Kevin Eubanks : East West Timeline

You could call this a ‘Tale of Two Cities,’ but also a ‘Tale of Two Bands’ and a ‘Tale of Originals Vs. Covers.’ Jazz guitar extraordinaire Kevin Eubanks decided to present the dualities in his musical life for his latest Mack Avenue Records release, East West Time Line (dropping on April 7, 2017). 

Having spent his young adult life in NYC and hanging out in L.A. since then, Eubanks made a record that’s half in the Big Apple and half in the Los Angeles, the first half utilizing the talents of New York-based musicians and the latter played by California guys. And in a final twist, the New York band plays Eubanks originals while the West Coast dates are all about covers and standards.

Starting on the East Coast, the backing band is to say the least, impressive: Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Dave Holland on bass and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums. “Time Line” swings with a capital “S” and with that all-world rhythm section, how could it not? But Eubanks pushes out the swing into the stratosphere with his rhythmically charged solo that includes gobs of chords and octaves. It’s a tough act to follow but Payton is to the task, putting out the fire with a cool, easygoing and pure-toned trumpet.

“Watercolors” finds Eubanks’ switching to acoustic guitar and a lyrical melody with a soft gait makes this appealing in a different way. Payton’s alternately piercing and emotive trumpet steals the show. “Poet” (video above) is an appropriate name for a tone poem, and Eubanks caresses it with a warm tone and tender, note-bending delivery. Joining Holland and Watts is pianist Orrin Evans but it’s his Rhodes that drops splotches of color on the song. And in a microcosm of the album itself, the song assumes a different character in middle when Eubanks goes from electric to nylon string guitar and Evans leaves his electric piano behind for an acoustic one. The beauty of the melody remains even after it’s recast.

“Carnival” again features Eubanks’ nylon string work, working hand-in-glove with Evans’ piano but the real hero here is Watts, whose dynamic rhythms pushes everything forward with controlled energy (especially during the spot when it’s just him and the soloing Holland). “Something About Nothing” stretches out in modal fashion, and with Evans on Rhodes alongside Eubanks on electric guitar and Payton’s provocative horn, this is a bit in the spirit of Bitches Brew, something about which Holland knows first-hand.

What’s immediately evident from the Left Coast recordings is the Latin influence brought on board by Mino Cinelu’s percussion. Joined by Bill Pierce (sax), Rene Camacho (bass) and Eubanks’ old Berklee mate Marvin “Smitty” Smith, this crew immediately gets to work on making other people’s songs their own. Cinelu’s cha-cha rhythm sets a loose and festive pace for Duke Ellington’s “Take The Coltrane” and the group is content to let that groove become the track’s dominant force. That includes Eubanks, who seems to be having a ball jamming judiciously in the pocket.

Eubanks returns to acoustic guitar for Chick Corea’s “Captain Señor Mouse” but with metal strings time, and his solo on this one is stupendous. The electric solo one he offers on his uncle’s song, Ray Bryant’s “Cubano Chant” is not bad, either. Pierce is given a bright spotlight here and puts in an invigorating turn on soprano sax. His soprano sax also serves as the familiar opening statement on Marvin Gaye’s “What Goin’ On,” a theme Pierce revisits later. But most of this rendition involves a rapid, finder-snapping swing and Eubanks adeptly handling the lyrical part through octaves.

Lastly, “My One And Only Love” is given a treatment that most closely resembles the traditional way it’s treated, that of a tender ballad. Pierce’s tenor sax is luscious and Eubanks’ electric guitar is willowy and full of soul.

For an artist whose career has comfortably crossed — and sometimes blurred — the lines between traditional and contemporary, inside and outside and self-penned music versus interpretations, East West Time Line isn’t some diversion from normalcy. This is who Kevin Eubanks has always been as a musician.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan. 

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. 

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 clavé 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. 

Ameen Saleem : The Groove Lab

Composer Irving Berlin once famously said that "everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life." True and, although technically speaking Brooklyn is not part of the octagon that thrives between Houston Street and FRD Drive, the groove, that precious intimate rumble of inspiration, is the one element that connects one area with the other; contemporary music and its multiple historical declinations. While the paradigm differs and keeps on evolving, the end result is invariably of a similar nature, now as it was under the reign of the likes of guitarist Kenny Burrell and trumpeter Lee Morgan. 

Ameen Saleem, surely one of the most promising bass players in the world, knows the simple but elusive rules that make up a groove album, and this debut as a bandleader stands out between the crowded ranks of modern jazz. Innovators, conservatives, revolutionaries—all of them are sometimes connected by the one thing that Saleem boldly cites in the title of his album. You might know the Roy Hargrove Quintet, and if you do, you might have noticed the rhythm section, chances are that you have appreciated the great work done by Saleem at the bass.

While The Groove Lab strives to come up with an original and personal sound, the end result is undoubtedly not too far from those atmospheres. Saleem does not try to overdo or take the listener off the beaten path, but while the overall attitude may appear reassuring, the range of influences a good reviewer should duly list is potentially endless. Funk, jazz and soul certainly constitute the three main points of reference, but the many veins that propagate from these often abused genres, are virtually impossible to keep track of. The fact that he is lucky enough to be able to interact with amazing musicians (pianist Cyrus Chestnut, drummer Gregory Hutchinson and the already mentioned Roy Hargrove on trumpet) surely contributes to the variegated array of elements which, at least apparently, should not find space on the same album. 

Ameen Saleem manages to find the perfect balance between the idea and the usability—to use an artistically horrible but commercially positive term—of his inspiration. This is music that develops in layers: one enjoys the more superficial ones before venturing into the hidden substrates which keep the album together. For this reason, tracks like "For My Baby," with lyrics dangerously close to banality, flow from jazz to funky so naturally that the very nature of the music remains beautifully ambiguous and enjoyable at the same time. 

Flugelhorns, Rhodes and Wurlitzers, tenor saxophones, to name but a few instruments involved, can sometimes pose a threat to coherence, but the rich, colorful texture underlying "Don't Walk Away," "Epiphany" and the beautiful "So Glad" make this debut an interesting and challenging work.

Via Veneto Jazz and Jando Music keep on proposing high quality jazz whose most appreciable virtues lie in the clever administration of novelty and institution, with one goal in mind: accessibility. It is not clear whether or not Irving Berlin would have loved The Groove Lab, but what is certain is that there is a common language that is spoken on this and the other side of the river. Further east, a new star might be rising.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan. 

Thievery Corporation : U can Dub It !

If anyone can dub it, Thievery Corporation can. Here’s an act whose sound very much embodied the turn of the century. Coffee table, lo-fi ambient dub; A mutant form of trip-hop that defined the lounge music sound of the Noughties. Alongside such peers as Boozoo Bajou, Tosca and Peace Orchestra, the production duo comprising of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton set the template for chill-out compilations and soundtracks for the more middle-aged connoisseurs in us. Their previous outing Saudade was a modern age classic; a soft, bossa-nova influenced pastiche of dream beats and palettes. There’s also earlier records Radio Retaliation and The Mirror Conspiracy, classics in their own right. The Temple of I & I, although not a massive divergence in their sonic template, has a more roots and reggae feel. Recorded in Jamaica no less, the LP has that modern reggae sound, with a mixture of live instrumentation, local guest vocalists and digital trickery all mixed together like a chilled rum and cola, sipped on a sunny, evening.

Alas, The Temple of I & I, does not hit the high benchmarks of prior quality. Very much a Thievery album in its own right, with the tropical rhythms alongside the DC-based musicians approach to studio-dub, the LP falls short of the classic peak moments of the past. That’s the problem with nostalgia, you’re always reflecting back on the good times, or ones which you favour towards. For an act with such history, and one eye on the past, nostalgia can be as equally as rewarding and destructive depending on which way you look at it.

And if The Temple of I & I sounds dated it’s because that’s what Thievery Corporation are best at. It’s another long-player that’s perfect for lighting a spliff to, and is seasoned with tracks that will undoubtedly find their way onto Late Nite Tales compilations and such. But it feel like the 'Jamaican approach' has been done many times before – even by themselves. From 1997, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Hi was a dub-influenced, chill-out classic. But let’s face it, Thievery Corporation have never set out to be groundbreaking. So if you loved Radio Retaliation or still go crazy over The K&D Sessions, then don’t be surprised when these tracks start gently wafting into your Spotify recommended lists. As for me, I’m going to go back to listening to Saudade.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan. 

Rough Guide To Ethiopian Jazz

‘Most of our Ethiopian music is based on five notes [pentatonic]. What I did was fuse the five tones with 12 tones. For many years I've been experimenting, and the more I do that the more complex it gets’ Mulatu Astatke.

New Orleans is widely seen as the birthplace of jazz, where African slaves created groundbreaking music that fused elements from both Africa and Western traditions. By the twentieth century, jazz (and subsequent African-based musical forms including soul, funk, and Cuban rumba) travelled back across the Atlantic, first through recordings and later by artists on tour. There, African musicians immediately recognized the source roots, adapted some, altered others, and in the process, created entirely new musical forms.

In Ethiopia, one of the first major musicians to lay the groundwork for Ethio-jazz was Nerses Nalbandian. His family escaped the Armenian genocide in Turkey, and settled in Ethiopia, where Nalbandi would become a band leader for many burgeoning Ethio-jazz musicians in the 1950s.

Largely credited as being the greatest innovator of Ethio-jazz and exposing it to the world, Mulatu Astatke was born in 1943 in Jimma, Ethiopia. He travelled to Wales in the late 1950s to study engineering and to the chagrin of his parents, Astatke began to take an interest in music, first studying Western classical music before heading to Boston’s Berklee College of Music to formally study jazz. It was there where Astatke took the fusion of traditional Ethiopian folk music and American jazz to a new level. Astatke explained its roots to the BBC, ‘There are tribes in the south called the Derashe. They are surrounded by people who play five tone music but they have created a diminished 12-tone scale. Diminished scales are very important in jazz music especially for improvising. We learn how Charlie Parker came up with diminished scales as well as Claude Debussy and Bach. But always on my mind is the question of who were first with the scale, these people or the Derashe tribe?’ 

By the late 1960s, Astatke decided to return to Ethiopia in order to cultivate Ethio-jazz in his homeland. At first, his vibraphone-based folk-jazz was considered quite unorthodox. However, within years, it transformed the capital, which came to be known as ‘Swinging Addis’. The late 1960s and early 1970s were known as the ‘golden age’ in Addis Ababa, as countless jazz orchestras and ensembles thrived in the city, led by the innovations of Mulatu Astatke and saxophonist extraordinaire, Getatchew Mekuria. Addis Ababa was in full swing in 1973 when American jazz legend Duke Ellington came to town and performed together with Mulatu Astatke.

Much of the Ethiopian jazz scene came crashing down the following year, in 1974, when a Soviet-backed military junta known as the Derg overthrew the government. The consequences of the coup and subsequent ‘Red Terror’ were profound. It left tens of thousands dead and military curfews virtually destroyed the thriving musical club scene.

When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, the Derg lost its backing and was subsequently overthrown. That decade saw a rebirth in Ethiopia. The budding democracy quickly became a thriving home of musical creativity. Ethiopian Jazz hit new global audiences through CD releases that included the Ethiopiques series and several Rough Guide albums. Astatke’s captivating soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s film Broken Flowers in 2005 brought Ethio Jazz to even wider audiences. Today, Astatke is still active, and his creativity has inspired a new generation of artists in Ethiopia, Europe, North America and beyond.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.