Sep 14 2016
Recommended: Anat Fort Trio with Gianluigi Trovesi – “Birdwatching”
There’s those lazy Saturday mornings when the sunlight blankets the room in warmth and a solemn peacefulness hangs in the air and you don’t move an inch for fear that any motion at all would dispel the massive tranquility. The latest from pianist Anat Fort is your soundtrack for those times. Thoughtful interactions and gentle solos mark the enjoyable set Birdwatching, as does the way in which the quartet of alto clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi, bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider allows the music to settle into silent pauses like stones breaking the water’s surface just prior to drifting slowly to the ocean floor. Tracks like “Not the Perfect Storm” and “Jumpin’ In” add a welcome dose of edge here and there and the occasional rhythmic outburst to keep things from ever getting sleepy, but make no mistake… this is dreamy music for dreamy afternoons.
As long as there are sunrises, I will listen to the music of Anat Fort.
Your album personnel: Anat Fort (piano), Gianluigi Trovesi (alto clarinet), Gary Wang (double bass) and Roland Schneider (drums).
Released on ECM Records.
Jazz from the Tel Aviv, Israel scene.
Available at: Amazon
Sep 16 2016
Recommended: Ben Wendel – “What We Bring”
It’s why the melody of “Amian” can pour out slowly even though bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Henry Cole are spurring the song on relentlessly, and it’s why the flurries of pianist Gerald Clayton don’t clash with the nice and casual expressions of melody on “Fall,” and it’s why the darting motion of “Spring” still radiates a hint of serenity on a song that can’t sit still. And when they do slow the pace down, as on “Doubt,” it brings into sharp relief just how savvy this music is for its melodic dexterity under extreme conditions.
But while there’s plenty here to appreciate from a conceptual standpoint, a track like “Song Song” is the immediate reminder that what this album’s heart bleeds is tuneful music to the point of being irrevocably catchy, and related in a conversant tone that is as riveting for the shaping of the words as their actual meaning.
Your album personnel: Ben Wendel (tenor sax, bassoon), Gerald Clayton (piano), Joe Sanders (bass), Henry Cole (drums) and guest: Nate Wood (percussion).
Released on Motema Music.
Listen to another album track at the label’s Soundcloud page.
Jazz from the Brooklyn scene.
Available at: Amazon | eMusic
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2016 releases • 0