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Takeshi Asai – The Electric Project – Vol. 2

6/24/2021

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Takeshi Asai remains one of the most creative Jazz cats around. Whether it is performing with his French Trio or his New York Solo Piano gigs or his Electric Projects, he never stays still and certainly is never predictable. It’s one of the many aspects of Takeshi that we love. Takeshi Asai remains one of the most creative Jazz cats around. Whether it is performing with his French Trio or his New York Solo Piano gigs or his Electric Projects, he never stays still and certainly is never predictable. It’s one of the many aspects of Takeshi that we love.

In this, Electric Project - Vol.2, Takeshi was concerned with sounding “weird.” The results could not be more defiant of that description, unless “weird” means adventurous, surprising, invigorating, romantic, emotional.

The album begins with 
Thralldom Jazz Dance which Takesi dedicates to B Flat Tribeca, the club that is home away from home for Takeshi and his New York Trio. Takeshi himself describes the song by saying, “We live in the computer age, don't we? In the time of pandemic, the internet was the most potent tool to get connected to the world, yet I felt that I was locked in a cage. How can I make technology your friend? Here is my answer.”

With electronic sounds in the intro and throughout the song, the melody carried forward by the keyboards is thrilling and memorable. The electronic drums are intriguing against the rhythms of the electronic pulses.

The Second Song
 is Takeshi’s run at down tempo “in the style of electric music, with the emphasis of low bass.” The call and response of the keyboards and bass are riveting. The layered textures build and subside before the cool keyboards.

I Say It's All Right
 is the ongoing message of Takeshi to his lovely wife, Sanae, regarding the strangeness of our new world. Takeshi calls it an “accidental groove” that came and he captured. The message is hopeful and loving, no matter what the world hurls at us, it’s all right. The melody is hopeful and reassuring, like the man Takeshi himself is.

Son Ange
 is “His Angel” in French. It was and is Takeshi’s wedding gift to my wife, Nicole, and me. In Takeshi’s words, “I met this Jazz journalist, Travis Rogers Jr. He married a beautiful lady, who looks like an angel. Then, this song came out.” The song was played in our wedding to the delight of everyone who heard it. When Takeshi first sent it to me, he said, “I left the final chords unresolved, so the happiness goes on forever.” No words of mine can describe the paired beauty of Takeshi’s song and my Nicole.

Une Autre
 is dedicated to the soprano Christina Collier. Takeshi calls it “a side product from other song in this album called December. When my wife and I were in Paris, we visited La Basilique du Sacre Coueur de Montmartre on a cold but fine Sunday morning in winter. As we stepped the glorious cathedral, a big choir started singing. We became speechless. I hear a fascinating music that is made of perfect balance between classical and modern. Years later, when we were in French Riviera in summer, our friend and soprano singer Christiana Collier and I shared the love for the sacred music. I wrote this song for a homage to French sacred music and Christina.”

The electronic vocalizations are breathtaking.


Hardly in a Morning Sunrise
 came out of “a weird bass sound” that Takeshi created in Native Instrument's Massive. He laid down a dance beat which he called Four on Floor. He dedicated this song for the city of New York and to Mr. and Mrs. Torrella. The song sounds like a New York cityscape. It is metropolitan, cool, and busy.

L'Extension
 is the extension of a song written for film but, seeing how much he liked it, Takeshi extended the tune to great effect. The piano Jazz effect is spot on and mesmerizing with its bent notes and straight-ahead rhythms. The song is dedicated “to the best cat in the world whose name is Maxou and to his owner and cellist, my French teacher Alexandra Livernet.” Takeshi also requests “Alex, please play the song to Maxou.” You have to love a guy who dedicates a song to a cat.
Three Dirges I begins a requiem for double-bassist Marc Peillon. Takeshi explains, “When my wife and I were vacationed in Cote d'Azur in 2019, my friend and fabulous soprano, Christina Collier invited me to a party in her new home in Villefranche. To my deep honor, she has arranged a performance with great French double-bassist, Marc Peillon. Thanks to his superb ears and virtuosity, we had so much fun playing together. To more honor for me, he invited me to play a concert in that beautiful village the following summer. Then, pandemic hit the world. Not only the performance was cancelled but he has passed away. I was left speechless and I am still so today.

Monsieur Marc Peillon, I wrote a requiem for you. Your gentle smile and caring heart will be remembered
.” The theme is sad and more than a little haunting. The piano carries the precise emotion and memory of the dirge.

Three Dirges II
 continues with an upper register reflection with a simple but deep melodic line that is full of anguish and longing.

Three Dirges III
 concludes the requiem and brings a conclusion to the suite in final repose. It is a remarkable and loving reminiscence on a life well-lived. The minimalist touches are almost raw-nerved in their sadness.

Haruka Mukashi
 means "long time ago" in Japanese. Takeshi explains, “In my memory, chronology is twisted, events are redefined, and the detail is forgotten. What a relief!” The steady mark of time is punctuated with episodes of sound without an always inevitable progression. The occasional dis-chord focuses the discord of memory. A brilliant piece.

Soundtrack
 was commissioned by Shintaro Ueyama, a phenomenal photographer and videographer and a kind and honorable man. Ueyama is based in New York City and photographs incredible moon-between-the-skyscrapers scenes. Takeshi was asked to write for Ueyama’s video projects. Takeshi describes, “This film was about a year in the peril in NY. Then the lockdown was in effect, the city was dark and violent, but good New Yorkers remained positive and looked for the bright moments. The music covers the short Spring, limited Summer, beautiful Autumn and the snow. It's a praise for the city of NY.” It is the longest piece on the album and evokes images just as Takeshi describes.

Hope 2.0
 is a return to the hope that was lost in the sadness and madness of the pandemic year. Takeshi admits to the need to “recharge” his hope. The droning electronic rhythm sets the backdrop to a time of near-despair that desperately needed the resurging piano melody.

December
 is a description of what Takeshi calls, “one of the darkest, coldest and loneliest months I have ever experienced. In the studio where I was alone, my mind went to the summer days in Europe, where church bells were ringing, a choir singing, the tradition of music roaring. Musically speaking, I wanted to ignore and destroy all the rules, section harmonies and structures to make a collage in which a lot of short memories come and go, just what my mind was like.” The song opens with the sound of church bells followed by the abstract tones of a choir. The often-disjointed piano riffs and the dissonant interpretation of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy is terribly, sadly sardonic. The song concludes with the fading church bells.

Hidamari
 is a poetic Japanese word for "tiny sunny spot in Winter." Takeshi says, “One of our best friend couple came to visit us on a beautiful Winter afternoon. I wanted to give them a gift. This is it. She liked it and named it. I am so glad that I could finally record the song.” It is a fitting, hopeful, and beautiful way to close the album.

There is nothing “weird” about 
The Electric Project – Vol.2. It is filled with moments of pure emotion, reflections on confusion, wondrous love, friendship, and overcoming. Takeshi Asai is a wonder and this album proves it with every moment, every note, every tear.
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                     ~Travis Rogers, Jr. The Jazz Owl
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Tanya Dennis – White Sails Blue Skies

6/24/2021

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Tanya Dennis is an accomplished vocalist, guitarist, violinist, and composer(ist).

Tanya describes her latest album White Sails Blue Skies as “truly a work created for water people, music to sail by.” And there you have it. Being born in Florida and raised on the Atlantic Coast of South Florida, this album is like a homecoming.

She says, “I have been particularly drawn to Brazilian, ethnic fusion and Latin music since the 1980s.  When Toots Thielemans (my greatest musical influence), released his ‘Brazil Project’, I was hooked, both on Toots and the music.  Just before White Sails Blue Skies was finished, I contacted Toots and asked him to be my guest star on this project. Sadly, he had just retired and passed a short while later.

“White Sails Blue Skies is a manifestation of all the years of listening to these genres and 10 years on the water.” She has dedicated the album to Toots Thielemans.

Truthfully, Tanya’s compositions remind me of the words of Michel Legrand whom I adore. The music is moving and touching, romantic and reflective. Seven of the nine tracks were written by Tanya and all nince tracks were arranged and produced by Tanya herself.

Joining her multi-instrumental self is Jim Ferguson on bass, David Martin on nylon-stringed guitar, Billy Panda and Matt Berry on acoustic guitar, Dann Sherril and Noah Huntgate on percussion, Scott Halgren on piano, John Richards on electric and acoustic guitars, and the great Hendrik Meurkens on chromatic harmonica.

She effortlessly navigates the waters between tango, Carib music, and Jazz and she gives respect and light to every note she sings and plays. There is no one with whom to compare Tanya. She is her own and she wears it well.

When seeing the title Chiaroscura, you immediately think of the art style that contrasts light and shade. Tanya got the inspiration for this song by watching the moonlight playing on the water. It is a work of great depth and leads nicely into Till You which is about the fulfilment of finding one’s destined lover.

The mood turns over with Slow Reckless Tango and its story of unanswered love. But the optimism returns with White Sails and the rediscovery of ourselves. It is lush and luxurious. This one had me coming back for more.

With more songs about scoundrels, loved ones, and beautiful places, the album itself is easily lovable.

Tanya’s voice is soothing and revealing, warm and wonderful. She delivers on the moods she seeks to evoke. The band interprets it all seamlessly for her.

White Sails Blue Skies is a tribute to sea and sky, love and longing, and Toots Thielemans.
 
 
                                  ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Chris Saunders is Dancing with the Widow St. James

6/24/2021

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Dancing with the Widow St. James is the latest album by the Chris Saunders band. It is the bands 2nd album following their 2016 release outside my window. But Sanders is not a sophomore artist, he has released three other studio albums of all original music with other musicians under the name big skin starting back in 2000.

Sanders plays cornet and trumpet, is an excellent singer, and a superb songwriter. His vocals put you in mind of Dr. John and his composing puts you in mind of any soulful singer-songwriter you can think of. In other words, he composes like the best of the best.

Lined up with Saunders is drummer Michael Aragon, bassist Bob Fordyce, and percussionist Luis Carbo. And these fellas can cook. Ken Cook is the pianist/organist who co-founded the band.

The album contains both originals, co-written with pianist Ken Cook, and a good mix of covers. The covers are not all hits or standards but are perfectly chosen to suit Saunders’ vocals and the band's artistry. In fact, he opens with Percy Mayfield’s River’s Invitation. What a perfect opening. You get to hear everyone of the band at their job and they bring the listener and anticipation of what is to follow. And they do not disappoint.

From ballads like Cecil Gant’s I Wonder to the deep bluesy Am I Blue by Akst and Clarke—written in 1929 and used in four movies that year, 42 total movies since—to the early Rock of Chris Kenner’s Life is a Struggle, Saunders just owns them all. And through it all, his horn playing is stunning and soulful. Think of Louis Armstrong.

Ken Cook is a brilliant pianist and co-composer with Saunders and the rhythm section of Fordyce, Aragon, and Carbo is top-flight. If you’re looking for the white soul of Michael Bolton, thank God, this ain’t it. Think of all the great music from New Orleans and Chicago and you’ve got the right idea.

Dancing with the Widow St. James
, the title track, is worth the price of admission on its own merits. But the other originals like Butterflies and Chicken Wings, Lighting and a Feather, and Low Tide Rising on a Devil Wind are just spectacular.

​There isn’t a weak moment on the album. Being a huge fan of Dr. John, I felt right at home from the beginning. I mean, I loved every moment of it.
 
 
 
                                   ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Dave Flippo's  Dedications – Jazz from Planet Flippo

6/23/2021

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Here was an interesting idea. Pianist, composer, and vocalist Dave Flippo told his bandmates that he wanted to write a song for each of them on his new album, Dedications—Jazz from Planet Flippo. He took their answers to heart, whether it was writing a 4/4 waltz or a song about a giraffe or making some barbeque or about house finches in the bird feeders. The results, as you might guess, are both fascinating and fun. This is Dedications – Jazz from Planet Flippo.

Dedications is Flippo’s sixth CD as a leader, following a five-year interlude since his last album Life on Mars in 2016. As with every band, there have been lineup changes over the years but that does not keep Flippo from pursuing his prolific musical interests. The band he now plays with is called Jazz from Planet Flippo and features top-flight Jazz artists from Chicago including bassist Donn De Santo, saxophone and flute man Dan Hesler, drummer Heath Chappell with a guest performance from percussionist Aras Biskis.

Of the 11 tracks on the album, eight are originals from Flippo and three are covers that have undergone the distinctive Flippo arrangement. Those three covers are from, respectively, Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse, and Radiohead. See what I mean about prolific musical interests?

The album opens with Too High by Stevie Wonder with Flippo adding his own twists and reharmonizations with Jazz chords.
Amy Winehouse’s Rehab features a hot New Orleans groove and Radiohead's Karma Police was requested by one of Flippo’s students. The results are fascinating and breathe new life or, I should say, Jazz life into these popular songs. Rehab is a fine turn of a Jazz phrase. Hesler takes ownership of the piece and the bridge is described by bassist Donn De Santo as “Makin’ some barbecue.” Tasty.

As brilliant as the new arrangements are, it is Flippo’s own compositions that draw the most attention. Whether it is Finch House—which describes in very vivid terms the fluttering finches and was dedicated to his daughter in law Anh Pham—or Giraffe Trek dedicated to Dan Hesler and features Afro-Cuban rhythms that evoke images of galloping giraffes across open savannahs, Flippo delivers well on his promises to his bandmates, students, and loved ones. Hesler’s saxophone on that track is brilliant and the rhythms from Chappell and Biskis are mesmerizing. Flippo’s piano is rich and cool.

Third Eye Open
is dedicated to Donn De Santo and features the long, but not tortured, development “toward the goal of completing a full harmonic circle.” It is a brilliant piece that has won a place in my heart. Freewheelin’ was dedicated to Flippo’s son, Gabriel. It is another fascinating piece with gorgeous harmonic excursions.

Syrtotic
is for Aras Biskis who requested a “Greek jig” and Flippo responded wrote the tune in 14 with a palindromic beat of 1,2-1,2-1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2-1,2. The piano and soprano sax passages are so cool against such a hot rhythm. The strange meters continue with Four-Four Waltz, dedicated to Alan Swain. You’ve got to love the sax and piano solos. Donn De Santo gets a cool bass solo along the way.

Melissa Leeb, Flippo’s wife, is the inspiration for Spring Joy. It is bouncy and lively, like Spring after a northern Winter. A swinging number that features great rhythms from Heath Chappell and he carries that right into Metamorphosis, the album’s closer. Chappell opens with great cymbal work before being joined by Flippo’s melodica. Flippo explains, Heath “wanted to be out of time with the band and explore different meters. The resulting piece has a somewhat epic story line with the drummer as the central character.” Beginning with rebellious youth, the story moves into a stage of learning from masters, who follow the youth with constant conversation. The song and album end with simple and sweet conversation.

Dedications—Jazz from Planet Flippo
is a marvel. The instrumental artistry is exemplary and the composing and arranging is brilliant. Dave Flippo is a wonder and the music tells you everything you need to know.
 
 
                                 ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Mahogany Frog find themselves In the Electric Universe

6/23/2021

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If sweet melodies and 4/4 time is what you’re about, Mahogany Frog’s In the Electric Universe is not what you’re looking to find. But if you are fascinated by cool rhythms, wide open soundscapes, precision and drive…come aboard.

This is the seventh studio of the band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and this one was six years in the birthing. It represents a departure from the trodden path of Mahogany Frog but the results are outstanding and intoxicating.

The band was founded in 1998 when Graham Epp and Jesse Warkentin teamed up with bassist Nathan Loewen. The next year, drummer Jean-Paul Perron joined them bringing his expertise in looping and sampling with him. What started in psychedelia continued through the realms of krautrock even as new members Shaun Mason (bass), Jordan Perry (keyboards) and Mike Spindloe (sax) joined and Loewen departed. Scott Ellenberger would replace Mason on bass in 2003. Eventually, Andy Rudolph would replace Peron on drums and give us the line-up for In the Electric Universe: Epp, Warkentin, Ellenberger, and Rudolph.

In the Electric Universe is both a departure and a fulfilment of all that has gone before for Mahogany Frog.

Theme from P.D.
opens the album and the often-hidden melody is surrounded by intense and intriguing soundscapes and loops with cool keyboards and rhythms. It is a tasty introduction to the whole album. CUbe then sees the development of the riveting rhythms with a cooler, heavier display of what Ozric Tentacles or the Chemical Brothers once pronounced. The ever-shifting waves of sound with some captivating hooks and a blistering groove makes you immediately want to rediscover their catalogue for yourself.

(((Sundog))) is an adventure in loops and detached harmonic riffs. The keyboards and guitars are expansive and wide-ranging. Sundogs are colored spots of light that develop due to the refraction of light through ice crystals. They are located approximately 22 degrees either left, right, or both, from the sun, depending on where the ice crystals are present. I have seen the event twice and it has always been on a bitterly cold morning. This song of the same name is a marvelous sonic depiction of the occurrence with cold them and symmetrical rhythms. Brilliant.

Psychic Police Force
begins with a sonic psionic blast that evokes an image of sirens. It turns into a furiously exciting and memorable melodic line with smoking hot rhythms and changes. There are great hooks scattered throughout the track. It is followed by Floral Flotilla (Sail to Me My Love in Your…) with more lyrical lines but as fascinating as anything on the album. The vocal intonations are abstract but mix in so well with the instrumental excursions. The distorted guitar passages are raw but still harness come beautifully harmonic phrases.

The album concludes with Octavio (Including: The Ascension of the Moonrise Children) and may be the most melodic piece on the CD. The rhythms are straightforward and the melodies are excellent. After an abstract interlude, the melodic lines bring the album towards it conclusion.

Mahogany Frog’s In the Electric Universe is brilliant—both entertaining and enlightening. One thing is certain—amidst all the virtuosity and complexity, they never lose is their playful intelligence. This is an album to be relished without expectations. Just let it happen.
 
 
                            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Stephan Thelen's Fractal Guitar 2

6/17/2021

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The horrible year of 2020 was nonetheless a time of great creativity and artistic expression. So it was with Stephan Thelen’s Fractal Guitar 2. From the man who is a self-described composer, guitarist, and mathematician, Fractal Guitar 2 indeed creates a sonic equivalent to fractal geometry.

Thelen describes the making of the album in these terms: “The making of this album, the successor to the first Fractal Guitar album, has been quite an adventure during quite a unique time in history. The journey started (although I didn’t know it at the time) on November 2, 2019 in Oakland, California, when Henry, Chris, Andy and I were recording tracks at MegaSonic studio. When I returned to Zürich, the world as we knew it soon changed drastically due to the quickly spreading Coronavirus. While it was a time to rethink the values that had governed our lives, it was also (thanks to the wonders of the internet) a disguised opportunity to record an album in lockdown.”

With artists like Markus Reuter on touch guitar U8, and soundscapes, David Torn on electric guitar and live looping, Jon Durant, Henry Kaiser, Chris Muir and Bill Walker on electric guitar, lap steel, live looping, and feedback, Barry Cleveland on 6- and 12-string guitars and filtered guitar, Fabio Anile on keyboards. Stefan Huth on touch guitar AU8 (bass), Andy West on bass, Andi Pupato on percussion, Andy Brugger and Manuel Pasquinelli on drums, Stephan Thelen himself takes on the electric guitar, choppy organ, granular synth, and programming. It is a line-up worthy of rapt attention.

Thelen participated in the Guitar Craft Seminars with Robert Fripp and it shows. Add Markus Reuter, David Torn, and the others and you have the recipe for intelligent and intriguing music.

The music is more than ambient, the precise rhythms, the discernible melodies, and the incredible harmonics make this an album to be heard and heard closely. This isn’t something to play in the background as you wash the cat.

The presence of Markus Reuter and David Torn is unmistakable and drummers Andy Brugger and Manuel Pasquinelli, with Andi Puppato’s percussion, make for fascinating rhythms. While the supporting guitarists lay down the cool soundscapes, Stephan Thelen himself works his wicked magic with guiitars and keyboards.

Cosmic Krautrock
carries the exactitude of your daddy’s krautrock but the exploration and adventure of this company makes it cosmic. Fractal Guitar 2, the title track, features Walker on the lap steel and Durant on the fretless guitar. The idiosyncratic nature of those instruments adds great fascination and startling beauty to the piece.

Mercury Transit
is one of the most rhythmically interesting pieces on the album and the keyboards and bowed guitar are of great interest. Thelen’s stratospheric guitar is brilliant. Then Ladder to the Stars gets a good bass line from Andy West and the undeniable Markus Reuter soundscapes set the stage for remarkable insertions from Thelen and the rest. Celestial Navigation is the apt description of the music. This is a work of art, for certain. It is harmonic, melodic, and completely mesmerizing. At least, it was for me.

The album closes with Point of Inflection. Stephan Thelen definitely leaves it all on the field with this one. His frenetic and fascinating guitar work over the fine rhythm section is infectious. The piece moves between raw and sophisticated and every avenue is well-explored.

Fractal guitar 2
is the brainchild of Stephan Thelen but the inimitable styles of Reuter and Torn and the others gives the discerning listener an opportunity to hear the influences of all these masters. It is certainly a mathematician’s album and the intricacy and beauty is intoxicating.
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Dewa Budjana's Naurora

6/17/2021

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MoonJune Records consistently ranks in the top five of readers’ polls for best record label of any given year. Most of the reason is the astonishing collection of talent who now call themselves MoonJunistas—not only musicians but producers, journalists, podcast hosts, and so much more.

Another reason is that Leonardo MoonJune Pavkovic has traveled the globe in search of “undiscovered” talent. One of those discoveries was Indonesian guitarist and composer Dewa Budjana. His current album Naurora is just the latest example of his incredible musical prowess. He has released several albums with MoonJune and his band Gigi constantly plays to packed concert venues with record sales in the millions.

Yet another reason for MoonJune’s success is the combination of artists into trios, quartets, and more that become truly greater than the sum of their parts. Dewa has teamed with the likes of Tohpati, Balawan, Ridho, Abdee Negara, from Indonesia. He has also collaborated with international musicians such as Vinnie Colaiuta, John Frusciante, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Johnson, Antonio Sanchez, Joe Locke, Gary Husband, Jack DeJohnette, Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess, and Bob Mintzer. Heavy-hitters, one and all.

On Naurora¸ he is again teamed with Gary Husband (piano, keyboards) and Jimmy Johnson (bass) but also with bassists Carlitos Del Puerto and Ben Williams, drummers Dave Weckl and Simon Phillips, Joey Alexander on acoustic piano, Mateus Asato on guitar, and Paul McCandless on soprano sax. Imee Ooi makes an appearance on vocals. With a line-up like this, they can play Country & Western and it would still sound amazing.

But, thank heavens, they don’t. No, the five songs on Naurora are all composed and arranged by Dewa Budjana himself.

The title track, Naurora, opens the album and features Joey Alexander on piano, Carlitos Del Puerto on bass, and Simon Phillips on drums with vocalizations by Imee Ooi. Joey and Dewa introduce the song with Simon Phillips soon joining in alongside Carlitos. The guitar is meditative and reflective before turning aggressive. Joey Alexander proves that he can play anything and his Jazz licks are brilliant here.

Swarna Jingga
sees the inimitable Dave Weckl on drums and Jimmy Johnson on bass. Mateus Asato gives a funky guitar intro and adds a cool solo. But, as always, it’s Dewa who steals the show. The arrangement is just so cool and hearing these Jazz/Progressive masters together is a work of art.

Kmalasana
sees the return of Carlitos Del Puerto and Simon Phillips in trio with Dewa. The slower tempo number allows for more tonal expression and this is the trio to make it happen at its best. Dewa isn’t just the blistering guitar shredder, he is a master of phrasing and tonality.

Sabana Shanti
features Joey Alexander again, Ben Williams on the upright bass, Dave Weckl on drums, and Paul McCandless beautiful soprano sax. The song is a sweet melody and the piano and soprano sax work exquisitely with Dewa’s guitar to create a winsome tune. Weckl can play as melodically as anyone and he proves it here.

Blue Mansion
is a return to the virtuosity and rhythms that have endeared Dewa Budjana to his millions of listeners. With Carlitos Del Puerto on bass, Gary Husband on piano and synthesizers, and Simon Phillips on drums, Blue Mansion is an excellent way to wrap an album. I love the way Dewa composes and arranges. A master, if ever there was one.

Naurora
is Dewa Budjana and company right on time and on track. The writing is inspired and innovative and the performances from everyone on board are pure gold. Dewa never, ever disappoints.
 
                        ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Judy Wexler goes Back to the Garden

6/17/2021

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What a nice surprise! I have always admired—let’s face it, LOVED—Judy Wexler’s Jazz albums and her unique vocals that make the Jazz really come alive. When I saw her latest album is titled Back to the Garden, my first thought was “Like in the Joni Mitchell song? Nah.”
Boy, was I wrong! This is exactly what the song and the album are. Not just Joni Mitchell (although she gets two song credits in the track list) but Bob Dylan (twice) and Paul Simon, Judy Collins, and Stephen Stills, along with other songs that were to be heard on everyone’s radios in the 1960s and beyond.

Is this a departure from Judy Wexler’s Jazz roots? Not in the least, as Judy continues her Jazz stylings with songs that are well-suited to her vocals. She knows how to pick ‘em.

She also knows how to pick the musicians. First is pianist and longtime pal Jeff Colella. Then there’s the amazing guitarist Larry Koonse, bass player Gabe Davis, and drummer Steve Hass, more old pals with whom Wexler has performed and recorded often and well. Along with this core band are Bob Thiele, Jr. on electric and baritone guitars, Danny Janklow on alto sax, Jay Jennings on trumpet, and harmonica handler Hendrik Meurkens. Violinist Sara Caswell is featured on one song, and a string section comprising violinists Joel Pargman and Carrie Kennedy, viola player Rodney Wirtz, and cellist Stefanie Fife make appearances on three tracks.

The Youngbloods’ hit Get Together by Chet Powers (stage name Dino Valenti from Quicksilver Messenger Service) leads off the album. If you’re looking for a song that could be an anthem of our own time, this is it. That gets followed by the optimistic hit from the Drifters, Up on the Roof. It is a fine follow-up to Get Together with its visions of hope.

Paul Simon’s American Tune follows and then on to Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. By now you realize that Judy is painting a picture of our era, using the brushes of a half-century ago.

Stephen Stills’ For What It’s Worth (originally performed by the Buffalo Springfield) is and always has been a clarion call to awareness and action. It is excellently arranged and Collela’s piano is just menacing enough alongside the strident drumming of Hass’ drums. Nice touch with Koonse’s cool guitar.

Then come the Dylan tunes The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Forever Young. As a Bob Dylan fan and a Judy Wexler fan, nothing could have pleased me more than to hear one musical icon sing the music of another musical icon. Again, it is optimism and hope of our collective hearts that conquers the despair and despondency of the forces of oppression. I was listening to Judy sing The Times They Are A-Changin’ when she sent me a message announcing that President Biden had signed the bill making Juneteenth a National Holiday. The times they are, indeed, a-changin’.

Judy closes the album with Sandy Denny’s Who Knows Where the Time Goes. It is a sweet and sad reflection on the all-too-quick passage of time. Weren’t we just protesting this or that? And here we are still raising our voices against injustice. Our loves and our passions may remain, but time goes by so very rapidly. Still, we persevere.

Judy Wexler’s Back to the Garden proves the power of endurance. Music endures and our struggles for justice and mercy endures. The same songs, sung by different voices, are just as important as they ever were.
                                           
                                                       But let justice roll down like waters,

                                                and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
                                                                           Amos 5:24

 
 
  
             ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Anaȉs Reno's Debut Album - Lovesome Thing

6/16/2021

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Joey Alexander isn’t the only Jazz prodigy around. Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Anaȉs Reno, vocalist extraordinaire and possessing the soul of one born to sing Jazz. Her incredible debut album is Lovesome Thing: Anaȉs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn. The superlatives that come to mind still fall short of accurately describing the grace, sophistication, and heart of this 16-year-old phenomenon.

It is not just her vocal abilities—which are incredible—but her ability to accurately interpret songs and their lyrics with the aplomb of a Sarah Vaughan. She can be witty and wise, warm and absolutely wonderful. All from a young woman who started singing at Birdland’s open mic night at the age of 12 years old. At 13, she was a leader. At 15, she decided to record her debut album. Having already performed a Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn tribute at Birdland, and having such a natural feel for their music, her mother suggested her debut album be entirely of Ellington/Strayhorn compositions.

That’s good news for us. Who doesn’t adore Billy and the Duke? She says, “I can’t imagine it being any other album. It’s a good representation of where I’m at musically and personally. The overall color of the album, a little sad, a little blue, a little romantic, is really me.”

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Gianni Valenti, owner of Birdland, helped Anaȉs recruit the right musicians. Emmet Cohen is an internationally renowned pianist and composer who has worked with some of the top names in the Jazz world. Let’s be honest, Emmet is one of the top names in the Jazz world. With Anaȉs and Emmet are bass player Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole. Anaȉs wanted to add depth and texture so Cohen asked saxophone player Tivon Pennicott to join the band for the album. Anaȉs’ mother, Juliet Kurtzman, added her violin on Mood Indigo and It’s Kind of Lonesome Out Tonight. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Juliet made her musical debut with the Houston Symphony at the age of 12.

The song selection is remarkable and plays right into the remarkable strengths of Emmet Cohen and the band. And Anaȉs is correct—the mood of the album is a bit melancholic and a little romantic. And a lot of wonderful moments.

Day Dream
is a wonder. Simply gorgeous but, then, everything about this album is. Caravan is still the smoking number we have all come to love and anticipate. I’m Just a Lucky So and So and I Ain’t Got Nothin’ but the Blues are exceptional runs and Pennicott makes some sweet and sad sax additions to really liven things up.

Mood Indigo
and Lush Life both just get you where it counts. Lush Life by Anaȉs is as good as any vocal version you’ve ever heard. I mean, Good Lord. And if opening the album with Caravan was an unexpected delight, so is the album’s closer, Take the ‘A’ Train. Emmet and the fellas are spot on but that is no surprise. Still, Emmet turns in some exciting piano runs. Then there is Anaȉs who takes this signature piece of Ellington/Strayhorn and she just owns it. Pennicott adds that hot sax again and Anaȉs’ scat vocalizations are as outstanding as anyone of our time. Her maturity is so much a part of her that you stop marveling at her young age and simply enjoy the ride of the whole album.

There’s the thing: early on, you stop marveling at her ageless maturity and you marvel at her vocal dexterity and her profound ability to interpret lyrics. With Emmet Cohen and this excellent band, Anaȉs is given the support to show her flawless talent. And there, in an instant, Lovesome Thing: Anaȉs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn became my favorite album of the year.
 
 
                              ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1

6/13/2021

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Rebecca Kilgore is a mainstay in the Portland, OR Jazz scene. Having lived in Portland for 10 years, I got the opportunity to see her perform on numerous occasions. She has worked and recorded with many of the region’s top Jazz artists and his gained the respect of everyone who knows her and listens to her. She has over 50 recordings as a leader or co-leader and now, with the release of The Rebecca Kilgore Trio-Volume 1, she takes on the Jazz format I like best.

As always, Rebecca has that smooth and nimble voice that allows her to interpret so much of the Great American Songbook. With The Rebecca Kilgore Trio-Volume 1, she and pianist extraordinaire Randy Porter and bassist Tom Wakeling offer their take on works from Duke Ellington to Rodgers & Hart to Dr. Seuss. And they just nail all of the 13 songs on the album. Coronet player Dick Titterington joins them on two of the songs.

Here’s the thing about the song selection: while written by composers of standards, the songs themselves are not all that well known but Rebecca and the guys should change all of that. I found myself humming the Dr. Seuss/Frederick Hollander tune Because We’re Kids.

Dear Bix
opens the album. Written by Frishberg, it is an imaginary talk between Bix Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael. Eddie Condon once described the Bix sound with “Beiderbecke took out a silver cornet. He put it to his lips and blew a phrase. The sound came out like a pretty girl saying yes.” Hoagy Carmichael named his son Hoagy Bix. That is the relationship and the impact of these two greats and Frishberg captures it all so well. But when Rebecca and the fellas work it over, it reaches new heights. Here’s one of those that should become a standard.

Johnny Mercer’s Day In – Day Out is a swinging piece in which Rebecca just turns on the charm. Then Dick Titterington’s cornet introduces Somebody Just Like You. Wakeling gets a sweet and low solo that pairs so well with Porter’s piano. Randy Porter is one of the top-tier in-demand musicians and you get to find out why on this, and every, track on the album.

Talking to Myself About You
is a gorgeous piece and one of my very favorites on the album. The song’s is written by Rebecca Kilgore herself and she delivers on both fronts—compositional and performance. I Wanna Get Married is just as fetching and Porter is the perfect partner for her here.

Titterington returns for Like the Brightest Star and plays well with Porter and Wakeling. The Gentleman is a Dope is by Rodgers & Hammerstein from the 1947 musical Allegro. There are only two recordings of that musical and the show itself was not well-received. Credit goes to Rebecca for finding this little-known beauty that the Trio takes into their ownership.

Rodgers and his other partner Lorenz Hart penned There’s a Small Hotel for the 1936 musical On Your Toes. It became a movie in 1939. The 1983 revival racked up a dozen awards. Again, the Trio works their own magic on the piece and give us a beauty of a rendition.

In 1953, the film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was released. It was the only feature film written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) who wrote the lyrics to Because We’re Kids. The opening stanza sings:
Now just because we're kids
Because we're sorta small
Because we're closer to the ground
And you're bigger pound by pound
You have no right
You have no right
To push and shove us little kids around.

Porter paints a beautiful picture as Rebecca washes over it with those gorgeous vocals.

Rebecca proves over and again that she can be funny and cool, sultry and warm. She can do it all and Porter and Wakeling are her willing accomplices in the merry-making. The Rebecca Kilgore Trio-Volume 1 is the latest in what we love about the charming singer—wit and warmth with so much intuition as to exactly what a song needs to enlighten and enliven the hearer.
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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