Nick Bewsey, July 2014

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Nick Bewsey has been writing about jazz for ICON since 2004. A member of The Jazz Journalists Assoc., he blogs about jazz and entertainment at www.jazzinspace.blogspot.com. Twitter: @countingbeats

John Chin ★★★1/2

Undercover

BJU Records

There are many fine musicians who seldom have an opportunity to make a solo record, either by design or circumstance. For New York-based pianist John Chin, it may be a bit of both. Chin is a busy sideman throughout town and often leads his own group on Monday nights at Small’s in the Villa

ge, but it’s been six years since his debut release Blackout Conception (Fresh Sound), an import album that sported a tight quintet with saxophonist Mark Turner. The pianist makes a welcome return with Undercover and it gives better measure to his intriguing talent. An evocative trio album that mixes three originals and five jazz covers played with a twist (Coltrane’s “Countdown” and an unexpected pair of Wayne Shorter tunes among them), it features bassist Orlando Le Fleming and Dan Reiser on drums and was largely improvised on the spot in single takes.

Chin’s an advocate of polyphonic improvisation, a technique where one plays several improvised lines at a time. That doesn’t mean that you strain to follow the music. To the contrary, he is a quick-witted pianist with a gift for constructing sinuous, pleasing melodies (the shimmering title track is sure to be Chin’s signature tune). The album is rooted in post-bop mainstream appeal—the strutting rhythm and soulful backbeat on Chin’s imaginative read of Ellington’s “Caravan” or his ruminative take on Chaplin’s “Smile” made extra dreamy by Le Fleming’s bass notes and Rieser’s brushes, reveal a grounded, confident musician with a fresh approach to standards. Undercover is a minor gem with compelling rhythms and gorgeous harmonics, and it’s a most inviting introduction to this first-rate musician and composer. (8 tracks; 53 minutes)

Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden ★★★★1/2

Last Dance

ECM

Bassist Charlie Haden has a thing for piano duets and over the years his recordings with Kenny Barron, John Taylor, Chris Anderson and especially Hank Jones document performances full of magical

interplay, but Jasmine (ECM), his 2010 album with pianist Keith Jarrett was something more, transcendent as music and art. Recorded in 2007 in Jarrett’s small home studio, the pianist and Haden didn’t rehearse ahead of time, yet merely discussed song choice, chord changes and such before rolling tape. The process yielded standards and ballads that were deeply and equally felt by the musicians and listeners alike.

Last Dance is an elegant sequel and comes from the same sessions with a continued emphasis on poignant ballads and alternate takes of “Where Can I Go Without You” and Gordon Jenkin’s “Goodbye.” It’s an album that’s easy to love, particularly since Jarrett adds a mid-tempo version of Bud Powell’s “Dance Of The Infidels” to the otherwise serene set list. In a change of pace, M

onk’s “Round Midnight” is refreshed by the remarkable flow of notes from Jarrett and stunning sound from Haden’s instrument; his tone is full, deep and round.

As with Jasmine, Last Dance is recorded in spectacular fashion. It amplifies the quality of their playing, most evident on “My Old Flame,” which the duo illuminates with subtle swing. The Gershwin/Weill tune, “My Ship,” sails as an after-hours ballad, its melody shimmering and honestly played with the pianist hitting sparkling high notes at the denouement. This is Jarrett at his most accessible, though Haden steals the spotlight with his intimate solo, reminding us why he is so esteemed.

To our delight, Last Dance brings two of the world’s finest musicians together again, one a restless perfectionist and the other finding happiness by exploring musical genres of all types. The album reveals both at their best, reveling in the beauty of song and warmth shared between longtime friends. Apart from the implication behind the album’s title, you can’t help feeling bittersweet near the album’s end as they intimately play Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye”—it’s the shortest track on the album and packs an emotional punch. (9 tracks; 76 minutes)

Jacob Young ★★★★

Forever Young

ECM

A guitarist who pulls from jazz and classical traditions, Norwegian-American Jacob Young leads a blissful group on his third ECM disc, Forever Young, and it’s the closest the label has come to producing a pop jazz record. That’s not a slight because the harmonics and earthy arrangements are artfully crafted and too sophisticated to be that smooth, but one or two of the album’s spellbinding melodies could find their way on a quiet storm set list thanks to the tuneful interplay between Young and saxophonist Trygve Seim.

Among these, “Bounce” has an infectious beat, a buoyant melody spelled out by Seim and a skillfully precise guitar solo by Young. The sensitive tune, “Therese’s Gate,” has a lovely, calibrated Brazilian feeling where Young’s classical guitar chords float over Seim’s lush horn lines and Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski steps in with an extended and notable piano solo. The saxophonist opts out on “1970,” a tune that catches our ear with a theme that’s underscored by tumbling bass and drum rhythms, supple electric guitar work by Young and another beautifully played modern piano solo. Another of Young’s strong compositions, “Beauty,” softly kills with his acoustic fills and polished melody that’s tailor-made for late night radio. Wasilewski and his trio are at the heart of the recording—their own recordings for ECM and as part of trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s quartet are superb, but here it’s Young and his frontline saxophone partner who deliver the shape and substance for this exceptional effort.  (10 tracks; 74 minutes)

Adam Schroeder ★★★★

Let’s

Capri Records

Baritone saxophonist Adam Schroeder is one fortunate jazz cat, mostly because his sophomore record, Let’s, features a dream team of collaborators—guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton—and also because this recording is a gift to audiophiles. Like all

of Capri’s releases, the sound is uncommonly warm, punchy and vivid. That doesn’t mean that Schroeder rides shotgun. He’s an assertive talent with hard-hitting chops and plenty of good taste.

As a young adult, the saxophonist started as an alto player after hearing Charlie Parker, but switched to baritone and ended up being mentored by legendary trumpeter Clark Terry who instilled the value of altruism in his ward. From those early days Schroeder graduated to work with Ray Charles, Diana Krall, Sting, John Pizzarelli and currently plays as a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra.

Let’s is impressive on all counts. The low register of the baritone sax is out front and always thrilling; Schroeder and his band can swing and the harmonious arrangements give plenty of room for exemplary solos by guitarist Wilson, Clayton and Hamilton. (We’ve heard these guys before on Diana Krall’s best recordings.) Schroeder’s virtuoso phrasing and singular tone highlight the fertile arrangements of Duke Pearson’s happy-sounding “Hello Bright Sunflower” and Benny Carter’s “Southside Samba” while his own compositions, from the gospel-tinged “Just Clap Your Hands” to the smoky Brazilian-styled “Patience Endurance, Steady Hope” shed light on the maturity of his songwriting skills. The varied program and Schroeder’s consummate playing style echoes the great works by saxophonists like Gerry Mulligan and Pepper Adams. Given his talent, hot solos, deft melodies and a band that dazzles as a unit,  Let’s is easy to recommend. (11 tracks; 61 minutes)

Joe Magnarelli ★★★★

Lookin’ Up

Posi-tone

An enthusiastic and surefire traditionalist, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli leads an ace quintet on Lookin’ Up, a rousing set of crisp hard bop originals and juicy jazz covers—their precise, fired-up “Sudd

enly It’s Spring” and “In Walked Lila” are surely leapin’ and lopin’, Sonny Clark-style. Magnarelli learned the ropes in a variety of big bands like Harry Connick, Jr’s orchestra, which make his tunes richly entertaining. As a trumpeter, he’s no show boater, preferring a muted horn or flugelhorn and sticking to the middle registers where he runs self-assured and nuanced lines. He shares his front line with über-trombonist Steve Davis that, combined with the scintillating solos by the great (and undervalued) pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Mike Karn and drummer Jason Brown, makes for a swinging dream date in the Jazz Messengers tradition. A bouncing version of “You Go To My Head,” the leader’s own (Obama inspired?) “44” and the cool bossa groove on “Blue Key” are tightly arranged, played with feeling and move like a freight train. Magnarelli’s slick quartet is boss throughout and this wholly enjoyable record simply crushes it. (10 tracks; 53 minutes)