Sarah McKenzie Paris in the Rain

Sarah McKenzie
Paris in the Rain
Impulse! Records

Born in Australia, schooled at Berklee and recently moved to Paris, pianist-singer-songwriter and arranger will delight listeners on this new release, her second for Impulse! Records. The backing musicians include vibraphonist Warren Wolf, guitarist Mark Whitfield, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, flutist Jamie Baum, alto saxophonist Scott Robinson, tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, and guitarist Romero Lubambo in various combinations. While the press materials suggest this album be viewed as sort of a travelogue with performances including her original title track, Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's "When in Rome," and her closing "Road Chops," the pleasures of this recording do not depend on such thematic considerations.

What is evident from the opening "Tea For Two," is the clarity and freshness of her arrangement provides as well as her lyrical piano and her delightful vocals on a bright, breezy performance. The horns sit out the title track, a celebration of the city of lights with her wonderful singing in French and English. Her vocals standout with her clean articulation, sense of timing, and her nuanced phrasing whether singing in an intimate or coquettish fashion. On the bluesy "One Jealous Moon," Ralph Moore takes a strong tenor solo and then at the close exchanges fours with McKenzie.

The moody Rogers and Hart ballad "Little Girl Blue," is followed by the perky rendition of Kern & Mercer's "I'm Old Fashioned," with a choice Scott Robinson solo. A rendition of Jobim's "Trieste," with Romero Lubambo's guitar, lovely flute from Baum and some jaunty scatting, is followed by an enchanting "Embraceable You," with McKenzie's lovely vocal backed only by Whitfield's guitar played in a spare manner. Kenny Rankin's "In the Name of Love," is another lively Brazilian flavored performance with Lubambo taking a solo against the nicely laid down rhythm, followed by a pensive rendition of her ballad, "Don't Be a Fool" with some lovely vibes by Wolf accompanying the vocal as well as in his solo.

A spirited instrumental "Road Chops," with controlled fire from Farinacci and Moore before McKenzie takes a blues-inflected solo closes this recording in a wonderful fashion. Sarah McKenzie impresses with this lyrical and enchanting performances on a terrific album.

I received  a download for review from a publicist. Here is a video for "Paris in the Rain."

Roberto Fonseca ABUC

Roberto Fonseca
ABUC
Impulse!

Grammy nominated pianist Roberto Fonseca has been exploring and celebrating the music of his native Cuba for some time as a composer, producer, solo artist and collaborator with other Latin American music luminaries, bringing forth richly melodic compositions and recordings that capture the irrepressible Cuban sound and its rich musical history. His latest effort "ABUC" continues, and as the title is Cuba spelled backwards, this present effort might be said to "look backward at the evolution of Cuban jazz," with Fonseca writing or co-writing nearly all 14 of the tracks. "I wanted to review the Cuban music history - not only the styles that have influenced me most, but in a broader sense, so people could have a better idea of how the orchestras used to sound in those times." Its a wonderful mix of material with also Fonseca attempting to capture sound of music when audio technology was not so advanced.

Things start on a very hot note with Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant" with the heat of the performance including a fiery solo from guest Trombone Shorty. "Afro Mambo" is just as raucous, with spirited vocal performances by Daymé Arocena and Carlos Calunga amid the orchestration. "The challenge was to make it sound like the orchestras from the 1940s and 1950s. We invited to EGREM one of the studio's oldest technicians, who really taught us how they recorded back in the day. ...It was really sonic time traveling!" Listening to this one might be forgiven for thinking that Fonseca spliced an older recording onto this performance. "Tumbao de la Unidad," with Eliades Ochoa on guitar and vocal, is Fonseca's call for unity among all cultures set at a much more relaxed tempo, and followed by "Contradanza del Espiritu," which opens with some morose violin before horns set a more stately feeling here with this listener be reminded of Dr. John's performance of "Litanie Des Saints" that was inspired by 18th century composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Fonseca's piano playing, and use of delay, reverb and other enhancements engenders an unusual feel here.

"Tierra Santa" tells the story of a musician from Santiago de Cuba who's invited to play in New Orleans, where he discovers an amazing wind ensemble playing in the streets. "He's awestruck, and he rapidly imagines home these melodies would sound with the Santiago conga rhythm." With the insistent, distinctive congas beat, it comes off almost as a blend Afro-Cuban jazz with Fela Kuti's funk and horns, and a highlight on this exceptional recording. "Family," inspired by memories of listening to the radio at home with his mother when he was a boy in the 1970s and the performance displays a fusion of musical styles with hot trumpet in the accompaniment.

Other noteworthy performances include "Soul Guardians," a melodious performance with an incorporation of a variety of influences, including rap, hip-hop and reggae-ton. The spirited "Asere Monina Bonco" has brilliant flute work from Policarpo "Polo" Tamayo, who passed away shortly after the album was finished along with some very impressive bass playing. The lovely bolero, "Después," has Mercedes Cortés Alfaro, Fonseca's mother, on vocals along with the brilliant Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal on trumpet. Fonseca's brief solo piano reprise of "Cubano Chant," is the coda for the superb "ABUC." which is highly recommended to lovers of Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz.

I received a download from a publicist for review purposes. Enjoy this a video for "Afro Mambo."

Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Tokyo Adagio

When Charlie Haden had become confined to home when too ill to travel from the effects of post-polio syndrome, he started listening to tapes of his previous concerts and discovered the performances he had made with the Cuban pianist, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, at the Blue Note in Tokyo in 2005. The music was such that he wanted it released, and along with Jean-Phillippe Allard his producer from Impulse! and Universal Music France, they made the selections that appear on “Tokyo Adagio” (Impulse!) ready for release.

Haden and Rubalcaba had met in Havana in 1986 where his group played on a Havana Jazz Plaza Festival on the same night as Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and Haden quickly became a major supporter of the pianist, urging Bruce Lundvall of Blue Note Records to sign him. He joined Haden, along with drummer Paul Motian at the 1989 Montreal Jazz Festival, and the music was issued as part of Haden’s “The Montreal Tapes” series. They would collaborate in concert and on recordings a number of more times, including the six songs (sequenced by Haden) the pair performed over four nights in Toyko that are presented here.

Rubalcaba is a marvelously gifted pianist with stunning technique and touch that goes with the keen musical intelligence he manifests throughout these duets, which display the empathy he and Haden had in these intimate and lyrical performances, opening with Martin Rojas’ lovely ballad “En La Orilla Del Mundo (The Edge of the World).” Haden’s love of movie music is displayed in the romanticism that permeates their rendition of the Johnny Mercer-David Raskin composed “My Love and I,” with Haden more prominent in the performance with the first solo (accented by the pianist’s chords) followed by more remarkable, and beautiful playing from Rubalcaba.

Ornette Coleman’s “When Will the Blues Leave” (first recorded in 1958), is taken at a bit more spirited tempo, and after Haden’s strong solo, Rubalcaba’s wonderful playing brings out the melodic delight of Coleman’s composition as he does on Haden’s own “Sandino,” whose title commemorates the Nicaraguan revolutionary leader where he is able to mix lines played at high velocity with several bars played in a more stately manner while providing a feeling of calmness, even through the most rhythmically stirring passages. After a lovely rendition of “Solamente Una Vez (You Belong To My Heart),” Agustîn Lara’s bolero, “Tokyo Adagio” concludes with Rubalcaba’s lovely ballad, “Transparence,” on which Haden provides the last musical utterance with a musical figure after the pianist’s ending.

Ned Sublette, in his appreciation in the liner booklet, observes the sense of calm about the music heard here and the enchanting performances here certainly are in accord with this. The booklet also provides Rubalcaba’s memories of Haden and these performances, and has  recollections of Haden’s widow, Ruth Cameron-Haden who notes Haden’s love of the slow movements in classical pieces (leading to the album title), his going to Tokyo to perform despite starting to experience the effects of post-polio syndrome, and the production of this recording. Listeners should be grateful that Haden was insistent about having the music on “Tokyo Adagio” released after he had passed on. It is a recording full of beauty, spirit and heart characteristic of Charlie Haden’s remarkable career.



I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2015 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 363).  Here is a performance of Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba from an earlier album.

Joe Lovano Reunites with John Scofeld for Past Present

Guitarist John Scofield's new album "Past Present" (Impulse), is a return to a musical partnership with Joe Lovano that he engaged in two decades ago. The group included drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Dennis Irwin. Irwin has passed and replaced by Larry Grenadier for the present recording in this same "electro-acoustic quartet" format to use annotator Josef Woodard's description. The album features nine Scofield originals, with several playing tribute to John's late son Evan who lost a battle with a swift and rare cancer. Scofield plays without pedals and FX on this recording.

There is a bluesy, groove-centered ambiance about the performances here starting with the opening "Slinky," with its appealing melodic base as Lovano's tenor wraps around the leader's prickly guitar whose marvelously constructed blues-infused solo is followed by Lovano's robust playing as Grenadier anchors things and Stewart adds rhythmic accents. Stewart's drums kicks off the playful "Chap Dance" which as Woodward astutely notes evokes both Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins or this lively and ebullient performance, and this is followed by the wistful "Hangover."

"Get Proud" hints at the classic Herbie Mann recording "Coming Back Home," as Lovano and Scofield imaginatively craft their solos here that are thoughtfully crafted, yet still full of energy and passion. "Past Present" is proof that jazz can be both playful, entertaining and yet musically challenging and one certainly hopes this quartet tours extensively.

I believe I received my review copy from a publicist. This review has appeared in the November-December Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 363). Here is Scofield and Lovano along with drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Ben Street at the 2015 Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Vintage Sonny Rollins On Impulse

Among the two LPs on one CD reissues that mark 50 years of Impulse is Sonny Rollins’ On Impulse/ There Will Always Be Another You. The two albums were both recorded in 1965, with On Impulse a studio recording that was his first release for the label while There Will Never Be Another You was a live recording from a performance at new York City’s Museum of Modern Art that was not released until 1978. Drummer Mickey Roker is on both recordings. On Impulse also had Ray Bryant on piano and Walter Booker on bass, while pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy Higgins (along with Roker) were on the live Museum of Modern Art recording which took place a few weeks prior to the studio session.

Also common to both recordings was renditions of On Green Dolphin Street, and Three Little Words. The live rendition of the former number being preferred to these ears as Rollins’ tenor sounds a bit sour opening On Impulse. This isn’t to dismiss the performance as it grows stronger during the improvisation. Highpoints on this studio date include the moody Everything Happens To Me which is ideal material for his thematic explorations; and a Rogers and Hart standard Blue Room.

The live rendition of On Green Dolphin Street sounds more energetic (perhaps because of the two drummers). There is splendid Tommy Flanagan on this and then the performance segues into the live Three Little Words. Here Rollins is first unaccompanied, then the drummers join and are followed by piano and bass on the briskly paced rendition. Mademoiselle de Paris is a brief waltz followed by the lovely To A Wild Rose, which he co-authored and then this performance concludes with a very lengthy treatment of the title track.

Rollins playing is superlative throughout, although he sounds off-mike at times and the drums may be a tad too prominent and sound boxy. This may account for why this was not issued until over a decade later. Despite the sound, Rollins and Flanagan especially are terrific throughout this. There is so much classic Sonny Rollins and this contains more very good Rollins.

My review copy was sent by Jazz & Blues Report for whom this was originally written. Here is Sonny Rollins being honored by President Obama as part of the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors.

Archie Shepp's Free Jazz Had Strong Cultural Roots

Among the Universal reissues celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Impulse Records is For Losers/ Kwanza by Archie Shepp. Among those inspired by John Coltrane, Shepp brought together a fiery, passionate style but one rooted both in traditional as well as funk and soul music of the time while also bringing a strong focus on his culture and community. These two albums were recorded at the same sessions in 1969 or so.

For someone associated with ‘free jazz,’ the music has strong foundation the funk of James Brown and Junior Walker. This is clear on the opening track from The Losers, Stick it Up which has a Leon Thomas vocal with Doris Troy and Tasha Thomas providing backing vocals while Mel Brown adds guitar. Even better is Abstract with some nice trombone from Graham Moncur III. Chinalin Sharpe takes the vocal on Ellington’s I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good), with Shepp’s tenor embellishing the vocal with a Ben Webster-styled vibrato and alto saxophonist Clarence Sharpe solos marvelously. Cecil Payne adds flute behind Shepp’s robust tenor on Cal Massey’s lovely ballad What Would It Be Without You. The centerpiece of The Losers was Shepp’s Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers), an extended composition opening on a tight, funky, rhythmic vamp leading to strong energetic and at times free ensemble playing followed by a segment Shepp playing a sour sounding soprano sax, followed by Claritin Sharpe singing Shepp’s poem about everybody loves a winner and who gives a damn for losers. Others on this very strong performance include trumpeter Woody Shaw, Payne on baritone sax, and Clarence Sharpe on alto sax.

While recorded at many of the same sessions, the music on Kwanza was inspired by celebration of ‘Kwanza,’ which Shepp refers to as ‘our traditional African holy week.” In the reproduced liner notes of Emilan Sudan, it is noted that Shepp’s three contributions reflect the sounds of the African communities in the US. With selections such as Back Back, we get more heavy James Brown inspired funk as Shepp solos over the funk groove of Dave Burrell on organ, Wally Richardson on drums and Bernard Pretty Purdie on drums as he preaches the funk blues like a frenzied mix of post-bebop and Screaming R&B honker while Graham Moncur III adds his tailgating trombone. Leon Thomas handles the vocal as well as scatting and yodeling on Spoo Pee Doo, on which Robin Kenyatta’s flute stands out. One of the centerpieces of this album was Moncur’s New Africa, from a session Bob Thiele supervised and is a freer performance with Burrell on piano,Walter Booker on bass and Beaver Harris on drummers providing the foundation with Moncur’s blustery trombone and Shepp’s tenor (and yodels) joined by Jimmy Owens trumpet and Charles Davis’ baritone making for a highly animated and impassioned performance. Shepp’s Slow Drag includes Woody Shaw, Matthew Gee, Clarence Sharpe and Cecil Payne, Cedar Walton, Wilbur Ware and Joe Chambers for another passionate performance built upon a funky rhythmic figure with solos from Shaw and Shepp being especially galvanized. Cal Massey’s Bakai closed the original album as well as this reissue of the two albums and is another example of his marvelous compositions in his all to brief life. It mixes a rhythmic foundation with a strong melodic theme. Shepp plays impassioned here.

There is plenty to get the listener invigorated on this forty-odd years old recordings that have held up well over the years and remind us that Archie Shepp has been always rooted in the past but always looking forward.

I received a review copy from Jazz & Blues Report for whom this review was initially written. Here is Archie Shepp on youtube. 

The Lost Love Cry Of Albert Ayler

Albert Ayler’s music was controversial during his life and today, four decades after his death. One of the ‘free’ jazz patriarchs of the sixties and seventies, Ayler employed a heavy vibrato and made use of overblowing  and shrieks that came off as the saxophone equivalent of speaking in tongues.  As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Impulse Records, Universal/Verve released Love Cry/ The Last Album, a two LP on one CD reissue of Ayler’s second and fifth albums for the legendary label.

Love Cry has been issued on CD, and this reissue does not include the alternate takes from that reissue. With the trumpet of brother Donald Ayler, Alan Silva on bass, Milford Graves on drums with Call Cobbs on harpsichord, this disc has brief and accessible versions of some of the staples of Ayler’s repertoire like Ghosts and Bells and display the brass band march and folk song roots of Ayler’s music. The longer recordings Zion Hill and Universal Indians (the latter a personal favorite) have a bit of what some would refer to as frenzied chaos.

The Last Album represents Ayler’s final studio recordings and derives from the same sessions that produced “Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe.” These recordings included Canned Heat guitarist Henry Vestine. This opens with an untitled duet of Ayler on bagpipes and Henry Vestine on electric guitar. Besides Vestine, others on this album include pianist Bobby Few, Bill Folwell and Stafford James on bass, Muhammad Ali on drums with Mary Maria (real name Parks) on vocals). Parks is credited with Again Comes The Rising Of The Sun, which she sings a bluesy lyric with Few’s rumbling piano complemented by Ayler’s bluesy buzz saw toned sax. Toiling co-written by Parks, Vestine and Folwell is a bluesy instrumental with Vestine’s Guitar Slim influenced guitar countered by Folwell’s picked bass and Few’s spare piano before Ayler enters like a sanctified Big Jay McNeely. Desert Blood opens with some raw sax before Ayler and Parks sing a lyric with biblical references in a manner suggestive of Sun Ra and June Tyson.

The Last Album probably is viewed along with New Grass as among the least essential recordings in Ayler’s discography although packaged with Love Cry, one certainly finds more than some moments that fans of Ayler will find compelling.

I was provided a review copy from Jazz & Blues Report for whom this review was originally drafted.