Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions

        Following closely after Mosaic’s compilation of Classic Vanguard Small Group Swing Sessions comes a companion set, Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions with 6 CDs containing a total of eleven complete sessions. The fun starts with the Jo Jones Trio, recorded in early stereophonic sound at the end of April 1958. Mosaic has eschewed its usual chronological sequencing in favor of a more thematic approach, and the glorious sounds of the Jones trio with pianist Ray Bryant and his bassist brother Tommy Bryant. Drum master Jones, a mainstay of the Small Group Sessions collection, is heard again with the almost forgotten pianist Sir Charles Thompson in a quartet date on the remainder of disc 1. Thompson led a few band dates on the earlier box and is represented here in two contexts. The quartet date of January 1954 features Jones with bassist Walter Page and guitarist Freddie Green, while the February 1955 session, which starts off disc 2, is a drummer-less trio with Skeeter Best on guitar and Aaron Bell on bass. The rest of disc 2 offers a solo set from pianist Bobby Henderson, a very enjoyable Fats Waller tribute recorded in November 1956. This fine performer was rediscovered after 23 years by producer John Hammond during a random stopover in Albany, NY where Henderson was performing under a different name. After Henderson made a second solo recording for Vanguard in 1957 (Call House Blues), he disappeared again, resurfacing again two decades later to make two more solo albums for Chiaroscuro in 1969. Discs 3 & 4 are given over to four sessions led by pianist Mel Powell, closely associated with Benny Goodman. First up is a swinging sextet date featuring trumpeter Buck Clayton. That’s followed by a fascinating August 1954 trio date with Powell joined by the “Vice Prez” Paul Quinichette on tenor saxophone and Bobby Donaldson on drums. Just a week later came another trio excursion, with trumpeter Ruby Braff and Donaldson. The last Powell session, done in October 1955, is a hodge-podge of lineups, with trios, quintets, and septets. There’s some fine music here, but the ever-changing configurations make for an odd listening experience. Thomas Cuniffe, principal writer and editor of jazzhistoryonline.com who contributed a liner essay to the first Vanguard box, repeats that effort here. He describes the Ruby Braff/Ellis Larkins duo sessions that make up discs five and six as the “crown jewels of this collection,” and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment. Trumpeter Braff and pianist Larkins recorded a baker’s dozen of songs in February 1955, released as on two 10-inch volumes aptly titled as Two Part Inventions in Jazz. The pair followed up with an October date devoted exclusively to songs by the well-loved team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, issued on Lp as 2 x 2. Larkins had established a reputation as an accompanist to singers, notably Mildred Bailey and Ella Fitzgerald. In Braff he had a partner whose style frequently took a song’s lyrics as a springboard for his improvisations. They are clearly of one mind in their approaches to the music, and together they manifest an unhurried and sophisticated approach to their material. The late Michael Cuscuna, co-founder of Mosaic Records, was deeply involved in the preparation of the Vanguard sets, and these collections testify to his wide-ranging engagement with all eras of jazz. He’s much missed, but his overwhelming contribution to the music will live on as long as there are enthusiasts to listen to his many productions. Easily recommended. 

Mosaic MD6-281; Disc 1 63:21): (A) Jo Jones Trio (4/30/58) (B) Sir Charles Thompson Quartet (1/22/54). Disc 2 (70:10): ©) Sir Charles Thompson Trio (2/16/55) (D) Bobby Henderson (11/26/56). Disc 3 (61:43): (E) Mel Powell Septet (12/30/53) (F) Mel Powell Trio (8/17/54). Disc 4 (72:37): (G) Mel Powell Trio (8/24/54) (H) Mel Powell Septet/Quintet (10/19/55). Disc 5 (60:43): (I) Ruby Braff/Ellis Larkins duo (2/17/55). Disc 6 (50:43): Ruby Braff/Ellis Larkins duo (10/14/55). For complete discographical details, go here. Limited to 5,000 sets; available from www.mosaicrecords.com

Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey: On View At The Five Spot Café: The Complete Masters

     The cast: guitarist Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey on drums, plus Bobby Timmons and Roland Hanna alternating on piano, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, and bassist Ben Tucker. The date and place: August 25, 1959 at the Five Spot Café, near the Bowery in lower Manhattan. The recording engineer: Rudy Van Gelder. What could go wrong? Nothing! For the original Lp, the producer’s biggest problem was likely to be what to include and what to leave out from the five sets of the evening. Now we have On View At The Five Spot Café: The Complete Masters, with six previously unissued tracks joining the original album and the three tracks that were added to an earlier CD reissue. While the music is great, The Complete Masters is a misnomer. According to Tom Lord’s online Jazz Discography, there were twenty-five pieces recorded that night. Hanna was on piano for sets one, three, and four, replaced by Timmons on the other two sets, with Tina Brooks playing only with Timmons on piano. For this collection, compilation producer Joe Harley has simply sequenced the original album followed by the CD bonus selection, and then added six more tracks after that, for a total of fourteen tracks. That leaves eleven performances unaccounted for. The notation “rejected” is appended to thirteen takes in the Jazz Discography, a few of which have now been issued. To a jazz nerd like me, it seems wrong to call this The Complete Masters when it’s really the Incomplete masters, without an explanation as to what’s missing. And why wasn’t the music put back in the original sequence, instead of the hodgepodge that’s been issued in the past? Even so, there’s nearly two hours of fine music at hand. And who could scoff at having more Tina Brooks to listen to, or to relax with an especially frisky Kenny Burrell with the mighty Art Blakey at the drums? Not me, that’s for sure. The booklet includes an essay by Syd Schwartz about the history of the Five Spot, his notes on the performances, and a revealing interview with Kenny Burrell. While I’m looking forward to the eventual release of the entire evening in its original sequence, I’m pretty happy listening to what’s here. 

Blue Note (2 CDs/3 Lps); Tina Brooks (ts on #) Kenny Burrell (g) Bobby Timmons or *Roland Hanna (p) Ben Tucker (b) Art Blakey (d); NYC, August 25, 1959; CD 1 (63:36): Birks’ Works#/ Hallelujah*/ Lady Be Good#/ Lover Man#/ 36-23-36/ Swingin’/ If You Could See Me Now*/ Beef Stew Blues*. CD 2 (51:22): The Next Time You See Me, Things Won’t Be the Same*/ The Take Off*/ Birks’ Works#/ Lady Be Good#/ Love Walked In/ 36-23-36 (The Theme)#. www.bluenote.com

Charles Mingus: In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts

     I had the enormous pleasure of seeing the Charles Mingus quintet in performance during the last few years of his career, twice in San Francisco, and once in New York. The last show I caught was at the Great American Music Hall in April 1977, with the same unit that appears on the newly released In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts. The quintet toured the States that year, played in South America in June and then in Europe in July before returning to New York, on the last tour that Mingus would make. This set is not only the first official release of this concert material, but as Mingus biographer Brian Priestley mentions in his essay for the booklet, it’s also the first legitimate documentation of this edition of the quintet. In addition to Priestley’s notes, the booklet includes rare photographs, a long and insightful excerpt from Claudio Parisi’s Grandes del jazz internacional en Argentina 1956-1979, and reminiscences of working with Mingus by trumpeter Walrath and saxophonist Ford. Walrath writes that “playing with Mingus, to quote Dannie Richmond, ‘is a bitch in every sense of the word.’” Mingus, he notes, “always wanted something different.” Ford, who was barely 23 at the time of the 1977 tour, tells the story of how he came to be in the quintet. About Mingus, he writes that “when you played with him, you were walking on eggshells. You never knew what was going to happen. Still, it was a great experience ...” The programs are mostly drawn from tunes recorded on Mingus’ Seventies Atlantic albums: Changes One, Changes Two, Three Or Four Shades Of Blue, and Cumbia And Jazz Fusion, along with two older favorites. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a 1959 elegy to the great Lester Young, is the first number of the June 2 show. The still relevant 1957 composition Fables Of Faubus, complete with repartee, a very fine bass solo, and a drum solo, comes from the June 3 performance. As an acknowledgment of Mingus’ roots in bebop, the band plays a quick medley of Koko and Cherokee as a theme statement. A brief piano solo by Mingus ends both nights. Although Mingus was ill and in a generally bad humor according to contemporary accounts, the music is powerful on both nights, with enthusiastic audiences loudly approving. Mingus might not have been soloing as much as he had been earlier in his career, but his continued fierce ensemble playing combined with the talents and dedication of this multi-generational unit make this a collection not to be missed. Highest recommendation! 

Resonance HCD- 2077 (2-CDs & 3-Lps); Jack Walrath (tpt) Ricky Ford (ts) Robert Neloms (p) Charles Mingus (b, p on *) Dannie Richmond (d); Buenos, Argentina, June 2, 1977 (disc 1) or June 3, 1977 (disc 2); Disc 1 (77:50): Introduction/ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/ Duke Ellington’ s Sound of Love/ Noddin’ Ya Head Blues/ Three or Four Shades of Blue/ Koko; Cherokee/ For Harry Carney/ Cumbia & Jazz Fusion/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. Disc 2 (33:32) Sue’s Changes (incomplete)/ Koko; Cherokee; Band intros/ Fables of Faubus/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. resonancerecords.org

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa In The Bronx & Freddie Hubbard: On Fire - Live From The Blue Morocco

     Someone really ought to get to work on a biography of Sylvia Robinson. Not sure who she was? She was half of Mickey and Sylvia, with a massive hit in 1957 called Love is Strange; she had another smash hit in 1973 with Pillow Talk. And she went on to co-found Sugar Hill Records in 1979, producing the influential hip-hop songs Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang and The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. But what concerns us here is her club The Blue Morocco, a short-lived Bronx nightspot. Two excellent releases recorded at the club have just been release, one by Kenny Dorham and one by Freddie Hubbard. Both sessions were recorded by Bernard Drayton, another fascinating New York personage. When Zev Feldman, known as the Jazz Detective, was introduced to Drayton, he became aware of Drayton’s archive of tapes. Drayton is described by Feldman as “a renaissance man” who not only had a lengthy career in advertising, but was also a gifted photographer and a fine recording engineer. John Coltrane’s last public performance, released by Impulse! as The Olatunji Concert, is one of his efforts. Drayton worked with two mikes, a tiny mixer and a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine, a setup that’s pictured in both of these releases. 

    Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was, by all accounts, a cultured and respectful man. The booklet included with Blue Bossa In The Bronx - Live From The Blue Morocco, includes an excerpt from an interview with the late Dan Morgenstern. Back when he was the editor of Downbeat, Morgenstern worked closely with Dorham when the trumpeter was briefly writing record reviews for the magazine. The insightful Morgenstern describes Dorham as “an extraordinarily intelligent person ... a guy who thought about the music and its history...” The single CD or double Lp issue of this quintet date offers what sounds like a complete set from the Bronx club. Kicking things off with Dorham’s best-known composition, Blue Bossa, the stellar unit features Sonny Red on alto along with a marvelous rhythm section of Cedar Walton on piano, the ubiquitous Paul Chambers on bass, and Denis Charles on drums. Charles is usually associated with the likes of Cecil Taylor and Steve Lacy, but remember that he also worked with Gil Evans, Sonny Rollins, and Sandy Bull. His low-key but insistent presence on the drums gives the band a firm foundation for the excellent solo work of Dorham and Walton. Sonny Red plays fluidly, but he doesn’t often sound especially inspired on this night. The typically varied program includes nods to K.D.’s bop roots, with expansive versions of Charlie Parker’s Confirmation and Milt Jackson’s Bags’ Groove, and a pair of standards. Memories of You is a feature for Sonny Red, whose convincingly bluesy approach shows him at his best. The music then slides directly into Dorham’s disarmingly relaxed look at My One and Only Love. We also get to hear Blue Friday, a Dorham original that debuted on his exquisite 1959 album Quiet Kenny, and the set closes, in the bop tradition, with The Theme. Dorham is a classic example of the “musician’s musician.” While he didn’t get a ton of recognition from the public, he was highly thought of by his peers, as well as the many trumpeters who followed in his footsteps. Eddie Henderson, Steven Bernstein, Charles Tolliver, and Jeremy Pelt all offer their praise from different angles in statements included in the booklet. Bassist Reggie Workman also offers his perspective, noting Dorham’s “unique sound and approach” and emphasizing that he also a vocalist, making him especially “able to relate to the lyrics of a song.” The booklet also features liner notes by Bob Blumenthal, short statements from Dorham’s children, and a fascinating remembrance of the night by Bernard Drayton. Frankly, I’ve never heard a Dorham recording that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, and Blue Bossa In The Bronx is no exception. Happily recommended. Resonance HCD–2072 (CD & 2-lp set); Kenny Dorham (tpt) Sonny Red (as) Cedar Walton (p) Paul Chambers (b) Denis Charles (d); The Bronx, NY, 1967; Blue Bossa/ Confirmation/ Memories of You/ My One and Only Love/ Bags’ Groove/ Blue Friday/ The Theme; 73:35. 

    When the masterly trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was really feeling it, it was obvious from the first note. One night in The Bronx, Hubbard was in fabulous form, as the recently issued On Fire - Live From The Blue Morocco proves. Hubbard at that point in 1967 was signed to Atlantic Records, after a long association with Blue Note.  His formidably swinging quintet at the time consisted of Bennie Maupin on tenor saxophone, Kenny Barron on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums. This Resonance set, on two CDs or three Lps, is the second of Bernard Drayton’s recordings to appear on the label. Considering the recording setup he used, he managed to get a well-balanced result. The wildly exciting program features original compositions by Hubbard (Crisis, Up Jumped Spring, True Colors, and Breaking Point), along with Bob Cunningham’s Echoes of Blue, and a pair of standards in the second set. Bye Bye Blackbird and Summertime each are explored at length, with superb solo work by Hubbard, Maupin, and Barron. Freddie Waits could drive a small group with finesse and unstoppable propulsion, and he’s totally on his game on this night. In what has become the standard for Resonance releases, and producer Zev Feldman’s projects in general, there’s a copiously illustrated booklet. This one includes Feldman’s introduction, a short piece by Freddie’s son Duane Hubbard, liner notes by John Koenig, memories of performing with Hubbard by Kenny Barron and Bennie Maupin, an essay by Bernard Drayton about the gig, plus appreciations by fellow trumpeters Charles Tolliver, Eddie Henderson, Steven Bernstein (“This recording is insane!”), and Jeremy Pelt. On Fire is a valuable addition to the legacy of the great Freddie Hubbard, and is heartily recommended. Resonance HCD-2073; Freddie Hubbard (tpt) Bennie Maupin (ts) Kenny Barron (p) Herbie Lewis (b) Freddie Waits (d); The Bronx, NY, April 10, 1967; Disc 1 (65:18) Crisis/ Up Jumped Spring/ Echoes of Blue/ True Colors; Breaking Point. Disc 2 (47:56) Bye Bye Blackbird/ Summertime/ Breaking Point. resonancerecords.org

Jim Snidero: Bird Feathers

    With his latest project, Bird Feathers, alto saxophonist Jim Snidero delivers a delightful session of songs written or played by Charlie Parker, with the aid of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth. It’s a bit unusual to tear into tunes like Ornithology or Confirmation in this trio format without a chording instrument, but this unit succeeds admirably. Bird Feathers, the album, kicks off with the title track, a reworking of a Parker original from a 1947 Dial session, and a hint of what’s in store for the remainder of the 46 minutes. Snidero’s bright tone and the fluidity of his ideas are always a treat, especially when he’s invigorated by a thematic approach. For this Bird tribute, he smartly sequences Parker’s tunes and standards that he loved to play. By the time I got to Snidero’s exquisite version of These Foolish Things, I was more than ready to endorse this release wholeheartedly, and that was only the third track! Other highlights include a brisk look at Ornithology, complete with effective solos by Washington and Farnsworth, a loving version of Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness of You, the gently swinging version of the infrequently played Charlie’s Wig from the same 1947 session that produced Bird Feathers, and the finale, a solo saxophone rendition of the well-known Ram Ramirez tune Lover Man. The accomplished Washington shows with every note why he is one of the most recorded bassists of the modern era, with 514 (!) sessions listed in Tom Lord’s online Jazz Discography since his debut in 1986. Drummer Farnsworth, a sensitive and responsive musician, has amassed over 200 sessions in the same database since 1991. They are both clearly suited to Snidero’s stripped-down approach to this material, and together they help make this disc a success. If you love the music of Charlie Parker half as much as Jim Snidero clearly does, you will absolutely enjoy every minute of Bird Feathers. Joyously recommended. 

Savant SCD 2224; Jim Snidero (as) Peter Washington (b) Joe Farnsworth (d); Saylorsburg, PA, October 4, 2024; Bird Feathers/ Scrapple From the Apple/ These Foolish Things/ Ornithology/ Embraceable You/ The Nearness of You/ Charlie’s Wig/ Confirmation/ Lover Man; 46:58. www.jazzdepot.com

George Cables: I Hear Echoes

     I get a lot of CDs and downloads sent to me for this blog, and I can’t usually be sure I’ll enjoy the music until I start listening. But when it’s a new recording by pianist George Cables, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it’s going to be a winner. And so it is with I Hear Echoes, his latest HighNote album, a trio date with Essiet Essiet on bass and Jerome Jennings on drums. Cables turned 80 in November 2024 and he’s had various health problems over the last few years, but he sounds really strong on the opening track, Echo of a Scream. The first of four original tunes, it’s a dazzling upbeat swinger with an insistent figure that Cables keeps up for the whole tune. Another Cables composition, Echoes, sounds like a close cousin to the opener, with a more relaxed feel but similarly constructed. The trio also takes a fresh look at some older tunes: Morning Song, a tune that dates back to the late Seventies, and Blue Nights, first recorded in 1985. Joining the originals are a few standards, including a tasty upbeat version of Cole Porter’s You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To, and jazz compositions including Duke Ellington’s timeless Prelude to a Kiss, Cedar Walton’s Clockwise, and a stirring romp through pianist Arcoiris Sandoval’s Journey to Agartha. The CD concludes with a reflective solo rendition of Horace Silver’s Peace. There’s a reason Cables has been a key member of bands led by such disparate personalities and stylists as Art Blakey and saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper. He’s also appeared on record with such critically acclaimed artists as Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, and many others. That reason is his unerring instinct for the right note at the right time and his reliable sense of swing. Until his run of trio albums for HighNote dating back to 2012's My Muse, I was more of a devotee of his ensemble work. But now, I’m eager to make room on the shelf for another of his joyously swinging trio dates. Absolutely recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7256; George Cables (p) Essiet Essiet (b) Jerome Jennings (d); NYC, January 30 & May 2, 2024; Echo of a Scream/ Echoes/ So Near So Far/ Morning Song/ Prelude to a Kiss/ Clockwise/ Like a Lover/ You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To/ Blue Nights/ Journey to Agartha/ Peace; 65:41. www.jazzdepot.com

Ivo! Ivo! Ivo!

     The following batch of reviews of Ivo Perelman releases in 2024 was already late when I started to get it together in January. Due to a series of personal and technical setbacks, it’s now really late. But the music, obviously, is still out there, and in the spirit of “better late than never,” I figured it was time to get this published.

    It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the spectacularly prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman. His ethos of totally free improvisation with no preconceptions is dependent on like-minded collaborators, and over the years, he has continually expanded the pool of allies. You might say that Perelman “orchestrates” his sessions by choosing the right partner or partners for a given session in a similar fashion to the way that Duke Ellington would create his music based on the particular talents and predilections of specific individuals. Of his baker’s dozen releases in 2024, no two feature the same lineup of musicians. Here is a look at most of them, with links to a couple of previously released sessions:

    First out of the gate last year was the aptly titled Ephemeral Shapes. The trio of Ivo Perelman, Aruán Ortiz & Ramón López created vigorous and absorbingly dynamic sounds at this session, recorded in Barcelona in the spring. The lengthy shape 1 delineates many of the possible approaches to the tenor sax, piano and drums trio, and the remainder of the date features generally shorter pieces that focus in on various strategies and concepts that the opening establishes. To note just a few of them: shape 2 is cautious and somewhat melancholy, starting out quietly before then growing slowly into a kind of ecstatic intensity, then relaxing again until it reaches silence. López’s delicate brushwork on the gracefully paced shape 4 is a special treat. Perelman introduces shape 5 as if he’s about to play the blues before quickly taking off in another direction, with the fleet-fingered Ortiz and the sensitive López racing alongside. The delicate interplay of shape 6 gives the music an unusually emotional aspect, which makes it one of my favorite tracks of the date. That nuanced approach continues at the start of shape 7, which goes on to include an energetic duet exchange by Ortiz and López before Perelman re-enters the fray with some fiery high-register excursions. Ephemeral is the closing track, just under four minutes of summing up with a blast of interactive fireworks. Ephemeral Shapes is a winning effort. While perhaps ephemeral in the moment of making music, there always lurks the inevitable contradiction of preserving sounds, and to listen again and again. Fundacja Słuchaj; Ivo Perelman (ts) Aruán Ortiz (p) Ramón López (d); shape 1/ shape 2/ shape 3/shape 4/ shape 5/ shape 6/ shape 7/ Ephemeral; Barcelona, Spain, May 7, 2024; 47:13. sluchaj.bandcamp.com

    Interaction presents a series of twenty improvisations by a trio of Ivo Perelman, Barry Guy & Ramón López that dates back to 2017 Paris sessions Paris. It takes a widely experienced bassist to match wits with the endlessly inventive Perelman, and Barry Guy is certainly that. From his earliest recordings with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1966 and 1967, Guy has consistently associated with the boldest and most progressive musicians on the scene. Derek Bailey, Howard Riley, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker and so many others have all collaborated with Guy in a wide range of improvisatory settings. Both Guy and Perelman were members of the Ramón López Freedom Now Sextet that released one album in 2009, so there’s a bit of history leading up to this trio. Their previous association serves them well here, as they explore the rarefied realm of instant composition in pieces that range from just over ten minutes to under two minutes. López’s playing is largely on the subdued side, leaving it to Perelman’s tenor excursions and Guy’s boldly inventive bass to lead the way. The velocity of the trio’s interactions seems to be the main focus of the group mind throughout the date, as the music plunges forward or stops on a dime. Interaction is a thoroughly enjoyable and distinguished collection, and a gem of freely improvised music. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman (ts) Barry Guy (b) Ramón López (d, tabla); Paris, France, 2017; Disc 1 (73:38): Tracks 1-11; Disc 2 (55:08): Tracks 1-9.

    Perelman’s most frequent musical partner is pianist Matthew Shipp. Magical Incantation is the latest excursion by the Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp Duo. More often than not, there are no titles on Perelman’s releases, just “track 1,”“ track 2,” and so on. For this date, the pieces are given names, with titles like sacred values and vibrational essence that are revealing of the spiritual intentions behind the concept of totally free improvisation. The opening piece, prayer, belies the general belief that free improvisation implies noisy and aggressive combinations of sounds. The utter gentleness of this piece sets the tone of the album, though the forty-five minutes of Magical Incantation is certainly not without its moments of heightened and intense passages. Take incarnation as one example, opening with Shipp’s forceful chording and Perelman’s treble screech before shifting into the kind of unified chase sequence that you’d swear had to be written, but of course was invented on the spur of the moment. It’s a whirlwind of sound, and a revelatory microcosm of the Perelman/Shipp duo in just under six minutes. Periodically, Perelman and Shipp have declared that there isn’t much more for them to explore as a duo, only to start up again and dazzle us with their endlessly creative wizardry. Magical Incantation is the latest radiant expression of their mutual admiration society. Soul City Sounds (CD & digital album); Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, April 23, 2024; prayer/ rituals/ lustihood/ enlightenment/ sacred values/ incarnation/ vibrational essence/ magical incantation; 45:55. soulcitysounds.bandcamp.com

    The hard-blowing tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is most often heard in a duet context, with a wide range of instrumentalists. Water Music, a RogueArt release by the Ivo Perelman Quartet, represents a new departure for the restlessly creative Perelman. With long-term duo partner Matthew Shipp at the piano, bassist Mark Helias on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums, this set is far from a typical sax-and-rhythm section affair. Pianist Shipp and bassist Helias have logged three previous recorded encounters since 2018, while Helias and drummer Rainey have recorded together frequently since a 1990 Helias session, often in Helias’ Open Loose ensemble. Perelman’s concept, of course, involves totally free improvisation, with nothing preconceived. It seems to this non-musician that utilizing musicians who have some prior playing experiences with one another and thereby developed a degree of mutual rapport would help in the creation of genuinely creative and cohesive music. And sure enough, the proof is in the listening. This quartet makes quite a racket when they have a mind to. The title track is a great example of the quartet’s proclivities, starting hard and fast, then slowing down to a crawl as they leave space for Helias’ invigorating bowing. Perelman’s high end yelps match wits with the bowed bass, as Shipp supplies his idiosyncratic voicings and Rainey keeps the whole thing from falling to pieces. The pace increases once again, a decision of the group mind that this ensemble exhibits throughout the date. Perelman’s releases tend not to have titles for the tracks, so their presence on Water Music gives the listener some clues about the feeling behind the music. In the absence of chord structures or strict tempos, naming pieces Life force or Fluidity can give the listener at least a small clue to the feeling that the quartet wishes to generate. Of course, the titles can mislead as well. The finale, Flow, doesn’t really flow much of the way through its nine minutes, concluding with a staccato section that everyone finds congenial, then ending abruptly. All in all, Water Music is yet another stirring date from Perelman and friends. Seriously recommended. RogueArt ROG-135; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Mark Helias (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, November 22, 2022; Entrainment/ Life Force/ Sound essence/ Human intuition/ Boundless/ Water music/ Fluidity/ Flow; 52:56. roguart.com

    Ivo Perelman clearly enjoyed the experience of his Water Music session. Truth Seeker, a trio date with Mark Helias and Tom Rainey followed just a month later. (I wrote about it here, and it was included in my “best of 2024" list, found here.) Eighteen months later, Perelman began his Duologues series with Duologues 1 : Turning Point with the sax and drums duo of Ivo Perelman & Tom Rainey. The resulting session is a joyous set of typically unbridled free improvisation. Perelman sounds especially inspired. His daring leaps from the bottom of the tenor’s range to the seemingly impossible upper reaches of the sax are full of surprises, with an immense vocabulary of squeals, honks, cries, moans, and much more. In the stratospheric range he has no peers in the lucid manipulation and clarity of his tone. Rainey is an all-around drummer, whose immense discography (232 sessions in the Lord Discography since 1980) attests to both his talent and his openness to a broad range of improvisational approaches. You might call the pairing of Perelman and Rainey to be a match made in music heaven, as they balance and stimulate one another in the process of creating these instant compositions. Recommended. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman (ts) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 17, 2024; 7 untitled improvisations; 56:13.
    I wrote about another quartet date, Embracing The Unknown, here; it’s also one of my selections for the best of 2024.

    The duo of Ivo Perelman & Nate Wooley brings together two fearless improvisers, each committed to exploring and extending the limits of their instruments. Tenor saxophonist Perelman and trumpeter Wooley have recorded together in a number of settings since 2017. Polarity 3 marks the third occasion that they’ve played in duo format. Over the course of just over an hour, the pair continues to display the mesmerizing playfulness that characterizes their encounters. The instant music that they create ranges from genuinely calm unisons (the opening track) to brief outbreaks of brutal noise and so much more. I get the distinct feeling that the musicians were just as surprised at the sounds they were making as the home listener is likely to be. Wooley’s extended vocabulary of bleats, blasts, and blurred runs is balanced by smooth and rounded passages of pure trumpet. Perelman likewise runs the gamut of soaring melodies, gritty rumblings in the bottom end, squeaks, burbles, and skittish squiggles in the extreme upper ranges of the sax. There are so many beautiful moments to savor: the moody calmness of Two, the duel of matching wits in the upper registers on Five, the growly noodling on Eight, and so much more. Bold and absorbing music that deserves to be heard again and again. Burning Ambulance #3; Nate Wooley (tpt) Ivo Perelman (ts); Brooklyn, NY, June 2024; One/ Two/ Three/ Four/ Five/ Six/ Seven/ Eight/ Nine/ Ten; 62:47. burningambulancemusic.bandcamp.com

    Two tenor saxophonists, Ivo Perelman & Ingrid Laubrock, match wits and meld their sounds on Duologues 3 : Crystal Clear. I can’t really tell the difference between them most of the time. Just when I think it’s Perelman on the left, I hear something on the right side that makes me think twice. What I do hear, all the way through, are two masters of improvisation and tonal control having a great time in the studio. By and large, the pair eschews the virtues of contrast, and seem more engaged in closely matched phrases and sonorities. But when they have a mind to engage in some fireworks, as they do when they figuratively battle in the second half of Two or most of Five, the energy level rises along with the complexity of their torrents of sound. The results are simply thrilling. The slowly evolving and calm Three is a gem of free improvisation, proving once again that the genre doesn’t have to rely on fast tempos and plenty of screaming. I’ve been listening closely and writing about Perelman’s music since around 2000, and the beguilingly vivacious Crystal Clear is a new favorite among his dozens and dozens of recordings. Definitely recommended. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman, Ingrid Laubrock (ts); Brooklyn, NY, 2024; One/ Two/ Three/ Four/ Five/ Six/ Seven/ Eight/ Nine; 48:53.

Classic Vanguard Small Group Swing Sessions

  When I first ran across some compilation CDs in 2002 by Sir Charles Thompson and Jimmy Rushing on the Vanguard label, I did a double-take. The sessions date from the early to mid Fifties, and I had never even known of their existence until then. I’d always thought of Vanguard Records as a folk-oriented label with artists like Joan Baez, Buffy Saint Marie, and Ian & Sylvia, with a few Country Joe and The Fish releases in the late Sixties. Now Mosaic Records has come to the rescue, by compiling the Classic Vanguard Small Group Swing Sessions. It turns out that most of the music on the 7 CDs in the set has never been reissued in any format, and the generally high quality of the swing-oriented music makes this a treasure chest of largely forgotten releases. All the sessions were produced by the legendary John Hammond, a larger than life figure who played a major role in American popular music for decades starting in the 1930's. Thomas Cunniffe’s booklet essay details the complicated story that led to Hammond’s association with Vanguard. Hammond was assisted on some of the earlier dates by Nat Hentoff, a columnist for Down Beat magazine at the time.

Originally released on 10" or 12" lps, all the music (aside from the final session, a live recording from Count Basie’s nightclub in Harlem) was recorded by the Brooklyn Masonic Temple with a single microphone some thirty feet above the stage. In general, the sound quality is surprisingly good, well balanced with clear separation of the instruments. The biggest names in this compilation are tenor saxophonists Buddy Tate, Frank Foster, Lucky Thompson, and Coleman Hawkins, drummer Jo Jones, bassist Walter Page and vocalist Jimmy Rushing from the Count Basie band, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and trumpeters Buck Clayton and Ruby Braff, although even some of these figures from the past will be known mostly to serious jazz fans. 

The Fifties were an interesting time in the history of jazz, when hard bop (like the music of Art Blakey and Horace Silver) and the more mainstream sound of the bands in this set largely coexisted, albeit with different audiences. Tenormen Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Ben Webster were still active, while modernists like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, and Benny Golson were starting to make names for themselves. Add in technological developments, like the use of tape recording, 10 & 12-inch lps, and later in the decade, the beginning of stereophonic reproduction, and it’s clear that this was a heady and complicated time for music. Swing-era musicians had to adapt to longer playing times after a lifetime of making sides that lasted for 4 minutes or less, and record companies also had to cope with the new realities of recording and releasing music. 

To these ears, the stars of this collection are trumpeter Ruby Braff, with his beautiful tone and thoughtful improvisations, the nearly forgotten pianist Sir Charles Thompson and his delightful sense of swing, the always pleasing “Mr. Five By Five,” Jimmy Rushing, and the influential drummer Jo Jones. The Basie veteran powers sessions by trombonist Vic Dickenson, trumpeters Braff and Clayton, and all three sessions featuring Jimmy Rushing. The collection also includes Jones’ first date as a leader, with Count Basie himself at the piano bench for two takes of Shoe Shine Boy. In the best Mosaic tradition, there’s one unreleased track, an alternate take of Kandee from Buck Clayton’s July 1, 1954 session. And there’s more to come, with a projected second collection of Vanguard Piano Jazz Showcase highlights, featured more Jo Jones and Sir Charles Thompson, plus Mel Powell and three duet albums by Ruby Braff and pianist Ellis Larkins. Unhesitatingly recommended. 

Mosaic MD7-280; Disc 1 (74:45): (A) Vic Dickenson Septet (12/29/53); (B) Vic Dickenson Septet (11/29/54); Disc 2 (62:49): (B) Vic Dickenson Septet, concluded; (C) Ruby Braff Sextet (10/17/5); Disc 3 (73:33): (D) Sir Charles Thompson Sextet (12/30/53); (E) Sir Charles Thompson and His Band (8/16/54); (F) Joe Newman and His Band (3/9/54). Disc 4 (80:01): (G) Buck Clayton’s Band (featuring Ruby Braff) (7/1/54); (H) Buck Clayton (3/14/57). Disc 5 (70:14): (I) Jo Jones (8/11/55); (J) Jimmy Rushing’s All Stars (12/1/54); Disc 6 (68:00): (K) Jimmy Rushing and His All Stars (8/16/55); (L) Jimmy Rushing (3/5/57); Disc 7 (70:55): (L) Jimmy Rushing, concluded; (M) Various Artists: A Night At Count Basie’s (10/22/56). For complete discographical details, go here. Limited to 5,000 sets; available from www.mosaicrecords.com

Miles Davis Quintet: Miles In France, 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8

  The latest entry in Columbia’s Miles Davis bootleg series takes us back to the early Sixties with the Miles Davis Quintet on Miles In France, 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8. There are three 1963 concerts, recorded on successive days in July at the Festival Mondial Du Jazz in Antibes, and two concerts in Paris from one night in 1964. On the 1963 date, the quintet had George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Coleman had only been in the band for a year and a half by this time, and the rhythm section started working together in May 1963. Coleman was followed, briefly, by Sam Rivers for a tour of Japan in July 1964. Then it was the turn of Wayne Shorter and what’s often called the Second Great Miles Davis Quintet. Although there have various stories about the rhythm section sometimes giving Coleman a hard time on the bandstand, in an interview for this release, he notes that he “was able to stay flexible and be more creative with Miles.” He adds that “Things really worked out good for me in that band ...” Shorter had been in the group less than a month by the time the Miles Davis Quintet returned to France to perform at the Paris Jazz Festival at the beginning of October 1964, not nearly enough time for new additions to the repertoire. The quintet’s European tour lasted until October 11, and when they into the studio to record E.S.P. in January 1965, there was a batch of new tunes written by the individuals in the group.

Miles, who seemed especially inspired when playing in France, is in extremely good form, bold and assertive on the faster numbers and breathtakingly lyrical on the slower tunes. The rhythm section seemingly jelled through some magic spell, or maybe it was just the energy of a teenage Tony Williams. The sound, even if it’s all in mono, is clear enough to offer the opportunity to listen closely to Williams near the start of his career. Another pleasure of the current collection is the chance to hear two excellent saxophonists grapple with some of the same material, like Victor Feldman’s Joshua and a frequently played favorite of the era, Walkin’ (usually credited to Richard Carpenter, but probably composed by Jimmy Mundy). Before this release, the only official release of Shorter performing this repertoire was the Miles In Berlin album, which originally came out only in Germany. Of the five concerts in this set, only the second Antibes show has previously been released. However, the music came out in pieces on various albums over a four-decade span, starting with 1964's Miles Davis In Europe. The only previous issue of the entire show was as part of Seven Steps To Heaven: The Complete Miles Davis Columbia Recordings, 1963-1964.

The muted black-and-white design of the package is in contrast with the fiery and passionate music of Miles and his band. The booklet includes plenty of photos of the bands onstage, along with a short essay by Marcus J. Moore and excerpts from interviews that Moore conducted with George Coleman and Ron Carter. Happily recommended, naturally. 

Columbia/Legacy 19802-80168-1 [LPx8), 19802-80167-2 [CDx6]; Miles Davis (tpt) George Coleman (1963) or Wayne Shorter (1964) (ts) Herbie Hancock (p) Ron Carter (b) Tony Williams (d); Antibes, France, July 26, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ So What/ All Blues/ Stella By Starlight/ Seven Steps to Heaven/ Walkin’/ My Funny Valentine/ Joshua/ The Theme/ Closing announcement by Andre Francis. (83:22); Antibes, France, July 27, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ Autumn Leaves/ Milestones/ I Thought About You/ Joshua/ All of You/ Walkin’/ Bye Bye Blackbird/ The Theme (103:37); Antibes, France, July 28, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ If I Were a Bell/ So What/ Stella By Starlight/ Walkin’/ The Theme (62:18); Paris, France, October 1, 1964; First concert: Autumn Leaves/ So What/ Stella By Starlight/ Walkin’/ The Theme. Second concert: All of You/ Joshua/ My Funny Valentine/ No Blues/ The Theme (98:52). www.legacyrecordings.com

2024: The Year In Music

2024 was another depressing year, and 2025 promises (threatens) to be even worse. 

But at least there was a lot of great music to listen to. Here are my choices of new releases, debut recordings, and archival discoveries and reissues:

New Releases

BassDrumBone - Afternoon (Auricle)

George Cables - I Hear Echoes (HighNote)

Phillip Golub - Abiding Memory (Endectomorph Music)

Rich Halley 4 - Dusk And Dawn (Pine Eagle)

Tom Harrell - Alternate Summer (HighNote)

Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)

Ivo Perelman/Chad Fowler/Reggie Workman/Andrew Cyrille - Embracing The Unknown (Mahakala Music)

Ivo Perelman/Mark Helias/Tom Rainey - Truth Seeker (Fundacja Słuchaj)

Marta Sanchez Trio - Perpetual Void (Intakt)

Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk)

Jason Stein/Marilyn Crispell/Damon Smith/Adam Shead - spi-raling horn (Balance Point Acoustics/Irritable Mystic)

Tarbaby - You Think This America (Giant Step Arts)

Nasheet Waits - New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet) (Giant Step Arts)

Debut Recordings

John Alvey - Loft Glow (Jazz Music City)

Mathias Højgaard Jensen - Is As Is (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Archival Discoveries

Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971; Impulse!)

Bobby Hutcherson - Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic)

Art Pepper - The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings (1981; Omnivore)

Sun Ra – Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978; Resonance)

Emily Remler - Cookin’ At The Queens (1984 &1988; Resonance)

Sonny Rollins Trio - Freedom Weaver (The 1959 European Tour Recordings) (Resonance) 

McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson - Forces Of Nature : Live At Slugs’ (1966; Blue Note)

Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy – The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995; Elemental)

Many thanks, as always, to all the musicians and recording engineers involved. And a special shout-out to all the publicists who keep me busy!