Zach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day (Cellar Music CMR102424)
Drummer Zach Adleman is a musician whose track record includes performances in the company of many music heavyweights and he is also a proud recipient of a Grammy for his percussion work. He assembled a nicely balanced sextet for this latest project including trombonist Steve Davis and alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, who plays on the majority of the first half of the album before Steve Wilson takes over.
Hanahan is by far the dominant voice throughout, her bittersweet tone and individual phrasing giving such Adleman originals as We Make and It Always Rains In Michigan a cutting edge they may have lacked. In fact the much better known Wilson lacks in comparison, although the front-line, which also includes trumpeter Austin Ford, generally acquits itself admirably.
Amongst the leader’s tunes, which contain variety and shifting moods, are an uptempo Night And Day, which never loses the Cole Porter nuances and Monk’s Evidence, which follows Lookin’ Up, an original that could almost have come from the high priest’s own locker.
Adleman is not a demonstrative percussionist, preferring to remain a reassuring presence behind his chosen musicians, only occasionally coming to the foreground – a policy that many would applaud.
Brian Lynch: 7x7By7 (Hollistic MusicWorks HMW23)
For many years, trumpeter Brian Lynch has carried the burden of being a constituent part of the last Jazz Messengers line-up, without perhaps due attention being brought to his undoubted abilities as a very fine horn player. Anyone catching his recorded output or attending one of his live gigs cannot fail to be impressed by his articulate performances, made possible by the brightest of tones, total control in the upper register and a technical facility which he never unveils unnecessarily.
On his latest release we encounter seven of his own compositions, each running for seven minutes, performed by a septet which includes the talents of tenor saxophonist Craig Handy and pianist Luis Perdomo. The majority of the pieces have a Latin vibe but thankfully avoid many of the clichés we associate with the genre. They sit mainly in slow to medium tempos which nonetheless still carry a satisfying vibrancy. When going uptempo, the horns are punchy, echoing the leader’s Messenger days, aided and abetted by drums plus percussion which really come into their own.
The most effective track is Greeting On 87th Street, carrying more basic charms – a bluesy ballad where all and sundry make sure the blues element is paramount, which cannot be said of the preceding Academy Blues, lacking few if any references to the style.
Peter Evans: Extra (We Jazz Records WJLP73)
Trumpeter Peter Evans is almost exclusively associated with the experimental end of the jazz spectrum and Extra undoubtedly falls into that area. On this occasion he employs piccolo trumpet, flugelhorn and very briefly the piano, supported by Peter Eldh (bass, synthesizer), teaming with Jim Black (drums, electronics).
From the get go, the music hits the listener between the eyes, as the opening Freaks gets us off to a hard-swinging introduction to a programme heavily reliant on a hard, thumping percussive background. Only the sparser landscapes of Nova and Lighthouse, using electronics, give relief from the relentless barrage.
Undoubtedly Evans is an accomplished musician, able to impress on both horns. His exploration of the flugelhorn’s lower depths is particularly impressive, as he journeys over the belligerence coming from behind. Clearly Black fulfills his required role to perfection and Eldh is still able to make his big tone felt in this forthright atmosphere.
Out Of/Into: Motion I (Blue Note 6598197)
Billed as a super-group, Out Of/Into were originally known as The Blue Note Quartet, being formed to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Blue Note label. The personnel certainly comes with “previous”, consisting of Joel Ross (vib), Immanuel Wilkins (as), Gerald Clayton (p), Matt Brewer (b) and Kendrick Scott (d).
In recent years the revered label could have been accused of often turning to a watered-down product in its releases but Motion I is the real deal. This is contemporary jazz of the first order – both exciting and stimulating and featuring some seriously good musicians who interact with and complement one another.
From the opening Ofafrii, all full of driving intensity, we are on a journey of musical excellence driven along by the force of nature that is Kendrick Scott. The intensity of a number of pieces is offset by the likes of Gabaldon’s Glide, an elegant option graced by interplay from vibes, piano and alto saxophone; a similar mood is also to be found on Second Day.
The near 13-minute Aspiring To Normalcy carries a bleakish theme, underpinned initially by a repeated piano figure with Ross and Wilkins taking the action into a looser area, before an engaging tumbling climax, eventually segueing into peaceful oblivion. Ross delivers a magnificent solo on Radical that’s followed by a surprising break of silence, before normal service is resumed.
The vibes man is again in full flow on Synchrony, where he and Williams dominate, the latter’s solo being of a superannuated bebop nature that takes no prisoners. Then the tempo comes down for the short elusive ballad Bird’s Luck, taking the listener out on a more peaceful level.