Joel Frahm: Lumination (Anzic Records ANZ-0091)
The Joel Frahm Trio, consisting of tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ernesto Cervini has existed as a unit for around a decade. Consequently the cohesion in the threesome is immediately apparent as Lumination unfolds. Despite lacking a chord-based instrument their collective ethos of melodic intention is never compromised.
The leader is a fairly muscular practitioner, whose forthright playing never becomes overbearing nor bogged down by technical facility. This approach is paralleled by Loomis, whose bold lines are a constant factor in isolation and in the snappy ensemble work, enhanced by the crisp patterns laid down by Cervini, who is incidentally the publicist for this group as well as the jazz cause in general.
All the tunes are band-member supplied, with the leader contributing the lion’s share, including the ballad Moonface Lament, showcasing his softer side and Kern You Dig It?, a clever take on All The Things You Are.
Elin Forkelid: Songs To Keep You Company On A Dark Night (Sail Cabin Records SCRCD004)
Saxophonist and composer Elin Forkelid has been a mainstay of Swedish jazz for a number of years, leading or as a constituent part of many different bands. Her previous album, Almost All Things Considered, issued under the band name Sol Sol, had a freewheeling aspect to it, eliciting reviews containing such comments as “the music is bold, tough and uncompromising”, “outside without being inaccessible” and “driven by the spirit of free jazz”. The current performing band led by Forkelid goes under the title of Plays For Trane which will give potential listeners a good idea of where she sits in 2024.
For this album she decided to take a different route, inspired by the Kenny Wheeler album Angel from back in the 90s, exploring the more subtle elements her musicianship can offer. However, nobody should run away with the idea that this is a set of dreamy ballads, even though the tempos are on the slowish side.
Amongst the originals, there is a dip into the past with the inclusion of Stevie Nicks’ Landslide and Carla Bley’s Ida Lupino, which was first unveiled back in the 60s on a Paul Bley album, these two tunes sitting comfortably within the overall ethos of the album.
Despite the inspiration, the music is a bold, carrying clear theme statements from the leader in conjunction with cornetist and trumpeter Tobias Wiklund and long-time collaborator and guitarist David Stackenas, the three supported by the bass of Mats Dimming. The saxophonist switches between baritone, tenor and alto to great effect; Wiklund is a busy operator and the guitarist offers a ringing tone alternating with a warmer option.
Pony Boy All-Star Big Band: This Is Now (Pony Boy Records PB50191-2)
This album was recorded live at a venue called Boxley’s, located in North Bend, Washington State and features the cream of Seattle musicians. The Pony Boy line-up is directed from the drum stool by Greg Williamson, a musician held in great regard by local enthusiasts. This band certainly deserves to be heard on a wider platform than a small establishment such as Boxley’s – but that can probably be said of so many large ensembles across America.
The immediate impression created by the opening original Harrod’s Creek is that the listener is in the presence of a big band worthy of the name. The collective is a real powerhouse, able to swing and populated by musicians who know how to deliver a decent solo when called upon. The fresh band material is fleshed out by such items as I Fall In Love Too Easily and Geo Rose, a tune by the late drummer Tony Williams.
Importantly, what the “Pony Boys” give us is a thoroughly exciting, contemporary big band, with plenty of nods to the past, that will appeal to lovers of the genre – which perhaps means jazzers of a certain age.
Sun Ra: The Magic City (Jazz Wax Records JWR4639)
Magic City originally came to light on Sun Ra’s own Saturn label in 1966, having been recorded a year earlier – not in 1960 as stated on the sleeve here. This latest reissue is on 180gm vinyl, including two bonus tracks from a few years prior, both featuring a pared-down line-up. The ever present musicians across all the material are Ra stalwarts, including saxophonists John Gilmore and Marshall Allen plus bass player Ronnie Boykins, all totally devoted to their maverick leader’s chosen path.
When confronted by this music over the decades, writers have quite correctly concentrated on the title track that covers side one of the album. The city in question is some futuristic metropolis evoked by the sounds of the piccolo, percussion and Ra’s clavioline, just one of the electric instruments he embraced over the decades. All the horns have their place but much of the space is taken up by minimalist intent.
Side two is freer in concept, as the Solar Arkestra is let loose on The Shadow Eye, Abstract Eye and Abstract “I”, leading into a straightahead septet reading of Big City Blues, the latter being quite early proof of the man from Saturn never being able to shake off his well-documented past.
Magic City has long been cited as a main staging post in Sun Ra’s development – a contentious idea, perhaps. But those coming to this music for the first time, having already been exposed to his other albums, might be in prime position to judge.
