Tobias Meinhart - The Painter

Tobias Meinhart
The Painter
Sunnyside Records

Born in Bavaria, saxophonist Tobias Meinhart established himself in Europe before moving to New York twelve years ago, where he has established himself on the scene. "The Painter" is his second recording for Sunnyside. Meinhart is backed by his core quartet of Eden Ladin (piano), Matt Penman (bass) & Obed Calvaire (drums). They are joined by Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and Charles Altura on guitar. Meinhart wrote most of the ten tracks on this recording.

One can't praise the sterling rhythm section here as they navigate the opening "White Bear," a rhythmically complex post-bop composition with a percolating groove built on an ostinato piano riff and Calvaire's deft drumming. Meinhart displays a most attractive tone here and then on the meditative "Oak Tree," where Jensen adds her gorgeous brass sound while Ladin provides a delicate foundation. Then there is the energy of "Movement," with Meinhart's cotton candy tone matching his crafted, fluid solo. Penman's bass solo introduces the title track, which Meinhart enters with some multiphonic on his horn, transitioning into a gorgeous ballad with Ladin's deft piano and Calvaire's skillful use of brushes supporting Meinhart's outstanding playing.

On "Bird Song," Meinhart opens on alto flute, which leads to a call and response with Jensen, with the leader shifting to tenor sax as the two duet over the rhythm section. Meinhart and Ladin duet on an intimate and outstanding rendition of the Brazilian classic "Estate," again displaying the warmth Meinhart invests his saxophone playing with. After a twirling waltz, "Neowise," there is "Last Dance," which was inspired by the ESPN Michael Jordan documentary. Opening with Meinhart on flute before shifting to tenor sax, this track has a dreamy quality and evokes some early seventies post-bop jazz such as Keith Jarrett's American Quartet.

"Dreamers" is a hymn that Meinhart sings over his serpentine soprano sax, the final track, although Meinhart's strength is as an instrumentalist and not a vocalist. Guitarist Altura and pianist Ladin shine with sparkling solos before Meinhart returns, singing and guitar and sax weave around each other as the track closes. Like the rest of the album, the performance displays the exemplary ensemble interplay along with the focused, often passionate solos on this top-flight recording.
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I received a download to review from a publicist. Here Tobias Meinhart performs "White Bear."

Joe Lovano - Trio Tapestry - Garden of Expression

Joe Lovano - Trio Tapestry - Garden of Expression - ECM

"Garden of Expression" is the second collaboration between saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Marilyn Crispell, and drummer Carmen Castaldi under the rubric of Trio Tapestry. It is a recording of captivating music, all of which Lovano composed. Lovano states, "Each of the pieces is a song of expression where rhythm doesn't dictate the flow. This is not a band that starts from the beat. The momentum is in the melody and the harmonic sequence, and rhythm evolves within each piece in a very free flowing manner." 

"Free flowing" is not a bad way to describe the performances here that display a chamber jazz quality. Lovano usually states a melodic theme that he and Ms. Crispell develop in a musical conversation to which Castaldi adds rhythmic accents. The trio primarily is heard on lovely, thoughtful improvisations such as on the title track or "The Secret Chant." There is a bit more energy in Crispell's piano opening for "Dream on That," leading to Lovano's probing tenor over Castaldi's percolating percussion. 

One should not be surprised that the exquisite music on this album is also superbly recorded. Every nuance of Castaldi's percussion, every note of Crispell's piano, and every tonal shade of Lovano's tenor is clearly captured on the closing "Zen Like." The typically superb ECM engineering enhances the pleasures of this marvelous recording.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is a performance from Trio tapestry.

Reggie Quinerly - New York Nowhere

Reggie Quinerly - New York Nowhere - Redefinition Records

Drummer-composer-leader Reggie Quinerly celebrates the Big Apple, which was his home for 21 years, in his fourth album, "New York Nowhere." The album title, "New York Nowhere," seems contradictory as New York would appear to be far from being in the middle of nowhere. Quinerly reflects that "You're surrounded by eight million people. But everybody has their own story and everybody's living their own life with a very singular focus. So even in the midst of all these people, you're kind of completely alone. It's everywhere and nowhere at the same time." 

Quinerly is from Houston, where he attended the "High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. His schoolmates there included Robert Glasper, Kendrick Scott, and Mike Moreno. He then attended New York City's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he studied under Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, and Kenny Washington. He spent several years performing in the New York Scene before enrolling at Julliard to earn a Master's in Jazz Studies. In the Fall of 2020, he moved away to Los Angelos with his family. In this session, he is joined by trumpeter Antoine Drye, tenor saxophonist John Ellis, pianist John Chin, and bassist Sean Conly. Quinerly has an association with each. Furthermore, Drye and Ellis have been associated with each for several deuces, as has Chin and Conly. One result is that this band is tight-sounding as if they have played together for years. 

The light swing of "Reflections of the Hudson" opens a strongly performed set of modern jazz with echoes of the classic sixties Blue Note recordings along with such other masters as Woody Shaw. All five members showcase themselves, and in addition to showcasing his compositional skills here, Quinerly propels the band with a relaxed propulsive swing. Ellis' plaintive tenor sax and Conley's bass begin the plaintive ballad, "Dreaming in Place," with Drye melancholic trumpet and Chin's piano adding some harmony before the leader joins in with restrained brushwork. There are fitting moody solos from Chin and Conley. 

While Quinerly is from Houston, he often played gigs in the vicinity of New York's Houston Street. Houston Street is pronounced differently than his hometown. It is the inspiration for "Somewhere on Houston," a bright, brisk finger-snapping number that captures some of the flavor of some Lou Donaldson and Lee Morgan recordings. Ellis takes a vibrant solo against the leader's shifting tempo, while Drye's solo is full of slurs and cries along with some fiery bursts. 

There are two versions of the title track that is centered on an eight-bar theme. The first version is a traditional swinger with Ellis' tempestuous solo starting as a bass-drums trio before Chin sparingly add chords before Chin talks a mercurial solo on his own. The other version closes the album. It is a Latin-tinged rendition, which again places the spotlight on Ellis, who plays with an invention that Drye matches with his well-crafted trumpet solo. "Celso" is a groover with a bossa nova feel that is a tribute to Brazilian singer Celso Fonseca on which Drye's poignant trumpet sets the mood. Chin impresses again on this number. The remaining track, "Wine Cooler Heads Prevail," is a toe-tapping bluesy bop with superb Drye before Quinerly lays down a crisp solo. 

The playing time for the seven tracks is a little over a half-hour. That reflects the conciseness and focus of the performances, and one would be hard-pressed to find a wasted note in the exquisite music on the recording. "New York Nowhere" is a simply superb album.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the EPK for this album.

TuneTown - Entering Utopia

TuneTown - Entering Utopia - Three Pines Records

About the debut album "There From Here," by the Canadian trio TuneTown, I concluded, "While the members of TuneTown are each excellent players, playing together, they are a superlative trio." This recording is the new release by the trio of Kelly Jefferson (Saxophones), Artie Roth (Bass), and Ernesto Cervini (Drums, Percussion & Bass Clarinet). The present album, like the debut, is a mix of originals (including contrafacts) and standards.

Cervini's "Hello Today" introduces all three as they alternate with brief solos. Jefferson particularly impresses on a bluesy performance that suggests an acidic Johnny Hodges. Roth contributed the title track, a radical reworking of "Out of Nowhere," with a gorgeous sax solo over a floating pulse. Cervini's "Billyish" is a hard-bop original showcasing Cervini along with Jefferson's sterling sax. 

Other notable tracks include Roth's "Sycamore," a contrafact of "Poinciana," set to 7/4 time with a captivating performance, and the interpretation of Charlie Parker's "Cheryl" with brawny sax from Jefferson and Cervini's propulsive drum solo. On the closing "Blue Gardenia," Cervini is on the bass clarinet instead of drums and provides texture and counterpoint to Jefferson's sax, with Roth's bass anchoring an evocative performance. 

Also, there are several free-form trio improvisations on an album that is an outstanding follow-up to their debut album. TuneTown certainly is making its mark as a first-rate contemporary jazz ensemble.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is their performance of "Sycamore."