Jimmy O'Connell Sixtet - Arrhythmia (September 9, 2016) KARI-ON PRODUCTIONS

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Jimmy O'Connell Sixtet - Arrhythmia (2016)

Jimmy O'Connell Website

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Alan Ferber Nonet - Roots & Transitions (2016) SUNNYSIDE RECORDS

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Alan Ferber - Roots & Transitions (2016)

A few months after trombonist/composer Alan Ferber released his last album, March Sublime, his wife Jody gave birth to their first child, a son named Theo. The news of March Sublime’s nomination for a 2014 Grammy Award was shared on social media, garnering one particularly memorable comment from a fellow musician: “All this time I’ve been thinking having kids was BAD for a career. You have proved otherwise!” An undoubtedly well-meaning comment, it nevertheless made Alan more sensitive toward how he would reconcile his new life as a father with the demands of creating original music. The need to confront this balancing act quickly became a reality when Alan was awarded the New Jazz Works grant from Chamber Music America to create a 60-minute original piece. 

There is nothing like the birth of a child to make a new parent reexamine, well, everything. Over the first several months of his son’s life, Ferber became intrigued and engrossed by the process of human growth and development, seeming to cycle through periods of relative calm and “rootedness,” versus periods of “transition” involving tension, chaos, and rapid change. 

Ferber noticed how these cycles correlate with his own growth as a composer. His new work, Roots & Transitions, written for his Nonet, is an exploration of these ideas through the process of crafting music. In Roots & Transitions, Ferber begins with tiny cell musical motives, and through the movements, drives them through cycles of calm/rootedness versus turbulence/transition, allowing the overall composition to run parallel to the growth and development unfurling in his personal life. 

After several years of focusing on big band writing, Ferber’s return to his long-standing Nonet allows a more subtle interaction between individual parts, creating increased intimacy in this intricate new work. For the past 10 years, Ferber has led his Nonet made up of five horns and four rhythm instruments, represented here by either Scott Wendholt or Shane Endsley on trumpet, alto saxophonist Jon Gordon, tenor saxophonist John Ellis, bass clarinetist Charles Pillow, guitarist Nate Radley, pianist Bryn Roberts, bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Mark Ferber. The size of the ensemble allows for a wide variety of tonal colors and textures while being more lithe than a big band. 

With the deadline of a year to write, Ferber began to compose for his new project, though in a different way than he used to. His new responsibilities as a father cut down the time he once had available for devoting equal attention toward both the trombone and the piano (his main compositional tool). He began to try something new: writing music away from the piano and focusing on the trombone as his vehicle for composition. Though arduous at first, this approach ultimately led him to simpler, more direct “seed” ideas from which to spin out more developed song forms, rhythms, and harmonic structures. A trombone-centric approach to writing involves the intimate act of bringing your lips into contact with a piece of metal in order to produce sound through vibrations. The compositional advantage of this is that it allows you to both hear and feel what you are creating. The wide range of moods and physical conditions he found himself cycling through directly impacted what came out of his horn and thus greatly affected the arc of Roots & Transitions. 

It took a year for Ferber to complete these pieces. There was a focused period of four months where most of the music took shape. Then there was a maturing process through a handful of performances and edits, after which the fully conceptualized piece was ready to be recorded. 

As has been mentioned, the seed of this eight-movement work is a single melodic motif, rhythmically, a 3 feel over 4/4 time that recurs throughout. From that seed grows the entire work. There are dramatics from the beginning, as in the dawning “Quiet Confidence” and bombastic “Clocks.” The more traditionally jazz oriented “Wayfarer” provides an excellent counterbalance to the contemporary feel of “Flow,” which seems to blossom as it goes. The poetic “Perspective” is warm and well wrought and “Echo Calling” is hauntingly beautiful as it swells. The journey culminates with its most dynamic movement “Cycles,” which finishes unresolved, as the growing process never ends. 

Many composers and writers talk about the process, referring only to their craft. There is also the process that all humans undergo, which informs the art just as much as the person. Alan Ferber has studied the effect of these two on each other and has created a tremendous work of art in his new Nonet recording Roots & Transitions.

1. Quiet Confidence 8:02

2. Hourglass 1:02

3. Clocks 9:49

4. Wayfarer 7:39

5. Flow 9:20

6. Perspective 8:25

7. Echo Calling 3:10

8. Cycles 9:53

Released April 29, 2016 

Alan Ferber - composer, trombone 

Scott Wendholt - trumpet (Tracks 1, 2, 4-7) 

Shane Endsley - trumpet (Tracks 3 & 8) 

Jon Gordon - alto sax 

John Ellis - tenor sax 

Charles Pillow - bass clarinet 

Nate Radley - guitar 

Bryn Roberts - piano 

Matt Clohesy - bass 

Mark Ferber - drums

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Charlie Hunter - Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth (2016)

By MIKE AYERS / WSJ

For Charlie Hunter’s new album, “Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth,” the New York City-based guitarist had a very specific vision. “My idea for this record was a real improvising blues record and not a modern jazz record,” he says. “All the cues I take from this record are in my way of thinking from the blues more than anything else.”

Hunter wrote the material for the album over the course of three months last winter. He did something rare, too, in his 20-plus-year career, recording with a quartet. Joining Hunter on “Punched” are his longtime collaborator drummer Bobby Previte, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes and cornetist Kirk Knuffke.

For Hunter, who plays a seven-string guitar that simultaneously acts like a bass and standard guitar, a quartet provides a big challenge. “Because of the way my instrument works, I usually play in small groups. For me, a trio is a big group. And a quartet is unfathomably massive,” he says.

Since his 1993 debut, “Charlie Hunter Trio,” Hunter has been quite prolific, releasing close to twenty albums as a leader and more with other musicians. He’s also been an in-demand session player over the years, working with the likes of D’Angelo and Frank Ocean.

With “Punched,” which takes its title from a Mike Tyson quote, the music came easy. “Most musicians will tell you that music is not what we worry about,” he says. “It’s everything else that’s the problem.”

“Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth” is out July 22 on GroundUP Music. 

1. Everybody Has A plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth

2. (Looks Like) Somebody Got Ahead Of Schedule On Their Medication

3. Leave Him Lay

4. We Don't Want Nobody Nobody Sent

5. Big Bills Blues

6. Latin For Travelers

7. No Money, No Honey

8. Who Put You Behind The Wheel?

9. (Wish I Was) Already Paid And On My Way Home

10. The Guys. Get. Shirts.

Charlie Hunter - 7-string guitar

Curtis Fowlkes - trombone

Kirk Knuffke - cornet

Bobby Previte - drums

Recorded in Hudson, NY

All songs composed by Charlie Hunter (CHT Publishing (ASCAP))

Charlie Hunter Website

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CHARLIE'S STORE

Ryan Keberle & Catharsis - Azul Infinito (2016)

Label:

Source: All About Jazz

Genre: Modern Creative Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

While the blues is a distinctly American creation, formed, fueled, and furthered by the African diaspora, the United States holds no ownership on blue-streaked sounds. They exist beyond our borders, and Azul Infinito makes that case in artful fashion by simultaneously tapping into various South American musical forms and cultures, reshaping them, and highlighting the color scheme(s) endemic to each one. It's a strikingly original album that's influenced by the work of specific figures and set cultural norms, but shaped by the creative spirit of a true original—trombonist Ryan Keberle.

Since arriving in New York in 1999, Keberle has made his mark in numerous contexts, working with cutting edge large groups like the Maria Schneider Orchestra and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, unique small bands like Joe Fiedler's Big Sackbut, and sophisticated pop geniuses like David Bowie, David Byrne, and Sufjan Stevens. But that's not the whole story. If you dig a little deeper into his discography and history, a connection to many forward-thinking Latin American composers emerges. Over the years, Keberle has supported the musical visions of singular personalities like bassist Pedro Giraudo, pianist Emilio Solla, and percussionist Samuel Torres. Each of those figures, in turn, has influenced Keberle and opened up new worlds of possibility in his dealings with rhythm, harmony, and melody. That's the setup for Azul Infinito. It's a record built around tributes, with many different musical tributaries feeding into the music, and it may just be Keberle's most fully realized statement yet.

In hearing this music, several things immediately jump out. First, for those familiar with this group, there's the manner in which this band has evolved over the course of three albums. The musical kinship between Keberle, trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Eric Doob was obvious on the band's debut—Music Is Emotion (Alternate Side Records, 2013)—but their bonds have only grown stronger and more flexible over time. Add to that the entrancing vocal work of Camila Meza, who came on as a special guest on Into The Zone (Greenleaf Music, 2014) and exists as a full-fledged member of Catharsis here, and you have something very unique and special. Next, there's the skillful way(s) that these musicians seamlessly shift from tightly-woven sections to looser episodes of interplay. There's an elasticity at play in the band's concept, allowing for dialogue and give-and-take within or at the periphery of fixed frameworks. And lastly, there's the manner in which the uncommon grouping of trombone, trumpet, vocals, bass, and drums sounds utterly complete. You didn't mind the absence of a "harmony" instrument like piano or guitar on this band's previous albums, but now you don't even notice it.

It doesn't take more than a few seconds for Keberle and company to draw you in, as layered vocal and brass ostinatos create a hypnotic ripple current atop the shifting sounds of Roeder's bass on "I Thought I Knew (For Pedro Giraudo)." That introduction seamlessly segues into a propulsive ride that underscores Meza's delivery. It's the first of several pieces on the album to feature lyrics, further broadening the vision of this outfit, and it pays tribute to Giraudo by nodding to the Argentinian chacarera. Then there's "Cancion Mandala," a Sebastian Cruz composition that explores and expands on Colombian folkloric music; "Mr. Azul (for Samuel Torres)," influenced by the hip bullerengue groove and featuring some engaging solo trading from Keberle and Rodriguez; and "She Sleeps Alone (For Sebastian Cruz)," which plays like a lament yet also speaks to the resolute spirit of oneness.

The second half of the album opens on an exuberant note with "Quintessence (for Ivan Lins)," but sorrowful tones enter the picture during a lyrics-enhanced take on Giraudo's "La Ley Primera." Then things come to a close with "Eternity Of An Instant (For Emilio Solla)," a through-composed vehicle that plays the ideas of development and persistence against one another, and Lins' "Madalena," a piece that highlights the strong communicative connections between Meza and Keberle. Both prove to be complex in certain respects, yet direct in others.

In his liner essay for this album, Keberle notes that this music "represents a broad scope of what South American music can be." That adoption of a vision built on potential, rather than purity, is what ultimately drives this music to great heights. In exploring different aspects of music and culture from South America without strictly adhering to any rigid dictates, Keberle has managed to create something that extends well beyond any style or school of thought. Dan Bilawsky

I Thought I Knew (For Pedro Giraudo)

Cancion Mandala

Mr. Azul (for Samuel Torres)

She Sleeps Alone (For Sebastian Cruz)

Quintessence (For Ivan Lins)

La Ley Primera

Eternity Of An Instant (For Emilio Solla)

Madalena

Ryan Keberle: trombone, melodica

Camila Meza: vocals

Mike Rodriguez: trumpet, pandeiro

Jorge Roeder: acoustic bass, electric bass, bass FX

Eric Doob: drums 

 

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Naomi Moon Siegel - Shoebox View (2016)

Label: Break Open Records

Source: Cdbaby

Genre: Modern Creative Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆

"Shoebox View, Siegel's marvelous debut, is one that the record companies should be kicking themselves over, for the missed opportunity to bring a fresh talent to light.

"Siegel has found her voice. On this sprawling album that employs thirteen musicians in addition to the leader, the trombonist explores folk-like melodies and what she describes as "fantastical landscapes." A trombone seems an odd choice for a melodic lead in a folk song environment, with its deep tone and sonic heft, but Siegel surrounds the muscular brass with a silvery, moonlight-on-the-tree-tops backdrop on the opener, "Jeanine's Joy."

"Recorded in Seattle, Costa Rica, and Brooklyn over a nine month period, half the music here is highly produced, the other half is recorded essentially live, with little or no studio tweaking. That said, it is a remarkably cohesive statement. Siegel works the studio like an old pro on the previously mentioned opener. She's added intricate effects on "Casa de Aves." Throughout Wurlitzers sparkle, synthesizers paint gentle washes of pastels, world percussion percolates. In a way, Siegel seems to be doing—in a folk song, world beat, African rhythms arena—what Miles Davis and Teo Macero did with funk and acid jazz on On The Corner (Columbia Records, 1972), with, in Siegel and company's case, a gentler, more patient, and more melodic mode. The sounds around her may change, but the trombone remains a constant—a powerful yet gentle voice in the middle of a vibrant world community."
- By DAN MCCLENAGHAN AllAboutJazz.Com

"Shoebox View has the intimacy of a book of poetry or a singer-songwriter album except the main lyrical voice is my trombone. Reaching beyond the influences of my jazz background, this music is inspired by the natural world, family, folk music, indie pop and West African rhythms. In a culture that predominantly values things being bigger, faster, brighter, Shoebox View is a call to slow down. This music cinematically creates space for listeners to be with their own hearts, minds, feelings. It is a celebration of introspection, patience, listening, nature, community and authentic expression. Each song represents a time, a story, a place, a feeling."
 Naomi Moon Siegel

1. Jeannine's Joy
2. It's Not Safe
3. Casa De Aves
4. Ukelady
5. Punta Uva
6. Ever Yes
7. Brown, Grey, Orange, Green
8. Electric Flower
9. Mama Sanchaba
10. Mañana, Mañana

Naomi Moon Siegel: trombone (all), piano (5, 7, 9, 10)
Sean Woolstenhulme: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo (2, 4, 5, 6 ,7, 9, 10)
Wayne Horvitz: organ, piano Wurlitzer (2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
Eric Eagle: drums, percussion (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
Keith Lowe: upright bass (6, 8)
Alex guy: viola (3, 6, 8, 9)
Ivan Arteaga: alto saxophone (3, 5)
Michael Coleman: Wurlitzer, synthesizers (3, 5)
Thione Diop: percussion (1)
Jefferson Rose: electric bass (1)
Andrew Vait: syntesizers (1)
Jacques Willis: beat production (3)
Greg Sinibaldi: baritone saxohone (6)
Steve O'Brien: trumpet (9) 

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David Gibson - Inner Agent (2016)

Label:

Source: Allaboutjazz

Genre: Post-Bop

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

The idea of creating a safe space to allow for disregarding safety may be paradoxical in nature, but it makes perfect sense when contextualized or couched in jazz terms. There can be no resolution of faith in one's surroundings and colleagues without taking the trust fall, there can be no reward without risk, and there can be no true growth without belief. Those ideals are jazz to the core, and they're at the heart of this project from trombonist David Gibson.

Inner Agent, the fourth fine album that Gibson has released on the Posi-tone imprint, seeks to explore those very concepts to the fullest. It walks a similar path as Boom! (Posi-tone, 2015), a directional shift that found Gibson moving away from an organ-centric format and creating a bolder sonic brew with a crew of young guns, but it's a more evolved statement. Gibson has essentially kept the Boom! band intact—trumpeter Freddie Hendrix fills the seat formerly occupied by Josh Evans, but pianist Theo Hill, bassist Alexander Claffy, and drummer Kush Abadey all remain aboard—and his music is all the better for it. The rapport between these men has been strengthened over time, a greater sense of understanding has been fostered through their interactions, and a willingness to take more chances is evident on this recording.

Gibson delivers a winning program that references his influences, speaks to his love of diversity, and allows for the unexpected to enter into the equation. He comes off as an intrepid and indomitable spirit, but he's not afraid to also let his emotions show. Whether engaging his core group in dialogue, working with or against his guests—saxophonists Doug Webb and Caleb Wheeler Curtis—or ceding the spotlight entirely, Gibson personifies leadership and puts the focus on the music. This is jazz with nothing to hide, made by a band with a hell of a lot to say.

The album kicks off with a one-two punch in the form of the racing title track and the shape-shifting "Axe Grinder." Those original numbers position Gibson and his band as aggressors, but there's more than blood, sweat, and sheer force here. A visit to the church of Billy Taylor on "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" makes that point. From there, Gibson keeps you guessing about where he might go. "The Scythe" is a slice of scintillating modern jazz, hard driving and edgy in all the best ways; Claffy's "AJ" is pure buoyant charm; "The Court" and "Sweetness"—two tunes penned by trombonist Curtis Fuller—speak to strength and jauntiness, respectively; and "Gravy," an older Gibson tune that comes from another time and band in his past, is unadulterated jazz-funk. That last number would've been a finer closer, but Gibson's personalized take on "Here Comes The Sun" is an even better one.

I had the pleasure of being present when some of this music came into existence in the studio, and it's no lie or exaggeration to say that the energy in the room at the time has carried over to the finished product. There's a good deal of music out there that pulls from these same stylistic bags, but much of it seems calcified by comparison. Inner Agent is brimming with life. Dan Bilawsky

 

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Michael Dease - Father Figure (2016)

Label:

Source: Allboutjazz - Dan Bilawsky

Style: Modern Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Paying it forward is simply a given in jazz. Long before the music was welcomed in ivory tower institutions and codified for classroom consumption at all levels, seasoned musicians were sharing their hard-earned knowledge with aspiring youngsters on bandstands and in basements, serving as guides, exemplars, nurturers, and teachers all at once. Those experienced players were musical father figures, helping the next generation(s) along on their quest to join them, and that's a role that trombonist Michael Dease aspires to on this, his third date for Posi-Tone and his seventh release in total.

Dease's paternal instincts have, no doubt, grown by leaps and bounds since he took on a larger role in jazz education at Michigan State University and became a father himself. Both experiences feed into Dease's need to do his part to bridge the gap between generations and bolster the ranks of those on the rise. Or at least that's what this album seems to say. Rather than build a band solely around known quantities for this date, Dease decided to tap into the youthful stream of musicians out there who are ready and eager to make their move. All of his choices in that department prove wise. Bassist Endea Owens is the biggest revelation here, possessing a wonderfully wide beat, an incredibly fine-tuned internal compass, pitch-perfect intonation, and solid technique. Then there's drummer Luther Allison, a player fully capable of working well in mellow and molten environments, and alto saxophonists Markus Howell and Immanuel Wilkins, strong-minded horn men who work well together and apart. Add to that list two established musicians—vibraphonist and label mate Behn Gillece and pianist Glenn Zaleski—and you have a solid band ready for action. 

 The eleven tracks presented by that band touch on the old and new. There are originals, songs from The Music Man, winners from the likes of trumpeter Claudio Roditi and the late pianist-educator Mulgrew Miller, and classics from the respective books of saxophonist Charlie Parker and trombonist Grachan Moncur III. This crew proves adept at handling all of it. They mine bluesy veins ("Church Of The Good Hustler," Moncur's "Riff Raff"), bop along with the best of them (Parker's "Confirmation"), swim in strong Brazilian currents (Roditi's "Annette's For Sure"), and capture the pure beauty embedded in the music ("Till There Was You"). Everybody gets a chance to shine, but it's Dease who shines brightest. His buttery tone, monster chops, and impeccable sense of musicality lead the way. He sets the bar high here, as any father figure would, and his bandmates rise to the challenge.

 

 

 

 

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