Anna Mette Iversen Quartet + 1 Racing a Butterfly

Anna Mette Iversen Quartet + 1
Racing a Butterfly
Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records
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The Danish bassist-composer-bandleader Anne Mette Iversen has established herself as one of international jazz's prominent bassists and composers. She moved to New York in 1998, where she flourished until moving to Berlin in 2012 to pursue other opportunities. She remains a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground (BJU), she continues to record for the BJU Records label. On her latest album, the bassist is joined by her longest-running group, with John Ellis (tenor saxophone), Peter Dahlgren (trombone), Danny Grissett (piano), and Otis Brown III (drums & cymbals).

In the brief liner notes, she explains that "the title track on this album was inspired by a literal race with a butterfly I had during a run one summer morning in Provence, France. Running along the lavender fields on a dirt road, while the temperature was quickly rising, a colorful butterfly came out of the wild flowers that grow on the roadside; having apparently decided to keep me company. We stayed side by side for a moment and then it started to play. It flew ahead, dropped back, caught up with me again, spun circles, twisted and turned in a kind of a dance. This went on for a surprising long while until the butterfly finally took off. It was the fun, the enjoyment, the playfulness and lightness that was so beautiful and which nature displayed so naturally, that made me feel that I really ought to celebrate those sides of life more than I have previously done in my music." In the manner of that experience, there is a playfulness permeating not only this track but the entire album.

This playfulness is evident on the opening "Triangular Waves," where Grissett, Ellis, and Brown are featured on a performance that grows out of the leader's catchy bass figure. Also noteworthy is the interplay between Ellis and Dahlgren here and throughout. There is an effervescent quality to the title track with the intriguing interaction between Ellis and Dahlgren, who introduce an especially charming and lyrical composition. There is also an exceptional Grissett solo here. Iversen solos to open up the first of the two parts of "Parallel Flying," the first part of which is performed andante while showcasing Dahlgren's wooly trombone. The tempo is kicked up quite a notch with Ellis and Grissett dazzling with their energetic soloing. This is simply a sampling of the superb performances on this recording by Iversen's Quartet + 1.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here the Anna Mette Iversen Quartet + 1 are heard performing.

Michael Blanco Spirit Forward

Michael Blanco
Spirit Forward
Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records

"Spirit Forward" the title of bassist-composer Michael Blanco's new album, is a bartending term for a type of cocktail made with strong spirits (like the Manhattan or Martini) that seeks to highlight and enhance the flavor of the base spirit, not to mask its flavor. Blanco states, "When choosing Spirit Forward for the album title, I had this definition in mind and how it relates to my music. It's a good metaphor for how strong musical personalities can come together and create a dynamic unit, while still maintaining their individuality." This refers to the Michael Blanco Quartet featuring John Ellis (tenor saxophone), Kevin Hays (piano) and Clarence Penn (drums). He also observed "I like the idea that the act of releasing an album of original music is akin to putting your 'spirit forward' out into the world, as well as the way the word spirit can be used to mean motion (like 'spirit away'), so Spirit Forward also means forward motion and continuing progress."

Saxophonist Ellis has been a long-time friend and musical collaborator with Blanco, whereas the pianist Hays and drummer Penn (who I am most familiar with) are more recent additions to his group. And the band did a number of dates in 2015 working out on these compositions before actually going into the stdio resulting in this imaginative and intriguing recording. This is suggested by the first composition, "The Mystic Chord" which Blanco observes "The Mystic Chord is a six-note chord used by Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, and believed by Scriabin to have mystical properties. While practicing at home one day, I discovered that I could create a bass line with an interesting 6/4 groove by spelling out this chord one note at a time." The resulting melody has a "funky, lopsided quality," and the quartet explores the possibilities of this chord with Ellis' tenor providing a fluid, light sound.

"Notes From the Underground" was inspired by the Cornelia Street Cafe, and employs a low-register piano/bass counter-melody hat offsets Ellis' tenor at several points as well as impresses with his own solo. Blanco notes that so many of his favorite jazz clubs are basement rooms, hence the double entendre of the title. "Song Without Words" is a pretty number where the quartet displays its lyricism with Hays displaying his nice touch here, while the swinging title track evokes some classic 70s hard bop compositions with Hayes, Ellis and the leader stretching out. Then there is a quirky blues "Last Stable Orbit," (title is astronomical term that denotes" last orbit possible before an object (planet, spaceship, etc) gets sucked into a black hole.") with Ellis on soprano sax with a bit of squeal in his tone. A Neal LaBute play is the source of the tile for "Reasons To Be Pretty," a slow number opening with Ellis, again on soprano sax setting the mood before Hays takes a beautiful solo. Penn's cymbals play, whether with brushes or sticks, merits mention here, but is expectedly superb throughout.


Blanco's prior two albums have both garnered considerable praise. Listening to "Spirit Forward," one can understand why. There is so much to enjoy on this sparkling recording. Here is Michael Blanco and John Ellis with a different rhythm section.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369). 

Notable Jazz and Blues of 2012 - Part 2

This is the second blog recapping some of the finer jazz and blues releases that came out recently. Today I focus on recordings I reviewed in the second half of 2012.

New Jazz Recordings

Our Thing (Motéma Music) is the first time studio collaboration between Israeli-born guitarist/composer Roni Ben-Hur and Panamanian-born bassist/composer Santi Debraino. The musical delights of this trio is captured in a beautifully engineered recording which is also one of the better jazz guitar recordings this listener has heard recently.

Cassandra Wilson's, Another Country (eOne Music), is a collaboration with the Italian guitarist and producer, Fabrizio Sotti. From the opening moments of Red Guitar, to the closingOlumutoro, Wilson's sultry and intimate vocals benefits from the backing.

Brazilian born drummer Duduka Da Fonseca bridged the world of samba and jazz on Samba Jazz - Jazz Samba (Anzic Records). With a band of well-regarded players (and bandleaders): Anat Cohen - clarinet and tenor saxophone; Helio Alves - piano; Guilherme Monteiro - guitar; and Leonardo Cioglia on bass, he produced an appealing album with strong ensemble playing on a varied set of compositions. 

Ernest Dawkins Afro-Straight (Delmark) is a terrific recording of straight-ahead jazz from an ensemble led by Dawkins, who is most associated with free jazz, as they tackle tunes from Coltrane, Shorter, Gillespie as well as an original blues from the leader. This is an excellent recording that easily refutes the stereotype that free jazz players can’t play straight-ahead.

Cornetist Josh Berman & His Gang, There Now (Delmark) is an imaginative free-bop release that includes very original interpretations of songs associated with the Chicago Jazz of the thirties. I found it a most imaginative and fascinating recording, full of surprises and passion.

Five members of Brooklyn Jazz Underground, a cooperative association of jazz artists from Brooklyn, NY, collaborated on a new recording A Portrait of Brooklyn on the association’s sister company, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. It is an excellent collection of first-rate original compositions and terrific playing.

New Blues Recordings

Vicksburg Blues (Red House Records) is the first collaboration between pianist and clarinetist Butch Thompson and singer-guitarist Pat Donohue and mostly explores classic blues in the vein of Leroy Carr, Tampa Red and Big Bill. "This is simply the finest album of blues piano and guitar duets in a number of years and certainly one of the finest new blues albums I have heard in 2012."

Johnnie Bassett had a new release on Sly Dog Records, I Can Make That Happen. This was another well produced and enjoyable recording. He died not long after this was released but was still making it happen with his soulful and sophisticated blues.

There are several songs on Linsey Alexander's Delmark debut Been There Done Thatthat if were recorded thirty years ago would be viewed as blues classics. This was one of the finer blues albums I heard in 2012. 

Michael Burks, Show of Strength (Alligator). What turned out to be a posthumous release was a stunning display of his fiery fretwork and soulful singing performing some fine material. 

Omar and the Howlers, Too Much Is Not Enough (Big Guitar). There is the second album of JimmY Reed's music Omar Dykes has put together and this includes the alte harmonica master Gary Primich about others. These are wonderfully paced performances and many ‘blues players’ would do well to see how one can take familiar material and make it sound fresh and vital

The Lioness of the Blues, Sista Monica, most recent recording on her Mo Muscle Records label is Living In The Danger Zone. A singer that combines the power of an Etta James with the nuanced delivery of Ruth brown, Sista Monica has produced another strong release.

Willie Buck with The Rockin’ Johnny Band had a new album on Delmark, Cell Phone Man. Evoking Muddy Waters, His vocals exhibit some of the same expressive qualities and with the strong backing here (which at times suggests some of the outstanding Delmark albums of the late sixties and seventies) Buck produced an outstanding recording of real-deal Chicago blues.

Fourteen Stories is the self-released recording by the Red Lotus Revue, a band rooted in fifties’ Chicago blues. They produced a strong collection of Chicago styled blues.

Vintage Jazz and Blues Recordings

Magic Sam, Live 1969 - Raw Blues (Rock Beat label). Exceptional previously unissued club recordings by legendary Magic Sam backed by Bruce Barlow (later with Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen) on bass and Sam Lay on drums. Soul may not be quite hi-fi, but the performances are searing.

Don Sebesky’s Giant Box was part of the CTI Masterworks reissues of classic CTI albums marking the label’s 40th Anniversary. The performances onGiant Box display how his ambitious synthesis of classical, jazz and popular music was realized. His orchestrations frame the featured players here and enhance the solos that exhibit the skill and imagination of some of the greatest jazz musicians of four decades ago.

Celebrating a half century of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a new box set on Columbia/Legacy, The 50th Anniversary Collection. It spans there recordings and includes some previously unreleased material. This is a joy and soulfulness of all of the performances here on this celebration of 50 years of what is truly a cornerstone of American culture, not simply music.

Labor Records issued a new Louisiana Red CD, When My Mama Was Living, bringing together 16 tracks comprised of one track on CD for first time and the rest previously unissued selections or unissued alternate takes. This new release of unissued songs and alternate takes is welcome as. Louisiana Red was in quite fine form during this period.

Grant Green, The Holy Barbarian/ St. Louis 1959 (Uptown Records). This is first release of live recording of nearly 70 minutes of what was a strong performance of blues and hard-bop organ jazz in St. Louis at a short-lived pioneering venue.  Beautifully packaged this is as exciting release as Resonance Records recent Wes Montgomery CD.

Louis Armstrong & the Allstars, Satchmo at Symphony Hall - 65th Anniversary: The Complete Recordings (Hip-O-Select). A double CD reissue that includes previously unissued music that is one of the classic traditional jazz recordings and one of the most legendary performances of Armstrong’s career which thankfully is finally available in a complete issue.

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble's Fond Portrait Of Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Jazz Underground is a cooperative association of jazz artists who aim to build a greater awareness of original music emerging from Brooklyn, NY. Five of the members have collaborated on a new recording A Portrait of Brooklyn on the association’s sister company, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. The members forming the Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble are David Smith (trumpet), Adam Kolker (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute), Dan Pratt (tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Anne Mette Iversen (bass) and Rob Garcia (drums). In addition to being excellent musicians, instrumentalists and band leaders, each contributed two compositions to this recording. While the compositions are inspired by Brooklyn, this recording does not attempt to define the Borough.

Listening to the performances here, one is impressed by not simply the compositions and playing, but also the ensemble work. One might suggest several influences of the overall sound including the classic Ornette Coleman Quartet, and such post-Ornette influenced groups as Old Dreams and New Dreams. Ornette's influence perhaps is most evident on Kolker’s JV, a selection that evokes Ornette’s classic groups (and Kolker’s alto saxophone here echoes Coleman’s blues-infused tone). Smith’s trumpet provides a nice contrast while Pratt plays in a bit more gutbucket fashion. If not sounding like a previously unrecorded Coleman composition, Smith’s Starr St. is a lively original in the post-Ornette vein. Kolker is strong on alto here (not sounding like Coleman) and also adds bass clarinet to the ensemble passages. Garcia’s playing is especially strong here, including during Smith’s solo.


Garcia’s “King” is a strong free-bop performance with a solo from Pratt along with nice supporting riffs by the other horns. Iversen provides a firm anchor as Garcia propels the performance along. Pratt’s Buttermilk Channel is built upon an intriguing motif stated by Kolker on bass clarinet. Garcia’s other original is the lovely, wistful 1898 (the title referrs to the year the City of Brooklyn became part of the City of New York), with thoughtful and lovely playing by Smith as Pratt provides embellishments under the solos.

Iversen’s Osgood in Brooklyn has imaginative interplay between the horns while Garcia’s The Hill is a toe-tapping performance with excellent playing by him as well as from Kolker on tenor. Pratt’s The Cyclone (named after the famed Coney island roller coaster) closes this recording in a hard bop vein, conjuring up some of Woody Shaw’s compositions and recordings. A Portrait of Brooklyn is an excellent collection of first-rate original compositions and terrific playing.

For more information visit http://www.bjurecords.com/artistsBJU.html. I received my review copy from a publicist.

Rob Garcia's The Drop and the Ocean

Drummer-composer Rob Garcia has a new recording with his quartet on the label of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, The Drop and the Ocean (BJU Records). Garcia’s quartet is comprised of saxophonist Noah Preminger, pianist Dan Tepfer and bassist John Hebert on this recording of twelve Garcia originals. The title derives from the Sufi concept, which deals with the human experience as an individual (the drop), and the path to surrendering to something bigger (the ocean). A friend brought the concept and explained how we can try to hold so tightly to our individuality when we can let go and become the ocean.” Garcia’s compositions are musical contemplations and reflections on this.

The performances themselves display some rather inspired interplay among Garcia’s quartet. On the opening Will, Preminger asserts himself with his dry tone and a solo using staccato before Garcia takes a solo accented by Tepfer’s piano. Boundaries opens with Garcia setting the rhythm before Preminger and Tepfer engage in a brief dialogue before Garcia interjects leading to Tepfer’s atemporal playing against Garcia’s percussive counterpoint as Preminger restates the theme and takes a heated solo followed by Hebert’s solo. Lost By Mourning provides a contrasting mood with its pensive tone with some lovely tenor sax over understated accompaniment. The River suggests the classic Miles Davis’ recording, Nefertiti, with Preminger and Tepfer outstanding in their solos. Interspersed among the lengthier ensemble performances are three short, focused drum solo interludes entitled Flash.

Garcia’s compositions here transverse a wide range of styles ranging from ballads to free-bop and the excellent performances on The Drop and the Ocean exhibit marvelous ensemble playing and imaginative, focused soloing.

My review copy was provided by a publicist. Here is Rob Garcia 4 in performance.

Anne Mette Iversen Celebrates Jazz & Motherhood

Bassist-composer Anne Mette Iversen is among the jazz artists associated with the Brooklyn Jazz Underground and the associated BJU records has just issued Milo Songs. Performed by her Quartet with her on bass, John Ellis on tenor sax and clarinet, Danny Grissett on piano and Otis Brown III on drums, the seven compositions on this album grew from a melody her son made up at the age of 2, and the recording is an affirmation and her celebration of her successfully juggling motherhood and being a professional jazz musician. She explains that the titles of her compositions indicate her intent that each tells stories of a child’s life such as the turbulence of a new sibling in the home, the ability to focus on something seemingly unimportant to others, the fantasy world, dreams shared with mom in the morning and more.

Whatever the particular employment of Milo’s song in a specific composition, the seven years of having played together is reflected in the interplay among the quartet. The performances flow organically as on the opening The Terrace, on which Ellis displays a full tenor sound as Grissett dances around him, while Brown adds percussive accents and Iversen anchors the quartet before Grissett takes a strong solo. From the somewhat romantic feel of The Terrace the mood shifts on the The Storm. This opens as a heated dialogue between Ellis and Grissett before Brown and Iversen join in to vigorously frame the pair’s call and response with each other. Then Grissett launches into his high energy solo followed by some vigorous tenor sax.
 
Drum Dreams, with Ellis on clarinet, has a meditative tone to it and both Grissett and Ellis display restraint while Iversen’s bass provides a strong axis for the performance. Brown takes a solo here that is an extension of the performance. There is a playful lyricism displayed on Trains & Chocolate, and a latin tinge to the animated Milo’s Brother. Child’s Worlds with Iversen taking a solo might be the highpoint of this excellent set with Grissett and Ellis shining as well and Brown being terrifiic in pushing this performance forward.

For more information on this excellent recording (including ordering information), check out the BJU Records website, www.bjurecords.com and Anne Mette Iversen’s own website, www.annemetteiversen.com.


As I write this I note that the Anne Mette Iversen Quartet is scheduled to celebrate the release of this at An Die Musik in Baltimore on Friday, June 24 and at Twin’s Jazz in Washington DC on Wednesday June 29.

I received this from a publicist for this release.

Brooklyn Jazz Underground's Diverse Modern Jazz

I had been listening for several months to “Brooklyn Jazz Underground, Volume 4.” This is one of several compilations of performances by some of today’s modern jazz performers who call Brooklyn home. BJU is a collective of composers and musicians who operate in a similar manner to Chicago’s AACM, and other similar groups, enabling BJU to showcase their own music. In addition to producing recordings, they have produced festivals to showcase the BJU performers.

This sampler provides a sample of the musical range within the BJU. The collection opens up with “Cataldo One” by Danish bassist Anne Mette Iversen, a rousing hard bop number with some tenor sax from Jerome Sabbagh and piano from Danny Grissett. It is followed by Adam Kolker’s strutting “Flag Day,” from a new Sunnyside album, with a band that includes John Abercombrie and drummer Paul Motion. Kolker’s dry tenor sax is very appealing to these ears and complemented by Abercombrie’s chords and single note runs. Just these two numbers one provide the listener with a sense of the variety to be heard. I am not going to run down all eight selections, but simply mention three more. Sunny Jain Collective is led by drummer and composer, Sunny Jain, and the track “Avaaz,” from the album of the same name mixes the sounds of his native India including sitar guitar and the vocals of Samita Sinha, with Steve Welsh’s emphatic tenor saxophone creating a wonderful blend of sounds. Another drummer, Rob Garcia, contributed the fascinating “Little Trees,” opening with some free sounding piano from Dan Tepfer, before tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger engages in some call and response with Tepfer as drummer Garcia and bassist Chris Lightcap answer and provide a responsive foundation.“After,” by tenor saxophonist Dan Pratt, is composition that evokes some of Abdullah Ibrahim’s ballads. The group that includes trombonist Alan Ferber, organist Jared Gold and drummer Mark Ferber, and opens with the leader’s bluesy saxophone and there is strong interplay here between Pratt and trombonist Alan Ferber.

“Brooklyn Jazz Underground, Volume 4” is a marvelous introduction to these independent and inspired musicians. BJU also has a series of podcasts where the musicians discuss their music at length from influences to their present objectives. This can be downloaxded from their website, www.brooklynjazz.org, and this writer has them on his itunes. Also listening to this sampler, has led to the purchase of several albums by these performers. More information on the artists and the recordings can be found on the BJU website and many of these artists have recordings available on cdbaby.


The review copy (or downloads) was sent by the publicity firm for the Brooklyn Jazz Underground.

Owen Howard's Compelling "Drum Lore"

“Drum Lore” (BJURecords) is an auspicious recording by Owen Howard, a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground. As Howard explains, the genesis of this disc came from his participation in a jazz workshop’s composition class when someone asked why he a drummer was participating. The result is the eleven performances which, in addition to Howard’s “Roundabout,” include compositions by Peter Erskine, Tony Williams, Billy Hart, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Ed Blackwell, Al Foster, Denzil Best, Chick Webb (with Benny Goodman and Edgar Sampson) and Shelly Manne and dispel the myth about drummers and composition. Howard provides a brief overview for each composition performed. On this recording, in different combinations, are John O’Gallagher on alto sax; Andy Middleton on tenor sax or soprano sax; Adam Keller on alto sax, tenor sax or soprano sax; Alan Ferber on trombone; Frank Carlberg on piano; and Johnny Wiedenmueller on bass, in addition to Howard on drums.


The opening “Bulgaria” by Peter Erkskine is transformed from a trip performance to a quintet with Middleton’s soprano snaking through the shifting meters before Carlberg enters with some free tempo playing complemented by Howard’s responsive drumming. Another quintet performance, Tony Williams’ “Arboretum” features interesting counterpoint between O’Gallagher’s alto and Ferber’s fuzzy trombone before Wiedenmueller solos, followed by swinging, concise solos from O’Gallagher, Ferber and Carlberg. Howard notes the melodic qualities of many of Billy Hart’s compositions, and this is evident on “Duchess.” Howard features himself a bit more prominently on Jack DeJohnette’s “Zoot Suite,” which mixes some jump blues horn riffing through the different parts of the composition with shifting tempos and moods. This is one of the two performances where I am quite familiar with the original recording by DeJohnette’s Special edition on ECM, and this fares well in comparison with the original, with the three saxophones all contributing here with Middleton’s soprano especially evocative here. Paul Motian’s “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago,” with Kolker’s bass clarinet blending with O’Gallagher’s alto to provide an elegiac quality to this performance.


Another performance that I am familiar with is Ed Blackwell’s “Togo,” which I believe was originally performed with Old and New Dreams. Howard rearranges this into a slightly larger group as Ferber’s trombone replaces Don Cherry’s trumpet, while O’Gallagher and Kolker (on tenor sax) replace Dewey Redmond’s sax. Ferber languorously states the theme before the three horns state it on a number based on a Ghanian folk melody. Howard calls this a tour de force for Blackwell, but also for him as he transverses distinct time feels on his solo. “45º Angle,” is a lesser known composition of Denzil Best that Howard invests with a lively calypso feel with Middleton standing out with a lively tenor sax solo backed by Howard’s crisp playing. Howard’s own “Roundabout,” is inspired by Miles Davis’ “Circle in the Round,” with a shifting pulse and some lovely playing from Ferber, Kolker and O’Gallagher, with Kolker’s soaring soprano playing particularly standing out. “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” is one of the foundational numbers of swing jazz and Howard provides some modern musical coloring in his arrangement with which he tries to impart a jam session flavor that has some lively playing.


It is easy to lose sight of what a superb job on drums Owen Howard plays throughout. Even when not upfront, his playing complements and pushes the soloists through these fascinating compositions that is a lesson that student at the jazz workshop hopefully by now has learned. Howard notes he has at least 30 other tunes composed by drummers that he would have loved to have used and intimates that a Volume 2 may be forthcoming. The music on this fabulous recording certainly would make such a sequel very welcome. Owen Howard’s website is http://owenhoward.net. Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records link, from which this can be purchased, is http://www.bjurecords.com/. Among other sources for this CD is amazon who has “Drum Lore” is available on cd and mp3. It can also be downloaded on itunes.


I was supplied a review copy by the publicity firm for BJU Records.