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Hilde Hefte: Just Friends

Few figures in jazz have generated as much controversy as Chet Baker. Occasionally reviled for his drug use and dismissed by some stateside critics as a "pop" artist, Baker was nevertheless revered and celebrated in European jazz circles. Years ago pianist Egil Kapstad had the honor (or the challenge) of playing with the volatile horn man and, if this recording is any indication, his respect for this iconoclastic player remained intact.

Hilde Hefte manages to capture the essence and spirit as well as the tone of Chet's natural, flowing solos on this classic number from the Great American Songbook. Amazingly, her voice approximates a muted trumpet sound: soft, cool and convincing, with deadly accurate lines fitting the changes like well-worn gloves. Small wonder this album has been so enthusiastically embraced by the Prince of Cool's loyal subjects.

August 31, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · chet baker tribute · jazz vocals · just friends

Hilde Hefte: Peri's Scope

With her trademark grace and elegance, Hilde Hefte has crafted a loving tribute to Bill Evans. The album overall is an eminently listenable sojourn back to the glory days of Cool, a movement that took the rough edges off bebop and seduced a new generation of jazz enthusiasts.

This rendition of the popular Evans staple allows the Norwegian songbird to stretch her wings a bit, demonstrating her musician's sensibility on an all-too-brief solo before handing it over to her veteran sidemen. The group demonstrates a confident, polished interplay that comes only from acute listening skills and mutual respect. Bjorn Alterhaug's tasty basslines provide the perfect launch pad for Hilde's intimate vocal head, while Egil Kapstad's interpretation stands up well to close scrutiny from Evans aficionados. Solos are compelling and substantive all around.

It may be the northern latitudes, the artistic climate or the sangfroid of the people; but whatever the reason, jazz is very cool in Norway. In my humble opinion, Hilde and company are the tip of that iceberg.

August 31, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · bill evans covers · jazz vocals · peri's scope

Roland Kirk: No Tonic Prez (aka No Tonic Press)

As the song's creator states, this blues-based form is an extension of a Lester Young riff that has no "tonic," or clear key resolution. Powered by the familiar rolling thunder of Elvin Jones's kit work, Kirk's tenor nimbly mixes in long notes with rapid-fire trips up and down the scales. Jaki Byard's mid-song stride-piano interlude punctuated by Kirk's whistle siren is sheer delight. Kirk returns again with a pocket solo that recalls Young, Coleman and a little bit of Parker, while sounding not firmly like anyone but himself. "No Tonic Prez" is a 4½-minute gumbo that reheats vintage ingredients to create something thoroughly modern.

August 31, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · lester young tribute

John Scofield: Big Fan

Continuing the bop explorations of the prior year's brilliant Time On My Hands, Scofield takes the Parker/ Gillespie postwar jazz experiments to the logical extreme. It swings mightily as all good bebop tunes do, thanks to Johnson's and Stewart's solid anchor. Sco' and Lovano form an airtight front playing unison lines in the head that seem nearly impossible to play alone, much less in tandem. The leader's playing carries over the plucky attitude from his '80s rock-fusion era that not only fits, it lifts the song. Lovano follows with his own intense but controlled solo displaying what would soon become known as his signature sound.

"Big Fan" did much to enhance Scofield's reputation as a composer and versatile player, and helped propel Lovano and Stewart to the top tier of jazz musicians for their respective instruments.

August 31, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · guitar

Surinder Sandhu: Avi's Theme

World jazz player and composer Surinder Sandhu thinks in grand scales. This time out he has tackled another huge project. A grant was awarded in celebration of Liverpool, England's being named "European City of Culture 2008." Sandhu was given the task of writing music for the occasion, and his own band of musicians was to be augmented by the 75 members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Not surprisingly, he was thrilled to be given the opportunity. However, just as he was to begin composing, his nephew Avi tragically died. Sandhu found it impossible to even think about music. After mourning his nephew, Sandhu made several unsuccessful attempts at composing. His heart was just not in it. Finally inspiration returned when he went back to England from India. Sandhu says the music then poured out of him very quickly. Fittingly, the first cut on The Fictionist is entitled "Avi's Theme."

The Fictionist is comprised of 10 sections, but is written in such a way that it should be considered one long piece. "Avi's Theme" is everything you expect these days from Sandhu. It is a dramatic mix of European orchestral flourishes, Indian and Spanish (almost Argentinean) rhythms, with some modern Indian, funk and free jazz mixed in. Much of this modern music is produced by the ancient instruments of India, Sandhu's sarangi being chief among them. But there are also the sounds of electricity. On this particular tune it is Sandhu's sarangi, a bowed string instrument, and Chris Aldridge's saxophone that provide the most interest. Trish's accordion is also of note as it is played in the style of the Argentinean bandoneón. "Avi's Theme" is a fully realized effort full of scope and dynamic twists and turns. It almost gets you ready for what will follow.

August 30, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · india · world fusion

Bobo Stenson: A Fixed Goal

Bobo Stenson sounds a bit like Keith Jarrett in the way he approaches this lesser-known tune from the pen of Ornette Coleman—which shouldn't surprise, since the two pianists followed a roughly parallel course at one time in their careers. Each first recorded for ECM more than 30 years ago. Both have used many of the same musicians: in the '70s, Jarrett led a memorable quartet with tenor saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen. With Garbarek, Stenson co-led the same lineup (minus Jarrett) more or less contemporaneously. Both Stenson and Jarrett possess a lyrically romantic strain and a free-flowing melodic sense.

However, the passing years have seen their paths diverge, as this performance shows. Whereas Jarrett has become primarily an interpreter of the standard jazz repertoire, Stenson maintains his interest in freer structures. "A Fixed Goal" is the kind of start-and-stop, out-of-time tune that suits his abilities so well. He plays with a gentle yet precise touch. He states the theme in octaves, but tends to rely on single-note lines in his solo. The strategy gives the music a sparse texture, in which the occasional chord or parallel line becomes striking in contrast. Jormin has a swift technique and a dynamically sensitive manner that allows him to shadow and answer the pianist's ebbing and flowing. Fält is a light-handed drummer, maintaining an oblique swing while both embellishing the counterpoint and adding swaths of tonal color. This is head-and- heart stuff, attractive in every respect.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · ecm · ornette coleman covers · piano trio · sweden

Pepper Adams: Reflectory

Recorded shortly after Pepper Adams left the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band to set out on his own as a soloist, "Reflectory" – both the single track and the entire album – includes some of Pepper's finest work. Being frequently teamed with the great George Mraz inspired Adams to write several intriguing originals pairing Mraz's bass in harmony or unison with the baritone sax.

"Reflectory," however, is a well-constructed 2-part invention in which the baritone and bass engage in an interesting call-and-response that, while cleverly conceived, is totally devoid of the cloying cuteness that afflicts most contrapuntal jazz tunes. As is the case with all Adams originals, it contains a great set of blowing changes that he devours like a hungry pit bull.

Like all of Pepper's best solos, this one has a beginning, a middle and an end (what a concept!), building motivically off a quote from the old Billy Eckstine hit "Everything I Have is Yours" and accumulating a stunning amount of momentum. The way Pepper employs the horn's low register at the climax of his final chorus marks this solo as one that could have been played only on the baritone saxophone and only by the inimitable Pepper Adams.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1970s jazz · baritone sax

Carla Bley and Her Remarkable Big Band: Awful Coffee

Carla Bley evokes the Swing Era on this up-tempo jump tune, which features wonderful, idiomatically incorrect solos by baritone saxophonist Julian Arguelles and a tenor saxophonist—either Andy Sheppard or Christophe Panzani (probably the former, though credit is not provided in the booklet). Originally commissioned by Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna, this is the kind of large-scale project at which Bley has historically excelled when given the resources. The opening head is simple and even a bit slight; things heat up during the solos, which are immeasurably enhanced by Bley's ever-varying background figures. Trumpeter Lew Soloff ties things up with a fiery if conventional solo, leading back to a recap of the opening riff. Spirited, well-crafted, imaginative and straightforward fun—few contemporary jazz composers reanimate the musty big band format as well as Carla Bley.

August 29, 2008 · -1 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · big band · java jazz

Maryland (featuring Maria Neckam): 55

During a recent trip to New York, I wandered into the cellar of an Italian eatery just off Washington Square, where I was fortunate to discover an enigmatic young singer-composer named Maria Neckam. It wasn't just the unaffected clarity or refreshing timbre of her voice, nor her remarkable range that captured my imagination; it was the fearless integrity of her musical ideas.

A Viennese expatriate who now calls Brooklyn home, Maria has broken the mold in many ways, and admits that people either love or hate her voice. I would say that, if you have an extensive Britney Spears record collection, you're not likely to be a huge fan. For the rest of us, there's no denying the purity of her pipes or the control of her technique. The tone of her voice suggests a violin with a hint of soprano sax coloration and no hint of affectation. She writes quirky, provoking, poetic lyrics. Some of her compositions have a decided Weill-Brechtian flavor, as if written for a 21st-century Threepenny Opera.

This particular track offers a wistful, spirited head over a Latin 5/4 feel with tasty Indian tabla texturing. There are no lyrics to divert attention from her unique voice as it glides above a Lydian dreamscape, backed by an assured, tight group of multinational musicians. The recording is vibrant, the playing strong and intuitively supportive.

"How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" wrote Oscar Hammerstein about another Austrian songbird named Maria. The answer is simply…don't. Just open your mind and enjoy.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · jazz numbers · jazz vocals

Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band: Minuano (Six Eight)

Bob Curnow's arrangements of Pat Metheny's music for big band are a delight to hear, and the 1994 recording The Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays by Curnow's L.A. Big Band is one of the neglected gems of the rapidly growing 'tribute jazz' category. By drawing on this sometimes idiosyncratic repertoire, Curnow cuts through the clichés of the big band vocabulary, and delivers a series of fresh and invigorating performances. This version of "Minuano" works like a charm, and Curnow even finds a way of adapting the heavily synthesized minimalist interlude in the original Metheny recording that other cover artists (see here and here) haven't dared to tackle. I wish we heard more often from Mr. Curnow, but with this CD he gave us a mini-masterpiece.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · big band · metheny covers · minuano

Bob Mintzer (featuring Kurt Elling): Minuano

Pat Metheny's "Minuano" is becoming something of a contemporary standard. Vocalist Kurt Elling, featured as a guest artist on this track, has recorded a version of this song with his own band, and another stellar big band chart of "Minuano" has been recorded by the under-appreciated Bob Curnow. But this gripping performance stands comparison with these other cover versions. Elling, in particular, pulls out all the stops. When I first heard him leap an octave for the melody repeat, I wondered if he had the range to handle these scary heights. But I can reassure you that even when the melody gets "as high as Kathmandu" (to quote the lyrics), Elling holds on with the tenacity of a sherpa. This is exciting stuff, but Mintzer follows with his own memorable contribution. The tenorist surges out of the starting gate, and from the very first phrase you know this will be a very hot solo. Pianist Phil Markowitz is given the unenviable task of going third in this lineup, but he eventually settles into a clever harmonic and rhythmic study. Make no mistake, this is one of best big band performances of the year.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: big band · jazz vocals · metheny covers · minuano

Planet Safety: Alone Together

Here is a collective trio, much like The Bad Plus, EST or Medeski Martin & Wood, where no player is the official leader. Yet the mastermind behind this project seems to be drummer Bob Gullotti, who started playing with bassist Dave Zinno back in the early 1990s. The affinity between these two musicians is obvious on this track and throughout their debut CD. The synchronicity between bass and drums is exceptional and, to some degree, the most salient virtue of this recording. Pianist Genovese dances and floats over their perfect marriage, and like a teenager at home makes his presence felt in both loud and subtle ways, yet somehow strengthens the family accord. This is a promising trio and would make a dynamic rhythm section -- I'd like to hear them matched up with a top-drawer horn player.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: alone together · piano trio

Jim McNeely: Ernie Banks

The title of this Jim McNeely composition brings to mind Dave Frishberg's "Van Lingle Mungo." The lyrics to Frishberg's tune are essentially a litany of names of old-time baseball players (Ernie Banks not included), set to a swaying bossa nova beat. Some clueless non-baseball fans have even thought that Frishberg is singing in Portuguese, so odd and foreign-sounding are such names as Whitey Kurowski, Frenchy Bordagaray and Sigmund Jakucki. Mungo himself was hot-tempered and mean-spirited both on and off the field, while popular Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks was known as "Mr. Sunshine," famous for his line, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame, let's play two!" Mungo once went so far as to ask Frishberg why he had not been paid for the use of his name, to which Frishberg replied that Mungo's only recourse might be to write a song titled "Dave Frishberg." It's unlikely that the good-natured Ernie Banks will ever make a similar demand of Chicago-born Cubs fan Jim McNeely.

The pianist's upbeat theme, a gliding, staccato line with a neatly descending resolution, is introduced by his resounding chords. McNeely surges through an up-tempo solo replete with bluesy phrases and jubilant extended runs that display his formidable technical skill. Sill and Spencer, with whom McNeely has played off and on for about 35 years, offer flawless and stimulating support throughout. McNeely and Spencer also engage in a series of fervent exchanges, during which the composer aptly quotes from "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Spencer then delivers an impressively executed solo of his own before McNeely's impassioned revisit of the theme. This track is a home run, much like the 512 that Ernie Banks hit in his Hall of Fame career.

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · piano trio

Coleman Hawkins: Quintessence

Coleman Hawkins could indeed make filet mignon out of chopped liver, much like Sonny Rollins. On Today and Now, Bean recorded swinging and worthwhile versions of such unlikely tunes as "Go L'il Liza," "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." However, producer Bob Thiele also brought to the studio the music for a Quincy Jones composition, "Quintessence," which the quartet proceeded to knock off in just one lovely take. (See Jones's 1961 album The Quintessence for the original rendition featuring Phil Woods.)

Hawkins's precipitous decline in both health and performing ability would not begin for another three years, so "Quintessence" remains a fine late example of his exquisitely assured and compelling approach to a poignant ballad. This is no "Body and Soul," as Hawkins does not even take a solo, but rather a study in how subtle variations in tone, and melodic embellishments, can also form a path to success when conceived by a master saxophonist. Hawkins's expressive tone moves from breathy to edgy, hardening most noticeably on the bridge. Flanagan is softly lyrical, with a becoming chime-like sound in both his intro and solo. Hawkins follows the pianist's solo with a biting recital of the bridge, before returning to the opening chorus and ultimately to a short coda, perfectly formed and resolved. Jones's theme, by the way, contains a dramatic phrase that seems to presage Michel Legrand's more famous "The Summer Knows."

August 29, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · tenor sax

Lafayette Gilchrist: Between Us

Lafayette Gilchrist has said that the first record he bought was Money Jungle, featuring the trio of Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach. His piano style, however, seems to draw most from Andrew Hill, and he even dedicates to Hill his solo piano selection, "Uncrowned," on his new Soul Progressin' CD. Maybe Gilchrist's exposure to both Ellington and Hill can in part explain his impressive orchestrations for his working octet, The New Volcanoes. The pianist's music often exhibits a hardnosed inner-city edge, no doubt reflecting his being raised first in Washington, D.C., and then in Baltimore, where he still resides. Mix in Gilchrist's appreciation of D.C. go-go, soul, funk and hip hop, and the end result is a naturally evolving contemporary vision, unpredictable and non-clichéd. Certainly saxophonist David Murray, who has retained Gilchrist as his pianist since 2000, would agree, as would guitarist Vernon Reid, who recommended him to the late Joel Dorn at Hyena Records.

The captivating track "Between Us" is bolstered by the prevailing hip-hop influenced rhythmic patterns set up by bassist Jenkins and drummer Reynolds. Gilchrist's arrangement induces deeply satisfying colorations from his horn section, with Dierker's bass clarinet the foundation, as an urgent refrain reappears again and again. Gilchrist's semi-abstract solo is delivered with a deliberate, understated delicacy, in contrast to the horns' more aggressive assertions. Dierker's dexterous solo is varied in approach, sometimes guttural, sometimes lyrical. Reynolds's riveting improv precedes the horns' final mellifluous playing of the central motif. Then it's left to just Gilchrist's punched out chords, before he bows out and only bass and drums remain to bring this absorbing performance to an easeful halt.

August 28, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Dave Douglas: Soul on Soul

Dave Douglas recorded three critically acclaimed tributes in the 1990's, to Booker Little (In Our Lifetime), Wayne Shorter (Stargazer), and lastly this one to Mary Lou Williams. Douglas agreed with Duke Ellington, who called Williams's music "perpetually contemporary" and "timeless," and had said that Williams "is like soul on soul." The trumpeter himself admired her "spirit of exploration" and said "there's a majesty, grace and beauty in her music...she never stopped growing."

Each of Douglas's nine compositions for the Williams project seemed to focus on a different aspect of the pianist's wide-ranging musical personality, using it as a springboard from which to expand. The title track appeared to be inspired by Williams's gifted arranging ability, which enabled her to create distinctively fresh and vibrant ensemble voicings. Yet the piece could just as easily have worked on Douglas's Stargazer, as the thematic material and group interaction come at you like a Shorter tune performed by the Miles Davis Quintet circa Miles Smiles. Trumpet fanfares, a swirling motif by the horns, and concise, pungent statements by Speed and Roseman with orchestrated responses by the other frontliners, all lead to Caine's salute to Williams. His solo emulates Mary Lou's early stride style, with dissonant interjections that would not have fazed her in the least as her playing evolved over the years. After the group introduces a new undulating melodic line, Douglas begins his solo with an "I Got Plenty of Nuthin'" quote, his narrative featuring oscillating extended runs and soulful exclamations. Roseman then solos with a forlorn air over Caine's repeated tone-rowed figure and Baron's vigorous cymbal shadings. The horns retrace the opening's post-bop textures to complete the cycle.

August 28, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · trumpet

Hans Tammen: Antecedent Part I: Opening

Those familiar with Hans Tammen most likely associate him with "endangered guitar," the term he's given his highly processed, largely textural electric guitar concept. Third Eye Orchestra is another aspect of his musical personality. Recorded live at Roulette, Downtown NYC's premier presenter of experimental music, Tammen guides a group of 13 exceptional free improvisers through two performances of his minimalist-inspired, multi-movement composition titled "Antecedent" (in its first guise) and "Consequent" (in its second). "Part I: Opening" begins with the eel-y improvised squiggles of Mari Kimura's violin. Groups of instruments make measured entrances. The atmosphere intensifies, then calms, as Marty Ehrlich plays a tightly focused, dynamically restrained bass clarinet solo. Ehrlich's improvisation ends the movement, yet serves largely as a segue into the next section, as Tammen's charges go on to explore nearly 80 minutes' worth of a nicely balanced mixture of improv and composition.

August 28, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

David Torn: AK

An echoed, sparkly guitar strum; a blues organ; saxophone smears and sustaining notes; stumbling drums. False starts and false stops. Finally, a heavy-metal guitar that the other band members just seem to ignore. And through this extemporaneously created morass, the foreboding soul of the song remains squarely in focus. "AK" is a chameleon, sounding completely different on each listen. Even when you've gotten to the point where you think know what's going to happen next, a new twist unfolds.

And that's what makes it jazz, the "sound of surprise." What makes it great jazz is that it relies on the players putting their trust in their muse as much as they do in their expertise.

August 28, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · ecm

Horace Silver: Peace

Horace Silver has never struck me as a convincing ballad performer, yet here he contributes one of the great ballad compositions of the era. "Peace" is an aptly named song, perhaps the gentlest work in the voluminous Silver discography. I especially like the way the form keeps turning in on itself, without a bridge to change the ambiance -- in this regard, this song reminds me of what Miles had done four months earlier with "Blue in Green," another pacifying bridge-less ballad. The only thing I find unsatisfying with this performance is Silver's apparent attempt to prod the rest of the band into double time during his solo. Taylor and Hayes refuse to budge, even when Silver's solo seems to be begging for a more swinging accompaniment. But even with the mismatch between the jaunty piano and the relaxed attitude of the bass and drums, "Peace" is one of Silver's gems. Mitchell's contribution is also noteworthy.

August 28, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · blue note · peace

Fieldwork: Pivot Point

With a circular melodic construct that this trio seems to hang onto while simultaneously pushing forward, "Pivot Point" illustrates one of Fieldwork's biggest strengths: tight interplay amidst seeming chaos. Beginning with Vijay Iyer's loosely woven piano arpeggios, Steve Lehman's saxophone soon follows with sharp blasts that have an almost Evan Parker-esque quality. Iyer's madly ascending piano and Tyshawn Sorey's polyrhythmic drums drive the song to its short midpoint break, where the musical circle is quietly restated before everybody dives back in. It's a good thing that "Pivot Point" is just short of 3 minutes in length, as I'm not sure the band could have held on much longer!

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Jay D'Amico: Improvviso

One word describes what sets "Improvviso" (Italian for unexpected) apart from the usual intersection of jazz and classical music: romance. It can be argued that Claude Bolling's work – especially Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio – serves as a counterexample, but it just never resonated with me. Jay D'Amico pulls off the task of morphing from classical to jazz and back while neither losing the mood nor seeming too academic. It sure helps that, when the lovely opening theme slides over to the jazz side, his band pushes the swing-o-meter far into the red. Ronnie Zito's skittery brushes perfectly complement Marc Johnson's speedy walking bassline. That short shot of adrenaline makes the shift back into solo piano seem all the more intimate.

August 27, 2008 · 1 comment

Tags: 2000s jazz · piano trio

Tim Kuhl: Dr. Doom

With "Dr. Doom," drummer Tim Kuhl takes a page out of the latter-years John Coltrane playbook, where a theme is poked and prodded until every last drop of juice has been rendered. "Dr. Doom" reminds my ears of a modern-day "Afro-Blue," with slight alterations in the head being extracted by virtue of an ensemble that's got some true big-ears interplay going. The playful interactions between Nir Felder's guitar and Rick Parker's trombone are particularly noteworthy. Oh right...and then there's Tim Kuhl's nonstop pulse full of swing.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Bobby Streng Saxemble: Streng Theory

"Streng Theory," essentially an exuberant blues brought to life by Bobby Streng's high-powered group, takes one liberty with the "rules" governing more traditional horn bands: it uses dissonance. Yes, amidst the swaggering bounce, swing and staccato blasts (think Tower of Power), short interjections of horns behaving badly put what Frank Zappa liked to call "the eyebrows" on the music. The added bit of tension and humor ratchets up the fun by several notches.

Warning: May cause inappropriate dancing on living room furniture.

August 27, 2008 · 1 comment

Tags: 2000s jazz

Donny McCaslin: Late Night Gospel

It's not surprising that saxophonist Donny McCaslin, having played with the likes of Maria Schneider and Dave Douglas, brings some distilled emotion to his own work. "Late Night Gospel" presents a slow-burning blues lament that glows brighter with each chorus. Credit must be given to bassist Glawischnig and drummer Blake, who don't squander opportunities to leverage the growing mood. As the track reaches its peak, McCaslin leans into some quite angular lines, but never resorts to flash for its own sake.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · tenor sax

Connie Crothers & Bill Payne: The Desert and The City

Clarinetist Bill Payne is the very definition of the itinerant musician—his extensive résumé lists stints with at several traveling circuses, Broadway and Vegas shows, tours with the Russ Carlyle Orchestra, cruise-ship bands, and the infrequent bad day gig. Pianist Crothers's pedigree is a bit purer from a jazz perspective: once the protégé of Lennie Tristano, she remains one of the most exceptional representatives of his musical philosophy. Payne cites studies with Crothers as a turning point in his life. He's now obviously her peer. This track presents the pair in intense one-on-one engagement. Payne's non-tonal lines are classically tinged, augmented by a jazz musician's concern with forward motion and free expression. Crothers has the touch of a first-rate Debussy interpreter, and here her lines as well possess an impressionistic strain. Each player gives as much as he/she takes. Their interplay is indeed conversational, albeit highly animated—even argumentative. Crothers's status as one of the most accomplished in/out improvisers is only enhanced by this release. Payne's rep, newly minted compared to hers, benefits even more.

August 27, 2008 · 1 comment

Tags: 2000s jazz · desert jazz

Mathias Eick: October

Mathias Eick received the "International Jazz Award for New Talent” at the January 2007 IAJE gathering in New York. (Remember that event from the Good Ol' Days?) Now he impresses with his debut CD on ECM, The Door. This track is a moody meditation with Eick's trumpet line floating over Jon Balke's stately piano vamp. The rest of the rhythm section somehow manages to sound like the wind blowing through the forest, more an implication behind Balke and Eick than an overt beat. Why are all the lyrical trumpeters coming from Europe these days? Elsewhere (in my article "Chet's Children") I have suggested that Chet Baker's indefatigable gigging around Europe in the 1970s and '80s may have sowed seeds that are now sprouting up around the present-day EU. In any event, Eick is one of the finest of the new generation. Even if you already have Rava, Stanko, Fresu and the other top-flight European trumpeters on your CD shelves, you need to make room for this promising, visionary artist.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · ecm · norway · scandinavia · trumpet

John Lee Hooker, Jr.: Dear John

John Lee Hooker, Jr. has had a tough, troubled life even by the standards of blues musicians. But he has gotten his act together and, after his famous father's death in 2001, has solidified his own reputation on the blues scene. His 2004 CD Blues with a Vengeance earned a Grammy nomination, and his 2008 release All Odds Against Me, which opens with this "Dear John" track, is likely to expand his following. Hooker offers a fiery "talking blues" here, eventually showing off his singing ability but first stretching out with a hard-times story. No one did this better than the singer's late father, who burst to fame with a talking blues hit ("Boogie Chillen") 60 years ago. Jr. has inherited a dose of the Hooker magic. Nonetheless, though this track delivers an edgy take on the old avenging woman theme -- another familiar blues subject -- the end result may be closer to George Thorogood than to anything you will find in the blues bins. Unlike his father, Hooker, Jr. doesn't play the guitar here, but has enlisted a strong grooving band that keeps it raw and exciting. Hooker is not a new artist -- he is in his mid-50s -- but this CD is one more piece of evidence proving (what we've always known) that blues musicians simply get better with age. This one might just be entering his prime.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: blues

Horace Silver: Opus de Funk

Horace Silver came to New York City in 1950 after being hired by Stan Getz. Soon he became much in demand as a sideman for a variety of "name" leaders. His first recordings as a leader were trio sessions for Blue Note in 1952-53 with Art Blakey on drums and Gene Ramey, Curly Russell or Percy Heath on bass.

"Opus de Funk" is a good example of early Silver—fluent bebop in the Bud Powell idiom, but with an earthiness that recalls earlier eras. (Appropriately, the tune is a blues.) Silver had played tenor saxophone before deciding to concentrate on piano, and it's easy to hear a tenor-like quality in his lines. Not surprisingly, he was an accompanist in those years to such great tenor players as Getz, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.

August 27, 2008 · 1 comment

Tags: 1950s jazz · piano trio

Horace Silver: Kissin' Cousins

Tom Harrell and Bob Berg were Horace Silver's bright lights in the mid-1970s, and here they were part of an unusual project: the quintet laid down its tracks, and then Wade Marcus orchestrated Silver's voicings and overdubbed seven more horns playing them. It all worked quite well—the first in a series of '70s Silver albums that included woodwinds, percussion, voices and/or strings.

"Kissin' Cousins" is '70s funk á la Silver, and it burns appropriately. Berg in particular gets into the spirit of things; tenor saxophone, after all, is the solo instrument for a groove like this. And speaking of funk grooves, studio mainstay Bernard Purdie's is unbeatable.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1970s jazz · big band

Sonny Rollins: Tenor Madness

This medium tempo, B-flat blues is the title track of one of Sonny Rollins's many fine mid-1950s albums. It's also—unless there's a wire recording in someone's attic of the 1952 gig they played with Miles Davis at the Audubon Ballroom—the only recorded encounter between Rollins and John Coltrane. Trane, Chambers, Garland and Jones were less than two weeks removed from a marathon session, in the same Van Gelder studio, that produced all of Davis's seminal albums Workin' and Steamin' plus 2 tracks for Relaxin'. Perhaps the rhythm section was still winded from that creative exercise in contract fulfillment; or maybe Rollins's leadership wasn't as compelling as Miles's. For whatever reason, their playing here is somewhat less vital than on that session.

On the other hand, Coltrane and Rollins were clearly inspired by each other's presence. After a single statement of the riff-ish theme, the saxophonists get down to business. First Trane: in all his double-timing, sheets-of-sound glory, he exudes intensity and intellectual curiosity, dominated by a seriousness of purpose. Then Sonny: no less intense or curious than Trane, but with a looser manner of phrasing and a subtle yet palpable sense of play. The saxophonists' mutual respect is most evident as they trade fours with Jones. They listen and respond, molding their phrases to match and complement one another's. The defining characteristic isn't one-upsmanship, but rather a profound regard for continuity. There's a sense of reciprocity and a suspension of ego that would almost certainly not have existed had either been paired with any other tenorist. Both made better records than this, but neither came closer to meeting his equal as an improviser in the studio. It's certainly one of the essential tracks in the discographies of both.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · tenor sax

Sonny Rollins: The Surrey with the Fringe on Top

Aside from John Coltrane's work with Rashied Ali on Interstellar Space in 1967 (and occasional isolated instances with Elvin Jones prior), not many sax/drum duets have attained "essential listening" status. It remains an esoteric and obscure pursuit, practiced mostly—when practiced at all—by free jazzers. Therefore, Sonny Rollins's duet with Philly Joe Jones on this classic performance of "Surrey" is in all ways a rarity—a sax/drums duet that maintains the form and structure of the standard tune upon which it is based. Listeners familiar with such Rollins trio works as Way Out West and the Village Vanguard sets can be forgiven for imagining a bassist filling out the bottom, yet upon closer inspection they'll find only Philly Joe's toms and bass drum. Rollins invests the sprightly tune with his usual joie de vivre and an endlessly elastic way with improvised melody. More than usual, Philly Joe interacts directly with Rollins's statements; and, of course, he never compromises his trademark drive. Finally, as an example of what Rollins can do with simple harmonic materials, this can hardly be surpassed. An entire album of this might grow old, but as an inspired variation on traditional bebop performance practice, this small gem can't be beat.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · richard rodgers covers · surrey with the fringe on top · tenor sax

Horace Silver: Serenade to a Teakettle

The Hardbop Grandpop, despite its all-star cast, is overall not one of Horace Silver's finest albums; judged by Silver's own past standards, the compositions are mostly good but not exceptional. Nonetheless, "Serenade to a Teakettle" is a fine example of late Silver, and definitely one of this CD's high points. In addition, it gives us a rare chance to hear Silver writing for four horns—at times contrapuntally, which is unusual for him. Soloists Claudio Roditi, Ronnie Cuber and Silver all dig deeply into this 6/4 Latin opus.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz

Horace Silver: In Pursuit of the 27th Man

Here's a rare item in Horace Silver's discography as a leader: a session with vibraphonist David Friedman and no horns. (Flutist Hubert Laws was originally slated to have been involved as well, but was prevented from doing so by his record company.) "In Pursuit of the 27th Man" was one of four pieces recorded by this quartet. The album was completed with three other selections by Silver, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, and two then-rising young players, trumpeter Randy Brecker and his younger brother, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker.

This tune finds Silver in a modal mood—C Phrygian, to be precise. It also shows him as a more interactive accompanist than has usually been the case. This is especially true during the last half of the track. (Typically, Silver—to quote critic Martin Williams— "bounces, barks and chops" behind soloists, to generally positive effect.)

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1970s jazz

Horace Silver: Nutville

On half of The Cape Verdean Blues, Horace Silver added guest J.J. Johnson to his quintet. This enables us to hear Johnson soloing in a Silverian context, and also to hear Silver's writing for three horns instead of the usual two.

Silver makes full use of Johnson both as soloist and ensemble player. "Nutville," a galloping minor-blues mambo/jazz hybrid, is a barnburner from start to finish, with memorable solos by the three horns, Silver, and Roger Humphries. Humphries at the time was a highly promising drummer barely in his 20s. He made three albums with Silver and eventually returned home to Pittsburgh, where he has had a distinguished if relatively low-visibility career to this day.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · blue note

Horace Silver: Pretty Eyes

By the time that Horace Silver recorded The Cape Verdean Blues (certainly among his half-dozen best albums), the precocious trumpeter Woody Shaw had replaced Carmell Jones. Being between bass players, Silver used studio stalwart Bob Cranshaw for his first of several appearances on Silver's albums in the 1960s and '70s.

In his liner notes, Leonard Feather described "Pretty Eyes" as "…Horace's first recorded original jazz waltz." And a superior one it is—singable and most suitable for blowing. Shaw and Joe Henderson (one of the finest two-horn teams in jazz history, as they proved with Silver, organist Larry Young, and on their own) are alternately lyrical, probing and tough. Silver is spare and in a quoting mood.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz

Horace Silver: Song For My Father

This is the title track of what is arguably Horace Silver's greatest album, and undoubtedly his biggest hit as well. It's from the first release by Silver's then-new quintet, formed after he broke up the band that had served him so well for five years (1959-64).

Silver wrote "Song For My Father" after visiting pianist Sergio Mendes in Brazil, and considering that Silver's father came from the Cape Verde Islands, the Portuguese/Brazilian connection was a natural. The opening vamp (later borrowed by Steely Dan for its hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number") leads to one of Silver's most affecting themes, and then to perfect solos by, respectively, the leader and Joe Henderson. Henderson's is one of the great motivically based solos in recorded jazz—all derived from his three opening notes. And it's as soulful and exciting as it is ingenious.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · blue note

Horace Silver: Lonely Woman

Horace Silver's ballad playing isn't always completely satisfying for me, especially when his fondness for quoting mars the atmosphere of a ballad performance. But here he sets a mood and maintains it in gripping, singer-like fashion. This song—not to be confused with either the Benny Carter or Ornette Coleman piece of the same title—should be better known; it's one of Silver's loveliest compositions. After the breakup of Silver's 1959-64 group, this track and "Calcutta Cutie" were used to fill out the Song For My Father album by the successor quintet.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · blue note · piano trio

Horace Silver: Sister Sadie

This irresistible gospel-inflected piece is one of Horace Silver's most popular and enduring compositions. It's also probably as close as five musicians will ever come to sounding like a big band—a tribute to Silver's writing. It's no coincidence that at least three big bands (Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and the University of Illinois Jazz Band) followed in the 1960s with recorded arrangements of this tune. But it's hard to beat Silver's own treatment; his quintet shouts, dances and roars.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · hard bop

Horace Silver: Cookin' at the Continental

The album Finger Poppin' introduced Horace Silver's longest-lasting front line, Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook, who worked with the pianist from 1959 to 1964. However, the highlight of "Cookin' at the Continental," a medium-up blues, is Silver's piano solo, one of his most harmonically adventurous on record. Silver's use of fourths in his lines must have intrigued such gifted then-up-and-comers as McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and especially Chick Corea. (Want a revealing comparison? Play this recording back to back with Corea's 1968 version of "Matrix"—also a medium-up blues—on Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. You'll hear an interesting lineage.)

In 1994, the GRP All-Star Big Band recorded an arrangement of "Cookin' at the Continental" by Michael Abene on the album All Blues. The climax of the chart is Abene's orchestration of a transcription of Silver's recorded piano solo—a textbook example of the value of an improvisation as composition.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · hard bop

Horace Silver: Cool Eyes

From the same Horace Silver album as his hit "Señor Blues," "Cool Eyes," with its 32-bar AABA theme, is a delightful example of Silver's much-heralded craftsmanship. The harmonies are among the most basic in jazz: "I Got Rhythm" in the A sections, "Honeysuckle Rose" in the B section. What Silver does with them, though, is highly original. Note the last eight bars of the theme, for example, where he doubles the two horns with his piano, changing the color of the line in a fresh and unexpected way. Add to that a catchy written interlude between solos, plus a surprise ending, and the result is one of the most attractive "Rhythm"/"Honeysuckle Rose" contrafacts.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · hard bop

Horace Silver: Señor Blues

After the demise of the cooperative group known as The Jazz Messengers (Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins, Art Blakey), Silver put together his own quintet and recorded Six Pieces of Silver. He hadn't intended to become a working bandleader, but the success of "Señor Blues" created a demand for the Horace Silver Quintet and launched Silver as a leader.

"Señor Blues" is a 12/8 Latin piece with a dark, exotic flavor that recalls no other jazz composer as much as Duke Ellington. The first two chords are E-flat minor and B7, resembling (whether consciously intended or not) one of Ellington's favorite harmonic gestures. Donald Byrd, Mobley and Silver carefully maintain the atmosphere of the piece in their solos. In that respect, Silver's dense chording behind the two horns is an enormous help; his own solo, after a written interlude by the horns, is an effective contrast.

August 27, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · hard bop · senor blues

Horace Silver: Doodlin'

From one of the classic hard-bop albums comes Horace Silver's first hit. Take a simple riff, rhythmically displace it several times over D-flat blues harmonies, resolve it with a staccato, quasi-humorous phrase, and you have "Doodlin'." (It's far less easy to do than that sounds.) Silver's solo is the highlight of this performance—the essence of inspired simplicity. Jon Hendricks later wrote engaging lyrics to the theme and piano solo; they can be heard on Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan at Basin Street East.

August 26, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · blue note · hard bop

Tony Malaby: Dos Caminos

While a quartet with two drummers is not the most ordinary type of band, in this case it's the powerful engine needed to drive Tony Malaby's huge sound and loose phrasing. Even so, the reed player from Arizona didn't choose his percussionists merely for their strength, but also for the melodic and rhythmic contrast of their specific playing styles. Similarly, Malaby's own sound is not only huge, in the tradition of Midwestern tenormen, but also has a uniquely mellow edge that makes him one of the most sought-after players on both sides of the Atlantic. This tune conjures up memories of such elders as Gato Barbieri and Jim Pepper, evolving in a casual, freely rambling way. Throughout, Malaby is beautifully supported by the deep sound of Drew Gress, who provides a secure harmonic underpinning for Malaby's free playing.

August 26, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · tenor sax

Bheki Mseleku: Adored Value

Now that he has gone back to a country that has changed for the better, we don't hear so much about South African multi-instrumentalist Bheki Mseleku. More than a decade ago, when he was an exile living in London, he was considered a musical wonder who could play piano and tenor sax in the various styles of his native country as well in the neo hard-bop style that was prevalent at the time. On this track, surrounded by such young lions as Graham Haynes and Ravi Coltrane and supported by veteran drummer Elvin Jones, Mseleku tackles a cleverly penned tuned that might have been a hit on a Blue Note or Prestige album in the '60s. Still, both his sensitive piano style, indebted to Monk, and his partners' enthusiasm prevent this song from becoming a mere copy of the past. It boils with a life and feeling that defy time and stylistic categories.

August 26, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · south africa

Julius Hemphill: Shorty

The end of Julius Hemphill's life was plagued with health problems and, from 1993 on, doctors forbade him to play and tour. But Hemphill was not only a great altoist and teacher, who had influenced David Sanborn, Tim Berne and Marty Ehrlich, he was also a composer, and as such carried on writing music until he died in 1995. Some of this music was written specifically for this sextet of alumni dedicated to his work. On this track, Berne begins alone in a fiery solo full of slaps and shrieks before the other reeds join him in a slow blues, led by James Carter's huge tenor sax sound. Hemphill's Texas roots are obvious in this poignant tune that, beyond its free aspects, has all the characteristics of a classic in the vein of some of Ellington's or Mingus's compositions.

August 26, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz

Cedar Walton: Bolivia

Though it has some South American undertones in its melody and rhythm, "Bolivia" is basically a well-crafted post hard-bop tune. It starts with a catchy, angular romp in the left hand that Horace Silver might have penned, and evolves somewhere between the blues and Latin hues. This tune has become a modern standard and has even been sung, but it's interesting to hear it played by its composer. Walton is a relatively underrated musician, perhaps because most of his career was spent as a sideman. The present trio setting, where he can stretch, develop his ideas and show his strong rhythmic chops flanked by a compatible rhythm team, allows those who know little about him to discover this fine pianist and composer.

August 26, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · piano trio

Marc Copland: Vignette

Composed by Gary Peacock (who opens this track with a powerful solo), "Vignette" was originally recorded on ECM in 1977 by the bassist leading a group that would later become world famous as the Keith Jarrett Trio. Almost 30 years later, "Vignette" has acquired a new life; besides the present trio, the young Polish Marcin Wasilewski trio also recorded it recently. But what could Marc Copland have to say after Keith Jarrett, on this same tune and likewise with Peacock? First, it's obvious that the bassist's catchy little melody has aged nary a wrinkle in three decades and can still inspire today's musicians of all generations, provided their sensitivity is compatible with the dreamy climate of its harmonies. Second, Peacocks shows, by taking two solos on this version, that he may not have all the space he needs in a more famous trio that's almost entirely devoted to standards. And the way Motian's drumming makes the pulsation breathe here may indeed grant Peacock the freedom he's craving. Last, Copland, as a pianist, is very different from Jarrett. He doesn't try to build a climax but develops a strange atmosphere through the repetition of similar melodic structures, while using open chords that, little by little, widen the harmonic space and slowly create a magical, intoxicating feeling.

August 25, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · piano trio

Lars Danielsson & Leszek Mozdzer: Praying

Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson is a great bass player in the Nordic tradition: virtuosic, musical and lyrical. On this track the bass actually carries the melody alone in the first few bars and continues doing so, alternating roles with the piano, throughout the tune. In the hands of Polish virtuoso Leszek Mozdzer, the piano likewise takes a very lyrical approach to the melody . Nevertheless, the 6/8 rhythm of this beautiful tune is not neglected, giving the melody a mellow dancing twist that adds much to its romantic charm.

August 25, 2008 · 2 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · bass · sweden

Charles Lloyd: La Colline de Monk

The percussive, angular piano solo introduction definitely relates to Monk's style, up to its traces of stride, but also makes one think of early Cecil Taylor. When Charles Lloyd enters, halfway through the song, this feeling lingers because he blows his tenor in an unusually vivacious manner and even quotes Monk's "Epistrophy," while exploring scales and sounds in an almost free way. Since this is rather unusual for the veteran tenorist, a listener might conclude that Lloyd has been nudged out of his usually meditative mood by his new young pianist, Jason Moran. If so, it wouldn't be the first time for Lloyd. Wasn't he enticed to resume his musical career a couple of decades ago when he met a young piano prodigy named Michel Petrucciani?

August 25, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · ecm

Jerry Gonzalez: El Vito En El Congo

It all starts with a very impressive imitation of jungle sounds by the percussionists, then the big band progressively enters with the melody and rhythm of a lush 3/4 song that displays its beauty at a relaxed medium tempo. Jerry Gonzalez, who established himself in Spain, is the main soloist and has definitely found the musicians he needed to express his broad vision of music. Indeed he has assembled a magnificent orchestra of international quality only by calling on instrumentalists who mostly live within a few miles of his new Barcelona home. This is added evidence that the level of European musicians – and Spain is not a country with a huge jazz tradition, at that – has risen notably in the last few decades.

August 25, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · big band · latin jazz

Andreas Öberg: A.M. Call

In our evolving street culture, slang words sometimes contradict their original definitions. Take "stupid," which according to Dictionary.com can now mean excellent or terrific. A fellow musician, who shall remain nameless, recently applied that term to the playing of Andreas Öberg. This 30-year-old, Swedish-born guitarist has rock-star good looks and packs venues wherever he performs. Confident almost to the point of cockiness, he could never be accused of being demure, and some musicians seem to resent him a bit. But I like him a lot. I think he's going to be a very big deal. Equally at home with bebop, blues or Gypsy swing, there seems to be no limit to his stylistic range or facility with the fretboard.

On this particular cut he takes aim at an icy funk groove in the tradition of Eric Gale, but with more ammo in his clip. Still, no one could accuse him of overkill on this outing. He drops the chops with smart-bomb precision, supported by Vic Stevens's deadly backbeat and Kuno Schmid's tastefully synthesized bass. The extraordinary Romanian pianist Marian Petrescu provides enough depth and intrigue to free the piece from a two-dimensional envampment.

Even with its new, superlative connotation, however, "stupid" doesn't quite convey the awe inspired by this young guitar chopsta, currently walking point for Europe's jazz revolution army.

August 25, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · guitar · sweden

Donny McCaslin: Eventual

Donny McCaslin is a saxophone force to be reckoned with! His astute use of his instrument's various timbres and attacks sets him apart amongst today's plethora of saxophonists. Here he takes a staccato- stepped piece and, with the able assistance of his simpatico accompanists, forms a crescendo-building musical tour de force that showcases his fertile improvisational talents while retaining an unerring sense of melody. He is especially in sync with drummer Blake, who demonstrates an intuitive conversational ability to communicate with McCaslin as Glawischnig keeps the piece together with his grounded basslines. It's easy to see why my fellow Jazz.com reviewers have found McCaslin's work so compelling. After remaining somewhat in the shadow of other people's musical adventures as a sought-after sideman, McCaslin has emerged in full daylight on this important release as a creative improviser of the first order as well as a formidable leader/composer.

August 23, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · tenor sax

Chris Greene: Amalgasantos

Often times "indy" releases can be little more than artists trying desperately to get an audience beyond their family and friends who support their efforts with little discernment. Here we have a surprising exception where a groovin' Chicago-based quartet that seems to be comfortable with their brand of music – an amalgam of soul, blues and funky jazz – have made a credible attempt at expanding their core listener base. No spatial explorations here; more popularly grounded music well played, as this energetic and infectious group demonstrates what Chicago audiences must have already learned. The Chris Greene Quartet plays grooving music, reminiscent of the late Grover Washington Jr.'s "Philly" sound moved west to the Windy City. It makes you feel good, and they play it well. Reason enough to keep an open mind on so-called "indy" releases.

August 23, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Donny McCaslin: The Champion

Donny McCaslin's name rarely shows up in bright lights. He has released a half-dozen leader dates, but is better known for sideman work in Steps Ahead, the Maria Schneider Orchestra and other top-flight bands where his name is hidden inside the CD booklet. I am not sure if his 2008 leader date Recommended Tools will give him a bigger dose of stardom, but he certainly deserves wider acclaim. There are few tenor players on the scene who impress me more than McCaslin. On "The Champion" (dedicated to Hermeto Pascoal, another unsung hero), he works wonders with a song that starts out as little more than a percussion-type figure played on the sax, a serpentine melody that constantly turns in on itself. The interaction with bassist Glawischnig and drummer Blake is inspired, but the centerpiece of this track is a long solo sax section in which McCaslin is everywhere, playing fast figures, bass notes, setting rhythmic patterns into motion, soaring into the high register or bellowing in the cellar. This is potent music, and one more sign that Donny McCaslin has arrived in the elite ranks of the jazz world.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · sax trio · tenor sax

John Pizzarelli: This Can't Be Love

John Pizzarelli is a jazz guitarist born in 1960. His father Bucky Pizzarelli is a jazz guitarist born in 1926. But John may be even more old-fashioned than dear old dad, crafting a style that is distinctly retro and with no pretensions to keeping up with the times. Here the younger Pizzarelli resurrects a song that was composed before his father even started his professional career, and plays it with perfect sympathy for the words and music. Don Sebesky contributes a simple but very effective chart, and the band plays it with a jaunty swing groove that is as comfortable as a first-class seat on an old Pan Am Clipper. This is not the next new thing, just the old tried and true. But Pizzarelli is a charming performer, and has pulled it all together on this solid track.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: guitar · jazz vocals · richard rodgers covers · this can't be love

Jay D'Amico: Tuscan Prelude

As on his previous Ponte Novello CD, D'Amico here merges his dual interests: jazz and classical music. If you have enjoyed the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Classical Jazz Quartet, Dave Liebman and Bobby Avey's Vienna Dialogues, or perhaps Jacques Loussier, D'Amico's Tuscan Prelude release is must hearing. Its "Jazz Under Glass" subtitle implies a succulent Italian delicacy rather than music preserved and stultified. This is indeed lively and engaging fare.

D'Amico at times can sound like John Lewis, Chick Corea or, as on the title track, Bill Evans. The performance begins with the pianist's enchanting classically influenced melody played unaccompanied before he is joined by the tasteful Johnson and Zito. They soon enter a mid-tempo jazz groove, and D'Amico soars, with a glistening touch and beautifully delineated lines. He returns to the theme alone, for a melodious and ultimately emphatic conclusion, the content of which evokes Chopin.

One unrelated footnote. A press release that profiles D'Amico contains one chilling standalone sentence: "From 1984 through September 10, 2001, D'Amico performed as the Pianist in Residence at New York's Windows on the World." Notice the final date, and be reminded that the venue was located at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · piano trio

Chris Greene: Bernie's Tune

The Chicago-based Chris Greene Quartet mixes it up in a natural, unforced manner, with an emphasis that can shift effortlessly amongst influences ranging from funk, fusion, blues, gospel and soul, not to mention progressive, mainstream and Latin jazz. As Greene puts it, he is "determined to fight musical segregation." Here he confirms his straight-ahead jazz credentials astride that old reliable workhorse "Bernie's Tune," a composition known for its considerably inviting melodic, harmonic and rhythmic qualities.

The track is launched by Greene's jaunty treatment of the ever-appealing theme, as he playfully varies his rhythmic attack. Espinosa's leadoff solo is inventively melodic and, like Greene, he frequently alters his rhythmic pulse to enhance the impact of his single-note lines, all the while bolstered by Piane's booming bass. Greene follows with a thoughtful and logically constructed improv (a nod to Gerry Mulligan's approach to the tune?), his supple tenor sound complementing a skillful blend of attractive circular phrases and propulsive riffs. His dancing out-chorus consummates a very satisfying performance.

On the face of this CD is the inscription, "Thanks for supporting creative, independent music. If you don't, who will?" Greene's music most certainly deserves such support.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Arnett Cobb: The Way You Look Tonight

Arnett Cobb, the "Wild Man of the Tenor Sax," replaced Illinois Jacquet in Lionel Hampton's band in 1942 and helped give Hamp his second big hit on the remake of the vibraphonist's theme song, "Flying Home." Cobb stylistically bridged the gap between swing and rhythm and blues, with the extroverted approach of such "Texas Tenors" as Jacquet, Buddy Tate, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Gene Ammons. By the time of the 1960 session that included this track, Cobb had suffered serious physical setbacks – spinal surgery in 1948, and crushed legs caused by a car accident in 1956 – yet his showy, demonstrative musical personality remained largely intact.

Here he essays Jerome Kern's theme with a gruff tone, alternating elongated, breathy notes with punched-out flurries. The piece is arranged as an exchange of short statements between Cobb and pianist Red Garland, except for one lengthier excursion by each. Cobb's full solo raises the dynamic level as he testifies with assertive riff-like phrases and bluesy exhortations, under relaxed control in comparison to his somewhat exaggerated "Wild Man" moniker. As for Garland, his lightly frolicking runs eventually give way to his more somber trademark block chords. Cobb returns to sweet-talk the melody before a gradual fadeout. Kudos as always to audio engineer Rudy Van Gelder.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · jerome kern covers · tenor sax · the way you look tonight

Andrea Centazzo, Perry Robinson & Nobu Stowe: Last Song

This collaboration between two veterans of free jazz – percussionist, composer and musicologist Centazzo and clarinetist Robinson – along with relative newcomer pianist Stowe, moves through diverse sound- scapes and moods. "Last Song" is a good example of the haunting lyricism expressed by Robinson and Stowe, as Centazzo's various percussive effects, from mallets to cymbals to electronics, contribute a persistently provocative underpinning that both inspires and augments the others' improvisations. Robinson's warm-toned articulation of delicate melodic lines, and Stowe's mixture of pensive chords, dramatic jabbed-out phrases, tone-row patterns and alluring vamps, keep this piece fluctuating between tonal bliss and otherworldly free-form minimalism. The trio in sum displays a fearlessness, confidence and rapport that a listener cannot help but to appreciate.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz

Kenny Dorham: Blue Spring Shuffle

Maybe it's because I'm a bassist, but there's just something so authoritative about the way Paul Chambers dishes out the opening chorus of this blues. You can hear the years of experience in the fullness of his tone, addressing changes he'd probably played countless times before. Needless to say, that journeyman attitude comes through for the rest of the players here. The tune appears to be somewhat of a throwaway just leading to the solos, and I wish the head wasn't repeated so often. All the players take a relaxed approach to their development of this simple theme, and I particularly like Flanagan's sparse musings. While I admit a strong bias, the real treat here comes from the bass solo. The simplicity of the form leaves lots of room for the master to plant short blues phrases that he twists out there enough to captivate the listener before bringing things back to the basics.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz

Chick Corea: Tempus Fugit

In early 1949, with sidemen Ray Brown and Max Roach, Bud Powell first recorded what would become a jazz standard, and it surely stands as one of my favorite compositions in the bebop canon. This all-star aggregation from 1996 plays it with the fire it deserves, thanks in no small part to the presence of Roy Haynes. The drummer, who first recorded with Powell the same year as the aforementioned waxing of this piece, brings much to this session. His spirit and energy seem everywhere without running roughshod over the other players. Often these "superstar" turns can be stilted affairs, but the solos here feel driven, and the ensemble work sounds fresh throughout.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1990s jazz · bud powell covers · tempus fugit

Sun Ra: Easy Street

Sun Ra (Sonny Blount) left us earthlings a vast discography from his earliest days through his last mortal years working out of the Philadelphia area. He first recorded under his own name in 1953 in Chicago, but had been doing documented session work as early as 1946 in Nashville with Wynonie Harris. His last performances, right before his passing in May 1993, featured band members who had been with him for decades. Yet throughout those years and countless albums, there is little recorded evidence of his work as a solo pianist. This rendition of the Alan Jones popular standard shows the side of Sun Ra that became more pronounced through the latter part of his career. While the band could still be whipped up into a free-jazz frenzy at the drop of a hat, they always played several numbers from the music's earliest days. (Like the Ellington band, the Arkestra had a vast book.) This rendition shows an uncanny respect for the tune itself, while the skewness that is Ra shines through.

August 22, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · easy street · solo piano

Michael Brecker: Syzygy

The first 2½ minutes offer an astonishing display of Michael Brecker's uniquely muscular tenor, somersaulting and pirouetting over DeJohnette's heavily accented syncopations. Out of nowhere, the leader sticks the landing right on Haden's relentlessly repeating bass figure. Brecker weaves rhapsodic passages while continuing to improvise, even adding his EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument, looking like a soprano sax but incorporating a synthesizer) without disrupting the flow. Both Kirkland's and Metheny's solo turns are nearly equally inspired, with the guitarist showing ample chops and vigor through a tricky chord progression. The jazz spirit is so dominant that not even the use of some technologically advanced instruments foreign to jazz could get in the way. "Syzygy"—referring to the alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth during an eclipse—is the '80s version of Coltrane's "Countdown."

August 21, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1980s jazz · tenor sax

Count Basie: Half Moon Street

The concept behind this album was to feature original pieces by several current members (as of 1958) and one former member of the Basie band. Thus the music includes three charts by Frank Foster, four by Thad Jones, three by Ernie Wilkins, and two by Frank Wess. Of these four giants, Frank Wess is undoubtedly the least known as a composer-arranger, though he is universally recognized as a great tenor saxophonist and flutist and less so as a splendid altoist. This chart, and Frank's other contribution, the blues "Segue in C," are both living, breathing definitions of soul, honesty, and swing. Thad Jones and Al Grey turn in characteristic solos and Sonny Payne drives the band with a confident intensity, but Frank Wess's simple, powerful writing is the real star here. This is New Testament Basie at its finest.

August 21, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · big band

Mel Tormé (with Marty Paich): Lulu's Back in Town

I've never much cared for "back in town" songs. Whether it's Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town" or just Matt Dusk who has crossed over the city limits. Unless there's a court-issued restraining order, you should be able to come and go as you please. Lulu's returned (from painful confinement in an Alban Berg opera)? Wanna ask me if I care?

But Tormé and Paich take this shallow Tin Pan Alley gal and make her into a countess. The chart is smartly conceived, from the tuba pounding away on the back beats in the intro to the vocal and harmonic pyrotechnics in the coda (only the Velvet Fog could squeeze so many syllables out of the name "Lulu" -- turning it into a veritable Lulu-ululation). Along the way, we get a very accomplished vocal with all the characteristic Tormé virtues. Check the enunciation, check the intonation . . . heck, you can check the oil and the tire pressure, and you will find that everything is running on all cylinders. And don't miss Bud Shank's fine alto solo in a cool school vein. Vraiment, this was a 'Lulu' worth waiting for.

August 21, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: jazz vocals

Dan Cray: Hammer Head

Over Here Over Heard was recorded live in Chicago. The least straight-ahead piece on the album, Wayne Shorter's "Hammer Head," is given an interesting treatment by this talented trio. Pianist Cray reserves some of his loudest block chords for this performance. The closest Cray comes to really "showing off" his single-note chops on the entire album occurs during his solo turn. Sommers and Wyser-Pratte are a strong rhythm section and generate enough power and momentum to carry the composition's slightly off-kilter mood. On this and other more traditional songs on the album, the Dan Cray Trio proves they are more than capable of interpretations worth a listen.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · hammer head · piano trio · wayne shorter covers

Wolfgang Schalk: A New Something

Wanted is yet another wonderful album from guitarist Wolfgang Schalk. The material, ranging from slow impressionistic ballads to straight-ahead to fusion, is a bit more diverse than some of his past efforts. Of particular interest is his beautiful acoustic playing. On "A New Something" Schalk makes his acoustic speak. Each ringing note drips with feeling. His spatial introduction leads to a cleverly assembled heartfelt melody. It is instantly memorable. Pianist Keezer gently doubles-up with Schalk, who effortlessly slides into a quicker tempo quasi-Gypsy swing in the tune's midsection. He is followed by Keezer's own, equally effective turn. While drummer Smith adds percussive emphasis, bassist Dave Carpenter serves as the tune's linchpin. He also offers a genuinely creative solo in an interesting counterpoint to Schalk's restatement of the tune's introduction. This is very moving music played with a purpose, and further bolsters Schalk's well-deserved acclaim as guitarist and composer.

Sadly, this was one of Dave Carpenter's last recorded performances. His untimely passing would take place the following summer. Schalk dedicates the album to him.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 2000s jazz · guitar

Erroll Garner: Love Walked In

Calling the solo piano section that begins this track an "introduction" is a great disservice to Erroll Garner. The through-composed, harmonically adventurous and seemingly unrelated introductions that are a hallmark of his recordings are augmented here, consuming half the track's length. Garner achieves his highest level of pianistic expression, displaying complete mastery of the keyboard while elaborating on the main theme with quasi-Romantic inclinations. Gently ushering in his trio, Garner settles into a beautiful, easy ballad. As in most Garner trio recordings, bassist and drummer play an ancillary role, allowing Garner's vision for the recording to proceed in a clear and truly masterful fashion.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · gershwin covers · love walked in · piano trio

Erroll Garner: Strike Up the Band

Here, as he so often did, Erroll Garner performs a seemingly unrelated introduction. Punchy, dissonant, deceptively out-of-time gestures belie the straight-ahead swinging nature on which Garner's trio embarks in this rendition of the 1927 Gershwin standard from an eponymous musical. Even though the original production was unsuccessful, this song, along with "The Man I Love," proved to be hugely popular, and each in time became a standard. In his improvisations, Garner exercises remarkable contrast, at times appearing to trade eights with himself. Garner fans will appreciate how this track in many ways epitomizes his inimitable pianistic style, which proved consistently effective and popular throughout his career.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · gershwin covers · piano trio · strike up the band

Phil Markowitz: Catalysis

In case you have forgotten your chemistry, "catalysis" is the increase in the rate of a chemical reaction caused by the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst here is pianist Phil Markowitz, who steps forward as a leader on this CD, but has unleashed many of his previous chemical reactions in the context of bands fronted by Dave Liebman, Chet Baker and the Saxophone Summit. Markowitz is a master at churning, probing jazz that constantly pushes against the edges of the harmonies. He enjoys lingering at the liminal point where tonality still exerts some gravitational pull, but Markowitz is close enough to his atonal neighbors that he can almost join hands over the barbed-wire fence. His piano attack is biting and precise, and his improvised lines never settle for the conventional. This is jazz purged of romanticism . . . but, hey, what do you expect when the leader names the song (and CD) after a chemical reaction?

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: piano trio

Sonny Landreth (with Eric Clapton): When I Still Had You

When you want to get some bluesy licks down on your CD, who better to do the honors than Eric Clapton? But leader Sonny Landreth is also one of the hottest guitar soloists around, a modern-day master of slide technique and a delight to hear. He is so well respected that a host of famous names made their way to Louisiana to guest on this self-produced album, a debut project on the artist's Landfall label. (Other tracks on this CD feature Dr. John, Vince Gill, Robben Ford and Jimmy Buffet.) Matching Landreth with Clapton is a guitar player's fondest dream or worst nightmare, depending on your perspective. The results are electrifying. Clapton has called Landreth "probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced." Check out this release and see why.

August 20, 2008 · 1 comment

Tags: guitar

Danilo Perez: Across the Crystal Sea

Who can comprehend the musical mind of Claus Ogerman? Sometimes he creates orchestral works of near genius. On other occasions, he will dumb down the charts to the level of easy listening goo. His understated, impressionistic moods work best for singers such as Diana Krall or João Gilberto. But the fit with pianist Danilo Perez is less obvious. Perez is a fervent, rhythmically exciting pianist, and seems to combat Ogerman's arrangement on this track, rather than adapt to its smooth stylings. Perez works hard, but he is outnumbered. After all, Ogerman has a whole orchestra at his disposal and Danilo just has his two hands.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: piano

Erroll Garner: Theme from <i>A New Kind of Love</i>

Released in 1963, the comedic film A New Kind of Love, starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, featured original compositions by Erroll Garner. The theme features an ensemble consisting of a big band with strings. As in other recordings, Garner alternates a Latin feel (in this case, the cha-cha-chá) with swing sections. Garner once again gives primacy to the main theme, but still provides himself a little space for a few improvisatory passages. The horn sections are unfortunately relegated to incidental fillers, but the overall arrangement provides propulsion that is somewhat suggestive of the bustling Parisian locales in which the film was set.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · soundtrack

Erroll Garner: The Best Things in Life Are Free

This composition premiered on September 6, 1927, as part of the Broadway show Good News. In 1961 Erroll Garner was in the middle of a contract dispute with several record labels; part of his solution for creative control was to found and record for his own label, Octave. Viewed in this light, recording this particular song during that session assumes an ironic subtext: at the heart of the dispute was the unauthorized release of several albums, for which Garner had to seek legal recourse in order to collect proper compensation. Despite these battles, Garner perseveres on this track, preserving the ebullient nonchalance of the original composition.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1960s jazz · piano trio

Jabbo Smith: More Rain, More Rest

In the late 1920s, Jabbo Smith was Louis Armstrong's chief rival and arguably the hottest trumpeter around. He recorded with Duke Ellington in 1927, and his exhilarating 1929 Rhythm Aces recordings were a dazzling display of his one-of-a-kind scorching style. After he all but disappeared in the 1930s, he reemerged with an 8-piece orchestra in 1938 playing and singing on four sides for Decca. His playing no longer singes the tips of your socks as he knocks them off of your feet, but these sides are as significant as his earlier burners. On "More Rain, More Rest" he shows flashes of the risky, high-register improvising that defined his playing a decade earlier, but the contrast of his mellower melodicism is refreshing. The mature Jabbo has a greater control over his trumpet, a more sensitive use of dynamics and lyricism, and swings more gently than he did in his brash youth.

August 20, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1930s jazz · trumpet

Erroll Garner: St. Louis Blues

Erroll Garner fans may take that steady left-hand chording for granted. On this recording, Garner varies his left-hand playing, punctuating the A section of the melody to great effect by substituting a more syncopated pattern for his usual four-on-the-floor method. Drummer Kelly Martin calls attention to this contrast by supporting Garner's left hand with similar accents on the cymbals before switching to brushes for the straight-ahead swing passages. Moving into the improvisation, Garner and company take off the gloves for some down-and-dirty blues. During exciting stop-time passages, Garner stretches the harmonic limits of his solo lines before returning to more tested ground. On the out chorus, the trio reverts to the original feel for the final statement of the melody and a long vamp-out.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · piano trio

Erroll Garner: Teach Me Tonight

This popular Cahn-DePaul composition, published in 1953, has attracted the attention of many musicians across several genres. (It has most recently been recorded by British pop star and tabloid magazine diva Amy Winehouse!) Erroll Garner eschews his normal rhapsodic introduction in favor of jumping right into a slow, solid swing. A wide range of pianistic techniques is on display: a mix of intricate solo lines, full-fisted harmonies, and shifts of feel. His guttural sub-vocalizations add to the plaintive insistence of this rendition—those who are familiar with the song's lyric will find it implied just beneath every note Garner plays. A deceptive cadence and short tag serve to prolong the lover's plea for just a few more bars.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · piano trio

Erroll Garner: It's All Right with Me

Partly attributed to his well-documented inability to read music, Erroll Garner's pianistic voice is one of the most distinctive in jazz history. On this, his most famous live recording, we hear how his individual style projects from his very core—his grunting sub-vocalizations are so audible that they could be considered another instrument in the ensemble! As in most performances, Garner runs the gamut of emotions and musical techniques: soft, smooth and subtle at one turn, and aggressive, insistent and even rough at the next. He is ultimately self-assured and driven as leader of this classic trio. Truly an inspired performance.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · cole porter covers · it's all right with me · piano trio

Erroll Garner: I've Got to Be a Rugcutter

The contrast between Erroll Garner's left and right hands sometimes creates the aural illusion of two separate tempos. Despite this track's quick tempo, Garner takes his time on this Ellington gem. The composition was an early hit for Duke's band with vocalist Ivie Anderson and was featured in the 1937 film, The Hit Parade. Art Tatum's influence is evident here, but Garner makes every note his own. Fats Heard's masterful brushwork perfectly complements Garner, who varies pianistic styles from his standard left-hand chording to "locked hands," polyphonic contrary motion, and more orchestral, two-handed chordal passages.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: 1950s jazz · ellington covers · i've got to be a rugcutter · piano trio

Aaron Parks: Travelers

"Travelers," the opening track to Aaron Parks's Invisible Cinema CD, is an impressive trio outing that demonstrates the virtues of this promising young artist. His touch is crisp and clean, and his musical ideas are cogent. Parks is perhaps best known for his sideman work with Terence Blanchard, but he serves notice here that he is ready to step forward as a leader in his own right. His improvised lines are artfully sketched and pirouette gracefully over the changes. His ability to convey a sense of relaxed flow over the rapid underlying tempo is especially striking. This is a musician you need to check out.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: piano

Aaron Parks: Peaceful Warrior

The self-contradicting song title reflects the paradoxical nature of this composition, which alternates between pastoral moods and more driving urban rhythms. Parks shows great patience in constructing and transforming his sonic landscapes. He is never in a rush, no matter what the tempo. Here he dwells lovingly over a simple folk-oriented melody and variations for almost four minutes before shifting gears. For a moment the rest of the band drops out, and the pianist stakes out new territory with a lilting two-hand vamp that soon draws the other musicians back into the swirling sound-colors. A more intense groove now permeates the music and underpins strong solos from Parks and Moreno. The eventual return to the ECM-ish opening melody seems to indicate the end of our journey, but the pianist adds a delicate, extended pointillistic coda that is quite effective. This is a poised performance from a young artist, and demonstrates a mature musical vision both in his composition and its execution.

August 19, 2008 · 0 comments

Tags: piano

Erroll Garner: 7-11 Jump

This is Erroll Garner at his swinging best. His orchestral approach to the piano is on full display, chorus after chorus. The song's "rhythm changes" form is the perfect vehicle for this extended improvisation. Fats Heard proves a fantastically sympathetic accompanist, never missing an opportunity to provide just the right fill to set up Garner's next move. Garner's use of sequence, balance of repetition and variation, and careful attention to register and dynamics is a study in piano improvisation. Recorded as part of an epic recording session that yielded material for several albums, this track stands out for the sheer amount of music—over seven minutes of Garner at the top of his game.