My favorite columns to write are the ones that hopscotch around the world—each album acting like a pin on a map, offering an invitation for discovery. For May’s column, we bounce from Stockholm, Sweden to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; from Lisbon, Portugal to Ghent, Belgium. We explore the walking paths of Central Park in New York City and follow a trail from Mexico City to Montreal, with stops in Chicago, London, and Korea. Melbourne is just one of the Australian stops, and Leipzig is just one of the German stops. We also bop back and forth between Bolivia and Puerto Rico. And that’s just some of the areas of the map waiting to be explored this month. Let’s begin.
Goran Kajfeš Tropiques
Tell Us
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
I’ve spent years screaming from the rooftops that Goran Kajfeš is one of the most exciting musicians on the modern jazz scene, and that his projects are as much a symbol of the music’s health and strength as any other. On his latest session with his quartet Tropiques, Kajfeš shifts things around, eschewing a wildly expressive sonic palette for one more akin to minimalism. Aside from accentuating the trumpeter’s talent for melodic enchantment, this approach also brings to the forefront the music’s hypnotic qualities. Helping with this transition is the addition of violin and cello, augmenting the core quartet with pianist-keyboardist Alexander Zethson, acoustic bassist Johan Berthling, and drummer Johan Holmegard.
Rebecca Trescher Tentet
Character Pieces
Compact Disc (CD)
Rebecca Trescher has quietly been releasing top-notch recordings since 2012’s Sud, and each successive work has moments that leave me absolutely floored. Most recordings lean toward chamber jazz, and the inclusion of concert harp, cello, and vibraphone on Character Pieces certainly adds to that sound. But remember: Though the default mood on a Rebecca Trescher recording is exquisite grace, the Nuremberg-based composer and clarinetist is perfectly capable—and willing—to infuse some heat and dissonance into a performance. When Trescher switches over to bass clarinet, the sound is captivating.
Laughing Bastards
Fetish
Vinyl LP
Considering they gravitate toward the music of Carla Bley, John Lurie, and Jimmy Giuffre, it wouldn’t be shocking for me to describe the music of Laughing Bastards as “strangely beautiful.” The Belgium-based quintet fashions melodies with pop music sensibilities, then immediately set to unwinding them following trails that lead them to spots unrecognizable from the point of departure. Remaining tethered to the blues—either in direct relation or sometimes merely as a dream—the music always retains a familiar quality, even if you can’t quite figure out why. If their 2018 release Unanimal should ever turn up on Bandcamp, scoop it up immediately—it is a recording that I return to often, and one of the best things to hit the shelves that year.
Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers
Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens
Vinyl LP
For some of us, walking is a meditative exercise, one that transcends the simple goal of getting from one place to another. This duo recording from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Amina Claudine Myers perfectly captures that state of mind. Framing their pieces around facets of New York’s Central Park, the duo all but lifts you up and shepherds you along its paths.
Kenny Warren
Sweet World
Vinyl LP
The music of Sweet World is eccentric—quirky, perhaps—but it’s also strangely elegant. Melodies aren’t developed, they’re poured out slowly like wine, but with the bite of whiskey. Every piece on Kenny Warren’s latest feels like the sonic representation of a beating heart: Blood racing, baring itself to the world. The trumpeter—joined on this session by cellist Christopher Hoffman and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell—has a distinctive sound, and yet each album is as different from the last as it will be from the next.
Emilio Reyna
Los Niños Perdidos
This is the one, I mumbled to myself about halfway through the first piece on Los Niños Perdidos. I always want to embed a track that not only embodies the overarching sound of a recording, but also one that will cause you to launch from this column to the album page. “No, wait, this one instead,” I said aloud, hearing the second track from Emilio Reyna’s latest. You can see where this is going. But each time I revised my decision, my voice carried a little bit louder, because Oh My God, is this recording a joy—and my excitement grew with each subsequent piece. Many listens later, it still does. The pianist—joined by double-bassist Benjamín García, drummer Juan Ale Saenz, alto saxophonist Santiago Von Sternenfels, and tenor saxophonist Diego Franco—keep to a (relatively) straight-ahead modern sound, with influences that range from Mexico City to NYC to the Montreal scene. The harmonic builds, woven through with a livewire rhythmic dialog, translate to an uplifting experience, leading to a reaction, when the last notes have sounded, of exclaiming, “No, the last piece, that’s what they need to hear.”
LATRALA
LATRALA
Vinyl LP
Everything about this music adheres to a sense of living in the spirit of the moment, pre-made plans be damned. A sunny personality, an infectious playfulness, a conversant attitude, and all kinds of grooves mark the entirety of this fun fun fun recording from percussionist Kenny Wollesen, guitarist Tony Scherr, acoustic bassist Christopher Thomas, keyboardist Michael Coleman, and drummer Nasheet Waits. Most tunes move at a brisk gallop, but even those that tap on the brakes have a fluid grace.
Jorga Mesfin
The Kindest One
Vinyl LP
Though The Kindest One qualifies as Jorga Mesfin’s debut, the Mulatu Astatke protégé already possessed a strong voice in Ethio-jazz. The Addis Ababa native instills this session with a spiritual sound—sometimes solemn in tone, other times celebratory, and always creating melodies that get into the blood. On this session, the saxophonist is joined by percussionist Teferi Assefa, pianist Takana Miyamoto, electric bassist Fasil Wuhib, double bassist Mamaniji Azanyah, and Ali Eric Barr on djembe.
Tom Skinner
Voices of Bishara Live at “mu”
Compact Disc (CD), 2 x Vinyl LP, Vinyl LP
This live January 2023 performance at London’s “mu” captures both the spirit and heart of old-school spiritual jazz (and why not, since the club’s name references a Don Cherry recording, and some of the album’s pieces are inspired by Abdul Wadud’s 1977 legendary solo cello recording) while simultaneously embracing the modern-day evolution of that form of expression. When the album enters a meditative drone, it reflects both internal turmoil and external serenity. The music shifts between volatility and freedom, with interludes of structured groove and propulsion. The line-up is drummer Tom Skinner, cellist Kareem Dayes, saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, acoustic bassist Tom Herbert, and tenor saxophonist Robert Stillman. If Skinner’s name rings familiar to you, it’s because he’s a member of both Sons of Kemet and The Smile (with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood). Speaking of which: It should also be mentioned that the musicians contributing to this recording also contributed to The Smile’s excellent 2022 release A Light For Attracting Attention.
Jihye Lee Orchestra
Infinite Connections
Compact Disc (CD)
Though thoroughly modern in both result and execution, composer Jihye Lee also incorporates the roots of the past by building each piece of Infinite Connections around traditional Korean rhythms. Sometimes, this rhythmic device is the prime mover of a piece; other times, it emerges patiently, and spectacularly, in the midst of a piece’s evolution. The album features Ambrose Akinmusire on a couple tracks, including standout, “You Are My Universe.” Infinite Connections exhibits all of the dramatic swells in harmony and melodic builds one could possibly want, and the thrilling moment when all the details shake out after the big splashdown.
Andrew Bird
Sunday Morning Put-On
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
One reason classic love songs have a timeless quality is because new hearts always find a novel ways to express them. That’s also true of the compositions that comprise the Great American Songbook. Andrew Bird recognizes this. Joined by drummer Ted Poor and bassist Alan Hampton (plus guest spots from guitarist Jeff Parker and pianist Larry Goldings), the violinist infuses old songs with new life, while demonstrating that the spirit of the originals is still alive and kicking.
Bohjass Upas Militia
Into the Low Rents / Compassion
This ensemble is a force of nature—that’s why the music reveals both an imposing will and a proclivity for serenity. Tim Pledger’s large ensemble comes on strong with the percussion, resulting in a rhythmic conversational style that treats the distance from an instrument to the listener’s ear like the transfer of electricity along a closed circuit. When the long interludes of drones and walls break into a catchy groove, it’s like clearing the forest line into an open field of wildflowers. The Melbourne-based outfit doesn’t shy away from avant-garde chaos or, at a different extreme, production effects; but it’s always in the service of a sound capable of moving mountains.
Arild Andersen / Daniel Sommer / Rob Luft
As Time Passes
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
The name Arild Andersen will send the thoughts of ECM Records fans to some of the more contemplative and tranquil sessions of the modern catalog. This session, with drummer Daniel Sommer and guitarist Rob Luft, falls right in line with the aesthetic of, say, a Hyperborean. A downpour of tranquility characterized by subtle interplay and outbursts of personality. The pace kicks up a little bit in spots, but by and large, it’s the equivalent of tossing extra kindling into a fireplace that’s already radiating plenty of warmth. Based solely on his own recordings, it will surprise no one to learn that Luft snaps right into place with the bassist. It’s the first release in Sommer’s “Nordic Trilogy”; I’m already quite primed to hear the next installment (with Johannes Lundberg & Arve Henriksen) later this year.
Other Albums of Note:
Luke Stewart, who I’ve previously raved about from his contributions to Irreversible Entanglements, has a trio session out on Pi Recordings with tenor saxophonist Brian Settles and Trae Crudup & Chad Taylor switching off on drums. Claire Cross frames her new release around the phases of the sleep cycle on Melbourne’s Art As Catharsis label. The new recording from the Lisbon, Portugal-based TAC trio of saxophonist Bernardo Tinoco, double bassist André Carvalho, and drummer Diogo Alexandre should satisfy your hankering for some dissonance and frenetic interplay. The latest from the Olga Reznichenko Trio on Traumton Records is modern piano trio at its best—captivating, melodic, and ethereal. Out on International Anthem this month (along with the previously mentioned Tom Skinner recording) is a fascinating session by the duo of Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly, who explore the music of their Bolivian, Brazilian, and Puerto Rican roots on the MESTIZX project.
