INTERNATIONAL & INTERGENERATIONAL JAZZ ALBUMS

By Dee Dee McNeil

June 25, 2024

ANTONIO ADOLFO –“LOVE COLE PORTER” – AAM Records

Antonio Adolfo, piano/arranger/vocals; Lula Galvao, guitars; Jorge Helder, double bass; Rafael Barata, drums/percussion; Dada Costa, percussion; Jesse Sadoc, trumpet/flugelhorn; Danilo Sinna, alto saxophone; Marcelo Martins, tenor & soprano saxophones/flute; Rafael Rocha, trombone.

Cole Porter’s music captured the ears and hearts of Brazilian people, especially in the city of Rio de Janeiro where Antonio Adolfo was born and raised. Since childhood, Antonio Adolfo says the music of Cole Porter has been the soundtrack of his life.  He heard the composer’s popular music on the South American radio and played from his parent’s record collection. This album is a tribute to this beloved American composer.

“The music of this genius was immortalized through his unique melodies, lyrics, harmonies, and phrasing,” Adolfo explains in his press package.

He and his all-star group open with “Easy to Love” infused with the Latin rhythms of his Brazilian culture and spotlighting a jazz tenor saxophone solo by Marcelo Martins.  They continue with the familiar “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” with Lula Galvao taking an inspired solo on guitar. Antonio Adolfo lays down his piano part as a rich addition to the rhythm section, but also as a soloist who infuses the arrangement with a cha-cha groove.  This danceable Latin trend continues on, “I Concentrate on You” that features the trombone of Rafael Rocha. Harmonic horn lines buoy the piece.  Adolfo embraces several Brazilian styles of music during his unique arrangements. 

“I started out by experimenting with different Cole Porter tunes on the piano, trying out different styles of Brazilian music.  It took a while to bring them into my musical world and ideas,” he said.

Listening to his arrangements, you will hear Brazilian music styles like toada, ijexá, frevo, quadrilha, Partido alto, along with the more recognizable sambas and Bossa Novas.  I enjoyed listening to the trumpet of Jesse Sadoc playing atop the double bass of Jorge Helder during their arrangement of “I Love You.”  Danilo Sinna also plays a noteworthy alto saxophone solo that dances all around the melody in the sweetest way.

Antonio Adolfo’s gorgeous Latin American reharmonizations and arranging talents refresh these tunes we all know and love. 

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SERGIO PAMIES – “TIME TO SAY” – Newtrad Records

Sergio Pamies, piano; Ricky Rodgriguez, bass; Jimmy Macbride, drums; Samuel Torres, percussion; Marshall Gilkes, trombone; Michael Thomas, alto & soprano saxophones; Alex Norris, trumpet /flugelhorn. GUEST ARTISTS:  Dave Liebman, soprano saxophone; Paquito D’Rivera, clarinet.

Sergio Pamies was born in Granada, Spain in 1983 and has released four albums. He is praised for being able to merge jazz language with the Flamenco music of his culture. The title tune of this album reflects Straight-ahead, Latin jazz, and high energy.  There is percussive resonance that lifts the arrangement, with a stellar soprano saxophone solo by Michael Thomas.When Sergio Pamies steps into the spotlight to open this tune, he offers a smooth piano introduction. Suddenly, his left hand sets the rhythm alive, like hot sauce on your food. The tune becomes quite spicy. As his solo progresses, so does the energy.  Samuel Torres accentuates on percussion, while MacBride’s trap drums help whip the rhythm into place.  This is one of six original compositions that Pamies has penned for this project.  It grows and blossoms before our eyes, like a rare South American flower.

This album is Sergio’s tribute to the late, great Chick Corea. This particular composition captures the wide spectrum of styles that Chick’s music embraced.  You will enjoy the Latin grooves mixed with advanced harmonies. The great Dave Liebman makes a guest appearance on this tune, playing soprano saxophone in a way that lifts the spirits.

Pamies is currently Assistant Professor at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has worked at numerous universities and colleges worldwide, carrying the message of jazz, arranging, composition, and improvisation close to his chest like a stack of books.  He has taught and lectured from Spain to China, from Oklahoma to Tennessee, and from Texas to Ohio.

His composition, “Puerta de Oro” quickly becomes another favorite song of mine from his album, “Time to Say.”  It’s a tune based in ‘the blues,’ that gives his flying fingers room to soar across the eighty-eight keys, where he can show off his technical skills and improvisational abilities.  His fingers dance on top of an Afro-Cuban 6/8 groove. This group is powerful!  The drums are given free-rein towards the end of the tune and gallop their energy across my listening room. Another tune called “Corazonada” races into my space. It showcases both the percussionist and Ricky Rodriguez on bass.  Special guest, Paquito D’Rivera is featured on the closing tune, “Nana Para Sergito.”  He brings his warm clarinet tones to the arrangement, first doubling the piano melody and after Pamies’ piano solo, venturing out with his own solo brilliance.

Tunes like “Sleep Delirium” are more ethereal, experimental, and lean heavily towards modern jazz. Clearly Sergio Pamies is telling us not to put him in a box.  He can play it all.  On “Ultimo Rezo” (a Spanish title that translates to “The Last Prayer”) he shows off his softer side.  Here is a lovely ballad with bolero-sounding drums propelling the melody forward.  Sergio Pamies has such a soulful way of interjecting the blues into his piano playing.  His music touches my heart.

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DUN-DUN BAND – “PITA PARKA PT. 1: XAM EGDUB” – Ansible Editions / Canada Council for the Arts

Craig Dunsmuir, single-line electric guitar; Joy Anderson, Roland Handsonic; Josh Cole, electric bass; Jim Duggan, hahahacksaw; Blake Howard, conga/percussion; Kurt Newman, chordal & lead electric guitar; Mike Smith, Fender Rhodes 88/Hammond A105/keyboards; Ted Crosby, bass clarinet/tenor saxophone; Colin Fisher, tenor saxophone; Karen Ng, alto saxophone/clarinet; Brodie West, alto saxophone/clarinet.

A bass line plays a captivating melody beneath electronically creative tones.  A percussive flurry sets the tempo. An instrument doubles the bass. The saxophone improvises on top of the rhythm section groove and the first song simply titled “No. 1” begins. 

No. 1 (youtube.com)

The Dun-Dun Band emerged in early 2016, featuring Craig Dusmuir referred to on Canada’s music scene as “Toronto’s unsung guitar god.”   Stylistically, the Dun-Dun Band helped to expand Dunsmuir’s sonic range by blending American minimalism with electronics and elements of jazz, resulting in a package of experimental music.  Dunsmuir’s writing and arranging for the band orbits around odd-meter grooves, with spur of the moment arrangements that stem from unexpected improvisations provided by his talented bandmates. This highlights individual creativity and the personalities of his collaborators.

There is a tendency for the players to get hung-up in ‘loops’ of musical phrases that repeat again and again.  Some of this I find repetitious to the point of boredom, like ‘the fade’ on the end of their first tune “No. 1.” 

The second piece on this recording titled “No. 20 (Once Raw: The Aging G)” begins with ‘loops’ once again, based in beat-work that establishes a meandering rhythm, with horns and guitars whistling the melody to each other. The churning cacophony of these instruments plays like an instrumental chant, growing in a crescendo of repetition and building harmonically on the repeated melody line. The mood changes, like conversations between friends. The guitar takes center stage to speak to the listener with melodic messages played atop a bassline that creates the foundation.  Some would call this an arrangement of strobing polyrhythms, complete with sound effects that mimic squeaking doors and wild animals. It’s experimental jazz. 

No. 7 (Nilan) (youtube.com)

Pita Parka Pt. 1: Xam Egdub is Dun-Dun Band’s first vinyl release.  This album of experimental music is comprised of three extended pieces that take us on a rambling journey of chords and musical phrases that chant, repeat, improvise and wander.  The musicians depend on electronics, loops, and sound sonics to captivate and entertain the listener.  These old-school ears wish to hear less repetition and more musical creativity.

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SERGIO PEREIRA – “BOSSA +” – Tiger Turn, LLC

Sergio Pereira, voice/guitars/violão/percussion/composer/arranger/producer; Luis Guerra, piano/keyboards; Ariel Ramirez, electric bass; Mauricio Zottarelli, drums/percussion/arranger/co-producer; Chipi Chacon, trumpet/ flugelhorn. SPECIAL GUESTS on “One for Pat”: Romero Lumbambo, violão; Ivan ‘Melon’ Lewis, piano; Ivan Ruiz Machado, bass; Jose San Martin, drums.

Still smiling from his 2024 win of the World Entertainment Award in Hollywood for his previously released “Finesse” album, Pereira was overjoyed when his music was named Best Tropical Album.

This gifted, Brazilian guitarist, Sergio Pereira, rebounds with another album of music to sooth and inspire the soul called, “Bossa+”.  It was recorded in Valencia, Spain last November of 2023, and captures elements of jazz, Bossa Nova, samba and pop in a pleasing package of Latin music that reflects Pereira’s life experiences and culture.

On Track #2, Sergio’s pleasant vocals enter to sing his original song called “Sea of Love.”  Pereira has composed every song on this album, with one ‘cover’ tune, the familiar “There Will Never Be Another You.”  Chip Chacon’s trumpet takes an inspired solo on “Sea of Love,” one of six original tunes on this album. 

On a rhythmic tune called “One for Pat” Pereira employs his scat vocals over the rhythm section created by his special guests, Lumbambo, Lewis, Machado and Martin.  Sergio Pereira writes very romantic and melodic music.  This is easy listening Latin jazz at its best!  Ivan Rutz Machado takes a noteworthy bass solo and Sergio’s guitar solo follows with gusto and sincerity.  In fact, all of the music this talented man presents is full of honest emotion.  He lays his heart on our chest so we can feel the beat. Then, he tells stories that are full of life and love.

The happy-go-lucky tune called “Montgo” will make your feet move.  Either you will tap toes or get up and dance. The tune “Desamor” (with lyrics by Murilo Antunes) adds a funk drum to the mix, along with Pereira’s funky rhythm guitar licks.  He sings to us in Portuguese, one of the sexiest languages on earth.

The wonderful difference between this recording and the “Finesse” recording is that all players were together in the studio, making this music ‘live.’  This recording captures the spontaneity and vibrant energy his group of musicians create to interpret Sergio Pereira’s wonderful, original compositions.  The title of “Bossa+” signifies that this album of music is a step further than traditional Bossa.  It gently pushes down the walls of category, to combine jazz into the cultural Brazilian brilliance, along with samba, as well as various Brazilian rhythms.  Once combined, this album strives to create a sound that is refreshing and new. 

Pereira’s music is a sparkling bridge between the rich legacy of Brazilian Bossa music that emerged in the 1950s as a combination of jazz and samba and todays more contemporary jazz music. 

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OBED CALVAIRE – “150 MILLION GOLD FRANCS” – Ropeadope Records

Obed Calvaire, drums; Jonathan MicheL & Addi LaFosse, electric bass; Sullivan Fortner, piano/organ; Dener Ceide, guitar; Harold St. Louis, keyboards; Godwin Louis, alto saxophone.

This album is meant to celebrate the profound richness of land, earth, family, and the culture of Haiti.  It is produced and propelled by one of the finest jazz drummers of his generation, Obed Calvaire.  This album is an homage to the resilience of Haitian culture.

“People definitely know Haiti has been struggling, but how many people actually know the history behind how that struggle started?” Obed asks us in his press package.

Dating back to between 1825 and 1914, the French King Charles X agreed to formerly recognize Haiti as an independent nation. However, there were strings attached.  He wanted Haiti to pay 150 million francs in reparations to France.  That would be approximately $21 billion in today’s currency. This Reparation Act included claims over property, including Haitian slaves considered property, that Frenchmen lost during the Haitian revolution for independence from France. It is this horrible and unfair debt hanging over the Haitian government that has severely hampered Haiti’s economic development, year after year after year.  Haiti wound up taking large loans from French banks to continuously pay this dept at very high interest rates. It has still not been paid off.

Obed Calvaire, drummer, composer, activist, is of Haitian parentage raised in Miami, Florida. When he began to look into why his beautiful island country was suffering so severely, he uncovered the deplorable facts that were passed down through the colonization by the French government.

The first song on this album is Calvaire’s mother singing an old church tune he heard as a child. It sets the tone for this album and the ensemble follows his mother’s sweet hymn melody, expanding the arrangement.  This is followed by a beautiful rendition of “Just Friends.”

The percussion talents of Obed Calvaire introduce us to the tune called, “Haiti’s Journey” with just Calvaire establishing the groove and Godwin Louis dancing atop the drums on alto saxophone.

Obed explained his drum mastery to us in the liner notes. “Most of these rhythms are usually played by multiple percussionists, but I wanted to orchestrate them on drum set without the use of overdubs.”

His song, “Sa Nou Fe Nap Peye,” played beautifully and dramatically by Sullivan Fortner on piano, introduces us to the pain of Haiti’s suppression. Fortner plays solo piano in a soulful and emotional way to begin this song. He completely captures my attention.  The bass of Addi LaFosse grounds the music in a quiet way, with Calvaire’s drums always tastily supporting the production. This is an album full of revolutionary messages, in song titles and song deliveries. The song title, “Gaya Ko W” (track 6) and the following and final track titled “Nan Pwen Miray Lanmou Pap Kraze,” translate to “Let’s get our shit together.”  Obed Calvaire believes that love can conquer all, even in the face of painful circumstances. 

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YUKO ITO – “SEDUZIR” – Funny Baby Face Records New York

Yuko Ito, vocals; Helio Alves, piano; Edward Perez, bass; Alexandre Kautz, drums/percussion; Willie Ruiz, percussions/vocals; Romero Lubambo, guitar; Steve Wilson, alto saxophone; Vanessa Falabella, vocals.

Yuko Ito is a Tokyo-born vocalist who has a deep appreciation for Brazilian music and jazz.  She is fluent in Portuguese and performs several songs in that language. Ito began singing as a young teen and never looked back.  She sang in various groups she formed while in high school and participated in the omnibus albums “Marcy’s Factory” and on the “Kick Off Boys” record.  Seeking to broaden her horizons, Yuko moved to New York City in 1994. She earned her B.F.A in Jazz Vocal Performance under the mentorship of the great Sheila Jordan.

I am impressed with her arrangement of “O-0-h Child” that was a huge Pop/R&B hit record back in 1970.  She has totally re-arranged this song to fit her style and made it quite jazzy.

I enjoy her Afro-Cuban arrangement of “Besame Mucho” with background voices that chant at the song’s ending. 

On the title tune, “Seduzir” she performs with piano only, singing in Portuguese and featuring her sensitive pianist, Helio Alves.  Yuko Ito is not afraid to show her vulnerability. Her arrangement is quite different from the official composer’s arrangement (the famous Djavan), but it showcases her style and voice. When she arrives at the fade of her songs, I notice that she likes to groove in a rhythmic and repetitive way. That makes for catchy endings. On songs like “O Ronco Da Cuica” she adds the vocals of Vanessa Falabella, who also is quite captivating on the opening tune titled, “Caxangá.” Yuko loses me on the song called “O Bébado E A Equilibrista” where she sounds off-key at the top of the song and doesn’t seem to be comfortable settling into the rhythm of this song. I have heard and loved Elis Regina’s rendition of this composition and I recognize that it’s a difficult melody to master.

Ito is surrounded by stellar musicians who bring the tracks alive with Brazilian Spirit and jazz excellence. This vocalist does not shy away from great music.  She sings the famed Bill Evans song “Waltz for Debby” with lyrics by Gene Lees, singing this time in English. Edward Perez plays a lovely bass solo. The band swings, but Yuko sings it straight.  It’s such a great lyric about a little girl growing up and leaving childish things behind, like her big purple bear. Helio Alves swings heartily on piano after the Perez solo, and the band is wonderful. I prefer Yuko Ito singing Brazilian songs. She scats on “Voce E Eu” and closes with the familiar standard, “You and the Night and the Music.”

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ITAI KRISS & TELAVANA – “ALL ABOARD – VOL. 1: DEPARTURES: – Avenue K Records

Itai Kriss, flute/vocals; Wayne Tucker, trumpet/flugelhorn; Ahmed Alom-Vega, piano; Tamir Shmerling, acoustic bass/electric bass/vocals; Dan Aran, drums/percussion/vocals; Samuel Torres, congas/percussion.  SPECIAL GUEST: Amos Hoffman, oud/elec. Guitar.

Agadir (youtube.com)

This group (Telavana) has a totally unique presentation that blends jazz, Middle Eastern culture, North African music and spicy Latin roots by lacing them into the compositions of flautist, Itai Kriss.  They open with “Agadir” that is the name of a major city in Morocco, South of Casablanca.  Amos Hoffman is featured on Oud during this arrangement, bringing authenticity from that part of the musical world. This song reminds me of a bustling city, with Itai Kriss’s flute flying over the fray like a happy bird.  Trumpeter, Wayne Tucker brings jazz to the table, blowing like a Moroccan wind at sunset. This original tune is full of energy and excitement, with rich percussive drive and voices that chant periodically in the background. “Night Vision” is a little calmer in tone at the beginning, but soon develops into a bright Latin arrangement with a spotlight on pianist Ahmed Alom-Vega. Mid-song, Drummer Dan Aran and percussionist Samuel Torres take the reins and ride this song across open space with boisterous rhythms and excitement.  The Kriss compositions embrace Middle Eastern culture on the “Beach Song” with vocals sung in a native language I do not recognize, possibly Arabic.  This tune is so melodic that it makes me want to hum along with it. Another favorite of mine is their final song titled, “Seventh Life” that falls into a more Smooth jazz category.

Beach Song (youtube.com)

Their song “Dakar” made me want to jump from my seat and dance, with the flute and Tucker’s trumpet speaking playfully to each other over bright rhythms. Although these musicians stick to their roots, blending continents and cultures, the way they improvise gives their music a certain freedom only found in jazz. This project is a wonderful adventure into how jazz can wrap loving arms around other cultures, other languages, and other musical perspectives exposing a fresh and world-music sonic everyone can enjoy.

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TOMASZ STANKO QUARTET – “SEPTEMBER NIGHT” – ECM Records

Tomasz Stanko, trumpet; Marcin Wasilewski, piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz, bass; Michal Miskiewicz, drummer.

On a cool September evening in 2004, the Tomasz Stanko Quartet walked onto the Munich, Germany stage.  That show was a culmination of an extensive tour of both the US and Europe for popular trumpeter, Stanko.  Surrounded by youthful Polish musicians, (who Stanko had mentored), Tomasz brought distinctive and sometimes rough-sounding tones on trumpet, along with drama to the concert spotlight.  This work with his mentees would lift Stanko’s popularity to a new level of recognition. Tomasz Stanko was a true master and leader on the European jazz scene.

The quartet’s opening tune is “Hermento’s Mood” where Slawomir Kurkiewiez’s double bass opens as the focal point, setting the mood and tempo for Stanko.  His trumpet bounces off the concert venue walls, a trapped bird trying to free itself.  Marcin Wasilewski’s piano settles the piece down in a beautiful way, supporting Stanko’s quest for freedom, but always leading the melodic structure with his carefully placed chords.  The tone of Tomasz Stanko’s trumpet is lovely and demands my attention.  Sometimes the double bass plays with counterpoint, rallying against the trumpet’s free melodies in a wonderful way.  He is always supportive, but free.

On “Song for Sarah” you will hear Stanko’s tender side. His pianist opens the piece, with thoughtfully placed chords that invite the solo trumpet to enter.  What a sad, but beautiful song they sing together in an emotional duet.

Song for Sarah (youtube.com)

“My greatest teacher was, of course, Tomasz Stanko,” says pianist Marcin Wasilewski.

“We were growing by his side, and he was watching us.  Every concert we played with him was important … the most important, almost as if it was the last one.  That’s the approach he taught us.  When you play music, play it at a thousand percent,” Marcin spoke about his mentor, who passed away in 2018.

Although Stanko led several powerhouse bands concurrently, the Polish quartet ultimately was his longest lasting line-up.  They were perhaps his favorite. Their relationship began in 1993 and their final concert was in Warsaw, in 2017. 

Track #3 is titled “Euforila” and opens with Slawomir Kurkiewicz providing a stunning double bass solo that captures the imagination.  When Michal Miskiewicz joins in on drums, it’s like a signal for their leader to step forward.  He brings trumpet brilliance and energy at lightning speed, encouraging the drums to quickly propel the excitement forward. The Miskiewicz impressive, percussive solo shines during this arrangement. Here is tenacious, Straight-ahead jazz that strokes the creativity out of these talented musicians.  Every song interpreted here is a sparkling gem encased in a necklace of originality and beauty. 

Tomasz Stanko Quartet – JazzBaltica, Salzau, Germany, 2005-07-03 (youtube.com)

The Stanko Quartet’s Muffat Halle concert of September 2004 was presented in the context of a symposium for improvised music, under the banner headline ‘Unforeseen” and co-curated by Munich’s Kulturreferat and the musicology department of the Ludwig Maximillian University.  It was a previously unreleased package of beauty, sitting on a shelf somewhere.  What a blessing to finally present it for public consumption. 

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JUAN MEGNA GROUP  – “MARIWO” – Independent Label

Juan Megna, drums/percussion/composer/arranger; Shawn Purcell, guitar; Jose Luiz Martins, piano/electric guitar; Leonardo Lucini, electric bass. GUEST ARTISTS: Emmanuel Trifilio, bandoneon; David Sacks, trombone; Allisson Crockett, vocals.

Juan Megna is a drummer and percussionist based in Washington, DC.  In 2017, Megna relocated to the District of Columbia and formed the Juan Megna Group. Their repertoire is based on his original songs, propelled by Afro-Brazilian grooves, Argentinian milongas (a ballroom dance that came before the tango), chacareras rhythms and jazz. Juan’s music is rooted in the Candomblé religion. That is an Afro-Brazilian religion adapted from the African Diaspora, plush with various ceremonies.  The title of the album and the first tune (Mariwo) translates to a palm-three leave, referring to Ogum (a saint of the Yoruban tradition) who used to dress in the rain forest. The music is a reflection of Ogun’s immense power, for he is labeled the god of war and metals. On this first tune, special guest, David Sacks makes an appearance on trombone.

Each song unfolds like a colorful fan, waving beauty and culture across space to touch our hearts. Tedd Baker is the featured saxophonist on Megna’s composition called “Paô.”  Towards the end of the arrangement, Juan Megna is featured on drums, showing his technique and showering excitement into the tune.

Megna was born in Argentina, but lived for some time in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Consequently, Juan’s music blossoms and is influenced by three different countries. Megna works with George Mason University and leads a Latin-American ensemble that has won multiple awards.  As an experienced clinician, Juan Megna often shares his knowledge during clinics offering insight into “The Brazilian 16^th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova.” 

You will hear his chant-like, South American, musical inflections wrapped into his arrangements.  On their song “Coisa No 2” the powerful voice of Alisson Crockett is an exciting addition to the Juan Megna Group as a special guest. This is the one song that he covers and did not compose himself. It is written by the iconic Brazilian composer, Moacir Santos.  All in all, here is an album fused by culture, rhythms and joy.  Jazz is the adhesive that crosses borders and embraces Juan Megna’s compositions, arrangements, and tenacious drumming. Together, Megna’s Group creates an album of international interest and music for the world to enjoy.     

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FERNANDO BROX QUINTET – “FROM WITHIN” –  Fresh Sound Records

Fernando Brox, flute/composer; Iago Fernandez, drums; Iannis Obiols, piano; Nadav Erlich, double bass; Wilfred Wilde, guitar.

Fernando Brox Quintet @Factory Luzern (youtube.com)

Born in Malaga, Spain, Fernando Brox is a classically trained flautist. This morning, I received a package from Switzerland with his new album tucked inside. This album is an intimate look at his innermost feelings, his hopes and dreams, gleaned from his heart and transferred into these original compositions.  He opens with “Kuku” with Nadav Erlich’s double bass setting the tempo and groove.  Iannis Obiols joins on piano, Wilfred Wilde on guitar, along with Iago Fernandez, who uses brushes to brightly slap his drums into action. Once the melody is established Fernando Brox enters on flute.  I am immediately enamored by his tone and technique on the flute.  You can tell he has studied classically, and Brox uses that gift to express himself in a jazzy and fluid way. Wilde’s guitar solo follows and builds the momentum. This first tune arrangement dances on the edge of Smooth Jazz. 

Track #2 enters seamlessly. The Fernandez drums are now powered by sticks instead of brushes and the piano solo of Obiols is pensive and engaging. Erlich’s bass walks briskly beneath the group, almost like a double-time bass groove.  I find this tune called “The Bagpiper” to be quite creative. Surprisingly, the band takes a break two-and-a-half minutes in, that changes the entire complexion of the tempo and the melody. They go from sudden silence, to a whole different up-tempo groove and melody. It was almost as if the first two minutes belonged to the first song (Kuku)and the second song didn’t begin until midway into “The Bagpiper.”  At the fade, they shine the spotlight onto Iago Fernandez and his trap drums become the star.

¡No Hombre! Fernando Brox Quartet – Live at UnderPool – YouTube

“I believe that one of the unique qualities of music is precisely its ability to tell and transmit stories on an emotional level. … I hope that this music brings you joy and allows for dreams and journeys not yet experienced,” Fernando Brox writes in his liner notes.

The Brox project offers songs where tempos and moods collapse into each other, like the folding of a paper fan.  Many of the songs sound more like suites than individual compositions because of unusual ‘breaks’ in the grooves and unexpected changes in rhythm. On the song called “Fellowship” Iannis Obiols is brightly featured on a very jazzy piano solo. One of my favorite tunes on this production is the seventh track called, “Si No Fueras Solo Un Sueño” that begins with a thirty-second introduction and then breaks into an up-tempo combination Latin and Straight-ahead jazz piece, featuring Fernando’s fluid flute racing through space like a run-away kite. Obiols’ piano takes over and solos grandly. Then, enters Wilde’s tasty guitar taking center stage. When the double bass of Erlich makes its entrance, we have now featured all the players except Fernandez who consistently makes himself known on drums.  Nearly six minutes into the song, there is a ‘break’ silence, and then the entire piece changes to another mood and melody. This is a project full of unexpected changes and unpredictable arrangements that sound as if the mastering engineer didn’t know where one song ends and another begins. This seventh tune moves smoothly into Track 8 (the final track) as if it were part of a puzzle, a piece hidden under the couch that suddenly appears to complete the picture. “Rumba Pa’ Ti” finalizes this album in an ethereal way. Fernando Brox is king on flute throughout his unique production, surrounded by the excellence of his bandmates and showcasing his composer talents. 

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THE MULTIPLICITY OF VOICES IN JAZZ

By Dee Dee McNeil

May 25, 2024

ELENA GILLIAM – “SHALL WE DANCE” – Meta Jax

Elena Gilliam, vocals; Rob Whitlock, & Michael LeVan, piano; George Gilliam, guitar; Miles Jensen, Nylon string guitar; Lyman Medeiros, bass; Alex Bailey, drums; Ginger Murphy, cello; Sarpay Ozcagatay, flute; Tony Guerrero, fluegelhorn/trumpet/arranger; Arturo Sandoval, trumpet; BUDAPEST SCORING ORCHESTRA: Zoltan Pad, conductor.

Elena Gilliam has a honey-coated tone when she delivers a song. Shades of Sarah Vaughan when she sings “Send in the Clowns.”  This resemblance happens when she reaches into her rich, alto range. However, Gilliam’s style is quite distinct and absolutely all her own.  On this tune, she is ably accompanied by Michael LeVan on piano. The beauty of the Budapest Scoring Orchestra is such a lovely platform to royally cushion Elena’s sincere vocal delivery.  Her repertoire is perfect for an orchestra to embellish.  

She opens with the Rodgers and Hammerstein composition, “Shall We Dance.”  It’s the title tune.  Here she shows she can swing with the best of them.  The orchestra offers lush strings that set the mood, until the piano and bass poke through the introduction, to set the tempo and groove.  It’s a slow swing, but perfectly geared for Elena Gilliam’s interpretation, with Rob Whitlock’s fingers dancing easily across the piano keys. Rob gives us a memorable solo. The Brazilian song “Agua de Beber” cha cha’s across my listening room and is a wonderful and familiar Antonio Carlos Jobim tune.  Sarpay Ozcagatay takes a bright, boisterous solo on flute.  One of my favorite songs is “What Are You Doing the Rest of your Life?”  Gilliam does the song justice, scooping the melody into her heart and blowing it out to us like kisses.  I enjoy Miles Jensen’s nylon string guitar on this arrangement, with Arturo Sandoval’s trumpet solo offering the listener’s ears a warm hug. Elena’s voice blends beautifully with the trumpet.  They are two instruments in perfect harmony.  Tony Guerro’s flugelhorn soaks up the spotlight on “Oblivion,” while Gilliam applies vocal drama to this beautiful melody and sells the song. The familiar “Come Rain or Come Shine” is sung tenderly and with great emotion.  George Gilliam takes a noteworthy guitar solo during this ballad arrangement. 

This is by far, the best album release of Elena Gilliam’s career.  It’s absolutely beautiful.

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BOB ANDERSON – “LIVE!” –  Jazz Hang Records

Bob Anderson, vocals/composer; Vince Falcone, piano; Joe Lano, guitar. Orchestra

In 2015, VHI voted Bob Anderson the #1 celebrity impersonator in the world.  This is an honor that People magazine also crowned him with, and Tony Bennett proclaimed, “He does ME really well … He does everybody well! That’s his gift.”

Anderson has won several awards. Bob was inducted into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame and the Las Vegas Entertainer’s Hall of Fame. His ability to mimic some of the best of the Las Vegas stage acts is phenomenal. His one-man show about Sinatra called “Frank the man, the Music” has won Anderson many accolades and awards. 

On this album of brand-new music, Bob Anderson is singing himself and doing a great job of it.  He has one of those very silky, smooth voices full of honest emotion and very comforting.  Anderson’s voice is butter, with faint traces of Frank Sinatra coloring each pretty ballad. 

He offers the listener sixteen standard songs from the great American song book, songs composed by songwriters we love and admire.  His repertoire includes tunes by Paul Williams, Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Sammy Cahn.  Every song is well-written and Anderson is a master at interpreting the lyrics, painting fairytale stories. The orchestra is superb. With Vince Falcone on piano and Joe Lano on guitar, Anderson displays a comfort level on each arrangement.  Unlike many of the pop singers of today, jazz artist, Bob Anderson enunciates each and every word. He’s smooth, convincing, and sincere as a New York lawyer.  Based in Vegas, Bob Anderson works all the time. Currently on a countrywide tour, he’ll be performing at the popular Los Angeles jazz club, Catalina Bar & Grill in September of this year.  His warm and wonderful voice is like an expensive spa day.  It’s comforting. 

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JACQUI NAYLOR – “TREASURES OF THE HEART” – Ruby Star Records

Jacqui Naylor, vocals/composer; Art Khu, piano/organ/Fender Rhodes/celeste/guitars; Richie Goods, basses; Ele Howell, drums/percussion; Erik Jekabson, trumpet/flugelhorn.

Opening this album with the old but wonderful standard, “I Didn’t Know What Time it Was” Jacqui Naylor swings along with her all-star band.  Every song on this adventure was arranged by multi-instrumentalist, Art Khu.  Naylor has a style and tone all her own. The percussion of Ele Howell begins this arrangement with Naylor’s voice floating on top, like a warm breeze.  Based in San Francisco, this artist has headlined venues and festivals all over the world.  She is respected as an artist who can tackle and interpret different genres of music, but always with an arm locked, elbow to elbow with jazz.  Naylor’s unique voice has earned her universal fans from all countries, appearing on streaming platforms, with some of her songs streamed over 5-million times on Spotify alone. 

The title tune follows, “Treasures of the Heart” borrowed from ‘The Three Kinds of Treasure’ spoken of in the Buddhist religion.  A Japanese Buddhist monk and scholar, Nichiren, is quoted as saying “More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all.”  Naylor has been a practicing Buddhist for thirty years and counting. This title tune is an original by Khu and Naylor, injected with a strong funk beat, driven by the keyboard groove of Art Khu and Howell’s power drums.  Her lyrics share positive messages about the opening of one’s heart and never giving up. This song is deeply rooted in rhythm and blues.

“All That We Could Be” is the third track, with a pretty melody and a cha-cha-cha kind of groove that’s more pop than Latin.  The words and music of this album reflect a joyful heart and, like the song she and Khu have composed, you will enjoy a “Happy Adventure.”  In a world so full of bad news, it’s lovely to listen to songs that reflect happiness and love.

Other favorites on this album are “Love’s Around” with its catchy melody and a joyous, medium tempo that makes me want to dance, featuring Khu’s impressive, jazzy, improvised piano solo. They ‘cover’ the familiar “True Colors” tune arranged as a blues. Her rendition of “Lovely Day” adds the flugelhorn of Erik Jekabson. Their arrangement on “Picture of You” whisks us off to the islands and they close with “We’ll Shine Through” another blues that Jacqui Naylor sings so well. 

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SYNIA CARROLL – “WATER IS MY SONG” – Clarion Jazz

Synia Carroll, vocals; John Di Martino, piano; Kenny Davis, bass; Jerome Jennings, drums; Cafe, percussion; Will Galison, Harmonica; Aaron Heick, reeds; Wesley Lia De Amorim, guitar; Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Beatriz Hernandez, background vocals; David Oquendo, vocals/chants.

Born in North Philadelphia, Synia Carroll graduated college with a degree in Spanish Education. However, in her heart she was a musician; a vocalist. Briefly, Synia considered being an educator, then headed to New York City where she joined the World Beat Group called Mikata.  Additionally, she picked up some background studio work. Several years later, Carroll relocated to Connecticut to attend the University of New Haven. She received her master’s degree in education. Then, Synia returned to her teaching job, inspiring middle schoolers.

It was when she moved to South Florida that the singer locked inside Synia decided to become visible again. She began appearing at local clubs, then landed festival jobs.  Her tribute to Nina Simone at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, FL was a sellout concert.

However, Carroll’s voice sounds nothing like the legendary Nina Simone. Synia Carroll’s tone is light and bright.  On her rendition of “How Deep is the Ocean” she performs with only bassist Kenny Davis accompanying her. You can hear her clarity and soprano tones. I enjoy her vocals on the more Latin arranged tunes like “Learning How To Fly.”

Clearly, the listener can appreciate that Carroll loves the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian flavored arrangements. She continues this Afro-Cuban stylization on “Afro Blue” where she adds a choir of voices that chant, while David Oquendo makes a spoken word appearance.  Houston Person’s tenor saxohpone adds a taste of straight-ahead jazz to the tune. On the fade, Carroll scats and improvises. She sings “Alfonsina Y El Mar” in Spanish. Then comes a familiar jazz standard wher she is accompanied by the sexy, soulful saxophone of Houston Person. The tune is “Willow Weep for Me” that Carroll interprets as a bluesy ballad, with Houston’s brilliance sparkling during her arrangement.

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COUNTERMEASURE – “ORCHESTRAL SESSIONS”  –  Independent Label

VOCALS: Gianna Antonacci, Nina Brown, Elora Burns, Icarus Devdas, J-M Erlendson, Marla Kishimoto, Qwyn Alexis, Tara Park, Hayley Preziosi, Daniel Boyle, Jeremy Voltz and Aaron Jensen, composer/arranger/lyricist; Charles Cozens, orchestrator/conductor of the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra.

Countermeasure is an Internationally acclaimed Canadian 12-member vocal group.  This is their fourth studio album.  The recording features the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, conducted by Charles Cozens and mixed by Grammy award-winner, John “Beetle” Bailey. The first two songs on this album are very Pop oriented. The opening tune, “Carry Away,” was written after their tour to Japan for the first time.  It features Aaron Jensen on lead vocals. The second tune, “Hold On” spotlights the soulful voice of Qwyn Alexis.  She sings about her hopes, dreams and the challenge of raising a daughter. The group’s unique and creative chordal harmonies create their key signature sound. 

“These pieces are born of shared experiences, written in response to members’ personal stories and life events, shaped by our remarkable musical collaboration,” Aaron Jensen, the composer, arranger, and lyricist says in his press package.

Co-founder, J-M Erlendson, had a recent battle with Cancer. A song that celebrates his strength and determination was written in his honor. It’s called, “I Will.”  The voices move like waves, rippling through clouds of chord changes, showcasing tightly woven harmonies that create amazing beauty.  The addition of an orchestra lifts this vocal music to a higher level. Their a cappella performance and the intricacy of Countermeasure’s vocal arrangements on a composition called, “Sing Me the Songs I Love Once More” takes my breath away. The cherry on top of this musical sundae is the orchestra’s string section.

Aaron Jensen’s original music has been premiered and recorded by JUNO and GRAMMY award-winning artists and choirs.  His compositions are creative and often surprising with their twists, turns, and tempo changes.  For example, the song “Someone” features each one of the dozen singers with solo parts. At the same time, the arrangement celebrates their independent talents, they also uplift the group’s amazing ability to blend harmonically with each other.  This lyric also showcases the principle of coming together and being supportive of each other.

Their previous release, “Guest Sessions” explored opportunities for voice featuring solo instrumentalists, including well-respected musicians like Dame Evelyn Glennie, Randy Brecker, and Pamelia Stickney. Now, with the addition of the fantastic Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, they have raised the bar once again.  This album release shows off their sparkling talents, mind-blowing arrangements, and well-written compositions. “Countermeasure” screams originality at the top of their lungs.

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ISAIAH COLLIER & THE CHOSEN FEW – “THE ALMIGHTY” – Division 81

Isaiah Collier, saxophone/vocals/auxiliary percussion/composer; Michael Shekwoaga Ode & Vincent Davis, drums; Julian Davis Reid & Justin Dillard, piano; Jeremiah Hunt & Micah Collier, bass; Dee Alexander, vocals; STRINGS: Zara Zaharieva & Edith Yokey, violin; Michelle Manson, viola. REEDS: Fred Jackson, alto saxophone; Mayshell Morris, flute; TRUMPETS: Corey Wilkes & Ryan Nyther; Matthew Davis, trombone. SPECIAL GUESTS: Ari Brown & Dee Alexander.

“The Almighty” album concept is to recognize a force of higher vibrational energy in nature, one that we must become in tune with to better ourselves and to elevate society as a whole. This group opens with a song called “Love” that features the powerful vocals of Dee Alexander, singing lyrics penned by Isaiah Collier.  The style of ‘Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few’ arrangements builds their energy like musical building blocks. They start with simplicity and melodic structure, then add more and more volume. With raw energy, this first arrangement bursts like fireworks across space. The next song is called “Compassion.” The musicians hope this composition will act as a group hug for their listeners. It features Ari Brown, who is not listed anywhere on the album cover.  Speaking of the album cover, I have to shake my head in amazement when I try to read the credits on the back of this CD cover. Artists should be as diligent about their art design (that represents their music), as they are about the music itself.  In this case, the font should have been cleaner, crisper, and way larger.  Who thought it was ok to use font that tiny? 

“Perspective (Peace + Love)” is the third song and begins with a harmonic choir of voices chanting ‘peace and love,’ first slowly and then more invigorated as the tune progresses. 

This arrangement reminds me a little bit of a Sun Ra production, with the use of voices that chant and music that soars, improvising wildly and creating on-the-spot tension and release.  You especially hear this freedom and modern jazz explode during their presentation of Collier’s “Duality Suite.” 

Isaiah Collier’s flurry of metaphoric saxophone notes scatter in the air.  He reminds me of the music born our of the Chicago Art Ensemble.  Describing himself as a ‘Sonic Scientist,’ Collier is a respected multi-instrumentalist, a composer, curator, activist, and educator.  As an alumnus of the Jazz Institute of Chicago and an attendee of the Chicago High School for the Performing Arts, this twenty-something year old musician has been influenced by Roscoe Mitchell, Gene Ammons, John Coltrane, Ari Brown (who is featured on his “Compassion” composition) and Bennie Maupin, to name only a handful of the people he says have helped shape his musical passion.

This album is an extension of Collier’s activism and his desire to be a spiritual and positive force in the universe. He and his group called,“The Chosen Few” expand upon these principles listed as tune titles. 

They close their album with the title tune, “The Almighty.” It begins like a distant thunderstorm, then grows in power and strength, propelled by the roll of drums and explored by the pianist, bouncing like a weather balloon in the midst of Isaiah Collier’s horn solo.  These are young, talented musicians hoping to paint love and light across the world with their instruments.

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AMBER WEEKES – “A LADY WITH A SONG CELEBRATES NANCY WILSON” – Amber Inn Records

Amber Weekes, vocals; Russell Malone, Andrew Synowiec, Gregory Cook & Paul Jackson Jr., guitar; Tony Campodonico, acoustic & Fender Rhodes piano; Andy Langham, piano; John B. Williams, Carlos Puerto & Jeff Littleton, bass; Fritz Wise, Donald Barrett & Oscar Seaton, drums/percussion; Joey De Leon, Pepe Jimenez & Munyungo, percussion; Paul Baker, harp; Gabriel “Slam” Nobles, timpani/orchestral percussion; Justo Almario & Carol Chaikin, flute; Mark Cargill, arranger/conductor/violinist; SAXOPHONES: Miguel Gandelman, David W. Jackson, Jacob Scesney, Rickey Woodard, Justo Almario & Gerald Albright, tenor; Adam Schroeder, baritone; Carol Chaikin, soprano sax/flute; TRUMPETS: Ray Monteiro, Mike Cardone, Rashawn Ross; TROMBONES: Garrett Smith; GOSPEL CHOIR: Patrice Bell, Tamara Devant, Chevone Shampine, Kaleena Wiley, Ronald Hodge, marcus Cargill; Ron Hasley, Choir director.

Amber Weekes comes out swinging, introducing us to Nancy Wilson from Nancy’s early recordings (1956 to 1960) with “Gentleman Friend.”  The addition of strings is a pleasant surprise to this well-sung rendition of my “Gentleman Friend,” along with the guitar licks and solo of Russell Malone. The insertion of a tasty baritone saxophone part in the background made Adam Schroeder stand out.

Amber’s rendition of “Save Your Love for Me” is fresh with a wonderful arrangement by Mark Cargill. Gerald Albright shines on tenor saxophone.  From Nancy Wilson’s 1989 album, Weekes covers the title tune, “A Lady with A Song.”  I love Amber’s rendition of this song and Carol Chaikin’s warm soprano saxophone improvisation sweetly colors their arrangement.  The Weekes’ rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Suppertime” tune deals with a lynching.  It’s often sanitized by other artist versions, but Amber adds a spoken word section where she frankly explains the horrible situation of her man not coming home for dinner, because he was hung by vigilantes.

I have been following the Amber Weekes career for a number of years.  This is certainly her best album release to date.  The songbird introduces this listener to a few gems that are rarely heard. For example, “Ten Good Years” and “Wasn’t It Wonderful.” 

She puts a fresh face on all the standard jazz songs she covers.  For example, her slow shuffle of “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” is wonderful.  During the instrumental solos the band doubles the time and speeds straight ahead like a Japanese bullet train. They feature the outstanding guitar solo of Russell Malone.

Weekes sounds nothing like Wilson yet keeps the integrity and style of the singer embraced with her honey-warm sound. Amber shows off her range during emotional deliveries on “Midnight Sun” and “Wave.”  Her inclusion of so many iconic musicians on this album is impressive, like Justo Almario playing flute on “Midnight Sun.”  Beautiful!  Also, the violin solos by Mark Cargill are outstanding on several of the familiar songs we hear Weekes deliver. Cargill has also arranged and conducted the entire production.  This album is not only a wonderful tribute to the great Nancy Wilson, but it’s a tremendous joy to listen to the lovely, dedicated, jazzy voice of Amber Weekes.

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ALLEGRA LEVY – “OUT OF THE QUESTION” – SteepleChase Records

Allegra levy, vocals/lyricist/composer; Carmen Staaf, piano/Fender Rhodes; Mimi Jones, bass; Allison Miller, drums/shaker; Roxy Coss, tenor & soprano saxophones; Andrew Baird, guitar/ukulele; Aubrey Johnson, background vocals.

“Are You Real?” is a tune by Benny Golson with lyrics by Allegra Levy.  This song opens Levy’s album with power and impact.  Vocalist, Allegra Levy comes out swinging. She is a bebop princess, who also scats and improvises like a horn.  Surrounded by a band of mostly female talent, the listener can tell that Allegra is serious about her music. I appreciate her lyrical talents. In the same breath, I encourage her to continue vocal study with emphasis on breath control. Her career is on the rise. She was already named one of the Top Ten Rising Stars among jazz vocalists in Downbeat’s 2021 Critics’ Poll. Allegra was also dubbed a ‘double-barreled talent” in JazzTimes magazine. Her creative vocal ideas and improvisations are tenacious, but clearly, I hear some vocal control issues.

This is Levy’s fifth release on the SteepleChase Record label (including a children’s album). On this project, she has chosen songs that demand answers, like “Are You Real?” That Benny Golson song is one of my favorites on her project.

This new production is the brainchild of Levy’s Longtime collaborator, pianist Carmen Staaf, a winner of the Mary Lou Williams jazz piano competition, who is Musical Director for Dee Dee Bridgewater. Staaf brought to Allegra’s attention that there are several beautiful songs titled by questions. 

“I became fascinated with the concept.  As I get older, I find that it really is more about the questions,” Levy explained the inspiration for her album titled, “Out of the Question.”

Levy also composed a few tunes for this project.  One song is called “What’s in a Name” and another original is “What Are You Waiting For?” that encourages people to make their dreams come true and shape their own destinies. The rest of the music on this project is comprised of music you will recognize like “What is This Thing Called Love?” (a Cole Porter tune) and Michel LeGrand’s popular “What Are you Doing the Rest of Your life?” She also covers the Irving Berlin song, “What’ll I do?” and she’s written impressive lyrics to Horace Silver’s “Que Pasa?”

Allegra Levy proudly sits on the leadership board of the Women in Jazz Organization and has dedicated this album to her young daughter, Stella Plum.” She is currently pregnant with her future son, due for arrival this summer.

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JOHN AMBROSINI – “SONGS FOR YOU” –   Independent Label

John Ambrosini, piano/vocals/keyboards/background vocals/arrangements/all piano solos; David Phelps, acoustic & electric guitars; Zachary Swansen, acoustic bass; Matt Miller, drums; Steve Finkelstein, percussion; Rich Lamb, keyboards. Randy Brecker, trumpet; Ada Rovatti & Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; David Binney, alto saxophone; William Galison, harmonica; Brian King, vibraphone; Rich Lamb, string & synthesizers. BACKGROUND SINGERS: John Ambrosini, Amanda Bloom, Christine Ambrosini.

John Ambrosini is a jazz pianist and pop inspired singer, composer, and bandleader with roots on the East Coast. On this new recording, Ambrosini has arranged every song.  He opens singing a song written by Rickie Lee Jones called “The Horses.”  William Galison adds a tasty harmonica part to the arrangement. This song and the next one lean heavily towards Pop/rock music, but the instrumental solos are all jazz.  Ambrosini improvises on piano, while David Binney adds jazz to the arrangement on his alto saxophone.  Binney plays on “The Horses” and the next tune that is an Ambrosini original called “Maybe I’m Crazy.”  The composition, “Midnight Rider” is a song that reminds me of the artist Sting in the way Ambrosini arranged it.  I am swept away by the wonderful tenor saxophone playing of Ada Rovatti.  At the end of this song, near the fade, Ambrosini gives total freedom to his band. They become mass improvisers, clearly embracing jazz.

John Ambrosini has a distinctive vocal sound. I must compliment anyone who sings while playing an instrument.  Although Ambrosini is not a jazz singer, he’s a solid vocalist with a soulful sound that wraps competent arms around pop music, folk, and even rock.  His voice, like his arranging talents, embraces all genres. I have to respect anyone who tackles Elton John’s music. I enjoyed listening to Ambrosini’s take on “Rocket Man.”  He also did a bluesy rendition of the Donald Fagan tune “Pretzel Logic.” 

John Ambrosini’s voice is comfortable and inviting.  He knows how to tell a story with his vocals and invites us into his musical world by coloring his pop arrangements with jazz instrumentation and improvised embellishments.

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HARD BOP NON-STOP

By Dee Dee McNeil

May 15, 2024

WOLFF, CLARK, DORSEY – “A LETTER TO BILL EVANS” – Jazz Avenue 1

Michael Wolff, piano; Mike Clark, drums; Leon Lee Dorsey, bass.

This is the trio’s seventh outing together as a recording collaborative. Clearly,  they have lost none of their fire and excitement.  Michael Wolff is an exceptionally talented pianist and clearly captures the spirit of Bill Evans on this project.  They have chosen tunes that Evans penned and a handful of standard songs you will love and remember.

Opening with “Gloria’s Step” this group swings their way into my heart.  This is a Scott LaFaro composition that Evans recorded on his album titled, “Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard featuring Scott La Faro.”   LaFaro was playing bass on that session with Evans, as he often did. 

This is classic Evans material. However, this trio makes it their own with unique creativity and instilling their own mastery and personality into each piece.  Wolff has me hanging on every phrase, every chord, every note, especially when they ‘swing’ the arrangement on “My Romance.”  Mike Clark takes a spirited solo on trap drums. The tune is plucked from his 1966 album of the same title, “Time Remembered.”  It’s an Evans original.  It was first released in 1962 on the “Loose Blues” recording. It’s absolutely beautiful, melodic, and in one harmonic analysis said to have been influenced by four modals pulled from the 16^th century style of music.  It was composed without using any dominant seventh chords.  Michael Wolff does an outstanding job of showing off his mastery and excellence while performing this mind-blowing composition.  This song touched me so deeply, I played the track three times in a row.

You will enjoy every song arrangement on this album.  Other original compositions by the great Bill Evans that they ‘cover’ are “Peri’s Scope,” with Leon Lee Dorsey’s bass walking briskly beneath the swing groove.  Others are, “Interplay,” “Waltz for Debby,” and the dramatic, “Turn Out the Stars”. 

This dynamic trio keeps the music and legacy of the iconic Bill Evans alive and well.

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TROY ROBERTS – “GREEN LIGHTS” – Toy Robot Music

Troy Roberts, tenor saxophone; Paul Bollenback, guitar; John Patitucci, acoustic bass; Jimmy MacBride, drums.

When jazz musicians get together musically (as peers and friends), the result is bound to be warm and exciting.  That’s how I would describe this 16^th record release from Troy Roberts, an Australian immigrant who has relocated to New York City.  As a two-time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, his reputation has placed him among the A-list of tenor players around town. He’s a studio session, first-call saxophonist who can play just about anything. Some of the impressive name artists he has performed with range from the late Joey DeFrancesco to the iconic Van Morrison, and the awesome Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts.  I just reviewed him on an album with Pat Bianchi as part of his trio. Troy Roberts is busy!

On this project, Troy’s assembled some friends to interpret his original compositions. They open with “Green Lights,” the title tune. It’s a warm, moderate tempo funk tune pushed steadily ahead by the drum sticks of Jimmy MacBride and featuring the guitar mastery of Paul Bollenback. Five minutes into the tune, John Patitucci steps stage center to take an acoustic bass solo. Roberts shares the spotlight with his quartet members, but when he does step forward, his tenor saxophone is rich, warm, and sweet as honey. 

For Troy Roberts, the color green represents tranquility, nature, positivity, but also decay, rot, greed and envy. The two sides of the coin, so to speak.  He invites listeners to explore these themes when they listen to his music. On track #2, you hear more of his horn and style when he delivers his tune, “The Question.”  The quartet blasts into another atmosphere when MacBride’s swinging drumsticks smash the up-tempo tune “Solar Panels” into my listening room.  Patitucci’s fingers march across his acoustic bass with speed and precision, while Troy Roberts blows energy, melody, and fluid improvisation from the bell of his horn.  On a tune called “Harry Brown” the introduction sounds ethereal and spacey, as though I’m floating through a starry sky.  It also sounds a little ominous, like the beginning of a mystery movie thanks to the bass work of Patitucci. Quickly, it moves into a blues-fueled shuffle that’s arranged quite contemporarily. Robert’s saxophone work  braids traditional jazz into his contemporary jazz arrangement.  The Roberts tenor saxophone sounds absolutely beautiful on his composition, “The Scotsman’s ballad.” The quartet blasts straight-ahead on “Stretch Armstrong” with Bollenback leading the way on guitar. When the arrangement features Roberts, they really hit their stride. Roberts lets go of all inhibitions and the tenor saxophone shines. MacBride is given a platform to showcase his drum skills, sending this project out with a percussive bang.                  

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KENNY BARRON – “BEYOND THIS PLACE”  – Artwork Records

Kenny Barron, piano/composer; Steve Nelson, Vibraphone; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, double bass; Jonathan Blake, drums. Immanuel Wilkins, alto Saxophone.

This album opens with one of my favorite Hoagy Carmichael ballads, “The Nearness of You.”  It is a beautiful way to start Kenny Barron’s ‘set.’  On track #2, they play the Barron original called “Scratch” at a racing tempo, with hard bop energy.  Immanuel Wilkins takes off on the alto saxophone, flying across my listening space like a jet plane. Jonathan Black, on drums, is the engine of this group.  He pushes, prods, and propels this super group with exceptional excitement and technique. Nelson makes himself known on the vibraphone, soloing brightly.  When Kenny Barron enters on piano, I am caught up listening to one of the greatest jazz pianists currently recording and performing worldwide. 

Barron has collaborated with legends of the jazz world and brings that knowledge and historic perspective to the bandstand.  When you have worked with Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Stan Getz, Yusef Lateef and Freddie Hubbard, you can say you have worked with a plethora of historic jazz masters. Kenny Barron is certainly a jazz master himself. 

For this album, Barron has assembled an intergenerational group of younger musicians. They bring their best talents to the spotlight. I am thrilled by the twenty-six-year-old alto saxophone player, Immanuel Wilkins.  Steve Nelson’s vibraphone was featured on Kenny Barron’s 1982 album called “Golden Lotus.”  Nelson adds wonderful flavor to these Barron arrangements.  Kenny’s longtime bassist of choice is Kiyoshi Kitagawa, who steps up on “Blues on Stratford Road” and shows us why Barron keeps him close. It’s his instrument that locks in the rhythm, walking his bass like a gate keeper, he holds the groove tightly in place with Jonathan Blakes tenacious drums. When Kitagawa steps stage center, he offers a solo that is expressive and bluesy.  On another original tune by Barron called “Tragic Magic” Blake brings his bag of tricks to the party, taking a drum solo that displays awesome talents.

The title tune, “Beyond this Place” is a pensive arrangement of moderate tempo and somber tone. It was refreshing to hear the familiar song, “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise” played at jet plane speed.

All in all, here is another masterpiece recording by Kenny Barron. The pianist, composer, educator is a jazz icon who has surrounded himself with amazing musical talent.

Kenny Barron’s Quintet shows us the incomparable importance and beauty of jazz, while passing the baton to those who will carry this music forward. Here is an album for all seasons and an important piece of jazz history.

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ZACCAI CURTIS – “CUBOP LIVES!” – Truth Revolution Recording Collective

Zaccai Curtis, piano/composer/arranger; Luques Curtis, bass; Willie Martinez III, drums/vocals/timbales; Camilo Molina, congas/pandiro; Reinaldo De Jesus, bongos/chekere/guiro.

Pianist Zaccai Curtis is a lover of bebop. Also, his music is immersed in the world of Afro-Cuban jazz.  For this project, he wanted to combine these two musical styles.  The inspired title of Zaccai’s album, “Cubop Lives!” is a combination of Cuban music and Bebop.

“I wanted to make a period piece album that brought a new perspective to an older style. Cubop Lives! Points out the earliest of jazz fusion and the combination of cultures that related to each other socially, politically, and of course, musically,” Zaccai Curtis quotes in his press package.

This music absolutely achieves those goals.  Opening with an original composition titled, “Earl” I am swept up into the joyful mood of the Curtis ensemble, the Cuban culture, and the era of bebop.  I can clearly hear the brilliant fusion of both musical types.  The second track is another Zaccai Curtis composition called “Black rice.”  It swings, propelled by the left hand of Curtis in the bass clef, establishing gutsy rhythm and groove.  You will enjoy his interpretation of Monk’s tune “52^nd Street Theme,” with Zaccai’s fingers flying over the keys faster than a peregrine falcon. 

Then he calms the moment with his emotional, Latin-flavored presentation of “When I Fall in Love.”  On “Cuban Fantasy” and on “Woody n’ You” (a Dizzy composition) the drums and percussion work of Willie Martinez III, Camilo Molina and Reinaldo De Jesus soak up the spotlight and lift the arrangements a notch.

Every song, every arrangement, every minute of this recording is a journey of excellence and excitement.  Zaccai Curtis is a master at the piano who shares his zest for life through music that inspires and uplifts.

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LEIGH PILZER’S SEVEN POINTED STAR – “BEATIN’ THE ODDS” – Strange Woman Records

Leigh Pilzer, baritone & bass saxophone/bass clarinet/composer/arranger; Amy Shook, bass/composer; Frank Russo & Sherrie Maricle, drums; Amy K. Bormet & Allyn Johnson, piano; Greg Holloway, percussion; Jen Krupa & Joe Jackson, trombone; Tim Green & Mercedes Beckman, alto saxophone; Ally Hany Albrecht & Kenny Rittenhouse, trumpet.

Students of Duke Ellington and Bily Strayhorn will recognize the first track of Leigh Pilzer’s album titled “SKCC.”  It’s obviously a homage to Strayhorn’s composition “Upper Manhattan Medical Group” sometimes referred to as “UMMG.”  In Pilzer’s case, the initials (as a tune title) stand for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.  It was there, this gifted baritone and bass saxophone player was diagnosed, operated on, and treated for her illness. 

During that period of her life, combined with a COVID pandemic, is when Leigh Pilzer began recording this album project.  The first tune swings hard.  I hear her upbeat, determination in this music.  The tune is bebop to the bone.  Mercedes Beckman is spotlighted on alto saxophone and Amy Shook walks her bass with tenacious gusto.  Track #2, “Lin” is a nod to Leigh’s doctor (Jeffrey Yen Lin) who walked her through this unexpected drama in a calm and trustworthy way.

“Anyone who’s ever had a Benadryl drip will recognize the floating sensation of (her song) The Platinum Taxi,” Leigh elaborates.

“It’s written in a regular meter, but the beats are distributed unevenly over a repeated bass line, giving the listener a sense of the disorientation that comes along with the drip,” Pilzer explains the inspiration for this song as her fourth track on the album.

The horns unite in close harmonic escapades of warmth and sometimes dissonance.  There is a feeling of floating sewn like colorful string throughout this arrangement.  At the close, percussionist Greg Holloway shines brightly.  The title tune is another swinger, showcasing the power drums of Sherrie Maricle and the trumpet of Ally Hany Albrecht. Amy Shook is brilliant on the double bass and she composed this tune.

Throughout her production, Pilzer takes baritone sax solos that solidify her brilliance on the instrument, as well as her bass clarinet and her bass saxophone talents.  Pilzer has assembled two supergroups of stellar talents from Washington DC, Baltimore, MD, and Philadelphia respectively. I note that she contracts as many female musicians as she does male musicians.   

Leigh Pilzer holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Composition and Arranging from Berklee College of Music and two master’s degrees from the University of Maryland: Jazz Studies is one and Saxophone Performance is the other.  In 2020, Pilzer earned the Dewberry School of Music Academic Achievement Award and graduated with a doctorate in Saxophone Performance with Jazz Emphasis.  This album is not only enjoyable, with lush arrangements, stunning solos, and well-composed original songs, it is also a musical testament to Leigh Pilzer’s courageous strength and fortitude in the face of illness and challenge.  Clearly, she’s “Beatin’ the Odds!”

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WILLY RODRIGUEZ – “SEEING SOUNDS” –  Coucs Music

Willy Rodriguez, drums/composer; Leo Genovese, piano; John Hebert & Kenneth Jimenez, bass; Jason Palmer, trumpet; Hery Pax, saxophone/composer; Dave Liebman, soprano saxophone; Tehn Vega, sound design.

A composition titled “Beyond the Struggle” opens this album dynamically, with the drums of Willy Rodriguez growling like a hungry lion.  The saxophone of Hery Paz is stellar and soaks up the limelight. 

Born in Puerto Rico, the son of a timbalero, Willy Rodriguez first began his percussive journey playing the timbales.  He soaked up the Afro-Caribbean musical culture of Puerto Rico, eventually moving from cultural music towards jazz.  It’s impressive to hear compositions by a drummer that are so beautifully melodic and well structured.  Rodriguez has contributed seven original compositions out of eleven tunes on his album.  It was the legendary Dave Liebman and others who encouraged the talented drummer to spread his talented, rhythmic wings and aim for the stars.

“That sense of connection, continually searching for something.  I became addicted to that and now it always shows up when I play,” Willy Rodriguez explained his album title, “Seeing Sounds.”

Surrounded by musicians who he’s known and played with for years makes the music warm and comfortable. Clearly, they find a natural rhythm with each other, and the listener can hear their camaraderie.  They are the perfect ensemble to interpret Willy’s original music.  Collaborator and trumpet master, Jason Palmer has performed with Rodriguez since their earliest days in Boston, mostly at the famous Wally’s Jazz Club. Another old friend is pianist Leo Genovese, who has been his musical partner dating back to 2009.

A tune written by saxophone man Hery Paz features Dave Liebman on soprano saxophone amidst a flurry of drum excitement, with Genovese at the piano comping in all the right places, often playing contrary motion melodies that enhance the arrangement. This song is like watching a flock of starlings rise up in unison, hurling their bodies towards heaven.  The free-spirited composition is called “Guani.” 

This is a deep listening excursion.  Willy Rodriguez hopes that you will feel and see his sounds, embrace his soundscape, and enjoy his compositions.  He mixes the roots of hard bop with the inquisitive nature of free improvisation and his Puerto Rican heritage. Drumsticks lead the band and our ears, beckoning us like the pied piper towards the challenge of “Seeing Sounds.”

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RANDY NAPOLEON – “THE DOOR IS OPEN: THE MUSIC OF GREGG HILL” – OA2 Records

Randy Napoleon, guitar/arranger; Rick Roe, piano; Quincy Davis, drums’ Rodney Whitaker & Lucas LaFave, bass’ Anthony Stanco, trumpet; Walter Blanding, tenor saxophone; Andrew Kim, trombone; Aubrey Johnson, vocals.

First of all, the wonder, innocence and inquisitive nature of the child staring out from the cover of Randy Napoleon’s album cover will make you pick up this CD with interest.  It is an oil painting by his grandmother, Fay Kleinman (1912 – 2012).  She was an internationally recognized painter in oil and mixed media works.  Her art makes a fantastic cover to introduce us to Randy Napoleon, a guitarist, composer and arranger.

This album is plush with the original compositions of Gregg Hill. In 2023, Gregg Hill released “Bayou St. John” that received rave reviews.  He’s a guitarist, composer, and vocalist.  Behind the glare of the artist’s spotlight, several prominent musicians sing Greg Hill’s praises and love his compositions.  Randy Napoleon is one of them.

“Gregg Hill is one of the most interesting people I’ve met in my travels in music. … His spirit is wide open.  He is game for anything, and his feeling of adventure is contagious.  The composition of this music is a true collaboration.  Gregg sends me scores with very little instruction to allow maximum freedom of interpretation.  He is profoundly trusting.  I use his themes almost as writing prompts.  They inspire introductions, bass lines, reharmonization, development and counterpoint.  Gregg’s voice is in my ear as I write, whispering … ‘Nothing is off the table.’

“As I listen back to this session, I’m reminded of the old Ouija board game where none of the players are consciously moving the planchette.  This music is somehow neither Gregg’s nor mine.  It is a fusion of minds,” Randy Napoleon explains, his love of Hill’s compositions.

Randy Napoleon contracted a group of brilliant musicians, who are also his friends, to play on this project.  You will hear pianist, Rick Roe, known as Michigan’s secret weapon.  He is a bebop master and represents the Detroit school of jazz piano.  World Renowned bassist, Rodney Whitaker has been Napoleon’s teacher, mentor, and inspiration for nearly thirty years.

“These guys raised me. … So much of my philosophy and musical approach comes from playing with and talking to Rodney,” Napoleon writes in his liner notes.

When Rodney couldn’t make the first studio call, he sent his awesome student, Lucas LaFave to sit in for him. LaFave is featured on four of the songs, including “Motel Blues” where Napoleon’s guitar sings over a funk groove created by Rick Roe’s piano line. LaFave is brightly featured on his bass, using a bow to dig deeply into the moment.  Somehow, Napoleon and singer Aubrey Johnson thought the line “No More Blues” fit into the melody, but the tune’s title is Motel Blues.  That could easily have been sung inside the melodic pattern to support Hill’s title. I wonder why they didn’t use it. As a published songwriter myself, that lyrical line annoyed me. Even though Gregg Hill gave them freedom to arrange or rearrange his music, it still bothered me.

“Escape to Cat Island” is introduced by the drums of Quincy Davis.  Randy Napoleon’s guitar bounces along sharing the catchy melody, with Davis driving the rhythm hard and fast beneath the guitar solo. Anthony Stanco’s trumpet swings the melody along, and at the fade of the song the horns trade fours with Davis, giving him a platform to shine.  One of my favorite tunes and their arrangement is “Spa-teneity” where the vocalist sounds amazing, scatting and becoming a human horn with ease.  Great song!  Aubrey also shines on the song called “The Last Pop Tune.”

This is a delightful tribute to composer Gregg Hill, but also a tremendous showcase for the guitarist Randy Napoleon and his band of exceptional musicians.

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JAZZ JUMPS BORDERS

By Dee Dee McNeil

May 5, 2024

RODRIGO RECABARREN, PABLO MENARES, YAGO VAZQUEZ – “FAMILIA” –   Greenleaf Music

Rodrigo Recabarren, drums; Pablo Menares, bass; Yago Vazquez, piano.

The New York jazz scene and the Miami jazz scene have come to exemplify a reputation of becoming welcoming nests for immigrant musicians.  This trio is a proud and positive example of this.  Drummer Rodrigo Recabarren and bassist Pablo Menares arrived in NYC from Santiago, Chile. Yago Vazquez transplanted from Northern Spain.  The three men became friends in New York and then formed this dynamic trio.  Their first album was released in 2017 (Desde La Lluvia) winning the Martin Codax Music Award in 2018 for Best Jazz Artist.  During the Pandemic of 2020, while woodshedding, the three musicians began to blend their love of jazz trio music in with their cultural influences. This included the Galician rhythm called xota, and chacarera rhythms from South America.  Vazuez introduced more of the Galician rhythms in a tune they named “Aninovo.”  That translates in English to ‘New Year in Galiciano,’ also tapping some chacarera rhythm into this stew of Spanish culture mixed with American jazz.  I love this arrangement, that starts out with their cultural rhythms blowing like a flag in the wind. Then, with a crash of Recabarren’s drums, they settle into an exploration of improv jazz at the piano of Vazquez. 

The title of this album, “Familia” honors each man and his family in the New York Jazz community, along with their respective cultures and beloved families thousands of miles away.  Each composition is beautifully constructed and played with passion. This is a wonderful album that shows how easily “Jazz Jumps Borders.” 

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NATALIE CRESSMAN & IAN FAQUINI – “GUINGA” –  GroundUP

Natalie Cressman, trombone/vocals; Ian Faquini, guitar/vocals; Guinga, guitar/vocals; Anna Paes & Sandy Cressman, vocals.

Cressman and Faquini have hit their stride with this recording, strutting in the glow of Brazilian music and their own unified talents.  I have been listening to this duo for several years and this album is my favorite to date.  Natalie Cressman’s beautiful tone on the trombone is intoxicating.  Ian Faquini is a masterful guitarist, and they know each other so well that this music unfolds as natural as breathing in and out.  They have added one surprise to their recording and that is the guitarist, composer, arranger and living legend, Guinga.  In tribute to his legend, they have named this album in his honor.

Born in Brazil June 10, 1950, Guinga is a celebrated guitarist, singer and composer. He grew up in a suburb of Rio De Janeiro called Madureira. Because of his pale skin, as a child he was nicknamed ‘Gringo.’  He pronounced that nickname, ‘Guinga’ and it stuck. At age fourteen, he was composing notable music. He studied classical guitar and began accompanying famous Brazilian singers. Guinga himself has a smokey, emotional voice that transmits passion, note by note.  You can hear him on their opening song, “Contradição.”

Their tune “Por Tras de Bras de Pina” is both melodic and joyful.  “Par Constante” featuring Guinga is a walk on the bluesier side of town, with Cressman’s trombone moaning the melody in a very compelling way.  Cressman makes me love and appreciate the trombone like never before.

Together, these original compositions and three amazing musicians entertain us, locked in the arms of their uncluttered arrangements, presenting the technical mastery of two instruments (trombone and guitar) along with their vocals and composer skills, they wrap us in a cocoon of beauty.  The multi-colored butterfly that emerges flies into the universal realm of creativity, a mixture of Brazilian culture, jazz, and art.  This is a splendid and artistic package of musical uniqueness that both sooths and inspires.

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SAM WILSON – “WINTERTIDES” – Canada Council for the Arts

Sam Wilson, guitar/composer; Jen Yakamovich, drums; Geordie Hart, upright bass.

It is said by some that conventional wisdom grows from hardship, and that experience produces great art.  Certainly, this female guitarist has struggled against crisis, while working at producing her new album titled “Wintertides.”  

She was trying to create a new recording in her rural hometown of Scotsburn, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Feeling frustrated, Sam Wilson decided that if she relocated, her creativity might have a breakthrough. The province she moved to was experiencing a notoriously bitter winter season that discouraged movement.  To her shock, at the same time a worldwide pandemic took center stage. She was encouraged to shelter in-place.  Briefly, this situation had Ms. Wilson curled around her guitar in a fetal position.

On top of the new move to a strange place, the pandemic, the restrictions, the isolation, and especially since she grappled with chronic depression, this new adventure turned Wilson’s already rocky world upside down. Then something unexpected happened. Sam saw an ad for the Leña Residency on Galliano Island in British Columbia, just off Canada’s West coast.  Thinking that maybe a change of scenery would remove the restrictions and a fresh climate would inspire her to compose, she applied for residency and moved once again.

The result is this wonderful album, released in early April 2024. Sam’s new location, on Galliano Island allowed the guitarist to walk the beach, enjoy natural gardens, and visit other nature places.  The island inspired her to write songs like “Light Through the Bend” and “Into the Hollow.”  The nature noises and quiet spaces spurred her creativity.  Sam Wilson wrote “Dance of the Fungi” and of course the title tune, “Wintertides.”

The result of her experience is music steeped in a sort of melancholic pastoralism with folksy arrangements locking hands with jazz.  She plays both electric and acoustic guitar on this project.  Joined by popular Vancouver bassist, Geordie Hart, and drummer from Halifax, Canada, Jen Yakamovich, this trio brings Wilson’s compositions alive. 

In addition to this current recording, Wilson frequently performs with acclaimed trombonist Andrew Jackson on such collaborative projects as the Jackson/Wilson Duo. On the title tune, you can almost hear the island wind blowing and the snow, falling on the naked forest branches, that moan and creak under the weight.  Geordie Hart’s bass sets the mood and Jen Yakamovich uses mallets to coach the mood and magic out of her trap drums. However, it’s Sam Wilson’s inspired compositions, her tasty guitar licks that spur an emotional adventure with melody, and that endears this music to the listener.

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GABRIELA MARTINA – “STATES” – Independent Label

Gabriela Martina, voice/composer/arranger; Maxim Lubarsky, piano/keyboards; Vancil Cooper, drums/percussion; Kyle Miles, acoustic & electric bass; Jussi Reijonen, electric & acoustic guitar; Ben Rosenblum, accordion; GUEST MUSICIANS: Jason Palmer, trumpet/ flugelhorn; Khrys Williams, spoken word; Naseem Alatrash, cello.

The bass and drums open this album with Gabriela Martina’s soprano voice singing staccato notes atop the rhythm of her original composition, “Full Circle.”  On her album, this Swiss composer and vocalist examines (from her perspective), the state of the world, the state of the union, and her own state of mind. Thus, the title of her latest album is “States.”

This album seeks to offer solace and comfort. Because humanity exists in a world of spiritual and emotional challenges, Gabriela’s music seems to be saying, we are all going through something.  We all face challenges either mundane and worldly, or spiritual and personal. Gabriela Martina has written each composition on this, her sophomore album. The songs represent the readjustment in humanity after facing a global pandemic, worldwide political turmoil, and the effect of climate change. She addresses all, using her tension-and-release vocal presentation on the first tune, with the addition of Khrys Williams contributing spoken word. His prose offer both a pep talk and a plea, with a Hip Hop edge. 

On “Come On Home” Special Guest, Jason Palmer, adds his spicy flugelhorn to the arrangement, while Martina explains lyrically what home means to her.

“… I think you kind of lose the sense of what home really means.  For me, home has really come to mean the people I call friends and, in the best cases, the people I call family,” she says.

Martina grew up in Switzerland and released her first album in 2016 titled, “No White Shoes.”  Downbeat magazine gave it a four-star review. She spent thirteen years living, studying, and working in Boston and New York City.  While living in America, she established her own booking agency called “Red Velvet Sounds” and became cofounder and curator of a free improv concert series.  At the same time, she was bandleader of her own 6-piece ensemble.  In 2021, she left America and relocated to Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

On “The Circus” composition, Gabriela sings with a Pop music flair.  On “Soso” she becomes a human horn and simply sings melody without words in a very Classical way.  On “Dreams” she adds a lovely cello to the mix played by Naseem Alatrash. 

This is experimental music. I cannot call it jazz, because it combines so many genres including rock music, European classical music, the improvisation that jazz inspires, but it leans heavily towards the pop genre.  Martina has a very pop flavored voice.

The addition of Ben Rosenblum’s accordion on certain tunes brings warmth and European culture to her project.  The trumpet of Jason Palmer gives a sensitive nod to jazz during his solo excursions.  However, it is important to remember that the root of jazz is the blues. Also, one of the popular and expressive determinations of jazz comes from the ‘swing’ element in the music. 

Although I find some of Martina’s compositions both melodic and creative, they sound more experimental, with a firm lean towards pop music.  I don’t hear her ‘swing’ on a single presentation, and there is no blues base evident.  If this talented vocalist wants validity to her claim of ‘jazz singer,’ she must be able to sing the blues and “to swing” her vocals.

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DAVE SCHUMACHER & CUBEYE – “SMOKE IN THE SKY” –  Cellar Music

Dave Schumacher, baritone saxophone/arranger/composer; Manuel Valera, piano/arranger; Alex “Apolo” Ayala, bass; Mauricio Herrera, congas/lyá/itótele/Okónkolo/Chekeré; Jesus Ricardo & Josh Evans, trumpet; Peter Brainin, tenor & soprano saxophones.

Virtuoso baritone saxophone player, Dave Schumacher, blends soul jazz with Latin overtones in a beautiful way.  His arrangements are rich with Latin spirit and sparkle.  As a former member of the great Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra, he spent much of his life touring the world and soaking up the big band excitement. During this formative experience, Schumacher found a great love for Afro Cuban music. Later, he and his baritone saxophone joined Harry Connick, Jr.’s orchestra. He performed in that orchestra for two decades. In the 1990s, Schumacher accepted a gig call from T.S. Monk and joined the Monk band.  At the same time, he played with Tom Harrell’s Octet.  In fact, everybody who heard Dave Schumacher’s fertile, warm baritone saxophone sound was impressed. He was an in-demand musician.  Relocating from Chicago to New York City, once again Schumacher found himself in great demand.

This album gives Dave Schumacher and his Cubeye Band an opportunity to showcase Dave’s love of Cuban and Latin music. His band presents a culturally rich production, with African and South American rhythms fusing their arrangements.  The opening composition was written by Schumacher and is titled “Smoke in the Sky.”   It is a wonderful example of his unique blend of cultures and creativity. 

Schumacher says he was greatly influenced by Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band.  He travelled with them to perform in Japan in 1997.  The other master musician who he admires is Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. You hear Blakey’s influence on an original tune Dave wrote called “El Dilema de Chegul Metralla.”  Cubeye swings this tune in a very Latin way, brightly featuring Manuel Valera on piano.

Schumacher’s baritone sax solos are outstanding.  His arrangements are inspired and fresh.  This small group has a big, bold sound.  The percussion solos on their first tune set the mood. The drums definitely establish the excitement.  Schumacher’s horn lines bring his big band experience to the forefront.  Tune #2 is an Eddie Harris composition.  Both Schumacher and Harris are from the ‘Windy City’ and Dave has arranged this tune with the sophistication and inspiration of the great Wayne Shorter.  The bata rhythms that dance beneath the arrangement add depth and interest to this song.

“I first heard Eddie play this originally as a 4/4 shuffle at Sweet Basil (a New York club) in the mid 80’s.  it always stuck in my mind, and I reframed it in a 6/8 groove,” Dave Schumacher explained his arrangement.

His baritone saxophone sings a’cappela for a few bars before Mauricio Herrera’s percussive genius joins him on a tune called “Caridad.”  The song is arranged by his pianist, Manuel Valera. The horn rhythms move in one direction, while the drums chop, chop beneath, always distinct, and culturally significant.  I love this tune!  Another favorite of mine is Dave’s arrangement of “Cal Massey.”   Alex “Apolo” Ayala steps center stage on his bass to open a McCoy Tyner tune called “Walk Spirit Talk Spirit.”  They close with one of my favorite songs that  I’ve loved since my teenage years, an old  Ahmad Jamal composition, “Poinciana.”  However, this Schumacher arrangement is totally fresh and new.  Dave’s baritone saxophone solo is smokin’ hot!

This Dave Schumacher album sparks the imagination and feeds the soul.

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ANDY MILNE AND UNISON – “TIME WILL TELL” – Sunnyside Records

Andy Milne, piano/composer/arranger; John Hébert, bass; Clarence Penn, drums. SPECIAL GUESTS: Ingrid Laubrock, tenor saxophone; Yoko Reikano Kimura.

You have special credentials when you can say you were mentored by Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest jazz pianists in the history of jazz.  Andy Milne was a student of Peterson and is an accomplished pianist and composer himself.  He’s Canadian-born and has won the Juno Award in that country twice. The Juno is similar to our Grammy Award.  Currently, he is a professor at the University of Michigan.  Recently, Andy helped design the new Canadian silver dollar that commemorated his mentor’s legacy.  There sits Oscar Peterson, bent over his piano, hands raised in mid-motion above the 88-keys and forever emblazoned on that silver coin.

Milne and his Unison trio formed in 2017.  In 2020 they released their debut recording titled, “The reMission” for Sunnyside Records.  It won the jazz group their first Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year. Busy even before he formed the trio, Milne has released eleven recordings as either a bandleader or co-leader.

No newcomer to awards, in 2008, Milne was awarded the French-America Jazz Exchange from Chamber Music America and formed Crystal Magnets, a duo piano collaboration with French pianist, Benoit Delbecq.

In late 2019, through Ancestry.com Andy Milne connected with his birth cousin.  He had been adopted as an infant and this began his journey to self-identity, and ultimately meeting his birth mother. The life altering result of that connection to his birth heritage is expressed in this music.

Lush with European classical roots and a quiet beauty, Milne has composed eight of the ten songs on this album.  The addition of the Koto instrument, played by Yoko Reikano Kimura, adds depth and mystery to his composition, “Lost and Found.”  Most of these songs are beautiful, but moody.  John Hébert takes an extended bass solo during a tune called “Beyond the Porcelain Door,” before Ingrid Laubrock flutters into the spotlight on tenor saxophone. Her solo is inspired. There is a palpable moodiness in these tunes and a feeling of pensive exploration.  I keep waiting for an up-tempo composition to emerge, or a blues, to lift the spirit of this project.  However, if you are seeking peaceful chamber music for meditation or massage, this album is perfect.

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FOREIGN AFFAIR TRIO – “SOUS LE VENT” – Zoho Records

Hector Martignon, piano/composer; Eduardo Dudu Penz, electric bass; Raphael Nick, drums; SPECIAL GUESTS: Luis Bonilla, trombone; Jean-Lou Treboux, vibraphone; Xavier Paternot, flute.

Hector Martignon recorded and mixed this project at Riverside Studio in Torino, Italy. The pianist, composer has, for many years, been spending an equal amount of time in America and in Europe.  Predominantly, he has roots in Geneva, Switzerland.  Hector Martignon spoke about those roots in his liner notes.

“Commuting between both cities (NYC & Geneva) for the last fifteen years or so, to visit my daughter Leticia and her children in Geneva, I saw a musical home flourish and thrive in both cities, to which this CD offers the finest testament,” Hector proclaimed.

In the very first song, “Prelude X” you hear Martignon’s deep classical roots as he plays piano.  The story behind this composition is the sad and tortuous life of an Argentinian author, Jorge Luis Borges, who spent his final years in blindness. The classical arrangement at the beginning of the tune soon melts into jazz, with Martignon’s piano solo taking us on a beautiful, improvisational journey.  Eduardo Dudu Penz sings along with his electric bass solo. It adds a warm, friendly feeling to his jazz improv. 

Track #2, “Pasilleando” is Martignon’s tribute to his birthplace of Bogota, Columbia where he employs the Venezuelan-Colombian Joropo rhythms full of energetic spark and spice. Jean-Lou Treboux adds the vibraphone and Eduardo’s bass line dances beneath the joyful timbre of this arrangement. But it’s the brilliance of Hector Martignon on piano that makes this piece sparkle.  Their interpretation of the Herbie Hancock piece titled; “NY Minute” invites Luis Bonilla as a special guest on trombone. The Title tune, “Sous Le Vent” is another one of the 24 preludes that is reconstructed as a Latin-tinged jazz arrangement in the Choro style.  The flute of Xavier Paternot almost sounds like an accordion when he sings unison with the piano melody.  I enjoyed his final composition on this album, written for the late Ray Barretto’s Jazz band in the early 90s and titled, “Gabriela.”  Translated to English, the title of this album “Sous Le Vent” means ‘under the wind.’ 

Martignon would like the listener to share the shore and the space between New York and Geneva as they listen to his music, easy as the wind that fills the air between the two countries, or simply breathing in and out. 

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GUSTAVO CORTIÑAS – “LIVE IN CHICAGO” – Pesafio Canpente Records

Gustavo Cortinas, drums/composer; Kitt Lyles, upright bass; Joaquin Garcia, piano; Matthew Davis, trombone; Artie Black, tenor saxophone; Drew Hansen, trumpet.

The bright, colorful album cover of Gustavo Cortiñas represents a tale of two countries. It’s an artistic fusion between Mexico City and the city of Chicago.  This art depicts the complex relationship between these two cities and two countries.  It also represents what Cortiñas considers his two homes. 

Gustavo Cortiñas has earned a place of prominence in Chicago as one of the important drummers of our day. As reflected on this album, he is also a serious composer.  He has penned every song they play.  The first composition opens with the bass line of Kitt Lyles talking to the drum sticks of Cortiñas.  The simplicity of the drumstick calling the concert to attention, like the tap of a teacher’s ruler, draws the listener in.  When the horns enter, so does the melody.  The band’s ‘Live’ performance has begun.  Cortiñas is joined on this outing by his long-time sextet.  They are familiar and comfortable with the material and each other.  This is a blend of cultures, where Latin roots and mid-western jazz hold hands like lovers.  Track #2 sounds like jazz from the 1930s.  Titled “Hanaki.”  It meanders along at a slow-swing pace, featuring a sweet trombone solo by Matthew Davis. When the piano solo follows, we get a taste of Chicago blues with a boogie- woogie base. Composer and bassist, Kitt Lyles steps into the spotlight next, walking his bass solo slowly across the stage, with the drums of Cortiñas egging him along.  They both solo simultaneously.

This is a two CD set of fiery music that embraces the theme of this column, jazz jumping borders.

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ALEKSI GLICK –  “WORLD TRAVELER” –  Pinch Records

Aleksi Glick, guitar/composer; Jeff Koch, bass; Nathan Ellman-Bell, drums. SPECIAL GUESTS: Laureana, vocals; Eric Trudel, saxophone; Adam Ahuja, keyboards.

Guitarist Aleksi Glick’s new trio album blends smooth jazz, pop, and soul music into a beautiful ball of impressive original compositions and arrangements.  The first tune rolls out, featuring the lovely vocals of Laureana on “She Told Me.”  Although Glick straddles several genres, he remains true to his distinct musical vision.  His music shows depth and artistic creativity as both a guitarist and composer.  Glick has written nine of the ten songs featured on this “World Traveler” album.  Representative of his world traveler concept, the songs he’s composed reflect a blend of cultures and genres.

Aleksi’s debut album was titled “Guitar and Me” and established this talented musician as a competent composer and technically astute guitarist.

Many compositions on this sophomore release by Aleksi Glick have been inspired by his travels including pieces like “Nordic Bossa” inspired by a pause on the side of a road in Finland, or “Japanese Garden” written after spending a peaceful time on a picturesque park bench in Japan. 

“Leaving LA” was written after visiting a rooftop in sunny Southern California.  It’s arranged as a smooth jazz bossa nova at first, then broadens with a taste of progressive rock music creeping into the arrangement, showcasing Glick’s guitar when he takes on a spontaneous and energetic solo. Track #2, titled “His Spirit” has a touch of Americana to the tune.  “A Tune for Vic” is all buttered up in the blues.  Jeff Koch offers an emotional bass solo. “Guitar and Me” swoops us to Brazil, with the bright rhythms of Nathan Ellman-Bell on drums propelling the song ahead at a Samba pace and taking a boisterous, happy solo.

This album has a little something for everyone, featuring a super talented guitarist and his awesome trio.   I enjoyed every song they played.

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HAKON SKOGSTAD – “8 CONCEPTS OF TANGO”- Ora Fonegram

Hakon Skogstad, piano/composer; Andreas Rokseth & Asbjerg Ryeng, bandoneon; Ole Scheyen Sjölin, double bass; Sveinung Lillebjerka & Anders Larsen, violin; Bergmund Waal Skaslien, viola; Marit Aspaas, cello.

Hakon Skogstad describes his recent recording release saying: “In 8 Concepts of Tango, I have taken inspiration from Astor Piazzolla’s Octeto Buenos Aires and composed 8 original works for 8 musicians, aiming to further expand the landscape of nuevo tango.”

Skogstad is a prize-winning pianist and composer. He holds degrees in Classical Performance from Oslo and New York, as well as a PhD in Artistic Research from NTNU, Trondheim.  He has performed in ensembles and as a soloist throughout Norway.  Additionally, Hakon Skogstad has played concerts all over the United States, in Argentina, Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden. His work is dramatic, combining romanticism with Argentine tango interpretations.  In this production, Skogstad merges the golden age of tango with a more modern musical concept, while wrapping this international musical package with classical technique. His piano mastery adds both excitement and beauty to this album. 

I was surprised at the absence of drums, but these musicians are full of gusto and rhythm.  Their precision talents lay rhythmic structure into each arrangement. The musicians Hakon Skogstad has contracted are all experts, masters of their instruments, with emphasis on the Argentine tango and classical music agendas.  Both Bandoneon players are award winners. Asbjorg Ryeng holds a master’s degree in performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music. He’s popular throughout Norway, Europe and Argentina. Rokseth has broad experience as a tango musician, having studied and performed in Argentina.  He too holds a master’s degree in performance from Codarts, Rotterdam. 

The string section is sexy and made up of players who have performed in celebrated orchestras across Europe and South America. Every exciting piece on this album was composed by Hakon Skogstad.  The compositions, the arrangements, and his incredible piano brilliance bring attention and celebration of the beauty contained in tango music. This is Hakon Skogstad’s third installment of his Tango trilogy of recordings.

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JAZZ TO REMEMBER THEM BY

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

April 27, 2024

CANNONBALL ADDERLEY – “BURNIN’ IN BORDEAUX: LIVE IN FRANCE 1969” – Elemental Records

Julian Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone; Nat Adderley, cornet; Joe Zawinul, piano/electric piano; Victor Gaskin, bass; Roy McCurdy, drums.

Ever since I first heard the soothing and sexy horn of Cannonball Adderley on Nancy Wilson’s debut album project with Cannonball’s group, I’ve been a fan!  I was quite excited to receive this previously unreleased recording from Elemental Records featuring Cannonball’s brother Nat Adderley, the iconic Joe Zawinul on grand piano & electric piano, the amazing Victor Gaskin on bass, and the great Roy McCurdy on drums.  This awesome album was recorded in two places. One was ‘live’ at the Bordeaux Jazz Festival and the other concert was at the Paris Jazz Festival.  It’s a two-CD set of extraordinary music transferred from the original, 1969 tape reels.  What a treasure!

Clearly, Julian Cannonball Adderley was a virtuoso alto saxophone player.  At this time in his life, (the late 1960s and the early 1970s) jazz was changing. Charlie Parker had died, leaving the door wide open for saxophone players to stream through.  Cannonball had a recognizable, big, round sound solidified by a soulful, bluesy essence to his playing. He was a respected bandleader who worked with the crème de la crème of jazz musicians.  On this recording, you will hear him talk to the audience about the music they play and love.  In the early sixties he worked closely with Yusef Lateef and Charles Lloyd.  He seemed to enjoy reestablishing his Cannonball Adderley Quintet with new players, but always with musicians who were at the top of their game.  You will hear that exemplified on both of these CDs.  On the tune, “Experience in E” he gives each group member a time to shine.  Joe Zawinul is amazing on the piano.  I heard him tap into the Ahmad Jamal style briefly during this exciting, up-tempo presentation, giving a comfortable nod to another genius at the piano. However, for the most part Zawinul is his own star. Cannonball’s only brass partner has always been his brother Nat. Their dad was a trumpet player. Nat Adderley followed in his father’s footsteps, as did Cannonball, and the two brothers were bandmates from childhood onward.  Nat switched from trumpet to cornet and became a prolific composer. You hear Nat Adderley’s command of the vast possibilities of the cornet on this “Experience in E” arrangement. Cannonball began playing trumpet, but quickly found his love of alto saxophone and never looked back. The brothers knew how to blend gospel church music, blues, and swing into a compelling bundle of groove music.  Who can ever forget Nat Adderley’s hit record for the Quintet, “Work Song.”  Once their friend Oscar Brown Jr. put his ‘chain gang’ lyrics to the catchy melody, the rest became history. That song established their commercial jazz strength.

On CD #2 of this “Burnin’ in Bordeaux “concert you will meet all the talented members of Cannonball’s Quintet, as each one steps forward to shine in the spotlight of their own sparkling musical mastery.  Every song, before and after on this double set, is a treasure for your ears.

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BROTHER JACK McDUFF – “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE – LIVE IN SEATTLE” – Reel to Real

Jack McDuff, Hammond B3 organ/composer; Vinnie Corrao, guitar; Ron Davis, drums; Unknown trumpeter; Lee Johnson, tenor saxophone/flute/clarinet; Dave young, tenor & soprano saxophone.

Some people may not know that Brother Jack McDuff was first a bassist, playing with Denny Zeitlin and Joe Farrell.  Maybe that’s why his organ basslines are so rich and blues drenched.  He began to tinkle on the piano keys in the mid-1950s and was pretty much self-taught.  McDuff was competent enough on both organ and piano to get gigs, working with Willis Jackson, and then branching out on his own to cut records for Prestige as a soul-jazz organist.  One album was called “Tough Duff” and another was titled, “The Honeydripper.”  These releases solidly placed McDuff in a jazz organ bracket that was both funky and soulful.  McDuff liked keeping the groove simple. He was often heard criticizing drummers who got too fancy on their instruments.

“You’re busier than a cat trying to cover up shit on a tin roof,” he was heard chastising one such drummer.

Award winning guitarist, George Benson said that Jack McDuff was not the easiest man to get along with.  Benson worked with him as a nineteen-year-old when first starting out in the business.

“McDuff was hard on me and spoke in a very authoritarian style,” said the Grammy Award winning guitarist.

“I learned to play with confidence, to play more blues, as Jack loved the blues, and to knuckle down and boost my concentration and studies on the guitar. He threatened me nightly, regularly saying he would fire me from the band, but he never did.  Jack was a good platform for me.  … which led to introductions and opportunities with people like Lou Donaldson, Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine.  He always had good bands that could swing and had a lot of blues in them,” Benson recalled.

George Benson toured with Jack McDuff, Red Holloway on saxophone, and Joe Dukes on drums.

McDuff was born Eugene McDuffy on September 17, 1926.  His father was a preacher man from Tennessee who fled the South in search of work and a better, less racially fueled environment for his family. They settled in Chicago.  McDuff would eventually settle in is adopted city of Minneapolis, Minesota where he passed away at age 74 in 2001.

“Ain’t No Sunshine” is an unissued, 1972, concert recording that showcases McDuff at his best and features Vinnie Corrao on guitar and drummer Ron Davis, who pumps the music full of spirit and groove.  The title tune starts out with a catchy horn line, opening like a curtain for Jack McDuff to walk through.  His organ is soaked in soul and blues.  This is a two CD set that features a small booklet, elaborating on the history of McDuff from the words of musicians who worked with him and knew him well.  When they slow the groove down and play songs like “I’m Getting Sentimental over You,” you will hear the softer, pretty side of McDuff’s organ featuring his wonderful saxophonists with their spontaneous solos.

This music reminds me of the Black Exploitation Movie-Era of the 1970s.  It sounds like soundtracks to “The Mack” or “Uptown Saturday Night” or “Super Fly.”  Many of these songs have that type of groove, with arrangements that reflect the soul music of the 70s.  McDuff has added several original songs including “Blues 1 & 8” where his drummer, Ron Davis, shines brightly in the spotlight. On disc #2, McDuff has composed, “The jolly Black Giant” that swings hard and slams his organ solo in your face like a heavy-weight punch.  “Middle Class Folk Song” is a slow Bossa, and another original is called “In the Morning” and has a sort of cha-cha

rhythm.  They close CD #2 with a swinging rendition of “Broadway,” a song I used to enjoy hearing Dakota Staton sing.  He plays his organ melody way up in the treble clef and it almost sounds like an electric piano or a vibraphone.  All the while his feet pedal the beat and the bass line beneath is caught by the groove of his fingers.  When joined by the rest of the rhythm section, they drive the arrangement home.  Here is a recorded legacy by an organ master, discovered and shared for us to remember Jack McDuff, and the joy he brought the world.

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SHELLY MANNE – “JAZZ FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN” – Reel to Real

Shelly Manne, drummer; Monte Budwig, bass; Russ Freeman & Hampton Hawes, piano; Herb Geller, alto saxophone; Stu Williamson & Conte Condoli, trumpet; Frank Strozier, flute/alto saxophone; Ruth Price, vocals.

It was October of 1958, at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, when five expert jazz musicians mounted the stage led by a popular West Coast drummer named Shelly Manne.  A four-and-a-half inch by four-and-a-half-inch booklet accompanies this compact disc, with a photo of Shelly’s merry men (taken by the great photographer, Ray Avery).  It’s packed with pertinent historic information, offering an extensive 16-page book with essays by archival producer Zev Feldman and label owner, producer and musician, Cory Weeds. It also includes interviews with musicians, radio host Jim Wilke, and others.

Although the personnel changed from time to time, the ‘swing’ didn’t move an inch.  Manne made sure of that. He surrounded himself with the best of the best from the Southern California jazz scene. His drumsticks did the rest.  On this recording, containing two discs, they open Disc One with “Stop, Look and Listen” letting Russ Freeman’s piano tinkle the melody just before the horn section enters. They swing harder than a Joe Louis punch. Drum master, Manne, locks in a moderate, but energetic tempo.  The burst of applause at the end of this tune reflects great audience appreciation for this quintet.

But it’s their rendition of “The Vamp’s Blues” featuring a soulful solo by alto saxophonist, Herb Geller that really intoxicates me. I love their hard bop, blues groove. By the hoots and whistles from the festival crowd, I would say you can’t lose if you play the blues.

Manne was born in New York City, but only rose to prominence in the 1950s when he relocated to the Los Angeles area.  He is reverently called the founding father of the “West Coast Jazz” scene and highly regarded as a versatile and inspired drummer. When Manne teamed up with Andre Previn and awesome bassist Leroy Vinegar to record the first jazz album of a Broadway score, “My Fair Lady” became one of the most successful jazz records ever produced.

For the closing tune of this set, they play “Quartet Suite in Four Movements” and take the listener on a scenic musical ride that features an impressive bass solo by Monty Budwig and with Conte Candoli stepping into the spotlight on his trumpet.  Manne and Condoli were both part of the alumnus of the Kenton and Woody Herman bands.  The tempos fluidly change, to keep the audience attentive and expectant. Manne rolls his drums beneath the creative arrangements and pumps the band up with his swinging drumsticks. When the drummer takes a solo, he woos the crowd with his mastery of the trap drums and his technique.  Occasionally jet planes flew over the outdoor concert venue.  You can hear the purr of the plane motors drifting from above.  No problem!  When it happens during Shelly Manne’s impressive drum solo, he simply pauses, let’s the plane zoom past and then continues without missing a beat.  It’s all caught on tape.

On Disc #2, the personnel changes. Hampton Hawes takes a seat at the piano and Ruth Price adds her vocals to the mix. This disc was recorded ‘live’ at the Penthouse in Seattle, Washington in September of 1966. 

Shelly Manne and His Men open the set at racecar speed, zooming off with Manne propelling the sextet ahead on “Softly as In a Morning Sunrise” using fiery drums to heat the piece up.  Frank Strozier plays alto saxophone on this tune.  Hampton Hawes puts down a groove on the piano and solos furiously. 

One of my favorite television shows when I was a kid growing up was Peter Gunn. It was the first TV series to feature jazz as background music.  Shelly Manne & his Men played at the Bamboo Bar in the series and Manne’s group is featured on the television series.

Bill Holman, who often worked with Manne, recalls Shelly’s warm demeanor.

“Shelly Manne had the complete personality.  He just charmed everyone, and he had the ability and the intelligence to back it up.  He was tough to work for, because his solos, he heard patterns that were very difficult for horn players to pick up.  But he sure knew what he was doing, and he was a wonderful guy.  I’m sure glad that I had the chance to play with him and to know him for several years,” Bill Holman writes inside the Manne booklet.

On “Dearly Beloved” jazz vocalist Ruth Price is featured.  She recalls unexpectedly meeting Shelly Manne on a trip to the West Coast from NYC.

“I first met Shelly Manne within the first two weeks I was in Los Angeles.  I was brought out here to record for Mode Records for Red Clyde, but the money was all from Fred Astaire and he pulled out.  None of the people that Red had brought out were able to record. We actually did end up recording, but it wasn’t released until much later.  I was brought out because Red heard me singing with Dizzy Gillespie in New York City.

“So, I was in town with Bobby Dorough, a friend of mine who was also brought out to record for Mode (and also didn’t have anything to do). … He took me to hear Shelly one night in a club that’s gone now.  Shelly asked me to sit in and I did.  He hired me. Every night after work, we would drive around looking for places.  He was looking for somewhere to put his own place.  It was always the little coffeehouses that were around, and one of them turned out to be what he used as the Manne-Hole.  That’s how the Manne-Hole started, and how I started with Shelly,” Ruth explained how Shelly found his famous nightclub.

Drummer, Jim Keltner talked about meeting Shelly Manne and how he admired the man.

“It is a funny thing, when I would meet some of the musicians that I really admired, they would be a bit aloof.  If you’re just a kid, you think, oh I’m kind of wasting their time.  With Shelly, it was the opposite of that.  He talked to you like he wanted to know about you.  … what you were doing and all that.  That was the key with Shelly Manne.  Later on, as the years went by, I got into the studios and was doing stuff.  It was the same thing, whenever I would see him he would ask me what I was doing.  I remember a couple of times he complimented me, and it blew me away.

“Another time, I was playing one night with Gabor Szabo and on the break, Shelly came up to me and he said, Jimmy, what are you doing there with your right hand?  I thought I was going to pass out!  Shelly Manne was paying attention to my playing?  So much so, that he asked me about something specific.  I mean, the tables were turned.  It just blew me away.  I was so knocked out.  I was able to tell him, it’s double-stroke triplets from the snare to the ‘ride.’  It’s illusory.  And he loved that.  I just can’t say enough about his humanity.  He was not only one of the great jazz players, but he was just a great cat,” Keltner complimented one of his idols.

On Disc #2 I love the energy and speed that they attack “Secret Love” with, and Monty Budwig’s walking bass actually sounds like it’s running.

There have been a slew of recordings by Shelly Manne & his Men, but this newest release is particularly refreshing and solidifies a piece of history in the jazz archives that certainly shines a spotlight on Manne’s important contributions as both a drummer, a bandleader and a club owner who kept the legacy of jazz as the heartbeat of his life.

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SUN RA – “AT THE SHOWCASE LIVE IN CHICAGO – 1976 – 1977” – Jazz Detective

Sun Ra, piano/electronic keyboards; Dale Williams, guitar; Richard Williams, bass; Luqman Ali, drums; Eddie Thomas, percussion; James Jackson, ancient ihnfinity drum/oboe; Atakatune, congas; June Tyson, Wisteria (Judith Holton) & Cheryl Banks Smith, vocals; John Gilmore, tenor saxophone; Marshall Allen, alto saxophone/flute/kora; Danny Davis, alto saxophone/flute; Eloe Omoe, alto saxophone/bass clarinet; Danny Thompson, baritone saxophone/flute; Michael Ray, Emmett McDonald, & Ahmed Abdullah, trumpets; Vincent Chancey, French horn.

Herman Poole Blount, who jazz lovers know as ‘Sun Ra,’ was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914.  But, during the 1950s he came into existence as a musical soul called Sun Ra, in Chicago.  It was in Chi-town that the pianist developed his unique performance persona and where he began composing.  It was here, from the mid-1940s to 1961, that Sun Ra began experimenting and letting his musical imagination explore and create.  His congregation called itself The Arkestra, and when he moved to New York, Sun Ra’s concept gelled into a fully formed unit of experimental jazz, fueled by unique arrangements and compositions. In the early 1970s, Sun Ra’s dreams crystallized into a working unit that travelled the world.  They built an enthusiastic and supportive fan base in Europe. 

In 1978, back in America, The Arkestra appeared on the popular Saturday Night Live televised comedy show.  He landed a record deal with the ABC-Impulse record label and promoted it by travelling from Canada to Mexico, from Africa through Europe, and from Oakland, California to Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were playing all over the place.

On a visit to his adopted city, this album was recorded “Live in Chicago” at a jazz Showcase presented

at 901 Rush Street. This two-record set represents two different performance dates; one in 1976 and another in 1977.  The jazz showcases were run by Joe Segal, a legendary producer in Chicago for decades. However, Joe was no big fan of experimental jazz or the Avant Garde. Still, Joe Segal, (like the Chicago community) recognized that Sun Ra was eccentric, gifted, and unpredictable. They accepted their adopted son with open arms. So did Segal. On the business side, Sun Ra and his famous Arkestra guaranteed a full-house, with a sold-out crowd. Segal sure wasn’t going to bite the hand that fed him. 

The titles of Sun Ra’s compositions reflected his mind-set.  Some of the songs you will hear on these discs are “View from Another Dimension” and “Moonship Journey.”  The “Moonship Journey” tune opens with voices chanting the title, until saxophones splash improvisational colors all over the concert room.  Cd #1 of this double CD set closes with an original composition by Sun Ra titled “Velvet.” His arrangement is neither smooth nor soft (like the velvet title) but is snatched from his 1950s Arkestra songbook and played joyfully with high energy.  On CD #2, he opens with “Calling Planet Earth & the Shadow World” that sounds entirely improvised, often dissonant, and is propelled by percussion and trap drums. There is a feeling of freedom and abandonment in the arrangement, with the horns flying like startled birds. One of the saxes sounds distinctively like the whiney of a horse. The musicians play the arrangement aggressively.

Michael Anderson was a radio DJ on station WRTI in Chicago at the incredible age of 13. He reflected on how his relationship with Sun Ra developed, while he was living in the windy city.

“I had a really difficult family background, so I was living on my own since I was like eleven.  Sonny (a nick name for Sun Ra) was instrumental in a lot of things.  First of all, in teaching me his music.  Then, he designated me his archivist in charge of recording and preserving his works.  I had access to state-of-the-art equipment at the radio station, so I would do production work at WRTI and do work for Sonny or for Alton Abraham, his partner who helped Sonny get started with his own label called El Saturn Records,” Anderson shared these historical memories in the 36-page booklet included in Sun Ra’s CD package.

There are other quotes from various musicians, friends, and associates.  Reedman, Marshall Allen reflected:

“… After work (around 1958) I’d go around the corner to a record store owned by Joe Segal, who also owned the Jazz Showcase.  Segal had a lot of jam sessions going, and all of the great musicians in Chicago came to play.  Once, joe told me, there’s a band up there rehearsing every day and they’re looking for talent.  It’s led by Sun Ra. 

“He gave me a demo and I listened to the stuff.  I immediately wanted to get in that band.  So, I went to see Sun Ra at the ballroom where he was rehearsing.  I sat there with him all night talking.  He asked me to come over to John Gilmore’s house, where they had a piano, in order to see what I could do.  That’s how I met him.  … He gave me a trial, playing (the song) “Spontaneous Simplicity.”  You could say that in the late 1950s, I was still learning how to play. … That was a band to stay in.  I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Marshall Allen confided. 

“Sun Ra was a genius.  He had the music inside his mind and his own way of playing it, of attacking every note.  He was a good teacher and wrote beautiful music.  Being in his band was like a dream.  Once there, I found a place to stay.  He wasn’t just a musician.  He was above all, an innovator who could imagine the future,” Marshall Allen concluded.

I concur!

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JAZZ TO REMEMBER THEM BY

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

April 27, 2024

CANNONBALL ADDERLEY – “BURNIN’ IN BORDEAUX: LIVE IN FRANCE 1969” – Elemental Records

Julian Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone; Nat Adderley, cornet; Joe Zawinul, piano/electric piano; Victor Gaskin, bass; Roy McCurdy, drums.

Ever since I first heard the soothing and sexy horn of Cannonball Adderley on Nancy Wilson’s debut album project with Cannonball’s group, I’ve been a fan!  I was quite excited to receive this previously unreleased recording from Elemental Records featuring Cannonball’s brother Nat Adderley, the iconic Joe Zawinul on grand piano & electric piano, the amazing Victor Gaskin on bass, and the great Roy McCurdy on drums.  This awesome album was recorded in two places. One was ‘live’ at the Bordeaux Jazz Festival and the other concert was at the Paris Jazz Festival.  It’s a two-CD set of extraordinary music transferred from the original, 1969 tape reels.  What a treasure!

Clearly, Julian Cannonball Adderley was a virtuoso alto saxophone player.  At this time in his life, (the late 1960s and the early 1970s) jazz was changing. Charlie Parker had died, leaving the door wide open for saxophone players to stream through.  Cannonball had a recognizable, big, round sound solidified by a soulful, bluesy essence to his playing. He was a respected bandleader who worked with the crème de la crème of jazz musicians.  On this recording, you will hear him talk to the audience about the music they play and love.  In the early sixties he worked closely with Yusef Lateef and Charles Lloyd.  He seemed to enjoy reestablishing his Cannonball Adderley Quintet with new players, but always with musicians who were at the top of their game.  You will hear that exemplified on both of these CDs.  On the tune, “Experience in E” he gives each group member a time to shine.  Joe Zawinul is amazing on the piano.  I heard him tap into the Ahmad Jamal style briefly during this exciting, up-tempo presentation, giving a comfortable nod to another genius at the piano. However, for the most part Zawinul is his own star. Cannonball’s only brass partner has always been his brother Nat. Their dad was a trumpet player. Nat Adderley followed in his father’s footsteps, as did Cannonball, and the two brothers were bandmates from childhood onward.  Nat switched from trumpet to cornet and became a prolific composer. You hear Nat Adderley’s command of the vast possibilities of the cornet on this “Experience in E” arrangement. Cannonball began playing trumpet, but quickly found his love of alto saxophone and never looked back. The brothers knew how to blend gospel church music, blues, and swing into a compelling bundle of groove music.  Who can ever forget Nat Adderley’s hit record for the Quintet, “Work Song.”  Once their friend Oscar Brown Jr. put his ‘chain gang’ lyrics to the catchy melody, the rest became history. That song established their commercial jazz strength.

On CD #2 of this “Burnin’ in Bordeaux “concert you will meet all the talented members of Cannonball’s Quintet, as each one steps forward to shine in the spotlight of their own sparkling musical mastery.  Every song, before and after on this double set, is a treasure for your ears.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

BROTHER JACK McDUFF – “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE – LIVE IN SEATTLE” – Reel to Real

Jack McDuff, Hammond B3 organ/composer; Vinnie Corrao, guitar; Ron Davis, drums; Unknown trumpeter; Lee Johnson, tenor saxophone/flute/clarinet; Dave young, tenor & soprano saxophone.

Some people may not know that Brother Jack McDuff was first a bassist, playing with Denny Zeitlin and Joe Farrell.  Maybe that’s why his organ basslines are so rich and blues drenched.  He began to tinkle on the piano keys in the mid-1950s and was pretty much self-taught.  McDuff was competent enough on both organ and piano to get gigs, working with Willis Jackson, and then branching out on his own to cut records for Prestige as a soul-jazz organist.  One album was called “Tough Duff” and another was titled, “The Honeydripper.”  These releases solidly placed McDuff in a jazz organ bracket that was both funky and soulful.  McDuff liked keeping the groove simple. He was often heard criticizing drummers who got too fancy on their instruments.

“You’re busier than a cat trying to cover up shit on a tin roof,” he was heard chastising one such drummer.

Award winning guitarist, George Benson said that Jack McDuff was not the easiest man to get along with.  Benson worked with him as a nineteen-year-old when first starting out in the business.

“McDuff was hard on me and spoke in a very authoritarian style,” said the Grammy Award winning guitarist.

“I learned to play with confidence, to play more blues, as Jack loved the blues, and to knuckle down and boost my concentration and studies on the guitar. He threatened me nightly, regularly saying he would fire me from the band, but he never did.  Jack was a good platform for me.  … which led to introductions and opportunities with people like Lou Donaldson, Freddie Hubbard, and Stanley Turrentine.  He always had good bands that could swing and had a lot of blues in them,” Benson recalled.

George Benson toured with Jack McDuff, Red Holloway on saxophone, and Joe Dukes on drums.

McDuff was born Eugene McDuffy on September 17, 1926.  His father was a preacher man from Tennessee who fled the South in search of work and a better, less racially fueled environment for his family. They settled in Chicago.  McDuff would eventually settle in his adopted city of Minneapolis, Minesota where he passed away at age 74 in 2001.

“Ain’t No Sunshine” is an unissued, 1972, concert recording. It showcases McDuff at his best and features Vinnie Corrao on guitar and drummer Ron Davis, who pumps the music full of spirit and groove.  The title tune starts out with a catchy horn line, opening like a curtain for Jack McDuff to walk through.  His organ is soaked in soul and blues.  This is a two CD set that features a small booklet, elaborating on the history of McDuff from the words of musicians who worked with him and knew him well.  When they slow the groove down and play songs like “I’m Getting Sentimental over You,” you will hear the softer, pretty side of McDuff’s organ featuring his wonderful saxophonists with their spontaneous solos.

These lost tracks remind me of the Black Exploitation Movie-Era of the 1970s.  It sounds like soundtracks to “The Mack” or “Uptown Saturday Night” or “Super Fly.”  Many of these songs have that type of groove, with arrangements that reflect the soul music of the 70s.

McDuff has added several original songs, including “Blues 1 & 8,” where his drummer, Ron Davis, shines brightly in the spotlight. On disc #2, McDuff has composed, “The Jolly Black Giant” that swings hard and slams his organ solo in your face like a heavy-weight punch.  “Middle Class Folk Song” is a slow Bossa, and another original is called “In the Morning” and has a sort of cha-cha rhythm.  They close CD #2 with a swinging rendition of “Broadway,” a song I used to enjoy hearing Dakota Staton sing.  He plays his organ melody way up in the treble clef and it almost sounds like an electric piano or a vibraphone.  All the while, his feet are pedaling the beat and the bass line beneath, catching the groove with his busy fingers.  When joined by the rest of the rhythm section, they drive the arrangement home.  Here is a recorded legacy by an organ master, rediscovered and shared for us to remember Jack McDuff, and the joy he brought to the world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

SHELLY MANNE – “JAZZ FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN” – Reel to Real

Shelly Manne, drummer; Monte Budwig, bass; Russ Freeman & Hampton Hawes, piano; Herb Geller, alto saxophone; Stu Williamson & Conte Condoli, trumpet; Frank Strozier, flute/alto saxophone; Ruth Price, vocals.

It was October of 1958, at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, when five expert jazz musicians mounted the stage led by a popular West Coast drummer named Shelly Manne.  A four-and-a-half inch by four-and-a-half-inch booklet accompanies this compact disc, with a photo of Shelly’s merry men (taken by the great photographer, Ray Avery).  It’s packed with pertinent, historic information, offering this extensive 16-page book with essays by archival producer Zev Feldman and label owner, producer and musician, Cory Weeds. It also includes interviews with musicians, radio host Jim Wilke, and others.

Although the personnel changed from time to time, the ‘swing’ didn’t move an inch.  Manne made sure of that. He surrounded himself with the best of the best from the Southern California jazz scene. His drumsticks did the rest.  On this recording, containing two discs, they open Disc One with “Stop, Look and Listen” letting Russ Freeman’s piano tinkle the melody just before the horn section enters. They swing harder than a Joe Louis punch. Drum master, Manne, locks in a moderate, but energetic tempo.  The burst of applause at the end of this tune reflects great audience appreciation for this quintet.

But it’s their rendition of “The Vamp’s Blues” featuring a soulful solo by alto saxophonist, Herb Geller, that really intoxicates me. I love their hard bop, blues groove. By the hoots and whistles from the festival crowd, I would say you can’t lose if you play the blues.

Manne was born in New York City, and rose to prominence in the 1950s when he relocated to the Los Angeles area.  He is reverently called the founding father of the “West Coast Jazz” scene and highly regarded as a versatile and inspired drummer. When Manne teamed up with Andre Previn and awesome bassist Leroy Vinegar to record the first jazz album of a Broadway score, “My Fair Lady” it became one of the most successful jazz records ever produced.

For the closing tune of this set, they play “Quartet Suite in Four Movements” and take the listener on a scenic musical ride that features an impressive bass solo by Monty Budwig, with Conte Candoli stepping into the spotlight on his trumpet.  Manne and Condoli were both part of the alumnus of the Kenton and Woody Herman bands.  The tempos fluidly change, to keep the audience attentive and expectant. Manne rolls his drums beneath the creative arrangements and pumps the band up with his swinging drumsticks. When the drummer takes a solo, he woos the crowd with his mastery on the trap drums and his technique.  Occasionally jet planes flew over the outdoor concert venue.  You can hear the purr of the plane motors drifting from above.  No problem!  When it happens during Shelly Manne’s impressive drum solo, he simply pauses, let’s the plane zoom past and then continues without missing a beat.  It’s all caught on tape.

On Disc #2, the personnel changes. Hampton Hawes takes a seat at the piano and Ruth Price adds her vocals to the mix. This disc was recorded ‘live’ at the Penthouse in Seattle, Washington in September of 1966. 

Shelly Manne and His Men open the set at racecar speed, zooming off with Manne propelling the sextet ahead on “Softly as In a Morning Sunrise” using fiery drums to heat the piece up.  Frank Strozier plays alto saxophone on this tune.  Hampton Hawes puts down a groove on the piano and solos furiously. 

One of my favorite television shows when I was a kid growing up was Peter Gunn. It was the first TV series to feature jazz as background music.  Shelly Manne & his Men played at the Bamboo Bar in the series and Manne’s group is featured on the television series.

Bill Holman, who often worked with Manne, recalls Shelly’s warm demeanor.

“Shelly Manne had the complete personality.  He just charmed everyone, and he had the ability and the intelligence to back it up.  He was tough to work for, because his solos, he heard patterns that were very difficult for horn players to pick up.  But he sure knew what he was doing, and he was a wonderful guy.  I’m sure glad that I had the chance to play with him and to know him for several years,” Bill Holman writes inside the Manne booklet.

On “Dearly Beloved” jazz vocalist Ruth Price is featured.  She recalls unexpectedly meeting Shelly Manne on a trip to the West Coast from NYC.

“I first met Shelly Manne within the first two weeks I was in Los Angeles.  I was brought out here to record for Mode Records for Red Clyde, but the money was all from Fred Astaire and he pulled out.  None of the people that Red had brought out were able to record. We actually did end up recording, but it wasn’t released until much later.  I was brought out because Red heard me singing with Dizzy Gillespie in New York City.

“So, I was in town with Bobby Dorough, a friend of mine who was also brought out to record for Mode (and also didn’t have anything to do). … He took me to hear Shelly one night in a club that’s gone now.  Shelly asked me to sit in and I did.  He hired me. Every night after work, we would drive around looking for places.  He was looking for somewhere to put his own place.  It was always the little coffeehouses that were around, and one of them turned out to be what he used as the Manne-Hole.  That’s how the Manne-Hole started, and how I started with Shelly,” Ruth explained how Shelly found his famous nightclub.

Drummer, Jim Keltner talked about meeting Shelly Manne and how he admired the man.

“It is a funny thing, when I would meet some of the musicians that I really admired, they would be a bit aloof.  If you’re just a kid, you think, oh I’m kind of wasting their time.  With Shelly, it was the opposite of that.  He talked to you like he wanted to know about you.  … what you were doing and all that.  That was the key with Shelly Manne.  Later on, as the years went by, I got into the studios and was doing stuff.  It was the same thing, whenever I would see him he would ask me what I was doing.  I remember a couple of times he complimented me, and it blew me away.

“Another time, I was playing one night with Gabor Szabo and on the break, Shelly came up to me and he said, Jimmy, what are you doing there with your right hand?  I thought I was going to pass out!  Shelly Manne was paying attention to my playing?  So much so, that he asked me about something specific.  I mean, the tables were turned.  It just blew me away.  I was so knocked out.  I was able to tell him, it’s double-stroke triplets from the snare to the ‘ride.’  It’s illusory.  And he loved that.  I just can’t say enough about his humanity.  He was not only one of the great jazz players, but he was just a great cat,” Keltner complimented one of his idols.

On Disc #2 I love the energy and speed that they attack “Secret Love” with, and Monty Budwig’s walking bass actually sounds like it’s running.

There have been a slew of recordings by Shelly Manne & his Men, but this newest release is particularly refreshing and solidifies a piece of history in the jazz archives that certainly shines a spotlight on Manne’s important contributions as both a drummer, a bandleader and a club owner who kept the legacy of jazz as the heartbeat of his life.

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SUN RA – “AT THE SHOWCASE LIVE IN CHICAGO – 1976 – 1977” – Jazz Detective

Sun Ra, piano/electronic keyboards; Dale Williams, guitar; Richard Williams, bass; Luqman Ali, drums; Eddie Thomas, percussion; James Jackson, ancient ihnfinity drum/oboe; Atakatune, congas; June Tyson, Wisteria (Judith Holton) & Cheryl Banks Smith, vocals; John Gilmore, tenor saxophone; Marshall Allen, alto saxophone/flute/kora; Danny Davis, alto saxophone/flute; Eloe Omoe, alto saxophone/bass clarinet; Danny Thompson, baritone saxophone/flute; Michael Ray, Emmett McDonald & Ahmed Abdullah, trumpets; Vincent Chancey, French horn.

Herman Poole Blount, who jazz lovers know as ‘Sun Ra,’ was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914.  During the 1950s, he came into existence as a musical soul called Sun Ra, in Chicago, Illinois.  It was in Chi-town that the pianist developed his unique performance persona and where he began composing.  It was there, from the mid-1940s to 1961, that Sun Ra began experimenting and letting his musical imagination explore and create new music.  His congregation called itself The Arkestra, and when he moved to New York, Sun Ra’s concept gelled into a fully formed unit of experimental jazz, fueled by unique arrangements and compositions. In the early 1970s, Sun Ra’s dreams crystallized into a working unit that travelled the world.  They built an enthusiastic and supportive fan base in Europe. 

In 1978, back in America, The Arkestra appeared on the popular Saturday Night Live televised comedy show.  He landed a record deal with the ABC-Impulse record label and promoted it by travelling from Canada to Mexico, from Africa through Europe, and from Oakland, California to Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were playing all over the place.

On a visit to his adopted city, this album was recorded “Live in Chicago” at a jazz Showcase presented at 901 Rush Street. This two-record set represents two different performance dates; one in 1976 and another in 1977.  The jazz showcases were run by Joe Segal, a legendary producer in Chicago for decades. However, Joe was no big fan of experimental jazz or the Avant Garde. Still, Segal, (like the Chicago community) recognized that Sun Ra was eccentric, gifted, and unpredictable. They accepted their adopted son with open arms. On the business side, Sun Ra and his famous Arkestra guaranteed a full house, with a sold-out crowd. Segal wasn’t going to bite the hand that fed him. 

The titles of Sun Ra’s compositions reflect his mind-set.  Some of the songs you will hear on these discs are “View from Another Dimension” and “Moonship Journey.”  The “Moonship Journey” tune opens with voices chanting the title, until saxophones splash improvisational colors all over the concert room.  Cd #1 of this double CD set closes with an original composition by Sun Ra titled “Velvet.” His arrangement is neither smooth nor soft (like the velvet title) but is snatched from his 1950s Arkestra songbook and played joyfully with high energy.  On CD #2, he opens with “Calling Planet Earth & the Shadow World.” It sounds entirely improvised, often dissonant, and is propelled by percussion and trap drums. There is a feeling of freedom and abandonment in the arrangement, with the horns flying like startled birds. One of the saxes sounds distinctively like the whiney of a horse. The musicians play the arrangement aggressively.

Michael Anderson was a radio DJ on station WRTI in Chicago at the incredible age of 13. He reflected on how his relationship with Sun Ra developed, while he was living in the windy city.

“I had a really difficult family background, so I was living on my own since I was like eleven.  Sonny (a nick name for Sun Ra) was instrumental in a lot of things.  First of all, in teaching me his music.  Then, he designated me his archivist in charge of recording and preserving his works.  I had access to state-of-the-art equipment at the radio station, so I would do production work at WRTI and do work for Sonny or for Alton Abraham, his partner who helped Sonny get started with his own label called El Saturn Records,” Anderson shared these historical memories in the 36-page booklet included in Sun Ra’s CD package.

There are other quotes from various musicians, friends, and associates.  Reedman, Marshall Allen reflected:

“… After work (around 1958) I’d go around the corner to a record store owned by Joe Segal, who also owned the Jazz Showcase.  Segal had a lot of jam sessions going, and all of the great musicians in Chicago came to play.  Once, joe told me, there’s a band up there rehearsing every day and they’re looking for talent.  It’s led by Sun Ra. 

“He gave me a demo and I listened to the stuff.  I immediately wanted to get in that band.  So, I went to see Sun Ra at the ballroom where he was rehearsing.  I sat there with him all night talking.  He asked me to come over to John Gilmore’s house, where they had a piano, in order to see what I could do.  That’s how I met him.  … He gave me a trial, playing (the song) “Spontaneous Simplicity.”  You could say that in the late 1950s, I was still learning how to play. … That was a band to stay in.  I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Marshall Allen confided. 

“Sun Ra was a genius.  He had the music inside his mind and his own way of playing it, of attacking every note.  He was a good teacher and wrote beautiful music.  Being in his band was like a dream.  Once there, I found a place to stay.  He wasn’t just a musician.  He was above all, an innovator who could imagine the future,” Marshall Allen concluded.

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SPRING RELEASES RADIATE JAZZ JOY

By Dee Dee McNeil

April 7, 2024

As the world turns, news circles about politics, wars, and aggression on networks from continent to continent. Music is a lovely way to lift your spirit and calm your nerves.  Science has proven that jazz music and European classical music both can enhance intelligence and performance in various areas of the brain. Jazz can sooth and heal. Jazz even affects plants.  I have a philodendron plant that has been sitting on top of my CD speakers for ten years.  It loves music.  When I play jazz, the leaves wiggle and dance.  It prefers music to water.  The plant has been lush with life for over a decade.  Dorothy L. Retallack’s study of 1973, at the Colorado Woman’s College in Denver, supports the fact that plants, like human beings, love music. Below are some jazz releases that I hope will bring you jazz joy.  Note: for more info about how music heals see: https://newyorkjazzworkshop.com/jazzs-effects-brain/

FRED HERSCH – “SILENT, LISTENING” – ECM Records

Fred Hersch, solo piano/composer.

There is exuberant joy and then there is a quiet joy.  That’s what this new album of solo piano music by Fred Hersch reminds me of, a quiet joy.  He opens with “Star-Crossed Lovers” written by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington.  The peace I find in his presentation settles my spirit and soaks into the walls of my listening room.  He follows this with a flurry of original compositions, each unfolding like the quick page-turning of an exciting book. I can’t wait to hear what he will play next.  Hersch builds suspense and creativity into every musical phrase.  His left hand locks the chords into place and establishes tempos and grooves, reaching out to his right hand like an old friend. The two hands lock this composition into place.  Hersch explores his music meticulously, the way a doctor operates on a patient.  He probes his inner brain, offering us imaginative, exploratory melodies and harmonies that pour out of this pianist. This album is art for the ears.

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CHET BAKER & JACK SHELDON – “IN PERFECT HARMONY: THE LOST ALBUM” – Jazz Detective

Chet Baker, trumpet/vocals; Jack Sheldon, trumpet/vocals; Jack Marshall, guitar; Dave Frishberg, piano; Joe Mondragon, bass; Nick Ceroli, drums.

These two master musicians open with the familiar standard from the American Songbook, “This Can’t Be Love.”  First Jack Sheldon sings the tune down in his own inimitable way, followed by Chet Baker’s smooth, soothing voice doing the same. This is followed by “Just Friends” with Baker singing atop the swing, and Joe Mandragon’s walking bass pushing the music ahead.  Sheldon has contributed one original tune to this project called “Too Blue” that he both sings and plays on, joining the smooth tones of Baker, with his more boisterous tones bright and brash. 

This is an album steeped in history, but I found this a somewhat odd match.  Surprisingly, the abrasive Jack Sheldon and the cool, laid-back Baker make quite an unforgettable duo.  “But Not For Me” begins as an instrumental that features Dave Frishberg on piano.  Then Chet Baker’s satin coated vocals slide into view.  

This music was recorded in 1972 in Tustin, California.  It all started years earlier with Jack Marshall, who was a jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer. In 1967, Marshall organized guitar night at Donte’s in North Hollywood.  Every Monday, a great jazz guitarist would sit in with the best players in the city and play for scale at the packed restaurant and nightclub.  In those days, musicians just loved to get together and play. It wasn’t always just about the money. This was a period when Baker and Sheldon became very close friends.  They both shared a mentor, Uan Rasey, who (at that time) was widely considered one of the finest musicians in the music business.  Both Baker & Sheldon idolized him.

In 1966, Chet got into a brawl outside his hotel in Sausalito.  He wound up with a busted, bloody mouth and broken teeth.  That’s not a good thing for a trumpet player. Chet’s embouchure was ruined, and he had to get dentures.  During this rehabilitation time, his mentor (Uan) suggested he try a larger, different sized mouthpiece to make playing easier.  It worked, but Baker was still feeling insecure and unhappy with his new sound. Consequently, he was quite reluctant to record again.  One day in 1972, Jack Sheldon had an idea.

“Just think Chetie, (a pet name he had for Chet Baker) if we do an album together, you’ll only have to play on half of it!”  Jack Sheldon lured him into the studio with that line.

Guitarist Jack Marshall took the two of them into a Tustin, California studio near their homes on Lido Island.  Once the recording was complete, Marshall was certain he could get a record deal with the unplanned recording. Unfortunately, on September of 1973, Jack Marshall died of a sudden heart attack and the tapes got packed away in his garage on Lido Island. Now, fifty years later, here is the lost gem of an album that the jazz detective (Zev Feldman) has uncovered.

Jack Sheldon and Chet Baker were buddies and often jam-session partners.  As different as they were, the two men still had much in common.  They were both expert trumpeters and both men could sing. They were both born in the same era, a few years apart, and both relocated to California from other parts of the country.  Jack Sheldon, born Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr., came from Jacksonville, Florida.  Chet Baker, born Chesney Henry Baker, came from Yale Oklahoma. They both changed their names for show business.  Sheldon’s style of singing is brash, the same way he plays his trumpet.  In contrast, Baker became an example for California’s West Coast Jazz scene, smooth and low-key. Sheldon was always the lively hipster, joking around, loud, and boisterous.  On the outside, Chet Baker seemed quiet and somewhat shy, until he picked up his horn.  Baker had a voice that could calm an angry storm.  One thing the two trumpeters had in common was they both liked to live on the edge.

“Chetie has an old ’32 Ford and a Cadillac.  He drove real fast,” Sheldon shared with a wide, obnoxious grin on his face. 

Sheldon relived how the two men would get in Chet’s car and race up and down the Southern California freeways, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, driving way too fast and looking for any nightclub that would let them play their jazzy horns.  They weren’t trying to get a gig.  They just wanted to play, even if it meant marching up on stage and playing all night for free.

Shortly after this unusual session, Chet Baker’s comeback started in 1973.  This is an unplanned, unpredictable recording session that showcases two exceptional trumpet talents and songsters, meeting impromptu for an unscheduled studio session.  The result is history.

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CHRIS STANDRING – “AS WE THINK” – Ultimate Vibe Recording

Chris Standring, guitar/composer; Andre Berry, bass; Chris Coleman, drums; Terry Disley, piano; Larry Steen, double bass; Lenny Castro, percussion; Aaron Janik, trumpet; Brandon Fields, alto saxophone; Katisse Buckingham & Dino Soldo, tenor saxophone/harmonica; Ido Meshulam, trombone; Rodney Lee, organ; Walter Murphy, horn arrangements.

The opening tune on Chris Standring’s new album titled, “As We Think” is called “Chocolate Cake.”  Standring sweetens the arrangement with the use of a ‘talk box’ relying heavily on his invigorated rhythm section. On Track #2, a tune called “Good Gracious,” introduces horns into the mix.  With Chris Coleman’s drums slapping the rhythm in place, Standring’s guitar improvises over the repetitious groove. His music makes me want to get into my convertible, put the top down, and zoom up the highway under a sun-soaked sky.  Standring creates music that encourages movement and dancing. His music is joyful, even when the tempo slows down.  For example, on the R&B arranged tune, “Come Closer” there is still a compelling pulse to his arrangement.  This tune incorporates elements of an Earth, Wind & Fire production, as Standring digs down into the soul of the 1970s.  He says this is one of his favorite tunes recorded on this recent production.

The first radio single is titled, “Alphabet Soup.”  It’s a bouncy little tune with a catchy melody that features guest artists Dino Soldo on tenor sax, with a Los Angeles-based horn section and the addition of organist, Rodney Lee.  In my opinion, you can’t beat a guitar and jazz organ production. Coleman’s funky drums propel the piece forward with high energy. I enjoy the flavor that the organ brings to this party. 

Standring debuted as a solo artist back in 1998 with an album called “Velvet.” 

Twelve years later, in 2010 he smashed onto the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart with a number one single from his “Bossa Blues” release.  He repeated the number one single accomplishment four more times as featured guest guitarist on singles by Thom Rotella, Cindy Bradley, Rick Braun, and Richard Elliot. 

Consistently, Standring’s music has reflected his talents as a gifted composer with arrangements that pulsate with energy and drive.  This could also stem from surrounding himself with great musicians, including Chris Coleman on drums who is featured on a tune titled, “Michael’s Watch.”  This original becomes one of my favorites on this release.  It shuffles onto the scene, with Standring’s guitar introducing the melody and the click of Coleman’s drumsticks commanding my attention.  My foot automatically taps to the beat.

Having waited sixty-plus years to finally fall in love, Chris recently put a ring on it and is enjoying his first marriage.  He feels that the happiness he’s experiencing has colored the music on this album. “As We Think” reflects his mindset of hopeful positivity. It also captures the marital bliss that true love can bring.  Standring’s music radiates joy.

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JIM ROTONDI – “FINESSE” – Cellar Music Group

Jim Rotondi, composer/producer/trumpeter; Jakub Helling, arranger/conductor; NOTES & TONES JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Mario Gonzi, co-leader/drums; Danny Grissett, piano; Karol Hodas & Tim Dunin, bass; GUEST SOLOISTS: Dick Oatts, soprano saxophone; Steve Davis, trombone;  Wolfgang Lindenthal, flute; Stefan Peindl, oboe; Julia Gutschlhofer, bassoon; Melissa Danas, horn; TRUMPETS/FLUGELHORNS: Tobias Weidinger, Markus Pechmann, Simon Plötzeneder; Daniel Nösig, co-leader/trumpet/flugelhorn; TROMBONES: Clemens Hofer, Mario Vavti, Johannes Herrlich, Christina Lachberger. Fabio Devigili & Martin Fuss, alto & soprano saxophones/ flute/clarinet; Michael Erian, tenor & soprano saxophone/flute/clarinet; Robert Unterköfler, tenor saxophone/clarinet; Herwig Gradischnig, baritone saxophone/bass clarinet; VIOLINS: Damir Orascanin, Mariya Orininskaya, Balazs Schwartz, Tomas Novak (all violin 1); Anne Harvey-Nagl, Ion Scripcaru, Maximillion Bratt, Amora De Swardt (violin 2.); VIOLA:  Lena Fankhauser, Emily Stewart, Annamaria Kowalsky; CELLO: Asja Valcic, Mara Achleitner, Phillipp Preimesberger; Joanna Lewis, concertmaster.

Joe Rotondi has been blowing his trumpet in jazz bands for over three decades, including as a member of ensembles like Toshiko Akiyoshi and Bob Minzer, and in smaller groups headed by Lou Donaldson, Curtis Fuller and Joe Chambers. This is his ninth album release, recorded in Austria where Rotondi currently lives and teaches. It’s a dream-come-true project, his first composing for orchestras and big band. This album may be his most profound and incredible production to date.  Rotondi features all original compositions, apart from one written by Jakob Helling, the arranger and conductor of this production. They open with “Ruth,” that skips along at a moderate pace with an undertow of string arrangements bubbling beneath the swing. Rotondi’s trumpet leads the way, like a pied piper. 

His composition, “Dark Blue” follows. It’s a ballad that once again features the opulent trumpet tone of Rotondi. On a tune called “Ladybug,” Danny Grisset shines on piano.  The horn section is harmonically rich and supportive throughout. Drummer, Mario Gonzi, soaks up the spotlight during the orchestral arrangement on “Designated Hitter.”  On this festive orchestra and big band production, Rotondi offers the listener his original compositions, along with bright, boisterous arrangements interpreted by the Notes and Tones Jazz Orchestra.  This project also becomes a platform to feature guest soloists, Dick Oatts (on “Falset,” where he plays soprano saxophone) and Steve Davis playing trombone on “Miller Time.” 

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ALEX BELTRAN – “RIFT” –  Calligram Records

Alex Beltran, tenor & soprano saxophone/co-producer/composer; Stu Mindeman, piano/Wurlitzer electric; Sam Peters. Bass; Jon Deitemyer, drums; Lenard Simpson, alto saxophone; Chad McCullough, trumpet/co-producer.

If Straight-ahead is your preference, you will fall in love with Alex Beltran’s album titled “Rift.”   Starting from his original composition “Lulu,” Beltran’s horn flies like a wild bird and leads the others with determination and creativity. Beltran has been a fixture on the local Chicago music scene for over a decade.  This album is his Calligram debut, and it soars! He has composed seven of the eight songs, and they are all well-written and pumped full of spice as peppery as Cayenne.  “Lulu” is a musical tribute to his niece. 

The meaning of “Rift” according to the Oxford Dictionary, is a crack, split or break in something.  Beltran feels this title best describes his life, torn in two by his Mexican American heritage. 

He explains, “I’m a person of mixed culture and there was a pretty big divide between the two worlds I lived in growing up; my dad’s Latino family and my mom’s white family.  I never felt like I fit into either.  I was the white cousin at my dad’s, and the Mexican cousin at my mom’s.”

This journalist knows that music is universal.  What better way to project your own sense of soul and personality than through music.  On a tune called “Fragments” the horns make it sound like some kind of traffic jam.  When Stu Mindeman races out in front, his improvised piano solo is magnificent.  The musicians play at a race car pace, dragging the listeners along by our ears. All that pent-up emotional turmoil that Beltran expressed above is pumped into his music with power and drive.  On “Bird Dance” Beltran explains that he wanted to write something that exemplified the awkwardness of shuttling between two cultures while growing up.  Mindeman swivels around and plays the Wurlitzer on this arrangement. The melody is catchy and laid down by harmonic horns.  Beltran’s solo is tentative and flutters in all directions, perhaps mimicking a confused bird in flight, unsure but still creating his own unique dance.

Clearly, the experiences of our childhood shape us into the adults we become, always with the little child buried deep inside.  Those family challenges and experiences that Beltran recalls (perhaps with some disappointment) have helped shape him into the beautiful, gifted, talent that he is now.  Not only is he a wonderful composer, but his saxophone songs make me happy.  He makes me feel something deep within, like on his composition “Sub Rosa.”  Great tune, with wings dipped in the blues.  Alex Beltran’s music is captivating and soulful. 

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BRANDON GOLDBERG TRIO – “LIVE AT DIZZY’S” – Cellar Music Group
Brandon Goldberg, piano; Ben Wolfe, bass; Aaron Kimmel, drums.

Here is a trio of musicians who make me feel warm and fuzzy as they play a group of familiar, standard tunes I know and love. Goldberg, on piano, is the group leader at the unbelievable age of eighteen years young.  But don’t let his age fool you.  This talented musician sparkles and shines with a talent far beyond his years.  He stands on the shoulders of legendary pianists like Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, and Nat King Cole. When I listen to this album, I’m thrown back in time to the 1950’s and 1960s, when Supperclub trios were extremely popular, and the trios of Red Garland and Sonny Clark were exploring jazz in new and unbridled ways.

Brandon Goldberg is also investigating new ways of playing old songs. He’s rediscovering the standards that we are comfortable hearing, stuffing them with fresh harmonics and innovative arrangements that modernize old, beautiful tunes like Gershwin’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So” or Harold Arlen’s “Let’s Fall in Love.” This album is particularly dear to Goldberg’s heart because it was recorded at Dizzy’s club.

“The first time I heard music (live) in New York was at Dizzy’s. My parents took me to see the Bill Charlap Trio at their first performance.  Now, Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes come to hear us on the first night of our run,” Brandon Goldberg let’s pure awe color each word he speaks.

Although he has toured the world and worked at a plethora of jazz clubs, this ‘live’ recording in New York City, at one of the premiere American jazz clubs, remains his dream-come-true-moment. When Mr. Charlap and his trio opened Jazz at Lincoln Center’s famed venue, (Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola), Brandon Goldberg had to be a toddler.  In fact, at the age of three little Brandon surprised his parents by sitting down at the piano and playing with harmonic intelligence, as though he had already taken piano lessons.  He made a national impact on Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots” show.  Also, as a child he appeared on the Harry Connick Jr. television show.  In 2013 and 2015, Brandon was the youngest recipient of the Miami Music Club Scholarship.  He also won first place in both those years for his Original Composition and Piano Solo Performances.  Although the awards keep coming, starting from when he was a preteen, he is most proud of his 2024 Young Arts Winner with Distinction Award.  In 2023, he was a semifinalist in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and he’s the youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. 

In 2019, at age twelve he released his first album titled “Let’s Play!” featuring three of his original compositions and six standards.

In 2021, his second album was released and titled “In Good Time.” It featured the late, great drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr., Luques Curtis on bass, with Stacy Dillard on saxophones and Josh Evans on trumpet. Brandon was fourteen when he recorded this music.

This current release continues to celebrate the genius of Brandon Goldberg.  We are witnessing his super talent on piano, his awesome composition skills, and his continuing climb up the jazz ladder, towards the stars and beyond.

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NEAL ALGER – “OLD SOULS” – Calligram Records

Neal Alger, guitar/composer; Clark Sommers, acoustic bass; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals; Chris Madsen, tenor saxophone; Chad McCullough, trumpet/flugelhorn.

Neal Alger is an educator, (professor at Elmhurst College) a guitarist, a composer, and a lover of all genres of music.  From the oldest original tune on this recording, one that he wrote almost twenty years ago called “This is not a Test” to the more recent title tune “Old Souls,” Alger is excited about performing an album of entirely original compositions.

“I play a lot of other people’s music. I wanted to carve out a space to play my own music. I enjoy the process of writing, painstaking and frustrating at times, but ultimately fulfilling,” Neal Alger shared in his press package.

This is a return to a more Straight-ahead platform of originality and improvisational freedom. You hear his jazz roots on “This is Not a Test” that swings hard, and then his more ethereal-self appears on the title tune, with its Middle Eastern, minor-driven melody.  On Track #3, bassist Clark Sommers takes stage center, opening this song on his instrument and introducing a more smooth-jazz, contemporary tune. Neal has known Clark Sommers since the late 1990s.  He’s known drummer, Dana Hall that long too.  They are among the first-call bass and drum team around the Chicago, Illinois jazz scene, and longtime friends of Alger.  Consequently, they make for a solid rhythm section when they join Alger’s guitar. The addition of Chad McCullough on trumpet and Chris Madsen on tenor sax create the quintet magic that Alger was striving for on this project.

This album is an eclectic musical merry-go-round, that explores the compositions of Neal Alger, highlighting his varied arrangements, distinctive like painted wooden horses bobbing up and down. As you listen, you are invited to take a creative ride with these mid-western musicians. Neal Alger is the ring-master and leads the way with his busy guitar establishing the various moods and melodies.  On “Go With the Sco-Flow” the horn parts act like exclamation marks, and punctuate the tune’s melodic arrangement.  When Alger adds “Moment Intro” as a segway solo guitar piece, I am intrigued.  I wish he had developed this into a longer composition.  This leads to “If Only for a Moment,” a song he wrote about the COVID pandemic that features a lovely tenor saxophone solo by Chris Madsen. 

“Choro Delinquente” teases the listener with an almost Latin groove and “Dance of the Miscreants” is nine minutes of move and groove, with the sax and trumpet singing the melody in unison on top of the tight rhythm section.  When Alger’s guitar solo begins, he has a serious conversation with Hall’s drums.  They sound as if they are talking to each other, with Hall quite animated on his drums. Then McCullough’s trumpet talks to the Clark Sommers bass.  When Madsen parts the curtains with his tenor saxophone, he is joined by Alger’s guitar as the two instruments meet and greet, holding court on top of the supportive rhythm of Hall and Sommers. When Hall battles his way into the spotlight, he shows off his percussive technique in an explosion of sticks and bravado.

Neal Alger offers us his original music and arrangements that celebrate his appreciation of the moments of rhythm, melody and magic that make up his life works. 

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EDY FOREY – “CULTURE TODAY” –  So Soul Records

Guilhem Forey, keyboards/piano/Fender Rhodes/composer/synth bass/vocals/miscellaneous BG vocals; Edy Szewy, vocals/lyricist/sampling; Tom Gordon, drums/percussions; Femi Koleoso, Isac Jamba, Jonathan Tuitt & Seiya Osaka, drums;  Leonn Meade, drums/BG vocals;  Adam King, Andrew Robb & Luca Alemanno, double bass; Sharay Reed, Michael League & Dean Mark, electric bass; Carlinhos Percussao, percussions; Manav Sigh, table; Toku, flugelhorn; Alex Hahn & Bob Reynolds, saxophone; Miho Wada & Sarpay Ozcagatay, flute; Dave Frazer, mix; Bob Power, mix/master.

The duo mix of Edy Szewy and Guilhem Forey brings imagination, ingenuity, and improvisation to the forefront like a rainbow.  This is music full of color and creativity, beginning with an introduction by Forey on keyboards, his solo embellished by reverb.  There is the hint of an old spiritual song captured during his improvised solo and I sing along, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.  Nobody knows but Jesus.”

The title tune “Culture Today” is sung by lyricist Edy Szewy and kicks off with a strong hip hop beat.  Her vocal presentation is reminiscent of Erykah Badu, but unique enough to establish her own style and tone. A song called “The Fire” solidifies this music as a blend of Hip Hop, contemporary and modern jazz, with Guilhem Forey spotlighted on piano.

Their arrangement and treatment of the jazz standard “Nature Boy” is creative and features a strong percussive presence by Tom Gordon. The composition is completely modernized and is one of the few ‘cover tunes’ on this project.  Most of these songs are original compositions by these two artists.

A tune called “The System” begins with Edy rapping about this world of celebrity worship, complex with both good and evil doers.  The addition of a saxophone to this production creates a very Straight-ahead jazz feel, with the drums playing a funk beat and percussion brightly flavoring their arrangement.  You can clearly hear how Edy has been influenced by Motown and rhythm and blues.  By mixing in the Hip Hop culture, this duo embarks on a poetic, urban-jazz debut album.

Based in the UK, the duo enters this competitive business of music with a clear message of peace and love reigning over hate and discord.  I do hear some control issues with Edy’s vocals.  For the benefit of her continued success, I hope she will seek a vocal coach to help her sustain those notes and to control pitch issues.  But the enthusiasm and uniqueness of this duo overshadows these fixable challenges.  Edy Szewy is a strong and blossoming lyricist who knows how to create ‘hooks’ in her music, that invite the listener to repeat and sing along. This is a commercial strong point. 

Her musical partner, Guilhem Forey, was born in Paris and raised in Nantes, France.  He was a child prodigy, displaying a strong interest in music as early as age three. When his grandfather introduced him to American R&B icon, Ray Charles and the music of Eric Clapton, Foley’s classical music study broadened.  At age eleven, he began studying jazz piano.  On this project, Foley knows how to make ‘loops’ and establish grooves for Edy’s voice to float atop. Together, they have established an interesting sound. This music exhibits a sense of non-conformity and lyrical protest. The duo has been performing together since their teen years. Between Foley’s mastery of keyboard and commercial composing, paired with Edy’s artistry, lyricism and freedom, this debut album marks the beginning of a musical adventure plush with magical spontaneity, possibility, and promise.

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VINCE GUARALDI – “IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN” – LMFP Records

Vince Guaraldi, piano; Monty Budwig, double bass; Herb Ellis, guitar; Jack Sperling, drums; Victor Feldman, percussion; Frank Rosolino, trombone; Conti Candoli & Pete Condoli, trumpet; Peter Christlieb & William Hood, woodwinds.

Speaking of joy wrapping arms around music, Vince Guaraldi has done just that with his newest album release. The Charlie Brown comic strip has brought the world continuous joy and laughter for seventy-four years. The strip first debuted on October 2, 1950.  However, it’s the music of Vince Guaraldi that has helped propel this legacy forward. On this album you will hear all your familiar favorites and some new tracks that show how smoothly jazz works, even in cartoons.  There are thirty-two song references on this compilation CD that will bring to mind the various excursions and adventures of Charlie Brown, Lucy, or Linus and his famous blanket. With a host of master jazz musicians, Vince Guaraldi sitting at his piano, leads the band to offer us a treasure trove of Charlie Brown music memorabilia.  You will enjoy these rejuvenated lost soundtracks.

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OWEN BRODER –“HODGES FRONT & CENTER VOL TWO” – Outside In Music

Owen Broder, alto saxophone; Riley Mutherkar, trumpet; Carmen Staaf, piano; Barry Stephenson, bass; Bryan Carter, drums.

Owen Broder grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and holds a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master’s from the Manhattan School of Music.  Because he is a huge fan of the great altoist, Johnny Hodges, Broder has been celebrating the titan’s work for several years.  In 2022, he released his first tribute album to Hodges as a Volume One project that was received enthusiastically by the jazz community and jazz journalists alike.

“Hodges looms large in my approach to music.  He was one of my earliest primary influences and has continued to be an important player in the way that I conceptualize playing the alto.  I’ve always loved his lyricism and his melodic approach to improvising.  Even though some of my other records have been more contemporary in their approach, I try to bring that lyricism and melodic style to whatever context I’m working in,” explains Owen Broder in his press package.

This entire package of music, mostly original compositions by Johnny Hodges, is deeply colored by the Blues.  The mostly medium tempos and ballads exemplify what Hodges loved playing. The Owen Broder arrangements bring new life to an era of jazz that celebrated big bands like Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, Stan Getz and Count Basie.  The tone of Broder’s saxophone is very similar to that of Johnny Hodges.  It’s full of satin smooth phrases and silky warmth, similar to how Hodges would have played these tunes.

“Number one, he loves the blues. Number two, he loves medium tempos and ballads.  As both a composer and improviser, he’s very riff based, so motivic development is an important part of his style.  If you look at any of the tunes written by Hodges, you’ll find an idea that comes back regularly and makes the tune really accessible and enjoyable for the listener,” Broder asserts.

You hear it in the opening tune, “Used to be Duke” a tune that was the title track from the 1956 album released by Hodges.  Broder and his group play it as a lively energetic swing tune. I can picture those Jitterbug dancers out on a polished wooden floor, with the girl’s wide skirt flying up into the air.  Carmen Staaf takes a joy-filled solo on piano, and Barry Stephenson is walking his bass close by and supportive.  Bran Carter takes a drum solo that screams power, technique, and precision. Then, in walks Rile Mutherkar on trumpet to blow the walls down with Broder close on his heels adding his smooth, 1940-sounding saxophone delivery.  This music takes me back to 78rpm records my mother used to play at our house, and a time when big bands were the rage.

I am in love with Owen Broder’s feel and tone on the alto saxophone.  Having listened to Johnny Hodges, I can hear the similarities between the two master musicians.  Broder has captured his mentor’s tone and phrasing but still maintains his own style.  This recording was inspired by Hodges’ “Back to Back” and “Side by Side” small group albums.  Broder carefully picked songs that reveal the diversity and brilliance of Hodges as a composer. I enjoyed “Wabash Blues” a song from the Hodges’ “Back to Back” album.  It’s a full-blown blues, played down and dirty by these master musicians. 

Every carefully, hand-picked song on this project enlists joy and history to entertain and pleasure us. Owen Broder is as brilliant on saxophone as Hodges was. Broder currently teaches Jazz Theory and Jazz Arranging at Portland State University, as well as saxophone lessons at Pacific University. When he’s not recording his own projects, he is a member of the Grammy nominated Anat Cohen Tentet and the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet.  The release date for this album is April 19, 2024. * * * * * * * * * * * *

MORE WOMEN, MORE MUSIC

By Dee Dee McNeil

March 27, 2024

Actually, the origins of Women’s History Month began in 1978 in Santa Rosa, California.  It so happens that the “Education Task Force of Sonoma Country Commission on the Status of Women” planned a ‘Women’s History Week.’  Their celebration was scheduled to run the week of March 8, 1978, and to correspond with International Women’s Day. In 2024, we celebrate women’s history the whole month of March.  As this month ends, I want to mention a few more women who are making history in the jazz world. 

LYNNE ARRIALE – “BEING HUMAN” – Challenge Records International

Lynne Arriale, piano/Yamaha Clavinova/composer; Alon Near, bass; Lukasz Zyta, drums.

Lynne Arriale has been sharing her brilliant piano talent with the world for decades.  In 1993 she became the prize winner of the International Great American Jazz Piano Competition.  Consistent with her performance art, Ms. Arriale has entertained on prestigious international concert stages for over thirty years. “Being Human” is her seventeenth album. It celebrates her original compositions.  They reflect how our lives are enriched.  The Lynne Arriale Trio opens with her composition titled “Passion.”  Arriale exhibits a light, sensitive touch on the piano keys. This arrangement is smooth jazz. 

This entire project was written by Arriale to address the turmoil and division in our world. The second track is called “Courage” and features the prominent and impressive drum accompaniment of Lukasz Zyta. Her drummer is currently based in Krakow, Poland and is a faculty member at their Academy of Music since 2007.  For some reason, Arriale’s composition “Love” reminds me of a country’s anthem.  This tune is followed by “Faith” and the mood is more playful, with a petit touch of blues weaving through the arrangement. “Curiosity” shows a more avant-garde approach to Arriale’s piano playing, quite artistic and exploratory.  Another tune the trio plays is “Soul.” Suddenly, we are drenched in blues and jazz without compunction. On “Persistence,” bassist Alon Near shines, creating contrary motion bass lines that are both intricate and complimentary to Arriale’s solo piano. Each song played continues to not only entertain and engage the listener, but the compositions punctuate Lynne Arriale’s amazing piano talent and versatility.  She invites us into her music. It’s like falling down a rabbit hole and discovering awesome and unexpected gifts along the way. 

“I wrote this suite in response to the division and turmoil in our world.  The music focuses on qualities we all share, that define our humanity.  I hope this album will be uplifting and convey a sense of unity and optimism,” Lynne Arriale explains in words what she’s already accomplished in this wonderful album.

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CAMILLE THURMAN WITH THE DARRELL GREEN QUARTET “LOVE VIBRATIONS” –  Chesky Records

Camille Thurman, vocals/saxophone; Gerald Green, drums; Paul Beaudry, bass; Jordon Williams, piano; Wallace Roney Jr., trumpet.

I ran across this incredibly talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Online. I was absolutely blown away by her style, her crystal-clear vocal presentation, her soulful tenor saxophone playing, and she is also an amazing composer.  Additionally, she plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo.  She’s a creative improviser, which you will witness for yourself in the video below. 

Live from Jazz St. Louis – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-lap9oKtY

Born December 22, 1986, Camille Thurman is a member of the Lincoln Center Orchestra in NYC.  Her first couple of albums were released on Chesky Records in 2017 and 2018, making an impression on the Billboard Jazz Chart by landing on the #3 spot and the #25 chart position. 

Her three available CDs are “Origins” released in 2014, “Inside the Moment” released in 2017 and “Waiting for the Sunrise” released on Chesky Records in 2018. 

This is a video review, rather than an album review. I rarely do these, but I think this wonderfully talented lady needs to reach more ears and eyes.  Meet the dynamic Camille Thurman!

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ANDREA WOLPER – “WANDERLUST” – Moonflower Music

Andrea Wolper, vocals/composer/co-producer; John Di Martino, piano; Ken Filiano, bass; Michael TA Thompson, drums; Charlie Burnham, violin; Jeff Lederer, clarinet/flute/co-producer.

A Kenny Filiano bass line opens this album, on a tune called “Light Out of Darkness.”  I must compliment Andrea Wolper’s steady, solid vocals despite the Avant-garde background her musicians are singing. There’s clearly dissonance in the background. Still, the singer holds her own, holding the bluesy melody, like a baby, close and comfortable. Charlie Burnham adds an improvised violin solo. She follows this with “Dog Day Afternoon” a tune by Wayne Carson, originally recorded by the sweet country voice of Shelby Lynne.  Charlie Burnham takes another violin solo that’s warm and comforting. The third track is written by Wolper and starts with John Di Martino’s piano sounding like a coo-coo-clock on a tune called “Sobe E Desce.”  Wolper scats with the flute melody of Jeff Lederer, doubling the instrument’s sound in unison. There are no lyrics.  This is just Wolper’s voice becoming an instrument, trading fours with the flute, then letting Filiano’s bass trade fours with the drums of Michael TA Thompson. Track #4 is another original composition by Wolper. Titled “Still Life” with a lyric that paints a picture of a lonely woman thinking of the man who is missing.  The lyrics are more prose than poem.  She finally hits her stride when singing Abbey Lincoln’s tune, “The Music is the Magic.”  I finally hear the jazz singer appear.  Until then, Andrea Wolper was just another vocalist like a thousand others.  I can feel her emotion on this song and feel the jazz swing in this moderate tempo presentation. Filiano takes a brief but creative solo on the bass. Wolper’s scat hindered the arrangement rather than supporting it.  It was way too legato and didn’t swing. Her original song, “The Nature of Life” is quite Middle Eastern, drawing on minor chords and a melody that is performed slowly, with prayer-like chanting in the parts without lyric.  Her interpretation of the Sting composition, “I Burn for You” is another pretty ballad that she performs with Filiano picking up his bow and delivering a lovely bass solo. Most of this music is moderate tempo and leans towards ballads. 

Wolper is a native of Northern California but relocated to New York to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She has been there ever since.  It has been 13-years since Wolper released an album, but in that space of time she has been touring and performing in top jazz clubs like The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Mezzrow, the 55 Bar and more.  She’s performed abroad and teaches voice, songwriting, and jazz performance.

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JANE SCHECKTER – “I’LL TAKE ROMANCE” – Doxie Records

Jane Scheckter, vocals; Todd Firth, piano/arranger; Jay Leonhart, bass/scat singer; Peter Grant, drums; Warren Vaché, cornet/flugelhorn; Nicolas King, vocals.

Here is a jazz singer whose roots are exposed as soon as she sings the first few bars of “Love, I Hear” (a Stephen Sondheim composition) that opens with Jay Leonhart’s bass line.  Scheckter steps into the song, swinging lightly, like a child skipping.  She knows how to phrase, which is oh so important to understand if you claim the title ‘Cabaret Jazz Singer.’ A sweet surprise, Leonhart sings a scat line that harmonizes with his bass solo and it’s butter smooth! 

Jane Scheckter offers us seventeen songs to listen to and love.  She’s a teller-of-tales.  Scheckter knows how to sell a song and pumps each lyric full of life, wisdom, and believability. I can hear her comfortable vocal maturity that says she’s been singing for a while. On her album cover, they note that this is Jane’s fifth album release.  Her pianist and arranger is Ted Firth, one of the sought after pianists in the Cabaret genre.  Her bassist and drummer both played with Peggy Lee, who is one of Jane Schecter’s sheroes. Jane’s repertoire is smart, familiar, and classic.  She pulls songs from the theater, as well as recognizable jazz standards.  In fact, Jane Scheckter is a former theater performer, as well as a heralded fashion designer. Her clothing designs were featured in the leading fashion magazines and modeled by the likes of Lauren Hutton. She started singing in NYC nightclubs and supper clubs, while holding down her design-day-job. These days, Schecter sings regularly in New England, in Paris, France, at the Royal Jazz Lounge in Antibes, and the Vegaluna in Cannes, France.  She brings sophistication and emotional empathy to every note of her songs like “My Foolish Heart,” and “A Beautiful Friendship.”  She shuffles along on Cole Porter’s  “After You,” and on “I’m Gonna Lock My heart & Throw Away the Key.”  Her alto vocals introduce us to a tune called “Looking Back” written by her old friend, Mickey Leonard (who died in 2015).  It was a tribute to Bill Evans and Jane asked Roger Schore to put lyrics to the instrumental.

“On this album, I feel like I’ve grown up.  This is who I am and what I do.  I just honor the music,” Jane tells us in the liner notes.

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ALLISON BURIK – “REALM” –  Independent Label

Allison Burik, composer/arranger/co-producer/Alto saxophone/bass clarinet/vocals/alto flute/ guitar; Magdalena Abrego, guitar; Sylvaine Arnaud, recording engineer/mixing/co-producer; Peter Atkinson, recording engineer/winds; Harris Newman, mastering; Renee Abaroa, bone typeface on cover.

For several years Allison Burik has gained notoriety and audience in the world of modern jazz and experimental music.  The opening “Be the Dragon” composition might just be their alter-ego talking to their inner creative self.  It blasts into my listening room, like shepherd horns gathering the flock. Allison’s singular use of reed instruments projects an emotional delivery. They add the guitar to create an eerie mood that commands this listener’s attention.  In their press package, they explain this song was built from a foundation of Burik’s oceanside guitar and bird songs, captured during an artistic residency in Skagastrond, Iceland. Allison themselves explain it in her liner notes.

“The “Be the Dragon” piece is dedicated to all the women and gender-fluid folks that defied ‘traditional’ gender roles to take up arms in battle. …  The song features an experimental contact microphone setup in which I’m wearing a collar that presses small microphones against my neck to capture the melodies I hum, while simultaneously playing the saxophone.  There are also contact microphones attached to specific keys of my sax to amplify the percussiveness of the instrument,” Burik explains.

Track #2 takes me to an entirely different space and time. Titled, “As the Norn’s Weave” it begins with their lovely voice calming the moment into submission. Their vocals appear with an acoustic guitar accompaniment.  Burik superimposes alto saxophone, bass clarinet and vocals in a lovely way.  I have always loved the sound of a bass clarinet and their tone on the instrument is warm and vibrant. Still, I wonder how they would present this ‘live’ and in-concert?  Because it appears they’re playing all the reed instruments simultaneously. Would they have to pre-record and layer the music to make these songs come to life in person?  This song was born out of the world tree of Norse myth.  It’s said, in that myth, that three Norns weave our fates with their web of wyrd, and decide the destinies of all beings in all ‘Realms.’

Burik has decided to take the less trodden musical path and use their creative sense of purpose to lean toward mythology and feminine inspiration, along with non-binary characters, and folklore to express themself.  On the third track, “Solstice (Dreams and Memories” a low growl begins the arrangement, that soon is transformed by what sounds like sea and birds. Then I seem to hear footsteps trudging on sand, beneath wind and weather.  A voice sings a carefree song as the steps are taken. Much of the music on this record was composed during their artist residency, the one Burik did in June of 2022 in Iceland.

During their composing of songs, Allison has named Solstice 1, II and III.

“These are fragments of a musical theme that has been rumbling around in my brain since the winter solstice of 2018.  They are brief musings on the passage of time, reality, and existence,” they explain.

On the final two compositions, the eighth track being “Solstice III (The Promise), Allison is joined by the guitar of Magdalena Abrego.  Also, Abrego plays on the ninth and final track called “Fragment 94.”  Allison’s vocals dip and dive during this arrangement. It’s for only a short minute and a few seconds that this song plays, but it makes quite an impact. This Solstice blends into the final song that has lyrics. It celebrates the ancient Greek lyric poet, musician, and lover of women, Sappho; a character from the isle of Lesbos, who lived from c.610 to c.570 BCE.  She is regarded as one of the most important and influential writers of her time.  Hellenistic poets deemed her “the tenth Muse.”

Sappho’s lyrics read, “And there was no dance, no holy place, from which we were absent.”

This album appears to be a spiritual journey for the artist.  It reflects not only the creativity of Allison Burik, but draws inspiration from myths, world history and folktales. Allison feels that they are using music to showcase the mixture of modern identity validated by ancient ways. Their album is meant to acknowledge the history of human beings, our mistakes of the past that are holding hands with a repetitious path to the future.  At the same time, with their music, Allison Burik celebrates the many ways of simply being human.

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HILARY GARDNER – “ON THE TRAIL WITH THE LONESOME PINES” – Anzic Records

Hilary Garder, vocals; Justin Poindex5ter, guitars/mandolin/organ/vocals; Noah Garabedian, bass; Aaron Thurston, drums/percussion; Sasha Papernik, accordion.

Hilary Gardner brings us her own take on Country/Western, Soul and Jazz music.  She has rolled up the blues, like a country/western musical burrito with a spicy sprinkle of jazz in the production.  Her voice is crystal clear, with a hint of Bonnie Raitt in her phrasing as she opens this album with “Along the Navajo Trail.” It meanders along at a moderate pace with a melody that draws me in like quicksand. 

“In the early weeks and months of the pandemic, confined to my Brooklyn apartment in the silenced city, I dreamed of wide-open spaces and the freedom to roam.  I started researching “trail songs” from the singing cowboy era of the 1930s & 40s.  … As I delved deeper, I learned that many trail songs were written not only by singing cowboys, but by jazz and film composers with lyricists like Johnny Mercer, jazz legend Benny Carter, Frank Loesser and others.  A song making its debut in a Western film starring Roy Rogers or Gene Autry would often go on to be recorded by a swinging big band. One of those  original hip cowboys was Bing Crosby.  The lines between genres were happily blurred back then,” Hilary Gardner explained her choice of expression.

Track #2 opens with the first bass line my father taught me on the piano. I recognized a boogie- woogie. Once I picked up the CD cover to investigate, sure enough, the song title supported me as “Cow Cow Boogie” blasted into my listening room.

Hilary has a smooth appealing voice. She knows how to enunciate every word to be sure you can enjoy her stories.  Surprisingly, Benny Carter is one of the composers on this song.  At the fade, Hilary Gardner throws in a little scat-like vocal when she croons, “Coma -Ti- Yi- Yi Yay! Coma Ti Yippee A-Yay.”  Some of the lyrics are a little risqué for 1943. She sings, “He was raised on the local weed, and can he swing now? Yes indeed.”  (Back then ‘weed’ was certainly not legal the way it is today.)  Justin Poindexter lays down a very bluesy guitar solo and Aaron Thurston slaps the drum rhythm into place on the two and the four. I find myself singing along with the “Coma – Ti – Yi – Yi – Yay” part.

A song titled “Call of the Canyon” is a lovely ballad.  Next, “Silver on the Sage” is an arrangement that reminds me of 1960 hitmaker Ben E. King’s tune “Spanish Harlem,” with its Latin tinges and a strong backbeat. A tune called “Jingle Jangle Jingle” gives spotlight to bassist Noah Garabedian and the chord changes reminds me of a song I learned as a child called, “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When she Comes.”  If only the band had put some more swing on “Along the Santa Fe Trail.”  With strong shuffle drums and a walking bass, (instead of the two-feel) this song could more easily fit into a jazz vein. The bass does walk during the guitar solo and lifts the arrangement towards the end of this production.

We cannot forget that the great composer, Johnny Mercer penned “I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande). Hilary and her band put a mild swing groove into place at a moderate tempo, like a slow horseback ride up a dusty path. You’ll want to sing along with this one.

Here is a unique album, that endeavors to show the impact of jazz on country/western music or vice versa.  For the most part, this is Country/Western and blues music for your listening pleasure.  Hilary Gardner has a voice as smooth as satin. She could certainly sing anything. But on this album release, she and her talented musicians dress each arrangement with believable and honest stories. Some of these tales may remind you of songs that Bing Crosby, Patsy Cline and Dan Hicks used to sing, or tunes from your favorite cowboy movie. This is a fresh idea that reflects another era and blends musical genres.

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KELLY GREEN – “SEEMS” – Green Soul Studios

Kelly Green, piano/vocals/composer/arranger; Luca Soul Rosenfeld, bass; Evan Hyde, drums; Elijah J. Thomas, flute/alto flute/piccolo. SPECIAL GUEST: Rich Perry, tenor saxophone.

For Kelly Green, her album titled “Seems” is meant to be a recorded statement of hope and an optimistic musical manifesto.  She has composed five of the nine songs on this album.  The production opens with a ‘cover’ song called “Down that Road” that features Elijah J. Thomas on flute.  Evan Hyde provides percussive links between musical phrases, showing off his drum skills. When Kelly Green steps into the picture with her dynamic piano solo, she brings modern jazz to the forefront of this arrangement.  On Track #2, Luca Soul Rosenfeld and Green open the song “World of My own” with just bass and vocals for a few bars. Here, Green displays her light soprano voice in stark contrast to Rosenfeld’s deep bass notes.  It is a striking arrangement, but after the first instrumental tune, track #2 takes me by surprise. It’s more pop-jazz influenced than modern jazz and spotlights the light, airy voice of the pianist.

The talented, iconic Babs Gonzalez wrote “Lonely One.”  Once again, Green’s music takes a one-hundred-degree turn. The prolific Gonzalez lends his great lyrics to Kelly Green’s interpretation.

Next, drums introduce Green’s original composition called “Street Cleaning” and sweep us back to a modern jazz genre with horn punches and straight-ahead speed. Green’s piano jumps into the up-tempo piece with both hands racing. Special guest, Rich Perry takes an exploratory tenor saxophone solo, improvising fluidly.  Rosenfeld is prominent throughout on bass. Then comes a blues titled, “By the Way” another original tune penned by Kelly that features a dancing bass solo. It’s a melodic blues that shows us a completely different side of Kelly Green’s piano style, pushed powerfully by the walking bass of Rosenfeld.

Green offers us a multi-faceted creative project that showcases her composing skills and spotlights her diversity on both the piano and vocally. Street release date is March 29, 2024.

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GRACE KELLY WITH STRINGS – “AT THE MOVIES” – Pazz Productions

Grace Kelly, alto, baritone, tenor and soprano saxophone/vocals; Cooper Appelt, upright & electric bass; Eli Bishop, classical Nylon-string guitar/tenor banjo/mandolin & mandolindo; Tamir Hendelman, piano; Adam Bravo, additional synth programming; Jake Reed, drums/percussion; Cory Wong, Shaun Richardson & Pasha Riger, electric guitar; John Schroeder, acoustic & electric guitar; Sean Jones, trumpet; VIOLINS: Eli Bishop, concert master; Steve C. Chiu, Haruka Horil, Camille Miller, Grace Rodgers & Leah Zeger; VIOLAS: Lauren Elizabeth Baba, Eli Bishop, Hailey Walterman; CELLOS: Eli Bishop, Emily Nelson Rogers, Ro Rowan & Simona Vitucci; With Bryan Carter, conductor.

Wynton Marsalis gave his credible stamp of approval when he wrote, “Grace plays with intelligence, wit, and feeling.  She has a great amount of natural ability and the ability to adapt.  That is the hallmark of a first-class jazz musician.”

On the opening tune, Grace Kelly shows us her power on the saxophone and offers us soft, compelling vocals during a tribute to James Bond, creating a medley of music from that popular film series.  Kelly has been in love with movies, movie stars and film soundtracks since childhood.  After all, she was named after the historic American actress, Grace Kelly, who starred in “Dial M for Murder” and “The Country Girl” before exiting Hollywood to marry Prince Ranier III of Monaco.

“Falling in love with Grace Kelly, having her name, playing some incredible music, including the only song she sang in a film.  This is a project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and I’m really proud of it,” Kelly writes in her press package.

Jake Reed’s drums shine on the arrangement of “He’s a Pirate from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” motion picture.  But when Kelly plays the old standard, “The Way You Look Tonight,” I do hear shades of Charlie Parker on her song arrangement. You can detect how the legendary “Bird” influenced this talented young lady.

Although Grace Kelly has a nice voice, I prefer to enjoy her musicianship on saxophone. She sings on “True Love” and “Moon River,” but it’s her baritone saxophone solo on the “Mission Impossible Theme” that really blows my mind. I enjoyed her vocal rendition of “I Wanna be Like You” from The Jungle Book movie. Kelly is charismatic and charming on stage, as you can witness below, filmed while she was ‘live’ in concert in St. Louis.

This is Grace Kelly’s fifteenth album release in a 20-year recording career. It appears Kelly just gets better with time.       

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THE JAMIE BAUM SEPTET + – “WHAT TIMES ARE THESE” –  Sunnyside Records

Jamie Baum, flutes/spoken word/composer/arranger; Brad Shepik, guitar/singing bowls; Luis Perdomo, piano/fender Rhodes; Ricky Rodriguez, bass/electric bass guitar; Jeff Hirshfield, drums; Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet/spoken word; Sam Sadigursky, alto saxophone/clarinet/bass clarinet; Chris Komer, French horn. GUEST VOCALISTS: Theo Bleckmann, Kokayi, Sara Serpa, Aubrey Johnson.  GUEST PERCUSSIONIST: Keita Ogawa.

A single note pops rhythmically. It repeats over and over again, drawing me into this production, quicksand strong.  When the bass clarinet sings its assertive song, I am already caught up in Baum’s arrangement.  Jamie Baum lightens the mood with her flute solo.  The song is called “In the Light of Day” and it moves from dark tones to hopeful light in the matter of a perhaps sixteen bars.  Jonathan Finlayson also solos on his trumpet, with the horn section in tight harmony and shining behind him, like a sunrise. On Track #2, Jamie’s flute opens the piece and then her spoken word blows prose into my room, like smoke rings or a soft summer breeze.  The title of this album was inspired by Adrienne Rich’s 1995 poem, “What Kinds of Times Are These?”   Jamie Baum addresses this concept in the prose of Marge Piercy as she reads:

“The people I love the best jump into work headfirst, without dallying in the shallows, and swim off with sure strokes; almost out of sight, they seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.  I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck, to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again,” Jamie Baum recites.

This album is a blend of thought provoking spoken word, creative original compositions by Baum, and arrangements that pull at the ear of the listener in wonderful ways. She adds vocals and prose, like spices to a stew cauldron. Some of these compositions are experimental jazz, mixed liberally with pops of traditional jazz. Jamie Baum tackles the political turmoil that we earthlings find ourselves locked within, using experimental jazz and the more traditional Straight-ahead jazz to provides moments of great beauty.  The music of Jamie Baum is meant to lift our hopes and spirits.

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EDY FOREY – “CULTURE TODAY” –  So Soul Records

Guilhem Forey, keyboards/piano/Fender Rhodes/composer/synth bass/vocals/miscellaneous BG vocals; Edy Szewy, vocals/lyricist/sampling; Tom Gordon, drums/percussions; Femi Koleoso, Isac Jamba, Jonathan Tuitt & Seiya Osaka, drums;  Leonn Meade, drums/BG vocals;  Adam King, Andrew Robb & Luca Alemanno, double bass; Sharay Reed, Michael League & Dean Mark, electric bass; Carlinhos Percussao, percussions; Manav Sigh, table; Toku, flugelhorn; Alex Hahn & Bob Reynolds, saxophone; Miho Wada & Sarpay Ozcagatay, flute; Dave Frazer, mix; Bob Power, mix/master.

This duo mix of Edy Szewy and Guilhem Forey brings imagination, ingenuity, and improvisation to the forefront like a rainbow.  This is music full of color and creativity, beginning with an introduction by Forey on keyboards, where his solo is embellished by reverb.  There is the hint of an old spiritual song captured during his improvised solo and I sing along, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.  Nobody knows but Jesus.”

The title tune “Culture Today” is sung by lyricist Edy Szewy and kicks off with a strong hip hop beat.  Her vocal presentation is reminiscent of Erykah Badu, but unique enough to establish her own unique style and tone. A song called “The Fire” solidifies this music as a blend of Hip Hop, contemporary and modern jazz, with Guilhem Forey spotlighted on piano.

Their arrangement and treatment of the jazz standard “Nature Boy” is creative and features a strong percussive presence by Tom Gordon. The composition is completely modernized and is one of the few ‘cover tunes’ on this project.  Most of these songs are original compositions by these two artists.

A tune called “The System” begins with Edy rapping about this world of celebrity-worship, complex with both good and evil doers.  The addition of a saxophone to this production creates a very Straight-ahead jazz feel, with the drums playing a funk beat and percussion brightly flavoring their arrangement.  You can clearly hear how Edy has been influenced by Motown’s rhythm and blues.  By mixing in the Hip Hop culture, this duo embarks on a poetic, urban-jazz debut album.

Based in the UK, the duo enters this competitive business of music with a clear message of peace and love reigning over hate and discord.  I do hear some control issues with Edy’s vocals.  For the benefit of her continued success, I hope she will seek a vocal coach to help her sustain those notes and to control pitch issues.  But the enthusiasm and uniqueness of this duo overshadows these fixable challenges.  Edy Szewy is a strong and blossoming lyricist who knows how to create ‘hooks’ in her music, that invite the listener to repeat and sing along. This is a commercial strong point. 

Her musical partner, Guilhem Forey, was born in Paris and raised in Nantes, France.  He was a child prodigy, displaying a strong interest in music as early as age three. When his grandfather introduced him to American R&B icon, Ray Charles and the music of Eric Clapton, Foley’s classical music study broadened. At age eleven, he began studying jazz piano.  On this project, Foley knows how to make ‘loops’ and establish grooves for Edy’s voice to float atop. Together, they have established an interesting sound. This music exhibits a sense of non-conformity and lyrical protest. The duo has been performing together since their teen years. Between Foley’s mastery of keyboard and commercial composing, paired with Edy’s artistry, lyricism and freedom, this debut album marks the beginning of a musical adventure plush with magical spontaneity, possibility, and promise. 
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JULIA VARI featuring NEGRONI’S TRIO – “SOMOS” – Alternativa Representa

Julia Vari, vocals; Jose Negroni, piano/Musical Director; Nomar Negroni, drums; Rafael Valencia, bass; Nathan Samuelson, trumpet.

Julia Vari is a Mexican American who sings in eight languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Hebrew, German and Catalan. On this album, the Negroni Trio accompanies her. They are a Latin Jazz, Grammy nominee themselves as a separate unit.  Julia opens with “La Bikina” sung in Spanish and featuring Nathan Samuelson on trumpet.  Track two is the familiar “Nature Boy” where Julia Vari attempts a scat solo after singing the song down once. She sings with energy and purpose, but often slides to the notes, sometimes falling flat.  Still, the diva has chosen a wide variety of songs on this, her sixth album release, and in her press package the publicist claims her other albums have become quite popular in Latin American countries.  She sings “Song For My Father” in Portuguese, which is a smart idea since I believe this is my first time hearing the lyrics sung in that Brazilian language.  However, there are several pitch problems. On their production of “Siboney” they sound fairly comfortable together.

Julia Vari works regularly in Mexico as a solo artist, singing and playing piano.  On the Mexican song, “Noche de Ronda” I felt that she and the pianist were in different keys.  I wish she had played piano herself on that one, the way she does when she performs in clubs. As a duo, her vocals just didn’t always match what Jose Negroni was playing on the piano.  She sings “C’est Si Bon” with energy and passion, inviting Rafael Valencia to take a bass solo.  I don’t know why Julia Vari thought she should sing over the bass solo.  Unless a soloist can add something amazing to lift another musician’s short time in the spotlight, then the other musician should lay-out.  I think with a proper producer, Vari would have better results.  Sometimes as an artist, you need someone else to oversee your project.  For the most part,  I didn’t think Vari and Negroni’s Trio complemented each other at all.

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JAZZ QUARTETS, QUINTETS & MORE

By Dee Dee McNeil

March 22, 2024

CHARLES McPHERSON – “REVERENCE” – Smoke Sessions Records

Charles McPherson, alto saxophone/composer/arranger; Terell Stafford, trumpet; Jeb Patton, piano; David Wong, bass; Billy Drummond, drums.

Charles McPherson has deep roots buried in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan.  Attending Northwestern High School, he was part of an after-school band that included Lonnie Hillyer (trumpeter), the now historic drummer Roy Brooks, and Motown’s awesome bass player who was a jazz bassist first, James Jamerson.  It was at a local, black-owned jazz club in the Motor City called the Blue Bird Inn and located on Tireman street that young Charles met Barry Harris.  The renowned pianist would become McPherson’s mentor, friend, and father-figure.  I think McPherson’s destiny was pretty much evident at the age of fifteen when he became acquainted with Barry. 

Seventy plus years ago, Charles Mingus invited the fledgling saxophone player, a very young and still innocent Charles McPherson, to join his avant-garde jazz band. What better way to be catapulted into the music he loved? 

On this current album release, you will appreciate the fundamental values and lessons McPherson has learned from his mentors and from life itself.  You will love his ‘swing’ and deep appreciation for melodies, rhythmic adventures, and harmonic creativity.  I can always count on McPherson’s music to be soaked in the blues.  For example, on his arrangement of “Come Rain of Come Shine,” where his horn puts so much soulful blues into the presentation, I am tempted to cry.  That’s the thing you hear, feel, find in the elders who play this music.  It’s their honesty and vulnerability that touches the listener’s soul.  Recently, Samara Joy brought her lovely vocals to McPherson’s stage at the Smoke Jazz & Super Club in New York City.

McPherson’s album’s opening tune, “Surge” is dedicated to Barry Harris, who passed away in 2021 at the well-lived age of ninety-one. McPherson says of his mentor:

“Barry established a real foundation for me on a technical level, harmony, theory, rhythm … but stressed the importance of being melodic with harmony.  He also stressed the art, as well as craft.  Inspiration and intellect holding hands.  Head and Heart!”  McPherson summarizes his lessons learned from the great pianist.

“Surge” is all of those things and more.  It swings like a grandfather clock’s steady pendulum, driven by the awesome drums of Billy Drummond.  Jeb Patton steps forward with a blues-laced piano solo that locks in with David Wong’s walking bass.  The harmony created by Terell Stafford’s trumpet and McPherson’s alto sax sings the melody. It sticks like sweet chewing gum in my brain.  All the pieces are there and in place, as we hear the puzzle come together.  A waltz follows, another McPherson original. This tune is dedicated to his trumpet friend from high school, Lonnie Hillyer.  “Blues for Lonnie in Three” waltzes across my listening room in a very freely improvised way.

McPherson may be in his eighth decade on this earth, but he has lost no creativity, determination, or command along the way.  His full potential is on display during this production.  I am caught up in the synergy between these explosive musicians.  Every song brings joy and excitement that fills my heart and home. This album will be released April 26, 2024.

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TROY ROBERTS – “GREEN LIGHTS” – Toy Robot Music

Troy Roberts, tenor saxophone; Paul Bollenback, guitar; John Patitucci, acoustic bass; Jimmy MacBride, drums.

When jazz musicians get together musically, as peers and friends, the result is usually warm and exciting.  That’s how I would describe this 16^th record release from Troy Roberts, an Australian immigrant who has settled down in NYC.  As a two-time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, his reputation has placed him among the A-list of tenor players around New York. He’s a studio session First-Call saxophonist who can play just about anything. Some of the impressive name artists he has performed with range from the late Joey DeFrancesco to the iconic Van Morrison and the awesome Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts.  I just reviewed him on an album with Pat Bianchi as part of his trio.

On this project, Robert’s has assembled some friends to interpret his original compositions.  They open with “Green Lights,” the title tune. It’s a warm, moderate tempo funk tune pushed steadily ahead by the drum sticks of Jimmy MacBride and sung by the guitar mastery of Paul Bollenback. Five minutes into the tune, John Patitucci steps stage center to take an acoustic bass solo.  Roberts shares the spotlight with his quartet members, but when he does step out front, his tenor saxophone is rich, warm and sweet as honey. 

For Troy Roberts, the color green represents tranquility, nature, positivity, but also decay, rot, greed and envy. The two sides of the coin, so to speak.  He invites listeners to explore these themes when they listen to his music.

On track #2, you hear more of  the Roberts’ horn style when he delivers his tune, “The Question.”    The quartet blasts into another atmosphere when MacBride’s swinging drumsticks smash the up-tempo tune “Solar Panels” into my listening room.  Patitucci’s fingers march across his acoustic bass with speed and precision, while Troy Roberts blows energy, melody and fluid improvisation from the bell of his horn.  On a tune called “Harry Brown” the introduction sounds ethereal and spacey, like floating through a starry sky.  It also sounds a little ominous, like the beginning of a mystery movie, thanks to the bass work of Patitucci.  Soon, however, it moves into a blues-fueled shuffle that’s arranged quite contemporarily. Roberts’ saxophone work paints the color green all over this tune, braiding traditional jazz roots into his contemporary jazz arrangement.  Roberts’ tenor saxophone sounds absolutely beautiful on his composition, “The Scotsman’s ballad.”  The quartet blasts straight-ahead on “Stretch Armstrong” with Bollenback leading the way on guitar. When the arrangement features Roberts, they really hit their stride.  Troy Roberts lets go of all inhibitions on this project, and his tenor saxophone shines. MacBride is given a platform to showcase his drum skills, sending this project out with a percussive bang. This album will be released May 10, 2024.            

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BRAD TURNER QUINTET – “THE MAGNIFICENT” – Cellar Music Group

Brad Turner, piano/trumpet; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Neil Swainson, bass; Quincy Davis, drums; Cory Weeds, tenor saxophone.

The trumpet of Brad Turner sounds like a soulmate to the guitar of Peter Bernstein.  They have a sweet instrumental merger on this original tune by Turner called “You’re Ok.”  It ambles onto the scene of my listening room and slow swings across space. Neil Swainson introduces himself to us on his bass instrument, walking along at a moderate tempo and improvising during a tasty solo.  The tune, “Barney’s Castle” follows at a speedy pace, with Turner and tenor saxophonist, Cory Weeds singing the melody in unison, until the last note of each phrase where they break into one-note harmony.  When Weeds steps into the spotlight, it’s with tenor saxophone brilliance flying like colorful confetti out of his horn. This song is a celebration of Straight-ahead jazz, with Turner’s trumpet leading the way. Bernstein takes several bars to showcase his solo creativity on guitar.  I am caught up in this tune and captivated by each solo, including the excitement that Quincy Davis brings to the project on trap drums.  His solo is outstanding. Brad Turner has been at the forefront of the Canadian jazz scene for over two decades, releasing a steady stream of exceptional jazz recordings as a leader with this quintet, with a quartet, as a trio and as part of his acclaimed ensemble, “Metalwood.”  When this quintet slips into “Slapped My Mind” I am enthusiastic about the swing-groove and the blues-base.  On a song called “Virtue Signals” Brad Turner sits down at the 88-keys and plays piano to introduce us to his composition. I like it best when they swing, and that they do that on the title tune, “The Magnificent.” They fly on “Rosemary” like hungry seagulls diving for fish. They soar, play with energy, circle with excitement, and swoop with precision.

Every tune on this album is beautifully played and well-written. Brad Turner is a respectable composer, letting his bandmates explore each tune, to competently lend their talents and imaginative improvisations to this recording. It’s a joy listening to them.

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CHRIS ROTTMAYER – “BEING” – Shifting Paradigm Records

Chris Rottmayer, piano; Rufus Reid, acoustic bass; Matt Endres, drums; Russ Johnson, trumpet/flugelhorn.

This is pianist Chris Rottmayer’s fourth album release. He calls Madison, Wisconsin home, where Chris is a prolific composer, a jazz artist and a jazz educator. This current album is the result of studying the work of jazz pianist, Mulgrew Miller.

“The music on this album is a mix of compositions from my doctoral dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my master’s degree work at the University of South Florida.  They are creative works born from examining Mulgrew Miller’s Playing with the Woody Shaw Quintet.  I spent time transcribing Miller and trying to digest his and Woody’s harmonic language,” Rottmayer explains.

I am intrigued from the very first tune titled, “On the Street Where Woody Lives.”   I am hooked on the energy and the compositional creativity of Rottmayer.  This is my kind of jazz.  It swings and breathes straight-ahead beauty with the contributions of the iconic Rufus Reid on acoustic bass and the sweet power of Russ Johnson on trumpet and flugelhorn.  “Re-United” is another great tune that brightly features the horn of Russ Johnson.  When Chris Rottmayer enters, he lifts the tune with his own improvisational piano solo.  Then comes Rufus Reid stepping into the spotlight and glowing. He’s an obvious master of his bass instrument, followed by a solo from Matt Endres on trap drums.  On this arrangement we meet the whole gang. 

“Pigalle” is an area in Paris not far from a place I used to live called the Hotel Ventamille. Years ago, it was a red-light district and featured an assortment of interesting characters strolling the narrow Parisienne streets.  Rottmayer plays this one as a ballad and it’s quite beautiful, with a sexy, emotional bass solo that tears at the heartstrings.  There is a tenderness to this project that drips from this recording like molasses from a tree trunk. 

“I was able to connect with Rufus Reid.  Reid collaborated often with Mulgrew Miller, and recording with Reid has helped me to connect with Miller on a level deeper than I could through listening to recordings or through personal study,” Rottmayer praises his legendary bass player and former colleague of Mulgrew Miller.

Rottmayer includes a tribute to Paris, France with five songs named after famous places in that European city, including “Rue des Lombards” that is one of the most famous streets for jazz music in Paris and a tribute to the chaotic nature of one of Paris’s busiest train stations titled “Chatelet.”

Many of Rottmayer’s tunes are inspired by Miller’s musical language while he was working with Woody Shaw.  For example, the tune “Re-United” takes the Wayne Shorter tune “United” that was famously arranged by Shaw and Miller, then changes it to 4/4 time and adds a new melody with a few formal elements borrowed from the Shaw arrangement.  “Autumn Evening” is another lovely ballad that explores more of Miller and Shaw’s modal and harmonic concepts, perhaps pulling from the Miller composition, “Song of Modes.” 

This is a tribute to the brilliance of Mulgrew Miller and Woody Shaw that spotlights both the piano and composer talents of artist, Chris Rottmayer.

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DAVID LARSEN – “COHESION” – Dayolo Music

David Larsen, baritone saxophone/composer; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Alex Apollo, bass; Wayne Smith Jr., drums; Darryl Yokley, tenor saxophone/composer.

The tight harmonies of David Larsen on baritone saxophone and Darryl Yokley on tenor saxophone opens the first tune on this album and capture my attention. Larsen and Yokley are the composers of these eight tracks.  Six were written by David Larsen and two by Yokley.  This composition is titled “Cohesion,” the album title.  Certainly, this tune unites and introduces the band, presenting a united whole. It’s based on two modes played at once. In music language, that means the first chord defines the tonal center, while the melody is based on a similar mode a perfect fifth away.   But it’s the second track titled “Down To It” that’s bebop personified. It reminds me of jazz from the 1960s. The tempo races and Alex Apollo steps out with an extraordinary bass solo. Larsen and Curtis lock horns and sing the melody harmonically.  Their melody makes me want to sing along.  This is a great song written by Larsen who steps forward on baritone saxophone to fire out his solo.  Darryl Yokely follows, also empowering his tenor instrument to do his bidding and spreading his joy.  Zaccai Curtis is notably dynamic on piano.

This quintet knows how to set a groove and swing an arrangement. Larsen is an artist based in Spokane, Washington who has performed and/or recorded with numerous artists including Ken Peplowski, Bill Mays, Delbert Anderson, Francisco Torris, the Spokane Symphony orchestra and jazz vocalist Halle Loren, to name only a few.  I love Larsen’s song, “Fedchock.”  When David Larsen steps forward to offer his baritone saxophone solo, I startled my household by shouting out “Yeah” during his soulful solo. There’s nothing I like better than a great baritone player.  This song sounds like a jazz standard.

When David heard these East Coast musicians play, Larsen knew he had to record with them. The baritone master was happy to include two original pieces by Yokley because he said,

“They reminded me of the great Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane compositions.  They are a great challenge to play over, but well worth it!”  

When this composer and baritone sax man met Yokley, Curtis, Apollo, and Smith during a countrywide tour they were making, he knew he wanted to record with them. He was sure they were the perfect group to interpret his original compositions. David Larsen brought the group out to work with students at Spokane Falls Community College and to appear as guests for their local jazz workshop.  During that invitation, Larsen asked if they would like to go into the studio to record this album. What a blessing that they said, yes!

“This project was a great stretch for me as a player and composer, but it has been an absolute joy to put together, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it,” David Larsen summed up this production.   

It was also a joy to listen to David Larsen’s music, his compositions and performance skills.  The addition of these East Coast musicians is both successful and gratuitous.

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ONE FOR ALL featuring GEORGE COLEMAN – “BIG GEORGE” – Smoke Sessions Records

Jim Rotondi, trumpet/composer; Eric Alexander, alto & tenor saxophone/composer; Steve Davis, trombone/composer; David Hazeltine, piano/Fender Rhodes/composer; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: George Coleman, tenor saxophone.

Since their inception, in 1997, I have been a big fan of “One for All” with their very hip, very smooth, very brilliant bebop sound.  Each of these musical members carries a wealth of history and awards on their shoulders. Each is a participant of “One for All.” They are educators, session players, composers, and busy, working musicians. So, you can imagine that makes getting together for an album a huge challenge.  It’s been seven years between this album and their former release, “The Third Decade.”

This time, an added bonus is the blessed appearance of reed master, George Coleman.  He comes walking into the spotlight on track #4, during a tune written by Jim Rotondi called “Oscar Winner.”  His appearance jolts the energy upward fifty percent, and the guys were already smokin’ hot! 

On the song, “Oscar Winner,” after George Coleman solos, Steve Davis brings his trombone to the party and settles in to woo us with his smooth trombone sound. Then the horns begin to harmonize in a chant-like harmony and the tension builds.  The tune explodes with a number of solo’s that are both innovative and fresh. Each one tantalizes, like hot baked rolls out the oven dripping with butter.  This is the jazz I love. Delicious jazz.  Eight minutes of pure joy! When they step back from that swinging arrangement and feature George Coleman on their absolutely beautiful rendition of “My Foolish Heart,” these musicians spray my listening room with hearts and love notes; tones and improvisations that paint an old standard new in unexpected ways. 

I love their take on Hank Mobley’s composition, “This I Dig of You” (once again featuring George Coleman).  At the respectable age of 87, George Coleman hasn’t lost his adventurist spirit or iconic talent.  He is still a force to be reckoned with.  Hazeltine’s piano solo rises to the occasion after Coleman sets the studio on fire.  Joe Farnsworth slaps his drumsticks into a power-packed solo excursion, while the horns dance, shiny as fireflies glowing in a powerful creative light.  John Webber gets the last word on bass, like an exclamation mark.  Then Webber marches into the next tune, swinging strongly on the Steve Davis original, “Cove Island Breeze” with his bass walking briskly, and arms tightly linked with the Farnsworth drummer. 

“Our favorite quickly became Cove Island because it’s a very beautiful piece so close to home.  The tune has that same kind of wistful, breezy swing,” Davis shard in the liner notes.

One of this writer’s favorite jazz standards is the sensuous ballad, “The Nearness of You.”  All For One plays it like a sincere and honest love letter. The Davis trombone sings it, smooth and mellow, while Jim Rotondi brings his big, bright trumpet sound into the picture with gusto. Eric Alexander pulls the blues into the arrangement on his saxophone, flying into the solo space like a wild bird, singing “Heaven please save, all mankind” briefly, like a love whisper in my ear.  I had to play this track twice.

The unique thing about this recording is that the musicians all walked into the studio and played a lot of these original compositions without rehearsal of any kind.  They flew by the seat of their souls, so to speak.  The result is some fresh and innovative improvisation on tunes like the opening composition by Eric Alexander, “Chainsaw” (that plays like a jazz standard), with the commanding drums of Joe Farnsworth pushing the group ahead forcefully.  Alexander’s improvising soars above the busy bass of John Webber.  David Hazeltine’s tune, “In the Lead” showcases the pianist but also brightly spotlights Rotondi’s potent trumpet. Davis’s trombone, and the smart harmonics the three horns create highlight a smart arrangement.

You have to be a master to walk into a studio, pick up the music charts, and in the midst of a room full of legends, deliver.  Now I have them with me in my listening room and their music is absolutely thrilling, swinging and all-encompassing!  This is an historic and well-produced album to add to any collection.

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THE TUCKER BROTHERS – “LIVE AT CHATTERBOX” –  Midwest Crush Music

Joel Tucker, guitar; Nick Tucker, bass; Carrington Clinton, drums. Sean Imboden, tenor saxophone.

This quartet opens with a unique take on the familiar tune, “Skylark.”  They play it in sort of a Reggae style, beginning with Joel Tucker setting the mood and tempo (7/4) with his electric guitar.  Joel and his brother Nick are important jazz forces on the Indianapolis jazz scene.  You will hear them in this intimate, ‘live’ setting of the Chatterbox Club, each quartet member taking a solo to introduce themselves to the receptive audience.  Joel Tucker has composed the next song titled “Shakshuka.”  It races ahead, saddled by Straight-ahead and driven by Carrington Clinton’s drums like a whip on a stallion’s flank. Sean Imboden is given free rein as he improvises on his tenor saxophone.  The quartet has a tight, well-executed sound, like old friends who know each other very well.  They share musical secrets and conversations with no compunction.

Joel Tucker graduated from Indiana University in 2012 and then relocated to Indianapolis where he plays with a wide variety of bands, moving from jazz to Hip hop, from Latin music to rock.  He was featured at the Indy Jazz Fest tribute to Wes Montgomery along with iconic players like Pat Martino, Peter Bernstein, Bobby Brown and Russell Malone, and he has been a featured soloist at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The bassist, Nick Tucker also stays busy.  When not playing with his brother, Joel, he takes the stage with Bobby Watson, Randy Brecker, Alan Pasqua, Rich Perry and Stefon Harris, just to name a few.  He and his brother first formed The Tucker Brothers group in 2015.  They’ve been going strong ever since, releasing an album called “Nine is the Magic Number first and that was followed by “Writing Prompt” and another called, “Two Parts.” 

As they speed through jazz standards like “Caravan” and other songs we recognize like “You and the Night and the Music” you will enjoy their unique take on each arrangement.  They also share their own composer talents with Nick contributing “Mantra” to the mix.  It reminds me a little bit of an old Negro Spiritual my church used to sing: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord,” but it veers off into its own unique melody.  I bet this song would sound great as a jazz waltz. Joel has written two more tunes, “Away” and another titled “Rhythm Changed.”  All in all, here is a group of mid-western musicians who are making their own magic, pulling musical surprises from their instruments, and clearly entertaining their captivated audience.

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MARLON SIMON AND THE NAGUAL SPIRITS – “ON DIFFERENT PATHS” – Truth Revolution Recording Collective

Marlon Simon, drums/percussion/composer/Musical Director; Edward Simon, piano/Assistant Musical Director; Boris Koslov, bass; Roberto Quintero, congas/percussion; Michael Simon, trumpet; Peter Brainin, tenor & soprano saxophone; Alex Norris, trumpet/flugelhorn; Kevin Newton, French horn; Monica Ellis, bassoon; Rhumer Mora, Bongos.

Marlon Simon brings us an album that combines Latin American rhythms, European classical music, the Latin jazz tradition, and chamber jazz.  You might say he treats each composition like a short story, some with unexpected resolutions. Opening with his composition titled, “Searching” the percussive members of his ensemble take stage center, setting the mood and the tempo. This short tune seems to be a preface of prelude for the title track, “On Different Paths.”

“On Different Paths is probably the most ambition tune on the record,” Simon is quoted in the liner notes.

This song includes rhythmic experimentation, using a ceremonial rhythm pulled from the Afro-Cuban religion and representing an orisha (a deity) by the name of Elegguá. This rhythm is mixed with Roberto Quintero playing Lalubanche figures on his congas.  This almost sounds like a mild Samba on the bass drum, but with the feel of a joropo on the snare drum. The horn harmonies soften the groove and add that hint of chamber music to the production. The tune “Walking” (that sounds much more like someone running), follows the title tune.  It features Venezuelan rhythms and a merengue groove.  Peter Brainin dances atop the rhythm section, slapping a straight-ahead feel into place on his saxophone. Track #5 is one of my favorites on this album.  It’s joyful and titled “Straight Ahead” although it is quite Latin and not at all bebop.  Boris Koslov’s bass introduces us to “Pa,” a tribute song to the father of the Simon brothers. Another tribute song follows that is meant to honor both their parents, Hadsy Simon and his wife Daisy Morillo titled “Un Canto Llanero.”  Perhaps Marlon Simon summed this project up the best.

“Music has been an unconditional companion throughout my entire life.  It has been there in the happiest and saddest time.  It’s been there to let me know where I am and where I need to be in my evolution as a human being.  It was time to take a different path, explore, and do something I hadn’t done before.  So, for this recording, I had to develop as a composer.  When you work on something, you have no preconceptions. What comes out is really you.”

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CURTIS TAYLOR – “TAYLOR MADE” –  Curtis Taylor Music

Curtis Taylor, trumpet/composer; Theron Brown, piano; Jonathon Muir-Cotton, acoustic& electric bass; Alex White, drums; David Castañeda, percussion; Marcus Elliot, tenor saxophone.

Curtis Taylor comes blasting onto the scene with a tune he calls, “Kham’s Dilemma,” composed as a tribute to his son Khamari who was born in 2018.  Theron Brown is powerful on this tune during his piano solo. Taylor explains how he composed the second track.

“After the Rain is a happy, upbeat tune.  I wrote this song during a visit to my mother’s house.  I sat at the piano and this melody started to come to me while it was raining. I was having trouble coming up with the bridge of the song, which I finally finished right after the rain ended.  So, I decided to call the song After the Rain.”

In 2010, on Gregory Porter’s initial album, (“Water”) Taylor received an unexpected call from record producer, Kamau Kenyatta.  Kamau had heard the trumpeter play in Detroit at a jam session.  He remembered him and was impressed enough to contact him to come play on Gregory Porter’s debut recording session. Curtis Taylor jumped on a plane, arrived in California, and made that happen. He is also pictured in a brief part of the “Don’t Forget Your Music” documentary about the Grammy-winning vocalist, Gregory Porter.

On track #3 of “Taylor Made,” it’s straight-ahead all the way.  The band leaps into an up-tempo mode, speeding across my listening room like meteor showers.  Taylor says he wrote this jazz tune as an effort to describe ‘nervous energy.’  The representation is clearly there, buried inside that spirited tune. The band trades fours with drummer Alex White on “Heightened Awareness.”  Alex shows off his excellent chops at the song’s ending, during his solo, but he’s also powerful throughout. Marcus Elliot opens the arrangement on tenor saxophone.  Then, trumpeter Curtis Taylor bathes in the spotlight, playing like his life depends on it. The arrangement was so good, I played this tune twice.  It became one of my favorites.  I think the mix on this song is exceptionally clean. Taylor’s music is invigorating. 

A song Curtis titled “For Her” slows the groove down to a ballad with a pretty melody.  In liner notes, Taylor says the songs remind him of a dancer he once knew. 

Curtis Taylor is a native of Ohio and brings that driving mid-western energy to this project.  He lived for a while in California and enjoyed the weather. Taylor became a guest lecturer at Cal State San Marcos.  In 2021, he moved back to the Midwest to accept a position with the University of Iowa’s Jazz Department.  Taylor maintains a very busy touring schedule to promote his new album, along with teaching at The School of Music in University of Iowa’s music department. This impressive album will be released to the public on April 12, 2024, available at Bandcamp, Curtistaylor.net, and all streaming platforms.

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WOMEN ON THE JAZZ PATH WALK TALL

By Dee Dee McNeil

March 1, 2024

          During this month of March, I celebrate women who have chosen the music path in various areas of expertise.  SUSAN ALCORN is a pedal steel guitarist and composer.  SHUTEEN ENDENEBAATAR is a Mongolian jazz pianist, a composer and arranger. Classically trained vocalist, AUDREY SILVER interprets ten songs from the musical “Oklahoma.” Pianist, composer, nonagenarian, lyricist and singer, BETTY BRYANT adds humor and entertainment on her CD titled Lotta Livin,’ which seems appropriate since she’s 94 years old and still going strong. KINGA GLYK is a funky, electric bass player and vocalist. Her album is smokin’ hot with smooth jazz! AMANDA KING is featured on the ROB DIXON/STEVE ALLEE QUINTET album and CORINA BARTRA is the Artistic Director of the Afro Peruvian New Trends Orchestra, also the composer/arranger of the orchestra. Finally, Southern California based vocalist, JULIE KELLY, produced by a female jazz producer, BARBARA BRIGHTON, offers us “Freedom Jazz Dance.” Below is my opinion on what I hear from these talented individuals. Finally, the LORI BELL QUARTET pays tribute to the iconic Joe Henderson.

SUSAN ALCORN & SEPTETO DEL SUR – “CANTO” – Relative Pitch Records

Susan Alcorn, pedal steel guitar/composer; Luis “ToTo” Alvarez, guitar; Claudio “Pajaro” Araya, drums/cuatro; Francisco “Pancho” Araya, charango/quena; Rodrigo Bobadilla, flute/quena/zampoña/guitar/vocals; Amanda Irazzabal, double bass/vocals; Danka Villanueva, violin/vocals.

Susan Alcorn’s music reminds me of a historic, handsewn quilt.  She selectively combines the music of contemporary classical, country/folk, and Latin culture with modern jazz and the improvisational freedom it inspires. Thus, we have layers of creative musical arrangements that reflect colorful, cultural music. In her press package, it tells me she was inspired by travels to Chile where she discovered the “Nueva Cancion” movement.  It was a government provoked resistance, that locked hands with her dedication to community social justice. She has included an original song by the legendary Chilean composer and folk singer, Victor Jara. All the other songs on this album were composed by Alcorn, who first became interested in Chilean culture and music when she visited Chile in 2003. She met people who shared stories of activists, former exiles, and even concentration camp survivors of the Pinochet regime.  That’s how Susan Alcorn was introduced to Nueva Cancion music.

Susan Alcorn, the Baltimore-based, pedal steel guitar player, has carefully chosen the players within her ‘Septeto Del Sur’ group.  They form a cross-generational group of talented musicians.  “Canto” is the realization of pealing back the covers of Chilean history to unveil the country’s songs that documented their tragic history.

“It was an interesting time, because the coup and dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet had left a giant wound in the Chilean psyche that has still not healed,” Alcorn shared.

You will see above that Alcorn has included traditional instruments such as the quena and charango in this production.  Those instruments were banned in Chile, as was the protest music of ‘Canto’ sung and played by Nueva Cancion Chilean artists. The composer and singer, Victor Jara, was brutally murdered by the Chilean police.  In this music by Susan Alcorn, she weaves these stories of protest and brutality throughout her songs.  They flow like a salty water suite of music, moving from “Canto 1. Donde Estan” (referring to the missing persons who disappeared at the hands of the Pinochet regime) to “Canto II. Presente: Sueno de Luna Azul” (a chant often sung by Chileans as an ode to the lost or missing loved ones) to “Canto III. Lukax.”  This is a dedication to political prisoner, Lukax Santana.

Alcorn’s music is softened by the violin and flute solos by Danka Villanueva and Rodrigo Bobadilla.  But there is always an undercurrent of violence with startling, unexpected explosions of music and improvised sounds.  Supported by great musicians like Luis “Toto” Alvarez on guitar, known for his improviser skills, Alcorn’s music reflects the tragedy of war and suppression with tempo changes and creative musical passages.  Both Araya brothers, who add drums and Andean flute to the mix are from Northern Chile.  They add authenticity lending their Andean folk music roots. 

This is lovely, thought-provoking music. Susan Alcorn uses her pedal steel guitar and musical comrades to stitch her truth, like beautiful, but bloody threads through this fabric of musical history.  We may cover ourselves with her music, warm as a colorful quilt that sadly lays across the lap of tragedy to document man’s inhumanity to man.

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SHUTEEN ENDENEBAATAR QUARTET – “RISING SUN” –  Motema Music

Shuteen Erdenebaatar, piano/composer/arranger; Nils Kugelmann, bass; Valentin Renner, drums; Anton Mangold, soprano & alto saxophones/flute.

Mongolian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, Shuteen Erdenebaatar is twenty-five years young and is the rising star from Mongolia’s capital of Utaanbaatar.  In 2023, she had already garnered an armload of of impressive awards on the European jazz scene.  To list just a few, she won the music Scholarship of the City of Munich, the Young Munich Jazz Prize, the Kurt Maas Jazz Award, the Biberach Jazz Prize and the BMW Young Artist Jazz Award.  This, her debut recording, announces her talent to the world.  Track #2, “Ups and Downs” brings to mind the early exploration of Herbie Hancock’s piano talents when he was blending Straight-ahead and abstract jazz.  Shuteen’s third composition, “Summer Haze” is presented solo piano as a sweet ballad.  It’s quite beautiful, featuring her technique & creativity.  “Olden Days” invites her band back to the production, with Anton Mangold using soprano saxophone to unveil the lovely melody Endenebaatar has composed.  Using flute to change the complexion of the music, on the tune “An Answer From a Distant Hill” also features the drums of Valentin Renner with the reed instrument dancing on top.  When Nils Kugelmann enters on bass, I find him quite interesting and musically expressive. When Shuteen’s strong piano powerfully blasts onto the scene, the music moves from smooth jazz to Straight-ahead. The pianist takes her time, building her solo slowly and precisely.  She has an inspiring way of lighting the fire beneath her band members and taking her songs from tender to crescendo in leaps and bounds.  The title song, “Rising Sun” could very well be significant of Shuteen Endenebaatar herself.  Here is a rising talent to watch as she climbs to higher heights, growing from a whisper to a lion’s roar.

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AUDREY SILVER – “OKLAHOMA” – Messy House Records

Audrey Silver, vocals/Native American flute; Bruce Barth, piano; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Adam Kolker, alto flute/bass clarinet; Kahlil Kwame Bell, percussion; Sarah Zun & Adda Kridler, violins; Kaya Bryla, viola; Maria Jeffers, cello.

A wind blows across my listening space.  It sounds like a cold winter wind, until a Native American flute warms the mood.  It’s Audrey Silver on flute and projecting the song “Oklahoma” from the musical of the same title. Since childhood, this has always been one of her favorite musical soundtracks, a record she and her father adored.  This love of musical plays and films developed into an appreciation of the Great American Songbook.  Many songs from that American collection of great composers became reworked and improvised into great jazz standards.  On this latest recording, Silver’s fifth record release, she interprets ten songs from that Oklahoma show.  Her goal was to present them as a jazz-inspired tribute to the iconic musical.  Using voice, guitar and piano for her core group, she added strings to give the project a jazz chamber musical attitude.  She, along with guitarist Peter Bernstein, and pianist Bruce Barth on the piano, offer an arrangement on the tune “Many A New Day” that’s intended to ‘swing.’ Silver sings it perfectly, but it doesn’t ‘swing.’ As the other song follow, the challenge remains the same. 

Audrey Silver was trained as a classical pianist and cellist.  She also loved singing and at Brown University she co-founded a jazz a ‘cappella group.  Her bio says that she has studied with Shelia Jordan and Mark Murphy, performed at some of New York’s respected jazz clubs and other various music venues.  The thing that perplexes me is her inability to ‘let go’ and improvise or to ‘swing’ the music.  These two things are absolutely necessary to claim the title of jazz singer.  However, she is a solid cabaret vocalist, with good pitch, a pleasing tone and perfect enunciation.  That being said, the publicity that places this album and these Rodgers and Hammerstein arrangements into the jazz category I find a bit presumptuous.  In order to label music ‘jazz’ you have to exemplify a blues base, an ability to ‘swing’ and the freedom to improvise. When I hear Emmet Cohen’s trio play “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” that’s jazz!  When Blossom Dearie or Frank Sinatra sing the same song, or Miles Davis plays the famous tune, that’s jazz.  Even though arranger, Bruce Barth has employed a jazzy five-eight time to the piece, it still lacks jazz authenticity. Audrey Silver had a great idea, but somehow this production falls short of expectations. Perhaps Ella Fitzgerald said it best when, in 1957 when she sang, “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing.” 

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BETTY BRYANT – “LOTTA LIVIN’” – Independent label

Betty Bryant, piano/vocals/composer; Robert Kyle, tenor saxophone/flute/harmonica/producer; Richard Simon, acoustic bass; Kenny Elliott, drums; Tony Guerrero, trumpet; Hussain Jiffry, electric bass; Kleber Jorge, guitar; Yu “Big Poppa” Ooka, guitar; Kevin Winard, percussion.

The title of this Betty Bryant album is quite appropriate.  Lotta Livin’ expresses her silky-smooth ability to live a full and creative life for the past ninety-four years, dedicating the majority of that time to music. Her Kansas City, Missouri soulful and bluesy piano playing, along with her unique vocalizing, was influenced greatly by her friend and jazz legend, Jay McShann.  In fact, a famous photograph of Betty with Jay McShann and a group of other musicians hangs in the lobby of the Kansas City American Jazz Museum.  The same brown-tone photo is pictured on the back of this recent CD booklet that accompanies her album.  She is a Kansas City living-legend!

In Southern California and to her close friends, Betty Bryant is known as “The Cool Miss B.”  That was a name gifted to her by her longtime friend, musician, and record producer, Robert Kyle.  In 1997, Kyle dubbed her ‘Cool Miss B’ in a song. That sweet nickname has stuck with her over two and a half decades.  It completely describes Betty, with her laid-back attitude, her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, husky voice, and her complete command of the 88-keys.  Everything about Betty Bryant is cool, tasteful, and always tinged with a warm sense of humor. Bryant is an awesome composer of music and lyrics, many that are quite humorous.

Take her tune, “Chicken Wings” on this album.  A duet, with just Bryant and Kyle, who plays harmonica instead of saxophone while performing this original song. It will have you laughing out loud.  The production is simplistic and perfect.  The song is an absolute tickle to your funny bone, and the lyrics are not only humorous, but unique. It’s a story fluidly written to unveil a testimony many of us can embrace about those delicious chicken wing snacks.

Bryant moved to Southern California in 1955 with a gig handed down to her by the late, great Earl Grant.  They were friends back in Kansas City.  Betty had been wanting to move away from home and when the pianist offered her a gig at his club, she gladly accepted.  Her blues roots shine on this album, as she plays familiar blues tunes like “Stormy Monday” always adding her own inimitable take on the tune, with an arrangement that freshens an old blues standard and establishes her mastery and individual style on the piano. When Kyle enters on his silky, soulful saxophone I am transported to a smokey juke joint with slow-dancers hugged up, bodies pressed against each other in the rock-gut blues his horn blows all over the room.  I love her renditions and arrangements of the jazz standards, like her breathy take on “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and Latin tinged arrangement on “The Very Thought of You,” but where she truly shines is when she sings her own original compositions.  “Katydid” is another humorous, melodic and lyrically brilliant tune that Betty Bryant has penned to both stun and entertain us.  I never figured out what ‘Katy did’ but we know it was something bizarre and we listen intently to Bryant’s story, in hopes of uncovering the secret.  You see, this song, “Katydid” is not about insects, but rather about what Katy did. 

The intention is perfectly clear when Bryant plays piano and sings.  Her voice is rich with the lessons of life she’s learned on a journey of nine plus decades.  There is truth and honesty in each lyric sung and each note played.  Clearly, Betty Bryant has a Lotta Livin’ still to do, and she’s having a ball while she does it.

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KINGA GLYK – REAL LIFE – Warner Bros Records

Kinga Glyk, electric bass/vocals/producer/composer; Brett Williams, Keyboard/composer; Julian Pollack, Caleb McCampbell & Nicholas Semrad, keyboards; Robert “Sput” Searight, drums/composer; Casey Benjamin, aerophone/ composer; Michael League, co-producer/composer/keyboards/ fretless baritone electric guitar/electric sitar.

The first composition on this recording is “Fast Life” and features Kinga Glyk’s electric bass and her vocals.  Together, these two talents set a groove in motion that is both fresh and inspired. The keyboard solo of Brett Williams establishes the melody, and this listener is swept up in the electronic excitement of this band. Robert “Sput” Searight uses power-packed trap drums to spur this fusion jazz ahead, much like the whip on a horse’s tail. Searight also introduces us to Track #2, called “Unfollower” with his percussive skills.  Kinga Glyk is a terrific composer and one of Poland’s rising stars.  She has penned or co-written every song on this album and her talent is impressive. This music represents a combination of smooth jazz and fusion that twists and turns, braiding its way across my listening room with groove after groove.  A song called “Who Cares” was a collaboration between Glyk and co-producer Michael League.  It’s a great tune with lots of energy and excitement.  Kinga Glyk steps stage center on her electric bass and makes a bold statement, ending the tune with her instrument acting as an exclamation mark. “Island” is a pretty ballad with an other-worldly arrangement that makes me feel as though I’m floating above ground. The use of several keyboards and electronic effects lifts this production and takes it to a very artsy level. This tune puts me in the mood for a deep tissue massage.  It’s that kind of subtle, unobtrusive production that you might hear during a spa day.  I was interested in hearing the two songs that Kinga Glyk composed without collaborating. The first is called “Not Real” and features her funky, but melodic style. The second is titled “Unseen Bruises” and this composition is a brief ballad that sounds like an interlude and lasts only a minute and thirty seconds. Afterall, who wants to spend a lot of time concentrating on hidden bruises?  This is music that reminds me of spaceships, time travel and futuristic things.  It scratches the surface of dreams and travel, with propelled electronics that whisk the listener away to places we have yet to explore. It’s Kinga Glyk’s serious funk driven bass that makes this music pop and dance.  You really hear her power and punch on the Michael League composition called, “That Right There.” It’s a killer tune and arrangement.  Following that song, Glyk offers us a tune called “Funny Bunny” that’s humorous and significant, but only mere seconds long, like a wink or a giggle.  Kinga Glyk speaks to us with music, tasteful, modern, space-agey and unique.  This is an album and an artist to watch as she soars forward, upward, and beyond.

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SYLVIA BROOKS – “SYLVIA BROOKS LIVE WITH CHRISTIAN JACOB” – Rhombus Records

Sylvia Brooks, vocals; Christian Jacob, piano; David Hughes, bass; Kevin Kanner, drums; David Witham, keyboards/accordion; Jeff Bunnell, trumpet/flugelhorn; Brian Scanlon, tenor saxophone/flute.

Chanteuse, Sylvia Brooks uses her soprano range to interpret two fists full of American Songbook standards.  Recorded ‘live’ at Herb Alpert’s popular restaurant and jazz club called, ‘Vibrato’ in the Los Angele area, Brooks has paired her talent with Musical Director and pianist, Christian Jacob.  The audience’s applause and support is palpable.  Her emotional delivery engages them, and Brooks knows how to tell stories with her tone and attitude. Surrounded by six capable musicians, two who provide a rich horn section that sufficiently colors these arrangements, Brooks presents her strong cabaret voice. She has a tone that lends itself to the Broadway stage and she could easily be the star of a musical play.  Opening with a dramatic arrangement on “When the Sun Come Out” that’s full of horn harmonics and a bluesy piano provided by Christian Jacob, Brooks infuses drama into these lyrics. Her rendition of this song is reminiscent of Barbara Streisand’s recording back in 1963 or the famous Judy Garland recording of the same in 1958. Helen O’Connell’s unforgettable presentation of this song comes to mind when she introduced this torch song to the public back in 1941. Brooks has a voice that’s similar to these stylized singers, none of whom referred to themselves as jazz singers.

Brooks follows this tune with another sexy torchy song, the popular “Blues in the Night.”  Both songs were met with much audience appreciation.  She puts her own spin on “Guess Who I Saw Today?” that was originally written for a Broadway musical revue called “New Faces of 1952.” It became a jazz standard because of the Nancy Wilson rendition in 1960. 

Brooks inserts an instrumental in her show, that features her pianist and MD on “The Red Pig Flew Up the Hill” with Brian Scanlon sounding gorgeous on tenor saxophone and Jeff Bunnell featured on a well-played trumpet solo.  This instrumental ensemble brings ‘the jazz’ to this project.  Brooks re-enters with a duet, she and Christian Jacob present called, “The Flea Markets of Paris.” The addition of David Witham on accordion adds a Parisienne flavor to the Jacob arrangement. Sylvia’s lovely voice tells the story, with perfect enunciation and believability. Next comes the band’s swinging rendition of “Cold Cold Heart.”  The band ‘swings’ but the vocalist does not.  That’s a problem if you claim rights to the jazz singer title. The arrangement on “Night and Day” could have been raised up a step, making it more suitable to her extraordinary range.  However, on “Tender Trap” Brooks shines.  “Holding Back Tears” is a pop arrangement that she sings beautifully.  Sylvia Brooks closes with “Come Rain or Come Shine”, and these are the type of belting burlesque songs that she seems to gravitate towards, and she always powerfully delivers.

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

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

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.  She appears with just a trio at first.  On verse two, Dixon re-enters the picture and tastefully accompanies the vocalist on saxophone. 

Amanda began her career in showbusiness as an actress in Louisville, KY, then switched to singing in 2000. Once she moved to the San Francisco Bay area, Amanda King found success in recording and stage work.  She made a big splash in Northern California with her one-woman show, “It’s About Damn Time!”  This was followed by another show met with positive reviews and great acclaim, “Chanteuse.”  It soon became the title of her CD release in 2008, featuring a Bay Area trio.  In 2018, she released a holiday EP, co-produced by Barry Manilow’s musical director, Joey Melotti, featuring some of Las Vegas’s finest musicians.  That same season, she opened the show, “Ella Fitzgerald: A Centennial Celebration” in the Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, alongside Lillias White, Freda Payne, Sony Holland & Janis Siegal.  She has also performed as the title character ‘Queenie’ in the Oakland Opera Theater’s rendition of Duke Ellington’s incomplete and rarely performed jazz opera, “Queenie Pie.” 

Amanda King is brightly featured on this new album along with the Rob Dixon and Steve Allee Quintet.  This woman has taken all her talents and combined them to become an in-demand vocalist and actress across the country.  In February of 2024, the Dixon/Allee Quintet album became available.  It’s a winner! 

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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: CORINA BARTRA presents AFRO PERUVIAN NEW TRENDS ORCHESTRA – “COSMIC SYNCHRONICITIES” – Blue Spiral Records

Corina Bartra, Artistic Director/composer/arranger; Santiago Belgrano & Holman Alvarez Davila, piano; Ben Willis, bass; Juan Carlos Polo, drums; Pedro Diaz, Peruvian cajon/conga; Dave Morgan, tenor saxophone; Cecilia Tenconi, & Marvin Carter, alto saxophone; Roger Garcia & Eli Asher, trumpet; Erick Storckman, trombone.

Corina Bartra is a Peruvian vocalist, composer, arranger. and Artistic Director of the Afro Peruvian New Trends Orchestra. She has put together an orchestra of worldclass musicians from all over the globe, including some from her current home in New York City and including Brazilian and Cuban instrumentalists. Ms. Bartra was the first vocalist to blend Afro Peruvian music with jazz and Criolla music.  Criolla is a Peruvian music that embraces influences from Africa, Europe, and Andean music. She is a pioneer in this fusion of Latin music, South American culture, and jazz. She holds degrees in jazz percussion and a master’s in vocal performance. In 2008, Corina was a recipient of the Queens Council of the Arts Award.

By forming the Peruvian New Trends Orchestra, Bartra creates a vehicle for her melodic and original music to be heard and an opportunity for the world to be introduced to Peruvian rhythms and culture. Her songs are mixed into a stew of American jazz, African roots and the originality of her composing merits.  She has written nine of the eleven songs on this album, beginning with a composition titled “Ecstasy Green” that features satin smooth horn lines that sing the beautiful melody Corina has penned. Soon a saxophone solo steps into the spotlight and brings a feeling of Straight-ahead jazz, with the Latin percussion raging beneath.  It sounds more like a suite of music than a single song, with many mood changes and rhythmic tempos that bring surprises every sixteen bars or so. 

“Palmero Siguayayay” is a traditional Peruvian folk song with the drums pushing the tune forward like a band of marching musicians. The lovely tune called “Osiris” shows how much this Latin music has woven its way into the jazz idiom.  It also reminds me how melodic Corina Bartra is when she composes. The bass line sings it’s way into my heart, and the percussion instruments nail in place the Peruvian culture.  Still, the song is arranged in such a way that it becomes quite contemporary.

This album is adventurous, exciting, and full of Latin culture and jazzy roots.  It’s like an exotic flower blooming for the world to hear, to see, to touch, and smell.  The scent of this music is rich and spicy. It combines cultures like a gorgeous bouquet or an expensive centerpiece.  This Afro Peruvian New Trends Orchestra invites the world to come to their table, sit down and enjoy the tasty experience. Bravo Corina Bartra!

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JULIE KELLY – “FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE” – Laurelwood Records

Julie Kelly, vocals/guitar; Josh Nelson, piano/keyboard; Larry Koonse, guitar; Luca Alemanno, bass; Dan Schnelle, drums; Aaron Serfaty, percussion; Danny Janklow, alto saxophone/flute; Andrew Synowiec, guitar.

Julie Kelly grew up in Oakland, California, a city in the San Francisco area.  She and her twin sister, Kate, loved music and sang in their Catholic School choir.  The two formed a folk singing act in the 1960s and worked the coffee house circuit. They even opened for Peter, Paul, and Mary.  Meantime, she was listening to jazz, blues, and gospel.  

“When I was thirteen, I was listening to Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, as well as Dave Brubeck, and those wonderful albums with Miles Davis and Gil Evans.  It wasn’t long before I was sneaking into clubs in Oakland to hear people like Earl “Fatha” Hines.  The Blues is what guides me, and the great ones have shown the way,” Julie Kelly says in her online bio.

But before she had crossed that vocal threshold of jazz, in 1971 Kelly packed a backpack and her guitar, like a hippie she and a friend took buses and boats down the Amazon landing in Rio de Janeiro.  There, Kelly developed a great love of Brazilian music.

On this album she sings “A Ra” which translates to “The Frog” with the wonderful accompaniment of Josh Nelson on piano, who also co-produced this album. Impressively, Kelly sings in Portuguese.  I was surprised to hear her interpret a Gregory Porter tune, “Take Me to the Alley.”   That was no easy feat.  The tune is very beautiful, quite spiritual, and has a challenging melody.  Julie Kelly did it her way.

In 1984, she released her debut album on Pausa Records called “We’re On Our Way” and this is the voice I remember.

I also recall hearing Julie on her album “Kelly Sings Christy” and enjoying her “Never Let Me Go” album.  Her voice is no longer the powerhouse it used to be, but she still knows how to tell a story with her songs.  She is emotional and honest.  I can appreciate that. Barbara Brighton, Kelly’s old friend, produced this album.  Brighton is a very fine producer, who also produced Kelly’s former album release called, “Happy to Be.”   Julie Kelly has always known how to choose and interpret songs with lyrics she believes in and melodies that are unique and lovely.  For instance, her take on the Sting tune, “Practical Arrangement” is striking and reflects vulnerability.  The guitar additions of Larry Koonse and Andrew Synowiec on this project lend sensitive beauty.  Kelly was co-writer on “River People” a song composed with memories of her trip down the Amazon.  Her folk roots become apparent when she chooses the Gordon Lightfoot tune, “Early Morning Rain.”  The Brazilian arrangement on “Hello Like Before” is wonderful. 

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LORI BELL QUARTET – “RECORDA ME: REMEMBERING JOE HENDERSON” – Independent Label

Lori Bell, C flute/alto flute/composer; Josh Nelson, piano; David Robaire, bass; Dan Schnelle, drums.

Lori Bell has consistently produced amazing music over her decades-long career.  She is an accomplished composer, arranger, educator, and musician who has made her mark in jazz playing the flute.  This tribute recording grew out of her admiration for the iconic tenor saxophonist, Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937, to June 30, 2001). 

In the 1950s, Henderson was very active in this journalist’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan.  I wonder if the talented Ms. Lori Bell knows that while Henderson was attending Wayne State University, he studied flute and bass.  It was later that he developed his skills on saxophone under the tutelage of Larry Teal.  Some of his college comrades were Donald Byrd, Barry Harris and Yusef Lateef.  I bet, since Joe Henderson was also a lover of flute, he would have enjoyed this Lori Bell homage to his music and legacy.

Bell opens with “Isotope,” a tune Henderson recorded in 1964 on his album, “Inner Urge.”  His drummer was Elvin Jones, with McCoy Tyner on piano and Bob Cranshaw manning the bass.  Bell has contracted Josh Nelson on piano, David Robaire on bass, and Dan Schnelle on drums. She introduces this tune with her a ‘Capella flute skipping across space.  Enter Schnelle on drums and after a short and happy introduction, Nelson and Robaire join the duo.  Nelson has a piano conversation with Bell’s flighty flute. They sound like two souls speaking joyfully to each other.  The Henderson ‘breaks’ in his arrangement are evident during Bell’s performance. However, Lori is a fluid improviser who creates her own mood and mastery during this creative production.  

“On this recording I have tried to pay homage to his (Henderson’s) musical acumen and articulate imagination.  Each arrangement is tailored for the timbre and range of the flute, an unusual instrument to represent Joe Henderson as, unlike the majority of sax players, he rarely played it in public and was not known as a doubler.  Joe was an exceptional jazz saxophonist and to my heart and mind, a persuasive composer besides.  I’ve always admired his artistry and the way he crafted his songs.  His unique chord progressions, and use of the major7th #11 on several tunes, are compelling to me,” says Bell in her press package.

Bell takes a more Avant-garde approach to Henderson’s compositions, with her flute leading the band like a determined sea gull.  She dives and dips across space, with Nelson often following her lead and repeating Bell’s creative melodic phrases on piano. While playing the composition, “A Shade of Jade” both instruments sound like birds playfully cruising across the sky.  This tune was originally released on Blue Note Records with an all-star group including Curtis Fuller, Bobby Hutcherson, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter and Joe Chambers. 

Bell’s ensemble sounds more modern jazz and less Straight-ahead, until they play “Out of the Night.”  That’s when they capture the straight-ahead jazz-groove I enjoy so much. To my ears, that one captures the heart of Joe Henderson.  Soaked in minor blues, they attack the mood and the moment, led by a tenacious, solid bassline played by Robaire.  When Lori enters on flute, she is bebop magnificent, creative, and awe-inspiring.   Lori is followed fearlessly by Nelson’s impressive piano solo.  At this point, I am completely hypnotized by the Lori Bell Quartet and impressed by their own sense of artistry. 

Bell has picked eight Henderson compositions to expand upon.  Dan Schnelle is featured on “Inner Urge” boldly showing his drum skills that sparkle as brilliant as the spotlight.  Bell takes a different path on this tune, modernizing the pretty piece with Schenelle’s drums infusing a surprising nod to the Hip Hop genre.

On “Black Narcissus,” Nelson sets the mood beautifully, stroking the piano keys with sensuous arpeggios.  This song was originally on Joe Henderson’s “Power to the People” album that featured Jack de Johnette, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Mike Lawrence.  Lori Bell brings her alto flute to the party, and it’s warm and comforting as she caresses the Henderson melody. 

Bell has penned one original composition for this album tribute titled “Outer Urge” that explores various tempos, moving fluidly from 4/4 to 7/4 and then skipping to 5/4. The final tune and the title tune remind this listener of Joe Henerson’s powerful and popular recording that almost every jazz band has played at one time or another.  “Recorda Me” is re-harmonized by Bell, using Henderson’s original bass line and repurposing the tune to feature Lori’s own sense of improvisation and creativity.

This is an adventurous project that both stimulates and inspires.  While Bell tributes a great master of the past, she also spotlights herself, a young mistress of the future. This album will be available April 19, 2024 and her CD release party will take place at Sam’s First on April 25^th, in Los Angeles.

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