Mario Pavone, Mike DiRubbo and Tyshawn Sorey - Trio (Arc Cafe, 2012)

Mario Pavone is a well regarded bassist and composer who has been performing jazz since the mid-1960’s. He had a fruitful tenure in the great saxophonist and flutist Thomas Chapin’s trio in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and since then has released several excellent albums as a leader for the Playscape label. This is the first album on the Arc Café subsidiary with Pavone leading a lean trio session with Mike DiRubbo on alto saxophone and Tyshawn Sorey on drums and percussion. Edgy and angular, “Circular” leads off the album with an up-tempo performance that features ripe sounding alto saxophone, bursting to life over responsive bass and drums, all of the music performed in an atmosphere of openness. “Arc Line” has a cool bass and drums foundation, with sharp flurries of saxophone flashing overhead. The boiling pace is lowered to a simmer on “Obstacles” which grows in a spare and organic manner through the slowly building piece. “17 in 14” has a thick pulsing bass heartbeat and nomadic drums, with flares of emotive saxophone crying out. Elastic bass playing once again propels the music on “Deez Excerpt” with swirling saxophone and resonant drumming. DiRubbo really steps out and soars here with long cries and flurries of passionate notes followed by a deft drum solo. This was a very well played album; the group was tight and strong and their performances were risk taking and adventurous. Trio - amazon.com

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Art Pepper - The Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. VII (Widow's Taste, 2012)

Alto saxophonist Art Pepper was a highly regarded musician whose career lasted from the mid-1940's to the early 1980's. Substance abuse dogged Pepper throughout his career, but each time he lost his freedom, he managed to stage a comeback (read more in Pepper's fascinating biography, Straight Life." This archival album is the seventh in the series curated by Pepper's late wife Laurie. Mastered from an audience cassette tape, the performance from Osaka in November of 1980 doesn't have the best sound quality, but the performance quality is quite good. Pepper plays alto saxophone and clarinet, accompanied by George Cables on piano, Tony Dumas on bass and Carl Burnett on drums. The two disc set consists of Pepper compositions along with some standards. Opening with "Landscape" and "Ophelia," two Pepper compositions, which move through a series of musical moods and patterns, warming the band up while still staying pleasant and interesting. Things really pickup with the chestnut "Cherokee" with Pepper launching into a vivid improvisation before circling back to the familiar melody. George Cables is featured on his own composition "Quiet Fire" before the band comes back together for a blistering version of "Straight Life" that is cut short when the tape runs out. After opening the second set with the swinging "Y.I. Blues," Pepper switches to clarinet to clarinet on "Avalon" showing a different perspective of his musicality. They blast through "Make a Wish" with crowd pleasing bravado before changing gears into the ballad "Winter Moon," which Pepper had recently recorded with a string orchestra. They leave the crowd wanting more with a very exciting version of the bebop standard "Donna Lee" which includes a round of excellent solos. This was a well done archival release, and there were some very nice photographs and well written liner notes included. Pepper fans will no doubt be excited to hear him playing with an excellent and supportive band on this album. Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VII - amazon.com

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Fred Lonberg-Holm's Fast Citizens - Gather (Dlemark, 2012)

Formed in 2002, Fast Citizens are the Chicago based meta-band with three albums to their credit, each under a different leader. On this album, the leader is cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and the band consists of Aram Shelton on alto saxophone and clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Josh Berman on cornet, Aaron Hatwich on bass and Frank Rosaly on drums. The album opens with “Infra-Red” with uptempo cornet squaring off against spirited saxophone and clarinet. Loping cello underpins the explorations as Lonberg-Holm builds his playing to very fast levels sparking off waves of excitement and encouraging a fine tenor saxophone solo. “Later News” is a rollicking uptempo tune lifting off with scorching cello and rock-like backbeat drumming as the horns come in entering with pounding riffs.  Jackson takes a strong tenor saxophone solo over heavy drums before the full band comes back with a great collective improvisation. “Lazy Day” lives up to its title with long tones of saxophone and cello developing slowly throughout the performance. “Faster, Citizens! Kill! Kill!” is a riotous fast improvisation with its title riffing off of the 1965 cult film. Beginning with snarling electric cello and exciting saxophone and bubbling bass clarinet. There are sections for unaccompanied clarinet and cornet before the full band rebuilds to the wild melody. Gather - amazon.com

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William Parker Orchestra with Special Guest Kidd Jordan – Essence of Ellington (AUM Fidelity, 2012)

In his introduction to this program, recorded live in Milan, William Parker speaks glowingly of the impact the music of Duke Ellington had on him, going back to dancing around the room as a child while his father played the classic Ellington at Newport album. This fascinating large ensemble recording mixes classic Ellington compositions with Parker’s own to superior effect. The opening song is a Parker original, “Portrait of Louisiana,” dedicated to the New Orleans teacher and musician Clyde Kerr. Louisiana native tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan is featured on this performance with an excellent solo that is rough yet heartwarming. The vocals and spoken word of Ernie Odoom is the centerpiece of the medley “Essence of Sophisticated Lady” (an original) and the Ellington classic “Sophisticated Lady.” Odoom is reminiscent of a swing era singer with a strong clear voice that soars with the band behind him, but also acts a narrator to the drama of a lady’s night on the town to see the big bands. “Take the Coltrane” puts things into overdrive with an extraordinary instrumental performance that takes the big band sound into the post modern era with excellent solos by Sabir Mateen and Kidd Jordan. Perhaps the most impressive solo on the album comes from alto saxophonist Darius Jones, who takes the ballad “In a Sentimental Mood” and simply makes it his own. His sound is caustic but emotional and is really breathtaking in its depth and scope. The medley “Take the A Train/Ebony Interlude” comes out swinging with the familiar fanfare melody, before launching into an exciting trumpet duet between Roy Campbell and Matt Lavelle, and a well deserved solo feature for Sabir Mateen. Much like “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Caravan” shines the spotlight in an alto saxophonist, in this case Rob Brown. Brown shines through a beautifully constructed solo, before the full band comes back in to highlight Parker and pianist Dave Burrell. The band’s encore of the original composition “The Essence of Ellington” brings things back full circle with a spotlight for Kidd Jordan as they distill their love of Ellington’s music and their commitment to internalizing the music and then making their own unique statement. Essence of Ellington / Live in Milano - amazon.com

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Christian Scott - Christian aTunde Adjuah (Concord Jazz, 2012)

Trumpeter Christian Scott develops an ambitious program on this album that stretches over the course of two discs. Including everything from burnouts to ballads and incorporating aspects of electronica soundscapes along with subtle delay and looping, the music is quite a journey, pulling many threads of music into a modern jazz whole. Scott is joined by Matthew Stevens on guitar, Jamire Williams on drums, Kris Funn on bass and Lawrence Fields on piano. Special guests include Kenneth Whalum III on tenor saxophone, Louis Fouche IIII on alto saxophone, and Corey King on trombone. Scott’s trumpet is particularly strong and vibrant, especially on the uptempo numbers, and appropriately bruised and vulnerable on ballads. The urgency of “New New Orleans” is quite impressive because the guitar, bass and drums accompaniment is malleable, ebbing and flowing like the tide under Scott’s powerful horn. With the extra space the musicians are able to weave a tableau on a large scale, developing a nice guitar and piano feature on “Vs. The Kleptocratic Union” and allowing Scott to patiently build in atmospheric late-night foggy horn on the ballad “Keil.” Intricate interwoven lines of music power the fast “Jihad Joe,” a bubbling uptempo composition with active drums and bass. Scott really reaches for the sky here, leaning into the music against scalding guitar and making the performance the centerpiece of the lengthy and enthusiastic album. Christian aTunde Adjuah - amazon.com

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Ivo Perelman - Family Ties (Leo Records, 2012)

Saxophonist Ivo Perelman has had a longstanding relationship with London based Leo Records, releasing a wide variety of albums in different musical configurations. This album finds Perelman in a trio setting with two like minded colleagues, Joe Morris on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. Perelman has a very appealing saxophone tone that ranges from soft and elegant to caustic and abrasive, akin to the laser like focus of Albert Ayler. Morris and Cleaver are also well suited to the open ended nature of the music and work very well both supporting and leading the music. There are two nice long performances, “Family Ties” and “Love” that build slowly to remarkable conclusions of musical emotion. Perelman’s saxophone is particularly poignant on these two renditions, his high pitched cries and wails are never superfluous, but used with tact to convey the emotional content and message of the music. The concluding song “The Buffalo” is just as emotional, but in another direction. Not necessarily mournful, but thoughtful and quiet and meditative, allowing the bass and percussion to develop a deep space that Perelman fills with low, quiet tones. Family Ties - amazon.com

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Mark Masters Ensemble Featuring Gary Smulyan - Ellington Saxophone Encounters (Capri, 2012)

Mark Masters, who runs the American Jazz Institute, has brought together a fine group of musicians to play a group of songs associated with the legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington. Using baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan as a featured soloist on a number of tracks, Masters arranges for a strong small big band that frames the soloists well, and keeps the performances strong and on point. The album opens with “Esquire Swank” which has a classy devil may care theme, with Smulyan’s baritone bursting free and framed well by the other lush horns. A nice piano, bass and drums interlude and tenor saxophone feature round out a swinging performance. There is a jumping piano trio introduction to “The Line Up” followed by spirited big band horns, and strong and ripe baritone which trades off passages with other saxophones in the group. Also featured is a nimble bass solo with the horns gently shading, before everyone comes back for the conclusion. Written to spotlight the great trombonist, “Lawrence Brown Blues,” is an uptempo performance with baritone soaring over riffing horns and strong drumming. Excellent loping bass moves things along briskly, with different saxophones getting a turn in the brisk arrangement. “Ultra Blue” has a ripe baritone solo giving way to alto sax as the group moves amiably through a medium tempo performance. There is space for rippling piano trio, followed by stately baritone and bass soloing. Riotous riffing announces “Used to Be Duke” before Smuylan breaks out with a confident and fast solo. Saxophones joust and wail over some inspired accompaniment. Luxurious horns on the Johnny Hodges tribute “Jeeps Blues” frame and nearly smother Smulyan’s baritone, who gamely fights for space. “Get Ready” has light saxophone opening, before brawny baritone weaves in and out of the horns. There is a loose, easy feel to this song, like everybody is just playing to have fun. “Rockin’ In Rhythm” is a blasting tune with the horns all chiming in and then laying the foundation for the saxophones to blaze overhead. Drums and piano are key here, developing percussive rhythms that keep the music moving aggressively forward. Focusing on songs that were written or co-written by Ellington's sidemen gives this album a bit of a different slant, spotlighting some lesser known compositions with fine arrangements and soloing.

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Scott McLemore - Remote Location (Self-Released, 2012)

Drummer Scott McLemore takes part in some wide ranging projects from the organ based ASA Trio to playing in the band of his partner Sunna Gunnlaugs. On this album, he is the leader, accompanied by Oskar Guiojonsson on tenor saxophone, Andres Thor on acoustic and electric guitars, Sunna Gunnlaugs on piano and organ and Robert Porhallsson on basses. This is a quiet and low-key session mostly using placid and tranquil textures. They actually start out a little faster with the title composition "Remote Location" that features urgent piano accompaniment under the saxophone and drums. An uptempo bass solo sets the stage for a cool guitar and drums section. "Citizen Sitting Zen" builds on the contemplative and meditative nature of the title with light toned saxophone and drums. As he song develops, Guiojonsson's saxophone turns up the heat for the guitar, bass and drums with the saxophone gliding in and out. Gunnlaugs' piano opens with with a repetitive figure on "Dunegrass" with bass and light saxophone building. There's a subtle ramp-up of intensity, with saxophone and guitar building to a fast end. A ballad piano entry begins "Woods at Night" with slow saxophone and drum asides. The group gradually develops a melodic improvisation increasing pace with guitar overtones. The group develops the music on this album with slow patience that allows everything spaciousness and room to breathe. There's nothing showy or obtrusive about this music, the artists involved sacrifice any ego they may have in order to serve the greater good of the music. Remote Location - Bandcamp

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Hot Club of Detroit - Junction (Mack Avenue, 2012)

The Hot Club of Detroit can be viewed as a conservative exploration of the music that evolved in France before the war under the tutelage of legendary musicians like Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. But that might be too narrow of a view, especially on this album where they welcome progressive alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon to the mix. This pushes the music into a mix of old world charm and modern advancement. Along with Irabagon are guitarists Evan Perri and Paul Brady, Julien Labro on accordion, Cyrille Aimee on vocals, Shawn Conley on bass, and Andrew Bishop on saxophones. “Goodbye Mr. Anderson” gets the album off to a fine start with Irabagon integrating with the band well and soloing with aplomb. “Hey” and “Chutzpah” follow in this vein with the group building an admirable head of steam while remaining accessible and intricate in their arrangements. “La Foule” and “Mese Gitane” take a more traditionalist route featuring accordion and guitar with some singing. The biggest surprise comes at the end of the album with the version of “Rift” by the jam-band Phish. It’s an unusual choice that works very well, as the music builds an unstoppable momentum that barrels along with great fun. Junction - amazon.com

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Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz - Abraxas: Book of Angels 19 (Tzadik, 2012)

The 19th edition of John Zorn’s Book of Angels is a wild ride, with Zorn giving his compositions up for interpretation to an exciting jazz/rock band consisting of Aram Bajakian and Eyal Maoz on guitars, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on gimbri and Keven Grohowski on drums. “Domos” opens the album with probing guitar that turns into a blasting full band improvisation with full throttle guitars that are wild and unrelenting. Strong guitars offer a fast foundation on “Tse’an” with the gimbri filling the bass and support role and powerful drums developing a Mahavishnu Orchestra like fusion as the scorching guitars trade lead and backing positions. “Nachmiel” focuses on drums rolling around the melodic guitars which are still speedy but nicely intertwined, making for a sharp and fast performance. Things kick into overdrive with “Muriel” with the jackhammer sound of the full band on takeoff. Wild, driving and impossibly fast at times, the band remains on the same wavelength, developing intricately woven instrumental textures, before downshifting into a spacier section of longer guitar tones. Fast and slow dynamism power “Aupiel” with the band burning out and then pulling back before bulldozing forward once again. “Nahurel” ramps thing back up again with guitars pushing the music rapidly forward and drums keeping the engine stoked. This was a roller coaster ride of improvised jazz and rock, taking elements of Zorn’s Middle Eastern tinged compositions and running them through a powerful machine that amplifies and transforms the music into something potent and affecting. Abraxas: Book of Angels 19 - amazon.com

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Hafez Modirzadeh - Post-Chromodal Out!

Post-Chromodal is a musical system, one that I can't claim to understand, but one nonetheless that makes exciting and accessible music. Given the title, there can be a connection between this album and the great inside/outside albums that Blue Note Records published in the mid 1960's, not only its clear predecessor, Jackie McLean's Destination Out, but a host of of the records by the likes of Sam Rivers and Andrew Hill. Hafez Modirzadeh plays alto and tenor saxophones, along with Amir ElSaffar on trumpet, Vijar Iyer on piano, Ken Filiano on bass and Royal Hartigan on drums. The music is divided in an interesting fashion, with a great many short fragments or "Facets" that will combine different instruments in different patterns, with a few longer tracks, that develop in a modern jazz fashion. The music looks to combine different cultures and structures and it works well, the music crosses boundaries while remaining true to the jazz heritage. The music is very complex, but feels right, exploratory and thoughtful, like dispatches from a group that is looking for a new way of interacting with each other and the music itself. Post-Chromodal Out - amazon.com

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Fire with Oren Ambarchi - The the Mouth a Hand (Rune Grammofon, 2012)

Fire! is a collective improvising group from Sweden featuring Mats Gustafsson on saxophone and electronics, Johan Berthling on bass and Andreas Werliin on drums. On this album they welcome a special guest, Oren Ambarchi on guitar and electronics. Their sound is a wild mix of free jazz swirling drones and hypnotic groove. “A Man Who Might Have Been Screaming” opens the album with rough saxophone joined by bass and drums, building a head of steam, before setting off into buzzing, screaming overdrive. The music becomes an overpowering buzzsaw of sound, tempered by abstract smears. Droning hypnotic sections of music give way to a scorching saxophone blast the heralds the end of the piece. A grinding raw opening with strong drumming and hypnotic electronics usher in “And The Stories Will Flood Your Satisfaction (With Terror).” This is an epic 23 minute improvisation with Gustafsson simply wailing above a maelstrom of sound. As the performance develops, throbbing bass bubbles up like a monster from the deep, laying the foundation for impossibly intense hair-raising improvisation. The music becomes cathartic, ecstatic and simply overpowering. “He Wants To Sleep In A Dream (He Keeps In His Head)” has a accelerating pulse of bass and electronics developing an angular groove with shards of guitar sparking off. Gustafsson’s saxophone lays out as the guitar improvises over a hypnotic bass and drum drone, pulsating and locked in as scorching electroshock electronics are added into the mix. After the glorious chaos of the first three tracks, “I Am Sucking For A Bruise” tones things down, coming to the listener like a haunted epilogue of wind blowing across an icy and forlorn landscape. This was a fascinating album with an interesting combination of free-form jazz and progressive rock that makes for a heady mixture. It shows what happens when you tear down barriers between genres and allow people to interact in a free and open manner, allowing their creativity to flow unfettered and without boundaries. In the Mouth - A Hand - amazon.com

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Sonny Rollins - The Very Best of Sonny Rollins (Concord, 2012)

This is an introductory album pulling together some of the high points of tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' recordings from 1956-1958. Rollins is one of the true masters of jazz and the period represented here was one of his finest and whets the listeners’ appetite to delve deeper into his catalog. One of his most well known compositions leads off the album, “St. Thomas,” it is a classic joyful song that has become a jazz standard. Everything about this performance is special from the magisterial saxophone to the great drumming of Max Roach and generous and tasteful piano solo from Tommy Flanagan. The reading of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” comes from Rollins’ collaboration with the Modern Jazz Quartet. He plays thoughtful and patient ballad saxophone in a deeply lyrical fashion shaded by piano and vibes. “I’m An Old Cowhand” is from his great trio LP Way Out West. This is a fun performance with clip-clop drumming from Shelly Manne and an epic melodic solo from Rollins that is bursting with ideas. “His saxophone pours forth on “Someday I’ll Find You” chased by up-tempo bass and drums like a bird in flight. Saxophone and drums joust and parry in an exciting fashion. One of Sonny Rolins great strengths is the ability to take any song of any vintage and to craft a great improvisation from it. “There’s No Business Like Show Business” has a swinging quartet making the familiar show tune into something all its own. Rollins’ solo has a wealth of ideas buoyed by fast paced piano, bass and drums. “Tenor Madness” is a swinging and exciting up-tempo twin tenor saxophone duet with fellow legend John Coltrane. Not so much a saxophone battle as a conversation between two of the best musicians of the day. After a classy piano trio interlude, the saxophones take turns trading ideas with the drums before taking the song to a close. This was a solid introduction to some of Sonny Rollins finest work. While his large discography may be daunting to the jazz neophyte, this is an easily digestible collection that helps the listener make the acquaintance of one of the finest musicians in jazz. The Very Best Of Sonny Rollins - amazon.com

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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Four MF's Playin' Tunes (Marsalis Music, 2012)

In a lengthy interview in the British magazine Jazzwize and information available on his web site, it was clear that Branford Marsalis really wanted to investigate the song form of jazz on his latest album. It suits the band well, allowing them to tell stories with the originals and standards that make up the album. The group consists of Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophones, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums. Marsalis splits the songs pretty evenly between his two horns, taking the first two uptempo performances on soprano, “The Mighty Sword” is an arresting opening tune and “Brews” coming next with its choppy and unpredictable Monk-like structure. They examine one of Thelonious Monk’s own compositions, “Teo,” an excellent performance for the full band, particularly Faulkner who trades exciting passages with the other musicians on this song and the following “Whiplash.” The album closes with a couple of interesting standards. First Marsalis sticks to tenor saxophone for a lengthy version of “My Ideal.” Channeling swinging ballad masters of the past like Dexter Gordon or Ben Webster, the improvisation is lengthy, thoughtful and patient from both the leader and the band. Finally there is a bonus track of “Treat It Gentle” originally by Sidney Bechet (whose autobiography is under the same title.) Back on soprano as Bechet was known for, the band takes a medium tempo jaunty swing, bring the album back full circle to the idea of exploring songs and songforms. Four Mf's Playin' Tunes - amazon.com

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Ken Vandermark and Paal-Nilssen Love - Letter to a Stranger (Smalltown Superjazzz)

Saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love have performed together in so many different contexts that they have a near telepathic sensibility of their improvisational contexts. That fact is brought to bear on this duo album recorded in Chicago during January of 2011. Nilssen-Love remains an ever potent force on drums and percussion, while Vandermark deploys his tenor and baritone saxophones along with A and bass clarinets. The music on this album is broken up between five very brief improvisations named "Field" and them numbered sequentially and longer freely improvised performances. The title song "Letter to a Stranger" is a potent and exciting tenor saxophone and drums duet, developing into a great free-flowing conversation. Bursts of saxophone and lighting quick drum responses envelop the music. "Cat in the Water" offers abstract, flighty clarinet and jittery, exiting sounds akin to birds in flight. Squeals of air underpinned by muscular drumming bubble to the surface. Saxophone and drums build slowly on "Crippled Donkey" rolling slowly and inexorably to speed. The music throttles into a mighty and dynamic performance that is full of energy, with great guttural squalls of saxophone and drums. An angular momentum matures on "Bent Corners" with very rapid and action oriented shifts between abstract and open sections and vigorous and energetic music that pulsates with power. This was a fine example of two musicians being locked in the moment with each other and working with the acceptance and appreciation of their partners strength. The music is vigilant and free over the course of different textures and patterns, and constantly engaging to the listener. Letter to a Stranger - amazon.com

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Spotify Playlist - This Years Favorites (So Far)

If anybody is into spotify, I made a playlist of some of my favorite tracks of this year so far. Not all of my favorites were available, but a good chunk were.

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John Abercrombie Quartet - Within a Song (ECM, 2012)

Guitarist John Abercrombie’s latest album sees him paying homage to fellow guitarist Jim Hall who was a great influence, and some of the great music of the 1950’s and 1960’s that was a revelation to him as a young musician. Abercrombie is joined by Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone, Drew Gress on bass, Joey Baron on drums. “Where are You” has mellow and feathery saxophone and light brushes sounding gentle but not sleepy. A lot of subtle and quiet detail in the texture of texture of Abercrombie’s delicate guitar framed by soft cymbals. Soft guitar and tapped cymbals also set the tone on “Easy Reader” leading into a probing saxophone solo. A soft pillow like guitar sound billows out over discrete bass and drums. “Within a Song/Without a Song” sees the pace of the music pick up to a medium-up swing with nicely intertwined guitar and saxophone. Gress is particularly excellent on this song playing a deep, throbbing bass that really pushes the saxophone forward, and Lovano really responds with a strong yet well controlled solo. Abercrombie’s guitar develops a cascade of music over fast bass and drums, leaving room for a confident bass solo. The cover of Miles Davis and Bill Evans’ classic “Flamenco Sketches” begins with slowly probing guitar and drums adding an element of mystery to the proceedings. Saxophone drifts in, touching the melody briefly before lifting off in a light and dreamy feel. Ornette Coleman’s “Blues Connotation” has a fine uptempo melody and a nicely hewn guitar led trio section. Lovano takes off on a very inventive solo, making use of the open ended structure of the composition, interacting well with some empathetic drumming. John Coltrane’s “Wise One” is led off with Abercrombie stating the haunting melody. Lovano’s saxophone is stoic and elegiac, and the mood seeks the wise mind where logic and emotion balance. “Interplay,” written by Bill Evans, has a medium tempo full band improvisation, with gentle nimble guitar improvising over bass and drums, giving way to a strong cutting saxophone solo. This was a well done a beautifully played album, with the focus being on melody and slower tempos. The musicians are very patient allowing the music to come to them and very respectful of the songs and the textures they develop. Within a Song - amazon.com

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