Jazz Recommendations – 2012 Releases

Always an inventive musician, drummer Matt Wilson seems to have no intention of reaching a creative plateau.  With each subsequent recording, compositions grow increasingly ingenious, with the most impressive characteristic being that even as he experiments, Wilson never loses that essential swing.  Teamed up with his Arts & Crafts quartet, we get another gem of an album.

Your album personnel:  Matt Wilson (drums), Terell Stafford (trumpet & flugelhorn), Gary Versace (piano, organ, & accordion), and Martin Wind (bass).

The album has a nice mix of swinging tunes, like opener “Poster Boy,” and quieter pieces, like “Cruise Blues,” but Wilson seems to have arrived at a place as composer and musician where nothing is quite that simple and nothing should be assumed based on first impressions.  His track record, at this point, proves that listeners are doing themselves an injustice if they let their attention span drift.

Lemme talk about a couple tunes that really resonated with me.

“The Little Boy With Sad Eyes” (streamed above) begins with a heartbreakingly pretty opening, and the combination of the song title and the tune’s head would lead one to believe that it’s gonna be nine minutes of sadness.  But before long, it’s Versace on organ clearing the grey skies away, Wilson getting the heart rate up, and Stafford turning a solemn church event into a joyful gathering.  When Wind plays some arco on bass as Stafford brings the heat, that melancholy opening is a distant memory and all that’s left is the swing.  My favorite song on a fantastic album.

The excellent “There’s No You”, a Stafford solo interlude, leads into “Stolen Time”, which begins with Wilson and Wind setting a frenetic pace, contrasted by Versace’s piano and Stafford’s trumpet fluttering just over the surface of the rhythm.  It gives the impression of a leaves bouncing delicately through the air as the wind swirls dramatically about them.  The tune has a strong sense of randomness to it as heard through the playing of the individual instruments, yet there is an undeniable cohesion, and that juxtaposition between their roles as individuals and the sum of their contribution to the tune as a whole makes for both an exciting and engaging affair.  My second favorite song on the album.

Really worth mentioning that Wilson ends the album with a cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, a beautiful tune in its original form but which has led to some awful, though well-meaning covers.  Wilson lets Versace take the reins, keeping a gentle patter in the background while Versace tweaks the melody in a way that maintains its soul, yet keeps the ear perpetually unscrambling his take on it.  That an ensemble can succeed where others have failed isn’t necessarily a failsafe method for measuring talent, but it sure is pretty strong evidence.  It’s a beautiful finish to the album, and Wilson would’ve done me a favor had he simply repeated the song several times in a row and saved me the trouble of having to hit the replay button each time the song ends.

A great album by great musicians.  I recommend listening through Wilson’s discography, as well as those by members of the Arts & Crafts quartet.

Here’s a nifty live performance from the quartet…

Released on the Palmetto Records label.  If you purchase an album download directly from them, they do offer FLAC as an option.  Gotta respect that.

Also, you can stream the entire album on Palmetto’s site, here.

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

Available on Amazon: CD | MP3

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Beppe di Benedetto 5tet See the Sky, Mijin Woo Azure Walk, Chick Corea Further Explorations, and Clipper Anderson The Road Home.

Beppe di Benedetto 5tet – See the Sky

Solid date led by Beppe di Benedetto’s trombone, rounded off with sax, piano, bass, and drums. Nice mix of up tempo and ballads. This is straight-ahead bop with a modern touch. Benedetto has a graceful touch on trombone, which sometimes can elbow other instruments out of the way, but here, he’s a seamless part of the quintet. Also, the compositions just flat out rock; tunes that soar and tunes that sway. The kind of album I can listen to over and over.  One of my Picks of the Week.

Your album personnel:  Beppe Di Benedetto (trombone), Emiliano Vernizzi (soprano sax), Luca Savazzi (piano), Stefano Carrara (acoustic bass), and Alessandro Lugli (drums).

About a month after first listening to this album, I find myself returning to it repeatedly.  A great album when I need some music with plenty of life to it.

You can stream the entire album on Benedetto’s Soundcloud page.

Released on the TRJ Records label.  Jazz from the Parma, Italy scene.

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

Available on eMusic.

Mijin Woo – Azure Walk

Nice straight-ahead quartet date with pianist composer Mijin Woo leading an outfit rounded out by sax, drums, and bass. Strong moments when the languor of the sax is juxtaposed against the tension of piano and rhythm section. It’s Woo’s debut recording, which is a promising sign of things to come.  This album may have originally been released in 2010, but I’m willing to apply a liberal use on the phrase “new release” when it comes to self-produced and small-label albums.

Your album personnel:  MiJin Woo (piano), Daniel Blake (sax), John Hebert (bass), and Marcello Pellitteri (drums).

Woo’s blog, which I link to above, is mostly in Korean, but there are some outstanding photos of performances and general city shots.

It appears you can stream some of the album on Woo’s myspace page.  I normally don’t link to that site, but I’ll make an exception here.

Released on the FourHands Music label, which appears to be Woo’s own label.

Jazz from the Seoul, South Korea scene.

Available on eMusic.

Chick Corea – Further Explorations

Always a reason to celebrate when one of the jazz greats puts out a solid new recording.  Chick Corea teams with fellow great Eddie Gomez on bass and recently departed Paul Motian on drums, and delves into the music of jazz piano legend Bill Evans. Thankfully, Corea doesn’t approach it as an opportunity to record a covers album homage, but instead uses it as a springboard to further develop Evans’ ideas with his own voice. Some strong moments, especially on “Laurie” with cycling piano lines creating an inwardly building tension, and “Turn Out The Stars”, which turns a lighthearted tune into a spooky affair.

On “Puccini’s Walk,” the trio hits a brisk trot from the first note, breaking it mid-stream, momentarily, with some nifty swings in tempo…

Released on the Concord Music Group label.

Available on eMusic.

Clipper Anderson – The Road Home

Jazz vet finally records an album under his own name. Clipper Anderson’s bass has been around, especially on the Seattle scene. for some time now, and he leads a trio date (with some guests) for an elegant set of mainstream jazz. Bass, piano, drums, and some guest vocals provide for a warm series of tunes that has everyone sounding confident and professional. Some very nice moments, especially on “Jimnoprodie”, when Anderson does a little bowing on bass, and “Poinciana”, an up-tempo tune that has the trio racing along, but not so fast that anybody risks losing their breath trying to keep up.

Your album personnel:  Clipper Anderson (bass, vocals on final track), Darin Clendenin (piano), Mark Ivester (drums, congas), and guests Jeff Busch (percussion) and Greta Matassa (vocals).

Released on the Origin/OA2 Records label.  Jazz from the Seattle scene.

A free album track is available at AllAboutJazz, courtesy of the artist and label.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article, and the last 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.

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Tom Wetmore The Desired Effect, Stefano Battaglia Trio The River of Anyder, Marlene Rosenberg Quartet Bassprint, Blue Eternity Live in Philadelphia (2011), Various Artists Rollins’ Choice (Blue Note Series), and Roger Green, Tyler Potts & Anne Angyal The Way Things Go.

Tom Wetmore – The Desired Effect

Well, this is an interesting album. Pianist Tom Wetmore sticks only to electric keyboards while leading a group that features two alto saxes, a tenor, two guitars, and bass & drums. Despite the electric keys and atypical line-up, it actually is a rather conventional jazz album. Usually when the jazz equation gets tinkered with, it results in a miasma of unclassifiable tunes, and if electric keys are part of the mix, then lots of funk & groove. But here, it’s nice straight-ahead jazz, just shown through a very unusual and very satisfying facet.  This is a real surprise, leaving me very happy, and making it my find of the week.

Your album personnel:  Tom Wetmore (electric piano), Jaleel Shaw (alto sax), Eric Nelveloff (alto & tenor sax), Justin Sabaj (guitar), Brad Williams (guitar), Michael League (bass), and Garrett Brown (drums).

Released on Crosstown Records.

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

Available on eMusic.

Stefano Battaglia Trio – The River of Anyder

A nice peaceful piano trio date. On the ECM label, which behaves as if its legally required to release dozens of introspective piano trio records every year. Some aren’t always so successful (unless you measure success by how effectively you fall asleep at night); River of Anyder is, however, one of the good ones.  Stefano Battaglia queezes plenty of emotion out of a minimalist collection of notes, this trio lays the groundwork for palpable tension over a serene landscape. Nice.

Your album personnel:  Stefano Battaglia (piano), Salvatore Maiore (double bass), and Roberto Dani (drums).

Released on the ECM Records label.  Jazz from the Milan, Italy scene.

Available on eMusic.

Marlene Rosenberg Quartet – Bassprint

Featuring her Chicago quartet, Marlene Rosenberg brings it with a nice straight-ahead set of tunes. With Geof Bradfield on tenor & soprano sax, Scott Hesse on guitar, Makaya McCraven on drums, and Rosenberg’s bass, this is undiluted jazz, modern but nothing that’ll get confused with anything but jazz. They do a nice rendition of Kenny Barron’s “Sunshower”, with soprano sax skirting delightfully just over the soil of Rosenberg’s arco.

Released on the Origin/OA2 label.  Jazz from the Chicago scene.

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

Available on eMusic.

Blue Eternity – Live in Philadelphia (2011)

An intriguing set of live improv featuring trumpet, bass, and electric slide guitar.  Could easily have fit on the roster of the ECM label during the eighties.  Jazz in a vague sense, though this might appeal more to fans of guitar effects driven albums by Roy Montgomery as well as the Robert Fripp/Andy Summers collaborations.  In terms of sound, jazz connection via Miles Davis In a Silent Way.  The distant call of moody trumpet notes over layers of repeating guitar and bass motifs with some effects mixed in.  It’s storming outside, the clouds are thick with ambiance, and this music fits right in.

Your album personnel:  Jeff Oster (trumpet & flugelhorn), Michael Manring (bass), and Carl Weingarten (electric guitar).

I’ve been listening to this album pretty consistently since I purchased it about 30 days ago, mostly late at night when I need some peaceful music to power down to.  Good stuff.

Released on the Retso Records label.  Jazz from the Alameda, CA scene.

I link to each artist’s site in the Personnel section above, but want to add that Carl Weingarten’s blog is pretty neat.

You can stream the entire album on Jeff Oster’s site, here.

Available on eMusic.

Various Artists – Rollins’ Choice (Blue Note Series)

It appears that back in 2010, Blue Note began a series of albums where music luminaries create their own compilation of favorite Blue Note tracks. Lots of great tunes included on all of them. The Henry Rollins collection stands out from the rest, because, from the looks of the cover, it appears that if you don’t buy this album, Henry Rollins will literally beat you up.

That said, despite an album cover oozing with violence, it’s a great selection of old-school bop.  If you’re more inclined to buy some nicely curated bop compilations, this series ain’t a bad place to start looking.

Released on the Blue Note Records label.

Available on eMusic.

And it seems like I have one of these every week… miscategorized under Jazz, but too nifty not to mention…

Roger Green, Tyler Potts & Anne Angyal – The Way Things Go

Meandering shoegaze-y electronica, various keyboards, guitars, and effects.  This might be an older recording, don’t know, don’t care.  Very cool.  For fans of… (prepare for obscure music references)… Matthew Tow’s Colorsound or Califone’s Deceleration series.

Album is Self-Produced.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article.  There’ll be some more Tiny Reviews on Friday from this same batch of recs.

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.

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Blake Lyman Anthology For Now, Elio Villafranca & Arturo Stable Dos Y Mas, Charlie Haden & Hank Jones Come Sunday, Fernando Huergo Suite En Celeste Y Blanco, and Jessica Pyrdsa Whistler’s Daughter.

Blake Lyman – Anthology For Now

This Portland saxophonist’s debut album has him sounding way more comfortable standing in his own reeds than should be expected when using the word ‘debut’.  A trio outing, I was ready for a competent but unspectacular blowing session.  Instead, what I got was a confident set of evocative tunes.  Blake Lyman takes a speak softly and carry a big sax approach to this album, letting his instrument give the impression of force without ever letting the volume get loud enough so that the neighbor’s call the police.  Very impressive album.  Nice straight-ahead music.  Lyman clearly has his own voice; it doesn’t ever sound like he’s trying to channel his sax idols.  Recommended.

Your album personnel:  Blake Lyman (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Andrew Jones (bass), and Jonas Oglesbee (drums).

This album is Self-Produced.  Jazz from the Portland, Oregon scene.

Available on eMusic.

Elio Villafranca & Arturo Stable – Dos Y Mas

The Cuban born pianist and percussionist seamlessly fuse jazz and world musics, particularly Cuban, for a sublime duo recording.  It’s a spirited affair.  Elio Villafranca is something of a virtuoso on the keys, though it maybe Arturo Stable’s varied percussive instruments and polyrhythmic approach that lend the most intriguing elements to this recording.  Tough to say for sure; they both demand my attention with the quality of their play.  This is the kind of album that I slowly become addicted to and might begin raving about on the forums in a couple months.  Released on the Motema label, who is on quite a roll these days.  Highly Recommended.

Released on Motema.

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

Available on eMusic.

Charlie Haden & Hank Jones – Come Sunday

I was waiting for this to hit the site. Jazz masters Charlie Haden (bass) and Hank Jones (piano) come together to record another set of spirituals. Fifteen years ago, they recorded Steal Away, a remarkable recording also based on spirituals of their childhood. Come Sunday is no less sublime. Throwing their legendary experience behind simple tunes, it gives the album a weight belied by their light touch. It’s obvious they didn’t record on auto-pilot and there’s no throw-away tunes here. Just beautiful stuff, though with the sad passing of Hank Jones not long after they finished recording, it leaves for a pull on the emotions even greater than the visceral reaction to the sound.

Released on the Emarcy Records label.

Available on eMusic.

Fernando Huergo – Suite En Celeste Y Blanco

Veteran jazz bassist Fernando Huergo leads a quintet in an excellent set of Argentinean-influenced jazz. Quintet comprised of sax, flute, bass, drums, and piano. Warm tunes with long flowing lines and some delicious sharp curves. A solid recording that’s sure to cheer up the saddest of winter gloom. Some moments of thrilling beauty.

Your album personnel:  Yulia Musayelyan (flute), Javier Girotto (soprano sax), Pierre de Bethmann (piano), Fernando Huergo (bass), and Minino Garay (drums).

It appears that you can stream the entire album on his myspace page.

This album is Self-Produced.

Available on eMusic.

Jessica Pyrdsa – Whistler’s Daughter

Okay, this caught my attention. Pianist-vocalist has a real nice sound on both instruments. Jazzy in the sense of early Tom Waits. Gotta say, I warmed to a few of these tunes. Nothing that blows me away, but the music sounds pretty damn sincere, and I wanted to get a quick word in the article about it. Nice stuff.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article, and the last 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.

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Marc Perrenoud Trio Two Lost Churches, Strasax Live, Jazoo Are You Still There?, Joachim Kuhn Trio & HR Big Band , and Blue Cranes Cantus Firmus.

Marc Perrenoud Trio – Two Lost Churches

High octane piano trio that doesn’t forget the melody in its rear view mirror.  Swiss pianist and composer Marc Perrenoud, historically, has kept the personnel on his albums to three or less, and his ability on this album to build a sense of more out of less is evidence of his comfort level with the small combo setting.  Laying back on the tempo, like title-track “Two Lost Churches,” doesn’t cost Perrenoud’s sound any emotional impact, clearly just as comfortable getting the most out of a few notes as he is doing wind sprints on piano.Modern piano trio, but keeps things grounded in the jazz tradition. Nice stuff.

Your album personnel: Marc Perrenoud (piano), Marco Muller (bass), and Cyril Regamey (drums).

Stream the album on Marc’s website.

Released on the Challenge International / Double Moon labels.

Jazz from the Geneva, Switzerland scene.

Available on eMusic.

Strasax – Strasax Live

This quintet of four saxes and a set of drums invites excellent pianist Benjamin Moussay to sit in for a live set of modern jazz. Sax collectives tend to take to approaches to a performance: everyone storming off in their own direction with a powerful cumulative effect when their paths cross or take-turns-soloing blowing sessions approach. On Live, Strasax seems to straddle both those extremes. A fair amount of dissonance and skronk, but Moussay’s work on piano and electric keyboards brings a groove to the set that nicely counterbalances the saxes and attracts them back to the center of the tunes.

Your album personnel: Franck Wolf (sax), Christophe Fourmaux (sax), Laurent Wolf (sax), Michael Alizon (sax), Francesco Rees (drums), and Benjamin Moussay (piano).

I couldn’t find any audio to embed.

The album is either Self-Produced or it’s released on a label called Autoproduction.

Jazz from the Alsace, France scene.

Available on eMusic.

Jazoo – Are You Still There?

This quintet from Slovenia is a neat little find. Instruments comprising sax, piano, drums, bass, accordion, flute, and electronics.  Jazoo has a fresh modern sound abounding with celebratory cheer and respect for the melody. Woodwinds that sway happily to and fro, rhythms like a race through the driving rain, squiggly electronics blended with the teddy bear warmth of accordion. Absolutely love this. Find of the Week.

Your album personnel: Nejc Haberman (bass), Danijel Hartman (drums), Stare Katja (flute, vocals, percussion), Matjaz Mlakar (saxophone, flute, vocals), and Tomaz Pacnik (keyboard, accordion, electronics).

Released on the Celinka Records label.

Jazz from Slovenia.

I’m gonna see about doing a full review of this in the near future.  There’s lots to like on this album, and I’d to spotlight some of it in an extended written piece.

Available on eMusic.

Joachim Kuhn Trio & HR Big Band – Out of the Desert

Pianist Joachim Kuhn does some amazing stuff with the trio format, but he just can’t help himself when it comes to the large ensembles.  Much like the guy who foils his friends attempts to have a quiet night at home with a beer by dragging everyone out to the tavern, Kuhn brings his trio, once again, out into the crowd.  This time it’s with the HR Big Band in a live performance. Kuhn’s a vet of the scene, and even though his compositions sound very much of Today, his roots of jazz past clearly inform his current releases. If you like your big band to sound a little different, this is a good choice.  And if you prefer something more symphonic with your piano trio, then Kuhn’s excellent Europeana with the Radio Philharmonie Hannover will float your boat, too. Both albums on the ACT Music label, a great source of under the radar modern jazz.

Released on the ACT Music label.

Available on eMusic.

Blue Cranes – Cantus Firmus

This Portland quintet seem to straddle the line between jazz and post-rock, but where much of post-rock sounds meticulously thought out, it’s the heart of jazz that typically shines through when improvised music is the guiding principle. The Blue Cranes clearly take to improvisation. Featuring a core of tenor & alto sax, keyboards, drums, and bass, they seem more than happy to toss a bunch of strings into the mix. Strangely, it pushes their music further away from post-rock and closer to an avant-chamber jazz sound. Cantus Firmus is an EP, but they also have a proper album from 2010 called Observatories and another called Lift Music! Flown Music! from 2007, and it’s just as cool as the EP. Intoxicating tunes with plenty of force from sax and melancholy from strings, rhythms that don’t so much keep the time as spray paint the walls wherever the melody wanders.

I couldn’t find any audio to embed.

Your album personnel:  Reed Wallsmith (alto sax), Joe Cunningham (tenor sax), Rebecca Sanborn (keyboards), Keith Brush (bass), and Ji Tanzer (drums).

Music from the Portland, Oregon scene.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article.  I’ll have more Tiny Reviews from this batch of new releases on Monday.

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.