Dec 11 2018
Album of the Day: “The Multiverse” by Scott McLemore
Artist: Scott McLemore
Album: The Multiverse
Label: Sunny Sky Records
Style: Campfire jazz
Favorite Track: “All the Time”
Music from: Reykjavik, Iceland
What I like about it: When this quartet settles into a melody, it’s immensely captivating. On tracks like “All the Time” and “Clementine,” they achieve just the right balance of contemplation and liveliness, tranquility and kick. Sometimes Scott McLemore lets the lyricism run wild, and while I personally don’t care for those moments quite as much, there’s a part of me that fears their absence might cause those melodically-focused passages to resonate with not quite the same strength. That’s not a trade-off I’m willing to make. This is especially true in light of tracks like “Toes in the Water” and “To Catch a Glimpse,” where the dedication to serenity on the former and to propulsion on the latter contribute as much to cause of listener enjoyment as those that find that perfect balance I previously raved about. While certain tracks may speak to a listener more than others, there’s an inescapable conclusion that all of these tracks feed off one another in some pretty essential ways, and those indirect lines of communication are likely to have a cause-effect relationship with the ear that goes unnoticed.
Other Notes: One of the album’s track is “Gene Wilder,” which is the second such song title bearing the comedian’s name. The other is by Threads Orchestra (an album I still adore). Totally different pieces, and both so damn enchanting in their own way. Also, Pierre Perchaud is one of my favorite guitarists, and you should definitely check out his music.
Your album personnel: Scott McLemore (drums), Hilmar Jensson (electric guitar), Pierre Perchaud (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar) and Mats Eilertsen (bass).
Available at: Bandcamp
Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Be sure to check out the artist’s site.
Jun 18 2019
The Round-up: It wasn’t real, not even in my imagination
Here is some very good new music.
Atomic – Pet Variations (Odin Records)
While the tag Nordic Jazz is most commonly associated with a jazz expressionism where tranquility is the key to everything, it certainly isn’t a full encapsulation of the full breadth of sound from that part of the world. For quite a many years now, the trio Atomic has been a counterbalance of chaos and liveliness. Their newest doesn’t stray far from that approach. Pet Variations is a covers album, and it scoops up in its embrace a scattered set of influences, from Paul Bley to Brian Wilson, from Alexander von Schlippenbach to Jan Garbarek… and all of it in possession of the edgy melodicism and volatility Atomic wields with so little difficulty. Even a rendition of Olivier Messiaen work simmers with an unmistakable tension. Music from Oslo, Norway.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Jay Thomas & Mike Van Bebber Quintet – The Promise (CUG Records)
Real nice hard bop session. Plenty of energy, the kind of bop locomotion that generates an embracing warmth while simultaneously lighting a fire under everything. It offers up some covers of standards and tunes by George Coleman and Lennie Tristano, but the real gems of this recording are the original compositions by pianist Yuki Hirate. Hirate builds plenty of beauty into the framework of the composition, but also leaves space for the quintet to develop things according to their own perspective. A fun recording, and in the context of a modern jazz scene where the sound is more diverse and divergent than at any other time in its history, it’s nice to encounter a straight-ahead session that is both familiar and exciting. Music from Seattle, Washington.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Unbound Worlds – Chengdu Dream (Self-Produced)
I can’t say enough about this delightful recording from the ensemble Unbound Worlds. This intriguing crosshatch of eastern and western musics originates from a 2018 performance at the He Duoling museum in Chengdu, China, where musicians from San Francisco and Chengdu collaborate on jazz, rock and folk songs native to China, jazz works by Ornette Coleman and John Abercrombie, and original works tethered to those influences in some shape and form. The recording features Baima Wang on erhu, Lin Shi on vocals and keyboards, Shuxen Meng on pipa, Marc Schmitz on guitar and vocals, and Dave Mihaly on drums. For many of you, this music will be unconventional listening for what you’re typically exposed to… and, yet, the melodies are so inviting and the rhythmic dialog so riveting, Chengdu Dream is an open door held open wide for the listener to walk on through and enjoy. Music from San Francisco, California and Chengdu, China.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Hafdís Bjarnadóttir & Passepartout Duo – A Northern Year (Self-Produced)
The music matches the inspiration on the latest from composer Hafdís Bjarnadóttir. The motion of A Northern Year is like the sun slowly arcing across the sky, methodical in its progress, awesome in its presence, while the album’s imagery and tone mirrors the changing seasons from solstice to solstice. Performed by the Passepartout Duo of drummer-percussionist Christopher Salvito and pianist-keyboardist Nicoletta Favari, this music can come off as serene or heavy, depending on the season of the composition and the scene out your own window. Just a two-part suite EP, but plenty engrossing for its brief duration. Music from Reykjavik, Iceland.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Cool album art by Anastasia Savinova. I really adore her architecture-collage series Genius Loci.
Ultraïa Octet – Ultraïa Octet (Self-Produced)
I normally don’t include older albums in this column, but not long ago the 2008 self-titled debut from the Ultraïa Octet was uploaded to Bandcamp, and I’ve been pretty well addicted to it ever since. Heavy on the wind instruments, this ensemble generates plenty of warmth on the harmonic side of things, and with accordion, euphonium, cello and tuba in the mix, the octet seamlessly transitions between influences of chamber and folk at will. A seriously beautiful and absorbing album. Music from Amiens, France.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations - 2019 • 0 • Tags: Amiens (France), Atomic, Chengdu (China), CUG Records, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, Jay Thomas, Mike Van Bebber, Odin Records, Oslo, Passepartout Duo, Reykjavik (Iceland), San Francisco, Seattle, Self-Produced, Ultraïa Octet, Yuki Hirate