Jazz Recommendations

Sep 11 2012

Avery Sharpe – “Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I A Woman?”

 

Based on the life of African-American abolitionist and woman’s rights activist Sojourner Truth, and her 1851 speech titled “Ain’t I A Woman?” in support of women’s suffrage, bassist Avery Sharpe has created a vibrant album of protest music, so often characterized by a potent mix of political/social activism, fiercely driven music, and heart-on-the-sleeve celebratory hopefulness.

Your album personnel:  Avery Sharpe (bass), Onaje Allan Gumbs (piano), Yoron Israel (drums), Craig Handy (saxophones), Duane Eubanks (trumpet), and Jeri Brown (vocals).

This is music that echoes the voices of Archie Shepp’s Cry Of My People and Max Roach’s We Insist!  This is shout up to the heavens music that simultaneously induces listeners to swing swing swing down here on the temporal plane.

This is music whose blood is thick as the Blues.  When Handy’s sax and Brown’s voice combine, it’s to express a cathartic weariness.  The piano of Gumbs’ embodies a willingness to find the humor in difficult times.  Eubanks’ trumpet is evidence that there’s still plenty of fight left.  The drums of Israel are the virtue of patience.  Sharpe’s bass is the model of resiliency.

This is music that has the heart of Jazz.  Music that sometimes swings light on its feet, sometimes with a soul heavy with the weight of the world, music that sometimes finds a rich groove, music that can wail and moan, but most of all, this is strong music that knows how to sing.  On “Truth Be Told,” Sharpe switches between a salt-of-the-earth undercurrent and fluttering bird lightness, and it exemplifies so much of the music on this album.

Beaten down by Hard Times, but never giving up the fight to Raise Up and speak.  So as it was with Sojourner Truth, so as it is with Avery Sharpe’s excellent recording.

Here’s a link to a Wikipedia entry on Sojourner Truth.

Released on the JKNM Records label, which is Sharpe’s own label.

Jazz from the Amherst, MA scene.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

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Sep 10 2012

Miguel Zenón / Laurent Coq Quartet – “Rayuela”

 

The title of the Miguel Zenon / Laurent Coq Quartet‘s delightful album Rayuela is translated to English as “hopscotch.”  It’s a well-chosen title.

Just as the game of hopscotch has rules and form, it’s the seemingly limitless permutations that may occur within those confines, and the part that mere chance plays upon it, that makes it such an enduring game.  Jump here, stagger there, hop, twist, hop again, stand, fall, laugh, shout, stop, begin again… the patters all seem familiar, though each iteration of the game remains inherently unique.

That, in many ways, is emblematic of this recording’s music.

Your album personnel:  Miguel Zenón (alto sax), Laurent Coq (piano), Dana Leong (cello, trombone), and Dan Weiss (drums, tabla, percussion).

Though this album is marked by crafty shifts in tempo and playful fidgeting with reflections of repeated sounds, it’s the undeniable warmth of the music that makes it shine.  Zenon, though attaining a signature sound over the course of his playing career, consistently displays an adaptability to his collaborators and provides a sense that all are as one.  Zenon’s sax speaks loud and clear, but with the ease of one happy to be in the presence of others… an amicability that lends well to the music’s warmth.  Coq adds his piano to the mix by letting his voice carry from the background; his piano never steps on the toes of the other quartet members, yet remains ever-present in the conversation.  Leong adds both cello and trombone to the recording, not only providing some intriguing elements to the quartet environment, but also some enchanting contrast from one song to the next.  Both instruments are deep-voiced and resonant, but cello and trombone have very different presences on the bandstand.  Dan Weiss brings a rich flavor profile to the recoding, and the amalgamation of his percussion makes it easy for surprise to register when reminded that he alone is at the wheel.

Rayuela is a beautiful album, complex yet understated, warm yet thought-provoking, an album that can engage both head and heart.

The album was inspired by the Julio Cortázar’s novel of the same name, and, apparently, many of the song titles and compositions were informed and/or influenced by the novel.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Available on eMusic.  Available at Bandcamp.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

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Sep 8 2012

Two For The Morning: Ketil Bjornstad – “Remembrance” & “The River”

 

Back around 2005, I went through a heavy ECM Records label buying spree.  It was right around when I discovered that now-defunct music retailer BMG (similar to the old mail-order Columbia Buy 1 Get 10 Free Albums deal) had an online presence.  That meant no more mailing in decline-to-purchase options and much better catalog searching.  I signed up, and drowning myself in modern ECM albums was the first order of business.

I originally became familiar with the ECM label back in the early-mid 90s, when my jazz addiction was initially taking hold over both my ear and budget.  But, back then, it was ECM’s releases during the 1970s that caught my attention, which for the most part was a beautiful array of what is now generally called World Jazz… a mix of mild avant-garde jazz and use of geographically diverse composition methods and instrumentation.  Some of my early ECM favorites were Oregon‘s Crossing, Ralph Towner‘s Solstice, Codona‘s Codona 3, and Old & New Dreams self-titled album.  All very earthy albums, with a heavy ethereal quality to them.

 

 

 

Around that same time, I was also becoming a bit familiar with ECM’s catalog from the 80s… mostly the work of Bill Frisell (fantastic) and Pat Metheny (guh).  A lot of the ECM releases during that decade grew heavier on the ambient elements and also with the synthy electronic effects… sometimes to the recording’s benefit, sometimes not.

But as far as ECM releases from 1990 onward, I really didn’t have much of anything to go on.  But that BMG music account, I took pretty good advantage of the deals, which allowed me to explore some albums on the cheap, and then expand outward from there for when I hit the brick & mortar music stores to buy more.

One of my first modern ECM purchases was Ketil Bjornstad‘s The Sea II.  At the time, it really struck a chord with me (though, admittedly, my love for that album has waned considerably over time).  I was really drawn to Bjornstad’s introspective sound on piano… the moodiness that whispered quietly, but possessed an inner turmoil.  I found that combination terribly appealing.  And it definitely fit in with my early mornings, when I like to wake slowly to the world, unhurried as the sun rising up over the horizon.  So off I went to Reckless Records (Chicago, IL) to search down more from Bjornstad.

I’m going to talk about two Bjornstad albums.  In a way, they act as bookends to my listening experience with Ketil’s music.  Let’s begin…

*****

 

Ketil Bjornstad – The River

This was the first Bjornstad album I purchased following my introduction to his music, and it pretty much cemented my dedication to slowly picking up all of his music.  In many ways, it became more instrumental than The River II in how I purchased not just his music, but went about choosing other ECM label albums.  It’s an hour of serenity made solid, so that it can be played through speakers as dawn breaks.

Your album personnel:  Ketil Bjornstad (piano) and David Darling (cello).

This was an easy decision to make when I saw this on the shelves at Reckless Records.  I’m a big fan of cello in any music setting, and as I was looking for peaceful music to start my day, it’s a good instrument to have in the mix.  Plus, Darling played cello on The River II, so I already knew that I liked how his sound paired up with Bjornstad’s piano.

Aside from the overt beauty of piano and cello making pretty sounds, it’s the underlying tension of this album’s music that sets it apart from other quiet pretty albums.  Both Darling and Bjornstad share the responsibility of bringing a direful tone to some of the album tracks, as if the artists are suggesting it smart to stay wary, that all is not safe just because the music has a blissful ease.  Counterbalanced against those tracks where notes sparkle like diamonds on a mountain lake, it breathes life into music that never threatens to induce sleep.  Simply beautiful.  An album for when the sun hasn’t yet shaken the sleep from its eyes, and the sky turns all types of reds and pinks and oranges and blues.

Released in 1996 on the ECM Records label.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

 

Ketil Bjornstad – Remembrance

Remembrance marks Bjornstad’s latest recording, as well as the last one that I’ve purchased.  Aside from my intro to his music (via The Sea II), The River began my journey into Bjornstad’s discography and Remembrance (for the time being) my resting spot.

Remembrance brings more textures to the table, but is no less compelling for its quieter moments.

Your album personnel:  Ketil Bjørnstad (piano), Tore Brunborg (tenor saxophone), and Jon Christensen (drums).

Whereas The River embodies the hypnotically casual rocking of waves on the water’s surface, Remembrance personifies the flight of seagulls as they skirt the waves and take off soaring up above.  The addition of Brunborg’s sax gives this music all the lift it needs, buffeted by Chistensen’s elegant drum work, especially the tasteful placement of cymbal crashes.  Worth noting that Christensen also performs on The Sea II.

And though the tempo and tone of this music resonates stronger, this is still music for those who prefer to wake at a more deliberate pace.  Just as there are tracks when Brunborg’s sax gains elevation in leaps and bounds, while Bjornstad races along beside and Christensen stomps on clouds nearby, there are also album tracks that drift in place, making ripples that shift and expand at their leisure.  There are moments of weighty melancholia and moments of heartbreaking lightness.  It’s an album for when the sun is just over the horizon, and making its presence known.

Released in 2009 on the ECM Records label.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

*****

I’m sure I’ll find a way to sneak other Bjornstad album reviews onto the site.  I’ll definitely be mentioning other albums that float my boat first thing in the morning.

-Cheers

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2009 Releases, The Safety Net, The Two-Fer Review series • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Sep 7 2012

Chives – “Dads”

 

These are squirrely tunes.  Just when it seems like you’ve got a melody in your grasp, it wriggles out and runs off in an unexpected direction, and just when it seems like the ear has caught up to the trio, they take off at some uneven and bewildering pace.  These are compositions that shade toward catchy, but improvise their way out of that room.  These are songs that can’t sit still.  Even when they edge cautiously along, an abounding energy emanates from the music.

This is the music of the Chives.  Their latest album is titled Dads.

Your album personnel:  Steven Lugerner (reeds), Matthew Wohl (bass), and Max Jaffe (drums).

A trio consisting of childhood friends, they clearly have a creative symbiosis earned through time.  Multi-reedist Steven Lugerner first made his mark by debuting with a double-album release, Narratives and These Are The Words, both getting a mention in the Bird is the Worm’s Best of 2011 wrap-up series.  Notable was Lugerner’s thematic approach of using the Torah both as inspiration and as a mathematical tool for composition.  Drummer Max Jaffe has branched out into projects that range from experimental folk to chamber rock and theater.  And bassist Matthew Wohl has situated himself behind a vocal jazz quartet as well as a collaborative project focusing on the music of John Cage.  They each have their influences and their own personal music directions, and, at times, those influences peek out from this trio’s sound.  But ultimately, their familiarity is stronger than that which informs their personal music paths, and it’s why Dads is preeminently cohesive and of one voice.

It’s a voice that keeps up a hell of a chatter, but it positively has something worth hearing.

Released on the Primary Records label.

Originally part of the Burlingame, CA scene, the Chives are now part of the Brooklyn jazz scene.

You can stream, and purchase, the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

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Sep 6 2012

Recommended: Jonah Parzen-Johnson – “Michiana”

 

Baritone sax doesn’t really need any introductions.  Deep voiced and self-assured, it’s an instrument that often disposes of delicacy to get its point across.  But even the most direct of instruments are capable of acts of nuance and subtlety.  On Michiana, his debut album, Jonah Parzen-Johnson explores the sonic possibilities of the baritone sax while simultaneously maintaining a lyrical narrative.

Result?  A fun listen.  And it’s a listen that also engages on an intellectual level without getting all didactic and tedious.

Your album personnel:  Jonah Parzen-Johnson (baritone sax).

As a fiction writer, I get a little irritated when encountering books that use real people and real events as the springboard for the imagination to run loose.  To my mind, that’s wholly unnecessary.  We each of us have worlds upon worlds inside us… all the material any of us would ever need to conjure up the most brilliant creations.  It’s just a question of trusting our imagination and its ability to shape ideas into the right form.

Parzen-Johnson seems to understand this.

There are many variables which serve to inform the music of Michiana.  Early in life, he was drawn to the experimental jazz of the AACM.  He was also drawn to the stripped-down folk music of Appalachia.  Formerly of Chicago and now of Brooklyn, it’s the tiny of town of Michiana which acts as the setting for the album that shares its name.  In that way that distant memories attain the qualities of dream, Johnson tells of his long ago times in Michiana, all alone, using just his baritone sax, and with no overdubbing or effects.  He’s telling a story.

Baritone sax is a pretty powerful instrument, even all by its lonesome.  But Parzen-Johnson uses a soft touch, letting the bari sing languorous melodies, notes that drift slowly away, the next note sounding only when the previous one blinks off into silence.  Sometimes those notes attain a respectful solemnity, and sometimes Parzen-Johnson ushers forth the bari’s full sonic capacity and lets the sound expand outward until it envelops everything in sight.  But in the end, whether his sound is more like mouse or mountain, there is a conversational restraint to this music, representative of a musician who pays his respect to the melody and the understanding that there are listeners present who are there to enjoy it.

There is a pattern to much of this album’s music.  Most tracks begin with a back porch languor, a modus operandi of easing into a day nice and slow.  The halfway point of each song often marks when the sun is highest in the sky and generating its greatest heat.  And, eventually, darkness drops over each song, cascading it with its own brand of peacefulness.  The repetition of form works well for a solo album, which inherently has a sense of unbounded Anything Can Happen… an artist all alone in a room with their instrument and no collaborators to add direction or reign them in.  Restraint can be such an ugly word when applied to an experimental artist… except when its application brings clarity to the vision and vibrancy to the final product.  Sometimes you just gotta trust that an object of creativity will learn to breathe on its own.  In that regard, Michiana is certainly full of life.

The album ends with two remixed tracks, where other musicians twist some of Parzen-Johnson’s previous tracks inside out and around.  One of them has a nice enough Windy & Carl drone intensity and the other track a pleasantly staggered bounce as a bow tie wrapped around Parzen-Johnson’s sonic blasts, but neither really speak to the heart of the music.  It’s probably the only thing I can find to criticize about this excellent recording.

Released on the Primary Records label.

You can listen to more of the album on the artist’s bandcamp page.

Music from Brooklyn.

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp | eMusic

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