Ken Thomson and Slow/Fast - It Would Be Easier If

In late 2010 saxophonist and composer Ken Thomson with his quintet Fast/Slow, released their first CD, It Would Be Easier If. Original jazz of the early 21st Century is sometimes referred to as “New Music,” especially when it incorporates jazz, rock and traditional composition techniques. But, the term is not entirely appropriate since it was used to describe the atonal orchestral and ensemble compositions which were the result of the evolution of traditional classical music in the late 20th Century. Thomson describes his music as “21st Century Third Stream,” a very ambiguous characterization for most listeners. Perhaps in can be more accurately, if more blandly, described as composed free-form modern eclectic jazz fusion until a simpler and more commonly accepted term prevails.


While Thomson’s compositions are unique and fresh, two hallmarks quickly become apparent while listening to Slow/Fast the unmistakable rock influence conspicuous in the guitar parts and the nearly non-existent solo sections which throughout the 20th Century were a fundamental and resolute part of traditional jazz. The rock influence is natural since all the musicians have rock credentials and one of Thomson’s many ongoing gigs is as leader of Gutbucket, a punk rock jazz band. Nir Felder’s guitar is charged with rock style distortion, purposely undisguised finger-against-string sounds, blunt static chords and even a bit of shredding (“Goddamn You Ice Cream Truck”). Thomson has intentionally turned the jazz tradition of a composed head followed by solos upside down and allowed improvisational style melodic material to become the principal compositional ingredients, relegating true free improvisation to a minor role. In addition to Thomson on bass clarinet and alto saxophone and Felder on guitar are Russ Johnson, trumpet, Adam Armstrong, bass, Fred Kennedy, drums and guest glockenspiel player Melanie T Sehman (“Wanderangst”).
...MORE...

Jason Robinson - The Two Faces of Janus

The title of saxophonist Jason Robinson’s 2010 CD, The Two Faces of Janus, is taken from Roman mythology and is rich with significance not only for this recording but for Robinson’s overall approach to music. In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings, endings, doorways and time. He is often depicted with two faces, one looking back as if into the past and the other forward into the future. Robinson’s music is conceived and constructed with both historical perspective and a doorway to the future as often innovative free jazz is infused with vestiges of tradition...With highly diverse backgrounds, Robinson’s confederates are five of the most insightful, intelligent and skilled available anywhere: guitarist Liberty Ellman, a longtime Robinson colleague from the San Francisco area, born in London with early years in New York; percussionist George Schuller—son of composer/conductor Gunther Schuller—an acclaimed composer and performer from the Boston/New York area; bassist Drew Gress, an impressive background in the Baltimore/Washington and Philadelphia/New York areas including work with Sonny Stitt, Clifford Jordan, Mose Allison and Marc Copland; reed player Marty Ehrlich, teacher at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA with roots in Missouri and a professional life on the East Coast as a soloist and composer (The Long View Down Beat's Critics Poll four years running, born in Italy, raised in Colorado and educated at Berklee College of Music in Boston and DePaul University in Chicago. , composed in residency at Harvard University); and on three tracks, alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, a "rising star" in Down Beat's Critics Poll four years running, born in Italy, raised in Colorado and educated at Berklee College of Music in Boston and DePaul University in Chicago...MORE...

Leslie Pintchik - We're Here To Listen

On this, her third studio recording, Leslie Pintchik continues to exhibit prodigious talents for composing and performing tasteful, well-crafted jazz sambas and ballads. Six of the ten tracks are Pintchik originals.  Again the quartet (Pintchik, piano; Scott Hardy, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion and Mark Dodge, drums) demonstrates their cohesiveness and finely focused attentiveness to each other and the music. There are no missteps. Warm smooth jazz flows gracefully and precisely from these four instrumental talents. There is no attempt to break new ground or to push boundaries, but those were never Pintchik’s goals. For the purpose of making a point, take, for instance, an animal trainer: One free-thinking, mischievous seal cub is an attraction and a delight for the audience. A whole pod of mischievous animals is complete anarchy. In that way, it is not always appropriate to use innovation as the complete measure of a musician. For Pintchik et al, descriptors such as delicate, tasteful, subtle and precise are more apt than “progressive” or “visionary.” It’s a matter of classification, ranking and, of course, the illusive “enjoyment” and “appreciation” factors...MORE...

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Live at the Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA October 16, 2010

Fiddles, guitars, banjos, kazoos, bones, jugs, spoons, singing, dancing and an enthusiastic crowd...what's not to enjoy? The old timey string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, brought their show to the Paradise Club, Boston, MA, on October 16, 2010. The trio, Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons, are riding a well-deserved wave of popularity amidst their recently released second CD, Genuine Negro Jig, and they drew a large adoring audience at the Paradise. There has been a resurgence of traditional music in recent years, call it folk, country, roots or Americana, but most of the performers have not been African-Americans despite their having been a substantial proportion of the progenitors of these genres. Maybe string/jug band music had fallen out of favor in part due to the association with minstrel shows and their unfortunate historical role in race relations. In the beginning the group also faced the challenge that by resurrecting the old string band style their work risked being seen as simply an erudite homage to a defunct historical oddity and not accepted as a revival of a serious art form in its own right with current validity. But Giddens, Robinson and Flemons have succeeded wonderfully in their effort to return this music to popularity and respectability. They are very knowledgeable about the music and its historical importance, but the key to their success is combining instrumental mastery, a love of the music and a passion for entertaining. They enjoy what they do. They breathe life and fresh energy into the music and audiences love it...MORE...

Bobby Avey - A New Face

The ascendant jazz pianist, Bobby Avey, released his debut CD, appropriately entitled A New Face, August 1, 2010 on jayDell Records. While he may be a new face to many, Avey is, like most talented artists, not entirely an “overnight” success story. He graduated from Purchase Conservatory of Music in 2007 and his abilities quickly landed him New York gigs with notables such as guitarist Ben Monder, Phil Woods and another illustrious sax man, Dave Liebman, who is featured on four tracks of A New Face. While Avey was still a student he was approached by Liebman to help arrange and perform a set of 19th century classical or art songs. The resulting highly acclaimed recording, Vienna Dialogues (ZOHO) was released in 2006.  Joining Avey and Liebman (soprano on tracks 2, 4 & 6 and tenor on track 8) is Thomson Kneeland on bass and Jordan Pearlson on drums on all tracks except 6, “Influence,” where Avey and Liebman go duo...MORE...

Conference Call - What About.....?

Free jazz took root over 50 years ago in rebellion against the confines of traditional jazz formats. Now, as then, free jazz practitioners seek new forms of expression outside of common modalities. While recent popular music has undergone several insurgencies such as rock, rap and hip-hop, and has enjoyed the nostalgic reflections of Americana and roots music, in many ways jazz still leads a paradoxical existence, maintaining a strong tonal tradition on one hand and a desire for experimentation and deviation from convention on the other. Audiences still demand familiar standards and musicians enjoy playing them, but progressive musicians and audiences aspire to strain the boundaries or break them down completely. Some musicians have successfully split hairs and embraced both extremes, but currently there has been no evolutionary union of the two that would give birth to a wholly new and unique offspring. However, when the free jazz idiom is wielded with such authority and prowess as demonstrated by Gebhard Ullmann and Conference Call it seems clear that a transformation is underway...MORE...

Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra; Darrell Katz, Director - Live at the Regattabar, Charles Hotel, Cambridge, MA October 12, 2010

The Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra debuted in late1985 and they have now released 8 critically acclaimed CDs since their first recording in 1992. The Regattabar performance on October 12, 2010 was the release party for their latest CD, “A Wallflower In The Amazon.” The JCA Orchestra is led by founder Darrell Katz, who, teamed with lyricist Paula Tatarunis, composes or arranges the orchestra’s material. Many of the other band members have deep roots in the jazz community as bandleaders, composers, arrangers and teachers: Phil Scarff, tenor sax (Natraj), Alan Chase and Jim Hobbs, alto sax (Fully Celebrated Orchestra), Bob Pilkington, trombone (Chandler Travis), Norm Zocher, electric and steel guitar (Abby and Norm Group) and Rebecca Shrimpton, voice (Rebecca Shrimpton Quintet). These examples serve as a meager sampling of the JCA Orchestra’s sundry bona fide credits...MORE...

Norm Zocher Group - Live at Berklee Performance Center September 23, 2010

Norm Zocher is often identified as a fusion guitarist, a convenient label but only marginally applicable and potentially misleading. Zocher, prolific composer (Boston Jazz Composers Alliance) and Berklee College of Music professor, performs many of his own compositions and his tastes run cross-genre. For this particular concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, he played nearly half (5 of 12) of the tunes on pedal steel guitar, most notably “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane and “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Zocher has changed with the times, many years ago performing as half of a folk duo with his now wife, Abigail Aronson. Aronson was not part of this Berklee performance but they are still a team on stage and off with two CDs, (Volume 1: The Book of Norman and Melodic Miner’s Daughter) among their many credits. Zocher was joined Thursday night (September 23, 2010) by Alex Smith, bass and Pablo Bencid, drums,  for the Norm Zocher Group @ Berklee – 20th Anniversay Concert in celebration of Zocher’s 20th year at Berklee...MORE..

Dave Liebman Group - Live at Scullers Jazz Club, Doubletree Guest Suites, Boston, MA September 16, 2010

During an incredible career spanning more than 40 years and over 300 recordings Dave Liebman has been sideman, leader, teacher, composer, writer and philosopher. Perhaps most often publically recognized for his early work with Elvin Jones and Miles Davis, he defies being boxed into a cool jazz, hard bop, modal, fusion or any other stylistic cubbyhole. In fact, by his own admission, and even within his own compositions he rarely settles on an ultimate conclusion, a set-in-stone finality. He philosophizes that for the active, progressive artist, tastes shift, aesthetics are continually refined and additional knowledge and experiences are constantly being assimilated. Things change...MORE...

Jon Irabagon Trio - Live at Cornelia Street Cafe, New York, NY

The Cornelia Street Café music venue is a bit like a railroad dining car, long and narrow, walls lined with mirrors substituting for windows. Though steadfastly situated at 29 Cornelia Street in the West Village, this evening the basement room was lurching and the glasses were rattling from the railings of the Jon Irabagon Trio as they marked the release of their new CD, Foxy. On tenor sax: Jon Irabagon, winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, backed by Peter Brendler on bass and illustrious drummer Barry Altschul, who is also credited as “Special Guest” on Foxy. Since the Monk competition Irabagon has garnered much attention and a loyal following to which he has fed an eclectic diet of performances and CD releases in styles that are a discursion through the landscape of modern jazz and more: avant bebop (Mostly Other People Do The Killing), experimental (I Don’t Hear Nothing But The Blues), music of the 80s (Starship’s Journey), tribute to Sonny Rollins, avant country (Bryan and the Haggards), etc...MORE...

George Cotsirilos Trio - Past Present

To listen to Past Present without a modicum of background knowledge on San Francisco guitarist George Cotsirilos, while unquestionably enjoyable, would be like starting the first chapter of an important book without first reading the forward which can provide the reader with information to facilitate greater enjoyment and comprehension of the material.  And, so it is with Past Present. The George Cotsirilos Trio is a modern jazz guitar trio and as such one might expect to hear flashy guitar runs and electronic enhancements (distortion, wah-wah), not so on this recording. Knowing that Cotsirilos learned guitar by emulating traditional jazz greats such as Kenny Burrell and Charlie Byrd helps explain his clean, round, unadulterated sound. His technical mastery is immediately apparent but he does not stoop to self-indulgent hooky licks, or over-the-top misplaced breakneck runs. Knowing that Cotsirilos has a love of classical music (he played violin as a child) and that his first CD, Silenciosa, was a solo classical style guitar solo of standards enhances our appreciation of the beautiful rendition here of “What Kind Of Fool Am I?” on classical style nylon string guitar. Cotsirilos studied piano in high school, so it is not surprising then to find out that Track 1, “Good Wood,” is offered as a tribute to bop pianist Cedar Walton. And, blue notes scattered throughout emanate from his love of 1960s blues greats B.B. King and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band...MORE...

Jamie Begian Big Band - Live at New York Baha’i Center July 20, 2010

The Jamie Begian Big Band recently released their second CD, Big Fat Grin, a mix of modern jazz, R&B funk and improvisation. On Tuesday, July 20th they performed selections from the release for Jazz Night at the New York Baha’i Center’s John Birks Gillespie Auditorium, a wonderfully intimate and comfortable venue with great acoustics. But, as the Lilliputian stage bulges with the seventeen piece big band you wonder if the sound can be contained and appreciated within the hall walls. Not to worry, not only is the room well-designed to handle just such situations, but the band and the compositions are precise, tightly controlled and well-balanced. From a softly muted solo trombone on “Tayloration Three” to full band blasts on “Big Fat Grin” the context as well as the spirit of the music shines through. Quoting from popular culture, the hot side stayed hot and the cold side stayed cold...MORE...

Jim Guttmann - Live at The Acton Jazz Cafe, July 16, 2010

What would you get if you crossed a banjo, an electric guitar and big band jazz with a Jewish wedding reception? One result might be Jim Guttmann and his extraordinary group of musicians performing selections from their new release,Bessarabian Breakdown. That’s exactly what a small roomful of fortunate Acton Jazz Café patrons experienced for about an hour on the evening of July 16, 2010. Guttmann—who acted as amusing emcee between songs—described the band’s sound as; “Klezmer gone ‘Deliverance’,” at which point the pianist (Art Bailey) played a snippet of “Dueling Banjos,” but in the minor tonal mode of a Klezmer tune. It was hilarious for anyone familiar with the movie and the music, which in this case seemed to be most of the house. It also set the tone for the evening: great music played with gusto and for the enjoyment of life. Many of the band members are long time collaborators with Guttmann, Grant Smith (drums) and Mimi Rabson (violin), for instance, and all are masters of their instruments and their craft. As one of my companions—a young man from Rwanda, visiting America and hearing a live Klezmer band both for the very first time—said, “They are all so good (on their instruments) that they can just have fun playing the music they enjoy.” ...MORE...

Jamie Begian Big Band - Big Fat Grin

Seventeen seasoned jazz musicians are a powerful force to wield and control, but control (and flaunt) he does as Jamie Begian leads his big band through nine engaging tracks on his new CD, Big Fat Grin. This is the band’s second release, the first being Trance in 2003. Begian, composer and guitarist, has referred to Trance as being from his development phase. Now comfortable within his own compositional style and skills he feels free to explore and exploit his talents on Big Fat Grin. Begian studied jazz guitar at the Hartt School of Music and at the Master’s level at the Manhattan School of Music. He has been actively involved in The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop (he received the BMI Workshop’s Charlie Parker Award in 2001 for “Fuzzy Math”) and Pulse, a New York-based composers' federation. Begian also studied composition with Bob Brookmeyer, virtuoso trombonist and jazz composition professor at New England Conservatory. Since 2005 Begian has been the full-time coordinator of the Jazz Studies Degree Program at Western Connecticut State University...MORE...

Jim Guttmann - Bessarabian Breakdown

Jim Guttmann is having an extraordinary career. His love of music is unbound to a specific genre; from rock in the 60s to jazz and bluegrass in the 70s to klezmer in the 80s to an unabashed mix of genres with the aptly named Mimi Rabson’s Really Eclectic String Quartet (RESQ) in the 90s and now with a new eclectic mix of his own on Bessarabian Breakdown (Kleztone Records, 2010). Guttmann is currently probably best known from his three decades of work with the New England Conservatory’s Klezmer Conservatory Band (KCB). The KCB was pivotal in revitalizing klezmer music which lay dormant since the 40s; now, as popular as ever. Guttmann has also played with legendary singer Eartha Kitt, blues harpist James Cotton, the Artie Shaw Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra...MORE...

Phil Sargent - A New Day

Progressive jazz guitarist Phil Sargent’s second CD, A New Day, is his first release as leader since his debut, For Carl, in 2002. During the intervening years Sargent has been very busy as a sideman working with a variety of well-known band leaders such as Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Bruno Raberg and Bob Moses. He also performs and records with band mates Greg Loughman on bass and Mike Connors on drums, in the group Iskar, playing a blend of prog rock and free jazz. Sargent and Connors, also perform with the Industrious Noise Trio, an avant-garde jazz three-piece. On A New Day, Sargent, Loughman and Connors are joined by pianist, John Funkhouser and vocalist, Aubrey Johnson for seven tracks of Sargent’s original compositions. Sargent is as much a composer as he is performer, writing not only specifically for this quintet, but also for his other outlets. Although lengthy improvisations are a key element of his music, his compositions are intricate, comprised with complex harmonies and elaborate melodies...MORE...

Phil Sargent - Live at Ryles Jazz Club, Cambridge, MA (June 11, 2010)

Phil Sargent with his five-piece jazz group (Sargent, guitar; Aubrey Johnson, voice; John Funkhouser, piano; Greg Loughman, bass; and Mike Connors, drums) performed live at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, MA on June 11, 2010 in support of their recently released CD, A New Day. Upon seeing the low stage the first sights to catch the eye are the grand piano, the upright bass and compact drum set. With Sargent’s rock and fusion influences it is somewhat surprising to see these traditional acoustic instruments. But, approaching the setup one can see an array of pedals on the floor in front of the guitar, leading to the assumption that at least some electronic effects will be employed. The band launches the first set with an unrecorded composition and Sargent immediately makes use of the pedals by controlling the volume to eliminate string attacks, resulting in a bowed string quality from his guitar. But, the most distinctive feature of the band is the use of voice as another instrument. Aubrey Johnson wordlessly voices melodic lines in tight unison with Sargent’s guitar and occasionally takes a free ranging vocal solo. Soon pianist, Funkhouser, is leaning inside the piano and tapping strings with a mallet as he runs a finger slide across them. He also blows softly on a melodian (a wind instrument with a small one-octave keyboard) during quieter moments...MORE...

Ellen Rowe Quartet - Wishing Well

Wishing Well, the Ellen Rowe Quartet’s second release, is, among other things, a concise study in modern jazz composition for small ensembles. The only piece not composed by Ms. Rowe is the Dietz and Schwartz standard, “Alone Together.” Ms. Rowe’s music is highly structured yet rich with melodic, rhythmic and distinctive tonal assets ripe for development and improvisation. Broadly speaking the compositions are simply formatted—intro, theme, solos, theme and coda—but the thematic material is often a complex and multiple motif blending of lyrical melodies and uncommon rhythmic and tonal attributes. These fertile concepts are often elaborately developed before the improvisational sections begin. Tenor and soprano saxophonist, Andrew Bishop, is also an accomplished composer (though not on this recording) as admirably demonstrated through his deft handling of the thematic resources at hand. The other two members of the quartet are Kurt Krahnke on bass and Pete Siers on drums. They are joined on two tracks (“For That Which Was Living, Lost” and “Longing”) by Ingrid Jensen (Berklee College of Music, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra) on flugelhorn...MORE...

The Britton Brothers Band - Uncertain Living

The Britton Brothers Band debut CD, Uncertain Living (Record Craft), makes a good first impression for brothers, Ben and John Britton. Although still working on their formal music education (Eastman School of Music and Manhattan School of Music) at the time of the recording, the Brittons had played together and with other established talents for many years providing them with the practical experience necessary to give Uncertain Living the seasoned polish of a more mature recording. They also wisely enlisted the talents (and name) of an acknowledged top-notch soloist, band leader and composer, saxophonist Chris Potter, on two of the eight tracks. The quintet includes, along with Ben on tenor sax and John on trumpet, Austin Walker on drums, Jeremy Siskind on piano and Taylor Waugh on bass. The music is composed by the Brittons with the two exceptions of “Come Thou Fount,” a traditional hymn by Asahel Nettleton and “June Humidity” by Siskind. The style is mainly traditional jazz with elements of swing and be-bop given new life by creative compositions, intelligent soloing and precise ensemble playing. All members of the quintet have connections through the Eastman School and the familiarity and common experience shows...MORE...

Steve Swell's Slammin' The Infinite - 5000 Poems

Trombonist Steve Swell’s latest release, 5000 Poems (Not Two Records), is the fourth from his quartet turned quintet, Slammin’ The Infinite in its seven year history. Swell has been performing for over 35 years and has performed with the big bands of Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and Anthony Braxton. Swell sees a connection between the ample palette of colors available in these large traditional jazz ensembles and the aural images painted by improvisational free jazz. Through association with the free jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor and the influence of New York experimental jazz purveyors such as William Parker, Swell discovered ways to bridge that gap and was propelled into the abstract expressionism of Slammin’ The Infinite and 5000 Poems. The CD’s title, from a Walt Whitman essay, refers to the ideal of an artist’s dedication to his craft and the importance of a proliferation of creative expressions whether fully formed and mature or fresh and raw, an apt description of 5000 Poems...MORE...