Jazz Recommendations – 2016 releases

There’s a constant tension that comes from thick melodies being torn in two directions.  Piero Bittolo Bon’s Bread & Fox quintet has a heavy presence, and as sweet as their melodies are, the quintet brusquely shoves them around the song.  Well, except when they don’t.  There are times when the quintet treats those melodies like precious creatures, and devise a nurturing environment for them to grow to full bloom.  It’s those two states of existence that are the reason for the wonderful tension of Big Hell On Air.  Punchy cadences and harmonies that clear the room will suddenly blink out, replaced by gentle tempos and harmonies warm as morning sunlight.

And depending on which of those polar opposites reigns at any one particular time, the melody takes on the characteristics of its surroundings.  With tracks like “Spice Girls From Arrakis” and “Gutkäfer Strut,” the melody comes out either like a sharp blade or capable of blunt force trauma.  And with tracks like “Everything Works” and “Topinambur Topinamur,” the melody is a gentle lullaby, promising sweet dreams and restful sleep.  But in each instance, those melodies are clear as day and, in some instances, border on catchy.  And more often than not, the change of tone happens within the duration of an individual song, keeping the ear on its toes and constantly guessing what might come next.

There’s nothing conventional about this music.  And based on past history, normalcy is not something one should expect from a Piero Bittolo Bon project.  But an abiding characteristic of his challenging music is that Bon makes it easy connect to with it, and the only obstacle is in figuring out what the hell is going on.  And that “obstacle” is also what makes this challenging music seriously fun.

Your album personnel:  Piero Bittolo Bon (alto sax, flute, Bb & bass clarinets), Filippo Vignato (trombone), Glauco Benedetti (tuba, baritone horn), Alfonso Santimone (piano) and Andrea Grillini (drums).

Released on both Auand Records and El Gallo Rojo Records.

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

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

It’d be understandable to overlook all of the tiny transformations of Fire! Orchestra over the course of their last three albums.  Their 2013 recording Exit was chaotic fury that exhibited direction only through the power of the music’s overwhelming presence.  It was a live performance recording that saw none of its heavy voltage diminished through the recorded medium.  Their 2014 release Enter saw the large ensemble hitting the studio.  The intensity and wildness and freedom were still present, but bent to the guidance of some cool grooves and melodic signposts, and the music benefited from the tighter sonic bundle.  It was also about as thrilling as music ever gets.  Their 2016 release Ritual doesn’t relent on the thrilling music, but it does alter the shape of the lens its filtered through.

It also changes up some of the personnel.  The breadth of instrumentation remains much the same, but the ensemble brings in different voices from the spectrum of the Swedish music scene.  There are other changes, small ones, but resonating strongly and providing their newest album its very own personality.  The opening stanza of the five-part work begins with the clenched fist of saxophones belting out the opening statement.  This is nothing new.  Nothing less should be expected.  But it is an interesting development how quickly it pulls back for a seriously infectious groove.  Vocalists Sofia Jernberg and Mariam Wallentin sink right into that groove, and their focused intensity is a perfect match for their unconventional lyricism.  They don’t coo out the words and this ain’t no love song, but it is music capable of filling a heart with joy.  Both the comping and solos steer around the vocals, keeping them the center-point of every little fluctuation.  But even here, there’s a serious focus to this music, and the clarity it brings to the music, where its elements are easier to discern within the huge sound… it’s pretty damn compelling, especially in the context of prior recordings.  But this isn’t some new dawn in the life of Fire! Orchestra.  The end of “Part 1” opens things up again, and the vocalists and soloists show all the wild abandon of past recordings.

A similar pattern occurs on “Part II,” except that the voices of Jernberg and Wallentin dance like candle flames in a stiff breeze, the rhythm section keeps the ensemble on their toes and feet moving fast, and the cross-currents of harmony are delicate and kind and contrast perfectly with the gale force wind of many instruments raising their voices to the skies simultaneously.  Again, this is a working unit showing a new facet of their range of expressions, but in no way turning their back on what has come before.  “Part III” is arguably the most extreme example of the band’s development.  It opens with waves of dissonance and ends with a gentle melodicism.  On the other hand, the expressiveness of past recordings bleeds heavily into “Part IV” and “Part V,” the ultimate proof that what is new on Ritual is merely a facet and that the heart of the band still beats strong and with passion.

This is one of the very best working ensembles on the scene.

Your album personnel: Mariam Wallentin, Sofia Jernberg (voices), Niklas Barnö, Susana Santos Silva (trumpets), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Per Åke Holmlander (tuba), Anna Högberg (alto & baritone saxes), Mats Gustafsson (baritone & slide saxes, conductor), Jonas Kullhammar (braithophone, bass & slides saxes), Martin Hederos (keyboards, violin), Johan Berthling (bass), Andreas Werliin, Mads Forsby (drums), Hild Sofie Tafjord (French horn), Mette Rasmussen (alto sax), Lotte Anker (tenor & soprano saxes), Per “Texas“ Johansson (clarinets, baritone sax), Julien Desprez, Finn Loxbo (guitars), Edvin Nahlin (keyboards) and Andreas Berthling (electronics, drums).

Released on the Rune Grammofon label.

Music from Sweden.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

There’s a spellbinding quality to the music of Dark Matter.  Sometimes, as on opening track “Pale Blue Dot,” it’s summoned up through the slow melodic breath of minimalism influences, but other times, when the tempo increases and the instrumental activity grows, the enchantment is more calculated, where melodic flashes and sparks and bursts magnify the beguilement to an intensity greater than the force used to generate it.  “Scythe Dance” infuses some tuneful material mixed in with some hyperactivity, until the quartet decides to just floor the gas pedal.  The songs “Between” and “Great Dark Spot” employ a similar progression, but maintain a tone that seeks to keep a sense of tranquility intact.

The quartet Minim Experiment transform their pieces from something to follow meticulously into something that requires the listener to keep guessing which direction the next interaction is coming from.  It’s an excellent way to nurture a sense of peacefulness without ever really having to worry if all the activity set in play will have the effect of shattering it.  Because it won’t, and it certainly doesn’t on this enjoyable recording.

Your album personnel:  Kuba Wójcik (guitar), Kamil Piotrowicz (piano), Luca Curcio (double bass) and Albert Karch (drums).

Released on the For-Tune label.

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

Available at:  Bandcamp

It’s the collision of contrasting elements that makes Gold Age so damn thrilling, but the way that the Gold Age quartet gets them to come together post-contact is what makes this album so damn cool.  It’s about propulsion and it’s about contemplation.  It’s about unimpeded inspiration and it’s about patient lyricism.  It’s about how Mark Clifford‘s vibraphone thoughtfully demarcates the path of the melody while Aram Shelton‘s bass clarinet burns down everything along that path.  It’s about how bassist Safa Shokrai brings a brisk hop to “Peach Orchard,” which gave every indication it was going to be a song about moonlight.  And it’s about how “Levity Faction” begins with a sing-song demeanor before drummer Britt Ciampa builds up a head of steam and leaves the idea of song in his rear view mirror.  It’s about how these opposing characteristics come together and simultaneously enhance their individual differences and united commonalities.

A seriously good recording.  Everything about this album screams modern jazz, but every now and then I found myself enjoying it much the same way and for the same reasons I break into my heavy listening schedule for some of the Bobby Hutcherson inside-out Blue Note recordings.

Your album personnel:  Aram Shelton (alto sax, bass clarinet), Mark Clifford (vibraphone), Safa Shokrai (bass) and Britt Ciampa (drums).

Released on Singlespeed Records.

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

Jazz from the Oakland, CA scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic