Six Quick Hits

Wrapping up notes on a lot of CDs that are sitting on my desk. Not included are the big releases that you will read about elsewhere.  Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett, Joshua Redman, Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, Michel Camilo, and Christian McBride all have CDs out or out momentarily. I have heard each and can recommend any of them.

But what of the ones that are not getting as much publicity, that are not necessarily by "name brand" musicians. Here is a small list of those that I am enjoying:

Neil Cowley Trio, "Live at Montreux 2012 (Eagle Music 2013): Live music by a really interesting modern piano trio from the U.K. All original music, modern approach, great energy. First class modern jazz.

Omar Sosa, "Eggun" (Ota Records 2013): Sosa is an outstanding pianist with a series of great CDs. This one is called the Afri-Lectric Experience, but the electronic portions are really very subtle and non-intrusive to what is a terrific piece of accoustical music. Commissioned as a tribute to "Kind of Blue" the all original music has the same quiet, mellow feeling and spirit of the original. Forget the labels and enjoy the music.

Will Calhoun, "Life in This World" (Motema 2013): Calhoun hits a home run on this CD as leader. The ecclectic Calhoun on drums is joined by a stellar cast --- Mary Cary on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Charnett Moffett on bass, Donald Harrison on saxes, Wallace Roney on trumpet are the most notable names joining in the fun. It's modern mainstream music that covers a range of sounds over several originals as well as covers of such tunes as "Naima", "Evidence" and "Love for Sale". Solid music, lots of great soloists, and several electric moments. 

Carsten Dahl, "Solo Piano: Dreamchild" (Storyville 2013): Dahl has been written about here on several occasions. He is a creative composer who has written 10 songs here called "Dreamchild #1 -#10". Each is a minature tone poem of beautiful measured lyricism. Quiet introspection. 

Justin Robinson, "In the Spur of the Moment" (WJ3 Records 2013): This is one of those CDs I bought based on the label and the contributing band members. The label WJ3 is Willie Jones' label, and Jones is an accomplished drummer who has a string of very good CDs himself. Here is plays in support of Robinson on alto sax, and is joined by Larry Willis on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Roy Hargrove on trumpet. With that cast I figured this had to be good and it is. Robinson is strong on the alto on songs by Monk, Coltrane, Parker and others, and the band cooks. Great debut.

SFJazz Collective, "Wonder" the Songs of Stevie Wonder" (SFJazz 2013): The SFJazz Collective takes one composer each yeaar to study. The band members arrange one song from the artist's songbook and write their own songs in the artist's style. In the past they have studied Coltrane, Tyner, Silver, Coleman, Monk and last year Stevie Wonder. In addition to the annual CD produced already for Wonder's music, this is a set of eight of his songs from a live performance at New York University. Arrangements were by band members Miguel Zenon (alto), Stefon Harris (vibes), Robin Eubanks (trombone), Matt Penman (bass), Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Mark Turner (tenor), Eric Harland (drums), and Edward Simon (piano), the eight musicians who comprise the current roster. A very accomplished little big band and another big time production.

Buckets of great new music lately, and more to come.

Four More Trios: Outside Looking In

Of the group of piano trios I picked out a couple of weeks ago, these are the furthest outside of the mainstream, but not so far as to be called avant guard or free jazz, etc. Each is characterized by strong melodic lines, with a combination of written and improvised play. Finally, the idea was to pick out trios that wer just that, trios of piano, bass (or stringed instrument) and drums (or percussion) with no guest appearances by wind or brass instruments. Purely trios. One of the three herein breaks the mold a bit, but the other three do not. Anyway....

The first is Hiromi's latest, "Move" (Telarc 2012) with Anthony Jackson on contrabass guitar and Simon Phillips on drums. Perhaps not so out there after all, Hiromi is well-established by now with a host of earlier CDs as a bombastic, enthusiastic, agile, and original pianist. Here her goal was to present a suite of songs that describe her day, from wakening through going to sleep, and much of the original compositions are nicely written with some lovely melodies and interplay with the band. Unfortunately, once again Hiromi emphasizes dexterity, creativity and speed but not so much when it comes to dynamics, contrasts, and expression. I do not wake up this quickly, and surely am more tired out at the end of the day, so the arc of the day here is limited. This is very much a "look at me" production. I have to say I do like the music and there is a time and place to listen to Hiromi, particularly when I am looking for something lively and spirited, but her CDs can get to be tiring to listen to in one sitting given the limited range of expression. She is dazzling no doubt, and when she does go mellow, as she does for parts of "Endeavor", and quite a lot for "Brand New Day" it can be charming to hear. If you like Hiromi, and I do, then you will like this CD, but maybe like me in small servings.

"Space is the Place" (Storyville 2012) is a trio recording by Carsten Dahl on piano, Arild Andersen on bass, and Jon Christiansen on drums, all familiar names from the Northern Europe chamber jazz scene as well as from ECM recordings. This is very much in that same mode, very peaceful music that never goes over the top, and very textured with the addition of bells, chimes, inside piano play, and other percussive effects. It is an album you will feel as much as hear. It is more sound-based than melodically driven, and the space referred  to is clearly not outer-space but the space between notes, and the inner space of one's perceptions. All of the compositons are from Dahl, and his notes refer to his goal to provide a lot of freedom to explore sounds and melodies, and he achieves this with a wonderfully recorded session.

Third on this post is a group I never thought I would sit down, listen to, and enjoy --- Medeski, Martin and Wood, but I have to say that I love their latest, the all-acoustic "Free Magic" (Indirecto 2012). In fact, since listening to it I have dipped back into their discography and have purchased their only other two acoustic CDs, "Live at Tonic" (Blue Note 2000)  and their first, "Notes from the Underground" (Accurate Jazz 1992). Yes, there are still some very frantic parts to each of the recordings, but when they settle in their trio plays pretty conventionally, with the emphasis on melodic interplay and clean lines and imporvisations. There are five tracks in all, with the last one being the only cover, a mash-up of "Nostalgia in Times Square" by Mingus and "Angel Race" by Sun Ra, and despite the known proclivities of the two composers to go to the edges this track is really great stuff and great interpretations of the songs within the trio context. "Blues for Another Day", the second track, starts out with a wild four minute whirlwind of sound, kind of an "uh-oh", but then settles into a relaxed piano blues that slowly goes from a piano solo into a more driven trio blues, with some strong use of the high hat to drive it along. It is a wow piece attributed to Medeski. Track 4, "Where's Sly", is another Medeski piece that starts with the piano in the bass clef playing another blues in a middle tempo, and then picks up into a near frenzy until it settles back again after about 7 minutes. There are all sorts of sounds and textures, major dynamic shifts, and some outstanding play from the percussion by Martin that highlight this track. I strongly recommend this CD, and encourage others like me to give MM&W a chance.

Finally, another musician who I have taken to, at least in certain settings, is John Zorn.  I have posted about him before, "Stretching Out: Discovering John Zorn" (March 13), and this time around I draw your attention to "A Vision in Blakelight" (Tzadik 2012) which is a bit more than a trio recording but still confined to percussion instruments:  John Medeski on piano and organ, Kenny Wollesen on vibes and bells, Carol Emanuel on harp, Trevor Dunn on bass, Joey Baron on drums, and Cyro Baptista on percussion. (One track has a narrator reading from Blake's Jersusalem but I myself skip through it) All of the music was writtenand arranged by Zorn. Some of the works are based on strong melodies and others are more like watercolors with lots of interesting effects from a wide range of sounds. ther are several pieces where I thought of the music of Ronin or The Necks, but with a bit more movement provided; others were more strongly rooted in melody lines and a trio setting. Watercolors in sound, the music engenders feelings of mystery and of the mystical as it weaves through the ten pieces. The packaging is terrific as well, with some outstanding paintings of angels that convey the same sense of mystery.  Zorn's musical compositions are unlike those of any others I can think of and a listen to this CD will be a rewarding experience for those willing to try.

Ed Thigpen's "The Element of Swing": Find It!

Ed Thigpen Rhythm Features
The Element of Swing
Stunt Records 2002

Find this disc, put it on, and listen to a simply great session among the three trio members -- Thigpen on drums, Jesper Bodilsen on bass, and Carsten Dahl on piano -- and the featured guest, Joe Lovano, on tenor sax, and once on bass clarinet. This is a great live session, recorded beautifully at the Copenhagen Jazz house in 2001.

I am not so sure everyone remembers who Ed Thigpen was (he passed away at age 79 in 2010), as he lived in Copenhagen since 1972 and mostly toured and taught in Europe, and recorded only a few times on some smaller or foreign  labels like Stunt or Japan's Pony Canyon. In his heyday,  Ed Thigpen was most famous for his longtime work in the Oscar Peterson Trio, but he got his start earlier playing with Cootie Williams from 1951-1952, Dinah Washington (1954), Lennie Tristano, Johnny Hodges, Bud Powell, and Billy Taylor's Trio (1956-1959).  He was known for his quiet yet swinging style and brushwork, and was a perfect team member with Peterson and bassist Ray Brown for 10 years. After leaving Peterson, Thigpen worked with Ella Fitzgerald during 1966-1972, and finally settled in Copenhagen in 1972.  In Europe, he continued playing with the who's who of jazz, and then the group Rhythm Features in 1998.

The two Danes in the trio, Carsten Dahl and Jesper Bodilsen, are also not well known here in the U.S. but are major players on the European scene. Dahl actually began his career as a drummer, studying with Thigpen, but quikly changed to piano and has led countless trios on the Stunt and Storyville labels. I would recommend a listen of his 2011 recording on Storyville "Effata." in particular. Bodilsen has been mostly a support player, but his support has been for many of the top names in jazz piano like Kasper Villaume, Stephano Bollani, and George Colligan.

For the band's second recording, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano joins, and the live concert is nothing short of spectacular. While Lovano is out front on many of the songs, there is ample oportunity for each of the others to demonstratae thier abilities and proclivities to swing. The works were written by band members along with a pair of great songs, "Lonnie's Lament" by John Coltrane and Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," the latter played so gorgeously it can make you cry.   The group struts its stuff on the toe-tapping opener "Sweet Mama", plays a great bop song with solos by Dahl and Lovano on "Hello Joe" demonstrates a great feel for the blues on "Like Blues", and burn it out on ETP.

Simply put, this is great stuff by great players and should be high up on anyone's list of purchases. Great melodies are played mostly inside for the traditionalists, but there is so much great improvisation that it will please those who want the music to burn a bit. Lovano's tenor is controlled, round, and warm throughout, even when he burns, and Dahl's mastery of the keyboards will surprise those who have never heard him

Put this on your must list.