By Dee Dee McNeil
January 25, 2024
VINCENT HSU & THE JAZZ SUPREME ORCHESTRA – “MUSIC FOR THE RIVER JAZZ SUITE: THE SPIRIT OF LOVE RIVER & MISSISSIPPI RIVER” – Truth Revolution Recording Collective
Vicent Hsu, double bass/composer/producer/arranger; Musaubach, piano/keyboards; Kuan-Hang Lin, drums; Carol Huang, congas; Shih-chun Lee, guitar; Yi-chun Teng, trombone; Chieh-an Fan, bass clarinet/clarinet; Yu-chen Tseng, violin; Wen-feng Cheng, trumpet; Jonas Ganzemuller, tenor saxophone; Shen-yu Su, tenor saxophone; Hank Pan, soprano saxophone.
The first original composition by Vincent Hsu rolls off this disc propelled by the power drums of Kuan-Liang Lin. Above the rumble of those trap drums, a melody delivers shine and beauty on a tune called “Cotton Field.” At first this tune is pretty, a slow tempo with a lovely melody. But quickly, the drums punctuate this piece with staccato rhythm phrases and Lin is joined by percussionist Carol Huang on congas to snap my ears to attention. Then, a tenor saxophone solo struts onto the scene, bold, bluesy, and formidable, like some guy in a zoot suit with a watch chain swinging brightly from his pocket.
Vincent Hsu, who was born in Changhua, then grew up in Kaoushiung, Taiwan, somehow finds comradery with his town’s “Love River” and the mighty Mississippi River in America. It’s the Mississippi River that boasts the birth of jazz on its shores. Slow-cooked with Afro-Cuban spices, Hsu brings us a culturally rich album that fuses the music of slaves and slave ancestors with his own Taiwanese heritage, with African roots, and Cuban overtones. This project is performed energetically at Taiwan’s Weiwuying Recital Hall to an enthusiastic audience. Hsu’s concept was born when Vincent Hsu visited New Orleans for the first time fifteen years ago. He took a riverboat ride and while watching the motion of the river waves he thought to himself, “the movement of the waves on that river share the same kind of motion of jazz music when it comes to the swing feel.” That water inspiration led him to begin composing this amazing suite of music.
I can hear the waves in the second tune, “River is Wide” as the music splashes through my listening room. Yi-Chun Teng takes a spirited trombone solo. On “Rumba for the River Trilogy: Father’s Melody” I hear more of Hsu’s cultural roots. He says he was inspired to compose this, (one of three compositions that make up this suite of music) while recalling songs his father used to sing to him as a child.
This ensemble features ten Taiwanese musicians and a pair of musicians from Argentina and Germany. Their entire album is plush with Latin rhythms and Vincent Hsu had something to say about that in his liner notes.
“I hope this work can bring attention to the fact that Afro-Cuban music is being played in Asia. I want to share our perspectives on Latin music.”
Hsu is the heartbeat of this orchestrated ensemble on double bass. Often living and working in New York City, his music has won the Global Music and Golden Indie Music Awards. In 2020 he was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). This project is his fourth recording, but the first as a bandleader of a large ensemble and with a completely Asian and international congregation of musicians.
On the 7th track, Hsu captures the whistle and horn of a riverboat during the introduction of “A Pilot’s Day on the Mississippi River.” You feel the motion and river waves during the ensemble’s presentation. Suddenly the percussion player resembles horses hooves. The tenor saxophonist (Chen-yu Su) is dynamic and tells his story with emotion and sincerity, while the undertow of the arrangement is clearly Hsu’s bass line. It plays contrapuntal to the saxophone and is quite engaging. Afterwards, the audience bursts into applause. On the next to final piece, they begin with handclaps to introduce Hsu’s song titled “River Workers.” They set the tempo and rhythm of the piece with busy palms, until Chieh-an Fan’s clarinet enters the picture like a streak of gold across the musical canvas. I hear the violin improvisation incorporate Thelonious Monk’s melody into the solo that Yu-chen Tseng’s violin sings. This album is exemplary of great jazz, the excellent composing skills of Vincent Hsu and the brilliant merging of Asian culture, Afro-Cuban Latin music, and American jazz. It shows how warmly and beautifully music brings all nations together. Bravo!
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DON THOMPSON & ROB PILTCH – “BELLS … NOW & THEN” – Modica Music
Don Thompson, piano/bass/vibraphone/composer; Rob Piltch, guitars/composer.
Forty-two years ago, on a busy Toronto, Canada studio day, a young fingerstyle guitarist sat down with the seasoned jazz pianist and composer, Don Thompson. This recording is the result of their musical meeting. Thompson, who engineered the session, simply turned the tape on and kept it rolling. The results of the fledgling guitarist blending talents with the elder piano master turned into this magical album. Here are nine tracks, three composed by Piltch and four by Thompson. Most were recorded during three separate sessions in 1981 and 1982. Originally, they were released on the Toronto-based Umbrella record label. For this project they were re-mastered and then bookended by two new recordings. The newer, opening tune is titled “Circles.” It was a composition that Thompson penned, and it became the title track for Jim Hall’s 1981 album on Concord Records called, “Days Gone By.” The other original songs that follow are the music they made forty years ago, except for “Days Gone By” that closes this album. In 1992 pianist George Shearing recorded this Tompson tune on his Telarc album release called “How Beautiful is Night.”
This duet by Rob Piltch and Don Thompson shows how perfectly piano and guitar can blend. Each is now obviously a master in their own right. Forty-plus years later, they exemplify the “Now and Then” of their talents and comradery. “Bells … Now and Then” is a lovely musical treasure, an album that spotlights two top Canadian musicians. The beautiful, rich result of blending jazz guitar and jazz piano becomes this emotional rendering of originality and instrumental technique.
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ANDY PRATT – “TRIO” – Thrift Girl Records
Andy Pratt, guitar/vocals; Joe Policastro, bass; Phil Gratteau, drums.
Based in Chicago, guitarist Andy Pratt steps into my listening room with an exuberance and swing that immediately grabs my attention. It’s Gershwin’s tune, “Soon” that opens this album, with a solo introduction by Pratt on his guitar. When the bass and drums enter, you can tell that the trio is tight. Pratt and bassist Joe Policastro have worked together for many years and their comfort level is clearly on display. The next song is a throwback to 1930, a song Fred Waring made popular when he recorded it with the Pennsylvanians for the Victor label. Ella Fitzgerald recorded it in 1939 with Chick Webb’s band, but it became a big hit when it was recorded by Dick Haymes in 1947. Andy Pratt sings this one, and his vocal style winds the clock back to those 1930, 1940-days. He sounds like someone in a small café or a hotel lounge who performs with a guitar trio and sings while the audience sips drinks and chatters among themselves.
Pratt has worked in the Chicago area for over twenty years, performing solo and with various local musicians. He is also a composer and his first two album releases featured his original songwriter/singer talents. On this release he fulfills a desire to give his own take on a variety of classic songs in a more straight-ahead jazz setting. His vocals take away from that concept. I’m relieved when the trio plays Perez Prado’s song, “Patricia” as a mambo and once again I can concentrate on Pratt’s guitar talents. As a singer/songwriter myself, I can understand Pratt’s desire to sing his own compositions. However, I know that I was very happy to hear others record my music. Folks like Diana Ross, The Four Tops, Nancy Wilson and Glady Knight with the Pips showed me I could never have sounded as wonderful as those professional vocalists did when they sang my songs. Pratt’s greatest strength is his guitar playing. I prefer Pratt’s “Trio” instrumental tracks, the ones without the vocals.
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MATT ULERY “MANNERIST” – Woolgathering Records
Matt Ulery, double bass/composer/bandleader; Paul Bedal, piano; Jon Deitemyer, drums; Dustin Laurenzi, tenor saxophone; James Davis, trumpet; Chris Shuttleworth, trombone; Zachary Good, Clarinet; Andrew Nogal, oboe; Ben Roidl-Ward, bassoon; Constance Volk, flute; Matthew Oliphant, French horn.
This album is Matt Ulery’s fourteenth release as a leader. It’s a lovely merger between jazz, classical and brass, the result of an Esteemed Artist Award from the City of Chicago.
“At the time, I was thinking, I want to make a string record, and I want to make a brass-winds record,” Ulery wrote in his press package. He was referencing his “Become Giant” album that featured a string sextet plus drums released in 2022. The first part of his dream was realized.
On this album, he has manifested his dream-part-two of creating music for horns. All the music is composed by Ulery and it reflects the diversity and creativity of a musician who is constantly growing, improving and reaching for higher heights. Opening with “Bridges” Ulery builds arpeggio crosswalks and crescendos of horns, with the piano parts sounding like pedestrian steps across the conduit. This is followed by “The Brink of What,” a composition that is lushly orchestrated and plays for ten plus minutes, more like a suite than a single song. It begins as a piano trio arrangement, but the horns soon enter’ like bodies arriving at a party, they fill the room crowding in with harmonics and the crash of cymbals. This project is royally orchestrated with concentration on the chemistry between big band jazz and contemporary classical musicians. On his composition, “Another Book of Ornaments” James Davis is boldly featured on trumpet, with the other horns cushioning his performance like a fluffy pillow.
Ulery has worked in numerous musical settings from groups like Eighth Blackbird and Axion Brass, then engrossed himself in South American music, followed by songs of the Balkans and assorted European idioms. He has performed for twenty-five years on upright, electric, and brass basses. This album is a culmination of the composer’s creative talents, world-music flavors, and the beauty of brass instruments.
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SCOTT HESSE TRIO – “INTENTION” – Calligram Records
Scott Hesse, guitar/composer; Clark Sommers, bass; Dana Hall, drums.
Captured ‘live’ in concert by audiophile engineer, Ken Christianson, this album called “Intention” features the Chicago-based guitarist Scott Hesse and his trio. This was Hesse’s first reappearance as a bandleader since 2015. The trio opens with John Coltrane’s pretty ballad, “Wise One.” Hesse takes his time, developing the melody slowly, punctuated by Dana Hall’s tasty drum mallets. He plays rubato for several bars, before Clark Sommers on bass and drummer Hall lock hands and solidly set the groove. Sommers steps forward for a double bass solo and the attentive audience is hypnotized by his creativity. The next tune is a Hesse original and it’s the title tune, “Intention.” They toss the slow tempo aside and blaze through this tune like a five-alarm fire.
Born in Carroll, Iowa, Scott Hesse was raised in Sioux City and started playing guitar at fourteen. Hesse says he was greatly influenced by his father, Alan Hesse who was a singer/songwriter with an eleven-piece dance band. Hesse says guitarist Jim Hall inspired him with his harmonics and Grant Green was the inspiration for his feel and emotional connection to the instrument.
“But I’m more influenced by Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson,” Hesse says.
The guitarist studied with Henry Butler and Rodney Jones, then found his way to New York City, living and working there for a decade. In 2004, he transplanted back to the Midwest, landing in Chicago, Illinois where he found immediate work on the South Side of town, becoming a fixture in the Velvet Lounge.
Multi-talented, Scott Hesse is a gifted photographer as well as a musician. It was during one of his art gallery exhibits that he first connected with Clark Sommers and Dana Hall. They formed his trio with saxophonist Geof Bradfield performing Hesse’s original music during his photography exhibit.
“We’ve become good friends off the bandstand as well, spending time on the road together, especially a two-week residency in Portugal with Geof’s quintet really helped to bring everything together,” Hesse explained.
Another original song that Hesse composed is “From the Inside.” It was written for the Fulton Street photo exhibit that mirrors his intention to show the neighborhoods from an insider’s view of Chicago. I finally hear the bluesier side of Hesse when he plays “The Night Owl” that he claims is a perfect description of his personality and it’s another self-penned tune.
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HOUSE OF WATERS – “ON BECOMING” – GroundUP Records
Max ZT – Hammered Dulcimer/composer; Moto Fukushima, six-string electric bass/ composer; Antonio Sanchez, drums; Mike Stern, guitar; Priya Darshini, vocals.
The pluck of a string; the magical sound of a Hammered Dulcimer; the music unfolds like poetry. The six-string bass of Moto Fukushima steps forward to ground the strings, letting the tones rush like winter breezes through the window. That is how the song “Folding Cranes” affected me.
Track two is called “Avaloch” and continues with the unique sound these international musicians bring to the table. “House of Waters” is a group formed to explore immersive studies in India, Senegal, Japan, and the Americas. For sixteen-years, Max ZT (who plays the Hammered Dulcimer) and Moto Fukushima (master of the six-string electric bass) have meticulously crafted a combined voice. Using these two instruments allows the prolific composers to create a distinct and beautiful sound that is highly imaginative. They translate their dual talents and musical study to this album called “On Becoming.” Antonio Sanchez joins them on sensitive, but powerful drums. This trio offers virtuosic performances, with some compositions written and arranged, but three out of the nine songs offered are completely improvised. The first improvised tune was their opening song called, “Folding Cranes.” The trio takes composer credits. Track two, “Avaloch” was written by Max ZT and “705” (the third song) is a composition by Moto Fukushima. The Fukushima tune begins quietly with the strum of his electric bass at a moderate tempo and a repetitive melody follows. The Dulcimer sound is hypnotic and transports us to some place in Asia, with colorful silk cloth and delicate, hand-painted dishes. Fukushima’s electric bass solo explores the six-strings with technique and creativity, adding fusion to the boiling international stew pot. This song grows and weaves between tempos and technique, almost like a suite of music. On “Hang in the Air” they add Mike Stern on electric guitar to the mix. The resulting arrangement is a feeling of flying or floating in space.
This project is unique in sound and composition as these musicians, “House of Waters,” fluidly explore sound, cultures, and imagination. They use their instruments, improvisation, and musical techniques to fluidly expand their creative ideas. Like water, they splash against us, grab our attention, and transport us to other times, places, and continents with just the strum of a six-string bass, the beat of the Sanchez drums, or the raspy whisper of Max ZT’s Dulcimer. As a final touch, they added guest Priya Darshini to their project. Priya brings vocals that color Fukushima’s composition called “The Wall” and music transports me to somewhere in the Middle East, riding on minor chords with prayer-like vocals. This jazz music project is both unusual and original, prodding us to stretch the boundaries of creative music ocean wide, and travel on the waves to places we’ve never been.
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DAN BARASZU – “LONE GUITAR” – Blue Canoe Records
Dan Barasu, solo guitarist.
Dan Baraszu has a warm, inviting tone and an easy dexterity on his guitar. The Detroit born guitarist and composer explored various styles of music before settling on jazz. Once he heard Wes Montgomery on the radio, Dan became a die-hard jazz fan. He was also influenced by Pat Martino, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny and John Scofield. I hear a little bit of the Wes Montgomery influence on Baraszu’s first tune, “Angela” (the theme from Taxi). The next tune is a song often used by jazz cats as a gig-closer, “Sonny Moon For Two.” He swings this tune and it’s a delightful solo rendition of a familiar jazz standard. Continuing in that direction, Dan Baraszu plays “Moonlight in Vermont” at a sweet ballad tempo. His rendition is quite beautiful. In fact, every song on this album is lovely. The guitarist offers us twenty tracks, each one played as only a master musician would play it. Baraszu’s emotional delivery is completely intriguing. His agility and adroitness on the guitar is obvious, as he tackles tunes by Thelonious Monk (Pannonica) and tunes from the Great American Songbook like “Moonlight in Vermont,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” “Angel Eyes” and “Just the Way you Are.” The talented musician gives his own strong rendition of “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner.” Familiar tunes spill out of Baraszu like promises or prayers. Each one shines, a precious gem in the crown of a king. Baraszu is clearly the king of his guitar. He reinvents “Cute” written by Neal Hefti and Stanley Styne. This composition was made famous in 1958 when Count Basie recorded it. Baraszu offers us Paul Desmond’s challenging “Take Five” composition that the Dave Brubeck Quartet introduced to the world. I love the harmonics that Baraszu employs on this famed tune.
Here is an album to be played over and over again. It celebrates the talents of a master guitarist. He offers us multi-genre compositions, from rock (We Are the Champions) to pop (Up, Up and Away) a Latin arrangement on St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, along with traditional Americana and American standards. Playing solo is a huge challenge, but Dan Baraszu shows us how a gifted guitarist can entertain and surprise us with his talent and ingenuity. He makes the difficult sound easy.
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PHIL SARGENT – “SONS” – Outside In Music
Phil Sargent, electric, nylon & steel-string guitars/composer; Anastassiya Petrova, piano; Greg Loughman, double bass; Mike Connors, drums/percussion; Jerry Sabatini, trumpet.
A composition called “SKYLINE” opens this album with Mike Connors on drums, polished and tempo perfect. He pushes the music ahead with mad skills. Phil Sargent is out-front and dynamic on electric guitar. He invites pianist Anastassiya Petrova as a guest on this arrangement. Sargent has composed every song on this album of contemporary music. The album concept is to use Sargent’s original music as a tribute that reflects fatherhood and how it transformed Sargent and his music.
“I released my last original recording of music in 2010, a few months before my first son was born. The experience of being a father, both the struggle and joy, has pushed my music to a much deeper place,” Phil Sargent explained in his press package.
A flamingo guitar introduces a composition titled, “Me Fa Me Re” by Sargent. He starts out solo, and is soon joined by Greg Loughman, bowing his double bass in a most beautiful and classical way. Drums, bass, and guitar make a comfortable trio arrangement on this song. During the ensemble’s presentation of “Life” they utilize the talents of Jerry Sabatini on trumpet. This song stretches boundaries, tickling the edges of Avant-garde jazz. When Sargent enters with his warm, lovely guitar voice the mood changes. Modulating chord changes seem somehow softer when Sargent plays them during his solo. Another Sargent original song, “Be Careful out There” sounds like something a father would say to a son. You hear the title lyrics clearly in the melody. This song has a very interesting melodic bridge. On “Bivawack,” Greg Loughman sets the mood on double bass to open the arrangement and Sabatini is back, spraying my listening room with trumpet beauty.
The Track, “Sons” was written as an ode to the boys who changed Sargent’s life and according to the artist, enriched his existence and music.
“Sons is a not-so-subtle shout out to my two boys. They were the inspiration for this song. … so, it seemed like a no-brainer to name the album after them too,” Sargent explained.
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ROTEM SIVAN – “DREAM LOUDER” –
Rotem Sivan, guitar; Hamish Smith, bass; Miguel Russell, drums; Sami Steves, vocals; Luke Krafka, whistle.
There is something comforting about the music of Rotem Sivan. Not only is it melodic, but there is something enchanting about songs like “The Tree” composed for Hilde (Sivan’s mother-in-law) and Track #2 titled, “Anneleen.” The sweetness of Sami Steves’ voice adds to the first couple of songs, sounding more like an instrument than a vocalist, she’s quite captivating. The additional surprise on these arrangements is Luke Krafka, who is a virtuoso whistler. His presence and musicianship add color to the tunes. The composition, “Dragon” is more energized and celebrates the drum talents of Miguel Russell and the busy, melodic bass of New Zealand-born bassist, Hamish Smith. Russell is brightly spotlighted on the “Luc” tune, (named for Rotem’s wife’s father). This song offers the listener a long and inspired drum solo. A favorite Beatles tune of mine is “Blackbird” and it’s also a perfect composition for the guitar to explore. Rotem Sivan does an amazing job interpreting this lovely song with gifted guitar strokes. “Lore Luv” is dedicated to his wife (Lore) who he randomly met through an online dating service five years ago. They married in 2022. Hamish Smith’s big fat bass sound is prominent during this arrangement. Sivan’s guitar screams and dances; sounds fuzzy one minute and soft the next. Russell’s drums crescendo and drive the trio forward with unrelenting power. This is a passionate piece! I like the pop/jazz tune called “The Hamish” with Smith’s bass line prominent and melodic. Sami Steves adds her sweet vocal style to the arrangement, like an unusual horn darting in and out of the piece, or a silk thread slipping through the chord changes. I hear the blues in this composition and a bit of funk. “The Hammish” is one of my favorites on this album. Then comes a touch of country/western and Blue Grass played inventively on “West Virginia Mine Disaster” with Sami Steves’ voice wordlessly singing the melody and Luke Krafka whistling his way into the piece. Krafka is actually an accomplished classical cellist. His distinctive whistling skills lend beauty and human-emotion to the tunes he embellishes.
“He’s (Luke Krafka) just a super talented individual who also happens to be a very good whistler. Somebody hired us for a session a while ago. We were in the studio together and he just randomly started whistling. I thought to myself, wow – he’s really good. When I was contemplating using a whistler on this recording, I gave him a call. He stopped by my place and we hung out. He listened to the lines I had written out and what you hear on the record was all done on the spot. … He nailed it,” Rotem Sivan praised his multi-talented music-mate.
“Dream Louder” may be Sivan’s crowning achievement to date. Rotem admits, this entire project is a love letter to his wife, Lore. It’s a lovely tribute to family, and to jazz guitar. The way he has produced this music, arranged the tunes, and composed several of the songs to reflect musical pictures of his family, when you pair all this with his incredible musicians, the final product is formidable! This album is completely entertaining. Recognizable songs like “Blackbird” and “Mack the Knife” take on a whole new face and complexion. This talented musician will pull at your heartstrings while he plucks and strums his guitar.
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JOEL TUCKER COMMODORE TRIO – “COMMUNAL” – Independent Label
Joel Tucker, guitar/composer; Brendan Keller, Tuberg, bass; Justin Clark, drums.
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