Jun 14 2018
Recommended: Jason Stein – “Lucille!”
There is an intriguing sense of detachment between the quartet members on the latest from Jason Stein. It’s not that they behave as if unaware of the presence of one another, but more along the lines of a conversation where each participant has their individual perspective of the central theme. What this does is create fascinating lines of melodic tangents, where the points of connectivity are almost happenstance and the near-misses are textures rich with the personalities of all involved. Front and center is how Stein’s bass clarinet interacts with the tenor sax and contrabass clarinet of Keefe Jackson. Sometimes they roll out the melody like a flurry of punches and sometimes it’s the chirping of birds after the rain. But when that interaction settles into the friendly chatter from bassist Joshua Abrams and drummer Tom Rainey are the moments that the album truly comes alive. It’s when the connections are revealed within the seeming detachment, and that contradiction of impressions makes it difficult to know where to focus attention. Keeping the ear guessing like that is no small feat, and speaking from personal experience, it’s a form of engagement that makes an intellectually stimulating affair something that’s supremely fun. A catchy melody and personable rhythmic chatter serve as the delivery system for questions like “What comes next and where’s it coming from and how is it all going to shake out?”
Some Stein originals are bundled up with covers of Monk, Bird and Tristano. Here, Stein is clearly evidencing a comfort level with where he is as a musician. The music is made personal in his own voice, while also honoring the originals in both spirit and sound. How that carries through in terms of song identity and the transitions between the songs benefits the album with a sense of cohesion. It also makes it more personable, as if Stein had opened a window to the outside so everyone could give a listen to a conversation meant only to be heard by the four musicians. The connection that forges is no small thing, and it is in no small part a reason why Lucille! is so damn addictive.
Your album personnel: Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Keefe Jackson (tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet), Joshua Abrams (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums).
Released on Delmark Records.
Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Music from Chicago.
Available at: Bandcamp | Amazon
And this is a good time to remind everyone that Stein just recently released After Caroline with his trio Locksmith Isidore. It was one of my recent Best Jazz on Bandcamp selections, which you can check out at The Bandcamp Daily.
Welcome to the Best of 2013.
This music has a boundless energy, and it grabs me each time I hit the play button. Teubal brings both modern jazz and Argentinean music to the table, but infuses it with other influences to where it’s not so easy to draw a clear lineage. Apparently this was Teubal’s intention, and it clearly worked. A stunning album of immaculate beauty. It’s about as near perfect as an album could be, and I still find it hard to believe it didn’t end up as my Album of the Year. On saxophones, Sam Sadigursky puts out some of the best moments on a jazz album in 2013. Cellist Erik Friedlander had a quietly massive 2013, putting out a beautiful album under his own name, and also performing on some of 2013′s top recordings in a supporting role. On the fourth and fifth tracks, “El Acrobata” and “Un Dragon Dormido,” which could be considered the same composition, Friedlander interacts with other ensemble members to create some heavenly sonic expressions, of a supreme elegance and stately beauty. Jazz is more diverse than ever, and the internet age has opened up new avenues for jazz artists to record and produce their own music, thus making it tougher for the general public to decipher what they should be listening to… but when someone asks you what will be considered the classic albums of this modern jazz age in fifty years time, you should point to this recording as one of them. As near to perfection as you can get.
Clarinettist Ghosh has one of the more original sounds on the modern jazz scene. His style of Indo-Jazz is both eccentric and amicable, diverse and complex, yet so easy to connect with. I was taken with his previous recordings quite a bit, but on his newest recording, he brings an even fuller sound to the table, one more rounded out and self-assured. Melodies that strike to the heart of the matter and rhythmic architectures that offer up plenty of ornamentation and structural fireworks. Or said differently, this album sounds like it has a lot going on, and it does, and yet by crafting rich, beautiful melodies, Ghosh makes this gregarious album so easy, and enjoyable, to spend time with. His mix of modern jazz approaches with that of regional musics from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka spin a breathless weave of influences, all which abide comfortably under the same roof of one album, and which import a sense of excitement as the sound shifts from scene to scene. Just an outstanding album.
Goldberg opened 2013 with two strong recordings, released simultaneously at the outset of the year. Unfold Ordinary Mind was the stronger of the two (though Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues was certainly no slouch), courtesy of how Goldberg’s ensemble managed to create challenging music cloaked in catchy melodies and intermittent grooves. It’s not unlike an avant-garde rendition of a Motown recording session. Goldberg has always been an innovative sort, delving into projects that probably shouldn’t work, but producing engaging, often very listenable music despite the odds. He does that here, too, and the result is no less impressive or fascinating with many many subsequent listens. An outstanding achievement in a career marked by them, and a fun album, to boot.
This is an album of beautiful melodies. The melodies aren’t stated… they’re slowly exhaled. Tenor sax man Bill McHenry is the perfect musician for this type of album, with songs of a languorous demeanor, even when they’re moving at a brisk pace. His big sound is delivered with a peaceful ease, and matches well with Moreaux’s ensemble, which utilizes a dynamic percussive approach that serves more as an undercurrent of crackling electricity, and allows the melodies to serve up the heavy voltage. Bassist Moreaux has been collaborating with jazz-folk saxophonist Jeremy Udden, and this album clearly illustrates that those two are peas of the same pod… they both have that eminently peaceful sound, of a warmth that provides sufficient heat to prevent the music from ever getting terribly sleepy. This is a strong album that, unfortunately, seems to have flown a bit under the radar. Hopefully this will kick-start some interest. It should, because this is a gorgeous recording.
Feb 11 2019
The Round-up: I was still holding that postcard
Here is some very good new music.
Geof Bradfield – Yes, and…Music for Nine Improvisers (Delmark Records)
While nobody is ever gonna mistake the music of Geof Bradfield for traditional, the roots of jazz have long been at the heart of his recordings and it’s not unusual for the pulse to slip into a familiar old-school cadence. It’s an aspect of his music that has made past recordings so damn enjoyable. Be that as it may, it’s equally refreshing to hear something where the balance shifts more to the modern end of the spectrum. His newest isn’t free jazz by any means, but an emphasis on improvisation means that structure and shape of any one piece isn’t necessarily something that can be anticipated. The saxophonist’s line-up consists of personnel who have received the spotlight from these parts previously, and often: Alto saxophonist Greg Ward, flutist-saxophonist Anna Webber, trumpeters Russ Johnson and Marquis Hill, trombonist Joel Adams, guitarist Scott Hesse, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall. Music from Chicago.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon
Zela Margossian Quintet – Transition (Art as Catharis Records)
The Armenian influence is just delightful on this session from Zela Margossian. The pianist keeps a conversational chatter going throughout, and the brisk pace hangs in the air even when her quintet shifts into a lower gear. There’s something about the fusion of modern jazz and old folk music that makes for such an engaging convergence of time and place and expression. Music from Sydney, Australia.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Ari Chersky – Fear Sharpens the Dagger (Self-Produced)
This is one of those recordings where the creativity doesn’t end after the last notes are performed. What began as a live performance eventually moved into the studio for the long work of overdubbing, cut & paste, layers atop layers, additions where needed, and resulted in something quite different than what went in through the front door. Ari Chersky has created something quite beautiful and strange. There’s some ambient textures whose bloom yields something far more volatile and lively, and there are rich passages of complexity where the details reveal tiny universes within. Fans of Bill Frisell’s Unspeakable phase or, perhaps, some of the new century ECM from Arild Anderson and Miroslav Vitous should give this one a listen, for sure. Music from Brooklyn, NY.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Orcastratum – Orcastratum (Compunctio Records)
There is something undeniably inviting about the atmosphere created by Glenn Scott‘s Orcastratum project. A blend of modern and contemporary jazz, R&B, pop and a strong undercurrent of blues all come together in seamless fashion. Guest musicians like kora master and vocalist Solo Cissokho, saxophonist Binker Golding and vocalists Shaneeka Simon & Eric Bibb (who end the album with the powerful “No Need”) prove the value of embracing the benefits of diverse expressions.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon
First Gig Never Happened – Mingus without Bass, Monk without Hat (Alessa Records)
It’s pretty easy to fall for these renditions, re-arrangements and inspirations of classic Mingus and Monk tunes. The trio of drummer Judith Schwarz, keyboardist Alexander Fitzthum and saxophonist Lisa Hofmaninger keep in the spirit of the source material, and this is true during the faithful reproductions of compositions and when they channel their own vision of things. The loose demeanor of their take on “Fables of Faubus” and how they twist that melody into something a bit different is emblematic of the serious fun this album has to give. Hofmaninger switching over to bass clarinet results in some of the album’s most riveting moments. Music from Vienna, Austria.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: Alessa Records, Anna Webber, Ari Chersky, Art as Catharsis, Brooklyn (NY), Chicago, Compunctio Records, Delmark Records, First Gig Never Happened, Geof Bradfield, Greg Ward, Marquis Hill, Orcastratum, Russ Johnson, Self-Produced, Sydney (Australia), The Round-Up, Vienna (Austria), Zela Margossian