Miles Davis: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7: That’s What Happened 1982-1985

In 1955, Miles Davis and his quintet could show up in the Van Gelder studio, pretend they were playing a club set, and reel off song after song in marathon sessions to close out his contract with Prestige Records. By the early 1980s, not only the music, but recording technology and production techniques had changed radically. By the time the music on the latest installment of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7: That’s What Happened 1982-1985 was recorded, as John Scofield relates in his commentary in the 48-page booklet, Miles “would record the rehearsals and the gigs and listen to everybody’s solos - including his own - and take the parts he liked and have Gil Evans transcribe the solo. Then that would become a new tune ... The tapes were always supposed to be running ... ”The three disc package presents two CDs of previously unreleased fragmented jams from sessions for the Star People, Decoy and You’re Under Arrest albums, with the third disc devoted to the sextet’s performance at the Montréal Jazz Festival in July 1983. Molding a finished piece from a pre-existing song is considerably different than jamming in the studio and trying to come up with something good. While there are plenty of fine moments sprinkled through the selections on the first two discs, it’s not too surprising that the most satisfying performances are the alternate takes of Time After Time and Human Nature, the nine minutes of the full studio session for Time After Time, and the sole take of the Tina Turner hit What’s Love Got To Do With It. To a Miles Davis devotee, every scrap is worthy of hearing, which I wouldn’t dispute. But when this box set gets pulled off the shelf, it’s likely to be those tracks that get played the most. The booklet includes reminiscences by Scofield, bassists Darryl Jones and Marcus Miller, guitarist Mike Stern, and drummer Vince Wilburn, Jr., plus an essay by the late Greg Tate, along with numerous photos of Miles and the band on stage. The concert on disc 3 was performed just a couple of weeks after the session that produced Freaky Deaky, the piece that ends disc 1. The live set features songs from the Star People album. The consistently exciting guitarist John Scofield gets a lot of solo space, as does a boisterous Bill Evans on saxophone. The thumping rhythm team of Darryl Jones on electric bass and Al Foster, a stalwart on drums, brings the funk. Miles himself spends a lot of time directing the flow from his keyboards, popping out for beautifully nuanced trumpet solos. Edits of Speak (That’s What Happened) and What It Is totaling around eight minutes were issued on the Decoy album, but this is the first release of the complete show. While the set list remained fairly consistent between the summer of 1982 and the end of 1983, the dynamic Creepin’ In, which closes the show with Evans on flute and a bass solo by Jones, was played just this one time. Over the course of 78 minutes, there are a few moments of the band treading water while waiting for the next wave of inspiration, but the enthusiastic audience never seems to mind. And if electric Miles Davis music is your thing, you won’t mind either. Recommended. 

Columbia/Legacy 19439863852; Collective personnel on Discs 1 and 2: Miles Davis (tpt, kybds) J.J. Johnson (tbn) Bill Evans (ss, ts) Bob Berg (ss) Mike Stern, John Scofield, John McLaughlin (g) Robert Irving III (kybds, drum pgm) Marcus Miller, Darryl Jones (el b) Al Foster (d) Vince Wilburn, Jr., (d, drum pgm, perc) Steve Thornton, Mino Cinélu (perc) Disc 1 (66:19): Santana (1/1 or 1/2/83)/ Minor Ninths, Part 1/ Minor Ninths, Part 2 (10/20/82)/ Celestial Blues, Part 1 Celestial Blues, Part 2/ Celestial Blues, Part 3 (10/20/82)/ Remake of OBX Ballad/ Remake of OBX Ballad (full studio session) (10/11/82)/Freaky Deaky, Part 1/ Freaky Deaky, Part 2 (6/30/82). Disc 2 (61:43): Time After Time (alternate)/ Time After Time (full studio session) (1/26-29/84)/Theme From Jack Johnson (right Off); Intro (1/27/84)/ Never Loved Like This (studio session demo) (1/84)/ Hopscotch (slow)/ Hopscotch (fast) (12/27/84)/What’s Love Got to Do With It (12/26/84)/Human Nature (alternate) (12/26/84)/ Katia (full studio session) (1/85). Disc 3 (78:36), Miles Davis (tpt, kybds) Bill Evans (ss, ts, fl) John Scofield (g) Darryl Jones (el b) Al Foster (d) Mino Cinélu (perc); Montréal, July 7, 1983; Speak (That’s What Happened/ Star People/ What It Is/ It Gets Better/ Hopscotch/ Star on Cecily/ Jean-Pierre/ Code 3/ Creepin’ In. www.legacyrecordings.com

 

Bruce Forman: Reunion!

  The latest release by journeyman guitarist Bruce Forman on his own B4Man-Music imprint is called Reunion!, a fine trio session with bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. The reunion in this case is the actual instruments they all brought to the studio: Forman is playing Barney Kessel’s guitar, Clayton wields a bass that was owned by Ray Brown, and Hamilton sits at Shelly Manne’s drum set. As a recording unit for Contemporary Records, Kessel, Brown, and Manne were known as The Poll Winners. You could call them the New Poll Winners, I suppose, but there’s nothing revivalist about this trio. What they do have in common with those well-respected forerunners is irresistible swing, great taste in material, a knack for just the right tempos, and the impeccable solo work. Forman writes that the session was “like kids getting together and playing their parents’ instruments.” That’s a warm feeling that comes through on every track of this immensely pleasurable session. Definitely worth seeking out. 

B4Man-Music; Bruce Forman (g) John Clayton (b) Jeff Hamilton (d); no recording information; Rope-A-Dope/ This is New/ Feel the Barn/ Gravy Waltz/ Barney’s Tune/ April in Paris/ Hammer’s Back in Town/ BRS/ Stardust/ On Green Dolphin Street/ The Daze/ Love Potion #9; 46:42. www.bruceforman.com

Piano Trios!! (Part 4): Craig Davis, Matthew Fries, Chris Parker

  According to the online Jazz Discography, pianist, composer, and arranger Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa participated in 140 sessions, at first with big bands led by Charlie Barnet, Tommy Dorsey, and Artie Shaw, and in small groups like Shaw’s Gramercy Five and various Slim Gailliard ensembles. He played with both Lester Young and Charlie Parker, made trio recordings for Dial in 1947, and did some small band record dates in the Sixties for Argo and Prestige. Obviously, he was very well-respected by his contemporaries, and yet today he’s mostly remembered for his name. Pianist Craig Davis is out to change that, and he’s enlisted the non-pareil bass and drums team of John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton to assist him on Tone Paintings: The Music Of Dodo Marmarosa. Clayton and Hamilton first recorded together as members of the Monty Alexander trio in May 1976. Over the forty-plus years since that date, they’ve teamed on a vast number of record dates, and they’ve co-led The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 1989. Having them on a session ensures an endless source of solid swing. Along with ten of Marmarosa’s delightful originals, all first recorded between 1945 and 1947, Davis has written one tune for the project, A Ditty For Dodo, which fits snugly in the middle of the set. He’s a gifted pianist, with a bouncy and propulsive rhythmic sense, and an elegant style reminiscent of Hank Jones and Barry Harris. If these deeply felt and passionate renditions of Marmarosa’s bop-era tunes don’t start to encourage more musicians to play them, it won’t be for lack of trying. Tone Paintings will keep your toes tapping and your spirit lifted. Definitely recommended. 

MCG Jazz MCGJ 1056; Craig Davis (p) John Clayton (b) Jeff Hamilton (d); Glendale, CA, May 1-2, 2021; Mellow Mood/ Dodo’s Bounce/ Dodo’s Blues/ Escape/ A Ditty For Dodo/ Opus No. 5/ Compadoo/ Dary Departs/ Tone Paintings I/ Battle Of The Balcony Jive/ Dodo’s Lament; 50:53. www.mcgjazz.org

Pianist Matthew Fries is joined by the stalwart bassist John Hébert and the experienced drummer Keith Hall for Lost Time, performing a batch of beguiling original tunes. The eminently tasteful Fries and Hall have worked together backing vocalist Curtis Stigers starting in 2004, so their rapport comes as no surprise. While Hébert is probably most known for his work in Mary Halvorson’s bands from 2008 to 2015, he’s played on dozens and dozens of record dates since first recording with a large Peter Herborn ensemble in 1997. His connection to saxophonist Andrew Rathbun, who produced this session, goes back to 1998. In spite of the pandemic isolation, where one might expect music reflecting feelings of introspective morosity, the mood of Fries’ tunes is often upbeat, like the solidly swinging Quarantine. There’s plenty to enjoy here, including The Fog, which opens the set with an immediate sense of the musicians functioning as equals in the music; the absorbing Heroes, with its multiple tempo shifts handled with imperturbable aplomb by the trio; the introspective ballad Continuum, which features one of several fine bass solos by Hébert; and the wistful and delicate Lost Time, which closes the vinyl version of this music. Two songs (another pretty ballad called Nine Robins and the jaunty June Blues) are available only for downloading or streaming. Happily recommended. 

Xcappa XCP1005 (vinyl, download and streaming); Matthew Fries (p) John Hébert (b) Keith Hall (d); Chicago, IL, July 21, 2021; The Fog/ Insomnia/ Quarantine/ Heroes/ Continuum/ Lost Time/ Nine Robins*/ 8 June Blues*; 55:44. (* tracks are download or streaming only) xcappa.com

Watching the Chris Parker Trio at work in the studio on a video press release while they were recording Tell Me, I was struck by the sheer joy that was obvious on the faces of pianist Kyoko Oyobe, bassist Ameen Saleem, and drummer/leader Chris Parker as they played. The veteran Parker, who’s played with everyone from the Brecker Brothers, Lionel Hampton, and Gato Barbieri to Cher, Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin, sounds totally relaxed in the trio format, giving his partners plenty of solo space. The deep pleasure that I saw on the video is evident in the music. Saleem has a powerful sound. He generally keeps his solos short and to the point, seamlessly shifting from soloist to accompanist. Oyobe, with only a few previous recordings to her credit, seems like the real deal. She’s got a great sense of time, technique to spare, and a penchant for long flowing lines. Her standout solo comes on Tophland, where she dazzles as she rides the waves of Parker’s propulsive drumming. The trio is equally effective at tempos like the brisk Coolypso, adapted from Monk’s Let’s Cool One or the deliberate pace of Dwa Serduzska, Parker’s delicate arrangement of a Polish folk song, which makes for an engrossing listening experience. The trio set ends with the title track, Tell Me, and everyone has their say on this happy swinging tune. Parker has placed a quartet track at the end of the CD, Title Waived. Steven Bernstein gives it atmosphere with a slew of brass instruments, guitarist Chris Biesterfeldt and bassist David Finck bring the funk, and the whole thing has a late-night slow groove. Not bad, really, but out of place just the same. But that’s no reason to ignore the trio material, which is well worth hearing. 

M’Bubba; Kyoko Oyobe (p) Ameen Saleem (b) Chris Parker (d) on * only: Steven Bernstein (tpt, slide tpt, tbn, euph) Chris Biesterfeldt (g) David Finck (b) Parker (d); NYC, no dates indicated; Coolypso/ Desaparecido/ Inferno Avenue/ Dwa Serduzska (for Hanna)/ Minky, Don't You Weep/ Nippon Days, Nippon Nights/ Tophland/ West Cornwall Bridge/ Tell Me/ Title Waived*; 59:24. www.chrisparkerdrums.com

New Candid Reissues

  Archie Bleyer owned Cadence Records, a pop music label that had a number of hits in the Fifties. He set up Candid Records as a subsidiary, hiring the well-known jazz writer and activist Nat Hentoff to run it. Starting with Otis Spann Is The Blues by the eminent Chicago blues pianist, Hentoff produced 34 albums before Bleyer threw in the towel, and sold Cadence and Candid in 1964. Hentoff had superb taste in jazz and blues, and he also knew that allowing musicians creative freedom in the studio was bound to resulting in some great music. He was right about that, and much of the original Candid catalog has remained in print for decades, under various owners. The current steward of Candid Records is Exceleration Music, which has been reissuing the catalog on vinyl, CD, and on streaming services. The latest batch of five jazz titles is illustrative of the quality and varied styles that the label offered. I’ve arranged these albums in order of recording dates, from Cecil Taylor in October 1960 to Booker Little in April 1961.

The World Of Cecil Taylor presents the iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor in trio and quartet formats. At the time this session was taped, bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Dennis Charles were performing with Taylor in Jack Gelber’s The Connection, and the rapport they established on the theater stage carried over into this studio recording. Saxophonist Archie Shepp, making his recording debut, appears on two tracks. It’s been over 6 decades since this session, but the music remains totally fresh and vibrant. While this reissue includes the original liner notes by Neidlinger and jazz critic Martin Williams, it somehow omits the recording dates and doesn’t add any of the alternate takes that have surfaced over the years. Still, this release is one of the gems of Taylor’s extensive discography. Candid CCD 30062; Archie Shepp (ts on *) Cecil Taylor (p) Buell Neidlinger (b) Dennis Charles (d); NYC, October 12-13, 1960; Air*/ This Nearly Was Mine/ Port of Call/ E.B./ Lazy Afternoon*; 48:41. 

Trumpeter Clark Terry had a long and distinguished career, with nearly one thousand entries in the online Jazz Discography. It would take an herculean effort to absorb all the music, but I think it’s safe to say that Color Changes, his 1960 Candid album, constitutes one of his best albums. Leading a octet that features multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, the album’s title perfectly captures the variety of sounds the band evinces over the course of 42 minutes. Four of the pieces are by Terry, and they’re joined by Bob Wilber’s Blue Waltz, Duke Jordan’s No Problem, and Lateef’s tribute to the bandleader, Brother Terry. Good material, with crisp arrangements by a variety of hands (including Al Cohn and Budd Johnson), and spirited playing by Terry, Lateef, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and pianist Tommy Flanagan make this set worthy of revisiting again and again. Candid CCD 30092; Clark Terry (tpt, flgh) Jimmy Knepper (tbn) Julius Watkins (Fr hn) Seldon Powell (ts, fl) Yusef Lateef (ts, fl, Eng hn, oboe) Tommy Flanagan or Budd Johnson *(p) Joe Benjamin (b) Ed Shaughnessy (d); NYC, November 19, 1960; Blue Waltz (La Valse Bleue)/ Brother Terry/ Flutin’ and Fluglin’/ No Problem/ La Rive Gauche/ Nahstye Blues*/ Chat Qui Pèche (A Cat That Fishes); 42:03. .

Tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin has been a personal favorite since I first heard him as a member of Charles Mingus’ Jazz Workshop. That’s It! was his third album as a leader, with a hand-picked quartet featuring pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Al Harewood. They supply immaculately swinging support on four Ervin originals plus the ever-popular Poinciana and the even more frequently performed Speak Low by Kurt Weill. Ervin was totally serious about his music, and all of his recorded work is well worth hearing. As he told Nat Hentoff in the liner notes, “Music means so much to me that it wouldn’t figure to play like anyone but myself.” In addition to the Mingus connection, Ervin’s is often remembered for the superb series of albums he made for Prestige later in the Sixties. But don’t miss That’s It!, a wonderful session that presents one of the most distinctive tenormen of his era in full command of his instrument, his material, and his sidemen. Absolutely recommended. Candid CCD 30142; Booker Ervin (ts) Horace Parlan (p) George Tucker (b) Al Harewood (d); NYC, January 6, 1961; Mojo/ Uranus/ Poinciana/ Speak Low/ Booker’s Blues/ Boo; 43:13. www.candidrecords.com

Hentoff moved back to the swing era the month after the Ervin date with Jazz Reunion, a nearly perfect album with a septet helmed by Pee Wee Russell & Coleman Hawkins. Clarinetist Russell and tenor saxophone giant Hawkins were members of the Mound City Blue Blowers when the group recorded the famous and oft-anthologized Lola and If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) in November 1929. They played together with Henry “Red” Allen on the 1957 Sound Of Jazz broadcast on CBS, and again in 1958 on Art Ford’s Jazz Party, bootlegged on various issues. For this date, with pianist Nat Pierce supplying the arrangements, Milt Hinton on bass and the redoubtable Jo Jones on drums, and a brass section of Emmett Berry and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, Russell and Hawkins were inspired to create a real classic. From the opening reprise of If I Could Be With You to the ultra-relaxed swing of the closing What Am I Here For?, there is no shortage of gorgeous moments. Hawkins is in top form, and his sound is finely captured by Bob D’Orleans at New York’s Nola Penthouse Studios (where all five of these Candid albums was made). The less-celebrated Russell fares very well indeed. His solo feature, Mariooch, performed just with the rhythm section, is a gem of bluesy clarinet playing, and one of the high points of his lengthy musical career. Recommended? You bet. Candid CCD 30202; Emmett Berry (tp) Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb) Pee Wee Russell (cl) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Nat Pierce (p, arr) Milt Hinton (b) Jo Jones (d); NYC, February 23, 1961; If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)/ Tin Tin Deo/Mariooch/ All Too Soon/ 28th and 8th/ What Am I Here For?; 45:42. www.candidrecords.com

Listening to trumpeter Booker Little’s Out Front for the first time in years, I’m startled anew at his gorgeous tone, boldly imaginative phrasing, and rich compositional style on this spring 1961 album. It’s a great record, with Little at the helm of an immensely creative and supportive sextet, and I think if it stayed in perpetual daily rotation around the house, the music would lose none of its stop-in-your-tracks-and-listen power. One source of the date’s success is the tight bond between Little and percussionist Max Roach. The trumpeter made his recording debut in 1958 as a member of Roach’s hard-working quintet. Multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was a new collaborator with Little, and his soloing on alto saxophone seems as fresh and raw as it did at the time. Who knows what fine music might have resulted from an extended relationship between these two instrumental giants, but alas, it was not to be. Little died later in the year; he was just 23. His place in the trumpet pantheon is assured through superb albums like this one. Once again, the packaging omits recording dates and omits the alternate takes that have appeared on previous reissues. Candid CCD 30272; Booker Little (tpt) Julian Priester (tbn) Eric Dolphy (as, bcl, fl) Don Friedman (p) Ron Carter or Art Davis* (b) Max Roach (d, tympani, vib); NYC, March 17* or April 4, 1961; We Speak*/ Strength and Sanity/ Quiet, Please*/ Moods in Free Time/ Man of Words/ Hazy Blues/ A New Day*; 44:01. www.candidrecords.com

Piano Trios!! (Part 3): Matthew Shipp, Steve Boudreau, Manel Fortià

  The Matthew Shipp Trio, with pianist Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, first recorded in 2015, with The Conduct of Jazz on the Thirsty Ear label. Since then, three more CDs as a trio have appeared, and they’ve also recorded with saxophonist Rich Halley (on Terra Incognita and The Shape Of Things, both on Halley’s Pine Eagle imprint) and with flutist Nicole Mitchell (All Things Are on Rogue Art). The latest trio release is the magnificent World Construct, where this unit’s power, delicacy, and sublimely interactive approach to Shipp’s compositions are deftly and constructively balanced. The eleven tunes range in length from under two minutes to over ten minutes. Some pieces, like the brief opening track, Tangible, hint at the blues. The meditative Sustained Construct, a solo piano piece, continues with a late-night bluesy feeling, but considerably more abstract. With Spine, we move into even freer territory, with assertive bass by Bisio and careful commentary by Baker. Shipp and Bisio spend most of the four minutes provoking one another in an extended dialogue. The tempo of Jazz Posture is pretty fast, with Shipp working across the full range of the piano as he unleashes long convoluted lines. Fast fingers from Bisio and a liberated Baker drive him along and keep the momentum going when the piano drops out for a spell. Beyond Understanding is both simple and mysterious, with Baker’s cymbals and Bisio’s deep tones hovering around Shipp’s skeletal melodies. The slightly meandering free movement of Talk Power is rather lovely, a carefully caressed melody with rhapsodic bass and minimalist drumming. At three and a half minutes, the music is a prime example of the taut constraint of the trio’s interactivity and their essentially ego-less unity of intent. It doesn’t surprise me that this revelation comes at the midpoint of this carefully sequenced disc, which juxtaposes changes in tempo to achieve an emotional arc to the full hour. Talk Power is followed by the explosive Abandoned, with an attack that’s strong enough to blow you out of your seat even if you’re expecting it. The band’s triologue continues with the less-fearsome A Mysterious State, with both Shipp on piano and Baker mostly on snare drum getting downright obsessive as Bisio’s bass dances all around them. Stop the World, not at all an unusual sentiment in this turbulent era, is a somber dialogue for piano and bass, with Bisio playing a powerfully heartfelt solo against Shipp’s sparse chording. Sly Glance is funky and in the pocket, which comes as a bit of surprise this late in the program, but definitely a welcome interlude. It tells me that they’re still having some fun with the music, even in the middle of a pandemic. The finale is the title track, and the longest piece. It opens with Shipp alone at the piano in a classical vein, and soon joined by Bisio and then Baker to embark on a deeply engrossing extended musical conversation. This driving upbeat number features Baker’s spectacular brushwork, Bisio’s patient throb, and Shipp’s endlessly flowing lines. World Construct is an instant classic, and very highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk ESP 5059; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 15, 2021; Tangible/ Sustained Construct/ Spine/ Jazz Posture/ Beyond Understanding/ Talk Power/ Abandoned/ A Mysterious State/ Stop the World/ Sly Glance/ World Construct; 58:12. www.espdisk.com

Canadian pianist and composer Steve Boudreau leads his trio with bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas through nine original tunes and a Wayne Shorter piece on the distinctly pleasurable Cherished Possessions. There’s an easy-going charm to Boudreau’s songs and playing, and with Vedady and Doxas in elegant and engaged support, you can’t go wrong. Boudreau’s limber pianism and bright melodies give the trio plenty to work with. Especially fine are the title track, which opens the date with a prime example of the sonic pleasures that await you over the rest of the disc, the touching ballad Words of Hope, the buoyant and upbeat Rolling Oil, and the dancing rhythms of Charlie’s Family Reunion, which sounds like it was quite a party. Shorter’s immensely attractive Go, from Schizophrenia (a 1967 album on Blue Note) receives an effective mid-tempo treatment. Also worthy of note is the introspective Hear Wisdom. This piece is played very slowly, at a tempo that in lesser hands might drag and almost fall apart. Here the players treat the piece with just the right amount of movement and delicacy, with Vedady’s lyrical bass at the core. All in all, Cherished Possessions is a joy to listen to, and it’s warmly recommended. 

self-produced; Steve Boudreau (p) Adrian Vedady (b) Jim Doxas (d); Québec, PQ, October 2021; Cherished Possessions/ Words of Hope/ For Staff Only/ Descending Blues/ Encumbered/ Hear Wisdom/ Go/ Rolling Oil/ Isobel/ Charlie's Family Reunion; 47:35. www.steveboudreaumusic.com

When I started listening to Despertar, I was immediately grabbed by the soulful bass of Manel Fortià, evoking Charlie Haden as he played the introduction to Dormir, the brief opening track. With pianist Marco Mezquida and drummer Raphaël Pannier alongside, Fortià enjoys thoroughly dynamic and sympathetic support for this suite of original compositions. The CD is structured as a musical dream diary of New York City. The set opens with the brief Dormir (“to sleep” in English). Most of the next eight pieces reflect various aspects of the city, starting with the energetic bustle of Circular, dedicated to the JFK airport AirTrain. Other pieces are dedicated to some of New York’s vibrant neighborhoods, including Harlem (Espiritual), Astoria (Saudades), and Jackson Heights (the bouncy Simple). For just one track, El Día Después, the dream returns to Spain and La Rambla de Barcelona. Otherwise, we treated to the lasting impressions of Fortià from his stay in the city between 2016 and 2020. And then Despertar, and he awakens with a wistful and vaguely optimistic theme that morphs into a more anthemic style. Fortià has worked with both Mezquida and Pannier before, but on separate projects. United here, they form an ideal vehicle for Fortià’s vigorous and varied compositions. Track after track reveals the workings of a restless musical mind brought to an exciting realization by this finely honed trio. A triumph, and heartily recommended. 

Segell Microscopi; Manel Fortià (p) Marco Mezquida (b) Raphaël Pannier (d); Girona, Spain, no dates indicated; Dormir/ Circular/ Saudades/ Espiritual/ El Día Después/ Crescente/ Aires de Libertad/ Simple/ Despertar; 54:13. www.microscopi.cat

Jones Jones: Just Justice

  In an era of tremendous social upheaval around the world, a listener might expect rage and driven intensity from improvising musicians. After all, that’s what has heard on a lot of early ESP albums from the turbulent 1960s. But the world-class musicians of Jones Jones take a decidedly more thoughtful route for most of Just Justice, their new ESP-Disk CD. Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino saxophones, Mark Dresser on bass, and Vladimir Tarasov on drums and percussion brought many hours of mutual musical encounters to the studio for this session, their first US release. The three first toured as a unit in 2008, with a few pieces released from concerts in Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. The flow they’ve developed for what the back cover describes as “spontaneous evocations” is nothing short of astonishing. All three of the musicians have been members of ground-breaking ensembles. Ochs is a founding member of the Rova Saxophone Quartet, begun in 1977 and still going strong. He has also participated in a number of other configurations, including this gem with a long-time collaborator, drummer Donald Robinson. Dresser was a member of the Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1985-1993, while Tarasov was one-third of the influential Ganelin Trio from the mid-Seventies until 1986. When you take a trio of masters who are committed to ego-free and deliriously empathetic music making, something special is liable to happen on a good day. And this January 2020 session in San Diego came on a very good day indeed. Musicians often have curious senses of humor, which explains the plain moniker they’ve attached to this band and the evocation of “Jones” in all of the titles assigned to their spontaneous inventions. From the nuanced Jones in the Sonar System to the wistful RBG Jones to the gently conversational And His Sisters Called Him Jones, Jones Jones’ music is carefully shaped in the moment, the result of deep listening and the kind of collective interaction that’s become second nature to these seasoned veterans. Highly recommended. 

ESP-Disk ESP5072; Larry Ochs (ts, sop s) Mark Dresser (b) Vladimir Tarasov (d, perc); San Diego, CA, January 16, 2020; Articulating Jones/ Bali Hai Jones/ Call of the Jones/ Jones in the Sonar System/ Jones Free Jones/ RBG Jones/ The Further Adventures of Ms. Microtonal Jones/ And His Sisters Called Him Jones; 49:53. www.espdisk.com

Alternative Guitar Summit: Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1

  The late Pat Martino is one of the most influential and respected guitarists of the modern era. Obscured perhaps by his reputation as a killer guitarist are his many compositions. For its 2021 gathering, the Alternative Guitar Summit, helmed by guitarist and organizer Joel Harrison, aimed to showcase some of his tunes as played by a slew of other six-string players. Typically, as Harrison notes, there would have been a live show to celebrate and “honor a living composer/guitarist,” but the Covid epidemic got in the way of those plans. Instead, a number of musicians gathered at a recording studio in Brooklyn to pay tribute, resulting in the wonderful collection Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1. Martino, who passed away in November 2021, was involved in the planning, even sending scores of unrecorded tunes to Harrison for possible inclusion. The performances in the Brooklyn studio were live-streamed, with Martino watching from his South Philadelphia home. Working with what Harrison describes as “treasure chest of the imagination,” he put as much variety into this set as Martino himself displayed over the course of his career. A quick look at the formidable list of players represented here, from Kurt Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, and Russell Malone to Oz Noy and Rez Abbasi, should be more than enough to whet the appetite of jazz guitar fans. There’s no sense picking favorites on this nine-track collection, as the musicians’ respect for a master and an abiding love of his music come through loud and clear in every note. Definitely recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7333; Inside Out* (Adam Rogers, Peter Bernstein, g; Dezron Douglas, b; Allan Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY/ Black Glass (Kurt Rosenwinkel, g, b, d)/ Line Games (Fareed Haque, g; Kevin Kozol, kybd; Alex Austin, b; Greg Fundis, d; Richard Christian, tablas; Chicago, IL)/ Willow* (Sheryl Bailey, Ed Cherry, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY) Noshufuru* (Rez Abbasi, Jeff Miles, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Lament (Russell Malone, g; Bellmore, NY)/ On the Stairs* (Dave Stryker, Paul Bollenback, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Joyous Lake* (Nir Felder, Oz Noy, g; Chulo Gatewood, b; Tobias Ralph. d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Country Road (Joel Harrison). Tracks marked with *, Brooklyn, NY, March 20, 2021; other pieces recorded in Chicago, IL [Line Games], Bellmore, NY, [Lament], and private studios, all 2021. 59:08; www.jazzdepot.com