A Jazz Thread

[gjw100]

Since the late 90's, Frenchman Gregoire Maret has added the distinctive sound of his harmonica to dozens of other artist's albums, and is perhaps best-known for his two-year stint in the Pat Metheny Group. This is 'Lembra Da Mim' from his self-titled 2012 album.

[gjw100]

'Homenaje' from the 1997 album 'Antiguo' by Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his Cuban Quartet, with Rubalcaba on piano/keyboards, Reynaldo Melian trumpet, Felipe Cabrera bass and Julio Barreto drums.

[G-Man]

This Sunday morning's jazz listening:

[gjw100]

British keyboard player Bill Laurance is a long-standing member of the American band Snarky Puppy, a loose collective of some 20 or so musicians led by bassist Michael League, who have gained both commercial success and critical acclaim since their first album was released in 2005. Laurance has produced seven albums under his own name, with 'Live At Ronnie Scott's', released earlier this year, being the most recent. This is 'Denmark Hill' from the 2015 album 'Swift', with League on bass, Snarky drummer Robert 'Sput' Searight and a small horn section.

[gjw100]

After I posted the Teruo Nakamura track last week, which featured saxophonist Steve Grossman, diggedy derek commented on how under-appreciated Grossman was, and that made me go back to listen to the two albums that I have of his. I have to agree, he's a great player but maybe with too much of a foot in the jazz-rock camp for the purists, and a little too fiery and occasionally bordering on 'free' for more conventional fusion tastes. Anyway, here's 'Haresah' from the 1976 album 'Some Shapes To Come', featuring Grossman on soprano sax, Jan Hammer keyboards, Gene Perla bass and Don Alias drums/percussion.

[gjw100]

So as the previous post mentions Jan Hammer, here's 'The Animals' from his debut solo album 'The First Seven Days' (1975), released after the first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra had folded with some acrimony. Hammer plays keyboards (his mini-moog sound is unmistakeable) as well as rather perfunctory drums, and there are contributions from Steven Kindler violin and David Earl Johnson percussion. I remember that my original vinyl copy had a footnote in the credits along the lines of 'for those concerned, there are no guitars on this album', indicating that he still felt some some ill-will towards John McLaughlin!!

[diggedy derek]

Great spot gjw

[gjw100]

Here’s one for G-Man – South African multi-instrumentalist Bheki Mseleku, who died in 2008 at the comparatively young age of 53, recorded just half-a-dozen albums. I get the impression that he might be something of a forgotten man in his home country, although I’d be delighted to find that isn’t the case, given his huge talent. This is ‘Thula Mtwana’ from the 1995 album ‘Star Seeding’, with Mseleku on piano, tenor sax, guitar and vocals, supported by Charlie Haden bass and Billy Higgins drums.

[gjw100]

‘The Awakening’ from Josef Leimberg’s 2017 album ‘Astral Projection’ (an album that deserves to be ranked alongside Kamasi Washington’s ‘The Epic’). Featuring Leimberg on trumpet and valve trombone, Terrace Martin saxophone, Tracy Wannomae bass clarinet, Camille Ramirez flute, Wesley Singerman guitar, Gabe Noel bass, Alakoi Peete percussion, Matt Little & Roger Chahayed keyboards and Jimetta Rose vocals.

[gjw100]

Finally, Ezra Collective, another of the young London bands currently reinvigorating the British jazz scene. This is ‘The Philosopher’ from the 2017 album ‘Juan Pablo: The Philosopher’, with TJ Koleoso bass, Femi Koleoso drums, Joe Armon-Jones keyboards, James Mollison tenor sax and Dylan Jones trumpet.

[gjw100]

Starting with something out of left field, Les Baxter was an American composer, orchestrator, conductor, and the originator of a style of easy-listening popularly known as ‘exotica’. He produced a large volume of work throughout the 50’s and 60’s, including many film scores (sample album titles - ‘African Jazz’, ‘Caribbean Moonlight’, ‘Pharaoh’s Curse’ and ‘The Sacred Idol’). Here’s ‘Busy Port’ from the 1951 album ‘Ritual Of The Savage’.

[gjw100]

Polish saxophonist Zbigniew Namyslowski’s ‘Quiet Afternoon' from the 1975 album ‘Kujaviak Goes Funky’, with Namyslowski on alto sax, Tomasz Szukalski tenor/soprano sax, Wojciech Karolak electric piano, Pavel Jarzebski bass and Czeslaw Bartkowski drums.

[gjw100]

Jonny Mansfield’s Elftet, featuring Mansfield on vibes, Ella Hohnen-Ford vocals/flute, James Davison trumpet, Tom Smith saxophones, George Millard tenor sax / bass clarinet, Rory Ingham trombone, Dom Ingham violin, Laura Armstrong cello, Oliver Mason guitar, Will Harris bass and Boz Martin-Jones drums. This is ‘Flying Kites’ from the 2019 album ‘Elftet’.

[gjw100]

It seems as if there are almost as many young British jazz groups around at the moment as there are musicians, such is the cross-fertilisation that is taking place between them all. This is ‘Nah’ by Pyjaen, taken from their self-titled 2019 album, featuring Dani Diodato guitar, Dylan Jones trumpet, Ben Vize saxophone, Charlie Hutchinson drums and Benjamine Crane bass.

[gjw100]

Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven clearly picked up on the emerging talent in London – his 2018 album ‘Universal Beings’ was split into a Chicago side, a New York side, an LA side and a London side, which featured Nubya Garcia saxophone, Daniel Casimir bass, Ashley Henry electric piano and Jeff Parker guitar. This is, appropriately enough, ‘The Newbies Lift Off’.

[gjw100]

A mix of jazz, funk and Afro-beat from Kokoroko, with ‘Ti De’ from their self-titled 2019 EP, featuring Cassie Kinoshi alto sax/vocals, Sheila Maurice-Grey trumpet/vocals. Richie Sievright trombone, Yohan Kebede keyboards, Oscar Jerome guitar, Mutale Chashi bass, Ayo Salawu drums and Onome Edgeworth percussion.

[gjw100]

London-based producer Swindle’s ‘Coming Home’ (featuring Kojey Radical) from the 2019 album ‘No More Normal’ isn’t strictly jazz of course, but the horn section that carries the main melody (courtesy of the Riot Jazz Brass Band), is sufficient for me to justify its inclusion. And it’s a great song and video into the bargain.

[diggedy derek]

Good single that. I thought the album was a bit unfocused with too many guests, but no question the boy can play and produce.

If you want a different flavour, which I like a lot more, go back to his early dubstep 12"s.

[gjw100]

Michael Brecker, who died from leukemia in 2007 at the age of just 57, was in my opinion the finest saxophone player of his generation. Although he achieved popular success quite early on in his career with his brother Randy in jazz-funk band The Brecker Brothers, and played on many hundreds of albums throughout the 70’s and 80’s for artists way too numerous to list, it seemed to take a little while longer for the jazz world to fully catch on to what a truly special player he was. I’ll start this retrospective with a video of him playing ‘Pools’ live with Steps Ahead in Copenhagen. I can’t be sure of the date, but the band line up - Eddie Gomez bass, Eliane Elias piano, Mike Mainieri vibes and Peter Erskine drums was their early 80’s incarnation. If this maybe isn’t quite your thing, I would still urge you to fast forward to about the 7-minute mark, where Brecker delivers a masterclass in constructing a solo – a solo, incidentally, that in 45 years of listening to jazz still remains my very favourite.

[gjw100]

This is the title track from the 1982 album ‘Cityscape’, one of two that Brecker made with composer/arranger/conductor Claus Ogerman. Featuring Warren Bernhardt keyboards, Steve Gadd drums and Eddie Gomez bass.

[gjw100]

‘Naked Soul’ from the 1996 album ‘Tales From The Hudson’, with Pat Metheny guitar, Joey Calderazzo piano, Jack DeJohnette drums and Dave Holland bass.

[gjw100]

‘Sometimes I See’ from the 2001 album ‘Nearness Of You (The Ballad Book)’, with Pat Metheny guitar, Herbie Hancock piano, Charlie Haden bass and Jack DeJohnette drums.

[diggedy derek]

Jack DeJohnette's music has remained really fantastic all the way through.

[gjw100]

Jack DeJohnette's music has remained really fantastic all the way through.

Indeed. I first became aware of DeJohnette on Ralph Towner's 'Batik' from around 1978. What impressed me most was the quality of his cymbal work (helped as ever by a crystalline ECM production) and how he used it to propel the songs in the most delicate fashion. Used as I was to the more forceful fusion drummers of the time, it was something of a revelation.

[diggedy derek]

Have we noted Steve Grossman died just over a week ago?