Jazz and Improvised

Crossing Paths - Renee Rosnes

Crossing Paths
Renee Rosnes
Smoke Sessions Records SSR-2408 (reneerosnes.bandcamp.com/album/crossing-paths)

Illustrious jazz pianist/composer Renee Rosnes has just released a recording that has been in her thoughts for more than 30 years. This formidable, Brazilian-infused project was co-produced by Rosnes and Paul Stache, and all arrangements here were created by Rosnes, embracing her unique perspective on the compositions of Edu Lobo, Egberto Gismonti, Gaetano Veloso, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento. Rosnes performs on Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, surrounded by a stellar coterie of hand-picked co-creators, including legendary vocalist/composer Lobo, vocalist/composer Joyce Mareno and luminous chanteuse, Maucha Adnet. Noted instrumentalists here also include John Patitucci on bass, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, drummer Adam Cruz, percussionist Rogerio Boccato, saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Steve Davis and flutist Shelley Brown.

The opening salvo is appropriately Gismonti’s Frevo (Fever). The tune is based on marching rhythms from the north of Brazil, and the complex, rhythmic, melodic line is presented in rapid fire, with stirring unison motifs and unfettered soloing from Rosnes and Pinheiro, while Brown’s expressive flute enhances the high-energy track. Next up is Lobo and lyricist Torquato Neto’s emotional composition Pra Dizer Adeus (To Say Goodbye), in which Neto’s poignant lyrics reflect his 1972 suicide. Previously recorded by over 75 artists, this version boasts a unison line with Rosnes in duet with Lobo’s heart-rending vocal performance. A fine inclusion is Veloso’s Trilhos Urbanos (Urban Tracks). Veloso and Gil’s importance to Brazilian music cannot be underestimated, and Davis’ facile trombone solo enhances the arrangement. Of special delight is Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes’ Canta, Canta Mais (Sing, Sing More) featuring the lovely tones and meaningful interpretation of Adnet.

Another stand out is Lobo’s classic Casa Forte. Lobo’s vocal and the free solo sections (particularly Potter’s soprano solo) make this one of the finest contributions to this programme, but every track here is a work of art – a creative concept germinated and supremely brought to fruition by Rosnes and her colleagues.

Roots - Ostara Project

Roots
Ostara Project
Rhea Records RR CD 00001 (ostaraproject.ca)

Without context, given song titles alone, this music still conveys so much. So much feeling, so much meaning, so much narrative, so much image, and so much life from every voice within the six-piece ensemble. However, the liner notes provide the context behind each piece and the overall vision of this album and how the pieces transform into exploratory reflections and tributes through sound. For example, the notes describe how the album’s title, Roots, takes on a double meaning, referring to honoring the foundations and experiences integral to one’s very being, while also resonating deeply with the welcoming of spring.

Each member contributes at least one of their own sonic offerings of personal storytelling, either by composition or arrangement, and while commonality between these distinct statements could be reduced to “they sound seasonal,” the more you listen, the less reductive that actually becomes. Seasonal changes are above all else, transitional. In the case of the coldest season giving way to one very often associated with emerging colours and rebirth, that transition becomes emblematic of new ways of receiving a story. Allison Au’s 2601, Shruti Ramani’s Rajalakshmi, Rachel Therrien’s Papa and the collective improvisation Voyage Sans Retour all honour specific family members, in a way that feels transitional between remembrance and the power of stories to be retold and given new life. Meanwhile Amanda Tosoff, Jodi Proznick and Valérie Lacombe honour places, letting us see/hear for ourselves.

Dr. Purgatory – The Consumption: A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts - David Riddel; Aline Homzy; Colleen Allen; Conrad Glutch; Noah Lemish; Andrew Downing; Stefan Hegerat

Dr. Purgatory - The Consumption: A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts
David Riddel; Aline Homzy; Colleen Allen; Conrad Glutch; Noah Lemish; Andrew Downing; Stefan Hegerat
Independent (drpurgatory.bandcamp.com)

Dr. Purgatory is the nom de plume of Toronto guitarist and composer David Riddel who studied at the U of T and who has figured centrally into several exciting jazz and creative music fusions in this city over the last ten or so years.

Assembling a great band of Aline Homzy, Colleen Allen, Conrad Gluch, Noam Lemish, Andrew Downing and Stefan Hegerat, Dr. Purgatory’s second album, The Consumption (A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts) combines the influences of Reinier Baas (an Amsterdam-based guitarist and composer with whom I was unfamiliar until now), the French impressionist Maurice Ravel, and the Icelandic singer and composer Björk into an idiosyncratic, but always musically satisfying package. Over ten compositions, including a Prologue, Intermission and Epilogue, the group traverses what seems like every improvisatory chamber group subgenre. On Necropolis, exciting musicianship and well-executed unison lines between the strings and reeds are employed to great effect. Riddel’s guitar playing is marvelous throughout, and includes soaring single note lines, beautiful wide intervallic solo playing, such as the beginning of The Philistine, and genre-less musical improvisations throughout.

Included is a short novella that relates the folktale in prose,that is explored musically on the recording so Riddel can now add author to his already impressive list of credits. The head-spinning mix of genres represented here, from Aleister Crowley to Björk to Ravel, remind me of the post-Third-Stream teaching and music of Ran Blake, who, like Riddel and company, somehow managed to coalesce a dizzying list of disparate influences into an always impressive and unified whole. I am not sure if Riddel knows Blake, but I have a feeling they would find sympatico musical and philosophical ground. A creative and thought-provoking new recording.

Mi Hogar II - Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project

Mi Hogar II
Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project
Lula World Records LWR048A (racheltherrien.bandcamp.com/album/mi-hogar-ii)

Renowned trumpeter and flugelhornist Rachel Therrien’s newest release is a collection of tunes that contains spicy Latin and Afro-Cuban, jazz-fusion goodness. Her eighth release, a follow up to Mi Hogar I, brings together acclaimed, all-star musicians for an immersive, ear-catching musical experience that is sure to get your head bobbing and feet moving. The selection of songs features many original compositions by Therrien and a couple penned by her bandmates thrown into the mix. The album “continues her exploration of Latin jazz… reflecting Therrien’s deep connection to her musical community and the myriad influences that have shaped her sound.”

What stands out is the way in which each piece is a unique journey, evoking its own emotions and soundscapes, yet a cultural thread strings together and unites these separate “stories.” Take the tune Back Home: the listener gets a taste of various Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms, complemented by searing piano chords and sizzling trumpet melodies, with a mid-song lengthy bass solo that captivates and dazzles. The composition is a great example of the way in which “each piece reflects Therrien’s commitment to blending traditional Latin rhythms with contemporary jazz elements.”

Another piece to note is Beauty Free, which closes out the album on a mellow yet intriguing note, featuring beautiful vocals by Mireya and Andy Ramos. A tasty morsel that evokes the hopeful question: will there be a Mi Hogar III in the near future?

Kenny Wheeler Legacy: Some Days are Better - Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra; Frost Jazz Orchestra

Kenny Wheeler Legacy - Some Days are Better
Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra; Frost Jazz Orchestra
Greenleaf Music (glmstore.bandcamp.com/album/some-days-are-better-the-lost-scores)

Canadian Jazz trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler’s position is analogous to Norman Bethune’s: more famous abroad than at home. Toronto-born Wheeler (1930-2014), who moved to the UK in 1952 was equally proficient playing commercial studio gigs; big band jazz with Johnny Dankworth and others; and free music with the likes of Anthony Braxton. He also composed intricate scores, most of which were played only once for BBC radio concerts in the 1970s.

Not really “lost,” 11 of these scores are performed by 34 musicians drawn from Miami’s Frost School of Music and London’s Royal Academy of Music. Reconstitutions of these impressionistic, quietly swinging tunes are expanded when the ensemble(s) add veteran soloists who earlier collaborated with Wheeler himself.

The title suite for instance uses brass blasts to surround Norma Winstone’s wordless vocals both shredded and soulful, with Evan Parker’s circular breathed emphasis following contemporary electric piano jangling. Parker’s pressurized tenor saxophone is inventively matched with growls and flutters from trombonist Sam Keedy on C.P.E.P., as drum beats push the large ensemble forward; while flugelhornist Brian Lynch’s measured pitches face off with a three-saxophone choir blend on D.G.S.

Not every track is given over to the professionals however. Maria Quintanilla’s bel canto vocal coloration on a couple of tracks, bassist Nikolas Lukassen steadying swing throughout and Some Doors Are Better Open’s gentle duet of flugelhornist Etienne Charles and tenor saxophonist Emma Rawicz confirm younger players’ skills and the continued appeal of Wheeler’s music.

Wind Forms - Greg Burk; Michel Lambert

Wind Forms
Greg Burk; Michel Lambert
Tonos Records (gregburk.bandcamp.com/album/wind-forms)

This idea of putting Wind Forms to music is interesting, especially when you pair piano and drums and more especially when the musicians are as adventurous as Greg Burk and Michel Lambert. The “trick” (a word used with caution so as not to denigrate the musical gestures employed here) would be to astutely meld the majestic chordal power of the piano and extend its percussive possibilities.

This seems easy thanks to the intrepid technical ingenuity of Burk. Conversely it is the extension of Lambert’s facility as a percussion colourist by finding ways to turn the rolling thunder of the drums and the hissing of cymbals into the realm of melody and harmony. These strange bedfellows coalesce in a dynamic partnership.

The disc gets off to a fiery start with Scirocco, a searing desert wind that sweeps across the sand dunes that could scorch anything in its path. Other ingenious improvisations may be heard on Aeolian Awakenings (a clever little play on an ancient mode), the darkness of the play on Hamartian (Aristote’s fatal syllogistic flaw) in which piano and drums incessantly – but brilliantly – argue musically. And then there is the majestic Zephyrus, crafted as a wall of music to recall both the Greek demi-god and winds heralding the arrival of spring. The collision of intellectuality with poetic imagery makes for a wonderful study in improvised music.

Remnants - Roberto Occhipinti

Remnants
Roberto Occhipinti
Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp.com/album/remnants)

It’s not often that we get to take a closer, intimate look at the great musical mind of renowned bandleader, bassist and composer Roberto Occhipinti. But with this latest CD we get to do just that; featuring previously unreleased tracks, it feels like we are privy to a new, exclusive foray into unexplored musical territory. With a musician as in-demand as Occhipinti, it’s always great when an album featuring his own compositions is released. As is often the case with someone of the bassist’s calibre, the record features a star-studded list of musicians, among them Hilario Duran, Luis Deniz, Mark Kelso and Kevin Turcotte.

Remnants’ tracks are a mix of those penned by Occhipinti himself, as well as interesting takes on songs by greats such as Pat Metheny and Leonard Bernstein. With the first notes of title track Remnants, we’re taken into a sultry, mellow musical landscape where the woes and worries of the world and winter chills instantly melt away. In contrast, Occhipinti’s large ensemble arrangement of Brazilian Hermeto Pascal’s Os Guizos is just stunning, with flowing string melodies, a melodious bass solo and fluttering flute tune showcasing the fabulous musical imagination of the bassist. Featuring everything from rhythmic, catchy tunes to slower tempo passionate ballads, this is a great addition to any music lover’s collection.