JAZZ SPREADS LOVE, INNOVATION, & FREEDOM WORLDWIDE

By Dee Dee McNeil

February 1, 2024

Jazz is America’s classical music and was created by African Americans, the descendants of slaves, who have consistently looked for new ways of expression. We are a people who embrace innovation, improvisation, and freedom. We are constantly changing dance styles, verbal slang, clothing styles, architectural designs, art, and music. Jazz music is so powerful, it has been banned in autocratic countries because it always inspires freedom.  It inspires thinking outside the box and coloring outside the societal lines that bind us. It’s not trying to inspire violence or make war. During Black History Month, let’s remember that Jazz is a music of peace, love, innovation, and freedom that grew out of blues, European classical music, and slavery. Here are some outstanding CD releases that mirror the international, unbridled, multi-cultural interpretations of Jazz.

ANTONIO GAVRILA – “TANGO SUITE BUENOS AIRES” – Zoho Records

Antonio Gavrila, piano/composer; Walther Castro, bandoneon; Quique Sinesi, guitar; Horacio “Mono” Hurtado, bass.

The opening composition by A. Piazzolla is arranged in a dramatic way, with Antonio Gavrila’s piano spraying like a powerful waterfall across the chord changes and demanding attention.  He builds this tune, starting with his upper-register notes tumbling over each other, similar to leaves in a gardener’s blower. Then the arrangement streams into the Nuevo Tango tempo.  The original Buenos Aires-born composer (Piazzolla) may not have imagined his tune blending baroque and Latin Jazz in such a modern way, but clearly Romanian-born pianist and composer, Antonio Gavrila has his own sense of Tango.  Gavrila approaches this music with extreme intensity and passion. 

Astor Pantaleon Piazzolla is an Argentine legend who changed the face of tango and was heralded as an amazing composer, arranger, and bandoneon player.  He was born March 11, 1921, and died July 4, 1992, but his music lives on.  Antonio Gavrila gives a nod to Piazzolla’s legend by adding Walther Castro on this project to play bandoneon. The South American instrument sounds very similar to an accordion.  Unlike the accordion, the bandoneon has no predefined chords.  Gavrila employs similar Piazzolla techniques in his arrangements, like the frequent use of counterpoint. He also adds unexpected harmonics and sometimes dissonance to these tunes. 

“Piazzolla is a daily inspiration for me.  Not only musically but also as a person. … I learned things about his personality, his very strong character and the confidence he had in his music, … that affected me too.  But I am addicted to his music.  From an early age I was attracted to musical freedom and these things definitely won me over in Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango.  It is the kind of music with a great openness to new things, inner things.  As I like to say, tango cannot exist without fantasy,” Antonio Gavrila gushes with excitement when he talks about his legendary inspiration.

The first two songs Gavrila’s group plays are both Piazzolla compositions.  The opening tune is “Michelangelo 70” and the second song on his album is “Introduccion Al Angel.”  Then Gavrila branches out featuring music by other composers, including several original tunes he has penned himself.

Music is in Gavrila’s DNA.  His late grandfather, Nelu Ploiesteanu, was a popular Romanian singer.  He recorded over thirty albums before passing from COVID in 2021 at age 70. 

“My grandfather was a very famous gypsy singer and accordion player in our country.  After the second world war, many Romanian musicians brought tangos to Eastern Europe.  I listened a lot when I was a child, and after my academic years, I started to study Piazzolla.  His music greatly affected me because it sounded familiar. Piazzolla’s harmony was something very personal for me because I grew up with that kind of harmony and that style of improvisation,” Antonio explained his infatuation with the Neuvo Tango music of Argentina.  Check out his grandfather’s music below.

There is a signature 3–3–2 pulse that defines Nuevo Tango and Quique Sinesi’s guitar lines often play counterpoint to the driving bandoneon solos.  Both musicians are grounded by Gravila’s double bassist, Horacio “Mono” Hurtado.  “Preludio e la Noche” paints a musical picture of a Buenos Aires citizen walking through a lonely Argentina suburb at night.  Listen to the bass line.  You will hear the steps of this stranger echoing through the darkness. When the band double-times the piece, I can almost picture the man being chased and running swiftly through the empty avenue. Gravila’s piano fingers also race across the keys.  You can clearly here the African beat (3-3-2) used to infuse Nueva Tango music.

Both this unique music, inspired by the Argentina legend A. Piazzolla, and played by the twenty-seven-year-old Antonio Gavrila, (a pianist from Bucharest) reflects how jazz crosses continents and cultures.  It will introduce you to tango music in a passionate, creative way.

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DONALD VEGA – “AS I TRAVEL” – Imagery Records

Donald Vega, piano/composer/arranger; Lewis Nash, drums; John Patitucci, bass; Luisito Quintero, percussion.

A flurry of drumbeats opens this album.  Lewis Nash and Luisito Quintero provide the percussion that perpetuates Vega’s tune titled, “Baila! Dance Like No one’s Watching.”  This piece of original music by pianist/composer Donald Vega makes you want to get up and dance, or at least tap a toe.  The tempo is energized.   

We are all on a journey in this lifetime.  Vega refers to that life travel as an ode to the family and community that empowered him to make a physical, musical and a career path towards his metaphorical journey; a journey that has taken him to where he is today.  At age fourteen, Donald Vega fled his Nicaraguan country and immigrated to the United States.  That was 1989.  As a blossoming pianist, who was trained classically on piano in Nicaragua, young Vega worked locally with jazz legends like Billy Higgins, John Clayton, Francisco Aquabella and Al McKibbon.  He attended Crenshaw High School and the Colburn School of the Performing Arts.  Next, he sought higher education at University of Southern California, then off to the East Coast where he attended the Manhattan School of Music and the Julliard Music School.  In fact, Donald Vega is currently a professor at the Julliard School of Music and based in New York City.

In 1991, Vega was awarded the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Award. He was labeled Downbeat Magazine’s 2007 Jazz Student Soloist Award, and garnered 1^st Place at the 2008 Phillips Jazz Piano Competition at the University of West Florida.  That same year he released his debut album as a bandleader called “Tomorrows.”  In 2012, Vega released “Spiritual Nature” and in 2015 he recorded a tribute to piano icon, Monty Alexander, “With Respect to Monty.”  He featured seven of Alexander’s original compositions. 

This recent album, (cut in a single day) showcases Donald Vega’s own, respectable, composing skills.  He offers the listener nine self-penned tunes that are plush with lovely melodies and rich, cultural rhythms.  The title tune is Track #2 and exemplifies Vega’s love of motion and melody in his music. John Patitucci is showcased on bass during the arrangement of “I Know You Can Fly.”  Vega has surrounded himself with music masters, who stand as a testament to Vega’s own awesome and celebrated musical journey.

This album embraces his world travels, his cultural Nicaraguan roots, as well as Vega’s impressive piano playing.  His love of jazz music and the freedom it inspires is obvious along with his wonderful composing talents. Donald Vega is the whole, universal package.  It’s a joy traveling with him during this presentation of “As I Travel,” riding along while listening to his own personal and musical autobiography.

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JONATHAN SUAZO – “RICANO” – Ropeadope Records

Jonathan Suazo, alto & tenor saxophone/composer/arranger/vocals; Ramon Suazo & David Sanchez,  tenor saxophone; Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone; Fabiola Méndez, vocals/Cuatro Puertorriqueño; Christian Nieves, Cuatro Puertorriqueño; Emil Martinez Roldán ‘El Hijo de Borikén’, Soneo; Eduardo Zayaz & Anibal Cruz, piano/keyboard; Josean Jacobo, piano; Francisco Alcalá, drums; Tanicha López & Genesis Davila, voice; Giovanni Ortiz, bass/percussion sound design; Hans Glawischnig, Ramon Vázquez, Juan Maldonado, bass; Rafael Rosa & Gabriel Vicéns, guitar; Juan Aldahondo, electric & acoustic guitar; Kike Serrano & Beto Torrens, afro-Puerto Rican percussion; Miguel Martinez, Güícharo Puertorriqueño/Afro Puerto Rican percussion; Yilianny Polanco, Guira Dominicana; Otoniel Nicolas, Afro Dominican percussion/drums; Florentino ‘Magic’ Mejia, Afro Dominican percussion; Feliz ‘Abuelo’ Garcia, Tambora Dominicana.

Meet Jonathan Suazo.  This is the masterful Puerto Rican sax man’s debut album. Suazo comes swirling into my listening room with high energy and meteoric sparkle.  His project is full of culture and excitement. The rhythms dance, propelling his compositions forward with imagination and inspiring improvisational solos. Suazo adds a chant to the end of the first composition, “iSomos más que tú!” that is compelling.  It invites the listener to the shores of Puerto Rico and an evening of arousing music.  On ”Heroes,” the voice of Genesis Davila sings her story above the powerhouse track.  When Jonathan Suazo enters on his saxophone, I am swept away by his emotional delivery.  Suazo says that his “Ricano” album is an original Afro-Caribbean experience.  The themes move from exploration to integration, community, education and self-acceptance.  This is a musical photograph of his beloved Dominican Republic.

“I started doing a deeper dive into my roots as an important exercise to find something in the source of your identity that can carry the rest of your career forward,” Suazo explains, referencing his time at the Global Jazz Institute.

This is a wonderful and rhythm-driven project. It represents the unique combination of island music, Puerto Rican traditions, and jazz culture.  Suazo’s saxophone dances us from one track to the next, filling my heart with joy. I find my feet cannot be still, as percussionists like Kike Serrano, Beto Torrens, Miguel Martinez, Yilianny Polanco, Otoniel Nicolas, Florentino ‘Magic’ Mejia, and Felix ‘Abuelo’ Garcia buoy this music.  I float away on the waves of a tune called “Verde Luz” by Antonio Caban Vale and arranged by Jonathan Suazo. The beautiful voice of the Spanish vocalist sets the mood, accompanied by Eduardo Zayaz on piano.  When Francisco Alcala slaps the drum beat into place, a sexy horn solo by Suazo is featured on this bolero number. There is mile-high drama in Suazo’s music. It soars, builds, and explodes.  On track #6, another Suazo original composition titled “Don’t Take Kindly” reminds me of the John Coltrane days and the Horace Tapscott jazz choirs. The lyrics and spoken word are all in Spanish, but that did not take away from this unique musical vision.

Here is an album full of intensity and fused with honest emotion. Last year, (2023) GRAMMY.com declared Jonathan Suazo one of ‘Ten Emerging Jazz Artists to Watch.’  I agree. His music is designed to touch your heart and soul.

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CHES SMITH – “LAUGH ASH” – Pyroclastic Records

Ches Smith, drums/composer/arranger/electronics/programming/vibes/tubular bells/ glockenspiel/timpani/tarn tarn/metal percussion; Shahzad Ismaily, bass/keyboards; Anna Webber, flute; Oscar Noriega, clarinets; James Brandon Lewis, tenor saxophone; Nate Wooley, trumpet; Jennifer Choi, violin; Kyle Armbrust, viola; Michael Nicolas, cello; Shara Lunon, voice/vocal processing.

Ches Smith has composed and arranged all of the music on this album.  His ideas are fluid, innovative and inspired.  Born in California, Smith now reside in New York and was celebrated in the New York Times “as one of the wiliest drummers on the experimental scene.”  Sometime when I hear experimental jazz, I can’t find the groove or the melody.  This is not true with Ches Smith’s production.  Not only is it melodic, although unpredictable, it is also very tempo conscious.  There is a fierce sense of groove, probably because Smith is a superb drummer and percussionist. His exploratory music is like watching an abstract artist paint. Ches Smith manages to mix chamber music with colorful electronics, explosive bursts of improvisation, spoken word and various rhythm patterns, both in-the-moment and programmed. The first composition sounds like a freight train climbing up a mountain.  I even hear the blast of its horn and the robot movements of the steel wheels against metal. This tune is called “Minimalism,” and it features a spoken word recited by Shara Lunon who also contributes vocal processing. They should have turned her voice up in the mix on this first tune. Track #3 starts with gong sounds, but quickly morphs into other grooves and moods.  Shara is back to recite the poem and song titled, “Sweatered Webs (Hey Mom).”  Shahzad Ismaily adds a brief bass solo.  He is also the keyboardist.  This arrangement unwinds rich with textures and possibilities.

Ches Smith explained in his liner notes, “…Given to repetition, although as a weapon, staying on a passage ad infinitum to lull the listener into a trance, only to clobber them over the head with a particularly jarring change” certainly describes this production to a tee! 

Smith admits that his beats give credence to his music and structure to the polyphony, the dissonance, polytonality and creativity that’s locked inside each specially constructed original tune.  The electronics allow an other-worldly essence to some parts of the mix and remind us of the era we are in where certain tones and melodies remind us to look at our cell phones, or answer the door. Those tones and melodies are stamped into our brains. Perhaps Smith summed up the concept for this recording with the following words:

“I wanted their sounds to bleed between sections and across compositional arcs, a reminder of the improbability of these idiosyncratic spirits working in service to a group plan.”

As for the interesting album title, Ches Smith wrote on November 2 of 2023:

“Listeners might find parts of this album at least a little bit funny.  As a form of catharsis, laughter is fine by me.  Genuine laughter arrives unannounced, causing a fissure where time stops.  If the bout of laughter is severe, you may find yourself at the point of disintegration. Afterwards, if not too worn out, you can dust away the ash, put yourself back together and continue your life a fresh, newly curious about what is possible.”

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ATLANTIC ROAD TRIP – “ONE” – Calligram Records

Chad McCullough, trumpet/flugelhorn/composer; Miro Herak, vibraphone; Conor Murray, double bass; Alyn Cosker, drums/bodhran; Paul Towndrow, alto saxophone/whistles/ flute/composer.

The transcontinental collective of ‘Atlantic Road Trip’ offers an album that perpetuates the concept of “One.”  ‘One’ love of music; ‘One’ project wrapping arms around cultures; ‘One’ album played by friends and fellow musicians expanding on a project of creativity.

“You need to be on the same page as your co-conspirators and if not, acceptance and compromise should feel as natural as part of the creative process. …With Atlantic Road Trip, I feel that we’ve found that balance,” Slovakian vibraphonist Herak says in their press package.

Chicago-based trumpeter, Chad McCullough first met Miro Herak in 2009. The two became great friends and music collaborators after playing together at the Banff Center for the Arts, a catalyst for Creativity in Chicago, Illinois.  They toured throughout Belgium and Holland on various projects. Just before the Coronavirus pandemic, they asked Scottish alto saxophonist Paul Towndrow, who is also a master of traditional whistles and flutes, to join Atlantic Road Trip. Alyn Cosker (on drums) and Conor Murray (bass) complete their ensemble. 

“We stayed in close contact throughout the pandemic and even remotely recorded a set for the 2021 Glasgow Jazz Festival,” McCullough said. 

The group has toured the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium.  They returned to Scotland in 2023, where they recorded this album titled, “One.”  Their project reflects Slovakian heritage, including fresh interpretations of traditional folk songs like “Hore Haj Dolu Haj” and “Kopaia Studienku, Pozaeraia do nej” which I can neither pronounce nor understand.   Still, the music is clearly jazz and that is a universal language.  “Nightingale Island” showcases Paul Towndrow’s alto saxophone beauty and gives a platform for Herak’s vibraphone to thickly spread sweetness across the arrangement. The next song is titled, “Hore Haj, Dolu Haj.”

Miro Herak explains that “Hore Haj is a Slovak traditional song about inequality between the rich upper class and the common man.” 

On this tune, the band mixes Slavic dance rhythms with Scottish flute and contemporary jazz harmonies.  The vibes sound bell-like during their arrangement.  They open the piece, with Conor Murray’s bass growling underneath.  Towndrow’s flute sets the mood, a bit mournful and emotional.  When the vibraphone enters, it lifts the traditional tune to happier heights. Alyn Cosker’s drums buoy the arrangement as the horns race contrapuntal across the tune. The horn harmonics and melody on the tune “Auburn” reminds me of bagpipes.

Reedman, Paul Towndrow summarizes the project in this way. “What happens when people are allowed the freedom to move, travel, exchange ideas, adapt and grow?  How can we bring our diverse ideas together in a way that cuts to the heart of our shared experience as humans?  I hope the music on ‘One’ will invite the listener to reflect on these questions as we have done in creating it.”

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TOBIN MUELLER – “AT THE PIANO – VOL. 1.” – Independent Label /Digital only

Tobin Mueller, solo piano

This is Tobin Mueller’s forty-first album release and his 8^th solo piano album.  “At The Piano – Vol 1.” is a compilation of songs recorded and performed at Factory Underground Studio in Norwalk, CT and it’s produced by Kenny Cash.  Several different pianos were used in differing acoustic settings over the span of four decades.  Mueller has included one new composition in this production, “A Prayer for Keith Jarrett” that closes this recording.Every song was composed by Mueller. Over the years, Tobin Mueller has been celebrated as a jazz composer, arranger, performer, and a Broadway playwright. However, Mueller believes his solo piano releases may be the most important aspect of his legacy. Surely playing solo is the most challenging aspect for an artist. Why?  Because, there is nothing to hide behind, no one to musically support your ideas or to fill the empty spaces.  The spotlight is on you, your talent, and your instrument.

Clearly, Tobin Mueller can fill all the emptiness with his own brilliance and creativity. You will hear him synthesize different eras and styles into his original songs on this album.  Mueller’s music encompasses Baroque, romantic, impressionistic, blues, and contemporary classical techniques, all wrapped up in a jazzy package. Mueller’s music is a gift to our ears.  “One Body of Man” quickly becomes one of my favorites of his original compositions.  It starts out as a blues and quickly morphs into a dramatic presentation of two-fisted energy and grit.  In the press notes it says this is the one song that’s a duet. I inquired of Mueller asking who was the other pianist?  He said it was Doug Schneider, a Chicago based pianist.  The song is one that Mueller composed for a Broadway musical he wrote and Schneider was a guest artist on this tune.

The fourth cut, “Two Pease in a Chili Pod” features Mueller’s strong bass line, played by his left-hand, that supports the creativity and contrapuntal melodies played by his right-hand in the upper register. Impressive! The fifth track, “Under a Western Sky” is very classical, quite pretty and reminded me of blossoms blowing in the wind.  I find myself fascinated by Tobin Mueller’s melodic ideas. For example, on his original tune called “Slow Dance” Mueller paints a lovely melodic picture at the top of the ballad, then changes the tempo using left-hand rhythm to explore other moods.  His right-hand is very improvisational, exploring solos that a horn might play. His tune “Time as Emergent Phenomenon” could easily become the soundtrack to a film. It’s four-minutes of pure bliss.

Here is an album that unfolds like chapters in a book.  I am captivated and keep turning the tunes (like pages) and listening for the unexpected, the excitement, and the beauty that Mueller produces as a solo artist.  This album brings my ears great reward.

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ULYSSES OWENS JR. AND GENERATION Y – “A NEW BEAT” – Cellar Music Group

Ulysses Owens, drums/arranger; Luther Allison (composer)& Tyler Bullock, piano; Phillip Norris & Ryoma Takenaga, bass; Sarah Hanahan & Erena Terakubo, alto saxophone; Benny Benack III & Anthony Hervey, trumpet/composers; Milton Suggs, voice.

A tune called “Sticks” introduces us to some of the players in this smokin’ hot band of Generation Y musicians.  Bassist, Phillip Norris shines during a powerful solo. Ulysses Owens Jr. is ever-present and drives the band ahead with his unrelenting drumsticks. The band, referred to as Generation Y (or so-called millennials) are often described as those who are controlled by the digital age and were born between 1982 and 1994.  Technology is part of their everyday lives, and their eyes are generally glued to a screen, be it the computer, their phone, their laptop, or television. Clearly, this Generation Y band of musicians have been practicing, creating, and honing their musical skills.  The band is tight as a deadbolt lock. The second track was composed by trumpeter Anthony Hervey, and it swings with a New Orleans zest.  Sarah Hanahan brings her Straight-ahead saxophone groove to the party.  Tyler Bullock shines brightly during an impressive piano solo.  But it’s always Ulysses Owens Jr. who keeps the band locked into the groove with perfect time and creative accents.  I enjoy the rich bass solo of Phillip Norris on Luther Allison’s original composition called “Until I see You Again” and Norris opens the Roy Hargrove tune, “Soulful” that follows as cut #5.  “Bird Lives” flies with the horns racing and Ulysses Owens Jr. pushing the fledgling birds into the air with his power-packed drumsticks.

When Ulysses isn’t touring or recording, he is inspiring hopeful musicians at the Julliard School.  This is his seventh year as a professor. Some of his mentees are featured on this album, a musical juxtaposition that is a tribute to the legacies and tradition to his jazz mentors and a homage to the exciting potential of youth playing their music into the future.  The group is four years old.  This album is the culmination of their performing, growing and eventually recording together. Ulysses Owens Jr. is paying it forward.  It’s a wonderful listen!

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ANNIE CHEN – “GUARDIANS” – JZ Music

Annie Chen, vocals/composer/bandleader/lyrics; Marius Duboule, electric & acoustic guitar; Vitor Gonçalves, piano/accordion; Satoshi Takeishi, drums/percussion; Mathew Muntz, bass/Croatian bagpipe or meh; Alex LoRe, alto saxophone/flute/bass clarinet; Fung Chern Hwei, violin/viola.

This album is a clash of cultures and a scream to humanity.  The songs speak to fears of inevitable environmental destruction, while blending scat-jazz and other jazz sensibilities with Beijing Opera and Chinese culture.  At the same time, the vocal artist, Annie Chen, incorporates two songs written by polish composers.  The first song opens this album and is titled “Rozpacz” that translates to ‘despair’ in English.  Zbigniew Namyslowski was a jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist who passed away in February of 2022.  Chen chose his song because it embodied a taste of the tragic storytelling of a Beijing Opera, something she is familiar with. Consequently, she added portions of the operatic melody to this Namyslowski music, a story that unfolds in the Chinese opera, tales of a king surrounded by enemies who commits suicide rather than surrender. For Annie Chen, this story also mirrors humanity’s selfish dance with the environment, as a cautionary tale of what can happen to our lives if we don’t pay attention now and correct our evil ways, we too will take our own lives.

Not only does Chen incorporate international compositions into this theme, she also has assembled a global mix of musicians for her recording.  Her seven-piece band includes Malaysian native Fung Chern Hwei on violin and viola; Swiss-French guitarist, Marius Duboule and Brazilian pianist and accordionist, Vitor Gonçalves.  On drums and percussion, she uses Satoshi Takeishi who is Japanese. Americans Alex LoRe plays alto saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet, while bassist Mathew Muntz joins the group bringing skills on the ‘meh’ that is a rare Croatian bagpipe.  They play “Underground Dance” featuring unexpected intervals in the melody and, before lyrics are added, Chen scats like a vocal horn. This becomes the story of mankind ravaging our earth, forcing humanity to live underground in tunnels of despair. Her melodic lines race in circles that seem to whirlpool us down, down and cover us in these strange musical tunnels. Annie Chen has composed all of these songs, with the exception of the two Polish composer contributions.

The other Polish composer she features is Krzysztof Komeda who wrote “Rosemary’s Lullaby,” the theme from the 1968 horror film, Rosemary’s Baby.  Chen’s rendition is haunting and sweet, rather than scary. She has written tender lyrics for the piece and sings them to us like a mother’s lullaby to her babe.

I find Annie Chen’s composing skills to be quite intoxicating and her scat-singing reflects jazz in Chen’s own unique way. I support her social commentary. I am however challenged by her voice.  Jazz singing is part of the freedom and beauty that jazz embodies. However, singing jazz is an artform all to itself.  Annie Chen is a human instrument, like all singers. On this project, she performs like a horn and sings the melodies she has written, as written. When a jazz singer scats, they improvise over a melody and create fresh melodies and tonal ideas. Also, the ‘swing’ in the voice of a jazz singer is absolutely necessary.  I don’t hear that in this project. I do appreciate Chen’s Avant-Garde experimental music, particularly her compositions and arrangements. I praise her concept, her vocal range, her composing talents, and her bandleader skills. She will have to expand her vocal horizons for me to recognize her as a true jazz singer. The ensemble that she has brought together is a highly talented group of musicians. They vividly express and interpret Chen’s original music. In fact, I think this album is the epitome of my column’s title. With this project, Annie Chen spreads love, innovation, and freedom worldwide in her own distinctive way. This album will be available Feb 23^rd.

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HORNS BLOW WINTER BLUES AWAY

By Dee Dee McNeil

December 15, 2023

CORY WEEDS – “HOME COOKIN’ “ – Cellar Music Group

Cory Weeds, tenor saxophone; Chris Gestrin, piano; John Lee, bass; Jesse Cahill, drums; Steve Kaldestad, lead alto saxophone; James Danderfer, tenor saxophone; Dave Soy, baritone saxophone; Brian Harding & Jim Hopson, trombone; Brad Turner & Chris Davis, trumpet; Jill Townsend, Musical Director.

Opening with a Horace Silver tune called Home Cookin’ Cory Weeds and the “Little Big Band” comes out swinging hard.  This is a project meant to pay tribute to the Cory Weeds hometown of Vancouver, Canada.  This album debuts six new arrangements by Bill Coon and Jill Townsend. Weeds’ first album release boasted the Little Big Band featuring some of his favorite musicians from New York City.  That was back in 2018 on an album called “Explosion.”  This current album celebrates some of the best jazz musicians Vancouver has to offer, and once again spotlights the incredible talents of tenor saxophonist, Cory Weeds. On “Corner Kisses,” Jesse Cahill entertains the listener with his amazing drum skills during an unforgettable solo.  An original composition by Cory Weeds called “Blossoms in May” is a lovely ballad.  The Weeds tenor saxophone technique is prominent. It floats above the lush horn harmonies like a rainbow across a suddenly sunny sky. Every song on this album is noteworthy.  There’s not one boring or bad tune.  “Power Station” is buttered in the blues, with Cory Weeds smearing his sweet horn solo all over the piece like jam. They continue the blues tradition when playing “Lullaby of the Leaves.” This is an album of beauty, with great horn arrangements, a solid rhythm section, and with the sparkling talent of Cory Weeds leading the way.

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HERY PAZ – “JARDINEROS” – 577 Label

Hery Paz, tenor saxophone/flute/piano/suona (a Chinese, double-reed, woodwind instrument); Francisco Mela, drums; Román Díaz, percussion/voice.

This album opens with Hery Paz using a flute against a percussive backdrop that hypnotizes my attention. The drums become the sole rhythm section and the flute flies above the Diaz percussive conversation like a happy bird.  I am intrigued. Clearly, Román Díaz is a master percussionist.  Joining talents, he and veteran drummer Francisco Mela explore beyond the Cuban musical structure that they are both quite familiar with, to offer us their own personal improvisations.  They support the talents of bandleader, Hery Paz in a most unique and insightful way, using their sixth senses to accompany and bolster each other in a totally unique trio presentation. This is ritual music and imaginative improvisation that boldly paints a colorful platform of brilliant music.  Paz himself is not only a New York-based Cuban multi-instrumentalist, he is also a visual artist. Paz has created the artwork for this album. How brave, bold, and powerful to present an entire album with only wind instruments and percussion.  On track #4, Hery Paz sits at the piano and invites Roman Diaz to lend his Spanish spoken word to the mix. This album “Jardineros” is proudly a testament to freedom and a poetic declaration.  In Spanish, the word ‘jardineros’ refers to gardeners.  Surely, Hery Paz is planting a rich, delicious, garden of melodies and rhythms that wet our creative palate and stretch our taste buds to the outer limits of our imagination. This music is exciting!

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MIKE DIRUBBO – “INNER LIGHT”  – Independent Label

Mike DiRubbo, alto saxophone/composer/arranger; Brian Charette, Hammond B3 organ; Andrew Renfroe, guitar; Jungkuk Kim, drums.

This is a smokin’ hot band that features composer, arranger Mike Dirubbo on alto saxophone with Brian Charette sparkling on the Hammond B3 organ. The opening tune is propelled ahead by Jungkuk Kim on drums, while DiRubbo and Andrew Renfroe perform a conversation between saxophone and guitar that is quite spectacular.  It’s like the two instruments are trading fours, with Charette’s power-playing on the organ supporting the improvised musical dialog. When Jungkuk Kim breaks free and solos on trap drums, it’s quite spectacular. This is a great way to set the pace and establish the tone for this album.  The excitement and energy is compacted into the musical arrangement for the this tune called, “JK in NYC”

The next track is quite funky with Mike’s alto saxophone taking stage-center and blowing the roof off the place.  This original Dirubbo tune is titled Scrollin’ and Trollin’. It quickly became another one of my favorites. The tune “Bethune Street” is Straight-ahead and once the melody is established, these players swing non-stop. I find each composition well-produced with strong melody lines.  Another favorite of mine was “The Moment Before Sunrise.”  Andrew Renfroe’s guitar solo is stellar, but it’s Mike Dirubbo who brings fire to the tune, with shades of Coltrane inspiration.  Speaking of Coltrane, the group does include a Coltrane composition in this album repertoire; “Straight Street.”  The only other ‘cover’ they play is Jerome Kern’s “Dearly Beloved” that closes this album with a bang!  Here is an ensemble that is full of spark and spunk, Straight-ahead and funk.  Fasten your seatbelt!

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ANTOINE DRYE – “RETREAT TO BEAUTY” WITH STRINGS – Cellar Music Group

Antoine Drye, solo trumpet/composer; Isaac Raz, orchestrator; Sullivan Fortner & Isaac Roz, piano; Ben Wolf, bass; Donald Edwards, drums; David Bertrand & Myron Walden, flute; John Ellis, clarinet/bass clarinet; Charlie Porter, trumpet; Willie Applewhite & David Gibson, trombone; Patrick Milando & Alexandra Cook, French horn; Becca Patterson, tuba; Christina Courtin & Trina Basu, violins; Marika Hughes, cello; Jessica Troy, viola; Brandi Disterheft, bass (orchestral parts & ‘Send in the Clowns’); Kim Kimistri Kalesti, lead vocal; AC Lincoln, background vocals; Vendie Curtis Hall, Sebastian Stoller, & David Stoller, actors/spoken word.

This is one of the most gorgeous albums I have heard in the year twenty-twenty-three.  Antoine Drye absolutely blew my mind with the power and beauty of his trumpet and with the orchestration and arrangements on these lovely songs.  The innocent voice of a child opens the album, asking their father, “Where are we going, daddy?”  On the original composition, “Dada Takes Lilykenz to a Show!” her father explains they are going to hear Louis Armstrong in concert.  The song unravels with a melody soft and warm as yarn.  After hearing it a few times, I want to hum along with it.  That’s the sign of a well-written composition.  Antoine Drye offers us his talents on trumpet, like a beautifully wrapped Christmas present.  The second track, titled “37,” is just as lovely as the first song. This one is a ballad.  The orchestrator of this awesome music is Isaac Roz. In the liner notes he explained the premise for this enjoyable album.

“Antoine Drye and I have strived to preserve the classic style of landmark, orchestral recordings by iconic instrumentalists in Black American Music, like Clifford Brown, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderley, and Charlie Parker, while at the same time adding new and original melodies we hope will be perceived as a natural extension and continuation of the style as a living creative framework, and not just a conserved legacy,” Isaac Raz wrote.

You clearly hear this perception on their rendition of “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South.” Track #6 is another Drye original composition called, “Oblation.”  Antoine Drye has a smooth as oil-on-glass trumpet sound. Not only is his technique stellar, but his composition style sparkles.  Sullivan Fortner always brings fresh piano perspectives and mad skills to each project where he is featured. This album project is no exception.  I enjoyed his solo on “Oblation,” a title that means the act of offering, as in a spiritual/religious manner.

A haunting song called “The Peacocks” (that is one of my favorite J. Rowles compositions) is handled with tenderness by Drye’s horn. I would be less than competent if I failed to also acknowledge the beauty of the string section.  They add bliss and beauty to this production.

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JOSH SINTON – “COULOIR & BOOK OF PRACTITIONERS VOL. 2 – BOOK W.” – FIP Recordings

Josh Sinton, baritone saxophone.

On January 12 of 2024, Josh Sinto will release this unique production to the world.  It’s a double set recording of solo baritone saxophone, presented in two parts. The first is “Couloir” that offers fifteen, short, distilled, improvisational pieces.

“It was a bit of a high-wire act for me in that I’m not sure the world needs yet another solo-saxophone, all-improvised album.  But I couldn’t resist the challenge of thinking out loud musically,” Sinton is quoted in his press kit.

I found myself grateful for the silent space in between excerpts of Sinton’s improvisational excursions. He would play a phrase of music and then seemingly pause to await my two-second comment or exclamation.  Thankfully, he didn’t always try to fill every second of silence with sound or attack my ears like a heavy storm wind.  Instead, Josh pauses now and then, to balance his musical improv with stillness.  This is quite evident during his composition called “Scree,” that reminds me of an insect flying about my head.  The tone is almost like a giant fly you want to swat away from circling your space. How does he make the baritone sax sound like that, I wonder? 

This is quite different from his opening tune called “Rift” that dances freely and melodically across my listening room.  Clearly, Josh Sinton is searching for some sound canvas to paint his “Couloir” pictures upon. The meaning of couloir is a corridor or passage. On his musical path, Sinton seems to investigate or explore the abilities of his baritone saxophone with improvisational phrases.  He paints stories with his horn, using personal imagination and creative expression.  Surprisingly, Track #2 sounds more like elephants in the deep of some African jungle than a jazz instrument. Some songs seem to explicitly resound with anger as notes rough-and-tumble from my CD player, like wrestlers in battle.  This is true of Track #5 named “Talus.”

Unfortunately, after so many solo bites of the baritone saxophone, I find myself losing interest.  Even though each short song is completely different, showing off the vast range that this baritone saxophone has, especially during the song “Thrutch,” where Sinton’s technique squeals and screeches. I had no idea the baritone horn could play at such a high pitch. Honestly, I prefer its deep, lovely tone. Just as I’m about to remove the album from my player, I’m captured by the song “Arroyo,” so I give the project a reprieve.

The second CD in Sinton’s double set,  is more to my liking called “Book of Practitioners Vol. 2.”  On this production, the true tone of the baritone saxophone is celebrated.  This is the tone I’m most enamored with and I listen to the song “Willy-Nilly” dedicated to Ralph Richardson, with quiet interest.  Each of these six songs is inspired by and dedicated to a name you may or may not recognize. For example, “Whoosh” is dedicated to George Orwell and “Whoops” to Peter Sellers.  “Windfall” is dedicated to Jerome E. Kern, and so on.  After a while, each exercise in what the baritone saxophone can technically produce and what imaginative idea Josh Sinton can make come alive on his horn becomes a blur. There is a bit of blues that softens the exercises offered, but at times this project feels narcissistic, leaving room for only an audience of one, the person playing or practicing for his own enjoyment and self-enrichment. 

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ROB SUSMAN – “TOP SECRET LAB” – Sus4music Inc.

Rob Susman, trombone/keyboards/percussion/theremin/composer; Jane Getter, guitar; Dan Asher, bass; Yuichi Hirakawa, drums; Chris Hemingway, alto & soprano saxophones; Stan Killian, tenor saxophone; Maximilian Schweiger, baritone saxophone; Seneca Black & Chris Anderson, trumpet.

If you are looking for a funk album that celebrates horns and groove, “Top Secret Lab” meets those qualifications.  Featuring the trombone of Rob Susman, who has composed five out of the seven songs on this album, the opening tune is titled, “Tastes Like Chicken” and it sets the funky standard for this album. The horns blare like punctuation marks and Jane Getter makes a bold guitar solo statement.  Susman plays with quiet space and time.  This is especially notable on Track #2, “This Time” where his arrangements leave seconds of silence after bright bars of music.  It has a way of pulling the listener’s attention into the moment.  This arrangement also spotlights Rob Susman’s trombone talents.

There is a horn line Susman uses throughout this album that sounds as though royalty is about to enter the room. It’s a horn dynamic that announces some regal king and queen are about to be seated in our presence.  This is particularly evident on the tune, “Erghen Diado.”  Clearly, Rob Susman exposes his witty side during this production, along with his a unique style evident in these arrangements. Sussman earned a degree in Trombone Performance from NYU and taught at that university for three decades.  He also plays piano, percussion and the Theremin. The Theremin is an instrument that you play without touching it. That’s surprising, right?  You will need a lot of self-control to play this electric instrument.  It’s almost a hundred years old and is different from any other instrument I have ever heard or seen played.  I am including an example of it below, where a Theremin master shows how to perform on this unusual instrument.

Notably, Rob Susman is an experimenter in music, composition and arranging. He offers his listening audience a fresh, musical approach to not only his trombone mastery, but his experimentation with pieces of ‘quiet,’ sewn into the quilt of his arrangements, and the use of silence to bolster his melodic fabric pieces.  Susman is not afraid to stitch new instrumentation into his work, (like the Theremin), needling us to stretch our imagination.

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ADAM SCHROEDER & MARK MASTERS – “CT! – A CELEBRATION OF CLARK TERRY” – Capri Records Ltd.

Adam Schroeder, baritone saxophone; Mark Masters, arranger; Peter Erskine, drums; Edwin Livingston, bass; Sal Lozano, alto saxophone; Bob Sheppard, tenor & soprano saxophones; Kirsten Edkins, tenor saxophone; Francisco Torres, lead trombone; Ido Meshulam & Lemar Guillary, trombones; Dan Fornero, lead trumpet; James Ford & Aaron Janik, trumpets.

There is nothing that I love more than the sound of a sexy, sassy baritone saxophone. Enter Adam Schroeder, teaming up with respected arranger, Mark Masters to celebrate the brilliance of jazz trumpeter, Clark Terry.  Schroeder’s original idea was to release this recording on Terry’s 100^th birthday, but the pandemic changed those plans. Consequently, this album will be released January 19, 2024, to tribute Terry’s unforgettable talents.

“I wanted to celebrate what Clark gave to me, and so many others around the globe for decades … musically, educationally, and as a mentor.  He was so giving, while at the same time demanding the utmost respect for the music and its process, and thus demanding that the players and listeners be present and collaborative,” Adam Schroeder explains in his press package. 

The band was carefully hand-picked and includes musicians who each have their own memories of the great Clark Terry.  At the recording session, their stories flew like drops in a rainstorm.

“As the recording got underway in 2023, I was awestruck as each person involved conveyed their own personal reflection, memories of their first encounters of CT, and what he and his musicianship meant to them,” Adam Schroeder recalled the tender, endearing experience.

Every song is a Clark Terry original, and Mark Masters has made sure to deliver on his promise to keep the arrangement ‘all-about-CT’ and drenched in his memorable musical style, inclusive of what Master’s refers to as the ‘sound of surprise.’

“This style of music and this type of record are becoming more and more infrequent.  So, it’s always a joy when great musicians come together to make music, and it only becomes music when they bring the music to life,” arranger Mark Masters reminds us.

From the first swinging notes of “Serenade to a Bus Seat” Schroeder’s baritone sax leaps to the forefront, racing along with the song tempo and grabbing my attention with a strong arm.  Bob Sheppard is prominently featured, and always a joy to hear.  “Ground Hog” is a sultry, bluesy tune where Schroeder once again grabs the center of attention with his baritone saxophone solo, accompanied by the rich, walking bass of Edwin Livingston.  “Ode to Pres” takes off like a Santa Ana racehorse out the gate. Featured soloists are Kirsten Edkins on tenor sax, Ido Meshulam on trombone and smooth Bob Sheppard dancing his saxophone all over the chord changes.  This Mark Masters tune arrangement is full of joy.  Livingston opens “Daylite Express” on his double bass and the horn ensemble pours in sweetly, like icing on top of a bundt cake. Peter Erskine’s tasty drums slap the tempo into place and keep everything solidly in place.  Every composition celebrates the genius of Clark Terry and reflects the master musicianship of these players.  I will play this album frequently.  The release date is January 19, 2024.

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AZAT BAYAZITOV – “EXPECTATIONS” – Independent Label

Azat Bayazitov, tenor, alto & soprano saxophone/composer/arranger; Silvan Joray, guitar; Julia Perminova, piano; Roberto Koch, double bass/electric bass; Janis Jaunalksnis, drums; Max Treutner, clarinet; Domenic Landolf, bass clarinet; Fernando Brox, flute; Emile Delange & Marie Morgane Secula, violins; Ilya Bely, viola; Clara Vedeche, cello.

The sweet sound of Azat Bayazitov’s saxophone relaxes me.  His CD package arrived from Switzerland this week and I am intrigued by this lush production.  Bayazitov has composed and arranged all the music and is surrounded by an A-list of musicians.  They interpret his music with love and light.  The ensemble opens with the title tune.  A very beautiful and melodic composition that features a lovely flute solo by Fernando Brox along with Bayazitov’s very emotional saxophone solo.  This is followed by a ballad titled, “Very New York.”  It surprises me because it’s so pretty and quiet.  For me, New York City is just the opposite of a quiet ballad.  Still, I imagine you can find a quiet space anywhere if you look hard enough within.  This song features Swiss guitarist, Silvan Joray with Siberian pianist, Julia Perminova tinkling the piano in the background.  Bayazitov has gathered together an international group of musicians for this creative project.  During the arrangement, Azat is featured sweetly on soprano saxophone.  For his composition “Be Loose” Azat picks up his tenor saxophone and makes a striking solo statement to open this 24-bar-blues-based tune.  It’s straight ahead until Janis Jaunalksnis taps in with his drums.  Janis is a dynamic Latvian drummer, and he propels this tune forward, adding a touch of Latin and a bit of funk. Jaunalksnis is boldly featured on this Track #3 cut, showing off his chops and technique. Bayazitov’s tune, “Maybe Later” sounds like a prayer.  The strings enter and bring a different color to the musical artistry.

Azat Bayazitov is no newcomer to the jazz scene. In 2014 through 2017, Azat played with impresario Igor Butman’s world-class Moscow Jazz Orchestra.  Soon after, he relocated to NYC, where he soaked up the American jazz experience until March of 2020 when COVID-19 raised its ugly head. Azat’s debut album, “If You Still Trust,” was followed by “The Doors Are Open” in 2019.  Luckily, Azat had applied to Jazzcampus in Switzerland just before COVID struck.  That September, he moved to Basel, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree. 

Born in Russia’s Tatarstan province, Bayazitov took violin lessons beginning at age six.  At age fourteen he became interested in jazz and found a love for the saxophone and a keen interest in self-expression. Bayazitov attended the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow and joined the city’s thriving jazz scene.

You hear his deep love of strings on the “Maybe Later” track, where his horn blends like sugar in hot water with the beautiful string arrangements.  On a song he calls, “Stretching Out” Azat tickles my imagination and I see rainbows stretching like love across the sky.  It’s a busy melody after the arpeggio beginning and gives the pianist a space to explore.  Do I hear a little of John Coltrane’s influence during this composition?  Something about his original composition, “Make Them Friends” reminds me of Yusef Lateef right at the beginning of their arrangement.  It soon spreads out into other realms and gives Domenic Landoff, on bass clarinet, a stage where he can shine. Every song, every arrangement, every instrumentalist brings their best to this project.  I walked away quite impressed with the multi-talents of Azat Bayazitov.  For this master musician, I have great “Expectations!”

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ADA ROVATTI – “THE HIDDEN WORLD OF PILOO” – Piloo Records

Ada Rovatti, soprano, alto, baritone & tenor saxophone/flute/wah wah/composer/arranger; Randy Brecker, trumpet/wah wah/flugelhorn; Simon Oslender, organ/piano; Claus Fischer, bass; Tim Dudek, drums; Café Da Silva, percussion; Meg Okura, violin/string conductor; Tomoko Akaboshi, violin; Judith Insell, viola; Rubin Kodheli, cello; Jeffrey Carey, double bass; Tom Guarna, Guilherme Monteiro, Barry Finnerty, & Dean Brown, guitar; Fay Classen, Niki Haris, Kurt Elling, & Alma Naidu, vocals.

I was excited when I saw that Netherland vocalist, Fay Claassen was singing on Ada Rovatti’s album. Some years ago, I enjoyed Ms. Claassen’s debut album release and was eager to hear her again. The bandleader, Ada Rovatti, is a composer and lyricist, as well as an extraordinary saxophone and flute player. The first instrumental song that opens this album is titled “Make Up Girl” and features Rovatti on soprano saxophone and Randy Brecker on muted trumpet. This album leans more towards the commercial, smooth jazz style. Fay graces Ada’s rangy second tune titled “Hey You (Scintilla of Sonder)” with smooth vocals. Rovatti has included the meaning of scintilla (a spark) in the liner notes and sonder (a profound feeling, realizing that everyone has a life as complex as one’s own.).  This time, Rovatti shows off her skills on tenor saxophone. The artist has composed all the music on this CD.  Her third track is plush with funk and pushes ahead like a freight train driven by the drums of Tim Dudek and colored by the ‘wah wah’ usage. On her original song, “Life Must Go On” vocalist and vocal arranger, Alma Naidu is featured. Ada Rovatti plays tenor, alto and baritone saxophone during this arrangement. She’s proficient and emotional on all of them. Dean Brown’s guitar is outstanding and bluesy.  Simon Oslender’s organ is notable and fattens the funk arrangement. The lyrics reflect a verbal protest targeting climate change, war and racism. You can read her poetic lyrics in the CD jacket. A favorite tune of mine is “Grooveland” where the instrumentalists shine. One thing is perfectly clear.  Ada Rovatti is an awesome saxophonist.  This is her seventh album, scheduled for release January 19, 2024.  Her melodies are challenging, but these great guest vocalists are quite capable.  I enjoyed the blend of Niki Haris and Kurt Elling on the tenth song, “Done Deal.”  Ada Rovatti has contracted the crème de la crème of vocalists and musicians to deliver her original music. On this recording, she continues her unique and individualized path as a woodwind player and untethered composer.

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