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Reviewed: Zachary Bartholomew | Timotej Kotnik | Nicole McCabe

Zachary Bartholomew: Balancing Act (zacharybartholomew.com)

This is the first album Zachary Bartholomew has released as a band leader – but he hasn’t been lazing around on the couch. No. The pianist has a PhD and a professorship, thank-you-very-much. And the industrious ivory-tickler’s debut features 10 original tunes and 80 minutes of music, including a bonus track. It’s an extensive, polished and highly accomplished record.

A trio is at the heart of the action, with Dr. Bartholomew joined by a professor of jazz drumming and a member of the University of Miami’s contemporary bass faculty. A saxophonist and a trumpeter expand the lineup with two more pairs of safe, academically certified hands.

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The album starts with a four-minute burst of bebop on Crazy Socks. The two horns successfully conjure a big-band feeling before Bartholomew takes a Monkish solo. It’s old-fashioned fare executed with contemporary workmanship.

That’s the end of the bopping, however. The rest of the content is typical contemporary stuff, with undulating compositions that roll along like cloud shadows over hilltops. There’s groovier mischief on the final piece, Midnight Nefarity, which presses up close against Coltrane’s Impressions. And two tracks in the middle of the record feature Afro-Cuban rhythms that tug the temperature northwards.

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Overall, Balancing Act is an adept and enjoyable debut – but risk-averse and short on surprises too. Zachary Bartholomew’s music is marked by clear structures and clever methodologies. In particular, he has inventive approaches for reintroducing the central melodic motifs after solos. But listeners might wish for less polish and more passion on the professor’s future publications.

Timotej Kotnik: Via Ad Aeterna (timotejkotnik.com)

The six tracks on this debut aim to tell a tale of human redemption in the form of a modern religious liturgy. A holy ghost is present throughout. His name is Miles Davis. The spirit of Bitches Brew haunts every composition on Slovenia-born and Spain-based trumpeter Timotej Kotnik’s first album as a leader. But the music contains bigger fun and more smiles than Miles ever mustered.

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Many hands create that light-hearted ambience on Via Ad Aeterna. Most tracks feature percussion and drums to create rhythms that overlap without overpowering the collective sound. Two electric guitars and an electric bass generate a rockish vibe, while a vibraphone softens the sharpest edges. There are operatic vocals on the final piece too. It’s a peppery and playful instrumentation.

The flavours are spiciest on Aurora. It opens with a pop-soul groove beneath sweet, simple lines sung by Kotnik’s horn. An early vibraphone solo keeps the coolness coming. Then darker riffs arrive from trumpet and bass. Distorted guitars add a campy, stadium-rock character. A fanfaring folk pattern calls across a desert landscape until a euphoric final segment.

That’s typical of the overall listening experience on Via Ad Aeterna. The tunes feel tightly composed but are still packed with mood swings and rhythmic surprises. It’s an affectionate and boisterous record marked by its sunny disposition. Although the hallowed phantom of Miles Davis glides around its twisting corridors, even he can cast no shadow over this bright and invigorating first release.

Nicole McCabe: Mosaic (Ghost Note GNR1027)

For her fourth studio album, alto saxophonist Nicole McCabe aims to capture the impulsive sensation of a live performance. It’s an eight-track release with a quartet core that welcomes guest players for three tunes. Certainly, the best sections occur when the seatbelts slip off. But even the most firmly strapped-up segments zip along with a natural-feeling force.

Logan Kane’s double bass and Tim Angulo’s drums appear throughout, supported by piano and Rhodes from Julius Rodriguez. Jon Hatamiya (trombone) and Aaron Janik (trumpet) pop up twice, working in tandem both times. Guitarist Jeff Parker shows up for Tight Grip, which is the longest and probably most moving track.

While listeners might expect guest appearances to unlock the desired bandstand atmosphere, the two pieces with visiting horns are the most rigidly structured. Derecske, for example, is an uptempo swing number that bounces around on a cushiony carpet of crooning brass.

Two tracks open with spaced-out passages that are loosely connected to the main body of the tune. These dreamy portions zoom in on McCabe’s note-bending tone and patiently pirouetting phrases. Similarly, there’s a freer portion of playing towards the end of Tight Grip where tempers flare before settling to a pretty and sparse denouement.

Mosaic delivers in-the-moment moods often and creates an experience that is varied, visceral and immersive. Nicole McCabe’s saxophone voice is at the centre of the sound for long periods and always finds fresh ideas to expound. The high points arise when the inkwell runs dry and the written material recedes. Perhaps McCabe will travel further in this direction for her fifth album.

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