Rajiv Jayaweera Pistils

Rajiv Jayaweera
Pistils
Outside in Music

"Pistils" is the debut album by Sri Lankan/Australian jazz drummer and composer, Rajiv Jayaweera. The album features eight original compositions by the New York-based Jayaweera that draw inspiration from Sri Lanka. Jayaweera, who plays drums, cymbals, thammattama, and caxixi, leads a band of Chris Cheek (soprano & tenor saxophones), Aaron Parks (piano), Hugh Stuckey (guitar), and Sam Anning (double bass). Lara Bello adds her voice as a special guest.

Two versions of the title track open and close this recording. The initial rendition of "Pistils" features Lara Bello's enchanting vocal set against a sparse setting. This composition illustrates Jayaweera's ability to compose beautiful melodies. "Ellstandissa," opens with the leader playing the relatively unknown Thammattama drum (also known as a temple drum), a two-headed traditional drum that is played with a pair of fascinating curly wooden sticks. It incorporates rhythms from a Sri Lankan dance entitled 'Gajaga Wannama' in 7/8 time. Again, we are given a memorable melody, which provides Cheek an opportunity to display his marvelous tone as well as the ensemble's intricate rhythmic interplay. Parks adds a choice piano solo here as well.

The next song, "Welikadawatte," translates to Welikada Gardens in Sinhalese. This title refers to an area in central Colombo (the commercial capital and largest city in Sri Lanka). Against the stately rhythm, it affords another opportunity for Cheek to display the warmth of his saxophone. At the same time, Stuckey accents with his chords, and the leader's deft drumming lightly pushes the performance along. Anning's bass hints at Ahmad Jamal's classic performance of "Poinciana." Cheek's tenor sax is at the fore of "Galadari" with an intriguing rhythm and bass riff along with some stop-time passages. Stuckey contributes a scintillating solo. The ballad "Nilus" is a scrumptious performance with Cheek playing with a sublime tone, while bassist Anning also solos strongly.

Jayaweera incorporates the Thammattama drum on the playful "The Elephant," with Parks playing in a bouncy fashion. There is a bluesy feel to "Hirimbura," which takes its title from Rajiv's Grandfather's hometown in the south of Sri Lanka, with Cheek's robust tenor at the forefront, with Parks adding a well-constructed solo as well. Cheek switches to soprano sax for "A Malkoha Bird," playing an appropriately flighty solo.

An instrumental version of the title track closes this recording with Cheek's sax set against Stuckey's lush chords. Jayaweera adds his rhythmic accents with a deft touch on the cymbals and the snare drum in an evocative performance. It caps an excellent recording of first-rate performances of memorable and engaging compositions.

I received my review copy from a publicist. With a slightly different personnel, here is Rajiv Jayaweera performing "Pistils."

 

The Seth Weaver Big Band Truth

The Seth Weaver Big Band
Truth
Outside In Music

Seth Weaver, originally from Franklin, Tennessee, has established himself as a trombonist, composer, arranger, vocalist, and education in New York City. He has been leading a 17 piece big band which has shined in a variety of New York venues including Iridium, St. Peter's Church, Birdland, and the Zinc Bar. On this album, he leads his big band on five originals and three standards. In addition to Weaver's trombone and vocals, band members include: Reeds- Lucas Dodd, Alex LoRe, Sam Dillon, Lukas Gabric, and Eitan Gofman; Trombones- Nick Grinder, Corey Wallace, Peter Nelson, and James Borowski; Trumpets- John Lake, Nolan Tsang, Andrew Neesley, and Oskar Stenmark; and Rhythm Section- Aleksi Glick (guitar), Addison Frei (piano), Marty Kenney (bass) and Nolan Byrd (drums).

This is a big band with a modern flair in the vein of Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, and Clark Terry's Big Bad Band, with a touch of Basie. There is plenty to appreciate starting with the opening track, "The Hudson," where Weaver's scoring that employs a deep bottom for the trumpets to riff against stands out. His own robust trombone gets featured with its burly sound. 'Frost," which debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2018, hints at Miles' second quintet with its opening before showcasing Weaver's gruff cotton ball sound. Sam Dillon's down-in-the-alley tenor sax is showcased against the mellifluous horns, and guitarist Glick's single-note runs. Drummer Byrd takes a drum solo set against a crisply played riff. "Red" has an engaging, prancing tempo led off by Kenney's walking bass before Weaver takes flight. Alto saxophonist Lucas Dodd exhibits a bluesy tone before some clean, imaginative single-note lines by Glick. Weaver is a very amiable crooner with his rendition of "On a Clear Day," standing out among his three very alluring vocals.

The rhythm section is first-rate, and the horns are wonderful. Showcasing Weaver's abilities and with a first-rate group of musicians, "Truth", simply stated, is a marvelous, straight-ahead, swinging big band recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here the Seth Weaver Big Band perform "On a Clear Day."