jazz adds january 12, 2015

many avant/new jazz friends from cuneiform;  dive in!

led bib.  the people in your neighborhood.  cuneiform.  Charming, explosive British group, same membership since their beginnings in 2003;  mark holub@drums; liran donin, bass;  toby mclaren, keys;  pete grogan and chris williams, altos.  modern jazz with sinew and lyricism, i am recommending new teles, angry water, imperial green and orphan elephants–and that’s just for daytime play;  for after dark, entire playlist= your playpen.

ideal bread.  beating the teens.  cuneiform.  Steve Lacy posthumous repertory band– seven years in the making, twenty six compositions, two cds–led by bari saxophonist josh sinton, with tomas fujiwara@drums; kirk knuffke on cornet, and adam hopkins on bass.   Musicianship here is formidable;  and though stinton was a student of lacy’s late career, the compositions are not literal but more inspired by.   title  comes from a lacy quote:  “Like a baker makes his bread, I make music…If I make the same bread tomorrow, that bores me…I have to remake it, I have to do better…I’m always looking for…the ideal bread.”

anthony pirogpalo colorado dream.  cuneiform.  Half of  janel & anthony avant-rock duo, multi-versatile guitarist and electronicat, anthony pirog adds one:  new trio includes master michael formanek on bass and ches smith@drums.  i start with the luscious, anthemic  the new electric and run through goodnight green, i’m not coming home all the way to motian.

raoul bjorkenheim.  eCStaSy.  cuneiform.  Finnish guitarist raoul bjorkenheim  (with the ecm band Krakatau back in the day) features  young jazz lights in his fusion band:    pauli lyytinen (sax), jori huhtala (double bass), markku ounaskari@drums.  energetic, world influenced cues:  el pueblo unido and the sky is ruby bracket a colorful  set-list.

ken silverman.  parallel man.  soundseer.  Guitar improvisor ken silverman keeps the energy high  and the composition compelling;  in a trio setting with sam mcpherson, double bass and andy o’neill.  if you only listen to the title track, that is a microcosm of silverman’s eclectic and polished  style.

james davis.  beveled.  ears & eyes.  Loved this one, double flugels from leader/composer james davis and chad mccullough (last heard on spin quartet) paired with two bass clarinets ( anna najoon + michael salter);  then daniel thatcher on double bass and juan pastor@drums.  cues are crisp, calm harmonic sound–almost like jazz chamber music;  quiet but never a dull moment.

joanne tatham.  out of my dreams.  cafe pacific.   NYC musical theatre performer joanne tatham moved to LA and rediscovered an affinity for jazz vocals.  working with pianist tamir hendelman’s 4tet ,  their elegant playlist hits many high marks:  harry nilsson’s without him;  bob dorough’s devil may care + works from film and cabaret.   john clayton on bass; peter erskine@drums; bob sheppard, sax,  plus guests.  careful arrangements, beautiful voice.

magos & limon.  dawn.  OKeh.   Flamenco guitarist javier limon–grammy award-winning collaborator with bebo & chucho valdes, paco de lucia– teams up with Mexican jazz singer magos herrera.  moody, sultry, quiet duets between voice and guitar.  i was won over– though the pop covers have more integrity to them than the jazz standards.   broadcast pairings with german vocalist lyambiko might be compelling.

bill overton  the sun will shine.  self.   American songbook covers  from Chicago tenor saxophone veteran bill overton;  band includes luiz everling@drums; larry harris, piano;  dan delorenzo + paul merar on basses.

allan harris.  black bar jukebox.  love.  Vocalist allan harris tributes his Harlem childhood and the legends that passed through his  vivid storybook life with a  playlist of r&b, originals, and wonderful oddities–like a reprise of acker bilk’s stranger on the shore.  excellent supports from pascal leboeuf, keys & B3;  leon boykins, bass;  jake goldbas@drums;  yotam silberstein, guitar;  samuel torres, percussion.

UNT. one o’clock lab band/2014.  north texas jazz.  Twenty-piece flagship ensemble,  horn and sax with double percussion, bass, guitar and piano.  this year’s collection covers brubeck’s cassandra with dazzle, and then steps back to find the quiet in composer richard de rosa’s mixed emotions.

chip white.  family dedications and more.  self.   Double cd from percussionist/composer chip white;  one disc, music;  the other, poetry;  everything original.  eight piece band includes wycliffe gordon (trom); eddie henderson (trum);  bruce williams (alto); patience higgins (cl &fl), renee rosness (p); peter washington (b); steve kroon & white (percussions & vibe).

 

back in two weeks.

ann

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