I’ve been at this jazz recommendation thing for a long time. It should have gotten old by now. But it never does. Every month, I encounter a new recording that lifts me up and rejuvenates me. And some months, it’s more than one recording that does this. June is one such month. It is going to be a challenge compiling the July column when several of June’s releases simply will not release their hold over me—my ears, my attention, my heart. And with that, let’s begin.
Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O
True Story
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
There’s both sunlight and shadows on the sophomore release from Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O, centered around the theme of a life of poverty in South Africa. The melodies on True Story cut to the soul—and sometimes deliver an uplifting surge, too, a sense of joy and sadness experienced simultaneously, the clash only amplifying their counterparts. The Johannesburg-based trombonist is joined by a core quartet of bassist Ayanda Zalekile, drummer Lungile Kunene, percussionist Gontse Makhene, and pianist-keyboardist Nkosinathi Mathunjwa, plus no small amount of guest contributors.
Carlos Bica
11:11
I. Cannot. Stop. Listening. To. This. Album. Melodically, it is mysterious and strange and stupendously mesmerizing. It’s not unlike wandering through a labyrinth, always a blind to the path ahead, yet pulled forward by some irresistible force. Rhythmically, it’s like the rustling of autumn leaves, overhead and underfoot, in all of their tones. These qualities are not a new thing to a Carlos Bica recording, but never have they been quite so damn affecting. The double bassist is joined by alto saxophonist José Soares, vibraphonist Eduardo Cardinho, and guitarist Gonçalo Neto (who adds some banjo, to boot).
Tryp Tych Tryo
Warsaw Conjunction
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
Soulful in the tradition of modern spiritual jazz and volatile in the vein of old-school, the trio of double bassist Wojtek Mazolewski, drummer Natcyet Wakili, and saxophonist-flutist Tamar Osborn concoct a sound intended to spur feet into motion and send heads diving into contemplation. The seamless transitions from those contemplative interludes to soulful grooves lead to exciting moments; but it’s when the trio follows fast on the heels of melodic inspiration that the album truly takes off.
Janel Leppin
Ensemble Volcanic Ash: To March Is To Love
Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl LP
Of the many elements present in a Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash recording, the most compelling is the struggle between compositional structure and artistic freedom—both shaper and shape seeking to take hold of the music’s direction. Consequently, we’re gifted with thrilling moments when tunefulness emerges from the volatility—as if a sweet melody were infused into the atomic structure of rocket fuel and set to go off during combustion. The cellist (who also contributes piano to this session) is joined by drummer Larry Ferguson, bassist Luke Stewart, guitarist Anthony Pirog, alto saxophonist Sarah Hughes and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles.
Jack Magnet Science
Future Forecast
This music is pure fun—the kind of thing you play to get the weekend underway. Jakob Magnússon’s Jack Magnet Science project specializies in modern fusion, and is powered by an impressive array of Icelandic all-stars, as well as two Americans notable for their influence on jazz fusion old and new. Future Forecast has countless moving parts, but all of them are in concert with one another—it’s a kaleidoscopic precision, but with the untamed flow of blood rushing toward a rapidly beating heart.
Ivanna Cuesta
A Letter To The Earth
On an album built around the theme of climate change, drummer Ivanna Cuesta considers how Mother Nature’s disappearing act also translates to memories. Free improvisation lies at the heart of this music, but the quartet often keeps to a contained area, showing how much room there is to explore even tiny spaces. The quartet offers up some straight-ahead post-bop, adding timely electronic flourishes that bloom wildly while navigating leaps from states of deep reflection to wild volatility. The Dominican drummer-composer is joined on this session by pianist Kris Davis, bassist Max Ridley, and tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon.
Los Carlitos
Return to Carlitos
These are melodies that scoop you up in their embrace and carry you away. On Return to Carlitos, the quartet of trumpeter Esteban Garvie, saxophonist Federico Viceconte, double bassist Leandro Camus, and drummer Luciano Monte treat multiple pieces as if they’re merely sections of trail in one expansive path, transitioning between tones and tempos as effortlessly as passing clouds shifting a landscape from light to dark and back again. On this session, the quartet works modern straight-ahead territory, with undercurrents of folk that sometimes rise to the surface. Released on the Mar Del Plata, Argentina-based Discos ICM, a criminally unsung label that never fails to offer up an album or two deserving of year-end recognition.
SML
Small Medium Large
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD),
Small Medium Large presents vignettes taken from a day in the life of a long-form work—reworked snippets of a single, larger improvisation. The quintet SML—bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann—offer up a series of tiny improvisational inspirations, encapsulations of a single sprawling idea that’s better described a little at a time. It’s a wild mix of influences delivered in a frenzy, existing at the junction where catchy melodies and infectious grooves become inseparable.
Jasper Høiby’s 3 Elements
Like Water
Vinyl LP
Like Water marks the latest iteration of Jasper Høiby’s trio series. The 3 Elements project sees the bassist flipping through perspectives of the piano-bass-drums format. The latest is a straight-ahead affair, and likely to appeal as much to old-school fans as new. Joined by pianist Chaerin Im and drummer Jamie Peet, Høiby continues to deliver some of the very best modern jazz on the scene today. This music is a delight.
Tommy Crane
Dance Music For All Occasions
Compact Disc (CD)
There’s a throwback element to this recording—a blast of ’70s soul jazz, along with some 80’s contemporary, where the beat lights the path and the melodies roll out casual as can be. Tommy Crane keeps the recording tethered to modern sensibilities, which is a big reason Dance Music For All Occasions sounds as fresh as the day is new. The drummer switches up the combinations of ensemble members contributing to each piece—among them prior collaborators, saxophonist Charlotte Greve and bassist Simon Jermyn. This album is so damn personable.
Altus
Mythos
Counting three wind instruments among their numbers, the Altus quintet of trumpeter Dave Adewumi, bassist Isaac Levien, tenor saxophonist Neta Raanan, alto saxophonist Nathan Reising, and drummer Ryan Sands work both ends of a harmonic spectrum. As a result, the music sounds both insistent and solemn—a sense of exerting its force upon the world while also offering a prayer for its salvation. This is by and large a straight-ahead post-bop session, but the musicians get to mix it up plenty, and the moments when they coalesce after an interlude of freedom are the album’s strongest.
Jack Radsliff
Barefoot
Vinyl LP
For those who need their fix of that Brian Blade Fellowship Band-esque cinematic nu-jazz, Jack Radsliff’s debut Migration Patterns delivered—melodically rich, simmering moodiness, and gradual builds culminating in breathtaking leaps. The Portland-based guitarist’s sophomore release keeps delivering in that vein, though it scales things back a bit by forgoing wind instruments and shifting down from a sextet to (new) quartet of bassist Todd Sickafoose, pianist Randy Porter, and drummer Alan Jones.
Other Albums of Note:
Laid back yet still bursting with personality is this intriguing duo session from trombonist Filippo Vignato and cellist Hank Roberts on the Italian label Hora Records. Released on Ankara, Turkey-based label Inverted Spectrum Records, the latest from the Macedonian trio Svetlost illustrates vividly that the big sound ferocity of their 2019 project Odron Ritual Orchestra wasn’t merely a byproduct of their ensemble size. Nicole Connelly’s debut recording offers some playful jabs at the established conventions of a straight-ahead modern sound, and also reminds us that renditions of Roswell Rudd’s “Bamako” aren’t as frequent as they really ought to be. On Ola Kvernberg’s latest- a collaboration with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra– the violinist continues to explore melodic possibilities within large ensembles, building on the wild success of his 2019 release The Mechanical Fair. There are some riveting interludes of improvisational conversations between pianist Christine Wodrascka and drummer Didier Lasserre on the latest release from the Toulouse, France label Mr Morezon.
