Gato Libre: Koneko

    The current incarnation of Gato Libre is a trio with trumpeter/composer Natsuki Tamura, accordionist Satoko Fujii, and trombonist Yasuko Kaneko. Koneko, recorded last December, begins with Kaineko. Tamura’s plaintive trumpet and Kaneko’s mournful trombone trade lines to begin, with Fujii’s touchingly fragile accordion joining in. The nearly seven minutes of the tune take them through a maze of musical locales. There are passages of frenzy and others of peaceful co-existence as the trio creates a wholly original soundworld based on Tamura’s seemingly simple concoctions. The eight pieces on the disc unfold as a sort of suite, a long round of solos, duos, and trios. Tamura has said that he wants the “improvisations of the band to carry the atmosphere of the compositions, which is serene and calm.” In its own relatively quiet and slowly paced way, the music on Koneko can be surprisingly intense. With carefully recorded sound that’s fully revealing of the nuances of each instrument, and the often startling beauty of the music, Koneko is an exceptional listening experience. Highly recommended. 

Libra 103-060; Natsuki Tamura (tpt) Yasuko Kaneko (tbn) Satoko Fujii (acc); Tokyo, Japan, December 5, 2019; Kaineko/ Noraneko/ Yamaneko/ Koneko/ Ieneko/ Bakeneko/ Doraneko/ Kanbanneko; 51:18. www.librarecords.com

 

Adam Nussbaum: Lead Belly Reimagined

  We all have our musical heroes. The great blues and folk singer Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, was an early inspiration for veteran drummer Adam Nussbaum, who has powered bands led by John Scofield, Dave Liebman, Gil Evans, Art Farmer, and many, many others. While his first sideman credit dates from a 1977 album by pianist Albert Dailey, it wasn’t until Sunnyside released The Lead Belly Project in 2018 that he first recorded as a leader. Now the same terrific quartet of Ohad Talmor on tenor saxophone and Steve Cardenas and Nate Radley on electric guitars is back with Lead Belly Reimagined. After touring with the music for a while, the group is enviably tight. The music is steeped in blues feeling from the first beat of Nussbaum’s drum introduction to Relax Your Mind and the group’s evident simpatico never flags. Rock Island Line, a Lead Belly song that became an improbable British hit by Lonnie Donegan in the early Sixties, is probably the best known song here. The quartet’s recasting of the familiar melody epitomizes their approach, combining an abiding respect for the material with contemporary styles. Using two guitars and no bass gives the music an unusual open ambiance. Each of the musicians has written a short paragraph about the experience of delving into Lead Belly’s music for the CD booklet. Saxophonist Talmor writes “I hope you get to enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed playing it.” Thank you, Ohad, from one listener who is enthusiastic about the disc, and happy to let everyone know how good this music really is. Happily recommended. 

Sunnyside SSC1578; Ohad Talmor (ts) Steve Cardenas, Nate Radley (g) Adam Nussbaum (d) Brooklyn, NY, July 16, 2019; Relax Your Mind/ Laura/ Princess Elizabeth/ Rock Island Line/ When I Was a Cowboy/ Shorty George/ If It Wasn’t For Dicky/ Governor Pat Neff; 43:30. sunnysiderecords.com

Rez Abbasi: Django-Shift

  It’s dizzying to contemplate the fabric of cross-cultural threads on Django-shift, with the music of Django Reinhardt adapted by guitarist Rez Abbasi and his trio. Start with everything that Django himself heard, from his native Roma music to European classical music and American jazz and show music. Then account for the explosion of music and guitar styles over the intervening decades, advances in electronic sound production, and the paths and talents of the musicians, and your head will start to spin. The music of Django Reinhardt has been a sensation since he and violinist Stéphane Grappelli first formed the Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. There have been plenty of tributes and collections of Reinhardt’s songs, as well as festivals devoted to his music, all generally adhering more or less closely to the original contours of the arrangements. At a suggestion from California’s Peter Williams, who inquired about an Abbasi project for his next Django Festival, the guitarist took him up on his offer. Now Abbasi and his co-conspirators are here to blow the cobwebs off of the music and bring it all to modern, clamorous life. Abbasi sticks to an acoustic instrument throughout the date. Joining him is Neil Alexander on organ, synthesizers, and live electronic manipulations. On drums is Michael Sarin, whose playing I’ve enjoyed in ensembles led by Dave Douglas, Myra Melford, and Erik Friedlander, among others. His work here is stellar, from his brushwork on their lovely version of Django’s Castle to the boldly eccentric drum solo that brings the trio’s uptempo romp through Hungaria to an end. The overall theme here is reinvention, with Abbasi largely keeping Django’s melodies intact while, in his words, “recontextualizing” them with fresh “harmonic content, rhythmical cadences, meter changes, textural development” and a healthy amount of improvisation. Abbasi and company’s deep dive into Django’s music results in a successful effort that combines deep respect for the source material with a host of unexpected twists and turns. In addition to Django’s original compositions, the trio also takes on two songs from his repertoire. Anniversary Song, based on a popular Romanian waltz composed by Ion Ivanovici in 1880, has been performed by artists as varied as Al Jolson, Pat Boone, and a quintet co-led by Art Pepper and Lee Konitz (!). This smoothly grooving version gives the lead at first to Alexander’s pinched organ sound, with vigorous accompaniment by Sarin’s drums and Abbasi’s determined strumming. The middle section has a seriously smoking guitar solo, as the tune revs up to a big finish. Kurt Weill’s September Song concludes the program in a imaginative recasting that has Abbasi sneaking up to the well-known melody over Alexander’s swirling organ lines. I love Django’s music, and I’m happily surprised at what Abbasi and friends have done with it. Definitely recommended, especially to Django fans. 

Whirlwind Recordings WR4762; Rez Abbasi (fretted & fretless acoustic g) Neil Alexander (org, elec, synths) Michael Sarin (d); Astoria, NY, February 6-7, 2019; Diminishing/ Swing 42/ Heavy Artillery/ Django’s Castle/ Anniversary Song/ Cavalerie/ Douce Ambiance/ Hungaria/ September Song; 48:32. www.whirlwindrecordings.com

Jeff Cosgrove: History Gets Ahead Of The Story

  Jazz history is filled with musicians whose tunes are seldom played by anyone outside of their own ensembles, which leaves a vast literature of unfairly neglected compositions. Drummer Jeff Cosgrove played in a trio with bassist William Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp for a few years, which started him thinking about recording some of Parker’s original tunes. Cosgrove describes Parker as “an inspiring composer” who writes “beautiful and very tuneful pieces that leave a lot of room for improvisational excitement.” The result is History Gets Ahead Of The Story, with Cosgrove leading a trio with saxophonist Jeff Lederer and organist John Medeski in renditions of seven of Parker’s compositions. There’s also one piece by Cosgrove and two by Lederer. Parker’s tunes are rooted in blues and traditional forms, but are liable to take flight in any direction. That makes Lederer, who stays “inside” with the same intensity that he displays when he goes “outside,” perfect for his role here. The saxophonist traveled down to Cosgrove’s home base in Maryland for some gigs. After Cosgrove suggested this project, an enthusiastic Lederer was the key to making it come together, enlisting Medeski for the band and contributing arrangements. O’Neal’s Porch, the title track for a Parker quartet release in 2000, kicks things off in style, with Lederer, on tenor, soaring into the stratosphere on his solo while Medeski’s organ lines remain calm and Cosgrove pushes the music forward. After a pithy organ solo, there’s a potent sax and organ duel with drums in the middle. Another Parker original, Corn Meal Dance, is next, performed in a slow, ruminative style that emphasizes the trio’s interactivity. Gospel Flowers is by Lederer, a mid-tempo swinger that provokes a especially fine organ solo from Medeski and a passionate tenor solo by the composer. The energy flags a bit for Little Bird, with Lederer moving to flute. Cosgrove’s Ghost is suitably mysterious and other-worldly, but otherwise there isn’t much to it. The trio shakes off the doldrums with the light swing of Moon. Lederer switches to soprano sax and contributes a snaky and poised solo. After a grooving organ solo, Medeski and Lederer play a sort of stop-time duet with commentary by Cosgrove. Lederer gets the last word, returning the melody to take the song out. As you might expect from the title, Things Fall Apart is the most fragmented and disjointed piece of the date, which unfolds as three simultaneous solos that continually meet and diverge. I’m quite taken with their version of Wood Flute Song, a Parker song that the bassist has recorded several times with varying instrumentations. Here it becomes a hard-driving concoction with Cosgrove’s splashy drums underneath a tasty solo by Lederer (on clarinet?) and a hip and convoluted organ solo by Medeski. Purcell’s Lament, written by Lederer, is gentle and appropriately sad, with a powerful solo by the composer amid Medeski’s atmospheric organ washes and Cosgrove’s spare use of mallets. Ending the set is the finger-snapping groove of Harlem, a blues that elicits R’n’B-flavored solos from Lederer, on tenor, and Medeski. Anyone that’s been paying attention knows that William Parker is one of the pre-eminent bassists in creative music. Here’s hoping that this largely successful encounter gets more people to think about Parker as a strong composer as well. Recommended. 

Grizzley Music; Jeff Lederer (saxes, fl) John Medeski (org) Jeff Cosgrove (d); Saugerties, NY, late 2018; O’Neal’s Porch/ Corn Meal Dance/ Gospel Flowers/ Little Bird/ Ghost Moon/ Things Fall Apart/ Wood Flute Song/ Purcell’s Lament/ Harlem; 59:13. www.jeffcosgrovemusic.com

Jorge Roeder: El Suelo Mío

Solo bass albums are not all that common, and for good reason. It takes an extraordinarily skilled, ambitious, and deeply compassionate player for the format to thrive. Add the stunning El Suelo Mío by Jorge Roeder to the short list of bass recitals worth revisiting again and again. I was hooked from the first notes of the title track, played with such exuberant passion that I couldn’t help but be moved. And he does it again and again, with his formidable technique and inventive soloing. Roeder’s original compositions are joined by an eclectic selection of pieces by Spanish composer Manuel Alejandro (the charming Chabuca Limeña), the famous Peruvian composer of the early 20th century Felipe Pinglo Alva (El Plebeyo, his best-known tune), Gene DePaul (I’ll Remember April), Ornette Coleman (an intense arco version of Lonely Woman) and the Brazilian songwriter and guitarist Noel Rosa (Silencio de um Minuto). Clearly, the Peruvian-born Roeder feels completely at home making music from such disparate sources. In the interests of variety and contrast, he’s programmed the CD wisely to keep things flowing. What can you say about a baker’s dozen of sublime performances except to congratulate the performer and urge everyone to find themselves a copy? Strongly recommended. 

T-Town; Jorge Roeder (b); Brooklyn, NY, January 21-22, 2020; El Suelo Mío/ Chabuca Limeña/ Solo Juntos/ El Plebeyo/ Bounce/ I’ll Remember April/ Thing-Thing/ Patrona/ Santa Rosita/ Rambler/ Lonely Woman/ Silencio de um Minuto/ Les Lapin; 48:02. www.jorgeroeder.com 

Frank Paul Schubert, Dieter Manderscheid & Martin Blume: Spindrift

  It takes just half a minute of listening to Spindrift to know if you’re going to follow the trio of Frank Paul Schubert, Dieter Manderscheid & Martin Blume on their musical journey into the unknown. Saxophonist Schubert, bassist Manderscheid, and percussionist Blume let you know right away that there are no rules as they embark on Gale, the first of two long collective improvisations recorded live at the famed LOFT club in Cologne, Germany. From the start, the buzzy muscularity of Schubert’s alto, the slow throb of Manderscheid’s bass, and the drum and cymbal commentary from Blume blend together beautifully, and, as Sherlock Holmes once said, the game is afoot. The swirling, complex lines of Schubert’s alto are complemented by Manderscheid’s deeply rooted bass lines and Blume’s carefully modulated drums, revealing the keen sensitivity of their instincts in the service of instant composition. Building slowly and then falling back, the music evinces a natural flow. From intensity to calm and back again, the feeling keeps changing but the profound connection manifested by the players means that the listener’s interest never wavers. While free improvs frequently have passages where the musicians seem to be treading water while waiting for the next inspiration to strike, that’s largely avoided with this unit. While I’m sorry that I wasn’t in the room when this music was created, I’m glad to have this opportunity to hear the results. Recommended. 

Leo CD LR 883; Frank Paul Schubert (as, ss) Dieter Manderscheid (b) Martin Blume (d, perc); Cologne, Germany, April 12, 2019; Gale/ Leucothea; 64:54. www.leorecords.com

Thumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project

  Thumbscrew is the trio of guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara. Each is each a leader of their own ensembles and mutual participants in other bands, and they adopt a cooperative ethos when gathering for this group. On their fifth Cuneiform release, the trio elected to focus on the extremely influential music of Anthony Braxton, who turned 75 in June 2020. The Anthony Braxton Project offers succinct explorations of nine of his compositions, ranging from the early Composition No. 14 (heard here three times in solo renditions by each player) to Composition No. 274. While Braxton’s music and philosophy have been critically important to many musicians, his pieces are not often played outside of his own groups. Each of the players in the band has a particular association with Braxton. Halvorson probably has the strongest connection, having studied with him at Wesleyan. She’s been a member of many different Braxton groups. Fujiwara met Braxton through trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, and has performed with the composer on several occasions. Formanek first encountered Braxton’s music back in the mid-Seventies, then followed Braxton’s output over the years until he finally worked with him in New York in the late Nineties. The trio had the unique opportunity to spend a long afternoon looking through Braxton’s archived scores. Halvorson notes that the “idea was for us to choose compositions of Anthony’s, mostly early compositions, which hadn’t been previously recorded.” They ended up with “pieces that captured our imagination and that we thought would work well for the instrumentation ... Our choices included graphic scores, complex notated pieces, and everything in between.” With the luxury of a four-week residence at Pittsburgh’s City Of Asylum, Thumbscrew could take the time to hone their interpretations of this famously difficult material. The most recent piece the trio tackled is Composition No. 274, a completely notated work from Braxton’s Ghost Trance Music series. Formanek notes that it’s “about how you deal with music that’s almost impossible to play and what happens when you do them with someone else, opening up possibilities you couldn’t plan.” Music that’s “almost impossible to play” presents the ultimate challenge to creative musicians, a challenge that is more than met by Thumbscrew on this endlessly fascinating release. Definitely recommended. 

Cuneiform Rune 475; Mary Halvorson (g) Michael Formanek (b) Tomas Fujiwara (d, vib); Pittsburgh, PA, September 8-11, 2019; Composition No. 52/ Composition No. 157/ Composition No. 14 (Guitar)/ Composition No. 68/Composition No. 274/ Composition No. 14 (Drums)/ Composition No. 61/ Composition No. 35/ Composition No. 14 (Bass)/ Composition No. 150/ Composition No. 79; 46:50. www.cuneiformrecords.com

Bill Frisell: Valentine

  Building on his unusually tight rapport with bassist Thomas Morgan, best displayed on a pair of duet ECM releases (Small Town and Epistrophy), guitarist Bill Frisell unveils a new trio with Morgan and the versatile drummer Rudy Royston. Frisell and Royston first played together on a 1996 Ron Miles session, and Royston has joined the guitarist on a number of projects over the years, sometimes with Morgan also on board. After a couple of years on the road, Valentine is their first release as a trio, and it’s a winner. The lead off track, Boubacar Traore’s Baba Drame, is a longtime favorite of Frisell’s. The tune first appeared on his 2003 album The Intercontinentals, was on McCoy Tyner’s Guitars set with Frisell as guest, and was revisited on Frisell’s 2007 live album History, Mystery. Here it’s an occasion for intricate interplay. That’s pretty much the vibe all the way through this set. Frisell composed most of the music for this outing, relying on simple structures, and using the ingenuity of his bandmates to bring them to life. Particularly fine is the title track with its vaguely boppish melody and a jazzy arrangement that includes leaves space for a beautifully contoured bass solo and a series of solos traded by Frisell and Royston. Another deep pleasure is the somber and atmospheric Levees, originally composed for a film soundtrack and lovingly repurposed by the trio. Then there’s their reinvention of Billy Strayhorn’s timelessly beautiful A Flower is a Lovesome Thing, taken at just the right tempo to revel in the song’s melodic and harmonic contours. Morgan’s lovely solo is shadowed by gentle chords from Frisell and tender brush work by Royston. You wouldn’t think that the title song of the 1934 Western Wagon Wheels, co-written by Billy Hill and Peter DeRose would make a decent vehicle for improvisation, but it was a favorite of the Tommy Dorsey big band in the Forties, then famously recorded by Sonny Rollins for his 1957 Way Out West album. The version here is led off by Morgan with a straight-forward reading of the melody. Shimmering guitar by Frisell and a happy loping tempo by an understated Royston complete the picture. Frisell’s Aunt Mary is curious, with two minutes of gentle melody followed by a minute of unclassifiable electronic sound. Frisell has been playing What the World Needs Now is Love for years in concert settings, but this is the first time he’s recorded it. The Burt Bacharach and Hal David song was a massive hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1965. It’s clear from the trio’s approach to the song that David’s lyrics and message are as important as Bacharach’s typically inventive music. Following What the World Needs Now are Where Do We Go?, with Frisell’s one turn here on acoustic guitar on a mellow blues, and the gospel song We Shall Overcome performed with a simple and peaceful feeling. Together, they form a social justice trilogy to end the set. In discussing this band with David Hajdu for the liner notes, Frisell likens the experience to a dream where “you're on the edge of a cliff, and you know on a certain level that it's a dream, so you can just jump off ... All three of us could take big chances, and we'd always be rescued. It's about the trust that makes risks possible.” Is he talking about music, or life itself? Both, I’d say. Absolutely recommended. 

Blue Note; Bill Frisell (el g; ac g on *) Thomas Morgan (b) Rudy Royston (d); Portland, OR, no dates specified; Baba Drame/ Hour Glass/ Valentine/ Levees/ Winter Always Turns to Spring/ Keep Your Eyes Open/ A Flower is a Lovesome Thing/ Electricity/ Wagon Wheels/ Aunt Mary/ What the World Needs Now is Love/ Where Do We Go?*/ We Shall Overcome; 65:33. www.bluenote.com