Prelude, Brandee Younger.
The harp may be one of the most obscure instruments in jazz, but it can lead a band just as well as any horn or rhythm section instrument, as proven in the late 1960s by women such as Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, and the whimsical grace of jazz harp has mostly been associated with their spirituallyoriented sub-genre of jazz. Their more delicate sound complimented the sizzling organ trios that were playing right alongside them at the time.
There have not been many jazz harpists in the past, however, nor are there many in the present. But Brandee Younger, emerging on the scene less than a decade ago, is keeping the tradition alive. Younger also performs hip hop on the harp and is a classical harpist as well as vice-president of the Long Island Chapter of the American Harp Society. On this new album, Younger is joined by a woman, simply called Niia, whose whimsical voice seems born to glide alongside the harp’s soft melodies.
They open with “So Alive,” showcasing the harp as a 21st century, modern jazz centerpiece. Niia’s voice is hip, probably equally inspired by earlier jazz divas as much as indie/folk rock singers like the Joanna Newsome and bands like Cocorosie. Although her voice is beautiful and there is an undeniable power behind it, she has a slight case of the grown-woman-trying-tosound- like-a little-girl blues. It’s interesting enough, but its time to leave that sound back in 2005. Niia returns once more on the album for “Oriental Folk Song,” a more spiritually-driven work suggesting a return to the roots of modern jazz harp. Her wordless vocals act as another instrument, creating a savory melody surrounding the rhythm section.
“Prelude” is graceful, and Younger’s harp is mesmerizing on all of the short record’s five tracks. While keeping the harp alive as a jazz instrument, her forward-thinking approach and versatility in other musical genres is a welcome sound on the jazz continuum.
2011, Self-produced.
Ellington In Anticipation, Mark Lockheart.
Duke Ellington is arguably the most successful black composer in history. His music is timeless, ingeniously written, and almost begging to be updated, orchestrated and arranged over and over again. Ellington’s compositions lend themselves perfectly to 21st century arrangers because of their intricacies, richness, and intellectual components. You’ve heard mediocre arrangements of the Duke’s opuses, especially various takes on “Take the A Train” or “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” A mediocre arrangement of an Ellington composition is always sorely disappointing: don’t cover it if you can’t make it different. Don’t detract.
Mark Lockheart and his band, on the other hand, make Ellington’s music relevant to current audiences, recreating his big band compositions while retaining the feeling of the original songs. The record mostly focuses on standards such as “Caravan,” “Mood Indigo,” and the two tunes mentioned above. They’re playful, tight, artistically rendered, and, best of all, completely different. The Duke would have been pleased.
If you’re an Ellington fan who appreciates modern composition, this might be one of those records that won’t leave your CD player for the entire weekend. The title of the record itself mirrors how the music feels. There’s a sense of charging ahead as a group, occasionally a soloist leaping out-of-bounds, but never out of place. Unlike Ellington’s arrangements, the music creates a sense of urgency, like the feeling of racing for a finish line. The tracks sound like they could be used in a film score. The music swings, and sometimes it swings hard; Lockheart hasn’t discounted the swinging nature of the original tunes. But at the same time, it’s not a swing album. It’s a fun, intellectual, highly original work of art.
2013, Subtone Records.
Indian Summer, Richards/Duval.
Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble Records has done it again with another release full of terrific, original music from the jazz project that may be the most fun in town.
A quick reminder of who the PJCE is: headed up by local musicians Dan Duval and, until recently, Andrew Oliver, the PJCE commissions local talent to create original jazz compositions for both large and small ensembles. They release about one record per month — and their standards are high.
The PJCE seems to encourage experimentation among its musicians, as showcased by the newest release from the highly experimental Richards/Duval quartet. The record is a soundscape, opening with what could be a cascading waterfall, with a bittersweet piano melody modestly hiding behind the watery sound effects. It’s transportive and builds upon itself, gliding into “Hallelujah,” the next track on the record. Here the piano emerges from the shadows as the lead instrument, with Duval’s guitar entering stage right. The water returns, full circle, providing the listener a calm, meditative experience – like being in a Japanese Garden.
The water is a recurring theme throughout the album, fading in and out to calm the listener after dramatic elements of composition. The musicians take their time, milking each note to its fullest. Crickets are heard, and wild animal sounds, and maybe creaky old wooden houses, creating a feeling of being in a cabin deep in the forest, in the dead of the night. Sometimes the music is sad, sometimes warm, and sometimes it’s intense.
The album closes with “Departure,” a rich collection of ringing bells and wind chimes: high-pitched, beautiful, but also maniacal. It’s as heavenly as it is taunting.
The Graham Richards/Dan Duval quartet is an experience unto itself. These guys know how to create an emotional, musical journey for anyone who’s willing to join them for the ride.
PJCE Records, 2014.
Paris 1969, Thelonius Monk.
A never-before heard recording from a late 1960s concert from one of — if not the — greatest pianists in jazz history?
Yes, please.
During this Parisian concert, Monk was joined by tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse and the less well-known bassist Nate Hyglund from the Breklee School of Music and 17-year old Paris Wright on drums. This record is a hard-swinging, straightahead affair. Even though Monk’s health was ailing at the time, this is a scorching performance – no theatrics, as common earlier in his career – but solid nevertheless.
As a rule, I personally gravitate toward studio recordings rather than live albums because the sound quality is better and the tape keeps rolling until musicians and producers are happy with the quality of the take. But when we’re talking about historic recordings of the jazz icons, that rule flies out the door. So imagine you’re in a small, dark and smoky club on the outskirts of Paris in the 19th arrondisment, watching the still-young Monk riff with Rouse on “Ruby My Dear.” Visualize the intense, concentrated expression on Monk’s face as he’s pounding the chords on “Epistrophy.” Incidentally, this performance takes place at Salle Pleyel, a venue where Monk had bombed about 15 years earlier.
Though Wright is very young at the time of this recording, he performs wonderfully, particularly during his extended drum solo on “Nutty.” The classic Monk tunes, including “Straight No Chaser” and the others mentioned previously, are performed with command, but not given much embellishment. Rouse knows the tunes cold and allows them to stand on their own. This date is a terrific addition to the ever-expanding Monk material that is being released.
2014, Blue Note Records.
Gathering Call, Matt Wilson Quartet with John Medeski.
Just released: a new album from the only jazz drummer who sometimes, just for fun, plays his drums with carrot sticks. Then, when they break, he throws them in an onstage juicer, drinking the sweet juice at the end of the show.
Just like his personality, Wilson’s music flirts with the eccentric and the avant garde, but never veers too far from its hard bop roots. Ultimately it’s swing that drives the tunes. Pianist John Medeski, easily as creative as Wilson, teams up with him in a reunion of sort (remember when they both played in Either/ Orchestra?).
Joined by Kirk Knuffke on cornet, Chris Lightcap on bass, and Jeff Lederer on saxophone, the musicians welcome risktaking opportunities, maybe equally inspired by Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman as much as straight-ahead hard bop from Horace Silver. The record is composed of entirely original music.
Lederer’s saxophone burns on “Get Over It, Get Off, and Get Out.” This cut is so swinging, it could have been recorded in ’58 on Blue Note or Prestige records. Similarly, one of the other gems on the album is “You Dirty Dog,” the tune that might be the most straight-ahead track on the album. Medeski’s piano shines here, emphasizing the horn section with accents on the off-beats. The playing is tight, and there’s the signature playfulness that Wilson brings to all his bands.
Several tunes give a rest from the hard-swing; the gem among the slower, more introspective tunes is “If I Were a Boy.” It builds upon itself, led gracefully by Lerderer on the saxophone.
The whole album is a great mix of the avant-garde (but not too far out), swinging hard bop, ballads and playfulness. Once again, another terrific record from Wilson and company.
2014, Palmetto Records.
Life Forum, Gerald Clayton.
It’s a thin line between straight-ahead and modal jazz, but pianist Clayton manages to find that balance on Life Forum. He’s a forward-thinking, straight ahead modern jazz composer with a knack for originality.
His ensemble features some of the best and brightest young talent: Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Gretchen Parlato on vocals, Dayna Stephens and Logan Richardson on saxophones, Joe Sanders on bass, and Justin Brown on drums. Clayton seems right at home leading a large ensemble, with loads of room to explore his adventurous sound.
The album is peppered with surprises. It opens with “A Life Forum,” a spoken word piece by writer Cark Hancock Rux. Clayton shows off his vocal chops on the soft ballad, “Dusk Baby,” reminiscent of Jimmy Woode when he sang with the Clarke-Boland Sextet in the 1960s. The vocals aren’t perfect, but they’re soulful, human, and sweet.
“Future Reflection” and “Deep Dry Ocean” are two of the most enticing tracks, both featuring the haunting vocals of Gretchen Parlato. In fact, “Future Reflection” is really the centerpiece, even though it’s only the second song. The musicians play with a collected confidence, each note created with intention. Parlato’s voice acts as another instrument in the band, very successfully. “Deep Dry Ocean” showcases Clayton’s evocative piano playing.
This is modern septet jazz at it’s finest: hip, adventurous, improvisational, and stylish. It’s fun to listen to, providing a palette of rich and different sounds: a great album to set a mood in the room.
2013, Concord Records.
Young Guns, Gene Ludwig/Pat Martino.
Sometimes the best performances are stored in the vaults of record labels, but sometimes, as with this record, they are stored in the private collections of the musicians themselves. This performance, for instance, was in the private collection of Pat Martino. It’s a live gig from mid-‘60s, with Martino on guitar, Gene Ludwig on the Hammond B-3 organ, and Randy Gilespie on drums. The performance is on fire, and the boys are in their musical prime. You can hear the excitement in Gilespie’s drums, the artistry of Ludwig’s organ, and the joy in Martino’s guitar.
If frying an egg on a sidewalk on a scorching summer afternoon had a soundtrack, it would be this record. The album sizzles from beginning to end, but I’m telling you something you already know. What else would you expect from Pat Martino? “Sam Shack” is a slow burner. Martino’s guitar takes the lead on this one, with a fast-paced solo from Ludwig’s organ that glides in and then hangs out as the two musicians feed off each other’s energy. “Road Song” is a mid-tempo groove that is titled perfectly. It’s the song you’d want to flip on when you’re traveling East on I-84 towards Idaho, with that dry, desert brush surrounding you. Perfect road trip music.
The album closes with “Colossus,” a quick, fiery tune with Martino’s fingers racing up and down the fret board. Gilespie’s drums remain in the background, providing the stability for the rhythm section, and when Ludwig’s organ is not embellishing the guitar lines, it takes center stage.
This session was recorded before Martino’s brain aneurysm that caused him to lose his memory, including how to play the guitar (which he fully re-learned). A true soul-jazz outing, with the pioneers in their prime.
2014, HighNote.
Full Circle, Chris Parker.
So many musical styles have been pulled into the genre we’ve come to call “jazz.” Even if Latin rhythms, funky beats, or bizarre instrumentation are involved, you can still hear when the musical undercurrent is jazz and, in fact, what would jazz be without it? In its 100-year history, jazz has come full circle.
Parker’s new record fuses classic hard-bop with Calypso, tango, blues, and funk, creating an eclectic, engaging sound. Parker is most likely inspired by the 1950s and ‘60s works of Horace Silver. Some of the songs sound so straight ahead, they could have been composed in the 1950s. Others incorporate a modern twist with jazz violin.
Adding a local component, though Parker is a resident of New York, is the fact that it was mixed in the Portland suburb of West Linn.
The shining star here is “Step One,” with a subtle tango rhythm and a strong interplay between Portland resident John Nasto’s saxophone and Rob Thomas’ violin. The song is highly energetic and adds a dramatic flare to the record. By far the funkiest song here is “Stage,” and unlike other songs on the record, there is no hint of Latin influence. Tony Marino’s electric bass line and Parker’s minor piano chords enhance the melody of this sizzling, modern funk tune.
Another hot number is “The Ride” with its Latin-tinged percussion, and staccato rather than melodic violin. The playing is tight, and often the song ventures into super straight ahead hard-bop with a Calypso twist in the vein of Horace Silver. Other tunes, such as “Emmy’s Shuffle” and “Up Front,” explore the bluesier side of jazz, while the title track and “Left at Bingen” are packed with Calypso beats.
Parker’s new recording is a ride, sometimes slowing down out of an especially energetic tune to give the listener a rest before he picks it back up again. It’s solid playing, and the bonus of the addition of Thomas, a former Portland resident himself, on violin.
2014, OA2 Records.