Jazz Recommendations – 2017 releases

May 3 2018

Scott DuBois makes a pretty good argument for savoring the cold seasons a little while longer

 

In 2015 and now again at the very end of 2017, Scott DuBois released albums inspired by the seasons.  Considering his 2012 release Landscape Scripture focused on Claude Monet’s haystacks paintings, it was a natural transition.  Looking back upon it now, perhaps that was where the guitarist began it all.  Winter and then Autumn were the first stages of the cycle reinterpreted through DuBois’ sound in vision.

We are at that despairing stage of the seasons now, where we’ve persevered through the worst winter had to throw at us, but the nagging impatience for warmer days makes the lingering effects of cold weather nearly intolerable.  DuBois gives us reason to keep celebrating the colder seasons.  Preferably inside.

 

Winter Light

2015’s Winter Light is a day in the life of the bleakest season.  It begins, as we all do, at first light, and then gradually cycles through the stages of the day until nightfall and, finally, sleep.  The opening piece “First Light Tundra” beautifully captures the expressive skies and icy volatility of a winter morning.  It’s driven by the potent combination of sunrise serenity and the massive presence of snow and ice and frozen winds just waiting on the other side of the window to pierce your soul the moment you step outside.  And really, from that point, the music alternates shades of the opening’s tranquility and intensity.  “Night Tundra” gives a sense of the oppressive collapse of wintertime darkness upon the earth, but also the insight that its enfolding embrace possesses a certain comfort when experienced within reach of a fireplace and warm lights and loved ones.  The soothing drone of “Afternoon Ice Fog” is the eye of the storm, those fleeting hours when the beauty of winter eclipses its talent for inflicting pain.  “Evening Blizzard” is the reminder of what awaits outside the protective shell of the eye of the storm.

Your album personnel:  Scott DuBois (guitar), Gebhard Ullmann (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Kresten Osgood (drums).

Released in 2015 on ACT Music.

Available at:  Amazon

 

Autumn Wind

DuBois’ treatment of the autumnal season is more expansive than that of winter.  Some of this approach reflects the difference between the nuance of Winter and the brilliant bursts of autumnal colors.  And, perhaps, the guitarist was simply looking to expand the tonal palette of his ensemble.  DuBois adds a string quartet plus and a woodwind trio to the same quartet that gave voice to the winter season.  The result is a focus on change.  There’s the change of colors in the trees and the merciful relief from Summer’s debilitating heat, and how this brings about a sense of tranquility.  But autumnal change is also the massive upheaval of life into the hibernation of Winter.  So the great fluttering of wings on “Early November Bird Formations” and the explosion of brilliant colors on “Autumn Aurora Borealis” and “Late October Changing Leaves” and the eerie calm of “Late September Dusk Walk” shift with great suddenness between states of serenity and volatility.  And regardless of which state holds at any one time, there’s an undercurrent of tension, as if the world were nervously awaiting the final change to manifest, and the inevitable descent into the cold months of winter.

Your album personnel:  Scott DuBois (guitar), Gebhard Ullmann (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Thomas Morgan (bass), Kresten Osgood (drums), Eva León, Conway Kuo (violins), William Frampton (viola), Sarah Rommel (cello), Erin Lesser (flute), BJ Karpen (oboe), Elisabeth Stimpert (clarinet) and Michael Harley (bassoon).

Released in 2017 on ACT Music.

Available at:  Amazon

 

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May 2 2018

This debut album from Andre Rosinha is seriously floating my boat

 

The combination of vibraphone and accordion together, one element dancing spryly from note to note while the other drifts harmonics across the surface of the song is pretty well intoxicating, and it’s just one of the many winning qualities on the debut recording from André Rosinha.  Two saxophones help give the music of Pórtico some weight, and remind us that no matter how pretty a melody may be, there’s always the potential for it to reveal a cutting edge.  The contemplative “Salto” is too lovely for words, and while it can be argued that the slower pieces on this album are the strongest, a better argument could be made that they wouldn’t resonate quite so strongly were it not for up-tempo pieces like “Marron” and title-track “Pórtico” leading into them as a point of comparison.

The music is so heartfelt that changes in tone instigate an emotional reaction, with those emotions modulating back and forth to the gravitational forces of the particular rhythm in play.  And this effect swings in both directions.  After two slower pieces, the quintet shifts the pace into a higher gear on “Parte 3,” and yet there’s an abiding sense of thoughtful patience, as if the suggestive nature of “Balada por Acaso” was still exerting its influence upon the affair.

But none of this would really have as much meaning were it not for the fact that Rosinha has crafted some delightfully embraceable melodies, and guided his quintet to express them with a friendly demeanor easy to sidle up next to.  Just really enjoyable music, plain and simple.

Your album personnel:  André Rosinha (double bass), Albert Cirera (tenor & soprano saxophones), João Barradas (accordions), Eduardo Cardinho (vibraphone) and Bruno Pedroso (drums).

Released on Robalo Music.

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

Music from Sintra, Portugal.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Apr 10 2018

A rundown of some recent stuff from ECM Records

 

We really need to have a talk about ECM Records.

 

John Surman – Invisible Threads

I am convinced that John Surman lives somewhere the sun never quite breaches the horizon, where the soft glow of twilight forever hangs just tantalizingly out of darkness’s reach.  Time and again, the saxophonist captures the magnetic tranquility of those moments between nighttime’s end and daybreak’s release… where the hush settled over the earth is accompanied by the anticipation of those sitting awake and waiting for the change into day.  Surman’s latest is arguably his loveliest synthesis of those moments to date.  Joined by pianist Nelson Ayres and vibraphonist Rob Waring, the saxophonist rolls out variations on peacefulness.  Sometimes it possesses the vibrant ambiguity of dreams, sometimes it twitters with the pulsating light of a night full of stars, and then there’s those moments that sink into a simple melodic image and each of its facets, as if exploring the individual droplets of waves crashing the shore.  This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard all year.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Bobo Stenson Trio – Contra La Indecisió

Look, I get the appeal of a Bobo Stenson recording, even if I don’t much feel it myself.  There’s something to the way the pianist lulls you into drowsiness with the sparsest outline of melody and then slowly pulls back the shades to reveal the liveliness at the heart of the piece.  For me personally, the atmosphere just gets too thick, and when a few fireworks are allowed to explode, the brilliance isn’t able to escape the gravitational pull of the torpor that came before.  But I can see how that approach could develop a following.  Hell, the dreariness of rain season can be oppressive without relinquishing its beauty.  Stenson exists in that convergence.  If kicking back on a peaceful evening and drifting off to the sounds of previous Stenson releases is something that rocks your world, you’re gonna enjoy adding his latest to your collection.  Stenson is joined by double bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Jon Fält.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Andy Sheppard Quartet – Romaria

I’m liking this collaboration between Andy Sheppard and Eivind Aarset.  Sheppard has a touch on saxophone that provides acute reminders that the beauty of the sunrise is countered by its potential to burn.  So many of his works hints at a tranquility before surging up with a searing melodic heat.  Guitarist Eivind Aarset is responsible for some of the most atmospheric music this side of an Arve Henriksen recording, and while he’s certainly capable of generating plenty of heat all his own, it tends to possesses an ethereal presence.  Sheppard and Aarset meet each other half way, and how they temper one another’s tendencies toward either extreme really brings out their best qualities.  There’s a consensual embrace of perspectives that allows the music on their latest to really settle in and breathe.  That said, it would be a mistake to overlook the contributions of bassist Michel Benita and drummer Seb Rochford on this enjoyable recording.  Both Benita and Rochford have a proven track record working with mediums where cinematic atmosphere and nuanced lyricism are best able to flourish, where melodies are adaptable to either drifting aimlessly or following a specific arc.  The duo’s ongoing collaboration with Sheppard continues to pay dividends.  I’ve always been partial to Sheppard’s work, but I’m really enjoying this divergence.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Shinya Fukumori Trio – For 2 Akis

This is one of those albums that starts out as a whisper… the rustle of drums, the sigh of saxophone, some raindrops on piano… and so strongly is it all woven together, that even when the temperature rises upward, the peacefulness of that opening whisper is the guiding force from first note to last.  Much of this winning quality can be attributed to the gorgeous craftsmanship applied to the melodies, where clarity rings loud and clear with their introduction so that any amount of exploring where the melody might go never allows the memory of what it once was to fade.  Drummer Shinya Fukumori, tenor saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave and pianist Walter Lang have put together a flawless performance on For 2 Akis.  This is the kind of gem that marks the modern-era ECM Records catalog… where tranquility reigns supreme, even when the intensity ratchets up to levels that would not seem conducive to calming effects.  Just a beautiful album.  (Also, a very cool video to accompany it.)

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Kit Downes – Obsidian

I’ve really got to give ECM Records credit for signing Kit Downes to put something down from his organ explorations.  The pianist has been doing this organ-saxophone duo with Tom Challenger over the last handful of years, as well as his Tricko Tareco duo with cellist Lucy Railton.  It’s really quite different, especially in the context of his other projects:  Albums where Downes is the session leader, his contributions to The Golden Age of Steam, Threads Orchestra, Troyka, and as part of Thomas Strønen’s Time Is A Blind Guide ensemble.  For this session, Downes hits up some churches in London and Suffolk and makes use of their organs and their acoustics for some dramatic effects.  It’s all solo, except for one piece that Challenger sits in on.  I go back and forth on this recording.  I find it works best first thing in the morning, myself.  In any event, I wanted to get a quick mention in about this recording.  I think it’s pretty cool for ECM to be featuring one of the new generation on a project that doesn’t take a conventional path.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

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Mar 21 2018

The Round-up: The path to you

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Indigo Kid – III: Moment Gone In the Clouds (Babel Label)

Dan Messore’s Indigo Kid unit keeps switching things up, and every damn time the changes kick up all kinds of interesting developments.  For the third installment, much of the quirky, angular expressionism is swapped out for a free flowing lyricism.  The guitarist also brings in a new line-up with flautist Gareth Lockrane, bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer Tim Giles.  The addition of Lockrane has the most obvious effect on the transformation in sound from previous albums to the current one, but if it weren’t for the Gourlay’s and Giles’ ability to keep light on their feet while adding depth to the melodies, the music might get so light as to be insubstantial.  Instead, the feathery presence unleashes the presence of a bird in flight, wings flapping mightily as it soars effortlessly skyward.  Music from London.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Kelp – Intake (Self-Produced)

I can’t help but like this album.  Its raw energy and wild enthusiasm are pretty damn addictive.  Intake is a recording that is likely to make you react with an amused smile and a jaw dropped to the floor.  The hyperactive piano trio Kelp starts out the album slow, then gradually acquires a head of steam that sees them hurtling to the finish line like runaway train that left the tracks encased in a ball of flame.  And exploding.  Definitely some explosions should get included in the metaphor.  Crazy fun music from Fukuoka, Japan.

No artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

The Mo’ Times – The Mo’ Times (Self-Produced)

The Mo’ Times really sink their teeth into a classic hard bop sound.  Plenty of warmth and exuberance generated by this quartet of saxophonist Mickaël Pernet, pianist Jules Le Risbé, bassist Charles Huck and drummer Valentin Jam, and it’s catchy as hell.  Their reference of McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance” during an interlude of their own “Garlix Blues” and the opening stanzas of “Les Indiens” is probably all you need to know about how this quartet’s heart beats.  So much fun.  Music from Montpellier, France.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Dreaming of White Horses – Dreaming of White Horses (Self-Produced)

There’s an appealing laid-back feel to the self-titled debut from Dreaming of White Horses.  Front and center is how soprano sax and fiddle fall into a comfortable lyrical embrace.  Guitar, piano, bass and drums circle around, occasionally enfolding the pair, and creating an ebb and flow of nuanced intensity that makes all the difference.  That the temperature perpetually hovers near fireplace cozy is why the music is always just a little bit lively and just enough conversational to ever let things devolve into sleepy territory.  Easy to like this one.  Music from Glasgow, Scotland.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Chris Whiter – Encapsulation (Self-Produced)

There’s an enveloping moodiness to this experimental work from Chris Whiter.  Joined by tenor saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan and pianist Vince Webb, Whiter infuses live electronics into the mix with his own baritone sax and bass flute.  The deeper tones present some startling contrasts with the electronic frisson and effects, as well as the burgeoning tension from his counterpart’s instruments.  The pattern is a melody slowly emerging from a steady pulsing drone, as if a dream of harmony transforming into a brand new melody.  Music from London.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

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Mar 5 2018

The first two albums from Mike Lebrun’s Beakerbox Records are pretty damn promising

 

The L.A.-based Beakerbox Records released its first two albums at the tail-end of 2017.  One of those recordings features label head Mike Lebrun, a Chicago expat who set down roots on the L.A. scene a couple years back.  Based on these initial offerings, it’s clear that Lebrun is opening things up to the West Coast sound.  It’s a promising development, especially when viewed as part of a vibrant scene that includes the World Galaxy Records label.  So, with that out of the way, let’s begin talking music.

 

Mike Lebrun – Shades

There’s some parallels to be drawn between Shades and another 2017 release, Paul Jones’s Clean.  Jones adapted electronic music and hip hop patterns into a jazz environment, and there’s a great sense of the same manifestation on Mike Lebrun‘s Shades.  Throughout, a pulsing tempo provides the melodies with shape and definition.  Modulating those tempos gives the melodies an elasticity that keeps the ear hanging on.  The repetition and quick jumps mimic a command to motion… perhaps to dance or perhaps something like it.  Even when he strings the melodies out on a track like “Clusterduck,” that flow is what sees the song to its end.  The album’s sole vocal track “Going Through the Emotions” is that effect at the opposite end of the spectrum, and would be right at home on the dance floor.

It’s appealing how brief many of these pieces are.  Shades is like a book of short stories.  An idea is presented.  The idea is pushed ahead just a little bit, just enough to provoke some thoughts on its many possibilities.  And then, quite suddenly, it’s over.  But how it goes down isn’t abrupt, and there’s never any real feeling of it being over too soon, like, say, the afterimage of an interlude.  It’s simply a series of succinct melodic statements told in rhythmic code.  Bonus points for weaving the Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl” into the fabric of melodic patterns that repeat throughout the recording.

Your album personnel:  Mike Lebrun (tenor, soprano & alto saxophones, flute, clarinet, glockenspiel), Josh Johnson (alto sax), Daniel Szabo (piano), Anna Butterss (upright bass), Nick Mancini (vibraphone), Kevin Van Den Elzen (drums) and guests: Amber Navran (vocals), Aaron Serfaty (percussion).

Released on Beakerbox Records.

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

Music from L.A.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

 

Zephyr Avalon – Zephyr Avalon

I’m glad there’s still jazz albums being made like the self-titled release from Zephyr Avalon.  It’s the same kind of springtime grooves and sunshine melodies that put the soul into 1970s Ramsey Lewis and Earth Wind & Fire funk-jazz fusion recordings.  Harmonies that could melt ice in December come cascading down, one after the other, making every song as soothing as it is lively.  But this isn’t some tribute to old-school music.  With an updated cosmic jazz action as the backdrop to R&B motion and Hip Hop yearnings make this a snappy mix of modern sounds.  Avalon adds a vocal track and a spoken word to the instrumental pieces before ending the album with a straight-ahead piece that reveals the tradition rooted in the band’s past, and present.

Your album personnel:  Zephyr Avalon (electric & upright basses), Jonah Levine (trombone), Mike Lebrun (tenor sax, flute), Jacob Mann (piano, electric piano, synthesizers), Efa Etoroma, Jr. (drums) and guests: Genevieve Artadi, Harry Mack, Amber Navran (vocals).

Released on Beakerbox Records.

Music from L.A.

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

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

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