John Scofield - Uncle John's Band (ECM, 2023)

By Paul Acquaro

I've been savoring every crisp note from guitarist John Scofield's Uncle John's Band for a bit now. The trio format, I believe, is Scofield's calling - he has crafted a distinct approach to his guitar playing that works best with skeletal, but solid, accompaniment, like on his ECM debut Swallow Tales (ECM, 2020) and years prior on Enroute (Verve, 2004), both with drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow. Last year, Scofield released the solo album, John Scofield (ECM, 2022), and while it was an enjoyable release with some stand-out tunes, the recording also highlighted the lack of accompaniment and interaction as Scofield's solo work, in general, relies on the looping pedal rather than self-standing intricate chord-melody arrangements. On his new double CD release, however, the setting is just right: Scofield's sharp, sometimes snarky lines and gripping tonal clusters are given a sometimes subtle, and sometimes brawny, lift from this new-ish trio.

Actually, the guitarist's pairing with ECM is a somewhat unusual one. While on the one hand, he is in the lineage of his peers on the label, like Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, and Bill Frisell, he doesn't necessarily have an as easily adapted "ECM sound." There was one recording, the excellent Quiet (Verve, 1996), that suggested that a less edgier sound for the guitarist was quite feasible, but certainly not signature. So, whereas the label often brings a certain shape to the sound of its releases, Scofield is brings his thing to Uncle John's Band, and the results are fantastic. 

 

There are a couple of pop/rock gems that he has arranged, which are once both nostalgic and given a new lease on life. For example, the title track, an evergreen Grateful Dead gem is a simple, catchy earworm, and in this arrangement, its charm is enhanced. The light, harmonious melody is encapsulated in choice chord voicings and a syncopated delivery. The track also gains gravitas and momentum through Vicente Archer's bass lines and Bill Stewart's drumming.

 

After the warm welcome of the opening track, 'Mr. Tamborine Man,' we are dropped deep into Scofield's comfort zone. 'How Deep,' you ask? Well, yes, it is. Sparky, melodic lines ping pong off of his bandmates' insistent, driving pulse. Stewart, a Scofield veteran, knows exactly where the accents should go and newcomer Archer has no problem filling in the rest on upright bass. The two give the guitarist plenty of support to stretch out with an acerbic solo, pushing and pulling the tension with an instinctive feel. The follow up, 'TV Band,' finds the guitarist delving into the groove that he has explored with his works like Groove Elation (Blue Note, 1995) and his various forays with Medeski, Martin and Wood (i.e.: A Go Go, Verve, 1998). After a strummed chord figure, Stewart and Archer kick in with a simple rhythmic line that opens into a head-bopping tune. The first disc wraps up with Neil Young's 'Old Man,' delivered with a questioning introduction and leading to folk-rock accented arrangement with some well placed outside-the-lines note choices.

So, yes, no, not free jazz. This digression is something that I already once tried to excuse myself for back in 2020 when I reviewed Swallow Tales, however, I find listening to Uncle John's Band a truly guilt-less pleasure, I mean, I just like the buzzing intro to 'Mr. Tamborine Man,' which pays equal attention to the special sauce that the Byrds added in their hit version and to Dylan's own way of taking liberties with the well-worn song, while adding some excellent soloing and recasting the 58 year old war horse in a loving, new way. The word "loving" could be used to describe the overall effort - Uncle John's Band captures Scofield in the best light possible - the exacting sonic atmosphere of ECM, the looser approach of Scofield, and songs of which he truly has deep appreciation

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Fred Frith Trio - Closer To The Ground (Intakt, 2018) ****

By Stef

After the acclaimed Another Day In Fucking Paradise, this is the second album by the Fred Frith Trio, with the leader on electric guitar, Jason Hoopes on electric bass and double bass, and Jordan Glenn on drums and percussion. In the meantime, the trio has performed and toured together, as can be heard on the solid coherence of the three musicians to create one relatively unique sound.

In my younger years, Henry Cow was on my turntable, like so many other of the British prog rock scene, and interestingly enough, Fred Frith, then the guitarist of the band, took a long musical journey in line with my personal journey as a listener, to free jazz and free improv, although he's kept his rock-ish attitude to scales and sound. He's played with musicians such as Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Hans Reichel (!), Henry Kaiser, Tom Cora, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Larry Ochs, John Butcher, Barry Guy ... and many more. Despite the differences in style and his approach to both music and his instrument, the collaborations worked, because the artists managed to find common ground and creative interaction without giving up their specificity.

This is very much a Frith album, despite the amazing work done by the rhythm section. The trio delivers a relatively accessible album - even if relative is a relative concept - of raw atmospheric pieces, clever, creative and dark, with hypnotic rhythms that come and go, with eery resonating shards of guitar piercing through an ominous sonic environment. I am not sure where the label gets the notions of "playful and intimate" to describe this music, but I can tell you that it's anything but "playful and intimate": it is somber and spacious. It is mostly slow and linear, with the only exception of the uptempo and short "Betting On The World", on which bass and drums get the chance to demonstrate their skills at a faster pace, with a phlegmatic Frith continuing to play one chord for each bar, yet the fusion fun gets rapidly destroyed by the harsh "Love And Other Embers" into which it evolves.  The central track "Stars Like Trees" by itself is already worth the purchase of this album: its crushing atmosphere is accentuated with odd rhythmic sounds like galloping horses, industrial destruction and ear-piercing chords, and is followed by a track that is almost as good, the long "A Path Made By Walking", which has the mad mesmerizing and psychedelic build-up of an early Pink Floyd song.

The music is hard to classify or to pigeonhole (luckily!): it is not jazz, not rock, not fusion, not noise either. It is something else: wayward, stubborn, recalcitrant, unpredictable, uncompromising, performed by three musicians who take their instruments beyond the boundaries of conventions to create something new and fascinating.

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Ruokangas - Estola - Roland – Self-Titled (Alba, 2017) ****½

By Chris Haines

This recent release featuring guitarist Heikki Ruokangas in a trio format with Olli Estola (drums) and Jakob Roland (double bass), is an excellent showcase of straight ahead jazz and free musics, which is encapsulated within eight cuts. These are comprised of six originals from Ruokangas and two standards, ‘Alone Together’ and Irving Berlin’s ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’.

The opening track ‘Boat Voyage’ starts with a charming chord/melody from the guitar that is joined by the others after the first time through, which then abruptly stops with the sound of amp buzz and hum before opening out into a free passage of play not confined by regular pulse, where Ruokangas really gets his thing going. There is some great playing happening within this section, where shadows of his former mentor Raoul Bjorkenheim can at times be heard, before the return of the original motif. The second track ‘Grip De Sip’ features a synth sound on the guitar, which is used to good effect without it being gimmicky or too synthetic, and it makes for a nice contrast in the context of the overall album. After an understated but very pleasant and straight ahead version of ‘Alone Together’, the swinging and slightly angular motive of ‘Sailfish’ (one of a few tracks with a nautical theme) forges ahead, which gives ample room for both Estola and Roland to bring their solos to the fore. One of my favourites on the album is the cover of ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’, which manages to balance everything that is good about the album into this one track. It swings, it has impact, freer solo passages ornament the classic melodic line, whilst bringing a freshness without suffocating it or delivering a lifeless museum piece. The other track that I mustn’t fail to mention is the beautiful instrumental ballad ‘Autumn Is Almost Here’ played on acoustic guitar and supported very empathically by the bass and the subtle colouration of the brushes on the drums. Again a more straight ahead jazz piece, but one worth hearing and more so for the parity between the reflective and poignant melody and the melodic soloing which is very much an extension of the melody in it’s derivation.

Without doubt this is an excellent album, and the promise that this trio show on this release should surely hold good for the future. What Ruokangas has in his playing is a great awareness of the jazz tradition from the reproduction of classic tunes into instrumental sojourns whilst delivering a more contemporary language, which incorporates dissonance, varying timbres that work well in the service of the music, exceptionally written melodic material, and well worked improvised material that demonstrates the historical lineage of this ever growing stylistic genre. One criticism I would have of the album is that maybe it tries to do too much, and when sitting and analytically thinking about the music in that way it does seem to, however, when listening to the music and enjoying it for the collection of sounds that it comprises it would seem that the mixture that has been concocted is one of fine balance and harmony.

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Julian Lage Trio - Arclight (Mack Avenue, 2016) ****

By Paul Acquaro

I don't think you can find a better example of flow then in the sinuous lines of Julian Lage's electric guitar. A razor thin Telecaster tone slithers out of the speakers at the start of 'Fortune Teller' and refuses to leave thereafter.

The smart fusiony opener gives way to the ebullient old-timey 'Persian Rug' - a song performed by Jack Teargarden. A few months ago in an interview with Lage, he spoke about this record (he was fresh off recording it then) and mentioned his fascination with the "pre-great American songbook" - as he described it - tunes from the 20s and 30s that were 'the wild-west' of songwriting, before the styles and formulas set in. It's obvious he enjoys teasing out these traditions and giving them a good workout.

His bandmates are bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wolleson. Two of the key figures in bringing this type of folk-tinged modern jazz to life. Between the two, they have an extensive working relationship with almost everyone it seems - like Bill Frisell, Jim Hall, and many more - and they certainly bring their well-honed sensibilities to bear.

The track 'Supera' is a great example of the group's grasp on the ephemeral nature of this light-hearted and deep-rooted music. Breezily, the Latin-tinged tune builds from Wolleson's economically placed beats. 'Stop Go Start' gets into some more atmospheric ramblings, happily coloring outside the lines. One could go on and on, as there is much to describe, but suffice to say, Arclight is a great recording and a primer on just how a good a guitar trio can sound.

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Jakob Bro - Gefion (ECM, 2015) ***½

[b]By Paul Acquaro[/b]

It was a recent Friday, at the tail end of a long week, and I was making my daily slog to the train. I needed to listen to something  that could ease me into the day. So scrolling through my iPod, I hit upon Danish guitarist Jakob Bro's Gefion. It was an album that had been on my short list for a long time, and the time seemed right...

This early 2015 release begins like rowboat trip across a shimmering clear lake of sound. Subtle ripples breaking the surface as bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Jon Christensen help to power the vessel, but the overall atmosphere is unbroken and refreshingly uncomplicated.

That is not to say the music is in anyway stationary, rather Bro is a melodic player who works in textures and implications. While the opening title track begins with a moody quietness and proceeds along only with the gentle lap of waves against the bow, there is quickening of the pulse as the boat draws into deeper water. ‘Copenhagen', the next track, finds Morgan’s articulated bass work front and center, complimenting Bro's gentle swelling arpeggios. Next, 'And They all Came Marching Out' begins in a more forceful manner and how the guitarist builds off of the looping bass line reminds me a bit of the Bill Frisell's 'Gone, Just Like a Train’. Though the songs were growing more emphatic, the lineage of musical texture was still cohesive, the water has just become a little rougher and the rowing stronger.

The other tracks of the album are too of a piece, whether it is the fraught 'White', or the open ended 'Ending', Bro's work with Lee Konitz, Paul Motion, Kenny Wheeler, and Frisell (just to name a few), has certainly become an anchor for his own poetic work.

My journey with Gefion left me in much better mood. Give this one a listen.

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Marc Ribot Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi, 2014) *****

By Paul Acquaro

Back in November, during the dates that Live at the Village Vanguard was recorded, we were packed in tight in the legendary jazz club's small triangular subterranean space. Much to our chagrin, the people sitting mere inches to our left were whistling and hooting at every loud sound that emanated from the stage. We agitated, tried shushing, and ultimately, we were fortunate that the music far overshadowed our neighbor's crude approach to appreciation.

The truth is, the Marc Ribot Trio is well worth hoots and whistles when applied appropriately. Veteran bassist and living connection to saxophonist Albert Ayler (whose spirit reins over this group), Henry Grimes, and superb drummer Chad Taylor, give guitarist Ribot the nimble and precise support to paint his abstract takes on both free-jazz and jazz standards.

Ribot has deconstructed standards before, like on the 2000 solo effort Saints and 1995's Don't Blame Me. He has also dove deeply into Ayler's spiritual and emotional territory with the group Spiritual Unity, which was comprised of this trio plus the trumpet work of the late Roy Campbell. It seems that 'Live at the Vanguard' offers a true synthesis of at least these two aspects of Ribot's playing.

You get a sense right away that this is special record from the early moments of the opening track, an interpretation of John Coltrane's 'Dearly Beloved' as Grimes delicately wanders with his bass into a melody sparingly outlined by Ribot. The tune builds in intensity and ferocity as Ribot lets the snarl of his guitar, delivering choice chordal fragments and melodic snippets.

Ayler's 'The Wizard' begins as a slightly demolished hoe-down, letting Ribot show another side of his musical interests. After the head, the group falls into an instrumental rock groove, with Taylor and Grimes keeping a strong pulse alive. The playing is raw, emotive, almost primitive, but at the same time, I sophisticated in its use of dynamics and textures. In a quiet moment, Grimes plays a very nice solo over Taylor's light stick work, before the group ramps up the intensity again.

This is an album full of highlights, for example, the intro to the standard 'Old Man River' is a solo guitar delight. Delicate and balanced, it serves as a nice foil to the 'The Wizard.' The guitar tone that Ribot uses on tunes like 'I'm Confessing' is a perfect blend of a dry, warm, electric hollow body coupled with a slightly menacing delivery - the perfect taste of sweet and sour.

So, maybe in retrospect we were a bit harsh in judging our fellow patrons. Maybe the folks next to us just couldn't contain themselves after yet another unbelievable turn around or that completely eviscerating version of 'Sun Ship'. We just need to relax and be happy that Live at the Village Vanguard is a great recording that captures a trio creating exciting and original interpretations of standards and classic free jazz tunes.

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Sheet Music: Complete Works Of Frantz Casseus V.1 Solo Guitar by Frantz Casseus (edited by Marc Ribot)

Followers of Ribot know of his early studies with Hatian guitarist Frantz Casséus. There is a hard to find recording that features his teacher's work. Recently, Ribot has been involved with the creation of a book of charts for solo guitar of Casséus. More info.

Interestingly, the book's release coincides with a June 16th benefit concert at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, NY for the Frantz Casséus Young Guitarists Program in Port-Au-Prince, a project that Ribot set up after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

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Guitar Week: Salamanders!

It's not often you connect free jazz albums through amphibians... (and there are more salamanders in recent jazz – the first track on Alexander von Schlippenbach's "Vesuvius" (2005), the third track on Vinny Golia's "9 Pieces for solo Bb clarinet", the tenth track on Aych's "As The Crow Flies" (2012) ... so much for irrelevant information)

Dørge, Westergaard, Sorey, - Like Salamanders We Survive (TWMusik, 2013) ****½

By Stef

Danish guitarist Pierre Dørge is a real jazz veteran, with his roots in the sixties, and with his ears stretching around the world, incorporating African, Middle Eastern and Asian influences in his band's repertoire over the decades. His music is adventurous in a way, but within the boundaries of accessibility to traditional jazz audiences, with written and arranged music that goes beyond the genres, and is great fun actually. His Danish Jungle Orchestra has animal artwork as its signature : elephants, giraffes, crocodiles and camels.

Now the exuberance of his band is gone, the power of the jungle's giant animals forgotten for a moment, because Pierre Dørge meets the new generation, and on their turf, bassist Torben Westergaard and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, who also plays some piano on the album, for a more intimate setting, the smaller world of salamanders, less exotic, but also not entirely domesticated either. And that's how the music sounds.

The result of this interaction is nothing short of mesmerising. Dørge seems to enjoy the freedom, the openness, the space that is created by the Westergaard and Sorey, who are both masters of precision, of sonic accuracy, doing what is needed to create a sound environment, but nothing more, no pyrotechnics, no decoration, no ornaments, just careful and sparse use of emphasis and pulse and mood.

Dørge is jazzy, and bluesy, quiet when needed, and not afraid to go berserk too, and even if it's not his intention, what a lesson he gives here to the younger generation of guitarists, and then on their turf, with wild ideas and sonic explorations. Listen how his guitar howls like a trumpet on "Ethnic (Uphill) Climb" (or is it something else?) over the funky restrained hypnotic beat that Westergaard and Sorey lay down. And as on his other albums, the ethnic influences appear here too, as on the Chinese sounding piano ballad that Sorey improvises.

What a gorgeous album, played by musicians who have nothing to prove, are not playing to create great art, but just to have a go at it, and use their incredible skills to offer us great music, coherent, captivating, and incredibly enjoyable. An album you will listen to a lot (at least I did, and still do). 

Peter Kerlin Octet - Salamander (Innova Recordings, 2013) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Peter Kerlin is a bassist (I know it's guitar week, but I'm going on the Salamander theme here) and composer and his music with an octet on Salamander is a mix of epic post-rock compositions and improvisation.

The bass lines are riveting - like actual rivets holding together the songs - groove driven but not funky - just rock solid. The songs move like giant blocks of melody through an assembly line designed by MC Escher. It is the insistent bass lines that keep the pieces moving along.

The tracks 'Cenozoan Warp' has an ethereal atmosphere generated by the marimba and percussion, until the bass comes in with a repetitive and uplifting melody. Violin and guitar add texture and muscle as the song builds layers upon layers. The track 'Wanna Let the Bell Tower Ring' starts out more intensely and then fractures into odd shapes and lovely passages.

The unusually bass heavy octet is comprised of Peter Kerlin, Taylor Bergren-Chrisman and Brent Cordero on bass, Sam Sowyrda and Cesare Papetti on vibraphone, Amy Cimini, Jessica Pavone and Karen Waltuch on viola, Emily Manzo on organ and Wurlitzer, and Mike Pride and Charles Burst on drums and percussion.

I've been poking at this recording for a while now and each time I put it on, I'm reminded of how good the combination of instruments and how unusual the approach to the composition is, and think why isn't this on my play list more frequently? I have no good answer except that it's quite rich and so absorbing that I must enjoy just nibbling at it.

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N.E.W: Motion (Dancing Wayang Records, 2014) ****½

Reviewed by Joe

N.E.W. equals Steve Noble, John Edwards and Alex Ward. I thought this was their debut release, but if you look at the comments section (below) you'll notice this their 4th release. Anyhow, "Motion" is one killing album. Firstly, just to clear up and any misunderstandings, Alex Ward, normally known as a clarinettist, is playing guitar on this record. Steve Noble - drums, has played with Rip Rig and Panic, Derek Bailey, Matthew Shipp, Peter Brötzmann and about everybody (whose anybody) on the UK free-jazz scene. John Edwards, whom you'll find liberally throughout this blog, is one of the UK's top bass players on the improv' scene. Add those elements together and that means that this is a free-jazz-rock-thrash-metal-noise-swing-impro trio, what more can you want?

Right from the very start the trio launches straight into hard hitting improvised rock. There's no gentle introduction to this trio, they fire off all guns immediately and then don't stop until the end of the album 5 tracks later. For anyone familiar with those great improvised sections in King Crimson's music, then this could be (sort of) the next step in the musical process. The guitar playing of Alex Ward reminds me of the style that Fripp used back in those early Crimson days, although here Alex gets a chance to push boundaries in other directions.

The music focuses around Ward's guitar which points the trio in the different directions. He winds his way through hard rock and even jazzy ideas on "Betting on Now" (tk1). Here Noble and Edwards support him with swinging drums and walking bass lines. In "Tall & True"(tk3) Steve Noble and John Edwards jump in with some manic rhythms, leaving Alex to gradually creep in with chunky riffing power chords to 'rock' the group.

"4th and Three" (tk4), the longest piece on the album (10 minutes) builds from a tremolo idea. The band spends plenty of time exploring space and rhythm, but as the music progresses the guitar gradually steels in with some slide (?) playing, squealing into high registers, whilst the bass and drums rock away - reminding me of some of Rip, Rig and Panic's musical outings. On "Motion" (tk5), the group bring many of the ideas heard on previous pieces together - silent sections, powerful guitar sounds, hard hitting drums and bass. What makes it all so listen-able is the way they develop the ideas 'tonally', and although there's plenty of sonic probing they always use rhythm or melody as a focal point - if you call distorted bashed chords melodic? 

Lastly I should mention the label Dancing Wayang. They produce a very small amount of releases and this is a 300 limited edition LP, as are all their records. Anna (Tjan), the founder of the label tells me that the first 100 copies include a bonus 3" CDR of the band live, so if you're interested, don't hang about!

Highly recommended - could be a good one for all those who like air-guitar also!

Find (and buy) the record here Dancing Wayang Records

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Aram Bajakian - there were flowers also in hell (self released, 2014) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

Use Aram Bajakian's there were flowers also in hell to kick off your next party. Put on 'Texas Cannonball' and watch as your guests begin to dance. A little later in the tune they may be tempted to get stoned, but they'll soon be dancing again, albeit perhaps just a little slower. In fact, your guests won't even notice the seque into the next track. The gorgeous 'Loutone' picks up on the previous song's theme and then proceeds to deconstruct it into a buzzing, shimmering, and ultimately blazing tribute to Lou Reed.

Each listen to there were flowers also in hell reveals new layers and ideas. Track three, 'Requiem for 5 Pointz', the controversial industrial building featuring a graffiti exhibit that was whitewashed over by the owners in their effort to turn it over to developers late last year, is an evocative solo guitar piece in the vein of Anders Nilsson's Night Guitar or Marc Ribot's Silent Movies. This reflective piece is followed up by the feisty Eastern-tinged 'Orbisonian'. The laid back ballad 'Sweet Blue Eyes' is just bursting with melody, and somehow, in some non-sensical, completely unwarranted way, keeps suggesting to me certain moments from 'Don't Let Me Down'. 'Rent Party' may be the most infectious song of all - a dark groove, blues-like changes, and a serious dose of sludgy post-rock all in the span of 5 minutes. To think, I'm only half way through this album!

there were flowers also in hell is a strong musical statement by Bajakian, an inventive guitarists who has worked with Diana Krall and Lou Reed, and is member of the powerful group Abraxas. The band on this record includes bassist Shahzad Ismaily from Ceramic Dog and drummer Jerome Jennings.

Bajakian describes it a blues album on his website. That's a nice an open term for the music - it's downtown New York, it's blues, it's rock, it's guitar, it's free-jazz, and it's quite enjoyable.

Give the album teaser a try:

Purchase through Bandcamp:  http://arambajakian.bandcamp.com/

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HeadJive - Bad Habits (Brakophonic Records, 2013) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Last year I stumbled upon the group Glas from Sweden. It was a pleasant surprise -- their live album, Live at Brötz Gothenburg Sweden is a dynamic set of improvised music. 

From that sextet, two of the members seem to have spun off a smaller trio called "HeadJive". Comprised Gunnar Backman on fretted virtual guitar, Anders Berg on bass, and newcomer Andreas Wartel on drums, the group "Head Jive" recently released Bad Habits, an album of intense improvised fusion.

Kicking off the album is the track 'Modern Hints', and most striking is the use of the virtual guitar. Unlike other musicians who have adopted the synth/guitar, Backman does not opt for a smooth sound and retains a welcome edginess. Wartel's drumming is quite fierce throughout, filling out the spaces and connecting the spaces between the electric bass and the expansive guitar playing. Tracks like 'A Slight Case Of Communication' build up a big sound, where fleet fingering on the guitar is combined with an unusual and effective bass lines, while "Bad Habits" is dense and noisy.

Check it out:



Plus, it's a free download from Bandcamp!

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Ross Hammond - Revival Trio (self released, 2012) ***½

By Paul Acquaro

Consider me a fan of Ross Hammond's earthy tone and free but 'composed' approach. I first heard the Californian guitarist when I had a chance to review the free-jazz-rock  Adored this past winter. This new release, which is a document of a recent but now dormant project, The Revival Trio finds Hammond exploring African music, but still well within the aforementioned jazz-rock -- or maybe even jazz/folk-rock -- framework.

As Hammond explains, the impetus of the project was simply a desire to explore "African-influenced improv music -- a’la Abdullah Ibrahim, Ali and Vieux Farka Toure, Boubacar Traore and a few others." This combined with his own accessible and organic approach makes for an enjoyable aesthetic, which can sort of be described as a more muscular approach to the style that Bill Frisell touched on with his Intercontinentals.

Starting with the tune 'Ali' where a repetitive rhythmic line gives way to a powerful improvised melody, to the building intensity of "Littlepants" and "All Our Dogs", this group demonstrates its adeptness with African styles, while staying true to their own musical approach. Bassist Shawn Hale and drummer Vanessa Cruz are integral to the interweaving of the sinewy melodies and flowing rhythms.

Overall, the recording isn't quite as varied as Adored, but it is a compelling and quite satisfying listen. It's exciting to hear how musically adventurous this trio was, and while this group may not exist any longer, I'm sure something else will spring up in its place, perhaps building on the groundwork laid.

Listen and download at: http://rosshammond.bandcamp.com/album/revival-trio

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Elliot Sharp Trio - Aggregat (Clean Feed, 2012) ****

By Paul Acquaro

I find myself returning again and again to Elliot Sharp's Trio recording Aggregat. Sharp is hit or miss for me, but I've enjoyed cherry picked albums like Monk/Sharpe and his duo recording with Scott Fields. Aggregat however, turned my ears on end. 

Sharp, usually an unusually inventive guitarist is heard here on both guitar and saxophone. His sax playing is actually a bit more inside than out and flirts with the tuneful side of edginess. 

The album kicks off with the angular composition 'Nucular', which features Sharp's sax playing with a long free form improvization bracketed by an identifiable arching melodic head. This is followed up by the prickly electric guitar on 'Hard Landing'. The guitar's clean sound gives way to a distorted burst of energy, devolving from rhythm and melody into a miasma of sound. Beneath it and throughout, upright bassist Brad Jones and drummer Ches Smith keep Sharp's explorations moving but grounded and the ideas well connected. The squeaky start to 'Mal Du Droit' gives way to some swinging free improv courtesy of the rhythm section, Sharp's guitar see-sawing between a noisy smear of effected chords and precise searing lines. I could go on, discussing the sonic carpet bombings in 'The Grip' or the describe in excruriating detail the perturbing screech in 'Amellia', but I think I've said enough.

Squeaky moments and all, this one is a keeper in the persistent playlist.  

You can buy it from instantjazz.com.

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Bogdo Ula - Crash Canis Majoris (self-released, 2012) ****

By Paul Acquaro

In the note that came along with Bogdo Ula's Crash Canis Majoris, guitarist Samuli Kristian indicated that the Finnish trio was making a conscientious effort to change up their sound. This power trio's music, which is fully improvised, features full throated guitar, punchy bass, and propulsive percussion. So, what could be wrong?

"In a sense," says Kristian, "we were becoming prisoners of freedom."

So, this time around the guitar has a drier tone, and minus some of lush reverb effects, the group has to work harder to fill space. Fortunately, they seem up to the task. In my last review of this group, I mentioned hearing echoes of Terje Rypdal's more rock oriented work, as well as the spirit of the Scorch Trio. While some of this still holds true, the sound leans in a rawer, less filtered, direction. I am having some trouble thinking of a direct comparison, but as their CD Baby page mention Nels Cline, I can see some common ground with the Nels Cline during the Trio era.

Crash Canis Majoris is a high-energy and highly melodic affair, and like I mentioned last time when I wrote about Prisoners of Freedom, it seems like these spur of the moment melodies could have been written out or perhaps should be written down as they are quite compelling and complete. Adding to the overall sound is the telepathic and tight interaction between the bass, drums and guitar.

The album kicks off with 'Your Sign Cygnus', which blasts off (to piggy back on the album's space travel metaphor) without a hitch. The trio's high octane performance will suck the air out of your lungs as fast as accidentally opening the ship's portal without your space helmet on. The energy continues from song to song, in fact, the transitions between songs is more like a momentary pause rather than begin a new song. 'Crash Canis Majoris' features Jean Ruin's punchy and driving bass lines and drummer Ivan Horder never lets up, always pushing the tunes and tempos forward. The song 'I Never Was Anyway' is probably the most atmospheric on the album, featuring space and suspense between the notes and the instruments. Other tunes, like the aforementioned opener, are exemplars of tight improvised fusion, with the guitar leading through dense thickets of arpeggios red melodies and biting chords.

Another good outing for the trio, a small evolution in sound, but still relying on their improvisational intuition.

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Many Arms - Many Arms (Tzadik, 2012) ****

By Philip Coombs

Many Arms do sound like many arms at times but in fact there are only six. Two belong to bassist Johnny DeBlase, two more are in the shoulders of drummer Ricardo Lagomasino, and the final two are home to guitarist Nick Millevol's fingers. This is the third album from this American trio and their first on Tzadik, with each member contributes one suite each to this three track recording.

Track 1, "Beyond Territories", strikes me as what Newton's first law of motion would sound like; a track not unlike hitting a golf ball on the moon. There is no friction interfering with the motion of this track and if it weren't for the restraints of the recording medium or a producer, this track may have continued forever. From its drum rolls and guitar licks and the bass keeping it all together, there really is a feeling of perpetual motion going on here. It stitches together repetitive segments until you just about can't take anymore and then it blasts into a wonderful free jazz affair.

"In Dealing with the Laws of Physics on Planet Earth", does, ironically, fit firmly into Earth's laws of potential and kinetic energy in continuing with an unintentional theme. This trebuchet of a track gets loaded and starts its slow winding to maximize the energy in the counterweight by using guitar and bass runs with feedback before the drums start the propulsion. It takes many arms indeed to wind the wheels on this one. Then thirteen and a half minutes in, after some very deliberate string picking and an ever increasing tempo, the concrete ball is triggered sending it straight into the air. The only shame is that you know it's coming and results in no great surprise.

The final track, "Rising Artifacts in a Five-Point Field", continues in an 'objects in motion stay in motion' until acted upon by a Lagomasino drum solo. This track starts like any good free jazz number should, full of direction and confidence, with everyone listening and yelling at the same time with some serious funk on the bass. Then the drums bash through the wall that stopped the strings in their tracks. This is a great drum solo break indeed, and completely unexpected as everything had been a complete group effort to this point, very welcome, but unexpected.

I did like this record on the third listen more than the second and much more than the first and am looking forward to the next. I also realized that I need to brush up on my grade school physics.

Watch them here. Can be purchased from the label.

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Joe Morris, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver - Altitude (Aum Fidelity, 2012) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

Perhaps one reason I've been enjoying Altitude so much is that I suffered through the sweltering night at The Stone when AUM Fidelity captured the event. I kind of feel like I earned (and purchased) the recording.

It was hot that night, which is corroborated by Joe Morris in his liner notes. But more so, the music was sizzling. As I listen repeatedly to the recording, I'm reminded of much I didn't realize was happening in the first place. Passages like the somewhat legato section ten minutes into 'Thermosphere' had completely slipped my jumbled memory of the event. When Morris is on electric guitar, I've come to expect hypnotically winding staccato runs, however this has wonderfully confounded my assumption. And I'm pleased to say that I'm both correct and corrected repeatedly throughout this recording.

'Troposphere', which follows a long rhythmic and textural bass solo, begins with what I can really only describe as a 'micro groove' between bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver, with Morris adding a subdued lead. It's Parker who shines with his thumping bass line, while Cleaver fills in the shadows with cross hatching. The music builds slowly, Morris's lines growing stronger, the rhythm gaining in intensity, until hitting full stride half way into the ten minute improv.

Equally as satisfying is Parker's extended solo in 'Mesosphere'. His vocalizations along with his rhythmic bass solo is a mesmerizing combination. He exudes an earthy aura, warm, inviting and adventurous. This happened during the second set, which was just too darn hot to stick around for.

The album is an impressive document of the night, capturing surprising moments, inspired flights, and the general beauty of the improvised set.

Totally recommended.

© stef

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Jeff Parker - Bright Light in Winter (Delmark 2012) ****½

Reviewed by Joe

It's been a long wait for album, the third from Jeff Parker and his trio (if you include the 'Relatives' as a trio + 1). The previous record from 'The Relatives' (as mentioned) was also one very understated piece of work, but something that really stayed under the skin. This record is also another lesson in how to make great music for the guitar without flashing off your chops, playing in 23/16, or inviting some superstar to play on your record.

Jeff Parker has become his own man step-by-step, playing and writing intelligent and forward looking music for guitar. In fact it's his personal approach to the guitar that really makes him so distinctive (naturally), and although I'm sure he has his influences he doesn't seem to wear them on his sleeve. His style could be a sort of modern day Jim Hall, so understated, dry and full yet round, almost old fashioned I would say. Yet his harmonies and approach to his material are quite fascinating. 'Mainz' (tk1) demonstrates from the first notes how Parker's understated style is all about melody and atmosphere, and probably what sets him apart from the mainstream of jazz guitarists. 'Change' (tk3) hovers over a backbeat played on the rim set up by Chad Taylor (drums). The steady beat and pleasing chord melody make room for a beautifully warm solo and also another moment when we get to hear Jeff Parker's impeccable jazz chops. To a certain extent much of the music lies between jazz and rock, but certainly not jazz-rock. The melodies and grooves belong to both worlds and are always catchy and stylish. 'Freakadelic' (tk4) is a moment where we get to hear, what seems like, a sort of free-bop romp where the melody is the improvisation. 'The Morning Of The 5th' (tk5), is a wistful melody without bass as Chris Lopes plays flute, which invokes a feeling past times. Each melody has something which sets it apart from the rest, ballads, quasi Latin groves, acoustic post rock, all bases are touched upon. The final track 'Good Days' reminds you of just how fast things can pass us by.

Finally one could say that Jeff Parker and his trio approach the material in a very organic way, letting each melody tell it's own story, no pyrotechnics. Of course this may not be everybody's 'cup of tea' yet for me Parker really stands way out, someone with a strong vision of his own, making the music original, and naturally recognisable as his thing. This is something which we find rarely in jazz music today, and although this is not a record which blows the top of your head off, it's a record which calmly states it's message. 

Highly recommended for fans of the understated!

Can be purchased on Instantjazz.  

© stef

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Lisbon Berlin Trio (Clean Feed, 2011) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Lisbon Berlin Trio starts with the scratching and scraping of picks across the coils of round wound electric guitar strings. Percussion rattles below and a bowed bass fills the space in between. The muted soundscape grows and soon the guitar is lashing out with distorted chord tones and a disjointed rock-ish melody. By the end of the tune, the song is far from where it began. While it seems like the ten minute long 'Hang Out With' covers a lot of ground, other vibes permeat this album as well.

The probing bass on song 'Mutant Free 1' invites Lopes to play flowing and rhythmically punchy lines. The percussion adds pulse to the mounting tension, ultimately breaking down into free sputters, scratches and plucks. Most likely entirely improvised, each song is listenable and interesting, featuring thoughtful and controlled playing, but also the willingness to let go and let the moment take the songs where wherever they will go. 'Song for M' is a good example of group restraint, whereas 'Mutant Free 2' builds to a climax with the guitar shooting syncopated blasts of energy from his fretboard.

On guitar is Luis Lopes from Portugal, and on bass and drums, are Robert Landfermann and Christian Lillinger, both from Germany. This collection strikes me as being different than some of Lopes' other efforts I am aware of, like Humanization 4-tet and Afterfall. The playing here feels more raw and immediate, with a stronger rock elements throughout. The Clean Feed web sites describes the music as the results of musicians who "don’t specially care to give a 21st century content to the jazz format; it just happens they enjoy, and play, different kinds of music, and usually do it crossing boundaries and mixing vocabularies."

So, perhaps The Lisbon Berlin Trio is and is not a guitar trio. It almost doesn't matter that Lopes is playing guitar, it really is a whole new instrument in his hands, one that is approached in clusters, shapes and abstract extrusions rather than more familiar "guitaristic" sounds and shapes. Overall, a very nice album in which all the songs belie a telepathy between the musicians. It is a trio that I hope to hear more from in the future.

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Raoul Bjorkenheim, Bill Laswell, Morgan Agren - Blixt (Cuneiform, 2011) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

I suppose that Blixt is best described as a rock power trio. Working with industrial strength rhythms, thickly distorted leads and dark enveloping bass, the trio moves through a series of tough minded improvisations bracketed by short heads. However, as tough and stormy as the tunes may get at times, the musicianship and sensibilities of all involved provide enough nuance and sophistication to keep even the heaviest moments buoyant.

That being said, the album begins with a flat out hard rock tour-de-force. Bjorkenheim's guitar is dressed up in crunchy distortion and highly stylized mayhem as he leads bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Morgan Agren through a Hendrixian opening statement into a series of dark riffs. As the tune opens up, Bjorkenheim's jazzier proclivities bends the metal a bit. Throughout the next two songs, the three musicians cohere to create a densely rhythmic workout.

Halfway through the recording there is a quiet moment. More world fusion than shredding, "Shifting Sands Closing Hour" settles into percussive groove and Bjorkenheim puts down the guitar momentarily as other more exotic instruments enter the fray. This song also seems to mark a shift in the dynamics, as the next eight and a half minute of "Ghost Stokes" and eleven minutes of "Invisible One" features slightly less distortion, more texture and space for the melodic bass lines. The shift brings the trio slightly closer in style to Bjokenheim's Scorch Trio without duplicating it in any sense. Laswell's processed bass sound and evocative lines lends the music a unique aesthetic and Agren's strident and precise percussion gives Bjorkenheim's guitar more than adequate space and support to dive into some heady improvisation.

While the aforementioned slow build in "Ghost Stokes" serves as an excellent example of how well the players listen and empathize with each other, this is true throughout. Overall, there is not a song that feels out of place or seems like filler, 'Blixt' is an excellent jazz rock album, from the full on shredding workouts to the smouldering tunes and back.


Listen to "Moon Tune"

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Nels Cline Trio - Silencer (Enja, 2011) ****

By Paul Acquaro

There is some quality to the Nels Cline Trio's Silencer that keeps making me think of the first album by the jazz-rock trio Gateway. Cline's guitar here is often a clean and clear fluid mix of single note runs and well placed double stops that echoes Abercrombie's work decades earlier. Likewise, Cline dirties up his sound but often never quite gets into full on distortion when the playing intensifies. Though released nearly 20 years apart, both albums drew from rock and jazz liberally, creating seemless blends both of thier time and timeless.

Enja's rerelease of this 1993 recording is a nice addition to Cline's currently available recordings. In the group at this time was Michael Preussner on drums and Mark London Sims on electric bass. A power trio when they get cooking, this collection is an excellent mix of melodicism and above par musicianship juxtaposed with great swaths of sound.

Right from the start on Las Vegas Tango, Cline's guitar shimmers brightly, spinning lines over the solid jazz oriented rhythm section. Sharp, slightly moody solos follow the slow burning head, creating palpable atmosphere. In fact, the overall vibe of the album is well described by Cline himself on his web site. He writes "The first Trio recording - a bit low-key and reverb-y, but in spite of my insistence on harmonizer, a lot of this still sounds good." He is somewhat self-effacing. All of it sounds exceedingly good and there are a good number uptempo passages and songs mixed in with the quieter moments.

What is kind of neat in hearing earlier work by an artist whose recent work you are familiar with is picking out the seeds of ideas and approaches that are built upon and refined as the years pass. Within this recording's ones and zeros you can hear the great cathartic builds and releases, arpeggiated melodies and abandon that makes Cline's music so compelling. The penultimate, nearly quarter hour, track 'Lapsing 1&2' has it all. Starting with an austere and captivating chordal movement, the tune segues effortlessly into an extended distorted soundscape and finally into one of those reverberant arpeggiated cathedrals of sound Cline creates so well.

'Silencer' is currently in heavy rotation just about everywhere I listen to music, which is just about everywhere I go, which is something I am particularly happy about.

© Paul Acquaro
   

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Joe Sachse Trio - One Take (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010) ****

By Paul Acquaro

As far as I can tell, Joe Sachse's 'One Take' is not about technical chops, nor is it really about the compositions, however in the course of its 78 minutes, neither are lacking. Due to a paucity of liner notes (I'm working from mp3), I am making some assumptions about this loose and enjoyable recording, namely that its title is indicative of the albums real focus: savoring the thrill of creation.

'One Take' is also an album that celebrates "the guitar." The note choice, the tonality, and the harmonic constructs are all built around the physical and sonic embodiments of the electric guitar. An obvious example of this is the Hendrix-like "Blues for Kati". Like 'Little Wing', the shimmering tone, the bluesy feel and the laid back groove just feel so right, I just couldn't hear it with different instrumentation.

And what can you say about Sachse's companions, John Marshall (drums) and Fred Baker (bass), besides that they are the creme de la creme? Marshall, as usual, is as solid, supportive and creative as one could wish for. His solo during 'Fur Oki' is reminiscent of some later day Soft Machine. With a bright full bodied tone, Baker provides crystal clear melodic solos and precise counter-melodies to Sachse's lead. At some points, it seems like Sachse is happy to let Baker take over. On the Monk staple 'Round Midnight', the bassist provides an excellent unaccompanied intro of the mournful melody that, when the others join, evolves into a swinging affair.

My only complaint is that the album at times can feel a little 'jammy', there are no overly long songs but there is sometimes a little too much cohesion between some of the tracks. But this is more than counterbalanced by sublime moments like Baker's solo in the reflective 'Alterswing' and Sachse's spirited phrygian romp in 'Fur Oki'. Another highlight for me is the closer 'Swinool', where Sachse with the help of Baker's fuzz bass, just catches fire.

Overall, this is an accessible set of songs that gives a trio of seasoned musicians a chance to stretch out and enjoy creating together. A fun album and highly recommended to guitar trio and jazz-rock fanatics.

Available through eMusic.

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