes that just aren’t played much these days. After all, how often do you hear Hank Mobley’s Hipsippy Blues or John Hicks’ After the Morning. The carefully curated repertoire is one reason to listen to tenor saxophonist Asaf Yuria’s quartet release, In Light of a New Moon. A better reason is the band he’s put together for this date. Pianist George Cables, one of Yuria’s musical teachers, and a favored accompanist for sax players like Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper, is in top form. Bassist Omer Avital, who uses Yuria in his quintet, acquits himself very well, fitting in beautifully with his elders in the rhythm section. And what can you say about drummer Billy Hart, another mentor to Yuria, whose dynamic presence and unbridled swing have anchored so many memorable recording sessions? Veteran trumpeter Joe Magnarelli appears on two tracks, adding another distinctive voice to the proceedings. Yuria has a fluid and compelling sound on tenor, with a disconcerting habit of occasionally ending his phrases with a high-end squeal. His melodic temperament comes to the fore on a delicately moving version of the lone standard, Jimmy Van Heusen’s ever-elegant Polka Dots and Moonbeams, played as a duet by Yuria and Cables. The pianist contributes two original tunes. Circle, the title track for his 1979 Contemporary album, gets a relaxed bossa treatment. EVC, with its sinuous melody, is reprised from his 2002 quartet date Looking For The Light. Here it’s mostly a vehicle for a twisting and turning solo by Yuria. Cables takes a few commanding bars to bring the tune down to earth, and Yuria takes it out with some conversational playing alongside Cables’ piano. Yuria’s sole original is the uptempo burner Praise of Shadows, featuring a beautifully intricate solo by trumpeter Magnarelli. Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma is the closing track. Recorded at the end of the session in one take, it’s performed by Yuria and Cables in slower than usual tempo, putting the emphasis on the melody. A solid and rewarding date, heartily recommended. 

Jojo Records; Asaf Yuria (ts) Joe Magnarelli (tpt on *) George Cables (p) Omer Avital (b) Billy Hart (d); Englewood Cliffs, NJ, no dates specified; After the Morning/ Hipsippy Blues*/Polka Dots and Moonbeams/ Circle/ Praise of Shadows*/ EVC/ Con Alma; 40:58. www.jojorecords.com

Joshua Breakstone: Wonderful!

     Guitarist Joshua Breakstone recorded this, his first album, back in 1983. Wonderful! features the superb rhythm section of Barry Harris on piano, Earl Sauls on bass (also making his recorded debut), and Leroy Williams on drums. The album was originally released on the Canadian Sonora label, and this reissue on Capri is the first time it has appeared on compact disc. The nicely varied program leads off with a hard-swinging version of Gershwin’s S’Wonderful, segues to a lovely extended version of Tadd Dameron’s Soultrane, and follows that up with a pair of Breakstone’s original compositions. There’s also the unexpected delight of a finger-snapping version of Lennie Tristano’s Two Not One, first heard on Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh’s 1955 Atlantic album, and the concluding romp through Django’s Castle, a Django Reinhardt composition. Breakstone is cramming a lot of notes into his solos, but now he says that he can’t help but think “If I only knew then what I know now.” Wonderful! was an auspicious beginning to Breakstone’s long career, which has seen him tour Japan frequently, as well as collaborating with such luminaries as pianist Kenny Barron, organist Jack McDuff, and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams on nearly two dozen releases over the years. Fans will be happy to have this debut date widely available. 

Capri 71006-2; Joshua Breakstone (g) Barry Harris (p) Earl Sauls (b) Leroy Williams (d); NYC, May 24, 1983; S’Wonderful/ Soul Train [sic]/ Sevens-up/ This Is It!/ Time on My Hands/ Two Not One/ Django’s Castle; 45:28. caprirecords.com

Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 2 + Ella Zirina and Teis Semey

     In addition to the sheer enjoyment of listening to the members of the Alternative Guitar Summit performing compositions by the influential Pat Martino on Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 2, this CD and the companion Volume 1 enforce the realization that guitarists of every style really like to play with other guitarists. These compilations result from a proposed concert to honor Martino that had to be cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Most of the tracks on Volume 2 were recorded in 2021, with three more pieces done in February 2025 fill out the CD. There are eighteen different guitarists represented, mostly performing in quartets with bassists and drummers. The exceptions include Kurt Rosenwinkel, who recorded Gil Goldstein’s City Lights at home alone, and Joel Harrison, Steve Cardenas, and Max Light, who provide a spirited version of El Hombre, the title track of Martino’s first album in 1967. With around seventy originals to Martino’s credit, there’s plenty of material for the performers to choose from. There’s only one piece that’s played by two different bands, Lean Years, from Martino’s second album, later in 1967. The affection among the players for Martino is apparent on every piece. Most of these pieces have not been recorded very often, and if these tribute albums serve to point out the virtues of taste and swing that Martino’s pieces inevitably display, leading to more interpretations, that would be a bonus. As it is, we have these thoroughly engaging performances to listen to. Recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7368; 1. Villa Hermosa (Chico Pinheiro, Steve Cardenas, g; Vicente Archer. b; Allen Mednard, d)/ 2. Lean Years (Cecil Alexander, Pete McCann, g; Archer, b; Mednard, d)/ 3. Remembrance (Adam Rogers, Peter Bernstein, g; Dezron Douglas, b; Mednard, d)/ 4. A Blues for Mickey O (Sheryl Bailey, Ed Cherry, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d)/ 5. City Lights (Kurt Rosenwinkel, g)/ 6. El Hombre (Joel Harrison, Steve Cardenas, Max Light, g)/ 7. Song Bird (Oz Noy, Nir Felder, g; Chulo Gatewood, b; Tobias Ralph, d)/ 8. A Portrait of Diana (Dave Stryker, Paul Bollenback, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d)/ 9. Lean Years (Slight Return) (Howard Paul, g; Lawrence Hobgood, kybd; John Lee, b; Karl Latham, d)/ 10. Welcome to a Prayer (Rez Abbasi, Jeff Miles, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d); 1-4,6,7,8, & 10 recorded in Brooklyn, NY; 5 in private studio; 9 in Warwick, NY; recorded in 2021, except 1,2, & 6, February 2025. 56:30. www.jazzdepot.com 

    Speaking of guitarists playing together, Ella Zirina and Teis Semey have recorded a series of duets, released as Dark Yellow: Music for Two Guitars. That Ella Zirina, from the Netherlands, and Teis Semey, from Denmark but now active on the Dutch jazz scene, are closely attuned to one another is evident from the opening Arpeggios for Two Guitars. It’s the first of seven original compositions plus a joint meditation on George Gershwin’s I Loves You, Porgy. The duo’s music is generally relaxed and relatively soothing, but there’s often a dark undercurrent at play. Tune titles like The Monsters Between Us and Trapped In My Chest hint at the anxieties that lie beneath the varied playing styles and the intense listening that’s at the heart of their musical conversations. Most of the music is performed on electric instruments, with judicious use of effects. Favorites include the calmly drifting Agusts, the richly interactive title track, and the emotionally fraught See My Hurt. A very satisfying encounter, well worth hearing. 

AGS Recordings; Ella Zirina, Teis Semey (g); no recording information available; Arpeggios for Two Guitars/ The Monsters Between Us/ Trapped In My Chest/ Agusts/ Dark Yellow/ Chords/ I Loves You Porgy/ See My Hurt; 38:08. agsrecordings.bandcamp.com

Ran Blake: Voices

 

      Pianist Ran Blake casts a musical spell with Voices, a solo album recorded in 2023, when Blake was eighty-eight years old. Most appropriately, the release is on Tzadik Records. A tzadik is an individual who opens paths for the world. With his music, his wide-ranging collaborations, and his decades teaching at the New England Conservatory, Blake has truly opened paths for students, other musicians, and the listening public. Blake delights in the sounds of jazz, pop songs, movie themes, opera, and well, just about everything. The clarity and luminosity of his piano ruminations on these nineteen songs makes for utterly absorbing listening. Blake is still exploring favorite melodies, still learning their depths, and perhaps surprising himself as much as he surprises his listeners. Very happily recommended.     

Tzadik TZ 4062; Ran Blake (p); July 27, 2023 & December 29, 2023; Westwood, MA; If I Should Lose You/ Hallelujah, and I Love Her So/ My Name Is Mimi/ Robert Pete Blues/ Buy and Sell/ Vradiazi/ You Are My Sunshine/ Midnight March/ Silent Night/ Go Gently to the Water/ Judy/ How ‘Bout That/ La Vie en Rose/ Ain’t Misbehavin’/ Saving All My Love For You/ The Bebopper/ The Thrill is Gone/ You’ll Have to Swing It/ Vilna; 54:56. www.tzadik.com