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."

Global Noize Reimagines Sly and the Family Stone

The music of Sly and the Family Stone was innovative and has influenced so many artists. Sly Stone's music's impact can still be heard today. Reflecting this influence is an extraordinary release by Global Noize, Sly Reimagined on the Zoho Roots label that shows how Sly and the Family Stone remain contemporary. 

Jason Miles is the instigator (along with DJ Logic) behind Global Noize and this release.  Jason came to notice with his groundbreaking synth programming for Miles Davis’ ‘80s recordings Tutu, Music from Siesta and Amandla, and later contributed to a genre-crossing array of artists as well as a variety of legacy-based dedications to Marvin Gaye, Ivan Lins, Vandross, and Grover Washington. Miles, a visionary conceptualist, producer, arranger, composer and keyboard wizard, has organized this tribute to the legendary Sly and the Family Stone with a remarkable group of contemporary singers and musicians including, but not limited to) (b DJ Logic; vocalists Nona Hendryx; Roberta Flack; Fatu; Maya Azucena; and Mike Mattison; guitarist Will Bernard; trumpeters Ingrid Jensen and Barry Danielian; saxophonists Jay Rodriguez and Ron Holloway; bassist Amanda Ruzza; and drummer Greg Errico (Sly’s original drummer).

Miles first saw Sly and the Family Stone opening for Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and has been listening and playing their music over the past 40 + years. As he writes in the liner notes “Making an album of Sly’s music has been on my mind for over a decade. I saw the opportunity to reintroduce this great music and re-imagine Sly’s music for 21st century sensibilities.” Sly’s original music itself transcended categories while contributing to the development of funk and fusion. His original recordings still have a freshness to them. What Miles has done here is to provide a broad musical palette in rendering some of the classic songs that Sly left us, fusing, funk, jazz and hip hop for the stirring musical results.

What one hears is Sly’s music that captures the spirit of Sly’s originals without imitating them. Perhaps it is the presence of Errico on the opening Time who sets forth the groove as Nona Hendryx handles the vocal. Ingrid Jensen channels Miles Davis with her trumpet behind the vocals of Roberta Flack (mostly repeating the title) and James D Train Williams on It’s a Family Affair, while Jay Rodriguez takes a couple of tenor sax breaks. This performance is one of two presented here in two separate mixes, and in both cases illustrate the skill Jason Miles has in mixing the various musical elements together. I was not familiar with Maya Azucena, but her vocal on Fun set against a tough funk groove really got my attention, and her vocals on You Can Make It If You Try, (shared with James D Train Williams) and Stand, are equally outstanding. Rodriguez does some serious bar walking on his sax during You Can Make It If You Try, on which Jensen is heard playing without a mute. 

I don’t want to slight the leader’s keyboards either. Not only did he organize this and create the arrangements of the songs, but his playing also is an integral part of these terrific performances.  Sly Reimagined shows how contemporary Sly and the Family Stone's music remains today. Just like Sly's original recordings, this is serious musical fun for listening and partying..

I received my review copy from a publicist. I note that today (when this is posted) will be a CD release event at Joe's Pub in New York City.

Denise Donatelli Is So Nice To Listen To When Lights Are Low

Variety of songs and settings are indeed a spice to the music on vocalist Denise Donatelli’s latest Savant album, When Lights Are Low. With pianist Geoffrey Keezer providing the musical direction, she is joined by Keezer on piano, guitarist Peter Sprague, bassist Hamilton Price and drummer Jan Wikan who are on most of the selections along with appearances by Ingrid Jensen and Ron Blake amongst others with a string section added to some selections and one track being with just Keezer.

A bright, brisk I Wish I Were In Love Again is a nice opening track displaying her clean and crisp articulation and her ability to embellish with some horn-like phrasing and scatting with a smart, swinging background. The mood changes with strings adding a cushion to her sensuous rendition of Billy Holiday’s Don’t Explain. her delivery seems somewhat deliberate here, but not forced and in addition to the strings providing the mood, Ingrid Jensen’s flugelhorn helps the mood of the performance that, Jim Wilke in the liner notes, observes becomes less a song of a lost affair as a song of forgiveness. Ron Blake’s tenor is added to the quartet for a smart interpretation of When The Lights Are Low, while backing vocals, cello and bass clarinet provide accents to the lively bossa nova rendition of Sting’s “Big Lie, Small World, that again displays her ability to sound so natural in her phrasing and enunciation.

Backed by just Keezer, the ballad Why Did I Choose You? displays her ability to express her feelings in an almost effortless manner. The small string section returns along with Blake on soprano sax for “Kisses (Cantor da Noite), while Julia Dollisson’s Forward, Like So, is the only song not arranged by Keezer, but by the composer (who sings as part of the backup vocals) with Keezer is on piano and Fender Rhodes supporting the delivery of the lyrics along with her wordless solo. The Telephone Song, has her breezily deliver the light lyric as guitarist Sprague and Wikan (on pandeiro) provide lively Brazilian tinged accompaniment. The only prior rendition of The Bed I Made was apparently by Bonnie Raitt but one assumes the blues-rooted rocker lent it a different flavor than Donatelli’s version on this reflective ballad.

Cedar Walton’s Enchantment (Firm Roots) ends this recording on a livelier note as Sprague’s guitar brisk solo serves to echo Donatelli’s horn like phrasing of the lyric here. Its a strong conclusion to When Lights Are Low, which is simply a superbly sung and performed vocal jazz recording.

I wrote this review for Jazz & Blues Report. That publication provided me with my review copy. Here is a promotional video where Denise talks about this recording.