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15 June 2005

Jazzmatazz Newsletter
#230

Recent jazz releases
[recent.Jazzmatazz.info]

As always, more titles and personnel information follow below. Information on releases for the future are on our website.

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Gianluigi Trovesi/Gianni Coscia - Round About Weill (ECM Records) Apr 19

     Italian musicians Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscia join together again on clarinet and accordian on Round About Weill, a recording inspired by German composer Kurt Weill's "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogaonny," the three act opera written in collabration with playwright Bertolt Brecht. Along with music by Weill, the album also has improvisations by the duo that were inspired by Weill's music.

     Weill wrote both classical art music and music for Broadway (he lived in the United States from 1935, when he fled Hitler, until his death in 1950) and included popular dances and songs in his writing. His precedent in mixing the pure and the popular fit in well with Trovesi and Coscia's stylistic mixture. Trovesi and Coscia's playing includes elements of jazz, classical and folk musics. I hear warm, sunny Mediterranean jazz, with a few ironic clouds floating down from Weill's Germany.

     Track Listing: 1. Dov'è la Citta? (Coscia, Trovesi) 6:11 / 2. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien (Weill) 2:10 / 3. Tango Ballade {from "The Beggar's Opera"} (Weill) 4:31 / 4. Improvvisamente (Coscia, Trovesi) 4:21 / 5. Divagazioni Su "Youkali" (Weill) 3:00 / 6. Mahagonny, Scene 6 (Weill) 1:58 / 7. Ein Taifun!...Tifone? No, Pioggerella! (Coscia, Trovesi) 2:12 / 8. Lieben (Weill) 3:36 / 9. Boxen (Coscia, Trovesi) 2:08 / 10. Round About Weill I/Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man (Coscia, Trovesi, Weill) 3:15 / 11. Mahagonny, Scene 13 (Weill) 2:21 / 12. Essen (Weill) 3:38 / 13. Round About Weill II (Coscia, Trovesi) 4:55 / 14. Tief in Alaskas Schneeweißen Wäldern (Weill) 1:48 / 15. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien, var. (Weill) 2:42 / 16. Mahagonny, Scene 4 (Weill) 2:20 / 17. Aber Dieses Ganze Mahagonny (Weill) 1:33 / 18. Alabama Song (Weill) 5:38 / 19. Mahagonny, Scene 6, var. (Weill) 1:18 / 20. Alabama Song, var. (Weill) 1:42 / 21-22. Interludio "Ma Che Modi Sono?..." - Cumparsita Maggiorata (Rodriguez) 4:06 / 22. Tristezze di Fra'martino (Traditional) 2:03 / 23. Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man, var. (Weill)

     Personnel: Gianluigi Trovesi (picollo and alto clarinets), Gianni Coscia (accordion). Recorded in Zurich. Liner notes by writer Umberto Eco.

Gush: Gustafsson/Sandell/Strid - Norrkoping (Atavistic Records 161) May 10

     Gush is a Swedish avant-garde jazz trio that's been working together since 1988. Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is probably the most well known musician in the group—he has worked with Chicago musicians Ken Vandermark and Jeb Bishop and with Peter Brotzmann's Chicago Tentet, amongst others.

     Their new release, Norrkoping, consists of three long free improvisations. The pieces start sparsely, then build in intensity, with an emphasis on sounds and atmosphere. By the middle of the longest piece, "Rhomb," Gustafsson is playing very freely, using extended techniques on the sax, Strid is hitting a flurry of notes on the drums and Sandell (who has the most inside playing of the group) is grounding the group with rumbling bass notes.

     Track Listing: 1. Handpicked 18:47 / 2. Sava 13:42 / 3. Rhomb 26:36 [all by Gustafsson, Sandell, Strid]

     Personnel: Mats Gustafsson (reeds); Sten Sandell (piano); Raymond Strid (drums)

Vijay Iyer - Reimagining (Savoy Jazz) May 17

     Pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the more interestingly original young jazz musicians who have appeared on the scene in the past decade. The child of Indian immigrants, he grew up in middle class surroundings in the SF Bay area.

     He has performed and recorded with Steve Coleman, AACM musicians George Lewis & Roscoe Mitchell and others. His sideman experience in those groups gave him precedent for using multiple stylistic influences in his own playing. (Steve Coleman's M-Base movement incorporated rhythms from funk & R&B and the AACM encouraged the incorporation of music from Africa and Europe as well as jazz.)

     His music also reflects family background, utilizing rhythmic and harmonic elements of Indian music. (And his first recordings were for the Bay Area Asian Improv label.)

     Reimagining is his sixth album as a leader since 1995. It has nine originals by Iyer plus John Lennons's "Imagine." I hear parallels in the piano playing of Andrew Hill or Jason Moran and alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa's long, intricate lines reminds me a bit of saxophonist Greg Osby.

     Complex rhythms and polyrhythms dominate the tunes, but there enough melodic elements to keep the music accessible. Tension is built by a suspension of resolution. A compelling listen!

     Track Listing: 1. Revolutions 6:32 / 2. Inertia 3:19 / 3. Song for Midwood 7:26 / 4. Infogee's Cakewalk 5:35 / 5. The Big Almost 6:42 / 6. Cardio 5:35 / 7. Experience 3:44 / 8. Composites 5:30 / 9. Phalanx 7:28 / 10. Imagine (Lennon) 3:44

     Personnel: Vijay Iyer (piano), Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto sax), Stephan Crump (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums)

Keith Jarrett - The Art of Improvisation - DVD (Euroarts/Naxos) May 17

     Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation is an excellent UK documentary directed by Mike Dibb and released in the year of pianist Keith Jarrett's 60th birthday.

     The documentary has extensive interviews with Jarrett, musicians he's worked with, and others. Musicians interviewed include Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, Jan Garbarek, Jon Christensen and Palle Danielsson. Also interviewed are road manager Steve Cloud, producers George Avakian, Toshinari Koinuma and Manfred Eicher, brother Scott Jarrett and wife Rose Anne Jarrett.

     Theare are also many rare performance clips, including performances as a sideman with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis and as a leader with his trio, his American and European Quartets, his Standards Trio and in solo performance.

     The documentary is 84 minutes long. There is also 42 minutes of bonus material, including a live performance by the Standards Trio, and 30 minutes of additional interviews with Jarrett and with Peacock and DeJohnette.

Gary Versace - Time and Again (SteepleChase 31572) May 17

     Time and Again is organist Gary Versace's debut recording as a leader. The album includes six originals by Versace and one by guitarist John Abercrombie and is in a bluesy and introspective, late night jam style.

     There's good soloing from saxophonist Rich Perry (who has recorded many albums as a leader for SteepleChase), engaged drumming from veteran Billy Hart and some excellent playing from guitarist John Abercrombie. (Abercrombie's bouncy original, "Excuse My Shoes," also appeared on his 2004 album, Class Trip.)

     Time and Again is a very enjoyable album.

     Track Listing: 1. Homeland Versace 9:19 / 2. 2 2 2 7:28 / 3. First Things Last 7:24 / 4. Excuse My Shoes 11:11 (Abercrombie) / 5. Time And Again 9:57 / 6. Ours 7:09 / 7. Russian Playground 9:30

     Personnel: Gary Versace (Hammond B-3 Organ), John Abercrombie (guitar), Rich Perry (tenor saxophone), Billy Hart (drums)

Anthony Braxton/Gyorgy Szabados/Vladimir Tarasov - TrioTone (Leo Records 416) May 17

     Saxophonist Anthony Braxton first played together with Hungarian pianist Gyorgy Szabados in 1982. Joined by drummmer Vladimir Tarasov (formerly of the Ganelin Trio), they played together again in September 13, 2003 at the 9th Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in Kanizsa, Serbia-Montenegro. Szabados is not well known in the U.S., but has played with Evan Parker, Peter Kowald and Roscoe Mitchell. They performed two pieces by Szabados plus three short improvisations.

     The core of the performance is Szabados's "Triotone," a 30-minute plus piece that starts slowly & quietly and gradually increases in volume and density. Szabados's playing and composition mix elements of jazz, modern classical and folk music. I hear echoes of fellow countryman Bela Bartok, who also used folk songs as a source of some of his work. The music is spurred on by a flowing rush of notes from Braxton and orchestral drumwork from Tarasov.

     Track Listing: 1. Trioton (Szabados) 32:20 / 2. Black Toots (Szabados) 6:57 / 3. Improvisation 1 (Braxton, Szabados, Tarasov) 5:53 / 4. Improvisation 2 (Braxton, Szabados, Tarasov) 4:00 / 5. Improvisation 3 (Braxton, Szabados, Tarasov) 4:38

     Personnel: Anthony Braxton (reeds), Gyorgy Szabados (piano), Vladimir Tarasov (drums);

Pandelis Karayorgis - Seventeen Pieces: Solo Piano (Leo Records 417) May 17

     Seventeen Pieces is pianist Pandelis Karayorgis's first solo recording. He's put together a very interesting program, interspersing eight originals amongst pieces by Thelonious Monk, Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, Duke Ellington and Victor Young. He has previously performed all but one in group settings. The booklet includes notes by Karayorgis on his thoughts about the pieces.

     His treatments of the tunes are original. His playing is melodic some of the time, free and angular at others, mixing jazz playing with a feeling of contemporary classical music. His originals compositions string together the other tunes into what feels like a beautiful suite of miniatures.

     Track Listing: 1. In the Cracks of Four (Karayorgis) 1:46 / 2. Straight Blues (Karayorgis) 4:51 / 3. Ugly Beauty (Monk) 4:02 / 4. Criss Cross (Monk) 2:26 / 5. Baby (Tristano) 3:53 / 6. Background Music (Marsh) 2:34 / 7. Blood Ballad (Karayorgis) 3:32 / 8. Disambiguation (Karayorgis) 4:14 / 9. Home (Karayorgis) 3:18 / 10. Super Bronze (Sun Ra) 3:14 / 11. Centennial (Karayorgis) 4:50 / 12. Gazzelloni (Dolphy) 2:55 / 13. Prelude to a Kiss (Ellington) 2:51 / 14. Fink Sink Tink (Karayorgis) 4:41 / 15. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You (Young) 3:52 / 16. Just You, Just Me (Greer, Klages) 3:04 / 17. Summer (Karayorgis) 4:27

     Personnel: Pandelis Karayorgis (piano)

Wild Bill Davis - Organology, Vol. 1: April in Paris (1950-1953) (Ocium 046) May 17
Wild Bill Davis - Organology, Vol. 2: Syncopated Clock (1953-1955) (Ocium 047) May 17

     Ocium has released two collection of recordings by organist Wild Bill Davis, who was one of the key inspirations to organ innovator Jimmy Smith.

     Davis began as a guitarist, then took up piano. He was inspired to switch to organ by the organ playing of Fats Waller and Count Basie. Along the way, he also wrote tunes and arrangements for Lionel Hampton, Louis Jordan, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

     Davis' guitar trios served as a bridge from Swing to early R&B. You can hear that transition in the playing of Floyd Smith, who was one of the first electric guitarists. (And Davis was the first to utilize the popular organ/guitar/drums format.)

     Davis had a strong, if straightforward, organ sound which sounds tame today compared to the roar of Jimmy Smith.

     Vol. 1: April in Paris includes Davis' early dates on organ with Louis Jordan and Duke Ellington, along with most of the Okeh recordings made with left-handed guitarist Bill Jennings and drummer Chris Columbus [aka Joe Morris], plus two unissued stereo French recordings from his 1972 comeback tour.

     Vol. 2: Syncopated Clock includes includes his Okeh/Epic sessions with guitarist Floyd Smith and drummer Chris Columbus, plus two unissued stereo studio recordings made for French Black & Blue label in 1972.

     In addition, the CDs have multi-media content that includes bios of the musicians, a selected discography and a photo gallery.

Other New Issues
17 May 2005

other recent jazz releases
(from April to last week)
[recent.Jazzmatazz.info]

~~~

earlier 2005 jazz releases
(Jan-Feb)
[jazzmatazz.home.att.net/cds2005.html]

non-jazz items of interest

2004 jazz releases
[jazzmatazz2.home.att.net/cds2004.html]
[jazzmatazz.home.att.net/releases/jazzmatazz_cds2004.zip]

Clicking on the album title will link to the CD Universe and Amazon sites, which include sound samples (indicated by ) for many of the CDs. Sound samples often aren't posted until the CD is released, so be sure to check back for them on the recent releases and earlier year 2004 and year 2003 pages.

(Also take a look at our list of music coupons and my sale list. )

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last update 15 June 2005