Jazz Recommendations – 2012 Releases

I’m almost at the point of feeling self-consciously repetitive by announcing yet another excellent Matthew Halsall recording.  Though separated by almost exactly a year, 2008’s Sending My Love and 2009’s Colour Yes were like a quick one-two punch.  Halsall’s voice on trumpet is clear and fresh, sounding very modern while also sounding startlingly reminiscent of Miles Davis.  He built on his growing reputation with 2011’s excellent On the Go, an album that didn’t break any new territory, but sounded to take a stab at new shapes, even if forgoing any new directions.  If any fault of Halsall can be drawn out, it’s that he puts out consistently excellent albums, all sounding consistently alike.  It’s a pretty impressive “fault” to have.

2012’s Fletcher Moss Park is a revealing glimpse into the shape and directions of Halsall’s music that never made it onto prior recordings.  Of the seven album tracks, the first five were recorded between 2010-2011, at or before On the Go.  In explaining why the Fletcher Moss Park tracks were left off of On the Go, Halsall explained in an email correspondence, “I normally record around ten to fifteen tracks and then I pick the ones that I think work well together.  With the ‘On The Go’ album, I composed a lot of the music very late at night and tried to create a kind of sixties smokey jazz club feel.”

It was a wise choice.  I’ve made no effort to hide my love of an album that displays a strong cohesion, and there’s little doubt that the Fletcher Moss Park tracks wouldn’t have made such a great fit on albums like On the Go or Colour Yes.  The surprising thing about it is that the Fletcher Moss Park “leftover” tracks all work so well together.  As Halsall explained, “It just so happens that all the tracks on this album were actually composed in Fletcher Moss Park, and even though they were written and recorded over two years, they had a certain sound and feel that brought them all together.”

Let’s talk about that music…

Your album personnel:  Matthew Halsall (trumpet), Nat Birchall (sax), Rachael Gladwin (harp), Adam Fairhall, Taz Modi (piano), Gavin Barras (bass), Gaz Hughes, Luke Flowers (drums), and guests:  Lisa Mallett (flute), Holly Simpson (violin), Davinder Singh (violin) and Adrianne Wininsky (cello).

What the music reveals is a more expansive sound, one that rises up and out of the classic late-night jazz club imagery and blossoms outward from there.  The trumpet has a greater tendency to soar.  Harp is given wide latitude to seek new territory.  A string trio adds an element of luxuriant harmony.  Sax speaks more to spiritual jazz than modal, a quality buoyed by a well-placed flute section.

“Cherry Blossom” opens the album with a nice harp and sax/trumpet pairing.  Sax and trumpet walk stride for stride a bit, before the song enters a new section.  Piano gives a few simple chords with brush work by drums.  Trumpet then enters, slow and easy.  It has now come back to a more typical Halsall composition, but he’s thrown out some signals that it isn’t going to be business as usual.

On the title-track, harp takes a large role, giving this album a texture lacking from previous ones.  A pattern starts here, whereby harp lays out the canvas, while piano chooses some colors, drums and bass set the light and form of the room, and then trumpet and sax begin painting.

Third track “Mary Emma Louise” is notable for harp and bass trading some nice lines.  There’s an easy pace to the song, a sensation not contradicted by its quick shuffle and hop tempo.

Another notable addition has to be the addition of a string trio for two album tracks.  “Sailing Out To Sea” is a short interlude of strings, brief but beautiful.  It leads right into “Wee Lan (Little Orchid),” which has harp and string trio in conversation.  Harp twitters patiently while string trio draws out the sound of each lush word.

Also added to the mix, flute floats prettily to open “The Sun in September,” with harp buffeting it skyward from below.  Trumpet enters in the last section of the tune, calling out a few times, but letting flute maintain its spot in the light.

Album ends with “Finding My Way,” which has a pleasant scattering of rhythmic bursts which draw Halsall’s trumpet into their orbit.  It has a nice stop-and-go feel to it, creating a tempo that gives piano plenty of space to breathe clearly through the patterns.

So, here I am talking about yet another solid Matthew Halsall release.  Except, this time, while the standard of excellence expected from a Halsall album is still achieved, he’s also raised the bar on expectations and the level of inquisitiveness on where Halsall goes from here.

Released on the Gondwana Records label.

Jazz from the Manchester, UK scene (more on that in a moment).

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

*****

About that Manchester, UK scene…

If you check out the personnel section for this album, you’ll find those names appearing on some excellent albums of their own in the span on the last year.  Pianist Adam Fairhall released The Imaginary Delta, which will likely place in my Best of 2012 final list (review HERE).  Earlier this year, bassist Gavin Barras released Day of Reckoning, and a few months before that, as part of the EU Quartet, released The Dark Peak (reviewed HERE, along with other Barras albums).  Nat Birchall has brought his sax to all of Halsall’s recordings to date, and Halsall has repaid the favor by appearing on all of Birchall’s albums, including his latest, the intriguing Sacred Dimension (reviewed HERE).

I asked Halsall about the Manchester scene…

BirdIsTheWorm:  Jazz has often been signified by its geographic pockets of musician communities.  I can’t help but notice that over the course of your recording history that many of your sidemen have been releasing some excellent music of their own.  Do you get the sense of something special happening in the Manchester scene?  Do you have any observations about what’s going on there that could give some insight to those outside looking in?

Halsall:  “Manchester is full of amazingly talented musicians and DJs, and there’s a really nice sense of community.  Everyone’s checking out each other’s work and supporting each other.  A lot of people have a real passion for music and want to share it with each other.  You see many jazz musicians at folk, classical, electronica and various other gigs (and vice versa), and the city has a number of great venues and festivals that support musicians and give them the opportunities to try out new projects and explore new sounds.  Manchester also has a number of great independent record shops (Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange King Bee Records, Vox Pop Records), which have a broad selection of music and knowledgeable staff.

It’s this community that makes Manchester special and you only have to ask around to find the right people.  For instance I found Nat Birchall after listening to a load of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders records, and I asked a friend if he knew any saxophone players who where into that sound and vibe and he recommended Nat.  I met Adam Fairhall through a couple of hip hop producers I was mates with.  I met Rachael Gladwin through a folk singer-songwriter who was working with her brother on the design of her album cover.  I met Gavin Barras at a jazz jam session.”

*****

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Olivier Bogé Imaginary Traveler, Joe Chambers Joe Chambers Moving Picture Orchestra, Trio Enchant(i)er Les Composantes Invisibles, and Christian Escoude Plays Brassens Au bois de mon coeur.

*****

Olivier Bogé – Imaginary Traveler

Some albums have the subtlest way about drawing listeners in.  There’s no showy solos, the melodies are solid and unfussy, volume is measured out in even quantities, and no one particular track really stands out from the pack, and yet, with no defining hook or catch phrase to reel the ear in, the sound of the album’s last note immediately spurs the decision to start the album over again right from the start.

Saxophonist Olivier Boge has created one of those albums.

Your album personnel:  Olivier Bogé (sax), Pierre Perchaud (guitar), Tony Paeleman (piano, Rhodes), Nicolas Moreaux (bass), and Karl Jannuska (drums).

There is a relaxed ease to this album.  It is unhurried as it makes its point.  Guitar matches well with Fender Rhodes.  Sax blends in and out of the mix with a casual air.  Guitar alternates between sun and shade, and while there’s nothing wrong with the electric guitar sections, it’s when the steel string comes out that the tunes really shine.  Rhodes does a pretty decent facsimile of vibes, sending out bright notes for sax and bass to twirl around.  Drums keep up a pleasant chatter, more tick than thump.

Just an all-around enjoyable album.

Released on the Fresh Sounds New Talent label.

Jazz from the La Garenne Colombes, France scene.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

Joe Chambers – Joe Chambers Moving Picture Orchestra

Veteran jazz drummer Joe Chambers just keeps on tickin’.  Decades ago, he was in the thick of the bop and free jazz movements, and today he’s still showing new facets to his playing and compositional talents.  His newest, recorded live at Dizzy’s in NYC, has him leading a big band, and features mostly his own compositions.  No curveballs, this is straight-ahead jazz goodness.  Track “Power to the People” is enchanting as all hell.

Your album personnel:  Joe Chambers (drums, vibes) with the Joe Chambers Moving Pictures Orchestra:  Sharel Cassity, Tim Green (flute, clarinet, sax), Craig Handy (flute, sax), Sam Dillon, Frank Basile (sax), David Weiss , Josh Evans, Greg Gisbert, Frank Greene (trumpet), Conrad Herwig, Max Siegel , James Burton , Steve Davis (trombone), Xavier Davis (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), Steve Berrios (percussion), and guest: Nicole Guiland (vocals).

Released on the Savant Records label.

Jazz from NYC (though Chambers does make Wilmington, NC his home).

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

Trio Enchant(i)er – Les Composantes Invisibles

Guitar, drums, and alto/soprano sax trio. Sorta avant-garde, sorta modern jazz, sorta post-rock. Three young musicians experimenting with sound and their own voices in music.  It’s a fun listen, and a promising start.

Your album personnel: Gregory Sallet (saxophones), Olivier Jambois (guitar), and Kevin Lucchetti (drums).

Stream a couple album tracks at the artist site.

Released on the Naive label.  Jazz from the Grenoble, France scene.

Available at eMusic.

Christian Escoude – Plays Brassens Au bois de mon coeur

French guitar veteran Christian Escoude offers up a beautiful series of tunes, heavy on the strings, but including a sublime contribution on clarinet.  Hot jazz for sitting in the shade down by the waterside.

Your album personnel:  Christian Escoude (guitar), Fiona Monbet (violin), Andre Villeger (clarinet), Jean Baptiste Laya (electric guitar), Pierre Boussaguet (acoustic bass), Anne Paceo (drums), Bireli Lagrene (acoustic guitar), Swan Berger (acoustic guitar), and Valerie Duchateau (classical guitar).

Stream an album track on the Sunnyside Records blog.

Released on Sunnyside Records label.

Available at eMusic.

*****

The Olivier Boge and Joe Chambers reviews are original to Bird is the Worm, but portions of the other reviews were originally used in my Jazz Picks weekly article for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to that reprinted material as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig.  Cheers.

This album has been ten years in the making.  Bringing together compositions that she has written over the last decade, trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis has created an enchanting musical biography of the seminal events of her life during that span.  But it’s not the biographical facts surrounding the compositions that makes this album so compelling.  There is a hint of the epic emanating from many of these tunes, though not so much in the universal story sense, but in that way time can make a microcosm out of the important moments of our lives and give them a weightiness that, perhaps, we only barely felt as they occurred.

It’s this quality that drew me to the album.

Your album personnel:  Nadje Noordhuis (trumpet, flugelhorn), Sara Caswell (violin), Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Joe Martin (bass), Obed Calvaire (drums), James Shipp (cajon, pandeiro, aux. percussion), and Rupert Boyd (classical guitar).

These are tunes that sway with conviction.  Yet even with their graceful ease, there is potent emotion bubbling just beneath the surface.  Tracks like “Magnolia,” which rides the wings of violin and trumpet from start to finish, and “Waltz For Winter,” which follows a trail struck out on piano, possess a gravity that prevents the tune from simply becoming atmospheric and flighty.

And the up-tempo tunes have no less an abiding regard for the momentous.  “Le Fin” has a thriving pulse that emanates Big Things Happening, of memories in the making, and “Mayfair” opens with bold pronouncements on trumpet, but it’s the torrential piano lines that brings the storm down from the sky.

Even the placement of tracks on the album add to the story-like ambiance.  Opening track “Water Crossing” has an Anything Is Possible exuberance, and the album ends with the demure “Open Road,” a duet of piano and flugelhorn, a tune which is pure resolve and reminiscence.

Noordhuis’s debut album gives us plenty of reason to look forward to when she sits down and composes the next chapter in her life.

Released on Little Mystery Records, which appears to be Noordhuis’s own label.

Originally from Australia, this is now jazz from NYC.

Noordhuis gives a pretty detailed run-down of the inspirations behind each track on her site HERE.

Of interest to me, and perhaps to some of you, Noordhuis is a member of Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society (big band), which I’m very thankful to have just discovered, because my head was about to explode with frustration at not being able to place from where I recognized Noordhuis’s name.  I hope to have spared you similar pain.

You can stream the entire album on Noordhuis’s Bandcamp page.  It can also be purchased there.

Available at Amazon: MP3.  Physical CD and MP3 available at CDBaby.  If it becomes available at eMusic, I’ll add a link then.

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Guillermo Klein Carrera, JD Allen The Matador and the Bull, and Christophe Marguet Pulsion.

Guillermo Klein – Carrera

In Jazz circles, the question is broached occasionally, of which current batch of musicians will be recognized in 30 years as one of the current generation’s greats.  Pianist Guillermo Klein is often provided as a response, and for good reason.  His modern take on Latin jazz music, which is forward-thinking without turning its back on Jazz’s past, is some of the most compelling music of the last ten years.  Returning for another go-around with his Los Guachos ensemble, Klein’s current album Carrera is one more notch in an already impressive career.

Your album personnel:  Guillermo Klein (piano, Rhodes, vocals), Richard Nant (trumpet, percussion), Ben Monder (guitar), Miguel Zenón (alto sax, flute, vocals), Sandro Tomasi (trombone), Taylor Haskins (trumpet), Chris Cheek (tenor, baritone sax), Jeff Ballard (drums), Fernando Huergo (electric bass), Bill McHenry (tenor sax), and Diego Urcola (trumpet, trombone).

This recording is most comparable to his 2008 release Filtros.  It has a nice mix of instrumental and vocal pieces.  The ignition of most tunes begins with a slow burn.  Evocative songs that are always are of the dividing line between powerful expressiveness and unfortunate melodrama.  Expert weaving of soloists into the fabric of the large ensemble effort.  And, in that way very specific to his Filtros release, a sense of the epic… that the songs on the album represent some greater story, that they possess a greater meaning than simply the collection of beautiful notes.  This is an effect of any great creative endeavor, and it’s getting to where it’s safe to expect it from future Klein recordings.

A seriously talented line-up under the personnel section.  Pretty much all of those names have made separate appearances on Bird is the Worm, and they’re all worth following on to other recordings as you search for new music.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Jazz from the Buenos Aires, Argentina scene.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

JD Allen – The Matador and the Bull

Solid trio date for saxophonist JD Allen.  Fiery, but concentrated.  Album tracks don’t combust, but emit plenty of heat via concentrated force of playing style.  This a true team effort, not just sax with rhythm section.  What’s more, it’s not just one person speaking at a time; it’s often three simultaneous lines of conversation that all stick to the same subject… an approach that really lets the trio do more with less.

Your album personnel:  JD Allen (tenor sax), Gregg August (bass), and Rudy Royston (drums).

Allen’s notes flex some muscle, a sufficient show of the strength behind them.  Royston throws punches in bunches, which creates a nice dichotomy with Allen’s seemingly unhurried pace.  August adds his voice to the mix without sounding starved for attention, providing alternating senses of bouncing off the walls and pacing determinedly about the room.  Good stuff.

Released on the Savant Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

Available on eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

Christophe Marguet – Pulsion

Enjoyable release from drummer Christophe Marguet.  Often keeps a quick pace, whether it’s through the chipper rhythm section or the twisting patterns of various woodwinds, but then occasionally breaks into a peacefully swaying track of so much pretty sunlight.  Inclusion of baritone sax really adds to the album’s character, with smart use of clarinet and percussion helping to propel it.  Two feet in the modern jazz sound, with a touch of the Scandinavian sound as color.  A wandering step to most compositions, though some flirt with a straight-ahead nature.  Really, just an intriguing album that I find myself returning to with some regularity.  An under-the-radar album that deserves plenty of notice.

Your album personnel:  Christophe Marguet (drums, percussion), Sebastien Texier (alto sax, clarinet), Jean-Charles Richard (baritone sax, soprano sax), Bruno Angelini (piano), and Maurao Gargano (bass).

Released on the Abalone Productions label.

Jazz from the Asnières, Ile-De-France, France scene.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Rino Arbore Quartet Suggestions From Space, Simcock, Garland & Sirkis Lighthouse, Tomer Bar Trio Local Groove, Trio Sued Space, and Benjamin Faugloire Project Diving.

*****

Rino Arbore Quartet – Suggestions From Space

Fascinating quartet that evokes images of early-period Bill Frisell and later-period ECM chamber jazz.  Quite beautiful when it drifts on a melody, engaging when it gets more of a mind to deconstruct.  Guitar adds a sense of mystery, trumpet a weightlessness of being.  Drums work best when a soft hush.  Arco action by the bass substantially elevates the quality of the music, though, admittedly, I’m an easy sucker for anytime the bassist gets the bow out.  While those tunes which tackle dissonance and cut weird angles add needed diversity to the album’s overall sound, it’s the quiet late-night tunes that are the album’s points of strength.  Good stuff, and the kind of album that might’ve (undeservedly) slipped under the radar.

Your album personnel:  Rino Arbore (guitar), Roy Nikolaisen (trumpet & flugelhorn), Giorgio Vendola (double bass), and Gianlivio Liberti (drums).

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Released on the No Flight Records label.  Jazz from the Bari, Italy scene.

Available at eMusic.

Simcock, Garland & Sirkis – Lighthouse

The Lighthouse Trio reunite for a set of lyricism and bounce.  Performing of a balancing act between jazz complexity and pop simplicity, the trio creates an album that is very listenable while remaining quite at home on the ACT Music label, which typically doesn’t release music that puts one foot in front of the other.

Your album personnel:  Gwilym Simcock (piano), Tim Garland (reeds), and Asaf Sirkis (drums & percussion).

Available at eMusic.

Tomer Bar Trio – Local Groove

Nice straight-forward piano trio album.  Light on its feet, with a pleasant bounce.  Pianist Tomer Bar has a light touch on keys, matched well against some animated drumming.  Some tracks come of as a bit scattered, though that’s not always a bad thing when it transitions to a subsequent, softer tune.  Some vocals, which have a pleasant ease to them.

Your album personnel:  Tomer Bar (piano), Uri Kutner (bass), and Ofri Nehemya (drums).

Released on the Spectra Jazz Records label.  Jazz from the Tel Aviv, Israel scene.

Available at eMusic.

Trio Sued – Space

Intriguing album.  Flurries of notes, interspersing moments of silence infrequently, but in just the right spots.  For everything going on here, this still comes off as an introspective recording.  It’s like a fairy tale about a lonely math equation.

Your album personnel:  Heinrich Werkl (bass), Primus Sitter (guitar), and Michael Erian (sax).

Stream an album track at Werkl’s artist site.

Released on the Extraplatte label.  Jazz from the Wein, Austria scene.

Available at eMusic.

Benjamin Faugloire Project – Diving

Moody piano trio that gets pretty evocative when it broods.  Two feet full in the modern piano trio school.  Nice follow-up to their 2008 release Premiere Nouvelle, which I still listen to from time to time.  One of those artists who doesn’t get named in the same breath as an E.S.T. or Jacob Karlzon (and that may be appropriate), but Faugloire’s outfit should definitely be part of the discussion when talking about the better modern piano trio jazz recordings.

Your album personnel:  Benjamin Faugloire (piano), Jerome Mouriez (drums), and Denis Frangulian (bass).

Released on the 3/6 Productions label.  Jazz from the Paris, France scene.

Available at eMusic.

*****

Portions of these reviews were originally used in my Jazz Picks weekly article for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to that reprinted material as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig.  Cheers.