New ECM releases, Shorter Live, And More
World of Jazz 703
ECM records continue to release an eclectic range of remarkable music which transcends narrow genre classifications and offers the listener the chance to explore new sounds and experiences. Four excellent new releases from that label are featured on this episode. In addition there is a fascinating and varied mix of new releases yet again proving that Jazz is a broad church. I close the show with an excellent live recording from the legendary Wayne Shorter from the first in a series of new live albums celebrating the great man.
SHOW AUDIO
PLAYLIST
Show Intro 00:00
No Codes "The Quest" from Usual Suspects (Sunset Hill Music) 00:30
Florian Weber "Sacrifce II" from Imaginary Cycle (ECM) 04:48
Matt Mitchell "Zeal" from Zealous Angles (Pi Recordings) 10:45
Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli "Improvisation No. 2 - Shyama Sundara Madana Mohana" from Our Time (ECM) 20:51
Tom Graf "Struttin'" from Struttin' (Self Released) 34:14
Louis Sclavis, Benjamin Moussay "Unfolding" from Unfolding (ECM) 39:10
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra "Don't Get Sassy" from Centennial : The Music of Thad Jones (BCM+D Records) 45:16
Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado "Za Gorami" from Za Gorami (ECM) 59:41
Wayne Escoffery "Stella By Starlight" from Alone (Smoke Sessions) 1:06:08
Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Dongfeng Liu "The Butterfly Lovers/Over The Rainbow" from China Afro Cuba (Zoho) 1:14:59
Phil Bancroft Trio "Rock House" from Swings And Roundabouts (Myriad Streams) 1:23:22
Anat Cohen Quartetinho "Paco" from Bloom (Anzic Records) 1:34:32
Richard Guba "To Wisdom The Prize" from Songs for Stuffed Animals (Self Released) 1:41:05
Brandon Seabrook "Some Recanted Evening" from Object of Unknown Function (Pyroclastic) 1:47:43
Wayne Shorter "Zero Gravity To The 15th Dimension" from Celebration Volume 1 (Blue Note) 1:50:56
SHOW NOTES
No Codes - An instrumental jazz collective with their second album scheduled for release on November 1st 2024. Following their first internationally acclaimed album , the group continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz. The group’s main artistic philosophy is to explore and challenge the expected norms and conventions in jazz. Since 2018, the group has evolved toward a more collective approach, blurring the lines between composition and improvisation. No Codes promises an innovative musical journey, blending modern jazz, tradition, free jazz, contemporary music, and exploring unexpected influences such as world music and punk. The band is
Benjamin Deschamps – alto sax / composition
Frank Lozano – tenor sax / composition
Sébastien Pellerin – bass / composition
Louis-Vincent Hamel – drums / composition
Florian Weber - idiosyncratic, large-scale and in its fundamental disposition one of a kind, Florian Weber’s Imaginary Cycle, conceived for the unique instrumentation of brass ensemble and piano, is a hybrid of multiple musical languages that seamlessly blends the harmonious with the oblique. Here Weber presents a cycle in four parts, plus an opening and an epilogue, in which the German pianist is joined by a group of four euphoniums, a trombone quartet as well as flautist Anna-Lena Schnabel and Michel Godard on the seldomly used “serpent” brass instrument, together performing a work that blurs the line where improvisation ends and composition begins. As the ensemble elegantly journeys across Florian’s multiple-idioms-spanning oeuvre, symphonic passages mingle with intricate counterpoint, pastoral notions are contrasted with textures more contemporary and each voice in the ensemble plays an independent part, adding to a whole. A daring and spectacular endeavor, Imaginary Cycle follows Florian’s contributions to the albums by Matthieu Bordenave, Ralph Alessi and his own quartet recording Lucent Waters – though the musical intersections between those albums and this one are few and equivocal. The project, recorded at Sendesaal Bremen in July 2023, was developed in close collaboration with Manfred Eicher, who produced the album.
Matt Mitchell - Zealous Angles is the first recording of pianist/composer Matt Mitchell’s long-running trio featuring bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Dan Weiss. The trio has been playing together for over a decade, and were previously captured on Mitchell’s 2015 Pi release Vista Accumulation (with saxophonist Chris Speed). The compositions on Zealous Angles reflect Mitchell’s recent interest in the simultaneous use of multiple asynchronous cycles using polyrhythms and poly-meters. The pieces contain anywhere from two to six lines of different lengths, with the performers having the freedom to play any of the lines and also interpret and improvise within and among the material. The result of this divergence is a multifarious sort of rhythmic and textural fluidity in which the possibilities for group exploration and interaction are exponentially expanded, resulting in a array of spontaneous rhythmic and melodic expression that embraces and celebrates the rich history of the “jazz piano trio” but also evinces a zest for discovering previously uncharted creative spaces.
Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli - “Pure beauty is the common tone of Trygve Seim and Frode Haltli. There is something folk-song-like in this music – intersections where secular and sacred music meet to dance.” This is what the German weekly paper Die Zeit said on the duo’s debut release Yeraz back in 2008 and while the statement still holds up today, the rapport between the saxophonist and the accordionist has grown even more fluid in the meantime. On Our Time Trygve and Frode exchange contrapuntal glances, lyrical swells and textural explorations with grace, eloquence and utmost nuance, presenting a program of originals, improvisations and evocative re-castings of traditional folk songs from Ukraine and North India. Recorded at the Himmelfahrtskirche in Munich, in 2023, and produced by Manfred Eicher, on Our Time the saxophonist and accordionist’s tones meet in a surreal and magical dance.
Tom Graf - Featuring
Ray Obiedo - guitar
Marc Russo - sax
John Gove - trombone
Mike Olmos - flugelhorn
John R. Burr - keyboards
Dan Feiszli - bass
Phil Hawkins - drums
Jon Bendich - percussion
Derek Rolando - percussion
In 1987, Tom Graf co-wrote, “Yes,” as performed by Merry Clayton, for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, which sold more than 32 million copies worldwide. Now, over 35 years later, he presents Struttin’, his 8th release as a Jazz Songwriter and first since 2020. Tom credits his local Bay Area studio musicians (listed above) for taking his ideas and bringing them to life. Graf says, “It’s like someone taking my screenplay and making it into a movie”.
Louis Sclavis, Benjamin Moussay - Having previously joined forces on several Louis Sclavis recordings for ECM, including the clarinetist’s last album Characters On A Wall, in recent years Sclavis and pianist Benjamin Moussay increasingly focused on their two-way communication, playing expansive and well-received concerts throughout Europe. Now, in a program of originals – two-thirds from the pianist’s pen, the remaining third by the clarinetist – the French duo dreams up a world of chamber conversations that juxtaposes lyrical contemplation with whimsical inventiveness in a joyous, concentrated collaboration. Thoughtfully, the duo envelopes delicate themes in warm improvisations that never rush, but patiently explore the written material with rare creativity and in fluid dialogues. Recorded at Studios La Buissonne, Southern France in March 2024, Unfolding was produced by Manfred Eicher.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - March 28, 2023 would have marked the 100th birthday of the legendary trumpeter, composer and bandleader Thad Jones, who passed away in 1986 at the age of 63. Always ahead of his time, Jones had anticipated the occasion by more than four decades, recording “My Centennial” in 1980 with his big band Eclipse. That piece inevitably makes up part of the repertoire for Centennial: The Music of Thad Jones, the celebration concert recorded by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the now-legendary ensemble that he co-founded in 1966 as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Released August 30 via BCM+D Records, Centennial is a vibrant two-album set captured live on stage at the ensemble’s Monday night home for nearly six decades, the iconic Village Vanguard. Centennial was recorded in February 2024, during the VJO’s annual anniversary week. Late in 1965, Jones – middle brother of the famed jazz family that also included pianist Hank and drummer Elvin – and the drummer Mel Lewis had agreed to share the helm of a new big band, booking three nights the following February to test the concept on the stage of the Village Vanguard. Nearly six decades and more than 2,700 Monday nights later, the Vanguard is still waiting. Even after a pandemic-necessitated hiatus the band quickly returned to capacity crowds, continuing a historic tenure that has featured a who’s-who line-up, a pair of Grammy Awards from 17 nominated albums, and eleven “Best Big Band” nods in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls. With more than 300 compositions now in its book, the VJO prides itself on never repeating the same show from week to week, mixing in a blend of music from throughout its 58-year history. When it came time to honor its founder, however, Oatts decided on a selection that would represent the cornerstones of the band’s identity. “These are the tunes that really put Thad Jones and Mel Lewis on the map,” he says. The setlist reaches all the way back to the band’s beginnings.
Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado - Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas (who also plays the vielle and drums here) and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their trio debut, fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz, and on Za Górami they present the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole. Ladino traditionals are heard alongside striking renditions of Gustavo Santaolalla’s “Dezile A Mi Amor” and Simón Diaz’s “Suéltate Las Cintas”. The title-lending Polish traditional “Za Górami” is performed in a poignant interpretation by Zawadzki and the Renaissance piece “Je Suis Trop Jeunette” finds a kindred spirit in Fred Thomas’s monody-inspired setting of James Joyce’s in “Gentle Lady”. The album was recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher.
Wayne Escoffery - In the summer of 2023, saxophonist and composer Wayne Escoffery found himself alone in a way that he’d never quite experienced before. He was away from home, on sabbatical in Europe with a month to himself between tours. A long-term relationship had just ended, and he was confronted with the loss of friendships that he’d once valued. Worst of all, he’d suffered a broken finger that left him unable to play the saxophone for the first time since he’d picked up the horn in high school. “Normally, my coping mechanism would be the saxophone,” Escoffery laments. “But even that wasn't available to me for about nine weeks, so I just had to be alone in my thoughts.” He made good use of this alone time, conceptualizing the music that makes up his striking and singular new album, Alone. What emerged from that solitude was an extended mood piece, an album unique in Escoffery’s typically wide-ranging catalogue for its sustained atmosphere of stark melancholy and searching introspection. Released August 30, 2024, via Smoke Sessions Records, the music is breathtakingly interpreted by an all-star quartet featuring iconic bassist Ron Carter, drummer Carl Allen, and pianist Gerald Clayton.
Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Dongfeng Liu - Maestro Dongfeng Liu is back. And this time he brought a friend, mentor, and genius collaborator in Gonzalo Rubalcaba. In his 2018 ZOHO release China Caribe, Liu explored the music of China and the Caribbean, a remarkable opus that awakened many not only to a new sound but fresh way of thinking. There is an often-overlooked history of Chinese immigrants coming to the Americas, including Cuba, stretching back to the nineteenth century. Liu’s musical initiatives are vintage and at the vanguard. China Afro Cuba is indeed music at the frontline of composition and harmony but also interchange and friendship. There is an ancient Chinese saying, “Lofty mountains and flowing water meet a kindred spirit -- and colorful clouds chasing the moon meet a bosom friend.” It comes from a philosophical text written some 2,000 years ago. Liu believes the symbolism of this line represents his musical friendship with Rubalcaba. Indeed, Rubalcaba is one the greatest artists of his generation. What may seem like an unusual pairing – Cuban and Chinese musicians – is anything but. They flow together as kindred spirits. “We are two pianists having an exploratory and innovative musical conversation. We’ve made a non-traditional interpretation of traditional music,” says Liu.
Phil Bancroft Trio - Saxophonist Phil Bancroft reissues his debut album as a leader, Swings and Roundabouts on his Myriad Streams web platform on Friday 6th September. Originally released in 1997, Swings and Roundabouts was recorded with English bassist Steve Watts and New York-based drummer Marcello Pellitteri. It was released as one of three albums that announced the arrival of Caber Records, the label formed by Phil’s twin brother, Tom, that would go on to document a very active period in Scottish jazz. The Bancrofts had been part of a generation of musicians that came of age in the late 1980s. Phil, alongside trumpeter Colin Steele, guitarist Kevin Mackenzie, pianist Brian Kellock, bassist Kenny Ellis and drummer John Rae formed the John Rae Collective, the group that defined the Scottish jazz scene at the time. An album was recorded, and an international distribution deal was put in place, but the fates conspired against it being released. Swings and Roundabouts comprises five of Phil’s own compositions, including the playful Jiggle and the tender ballad B’s Niece, plus brother Tom’s Space Buffie 1999, Pellitteri’s Rock House, a free improvisation by the trio, and Duke Ellington’s I Got It Bad. The album was recorded at Pierhouse Studio, Edinburgh by Peter Haigh on 10th and 11th August 1996 and produced by Elliot Meadow.
Anat Cohen Quartetinho - Anat is renowned for her expressive virtuosity and infectious charisma, and has been an international jazz star for some two decades now, with a long string of releases via her Anzic Records label ranging from hard-swingers to lilting balladry, from small groups to larger ensembles and back again, exploring a world of music along the way. The clarinetist’s newest release is Bloom, the second album by her foursome Quartetinho (pronounced “quartet-CHIN-yo”). The band name is Portuguese for “little quartet,” although the players make a big, color-rich sound, each an ace on multiple instruments: Anat on various clarinets, Tal Mashiach on bass and guitar, Vitor Gonçalves on piano and accordion, and James Shipp on vibraphone and percussion.
Richard Guba - Richard, who has played saxophones for over 50 years, was long overdue to record his debut album. Forming an octet with fellow musicians from Maryland, Guba performs four originals (including three of his pieces) and four standards. The limited-edition CD features the leader on tenor, alto and soprano, trumpeter Joel McCord, trombonist Jim Tavener, Rodney Laster doubling on alto and flute, guitarist Nicholas Carico, pianist-keyboardist Ken Zimmerman, electric bassist David Mueller, and drummer James Burcky. The premise behind the whimsically-titled Songs for Stuffed Animals was to perform tunes that stuffed animals might hear as they accompanied children during a busy day. However while there are many moments of joy, there is nothing simplistic about the music on this set.
Brandon Seabrook - On his second solo album, adventurous guitarist, banjoist and composer Brandon Seabrook brings a mad scientist inventiveness to an array of instruments, layering vintage banjos, electric and 12-string guitars and cassette recordings into an uncategorizable hybrid, It’s been ten years since his last solo venture, the blistering Sylphid Vitalizers, which Noisey hailed as a “dissonant guitar army…(with) mind-blowing prog-rock complexities – all at mind-numbing breakneck speed.” The new album encapsulates a decade of evolution, taking Seabrook’s practice into diverse new directions. It is released on October 18th
Wayne Shorter - the first in a series of archival releases that the legendary saxophonist and composer Shorter curated before he passed away in 2023. This thrilling 2014 live recording captured his acclaimed quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. “In the fall of 2022, Rob Griffin started sending a lot of unreleased music for Wayne to sort thru,” writes Carolina Shorter in the album’s liner notes. “He started listening around the clock. I’d be doing something around the house, talking on the phone, doing work and he’d yell ‘Carolina! You’ve got to come and hear this shit! Check out what these guys are doing!’ Wayne made detailed notes - some of them are reprinted on this album jacket.” “When he heard the Stockholm concert, he said ‘this is the album!,’” she continues. “Then he started listening to more things and, over time, realized that it was going to have to be more than one record. He originally wanted to call the collection Unidentified Flying Objects - thinking of the notes everyone played as being UFOs! In January 2023, when he was hospitalized for the last time, he continued picking tracks and laying out the albums. His ‘Never Give Up’ spirit, which underlines his entire mission, was stronger than ever and he was excited to release more music. It was only in the last 10 days of his life that he realized he was not going to be around to see it to fruition. He started feeling the urgency of celebrating life and decided to change the name of the collection to Celebration. I said ‘Yes Wayne! Let’s celebrate!!! That’s what it should be called. A celebration!’”