Jazz Recommendations

The melodies of Polygon are presented more as concepts than definitive statements, and that approach gives the Erik Hove Chamber Ensemble the freedom to warp and twist and bend them in any way their imagination chooses.  This alone is pretty compelling, but what’s particularly fascinating is that no matter how misshapen those melodies might become, they maintain a fluid motion throughout.  And when this quality, in turn, is set loose within a rhythmic environment that exists in a perpetual state of upheaval, the contrast between flowing and choppy motions draws the attention in all kinds of directions.

At its most extreme, this dichotomy becomes a battle between a drone and a maelstrom on “Inversions,” where the range from tranquility to tumult is explored at every point in between.  But more often, the saxophonist’s ensemble focuses on a smaller patch of turf, like on “Tessellation” and how rhythmic twittering and long melodic sighs mimic a field of crickets singing to the moon in a sky full of stars.  The motion of “Metal Clouds” is compact and sticks to a tight orbit, and the revolutions give it a sense of the endless, where no resolution will ever be reached.  “Fractured” doesn’t stray from that formula, but adopts a bouncing motion that gives the song an entirely different personality, one that eschews introspection for playful enthusiasm.  And then there’s how title-track “Polygon” toys with the perception of speed, where the tempo gives the sense of a swiftly advancing melody moving in slow-motion.

Erik Hove’s 2014 release Saturated Colour was pretty damn intriguing.  His newest shows that quality to be a mainstay of his music.

Your album personnel:  Erik Hove (alto sax, clarinet, flute, electronics), Anna Webber (flute, alto flute), Krisjana Thorsteinson (oboe), Krista Martynes (clarinet, bass clarinet), Andy King (trumpet), Kate Bevan-Baker (violin), Jean René (viola), Jane Chan (cello), Rémi-Jean Leblanc (bass) and Evan Tighe (drums).

Released on Inner Circle Music.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Music from Montreal, Québec.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

The music of the Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio often comes wound pretty tight.  Melodies have an intense focus that are just as likely to propel the music ahead as their equally propulsive tempos.  This is a good thing, and while it’s not an uncommon trait amongst modern piano trios, it doesn’t always get delivered with such an effective punch.  Their new album, however, sees the trio opening things up a bit, and settling into a less severe flow.  The primary attribution for the change on I.Am.Calm. has to be the addition of tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens and trumpeter Curtis Taylor.  Both musicians certainly have the capability to get an existing level of intensity to spike even higher, but it’s refreshing to hear Smith let the lyricism dictate the pace.  Yes, there are still moments of frenzy, as with “Inter” and “Tense.”  But the casual grace and sharp dialog of title-track “I.Am.Calm.“ and “Macks Mission“ are a welcome change of pace.  The hard bop “Glut” and the ballad “Southwest” are just more opportunities to stretch out, and the trio plus two take full advantage.

Just a solid album.  You really can’t go wrong scooping this one up.

Your album personnel:  Matthew Elton Smith (drums), Ed Kornhauser (piano), Mackenzie Leighton (bass), Dayna Stephens (tenor sax, EWI) and Curtis Taylor (trumpet).

This album is Self-Produced.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Music from San Diego, California.

Available at:  Bandcamp

The melodic beauty of Modes For All Eternity is evident right from the start.  This collaboration between the Wako jazz quartet and the Oslo Strings doesn’t hold back on crafting these melodies for maximum emotional impact.  This is a gorgeous album, and the music would melt even the blackest heart.  But it’s the motion adopted by each piece that’s most likely to captivate.

There’s the casual groove of “Carla” and the quick steps of “Africanus” and the process with which it developed from the gentle grace of “I Died for Beauty.”  All three pieces possess differently enchanting cadences that give, in totality, the impression of a dialog between songs.  A little dissonance with “Rejoice” and a little serenity with “Song For All the Annettes” instigate a shifting of tides in unexpected directions.  And then there’s the ephemeral “Sappho’s Theme,” a song made from the stuff of dreams and beating with the heart of a lullaby.  It moves as if dancing, and sometimes as if floating peaceably overhead.

Pretty easy to fall for this one.

Your album personnel:  Martin Myhre Olsen (alto sax), Kjetil André Mulelid (piano), Bardur Reinert Poulsen (double bass), Simon Olderskog Albertsen (drums), Kaja Constance Rogers (violin), Isa Caroline Holmesland (viola) and Kaja Fjellberg Pettersen (cello).

Released on AMP Music & Records.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic