Jazz Recommendations – 2015 Releases

Even though I’ve been at this awhile now, it never fails to amaze me each time I put up a ten spot of new recommendations and witness just how diverse are the array of sounds represented.  Seriously, even though all these recordings get filed in the jazz category, that’s gonna be about as helpful guiding you to predict what the next series of notes will be like as, well… okay, I couldn’t finish that off, and I’m really ready to schedule this column, and the only person who comes here to read my stand-up routine (aka the introductory paragraph) is me, and if I’m not feeling it, well then, I should’ve stopped typing long ago and simply said…

Let’s begin.

*** This Week’s Feature Album ***

Julian Argüelles – Tetra (Whirlwind)

What a powerful statement made by the quartet of saxophonist Julian Argüelles, pianist Kit Downes, bassist Sam Lasserson and drummer James Maddren.  It’s one passage after the other of intense lyricism, with scenes shifting between a smoky film-noir, a statuesque austerity bordering on formal dance, the rapid-fire pulsing of musicians pushing all-in on the bet that their rhythmic attack is the strongest hand at the table, rambling solos that stretch and contract the distance between melodicism and a sense of humor, or the bop and catch fire of modern straight-ahead.  The thing of it is, even though each chapter stands out with its own distinct personality, there’s no doubting that it all comes from the same story bound up by the same front and back covers.  So much to like here.

Artist site | Buy:  eMusic – Amazon

*****

*** Also Featured This Week ***

Pin Addix – The Chamber Momentum (Unit Records)

All kinds of personality to this sextet of flugelhorn and synth man Sebastian Piskorz, trombonist Nils Marquardt, bassist Felix Jacobi, drummer Christian Hiltawsky, and Florian Bensch & Florian Bergmann adding other wind instruments like bass clarinet, clarinet, flute, bassoon, and all the crew adding additional sweat equity on a variety of percussion instruments.  This album as much as any I’ve written about epitomizes the indie-jazz ethos… jazz centered around improvisation over swing, a belief that a gorgeous melody can overcome any challenge, and a greater weight placed on soundscape building via alternate genre influences than a reliance on typical jazz structure and form.  Songs are both painfully catchy and ephemerally elusive.  A sense of serious fun to everything… a real intelligence to the music, but never lets the conversation get so heavy as to kill the fun and lightness.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Guilhem Flouzat – Portraits (Sunnyside)

Top-shelf straight-ahead modern release from drummer Flouzat, who brings it with an all-star cast that includes Laurent Coq, Ben Wendel, Anna Webber, Becca Stevens, Desmond White, Jay Rattman and Can Olgun.  These are songs that don’t come off as showy or shoot off a bunch of fireworks, but instead radiate a powerful strength from within… the kind of thing that happens when lyricism is shaped within a tight storytelling focus.  Even at its most creatively untamed, this album exudes the sense of, here, these are the perfect words spoken at the perfect time and we used only as many as we absolutely needed and not one word more.  Also, Becca Stevens returns at that crazy-evocative plateau she reached on John Ellis’s MOBRO.  Just go buy this thing; no way you’re gonna be disappointed.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – eMusic – Amazon

*****

Matthew Halsall & the Gondwana Orchestra – Into Forever (Gondwana)

The newest from trumpeter Halsall continues his transformation from a throwback sound of late night club modal jazz to an updated spiritual jazz with orchestration.  And as far as the destination point of that creative arc goes, this is easily his best offering to date.  The strings melt right into the flow of the jazz grooves, the emotional tones run deep and wide, and the vocal contributions hold hands tightly with piano and harp but don’t get all needy so that it can’t release the grip and let each go off on some long-distance solos.  Nice to see that Halsall continues to incorporate the alluring koto into his pieces.  It’s also nice to hear Halsall section off some time for himself to deliver his typically breathtaking solos.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – eMusic – Amazon

*****

Ike Sturm + Evergreen – Shelter of Trees (Self-Produced)

Just a seriously pretty album from bassist Ike Sturm, who succinctly brings together the themes of nature’s beauty and love for his father in this collection of songs that bring sacred music and jazz together in the same embrace.  Each song brings a dramatic touch, usually built from the ground up, and often with some cross-currents of motion, like the swirling tides of “Turning Point” or the simple tool of a simple groove on title-track “Shelter of Trees.”  A strong cast of vibraphonist Chris Dingman, alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, pianist Fabian Almazan, drummer Jared Schonig, guitarist Jesse Lewis and the trio of vocalists Misty Ann Sturm, Chanda Rule and Melissa Stylianou.  Each song behaves as an illustration of the ambient moonlight-sunshine warmth framework that define this recording.  Songs switch between contemplative and ebullient tones, and the shades of change during the transitions are just as compelling as each extreme.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – eMusic – Amazon

*****

Møster! – When You Cut Into the Present (Hubro)

A nifty new release from saxophonist Kjetil Møster, whose main ingredients are gasoline and a flame, and if you stare into the fire long enough, flickering signs of late-Coltrane free jazz, blues rock, Nordic folk, krautrock and Motown R&B can be seen within.  His newest recording really shines a light on how thin the line can be drawn between demented and genius, maniacal and calculatedly proficient. This quartet of sax, guitar, bass and drums hits the gas pedal from the first note and never lets up.  That’s normal for a Møster project.  What’s new on his latest are the number of detours they take through a rapidly changing landscape of sound and influence, and how vividly they are presented.  I was always sort of ambivalent to his projects, but the last handful of recordings have really started to get me addicted to this guy’s music.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Ben Paterson – For Once In My Life (Origin)

It’s all well and good for an artist’s music to echo the music of the past and honor the jazz lineage, but, really, when it’s all boiled down to the essential, what really counts is for the artist to exist on that lineage.  Hammond B3 organist Ben Paterson’s straight-ahead trio session with guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer George Fludas transports the listener back to the 1950s, sounding brand spankin’ new and fresh out of the oven as it did back in the day… and yet, this music’s warmth and energy instantly place it as coming from nowhere but the present day.  Some originals, some standards, some pop music covers (Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon), and all of it so damn good.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor – On the Way to Two (CamJazz)

Recorded back in 2005, but now released, posthumously, for the first time, this set of duets between jazz giants puts a fine point on just how great the loss to jazz these musicians’ passing was.  Sublime, perhaps an overused word to describe music, fits just fine in this instance.  The trumpeter and pianist illustrate how the application of heat and the generation of volatility is no obstacle to instilling a sense of tranquility over the proceedings.  And while I don’t typically feature music that was recorded far from the present day, this album, and a song like “Close to Mars,” pretty much compels me to include this in today’s column.

No artist site | Sorry, no audio available | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Felipe Viegas – Encontro (Self-Produced)

A pleasant recording from pianist Viegas, rounding out a quartet with saxophone, bass and drums.  Primary elements of contemporary jazz and Brazilian jazz make it easy on the ears.  A nice album for kicking back with a good book.  Nothing groundbreaking or edgy here.  I found it likable enough to give it a quick mention.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  CDBaby – eMusic – Amazon

*****

Suárez/Socolsky/Suárez – Portugal (Blue Art Records)

An enjoyable session from the trio of trumpeter Mariano Suarez, pianist Paul Socolsky and bassist Fermin Suarez.  There’s a thoughtfulness to the music’s delivery and songs are related with a storyteller’s heart… a combination that is just a little bit compelling.  Both serenity and dissonance find a home in this trio’s debut, which is an impressive task when taking into account the trio’s patience in expressing themselves.  Good stuff.

Artist site | Sorry, no audio available | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Have a great time digging through the list!

And remember, it’s simple:  You like what you like.

Cheers.

***

Easily the best part of Radio Liberty are how the bouts of melancholia inevitably lead to celebratory bursts of euphoria.  Time and time again, the quartet DACH slip into reveries of the deepest contemplation, where melodic snowdrifts scatter across the surface of songs and rhythmic patter is the soft rustle of branches in the stiff breeze or the barely perceptible tapping of snowflakes on the window pane.  And, time and time again, these gorgeous contemplative lulls bring about the conclusion that life is good and worth celebrating, and what better way than with some up-tempo dancing and lots and lots of warmth and sunlight.

Opening track “Henry III (The Mephistorian)” immediately sets the tone with some Nordic jazz tranquility… the ingredient most often used for these types of passage.  This leads into title-track “Radio Liberty” and its joyful bounce and glide.  And, as will happen with later tracks too, they enter into a contemplative passage.  Pianist David Six is the driving force on this particular song’s quieter moments, but it’s drummer Mathias Ruppnig adding soft conversational chatter on “Cities Burning,” and it’s bassist Ilya Alabuzhev providing the soothing element on “Henry I,” and on “Someone Lost,” it’s the soprano sax of Andrej Prozorov ushering in a state of serenity.

But where they take turns drawing out their own view of tranquility on each track, it’s as a team that they go about transforming into something far more active and uplifting.  The chipper piano phrasings melt right into the dancing saxophone lines on the “Black Seas.”  And the up-tempo “High Heels” sees piano and drums rattling off competing lines of dialog that each demand attention and create a nifty seam of tension between the two.  And on “Henry II,” which radiates no less warmth by way of being a softer expression is genial and upbeat as a result of the strong connection made between bass and glockenspiel.  And then there’s “The Protest,” which hits the gas pedal from note one and doesn’t let up without a fight.

And while the album’s finale “10 Henry IV (For O. C.)” mirrors the opening’s tranquility, it takes on the album’s dual-personality by adding some volatility to the mix, and stays true to their approach of one leading to the other and then back again.

Your album personnel:  Andrej Prozorov (soprano sax), David Six (piano, percussion), Ilya Alabuzhev (bass) and Mathias Ruppnig (drums, glockenspiel).

Released on Listen Closely.

Jazz from the Vienna, Austria scene.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon

It’s refreshing to hear cellist Erik Friedlander on a straight-ahead jazz project for a change.  Whereas the last few years have seem him get print on this site for projects that hit sub-genres like chamber jazz, jazz-folk, avant-garde and indie-jazz-pop, Friedlander’s newest, Oscalypso, is a tribute album to Oscar Pettiford, a bassist who was an early trailblazer incorporating cello into the jazz scene.

Bringing together a quartet comprised of saxophonist Michael Blake, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Michael Sarin, the courses Friedlander charts for nine Pettiford originals fall into two general categories.  There are tracks like “Cello Again” and “Cable Car” that swing, swing away, where the rhythm section stays light on its feet and the soloists even lighter.  This category of album track is typically upbeat and cheerful, and the inclination of the musicians is to dance, though the surging intensity of album-opener “”Bohemia After Dark” provides a partial eclipse of this sunniness with a shift in emotional tone.

And then there are tracks like “Two Little Pearls” and “Tamalpais Love Song,” where the quartet’s heart is set on a ballad, even when that heart’s beat works a tempo not conducive to candlelight romance.  Of particular interest is the way Blake’s saxophone and Friedlander’s cello take turns slowly drawling out the melody… sometimes in staggered expressions and sometimes in unison… and the resulting shift between these two states creates some compelling tension to keep the ear occupied.

For as much as Friedlander goes about showing what cello is and can become, this reminder of where it came from is essential.  It’s also a solid recording.

Your album personnel:  Erik Friedlander (cello), Michael Blake (saxophones), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Michael Sarin (drums).

Released on Friedlander’s SkipStone Records.

Explore more of this album and other Friedlander recordings on his music on his Bandcamp page.

Jazz from NYC.

Available at:  Bandcamp | CDBaby | eMusic | Amazon

The Get the Blessing quartet is back with a solid follow-up to their breakout 2014 release Lope and Antilope, one of the very best things released that year.  What really jelled for them on their previous recordings was how they dove head-first into each melody in ways they hadn’t done previously, while managing to incorporate their talent for thick, delightful grooves that could dance in the small space of the slightest nuance.  Astronautilus sees the quartet leading out again with the grooves, but this time around the melodies shine brightly from within rather than light the path.  It’s an interesting twist to a similar story, and the result is more than a little bit fun.

“Phaenomena” grumbles and grinds, and Pete Judge peppers the song with bursts of melodic intent, whereas the melody of “Carapace” wavers and wobbles to the undercurrent of a pulsing rhythm.  The get up and dance of “Monkfish” gives saxophonist Jake Mcmurchie the floor space to let loose with some bunches of punches before settling back into the prevailing groove.  The long sigh of “Conch” is a reprieve from the perpetual motion, and the quartet stretches their legs with layers of electronic effects to accompany the string of solos.  On the other hand, “Cornish Native” takes the same approach but hits the other extreme with a fiery conflagration of heat and harmony.  Drummer Clive Deamer provides the rocket fuel, fans the flames.

Bassist Jim Barr establishes a loping cadence on “Nautilus,” and the result is a nice mix of patience and fury for the melodic delivery.  “Green Herring” is ridiculously catchy, and no track better exemplifies the sense of fun exhibited by the recording.  With its richly expressive melody and snaking rhythm, “Hayk” is the most immediate throw-back to Lope and Antilope, and it makes for a nice bit of compare and contrast to the current spot on the map of their creative development.

The album ends with the oddball track “Sepia.”  The song is everything that came before it, but stripped of the elastic melodies, the thick grooves and the harmonies that phase in and out of synchronicity.  There isn’t a lot to the song, at least in comparison to everything that preceded it.  But there’s something to be said about waving goodbye to a hyperactive, engrossing album with a song that is the equivalent of a lighthouse on a foggy night, its horn calling out plaintively across the harbor’s length.  A little tranquility to bring the listener back to ground.

When it’s all said and done, Get the Blessing is becoming an increasingly essential landmark when mapping out the modern jazz scene.

Your album personnel:  Jake Mcmurchie (tenor & baritone saxes, electronics), Pete Judge (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, electronics), Clive Deamer (drums, percussion) and Jim Barr (bass, bass VI, organ, electronics).

Released on Naim Jazz.

Jazz from the UK.

Listen to more track at the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon