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New Jazz News – 8/25/2020

Emily Asher’s Garden Party – If I Were A Window (Self-produced): “Emily Asher is a Brooklyn-based trombonist and singer of “buoyant charm” (Nate Chinen, The New York Times) in strong demand as a bandleader and sidewoman in New York City and internationally. As a leader, Asher has produced four CDs and led US and Israel tours with Emily Asher’s Garden Party and earned a prestigious Banff Residency with her Endangered Species Trio. She recorded and performed with Wycliffe Gordon on his “Hello Pops!” tribute to Louis Armstrong, and was a member of Nicholas Payton’s Television Studio Orchestra. “Ms. Asher plays with both grit and grace” (Will Friedwald, The Wall Street Journal)…. (https://www.emilyasher.com/bio) “My hope is for this album to not only bring joy to as many ears as possible, but also leverage that joy as strength to move toward my deep desire for social justice and human rights.”(https://www.emilyasher.com/news) Upbeat and swinging. Asher’s trombone is especially noteworthy! Click here and scroll down to listen to the songs on this disc.

John Beasley – MONK’estra Plays John Beasley (Mack Avenue): “Born in Louisiana, the cradle of jazz, Beasley started writing arrangements in junior high school, the first one for the University of North Texas Jazz Band.  Jimmy Lyons, founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival, heard Beasley’s piece and recommended him for a scholarship at the Stan Kenton summer jazz camp.  The song was then added to The Stan Kenton Orchestra’s repertoire that year. Beasley is a third generation musician.  His father is a bassoonist, pianist, and composer.  His mother was a brass instrumentalist, band conductor and orchestrator.   His grandfather was a trombonist.  Growing up around musicians, John learned how to play trumpet, oboe, drums, saxophone, and flute, mostly because of his mother’s need for wind instrumentalists for her bands. Declining an oboe scholarship from the Julliard, at 17, Beasley instead started playing in clubs before he was of legal drinking age. Soon after, he went on his first world tour with Brazilian artist Sergio Mendes, then spent eight years with jazz icon Freddie Hubbard, while keeping up with his garage band Audio Mind with Vinnie Colauita, John Patittucci, and Steve Taviglione.” (http://johnbeasleymusic.com/biography/) “Beasley, the one-time keyboardist for Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, reflects a variety of generational influences, incorporating the emphatic chordal clusters of Herbie Hancock, the rhythmic quirkiness of Monk and the lush intelligence of Art Tatum into a highly refined personal voice.” (Los Angeles Times) There is little that I can add except to say this is a fantastic work of art! Special guests are Vinnie Colaiuta, Gregoire Maret, John Patitucci, Joey DeFrancesco, Hubert Laws and Jubilant Sykes and Ralph Moore.  I regret I am unable to find a sample from this release.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Just Coolin’ (Blue Note): “Just Coolin’, a never-before-released studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers that was recorded on March 8, 1959 in Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The session featured a short-lived line-up of The Jazz Messengers with drummer Art Blakey, trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. The album features two previously unissued compositions including Timmons’ tune “Quick Trick,”….The session for Just Coolin’ finds The Jazz Messengers’ saxophone chair in transition. The band had last recorded in October 1958 when they cemented their place in jazz history with the classic album Moanin’ featuring Benny Golson on tenor saxophone. By July 1959, Blakey had recruited tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter who would remain a fixture of the band until 1964.The interim saw the return of Mobley, who was a charter member of The Jazz Messengers when the band first formed in 1954 and appeared on their debut recording The Jazz Messengers At The Café Bohemia in 1955. Mobley also filled an important role as the band’s resident composer. In fact, three of the six tracks on Just Coolin’ were written by Mobley: “Hipsippy Blues,” “M&M,” and “Just Coolin’.” However, five weeks after the studio session Blue Note founder and producer Alfred Lion decided to record the band again at the legendary club Birdland in New York City on April 15, 1959, capturing an assured live recording that included four of the six titles that had been recorded in March. The Birdland sessions ended up superseding the studio date when Lion instead released the two-volume live album Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers At The Jazz Corner Of The World later that year.” (http://www.bluenote.com/art-blakey-jazz-messengers-just-coolin/) This release is, indeed, a treasure fans of Blue Note and any of the players listed jump at this! Click here to listen to Bobby Timmons’ “Just Coolin” on this disc.

Sharel Cassity – Fearless (Relsha Music): “Saxophonist, Composer and Educator Sharel Cassity (pron. “Sha-Relle”) is well established on the New York and Chicago jazz scenes. Listed as “Rising Star Alto Saxophone” in Downbeat Magazine for the past decade, Sharel has appeared on the Today Show, won the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award & has been inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Her four albums released as a leader have received top-rated reviews in publications like JazzTimes, Jazziz, Downbeat & American Indian News & earned her a cover story in Saxophone Journal. Cassity’s latest album, “Evolve,” was recorded and distributed on her record label, Relsha Music.” (https://www.sharelcassity.com/about) She is accompanied by Richard Johnson (piano), Alex Claffy (bass) and Mark Whitfield, Jr. (drums). The group is super tight and the communication between Cassity and Johnson is dazzling! As for composing, Cassidy wrote seven of the nine and rearranged  Ray Noble’s “The Very Thought Of You” and Johnson composed the final song, “Last Minute”. Every aspect of this release is superb! Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Tony Davis – Golden Year (Posi-Tone): Guitarist / composer Tony Davis is having a golden year despite the closed venues. This is his first release, which offers seven original compositions and four covers ranging from Chico Buarque and Joao Bosco to Dizzy Gillespie and Jimi Hendrix. Davis covers the styles in wonderful fashion. He plays mainly in a quartet with David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) with guests Steve Wilson (alto sax, flute on one song each), Steve Davis (trombone on two songs), Alina Engibaryan (vocals on 2 songs) and JK Kim adding drums on two songs). The variety is quite nice. Davis is a fluid and dynamic player. Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of “Golden Year”.

Eddie Henderson – Shuffle and Deal (Smoke Sessions): “As trumpeter, Eddie Henderson, approaches his 80th birthday, his playing remains strong and vibrant. His career has spanned five decades, both as a leader and first call sideman. It’s an extra special treat when Eddie is joined by an all-star band befitting his status as a true trumpet stalwart. Such is the case with his new Smoke Sessions CD, Shuffle and Deal. Eddie’s quintet is simply all aces. His quintet includes altoist, Donald Harrison, who Eddie shares the front line with on the super hard bop group, The Cookers. Pianist, Kenny Barron needs no introduction to anyone who has followed jazz in most any fashion during their lifetime. Bassist, Gerald Cannon, is the”baby” of the group at “only” 62 years old. He came up with the Harper Brothers, and for many years with trumpeter, Roy Hargrove. Drummer, Mike Clark, is known for his funk bona fides, for time spent with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, but he fits in fine here, especially with both his brushwork and cymbals accompaniment.” (https://www.audaud.com/eddie-henderson-shuffle-and-deal-smoke-sessions-records/) Click here to listen to the opening song, “Shuffle and Deal”.

Christian McBride Big Band – For Jimmy, Wes And Oliver (Mack Avenue): “In September 1966, organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery got together at Rudy Van Gelder’s famed studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Over the course of three days, the two jazz icons recorded the material for two now-classic albums: The Dynamic Duo (1966) and Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes (1968), backed by a big band featuring arrangements by the great Oliver Nelson. That pair of electrifying outings would prove seminal for another dynamic duo over the ensuing decades: bass great Christian McBride and master organist Joey DeFrancesco would wear out the grooves on their copies of the Smith/Montgomery summit meetings during their high school days, and both would remain touchstones throughout a friendship and collaboration that has lasted nearly 40 years. Now, the pair pay tribute with For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver, the third release by the GRAMMY® Award-winning Christian McBride Big Band…. For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver echoes the format of the original Smith/Montgomery summit meetings, with a balance of big band and quartet tracks. To complete the core band, McBride called on another longtime friend and collaborator, Mark Whitfield, to play the Montgomery role, while regular CMBB drummer Quincy Phillips anchors the ensemble) ….” following artists complete the Big Band: Frank Greene, Freddie Hendrix, Brandon Lee, Nabate Isles, Anthony Hervey (trumpets); Michael Dease, Steve Davis, James Burton, Douglas Purviance (trombones); Steve Wilson, Todd Bashore, Ron Blake, Dan Pratt, Carl Maraghi (woodwinds). (http://jazzbluesnews.com/2020/06/18/cd-review-christian-mcbride-big-band-for-jimmy-wes-and-oliver-2020-videos-cd-covers/) This release has all of the class and style of the earlier releases and a knockout for those who have heard the older releases or who will discover the new offering. Click here to listen to “The Medgar Evers’ Blues”.

John Santos Sextet – Art of the Descarga (Smithsonian / Folkways): “Built on the Afro-Caribbean past, forged by visionaries such as John Santos and his comrades, and steeled by its rootedness in American life, Latin jazz is a major force shaping contemporary American musical culture. Over decades of performing, arranging, producing, and teaching, Santos has helped make the San Francisco Bay area a Latin jazz stronghold. In Art of the Descarga, The John Santos Sextet and a parade of stellar guests mine the music’s imaginative motherlode, the descarga—the spontaneous, improvisatory interplay that is the beating heart of Latin jam sessions. Orestes Vilató, Jerry González, Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Tito Matos, Juan “Juango” Gutiérrez, and other luminaries join the sextet in this spectacular collision of beauty, design, and time-honored creativity.” (https://thejohnsantossextet.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-the-descarga) Lively and rhythmic. Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Kenny Washington – What’s The Hurry (Lower 9th): “By calling his long awaited, warm-hearted and full of amazing graces yet often boisterous, joyful and swinging debut album What’s the Hurry, Kenny Washington jabs playfully at the question his legion of fans (that include Wynton Marsalis and Karrin Allyson) have no doubt been asking throughout his countless years of performances in his adopted Bay Area home region and on the international circuit. The multi-talented vocal interpreter (and onetime saxophonist) emphasizes this sentiment with a dramatic flourish on the second go-round of a key line on the jaunty, Latin fired arrangement of “Invitation,” which begins with the spirited bongo energy of Peter Michael Escovedo: “Hoping you’ll say with a sweet invitation/Where have you been, darling?/Come in, into my heart.” Washington does just that in myriad ways on the constantly engaging 11-track collection, which delicately balances Washington’s pure emotional nuances and more freewheeling, high spirited storytelling. The result is soulful and intuitive improvisational freshness, even on Songbook tunes we’ve heard countless other times like “The Best is Yet to Come,” “S’Wonderful,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Smile” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.” With a mix of sparse and bustling arrangements featuring the core ensemble of Josh Nelson (piano), Gary Brown (acoustic bass), Lorca Hart (drums) and Victor Goines (tenor sax and clarinet), Washington’s colorfully textured, richly hued interpretations take us from the hushed intimacy of “Here’s To Life” to a funky, fiery yet sweetly romantic romp through Jobim’s bossa nova standard “No More Blues (Chega de Saudade).” (https://www.jwvibe.com/post/kenny-washington-what-s-the-hurry) Washington’s voice and style are different from the standard singing styles, but he draws the listener with his approach and arrangements with his unique approach. Backing payers are Josh Nelson (piano), Gary Brown or Dan Feiszli (bass), Lorca Hart (drums), Victor Goines (tenor sax, clarinet), Jeff Massanari (guirtar), Mike Olmos (trumpet), Peter Olmos (trumpet), Peter Michael Escovedo (bongos), Jeff Cressman (trombone) and Ami Molinelli-Hart (percussion). Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Immanuel Wilkins – Omega (BlueNote): “After making a striking appearance on Joel Ross’ KingMaker, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins delivers an expansive opus about the Black experience in America on his own debut album Omega, which was produced by Jason Moran and features a next-generation quartet with pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kweku Sumbry…. With powerful pieces like “Mary Turner – An American Tradition” and “Ferguson – An American Tradition,” Wilkins wanted to convey the deep pain his people have endured in this country for centuries. That message lands harder in 2020, as the world struggles through a global pandemic, and cities across America are uprising due to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, three unarmed Black people who died at the hands of whites.The pain is balanced with joy, too, as on the opening track “Warriors,” a bright tune that celebrates the love that’s closest to you. “It’s about friendships, family, your hood, and your community,” Wilkins says. “It’s about us serving as warriors for whatever we believe in.” (http://www.bluenote.com/immanuel-wilkins-to-release-debut-album-omega-produced-by-jason-moran-on-aug-7/) Click here to listen to the opening song on this disc.

Matt Wilson Quartet – hug! (Palmetto): “A veteran of the jazz scene for 30-odd years, Wilson commands a ton of respect as a drummer, composer and bandleader. Even in sideman roles, the man is going to make sure his leader’s music doesn’t sag…. When the show is all his, he is going to make everyone sound their best. It’s not hard, honestly, to make sure guys the caliber of Chris Lightcap (bass), Kirk Knuffke (cornet) and Jeff Lederer (saxophone) play maximally. But when you combine their talents with Wilson’s leadership and a lineup that’s remained stable since around 2014’s Gathering Call, you’ve got yourself a well-oiled machine. The Matt Wilson Quartet’s famed tempestuous attack on songs both original and not is immediately recognizable from the open notes of Gene Ammons’ “The One Before This.” That single-note melody is a perfect platform for letting it hang out and Wilson’s gutbucket drums set the tone in a flashy — but short of cheeky — style. Lederer and Knuffke take their turns, with the latter barely able to wait his turn, and Lightcap’s bass walk is rock steady, even maintaining the swing during his own solo turn. When it comes to finding songs to cover, Wilson is a joy-seeker, and he can find it anywhere, such as in Abdullah Ibrahim’s cavorting “Jabulani,” taking cues from the melodic free-bop take the then-Dollar Brand led on his song with saxophone firebrands John Tchicai and Gato Barbieri. Wilson chooses to have Lederer and Knuffke briefly collide into one another before Lederer takes the reigns for himself and makes well-articulated remarks accented by a few squawks. After Knuffke and Lightcap have their own say, Wilson launches into an unaccompanied spotlight, staying within the spirit of the South African chant even though there are no notes around….“Space Force/Interplanetary Music” combines two Sun Ra tunes, which already makes it a little off kilter, but then Wilson & Co. turns part of it into a march and dubs in President Trump’s speech announcing the Space Force. Zaniness abounds.” (https://somethingelsereviews.com/2020/08/20/matt-wilson-quartet-hug-2020/) In the unnamed or unclaimed words on the back of the jacket, “A hug is great…. one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.” Click here to listen to the title song.

Michael Wolff – Mike Clark – Leon Lee Dorsey – Play Sgt. Pepper (JazzAvenue1): I looked at this  release and immediately thought “How many times must we listen to “would be” renditions of Beatles music that simply and usually poorly copy the wonders of their music? What a wonderful surprise to listen to Michael Wolff (piano), Mike Clark (drums) and Leon Lee Dorsey (bass)! This set uses the original compositions as a launch pad for a wonderful jazz performance that has been designed to create something unique. It is based on the original music, but transforms the songs into jazz offerings that stand on their own in the most delightful and hip way. Their respect for the original music is obvious. Too many earlier offerings have simply aped the original melody, even if it was of lesser quality. This release is both respectful and worthy of joining the best of jazz releases available. Click here to listen to a sample from this disc.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop