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New Jazz & Blues – 12/14/2021

New Jazz:

XCurtis Amy – Katanga (Blue Note): “At the time of the Pacific Jazz recording, Katanga was a short-lived secessionist state in central Africa led by Moïse Tshombe (1960-63). Mineral-rich Katanga seceded from the newly formed independent Republic of Congo, which in 1960 was given independence from Belgium . The Republic of Congo first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba sought international assistance to suppress Katangese secession. All under the shadow of the Cold War machinations involving Russia, China, the UN, Belgium, Britain’s MI6 and the USA, with alleged nefarious CIA involvement. Any of this sound familiar? Various internecine political twists led to Lumumba being imprisoned and, at the behest of Katangan authorities allegedly under Belgian influence, executed by firing squad in January 1961. For context, this occured shortly before the inauguration of US President JFK.
Katanga! was recorded for Pacific Jazz early in 1963.  Of the former fiefdom of Belgian King Leopold II of the Belgians, the Belgian Congo, what started as the independent Republic of the Congo (1960), became the People’s Republic of the Congo (1964), and following a military coup led by General Mobutu, became the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1966), which was of course not, as its name implied, democratic, but a dictatorship. Often such things are the mirror-opposite of what they say.  Just to confuse everyone, in 1971, DR Congo was renamed  Zaire, bait and switch, with Mobuto still in charge, one of Africa’s most reviled dictators. Mobutu ruled the country, which long included previously breakaway state of Katanga, with a rod of iron and with his  cronies stole all its wealth, bleeding it dry over 32 years….All-Music awarded Katanga! four stars out of five, which is high praise indeed for All-Music, but  rating systems can be deceptive. Consider, perhaps  there are only one or two recordings worthy of five stars,  so to save the five-star ranking for them, the maximum award for all other recordings can only be four stars. Well  I give Katanga! five stars. If something better shows up, I’ll give that six. The piece de resistance of the album, Native Land, is a huge ten minute modal canvas setting off inspired playing by everyone, a stunning  tour de force. All the more shocking to me as with the exception of pianist Jack Wilson (Liberty Blue Note 8270 Easterly Winds).… All of the other tracks contain some of the same magic, a masterpiece imagined out of thin air, by artists of obscure standing and futures, who by rights could not have produced such a momentous album, which is surely the business of only five-star artists. Magic happens, deal with it.  It is a crying shame that there would be no further recordings from this quintet.” (https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2018/10/29/curtis-amy-dupree-bolton-katanga-1963-pacific-jazz-uk-fontana/) Click here to listen to “Native Land” and the center piece of this collection.

Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound (Blue Note): “Homeward Bound—the Blue Note Records debut by drummer, composer, and bandleader Johnathan Blake—signals shifting tides for a career that’s yet to crest. The album is a celebration of life and legacy featuring his quintet Pentad with alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, keyboardist David Virelles, and bassist Dezron Douglas. Heralded by NPR Music as “the ultimate modernist,” the Philadelphia-raised artist has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Hans Glawischnig, Avishai Cohen, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Alex Sipiagin, Kris Davis and countless other distinctive voices. DownBeat once wrote, “It’s a testament to Blake’s abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context.” A frequent presence on Blue Note records over the past several years, Blake has contributed his strong, limber pulse and airy precision to multiple leader releases from Blue Note artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith’s Breathe (2021), All in My Mind (2018) and Evolution (2016) and Kenny Barron’s Concentric Circles (2018), the latter whose trio Blake has been a vital member for nearly 15 years.” (https://store.bluenote.com/products/johnathan-blake-homeward-bound) Nice variety and excellence from each musician! Click here to listen to “Rivers & Parks” from this wonderful release.

XMelanie Charles – Y’all Don’t Really Care About Black Woman (Impulse): “With the Verve Remixed project, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Melanie Charles sets out to take this group of songs and breathe new energy into them. Melanie was immediately drawn to the rapturous voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn who inspired her to record arrangements of “God Bless the Child” and “Detour Ahead.” Melanie asks listeners to be accountable to black women as much as they care for their works. With the Verve Remixed project… Melanie Charles sets out to take this group of songs and breathe new energy into them. Melanie was immediately drawn to the rapturous voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn who inspired her to record arrangements of “God Bless the Child” and “Detour Ahead.” This album is a love letter to the unheralded labor of black women. Melanie asks listeners to be accountable to black women as much as they care for their works…. “I chose ‘Woman Of The Ghetto’ because it’s lyrically relevant,” Charles notes. “And while we were in lockdown, a conversation that we were having was about how kids who were poor children who did not have access to computers or internet were struggling to sustain their education in the midst of lockdown. I also wanted to highlight how you can come from the ghetto or from the hood, but present more than just the stereotype of the ghetto. Marlena Shaw was such a classy, refined, educated, well-spoken Black woman, speaking about the hood. And I think when we discuss the hood it’s sort of like a caricature of us. But actually, we’re so dynamic—we’re multifaceted. Where we’re from doesn’t define how we move in the world…. Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Ari Lennox, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically.” (https://scenester.tv/emerging-artist-melanie-charles-returns-with-new-album-yall-dont-really-care-about-black-women-october-22/) Click here for a sample song.

XMathias Eick – When We Leave (EMC): “Norwegian trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist Mathias Eick is a thoughtful, ambient-leaning jazz musician. In addition to issuing a handful of albums under his own name, Eick is a first-call sideman. A member of the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and the progressive jazz/electronic ensemble Jaga Jazzist, he has also worked alongside Manu Katche, Iro Haarla, Pat Metheny, and singer-songwriter Thomas Dybdhal. As a trumpeter, Eick is much in the tradition of such players as Kenny Wheeler, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Enrico Rava. His solo debut album, The Door, appeared on ECM in 2008. Skala, his sophomore outing for the label appeared in 2011. After touring and collaborating with others — including jazz rockers Motorpsycho and Lars Danielson — for several years, he returned with Midwest in 2015 and followed it with Ravensburg three years later. In 2021, he released When We Leave, performed by a septet.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mathias-eick-mn0000182149/biography)  Click here to listen to “Arvo” from this new release.

Pete Escovedo – Rhythm Of The Night (Self-produced): “2021 Latin Grammy Lifetime Award honoree and legendary Percussionist Pete Escovedo is an artist who broke down the barriers between Smooth Jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz and contemporary music. His name has been synonymous in the music industry for more than 50 years. Pete Escovedo is known worldwide for his live performances, session work and solo albums. He has recorded ten acclaimed solo albums, two albums with his daughter Sheila E., and the Latina Familia live album with Sheila E. and Tito Puente. Produced and arranged by son Peter Michael Escovedo, Rhythm of the Night is a collection of nine “Old School” Soul & R&B hits, re-arranged and transformed into an explosion of Latin Jazz articulated through a fourteen-piece Latin Jazz Orchestra.
“Pete Escovedo fell in love with Afro-Caribbean music as a young man and decided to follow his passion, founding a jazz sextet with family members that evolved into the iconic Chicano rock band Azteca in 1972. Five years later, Escovedo launched a solo career, unifying elements of jazz, salsa and Latin soul under the elegant groove of his timbales.” (The Latin Recording Academy) He is backed by violinist Hakon Aase, Andreas Ulvo (violin), Andreas Ulvo (piano), Erlien (bass) and Lofthus and Norbakken (drums and Carstensen (pedal steel guitar. Click here to listen to songs on this release.

XAlan Evans Trio – Elephant Head (Vintage League Music): “Over the past 13 years Alan Evans has honed his skills as a recording engineer, producer, guitarist, vocalist and writer. (Also formerly of Soulive) Armed with an abundance of newly inspired songs, Alan has decided to start a new band in a lineup he thrives in, the organ trio. To bring his vision to life, Alan has recruited two of his good friends and amazing musicians, guitarist Danny Mayer and organist Beau.” (https://alanevanstrio.bandcamp.com/) Ready to put a dip on your hip! Click here and try to keep yourself from tapping!

Pasquale Grasso – Pasquale Plays Duke (Sony Music Masterworks): “Pasquale Plays Duke…is the second of a three-part trilogy which follows the early 2021 digital release of Solo Ballads. For this particular album he introduces his working trio of bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla, and is joined by special guest vocalists Samara Joy and Sheila Jordan…. Grasso reimagines five Duke Ellington classics on solo guitar, alongside several collaborative tracks, performing some of Ellington’s most-cherished masterpieces including today’s release “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “In a Sentimental Mood” and “Cotton Tail,” with Joy and Jordan making appearances on “Solitude” and “Mood Indigo,” respectively.
Long before earning the endorsement of everyone from New Yorker magazine to living luminary guitarist Pat Metheny and recording a series of solo EPs and albums for Sony Music Masterworks, Grasso grew up in the quaint and quiet Italian town of Ariano Irpino. At six-years-old, Pasquale developed a bond with his guitar that ignited an unbelievable journey from the Italian countryside to international renown…. After attending the Conservatory of Bologna, the U.S. Embassy enlisted Grasso as its Jazz Ambassador. He embedded himself in New York City’s jazz community through a standing gig with late saxophonist Charles Davis. Among many standout performances, he won the 2015 Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition and shared the stage with Pat Martino’s organ trio. In 2018, he appeared at the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., delivering a show-stopping homage to honor Pat Metheny who christened him “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.”(http://jazz-jazz.ru/?category=download&altname=pasquale_grasso__pasquale_plays_duke_2021) Grasso is accompanied Ari Roland (bass) and Keith Balla (drums) with Sheila Jordan and Samara Joy each adding one vocal to the session. Click here to listen to “Solitude” with Samara Joy.

David Janeway – Distant Voices (SteepleChase): “DAVID JANEWAY was born in Rochester, New York. He began studying classical piano at the age of six after moving to Detroit in 1960. Early influences included Harold McKinney, Marcus Belgrave, Bill Evans and Denny Zeitlin. After moving to New York City in 1978, Janeway studied with the late Albert Dailey for two years…. During this time he worked and recorded with Angel Canales and Orchestra Sabor and other Latin/Jazz artists such as Art Farmer, The Supremes, Michal Urbaniak, Spanky Wilson, David “Fathead” Newman, Jr. Cook, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Tom Harrell, Danny Gottlieb, Louis Smith, Dakota Staton, Valery Ponomarev, Benny Golson, Harvie S and others…. For the past several years Janeway can be heard with his current piano trio featuring Billy Hart and Cameron Brown and as a sideman with various artists.” (https://www.davidjaneway.com/bio/reviews) Outstanding performances from beginning to end! Click here to listen all the songs on this release.

Oliver Leicht – A_Trak_Some Songs (Float Music): “The journey continues – with a 53-minute musical excursion of his ensemble [Eight], divided into six tracks, Oliver Leicht takes his auditorium into the world of sounds of this remarkable small orchestra. It consists of only nine musicians, but with these it draws from a musical reservoir that would suggest a larger instrumentation. It effortlessly overcomes stylistic boundaries and thus leads on sonic excursions from chamber music trio to collective improvisations, from electronic (pop) music to jazz in an orchestral guise.” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137912701-oliver-leicht-acht-a_trak__some-songs-2021.html) Click here to listen to samples of the songs of this disc.

Elena Maque – Feel Again (Self-produced): “Elena Maque has just released her debut album, Feel Again. Born in Russia and educated at the Mussorgsky College of Music in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Elena has worked with fabulous musicians from across the globe. Some of them have joined her for Feel Again, including Scott Kinsey, the great keyboardist, Hadrien Feraud on bass, and Gary Novak on drums. They are joined by Leonardo Amuedo on guitar and Brad Dutz on percussion. But, seriously, I can’t get enough of her vocals.” (~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl) “Russian-born, Seattle-based vocalist/saxophonist Elena Maque released her new album, Feel Again, on November 19. The record offers six well-crafted originals and three innovative interpretations of well-known classics from the jazz, Brazilian and pop idioms. Each track is a showcase of Maque’s amazing ability to cross-pollinate jazz with funk, pop and other genres. Feel Again also marks her debut full-length collaboration with Los Angeles-based keyboardist Scott Kinsey, music producer on this project. The title track, which you can hear via the player below, is an original composition. It brims with nightlife vibes and is driven by a tight groove courtesy of drummer Gary Novak and bassist Hadrien Feraud.” I regret I am not able to find a sample from this release.

XAyumi Tanaka Trio – Subaqueous Silence (ECM): “We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Well, perhaps the sound/sensory equivalent of this would be ‘beauty is in the ear of the listener’. When it comes down to it, we all perceive things differently. Some things are obvious, others are way more subtle. Japanese pianist Ayumi Tanaka’s second trio release, her first as leader for the ECM label, challenges convention and perception. With Norwegian musicians Christian Meaas Svendsen on double bass, and Per Oddvar Johansen on drums, this is a trio with a difference. Their music is experimental, exploratory and exponential, whilst still being inexplicably expressive. One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Some will discard, others will covet. And that’s the nature of this music. Drawing inspiration from eastern and western sources, it was a deep interest in the work of Norwegian improvisers that initially led Tanaka to Scandinavia. “The first time I heard Norwegian jazz I felt that the musicians’ expression was very personal,” she recalls, “the quality of tones making the air feel alive. So I came to Norway to understand how this unique music evolved.” Tanaka also brings with her a growing awareness of her own cultural roots; there is an ascetic rigour in her playing, as well as a sense of space suggesting affinities with Japanese musical tradition. “I feel myself in ancient Japanese classical music,” she acknowledges, “even though I am strongly influenced by Norwegian musicians. My late teacher Misha Alperin was always saying to me “Find your own voice”, which is something I continue to seek.”
The stark and poetic pieces Tanaka writes for the trio set a musical direction for free creative interpretation. And essentially, that’s what this is, in a way; free jazz. It’s free jazz in a minimalist setting. It’s creative thinkers with furrowed brows sipping Sake, looking for solutions to a complicated universe whilst watching a single raindrop slowly fall from a window pane. It’s a Zen master sitting silently while all around him plummets into chaos. It’s a rainbow glistening brightly in the sky while the people beneath face destitution and starvation. It’s a moment in time where the heart misses a beat, reminding us we are alive. It’s Yin and Yang. It’s the interconnected, interdependent nature of all things. It’s a piano, a double bass and drums, finding their own place in this multi-faceted musical theatre we call life. (Mike Gates) Click here for an introduction to Tanaka’s music with “Black Rain” from this release.

XVarious Artists – Shorter Moments (Posi-Tone): “Acting upon the thoughtful advice to give out flowers to the living while they are still here to enjoy them, Posi-Tone would like to show our profound appreciation and affection for Wayne Shorter. With the release of “Shorter Moments,” we celebrate the music of this wonderful composer and present a special compilation of his compositions, lovingly performed over the years by a wide variety of artists from our talented roster.” (https://www.posi-tone.com/shorter-m/shorter-m.html) A dozen songs in honor of Wayne Shorter featuring David Ashkenazy, Alexa Tarantino, Walt Weiskopt, Jared Gold and Wayne Escoffery among others in appreciation Wayne Shorter. Click here to listen to the songs on that Shorter played.

New Blues:

Sunny Bleau & The Moons – Breakfast Served Cold (Cocco/Underdog): “On her debut album, Breakfast Served Cold, Sunny Bleau uses every hue in the blues palette. While there might be flirtations with shades of jazz, soul, pop and country sprinkled across her canvas, the primary color is most definitely blue. She balances precision, power and raw emotion to paint a memorable and sonic picture. Bleau taps into universal themes of love, lust, loss and redemption, but her stories resonate on a deeper level. “Everybody gets the blues, everyone can relate to it. It doesn’t matter if they’re blue collar, white collar, rich, poor, whatever; they get it. I try to write from a woman’s perspective, to give women a voice to all those secrets we hold inside. I want everybody who sees us, everyone who hears these songs, to connect with them in a way that they feel like their secrets are safe with me.” Sunny Bleau might be serving her breakfast cold, but she delivers the heat. Blues is the truth, and these songs don’t lie.” Listen to Sunny Bleau on Spotify.

Lowell Fulson w/ Jeff Dale & The Blue Wave Band – Lowell Fulson Live! (Pro Sho Bidness): Lowell Fulson demonstrates straight-up BLUES on this date – strong and fiery and his back-up, Jeff Dale & The Blue Wave Band fits the performance just fine. This set took place at the CLUB 88 on November 5, 1983 and all edges were showing. “Hi! One upside of the initial COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, was that I discovered a box of tapes in my basement. Among these treasures was a live recording of Lowell Fulson backed by Jeff Dale and the Blue Wave Band at Club 88 on November 5, 1983. On this particular evening, we were joined by Texas blues guitar great Pee Wee Crayton’s grandson, Marshall Crayton on tenor sax. The tapes hadn’t been played in 38 years. I reached out to Lowell’s estate and got their blessing to release this show. With “Lowell Fulson Live! With Jeff Dale and the Blue Wave Band” everyone can experience the greatness and dynamism of the late, great Lowell Fulson. This year is the 100th anniversary of Lowell Fulson’s birth and this release is a fantastic way to celebrate it!” (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jdblues/lowell-fulson-live-with-jeff-dale-and-the-blue-wave-band/) Here’s a raw taste – click here.

(Oliver) Mississippi MacDonald – Do Right, Say Right (Another Planet): “Mississippi MacDonald is a 3 times British Blues Awards nominee, from London, England. He has been playing since he was 11 years old and has travelled extensively on the US blues trail, meeting, amongst others, Pinetop Perkins, Willie Big Eyes Smith, Otis Clay and BB King. In 2010, he was part of the team that purchased a gravestone for the late Hi Records recording artist and soul legend, OV Wright. (https://mississippimacdonald.com/) This appears to be his seventh release and it is straight-ahead blues with a solid vocal delivery and fine guitar right from the heart of the blues. “It’s modern, it’s not musical archaeology,” says London-based soul-blues stylist Mississippi MacDonald of his music. “It celebrates a fantastic tradition. It’s soul-blues, and you’ve got to put your best into it.” MacDonald knows that tradition. He’s been to Al Green’s church and heard him preach. He’s been to Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis, where the great records on the Hi Label were recorded. He’s seen Jerry Lee Lewis kick over his piano stool. He’s met B.B. King and Pinetop Perkins, Otis Clay and Sam Moore. Big Joe Turner told him to listen to Albert King. In 2008, he was a prime mover in finally getting a stone for the previously unmarked grave of soul legend O.V. Wright.” (https://mississippimacdonald.com/epk/) And this release is a certified Professor Bebop “Wax Devoid of Cracks”! Click here to listen to the opening song on this disc.  

Hughes Taylor – Modern Nostalgia (Self-produced): “Hughes Taylor is an energetic and ambitious blues artist from Macon, Georgia. He is known for his impressive and accomplished guitar playing and unique electric style that infuses traditional blues roots with upbeat and fast-paced blues and classic rock. Modern Nostalgia is the 4th studio album from Hughes Taylor and is his best yet. Recorded at the legendary Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, GA, the music on this record is a sweet mix of blues, blues-rock, and southern rock that is reminiscent of the great music that put Capricorn on the map many years ago.” Click here to listent of a sample of Hughes Taylor’s music.

Various Artists – Blues Mix 32 (Ecko): Blues Mix 32 offers a new compilation featuring Jaye Hammer, Brenda Yancy, Ms Jody, O.B. Buchana and several remixes or unreleased cuts. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc. 
Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop