Jazz Recommendations – 2017 releases

Here is some very good new music.

Ezra Collective – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher (Enter the Jungle Records)

So, with Juan Pablo: The Philosopher, there’s some afro beat, some modern fusion, some strings, some updated cosmic jazz, some edgy post bop, and probably a number of other influences, but nothing where a thick cause-and-effect line could be drawn from one point to the other.  And that doesn’t really seem to be where Ezra Collective is coming from anyway.  This music gives a hat tip to the artists and their music that came before without really intending to represent as sourcing from an official school of jazz music.  That diversity of sound is a big reason this album keeps the ear locked in place at attention.  That said, the live wire electricity of the pieces, and the flow of that voltage from first note to last, can be considered addictive in its own right.  Bassist TJ Koleoso, drummer Femi Koleoso, pianist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Dylan Jones, tenor saxophonist James Mollison, tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia and tubist Theon Cross are numbered among this interesting new outfit.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Lucas Pino – The Answer Is No (Outside In Music)

The track “Sea Level” is a nice reminder of just how much nuance and loveliness Lucas Pino can weave into a melody.  The tenor saxophonist’s No Net Nonet is able and willing to bring a big sound, dense with harmonies and served up at a brisk tempo.  But those times when he lets a piece breathe nice and slow, aside from its obvious magnetism, it illuminates just how much is going on when a tune comes out with a huge sound.  And make no mistake, those hard-charging pieces are plenty enjoyable.  It’s just nice to get a closer view of what makes them tick.  Pino’s No Net Nonet has a wealth of talent, and on this session, baritone saxophonist Andrew​ ​Gutauskas​ and guitarist Rafal Sarnecki really stand out.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Watchdog – Can of Worms (Label Pince-Oreilles)

There’s a captivating quality to this fun session from the duo Watchdog.  Clarinetist Pierre Horckmans and pianist Anne Quillier create a hazy environment where melodies appear warped and wobbly and out of focus.  The duo exploits those qualities to amplify the harmonic effects, and this is where the real fun begins.  Quillier mixes in some moog and Fender Rhodes, which adds an element of the organic and electronic battling it out within all of that hazy expressionism.  Something a little different, to be sure.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Anat Cohen Tentet – Happy Song (Anzic Records)

On her newest release, there’s a sense that Anat Cohen couldn’t set upon one specific direction, so she decided to just take them all.  The clarinetist sets upon a tour of the wide expanse of jazz forms, offering up pieces of big band swing, Brazilian, Afro-jazz spiritual, klezmer or just dig into a modern groove.  This is Cohen’s third release in 2017, and no different than the first two to hit the shelves this year, Happy Song has its own distinct personality.  You’re never going to go wrong scooping up a Cohen release.

Artist site | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Rob Schneiderman – Tone Twister (Hollistic MusicWorks)

On a modern jazz landscape where the music can come off as alien to the sound of jazz in its heyday, this pleasant straight-ahead session from pianist Rob Schneiderman will ring familiar.  It benefits greatly from the contributions of trumpeter Brian Lynch, who increasingly becomes remindful of classic Donald Byrd and his combination of sharp lyricism packaged with an innate soulfulness.  And this whole quintet is locked in sync, trading volleys as effortlessly as they move in concert.  Tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Pete Van Nostrand round out that quintet.  This is one of two new releases on Lynch’s label, which has given notice that it’ll be releasing more music than just Lynch’s own projects.  Tone Twister, and Hallways from Jared Hall, are a promising start.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Going South has got plenty of groove, but this isn’t a dance album, per se.  Because the newest from Omri Ziegele Where’s Africa trio has got a soft touch of introspection and a strong dose of volatility to accompany its predominately joyful sound.  “Afreaka” threatens to come apart at the seams, and the cadence of “Space” is agreeably awkward and there’s a strangely mesmerizing effect from the melodic sighs and harmonic drone of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows,” and all of this emerges with a simple ease in the context of music made to incite motion.

Apparently, Ziegele was setting down roots in London around the time that many of the great South African jazz musicians were doing the same to escape the terror of Apartheid of their own home turf.  That Ziegele would be influenced by music legends like Abdullah Ibrahim, Chris Mcgregor, Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo is a natural outcome.  Going South is clear evidence of just how much of an impact that influence made.

A very fun album.

Your album personnel:  Omri Ziegele (alto sax, Uzbek flute, vocals), Yves Theiler (keyboards, reed organ, melodica, vocals) and Dario Sisera (percussion, drums).

Released on Intakt Records.

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

Music from Zurich, Switzerland.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

There is something positively magnetic about this awkward and energetic set from the trio of Nicolás Vera, Leo Genovese and Félix Lecaros.  The melodies of Mitos del Sur are gawky, as if they’re learning how to walk by learning first how to run.  And the tempos take abrupt turns and odd bursts of acceleration and sudden stops.  Vera’s guitar makes good use of electronic effects.  No matter whether Leo Genovese is on piano or keyboards, his contribution is equally haunting and humorous.  On drums, Félix Lecaros is the closest thing to normal on this hyperactive recording.  His conversational style forms a tight bond with his trio mates even when their untamed nature rages out of control.

So, what’s this music like?  Well, “Luz Mala” begins as a flickering candle flame before setting fire to the curtains and enveloping the entire room.  “Nuevas Dimensiones” is the sound of a melody burrowing underground, occasionally bursting through the surface to check its location before diving back under.  “Silent Poets” are delirium tremens composed for rhythmic convulsions.  You get the idea.

All kinds of personality to this one, and all of it is seriously fun.

Your album personnel:  Nicolás Vera (guitar), Leo Genovese (piano, keyboards) and Félix Lecaros (drums).

Released on Aconcagua Records.

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

Music from Santiago, Chile.

Buy:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

On Grey Sky, bassist David Tranchina offers up six concise works as if showing floor model soundtracks for stormy weather.  The opener “When Will It Rain?” is meant for exactly those times when the answer to that question is “any minute now.”  The melody trickles out and the moodiness is a perfect match for a horizon framed by dark clouds.  Guest vocalist Argenta Walther is the sound of thunder on “The Flood,” when all hell breaks loose.  “Nectarine” is for puttering around the house to keep the cabin fever at bay.  And when it gets to be too much and the walls close in, the gentle sway of “Blue Fragments” is for an aimless drive around the city in the storm, whereas “Yotabytes” is when gleefully running through the rain sounds like more fun.  The title-track closes out the album, and its uneasy peacefulness and ominous undertone is the atmosphere of a storm winding down, when the sky is still charged with wild electricity and an uncertainty hangs in the air whether the elemental upheaval is truly over.

And though the entirety of Grey Sky seems bound together by that common theme, in actuality, each piece has a personality distinct one from the other.  The album’s sense of cohesion is a condition of its imagery.  It lends to no little bit of intrigue, and considering it’s Tranchina’s debut as a session leader, it’s a promising development.

Your album personnel:  David Tranchina (bass), Gary Fukushima (piano, Wurlitzer), Trevor Anderies (drums) and guest: Argenta Walther (voices).

Released on Orenda Records.

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

Music from Los Angeles.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon