Thursday, December 12, 2024

Music Week

December archive (in progress).

Music: Current count 43304 [43255] rated (+48), 6 [12] unrated (-6).

Schedule around here has gone haywire. Last week I posted on Tuesday, but this Tuesday I was frantically struggling to mail out a second round of invites to vote in the 19th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. I finally got my list of 300+ prospects down to less than 50 high priorities, and after midnight sent out 35 emails. (Some names on my list still lacked email addresses, so I saved them for further investigation.) After that mailing, plus a notice sent to previous invitees via my jazzpoll email list, I got a deluge of mail to sort through, which took me through the end of Wednesday.

In between Tuesdays, Laura's cousin came for a 3-day visit, during which I got very little poll work done, but did manage to cook a nice Jewish dinner that compared favorably to the fancy Chinese restaurant and to the barbecue takeout of the other days: roast chicken with tsimmes, latkes with all of the trimmings, mustard slaw, chopped liver, applesauce cake. I didn't collect any photographic evidence, but the chicken was exceptionally lovely, and everything else was just plain yummy. We did manage to get the construction cleaned up before the visit, so now we can rest on our laurels.

As I'm writing this, I'm caught up, with 62 ballots counted, and eight days to go until the Dec. 20 deadline. All year (well, month) long I've hoped for the biggest and best poll ever. It's impossible at this point to tell whether we're on track or not. What I can say is that I've had a lot of warm responses, and that whatever results we wind up with will very interesting to readers who want a better idea of how much really high qualify jazz is being created in 2024.

One of the invitees who has yet to submit a ballot is Tom Hull, who will try to rectify that here and now. The ballot is just a sample from my ever-expanding Best Jazz of 2024 list, which at the moment counts 92 New Music albums graded A- or above (probably an all-time record high, and I'm still a long ways from processing many records I'm only discovering now as I compile the poll results) + 3 late adds from 2023. Also 23 (+1) new releases of older music A- or higher. These top picks are followed at B+(***) with 188 (+8) new music albums plus 26 (+4) old music albums. Lest you think I'm a pushover, the file also lists 355 new and 30 old music albums that I assigned lower grades to (for a total to date of 646 new music albums + 84 old music albums; that's just jazz, as I've also listened to some non-jazz during 2024).

My ballot:

NEW ALBUMS:

  1. Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America (ESP-Disk): two volumes treated as one album
  2. Fay Victor: Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms)
  3. Luke Stewart Silt Trio: Unknown Rivers (Pi)
  4. Emmeluth's Amoeba: Nonsense (Moserobie)
  5. Darius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)
  6. Steve Coleman and Five Elements: PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi)
  7. Dave Douglas: Gifts (Greenleaf Music)
  8. The Core: Roots (Moserobie)
  9. Ballister: Smash and Grab (Aerophonic)
  10. أحمد [Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (Fönstret) **

RARA AVIS:

  1. Mal Waldron/Steve Lacy: The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music)
  2. Sonny Rollins: Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance)
  3. NRG Ensemble: Hold That Thought (1996, Corbett vs. Dempsey) **
  4. Phil Haynes' 4 Horns and What?: The Complete American Recordings (1989-95, Corner Store Jazz, 3CD) **
  5. Charles Gayle/Milford Graves/William Parker: WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) **

VOCAL: Above, plus up to +3.

  1. Fay Victor: Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms)
  2. Queen Esther: Things Are Looking Up (EL)
  3. Catherine Russell/Sean Mason: My Ideal (Dot Time)
  4. Betty Bryant: Lotta Livin' (Bry-Mar Music) **

LATIN: plus up to +3.

  1. Julia Vari Feat. Negroni's Trio: Somos (Alternative Representa)
  2. Dafnis Prieto Sí o Sď Quartet: 3 Sides of the Coin (Dafnison Music)
  3. Hermanos Gutiérrez: Sonido Cósmico (Easy Eye Sound) **

DEBUT: plus up to +3.

  1. Ivanna Cuesta: A Letter to the Earth (Orenda) **
  2. Alfredo Colón: Blood Burden (Out of Your Head)
  3. Mathias Hřjgaad Jensen: Is as Is (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Several notes of explanation:

  • The label split the Allen Lowe album into two volumes (each 2-CD), but in the poll we're treating them as one album. (They came out the same day, and actually share the same liner notes.)
  • I bumped my earlier ranking of the Ahmed box up considerably to squeeze it into the ballot, just ahead of the group's really superb Wood Blues album. I very rarely cast a vote just to promote an album, but after this album finished surprisingly strong in the mid-year poll, I've been disappointed at just how few votes this extraordinary work has received so far. My vote here should help nudge it into the top 50 that ArtsFuse will publish.
  • Unfortunately, the record that fell off the list to make room for Ahmed was James Brandon Lewis Quartet's Transformation. Lewis's record is currently in the top 20, and could wind up in the top 10 (as could his Messthetics album, which is currently running a bit higher, but is one I like a bit less). One thing that softens the cost of dropping Lewis is that he also not just appears but stars in the Dave Douglas album I have at 8. The Douglas album only has 2 votes so far (same as Ahmed), so its chances of winding up in the top 50 are rather slim.
  • Three albums on my list have no other votes so far: Emmeluth, Ballister, and Core. I always have about that many albums all to myself. There are many more albums like that among my A-list, the next one down being Roby Glod's No ToXiC. Mike Monford's The Cloth I'm Cut From could have been another, but it does have one vote so far.
  • The Ahmed box is the only one of my top 10 albums that I didn't get a physical CD of. (Hint to whoever, although in this case I didn't even get a download link or a piece of junk mail -- although I did for Wood Blues. I also didn't get a CD of Transfiguration. The streamed/downloaded albums on my 2024 list are marked ** -- for non-jazz, that is very near everything; I had stripped, but now have returned those markings to the ballot above).
  • Archival recordings are poorly promoted, so it's especially tempting to restrict the Rara Avis list to promos, but I stopped at two, demoting the Miles in France box (which is good and I am thankful for) so I could mention three other albums that are exceptional but not nearly as well known. Rara Avis is a grab bag of several different things that are hard to compare to one another, so you're always making hard choices here. I've made my EOY file conform to the order here, but that wasn't really necessary.
  • I originally had Julia Vari both in Vocal and Latin, but dropped the former to squeeze in Betty Bryant. It's rare that I have this many vocal albums rated this high. (In past years, I might have listed Monford here, as the album has a fair bit of spoken word. There may be more where my memory and/or notes are deficient.)
  • Miguel Zenón's Golden City ranks high enough to make the Latin list, and at the moment is in a three-way tie to lead the category. My review played down its significance as Latin Jazz, which gave me an excuse to skip over it, in favor of the more obvious (Dafnis Prieto) and the more obscure (Hermanos Gutiérrez, possibly non-jazz but instrumental and definitely rooted in Ecuador).
  • Unusual to find as many as three Debut albums on my A-list, so I went with what I obviously had. I also considered Bex Burch's late-2023 There Is Only Love and Fear, which should be eligible, but decided 2024 albums would be cleaner.

One thing I did last week was to write up a shorter version of the invite letter, where I tried to downplay the rules a bit and make it sound less like contract law. I like this part:

Don't sweat the details. If you have fewer than the maximum number of choices, send in what you have. Vocal and Latin are pretty much whatever you think they mean. Debut has a stricter definition (which almost never allows groups to be eligible), but if it feels right, the worst that can happen is the album is ruled ineligible, and you'll have the chance to come up with something else, or leave it blank. If you can't come up with a maximum list (or don't think it's worth the trouble), just leave it short or blank.

The point isn't to judge everything. You're just making your recommendations, and in doing so, we will all benefit from your knowledge and taste. We don't give out plaques or ribbons. All we are really doing is helping our readers to better understand the great bounty of jazz released each year.

I haven't really followed my advice here: this is much more exhaustively overthought than I expect or even want other people to do. But these lists don't just tell us things about the music on the list, but about the voter, what you know, how you work, and how you view the world. These ballots matter not just because they're easy to aggregate and analyze, but because each tells its own story. That's why we make them all available, even if few readers really care to know that much.

Pretty much everything below is jazz, and that pattern is likely to hold for a couple more weeks. I haven't begun to tabulate all the albums I haven't heard yet that have gotten votes in the poll so far, but the number must be over 100. One resource I've only started to look at is the folder where I've been stuffing all my download link/codes for the past year.

I'll try to post another Music Week toward the middle of next week, but cannot guarantee anything. I basically need a break like I had today, and that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, I'm playing stuff almost continuously, and working my way through whatever happens. After the shock and nausea of the election, this kind of busy work is some kind of blessing -- just not the kind that clarifies thinking. Instead, we just do, and hope for the best. The poll, at least, will be a good thing to come from this period. Syria, I'm not so sure about.

I should mention that while I'm way behind, I've done occasional bits of work on the Metacritic/EOY Aggregate file. Charli XCX has opened up a fairly clear lead, but I don't know whether that's due to early UK reporting, or whether it will sustain as I count more US sources (among others, I haven't done Pitchfork or Rolling Stone yet).

I have a question about Speaking of Which that I want to respond to, but I don't want to hold this up for that. Besides, I have another ballot wanting attention, so I need to get to that. Always open to more questions.

New records reviewed this week:

Alfa Mist & Amika Quartet: Recurring: Live at King's Place (2024, Sekito): Group and/or alias for British keyboardist Alfa Sekitoleko, four previous albums since 2017, unclear on credits and recording date, but the string quartet makes its presence felt. B+(**) [sp]

The Bad Plus: Complex Emotions (2023 [2024], Mack Avenue): Originally a piano-bass-drums trio (2000-17), had some crossover success with their Nirvana cover, auditioned a new pianist after Ethan Iverson left, but founder Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) are exploring their options: here (as with their 2022 album) with Ben Monder (guitar) and Chris Speed (reeds). They seem to have settled into something merely nice. B+(**) [sp]

Dmitry Baevsky: Roller Coaster (2024, Fresh Sound New Talent): Russian alto saxophonist, based in New York, sought out Cedar Walton and Jimmy Cobb for his 2004 Introducing, third album for Jordi Pujols' label, a quartet with Peter Bernstein (guitar), bass, and drums. B+(**) [sp]

Bark Culture: Warm Wisdom (2023 [2024], Temperphantom): Philadelphia group, a trio led by composer-vibraphonist (Victor Vieira-Branco), with bass (John Moran), and drums (Joey Sullivan). First album. B+(*) [sp]

Nik Bärtsch's Ronin: Spin (2023 [2024], Ronin Rhythm): Swiss pianist, mostly produces extremely enticing rhythm tracks -- an early album was called Ritual Groove Music, before this became his primary group in 2002, with Sha on alto sax and bass clarinet, plus bass and drums. B+(***) [sp]

Body Meπa: Prayer in Dub (2024, Hausu Mountain): New York-based fusion group -- Greg Fox (drums), Sasha Frere-Jones (owl guitar), Melvin Gibbs (bass), Grey McMurray (deer guitar) -- second album, all rich textures and glimmering sufaces. B+(***) [sp]

Willi Bopp/Camille Émaille/Gianni Gebbia/Heiner Goebbels/Cécile Lartigau/Nicolas Perrin: The Mayfield (2022 [2024], Intakt): Many names above and below the title, the sort alphabetical but Bopp's credit (sound design) seems foundational. As for the others: percussion, saxophones, piano, ondes martenot, guitar/electronics. B+(**) [sp]

Karen Borca/Paul Murphy: Entwined (2024, Relative Pitch): Bassoon player, from Wisconsin, studied with Cecil Taylor there, and became his assistant at Antioch, in 1974 marrying his saxophonist, Jimmy Lyons, who she played with until his death in 1986 -- Murphy was the drummer in that same group. Though fairly well known for her side credits, Borca never had an album under her own name until 2024, when NoBusiness collected a couple Vision Festival group sets as Good News Blues. Now comes "her first proper album," an improv duo with drums. B+(***) [sp]

Sarah Buechi/Franz Hellmüller/Rafael Jerjen: Pink Mountain Sagas (2024, Intakt): Swiss jazz singer, sixth album since 2014 on Intakt, second to share credit line with guitarist and bassist, this time adding a "feat." cover credit for Kristina Brunner (Schwyzerörgeli [an accordion]) and Andreas Gabriel (violin). B+(**) [sp]

Anna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate (2024, International Anthem): Bassist, member of Jeff Parker's IVtet, same concept here with Josh Johnson (alto sax/effects), but different guitarist (Gregory Uhlmann) and drummer (Ben Lumsdaine), with the leader also contributing some guitar, synths, flute, and drum machine, which can add a bit of bounce. Parker guests on one (of ten) tracks. I like the lead track even more than the Parker album, but it loses a step later on. B+(***) [sp]

Charlie and the Tropicales: Jump Up (2024, Nu-Tone): Third group album, led by New Orleans trombonist Charlie Halloran, warms up a mambo, adds a dash of calypso, a cover of "Gee Baby," and plenty more salsa picante, often depending on which guest singer they can line up for what. B+(**) [sp]

Sylvie Courvoisier: To Be Other-Wise (2024, Intakt): Swiss pianist, based in New York since 1998, shortly after her long string of records begins. This one is solo. B+(***) [sp]

Josephine Davies: Satori: Weatherwards (2024, Whirlwind): British tenor saxophonist, originally from the Shetland Islands, debut 2006, released Satori in 2017, initially a trio with bass (Dave Whitford) and drums (later James Maddren), adding Alcyona Mick on piano for this fourth album. Very poised, albeit with a couple of tentative spots. B+(***) [sp]

Caroline Davis: Portals Vol. 2: Returning (2022 [2024], Intakt): Alto saxophonist, based in New York, several albums since 2011, including a Portals Vol. 1: Mourning (2020). Interesting music, guest vocals a mixed bag. B+(**) [sp]

David Friesen: A Light Shining Through (2021 [2024], Origin): Bassist-composer, steady stream of albums ever since 1976, approaching 80 when he took his quartet -- Joe Manis (saxes), Alex Fantaev (percussion), and Charlie Doggett (more percussion) -- to pre-invasion (but not pre-war) Ukraine to record with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet. B+(***) [cd]

Asher Gamedze & the Black Lungs: Constitution (2023 [2024], International Anthem): Jazz drummer from Capetown, South Africa, with several albums since 2020, this an octet plus vocals (Tina Mene) and words (Fred Moten). The latter are engaging, but the former veer toward opera. B+(*) [sp]

Ginetta's Vendetta: Fun Size (2024, Kickin' Wiccan Music): Group led by Ginetta M. (for Minichiello), who plays pocket trumpet and sings, sixth album, wrote a couple songs while covering tunes like "Moon River" and "Misty." Band includes tenor/soprano sax (Danny Walsh, piano (Jon Davis), bass, and drums. B+(*) [cd]

Louis Hayes: Artform Revisited (2024, Savant): Drummer, from Detroit, played with Horace Silver, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley in the late 1950s, has a 1960 album but emerged as a leader in the late 1970s, and again in the early 1990s. Last heard on his 2017 Serenade for Horace, back here at 86 with a vibrant quintet -- Abraham Burton (tenor sax), Steve Nelson (vibes), David Hazeltine (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) -- adding a couple originals (and "A Flower Is Lovesome Thing") to a program of bop-era standards. B+(***) [sp]

The Jazz Passengers: Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes (2023 [2024], FOOD): Recorded "shortly before [the trombonist's] death," the octet he co-led with saxophonist Roy Nathanson still sounds fabulous ranging "from the wistful and tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd, . . . a living memory, a yearning we all have for something just out of reach," although their vocals rarely approach the same level of craft. B+(***) [sp]

Emiliano Lasansky: The Optimist (2024, Outside In Music): Bassist, from Iowa, studied in Rochester, moved to New York, released an album with the group Kin (2019), moved on to Los Angeles, this counts as his debut, a quartet with Devin Daniels (alto sax), Javier Santiago (piano), and Benjamin Ring (drums), with vocals (Genevieve Artadi) on 4 tracks. B+(***) [sp]

Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: Brink (2024, Intakt): German saxophonist (tenor/soprano), based in New York, has been playing with the drummer at least since 2008, with several duo albums (especially during the 2020 lockdown). B+(**) [r]

Jeff Lederer: Guilty! (2024, Little (i) Music): Saxophonist (tenor/alto), has several albums under his own name but also works under group names (Brooklyn Blowhards, Shakers n' Bakers) and side credits. Here he revives his "post-modern Traditional Jazz band" Swing n' Dix -- Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Bob Stewart (tuba), and Matt Wilson (drums), with guest spots for Curtis Hasselbring (trombone/electronics) and Mary LaRose (vocals) -- for another round of old-timey sounds wracked by modernist maelstrom. B+(**) [sp]

Luis Lopes Humanization 4tet: Saarbrücken (2021 [2024], Clean Feed): Portuguese electric guitarist, fifth album since 2008 with this group, with tenor sax great Rodrigo Amado and two sons of the American trumpet player Dennis Gonzalez -- Aaron on bass, Stefan on drums. While the saxophonist is always impressive, the guitar is especially distinctive here. A- [bc]

Luis Lopes: Dark Narcissus: Stereo Guitar Solo (2024, Shhpuma): Not sure what the technical gimmick is here, but the tone is metallic, a collage of sound that retains its interest. B+(**) [bc]

Roberto Magris: Europlane for Jazz: Freedom Is Peace (2024, JMood): Italian pianist, led Gruppo Jazz Marca in the 1980s, solo albums start from 1990. This revives his Europlane group, which had recorded three albums 1998-2005: currently a sextet with Tony Lakatos (tenor/soprano sax), Florian Bramböck (alto/baritone sax), Lukás Oravec (trumpet/fluegelhorn), bass, and drums, for a long and often delightful (75:50) live set. B+(***) [cd]

Francisco Mela/Zoh Amba: Causa y Efecto (Vol. 2) (2021 [2024], 577): Drums and tenor sax duo, some voice from Mela, some flute from Amba. Label like to split its sessions into paired volumes then delay the second part. B+(**) [bc]

Eva Novoa: Novoa/Carter/Mela Trio, Vol. 1 (2021 [2024], 577): Spanish pianist, debut 2016, third different trio she's assembled for this label, this with Daniel Carter (tenor sax, trumpet, flute, clarinet) and Francisco Mela (drums). Long first-side piece is beautifully balanced. Second side drops in a bit of vocal (Mela) on one piece, some electric keyb on the other, but Carter is again superb. A- [os]

Adam O'Farrill: Hueso (2024, FOOD): Trumpet player, from New York, father and grandfather are famous Latin Jazz masters, but he's more likely to show up in free jazz contexts. Quartet here with Xavier Del Castillo (tenor sax), Walter Stinson (bass), and brother Zack O'Farrill (drums). B+(***) [sp]

Out Of/Into [Joel Ross/Gerald Clayton/Kendrick Scott/Matt Brewer/Immanuel Wilkins]: Motion I (2024, Blue Note): One of the label's occasional ad hoc supergroup projects, where Wilkins (alto sax) and Ross (vibes) are their latest generation of stars, backed here by well established piano-bass-drums players. They're all superb players, and this could easily pass as a fine album, if you didn't listen to much else that's been coming out. B+(**) [sp]

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet: The Way Out of Easy (2023 [2024], International Anthem): Guitarist, long associated with Chicago but seems to be based in Los Angeles these days, started in post-rock group Tortoise while working with Chicago Underground, Hamid Drake, Joshua Abrams, and others. ETA refers to Enfield Tennis Academy, the site of this quartet's breakout 2022 live album. With better PR/distribution, this album has already [by the day it appeared on streaming platforms] been reviewed by Guardian (4 stars) and Pitchfork (8.4!). Another live album, with Jeff Johnson (alto sax/electronics) riffing over immensely appealing grooves -- Anna Butterss (bass), Jay Bellerose (drums), and the leader's guitar. Perhaps a bit more focused on the landing than on the takeoff. A- [sp]

Ivo Perelman/Fay Victor/Jim Morris/Ramon Lopez: Messa Di Voce (2018 [2024], Mahakala Music): Avant-saxophonist from Brazil, first albums date from 1989, and he's become more and more prolific over the years: this is the 6th I've heard of 9 2024 albums in my tracking file, which I'm pretty sure is incomplete. Victor is a vocalist who is up to the challenge of a horn joust, with the others filling and driving on bass and drums. B+(***) [bc]

Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley: Polarity 3 (2024, Burning Ambulance): Tenor sax and trumpet duo, their third since 2020. A fairly limited sonic pallette, especially without a rhythm section to move them along. B [bc]

Joe Sanders: Parallels (2021 [2024], Whirlwind): Bassist, based in New York, credits also include "drums, piano, voice, programming." Has a 2012 debut on Criss Cross, mostly side credits after that. Opens with four live tracks from 2021, with two saxes (Logan Richardson and Seamus Blake) and drums (Greg Hutchinson), followed by six undated studio tracks with only two guest spots. Each interesting in different ways, which don't add up. B [sp]

Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade (2024, Royal Potato Family): Violinist, a dozen or so albums since 2000, plus quite a few side credits. Reflects on her roots in Humboldt County, California, which she returned to after making a name for herself in New York. Carmen Stief (piano) and Bill Frisell (guitar) blend into the countryside, with bass (Tony Scherr), drums (Kenny Wollesen), and additional guitar spots for Julian Lage or Nels Cline. Sprawls over 2-LP, but the 72 minutes fits a single CD. B+(***) [sp]

Jörg A. Schneider/Luis Lopes: Schneider/Lopes (2023 [2024], Schneidercollaboration): Drums and guitar duo. B+(**) [bc]

Shabaka: Possession (2024, Impulse!, EP): One of the most imposing saxophonist to come out of the UK ever, Shabaka Hutchings swore off his instrument last time out, opting for flute and a more ambient/spiritual flow. He continues here, with five songs, 23:37, drawing on hip-hop guests (like Billy Woods, Elucid, and fellow flute devotee André 3000), as well as Esperanza Spalding and Nduduzo Makhathini. B [sp]

Linda Sikhakhane: Iladi (2024, Blue Note): Tenor saxophonist from South Africa, based in New York, he has a couple self-released albums, one on Ropeadope, then this one on his pianist Nduduzo Makhathini's major label. With bass (Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere) and drums (Kweku Sumbry), and a strong sonic (sounds like spiritual) debt to Coltrane. B+(***) [sp]

Ben Solomon: Echolocation (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): Tenor saxophonist, based in New York, this got some votes for Debut album, but while Discogs doesn't list anything, his Bandcamp has two previous albums (one from 2023). Quartet with piano (Davis Whitfield), bass (Rahsaan Carter), and drums (Kush Abadey). Includes tributes to Coltrane and Shorter, whose influence is evident. B+(***) [sp]

Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message (2023 [2024], Circle 9): Drummer, presumably from Detroit although this second group album was recorded in Paramus, has a swishy, big band feel but not the body count, swinging eight standards -- from Porter into Lennon-McCartney, Leon Russell, and Stevie Wonder. B+(**) [cd]

Chucho Valdés/Royal Quartet: Cuba and Beyond (2024, InterCat Music Group): Cuban pianist, father was a major bandleader, founded and led the group Irakere, still impressive in his 80s, his group a quartet with bass, drums, and percussion. B+(**) [sp]

Anna Webber: Simpletrio2000 (2023 [2024], Intakt): Canadian tenor saxophonist, also plays flute, born in Vancouver, studied in Montreal, moved to New York, steady stream of albums since 2010, this as advertised with below-the-title cover credit for Matt Mitchell (piano) and John Hollenbeck (drums), who are nobody's idea of simple. The fast stretches are exceptional, but the flute can slow them down. B+(***) [bc]

Ben Wolfe: The Understated (2023 [2024], Resident Arts): Bassist, tenth album since 1998, composed all pieces, most with Nicole Glover (tenor sax), Orrin Evans (piano), and Aaron Kimmel (drums), with guest spots (two tracks each) for Russell Malone (guitar) and Sullivan Fortner (piano). B+(*) [sp]

John Zorn & Jesse Harris: Love Songs Live (2023 [2024], Tzadik): Songwriters, music and lyrics respectively, Harris best known for his 2001-09 work with Norah Jones (although he has done much more since). The singer here is Petra Haden, backed by Brian Marsella (piano), Jorge Roeder (bass), and Ches Smith (drums). B+(**) [sp]

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

Louis Armstrong All Stars: Lausanne 1952 [Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, Vol. 48] (1952 [2024], TCB): No real surprises here, as the set list is familiar from other live shots from the period, when the legitimately named "All Stars" that in 1947 featured Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, and Big Sid Catlett, were down to Bob McCracken (clarinet), Trummy Young (trombone), Marty Napoleon (piano), Arvell Shaw (bass), and Cozy Cole (drums). They make for a very hot five, although the program becomes more varied when Velma Middleton enters, followed by features for the various "stars." B+(***) [bc]

Jakob Bro/Lee Konitz/Bill Frisell/Jason Moran/Thomas Morgan/Andrew Cyrille: Taking Turns (2014 [2024], ECM): Danish guitarist, debut album 2003, recorded his first ECM album in Oslo in 2013, a few months before this shelved studio session in New York. Bro original compositions, everyone lays back, though at this point anything by Konitz is welcome. B+(*) [sp]

Bill Evans: In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert (1970 [2024], Elemental Music): Pianist (1929-80), legend enough he has quite a bit of newly discovered archival work out. This is a trio with Eddie Gomez (bass) and Marty Morell (drums), from a strong year. CD runs 79:33, 2-LP runs €49.98. B+(***) [cd]

Al Jarreau: Wow! Live at the Childe Harold (1976 [2024], Resonance): Jazz singer (1940-2017), enjoyed some vogue in the late 1970s as a semipop crossover (five Grammys 1978-82, 5 more in 1986, 1993, and 2007; albums in 1981 and 1983 charted 9 and 13). Christgau dismissed him, "maybe because he neither writes nor interprets songs with the soul to match his freeze-dried facility." I checked him out, didn't care for what I heard, and forgot all but his name. But this newly discovered live tape does attest to his "facility," and largely justifies its title. B+(***) [cd]

NRG Ensemble: Hold That Thought (1996 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): Group originally founded by avant-saxophonist Hal Russell (1926-92), with Mars Williams continuing the group for a few years after his death, notably recruiting young saxophonist Ken Vandermark, who would shortly bring Williams and bassist Kent Kessler into his Vandermark 5. (I didn't realize this until just now, but Russell's original name was Luttenbacher, hence he was the inspiration as well as a founding member of Weasel Walter's no-wave post-rock band, the Flying Luttenbachers.) Williams died last year, and this live set, from Utrecht, was found among his archives. It's an extraordinary piece of work, not just a tribute to past Russell but a harbinger of future Vandermark. A- [bc]

Old music:

  • None.

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

  • Jessica Jones Quartet: Edible Flowers (Reva) [01-03]
  • Karl Latham: Living Standards II (Dropzone Jazz) [01-17]
  • Noel Okimoto: Hō'ihi (Noel Okimoto Music) [01-01]

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