We lead the February column with the new recording from jazz giant Abdullah Ibrahim, titled 3. Prophetically, that number is practically a mantra for the entire column: Nearly half of this column’s recommendations are trio sessions. I’m not sure what to make of that, if it’s a byproduct of the season, a curious coincidence, a conspiracy, or an anomalous power surge from the jazz zeitgeist. It’s something to ponder, at least, as you dig into some excellent new music.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
A melody from the piano of Abdullah Ibrahim is like a sound carried in by a soft breeze. Though gentle, it can be felt straight through to the bone—deep down to a listener’s core, always welcome to the touch. For decades, from Cape Town to Europe to New York City, Ibrahim has been one of jazz’s brightest lights, and every new recording is a reason to celebrate. The pianist’s latest consists of two performances from a 2023 stay at Barbican Hall—one in front of a live audience, and one prior to the concert, just the trio and a reel-to-reel tape machine. Joined by Cleave Guyton Jr. on flute and piccolo and Noah Jackson on double bass and cello, Ibrahim shows, yet again, that magic is real.
Lawrence Fields
To the Surface
Compact Disc (CD)
This is as exquisite as a modern straight-ahead piano trio session gets. That shouldn’t be surprising, given the musicians with whom Lawrence Fields has previously collaborated. But forewarned is not always the same as forearmed, and so it’s forgivable if a listener’s reaction to the pianist’s debut is jaw-dropping wonderment. Each individual note resonates like crazy, even as it flows into the next and the one after, building up to a succession of stunning peaks. Bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Corey Fonville are perfectly in sync with Fields.
Paul Williamson, Peggy Lee, & Dylan van der Schyff
Old Country, New Country
These are melodies threaded through the eye of the storm—pulled apart by elemental forces, reshaped through sheer force of will and, occasionally, gliding through a pocket of serenity. The trio of trumpeter Paul Williamson, cellist Peggy Lee, and drummer-percussionist Dylan van der Schyff enter interludes of tunefulness within an avant-garde landscape, showing that the definition of beauty has limitless—and sometimes unexpected—meanings and applications. Old Country, New Country is expressed through volatility, but it’s the music’s faithfulness to melodic inspiration that manifests its ultimate form.
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Is This Water
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
You won’t find a stronger enchantment than Is This Water. The trio of pianist Philipp Eden, double bassist Raphael Walser, and drummer Jonas Ruther shape melodies as if they’re perpetually circling one another—a system of loops, crossings, cut-backs, and connections. It elicits a sense of unending cycles, never achieving a resolution, always stretching out to infinity. Bolstering the melodic loveliness is a gravitas that keeps the music grounded, retaining a certain edge and sensibility, in the same that way sunlight’s power is best illustrated in the presence of shadow.
The Choir Invisible
Town of Two Faces
Compact Disc (CD)
Town of Two Faces reveals itself methodically, patiently, and with a lyricism that takes its time. The trio of alto saxophonist Charlotte Greve, drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, and acoustic bassist Chris Tordini interact sometimes as a unified force, other times as individual players with eyes on some meeting point on the distant horizon. The former conveys a sense of prowling melodies while the latter is not unlike a melody playfully chasing its own tail. Greve contributes vocals on the final track, and I wouldn’t say no to more of that on future recordings.
Adam Bałdych & Leszek Możdżer
Passacaglia
Compact Disc (CD), 2 x Vinyl LP
Violinist Adam Bałdych and pianist Leszek Możdżer are both well-versed in the modern jazz paradigm, and it’s been particularly rewarding to hear their efforts to shape jazz into something new. On this jazz-classical crossover they combine those efforts. Możdżer, a prepared piano enthusiast, is on two different grand concert pianos for this session, while Bałdych goes with both classical and Renaissance violins. The music is graceful but also playful, and the duo is as likely to take the shortest route to a melody as dance teasingly just out of reach. Passacaglia is comprised mostly of original compositions (with both musicians contributing), but also includes renditions by pieces from Erik Satie, Josquin des Prez and Hildegard von Bingen.
Ches Smith
Laugh Ash
Compact Disc (CD)
The latest from Ches Smith, whose contributions have influenced the shape of modern jazz, has a lineage that can be traced to many genres and to none at all, existing in a state of both embracing and transcending all other musics. The melodies, often pretty, also have a potential to draw blood. The music radiates avant-garde allure to pair with its quirky charm, and each piece progresses in a dreamstate of unpredictable expressions that make sense only in the context of itself. The ensemble, an all-star line-up, also offers breadcrumb trails to other excellent recordings; it features flutist Anna Webber, clarinetist Oscar Noriega, tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, trumpeter Nate Wooley, violinist Jennifer Choi, violist Kyle Armbrust, cellist Michael Nicolas, keyboardist (and bassist) Shahzad Ismaily, exceptional vocal contributions from Shara Lunon (who absolutely kills it on this session), and Smith himself on electronics, programming, vibraphone, drums, tubular bells, glockenspiel, timpani, tam tam, and metal percussion. That diverse array doesn’t even come close to giving a clear picture of the strange, fascinating music Laugh Ash has in store.
Tess Hirst
HERstory
Tess Hirst’s vocalese has a kind of endless quality—words live on forever, just hanging in the air, in suspended motion. It’s likely to leave a listener in rapt anticipation of the next move. HERstory is not typical modern jazz with vocals. The contributions of strings (courtesy of Tomorrow’s Warriors StringTing) adds a dynamic tension, and contrasts deliciously with the pronounced underpinning of bass and drums (Daniel Casimir and Richard Spaven), manifesting sometimes as a cool groove, other times as an urgent whisper. At the center of it all, pianist Sarah Tandy and Hirst execute a flawless choreography.
Matteo Paggi
W O R D S, words
It’s probably ineffective to describe the latest from Matteo Paggi by influence or genre; even though there are extended interludes of chamber, disruptive bursts of avant-garde, and gentle sprinklings of folk musics in the trombonist’s idiosyncratic styling of modern jazz, it’s better to simply view all of it in its entirety—like a year’s worth of seasons viewed in time lapse, where the scene changes are distinct from one another, but there’s the inescapable feeling that they are merely a byproduct of some grander act.
Jacob Anderskov
I sang
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
The latest from Jacob Anderskov settles gently into the pieces of the Højskolesangbogen, a sort of Danish counterpart to the Great American Songbook—a collection of music at the heart of a people and their shared experiences. The pianist, who’s joined by trumpeter Kasper Tranberg and drummer Jakob Høyer (plus Soffie Viemose and Jakob Munck both contributing vocals, effects, tuba and trombone), adopts an approach in which understatement lands with impact, and a solemn reserve generates a fiercely burning yet intimate warmth.
Hein Westgaard / Katt Hernandez / Raymond Strid
The Knapsack, The Hat, and The Horn
Compact Disc (CD)
This is folk jazz run through the blender of free improvisation and poured out as a stiff drink. Frenetic, but also kind of peaceful, in that same strange way that you can find serenity in the middle of the storm. Guitarist Hein Westgaard, violinist Katt Hernandez, and drummer Raymond Strid generate this effect throughout the entirety of their session.
Yes! Trio
The Best Is Yet To Come
Compact Disc (CD)
Since it’s February and the opinions of Punxsutawney Phil are still recent news, it’s apropos to describe the latest recording from Yes! Trio as the groundhog that pops out of its hole and announces Spring begins today. Bassist Omer Avital, drummer Ali Jackson, and pianist Aaron Goldberg deliver a set of sunny tunes with a chipper disposition. Often straddling the line where old-school meets new-school piano trio, the trio comes strong with upbeat tempos—sometimes bounding along, other times adopting an easy-going groove. And even on that rare occasion when they ease off the gas pedal—as they do on the lovely “Sanción”—the music still wears a cheerful smile on its face.
… and other albums of note
James Brandon Lewis maintains his torrid pace with another incredible recording, this one on Zurich’s Intakt Records. The duo of Petter Eldh and Otis Sandsjö have (understandably) garnered something of a cult following, and their latest collaboration (on Helsinki’s WeJazz Records) is likely to increase the membership rolls. For those of you with an unbreakable love affair with ECM Records jazz-ambient-folk recordings (in a previous era referred to vaguely as “World Jazz”), I highly recommend checking out Canberk Ulaş’s new release on Jazzland Recordings Norway. We don’t encounter too many tuba-led jazz recordings, but this session from Jonathan Seiberlich (on San Fran’s Slow & Steady Records) illustrates that it should be a more frequent occurrence, nor that one can presume how it will sound. And I’m still not sure what to make of this session from the trio of El Pricto, Don Malfon, and Vasco Trilla on Barcelona’s Discordian Records except I keep coming back to it as should anyone who’s into experimental music and the avant-garde.
