The Architecture Of Jazz
World of Jazz 705
Traditional jazz groups move from trios to full orchestras via various combinations. This selection of new releases features well recognised instrumental combinations and well as exciting and inventive new formations which challenge the accepted norms and offer new aspects to the music.
AUDIO
PLAYLIST
Show Intro 00:00
GOGODUCKS "Hang Arano" from Palladio a Palla (nusica.org) 00:26
Matt Booth "Optimal Chunks" from Sun Prints (ears&eyes) 06:48
Glenn Zaleski "Two Days" from Star Dreams (Sunnyside Records) 15:17
Michael Pallas "Disu's Dream" from Gateway (Truth Revolution Records) 21:36
Steve Davis "All Blues" from We See (Smoke Sessions Records) 28:53
Tom Johnson Jazz Orchestra "Bossa Monday Suite" from Time Takes Odd Turns (Self Released) 41:14
Daniel Tamayo Quintet & Víctor Acevedo "Torso" from Por la fuerza del hábito (Habitable Records) 52:39
Sam Wilkes "Rain & Snow" from iiyo iiyo iiyo (WIlkes Records) 1:00:25
Marie Goudy's Paloma Sky "Cardinal In The Snow" from Hold On To Me (Self Released) 1:11:05
Jeremy Ledbetter Trio "Gravity" from Gravity (CaneFire Records) 1:17:32
Delfeayo Marsalis and Uptown Jazz Ochestra "Lil Liza Jane" from Crescent City Jewels (Troubadour Jass) 1:25:04
Ari Joshua, Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, & Grant Schroff "Audio Bicycle Day" from Audio Bicycle Day (Music Factory Records) 1:32:30
Bryn Roberts "Steen's Scene" from Aloft (Elastic Recordings) 1:38:08
Catherine Russell and Sean Mason "South To A Warmer Place" from My Ideal (Dot Time Records) 1:45:42
Celestial Latitude featuring Frank Gambale "Memories of the Future" from The Haas Company Volume 2 (Psychiatric Records) 1:51:16
Jason Robinson "Sweet Tooth" from Ancestral Numbers II (Playscape Recordings) 2:01:30
SHOW NOTES
GOGODUCKS - A tribute album to one of the most influential architects in history as well as a recording project which aims to synthesize jazz, improvised music, architecture, and the digital world. GOGODUCKS is an experimental trio formed by vibraphonist Paolo Peruzzi , guitarist Luca Zennaro and drummer Francesca Remigi. In an artistic journey that began in 2021, they pursue the search for total artistic honesty through the mixture of three different identities but with an equal dose of leadership. The musical result is expressed in a mixture of different aesthetic forms capable of expanding the sound palette that a seemingly limited bass-less trio can achieve. In 2024, after winning the SIAE and MiC Per Chi Crea tender, the band have released this first album Palladio a Palla!, published by nusica.org, which also saw collaboration with Verona Sergio Zacco for the creation of generative video mappings inspired by Palladian geometries.
Matt Booth - with Booth on upright and electric bass, there are Steve Lands: trumpet, Sam Taylor: tenor saxophone, Oscar Rossignoli: piano and keyboards, and Peter Varnado: drums. "Sun Prints" is Booth’s first album comprised entirely of original compositions, an outgrowth of the experience and confidence gained from years of working in collaborative and co-led projects. The album notably does not present itself as a deliberate bass player led album- there are limited bass solo features, with the focus put intently on the compositional and unified ensemble sound. All the songs were either composed or completed in the initial phases of the pandemic shutdown of 2020. The free time offered by the work stoppage provided Booth the ability to structure and arrange these songs in a more nuanced way than on previous recordings. The compositions are texturally rich and dynamic, occasionally crossing over to the avant-garde but driven by melody and propulsive grooves.
Glenn Zaleski - The health of the jazz ecosystem can be discerned by sampling musicians who use tried and true means to express themselves. By listening, it can be ascertained whether there is proper respect for the tradition blended with creative touches that move the music ahead. The piano trio is a perfect vehicle to demonstrate this phenomenon and Glenn Zaleski’s trio is an ideal example of a group that holds true to jazz traditions while trying to add something more. Presenting their third release on Sunnyside Records, Star Dreams, Zaleski, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Willie Jones III present an ideal contemporary program that swings but also broadens the language and repertory of the jazz piano trio.”
Michael Pallas - With the release of his debut album, Gateway, the Phoenix-raised, New York City-based trombonist, composer, and educator Michael Pallas looks to make his mark as a leader to be reckoned with. A trombonist inspired by J.J. Johnson. Curtis Fuller, Steve Turre and Papo Vasquez, Pallas is a proud alumnus of the Jackie McLean Institute, founded by legendary alto saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean in Hartford, Connecticut. While Pallas has been performing professionally for over 15 years, including stints with legendary jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, mambo big band leader Steve Oquendo, Afrobeat band Antibalas, hip-hop group Soul Science Lab and others, the trombonist was inspired to become a solo artist during the pandemic. Backed by saxophonist Lomar Brown, pianist Yeissonn Villamar, bassist John Benítez, drummer Jonathan Barber, and percussionist Nelson Mathew Gonzalez - with co-producer Alex Meltzer - the 13 Pallas-penned selections on Gateway reflect the myriad inventions and dimensions of 21st century jazz.
Steve Davis - Trombonist Davis was still in his late teens when he first shared the stage with trumpet master Eddie Henderson. While studying with Jackie McLean at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music he frequented the 880 Club, which regularly hosted big-name players from New York on Thursday nights. At the urging of house pianist Don DePalma, Davis sat in with Dr. Henderson, who put the young trombonist through his paces by calling “There Is No Greater Love,” then invited him to remain while he led the band through Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and “Dolphin Dance.” To call the ensemble that Davis has assembled for his latest Smoke Sessions release an all-star sextet is definitely no exaggeration. The album features Eddie Henderson on trumpet – that first encounter in Hartford has blossomed into a nearly four-decade collaboration and friendship – along with tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Essiet Essiet, drummer Lewis Nash. Recorded live at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club it is the latest release in a series of live recordings celebrating the 25th anniversary of the club and the tenth anniversary of its record label.
Tom Johnson Jazz Orchestra - After a long career as a psychologist, full-time professor, and part-time musician, trumpet player, pianist, and composer Johnson is finally releasing his debut album, a compilation of complex modern, original compositions written for and performed by a full jazz orchestra. Although many of Johnson’s compositions and arrangements started as experiments related to various episodes of Johnson’s life, he has turned them into first rate orchestral music that is sophisticated, hip, and fun. The band for this recording is made up of graduates of Indiana University and members of the Indianapolis Jazz scene. Band members have performed in the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Steve Allee Big Band, the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, the Hickey-Shanafelt 9ollective, the Tucker Brothers Group and many other ensembles based in Indianapolis and elsewhere in the Midwest.
Daniel Tamayo Quintet & Víctor Acevedo - Daniel Tamayo Gómez is a guitarist and composer originally from Medellín, Colombia, living in Cologne. His current artistic activity is focused on composition and performance with his Quintet as well as working on multidisciplinary projects
Sam Wilkes - When Festival De Frue’s organizers asked Sam Wilkes to put together an ensemble for their 2022 festival, they initially asked for the band he created for his 2021 album One Theme & Subsequent Improvisation. With keyboardist Chris Fishman the only member of that group who was available, Wilkes asked that the organizers select one of two groups as an alternative: a Trio featuring drummer Craig Weinrib and guitarist Dylan Day —with whom Wilkes recently released a trio album—or a Quartet featuring Weinrib, Fishman, and keyboardist and guitarist Thom Gill. “I couldn’t make the decision on which band I should bring, I felt very confused about it,” Wilkes says. Through a strange series of miscommunications—or simply a bit of serendipity—both Wilkes and the Frue organizers thought the other had suggested combining the ensembles into a Quintet including members of both groups. An idea that neither side had voiced somehow became the obvious choice. This is Wilkes’ fifth album as bandleader and arranger, and the atmosphere is so rich it spills out of the speakers. The album, a document of the Quintet’s meeting, was recorded live at Festival de Frue in Kakegawa and at WWWX in Tokyo, where they played headlining sets.
Marie Goudy's Paloma Sky - Hold On to Me is the debut full-length album by Toronto jazz- pop quintet Paloma Sky. It features ten tracks composed and arranged by bandleader and trumpet player Marie Goudy. The album delves into themes of love, passion, and triumph. Even the songs that address themes of loneliness and heartbreak are infused with positive energy as Goudy finds the beauty in the pain. Goudy’s main compositional influences are Stevie Wonder, Maria Schneider, and Kenny Wheeler. She approaches writing music as though she were writing a novel: establishing a harmonic and melodic ‘setting’ that the listener can immerse themselves in, and using unexpected harmonic shifts as 'plot twists' that delight the ear, ultimately culminating in a narrative climax. Marie Goudy’s fiery trumpet solos are a standout feature of the album, adding an energetic spark and dynamic range to each piece. Paloma Sky consists of vocalist Jocelyn Barth, trumpet player Marie Goudy, pianist Stu Harrison, bassist Nick Arseneau, and drummer Andrew Scott. Four out of the five musicians are accomplished vocalists, and Hold On to Me makes full use of their skills with lush, four-part vocal harmonies throughout the album. The record is produced by six-time JUNO nominee Elizabeth Shepherd, whose contribution imparts a pop sensibility to an album that remains firmly rooted in its jazz foundations.
Jeremy Ledbetter Trio - In a stirring follow-up to their 2018 debut Got a Light?, the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio returns with Gravity: a high-powered set of new original music, brimming with fresh ideas and the jaw-dropping virtuosity and musicality of Ledbetter on piano with Rich Brown (electric bass) and Larnell Lewis (drums). This is a group very much at home tackling intricate lines and rhythms, drawing from jazz, rock, funk and varied Latin genres, often at a high level of intensity.
Delfeayo Marsalis and Uptown Jazz Ochestra - NEA Jazz Master Marsalis is looking to spread some joy New Orleans-style with Crescent City Jewels, the trombonist and composer’s latest album with on the Troubadour Jass label. An ode to undersung heroes from his hometown, the rollicking big band summit highlights both veteran and rising New Orleans musicians, with a number of features for the orchestra’s vocalist Tonya Boyd-Cannon. The Uptown Jazz Orchestra is joined by guests that include big brother Branford Marsalis, trumpeter and Big Easy ambassador Kermit Ruffins, “Piano Prince of New Orleans” Davell Crawford, drummer extraordinaire Herlin Riley, and trombonist Maurice “Miracle Meaux” Trosclair.
Ari Joshua, Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, & Grant Schroff - Ari Joshua’s ambitious plan to release 24 songs in 2024 rolls on, and Audio Bicycle Day is another triumphant step in that journey. Following the success of earlier releases, such as “Tagine” with Marco Benevento and Joe Russo, and “One Dub” featuring John Kimock, Andy Hess, and Eden Ladin, ABD offers a deep dive into the world of organ funk, a genre that Joshua continues to explore and expand with each new release. This latest single promises to take listeners on a vibrant, groove-laden ride through a musical landscape that is as groovy as it is mind-bending.
Bryn Roberts - Aloft is the vibrant trio debut from pianist and composer Roberts on Elastic Recordings. After a long career as a sideman in the jazz world , and as a collaborator with several singer-songwriters , Bryn Roberts has assembled his dream trio. Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Quincy Davis. A collection of five sparkling originals and novel takes on two standards. With five acclaimed releases as a leader with quintets, quartets, and most recently in duo format with guitarist Lage Lund, Roberts waited for just the right music, and just the right group, to make a meaningful contribution to the trio tradition. “Matt and Quincy would without a doubt bring this music to life with their originality, experience, and ability,” Roberts says, “and I felt I had acquired the maturity and perspective as a player and composer to add something new to the conversation.”
Catherine Russell and Sean Mason - the breathtaking new album from acclaimed GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell and prodigious pianist Sean Mason. This modern classic marks a significant milestone in both artists' careers, capturing a powerful and intimate musical dialogue. My Ideal is a very special project even in the very rarefied strata where Catherine works; this is not only her first complete set of voice-and-piano duets, but her partner on this project is a remarkable piano prodigy whose technical skill is only rivalled by his soulfulness.
Celestial Latitude featuring Frank Gambale - A major new label, Psychiatric Records, is releasing their second recording of high-powered and creative fusion. While Vol. 1 focused on Pete Drungle’s compositions and the guitar playing of Andy Timmons, Vol. 2 has veteran guitarist Frank Gambale joining Celestial Latitude for a set of stirring music. Gambale, who became famous for his work with Chick Corea’s Elektric Band and his own solo albums, is the lead voice, sharing the solo space with keyboardist Drungle and flying over dense and exhilarating ensembles. Gambale and Drungle are joined by Kirwan Brown, Al MacDowell, or Percy Jones on bass, the forceful drumming of Steve Haas, and occasionally Pete Gallio or Jay Rodriguez on saxophones and rhythm guitarist Samuel Hällkvist.
Jason Robinson - Acclaimed saxophonist, flutist, and composer Jason Robinson celebrates his 2024 recordings Ancestral Numbers I and II reflecting on his genealogy and ancestry with a Northeast album release tour featuring the stellar quintet from the album: Robinson, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Ches Smith. Playscape Recordings released the first volume in May and Ancestral Numbers II is out October 8, 2024.