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David Janeway – Distant Voices

12/10/2021

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Pianist David Janeway has just released his third trio recording, Distant Voices. The album features Janeway's working trio with Billy Hart on drums and Cameron Brown on bass. On Distant Voices, Janeway looks back in tribute at the Jazz pianists who have influenced him all throughout his career. 
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Some of the selections were written in tribute to pianists like Herbie Hancock and Ahmad Jamal while others were written by composers that had pianists like Bill Evans and Duke Ellington to make them famous.

Sweet and Lovely (Gus Arnheim, composer) was covered by pianists from Thelonious Monk to Vince Guaraldi to Bill Evans to Cecil Taylor. Janeway brings his own sensibilities and talents to the standard and Brown and Hart add their own unique voices. Cameron Brown’s bass is worth special attention. He keeps you off-footed and it is great fun. The trio picks up a Latin rhythm in the last third of the piece and it works well. Pianist Hank Jones’ Minor Contention follows. Again, Brown takes over the Paul Chambers bass lines and the results are so fine. Janeway works over the drive of Billy Hart’s drumming beautifully. By the end of this, the second track, you are well aware that this is going to be a great trip.

Following Mercer Ellington’s Blue Serge, with its beautifully swaying melody and cool rhythms, Woody Shaw’s Moontrane, with its bounce and bop and propulsive rhythms, is Gary Peacock’s Gardenia. Peacock played with the best of them—Bill Evans, Paul Bley, and Keith Jarrett. The Peacock album, Guamba, which featured Gardenia as the closing track, was with Gary Peacock on bass, Peter Erskine on drums, Palle Mikkelborg on trumpet, and Jan Garbarek on saxes. There was no piano but the voices of the horns were perfectly suitable for Janeway’s version on piano. Still, Brown magnificently handles the Peacock basslines and the result is a delightful marvel.

Next comes the first of the Janeway originals and, honestly, this is what we have been waiting for. And they are worth the wait. One for Cedar is a tribute to Cedar Walton. Janeway says of Walton that he was “a prolific composer of consistently interesting tunes that are great vehicles for improvisation. He always plays meaningful, clear, articulate lines and is a master of comping.” Janeway nails it.

Freddie Hubbard’s Brigitte comes right after and Janeway takes to the Fender Rhodes like George Cables played on the Hubbard original. It is sweet and lilting, like the original, and Janeway and the fellas work it so well. 

Janeway brings up another original, Excursion, in honor of Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson. Janeway wanted “to include an up-tempo piece that would be more open and expansive with the freedom to improvise modally.” Once again, Janeway shoots and scores. This one deserves multiple replays. In Passing is another Janeway original and was actually composed in the 1990s but was brought back into light with the more seasoned view of what grief looks and feels like. It is melancholic without being too mournful, sad but not sickly, and all three of the trio are mindful of what Janeway had in mind.

Arthur Altman’s All Or Nothing At All is from John Coltrane’s album, Ballads. This was from 1963 with the finest group Coltrane ever put together. This cover is one of the highlights of Janeway’s album. Cameron Brown turns in a performance that would have made Jimmy Garrison proud and Billy Hart gets an extended solo that allows him to develop on what Elvin Jones started. But David Janeway takes the opportunity to show his admiration and affection for McCoy Tyner. This one is a treasure.

Pair that with Wayne Shorter’s Nefertiti and you’ve got a reason to stay home nights and listen to this album until the wee hours. The song was the title track of the Miles Davis album that featured Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Janeway returns to the Fender Rhodes and does the song great honor. In fact, all three artists give their own voice to the song and turn out a wonder.

The album closes with the Janeway original Movin’ On, a tribute to the passing of Larry Willis, the excellent Jazz pianist who had played in Blood, Sweat & Tears. The guy could play it all and Janeway shows that he can, as well.

Distant Voices is a remarkable recording from David Janeway, proving once again why he gets the call from greats like Benny Golson and Bobby Sanabria and performs at all the landmark Jazz spots in New York City and beyond. He is worth the attention.


                      ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

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Randal Clark – Imaginary World

12/4/2021

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Alto/tenor/soprano saxman Randal Clark has released his debut album, Imaginary World, and he has brought out the big guns to see it through. With Clark are Jeff Lorber, David Mann, and Scott Kinsey on keyboards, Gerald Albright, Mononeon, and Jimmy Haslip on bass (Jimmy also produces the album), Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Branly, Sonny Emory, and Gary Novak on drums, Michael Thompson, Mike Miller, and Jon Herington on guitars, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and a host of others. And they came to play.

The 11 tracks were composed by Clark, Lorber, Lorber and Clark, Lorber and Haslip, Clark and Scott Kinsey, and David Mann. The compositions are what you would expect from Lorber and this corps of musicians turn it all up a notch or two. I mean, Brecker, Haslip, and Colaiuta on the same track? Yeah, it’s worth the price of admission. But don’t let the assembled stars distract you; Randal Clark has the goods and he brings it all out as the titans raise him up on their shoulders.

Trailblazer (Jeff Lorber, composer) opens the album and it comes out breathing fire. Lorber is featured on bass, keyboards, and guitar and Gary Novak works the drums to drive the motion ever forward. Clark’s solo is a monster. He steals your attention from the start. With Lorber, Michael Thompson and Mike Miller tear up the guitars, as Howard Summers, Alec Clark, Randal, and David Mann make for a hot and bold horn section.

Daybreak (Lorber, comp.) is performed by the quartet of Clark, Lorber, Haslip, and Colaiuta. It’s not the pulse-pounder that you might expect from these four but it is a gorgeous piece of fine movement and texture. The pulse-pounding comes in the next track, Living Underground (Lorber) from the same quartet. Love that rhythm section of Vinnie and Jimmy!

Guitarist Michael Thompson gets a cool feature in Discovery (Lorber/Clark). Randal’s alto sax soars finely while Haslip is paired with drummer Jimmy Branly in the rhythm section. Thompson and Randal make excellent trades and the whole song is spot-on.

The group is shuffled again for Boulevard East (David Mann, comp.) with Randal, Jon Herington on guitar, David Mann on keyboards, Gerald Albright on bass, and Sonny Emory on drums. The slight Funk underneath Randal and Herington pushes the song nicely.

Randal composed Looking Back and the quartet of Randal, Scott Kinsey on keyboards, Jimmy Haslip on bass, and Jimmy Branly on drums is introduced by Randal on solo piano and joined by a smooth bass from Haslip. Randal then switches to soprano saxophone, his second and final appearance on the album with that, and the reminiscence is beautiful.

Time’s Arrow (Lorber/Jimmy Haslip, composers) brings the smoke. Everybody comes to play with Randal, Randy Brecker, Lorber, Colaiuta, Haslip, David Mann on saxes and flute, and five more Clarks (Ashlyn, Alec, Zane, Jace, and Tara—all Randal’s children) on flute, trumpets, and alto saxes to set it all on fire. Haslip and Colaiuta crush it, Randal and Brecker, work their magic and the Clark Clan spices it all up. You’ve got to love the trading between Randal and Brecker. As Randy Brecker said, “Imaginary World is right in the pocket, smokin’ all the way!”

The title track, Imaginary World (Randal Clark/Scott Kinsey, composers) closes the album. The quartet of Randal, Scott Kinsey on keyboards, Haslip on bass, and Branly on drums is a tight group. Kinsey turns in splendid keyboards and Randal’s alto sax is just like we like it. It is a hot closer to an excellent album.
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Imaginary World may be Randal Clark’s debut but it certainly doesn’t sound like it. With seasoned pros joining him, Clark closes 2021 with a bang. And then some.
 
 
                   ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Body & Soul by Alexander McCabe

12/4/2021

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Alexander McCabe is a brilliant saxophonist, pianist, and composer. He was a featured soloist with the Ray Charles Orchestra and has toured with the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band. You have almost certainly heard his music in the movies and on television.

Body and Soul is his sixth album as a bandleader and brings along masters of piano, bass, and drums to create a brilliant jazz quartet. It is Paul Odeh on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Craig Wuepper on drums. And while his previous albums were worthy of rapt attention, Body and Soul may be his best effort to date.

Even McCabe says of the album, “This is the best and most satisfying album I've done as a leader. It was fun working with these guys, because not only are they great musicians, but also very close friends. We had several rehearsals and they were all very involved with the musical/artistic process, they all contributed ideas that help make the music dynamic!”

The album of six tracks contains four McCabe originals. The two cover songs are definitely worth McCabe's re-imagining. The first is the title track, Body and Soul, the 1930 song by Johnny Green. McCabe’s alto sax is vibrant and nimble. Wuepper brush work is attentive and Odeh’s piano is understated but fitting.

The second cover is Countdown by John Coltrane, featured on his 1961 release Giant Steps. The song features the famous Coltrane changes and McCabe handles it all beautifully. Eschewing the 32-bar drum solo of the original, McCabe jumps right in with the alto sax and gets to work. It was the album closer and McCabe definitely left it all on the field.

The first McCabe original is Elena, a waltz played on soprano sax and named for his niece. It is a lovely piece with its swaying motion and swing from the whole quartet. That is followed by If I See Her, a slower-paced ballad that contains great riffs from Odeh on piano and beautiful alto sax work by McCabe.

Christi’s Day opens with a cool bounce from the piano to be joined by the riveting play of McCabe on the alto. It is a livelier piece that takes all the best from the whole quartet. Bass and drums drive the track relentlessly and Odeh again gets cool passes on the piano. Listen for Okegwo’s bass, not just on his solo. These fellas came to play.

Angela was named for Wuepper’s wife. It is an andante ballad that sounds like something Coltrane would have written. It is a beautiful work that bears many replays. McCabe’s alto sax is a treasure.

Alexander McCabe’s Body and Soul is, for me, the most remarkable outing in his six-album repertoire. It is warm and adventurous, deliberate but delicate, and it is a brilliant expression of who he is as a musician, a composer, and human being.
 
 
            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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Elena Maque – Feel Again

12/3/2021

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Elena Maque has just released her debut album, Feel Again. Born in Russia and educated at the Mussorgsky College of Music in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Elena has worked with fabulous musicians from across the globe. Some of them have joined her for Feel Again, including Scott Kinsey, the great keyboardist, Hadrien Feraud on bass, and Gary Novak on drums. They are joined by Leonardo Amuedo on guitar and Brad Dutz on percussion.

The album contains 11 tracks. six of those tracks are her own originals and three are fascinating reimaginings of classic Jazz, Pop, and Brazilian tunes—all instantly recognizable and beloved. Elena’s originals are so well constructed and are, as one would imagine, perfect for her vocals and saxophones. She is an excellent composer, a splendid musician, and an enchanting vocalist.

The album opens with her original Hey Friend. The cool groove features great rhythms and cool guitars plus Elena’s sweet and soulful vocals. Scott Kinsey is featured on the Fender Rhodes and it all comes together in extraordinary fashion. Alexey Nikolaev adds his tenor sax on the piece. Great start.

Next is the Jazz classic Lover Man by Jimmy David, Roger Ramirez, and James Sherman. It was written for Billie Holiday but Elena makes it her own with a bit more sultriness. Guitarist Leonardo Amuedo carves out his own space with a fine approach and then there’s that cool Fender Rhodes from Kinsey. But those Elena vocals! So fine.

Then she really turns it on for the Jobim classic, Girl from Ipanema. I can’t get enough of that song and Elena’s vocals and sax double-down on the enjoyment of it. Plus, Elena tackles both the English and Portuguese lyrics flawlessly. Somewhere Jobim is grinning.

The title track, Feel Again, an Elena original, follows. Novak and Feraud are tight in the pocket on this one. Kinsey’s piano is understated but spot-on. Again, something about the Russian approach to vowels makes her vocals absolutely intoxicating. There is a slight bend to the enunciation and it fits perfectly with Jazz. A splendid track.

The big surprise comes with Lennon and McCartney’s And I Love Her. The instrumentals are warm and—dare I say—seductive with Amuedo’s guitar creating a haunting atmosphere. As much as I want to pay attention to Elena’s sax, it is her singing that just grabs you. Listen to the way she intones That’s all I do… and you’ll hear the ever-so-slight bend of do.
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Weightless is the Elena original that is strictly instrumental. Her warm saxophone is perfectly paired with Darin Clendenin’s piano. The D’Vonne Lewis drums and Brad Dutz percussion are proof of the weightless aspect to the music. As the title suggests, it is effortless, unhurried, and so at ease.

It’s all Elena originals from here to the end and she knows how to keep you entranced with not only the performance but the compositions themselves. Autumn Rain is a melancholic, somewhat mournful, look at love’s departure. It is sweetly soulful with great piano from Kinsey. Feraud has cool passages on the bass, as well as Novak on drums. Beautiful soprano sax from Elena.

Chance changes directions in this upbeat look at freshly found love or, at least, infatuation. David Lange adds a cool accordion to the dancing and shifting rhythms and Elena’s fine alto sax. Sounds like a night in Paris.

The album closes with Like a Song. Oh, yeah. Bring on those Latin rhythms. The song features a trombone appearance by Dan Marcus and joyful flute from Katisse. The tune is marvelously celebratory and fulfills the first rule of performance—leave them wanting more.

Feel Again is a brilliant and eminently satisfying album from Elena Maque. A debut, yes, but seasoned with exposure to great music and experience with great musicians. But, seriously, I can’t get enough of her vocals.
 
 
                 ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl


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