The 2011 Jazz Critics' Poll + notes

Late last year, I was invited by Francis Davis to vote in the 6th edition of the Jazz Critics' Poll, which he has been running the past five years at the Village Voice, but has now been moved to the US based streaming site Rhapsody. Over 120 jazz writers participated, and the results were posted yesterday. Tom Hull has the individual ballots at his site, including mine (look for me in the batch "Kaplan - Nastos", or under Ballots [4])

I predicted the runner-up to win it, based upon what I've read on over the past year, 'though I suppose Sonny Rollins was among the favorites also. A few quick observations:

• Six of my chosen ten picks made the top 60
• Of those, Wadada Leo Smith placed highest, at no. 13.
• My runner-up, Darius Jones Trio, was second highest at no. 19.
• My number one pick, Avram Fefer, received only two votes: Me and Tom Hull, who had it as his runner-up.
• I count 13 among the top 60 that are also on my "2011 favorites" list (records graded 7, i.e. recommended, or higher.) (Though, I have some five records in my pending pile that made the list.)

My three picks for best reissue also made up the top three in the results, albeit not in the same order. I'd also note that had I known Monk's Music had been reissued this year, it would have been my number one pick, it quite possibly being my favorite Monk album. Then again, the record has been widely available for a while in various formats, so it doesn't quite feel like a reissue in the same way my top three does.

R.I.P. Sam Rivers

The sad news broke today of the passing of saxophonist, composer, "free bopper" and Loft Jazz great Sam Rivers. In the wake of some Twitter and Facebook rumors, Peter Hum was one of the first to write about it on his Ottawa Citizen jazz blog. Sam Rivers deserves more time and space than I'm able to give him now, so I'm hoping to return at a later time with a lengthier post, remembering some of his great and, sadly, largely forgotten musical output. R.I.P.

EDIT: More from Nate Chinen in the NY Times and from others via Chinen's blog.

Listening Booth, week 52, 2011

• Mats Eilertsen: Skydive (Hubro) - Bassist and composer Mats Eilertsen (b. 1975) was born in Trondheim, Norway, and got his education at that city's renowned Jazz Academy. He's been an in-demand session musician since the 90s-- among others for Jacob Young, Solveig Slettahjell as well as playing on a trio of Sonny Simmons releases -- 'though he has in recent years also been releasing several albums of his own compositions, the last of which is Skydive on the tiny Hubro label. As a bassist here, he doesn't assert himself much, eschewing vamps, riffs, and walks/runs, and instead keeps a rather low profile, staying in the background, grounding and accentuating Olavi Louhivuori's drum beat as well as the occasional cymbal hit with full and rich sounding drawn out notes, making the tunes seemingly glide along. There's little in terms of heads or themes here, instead there are narrative-like melodies, which saxophonist Tore Brunborg, guitarist Thomas T. Dahl and pianist Alexei Tuomarila take turns in moving along. It's all very sweeping and wooshing, contemplative and "calming" if not very exciting music. But the records is wonderfully produced and it sounds great, as most Hubro releases do. 6*
  
  * Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 47: shorts: Magic Pocket

I don't write much about Norwegian jazz here. That's partly a conscious choice -- Norwegian jazz releases are well covered in mainstream media (I feel dirty using those words with Fox "News" in mind) media, which I was always trying to provide an alternative to -- but considering the bulk of those who visit these pages live abroad and may be curious about jazz from these shores, I'm making an exception today. Also, it's a damn fine record.

• Magic Pocket: The Katabatic Wind (Bolage) - Magic Pocket is a young-ish brass and drums quartet (all born between 1975 and '82) consisting of Erik Johanessen on trombone, Hayden Powell on trumpets, Daniel Herskedal on tuba, and Erik Nylander on drums, tabla machhines and drum machine. For this release, they're augmented by the electronics and piano of Morten Qvenild. The music here is atmospheric, drawn out melodic lines and sheets of sound underpinned by understated grooves. The tuba moves in and out of it's rhythmic "bass" role, the brass blends with the electronics, trickles of piano here and there without ever getting ambient territory. The bolero-esque "The Thar Desert" is particularly enchanting, while the bouncy "Darts" showcase their more playful side. Lovely stuff. 8*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 47: Greg Ward's Phonic Juggernaut

• Greg Ward: Greg Ward's Phonic Juggernaut (Thirsty Ear) - Chicago born, now New York residing saxophonist and composer Greg Ward's credentials indicate that he's a man of varied tastes and that he's a musician willing and capable of handling several genres, from various strains of jazz, to Klezmer and classical music. I know him best from his collaborations with drummer Mike Reed. This is Ward's second album as a leader after 2010's Fitted Shards: South Side Story -- which I missed -- on 19-8 Records. Phonic Juggernaut is a sax-bass-drums trio record, and an enthralling one at that. The impressive opener "Above Ground" moves through several stages, starting off with Ward's blocks of intervals over the hectic yet forceful polyrhythms of drummer Damion Reid, into pockets of near calmness, and then back again. Much like the album as a whole. Reid's drumming, which reminds me a little bit of Ronald Shannon Jackson, provides much of the sonic freshness of this record. The drums are very much front and center, almost relentless, throughout, and especially so on the more heady pieces. And Phonic Juggernaut is fast paced at times, as the name would suggest, but combines that with the spacious and lyrical, such as on the lovely "Velvet Lounge Shut-In". Bassist Joe Sanders is the minimalist in the trio, relatively speaking, working off and in between Reid's busy rhythms and Ward's sharp and clear alto leaps with a mixture of insistent vamps and lyrical playing -- check his melodic interplay with Ward on the closing "Sectionate City". The bass is mixed unusually low and given little bottom, and although I miss its fullness and punch at times, the result works remarkably well within the sonic whole of the record. I'm hoping there's more to come from this trio, because there's clearly a unique musical chemistry between the three. 7*


Bonus: Listen to the title track, "Phonic Juggernaut", courtesy of Thirsty Ear Recordings on Soundcloud.



* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 46, 2012: ASAP Rocky

• ASAP Rocky: LiveLoveA$AP (mixtape/selfreleased/liveloveasap.com) - This Harlem, New York native declares an affinity for Houston and doesn't want to be likened to a certain New Orleans rapper. Still, his slightly-behind-the-beat flow as well as the nasal timbre of his voice certainly has similarities with the Carter. The lyrical universe of LiveLoveA$ASP is filled with references to recreational drugs, reveling in it's effects. But it's the sonics of the record that really impresses. Delightfully produced, especially the tracks by Clams Casino and Beautiful Lou, it conjures up the sort of trippy soundscapes that Tricky once mastered so well - note in particular the laid-back groove and the sampled guitar lick of "Trilla", produced by Beautiful Lou. Additional color is provided by syrupy beats and rumbling bass (and hence the Houston love, I guess), Clams Casino's "Bass" a case in point. When the moods do get darker, they do so without succumbing to the techniques of horror core schlock, neither sonically or lyrically. No stoopid shock effects here. ASAP doesn't need such cheap tricks to be interesting. 8*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 46, 2012: Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet

• Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance (Firehouse 12) - A four piece suite, originally commissioned through a New Jazz Works grant. The sextet consists of Ho Bynum on trumpet, Jim Hobbs (of Fully Celebrated "fame") on alto sax, Bill Lowe on bass trombone and tuba, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Ken Filiano on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. Ho Bynum and Halvorson has played under the tutelage of Anthony Braxton, but there's not a whole lot of traces of him here, barring the odd twirling theme here and there. The obvious center piece of the album is the 20 minute long "Source", where Ho Bynum and Halvorson play interweaving melodic lines that Hobbs and Lowe eventually join in on and create their own paths out of, over Filiano and Fujiwara's funky and propulsive rhythms. The piece builds to a cacophonous crescendo during Hobbs' solo, and slides back into grove. There are a lot of interseting things going on here, with Hobbs in particular shining alongside Ho Bynum, while Halvorson often stays in the background for long sections, riffing with Filiano to help create dense grooves. 7*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 41, 2011: Darius Jones Trio

There haven't been much activity here, and there won't be until after the 15th of Nov. at the earliest. Below are a few notes on Darius Jones latest plus some grades for a couple of other records I've listened to lately, but do not have any notes to speak of.

• Darius Jones Trio: Big Gurl (Smell My Dreams) (AUM Fidelity) - Darius Jones debut, Man'ish Boy (a Raw and Beautiful Thing), was stunning. A riveting and deeply moving album by a saxophonist with a distinct voice, both in terms of his playing and his compositions. His new record, Big Gurl (Smell My Dreams), may lack some of raw emotion of his debut, but it makes up for it in power and groove. Replacing multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore and drummer Rasid Bakr in the trio is Adam Lane on bass, an original musician and composer in his own right, and Jason Nazary on drums, who both played on the debut's "hidden track". Big Gurl is full of hard hitting, groovy free-bop sprinkled with more contemplative pieces, such as the haunting "I Wish I Had a Choice". Jones alto sound is stirring, sometimes piercing, and he is wont to leaps and shrieks, but always maintains a strong sense of melody and theme. Adam Lane plays thick, powerful, syrupy yet somehow nimble lines and riffs as only he can, while Nazary glides in and out of the beat. The opener "E-Gaz" and the menacing closer "Ol' Metal-Faced Bastard", with it's rhythmically stumbling sections, come charging at you with swagger and purpose, while the above-mentioned "I Wish I had a Choice" and "My Special 'D'" are quieter, more reflective pieces. There's also a reworking of "Chasing the Ghost", one of the center pieces of Man'ish Boy. While much of the allure of he original version was how Jones sounded like he was losing his way on this headlong chase, here, augmented by Lane's stubborn bass lines, it sounds galvanized, more confident, as if with a renewed sense of mission. Somehow very fitting, I think. 9*

• Dave Alvin: Eleven Eleven (Yep Roc) - 7*
• Girls: Father: Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther) - 8*
• Jens Lekman: An Argument With Myself (Secretly Canadian) - 8*
• Mekons: Ancient and Modern: 1911-2011 (Bloodshot Records) - 8*
• Kanye West & Jay-Z: Watch the Throne (Def Jam) - 8*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

R.E.M. - a few quick words

R.E.M. called it quits this week. The web is flooded with eulogies by now, but even though we've grown apart, so to speak, in recent years, I thought I'd write a few words as a way of saying my final goodbye.

R.E.M. grew out of the prolific (and under-appreciated) so-called Amer-Indie scene of the 1980's into one of the biggest rock'n'roll bands on the planet (read more about that in the Slate piece I've linked to above). They worked together for over 30 years, and over that time they honed their original voices as songwriters and created a thoroughly distinctive sound, which has resulted in an extremely consistent oeuvre; even if I haven't cared much for their records since New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the worst I can say about their most recent albums is that they've sounded uninspired (Ok, some songs are downright boring, but still).

R.E.M. was also rare in that they are one of the few bands since, well, the 70's where the record buying masses and critical approval went hand in hand, especially in the early 90's. Granted, that rise to mass fame coincided with the alternative rock/grunge explosion, but their's felt separate somehow, and the groundwork for their popularity arguably was laid with the late 80's records Document (peaked at no. 10, 33 weeks on the chart, certified platinum) and Green (peaked at 12, certified double platinum).

Their popularity is just a side note, though. It means they'll probably stay in the public consciousness as one of the "great bands", but it's not their popularity that has made them that. It is, quelle surpirse, the quality of their music (than you, Mr. Obvious).

On a personal note, I discovered Green via the striking video for "Orange Crush" some time in 1989, and it became one of the first records that got me seriously interested in music as something more than, eh, "entertainment", though I might not have been able to articulate that at the time. So in a way, R.E.M. was integral to my coming of age as a consumer, in every possible sense of the word, of music. Thank you for that, as well as for the great songs.

To end this short note, my thoroughly off-the-cuff ratings of R.E.M. records up to and counting Hi-Fi:

• Chronic Town EP (1982, I.R.S.) 7
• Murmur (1983, I.R.S.) 8
• Reckoning (1984, I.R.S.) 7
• Fables of the Reconstruction (1985, I.R.S.) 6
• Life's Rich Pageant (1986, I.R.S) 7
• Document (1987, I.R.S) 9
• Green (1988, Warner Bros.) 8
• Out of Time (1991, Warner Bros) 9
• Automatic for the People (1992, Warner Bros.) 8
• Monster (1994, Warner Bros.) 7
• New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996, Warner Bros.) 7

R.I.P Graham Collier

Sad to hear that English bassist, bandleader and composer Graham Collier passed away recently. More here.

Listening Booth, week 35, pt. 2: F*cked Up

• Fucked Up: David Comes to Life (Matador, 2011) - The basics of this record, the whirlwind guitars, the propulsive rhythm section and Pink Eyes' growling vocal, have been there for a while. It seems that their decision to write an opera of sorts -- which story you'll need a lyric sheet to follow -- has helped them to focus those elements into catchier, more purposeful tunes while at the same time expanding their palette sonically. As a lyrics person, vocals such as Pink Eyes' could be a barrier, as one may only catch the odd phrase here and there. Sometimes that's enough, of course, but one may tire over several songs. Here, the music kept dragging me back and demanded my attention for sustained listening. I'm glad it did, and I'm glad I have the lyrics too. Hardcore doesn't come much more ambitious than this without losing its intended punch. Some have compared the music on David... to Hüsker Dü, and although only "A Slanted Tone" sounds like it could be a Hüskers song, in terms of sweeping, big, emotionally engaging punk rock, the analogy is appropriate. 8*
  
  * Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Listening Booth, week 35: Avram Fefer Trio

• Avram Fefer / Eriv Revis / Chad Taylor: Eliyahu (Not Two, 2011) - Even though I've known of these guys for a while, I somehow missed their previous album Ritual on Clean Feed (2009), and so I came almost unprepared for this gem of a record. Well, not entirely. Saxophonist Avram Fefer has played with several heavy hitters over the years, but I became especially curious after his work on Adam Lane's fantastic Ashcan Rantings (also Clean Feed) from last year. Eric Revis has played bass with the likes of Branford Marsalis and J.D. Allen, but has lately popped up in ensembles that lean even more towards the rampant sides of jazz, having played a central role in Tarbaby as well as backing up Peter Brötzmann during this year's Vision Fest. Drummer Chad Taylor is perhaps the one I know best of these three, as he has worked with several Chicago musicians of note, and particularly the ever interesting trio Digital Primitves, with Cooper-Moore and Assif Tsahar. The music Fefer, Revis and Taylor has created together on Eliyahu is enthralling, lithe yet groovy, bouncy and emotionally rich. Much of the material here is based around seemingly simple melodic lines, themes or rhythmic patterns that they expand upon, usually while at least one of the trio keeps the originally stated theme going, with the others joining in again later on. The opening, Taylor penned "Song For Dyani", for example, centers around Revis' repeated, fleet-footed melodic bass pattern, a pattern he sustains throughout the tune, and plays with such effortlessness that you cannot but admire his stamina, technique and wonderful sense of rhythm. Taylor's drumming supports the groove, but also adds a bit of punch. Fefer starts the tune with a different melodic line on top of Revis', occasionally dropping in on a note or two, but generally staking out his own course, until towards the end, when Taylor starts to accentuate Revis' bass line, and Fefer joins in. "Song For Dyani" is among the fastest pieces on the album, only the rough 'n' tumble of "City Life" is more energetic. The rest of the material flows at significantly slower tempo, but remains true to it's emotional scope. There is a quality to this music -- the combination of flexibility, groove, keen sense of melody and musical interaction -- that reminds a bit of Air. That's high praise coming from me. When you add that they have some lovely melodic material at the center of things, this has the makings of becoming one of the highlights of the year. 9*

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

Eliyahu is available at SquidCo (link) and other well stock jazz merchants.

Writing about jazz (I'm a dying breed, not likely to be missed, it seems)

There was a panel discussion during the recent Oslo Jazzfestival concerning the stat of jazz journalism, in Norway in particular ('though, there were representatives from abroad on the panel too). I was prevented from participating, but from what I've heard, most, if not all, were seemingly of the view that jazz journalism was in dire straits, some even going as far as saying it was redundant.

The latter view seems to stem from a misconception of what writing about music entails. So I stumbled accross this tidbit from Patrick Jarenwattananon on NPR's A Blog Supreme in a piece concerning the question of whether jazz scribes need to know how to play too, but it which fits perfectly into this discussion as well:

‎"[I]t seems as if what is most needed from jazz journalism today is not strictly criticism of sounds themselves, but also explication: gathering context, making connections, lending new perspectives or otherwise giving a "way into" this stuff for the common non-musician. We need to remove the intimidation factor. We need to redefine jazz's connections to the world around it. And we need to render all this artfully."

R.I.P. Jerry Leiber & Nick Ashford

(50 Coastin' Classics, Rhino 71090)

Jerry Leiber, one half of songwriting duo Leiber & Stoller, passed away yesterday. Probably most famous for hits like "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Stand By Me", I loved him most for his work with The Coasters, for whom Leiber & Stoller wrote clever, playful and often funny tunes with theatric elements, some of which mocked elements of mainstream America's popular culture -- see "Along Came Jones" -- and some that had underlying serious themes; for every "Yakety-Yak" there was a "Shopping For Clothes."

On the same day, Nick Ashford passed away. Ashford, along with partner Valerie Simpson, wrote huge hits for others, such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing". But they also performed as a popular R&B duo, and had hits with such great songs as "Is It Still Good To Ya" and 1984's "Solid".

Listening Booth, week 33, 2011: Planetary Unknown

First installment this fall. Taking things step by step, but I am hoping to step it up a bit from now on.

• David S. Ware, Cooper-Moore, William Parker & Muhammad Ali: Planetary Unknown (AUM Fidelity, 2011) - I initially struggled to write about this. While I found it intriguing from first listen, I had some trouble finding something to hook on to. Even the most raucous of Ware's music tends to build from themes or melodic launch pads, but this sounded tentative at first. Until I realized, that is part of the point. This is exploratory music, and suddenly you notice small patterns emerging within each composition, and the conversation that develops from there: from the hushed to the rowdy, and the sections in between, never staying in the same place for too long. These four wonderful musicians - by now all legends in their own right - have played with each other in various constellations before, but never together as a quartet, to my knowledge. Their understanding of each other's musical language, how they react to what is being "said" by the others and the ideas they develop from there, is part of what makes this a wonderful and very interesting record. 8 *
  

* Grades are tentative, based on three or four listens, though quite often a few more. Much of the writing is done during listens, and should be considered notes rather than final reviews.

PS: Check out the recent Jazz Session interview with the guys in Planetary Unknown.

Please support The Jazz Session

Friends and colleagues. Please give me a moment of your time.

The Jazz Session is a member-supported online interview show focusing on in-depth conversations with jazz musicians, and it is run solely by Jason Crane, jazz aficionado, poet and an all-round terrific guy. Since he started the project in 2007, Jason has interviewed a host of famous and up-and-coming jazz musicians such as Don Byron, Vijay Iyer, Mary Halvorson, Steve Lehman, Cecil McBee, Myra Melford, Jason Moran, William Parker, Matana Roberts, Matthew Shipp, Henry Threadgill, David S. Ware and, most recently, saxophonist Ingid Laubrock and drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey. And those are only a select few of the many interviews available. My claim is that Jason Crane is doing some of the best work in the field of jazz journalism these days.

However, such work takes time and costs money, and so Jason has set up a membership program in order to keep it going. The goal has been to reach 100 members by the 300th show. The Sorey interview is the 299th, and he needs 20 more members by Thursday, when episode 300 becomes available. I urge you to head over to the Jazz Session site, have a listen or two (or more), and if it's to your taste and interest, become a member. The cheapest option is a mere 10$, which if you live in Norway, is about what two cups of coffee would cost you at a coffee shop. Make your coffee at home instead, donate the money you'd save to The Jazz Session, and we could be lucky and get even more great interviews with some of the best jazz musicians around today.

http://thejazzsession.com

Thanks for your time.

Chris M

NB: A Listening Booth/summer jazz round-up will be posted here in the coming days, and hopefully more regular updates will appear from then on. There seems to be some light at the end of this tunnel, too.

July 22, 2011

Posting will resume at a later date. Now's not the time. Rather, it's a time for reflection and compassion, and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims of these horrible and senseless acts. Peace!

Billy Bang - "Prayer for Peace"

Molde Jazz 2011, Tuesday 19th

Went to see double bassist Michael Duch and saxophonist Kjetil Møster at Molde Jazz's smallest venue, Reknes, yesterday (Tuesday). Both played a solo set each, while joining forces for a closing number.

Duch played one longish (didn't take the time) entirely improvised piece, as well as Howard Skempton's composition For Strings (waves, shingles and seagulls). As you may gather from that, he works as much, if not more, within improvised new music slash contemporary music as he does jazz, though by now these musics can hopefully be seen as extending into each others idioms. Duch uses pretty much every part of his instrument to create sounds; largely playing arco with his right hand, he plucks, slaps and scratches with his left, while occasionally also hitting the body of the instrument. Much of his arco work happens near the bridge, which creates sharp and shrill sound, but he shifts effortlessly into "cleaner" territory. Inventive music, nevertheless.

Møster started his session just breathing through his tenor sax, which built into a hushed, gospel like passage, eventually raising in intensity into a shout of sorts. From there, the piece gathered pace into something reminiscent balkan folk music, and ending in punk-like rapid screams and honks, Møster working the flaps for percussive effect. The result wouldn't have sounded out of place with duo Lightning Bolt.

Duch and Møster joined up for an encore, the bassist now mostly playing pizzicato, creating rumbling, free rolling sounds and patterns. I kept paying so much attention to him that Møster, now having switched to baritone sax, dropped into the background except from when they hooked up down in the lower registers.

Molde Jazz 2011

I leave for Molde and the 2011 Molde Jazz Festival in a few hours time. I may post daily updates, depending on what gigs I'll be attending, but I'll definately be catching up with Misha Mengelberg with Tyshawn Sorey and Mostly Other People Do the Killing, to name but two.

Lost Eric Dolphy Session, via Phil Schaap

Phil Schaap just wrote some info on Facebook on a lost 1963 session with Eric Dolphy, likely a private demo recording. Perhaps not the most likely of collaborators -- Seldon Powell played mostly swing and R&B, and while Major Holley did play with Charlie Parker and later Rashaan Roland Kirk, he's perhaps better know for his work with Coleman Hawkins & Oscar Peterson -- but I really would've liked to hear some of this:

I can confirm the personnel - Eric Dolphy (as); Seldon Powell (bars); Joe Newman (tpt); Melba Liston (tbn); Major Holley (bass); Earl Williams (dr); & Hale Smith (pno/leader) - for a lost session that the recently deceased Hale Smith was the contractor for. It was a private date or demo session for a neighbor of Smith’s who had written at least two tunes that Hale arranged. The session is definitely not from 1964 and most likely occurred in 1963. A photograph – that may still exist – showed the musicians. Earl Williams, either going to another gig or coming from one, is in a tuxedo and the others are far more casually dressed. The material still exists and is presumably with Hale Smith’s widow or, perhaps, his son Marcel.

Finally, this item is distinct from those on tape that Eric Dolphy had deposited with Hale Smith shortly before Dolphy left for Europe.