Music from Ledoux, Brahem, Racicot & More
World of Jazz 728
There are a wide variety of releases on offer in this collection of music. From established bands who have been around from many years to exciting new groups of musicians working together to create and develop fascinating and novel approaches to Jazz. As the show progresses we move from the conventional to the experimental.
SHOW AUDIO
SHOW PLAYLIST
Show Intro 00:00
Ron Ledoux Quartet “A Stones Throw Away” from Views, Visions & Destinations (Self Released) 00:25
Rainer Brüninghaus “Spielraum” from Freigeweht (ECM) 04:13
Anouar Brahem “Endless Wandering” from After The Last Sky (ECM) 10:00
Ariane Racicot “There Is Some Hope” from Danser avec le feu (Self Released) 18:00
Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra “Blue Valentine Part Two” from Mundoagua - Celebrating Carla Bley (Zoho) 25:58
Rahel Talts “New And Familiar” from New And Familiar (Self Released) 31:30
AriSawkaDoria “Naima” from Naima (Music Factory Records) 41:30
Ari Joshua with Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff “The Clinic” from The Clinic (Music Factory Records) 47:49
Yellowjackets “Xermeris” from Fasten Up (Mack Avenue Records) 51:38
Emily Mikesell & Kate Campbell Strauss “Cloud Castles” from Give Way (ears & eyes) 59:06
The 3 Cohens WDR Big Band “Tiger Rag” from Interaction (Anzic Records) 1:03:45
Emitime “Scarce” from Scarce (ears & eyes) 1:11:45
Dawn After Dawn “Kris” from Home is where You Are (577 Records) 1:18:27
Torche ! “Impressions du dehor” from 8 notions de détente (Circum-Disc) 1:36:07
Eunsil Noh, Tom Jacques “조약돌 3” from Oh ! Pebbles (Circum-Disc) 1:45:20
Hollenberg Weston Spiker Trio “Man Does Not Choose” from Dead Jazz (Park West Records) 1:58:06
SHOW NOTES
Ron Ledoux, a talented guitarist and music educator, was born in Stanstead, Quebec, a town nestled on the Canada–United States border. With a bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from Concordia University and a teaching diploma from the University of Ottawa, Ron has become a well-respected figure in Montreal’s music scene, renowned for his versatility and deep passion for jazz and improvisation.
Views, Visions & Destinations marks the second release from the Ron Ledoux Quartet, showcasing nine original compositions that reflect his renewed creative partnership with arranger and bassist Gilbert Joanis. Featuring the distinctive contributions of Paul Shrofel on keyboards and Rich Irwin on drums, the album offers a musical journey defined by passionate, dynamic interplay and the enduring friendship among the quartet members.
In 2022, Ron released his first album A Stone’s Throw Away, which garnered positive reviews both in Canada and internationally. The album was nominated for "Jazz Album of the Year" at both the 2022 ADISQ Awards in Canada and the One World Music Awards in the UK.
Rainer Brüninghaus - Released in 1981, the debut of the legendary keyboardist from Eberhard Weber’s Colours band and later the Jan Garbarek Group, Freigeweht presented Rainer Brüninghaus as a highly original and idiosyncratic sound sculptor in his own right, accompanied by ECM stalwarts Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn and drummer Jon Christensen as well as oboist Brynjar Hoff. In a review of the album from the year of its release, the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung traced Rainer’s influences and minimalist designs back to Steve Reich, calling Brüninghaus “the most imaginative musician to employ minimal art in the realm of jazz. (…) Though he neither uses minimal art as ideology nor as replacement for a rhythm section, but in a more playfully constructive way, as an element that can undergo change.” Jon Christensen adds uncompromising propulsion to Brüninghaus’s lyrical themes, which are evocatively fleshed out by Wheeler and Hoff’s contemplative tones. (The Luminessence edition of ‘Freigeweht’ arrives in a tip-on gatefold accompanied by new liner notes).
Anouar Brahem - Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a new project, and a programme of powerfully-moving pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass. On After The Last Sky bassist Dave Holland and pianist Django Bates are again part of the Tunisian oud master’s international quartet, joined now by cellist Anja Lechner. Brahem’s rapport with Holland – first established on the Thimar album of 1998 – is meanwhile legendary. Holland’s soulful bass impulses prompt some of Anouar’s most outstanding playing. There is also a particular pleasure in hearing the combined sonorities of oud and bass and cello, warmly embraced in the responsive acoustics of the Lugano studio (where Brahem recorded Souvenance a decade ago). The ensemble sound is exceptional. The album marks the first time that Anouar has featured a cellist in his group music. Anja Lechner, who has the uncommon distinction of being a classical musician with much experience in improvisation, is effectively a leading voice in the recording. She has long been conversant with Anouar’s compositions and included some of them in her own recitals, and in work with Brahem-associated pianist François Couturier (see for instance the album Lontano). The cello is given the first and last statements on After The Last Sky. As with Blue Maqams, Django Bates’ piano has an important, patiently-supportive role throughout. Bates, whose work elsewhere , may often prioritize swing and quick-witted dynamic contrasts, understands that an ongoing sense of flow is crucial to the development of Anouar’s music. Its effect is cumulative. Yet it also offers space for individual statements.
Ariane Racicot - winner of the 2022-2023 Révélation Radio-Canada prize for jazz - announces her second album Danser avec le feu (‘Dancing With Fire.’) With passion and intensity, the Montreal pianist continues to explore her hybrid mix of jazz fusion, Latin music, metal, classical and progressive rock. This album’s eight new pieces place her joie de vivre and her passion for music front and centre. With her trusted musical partners Antoine Rochefort and Guillaume Picard by her side, she tackles a new suite of songs about resilience, environmental anxiety and the importance of trusting your instincts.
The seeds for Danser avec le feu were planted during the tour for Ariane’s first album, Envolée. As the relationship between the three musicians deepened, she was inspired to push her concept further, exploring her unique fusion of genres and the textural possibilities of the combination of acoustic piano and electric bass. Many of the pieces on this recording are through composed from start to finish, lending the album a pacing and shape that bring to mind the sound of progressive rock.
Danser avec le feu is ultimately an exploration of language: in terms of sonic texture, harmonic colour, and the rhythmic pulse of a number of musical traditions.
Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - Arturo - piano, conductor, composer with
Reeds - Ivan Renta Adison Evans Jasper Dutz Roman Filiu Larry Bustamante
Trumpets - Adam O’Farrill Seneca Black Bryan Davis Rachel Therrien
Trombones - Rafi Malkiel Remee Ashley Abdulrahman Amer Earl McIntyre
Rhythm - Andrew Andron - piano, Ricardo Rodriguez - bass, Vince Cherico - drums, Carlos Maldonado - percussion, Keisel Jimenez - percussion, Vibraphone -Patricia Brennan, Guitar Sergio Ramirez
Commissioned by The Columbia School of the Arts in 2018 to commemorate the Year of Water, Mundoagua was meant to have its world premiere in 2019 in the Miller Theater at Columbia University. This was rescheduled because of the global pandemic caused by the Novel Coronavirus. It was a strange coincidence, because so many of the sub-themes in the narrative of the composition have to do with global crises caused by neo-fascism and the death throes of predatory capitalism, which are fundamental reasons for all human suffering - - and global warming with its resulting climate disasters, including the breaking of temperature records and cataclysmic weather events daily, if not hourly.
Rahel Talts - a younger generation rising jazz pianist and composer from Estonia, based in Denmark. In her music, she likes to mix jazz with elements from folk, pop and fusion, using sweet melodies, interesting rhythmic layers and switching between acoustic piano and electric keyboard sound. Rahel plays in many different bands and projects over Europe, either as a leader or a sidewoman. The album is a collaboration between Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian and Polish musicians. Most of the band is based in Denmark. For this album they are joined by award-winning vocalist Karmen Rõivassepp. All the music is composed, arranged and produced by Talta, except "Meie Elu" which is an old Estonian folk melody, music by Rudolf Tobias, lyrics by Märt Mohn, arranged by Rahel.
Band: Karmen Rõivassepp (EE) - vocal, Rahel Talts (EE) - piano, akob Sørensen (DK) - trompet, flugelhorn, Donatas Petreikis (LT) - saxophone, flute, Linda-Anette Verte (EE) - violin, Egert Leinsaar (EE) - violin, Sandra Klimaitė (LT) - viola, Theodor Sink (EE) - cello, Jacob Djursaa (DK) - guitar, Mariusz Praśniewski (PL) - double bass, Jesper Lørup Christensen (DK) - drums, Kasper Grøn (DK) - percussion, Mads Haupt Clausen (DK) - trombone, Ernesta Vauraitė (LT) - piccolo
Next, a couple of releases from Ari Joshua’s Music Factory. AriSawkaDoria with a rendition of John Coltrane’s classic composition, “Naima,” is a journey through sonic landscapes. ASD features the raw and uncut playing of drummer extraordinaire from Pendulum and Destroid KJ Sawka, Ari Joshua from The All’s Eye, Big High, Space Owl and Joe Doria one of the nation’s finest Hammond b3 virtuosos on keys. And then something from Joshua with Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, & Grant Schroff which is described as new afro-space-boogaloo!
Yellowjackets - Well into their fourth decade as a band, Yellowjackets show no signs of slowing down. Very much the opposite, in fact – as implied by the title of their latest release, Fasten Up, the 27th album of the quartet’s storied career and their seventh for Mack Avenue Records. The curious turn of phrase, taken from the exhilarating title tune by bassist Dane Alderson, embraces the band’s ethos of unbridled momentum while carrying the suggestion of cautionary warning: brace yourself, fasten those seatbelts, Yellowjackets are back and the pedal’s to the metal. The band’s lineup features founding pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante; drummer Will Kennedy, whose second tenure in the band (starting in 2010) has now surpassed his first (1987-1999); saxophonist Bob Mintzer, who came on board in 1990; and the Australian-born Alderson, who will celebrate his first decade as a ’Jacket alongside the release of Fasten Up. Yellowjackets released their eponymous debut album in 1981 at the height of the fusion era. Since then they’ve adhered to fusion’s genre-blurring mentality while refusing to remain tied to any single style or era. Drawing upon a history-spanning mélange of jazz movements, steeped in funk grooves and chamber music sophistication, and always keeping an ear to the ground for new sounds and technologies, Yellowjackets have evolved to become a genre unto themselves.
Emily Mikesell - trumpet and flugel horn and Kate Campbell Strauss - soprano, alto, tenor, bari saxophones, Give Way, is a six-track album which marks the debut collaboration between the two New Orleans musicians Simple, sweet motifs and unexpected twists make the album sound like a fairytale, resplendent with new discoveries, moments of peril, and, above all else, an abiding tenderness. With each track, Campbell Strauss’s choir of saxophones and Mikesell’s layered trumpets cultivate a rich soundscape that both use as a canvas for musical exploration. Narrative cinematic tones reminiscent of Davis’s Sketches of Spain collide with the contemplative inflections of Philip Glass, as the restrained styles of Mikesell and Campbell Strauss leave ample space for the listener to join in on their sonic journeys. The album, which originated as a project at the University of New Orleans during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, is a stunning tribute to the power of organic spontaneity in art – stitched into the album’s tapestry is the blossoming of the friendship between the two musicians. Drawn to one another’s musical versatility, and their affinity for subtlety over displays of technical mastery in their own art, the two quickly recognized a creative compatibility. Perhaps most remarkably, their first meaningful encounter beyond class discussions and a local jam is captured in the album’s first track, “Cloud Castles.” And while each of the six songs is its self-contained vignette, the sequencing of the songs tells a larger story, of two unfamiliar but kindred musical voices coalescing into a symbiotic whole. From the collaboration’s outset, the two used an original compositional process prioritizing affirmation over criticism. Quarantined to their respective homes during the height of the pandemic, Mikesell or Campbell Strauss would start by selecting an abstract written prompt from which a new musical idea – a simple melody, a catchy hook, a wandering introduction – would germinate. This initial sketch would then give way to a complete song over time, as the two sent new drafts back and forth, building on each previous version by either adding a new part or extending the track. As the recording was continuously passed along, the song would grow in depth and length, revealing a composition that could only have come from these two voices during this unprecedented moment. While developing each song, Mikesell and Campbell Strauss celebrated the power of creative impulse by trusting their first instinct whenever adding to a track, and completing each song within two weeks of starting. This creative process, grounded in personal intuition and mutual trust, freed them both to find inspiration in the music itself, rather than using theory-infused assumptions to dictate what “should” come next. The result is a series of lush, original soundscapes that land firmly in the space between the big band and contemporary classical genres, with a sprinkling of influences from the lush tone of Dexter Gordon and Bjork’s ethereal pop.
The 3 Cohens WDR Big Band - The members of all-star family jazz band The 3 Cohens — featuring Anat Cohen (clarinet), Avishai Cohen (trumpet) and Yuval Cohen (soprano saxophone) — have always taken time out from their ever-burgeoning careers as soloists and bandleaders to reconvene for music-making together. The siblings developed a deep musical bond growing up in Tel Aviv, with improvisational interplay becoming second nature together. The 3 Cohens recorded four studio albums over a decade: 2003’s One, 2007’s Braid, 2011’s Family and 2013’s Tightrope, with the last three released by Anzic Records, the label founded by Anat with kindred-spirit producer-collaborator Oded Lev-Ari. That fruitful run led DownBeat to put The 3 Cohens — with Anat the middle child to the elder Yuval and younger Avishai — on the cover of its January 2012 issue, hailing the trio’s “chemistry, alchemy, telepathy.” Ten years on from that milestone, The 3 Cohens reunited for a collaborative concert with Germany’s lauded WDR Big Band (a Köln-based ensemble that has been performing jazz on West German Radio since 1957); the program showcased tailored arrangements by Lev-Ari of compositions by himself and each member of The 3 Cohens, as well as fresh takes on Gerry Mulligan’s “Festive Minor” and the Louis Armstrong hit “Tiger Rag,” two longtime family favorites for the Cohens. The WDR event was recorded for a swinging, scintillating live album, Interaction, to be released digitally and on CD by Anzic on March 14, 2025.
Emitime - this debut album is the result of a collaboration between musicians living in three different cities: Buenos Aires, New York, and Zurich. Their experiences and distinct musical backgrounds find a common ground in these chamber-jazz compositions where all the voices create something bigger. The recording was made after touring in Switzerland (January 2020) and in New York (March 2020). The band was formed in Brooklyn in October 2019 where Argentine pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Santiago Lamisovsky, and Swiss drummer Samir Böhringer met as a trio for the first time. They hadn’t played before but the musical affinity was there: influences of modern and chamber jazz and free improvisation with a clear leaning towards creating meaningful creative music. Swiss tenor saxophonist Tobias Pfister, an old collaborator with drummer Samir Böhringer and also known by Leibson, was the perfect fit to finish the band. He was added to the first European tour in January 2020 and in March 2020 the quartet came to New York to record. All the compositions were brought by the “Argentinian legs” of the band: Leibson and Lamisovsky but all of them also were reworked as a band; thus, the final pieces are a product of a collective effort. All the tunes showcase some of the different possibilities that a true “band” has to tell a story. In this manner, the arrangements sometimes feature duos, trios, and even solos, combining these different formats to shape and colour larger structures. The compositional and improvisational focus is on the counterpoint and interaction between the instruments. The written material gives a structure that is meant to be amplified by the improvisational skills of the players. Most pieces are five minutes in length; they are concise musical ideas that develop into larger forms where the intention is for the listener to always be eager to know what happens next. Another way to look at the concept is that they represent the diversity of experiences and musical backgrounds of the four members of the band. Besides being from different countries, all these musicians share a deep connection with creative music and improvisation. This is the beauty of this music; every experience (musical or not) portrays a different perspective that enriches the overall result. The titles of every tune try to put the listener in a certain mood, ranging from melancholy and surprise to humor, always with a dark atmosphere around it. Despite the titles, the music is there for the listener to enjoy and reflect his or her own experience. This record was made around the same time the Coronavirus was declared as a World Pandemic by the World Health Organization, changing everyone’s life. It was the last time that this band has been in the same room making music and it’s a good example of collaborative, collective, and respectful organization between people from different countries, with different cultural backgrounds. Hopefully, this band will meet again on stage or in the studio in the near future.
Dawn After Dawn - If you’ve ever wondered what it sounds like to weave together wildly different genres, like electronic, experimental, funk, punk, metal, pop, R&B, and Reggae, Home is Where You Are is it! The must-hear album comes from a new trio project by renowned multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, creative guitarist Aron Namenwirth and veteran sound engineer Jon Rosenberg. Their curiosity-piquing masterpiece satisfies a deeply buried need for blissful chaos that you never knew you had. Dawn After Dawn is a story of fate. The trio was orbiting around each other, sparking creativity, duo collaborations, exploration, and encouragement that culminated in the mesmerizing, roaring fire you’ll hear in Home is Where You Are. As your mind identifies familiar genres, a stream of improvisational sounds flows between and around them, presenting music in motion delightfully sprinkled with modernity and wonder. “Find yourself lucky enough to have him [Daniel Carter] and Jon Rosenberg in a recording studio and some incredible guitars and pedals [on] a grand piano, incredible exchanges will happen,” says guitarist Aron Namenwirth. “Then, the engineer becomes a musician, and a duo becomes a trio.”
Namenwirth and Rosenberg have been friends since 2020. They also have a duo project, Hall of Mirrors, which was formed thanks to Daniel Carter’s wise suggestion. There is something refreshing about the way Rosenberg applied loops and effects to the random acoustics of Carter’s saxophone, trumpet, and piano and Aron’s guitar, flute, and percussion in the trio’s new release.
“Between my love for dance music, the electric period of Miles Davis, and music for films, I began to add samples of tonally and rhythmically centered material to see if, somehow, these two disparate types of music could be made to mesh into something unique in the listener’s mind,” explains Brooklyn-based audio engineer, Jon Rosenberg.
For Carter, this project is all about freedom. And he isn’t shy about expressing how much it inspires and energizes him. He says it allows him to break out of the boxes of categorization and use sound as a spaceship to explore what else the universe has to offer.
“Dawn After Dawn inspires me to be more free of being a saxophonist, so to speak,” 577 Records Co-Founder Daniel Carter expresses. “Seems there are certain requirements and expectations that can be suffocating, nerve-wracking, and confining in trying to be a saxophonist. [I] have, for a long time, periodically been inspired to play in the inner voices instead of ‘playing on top of what’s going on’ (i.e., like a soloist).”
Home is Where You Are drops on March 28, available as a digital download.
Torche ! - a Euro-Quebec supergroup bringing together French clarinetist Xavier Charles, Austrian trumpeter Franz Hautzinger, and Quebec musicians Philippe Lauzier (bass clarinet), Éric Normand (bass), and Michel F. Côté (drums). All specialists in extended techniques and textured noise, the quintet delivers music that is mesmerizing, hypnotic, and abstract.
Eunsil Noh, Tom Jacques - met recently on Tom’s first trip to South Korea. Their meeting was marked by instant musical chemistry and camaraderie. Their duo project, Oh ! Pebbles, consists of their complimentary singular practices in musical improvisation. Their sound centres on fusing minimalistic noise coming from mundane objects triggered by vibrating mini-motors and the re-actualisation of the storied history of voice art in the Pansori tradition. This combination, often supported by harmonium drones, leads to a theatrical, mysterious and enveloping live performance experience, aiming to create visceral reactions for the audience.
Hollenberg Weston Spiker Trio - Step into the electrifying universe of Dead Jazz—where metal, jazz, and eclectic improvisation collide in an audacious sonic journey. The Hollenberg, Spiker, Weston Trio delivers an instrumental tour de force, capturing raw energy, masterful interplay, and fearless exploration.
At the core of this unrelenting soundscape:
🔥 G Calvin Weston – Drummer and trumpeter with a legendary career spanning Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time, James Blood Ulmer, and The Lounge Lizards.
🎸 Matt Hollenberg – Virtuoso guitarist known for his work with Cleric and John Zorn’s Simulacrum, blending avant-garde jazz, dissonant math metal, and improvisational brilliance.
🎛 Tom Spiker – Bassist, producer, and engineer whose deft touch anchors the chaos with precision, shaping the album’s dynamic intensity.
Recorded at Undercarriage Recording, mixed by Matt Hollenberg and Tom Spiker, mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios with graphic design by artist Seth Indigo Carnes and released under Park West Records, Dead Jazz is a bold statement of artistic freedom and sonic invention.
