New Jazz News – 12/1/2020
New Jazz News – 12/1/2020
Carla Campopiano – Chicago – Buenos Aires Connections, Volume 2 (Self-produced): “Initiated musical studies in 1986 in the UNT (Universidad Nacional de Tucumán) Music School later continued studies in the Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda (EMPA) with specialization in,Tango and Argentine Folk Music…. From 2011 Carla relocated to the USA where she worked in several music projects including Folk American, Metal, and Middle Eastern music. From 2013 director, band leader and arranger of “Yuyo Verde TANGO BAND” Chicago tango based ensemble.” (https://www.carlacampopiano.com/copy-of-concepts) In her words: “The novelties in this compilation result from a rupture with expectations. Approaching music with a lens that dissociates the different elements of universal music, we seek to bring them together in a fresh new way that resonates with our path and current perspective. In Chicago/Buenos Aires Connections Vol. 2, compositions by multiple celebrated Latin American composers are rearranged and approached through the worlds of jazz and improvisation. This is the result of an internal journey striving to expand our sound palette and expressiveness. This project is the culmination of the teamwork carried out with my great friend Gustavo Cortiñas who has not only collaborated in the arrangements and the aesthetic vision but also thanks to his drive and support we have crossed the stormy seas of making unconventional music. We have the privilege of featuring the talent and joy of many extremely talented musicians with whom we share, not only music and friendship, but also perspectives, beliefs, and dreams.” (https://carla-campopiano.bandcamp.com/album/chicago-buenos-aires-connections-vol-2) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.
Chord Four – Bigger Smaller Nows (Self-produced): “Chord Four is an award-winning California Avant-Garde ensemble of improvisers and composers playing original music. Conceived in 2008, this chord-less Los Angeles-based ensemble has built a large repertoire and a strong group sound focused around intricate rhythms and harmonies. Heavily influenced by jazz, as well as the traditional music of Ghana, Indonesia, India and the Balkans, their music is difficult to place into a specific genre. This, along with their unique variable instrumentation makes for a dependably intriguing collection of sounds and timbres. Chord Four won first place in the first international 2017 CONAD Jazz Contest and has performed at the Umbria Jazz and Umbria Winter Jazz Festivals as well as many jazz venues throughout the Western United States. The members of the ensemble are, in score order: Andrew Conrad on tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, and melodica, Brandon Sherman on trumpet, flugelhorn, and melodica, Emilio Terranova on double bass, and Colin Woodford on drums, cymbals, and melodica.” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137839827-chord-four-bigger-smaller-nows-2020.html) Click here to listen to four songs on this release.
Espoo Big Band – Espoo Suite (Galileo): “Espoo Big Band (EBB) is one of the greatest Finnish big jazz orchestras and known particularly as a performer of new Finnish big band music. In addition to touring in Asia, Australia, and Brazil, EBB has played at many of the worlds’ leading jazz festivals and released eleven albums. Last summer EBB performed at the North Sea Jazz at Rotterdam, one of Europe’s major jazz festivals. EBB is set to release a new album in February, the “Espoo Suite”, with compositions by Marzi Nyman. The audience gets to go on an imaginary trip to Espoo and follow a frantic moonshine smuggler chase and an intense battle at a local sports field. A Finnish top jazz singer, Mirja Mäkelä, will be joining the band as the soloist. The works included in this concert are mostly from Mirja Mäkelä Trio’s albums “Runoisa” and “My Hidden Joys”, with lyrics by Finnish poets and Mäkelä herself. Arrangements are by Mikko Hassinen, Ville Vannemaa, and Marzi Nyman.” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137697103-espoo-big-band-espoo-suite-2019.html) Click here to listen to an introduction to Espoo Suite.
Mathias Formica / Edward Carracedo / Alarcon / Ledesma – No comunica (Zoho): Mathias Formica and company perform on the outside edges of difficult listening. “ Formica / Edward / Carracedo / Alarcon / Ledesma make up a collective based in La Plata, Argentina, the capitol of the province of Buenos Aires. Last year they performed several concerts….Timbre, noise, spatiality and exchange, permutation and heterogeneity. From the most precise qualities of an instrument to almost the total loss of its identity- No comunica seeks to detain the moment where the specific edge of each instrument is dispossessed. There is very little information about Formica or the players at large, but Formica is the arranger and composer and he plays flute and saxophone. The information is as elusive as the music itself. Click here for a live sample of the style of this group.
David Friesen – Testimony (Origin): “A technically adept, immensely intuitive bassist and pianist, David Friesen is a spiritually minded performer whose music touches upon contemporary jazz, folk, world traditions, and acoustic post-bop. A regular presence in the Pacific Northwest since his emergence in the late ’60s, Friesen initially garnered acclaim for a series of textural and earthy albums recorded with guitarist John Stowell in the ’70s, and has paired for equally compelling dates with such luminaries as Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Mal Waldron, Denny Zeitlin, and others. He remains an intensely exploratory artist, flowing from trio albums like 2016’s Triple Exposure, to duo albums like 2017’s Bactrian, and intimate solo performances as on 2018’s My Faith, My Life.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-friesen-mn0000638158/biography) Testimony features Freisen on bass, piano and percussion with Eugene Dobrovolskyi (vibraphone), Alex Fantaev (drums, percussion) and Mykola Ryshkov (tenor sax) with the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. Friesen composed all of the music. Click here for a large sample of the music on this release.
Jihee Heo – Are You Ready? (OA2): “Jihee Heo, Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, New York based Jazz Pianist and Composer. She began playing classical piano at age 4. Influenced by greats such as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, and Keith Jarrett, Jihee switched to jazz piano at age 16. Jihee’s love of jazz piano and travel took her abroad to the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam 2004. Conservatorium van Amsterdam is a school comprised of mostly international music students. While studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Jihee’s music and style was many influenced by different cultures, helping develop her musical ideas…. After moving to New York City in 2011, Jihee obtained her Master’s Degree in Jazz Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2013, while studying under Garry Dial, Phil Markowitz, Cecil Bridgewater and Dave Liebman. Jihee currently resides in New York City, performing as both a leader and sideman in the metropolitan area. She is also the Music Director, Pianist and Arranger at New York First Presbyterian church in New York since 2012.” (https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/jiheeheo?width=1440) Heo sings beautifully on the opening song, but dedicates her full attention to the piano from there on out. Her talents shine in both aspects. Her rhythm section is filled by Marty Kenney (bass) and Rodney Green (drums) and rapper Saidu Ezike guests on the song “Trust”. This is a dazzling set from beginning to end. Click here to check out “Blurring The Blues” from this release.
Arthur Hnatek Trio – STATIC (Whirlwind): “Zurich based musican Arthur Hnatek is one of a new breed of players who see their music as a continuum stretching between genres, always thinking in terms of links rather than boundaries, possibilities rather than limits. His time spent playing drums with similarly adventurous and unclassifiable artists Tigran Hamasyan and Shai Maestro opened his ears to the possibilities of rhythmic variation: his immersion in electronic music production and the motorik tradition of Jaki Liebzeit alerted him the possibilities of repetition. Now, with Static, he presents his first trio record: joined by his equally fearless bandmates Fabien Iannone on bass and Francesco Geminiani on tenor sax, this is music created by a classic jazz line-up and steeped in improvisational facility, yet simultaneously utterly unlike anything in the standard jazz tradition. The bulk of the album was written by Hnatek, paying close attention to the details and textures, and drawing a range of different sounds from the drum kit: ’I like the idea that you can have very complicated rhythms, but played in a repetitive way that sounds natural, and where the binaries of ‘written’ and ‘improvised’ aren’t too clear’…. Alongside the written tracks, the trio created a wealth of spontaneous improvised music in the studio, and Hnatek has hidden snippets of these soundscapes into parts of the album for the listener to discover….This is a unique record, at once spacious and complex, full of light and shade, elusive but direct. “To me, the process of making this record was dictated by the jazz tradition of improvisation, and even though it’s inspired by the sounds of minimal electronic music, it still feels to me very much like a jazz record: we improvise with rhythmical structures and texture as much as notes and chords. I’m really proud of this record.” (https://arthurhnatektrio-whirwind.bandcamp.com/album/static) Click here and scroll down to listen to two songs from this disc.
Frank Kohl – Solitude (Self-produced): “Solo guitarist Frank Kohl delivers an album that is reminiscent of the vintage “Virtuoso” projects by Joe Pass in the 1970. Kohl’s got a rich tone, an ability to use lovely rococo dashes of flavor, and knows how to reinterpret a tune to make it his own, on this mix of standards and originals. He rarely delivers a chop shop of notes, preferring to give introspective and thoughtful reads of the intimate “I Got It Bad” and “Alone Together”. He serenades a tender read of Tom Jobim’s “Once I Loved” and is relaxed on Oscar Peterson’s “City Lights”. His own material is reflective, as on the Gaellic “Dreams In Color” and minstrel’d “Fly Way”, with clean picking and attack on “Wide Open”. Pensive pickings.” (https://www.jazzweekly.com/2020/11/frank-kohl-solitude-kari/) Click here to listen to the title song.
Emily Kuhn – Sky Stories (Bace Records): “Chicago-based trumpet player Emily Kuhn’s debut album, Sky Stories, is a celebration of Chicago’s natural beauty and its diverse musical communities. The album brings Kuhn’s lyrical compositional voice together with some of the most innovative musicians from the jazz, classical, Latin, folk, and world music scenes in the city, weaving diverse musical threads into a lush soundscape that floats freely between improvisation and orchestration. The album features two bands: Helios, a chamber jazz nonet made up of a string quartet, vocals, trumpet, saxophone, bass, and drums, and Kuhn/Suihkonen/Friedman/Ernst, an improvising jazz quartet with two trumpets, bass, and drums. Some of the songs, like “Horizon” and “Anthem”, are meditative musings, featuring expanding textures and melodies over pulsing, repetitive basslines. Others are more angular; “Fit” is a free jazz composition reminiscent of Ornette Coleman tunes, while “Beanstalk” is centered around punchy, explosive rhythms. “Roses” and “Queen for an Hour” are exuberant and richly textured, with playful melodic lines and ample room for improvisation. The album alternates between contemporary sounds and string arrangements evocative of classic jazz recordings, such as Kuhn’s take on the jazz standard “Body and Soul”. Each song tells its own story of a specific moment in time and space; taken together, they create a rich homage to the vastness, intimacy, and ephemerality of Midwest landscapes and skies.” (https://emilykuhntrumpet.bandcamp.com/album/sky-stories) The styles and variety offered by Emily Kuhn on this disc create a terrific span of styles and settings that clearly show Kuhn’s versatility as a player and a composer. Click here to listen to the songs on this release.
Douglas Olsen – 2 Cents (Self-produced): “What seems at first blush to be a nonet on this splendid new album is actually trumpeter Douglas Olsen’s core quartet, amplified on various selections by talented guests who raise the number anywhere from a quintet to an octet. Even though Olsen has been a super-busy free-lancer on the New England jazz scene for more than two decades, 2 Cents is apparently his first recording date as leader of his own group; with that in mind, perhaps Olsen reasoned it would require all the support he could muster. He needn’t have worried. While it is good to hear those other voices, the clear impression is that Olsen’s quartet would have fared well enough on its own, governed as it is by his bright and inventive trumpet, and comprising a solid rhythm section (pianist Tim Ray, bassist Dave Zinno, drummer Mark Walker). Olsen wrote half a dozen of the album’s nine engaging tunes, and shows he has a genuine knack for that as well. Yaure Muniz makes it a dual-trumpet front line on a pair of those originals, “Miles Rumba” and “Boperation,” while saxophonist Dino Govoni shares the stage with Olsen on alto saxophone (“Rat-Race”) and tenor saxophone (“2 Cents,” “Critical Mass,” “Passage”). Trombonist Angel Subrero enlarges the group on “Miles Rumba,” “Boperation” and Dizzy Gillespie’s lyrical “Algo Bueno,” tenor saxophonist Tucker Antell on “Miles Rumba,” conguero Ernesto Diaz on “Algo Bueno,” “Miles Rumba” and “Boperation.” Olsen favors brisk tempos, to which his agile horn is well-suited, starting with the opening number for quartet, “Tailwind,” and including the fast-moving “Rat-Race,” “Boperation” and “Passage,” which rings down the curtain. There is an explicit Latin accent as well, on “Algo Bueno,” “Miles Rumba” and “Una Para Ti.” While Olsen solos most often—and, it should be noted, quite persuasively—Govoni, Muniz, Antell, Subrero and Ray make their assertive voices heard, as do Zinno and Walker. An impressive coming-out party that needs no balloons, fireworks or other trappings to ensure its success.” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/2-cents-douglas-olsen-self-produced) Click here to listen to “Miles Rumba” from this release.
Chip Shelton Peacetime Ensemble – Mentors (CCM Records): “With incredible talent and perseverance, Chip Shelton has earned an undisputed reputation as one of the most renowned flutists in the world of jazz. And in recent years he has established himself as a formidable saxophonist as well…. He utilizes the entire woodwind family: saxes include tenor, alto, soprano, and sopranino….” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137835108-chip-shelton-peacetime-ensemble-mentors-2020.html) This is Shelton’s ninth release as a leader. His backing performers on this outing are Marcus Mclaurine (bass), Jon Davis (piano, organ), Dwayne Cook Broadnax (drums), Lou Volpe (guitar) and Daoud David Williams (percussion). The set includes five Shelton originals and includes covers as varied as Willie Dixon’s “I Love The Life I Live”, Frank Foster’s “Simone”, Richie Cole’s “DC Farewell” and two offerings from Jimmy Heath. Fresh and fine throughout! Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this release.
Damià Timoner – Jerry’s Smilin’ (Zoho): Damià Timoner has done something remarkable here. An acclaimed and virtuosic Mallorca, Spain-based guitarist, arranger, and conceptual thinker – he has rendered an elegant and entertaining musical portrait of one of the world’s most legendary rock bands. A self-described “Deadhead,” Timoner initially learned about The Grateful Dead by reading about them in the newspaper. He picked up a few of their LPs including What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been (1977) and Live / Dead (1969). And that was it. He listened to their music in earnest and became a lifelong fan. “The Grateful Dead changed my view of music and life.” Sometimes you come across a production that makes you fundamentally rethink an artist or band. That’s what Timoner has done with his Jerry’s Smilin’. He has created a window for new audiences and generations to discover The Grateful Dead’s music. On a personal note, I have started listening to their music more intently after collaborating with Timoner on his release. In selecting the repertoire, Timoner wanted to feature pieces by different composers who had been in the band across several decades. The album begins with Brown-eyed Women and Ramble On Rose which are on the live 3 LP set Europe ’72. Timoner changed the key of the first song so he could perform it with more freedom and range. And for “Ramble,” Timoner drew inspiration from the lyrics of Robert Hunter. Timoner lowered the pitch of the 6th (E) string to give the piece more depth and resonance. Timoner based his rendition of Cassidy from the 1981 acoustic live album Reckoning. Here too, he lowered the 6th and 5th (A) strings for more depth and used a capo to allow for more facility and freedom. Built to Last is the title track of the last studio album by The Grateful Dead from 1989. It’s a hopeful and optimistic piece that celebrates what the band had achieved in its decades-long run.” (https://homegrownmusic.net/store/cd/damia-timoner-jerrys-smilin-a-guitar-tribute-to-the-grateful-dead-cd) Here’s an introduction to the styles of play on this disc.
Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop
