Dec 30 2017
Best of 2017 #02: Jaimie Branch – “Fly or Die” (International Anthem)
The music of Jaimie Branch is constructed with the sounds of things falling apart. Fly or Die is the echo of metal ripped in half and set to fire with wires as the kindling. It’s not pretty, and yet it has a serious allure. It’s laid back and casual, and yet has a charismatic appeal that locks the attention in place. And when it all comes together with a laser beam melody and harmonic surge breaking through the dissonance like the morning dawn through darkness, everything just falls into place and begins making sense again. The trumpeter’s core unit of cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Chad Taylor are birds-of-a-feather, and certainly no stranger to the art of building through deconstruction. These are musicians that see the poetry of decay, and how that leads to the rebirth of things anew. Jaimie Branch’s debut album not only cycles through both states, but gives the impression that they’re not viewed as even being separate. Everything about this album is different. It’s a strange vision Branch delivers, and yet it’s so simple to embrace. In a year that saw an astounding collection of singular displays of personality, Branch’s stands out as the most individualistic. This easily could’ve been the album of the year.
Music from NYC and Chicago.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Nicole Mitchell was already recognized as existing in a state of creativity somewhat outside common territory. Her recorded and performance history have been primary movers of how music is shaped in this new century. And yet even comprehending that isn’t sufficient preparation for Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds. Her Afrofuturist project is a dream, a story, a recording, a political statement and societal aspiration. Avant-garde, soul jazz, blues, modern jazz, classical, spoken word, gospel, rock are just some of the residents of this sonic city, whose story unfolds over the course of ten pieces. It’s sometimes chaotic, sometimes hopeful, sometimes at peace, and so much more of it triggering ineffable emotional reactions lying somewhere in between. Mitchell stepped up with a massive vision, and delivered it in a way that is as compelling as it is enjoyable. This easily could’ve been the album of the year.
This album crackles with an electricity that sounds like laughter, feels like euphoria and lights up the room with a jolt of beauty. Le Vanneau Huppé is so full of life, it barely is able to contain itself. Thankfully, Collectif SPATULE doesn’t even bother trying. And in that same way a smile can transmit a wealth of information, so too does the music of this Nantes-based nonet. The transcendent cheerfulness doesn’t obscure the whip-smart complexities at the heart of the music, of how a strong folkloric quality is the launching point for a series of melodic diversions, and how the accent on strings with harp, acoustic guitar, cello and double bass adds rich harmonic textures to those already set in place by saxophones and voices. There’s so much going on at times, the music threatens to run away… but only to the point where it remains alluringly close, close enough to hurriedly catch up. And the resulting spikes in intensity amplify what is already a highly-charged atmosphere. This is an album with a magnetic personality, and one of the most fascinating recordings of 2017.
Marco Santilli released two albums in 2017, and both deserved a slot in this year’s Best of 2017. The clarinetist’s concoction of chamber, jazz and folk accentuates the dramtic beauty of a simple melody, and patiently illustrates how a universe of possibilities exist within the nuance of each. The engaging La Stüa saw Santilli’s CheRoba ensemble joined by il Fiato delle Alpi for a performance recorded live at Musikinsel, Rheinau in Switzerland. It came heavy with the chamber influence, but also with the intensity, and so the album was a potent mix of introspection and liveliness. With L’occhio della betulla, Santilli took his CheRoba ensemble of 12-string guitarist Lorenzo Frizzera, pianist Ivan Tibolla and percussionist Fulvio Maras into the recording studio, with many of the same compositions as La Stüa, but with a completely different result. These are tranquil pieces. They bubble with life and resonate with daydream imagery, and there’s a certain majesty to how this music fills up a room. The balance between jazz, folk and chamber is more evenly distributed, and the transitions between states of primacy are as effortless and smooth as the changing of tides. And while it exhibits many of the same complexities as its 2017 counterpart, L’occhio della betulla simmers with a brooding passion that hints at a power that could obliterate mountains. This is the most beautiful thing to see the light of day in 2017.
Dec 31 2017
Bird is the Worm 2017 Album of the Year: Yazz Ahmed – “La Saboteuse” (Naim Records)
But before I go much further with this, let’s not lose sight of the essential quality that this album is a joy to hear, that it incorporates challenging elements into a fabric of embraceable ones, and that it all synthesizes down into a sharp drink that goes down smooth. It is immensely fun to just kick back and listen to La Saboteuse. It’s not obligatory to be studied up on Ahmed’s ingenious use of Arabic scales and melodic improvisation to warp and reshape a UK modern jazz sensibility and render it both alluring and catchy. Knowing that she’s lent her trumpet to the music of ambient-rockers Radiohead isn’t a prerequisite to dive into the mesmerizing drones and harmonic surges that wash over La Saboteuse like waves across sand. And it’s not required reading to be aware of Ahmed’s predilection for a forward-thinking cosmic jazz expressionism, nor how that wondrously ties back to the music influence of the trumpeter’s Bahrain birthplace. All of those characteristics lend intrigue and display the intelligence of an album that can be enjoyed for no other reason than it happens to be seriously beautiful music.
But those influences and how Ahmed wields them in the crafting of La Saboteuse, they’re a model for how others can go about seeking the convergence of past, present and future. So, too, is how Ahmed went about the practical construction of the album… of collaborating in the studio with other musicians, of weaving in separately prepared sections into the final work, of manipulating what was originally there into something new and fascinating, and yet leaving untouched the quality of it sounding as if in its original form. Every bit of the creativity and craft that went into this recording is something special, and situates itself as a path for others. La Saboteuse is a statement of what could be.
And all of that is why La Saboteuse is the Bird is the Worm 2017 Album of the Year.
Music from London.
Read more on Bird is the Worm, including links to a Yazz Ahmed interview, a cool video, to learn about the outstanding album art, to hear more of the album, and for artist, label and retail links.
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2017 • 7 • Tags: Jazz - Best of 2017, London, Naim Jazz label, Yazz Ahmed