Jazz Recommendations

The winning quality of Clockwork is how Victor Gould isolates the indelible lyricism of soloists within a very thick, yet nuanced large ensemble sound.  And in reality, that “large ensemble” basically amounts to a core sextet within an album of shifting formations, and that they’re able to approximate the huge sound of an armed-and-ready big band also speaks to quality of the compositions as well as the fit of these particular musicians within the framework established by Gould.  The pianist and composer adds strings and additional percussion to an all-star line-up of horn, saxophones and rhythm unit, and the spectrum of tones generated is one that’s fluid and highly nuanced.  It’s a big reason why the overall sound of the album doesn’t dramatically change from moment to moment, yet it perpetually seems to be undergoing a transformation as each song develops from first note to last.

It’s why the galloping charge of title-track “Clockwork” can transition to the sunny walk in the park of “Room,” which, in turn, shifts into the gentle sway of “Chaancé” and it all comes off like one extended image.  And it’s also why it can pick right back up anywhere along that spectrum and start all over again.  And it does.

The wind instrument front-line of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonists Godwin Louis and Myron Walden keep locked into their flight pattern even when they suddenly break off on individual melodic tangents.  The charge of the all-pro rhythm section of bassist Ben Williams and drummer E.J. Strickland gets some extra voltage out of the contributions of percussionist Pedrito Martinez.  With a Brazilian and straight-ahead recordings under her own name and her work with harpist Brandee Younger under her belt, Anne Drummond continues to display her versatility on flute in an increasingly diverse range of projects.  And the string trio of violinist Yoojin Park, violist Heejin Chang and cellist Veronica Parrales add some essential harmonic texture on their guest spots while keeping nicely within the fold of the album’s overall vision.  And all of that success is pretty damn impressive when taken into account that this is Victor Gould’s debut recording.

And ten albums from now, if he’s still pulling this off, it will be no less impressive.  And that also would mean that there’s a whole lot more great music coming from his direction.  Start here.

Your album personnel:  Victor Gould (piano), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Godwin Louis (alto sax), Myron Walden (tenor sax), Ben Williams (bass), E.J. Strickland (drums) and guests:  Anne Drummond (flute), Pedrito Martinez (percussion), Yoojin Park (violin), Heejin Chang (viola) and Veronica Parrales (cello).

Released on the Fresh Sound New Talent label.

Jazz from NYC.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

Sometimes the music of Dancing Trees is strangely meditative, in opposition to its lively delivery… and not unlike the solo works of jazz legend John Surman.  This is how multi-reedist Laurent Rochelle and his Tanuki project opens the album with the title-track “Dancing Trees.”  But then there’s the exceedingly cheerful tracks like “Happy Hands,” with a melody that just wants to dance away the day and on into the night.  That nighttime dance is joined by the vocals of Fanny Roz, and the beat is heavier and the groove is more driven and while the song is no less tuneful, the motivations seem less steered toward playfulness than they are an intoxicating allure.

The effects-heavy “Looping Leaves” and “Lost in Green” shifts even further away from the meditative presence and the latter of those two tracks emits a warbling lyricism that’s practically jarring.  “Luminescence” heads even further down that rabbit hole, and even though the effects have an even sharper edge than previous tracks, intriguingly enough, the song begins to circle back around to the opening track’s contemplative ambiance… but just a little.

However, that full circle reaches completion… in a sense, at least… with the album’s final track “Nautilus.”  It brings together the meditative presence with the playful attitude, and bass clarinet’s melodic sighs mesh perfectly with the skittering vocals of Fanny Roz, who returns for the final track of the recording.

I’m going to be writing a lot about the music of Laurent Rochelle in the coming weeks.  This is just one example of the diverse creativity that marks much of his songbook.  None of it is conventional and all of it seriously compelling.

Your album personnel:  Laurent Rochelle (bass clarinet, soprano sax, keyboards, effects, vocal) and Fanny Roz (vocals).

Released on Linoleum Records.

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

Music from the Toulouse, France scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

When a musician adopts a classic straight-ahead voice and it sounds fresh out of the oven while also acts as a mainline to nostalgic memories of music past, that’s when it’s being done right.  The self-titled debut of trombonist Danny Lubin-Laden infuses these tunes with the happy-sad dichotomy of the blues, the blissful harmonic warmth of brass band ballads, the get-up-and-go of hot jazz, and streaks of old-school jazz conjuring up images of smoky late-night clubs and the joyful parade marches that result when sunrise signals not the end, but the continuation of the night’s festivities.

Ashley Nguyen sits in for a few tracks, and her vocals are full of heart and soul, and the way Lubin-Laden’s quintet launches into flight from the springboard of her words is one of the album’s highlights.  So is the way that the ensemble’s wonderful craftsmanship elevates simple designs into something much greater than the measure of its individual parts.

There isn’t a track on this album that isn’t friendly and catchy, and most importantly, each has just the right amount of personality to keep things interesting.  Just a very fun recording.

Your album personnel:  Danny Lubin-Laden (trombone), Ari Chersky (guitar), Claude Rosen (piano, organ, Wurlitzer), Garret Lang (bass), Adam Starkopf (drums) and guest:  Ashley Nguyen (vocals).

The album is Self-Produced.

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

Jazz from the Oakland, CA scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp

It’s particularly interesting how tenor saxophonist John Martin gets his sound to phase in and out of tunefulness, shifting between a sweet melodicism and raw ferocity.  But what marks the success of Spirit of Adventure is how the quintet The Hidden Notes shifts their ensemble sound to either shadow Martin’s changes or perfectly counterbalance them in a fusion of light and dark.  A track like “Folklore” has a film-noir allure, and it holds that cinematic ambiance even as Martin’s sax burns the film at the edges.  The effect of wonderment is not unlike seeing two people who have nothing in common somehow live in a state of happily-ever-after.  But that song doesn’t exist in isolation.  This is a recording where captivating moments, as on title-track “Spirit of Adventure,” where sax is the perfect dance partner for the rest of the quintet, and their motion is like one, steeped in grace and filled with joy.

But it’s not just about sax versus or united with quintet… the pairing of vibraphone and guitar also leads to all kinds of melodic beauty and rhythmic chatter.  The two-part “Pentacision” is Exhibit A in how Ralph Wyld and Rob Updegraff keep finding ways to weave their own conversational patterns within the fabric of the songs.  This, too, can be said about the interactions between bassist Tim Fairhall and drummer Tim Giles.  On “Eddies,” Fairhall’s loping strides hopscotch around the puddle splashes of Giles’ cymbals and drums, creating a sense of tension that hangs just below the surface of the song.

A very cool personality to this one.  And it beats to the rhythm of a storyteller’s heart.

Your album personnel:  John Martin (tenor sax), Ralph Wyld (vibraphone), Rob Updegraff (guitar), Tim Fairhall (double bass) and Tim Giles (drums).

Released on F-IRE Collective.

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

Jazz from the London scene.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic