Sam Braysher
That’s Him: The Music Of Kurt Weill
(Self-Produced)
Kurt Weill (1900-50) was a major composer and songwriter from Germany best-known in his early years for his work with the musical theater, most notably The Threepenny Opera which included “Mack The Knife.” He fled Nazi Germany in 1933, settling in New York City two years later where he wrote such songs as “Speak Low,” “Lost In The Stars,” “My Ship,” and “September Song.”
On That’s Him, rather than just performing Weill’s “hits,” the distinctive and creative alto-saxophonist Sam Braysher explores nine Weill compositions from both his German and American periods. Recorded in the UK with pianist Matyas Gayer, bassist Dario Di Lecce, drummer Steve Brown and, on three of the numbers, the wonderful singer Sara Dowling, Braysher turns Weill’s songs into straight ahead jazz. Starting with the medium-tempo waltz “Here I Stay,” he revives such lesser-known numbers as “What Good Would The Moon Be” (which has a particularly winning vocal), the ballad “Liebeslied,” and a playful version of “Bilbao-Song” which is performed as a duet with bassist Di Lecce. The closest song on this set to being a standard is “This Is New” although Braysher’s lone original, the tricky and hard-swinging piece “Ships Adrift,” utilizes the chord changes of “My Ship.”
Filled with many inventive alto and piano solos from Braysher and Gayer and stimulating support from Di Leece and Brown, That’s Him is a rewarding exploration of mostly forgotten but superior Kurt Weill pieces. Available from www.sambraysher.com, it makes for a very enjoyable listen.
James Brandon Lewis Quartet
Transfiguration
(Intakt)
Tenor-saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, who is now 40, has gradually become one of the most significant improvisers in jazz. While his sound occasionally hints at John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter, it is actually quite original and personal. His playing is consistently explorative and avant-garde but tempered by his knowledge of earlier styles and he is not reluctant to embrace melodies (as he showed on an album-length tribute to Mahalia Jackson) even as he tears into the music.
Lewis has led a quartet that also includes the adventurous pianist Aruan Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones, and drummer Chad Taylor on at least three albums for the Intakt label since 2020: Molecular, MSM Molecular Systematic Music – Live, and Code Of Being. The musicians’ familiarity with each other’s playing and desire to push the music into unexpected areas is obvious on Transfiguration. The quartet explores eight Lewis originals, many of which are built off of unusual rhythmic patterns played by Jones. The music ranges from the exhilarating title cut to the somber “Trinity Of Creative Self,” the one-chord jam of “Swerve,” and the creative and intense repetitions of “Per 6.” The performances, particularly on “Black Apollo” and “Triptych,” swings in its own way with Jones and Taylor forming a rhythm section that constantly comments on what the lead voices are playing.
Transfiguration is creative jazz of the 21st century and deserving of several listens. It is available from www.intaktrec.ch and www.amazon.com.
Rob Mullins
Best Of The Trio
(Planet Mullins)
Rob Mullins has been a major pianist for the past 40 years, recording dozens of albums as a leader since 1981, excelling in both the straight ahead and pop/jazz fields, and participating in extensive work as a studio musician. He has long had his own sound on keyboards and has been a longtime member of Hubert Laws’ bands.
For those who enjoy Mullins’ straight ahead playing, Best Of The Trio is a must. He is heard on acoustic piano performing with six different trios. Chronologically it begins with a soulful rendition of “Georgia On My Mind” from 1988 with bassist Marty Ruddy and drummer Larry Thompson from the album 5th Gear. Four songs, including “Body And Soul” and “The Song Is You,” are from 1989’s Jazz Jazz and team Mullins with the remarkable bassist Brian Bromberg (who has a few dazzling solos) and drummer Joel Taylor.
2006’s Standards And More with bassist David Levray and drummer Evan Stone is represented by a spectacular version of “Fur Elise.” That Beethoven melody might be played by every beginning piano student but certainly not this way! The trio of Mullins, bassist Max Benson and drummer Evan Stone dig into a spirited version of “Over The Rainbow” from the 2017 album of the same name. Seven songs, including “Moonlight In Vermont,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Stompin’ At The Savoy,” are from 2018’s The Nearness Of You with bassist Will Lyle and drummer Nikko Salvadore. And finally there are two previously unreleased numbers (“Cha Cha Cha!” and “Riders Of The Storm”) from 2021 with bassist Jonathan Kirsch and drummer Nathan Douglas.
Despite spanning 33 years, The Best Of The Trio has a strong unity that is bolstered by the fact that Rob Mullins has been a brilliant player and has had his own sound since at least the late 1980s. Even the most familiar songs are given creative twists and turns. This CD is easily recommended and available from www.planetmullins.com and www.amazon.com.
Monty Alexander
D-Day
(Peewee!)
The great veteran pianists Monty Alexander was born on June 6, 1944, D-Day. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of both, he recorded a new trio session with bassist Luke Sellick and drummer Jason Brown.
Alexander performs two vintage songs often heard in the 1940s (“I’ll Never Smile Again” and “Smile”) along with a set of his originals that have titles of relevance to the period including “Aggression,” “Restoration,” “June 6” and “V.E. Swing.” Although there is a little bit of spoken word at the beginning of the program and on “D Day Voices” (plus a brief singalong on the concluding “Day-O”), most of the music is swinging jazz, often on blues-oriented changes, along with a touch of reggae.
Suffice it to say that the individual songs stand apart when heard independently of the D-Day theme, the musical communication between the members of the trio is impressive, and Monty Alexander is heard throughout the set in his usual brilliant and swinging form. D-Day is available from www.amazon.com.
Alice Coltrane
The Carnegie Hall Concert
(Impulse!)
Alice Coltrane was originally a bop-oriented pianist who took lessons from Bud Powell and had a stint with Terry Gibbs’ group. After meeting and marrying John Coltrane, she was part of his quintet during 1966-67 up until his death. After that she took up the harp, raised a family, became very involved with Eastern religions, and during 1970-72 recorded her most significant jazz albums before leaving the secular music scene.
The two-CD set The Carnegie Hall Concert has Ms. Coltrane’s set from Feb. 21, 1971. The four performances were previously unreleased and are consistently intriguing. The first two numbers, “Journey In Satchidananda” and “Shiva Loka,” are mostly quiet and thoughtful. Coltrane is on harp and joined by Archie Shepp (on soprano), Pharoah Sanders (flute and soprano), bassists Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee, drummers Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis, Tulsi on tamboura (a lute) and Kumar Kramer on harmonium; the latter two are under recorded. In both cases, the basses mostly play a repeated riff as the foundations of the songs with “Shiva Loka” sounding a bit like a one-chord version of “Equinox.” This is meditative music with Coltrane’s harp being used mostly as a drone.
The mood is drastically different on the second CD. The tamboura and harmonium are dropped, both Shepp and Sanders switch to tenors and Alice Coltrane is on piano. Along with the two bassists and two drummers they perform a 28-minute version of “Africa” (which has plenty of raging tenors and a particularly inventive bass solo from McBee) and “Leo”; the latter is highlighted by Coltrane’s powerful piano playing.
An added plus to this “new” music are the extensive and definitive liner notes by producer Ed Michel who tells the full story behind the concert, and Lauren Du Graf. As a leader, Alice Coltrane only recorded a handful of important albums. The Carnegie Hall Concert (which is available from www.amazon.com) is one of them.
Bob Mover/Walter Davis Jr.
The Salerno Concert
(Reel To Reel)
Altoist Bob Mover (1952- ) and pianist Walter Davis Jr. (1932-90) performed as a duet as often as they could during 1987-90 but, despite their musical excellence, they were unable to find that much work. Their only joint recording prior to this new discovery is a 1988 Davis album (Illumination) released in Japan, a trio set during which Mover appears on four songs.
The Salerno Concert, taken from a performance in Italy in 1989, is an important find. Unreleased for 35 years, the duet set finds Mover and Davis clearly enjoying playing together (there are some witty song quotes heard along the way) and consistently challenging each other. While bebop-oriented pianists have sometimes been criticized for having a sparse left hand, Davis plays enough bass lines and rhythmic accents to make the absence of a bassist and a drummer largely irrelevant. Mover, who is from a later generation but has a classic sound on the alto, a command of the bop vocabulary, and displays plenty of emotion in his playing (sometimes creating furious double-time runs), proves to be a perfect match for the pianist.
Walter Davis Jr, who had been on records since 1953 and had worked with Charlie Parker, is heard in prime form despite it being only a year before his passing. He and Mover explore such classic material as “Star Eyes,” “Donna Lee,” a passionate “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and even “Salt Peanuts,” delighting in each other’s playing.
The Salerno Concert, which was produced by Cory Weeds and John Bennett, is easily recommended and available from www.cellarlive.com.
Archie Shepp
Derailleur
(Triple Point)
Derailleur is a previously unreleased Lp that tenor-saxophonist Archie Shepp made in the spring of 1964 as a demo in hopes of interesting record labels in his music. 26 at the time, Shepp had already recorded with Cecil Taylor and Buell Neidlinger in 1960-61, co-led an album with trumpeter Bill Dixon in 1962, had been a member of the NY Contemporary Five, shared an album with altoist John Tchicai in 1963, and was captured live co-leading a quintet with baritonist Lars Gullin in Europe later that year. Shepp would record his first Impulse album Four For Trane on Impulse in August, an important step in him finding fame as one of the leading avant-garde saxophonists of the era. Whether the music on Derailleur was heard by producer Bob Thiele and a factor in leading to the Impulse contract is not known.
For this set, Shepp hired the quartet co-led by soprano-saxophonist Steve Lacy and trombonist Roswell Rudd that also included bassist Arthur Harper and drummer Denis Charles. While Rudd would become part of the tenor’s group a few years later, the only other times that Shepp and Lacy ever recorded together were with Cecil Taylor in 1961 and on one piece with a Carla Bley group later in 1964.
The Derailleur Lp’s first side consists of the three selections utilized on the demo. “Dunbar Days & Miami Joys” is a medium-tempo blues with some African-flavored drumming Shepp, who normally displayed the influence of Ben Webster during this period, actually sounds closer to Sonny Rollins on this number. He stretches the blues a bit and there are short spots for Rudd and Lacy. “Viva Jomo” is a one-chord vamp in 5/4 with a wild melody, passionate solos, and colorful interplay by the horns. Side one concludes with Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” which has an emotional statement by Shepp who also has a short cadenza.
Side two of the album consists of alternates takes of “Viva Jomo” and “Dunbar Days & Miami Joys.” The former has a brief breakdown and then two complete versions that in spots is even wilder than the accepted take. Other than two brief scraps, “Dunbar Days & Miami Joys” is heard in one complete version.
While one wishes that the quintet (which never again would play together as a unit) had performed more numbers, this historic release is rewarding. The excellent liner notes by Ben Young are a bonus. Archie Shepp’s Derailleur is available from www.triplepointrecords.com.
Fred Lipsius
Facets Of Love
(Francesca)
Fred Lipsius, who is now 80, is best-known for being the saxophonist, arranger and pianist for Blood, Sweat and Tears during its prime years (1967-71). He also appeared on around 30 other albums including a few as a leader, and as a sideman with guitarist Rodney Jones, trumpeter Peter Welker, and guitarist Gerry Beaudoin. In addition, Lipsius was a professor at the Berklee College Of Music for 35 years (1985-2020).
Facets Of Love features Lipsius on alto and tenor while accompanying himself (via overdubbing) on piano or Fender Rhodes. He performs eight jazz standards, playing “Cherokee” twice (once on alto and once on tenor). His piano playing is strictly as an accompanist but his saxophone playing is quite outstanding. Sometimes sounding a bit like Sonny Stitt, Lipsius shows a real mastery of the bebop vocabulary and really digs into the songs. As a bonus, he takes “Lover Man” and the first half of “That’s All” unaccompanied. Other highpoints include “There Will Never Be Another You,” “Tenderly” and “It Could Happen To You.”
Fred Lipsius, who should record a quartet album, sounds in great form throughout Facets Of Love, an easily recommended set that is available from www.amazon.com.
Sean Hong Wei & Jeremy Monteiro
The New Jersey Sessions
(Jazznote)
Jeremy Monteiro is a well-known jazz pianist from Singapore while Sean Hong Wei will be a new name to most American listeners. A fluent tenor-saxophonist who has an attractive tone and a swinging style, Hong at 23 already displays plenty of maturity in his playing, not feeling content to merely fill in the space with excessive notes.
Hong and Monteiro are joined by bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Evan Sherman for seven jazz standards, the lesser-known “Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You,” and the pianist’s “Life Goes On.” Two songs apiece add either trumpeter Alex Sipiagin or tenor-saxophonist Houston Person. It is a measure of Sean Hong Wei’s talents that he holds his own with Person on “Bags’ Groove.”
The spirited playing on such songs as Charlie Parker’s “Dewey Square” (which has some hot soloing from Sipiagin), “A Weaver Of Dreams,” “Out Of Nowhere,” and “I Want To Talk About You” reminds one that jazz has for the past century been a universal language and has inspired talented artists from around the globe. While Jeremy Monteiro’s playing is always worth celebrating, this straight ahead jazz set (available from www.amazon.com) also serves as a fine introduction to Sean Hong Wei.
Luther Allison
I Owe It All To You
(Posi-tone)
Jazz pianist and drummer Luther Allison, no relation to the late blues guitarist, is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. He made his recording debut in 2016 with Michael Dease when he was 19, has appeared on several other albums on the Posi-Tone label, and played piano with Samara Joy on her album Tight. While he is also an excellent drummer, Allison sticks to piano on I Owe It All To You.
The trio set with bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Zach Adleman is modern mainstream jazz. Allison’s playing is featured on such pieces as his soulful and boppish “I Owe It All To You,” the thoughtful yet unpredictable ballad “Until I See You Again,” a version of James Williams’ hard bop strut “Say Dr. J.” that is worthy of Bobby Timmons, and several real cookers. On his original “New York,” Allison’s heated playing recalls early McCoy Tyner but he mostly sounds quite original on the other pieces which include Mulgrew Miller’s “From Day To Day,” Harold Mabern’s “There But for The Grace Of…” and “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.”
Luther Allison’s trio with Kozlov and Adleman is tight, swings hard, and often thinks as one. Any listener who enjoys the classic jazz piano trio will find much to savor on I Owe It All To You which is available from www.posi-tone.com.
Pascal Bokar
I Can Tell
(AfroBlueGrazz Sound)
Pascal Bokar is known as an authority on early African music and its connection to jazz. He teaches at the University of San Francisco, is an author and, as a guitarist, his music in the past has blended together jazz with World Music. However his new project with his AfroBlueGrazz Band is quite a bit different.
On this six-song EP I Can Tell, Bokar has created a passionate and often-rollicking blues-oriented set. His nine-piece group features him as a singer who also plays guitar while joined by banjo (Avram Siegel), fiddle, keyboards, rhythm guitar, percussion, bass, drums, and balafon plus two background singers and a few guests including two vocals from Paula Harris. While the opening “I Can Tell” has Bokar stating the song’s title a few too many times, he excels throughout as a singer on five of his originals and Otis Spann’s “The Blues Don’t Like Nobody.”
While the use of banjo and balafon loosely tie the music to its African roots, this vocal-oriented set will be a surprise to those who are familiar with Pascal Bokar’s prior recordings. Blues fans in particular should consider I Can Tell (available from www.pascalbokar.com) to be well worth checking out.
Luiz Munoz
Glimmering Path
(Pélin Music)
Luis Munoz is a keyboardist and composer who was born in Costa Rica and has been based in the U.S. since 1974. While he has extensively written music for documentaries, dance and theater, he has also recorded albums as a leader since 1988. His music is diverse, mixing together jazz with World Music influences and often featuring artists from a variety of countries.
The six songs on the recent Lp Glimmering Path cover a lot of areas. The opener, “En El Jardin De La Plenitud,” is a thoughtful duet by Munoz on piano and synth with soprano-saxophonist Tim Buckner. The Guyanese singer Lois Mahalia makes the first of her four appearances on “Crescent Moon.” Munoz’s repeated chordal playing on the beat (he also plays synth and bass on this selection) perfectly fits the haunting vocal. “My Love” is an r&bish pop song while the melancholy “August” has some nice guitar work from Daniel Zimmerman and prominent bass playing from Randy Tico.
The second side of the Lp begins with some light fusion on “The Three Seasons.” Lois Mahalia is at her best on the nostalgic waltz “River Of Love,” a tune that in some places is reminiscent of the 1890s song “After The Ball.” Bill Flores’ steel guitar is a welcome addition, adding to the piece’s lazy mood. Glimmering Path concludes with the most intense track, “Lords Of War,” which has Ms. Mahalia practically screaming in her vocal.
Luis Munoz, who wrote all of the music, displays his versatility throughout the intriguing album which grows in interest with each listen. It is available from www.luismunoz.net.
Chad Edwards
Wyoming Roads
(Self-Released)
Chad Edwards, who has a “day job” at NASA, is an excellent modern mainstream pianist who plays with the San Gabriel Seven. While he has also worked with fusion and Retro Swing groups in the past, his second recording as a leader Wyoming Roads (which follows Resolution) is mostly straight ahead jazz that often has a Latin tinge. Edwards is joined by the great tenor-saxophonist Robert Kyle (who also plays a bit of soprano and flute on this CD), bassist Hussain Jiffry, and drummer-percussionists Kevin Winard. The quartet performs five of the pianist’s originals plus fresh renditions of four standards.
Wyoming Roads begins with the easy-listening title cut which has Kyle on soprano. Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” which is usually a waltz, is reinvented a bit by being performed in 4/4 time and given a light funky rhythm. “Momma Wanna Llama” is a soul jazz original with Edwards doubling on organ. “Alone Together” and “Autumn Leaves” are turned into Latin romps, while “Azure Sky, Sapphire Sea” and the waltz “Trey” manage to be picturesque while swinging. Also performed are a driving version of “Wave” and the relaxed “Tierney” which has some particularly rewarding flute playing by Kyle.
There is no need for further analysis. Wyoming Roads succeeds at being both accessible and full of subtle creativity with each of the musicians playing quite well. A joy to hear, Wyoming Roads is available from www.chadedwardsmusic.com.
Alexis Cole and the Taipei Jazz Orchestra
Jazz Republic
(Tiger Turn)
A very talented singer with a warm voice, a solid sense of swing, and a winning musical personality, Alexis Cole showed a lot of potential as early as the late 1990s when she recorded her first album shortly after graduating from college. She established herself in New York, performed extensively in Europe and throughout the world, and then spent 2009-15 in the Army where she was the vocalist with the West Point’s big band The Jazz Knights. She has remained quite active as a singer and an educator ever since her discharge.
In 2022 Alexis Cole spent a month in Taiwan working with the Taipei Jazz Orchestra. The following January she returned to Taiwan to make the CD Jazz Republic which has the subtitle “Taiwan, The United States and the Freedom Of Swing.” Dr. Gene Aitkin conducted the big band (which is directed by Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee) and arrangements were gathered from a variety of sources with three by Chris Walden. In addition to the members of the big band, there are appearances on one or two songs apiece from altoist Brandon Fields, pianist-clarinetist Tom Ranier, altoist Jeff Benedict, and trumpeter James Linahon plus a few string players.
The repertoire on Jazz Republic consists of nine jazz standards, Billy Joe’s “Uptown Girl” (which would have benefitted from having the lyrics changed to a female point of view), and Paul Winter’s “Common Ground.” Some of the arrangements seem unnecessarily modernized for the material (particularly “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Moon River”) and one wishes that all of the soloists were identified but Alexis Cole is heard throughout in prime form. Her rendition of “People Will Say We’re In Love,” “Beyond The Sea,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” and a slow and sensuous “Begin The Beguine” are among the highlights.
Alexis Cole had plenty of experience performing with big bands in the Army and it shows in her mature interpretations of the standards and her ability to soar effortlessly above the ensembles. Jazz Republic, which is available from www.alexiscole.com and www.amazon.com, is a fine example of her artistry.