Jazz Recommendations – 2017 releases

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.  It’s a joyful form of folk music, and Peregrino serves it up like a stiff drink of euphoria.  La Pingo’s Orquesta folds all of those influences along lines of motion until it resembles the shape of their sound.  That this music can be so varied and yet so coherent and distinct is pretty amazing in its own right.  But that the intelligence of its construction is made secondary to an abounding sense of fun is why this is a must-have recording, and why it’s one of the best things to hit the shelves in 2017.

Music from Aguascalientes, Mexico.

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Tracing the emerging patterns of a Marta Sánchez melody is like attempting to map out the shapes of a kaleidoscope.  The changes of tone, texture and shape create a series of unexpected discoveries, sometimes startling and sometimes sublime.  But that she goes through these thrilling permutations and then hits a landing spot that wraps everything up nicely is what clinches her 2017 release Danza Imposible as something special.  It’s a wonderful follow-up to her equally wonderful 2015 release Partenika, and a promising sign of the state of her music today and what might come next.

Music from NYC.

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There’s really no risk of assigning too great of value or esteeming too highly the music of Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band.  Their singular form of expression incorporating cinematic imagery, moody contemplation and dramatic surges is such a specific sound and so innate to their collaboration that it’s almost impossible not to recognize their music if blindfolded.  But more than that, their particular sound is one that has been adopted by a number of other musicians… to the point where the sphere of influence could be regarded as a school of modern jazz.  It’s that way with other seminal artists from recent times… Bill Frisell, Esbjorn Svensson, Brad Mehldau… that the gravitational pull of their specific sound can alter the course of any musicians who that music speaks to.  Blade’s 2017 release Body and Shadow captures all the magic of past releases, while conjuring up something new.  This is captivating music created by musicians who have made a career of it.

Music from Shreveport, Louisiana.

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This album is brilliant. This album is insane.

That’s how I ended my write-up of Sirene 1009 from the trio of guitarist Han-earl Park, bassist Dominic Lash, drummer Mark Sanders and vocalist Caroline Pugh.  And since I feel no differently about this fascinating album, it seems appropriate that I begin that way when speaking of its inclusion in this Best of 2017.  Unbridled creativity is something majestic to aspire to.  An ineffable vision is an endeavor to pursue.  To bring those together and still give manifest shape to something completely different and new?  That’s nothing short of remarkable.

Nothing about this album sounds normal.  Sirene 1009 is a soundtrack for a seizure.  It’s spasmodic and flails about wildly.  The music is disconcerting.  But it enters fugue states of focused intensity that border on meditative, and it is the most powerful sensation to experience even the tiniest hint of serenity at the center of so much chaos.

Nothing about this album sounds normal, and I mean that in the way alien landscapes can appear strangely familiar in the most vivid cinematic imagery or how the best fiction novels can alter reality to where you peek out the window to confirm that things are really as you remember them to be.  That’s the effect of this album.

Music from Cork, Ireland.

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On Gnosis, there’s a startling convergence of Cuba and NYC, and neither music influence is left unchanged.  The clash between a chamber music sparseness and Cuban folk flow is as dramatic as the sky during a full eclipse, as is the resultant tension of one aspect seeking ascension over the other.  Heavy on percussion and strings, this large ensemble offering from pianist David Virelles possesses both an improvisational streak and a classical framework, and it’s why at times this music seems impenetrable and then suddenly it’s a welcoming, open embrace.  At times, it can be a challenging listen.  But challenges are fun, especially in music, and it’s the kind of quality that generates some serious intrigue.  On Gnosis, there’s plenty of that.  For David Virelles, it’s becoming a common trait in his recording career.

Music from NYC.

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