Ben Goldberg –
Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues (BAG Production)
For starters, this recording wins ‘album title of the year’. And that title also reflects the mix of
old and new that one finds on this album. Ben manages to mine that exciting
seam of jazz that falls between the tradition and the free. And he brings in
some heavyweight support to help him, namely Joshua Redman, tenor saxophone,
Ron Miles, trumpet, Devin Hoff, bass, Ches Smith and Scott Amendola drums. 
Nils Wogram and his Root 70 quartet are regulars on Jazz
Today, but as far as I can make out, this is their first outing with strings.
And, as with all their releases, the blues are never far from the surface. Take
the title track as an example, introduced by the crying viola of Gareth Lubbe.
Nils is one of the premier trombonists in Europe, master of
everything from classical stealth to rousing gutbucket. Alto saxophonist Hayden
Chisholm comes on like a 21st century Paul Desmond, and Matt Penman
and Jochen Rueckert provide subtle yet creative support. The string trio add a
different dimension to Root 70’s sound. The writing is creative, without ever slipping
into sentimentality.
The sleeve notes begin with the question, ‘what manner of an
album is this?’ Answer: a bl**dy good one!
Drummer Deric Dickens is a name I’ve not encountered before, but he arrives fully formed (so to speak) on this fascinating debut by his trio The Dickens Campaign. It’s a collaboration between Deric, Kirk Knuffke (cornet), and Jesse Lewis (guitars) and pays homage to the late musical archivist Alan Lomax. Ten tunes inspired by American folk and blues, given a 21st century makeover by the trio.
I’m increasingly impressed by Kirk Knuffke, who can turn his cornet to any genre, whether it be bluegrass with Petr Cancura's Down Home, Dixieland with Jeff Lederer’s Swing n’ Dix or the avant garde stylings of another trio with guitar and drums, Sifter. That’s not to downplay the role of Deric and Jesse who contribute greatly to this entertaining and accessible release.
The
The
Mark Dresser Quintet - Nourishments (Clean Feed)
The Portuguese Clean Feed Record label has garnered quite a reputation for releasing high quality, adventurous jazz. And this debut release from Mark Dresser’s new quintet is no exception.
Mark says that the music is centred on his personal approach
to the jazz tradition and song form. Seven tracks played by a premier-league
band comprising Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto sax, Michael Dessen, trombone, Denman
Maroney, piano and Tom Rainey or Michael Sarin drums. Michael Dessen’s trombone
is a revelation throughout, and Denman Maroney’s prepared piano (hyperpiano)
adds a different dimension to the group sound.
The Portuguese Clean Feed Record label has garnered quite a reputation for releasing high quality, adventurous jazz. And this debut release from Mark Dresser’s new quintet is no exception.
Mark finishes his liner notes with the comment ‘thank you
for listening’. Thanks Mark for creating such enjoyable music.
‘Op Der Schmelz’ translates to ‘At the Foundry’ and is a
venue in Dudelange in the south of Luxembourg. I’d not encountered saxophonist
Roby Glod before. He hails from
Luxembourg and has brought together a top-rate international band, with
bassist Mark Tokar from Ukraine, drummer Klaus Kugel from Germany and pianist
Roberta Piket from the USA.
As with the Mark Dresser release, it’s an album that sits on
the boundary of jazz and the avant garde and harbours an exciting
tension. I’m used to hearing Mark and Klaus in this context, having worked with
the likes of Ken Vandermark, Michel Pilz and Theo Jorgensmann, but it’s
astonishing to hear Roberta Piket in such a free environment. She is excellent
throughout.
Op Der Schmelz Live
is released on the Berlin-based Nemu label, a label run by Klaus and violinist
Albrecht Maurer. 
Nick Sanders Trio –
Nameless Neighbours (Sunnyside)
There are many piano trios vying for notice in the world of
contemporary jazz. However, occasionally one comes along that makes you really
stop and listen. Such was the case (for me at least) with this trio led by
pianist Nick Sanders with Henry Fraser on bass and Connor Baker, drums.
Nick has been mentored by Fred Hersch, who produced this intriguing
new release. A recommendation in itself.
This duo have played together on and off for over a decade
and that experience shows on this engaging album. Matthieu first came to
prominence with Daniel Humair’s Baby Boom, and on this recording he splits his
time between, tenor and soprano saxophones and clarinets. Bassist Sebastien
Boisseau is turning up with increasing regularity on Jazz Today, most notably
with Hans Ludemann, Simon Spang- Hanssen and Alban Darche. His skills are
clearly in demand.
This album comprises a dozen short tracks, all bar 2
composed by the pair. It’s like listening to a series of private conversations.
The CD comes in a box with a circular piece of wood. Make sure you put the
right thing in the CD player.
Steinar Raknes previous quartet album (Tangos, Ballads & More) came my way long after its release
date, and hence was not considered for my end of year listing. However this new
live recording was released earlier this year, and it is equally enjoyable.
On this second outing, the violin of Ola Kvernberg has been
replaced by the piano of Erlend Slettevoll, but the rest of the band are the
same; Jon Pal Inderberg, baritone sax, Steinar Raknes, bass and Hakon Mjaset
Johansen, drums.
Steinar’s tunes are memorable and influenced by the music of
South America and the folk music of his native Norway. However that doesn’t
mean they fall into the easy listening category. And all four musicians contribute challenging
solos, much to the delight of the Tokyo audience. And mine!
Henri Texier Hope Quartet – At L’Improviste (Label Bleu)
Henri Texier leads a number of line-ups from sextet to trio, with overlapping
personnel. This is the first outing on record for his Hope Quartet.
The
album was recorded live at L’Improviste, a jazz club based on a barge in Paris.
And from the liner notes you get the feeling that this was not intended as a
recording session, but the sound engineer at the club did just that. The quality
of the performance clearly convinced Henri that this was suitable for release. How
right he was.
As
a result the album comes across as free-er than recent releases from the
bassist. The soloing of Francois Corneloup (baritone sax), Sebastien Texier
(alto sax and clarinets), Louis Moutin (drums) and the leader himself is first
rate and their combined energy is remarkable.
My
hope is that they visit the UK asap. I’m sure we can find a barge.....
I
think the man himself would have been impressed!
As always there were plenty more releases I enjoyed over the past year. Here are some of them:
Pandelis Karayorgis Trio –
Cocoon (Driff), Gretchen Parlato –
Live in NYC (Obliqsound), Elodie
Pasquier & Gregoire Gensse – Ortie (Laborie Jazz), Ibrahim Maalouf - Wind (Mi’ster Productions), Quarterpounder – Brood (self-released), Vincent
Peirani – Thrill Box (ACT), Nicole
Mitchell’s Ice Crystal – Aquarius (Delmark), Honeyleap – Honeyleap (Oyvinds Jazz Forum), Escalandrum – Vertigo (Epsa Music), Arun Ghosh – A South Asian Suite (Camoci), Nate Wooley Sextet – (Sit In) The Throne of Friendship (Clean
Feed), Paulo Botti Quartet – Slight
Imperfection (Caligola), Mark Turner & Baptiste Trotignon – Dusk
is a Quiet Place (Naive), Simon
Spang-Hanssen Trio – Luna Moon (Gateway Music), Andrew Robson Trio – Songbook (Lamplight), Sebastien Texier – Toxic Parasites (Cristal), Omer Klein – To the Unknown (Plus Loin Music), The Aruan Ortiz & Michael Janisch Quintet – Banned in London
(Whirlwind), Allison Miller’s Boom Tic
Boom – No Morphine, No Lilies (Foxhaven), Roberto Ottaviano – Arcthetics - Soffio Primitivo (Dodicilune).......
