The Ohio Theatre Concert: A Damn Fine Time

Terry Waldo & the Gutbucket Syncopators:

The Ohio Theatre Concert

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

By the time pianist and bandleader Terry Waldo and the Gutbucket Syncopators took the stage at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus, Ohio on April 13, 1974, ragtime had been in existence for the better part of a century, but had long since been replaced by those sub-sects of jazz that sprouted up from its roots.  Many of those offshoots—swing, bebop, cool—had also fallen out of favor, having been replaced in the minds and ears of many Americans by rock ‘n’ roll. Why, in the midst of a world dominated by Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and a handful of other classic-rock pillars, would anyone organize a concert to blast out music that had long since seen its prime, or even still maintained a thread of relevance?

Because these tunes—in the style of ragtime, stride, traditional jazz, Dixieland, whatever you wish to call it—is simply some of the most uplifting music ever recorded: timeless and plain old fun.  It’s almost impossible to listen to this and not smile, tap your foot, or just feel a little bit better than you might have before you turned it on.

The second Delmark release by Terry Waldo and the Gutbucket Syncopators, The Ohio Theatre Concert, features 19 tracks of pure, unhinged good-time music and includes seven spectacular cuts featuring special guest vocalist Edith Wilson.  From start to finish, this disc maintains an infectious energy that recalls the earliest of days when this music served as the soundtrack to barroom brawls and girls prancing on pianos, before it spawned dozens of dance styles.

After a pleasant opener, “Some of these Days”, drummer Wayne Jones takes the lead vocal on “I Would Do Anything for You”.  Coming in behind the band with a cheery vocal past the two-and-a-half-minute mark, Jones closes out its final minute and a half with two charming verses followed by a detonation of joyful, rollicking clarinet, trumpet, and trombone.

“The Letter”, an upbeat number driven by Bill Morhead’s scraping banjo and Mike Walbridge’s bottomless booming tuba, features a melody and bridge that many music fans will pick out as a pop favorite—here it’s filtered through Roy “Swing Chops” Tate’s brazen and brash muted trumpet, offset by the sweet buzzing vibrato of Frank Powers’ clarinet.

“Maple Leaf Rag”, originally published in 1899 by Scott Joplin, receives a well-executed reading by Waldo where his fingers playfully bounce up and down the piano.  He plays with the true mark of a bandleader who would have been playing this music in its prime,  equally adept at trumpet, tuba, banjo, cello, and bass, understanding the tone, expressiveness, and role of each within a band.  Waldo even takes the lead vocal on “How Could Red Riding Hood?”, a delightful take on the classic children’s story.

But it’s on tracks nine through 15 where the spirits are raised to another level, marked by the appearance of guest vocalist Edith Wilson.  Wilson was the second African-American woman to record, making her first record with Johnny Dunn’s Jazz Hounds in 1921 (following Mamie Smith’s 1920 recordings and predating Bessie Smith’s cuts in 1923).  She takes the stage at this concert 53 years after her debut, tearing through “My Man Ain’t Good for Nothin’ But Love”, “Am I Blue?”, “St. Louis Blues”, “I’m a Great Big Baby”, “Black and Blue”, and two others with unrelenting vocal dynamics.

No recording of this kind would be complete without including Joplin’s “The Entertainer”—the theme to The Sting to some, the “ice cream truck” song to others—but to all, one of the most recognizable and beloved pieces of music in any genre, among any generation.  Waldo nails it with precision and poise.  And that’s how these musicians played—with precision and poise—but also with reckless abandon and unbridled enthusiasm.  Listen to The Ohio Theatre Concert to clear up any doubts.

Blues-Rock, Buffed

Tinsley Ellis – Speak No Evil

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

Comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan aside, guitarist Tinsley Ellis is considered by many to be one of the few in the mass of followers who has managed to carve out his own identity in the world of blues-rock, a genre too often overcrowded with guitarist/vocalists immensely talented, but completely unoriginal.  Dipping into the Texas blues of Freddie King and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, B.B. King’s sweet-but-stinging style, and the funky soul of Memphis, Ellis—who’s a far better guitarist than vocalist—is probably one of the most polarizing players on the scene, drawing praise and criticism at every turn.

Now, 20 years into his relationship with the venerable blues label Alligator, Ellis continues to pound away at the blues with the force of a battering ram on Speak No Evil, leading his band through 12 tunes of loud, distorted, and dirty blues rock.  From the filthy wah-wah work on opener “Sunlight of Love” and the thick tremolo of “Slip and Fall”, to the de-tuned bass of “The Other Side” and the frantic leads in the title track, it’s clear that Ellis is itching to see how much his amplifiers can handle.

While “It Takes What It Takes” recalls a grungier Robert Cray (if he were to play harmonized leads), and the atmospheric B-3 organ of “The Night Is Easy” is offset by more squealing guitar leads. “Left of Your Mind” kicks off the second half of the disc with crisp, polished production that cleans off the muck, grime, and grub that should have been left on and made this a nasty (the good kind) disc.  Ellis’ playing is impressive and he commands a tight-knit band, but many of the tunes on Speak No Evil would best be served if they were dragged through a bit of mud—hopefully whomever is behind the controls on the next disc will make this happen.

Poncho Sanchez Has Got the…Psychedelic Blues?

Poncho Sanchez – Psychedelic Blues

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

The story of Poncho Sanchez—recognized in many circles as the reigning king of Latin jazz—is one that’s been told countless times.  The percussionist grew up in L.A. and was raised on straight-ahead jazz and American soul, finding equal inspiration in John Coltrane and Miles Davis as he did in Wilson Pickett and James Brown.  But it was another group of sounds—Latin jazz—that he found his true calling and his biggest musical hero:  legendary bandleader and vibraphonist Cal Tjader, with whom he landed a gig and remained until the elder musician’s death in 1982.

With Tjader’s death came a new chapter in Sanchez’s career, as he signed with Concord that same year and released his label debut, Sonando!.  Nearly 30 years and two dozen recordings later, Sanchez and Concord continue to make their mark in the world of Latin jazz, and 2009 brought the latest installment in the extensive Sanchez discography: Psychedelic Blues.

A 10-track collection of groovy, danceable trademark Sanchez, Psychedelic Blues is enjoyable but inessential.  Adding a little more Latin flavor to the record than his recent soul-inflected releases, Sanchez surrounds himself with longtime collaborators and a couple of guest players to conjure up the sounds of his 1980s records, back when his prolific relationship with Concord first began.

Among Sanchez’s studio cohorts are keyboardist/arranger David Torres, saxophonist Javíer Vergara, trumpeter/flugelhornist Ron Blake, trombonist/arranger Francisco Torres, bassist/vocalist Tony Banda, timbalero George Ortiz, and percussionist/vocalist Joey De León.  Baritone saxophonist Scott Martin and percussionist Alfredo Ortize—both veterans of early Sanchez bands—also make an appearance on Psychedelic Blues.  But the newcomer here, guitarist Andrew Synowiec (of the L.A.-based Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band), is the most welcome addition, and adds some piquant playing on a couple of tracks, spicing up an otherwise tasty-but-unremarkable dish of tunes.

Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” leads off Psychedelic Blues with some fine soloing from Synowiec and Torres, but the track never gets above a simmer when it should burn.  Freddie Hubbard’s “Crisis” follows and features a guest appearance from Latin jazz stalwart Arturo Sandoval, who lends some smoking trumpet.  The title track, a mambo moving at a meteor’s pace, pushes the disc forward and segues nicely into the best track of the disc, a Willie Bobo medley that includes “I Don’t Know”, “Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries”, and “Spanish Grease”.  Featuring a strong vocal turn from Joey De León (and some on-point harmonies from the band), the disc hits its stride, and unfortunately, its peak, by the time “Neckbones” fades into “Grease”.

For the remainder of the record, Sanchez and his bandmates weave in and out of tunes that will either have listeners shakin’ their hips or their heads.  How is Psychedelic Blues an appropriate title for this session?  There isn’t too much—or, really, anything—here that recalls anything of the sort.  Closing track “Con Sabor Latino” (translation: with Latin flavor) is a more apt description for this record, but it’s just missing something.  Listeners are better off catching Sanchez live the next time he comes to town.  When the salsa swings onstage, it’s far more irresistible—much more so than this collection.

Fred Anderson: 21st Century Chase: 80th Birthday Bash, Live at the Velvet Lounge

Fred Anderson: 21st Century Chase:

80th Birthday Bash, Live at the Velvet Lounge

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

Saxophonist Fred Anderson, a longtime fixture on the Chicago jazz scene, has been at it since the 1960s, cranking out some of the most inspired playing to come out of the Windy City – or any city, for that matter.  Guided by the ghost of Charlie Parker, the ballads of Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, and the ever-bold Ornette Coleman, Anderson is chameleon-like in his approach, balancing beautiful and blustery tones.  As a co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and the owner of Chicago’s Velvet Lounge, one of city’s centers for jazz and experimental music, he has been a mentor to countless young musicians and still exhibits an adventurous spirit.

To be able to play with the energy, imagination and sheer force Anderson showcases on 21st Century Chase would be a feat for any musician—but at age 80, it’s flat-out mind-blowing.  Recorded live in March 2009 at his home club on Chicago’s south side, Anderson is joined for his birthday gig by bassist Harrison Bankhead, drummer Chad Taylor, guitarist Jeff Parker (of Tortoise renown), and New Orleans’ Edward “Kidd” Jordan on tenor sax for three long-form pieces that skronk, squeal, soothe, and swing.

The opening “21st Century Chase, Pt.1” clocks in at nearly 40 minutes, leading off with two minutes of Anderson playing solo, shrieking and squeezing soul out of his horn before the rest of the ensemble swoops in and locks into a relentless, hard-driving groove.  While it’s packed with brilliant playing, the exhilaration soon turns to exhaust—even the most hardcore avant-garde lovers might tire of the interminable track.

“21st Century Chase, Pt. 2” finds the two tenors continuing their battle, meandering between sounds melodic and mangled for another 15 minutes.  The 17-minute “Ode to Fielder” (written for fellow AACM founder and drummer Alvin Fielder) wraps up the set as the members of the fiery quintet push and pull each other in daring directions.  While he’s backed by a top-notch group, Anderson is the star here.  His ability to command a stage—but to also yield to those making music with him—is impressive.  To burn as intensely as Anderson does is something for all musicians to aspire to—whether they’re 18 or 80.  Some just might prefer a shorter fuse.

(Note: A DVD version of 21st Century Chase: 80th Birthday Bash, Live at the Velvet Lounge features a bonus track, “Gone But Not Forgotten”, with bassist Henry Grimes.)

*Below: Fred Anderson / Kidd Jordan Quartet*

Ron Horton: It’s a Gadget World

*review originally posted at www.jazztimes.com 1/14/2010*

A formidable player on the NYC jazz scene, Ron Horton has gained tremendous respect as an instrumentalist, composer and arranger, praised for his tonal clarity and precise lines on the trumpet and flugelhorn. Although he’s been at work since the early 1980s, he first appeared as a leader in 1999 on Omnitone with Genius Envy, an impressive debut that marked the arrival of a bold new bandleader.  Two releases on Fresh Sound New Talent followed (Subtextures in 2003 and Everything in a Dream in 2006) and in 2009, Horton’s fourth recording as a leader appeared on Abeat Records.

The culmination of several concerts Horton played in Italy in 2005 and 2006 with Italian composer/pianist Antonio Zambrini, It’s a Gadget World was recorded in New York in late 2006 and features the pianist, bassist/composer Ben Allison and drummer Tony Moreno. Performing compositions by Horton, Zambrini, Paul Motian and Andrew Hill, the quartet displays a superb dynamic range and excellent instrumental interplay.

The title track opens the disc with a percussive, funky bassline from Allison, Zambrini’s stabbing piano fills, Horton’s three-note theme and Moreno’s rolling drums. When Horton and Zambrini drop out of the mix and Moreno’s slick hi-hat work provides a subtle shade to Allison’s whining, bluesy solo, it’s a feast for the ears. The drifting melody and fluttery trumpet of “Gaia” is exquisitely matched by rippling, playful and contemplative piano work. Horton and Zambrini’s chemistry is delightful to hear, as the trumpeter’s gentle touch and warm tone blends beautifully with the pianist’s lucid, meticulous strokes on “Waiting for That.”

The bandleader’s tender vibrato and wonderful melody on “9 x 9″ is doubled by Allison’s bass and rests easily on waves of piano chords and cymbal washes. “Toeing the Line” opens with a slightly ominous feel but shifts with ease into a gently swinging, bluesy number with brushed drums and Allison bending, flecking and snapping the strings of his bass.

With playing that’s cool, confident and calculated – but also edgy, spirited and full of emotional depth, Horton has crafted an exceptional record that despite its title showcases that an acoustic jazz quartet can still make waves in a world dominated by digital devices.

# # #

*This reviewer also wishes to add that Horton is one of the most laid-back, down-to-earth, passionate and articulate musicians out there. I had the opportunity to hang with Ron, Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas and a drummer-whose-name-I-can’t-recall prior to a performance at the Blue Room at 18th & Vine in Kansas City, MO. All were very classy guys, loved to talk about music, Kansas City, BBQ [plenty of which they were stuffed with prior to the show - maybe that's why they let me hang?] and a handful of other topics.

Then, somehow after being weighed down with the contents of a President’s Platter from Gates, they managed to pull off a show that was at once loud, wild & unhinged – and also hushed, intricate and intimate. When the doors closed that night, my ears were ringing, my muscles ached and my head spun. In all, for lack of a better phrase, it was simply one of the most kick-ass shows ever produced in the club , one that I’ll always recall as a favorite next to Dr. Lonnie Smith.

But that’s a whole ‘nutha tale…

*Ben Allison & Man-Size Safe w/Ron Horton >> “Language of Love”

*Ben Allison & Man-Size Safe w/Ron Horton >> “Respiration”

*Ben Allison & Man-Size Safe w/Ron Horton >> “Four Folk Songs”

Quartet’s Work Brings a House to Life

*written for University of Maryland’s Between the Columns*

reposted from Stage & Studio: January 2010

[with a few minor alterations]

Inspiration for great art can come from anywhere, and it often comes from unlikely sources. Violinist David Harrington, leader of the world-renowned Kronos Quartet, found musical inspiration several years ago while exploring a 300-year-old house from southeastern China.

Yin Yu Tang, as it is known, housed eight generations of the prosperous Huang family. It was dismantled piece by piece in 1997 and rebuilt in the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts over the course of three years. It inspired the group to create the multimedia piece “A Chinese Home” opening on Feb. 12.

“Visiting Yin Yu Tang was an overwhelming experience; it caused us to think about what kinds of sounds and spirits live in the space, and how we might attempt to capture it,” says Harrington. “In a culture as ancient, rich and deep as China’s, nothing is lost, it’s hidden. Researching and creating ‘A Chinese Home’ together was the musical equivalent of walking in the Grand Canyon—and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever done.”

The work, co-commissioned by and featured at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center next month, is a visually stunning, multimedia exploration of China’s passage through the 20th century and into the 21st. The production incorporates an array of traditional and contemporary Chinese music along with archival and modern projected images in a four-part performance created by visionary stage director Chen Shi-Zheng. It opens in the center’s Ina and Jack Kay Theatre at 8 p.m.

The program’s co-creator Wu Man will perform on the pipa, a pear-shaped, four-stringed Chinese instrument belonging to the family of plucked instruments. In one segment of the program, she will also play the first-ever created electric pipa. The electric pipa filters the sounds and textures of an acoustic instrument that first appeared during the Han Dynasty in 220 B.C. through modern-day manipulations of distortion, feedback and wah-wah pedals.

Hear Wu Man take on “Iron Man” [if only this clip were longer]

The electric pipa was designed by experimental luthier Walter Kitundu, who’s been building new instruments out of turntables and other assorted “junk.”  The clip below shows the innovative musician talking about his creations and demonstrating a few of them as well.

A collaboration led by several Maryland faculty cements the center’s reputation for partnering with academic units to push the performing arts into innovative and unfamiliar territories.

During a three-week winter term course led by Harold Burgess II, director of the College Park Scholars Arts Program and assistant professor of theatre; Ronit Eisenbach, associate professor of architecture; and Sharon Mansur, assistant professor of dance, students had the opportunity to design, construct and participate in inter-related aspects of exhibition design, architectural structure, ritual and performance that explore the themes of home, place and being.

Using bamboo donated by the local community and blended with works created by College Park Art Scholars, students developed an exhibit based on Chinese “desire houses.” These ancient structures were constructed to contain items that would accompany the spirits of the deceased into the afterlife in a ritual burning. They will be presented in the center’s Grand Pavilion in conjunction with “A Chinese Home.”

In a choreographed processional preceding the performance on Feb. 12, students will carry one desire house through the Grand Pavilion and burn it in the outdoor courtyard at the rear of the building as a symbolic gesture.

“As faculty, we are truly inspired by the premise of the project, but draw even greater reward from working with the students as partners in the overall development of each phase of the exhibit,” says Burgess.

“The intersection of these different elements is what we hope will serve to build tangible connections between disciplines and provoke creative exploration and expression among the students.”

More information is available at www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

Various Artists: Things About Comin My Way: A Tribute to the Music of the Mississippi Sheiks

Various Artists: Things About Comin My Way: A Tribute to the Music of the Mississippi Sheiks

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

First things first – the music compiled on this disc is back porch, summertime music, contrary to its fall release date.  That’s not to say that it can only be enjoyed while sweating, but the vibe here isn’t suited to shivering.  These may be recreations of classic 1930s Mississippi blues songs – music created in darker times – but the sunny production turns this collection into a feelgood jam. Things About Comin’ My Way: A Tribute to the Music of The Mississippi Sheiks

contains a few gems scattered throughout its expansive 17-track presentation.

The music of The Mississippi Sheiks, a group that only lasted five years but left an immense body of work, has been given treatment by countless artists spanning multiple generations.  Perhaps their most recognizable tune, “Sittin’ on Top of the World” has been covered by Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, the Grateful Dead, Chet Atkins, Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, Big Bill Broonzy, Carl Perkins, Doc Watson, Van Morrison, and, even more recently, Jack White.

Muddy Waters himself, who recorded some of the dirtiest blues ever laid to tape, claimed to have walked 10 miles to see them play: “they was high-time…makin’ them good records, man”.

The sons of slaves, the Chatmon Brothers, along with Walter Vinson, were notorious for their music that revved up audiences in venues all across the country.  According to the well-written and thorough liner notes, the Mississippi Sheiks’ songs “took a suffering generation on a ride through a universe populated with characters that walked the razor’s edge between sin and redemption, grace and depravity”.  With tales of their fiery vocals and gutbucket guitar leaving audiences in a frenzy in Mississippi juke houses, one can only imagine what the Sheiks’ gigs must have been like.

While few tracks on Things About Comin’ My Way breeze by more than they burn, and three slow numbers placed in the middle of the disc make a break in the pace that’s slightly jarring, there’s some outstanding playing on this disc that balances well with less remarkable material.  The opening guitar lick on the title track lifts the melody to “Sittin’ On Top of the World”, as does the tune itself, sung by Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Ndidi Onukwulu, with strong but fluttery vocals.The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ guitar-n-fiddle-n-banjo take on “Sittin’” itself eases along as joyfully as a good porch swing.

Danny Barnes’ twangy drawl meshes well with Jeanne Tolmie’s harmony vocals on “Too Long”. His country-jazz scat singing, played in unison with his banjo licks, is a pure joy.  Kelly Joe Phelps’ unusual, slightly dissonant chording and fluid fretwork on the national guitar is haunting on “Livin’ In a Strain”, providing a nice follow-up to Madeleine Peyroux’s lazy shuffle through “Please Baby”.  Producer Steve Dawson’s slide guitar work on “Lonely One in This Town” is quite tasty, as is the Hammond organ work by Wayne Horvitz.

The use of a session band on several tracks, while making for a consistent sound to back up the vocalists, sounds just like what it is: a session band with a singer, lacking the well-seasoned group interplay and musical dialogue that can only be gained through hours of rehearsals and gigs together.  It’s not a total miss – the best blues often comes from spontaneous moments – but some of Things About Comin’ My Way feels too polished, too planned, and not raw enough.

Doug Heselgrave’s essay in the liner notes states, “there aren’t many CDs like this one being recorded today.  Life is short, and like the song says you may only be ‘sitting on top of the world’ for a moment”.  This is true. More people do need to discover and re-discover this music.  Things About Comin’ My Way is a fine place to start, but there’s so much more to it than this.

Review: Norah Jones – The Fall

Norah Jones – The Fall

*another punkyjunk popmatters.com review*

The transformation is complete.  Norah Jones, the golden girl of Blue Note records and queen of the adult pop-jazz crossover field, after selling millions of records and being hailed as the torchbearer bringing vocal jazz back into the mainstream, has re-emerged as a singer-songwriter with an album full of guitar-driven pop-soul.  Nowhere on The Fall will you hear anything like “Don’t Know Why”, “Come Away with Me”, or “What Am I to You”?  Gone is the warm blanket of delicate drums and piano, replaced with snares that actually hit and lightly-buzzing electronic keyboards.

“Chasing Pirates” prods along with Al Green’s thump and keyboards straight out of the Billy Preston school.  The whirring noises of “Even Though”, hazy tremolo on “Young Blood”, and the meandering “Light as a Feather” create an effect that many of the faithful listeners of the early days will find unsettling. “Waiting” will likely leave listeners eagerly leaning forward in their chairs toward the speakers—or pressing their headphones a bit tighter—hoping that something will happen.  And then it’s over.

However, tracks like “I Wouldn’t Need You”, “You’ve Ruined Me”, and “Back to Manhattan” gingerly step back into the wistful territory of Come Away with Me and Feels Like Home, yet somehow still feel removed from the albums that elevated her to the top of her field.  The trademark instrumentation and arrangements of the 2002 and 2004 discs are absent—it still has that late-night feel, but in a much different vein.

Is that a distorted guitar on “Stuck”?  And what are those strange, hypnotic washes of keyboard doing there?  Does this… rock?  Almost—the band can’t quite shake off their restraints and completely cut loose.  But then there’s a return to the mellow approach with “December”, which might have been a fan favorite, had it been Jones alone on piano, rather than on guitar; but the hopeful lyric makes it endearing and stands among her best tracks.

A Beatles-bounce pushes “Tell Yer Mama” along with more muddled guitars, and “Man of the Hour” sounds like a major-key update of “Sinkin’ Soon”, the best track from her underrated 2007 release Not Too Late.  Slightly playful and perhaps the most “comfortable” shift in sound, the lyric has changed from a quirky, clever, and campy riff on oyster crackers, sugar cubes, and sinking boats (with a wacky muted trumpet sounding the alarm) to a swooning statement about a dog.  It’s a cute stab at writing an ode to a canine companion masked as a love song, but “Martha My Dear” makes it difficult for anyone to do so successfully.

Although she’s shed the studio sheen of her first two discs, Jones still seems to be searching for her voice—and who can blame her?  Not Too Late was produced in a home studio and introduced a rawness into her sound that hadn’t been present before, and while it possessed its share of sleepy moments, it still topped the polished and scrubbed tunes that were omnipresent seven years ago when she first captured million of listeners across the world.  It was the sound of an artist trying to figure out where to go next—and often times, song-sketches turn out to be far more intriguing than those labored over for hours.

And between covering Wilco tunes at festivals, donning creepy eye makeup, and strapping on an electric guitar, it’s clear that the songstress is itching to explore more ground.  On The Fall, “It’s Gonna Be” includes a choice lyric: “And now that everyone’s a critic, it’s makin’ my mascara runny”—but is Jones really concerned about the skewering she may receive for straying so far from what made her a star?  Most likely not—this is the most sure-footed in a series of steps she’s been taking to ditch the dreamy, Downy-soft vibe of her early releases—but it hasn’t resulted in her strongest effort.

The Best Jazz of 2009

The Best Jazz of 2009

15 December 2009

By Will Layman and Andrew Zender

Everything in the culture these days is political, right?  Partisanism is the new black.  Jazz, at its heart, resists polarization. The premise of the blues, after all, is the creation of joy from adversity, and surely no music has ever reconciled as many contradictions as jazz.

Still, there has always been a pseudo-political inner tension in jazz between a conservative impulse to honor the past and a liberal impulse to innovate at every turn. During down periods in the music, those impulses do battle, creating dull music: either mindlessly imitative or mindlessly free. During good periods—and that includes the bulk of the new century so far—there is mindfulness on both sides. The tradition is referenced and transformed while still being a touchstone. And innovation takes place within brilliant systems that overthrow the past but never seek merely to destroy it.

2009 was a great year for melding innovation and tradition. The trend continues of piano trios playing boldly, creating a new language for this venerable jazz form. And other kinds of groups have been equally inventive, particularly in working through what it means to be a jazz group—a notion that has evolved beyond trumpet-saxophone-piano-bass-drums.

Also noted: only one recording here is from a major label (Nonesuch), demonstrating once again that the dissolution of big-label jazz imprints has simply allowed the music to flower in a million small pots. Alas, it is also noted that these brilliant musicians are scraping to distribute their music and deserve better deals. Support them if you can!

Here is the best jazz of 2009, interpreted in three groupings—the piano trios that knocked us out, the new groups that found new sounds for jazz, and some more traditional sounds that, nevertheless, pushed toward discovery.

*Read the full Best Jazz of 2009 at popmatters.com w/links to audio and video.

*Note that these are not ranked in any particular order of greatness – this list is simply meant to illustrate what stuck a chord with us…

# # #

1. Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity: This trio, led by a prolific and exciting pianist, moves with assured consistency across a huge swath of musical territory, from a Leonard Bernstein ballad to a particularly hard-hitting version of M.I.A.‘s “Galang”. It is the strongest artistic statement of Iyer’s career, elevating the creative potential for the traditional piano trio to dramatic new heights. What impresses most is the way this trio manages to alter the very DNA of the groove.
2. Jack DeJohnette – Music We Are: This piano trio, led by the legendary drummer, takes brilliant advantage of alternate and electric instruments. Danilo Perez uses electric keyboards to create textural richness, John Patitucci plays electric bass and bowed acoustic bass, and DeJohnette contributes horn-like lines on the melodica. This array of textures helps create a fully realized orchestral approach to small-group jazz.
3. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – One Day in Brooklyn EP: Retrofitting their lineup (originally a trio) with pedal steel guitarist Chris Combs, the Tulsa-based band recorded this EP live in the studio without overdubs and generated some serious heat, seamlessly weaving together Monk, classical, Middle Eastern music, and the Beatles. It’s a great example of how jazz has expanded beyond traditional “swing” without forsaking a sense of rhythmic pliability.
4. Trio Subtonic – Cave Dweller: Showcasing a penchant for thundering drum ‘n’ bass grooves—while mixing in Brazilian and hip-hop rhythms—Portland, Oregon’s Trio Subtonic conjures up tightly crafted tunes that split open with bluesy piano, searing organ, and delightfully funky horn arrangements.
5. Alex Cline – Continuation: Drummer and composer Alix Cline has crafted a series of stately, dramatic compositions that combine violin and cello, bass and drums, and Myra Melford’s transporting piano and harmonium. Working across styles and in longer forms, Cline’s tunes are patient and full of space, and Melford provides the spontaneous juice that allows this record to blossom.
6. Steve Lehman Quartet – Travail, Transformation, and Flow: This shimmering record uses a technique called “spectral harmony” by arranging notes and instruments with careful attention to attack, decay, and harmonic overtones. But forget the technicalities—it just sounds brilliantly new and luminescent. Add to this generous dollops of rhythmic energy and concise solos by great improvisers such as Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Chris Dingman on vibraphone, Mark Shim on tenor saxophone, and Lehman, playing alto sax with acid tone and swirling imagination.
7. Henry Threadgill – This Brings us To Volume 1: Henry Threadgill is one of the few utterly pure originals in this music, and his rare releases appear as sensations. This music by his group Zooid sounds like a collision of unexpected joy, with angular lines of melody passing each other in midair: alto sax or flute, trombone or tuba, acoustic guitar, bass and drums in ecstatic, intelligent dialogue. Threadgill’s groups use distinct vocabularies, so this much is wonderfully true: no other jazz sounds like this, period. And it sounds good.
8. Ben Allison – Think Free: Returning with the imaginative guitarist Steve Cardenas for the third time and featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman, bassist/composer Ben Allison’s latest for Palmetto builds upon the vibe of his previous two records, further mining Americana, jazz, pop and soul, pushing forward with an indie rock sensibility.
9. Tony Wilson Sextet – The People Look Like Flowers at Last: Guitarist Tony Wilson is a stalwart improviser on the Vancouver scene, and this second release by his sextet features a bold arrangement of nine sections from a viola sonata by Benjamin Britten, “Lachrymae”. The arrangements are thorny and complex, setting Britten’s melodies over polyrythmic figures, and allowing the soloists (including the great cellist Peggy Lee) to play tonally or atonally, as they see fit. Wilson’s band swings too, finding a sweet spot between free playing, post-bop drive, and chamber intimacy.
10. John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble – Eternal Interlude: Hollenbeck is a drummer and composer whose ambitions are hardly contained by the word “jazz”. Here, African rhythms bam into minimalist technique, and the quirk of Thelonious Monk scrapes against wordless vocalizing. This is “big band” music of a different breed—both wildly ambitious and entirely inviting… and all too rare.
11. Allen Toussaint – The Bright Mississippi: The great New Orleans pianist is not really known as a “jazz” player, but he has finally made a recording that looks backward at our music’s roots, but does so with a keen consciousness of both modern jazz and rhythm-and-blues. It is a jazz record with the impulses of pop, or maybe a roots record with the soaring improvisations of jazz. With producer Joe Henry, Toussaint has recruited top jazz players (Nicholas Payton, Don Byron, Marc Ribot, Brad Mehldau, and Josh Redman), and his versions of Ellington and Monk are among the year’s great highlights.
12. Masada Quintet – Stolas: Book of Angels, Volume 12: John Zorn’s Masada Quartet was the leading edge of his now longstanding fascination with Jewish culture and music. With this quintet release featuring mainstream tenor master Joe Lovano, Zorn’s klezmer-meets-Ornette trope seems all the more tied to a jazz tradition of excitement and late-night intrigue. For the first time, the group is fleshed out with piano (by the sympathetic Uri Caine) and seems as muscular and substantial as a great Blue Note release from 1965. Is it retrograde to feel that Masada is better when it is more beautiful?  Nah.
13. Matt Wilson Quartet – That’s Gonna Leave a Mark: Working with his Quartet for the first time since 2003, drummer Matt Wilson escaped to Maggie’s Farm in rural Pennsylvania for another palpably witty, playful session. Wilson, using a two-saxophone line-up, creates the joyful landscape of Ornette Coleman, but also lays down funk-party jams and meditative moments.
14. Fay Victor Ensemble – The FreeSong Suite: Fay Victor’s voice can be sweet and sultry or it can scrape like sandpaper—often within a single tune. She is arguably a contemporary version of Betty Carter or Abby Lincoln, yet she is new too. Although she’ll have some listeners scratching their heads as she lets her story-songs meander, others will find completely irresistible her style of coiling up a melody and letting it spiral out into unpredictable directions.

Review: Trio Subtonic, “Cave Dweller”

*Posted This Month at JazzTimes.com*

In an industry becoming increasingly overcrowded with crossover acts, Portland, Oregon’s Trio Subtonic has carved out their own identity on their latest release, Cave Dwellers. Recorded off the heels of tours on both coasts, this tightly constructed disc features concise tunes bursting with melodic and rhythmic ideas, including hip-hop beats, exotic Brazilian rhythms and a flair for catchy start-stop arrangements.

Enhancing their keys/bass/drums lineup with a few touches of horns, Trio Subtonic kicks off the party off with “Bombast.” Opened by Jesse Brooke’s commanding drums, Bill Athens’ slick bassline follows, laying a thick foundation for Galen Clark’s keyboards, which come blasting through with swinging authority. Once the horns kick in, it’s like a slice of pure funk heaven. With a three-minute runtime, it’s a bold beginning and immediately accessible.

“Oak Smoke & Moonshine” reverses the approach, beginning with a hard-driving, bluesy piano figure, followed by a churning beat and another head-bobbing bassline. “Subtronix” features slightly fuzzed-out guitar work by Chris Mosley with tasteful placement of octaves, and “Why Are the Mountains Crying?” features darker-toned work on the bass by Athens; the marvelous marriage of wood and strings can be heard perfectly, every thump and “thwick” clearly ringing through. Clark’s trickling piano in “Escape” locks in perfectly with Brooke’s deft drum pattern, evoking the perfect late-night soundscape to match the balance of exceptional grooves and mellow moments that make up the remainder of the record.

With respect for and place within a community that’s likely better known for its established indie rock scene, the group’s approach to making music – call it jazz, funk, soul or bossa-surf – particularly on this record, isn’t a distasteful clash of styles. Rather, the trio has embraced the sounds that surround them and crafted a cohesive, expertly sequenced record that should pack dancefloors and demand careful listening.

[listen to Cave Dweller here.]