The 100th release of anything is something notable but, when it is the 100th release of insurgent record label MoonJune Records, it deserves great attention. More so, when that album happens to be Truce by Markus Reuter (MoonJune MJR100).
   With guitar maestro Markus Reuter is bassist Fabio Trentini (Le Orme, MoonBound) and drummer extraordinaire Asaf Sirkis (Tim Garland, Sirkis Bialas IQ). From a label that has assembled incredible trios for all of its history, this is a Trio to be reckoned with. Individually, they boast a rich history of Progressive Jazz-Rock. Collectively, they represent a vision of the future to make any MoonJuninsta sing with joy.
   The album was recorded in May of 2019 in Catalunya, Spain, and was produced by Markus and Fabio.
   The album opens with the title track, Truce. Markus’ Touch Guitars ® AU8 and Fabio’s Wal Fretless Bass open the track before Asaf comes aboard with his driving, precise, and tonal drumming. Departing from his ambient soundscape proclivity, Markus releases the Kraken within and Fabio and Asaf are in lockstep with him. Sometimes called a “Fripp disciple”, Markus cuts loose from the master and carves a path of his own. This track drives as hard as anyone could wish.
   Swoonage follows and opens with the wash of Markus’ Touch Guitars and the solid backing of Fabio and Asaf. The piece is more meditative, without losing the hard edge. Fabio’s bass lines are powerful and deliberate over Asaf’s straight-ahead rhythms.
   Then comes the funky Bogeyman, with its Bass Synthesizer wonkiness. The trance-like pulses and waves are a fascinating combination. Once more, Markus tears holy hell out of the song structures and indeed becomes a boogie bogeyman.
   Be Still My Brazen Heart is a cool title but that’s not all the track delivers. Asaf delivers his tonal, even melodic, best as Fabio offers up a cool bass line. Markus’ ambient textures serve to highlight the excellent percussion work, making the drums like unsure footsteps in the fog. When Markus does cut in with the guitar, it is layered over Asaf as the two of them exchange impulses over Fabio’s foundation.
   Power Series is just like the title suggests. The Trio crosses conversation between each other and the sound is like the generation of raw energy. The powerful chords and powerful rhythms are not to be taken lightly. But Markus’ lightning flash touches create the static to make your hair stand up.
   The title Let Me Touch Your Batman begs for explanation but the song itself does not. Fabio and Asaf create a cool and funky groove over which Markus releases his Batman. This is Fabio’s most exciting track with Asaf not far behind.
   Gossamer Things finishes the album with harmonic bass lines and a cool groove for Markus to play over. That quirky bass is perfect for the hard rhythm and ethereal guitar. This definitely left you wanting more.
   Release Number 100 from MoonJune. This album was worth the wait.
 
 
         ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
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   The Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble (PJCE) is a 12-piece jazz chamber orchestra which commissions and performs original works by its members and by other jazz composers in the Portland music community and beyond. In 2017, PJCE commissioned Jasnam Daya Singh to compose music for the Montavilla Jazz Festival. Jasnam composed EKTA: The Unity Project.
   Taking the Punjabi word for “unity” as the works’ title, Ekta: The Unity Project is a meditation on the oneness of all people and the music is a meeting of the Brazilian choro and samba of Brasil—Jasnam’s birth country—European Jazz and Classical styles, sweet swing, and lush ballads that can only come from the mind and through the pen of Jasnam Daya Singh.
   The PJCE orchestra is: Lee Elderton, soprano sax; John Savage, alto saxophone; Tim Willcox, tenor saxophone; Mieke Bruggeman, bari saxophone/bass clarinet; Noah Simpson and Douglas Detrick, trumpet/flugelhorn; Stan Bock and John Moak, trombone; Ryan Meagher, guitar; Jasnam Daya Singh, piano; Dave Captein, bass; Ken Ollis, drums.
   These are just the people to bring Jasnam’s phenomenal work to life.
   I first came to know and appreciate Jasnam through his work and collaboration with the brilliant composer and guitarist Hristo Vitchev. Jasnam released solo piano albums on his own and he has, in any project, never failed to impress. Ask me to name my top tier piano favorites and you will hear Jasnam Daya Singh on that list.
    Of EKTA: The Unity Project, Douglas Detrick, Executive Director of the PJCE remarked, “The release of this recording in 2020 and the message it implies come during a time of intense upheaval in American life, a time when a true feeling of solidarity is rarer than at any other time in recent memory. Singh’s work posits that unity is an ideal to consider deeply, to celebrate joyfully, and to work strenuously to achieve.”
   That message comes from the very essence and heart of Jasnam. He is a man of compassion and understanding and this work reveals that remarkably.
   The work begins with Prologue. The solo flugelhorn opens the piece with Jasnam, Dave Captein’s bass and Ken Ollis’ drums. Then the entire ensemble joins in with this warm and lush overture. Immediately, Jasnam’s wonderful piano virtuosity becomes evident in measures that would make Bill Evans smile. Ryan Meagher’s guitar is effortless and enticing. The artists capture the richness of Jasnam’s compositions and do not fail in their delivery of that message.
   Edinenie follows. Edinenie is translated as “coming together” or “unification.” The cool corps progressions are a slick musical coming together that give way to cool solos and great horn passages. This was a bouncy number that effuses joy in cooperation.
   Acceptance has sweet passages of trumpets and saxes. Savage gets a very nice solo that segues into Meagher’s guitar before passing off to the trombone. But wait for Jasnam’s singular piano solos. These were worth the price of admission alone. A second round of solos shows the plurality of voices in cooperation, all sprung from acceptance.
   Believing is Seeing is a beautiful ballad that features baritone clarinet and trombone. The phrase is obviously a juxtaposition of the original cliché. The solo piano is a clear declaration of what it means to believe in someone—even ourselves—and in our community of humanity and seeing us as no longer us and them but only us.
   Unueco is the Esperanto word for “unity.” That unity is certainly evidenced n the tightness of the arrangement and performance of the piece. The great rhythms and harmonies are delivered in anthemic proclamation. The solos contribute to the message of the whole and in way detract or divide. In fact, at times, the instruments sound like the chorus of many voices partaking in the unity.
   Oneness is a meditation, a self-reflection of community. The instrumental cries are of one voice. If EKTA: The Unity Project is about unity of the human community, then Oneness is the centerpiece of that theme. The beauty of individual voices contributing to the whole is the very essence of unity from diversity, reminding us that unity never means uniformity. Voices rich, then somber, now flighty, here romantic, there wistful, all become part of the magnetic pull of the music and the theme of solidarity.
   The album concludes with Walking Together. Jasnam’s vision of the human future is not labored or difficult. It is a joyful dance of possibilities and achievement. With all the artists having their say, all the voices expressing themselves, we find that the unity of the whole contributes to the joy of the individual who, in turn, contributes again to the whole.
   EKTA: The Unity Project is not about Utopia—it is not the absence of division but the overcoming of it. Nor is it simply a hope for the future but a vision that begins with coming together, followed by acceptance, and ending in oneness and walking forward together.
   Jasnam Daya Singh is not only a national treasure. He is a global one.
 
 
            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   I’ve been a fan of Danny Green for quite some time now. His trio’s Altered Narratives was on my Favorites of 2016 list and 2018’s One Day It Will ranks as one of my all-time favorites. In the review of One Day It Will, I wrote, “And just when I thought Danny Green’s Trio had outdone themselves with 2015’s Altered Narratives, they release One Day It Will, their third album on OA2 Records. It is the very same brilliant trio of Danny Green on piano, Justin Grinnell on bass, and Julien Cantelm on drums. In fact, they have been together since 2010.”
   On One Day It Will, Danny & Company added a string quartet from the San Diego Symphony. The latest project brings a return of that great trio with the remarkable addition of Leonard Patton on vocals. That assembly is called LP and the Vinyl and their album is Heard and Seen (OA2 Records OA2 22180).
   Good God, ya’ll. I can’t get enough of this album.
   Here’s the premise. Danny and the fellas have arranged and rearranged a collection of songs from Jazz, Pop, Rock, and two originals that have that inimitable instrumental stamp but also Leonard Patton’s heart-felt and charming vocals.
In other words, this band has expanded their musical scope yet again.
   The album opens with Danny’s solo piano to start The Lonely Band, an original by Danny and Leonard, before Justin and Julien hop aboard with bouncy rhythms before Leonard joins. Once again, I was hooked from the start.
   After almost 10 years together, the syzygy of the core trio is unmistakable and irresistible. Julien Cantelm’s drumming is so tonal and it is wrapped beautifully with Danny’s piano. Justin Grinnell’s supportive bass lines pop opposite Julien’s rimshots and he gets off a cool solo in the mix.
   Leonard Patton’s vocal delivery is casual but precisely punctuating. He’s good.
   During my first listen of each album, I try not to look at track-lists. I like to be surprised. So, imagine my surprise when the second song starts off with a brief but warm washing of tone colors before hearing Leonard begin singing the lines,
    It's a God-awful small affair
    To the girl with the mousy hair…
   If you’re a David Bowie fan—and I am—you know that it is Life on Mars, maybe my favorite of all the Bowie songs. But Bowie’s voice was younger in those days and his Spiders from Mars band was more pop/rock. So, to hear the trio’s Jazz treatment with Leonard’s soulful lyricism is intoxicating. I mean, these guys sell it—one and all.
   Danny is one of my favorite pianists ever. His melodic touch is exquisite. His work on Life on Mars sent shivers down my spine. I mean that in a good way. Put the two Js and Leonard’s intonations with him and it is something wonderful.
   The next track was equally surprising with the Beatles’ song Fool on the Hill. The McCartney-crafted melody yields beautifully to Danny’s Jazz arrangement. The trio takes ownership of the bridge section and offers something extraordinary to Beatles fans and Jazz fans alike (not that those are mutually exclusive groups). This song alone was worth the price of admission.
   My One and Only Love (Guy Wood and Robert Mellin) is one of the most wonderful songs among Jazz standards. It has been recorded by everyone from John Coltrane and Johnny Hartmann to Ella Fitzgerald to Doris Day to Yo-Yo Ma to Bob Dylan. Still, with all those interpretations, LP and the Vinyl brings something new to the party. Leonard proves himself equally at home in every genre. Mostly because he makes each piece his own without trying to constrain himself to a certain stylistic delivery.
   Leonard Patton brings his arrangement of Oasis’ Wonderwall to the group. While not that much of a fan of the original Oasis recording, Danny’s piano work and Leonard’s scat vocalizations with the hot work of Justin and Julien can convert the most skeptical listener.
   The surprises don’t stop there. LP and the Vinyl follow up that with the old Tears for Fears chestnut, Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The Jazz approach to this 1985 Pop chart-topper far, far exceeds the reach and range of the original.
   It also makes clear that this trio could make me change Gods, if he tried. Songs that held no allure for me in their original incarnations (sticking with theological language), have brought me into the fold thanks to these four artists.
   Stevie Wonder’s I Can’t Help It gets the Danny Green arrangement and suffers no violence at all. Stevie is more Jazz than the Pop world would like to admit and Danny, Justin and Julien prove it. I went wild for Danny’s piano solo and the tightness of instruments and vocals was brilliant.
   The second original was Danny’s Night Waltz, co-written with Stephen Papaleo. The Jazz nocturne may be my favorite track on the album. The lyrics are lovely and the melody s infectious. I was hooked from the first notes of the solo piano. The interlocking rhythms were intriguing as Leonard poured on the emotion.
   One Hundred Ways was first heard on Quincy Jones’ 1981 album, The Dude, and featured James Ingram on vocals. Danny turns in sweet keys on this one and Justin and Julian deserve their own special listen in the coolest solos of the album. And, seriously, I love James Ingram but Leonard makes you say, “James who?” This was tight and smoking hot. The sweet outro was wonderful.
   And these guys know how to close out an album. They always have. Romberg and Hammerstein’s Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise is the song that concludes the album. I have loved this song in almost every version of it from Frank Sinatra to John Coltrane to Hiromi Uehara and the 40 or so other recordings. But Danny has shaped this standard with phrases that sound like Scheherazade meets Oscar Peterson. Then Leonard turns on the scat and Justin and Julian work their particular magic to fashion what is seriously the most fascinating rendition since it first appeared in the 1928 operetta New Moon.
   But that is what this trio does every time. They take songs to places unimagined by the original composers but still honoring the tradition and spirit of the works.
   One amazing and critical thing to remember is that this album was recorded over a two-day period. From tight arrangements to free-wheeling improvisations, this telepathic trio evolves into an equally intercommunicating quartet with Leonard Patton.
   If there is a group worthy of special attention and reintroduction in Jazz, it is LP and the Vinyl—Danny Green, Justin Grinnell, Julien Cantell, and Leonard Patton. Excuse me while I hit Play Again.

              ~ Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   Ezra Weiss describes himself as “religiously agnostic but culturally Jewish.” If only we could all be courageous enough to admit that, religiously, we just don’t know then perhaps we could speak across those walls that keep trying to be built between us.
   Still, Ezra is musical director at a Christian church. He’s not hedging his bet, mind you, he is simply and honestly finding common ground (not compromise) upon which we can rejoice. And he will admit that he has learned that there is no artificial barrier of “I and Thou” (sorry, Martin Buber) but we are all one. It is that principle that gives the beauty and the power to his first big band album, We Limit Not the Truth of God.
   Ezra is a composer who defies description and comparison. Someday, his works will be Jazz standards but, today, we get to hear them soon after the conception. Damn right, we limit not the truth of God!
   Ezra has at his call Portland’s finest musicians—and that is saying a lot. The Portland Jazz scene takes its place in the top tier of the worldwide Jazz community and these players show it. Gabriel himself would be pleased to name to his horn section Farnell Newton, Derek Sims, Greg Garrett, and Thomas Barber on trumpets and flugelhorns; John Nastos, Renato Caranto, John Savage, Rob Davis and Mieke Bruggeman on saxes and clarinets; Stan Bock, Jeff Uusitalo, Denzel Mendoz, and Douglas Peebles on the trombones. Then there is the fantastic rhythm section of Eric Gruber on bass, Alan Jones on drums, Carlton Jackson on percussion, and one of two favorite pianists in the world, Jasnam Daya Singh (formerly Weber Iago).
   Seriously, I read the line-up of musicians and couldn’t wait to tear open this CD. Ezra wrote and all arranged all but the final track of the album and it is he who conducts the big band. It was recorded live at the Alberta Abbey in Portland.
   The album opens with Fanfare for a Newborn and features the magnificent trumpet of Farnell Newton. Farnell and John Nastos have recorded with Ezra before and they know how to deliver what he wants of them. Farnell gives a horn call like a baby’s wail and he pulls you right in. Eric Gruber (bass) and Alan Jones (drums) add their own cool touches and Jasnam keeps the piano light and accessible.
   The piece comes across as Ezra’s heralding announcement of the love for his children. And he makes that clear in his narration that follows. “Dear O. and J., This music is for you. Well, not really. It was inspired by you.” And there it is. It is a parent’s admonition based on his loving devotion to his family. Hear the full narration and you’ll understand completely. Ezra wants to describe a world that should be but is not yet.
   Dear O and J asks why we search for “meaning in the invisible when there is so much already here in our visible world.” During Ezra’s meaningful narration, Jasnam accompanies on piano and then stops to focus the attention completely on Ezra’s powerful words.
   Blues and the Alternative Fact is a biting indictment of the relativity and fluidity of truth in the modern world or, at least, in modern America. Mieke Bruggeman (baritone sax) and Stan Bock (trombone) play the lines fluidly while the relentless pounding of Gruber and Jones hammer menacingly. The assault is insistent and unforgiving and is as powerful a condemnation of modern political propaganda as one could imagine. It can only be called prophetic.
   You Just Started Kindergarten is to J who only recently started kindgergarten. The narration focuses on the trust of his child and how he heard of a young immigrant boy who was separated from his father. His only reminder now was a hand drawn image of his now-absent father.
   Jose’s Drawing features the amazing Renato Caranto on tenor sax. It is almost unbearably lonely. Not just a blues, it is a lament of Jeremiad proportions with a hint of innocence. It reminded me of the drawings on the walls of the children’s barracks at Dachau. In the midst of the horror, the children still drew pictures of sunshine and flowers and family. Jose’s Drawing is a hope that beauty and innocence can remain intact despite the imposition of grief and inhumanity.
   I Don’t Mean to Be a Downer is Ezra’s discourse on hope. He tells that the sadness of the time is not because justice is so far away but because it is still so very close. Tantalizingly close.
   Obergefell is a triumphant and hopeful piece based on the momentous June 26, 2015 Obergefell vs Hodges decision of the US Supreme Court which granted marriage equality status to all couples. John Nastos (alto sax) and Thomas Barber (trumpet) get the deliriously joyful job of heralding the news of an historical decision that proved—as many proclaimed on that day—that LOVE WINS. Gruber and Jones are equally exuberant in their thunderous applause from bass and drums. Jasnam’s piano is sublimely subdued with a bubbling rejoicing that bounces in what can only be called worship. This is a magnificent piece.
   What Now continues Ezra’s narrative about the times in which we live. He describes the extended separation of children from their parents simply because of being immigrants. He describes the #MeToo movement. Sand Hook. Lock-down drills. Violence against transgender kids. Tamir Rice. The narration is almost unbearable and the grief is too much to put to music. Jasnam’s cacophonous piano and the thrashing drums add to the dismay. Eric Garner. Michael Brown.
   The suite was conceived in 2015 when the world was full of hope. Now there is only grief. And rage.
John Savage’s flute shrieks the anguish with plosives of exasperation.
   We Limit Not the Truth of God is the only place left to turn. The 1853 hymn by George Rawson is sung a cappella by the Camas High School Choir, Ethan Chessin directing. It is exquisitely performed and Ezra concludes the track with the fundamental truth of God—there is no “other.”
   Please Know That I Love You is Ezra’s word to his children that, whatever may befall, love endures. Jasnam’s wonderful piano opens the piece with Jeff Uustitalo’s trombone and Rob Davis’ soprano sax taking the lead throughout the beautiful track. The piano keeps up a constancy that reminds of the unswerving nature of love. Our love. God’s love. It is the same thing.
   This wonderful album closes with Wayne Shorter’s Footprints. John Nastos and Derek Sims carry the melody and the rhythm section is on fire. The Jazz standard is a great piece with which to let this amazing collection of talent finish. But is Ezra saying something more? Is this the final word to his children, to follow in is footprints along the path of love and understanding? It works for me.
   Please Know That I Love You is part musical suite, part human manifesto, all inspired. The truth of God is truly that there is no “other” and that love is our common DNA that links to each other and to God.

   Beverley Church Hogan took a circuitous route to her debut album, Can’t Get Out of This Mood. It is a story that every reviewer retells but it is worth the telling.
   Beverley grew up in Montreal and lived right next door to Oscar Peterson. She used to listen to him practice, saying “He gave me a gift without ever knowing it.” She won vocal competitions at the age of 12, having been inspired by Frank Sinatra and Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and stayed glued to her radio to hear the great vocalists of the era. By her late teens, she had already enjoyed weekly radio gigs and was also performing club dates and “USO-type military shows.”
   At the age of 21, she moved to the LA area and landed in Studio City. She got herself a recording contract at Capitol Records. The contract demanded an extensive touring schedule but Beverly was now married and had a one-ear-old baby. She turned down the contract. She never regretted the decision, she says, because she focused on being a wife and mother.
   In 2002, 40 years after walking away from a contract, she performed at the Catalina Jazz Club to a full house. She became the headliner for an annual show and has done so ever since. How lucky we are that she decided to return to the stage and bring her own Jazz interpretations with her.
   She decided to record an album, her debut, and she brought along the excellent pianist, composer, arranger, and vocalist in his own right, John Proulx. The best choice she could have made. Proulx knows how to get the most out of his subject. To that end, he brought along LA top-call musicians like bassist Lyman Medeiros, drummer Clayton Cameron, and percussionist Kevin Winard, a hot rhythm section, to be sure. On trumpet and flugelhorn is Ron Stout, on guitar Graham Dechter, and reedsman Doug Webb. Barbara Brighton produced the album and she knows how to produce a vocalist.
   Beverly says that she chose this set list because it relates to her and to people she associates with the particular songs. She says these songs resonate with her and she resonates with me!
   Sorry, but it is impossible for me to be cool and objective with albums that I love. And I love this album.
   Can’t Get Out of This Mood opens with Rene Marie’s Take My Breath Away, a tremendous start to a fine album. Medeiros and Cameron give a slow intro and Webb joins in with a sweet flute. John Proulx adds his inimitable piano touch. Then Beverley’s first intonations just wash over you. The arrangement is stellar and has the light bossa nova touch of the original. Beverley is so smooth, so evocative.
   Stephen Sondheim’s Losing My Mind follows next. It was a huge hit for Liza Minelli in 1989 but Beverly takes complete possession of it. Graham Dechter adds a coolly rough guitar chop and Ron Stout’s horn is hot. Beverly sings it with a convincing wistfulness that turns into agony.
   Bobby Troup’s You’re Looking at Me was covered by Nat “King” Cole and Beverley gives her own turn on the piece. Proulx’s piano, with some excellent work by Dechter, create a laid-back mood that gives space for Beverley’s languid delivery. Beautiful.
   Can’t Get Out of This Mood, the title track, is the great Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh song that was most notably done by Sarah Vaughan. Proulx’s piano and Stout’s muted trumpet stand out but listen carefully to Medeiros’ subtle bass, as well. Beverley phrases like Billie Holiday (who never recorded the song) and it works so very well.
   Rodgers and Hart’s sweet standard Wait Till You See Him is a beautifully melodic piece highlighting Stout’s flugelhorn almost singing in duet with Beverly. Dechter’s guitar has nice touches and the piano, bass, and drums are warm and rapturous. Beverley sings in understated effect to blend with the flugelhorn. Such a warm and welcoming track.
   Stout’s horn introduces I Know You by Heart (Chris Caswell) and the piano and horn carry most of the support as Beverley is left to work her magic. Don’t confuse this with the Eva Cassidy song. This is better. Flugelhorn gets the center solo but it’s Beverley’s voice you wait for.
   Matty Malneck, Fud Livingston, and Gus Khan’s I'm Through with Love was written in 1931 and has been recorded scores of times by vocalists and instrumentalists alike. It is a smoky, easy-going melancholy that Beverley sings with conviction. Webb’s soprano sax has beautiful moments of sheer lament and Beverley adds her determination on top. She has such exquisite control and compelling emotion.
   Speak Low was written by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash. Beverley sings We're late, darling, we're late but she should know that it was not too late for her to release this gem of a song and album. Webb switches to alto sax and he and Proulx give Beverley the platform that she needs for her expression. The song is about time running out and not wasting the time given us, no matter how late. Dechter gets an excellent guitar solo and then trades off with Webb’s sax for several bars. This was a winner, for sure.
   John Proulx wrote Stuck in a Dream with his writing partner K. Lawrence Dunham and it sounds as if it were with Beverley in mind. It opens with just the solo piano and Beverly before the bass and drums jump in for a cool trio. Lyman Medeiros’ bass solo is excellent and Clayton Cameron works subtle but precise drumming below. The piano and guitar bounce the song out to set up the album’s finale.
    Time After Time by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne is a beautiful way to end a debut album for a singer who has waited so long to record and release it. This is such a beautiful composition and Beverley sings it as it should be sung with musicians who know how to play it.
                                           And time after time
                                       You'll hear Me say that
                                    I'm So lucky to be loving you
    Beverley’s is a voice and a love that we have waited long—even without knowing it—to have in our lives.
    We are the lucky ones.



          ~Travis Rogers, Jr is The Jazz Owlan’t Get Out of This Mood