Carlos Vega, saxophonist and composer, was well-established in the Latin music scene of Miami and a student of Jazz when he made the move to Chicago in 2005. Having played with Arturo Sandoval and Tito Puente, he found a happy convergence of all his musical experiences and influences among the musicians of Chicago.

It was this that brought about Bird’s Ticket (Origin 82708) and a collaboration with some of Chicago’s first-call players. With Vega are Victor Garcia (trumpet), Stu Mindeman (piano, Rhodes), Josh Ramos (acoustic bass) and Xavier Breaker (drums). All of the compositions or Vega originals and this is just the band to make them come alive.

The album opens with A Confluence in Chi-Town and what a start. The confluence of these musicians as well as the coming-together of such variant styles is a treat. It starts off with a Baroque-ish counterpoint between the horns which leads into Montuno rhythms from the piano. Brandenburg meets Havana.

So many things to hear in this, the first piece of the album. Ramos’ bass and Breaker’s drums are a treat all their own but Mindeman’s piano with them is something mesmerizing. The solos of Garcia and Vega spring full-bodied from the foundation established by piano, bass and drums. Right from the first, Vega establishes his mastery of the instrument and the music he creates. He is in complete control and Garcia is the perfect partner. The rhythm section takes over the run to the end with the horns adding hot punctuation. The end comes like the slamming shut of the door to a treasure room. Open it back up!

The title track, Bird’s Ticket, comes next breathing fire and fanning the flames. Incredibly enjoyable in its straight-ahead Jazz approach and its attack of melodic and rhythmic punches. Seriously, everyone grabs the attention of the listener which creates a completely infectious riot of fun. Vega’s solo knocks you down and Ramos and Breaker kick you while you’re down there. All with grins on their faces, to be sure. The unified trumpet and sax lift you back up, dust you off, and slap you on the back. Mucho gusto!

Taurus on the Run begins with a Ramos solo that is soon joined by Mindeman on the Rhodes. The quiet horns introduce the fine melody and the solos break in complementary directions. The Garcia trumpet carries the tune high up as the rhythm section carries on solidly. Mindeman’s solo on the Rhodes is a cool touch with his extended improv on the theme. The Vega sax solo takes on a vibrant tone with a swaying intensity. The horns mirror each other to the end.

Taurus and Virgo opens with a sweet piano solo that takes flight quickly and is accompanied by the drums then bass in a hot rhythmic festival. All the more as Juan Pastor makes his only appearance on the cajon. Mindeman sold himself on this one. Vega and Garcia enter together and the Latin Jazz heats right up. Garcia solos brilliantly while that rhythm section keeps you on the floor. Vega’s sax is fluid and vibrant. All intoxicating and that rhythm section and the percussive playing of the horns are just incredible. Wow.

A smoother turn takes place on Dragon Rose. The horns are together over the rhythm section and the quick exchange between sax and trumpet sets up a longer dialogue between them. Garcia is beautifully lyrical and is answered by an equally lyrical rejoinder from Vega. The Rhodes provides accents that highlight the soloists but pay attention to the solo Mindeman offers. Melodic, yes, and often percussive. Cool flow between them all.

And then things really heat up with Chicago Eight. It is a nearly-visual imagery that erupts from the horns, hammers, strings and sticks in recalling the riot, arrests and eventual trials of the so-called Chicago Eight (after Bobby Seale was removed from the trial) during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The pressure, the anger, the clashes are all present. The talkative piano, the marching of the bass, the pounding of the sticks, all bring to mind the protests of the demonstrators, the march of the police and the swinging nightsticks in “crypto-fascist” fashion, as Gore Vidal described it. Very emotional and very sensory. And unrelenting.

That is alleviated by the delectable runs and tones of Elements. Vega’s sax tone and fluidity are finely expressed. Garcia answers with subtle touches and splendid runs that can only be described as lush. Mindeman’s Rhodes has a say in the matter and it speaks volumes. Ramos and Breaker provide mesmerizing support beneath. Cool chords and great rhythms make this an outstanding piece.

The Wizard wastes no time in coming straight at you. Dazzling and effervescent, the horns and piano cast their distinctive spells. Mindeman presents a swirling solo and creates his own hypnotic effect as he opens the way for Garcia’s solo. The bass and drums with the punchy piano create solid platform for Garcia, who does the baton-pass to Vega who keeps the set pace and builds upon all that has gone before. This is improvisation at its hottest. Ramos does not ease up in his bass solo and does his own brilliant pass to Breaker for a drum solo. The transitions between solos from all of these artists are fascinating. The closing moments are tight and extremely enjoyable. A cool end.

In Other Words comes across as a finely cooperative big band arrangement in its beginning. The Jazz piano is as Chicago-sounding as you hope to hear. Vega takes up the theme and the drive with hot effect. Garcia fades in as Vega fades out, another exemplary transition. Ramos works a beautiful bass line beneath the solos. His own solo is spot-on and his strummed passage is matched by the piano. Dug that. The horns return to carry the melody away. Garcia’s sustained note fades out the piece.

The album ends with Reflecting Pools. The shimmering imagery of the horns is exquisite. The Rhodes is the right sound with its own watery tones. The susurrus of the brushes and the cymbal splashes add to the overall impression to what can be described as a work of Jazz Impressionism. The trumpet and sax offer some of their warmest work of the album. It may be the loveliest track of the whole album and a sweet way to bring everything to a close.

 Carlos Vega has created a multifaceted experience of joined influences and styles on Bird’s Ticket. His compositions are distinctive and intense in their virtuosity and their spacious room for improvisation. The artists are more than equal to the task set before them which creates a feeling of enjoyment for the players and the audience. Chicago should give Carlos Vega a parade down Lakeshore Drive.


~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

With the astounding success of their 2010 release East-West Trumpet Summit, Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott are at it again with Return of the East-West Trumpet Summit (Origin 82707). It recalls the great duets like Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw and it is with that honor to history that Vega and Marriott embark on this adventure that is loaded with great standards and classics and even some original material and those exemplary performances.

With the trumpets of Vega and Marriott is the young master George Colligan on the Hammond B-3—working those bass pedals like Bach on crack—and the always extraordinary Matt Jorgensen on drums.  Thomas Marriott produced the album, recorded at Orbit Studios.

Curtis Fuller’s The Egyptian sets the album in motion with Matt Jorgensen’s fine drum work. Listen for the cool nod-and-a-wink to Art Blakey. George Colligan climbs aboard with the B-3 before the twin trumpets join in. Oh, man. You’re hooked only a few bars into the album.

Marriot gets the first solo with his fluid proficiency and liquid fire. George Colligan again proves himself master of all things with keys. Well-known for his piano work, his performances on the other keyboards have been proven again and again and this album is no different. Vega takes the third solo and cranks up the already-existing excitement. Jorgensen locks down the rhythm with Colligan while the horns play off of each other energetically. Great playing.

Totem Pole by Lee Morgan is riddled with great riffs and sweet spots for solos. Vega goes first and the differences between him and Marriott begin to take shape. Differences in tonality and phrasing make them so well-suited to each other. After all, who wants pure duplication? No, this is dialogue and debate with Colligan playing the moderator and Jorgensen the referee. Then, when they play in unison…Good God, ya’ll. Can’t get enough.

Then comes Erroll Garner’s Misty. They did this one right…like all the others. Vega plays the muted horn while Marriott takes the open trumpet. The dynamic is sweet between and then Colligan works in the organ in vibrant fashion before the return of Marriott’s trumpet. Vega takes over on muted trumpet before handing off the close to Colligan. So well-arranged. Such smoky delivery.

United by Wayne Shorter is kicked off by Vega and Marriott in tandem. Colligan and Jorgensen jump in and then let the trades begin! Vega goes first, followed by Marriott. By this time, you can begin to tell who’s who by their distinctive playing. Jorgensen does capture the attention along the way. Plus, Colligan being the drummer that he is, he plays with plenty of room for Jorgensen’s drumming. There is space allowed but there is absolutely no wasted space between these artists. The tandem trumpets take the piece to close with palmas escorting them out.

Cedar Walton’s Firm Roots has a cool groove and a good melodic hook to it. Again the pair of horns start the piece off and set the hook. Vega’s solo is just so fine. Colligan takes over with the pounding bass lines and sizzling keys. Marriott solos next and you just have to love the guy’s fluid style. Jorgensen gets a smoking solo, punctuated by stabs from Colligan, and the dynamic between the two of them is just as electrifying as anything else. So help me, I almost clapped at the end of Jorgensen’s solo.

An original from Marriott follows with The Bourgeoloo (a.k.a. At the Summit). “This mother smokes,” as my cousin used to exclaim. The tight B-3/drums opening sets a bright pace and the trumpets join in just as tightly with them. Vega solos with flugelhorn over the snapping rim shots and the bass pedals. What a sound. Colligan follows him in one of his most memorable organ solo passes. Inspired, Marriott takes it all and creates one of his very own gorgeous solos. This track was the one I kept coming back to again and again.

Charlie Parker’s Quasimodo comes after. The approach was a fascinating one as both trumpets are muted but Vega plays with the Harmon mute and Marriott with the cupped mute. Yeah, you can hear the difference. This is how they open the all-so-familiar piece. George Colligan comes over with the organ solo and the walking bass pedals. Again, listen to Jorgensen below.

Marriott returns with open trumpet and does his magic, Freddie Hubbard-style. He is followed by Vega, who remains muted. The interplay of these two (include Colligan for three) is truly remarkable. It is entirely satisfying.

The album closes with the brilliant arrangement of Cole Porter’s What Is This Thing Called Love. Colligan jumps starts the piece with Jorgensen swinging away. The trumpets punch their way in and Vega takes the first solo with the flugelhorn. That tonal difference is all the difference. Then Marriott’s trumpet bursts forth in trade with Jorgensen’s drums. The whole group carries it to the end. I like it.

Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott’s Return of the East-West Summit is a fine exercise in trumpet tone and technique, proficiency and passion. The inclusion of George Colligan and Matt Jorgensen was a master-stroke. If you love trumpets, you will love this album. If you don’t, you will still love this album. Listen to it, again and again. Wear the CD out. Then sit and wait for Bride of the East-West Trumpet Summit. Yeah, it’s that good.


~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 
 
 

Altered Narratives is Danny Green’s fourth album, his second on the OA2 label (OA2 22128). His exemplary trio (Justin Grinnell on bass and Julien Cantelm on drums) have explored Brazilian themes and have captivated the West Coast Jazz scene with their tight, albeit lyrical, expressions.

Danny Green composed all of the tracks for Altered Narratives and the album was recorded at the famed Sear Sound in New York City. The results are amazing.

The album opens with the bluesy Chatter from All Sides. According to Green, the writing was occasioned by being in the middle of his children playing. The different voices are evidenced in the trio’s differing expressions. The 16-bar theme is joyous and heart-warming. Grinnell’s bass solo is a grin from ear-to-ear. The whimsical drumming of Cantelm is equally infectious.

The Merge is cool conversation between Green and Grinnell. Sometimes in agreement, sometimes not. Cantelm is impressive and the whole trio is percussion on steroids. Green’s solo is riveting playing. This completely grabbed me. You will see what I mean. Grinnell takes his own solo and reveals his own perspective on the conversation. The tight blues closes out coolly.

October Ballad is one of the most lyrical pieces on an album full of such pieces. It is a touch of melancholy from the pen of one who knows how to evoke emotions from his listeners. I won’t say it is brooding—too fluid for that—but it is a reminiscence. It calls to mind emotions and moments that have left a mark but not a scar. Then comes the Grinnell bass solo as the piano recedes for a moment. Rarely do I hear a bassist as purely emotional as he can be. Lovely tune.

6 A.M. is a hot rhythmic piece. It recalls the baião patterns of Brazil and it just smokes. It creates the imagery of getting up early, still only half-awake, before taking on the day. This thing moves in such tight turns and swings just the way we like it.

Second Chance sounds like it could have come from one of the love songs of European late-Romanticism. Toward that end, a string quartet joins in and completes the impression. Once again, the word lyrical must be used to describe the movement and expression of this incredible, indelible artistry. The chord changes, the lilting phrases are gorgeous. Green’s piano work is fabulous. Captivating.

Katabasis follows after with the string quartet still aboard. The cello of Anja Wood opens the string section. The piano and strings are precise and exacting. Grinnell and Cantelm are tight and the pizzicato strings add a pop to the piece that spins away from the established orbit. Katabasis was the Greek word referencing Orpheus’ journey to Hades to rescue his beloved Eurydice. The piece contains all that imagery and emotion, moving from darkness to almost-light before Orpheus looks back to see Eurydice snatched away again.

The quartet remains for one last piece with Porcupine Dreams. The trio opens the piece with the strings in the backdrop. It is an overwhelming melody that is beautifully supported by the strings. Grinnell’s bass echoes elements of the theme which Green reassumes. Green has a way of writing that—so help me—I have never witnessed before. He can reflect moods and create an Aristotelian catharsis like few can. He finds the fine line between melancholy and joy and that is as real to life as it gets. The rhythms of this piece are as fascinating as the melodies are.

Benji’s Song is for his son of the same name. It is splendidly elegiac, tender, and loving. It is far too short, like childhood.

I Used to Hate the Blues is nothing but the Blues. The song came out of a concert where everyone was charged with bringing in songs based around the idea of “Things I Love That I Used to Hate.” I Used to Hate the Blues came out that concert. The trio paint their Blues together and separately. This is a fun bit with tongue-in-cheek spins and turns that belie the title. These guys were born for the Blues.

Friday at the Thursday Club is again one of those melodically, emotionally fascinating pieces that has come to mark Danny Green’s compositions. Lyrical—that word again—and tight, the song is dazzling in its color and shade. Grinnell again gets a solid and flavored solo with which he mesmerizes the listener. Cantelm’s patterns are spot-on and the piano just takes the breath away. How does Green choose those chords? Seriously, the guy is brilliant.

The album is wrapped up with Serious Fun. Cantelm kicks it off with some jaunty rhythms. The bouncy Blues is clearly a hallmark of the trio and they just own it. Grinnell hops up the bass solo and the rattling rim shots of Cantelm followed by his own solo and then trio in unison to close is just fun…serious.

Danny Green Trio’s Altered Narratives is one of the most intriguing, evocative, intelligent, creative, and haunting albums I have ever heard. Ever. The compositions are so gripping, the artistry is so overwhelming, and the effect so staggering that it firmly places this trio in the must-hear category. This is one of those very few albums that will keep a permanent spot on my CD shelf. If the album alters anything, it is the narrative of what is possible in a Jazz trio.
 
 



~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

The loss of one dear ripples through our lives and our art in in relentless waves. It affects us forever and all we can do is grapple with the loss through remembrance and thought. We cannot explain but we can, at least, explore.

This is the scene with Chris Klaxton and his art. In the liner notes, Klaxton dedicates the album “to one gone too soon; artist and lyricist Cody Laplante.”

In his debut album, Starcode, Klaxton posed the questions of existence following the loss of Laplante, with whom he shared so much. Now, in Collage, he discusses the ramifications and possibilities within those questions. The discussion is painful. Sometimes haunting, sometimes harrowing, always revealing.

With Christ Klaxton (trumpet) is Mike Effenberger (Rhodes), Tim Jago (guitar), Taylor O’Donnell (vocals), Mark Small (tenor sax), Kendall Moore (trombone), Sam Weber (bass) and Michael Piolet (drums). Klaxton is a firm believer in letting “the band do what they do best.” He points the direction and lets them find their way to the destination. These trusted musicians do not fail.

The album opens with Arise Automaton. It conjures the scene from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The industrial sounds behind Tim Jago’s guitar is a willful attempt to escape from emotion while revealing the deep emotion of loss. Klaxton’s trumpet and Mark Small’s tenor sax create a choral cacophony as Taylor O’Donnell’s ethereal vocals soar above. Order emerges and a melodic expression asserts itself. The development of the piece is fascinating.

Love Gone Wild is written by Klaxton with lyrics by the late Cody Laplante. Taylor O’Donnell is the vocalist and delivers an agonizing lament of uncommitted attraction. Klaxton’s trumpet is soulful and more deflective than reflective.  Weber and Piolet provide a warm rhythm backdrop to a piece that is riddled with questions without answers.

Klaxton shows he can swing with Wampus. Small’s tenor sax gets a sweet extended solo and the bass and drums drive the whole effort with determination. Weber’s bass work deserves special attention. It is tightly melodic with full stops that catch your breath.

Don’t All Go at Once, Part 1 is a touching piece. The right chord change can just break your heart and Klaxton creates a minefield of them. The sax is mournful and is supplanted by Effenberger’s Rhodes and Jago’s guitar. The guitar offers a tug of hope and fond remembrance but is lost in a fog of loss.

Sam Weber’s bowed bass opens Touch and Go. The horns pierce the darkness with slow stabs of emotion. The bass against high-pitched horns sounds like Japanese Noh vocalizations. The rhythm anchors the piece as the horns pull against the restraints of the bass and drums.

Rainforest Tortoise opens with the tight groove below the melodic lines carried by horns and vocals. It has to be said that Taylor O’Donnell’s vocals add a breadth and aspect that is remarkable. The guitar and sax fashion a beautifully cohesive sound that is eventually bisected by the Klaxton trumpet. The groove smokes and the melody is enthralling. This was a standout piece.

She Loved a Good Story follows. This may be Klaxton’s most intensely lyrical yet. He and Moore’s trombone beautifully carry the melody between them in the early phase of the track. Piolet’s heavy, plodding toms with the swirling cymbals is a cool study in contrast. Weber’s bass throbs alongside. Effenberger’s Rhodes provides a few bright tones but the horns carry the narrative of this absorbing tale.

Don’t All Go at Once, Part 2 seeks release from its nightmare as sax, guitar and Rhodes create a slightly more upbeat and melodic vision. The melody is haunting and lovely bit in the opening sections but gains an optimistic ascendancy in the closing moments. A riveting piece altogether.

The horns pop and the rhythm section nails the groove in Jumprope. It is—dare we say—playful. Klaxton is colorful and bright and the staccato drums, horns and vocals are like the feet of children rising and falling in the exercise required of all children…and boxers. Once again, an unexpected chord change lifts the whole piece in its closing moments.

Is Jumprope acceptance? Is it hope? Is it resolution of all that has gone before? Perhaps it is all of those. Or none of those. You decide.

There is a bonus track, the Remix of Fictional Friends. Rain performs the remix and it is brilliant. The original by Klaxton, Laplante and Moe Popel is offered in remix as a tribute.

Collage is a fitting title. Klaxton arranges snippets of sound, all composed by himself, in appropriate order and creates a sum greater than its individual parts. The various styles and structures are expressions of Klaxton’s individual artistry and the influences upon him. It is the kaleidoscope of memory caught in a mist of remorse. Somehow Klaxton creates beauty out of grief.




~Travis Rogers, Jr. is the Jazz Owl
 

Carrera Quinta is the musical brainchild of Colombian composers Javier Pérez Sandoval (guitar) and Francy Montalvo (piano). The original motivation of the group was the marriage of modern Jazz with rich Colombian traditional themes. In 2015, the band decided to return to the studio and record with a Big Band. This album, Carrera Quinta Big Band, is the finished product of that decision.

Some of the compositions arose from Sandoval’s time in Louisville, KY, where he studied for his Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition at University of Louisville School of Music. John La Barbera taught Big Band arranging to Sandoval and it shows. It prepared him for dealing with the 19-piece Big Band on this album. But at the center of the Big Band is the quintet itself. Along with Javier and Francy are Cesar Medina on the sax, Daniel Montoya on electric bass and Pedro Acosta on the drums.

There are so many remarkable aspects of this album. The compositions are exquisite, the arranging flawless, and the performances splendid. The album is at once delicate and lovely, then powerful and hot. This is the music I love.

The album is introduced by Take a Deep Breath by Sandoval. It is an admonition to prepare for what will follow on the album. Pedro Acosta is almost immediately introduced on drums. He is solid and a great fit with this talented group. Pavel Zuzaeta offers up a blistering trumpet solo that is quickly followed by Javier’s own guitar solo. Javier is technically flawless while also presenting a sweetly spirited feeling. The whole band locks it down for the close. I was hooked from the first track.

No voy a quedarme (I’m Not Staying) by Doris Zapata comes after. The flowing movement of the Big Band is effortless and beautifully lyrical. Daniel Montoya’s electric bass lines fashion a cool groove as William Rojas takes on a captivating tenor sax solo that is matched by the trumpet of Orlando Barreda Batanga. The arpeggio theme is worked nicely in and out of the piece.

Little Step is another composition by Javier. The opening of Montoya’s bass matched by Francy’s piano and the rolling thunder of Acosta’s drums is a cool start. The horns fade in and carry the melody as the rest of the band joins in. The deep trombones set the tone that the saxes and trumpets and flute launch from. Rafael Sandoval’s lively alto sax solo is a highlight of the track. Francy provides an excellent support on piano as the sax explores and soars.

Elegia de un sentimiento (Elegy of a Feeling) is Francy’s composition. She is a brilliant pianist and shows herself to be just as brilliant in composition. This is an incredibly lovely piece of solo piano that is then adopted by the flute and horns who echo the original theme. Throughout, however, the piano remains the dominant voice even as the band pushes the theme. Dário Montoya’s flute is a delicate and fitting partner to Francy’s piano. Romantic, emotional and heartfelt, Elegia de un sentimiento is a work of great beauty.

Modal Step (Javier Pérez Sandoval, composer) is exactly what the title indicates, an exercise in modality. Javier’s guitar jumps away from the hot brass and partners with piano, bass and drums for several bars in some of the coolest Jazz moments of the album. The band swells and diminishes and swells again in expressive crescendo behind the guitar. Cesar Medina takes on a fantastic alto sax solo that deserves all the attention it gets. This is a fantastic arrangement and the band takes to it completely. Listen to Pedro Acosta’s drums in the closing moments.

Rio Cali is a Sebastián Solari classic. At only 1:57 in length, it still provides all the energy and life one could ask. The whole band, under the direction of Ricardo Jaramillo, is tight and hot.

El Intensos (Javier Pérez Sandoval, composer) closes the album. The smooth start to the piece belies the hot passages between Rojas’ tenor sax, Javier’s guitar, Acosta’s drums and the backdrop of Francy’s piano. Acosta and Montoya get to set up the exit and they make it count. A great pairing. The album closes as it started, with energy and excitement.

Carrera Quinta has crossed successfully into Big Band arrangements of their brilliant compositions. Their performance artistry is without question and their composing is stellar. The album Big Band is a full-blown expression of the sensitivity, delicacy and emotion that can be achieved by an arranger who knows what they are doing.



~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

The baritone saxophone is moving to much-deserved recognition as a lead Jazz instrument and there are brilliant players who are elbowing their way in like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell trying to post up. Jazz fans cheer them all on, just looking for a good game.

Enter Tony Lustig. He is a Detroit native and studied at Michigan State University before moving on to Julliard. His move to New York City put him in touch (and in the line-up) with the big guys: Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride and more. His sound has captured the ears and attention of everyone who hears him. Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson calls him “the baritone saxophonist I’ve been waiting for all my life.” Maybe he’s the one we’ve all been waiting for.

Starting on violin as a child but, having no strings education in school, his parents offered Tony the alto saxophone left by his sister and that was that. He played around Detroit and learned a great deal before heading to university.

Now Tony Lustig has put that his education to use and releases Taking Flight (Bimperl Entertainment & Media), an appropriate title for a debut. He composed all the pieces on the album and shows himself a fine craftsman of music in addition to his equally fine musicianship. He is not shy, he is not reluctant, he attacks with vigor and, often, ferocity. Yeah, we’ve all been waiting for this guy.

With Tony Lustig (baritone sax) is Michael Dease (trombone), Samora Pinderhughes (piano), and two phenomenal rhythm players in Ben Williams on bass and the excellent Ulysses Owens on drums. Just seeing Owens in the line-up got me excited for my first hearing of the album. These artists do not disappoint.

The album opens with Change is Comin’. Pinderhughes introduces the piece on piano and soon a cool New Orleans-style swing is underway. There is Gospel in the air but that sweet NoLo sound owns the day. Pinderhughes, Williams and Owens lay down the groove and Lustig works all over it. Mike Dease contributes a hot trombone solo with muted menace. Williams’ solo is warm and inviting and sets up the swinging close. Brilliant.

Fraytown is as soulful as you could hope. The baritone as lead is thrilling and the other artists are in splendid support. Pinderhughes piano is wonderfully relaxed and so stylishly narrative. Lustig himself provides emotionally stimulating delivery as the corps’ crescendo makes you want to stand up at full attention. And that is only the half-way mark of the song. Lustig is unrelenting in his emotional approach and then comes the unbelievable bowed bass of Williams. These guys are in such universal agreement in their delivery! Soulful, bluesy Jazz the way we love it.

And it only gets hotter with Prometheus. Tony launches the piece but is quickly joined in duet with Dease’s trombone. Williams and Owens just roll the floor as Pinderhughes keeps a tight ship and lets the horns blow. This lights your hair on fire!

And why not? In mythology, Prometheus brought fire to the human race and now Lustig brings a new fire. Unlike Prometheus, Lustig will be rewarded and will go unpunished by the gods. But pay careful attention to Williams and Owens as they provide fuel for the fire. Pinderhughes’ solo is just as inflammatory and the shout chorus is ties it all up beautifully. Good Lord.

For Wayne slows it all down into a gentle ballad. The slowed-down tempo allows the artists to express their tonality and control and it revels another level of their brilliant artistry. It is a moving piece that is full of affection and remembrance. The piano and bass are like the presence of someone dear and Owens’ cymbals are like air stirred by someone’s spirit. Lustig himself sounds out a call that is full of thoughtfulness. For Wayne struck me right through the heart. An amazing piece.

Taking Flight, the title track, opens with the group (except for Dease) in melodic unison. It is clear in track after track that Lustig has just the right players with him to express exactly what he means to say. It is hopeful, even fanciful, but is also determined and devoted to its end. Owens is the driving force here and he makes it come alive with Pinderhughes’ piano alongside. Energetic and optimistic, this is one of the real highlights of the album.

A tight funk groove follows in Serving It Up. Lustig lays down the smoking motif and Williams solos off of it beautifully. Lustig returns to the center and the baritone blows the house down. You can’t get enough of this and, thankfully, it just keeps coming at you. Serving It Up is right!

The variations in style, theme and structure are amazing coming from such a young artist. The collected tracks sound like they came from Chicago, New York, New Orleans and even Memphis and yet maintain an integrity that comes from a singular source—the mind of Tony Lustig.

Proving Lustig’s love for Greek mythology, On the Wings of Icarus follows as the penultimate track. Dease returns with warm intonations on the trombone and the piece, indeed, sets off to soar. It is placid and easy, like Icarus’ flight across the warm waters of the Mediterranean. The piano, bass and drums swing in cool agreement below and the ascending trombone of Dease is riveting. Lustig’s baritone brings the melody into the lower realms, but ascends quickly, not avoiding the temptation of flying too close to the sun.  Eventually, the sonic wax melts and Owens brings it crashing to Earth.

The album ends with Burnin’ Grease. This sounds like it would have found a home in Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra. The trombone is certainly on fire and Lustig joins in to add fuel to the flame. These guys know how to swing and they love doing it. Seriously, the whole quintet are like hounds on the trail of the groove. Impossible to get enough.

This is a debut? The Tony Lustig Quintet sounds like they have been writing and performing these piece for decades. But Jazz is all about learning your craft—not just in the classroom—but in apprenticeships with players who are your betters. Tony Lustig has learned through the artists with whom he has performed and has developed quickly into a top-rank composer and performer. If Lustig is Taking Flight on this album, what will he sound like at 33,000 feet?





~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 
 
 
 

In 1997, tenor saxophonist Christian Winther moved from Denmark to New Orleans and neither, one would imagine, has been the same. He became a thrilled and thrilling participant in that city’s vibrant Jazz life and has played and studied with the best there.

Beginning with 2011’s From the Sound Up and following up with 2013’s Two People, Winther has released albums of creativity and reverence (Two People featured the music of Billy Strayhorn). Now, with Refuge in Sound (Sound Perspective Music SPM1001), Winther takes a broad jump forward in the development of his own sound and style. This guy’s not kidding around.

His tone, his effortless control, his brilliant writing skills all lay bare his expression of himself. He quotes Louis Armstrong, “What we play is Life,” and reveals more about himself on Refuge in Sound than in anything previous. He says this release is about his “personal connection with music.” And how it shows. It is reflective, emotional, affectionate and, as he says, personal.

With him are first-rate artists Allyn Johnson (piano), Reuben Rogers (bass), Billy Williams, Jr. (drums), Mike Moreno (guitar on tracks 1,2 and 4) and Christie Dashiell (vocals on track 3). Rogers has always been a favorite, as well as Moreno.

The album opens with the title track, Refuge in Sound. The introduction is bright and clean and, from the opening bars, you get the feelings that tone and clarity will mark everything you hear on this album. Johnson’s piano is taut and attentive. Rogers is as we have come to know him, vibrant and complementary. Moreno carries the melody forward with piano and Winther himself is a leader who leads by example. He locks down the theme and leaves space for all the others to work off of him.

Looking Back is a melancholic remembrance of moving tone and tempo. Morena gets his second pass with a sweet solo that is full of thought. There is a sense of longing but not lament. Johnson on piano maintains a 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2 motif that carries its own anchor to the past while Moreno circles around it. Winther escapes the fetter and sails away from it, no matter how often the anchor returns. It is looking back without regret but also without return.

Mulgrew Miller was a great pianist and composer who left us in 2013. One for Mulgrew is dedicated to the influential Jazz master and carries with it the Miller-inspired harmonies and strengths brought to bear by Johnson, Rogers and Winther. The harmonies are lush and the full-bodied delivery of the piece is warm and affectionate. Christie Dashiell’s vocals are a fine complement to the work.

Outsider starts off, in Coltrane style, with a chorus of sound before breaking into separate parts. Moreno is back in this up-tempo track with cool melodic lines and solid performances. Winther’s tenor sax smokes delightfully and by now you’re already thinking, “I’ve got to get those two previous releases from him!” Admit it.

Allyn Johnson turns in some of his best and brightest on Outsider and sets up the return of Winther as the rhythm section jails nails down the floor. They are tight in the pocket as the trades between guitar, sax and piano are ablaze.

Tell Me Your Truth is as open and inviting as the title implies. There is a call to be real in the open-minded and open-hearted tenor sax delivery. The response of the piano is delicate and even tender in the dialogue between them. Not dogmatic or demanding, it speaks in harmony. Wow. This one got to me.

Blues Life is what one would expect from a musician’s life in New Orleans. Keep an ear out for Rogers’ cool bass lines and his agreement with Williams’ drums. Winther offers stunning delivery of his solo and, once again, Johnson answers with aplomb. There is a nod-and-a-wink to Coltrane and he makes it work well.

The Sleeping Giant (For Mila) was written for Winther’s 9-year-old daughter. The tenor sax and piano dialogue is as well-done and as fine as any other spot on the album. It reminds me of Coltrane with McCoy Tyner’s work and you can’t say better than that. Which, of course, is a perfect lead-in to…

Tune for Trane. This is a splendid composition and the artists that their parts seriously and to great effect. The movement is cool and the performance is spot-on. As if I weren’t won over already, Tune for Trane sealed the deal. The solos are appropriate and the work together is a chorus of joy and of life.

Refuge in Sound proves more than Christian Winther’s virtuosity and talent in composing, even though both are eminently true. It is a revelation of the heart and mind of the artist. It is the musical equivalent of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as Young Man. It should be required listening for any musician who wants to hear what reverence, artistry and self-revelation are all about.
 
 
 

Takeshi Asai is a brilliant composer and performer but his skills at arranging at equally brilliant. His trio recordings and his duet recording have been extremely well-received. I have immensely enjoyed every album of his that I have heard.

Now he releases Takeshi Asai Solo-Live in New York (De Trois Cités Records TC15TA05-01), a solo recording of two concerts recorded in New York City—an Autumn concert from September 26, 2015 and a Winter concert from December 12 of the same year. The Autumn concert was one of performing Jazz standards and the Winter was his own writings. The recording took place at the Concert Space of Beethoven Pianos in New York City.

Takeshi admits to trepidation at the first foray into solo piano performance but “as soon as I hit the first note, the music began playing itself, and the energy from the audience surprised me.” However, his outstanding performance, as found on this album, should not surprise anyone who has heard him before. He remains personal and open and his arrangements of standard and original works are beyond question. For me, Takeshi Asai is a rare master whose name deserves mention among the most-revered names in Jazz piano.

The album opens with John Lennon’s Norwegian Wood. Sure, credited to Lennon-McCartney but we all know who wrote the thing. Among Lennon fans, it remains a favorite and Takeshi treats it well. It is not a simple reiteration of the Beatles’ classic. Rather, it opens with swinging bit of improve before moving into the all-so-familiar melody. He swings it nicely and still gives the Lennon fans what we want; a Jazz reinterpretation of a beloved tune. His middle section improvisation of the theme moves so well and then moves into a brief bit of retrospective melancholy before resuming the melody. This is both tribute and expansion of a theme. Well-done.

Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now opens with spacious and lovely thought. The tempo is much slower than the original and the improvisation much deeper. Changed keys and tempos create a completely different emotion and energy than the original. Even though Joni Mitchell took her own jazzy steps, Takeshi pulls the piece completely into his realm. It is a gorgeous and soulful arrangement.

From there, Takeshi moves us to the Churchill and Morey standard Someday My Prince Will Come. Covered by Miles Davis and many other Jazz artists, Takeshi puts his own touch to it and breathes new life into the hopeful, wistful piece. He leaves aside the longing aspect, the melancholia, and turns it into a song of expectancy and optimism. He makes it bounce and drives it forward. This works well on all levels.

Night and Day from Cole Porter is a standard among standards. Again, Takeshi’s arrangement is as different from the original as…I have say it…Night and Day. It is swinging and fun and completely Takeshi’s own.

O’New is the first original piece on the album, coming from the Winter Concert. Again, we have known Takeshi as an excellent composer and we are startlingly reminded of that beginning with O’New. The structure of the piece and the haunting phrasing are almost breath-taking. The melody is emotional and moving and his changes can bring tears—in a good way. The piece tugs at my memory but I don’t know what. Almost like something I don’t want to remember but can still feel the emotion of it. Fortunately, the piece closes with a pull away from that into something uplifting.

Mid-Spring Night’s Dream is a work of charming delicacy and delight. Almost a tone-poem, it’s Impressionistic movement strolls and sways and casts the melody skyward and the heart of the listener follows devotedly. This is one of Takeshi’s most intriguing melodies ever. The nightscape imagery is inescapable and the surreal logic is pure magic.

The nocturnal theme continues into Moonlit Night. The shimmering effect is like moonlight on the water while the cool night air is heard and felt in the dancing melody. The song carries the feeling of looking out of the window into a world of moonlit images and creatures comfortable in the night. The overwhelming desire to join them in their preferred setting is compelling indeed. All portrayed by Takeshi’s hands on his solo piano.

Piano Row Blues is the final original piece on the album. It is a rousing blues with a bit of late ragtime added. It is a fun piece with a striding gait and jaunty melody. The Memphis blues sound is a grabber and Takeshi keeps the pace up-tempo and the phrasing intent. Quirky and fun.

The final track is the great Arlen and Harburg piece, Over the Rainbow. It is melody that is unmistakable and an emotional that is unrelenting. No matter whose version one may hear, the pausing effect is inevitable. But under the respectful and emotion-filled treatment of Takeshi Asai, the effect is doubly emotional. The longing is inescapable.

Takeshi Asai Solo—Live in New York is a work of sheer beauty and grace. It calls from the heart of the performer to the heart of the listener and creates a communion of tender affection. How wonderful, how rare, how humbling is that.
 
 
 
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

Dick Sisto and Steve Allee have been performing together and apart for decades. Cannonball Adderley called vibraphonist Dick Sisto an “excellent player” and Rufus Reid called pianist Steve Allee “world class.”

Now they have released Earth Tones (Jazzen Records) as the Dick Sisto Steve Allee Quartet with Jeremy Allen on acoustic bass and Jason Thiemann on drums. This is an album that does not disappoint in any way. While Sisto has been compared to Gary Burton and Steve Allee to Bill Evans, this is not even close to being imitative or derivative. This is an album of beautiful artistic originality and creativity.

The album opens with For the Little Ones, a Sisto original. The quartet kicks off together and immediately begin to lay down a lyrical melodic line that allows easy jump-off points for solos for the piano and vibraphone. Jeremy Allen’s bass and Jason Tiemann’s drums are brilliantly complementary.

Zebra Dreams, by Allee, is a bit of cool swing. In tandem and apart, Sisto and Allee are brilliant artists. Jeremy Allen’s bass solo is nicely hookish and so well in step with the melody. The theme is direct and straight-ahead and the rhythm section drives it forward.

Another Sisto original, Blue Planet, follows. It is a cool blues with Sisto’s vibes and Allee’s piano working all the right angles. Tiemann puts on a blues drum clinic and catches the attention. Sisto and Allee finish the piece in unison. Cool, cool number.
Allee’s Conversation with Bill is as lush as Bill Evans could have wanted. It is a showcase for Steve Allee’s lyricism and he takes the space made for him and lights your hair on fair. Dick Sisto takes his own turn in answer and responds cleanly and smartly. If I wasn’t hooked before, I was by now. Not just by the two principals but by all four members of the quartet. These guys smoke.

No Time Like Now (Sisto, comp.) jumps at you from the opening bass line. Vibes and piano work it together and open a door for Jeremy Allen’s bass solo. I love the way these guys work together. There is a synergy—even a telepathy—that comes from long hours playing together. I found myself wanting to concentrate on one or the other but kept being pulled between to where the action was. Multiple hearings kept my attention alive and captivated. Jason Thiemann does not disappoint on this, or any other, track.

Bill Evans’ Only Child—the only cover on the album—was a labor of love and respect and it shows in every way. Both Sisto and Allee take on the melody with such delicacy and tenderness. There is an appreciation, even a reverence, for the original material that allows them to recreate but not reiterate what Evans himself did. A splendid treatment.

Sisto’s Retroactive is a tightly swinging piece. It is a great piece to follow what went before. As excellent as this quartet is as musicians, the mastery of composition exhibited by Sisto and Allee should not be overlooked. These guys craft works of brilliance. Tiemann has a brief but hot drum solo and sells it.

Silver Cloud, by Steve Allee, has cool tempo changes and some broken rhythms that grab you by the ears. It is a straight-up Jazz piece that offers room for great solos from bass and drums as Sisto and Allee hold the melody. A fun piece.

The album ends with Dick Sisto’s Free Bird (not that one). Sisto finishes the album with fire and flare…and flair. Allee’s piano is lively and energetic and the whole quartet is in lock-step.

The Dick Sisto/Steve Allee Quartet is a well-established and sought-after live group who has brought that energy and creativity fast and forward on Earth Tones. The smoking rhythms, the crafty compositions, the electrifying melodies are all brought to bear here. These are artists to be cherished and admired and, without a doubt, enjoyed.



        ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

Delightfully often, and this gives me great hope for the future of our beloved Jazz, there are recordings that grab you from the opening measures and refuse to let you go. Musings, the debut album from Christopher Zuar Orchestra, is just such an album.

Zuar got his musical start on trumpet but while studying at the New England Conservatory of Music, he soon switched from a trumpet major to composition. As evidenced on Musings, the Jazz world offers a collective “thank the stars” for his decision.

His education is top-flight and his instructors have had a great and ongoing influence on him. Some have even contributed to this album. Mike Holober, Zuar’s mentor, is the producer and Frank Carlberg, with whom he studied composition at NEC, is the pianist. The rest of the line-up is a rousing list of brilliant artists that includes personal favorites like Pete McCann on guitar, Lucas Pino on tenor sax, Mat Jodrell on trumpet and several more—19 in all.

Zuar composes all but one of the pieces on the album, that being Egberto Gismonti’s 7 Anéis. His musings take the form of introspection and retrospection and even a look to the future. In all, then, Christopher Zuar takes us on a personal tour of where he has been, is and is going.

There are moments that are incredibly touching and tender and moments that tweak your nose. Through it all, one comes to see Zuar and also to see oneself in the experience. The Musings of Zuar allow us to muse upon our own experiences. And we should be grateful for both.

The album opens with Remembrance. It is Zuar thinking on family, childhood and places of fond memory. The Carlberg piano opens with Dave Pietro on alto sax joining quickly. The full-bodied sound of the horns paints a bright picture of warmth and affection. Pietro is reflective and, often, sweet. Drummer Mark Ferber also catches the attention in his inflective playing.
One song in. You’re hooked.

Chaconne follows after with its nod and a wink to J.S. Bach’s counterpoint. In fact, Zuar takes Bach’s style and sets them in a rather fluid structure. The opening motif catches the ear in its singular simplicity which is transferred from the piano to the woodwinds and horns as the piano offers a Jazz counterpoint. The woodwinds take up the motif against the horns. The piano-bass-drums take center for a few bars and Carlberg, John Hébert and Ferber make the most of the moment. An elegant, beautiful work.

Vulnerable States is a bit of existential chaos that is incredibly rewarding. Jo Lowry makes her first appearance with her excellent vocal control and expression. Carlberg on piano is as cool as you want him to be. Ben Kono on alto sax gets a hot spotlight. The piece is exciting and expressive and Hébert and Ferber get in some of their best work on it.

But—Good Lord!—the arrangement for the horns and winds and their performance of it is intoxicating. The piano and bass closing is captivating.

Ha! (Joke’s on You) sounds like something Miles Davis might have cooked up in the Tutu days and trumpeter Mat Jodrell gets to carry that voice. Again, Hébert and Ferber turn up the groove. Enter Pete McCann with his beyond-Allan-Holdsworth-guitar phrasings. He shows again and again why he is so admired. The piece is intense and fun and a bit…sarcastic. Love it.

So Close, So Far Away is deliciously melancholy. The wonderful solo from tenor saxophonist Jason Rigby is warm but anguished as the winds and horns respond to his call. So well-written, the piece is as cathartic as Aristotle desired good drama to be. It is emotional without being maudlin, rather it is purifying in its raw power.

Anthem has the straight-forward precision and power of the US Marine Corps Band. It is themed on perseverance and Matt Holman’s flugelhorn sets the tone splendidly. Jo Lowry brings her vocals to bear again and John Hébert gets a great turn on his bass solo. Pietro (soprano) and Kono (alto) grab attention once again.

It is heady, even lofty, but it is determined. At moments, there is even a reverence and that only drives the point home.

Lonely Road is the penultimate track. It is an exercise in simplicity, written while Zuar sat at the piano and watched the transformation of Bleecker Street in New York’s Greenwich Village. Things do not, cannot, remain the same. The Laws of Physics declare it to be so and the currents of culture goran in affirmation. So says Lonely Road.

Zuar’s arrangement of Egberto Gismonti’s 7 Anéis closes the album. Frank Carlberg gets to take the lead and proves on of the reasons why he is so important to Christopher Zuar. Jo Lowry adds her spectacular vocals and Jason Rigby (clarinet and soprano sax) gets to capture the spotlight again in this optimistic and encouraging piece. Again give a listen to Hébert and Ferber. Can’t get enough of those guys.

Composed, arranged and conducted by Christopher Zuar, Musings is an extraordinary look through the kaleidoscopic lens of Zuar’s life and talent. He captures and compels emotions. He freeze-frames and focuses his outlook (and ours) on the surroundings that encircle us all. His music and his message are life-affirming and he enthralls us with his breathing in and out of the spirit of “yes.”



~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl