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An occasional blog about populist politics and popular music, not necessarily at the same time. LinksLocal Links My Other Websites Music Politics Others Networking Music DatabaseArtist Search: Website SearchGoogle: Recent Reading
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Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Music Week
December archive (in progress). Music: Current count 43426 [43380) rated (+46), 18 [13] unrated (+5). No introduction this week. I'm working on an introductory piece (or two) for the 19th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. I only took a break for the cutoff because the calendar demanded it, and it's unclear when I'm going to get a better chance. Needless to say, I haven't done any accounting for the switch from December to January, or 2024 to 2025. New records reviewed this week: Sakina Abdou/Toma Gouband/Maria Warelis: Hammer, Roll and Leaf (2024, Relative Pitch): Alto/tenor saxophonist, has a couple previous albums, here in a trio with drums and piano. B+(***) [sp] ADHD: ADHD 9 (2024, Enja/Yellowbird): Jazz group from Iceland, ninth album since 2009, all neatly numbered, four members: Magnús Trygvason Eliassen (drums), Ómar Guðjónsson (guitar/pedal steel/bass guitar), Óskar Guðjónsson (tenor/soprano sax), and Tómas Jónsson (keyboards, who replaced Davíð Þór Jónsson on ADHD 7. First impression is that they're an ultra-chill Weather Report. B+(*) [sp] Ricky Alexander: Just Found Joy (2024, Turtle Bay): Soprano sax/clarinet player, trad jazz-oriented, first album as leader, Discogs gives him three credits but two are on 2012 heavy metal albums. He also sings a bit, but turns most of that over to Vanisha Gould. B+(**) [sp] Lina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus: Flip Side (2023 [2024], Lumo): Canadian trumpet player, Discogs lists one 1998 album but nothing else until 2018, after which there is quite a bit. Based in Toronto, but has a connection to Berlin, reflected in this trio with Dan Peter Sundland (electric bass) and Michael Griener (drums), joined on 3 (of 7) tracks here by Andrea Parkins (accordion, objects, electronics). B+(**) [bc] Pedro Melo Alves: Conundrum Vol. 1: Itself Through Disappearance (2019-23 [2024], Clean Feed): Portuguese drummer, several albums since 2017, thirteen duos here (73:52) with names on cover: João Barradas (MIDI accordion), Audrey Chen (voice/electronics), Ignaz Schick (turntable/electronics), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Marta Warelis (piano), Violeta Garcia (cello/electronics), Jacqueline Kerrod (harp), Carlos Barretto (bass), Sara Serpa (voice), Rafael Toral (electronics), Grillo (prepared piano), Gil Dionisio (voice/electronics), Ece Canli (voice/electronics). They offer a range of sonic textures, with the drums as a common point of interest. B+(**) [bc] Angles + Elle-Kari With Strings: The Death of Kalypso (2022 [2024], Thanatosis Produktion): Swedish saxophonist Martin Küchen's flagship group, first appeared in 2007, many albums since, scaled up or down, deployed her as an octet plus a string quartet and a singer, Elle-Kari Sander, who renders Küchen's libretto as some kind of opera. B+(**) [sp] Mulatu Astatke and Hoodna Orchestra: Tension (2023 [2024], Batov): Ethio-jazz pioneer, active since the 1969, but his rediscovery c. 2008 kicked off a remarkable second career spurt. He plays vibraphone, piano, and percussion. The 12-piece Hoodna Ensemble is described as "Tel Aviv's number one Afro funk collective." This was recorded in March, before the Gaza genocide kicked off, when tension may have still seemed like an interesting concept. B+(**) [sp] Adriano Clemente: The Coltrane Suite and Other Impressions (2021-22 [2023], Dodicilune, 2CD): Italian composer, plays many instruments -- harp and pocket trumpet seem most common here, at least for his solos -- leads Akashmani Ensemble, their first album was The Mingus Suite in 2016. "The Coltrane Suite" fills the first disc here, with 12 parts, 49:39. Second disc offers "Other Impressions" and "New Orleans Portrait." Many Italians in the Ensemble I don't recognize, but two ringers really stand out: David Murray and Hamid Drake. B+(***) [sp] Ezra Collective: Dance, No One's Watching (2024, Partisan): British jazz-funk group, third album, led by brothers Femi Koleoso (drums) and TJ Koleoso (electric bass), with Joe Armon-Jones (keyboards), with trumpet (Ife Ogunjobi), tenor sax (James Mollison), with a guest vocal by Yazmin Lacey (the catchy "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing"). B+(*) [sp] Mabe Fratti: Sentir Que No Sabes (2024, Tin Angel/Unheard of Hope): Singer-songwriter from Guatemala, based in Mexico City, plays cello and synthesizer, fourth album since 2019, got a jazz vote but also reviewed in Pitchfork. B+(**) [sp] The Fury: Live in Brooklyn (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): First outing for all-star group of Mark Turner (tenor sax), Lage Lund (guitar), Matt Brewer (bass), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums), with the first three contributing songs (Lund 3, Turner 2, Brewer 1, plus a cover from Myron Walden). Group name comes from a Faulkner novel, a reference I don't get, as Turner and especially Lund seem about as far from furious as one can get. B+(**) [cd] Ganavya: Like the Sky I've Been Too Quiet (2024, Native Rebel): Singer-songwriter, born in New York but raised in India (Tamil Nadu) and based in California, second album, has a jazz following but this is something else, possibly rooted in Indian classical music but transcendental in ways that terms like "ambient," "spiritual," "new age," and "exotic" only hint at. B+(**) [sp] Ganavya: Daughter of a Temple (2024, Leiter): Third album, more obviously pitched to her jazz audience, built around the works of Swamini Turiyasangitananda (aka Alice Coltrane) and her spouse, including an abbreviated but still four-part version of his masterwork, "A Love Supreme," with guest spots for Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, Immanuel Wilkins, and Shabaka Hutchings. Interesting ideas, but I can't say it particularly works. B+(*) [sp] GloRilla: Glorious (2024, CMG/Interscope): Crunk rapper Gloria Hallejuah Woods, from Memphis, first proper album after a well-received mixtape (Ehhthang hhthang) and two compilations of Gangsta Art. Hard trap beats. B+(**) [sp] Tord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing (2023 [2024], ECM): Norwegian pianist, steady stream of albums since joining ECM in 2003, mostly trios, here with Steinar Raknes (bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). I've usuallyl been impressed by his albums, but this one barely registers. B [sp] Caity Gyorgy: Hello! How Are You? (2024, La Reserve): Canadian "swing and bebop singer and songwriter," several albums since 2022. Presumably writes her own songs. Title one is snappy, only to be followed by something torchy, then a load of scat. I can't read the white-on-pink text on her Bandcamp page, so remain ignorant of explications. B+(**) [sp] Josh Johnson: Unusual Object (2024, Northern Spy): Mostly a saxophonist, from Chicago, but plays keyboards and possibly much more -- credit on this solo album is simply "sounds," with the sax reprocessed and subtle beats dubbed in. B+(**) [sp] The Joymakers: Down Where the Bluebonnets Grow (2024, Turtle Bay): Trad jazz outfit based in Austin, TX, fronted by cornetist Colin Hancock, with two saxophonists, piano/accordion, tenor banjo, piano, string bass, and drums, with three members stepping up for vocals, playing oldies from the 1920s, give or take a smidgen. Seems to be their first album, but not the first band to use the name. B+(***) [sp] Rolf Kühn: Fearless (2022 [2024], MPS): German clarinetist (1929-2022), brother of pianist Joachim Kühn, first album 1957, this is his last, when he was 92, leading a tight quartet of piano (Frank Chastenier), bass (Lisa Wulff), and drums (Túpac Mantilla). B+(**) [sp] Jason Palmer: The Cross Over: Live in Brooklyn (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): Trumpet player, from North Carolina, steady stream of albums since 2007, his recent live ones generally a step up from his studio efforts (mostly on SteepleChase). Strong quartet here, with Mark Turner (tenor sax), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Marcus Gilmore (drums). A- [cd] Aaron Parks: Little Big III (2024, Blue Note): Pianist, albums since 2000, recorded one for Blue Note in 2008, returns here after two previous Little Big albums on Ropeadope. Quartet with guitar (Greg Tuchey), bass (David Ginyard), and drums (Jongkuk Kim). More little than big. B+(*) [sp] Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now! (Instant Classics): Polish saxophonist, side credits go back to 1993, own albums start around 2014, plays soprano & tenor sax, clarinet, flute & tape here, and takes all of the composition credits. Amba adds an extra tenor sax into the mix. B+(*) [sp] Troy Roberts: Green Lights (2021 [2024], Toy Robot Music): Tenor saxophonist, from Australia, Bandcamp page says this is his "16th release as a leader," but Discogs only counts five (plus 36 side credits since 2000, including several with Van Morrison). Quartet with Paul Bollenback (guitar), John Pattitucci (bass), and Jimmy MacBride (drums). B+(**) [sp] Kavain Wayne Space & XT: Yesyespeakersyes (2024, Feedback Moves): The former is a Chicago footwork DJ, active since 1997, much better known as RP Boo, teamed up here with the English duo of Paul Abbott and Seymour Wright, with albums as XT since 2016. B [bc] Colin Stetson: The Love It Took to Leave You (2024, Invada): Not really in the jazz tradition, but plays a wide range of saxophones (especially bass saxophone), as well as other horns. Debut 2003, moved into soundtracks c. 2013, now the majority of his output. This isn't, but could be. B+(**) [sp] Sweet Megg: Bluer Than Blue (2024, Turtle Bay): Singer Megg Farrell, had a 2000 album as Sweet Megg, a 2009 album under her own name (Dig a Pony: The Beatles Complete on Ukulele), then nothing until 2021, when she landed on Turtle Bay with Ricky Alexander. Two or three (if you count Santa Baby) albums later, she's basically running a western swing combo, mixing Ellington with Bob Wills and Moon Mullican. Alexander has shifted more from sax to clarinet, and you get a lot of lap steel (Chris Scruggs) and fiddle (Billy Contreras) to go with the horns and rhythm. B+(**) [sp] Sweet Megg: Live at Honky Tonk Tuesday July 2024 (2024, self-released): Fan bait, a quickie digital album where she heads to Nashville, loses the horns, picks up an acoustic guitar, and a batch of hard drinking country standards. The steel and fiddle don't swing like they do our west, not that you can tell much with the weak sound. B [bc] Natsuki Tamura/Satoko Fujii/Ramón López: Yama Kawa Umi (2023 [2024], Not Two): Trumpet, piano, drums trio, fifth album as a trio, the first two having shared billing dozens of times. B+(***) [cd] Andromeda Turre: From the Earth (2024, Starbilt): Singer/composer, debut 2008, daughter of trombonist Steve Turre, presents this as "a jazz suite." B+(*) [sp] Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O: Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come (2024, Palmetto): I think this is the first year since I started getting promos that I haven't had to deal with a single album of Christmas music. Still, I had reason to suspect there might be more to this reunion of the drummer's 2010 holiday trio ("Tree-O"), with Jeff Lederer (reeds) and Paul Skivie (bass), especially with the cover playing on two classic Ornette Coleman albums, and working "Up on the Rooftop" into the canon. B+(***) [sp] Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries: Bobby Hutcherson: Total Eclipse (1068 [2024], Blue Note Tone Poet): Vibraphonist, recorded for Blue Note 1963-77. This a quintet with Harold Land (tenor sax/flute), Chick Corea (piano), Reggie Johnson (bass), and Joe Chambers (drums). B [sp] Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra: L'Intercommunal (1976-78 [2024], Souffle Continu): French group, released four numbered volumes 1974-82, plus a fifth album in 1983 listing its composer-leaders François Tusques (piano) and Carlos Andreu (voice) on the credit line. B+(**) [bc] Byard Lancaster/Steve McCall/Sylvain Marc: Us (1973 [2024], Souffle Continu): Avant-alto saxophonist (1942-2012), from Philadelphia, first album (1968) was called It's Not Up to Us, his early 1970s recordings were released by Palm in France -- except for the group Sounds of Liberation (1972), which came out on the even more obscure Dogtown label, and is one of the best examples of the early 1970s underground. Trio with drums and electric bass, a bit too much flute. B+(***) [bc] Byard Lancaster: Mother Africa (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu): A second album for the French label palm, sparring with Clint Jackson III (trumpet), backed by Jean-François Caloire (bass), Keno Speller (percussion) and Jonathan Dickinson (drums), for two side-long free jazz bashes, with an extra 15:18 bonus for the CD reissue. Second cut shows some cognizance of South African jazz. B+(***) [bc] Byard Lancaster/Keno Speller: Exactement (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu, 2CD): Opens with Lancaster on piano solo, before he moves on to flute, alto sax, bass clarinet, and more flute, joined for most of that with Speller on percussion. Originally released as 2-LP, could have fit on one 79:40 CD. B+(**) [bc] Byard Lancaster: Funny Funky Rib Crib (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu): Pulled from several sessions, and only released in 1979, some afro-funk groove (notably guitar from François Nyombo), with a couple of weak but bluesy vocals from the leader. Not quite as good as it should have been. B+(**) [bc] Byard Lancaster: The Complete Palm Recordings 1973-1974 (1973-74 [2024], Souffle Continu): Four albums, from a period when this little-recognized avant-saxophonist was just finding himself, working in France where the African connection was vibrant. Musically, this recapitulates the albums above. I can't speak to the packaging, which includes 5 LPs (Exactement was a double), a one-sided 12-inch EP, a 7-inch single, and a 20-page booklet. B+(***) [bc] Lee Morgan: Taru (1968 [2024], Blue Note): Major trumpet player (1938-72), played in what was perhaps Art Blakey's most famous lineup 1959-61, while leading a mixed bag of sessions for Blue Note that included several hard bop classics -- the label recorded many masterpieces in the early 1960s, but seemed to lose the thread later in the decade, one result being that this session with younger players -- sure, you know them now: Bennie Maupin (tenor sax), John Hicks (piano), George Benson (guitar), Reggie Workman (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums) -- got locked away until some housecleaning in 1980. B+(**) [sp] Elvis Presley: Memphis (1956-76 [2024], RCA/Legacy, 5CD): Theme is recordings made in his home town, which means the first disc collects the Sun masters, then one disc each for concerts in 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976, before he died in 1977 -- a total of 111 tracks, "88 of which are newly mixed versions of the select recordings, pure and without overdubs." The early stuff is great, as you know, but no better here than elsewhere. I'm not about to do comparisons, but most of the live stuff sounds a bit thin. But the fifth disc, with the 1976 Graceland set, is magnificent. By this point, his rocking days are past, and he's just a standards singer, but he leaves his own mark on everything he touches. [PS: After some bootlegs, the 1976 Graceland sessions got an official release in 2016 as Way Down in the Jungle Room, with a second disc of outtakes. I don't remember the details, but gave that set a B+(*), so perhaps today's reaction should be taken with a grain of salt, or maybe the sound and/or the selection is better.] B+(***) [sp] Old music: The Byard Lancaster Unit: Live at MacAlester College (1970-73 [2008], Porter): The original Dogtown release (1972) was credited to "the J.R. Mitchell/Bayard Lancaster experience," with the title Live at Mac Alester College '72. Mitchell was the drummer ("percussionist"), but it's the saxophonist ("horns") you notice first and remember longest. The reissue also moves the three live quartet tracks back a year, to 1971, with the first track on both from 1970, and two later bonus tracks credited to "The J. R. Mitchel Experimental Unit," which is Lancaster, Mitchell, Calvin Hill, and "unfortunately unknown." A- [sp] Byard Lancaster: Soul Unity (2005 [2022], Komos): "Recorded one sunny afternoon in March 2005," "a devotional journey through jazz history from Africa to Coltrane, from Spirituals to Now, Searching for the Source behind the forms," released on CD in 2006 and 2-LP in 2022 -- reordered with a new cover, but that's what I'm streaming. Reverend Joe Craddock helps the the vocals. B+(**) [sp] Sweet Megg and Ricky Alexander: I'm in Love Again (2020 [2021], Turtle Bay): Singer Megg Farrell had two previous albums, a Beatles-on-ukulele under her own name, and a debut as Sweet Megg way back in 2002. Alexander, who plays sax and clarinet, had self released Strike Up the Band in 2018. Mostly swing standards, with a "Ragged but Right" dragged in from the country. B+(**) [sp] Sweet Megg: My Window Faces the South (2022, Turtle Bay): Here's where she dons her cowboy hat, rejiggers her band around steel guitar and fiddle, and swings west, drawing several times on Bob Wills, with other songs like "Tennessee Waltz" and even "Stardust" not so far removed. B+(***) [sp] Grade (or other) changes: John Abercrombie: Timeless (1974 [1975], ECM): First album, one I definitely had the LP of and possibly could have graded from memory, but I figured it was worth another spin. Another trio, with Jan Hammer (keyboards) and Jack De Johnette (drums) just below the title line. [PS: Later found I had graded it, but the refresher bumped it up a notch.] [was: B] B+(*) [sp] Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
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