May 6 2016
Recommended: Per Oddvar Johansen – “Let’s Dance”
The heart of this album is a soft patter, a beat that registers as barely above a murmur, and it’s how drummer Per Oddvar Johansen is able to repeatedly transform that tiny sound into expressions that resonate with remarkable strength that speaks to the winning formula of Let’s Dance. On the title-track, the piano phrasings of Helge Lien radiate a powerful grace, each note dripping with the gravity of heavy emotions spoken with composure and care, so that even when Johansen sends out flurries of rhythm to batter against the thick melodic strains of Torben Snekkestad’s saxophone, the song’s core holds strong.
This trend continues on a track like “Forest Flower,” with its striking dissonance whispered softly as if into a conspirator’s ear. The dissonance of this track leads into the blossoming loveliness of “Flying” and blurs the lines between songs as well as those between the furtive, labored efforts of starting up and the breathless freedom of liftoff.
The nuanced beauty of this album, thankfully, isn’t shielded from view by the more dramatic statements etched into the surface of the recording. Johansen utilizes an array of stringed and percussion instruments, sometimes with the lightest touch of electronics and violin as on “Flying” and sometimes shining bright as a new day sun as on “Uluru” with guitars and wood block percussion.
This is officially Johansen’s debut album, but a perusal of this site will see his name appear in a number of recommended albums, including those by Tore Brunborg, Mette Henriette, Christian Wallumrod and Adam Baldych… which goes a long to explaining why a debut album achieves a fullness and focus typically not seen until after a handful of projects see the light of day.
Let’s Dance is just a gorgeous album that, impressively and confidently, finds a number of different ways to express it.
Your album personnel: Per Oddvar Johansen (drums, violins, vibraphone, guitars, wood percussion, electronics), Helge Lien (piano) and Torben Snekkestad (saxophones, reed trumpet).
Released on Edition Records.
Listen to more of the album at the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Jazz from the Oslo, Norway scene.
The second installment of a four-part series of duets, Dialogues II has saxophonist 
Through the Badlands is an authoritative statement on the range that the unified influences of jazz, country and folk can aspire to. Crisp melodies are sometimes taken apart and reconstructed, and their reformation is no less attractive for the changes. And the rhythmic invitations to sway and sweep you off your feet don’t get all tangled up just because improvisations take the tempo to places challenging even for the fleet of foot. And a little twang and a dose of crying strings never poisoned the well of a deftly adapted saxophone solo. But the convergence of simple thoughts and grand proclamations can lead to crossed wires and muddy expressions, and it’s why those artists who successfully work the borders between jazz and country, folk & bluegrass stand out prominently on the modern scene.
Well, I’m gonna keep this intro short and forgo my normal stand-up routine bit, too. Everything is settled in the new digs, old music discovery routines are re-established, and the recommendations are practically writing themselves after a long absence. There’s a huge backlog of music to get to in the next few months, and while playing catch-up is tricky business, there’s too much good music to do otherwise.
A seriously intriguing album from the quartet of multi-reedist Christophe Panzani, guitarist Pierre Perchaud, drummer Karl Jannuska and Tony Paeleman on anything with keys. Songs alternate between sharp acerbity and dreamy tranquility. Guitarist Perchaud has been highlighted on this site a number of his times for his ability to conjure up the latter quality, so it’s nice to see him really light a fire under a song and etch it with burn marks. The one track that deviates from the one-to-one track ratio of edgy to peaceful is the title track, which hits both states within the front and back covers of the song. “Bright Sun” is all kinds of catchy, and shows how simple tunefulness can cut a wide path between opposing perspectives. A very cool album and a very easy pick as Album of the Week.
It’s really not enough to say that alto saxophonist Gavin Templeton paints the melody in broad brush strokes, because there are plenty of times on his latest that he tosses the brush aside and just begins pouring straight from the bucket. Even the rare ballad like “Tether” displays an appealing looseness of form that instills a vagueness as to whether the heart in question is in love, broken irreparably or just plain bleeding out. But mostly what you’re gonna get on this one is wildly expressive tunes that can barely contain themselves as they tell their story. Joining the alto saxophonist are pianist Joshua White, bassist Richard Giddens and drummer Gene Coye.
Big fat beautiful harmonies are the big draw on this big band session, but it’s the way composer Christopher Zuar gets them to dance on the head of a pin that marks it as something special. He isn’t always successful; there are some missteps (so to speak), but even those moments that radiate less grace than their counterparts have plenty to offer by way of excitement. The orchestra is loaded with all-star talent… names like Brian Landrus, Alan Ferber, Pete McCann, Matt Holman, Jason Rigby, Lucas Pino (among many others)… who’ve earned repeated mentions on this site. This is the kind of album that confidently leaps off a cliff on the first note and immediately sets to flying.
This trio set from the flugelhorn of John Raymond, guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan generates some strong undercurrents of electricity and tension, and harnesses it with admirable restraint. There is something deliciously elusive about the banter maintained by the trio, and it’s the way their three instruments sometimes speak in unison but, more often than not, weave together conversational asides, murmurs and shouts, stream of conscious phrasings and definitive thesis statements in a massively jumbled yet strangely coherent presence. Of note, “I’ll Fly Away” has an old-school Frisellian influence to it, simultaneously contemplative and chipper and the smoky rendition of “Scarborough Fair” gets seriously evocative. Really can’t call this a “horn album” or a “guitar album,” etc… all three musicians are given the space to speak far and wide on this solid recording.
All kinds of personality to this trio session of bass clarinetist Lucien Dubuis, bassist Barry Guy and drummer Alfred Vogel. Their conversational habits are rarely straight-forward, but all three musicians have immersed themselves in their individualistic craft of dialog, and it’s why their loopy melodies and unpredictable rhythmic outbursts are relatively easy to connect with. That said, there’s nothing normal about this music, and so when you walk in the front door of track number one and think, what did I just get myself into, don’t distress, it’ll all start making sense pretty quickly.
What’s especially nice about the new one from guitarist Will Bernard is how his clipped melodic phrases attain such a fluid motion when riding atop the grooves and jams on this nifty post-bop quintet session. Some tracks have an almost airy presence as they build a rhythmic trail that perpetually doubles back on itself to build intensity skyward. Other tracks just get right into the thick of it and take that groove out for a cool stroll. Then there’s other tracks that slip into some old-school blues swing, deftly walking the dividing line between a casual ease and brisk motion. And that line-up of saxophonist John Ellis, bassist Ben Allison, organist Brian Charette and drummer Allison Miller… that’s not a band, that’s a fantasy sports team where Bernard held the first four picks in the draft.
Likable quartet session from alto saxophonist Allison Au, bassist Jon Maharaj, drummer Fabio Ragnelli and Todd Pentney on all things keys. This is straight-ahead jazz here, though it’s a little from this and a little from that. When the straight-ahead form of expression is in the modern camp, the compositions reflect some nice artistry… but when the influence is the straight-ahead of the past, well, there’s nothing wrong with those tracks, but they don’t nearly stand out like their modern counterparts. Tracks like “Tides” and “Deluge” are where you’re gonna want to focus your attention.
Tuneful set from vibraphonist Mike Dillon, pianist Brian Haas, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich. The rhythmic element is what’s gonna grab your ear, but it’s how they go about embedding melodic threads in that foundation that kicks this album up a notch or three. Another welcome characteristic of this recording is that, though built on the back of percussion, the quartet doesn’t rely just with a focus on the fireworks displays. Instead, they adopt an unassuming delivery on many tracks… one that feels more like gently falling rain than getting smacked in the face with a thunderstorm. It serves the album well, and it’s why this lively music could be your soundtrack for a get-up-and-go day or one spent kicking back in relaxation.
Real easy to warm up to this tuneful recording from the ensemble led by saxophonist Sundar Viswanathan. It’s a nice mix of modern jazz, ambient fusion and Indian musics. The end result is a kind of vague World Jazz a la world jazz trailblazers Oregon… but much like the Oregon ensemble, Avaatar bursts with all kinds of personality, some of it quite magnetic. The rhythmic approach develops a nice chatter, but keeps to a casual demeanor, which is why so much of this music has a peaceful ring. The up-tempo “Monsoon” gets closer to a pop music sound than is advisable, but even that questionable tune stays within the boundaries of album cohesion. Felicity Williams’ wordless vocals are applied with a nice touch and definitely add a welcome textural layer to an album that’s got plenty to offer.
This trio of pianist Jonathan Hofmeister, bassist Florian Herzog and drummer Jan F. Brill is at its most interesting when they toy with tempo and shape the sense of time. It’s the kind of thing that keeps the ear on its toes, and where the characteristic of unpredictability reveals itself as a valuable commodity on an album that doesn’t actually try to do too much. That said, when the trio settle into a melody, things get all shades of pretty, with the side benefit of a welcome change of pace.
May 9 2016
This Is Jazz Today: Ryan Keberle Catharsis, The Heliocentrics, Five In Orbit and more!
*** Album of the Week ***
Ryan Keberle Catharsis – Azul Infinito
Released on Greenleaf Music.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – Bandcamp
*****
*** Also Featured This Week ***
The Heliocentrics – From the Deep (Now Again Records)
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic
*****
Five In Orbit – Tribulus Terrestris (Fresh Sound New Talent Records)
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic
*****
Jeff Williams – Outlier (Whirlwind Recordings)
Artist site | Buy: Amazon – eMusic
*****
Joo Kraus, Omar Sosa, Gustavo Ovalles – JOG Trio (Self-Produced)
Artist site | Buy: Amazon
*****
Living Bridge – Living Bridge (Ears & Eyes Records)
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic – Bandcamp
*****
Steve Kuhn Trio – At This Time… (Sunnyside Records)
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic – Bandcamp
*****
Jon Davis – Changes Over time (Posi-Tone Records)
Artist site | Buy: Amazon
*****
Open Source Trio – Altitude (Self-Produced)
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic
*****
Okay, let’s wrap up today’s column with an album that maybe, I dunno, probably shouldn’t be included in a column with a jazz theme, but I stumbled upon the recording and I really like it. So…
Jakob Pek – Emptiness Smiles (Full Spectrum Records)
No artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon – eMusic – Bandcamp
*****
Have a great time digging through the list!
And remember, it’s simple: You like what you like.
Cheers.
***
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations - 2016 releases • 0 • Tags: Ears & Eyes Records, Five In Orbit, Fresh Sound New Talent label, Greenleaf Music, Jeff Williams, JOG Trio, Jon Davis, Living Bridge, Now Again Records, Open Source Trio, Posi-Tone Records, Ryan Keberle, Self-Produced, Steve Kuhn, Sunnyside Records, The Heliocentrics, Whirlwind Records