Category: Reviews

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Dan Bilawsky takes on Sean Nowell “The Kung-Fu Masters”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

The Kung-Fu Masters isn’t simply another album for tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell; it’s the recorded coming out party for a band and concept that he’s been tweaking and promoting for years. Nowell has been field testing this project in New York jazz spots like 55 Bar, and his website contains various recorded performances of the group at the club dating back to 2009, but this marks the first official outing from this forward-thinking beast of a band.

The Kung-Fu Masters marry funk with post-modern jazz and electronica elements to create an offbeat, beat-heavy blend of music that’s brilliantly propelled by drummer Marko Djordjevic. He comes across as a mutated Mike Clark, capable of delivering Headhunters-worthy grooves and imitating the ever-looping beats that serve as the heartbeat for dance floor mixes; he may not be the front-and-center star of this date, but the success of this music rests squarely in his hands.

The rest of the band—which includes two keyboardists, a bassist and two other horns that keep Nowell company in the front line—does a fine job navigating its way through the saxophonist’s music. Bassist Evan Marien is completely in sync with Djordjevic, and keyboardists Art Hirahara and Adam Klipple (who also works the organ) alternate between delivering earthly delights and otherworldly sound bites. The horn section functions together like a modern dance club version of the JBs, nailing tasty riffs into place over the rhythm section, but its members also get the chance to individually break away on occasion and stand apart from the crowd.

Futurism finds its way into most of these pieces, yet the music speaks to the ears of today. Nowell’s electro-acoustic creations skirt normal jazz conventions while fully adhering to the core philosophy of jazz as an all-absorbing, ever-evolving entity. The Kung-Fu Masters seem like a band that would embrace pianist Herbie Hancock and Squarepusher, rather than viewing them as diametrically opposed forces in music. Maybe that makes this jazz for the rave generation or, perhaps, it just marks this as compelling stuff that doesn’t need to be placed into a labeled bin.

Track Listing: Crosstown Traffic; In The Shikshteesh; For All Intensive Purposes; Mantis Style; The Outside World; Prosperity; The 55th Chamber; Uncrumplable; Song Of The Southland; Can Do Man.

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

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Mark Corroto reviews David Weiss “Venture Inward”for AAJ…

www.allaboutjazz.com

If music can be described as either masculine or feminine, then recordings by trumpeter David Weiss and his Point of Departure quintet are simply testosteronic. Built upon the legacy of trumpeter Miles Davis’ second great quintet and saxophonistBilly Harper’s Black Saint inheritance, Weiss presents dexterous arrangements of muscular, second wave hard bop music.

This studio session, Venture Inward, was recorded in 2008, one day before the stunning live date at the Jazz Standard, released as Snuck In (Sunnyside, 2010) and Snuck Out (Sunnyside, 2011), with follow-up pieces made the following June for all three releases.

While duplicating four tunes heard on the live discs, these studio sessions do not lack for that in-person sensation. Weiss’ arrangements are tight and deceptively simple. Drummer Tony Williams’ “Black Comedy” starts with the Miles In The Sky (Columbia, 1968) sound of the original, but expands out toward Williams’ quintets of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Drummer Jamire Williamsand bassist Luques Curtis power JD Allen’s brawny tenor saxophone and the nimble fingers of guitarist Nir Felder. This macho music is felt in the rush of “Number 4,” with Weiss drawing equal parts from trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan.

Much like the septet, The Cookers that Weiss organizes around hard bop veterans Billy Harper, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Craig Handy, bassist Cecil McBee, pianist George Cables, and drummer Billy Hart, Point Of Departure is a younger version, with perhaps a bit more fire in its belly. Weiss chooses pieces by pianist Herbie Hancock (“I Have A Dream”), and two each from Chicago pianist Andrew Hill and Detroit trumpeter Charles Moore. Weiss is able to simplify Hill’s often abstract pieces and proffer them within the post-bop tradition. This band loves its music to be brawny and powerfully robust.

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Chris Spector on David Weiss “Venture Inward”…

midwestrecord.com

DAVID WEISS & Point of Departure/Venture Inward: We just finished listening to the latest entry in the Miles Davis authorized bootleg series and this young trumpet man captures that 1969 Miles spirit quite nicely. Lingering in the vaults for five years since it’s recording, it’s music that exists outside of time lines so it doesn’t sound dated, especially since it’s capturing a sound and fury from another time and place. When you’re standing the shadows of Miles, it takes a lot of chops not to come across as a copy cat and Weiss is doing a fine job of chopping away. A must for the bitches brewing in everyone.
8104

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Brent Black on David Weiss & Point of Departure “Venture Inward”…

http://www.criticaljazz.com

David Weiss…Perhaps the best trumpet player some of you may never have heard of but there is a good reason. From his most recent recording The Cookers to Point of Departure and their latest release Venture Inward, Weiss has trumpet will travel. My musical easy button to the point when I see his name associated with any recording then I know I have a winner and Venture Inward is no exception and hits the street on 02/26/13.

Old school is a fairly common term on jazz from the late 1960’s. During this turbulent decade jazz experienced what may arguably be the most influential growth and development of any genre of music to date. Venture Inward is not “old school” is the strictest or perhaps literal sense of the word but instead a sonic exploratory of some of the most innovative music of that particular point in time combined with some intriguing ideas of perhaps how some of this music may have been developed to a more influential dynamic. A sonic exploratory of what might have been. Joe Lovano attempted this with a Charlie Parker release last year and with mixed reviews. Weiss takes advantage of  odd time signatures, evocative rhythms and a harmonic direction that while seemingly subtle by nature is in fact deceptively complex in presentation. 

This formidable quintet includes young tenor minimalist J.D. Allen, guitar wizard Nir Felder, a rising star in bassist Luques Curtis and holding down the drum chair we find Jamire Williams. Together this quintet easily rises to the top of heap when it comes to working quartets with this academic yet incredibly open ended look at some great music with most being in excess of 45 years of age. Venture Inward opens with a look at the Herbie Hancock piece “I Have A Dream” yet ironically David Weiss & Point of Departure have no pianist. Felder and Weiss open with a more traditional call and response and are quickly joined by J.D. Allen. The comp work by Felder gives the illusion of the rhythmic pulse that is Herbie Hancock but adds a more contemporary layer of texture. “Black Comedy” is a tune from the legendary Tony Williams that kicks off with Allen and Weiss and while they hand out in an odd meter they avoid the pretentious attitude of the self indulgent academia that seems to plague some younger players. The improvisational display put on by Allen is a master class in playing from the soul and J.D. Allen has never sounded better. Showing versatility and great intimacy the tune “Pax” is a complex ballad where the group dynamic comes to the front without the need for Weiss to feel as though he needs to drive the train on every tune. Nir Felder’s solo is open ended and bordering on the abstract while remaining surprisingly accessible. Luques Curtis and Jamire Williams are rock solid in rounding out the rhythm section and adding the subtle nuances needed to make a good album better and a better album become great. 

Intense yet subtle. Dynamic yet subdued. David Weiss & Point of Departure take what some might consider the classic Impulse sound and reinvent tunes long since forgotten and allow them to have a second chance at life roughly forty years later. 

An exemplary performance by a working band that has the rare ability to hit one on both the visceral and cerebral level. 

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The Jazz Word on Ehud Asherie “Lower East Side”…

http://thejazzword.blogspot.com

Ehud Asherie – Lower East Side

2013 Posi-Tone

Lower East Side is pianist Ehud Asherie’s sequel to last year’s Upper West Side. Once again Asherie entertains in the company of tenor saxophonist Harry Allen through a set of choice standards. The like-minded duo produce sophisticated swing with predictable results, engaging an elegance in style with cocktail-set coziness. It would be misleading, however, to imply that the music is mere sentimental light fare. Asherie and Allen are both well studied and nuance sensitive, bringing the past to life in a manner that is startlingly convincing. All that being said, it’s also a lot of fun. Toe-tapping is inevitable on bouncy tunes such as “Thou Swell,” “S’posin'” and “‘Deed I Do.” Jobim’s “Portrait in Black and White” recalls Stan Getz and the bossa nova heyday and “Some Other Time” is an endearing ballad.

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Critical Jazz reviews Ehud Asherie “Lower East Side”…

http://www.criticaljazz.com

Ehud Asherie / Harry Allen Lower East Side Posi-Tone 2013

Posi-Tone has quickly become one of my two favorite straight ahead record labels due primarily to the consistency and high quality releases their formidable stable of artists continue to churn out. Lower East Side which streets on 02/26/13 is no exception. 

Now there are plenty of good piano/tenor saxophone releases to be found if one looks hard enough. The Stan Getz/Albert Dailey Blue Note release from 1983 ranks as perhaps the one of the two greatest of all time. Lower East Side may be the #2. While Getz and Dailey took a more familiar old school standard approach, Asherie and Allen hit some eclectic work perhaps long forgotten by some by such notables as Irving Berlin, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Richard Rogers for an incredibly invent riff on old school swing done with lyrical intensity and harmonic invention that creates yet another new or tweaked hybrid of soul and swing. 

While Asherie’s growth as an artist is unparalleled, both Asherie and Harry Allen often are over looked in the grand scheme of things and this release may well push them over the top. While the Jobim tune “Portrait In Black And White” may seem odd done as a tenor/piano duet, there is the Brazilian flavor Getz lovers know all to well and the intimacy that Asherie brings to the table seals the deal. Flavor, texture and Asherie’s mastery of his own harmonic vision make this tune a highlight of the release. “Hey There” (Adler/Ross) is another relaxed and soulful standard not often performed or recorded as of late. A slight articulated pop of vitality creates a reharm that highlights the artists while respecting the original. “When I Grow Too Old To Dream” has Allen’s trademark soulful approach and style that can make any tune sound like a standard. 

Technically this is an Ehud Asherie recording however the chemistry between Asherie and Allen is undeniable. Twin sons of different mothers allow for a musical cohesion and harmonic direction that is sublime in presentation. There are other piano/tenor duets that can play the notes but they can not make the music. Asherie and Allen simply don’t have that problem. 

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Bruce Lindsay reviews Ehud Asherie “Lower East Side”…

http://www.allaboutjazz.com

Ehud Asherie and Harry Allen: Lower East Side (2013)

By

BRUCE LINDSAY,

Published: February 7, 2013

Ehud Asherie and Harry Allen: Lower East Side

Pianist Ehud Asherie and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen are established musical partners with a shared fondness for a time when songwriting giants like Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers were at their creative zeniths. Lower East Side is the pair’s second duo outing, following on from Upper West Side (Posi-Tone, 2012), and once again the two demonstrate how this fondness for a bygone era can still produce fresh and joyous music.

The journey from Upper West Side to Lower East Side is geographically short—just a few miles. Musically, Esherie and Allen’s journey is as brief as can be. Both albums feature the same mix of standards—some famous, some undeservedly less so—and the same stylish combination of tenor sax and piano. Why mess up a good thing, as they say.

The mood throughout Lower East Side is relaxed, inviting, friendly. Asherie and Allen form a democratic, unselfish, partnership: a duo that functions best through mutual encouragement and cooperation. Such an arrangement may lack the fire and excitement of more competitive pairings but it more than makes up for this with a surfeit of good humor and high quality musicianship.

Asherie’s playing sparkles with a lightness of touch and an understated charm. He has a superb sense of rhythm—there’s never a moment where the music misses drums or bass especially when his stride playing takes center stage on tunes like Rodgers’ “Thou Swell.” His confidence is clear, his strong left-hand rhythms matched by emphatic, percussive, right hand melody lines. Allen’s soft, slightly breathy, sound gives every note he plays a tonal richness. He’s eminently capable of adding a raw edge but he does so sparingly, which simply heightens the impact of this shift in tone when it does appear—his use of it on “Thou Swell” gives the tune a sexier vibe than usual.

Both men have a warmth to their playing, which heightens the emotional impact of the songs, whether they are upbeat and cheerful or a little more romantic; Allen’s tenor on Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” combines softness and warmth like a favorite blanket. The pair’s delightful take on Fred Rose’s “‘Deed I Do” finds them both at their most assertive, driving the tune at a fast tempo that guarantees to drive away the blues.

Although Esherie gets top billing on Lower East Side the great joy of this record is to be found in the interplay between piano and saxophone, between two terrific players with a deep, yet still evolving, musical relationship. Esherie and Allen form one of the most talented and most rewarding partnerships on the contemporary jazz scene.

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A nice write up about Posi-Tone Records….

http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/11/reviewing-guys-behind-glass-and-label.html

Reviewing the guys behind the glass and a label. Posi-Tone under the looking glass!

Recently I reviewed an artist that is a producer. Now I want to review some producers that are also record executives with Posi-Tone Records one of the finest straight ahead and swinging labels with an exciting stable of talent! Marc Free of course is the producer and Nick O’Toole is the engineer and together they create consistent high quality straight ahead jazz tailored to the artist while always keeping the listener in mind In short…if you dig the Rudy Van Gelder sound these guys are off the hook!

Tell us something about the history and origin of Posi-Tone?

M.f.  – “Posi-Tone was founded in Los Angeles in 1994 by producer Marc Free and engineer Jamie Brunson as a vehicle to make records by artists of all genres that they felt needed to be heard.  In 2004 after releasing a live recording of the Sam Rivers trio, Posi-Tone changed gears by bringing in Nick O’Toole as the in-house engineer and started focusing on recording New York City area jazz artists. Through the last few years, Posi-Tone has expanded it’s production with steady growth and released a wide variety of small ensemble instrumental jazz groups. Posi-Tone now boasts a catalog of over 90 titles by some of the best musicians in the world.”

I think knowing the real “mission statement” of the label can help the record buying public once they get a handle on taste…With that in mind, How would you describe the label and it’s intent to the casual listener?

M.F. – “We are actively focused on building a large catalog of recordings that will succeed in demonstrating to the worldwide marketplace the company’s high standards of artistic aesthetic and audiophile quality music products. Our mission is to gradually create and present a consistent label identity/brand with the stated intent of building an audience of new listeners and accumulating a sufficient niche market of discriminating music lovers who recognize, prefer and rely upon us as their choice for purchasing new premium quality music products. Posi-Tone’s records are intended to simply deliver the finest artistic expressions of modern, mainstream, and straight-ahead jazz, and is focused on directing it’s audience towards the sound and message of the music, and not just the populist or commercial aspects of its presentation.”

Is there a litmus test so to speak for the type of talent you look to record and with the economy still flat lining,
does that put you in the same position as every other business of trying to work smarter not harder and  have sales remained steady?

M.F. – “Here at Posi-Tone we are serious jazz geeks first and smart businessmen second. We sincerely believe our intended target audience is comprised of a bunch of people very much like ourselves in age and tastes, so we keep our primary A&R focus on making the kinds of jazz records that we know that we would want to buy and listen to. If a potential new artist’s music doesn’t bring on some serious jazz geeking around the office then we are definitely going to take a pass on doing a project. All that being said, the record also has to make good business sense too in terms of projected budgets and revenues. We aren’t in a position to provide artists with patronage, and we depend on our record sales to continue production, so we certainly can’t afford to overspend or lose money on too many projects and actually hope to stay in business. This of course makes the calculus of finding artists and planning projects that are a good fit for Posi-Tone much more difficult.”

 Ive read several articles where there is a debate over the quality of say a downloaded file or mp3 and that of a CD. Most people saying the CD is vastly superior. What do you think and is the death of the compact disc on the horizon or is it still several years out?

Nick O’Toole – “The sound quality of Cd’s, compared to MP3s is superior, but the audience is speaking pretty loudly that they like the convenience of the MP3 and that the sound difference is not noticeable to them.  It’s the economics of the MP3 that is changing how record labels must think to stay alive in today’s world.  Though sales are declining pretty quickly, we believe the CD still plays an important roll in the music business.  People still enjoy holding a product in there hands, and the press and radio still demand it.  The CD is also the best way for a jazz artist to give adorning fans at gigs a way to continue to enjoy the music and support the artist. We have tried other means, like download cards or stick drives, and they haven’t worked. We don’t see the CD dying anytime soon, as it is arguably the sonic pinnacle of commercial music, but it will probably play the role of satisfying the audiophiles, like vinyl does now.”

I want to thank Nick and Marc Free who guide a label that is more of a collaborative or perhaps jazz collective by design with a specific mission statement. As a critic, Posi-Tone may be one of three of the very best in straight ahead jazz that as I like to say “Swings hard or goes home.” Based an amazing stable of talent, a sincere commitment to the consumer and a genuine enthusiasm in doing the job the right way each and every time Posi-Tone is a label that is literally money when it comes to dropping a new release. Great sound quality and some of the hottest up and coming talent in the business. This one is easy:

On a personal note www.criticaljazz.com just wrapped up October with up and coming drummer Jordan Young, a Posi-Tone artist as our spotlight artist of the month. Be sure and check out Ed Cherry’s “It’s All Good” because…well, it is!

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JazzWrap on Jacam Manricks….

jazzwrap.blogspot.com

I really hadn’t listen to much from Jacam Manricks. I had seen his music around town and seen his name a few random times on bills for different clubs. But for some reason it just never stuck. Until I sat and finally listened to his fourth album on Posi-Tone, Cloud Nine. It is simply fantastic and maintains close contemporary themes.
Manricks’ compositions are rich and sophisticated. “Cloud Nine” introduces a strong, romantic and very tight set of musicians. Rogers and the always superb, Yahel set a quiet but impulsive tone that sits just underneath Manricks chords.
On “Take The Five Train” Manricks tears across the sheet music with some urgent lines that show that he can really move with the best of his contemporaries. His opening solo could have been the entire song and I would have recommended it. Yahel’s accompaniment stays close but never overtakes the leader. The number is a real standout.
“Alibis And Lullabies” features some lovely interchanges with guest trumpeter, David Weiss. It’s an idyllic piece with great passages from Yahel that are subtle in nature. The main focus for most listeners will be on Weiss and Manricks. Wilson shines on “Loaf,” an uptempo piece with Manricks coming in loud and clear. He has real command of the setting. Here he lets Rogers ride through most of the tune. And Roges delivers with a full bodied performance that  is deep with harmony.
Cloud Nine is an uplifting and emmensely satisfying effort from a sill young and growing talent. Jacam Manricks, while being one to watch is most certainly one to start spreading the news after you’ve experienced it. Great stuff.
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Allan Wilkinson on Ed Cherry…

www.allanwilkinson.co.uk

There’s a cleanliness in Ed Cherry’s guitar style, an immaculate delicacy that is never allowed to stray into the clinical precision of a smoother kind of jazz. On IT’S ALL GOOD, Cherry’s playing breathes its soul out in whispers, often tackling some rather complex melodies and improvisations with a lightness that prompts you to get as close as you can to the speaker. Occasionally, the notes will jump out like controlled explosions, but with an admirable effortlessness. And when they do, you know that Ed means it.
These dynamics are mirrored in the organ of Pat Bianchi, a player of incredible control and elegance whose background work, coloured with a spectrum of striking tones, is equally if not more enticing than his solos. Byron Landham’s drums are distributed about the album like a fine dust (In a Sentimental Mood), often mounting into impressive clumps (Deluge). Indeed, having backed Dizzy Gillespie for over a decade whilst also appearing with saxophonist Henry Threadgill and organist John Patton, Ed Cherry clearly surrounds himself with only the cream of the crop.
IT’S ALL GOOD is a sumptuous collection of covers and originals from a trio of musicians who seem, throughout, to be aware of just how great they sound together. Let’s hope they have the good sense to reconvene in the studio in the not too distant future.