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"ASSASSIN”
CORY WONG
From the Album:
THE PAISLEY PARK SESSION
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Cory Wong’s self-released Paisley Park Session displays yet another facet of this Minneapolis-based, Grammy-nominated guitarist, bassist, songwriter, podcast-host and producer on his way to stardom. Featured here is the song “Assassin,” its Brecker Brothers vibe taking listeners through a high-energy journey with Wong on six-string and Prince’s bass player Sonny T. The song begins with Wong’s funky guitar-slinging before progressing to a big band sound (courtesy of the Horn Heads) and ends with an adventurous solo from saxophonist Alex Bone. Like the artist himself, Paisley Park leaves a lasting impression, showcasing Wong’s ability to craft exhilarating songs that resonate with audiences far and wide.
"BARCELONA”
VINCE MENDOZA & THE METROPOLE ORKEST
From the Album:
OLYMPIANS
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For nearly 30 years, composer and arranger Vince Mendoza has nurtured a close relationship with the Netherlands-based Metropole Orkest, first as a guest conductor, then as its leader. On their latest recorded collaboration, Olympians (Modern Music), the ensemble delves into nine colorful compositions that the maestro had written for the Orkest, and invites guests such as Dianne Reeves, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Chris Potter and Alex Acuña to join them, some remotely from their respective studios in the U.S. The bright and exuberant “Barcelona,” our selection, captures the excitement, beauty and grandeur of the iconic Spanish city, and features poignant, heartfelt solos from guitarist Peter Tiehuis, trumpeter Rik Mol and tenor saxophonist Potter, the latter two of whom engage in a thrilling musical conversation at the song’s conclusion. Soaring brass, reeds and strings paint a majestic soundscape that evokes the art-forward Catalonian capital, from its stunning architecture to sun-drenched vistas of the Mediterranean to hilltop promontories from which you can take it all in.
"TRANSIT”
THE COMPOSERS COLLECTIVE BIG BAND
From the Album:
THE TORONTO PROJECT
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In 2005, a group of young Canadian composers assembled a workshop to help them hone their craft while receiving feedback from colleagues. The workshop evolved into The Composers Collective Big Band, an 18-piece performing ensemble that spotlights works by its members and other Canadian composers. The big band’s latest recording, the self-released The Toronto Project, presents musical impressions of Toronto and its various neighborhoods, as chronicled by eight composers, including band leader and trombonist, Christian Overton. In addition to the usual big band components, the CCBB employs the Cuban tres, the Indian tabla and the Chinese erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument), which reflect the ethnic diversity of the city’s residents and the ensemble itself. Shirantha Beddage, the CCBB’s baritone saxophonist, composed “Transit,” our selection, a smooth ride that builds momentum as it leaves the station. Burbling Fender Rhodes and a slinky bass pattern underline exquisite section work, and trombonist Overton glides along the rails with silken ease. Before they reach the terminus, drummer Jeff Halischuk engages in some thrilling back-and-forth with the ensemble. In her song notes, Beddage reveals that the piece was meant to conjure a “bird’s eye view” of the city and its commuters, each going their own way and “diverging in smooth lines and abstract patterns.”
"MONOCHROME VELVET”
RICHARD NILES
From the Album:
NILES SMILES
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Slick arrangements, swinging horns, big energy and crystal-clean production — like a Steely Dan album without Donald Fagen — is what you get this time around from composer, arranger, producer and guitarist Richard Niles. With wide-ranging credits from Paul McCartney to Pat Metheny to Swing Out Sister, Niles has assembled a world-class band on the self-released Niles Smiles. Replete with jazz chops and a pop sensibility, the album features stellar playing from bassist Mark Egan (Metheny), saxophonist Snake Davis (Sting), trumpeter John Thirkell (Bruno Mars), organist Zoot Money and vocalist Kim Chandler (Michael McDonald). The track “Monochrome Velvet,” like its title suggests, showcases Niles’ accessibility with fluid guitar floating over a wave of horns that never seems to get in the way.
"M-SQUAD”
COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA feat. TERENCE BLANCHARD
From the Album:
LATE NIGHT BASIE
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Now in its 88th year, the Count Basie Orchestra continues to create magic in the studio and on the concert stage. Trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, a 30-year veteran of the orch, has led the CBO into the 21st century with hip projects and genre- and generation-spanning collaborators during his decade at the helm. On Late Night Basie (Primary Wave Legends), its most-recent release, the CBO shares space with a guest list designed to snag younger listeners. Barnhart, in cahoots with producer Paul Peck and Primary Wave’s Robert Dippold, invited stars from from within and without the jazz world to interpret the Basie book. Blues duo Larkin Poe, New Orleans brass band Soul Rebels, rapper Talib Kweli, R&B vocalist Cimafunk and groove band Lettuce all put their spin on tunes that issued from the Basie bandstand. The CBO swings its collective butt off on Basie classics “One O’ Clock Jump” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” the former with vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, the latter with Conan O’Brien late night guitarist Jimmy Vivino. The Count, who died in 1984, penned “M Squad,” included here, for a late-’50s/early-’60s TV show, and the theme was later used in the Naked Gun movies. Joining the CBO is trumpet great and Barnhart doppelgänger Terence Blanchard. “He and I look a helluva lot alike,” Barnhart says with mock consternation. “We’ve been getting confused with each other for 40 years. People see him on a plane, ‘Hey, Scotty! How ya’ll?’ ‘No, I’m not Scotty, goddammit!’ He’s a good buddy.” And speaking of “buddies,” Buddy Guy is just one of the monumental blues artists joining the CBO on their next release, Basie Swings the Blues, due later this summer on the Candid label.
"FOR LENE”
INES VELASCO
From the Album:
THREE STORIES
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During her time at Berklee College of Music, Ines Velasco blazed quite a trail. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native, who studied composition with Ayn Inserto and drums with Teri Lyne Carrington, won both the Quincy Jones Award and the Tadd Dameron Award, prizes named for two of the great player-composers in jazz. Having played with the likes of the Metropole Orkest and Snarky Puppy, the drummer-composer last year self-released the three-song EP Three Stories. The Brooklyn-based Velasco stocked her little big band with excellent players from the New York City jazz scene — drummer Nate Wood, trombonist Alan Ferber, guitarist Jacob Aviner, pianist Susana Schutza, among others — each bringing seasoned chops and deep feeling to the composer’s finely honed songcraft. “For Lene,” our selection, begins with pizzicato bass, piano and shimmering cymbals, setting a melancholy, self-reflective mood that continues throughout, even as the instrumentation expands. A martial drum beat establishes a cadence over which guitar, bass and horns play an elegiac melody, and saxophonist Nathan See contributes an aptly melancholy solo. The EP provides a taste of Velasco’s gifts and will surely leave listeners hungry for more.
"CONSPIRACY”
TOBIAS HOFFMAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
From the Album:
CONSPIRACY
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After releasing a nonet recording in 2019, Austrian composer and arranger Tobias Hoffmann hungered for the challenge of writing for a big band. Of course, the challenge was compounded by the onset of the pandemic, when so much of the world was shut down. Nonetheless, Hoffmann assembled an 18-piece ensemble, comprising musicians from his back yard as well as from all over Europe, rehearsing and recording what would become the Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra. The pandemic also provided inspiration for Hoffmann’s compositions, which examine the psychologies, states of mind and rampant misinformation that spread along with the coronavirus, hence the album title, Conspiracy (Mons). The title track, included here, references the phenomenon of the wild conspiracy theories that arose related to the global health crisis. Fittingly, the piece starts on a frenetic, bombastic note, which eventually resolves into the melodic theme but retains the thematic tension. Pianist Philipp Nykrin’s anxious piano notes, at about the midway point, set the stage for Robert Unterköfler’s unsettling tenor saxophone solo, before the full big band flexes its collective muscle in exemplary fashion. Expressing his thoughts about uninformed conspiracy theories, Hoffmann writes in the album’s liner notes, “I realized how dangerous these can be, not only for the people who believe in them, but for our society as a whole.”
"GRAND BAY/TOP HILL”
RANDOLPH NOEL
From the Album:
ELEMENTS AND ORBITS
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For 30 years, Randolph Noel taught music in the New York Public School system, a labor of love for a musician who shared bandstands with everyone from Sam & Dave to Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. However, the pianist and composer, who had also contributed arrangements to the late-career albums of Abbey Lincoln, didn’t lead a recording session under his own name until his 2003 debut release, Hands on the Plow. Another 20 years would pass before he’d reprise that effort, but his self-released Elements and Orbits was worth the wait. Noel put together a large ensemble — comprising seasoned vets like trombonist Clifton Anderson and saxophonist Dave Glasser, as well as rising stars such as trumpeter James Haddad and drummer Jarrett Walser — to interpret his original tunes. Among them is “Grand Bay/Top Hill,” our selection, a piece Noel penned some 40 years ago. Kenny Davis’ upright bass and Donald Babatunde Eaton’s congas establish a funky rhythm on the intro, soon joined by Walser’s slinky cymbals and Noel’s lyrical piano. This sets the stage for a surprisingly melodic tuba solo by Earl McIntyre, who strolls with happy-go-luck élan, backed by the full complement of brass, woodwinds and strings. The overall feel is one of irrepressible optimism; Noel and McIntyre unfold their respective solos with a jaunty spring to their steps and the orch follows suit. Noel employs a lovely symmetry by closing the piece as it began, with Davis and Eaton continuing their bass/conga conversation.
"HIP JIVE”
ROBERTO RESTUCCIA
From the Album:
LOUNGE KATZ
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In some ways, it was a mixed blessing. Roberto Restuccia’s debut album, 2021’s With Every Turn, yielded the U.K.-based guitarist a couple of Billboard Top 15 hits. While it established his bona fides in the smooth-jazz world, Restuccia vowed that his next release would be more of a personal expression, one that allowed him to play in a bluesier, more fiery fashion. The results speak for themselves on Lounge Katz, his sophomore album for the Trippin N Rhythm imprint. Helmed by Grammy-nominated producer Chris “Big Dog” Davis, and featuring Restuccia’s longtime friend and associate Oli Silk on keyboards, the new session finds the guitarist throwing down with full-on blues bravado. Take for example, “Hip Jive,” on which Restuccia evokes the burning sound of major influences such as Robben Ford, Chuck Loeb and Larry Carlton, his rhythmic riffing also nodding to the late Curtis Mayfield. Fatback Hammond organ and spanking brass further lend to the blues-club ambience. “In a nutshell, what I do differently is play in a way that’s closer to how a saxophone sounds,” Restuccia says in a press release for the new album. “With the electric guitar, if you have a perfectly clean sound, it doesn’t sustain like a pushed, bluesy amp. To make the guitar scream a bit, I bend the strings — and it’s in those emotive bends where my most intense and expressive playing lies.”
"STAR DUST”
BUSELLI-WALLARAB JAZZ ORCHESTRA
From the Album:
THE GENNETT SUITE
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Some of the most important early recordings in jazz were made at a ramshackle studio in Richmond, Indiana. Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Bix Biederbecke were among the innovators who passed through the doors of the Gennett Studio in the 1920s to make records that would influence the course of jazz for generations to come. On the 100th anniversary of a watershed year for jazz recording, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra celebrates the studio’s legacy with The Gennett Suite (Patois), a two-disc contemporary big-band reimagining of the music that emanated from this unlikely locale. Conductor and arranger Brent Wallarab took a deep dive into iconic material, putting a modern spin on the music of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (with a young Louis Armstrong), Biederbecke, Morton and Hoagy Carmichael through four movements. In the “Hoagland” movement, the Indiana-based jazz orch dips into a couple of Carmichael’s early compositions, “Riverboat Shuffle” and the tune that would immortalize him, “Star Dust,” first recorded for Gennett in 1927. The big band’s read of this timeless standard begins with an intimate conversation between pianist Luke Gillespie and alto saxophonist Greg Ward. The wistfulness of this interaction carries over into the orchestrated section, with Ward remaining at the fore and the full band luxuriating in the beauty of the melody.
"SPACE ODDITY”
METROPOLITAN JAZZ OCTET
From the Album:
THE BOWIE PROJECT
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David Bowie was a benchmark artist for a couple of generations of rock fans drawn to his soul-and-funk-inspired art music and his outrageous, gender-bending persona. On the late-career release Black Star, Bowie embraced long-held jazz roots, recruiting saxophonist Donny McCaslin and pianist-arranger Maria Schneider for his singular vision. Saxophonist-flutist Jim Gailloreto, founder of the Metropolitan Jazz Octet, was knocked out upon hearing Black Star and proceded to dig futher into Bowie’s repertoire. He found an ally in jazz vocalist Paul Marinaro, and the pair brainstormed the idea of performing the Brit glam rocker’s music with the MJO. The results can be found on The Bowie Project (Origin), on which Marinaro and the eight-piece offer jazz interpretations of 11 tunes spanning the career of the Thin White Duke. Utilizing arrangements by Gailloreto, band members and others, the program includes a few obscurities as well as radio hits such as “Changes,” “Let’s Dance,” and perhaps the best-known Bowie tune, “Space Oddity,” included here. Mike Freeman’s sparkling vibraphone adds another dimension to the tragic saga of Major Tom, which picks up volume and velocity with the addition of the horns. As throughout, Marinaro makes no attempt to mimic Bowie, but invests plenty of drama into his emotional reads.
"LOSING EURYDICE”
ABERDEEN
From the Album:
HELD TOGETHER
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Members of the Brooklyn-based band Aberdeen embarked on a State Department-sponsored tour of Central Asia in 2019, and their recently self-released recording Held Together appears to have taken inspiration from their travels. Tracks on the album employ a variety of Asian instrumentation and musicians, including Mongolian throat-singer and beatboxer Beatbox Ray, as well as the children’s ensemble Ayalguu. Aberdeen applies its signature brass band/indie rock ethos to traditional folk songs from regions such as Mongolia and Malaysia, but hews closer to home on tracks penned by alto saxophonist Brian Plautz. On “Losing Eurydice,” the album’s opening cut, Plautz reveals his erudition by writing a song based on the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Flugelhornist Chloe Rowlands and bass clarinetist Max Zooi assume the roles of the ill-fated lovers, at first reveling in a gentle, pastoral idyll provided by softly played horns and acoustic guitar. But the peaceful, easy feeling doesn’t last, as Orpheus must descend into the pits of hell to rescue his beloved, while fuzz-toned electric guitars sound a troubling note. Aberdeen’s core ensemble of Plautz, tenor saxophonist Jared Yee, guitarist Shubh Saran and bassist Adam Neely expands to little big band proportions with guest musicians, and welcomes Antonio Sánchez on drums.
"TAIN'T WHAT YA DO”
PATTI AUSTIN/GORDON GOODWIN'S BIG PHAT BAND
From the Album:
FOR ELLA 2
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For the past 20 years, Patti Austin has been offering heartfelt tribute to Ella Fitzgerald through dedicated recordings and concerts. Having scored radio hits like “Baby, Come to Me” and “The Closer I Get to You,” Austin revealed deep jazz roots — and chops to match — on her affectionate 2002 salute to Fitzgerald, For Ella. She toured behind the record, performing with big bands and orchestras all over the globe, and developed a program in which she shared stories about the First Lady of Song. Now, Austin returns with the self-released For Ella 2, this time teaming up with bandleader and arranger Gordon Goodwin and His Big Phat Band and highlighting another batch of tunes definitively performed by Fitzgerald. Selections span Fitzgerald’s career, recalling triumphs such as the 1961 Ella in Berlin album’s improvisatory “Mack the Knife,” the Verve songbook albums and, of course, her star-making novelty hits with the Chick Webb Orchestra in the 1930s. Among the latter numbers, Austin offers a spirited rendition of “Tain’t What Ya Do,” with the Big Phat Band swinging like a Saturday night at the Savoy. The singer is at her finger-snapping sassiest as she delivers life lessons with bluesy brio, and the cats in the band gamely join in on call-and-response vocals. Austin caps her performance with some joyful scat singing, wisely interpreting rather than imitating her idol while making the tune her own.
"BET”
SNARKY PUPPY
From the Album:
EMPIRE CENTRAL
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After more than a dozen albums under the Snarky Puppy banner, bassist Michael League still manages to lead his large cast of players on one of their most energetic sets to date. On Empire Central (GroundUp Music), the Snarky ensemble incorporates blues, gospel, R&B, rock and jazz, while paying tribute to the city of Dallas, just 30 miles from the University of North Texas where League first developed the SP concept. The track “Bet” is particularly noteworthy, and not just because it’s one of the few numbers that League wrote. It’s hard to fathom that the precision playing that one would expect from Steely Dan or the Brecker Brothers (obvious influences on League) was all recorded live.
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"LUMINESCENCE”
KEIKO MATSUI
From the Album:
EUPHORIA
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When it comes to contemporary jazz, Keiko Matsui has long provided a high water mark. The pianist, composer and bandleader, who’s been releasing albums since 1991, remains a creative force on Euphoria (Shanachie), her 30th recording. In addition to utilizing members of her working and studio bands, Matsui invited a dazzling roster of guest musicians, including Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Joel Ross and Grégoire Maret, to join her on a set that encompasses elements of fusion, world and symphonic music. Matsui opens her composition “Luminescence,” included here, with sparkling piano, delving into a jaunty blues as she’s joined by Alex Al’s elastic bass and Gregg Bissonette’s slinky drumming, as well as a complement of horns. The song takes on a Caribbean “riddim” as it ambles on, with Kirk Whalum’s sunny tenor sax and those engaging horns contributing to the cheery ambience. Whalum and Matsui engage in some bluesy back-and-forth toward the song’s final fade, maintaining the good feelings promised by the song’s title.
"TWENTY TWENTY”
JAKOB DREYER
From the Album:
SONGS, HYMNS AND BALLADS, VOL. 2
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During two days in April of 2021, bassist and composer
Jakob Dreyer assembled a quartet of A-list players at the Samurai Hotel recording studio in New York City. In that short period, the group laid down 17 tracks, interpreting material Dreyer had written in recent years, as well as pieces inspired by current events, namely the pandemic. The sessions’ results were divided between two releases, last year’s
Songs, Hymns and Ballads, Vol. 1 and its follow-up,
Songs, Hymns and Ballads, Vol. 2 (Fresh Sound/New Talent). Once again, Dreyer’s tunes are beautifully realized by saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Jon Cowherd and drummer Jimmy McBride, with the composer sensitively supplying the bass lines. On the lovely “Twenty Twenty,” Dreyer reflects on a difficult year, and while the overall mood is deeply introspective, it seems more optimistic than downbeat. Rigby’s breathy tenor, Cowherd’s meditative piano and McBride’s light touch on cymbals create a hushed effervescence, while Dreyer displays an unflashy virtuosity and gorgeous tone in both his ensemble and solo expressions.
"BYE BYE BLACKBIRD”
LAILA BIALI
From the Album:
YOUR REQUESTS
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On
Your Requests,
Laila Biali’s third album for ACT Music, the Canadian pianist, vocalist, bandleader and singer takes a bit of a detour from her previous recordings for the German-based label. Here, she returns to her embrace of the Great American Songbook, which is best represented by her version of Dixon and Henderson’s “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Joined by her regular band mates — saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, bassist George Koller and drummer Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy) — Biali takes off with enough runway, clever arrangements and startling riffs to make you forget for a moment that you’re listening to a vocal album. But there are plenty of reminders of Biali’s vocal prowess, as she puts the right expressive tone in the right place at the right time.
"CLOSE TO HOME”
SCOTT PETITO feat. PETER ERSKINE, RACHEL Z & MIKE MAINIERI
From the Album:
MANY WORLDS
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The credits on bassist and composer
Scott Petito’s recent release
Many Worlds (Planet Arts) read like a who’s who of contemporary jazz: Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Steve Gadd, Mino Cinelu and Larry Grenadier are but a few of the names instantly recognized by jazz fans. Petito, whose own credits date back to the 1970s, put together his guest list with an ear toward honoring the creative heyday of fusion artists such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea and Weather Report, and each track on the album features a different group of musicians. On “Close to Home,” included here, Petito offers heartfelt tribute to the song’s composer, Lyle Mays, who died shortly before this version was recorded in 2020. The leader’s resonant bass tone lends emotional depth to the track, which also features touching contributions from pianist Rachel Z, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and drummer Peter Erskine. Petito views the album as a continuation of a conversation he started on his 2018 release
Rainbow Gravity, reflecting his interest in the field of quantum physics. “The interplay of musicians,” he says in a press release, “is like the quantum dance between infinite time and space.”
"TORQUESA/
TORQUOISE”
JANE BUNNETT AND MAQUEQUE
From the Album:
PLAYING WITH FIRE
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In an effort to champion and spotlight the contributions of Cuban women jazz musicians, Canadian saxophonist and flutist
Jane Bunnett put together a crack ensemble under the
Maqueque moniker. A decade later, the group’s still going strong, as it continually refreshes its personnel as well as the scope of its music. On its latest release,
Playing With Fire (Linus Entertainment), Maqueque continues to expand its sound and its roster, welcoming 19-year-old violinist Daniela Olano and German-Zimbabwean-Canadian vocalist Joanna Majoko into the fold, as well as guest guitarist Donna Grantis, who played for years behind Prince. Drummer Yissy García opens the track “Turquesa/Turquoise” with pulse-pounding drums, deftly making a connection between Cuba and Krupa, before the breezy melodic theme unfolds. Bunnett’s flute doubles Majoko’s wordless vocals, undergirded by intoxicating polyrhythms laid down by García, pianist Dánae Olano, percussionist Mary Paz and bassist Tailin Marrero. The tune, which also makes space for Bunnett’s dyanmic soprano sax solo, sounds like a hip bossa nova hooked up to a powerful rhythm engine.
"THIRD COASTING”
MARKUS RUTZ
From the Album:
STORYBOOK
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On
Storybook (JMARQ), his sixth recording as a leader, Chicago-based trumpeter
Markus Rutz outlines a very personal jazz journey. During the course of three chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue, Rutz delves into the influences of his home city, important mentors and songs that have meant so much to him over the years. Helming a first-rate sextet, the trumpeter honors jazz giants Kenny Dorham, Ellis Marsalis and Richard Davis, and interprets tunes by Joe Henderson and Mal Waldron, among others. Ensconced within “Chapter One — The Straightway,” Rutz’s “Third Coasting” alludes to the realties of living in Chicago, while also referencing the Charles Mingus composition “East Coasting.” The sextet evinces a classic Blue Note sound, as Rutz harmonizes with saxophonist Sharel Cassity on the front line, with rhythmic support from pianist Adrian Ruiz, bassist Kurt Schweitz and drummer Kyle Asche. The trumpeter offers the first solo out of the gate, unspooling a complex expression that paints a nuanced view of life in the Windy City. This tone of tempered expectation is echoed in the blues-drenched solos of Cassity, Ruiz and Schweitz. But the piece is hardly a downer, thanks to the high-level artistry that allows these musicians to relay contrasting emotions simultaneously.
"COME ON URDELL”
TERRY WOLLMAN
From the Album:
SURFACE
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For a primer on the laid-back tropical vibe so prevalent in contemporary jazz, cue up
Terry Wollman’s latest release,
Surface (Mango Eater Music). Clearly, a sunny sensibility permeates the music of the guitarist, composer and producer, who grew up in Miami and has long resided in Los Angeles. Plunging into the aqua waters of a swimming pool, as he does on the album’s cover, Wollman sets the mood for the music within, even if it’s unlikely that he frequently does so with a (thankfully acoustic) guitar in hand. Wollman graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, made a beeline for the Left Coast and has performed and/or recorded with Tony Bennett, Dave Grusin, Al Jarreau, Billy Preston and Eartha Kitt, to name a few. His wizardly playing is featured throughout
Surface, his ninth recording as a leader, and shines brightly alongside guests including Bob James, Andy Snitzer, Najee and Wayne Bergeron. Wollman’s pristine acoustic picking rides a funky groove fattened by wah-wah electric guitar textures on the engagingly melodic original composition “Come On Urdell,” our selection, which should leave listeners with a smile if not an actual tan.
"MIRACLE”
MILOSZ BAZARNIK
From the Album:
NEW MARKET
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Poland has a long and storied relationship with jazz dating back to the 1920s. Forced underground, jazz somehow managed to survive Nazism and Communism and find audiences receptive to its most traditional and avant-garde iterations. Polish musicians such as Tomasz Stanko and Michal Urbaniak found fame beyond their nation’s borders, and generations of players continue to follow in their footsteps, with jazz now being taught in universities and featured in events such as the Jazztopad Festival. Among a younger contingent of Polish jazz artists,
Milosz Bazarnik has earned accolades for his original music. Gaining notice for his 2018 trio release,
Trip of a Lifetime, the pianist and composer expanded his palette with his 2022 release
New Market (Klamka Music). Bazarnik’s crystalline piano opens the track “Miracle,” his playing shadowed by the shimmer of Lukasz Giergiel’s cymbals and exuding a sense of wonder and expectation. The rest of the ensemble picks up on this sensibility, particularly as expressed in yearning solos by tenor saxophonist Krzysztof Matejski and violinist Stanislaw Slowinski. Bassist Marek Dufek and drummer Giergiel provide both mooring and movement, while Slowinski’s bowed strings offer a potent evocation of history and geography embedded within Bazarnik’s forward-looking music.
"MIGHTY DOM”
SCOTT SAWYER
From the Album:
CHANGE OF SCENE
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Traveling from his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, to Stinson Beach, California, guitarist
Scott Sawyer laid down tracks for his latest album at the tail end of 2021, aptly titling the atmospheric recording
Change of Scene (Doll). He was joined at the Panoramic House Studio by bassist Oteil Burbridge and drummer Scott Amendola, all three sharing musical sensibilities rooted in but not limited to jazz. Sawyer, who grew up in Chicago and Greensboro, North Carolina, was schooled by his father’s jazz records, but also gravitated to the blues-rock of Jimi Hendrix and Michael Bloomfield, as well as the Chicago blues players who influenced them. Drawn by the harmonic sophistication of guitarist Jim Hall, Sawyer delved deeper into jazz and took lessons with John Scofield and Mick Goodrick. He’d go on to play or record with John Abercrombie, Charlie Byrd and David Murray, and has been a longtime member of Nnenna Freelon’s bands. Sawyer finds deeply simpactio partners in Burbridge and Amendola, each masters of understatement. The trio locks into a smoldering blues on “Mighty Dom,” our selection, which unfolds at an unhurried pace, but is hardly relaxed. Burbridge’s inexorable bass and Amendola’s snaky cymbals tease out an edge that mirrors the guitarist’s razor sharp leads, which echo influences from Scofield and Bill Frisell to Hall and Abercrombe, and even Hendrix.
"REMEMBER JUNE”
MARIA EMRIK
From the Album:
HOMELESS HEART
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On her 2020 release,
Homeless Heart (Ali Production), Danish vocalist
Maria Emrik performs a wistful original tune titled “Remember June.” An emotional call-back of the standard “I’ll Remember April,” it also might cause jazz lovers to think of June Christy and other classic jazz vocalists from the 1950s. Emrik’s old-school proclivities are on display here, as well as on the 30 albums she’s released over the years, and she reveals on her YouTube channel that she’s been singing professionally since the age of 15. Retro-fueled sensibilities carry over into her recordings’ production values, as she says she prefers the “big and thick sound” of reel-to-reel tape, and she’s invested plenty of care in remastering her recordings. Listeners will appreciate the sonic richness of the aforementioned “Remember June,” included here, particularly as it applies to the resonant melodic bass notes, thoughtful piano and sensitive brush drumming that accompany Emrik’s crystalline vocal. A Mike Stern-like guitar makes an early appearance, bringing the tune into the current day, and is later reprised in a gorgeous solo. Emrik, in both her moonlit vocals and simple yet evocative lyrics, recalls a golden age of cool jazz singing.
"JONI INDO”
BATAVIA COLLECTIVE
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A crowded bandstand isn’t necessarily a requisite to a big sound. Take, for example, the three-piece electronic jazz combo
Batavia Collective. Utilizing keyboards, synth bass and drums, the trio conjures a much larger ensemble on its fusion tunes, which appear on its recent EP
BTVC (R&S). Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, keyboardist Doni Joesran, bassist Kenny Gabriel and drummer Elfa Zulham have been finding receptive ears for their music, which straddles the worlds of jazz and electronica. The musicians, whose influences range from expansive jazz artsits Brad Mehldau and Mark Giuliana to electronic and pop artists such as Louis Cole and Deantoni Parks, build their songs from the groove up, starting with a hook and then developing the rest while jamming in the studio. While it may stir memories of 1970s fusion by the likes of Return to Forever or Billy Cobham, the single “Joni Indo,” our selection, is a fresh take on the genre, fed through the filters of a generation raised on hip-hop and electronica. Zulham’s drumming churns excitement throughout, providing a rhythmic flow in tandem with Gabriel’s pulsing bass notes behind Joesran’s twinkling keyboards, all of which is undergirded by a stream of synthesized sound.
"SWINGIN' UP IN HARLEM"
LAFAYETTE HARRIS JR.
From the Album:
SWINGIN' UP IN HARLEM
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Titling an album
Swingin’ Up in Harlem is a bold move for any artist, let alone a jazz pianist. But
Lafayette Harris Jr. more than lives up to the billing on his latest recording, which was released by the Savant label earlier this year. The Baltimore native joined forces with the veteran rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash for a spirited straightahead session that swings unapologetically in the uptown tradition of jazz greats such as Willie the Lion Smith, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. For good measure, the trio convened at the storied Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood, New Jersey, the starting place of so many classic jazz records over the decades. The program contains fresh reads of Great American Songbook gems from the likes of Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Arlen, as well as a funky blues take on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” and a rhythmically spunky, sun-infused romp through Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas.” Harris originals bookend the album — the closing tune, “Nat’s Blues,” and the opening title track. The latter, our selection, kicks off the recording with charm and panache. The threesome presents an uplifting lope that includes a nod to Monk, concise solos from Washington and Nash, and good vibes that permeate the recording as a whole. Elegance and excellence continue throughout.
"WAR MONEY"
DAN ROSENBOOM
From the Album:
POLARITY
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If the performance of “War Money” on
Dan Rosenboom’s album
Polarity (Orenda) sounds anxious and chaotic, that’s no accident. The trumpeter and his quintet recorded the piece on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The leader had just wrapped up a month-long residency at ETA in Los Angeles with his quartet, so the band was raring to go, and the addition of saxophonist Gavin Templeton provided even more edge and color. Rosenboom had also recently performed in Wayne Shorter’s opera
Iphigenia, taking inspiration from Shorter’s music and the late jazz legend’s advice that he approach his own music as playfully as possible. While “War Money” is hardly playful, it does sound spontaneous, beginning with drums and bass churning a menacing rumble before the rest of the ensemble enters with a barrage of sound. Templeton’s unsettling baritone saxophone and John Escreet’s edgy acoustic piano warily wander the frantic rhythmic terrain set by drummer Damon Reid and bassist Billy Mohler, a kind of musical “Guernica.” The siren wail of Rosenboom’s trumpet drops like an ordinance shell, its impact even greater as his solo comes late in the proceedings. Rosenboom says the piece comments on the role of money in global conflict, observing in the album’s song notes, “The juxtaposition of a circus-like melody with an ominous bass drone, driving insistent groove and mournful, wailing solos, paints an absurdist picture of our global priorities.”
"EAST OF THE SUN"
MASSIMO BIOLCATI
From the Album:
ON A MISTY NIGHT
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For his fourth release under his own name,
Massimo Biolcati tackles a program of both well-loved and more obscure standards. The Swedish-Italian bassist, who resides in New York, shines in a trio setting with compatriots John Ellis on reeds and Johnathan Blake on drums, the threesome kicking off their recent recording (released on Biolcati’s Sounderscore label) with its title track, Tadd Dameron’s “On a Misty Night.” Teasing out a modern edge on traditional numbers from the Great American Songbook, the musicians sound quite comfortable deconstructing familiar fare and exploring various moods and colors. Ellis’ tenor converses eloquently with Biolcati’s deft pizzicato on the intro to a chipper “East of the Sun,” our selection, which has been assayed over the decades by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Oscar Peterson, to name a few. And while the trio members nod to earlier eras — of which they’re obviously inspired and more than conversant — they’re hardly content to dwell in the past, as Blake jacks up the beats at one point as if he were playing an electronic music fest. Biolcati’s seemingly effortless virtuosity anchors the song and provides a playful bounce that contains some bite. He’s well-matched by Ellis and Blake, with each musician providing integral elements to this outstanding and original interpretation of a classic tune.
