Charlie Dennard has released Deep Blue, a trio album with a series of guest artists that turn this, Dennard’s fourth album as a leader, into a remarkable and exciting foray into larger formats without ever losing touch with the baseline trio. Whereas most of his previous recordings have limited his originals to one or two per album, on Deep Blue there are no less than seven originals. In other words, every song on the album is written and arranged by Dennard himself. And this is what I have awaited.
    Dennard has proven himself an excellent leader and performer time and again but now he releases an album that is completely dedicated to his own writing. It was worth the wait.
   St. Charles Strut is a straight up trio, with Doug Belote’s drums giving the cool introduction. Max Moran carries the bass and Dennard, of course, is on piano. Trois Fois and Joe’s Crusade are the other two tracks to feature the trio only. As a huge fan of the piano, bass, and drums trio format, these were especially appealing to me.
  Each one of those is different, from the cool hop to the sweet bop then to a Fender Rhodes lullaby. These guys are tight and together. Understanding the dynamics of the trio established in these three pieces gives a deeper understanding and greater appreciation for what they bring to the tracks with the guest musicians.
   Mojave is beauty with Marc Solis on flute, alto and tenor saxes, and bass clarinet. Josh Geisler adds the bansuri flute and Eric Lucero adds his smoking trumpet. But then the added percussion of Carlos Lopez, and tabla and sarod of Andrew McLean on top of Belote’s drums make this a rhythm-lovers dream. Dennard carries the cool melody and it makes the listener think how much fun these guys must be to see live.
   Wanderlust features Steve Masakowski on guitar and the passing of the melodic lines from him to Dennard and back with the sharing in between is terrific. As amazing as Dennard is and has been covering the tunes of others, hearing him interpret his own compositions is incredibly rewarding.
   Deep Blue, the title track, adds Brad Walker’s tenor sax and Lucero’s trumpet to the trio. It is here that Dennard’s darker shades are given greater rein. Darker but not melancholic or somber. This was the piece that drew me the most, I think. The mixing—done by Ben Lorio with mastering by David Farrell—was intriguing and satisfying.
   The album ends with Father, a bit of New Orleans Gospel with Brian Seeger’s bluesy guitar and a horn section of Lucero, Ray Moore on flute, alto and tenor saxes, Jason Mingledorf on tenor sax and bass clarinet, and Rick Trolsen on trombone. This was such a great piece to close the album. Lucero’s flugelhorn was…righteous. Seeger’s guitar…sanctified. But that trio…they are the stuff Jazz is made for.
   Charlie Dennard has made a remarkable contribution to the corpus of the Jazz trio in the composition and execution of Deep Blue. I love this album.
 
 
          ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

    I always thought that Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets contained lyrics that begged to be put to music. In 1964, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth recorded Shakespeare and All That Jazz. Those songs found their way to audiences over several waves in the intervening years but Deborah Shulman has now taken the music of Dankworth, Arthur Young, Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, and Jeff Colella (who arranged all the present music) and given us something special, indeed marvelous.
    She brings along musicians who provide the rub for such tempestuous material—a veritable who’s who of my favorites: the amazing Abraham Laboriel on bass for five of the 12 tracks, the meteoric Larry Koonse on guitar for seven tracks, the splendid Bob Sheppard on woodwinds for four, and Jeff Colella himself on piano. Plus, there are added artists who make for an astounding ensemble of the right musicians for the right music.
    William Shakespeare in the great wordsmith of the English language. His words are musical in any delivery. Add wondrous music to those words and the heart melts. Add the right voice to sing those lyrics…now you’ve got something amazing. Deborah Shulman is that voice.
    The album opens with an appropriate medley of All the World’s a Stage (from As You Like It)/If Music Be the Food of Love (from Twelfth Night). This John Duckworth composition is a nice launch into a staging of great music.  The heavy-hitters come out to play right away with Colella, Koonse, Laboriel, Sheppard (flute and clarinet), and Joe La Barbera on drums.
    All the World’s a Stage is a sweet rhapsody featuring piano, bass, and flute and sets up the cheerful and up-tempo If Music Be the Food of Love with the jumping piano, guitar, and flute. Deborah is clear and direct in her delivery of the lyrics. With her background in theatre, she handles the lines effortlessly but gives them her own distinctive stamp.
    The song fades away with that dreamy guitar and flute that creates a languid sense of satisfaction. Nicely done.
    Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind (from As You Like It) is by Arthur Young and features Koonse and Colella with Chris Colangelo on bass and Kendall Kay on drums. It is a vibrant and determined stand against what befalls life. Winter winds, feigned friendships, the folly of some love, can be overcome by merriment or (as Camus would have it) by scorn. Deborah beautifully delivers the punch and power.
    That is also a fitting set-up for the blues from Macbeth, Dunsinane Blues. Another Dankworth piece, it is Macbeth’s arrogant declaration that he feared no prophecy, no fate, “’Till Burnham Wood be come to Dunsinane.” It’s well-set within a blues because what Macbeth did not know was that his enemies were cutting the branches from the trees of Burnham Wood and using them as cover to approach Macbeth’s fortress on Dunsinane Hill.
    Colella, Colangelo and Kay are the trio that provide the base for Deborah’s sardonic declaration of fearlessness. Seriously, Deborah could not have delivered this any better. The irony is made more bitter by her sweet intonation.
    Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 is the source for Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day by Jeff Colella. This is a warm and delightful duo of Colella’s piano and Koonse’s guitar with Deborah’s rich, lush lyricism. The sheer beauty of the music with those ageless lyrics make for a work that should become a standard.
    Who is Sylvia is Dankworth’s song from Two Gentlemen of Verona. Deborah is accompanied only by Abraham Laboriel’s bass. At 1:55, it is the shortest piece on the album but deserves hearing over and over. A sweet ode to a loyal woman who suffers crass disloyalty from the man she loves. The bass seems a bit threatening, like Proteus threatens Sylvia, but Deborah gives us a Sylvia who is worthy that “To her let us garlands bring.”
    You Spotted Snakes (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is also from John Dankworth and has exquisite guitar work from Larry Koonse and even the appearance of Bob Sheppard’s bass clarinet along with the soprano sax. It is a delightful fancy, as is the play itself. Deborah must know this play intimately, her presentation of the lyrics and especially the mood are that good.
    Sonnet 30 is the origin of When to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought, a Jeff Colella original. The music is as wonderful as the sonnet itself.
                     The sad account of fore bemoaned moan
                     Which I new pay as if not paid before
                    But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
                   All losses are restor’d, and sorrows end
    How could you find better lyrics than that? And Deborah gives the legato interpretation in such an agonizing way. Sweet melancholy.
    From Much Ado about Nothing comes Sigh No More Ladies by Arthur Young. With Colella, Koonse, Laboriel, and La Barbera is Rob McChesney on trombone. Very upbeat and cheerful.
    Another selection from Twelfth Night is Oh Mistress Mine also from Arthur Young. McChesney returns on trombone and given great space. Deborah can effortlessly move from blues to ballad to bop and she does it all so effectively.
    My Love is as a Fever (Sonnet 147) and Take All My Loves (Sonnet 40) are both by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. The difference between the songs is as clear as possible how proficient and flexible that team was. It is also a great testament to the skill and talent of Deborah Shulman and her transcendence of form and style.
    The album closes beautifully and (again) fittingly with Our Revels Now Are Ended (from The Tempest), another John Dankworth piece.
                    And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
                    Leave not a rack behind:
                    We are such stuff
                   As dreams are made of
                  And our little life is rounded with a sleep.
    This is how to end an album. Even to look at the album’s cover is something meaningful. Deborah is semi-reclined on a couch with her arms folded atop a massive volume of Shakespeare. There is comfort and ease in her relationship with the words of the great man. And this is what she brings to her audience, too—an understanding and a comfort with words that were once daunting to some but, under Deborah’s gentle delivery, those words are now dear friends.
    Shakespeare, Jazz, Deborah Shulman. It doesn’t get better than this.
 
 
 
                        ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
​

   Doug MacDonald is now on his 13th album as leader. He has played in all kinds of formats including a 2015 album of Doug with solo guitar. For Organisms, he is joined by three excellent artists.
   Hammond B-3 organist Carey Frank has performed regularly with Bob Mintzer and several groups of his own. And then there is Bob Sheppard, that phenomenal reeds man who has been with Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, the Brecker Brothers, Peter Erskine, Steely Dan and so many others. Sheppard is only on the tenor sax for this album. Drummer Ben Scholz has been in the line-ups of Roy Hargrove, Esperanza Spalding, Buddy Guy, and Aaron Neville. This is Doug’s third organ-group album.
   Organisms is comprised of 10 tracks—seven standards and three originals from Doug. The album’s opener is Sammy Cahn’s great piece, It’s You or No One. For the first several measures, it is Doug and Ben Scholz together before being joined by Frank’s Hammond. It’s a great warm-up piece as the quartet works over the well-known—but not well-worn—piece. We’re immediately reminded why we like Doug’s work.
   Jazz for All Occasions is one of the MacDonald originals and follows with a sweet intro from the whole quartet but with Doug and Sheppard clearly out front. Sheppard makes you sit up and take notice but do not lose sight of what is going on with Frank and Scholz. Doug’s guitar work is tight and clean.
   L&T starts off with some odd melodic lines being traded between guitar and tenor sax, particularly, but then the quartet gets into the full swing. This was fun stuff going on here. I dig the way Frank picks up during one of Doug’s sustained fade-aways.
   Nina Never Knew/Indian Summer is a very short (1:58) two-part medley and Doug takes it all on with cool solo guitar. He never disappoints. He carries that right into Sometime Ago before being joined by the organ and drums. Sheppard takes a seat on this piece and leaves it for the trio.
   Poor Butterfly is another solo guitar piece and returns that sweet approach from Doug of the pick-strum-pick-strum. He makes these pieces bend to his will.
   Centerpiece kicks off with Scholz’s drum chops. Then Doug and Sheppard come aboard with Frank and this swings so fine it belongs on your grandmother’s porch. It’s that bluesy and cool song from Harry “Sweets” Edison and Jon Hendricks. Love the ending that features Sheppard’s tenor sax on the outro.
   Doug’s solo guitar is the opening feature of Too Late Now by Buston Lane and Lana Lerner. Then Sheppard steps forward with that wonderful tenor sax that actually mirrors a bit of what Doug was doing, that run-walk-walk, and then Frank does the same. Sheppard proves why he is in such high demand.
   Doug solos again on Hortense. He has proven before that he can work without a net as he solos. Man, he is good. But he saves the longer pieces for the whole quartet.
   And that’s how they close out the album with Isham Jones and Gus Khan’s On the Alamo. It’s got everybody looking good as they take their final spotlights. Listen to Scholz’s straight-up swing behind all the cool leads. Sheppard and Frank take their appropriate bows from the generous Doug.
   Organisms is rightly named. It is four individual artists who are brilliant—even viable—on their own but they make up something extraordinary together. They maintain their own orbit in Doug’s gravitational pull. This is a splendid quartet of guitar, organ, sax, and drums. They trade leads over Scholz’s swing and it just works.
   And at the center of it all is Doug MacDonald, the artist who can compose, arrange, and perform exactly the vision he sees before him and find the colleagues to make it happen with him.
 
 
            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

   In November of 2013, Chiara Izzi released her debut album Motifs and splashed onto the American concert scene having already captivated European audiences. Motifs was a charming and delightful introduction for new audiences. I called her “A talent to be heard, admired and anticipated.” The great Quincy Jones told her, “Sister, you are very, very talented.”
   That was then.
   Now she has released Across the Sea with pianist and vocalist Kevin Hays and it has been worth the seemingly ages-long wait. She is soulful and charming and he is exact and original. John Scofield called him, “All encompassing” and Brad Meldau said of Kevin, “Everything he plays has a deep intelligence and swing.”
   Across the Sea is 10 songs—four are Chiara’s originals—and the choice she and Kevin made in the recording and production team is unmistakably inspired. The recording itself is a work of art, the sound is wonderfully rich and lush and mixed so incredibly well. The blend of her voice and his piano, and his voice, is something compelling and heart-warming.  
   Chiara wrote the opening piece, Circles of the Mind. Kevin’s piano and Nir Felder’s guitar create an atmospheric introduction and Chiara joins the ballad. It is a sweet description of a girl struggling to grow while reconnecting with her own innocence. Rob Jost (bass) and Greg Joseph (drums) with Hays make space for Felder’s well-timed and inspired guitar work. But Hays catches the listener’s attention early and often.
   I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Chiara’s vocals are simply charming.
   One of the biggest surprises on the album is I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face. From 1956’s My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe, Chiara and Kevin prove the timelessness of the song. Kevin joins with Chiara in this sweet—but not syrupy—vocal duet that melts the heart. The original was great but Chiara and Kevin make it marvelous. I can’t get enough of this one.
   James is that well-known Pat Metheny song about James Taylor from the 1982 album Offramp. Kevin wrote the lyrics and it is the finest tribute to James Taylor that one could imagine. Gregoire Maret contributes an excellent harmonica solo as Kevin follows him on the Fender Rhodes. It makes you dig out your James Taylor albums. But then…
   They do it for you! They follow with James Taylor’s own Secret O’ Life. Cool track order. Chiara and Kevin trade vocals and then duet together. It is a splendid example of the Old World and the New coming together with their different world-views and experiences and creating a warm expression of agreement and solidarity.
   Two for the Road by Henry Mancini is from the fil of the same name with Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. Mancini once referred to Two for the Road as his favorite of all his compositions. Mancini was adept at portraying loss, sadness, love, and even joy, in his soundtracks and Chiara and Kevin mirror that same talent and skill in their treatment of such a beautiful piece of music. Rob Jost does double duty with his turn on French horn and adds warmth to an already warm song. Exquisite.
   Chiara composed Across the Sea. In the first stanza, she sings the line But if I return/I’ll miss my chance… And Chiara sings it exactly the way Billie Holiday intoned I don’t stand/A ghost of a chance in the song Ghost of a Chance. I don’t know if that was intentional but, when I heard Chiara’s delivery of the lyric, I could hear Billie. It was a sweet nod-and-a-wink. Plus, Maret returns with the fine harmonica solo and Kevin follows with some sweet Jazz piano.
   The performances were stellar but the composition itself is deserving of so much credit. It is almost as if the artists were as inspired by the piece as Chiara was. Everyone turned in priceless contributions.
   Viaggo Elegiaco was written by Chiara and Kevin. Chiara sings the Elegaic Travel song in Italian and it just steals your heart. Kevin gets in some of most exciting piano within the trio portions. Then we get rewarding sax additions from Christ Potter to make this a terrific framework for the musicians. I found myself enjoying the originals as much, actually more, than the covers.
   Another original from Chiara (and Rosario Bonoccorso) follows with Verson Il Mare (or To the Sea). Jost’s bass opens the piece and is soon joined by Chiara. This is a near-bossa nova song and piano, bass and drums lay down the hot rhythm section for a harmonica insertion. That trio of Kevin, Jost and Joseph makes your hair stand on end—they are that tight. And Chiara is as lovely as always.
   Tierna Nardis is an arrangement of Miles Davis’ 1958 composition Nardis. This was during Davis’ modal period and was treated over and over again by Bill Evans in multiple settings and recordings. Kevin boldly takes the master’s work and owns it. Omer Avital’s “ancestral” oud playing is a special treat. Chiara’s vocals are as much instrumental as they are lyrical. Her hums add beautifully to the song. For a fan of Miles, this treatment pays off in vast dividends.
   The album ends with the song With You I’m Born Again. Written by David Shire and Carol Connor, I first heard the song as performed by Billy Preston and Syreeta. I heard the song in 1979 and—always and forever a Billy Preston fan—grabbed up the 45-rpm single.
   Again, Chiara and Kevin sing in duet in a fitting and fabulous conclusion to a fabulous album. It is just their vocals and solo piano that end the album. Just as it should be.
   Across the Sea is Chiara Izzi’s second album but she and Kevin Hays have such poise and personality and undiluted talent and—I’ll say it again—charm that one could easily think that this was their tenth album together. They are perfect together.
 
 
                    ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   When I reviewed Sivan Arbel’s 2016 album Broken Lines, I wrote, “She makes me think of Sarah Vaughan who had the raw power but also the sweetness that made her irresistible. And Sivan Arbel is irresistible.” It’s always rewarding to be proven right because that opinion has not changed in the intervening years. In fact, it has been reinforced by the new album.
 Sivan has continued to perform and compose and evolve and it has all been tracked with great attention through Facebook and YouTube. What she revealed along the way was like the aromas coming from your grandmother’s kitchen. The release of her latest album is like finally sitting down at the dinner table.
   On Change of Light, Sivan has composed six of the seven tracks, with the sole exception of Water Song, the fourth track, which is an Israeli folk song. And, once again, she has also gathered to herself that splendid array of artists to support her vision and her compositions. It is almost the same line-up as that on Broken Lines and I couldn’t be happier. Shai Portugaly is on piano, Pera Krstajic (the only newcomer) is on bass and Yogev Gabay is on drums forming the core trio. Joining them are Ron Warburg (trumpet), Jack Sheehan (alto saxophone), and Ori Jacobson (tenor saxophone). They, too, have improved on what I thought could not be improved.
   Change is the opening track and, as much as I loved the opening of Broken Lines, she has truly leapt forward. Cymbal washes and sweet piano open the album. Gabay and Jacabson have a fantastic row together. The rhythm section, the horns, everybody shines on. And those exquisite vocals… Sivan makes these unexpected shifts that take your breath away.
   Homesick is a beautiful lamentation that is underscored with Portugaly’s sweet touch on the piano and a melodic play between the horns. It climbs and soars while Krstajic’s bass and Gabay’s drums anchor it all. Even as early as the end of this, the second track, it has become clear that Sivan’s composing is rich and full of texture and lush colors. And these musicians know exactly how to treat it. Krstajic’s bass work nearly the close is especially interesting and then the whole band joins him to carry it before Sivan and Warburg’s trumpet close it out. Beautiful.
   Then the horns pick up the intro to Solitude in one of the coolest transitions you’d ever want to hear. The melody does not follow the line you would expect as the horns and Sivan run now together-now apart. The vocal control Sivan shows is stunning.
   As mentioned, Water Song is an Israeli folk song and it is beautiful. An inherent sadness opens the song before surrendering to a determined optimism. The bass and drums create a thunder that heralds the onset of rain. The Portugaly taps at the end keys as Warburg creates a sheet of lightning effect with the horn. This is a Jazz tone poem. Cascades and torrents of sound rush over you and the effect is wondrous.
   One of the sweetest moments on the album is He Sees Her. But it is not the syrupy sweet stuff that is truly beneath Sivan Arbel. It is captivating—even rapturous—in its staggering, overwhelming emotion. Cacophony is supplanted by a skyward ascent. Fascinating.
   Omri is a cool, andante, languid glide. The trumpet is deliberately throaty and raw while the piano holds the structure around Sivan’s plaintive vocals. At 8:12, it is the longest piece on the album and you love every minute of it. Omri just may be the quintessential Jazz vocal expression for the 21st Century.
   The album closes with Not Over Yet which is a tease, if ever there was one. Portugaly and Gabay have some cool duet time and then Krstajic’s bass joins for an excellent trio excursion. The horns jump aboard and everyone carries it together to the abrupt but satisfying end.
   This is vocal Jazz the way I like. It is full of unexpected turns and twists and follows rivulets to wondrous places. It intrigues your head and touches your heart.



               ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is ​The Jazz Owl