The music that kept me going in 2021

To say the least, 2021 was another confounding year. At least there was plenty of music to help with distraction and beauty.

Here are twenty releases that stand out.

First, fourteen new recordings: 

Beady Beast (Christy Doran & Franz Hellmüller) - On The Go (Between The Lines)

Benoît Delbecq - The Weight Of Light (Pyroclastic)

Whit Dickey/William Parker/Matthew Shipp - Village Mothership (Tao Forms)

Ben Goldberg - Everything Happens To Be. (BAG Productions)

Masabumi Kikuchi - Hanamichi (Red Hook)

Ochs-Robinson Duo - A Civil Right (ESP-Disk’)

William Parker - Mayan Space Station (AUM Fidelity)

Mario Pavone/Dialect Trio + 1 - Blue Vertical (Out Of Your Head)

Ivo Perelman - Brass And Ivory Tales (Fundacja Słuchaj!)

Ches Smith & We All Break – Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic)

Wadada Leo Smith/Jack DeJohnette/Vijay Iyer - A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday (TUM)

Wadada Leo Smith - Sacred Ceremonies (TUM)

Tani Tabbal Trio - Now Then (Tao Forms)

Natsuki Tamura/Satoko Fujii - Keshin (Libra)

and then there are the previously unreleased gems of the year:

Hasaan Ibn Ali - Metaphysics-The Lost Atlantic Album (Omnivore)

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings 

(Blue Note)

Roy Brooks - Understanding (Reel To Real)

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Live In Seattle (Impulse!)

Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller - In Harmony (Resonance)

Harvie S Trio - Going For It (Savant) 

Christy Doran & Stefan Banz: Aerosols

  The visual arts have inspired musical creativity in many different ways over the centuries. Typically, a composer or performer will react to a work of art without the participation of the artist. But not always. Guitarist Christy Doran & Stefan Banz, a Swiss artist, had known one another for a long time when Banz approached Doran about a project they could work on together. Doran immediately agreed, and the result is the endlessly intriguing Aerosols. To begin, Banz responded to five of Doran’s solo compositions with paintings done in acrylic on cotton. Doran then reacted to five other Banz paintings with a batch of new pieces. Banz unfortunately died of a heart attack in May 2021, but all the music had been recorded by then, and the booklet was nearly done. The artist’s son, his partner, and some friends pitched in to help complete the project. Doran has been heard in an amazing array of contexts since his recording debut in 1970 with Jazz Rock Experience. A founding member of Om, the Swiss quartet, Doran has worked frequently with drummer Freddy Studer (also in Om), with another Irish-Swiss artist, pianist John Wolf Brennan, along with Django Bates, Joe McPhee, Han Bennink, and many, many others. Having recorded a number of solo projects, he wasn’t inclined to do another until Banz presented his idea for this set. The guitarist’s suggestions for five paintings comprise the first half of the CD, followed by the five pieces composed in reaction to the images. The booklet reproduces Banz’s paintings, so the listener can try to get a sense of how this partnership developed. The images tend to be boldly colored and abstract, but there’s also a portrait of Banz’s brother Alexander and a group of loosely sketched people in From the Ballad of Affection. The variability of Banz’s visuals, from the plain pinkish moon of Cat Care to the surreal pale red and blue of Precious Sky to the color-altered portrait Alexander, finds its analog in the boundary-less musical zones that Doran explores with electric and acoustic guitars and electronic devices. The enhancements provide drones and loops, contributing to an overall fuller sound. Hard as it is to describe music with words, there’s really no way to convey anything about the relationship between say, the burning red of Broken View, the painting, and Kaleidoscope in a Blizzard, the mostly peaceable electric guitar piece that inspired it, or how the busy multi-colored patchwork of Banz’s Upgrading Equality evoked the folky blues feeling of Doran’s composition. All I can say is that I keep listening to Doran’s intricate pieces, full of surprising twists and turns, while looking closely at Banz’s art, marveling yet again at the human capacity for creative expression and startling beauty. 

Between The Lines BTLCHR71251; Christy Doran (ac & el g, electronic devices); Lucerne, Switzerland, January-April 2021; Cat care/ Venice/ Kaleidoscope in a Blizzard/ White Fields Full of Diamonds/ Defense of Defeat/ Lactus/ From the Ballad of Affection/ Alexander/ Aerosols/ Upgrading equality; 49:03. www.challengerecords.com

Houston Person: Live In Paris

  First heard on record with organist Johnny “Hammond” Smith on Riverside back in 1963, the work of tenor saxophonist Houston Person has been consistently enjoyable over the years whether as a bandleader, sideman, and record producer. His latest outing, Live In Paris, recorded at the 2019 Festival Jazz à la Villette, is another winning set with nearly an hour of blues-drenched soulful jazz. Person brought an eminently compatible and supportive quartet to the City of Lights with Peter Bernstein on guitar, Ben Paterson at the Hammond B-3 organ, and Willie Jones III on drums. Together they tackle a choice selection of pop songs and jazz tunes, including Johnny Griffin’s Sweet Sucker, Billy Taylor’s Easy Walker, Lester Young’s timeless Lester Leaps In, and Bobby Hebb’s Sunny, a favorite of saxophonists since it debuted in 1966. While I’m especially partial to the album’s slower numbers, like the band’s stroll through Only Trust Your Heart, a Benny Carter composition introduced by Stan Getz in 1964, and the way that Person caresses ballads like The Way We Were and Since I Fell For You, the truth is there isn’t a dull moment here. Definitely recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7338; Houston Person (ts) Ben Paterson (Hammond B3 org) Peter Bernstein (g) Willie Jones III (d), Paris, France, September 8, 2019; Sweet Sucker/ Only Trust Your Heart/ Easy Walker/ The Way We Were/ Lester Leaps In/ Since I Fell for You/ Sunny/ Jean-Jaures Shuffle; 59:02. www.jazzdepot.com

Louis Armstrong: The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966

  The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966 collects studio tracks from the tail end of Armstrong’s RCA contract in the late Forties including two All Star sessions in 1947 with Jack Teagarden in the group, three Columbia albums (Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy and Satch Plays Fats, both recorded in 1955, and The Real Ambassadors, his collaboration with Dave Brubeck in 1961), plus some Columbia singles, highlighted by versions of Mack the Knife with and without Lotte Lenya. Add in a slew of alternate takes, breakdowns, and inserts, and it amounts to seven CDs of jazz joy, Satchmo style. While there are a few clunkers I could mention, like the 1959 Remington razor promotion Music To Shave By (!), Armstrong manages to bring at least a spark of interest to the even the most awkward situations. By this period, Armstrong had been a star for decades. That created a problem for record companies, trying to figure out what to do that he hadn’t already done to perfection. To these ears, the Fats Waller and W.C. Handy tributes represent the pinnacle of Armstrong’s work in his later years, and I don’t think too many fans would disagree. The other major production, The Real Ambassadors, a work of Fifties-era liberalism with lyrics by Iola Brubeck has its following, and still holds some cultural interest. But the dated vocal stylings of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross really sink this one for me. 

Louis Armstrong’s fabulous trumpet and inimitable vocals are, of course, the stars of the show, but he had a real champion and non-playing co-star in producer George Avakian, who was responsible for suggesting the Waller and Handy sets to Columbia and Armstrong. Of the three main producers represented in this compilation, Avakian, Leonard Feather on some of the RCA material, and Teo Macero, who did The Real Ambassadors, clearly it was Avakian who had the best sense of matching Armstrong with suitable material. And as Ricky Riccardi, Director of the Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and a co-producer of this box set, writes, from “listening to the session tapes, it’s clear that Armstrong had the most fun when Avakian was behind the glass” in the control room. There’s plenty of evidence of that good feeling in the copious outtakes included here. To the eternal credit of Mosaic’s Scott Wenzel and co-compilers Riccardi, Richie Noorigian, and David Ostwald, the original LP sequences of the three LPs have been preserved with alternates and breakdowns arranged in the same sequence afterwards. There are times when you really want to hear five takes of Aunt Hagar’s Blues or two attempts at Honeysuckle Rose in a row, because it’s deeply instructive about Armstrong and Avakian’s creative process. More often, though, you’ll just want to sit back and hear the album as it was released. Avakian is also revealed to have been a superb tape editor in the era of sharp knives and splicing tape, as well as a pioneer in the use of overdubbing. The most remarkable thing is how much work it took to make it all sound like it was no work at all. Just listen to the rehearsal takes and inserts for Mack the Knife to get a real sense of how Avakian, Armstrong, Lotte Lenya and the All Stars interacted in the studio in order to get it right. Even with nearly half an hour included in this set, the complete discographical information tells us that there are still more bits and pieces that remains unissued. And all just for a single.

In addition to the discographical data, the 44-page booklet includes Riccardi’s extensive and informative session notes and a selection of photographs mostly taken at the recording sessions. There also shots of Armstrong’s lyric sheet for Mack the Knife and the Music To Shave By cardboard disc. The 24-bit technology used throughout the production process really makes the music sparkle. It’s impossible not to recommend a collection that includes two absolute masterpieces in Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy and Satch Plays Fats, especially with so much previously unissued material from these sessions, so go to www.mosaicrecords.com and get one of the 3,500 sets in this limited edition while you can. 

Mosaic MD7-270; Disc 1, The RCA Victor Singles, 77:53; Disc 2, The RCA Victor Columbia Singles, 79:53; Disc 3, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Master LP & Alternates), 79:40; Disc 4, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Alternates), 76:49; Disc 5, Satch Plays Fats (Master LP & Alternates), 78:46; Disc 6, Satch Plays Fats (Alternates) & The Real Ambassadors (Master LP), 76:30; Disc 7, The Real Ambassadors (Singles & Alternates), 75:37. For full discographical information, go here. 

Ivo Perelman: Brass And Ivory Tales

    The prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is not the kind of person that does things halfway. As a practitioner of totally free improvisation, he’s recorded dozens of projects with pianist Matthew Shipp, indulged his interest in playing with string players in a series of 4 discs on Leo plus a session with the Arcado String Trio on the FSR label, and teamed up with bass clarinetists Rudi Mahall and Jason Stein to record several hours of duets (also on Leo). His latest opus, celebrating his 60th birthday, is Brass And Ivory Tales, a collection of 9 CDs pairing Perelman’s formidable concept and mastery of the tenor saxophone with an equally formidable array of deeply creative pianists. Each CD is a “tale,” separated into “chapters,” with as few as two long pieces (Dave Burrell) or as many as eleven (Sylvie Courvoisier). While there is no indication that the chapters are sequenced in the order in which they were played, it often feels that way. The strategy is always the same: say hello and start to play with no preconceptions whatsoever. These tales took seven years to record, starting out with a duet with Marilyn Crispell in March 2014. The most recent encounters are with Aaron Parks in March 2020, and a final flurry of activity in 2021 of sessions with Vijay Iyer, Craig Taborn, and Angelica Sanchez. Save for a 1996 quartet session featuring Crispell, these are all first encounters. That serves to demonstrate the immense power of the free improvisation scenario when it’s approached by the right performers, where Perelman’s dedication and practice can lead to so many different musical zones. The presence of musicians from around the world is notable. It’s also worthy of note (although perhaps it shouldn’t be) that three of Perelman’s encounters are with women. 

Sometimes the mood is expansive and the players dialog at length. The set with revered elder Dave Burrell on the first disc is like that, with two long improvisations that fill an hour. The musicians are eminently compatible and thoroughly engaging in Chapter One, a 37-minute exploration that touches on the blues and hints at a number of standards. Chapter Two is a bit edgier with Perelman in a generally calm mood and Burrell maintaining his usual rigorous focus.

Tale Two, with Marilyn Crispell is beyond gorgeous, with each player deeply rooted and equally passionate about the direction of the music. The pianist’s introduction to Chapter One is utterly arresting, before Perelman enters the picture with peaceful gravity and power. There’s no letup in the course of nine chapters that range from the soulful (Chapter One and its mirror image, Chapter Nine) to the absolutely wild (the herky-jerky swing of Chapter Two and the powerful Chapter Eight).

Emotion runs high in the duets with Aruán Ortiz. The pianist likes to begin with simple structures that let his notes ring out while Perelman counters with bent notes and taut lines that twist and turn. Ortiz’s command of the keyboard, like the combination of right hand melody with left hand bass clusters that powers Chapter Three, provokes Perelman into some of his most exuberant playing. There is always such impressive playing on Perelman’s releases that it’s hard to pick favorite moments, but I will note my pleasure at the extreme density of Ortiz’s playing and Perelman’s impassioned responses on the lengthy Chapter Four and at the dynamic sweep and spontaneously generated architecture of Chapter Five. This eminently satisfying encounter concludes with the gentle and peaceful Chapter Seven. 

Tale Four presents Perelman in musical conversation with pianist Aaron Parks. Parks is generally considered a mainstream player, working with, among many others, Joshua Redman, Terence Blanchard, and Ambrose Akinmusire. That makes his presence here perhaps the most surprising meeting of the nine discs. As told by Neil Tesser, Perelman’s indefatigable chronicler, the two met over dinner and hit it off, especially when Parks expressed his admiration for Matthew Shipp. Perelman notes Parks’ “beautiful round harmonies, and his melodic playing” leading to the saxophonist’s maximizing his “expressionism without resorting to harshness.” The pair’s three long and deeply absorbing improvisations testify to the protean nature of Perelman’s disciplined musical approach and his ability to dramatically adjust his contribution to the music while always retaining the core of his sound. 

Sylvie Courvoisier, Perelman’s partner on Tale Five, starts off Chapter One with a calm and stately melody, the first of eleven instant compositions. Perelman is almost jaunty on Chapter One with an unusually low-key attitude . By contrast, Chapter Two jumps right out at the start, with a feral saxophone attack and dissonant power chords at the piano. These two performances, taking up the first six minutes of this fifty-five minute ride, prime the listener to expect an immense range of expression, an expectation that is more than fulfilled in the balance of the CD. The blend of high-register saxophone and the inside-the-piano creaks and bangs makes Chapter Three one of the real gems here. The seemingly random bursts of Chapter Seven lead to some of the most energetic playing of the date. The frantic clatter of Chapter Eight arises from Perelman’s excitable extreme high register playing coupled with Courvoisier’s dense pianistics, including more inside the piano techniques to give extra spice for their soundworld. The final three chapters tend to be more relaxed and almost wistful, an astute and welcome conclusion to a thoroughly rewarding and absorbing encounter. Courvoisier has frequently recorded in duo settings, and it shows in the boldness and emphatic nature of her playing. Their collaboration makes me look forward to more work by this duo.

The Spanish pianist Agustí Fernández is Perelman’s partner for Tale Six, bringing his refined sensibility and bold imagination to bear on the proceedings. Beginning with the relatively serene Chapter One, the pair ranges far and wide in their search for fresh sonorities and felicitous textures. Chapter Two is explosive and bold, a high-energy call and response romp. Chapter Three extends the density of Chapter Two into a roller-coaster ride of unleashed power. Chapter Five features Fernandez rattling around the inside of the piano and making some rowdy sounds that provoke Perelman into some squeaky realms of his own. Another ferocious duet erupts in Chapter Six with the pianist’s thick onslaught starting things off at a high level of intensity. They dial back the power, though not the fervency, for a sort of free ballad on Chapter Seven. That’s followed by the rather jolly combination of Fernandez back inside the piano strumming the strings as Perelman builds a melody from a few repeated notes. The disc concludes with Chapter Nine with Fernandez making a relatively rare move to the very high end of the piano and Perelman responding by going down low on his horn. For much of this disc, Perelman concentrates on the lower registers of his tenor, with only the occasional leap into the stratospheric heights that he often inhabits. Tale Six offers a winning encounter where both musicians sound thoroughly at home and engaged. 

Perelman’s collaborator for Tale Seven is the frequently dazzling pianist Craig Taborn. Chapter One of their encounter clocks in at over 26 minutes, and the pair is by turns contemplative, brusque, combative and tender. Taborn’s forceful and highly energized playing leads Perelman into sustained frenzies of sound, complete with the occasional vocal exclamation. Their brisk liveliness never falters through five chapters, loaded with passages of astounding beauty. As the saxophonist told Tesser, Taborn’s “colossal drive tapped into gigantic streams of energy” and the power of their collaboration is impressive indeed.

The duets with Angelica Sanchez on Tale Seven often deliver the uncanny sense that the music derives from an underlying composition. Clearly it’s an illusion, as the forms are generated spontaneously, but Sanchez’s brittle and imperturbable lyricism seems to move Perelman ever so slightly in the direction of more traditional styles of improvisation. That’s not always the case, as the blustery Chapter Four or the saxophone bleats and muted piano clusters of the first half of Chapter Six prove. Still, the nine chapters of Tale Seven comprise a case study in the immense possibilities of free improvisation and the virtues of close listening. The sustained bittersweet free ballad that concludes the disc is yet another of the collection’s highlights.

For the final disc, Perelman is joined by Vijay Iyer for five improvisations. Iyer, who has distinguished himself as a key collaborator with artists as varied as alto saxophonists Steve Coleman and Rudresh Mahanthappa, rapper Mike Ladd, and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, proves to be an adventurous and provocative partner for Perelman. From the first few minutes of Chapter One, the duo’s connection is evident in the way that the music ebbs and flows. Displaying his usual intensity, Perelman ranges all over his horn amid Iyer’s resourceful and busy piano stylings. Chapter One is over 17 minutes of incendiary and enthralling music, a tour de force of improvisatory music-making. In truth, if Tale Nine had only this single chapter, it would stand as significant and beautifully realized. But of course, there’s much more to be heard here. There’s the slowly meandering conversation of the brief Chapter Two followed by the complex elegance of the 25 minute Chapter Three with its ultra-dynamic shifts of pacing and density that grab your attention and keep it, lest you miss another serendipitous passage of instant music making. Chapter Four continues to be chock full of radical changes in tempo and fury including a hair-raising section of spiraling intensity that stops abruptly at about the halfway point of the 14 minute piece. The final Chapter Five presents a short (2:28) but furious argument that seems to me almost funny as a fragment of stereotyped “free jazz” and a marvelous way to end the disc, and the whole box set. 

Ivo Perelman’s bold and expressive style of free improvisation is certainly an acquired taste, but, from my perspective, one very much worth acquiring. The heartily recommended Brass And Ivory Tales is another milestone in the burgeoning discography of Ivo Perelman. 

    Fundacja Słuchaj! (Poland); Ivo Perelman (ts) with Disc 1 (57:10, in two chapters) Dave Burrell (p), January 2020; Disc 2 (52:42, in nine chapters): Marilyn Crispell (p), March 2014; Disc 3 (55:40, in seven chapters) Aruán Ortiz (p), December 2017; Disc 4 (39:42, in three chapters) Aaron Parks (p), March 2020; Disc 5 (54:26, in eleven chapters) Sylvie Courvoisier (p), March 2018; Disc 6 (54:10, in nine chapters) Agustí Fernández (p), July 2017; Disc 7 (65:01, in five chapters) Craig Taborn (p), June 2021; Disc 8 (61:29, in nine chapters) Angelica Sanchez (p), June 2021; Disc 9 (63:16, in five chapters) Vijay Iyer (p), May 2021. All tracks recorded in Brooklyn, NY. sluchaj.bandcamp.com/album/brass-ivory-tales

Michael Vlatkovich: With You Jazz Cat

  It always brightens my day when a new CD from trombonist/composer Michael Vlatkovich arrives. His latest communiqué is With You Jazz Cat, nine new tunes arranged for an octet plus a short trombone and piano duet. The bittersweet opener is Mister 60, with a fine Vlatkovich solo, buoyed by the rhythm section of keyboardist (and recording engineer) Wayne Peet, bassist Dominic Genova, and percussionist Ken Park. Vlatkovich’s music draws on jazz of all eras, movie and cartoon music, and a whole lot more, all filtered though his idiosyncratic temperament and unique sense of humor. The mission seems to create an always fresh and always changing setting that frames and enhances the solo work by Vlatkovich and his confrères. Especially bright moments are provided by Peet’s soulful organ introduction to Friends 9113, a wild soprano sax solo by Andrew Park on Bob, the fish that discovered water, bassist Genova’s well-mannered solo on the Ellington-ish 011 ...... 923, the ensemble’s lush sonorities on Association of the Well Meaning, and of course, Vlatkovich himself. I was particularly knocked out by his endearingly melancholy solo on the ironically titled Nursing Home fashion show and his lyrical spot on Friends 9113, not to mention his gut-bucket style outing on Bob, the fish that discovered water. Check out With You Jazz Cat and you’ll be sure to find your own favorites. Happily recommended. 

pfMENTUM PFMCD142; Greg Zilboorg, Louis Lopez (tpt) Michael Vlatkovich (tbn) Bill Plake (ts) Andrew Pask (ss, bari s) Wayne Peet (kybds) Dominic Genova (b) Ken Park (perc); Los Angeles, CA, 2018-2020; Mister 60/ Don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone/ Friends 9113/ Bob, the fish that discovered water/ Nursing Home fashion show/ 011 ...... 923/ I’ll show him who he thinks we are/ Association of the Well Meaning/ How is anyone going to recognize you without your disguise?/ Jazz Cat; 61:24. www.pfmentum.com

Enzo Carniel and Filippo Vignato as Silent Room: Aria.

  Just a few minutes of the eponymous opening track on Aria., by the trombone/piano duo of Enzo Carniel and Filippo Vignato as Silent Room, is enough to lower my blood pressure and magically make me almost totally relaxed. The spell continues with Waterdreams, and it’s fascinating to me how such quiet and slowly moving music should be this soothing. Back when “new age” music was all the rage, I found that the supposedly calming effect often affected me in quite another way, making me unusually nervous. Happily, there are no pretensions in Silent Room, just two closely aligned performers, content to float along and bounce ideas off of one another as they meander through eight original pieces. Trombonist Vignato’s broad tones and slightly phrasing make an ideal match for pianist Carniel’s thick voicings and more assertive playing. Occasionally, as on Stretched Mirrors and the multi-part In All Nilautpala, there are mild electronic effects which serve to enhance the already subdued atmosphere. Things get a trifle stranger on the closing Aria ‘Electro” where the electronic treatments are more pronounced. The mellow feeling engendered by the rest of the disc remains largely intact, and makes me long for a follow-up that more deeply involves the subtle clouds of electronic wizardry. For now, Aria., the first effort from Silent Room, is a genuine pleasure to listen to, and easily recommended. 

Menace MNC009 (CD, LP, download); Filippo Vignato (tbn) Enzo Carniel (p, prep p, Rhodes el p, synth); Arezzo, Italy, no dates specified; Aria/ Waterdreams/ Babele/ Stretched Mirrors/ Earth Echo/ Arbre d’Airain/ In All Nilautpala/ Aria ‘Electro”; 46:02. menaceparis.bandcamp.com/album/aria

Michaël Attias & Simon Nabatov: Brooklyn Mischiefs

 

Michaël Attias & Simon Nabatov met to play together for the first time in July 2014 when the alto saxophonist and pianist were booked together at a Brooklyn club. Brooklyn Mischiefs was unearthed from Nabatov’s archives during a pandemic that precludes events like this one. The program offers five spontaneous inventions plus a brief look at Herbie Nichols’ The Spinning Song. Their intense concentration and cohesion are evident from the very start of Glimpses & Tangles, the aptly named first track. Attias likens the “miracle of a happy first encounter” to the “sudden ease of dreams ...” The key difference, of course, between dreaming and actually living the dream is the intention and action required to bring their music into being. In this respect, the adaptable Nabatov and the volatile Attias make an exemplary pair with instant compositions seemingly plucked from the air. The moods range from careful tone poems to full-on rampages and almost everything between those poles, sometimes in the space of one improvisation, like Languid. That’s the first half of a medley with the Nichols tune, alluded to then elaborated by Nabatov. Attias re-enters the scene and they proceed to spar and commune for a spell. While I’m partial to the jauntier sections of their journey, like the second half of Gowanus at Night or the happy-go-lucky feeling that emerges in the midst of Glances, improvised music fans will find much here to hold their interest. Recommended. 

Leo CD LR 901; Michaël Attias (as) Simon Nabatov (p); Brooklyn, NY, July 6, 2014; Glimpses & Tangles/ Gowanus By Night/ Medley: Languid, The Spinning Song/ Glances/ Poetic Bug Bite; 53:38. www.leorecords.com

Jeremiah Cymerman: Citadels & Sanctuaries

  Primarily a clarinetist, Jeremiah Cymerman also has a way with electronics. Witness his new solo effort, Citadels & Sanctuaries, with ten tracks dedicated to composers and performers who have been important to his development. It’s an interesting selection, largely devoted to modern classical composers including Toru Takemitsu, Alvin Lucier, and Morton Feldman, plus a few names that will be familiar to a listener coming to this album from the jazz side of things. Bill Smith played clarinet with Dave Brubeck in the Fifties, and went on to compose under the name William O. Smith. The composition dedicated to him, From the Metaphysical to the Transcendental, leads off the set with a smooth melodic line and orchestral sounding electronics. The piece’s hushed demeanor relaxes the listener, which makes the piercing electronics and wildly overblown clarinet of Spheres of Humanity (for Alvin Lucier) even more startling than it might be in another context. The strangeness continues with The Absolute and Its Tearing (for Horaţiu Rădulescu). Here it’s the clarinet jumping up into higher tones, complete with circular breathing techniques, while the electronic effects make me think of a pack of race cars in competition. Another dedicatee, clarinetist Tony Scott, started out with Benny Carter and Claude Thornhill in the Forties, then played with Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday and led his own bands in the Fifties. In 1964, he recorded Music For Zen Meditation for Verve, generally considered the first “new age” album, which is likely to be what he is most remembered for. Cymerman’s tribute to him, For As Long As Grass Grows, puts the clarinet at the calm center of swirling electronics. With the Old Breed, a joking title dedicated to the fierce modernist Nate Wooley, is the noisiest of the batch, with fearsome electronic textures that could be out of a monster movie soundtrack, coupled to a soothing organ tone that’s way down in the mix. Manifesto, written for the Romanian composer Iancu Dumitrescu, is curiously absorbing, with what sounds largely like tightly controlled and contoured feedback. I suppose that there’s some clarinet in there, but it’s hard to pick out from the mass of sound. For a minute of two, I swear I could have been listening to the Grateful Dead, circa 1969 (!). The finale, Conscious Faith, is for innovative saxophonist and instant composer Evan Parker. A slow-moving mass of bell-like tones, a quivering bass line, and washes of synthesized sound surround Cymerman’s processed clarinet. It concludes with everything fading out except for the ghostly notes at the very top of the clarinet’s range as the listener exits Cymerman’s very personal soundworld and goes back to the noises of everyday life. Citadels & Sanctuaries is a powerful collection, well worth investigation. 

5049 Records; Jeremiah Cymerman (cl, elec); Brooklyn, NY, November 2020; From the Metaphysical to the Transcendental (for Bill Smith)/ Spheres of Humanity (for Alvin Lucier)/ The Absolute and Its Tearing (for Horaţiu Rădulescu)/ Broken Language (For Morton Feldman)/ Between Always and Forever (for Toru Takemitsu)/ Knot of Breath (for Mario Diaz de Léon)/ For As Long As Grass Grows (for Tony Scott)/ With the Old Breed (for Nate Wooley)/ Manifesto (for Iancu Dumitrescu)/ Conscious Faith (for Evan Parker); 47:24. www.5049records.com

Harvie S Trio: Going For It

  Here’s a thrilling surprise: a 1985 nightclub appearance by the ad hoc Harvie S Trio with guitarist Mike Stern and master drummer Alan Dawson. The story behind Going For It is that about 35 years after these recordings were made, bassist Harvie S learned during a casual conversation about the good old days that superfan David Lee had cassettes of all three fabled nights. Stern and Harvie went back to the Seventies, and when a short run opened up at Cambridge’s 1369 Jazz Club, the two talked and then enlisted Dawson for the gig. As Harvie’s liner notes tell us, there “was no rehearsal, no set list, no discussion ...” They just set up, called a tune, and they were off. Stern is brilliant, brimming with ideas and the chops to execute whatever he hears. Harvie S, who recorded with Steve Kuhn, Sheila Jordan, and Jim Hall in the mid-Eighties, is his usual dependably swinging self. And what can I say about Alan Dawson? Because he stayed in Boston, he never really got the recognition he deserved. I first heard his work on a glorious series of Booker Ervin albums on Prestige, and that was enough to get me hooked on his playing. Harvie S calls him “without a doubt one of the greatest drummers and educators of all time ...” and notes that the music on this disc “shows a side of him rarely heard on his other recordings.” Dawson’s playing is impeccable throughout the hour, and his dynamic solo on John Coltrane’s Moment’s Notice is reason enough to grab this CD. With two microphones feeding a cassette player in the middle of the room, Lee managed to capture the music surprisingly well. Don’t miss this one. 

Savant SCD 2195; Mike Stern (g) Harvie S (b) Alan Dawson (d); Cambridge, MA, 1985; On Green Dolphin Street/ Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise/ Peace/ Like Someone in Love/ Moment’s Notice/ Windows/ Bruze; 62:24. www.jazzdepot.com

Ochs-Robinson Duo: A Civil Right

  Saxophonist Larry Ochs and drummer Donald Robinson have played together countless times over the past three decades. They were both members of Glenn Spearman’s Double Trio and formed What We Live, a trio with bassist Lisle Ellis that recorded seven albums between 1994 and 2004. Then there’s the Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core, with Ochs, Robinson and fellow percussionist Scott Amendola, and more. Living not too far from one another has made it easy for them to spend many hours playing. No surprise, then, that the Ochs-Robinson Duo serves up a pungent and inspired helping of free jazz on A Civil Right. The pair dives right into an adept dialogue of tenor saxophone and drums on Arise the Poet. It serves as a richly detailed introduction to their conversational and improvisational styles. A beautifully developed Robinson cymbal solo starts off Yesterday and Tomorrow, which features Ochs on sopranino saxophone, an octave higher than an alto. The best moments of the piece come when Robinson switches to thunderous drums and Ochs takes flight with long, sinuous tones. Ochs’ gruffly vocalized and testifying tenor on Robinson’s A Civil Right is a showcase for the saxophone language that he’s developed over decades in the Rova Saxophone Quartet and myriad other projects. After an initial drum roll flurry, Robinson merely keeps time with bass drum and hi-hat for the entire piece. Ochs’ The Others Dream is a strong full-bore burst of sound, with some biting sopranino work, more powerhouse tenor and hard-driving drumming by Robinson, including a lengthy and absorbing drum solo. The doomy sound of mallets on tom-toms opens the finale, Regret, a ravishing melody by Ochs that’s emotionally rich and piercingly tender. Robinson, a minimalist at heart, keeps the rolling toms going for the entire performance, another gem in a series of superb performances. Absolutely recommended. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5052; Larry Ochs (ts, sop s) Donald Robinson (d); Oakland, CA, 2018-2019; Arise the Poet/ Yesterday and Tomorrow/ A Civil Right/ The Others Dream/ Regret; 45:58. www.espdisk.com

Wadada Leo Smith: Sacred Ceremonies & Trumpet

  The trumpeter, composer and musical theorist Wadada Leo Smith turns eighty at the end of 2021. A number of significant releases are planned during the year to celebrate that milestone. First out of the gate are a pair of 3-CD sets on the TUM label, a Finnish imprint that has previously issued a batch of his projects in various formats. Reading the tune titles on Sacred Ceremonies, collaborations with electric bassist Bill Laswell and percussion master Milford Graves, and Trumpet, a solo set, provides a firm sense of Smith’s abiding interests. Music, of course, is a primary concern, and it’s worthwhile to note the breadth of his inspirations, which includes such figures as Baby Dodds, Albert Ayler, Amina Claudine Myers, Prince, and Minnie Riperton. Writers and poets are another focus for Smith, with dedications to James Baldwin and Henry Dumas. Social justice (Social Justice - A Fire for Reimagining the World, one of the Sacred Ceremonies) and spiritual concerns (Discourses on the Sufi Path, on disc 3 of Trumpet) also figure into Smith’s insatiable curiosity about the world. The unique trajectory of Smith’s life began in Leland, Mississippi, where his family home was a meeting place for blues artists like B.B. King and Elmore James. He played in the high school concert and marching bands, and composed his first piece (for three trumpets!) at age 12. You can read all about his career in the extensive biographical notes that TUM includes in the thick booklets that accompany the music. Even with his extensive experiences playing in Army bands for about 5 years, his move to Chicago in 1967 as an early member of the AACM, and his subsequent development of a music system that he calls “ahkreanvention,” Smith maintains that “the Blues was my first language and it never went away.” The truth of that statement is in the playing, where his acute sensitivity and the vocal-like aspects of his trumpet playing are continually on display. 

Sacred Ceremonies combines separate duet sessions with Graves and Laswell recorded on successive days in May 2016 with a trio session from the previous December. Smith is no stranger to duets with percussionists, having previously recorded sessions with Ed Blackwell (1986), Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi (1994), Hamid Drake (1998), Adam Rudolph (2002), Gunter “Baby” Sommer (2006), Jack DeJohnette (2008), and Louis Moholo-Moholo (2011). Graves’ very personal sense of rhythm, centered in the body and his researches into the heartbeat as a healing force, dovetails with Smith’s expansive sense of open forms and free improvisation. Their duet session on the first disc is a searching exploration of their connection and a distinct manifestation of what Smith calls Graves’ “conscious heart that’s over-flowing with Divine Love.” On the second disc, Bill Laswell, with a seemingly limitless capacity for fitting into any musical situation, proves that he is one of a handful of electric bass guitarists who can go head to head with Smith and create beauty in the process. Their duets are often rather delicate, like Donald Ayler’s Rainbow Summit or the somber Mysterious Night. One of the set’s many highpoints comes when, appropriately enough, Smith evokes the sound of a muted Miles Davis on the pair’s tribute to the great drummer Tony Williams. Laswell’s complementary throbbing bass part, with some subtle electronics in the mix, keeps the music moving smartly. Smith’s assertive trumpet makes a great combination with Laswell’s subdued and enveloping bass on Earth - A Morning Song, another of the CD’s highlights. Finally, on the third disc of the set, there’s the majestic sound of all three. For a little over an hour, the trio digs deeply into their connection as sonic adventurers who recognize no boundaries in their music. There is some history among the players: Laswell and Graves performed together in New York and recorded a duet album of their own for TUM in 2013, and the bassist contributed to Smith’s Najwa CD in 2014, also on TUM. First is Social Justice - A Fire For Reimagining the World, with a blazing Smith, the loose and free drums of Graves, and Laswell’s resourceful electric bass. on. Next up is the urgent improvisation of Myths of Civilizations and Revolutions with a loose-limbed Graves alongside Smith and Laswell’s sophisticated call and response interaction. The bassist starts off Truth in Expansion with an extended solo that mixes string sounds and effects that make it sound more like an organ. Graves soon sets up a beat, the bass falls right in, and Smith joins the fray. Graves begins The Healer’s Direct Energy with his Afro-Cuban styled drums and the steady shake of his hi-hat. The piece develops into a rich conversation among Smith’s clear and relaxed tones, Graves’ busy clatter, and Laswell’s bass with that organ effect at work. Waves of Elevated Horizontal Forces starts out with forceful bass and trumpet; the entrance of Graves’ drums after the first two minutes settles things down into a dancing groove. Smith’s trumpet, with his characteristic unhurried approach to improvisation, unfolds in contrast to the more animated rhythms of Graves and Laswell. The effect is to give the track a degree of inner tension that pulls the listener briskly along. The plaintive cry of Smith’s horn on An Epic Journey Inside the Center of Color is yet another illustration of the centrality of the blues to Smith’s aesthetic. He has the first two minutes to himself before bass and drums create a suitable atmosphere for further musical travel. The closing Ruby Red Largo - A Sonnet is loose and free as the music sweetly strolls and bobs along. It’s a fitting end to this enlightening musical journey. Sacred Ceremonies is highly recommended. 

Even a single CD of solo trumpet can prove challenging to many music enthusiasts, but Wadada Leo Smith’s first album in 1971 for his own Kabell label was titled Creative Music-1: Six Solo Improvisations. He’s continued to mine the possibilities of the format over the decades, including the superb Solo: Reflections And Meditations On Monk in 2015. The recently released triple-CD set, simply titled Trumpet, offers two and a quarter hours of solo music recorded in a fifteenth century stone church in Pohja, Finland, during four days in July 2016. Over the course of fourteen pieces, we’re treated to a cornucopia of trumpet sounds, from a clear clarion call to a pinched, nasal tone, and much more. The natural resonance and reverb time of the room becomes another tool for Smith to manipulate, as the space itself becomes a duet partner. I think of the three discs as separate recitals. There’s a mixture of pieces dedicated to a pair of Sufi teachers, one for James Baldwin: No Name in the Street; War, and another devoted to the joys of a sauna bath, Finnish style. Most of the pieces are inspired by other musicians, including bassist Reggie Workman, trumpeters Howard McGhee and Miles Davis, saxophonist Albert Ayler, and fellow AACM members drummer Steve McCall, violinist Leroy Jenkins, and keyboardist Amina Claudine Myers. Finally, there’s a twelve minute suite entitled Family - A Contemplation of Love, Parts 1-4, and a finale called Trumpet. There’s a mindful and emotional clarity to Wadada’s every note, and his creative meandering takes the listener on an absorbing journey. In typically comprehensive TUM fashion, the lavish booklet includes a few short poems by Smith, a poem by saxophonist Oliver Lake, Smith’s notes to each of the pieces, an illustrated discography of his previous solo efforts, a biographical note, and even a note about the church’s history, along with photographs of the building inside and out. Sitting down with the music, reading Smith’s words, and looking at his self-portraits used in the art design, make you feel that you’ve been in the presence of a warm, thoughtful and distinctly creative individual. Happily recommended. 

Sacred Ceremonies: TUM BOX 003; Disc 1: Wadada Leo Smith (tpt) Milford Graves (d, perc); West Orange, NJ, May 27, 2016; Nyoto (in 3 parts)/ Baby Dodds in Congo Square/ Celebration Rhythms/ Poetic Sonics/ The Post: Play Ebony Play Ivory; 53:41. Disc 2: Smith, Bill Laswell (basses); West Orange, NJ, May 26, 2016; Ascending the Sacred Waterfall - A Ceremonial Practice/ Prince - A Blue Diamond Spirit/ Donald Ayler’s Rainbow Summit/ Tony Williams/ Mysterious Night/ Earth - A Morning Song/ Minnie Riperton - The Chicago Bronzeville Master Blaster; 55:36. Disc 3: Smith, Graves, & Laswell; West Orange, NJ, December 11-12, 2015; Social Justice - A Fire for Reimagining the World/ Myths of Civilizations and Revolutions/ Truth in Expansion/ The Healer’s Direct Energy/ Waves of Elevated Horizontal Forces/ An Epic Journey Inside the Center of Color; Ruby Red Largo - A Sonnet; 64:45. 

Trumpet: TUM BOX 002; Wadada Leo Smith (tpt); Pohja, Finland, July 26-29, 2016; Disc 1 (50:01): Albert Ayler/ Rashomon (Part : The Film/ Part 2: The Killing/ Part 3: The Court/ Part 4: The Memories and Reflections/ Part 5: The Verdict/ Howard and Miles - A Photographic Image/ Metallic Rainbow/ Sauna - A Healthy Journey. Disc 2 (44:53): Malik el-Shabazz and the People of the Shahada/ The Great Litany (Part 1 - The Opening/Part 2 - First Meditation/ Part 3 - Second Meditation/ Part 4 - Third Meditation/ Part 5 - The Closing)/ Leroy Jenkins Violin Expressions/ James Baldwin - No Name in the Street: War/ Amina Claudine Myers. Disc 3 (41:29): Sonic Night - Night Colors (For Reggie Workman)/ Discourses on the Sufi Path - A Remembrance of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh (Part 1 - Chivalry; Noble Attributes; Unity of Being/ Part 2 - Festival of the Two Breaths/ Part 3 - Pilgrimage; The Heart; The Valley of Annihilation; Divine Unity/ Part 4 - Presence of Breath; Presence of Heart)/ Family - A Contemplation of Love (Part 1 - Agape - Unselfish Love/ Part 2 - Philia - Love, Friendship, Affinity and Beloved/ Part 3 - Eros - Representing Love or the Power of Love/ Part 4 - Agape - Unselfish Love; The Love of God for Humankind)/ Trumpet. www.tumrecords.com

Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller: In Harmony

  There are some musicians who always bring magic into whatever situation they find themselves. Two of the brightest stars in modern jazz, Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller, were like that, and both of them died too young. In Harmony finds trumpeter Hargrove in a series of duets with pianist Miller taken from concerts in New York City in 2006 and in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 2007. Both were largely impromptu affairs, creating for an audience the kind of music that more often took place in practice rooms or after-hours sessions. Bradley’s in New York had that kind of spirit, fondly remembered by anyone who hung out there, and Miller and Hargrove were regulars whenever they were in town. They were both pretty busy working musicians whose paths crossed on the road, but never long enough to record the duet album that they had thought of doing. This collection consists of familiar standards and versions of well-traveled jazz tunes, including two apiece by Dizzy Gillespie (Con Alma and Ow!) and Thelonious Monk (Monk’s Dream and Ruby, My Dear). These delightful and spontaneous recordings, filled with joyous invention and a playful spirit, were captured on stage by Hargrove’s long-time manager Larry Clothier, who co-produced this package with Zev Feldman. Along with a short essay by Ted Panken, the booklet features reminiscences from an amazing array of prominent musicians, most of whom played with Hargrove or Miller at some point. Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Common, Ron Carter, Jon Batiste, Karriem Riggins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Keyon Harrold, Chris Botti, Eddie Henderson, Robert Glasper, Victor Lewis, Sean Jones, Kenny Barron, and George Cables share their experiences and thoughts in a valuable collection of insightful pieces. In Harmony is a beautiful set, highly recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2060 (2xCD/2xLP); Roy Hargrove (tpt, flgh) Mulgrew Miller (p); NYC, January 15, 2006 or Easton, PA, November 9, 2007; Disc 1 (52:38): What is This Thing Called Love?/ This is Always/ I Remember Clifford/ Triste/ Invitation/ Con Alma. Disc 2 (50:51): Never Let Me Go/ Just in Time/ Fungii Mama/ Monk’s Dream/ Ruby, My Dear/ Blues for Mr. Hill/ Ow!. www.resonancerecords.org

Bill Evans: Behind The Dikes - The 1969 Netherlands Recordings

  The influential pianist Bill Evans has so many available recordings that even hard-core fans need a reason or two to acquire yet another live release. The latest posthumous release is Behind The Dikes - The 1969 Netherlands Recordings, a double-CD (or triple-LP) set has several attributes to recommend it. First, Evans and his trio with Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morell on drums are in superb form for the Hilversum session of March 26, which takes up all of the first CD plus three songs on disc 2. The sound quality is exceptionally good as well, since the performance was recorded in a studio with an audience. As Morell tells co-producer Zev Feldman, in Holland “the audiences absolutely loved Bill. Bill could do no wrong.” You can practically feel the energy that the crowd supplies to the band, inspiring a first-rate performance. Then there’s the fact that while Evans generally chose his tunes from a relatively limited batch of songs, the Hilversum show includes the only known Evans recording of Duke Ellington’s I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart. It’s one of the highlights of the set, along with especially fine versions of the perennial favorite Waltz For Debby and the hard-swinging set closer, Someday My Prince Will Come. Evans typically gave a lot of solo space to his bassist, but the pianist seems to have been in an expansive mood for this show, and bass solos are held to a minimum. Two more tracks that make this a desirable acquisition for Evans’ many devotees are Enrique Granados’ Granadas and Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane featuring the trio accompanied by the Metropole Orkest and recorded the night before the Hilversum trio set. The arrangements were by Claus Ogerman, orchestrated for a 1965 Verve album. Evans had been playing both pieces since sometime in the Fifties; a solo piano medley of the two turned up on Practice Tape No. 1, officially released on E3 Records. These two tracks were recorded for Dutch radio, though not broadcast at the time. It’s not exactly my cup of tea, but the nine minutes provide a glimpse of Evans’ work in a different light than the usual trio setting. Filling out the set is the trio’s complete set of six tracks from a festival concert recorded in Amsterdam towards the end of the year. The ever-resourceful Gomez is more prominently featured on this occasion. There’s a 32 page booklet as part of the CD set, with period photos, reminiscences and profiles of the Dutch presenters by music journalist Bert Vuijsje, interviews with Eddie Gomez (“It was a very special time in my life.”) and Marty Morell (“... my dream gig ...”), a talk with pianist Vijay Iyer about Evans’ legacy, and more. It seems that you can never have enough Bill Evans to listen to, and Behind The Dikes is a worthy addition to the shelf. 

Elemental Music 5990441 (2xCD or 3xLP); Bill Evans (p) Eddie Gomez (b) Marty Morell (d) on %, add Metropole Orkest under the direction of Dolf van der Linden, arranged by Claus Ogerman ; Hilversum, The Netherlands, March 26, 1969, except *Amsterdam, The Netherlands, November 28, 1969; and %Hilversum, March 25, 1969; Disc 1 (59:40): You're Gonna Hear From Me/ Emily/ Stella By Starlight/ Turn Out the Stars/ Waltz for Debby/ ‘Round Midnight/ I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/ Alfie/ Beautiful Love/ My Funny Valentine/ Spartacus' Love Theme. Disc 2 (57:42): One for Helen/ Quiet Now/ Someday My Prince Will Come/ Very Early*/ A Sleepin' Bee*/ Turn Out the Stars #2*/ Autumn Leaves*/ Quiet Now #2*/ Nardis*/ Granadas%/ Pavane%. www.elemental-music.com

Roy Brooks: Understanding

  Detroit drummer Roy Brooks’ 1972 Muse album The Free Slave, although not that well received at the time, is now lauded as “of vital importance” (www.allmusic.com) and “one of his best” (thevinylpress.com). The Free Spirit was recorded live in concert at Baltimore’s famed Left Bank Jazz Society in April 1970. Now we have a followup from later that same year, in the same venue. Understanding presents about two hours of music recorded on November 1, 1970, and it’s a valuable and very welcome addition to Brooks’ relatively sparse discography. Trumpeter Woody Shaw and bassist Cecil McBee return from the earlier date, joined here by Harold Mabern on piano and Carlos Garnett on tenor saxophone. Zev Feldman and co-producer Cory Weeds of Cellar Live Records, have done their usual bang-up job of assembling memorabilia and commissioning liner notes (from Mark Stryker, author of Jazz From Detroit) for the 36-page booklet. Weeds had conversations with McBee and drummer Louis Hayes, who recommended Brooks to Horace Silver back in 1959. Feldman interviewed Garnett as well as bassist Reggie Workman who worked with Brooks in the Seventies. There are also short reminiscences by alto saxophonist Charles McPherson (he and Brooks went to the same high school), journalist Herb Boyd (a lifelong friend and another high school pal), and Jahra Michelle McKinney, archivist and Executive Director of the Detroit Sound Conservancy (which will benefit for all proceeds from sales of Understanding). By all accounts, you had to give it all your all when you played the Left Bank or the audiences would let you know that it was not happening. McBee tells Weeds that it was “like playing for family.” I have yet to hear a set recorded there that didn’t stand out for excitement, including releases by Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, and Freddie Hubbard with Jimmy Heath. Add Understanding to the list of excellent Left Bank shows. While the sound is a little shaky at first, it rapidly improves. The band is on fire from the get-go, opening with Brooks’ own Prelude to Understanding segueing into Understanding, forty-odd minutes of hard driving jazz. Taking a brief breather, Brooks introduces the group before they launch into a ferocious 21-minute version of Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce, an intriguing selection for the era, underscoring Brooks and company’s roots in bebop. Brooks is fantastic on this number. Woody Shaw, introduced by Brooks as his “right-hand man,” composed Zoltan. The piece first appeared on Larry Young’s Unity (Blue Note, 1965) and it leads off the second disc. Shaw is magnificent in his bold and brassy solo, and Brooks’ inspired drumming provokes him to greater and greater heights. That ends the first set, and a tired quintet takes a break before returning to the stage for 32 minutes of Garnett’s Taurus Woman. It’s another uptempo scorcher featuring the saxophonist’s best playing of the session and another inventive and furiously exploratory solo by Shaw, propelled by the Mabern-McBee-Brooks juggernaut. A brief but frenzied investigation of The Theme brings the show to a close. It was one hell of a great day at the Left Bank Jazz Society when the Roy Brooks quintet hit the stage at four in the afternoon in 1970, and I’m glad to have the music available for everyone half a century later. I’m sure I’m not the only jazz fan wondering what other treasures lurk in their archives ... 

ReelToReal RTR-CD-007 (also available as a 3-lp set); Woody Shaw (tpt) Cecil Garnett (ts) Harold Mabern (p) Cecil McBee (b) Roy Brooks (d); Baltimore, MD, November 1, 1970; Disc 1 (63:17): Introduction/ Prelude to Understanding/ Billie’s Bounce. Disc 2 (60:15): Zoltan/ Taurus Woman/ The Theme. cellarlive.com

Claudio Scolari Project: Cosmology

  The Claudio Scolari Project‘s fifth album project is Cosmology, described as “the soundtrack of an imaginary journey into space.” The band’s music relies on an endless series of deep grooves laid down by bassist Michel Cavalca and the twin drum sets of Claudio Scolari and Daniele Cavalca. They add in piano and a stack of keyboards and synthesizers, spice it up with live electronics, then top it off with Simone Scolari’s trumpet for maximum effect. While there’s no denying the influence of electric-era Miles Davis, that’s just the starting point for this baker’s dozen of songs co-written by the two drummers, except for Collision, a collaboration between Daniele Cavalca and Simone Scolari. There’s a brooding and downbeat quality to much of this music, understandable in a session recorded in the midst of a pandemic. Trippy and with a beat, Cosmology is deliriously psychedelic and consistently engrossing. Recommended. 

Principle CSDC 08; Simone Scolari (tpt) Michele Cavalca (b) Daniele Cavalca (live synth, Rhodes el p, p, drum set 2) Claudio Scolari (drum set 1, synth programming); Reggio Emilia. Italy, December 2020; Dark Matter/ Magnitude/ Hyper Galaxy/ Aurora/ Zenith/ Spectrum/ Cosmology/ Blue Shift/ Aphelion/ Lunation/ Black Hole/ Collision/ Nebula; 74:53. www.claudioscolari.com

George Cables: Too Close For Comfort

  Veteran pianist George Cables continues his stellar run of trio albums for HighNote with the sublimely beautiful Too Close For Comfort. Working with his regular bandmates, Essiet Essiet on bass and Victor Lewis on drums, Cables, who also produced the date, starts out with the rapid fire attack of the title track. It’s a song that the pianist says he “fell in love with as a young man” and it seemed like a good time to record it, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Covid-19 pandemic. Three Cables originals are up next. Circle Of Love is a gentle blues dedicated to his tightly knit circle of friends, supporting him through recent health problems. The perky This is My Song is a lovely expression of what Cables’ calls his “positive spirit,” while Klimo looks back to the pianist’s days in Los Angeles with a burst of Latin rhythm and a pace tailor-made for Victor Lewis. The drummer takes a rest for For All We Know, a standard that Cables remembers hearing sung by Billie Holiday. Here it’s the occasion for an intimate and prolonged duet of crisp piano and the solid and unflashy bass of Essiet. (Odd fact: the bassist once recorded this song with a vocal by Art Blakey when he was in the Blakey band in 1990!). Next is the bouncy and energetic performance of Crazy Love, a piece by pianist and friend Tadataka Unno. (Real world aside: Unno was attacked and badly injured in New York in October, 2020. If you want to help him, go to gofund.me/4ec4aca3.) His attractive tune is played as a soulful duet with Lewis, playing drums with his hands instead of sticks. The late Bobby Hutcherson recorded a number of Cables’ compositions. In a mark of respect, the trio offers their vigorous take on Hutcherson’s mid-Seventies composition Roses Poses and a cheerful version of Hutcherson’s Teddy. A delightfully upbeat rendition of Frank Loesser’s I’ve Never Been in Love Before comes between the Hutcherson songs, and the set comes to an end with a brief and charming solo piano piece that Cables calls A Valentine For You. You really can’t go wrong with a musician who was a favorite sideman for the likes of Dexter Gordon from 1977 to 1979 and Art Pepper from 1976 to 1982, so if it’s deeply felt and solidly swinging piano music that you’re craving, Too Close For Comfort is for you. 

HighNote HCD 7335; George Cables (p) Essiet Essiet (b) Victor Lewis (d); NYC, September 9, 2020; Too Close For Comfort/ Circle of Love/ This is My Song/ Klimo/ For All We Know/ Crazy Love/ Roses Poses/ I’ve Never Been in Love Before/ Teddy/ A Valentine For You; 56:19. www.jazzdepot.com

Michael Bisio, Kirk Knuffke & Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Art Spirit

  A trio of peerless improvisers, namely Michael Bisio, Kirk Knuffke & Fred Lonberg-Holm, combine forces for The Art Spirit. Bass, cello and cornet is an unusual and, I believe, unique lineup, but it works here surprisingly well, thanks to the open ears and concentrated listening skills of bassist Bisio, cornetist Knuffke, and cellist Lonberg-Holm. Bisio is the instigator, inspired by the American painter Robert Henri (1865-1929). His r. henri is one of three pieces he composed for this outing. This delicately textured and very moving tribute is one of the CD’s most effective performances. The tune was also a highlight of Now Then by the Tani Tabbal Trio. Knuffke is one of the most imaginative performers around, and he sounds quite at home performing in this setting with two string players. Because Bisio and Lonberg-Holm are equally adept at arco and pizzicato approaches to their instruments, a formidable array of contrasts and conversational strategies opens up. The resulting music ranges from jittery and nervous to smoothly sonorous. Dive right into Not a Souvenir of Yesterday and let the music draw you into their sound world of lightning quick mutual inventions. And good luck trying to figure out what’s composed and what’s improvised in this hour. Not that it matters, as the border between them grows more illusory by the year anyway. Particularly fine in addition to r. henri are the group improvisations Both Keys Belong to You, with anxious strings and inventive cornet solos and the playful Like Your Work As Much As, which features some genuinely gnarly cello work by Lonberg-Holm, an impressively forceful solo by Bisio, and some of the weirdest cornet sounds I’ve ever heard from Knuffke or anyone else. The Art Spirit is clearly flourishing in this fascinating and deeply exploratory music. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5053; Kirk Knuffke (cnt, soprano cnt) Michael Bisio (b) Fred Lonberg-Holm (clo, elec); Kingston, NY, September 24, 2018; Not a Souvenir of Yesterday/ r. henri/ Both Keys Belong To You/ Use Them/ Orange Moon Yellow Field/ Things Hum/ Like Your Work As Much As/ A Dog Likes to Gnaw a Bone; 61:54. www.espdisk.com

Beady Beast: On The Go (Pandemic duo, #5)

  Beady Beast is the acoustic guitar duo of Christy Doran & Franz Hellmüller. On The Go is the pair’s vastly enjoyable pandemic project. Hellmüller was Doran’s student once upon a time. They’re now good friends and with both living in Lucerne, Switzerland, this studio collaboration a very natural event. Doran’s Every Dog has its Day opens the program. It starts out as a sort of mutant blues, with insistent rhythms, drops back to a quiet passage, then picks up again and, well, let’s say the flow of the music is largely unpredictable but always sounds inevitable. Their rapport remains uncanny through performances of four more pieces composed by Doran and four by Hellmüller. Highlights include the zesty interplay on Doran’s Slippin’ , the high-spirited rapid-fire demands of Hellmüller’s Minimaxbum, the jagged freedom of Hellmüller’s Light in the Dark, and the angular provocations of Doran’s Paros in November. But really, every piece has its charms, as the acoustic environment brings out the best in both musicians. On The Go is totally enchanting, and happily recommended. 

between the lines BTLCHR71250; Christy Doran, Franz Hellmüller (acoustic guitars); Winterthur, Switzerland, January 26-27, 2021; Every Dog has its Day/ Slippin’/ Minimaxbum/ Far Away From Home/ Light in the Dark/ Paros in November/ Su Giudeu/ Lift the Bar/ Oneiron Street; 57:11. www.challengerecords.com

Duck Baker: Confabulations

  In their co-written liner notes for 1979's Under The Volcano, an album of guitar duets by Stefan Grossman and John Renbourn, Ed Denson and Dan Forte declared that finger-picking guitarist Duck Baker had “come to be considered one of the more astounding musicians on the scene.” He’s still pretty astounding, while the scene he inhabits has widened considerably, encompassing solo renditions of compositions by Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols, the free jazz solos of Everything That Rises Converges (2009), duets with Jamie Findlay (2001), a trio with clarinetist Alex Ward and bassist Joe Williamson (succeeded by John Edwards), and much more. His latest collection is Confabulations, a sampling of collaborations, mostly recorded in the 2000s, with two tracks realized in Mark Dresser’s studio in 1994. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “confabulate” in three ways. It means “to talk informally” or “to hold a discussion” or “to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication.” Just the right word for a totally improvised conversation, where there’s nothing to remember and all of the gaps need to be filled in. As I started to absorb these Confabulations, each track was my favorite as it unfolded, only to be replaced by the next selection. Which is how it should be, I suppose, for instant compositions that might exist only for the moment unless there’s someone near with a recording device. How fortunate we are to have something like Indie Pen Dance, the exuberant duet with the late Derek Bailey at the guitarist’s home in 2002, or the sparkling interplay of East River Delta Blues with the late trombonist Roswell Rudd, a master of the outside blues, to listen to again and again. Another highlight is The Missing Chandler, a 2009 live encounter with tenor saxophonist John Butcher, as Baker’s imperturbable lyricism meets Butcher’s typically astringent and carefully nuanced phrasing. Another duo with Rudd, from the same New York show in 2002, ends the hour with a free improvisation based on Taps. As Baker writes in his chatty liner notes, “Rudd always seemed to throw in a few wrinkles” when they played together. “It sure put juice into things!” There’s plenty of juice in these carefully culled and artfully sequenced improvisations. Highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5065; Duck Baker (g) with ... Imp Romp 2 (Michael Moore, as; 10/10/08)/ Shenandoah (Mark Dresser, b; 1994)/ Indie Pen Dance (Derek Bailey, g; 7/4/02)/ East River Delta Blues (Roswell Rudd, tbn; 1/9/02)/ Ode to Jo (Alex Ward, cl, & Joe Williamson, b; 9/12/10)/ Duo for 225 Strings (Steve Beresford, p; 9/18/09)/ The Missing Chandler (John Butcher, ts; 9/19/09)/ Tourbillion Air (Alex Ward, cl, John Edwards, b, & Steve Noble, d; 3/7/17)/ Pope Slark (Mark Dresser, b; 1994)/ Signing Off (Roswell Rudd, tbn; 1/9/02); 59:26. www.espdisk.com

Samo Salamon & François Houle: Unobservable Mysteries/Samo Salamon & Hasse Poulsen: String Dancers (Pandemic duos, #3 & #4)

Stuck at home in Slovenia because of the coronavirus pandemic, guitarist Samo Salamon reached out via email to the Canadian clarinetist François Houle to propose a long distance collaboration. Despite having some mutual musical colleagues, the two had never played together. Houle was quite enthusiastic about the idea. That was the genesis of Unobservable Mysteries by Samo Salamon & François Houle, an especially apt title for this series of duets made in a unique fashion. To build these tracks, Salamon first recorded half a dozen improvisations on acoustic guitar. Houle responded to them with his own improvised part, then laid down more solo tracks for Salamon to add his guitar. From listening, it’s impossible to discern how any of the pieces began. I might guess that Cradles, for instance, began with Houle’s clear tones and Salamon’s spidery guitar was the response, or that Hum and Sway was first a sequence of spacious guitar phrases before the clarinet played a melody over them, but I’d probably be wrong. No matter: Salamon and Houle prove to be quite compatible, combining a playful attitude with a slightly brittle sense of melody and the fearless momentum of their rhythms. While I was especially taken with Garden of Dust, nearly six minutes of deliciously rambunctious interplay, the eleven tracks never failed to hold my interest and repay my attention with music worth exploring again and again. 

During the pandemic, guitarist Samo Salamon also reached out via email to fellow guitarist Hasse Poulsen, who agreed to work with him on a duet project. The result was the genuinely lovely String Dancers, with Samo Salamon & Hasse Poulsen each playing acoustic instruments. Both men also contributed ideas for the tunes, to the extent that Salamon describes them as co-writers. The brief notes that they each penned for the release emphasize the ease with which this set came together. From how Salamon and Poulsen interact and anticipate one another’s improvisatory directions, you’d think that they had been playing together for quite some time, but you’d be wrong. The duo’s strategies range from out of tempo pieces like the spacious Sometimes a Bird and the scruffy give and take of Mind Fuel to the insistent Free Noses and the engaging call and response structure of A Word We Heard. With the already porous line between improvisation and composition thoroughly obliterated in these spirited encounters, the listener is plunged into the sheer mystery of making something from nothing, a situation to be embraced by musicians and audience alike. Definitely recommended. 

Samo Records; François Houle (cl) Samo Salamon (6- & 12-string guitars); Maribor, Slovenia (Salamon) & Vancouver, BC, 2020; Secret Pools/ Roots and Seeds/ Common Sense Mutters/ Cradles/ Garden of Dust/ Island of Shade/ Hum and Sway/ Jug of Breath/ Unobservable Mysteries/ The Wanderings of Water/ Longing Leaving Staying; 54:13. 

Samo Records; Samo Salamon (6- and 12-string acoustic guitars) Hasse Poulsen (6 string acoustic guitar); Maribor, Slovenia (Salamon) & Paris, France (Poulsen, probably), June and July 2020; Ultra Serieux/ Austrian Lake/ Coverless/ Two Sides of a Mountain/ Sometimes a Bird/ Free Noses/ Soft Grass/ String Dancers/ Mind Fuel/ Cornering/ The Scent of Rain / A Word We Heard; 51:54. www.samosalamon.com

Simon Moullier Trio: Countdown

The Simon Moullier Trio adroitly reinvents a number of familiar jazz compositions and a couple of standards on their beautifully realized debut Countdown. A lineup of vibes, bass, and drums is not that common; more often than not, there’s a piano or guitar included to make it a quartet. But vibraphonist Moullier and his bandmates Luca Alemanno on bass and Jongkuk Kim on drums seem perfectly at home in the trio configuration. The combination of the unusual setting with relatively well-known material makes for a special listening experience. Especially fine are the two Thelonious Monk tunes, Work and Ask Me Now, Charles Mingus’ immortal ode to Lester Young, the much-recorded Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, and the trio’s bouncy look at Jerome Kern’s The Song Is You. The hard-driving drummer Kim is impressive throughout the set, keeping things moving smartly. His featured role on Tadd Dameron’s Hot House is a delight. The steady Alemanno acts as a fulcrum between the drums and vibes, with a couple of exceptional solos along the way, while Moullier’s bright vibes sound and his astute sense of melodic invention lead the way. Countdown is an elegantly creative and rewarding release. 

Fresh Sounds New Talent FSNT-622; Simon Moullier (vbs) Luca Alemanno (b) Jongkuk Kim (d); NYC, May 2020, except *Los Angeles, CA, November 2017; Countdown/ Work/ I Concentrate On You/ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/ Nature Boy/ Turn Out the Stars/ The Song Is You/ Beijo Partido/ Hot House/ *Ask Me Now; 41:26. www.freshsoundrecords.com

Julian Lage: Squint

  With Squint, his debut as a leader for Blue Note Records, guitarist Julian Lage completes an unusual musical relay. It goes like this: towards the end of the 1950's, saxophonist Boots Randolph prevailed upon young vibraphonist Gary Burton to move to Nashville, where he made his earliest recordings with Randolph, guitarist Hank Garland, and pianist Floyd Cramer. That sojourn lasted for a couple of years, until Burton relocated to New York. The first Gary Burton quartet with Larry Coryell on guitar recorded Duster in 1967. Coryell was succeeded by, among others, Jerry Hahn, Mick Goodrick, and Pat Metheny in various Burton units over the years. In 2003, Burton introduced his new band, bringing Julian Lage to immediate prominence. Lage went on to record four CDs with Burton, with his own first record as a leader for EmArcy in 2009. Now Lage himself has completed the circle by moving to Nashville, where he recorded Squint at home and at the legendary Sound Emporium Studios. Anyone who’s heard any of the Burton titles or Lage’s collaborations with fellow guitarist Nels Cline (Room, 2014; and Currents, Constellations, 2018) knows that Lage is a consistently exciting and inventive player. His trio of the last few years featuring Jorge Roeder on bass and Dave King on drums has attained a beautifully poised sound and they more than do justice to Lage’s tuneful originals. The opening Etude is a relaxing solo piece, welcoming us to the session. Eight Lage compositions by the trio are on the program, along with Johnny Mercer’s Emily, popular with improvisers since its debut in 1964, and the more obscure Call of the Canyon, by Billy Hill, sung first by Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey in 1940 and later by Gene Autry in a 1942 film of the same name. Highlights include the perky groove of Saint Rose, the sweetly delicate treatment of Emily, the trenchant interplay of the trio on the up-tempo Familiar Flower, and the utterly relaxed Short Form. Squint is happily recommended. 

Blue Note B08Y4H43VJ; Julian Lage (el g) Jorge Roeder (b) Dave King (d); Nashville, TN, August 15-19, 2020; Etude (solo guitar)/ Boo's Blues/ Squint/ Saint Rose/ Emily/ Familiar Flower/ Day and Age/ Quiet Like a Fuse/ Short Form/ Twilight Surfer/ Call Of The Canyon; 45:32. www.bluenote.com

William Parker: Mayan Space Station

  Could it be? Could this smoking-hot power trio be the preeminent bassist/composer William Parker with the equally masterful Gerald Cleaver on drums and guitarist Ava Mendoza? The happy answer is yes, indeed, this is Mayan Space Station, another of the boldly unpredictable twists and turns in Parker’s burgeoning discography. Guitarist Mendoza leads the charge with her boldly distorted sound and wailing solos, and that power fits right in with Parker’s uncanny time and Cleaver’s lively drumming, with special attention to his tom-toms and cymbals. It’s a thrill a minute as these three go head to head to head on Parker’s grooves with their, seemingly basic melodies that generate extended triologues. From the loping headlong swing of Domingo to the hard-riding sway of Mayan Space Station to the jagged and fearsomely complex Canyons of Light, the trio’s music is enthralling, dynamically intense, and overflowing with the shared joy of creating something new. Not to be missed! And make sure to investigate, via download or the CD version, the jumpy surge of the trio on Rocas Rojas and the cheerful jamming that pervades The Wall Tumbles Down. The two tracks amount to about 20 minutes of music that doesn’t fit on the vinyl version. 

AUM Fidelity AUM115; Ava Mendoza (el g) William Parker (b) Gerald Cleaver (d); Brooklyn, NY, February 2020; Tabasco/ Rocas Rojas*/ Domingo/ Mayan Space Station / Canyons of Light/ The Wall Tumbles Down *[ * CD / DL only ]; 58:08. aumfidelity.com

Ikue Mori/Satoko Fujii + Natsuki Tamura: Prickly Pear Cactus (Pandemic duos and trios, #2)

  Ikue Mori/Satoko Fujii + Natsuki Tamura have their own file-trading project, Prickly Pear Cactus. Step right into their world of bleeps, bloops, distorted piano, and a myriad of other-worldly noises on the opening title track, where electronic musician Mori and pianist Fujii are joined by Fujii’s husband, the audacious trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. It’s the kind of onslaught that separates the potential audience into those who are merely curious and those who are thrilled by the passionate creativity that’s displayed. Count me among the fiercely committed, open to whatever weirdness these radically adventuresome players provide. The blend of Fujii’s piano musings, full of surprising leaps and startling shifts in tempo, with Mori’s everything but the kitchen sink electronics is unusually absorbing. Tamura’s bravura trumpet stylings add another layer of craziness to the proceedings on four tracks. With Fujii and Tamura at home in Kobe City, Japan, and Mori at home in New York, the pieces evolved in various ways, with Mori providing the final mix and edits. The line between composition and improvisation, shaky at best in a wide variety of situations, becomes more blurred in the deliberate and time-delayed nature of the file sharing process. Even more than usual with improvised music, a blow-by-blow description of the music on Prickly Pear Cactus would be totally beside the point. So I’ll just say that Prickly Pear Cactus is a gas, and one of the few positive ramifications of the Earth’s plague year. Great on headphones, too! 

Libra 203-062; Natsuki Tamura (tpt on *) Satoko Fujii (p) Ikue Mori (elec); NYC (Mori) & Kobe City (Fujii & Tamura), 2020; Prickly Pear Cactus*/ Sweet Fish/ Guerrilla Rain/ Mountain Stream*/ Overnight Mushroom/ Empty Factory/ In the Water*/ Turning/ Muddy Stream*/ Sign; 53:50. librarecords.com