Jazz and Improvised

Late Night
Sean Fife Quartet
Cellar Music CM082021 (cellarlive.com)

New York-based Canadian pianist Sean Fyfe has had a passion for the piano since he was just five years old and his prolific talent is highlighted very well on his newest release. The album is chock full of originals written by Fyfe himself and features talented musicians Sam Kirmayer on guitar, Adrian Vedady on bass and Andre White on drums, breathing life into each of the pieces and shining a spotlight on Fyfe’s compositional prowess. A mellow yet energetic record that complements a relaxing night in, this would be a fantastic addition to any jazz lover’s collection. 

Title track Late Night paints a picture in the listener’s mind of a smoky and dimly lit jazz club through an intriguing piano and guitar melody underpinned by a toe-tapping drum shuffle and rhythmic groove. Little Pants brings a bluesy flavour to the mix, featuring a stepping bass line that keeps the momentum going as well as soulful solos and riffs that truly showcase the immense musical talent of each musician in the quartet. Throughout the record, a hark back to an era of jazz classics is apparent, with Fyfe’s style reflecting greats such as Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly and McCoy Tyner. Validation finishes off the album with a finger-snapping, rhythmically driven piece that perhaps serves as a tantalizing preview of what more is to come from Fyfe in the future.

March
Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double
Firehouse 12 Records FH12-04-01-035 (tomasfujiwara.com)

Brooklyn-based drummer Tomas Fujiwara is known for his progressive compositions, unique rhythmic grooves and “nuanced drumming.” This release does a formidable job at showcasing his modernistic compositional style through both the distinctive instrumental setup and captivating melodies layered on top of catchy beats. The band’s name says it all. Triple Double refers to the interesting instrument groupings used: two horns, two guitars and two drum kits. It’s described as “wandering through a hall of mirrors” because, depending on the listener’s interpretation, you could either hear three duos that work in tandem or pairs of instruments that explore their own melodic and rhythmic niches throughout, which makes for a truly immersive auditory experience. All pieces are penned by Fujiwara himself or in collaboration with fellow drummer Gerald Cleaver. 

Pack Up, Coming for You starts off the album with a driving drum groove, soaring horn melody and bold guitar riffs that give the listener a shock of energy right off the bat. Life Only Gets More features elements of traditional jazz, as is heard in the more laidback shuffle beat and jazz guitar tone, mixed with modern bits such as an interpretive drum solo and dissonance within the melody. Silhouettes in Smoke truly gives off a hazy and mysterious vibe through a mellow and meandering cornet riff layered overtop circular guitar lines. This record is great for anyone looking to experience a well-balanced mix of the old and the new.

Källtorp Sessions Volume 2
Ståhls Trio
Moserobie MMP CD 126 (moserobie.com)

Balancing on the firm underpinning of knowing strokes from Canadian-in-Stockholm bassist Joe Williamson is this eight-track bagatelle from Swedish vibraphonist Mattias Ståhl’s trio. Joined by Colombian drummer Christopher Cantillo, the group-composed tracks are thoroughly contemporary, but due to the vibist’s logical progressions and airy, open swing, encompass both Lionel Hampton-style pulsations and Cal Tjader-like nuances. Even a couple of tracks where Ståhl plays silvery soprano saxophone trills as well as vibes, and trombonist Mats Äleklint propels gutbucket slurs into the mix, the enhanced density doesn’t exceed harmonic intensity.

Williamson’s string suppleness also means that a balladic interlude like Guldkort is marked with expressive well-paced thumps; while faster tunes are propelled with torqued intensity that cunningly backs up freeform group improvisations such as I-Land Du Välsignade. Despite Cantillo wielding a thunder sheet and the vibes’ metal bars resonating at an allegro tempo during that track, the bassist’s contrapuntal andante pulse prevents any narrative imbalance. Later on, the bassist goads the other two to a harmonized finale. Occasionally introducing the themes with pressurized stops or a walking bass line, Williamson’s sly pulses comprehensively fit in with whatever drum crunches or airy vibe timbres are rolled onto the program. 

Convincing in having achieved exactly what they set out to do on this disc, the Ståhls threesome also confirm the benefits of international musical cooperation. The result makes one interested in seeking out Volume One.

Celebration
Alan Silva; Itaru Oki; Makoto Sato; Richard Comte
Nunc Records Nunc.027 (nunc-nunc.com) 

A bittersweet celebration; while this 2019 Paris concert honoured the 80th birthday of U.S. expatriate keyboardist Alan Silva, it was also the final recording for Japanese trumpeter Itaru Oki (1941-2020), who, like Silva, was a longtime member of the Gallic creative music scene. During this three-part free improvisation, Silva uses the smears, swells and echoes from his keyboard to accompany Oki’s sophisticated command of his brass instrument that ranges from strained high pitches to half-valve guttural effects, all the while preserving the tune’s melodic kernel. Percussionist Makoto Sato, another Japanese expat, adds unobtrusive clip-clop accents to the action, while French guitarist Richard Comte strums connective lines for all, when not briefly disrupting the interface with pointed string stabs or jagged power chords.

On top of the pulsating drums-tremolo keyboard continuum, Oki’s muted harmonies and portamento grace notes take up the greatest part of his expression. But sudden dog-whistle squeals, and the introduction to the improvisation’s second section, where he appears to be huffing textures from a combination of plastic trumpet and harmonica, demonstrate his blazing individuality. Integration of that unique tone and his subsequent smeared triplets into that balanced narrative also confirm the scope of the quartet’s creative free jazz.

Silva, Sato and Comte continue making individual free music in other contexts. While Oki can’t anymore, this disc properly celebrates his reciprocal skill working with seasoned players of similar invention.