Jakob Bro and Dark Eyes

I had the pleasure of catching Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and his Scandanavian quartet at the Melbourne Recital Centre recently, performing compositions from his latest ECM release, Dark Eyes.

Hear a discussion with Tomasz Stanko and check out some pictures from his quintet’s recent appearance at the 2011 Sydney Festival here.

The concert was a mesmerizing experience. I left in a veritable daze, wrapped up in the music like some sort of dreamy shroud. Of particular note was the Danish guitarist Jakob Bro. You can check out samples from his latest Balladeering here.

monophonic multiphonic

One of the year’s more intriguing releases was Japan’s Takashi Tsuzuki’s Monophonic Multiphonic.

A lecturer at Nagoya Music Academy, Takashi’s work, incorporating jazz and electronics, gives the listener a glimpse into the different genres done with perfection.

unheralded

The end of the year is rapidly approaching. Alarm Press has posted a 100 unheralded albums list for 2010. Go on, poke around, there’s 100 full length samples to peruse, including the odd indie-jazz-number.

‘Tis the season to be jolly. As a reward to its fans and supporters, Ropeadope (home of artists like DJ Logic, John Medeski, Christian McBride and Charlie Hunter) have offered up a free selection of ten songs from ten of its artist roster. Get the download here.

The ten from ten bundle includes a track from The Dead Kenny G’s (Bewildered Herd). If you still haven’t picked up the 2010 Ropeadope release then you don’t know what you’re missing!  Check out what others had to say about it here, here, and here.  You can grab it digitally from Ropeadope or Itunes by clicking right here.

heavy on the funk

A friend recently hooked me up with a copy of Grover Washington Jr’s Winelight. I’ve always been intrigued by this album, fascinated by the cheesier-than-thou album cover. It just screams satin boxer shorts and sax. Those early 90s black-and-white framed ‘romance’ photos that were popping up all over the place.

The album is classic smooth jazz funk, propelled by Marcus Miller on bass. You can check it out a live video of Washington and co hitting the title track here.

For better or worse, Grover is considered one of the founders of smooth jazz. That’s the jazz genre that gave the world George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, Spyro Gyra and Kenny G.

Aurora

Mark Isaac’s Resurgence Band is back with another killer album, Aurora. Hear samples on their MySpace site (one day I’ll figure out how to embed actual music from MySpace into WordPress).

I just scored the album thanks to the wonderful Miriam@Extempore. Spending this evening being wow’d by guitar hero James Muller.

Anthem

For the past two weeks I have been in rapture to Christian Scott’s sophomore album Anthem (Concord Records, 2007). I first came across his work via NextBop a blog-based site “dedicated to the latest in new and innovative types of jazz music”.

Scott released his major label debut Rewind That (Concord Records, 2006) in 2006. Billboard Magazine called the release “arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade.” It earned him the Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2006. He has been heralded by JazzTimes magazine as “the Architect of a new commercially viable fusion” and “Jazz’s young style God.”

Scott’s trumpet provides echoes of Terence Blanchard. His tone is urgent and his sense of depth in the melody belies his youth – he was 24 when he recorded Anthem.

Anthem is a powerful collection of 12 pieces teeming with jazz, indie rock, neo-soul and hip-hop sensibilities. ‘Void’ is a haunting song, with its minor phrasing generated by Matt Steven’s reverb-drenched electric guitar melodics. The guitar gradually picks up over the course of the song, being urged on by the insistent staccato snare. The melody revolves over itself, each riff growing with intensity until it reaches a bawling crescendo with Walter Smith III’s tenor saxophone.

The key to the freshness of Anthem is the personnel – Matt Stevens brings a unique style often unheard in jazz. His style has been compared to John Scofield, and I assume this stems from his sharing Scofield’s sense of minimalism and attack, as compared with other electric stalwarts such Mike Stern and Pat Metheny who favour a more fluid approach. But on Anthem, Steven’s playing is remarkable more for its originality than homage to the greats.

Aaron Parks (keyboards, piano) plays an amazing fiery solo on the title track ‘Anthem (Antediluvian Adaptation). Reminiscent of Mike Garson, who performed piano duties with a focus on the avante-garde on several of David Bowie’s seminal albums, most notably Aladdin Sane (RCA Records, 1971) and later Outside (Virgin Records, 1995), Parks is an accomplished player.

From Amazon -

While the tunes are partially informed by the New Orleans native’s ruminations on the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, Scott hastens to note that Anthem also reflects the many changes he’s gone through in the past year, ranging from his romantic life to his maturation as an artist. “My life changed completely,” he says. “So, the compositions on Anthem aren’t just about one thing. They’re about all kinds of things, while they definitely have some political undertones. But, one thing is certain. The house I grew up in is gone. There’s no home in the Ninth Ward.”

On Anthem, Marcus Gilmore’s drums often connect with a neo-soul, hip-hop groove; pianist Aaron Parks, who also mans a Fender Rhodes and synths, and electric guitarist Matt Stevens play with rock music in their veins; and the funky finale track, “Anthem (Post Diluvial Adaptation,” features the rapping of X-Clan’s Brother J and righteous-anger trumpeting by the leader.

The BBC’s Paul Sullivan described Anthem as a “dark, sometimes despairing document that meditates on the [Katrina] disaster as well as charting changes in the musician’s burgeoning career and personal life.”

You can watch a ‘preview’ of the album being recorded in the studio and interviews with Christian and his band mates here.

Rolecall:

Christian Scott (trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, piano)
Matt Stevens (guitar)
Aaron Parks (keyboards)
Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone)
Louis Fouché (straight alto saxophone)
Luques Curtis and Esperanza Spalding (bass)
Marcus Gilmore (drums).
Brother J of X-Clan (vocals on “Anthem [Post Diluvial Adaptation]”).

4.5 stars. Find it on iTunes here.

Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You

Charlie Hunter has a new album out – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid. It features Eric Kalb on drums, Alan Ferber and Curtis Fowlkes on trombones, and Eric Biondo on trumpet. Charlie is playing a new 7 string guitar custom made for him by renowned Santa Cruz luthier Jeff Traugott.

Eric Kalb has performed with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, John Scofield, John Medeski and Georger Porter Jr. among others.

Ferber toured with Hunter’s working quintet for a year in 2001 and has performed with the Lee Konitz Nonet, the David Binney Big Band and the Benny Wallace Nonet and has worked with such luminaries as Harry Connick Jr and Diana Krall.

Curtis Fowlkes recorded with the Charlie Hunter Quintet in 2003 on the album Right Now Move. Fowlkes has performed as a sideman on over 20 jazz and rock CDs. In addition to The Jazz Passengers and The Lounge Lizards, he has performed with Charlie Haden‘s Liberation Music Orchestra.

Eric Biondo has played on countless albums, including TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain and Regina Spektor’s Soviet Kitsch.

One of the most remarkable things about the album is that it was recorded entirely in (‘glorious’) mono. With no overdubs and mixed live to old fashioned audio tape, the studio performance was captured using the finest 1950s audio technology. The depth of sound quality is very real – the sound of the drums is woody and the electric guitar and brass sounds full and natural. It’s a return to retro roots and for Charlie and his approach to live studio recording, it’s right on the money.

‘You Look Good In Orange’ is a standout track. An extension in the theme of ‘Difford Tilbrook’ (Baboon Strength, 2008, Spire Artist Media), the song revolves around what is becoming ‘classic Hunter’ – a clear, warm single note progression, backed by a solid bassline. Hunter of course plays both bass and guitar parts simultaneously, thanks to his hybrid 7-string bass/guitar. There is a real ease with which his dual parts meld together, all in the support of the song. The trombones and trumpet provide gentle intermittent call and responses to Hunter’s bold statements.

‘Antoine’ is the name of an earlier song Hunter penned for the ‘movie soundtrack to a film that never existed’, Outre Mer. The song maintains the same feel, but the funk is much more understated. The bass is more balanced in the mix allowing the guitar to drive the tune. The song makes way for spiraling trombones and trumpet that makes for a slightly bewildering listen – the brass instrumentation seems to work better when supporting the composition’s core. The instrumental palette does not always work with dissonant, harder blowing.

‘High and Dry’ is a quiet, reflective song. It opens with Kalb’s relaxed brushwork supporting a delicate even quaint guitar line. The guitar is once again perfectly backed by the warm bass which mends its way in no particular hurry. The song doesn’t have quite the depth of some of Hunter’s more profound songs, such as his version of Don Raye and Gene DePaul’s ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’ (Duo, 1999, Blue Note), but it works to offset some of the album’s more bright tracks. It provides a bitter sweet reflective counterpoint to the album.

‘High Pockets and a Fanny Pack’ opens with upbeat drums and a riffing funk motif. The trumpet and trombones introduce a lilting melody that sees the song into a descending bridge that leads to a trombone solo break, after which the trumpet takes its turn. The band really jams it out on this track – each seeming to really enjoy the classic 70s funk-styke groove Hunter is so adept at.

‘Drop a Dime’ has the balance is just right – deep, in-the-pocket drumming just a fraction behind the beat to create a lazy shuffle feel. The double trombones play a droning heat-wave inspired New Orleans’ theme interspersed with splashes of colourful trumpet that weaves in and out between them.

Overall the album, while short, packs a whallop – the organic quality of the recording, combined with a set of relaxed and hooky tunes, brings the listener back wanting more. The brass sections took me by surprise but after repeated listenings, the balance seems just right. The album is again testament to Hunter’s desire to always seek new musicians and styles to further his musical vision.

You can listen to an interview NPR recently conducted with Charlie here. You can listen to a track ‘You Look good In Orange’ here.

Rolecall:

Charlie Hunter – bass and electric guitar
Eric Kalb – drums
Alan Ferber- trombone
Curtis Fowlkes – trombone
Eric Biondo – trumpet.

4 stars. Find it on iTunes here.

Beyond Koln?

Recently, my playlist has revolved most heavily around Keith Jarrett’s mesmorising performance captured so beautifully as The Köln Concert. Truly, pianist Keith Jarrett was at his finest when he recorded those solo improvisations in a German concert hall back in 1975.

It got me thinking – was there was a modern day equivalent, a performance that presented the ‘next step’?

By chance I stumbled across Brad Mehldau’s Live in Tokyo (2004). And again, in hearing one man walk the tight-rope of improvisation in front of a live audience, taking that breathless journey, I was moved by genius.

Recorded live in concert in February, 2003 at the Sumida Triphony Hall, Live in Tokyo features compositions by Nick Drake (Things Behind The Sun, River Man) George Gershwin (Someone To Watch Over Me, How Long Has This Been Going On?), Cole Porter (From This Moment On), Thelonious Monk (Monk’s Dream), and Radiohead (Paranoid Android).

With the exception of one original (Intro), and unlike Jarrett’s The Köln Concert, the album consists of a careful selection of covers. However each represents a jumping-off point. Mehldau takes the listener from a basis of familiar territory and moves far beyond, unearthing harmonies not evident to those familiar with the original tunes, while still expressing the heart of the song’s intent, capturing precisely the mood. It’s an unforgettable experience.

David Greenberger, Amazon.com -

The material is all linked by Mehldau’s focus on melodic identity and harmonic invention. He succeeds in finding the stately heart of each number, with Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” sounding perfectly natural alongside Gershwin’s “How Long Has This Been Going On?”

Peter Dick, Amazon.com -

What is astounding, even to those already familiar with Mehldau’s brilliance, is the risk-taking at every turn. This music is courageous, original, organic, and exquisitely beautiful…Mehldau is a “spontaneous composer” who makes full use of the dynamic/touch qualities of the piano as a compositional device. The piano is an orchestra, and man does he ever orchestrate!

Orchestrion!

A new decade is upon us, and it seems only fitting that one of the first releases of 2010 would usher in what guitar virtuoso Pat Metheny refers to as ‘a third wave of opportunity’.

His latest release Orchestrion (Nonesuch) is a solo album with a difference – it features Pat playing with an entire jazz orchestra composed and played entirely himself. The term ‘orchestrion’ is “a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band.” (source: Wikipedia.)

Orchestrions have their roots in the player piano – a self-playing piano containing an electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano via perforated paper rolls. Developed in the late 19th century, player pianos were once ubiquitous in parlours, restaurants and dancehalls. The next logical step was the orchestrion which attached an array of wind instruments to a similar mechanism. However because these original devices used compressed air, they had no dynamic range.

To solve the problem of dynamics, Metheny’s modern version uses electromagnetic coils called solenoids, which can open and close with varying degrees of velocity. Despite being played by machines, this ability to reflect variations in velocity (sometimes known as ‘attack’) makes the music come alive with texture, providing that ‘human-feel’.

From the Guardian’s article -

Metheny came up with the album’s instrumental parts on his own, with his guitar as a trigger device. Using MIDI technology, a computer recorded which notes he played, how hard he hit them, and how long he held each note for. When he performs live, this information is transmitted to the marimba, bass, piano and drums, meaning that he is being accompanied by himself – one “guitar” part being played by the vibraphone, another by the cymbals, and so on.

The result is Metheny squared, or cubed – a familiar dish of subdued blues and intricate jazz fusion, dominated by the composer’s songlike guitar lines. “It can do some weird, far-out stuff. I’ll get to that,” he says. “I didn’t want to start with show-off music.”

You can see video of Pat and the making of Orchestrion here. The Guardian ran a recent article on it here.

Bobby’s Coalition of the Willing

Bobby Previte – the drummer extraordinaire, composer and band leader – first came to my attention through my devout following of the 8-string wunderkind Charlie Hunter. Taking advantage of Hunter’s custom 8-string technique (playing both bass and guitar simultaneously), Previte opened up the very real possibilities of the jazz duo.

Come in Red Dog, This Is Tango Leader was the result of this meeting of minds. Hunter and Previte’s initial recording together has “a relaxed, atmospheric soulfulness that belies the shape that the duo’s future collaborations would take on.” – Troy Collins, Amazon.com.

Hunter and Previte (collectively known as ‘Groundtruther’) went on to release a trilogy of collaborative ‘duo + 1′ albums for the Thirsty Ear label -

Latitude (featuring Greg Osby)

Altitude (featuring John Medeski)

Longitude (featuring DJ Logic).

Each album featured a different guest and required different approaches from this ‘duo + 1′. Not always instantly accessible, the albums were nonetheless interesting, daring to push the boundaries of jazz, and improvisation into uncharted areas with albeit mixed results.

It is as a leader and composer that Previte truly shines. Enter: The Coalition of the Willing. This is an album that continues to redefine the possibilities of a pure combination of rock and jazz and improvisation without the deft, and often, overblown, pyrotechnics that seemed to consume much of the 70s fusion jazz movement. Key tracks include Airstrip One, Oceania and Anthem for Andrea.

As part of the album’s release, Previte arranged for some of his favorite filmmakers and video artists to contribute videos for the songs. Check out the videos for Airstrip One and Anthem for Andrea. A live album The Coalition of the Willing Live was also recorded, it’s available for download here.

Here’s Chris Kelsey (All Music Guide) filling in some of the gaps in the Bobby Previte bio -

A series of albums recorded in the late ’80s established Previte as one of the relatively few jazz drummers who are also composers of significance, alongside Jack DeJohnette, Bob Moses, and a handful of others.

His first album as a leader was Bump the Renaissance (1987), followed in short order by Pushing the Envelope (1987) and Claude’s Late Morning (1988). The albums were enthusiastically reviewed, and established his reputation as one of jazz’s more visionary composers.

Previte has since composed for a variety of contexts, from the new music aggregation Relache to his Music of the Moscow Circus album. During the ’90s, Previte-led bands included Empty Suits, Latin for Travelers, and the Voodoo Orchestra; the latter is an 11-piece group playing music from Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew period.

The bio’s a little out of date now, as Previte continues to be a very prolific artist – regularly releasing albums through his website. The most recent being the atmospheric jazz-as-noir-soundtrack Set the Alarm for Monday by Bobby Previte + The New Bump, which will have to feature as another entry.

I also recently discovered that Bobby worked with Yoko Kanno‘s band The Seatbelts on the soundtrack for Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop. The series was renowned for its focus on the beat and jazz movemenets of the 1940s – 60s.