Jazz Recommendations – 2016 releases

The mix of dreamy ambiance and incisive melodicism is a winning formula on Hymns for Hearts #1, the debut of bassist Anders Ammitzbøll.  The cheerful smile and focused bounce of “Song for You” possesses the same laid back feel as the hazy “Paola,” a song that drifts in many directions at once.  The double-guitar system of Viktor Sandström and Stian Swesson most often coalesces into a pattern that mimics the subtle disturbances and graceful unity of ripples expanding outward from a tiny patch of ocean, but sometimes they join together and raise up and sing, as they do on “Seven,” or when they join drummer Rasmus Iversen in a shout-to-the-sky moment at the pinnacle of “Paranoid.”  But mostly it’s peace that reigns supreme on this charming session.

The album ends much how it began.  “I’m Coming Home” twitters with life and speaks with a friendly, conversational tone, but always present is that undercurrent of serenity and the sense that a state of tranquility is just a few notes away.

Your album personnel:  Anders Ammitzbøll (bass), Viktor Sandström (guitar), Stian Swesson (guitar) and Rasmus Iversen (drums).

Released on Gateway Music.

Listen to more album tracks on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Jazz from the Copenhagen, Denmark scene.

Available at:  Amazon

There is something positively addictive about the Hanami quartet’s concoction of modern jazz improvisation, avant-garde edge and pop music sensibilities.  Formed originally in the spirit of raising funds to aid Japanese tsunami victims, they enjoyed their project enough to eventually put together a studio recording.  That album, the self-titled Hanami Quartet, provided a series of modern jazz takes on Japanese songs.  And though its main point of contact is gonna be a cerebral one, the music is no less engaging… a potent mix of sonic fluency and cinematic ambiance.  And even when a song grows increasingly volatile, there’s always a comforting lullaby nature to it.  Their newest, the 2016 release The Only Way To Float Free, swings the other way on that spectrum, giving more weight to feel over thought, and letting the volatility boil over so that the lullaby is more sensed than sung.

There is nothing particularly graceful about this round of music, and that’s a big part of its charm.  The action on their cadence is a lurching one, almost clumsy, the personification of a veteran drunk’s cliffhanger balance as he winds his way home along a familiar path.  That motion is a special kind of hypnotic, of keeping the attention riveted to where the next beat lands.  A lot of this has a lot to do with how bass clarinetist Jason Stein and alto saxophonist Mai Sugimoto weave around one another, never really connecting, like dance partners perpetually giving their counterpart the cold shoulder.  That winding motion added to the steady as a forest stream rhythm unit of guitarist Andrew Trim and drummer Charles Rumback is where the addiction factors in.  Because as fun as it is to trace the reeds duo patterns, it’s guitar and drums that sweep the music along.

As with anything, generalities only carry so far.  “Donmail” is a get-up-and-shout series of solos, and the motion is more of a standard shoot-for-the-sky variety.  Sometimes “Kita Nagano Motorcycle Club” is a celebration of streamlined speed and sometimes it’s the messy cloud of dust kicked up in its wake.

With many tracks, such as “Kanzemizu,” the quartet’s primary choice is one of sharp cuts or rough blows, and the lyricism hides behind this action like a deer peeking out from within the brush.  But then Hanami tosses out a track like “Hanaikada,” and then the quartet’s tools of the trade switch between soft poetry and hard prose.  Ultimately, the story is always right there out front… it’s just a question of whether it’s told with tempo or shown with the hazy imagery of melody.

The quartet uses the album’s finale to offer up a bit of a throwback to their debut, while keeping close to the voice of their present tense.  A rendition of composer Rentarō Taki’s “Kojo No Tsuki” brings the melody out front, lets it breathe deep, even as the quartet batters it with the waves of a choppy cadence, unending.

In the brief duration of two recordings, this group has really developed a personable sound with all kinds of distinguishing marks.  It’ll be interesting to see how it continues to develop.

Your album personnel:  Mai Sugimoto (alto sax, clarinet), Andrew Trim (guitar), Jason Stein (bass clarinet) and Charles Rumback (drums).

Released on Ears & Eyes Records.

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

Jazz from the Chicago scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

This is one of those albums where the motion just sweeps you up and takes you along for the ride right from the first notes.  “Determined Soul” is all about the bursting rhythmic fireworks, but the way it perpetually whistles the melody under its breath accentuates the percussion with an easy-going dance.  “Baby Aya,” the same.  Guitarist Lionel Loueke is the linchpin of that approach, matching the rhythmic complexity with sweet, succinct statements of melody.  Tying the two deliveries into one bundle is Jason Lindner, who compels his piano and keyboards to frame the forward motion with melodic lines that converge and dissect Loueke’s linear path, while also capturing a small bit of the essence of the rhythmic focus shaped by percussionist Gilmar Gomes.

Loueke and Angélique Kidjo add some welcome vocal contributions that shift between playful accentuation and deep harmonic comfort.  Bassist Omer Avital switches over to oud on “Big in Yemen,” adding more depth and more dynamics to the rich texture of the recording.  Remarkably, even with all that gets put into play on this session, the tunes are supremely catchy.

But this is nothing new for drummer Daniel Freedman.  His 2012 release Bamako By Bus was compelling for similar reasons, and though the forms of expression and sources of influence have changed for his 2016 release Imagine That, expect to get swept up by Freedman’s immaculate touch at delivering complex music with a lightheated delivery, and a knack for coalescing many moving parts into one fluid motion.

They add a nice infusion of harmonic intensity with a cover of Radiohead’s “Codex,” which, following up on a similar approach to the climax of “Big in Yemen,” makes for a nice emotional transition, too.  The cool blues of “Love Takes Time” keeps the dance action going, but slows it down to an appealing sway and slide.  Likewise, on “Mindaho” and “Eastern Elegy,” the quintet takes their foot off the gas pedal, though with the former, they change their mind midstream and floor it, whereas on the latter, the quintet is content to just peacefully coast along.  The album ends much in the way it began, though punctuated with a heavier step and the rapid pulse of “The Sisters Dance.”

It’s ridiculous how damn good Freedman’s last two recordings are.  Go scoop ’em up.

Your album personnel:  Daniel Freedman (drums), Lionel Loueke (guitar, vocals), Jason Lindner (piano, keyboards), Omer Avital (bass, oud), Gilmar Gomes (percussion) and guest: Angélique Kidjo (vocals).

Released on Anzic Records.

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

Jazz from NYC.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

And be sure to check out Freedman’s previous album, Bamako By Bus, which, naturally, you can read all about here on this site.

Read more -> (LINK).