Sunnyside Records

Dec 28 2013

Bird is the Worm Best of 2013: Albums 11-15

Today’s post reveals the 11th through the 15th Bird is the Worm albums of the year.

*****

For each album considered for inclusion, I was looking for it to hit me right in my heart, provoke a strong emotional reaction. I was also looking for it to engage my brain, provide some intrigue or fascination with the music being presented. Extra points were awarded for doing Something Different or building on a premise that embraced the best qualities of creativity. Strong musicianship alone is not enough. Many solid albums didn’t make the list. It literally pains me when I see some of the albums that weren’t included. But I listen to a lot of music, and one of the rare downsides to encountering so much great Jazz is that some of it won’t receive the recognition it deserves. So there you have it.

These are not reviews. They are simple thoughts, reminiscences, fragments of recollections, and brief opinions about how each album struck me both now and when I first heard it. There is a link to a more formal review following each entry… that’s where you go to find out what’s what about each recording. Most reviews are accompanied with embedded audio so you can hear some of the music, as well as personnel and label information, links to artist, label, and retail sites, and anything else that seemed relevant at the time I wrote the review.

Let’s begin…

11. Ches Smith & These Arches – Hammered

Released near the start of 2013, my fascination with this recording hasn’t much waned. The music has an electric blanket warmth courtesy of Andrea Parkins’ accordion and electronic effects, and even this alone elevates the album from being just another typically strong Clean Feed Records release. But add to this the twisting saxophone vines of Malaby and Berne, Halvorson’s woozy guitar twangs, and Smith’s rock ‘n roll barrage on drums, and now you’ve got an album overflowing with personality. Plenty of dissonance, but the way catchy riffs emerge and disappear into that dissonance afford plenty of surprises on this inviting album.

Released on Clean Feed Records.

A Bird is the Worm review HERE.

12. Pablo Ablanedo Octet(o) – ReContraDoble

Ablanedo’s blend of Jazz and Argentinian music possesses both an intimate warmth and a noble grandeur. The pianist deftly builds up from a solid melodic foundation, revisiting and reforming fragments of the melody over and over, creating a stream of variations, all the meanwhile adding texture via percussion, and eventually that little melody sounds Big. I was pretty taken with his previous release Alegria, but his newest ups the ante with a fullness of sound that the previous release hinted at.

Released on Creative Nation Music.

A Bird is the Worm review HERE.

13. Nilson Matta – Black Orpheus

I find this album no less personable than when first I gave it a listen. Matta’s interpretation of de Moraes and Jobim’s respective takes on the story of Orpheus & Eurydice has an abounding warmth, a succinct lyricism, and a stately elegance… characteristics which, in combination, present an album with a storyteller’s heart. Not an album that creates a big splash, but with each successive surge of tides, it eventually becomes apparent that this is a recording so easy to just immerse oneself in for hours. To say this album grew on me would be understating things. Wonderful music.

Released on Motema Records.

A Bird is the Worm review HERE.

14. Dan Tepfer & Ben Wendel – Small Constructions

I’m just taken with this album. This duo collaboration of Wendel (on wind instruments) and Tepfer (on various keys) is bursting with personality and spontaneity. Some originals, some covers, some improvisation, some nifty editing techniques, but ultimately it’s all about the conversation. Anytime it’s a duo session, there’s the challenge of keeping things simple and exciting, both, and the way this album twitters with life even as it obsesses over a pretty melody, these musicians strike the perfect balance. Several songs on this album I find myself humming, often forgetting where the songs come from until I’m reminded upon playing this album again. Music that digs deep like that into a listener’s memory isn’t something that happens all that often, and it sure ain’t something to take for granted. A sublime outing.

Released on Sunnyside Records.

A Bird is the Worm review HERE.

15. Mary Halvorson Septet – Illusionary Sea

Halvorson has carved out her own sound on guitar. It ain’t always pretty. It’s handy to employ the signifier ‘avant-garde’ in reference to her music. However, the addition of trombonist Garchik and the tenor sax of Ingrid Laubrock adds some softer textures to hard-edged music, and it really allows the melodies more room to breathe. As a result, this album’s potent dissonance provides plenty of handholds to grasp the music and go along for the ride. An album of a strange geometry, of melodies with a warped beauty and harmonies of an essential warmth, bringing a fuzzy hospitality to chaotic, unfettered music.

Released on Firehouse 12 Records.

A Bird is the Worm review HERE.

Tomorrow’s post reveals the Bird is the Worm numbers 6-10 2013 albums of the year.

Cheers.

By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases, Recap: Best of 2013 • 0 • Tags: Ben Wendel, Best of 2013, Ches Smith, Clean Feed Records, Creative Nation Music, Dan Tepfer, Firehouse 12 Records, Mary Halvorson, Motema Records label, Nilson Matta, Pablo Ablanedo, Sunnyside Records

Dec 15 2013

Recommended: Jamie Baum Septet – “In This Life”

In This Life is the breathtaking new release from the large ensemble led by flautist Jamie Baum. Inspired by her travels in South Asia and the music of vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, Baum assembles a stellar line-up to present compositions with expansive points of view, strong lyricism, and thrilling rides on the shoulders of textured percussion. This is one of those recordings that just launches itself into space and picks up speed as it goes.

The album opens with a solitary flute section, simply stated and without fanfare. It isn’t until later that it’s revealed to be a warning shot for the kaleidoscopic expressionism to follow. That flute solo opens “Nusrat,” which immediately dives into a fast-paced tune with brief solos etched in the thick foundation of percussion. Brad Shepik’s guitar solo stands out in particular, as it has him delivering a higher voltage than what’s heard on the intriguing releases under his own name.

“The Meeting (Tana Dery Na)” has a cadence not unlike a person advancing on tiptoes, hoping to remain undetected. Bassist Lober’s twisting motion around the roots of that cadence is particular nice, made more so in the way pianist Escreet shadows his motion, and then later Baum on flute. With the latter bit of interplay, it gets to where it’s difficult to identity who is shadowing who… is it Lober’s bass trailing stealthily behind or is it Baum’s flute that is leading the pursuit?

“Ants and Other Faithful Beings” is all groove, cool groove. The Afro-Brazilian rhythmic attack from Torres and Hirshfield on congas and drums sets the table for all the solos to come, and doesn’t let anybody leave the table, no matter how much they might try. Escreet’s piano section attempts, at times, to set a new course, but the rhythm section digs that groove deep and doesn’t relinquish it.

“In Another Life” is the first moment when the ensemble takes its foot off the gas pedal. A melancholy tune that features trumpet and piano. Flute is like the cooing of doves. Conversely, “Monkeys of Gokarna Forest” crackles with free flowing electricity, with Escreet’s piano providing the biggest charge.

“While We Are Here (for Elise NeeDell Babcock)” proceeds at a healthy clip, moving at a quick but patient speed that allows the music to breathe. Yates’ bass clarinet shades the melody with dark colors, adds warmth to the harmony.

“Richie’s Lament (for Richie Beirach)” slows things back down, with the dreamy harmonizing between ElSaffar and Komer on trumpet and French horn providing the greatest rewards, though only barely in comparison to the twists and twirls of Yates’ bass clarinet section.

“The Game” rides a pretty melody across the length of a chipper tune. ElSaffar’s trumpet takes it nice and slow, while Shepik chatters excitedly on guitar, leading into a series of brief, talkative solos. “In a Nutshell” is a composition that delights in tangled melodic threads that sometimes get frayed at their ends. “Inner Voices” has the various instruments running tight orbits around one another, like a series of concentric circles rotating in opposite directions and at different speeds.

The album ends with a medley of sorts. It opens with the sweetly soft “Sweet Pain,” a composition that elicits imagery of moonlight on the water’s surface, and presents the sonic qualities that would serve as the perfect soundtrack to that scene. This transitions into a reprise of opening track “Nusrat,” offering up the speedy melody to close the album out.

Just a thrilling album. It’s a recording that thinks big.

Your album personnel: Jamie Baum (flute, alto flute, flute d’amore), Amir ElSaffar (trumpet), Brad Shepik (guitar), Douglas Yates (alto sax, bass clarinet), Chris Komer (French horn), John Escreet (piano, Fender Rhodes), Zachary Lober (bass), Jeff Hirshfield (drums), and guests: Samuel Torres (congas), Dan Weiss (tabla) and Taylor Haskins (trumpet).

Released on Sunnyside Records.

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

Jazz from NYC.

Available at: Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

A portion of my introductory paragraph was originally used in my Jazz Picks weekly article for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to that reprinted material, as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2013 eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig. Cheers.

By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0 • Tags: Jamie Baum, Sunnyside Records

Aug 12 2013

Recommended: Joel Harrison 19 – “Infinite Possibility”

Historically, guitarist Joel Harrison has excelled at crafting music into a warped beauty unlike that of any other. Perhaps most impressive is, despite his talent at differentiation, his music doesn’t venture too far out into the category of Something Different; in fact, it consistently sounds just a few modifications away from a straight-ahead modern jazz album. That contrast goes a long way to explaining why his music is so thoroughly fulfilling. It’s not unlike the effect one might have seeing a person hovering just a few inches off the ground… close enough to reach out and touch, but separated by a distance that might as well be miles, because, well, the person is actually flying.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Harrison continues this trend on his initial foray into the big band medium. Infinite Possibility doesn’t sound so far removed from a traditional big band recording that it’d get filed under avant-garde or experimental, but by the sheer act of hovering just a couple inches off the ground, the album transforms into something quite dramatic and new.

Your album personnel: Joel Harrison (electric guitar), JC Sanford (conductor), Michel Gentile (flute), Ned Rothenberg (sax, clarinet, flute), Ben Kono (sax, oboe, english horn, flute), Donny McCaslin (tenor sax), Ben Wendel (tenor sax), Rob Scheps (tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Andy Laster (baritone sax), Seneca Black (trumpet), Taylor Haskins (trumpet), Dave Smith (trumpet), Justin Mullens (trumpet), Alan Ferber (trombone), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Ben Stapp (tuba), Joseph Daley (tuba, euphonium), Daniel Kelly (piano, keyboards), Kermit Driscoll (bass), James Shipp (vibes, marimba, hand percussion), Rob Garcia (drums), and guests: Everett Bradley (vocals) and Liala Biali (vocals).

One of the most rewarding moments of a large ensemble performance are those delicate moments of fragile beauty, expressed without ignoring the Big Sound so readily available to a larger unit. And when that ensemble develops the song’s intensity, building up to a boisterous euphoria a large ensemble is so capable of, and then letting it come back down gently… that’s an evocative turn of events that has the potential to leave listeners deliriously addicted to a particular piece.

This ensemble takes to flight throughout the recording, but it’s an odd sort of flight. Harrison, who has shown in the past with other projects an avid willingness to toy with complexities, continues to do so here, whether it be through shifting gears at unexpected intervals and incorporating folk song dialects into the album lexicon, but also in bringing instruments like oboe, marimba, and euphonium into the big band fold… not to mention his personal contributions on electric guitar, which don’t always adhere to conventional forms of engagement.

And that’s how this album opens… the gentle play of vibes and piano and a soulful vocal section by Everett Bradley, they all lead into a build up to a penultimate climax before floating gently back down to the enfolding embrace of its introduction.

The album goes through many changes, often with an alarming suddenness, but the ensemble’s motion has a fluid grace that presents abrupt change as a breathless continuum.

Once the bob-and-weave of “Dockery Farm” finds its range, Harrsion’s electric guitar presents itself as the primary threat, searing a pattern of heat across the song’s horizon… a horizon that includes a subdued piano solo and some playful moments with trombone and trumpet.

“Remember” builds slowly from a harmonic ground floor, slowly rising until the ensemble attains some serious altitude, matching it with a corresponding rise in volume… then falling slowly back down to its starting point.

Arguably, the album’s highlight is “The Overwhelming Infinity Of Possibility,” which sets down its roots with a pulsing meter that hints at compositions by the likes of John Adams and Steve Reich. Once it gets a little punchy, the ensemble just launches itself out of the gates. A shimmering electricity that sounds torn between a free form expression and getting its groove on, the ensemble displays a kinetic energy that derives a commanding expressiveness from its acrobatic motion as much as from the way notes crazily ricochet off one another. The song fades away in a swarm of fluttering horns, and in that peculiar Joel Harrison way, it just makes sense.

“Blue Lake Morning” hovers between euphoric exaltation and a folklore earthiness, wheras “Highway” begins with a calm resolve that develops into a surging exuberance. And in both instances, the ensemble returns to the peaceful state from whence they began… In the case of the former, slowly gliding back down to earth and gradually coming to a stop. And for the album closer, the song gently flutters back down, and lands with the lightest touch.

A gorgeous recording.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Jazz from the Brooklyn scene.

Available at Bandcamp. Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

*****

And as a final note, for those of you unfamiliar with this handy tip in exploring more Jazz… one of the best methods for discovery (other than reading my totally awesome site) is by simply checking out the recordings put out by the album’s other personnel. Definitely check out more Joel Harrison recordings (of which I think I’ve got two others reviewed on this site), but also check out recordings by the other musicians listed above. Almost every name on that list has been involved in a quality project over the last 18 months… many of which have been reviewed either on this site and/or mentioned in one of my eMusic Jazz Picks columns.

Jacob Garchik recorded an album that made my Best of 2012 list. Ben Wendel was part of a duo album (with pianist Dan Tepfer) which will almost certainly make my Best of 2013 list. Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly & Rob Garcia released an album in 2013 that received a warm reception on my site. Curtis Fowlkes, aside from performing on my favorite Bill Frisell album of all time (Quartet), not to mention one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen (in support of Quartet), also performed on Billy Martin’s Wicked Knee. Not sure I’ve reviewed anything by Taylor Haskins on this site, yet, but he’s pretty damn phenomenal, and I’m lining up a couple of his older albums for a Safety Net review series column. Alan Ferber just released a big band album of his own that got me spinning deliriously in my chair the first time I heard it a couple weeks back. And speaking of Frisell, Kermit Driscoll contributed to some of Frisell’s other great works, not to mention some solid work with his own name in large type. Okay, I’ll stop there.

Have fun searching! And don’t get overwhelmed by it all. You can do anything wrong, and there’s nothing but great music out there waiting for you.

Cheers.

By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0 • Tags: Joel Harrison, Sunnyside Records

Jul 30 2013

Recommended: Laszlo Gardony – “Clarity”

The best solo performance albums bring an intimacy to the affair that locks the listener in place. A byproduct of the interaction between musician and instrument is the creation of an inviting environment which draws the listener in, and, ultimately, the two-way interaction of musician-instrument becomes a triangle.

It’s not a question of easy tempos or gentle melodies. Songs can be upbeat and abrupt and dissonant. The key is in not breaking the bond between listener and musician, a risk that increases as the voices present on a particular recording decreases. However, risk aside, the solo performance is an opportunity for the musician to embrace the innate vulnerability that incubates within the solitude of just musician and instrument. To share that with the listener can have a transformative effect.

On Clarity, the new release by piano veteran Laszlo Gardony, the album isn’t an album. The speakers become a window that opens upon a small room, empty of everything but Gardony and his piano. The album transforms the music into a live event, spontaneous and full of life and profound thoughtfulness.

Your album personnel: Laszlo Gardony (piano).

The album is a series of meditative pieces, and possess an interconnectedness that persists even after the silence drops between one song’s end and the beginning of the next.

Opening track “Settling of a Racing Mind” flirts with a rambunctious attitude, but slips into an introspective reverie that leads into second track “Surface Reflections” without missing a bit. The tone set is one thick with cerebral weightiness and an accompanying shot to the heart.

“Looking Deeper” takes things from a melancholic depth to a higher elevation… an ambling staggered cadence, notes falling in quick succession, hints of gospel, hints of pop, and all of it thoughtfully expressed. “Finding Strength” is its more cheerful counterpart.

“Better Place” quickens the pulse and thickens the blues. Upbeat in that special way that the blues can still be hopeful while conveying a sense of weariness… a smile and a sadness. “Opened Window (Hopeful Horizon)” and “Tempering” push the envelope of that ratio, whereas subsequent song “Resilient Joy” brings a folk charm to a tune that possesses the exuberant heart of a stride and the soul of a blues. Album closer “Resolution (Perfect Place)” ends with an equally upbeat tone, but stated with a calm restraint.

And it all sounds like the music was delivered in person, just the musician, the piano, and you.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Jazz from the Boston scene.

Available at Bandcamp. Available at eMusic.

Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

*****

As I was creating links for this review, I noticed Gardony’s background on this album, located on the About Me page of his site. It makes for some very insightful reading on his own thoughts about Clarity. You can read it on his site HERE.

By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0 • Tags: Laszlo Gardony, Sunnyside Records

May 20 2013

When it all comes together: Dayna Stephens – “That Nepenthetic Place”

There are few things quite as rewarding as following a musician’s career, witness their development as they forge their particular sound, and then, one day, hear it all wondrously coalesce into a recorded piece of excellence. That’s what has taken place with the new release from saxophonist Dayna Stephens, titled A Nepenthetic Place.

Today, firmly situated in post-bop territory, Stephens creates the kind of modern jazz that is just as home in the stereos of old-school and new-school Jazz fans alike. But his first two albums, while both solid in their own right, didn’t want to sit still. His debut, the 2007 release Timeless Now, flitted about between a rock influenced nu-jazz, a fully-centered post bop, and some modern R&B stylings. It presented different facets of Stephen’s music, and made for a fine introduction. 2012’s Today is Tomorrow was crafted with harder edges and sharper angles, accentuated nicely by the guitar of Julian Lage, but it flipped between an updated hard bop sound and the type of post-bop jazz that fully embraces avant-garde constructs. The ideas presented on Today is Tomorrow are raw… a trait that lets creativity present itself without inhibition. It’s the kind of thing that makes a listener look forward to what comes next.

His third album as session leader, Stephens brings back some familiar faces while adding some new ones to the mix. Most notable is the absence of a guitar from the line-up, a decision which frees up the music to no small effect, while adding an extra saxophone to the line-up brings a harmonic element that didn’t quite manifest in prior recordings. Ultimately, the symbiosis between group members has to be counted among the top reasons for this album’s success. This music possesses a unity that makes it so much bigger than an accounting of its individual elements.

Your album personnel: Dayna Stephens (tenor sax), Taylor Eigsti (piano), Joe Sanders (bass), Justin Brown (drums), Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Jaleel Shaw (alto sax), and guest: Gretchen Parlato (vocals).

This is an album with a strong presence and fast on its feet, and even on tracks like “American Tycoon” and “A Walk in the Park,” in which the ensemble lays off the gas pedal a bit, those songs possess an inner intensity that doesn’t go unnoticed. Most tracks have dense centers of gravity, but there are moments, like on “Dr. Wong’s Bird Song,” when the track becomes momentarily diffuse and free of structure. This has the effect of enhancing the music’s overall form.

The harmonic teamwork between Stephens, Akinmusire and Shaw (on saxophones & trumpet) is terrifically uplifting, and when Eigsti’s piano flutters about their flight pattern, it provides some necessary edge to balance the harmonic warmth. On drums, Brown utilizes a whirlwind approach to build the intensity of the music while also corralling musicians who threaten to stray too far from the center of things. Sanders brings a sense of rhythmic reliability to the affair, but there are some nifty moments when he sneaks the bass outside and runs wild. Parlato has a nice guest spot on “But Beautiful,” adding a hint of delicacy that the ensemble can’t help but emulate.

Some particularly memorable sections:

The warm flush of trumpet and sax on the opening of “Full Circle,” and then later, as drums and piano maintain a steady chatter as balance.

The gentle sway of “Nepenthetic,” and the way its unhurried expressiveness lets the emotions come to a gradual boil.

“Common Occurrences” and the rendition of Coltrane’s “Impressions” provide the musicians the opportunity to breathe plenty of fire and fury into their solos.

The deep resonance of bass and bright notes of piano on “A Walk in the Park,” and how a pleasant demeanor, briefly, lets loose with wild expressiveness.

But that’s just a few, on an album that is filled with memorable tunes. One of the stronger releases, thus far, in 2013, and an impressive step up in Stephens’ recording career.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Jazz from the Bay Area of California.

Available at Bandcamp. Available at eMusic. Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

*****

Worth noting that Stephens brings his tenor sax to Erik Jekabson‘s Anti-Mass, which was slotted as the Bird is the Worm #8 best album of 2012. Review here.

By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0 • Tags: Dayna Stephens, Sunnyside Records

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