All of the albums below have featured in my quarterly online
podcasts which can be located HERE. I have included some that were released in
2015, but did not end up with me until 2016. So....with the caveat that I have
heard only a fraction of the new releases available, here are my picks of 2016.
I’ve enjoyed
the music of Pino Minafra for decades, ever since his early recordings for the
Splasc(H) label. His fourteen-piece Minafric Orchestra features top names from
the Italian scene, such as Roberto Ottaviano, Carlo Actis Dato and Beppe Caruso.
The addition of the vocal quartet Faraualla adds a striking dimension to the
music (and, if you see them live, a visual treat!). Flavours from North Africa
and Latin America abound, particularly in the numbers from Pino’s son, pianist
Livio Minafra.
On stage the
energy and fun of the orchestra almost detract from their skill and
musicianship. I defy you to listen to this music without posterior gyration. An
hour of joy.
Dag Magnus Narvesen Octet (DaMaNa) –
Cornua Copiae (Clean Feed)
Many record
labels are catching up with the astonishing jazz coming out of Scandinavia.
Edition Records, for example, have recordings from the likes of Eyolf Dale,
Daniel Herskedal and Per Oddvar
Johannsen. The Lisbon-based Clean Feed label are also ‘in on the act’ with recent
releases from the trio Momentum, the quartet Cortex, the quintet Friends and
Neighbours and the sextet Motif. All of which deserve your attention. The album
that most caught my ear however was the debut of the Dag Magnus Narvesen Octet
(aka DaMaNa).
It’s an
album I’ve been anticipating for some time, ever since i saw the band’s online
videos a couple of years ago. And I’m not disappointed. The leader’s compositions allow the band the space to generate plenty of energy, but keep a
sense of form, albeit loose at times. They shift from tradition to free, velvet to sandpaper, yet still retain
coherence.
The octet comprises reedsmen Kristoffer Alberts , Jørgen
Mathisen and André Roligheten trumpeter Hayden Powell
trombonist Kristoffer Kompen pianist Øyvind Dale bassist Adrian
Myhr and the man himself, Dag Magnus Narvesen, at the drums. Almost a
who’s who of the current Norwegian scene. They must be great to see live.
Laurent Rochelle’s Okidoki Quartet –
Si Tu Regardes (Linoleum)
I’m a sucker
for the bass clarinet. Its ability to create an almost human cry makes it a
most emotive instrument. On this album it’s handled by a master, Laurent
Rochelle.
It’s good to have Laurent back on my radar. I’ve enjoyed his
playing ever since his work with the Lilliput Orchestra a decade or so ago. He
studied under French reedsman Thierry Maucci, and has worked in many areas, including
theatre, dance, cinema, even puppetry!
This foursome (with Laurent on reeds, Frederic Schadoroff
piano, Olivier Brousse bass and Eric Boccalini drums) falls squarely in the
jazz tradition, albeit with occasional nods to Laurent’s interest in minimalist
music. There is a bluesy feel throughout (exemplified by Laurent’s solo on Okidoki Blues). All ten compositions are
by the leader, three with the added text and vocals of Anja Kowalski. One is
even named after one of my favourite places, the Cevennes.
It’s the second release from this line-up. I must get hold of
the first.
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom – Otis
Was a Polar Bear (Royal Potato Family)
A sextet combining
some of the finest musician from the Bay Area and New York; Ben Goldberg,
clarinet, Kirk Knuffke, cornet, Jenny Scheinman, violin, Myra Melford piano,
Todd Sickafoose bass and Allison Miller, drums. It’s the fourth recording for
Boom Tic Boom, a band that appears to be growing in personnel with every
outing. This is the first album to include Ben and Kirk
It’s
dedicated to Allison’s newly-born daughter and all the compositions were
written by the leader with the musicians in mind. They get funky at times and occasionally
move into realm of free jazz. Yet all are imbued with a sense of fun.
And Otis?
Well Otis is Allison’s dog. And surprisingly, not a particularly large one
considering his apparent heritage.
S’il te
Plait Madame – The King and the Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance (Petit)
An album that wins the award for ‘album title of the year’,
and possibly ‘band name of the year’ as well. It was actually released in 2015,
but did not reach my CD player until earlier this year. It was worth the wait. It’s
released on the Petit imprint, an independent label based in Caen, associated
with the Collectif Jazz Basse-Normandie and documenting the local scene.
The only member of the quartet I have encountered before is
trumpeter Pierre Millet, a mainstay of another outfit with albums on Petit
Records, Renza Bo. And there are similarities in their music; they both play an
intriguing and spiky brand of post-bop.
As well as playing trumpet, Pierre also wields cornet and
bugle, as well as sampling some vinyl. Completing the excellent quartet are saxophonist
Fabrice Theuillon, bassist Mathieu Millet and drummer Emmanuel Penfeunteun.
Franck
Tortiller & Francois Corneloup – Singing Fellows (MCO)
Another album with a sense of joy (...and we could do with
some joy after the past year) featuring two French veterans; Franck Tortiller, vibraphone and
marimba and Francois Corneloup on baritone saxophone.
Franck is a
musician equally happy in a classical environment as he is with jazz. He spent
many years with the Vienna Art Orchestra and was leader of the prestigious
Orchestra National de Jazz from 2005 to 2008. Francois Corneloup is probably
best known for wielding the heavy metal in Henri Texier’s bands, most recently
with the superb Hope Quartet.
They share
composing duties on eleven short-ish numbers, with Franck’s use of marimba
adding an African vibe to some of them. A duo I can see being snapped up by one
of the more prominent labels. Until then, you can find the pair on Franck’s own
MCO imprint.
I Am Three - Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (Leo)
The three
are Silke Eberhard, alto saxophone, Nikolaus Neuser, trumpet and Christian
Marian drums. They interpret a dozen compositions by Charles Mingus. In fact
the band’s name itself alludes to a quote from Charles’ autobiography.
And whereas
there are numerous tribute albums that give pedestrian renditions of Mingus’s
music, this one captures his energy perfectly. A fiery trio that I’m sure the
great man himself would have enjoyed listening to.
Mihaly Dresch Quartet with Chris Potter – Zea (BMC)
There appears
to be a thriving jazz scene in Eastern Europe which is being documented by
labels such as Hevhetia, ForTune and Budapest Music Center (BMC) Records. And the
emotive nature of the regional musics lend themselves to jazz interpretation.
Mihaly
Dresch is one of the premier saxophonists on the Hungarian scene with over 20
albums to his name. His long-standing quartet incorporate Hungarian folk music
into their sound, made even more apparent by the use of the cimbalom (an
instrument I cannot hear without thinking of Cold War spy films).
Guesting on
this live date (recorded in Budapest in the spring of 2012) is US reedsman Chris
Potter who utilises tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. The leader plays
saxophone and fuhun, an instrument he designed himself.....a cross between a
saxophone and a recorder.
Completing
the band are Miklos Lukacs on cimbalom, Erno Hock on bass and Istvan Balo on
drums. A band I would relish seeing live.
BassDrumBone
– The Long Road (Auricle)
A
two CD set from the trio BassDrumBone to celebrate the bands 40th
Anniversary this year. Bass equals Mark Helias. Drum equals Gerry Hemingway.
Bone equals trombone... equals Ray Anderson.
The
trio started life in 1977 and, despite each member subsequently becoming a
successful bandleader in his own right, the trio have stayed together and now have
ten albums to their name.
This
excellent tenth outing harbours eleven numbers recorded in a Brooklyn studio
plus two recorded live in Lausanne, Switzerland (the country where Gerry
Hemingway now resides). Three of the studio tracks add the piano of Jason
Moran. A different three add the tenor saxophone of Joe Lovano. A band that shows no signs of running out of
steam.
Ronnings Jazzmaskin - Jazzmaskin! (Losen)
Yet
more good stuff from Norway, recorded near Trondheim in December 2014. Ronnings
Jazzmaskin are a young quartet led by drummer Truls Ronning . They have been in
existence for five years and were initially inspired by the music of Elvin
Jones and his Jazz Machine. They operate in a similar fashion, with a touch of
Ornette, and a more contemporary feel. Completing
the tight quartet are Martin Myhre Olsen and Petter Kraft on saxophones and
Egil Kalman on bass.
And
Is it something they put in the water in Scandinavia ....spawning an endless supply
of quality jazz musicians? Who knows.
What I do know is that I’ll be keeping tabs on Ronnings Jazzmaskin and
following their progress with great interest.
As always,
some other 2016 releases I would hate to be without:
3/4 Peace – Rainy Days on the Common Land (El Negocito); Mosaic – Subterranea (Edition); Vanbinsbergen Playstation -
Live (Buzz); Bojan Z & Nils Wogram
– Housewarming (NWOG); Matt Wilson’s Big
Happy Family – Beginning of a Memory (Palmetto); Eyolf Dale – Wolf Valley (Edition); Henri Texier – Dakota Mab (Intuition); Ray Anderson, Han Bennink, Ernst Glerum & Paul van Kemenade – Checking Out (KEMO); Achille
Succi, Francesco Saiu & Giacomo Papetti - Three Branches (El Gallo Rojo); Duo Van Otterloo Van Veenendaal – No Trace
(Brokken); Gold Age – Gold Age
(Singlespeed Music); Miklos Lukacs,
Larry Grenadier & Eric Harland – Cimbalom Unlimited (BMC); Harris Eisenstadt – Old Growth Forest
(Clean Feed); Johnny Hunter Quartet
– While We Still Can (Efpi); Piero
Bittolo Bon’s Bread & Fox – Big Hell on Air (Auand / El Gallo Rojo); MAdHAs – MadHAs (Gateway); Adriano Clemente & Akashmani Ensemble - The Mingus Suite (Dodicilune)
