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New Jazz Adds – 3/17/2020

Ernesto Cervini – Tetrahedron (Anzic): Drummer/composer Ernesto Cervini offers his latest release featuring four original compositions and a span of music from an original composition from electric bassist Rich Brown and reaching as far as Romberg and Hammerstein II’s “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise”. The other players are guitarist Nir Felder and alto saxophonist Luis Deniz. The music flashes and swirls in a wonderfully rhythmic and harmonic set while remaining quite accessible. The title is the name of this quartet and they swing beautifully together. Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

John DiMartino – Passion Flower: The Music Of Billy Strayhorn (Sunnyside Communications): “John di Martino is a composer, arranger, jazz pianist producer and educator, based in New York City. He was a long time member of Ray Barretto’s “New World Spirit”.  He is a featured arranger and pianist on many of Ray Barretto’s recordings including the grammy-nominated, CD: “Contact” and “Portraits In Jazz And Clave” (featuring James Moody, Kenny Burrell, Joe Lovano, Steve Turre, and Eddie Gomez.” (https://johndimartino.com/bio) His band on this disc features Eric Alexander (tenor sax), Boris Koslov (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) with Raul Midon adding the vocal on “Lush Life”. This disc is a wonderful tribute to Strayhorn’s composing and performing. Click here to check out Di Martino’s performance on “Take The A Train”.

Jimmy Greene – While Looking Up (Mack Avenue): “A native of Hartford, CT, Greene is considered one of the most respected saxophonists of his generation since his graduation from the Hartt School of Music in 1997… In addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader, Greene appears on 75 albums as a sideman, and has toured and/or recorded with Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Harry Connick, Jr., Avishai Cohen, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Steve Turre, the New Jazz Composers Octet and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among many others.” (http://www.jimmygreene.com/about.html#top) He has released eleven discs as a leader as well. Greene plays soprano and tenor sax, flute, clarinet and bass clarinet on this set and is accompanied by Aaron Goldberg (piano, Fender Rhodes), Stefon Harris (marimba, vibes), Lage Lund (guitar), Reuben Rogers (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Greene’s playing flows beautifully even in the upbeat numbers and he provides a dazzling yet mellow sound. Click here to listen to “April 4th” from this disc.

Connie Han – Iron Starlet (Mack Avenue): Connie Han (piano, Fender Rhodes) second release and her dazzling keyboard skills place her clearly with those of the top musicians anywhere. She composed five of the ten songs and includes three originals by drummer Bill Wysaske who also arranged the remaining two selections. Han flows through each of the songs on solos and background. The group is rounded out by Ivan Taylor (bass), Walter Smith III (tenor sax) and Jeremy Pelt (trumpet). This is a beautiful set with outstanding flow. In Han’s words, “The intention of this music is to continue a legacy of tough, primal, raw but still intellectually engaging straight-ahead jazz….Han and Wysaske have had a fruitful partnership for years with the two sharing strong opinions on ways in which to carry forward the lessons of the past while crafting music that is wholly alive to the moment. Their keyboard-drum partnership establishes the muscular rhythmic spine of their music which is elevated through their producer-artist collaboration. “We subscribe to a philosophy of music that is driven by complex and sophisticated rhythm,” Han explains. “The rhythm isn’t hard just to be hard; it all comes from a place of pure human instinct.” (http://www.conniehan.com/about) I regret I am unable to find a sample from this disc.

Adam Hopkins – Crickets (Out Of Your Head): “As a summer evening turns to night the air is filled with the chaotic clamor of crickets struggling to be heard, and Adam Hopkins’ debut, Crickets (OOYH 001), personifies that sound perfectly. The album features dynamic multi-layered melodies and energized counterpoint that serve to electrify his band and act as a springboard for collective exploration. Unison bass and guitar lines set the stage for rampant saxophone improvisations, often in the form of a soloist but occasionally in a full group free-for-all, reminiscent of a swarm of insects. While the sound and vigor of this raging saxophone front-line may be the obvious inspiration for the album title and band name Crickets, Hopkins says the reality is a bit more abstract. “I drew on a lot of my earliest musical influences when I wrote the compositions for this band, which has been active since 2014. The foundation for what is on the record comes from long before I had any interest in playing jazz–it is heavily rooted in the grunge, indie, and punk rock that I was listening to in high school. We’d write music, rehearse bands, and play shows all summer long in Baltimore clubs like the Small Intestine, Talking Head, and the old Ottobar. Crickets is just the sound of those summers as a teenager, but with a decade or two of musical development mixed in.
On Crickets Hopkins takes the guitar-driven bands he loved as a teenager in the 90’s (Nirvana, Pavement, and The Dismemberment Plan), and expertly melds them with his modern influences as a composer and improviser (Tim Berne, Henry Threadgill, and Igor Stravinsky). The forthcoming album may be at home in a record collection somewhere between the Nels Cline Singers and John Zorn’s Naked City, but the result is something uniquely Hopkins’ own. The players include Adam Hopkins (bass, compositions),  Anna Webber (tenor sax), Ed Rosenberg (tenor sax, bass sax on track 6),  Josh Sinton (baritone sax, bass clarinet),  Jonathan Goldberger (guitar) and Devin Gray (drums). Very little is quiet about these crickets! Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Aubrey Johnson – Unraveled (Outside In Music): “Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music with and without words. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory and will be releasing her debut album, of her own compositions and arrangements, in the fall of 2019. She currently teaches at Berklee College of Music in the Voice Department, and in the Jazz Masters Program at Queens College in New York City. She has also held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Montclair State University. She earned a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory. In 2009 and 2010, Aubrey performed (singing wordlessly and playing auxiliary keyboards) with Lyle Mays (keyboardist of the Pat Metheny Group), including shows at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Also in 2010, she recorded on Bobby McFerrin’s Grammy-nominated EmArcy release “VOCAbuLaries.” (https://www.aubreyjohnsonmusic.com/bio) This is Johnson’s first recording as a leader. The disc offers four original songs and arranged six songs from Tomako Omura (“Voice Is Magic”), Jimmy Rowles (“The Peacocks”) and Egberton Gismonti (“Karate”). This is a unique mixture. Supporting musicians are Chris Ziemba (piano), Matt Aronoff (bass), Jeremy Noller (drums) Michael Sachs (bass clarinet, alto sax), Tomoko Omura (violin on 3 songs) and Vitor Goncalves (accordion on 2 songs). Click here to listen to songs from this disc.

Kirk Knuffke – Brightness Live In Amsterdam (Royal Potato Family): This is Kirk Knuffke’s second release and it is an intriguing and enticing set. The music is slightly unique, but it doesn’t reach over to the weirder side of things. It’s also not middle of the road. Knuffke (cornet, voice) composed all of the songs and he truly invites a visit to the side without overwhelming the listening. Knuffke plays cornet and is the vocalist with support from Bill Goodwin (drums) and Mark Helias (bass). It’s slightly off-beat and still inviting. The “brightness” could certainly draw you in. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Harold Mabern – Mabern Plays Mabern (Smoke Sessions): “It is with a mixture of pride and sorrow that Smoke Sessions Records announces the release of Harold Mabern’s Mabern Plays Mabern on March 20th. Pride because Mabern’s 27th recording as a leader, culled from the same three January 2018 nights that generated his 26th, The Iron Man: Live At Smoke, documents the master pianist, then 81, in prime form, functioning as an inspired soloist, attentive accompanist, melodic interpreter, and crafty tunesmith. Sorrow because the release is posthumous — Harold Mabern died on September 17, 2019, at the age of 83. For the engagement in question, Mabern convened long-standing band-mates Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums, augmented by Smoke Sessions recording artists Steve Davis on trombone and Vincent Herring on alto saxophone. All members rise to the occasion on repertoire that spans 51 years of Mabern’s six decades as a recording artist, leader and sideman.” (http://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/12/harold-maberns-posthumous-release-mabern-plays-mabern/) Mabern is in great form, with no hints that he was 81. The gig was party time in the best sense of the phrase and Mabern obviously had a great time as well. I regret that I am unable to find a sample from this performance.

Pat Petrillo’s NYC Rhythm Band – The Abbey Road Sessions (Palmetto): “Renowned drummer Pat Petrillo and his NYC Big Rhythm Band recorded their debut release in Studio Two last November, and the record is now available on Palmetto Records (NYC). This band recorded their big band renditions of eight Beatles’ songs and two originals.” (https://www.palmetto-records.com/single-post/2020/01/06/Pat-Petrillos-Abbey-Road-Sessions-is-Out)  Drummer Pat Petrillo is the leader with band members Don Harris and Chris Anderson (trumpet), Anibal Rojas (tenor sax), Dave Anderson (alto sax), Dennis Argul and Starlyn Lopez (trombone), Greg Novick (bass guitar), Robyn Gibson (bass guitar on 1 song), Tony Ormond (guitar), Duncan Maitland (guitar on 2 songs, keys), Plinky Giglio (B3 on three). Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Ted Poor – You Already Know (Impulse): “You Already Know, the New Deal/Impulse! debut from the acclaimed drummer Ted Poor—“a trustworthy engine in countless modern-jazz settings,” per the New York Times—isn’t your typical jazz drummer’s recording, almost defiantly so. But if you’re at all familiar with the Seattle-based Poor’s explorative career—or the wide-ranging work of his principal collaborators here, the deeply influential guitarist-producer Blake Mills and the saxophonist Andrew D’Angelo—this should come as no surprise. After all, Poor has proven equally brilliant in bands led by the visionary avant-jazz trumpeter Cuong Vu and the lauded indie singer-songwriter Andrew Bird. Whether he’s on a club bandstand alongside a generation-defining improviser like the guitarist Ben Monder, or onstage at New York’s historic Town Hall, backing Paul Simon as part of Chris Thile’s trusted Live From Here band, Poor is a music-first drummer. His tremendous technical abilities behind the kit are inarguable—and no doubt serve him well as the Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle—but he places color, texture, sound and especially melody atop chops. “The songs that I write, and certainly the songs that appear on this record, are songs you can sing,” Poor says, explaining how his time in the employ of renowned singer-songwriters has informed his own composing. “These are the songs I sing to myself as well.”(https://www.tedpoor.com/you-already-know) Click here to listen to segments of songs on this disc.

Curt Sydnor – Deep End Shallow (Out Of Your Head): “Deep End Shallow is keyboardist Curt Sydnor’s sound-dream of a working musician living at the confluence of the different styles and music scenes in Brooklyn circa 2016 (Sydnor relocated to Richmond VA in early 2019). Featuring the inventive drumming of Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), as well as saxophonist Caroline Davis (Alula, Lee Konitz), bassist Michael Coltun (Mdou Moctar, Les Rhinocéros), and guitarist Aaron Dugan (Matisyahu), this record is a searing and fun document, veering from psych-jazz to Russian Romanticism to Afrobeat, punctuated by the somber reminder that “all is ever as it used to be.” Additional guests are Ofer Ganon (guitar on 3 songs) and Had Atoui (modular synth on 1 song). Musically a synthesis of the diverse groups Sydnor was involved with at the time and inspired by artists like Deerhoof, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline, Julia Holter, Herbie Hancock, and Yonatan Gat, it draws occasional lyrical inspiration from early childhood memories and a dark chapter in the history of Lynchburg Virginia, where Sydnor was raised.” (https://outofyourheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/deep-end-shallow) Click here to listen to samples of there songs on this disc.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop