By Dee Dee McNeil
October 15, 2023
RUIQI WANG – “SUDUING THE SILENCE” – Orchard of Pomegranates
Ruiqi Wang, vocals/composer/arranger; Stephanie Urguhart, piano; Summer Kodama, bass; Mili Hong, drums; Craft Ensembles: Colleen Brannen & Amy Sims, violin; Amelia Hollander Ames, viola; Velleda Miragias, cello.
Ruiqi (pronounced Ray-chee) has a voice as warm and sweet as freshly cooked caramel. It’s also ethereal, abstract, vocal jazz that’s both melodic and contemporary; strikingly unique and yet comfortably rooted in European classical and Chinese culture. It’s jazz and world music, blended artistically. The first song is listed as ‘composer unknown’ and is arranged by Ruiqi Wang. It’s an ancient Chinese song called “Xiang Leng Jin Ni” with lyrics by an eleventh century female poet named Qingzhao Li. This traditional composition introduces us to the voice of Ruiqi Wang, a voice quite emotional and sincere in its delivery. Even though I do not understand the words, I am captivated by Ruiqi’s soprano, singing against the backdrop of Mili Hong on complimentary drums. It’s a very effective introduction to Wang’s lovely human instrument. I play this song twice, as though the vocalist has hypnotized me. Her tone and projection is both tentative and touching; sweet, child-like and innocent, but quite persuasive. She has a way of sliding to the notes, that’s quite enchanting. You hear it clearly during her a’ Capella performance of “Xiang Leng Jin Ni 2” further into the album.
A song called “Vibrating” spotlights Summer Kodama on bass and Hong’s drums. It’s a short piece, but provocative. On a tune titled, “Descent of Lilies” Ruiqi Wang lets her voice shine like a horn. She wordlessly takes center stage, generously supported by Stephanie Urguhart’s piano and Kodama’s walking bass. Mili Hong’s drums are spontaneous and boisterous throughout.
I think the artwork by Bianca Li is beautiful and perfect for this album. I can tell that this artist looks at every detail of her music, including the art for her CD cover. It’s refreshing. On her “Dreams of the Pines” composition, she is joined by the strings of Craft Ensembles.
Here is experimental jazz that pushes the boundaries and sandpapers the sharp edges to a soft, round, feminine beauty. The title tune is sung in English and the sweet lines of violins converse with Wang’s vocals. First, she sings, then recites in spoken word the poem “Fragments for Subduing the Silence” by Alejandra Pizarnik, and translated from Spanish to English by Yvette Siegert.
Ruiqi Wang was born and raised in Hangzhou, China and relocated to Montreal, Cananda in 2027 to study at McGill University’s jazz Performance program. In addition to this female dominated group of musicians she records with, she also performs with the Ruiqi Wang Chamber Ensemble. Wang is currently embarking upon a master’s degree in jazz composition at the Bern Academy of the Arts in Switzerland. She is a blossoming composer, a lovely vocalist, and I can imagine her trailblazing her way across the continents of experimental music. This is an artist who leaves a lasting impression with her musical ideas and forward-thinking arrangements. This album will be available October 27, 2023.
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COLETTE MICHAAN – “EARTH REBIRTH” – Creatrix Music
Colette Michaan, flute/bamgoo flute; Leo Genovese, piano/keyboards; John Benitez, acoustic bass; Luisito Quintero, timbales/percussion; Yusnier Sanchez Bustamante, congas/percussion; Mireya Ramos, vocals.
This Colette Michaan sextet features four musicians who have already won multiple Grammy Awards. The purpose and intent of this album is to celebrate the beauty of humankind’s home, that of Earth. The musical premise is to celebrate a rebirth. The title tune opens this production with Colette’s flute flying like a wild bird above the powerful rhythm section and leading the way. For some reason, on the wings of this music, I am transported to a place of wild open spaces and indigenous people. This first tune inspires my imagination and I become a time traveler. Track #2, “Campina” is a Cuban classic and features the warm, vibrant vocals of Mireya Ramos. The percussion is magical, and the Latin inspired arrangement brings joy to my listening room. Track #3, “El Raton” has been arranged by Colette’s bass player, John Benitez. It takes on a sexy, contemporary, jazz groove, with a moderate tempo and blues base. I enjoy the harmony between the keyboard and Michaan’s flute. Leo Genovese offers a stellar piano solo.
Colette Michaan is based in New York City, but her music reflects several cultures. She draws from her extensive travels throughout Africa, South America, Asia and the Caribbean. But the bulk of these arrangements bury strong roots in Latin cultures. The result is bright, entertaining songs that blossom like wild, island orchids. Michaan’s flute inspires your senses to come alive. Her interpretation of the Abbey Lincoln classic jazz song, “Throw It Away” is delightful, featuring her mastery on the flute. Again, during Colette’s version of the Charles Mingus composition, “Reincarnation of a Lovebird” repaints the Mingus music in brilliant, bright, South American colors.
This is a Latin-flavored album of spirit and rhythm that generously supports the flute excellence of Colette Michaan.
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CAROLINE DAVIS’ ALULA – “CAPTIVITY” – Ropeadope Records
Caroline Davis, alto saxophone/juno/vocals/composer; Val Jeanty, turntables/samples; Chris Tordini, acoustic& Moog bass; Tyshawn Sorey, drums; Qasim Naqvi, modular synthesizer; Ben Hoffman, prophet.
Alto saxophonist, Caroline Davis offers us her first social justice album. Each of eight compositions celebrates eight lives, people who kept hope alive through incarceration. The first song sounds like a rocket to the moon is about to take off. It manifests that kind of energy and a driving undercurrent of sounds and electronics, including a male vocal speaking underneath the fray, sometimes screaming, “give them what belongs to them.”
Caroline’s saxophone takes center stage playing “Burned Believers for Agnes & Huguette” with a female voice speaking beneath the music this time, repeating, “and fight back” among other things. Chris Tordini’s bass sets the mood and tempo along with Tyshawn Sorey on drums. Caroline’s alto saxophone jogs atop the chord changes, sometimes sounding somewhat out of tune. It’s not a pretty or melodic song that her saxophone sings. The third track continues down the same path.
The compositions and arrangements that Caroline has written are quite experimental, but her approach to interpreting them on alto saxophone seems limited. I strain to hear her break free from her one-dimensional approach on her instrument to a more fluid saxophone solo, but this never happens. The electronics of samples are spun like a spider webs atop the bass and drums Davis is front and center, playing her saxophone and wriggling in the web, resembling a captured prey. I felt like I was always waiting for Caroline Davis to show me some moments of genius on her horn. On the 5th track, “Synchronize my Body Where My Mind Has Always Been” they show a little more spontaneity and energy, with Davis almost breaking free of her musical inhibitions. A male voice repeats, “Manifesto” over and over in the track.
Unapologetically, this takes Avant-garde to a whole new level. Davis delivers her album with ten original songs, but I just couldn’t connect to it. I always look for spiritual value, honesty, and some kind of beauty in everything I listen to. I came away from this electronic experimental music, somewhat disappointed and unfulfilled.
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DEBBIE SPRING – “TOCAMOS” – CR Records
Debbie Spring, 5-string viola/composer; Hal Roland, piano/keyboards/vocals; Rusty Heck, bass; Ettienne Fuentes Jr., drums; Scott Marischen, harp; Phill Fest, guitar; Howard Levy, harmonica; David Schanzer, percussion/keyboard pads; Julio Matta, percussion; Eddy “Oriente” Balzola, spoken word.
Opening with an original composition called “Mockingbird” Debbie’s delightful jazz flavored 5-string viola introduces the melody. The sound of a live bird is incorporated into her arrangement. Spring has written all the music on this album, with the exception of Track #2, the familiar “Fragile” tune composed by Sting. It features the vocals of Hal Roland, with an inspired solo by Debbie Spring’s viola and Scott Marischen lends his own solo on harp.
Born in Miami, and still based in Florida, she began her love of music at the age of five, studying the piano. When she was introduced to the viola, she fell in love with its tone. Debbie Spring admires the great Jean-Luc Ponty. She has chosen a challenging and rare instrument to play, but Debbie has perfected her technique and style. You hear it on this album project. First rooted in European classical music, after Debbie discovered jazz her world opened up like a rainbow across the sky. While studying for her master’s degree at the University of Miami, she was performing with her own jazz fusion group and they recorded an album in 1990 called “Ocean Drive.”
The 5-string viola she plays is tuned differently than a violin. It’s one-fifth lower and the strings are C, G, D, A and Ms. Spring has added a high E string to her instrument. This allows her a range closer to the violin. She has played with country/western groups, pop groups and performed classical concerts, but she says one of her favorite gigs was touring with Shakira, who allowed her to be free and improvise, like the jazz musician that she is.
The title of this album is “Tocamos” that translates from Spanish to English to mean “we play.” This meaning reflects Debbie’s desire and love of playing and sharing her music. On this album you will enjoy a bit of Latin flavor, a touch of pop, some great compositions by Spring, and a whole lot of jazz. The title tune is both melodic and rhythmic, with Latin percussion driving this arrangement and her beautiful tone on the viola exploring the melody. Debbie Spring improvises fluidly and with great power. Hal Roland takes an inspired solo on piano. “Tocamos” quickly became one of my favorite tunes on this album.
It’s rare to hear the viola become the lead instrument in a jazz ensemble, but Debbie Spring makes it sound normal and natural. A master of her instrument, she brings warm, wonderful sounds to our ears, with several of her outstanding compositions and arrangements highlight Debbie Spring’s mastery of this unusual string instrument. Bravo!
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ANGELICA SANCHEZ NONET – “NIGHTTIME CREATURES” – Pyroclastic Records
Angelica Sanchez, piano/composer/arranger; John Hebert, bass; Sam Ospovat, drummer; Omar Tamez, guitar; Michael Attias, alto saxophone; Chris Speed, tenor saxophone/clarinet; Ben Goldberg, contra alto clarinet; Thomas Heberer, quarter-tone trumpet; Kenny Warren, cornet.
During a time spent living in seclusion and away from the urban noises, pianist, composer and arranger, Angelica Sanchez was fascinated by what her ears heard. With only the light coming from a very thin crescent moon, Sanchez describes what inspired this current recording project.
“The woods transform at night, when … you can’t see your hand in front of your face, but the coyotes and other animals make more noise in the dark. I realized that it was only my ears that were activated in those moments. I became fascinated by what I couldn’t see,” Sanchez shared in her press package.
“Nighttime Creatures” becomes Sanchez’s most expansive and ambitious project to date, quite reflective of her love of big band music and her search to transform a dark, inspirational, wooded area into a musical arrangement. As an acclaimed improviser, Angelica Sanchez presents this instrumental, experimental album as a vehicle of freedom and creativity.
“I know what I want, and as time goes on, I get closer to the sound in my head,” she explains.
The nine-piece ensemble opens with the title tune, featuring the rich, provocative sound of Ben Goldbergs contra alto clarinet. It flies like a bird in the shadows. then growls like an invisible creature hiding in the darkness. I am so taken with his solo that I play this piece twice to soak up the full impact of Angelica’s original composition. She has composed all of the music except “Lady of the Lavender Mist” that is a mysterious Duke Ellington tune with exotic harmonies. Sanchez squeezes the harmonics in these arrangements as close as two sheets of typing paper, sometimes dabbling in dissonance, or tickling the Avant-garde alive. This tune perpetrates the influence and inspiration from Carla Bley to Sanchez’s musical sensibilities. Her song, “Cloud House” is more melodic and invites the saxophone to flutter and improvise around her arrangement.
Her one-finger piano playing sometimes changes the mood, coordinating with John Hebert’s bass, like old friends hooking a pinky-finger promise. Later in the arrangement, Angelica’s piano takes center stage, arguing with a horn conversation, the instruments mimic two bucks locking antlers. On her composition “Astral Light of Alarid” Sanchez celebrates her father who made a huge impact on her music. Fulgencio Alarid Sanchez had a large album collection and Angelica spent many precious hours listening to a variety of the music that her father loved.
Sanchez expounds, “He lit the path for me. … I wouldn’t be a musician without my father’s overwhelmingly warm support.”
Angelica Sanchez is currently on the faculty at Bard College. In 2022, her recording titled, “Sparkle Beings” was chosen by the New York Times as one of the top ten jazz recordings of that year. I expect this release will also rise to that occasion.
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ELLIE MARTIN – “VERDANT” – Independent Label/funded in part by Toledo Arts Commission
Ellie Martin, vocals/composer; Peter Eldridge, piano/background vocals; Mike Harrison, vocals/background vocals; Keith Ganz & Ariel Kasler, guitar; Kurt Khranke, bass; Olman Piedra, drums/percussion; Victor Goncalves, accordion; Andrew Bishop, clarinet; Ben Wolkins, trumpet.
A taste of Brazil rides on the coattails of these original compositions written by the artist, Ellie Martin. This album features a dozen original compositions that follow the arc of her life during the past few years. They reflect Ellie’s experiences as a woman, a mother, and a cancer survivor. Based in Toledo, Ohio, Ellie Martin uses some of her Midwest musical talent to record this debut album. An educator for many years, her dream deferred has always been to cut an album of her original music. After a recent cancer scare, she embraced her ‘Bucket List’ and has done just that.
The first song is a Samba “Living for the Now” and is good advice for all of us. “As Time Goes” is a duet that includes the vocal talents of Mike Harrison. Their voices have a comfortable blend. I am enamored by Martin’s composing skills. She writes lovely melodies, and these arrangements are well executed. She has a flair for Latin themed music. That becomes evident from the opening tune to her tango called “Dancers Serenade” and her song, “Never Will I Worry” with Bossa Nova influence. Martin’s vocals are mediocre and there is no jazz style here to label her a stylist. However, she is an outstanding composer, and this album celebrates her obvious songwriting talents.
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JENNIFER WHARTON’S BONEGASM – “GRIT & GRACE” – Sunnyside Records
Jennifer Wharton, bass trombone/vocals/composer; Michael Eckroth, piano; Evan Gregor, bass; Don Peretz, drums; Alan Ferber, Nate Mayland & John Fedchock, trombone; Samuel Torres, percussion.
In 2019, Jennifer Wharton debuted her brass-forward band called ‘Bonegasm.’ The idea was to put the spotlight on the trombone instrument, especially her bass trombone. The album title, “Grit & Grace” are two characteristics that Wharton has mastered in both her music and her life. She is a low brass specialist and has paid dues in the Broadway orchestra pits of many plays, in recording studios and on big band stages playing her big bass trombone.
“Here I am, a woman playing a man’s instrument in jazz, which I started relatively late. I was looking for a way to make music mean more to me, so when I discovered I could have something of my own, it changed my whole outlook on music. I just decided to put on my big girl pants and do this,” Jennifer shared in her press package.
Her album celebrates trombones. She has chosen to play songs composed by women who she commissioned to write specific for this project. Wharton wrote the first song called, “Be Normal.” Other Jazz composers like Vanessa Perica, Miho Hazama, Carolina Calvache, Natalie Cressman and Nadje Noordhuis have contributed beautiful music to this album. Australian composer/conductor, Vanessa Perica wrote the second track, “In Our Darkest Hour.” It’s a beautiful piece that allows Michael Eckroth to improvise wildly on piano and he explores all the dark corners and hidden places inside this lovely tune. Jennifer has composed the fourth track called, “Mama’s Alright” where she takes an unforgettable solo on her bass trombone. This song is dedicated to one of the mothers of jazz trombone, the late, great Melba Liston and it features John Fedchock on trombone. Fedchock also produced this unique album of music.
Another composition, “Norhala” was written by Grammy nominated composer/conductor Miho Hazama. This title represents writer, A. Merritt’s character from a 1920 fantasy novel. This character can control lightning and bring metal objects to life. Wharton generously shares the spotlight with her bandmembers, shining it on Nate Mayland this time, but not before she spits and staccato punches her bass trombone into the arrangement. Her bass trombone tone is so distinctive and gritty. Meantime, the background is full of rich harmonics as the trombone crew joins tones, like fingers tightly interlaced. Don Peretz drives the music furiously ahead on trap drums.
On the Natalie Cressman tune, “Menina Sozinha” (that translates to ‘Girl on Her Own’) Wharton and hubby, John Fedchock, are featured, trombone to trombone (like cheek to cheek) during this Brazilian anthem. I thought the swinging closing tune, “Coop’s Condiments” by Nadje Noordhuis was a great way to end this album, and Evan Gregor’s bass solo is wonderful. Jennifer sings on this tune and I wish she hadn’t. Sorry Jennifer. Even Wharton admits she’s not a vocalist but simply a ‘ham.’ That being said, the lyrics are cute, and I can see that this blues-based song would be a crowd pleaser in a ‘live’ setting. “Salt and Pepper” is a great sing-along-line!
This album features unique arrangements and spotlights the beauty of trombones in a distinctive and inimitable way. Jennifer Wharton’s composing skills are on bright display, and her love and appreciation for her instrument shines throughout this production. Wharton’s third album featuring ‘Bonegasm’ will be released October 20, 2023.
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HANNAH GILL – “EVERYBODY LOVES A LOVER” – Turtle Bay Records
Hannah Gill, vocals; Danny Jonokuchi, trumpet/arranger; Ryan Weisheit, saxophone/clarinet; Sam Chess, trombone; Greg Ruggerio, guitar; Gordon Webster, piano; Tal Ronen, bass; Ben Zweig, drums.
Hannah Gill and producer Scott Asen have turned back the hands of time, embracing a musical era from the 1920s to the 1950s. The arrangements remind us of a time past but are still relevant. Gill’s crystal-clear voice tells stories from a time when danceable ‘swing’ rhythms and melodic lines ruled the airwaves and permeated the dance halls. On radio, lyrics unraveled stories of love and loss by folks like Nat King Cole and Doris Day. Hannah Gill enunciates every word to perfection, like Ella Fitzgerald used to do. In fact, Ella is one of her favorite vocalists and this young singer even has Ella tattooed on her ankle. She records a song Fitzgerald wrote called “I Fell in Love with a Dream” from Ella’s 1939 album, ‘Betcha Nickel.’ But first, Gill opens with a 1931 song, “Moonlight Saving Time” that was recorded by another favorite of hers, Blossom Dearie. The young vocalist has her own style and sounds like neither of her idols. Still, tunes like these magically transport us back to a time of Jitterbug dances and Cotton Club Reviews, with scantily clad women shaking their groove things. I love the “ragtime” horn arrangements and Ben Zweig generates non-stop energy on his drums, pushing the band forward with gusto. Hannah Gill has a warm, compelling voice that is pleasant to the ear, and she knows how to ‘swing.’ She makes it sound effortless, but so many singers I hear couldn’t swing if they were on a playground. Gill’s voice is refreshing and honest. She gives us a look at old songs that should never be forgotten, sung by a new singer who we should remember with pleasure. Hannah Gill offers us alluring, pitch-perfect vocals and a delightful presentation of timeless music, a rewind from the past to debut her first recorded step into the future.
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