Tiny Reviews: The Cookers, Sing Sing Penelope, Passarim & Caito Marcondes, Troyka, & Benjamin Schaefer Trio

October 4, 2012

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  The Cookers Believe, Sing Sing Penelope This Is the Music Vol. 1, Benjamin Schaefer Trio Leaves Like Snow, Passarim & Caito Marcondes Festanca, and Troyka Moxxy.

******

 

The Cookers – Believe

Pretty accurate to call this a jazz supergroup.  All the members of this ensemble have been a vital part of the jazz landscape for decades, and based on their collaborative album Believe, that ain’t gonna change anytime in the near future.

Their third album as the Cookers ensemble, and it has all the pure jazz buoyancy, swing, and musicianship that symbolize so much of what is great about Jazz.

Your album personnel:  Billy Harper (tenor sax), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), David Weiss (trumpet), Craig Handy (alto sax), George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), and Billy Hart (drums).

The album consists of compositions culled from the songbooks of the ensemble members (with the exception of Wayne Shorter’s “Free For All”), and signifies the ensemble’s attitude toward a group effort.  This a group that plays as one, doesn’t step on each others toes, no displays of greed for the spotlight.

Though the various members of the group made their marks on different points of the jazz timeline, this is music that should appeal to all of us who never can get enough of that joyful hard bop of the 60s.  A modern bop throwback to the sound of saxes and horns raised up to the skies, piano that slices across clouds like birds, bass that gurgles cheerfully like the streams below, and drums that tremble and scatter like fresh earth.

Released on the Motema Records label.

Download a free album track at AllAboutJazz, courtesy of the artists and label.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

 

Other Albums of Note:

 

Sing Sing Penelope – This Is the Music Vol. 1

Avant-garde with some nice drone, post-rock, and world jazz flavors.  A heavy infusion of woodwinds and brass instruments, buffered by electronics and tabla.  Sing Sing Penelope is difficult to classify, easy to like.  Yet more evidence of the thriving jazz scene coming out of Poland.  Really a very cool album.

Your album personnel:  Wojciech Jachna (trumpet), Aleksander Kamiński (soprano sax), Tomasz Glazik (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Daniel Mackiewicz (rhodes, tabla, percussion), Patryk Węcławek (bass), and Rafał Gorzycki (drums)

You can stream an album song at the ensemble’s site.

The album is Self-Produced.  Available at eMusic.

 

Benjamin Schaefer Trio – Leaves Like Snow

Nice little piano session from this German trio.  No fireworks, just sure and steady.  Two feet in modern jazz piano trio sound, minus the electronics and effects.  Melodies that lead to introspection, rhythms a gentle patter and shuffle.  After a spin at expanding the trio into a septet, they’re back to a trio.

Your album personnel:  Benjamin Schaefer (piano), Robert Landfermann (double bass), and Marcus Rieck (drums).

Released on the Double Moon Records label.  Available at eMusic.

 

Passarim & Caito Marcondes – Festanca

Fascinating mix of percussion, trombone, and string quartet.  Latin, gypsy swing, world avant-garde and more.  Its difficulty to classify is counteracted by its listenability and all around joyfulness.  Great example of the ensemble’s whimsical experimentalism and accessibility is its rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”  Beautiful recording.

Your album personnel:  Caito Marcondes (percussion), Sebastien Semal (trombone), Michel Pieters (violin), Pierre Heneaux (violin), Laurence Genevois (viola), and Caroline Stevens (cello).

Released on the Home Records label.  Available at eMusic.

 

Troyka – Moxxy

Rock-jazz fusion album from a trio of solid UK jazz musicians.  Rocks more than it grooves, but does plenty of both.  Lots of tinkering with melodies, music as science experiment.  Could’ve just as easily been filed under post-rock.  Troyka provides plenty of music hear to keep the ear interested.  Cool version of song “Chaplin,” a Montague composition, which he also performs as part of the Threads Orchestra.

Your album personnel:  Chris Montague (guitars and loops), Kit Downes (organ) and Joshua Blackmore (drums).

Released on the Edition Records label.  Available at eMusic.

 

*****

The Cookers review is original to Bird is the Worm.  However, a portions of the other reviews were originally used in my Jazz Picks weekly article for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to that reprinted material as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ and “New Arrivals Jazz Picks,” reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig.  Cheers.


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Posted by davesumner

Tiny Reviews: Alexander Hawkins, Wayne Escoffery, Marcus Lewis, & Odd Trio

June 1, 2012

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Alexander Hawkins All There Ever Out, Wayne Escoffery The Only Son of One, Marcus Lewis Facing East, and Odd Trio Let’s Build a Myth Together.

*****

Well, okay, I think this’ll be the start of a nice stretch of Tiny Reviews, which I desperately need to get caught up on.  I’ve got a new system/format, which I think will let me allocate my time out a bit more efficiently than before.  Originally, most of the Tiny Reviews were taken from my eMusic Jazz Picks, and altered only slightly (if at all) from what I originally wrote, plus, obviously, tons of linking, album covers, and embedded audio when available.  I’m getting to where I’m just using maybe a sentence of my original comments as a seed, then writing something entirely new… which is good, since I’ve had a month of extra listening time for many of these albums, which gives for an enhanced perspective.

Anyways, the next few posts will reflect what a strong couple of weeks it had been.  Let’s begin…

 

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble – All There, Ever Out

Pianist Alexander Hawkins is emerging as a strong voice in the jazz avant-garde world. Most intriguingly, as Hawkins’ sound has developed, it has become more accessible as it also grows more confident.  A lovely example of this is third track “Owl (Friendly),” a melodic piece of dissonance that follows two freer pieces, and which seems perfectly in place in the flow of the album.  Another great example is “Ahab,” which begins as a simmering buzz but explodes into a rollicking tavern song able to match the customers drink for drink.  Challenging, yes, but an album that seems willing and content to meet the listener halfway.

Your album personnel:  Alexander Hawkins (piano), Otto Fischer (electric guitar), Hannah Marshall (cello), Dominic Lash (double bass), Javier Carmona (drums, percussion) and Orphy Robinson (marimba).

Released on the Babel Label.  Jazz from the UK.

You can stream the entire album on Hawkins’ bandcamp page.

Download a free album track at AllAboutJazz, courtesy of the artist and label.

Available on eMusic.

 

Wayne Escoffery – The Only Son of One

Interesting release by Wayne Escoffery, who doubles up on tenor and soprano sax.  Lots of emotion in these tunes, and more likely to engage the heart than the head.  Shimmery effects on many of the tunes that give them a fusion-like edge.  However, the ferocity from Escoffery’s saxes washes over it, leaving it just as it’s meant to be… a minor effect.  According to the Sunnyside site, Escoffery’s rough childhood was the inspiration for this album.  If this is true, then it goes a long way to explaining the weighty feel to this album.  There is a kind of axis of the innocence and cruelty of childhood thing going on here.  Complex and solid music.

Your album personnel:  Wayne Escoffery (tenor, soprano sax), Orrin Evans (Fender Rhodes, piano), Adam Holzman (keyboards), Hans Glawischnig, Ricky Rodrigues (bass), and Jason Brown (drums).

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

You can stream the entire album on the Escoffery’s bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

 

Marcus Lewis – Facing East

Nice debut EP for the trombonist Marcus Lewis.  Among other collaborations, a former member of Janelle Monae’s ArchOrchestra.  Some recognizable names from the new gen jazz set in this octet.  Nothing groundbreaking, just a solid set of tunes that swing and burn.  Straight-ahead, dynamic, and cheerful.  A track like “Inner Swagger” is my kind of sit-back-and-enjoy kind of jazz.  Plus, you gotta appreciate it when a trombonist gets out front with some lyricism; there’s an inherent richness in a trombone that knows how to carry a conversation that’s tough not to like.

Your album personnel:  Marcus Lewis (trombone), Logan Richardson (alto sax), Adam Larson (tenor sax), Sam Harris (piano), Aidan Carroll (bass), Tommy Crane (drums), Pablo Masis (trumpet), and guest: Andrea Lewis (vocals).

Released on the Sharp 11 Records label, which appears to be Lewis’s own label.

You can stream the entire album on Lewis’s bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

 

Odd Trio – Birth of the Minotaur

So, you know how some albums gets described as cinematic or soundtrack-like… well, the Odd Trio guys are the soundtrack.  Trio of sax, guitar, and drums.  Probably have a lot of Zorn albums on their shelves, based on the way they slip between genres without missing a beat.  Some jazz, some rock, some surf, some Twin Peaks, some fusion of all of the above and more.  Really quite a fun album.  Not a requirement to actually like jazz to enjoy this music.  I sort of just want to stream the whole damn album, but I kept it to one track, a quiet interlude of a tune.  Bonus points for song title that references Blade Runner.

Your album personnel:  Brian Smith (guitar, vox), Marc Gilley (saxophone), and Todd Mueller (drums).

The album is Self-Produced.  Jazz from the Athens, GA scene.

Stream the entire album on their bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

 

Other albums of interest:

 

Igor Matkovic – Sonic Motion

Trumpet-led quartet.  Plenty of electronic effects to appeal to the Nils-Petter Molvaer set.  Trumpet, piano, drums, and bass.  Good music for a rainy day.

Dahl, Andersen, & Christensen – Space is the Place

Pianist Carsten Dahl trios up ECM vets Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen.  Sometimes introspective, but often displays that it has sharp claws, too.

Log Ladies – Let’s Build a Myth Together

Guitar trio that appears to be influenced by Bill Frisell’s voodoo jazz sound, though at times it strays into fusion territory.  Some guest instruments and spoken word.

 

*****

That’s it for today’s article.  This is the first set of Tiny Reviews from this batch.  There’ll probably be three more sets from the batch, but we’ll have to see.  Several of the albums I’ll probably be doing stand-alone reviews of, depending on how much time I have.  Most of the above only vaguely resemble what I wrote for eMusic, and that’s happening more and more.  But in any event…

…Here’s some language to protect eMusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to eMusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.


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Posted by davesumner

Tiny Reviews: Hans Glawischnig, Ben Wendel, & Goldberg/Avital/Jackson

May 9, 2012

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Hans Glawischnig Jahira, Ben Wendel Frame, and Aaron Goldberg, Omer Avital, & Ali Jackson Jr. Yes!.

 

Notably, among the three albums reviewed today, is that they’re all released on the Sunnyside label.  Sunnyside Records released a slew of strong albums near the end of 2011 and then into 2012.  And, like labels sometimes do, they release several at a time.  I decided to bunch these three together because… well, now that I write this, I can’t really recall the exact inspiration for the idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Perhaps we should just begin…

 

Hans Glawischnig – Jahira

Fascinating trio date with bassist Hans Glawischnig, drummer Eric Doob, and Samir Zarif on soprano & tenor sax.  Glawischnig sticks to acoustic bass and gets a wonderful tone on it.  Zarif’s tone has a celebratory swing to it.  Doob takes an ebb and flow approach to the rhythm, providing some dynamic moments, especially on cymbals.  While Glawischnig’s background in Latin jazz (via work for Paquito D’Rivera, Miguel Zenon, and Ray Barretto) informs some of the compositions, much of the album’s sound seems to spring more from the African influenced jazz a la Pharoah Sanders earlier Impulse date or Abdullah Ibrahim’s post-millenial recordings.

However, a tune like “Crow Point” aptly demonstrates that Glawischnig has his own unique vision to follow.  At times, his basslines could feel right at home in a modern jazz indie-rock fusion a la Kneebody, even while the composition overall speaks more to an avant-garde jazz piece; a compelling mix of cold steel and fiery groove.

Some ballads and slow-tempo tunes are thrown into the mix to great effect.  This is a group that knows how to instill a supreme serenity over a song, of making grand statements with simple phrases, of creating the sense of something big without having to talk it up incessantly.  Master strokes.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

You can stream the entire album on the label’s bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

 

Ben Wendel – Frame

With his group Kneebody, Ben Wendel fused the modern Indie rock sound with jazz into a perpetual ignition of music fuel.  The result was a series of Fringes of Jazz albums that moved its feet too quick to determine which side of the Jazz Dividing Line they rested upon.  Ultimately, it was great music, which tends to make music territory discussions a bit irrelevant.  On his new release, he brings in Kneebody bandmates, but adds a larger ensemble that includes jazz great pianist Gerald Cleaver for a series of a tunes that fall squarely in the (modern) jazz family.

Your album personnel:  Ben Wendel (saxophones, bassoon & melodica), Gerald Clayton, Tigran Hamasyan (piano), Adam Benjamin (piano & Fender Rhodes), Nir Felder (guitar), Ben Street (bass), and Nate Wood (drums).

There is a relentlessness to this album.  Not in the avant-garde free jazz exhaustive sense, but a rhythmic attack that keeps one on their toes, even as reflected through the expressions of melody.  I say this by way of describing the album, but also as advice that with an album like this, sometimes the subtler details take some repeat listening to flesh out.  Or said differently, it’s easy to allow oneself to get swept away by the waves, but it’s important to remember that it’s also nice to dive beneath them and take a look at what’s darting beneath the water’s surface.

Three different pianists collaborated with Wendel on the album.  And while there is nothing generic about their contributions, it is impressive that the shifts in personnel don’t detract from the album’s cohesiveness.

Final two tracks, “Leaving” and “Julia” end the album on a very strong note.  “Leaving” has a dramatic bent and a furious groove, even as it palpitates a sense of the melancholy.  “Julia” twists and turns in a gentle breeze, light as a feather but with the occasional sharp change in direction; a wistfulness even in peace.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

You can stream the entire album (and purchase it) on the Sunnyside bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

 

Aaron Goldberg, Omer Avital, & Ali Jackson Jr. – Yes!

Pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Omer Avital, and drummer Ali Jackson Jr. have been performing together for decades, but this is their first collaboration on a studio recording.  A live set of a wonderful mix of covers and originals that both swing and sway. Cover of Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Maraba Blue” and the Avital original “Homeland” are highlights on an album filled with them.  Three musicians with modern voices developed from jazz traditions.

Goldberg has recently stood out on his duo album with fellow pianist Guillermo Klein Bienestan, but has plenty of recorded music under his belt.  Omer Avital recently released Suite of the East, and, in my opinion, is the finest bassist and composer on the scene.  Jackson Jr. is mostly closely associated with Wynton Marsalis, though his reach extends further out than that.

This is primarily a straight-ahead jazz album that should appeal to fans across many jazz sub-genres.  Three great jazz artists just putting their heads down and making jazz music.  Outstanding.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

You can stream the entire album on the label’s bandcamp page.

Available on eMusic.

*****

 

That’s it for today’s article.  This was a set of Tiny Reviews from a batch of new arrivals a couple months back, and I really wanted to spend more time expanding on my original thoughts in the eMusic article, so I’m just getting to them now.  They kinda resemble the original pieces I wrote for eMusic, but not really.  In any event…

Here’s some language to protect eMusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to eMusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.


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Posted by davesumner

Tiny Reviews: Metta Quintet, Guillaume de Chassy, Jean-Philippe Scali, & Malte Schiller’s Red Balloon

March 30, 2012

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Metta Quintet Big Drum, Small World, Guillaume de Chassy Silences, Jean-Philippe Scali Evidence, and Malte Schiller’s Red Balloon The Second Time Is Different.

A strong line-up of albums today, including one (de Chassy Silences), which has made it into my daily rotation, another that is threatening to (Metta Quintet), and an album that has a song so uplifting that it might just steal your heart (“Eternel Present” from Scali’s Evidence).

Let’s begin…

 

Metta Quintet – Big Drum, Small World

Metta Quintet is the performing arm of non-profit organization JazzReach, dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music. Past members have included Miguel Zenon, Omer Avital, Helen Sung. among other musician all-stars. The current line-up features mainstays Marcus Strickland (tenor sax) and Josh Ginsburg (bass), and two newcomers- David Bryant (piano) and Greg Ward (alto sax).  It’s a straight-ahead affair, and short, too: Five tracks clocking at just over a half hour.  But it’s solid jazz that won’t steer anybody wrong.  Also worth listening to is an earlier album Subway Songs, with the NYC train system as the thematic device.  Neat stuff.

Overall, just a really enjoyable album.

For newcomers to jazz, if you’re looking to explore a bit on your own, I highly recommend checking out the discographies of current and past members of Metta Quintet, as well as past Metta Quintet recordings.  You’ll find a gold mine of great jazz.  Personal favorite is bassist Omer Avital, but I can’t envision anyone going wrong by blindly pulling a name from the Metta Quintet roster and just diving in.

Released by the JazzReach label.

Available on eMusic.

 

Guillaume de Chassy – Silences

It seems, lately, that jazz albums recorded by former classical pianists have been hitting New Arrivals with some noticeable frequency.  A common trait among the better of those releases is that the pianist seems unwilling to fight the gravitational pull of either music.  One would think that it would lead to a confused muddle of compositions, but instead, many of these albums fuse the best of both worlds and produce some intriguing music.  That’s what we got here.  With Guillaume de Chassy on piano, in a trio with bass and clarinet, he gives us a startlingly resonant chamber jazz recording.  Elegant and haunting.

Your album personnel:  Guillaume de Chassy (piano), Thomas Savy (clarinets), and Arnault Cuisinier (double bass).

This album has grown on me exponentially over the last month.  It’s quickly becoming one of those albums that I’m almost compelled to listen to first thing in the morning.  Piano lines that are only delicate on their face, but possess a sharpness that pierces silence with a wave of the keys.  Clarinets that can paint every shade of heartbreak.  Bass that doesn’t hide in the shadows, but instead makes the shadows part of the music.  Beautiful.

Released on the Bee Jazz label.  Jazz from the Ile-de-France, France scene.

Available on eMusic.

 

Jean-Philippe Scali – Evidence

Pretty cool large ensemble album from the French saxophonist.  Jean-Phillipe Scali on alto, baritone, and soprano saxes, and backed by piano, Fender Rhodes, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, and some guesting with vibes, bass clarinet, tenor sax, and an additional trombone.  Nice hopping tunes with some nifty wrinkles to keep things interesting, like on the the catchy “Five Minutes’ Walk”.  Unmistakably jazz, from a musician with an inventive touch.

Your album personnel:  Jean-Philippe Scali (alto, baritone, and soprano saxes), Julien Alour (trumpet, bugle), Jerry Edwards (trombone), Adrien Chicot (piano & fender rhodes), Simon Tailleu (bass), and Manu Franchi (drums), with guests:  Francois Theberge (tenor sax), Thomas Savy (bass clarinet), Bastien Ballaz (trombone), and Stephan Carracci (vibes).

In addition to the music available on Scali’s soundcloud page, it appears you can stream a bunch of album tracks on his artist page, here.

This is a strong album, and I highly recommend checking it out.  Some exhilarating moments, like on the excellent “Eternel Present,” which I could listen to over and over again.  As I mention above, the tune is so uplifting, it’s gonna steal some hearts.

Released on the Abeille Musique label.  Jazz from the Paris scene.

Available on eMusic.

 

Malte Schiller’s Red Balloon – The Second Time Is Different

Nice big band recording from a young group of players. Lighthearted, with that necessary touch of melancholy that gives gentle texture to any solid large ensemble session. This should take care of anybody’s need for a warm big band fix to fight off the bleak winter months.  Not a lot of information found online about them.  Here’s a link to the site of an ensemble member who has a little info on the group.

And while I hate providing a link to myspace, it does appear that you can stream all or most of the album there, so here’s the link to his album’s myspace page.

Released on the Unit Records label.

Available on eMusic.

 

That’s it for today’s article, and the second of three parts of the Tiny Reviews from this batch of new arrivals.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.


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Posted by davesumner

Tiny Reviews: Rebecca Trescher, Robert Glasper, Matthew Shipp, & Johnathan Blake

March 29, 2012

Tiny Reviews, featuring Rebecca Trescher’s Hochzeit Null11 Sud, Robert Glasper Black Radio, Matthew Shipp Elastic Aspects, and Johnathan Blake The Eleventh Hour.

Let’s begin…

 

Rebecca Trescher’s Hochzeit Null11 – Sud

Rebecca Trescher - "Sud"Multi-reedist Rebecca Trescher has created an album that doesn’t engage the listener so much as stalk them. Ominous, yet beautiful in that way fear can be, it’s an album of momentary spurts of notes with just clarinet and bass clarinet weaving sounds in between.  It creates a heavy mood, even when the music is light as a feather.  Songs like “Nass,” with its languid sway and gentle moan, I could listen to forever.  Some small effects here and there. Fans of Marty Ehrlich, Clean Feed label, and John Lurie/Lounge Lizards should check out this excellent album.  Plenty of ambiance throughout… a smoky shadowy tavern, light filtering in through smudged windows, a shot of whiskey, a heart full of heartbreak, and a sublime happiness whenever the warm touch of the Spring breeze drifts through the bar and makes everyone happy to be alive.  That kind of thing.

Your album personnel:  Rebecca Trescher (clarinet, bass clarinet), Julian Bossert (alto sax, clarinet), Phillip Staffa (guitar), Frederick Betz (bass), and Tilman Herpichbohm (drums).

Released on the Metropol Musik label.  Jazz from the Nuremberg, Germany scene.

Available on eMusic.

 

Robert Glasper – Black Radio

Robert Glasper garnered a lot of attention and cross-genre love for his album In My Element, which aside from being an outstanding jazz album, challenged boundaries by doing a mash-up of Radiohead and Herbie Hancock tunes, as well as a shout-out to J. Dilla.  With subsequent albums, Glasper has moved further into soul and hip hop territory, which hasn’t always been greeted with resounding enthusiasm in jazz circles.  Black Gold continues that journey, as it lays on the soul and hip hop influences even stronger. The thing of it is, Glasper is a strong pianist, and this is evidenced ever more clearly as he moves further from Jazz’s center; Glasper’s grasp of the heart of jazz is such that he doesn’t so much expand into new music territory as he forces that territory to gravitate to him.  If Jazz is the Mountain, then Glasper makes that mountain come to his piano. Philosophizing aside, it’s an album with some pretty moments, easy vocals, cool percussion, and Glasper’s signature sound.  Oh, yeah, and a groove version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that is just too cool.

Your album personnel:  Robert Glasper (piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards), Casey Benjamin (vocoder, alto sax, flute), Derrick Hodge (bass), and Chris Dave (drums), with guests:  Jahi Sundance (turntables), Eykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Mos Def, Shafiq Husayn, Bilal, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello, Amber Strother, Anita Bias, Ledisi, Lupe Fiasco (vocals, on various tracks), and Stokley Williams (vocals, percussion).

Released on the Blue Note Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

Available on eMusic.

 

Matthew Shipp – Elastic Aspects

Pianist Shipp is (deservedly) recognized as one of the most inventive composers on the scene. He also gets lumped in with avant-garde a bit too quickly. It’s not an unreasonable categorization, as his compositions rarely fall into conventional territory, but it does lead to expectations, which can result in overlooking some divergent moments. No more does this become evident than on third track “Psychic Counterpart,” which if dissected, would have the beating heart of a Thelonious Monk tune within.

Your album personnel:  Matthew Shipp (piano), Michael Bisio (bass), and Whit Dickey (drums).

Yes, there’s plenty of deconstructed piano lines, ferocious bowing by bassist Michael Bisio, and Whit Dickey’s drums scattering the ashes of the rhythm in all directions, but look away too soon and you’ll miss some moments of sublime ballad and infectious swing.

Released on the Thirsty Ear Recordings label.  Jazz from NYC.

Available on eMusic.

 

Johnathan Blake – The Eleventh Hour

Debut album from Mingus Big Band alumnus Johnathan Blake, and it’s a good one.  Some nice modern straight-ahead playing with a solid line-up, including Mark Turner, Kevin Hays, Robert Glasper, Ben Street, and a guest appearance by Tom Harrell (with whom Blake played with).  Nice driving tempo to keep the head engaged and heart rate up.  Inclusion of harmonica on first and final songs is outstanding.  Opening track (and title-track) has a nice mix of chill jazz fusion counterbalanced with the rustic sound of harmonica, whereas on final track “Canvas,” the flickering interplay between sax and harmonica over a burgeoning swell of ensemble momentum is exhilarating.

Your album personnel:  Johnathan Blake (drums), Mark Turner (tenor sax), Ben Street (bass), with guests: Jaleel Shaw (alto sax), Kevin Hays (piano, Fender Rhodes), Tom Harrell (trumpet, Flugelhorn), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Robert Glasper (piano, Fender Rhodes), and Tim Warfield (tenor sax).

Very promising debut album from a respected and active sideman for musicians like Tom Harrell, David Sanchez, Russell Malone and Kenny Barron.

You can stream the entire album on Blake’s bandcamp page.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Available on eMusic.

 

That’s it for today’s article, and the first of three parts of the Tiny Reviews from this batch of new arrivals.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.


5 Comments | Jazz Reviews, Tiny Jazz Reviews - 2012 Releases | Permalink
Posted by davesumner

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