BASS & GUITARS STRUM IN THE NEW YEAR

By Dee Dee McNeil

January 25, 2024

VINCENT HSU & THE JAZZ SUPREME ORCHESTRA – “MUSIC FOR THE RIVER JAZZ SUITE: THE SPIRIT OF LOVE RIVER & MISSISSIPPI RIVER” – Truth Revolution Recording Collective

Vicent Hsu, double bass/composer/producer/arranger; Musaubach, piano/keyboards; Kuan-Hang Lin, drums; Carol Huang, congas; Shih-chun Lee, guitar; Yi-chun Teng, trombone; Chieh-an Fan, bass clarinet/clarinet; Yu-chen Tseng, violin; Wen-feng Cheng, trumpet; Jonas Ganzemuller, tenor saxophone; Shen-yu Su, tenor saxophone; Hank Pan, soprano saxophone.

The first original composition by Vincent Hsu rolls off this disc propelled by the power drums of Kuan-Liang Lin. Above the rumble of those trap drums, a melody delivers shine and beauty on a tune called “Cotton Field.”  At first this tune is pretty, a slow tempo with a lovely melody. But quickly, the drums punctuate this piece with staccato rhythm phrases and Lin is joined by percussionist Carol Huang on congas to snap my ears to attention.  Then, a tenor saxophone solo struts onto the scene, bold, bluesy, and formidable, like some guy in a zoot suit with a watch chain swinging brightly from his pocket. 

Vincent Hsu, who was born in Changhua, then grew up in Kaoushiung, Taiwan, somehow finds comradery with his town’s “Love River” and the mighty Mississippi River in America.  It’s the Mississippi River that boasts the birth of jazz on its shores.  Slow-cooked with Afro-Cuban spices, Hsu brings us a culturally rich album that fuses the music of slaves and slave ancestors with his own Taiwanese heritage, with African roots, and Cuban overtones. This project is performed energetically at Taiwan’s Weiwuying Recital Hall to an enthusiastic audience.  Hsu’s concept was born when Vincent Hsu visited New Orleans for the first time fifteen years ago.  He took a riverboat ride and while watching the motion of the river waves he thought to himself, “the movement of the waves on that river share the same kind of motion of jazz music when it comes to the swing feel.” That water inspiration led him to begin composing this amazing suite of music.

I can hear the waves in the second tune, “River is Wide” as the music splashes through my listening room.  Yi-Chun Teng takes a spirited trombone solo.  On “Rumba for the River Trilogy: Father’s Melody” I hear more of Hsu’s cultural roots. He says he was inspired to compose this, (one of three compositions that make up this suite of music) while recalling songs his father used to sing to him as a child.

This ensemble features ten Taiwanese musicians and a pair of musicians from Argentina and Germany.  Their entire album is plush with Latin rhythms and Vincent Hsu had something to say about that in his liner notes.

“I hope this work can bring attention to the fact that Afro-Cuban music is being played in Asia.  I want to share our perspectives on Latin music.”

Hsu is the heartbeat of this orchestrated ensemble on double bass.  Often living and working in New York City, his music has won the Global Music and Golden Indie Music Awards.  In 2020 he was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC).  This project is his fourth recording, but the first as a bandleader of a large ensemble and with a completely Asian and international congregation of musicians. 

On the 7^th track, Hsu captures the whistle and horn of a riverboat during the introduction of “A Pilot’s Day on the Mississippi River.”  You feel the motion and river waves during the ensemble’s presentation.  Suddenly the percussion player resembles horses hooves.  The tenor saxophonist (Chen-yu Su) is dynamic and tells his story with emotion and sincerity, while the undertow of the arrangement is clearly Hsu’s bass line.  It plays contrapuntal to the saxophone and is quite engaging.  Afterwards, the audience bursts into applause.  On the next to final piece, they begin with handclaps to introduce Hsu’s song titled “River Workers.”  They set the tempo and rhythm of the piece with busy palms, until Chieh-an Fan’s clarinet enters the picture like a streak of gold across the musical canvas.  I hear the violin improvisation incorporate Thelonious Monk’s melody into the solo that Yu-chen Tseng’s violin sings.  This album is exemplary of great jazz, the excellent composing skills of Vincent Hsu and the brilliant merging of Asian culture, Afro-Cuban Latin music, and American jazz.  It shows how warmly and beautifully music brings all nations together.  Bravo!

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DON THOMPSON & ROB PILTCH – “BELLS … NOW & THEN” – Modica Music

Don Thompson, piano/bass/vibraphone/composer; Rob Piltch, guitars/composer.

Forty-two years ago, on a busy Toronto, Canada studio day, a young fingerstyle guitarist sat down with the seasoned jazz pianist and composer, Don Thompson.  This recording is the result of their musical meeting.  Thompson, who engineered the session, simply turned the tape on and kept it rolling.  The results of the fledgling guitarist blending talents with the elder piano master turned into this magical album. Here are nine tracks, three composed by Piltch and four by Thompson. Most were recorded during three separate sessions in 1981 and 1982.  Originally, they were released on the Toronto-based Umbrella record label. For this project they were re-mastered and then bookended by two new recordings.  The newer, opening tune is titled “Circles.”  It was a composition that Thompson penned, and it became the title track for Jim Hall’s 1981 album on Concord Records called, “Days Gone By.” The other original songs that follow are the music they made forty years ago, except for “Days Gone By” that closes this album.  In 1992 pianist George Shearing recorded this Tompson tune on his Telarc album release called “How Beautiful is Night.”  

This duet by Rob Piltch and Don Thompson shows how perfectly piano and guitar can blend.  Each is now obviously a master in their own right.  Forty-plus years later, they exemplify the “Now and Then” of their talents and comradery.  “Bells … Now and Then” is a lovely musical treasure, an album that spotlights two top Canadian musicians.  The beautiful, rich result of blending jazz guitar and jazz piano becomes this emotional rendering of originality and instrumental technique. 

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ANDY PRATT – “TRIO” –  Thrift Girl Records

Andy Pratt, guitar/vocals; Joe Policastro, bass; Phil Gratteau, drums.

Based in Chicago, guitarist Andy Pratt steps into my listening room with an exuberance and swing that immediately grabs my attention.  It’s Gershwin’s tune, “Soon” that opens this album, with a solo introduction by Pratt on his guitar. When the bass and drums enter, you can tell that the trio is tight. Pratt and bassist Joe Policastro have worked together for many years and their comfort level is clearly on display. The next song is a throwback to 1930, a song Fred Waring made popular when he recorded it with the Pennsylvanians for the Victor label.  Ella Fitzgerald recorded it in 1939 with Chick Webb’s band, but it became a big hit when it was recorded by Dick Haymes in 1947. Andy Pratt sings this one, and his vocal style winds the clock back to those 1930, 1940-days.  He sounds like someone in a small café or a hotel lounge who performs with a guitar trio and sings while the audience sips drinks and chatters among themselves. 

Pratt has worked in the Chicago area for over twenty years, performing solo and with various local musicians. He is also a composer and his first two album releases featured his original songwriter/singer talents. On this release he fulfills a desire to give his own take on a variety of classic songs in a more straight-ahead jazz setting. His vocals take away from that concept. I’m relieved when the trio plays Perez Prado’s song, “Patricia” as a mambo and once again I can concentrate on Pratt’s guitar talents.  As a singer/songwriter myself, I can understand Pratt’s desire to sing his own compositions.  However, I know that I was very happy to hear others record my music. Folks like Diana Ross, The Four Tops, Nancy Wilson and Glady Knight with the Pips showed me I could never have sounded as wonderful as those professional vocalists did when they sang my songs. Pratt’s greatest strength is his guitar playing.  I prefer Pratt’s “Trio” instrumental tracks, the ones without the vocals.

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MATT ULERY “MANNERIST” – Woolgathering Records

Matt Ulery, double bass/composer/bandleader; Paul Bedal, piano; Jon Deitemyer, drums; Dustin Laurenzi, tenor saxophone; James Davis, trumpet; Chris Shuttleworth, trombone; Zachary Good, Clarinet; Andrew Nogal, oboe; Ben Roidl-Ward, bassoon; Constance Volk, flute; Matthew Oliphant, French horn.

This album is Matt Ulery’s fourteenth release as a leader.  It’s a lovely merger between jazz, classical and brass, the result of an Esteemed Artist Award from the City of Chicago.

“At the time, I was thinking, I want to make a string record, and  I want to make a brass-winds record,” Ulery wrote in his press package. He was referencing his “Become Giant” album that featured a string sextet plus drums released in 2022. The first part of his dream was realized.

On this album, he has manifested his dream-part-two of creating music for horns.  All the music is composed by Ulery and it reflects the diversity and creativity of a musician who is constantly growing, improving and reaching for higher heights. Opening with “Bridges” Ulery builds arpeggio crosswalks and crescendos of horns, with the piano parts sounding like pedestrian steps across the conduit.  This is followed by “The Brink of What,” a composition that is lushly orchestrated and plays for ten plus minutes, more like a suite than a single song.  It begins as a piano trio arrangement, but the horns soon enter’ like bodies arriving at a party, they fill the room crowding in with harmonics and the crash of cymbals.  This project is royally orchestrated with concentration on the chemistry between big band jazz and contemporary classical musicians. On his composition, “Another Book of Ornaments” James Davis is boldly featured on trumpet, with the other horns cushioning his performance like a fluffy pillow.

Ulery has worked in numerous musical settings from groups like Eighth Blackbird and Axion Brass, then engrossed himself in South American music, followed by songs of the Balkans and assorted European idioms. He has performed for twenty-five years on upright, electric, and brass basses. This album is a culmination of the composer’s creative talents, world-music flavors, and the beauty of brass instruments.

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SCOTT HESSE TRIO – “INTENTION” – Calligram Records

Scott Hesse, guitar/composer; Clark Sommers, bass; Dana Hall, drums.

Captured ‘live’ in concert by audiophile engineer, Ken Christianson, this album called “Intention” features the Chicago-based guitarist Scott Hesse and his trio. This was Hesse’s first reappearance as a bandleader since 2015.  The trio opens with John Coltrane’s pretty ballad, “Wise One.”   Hesse takes his time, developing the melody slowly, punctuated by Dana Hall’s tasty drum mallets.  He plays rubato for several bars, before Clark Sommers on bass and drummer Hall lock hands and solidly set the groove.  Sommers steps forward for a double bass solo and the attentive audience is hypnotized by his creativity.  The next tune is a Hesse original and it’s the title tune, “Intention.”  They toss the slow tempo aside and blaze through this tune like a five-alarm fire.

Born in Carroll, Iowa, Scott Hesse was raised in Sioux City and started playing guitar at fourteen. Hesse says he was greatly influenced by his father, Alan Hesse who was a singer/songwriter with an eleven-piece dance band. Hesse says guitarist Jim Hall inspired him with his harmonics and Grant Green was the inspiration for his feel and emotional connection to the instrument.

“But I’m more influenced by Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson,” Hesse says.

The guitarist studied with Henry Butler and Rodney Jones, then found his way to New York City, living and working there for a decade.  In 2004, he transplanted back to the Midwest, landing in Chicago, Illinois where he found immediate work on the South Side of town, becoming a fixture in the Velvet Lounge.

Multi-talented, Scott Hesse is a gifted photographer as well as a musician. It was during one of his art gallery exhibits that he first connected with Clark Sommers and Dana Hall.  They formed his trio with saxophonist Geof Bradfield performing Hesse’s original music during his photography exhibit. 

“We’ve become good friends off the bandstand as well, spending time on the road together, especially a two-week residency in Portugal with Geof’s quintet really helped to bring everything together,” Hesse explained.

Another original song that Hesse composed is “From the Inside.”  It was written for the Fulton Street photo exhibit that mirrors his intention to show the neighborhoods from an insider’s view of Chicago. I finally hear the bluesier side of Hesse when he plays “The Night Owl” that he claims is a perfect description of his personality and it’s another self-penned tune.

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HOUSE OF WATERS – “ON BECOMING” – GroundUP Records

Max ZT – Hammered Dulcimer/composer; Moto Fukushima, six-string electric bass/ composer; Antonio Sanchez, drums; Mike Stern, guitar; Priya Darshini, vocals.

The pluck of a string; the magical sound of a Hammered Dulcimer; the music unfolds like poetry.  The six-string bass of Moto Fukushima steps forward to ground the strings, letting the tones rush like winter breezes through the window.  That is how the song “Folding Cranes” affected me. 

Track two is called “Avaloch” and continues with the unique sound these international musicians bring to the table.  “House of Waters” is a group formed to explore immersive studies in India, Senegal, Japan, and the Americas.  For sixteen-years, Max ZT (who plays the Hammered Dulcimer) and Moto Fukushima (master of the six-string electric bass) have meticulously crafted a combined voice.  Using these two instruments allows the prolific composers to create a distinct and beautiful sound that is highly imaginative.  They translate their dual talents and musical study to this album called “On Becoming.”   Antonio Sanchez joins them on sensitive, but powerful drums. This trio offers virtuosic performances, with some compositions written and arranged, but three out of the nine songs offered are completely improvised.  The first improvised tune was their opening song called, “Folding Cranes.” The trio takes composer credits.  Track two, “Avaloch” was written by Max ZT and “705” (the third song) is a composition by Moto Fukushima. The Fukushima tune begins quietly with the strum of his electric bass at a moderate tempo and a repetitive melody follows.  The Dulcimer sound is hypnotic and transports us to some place in Asia, with colorful silk cloth and delicate, hand-painted dishes.  Fukushima’s electric bass solo explores the six-strings with technique and creativity, adding fusion to the boiling international stew pot. This song grows and weaves between tempos and technique, almost like a suite of music.  On “Hang in the Air” they add Mike Stern on electric guitar to the mix. The resulting arrangement is a feeling of flying or floating in space. 

This project is unique in sound and composition as these musicians, “House of Waters,” fluidly explore sound, cultures, and imagination.  They use their instruments, improvisation, and musical techniques to fluidly expand their creative ideas.  Like water, they splash against us, grab our attention, and transport us to other times, places, and continents with just the strum of a six-string bass, the beat of the Sanchez drums, or the raspy whisper of Max ZT’s Dulcimer. As a final touch, they added guest Priya Darshini to their project. Priya brings vocals that color Fukushima’s composition called “The Wall” and music transports me to somewhere in the Middle East, riding on minor chords with prayer-like vocals. This jazz music project is both unusual and original, prodding us to stretch the boundaries of creative music ocean wide, and travel on the waves to places we’ve never been.

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DAN BARASZU – “LONE GUITAR” – Blue Canoe Records

Dan Barasu, solo guitarist.

Dan Baraszu has a warm, inviting tone and an easy dexterity on his guitar.  The Detroit born guitarist and composer explored various styles of music before settling on jazz.  Once he heard Wes Montgomery on the radio, Dan became a die-hard jazz fan. He was also influenced by Pat Martino, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny and John Scofield.  I hear a little bit of the Wes Montgomery influence on Baraszu’s first tune, “Angela” (the theme from Taxi). The next tune is a song often used by jazz cats as a gig-closer, “Sonny Moon For Two.”  He swings this tune and it’s a delightful solo rendition of a familiar jazz standard. Continuing in that direction, Dan Baraszu plays “Moonlight in Vermont” at a sweet ballad tempo. His rendition is quite beautiful. In fact, every song on this album is lovely. The guitarist offers us twenty tracks, each one played as only a master musician would play it. Baraszu’s emotional delivery is completely intriguing.  His agility and adroitness on the guitar is obvious, as he tackles tunes by Thelonious Monk (Pannonica) and tunes from the Great American Songbook like “Moonlight in Vermont,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” “Angel Eyes” and “Just the Way you Are.” The talented musician gives his own strong rendition of “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”  Familiar tunes spill out of Baraszu like promises or prayers.  Each one shines, a precious gem in the crown of a king.  Baraszu is clearly the king of his guitar.  He reinvents “Cute” written by Neal Hefti and Stanley Styne. This composition was made famous in 1958 when Count Basie recorded it.  Baraszu offers us Paul Desmond’s challenging “Take Five” composition that the Dave Brubeck Quartet introduced to the world.  I love the harmonics that Baraszu employs on this famed tune.

Here is an album to be played over and over again.  It celebrates the talents of a master guitarist.  He offers us multi-genre compositions, from rock (We Are the Champions) to pop (Up, Up and Away) a Latin arrangement on St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, along with traditional Americana and American standards. Playing solo is a huge challenge, but Dan Baraszu shows us how a gifted guitarist can entertain and surprise us with his talent and ingenuity. He makes the difficult sound easy.   

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PHIL SARGENT – “SONS” –  Outside In Music

Phil Sargent, electric, nylon & steel-string guitars/composer; Anastassiya Petrova, piano; Greg Loughman, double bass; Mike Connors, drums/percussion; Jerry Sabatini, trumpet.

A composition called “SKYLINE” opens this album with Mike Connors on drums, polished and tempo perfect. He pushes the music ahead with mad skills. Phil Sargent is out-front and dynamic on electric guitar.  He invites pianist Anastassiya Petrova as a guest on this arrangement. Sargent has composed every song on this album of contemporary music. The album concept is to use Sargent’s original music as a tribute that reflects fatherhood and how it transformed Sargent and his music.

“I released my last original recording of music in 2010, a few months before my first son was born.  The experience of being a father, both the struggle and joy, has pushed my music to a much deeper place,” Phil Sargent explained in his press package.   

A flamingo guitar introduces a composition titled, “Me Fa Me Re” by Sargent.  He starts out solo, and is soon joined by Greg Loughman, bowing his double bass in a most beautiful and classical way.  Drums, bass, and guitar make a comfortable trio arrangement on this song.   During the ensemble’s presentation of “Life” they utilize the talents of Jerry Sabatini on trumpet.  This song stretches boundaries, tickling the edges of Avant-garde jazz.  When Sargent enters with his warm, lovely guitar voice the mood changes.  Modulating chord changes seem somehow softer when Sargent plays them during his solo. Another Sargent original song, “Be Careful out There” sounds like something a father would say to a son.  You hear the title lyrics clearly in the melody. This song has a very interesting melodic bridge.  On “Bivawack,” Greg Loughman sets the mood on double bass to open the arrangement and Sabatini is back, spraying my listening room with trumpet beauty. 

The Track, “Sons” was written as an ode to the boys who changed Sargent’s life and according to the artist, enriched his existence and music.

“Sons is a not-so-subtle shout out to my two boys.  They were the inspiration for this song. … so, it seemed like a no-brainer to name the album after them too,” Sargent explained.

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ROTEM SIVAN – “DREAM LOUDER”  –  

Rotem Sivan, guitar; Hamish Smith, bass; Miguel Russell, drums; Sami Steves, vocals; Luke Krafka, whistle.

There is something comforting about the music of Rotem Sivan.  Not only is it melodic, but there is something enchanting about songs like “The Tree” composed for Hilde (Sivan’s mother-in-law) and Track #2 titled, “Anneleen.”  The sweetness of Sami Steves’ voice adds to the first couple of songs, sounding more like an instrument than a vocalist, she’s quite captivating.   The additional surprise on these arrangements is Luke Krafka, who is a virtuoso whistler.  His presence and musicianship add color to the tunes. The composition, “Dragon” is more energized and celebrates the drum talents of Miguel Russell and the busy, melodic bass of New Zealand-born bassist, Hamish Smith.  Russell is brightly spotlighted on the “Luc” tune, (named for Rotem’s wife’s father). This song offers the listener a long and inspired drum solo.  A favorite Beatles tune of mine is “Blackbird” and it’s also a perfect composition for the guitar to explore. Rotem Sivan does an amazing job interpreting this lovely song with gifted guitar strokes.  “Lore Luv” is dedicated to his wife (Lore) who he randomly met through an online dating service five years ago.  They married in 2022.  Hamish Smith’s big fat bass sound is prominent during this arrangement.  Sivan’s guitar screams and dances; sounds fuzzy one minute and soft the next.  Russell’s drums crescendo and drive the trio forward with unrelenting power.  This is a passionate piece!  I like the pop/jazz tune called “The Hamish” with Smith’s bass line prominent and melodic.  Sami Steves adds her sweet vocal style to the arrangement, like an unusual horn darting in and out of the piece, or a silk thread slipping through the chord changes. I hear the blues in this composition and a bit of funk. “The Hammish” is one of my favorites on this album.  Then comes a touch of country/western and Blue Grass played inventively on “West Virginia Mine Disaster” with Sami Steves’ voice wordlessly singing the melody and Luke Krafka whistling his way into the piece.  Krafka is actually an accomplished classical cellist.  His distinctive whistling skills lend beauty and human-emotion to the tunes he embellishes.

“He’s (Luke Krafka) just a super talented individual who also happens to be a very good whistler.  Somebody hired us for a session a while ago.  We were in the studio together and he just randomly started whistling.  I thought to myself, wow – he’s really good.  When I was contemplating using a whistler on this recording, I gave him a call.  He stopped by my place and we hung out.  He listened to the lines I had written out and what you hear on the record was all done on the spot. … He nailed it,” Rotem Sivan praised his multi-talented music-mate.

“Dream Louder” may be Sivan’s crowning achievement to date.  Rotem admits, this entire project is a love letter to his wife, Lore.  It’s a lovely tribute to family, and to jazz guitar.  The way he has produced this music, arranged the tunes, and composed several of the songs to reflect musical pictures of his family, when you pair all this with his incredible musicians, the final product is formidable! This album is completely entertaining.  Recognizable songs like “Blackbird” and “Mack the Knife” take on a whole new face and complexion.  This talented musician will pull at your heartstrings while he plucks and strums his guitar.

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JOEL TUCKER COMMODORE TRIO – “COMMUNAL” – Independent Label

Joel Tucker, guitar/composer; Brendan Keller, Tuberg, bass; Justin Clark, drums.

Guitarist, Joel Tucker is a respected musical force on the Indianapolis jazz scene.  He and his brother Nick have recorded together the recently released album, (Tucker Brothers Live at Chatterbox) and separately, (this album) spreading their talent like sweet jam across the bandstands of the who’s who in jazz. On this EP trio excursion, Joel Tucker describes his trio music as original and mostly improvised.  The arrangements are dancing on the edge of creative rock with a jazz sensibility. He is the composer. On the opening composition, “We Are Surprised” Tucker adds a poem by Ada Limón that his bassist recites. This is a jazz trio that connects improvisational phrases with Justin Clark’s steady heartbeat on the drums.  His drums are prominent on the tune “Communal” that moves from a Rock-feel into a contemporary jazz motif when bassist Brendan Keller Tuberg sits down and plays a piano solo.  Afterwards Tucker enters on guitar to push the pendulum back towards rock & roll. His arrangement uses cut-time to pull the music out of rock and back into jazz.  Tucker’s guitar solo smooths the curves and jagged edges of this tune as the trio fades into quiet.  Track #3 is “Soundscape 1” and is followed by their song called “Soundscape 2.”  Both set ethereal moods that start peacefully, then crescendo into other-worldly energy with fuzzy-sounding guitar.  For jazz fans who also appreciate the rock genre, this musical project blends the two like bread and butter.

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SPOTLIGHTING GREAT JAZZ THEN AND NOW

By Dee Dee McNeil

January 15, 2024

AHMAD JAMAL – “EMERALD CITY NIGHTS – LIVE AT THE PENTHOUSE – 1966 – 1968” – Jazz Detective

Ahmad Jamal, piano; Jamil Nasser, bass; Frank Gant, drums.

This is the third and final 2-LP set of previously unreleased ‘live’ recordings by the legendary Ahmad Jamal on Zev Feldman’s label, Jazz Detective. It was recorded between 1966 and 1968, and released in late 2023.  There is an extensive package of reflections about Jamal from other renowned pianists like Les McCann, Monty Alexander, Emmet Cohen and Joe Alterman, along with a booklet containing rare facts and photographs. This outstanding piece of jazz history was supervised by Ahmad Jamal himself, shortly before his death in April of 2023.  To this day, I am still intoxicated by Mr. Jamal’s first record release in 1958 called “Ahmad Jamal Trio at the Pershing: But Not For Me.” That recording was cut ‘live’ in the lounge of Chicago’s Pershing Hotel. Jamal’s “Poinciana” tune will forever echo in my brain. The iconic pianist is a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, a Kennedy Center honoree and a Lifetime Grammy Achievement Award recipient.  This album was recorded at the height of Jamal’s popularity and displays his style, technique, and piano mastery. Clearly, he’s one of our national treasures.  

Les McCann said, “I don’t know of any musician who doesn’t like Ahmad Jamal.  Who else can you say that about?  There’s no other person who does what he does.  It’s his own music.  That is, to me, the ultimate.”

Ahmad’s first CD opens with “Gloria” where Jamal explores the whole keyboard. His left-hand chops away at the rhythm and lays it down in perfect coordination with Frank Gant’s drums, while his right hand has a mind of its own, racing up and down the 88-keys to express melody and improvisation simultaneously. 

“Ahmad Jamal is a miracle!  He has the most powerful gift of anybody I have ever seen or known.  And he treasured it; he took care of it.  His gift is profound, as is his faith, his belief in the creator, which is so profound.  All of that and his discipline have made him the amazing artist that he is,” gushes Monty Alexander.

Jamal’s creative treatment of the very familiar and popular “Misty” closes-out Side A of this first album. The trio skips along, spurred by Frank Gant’s drums and Jamil Nasser’s steady, dancing bass line. Gant takes a percussive solo midway through their twelve-minute presentation. Jamal teases us with improvisations that make you think he has left the song completely.  Then he suddenly gets back to the melody with the flick of his fingers.  Side B features the Henry Mancini composition, “Mr. Lucky” also played at a brisk tempo, with the three musicians tight as puzzle pieces, following Jamal’s lead.

The exciting thing about listening to Ahmad Jamal in the 1960s is his non-stop exploration of each song he plays. During this concert, he even runs his fingers across the piano strings as an exclamation mark!  You hear this during his incredible delivery of Jobim’s “Corcovado” tune. During this arrangement, Jamil Nasser steps into the spotlight to present an up-tempo bass solo.  But it’s the brilliance of Jamal’s imagination that is on full display while playing this tune.  I have never heard this familiar Brazilian standard played at such a pace or with this type of deliberate improvisation.  Ahmad Jamal’s genius of both technique and imagination is clearly captured during these historic evenings of music. This jazz journalist was spellbound throughout by the “Emerald City Nights” album, and you will be too.

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THE RODRIGUEZ BROTHERS – “REUNITED (LIVE AT DIZZY’S CLUB)” – RodBros Music

Mike Rodriguez, trumpet/flugelhorn/percussion/composer; Rob Rodriguez, piano/composer; Ricky Rodriguez, bass; Adam Cruz, drums; Anthony Almonte, percussion.

This project is a joyful blend of Latin cultural roots, Straight-ahead jazz and expressive original compositions.  Their album “Reunited” celebrates the 20^th anniversary of their first recorded release two decades ago.  This album captures original music composed by the brothers that reflects high energy and multi-talents.  Opening with “Gitmo’s Groove” Rob Rodriguez on piano has a spirited conversation with his brother Mike playing flugelhorn.  They musically banter back and forth, with the piano shining brightly in the spotlight and Anthony Almonte’s percussive work prominent throughout.  On Rob Rodriguez’s original song, “Guayaquil,” Ricky Rodriguez opens the tune with his memorable bass line and Adam Cruz is dynamic on drums, adding a funk feel to the arrangement.  The trumpet solo of Mike Rodriguez is satin smooth and beautiful.  This group fuses Afro-Cuban music with Brazilian under-tones, modern jazz and traditional Latin folklore.  After so many unplanned years of COVID shut-downs and pandemic lockups, you can hear the excitement and happiness pouring out of these musicians to perform ‘live’ once more, offering their heart and soul musical energy to an eager audience. Every composition is well performed, beautifully written and creatively arranged.  This is great jazz on every level.

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ADAM DEITCH QUARTET – “ROLL THE TAPE” – Golden Wolfe Records

Adam Deitch, drums/percussion; Ryan Zoidis, saxophone; Eric “Benny” Bloom, trumpet; Wil Blades, organ/clavinet; Featured Guest: John Scofield, guitar.

This is a contemporary jazz album, plush with funk and groove.  Adam Deitch is the percussive engine that propels this music forward like a freight train.  His drums are dynamic.  This project was created on ProTools in the Deitch home studio located in Denver, Colorado. Deitch’s quartet took roots at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, when Deitch and organist Wil Blades played a last-minute, late-night show. Special guests included trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom and saxophonist, Ryan Zoidis.  Adam Deitch knew immediately that he wanted to form a group with these dynamic players. Clearly, Deitch has a penchant for funk, hip-hop grooves, and electronic music.  The outstanding thing about this recording is that even with a lean towards that electronic production, Deitch never loses the true funk and groove of strong rhythm and blues.  His music is as hypnotic as a James Brown Groove.

The addition of Blades on organ and clavinet pushes the music forward in a creative and inspired way.  These are not just loops!  They are songs that thrive, grow, and expand as you listen to them.  The key to jazz, which is improvisation, is clearly present in this awesome recording.  John Scofield is featured on his brilliant guitar during their “Mushroom Gravy” tune. 

“It’s tremendous fun to play with the quartet because they fully understand where I’m coming from and hopefully I ‘get’ them the same way.  I think Adam and I have very simpatico concepts in music,” states Scofield in their press package.

However, it’s the title tune, “Roll the Tape” that makes me want to get up from my computer and dance across the room. It’s obvious that Adam Deitch is a brilliant groove-master.  His mad drum skills shine like gold on this production. They reflect his knowledge of ancient African traditions that used drums as a language.  You hear it when he solos. When he was in the 9^th grade, his percussive eyes were blasted open while playing in a gospel church. You can sense that Deitch is experienced in black music, inclusive of gospel, rhythm and blues along with his Tower-of-Power type funk.

“I ended up becoming the drummer in two church bands in Nyack, NY where I grew up,” Deitch proudly shares.

Throughout this recording, Adam Deitch steps boldly into the spotlight to solo on his power-packed trap drums.  He takes one moment of ballad relief when he plays his original song, “Alone Together” (not the jazz standard) and reverts to his tasty use of brushes.  Other than that, this album features original music by Deitch, that is quite melodic, but always with his spurring, groove and funk drum talents.  On the composition, “Language Interlude” Deitch speaks creatively without words.

“These interludes communicate freedom without any sort of song form and create full sentences within the drums.  Most drum solos I play have some kind of horn hits or backgrounds and this was fun to play without anything else to authentically express how I’m feeling,” Deitch explained.

Adam Deitch digs his heels deeply into the music, and these arrangements leap forward under the power of his creative drum tempos and techniques. The addition of a gifted organ player like Blades creates a product that is both commercial and artistically jazzy.  This is a crowd-pleaser!

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GERALD CANNON – “LIVE AT DIZZY’S CLUB: THE MUSIC OF ELVIN & McCOY” – Woodneck Records

Gerald Cannon, bass/composer; Lenny White, drums; Dave Kikoski, piano; Steve Turre, trombone; Joe Lovano, tenor saxophone; Sherman Irby, alto saxophone; Eddie Henderson, trumpet.

When you put together an all-star group of musicians to play the music of Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner, what else do you expect except an album of excellence?  Recorded ‘live’ at the famed Jazz at Lincoln Center venue, veteran jazz bassist, Gerald Cannon tributes his deep connection and respect for McCoy and Elvin, who he played alongside for fourteen years and nine years respectively.  No one can deny McCoy and Elvin are great legends in the history of jazz music.  Because of Cannon’s longstanding affiliation with both these masters, he is the perfect person to record this album of homage and respect.  Gerald Cannon tightened up the solid basement of their music.  A phenomenal bassist in his own right, Cannon was the common denominator that held the rhythm sections together, in both McCoy’s band and Elvin’s band.

Cannon was born in Racine, Wisconsin, where one of his mentors was Milt Hinton.  The young musician relocated to NYC at age twenty-eight.  It wasn’t long before he was on the A-list of bass players being called by notable jazz legends like Cedar Walton, Dexter Gordon, Little Jimmy Scott, Frank Foster, Stanley Turrentine, Eddie Harris and a bunch of others. He joined drummer Elvin Jones’ group after leaving the Roy Hargrove band and stayed with Elvin until his passing in 2004.

Cannon opens this album with “EJ’s Blues,” written by Elvin Jones himself, and thickened by Cannon’s smokin’ hot horn section.  On Track #2, Eddie Henderson’s sweet, emotional trumpet sets the tone on the introduction of an original Cannon composition titled, “Three Elders.”  It’s a ballad that he wrote and dedicated to his former musical partner and pianist, the late Larry Willis.  This is followed by “Three Card Molly” written by Elvin Jones where Joe Lovano snatches the spotlight on tenor saxophone before passing the moment to Eddie Henderson and then to Dave Kikoski who puts the “S” in Straight-ahead and ‘Swing’ during his piano solo.  Afterwards, Gerald Cannon steps front and center on his double bass to show the world why genius musicians like Roy Hargrove, McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones wanted Cannon in their rhythm section.  The ensemble plays beautifully on “Search for Peace” a familiar McCoy tune.  One of my favorite tunes is Tyner’s “Blues in the Minor” where Cannon pumps his bass, walking briskly, step by step with Lenny White’s power drums during this driving arrangement.  This recording has quickly became one of my favorite albums of the New Year.  The official release date is January 19, 2024.

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LAWRENCE FIELDS – “TO THE SURFACE” – Rhythm N’ Flow Records

Lawrence Fields, piano/composer; Corey Fonville, drums; Yasushi Nakamura, bass.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri and currently based in New York City, pianist Lawrence Fields is making his debut recording for Rhythm N’ Flow Records.  After a long swim through the waters of great musicians like Terri Lyne Carrington, Branford Marsalis, the Sax Supreme Quartet with Chris Potter and many others, Fields is finally coming “To The Surface” with this excellent trio production.  DownBeat Magazine named him a “Rising Star” for the last five consecutive years.  He has composed all the music, with the exception of “I Fall in Love Too Easily.”   The trio opens with a composition he calls “Parachute.”

However, it’s the arrangement on the second tune that catches my attention.  This composition is called “New Season Blues” and it’s played at a speedy pace, giving Fields time to establish his personality on piano, sometimes soloing while the bass and drums lay out.  It’s a smart arrangement. The melody is catchy, with the first five notes reminiscent of a song I heard as a kid. My brain sings along, “When you wish upon ….”  Each musician takes time to show-off their mad talents during this presentation, starting with Fields.  Yasushi Nakamura on double bass takes a masterful solo five minutes into the piece, running his bass notes across space, like individual firecrackers, exploding with creativity.  “Moving On” has Lawrence Fields tickling the piano keys with busy fingers that tap dance all over the ivory and ebony.  He plays solo on this one, showing off his harmonic consciousness in the creative chords he chooses.  A little over two-minutes in, his sidekicks join the mix and fatten the sound.  Their title tune, “To The Surface” builds with crescendos, like blocks, stacking solidly atop each other.  Fields takes the main solo with Fonville’s drums always coloring the tunes and pushing everyone forward.  Nakamura’s bass are the nails that lock the piece into place.  I would have enjoyed hearing more of a melody than the constant improvisational solo.  It was like the tide rising ominously, than once twenty-feet high, splashing over the guardrail and drenching its surroundings with power and sound.  Sometimes you just want to hear a phrase that encourages you to hum along or pat your toe.  The melody is quite evident during the tune, “Yasorey.”  But it was the tenderness and ease that Fields brought to the tune, “I Fall in Love Too Easily” that really spoke to my heart.  Talking about melody, that song has one that’s unforgettable.  It also gave me the opportunity to enjoy bassist, Yasushi Nakamura during his heartfelt solo.

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THE PALOMAR TRIO – “THE SONG IN OUR SOUL” – Turtle Bay Records

Dan Levinson, clarinet/tenor saxophone; Mark Shane, piano; Kevin Dorn, drums.

This album turns back time to the days of Benny Goodwin’s swing music.  In fact, the name of this group (The Palomar Trio) is clearly a reference to Goodman’s performances at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles during 1935.  Around that time, the ‘swing era’ was blossoming.  It’s the trio’s love of Benny Goodwin’s small group that inspired this album.  

Reed man, Dan Levinson, pianist Mark Shane and drummer Kevin Dorn started jamming together during the pandemic lockdown, rehearsing in the music room of Shane’s home. They open this production with the Fats Waller composition, “Keep a Song in Your Soul” which reflects the title of their album.  They pulled tunes from the 1930s era of popular songs, including tunes Ozzie Nelson’s popular orchestra used to play like “Roses in December.  That song came from the 1937 film, “The Life of the Party.”  I enjoyed their swinging take on “In A Shanty in Old Shanty Town.”  Mark Shane’s rhythmic piano reminds me of the days of ‘Stride’ and he locks right into the drums of Kevin Dorn, like hand to glove.  Dorn takes a showy solo, his drums reminding me of the Peg-Leg Bates tap dance days. This trio hands us old-school shuffles and clarinet solos by Levinson that capture a time when Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney’s music was popular.  Not to mention, it was an age when a storm of New Orleans jazz soaked the nation under the umbrella of Louis Armstrong’s legendary trumpet songs.  This album turns the hands of the clock back nearly 90-years, bringing us the historic music of that unforgettable ‘swing’ era front and center.  If musical nostalgia is something you treasure, this is an album you will enjoy adding to your collection. It tickles the memory of those who recall those jitterbug, big-band dance days and enlightens young people who have never heard this kind of jazz until hearing these arrangements by The Palomar Trio.

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SOFIA RUBINA – “I AM SOUL” –  Independent Label

Sofia Rubina, vocals/composer; Evgeny Lebedev, piano; Anton Revnyuk, bass; Ignat Kravtsov, drums. MAIN STRINGS: string quartet.

Estonia is a small country in Northern Europe and the birthplace of Sofia Rubina.  This country, with a population of about 1.3 million people, is located bordering the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.  This album demonstrates how jazz has spread like sweet jam across all slices of earth.  In fact, surprisingly,  this small country hosts the largest jazz festival in the Baltics.  Estonia first discovered jazz in the 1930’s, when the ‘swing’ craze swept their country, and by 1936, Estonia’s Philharmonic Hall was proudly presenting multiple jazz concerts.  Today, this tiny country offers us the big sound of jazz vocalist, Sofia Rubina. This is her sixth album release titled, “I Am Soul.”  She offers a unique approach to jazzily arranged tunes, including six original songs and she ‘covers’ artists like Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea and George Duke.  Rubina opens with a song she co-wrote titled, “Home” that allows us to hear the full range of her voice and her style.  She is definitely a stylist.  That is to say, she sounds like herself and has established a vocal presentation that is both unique and singular.  Her pianist, Evgeny Lebedev, shines on this mix of 5/4 and 3/4 tempos. This song is fresh and challenging both melodically and timewise.  Rubina’s voice plays like a saxophone, offering some expressive lines that establish her as an inimitable improvisor.

Track #2 is called “Taim” and is sung in her native language.  The melody is infectious, and she sings it with emotional clarity and power. She sells the song, even though I don’t understand the lyrical content.  “Morning Etude” is another original tune and is reminiscent of a Herbie Hancock composition, with its challenging melody and range.  Once again Evgeny Lebedev soars on piano and the electric bass of Anton Revnyuk steps into the spotlight to show off his own talents. On the song “Surgery” we hear the power and influence of Ignat Kravtsov on drums.  He adds a soulful funk to the arrangement and Rubina shows off a completely different side to her vocalization. It’s quite soulful, in her own sweet way. I hear blues in this arrangement and rhythm and blues in Rubina’s vocals. There is even a touch of gospel music gliding through her presentation, like a whispered prayer. She riffs and scats and has a choir of voices join in to lift the arrangement. I am impressed with her sincerity and style.

Sofia Rubina comes from parents who are scientists and music lovers.  They encouraged her love of vocalizing, and she began voice lessons at age ten.  According to her press package, she was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Dianne Reeves.  However, she sounds nothing like any of these legendary jazz icons.  Rubina has her own sound.  She continued her study of music at the celebrated Vilandi Academy of Culture and at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.  A former album release titled “In the Land of Oo-Bla Dee” earned her Best Jazz Album of the Year from the Estonian Music Awards.  She has won first place in several national singing and jazz competitions in her native country of Estonia. This talented vocalist has toured internationally in over fifteen countries.  I expect that number to grow along with her popularity.  Perhaps Sofia Rubina sums it up best when she says:

“This album is authentically me, who I really am, vulnerable, powerful, joyful, searching for meaning, trying to listen to my inner voice.  I see musicians as channelers delivering messages.”

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PAT BIANCHI, COLIN STRANAHAN, TROY ROBERTS – “THREE” – Independent Label

Pat Bianchi, organ; Colin Stranahan, drums; Troy Roberts, tenor saxophone.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love a jazz organ trio!  Pat Bianchi is carrying the torch for organ jazz in a magnificent way.  This trio opens with “Love for Sale” as they powerhouse off this disc, employing an up-tempo arrangement of this popular standard. What a wonderful way to start my day!  Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone sometimes harmonizes with the organ lines, other times lays down his own masterful solos.  At the tail of this tune, Colin Stranahan steps forward on drums, sharing his distinctive style and mad technique.  This is a smokin’ hot threesome and their excitement is contagious. They swing the tune, “When Sunny Gets Blue” and I am on cloud nine. 

Award winning Troy Roberts comes from a remote location of Perth in Western Australia.  On this arrangement, Roberts’ saxophone is drenched in the blues, dancing atop Stranahan’s drums in a very soulful way.  When Pat Bianchi marches to the front with his organ solo, my foot cannot stop patting.  This trio really ‘swings.’ 

“With a saxophonist, there’s a lot more room to go different places.  There’s a lot more harmonic freedom.  I can play more lopsided phrases, or take things in and out harmonically,” Bianchi explains his choice of using Troy Roberts over a guitar player.

Pat Bianchi is a Grammy nominated New York based organist who has played with iconic jazz names like Ralph Peterson Jr., Pat Martino, Lou Donaldson, Chuck Loeb, Red Holloway, Joe Lock & Mark Whitfield.  He started his musical journey playing the organ at age seven.  By age eleven, Bianchi was hired to play his first professional gig. His parents enrolled him at the Eastman School of Music’s preparatory program for piano and music theory at a grade school level.  He was on his way!  Bianchi has released nine albums as a bandleader.  In February of 2024, he will release this new CD titled simply, “Three.”  Berklee College of Music students are lucky to have him as a jazz organ professor.  You can also enjoy Bianchi’s Sirius XM Radio show titled, “Organized” that of course features an ear-full of great jazz organ players.

Every tune on this album will entertain, inspire, and impress you.  Pat Bianchi proudly carries the legacy of the organ trio into the twenty-first century, like an Olympic legend running with the opening ceremony torch.  This album is ‘Fire.’  

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ROB DIXON/STEVE ALLEE QUINTET featuring AMANDA KING & DERRICK GARDNER – “STANDARDS DELUXE” –  Independent Label

Rob Dixon, tenor & soprano saxophone/composer; Steve Allee, piano; Amanda King, vocals; Nick Tucker, bass; Greg Artry & Kenny Phelps, drums; Derrick Gardner, trumpet.

On his saxophones, Rob Dixon adds excitement and creativity to every tune on this album. On “Sway” he is fluid as water, with his saxophone notes tumbling from the faucet of his horn, bubbling and hot.  Dixon was born in Baltimore and grew up in Atlanta, GA.  He studied at Hampton University (undergraduate) and Indiana University for graduate studies.  Like many musicians, Dixon spent important discovery years in New York. He worked with Illinois Jacquet’s big band four years, then freelanced with many notable musicians as part of the Indianapolis jazz scene. Also, he was part of the Cleveland Heritage Jazz Orchestra, among others. Dixon is a composer who has contributed five original tunes to this project. “Lucky Number 7“swings hard and features a soulful blues horn solo by Rob Dixon.  He features Derrick Gardner on trumpet, and they merge to make smokin’ hot harmonies. Gardner is also a notable force on his horn during his improvised solos.  On this Lucky Number 7 tune, Allee comes to the forefront with an outstanding piano solo.

This quintet embraces the lovely vocals of Amanda King on familiar standard jazz tunes like “Love for Sale” and “Caravan.”  She does a wonderful job of swinging both tunes, enunciating each lyric with casual precision and selling the song lyrics.  On the “Caravan” composition, Rob Dixon plays his soprano saxophone and on “Love for Sale” he switches to a gutsy solo improvisation on his tenor saxophone. Both sax solos are impressive.  After Dixon solos, Steve Allee tinkles the piano to invite Amanda King back to the party once more.  They slow their roll on “the Very Thought of You” where she presents her interpretation of this favorite.  Amanda appears with just a trio at first.  On verse two, Dixon re-enters the picture and tastefully accompanies the vocalist. 

Steve Allee toured with the Buddy Rich Orchestra and has put his piano accompaniment on the stages of Slide Hampton, James Moody, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Phil Woods, Curtis Fuller and a host of others, too many to name here.  He’s been based in Indianapolis since the early seventies.  Although he does not contribute on this album, Allee is a composer whose music has been used on film and in television. He too has been a bandleader of both big bands and smaller ensembles, including trios.

When Derrik Gardner steps into the spotlight, he turns this group into a hard bob quintet.  On the Dixon composition, “If We Must Die,” the trumpet addition soaks up the spotlight like a sponge. Allee’s piano accompaniment is strong in the background, reminding me of the Coltrane era. Steve Allee brings his piano solo stage-center with power and drive, then softly steps back to let us enjoy Nick Tucker’s bass improvisation.  There’s an old saying that “You can’t lose with the blues” and when Rob Dixon plays his “Flat Tire Blues” you get the point.  Kenny Phelp’s trap drums shuffle onto the scene and become a trampoline for Rob Dixon’s tenor saxophone to jump up and down on.  Derrick Gardner’s trumpet comes screaming into the room and reminds you how much happiness the blues can inspire.  This is an album that offers a little bit of everything for your listening pleasure. You get a taste of the ‘Standards’ and the Great American Songbook, but you also get a quintet that swings hard and introduces us to the original compositions of Rob Dixon.  This album becomes available to the public the first week of February.

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IN THE NEW YEAR, JAZZ CDs PLEASE & PROVOKE

By Dee Dee McNeil

January 2, 2024

GERI ALLEN & KURT ROSENWINKEL – “A LOVESOME THING” – Motema/Heartcore Label

Geri Allen, piano; Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar.

This is a collector’s gem!  It sparkles with artistic brilliance and features the one-and-only recorded collaboration between two jazz icons; Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel.

On September 5, 2012, the duet became a legacy on the stage of the famous Philharmonie de Paris.  The compatible beauty of two master musicians was captured on tape that day. This project reflects the majestic interaction when piano and guitar are properly united in a duet. You will hear the Billy Strayhorn title tune, George & Ira Gershwin’s “Embraceable You,” a Kurt Rosenwinkel original titled “Simple #2,” a Geri Allen original called “Open-Handed Reach” and Monk’s “Ruby My Dear.”

Perhaps Terri Lyne Carrington described it best.

“I am so happy it is finally being shared with the world!  I always felt that Geri’s chordal motion was very guitar-oriented, so the simpatico between them is no surprise.”

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QUINSIN NACHOFF – “STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS” – Adhyaropa Records

Quinsin Nachoff, tenor saxophone/composer; Mark Helias, acoustic bass; Dan Weiss, drums; BERGAMOT QUARTET:  Ledah Finck & Sarah Thomas, violins; Amy Huimei Tan, viola; Irene Han, cello; Matt Holman, conductor; Additional contributors on “Pendulum” composition: THE RHYTHM METHOD: Josh Henderson & Erica Dicker, violins; Leah Asher, viola; Meaghan Burke, cello.

The plucking of strings sweetly draws my attention, pulling like taffy from the computer to my ears.  Quinsin Nachoff offers Avant-garde music that is a combination of jazz, classical music, and creativity.  This album spotlights string instruments and a jazz trio joining hands to mold sounds and melodies in a unique and pleasurable way.  The trio is the same one Nachoff used on his debut release in 2018.  They are joined by two New York City-based string quartets.  Together the musicians navigate exciting and sometimes complex compositions by Quinsin Nachoff, beginning with an eighteen-minute piece titled “Scorpio.”  Nachoff only offers three compositions on this recording.  The second one is ‘Pendulum’ and features ‘The Rhythm Method’ string quartet. The other and final song is “Sagittarius,” reflecting the artist’s sun sign. Both of the astrologically named tunes feature The Bergamot String Quartet. However, the star of the show is Quinsin Nachoff with his power-packed tenor saxophone solos and compositions that dive, dip, fly and crescendo across space like the “Stars and Constellations” he is celebrating.  The drums of Dan Weiss assist in powerful ways, not only keeping the time but coloring the music with exciting cymbals, flying drumsticks and powerful technique.  At the same time, Mark Helias knows how to steal the attention on his acoustic bass.  For example, on the final composition, “Sagittarius” where the string instruments mimic street sirens, ambulances and police cars, I am swept into traffic. But the Helias bass is solid and pronounced beneath the fray. About ten minutes into this song, Mark Helias takes a well-deserved solo and settles the street scene down to a walk in the park, until Dan Weiss appears to steal the quiet solo time with his energized trap drum solo.

All in all, this is a work that stimulates the senses with sonic impulses and tickles the imagination.  Nachoff’s composing skills are notable and lovely.  His music is like a whirlpool that draws the listener into his magical, whirling circle of melodic notes and phrases.  His compositions captivate. While listening, I found myself swept into the stars to become an unexpected part of his musical universe.

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STELLA BASS – “LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING” – Independent Label

Stella Bass, vocals/composer; Johnny Taylor, piano/arranger; Barry Donohue, double Bass; Dominic Mullan, drums; Michael Buckley, saxophone; Ronan Dooney, flugelhorn.

Irish vocalist, Stella Bass has a sweet soprano tone that caresses hand-picked standard jazz tunes and original compositions.  Her album, “Look For the Silver Lining” will be released on the 3^rd of February, 2024.  In the throes of pandemic seclusion and aloneness, Ms. Bass began writing original music to fill the lock-down hours. She offers us “All the Colours of My Love” that she co-wrote with Yann O’Brien remotely during the COVID outbreak.  It’s a very melodic song with a lilting, Latin arrangement.  Another original song is “Still” that she wrote with Neville Lloyd.  Stella Bass is a storyteller.

“I wanted to create something hopeful and positive. …Songs I chose reflect that. Some of them were long-time favorites (who doesn’t love a song about a chocolate factory?!!),” Stella quips about her rendition of the song,“Pure Imagination.”

She admits her love of singing Broadway songs and movie themes, as much as she enjoys singing jazz.  Stella interprets Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive” and Jerome Kern and Buddy DeSilva’s “Look for the Silver Lining,” with Barry Donohue’s tasty double bass walking briskly beneath her delivery. This vocalist lets us know that she can ‘swing’ with the best of them on tunes like “Old Devil Moon.”

Here is a well-arranged album, thanks to the brilliance of her pianist Johnny Taylor.  Phil Ware has also leant his arranging talents to the project on three songs, collaborating with Taylor. Thumbs up to Stella’s jazz ensemble.  They shine and support her at every creative turn. 

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RICH HALLEY – “FIRE WITHIN” – Pine Eagle Records

Rich Halley, tenor saxophone/composer; Matthew Shipp, piano/composer; Michael Bisio, bass/composer; Newman Taylor Baker, drums/composer.

Rich Halley is a Portland, Oregon based tenor saxophonist who plays with imagination and power. He has released twenty-five recordings as a leader, all critically acclaimed.  This one continues his tradition of excellence.  The title tune is twelve and a half minutes long, but I was never bored. It was full of improvised brilliance and allowed space for each band member to step forward and show off their talents. Newman Taylor Baker captured my attention during his furious excursion into Halley’s arrangements. His drum skills are formidable. On track #2, Michael Bisio stepped stage center to open this original composition with his double bass singing its way into my heart.  Halley’s beautiful tenor tones introduce the melody sweetly, while Matthew Shipp accompanies on piano, often playing counterpoint and always extremely interesting lines of melody.  Drum master, Baker provides the clothespins that hold these tunes together, like colorful fabric on the line.  All of these compositions are provided by this close-knit family of musicians, who have collaborated on all tunes. I fell in love with Track #4, “Through Still Air” with it’s intriguing, lovely, melody.

I am both entertained and fascinated by these compositions and arrangements. I found this album to be absolutely mind-bending; definitely provocatory!  Halley’s rich saxophone locks hands with his trio and they swirl through the air like skydivers who perform tight acrobatics in space.  This music is full of surprises, spacey and exciting, but at the same time, there is a sense of unexpected beauty and calm. Here is an album that will captivate, provoke and please.

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CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER – “FIRETET” – Independent Label

Constantine Alexander, trumpet/flugelhorn/composer; Julius Tucker, piano; Greg Essig, drums; Ben Dillinger, acoustic bass; Roy McGrath, tenor saxophone.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=constantine+alexander+firetet

This album is ‘hard bop’ at its best!  Opening with a tune Alexander penned titled “The Show” I am swept into the energy and excitement of this Chicago-based trumpeter and his capable quintet.  Not only is Constantine Alexander a gifted trumpeter, he’s also an awesome composer.  Alexander has written every song on this ‘swinging’ album of music. I found each tune to be melodic and inviting.  You will probably find yourself humming or whistling along with these well-composed, original pieces.  There is a driving energy produced by these musicians, with Alexander leading the way. Greg Essig slaps the tempo and excitement into place on drums. Their opening song, “The Show” blasts into my listening room with the power of a hurricane.  Alexander plunges into the spotlight on his horn and snatches the attention, displaying his trumpet technique for several bars, dueting with Essig on drums, until Ben Dillinger enters briskly walking his acoustic bass and locking hands with Essig to create a smokin’ hot groove.  I see immediately why Constantine Alexander titled this album a “Firetet.”  The sparks fly from the tenor saxophone solo of Roy McGrath until Julius Tucker steps front and center on piano and adds his own spunk and spirit to the mix.  When they trade-fours with Essig, he shows off his drum ‘chops’ with no compunction. This is a band that is both enthusiastic and talented.  Their enthusiasm is contagious.  Track #2, called “IDKY” calms the moment with a melodic slow walk arrangement that spotlights Ben Dillinger’s mastery during his double bass solo. Obviously, Constantine Alexander has surrounded himself with the crème de la crème of his windy-city jazz cohorts. Each musician adds their tremendous talent to this production. Consequently, I am thoroughly entertained. They swing as hard as a Muhammad Ali punch!

“As a son of Greek immigrants, born and raised in the city oof Chicago, food and music have always been a big part of my life. … Inspired by legendary bands like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, this is where the Firetet was born.  Listening to trumpeters like Clifford Brown, Nicholas Payton, and Sean Jones reinvent the way a trumpet could sound ultimately led me to bring out my fire from within,” Constantine Alexander wrote in his liner notes.

Constantine Alexander is an alumnus of Chicago’s Lincoln Park High School.  He is currently the Jazz Trumpet Professor at Roosevelt University, where he earned his BA in Trumpet Performance and Alexander leads their Large Jazz Ensemble.  He received his master’s in music and jazz studies at DePaul University and was the 2018 city-wide Luminarts Jazz Competition winner and Fellow. This is an album I will enjoy playing repeatedly.  Every composition, each arrangement, and the stellar talent that plays this music fuels my imagination and feeds my spirit.

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VICENTE ARCHER – “SHORT STORIES” – Cellar Music Group

Vicente Archer, bass/composer; Gerald Clayton, piano/composer; Bill Stewart, drums/composer.

Archer has composed the opening tune, “Mirai” and uses it to introduce us to his bandmates.  Mirai is a Japanese name that translates from Kanji to English as meaning ‘future.’ Vincente Archer opens his album plucking at the strings of his double bass and setting the tempo and mood.  Clayton showers us with arpeggio runs in the upper register of the piano.  Each of these trio members is a competent composer.  Archer has offered three original compositions on this, his debut album as a bandleader. On Track #2, Gerald Clayton’s song is featured, “Round Comes Round” and Clayton shows off his more Avant-Garde chops and sensibilities.  Archer is brightly featured on a bass solo that calls attention to his mastery of that instrument. Archer has always had an aptitude for challenging convention, even though he has shown his ability to play many genres of music, garnering five Grammy nominations and one win while collaborating with artists like Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Mary J. Blige, and Terence Blanchard to list only a few.  Bill Stewart is dynamic throughout on drums. Stewart, Clayton, and Archer have worked together in a variety of situations numerous times, and over several decades. Before this recording, they toured together for three years.  Archer notes in his press package that he feels the most comfortable playing with these two musicians. They help him interpret his “Short Stories” in the most like-minded way. I am drawn to their arrangement of “13/14” by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.  It’s more Straight-ahead jazz, where each trio member can explore and improvise.  Pelt has also produced this recording. 

Archer has included one funk-blues tune he penned called “Bye Nashville.”  It inspires the trio to step up and spread joy around the room.  After spending 25-years making music with legendary figures like John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Norah Jones, and Robert Glasper, it seems appropriate for Vicent Archer to step into the spotlight and offer ten musical “Short Stories” for our ears to read.

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RUSS SPIEGEL – “CARIBBEAN BLUE” –  Ruzztone Music

Russ Spiegel, electric & acoustic guitars/composer; Jim Gasior, organ; Lucas Apostoleris, drums; Hendrik Meurkens, chromatic harmonica; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Tim Armacost, tenor saxophone/flute; Javier Nero, trombone; Ben Beal, vocals.

Russ Spiegel brings us a taste of the 1970s era of funk jazz with these arrangements. His songs are robust with groove and enjoyable melodies, starting with the first track titled, “The Underdown Groove.” It recalls the hit record by Eddie Harris & Les McCann called “Compared to What?”   You can hear Spiegel’s love of funk, big bands, and the addition of Jim Gaslor on organ thickens the arrangements in a very complimentary way, reminding me of the great Jimmy Smith. Spiegel’s bright guitar solos spotlight his terrific talents on both electric and acoustic instruments.  As a world traveler, performing in a variety of settings from Florida to Australia, from Israel to Turkey and New Zealand to Argentina, Spiegel has composed ten songs in tribute to various genres of music and cultures across the globe.  The title tune is a slow Bossa nova that features the legendary Hendrik Meurkens on chromatic harmonica. In fact, there are many Grammy-nominated and award-winning musicians on this recording. They lend their brilliance to each song, including trumpeter Brian Lynch and saxophonist, Tim Armacost. A singular Brazilian- like production of the tune “Inquietude” features the vocals of Ben Beal.

Each of Spiegel’s original compositions is well-written and his guitar is the ribbon that ties this project together with a bright bow on top.

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MICAH THOMAS – “REVEAL” – Artwork Records

Micah Thomas, piano; Dean Torrey, bass; Kayvon Gordon, drums.

If this trio music sounds like you’re sitting front row center in a club, it’s because these three musicians cut this entire recording session in a seven-hour marathon session with everyone in the same studio room.

“It was the best I ever felt after a recording session,” Micah Thomas shares in his liner notes. “…Not being able to hear everything everybody was playing with crystal clarity through headphones, I think we all benefitted from a powerful sense of relaxed creativity and the actual experience of creating one unified sound.”

The trio opens with a song that Micah wrote for his younger sister called “Little Doctor.”  She is a pre-med student at Ohio State University. The pianist and his trio recorded this song twice.  The opening song is a ‘Take Two’ and it gives Dean Torrey on bass time to shine. Collectively, the three talented musicians build this song with individual textures, notes and improvisations that fascinate and interest the creative part of my brain. I love the ‘mix’ on this entire production. It’s crystal clear and each musician’s individual talents are forward, glowing in the engineered spotlight, and acoustically perfect.  Micah Thomas’s piano technique is a splendid example of mastery.  His melodies uniquely tickle my interest.  The second track was inspired by Matthew 26:

“Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?”  Thomas calls this tune, “Look at the Birds” and says the bible passage he’s referring to has supported and challenged his collision with anxiety. Micah’s fingers become the soaring birds as they race up and down the 88-keys of the piano.

“Sacred Memory” is quite beautiful. It’s a ballad that settles the mood down after listening to ten minutes of a composition called “Eros.”  Kayvon Gordon’s drum power is provocative and colorful.  His percussion excellence is measured and tempered to each selection, coloring the music like pastel paints or watercolors.  I hear his distinctive drum rolls, cymbal crashes and beats as part of the whole picture, intermingling with the arrangements and locking them into place like puzzle pieces. Gordon is quite prominent in Take 1 of “Little Doctor.”  Each composition seems to flow into the next one, seamlessly, even with tempos and key changes. These tunes move like water, with melodies that fluidly develop and float atop the production chords. There is something very artistic about this album, the arrangements, and the compositions by Micah Thomas.  This is musical art at its best.

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JUN IIDA – “EVERGREEN” – OA2 Records

Jun Iida, trumpet/composer;  Aubrey Johnson, vocals; Masami Kuroki, guitar; Josh Nelson, piano/Rhodes; Jonathan Richards, bass; Xavier Lecouturier, drums.

From the first musical strains of this album, the group is swinging hard and they put me in a very festive place.  The tone of Jun Iida’s trumpet reminds me of New Orleans and the early days of Louie Armstrong. The tune is titled, “Gooey Butter Cake” and it’s both sweet and jubilant, like celebrating someone’s birthday.  The “Evergreen” title of this album reflects Jun’s time spent in Seattle, Washington.  However, his birthplace is further East, in St. Louis, where he was born to a Japanese couple who migrated to our country.  Jun Iida grew up hearing his mother’s sweet voice singing a popular children’s song to him in her native Japanese language.  The second track on this album celebrates that precious memory and the popular, traditional, Japanese children’s song he remembers called “Akatombo.”  It’s the story of a red dragonfly.  Aubrey Johnson’s sweet soprano vocals highlight the delightful melody. Jun’s mother was also a Koto player, (a Japanese harpist) who was a semi-professional musician in Japan.  Clearly, she passed her talents on to her son. 

Torn between university training to become an engineer or a musician, Jun Iida studied classical music at Cleveland Institute of Music and jazz at Case Western, while also privately expanding his musical knowledge with Paul Ferguson while living in Seattle.  He’s a bit of a gypsy, moving from St. Louis to Pittsburgh and living in the Los Angeles, California area for a while before relocating to New York City.  Somewhere in between, he received a degree in aerospace engineering at Western Reserve University, but it is music that draws him like quicksand into the circular motion of jazz.  He began his musical performance career in L.A., appearing locally with his sextet.  I love the way Jun Iida blends pop and jazz music in a contemporary style, without ever losing the essence of ‘Straight-ahead’ jazz or the important roots of jazz music.  He also incorporates his Japanese culture into this artistic work, not only with lyrics in Japanese, but also with the tinkling piano played by our Los Angeles icon, Josh Nelson.  There is something about these arrangements and that piano that remind me of the time I lived and worked in Japan.  This album awakens those fond memories on tunes like “Forgotten Memories” and “Shiki No Uta” featuring Aubrey’s vocals again and a driving drum heartbeat from Xavier Lecouturier that brings funk to the party.  Jun’s muted trumpet takes center stage and instantly reminds me of a young Miles Davis.  I admire Jun’s melodic sense. It streams through his music like Santa Ana winds, full of warmth and power, with memorable lines of melody.  Now and then, Masami Kuroki steps into the spotlight on guitar to mesmerize this listener.  Iida’s original tune, “My Anguish in Solidarity.” seems to be based on the changes of “Auld Lang Syne,” but clearly takes a different direction during the improvisational parts.  Jonathan Richards parts the curtains and steps through with his upright bass soaking up the spotlight to offer a lovely solo. “Song for Luke” is beautifully performed on Jun’s trumpet and once again shows us what lovely, unforgettable melodies he creates. The trumpeter wrote this song as a tribute to a friend who passed away at a very young age. I am intrigued by this new artist and look forward to many more recordings of progressive and imaginative music.  Jun Iida’s release date is January 19, 2024.

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GEOF BRADFIELD QUINTET – “QUAVER” – Calligram Records

Geof Bradfield, tenor saxophone; Clark Sommers, acoustic bass; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals; Scott Hesse, guitar; Russ Johnson, trumpet.

This album was recorded ‘live’ at the Green Mill in Chicago.  If the crowd seems uproariously enthusiastic, it is because it was recorded slightly after the pandemic scare and people were eager to get outside and experience the live jazz scene again.  The opening tune features drummer Dana Hall’s handclaps at the beginning of the tune Bradfield calls “Deep Ellum.”  It’s a funky, blues-drenched  tune that features the guitar work of Scott Hesse and Russ Johnson on muted trumpet.  When Geof Bradfield enters, playing tenor saxophone, he brings this tune full circle and Hall bookends the arrangement with his body percussion, palms slapping the rhythm into place at the performance finale.

After the groups forced hiatus, you can feel an urgency in their playing.  These old friends have been making music together for twenty-five years, in various situations.  So, there is a camaraderie and comfort level that allows for freedom and spontaneity. There is also the joy of once again making music together.

“Scott is inside my head harmonically,” Bradfield says in the press notes. “For years we had such a strong intuitive hookup as a trio that it was challenging to add someone to the mix without changing the chemistry entirely.  Then we played one gig with Scott Hesse, and it was like he was always there.  He and Dana speak the same rhythmic language,” he concluded.

Sommers and Hall open the 2^nd original track with just bass and drums.  Bradfield has written all the music.  The reed man has loved Russ Johnson’s trumpet playing from their days in New York City.  Consequently, Johnson’s trumpet fit perfectly into their ensemble.  The title tune called “Quaver” explores a more Avant-garde arrangement, giving Bradfield lots of room to stretch-out on his tenor saxophone.  He is pushed and teased by Hall’s powerful drums.  When Sommer’s bass steps into the picture, the texture of the arrangement changes and he and Scott Hesse on guitar share an instrumental conversation.  Quickly, Dana Hall reenters the production and spurs the players forward.  Russ Johnson’s trumpet adds his own staccato presence to their musical direction and then soars into his own abstract solo.

This music was recorded back in October of 2021, but it’s still fresh and explosive.   It mirrors a time in our nation when people were excited to hear and explore ‘live’ music again after being locked down for two years of pandemic prison.

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