Tarek Yamani : Peninsular

On his third release Peninsular, pianist and composer Tarek Yamani continues to explore the amalgamation of Arabic music and American jazz. His work is more than a simple juxtaposition of disparate styles as it is built upon shared elements in both genres. On the current album, commissioned for the Abou Dhabi festival, Yamani's focus is folk tradition of the countries on the Arab peninsula that border the Persian Gulf.

The melancholic "Gates of Tears" opens on a somber note with bassist Elie Afif''s unaccompanied and introspective lines. The ensemble's undulating refrains form the core of this cinematic piece that is laced with Near Eastern mysticism. Yamani thrills with his agile improvised flourishes that are quite lyrical and showcase his superb virtuosity. The individual expressions seamlessly emerge from and fade back into the main theme.

Equally captivating is the hypnotic "Ayyala Cubana." The haunting chants and heavy percussive rhythms are common to both the Omani traditional dance, the Ayyala, and the Afro Cuban Son. The passion and poetry that fill Yamani's own pianism are also rooted in the dual heritages of the tune.

At various moments throughout the recording guest musicians enhance the core trio's performance with local color. On the title track percussionists Ahmad Abdel Rahim and Wahid Mubarak drive the melody with their galloping beats. Over these infectious vamps, Yamani lets loose flowing, resonant chords. Drummer Khaled Yassine and his thundering kit together with Yamani's chiming notes and Afif's dark reverberations contribute a touch of elegant and delightful dissonance. 

Elsewhere on the emotive "Al Qorbi Nasnas" vocalist Adil Abdallah articulates the intriguing lyrics with yearning ardor. Yamani's elegant solo on the quarter tone keyboard reflects the poignancy and wistfulness of this deceptively simple song.

With each project, Yamani continues to highlight the universality the musical language. This emphasis on the cross-cultural nature of creativity, particularly the spontaneous kind, is what makes his forays into fusion successful. Of course, his superlative artistry does not hurt either.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda Live In Montreal

Here's a good rule of thumb to consider when reviewing a jazz record and by that, I mean any jazz record. Jazz music is live music so if it sounds good in the studio will it sound even better on the stage? In other words, if you're willing to pay $50 for a ticket, you're probably not getting burned spending $15 for a record. 

Of course, if it's a live album and Hiromi & Edmar Castenda/Live in Montreal is a live album just like it says in the title, so disregard the previous paragraph and consider this instead: do you wish you had been there? Eh. 

Not this time I don't. When you can do nearly anything on your chosen instrument, the temptation is to try anything. This can lead an artist to some rather interesting places because when it works the results can be gratifying and enriching. The inherent risk is when it doesn't work, the end product can be a jarring misfire or an unmitigated disaster. 

Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda: Live In Montreal is neither of those things. What it is is an experiment that succeeds sporadically more than it fails spectacularly. Hiromi Uehara is an adventurous and restless soul. She does duets with Chick Corea, trios with Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips, quartets with David Fuzcyzinski, Tony Grey and Martin Valhosa and solos all by herself. A true virtuoso, Hiromi has carved out an impressive career with more killer crossovers, head fakes, Eurosteps and mad hops than a NBA point guard. She can dish the rock, take it to the hole, and knock down the "j." She's bad and she knows it too. 

But even Steph Curry occasionally dribbles a ball off his foot. 

Here she's teamed up with Castaneda, who opened for Hiromi's Trio Project at the 2016 Montreal International Jazz Festival. The Japanese pianist was blown away by the Colombian harpist saying, "It was a jaw-dropping experience. I didn't realize the harp could create such rhythm and groove." Out of that exposure came a conversation about collaborating and he would go on to join Hiromi during a weeklong engagement at New York's Blue Note Jazz Club. 

This collaboration is no air ball, but it tends at times to clang off the rim rather than swoosh through the net. Even when she's not on her "A" game, Hiromi's "B" game is still pretty bad ass. The flaw in Live in Montreal is where she's normally astonishing, here she's just pretty good. 

Point of fact is, same as the aforementioned point guard, Hiromi excels as part of a team. One such team was her Trio Project with Phillips and Jackson where six years and four albums composing some of the most vibrant and thrilling jazz fusion since Weather Report was a thing. You get the best out of Hiromi, when she has other musicians who can both keep up and push her harder. 

Phillips' drumming and Jackson's bass got that from her. A harp does not. Call it eclectic or exotic, but a harp does not command attention, does not funk, does not rock, does not jazz. A harp is pretty, but it does not stand-out as a musical instrument. Personal tastes only and your mileage may vary. No shade on Casteneda's skill set; he extracts sounds from his instrument which defy expectations of what a harp is supposed to sound like. It's interesting and at times like "The Elements" suite the combination exceeds those expectations, but for this reviewer's ears it is not going to spark a revolution where street corner musicians playing for spare change toss their saxophones in the trash and pick up the harp. 

Hiromi has never made a flat-out bad record and still hasn't, but there's nothing here which to make Live In Montreal the definitive go-to album her discography. This is the sound of the young artist in a holding pattern between what has gone before and what comes. Boilerplate product this is not. What it is an adequate placeholder.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Bobby Bradford - Hafez Modirzadeh With Ken Filiano & Royal Hartigan : Live At The Magic Triangle

Venerable West Coast-based trumpeter, cornetist and instructor, Bobby Bradford has carved out a big slice of modern jazz history due to his recordings and performances with iconic jazz artisans, reedmen Ornette Coleman, John Carter, Eric Dolphy and bassist Charlie Haden among other luminaries. On this superb release recorded at the University of Massachusetts as part of the Magical Triangle Jazz Series, he shares the billing with saxophonist, recording artist and leading-edge music theorist, Hafez Modirzadeh. 

With first-call support specialists, bassist Ken Filiano and drummer, Royal Hartigan, the album duly highlights the musicians group-focused chemistry and distinct characterizations they bring to the vanguard. And while I was provided with a promo CD, consumers will need to purchase the LP, which is slated for an initial run of 500 copies. 

Bradford solely uses the cornet and launches the opener "She," by making his horn talk, laugh and weep, propelling the events into a loosely flowing vibe amid an airy theme that evolves atop a slow gait, in concert with searching choruses, enveloped with mystical overtones. But "Silhouette," is a heated jaunt, escalated by Filiano's frenetic arco lines. As the quartet's variegated mode of execution continues during "Bayraktar," which is a composition designed with the hornist's spirited unison choruses, yearning notes and layered themes, for what stacks up to be a deeply personal medium-tempo ballad. 

"Wadsworth Falls" is an extended piece that highlights the multidirectional aspects of the band. Constructed like a suite, Hartigan kicks off a pulsating African jazz type groove in concert with Filiano's prominent lines and robust line of attack. However, Modirzadeh's bold and commanding lines are offset by his playful dialogues with Bradford, adding a clever component to the up-tempo movements, along with contrasting call / response maneuvers. No doubt, the hornists are masters of invention as they goad each other into newly created mini-plots and by dishing out changeable melody lines in spontaneous or controlled fashion. The drummer also intersperses a Latin-jazz pulse with rolling toms patterns into the divergent storyboard. No doubt, each composition is a standalone treat, honed down by the artists' extraordinary communication skills, enviable technical gifts and tantalizing improvisational frameworks.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Satoko Fujii solo

In celebration of her sixtieth birthday, pianist/composer Satoko Fujii plans to release twelve albums in one year; one for each month of 2018. With many other artists it would be fair to question whether such output would compromise the integrity of the music but Fujii is—and has been—one of the most inexhaustible artists of her kind. Foregoing excellence has never been an option for her, and on the first issue of the planned sequence, Solo she exceeds expectations. 

Solo was recorded at Yumemikan Hall in Japan and contains seven pieces combining spontaneous improvisation, a standard and selections mostly from Fujii's own Libra label songbook. She opens with "Inori," first recorded by her Orchestra Tokyo on Zakopane (2010). The slowly building solo version is in stark contrast to the original. Fujii uses the entire piano—inside and out—on the improvised "Geradeaus" then moves on to an extended version of "Ninepin" from Live In Japan (PolystarINatSat, 2004). "Spring Storm," from the album of the same name (2013) precedes Fujii personal favorite, "Gen Himmel." The peaceful composition is in memory of Fujii's late bassist Norikatsu Koreyasu and has appeared on two of her previous recordings. The album closes with the sole cover piece, Jimmy Giuffre's "Moonlight" where Fujii again plays inside and outside the piano. 

"Gen Himmel" is an excellent example of how Fujii reworks her creations in ways that make them stand out as singular accomplishments. This particular piece has appeared as the title track of her 2013 solo release, on Shiki with the Orchestra New York (2014) and on the live solo, double-CD Invisible Hand (2017). In each case, there are discrepancies in pacing and accenting, none of which dispense with the original emotion of her composition. Solo is only the fourth such outing for this exceedingly prolific artist who should be more highly regarded by Western audiences. With this first release in a year's worth of events, Fujii sets the bar high. That's not unusual for an artist who seems to create new benchmarks with every release.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Ruby Rushton : Trudi’s Songbook: Volume One

Ruby Rushton are something of a mysterious force. Having released their debut record, Two For Joy, in 2015 without much fanfare, the group has since amassed a steady following that reaches beyond their jazz genre. Referencing hip-hop, bass culture, merengue and more in their compositions, the group have also played a key part in the South London jazz resurgence, with individual members featuring on live shows with Yussef Kamaal, Moses Boyd and others. Now their second album, Trudi’s Songbook: Volume One, is due for release this week, with Volume Two slated for later in the year, and it heralds the group’s proper arrival.

By way of the vinyl structure – a double format of three a and three b tracks – Ruby Rushton hark back to the ‘50s and ‘60s recordings of John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef and Sonny Rollins. Lateef’s presence is particularly felt, specifically on Prayer for Yusef Master. Bandleader Ed Cawthorne, aka Tenderlonious, has spoken of how discovering Lateef encouraged him to take up the saxophone. The tribute certainly conjures the afro-spritual atmospherics of the master himself. Although, as the track moves into solo territory and Cawthorne pushes his saxophone into higher registers, his evocations of Lateef’s beautifully emotive phrasing falter. Similarly, the free jazz referencing The Camels Back is cut short before its improvisations gains a sense of coherence.

Where Trudi’s Songbook is strongest then, is in its form, more so than its content. Funk-inflected opener Moonlight Woman is an insidious groover featuring Herbie Hancock-style keys playing from Aidan Shepherd and solid rhythmic work from bassist Fergus Ireland. Following number Elephant and Castle is an upbeat Latin take featuring delicate harmonies from Cawthorne and trumpeter Nick Walters, while the record reaches a climax on the double-time Where Are You Now. Here Eddie Hick displays his ferocity behind the kit, accompanied by the light touch of percussionist Joseph Deenmamode.   

Ultimately, Trudi’s Songbook: Volume One is a record full of earthy rhythm, punctuated by moments of introspection as well as loud self-expression. Ruby Rushton have managed to capture the impactful looseness of the live show on wax, which is no easy feat. While elements of the soloing might falter when scrutinised, this is a record that operates on a macro level, designed to reflect the spontaneous feeling of its playing upon listening.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Ancient Agents : Ancient Agents

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, the multinational members of Ancient Agents embrace the entire world as their neighborhood in this acoustic world blend. Reza Khota (guitars) is from South Africa: he has worked with many South African musicians (e.g. Kesivan Naidoo, Shane Cooper and Buddy Wells) and takes inspiration from jazz guitar modernists like John McLaughlin and John Scofield. Bassist Schalk Joubert is the other South African in the band: one of the busiest South African session players, he commands South African melodies, West African grooves, and European harmonies. Fredrik Gille (cajon, frame drums, percussion) hails from Sweden: he has collected percussion instruments from all over the world, with Middle Eastern drumming his expertise; but his sound is influenced by everything from Arabic rhythms to Latin music. Ronan Skillen (tabla, hybrid percussion kit, didgeridoo) is Irish: he takes inspiration from the ECM record label's aesthetic, as well as diverse world music styles; he has studied Indian classical music. 

All of the members contribute compositions, but the set begins with a collective creation. "Clouseau's Dream" is notable for mbira-like guitar figures. Joubert's "Bokmakierie" shifts the geography slightly with its sprightly South African beat. Khota's The title tune (also credited to the group) is a fine showcase for Joubert's melodic bass playing, also effectively utilizing harmonics. "Misir Wot" employs atmospheric looping for the introduction, then adds Indian raga-influenced guitar lines, tabla, and a bass melody for a definite Indian tone. 

Not surprisingly Skillen's sole entry "Sutri's Bells" employs tabla and a gentle guitar ostinato for more Indian flavor: but there's also space for occasional siren-like overdriven guitar lines. Khota's "Unearth" is based around his Afrobeat rhythm guitar, with a jagged melody and solo overdubbed (the album was recorded in one take with minimal editing, and guitar parts like this were the only use of overdubbing). Joubert contributed the final tracks. "Kelefa" is notable for its double-time closing section, with Khota demonstrating blazing fusion guitar chops. "You're The Reason" has a kora-like guitar introduction, followed by a sprightly riff doubled by guitar and bass. 

The group produces a joyous sound: melodic, with a groove never far away. In addition to the strong Indian music elements, I was especially struck by the Pan-African aspect. There are South African, West African, and Afrobeat (Nigerian) grooves; and at different times Khota's guitar invokes the mbira (the "thumb piano" associated mainly with Zimbabwe); the kora (the harp-lute employed by jali all over West Africa); and of course the sitar or sarod for the Indian-flavored parts. It is not hard to blend music from around the world, but rarely is it done this well.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.

Albert Castiglia : Up All Night

Make no mistake, the ambiguity in the title of bluesman guitarist/composer Albert Castilglia's seventh album, Up All Night, is a positive attribute. Because as much as he trades in the tried and true of the blues, as on the rough-and-tumble, "Hoodoo On Me," he manages to imprint a personal stamp on what he does.

On the opener of this album, for instance, his gruff voice and gristly guitar bring the sentiment so close to home, it all becomes personal. Likewise this title song which, while it follows traditional blues structure, emits no sense Castiglia's simply doing what he thinks is correct, but what he is deeply moved to play and sing. Mike Zito's production, mixing and mastering ensures the recordings resonate as deeply in sonic terms as in emotional ones, so bassist Jimmy Pritchard's instrument penetrates the mix even as it maintains its proportion with the sounds of drummer Brian Menendez' kit.

The subtle touches of Lewis Stephens' keyboards, like the rollicking piano on a double-entendre-laden "Chase Her Around the House," hardly intrude on the basic instrumental trio format any more than Johnny Sansone's harmonica on the number written with Cyril Neville, "Unhappy House of Blues" or the deliciously "Delilah." Meanwhile, it might go without saying that Sonny Landreth's slide playing, as featured on "95 South," adds an element of distinction, but this modern expert at that technique deserves the recognition: he injects a sense of abandon and unpredictability this music otherwise might not evince so emphatically.

Because Albert Castiglia radiates a certain measure of self-consciousness about what he does-just one iota of self-restraint would enhance his credibility-the sense of humor with which he imbues a track like "Three Legged Dog" (and this album's comical cover image) becomes his saving grace. A composition of the producer's, "Quit Your Bitching," is tongue-in-cheek too, but only partly so, and thus becomes all the more listenable for its double meaning(s). And that cut derives extra force from its juxtaposition with the proportionately direct message within "Woman Don't Lie." Castiglia's guitar playing is equally pointed on both.

While much of Up All Night is upbeat, electric blues on the order of "Knocked Down Loaded," when the eleven tracks conclude with the more reflective likes of the acoustic-guitar driven "You Got Me to That Place," the album solidifies as a whole unto itself; Castiglia's days of touring with Junior Wells serve him honorably in knowing well how to punctuate a solo and set of material, eight of which songs Albert wrote or collaborated on here. The end result is a durable, consistent set of contemporary blues that reflects well on its Louisiana recording site and all involved in its writing, playing, recording and production.

Saburo K, Saitama, Japan.