New Jazz Releases – 10/28/2024
By Russell Perry

John Escreet Quartet with Mark Turner
A terrific release this week from John Escreet with his trio plus Mark Turner. The Lux Quartet of Dayna Stephens, Myra Melford, Scott Colley, and Allison Miller has also released a winner.
John Escreet – The Epicenter Of Your Dreams (Blue Room Music, released 06/07/2024). Mark Turner – tenor saxophone, John Escreet – piano, Eric Revis – bass, Damion Reid – drums.
In his last release (Siesmic Shift, 2022) UK-born, LA-based pianist John Escreet (Alex Sipiagin, Dan Rosenboom, Amir ElSaffar, Jamie Baum) teamed with bassist Eric Revis (Tarbaby, Branford Marsalis) and drummer Damion Reid (Dan Rosenboom, Steve Lehman) in first class piano trio. Taking the next step, Escreet has now added uber-saxophonist Mark Turner to make a truly great quartet for a program of six originals plus covers of Andrew Hill and Stanley Cowell. Highly recommended.
Ryan Keberle & Catharsis – Music Is Connection (Groove Monkey Music, released 10/18/2024). Ryan Keberle – trombone / Wurlitzer / Roland Juno synth / piano / vocals, Camila Meza – vocals / guitar, / guitar FX, Scott Robinson – tenor saxophone, Jorge Roeder – acoustic bass, Eric Doob – drums, percussion.
Ten years in, trombonist Ryan Keberle and his trio of Cartharsis-mates continue in their “indy-jazz” vein in sharp contrast to his recent more straight-ahead octet release on Posi-Tone (Bright Moments, previewed 09/30/2024). Keberle plays a range of instruments in addition to singing and saxophonist Scott Robinson joins on one tune. Guitarist Camila Meza makes very satisying contributions as a vocalist as well.
Joe Baione – Vibe Check (Self Produced, released 10/09/2024). Duane Eubanks – trumpet, Tori Dodo – piano, Joe Baione – vibraphone, Marco Panascia – bass, Jerome Jennings – drums, Alexis Bayonne – vocals.
Recently retired band teacher Joe Baione, is active in the Maryland / Delaware region. The program for his new release is largely uplifting consisting of originals by the leader and his late father.
JD Allen – The Dark, The Light, The Grey and The Wonderful (Savant Records, released 10/04/2024). JD Allen – tenor saxophone, Gregg August – bass, Ian Kenselar – bass, Nic Cacioppo – drums.
Saxophonist JD Allen’s last release (This, previewed 11/13/2023) departed from his regular tenor – bass – drums trio with the introduction of an electronics player. I didn’t find it as satisfying. Now he is back to a primarily acoustic setting, but with two bass players. The resulting release is predominantly low-register, slowly paced, and very dark. Some of the tunes have a film noir darkness, some a painfully sad darkness, some almost sinister. If you get in the right frame of mind, it is quite moving.
Brandon Sanders – The Tables Will Turn (Savant Records, released 10/04/2024). Chris Lewis – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone, Keith Brown – piano, Warren Wolf – vibraphone, David Wong – bass, Brandon Sanders – drums, Christie Dashiell – vocals.
Drummer Brandon Sanders brings back most of the quintet from his previous release (Compton’s Finest, previewed 09/18/2023) including the wonderful vibraphonist Warren Wolf (History of the Vibraphone, previewed 08/26/2024) for a set of three originals plus well-chosen covers (Monk, Bird, Ellington, Tony Williams, McCoy Tyner). It’s a swinging affair all around. Recommended.
Review: WDNA
Richard Nelson – October Rain (Modal Citizen Records, released 09/29/2023). Andrew Carney – flugelhorn, Linley Hamilton – trumpet, Ciaran Wilde – saxophone / clarinet, Alan McPike – piano, Scott Flanagan – organ, Richard Nelson – pedal steel guitar, Andy Reiss – guitar, Lee Meehan – guitar, Mal O’Brian – guitar, Rory Hoffman – guitar, John Goldsby – bass, Eddie Lee – bass, Paul Moore – bass, Jimmy Sullivan – bass, Marcus Finnie – drums, Darren Beckett – drums, Lloyd Byrne – percussion.
Maine-based composer / guitarist Richard Nelson released a terrific disc earlier this year (Richard Nelson and the Makrokosmos Orchestra – Dissolve, previewed 01/29/2024) consisting of three pieces making a long-form suite for large ensemble. Featuring a mix of covers with the leader featured on pedal steel guitar, this one doesn’t reach that high level of achievement to my ears.
Nubya Garcia – Odyssey(Concord Jazz, released 09/20/2024). Sheila Maurice-Grey – trumpet, Rosie Turton – trombone, Nubya Garcia – tenor saxophone, Joe Armon Jones – piano, Daniel Casimir – bass, James Douglas – cello, Sam Jones – drums, Jansen Santana – percussion, Esperanza Spalding – vocals, Richie – vocals, Georgia Anne Muldrow – vocals, Chineke! Orchestra – strings.
Saxophonist Nubya Garcia released her first full disc, The Source, in 2020 to rather universal applause as a new generation of British jazz informed by Latin, Caribbean and African sources. Much awaited, her follow-up release, after several singles, captures her in a neo-soul hybrid frame-of-mind with extensive scoring for strings. While the reviews range from positive to breathless, this is a direction in which I have less interest.
Reviews: Pitchfork, The Guardian, Irish Times, All Music
Hot Club of San Francisco – Original Gadjo(Hot Club Records, released 09/13/2024). Paul “Pazzo” Mehling – guitar / banjo / vocal, Jordan Samuels – guitar, Nelsen Hutchison – guitar Hunter Matthews – guitar, Evan “Zeppo” Price – violin, Cullen “Cujo” Luper – violin / baritone violin, Dexter Williams – bass / valve trombones.
For 35 years, HCSF has been perfecting their approach to music inspired by Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli. On their 15th release, they are playing a program of their own compositions, full of joy and infectious delight.
Review: Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Pony Boy All-Star Big Band – This Is Now – Live At Boxley’s (Pony Boy Records, released 08/09/2024). Mike Mines, Brian Shaw, Keith Karns, Jay Thomas – trumpets, Dave Marriott, Conner Eisenmenger, Greg Schroeder, David Bentley, Dan Marcus, Audrey Stangland – trombones, Tracy Knoop, Travis Ranney, Steve Treseler, Chris Fagan, Kandin Neri, Matso Limtiaco – reeds, John Hansen – piano, Heather Chriscaden – bass, Greg Williamson – drums.
Although I don’t know these players, I read that they are leading lights in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene. This is not your typical program of standards arranged for large ensemble – these are compositions by band members primarily.
Review: Parkbench Live
Lux Quartet – Tomorrowland (Enja Records, released 07/19/2024). Dayna Stephens – alto saxophone / tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone, Myra Melford – piano, Scott Colley – bass, Allison Miller – drums.
This is a tremendously talented quartet and the release is among the highlights of each players’ discography – perhaps the best recording yet from saxophonist Dayna Stephens. Each player is a leader and composer in their own right and each has compositions in the mix, so the result is rich and varied. As Felipe Freitas writes of the co leaders, “This project … offers a sound that is more accessible than the avant-jazz of [Myra] Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet and less sprightly than the jazz-rock hybrids of [Allison] Miller’s Boom Tic Boom.” Highly recommended – one of the best of the year so far.
Reviews: Jazz Trail, The Big Takeover, Irish Times
Gina Schwarz – Pannonica (Cracked AnEgg Records, released 03/2022). Lorenz Raab – trumpet / flugelhorn, Alois Eberl – trombone, Lisa Hofmaninger – soprano saxophone / bass clarinet, Philipp Nykrin – piano, Primus Sitter – guitar, Florian Sighartner – violin, Clemens Sainitzer – violoncello, Gina Schwarz – bass, Judith Schwarz – drums.
Just the latest jazz artist to pay homage to the Jazz Baroness Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild de Koenigswarter, Austria bassist / composer Gina Scwartz has assembled a string-heavy nonet to interpret her challenging compositions.
Reviews: Jazz DaGama, Jazzwise
Lynn Riley & The World-Mix – Head To the Sky (Ru Ba Groov Records, released June 25, 2022). Lynn Riley – alto saxophone / soprano saxophone / flute, Adam Faulk – piano, Rubin Edwards – bass / percussion, Harry “Butch” Reed – drums, Juan “Cuco” Castellanos – percussion, Rene Ginett – vocals.
From soul jazz to world-beat, Philadelphia saxophonist (and regular Charlottesville visitor) has put her capable quintet through a varied percussion-rich program.
Review: Broadway World
I hope that something here tickles your eardrums.
Russell Perry, Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia