Philadelphia-based
singer-guitarist Lili Añel comfortably straddles the line between jazz and folk
music. She tells riveting stories in a knowing voice, taking great chances with
notes and phrases as she’s wrapped in the comfort of a finely honed jazz band.
Her trio includes Dale Melton on keyboards, bassist Chico Huff and drummer
Jonathan Whitney. The gems on her latest project include the title track, which
features special guest Larry McKenna’s conversational backing on tenor sax, and
Añel’s take on Blind WiIllie Johnson’s “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine” (with
Melton adding a bit of grit on Hammond B-3 organ). There’s also a fine version
of Jef Lee Johnson’s “Traffic Jam in a One Horse Town.”
Ron Boustead,
Unlikely Valentine (Art-Rock)
West Coaster Ron Boustead is a hipster who can swing the heck out
of a song. Unlikely Valentine is an
even split between familiar jazz standards and tunes that Boustead co-wrote.
His nimble vocals take on a vocalese feel but he has no interest in scatting (a
notion underscored on his humorous original “I Won’t Scat” (“when it’s time to
blow through the changes, that’s what this band is for.”) Other gems include
the title track, co-written with Bill Cunliffe (who co-produced the project
with Mitchel Foreman), the wistful “Coffee,” a breezy romp through “Autumn
Leaves” and a jazzy take on a most unusual tune for a jazz project: the 1960s
pop hit “Love Potion #9.” He also has a fine interpretation of Bob Dorough’s
“Love Came on Stealthy Fingers.” Boustead’s band features an ace L.A. horn section
with Bob Sheppard on saxophones and flute, Bob McChesney on trombone and Ron
Stout on flugelhorn.
Laura Dubin Trio,
Live at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (self-produced) When
it comes to the skillful art of jazz piano, Laura Dubin takes no prisoners. She’s
an imaginative player who kills it on every tune. She lapses into delicacy here
and there, but favors the powerhouse side. That’s no surprise, since her major
influences include Oscar Peterson and McCoy Tyner. This two-CD set, recorded at
last summer’s major jazz festival in her upstate New York hometown, feels like
a personal survey of 20th century jazz piano styles – with
occasional forays into re-imagined European classical music. In addition to the
standards, it includes 10 originals, most of them inspired by some of her piano
heroes. Dubin gets solid support throughout the project from drummer/husband
Antonio H. Guerrero and bassist Kieran Hanlon.
Favorites
include her Tyner-ish original “Thunderstorm,” her scorching take on Michel
Camilo’s “On Fire,” a Chick Corea medley blending “No Mystery,” “Now He Sings,
Now He Sobs” and “Spain,” and her delicate Bill Evans tribute, “Waltz for
Bill,” which segues into her interpretation of Cole Porter’s “It’s De-Lovely.”
One of Dubin’s more unusual jazz-and-classical medleys pairs Ravel’s “Prelude
from Le Tombrau de Couperin” with her Latinized take on “My Favorite Things.” It
will be interesting to see how Dubin’s sound evolves as she settles into a
more personal style.
Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo is an astonishing master of
his instrument, simultaneously exuding unbridled musicality and sheer joy. On
this newest project, recorded two summers ago in Copenhagen, we hear him
playing solo and in a splendid variety of duo and trio formats. Those duos and
trios are particularly intriguing because they showcase Figueiredo’s skills as
a conversationalist responding to the other performers.
He teams with tenor
saxophonist George Garzone and singer Cyrille Aimée on the wistful Sidney
Bechet ballad “Si Tu Vois Ma Mere” and later performs in duo format with Aimée
on “Caravan” and Garzone on his own composition “Flor Azul.” One of the more
unusual trios teams him with Paolo Russo on bandoneon and Ruslan Vilensky on
cello on a Portuguese fado-inspired original, the exotic “Fadinho.” The upbeat
title track features the guitarist with subtle support from bassist Romulo
Duarte. Solo spotlights include his tunes “Lelê” and “Samba dos Três Dragões”
(Samba of the Three Dragons), and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Doralice.” Each of
them reveals his technique of simultaneously playing melody, harmony and bass
lines.
Steve Khan, Backlog
(Tone Center)
Guitarist
Steve Khan’s latest project puts a Latin/Afro-Cuban slant on a wide range of
material not usually heard with that Latin tinge. Sources include Monk, Ornette
Coleman, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Greg Osby, Stevie Wonder and The Great
American Songbook. The latter features include a gorgeous update of “Our Town,”
which Khan’s father, Sammy Cahn, co-wrote with Jimmy Van Heusen. Khan’s quintet,
with bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Mark Walker, percussionist Marc Quinones
and conguero Bobby Allende, is joined on various tracks by special guests. Keyboardist
Rob Mounsey joined the band on four tracks and orchestrated five more. Saxophonist
Bob Mintzer guests on Coleman’s “Invisible” and trumpeter Randy Brecker is
aboard for Coleman’s upbeat but rarely heard “Latin Genetics.” Vibes player
Mike Mainieri joins for Hutcherson’s “Head Start.” Wonder’s bluesy and soulful
“Go Home” adds a bit of fire to the project. Khan’s warm, upbeat phrasing and
his interplay with this fine band are superb.
Joachim Kühn New
Trio, Beauty & Truth (ACT)
German pianist Joachim Kühn loves to take
familiar melodies and transform them into something original through his
improvisations. He did that for three decades with his original trio with
Jean-François Jenny-Clark and drummer Daniel Humair. Now he’s doing so with his
new trio with bassist Chris Jennings and drummer Eric Schaefer. In addition to
a solo piano take on onetime band-mate Ornette Coleman’s “Beauty and Truth,” Kühn digs into a bit of
Gershwin (“Summertime”) and Gil Evans (“Blues for Pablo”). The material from
non-jazz sources includes Stand High Patrol’s reggae-dub track “Sleep On It”
and two tunes from The Doors: “The End” and “Rides on the Storm.” He also recasts
Krzysztof Komeda’s “Kattorna” and “Sleep Safe and Warm,” a melody from Roman
Polanski’s film “Rosemary’s Baby.” This is powerful stuff.
Sarah Partridge, Bright Lights & Promises: Redefining Janis Ian (Origin)
This
is a most unusual project and perhaps long overdue. On this, her fifth
recording, New York-based singer Sarah Partridge explores the songbook of folk
and pop singer Janis Ian, putting each in as jazz context with her own
interpretations and excellent improvisations from her band. It includes producer/pianist
Allen Farnham, bassist Bill Moring, drummer Tim Horner, trombonist Ben
Williams, saxophonist Scott Robinson and guitarists Paul Meyers and Ben Stein.
Partridge
and Ian co-wrote two new songs here: “Somebody’s Child” (about homeless men and women) and “A Quarter Past
Heartache.” Musical poet Ian also shares her vocals on the latter, a swinging, offbeat song about a breakup. (“I tried
to swing a melody, you never could keep time.”) In addition to Ian’s classics
from the 1960s and ‘70s, including “Society’s Child,” “At Seventeen” and some tasty scatting on "Silly Habits,"
Partridge tackles some of her newer material. “Matthew” is about the 1998 gay hate-crime
beating death of Matthew Shepard. Annotator Didier Deutsch calls it “a
modern-day ‘Strange Fruit.’” It’s powerful. The project includes the first
recording of a new Ian-penned love song called “Forever and a Day.” It’s a
beauty.
The Three Sounds,
Groovin’ Hard: Live at the Penthouse 1964-1968 (Resonance)
This
recording is a must for jazz lovers who miss the bluesy, funky, soulful piano playing
of the late Gene Harris. These are live recordings that Harris and his trio,
The Three Sounds, made during four separate engagements at Seattle’s defunct
jazz club, The Penthouse. It teams Harris with bassist Andy Simpkins and a
succession of drummers: Bill Dowdy, Carl Burnett and Kalil Madi. Favorites: a
Harris original, “Blue Genes,” and two compositions that have not been released
before on any other Three Sounds recordings: Harris’ “Rat Down Front” and Toots
Thielemans’ “Bluesette.”
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