Jazz Recommendations

Nov 18 2018

A rundown of the latest on Woolgathering Records

 

Matt Ulery has opened things up on his label Woolgathering Records in 2018.  With many musician-run labels there tends to be a certain homogeneity, a sonic cross-pollination from the same musicians appearing on each of the releases, and the only real difference is whose compositions are utilized and the name in large print on the album cover.  Thankfully, the Chicago bassist’s latest salvo of recordings are as distinct from one another as can be.  We’ve got a quick rundown for you.

Let’s begin.

 

Russ Johnson – Headlands

The music of Russ Johnson leaves a heavy footprint.  Even though his works often provide musicians plenty of room to roam free, there’s typically a weightiness to it that speaks more to the earth than the air.  The resulting contrast of swiftly delivered music that possesses a lumbering mode of propulsion is more than a little bit compelling.  His latest, the 12-part Headlands suite is a study in that contrast… plus something more.  The suite includes several “transition” solo sections from the musicians, and their feather light presence adds a textural element that brings out a side of the music’s personality that might otherwise not be so evident.  Plenty here to like.

Your album personnel:  Russ Johnson (trumpet), Rob Clearfield (piano), Matt Ulery (bass) and Jon Deitemyer (drums).

Music from NYC.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

 

Matt Ulery – Sifting Stars

There’s always been a big sound to the compositions of Matt Ulery.  His early recordings with his Loom ensemble gave plenty insight into that potential.  Even with a smaller ensemble, there was a strong hint of the roaring fire that lay at the heart of the music’s burning ember.  It emerged definitively on his 2012 release By a Little Light, where the immensity of the sound reflected the expansion of the ensemble.  His latest recording, Sifting Stars, continues that arc of large orchestra music, as well as exhibiting his talent as composer.  While he’s clearly settled into this style, none of his music for orchestra recordings sound anything alike.  That’s a promising sign, and, for you, a nice selection of albums to choose from.

Grazyna Auguscik makes a return on Sifting Stars, as do Ulery collaborators Rob Clearfield, Chad McCullough and James Davis in the 23-piece orchestra.

Music from Chicago, IL.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

 

Tim Haldeman – Open Water As a Child

If this title sounds familiar to you, it’s likely because you recently read my write-up of Tim Haldeman‘s outstanding new release as part of my latest Best Jazz on Bandcamp column.  What began as a one-off performance at the Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, this homage to Flint, Michigan has resulted in the stunning Open Water As a Child.

I’m not going to rehash anything written previously on The Bandcamp Daily, but I will add that this recording resonates like mad, and with a strength that just keeps gaining intensity with each subsequent listen.  While it’s common wisdom to give a recording several opportunities to forge a connection, it applies here more than most.

Your album personnel:  Tim Haldeman (tenor sax, flute, piano), Dan Bennett (alto sax), Justin Walter (trumpet), Jordan Schug (cello), Jonathan Taylor (drums), Ben Willis (bass) and John Goode (vocals).

Music from Ann Arbor, MI.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

 

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Nov 11 2018

It’s final call on ECM Records for 2018

 

We really need to have a talk about ECM Records

 

Florian Weber – Lucent Waters

The melodies on the latest from Florian Weber are refracted light, where the misshapen beauty is more attractive than in its pure form.  This is music for late nights when life hasn’t made things easy, and the inoculation for its effects is to simply end the day with a little cocoon of peacefulness.  A drink, a view of the city outside, some moonlight pouring across the floor, a cat snoring peacefully nearby, and Lucent Waters on the stereo.  The pianist has made this album especially for you, for times like these.  He’s joined by bassist Linda May Han Oh, trumpeter Ralph Alessi and drummer Nasheet Waits.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Andrew Cyrille – Lebroba

Every note delivered on Lebroba is heavy with implications, a melodic weight that imparts its immediacy as well as its potential in the same breath.  And yet, this weighty presence doesn’t hobble the music from flying free and light.  The element most responsible for liftoff is the rhythmic patter from Andrew Cyrille.  Like the wings of birds taking flight, his brush work is the swift but gentle motion that transforms the introspective tones from guitarist Bill Frisell and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith into something that borders on uplifting.  This effect is most beneficial on those pieces where volatility is a key element, but the magnetic beauty of a ballad like “Pretty Beauty” shows Cyrille’s touch in all its brilliance.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

 

Shai Maestro – The Dream Thief

There a pleasant meandering demeanor to this trio session from pianist Shai Maestro, double bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ofri Nehemya.  Melodies aren’t offered as a thesis statement so much as they are directional indicators on a map.  And though there’s no real sense of predictability when it comes do the music’s trajectory, the trio maintains a strong focus throughout.  Even as they subtly alter directions, the interaction between the musicians is a succinct conversation that gets increasingly nuanced the longer it continues.  This dual purpose recording is just as useful for getting lost in daydreams as it is for some meaningful engagement.  Good stuff.

Learn more at ECM Records.  Available at Amazon.

And be sure to check out our rundowns of other recent ECM Records releases.

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Nov 8 2018

Recommended: Kira Kira – “Bright Force”

 

If you’re seeking out a sonic approximation of catching a ride in the center of a tornado, this session from the Kira Kira quartet of trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, keyboardist Alister Spence and drummer Ittetsu Takemura is a step in the right direction.  There is some melodic intent present.  Even amongst the chaos of Bright Force, you can catch glimpses of a melodic fragment.  But they are at the mercy of the forces of motion that rip a streak down the center of each piece, where turbulence and volatility are the gods that will the music forward.  Those moments when the trio gives a hint of the peacefulness that lies at the heart of the storm are almost stunning, both for their sudden appearance and also their piercing beauty.  This effect is revealed in its starkest terms on the three part “Luna Lionfish Suite.”

I’m believe I’m on solid footing to claim that people who use the word ‘fun’ to describe roller coasters have a far too liberal definition of that word, not to mention a thin grasp on their own sanity.  Be that as it may, those same people would probably tag Bright Force in much the same way.

Your album personnel:  Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Alister Spence (Rhodes electric piano, effects pedals, preparations), Satoko Fujii (piano) and Ittetsu Takemura (drums).

Released on Libra Records.

Available at:  Amazon

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Nov 5 2018

This is how a post about a Roller Trio video becomes a recommendation for J Frisco

 

So, earlier today I put together one of my Sunday video posts.  Featured among the videos was something new from the Roller Trio.  It was a live performance video from earlier this year in Leeds, and featured a tune from their new album New Devices (I adore that album).  As I was tracking down an appropriate video to feature, my search results brought back something rather odd and extremely fun.  It’s this… an interpretative dance to an older Roller Trio tune… in a kitchen.

Obviously I was going to feature that thing.

I did a quick google search on the track to confirm I was attributing that song to the correct album.  That’s when I noticed there was another video out there featuring the same girls dancing to Roller Trio.  This time, on stage.  I thought, hey, fun, the band invited the girls to reenact their little dance video at one of their shows.

Well, that led to another google search, because if I feature someone in a post, I’m giving them a shout-out and, hopefully, provide some links to projects of their own.  As it turned out, they do have a project of their own.  The J Frisco in the video title is the name of their trio.

Say hello to J Frisco, a trio of keyboardist Jemma Freese, saxophonist Lara Jones and guitarist Megan Roe.  From what I’ve heard so far, the Leeds-based musicians take an experimental approach to jazz, where ambient minimalism is the unlikely source of chaos and dissonance. Here’s a live performance of the song “Gender,” which is one of the tracks on their new album, Naked, out later this month.

Here’s a link to their Bandcamp page.  The new album isn’t up, and I haven’t yet confirmed even that they’re retailing it there.  However, there are two tracks loaded up, and they do a pretty decent job of showing their range when working in an ambient medium.

Even better is this collaboration with Archipelago at the Lancaster Jazz Festival.  I’m pretty well addicted to this piece.

J Frisco has plenty of other music loaded up to their Soundcloud page.  I recommend checking that out. Their YouTube page, too.

As I learn more about their upcoming album, I’ll pass along what I discover.

It’s posts like this one that keep me doing what I do.

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Nov 3 2018

Recommended: Geir Sundstol – “Brodlos”

 

The music of Geir Sundstøl is elemental.  The guitarist’s spellbinding melodies are a stiff breeze in a sonic atmosphere that settles in right from the first note and doesn’t fade until the last has sounded.  His latest solo release Brødløs does nothing to diminish this reputation.  An inspired medley of Bowie’s “Warzawa” and Coltrane’s “Alabama” is the album centerpiece, but just as compelling a facet of Sundstøl’s sound is the dizzying array of instruments put to use.  Pedal steel, Shankar guitar, moog, banjo, loops, mandolin are just a few of the sonic textures Sundstøl layers atop one another.  Add to this the guitarist’s enlistment of an equally diverse set of musicians on tabla, keyboards, effects, wind instruments and percussion, and this music’s hypnotic effect is amplified a hundred fold.

This is truly singular music.

Your album personnel:  Geir Sundstøl (pedal steel, six string bass, banjo, harmonica, cümbüs ̧ National Duolian, Shankar guitar, Moog MiniTaur, Lexicon organ, pianochordia, marxophone, timpani, optigan, guitar, mandolin, Prime Time loops), David Wallumrød (Minimoog, Prophet 5, Arp Pro Soloist and Juno 60), Erland Dahlen (drums, drum machine, frame drum, steel drum, log drum, marching toms, xylophones, dulcimer, musical saw, Schulmerich handbells, blossombells, triangle, metal plates, and vocals), Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Jo Berger Myhre (Fender VI, Moog Minitaur), Sanskriti Sheresta (tablas, vocals) and Mats Eilertsen (acoustic bass, vocals).

Released on Hubro Music.

Listen to another album track at the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from the Oslo, Norway scene.

Available at:  Amazon

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