The Round-up: This is where we’re at

Here is some very good new music

Anat Fort Trio – Colour (Sunnyside Records)

There’s a comforting fireplace presence to the latest from Anat Fort, and in the way she brings a melody to light, there’s also a hypnotic effect not unlike the flickering motion of flames dancing off the surface of wood.  Influences of modern jazz, blues, gospel and folk shift back and forth, exerting their influence just enough to be felt, while maintaining an equilibrium between the different forms of expression that color the album’s pieces.  This is music that will fit any time or place.  Long-time collaborators bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider contribute to this session, and thus continue a long and fruitful partnership with Fort.  Music from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Artist site | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Fergus McCreadie Trio – Turas (Self-Produced)

A really strong debut from Fergus McCreadie.  The pianist lets the melody speak with a bold voice, and then lets it linger long after his trio has begun seeing where it will take them.  That kind of resonance especially pays off when they circle back to the opening statement, and so there’s a satisfying sense of returning home.  Along with bassist David Bowden and drummer Stephen Henderson, McCreadie’s trio sticks primarily to a modern straight-ahead sound for piano trio, a style particularly represented by Brad Mehldau.  And that works to this music’s favor, where harmonic potential is the doorway to melodic exploration.  This is actually the second time recently that McCreadie has made an appearance in a Round-up column.  Music from Glasgow, Scotland.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

Elisha, Carter, Harlos & Elisha – Before or After (EYEtone Records)

What carries this album along is the way in which a focused intensity is maintained even during the performance’s sparsest moments.  Pianist Haim Elisha, wind instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist Jeremy Harlos and drummer-percussionist Ehran Elisha exhibit a chamber sensibility in the course of free improvisation roaming tendencies, and it creates fertile soil in which to nurture the natural tension created by shaking free of a self-imposed structure.  Music from NYC.

No artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

Max Johnk Quartet – allweather (Self-Produced)

There’s all kinds of straight-ahead goodness on the sophomore release from Max Johnk.  The bassist and his quartet with tenor saxophonist Chris Schuster, trombonist Steve Wallevand and drummer Joel Beseler-Thompson find the right balance between melodic warmth and rhythmic heat, and gets it to where one feeds off the other in an unending cycle of lively energy.  Those interactions between the musicians when they’re all moving in different directions while keeping a tight center of focus to make the motion seem completely in sync is when the quartet shines strongest.  Music from Fargo, North Dakota.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

Kliment Angelovski Trio – Inquistion (PMG Recordings)

Well, this is a fun and intriguing session.  Guitarist Kliment Angelovski, accordionist Gjorgji Serafimovski and percussionist Mihail Parushev have created an album that has a presence as thick as a fog, and just as ethereal.  There’s a looseness to the delivery that is plenty appealing, and just the nature of its unconventional sound makes it tough to stop listening.  It appears this session was recorded back in ’96 and just now seeing the light of day.  Not sure exactly, but I definitely wanted to get a quick mention in.  Music from Macedonia.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp