Jazz Recommendations

Sep 14 2017

Now seems like an ideal time to talk about Jean Lapouge

 

Jean Lapouge has a new album out, and he’s also dusting off some of his older recordings, too.  This seems like a good time to give a rundown of one of my very favorite guitarists, a musician who spins sonic beauty quite unlike anyone else.

It’s a curious beauty.  It’s not your typical pretty sounds, even though there are plenty moments that seem to embrace those qualities.  This Sarrazac-based guitarist endows his music with an affectation of populism and idealist postures, as if it were a cryptic equation capable of obliterating the veil between the waking and dream worlds.  His is music for the masses one individual at a time, and each in their own way.  It is not unlike how a blizzard affects the crowd, but each person views it only through their very own unique set of snowflakes.  That’s the music of Jean Lapouge.

Let’s begin…

 

Jean Lapouge – Temporare

Jean Lapouge – “Temporare”

Some music just sounds pretty when all evidence indicates that it shouldn’t.  Jean Lapouge’s 2011 release Temporare makes for an excellent Exhibit A.  As dreams can be both serene and terrifying, Temporare shows no inclination to draw a dividing line between the varied emotions this album evokes.  There is tension throughout the recording, even when tranquility rules the moment.  And there’s plenty of edge, to boot.  “My Song Goes Wrong” is just one example of many where a piece with a lullaby demeanor, at times, jabs and flails and speaks of anything but peaceful night’s sleep.  Lapouge’s guitar melts into a melody with Christiane Bopp‘s trombone while threading the rhythmic needle of Christian Pabœuf‘s vibraphone patterns.  It is haunting music, and yet terrifyingly beautiful.  It was also one of the very best things to come out in 2011, and it still is.

Your album personnel:  Jean Lapouge (guitar, guitar synthesizer), Christiane Bopp (trombone), and Christian Pabœuf (vibraphone, oboe).

Released on Musea Records.  Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

 

Jean Lapouge – Des Enfants

What a cold person you must be not to fall in love with the lullaby melodies of Des Enfants. As opposed to the uneasy serenity of Temporare, this 2012 release employs a far softer touch.  And this applies to those tracks that let out a roar like “Les Américains” and those that stomp their boots like “Two Days Before,” just as it does the sing-song title track.  But the heart of this album is reflected in how “Les Soldats” lets linger the suggestion that the intensity could suddenly spike, but harnesses that energy, instead, to make a softly spoken melody resonate with incredible strength.

I could listen to this album forever, and I’ve spent the last handful of years proving it.  It received the #24 slot on this site Best of 2012.  Here’s a link to some reasons why.

Your album personnel:  Jean Lapouge (guitar, guitar synthesizer), Christiane Bopp (trombone), and Christian Pabœuf (vibraphone, oboe, bass flute).

Released on Musea Records.  Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

 

Jean Lapouge Trio – Plein Air

Lapouge’s 2014 release Plein Air is about as close to a standard guitar album as he’s likely to get.  That said, his trio with drummer David Muris also has the cello of Grégoire Catelin, so perhaps even using the word standard is out of line.  But being that as it may, the amiable chatter of “Par la côte” and the get-up-and-go of “En Campagne” stray far from the contemplative ambiance and thickly-layered melodicism of previous collaborations.  That said, the addition of cello opens up all kinds of melodic possibilities, and the trio takes advantage of each and every one.  Tracks like “Acteur fétiche,” “Mario” and “Un hymne” open with languorous passages that eventually shift into weightier passages as they achieve a captivating volatility, and these are where to find the heart of this lovely recording.

I wrote more about the recording when it first came out.

Your album personnel:  Jean Lapouge (guitar), Grégoire Catelin (cello) and David Muris (drums).

Released on Musea/Great Winds Records.  Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

 

Noëtra – Neuf Songes

The word is that the music of Neuf Songes was destined for release on ECM Records, but it just never quite happened.  A shame, really, because not only would this older material from Lapouge’s Noëtra ensemble have fit in perfectly with ECM’s output back in the 80s, it might’ve had an impact on the label’s existing stable of musicians.  It has the dramatic orchestration and the introspective interludes, the prog-jazz hopscotch precision and the jazz-folk fusion that embodied a segment of the modern jazz scene of the 1980s… but Noëtra brings all of those elements together in remarkably vibrant ways.  It just resonates brilliantly.  And how nicely it would have sat beside ECM Records works by Eberhard Weber, Steve Tibbetts and Miroslav Vitous.

Thankfully, Lapouge has loaded this album up on his Bandcamp page and made it accessible to present-day listeners.  I gotta say, it holds up remarkably well.  This music’s ability to enchant hasn’t waned even a little bit.

Your album personnel:  Jean Lapouge (guitar), Christiane Bopp (trombone), Christian Pabœuf (oboe, flutes), Denis Lefranc (bass, tuba, voice), Daniel Renault (drums, percussion, violin), Pierre Aubert (violin), Pascal Leberre (clarinet, tenor & soprano saxes), Francis Michaud (flute, tenor & soprano saxes), Denis Viollet (cello), Claude Lapouge (trombone), Jacques Nobili (trombone) and Laurent Tardif (alto flute).

Released on Musea/Great Winds Records.  Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

And now, finally, let’s talk about the new release from Jean Lapouge…

Jean Lapouge Trio – Hongrois

Lapouge’s newest recording has him sticking with the same trio that led to the success of Plein Air.  It also reveals a clearer image for how Lapouge wants things to shake out.  This music sounds crisper and rings with clarity.  Revealingly, there isn’t the ebb and flow of melodic control between guitar and cello.  On Plein Air, there were the “guitar songs” and the “cello songs.”  That back and forth led to some intriguing moments.  But the synthesis between the two instruments on Hongrois utilizes those same tools of intrigue, and focuses them through a much sharper lens, leading to some necessary cohesion.

Opening track “Naples” gets right to the heart of the matter with two sections of guitar-cello unity book-ending a more conventional trading of ideas between all three musicians.  It doesn’t pick and choose which instrument will be in ascension; it simply allows shifts of focus to occur while keeping the entire picture in the spotlight.  But more to the point is the title-track “Hongrois” and how all three instruments come together in a way that makes it so the spotlight and the focus need not adjust or choose at all.  And “Illusion du Fond” is illustrative of how comfortable the trio has grown with this approach in the way a song-like structure is the foundation for both jazz and blues and chamber streaks to seamlessly wash over one another, time and again.

Your album personnel:  Jean Lapouge (guitar), Grégoire Catelin (cello) and David Muris (drums).

Released on Musea/Great Winds Records.  Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

And remember, you can explore all of this music and more on Jean Lapouge’s Bandcamp page.

 

By • Artist Overviews, I Listen To All Of This, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0

Sep 13 2017

Recommended: Domenico Cartago – “Chromos”

 

It’s with a workman-like attitude that Domenico Cartago goes about crafting a melody.  The music of Chromos is quite beautiful, and every inch of that beauty hinges on the success of its melodies.  The impression made is one where the pianist sketches the melody out according to a very specific routine, adds embellishments and details and textures, maps out some detours for further exploration, then sticks a pin in the map exactly where he wants it all to end up.  Because even as “Indaco” takes off in flight and “Ocra” murmurs and churns and “Gamma” breathes slowly and “Krene” skips and hops and glides, they all exude a sense of intense focus and tight control.  The beauty of a gemstone is as much at the mercy of the elemental forces that created it as it is the hands of the jeweler who gives the stone its ultimate shape and form.  On this lovely recording, Domenico Cartago and his bass-drum duo of Giorgio Vendola and Pippo D’Ambrosio assume both roles, of earth and man, pressure and hand.  It couldn’t have come out any prettier.

Your album personnel:  Domenico Cartago (piano), Giorgio Vendola (double bass), Pippo D’Ambrosio (drums) and guest:  Elisabetta Pasquale (voice).

Released on Auand Records.

Music from Trani, Italy.

Available at:  Amazon

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Sep 12 2017

Recommended: La Pingo’s Orquesta – “Peregrino”

 

Peregrino has got a little something of everything.  The motion of the music is tango and tropanka, waltz and twist, foot taps and head bops and long slow dances with someone held close.  It’s music from Argentina and Mexico and the Balkans and NYC to the north and Tuscon to the south.  This music is the salt of the earth and the story of the roots.  There are moments when it is possible to get in sync with the surroundings, where the electric hum of The City is indistinguishable from the sound of blood flowing through veins and the heart beating like it means it.  On their newest album, La Pingo’s Orquesta taps into that moment.

The get-up-and-go groove of “La Fiesta De Las Cochinillas” and the beer hall sway of “Tio Gustavo” celebrate life that flows exactly as god intended.  “El Funeral Del Astronomo” keeps a happy little bounce going even as it tears things up on guitar or swells up with massive, gorgeous harmonies, and every one of the sudden changes in tone and direction are not unlike a day in the life.  The edge of “La Huida” and the moonlight glow of “Ancianos” and gentle melodic waves of “Sebastian” aren’t so much songs in an album than they are hours in a day.  The entirety of this magnificent recording is so full of life it could easily be pass for one.  It has a presence that hints at so much more that can be revealed in an album’s liner notes or its compositions.  It has a rich personality.  It’s got gravitas.

Easily one of the best things to come out, thus far, in 2017.

Your album personnel:  Gerardo Castmu (guitar), Edgar Estrada (clarinet), Yarib Bautista (violin), Marco Gregoire (double bass), Claudio Gardea (drums), José Lara (trumpet) and guest:  Gabriela Bernal (vocal).

Released on Ropeadope Sur.

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

Music from Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Sep 11 2017

The Round-up: Love is everywhere and so are you

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Samuel Eagles’ SPIRIT – Ask Seek Knock (Whirlwind Recordings)

There’s plenty to like about this modern straight-ahead session from Samuel Eagles‘ sextet.  The alto saxophonist’s latest has a heavy presence, sometimes giving the impression of an ensemble twice its size.  Thankfully, this quality doesn’t inhibit the development of a fluid lyricism or prevent melodies from attaining a freedom of motion to accompany their substantive depth.  The potency of this combination becomes even more evident when tenor saxophonist Jean Toussaint sits in for a couple of tracks or, conversely, with the gentle “Hope in the Hills” and how it contrasts in tone and yet clearly originates from the same set of ingredients.  Speaking of personnel, the SPIRIT ensemble consists of names who’ve made their share of appearances in this site’s recommendations, featuring tenor saxophonist Duncan Eagles, vibraphonist Ralph Wyld, pianist Sam Leak, bassist Max Luthert and drummer Dave Hamblett.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Arve Henriksen – Towards Language (Rune Grammofon)

Atmospheric.  Let’s just get that word out of the way, because if we’re talking about an Arve Henriksen recording, inevitably, that descriptor will make an appearance.  And for good reason, because while the cinematic qualities of his music can range from tranquil to nightmarish, it’s always got a seriously atmospheric presence.  That certainly applies to his newest, Towards Language.  Thick, ethereal melodies, like the sonic manifestation of an ocean fog, mark every moment of this recording.  Some keyboards and sampling from Erik Honoré & Jan Bang help things along, and the guitars and effects of Eivind Aarset leave their mark, and all of it are exactly the type of elements that Henriksen thrives upon.  For those familiar with Henriksen’s sound, this album won’t present any surprises… and, in the grand scheme of things, there’s a certain comfort to be gained from that.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

 

Andrew Hartman – Compass (Self-Produced)

Guitarist Andrew Hartman‘s sophomore release starts out well-enough.  I mean, it’s likable, no obvious flaws, and it’s what you’d expect to hear on a straight-ahead modern jazz guitar session.  It will make many jazz guitar fans very happy.  That sums up the album’s first half.  But things change for the homestretch, and the album finishes strong.  “London Blues” is the catalyst for that change.  Tracks like “New Day” and “Breaking Light’ don’t stray dramatically from what came before, but Hartman’s quartet expresses them with far more panache and allows the personality of the melodies to shine with greater resonance.  In the context of the the album’s overall presentation, it’s a minor contrast.  But the gap between by-the-numbers and discrete individualism is vast, and the measured difference is the former will make jazz guitar fans happy and the latter will do the same for all jazz fans.  Hartman’s quartet is comprised of saxophonist Chris Cheek, bassist Ike Sturm and drummer Zach Harmon.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Ólafur Jónsson – Tími til kominn (Self-Produced)

Nice debut from tenor saxophonist Ólafur Jónsson, who hits upon the popular stopping points along the lineage of jazz music.  There’s the swinging “Klisja,” the gentle ballad “Minning,” the moody Hard Bop “Nýtt líf,” the modern straight-ahead tune “Tími til kominn,” and also “Dreyminn” and “Annar dagur páska” that perhaps echo some of the folk music of the saxophonist’s Icelandic roots.  Jónsson is joined by a strong contingent from the Icelandic scene with pianist Eyþór Gunnarsson, bassist Þorgrímur Jónsson and drummer Scott McLemore.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Daniel Beaussier & Manu Pékar – For (and more) (Futura Records)

The duo of wind instrumentalist Daniel Beaussier and guitarist Manu Pékar chose about a third of the seventy brief improvisations they recorded together, and considering how enjoyable those included turned out, it leaves me wondering what got left on the cutting room floor.  Beaussier utilizes a nifty array of instruments, including oboe, bass clarinet and English horn, and Pékar’s choice of guitar does an admirable job of complementing each one.  The grinding “Robert F” and chaotic “Bruno M” show the musicians are willing and able to jack up the temperature, but for the most part, this album consists of contemplative pieces that aren’t necessarily always tranquil, but definitely instill an ambiance that could lead to all kinds of potent daydream imagery.  Jean-Lou Deschamps and Pierre Marcault add some violin, effects and percussion, adding texture to a canvas that had plenty to begin.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

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Sep 10 2017

Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album: Billy Mitchell – “This Is Billy Mitchell”

 

Sunday morning is when the serenity comes down.  Sunday morning is the cocoon from the heavy exhaustion of too much Saturday night fun.  Sunday morning is when the city agrees to use its inside voice.  Sunday morning is when a hush settles in over the land.  It is a time for sitting still and listening to quiet music and silently praying the aspirin and coffee do something to stop your head from exploding.  Drama and stress are strictly forbidden on Sunday morning.  Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album is just for you, for times just like these.

Well, mostly.  But today, this Sunday, it feels like the first day of Autumn.  The trees are giving hints of the fireworks display to come, the morning air is crisp and cool, the sun is tenderly muted as it begins to shift gears into cold weather mode, and all of this is an infusion of life stronger than the pained aftereffects of too-much-Saturday-night-fun.  This is the kind of day to tell the hangover to sod off and go for a walk.  Today’s Sunday Morning Jazz Album is the soundtrack for that walk.

This Is Billy Mitchell practically screams First Day Of Autumn.  This 1962 session featuring the profusely talented and tragically under-the-radar Billy Mitchell slowly breathes out melodies while kicking up a little dust with the tempos.  The album opener “J&B” is the best example of that sonic equation in how it juxtaposes a peaceful ambiance with sighs of melody while the chipper rhythmic hop keeps the song scooting along.  Bobby Hutcherson sits in on vibes for this session, and in combination with some nifty lyricism from bassist Herman Wright, it’s the imitation of falling leaves drifting down to earth.

The tenor saxophonist’s work with trombonist Al Grey and trumpeter Thad Jones are nice examples of how Mitchell’s laid-back voicing can still resonate in a larger group environment, but this set as session leader really provides him the space to show just how brightly he could shine.

You need this album today, right now.

  • Artist-Title:  Billy Mitchell – This is Billy Mitchell
  • Personnel:  Billy Mitchell (tenor sax), Dave Burns (trumpet), Herman Wright (bass), Otis Finch (drums), Clarence “Sleepy” Anderson (organ), Billy Wallace (piano) and Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone).
  • Proper Use:  1) A stroll through the city, feeling strangely alive and happy despite all indications that your hangover should have decimated your will to live long ago, 2)  A short walk to your neighborhood bar for the sweet mercy of a bloody mary or, 3) Planting your ass on the sofa, slowing drinking coffee & Irish cream, and keeping perfectly still as a cat dozes peacefully upon your lap.

Released in 1962 on Smash Records, reissued in 2003 on Verve Records.

Music from the Detroit scene.

Available at:  Amazon

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