Jazz Recommendations – 2015 Releases

Massively fun and ornately detailed, the large ensemble Ghost Rhythms have created an adaptation of the movie score to Vertigo, but told through the eyes of poor, troubled Madeleine.

Opening track “Another Bridge” announces right from the start that neither the sound nor the spirit of the original Vertigo soundtrack is going to guide the unfolding of Ghost Rhythm’s vision.  And why should it, really, as they are choosing to view it through the perspective of a different character, one whose fate is intertwined with that of the John “Scottie” Ferguson, but fated for very different endings.  While tethered to same plot, the options for point of view are limitless.

A track like “Another Bridge” does possess some of the drifting ambiance of the original’s rises and falls of tone.  However, drawing comparisons between the two is, for the most part, a non-starter.  And thankfully so, because Madeline is bursting with personality all its own.  The charge and burn of subsequent track “I Did Not” continues the music’s unique trajectory.  And “Tree Ashes” is both evidence of the ensemble’s tight crafting of melodies and brisk, dynamic tempos to tell Madeleine’s story.

A few tracks, like “Carlotta Valdes” and “Aleph,” see the ensemble working with sprawling, expansive changes of scenery and emotional tone over the length of a single track, but for the most part, much of this music’s spirit is embodied by the four-part “Apparition,” interspersed throughout the album.  These four tracks have a strong presence, each in their own way, from the ethereal “Part 1” to the quirky tunefulness of “Part 4,” but all are rooted in a cinematic ambiance that is all kinds of magnetic.  It is more than just setting a mood or tone… these tracks perform a storytelling function via a sonic form of exposition, of world building and creation of a setting that gives context for the interpretive compositions that spring from these loci.

At use are influences of folk music, modern jazz and a slight nod to pop music and ambient minimalism.  But the mix of ingredients comes out full-bodied, a singular blend of one music perspective, and the individual characteristics only peek out here and there.  The ensemble speaks with one voice and one voice alone.

All of this leads to some stunning moments of beauty.  This, however, isn’t an obstacle for the display of a sense of humor and fun on this seriously compelling album.  Madeleine is one of the best things to be released in the first half of 2015.

Your album personnel:  Guillaume Aventurin (guitar), Sarah Baroux (voice), Maxime Berton (soprano sax, flute, bass clarinet), Julien Bigorgne (flute), Julien Blanchard (contrabass), Sonia Bricout (voice), Alexis Collin (accordion), Xavier Gélard (drums, guitar, voice), Grégory Kosovski (bass), Morgan Lowenstein (percussion), Nadia Mejri-Chappelle (cello), Camille Petit (keyboards, voice), Régis Pons (trumpet), David Rousselet (tenor sax), Maxime Thiébaut (soprano, alto & baritone saxes) and Virginie Boulignat (violin).

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

This album is Self-Produced.

Jazz from the Paris, France scene.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

We’ve got five more recommendations for you as we get caught back up with our This Is Jazz Today columns.  And we still have a lot of catching up to do.  And you, well, you have too much unused space on your computers and phones and CD shelves.  Let’s fill that stuff up.

And, as always, your budget belongs to us.  Now, it’s time to begin the search again for your new favorite album.  We’ve got a nice, diverse array of new music for you today, accentuating the wide horizon line that marks the modern jazz landscape.

Let’s begin…

Logan Strosahl Team – Up We Go (Sunnyside)

There’s something supremely intoxicating about the way Strosahl’s septet plays these intricately constructed compositions with the joyful exuberance of a Mardi Gras second line.  The mix of complex intelligence and a wide, warm smile connects with both head and heart, and serious tunes can be embraced for either their cerebral facets or just out of sheer fun.  Four of the seven slots are filled by wind instruments, which leads to some harmonic thrills, but even better is the way it manifests within the playful tempos.

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

*****

Shai Maestro Trio – Untold Stories (Motema)

A magnetic personality to this trio set from pianist Maestro, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ziv Ravitz.  Draped in gorgeous imagery, songs either chatter engagingly or coo softly and sweet.  Something innately introspective about all of the album’s tunes, even those that bounce about with the liveliest disposition.

Download a free album track, courtesy of the artist (LINK).

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon

*****

Armel Dupas – Upriver (Jazz Village)

Neat solo recording from pianist Dupas, who shows that contemplative music need not be crushed by the weight of its heavy thoughts.  Little bursts of activity via technique, prepared piano and electronic effects keep things interesting and dismantles any risk of this settling into nothing more than dinner music.  The peaceful tones are enhanced by a guest spot with a vocalist and saxophonist on a tune that drips with love song heartbreak.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

*****

Painting – Gravity (Rufftone)

Interesting duo collaboration between pianist Emanuel Ruffler and drummer Kassa Overall.  They develop a huge electric charge over the course of their conversations, and much of it is attributable to the appealing friction resulting from their contrasting yet complementary approaches to cadence.  The repeated act of taking seemingly incompatible passages and snapping them clean into place has a very strong appeal.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon

*****

Piotr Budniak Essential Group – Simple Stories About Hope and Worries (Soliton)

Some nice promise displayed on the debut album from drummer Budniak.  His sextet keeps two feet in modern straight-ahead territory, with simple melodies leading to complex development, and rhythmic propulsion fueled typically by methods other than bop or swing.  A personable recording with some strong moments, especially when the melody is rolled out slow.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Have a great time digging through the list!

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

Cheers.

***

Chamber music, jazz and folk are the three faces presented by the Yves Rousseau 4tet on Akasha, the bassist’s newest.  But these faces are merely masks, the removal of one revealing the next in an unending stream of change to where all three influences ultimately flow into one confluence of imagery.  The sensation is one where solid ground is felt shifting calmly underfoot, and where grace abides where uncertainty might otherwise rule.  It’s where challenging music becomes as welcoming as a morning sunrise.

The album opens with the 3-part “L’eau” suite, immediately displaying the quartet’s approach of shifting the melody’s focus from one of firm pronouncement to one of elusive intent.  Melodies possess a vague familiarity and the distinct tunefulness of enduring folk songs.  But just when their presence seems to have fully defined the composition’s parameters, the quartet transforms the melodies into launching points for improvisation and unforeseen developments.  These transitions are surely crafty, but it’s their emotional punch that is their most arresting quality.

The 2-part “Le Feu” walks into the room with a boisterous, pop tune persona that bounces happily for the length of its two-minute opening salvo.  The composition’s lengthier second part sees the quartet gliding into an extended chamber jazz expression.  A saxophone solo dances gracefully on the head of a pin while violin bathes the tune in warm harmonic washes and the rhythm section bops along with determination and zeal.

But it’s the 2-part “L’air” that distinguishes itself as the gem of the recording.  Within the span of sixteen minutes, the quartet makes its strongest pronouncements of the chamber, jazz and folk music ingredients that inform this recording.  Vivid harmonic passages are the glue between strong melodic surges and punctuated rhythms.  But most essential to the affair is the way in which “L’air” enmeshes the varied influences into a singular form of expression.  It’s remarkable how the quartet is able to seamlessly incorporate the details and nuance of the disparate elements at the same time drawing with thicker lines and broader strokes.

That said, while the quartet earns the higher marks for level of technical difficulty, it’s the staggering beauty of the 2-part “L’air,” over and above the high standard set by the gorgeous tracks preceding it, that makes it such a compelling listen.  That it also so happens to end the affair… finishing a very strong album with its strongest moments… is about as satisfying a conclusion as one could hope for.

There are two stand-alone tracks interspersed amongst the 2- and 3-part suites.  “La Terre” is an extended sigh, a brief handful of minutes within that blissful state of peace between dwindling wakefulness and deep sleep.  “Ether” exists in that same place, but instead of restful sleep, it embodies the unpredictable nature of fitful dreams.  In addition to being lovely tunes, they also serve as handy interludes between the longer-form pieces.

An album with vast strength and presence to complement its stunning beauty.

Your album personnel:  Yves Rousseau (double bass), Régis Huby (violins), Jean-Marc Larché (alto & soprano saxes) and Christophe Marguet (drums).

Listen to more of the album at the artist site.

Released on Abalone Productions.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon

This is one of those albums that radiates a mysterious beauty.  There’s nothing straight-forward about Rame.  Guitarist Giovanni Francesca cloaks gorgeous melodies within harmonies that waver and bend and fade, and wraps it all up with obscure cadences that keep the ear guessing just enough to pull the listener up close.  It’s one of those albums that makes sense after its been revealed, from moment to moment, in a perpetual state of guessing.

With its electronics & effects, and an instrumentation that accompanies a drums & bass duo with a violinist, trombonist, and Francesca’s electric guitar, there’s some lines of comparability to be drawn between this album and Bill Frisell’s Nonesuch Records output.  But those lines speak as much to the spirit of invention as they do the sonic qualities of the two musicians’ respective sounds, and it’s why the sense of familiarity is a subtle comfort when encountering this album.

“Gocce” and “Novela” is all about the slow, sweet exhalation of melody.  It’s a quality common to most of this album, and the former bolsters it with a rising intensity, whereas the latter possesses the disposition of a bedtime story.  “Nuda” brings the noise, but slowly, one step after the other.  Conversely, “Neve” gets the pulse rate up with a chipper tempo and solos that ride the crests of motion.  The acoustic guitar of “Tuba” is a lovely light-and-shadow contrast with the soaring passages from trombone.  It’s effect is no less gripping when violin is guitar’s dance partner on “Rom.”

“Lite” has an appealing saunter, occasionally broken by a burst of melodic ferocity, whereas with “Greta,” the melody is whistled out like a song.  The quintet’s playful side comes out strong on “Sentinelle,” and on album finale “Atollo,” the quintet makes time to reveal all the different facets that drive this terribly compelling recording.

Rame is one of the most stunning albums to be released in 2015.

Your album personnel:  Giovanni Francesca (electric & acoustic guitars, effects), Raffaele Tiseo (violin, 5-string violin, alto viola, violoncello da spalla), Alessandro Tedesco (tenor trombone), Dario Miranda (electric & double bass), Aldo Galasso (drums) and guests: Fabrizio Bosso (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Rita Marcotulli (piano).

Released on Auand Records.

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

Jazz from the Benevento, Italy scene.

Available at:  eMusic | Bandcamp | Amazon