By Dee Dee McNeil
September 6, 2023
MICHAEL ECHANIZ – “SEVEN SHADES OF VIOLET” (REBIRALOST) – Ridgeway Records
Michael Echaniz, piano/Hammond organ/Fender Rhodes/keyboards/MIDI programming/composing; Jeff Denson, double bass/vocals/electric bass; Dillon Vado, drums/Glockenspiel/percussion; Danielle Wertz & Molly Pease, vocals. SPECIAL GUESTS: Friction String Quartet, Kevin Rogers, Otis Harriel, & Mitso Floor, violins; Doug Machiz, cello; Dann Zinn, tenor saxophone; Silvester Martinez, congas/ percussion; Lu Salcedo, electric guitar; Shay Salhov, alto saxophone; Erik Jekabson, trumpet; John Gove, trombone.
There is something quite engaging about the piano of Michael Echaniz, released as part of Ridgeway Record’s ‘Rising Star’ series. His album title references the Echaniz fascination with mathematics and color. The shifting moods, tempos and use of various piano-like instruments keeps me engaged and on the edge of my seat. His arrangements are entertaining. Echaniz plays organ, Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, and the grand piano with equal brilliance. I am particularly drawn to his acoustic piano interpretations and to his other worldly compositions. He was drawn to the album title because of the deep purple colors he embraced when composing these songs, starting with the title track, a 12-bar blues in form, but beginning in 7/4.
“…the harmonies seemed to be a shade darker than the blues – so a purple or violet hue. That more melancholic shade felt like a good fit for the album title,” Michael Echaniz explained.
About that sub-title of “Rebiralost,” that’s the name of his musical ensemble. Michael invented the word as an anagram of ‘bertsolari’ that means a performer of improvised song in the Basque culture. It so happens, that culture is a piece of Echaniz’s DNA heritage.This unusual group name represents a life cycle that gathers his cultural roots of the past with his present, combining the two in a massive hug. The name represents the tentative cycle of life with all its challenges. As a cancer survivor, Michael Echaniz is well aware of how precious and delicate the balance of life can be. You can hear that in his music.
Bass man, Jeff Denson met Echaniz while he was Dean of Instruction and Chair of the Bass Department at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA. The bassist and educator, who played with the Lee Konitz New Quartet for over a dozen years, became interested in Michael’s musical talents. His contribution to this album on various basses is extraordinary.
“Each semester had a different focus. … we explored bud Powell’s music and … the bebop era, Chick Corea’s music… and then more modern players like Tigran Hamasyan and Shai Maestro. … We’ve continued playing together ever since,” Echaniz spoke warmly about his relationship with Jeff Denson.
His album begins with a very brief piece titled “Prologue” and ends with an “Epilogue” composition. In between you will enjoy the many faces of pianist Michael Echaniz. The tunes are expressions of his original music and his unique approach to playing various keyboard instruments. Most importantly, Michael Echaniz made me feel something spiritual and gripping with the music he plays. Yes, it is often rhythmically complex, with fingers rolling over the 88 keys like a subterranean waterfall. Michael’s composer skills are buried deeply in a pyramid of jazz compositions, French poetry, and Basque towns from the Spanish Civil War. Inspired by Picasso paintings and Chopin’s 4:3 ‘Fantaisie-Impromptu,’ Echaniz totally captures me with his “Gernika Bask Balms” composition. The vocals on “Everything Is Embarrassing” move the jazz towards a more contemporary direction, but the entire arrangement is complex and fresh. It covers me like a sheer purple net. I am stunned by its beauty and the unfolding creativity that features the vocals of Molly Peace. The emotional saxophone solo is delivered by Dunn Zin.
In summary, the music of Michael Echaniz is full of unexpected surprises, like batting a piñata and becoming amazed at the abundant gifts that fall into outstretched palms. This music, like those gifts, are a shower of joy.
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BEN POWELL NEW JAZZ STANDARDS VOLUMNE 6 – “THE GREAT CARL SAUNDERS” – Summit Records
Ben Power, violin/viola; Christian Jacob, piano; Kevin Axt, bass; Peter Erskine, drums.
Summit Records launched this ongoing New Jazz Standards project in 2014. The idea was to have various prodigiously gifted artists celebrate the compositions of the great Carl Saunders. This time we listen to the brilliance of Ben Powell on both jazz violin and viola. Powell has chosen a dozen of the Sunders songs to interpret. Each one is an amazing star sparkling on the standard-song universe. These songs are just begging to join those jazz compositions musicians feel are worthy of playing over and over again.
Powell opens with “Just a Samba” that dances into my room with a happy arrangement that makes my toes tap. Ben Powell knows how to swing on his violin, and he makes me feel joyful as I listen. Powell has become a sort of muse for Hollywood composers like Hans Zimmer, he called him in to do all the violin work on the Top Gun: the Maverick soundtrack.
Powell and Saunders first met on the golf course, through a mutual friend, but Ben Powell knew all about Carl Saunders and admired him as a gifted composer. He’d been listening to the Saunders’ music for years. Powell swings hard on “Main Squeeze” and Christian Jacob shines during his piano solo. This tune is just wonderful, and it glues a smile across my face. When they trade fours with Peter Erskine’s masterful drums, it lifts the arrangement to another level. Every hand-picked song from the Carl Saunders book of compositions is a treasure that glitters in the bell of my ear.
“Blues for Dexter Gordon” was arranged by the multi-talented Brent Fischer. When Ben Powell magically turns his string instrument into a horn, I am knocked to my knees. I have never before heard a violin or viola played with so much soul. Highly impressive! This quickly became one of my favorites on this album. Kevin Axt walks his double bass proudly, like a Kentucky Derby Grand Prize-Winning jockey walking his horse around the track. Even though Axt is in the basement of this bluesy arrangement, he is definitely the sturdy support a King’s castle needs. Perhaps Carl Saunders summed it up best when he said:
“I got these great artistic musicians to come in and bring those sometimes complicated chord progressions to life with their creatively imaginative accompanying and improvising. I gave them my book NEW JAZZ STANDARDS of over 300 tunes and they picked what tunes they wanted to do. It has been very humbling to have these great musicians interpret ad play my music on all the volumes of the New Jazz Standards series that Summit Records and I have worked to create,” Carl Saunders said before his untimely death in February of 2023.
Every composition and every arrangement on this album will put a smile on your face and a song in our heart.
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DIMITRI LANDRAIN TRIO – “ASTOR’S PLACE” – Zoho Records
Dimitri Landrain, piano/composer; Jim Robertson, bass; Keith Balla, drums.
The main influence for this album has been world travels that Dimitri Landrain made during his lifetime. As a French composer and pianist, currently based in New York City, Dimitri gained inspiration for composing these tunes from places he’s visited.
“The main influence for my compositions comes from my travels. I vividly remember the unique and rich music of the Carnival (in Brazil) and the harmonic and melodic language of Jobim and Gilberto Gil,” he shares in his press package.
Landrain has soaked up the South American genre, including visits to Argentina and his appreciation of Astor Piazzolla, a major Latin American Tango composer of the twentieth century. Consequently, Dimitri Landrain’s hat tips respectfully to that gifted composer in the title of this album, “Astor’s Place.”
“I tried to capture the spirit and passion of tango, especially the intensity and drama by alternating relentlessness and relief,” Landrain explains.
Although I think of Latin music as energetic and passionate, this trio creates an easy-listening production, with South American overtones and European classical influence vividly coloring their project. “Entangled” is a song that celebrates the Tango dance and popularity in a silky-smooth way. The composition “Eight Years” is a song exposing samba roots. The music becomes pensive and the tempo calms to a ballad on “Lovers in the Rain.” This melody is absolutely beautiful, full of emotion and Landrain says his arrangement is an homage to Michel Legrand, another great French composer. Jim Robertson steps forward on double bass to woo us with his solo.
The next song picks the tempo up a hair, like a lace hanky on the dancehall floor. The listener will want to scoop it up and wave it to the bright rumba groove. I long for the drummer to be more assertive and dynamic. As if my wishes magically came true, Keith Balla makes his percussive rhythms known on “O Carnaval.”
This is a very lyrical trio that features the piano expertise of Dimitri Landrain and showcases his talents as a prolific composer exposing a deep appreciation for Latin music.
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MICHAEL RAGONESE – “STRACCI” – Rags Records
Michael Ragonese, piano/composer/arranger; Luca Alemanno, bass; Mark Ferber, drums.
From the very first four bars, I am captivated by this trio. They swoop into my listening room playing “Solar” by Chuck Wayne, a song (I was surprised to learn) Miles Davis re-arranged and copy-wrote in his own name on an album released in 1954. Ragonese and his trio play it at an up-tempo pace and with the gusto and energy of three men on fire with jazz inspiration and musical excitement. They demand my attention. This is the way I like to hear an album begin. Ragonese is not only an exceptional pianist, but he is additionally a competent composer. Using his pen and his piano playing, Michael’s goal is to tribute his Italian-American heritage. As a youthful jazz musician, one who graduated from Cal State Northridge in 2014 with a degree in Jazz studies, this sophomore album celebrates not only music but Michael’s newly opened music school. The school is named “Rags School of Music.” The title of this album is “Stracci” which translates from Italian to ‘rags,’ in English. This was also Michael Ragonese’s nickname.
The original compositions on this project, rich like Chamomile Italian tea, are steeped in European classical music. The Ragonese original song, “Escape” is quite classical in structure and arrangement, but at the end, Michael uses a chord vamp to give free reins to bandmate Mark Ferber, who races into the universe, displaying his mastery on trap drums. “In Attesa,” the title of another original composition by Ragonese, translates to “Waiting” in English. Michael wrote this piece after he was in a serious motorcycle accident and couldn’t walk for more than a year. I enjoyed the Ragonese ‘take’ on the old standard, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” The trio swings the familiar composition, while Michael Ragonese implements some very contemporary chords into the arrangement, reminding me a little bit of Bill Evans. His unique composition, “Copycat,” closes the album and becomes another favorite of mine. It’s very modern jazz, with the spotlight shining boldly on Michael Ragonese and his piano interpretations. His fingers race across the keys like bald tires on oil. Both inversions and chord progressions surprise and delight.
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JALEN BAKER – “BE STILL” – Independent Label
Jalen Baker, vibraphone/composer; Paul Cornish, piano; Gabriel Godoy, bass; Gavin Moolchan, drums.
Jalen Baker has returned to the NYC scene, after an extended stay in his hometown of Houston, Texas. During the pandemic, he found himself stationary in his hometown for a while longer than he had planned. But there is nothing like ‘home’ to ground you.
Regarding the title of this album, “Be Still,” as I settle back to listen and enjoy Jalen, the vibraphonist, the first thing I realize is that most of the music on this recording doesn’t sound as if it is trying to “Be Still.” In fact, the only time the band is totally and beautifully still is when they play the old standard, “Body and Soul.”
The drummer is either recorded badly or mixed poorly throughout. This recording makes him sound like he’s beating on a wooden box. Bassist Gabriel Godoy opens the title tune. It’s quite melodic, but once again, the arrangement is just extraordinarily busy! The piano needs to give Jalen a break; a breath; some space. Maybe that’s why most vibraphonists use a guitar player in their bands. I do appreciate and applaud Baker’s composing skills. I think his title tune is outstanding.
Track #3 is such a beautiful composition, but it gets lost in the arrangement. Somewhere, this artist has to embrace the concept of letting his music breathe. It’s like speaking. There’s a pause after the period. A breath comes after the question mark, letting the people listening concentrate on the question. Jalen’s vibes just rumble along in a flurry of unbroken, musical phrases. It’s only when bassist Gabriel Godoy takes center stage that I hear a conversation that flows and breathes. That happens during the Bobby Hutcherson “Herzog” tune. After growing up on Milt Jackson, Charles Earland, and Jimmy Smith, I just expect more from our young, talented musicians like Jalen Baker.
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ALEX COKE & CARL MICHEL SEXTET – “EMERGENCE” – PlayOn Records
Alex Coke, tenor saxophone/flutes; Carl Michel, guitar; Elaine Barber, concert harp; Carolyn Trowbridge, vibraphone; Bob Hoffnar, pedal steel guitar; James Suter, bass.
The initial thing that crossed my mind when I heard the first track of this recording was, what a unique and lovely sound. The combination of guitars, tenor saxophone and Elaine Barber’s concert harp just flooded my listening room with warmth and wonderful jazz. They opened with the great John Coltrane’s composition, “After the Rain.” Together, the group’s unity was evident and brought comfort and peace. Alex Coke And Carl Michel (both based in Austin, Texas) have made music together for decades. They met after guitarist, Carl Michel co-founded “The Creative Opportunity Orchestra” and Alex became an original member of that group. Based in Austin, Elaine Barber is respected as the principal concert harpist for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, but she also loves and plays jazz. It’s a no-brainer that Alex Coke and Barber would merge their talents and personalities on the bandstand.
On the composition, “Rolling …” James Suter takes a bass solo that quiets the moment and Alex puts down his saxophone and picks up his flute. Turns out, the opening Coltrane arrangement is not an example of the remaining album. “4 Mobile Structures, Dedicated to Alexander Calder” was composed by Alex and is quite ethereal and leans heavily into Avant Garde jazz. Carolyn Trowbridge is brightly featured on vibraphone. “Bagatelle II” is folksy. Carl Michel’s original composition, “Mangled Tango” is a somewhat watered-down Latin arrangement where the saxophone solo reminds me of how an accordion might have interpreted the song. The song “Locust Grove” sounds like a Pan Piper arrangement. Everything just seemed to move away from jazz, like confetti in the wind, and into another realm after the Coltrane opening song. It took me by surprise.
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TODD MOSBY – “LAND OF ENCHANTMENT” – MMG Records
Todd Mosby, guitar; Vinnie Colaiuta, drums; Rhonda Smith & Timothy Bailey, bass; Charlie Bisharat, violin; Dapo Torimiro, piano; Laura Vall, vocals; Tom Scott, woodwinds; Arianna Woods, cello; David Leach, percussion; Ranya Ibiqal, cello.
Guitarist, Todd Mosby, brings us contemporary jazz with his bold and heavily groove-driven production. Here is a delicious mix of contemporary jazz, samba, Bossa-nova and fusion music. The addition of Laura Vall’s amazing vocals is a plus as she scats and blends with the musical instruments. Todd has composed most of this enchanting music and the opening tune, “Place in the Sun” and the second tune “Moonrise Samba” are both happy and energy-fused compositions. These song titles depict geography and natural moods.
Mosby’s music stretches warmly, yet mysteriously, like moon rays against a dark sky on “Native Dancer,” featuring the bright horn of Tom Scott. Todd Mosby is the melodic propeller on this jazzy helicopter ride, flying from one of his original tunes to the other and sharing the spotlight with his talented ensemble members. “A Distant Light” is a pretty ballad that calms the mood, giving Dapo Torimiro an opportunity to sparkle on piano and inviting Adrienne Woods to add a lovely cello solo to the piece. Rhonda Smith’s bass is constant and creative, while Mosby’s guitar shares his melodic brilliance with us.
“The evening star seen just after sunset in a Western sky was the inspiration for this musical reflection,” Mosby explains in the liner notes.
On “Emerald Springs” We get a taste of Todd Mosby playing solo guitar. He shows all his multifaceted talents on his acoustic instrument, moving smoothly from rhythm guitar to melody driven interludes.
This is an enjoyable collection of well-produced original songs with two ‘cover’ tunes thrown in for good measure. You will enjoy the Lennon & McCartney song “Norwegian Wood” arranged in a bluesy/semi-rock way and showing us another side of Todd Mosby’s guitar talents using acoustic guitar. The group also re-interprets Jimmy Webb’s famous composition, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” in a blues-based, moderate tempo. The arrangement reminds me of a horseback ride across an open plain, with Vinnie Colaiuta’s drums pushing and prodding me forward in a relaxed but determined way and Charlie Bisharat’s violin as a sweet surprise. This entire album is a delightful listening experience.
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BLANKFor.ms / TYLER GILMORE /JASON MORAN/MARCUS GILMORE – “REFRACT” – Red Hook Records
Jason Moran, piano; Marcus Gilmore, drums; Tyler Gilmore, electronics/tape loops/processing.
On this unique and Avant-garde marriage of digital meets analog, the trio digs deeply into electronic musical expression. They are combining acoustic piano, drums and electronics in real time, while spontaneously recording loops that they snatch up, like hidden treasures, and incorporate into the arrangements. The result is a rather unusual exploration of improvisation, technique and creativity that embraces the roots of jazz, but offers us a hybrid flowering of electronically driven moods and melodies. All of this was inspired by one of Jason Moran’s former students (Tyler Gilmore) who is a wizard at electronic music. The second track, “Onset II” sounds like the track for an AI (Artificial Intelligence) movie and features drummer Marcus Gilmore placing the rhythm beneath what sounds like robots talking to us. Track four, “Affectionate, Painful” brings the beautiful talents of Jason Moran to the forefront on piano with a song that will make you want to fall in love over and over again. It also reminds me of meditation music, a lovely listening experience.
If you are looking for music that is fresh, and jazz that is breaking through walls that once defined it, this is an album that will cause the senses to tickle, the mind to reflect, and the universe to open widely like a smile across your sky and lift you into passages and places never before explored.
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Tags: Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet, Ben Powell, BlankFor.ms, dimitri landrain trio, Jalen baker, jazz cd reviews, Michael Echaniz, Michael Ragonese, Todd Mosby
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