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Jazz
Recordings and Events of 2003
By Jeff Cebulski It is impossible to adequately review the (true) plethora of jazz CD’s that are released in the space of twelve months. Jazz releases defy logic; the vast majority of them do not sell well, and “well” means 50,000 copies. Still, the industry is upheld by independent labels that work hard to keep the music going, while the major labels bolster sales by re-releasing remastered older material and by pushing new, middle road music to a bourgeois public. People like me do not get promo copies easily; we have to scratch through radio station libraries or purchase CD’s from used stock that is not supposed to be on salethank you Disc Go Roundor scrounge through ebay lists. Fortunately this year, a few albums were worth purchasing and some other good ones filtered through to me. Three of thoseSweet Science by the Larry Goldings Trio; Oh by Scolohofo (John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland, and Al Foster); and Up For It by Keith Jarrett and his triohave been reviewed for the Tollbooth. Other comments commence below: Tactiles, Liberty Ellman, Pi Recordings This CD was stuck in the radio station stacks until I noticed Mr. Ellman’s friends: saxophonists Oreg Osby and Mark Shim, bassist Stephen Crump, and drummer Eric Harland. Once in the player, the listener is surprised to hear most everyone except Ellman, who patiently waits for his mates to register the proper tone, harmony, and (sometimes) melody before rising into the middle channel to advance clear, understated solos that recall some of Scofield’s quieter material when he played in a quartet with Lovano and much of John Abercrombie’s ECM nuances. Shim is an emerging comet, and Osby has been considered one of jazz’s most innovative players. This album creeps into your mind and soul and gives us hope for the genre. Still Evolved, Ted Nash, Palmetto Records Mr. Nash, until lately known as a sax sideman and member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, is debuted as a leader with the good sense of asking his orchestra leader, one Wynton Marsalis, to sit in on half of the cuts. Marsalis responds with his finest playing in half a decade, especially on “Bells of Brescia,” a marvelous ballad, the tone eloquently established by an unblemished yet soulful coda that evokes memories of Booker Little and the luxurious sound of Lee Morgan. The album’s mix of rhythms invites close listening, and the players are top-notch: Marcus Printup (for Marsalis) on four pieces, and three of New York’s young lionsFrank Kimbrough on piano, Ben Allison on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. As for Nash, his years under Marsalis’ direction has developed the confidence to handle all sorts of material without undue strain. Close To My Heart, Jeremy Pelt, MAXJAZZ Ordinarily, an album dedicated to quiet musing gets boring in a hurry, but this is one terrific exception. Mr. Pelt is clearly hearkening the ghosts of Miles and Gil on this CD, but his tone, note choice, and overall taste establishes his own creative genius. Some of the cuts are supplemented by a string quartet that doesn’t get too maudlin, and the rest is bolstered by the grand playing of Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ted Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. I have tried to make this CD serve as mere background music, but Pelt’s solos always make me listenhe plays like he is searching for romantic Nirvana. These Are the Vistas, The Bad Plus, Columbia What used to be The Ethan Iverson Trio was turned into this version as the other two musiciansbassist Reid Anderson and drummer David Kingwere produced as equal parts in the mix. The result is a 21st century kind of Bill Evans Trio, where each player gets one channel of the mix as the group finds a way to amalgamate three distinct approaches, tied together by a common theme. For the most part, it works, especially when they cross over into rock territory for material. The group’s take on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” removes the dissonance and grills the basic angst of the song into a tour de force. Some classically Latin flavorings also contribute to the ambiance; “Silence Is The Question” sounds like Ravel trying to be a jazz star. Iverson’s chord-heavy piano work keeps things in balance while Anderson’s deeply resonant bass explores all the crevices and King’s percussive pounding never stops for a breath. The Joystick, Wycliffe Gordon, nagel heyer music Cliffhanger, Randy Sandke, nagel heyer music Three for One, Roditi-Ignatzek-Rassinfosse, nagel heyer music The nagel heyer music label from Germany (along with the terrific Criss Cross company of Holland) is one of a few companies dedicated to keeping jazz alive in the Western world. Many American musicians who can’t get a shake here get these jazz provocateurs’ attention. Among its several releases this year, three stand out. Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon sharpened his musical teeth under the tutelage of Wynton Marsalis and has developed a staunch fan base with a number of albums as a leader, four for nagel heyer. This latest one is a dip into traditional, New Orleans-style material, featuring Gordon’s soulful and bluesy voice on several cuts, either as a post-Armstrong graveller or as a gospel-tinged scatman. The blues is the main focus, and his long time musical mates Victor Goines (sax), Farid Barron (piano), Rodney Whitaker (bass), and the funky Herlin Riley (drums) are up to the task. Next to Robin Eubanks and Steve Turre, Gordon has done much to keep the trombone in the mix of modern jazz. Cliffhanger is actually made from a session back in 1999, but it’s hard to believe the company hung onto this so long. Sandke is one of many competent trumpet players familiar to longtime jazz afficienados who listen to this label and Concord Records. His clarity and taste never fail to please, and he always chooses his support group wisely. The “discovery” for this reviewer on this CD is tenor saxman Harry Allen, whose rich toned offerings swing like crazy, kind of like a latter day Harold Land. Gordon joins in on one cut, Mulgrew Miller plays his normal wonderful piano, and the ubiquitous WashingtonsPeter and Kennyprovide a formidable rhythm section. Even though the majority of this CD handles classic songs, these guys find new ways to express them. As for old farts, it seems
the European labels have an agenda to keep them alive, resulting in many
efforts that lack the pizzazz of youth. However, the drumless trio of trumpeter
Claudio Roditi, pianist Klaus Ignatzek, and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse
presents thoughtfully refreshing music on an album that visits only one
classica jazz one at that, On Green Dolphin Streetand
presents five Ignatzek compositions. Roditi is fairly well known among
veteran American music buffs, but Ignatzek has firmly held the flame of
jazz in Western Europe for half of the 20th century. With the exception
of one piece where Roditi is obligated, I guess, to sing (and not exceptionallyleave
that to Gilberto), these pieces sound like comfortable music played at
a high-class clubrewarding close listening but also serving as cerebral
background sound.
Chicago’s Kurt Elling has fed on and extended the traditions of Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy for over a decade and has released several varied albums for Blue Note. His latest displays him at his best, practicing vocalise, the art of putting words and scats into instrumental classics. On Man, Elling sings along with the music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, Joe Zawinul, John Coltrane (a powerful and universal ‘prayer’ to the tune of Part 2 of A Love Supreme), and even The Association (“Never My Love”). Elling clearly has a romantic side, but isn’t afraid to swing and take chances with arcane poetry. This guy should be a star. One guy who will probably be a star in the near future is young Peter Cincotti, whose debut on Concord was touted by no less than CBS television as a return to Young Sinatra. Indeed, Cincotti sounds more naturally like Frank than his predecessor, Harry Connick, Jr., under whose wing Cincotti learned to sound like Frank. Unlike Connick, though, Cincotti seems to relish a small club ambiance and the intimacy of lyrics. He’s not afraid to play around with arrangements and pace; on this CD, he creates a fully masculine reading of “Miss Brown” and meshes “Fool On the Hill” with “Nature Boy” in a way that makes it seem like the most natural thing. Only 19 when he recorded this album (produced by Phil Ramone), Cincotti shows his already matured piano chops on all the songslike Connick, but with more nuances that place his work within the scope of jazz while still lending support to his singing. Lizz Wright was introduced
to me by one of this rag’s editors, who thoughtfully sent me a CD-R of
a radio broadcast of her singing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival last
year. While no studio CD can really capture the thrill of live performance,
Salt at least provides an accurate transcription of the breadth
of this singer’s range and material. Like Wilson, Wright can hit low notes
with appropriate timbre; like Anita Baker, Wright can weave notes around
and through even the most mundane and pedestrian lyrics to create a personal
statement. Wright’s gospel influences are clearly evident in style and
word, occasionally crossing over into romance but without cloying nuances.
After hearing her version of Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue” (sung like
Coltrane played it), I figured I was hearing the real deal.
One of those is electrified trumpeter Erik Truffaz, whose third Blue Note CD finally expands on the Fusion Miles motif of his first two albums. Giant Turtle again features his young vibrant quartet, but its past occasional ethereal dissonance is refocused on establishing prog rock connections. Fender Rhodes wiz Patrick Muller is especially versatile as the music’s energy climbs and falls among genre, creating a unique synergy that has not been heard since…well…Miles. Bassist Marcello Giuliani uses all of his 70’s approaches to electrified rhythm, while drummer Marc Erbetta would have easily commandeered a spot in a Weather Report session. Still, the music sounds fresh and vibrant because it takes itself seriously instead of considering itself a one-off hybrid. Dapp Theory, the brainchild
of Canadian keyboardist Andy Milne, is a band that tries to take advantage
of modern beat and language while keeping one foot in the fusion world.
For the most part on Y’all, it works, especially when Milne experiments
with an improbable two-man tag team of Bruce Cockburn and the DJ Kokayi.
Cockburn and Kokayi are joined together on two songs (both Cockburn compositions),
and the DJ fills in on three others, evincing the most sincere attempt
of jointing jazz and hip hop that I’ve been able to find. On other tunes,
though, the music sometimes falls flat, as though, without any lingual
connection, the band fades into fusion Limbo. Harmonicat Gregoire Maret’s
relatively thin playing bodes better on ballads (like the lovely version
of “Con Alma”) than on the hipper material, where his notes work like Ritalin
to the music’s spastic tendencies.
In Damaged, we get nine improvised pieces played live in France by enigmatic electric bassist Steve Swallow, the rising young saxophonist Chris Potter, and the powerful percussionist Adam Nussbaum. The amazing thing to these ears is that Potter, who finished a tour with the Dave Holland Quintet (and was recorded for Extended Play) a month before these recordings, sounds no worse for the wear, meeting the stylistic challenges presented by Swallow head on with panache. Swallow, known for his forays into cerebral jazz with Paul and Carla Bley while receiving kudos for his dexterous bass playing, presents his players with rich, energetic formats and slower, pensive moods. Nussbaum is equal to the task, answering Potter’s runs and pushing the group toward tolerable chaos. Extended Play, the first live recording released by what is arguably the world’s top jazz ensemble, will be many people’s last chance to hear the volcanic Billy Kilson on the drums in a Holland-led group. Recorded in November, 2001, Holland, the highly-acclaimed bassist, leads his band through “extended” versions of already long compositions that show Holland’s connection to his late mentor Miles Davis: the settings present the musicians with just enough melody and tone to improvise one layer at a time until they meet in a rising crescendo, with a grinning Holland behind them nodding in pure joy. Potter’s playing sometimes becomes a bit static in approach, but when the music opens up to soloing, both he and trombonist Robin Eubanks are able to take advantage and blow notes like there’s no tomorrow. In the meantime, no bassist commands the attention Holland does, either when he introduces a song or when he takes off on his own solo. Holland also commands attention
when he plays for someone else, and Roy Haynes’ latest album, Love Letters,
is no different, even when the bop master Haynes is the drummer. Perhaps
no other percussionist (since Billy Higgins died) receives as much homage
as this ageless wonder does. On Letters, given the rather traditional list
of songs presented, Haynes demonstrates wise restraint and lets his guests
find ways to uplift what could have been mere redundant material. Joshua
Redman’s blistering solo awakens the normally languid “My Shining Hour”;
John Scofield’s tasty picking enhances the title cut and a trio version
of “Afro Blue”; and Kenny Barron’s chromatic piano is featured on “How
Deep Is the Ocean.” While the young bass genius Christian McBride demonstrates
his own versatility on four songs, Holland is clearly a shining star as
he melds Scofield and Haynes into a refreshing unit on four others, with
rising pianist David Kikoski helping out on two of them. Even with this
talent on display, this CD possesses surprisingly engaging music from seemingly
ancient settings.
His fourth album as a leader for Milestone finds him with his mentor, pianist Harold Mabern, the great bass godfather Ron Carter, and Alexander’s mate from One For All, drummer Joe Farnsworth. This straight-up collection is an improvement on his previous CD, Summit Meeting, in that he explores a greater range of music with more clarity and energy. The title cut has vestiges of Paul Desmond’s smooth dexterity but with the richer tone and rhythm of Michael Brecker. “Cold Smoke” presents Alexander within a blues motif ala Coltrane (a major influence), and “Nemesis” proves that, for raw power and drive, no one can really compete. And listen to Carter on “Island”; every note is perfect. One For All, the ensemble that Alexander, his trumpet partner Jim Rotondi and pianist David Hazeltine assemble for periodic recording and tours, released its fourth album for Criss Cross this past year, and, like its predecessors, it travels freely within the post bop world, revisiting jazz standards and exploring new compositions. Rotondi is one of the finest trumpet players around; think Art Farmer with the shine of Booker Little. Hazeltine has been a favored
studio musician for over a decade and has gained increased critical acclaim
for his trios and quartets. Trombonist Steve Davis always brings interesting
compositions built upon blues idioms. Live, these guys really smoke and
a lot of that energy is also transferred to their studio work. In Alexander’s
case, it is intriguing to compare the sextet’s versions of “Nemesis” and
“Cold Smoke” to those on Nightlife. Like Monk, redundant perhaps, but never
boring.
Why A&M did not release the music on Bossas and Ballads after it was recorded in 1989 is a major mystery (instead, it released the more tepid Apasionado). Getz, for all his health difficulties stemming from decades of drug use, hardly sounded better. He caresses every song as a close friend, while his erstwhile musical collaborator, pianist Kenny Barron, provided five compositions and solid support. As the album’s title suggests, the material is divided between Latin-rhythmed pieces and thoughtful ballads. Every cut has something memorable; Getz made truly smooth jazz before that monacker was given to relatively homogenized radio music. On Lift Every Voice,
Charles Lloyd hearkened back to old times by reconnecting with drummer
Billy Hart and inviting pianist Geri Allen to sit in (in place of the deceased
Michel Petrucciani) on a double-CD collection of songs that reflected a
somber but hopeful tone following the tragic events in New York City. Included
were guitarist John Abercrombie (who appeared on Lloyd’s two previous CD’s
for ECM) and bassists Marc Johnson and Larry Grenadier. Abercrombie’s echoing
fills and washes provide a mystical-like riffing to Lloyd’s chordal perusing.
What we hear on this album is not so much different from Lloyd’s past recordings
but is predominated by Americanized spiritual motifs rather than the Eastern
themes that emanate from Lloyd’s Buddhistic influences. The run of pieces
on the second disc, which includes the three spirituals “Go Down Moses,”
“Wayfaring Stranger,” and “Deep River,” is one of the most moving moments
in latter day jazz. This is true artistic courage, a player presenting
a homage to his roots in a time when politically-popular sophistication
rules the day.
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