I’m pretty much of a sucker when it comes to bands of two electric guitars, bass, and drums, which makes bassist Arthur Kell’s Speculation Quartet, captured Live At LunÀtico, a total treat. Nate Radley and Brad Shepik are the guitarists, Allan Medyard is on drums, and the enthusiastic audience, warming up by the band on a couple of February nights, is also a key part of the show. Bar LunÀtico is co-owned by Kell, so it’s no surprise that he feels right at home on the tiny stage. The tight setting, glimpsed in an online video of the quartet at work, provokes this band into intimate instant reactions. Kell’s compositions are essentially frameworks for improvising, and the quartet makes the most of their opportunities. Radley and Shepik trade lead and rhythm guitar duties seamlessly. The surging Dry Delta is a good example of the guitarists spurring one another on to ever more inventive zones while a rock-solid Kell and the hard-driving Mednard provide a potent rhythmic base. Kell has a fairly thin discography since his recorded debut on pianist Peggy Stern’s Actual Size back in 1998, and while I haven’t heard all his work, I really enjoyed his two Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases in 2008 (Victoria) and 2011 (Jester), and I’m glad to add this winning session to the shelf next to them. Recommended. Origin 82884; Nate Radley, Brad Shepik (g) Arthur Kell (b) Allan Mednard (d); Brooklyn, NY, February 15-16, 2022; Speculation (Intro)/ Haflat Zifaf/ The Djado/ Lullaby;Omi/ Pisciotta Blue/ Dry Delta/ Dark Green No. 15/ Regatta/ Polyamorphous/ Speculation; 71:17. arthurkell.com
If you’re looking for some over-the-top and almost brutal noise, then Echolocation just might be what you’re searching for. In Mendoza * Hoff * Revels, guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devin Hoff are joined by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Ches Smith for 49 minutes of crunchy and unabashedly electronic rave-ups. Hoff and Mendoza split the composing chores, with the guitarist and saxophonist Lewis as the main solo voices. Hoff and drummer Smith have recorded together frequently since they first played in San Francisco keyboardist Graham Connah’s Jettison Slinky ensemble back at the turn of the century, so their lock on these dense and lively rhythms comes as no surprise. Mendoza, whose unhinged guitar pyrotechnics have graced albums by the likes of Allen Lowe, Moppa Elliott, and Erik Friedlander, sounds like she’s having a great time mixing it up with her bandmates. Crazy, thunderous, and totally relentless, Echolocation will either have you dancing with abandon or running out of the room. AUM Fidelity AUM117 (CD, DL or vinyl); James Brandon Lewis (ts) Ava Mendoza (e gtr) Devin Hoff (b) Ches Smith (d); Brooklyn, NY, no dates specified; Dyscalculia/ Echolocation/ Interwhining/ Babel-17/ New Ghosts / Diablada/ The Stumble/ Ten Forward; 49:16. aumfidelity.com
It’s been a few years since Bear Proof was recorded, but bassist and leader Todd Sickafoose has been a busy man, with producing, orchestrating, and composing chores, so it seems like this project was on the back burner for a while. The nine original compositions on Bear Proof were intended to be played straight through, and the music was recorded just that way, as one continuous take. This stellar and well-rehearsed ensemble includes cornetist Kirk Knuffke, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, violinist Jenny Scheinman, guitarist Adam Levy, pianist Erik Deutsch, accordionist Rob Reich, and drummer Allison Miller. Over 62 minutes, Sickafoose unveils what he describes in a brief liner note as “a surreal meditation on BOOM and BUST.” Even if that intent never becomes clear to the engaged listener, the shifting textures and intricacies of Sickafoose’s arrangements, along with the manifest skills of his bandmates, will provide a heap of enduring pleasure. With brief solos darting out of the ensemble, and the surrounding support, there’s plenty of details to savor, and I expect that there will be fresh surprises to discover when this stirring set is played again and again. Secret Hatch SH054; Kirk Knuffke (cnt) Ben Goldberg (cl) Jenny Scheinman (vln) Adam Levy (g) Erik Deutsch (p) Rob Reich (acc) Todd Sickafoose (ac b) Allison Miller (d); Berkeley, CA, 2018; The Gold Gate/ Bent Into Shape/ Switched On/ Flush/ Magnetic North/ Boom Bust Startup Ruin/ Turns Luck/ Prospects/ Reverse Fortune; 61:52. toddsickafoose.bandcamp.com
Trumpeter Jason Palmer and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner are beautifully matched in the Mark Turner Quartet, with Joe Martin on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums. Live At The Village Vanguard, from Jimmy Katz’s Giant Step Arts project, gathers eleven tunes recorded over two nights at the fabled New York nightspot. Turner wrote all the pieces for this date, and he has the knack of composing tunes that hold your interest without being too convoluted as well as proving to be valuable springboards for improvisation. While the closing Lennie Groove first appeared on Turner’s 1998 album In This World, the bulk of the repertoire comes from his well-received 2019 CD Return From The Stars. That ECM release was recorded with the same quartet that appears here, and their deep immersion into the material gives the music a special lift in this live setting. As soloists, Palmer’s fluid and expressive trumpet and Turner’s sensuous and seemingly off-hand tenor are always a pleasure, but it’s their intertwined duo exchanges that really stand out. The performances rely on the penetrating rhythms and unbounded creativity of the Martin and Pinson team. Live At The Village Vanguard is a most satisfying 130 minutes of music; strongly recommended. Giant Step Arts; Jason Palmer (tpt) Mark Turner (ts) Joe Martin (b) Jonathan Pinson (d); NYC, June 18-19, 2022; Disc 1 (63:32): Return From the Stars/ Terminus/ Bridgetown/ BrotherSister/ Nigeria 2/ Lincoln Heights. Disc 2 (67:17): 1946/ Unacceptable/ It’s Not Alright With me/ Wasteland/ Lennie Groove. www.giantsteparts.org
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