The Kids are All Right!

"Hang Time" (Tapestry 2013) is a set of music by two bands at the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, one directed by Greg Gisbert and one by Eric Gunnison.

All of the music was written and played by the students, who were grouped into Group Giz, an octet, and Group Gunn, a septet. What the pieces say, first and foremost, is that htere are any number of outstanding young musicians coming out of conservatories around the country (in addition to those coming up through non-conservatory paths), and that jazz should be in good hands for at least the near future. The music here is largely mainstream, derived from the foundations of swing, bop, and post bop, wqith individual touches adding latin, rhythm and blues, and other streams. The music changes from cut to cut ans the composers do, but the solid play is always there, highlighted by some hard working tenors and altos in particular. "Gotta Listen" is a nice funk piece, while "Buenas" stands out for its latin inflections. A big band piece, "Home" is well rounded and give  the ensemble a real chance to demonstrate its tightness and swing sounds.

Nothing showy, nothing spectacular, but a clear demonstration that there are many excellent young players who will be worth following in the future. And kudos to their instructors, here and at all the other schools teaching the next generation.

Flutes, Flutes, and More Flutes!

This one's pretty simple -- if you like flutes in jazz you'll love this recording. If not, you have two choices, pass or listen and change your mind.

Ali Ryerson's Jazz Flute Big Band Gamer Changer" (Capri Records 2013) is Ryerson's reminder to the jazz community that the flute should be a mainstream instrument. Even given its history in jazz with players like Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws, Sam Most, Frank Wess an others, the flute is still mostly a second instrument for sax players and a lesser light in jazz combos and writings. Ryerson note how many jazz flautists have stories of rejection in the world of jazz education, something expereinced first hand by my daughter in high school, and when flutes are featured, many see the music as too light, too close to the world of smooth jazz.

What a shame. Jazz flute is a beautiful sounding instrument, whether it be the standard flute, alto or bass or contra bass flute, all featured herein, and Ryerson intends to demonstrate their beauty by assembling not one, two, or three flutes for her band, but 19 flutes in a wonderful chorus, backed by a rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums.

Let's meet the flautists:  Ryerson, Holly Hoffman, Hubert Laws, Nestor Torres, Marc Adler, Jamie Baum, Andrea Brachfield, Fernando Brandao, Bob Chadwick, Kris Keith, Billy Kerr, Paul Lieberman, Keith Underwood, Richard Ford, Zachary Kellogg, Rachel Rogers, Jonathan Royce, Donna Sevcovic, and Stan Slotter.  Hoffman, Laws, and Torres are highlighted as soloists.

And the rhythm section:  Mark Levine on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Akira Tana on drums and percussion.

This is a labor of love that took a decade to put together for Ryerson, and a remarkable one at that. When played as a chorus, the various flutes -- alto, tenor, bass -- sound much like the sax section of a big band, with nice harmonies, chordal arrangements, and selected soloists. When a single flute steps out for a solo, the combinations are lovely to hear. The rhythm section plays a key role in keeping the beat, providing the solid flooring underneath, and creating a few powerful solos themselves.

The jazz ensemble takes on a set of standards and brings a new shine to them, soft and endearing as flutes are, but also toe-tapping and dynamic as the best of jazz ensembles are. Songs include "Daahoud", "Stolen Moments", "Con Alma" and seven more.  It's a mainstream tour de force for jazz flutes. Sure it's light on the ears, but it's not light jazz. It's a full throated jazz CD asking you to reconsider the role of the flute, and it succeeds brilliantly.

Reykjavik: A Haven for Music Lovers

Enjoyed my time in Iceland, mostly touring the incredible countryside full of fjords, geysers, hot steam fields, mountains, glaciers, lava formations, volcanos......and seeing whales, puffins, and seals in their natural habitats.

We spent a couple of days in Reykjavik as well, a really lovely city of charming buildings, parks, and general calm. And of music of all types, including the music of the Reykjavik Jazz Festival. Some of Iceland's rock music stars are well known in the U.S. already -- Sigur Ros, Bjork, and Of Monsters and Men -- while the jazz musicians are less known. I will have a post on them shortly, but today want to comment on the availability of CDs and vinyl at not one, two, or three stores, but at four music stores as well as at several bookstores. And this is not just rock, but also classical, jazz, folk etc. from Iceland, Europe and the U.S. Reykjavik is basically a music lover's dream location, four plus stores located in easy walking distance of each other.

The first and foremost store to visit  is 12 Tonar, where music is featured, discussed, heard, and sold like it should be. Be prepared to spend a while here at the most comfortable and accomodating music store I havea seen in ages. The collections are strong in each area, particularly with European labels and especially Icelandic labels including their own imprimateur for the jazz collection. Customers can open any CD they like, and can listen on one of about a dozen CD walkmen located around the shop next to comfortable easy chairs and couches. The store staff offers espresso while one listens along with knowledgable advice or information if requested. Here is a link to an article from Gramophone magazine about the store with more details and praise.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/blog/the-gramophone-blog/the-best-record-store-in-the-world

and from Buzzfeed, this link has 12 Tonar, with interior pictures, right below Amoeba Records:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mariasherm/best-record-stores-around-the-world

 

Where do you go from here? That is actually an easy choice. Just as 12 Tonar features a great selection of new music, Geisladiskabud Valda has an overwhelming amount of used CDs, vinyl, and DVDs stuffed into a very small space just up the street. It is an incredible treasure hunter's delight, piles and piles of all types of music from all over the world. Jazz is but a small part of the collections but pretty strong for the used CD/vinyl hunter. there were probably about 200 CDs of Icelandic jazz in two columns, and then another four columns of general jazz CDs, belwo which had to be at least 100 Miles Davis CDs, and then a large number of Coltrane and Rollins also separated out. And then to top it off there were boxes that had yet to be sorted and shelved with more jazz. I picked up some used Icelandic music by ADHD and Joel Palsson at about half of what they were priced at in the other stores, plus a 1979 ECM CD by George Adams called "Sound Suggestions."  Lots of ECM in fact on the shelves. And for  those who like 60s rock, there were huge selectrions of music by the Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, The Doors, Bob Dylan and others right up front. A great place to spend a day browsing if one has the time.

The next store to visit is associated with a local record label,  Smekkleysa (Bad Taste) Records, which largely produces indie music including music by the Sugar Cubes and Sigurd Ros. While most of the music is geared to other genres like rock and indie, there is a small but effective area committed to jazz CDs, and people who have an interest and knowledge of the Icelandic jazz scene. Not the best place to go first, but a nice place to check in on for random selections and to discuss possible selections with a knowledgeable salesperson.

Those are the three independent record stores in Reykjavik, but there are several other places to buy music, including jazz. One is Skifan, a more mainstream store with a more mainstream vibe. Plenty of music there including jazz, but the jazz selection is limited for the most part to the most recent issues and some compilatoins and such from non-Icelandic sources. Still, just having a store like this with a jazz collection is a plus in most places these days, so hooray for Skifan.  

The other places to get jazz CDs would be bookstores, of which Eymundsson is the largest and best known chain in Iceland, with two stores in downtown Reykjavik. The downtown store in the City Center has an excellent collection of jazz and was willing to play one or two CDs if asked, and is a definite placae to vist since each store seemed to have one or two CDs that others did not. A note here -- if you are ever in Akeyuri in the north, which is a charming little town, the Eymundsson there has an overwehlming jazz CD collection (and a great English book section (like in Reykjavik as well)where I was able to purchase the newest books by two of my favorite Icelandic mystery writers, Arnaldur Indridisson and Yrsa Siggursdottir before they have been published here.) Anyway, I do recommend a visit to Eymundsson for music and books. And good coffee as well.

So that's it, a gold mine for those interested in new listening experiences. I was returning for a second time to Iceland so I was aware of some of the music, but found a number of new and interesting players or bands --- Hot Eskimos and ADHD had not been on my radar before, while new music was there from K Trio, Agnar Mar Magnusson and others for me to hear. In all I picked out 19 CDs to take back with me, and I intend to produce a post about them shortly. Suffice it to say that being able to listen to most of them beforehand was incredible, a real return to the days of yesteryear around here, and allowed me to pick and choose -- I acutally did reject about as many as I took. 

Iceland is a great place to visit for its beauty, its people, and its music. We are already planning to go back to see the Southeast and Eastern fjords that we have yet to visit after two trips, and I will always look forward to grazing among the great record stores as well.  

  

The Impossible Gentlemen: "Internationally Recognised" (and Impossibly Good)

The new CD by the international quartet The Impossible Gentlemen hits the streets right after Labor Day. Called "Internationally Recognised" (Basho 2013), I am finding it even more enjoyable than their first, the self-titled CD for which they subsequently received this year's Parliamentary Award as the Jazz Ensemble of the Year. I hope this new CD will raise the profile of the group in the U.S., where they are still flying under the radar.  

The Impossible Gentleman is a jazz supergroup formed in 2010, whose members include The U.K.'s Gwilym Simcock and Mike Walker on piano and guitar respectively, and the U.S.'s Adam Nussbaum and Steve Swallow on drums and bass respectively. Steve Rodby sits in on two songs here on acoustic bass and also produced the recording. Simcock is a youthful and outstanding pianist and composer who has been featured on this blog before, and he wrote or co-wrote five of the eight pieces; Mike Walker wrote or co-wrote five as well, while Steve Swallow wrote one. The play as would be expected from such a telented group is uniformly tight throughout and quite varied from song to song.

The lead-off piece "Heute Loiter" comes right out of the 70s fusion movement, with Walker out front on the electric guitar supported by the engaging rhythms provided by Nussbaum on the kit and Swallow's solid bass. It's followed in turn by a more melodic and even flowing "Just to See You" where the melody is in the hands of Swallow and Simcock, underpinned by the addition of Rodby's acoustic bass which allows Swallow to do his thing. It's a lovely little tune that features the lyricism of Simock as a composer and player.

"Modern Day Heroes" is another Simcock piece with additional parts added by Walker. It's introduced by Nussbaum on drums, and then Simcock and Swallow enter with a jaunty little melody. The tune trades back and forth between the bass, guitar, and piano, but the piano really drives this upbeat melody supported by the rest of the band. Very infectous toe-tapping music with a decidely strong beat and group ethos. Simcock takes a strong turn on the solo midway through the piece that is wonderfully light and airy and then plays back and forth with Walker until gradually Walker takes over with great support by Nussbaum.

"The Silver of Other Lovers" is a Mike Walker composition, written expressly for Simock, and to capture Walker's fascination with combining jazz, pop, and classical music into a "new, organic whole." Simcock steps in front here with a strict left-hand pattern and some really nice lyrical imrovisation from the right, as determined by Walker as composer. Walker backs up the piano later with some hard guitar phrases, and the whole thing comes together to create a fine piece. "Crank of Cam Bay" is a humorous piece based on a story of Steve Swallow's, but the narration of parts of the story interrupt the very fine piece of music and is more a distraction than anything else. I'm sure it sounded fun and wacky and reflected the crazy side of the group but to me it falls flat.

After that, the tightly constructed and marvelously played music continues with "Love in Unlikely Places" by Simcock and Walker, which is a small piece of beautiful, pastoral music between the piano and guitar. "Barber Blues" follows with a thoroughly modern take on the blues based on the methods of classical composer Samuel Barber, with angular melody lines and short vibrant solos from each member including the bass and drums. It's lively and rollicking.

"Ever After" closes the set with a Swallow tune, another delicate piece of lyrical charm, played quietly by Simcock first and then the others, with tasteful rhythms and colors by Nussbaum underneath. It's quiet, peaceful, and a clear counter-point the the previous tune, thus demonstrating the range and abilities of this marvelous band.

As I said, I enjoyed this CD more than the award-winning first one. I found it more lyrical, more tightly constructed, and at times playful and captivating. First Class.

Off on Vacation and the Reykjavik Jazz Festival

I'll be in Iceland beginning next week and into the following week and in a rare stroke of magic, for the second time this summer I will be at a jazz festival. Having been at the Montreal Jazz Festival in July, it is now time to turn to the Reykjavik Jazz Festival. I've written a bit about the fine jazz recordings I picked up two years ago when we were in Iceland, and have posted recently on the wonderful new recording by Sunna Gunnalaugs, so I am really looking forward to a couple of nights at the Festival once we are finished touring and settling back in Reykjavik for the end of our trip.

If you don't know Iceland or its jazz, or for that matter its literary history from its sagas to the modern mystery you are missing one of the great thrills of your life.

Back before the end of the month.

Two Mainstream CDs: Harold O'Neal and Peter King/Alan Skidmore

Here are two exciting, vibrant mainstream CDs that I received this past week that deserve your attention, one by some young up-and-comers in the U.S. and one by some old pros in the U.K..

First up, the young guns. From the U.S. comes Harold O'Neal's "Man on the Street" (BluRoc Records 2013), a modern mainstream CD led by the young pianist. O'Neal has two previous sessions as leader under his belt on the Smalls Label that I posted about on January 2, 2012. O'Neal is a wonderfully talented pianist and composer who was born in 1981 in Tanzania but was raised from age 3 in Kansas City. His mentors were Bobbby Watson and Andrew Hill, as well the music of classical composers like Franz Liszt, and his compositions demonstrate a blend of jazz and classical music along with the freedom of expression he garnered from widely varied education. The two previous sessions, Marvellous Fantasy (Smalls 2011) and Whirling Mantis (Smalls 2010) were a quartet and a solo outing, and for this effort O'Neal has another quartet that includes Marcus Strickland on sax, Marcus Gilmore on drums and Joe Sanders on bass. 

All the music is by O"Neal. The first piece, "The Dean of Swing" is a tour de force for Strickland who is out front for much of this modern hard bop (post bop?) piece until O"Neal picks up and runs with the tune late in the nine minute composition. The second piece "Is It This" is introduced by Strickland but quickly turns to O"Neal for an extended section of imaginative play. "The Ballad of Jean Grey" is a quieter, more introspective piece that O'Neal leads, demonstrating some more delicate and soulful play. Behind him Gilmore and Sanders keep the pace strong. "Gossamer's Lilt" continues with the softer side of the group and in this case is strictly a piano trio in which O'Neal is center stage with a quiet and moving tune. Strickland returns with another piece written for his lead, "Man on the Street" and he wails away with the others comping for him. The piece gets very high spirited and Strickland gets a bit shrill at times during his extended solo. "Childlike" returns the CD to a quieter place, with what sounds like a soprano sax and piano duet on a very nice, lyrical tune. It's just the two of them playing quietly, with no bass or drum support, and it is a highlight of the CD. "P.L.C" is a straight 50's style hard bop piece with parts for each member, and some nice soloing by Strickland on a more mellow tenor. O'Neal is up next and then Sanders with equally impressive solos. "Seraglio" starts with some classical piano runs that never let up; it is a solo piece for O"Neal and is closer to Debussy and Liszt than Parker and Monk. Beautiful, absolutely riveting. Finally, the CD ends with the soprano of Strickland leading the way on a mid-tempo song that finishes once again with the exquisite piano of O"Neal.

O'Neal is an exceptional young talent on the piano, as demonstrated on his early CDs and particulalry his solo piano set. Here is continues to shine, but also shines as a composer, with a wide palette and many interesting ideas that he expresses through diverse songs, interesting combinations, and particularly in writing for the sax of Strickland. This is a really nice CD of modern mainstream and impressionistic music that hints at more good things to come. My only complaint is the packaging -- no list of players, no credits on the songs -- makes it hard to know who's who and what's what.

From the U.K we have music from a veteran crew, led by sax players Peter King and Alan Skidmore on alto and tenor respectively, entitled "Forever Elvin" (Miles Music 2013), and also featuring Steve Melling on piano, Alec Dankworth on bass, and Martin Drew on drums. It's simply a hard dring hard bop homage to Elvin Hayes, seven extended pieces that give each player many chances to shine. Nothing fancy here, just good straight ahead play by these veterans. A lovely alto introduces "Body and Soul, and then the nine minute piece moves over to the piano of Melling and tenor of Skidmore as well. But overall it is Peter King's song. "E.J's" blues follows and returns to some real up tempo swinging play, begun by Skidmore and the hard charging drumming of Martin Drew, but also with solos for Melling and King. The tour de force here is the hard charging "Passion Dance", opened by the piano but turned over to the saxophones to drive it forward until Melling picks it up with a Tyner like solo. It has all the force and passion of the Tyner original(s) and blows up quite a storm. 

There is not a whole lot more to say. This is a wonderful live date full of passionate play by some skilled veterans of the U.K. scene.

Mellow Modern Sounds from Abroad

Four CDs that I picked up this week from bands and labels from overseas, respectively ECM, Storyville, ACT, and Pig records.

This past week Christian Wallumrod Ensemble released "Outstairs" (ECM 2013), which marks the ninth time the pianist has recorded for ECM as either a leader or sideman and the first release of this ensemble since 2010. Wallumrod has been recording since 1992 using themes from a wide range of sources and while this is broadly chamber jazz it is very sparse and intensely personal, far closer to the avant-garde and therefore takes a lot of patience and time to get used to. Wallumrod blends free-improv, avant-garde, Norwegian folk, early church music, and 20th century classical (think John Cage) into a quietly played stew. The instrumentation is unusual:   Wallumrod on piano, harmonium and toy piano; Eivind Lonning on trumpet, Gjermund Larsen on violin, hardanger fiddle, and viola; Espen Reinertsen on tenor sax; Tove Torngren on cello, and Per Oddvar Johansen on drums and vibes. But though it is a sextet, seldom are all the players involved at the same time, and the voicings vary greatly from song to song, making for some unusual sounds. The music is quiet, the impact is not in dynamic changes but rather in the different blends of the instruments and the use of lots of pauses and spaces between the notes.   "Stille Rock" opens the set with simple piano chords, unusually placed breaks, and quiet drumming that gradually comes front and center wtih the strings. It's strangely captivating, more drama than song.  "Bunadsbangla" is more tuneful, a simple folk melody, and "Tridili No 2" a song built on semi-calssical string sounds. "Beatknit" is perhaps the oddest song, with the piano striking a series of simple chords with various instruments providing contrasts and then the same simple rhythm is picked up by the drum until some ominous droning notes come in at barely pianisimo. This one is more about drama than melody and clearly the most avant-garde piece in the set. "Folkskiss" is anicely done little melody built on the accordion, whcih sounds like a church organ in this quiet setting. "Third Try" is another piece of the avant garde, a piece that begins with ominous tones from the percussion and simple quiet tones from the others, and stays there for three minutes. "Outstairs" is a small tune of delicate melodies and spaces and unusual sounds. "Exp" closes with the most lyrical piece, a piano driven melody that gradually includes the entire ensemble in an impressionistic tune played quietly at a very slow pace.  

Lots of modernism and quiet drama here but not lot of melodies or lyricism. Fascinating music/sounds but not for the faint of heart.   

The Morten Haxholm Quartet's "Equilibrium" (Storyville 2013) is a nice set of modern mainstream jazz that caught my eye because of the sidemen to Haxholm, a Danish bass player --- Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, Ari Hoenig on drums, and Frederick Menzies on tenor sax. Its a nice set of eight pieces with a couple of standards including "Night and Day" and six compositions by Haxholm. Haxholm's compositions are bright, played in unusual keys, and scored to provide each of the players with plenty of space.  Kreisberg is particularly effective on the opener, "Giacometti", a nice mid-tempo homage to the sculptor with lots of long and elastic lines. He gives way to Haxholm who solos over the strong base played by Hoenig until Kresiberg and then the band come in to complete the song. "Ezra" is mid-tempo song named in honor of Ezra Pound. The soulful melody is played beautifully by the tenor sax. All of Haxholm's tunes are in this same general tone, nicely witten melodies at a mid-tempo pace with lots of opportunities for each player. The one standard "Body and Soul" has Kreisberg on lead throughout, with a solo for Hoenig.

Nice modest set of modern mainstream compositioons, with strong play particularly from Kreisberg.    

 I've come to trust Challenge Records for producing some very fine music and "Being There, Here (Challenge 2013) from the Elan Mehler Trio does not disappoint. Mehler is a Broklyn-based, Israeli pianist, working here with Todd Hedrick on bass and Max Goldman on drums. This is a set of 10 songs covering a range of composers including Ellington, Monk, and Jobim among others, with a single original by Mehler. The music is uncommmonly rich and beautiful, starting in with a dreamy redition of "In a Sentimental Mood," with some nice arco bass play enhancing the sound quite nicely. Lush tones dominate throughout, with quiet beauty shining through on pieces When I Fall in Love" and "Solitude". "Yes Indeed" becomes a slow burner in Mehler's hands as it builds in intensity. Goldman is a particularly subtle drummer who seems to pay homage to Paul Motian with his use of brushes and coloration, and Hedrick controls the tempo and rhythms nicely from his bass. "Bemsha Swing" is riveting, a bouncy piece done initially in the style of Monk but gradulaly growing into a fine up-tempo swing as the title implies. Each piece is finely layered with multiple textures from the combination of the three players, who's classical backgrounds provide some of the emotional overtones for the music. Nothing is rushed and notes are lingered upon to great effect, with touches of players like Mehldau or Jarrett peaking out from the music.

This is an absolutely beautiful CD that any lover of classic piano trios will enjoy. Sensitive play and a love of the music prevails. Highly recommended.

The final entry for this blog is the exciting music of the Jim Blomfield Trio on "Wave Forms and Sea Changes (PIG 2013). This is Blomfield's first CD as a leader and the U.K pianist makes the most of it, along with Roshan Wijetunge on bass and Mark Whitlam on drums. As I listened, here are the adjectives I wrote down about the music:  powerful, exciting, breathtaking at times, and driven. I also noted the very lyrical and long flowing melodies countered with a strong and sometimes slightly dissonant left hand that increases the interest and resonance of the music. This is modern and innovative music that stays within the framework of the mainstream, with just enough use of spiky rhythms and dissonance to heighten the interest within each of Blomfield's ten compositions. The first piece is "Return Of The Easton Walk" and it is full of compositional twists and turns that exite the ears, along with dynamic changes and interesting interplay. Its edgy aat times, flowing at others, and the back and forth creates greata drama nad interest in the piece. is full of ideas, contrasts and exemplary musicianship. A spiky and percussive opening gives way to a flowing, gentle but oh-so-brief melody, before Blomfield returns to the edginess of the opening bars.  "N Trance" follows with another nice tune, as does "Sea Changes." And as the CD progresses, there continues this constant movement between lyricism and dynamic chang, consonance and dissonance, but never is a robust or showy way. The variety increases one's interest in the music, the three members layer each song with thier insturments in an organic way, and the set is well-conceived and flowing.

This is an outstanding debut from a band I hope to hear more from. It has a distinct style and vision in a world of many modern piano trios, one that needs to be heard. Another sound recommendation.