The Necessary Blues

March was an excellent month for album releases; as usual, there are too many to cover! Part of the glut of great records is attributable to one label alone – see my write-up below about the deluge from the Portuguese label Clean Feed. A common thread runs through most of the great releases of March 2023 – a brave embrace of multiple genres at once and an effort to move beyond categories to find a new way of expressing ideas that are common to us all. Great music will do that – convey what is human and affirm that connection in the ear and mind of the listener.

Pick hit!
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily – Love In Exile
(released March 24th, 2023)

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify

Arooj Aftab – Vocals
Vijay Iyer – Acoustic and electric pianos
Shahzad Ismaily – Electric bass

Combining Arooj Aftab’s haunting vocals and the mesmerizing instrumentals of Vijay Iyer’s piano with Shahzad Ismaily’s bass immediately sounds like a terrific idea. The new record created by these three musicians has exceeded even these high expectations – Love In Exile reveals an astounding stream of consciousness and pacing that segues beautifully from beginning to end. The three musicians also explain their music really well in a terrific interview with Nate Chinen at NPR, which you can listen to here. I love Aftab’s funny remark that they would avoid “new-aging it” when an idea got tired. Love In Exile is surely a fusion of jazz and world music idioms, but it’s also better than that – it communicates in a language that transcends genre and speaks to the listener directly—an early frontrunner for album of the year.

Pick hit!
Clean Feed “Data Dump” (the good kind)
I’m sure you’ll agree a “data dump” does not have positive associations. But that was what came to mind when I got an email from Clean Feed on March 21st, announcing the release of 11 new albums on the same day. I thought they must be putting out a bunch of old stuff stuck in the vaults, so imagine my surprise when I discovered each album is a gem, one distinctive and magnificent release after another. It’s too much to review them all here, so here is an alphabetical list of these releases, which are linked for your own exploration:

André Carvalho – Lost in Translation Vol​.​II

Asbjørn Lerheim | Roger Arntzen | Michiyo Yagi | Tamaya Honda – Chrome Hill Duo meets D​ō​j​ō​: Live at Aketa No Mise

François Houle Genera Sextet – In Memoriam

Grdina | Maneri | Lillinger – Live at the Armoury

Luis Lopes ABYSS MIRRORS – echoisms

Mário Costa – Chromosome

MOVE – The City

Roots Magic Sextet – Long Old Road

Sei Miguel Unit Core – Road Music

Sei Miguel – The Original Drum

THE SELVA – Camar​ã​o​-​Giraf

Several of these did grab our ears right away (and are reviewed below), but they all are more than worthy! Right now, we’re thinking about packing up our bags and taking a long – and musical – trip to Lisbon, which judging by these albums, might be the world’s center for exciting music.

Mário Costa – Chromosome
(released March 21st, 2023)

Mário Costa – drums, electronics & composition
Cuong Vu – trumpet
Benoît Delbecq – piano, synths & samplers
Bruno Chevillon – double bass

Mário Costa is a Portuguese drummer with a very unique sound. On this, his second solo album, Costa plays the trap drum kit but does it with a range of soft percussive ideas that engage with – but don’t overwhelm – the rest of the band. The quiet drumming prompts you to hear the interaction between Delbecq’s keyboards and Vu’s trumpet. The knotty compositions are just as fascinating as the band’s dynamics. A terrific album from a real talent.

Sei Miguel Unit Core – Road Music
(released March 21st, 2023)

SM – all compositions, arrangements and (pocket) trumpet
Fala Mariamc- alto trombone
Bruno Silva – electric guitar
Pedro Castello Lopes – triangle on 2, clave on 3, pandeiro on 4, kalengo on 8

Sei Miguel – The Original Drum
(released March 21st, 2023)

André Gonçalves – Lyra-8 on track 1
Bruno Parrinha – Alto Clarinet on track 3
Ernesto Rodrigues – Viola on track 2
Fala Mariam – Alto Trombone on all tracks
Helena Espvall – Cello on track 4
Monsieur Trinité Udu – Mbwata on track 2
Nuno Torres – Alto Saxophone on track 3
Paulo Curado – Flute on track 3
Rafael Toral – Modified MS-2 Feedback on track 4
Raphael Soares – Claves on tracks 1 and 3
Rodrigo Amado – Tenor Saxophone on track 3
Sami Tarik – Tamborim on track 3, Pandeiro on track 4
Sei Miguel – (Pocket) Trumpet on all tracks

Two outstanding albums by Portuguese pocket trumpet legend Sei Miguel, both released on the same day. Hard to pick between the two – they are cut from the same musical cloth, and complement each other. The Original Drum is a studio album that makes effective use of spare background percussion and electronics to give a spacial dimension to the music. The settings help lend a centered peacefulness to Migeul’s microtonal trumpet. Road Music consists of live recordings from 2016 to 2021, which focus on the dialogue between Migeul and alto trombonist Fala Mariam that is crucial to both albums. Miguel and Mariam share a very simpatico language, creating complementary lines of sound, texture, and thought. Miguel emphasizes the importance of the dialogue he shares with his musicians in his music and compositions – “My pieces, more or less ambitious, are on the brink, the edge: between what I think I know and what I think I ignore. Visions. Tributes. And, of course, also a means to highlight the talent of musicians I am grateful to work with.”

Grdina | Maneri | Lillinger – Live at the Armoury
(released March 21st, 2023)

Gordon Grdina guitar, oud
Mat Maneri viola
Christian Lillinger drums

Grdina, Maneri, and Lilinger are well-known, all essential players in improvised music. This entry sounds especially noteworthy for its sheer musicality – it’s a remarkable achievement to make completely free, outside music that’s not intimidating, where everything clicks so completely. Maneri, in particular, shines here – I loved the section 14 minutes into the opening track, when the music softens, and Maneri plays a cycle of sustained, eerie notes over subtle drum accents. When totally improvised music finds this feeling of presence in the moment, nothing is better.

THE SELVA – Camar​ã​o​-​Girafa
(released March 21st, 2023)

Ricardo Jacinto cello and electronics (+ harmonium on Cocuruto)
Gonçalo Almeida double bass and electronics
Nuno Morão drums and percussion

THE SELVA, according to its Bandcamp page, “explores the intersections between the broad musical spectrum of each of its members, presenting live an improvised, electro-acoustic, multi-idiomatic musical dialogue and strongly influenced by minimal and repetitive strategies.” The band states their music is “without a defined genre and reaches progressively more focused compositions on repeated motifs and slow textural transformations, new horizons and contours.” The music is at the intersection of jazz, classical, and rock, each moment morphing from one to the other. Why use labels? The album is a persuasive argument to leave them behind.

Ludovica Burtone – Sparks
(Released March 3rd, 2023)

Ludovica Burtone – violin
Fung Chern Hwei – violin
Leonor Falcon – viola
Mariel Roberts – cello
Marta Sanchez – piano
Matt Aronoff – bass
Nathan Ellman-Bell – drums
Sami Stevens – guest vocalist
Melissa Aldana – tenor sax on “Awakening”

Composer, arranger, and violinist Ludovica Burtone presents a debut album inspired by her experiences immigrating from Italy to the United States. The album’s mix of classical, jazz, and a string quartet with rhythm section integration is stimulating and fun. Bizarrely, the Bandcamp page does not list the players, who are all world-class. I love Melissa Aldana’s sax feature, but even better is Marta Sanchez’s piano throughout, a constant complement and diversion to Burtone’s dynamic settings.

Nguyên Lê Trio – Silk and Sand
(released February 24th, 2023)

Nguyên Lê – guitar
Chris Jennings – bass
Rhani Krija – percussion

Before this album, I had never heard of French/Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê. If you want to get a visual metaphor for his sound – check out the picture on the front page of Lê’s website, which shows him shredding his axe while standing on top of an ancient mountain, his robes flowing behind him in the wind. Wild! Yes, this album is a blast, ping-ponging back and forth from influences from Asian music and modern guitar music – or, as he declares on one of his albums, “roots to future, local to global.” Evocative and fun.

Genevieve Artadi – Forever Forever
(released March 17th, 2023)

Genevieve Artadi – vocals and
Pedro Martins -guitar
Chiquita Magic – synth bass
Christopher Fishman -piano
Louis Cole – drums
Daniel Sunshine – drums

Genevieve Artadi’s Forever Forever is an exciting new release that Artadi says “encompasses a truly kaleidoscopic range of influences . . . rooted in jazz, but winding up at alternative rock or avant pop, it’s in the lineage of legendary boundary-testers Stereolab and Talking Heads.” Atari describes the influences that inspired the album as “random flashes of inspiration from Chopin, Bach (I was learning some 2-part inventions during the lockdown), Debussy, Nancy Wilson, Björk, Ryan Power, Nobukazu Takemura, The Beatles, Dionne Warwick…” A great mix and the album takes one surprising and delightful turn after the next. If you’re in the NYC area, you can see Artardi on May 3rd at Public Records in Brooklyn.

GEORGE – Letters to George
(released January 27th, 2023)

Anna Webber – tenor saxophone/flute
Aurora Nealand – voice/alto saxophone/soprano saxophone/keyboards
Chiquita Magic – keyboards/voice/piano
John Hollenbeck – drums/piano/composition

Letters to George is music born as a reaction to the world’s darkness. GEORGE leader and drummer John Hollenbeck says, “The murder of George Floyd was a point where people like me, who thought they were already on a righteous path, realized they were ignorant and de-sensitized to the rampant racism, sexism and injustice that is ingrained in our world. After trying to get over the utter stupidity and anguish that I felt in the aftermath of Floyd’s death, I promised to work harder and to not forget. In hindsight, I realized that this was the beginning of my new band, GEORGE, which is in a quiet way, a tribute to George Floyd.” Hollenbeck decided to make this change by challenging himself with a new band of musicians (all women) that could create a stimulating combination of sounds and textures. Here Hollenbeck has brilliantly combined (along with his trap drums) the powerful sax and flute playing of Anna Webber, the altogether one-of-a-kind Aurora Nealand on vocals and saxophone, and the energetic keyboards of Chiquita Magic (who also plays keys on Genevieve Artadi’s Forever Forever reviewed above). It’s a diverse set of sounds, which remarkably combine into a cohesive band aesthetic. I hope these musicians continue to play and develop their concept together – the world needs more records from GEORGE.

TNB Achival Release of the Month:
As​-​Shams Archive Vol. 1: South African Jazz, Funk & Soul 1975​-​1982
(released March 3rd, 2023)

Sometimes compilations don’t gel for a variety of reasons – the styles of the artists may not complement each other, the label may not have the rights to the best material from the artist(s) involved, or maybe the artists used to fill out the album don’t have the juice to make a great release. Those thoughts are blown away when you’re listening to a compilation like As-Shams Vol. 1 – the voltage of these artists from a prime period in South African funk and jazz is enough to light a small city. Highlights abound, from Kippie Moeketsi’s ebullient alto sax, the chromaticism of Tete Mbambisa’s big band sound, or in particular, Basil Coetzee’s iconic tenor, which graces four of the album’s ten tracks. Bandcamp did an excellent Daily feature called “Legendary South African Jazz Label As-Shams Gets a Second Life,” which spotlights this release and the mid-1970s South African scene. Maybe what’s most remarkable is that these albums were produced and recorded under Apartheid and in the shadow of the Soweto Uprising of 1976—a tribute to invincible music and the spirit of freedom.

(Shorter in Belgrade October 2010; Image from Tim Dickerson)

As you likely already know, Wayne Shorter died on March 2nd at age 89. A career as influential and productive as Shorter’s is not easy to adequately cover, so check out the obituary by Nate Chinen at The New York Times for a good look at Shorter’s brilliance. The depth and impact of Shorter’s music is breathtaking. Nobody in music surpasses Shorter’s importance as both a composer and improviser.

In the many tributes and reminiscences after Shorter’s death, author and critic Mark Stryker (@Mark_Stryker) published a Twitter thread that jumped out and inspired this post. Here’s a screenshot:

Stryker argues that Shorter’s ballads are a supreme element of his art. Composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue joined the conversation and added that Shorter’s ballads rival and arguably surpass those of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Highest praise indeed! Stryker created a playlist of these ballads, which we have duplicated in Spotify here and Apple Music here.

We’ve chosen to focus on three Shorter ballads that illustrate important eras of Shorter’s music-making. Wayne Shorter lives!

“Nefertiti”
Link to Spotify
Link to Apple Music
Link to YouTube

(album cover art from Columbia Records)
(The Miles Davis Quintet, on the album Nefertiti – Recorded on June 7th, 1967, at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio, Released March 1968)
Personnel:
Miles Davis – trumpet
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Ron Carter – double bass
Tony Williams – drums

The lore surrounding the tune “Nefertiti,” and the band that recorded it, is immense. Miles Davis’ 2nd “classic quintet” created one of the essential blueprints for modern music. The album Nefertiti is the third of the Davis quintet and the last acoustic album Davis would record. Shorter’s 16-bar tune, “Nefertiti,” was the first track recorded for the album and sets the album’s loose but “locked in” feel. Herbie Hancock (who ordinarily does not do interviews about the process of music) gives a deep and illuminating interview about the recording of this song. Hancock suggested to Davis the most radical choice on “Nefertiti”: to not play solos. Instead, the band cycles through the melody over and over, each time with Shorter and Davis playing with more dissonance and the piano and drums playing with more independence. Williams’ drums are especially prominent: saxophonist Bob Belden called the performance a “drum concerto as composition.” You can’t listen to this song without dwelling on Shorter’s greatness as a composer – he sets all the elements in place that create one of the definitive performances in music. All the planets are aligned – an incredible performance of a definitive tune by a singular band.

“Ana Maria”
Link to Spotify
Link to Apple Music
Link to YouTube

(Album cover art from thejazzrecord.com)

(from Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer – Recorded September 12th, 1974; Released January 18th, 1975)
On “Ana Maria”:
Wayne Shorter – Soprano saxophone
David Amaro – acoustic guitar
Herbie Hancock – piano
Wagner Tiso – organ
Dave McDaniel – bass
Robertinho Silva – drums
Airto Moreira – percussion

There’s an epic feeling about the meeting of the music greats – I’m thinking of the majestic studios recording of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, the epic duel of Max Roach and Cecil Taylor at Town Hall, or the simpatico collaborations of David Bowie and Brian Eno. There are many other examples, but the meeting of two of the greatest – Wayne Shorter and Milton Nascimento, should be on the list. There are many reasons why the collaboration of Shorter with the Brazilian music star is special, but I think the top one is the innate lyricism both musicians share. Not just lyricism, but two complementary versions of that rare talent – Shorter bringing a terse, elliptical, evocative variant and Nascimento an effusive, naturally buoyant majesty. The combination is magic.

So it’s bizarre to think now that Shorter fans who were looking for more of “Nefertiti” were disappointed with Native Dancer when it was released in 1975. Maybe because Nascimento was a new, unfamiliar name, it was not easy to see the greatness of this album and its successful fusion of musical worlds. Native Dancer is a distinct one-off for both musicians and, from this vantage point, a timeless classic.

Don’t miss out on listening to the whole album, but turning to our focus on the ballads, Native Dancer features two remarkable examples penned by Shorter. At the midpoint of the album is Shorter’s “Diane.” Preceded by several tunes that feature Nascimento’s expansive tunesmith and singing, the terse haiku of “Diane” is a cool balm. It’s fragmented melody suggests worlds of beauty, and serves as a perfect change of direction to the album’s otherwise effusive music. The second Shorter ballad of the album, “Ava Maria,” is named after Shorter’s wife and features Shorter on soprano sax, which had supplanted the tenor as Shorter’s main axe in the 1970s.

“Ana Maria” is a long-form composition with a fully drawn out and complex melodic line. As educator Ron Grottos observes, “Wayne Shorter composed it so that each A section begins the same way, but then goes off in slightly different ways. In this respect, and in its extended length, “Ana Maria” is similar to some of Cole Porter’s songs such as “So In Love” and “Begin The Beguine.” This structure gives the tune the feel of a composed improvisation. Shorter’s playing breaks free of the melodic line only in the last minute of the performance; as usual, he says a lot with just a few phases, effectively as a coda to the song. The flowing lyricism of Shorter’s playing throughout is wondrous.

“Starry Night”
Link to Spotify
Link to Apple Music
Link to YouTube

(The Wayne Shorter Quartet at the 2010 New Orleans and Heritage Festival; L-R Danilo Perez, Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade; Image Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

(from Wayne Shorter’s Without A Net – Recorded live European tour and studio recordings, circa October-November 2011, released February 5th, 2013)
Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
Danilo Perez – piano
John Patitucci – bass
Brian Blade – drums

Shorter’s “Footprints Quartet” quartet with Perez/Patitucci/Blade is the touring band he used for the last two decades and is the rhythm section on most of his recordings from 2001 onward. It’s an incredible band, visible as “bringing avant-garde practice into the heart of the jazz mainstream,” according to Chinen in the NYT obit linked above. You can hear what makes this band special throughout the first album Shorter did his return to Blue Note, 2013’s Without A Net. This band emphasizes searching and probing music – a kind of collective quest in real time. Another thrill of listening to the Shorter live albums with this band is the palpable sense of the music existing in a specific moment. Usually, I’m not a big fan of grunts, groans, and yelps from the band, but here those exhortations make a perfect complement (and outgrowth) of the quest that the band is on. So when we hear what I think is Brian Blade exhaling “phew” several times during Shorter’s magnificent solo on “Plaza Real,” it only adds to the thrill – Blade (if it’s him) is a surrogate for the listener and rivets our attention and appreciation. Even better is the over-the-top “Oh My God!” exclaimed by somebody from the Imani Winds during “Pegasus.” Depending on your mood, it’s cheesy fun or confirms you’re listening to the heaviest thing in the world.

This searching mode of music making creates a distinctive kind of ballad, different from “Nefertiti” and “Ana Maria.” While those other songs reveal their structure and melodic material right away, “Starry Night” builds slowly in a linear rather than cyclical way. The performance starts with a piano introduction from Perez that captures the tune’s melodic material but shrouds it in a dramatic rubato. Shorter’s tenor sax enters the song two and a half minutes in – he does not sketch the melody but instead plays a beautiful counterpoint that, while brief, is ravishingly beautiful. After a contemplative piano and bass interlude, the band collectively builds the music to a dramatic crescendo. Thom Jurek captures the song’s flavor in his All Music review: “the group aesthetic is especially noticeable in the penetrating romanticism of “Starry Night,” where what appears restrained — at least initially — is actually quite exploratory and forceful.” For a terrific view into the chemistry and power of this band, check out this video of “Stary Night” performed live. One does not usually associate a ballad with the force and volume the band gets to on this tune – in both the performance on Without a Net and the one on YouTube, the ballad is used as a springboard for an exercise of dynamic interplay that is this band’s raison d’être.

Of course, we could fill many more blog posts or an entire book about the fantastic ballads that Wayne Shorter wrote and performed. Make sure you listen to the great playlist that Stryker suggested – gems from top to bottom. Some further highlights among the highlights – of course, the classic “Infant Eyes” from all-time great Speak No Evil, Shorter’s heartbreaking tribute to Billy Holiday, “Lady Day,” and the sophisticated “Dear Sir,” which Shorter contributed to Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator . . . the beauty feels endless the more time you spend there. Wayne Shorter gave us so much music that will be there for us and future generations of listeners. The music will always be there for you.

(Shorter and Nascimento, Image from Rolling Stone, credited to Instagram)

It got cold again in NYC after a warm winter. We even saw a few flakes in the air, but still no real snow until the very end of the month. With more time indoors, we’ve been listening to music (of course) and bring you are album picks for the month. This time we have burning twin guitar energy from Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade, and a classic free jazz journey from Dave Liebman with incredible trumpet by Peter Evans, and the lots of other good stuff, too – hope you enjoy it!

TNB Pick!
Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade: Dion’s Quest
(released February 10, 2023)

Greg Ward – Alto Sax, Vocals
Matt Gold – Guitar, Effects, Synths, Vocals
Dave Miller – Guitar, Effects, Vocals
Matt Ulery – Upright and Electric Bass, Vocals
Quin Kirchner – Drums, Vocals

Ward brings the noise with this two-guitar program of ecstatic, soaring music. Dion’s Quest is Rogue Parade’s follow-up to 2019’s Stomping Off From Greenwood, and the two albums result from seven years of developing a sound that the liner notes say is “raw, eclectic and full of passion.” I agree, and the whole album is strong, our most-played record of February. Need to see this band live!

TNB Pick!
Dave Liebman – Live at Smalls
(released February 3, 2023)

Dave Liebman – saxophones
Peter Evans – trumpet
Leo Genovese – piano
John Herbert – bass
Tyshawn Sorey – drums

A continuous set of free jazz, which Liebman breaks up on the record as “The Beginning,” “The Middle,” and “The End.” The liner notes are by Liebman’s daughter, who says John Coltrane inspired her father to return to “free” playing. Remarkably, the musicians here had never all played together before. You can’t tell that from the evidence of this album, they sound great together, and I can only hope we get a studio record from this band. Special kudos to Peter Evans, who tears up every solo he gets, and when he does, he frankly dominates the music (in a very good way).

Oriol Roca Trio & Lynn Cassiers – Live at Jazz Cava
(released February 11, 2023)

Lynn Cassiers – Voice and Electronics
Giovanni Di Domenico – Piano
Manolo Cabras – Bass
Oriol Roca – Drums

Live at Jazz Cava features drummer Oriol Roca alongside his regular trio and singer and soundscaper Lynn Cassiers. Cassier’s singing immediately made me think of Asha Puthli, which is high praise and is, to me, the main draw here. But the band’s playing is also very strong – an excellent release.

Algiers – Shook
(released February 24, 2023)

This album is all over the place; some of it is great, some less so, but the ambition and energy are impressive. The biggest thrill for me was seeing (TNB fav) Patrick Shiroishi’s name on the album cover of a high-profile release! Very cool. Check out Jon Pareles’ profile at NYT.

Zack Lober – NO FILL3R
(released February 24, 2023)

Zack Lober – double bass
Suzan Veneman – trumpet
Sun-Mi Hong – drums

Bassist Zack Lober recorded this with what sounds like a minimal and very natural mic set up in one large room at the Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, The Netherlands. The sound on the album is beautiful, as is the playing with a Netherlands-based trio Sun-Mi Hong (drums) and Suzan Veneman (Trumpet).

Antti Lötjönen – Circus​/​Citadel
(released February 24, 2023)

Antti Lötjönen – double bass
Mikko Innanen – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
Jussi Kannaste – tenor saxophone
Verneri Pohjola – trumpet
Joonas Riippa – drums

Like the Lober album above, another European-based jazz record with a bassist leader. It’s a theme this month! Themes are on Lötjönen’s mind in composing this album; he says: “the temporal closeness of the ideas brings with it a certain kind of unity. The world we live in sometimes feels like an absurd circus from which you need to get away from to get new ideas and energy. Everyone needs their citadel, whatever it may be.” The album has great energy and a wide range of ideas, from affecting ballads to pent-up carnival cacophony.

Stick Men – UMEDA (Live in Osaka 2022)
(released February 3, 2023)

Tony Levin – Chapman Stick, Voice
Pat Mastelotto – Acoustic and Electronic Drums & Percussion
Markus Reuter – Touch Guitars@ U8 Custom, Soundscapes

You probably know how much we love King Crimson (TNB profile of one of their classics here), and Stick Men is a great way to satisfy that Crim fix. The guitar sound from the Chapman Stick (hence Stick Men, right?) is terrific. This live album was recorded from last year’s tour at the BB club in Osaka, Japan—heavy and enticing music.

Astroturf Noise – Blazing​/​Freezing
(released February 17, 2023)

Sam Day Harmet – Mandolin/fx/op-z
Sana Nagano – Violin/fx
Zachary Swanson – Bass

Another winner from 577 Records and the funnest album of February! The Bandcamp page captures the flavor: “Here, American roots music coexists with electronics-spiked free improv, Downtown skronk, and on the new album, manipulated samples sourced from Tennessee, Wisconsin, and their home city of Brooklyn, NY.” We don’t need more music labels, but avant-Americana is good.

TNB Top Archival Release:
Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers, Tony Orrell – That​’​s My Life
(released January 3, 2023; Recorded live July 1, 1989, at The Albert Inn, Bristol, England, UK by Andy Isham)

Paul Dunmall – Soprano saxophone
Paul Rogers – Double bass
Tony Orrell – Drums

The intention of TNB’s monthly album round-up is to feature newly released albums by today’s musicians. We also want to feature (freshly released) archival performances, and this is a very good one to start with. If you Google “Albert Inn, Bristol, England” and look on street view right now, you’ll see banners over the friendly-looking pub/restaurant that announce “Families Welcome” and “Good Food.” Not sure if those signs were there on July 1, 1989, when this performance was recorded, but the marquee could have said “Burning Music Inside!” Dunmall’s soprano sax is like a flamethrower, and the rest of the band is right there with him. Amazing to think you could just go down to your local pub and hear this!

We love to discover and share music with you on this blog, but that does not mean we think we’re experts! Instead, we see ourselves as fellow travelers, sharing what we’ve discovered and trying the spread the appreciation of the love of music that makes the world a better place . . .

(Gerald Cleaver. Image: Jazziz Magazine)

These thoughts bring us to drummer Gerald Cleaver and the inspiration he sparked in us that we want to share with you. We know Cleaver from his work with a who’s who of musicians like Matthew Shipp, Craig Taborn, J.D. Allen, Ellery Eskelin, and Roscoe Mitchell, and as a leader himself. Cleaver’s drumming is always dynamic, musical, and recognizable as his own. He’s one of creative music’s most important musicians, period.

Cleaver’s playing with Shipp in East Axis made us take another look at his sizable discography, and we discovered for the first time recent albums where he did something daring for a drummer – ditched the drums! Instead, on Signs (2020), Griots (2021), and in collaboration with Hprizm on Signs Remixed (2021), Cleaver made wholly electronic albums. Cleaver recorded these albums to honor his roots in Detroit, paying tribute to one of his inspirations – Detroit techno music. The disarming results made us want to talk about these records and also look back at the Detroit electronic music that inspired him. Let’s experience generations of inspiration and generations of The Beat!

(Renaissance Center In Detroit, Image: Getty Images)

So first, let’s go back with TNB in time to the dawn of techno – late 70s and early 80s Detroit. Not quite Detroit, actually, but 30 miles outside the city in a relatively affluent and small suburb of Belleview, where black innovators developed a synthesizer and beat music based on George Clinton, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Prince, and especially the German electronic group Kraftwerk. The first of the Detroit techno records was by Cybotron, a collaboration of Juan Atkins and Rick Davis, who met in college. Cybotron released “Alleys of Your Mind” in 1981, recognized by many as the first techno record. This landmark track was followed by “Cosmic Cars” in 1982, “Clear” in 1983, and the genre-naming “Techno City” in 1984. The original Cybotron singles are the earliest and most definitive examples of Detroit techno. They introduced the genre’s hallmarks – an obsession with the applications of synthesizers, a utopian vision of the future, and an outsider’s perspective on redefining dance music. As the first experiments in this new style of music, these records might lack polish and sophistication, but more than makeup for that with joy in the possibilities created by technology – this music has a palpable sense of adventure and fun.

(A vision of the future – the 1961 Ford Gyron Concept car Image: Ford Authority)

Although these tracks are classics of the genre, they did not sell. Cybotron was briefly on Fantasy records, but when Akins wanted to release solo music as Model 500 (check out “No UFO’s“), he could not get anybody to put his records out and had to start his own label, Metroplex. The popularity of techno grew during the 1980s, especially with the Inner City’s tracks “Big Fun” and “Good Life” from 1988. These tracks achieved accessibility with the addition of vocals by Paris Grey and by using a beat-heavy hybrid of techno and house music. There is no track more iconic to this music than “Good Life” a true classic that still sounds great today!

(Inner City “Do You Love What You Feel” single, pictured, Kevin Saunderson and Paris Grey)

A growing community of Detroit musicians embraced techno. Other artists who put out electronic records included Sharevari (whose “A Name of Names” vies with Cybotron for the first techno release), Blake Baxter, Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, and Moodyman. Many of these tracks are compiled in 1988’s “Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit,” which helped to define and popularize techno as a movement – especially in Europe. Soon Detroit musicians were getting their work in England and France, so much so that this type of dance music is more closely associated with Europe than its home city.

As we said at the top of this post, we don’t consider ourselves experts at all about techno music, so we recommend a number of posts if you’re interested in reading and learning more. Don’t miss the NPR article “Get Familiar With Detroit Techno: 10 Essential Songs,” which features short interviews with Detroit musicians, who pick iconic tracks. For an even deeper dive, check out this landing page at Elemental magazine, which has several interviews and pieces from the heyday of the Village Voice’s coverage of techno in the 1990s. To see and hear many of these musicians, check out the short movie “Detroit: The Blueprint Of Techno,” For yet more, you can spend hours at Beatport’s exhaustive guide – we can only scratch the surface here! The music created by the first generation of techno musicians is a happy marriage between innovation and community building. By centering both beats and technological-driven ideas, the creators of techno made music that engaged the mind, worked just as well in clubs, and has a lasting influence on popular music today.

With this exciting music being so important to his hometown, it’s easy to see why a musician like Gerald Cleaver would want to make his own electronic albums. Cleaver developed the ideas that led to his first album of this music over two years, from 2017 to 2019. According to his Bandcamp page, the music “came about in his Brooklyn studio through a long process of looking to translate what he heard, into a new language. Cleaver was born and spent most of his life in Detroit, where he experienced, and was influenced by, the legendary development and blossoming of the Motor City electronic music scene.”

The release of composed music on Signs was an enormous surprise for fans of Cleaver’s spontaneous and live drumming. Yet not surprising because Cleaver’s electronic music captures the spirit of innovation at the heart of techno, with its use of sound and complex layers of ideas. For example, a few seconds into the opening track of Signs, “Jackie’s Smiles,” the first thing you hear is difficult to describe – an oscillating sound like vibrating water glasses or a squeaky pipe – but complex and musical! This mysterious sound is quickly joined by an ascending and interlocking set synthesizer motifs that build a rich tapestry of processed samples. The same atmosphere is consistently maintained across 11 tracks and over an hour. Each track has a different take on the central concept – rather than using a backbeat or heavy drum tracks, the percussion sounds are deeper in the mix, heavily textured, and support Cleaver’s more cerebral approach to Detroit techno music—an unusual and fascinating record.

Cleaver’s next electronic album, Griots from 2021, may be even better. The album’s masterpiece is “Virelles,” named after pianist David Virelles (who contributes electronic keyboards). You can listen to the track here:

“Virelles” conjures a symphonic range of machine blips, squiggles, loops, and synth textures that subtly shift shape over 8 minutes. By the time you get to the closing notes, you feel you’ve been on an epic journey packed with so many amazing vistas. The rest of the album has a similar scope – always full of interesting music and arresting details.

Cleaver recognized techno as a music of collaboration by bringing in the producer Hprizm of Antipop Consortium to create Signs Remixed, which was released alongside Griots. Hprizm takes a more grounded approach to the music with heavier drums and a backbeat. Listening to Hprizm’s remixes and then returning to Cleaver’s original version of Signs is lots of fun – so interesting to go back and forth and appreciate the differences, which expand the sonic boundaries of the original.

Cleaver has developed an approach to electronic music that distills techno’s curiosity about the future and rapture with technology but refines it into a presentation designed for listening. We can’t recommend these albums enough! And you don’t have to wait long for more of this music from Cleaver, because he’s got two new electronic records coming out that sound like they’ll be amazing. On March 17, 2023, Cleaver will release In The Wilderness, where he will play acoustic drums alongside Hprizm’s electronics and Brandon Lopez’s bass. I love Bandcamp’s description: “In The Wilderness opens with textured drums, a muted bass, celestial sound, like stars breaking into puddles.” You can order your copy here as a digital file, on CD, or (very cool looking) clear vinyl:

Then on May 25, Cleaver will release 22 / 23, which promises to be even more distinctive. For this project, Cleaver has mixed electronics with vocals. The release notes describe the music as a journey “through genre, exploring the future and recalling history, in his most place-based album yet,” where he “deftly combines his talent for electronic composition with a curious ear for the unpredictable, occasionally accompanied by singer Jean Carla Rodea.” Sounds amazing. You can order it here:

We’ve pre-ordered both of these and look forward to more music from Gerald Cleaver, both on drums and sans the drums, as well.

(Cleaver at the drums. Image: Pi Recordings)

Music Discussed:

Cybotron:
“Alleys of Your Mind” b/w “Cosmic Raindance” (Deep Space, 1981)
“Cosmic Cars” b/w “The Line” (Deep Space/Fantasy, 1982)
“Clear” b/w “Industrial Lies” (Fantasy, 1983)
“Techno City” (Fantasy, 1984)

Inner City:
“Big Fun” (1988, Virgin)
“Good Life” (1988, Virgin)

Gerald Cleaver:
Signs
(released March 27, 2020, 577 Records)
Credits:
Gerald Cleaver – electronics
Recorded during 2017-2019 in Brooklyn, New York

Griots
(released June 4, 2021, Positive Elevation)
Credits:
Gerald Cleaver – electronics.
Virelles features David Virelles, keyboards
Akinmusire features Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpet
Recorded in 2020 in Brooklyn, New York.

Hprizm/Gerald Cleaver:
Signs Remixed
(released June 18, 2021, 577 Records/Positive Elevation)
Original tracks by Gerald Cleaver
Remixed by Hprizm

It’s the end of January, and there’s tons of great new music to write about here. The New Year started with a great release from Jason Moran, and after that, we have been enjoying cool vocals from José James, the perfect solo drums from Andrew Cyrille, and an album for cold days from Mette Henriette. Then to heat things up, we listened to guitar from Álvaro Domene of TITUBA and Samo Salamon with drummer Asaf Sirkis. The Art Ensemble of Chicago dropped a giant album celebrating 50 years since their arrival in Paris. The month ended with a heavy release from East Axis featuring the nonpareil Matthew Shipp. A great month for music!

Pick Hit!
Jason Moran – From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
(released January 1, 2023)

Jason Moran – Piano and voice
Tarus Mateen – Bass
Nasheet Waits – Drums
Logan Richardson – Alto Saxophone
Brian Settles – Tenor Saxophone
Darryl Harper – Clarinet
David Adewumi – Trumpet
Reginald Cyntje – Trombone
Chris Bates – Trombone
Jose Davila – Tuba, Helicon

Jason Moran started 2023 off with a bang with this New Year’s day release, celebrating what Moran calls “one of the original Big Bangs in Black Music,” James Reese Europe. A decade before Louis Armstrong made his first record, Europe was the seminal figure of black music, but forgotten now. Moran pays tribute with a program of fantastic depth and variety. The Bandwagon (Moran with Tarus Mateen on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums) forms the core musical unit, but on many tracks, seven horns and brass are added, with arrangements that move happily from early jazz anachronisms to modern and free playing. The ground covered is astonishing, exemplified by effortlessly mashing up Europe with Geri Allen and spirituals segueing into Albert Ayler. To these ears, the most impressive release so far this year.

Pick Hit!
East Axis – No Subject
(released January 27, 2023)

Gerald Cleaver – drums
Kevin Ray – bass
Scott Robinson – sax
Matthew Shipp – piano

It’s exciting news that East Axis is back with this follow-up to the brilliant Cool With That (2021). This time, Scott Robinson brings his array of saxophones on board, giving the album a lot of variety. The songs here are shorter and darker in tone than the first East Axis release, but the music is constantly stimulating. Especially remarkable is Shipp, who, after years of excellent music making, has developed a refined language that is at once flexible, dynamic, and deeply his own. Ship’s musicality on this album is immense, and so is his close relationship with drummer Cleaver. This is a group that needs to keep on putting records out.

Mette Henriette – Drifting
(Released January 20, 2023)

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify

Mette Henriette – saxophonist and composer
Johan Lindvall – pianist
Judith Hamann – cellist

This winter, there’s been no snowfall in NYC, but when we were teased with a few flakes in the air, we knew we had to put on this album. The floating ethereal piano, sax, cello, and crystalline ECM production make this a perfect winter album. Don’t listen when driving; the serene and contemplative music demands late-night listening or headphones on a winter walk. That will let you hear the tranquil but imaginative textures and appreciate the small surprises when Henriette’s compositions introduce subtle dissonance. Probing and intelligent music. Now, if only we’d get some snow!

Art Ensemble of Chicago – The Sixth Decade – From Paris to Paris
(released January 20, 2023)

Roscoe Mitchell – sopranino and alto saxophones
Famoudou Don Moye – drums, percussions
Moor Mother – spoken word
Roco – vocal (bass)
Erina Newkirk – vocal (soprano)
Nicole Mitchell – flutes, piccolo
Hugh Ragin – trumpet, flugelhorn, thai bells
Simon Sieger – trombone, tuba
Jean Cook – violin
Eddy Kwon – viola
Tomeka Reid – cello
Brett Carson – piano
Silvia Bolognesi – double bass
Junius Paul – double bass
Jaribu Shahid – double bass, bass
Dudu Kouaté – percussions
Enoch Williamson – percussions
Babu Atiba – percussions
Doussou Touré – percussions
Steed Cowart – direction

Frankly, we were a little confused by this album, but maybe we can help you come to it with the right expectations. First, this is essentially a jazz opera. Recorded at a show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AEOC coming to Paris, Moor Mother’s poetry often dominates the music, along with vocal stylings from Córdova and Newkirk. It threw us off at first find to find Roscoe Mitchell and percussionist Famoudou Don Moye – the only surviving founders of the original AEOC – a bit sidelined in their own band. However, there’s a lot of stirring and wonderful music here, and coming back to it with expectations recalibrated, we can say it’s mostly excellent. The AEOC is one of the most incredible groups in music history, and even their 2nd tier works are great. Just don’t expect Nice Guys or A Jackson In Your House.

Rainbow Bubbles – Samo Salamon & Asaf Sirkis
(officially releases February 15, 2023, but available now)

Samo Salamon – electric guitars, banjo, six and 12-string guitars, bass guitar, Moog, synths, piano
Asaf Sirkis – drums

This album is an excellent showcase for Salamon’s spirited banjo and guitars, accompanied by Israeli drummer Asaf Sirkis. In the liner notes, Salamon writes, “Asaf had initially recorded around 30 minutes of drum improvisations, which represented the basis for my compositions. I could then write melodies, solo parts, chord changes, etc., which was fantastic for me to compose in a different way. Hope you enjoy this one. I love it!” The collaboration produced very fresh and exciting results – check it out.

José James – On & On
(released January 20, 2023)

José James – vocals, bells, singing bowl, Bali metal tongue drum
Ebban Dorsey – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)
Diana Dzhabbar – flute, alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 7)
BIGYUKI – piano, fender rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3, synthesizers
Ben Williams – bass
Jharis Yokley – drums

James channels past soul and hip-hop by interpreting the catalog of Erykah Badu. Also, check out that album cover paying tribute to Alice Coltrane. There’s a lot of reverence for the past, and the joy that went into making this album is unmistakable. Listening is just pure enjoyment too, and at times very funny! Recommended.

Álvaro Pérez/Colin Fisher/Álvaro Domene/Mike Pride – TITUBA
(released January 6, 2023)

Álvaro Pérez – alto
Colin Fisher – tenor
Álvaro Domene – seven string guitar
Mike Pride – drums and percussion

TITUBA features an international quartet of Colin Fisher (Toronto) and Álvaro Pérez (Madrid) on saxophones, Álvaro Domene (New York) on seven-string guitar, and Mike Pride (New York) on drums. Amazing that such organic and focused music was created by musicians recording remotely on multiple continents! At least to these ears, Domene’s scorching guitar is out in front, especially on proto-metal material like “Background Abundance” or the more avant-garde “Dreamscaping.” An exciting album.

Andrew Cyrille – Music Delivery / Percussion
(released January 20, 2023)

Andrew Cyrille – Drums

The drum kit’s sound is full of drama and, in the right hands, musicality. The solo drum album is a genre created by Max Roach, whose forays always spotlighted his signature use of space and time. Cyrille is a drum master who should be mentioned in the same breath as Roach, and here Cyrille deploys an innovative program featuring every aspect of his creativity. On each track, Cyrille explores different sonorities, textures, and ideas that cumulate into an awe-inspiring portrait of his musicality.

Afonso Pais/Tomás Marques – The Inner Colours of Boglin’s Outline
(released January 24, 2023)

Afonso Pais – guitar
Tomás Marques alto saxophone

Afonso Pais (guitar) and Tomás Marques (alto sax) played and recorded these improvisations during 2022, entirely impromptu and without editing. The liner notes say, “trust is to accept the metamorphosis,” as a motto for this project, and the simpatico language is obvious when you listen. The ebb and flow of one feeling to the next is very natural, which the musicians highlight when they say, “the music was highly susceptible to the moods, entirely different from session to session and take to take, and specially pleasurable to play on.” A great document of effective collaboration.

This blog is still young enough to celebrate 1/2 birthdays, and we’ll be 2 and 1/2 years old in a couple of weeks- that’s how long it’s been since our inaugural post on August 13, 2020. Happy HBD TNB! Like many creations during the 2020 lockdown, this blog had only been an idea for years. With extra time and the magical ingredient of boredom, we decided to create The Necessary Blues and get started writing. It’s been our honor to share music we love, and we thought now’s a good time to look back at the posts we feel are representative of what this blog is shooting for.

Our first substantive post is about music which is a paradigm for this blog. Julius Hemphill’s composition “Dogon A.D.” has earthy grit conveyed through the blues-soaked tone of Hemphill’s alto sax, yet its artistic raison-d’être is the beat itself. The insistent, driving pulse of the song, written in 11/8 by Hemphill and brilliantly played by the overlooked drummer Philip Wilson, is unforgettable. We quoted critic Robert Palmer, who said that Hemphill’s music is a “fruitful dialogue between experimentation and tradition.” That’s what “progressive” music is all about and what this blog seeks to explore!

TNB has found it fruitful to focus on single works of art rather than the often extensive discographies of artists, an approach we picked up with our profile of Nate Wooley’s Seven Storey Mountain VI. Wooley’s expansive and epic “Seven Story” series is too big to do justice in one post. Wooley uses processed instruments played live against prepared tape loops to create an ecstatic event and deploys this approach slightly differently with each installment. Our post focused on the incredible sixth iteration and tried to capture some of the flavor of Wooley’s concept and explain his motivations and purpose.

We’ve tried to embrace an eclectic approach and write about music of different categories and approaches. In this spirit, some of our subjects have been progressive rock, such as a profile of King Crimson’s epic Lark’s Tongue in Aspic, Magma’s strange and exciting “The Last Seven Minutes” or Bill Bruford’s wonderful jazz/rock fusion Feels Good to Me. With other posts, we’ve explored the 1970s free jazz of Poughkeepsie great Joe McPhee, the calm wonder of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbru’s piano, and the “comeback” of Charles Mingus with sideman Don Pullen.

Some posts we’re especially proud of explore multidisciplinary or intersectional artistic statements. “Attica!” looks at the art made to the wake of the government’s infamous crackdown and cover-up of the 1972 prison rebellion. “Soundtracks In Search of a Movie” looks at electronic music inspired by Frank Herbert’s famous science fiction novel, Dune. These posts look at art’s reflections on life and art’s commentary on art itself.

In March 2021, we started our “New Album Round-up,” which we’ve posted monthly, culminating in our annual album round-up. We took a break from the monthy round-ups for a while, but they are back again (it’s our most popular series of posts) and here to stay! You can expect a round-up of our favorite albums at the end of every month – make sure you check in here!

Another series of posts we’ve done periodically is the “Gig Journal,” posting about live performances we’ve seen in New York City, where we are based. The “Gig Journal” started in May 2022 with the 5/21/2022 performance of Jason Moran at the beautiful Park Avenue Armory. We then posted about an intimate Kresten Osgood gig in the basement of Downtown Music Gallery – amazing hearing a band of masters in a space no bigger than a living room! We were also there during Arts for Arts’ series of free concerts this summer. Unfortunately, over the last 2 1/2 years, a lot of the great musicians have passed away, and we did memorial posts about Stanley Cowell, Billy Bang, Abdul Wadud, and Grachan Moncur III.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this content! We know it’s been fun creating these posts and sharing them. Our goal is to explore the beauty and wisdom of great music and, hopefully, in the process, to help benefit the creators of that art too. We believe in art, and we know that you do too!

So what’s next for The Necessary Blues?

We’re so excited about the content we’re planning for this year, and we can’t wait to share it. We’re working on a profile of a masterpiece of Canterbury rock, an album that is funny, adventurous, and strangely easy to enjoy. Also on the horizon is the long-delayed series on the legendary African Blue Notes, including discographical information and rare field recordings. We’re also planning a profile of a jazz master who should be mentioned in the same breath as Monk, Mingus and Miles but somehow is not. Who is it? You’ll have to wait and see!

Thank you so much for being here. We hope you’re excited to share this journey with us!

It’s our end-of-the-year round-up of our favorite records that came out in 2022. This year had so many excellent albums that putting this list together was not easy – every time we thought an album should be placed near the top, another worthy candidate seemed just as good! So to accommodate the wealth of exciting music and reflect such a strong year in music, we’ve expanded this list to 40 places, the top 15 albums with comments, and then the next 25.

Enjoy! We’re going to take a few days to appreciate and listen to these outstanding records, and hope you will too.

1 Charles Lloyd – Trio of Trios

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to purchase from Blue Note

Lloyd’s music-making was with us all through much of 2022 – he released the singularly beautiful Chapel mid-year, followed by Ocean and Sacred Thread, and then in November combined the three albums into the 3-hour plus Trio of Trios. This massive album smartly puts the trio with Hussain and Lage first, but don’t miss the highlights from the other trios, such as Clayton’s great blues piano solo on “Jaramillo Blues” and the deep lyricism and close listening throughout the Frisell/Morgan trio. A classic for the ages.

2 Mary Halvorson – Amaryllis

2022 was another banner year for Halvorson, one of today’s definitive musicians. In addition to this excellent album, Halvorson was on Thumbscrew’s Multicolor Midnight (#35 on our list) and was an essential voice in the mix on Myra Melford’s For The Love of Fire and Water (#24) and Nate Wooley’s Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes (#36). We could not contain our excitement as soon as we heard that Halvorson would be releasing this album with Patricia Brennan (whose More Touch is #7 on our list). This album did not disappoint-every track is a gem. Halvorson’s compositions are as much a star as her guitar, and her band is exceptional – Jacob Garchik’s trombone stands out in particular, whose Assembly (#5 on our list) was also one of the year’s best.

3-Alabaster DePlume – Gold

It’s rare to hear an album that sounds like nothing else, but DePlume’s Gold has an indescribable mixture of atmospheric playing and unique musical settings. The album was recorded in the summer of 2020 in sessions where DePlume invited a different set of musicians each day and would record the same tunes at the same speed so that DePlume would then cut them together later, assembling the most otherworldly final product. Enjoy this fantastic album!

4-Wild Up and Christopher Rountree – Julius Eastman, vol. 2: Joy Boy

The Julius Eastman revival continues! Joy Boy is Wild Up’s second of seven anticipated volumes of Eastman’s music, following up on last year’s excellent Feminine. The results are pretty varied, opening with the frenetic vocal exhortations of “Joy Boy,” moving to the heavy guitar stylings in the middle of the album, and ending with the joyous “Stay On It.”

5-Jacob Garchik – Assembly

We listened to this album several times in wonder, trying to figure out how Garchik and his players (Sam Newsome – soprano saxophone, Jacob Sacks – piano, Thomas Morgan – bass, Dan Weiss – drums) achieved such speed, cohesion, and unity on wildly tricky pieces. “Fanfare” closed with one of the fastest tempos we’ve ever heard. Then it clicked – Assembly refers to Garchik’s post-production process – the disparate parts were recorded in multiple sessions and then “assembled” to create a luminous whole. Bonus points for a remarkable channeling of Ellington (“Fanfare” features soloing based on “In a Sentimental Mood”). More bonus points for the best album cover of the year!

6-Pat Thomas – Pat Thomas Plays The Duke

More Ellington, and for those who have heard about the great Pat Thomas’ live sets of Ellington repertoire, this is a welcome release. Thomas plays inside, outside, and everywhere in between in an exhilarating set. For an extended dose of the “outside” Pat Thomas, check out his spellbinding tribute to Cecil Taylor, “Akisakila” / Attitudes​ ​of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (#18 on our list).

7-Patricia Brennan – More Touch

A record that creates musical questions and draws you back again, searching for the answers. Like on last year’s brilliant Maquishti, Brennen’s intelligence and lyricism are evident throughout. And her supporting cast, especially Marcus Gilmore (drums), is perfect.

8-Michael Leonhart Orchestra – The Normyn Suites

Normyn was Leonhard’s beloved dachshund, whose life inspired the two engaging suites presented here. The range of orchestral and thematic ideas is exciting throughout the suites, and the extra tracks with guest vocals by Elvis Costello.

9-Loraine James – Building Something Beautiful for Me

Yet more Julius Eastman, but here filtered through the sensibility of James’ electronic soundscape. The results are utterly different from Wild Up’s Joy Boy (No. 4 on our list) but just as compelling. A excellent late-night record.

10-Trish Clowes – A View With a Room

Probably the most “inside” album on our top 15, but so irrepressibly fun! Clowes’ playing is warm and lyrical, and her band matches the spirit of her playing and compositions. Just simple, pure fun – nothing wrong with that.

11-Editrix – Editrix II – Editrix Goes To Hell

Wendy Eisenberg’s guitar playing works so well in avant-garde jazz contexts (check out last year’s Bloodletting) and here in a “rock” context. However, not like any rock record you’ve heard!

12-Hedvig Mollestad and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra – Maternity Beat

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to purchase from Rune Grammaphone

Mollestad’s guitar playing is just the tip of the iceberg. She joins forces with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, creating an album that paints with a vast palette – you’ll hear a vocal chorus, spoken word interludes, electric violin, saxophone solos, and asymmetrical drumming all sharing space with Mollestad’s searing guitar interludes. Full of “noisy joy.”

13-Jon Irabagon – Rising Sun

An exuberant outing from Irabagon, with terrific support from Matt Mitchell, Chris Lightcap, and Dan Weiss. To see what this album is all about, go to the second track, “Alliance.” The statement of the elaborate, knotty theme takes a full five minutes, but that’s only a prelude to what follows: the band switches into ecstatic, grooving playing that notches higher and higher in intensity, culminating with screaming exhortations from Irabagon, over the band at full tilt. The album was inspired by travels in the west during the pandemic, and Irabagon says, “I hope that this music can uplift and galvanize you as much as it has for me.” It does!

14-Palm – Nicks and Grazes

Palm returns after their excellent 2018 album Rock Island. This one is a little less angular but has even deeper layers of dissonance buried in the mix, which unravel with each listen. We’re told they are mesmerizing live, too!

15-Rosalía – Motomami

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify

If this blog were about pop music rather than the intersection of the folkloric and the avant-garde, this album might be #1 on the list. The most innovative pop record of 2022.

The next 25 (all music no comments):

16-Marta Sanchez – SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)


17-Cecile McLorin Salvant – Ghost Song


18-Pat Thomas & XT – “Akisakila” / Attitudes​ ​of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees)


19-David Murray, Dan Jones & Hamid Drake – Seriana Promethea


20-Emily Wells – Regards to the End

Link to Bandcamp

21-Oort Smog – Every Motherfucker Is Your Brother

22-Janel Leppin – Ensemble Volcanic Ash


23-Myra Melford Fire and Water Quintet – For The Love of Fire and Water


24-Lucrecia Dalt – Ay!


25-Qasim Naqvi, Wadada Leo Smith & Andrew Cyrille – Two Centuries

26-Miguel Zenón – Música De Las Américas


27-Miles Okazaki – Thisness


28-Elsa Nilsson – Atlas of Sound – 41​°​32’09​.​8″N 124​°​04’35​.​5″W


29-Beth Orton – Weather Alive

30-Alvvays-Blue Rev


31-Steve Lehman & Sélébéyone – Xaybu: The Unseen


32-Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan – X


33-Kirk Knuffke Trio – Gravity Without Airs

34-Thumbscrew – Multicolored Midnight


35-Avram Fefer – Juba Lee


36-Nate Wooley – Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes

37-Mathis Picard – Live at the Museum

Link to Apple
Link to Spotify

38-Roxy Coss – Disparate Parts


39-Horse Lords – Comradely Objects

40-Leyla McCalla – Breaking the Thermometer

Today, December 12th, 2022, is the 99th birthday of the amazing muse of a unique brand of devotional piano music, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbru. Happy birthday, Emahoy!

When has such a slender discography had such an impact? Noteworthy musicians have professed their love or devoted themselves to the performance and preservation of Emahoy’s music, and fans have had their lives changed in unexpected places, all by the meditative and soulful music of the modest nun, composer, and pianist. A great place to begin is with journalist Kate Molleson of The Guardian, who conducted a terrific interview with Emahoy, which you can listen to here, and read the accompanying article.

Both Emahoy’s music and story are something to celebrate. In the interview with Molleson, Emahoy explains, in English, how she was born into a wealthy Ethiopian family, was sent aboard and learned concert piano, had a near-death experience after which she entered the convent, and only slowly came back to music. Eventually, Emahoy devoted her life not only to God but to spreading her faith through the writing of quietly graceful and life-affirming compositions for solo piano. Remarkably, Emahoy self-released her music “in small editions as fundraisers for orphanages, [to] support organizations for widows of war victims, and other philanthropic causes.”

The first of these releases is a German issue from 1963, Spielt Eigen Kompositionen. This 5-song LP shows Emahoy’s early songs, most notably “The Homeless Wanderer,” which starts with a chromatic run of notes, and settles into what Ethan Iverson calls a “one-chord blues.” It’s evocative and draws multiple you back for repeat listening.

Emahoy’s second LP, titled simply Emahoy Tsegue Maryam Guebru brings slightly better audio and even deeper song craft. The album starts with one of the gems of Emahoy’s catalog, “Mother’s Love.” The song is built around a moving bass pattern, while the right hand plays gorgeous fills. Emahoy states that she wrote the song for the love of her mother for her beloved son, a victim of Ethiopia’s war with Italy. Elsewhere, the often programmatic titles are matched with evocative music – “Song of Sea” captures the rocking of waves, “Homesickness” a feeling of nostalgic longing, and “Story of The Wind” an elemental blues feeling. Once you get drawn into this music, its utterly centered quality stays with you.

The excellent Ethiopiques series released the two above LP’s on one CD as Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo) in 2006, and that’s how most people have become acquainted with Emahoy, Since then, her legend and influence have grown. Unsurprising, Emahoy has not changed her devotional life or capitalized on her international fame. She emigrated to Jerusalem years ago, where she lives at the Ethiopian monastery, continuing to write music and play piano privately. However, with the assistance of Israeli pianist Maya Dunietz (check our post about Dunietz’ terrific 2021 album, Free the Dolphin), Emahoy has taken care to preserve her music, most of which remains unreleased.

Much has been made of Emahoy’s connection to the compositions of the European 19th-century piano literature. The always astute Iverson makes the fair point that Emahoy’s music shares an antique quality with music “you would find in your grandmother’s piano bench.” The otherworldly timelessness of Emahoy’s music is one of its real draws. But while Emahoy certainly uses the technique and phraseology drawn from those European masters, the melodies and the harmonies reflect her experience in Northern Africa in the 20th century and are very much her own. For example, listen to “Jordan River Song” from her self-titled album. The roaming chromaticism, relaxed time, and deep blues feeling have nothing all to do with Chopin – it’s all Emahoy.

So, happy birthday Emahoy! I urge you to go to the link here and listen to the opening notes of “The Homeless Wanderer”, which has been how most of the world has been initiated into this great music. It’s music that keeps giving and keeps you returning to it, as unpretentious and generous as its creator.

And, more good news – following the excellent vinyl reissues this year of Emahoy’s first two albums, a new album, Jerusalem, is scheduled for release in 2023. It’s the first new issue of additional music by Emahoy since Ethiopiques, vol. 21! You can hear the title track on YouTube here. Looking forward to it! Also make sure you check out Emahoy’s website, it’s a great repository of all that makes her unique and wonderful.

November brought a bunch of excellent albums to us, and in a huge variety of genres and approaches. Here we have a couple of typically fascinating French albums, an intense prog/metal/jazz mash-up from Patrick Shiroishi and Mark Kimbrell, absorbing modern classical music from Tyondai Braxton, a tribute to our favorite cellist (hint: click here), another experimental rock album from Palm, a wild tenor sax quartet, a new one from a star NYC improvisers, Patricia Brennan, and more. A rich sampler of music to bring us into December!

Pick hit!
Fred Pallem & le Sacre du Tympan – “X”
(released November 18, 2022)

Fred Pallem – Bass Guitars, Synthesizer, Vocals
Remi Sciuto – Alto & Baritone saxophones, Flutes
Vincent Taeger – Drums
Guillaume Magne – Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Sebastien Palis – Harpsichord, Clavinet, Organ, Upright piano
Christine Roch – Tenor Saxophone, Clarinets
Sylvain Bardiau Trumpet, Fluegelhorn
Daniel Zimmermann – Trombone
Guillaume Lantonnet – Glockenspiel, Tambourine
Strings (10 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos)

It’s hard to resist an album that’s billed by the band as a “tanning cream for the ears” and Fred Pallem’s “X” (for “10” – it’s his 10th album) does not disappoint! Palem employs his usual mix of retro/nostalgic trappings (harpsichords!) and advanced jazz harmony, which creates delightful fun. Pallem accomplishes this range with 25 musicians playing brass, strings and yes, those harpsichords. Pallem says that the mission of “X” and his band Le Sacre du Tympan is to put orchestral music back on the map, “like a strange impossible place where Wagnerian flights would intersect with the groove of David Axelrod’s basses and the madness of Jean-Claude Vannier.” But don’t just take our word for it, go to the link above and dive into a strange and wonderful adventure of an album.

Pick hit!
Patricia Brennan – More Touch
(released November 18, 2022, Pyroclastic)

Marcus Gilmore – drums
Mauricio Herrera – percussion
Kim Cass – bass
Patricia Brennan – vibraphone with electronics, marimba

Brennan is one of our favorite new musicians, returning with More Touch after the brilliant solo vibraphone outing Maquishti from last year, and her appearance on Mary Halvorsan’s Ameryllis, which was one of that album’s highlights. Those accomplishments don’t really prepare the listener for the level of experimentation that’s going on here. Brennan eschews easy melodic themes and the high energy often used to sugarcoat dissonance. Instead, this music questions, probes, and interrogates your preconceptions about form and content. It’s subtly and gently challenging. Brennan says the music “reflects a process of inner search,” backwards to Brennan’s roots “in Veracruz, Mexico and forwards into the future. A music of fluidity, flexibility, precision, and density.” Another fascinating release from one of the great new talents in music.

Tyondai Braxton – Telekinesis
(released November 11, 2022)

Telekinesis is an eighty-seven-piece work for electric guitars, orchestra, choir and electronics—featuring the multiple orchestras Metropolis Ensemble, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and the chamber choir The Crossing. Braxton calls Telekinesis “the latest and largest example of intersections between my electronic music and notated music, both sonically and philosophically.” Throughout the recording and production process, Braxton sought to “create an environment where electronic instruments and acoustic instruments coexist in a place that feels balanced and organic.” I’ll add what I recommend as the ideal way to listen – wait until it’s quiet, late at night, and use a good pair of headphones – you’ll be amazed at the huge and rich forces used to make this music, the depth of the sound, the attentional to detail, and especially the kaleidoscopic array of sounds.

Oort Smog – Every Motherfucker Is Your Brother
(released November 11, 2022)

Mark Kimbrell – Drums
Patrick Shiroishi – Multiple saxophones

This one-track album takes a few minutes to get going, but if you’re impatient, wash the dishes and come back 5 minutes in, because if you stick around till the end of the record you’re in for a treat. EMIYB builds and escalates for its half hour duration, reaching one apex after another of intense synergism between Shiroishi’s battery of saxes and Kimbrell’s batterie. From the Bandcamp page: “Kimbrell and Shiroishi combine elements of brutal prog (both are members in Upsilon Acrux) and free improvisation in their long form composition . . . written over the course of eighteen months and recorded during the pandemic/George Floyd & Breonna Taylor protests, Oort Smog drew from a number of influences to create their own sound – one of urgency, heaviness, and hope.” I guarantee if you listen to this album in one sitting, you’ll press repeat and start it over again – it’s heavy but exhilarating.

Avram Fefer – Juba Lee
(released November 18, 2022, Clean Feed)

Avram Fefer – alto and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet
Marc Ribot – guitar
Eric Revis – bass
Chad Taylor – drums

Avram Fefer’s Testament was one of the best albums of 2019, and he returns with the same potent group. You can hear the chemistry of musicians that have played together for years, both in the efficient but powerful rhythm and the distinctive way that Fefer and Ribot play their sax/guitar melodic lines. Speaking of the melodies, they are very fetching, and the album dances throughout.

Tom Skinner – Voices of Bishara
(released November 4, 2022)

Tom Skinner – Drums
Kareem Dayes – Cello
Nubya Garcia – Tenor saxophone and flute
Tom Herbert – Acoustic bass
Shabaka Hutchings – Tenor saxophone and bass clarinet

If you’ve followed this blog, you know the music of great cellist Abdul Wadud is one of our passions. Drummer Skinner has that passion too. During the Covid lockdown he spent hours deep listening to Wadud’s masterpiece By Myself (covered by our blog here). Voices of Bishara is the result – recorded with a band of today’s hottest players, including British saxophonists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings. The results are enveloping and authoritative. A winner.

Flat Earth Society – R.I.P.
(Released November 1, 2022)

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to band website to download album

This wonderfully named band was founded in 1998 by architect and multi-instrumentalist Peter Vermeersch and is known for eclectic music that “owns the ability to seduce a number of different audiences, from more select jazz listeners to a wild young rock public.” R.I.P. has a concept that is best described on the band’s website:

“In this project FES creates its own funeral repertoire and Perpetuum Mobile: 12 farewell songs for the funeral of the members of the orchestra. All fifteen of them must die, through illness, plain bad luck, old age or a stupid accident, there is no shortage of causes. As the suite progresses, the orchestra dwindles until no one is left: a tragicomic preview of what is to come. As the last musician leaves the stage, the whole orchestra is reunited, as in Roland Topor’s story “Blues for Gaston”. And they celebrate that reunion exuberantly with a wild Death defying Danse Macabre. The order of the deaths was determined by chance, resulting in rather illogical and therefore interesting orchestral compositions. R.I.P. challenges fate, extracts beauty from tragedy and grief, and pays a macabre tribute to life with a virtuous portion of black humour.” The music is a blast, ranging from careening high-energy tunes with the whole band to smaller, more focused ensembles. The spontaneity that you can hear on the album is something that I want to hear live!

Palm – Nicks and Grazes
(released October 14, 2022)

(released October 14, 2022)

Performed by Palm:
Eve Alpert
Gerasimos Livitsanos
Hugo Stanley
Kasra Kurt
Matt Anderegg

We don’t write about too many rock bands on TNB, but Palm is no ordinary rock band. On their latest effort, Nicks and Grazes, Palm continue and develop their embrace of discordance to dazzling effect. The band’s guitarist Kasra Kurt, says “we wanted to reconcile two potentially opposing aesthetics, to capture the spontaneous, free energy of our live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music.” Palm’s 2018 album Rock Island is a masterpiece that we had in repeat play at TNB, and the new one is just as good.

Battle Trance – Green of Winter
(released August 26, 2022)

Travis Laplante – Tenor sax
Patrick Breiner – Tenor sax
Matt Nelson – Tenor sax
Jeremy Viner – Tenor sax

Battle Trance is new to us – four tenor saxophonists who play all over the range of instruments, which they use to create atmospherics, as well as unusual and sometimes intense voicings. This album starts with “vocalized” sax playing that produced an effect reminiscent of some of the Ligeti used in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It then settles into resonant sax stylings that show off the rich and nuanced acoustics of the recording. The album ends on another high note – a storm of syncopated saxes chase each other in circles for the climactic and breathtaking 10 minutes of the album. Amazing and distinctive.

It’s been a while since our monthly roundup of new releases – sorry for the hiatus, but we’re at it again! What called us back into action is the outpouring of amazing ambient, experimental and electronic records in recent months. You probably know from past posts how much we love this kind of music, so here’s a roundup of some of the recent ones that stand out to us.

Pick hit!
Lucrecia Dalt – ¡Ay!
(released October 14, 2022)

Composed and arranged by Lucrecia Dalt in Berlin in 2021
Percussion by Alex Lázaro
Trumpet by Lina Allemano
Clarinet and flute by Edith Steyer
Double bass by Nick Dunston
Double bass on “El Galatzó” by Isabel Rößler
Backing vocals by Camille Mandoki and Alex Lázaro

Even among unique albums that mix genres, the sound of Lucrecia Dalt really stands out – one of the most interesting albums of the year. Here, Dalt creates an evocative contrast between old and new. On “Dicen” for example, a loping futuristic synthesizer groove introduces a traditional Cuban danzón-sounding trumpet. These kinds of contrasts between old and modern textures and sounds are crucial to this album and abound. I really can’t top what Dalt’s Bandcamp page says:

“Dalt channels sensory echoes of growing up in Colombia on her new album ¡Ay!, where the sound and syncopation of tropical music encounter adventurous impulse, lush instrumentation, and metaphysical sci-fi meditations in an exclamation of liminal delight. In sound and spirit, ¡Ay! is a heliacal exploration of native place and environmental tuning, where Dalt reverses the spell of temporal containment. Through the spiraling tendencies of time and topography, Lucrecia has arrived where she began.”

It’s a fascinating and unique listen – highly recommended.

Pick hit!
Loraine James – Building Something Beautiful For Me
(released October 7, 2022)

A great ambient record is an act of alchemy, or maybe a kind of magic. There has to be something evocative about the sounds, the textures, and the ideas for it all to work. The results can either be dull, or transfixing. Loraine James has that kind of magic. Just as remarkable is how she channels Julius Eastman; Building Something Beautiful For Me venerates Eastman’s spirit, but sounds quite different from Eastman too – it’s very much a Loraine James record more than anything. Eastman’s melodies and arrangements are all beautifully rendered, but recontextualized into a soundscape of James’ synthesizers and arresting vocals. I keep coming back to this terrific record and hope you will too.

Pick hit!
Fuubutsushi – Birthingbodies EP
(released September 15, 2022)

Chris Jusell – Violin
Chaz Prymek – Guitar, Bass Guitar, Lapsteel Guitar
Matthew Sage – Piano, Synthesizers, Autoharp
Patrick Shiroishi – Saxophones, Wind Synth, Glockenspiel, Voice

The return of the ambient supergroup responsible for the four seasonal albums that help many of us navigate stress during the pandemic. In this concise but gorgeous 3 song EP, the group chemistry keeps on building from their prior releases. Here, the music is especially spare and shows a mastery of the difficult art of saying more with less. The music is organized around a political cause, to raise funds for WWW.MOFUND.ORG, a reproductive healthcare resource in Missouri, where Prymek resides. If you love this music, check out those four prior Fuubutsushi releases collected in Shiki.

Mabe Fratti – Se Ve Desde Aquí
(released October 14, 2022, Unheard of Hope)

Mabe Fratti: cello, vocals, synths, and saxophone (in track 7)
Synths and/or guitars and/or bass contributions in every track by I. La Católica
Héctor Tosta: Multiple instrucments
Carla Boregas: Synth and tapes (track 9)
Alina Maldonado: Violin in tracks 5 and 7
Gibrán Andrade: Drums in tracks 1, 2 and 3
Jarrett Gilgore: Saxophones in tracks 2, 4, and 8

This Guatemalan cellist, who is based in Mexico City, is entirely new to me. Her prior albums Pies sobre la tierra (2019) and Será que ahora podremos entendernos (2021) along with noted collaborations such as with Gudrun Gut on last year’s Let’s Talk About The Weather, all seem to be highly regarded, so I’m going to have to catch up! Se Ve Desde Aquí employs Fratti’s intimate vocals and cello, with a shifting background of synthesizers, guitar, and percussion. At times the album goes from ambient and noise into folkloric and pop song structures and then transitions back into sound texture. It’s always arresting music – a very strong release.

Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat – Chasing the Phantom
(released July 22, 2022, Black Truffle)

Gamelan Salukat, a large ensemble of Gamelan percussion designed by Dewa Alit

Not all ambient music has to be electronic, as the rich Gamelan musical culture shows. This is the second release from contemporary Balinese composer Dewa Alit and his Gamelan Salukat. (Check out the 2020 album Genetic here). Gamelan Salukat is a 25-member ensemble that performs on instruments specially built to Alit’s designs, using a unique 11-note scale. Composer Alit explains in the liner notes for that 2020 release that “the music of Gamelan Salukat is grounded in the tradition of Balinese Gamelan; however, he approaches this tradition not as something static, but as a set of concepts and principles that can be used to create something radically new.” While the music created here is all acoustic, the Gamelan ensemble sounds a lot like the sound and texture of electronics. The approach earns this fascinating album a spot in the Ambient/Electronic roundup!

Nate Wooley – Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes
(released July 29, 2022, Pyroclastic Records)

Mary Halvorson – Guitar
Susan Alcorn – Pedal Steel Guitar
Ryan Sawyer – Drums
Mat Maneri – Viola, (Track 2)
Trevor Dunn – Electric Bass, (Track 4)
Nate Wooley – Trumpet and Amplifier, Compositions

Last year’s Mutual Aid Music emphasized group communication, and while that is sometimes fascinating, I don’t think it engaged Wooley’s genius for creating a sonic monolith out of disparate voices. He does that on Seven Storey Mountain IV and does that here too. Field recordings of crashing waves bleed into Wooley’s fuzz-box trumpet distortions, and then into Halvorson’s vertigo-inducing guitar twang. Then in the second half, Wooley takes the amp off his trumpet and we are reminded he can play it the old-fashioned way too. Another winner from one of the most interesting musicians around.

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn – Pigments
(released October 21, 2022)

Music composed, arranged, and produced by Spencer Zahn
Vocals composed and written by Dawn Richard
Stuart Bogie: clarinet, bass clarinet
Mike Haldeman: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, sampled electronic instruments
Malcolm Parson: cello, violin, viola
Dawn Richard: vocals
Dave Scalia: drums
Kirk Schoenherr: electric guitar
Jas Walton: tenor saxophone, flute
Doug Wieselman: clarinet, bass clarinet
Spencer Zahn: upright bass, fretless bass, piano, vibraphone, synthesizer

This short album has gotten a lot of press from NPR and elsewhere. I love the very democratic blend of electronic, classical, and pop threads into one whole, and the end result has one foot planted in each world (not sure whether that makes three feet . . . ). A strong release and I’m looking forward to more from these artists.