Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Miles Okazaki's Trickster

Jazz guitarist Miles Okazaki is more than able to lead both his band and the listener into far-off rhythmic and harmonic places, and crucially finds a way to bring everyone back, too. 


As a member of jazz saxophonist Steve Coleman’s bands, guitarist Miles Okazaki has learned a few lessons about teasing. Coleman’s music often skates near the R&B mood, while moving restlessly between frequent changes in rhythm and harmony. At its best, tunes by the MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner cycle through the compositional variety with such equanimity, you hardly realize that his ensemble has avoided giving up the straight-ahead funk. On Trickster, Okazaki’s own music proves nearly as ingenious in its play with morphing grooves. 

Opening track “Kudzu” begins with a fast flourish: a long, knotty line, played with a clean tone by the guitarist. Then, over the rhythm section’s unusual vamp, Okazaki restates some of this opening music, lingering over the material. Pianist Craig Taborn is in the mix, too, offering some mercurial chords. On a first pass, you might wonder: Where are we, exactly? Is this the main theme? The beginning of a strangely chill avant-garde solo? Before you have time to wallow in the uncertainty, Taborn and Okazaki join forces and display the song’s real hook.

During performances like these, it’s clear that this bandleader is interested in the unstable realm of rhythm and melody, the place where it's easy to get lost. Though he won’t leave you lost for long. On the slowly developing “The Calendar,” Okazaki begins in a contemplative mood. By the end of the track, he solos with fevered inspiration, as if all of time is running out. Like Okazaki, drummer Sean Rickman and bassist Anthony Tidd are also graduates of the Coleman school, which means they make these darting, surprising structures sound fully natural. 

Over the hurtling rhythm of “Black Bolt,” one melodic cell travels through different octaves. You know it can’t go on like that forever. This initial lack of a clear destination point creates a suspense that is resolved when the pianist and guitarist begin racing to complete the other’s lines. After a stretch of roaming around in an attractive darkness, you get one clear payoff after another. During the brisk “Caduceus,” the interplay between Tidd, Taborn, and Okazaki results in glorious braids of melody. The execution is obviously complex, the work of virtuosi. But the resulting beauty is easy to appreciate. 

Some performances on Trickster don’t quite manage to replicate that feat. A few of the obsessive phrases on the album stop just short of turning into memorable compositions (as with “Box in a Box”). Fortunately, some of the songs that sound the least like puzzles reveal that Okazaki can craft simpler themes that are just as stirring. “Mischief” is anchored by a strutting beat, one that fans of the Meters should appreciate. The relative stability of the song’s pulse allows Taborn the freedom to uncork one of his lengthy, exciting solos. And the miniature “Borderland” offers the album a lyrical coda. While Okazaki can be plenty entertaining as a master of misdirection, he also has a gift for direct communication.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan. 


Thursday, March 16, 2017

Yosvany Terry: New Throned King

Yosvany Terry is part of the new wave of young Cuban players who have come to these shores during the last decade and established a solid presence based on their artistry and virtuosity. What has distinguished Terry from his counterparts, however, is that while most of the Cubans are either pianists or drummers, his instruments of choice have been the alto and soprano sax. In the meantime, Terry, who is the scion of one of Cuba's musical first families, Los Terry, has been a mainstay on the New York jazz scene playing with the likes of Eddie Palmieri, Roy Hargrove, Dave Douglas, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. 



While operating in the U.S., Terry has maintained a personal interest in the richly varied musical and religious cultures of his island. Terry was born and raised in the town of Matanzas, a recognized as a repository of traditional African culture and religion. He was raised in the Lucumi (Yoruba) tradition of his family, but recently developed an interest in another more esoteric spiritual/ tradition known as Arara, which came to Cuba with Africans who came from the Dahomey region. As his mother is descended from Haitians who practiced this, Terry made a conscious decision to study Arara rituals and music, eventually becoming initiated into the Arara community in Mantanzas. 

Terry's new recording New Throned King (5Passion Records) is the musical culmination of his spiritual exploration, and one of the most creative recordings of the year. The entire set is comprised of music Terry composed, based on Arara "cantos" and rhythms, which for the most part have never been performed outside of Matanzas. 

To insure the cultural authenticity of this project, Terry recruited top flight Afro-Cuban players and formed a group which he named Ye-De Gbe, which means " with the approval of the spirits" in Fon, the traditional Arara language. In this group are bassist Yunior Terry Cabrera who besides having solid Afro-Cuban cred is Terry's brother, pianist Osmany Paredes, African guitarist Dominck Kanza, drummer Justin Brown, who has been keeping time for Terence Blanchard, and a percussion battery comprised of, perhaps, the best Afro-Cuban drummers in the States, Roman Diaz, Pedro "Pedrito" Martinez, and Terry's homie from Matanzas, Sandy Perez, a member of the family clan which founded the legendary ensembles Los Munequitos and Grupo Afrocuba. 

Terry opens the set with a ceremonial piece titled "Reuniendo La Nacion," (Reuniting The Nation) which begins with a mashup of Haitian and Arara drumming. Terry lays down an angular melody, joined by a haunting piano riff from guest Jason Moran. The title tune, an invocation to Asojano/Babaluaiye, starts off with a chorus by Martinez, Diaz, and Perez laid over a rhythmic piano vamp by Paredes, with a swingin' Shorter-esque solo by Terry. Terry makes things interesting with variations on the instrumentation. On "Laroko," dedicated to Elegua, Terry simply uses chants and clapping, interspersed with a sinuous soprano response. He also shows mad chekere skills to open the traditional ceremonial piece. 

Other cuts of note are "Nase Nadodo," which includes a poem by Ishmael Reed dedicated to the African Amazons women warriors, and "Thunderous Passage," dedicated to Chango, a straight drum/percussion set. Terry eschews his horn and plays the ceremonial Arara drums known as wewe. The recording concludes with "Ile Ire." (House of Joy) which starts with vocals by Martinez and poetic meditations by Diaz, intertwined with hypnotic solos by Terry and Paredes on piano. 

With New Throned King Terry has managed to take what might have been a pedantic scholarly work and created music which is at once powerful and revelatory. His ensemble is more than up to the task. Terry has shown to be a highly creative saxman. Paredes is schooled in both Afro-Cuban and bop/swing idioms, so his solos veritably dance through each composition, while Brown is adept at handling highly complex rhythm patterns. With this project Terry has created music of the highest order, redefined definitions of what constitutes so-called "Latin Jazz," and made arguably one of the best releases this year.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan. 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba : the 21st Century Pianoman

If Gonzalo Rubalcaba were a major league pitcher, he would be a seasoned veteran with the knowledge that to be effective he would have to be the master of multiple pitches. Gone are his rookie days when he could throw nothing but fastballs to get outs.



Same for Gonzalo Rubalcaba, jazz pianist. Twenty-five years ago he wowed audiences with his powerful attack and blinding speed. As his sound has matured, he has begun communicating with more subtlety, throwing audiences more off-speed and graceful pitches.

XXI Century is the second release from his own imprint, and like the previous solo outing, Fe...'Faith (5 Passion, 2011), he continues to reveal his expanding repertoire. This double disc plays off Cuban themes, percussive fusion, funk, and introspective improvisation.

Well chosen guests supplement his working trio of bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Rubalcaba's opening "Nueva Cubana" traverses a percussive attack to etch itself upon the electricity of Gary Galimidi's guitar. The sound is not so much a fusion of rock and Cuban jazz as it is a mutual path. Same with the funk laid down on "Fifty." Lionel Loueke's Afropop guitar bumps into Gilmore's groove, and Rubalcaba's Cuban vibe ties West Africa to North America and the Caribbean.

With the help of percussionist Pedro "Pedrito" Martinez, the groove stays firmly rooted in Cuba. "Son XXI" highlights the pianist's percussive attack, matching the clavĂ© with the keyboard—a dare to sit still.

While the pyrotechnics are present, the pianist also shows another side, covering Lennie Tristano's "Lennie Pennies" as Keith Jarrett might eschewing rhythmic emotion for a mathematical precision. His take on Paul Bley's "Moore" and Bill Evans' "Time Remembered" expose a very thoughtful side, where the pianist opens compositions up to lighter swing.

Rubalcaba has mastered a backdoor strike here, not to keep the listeners off balance but to display his full array of talents.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.