About the album/track: Recorded live at the critically acclaimed 2010 Coltrane Anniversary Concert, The John Coltrane Project: Andy Sugg Plays Trane (Downstream Music) documents a very special gathering of musicians coming from as far afield as Turkey and New York, to celebrate a shared inspiration and to create inspired music in turn.
Editor's comments: Sugg achieves a multifaceted sound here, sorta like Andy Sugg covering Alice Coltrane covering John Coltrane. This is more than Andy taking ownership of the song; it's a bit as if he's also tipping his cap to the lineage of musicians who have given their take of Greensleeves. A refreshing interpretation, and the inclusion of guitar is a very nice touch. Jazz from the Melbourne, Australia scene.
About the album/track: The initial motives for "Before I Close My Eyes" were composed on the subway, after which I used the record-listen-continue-repeat method I employed fairly often at the time. The song's album Waltz for Talia is dedicated to my lovely daughter.
Editor's comments: Song has that intoxicating sense of ominous tension even though it could easily be summed up as a pretty tune. It's the same kind of musical duality that I find compelling in many of John Zorn's spiritual-themed compositions. A rainy-day jazz sort of album that could easily fit into the Origin/OA2 label's catalog. Jazz from NYC.
About the album/track: Arrangements by Thomas Bergeron based on the piano music of Claude Debussy. Thomas Bergeron- trumpet/flugelhorn; Dave Veslocki- guitar; Dan Campolieta- rhodes; Samuel Adams- acoustic bass; Charlie Dye- percussion.
Editor's comments: There's an intimacy to this fast-paced tune that evokes the feel of a small club on a Saturday night. Neon beer signs, Christmas lights over the bar, the band crowded into a corner of the room, and a full house listening all night long. Bergeron's trumpet burns heat over the rhodes piano's cool insistence.
About the album/track: Personnel: Marquis Hill (trumpet); Christopher McBride (alto saxophone); Joshua Moshier (piano); John Tate (bass); Jeremy Cunningham (drums).
Editor's comments: Addicted to the hardbop of the sixties and unable to find a foothold in the jazz of the present day? Then this is your track. Enjoyable straight-ahead jazz that sounds fresh and exciting even while it easily could've fit right in between Blue Note releases of Art Blakey and Jimmy Smith decades ago. Too cool. Jazz from the Chicago scene, and one more reason why I miss my hometown.
About the album/track: Jeremy Udden (saxophones/clarinet), Brandon Seabrook (guitar/banjo), Pete Rende (rhodes/pump organ/moog), Eivind Opsvik (bass), and RJ Miller (drums) with special guests Nathan Blehar (guitar/voice), Justin Keller (voice), Will Graefe (guitar).
Editor's comments: Udden's blend of jazz and folk is a sublime joy to hear. His Plainville albums are filled with languid back-porch-on-a-sunny-afternoon tunes. The new album If The Past Seems So Bright has more edge to it than its predecessor Plainville, which brings the satisfaction of hearing the artist stretch out as well as emphasizing just how pretty the quieter tunes are. Just a gorgeous album.
About the album/track: Andreas Ulvo is a Norwegian pianist focusing on composition, improvisation and everything in between. His main projects are Eple Trio and his own solo project, but he has also played with bands and artists such as Mathias Eick Quintet, Solveig Slettahjell Slow Motion Orchestra, Fry Aagre, Shining, Thom Hell and Karl Seglem.
Editor's comments: Uh oh, I think my to-purchase list just got longer. If this track is any indication of the rest of the album, then that's my budget you hear screaming in pain. An ambient piano number with lush electronics and (maybe) a little prepared piano. Absolutely beautiful little lullaby of a tune.
About the album/track: 'Momentum' is from the new album Source Material on Fresh Sound New Talent records from the Mike Baggetta Quartet. Featuring guitarist Mike Baggetta's original music with Jason Rigby on Saxophones, Eivind Opsvik on Bass and George Schuller on Drums.
Editor's comments: Fiery tune from Mike's new album. His inquisitive nature on guitar has developed into a signature sound, something that not every musician can lay claim to. Solid front line to fill out the quartet. Well worth your time to check out this song and the various other songs that Mike offers on AAJ. Jazz from NYC.
About the album/track: A real hot swinging boogie from the live album Bebabaloo with Barbara Dennerlein (Hammond organ, B3 & footpedal bass), Peter Lehel (tenor sax) and Marcel Gustke (drums). Dennerlein plays the typical boogie accompaniment with her left foot using a specially sampled bass sound. Her organ and footpedal bass is equipped with midi-system. By triggering sampler and synthesizers BD has a wide range of sound possibilities.
Editor's comments: Wow! A fiery tune to fight back against the blues. Spirit of the live performance comes through nice and strong. Enjoy!
About the album/track: Sandbox is one of the two tracks on Between The Lines that features two horns. It is a composition written by Dan White that features three distinct sections that each soloist explores differently. Dan White-Saxophone, Chris Ott-Trombone, Angelo Di Loreto-Piano, Danny Zieman-Bass, and John Hubbell-Drums.
Editor's comments: Promising track from White's debut album. Nice straight-ahead jazz, built on a composition that allows the musicians to wander and explore. Jazz from the Columbus, OH scene.
About the album/track: It's a long tune with melodic theme based on three minor chords and with dialogs between cello, clarinet and guitar with the piano. Then there is another theme based on the first play by clarinet and cello.
Personnel: Christophe Pays (guitar); William Hazebrouck (piano); Moullier Line (cello); Olivier Themines (clarinet, bass clarinet).
Editor's comments: A haunting tune full of twists and changes. Ellipse was released a couple years ago but never got the attention that this excellent album deserved. So, today we're featuring a track from it. Should appeal to fans of ECM as well as Bill Frisell's non-Americana compositions. Jazz from the Nantes scene.
About the album/track: "Mercury Heart," the opening track to Nils Petter Molvaer's latest release, Baboon Moon, released in Europe earlier this year on his own Sula imprint, and in North America on November 1, 2011 by Thirsty Ear.
Baboon Moon is the Norwegian trumpeter's first record to feature his now-regular touring trio, featuring Stian Westerhus' groundbreaking and unorthodox approach to guitar, and drummer Erland Dahlen, whose kit is expanded with everything from log and steel drums to bowed saw.
Editor's comments: Known for his jazz experimentalism with electronics and his sparse airy sound, Nils adds to his solid discography with more of what's gained him an avid following. Dark textures, ominous percussion, and wavering sound effects highlight this atmospheric album.
Jonah, LOVE that Molvaer and will check out the whole album - can you suggest any other stuff that sounds like that? (it reminds me a bit of Hidden Orchestra in places)
From the album: Blue Morpho: To Baden Powell With Love by Wataru Uchida
About the album/track: An original tune by Japanese saxophonist, Wataru Uchida. The tune is written with a multi-chord concept that includes intended dissonance, and played in Brazilian rhythm called Bia. Rhythm section players are Helio Alves (piano) , Nilson Matta (bass) , Cafe Da Silva (percussion) , and Ze Mauricio (percussion).
Editor's comments: Even with the firecracker rhythm section, the tune elicits a sense of serenity. Ensemble has a wonderful rapport. Fans of Don Pullen's run on Blue Note should find plenty to like here. A joyful tune that's easy to embrace. Very nice.
About the album/track: For its 21st album, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey reaches into the dark annals of its hometown's history and emerges with the masterwork Race Riot Suite. Written, arranged, and orchestrated by the band's lap steel guitarist Chris Combs, the album is a long-form conceptual piece that tells the devastating story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, which resulted in the death of hundreds of black Tulsans and the destruction of the entire Greenwood city district. With jittery melodies, propulsive rhythms and swirling improvisations, JFJO reflects on one of the least understood atrocities of the Jim Crow-era. On the recording, JFJO's core line-up featuring Brian Haas (piano), Chris Combs (lap steel), Jeff Harshbarger (bass) and Josh Raymer (drums) is supported by a five piece horn section comprised of Steven Bernstein, Jeff Coffin, Peter Apfelbaum, Mark Southerland and Matt Leland.
Editor's comments: An edgy, yet intoxicating sound on this track. Song features a couple members of the old NYC experimental jazz ensemble Kamikaze Ground Crew, if that helps give you a sense of JFJO's deft ability to straddle that crooked line between ominous and whimsical. A song that only sounds strange until the illusion is broken when you find yourself tapping your foot along to it. Wonderful. More, please.
About the album/track: Christmas Gift is the opening track of Patrick Cornelius' latest album Maybe Steps. It's an original composition inspired by the emotional roller coaster he experienced on the day his daughter was born. This performance features Patrick on alto saxophone, Gerald Clayton on piano, Peter Slavov on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums.
Editor's comments: Patrick seems to have a real confidence in his playing and this tune, and the rest of the quartet seems to feed off of it. A nice straight-ahead tune, challenging yet uncomplicated. A nice performance which ends very strong. Jazz from NYC.
About the album/track: Carmen Lundy (vocals), Kenny Kirkland (piano), Rodney Jones (guitar), Curtis Lundy (bass), Victor Lewis (drums), Ricky Ford (tenor sax), and Alex Blake (bass).
Editor's comments: This long out of print album is finally being reissued. A lively bouncing song, Carmen's warm voice leads a stellar ensemble of jazz's finest. Nice straight-ahead jazz vocal goodness.
About the album/track: Ofir Shwartz (Piano), Amitai Ladin (Double bass), Elad Aizikowitz (Drums). "I would like to thank all the great musicians that inspired me to create my own music."
Editor's comments: Piano trio gallops at a swift pace from the opening bass lines. Modern piano trio that remembers how to swing. Catchy tune that should appeal to pretty much everyone. I like this.
About the album/track: The 2008 Latin Grammy Award winners for "Latin Jazz Album of the Year," return with their all-star fueled big band for another powerful recording of dynamic new compositions. With special guests including Dave Samuels and Roberto Quintero, they perform works by Luis Perdomo, Hector Martignon, Dave Samuels, Mike Pope and Vince Norman.
Editor's comments: Warm big band tune from an excellent ensemble. Nothing standard about this composition, which sounds fresh as any jazz being recorded today. I do like what Paquito D'Rivera says about this ensemble, that the mix they've achieved is so balanced you never feel the music is too Latin to be Jazz, or too Jazzy to be Latin.
About the album/track: Robert Kesternich (Piano/Rhodes), Markus Ehrlich (Tenor/Soprano sax), Paul Fox (Drums, Compositions), Maurice Kuehn (Bass), Zacharias Zschenderlein (Guitar).
Editor's comments: A pretty tune with a moody intensity, which goes stronger as the track progresses. Piano and sax are bright rays of sunlight shining through the cloudy skies of rainy day jazz this ensemble expertly creates for the listener. Fans of Brian Blade should definitely grab this. I really enjoy the entire album. Jazz from the Luxembourg scene.
No, I'm simply going to double up on next week's article.
Ironically, as I appear to be one of the silent minority who the site is working for, I was able to get my picks together. But with everything going on there right now, it just seemed best to put everything out next week.
I should warn you, however, that I use the phrase "Highly Recommended" a whole lot in that article, so get ready to spend.
P.S. It couldn't hurt, on the other hand, to pay attention to my posts in the What Are You Listening To? thread over the weekend.
About the album/track: Tenor saxophonist Jasper Blom has been a household name in the Dutch and European jazz scenes for 20 years, and not only because of his two European Jazz Awards, but also his countless studio sessions and live performances, including with Chet Baker, Nat Adderley, and George Duke. Guitarist Jesse van Ruller was the first European winner of the American Monk Award. Bassist Frans van der Hoeven, who can be heard on more than 75 albums. Martijn Vink is one of the most requested drummers in Europe. The Jasper Blom Quartet have been playing together for more than 15 years. Commenting on their recently released second album Dexterity, Jasper says, "I want to make ten albums with this band in the years ahead. It is an honor to play my music with these musicians!"
Editor's comments: Blinding notes like artillery fire, with a subtle groove shifting just below the surface. Recalls some of Misha Mengelberg's sound, but where Misha would shoot rapid patternless jabs at the ear, Blom comes out with the body blows. The effect does, in fact, create a sense of breathlessness... not so much fun in the ring, but sitting back and listening on a stereo, extremely fun. Nice stuff here.
About the album/track: On Sketches, Amina and company revel in a rich and varied program. The album concentrates, though, on the central aspect of her stylistic grasp, which extends from avant-garde experiments (as in "September Suite", reflecting her shock and sadness at terrorist attacks on American soil) to multi-keyboard fusion-oriented funk (on "Another Me"). Always, her compositions are infused with grace, color and warmth, her solos with confident wit and her fellow musicians' contributions with passionate originality.
Editor's comments: What a joyous tune. An excellent example of how jazz can simultaneously be both traditional and fresh. There is no doubting that this song is jazz pure and simple, and despite its recognition of where the music form has come from, Amina's ensemble finds a way to find its own voice to express it. Excellent.
About the album/track:
Who is the most famous trumpet player in the Netherlands? Nine times out of ten, the answer you'll get is Eric Vloeimans. Which is no wonder, because Vloeimans combines the beauty of his playing with an energy that has allowed him to appear on about 60 of his colleague's albums, plus the ten of his own. He currently plays with his groups: the acoustic trio Fugimundi and the electric Gatecrash. Along with keyboardist Jeroen van Vliet, bassist Gulli Gudmundsson, and drummer Jasper van Hulten from super soft to blaringly loud, but always from the heart, and with a feeling for melody. With Gatecrash, Vloeimans has managed to add his fourth Edison Award to a growing collection of accolades. As Eric Vloeimans says, "My ideas about making music are instinctively felt by the other fantastic members of this group, and that basically allows us to play each other."
Editor's comments:
Atmospheric piece, with a trumpet soaring over wispy electric clouds. Just beautiful. Fans of Nils Petter Molvaer or ECM's Jacob Young should take note... this is music for you.
About the album/track:
Pianist Harmen Fraanje is open to many different kinds of music, which he always irrepressibly translates into his own vocabulary. So it's for good reason that Fraanje appeared at DJWM 2010 with his Avalonia Trio, because the pianist feels so comfortable with drummer Flin van Hemmen and bassist Clemens van der Feen. The result is a kind of group improvisation that is as magnificent as it is elegant and spatial. Consider as well the recently released album Avalonia. Michael Moore (sax, clarinet) often joins as a guest performer. According to Harmen, "The Avalonia Trio is a huge playground for us, where we can romp and mess about, in ripped-up clothes, and where nothing can spoil the fun."
Editor's comments:
Haunting tune. But where the trio creates a delicate yet foreboding sense of danger, the clarinet is a ray of hope that everything will turn out okay in the end. Very nice listen. This is the kind of track that makes me want to hear more.
About the album/track:
Saxophonist Ephraim Trujillo, bassist Jerome Vierdag, drummer Martijn Vink, and guitarist Anton Goudsmit played together for the first time in 2005, but officially named themselves The Ploctones two years later during a concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Goudsmit, the quartet's composer, is the most recent winner of the prestigious VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize, and was also voted by his fellow musicians as the best pop guitarist in the Netherlands in 2010. This explosive quartet demolishes musical borders, as they swing, whoosh, fly, move, vibrate, bang, and crack. Their new album 3.2.1. was released in April 2011.
Editor's comments:
A nice tune that's just the right amount of frantic and has just the right amount of bounce. I believe that most reviewers, when faced with a nifty little groove like the Ploctones have going on here, employ the word 'infectious' to describe the addictive effect the music has in making the foot tap and the body shake. Consider yourself warned; this song is catchy.
About the album/track:
Alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman is perhaps the most important and certainly one of the most enterprising Dutch jazz musicians of the time. As the co-founder of New Cool Collective (1993) and the leader of several of his own combos, he has built up an impressive catalog. This has rightly resulted in several awards, including the 2006 VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize. He has worked with Stan Tracey, Larry Goldings, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Idris Muhammad, as well as crossing genre lines to collaborate. But, as he explains, "I see myself mainly as a jazz musician. This is the music that I've always studied, and that I always wanted to be able to play. And I'm still learning and studying!" In his quartet Anton Goudsmit plays piano, Ernst Glerum plays bass, and Joost Patocka plays drums.
Editor's comments:
Wonderful! Tune burns a trail right through the speakers. So modern, yet so vividly recalls the jazz-rock of the sixties... R&B riffs that swing, baby, swing. I hear a song like this, I can't stop smiling. No way to walk away from the tune and not be in a great mood. Enjoy!
About the album/track:
Personnel: Simin Tander (vocals); Jeroen van Vliet (piano & electronics); Etienne Nillesen (drums); Cord Heineking (bass).
This Netherlands-based singer represents a new sound in the Dutch jazz landscape: mysterious, narrative, soft and beautiful, yet also humorous, powerful, and even edgy. Fresh off a training opportunity with azz icon Sheila Jordan in New York, Tander was featured on the soundtrack of the German cult movie Tatort and in the television series Der Kriminalist, and has already done many shows in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and was awarded the Young VIP tour in 2010. Her debut album Wagma was released in March 2011. As Simin puts it: "Finally! With this album, I'm able to express what I can't capture in words."
Editor's comments:
Alluring song. A straight-ahead piano trio, but Tander's voice turns it into something more than just a conventional trio sound. A little bit of tension, a little bit of drama, and plenty of warmth. The kind of track that makes me sure she'd be a great act to check out live. Nice.
About the album/track:
Long Pair Bond is the title track from the new trio album by Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs, which marks her move home after spending over a decade in Brooklyn playing mostly in quartets with saxophonists like Tony Malaby, Loren Stillman and Ohad Talmor. Here her disposition is clearly more Scandinavian. With the trio format comes more space and there is an overall serenity to the album which, like her homeland, is disturbed from time to time by unbridled energy bubbling up under the surface. Sunna Gunnlaugs (piano), orgrmur Jnsson (bass), and Scott McLemore (drums).
Editor's comments:
Wow, wow, WOW! So damn pretty. This song has the restrained ambiance of a typical ECM-label piano trio, but with the buoyant soulfulness that makes Keith Jarrett's 70's American Quartet such a joy to listen to. Highly recommended.
Comments
Song = "Greensleeves", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6789
About the album/track: Recorded live at the critically acclaimed 2010 Coltrane Anniversary Concert, The John Coltrane Project: Andy Sugg Plays Trane (Downstream Music) documents a very special gathering of musicians coming from as far afield as Turkey and New York, to celebrate a shared inspiration and to create inspired music in turn.
Editor's comments: Sugg achieves a multifaceted sound here, sorta like Andy Sugg covering Alice Coltrane covering John Coltrane. This is more than Andy taking ownership of the song; it's a bit as if he's also tipping his cap to the lineage of musicians who have given their take of Greensleeves. A refreshing interpretation, and the inclusion of guitar is a very nice touch. Jazz from the Melbourne, Australia scene.
This really is a cool tune.
Song = "Before I Close My Eyes", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6779
About the album/track: The initial motives for "Before I Close My Eyes" were composed on the subway, after which I used the record-listen-continue-repeat method I employed fairly often at the time. The song's album Waltz for Talia is dedicated to my lovely daughter.
Editor's comments: Song has that intoxicating sense of ominous tension even though it could easily be summed up as a pretty tune. It's the same kind of musical duality that I find compelling in many of John Zorn's spiritual-themed compositions. A rainy-day jazz sort of album that could easily fit into the Origin/OA2 label's catalog. Jazz from NYC.
Song = "The City", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6645
About the album/track: Arrangements by Thomas Bergeron based on the piano music of Claude Debussy. Thomas Bergeron- trumpet/flugelhorn; Dave Veslocki- guitar; Dan Campolieta- rhodes; Samuel Adams- acoustic bass; Charlie Dye- percussion.
Editor's comments: There's an intimacy to this fast-paced tune that evokes the feel of a small club on a Saturday night. Neon beer signs, Christmas lights over the bar, the band crowded into a corner of the room, and a full house listening all night long. Bergeron's trumpet burns heat over the rhodes piano's cool insistence.
I'm just gonna post one today, this one...
Today's featured free track is from Marquis Hill's great new album New Gospel...
Song = "Portrait of Lola", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6926
About the album/track: Personnel: Marquis Hill (trumpet); Christopher McBride (alto saxophone); Joshua Moshier (piano); John Tate (bass); Jeremy Cunningham (drums).
Editor's comments: Addicted to the hardbop of the sixties and unable to find a foothold in the jazz of the present day? Then this is your track. Enjoyable straight-ahead jazz that sounds fresh and exciting even while it easily could've fit right in between Blue Note releases of Art Blakey and Jimmy Smith decades ago. Too cool. Jazz from the Chicago scene, and one more reason why I miss my hometown.
Song = "Bovina", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6975
About the album/track: Jeremy Udden (saxophones/clarinet), Brandon Seabrook (guitar/banjo), Pete Rende (rhodes/pump organ/moog), Eivind Opsvik (bass), and RJ Miller (drums) with special guests Nathan Blehar (guitar/voice), Justin Keller (voice), Will Graefe (guitar).
Editor's comments: Udden's blend of jazz and folk is a sublime joy to hear. His Plainville albums are filled with languid back-porch-on-a-sunny-afternoon tunes. The new album If The Past Seems So Bright has more edge to it than its predecessor Plainville, which brings the satisfaction of hearing the artist stretch out as well as emphasizing just how pretty the quieter tunes are. Just a gorgeous album.
Song = "Choral", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6981
About the album/track: Andreas Ulvo is a Norwegian pianist focusing on composition, improvisation and everything in between. His main projects are Eple Trio and his own solo project, but he has also played with bands and artists such as Mathias Eick Quintet, Solveig Slettahjell Slow Motion Orchestra, Fry Aagre, Shining, Thom Hell and Karl Seglem.
Editor's comments: Uh oh, I think my to-purchase list just got longer. If this track is any indication of the rest of the album, then that's my budget you hear screaming in pain. An ambient piano number with lush electronics and (maybe) a little prepared piano. Absolutely beautiful little lullaby of a tune.
Not available at emusic.
Song = "Momentum", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6859
About the album/track: 'Momentum' is from the new album Source Material on Fresh Sound New Talent records from the Mike Baggetta Quartet. Featuring guitarist Mike Baggetta's original music with Jason Rigby on Saxophones, Eivind Opsvik on Bass and George Schuller on Drums.
Editor's comments: Fiery tune from Mike's new album. His inquisitive nature on guitar has developed into a signature sound, something that not every musician can lay claim to. Solid front line to fill out the quartet. Well worth your time to check out this song and the various other songs that Mike offers on AAJ. Jazz from NYC.
Song = "Organ Boogie", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6873
About the album/track: A real hot swinging boogie from the live album Bebabaloo with Barbara Dennerlein (Hammond organ, B3 & footpedal bass), Peter Lehel (tenor sax) and Marcel Gustke (drums). Dennerlein plays the typical boogie accompaniment with her left foot using a specially sampled bass sound. Her organ and footpedal bass is equipped with midi-system. By triggering sampler and synthesizers BD has a wide range of sound possibilities.
Editor's comments: Wow! A fiery tune to fight back against the blues. Spirit of the live performance comes through nice and strong. Enjoy!
Song = "Sandbox", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6861
About the album/track: Sandbox is one of the two tracks on Between The Lines that features two horns. It is a composition written by Dan White that features three distinct sections that each soloist explores differently. Dan White-Saxophone, Chris Ott-Trombone, Angelo Di Loreto-Piano, Danny Zieman-Bass, and John Hubbell-Drums.
Editor's comments: Promising track from White's debut album. Nice straight-ahead jazz, built on a composition that allows the musicians to wander and explore. Jazz from the Columbus, OH scene.
Song = "Maria e Mario", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6908
About the album/track: It's a long tune with melodic theme based on three minor chords and with dialogs between cello, clarinet and guitar with the piano. Then there is another theme based on the first play by clarinet and cello.
Personnel: Christophe Pays (guitar); William Hazebrouck (piano); Moullier Line (cello); Olivier Themines (clarinet, bass clarinet).
Editor's comments: A haunting tune full of twists and changes. Ellipse was released a couple years ago but never got the attention that this excellent album deserved. So, today we're featuring a track from it. Should appeal to fans of ECM as well as Bill Frisell's non-Americana compositions. Jazz from the Nantes scene.
Song = "Mercury Heart", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6991
About the album/track: "Mercury Heart," the opening track to Nils Petter Molvaer's latest release, Baboon Moon, released in Europe earlier this year on his own Sula imprint, and in North America on November 1, 2011 by Thirsty Ear.
Baboon Moon is the Norwegian trumpeter's first record to feature his now-regular touring trio, featuring Stian Westerhus' groundbreaking and unorthodox approach to guitar, and drummer Erland Dahlen, whose kit is expanded with everything from log and steel drums to bowed saw.
Editor's comments: Known for his jazz experimentalism with electronics and his sparse airy sound, Nils adds to his solid discography with more of what's gained him an avid following. Dark textures, ominous percussion, and wavering sound effects highlight this atmospheric album.
Album can be purchased on emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/Nils-Petter-Molvaer-Baboon-Moon-MP3-Download/12899047.html:
I'll get you a couple names this weekend, when I finally get a chance to take a breath. Been a busy week.
Today's featured free track is from Wataru Uchida's new album Blue Morpho: To Baden Powell With Love by Wataru Uchida...
Song = "Blue Morpho", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6832
From the album: Blue Morpho: To Baden Powell With Love by Wataru Uchida
About the album/track: An original tune by Japanese saxophonist, Wataru Uchida. The tune is written with a multi-chord concept that includes intended dissonance, and played in Brazilian rhythm called Bia. Rhythm section players are Helio Alves (piano) , Nilson Matta (bass) , Cafe Da Silva (percussion) , and Ze Mauricio (percussion).
Editor's comments: Even with the firecracker rhythm section, the tune elicits a sense of serenity. Ensemble has a wonderful rapport. Fans of Don Pullen's run on Blue Note should find plenty to like here. A joyful tune that's easy to embrace. Very nice.
Song = "Lost in the Battle for Greenwood", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7045
About the album/track: For its 21st album, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey reaches into the dark annals of its hometown's history and emerges with the masterwork Race Riot Suite. Written, arranged, and orchestrated by the band's lap steel guitarist Chris Combs, the album is a long-form conceptual piece that tells the devastating story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, which resulted in the death of hundreds of black Tulsans and the destruction of the entire Greenwood city district. With jittery melodies, propulsive rhythms and swirling improvisations, JFJO reflects on one of the least understood atrocities of the Jim Crow-era. On the recording, JFJO's core line-up featuring Brian Haas (piano), Chris Combs (lap steel), Jeff Harshbarger (bass) and Josh Raymer (drums) is supported by a five piece horn section comprised of Steven Bernstein, Jeff Coffin, Peter Apfelbaum, Mark Southerland and Matt Leland.
Editor's comments: An edgy, yet intoxicating sound on this track. Song features a couple members of the old NYC experimental jazz ensemble Kamikaze Ground Crew, if that helps give you a sense of JFJO's deft ability to straddle that crooked line between ominous and whimsical. A song that only sounds strange until the illusion is broken when you find yourself tapping your foot along to it. Wonderful. More, please.
Song = "Christmas Gift", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6903
About the album/track: Christmas Gift is the opening track of Patrick Cornelius' latest album Maybe Steps. It's an original composition inspired by the emotional roller coaster he experienced on the day his daughter was born. This performance features Patrick on alto saxophone, Gerald Clayton on piano, Peter Slavov on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums.
Editor's comments: Patrick seems to have a real confidence in his playing and this tune, and the rest of the quartet seems to feed off of it. A nice straight-ahead tune, challenging yet uncomplicated. A nice performance which ends very strong. Jazz from NYC.
Song = "My Shining Hour", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6947
About the album/track: Carmen Lundy (vocals), Kenny Kirkland (piano), Rodney Jones (guitar), Curtis Lundy (bass), Victor Lewis (drums), Ricky Ford (tenor sax), and Alex Blake (bass).
Editor's comments: This long out of print album is finally being reissued. A lively bouncing song, Carmen's warm voice leads a stellar ensemble of jazz's finest. Nice straight-ahead jazz vocal goodness.
The album can be purchases from emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/carmen-lundy/night-and-day/12879841/:
Song = "Meaning of Life," which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6691
About the album/track: Ofir Shwartz (Piano), Amitai Ladin (Double bass), Elad Aizikowitz (Drums). "I would like to thank all the great musicians that inspired me to create my own music."
Editor's comments: Piano trio gallops at a swift pace from the opening bass lines. Modern piano trio that remembers how to swing. Catchy tune that should appeal to pretty much everyone. I like this.
The album can be purchased from emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/ofir-shwartz-trio/earlier-in-time/11961465/:
Song = "The Gathering", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6847
About the album/track: The 2008 Latin Grammy Award winners for "Latin Jazz Album of the Year," return with their all-star fueled big band for another powerful recording of dynamic new compositions. With special guests including Dave Samuels and Roberto Quintero, they perform works by Luis Perdomo, Hector Martignon, Dave Samuels, Mike Pope and Vince Norman.
Editor's comments: Warm big band tune from an excellent ensemble. Nothing standard about this composition, which sounds fresh as any jazz being recorded today. I do like what Paquito D'Rivera says about this ensemble, that the mix they've achieved is so balanced you never feel the music is too Latin to be Jazz, or too Jazzy to be Latin.
The album can be purchased from emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/afro-bop-alliance/una-mas/12805486/:
The song is the title track, and can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6933
About the album/track: Robert Kesternich (Piano/Rhodes), Markus Ehrlich (Tenor/Soprano sax), Paul Fox (Drums, Compositions), Maurice Kuehn (Bass), Zacharias Zschenderlein (Guitar).
Editor's comments: A pretty tune with a moody intensity, which goes stronger as the track progresses. Piano and sax are bright rays of sunlight shining through the cloudy skies of rainy day jazz this ensemble expertly creates for the listener. Fans of Brian Blade should definitely grab this. I really enjoy the entire album. Jazz from the Luxembourg scene.
The album can be purchased from emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/paul-fox-collective/submerging-emerging/12683653/:
Ironically, as I appear to be one of the silent minority who the site is working for, I was able to get my picks together. But with everything going on there right now, it just seemed best to put everything out next week.
I should warn you, however, that I use the phrase "Highly Recommended" a whole lot in that article, so get ready to spend.
P.S. It couldn't hurt, on the other hand, to pay attention to my posts in the What Are You Listening To? thread over the weekend.
Cheers.
Song = "Knor", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7071
About the album/track: Tenor saxophonist Jasper Blom has been a household name in the Dutch and European jazz scenes for 20 years, and not only because of his two European Jazz Awards, but also his countless studio sessions and live performances, including with Chet Baker, Nat Adderley, and George Duke. Guitarist Jesse van Ruller was the first European winner of the American Monk Award. Bassist Frans van der Hoeven, who can be heard on more than 75 albums. Martijn Vink is one of the most requested drummers in Europe. The Jasper Blom Quartet have been playing together for more than 15 years. Commenting on their recently released second album Dexterity, Jasper says, "I want to make ten albums with this band in the years ahead. It is an honor to play my music with these musicians!"
Editor's comments: Blinding notes like artillery fire, with a subtle groove shifting just below the surface. Recalls some of Misha Mengelberg's sound, but where Misha would shoot rapid patternless jabs at the ear, Blom comes out with the body blows. The effect does, in fact, create a sense of breathlessness... not so much fun in the ring, but sitting back and listening on a stereo, extremely fun. Nice stuff here.
Album can be purchased on emusic here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/jasper-blom-quartet/dexterity/12357664/:
Song = "Whotsot", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7069
About the album/track: On Sketches, Amina and company revel in a rich and varied program. The album concentrates, though, on the central aspect of her stylistic grasp, which extends from avant-garde experiments (as in "September Suite", reflecting her shock and sadness at terrorist attacks on American soil) to multi-keyboard fusion-oriented funk (on "Another Me"). Always, her compositions are infused with grace, color and warmth, her solos with confident wit and her fellow musicians' contributions with passionate originality.
Personnel: Amina Figarova (piano), Bart Platteau (flutes), Ernie Hammes (trumpet), Marc Mommaas (tenor sax), Jeroen Vierdag (bass), Chris "Buckshot" Strik (drums).
Editor's comments: What a joyous tune. An excellent example of how jazz can simultaneously be both traditional and fresh. There is no doubting that this song is jazz pure and simple, and despite its recognition of where the music form has come from, Amina's ensemble finds a way to find its own voice to express it. Excellent.
The album can be purchased on emusic here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/amina-figarova/sketches/12279590/:
Song = "Orbit", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7075
About the album/track:
Who is the most famous trumpet player in the Netherlands? Nine times out of ten, the answer you'll get is Eric Vloeimans. Which is no wonder, because Vloeimans combines the beauty of his playing with an energy that has allowed him to appear on about 60 of his colleague's albums, plus the ten of his own. He currently plays with his groups: the acoustic trio Fugimundi and the electric Gatecrash. Along with keyboardist Jeroen van Vliet, bassist Gulli Gudmundsson, and drummer Jasper van Hulten from super soft to blaringly loud, but always from the heart, and with a feeling for melody. With Gatecrash, Vloeimans has managed to add his fourth Edison Award to a growing collection of accolades. As Eric Vloeimans says, "My ideas about making music are instinctively felt by the other fantastic members of this group, and that basically allows us to play each other."
Editor's comments:
Atmospheric piece, with a trumpet soaring over wispy electric clouds. Just beautiful. Fans of Nils Petter Molvaer or ECM's Jacob Young should take note... this is music for you.
The album can be purchased on emusic here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/eric-vloeimans-gatecrash/heavens-above/11617072/:
Song = "Six Weeks", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7073
About the album/track:
Pianist Harmen Fraanje is open to many different kinds of music, which he always irrepressibly translates into his own vocabulary. So it's for good reason that Fraanje appeared at DJWM 2010 with his Avalonia Trio, because the pianist feels so comfortable with drummer Flin van Hemmen and bassist Clemens van der Feen. The result is a kind of group improvisation that is as magnificent as it is elegant and spatial. Consider as well the recently released album Avalonia. Michael Moore (sax, clarinet) often joins as a guest performer. According to Harmen, "The Avalonia Trio is a huge playground for us, where we can romp and mess about, in ripped-up clothes, and where nothing can spoil the fun."
Editor's comments:
Haunting tune. But where the trio creates a delicate yet foreboding sense of danger, the clarinet is a ray of hope that everything will turn out okay in the end. Very nice listen. This is the kind of track that makes me want to hear more.
The album can be purchased from emusic here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/harmen-fraanje-trio/avalonia/11905239/:
Song = "Rrrita", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7070
About the album/track:
Saxophonist Ephraim Trujillo, bassist Jerome Vierdag, drummer Martijn Vink, and guitarist Anton Goudsmit played together for the first time in 2005, but officially named themselves The Ploctones two years later during a concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Goudsmit, the quartet's composer, is the most recent winner of the prestigious VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize, and was also voted by his fellow musicians as the best pop guitarist in the Netherlands in 2010. This explosive quartet demolishes musical borders, as they swing, whoosh, fly, move, vibrate, bang, and crack. Their new album 3.2.1. was released in April 2011.
Editor's comments:
A nice tune that's just the right amount of frantic and has just the right amount of bounce. I believe that most reviewers, when faced with a nifty little groove like the Ploctones have going on here, employ the word 'infectious' to describe the addictive effect the music has in making the foot tap and the body shake. Consider yourself warned; this song is catchy.
The album can be purchased on emu here...
http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/the-ploctones/050/11435550/:
Song = "Brozziman", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7072
About the album/track:
Alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman is perhaps the most important and certainly one of the most enterprising Dutch jazz musicians of the time. As the co-founder of New Cool Collective (1993) and the leader of several of his own combos, he has built up an impressive catalog. This has rightly resulted in several awards, including the 2006 VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize. He has worked with Stan Tracey, Larry Goldings, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Idris Muhammad, as well as crossing genre lines to collaborate. But, as he explains, "I see myself mainly as a jazz musician. This is the music that I've always studied, and that I always wanted to be able to play. And I'm still learning and studying!" In his quartet Anton Goudsmit plays piano, Ernst Glerum plays bass, and Joost Patocka plays drums.
Editor's comments:
Wonderful! Tune burns a trail right through the speakers. So modern, yet so vividly recalls the jazz-rock of the sixties... R&B riffs that swing, baby, swing. I hear a song like this, I can't stop smiling. No way to walk away from the tune and not be in a great mood. Enjoy!
Song = "Becoming", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7074
About the album/track:
Personnel: Simin Tander (vocals); Jeroen van Vliet (piano & electronics); Etienne Nillesen (drums); Cord Heineking (bass).
This Netherlands-based singer represents a new sound in the Dutch jazz landscape: mysterious, narrative, soft and beautiful, yet also humorous, powerful, and even edgy. Fresh off a training opportunity with azz icon Sheila Jordan in New York, Tander was featured on the soundtrack of the German cult movie Tatort and in the television series Der Kriminalist, and has already done many shows in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and was awarded the Young VIP tour in 2010. Her debut album Wagma was released in March 2011. As Simin puts it: "Finally! With this album, I'm able to express what I can't capture in words."
Editor's comments:
Alluring song. A straight-ahead piano trio, but Tander's voice turns it into something more than just a conventional trio sound. A little bit of tension, a little bit of drama, and plenty of warmth. The kind of track that makes me sure she'd be a great act to check out live. Nice.
Song = "Long Pair Bond", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=7097
About the album/track:
Long Pair Bond is the title track from the new trio album by Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs, which marks her move home after spending over a decade in Brooklyn playing mostly in quartets with saxophonists like Tony Malaby, Loren Stillman and Ohad Talmor. Here her disposition is clearly more Scandinavian. With the trio format comes more space and there is an overall serenity to the album which, like her homeland, is disturbed from time to time by unbridled energy bubbling up under the surface. Sunna Gunnlaugs (piano), orgrmur Jnsson (bass), and Scott McLemore (drums).
Editor's comments:
Wow, wow, WOW! So damn pretty. This song has the restrained ambiance of a typical ECM-label piano trio, but with the buoyant soulfulness that makes Keith Jarrett's 70's American Quartet such a joy to listen to. Highly recommended.
-Benjamin Herman
-Simin Tander
-Sunna Gunnlaugs
That'll get you current since the last time I updated.
Cheers.