Category: Reviews

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Richard kamins reviews Fowser/Gillece “Top Shelf”…

steptempest.blogspot.com

This was one of those weeks when music served as a “healing force, helped to ease the pain of the tragic events in Boston and elsewhere.  Driving home from work the other night, I put “Top Shelf” into the player;  it’s the 4th PosiTone Records release from the duo of Ken Fowser(tenor saxophone) and Behn Gillece (vibraphone) and the easy-going swing was a true panacea (sounding just as fine the next day and in the background as I write.)  Featuring the classy rhythm section of Steve Einerson(piano), Rodney Green (drums) and Hartford, CT, native Dezron Douglas (acoustic bass), the leaders also invited trombonist Michael Dease to add his burr-ey sound to a number of the tracks.  When Dease is in the group, as he is on the opening track, “Slick“, the music has a resemblance to the music of the Jazz Crusaders (pre-funk).  The blend of tenor and trombone really stands out as does the interaction of the vibes and piano.  When you add in the smart work of Green and Douglas, the music really flies.  “Stranded in Elizabeth” is an excellent example of the interaction and interplay.  Green really pushes beneath the vibes solo while Einerson’s Tuyner-esque supporting chords, along with the fine bass work, acts as a solid foundation for the soloists.

There’s a Latin tinge to “Unstoppable” as well as a snappy theme for the tenor and vibes.  In a short YouTube video that accompanied the CD’s release, the leaders mention the influence of Bobby Hutcherson’s work with saxophonist Harold Land and it is most evident on tunes such as this one and the up-tempo title track.  Green creates sparks beneath the hearty tenor solo and prods Gillece to produce one of his most notable solos on the recording.  Again, Einerson’s forceful chords and driving solo stand out.

Some may say that “Top Shelf” does not break new musical ground but what the CD offers an eager listener is a band comfortable with each other playing a repertoire born from the duo’s weekly gigs at Small’s Jazz Club in New York City.  Rodney Green, Steve Einerson and Dezron Douglas are super throughout, giving the music the energy it needs to stand out.

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Critical Jazz reviews David Ake “Bridges”…

www.criticaljazz.com

You can count the number of labels with a firm commitment to the more straight ahead scene in modern jazz on one hand with Posi-Tone perhaps leading the way with the most dynamic young talent that can easily be considered the future of modern jazz. David Ake and his new release Bridges is certainly proof positive of this point with a virtual all star line up of rising stars and artists that are achieving that special level of creativity that other labels seem intent on stifling. 

David Ake takes a giant leap forward with his new sextet and the inspired playing puts Bridges in that special category of the classic working band, the large ensemble sound of both Blue Note and Impulse from the mid 1960’s. The co-conspirators here include renowned bassist Scott Colley, alto sax fire ball Peter Epstein, under appreciated trumpet phenom Ralph Alessi, the ever evolving talent of Ravi Coltrane and steady rollin’ Mark Ferber on drums. A more modern riff on hard bop with a swing that permeates the soul while never losing the importantly lyrical flow of accessibility allows for the panache that most large ensembles struggle to find even after years of working together. 

The title track “Bridges” is a syncopated exploratory of haunting mystery as both the tune and the album begin to develop an incredibly organic pulse highlighted by the brilliant offerings of Ravi Coltrane and Peter Epstein, two saxophone playing in a delightful harmonious union as one voice. Both bassist Scott Colley and pianist David Ake provide the subtle nuances of textured simplicity while working the odd metered tightrope without a net. If you are not familiar with the work of Ake don’t worry, I wasn’t either. Ake clearly demonstrates the technical proficiency and artistic depth that allows him to play with the band, not over or around them. “Dodge” is a nine minute plus epitome of what “Swing hard or go home” is all about for this critic. Call it chemistry or call it sonic synergy, led by the walking bass line of Colley and the minimalist approach of Coltrane where no notes are wasted this is a tight unit any way you slice it. “Light Bright” is much like the title tune “Bridges”, an odd metered tune that is a wondrous hybrid of simplicity and complexity and Ralph Alessi on trumpet turns in a stellar performance. 

What allows Ake to shine and Bridges to work so well is a balanced approach. No voice is lost in the shuffle and no artist approaches the self indulgent cliff so as to allow the listener to experience a true group dynamic rarely presented on this high of a level in jazz today. 

An inspiring performance and one of the better large ensemble recordings today. 

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Peter Hum gives his take on David Weiss “Venture Inward”…

blogs.ottawacitizen.com

If you know Snuck In and Snuck Out, the 2010 and 2012 live recordings from trumpeter David Weiss and his Point of Departure quintet, then this recently released studio disc from the trumpeter’s group might induce some déjà entendu.

In paticular, there’s a significant amount of overlap between the Snuck In and Venture Inward, which is not surprising given that all of the discs were essentially recorded a day apart in 2008. Thus, both CDs include versions of the Herbie Hancock tune I Have A Dream, the Tony Williams piece Black Comedy, and the Charles Moore pieces Number 4 and Snuck In. (CompletingVenture Inward are the title track and Pax, both by pianist Andrew Hill.)

More important that what was played, however, is the commonality of how the music was played. Happily, all the recordings by Weiss’s group exhibit the same feistiness and churning, postbop creativity.

Listen to the studio version of I Have A Dream to hear the eye-widening power and smarts of Weiss and tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, as well as their keen rapport. Meanwhile, guitarist Nir Felder is a mindblower of his own come solo time. The mood is definitely contemporary and rough-and-tumble, courtesy of splashy drummer Jamire Williams, on this track and others. Admirably holding down the fort is bassist Luques Curtis.

Throughout, Weiss and his youthful group add new sizzle to the choice material by 1960s jazz master composers. The tracks sounds fresh and immediate, and tunes such as title cannily constructed Snuck In, with its metrically tricky form, remain challenging today. (Spoiler: Here’s how that tune is constructed metrically.)

Weiss’ Point of Departure project may have been something of a musical shooting star five years ago, generating artifacts that are only reaching us now. Let’s hope that the busy trumpeter — he’s often occupied with the Cookers, whose most recent CD I reviewed here — can find the time to venture inward again with Allen, Felder, Williams and Curtis.

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SomethingElseReviews on David Ake “Bridges”…

somethingelsereviews.com

It’s clear from his latest recorded offering Bridges that the pianist and composer David Ake has a lot to say musically, but this being only his third record over a period of fifteen years, he hasn’t had much time to say it. That’s because Ake is also a scholar, author and member of the jazz ensemble EEA with Peter Epstein and Larry Engstrom. He’s made real good use of the limited time he’s had as a leader, though.

Ake amassed a sextet that’s about as impressive as they come: joining Ake is Epstein on alto sax, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax, Scott Colley on standup bass and Mark Ferber on drums. Alessi, Coltrane and Colley go way back with Ake, who performed with all three while studying at Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts) in the mid 80s.

Collectively, they pack a lot of power, but it’s more impressive that Ake utilizes that power judiciously. It’s a sextet that leaves a lithe footprint, running the brass on all cylinders only at selected times for better impact (as on the brash “Year In Review”). With exception of the Art Tatum-styled solo piano piece “Waterfront,” Ake himself is self effacing, getting more mileage out of making the gold plated parts of his band work with polished, imaginative arrangements. He also takes on the role of the instigating avant-gardist, pushing the band most of the way toward out-jazz on numbers such as on the otherwise old-fashioned bebop delight “We Do?” and that brassy “Year In Review.”

But more often than not, Ake makes the other guys the stars, and none more so than Alessi and Ferber. The trumpeter’s sublime articulations are a highlight on “Sonemads,” and he soon finds himself in an improvising summit with Colley and Ferber. Alessi takes command of Ake’s sophisticated ostinato “Story Table,” and Ferber ably navigates the impossible rhythmic pattern. Alessi is sassy on “Year In Review” and stately on “Grande Colonial.” Ferber, meanwhile, masterfully manages the in-song mood changes, such as the bebop/out-jazz/bebop sequence called for on “We Do?” and percolates like Elvin on “Dodge.” Ake’s EEA partner Epstein has a real, passionate flair on the alto sax, and he puts it on display for “Story Table” and “We Do?”, where he spars buoyantly with Coltrane. And this Coltrane guy, he isn’t so bad, either.

The performances are grand all over Bridges because Ake knows the strengths of every player he’s got at his disposal and lets them do their thing within his well-conceived compositions, resulting in performances that are as unpredictable as it is thoughtful. Connecting all these moods and styles as skillfully as Ake and his sextet does make this an album with the right title.

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Music and More on Noah Haidu “Momentum”…

jazzandblues.blogspot.com

Pianist Noah Haidu leads a solid mainstream trio on this album supported by Ariel de la Portilla on bass and McClenty Hunter on drums. The play a wide variety of original compositions and a few standards that cohere well as a mainstream jazz LP. “Momentum” and “Groove Interlude” are a showcase for Haidu’s percussive uptempo piano playing, driving the music forward, with ample support from bass and drums. On the standards “A Child Is Born” and “The End of a Love Affair” you hear the more melodic sense of the band. Haidu has an excellent sense of time and pacing, allowing the music to breathe well and allowing his colleagues ample space to express themselves. He ends the album with a reading solo piano  reading of of “Serenity” which builds from a forlorned opening to a a hopeful and gentle conclusion. All in all, this is a fine piano trio release, quite accessible and approachable for most mainstream jazz fans.

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Marc Myers goes “Top Shelf”…

www.jazzwax.com

In most cases these days, the best new jazz albums sound terrific from their opening notes. I audit about 15 new CDs daily and, in nearly every case, the most inspiring ones are exciting from the get-go. That’s largely because better musicians and their producers know that in today’s world of digital distractions, you have to come  out of the gate with your best stuff. Listeners no longer spend much time trying to figure out what musicians are trying to say and they aren’t very forgiving when feet drag.

A good example of a new album that starts strong and keeps on going all the way to the end is Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece’s Top Shelf (Posi-Tone). This hard-bop album pairs tenor saxophonist Fowser with vibist Gillece on 10 originals composed separately by the co-leaders. Top Shelf  is their fourth joint album and features Michael Dease on trombone, Steve Einerson on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Rodney Green on drums.

Fowser grew up in southern New Jersey and attended Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. He became a regular at local jam sessions before transferring in 2004 to William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Upon graduating in 2005, Fowser relocated to New York, where he often plays at Smoke and Smalls.

Behn Gillece also is from southern New Jersey and jammed in Philadelphia before moving to New York in 2006. He has appeared routinely at clubs in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia as well as at jazz festivals. He finished his graduate studies at SUNY Purchase in New York in 2008 and has won a string of competitions.

As you’ll hear, these two have a good thing going. Gillece jumps in aggressively with long, clean lines, complementing Fowser’s confident, insistent tenor. Dig Gillece on the lightly Latin Pequenina or Proximity, for example. Or Fowser onStranded in Elizabeth (N.J.) and Slick. And when they’re playing together, it sounds as if Fowser is telling a story and Gillece is taking it all down on a steel typewriter behind him. These two are magic.

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JazzWrap on David Weiss “Venture Inward”…

jazzwrap.blogspot.com

Venture Inward is an interesting third outing from David Weiss’ quintet, Point of Departure. Technically, in recording order, this would actually be the first Point of Departure album. The album features the studio versions of tracks that would later be performed on the live albums, Snuck In and Snuck Out. It’s still a solid release that is worth every bit of the money. And real document of the organics that the group is and would result in their later live dates.
While the four tracks that would be featured in the live dates have the same vibe here in the studio; it might be “Snuck In” that feels slightly different. This studio version opens with Felder’s guitar lines instead of the ferocity of Weiss’ trumpet. But the energy of the performance is still there but a little subdued. This gives the piece a little bit more depth and allows you to focus more on the interaction between the members.
“Venture Inward” and “Pax” both classic Andrew Hill tunes illustrate the desire that Weiss has to re-invigorate and educate jazz fans about hard bop. The group expresses some colourful tones throughout “Venture Inward.” On “Pax” you can almost feel a note for note annotation but with real reverence.
David Weiss & Point Of Departure is one of those groups that Weiss uses to explore the more raw and free form elements of jazz history. He seems to be doing an extremely excellent job with this group. Let’s hope they stay together. Point Of Departure are giving a superb jazz history lesson with Venture Inward.
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Dan Bilawsky reviews Fowser/Gillece “Top Shelf”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

The team of tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece has been steadily releasing music of a similar nature on the Posi-Tone label since its 2009 debut, Full View, hit the shelves. With this, the duo’s fourth album, Fowser and Gillece continue along the same path with nary a stylistic sharp turn, yet this one manages to stand out because of one important difference: a third man out front. The three previous recordings were leaders-and-rhythm dates but, with Top Shelf, the group opens the frontline door, inviting trombonist Michael Dease to join in.

The vibes-saxophone-trombone combination puts a slight aural twist on the formula that’s been at the heart of previous outings. Greater tonal and timbral complexity naturally comes to the fore with a trombone at play, and Dease’s skills as a soloist add volumes to this album; his horse neigh arrival and triplet excursions on “Due Diligence,” for example, steal the show. Every solo has head-turning potential, but the trombonist is, in some respects, underutilized; the presence of another frontline personality could have been cause for Gillece and Fowser to significantly expand their arranging/composing vision(s), but they don’t take the bait.

Instead, Fowser and Gillece continue to deliver swinging tunes and straight-eighth vehicles that bound along with enthusiasm and glee. Gillece remains the primary composer in this partnership, contributing seven of the album’s ten tunes, but Fowser also adds a few numbers to the playlist. The peppy “Pequenina,” with Dease and the leaders at the center of the action, and lightly drifting ballad, “For The Moment,” housing gorgeous rubato harmonic rainbows, prove to be Gillece’s best, standing apart from the rest in style and syntax. Fowser’s finest is the title track, a blues with a Latin rhythmic foundation that contains some strong solo work.

Top Shelf doesn’t necessarily break new ground for this duo, but it does find them in good form and good company, with Dease and a strong rhythm section onboard for a fun-filled ride.

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Richard Kamins reviews Noah Haidu “Momentum”…

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Pianist/composer Noah Haiduis a wonderfully talented pianist whose debut CD on Posi-Tone Records, “Slipstream“, featured a quintet with Jon Irabagon (saxophone) and Jeremy Pelt (trumpet).  His sophomore effort for the label is aptly titled “Momentum” and finds Haidu leading a trio of bassist Ariel de la Portilla and drummer McClenty Hunter through a smartly balanced program of originals and standards.

Perhaps the best part of Haidu’s playing is how melodic he can be.  On pieces such as Keith Jarrett’s “Rainbow” and Thad Jones’s “A Child Is Born“, the pianist makes sure you hear the melody but, in the case of the latter tune, he wraps in quite a different arrangement. His solo is thoughtful, introspective (at times), and wistful as he gracefully and then forcefully moves away from the melody. The Cuban-born de la Portilla gives Haidu a great foundation while Hunter stays close to the beat without intruding. The gentle swing of the opening track, Jimmy Van Heusen’s “I Thought About You“, gives Haidu the opportunity to display his chops over the bassist’s active “walking” lines and the drummer’s catchy swing. The 2-handed chordal opening section of Joe Henderson’s “Serenity” is orchestral, richly melodic leaning towards the blues – the bass and drums eases into the solo section, opening a groove for Haidu to dance atop,.

The title track is an intelligent multi-sectioned piece with various changes in dynamics.  The drummer is in the driver’s seat, giving the song a joyful head of steam. There is a tinge of McCoy Tyner’s power in Haidu’s forceful solo.  The “slippery” rhythms of “Juicy” displays the fine interaction of the trio with each musician pushing the piece forward.

As I have stated numerous times, the jazz world does not lack for piano trio recordings.  What Noah Haidu and company accomplish on “Momentum” is to play with intensity, intelligence, and wit, allowing the pieces to breathe and the listener to enjoy without feeling battered or played down to.

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AAJ’s Glenn Astarita writes up Sean Nowell “The Kung-Fu Masters”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

Track review of “Mantis Style” 

New York City-based saxophonist Sean Nowell has found a home with the increasingly prominent West Coast modern jazz record label, Posi-Tone Records. His fourth release highlights the turbo-powered acoustic-electric band, The Kung-Fu Masters. Word has it that the ensemble has been creating a buzz in The Big Apple, and in recent times has acted like a jazz collective, featuring guest spots by formidable players such as guitaristMike Stern and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. Now that Nowell has firmed-up the core band, let us hope that this high quality album signifies the beginning of a lengthy recording cycle. Simply put, this unit knocks the living daylights out of conventional jazz-funk stylizations.

“Mantis Style” is an example of the ensemble’s vast weaponry. Marked by difficult super-funk time signatures and regimented unison lines, either keyboardist Art Hirahara or Adam Klipple calm the waters by rewinding the intensity with supple electric piano phrasings then up the ante, summoning the frontline to reenergize the proceedings. Think of James Brown’s JB Horns kicking matters into submission via a rigorously technical arrangement, shadowed by punchy accents and snappy choruses. With some push and pull, the musicians restate the primary theme towards the finale as trombonist Michael Dease navigates the perimeter while offering subtle contrasts. Here and throughout, Nowell and associates dish out a sweltering modus operandi with an irrefutable vengeance.

Personnel: Sean Nowell: tenor saxophone; Brad Mason: trumpet; Michael Dease: trombone; Art Hirahara: keyboards; Adam Klipple: organ, keyboards; Evan Marien: bass; Marko Djordjevic: drums.