By Dee Dee McNeil
June 15, 2024
MIKE HOLOBER & THE GOTHAM JAZZ ORCHESTRA – “THIS ROCK WE’RE ON: IMAGINARY LETTERS” – Palmetto Records
Mike Holober, composer/arranger/conductor/lyricist/piano/Fender Rhodes; Jamile Staevie Ayres, vocals; Jody Redhage, cello; Ronan Rigby, child voice/Saxophone/woodwinds; Charles Pillow, alto & soprano saxophone/flute/alto flute/bass flute/clarinet; Ben Kono, alto & soprano saxophones/ flute/alto flute/clarinet; Jason Rigby, tenor & soprano saxophone/flute/clarinet; Adam Kolker, tenor & soprano saxophone/flute/clarinet; Chris Potter, tenor saxophone/clarinet; Virginia Mayhew, tenor saxophone; Carl Maraghi, baritone saxophone/bass clarinet; RHYTHM SECTION: Nil Felder, guitar; John Patitucci, bass/electric bass; Jared Schonig, drums; James Shipp, vibraphone/percussion/synthesizer/voice; TRUMPET/FLUGELHORN: Tony Kadleck, Llesi Whitaker, Marvin Stamm, Scott Wendholt, & Stuart Mack; TROMBONES: Matt McDonald, Mark Patterson, Alan Ferber, Jason Jackson, Sara Jacovino. Jeff Nelson, bass trombone.
Mike Holober has been hailed as “one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time,” by Downbeat magazine. This current project might be his most ambitious project to date. The album titled, “This Rock We’re On: Imaginary Letters” is a multi-movement suite written for Holober’s Grammy-nominated Gotham Jazz Orchestra. It’s a double album, meant to celebrate America’s most beautiful and endangered landscapes.
The orchestra opens with Holober’s composition “Lay of the Land” that features the tenor saxophone solo of Chris Potter. This is orchestrated, Straight-ahead jazz at its best. It quickly became one of my favorite tunes on this album. I love the Patitucci bassline that weaves in and out of this arrangement like knitting needles. The bass catches the fabric of the songs, hooks into the groove and sets the tempo and pulse of the tune, pulling us along like captured threads. The music builds, crescendos, then quiets like the eye of the storm. The harmonics appear warm from the bell of the horns. Then Potter is back with his bluesy tenor saxophone dancing over the fade in a rainbow of colors.
“On this Rock” is vocalized by the soprano voice of Jamile Staevie Ayres and enhanced by the beautiful trombone work of Mark Patterson. It’s a lovely, melodic tune with lyrics that long to be read aloud (like a protest poem, prose flow from Holober’s pen like a vine).
“On this rock / we hang out hopes / from passing clouds / on breaking waves
In golden dusks / to gentle winds. In this place / we chase our dreams / to build a life /
To fall in love / to search for peace.”
“Dirt Lovers Almanac” is another beautiful and melodic composition that conjures up fireflies dancing through quiet fields at midnight. The bass of John Patitucci peeks in and out of the arrangement like the moon peeking from behind drifting clouds. When Patitucci takes his solo, he captivates all my attention. Charles Pillow is featured on his alto saxophone and this song became my second favorite of this production. Jody Redhage Ferber offers brief but very effective cello solos. They appear and disappear like those Hawaiian rainbows that stretch for yards across the sky then fade in the blink of an eye. I love the blues inside this orchestrated tune, splashed like turquoise paint across white cement. It makes an impression, standing hand in hand with the classical orchestration, like unanticipated lovers.
Speaking of classical music, the soprano voice of up-and-coming Brazilian vocalist, Jamile Staevie Ayres is quite stunning on the original composition “Another Summer” and on “Refuge.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZhOlSFq0c4
On the song “Tides” Ferber is the star on cello with Jason Rigby’s tenor sax having a musical conversation with her cello that is quite fascinating. Each song on this unique and riveting production of music will draw the listener in, like soft mud beneath an unsuspecting boot. I become stuck on the beauty and the surprising arrangements. Another favorite on this first disc of a two-disc set is “Dear Virginia.” It’s a sweet, pensive tune and features the tender sax solo of Virginia Mayhew, interpreting a letter from her grandfather (Ansel Adams) an American photographer best known for his images of the American West. He was a life-long advocate for environmental conservation, as is Holober. Adams wrote a letter to the saxophonist’s grandmother (Virginia Best Adams) and some of his words influenced Holober’s music.
Both discs celebrate, with orchestrated music, those responsible in some way for launching or calling attention to the environmental movement in the United States. The inserted CD booklet gives a brief description of the important work that folks like Ansel Adams, (photographer), Rachel Carson (marine biologist), Sigurd Olson (nature writer and conservationist), Terry Tempest Williams (author, naturalist and activist), Wendell Berry (novelist, poet, essayist and environmental activist) and Robin Wall Kimmerer (environmental scientist).
On the second disc, the great arrangements and compositions continue. This is a sample from Disc #2 titled “Tower Pulse” featuring Nil Felder on guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9NtOoswkc
The mix of melodic ideas and various tempo changes within the arrangements show why Mike Holober was awarded the 2022 American Academy of Arts and Letters Andrew Imbrie Award in Music. His album “Hiding Out” was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble. This project is certain to be another project in the running for a Grammy award. It is a work of artistic beauty, blending jazz (America’s own classical music) with European classical orchestration and an underlying plea to love and respect Mother Nature and planet Earth.
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MODNEY – “ASCENDING PRIMES” – Pyroclastic Records
Modney, violin/distortion pedal/composer/experimental improviser; Mariel Roberts & Lester St. Louis, cello; Sam Pluta, electronics; Gabriela Diaz, Eddy Kwon & Erica Dicker, violin; Kyle Armbrust & Joanna Mattrey, viola; Cory Smythe, piano; Charmaine Lee, voice/electronics; Ben LaMar Gay, cornet/synthesizer; Dan Peck, tuba; Kate Gentile, drums; Anna Webber, tenor saxophone; Nate Wooley, trumpet; David Byrd-marrow, horn.
Music, with its vibrational and temporal nature, gives us the possibility of ascending to states of being what might otherwise be inaccessible. Music heals us. It moves us. It enlightens us with joy or makes us weep. We are encouraged to tap our toes, snap fingers to the beat, or dance like no one is watching. As I listen to “Ascender,” (the first song on Disc #1) with the violinist creating a strange duet with the distortion pedal, Modney offers me tension and unrest when the two pitches are played together, somewhat angrily.
Modney explains (in his liner notes) that when two pitches are played together (the violin & the distortion pedal) create a third pitch. He says that playing his modernist techniques, along with improvising brings forward remnant memories of his virtuoso violin study and Appalachian fiddle playing as a youth. For me, the distortion pedal made me reach for the volume button and turn him down. But when he featured the violin, I was more comfortable with his presentation. Distortion makes me think of hard rock music and that’s not really my preference.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke8ctSFNZ9U
This album is a step inside the realms of experimental, modernistic, and Avant-garde music. To be honest, some of it was very hard for me to listen to and enjoy. Enjoyment is what I like to get out of music. So, this experience was a bit troubling for me.
To be fair, I understand Modney’s explanation of his art and music, but that first tune isn’t something I would like to play again. On a composition called “Lynx” interpreted by Modney’s violin, with Mariel Roberts on cello, and Sam Pluta adding electronics, I hear more melody.
Modney is a member of two of the most revered ensembles working in those areas of European classical music and incorporating the exploration of improvising on a theme. One group is called International Contemporary Ensemble, and the other is Wet Ink Ensemble.
“My path to becoming a composer was through finding my voice and my creativity as an improviser,” Modney asserts.
On the tune “Lynx” I feel like I have just been downloaded into a horror movie. I don’t even go to the theater to see those scary type of movies. I don’t watch them on television. But, I bet they would love this track as background music on such a motion picture. On Disc #2 of this dual disc release, Modney has added several more instruments to help him develop his unique soundscape. According to his liner notes, his music exists between worlds, earthbound and skyward simultaneously.
“Harmonies have always sounded like a scream to me,” Modney says of his final composition.
“As the pieces get bigger, they serve more and more as scaffolding for us all to play together and to be creative. I’m fortunate to have found myself among a critical mass of adventurous practitioners from jazz and classical spheres who are all interested in this ecstatic musical space,” Modney gives his insight into this production.
Modney, the violinist, is a musician and composer experimenting with the boundaries between notated and improvised music. Formerly known as Josh Modney, he is a classically trained violinist, who arrived in New York a decade ago with a dream of melding his classical training into new modes of improvisation. I would say he has accomplished his mission!
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OLIVIA FOSCHI – “A WINDOW WITHIN” – Independent Label
Olivia Foschi, vocals; Mauricio Zottarelli, drums/percussion; Matt King, piano/Fender Rhodes/Melodica; Vinicius Gomes, guitar; Marco Panascia, bass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SeQjZj-ufI
When I unwrap a CD product and push play, I’m always hoping to hear something unique, beautiful, captivating, and inspirational. Olivia Foschi checks those boxes. Her opening tune, “Caught Me by Surprise,” starts with a chant-like introduction. When the lyrics spray across my listening space, they fall like hip-hop beats; rhythmic and punchy. She tells a story with lyrics. Words fall like an unexpected summer rainstorm. She layers her voice with harmony, adding a lead voice that sings horn-like without words atop the background harmonies. Then comes the melody with lyrics. Vinicius Gomes adds an impressive guitar solo. In the background, Olivia Foschi creates wordless harmonics, like two horns. Once Gomes steps out of the spotlight, Matt King gives his listening audience a stellar piano improvisation. When Olivia re-enters vocally, she is doubling the Fender Rhodes with a one-finger melody, before returning to the chant that grabbed my attention at the beginning of this unique song. Foschi has written this unusual composition. It’s impressive.
Six years ago, she released an album called “Fleeting Windows” that featured her composer talents. Before that release there was one called “Perennial Dreamer” in 2013.
The next tune is another original song she has composed called “Pieces of Central Park.” Once again, the melody is unique, as are the lyrics. Her pianist takes his solo and his talent is intriguing. He has also collaborated with the arrangements on this tune. Olivia continues to sing in the background, as if she is alone and simply making background melodies to a track she’s listening to. Her humming is casual and perfect at the same time. Here is an unapologetic jazz singer that brings her own personality to the stage. Her voice is hypnotic, and light as a feather dancing in the wind. On Track #3, “Live with It” she sings like a happy-go-lucky bird outside my window. Just her voice, no words necessary. She becomes the human instrument that she is: it’s refreshing.
This group has their own sound and personality, built around Olivia Foschi’s original music and unique vocals. Towards the end of the tune, the band lays out and lets Mauricio Zottarelli play his percussive drums beneath her voice. It makes for a very interesting arrangement.
On a song titled “Cun la Préma Stëla” she sings in Italian. It’s the tale of young lovers reunited. With this song, she is preserving a piece of her heritage and keeping An Italian dialect alive, borrowing the Italian language her father taught her from post-war, rural Northern Italy. On her tune called “Nona” she celebrates her grandmother, Joan H. Martin, who transitioned during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This song is dedicated to her beloved grandmother and all those mourning the loss of loved ones.
Here is a vocalist with a fresh approach to jazz, a new voice, with a tone and composing talent that is all her own. She sings and performs like a horn. I found her album refreshing and intriguing. Her music is contemporary, with a taste of Brazilian flare, and melodies that are unexpected and free as a rogue wind. She weaves her Italian culture into each new song that whispers across my listening room. I lean into the speakers, eager to hear each note, dissect each lyric, and wallow in phrase after phrase of vocal hums, chants and scats. Her band is absolutely wonderful. They add richness and depth to each arrangement.
For those seeking an artist who is a reflection of the soul’s journey, who is unafraid to wear her feelings on her sleeve, I offer you Olivia Foschi. She uses her voice to express what her heart feels. She invites the listener to enter her world. You will feel her joy, her pain, her loss, her gain, but most of all, you will hear the honesty she shares as she walks along her inventive and expressive musical path.
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DAYNA STEPHENS – “CLOSER THAN WE THINK” – Cellar Music
Dayna Stephens, saxophones/EWI/composer; Emmanuel Michael, guitar/composer; Kanoa Mendenhall, bass; Jongkuk Kim, drums; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet.
Here is a saxophonist who has studied with legends like Terence Blanchard, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. He won the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist in 2019. Now, five years later, he has released his 11th album, “Closer Than We Think.” It’s an introspection into the similarity over differences. Whether we are talking about gender, political, racial, cultural, economic, or whatever differences we might have, the bottom line is to better understand by talking to each other. Stephens is hoping that the music on his recent release will bring us closer to resolution and understanding.
As an educator at both William Paterson University and Manhattan School of Music, of course he would be searching for the roots of understanding and goodwill between people. That’s part of the educator’s determination and goal.
Stephens had composed a song on this album called “Scrutiny” that was inspired by a saying: All people deserve respect, and all ideas deserve scrutiny. This song floats somewhere between fusion contemporary jazz and chamber music. Stephen’s melodic saxophone solo slides across the groove, smooth as oil on a hot skillet, but it’s a lot more composed and quieter than popping oil. This entire album is what I would call ‘laid-back’ and relaxed. I keep waiting for the big ‘break through’ of energy and excitement. However, that doesn’t happen.
Emmanuel Michael, Stephens’ guitarist of choice is also a composer. His songs, “Bubbly” and “Placate” remain in the same relaxed and unobtrusive pattern of this album production.
Their interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s composition, “E.S.P.” stays at that moderate tempo. When I listen to how Wayne and Miles Davis played that song, I am totally soaked in their energy and driven by their hardbop rendition. That’s missing here. Inside, I’m screaming for that double time excitement.
This is a beautiful album, but very reserved.
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THE HAAS COMPANY – VOL 1. – “GALACTIC TIDE” featuring ANDY TIMMONS – Psychiatric Records and Tapes
Steve Haas, drums; Pete Drungle, keyboards/musical director; Andy Timmons, guitar; Kirwan Brown & Al MacDowell, bass; Pete Gallio & Jay Rodriguez, saxophones; Wallace Roney, trumpet; Mauro Refosco, percussion.
Thick with the use of a distortion pedal on the guitar of Andy Timmons, this music settles more to the rock side than as jazz. When I read the press package, this is clarified. The first tune, “Leather Pajamas” features dynamic guitar virtuoso, Andy Timmons who is best known for his work with the pop-metal band ‘Danger Danger.’ Timmons is featured throughout. Drummer Hasse propels the performances and gives the band its name. Keyboard player and musical director, Pete Drungle has written all the music for this project. All the tunes are played passionately, skirting the edge of hard rock by leaning towards fusion/rock music and spotlighting Andy Timmons as the star of the show.
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RICKY ALEXANDER – “JUST FOUND JOY” – Turtle Bay Records
Rickey Alexander, soprano saxophone/clarinet/vocals; Kevin Dorn, drums; Rob Adkins, bass; Brennen Ernst, guitar; Jon Thomas & Dalton Ridenhour, piano; Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpet/cornet; SPECIAL GUEST: Vanisha Gould, vocals.
This album turns back the hands of time. With the exception of a solitary Alexander original composition (Promenade), the songs on this album were all released between 1901 and 1943. This is ragtime jazz; joyful and historic.
Clarinetist, saxophonist and singer, Ricky Alexander fell in love with this old-school music as a child. It could have started when his elementary school teacher, Mr. Henderson, encouraged him to “play around the melodies” of tunes like “Tiger Rag” and “Avalon.” At that moment, young Ricky was introduced to improvisation. His grandma was quite a jazz fan. She introduced Ricky Alexander to the music of Duke Ellington and bought him his first clarinet. From that moment on, Alexander’s musical direction has focused on ragtime, swing music, and stomps.
His band opens with “People Will Say We’re in Love” by Rodgers & Hammerstein, from the musical “Oklahoma!” His clarinet introduces the melody and sets the tone of the early 1900s. Jon-Erik Kellso jumps in to give a spirited solo on cornet. Alexander and Kellso trade fours with Kevin Dorn on drums. Vanisha Gould harmonizes vocally with Alexander on the tune “Sweet Lorraine.” They blend nicely together during their duet. For this arrangement, Alexander brings his soprano saxophone to the party.
Next comes Jelly Roll Morton’s “King Porter Stomp” tune. This is a song that was popularized by both big bands and small ensembles. It’s a toe-tappin’, finger-snappin’ arrangement.
You will soak up a taste of music that ruled in the 1920s and 30s, enjoying the subtle tricks of the trade like Kellso’s plunger-muted cornet leading the way on the Cole Porter tune “Just One of Those Things.” Alexander is a multi-talented reedman who has mastered both the clarinet and saxophone. The tunes they chose are familiar. Alexander keeps their original flavor to celebrate that era. You will hear “Mack the Knife” and “Just One of Those Things” strutting off your compact disc machine with gusto. Alexander and Kellso seem to be having a ball playing together. This music is infectious and happy, with a capital H.
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TRIAD – “TRIAD” – Ropeadope records
Dominick Farinacci, trumpet; Christian Tamburr, Vibraphone & Marimba; Michael Ward-Bergeman, accordion; SPECIAL GUESTS: Jamey Haddad, percussion; Shenel Johns, vocals.
These three musicians met in London as part of a group to workshop a new show for the West End Theater. From there, the idea of forming a trio developed. It was a surprising mixture of instruments, but the musicians got along well, and their personalities blended harmoniously. Why not form a trio with vibraphone, trumpet, and accordion?
The result is a melodic and culturally infused album that mixes their classical training with music from various South American countries like Argentina and Brazil, while blending the rootsy, bluesy jazz of New Orleans into their production. You hear this unique blend on track #2 called, “Federal” that begins very South American with Michael Ward-Bergeman’s accordion leading the way. When Dominick Farinacci steps forward on trumpet, the folksy tune turns jazz with the first strains of Farinacci’s bluesy trumpet solo. This trio is not only innovative, they are rhythmical with Bergeman’s accordion chopping the tempos into place energetically. When they play “Je Ne T’aime Pas” (translated to I Don’t Love You) I am transported to New Orleans and drenched in the melancholy of their presentation. In some parts the accordion seems to weep. At other times it sweeps across space, like the hemline of Southern Belle’s gown.
The other establishment of rhythm is the vibraphone work of Michael Ward-Bergeman. On a tune called “Domingando” (translating to Sunday or the Sabbath day), Christian Tamburr steps solidly into the spotlight. During the follow-up “Interlude” we hear the loveliness of Tamburr’s mallets playing the introduction so that Farinacci’s trumpet can sweetly solo.
I could hardly wait for this trio to tackle “I Put A Spell On You,” an old and notorious blues song written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. The accordion became the blues line melody, and the vibraphone established the tempo. Hand in hand, accordion and vibraphone pave the way for special guest, Shenel Johns, who brings her strong, soulful voice to the production. Shenel becomes the blue icing on the sweet cake. Dominick Farinacci’s gutsy trumpet solo is the fiery candle burning brightly from the center of the dessert.
There is nothing traditional about this trio. They glow as brightly as the Sirius star lighting the sky. Their sound is unusual, but wonderful. These three talented musicians bring a sense of comfort and calm on tunes such as “A Prayer for You” written by the trumpeter. When they interpret traditional blues tunes like “St. James Infirmary Blues” they are both convincing and soulful. When they approach the blend of South American culture, stirring the pot with jazzy spices, they awaken new and traditional flavors. This album is a unique and unforgettable musical experience. I will play their music over and over again, expecting to hear something fresh and different on each excursion.
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SEAN HONG WEI & JEREMY MONTEIRO – “THE NEW JERSEY SESSIONS” – Jazz Note
Sean Hong Wei, tenor saxophone; Jeremy Monteiro, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Evan Sherman, drums; Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Alex Sipiagin, trumpet.
This hard-bop group opens with the Charlie Parker tune, “Dewey Square” showing that they love to ‘swing’ with as much power and notoriety as Babe Ruth. Sean Hong Wei stands proudly in the spotlight on his tenor saxophone and seduces the listener. Next, bassist Jay Anderson steps forward to take a double bass solo, followed by Evan Sherman on drums. Alex Sipiagin, on trumpet, adds his sweet solo. He has a beautiful tone that continues to take the lead on the popular jazz tune “A Weaver of Dreams.”
This album makes me feel like I’m in a jazz club, sitting upfront, stage center, enjoying an evening of great ‘live’ music. Twenty-five-year-old Sean Hong Wei has a tone and style that winds the clock back to the days
of Lester Young. He sounds a lot like ‘the Prez.’ Accompanied by the founder and executive director of the Jazz Association Singapore (JASSO) on piano is Jeremy Monteiro. Monteiro says his organization is dedicated to jazz education and promoting Singapore jazz globally through scholarships and other support activities. On “The New Jersey Sessions” album, Monteiro shares top billing with this young, talented saxophonist.
Hong began playing the saxophone when he was thirteen and met Monteiro when he turned eighteen. Monteiro’s organization gifted the talented reed player with a scholarship and so did The New School in New York City. On the tune “Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You” I hear a lot of influence from Dexter Gordon when Hong plays his saxophone. I also here Gordon’s influence when the sax man plays “When Sunny Gets Blue.”
“Dexter Gordon was an important influence for Sean, but he has been listening to a lot of John Coltrane lately. I could hear his approach to improvisation changing. While I was in New York, I wanted to capture on record this inflection point to his musical growth,” mentor Monteiro wrote in their press package.
Joined by some stalwarts of jazz on the NYC music scene, I enjoy Jay Anderson offering an emotional bass solo on “When Sunny Gets Blue” and Houston Person joins the group with his bluesy, sexy tenor saxophone style.
Evan Sherman is featured on drums during the group’s presentation of “Out of Nowhere.” Hong establishes himself with his own take on this jazz standard, leaving an indelible mark with his own personality during their arrangement. I love the tenor horn of Houston Person joining the tenor saxophone of Hong in warm harmony on their blues arrangement of “Bags Groove.” It had to be a great honor and inspiration for Sean Hong Wei to stand next to the iconic Houston Person in the studio. They both sound amazing!
This is a great album that bridges the decades between the 1940s and today, playing familiar tunes we love, while introducing us to a fledgling talent who is destined to reach bigger and brighter horizons.
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JON GORDON – “7th AVE South” – Factor / Canada – ArtistShare
Jon Gordon, alto & soprano saxophone; Jocelyn Gould, guitar; Will Bonness, piano; Julian Bradford, bass; Fabio Ragnelli, drums; Jonathan Challoner, trumpet; Walter Smith III, tenor saxophone; Alan Ferber, trombone; John Ellis, bass clarinet; Joanna Majoko & Erin Propp, vocals; CHOIR TRACKS: Joyce German, Joey Landreth, Erin Propp, Kelsey Rosentreter, Dan Keding, Mariana Padeanu, Jocelyn Gould, Ashleigh Sadler, Elizabeth Sadler & Zachary Rushing.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/965371721660602
The opening original tune penned by Gordon is called “Witness.” The use of voices tucked into his arrangements is seductive. The choir (without words) grabs the ear gently and pulls the listener into the music. The title tune represents the early 1980s, when jazz lovers or aspiring musicians hung out on Seventh Avenue South in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Back then, the streets were lined with jazz clubs like Sweet Basil, the Village Vanguard and a club the Brecker Brothers owned which was also called Seventh Avenue South. There were over half a dozen jazz clubs along that popular strip of creativity and music. The sweet sound of Jon Gordon’s soprano saxophone is prominent on this title tune, and flutters like a restless bird above the rhythm section’s slow swing groove.
Over the past four decades, Jon Gordon has treasured his life and growth in the musical community he discovered inside ‘The Village’ of New York City. His music wraps arms around the energy and creativity that inspired his growth on various reed instruments. On a tune he calls “Paradox” Jon sets the soprano sax aside and shows off his talents on the alto saxophone.
“Seventh Avenue South was the first place I ever heard live jazz in New York,” Gordon recalls.
That experience had him staring up at the Art Taylor Quartet with trumpeter Clark Terry, Branford Marsalis on saxophone and the legendary Ron Carter on bass. Shyly, after the concert, Gordon managed to approach Ron Carter and introduce himself.
“I felt like such an annoying little mosquito, but I was so honored to talk to him. Then Clark Terry sang ‘Mumbles” at the end of the night. For a 16-year-old kid, it was thrilling,” Gordon gushed.
Jon Gordon has been mentored by a slew of elders and bandleaders including Doc Cheatham, Mike Stern, Charles McPherson, Barry Harris, Joe Lovano and Mel Lewis, just to list a few. Here is an album of Jon Gordon’s original music, with stunning arrangements that weave voices into the fabric of the songs. On “Here, There and Everywhere” (a song composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon) Gordon features Erin Propp’s sweet vocals, before flying into space during his improvised soprano saxophone solo. Jocelyn Gould settles the piece down during her guitar solo. They close this album with a choir of voices that expressively becomes a reprise of the “7th Ave South” composition. This musical production becomes a follow-up to his album “Stranger Than Fiction” that was nominated for a JUNO Award in Canada, for Best Jazz Release of 2021.
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JEREMY GIGNOUX – “ODD STILLNESS” – Alberta foundation for the Arts
Jeremy Gignoux, violin/viola/composer; Jiajia Li, bass flute/dizi; Keith Rodger, double bass; André Wickenheiser, trumpet; Carsten Rubeling, trombone; Robin Tufts, drums; Rebecca Bruton, voice; Mark Dejong, bass clarinet.
Although classically trained, Jeremy Gignoux has spent the majority of his career playing country fiddle, jazz, and experimental music. He has always had a deep love for traditional music, with an urge to explore music sonically.
Somewhere between restraint and wonder this string instrument master, Jeremy Gignoux, offers us an experimental album of ambient instrumental music. It was born out of a health issue that challenged Gignoux’s ability to play his instrument.
A number of years ago, when Jeremy Gignoux experienced a nerve injury, he was unable to use his left hand for several months. Imagine the frustration of a working composer and musician who had been playing his violin every day to suddenly realize his main instrument was totally inaccessible to him. Instead of wallowing in depression and inactivity, Gignoux decided to see what he could come up with conceptually using his one good hand. That recorded experimentation led him to this eerie, but lovely, musical concept we hear on “Odd Stillness.”
On this project, each composition employs a single performer and instrument that is multi-tracked. This becomes a foundation for the developed composition. The rhythm of each piece is fluid. In fact, Gignoux intentionally avoided any regular tempo or pulse, letting the music move freely like calm waves on a lake rippling back and forth. Once the various tracks were recorded individually by a single artist, Gignoux and his collaborators listened to everything. With Jeremy working with co-producer Patrick Palardy, they stitched each song together from those various, separately recorded tracks. Afterwards, once they listened to the resulting music, each piece would be given a set of instructions detailing notes, rest durations, dynamics, and timbre, as well as a set of pitches to use for the various musicians to record on top of the tracks. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when that part of the recording session was instituted.
Listen to “Grouny” (that means ground) featuring Keith Rodgers on double bass. Hear the ghostly voices in the background of the Rodgers bass lines, instrumentally added to create this original composition by Gignoux.
Consequently, each of these seven peaceful and experimental tracks invites the listener to contemplate or meditate during their presentations. You could say that this music charts an emotional landscape, based in human tension and release, reflection and discovery.
Gignoux has chosen gifted musicians to experiment with his concept. Jiajia Li is a talented flautist who uses her bass flute tones to play Gignoux’s first composition called “Quimse” (another word for the Asian Quince tree).
I found a certain peace and inspired relaxation in this music. Jeremy Gignoux offers us a kaleidoscope of tones, sounds, instruments, and imaginative mixing that for the most part tickles the piece of your brain that explores realms of creative musical magic. This is a style of music, largely electronic and instrumental, with no persistent beat or tempo.
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Tags: CD Reviews, DAYNA STEPHENS, HAAS COMPANY, Jazz, JEREMY GIGNOUX, JON GORDON, MIKE HOLOBER, MODNEY, RICKY ALEXANDER, TRIAD
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