heart of gold - The New York City Jazz Record

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Pianist Amina Figarova utilized her worldwide travels as inspiration for the compositions that make up Sketches. A native of Azerbaijan who now lives in Holland, Figarova’s extensive studies included both classical music and jazz and she has worked with James Moody, Nathan Davis and Toots Thielemans. Her core band remains intact: husband Bart Platteau on flutes, trumpeter Ernie Hammes, bassist Jeroen Vierdag and drummer Chris “Buckshot” Strik, with Marc Mommaas taking over on tenor sax. Her opener, “Four Steps To...”, is a relaxing ballad that suggests a quiet afternoon on a secluded beach, with the unison blend of flugelhorn, tenor and flute providing the perfect backdrop for her shimmering piano. The turbulent “Unacceptable” signals a dramatic switch in mood, featuring crisp, burning trumpet and driving piano. The loping, weary modal piece “Back in New Orleans” recalls the end of a long night as musicians head home from a gig, highlighted by playful tenor. The stop-and-go form of “WHOTSOT” gives it the flavor of a movie theme, though it quickly breaks free to the open road, showcasing driving solos by Mommaas and Figarova. The drum solo introducing “Flight No” is reminiscent of Gene Krupa’s “Sing! Sing! Sing!” solo in the famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Benny Goodman concert but the mood quickly shifts to a tense setting with bright solos and tight ensemble work. Figarova’s classical background is prominent in her lyrical “Caribou Crossing”, introducing it with an intricate solo and incorporating lush harmonies by the ensemble, in addition to Platteau’s warm flute. The vivacious “Happy Hour” initially builds on a funky backbeat before transforming into a vibrant bossa nova setting. Figarova has developed into one of the promising composers of her generation and her sextet does justice to her diverse songbook on Sketches. For more information, visit munichrecords.com. Figarova is at Zinc Bar Jan. 7th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar. Farcical Built for Six Respect Sextet (Roister) Sketches Amina Figarova (Munich) by Ken Dryden by Kurt Gottschalk Sundial Lotus Salo (Innova) Sirius Respect was the third record by the powerfully focused Respect Sextet, but it’s the one with which they made their mark. The 2009 album featured the group playing compositions by Sun Ra and Karlheinz Stockhausen, in one instance laying these landmark figures of 20th Century music atop each other in a single piece. It was a defining work, not only firmly triangulating their workspace but establishing the dedication they put into their craft. Since then they have been workshopping a set of 20 January 2011 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK Misha Mengelberg compositions while developing the set of songs which has turned out to be Farcical Built for Six, an eclectic album of eight pieces that, to the band’s credit, come off effortlessly. Through the lens of Sirius it can be seen how hard the band worked to make their new disc seem so easy. They swing hard while tossing Dixie-leaning solos (clarinetist Josh Rutner shines here) into their enigmatic compositions and at the same time borrow from Latin jazz and early rock ‘n’ roll at some points, at others harkening again to Ra’s space jazz. But the index of influences isn’t what makes Respect work as a band. What makes them work is that they are a band, very much so. Five of the six members contribute compositions, but there’s cohesion to the playing; the band arrives with a single purpose. They don’t use, reference or borrow from bebop, in other words. They integrate it. It is, in this case, a crucial distinction - while they may be playful, one thing the band isn’t is ironic. They play good jazz straight up, even if they come at it from several angles, often at the same time. That wide-angle lens approach is shared by their sibling septet, Salo, with whom they share Rutner (bass clarinet and tenor sax) and Red Wierenga (piano and keyboards). The camera shot is even more sweeping, in fact, in Salo’s case. Bassist Ben Gallina’s compositions (all seven are his, with one interpolating a 1942 Paul Hindemith composition) on Sundial Lotus are cinematic in scope, making quick turns with a willingness to indulge in marches and psychedelia, most notably on the remarkably swirling “Metamorphistopheles”. Gallina has been working consistently around town with a number of bands and his first recording as a leader shows him to be an inventive composer and boss who will no doubt continue to be worth watching. For more information, visit respectsextet.com and innova.mu. The Respect Sextet is at Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 7th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar. Bird Songs Joe Lovano Us Five (Blue Note) by Alex Henderson Orrin Keepnews gave the jazz world some food for thought when he said that when you get down to it, there are basically two types of jazz: before and after Charlie “Bird” Parker. The producer wasn’t implying that all jazz before or after sounded alike but rather the alto saxophonist (1920-55) was so transformative that all jazz styles that emerged after World War II were indebted to him in some way. On Bird Songs, Joe Lovano and Us Five (Lovano on mostly tenor sax, pianist James Weidman, bassist Esperanza Spalding and Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums) pay homage to Parker in a decidedly post-Bird, post ‘50s fashion. No one will mistake Lovano’s performances of “Dexterity” or “Dewey Square” for recordings that were actually made when Bird was alive. Bird Songs underscores the fact that while Lovano grew up listening to Parker, he also grew up in an era in which the music of Coltrane and Ornette was influential. “Donna Lee”, “Moose the Mooche” and “Koko” have often been heard at brisk tempos, but Lovano slows them down. His unlikely version of the latter favors an impressionistic approach and the usually exuberant “Yardbird Suite” is heard as a slow, contemplative postbop ballad. Lovano also gives “Barbados” a postbop makeover, although he maintains the Caribbean influence of Parker’s original 1948 version. Bird Songs is full of standards that Parker composed, but Ram Ramirez’ melancholy “Lover Man” (which is closely identified with Billie Holiday) is from Bird’s repertoire. Instead of performing it at its familiar ballad pace, Lovano speeds it up and offers some appealing medium-tempo introspection. Lovano takes plenty of chances on Bird Songs and the result is a consistently exciting and intriguing tribute to the seminal bebopper. For more information, visit bluenote.com. This group is at Village Vanguard Jan. 11th-16th. See Calendar.
Live in Montreal Gebhard Ullmann/Steve Swell Quartet (CIMPol) by John Sharpe Live in Montreal opens with an arco drone over which Steve Swell’s trombone engages in excitable debate with Gebhard Ullmann’s bass clarinet - one of the signature sounds of this wonderful quartet. Their third release, from Montreal’s Casa del Popolo, predates 2010’s News? No News! by only six weeks, but has only Swell’s “Composite #1” in common. The helmsmen share writing credits but it is the entire ensemble that breathes raucous life into their creations. Out of that opening improvisation blasts Swell favorite “Box Set”, the driving riff launching Ullmann’s sinuously free-wheeling tenor saxophone. The reedman, who splits his time between New York and Berlin, is a fine foil for the boneman. His honeyed tenor on his own “Don’t Touch My Music” turns vinegary before giving way to quick-witted two-horn aerobatics. Swell, at the forefront of avant jazz trombone, combines blustering verbosity with nuanced sweetness to keep listeners off balance. Integral to the band’s supple interplay is the almost telepathic communication between veteran drummer Barry Altschul and surefooted bassist Hilliard Greene. It is the the latter’s bowed whale song that introduces Swell’s homage “For Grachan”, but there are other byways to explore before the throbbing vamp and purposeful blowing, including drum statements of savage crispness expertly marshaled into a cohesive whole. Another a cappella drum introduction heralds “Slammin’ Textures” in which a series of coolly pitched unisons stretch into a wide-eyed extemporization of intersecting lines. A bass clarinet solo by turns boisterous and breathy makes space for a twinkling trombone outing before the two swap garrulous phrases over a funky backbeat on “Kleine Figuren Nr. 3”. Such well-crafted emotive interaction is the band’s strong suit, confirming them as a superlative live experience. For more information, visit cimprecords.com. Swell curates January at University of the Streets and is there Jan. 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st with Jemeel Moondoc as well as Jan. 18th and 26th, at I-Beam Jan. 8th and Issue Project Room Jan. 21st with Jim Pugliese and Jan. 27th. See Calendar. GREG BURK ALLABOUTJAZZ- NEW YORK BEST OF 2010 Best Latin Jazz Album : Greg Burk/Vicente Lebron - Unduality (Accurate) Best New Release 2010 - Honorable Mentions: Rakalam Bob Moses/Greg Burk - Ecstatic Weanderings (Jazzwerkstatt) Forthcoming recording in 2011 Greg Burk Trio - The Path Here (482Music) with Jonathan Robinson and Gerald Cleaver WWW.GREGBURK.COM Uncle Joe’s Spirit House William Parker Organ Quartet (Centering-AUM Fidelity) by Clifford Allen Vertical Invaders Tiziano Tononi (Black Saint) For those who might be expecting a dose of freeplaying in an organ group, the music contained on bassist William Parker’s Uncle Joe’s Spirit House (the debut of his Organ Quartet) is not that. Inventor, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore has a sort of ballpark sound on the Hammond, which recalls Freddie Roach’s work with Ike Quebec. To be sure, there’s a jaunty pointillism that calls in the direction of Sun Ra or Larry Young but the spirits being conjured are of a decidedly greasy predilection. Darryl Foster’s tenor is lean and hungry and if his ideas sometimes move faster than his fingers, it’s welcome - one might put him in the company of Roland Alexander, Herbert Morgan and in some cases a more scumbled Sam Rivers. He’s got a buzzing, pillowed tone that leaps out of swirling, gospelized chords, drummer Gerald Cleaver’s subdivided and inverted rhythm patterns and the supple, throaty anchor of Parker’s bass. Though most organ groups historically didn’t have a bass player (the organist provided it with a foot pedal), Parker’s role is akin to that of Major Holley and a few others who outlined the bottom in some grease-heavy groups. The nine tracks here were all composed by the leader and are dedicated to Parker’s aunt and uncle, who just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Calling to the ancestors with an accessible, honest recording such as this is a gift they - and we - can certainly cherish. Parker has long been part of a string-heavy conception, doubling on cello at various points in his career as well as finding registers in the contrabass that could lift one outside of the body. Some of his earliest collaborators included violinists Billy Bang and Jason Kao Hwang and Vertical Invaders - a trio assembled by Italian percussionist Tiziano Tononi, finds the bassist holding down alongside violinist Emanuele Parrini. Dedicated to the late violinist Leroy Jenkins (at whose 1978 Black Saint session The Legend of Ai Glatson Tononi was present), the disc features compositions split fairly evenly between the leader and Parker, as well as Parrini’s “The Legend of the Black Violin”. Deep, ponticello electricity burbles up from poised fiddle, surrounded by meaty pizzicato and Tononi’s splayed architecture, which calls to mind sources like Barry Altschul, Tony Oxley and Andrea Centazzo. Gutsy arco bass and skittering, folksy violin surge forward as Tononi punctuates “Lulu on the Bench” while more elegiac textures demark “For Leroy Jenkins” and its skeletal paean to urban blues. The title suite looks toward the Revolutionary Ensemble (which Jenkins co-led), albeit with a distinctly European counterpoint that Parker’s bull fiddle turns on its end. Whether in greasy R&B or string-heavy freebop settings, the meaty tone and historical weight of Parker’s playing is still eminently in demand. For more information, visit aumfidelity.com and blacksaint.com. Parker is at The Local 269 Jan. 3rd, Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 7th, The Stone Jan. 12th and 30th with Tony Malaby, University of the Streets Jan. 15th and Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 21st. See Calendar. ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | January 2011 21
Page 1: January 2011 | No. 105 Your FREE Mo
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Page 6 and 7: Photo by Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNM
Page 9 and 10: ON THE COVER Ellis Marsalis heart o
Page 11 and 12: MEGAPHONE Is This Music Essential?
Page 13 and 14: (c) Susan O’Connor, www.jazzword.
Page 15 and 16: Our Secret World Kurt Rosenwinkel/O
Page 17 and 18: Friday the Thirteenth Microscopic S
Page 22 and 23: Jeremiah Cymerman is a man not afra
Page 24 and 25: Detour Ahead Featuring... Jeff Oste
Page 26 and 27: � Aaron Alexander/Julian Priester
Page 29 and 30: In Copenhagen Wild Bill Davison (St
Page 31: Mirror Charles Lloyd (ECM) by Brand
Page 34 and 35: It’s About That Time Hot Club of
Page 36 and 37: Quiz Alexander McCabe (CAP) by Elli
Page 38 and 39: Silent Movies Ipos Marc Ribot (Book
Page 41 and 42: CALENDAR 42 January 2011 | ALLABOUT
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Page 47 and 48: Thursday, January 27 ��Tony Wil
Page 49 and 50: (INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6) m

heart of gold - The New York City Jazz Record

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