Best Jazz of 2019

Jan 26 2020

Best of 2019 #38: Massimiliano Milesi – “Oofth”

 

“There’s a lot going on in Massimiliano Milesi’s debut album,” is how I began my write-up of this album for The Bandcamp Daily.  It’s true.  And considering it was released on the Auand Music label, it’s no surprise that the music swims in the cross-currents of modern post-bop, indie rock, electronic music, avant-folk, and a few unidentifiable influences that may or may not originate on this planet.  My conclusion was that while the “influences inspire a cryptic dance with a curious synchronicity, the complexities are a simple course to navigate when you lead with melodies as embraceable as these.”

The theme of the 2019 release by Massimiliano Milesi is the sci-fi story by Walter Tevis “The Ifth of Oofth.”  The elasticity of tempos, the boozy motions, the electronics and organic instruments folding back upon themselves, they are all qualities of the music that pay homage to the story.  But this music is more than a tally of its inspiration’s characteristics.  The grooves springing from the electro-acoustic back and and forth, the melodies that chart the fastest course to the listener’s heart, the harmonies that separate and return to a state of unison like rapids curling around rocks in a lively river, it all adds up to one of the more straight-forwardly strange recordings of the year, a rare accomplishment of the unusual as something easily accessible.

Your album personnel:  Massimiliano Milesi (tenor sax), Emanuele Maniscalco (wurlitzer piano, synthesizers), Giacomo Papetti (bass VI, electric bass) and Filippo Sala (drums).

Released on Auand Records.

Music from Bergamo, Italy.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Jan 26 2020

Best of 2019 #39: Ila Cantor – “Encanto”

 

The beguiling new release from Ila Cantor may fall in the middle of this year’s Best Of list, but it ranks right near the top as one of the prettiest recordings of 2019.  The guitarist’s seamless union of folk music and chamber jazz is like mainlining moonlight on a clear night.  There is an immaculate tunefulness to these pieces, the kind of inherent catchiness one would associate with a perfect pop song.  But in that way a world of sound emerges from the blank slate of a dark, country field, the guitarist balances the tuneful simplicity with a rich display of details and complexity.  Her use of charango and acoustic guitar amplify that richness of sound, as does collaborating with an all-star lineup of West Coast talent.  John Zorn’s The Dreamers ensemble is known (and loved) for projecting melodic dimensions as deep as the ocean and taller than the sky; Ila Cantor’s Encanto is irrefutable evidence that she possesses the exact same talent.

Your album personnel:  Ila Cantor (charango, acoustic guitar, voice), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Rob Reich (accordion, glockenspiel), Todd Sickafoose (upright bass), Scott Amendola (drums, percussion), and guests:  Lauren Arrow (background vocals) and Phil Lewis (guitar).

Released on Slow & Steady Records.

Music from San Francisco Bay Area (CA).

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Jan 25 2020

Best of 2019 #40: Kris Davis, Matt Mitchell, Aruán Ortiz, Matthew Shipp – “New American Songbooks, Volume 2”

 

The New American Songbooks series seeks to dissect the concept of the Great American Songbook, and translate it to the music of today.  It is as much conceptual exercise as pragmatic creativity.  Jazz musicians, by and large, endlessly practice their craft, and immerse themselves in the music as it was, as it is, and as they want it to be.  They study the jazz masters that came before them, the theory and works that are now part of the lore, and take that knowledge for themselves and make part of their own, personal lore.  It is why the past is often an essential component of new music that might sound alien and unfamiliar and strange.

For the second installment of the New American Songbooks series, pianists Kris Davis, Matt Mitchell, Aruán Ortiz and Matthew Shipp bring together past and present.  As I wrote for The Bandcamp Daily, “[These musicians] are responsible for some of the most challenging, unconventional music on the modern scene- and yet, the way in which they pour their hearts into renditions of traditional hymns, pop music, and avant-garde compositions reveals that, at the core of their music, are thoughtful, contemplative inspirations that are not so different from those felt by anyone else. The performance of each musician on this recording embodies the spirit of the Songbook, and the idea of music possessing a timeless sound that speaks to something universal. I cannot possibly recommend this album strongly enough.”  That recommendation goes for both installments in the series, and, I imagine, those yet to come.

Your album personnel:  Kris Davis (piano), Matt Mitchell (piano), Aruán Ortiz (piano), and Matthew Shipp (piano).

Released on Sound American Records.

Music from Brooklyn, NY.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at: Bandcamp

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Jan 25 2020

Best of 2019 #41: Eri Yamamoto Trio and Choral Chameleon – “Goshu Ondo Suite”

 

Writing about this album for The Bandcamp Daily, I stated, “Even in the context of a modern jazz scene where so much is unconventional, this recording from pianist Eri Yamamoto stands out.”  And it does.  This live performance of Eri Yamamoto is a meeting point between modern jazz and Japanese folk, of her jazz trio and the choir Choral Chameleon.  This meeting point is one of collision.  There is no seamless confluence of different streams of influence here, and it’s this quality that makes the album so thrilling.  It is no different than attempting to pleasantly enjoy the soft twinkling of stars for their peaceful ambiance while simultaneously ruminate on how massive these stars truly are, that they are each a sun, emitting massive amounts of light across great distances, and that some are mere embers of what they once were by the time that light reaches our nighttime sky.  The combination of thoughts big and small, casual and consequential is the seven part Goshu Ondo Suite.

Your album personnel:  Eri Yamamoto (piano), David Ambrosio (bass), Ikuo Takeuchi (drums) and the Choral Chameleon choir.

Released on Aum Fidelity.

Music from New York City.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Jan 25 2020

Best of 2019 #42: Matt Ulery – “Delicate Charms”

 

I’ve written negative reviews of three musicians on this site.  They were as follows:  Bill Frisell, Bobby Hutcherson, and Matt Ulery.  Frisell and Hutcherson are jazz giants, and responsible for landmark recordings, and over the course of their careers have been instrumental in the advancement of jazz.  I ripped apart their (at the time) new releases for being far below what they were capable of.  Basically, for the crime of being ordinary.

Matt Ulery’s sin didn’t even rise to that level.  In hindsight, I really should’ve cut the guy some slack.  The bassist and composer is young by jazz standards, but he’s also way ahead of the curve by way of creative accomplishments.  The Chicagoan has already delivered a unique sound that is as inventive as it is classic.  One day I expect to be speaking of his works with the same reverence as I do Henry Threadgill or Wayne Horvitz.  In truth, it was awfully tepid criticism. I basically said his album was too pretty.  And it was.  It lacked some of the edge and mystery of past works.  But in the grand scheme of things, there was nothing really wrong with the album, and perhaps focusing on that single flaw was a bit much… especially in the context that it’s still early, for him (and for us, as listeners), and also possessing an understanding that his music, like all others, exists in a continuum, where some things are merely elements of transformations to come, changes to manifest, and, perhaps a too-pretty recording leading to a grand beauty of the future.

I bring all this up, because that future grand beauty became the present in 2019 with Delicate Charms.  The album has the majestic stature of his jazz orchestra recordings and the curious melodicism of his small ensemble Loom sessions, and yet the elements of each come together in a way that are much different than simple addition, a different kind of math altogether, an abstract calculation where one plus one equals universe.  It’s a gorgeous recording.  It’s also a huge reminder that we are watching evolution in action, tracking artists as their music changes as they change and as the music transforms yet again.  It is easy to forget how truly miraculous it all is.

Your album personnel:  Matt Ulery (double bass), Greg Ward (alto sax), Zach Brock (violin), Rob Clearfield (piano) and Quin Kirchner (drums).

Released on Woolgathering Records.

Music from Chicago, IL.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at: Bandcamp – Amazon

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