Fred Hersch: Songs From Home

  Safe and temporarily alone in August of this hideous pandemic year, pianist Fred Hersch played and recorded whatever songs seemed right. Eleven have been selected for Songs From Home, a radiantly beautiful recital that tugs at the heart with its casual elegance and lyricism. The repertoire is quite broad. First up is a stunning rendition of  Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, the Lerner and Loewe song from My Fair Lady. That’s followed by an exploration of Jimmy Webb’s Wichita Lineman. Joni Mitchell’s All I Want takes a few surprising rhythmic twists and turns over seven minutes. There are songs by Kenny Wheeler (a pensive look at Consolation (A Folk Song)), Duke Ellington (a magnificent version of the ever-lovely Solitude), and Cole Porter (a jaunty Get Out of Town), and more, including new looks at two Hersch originals before the concluding playful stride piano adaptation of the Beatle’s classic When I’m Sixty-Four. That’s a song with special significance to Hersch, who attained that age in October 2019. There’s something to said in favor of solo piano performances that are recorded at home, on a preferred instrument and in a familiar listening environment. Earl Hines recorded At Home in the fall of 1969 for Delmark Records is the first one that comes to mind. Keith Jarrett’s The Melody at Night, with You (ECM), made in his home studio in 1998, is another. That puts Hersch in some fine company indeed, where this modern master surely belongs. Highest recommendation. 

Palmetto PM2197; Fred Hersch (p); somewhere in Pennsylvania, August 2020; Wouldn’t It Be Loverly/ Wichita Lineman/ After You’ve Gone/ All I Want/ Get Out of Town/ Medley: West Virginia Rose, The Water is Wide/ Sarabande/ Consolation (A Folk Song)/ Solitude/ When I’m Sixty-four; 57:18. www.palmetto-records.com

Michael Sarian’s New Aurora

  In my imaginary hunt for the widest range of material on an album of improvised music, we have a new contender in the beautiful music of Michael Sarian’s New Aurora. The disc opens with the calm and deeply soulful medley of Dle Yaman and Portrait of a Postman. The first theme was composed by Komitas, an Armenian priest (1869-1935) was also a pioneering ethnomusicologist. The second is Sarian’s own wispy melody. At the end of the album is a sly duet by Sarian and pianist Santiago Leibson as they dig into Ask Me Now, composed by Thelonious Monk, frequently described as the High Priest of Bebop. (Hmm, maybe it’s not that much of a stretch after all.) In between are 7 more originals by Sarian plus Chinar Es, another composition by Komitas. Sarian is ably abetted by Leibson at the piano, Marty Kenney on bass (replaced on two tracks by Matt Pavolka), and Dayeon Seok behind the drums. Particularly fine are Aurora, the gentle ballad that gives the band its name, Primo, the uptempo wailer that follows, and the complex Scottie (33), which the quartet negotiates with understated authority. Sarian, with his crystal-clear tone and impressive technique, is an adept and thoughtful improviser. The fine audio engineering is by co-producer (with Sarian) Luis Bacque, who also recorded the recent Diego Urcola CD. The result is that the clarity of the arrangements and tight interactions of the musicians are fully revealed on this thoroughly enjoyable CD. Recommended. 

Ear & Eyes ee:20-16; Michael Sarian (flgh, tpt on 1) Santiago Leibson (p) Matt Pavolka* or Marty Kenney (b) Dayeon Seok (d); Roselle, NJ, late 2018* or December 2019; 1. Dle Yaman / Portrait of a Postman/ 2. This Is Only The Beginning*/ 3. Aurora/ 4. Primo/ 5. Colorado Yeta/ 6. Scottie (33)*/ 7. The Morning After/ 8. Chinar Es/ 9. Mountains/ 10. Ask Me Now; 58:08. www.earsandeyesrecords.com

Ray Mantilla: Rebirth

  The late percussionist Ray Mantilla’s final effort as bandleader includes a Latin dance version of Ray Charles’ 1962 hit record Hit the Road, Jack, written by Percy Mayfield. Mike Freeman carries the melody on vibes, and the band blazes along. That track alone is reason to make some time for Rebirth. A note from the label explains the title. The music was recorded in early December, 2019, when Mantilla’s cancer was in remission. But Mantilla, as it turned out, only had a short time left. Before his death on March 21, 2020, he was able to approve all of the mixes and final masters. But here’s the great thing: with the sympathetic assistance of a crack ensemble with many of his favorite musicians and sturdy arrangements by keyboardist Edy Martinez, Rebirth is a gas, without a hint of anything limiting the performances. A choice range of tunes and variations in instrumentation from track to track make this CD a pleasure to listen to from start to finish, nearly an hour later. Highlights include Martinez’s Cumbia Jazz Fusion Experimental, which sets to explore the twin forces that meet as equals in Mantilla’s conception of Latin-flavored jazz. The piece moves from a sort of suspended cumbia beat into straight-ahead jazz time and then back again, with Martinez’s electric piano guiding the way. The jazz section features a gritty tenor solo by Ivan Renta. Trumpeter Guido Gonzalez shines on a version of Yuyo, an obscure Bobby Hutcherson tune from his 1975 Montara album, invigorated here in pure salsa style. Another standout is the finale, the percussion-driven Rebirth Bata Rumba Experimental, with Mantilla’s congas supplemented by three bata drummers. The versatile Diego Lopez, who plays a trap set on most of the disc, switches to bata and is joined by Ogudaro Diaz and Rafael Monteagudo for this Mantilla composition. Pianist Martinez plays a fascinating solo weaving in and out of the drummers until the fade-out. Rebirth is a fitting capstome to a genuinely illustrious career. 

Savant SCD 2181; Guido Gonzalez (tpt; flgh on 4) Ivan Renta (ss, ts) Jorge Castro (bari s on 1-3; fl on 1,3,4,6,7) Mike Freeman (vib on 3-5,7) Edy Martinez (p; Rhodes el p on 5-7,9) Reuben Rodriguez (b) Diego Lopez (d; bata on 10) Ray Mantilla (perc) Ogudaro Diaz, Rafael Monteagudo (bata on 10); Astoria, NY, December 2, 2019; 1.Moondance/ 2.Dat Dere/ 3.Hit the Road Jack/ 4.Mia/ 5.Philly Mambo/ 6.Cumbia Jazz Fusion Experimental/ 7.Yuyo/ 8.Preciosa/ 9.Martinez/10.Rebirth Bata Rumba Experimental; 56:51. www.jazzdepot.com

Rava/ Herbert/ Guidi: For Mario (Live) & Diego Urcola: El Duelo

  So much for the old saw that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Trumpeters Enrico Rava and Diego Urcola are both out with new projects that are each, in their own ways, quite different from their typical musical surroundings.

Veteran Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava joins forces with pianist Giovanni Guidi and electronic musician Matthew Herbert as Rava/ Herbert/ Guidi, in excerpts from a series of concert dates in Italy collected on For Mario (Live). Mario Guidi was Giovanni’s father and Rava’s close friend and manager for more than three decades. The senior Guidi was present at all the shows that make up this disc, but passed away before the CD was assembled. Matthew Herbert’s energetic manipulations are the main focus of this surprising and distinctly weird music. Every so often, you can hear the trumpet (flugelhorn?) or the piano without much distortion, but more often than not, the listener is presented with an maze of bold and unpredictable sound events. Herbert notes that “it was intimidating at first to bring the often inflexible world of electronics ... to play with such free and flexible musicians.” To overcome his initial hesitations, hundreds of samples of flugelhorn and piano were recorded for him to mess around with. “What you’re hearing,” he continues, “is a kind of quartet, with the two acoustic players improvising around recordings of previous versions of themselves.” Adding Hugh Jones’ live sampling to the mix in “certain movements” provides yet another layer of electronic obfuscation. Given that the resulting music exhibits a certain brutality with elements of pure noise in the electronic treatments, I wouldn’t call this a fun disc to listen to, but it does possess a unique charm and fascination. Definitely worth a listen. 

Accidental Music AC139; Enrico Rava (tpt, flgh) Giovanni Guidi (p) Matthew Herbert (sampler, live elec) Hugh Jones (live sampling); Italy, various locations and dates; Part 1-5; 42:17. accidentalrecords.com

Trumpeter Diego Urcola’s foray into unfamiliar territory has him leading a quartet without a chordal instrument. For El Duelo, he invited his friend Paquito D’Rivera as co-conspirator on alto saxophone and clarinet with the rhythm team of Hamish Smith on bass and Eric Doob on drums. A quartet of wise and swinging companions plus an eclectic assortment of well-chosen tunes make this session a delight. The seed for this project was an invitation to the Punta Del Este jazz festival in Uruguay that asked Urcola for a musical tribute to Gerry Mulligan’s piano-less quartet of the Fifties. During the set, the trumpeter brought his long-time partner D’Rivera to the stage. The audience response to the music encouraged Urcola to pursue this session, bringing Doob and Smith on board. The sensitive and dynamic Doob has been playing with D’Rivera for some time, but Smith is making his recording debut. On the basis of his solid work here, I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more from this New Zealander. The happy feeling begins with Guillermo Klein’s title track. Energetic solos by Urcola and D’Rivera on alto are egged on by the explosive drums and cymbals of Doob while the steady Smith keeps it all well-grounded. Tango Azul is the first of three Urcola originals. First performed by an Urcola sextet for his Viva CD (2005), it’s repurposed here as a feature for well-shaped boppish solos by Urcola on flugelhorn and D’Rivera on clarinet. The Natural is Urcola’s dedication to the great Freddie Hubbard, an unavoidable influence on modern trumpeters. This one really jets along, with strong solos by a loose and soulful D’Rivera and a pumped-up Urcola. His third piece is Buenos Aires, a tango that inspires a sweet clarinet solo by D’Rivera and a mellow flugelhorn excursion by the composer. Ethan Iverson’s chart for a medley of Osvaldo Pugliese’s La Yumba and Juan Tizol’s Caravan is one of the disc’s many highlights. The quartet pays homage to its antecedents with tunes by Mulligan (the seldom-played gently swinging I Know, Don’t Know How), Ornette Coleman (a fantastic romp through Una Muy Bonita), and most surprising of all, Kenny Wheeler (Foxy Trot). This 1983 composition, partly a showcase for Smith’s enveloping swing and earthy bass sound, is also a grand display of the chemistry between Urcola and D’Rivera. Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango is another highlight, cannily rearranged for quartet and the occasion for some soulful clarinet and a punchy drum solo. The quartet’s versions of two well-known jazz compositions, Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma and Benny Golson’s Stablemates, offer fresh interpretations of these frequently recorded tunes. The lengthy CD ends with Urcola’s recasting of Jerry Gonzalez’s chart for Monk’s Bye-Ya, in homage to the late Gonzalez and his vision of Latin influenced jazz. Producer Luis Bacques recorded the sessions at his home studio, and once again, the benefits of trust and friendship contribute to stellar results. Happily recommended. 

Paquito/ Sunnyside SSC 4560; Diego Urcola (tpt, flgh) Paquito D’Rivera (as, cl) Hamish Smith (b) Eric Doob (d); somewhere in New Jersey, December 10-11, 2019; El Duelo/ Tango Azul/ Una Muy Bonita/ Medley: La Yumba, Caravan/ Pekin/ The Natural/ Buenos Aires/ Foxy Trot/ I Know, Don’t Know How/ Libertango/ Sacajawea (theme)/ Leyenda/ Con Alma/ Stablemates/ Bye-Ya; 76:33. sunnysiderecords.com