By Dee Dee McNeil
July 1, 2025
LOS ANGELES IMPROVISATION ENSEMBLE – “INSUBORDINATE LUNAR TRANSGRESSIONS” – Denouement Records
Robert Hardt, woodwinds, Louis Stewart, piano; Andrew Shulman, cello; Michael Valerio, bass.
During the summer of 2021, right after the pandemic of COVID hit worldwide, four musicians and a producer joined forces to record an album based on completely free improvisation. This is the result of their extraordinary talents, blended in a free setting, recorded as a result of their individual talents and collective thinking.
Michael Valerio opens the first tune on his double bass, setting the mood and tempo. Andrew Shulman joins in on cello and Louis Stewart adds some jazzy piano licks. The first tune develops, as though the notes were already written on the page, and the arrangement was already charted. You would never know this music was created on-the-spot, four musicians inspired by each other and creating music in-the-moment. Robert Hardt adds a touch of his woodwind excellence as the song develops and flowers. Later, they would name this song “Tunisian Hookah Bar.”
The second tune is very classically based. They call it “Sergei’s Diabolical Circus” and it sounds more European classical than jazz. Louis Stewart’s classical pianist training is upfront and admirable.
“When Johnny Comes Running Home” becomes a tune that changes tempo and mood within their improvised arrangement. I can almost see Johnny’s little legs racing to get home, as Stewart’s piano fingers race over the keys. The cello creates urgency during the piece and Valerio’s bass pounds like feet against dry earth.
No written music was used during this production. The four men let their individual ideas flow and they create the tunes by listening to each other and improvising wildly. The result is quite entertaining. They offer us a Baker’s Dozen of well composed songs that grew out of their improvisational experience.
On Track #5, the title tune, they reach into the blues bag and pull out a wonderful tune that soon becomes one of my favorites. On Track #7, “Parallel Dimensions (Ode to Pierre Lunaire)” the quartet stretches into avant-garde and experimental jazz music. On another favorite composition, “Solar Voyage” they swing the tune in a joyful way. A composition they name, “Humoresque for Clarinet and Contrabass” Hardt and Valerio take a duo trip down improv lane. It’s a beautiful union exploring freedom of expression. It quickly becomes another favorite of mine, as does “Sussex Elegy” a lovely ballad full of melodic twists and turns.
The participants are Louis Stewart, pianist, conductor, and composer from Whitman College in Washington, his M.M. from the New England Conservatory in Boston, with a D.M.A. from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD. Stewart was formerly asst. conductor with the Martha Graham Dance Company for six years.
Robert Hardt graduated with high distinction from the Eastman School of Music and has toured 45 countries as a freelance woodwind player. He made many pop recordings with Moby, Pitbull, and Kenny Loggins to name only a few. He was the featured saxophonist and clarinet player with Supertramp and has performed on numerous Grammy winning and nominated Latin Jazz recordings with both Poncho Sanchez and Clare Fischer.
Andrew Chulman, the cellist is an admired composer and he conducted at London’s Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. He was solo cellist for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and other arenas as well. Shulman became a professor at the historic Royal College of Music in London and gives master classes worldwide.
Last but not least, bassist Michael Valerios was born and raised in New York to musical parents. He attended Eastman School of Music and Indiana University. Valerio joined the New World Symphony as co-principal bass player and relocated to Los Angeles in 1999. In Southern California, he found a multitude of work as a studio bassist, particularly in film and television. He has also recorded with legendary names like Paul Anka, Mary J. Blige, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Rosemary Clooney, Mercer Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow and the list goes on! When you combine these stellar talents, although an unusual quartet, the result is an album full of great and inspired music that mixes genres freely. It is an example of what can happen when four brilliant musicians come together to present music sung from the soul.
Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
JENNIFER LEE – “GLIMPSE” – SBE Records
Jennifer Lee, vocals/piano/guitar/composer; Peter Sprague, guitar; Adam Shulman, piano/Fender Rhodes; Gunnar Biggs, acoustic bass; Duncan Moore, drums; Tommy Aros, percussion; Tripp Sprague, saxophone; Derek Cannon, trumpet; Rich Kuhns, accordion; Randy Brecker, Flugelhorn; Justin Grinnell, electric bass; Doug Pohorski, acoustic bass; Anton Schwartz, saxophone; John Wiitala, acoustic bass; Vince Lateano, drums.
Jennifer Lee has a refreshing, comfortable vocal style. She soars as a composer on this, her fourth album release. Originally raised in Redwood City, California, this artist teamed with master guitarist, Peter Sprague to produce a very impressive album of mostly original songs. The two musicians met 24 years ago and have been musical partners ever since.
“No words are adequate to express how lucky I feel to get to work with Peter. He’s incredibly skillful and creative as a guitarist, recording engineer, arranger and producer,” Lee says.
Her voice reminds me of Brazilian singers, light, warm and comforting. Jennifer Lee also knows how to swing and has a lovely melodic way of penning her original music. You hear that on her opening tune called “I Caught a Glimpse of Your Soul.” Vocalist Lee is competent on piano and guitar with a cool knack for writing wonderful lyrics.
I find myself bobbing and weaving at my computer as I type and listen to “Farewell to Comfort.” Jennifer Lee checks all the boxes. On a song titled “Dave Don’t Mind the Rain” she sings the blues with ease and believability. Lee can swing, she can sing the blues, and she knows how to sell a song. Her cover of the Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg tune from The Wiz, “If I Only Had a Brain,” is arranged as a ballad. She accompanied herself on piano. Her song “Serendipity” is back to a Brazilian music arrangement that comfortably suits her vocal style.
Her album, “Glimpse,” is dedicated to Lee’s husband, George Sevison. She sings about him on the opening tune that I liked so much, “I Caught a Glimpse of Your Soul” and also on “Vivid Technicolor Love.” In fact, she has written five of the nine songs on this album to tribute him and their love. Sometimes she interjects melodious harmonies, overdubbing her voice like background singers. It’s a nice touch. This album is full of well-written compositions and musical messages. She has grown immensely since her first two recordings. The first called “Jaywalkin’” was released in 2003. Another, “My Shining Hour” was released in 2018, where she previewed her songwriting talents.
As this current album continues to elevate her talents from vocalist, arranger, and song interpreter up a notch to composer and lyricist, “Glimpse” may be her best recording to date.
Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
JIM SELF – “MY AMERICA 3: MY COUNTRY” – Basset Hound Music
Jim Self, F tuba/CC tuba/fluba; Kim Scharnberg, baton/arranger; Chris Woods, country fiddle; Doug Livingston, pedal steel guitar; John Chiodini, electric & acoustic guitars; Steve Fister, electric Dobro/slide guitar; Bill Cunliffe, piano;Mike Valerio & Ken Wild, string & electric bass; Joe La Barbera, drums; Brian Kilgore, percussion; Kye Palmer, trumpet/flugelhorn; Bill Booth, trombone/euphonium; Phil Feather, alto & tenor saxophones/flute; Steve Marsh, tenor saxophone/clarinet.
This Jim Self album is a sequel to “My America” released in 2003 and “My America 2” released in 2022. Like his first two albums, Kim Scharnberg has arranged and conducted this newest venture that combines country music with jazz undertones.
Country music is usually played on instruments like pedal steel guitar, harmonica, fiddle and banjo. “My America 3” offers the listener traditional music instrumentation of country music, blended with instruments more associated with jazz and musicians who are competent at playing both genres of music. The star of the show is Jim Self on tuba, adding his rich, melodic, bass sound to the production.
The group covers songs made popular by Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. A tune called “Chompin’ at the Bit” opens with the whinny of a horse, perhaps adding a dry sense of humor to the mix. Chris Woods’ country fiddle shines and the happy-go-lucky tempo encourages a tap of the toes.
Jim Self composed “Wabashed” that actually smashed a bit of the tune “Wabash Cannonball” with “Orange Blossom Special” to create a new tune about trains. This music would certainly encourage a country/western two-step around the dance floor. When Bill Cunliffe adds a jazzy piano solo and the bass walks briskly beneath the groove, they incorporate jazz into the arrangement. They also invite Joe La Barbera to solo and show off his drum skills.
On the familiar “Wichita Lineman” tune, written by Jimmy Webb, a song that became a huge hit record for Glen Campbell, Jim Self explores the tune effectively using his fluba instrument.
Jim Self makes the unexpected lead instrument of tuba heard in a fresh light. His technique and tone make the tuba sparkle like a star in the band. He is especially impressive during their interpretation of the familiar country/western tune, “Crazy.” Accompanied by his old pal, John Chiodini on guitar, the duo makes quite a statement. This simplistic, but beautiful arrangement, quickly becomes one of my favorites on this album. Jim Self and Chiodini have been musical partners for years and have even produced four duo recordings together.
During this unusual blend of country/western and jazz, I also learned about the electric Dobro instrument, played by Steve Fister. The Dobro is a Resonator guitar known for its distinctive sound, created by a metal resonator cone mounted inside the body of the guitar. It amplifies the sound acoustically, giving the instrument a warm metallic tone that’s used quite a bit in bluegrass, in the blues, and in country music.
“Your Cheatin’ Heart,” written by Hank Williams about his ex-wife, is interpreted by Self’s tuba, starting out dark and brooding, but soon transforms into a Bossa Nova rhythm. This is followed by the Johnny Cash tune, “Folsom Prison Blues” that adds a hip jazzy part in the mostly country/ western arrangement when the flugelhorn takes his solo. This is followed by Bill Cunliff’s jazzy piano improv.
“Sixteen Tons” was a huge hit record for an artists called Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955. It’s the story of workers in coal mines across the world. We hear the musicians snapping their fingers and singing in a male unison chorus the tune title. Self sings the melody in his deep, resonant tuba voice. The electric guitar solo is outstanding.
It takes a gifted musician like Jim Self and his talented arranger, Kim Scharnberg, to combine a country/western album concept with jazz and make it work. Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
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ANTONIA BENNETT – “EXPRESSIONS” – Independent Label
Antonia Bennett, vocals; Christian Jacob, piano/keyboards; Kevin Axt, bass; Kendall Kay, drums; Larry Koonse, guitar. SPECIAL GUESTS: David Thomas, background vocals; Rady Brecker, trumpet/ flugelhorn.
The daughter of legendary jazz crooner, Tony Bennett, has established herself as a new jazz vocalist on the scene. She was trained as an actor at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute. For her singing credentials, she attended Berklee College of Music. For fifteen years, Antonia was opening act for her illustrious father’s shows, while building her repertoire and confidence.
Her initial recording was an EP called “Natural” (2010) followed by a full album of songs titled, “Embrace Me” released in 2014 where she covers many standard jazz tunes.
Next came “Until the End of Time” and in 2020 “Here For You.” This was clearly a lean towards pop and Alternative Adult music airplay.
This is Antonia’s fifth album release. She has contracted a Los Angeles based rhythm section. On her latest album titled “Expressions” she continues to lean from jazz standards to an alternative adult music production on a tune called “Baby.”
Meantime, on this album she includes standard jazz tunes like “Comes Love,” the familiar “Exactly Like You” and the popular “Ain’t Misbehavin.’ ” Sprinkled in between are tunes arranged more like pop tunes including Cole Porter’s “True Love” that was popular back in 1956 recorded by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.
I think Antonia Bennet’s voice could easily sweep into the Pop market and with the right song, and more contemporary arrangements, Bennett could have a hit record and follow in her father’s illustrious footsteps.
Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
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Nnenna Freelon
Beneath The Skin
(Origin)
Nnenna Freelon, who made her first recording as a leader back in 1992, had only recorded two CDs since 2012: Time Traveler from 2018-20 and a children’s music record. Fortunately, Beneath The Skin was well worth waiting for.
Ms. Freelon is heard in top form throughout this set and is at her most expressive whether singing with joy or restrained grief. She wrote or co-composed all of the ten songs and really digs into the lyrics while displaying her very attractive voice. She is joined by pianist-keyboardist Alan Pasqua, guitarist Keith Ganz, bassist Jonathan Richards, drummer Steve Hass and (on three songs) trombonist Evan Robertson with cellist Shan Tucker guesting on two numbers.
There is plenty of variety throughout the set, ranging from the passionate “Black Iris” and “Widow Song,” to the somber “Black Iris” and the infectious swing of “Here’s Your Hat” and “Dark and Lovely.” The latter casts Ms. Freelon as a 1920s type singer with Robertson’s trombone being an effective foil.
Nnenna Freelon’s lyrics are intelligent and personal, often covering universal topics. Her backup musicians are sympathetic and swing when the music calls for it, but the main focus is on the singer who is heard throughout at the peak of her powers, often making statements that are a bit haunting. Beneath The Skin, which is available from www.originarts.com, is one of her finest recordings.
Keith Jarrett
New Vienna
(ECM)
Keith Jarrett, who recently turned 80, has not been able to play music since 2018 when he suffered two strokes, so “new” music from the pianist is a special event. While Jarrett has led several notable groups in his career, he will probably always be best known for his solo concerts which featured him freely improvising without any preplanned roadmap. His playing in this format was generally tonal, bluesy and inventive although rarely predictable.
Jarrett’s last batch of recordings to be released so far is comprised of solo piano performances from 2016 that are taken from a European tour: Budapest Concert (July 3), Bordeaux Concert (July 6), and Munich 2016 (July 16). Those ECM releases have now been joined by New Vienna which was recorded on July 9. The pianist performs nine improvisations (titled “New Vienna Parts I-IX”) that include a very intense and unrelenting opener (“Part I”), five thoughtful and introspective pieces (including the warm ballad “Part VII” and “Part VI” which sounds like raindrops), the hyper “Part III,” and a rollicking blues (“Part VIII”). As an encore, Jarrett plays a tender and quietly inventive “Over The Rainbow.”
New Vienna, one of literally dozens of rewarding Keith Jarrett recordings, is available from www.ecmrecords.com and is a fine addition to his large discography.
Saul Dautch
Music For The People
(Doubleton Records)
Saul Dautch is a very skilled baritone-saxophonist who, while having his own sound, is influenced by the light tone and light-hearted musical nature of Gerry Mulligan although one can hear bits of Pepper Adams too. On Music For The People, his recording debut as a leader, he leads a quintet that also features trumpeter Noah Halpern, pianist Miki Yamanaka, bassist Louie Leager, and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield.
While the group performs seven Dautch originals plus Duke Pearson’s “Hello Bright Sunflower,” the music is very much classic and modern hard bop. The Pearson song, a joyful number with boppish horn solos, gets the swinging set off to a strong start. Other highlights include the medium-tempo blues “Nighttime On The Red Line,” a cooking “Odious Din,” the melancholy ballad “L’Chaim” (one of a few songs on which Halpern sits out and the group becomes a quartet), Halpern’s exciting trumpet on the adventurous “The Climbing Silver,” and a relaxed “Bacher’s Bath” which has a particularly friendly melody.
Music For The People contains music that very much fits the album’s title for the playing is swinging, accessible, and quite easy to enjoy. It is recommended and available from www.sauldautchmusic.com
Maxim Lubarsky & Gabriela Martina
Explorations In Sound
(Self-Released)
Although she has performed in various contexts, since 2019 Gabriela Martina has often sung in a duo with pianist Maxim Lubarsky. Their recent recording Explorations In Sound, which is mostly a set of freely improvised duets, is consistently intriguing and magical. The singer has a very attractive voice, a wide range, and a fertile imagination while Lubarsky is a tasteful accompanist who both complements and challenges her. Their interplay on Explorations In Sound is tonal, melodic, and thoughtful while being quite unpredictable.
Of their nine performances which were recorded before audiences at three concerts, one piece is a radical exploration of an Amanda McBroom song, two are based loosely on poems, a pair of numbers are originals by the singer, the duo reinvents “Exactly Like You,” and the other three pieces are totally improvised. But in reality, each performance is quite spontaneous. Highlights include “One Note” (based on one note that Martina sings in two different octaves), her lovely notes on “The Rose” (particularly near its conclusion), the rollicking free jam “In Momentum,” an improv on “Crazy” that lives up to its name, the moody and desolate “Letter To Gramlis,” and a swinging if unconventional “Exactly Like You” that has the singer whistling a bit
The intuitive music of Explorations In Sound will hold listeners’ interest throughout, featuring Gabriela Martina and Maxim Lubarsky (whose contributions are not to be underrated) in top form. It is available at www.gabrielamartina.com.
Mark Masters Ensemble
Sam Rivers 100
(Capri)
Mark Masters Ensemble
Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!
(Capri)
Arranger Mark Masters first led a big band album back in 1984. Since then, along with other projects, he has recorded full album tributes to Jimmy Knepper, Clifford Brown, Lee Konitz, Porgy & Bess, Gary McFarland, Dewey Redman, Duke Ellington’s sax section, Steely Dan, Charles Mingus, Alec Wilder, and Duke Ellington’s music. His most recent two releases pay homage to Sam Rivers and Billy Harper.
Sam Rivers (1923-2011) was always an adventurous spirit. A masterful and very original tenor-saxophonist, Rivers was a bit of a late bloomer, at least on records, Other than four titles cut with Tadd Dameron in 1961 that were not released for many decades, Rivers did not make any recordings until he was already 40 in 1964. A short stint with the Miles Davis Quintet did not work out but he was soon signed to the Blue Note label where he made some of his most important recordings, starting with Fuschia Swing Song. Rivers was an important force in modern jazz for the next 45 years.
Mark Masters’ tribute to Rivers utilizes his 13-piece band on 11 Rivers originals including the six songs that were originally on Fuschia Swing Song and two numbers from Rivers’ 1967 album Dimensions & Extensions. Since the music was originally played by a quartet or a small ensemble, Masters had to summon up a great deal of creativity in order to adapt these songs to his larger ensemble. The result is a wide-ranging set that ranges from fairly free explorations to a couple of blues and some swinging but always adventurous numbers. While most of the solos are by the saxophonists (Billy Harper and Jerry Pinter on tenors, altoist Nicole McCabe, and baritonist Tom Luer), trumpeters Nathan Kay and Tim Hagans (a guest on three numbers), trombonist Dave Woodley, and pianist Jeff Colella also have spots. But the real stars are Rivers’ songs (which include his best-known original, “Beatrice”) and Masters’ imaginative arrangements which retain the essence of Sam Rivers’ music without merely repeating the past.
The Mark Masters Jazz Orchestra was used by tenor-saxophonist Billy Harper on his 1990 album Priestess. Since then, Harper has appeared on three other Masters albums before the new project. He is very much in the spotlight on Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance which is comprised of eight of his compositions. A member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1968, Gil Evans’ group, Max Roach’s unit, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (where he took a famous solo on “Fingers”), and most recently the Cookers, the tenor has led a dozen albums of his own including, quite notably, the very first releases by both the Black Saint and Soul Note labels.
Harper at 82 is still very much in his playing prime, displaying a large tone and passionate ideas whenever he performs. In addition to his playing with Masters’ 16-piece ensemble, there is also some solo space on Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance for pianist Francesca Tanksley, trumpeters Hagans and Aaron Janik, trombonist Ido Meshulam, and Jerry Pinter and Kirsten Edkins on tenors. The post-bop music is swinging and sometimes as intense as Harper’s playing. Among the highlights are “Croquet Ballet” (possibly the best-known of Harper’s songs), the warm ballad “If One Could Only See,” the dark modal tune “The Seventh Day,” “Insight” (an uptempo relative of “Autumn Leaves”), and the relatively straight ahead title tune. As with the Sam Rivers tribute, Mark Masters’ writing casts new light on each piece. Billy Harper has every right to be very happy with the results.
Both of these recommended releases are available from www.caprirecords.com.
Anais Reno
Lady Of The Lavender Mist
(Club 44)
There are a large number of talented female jazz singers on the scene today, but listeners should definitely not overlook Anais Reno. A performer since she was ten, she caused a stir with the release of her debut album Lovesome Thing in 2021 when she was 17. Her warm and inventive interpretations of the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn were quite impressive. The young singer recorded a second album in 2024, At PizzaExpress Live – In London, and Lady Of The Lavender Mist is her next accomplishment.
Joined by guitarist Peter Bernstein (who takes many fine solos), bassist David Wong, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, Anais displays her rich and beautiful voice on nine standards including the Ellington title cut for which she provided the lyrics. On the ballads she sounds quite mature, not being shy to take her time, hold long notes, and utilize space for dramatic effect. She is particularly effective on “’Round Midnight.” Ms. Reno sings “Autumn Leaves” in both French and English, swings comfortably on medium-tempo versions of “Gravy Waltz,” “I’ll Remember April” and “Kiss And Run,” and revives the rarely-performed Duke Ellington piece “Take Love Easy.”
Already a major jazz vocalist at the age of 21, Anais Reno clearly has a very bright future. Lady Of The Lavender Mist (available from www.amazon.com) serves as a joyful introduction to her singing for those who do not already have the equally impressive Lovesome Thing.
James Zito
Zito’s Jump
(James Zito Music)
Jazz is currently overflowing with young talents who have the potential to have significant careers. The 28-year old James Zito is a very good guitarist who is most inspired by Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and early George Benson. On his recording debut, Zito’s Jump, he performs five standards and six of his originals, often sounding like a classic jazz guitarist from the early-to-mid 1960s.
Zito utilizes a core group consisting of pianist Luther Allison, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Joe Farnsworth along with an occasional five-piece horn section. The title cut, a boogalooish blues that has a slight New Orleans feel, opens the program. “Bird In The Wind,” a tribute to both Charlie Parker and Wes Montgomery, is partly based on the latter’s recording of “Gone With The Wind.” “Island Girl” is a warm bossa nova with Chris Lewis’ flute adding to the atmosphere. “Time Zone” (a complex tune that is basically an augmented blues), Jimmy Smith’s obscure “Ready ‘N Able” (an uptempo run through rhythm changes), another bossa (“Pense Nisso”), and the uptempo “Minor Lies” follow. A version of “The Nearness Of You” has pleasant vocals by Georgia Heers and Tyreek McDole. The enjoyable program concludes with a cooking rendition of “The End Of A Love Affair” (with Chris Lewis sounding fine on tenor), a surprisingly slow reading of “It Could Happen To You,” and two very different versions of “After You’ve Gone.”
Throughout the set, the guitarist plays inventive and swinging solos that revitalize the classic hard bop style with fresh statements. Zito’s Jump is a strong start to his career, available from www.jameszitomusic.com.
Ryan Truesdell
Shades Of Sound
(Outside In Music)
Back in 2011, Ryan Truesdell put together his Gil Evans Project and recorded Centennial. Truesdell and his large ensemble performed the arrangements of Gil Evans (1912-88) from several different periods with many of the charts being ones that were not previously recorded. In 2014 he followed the debut recording with Lines Of Color which had additional Evans arrangements recorded live at the Jazz Standard during May 13-18, 2014.
The newly released Shades of Sound is from the same engagement at the Jazz Standard. Included are four numbers that Evans did have a chance to record: “Spoonful” and “Barbara’s Song” from 1964, “The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men” dating from 1959, and “Buster’s Last Stand” which Evans wrote for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra in the mid-1940s. Three other songs feature vocals by Wendy Gilles, a very good singer who deserves to be heard on her own recordings. Two of those were written for Thornhill (“Laughing At Life” and “I Had Someone Else Before I Had You”) and “It’s The Sentimental Thing To Do” is from the 1950s. In addition, “Neetie’s Blues” was discovered by Truesdell among Evans’ manuscripts.
The Gil Evans arrangements, which were modern for the time, work well with the mostly all-star band. Among the key soloists are the late pianist Frank Kimbrough, tenor-saxophonists Donny McCaslin (well featured in fiery form on “Spoonful” and “Barbara Song”) and Tom Christensen, trombonist Ryan Keberle, and altoist Steve Wilson. While the three vocal numbers and the swinging “Buster’s Last Stand” look back towards Evans’ early days, the other selections are explorative, sometimes gloomy, and thoughtful.
Shades Of Sound (available from www.amazon.com) is a well-rounded release of rarities that makes one wish that Ryan Truesdell would bring back the Gil Evans Project.
Kris Adams & Peter Perfido
Away
(Jazzbird)
The late guitarist Michael O’Neill, who passed away in 2016, was a talented if unsung composer. Drummer Peter Perfido and singer Kris Adams felt that his music should not be lost to history so they co-led a tribute album filled with his songs. Joined by pianist Bob Degen and bassist André Buser, they perform nine O’Neill pieces, two songs by the late drummer Paul Motian, and two other numbers including a free improvisation.
While the music on Away contains plenty of thoughtful ballads, it also has its share of surprises and adventurous performances. Kris Adams has a lovely voice and a wide range with her wordless long tones being consistently memorable. Bob Degen’s creative solos sometimes hint at Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett while André Buser and Peter Perfido (who just has one brief solo) play with subtle creativity behind the lead voices.
Among the highlights are “Play” (which evolves from a quietly expressive ballad to a medium-tempo celebration), “Die Sehnsucht” which is dedicated to Jan Garbarek, the warm vocalizing on “No Ordinary Girl” and “Blessing,” the catchy title cut, and several instrumentals that put the focus on Degen’s creative playing with the trio.
Away, which is available from www.krisadams.com and www.amazon.com, rewards repeated listenings and serves as a fine tribute to Michael O’Neill’s songs which deserve to be remembered.
Jordan VanHemert
Survival Of The Fittest
(Origin)
Tenor-saxophonist Jordan VanHemert’s fifth album as a leader, Survival Of The Fittest, was partly borne out of anger and distress after losing a teaching job due to budget cuts (he has since found one at a different college) and his experiences with racism in general. Despite that, the music on this release (five originals, “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise,” “Come Sunday,” a Korean folk song, and a blues) is generally hopeful, optimistic, and even joyful.
VanHemert, who has a large and personal tone, is joined by pianist Helen Sung, bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Lewis Nash, and occasionally trombonist Michael Dease and trumpeter Terell Stafford. The set begins with “Here And Now” which serves as a fine introduction to VanHemert, his all-star rhythm section and Dease. “Tread Lightly” is a tribute to Thad Jones that has Nash’s drum breaks functioning as part of the melody and Sung taking a particularly spirited solo. Whitaker, whose huge tone on the bass is a consistent delight throughout the program, shares solo honors on “Mourning Comes Again” with Stafford.
Three songs are taken as duets. VanHemert’s interplay with drummer Lewis Nash on a fiery but generally melodic rendition of “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” is outstanding. “Sea Of Tranquility” is a picturesque and otherworldly duet with Sung while “Come Sunday” with bassist Whitaker is respectful yet passionate and a bit adventurous. The other songs are a spiritual jazz transformation of the Korean song “Milyang Arirang,” the medium-tempo “Mo’s Blues” with the full sextet, and a driving hard bop original “Survival Of The Fittest.”
Throughout Survival Of The Fittest, Jordan VanHemert shows that music can help overcome adversity. The result is a satisfying album, available from www.originarts.com.
Lillian Terry
The Song Is You
(Fresh Sound)
In the late 1950s and ‘60s, Lillian Terry (1930-2023) was considered Italy’s top jazz singer. She sang in English (and occasionally Italian) without an accent, swung, and had a real feeling for the music. While she remained very active behind the scenes as an organizer of concerts and educational projects, a television and radio host, and an interviewer of jazz greats, after 1963 she only recorded three full albums. Those included one apiece with the Tommy Flanagan Trio and Dizzy Gillespie, and she also guested on an album with her son pianist Francesco Crosera who is still quite active.
The Song Is You has most of Lillian Terry’s earliest recordings, dating from 1957-63 and only bypassing four songs. With the exception of four standards sung mostly in Italian (including “One For My Baby”), the vocalist could easily pass for an American West Coast cool jazz singer of the era. Other than bassist George Joyner and drummer Buster Smith who are on one session, all of the supportive musicians are Europeans. These include pianists Enrico Intra, George Gruntz and Romano Mussolini (Benito’s son!), trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini, valve trombonist Dino Piana, and tenor-saxophonist Gianni Basso, each of whom are excellent. Among the highlights are “I’ve Got It Bad,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Too Close For Comfort,” a multi-tempoed version of “The Song Is You,” “’Round Midnight,” and “Tune Up.”
Although it is a pity that Lillian Terry did not record much more in her career, The Song Is You gives today’s listeners a definitive look at how fine a singer she was during her early period. It is available from www.freshsoundrecords.com.