Jooklo Duo & Bill Nace – Scratch (Holidays Records) ****1/2

By Tom Burris

Early last year, Jooklo Duo released a 7” record (“The Warrior” on the Northern Spy label) consisting of two bite-sized blasts that were, if not refined, then at least condensed representations of their unique take on the duo lineup.  The format lent itself to the idea that Virginia Genta (tenor sax, mainly) and David Vanzan (percussion, mainly) could lean into the noise-rock realm as readily as it had previously under the free jazz model.

In June 2011, the Italian duo toured the U.S. with NYC avant-noise guitarist Bill Nace in tow, furthering the sonic possibilities of their foray into snuff jazz.  In that same month, evidently before they set out for the boonies and burgs of the U.S. - (I saw them in Lafayette, Indiana!) – they recorded “Scratch,” an LP limited to 350 copies on multi-colored vinyl, which is a very fine representation of their stateside summer onstage collision course.

Trust me; this is not merely a buy-and-file-away collectible record.  The trio opens with a blast that is both open to any and all musical possibilities and compressed with tightly-wound energy.  When Vanzan drops out about halfway through the first side, there is a short moment of metal machine music from Genta and Nace, and then all three somehow manage to elevate the intensity, while eventually Genta emerges from the flames playing ecstatic Pharoah-type figures.

Side 2 opens with a continuation of the firestorm, inconceivably ascending to even crazier heights, before the splatter percussion drops out and Genta belts out insane pterodactyl shrieks from her sax.  Suddenly the whole thing opens up, with Vanzan – playing beautiful mallet percussion – doing a short duet with Nace before a brief moment of Genta’s bamboo flute comes floating overhead.  Then suddenly she picks up the sax for some gorgeous runs dripped in occasional multi-phonics.

The storm finally clears with Vanzan’s gentle mallet work, Genta on melodica, and Nace gently bowing the guitar strings.  Then Vanzan picks up the flute and all three swirl around in a fog that sounds a bit like the Sun Ra Arkestra’s take on a Nino Rota score.  It becomes more airy as it goes, leaving the trio to play the spaces as much as the instruments.

A surprising coda appears with Nace punching in some reverb and strumming an open chord, followed by Genta on bombarda.  Then the finish: Nace playing percussive figures on the treated guitar, while Genta’s figures spiral above and Vanzan’s mallets swagger until resolution – which sounds to these ears like the attainment of intuitive nirvana.


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http://www.holidaysrecords.it/

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Fire! with Jim O´Rourke: Released! -- Looking from a different perspective?

As you can imagine we (the team) all get to hear the same records, and who reviews what basically works out as 'whoever fancies writing a review .... is welcome'. This of course means that you can get beaten to the post by another reviewer. As happened with me once, Stef was so interested by what I wrote he listened to the album and wrote a second review, which he then posted next to mine. It was an interesting experience to see two (more or less same) opinions, or one could say looking at the same thing from two viewpoints! Here, is a second, no third take on the 'Fire!' record with Jim O'Rourke.

Fire! with Jim O´Rourke: Released! (Rune 2011) ***

 

Reviewed by Joe

A short review of this small offering from Rune Records which could easily slip by without anybody noticing. This 10" EP (I think it's a very limited pressing!) with music by the undefinable Jim O'Rourke is 11 minutes of uncluttered (improvised?) music that passes you by within the blink of an eye. I'm not sure what the story behind this recording is but it's a shame there's not more of it, or at least I wonder what would of happened if they'd developed it a little further. To my mind it sounds like a sketch for a larger project which it is, and that's what makes it (for me) a slightly 'unfinished' sounding record. The group as you'll see below is a classic quartet line-up, however the music isn't easily classifiable. On 'Certainly those older and released...' (Tk1) you get to hear sampled and manipulated sounds mixed with guitar, minimal repeated bass riff and simple drum fills which develop gradually into a mournful melody played on sax which leads us out. On Tk2 'Particular local and plastic wrapped' the group builds in intensity with Gustafsson leading the troupes into battle over a repetitive bass riff with the other instruments following on gradually building in intensity, subsiding only as the sax steps aside. In fact you could sum up the basic idea of both sides of this EP as music which pulsates over a simple harmonic base.

There's not much else to say about the music as at the very moment it starts to take off the track runs out, or should I say the record stops. But what is here is quite interesting, it's just there isn't much of it. I guess if you're a Jim O'Rourke or Matts Gustafsson completist you may want this one in your vinyl collection, otherwise I'd pass this one over and wait for a fully fledged recording, which I hope will materialize one of these days.   

The Group : Mats Gustafsson baritone saxophone, fender rhodes, live electronics, Andreas Werliin drums, percussion, Johan Berthling electric bass, Jim O'Rourke electric guitar, synthesizer, harmonica.

Just to add to the fun here's the other two reviews (it seems we all reviewed it!) ....
Review (March 2012) - This is Paul's take on the record. As you can see he reviewed with a bunch of other records in the Matts Gustafsson section, always a good thing (name) to start a discussion!

Review (June 2011) - this is a review of the original album that has the rest of the material from the above release. I hadn't done my homework and only read this review after writing mine. However, I imagined that there was more material and of course there is. Read the Review March 2011 for more info.


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Charles Gayle Trio - Streets (Northern Spy, 2012) ****

By DentiAlligator

The title of the new Charles Gayle studio record, Streets, doesn't refer to the asphalt roadways on which Gayle used to play his saxophone; it refers to the clown-mime persona Gayle sometimes adopts in performance. Of course, by way of immediate association, the figure of Streets also reminds us of the streets where this persona was born: Streets the Clown, a near-homeless performer (as indeed Gayle was before he was “discovered”) living in the concrete jungle of New York, turning his sadness, pain, and perseverance into art. There's Gayle as Streets on the cover, looking forlorn, but staring right at us.

How are we to respond to this gesture? The album’s Christian-themed titles suggest “Compassion” might be appropriate. But there’s always the sense that such humility will come to nothing. Indeed, the movement of the record is from alternating versions of “Compassion” to the final “Tribulations,” the noisiest and unruliest of the bunch. This might be Gayle’s narrative: humble compassion will inevitably have to confront an apocalyptic upheaval. In this context, the performer is none other than a clown who attempts to bring joy, but in a world faced with constant travail must resign himself to being overlooked or forgotten. His melancholy-turned-(out)rage is the plight of the outsider artist—the free jazz musician in a nutshell.

Gayle is now in his 70s, but he is as intense as ever. His choice of trio and the exclusive use of the tenor may remind listeners of his most well-known record, Touchin' on Trane. And yet, surely in part due to the different rhythm section, Gayle does not repeat himself here: the Ayler-infused Coltrane sound of that album is not as prominent. Gayle trades those lengthy, lyrical lines for halting, disjointed outbursts. On this record his playing is much closer to the tortured, jagged wails that can be found on the extraordinary More Live album that was recorded in New York the year Touchin' on Trane was released—19 years ago.

The rhythm section on Streets is superb. Larry Roland plays the upright bass, and Michael TA Thompson is on drums. Both of them are accomplished musicians, and both are given ample time to show that. Each player has a solo on all but one track, and, most importantly, both of them are recorded extremely well. The subtleties of their interactions with each other and with Gayle are clearly distinguished in the mix, making it even more of a delight to listen to them.

The record is about an hour long, and features seven tracks ranging 5-10 minutes in length. Some pieces are more forceful and blustering; others ruminative yet still afflicted. Gayle’s overblown squeals often sound like he’s holding something back, that the high-pitched yelps are the symptoms of restraint, as if always about to explode into deeper, more violent attacks. And these outbursts come, sometimes ratcheting up the trio’s intensity to a peaking point. The ten-minute title track is especially effective, with Roland bowing his instrument (as he does on only one other piece) and featuring a musical theme that sounds like a lament. "March of April" begins with military-style syncopation on the drums, with the bass soon following 'in step.' Gayle enters and at first follows this lock-step rhythm, but in a few minutes it's clear the roles have been reversed: Thompson and Roland are now following Gayle's lead as he pulls the rhythm section away from any regulated beat and into a free textured flow. At the end the trio settles back into the military march for the final minute. This frame works beautifully and powerfully showcases Gayle's musical range. It's a fantastic piece, maybe the best on the record.

Don't let my rating deter you. I am a little stingier in rewarding the highest star-ratings than my fellow bloggers. But so far this is my favorite record of the year: soulful, deeply moving and powerfully delivered free jazz by one of the masters. Highly recommended.

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Wild Chamber Trio – “10.000 Leaves” (Nottwo, 2012) ****

By Steve Mossberg

With a dry slap of the tongue and the warble of a Japanese bamboo flute, soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo leads the way into “Atomic Heart.” Clementine Gasser’s 5-string cello rustles the leaves, brushing against the pianistic wind chimes of Elisabeth Harnik. We are drawn into a protean soundscape that is brash, lawless, frequently off-putting, but consistently engaging.

Such is the nature of “10.000 Leaves”, the premiere recording from the Wild Chamber Trio, a cross-European meeting of the Italian Mimmo, Swiss Gasser, and Austrian Harnik. This is the freely improvised sound of three great musicians on a 52-minute joyride through the land of jazz energy and classical sonority without a road map.

The idea of playing improvised music in a “chamber” setting dates back to the early 60s, when cool-jazz reed player Jimmy Giuffre stepped further away from convention in the company of the then-young now-legendary Steve Swallow and Paul Bley. Compared to the explosive, confrontational, blues-steeped flights of his more-famous contemporary Ornette Coleman, Giuffre’s drumless music was one of an intimate, boundless, searching dialogue.

Fifty years later, the Vienna-based group continues the conversation. For the duration of the recording, the trio navigates music of considerable variety and surprising originality. All three constituents possess the prerequisite musical skills for high-level free improvisation. They have the musical ears and brains to pick up and instantly expound upon the most abstract statements of their partners, and the physical ability to execute each impulse seamlessly.

The real liberating factor in the group, however, is the huge range of effects the musicians conjure from their actual instruments. The possibilities for new textures expand with each successive track. In “Shade Multiplication,” Mimmo’s soprano wheezes mechanically in and out of unison with the harsh overtones of Gasser’s 5-string. He often blows into the instrument until it distorts and warps like the vision of asphalt on a hot highway.  On “Radiance,” while the cello rumbles ominously and tonelessly, Harnik’s piano strings ping and resonate ethereally against the metal objects placed upon them. Within the blink of an eye, her instrument shifts from temple bells to bone rattle to the strained yowl of scraped cord.

When the trio deals in notes, their dialogues show deep invention and expert cohesion, but when they play with sounds, they attain near-telepathy. The improvisations open with powerful collective statements of atmosphere, such as the scrambling animal footfalls of “Fire Code,” the marshy bubbling and quacking of the title track, the dying fluorescent-light hum of “Remaining Words” and the military stomps, slams, and wordless vocalizing of “Kitty Hawk.” At moments of climax, the ensemble sound is an overwhelmingly rich cacophony. In the recording’s final minutes, it is one of vaguely mumbled questions and scurrying half-heard protests.

“10.000 Leaves” is an exciting debut, a reminder of the vitality of “chamber” improvisation, and a document of masterful free music making.

Highly recommended.

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Mockuno NuClear - Drop it (No Business, 2012) ***

Reviewed by Joe

Anyone who reads my reviews on here will know that I really like improvised music and in particular when it embraces written elements - ex : Atomic, Motif, The Engines, Ken Vandemark etc. That's maybe a contradiction in words - written and improvised - but the idea that the two can possibly cohabit the same space (musically) does lead to new ideas and colourful music (*). Mockuno NuClear fall into this category sitting somewhere in-between the two ideas, trying to please both camps at the same time.

This is a record which at the beginning shines like a bright star. The music is wonderfully played and (as mentioned) slides between the composed and the improvised with great ease. Saxophonist Liudas Mockunas plays some fantastic lines on the opening tracks which glide gracefully into semi romantic classical themes with the piano. It's not really clear if Prelude (Tk1) and Prelude Variation (Tk2), or Tk3, The Cursed (Prelude Variation) are actually linked musically, although one doesn't have to worry too much as these three tracks clearly hold together as one idea. In fact after hearing these three pieces I was very excited to hear what the rest of the record would reveal.

(What follows) .... after the opening pieces the record almost splits into two areas, something that I hadn't counted on, and certainly not hinted at the beginning. Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 are loose yet intimate pieces working round a more acoustic ethic, whilst tracks 4, 6 and 7 seem to be another group (although not necessarily different musicians) leaning towards groove based improvisations. Elephant Tango (Tk6) is a lovely theme, an almost semi pastiche of a tango style which bursts with energy yet seems totally out of place on the record. Track 4 - The Dark Side/The Bright Side (The Bright Side is dedicated to Andrew Hill) is another hard blowing tune, something one could imagine Matts Gustafsson playing with complete abandon. Here the group rocks away with Rhodes piano, grooving drum and bass riffing away and baritone sax in full attack mode! Great stuff I can assure you, but again a little unexpected.

Finally, it's this conflictual aspect which is slightly off putting as there are several records here, all probably very good. What is audibly an excellent group with some very positive and good musical ideas seems to not really know which side to express first, in fact putting all this into one record leaves the listener confused as to when best to listen to this record. Having said that I think anyone who is curious will probably find much of interest and will also be rewarded on repeated listens. I suspect that the group seen live would be very compelling, let's hope that the next record will clarify some of their very exciting ideas. 

  

Personnel: Liudas Mockunas: soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones; Dmitrij Golovanov: piano and keyboards; Marijus Aleksa: drums; Vytis Nivinskas: bass (5, 6); Darius Rudis: drums (7).

(*) = The other possibility being totally improvised, or of course the more traditional 'theme' with identifiable chord progressions used as an improvisational vehicle.

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Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet - Frog Leg Logic (Clean Feed) 2011 ****

By Philip Coombs

The title track from Marty Ehrlich's second Julius Hemphill inspired 'Rites Quartet' release, Frog Leg Logic, triggered a memory.

It transported me back to my university days when the album I was listening to had to be louder than the one my neighbor was listening to. His music would get louder so I turned mine up. Then something magical happened. The two songs, for some reason sounded really good together, creating something new. Ironically, the separating wall provided what it took to unite them. The track Frog Leg Logic is what that would sound like. There is something so creativity distracting about Hank Roberts' cello, like he is playing a different song in another room. But it works so well. I can't stop listening to it and luckily the joy continues throughout, whether it is bowed, strummed, plucked, or when borrowing from jazz, classical, and world music.

Ehrlich guides Roberts, James Zollar (trumpet) and Michael Sarin (drums) through this big jazz record. In many places it is much bigger than the sum of its parts. There is some big production with compressed drums and deep reverb. This is a big history lesson but it also carries a big flashlight to look ahead.

Walk Along the Way is a lesson in deconstruction and rebirth. What starts with a walk along the countryside quickly erodes into being lost in the forest. Roberts and Sarin grab the flashlight and forge on, providing a sinister backdrop for Ehrlich to play some darker passages over as Zollar blows some wind directly into your ear. Once safety is spotted, the group compose themselves and slowly put all the pieces back together until they are all again standing on stable ground.

The album takes an unexpected but pleasant turn on My Song; a duo of sax and cello. Ehrlich imitates the cello with warm tones and a convincing vibrato. Roberts returns the favor with some trills of his own. Both instruments fall into a dance of mutual respect while never becoming confrontational. Their history together is very obvious on this track. Definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.

Granted, there are a few moments that are not to my taste, but these are the things that question what it is I like about jazz in the first place. It makes my want to listen to more Julius Hemphill and further enjoy Ehrlich's journey to here. For that alone, I am glad I gave this album a closer listen.

Can be purchased from Instantjazz or downloaded through eMusic.

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Broken Bones & Psychos: Solo Percussion from Will Guthrie & Ches Smith

By Paul

To write about solo percussion works seemed a unique challenge. At first, I was both intrigued and bit skeptical that percussion alone could sustain an entire recording, but I'm pleased to report that my prejudgements were, as most are, entirely unfounded.

Will Guthrie - Sticks, Stones and Breaking Bones (Antboy, 2012) ****

The songs on Will Guthrie's album are Sticks, Stones, and Breaking Bones, and as the names imply, there is a fragility and certain brittle dryness to the album. It begins with a clatter of percussion and quickly the rhythms and textures emerge. Hypnotic and cleansing, primitive and dense, the complex rhythms build to a mesmerizing climax during the 16 minute closer Breaking Bones. But getting to that point is a journey of space, texture and time. In fact, Guthrie, who is also a member of The Ames Room, decribes his music as "high energy, rhythmic, repetitive, intense, tribal, with influences as diverse as gnana music, west african pop, minimalism, noise music(s)." And it's all of that, not to mention quite resourceful and inventive too, as Guthrie runs through all the different permutations and combinations of beat patterns. Sticking to his drum kits and assorted percussion, Guthrie lays out the skeletons of the songs whose bones he starts breaking.


Ches Smith - Psycho Predictions (88 Records, 2012) ****

When not working with the who's who of jazz, it seems Smith is busy inventing a new definition for solo percussion with what he calls Congs for Brums. This recording Psycho Predictions is a suite like piece that incorporates all sorts of percussion and electronics. Recorded without overdubs, it runs as a series of ideas and that flow meticulously into each other. Though a solo percussion recording, Smith employes electronics and vibes along with his drums to create a range of textures and sonic interest. The resulting unusual mix of sounds may grate against each other or mesh in unexpected patterns. What to listen for are the internal rhythms and tones that happen between the clatter of percussion, oscillations of the electronics and shimmering tones of the vibraphone. It's a fascinating landscape that Smith paints and not what you may be expecting.

Come at these two albums with no expectations but be prepared for something new. The sheer inventiveness of these albums show that 'solo percussion' can mean many things and go in far different directions. Creative, thoughtful, and again, resourceful, these are two very interesting and unusual albums.

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The Thing with Barry Guy – Metal (NoBusiness, 2012) *****

By Martin Schray

The Thing with Mats Gustafsson is that not everybody in the free music community likes his approach. When Stef reviewed some of his new albums two months ago, one of the comments added that he is just playing “loud and raucous”.

Whether you are a fan or rather reluctant – listen to his new The Thing album. As usual the band is Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten on bass and Gustafsson on saxophones. For this record, which was recorded at St. Catherine’s Church in Vilnius, they are backed up by bass legend Barry Guy who has also played with Gustafsson in the marvelous Tarfala Trio. All pieces on “Metal” except the last one are named after metallic chemical elements, the cover shows a saw blade in the middle of all kind metallic trash. If the more timid of you fear the worst, “Lanthanum”, the opening track of the album, might prove you right. From the very first second everything is displayed like in an exposition of a play: the main motives, the protagonists, Nilssen-Love’s relentless drumming, the two basses struggling, intertwining, pouring fuel into the fire, the musicians cheering each other on and on top of all Gustafsson yelling and howling. Yes, there is sheer brutality - but there is also absolute beauty. The key track on the album is “Europium” where you can find everything the album is about in a nutshell. It begins with Gustafsson’s baritone ticking like a clock, slightly losing its regular rhythm. It takes over a minute before the basses join in and only then the saxophone starts to cry out in an almost bluesy approach anticipating something dark deep down under the surface. Only then, after a short conversation of the two basses underlined by Gustafsson playing almost lyrical notes, Nilssen-Love starts off chasing the saxophone on a first wild ride. There is a break in the middle of the track where Nilssen-Love plays a duet only on the hi-hat with Håker-Flaten who tunes down his bass to infernal depths – it’s the calm before the storm. And then all hell breaks loose, Gustafsson’s baritone is yowling in long deep shivery cries like an animal in fear of dying just to switch to fury from one moment to another as if being ready for a final attack.

But in the end, it all calms down, the ride is over and there is nothing but sadness. At this moment Gustafsson plays a heartbreaking part accompanied by drone-like and scratching basses, here you can find consolation in beauty. The piece (and the whole album) wakes a hundred sleeping memories with free music and makes them ripe and vivid again, remembering especially Albert Ayler and Peter Broetzmann.

The album closes with a cover version of Lightning Bolt’s “Ride the Sky”. It is shorter and less Punk/Metal than the original. But it is incredibly tense and organic due to the atmosphere the church provides. What a way to end an album.

The album is released on double vinyl only and strictly limited. Don’t hesitate.

You can find a sample of the concert here:

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Michael Moore - Quintet & Quartet

By Paul

The following set of live recordings feature either a quartet and quintet led by saxophonist/clarinetist Michael Moore. Playing up different qualities, each album showcases unique and exemplary group work.

Michael Moore Quintet: Rotterdam (Ramboy, 2011) ****

Recorded in 2008 at the Lantaren Theater in Rotterdam, the quintet recording starts off with Moore's saxophone and Eric Vloiman's trumpet shadowing each other through a delicate melody. Marc van Roon sprinkles in accompaniment at the right moments on the piano and delivers a solo that would not be out of place on say a classic post bop Blue Note recording. Tittlich is a light and full sounding introduction to a delicate, yet tough, album.

Solstice begins with a certain solemnity and a gentle swing that feeds off its own restraint. As the song picks up, the tension that has built up reaches a pulsating apex with Eric Vloeimans' trumpet solo, and it's quite a pay off. A return to the more subdued head closes the song.

After a collection of compositions along a more classic jazz vein, the tune Switz seems to switch into a group improvisation mode. Most of the interactions between the musicians seem generally unpremeditated, though there are some unison lines between the two horns that give the piece an anchor. It's an exciting late development in the album and sets the tone for the last couple tunes.

This quintet here is: Michael Moore, alto saxophone, clarinet; Eric Vloeimans, trumpet; Marc van Roon, piano; Paul Berner, bass; and Owen Hart, Jr., drums.


Michael Moore Quartet: Amsterdam (Ramboy, 2011) ****

Recorded in 2010 at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, the quartet featured here is comprised of Moore on alto saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet; Harmen Fraanje on piano; Clemens van der Feen playing bass; and Michael Vatcher on drums and percussion.

The concert starts out a little more raw and free than Rotterdam. The dialog between Moore and his group is high caliber and sections of the tunes feature syncopations, stops and starts that reward intensive listening. The opener, Round & Round, is full of exciting interactions and unanticipated concurrencies. Seven follows, which again features a free approach to the composition. Rapidly becoming my favorite track of the album, Moore's clarinet jumps through unanticipated intervals and delivers short melodic phrases while van der Feen's bass punctuates and propels. Throughout, the drums and piano are very economical and play just what is needed. A repeated theme that surfaces on occasion elevates the song a notch each time it appears. Other tunes like Lusty Bike have very beautiful moments that, while sometimes feel a bit whimsical, are also quite lyrical.

A mix of free and composed pieces, the album seems to start off on the freer side and weaves back and forth between structured and free playing. Moore's tone on the woodwinds stretches and bends but never breaks, and his group at times delivers a gentle sophistication that pops up between more strident moments like a soothing ointment. Moore has a rounded, breathy tone, that is not without teeth. Edgier moments like the more experimental Creeley provide a great balance to the set.


Michael Moore Quartet: Easter Sunday (Ramboy, 2011) ****

Recorded on Easter Sunday at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, the album starts off with Cool, Simmering. The tune begins with an uptempo skittering of percussion and light touches on the piano that invite Moore's sax to come skating in. The song has a feel like sliding over the frozen surface of a deep dark pool. The quartet is the same as on Amsterdam.

Easter Sunday, like the name implies, is a quieter, reflective and spacious recording. Acceptance, which begins with a crash of percussion, soon sees Moore playing a longing and gentle melody that stretches over quiet but insistent brushwork. The woodwind on Suleika intertwines and shares intimate space with the piano, which gradually become more rhythmic but still restrained. In general, a quiet energy permeates. The playing has a lighter touch that keeps it floating along even as the piano picks up in intensity and slight bluesy figures drift through the atmosphere. My favorite is the classic It Might as Well Be Spring which closes the album. Played on clarinet, the melody is rendered with all it's fragile joy and swing intact.

Gentle, but with a tenaciousness, this recording is the most consistent. However, all three albums contain different atmospheric and textural qualities and are high quality recordings of an utterly professional and accomplished group.

Check out some clips from the albums at Ramboy Recordings

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Darius Jones Quartet - Book of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) - (AUMFidelity, 2012) ****

By Philip Coombs

I had a dream about Darius Jones last night after listening to Book of Mae'bul. He was playing in a small club and I was the only person in the audience. When his set finished I approached him with a question. It was to help me write this review. He opened his mouth and I could hear the record, note for note, coming from inside of him, somewhere very deep.

A clear statement, on this, the third installment of his Man'ish Boy series, was to switch up the rhythm section again by adding Trevor Dunn (bass) and Ches Smith (bass) who dynamically aid in Jones' maturation of themes from Big Gurl (Smell My Dream).

Another is the addition of Matt Mitchell on piano, turning Jones' previous trio relationships up a notch. This decision pays dividends multiple times throughout. For example letting him be the first thing you hear. A wonderful introduction indeed. That, however, isn't the only excitement on The Enjoli Moon, the album's opening track. Mitchell also gets the first solo as Dunn and Smith propel the tempo as if they were warning us about something. An ear full of a track indeed full of push and pull, abandonment and restraint.

The track Be Patient With Me starts with a gut wrenching plea for salvation, forgiveness, and of course, patience. The sax rips to the heart of the matter quickly and so effectively that I was left, as a listener, atoning for my own sins. And how about My Baby, with it's perfect spattering of honk and bash over its melody.

With a title like You Have Me Seeing Red one would expect a violent anger fueled tune but he treats it with more disappointed instead, which always cuts deeper. After Dunn's captivating solo, Jones bends and rings out each note as if he was explaining something that you just couldn't understand. The band comes in weaving a map of swells and rumble only to end in a quick burst just as it began.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the recording of the album. Co-produced by Steven Joerg and Jones himself, the sound of the horn becomes another broken down barrier between player and listener as it is up front in the mix and virtually effect free. This decision requires a heightened confidence that Jones backs up.

The AUM Fidelity web page describes the album as, "Music that has been purposefully designed to embrace the listener." Admittedly, Book of Mae'bul doesn't always reach for the outer atmosphere but it does very effectively sift though the dirt of the human condition, which in my opinion, is equally unexplored. An album that continuously leaves me emotionally exhausted.

A sample of the quartet live and from where Jones drew inspiration for Roosevelt:




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