Rose Room: It’s Been A Long, Long Time (self-release)
Do you know that feeling where you pick up an album and immediately know that you’re going to like it? Well, that is the feeling I got here. Glasgow gypsy-jazzers Rose Room are well established and the chances are that if you like this brand of jazz, with its intricate guitar and saucy fiddle, you’ll already know them. This music is all about joy. It reminds me of deep red awnings over street cafés, the hustle and bustle of waiters carrying various patisserie and hot drinks and if I’m allowing my imagination to stretch a little further, I feel the urge to don a hat and solve crimes on the sun-soaked coastline at Cannes!
I’ve seen bands like this, and it can seem sometimes that the tunes are all very similar and follow a certain pattern. But the music is a framework for the intricacy that the musicians can insert. The fingers of these guitarists are fuelled by something other than simple tendon and muscle: they fly. Add to that some very impressive violin (check out opening track Joseph Joseph for an example of the skill here), a bass that travels beneath the music like the Seine and you’ve got the ingredients for a fine example of the style. Another string to the bow is violinist Seonaid Aitken’s singing voice – it’s timeless and reminiscent of those female singers from the 1930s and 40s that defined the music and the era.
Kaisa’s Machine: Moving Parts (Greenleaf)
This is perhaps the most contemporary jazz album I’ve listened to this year. It’s as fresh as just-squeezed orange juice and jam-packed with energy, enthusiasm and jazz knowledge. But it’s a bit mazey. By that I mean it doesn’t allow you to settle, it wants to throw curveballs, to disorient and to change rhythms and tempo. The best example of this is opening track Tykytys. It starts with a piano riff before bringing in drums then a change to guitar, but then back to drums and piano, and then guitar. Which way is up? Which way is down? And can I get the music to go?
I’m not trying to be negative here. I think the music is exactly as intended: I think it’s meant to keep you interested by keeping you guessing at what’s around the corner, but to my ears it’s a little harsh and a little cold. Obviously, this band can play (the music is intricate and at times, complex) but it feels rushed, hurried as if each individual is fighting for space. Midnight Sun starts calmly but isn’t given space to develop before we’re into frantic movement again.
I’ve had this album on repeat for a few days and it still sounds a beat too fast with the tracks a minute too short. There is no doubt that this is a group of young musicians exploring the genre and pushing boundaries, and I think whatever they do next will also be worth hearing, but I would prefer more variation and more time spent on building the music before showing the listener what they can do.
Takuya Kuroda: Everyday (PPK Records)
Brooklyn-based trumpeter Takuya Kuroda produces a head-bopping, Ezra Collective style of street jazz that uses funk and rock as a backdrop. It starts quite conservatively but then it’s full throttle. The album doesn’t let up, from the catchy hook of title track Everyday through to the wild trumpet playing of Car 16 15 A and Off To Space and the groove-heavy vibe of Must Have Known.
There is brilliant percussion work, electric piano, ocean-deep bass and some well-placed vocals here and there but the star turn is the trumpet playing. The album sounds like the soundtrack to a dirty 1970s cop movie (Hung Up On My Baby is the prime example of this), but it also feels bang up to date and fresh. It incorporates rock, funk, hip-hop and Latin beats and you can almost smell the bagels being baked among the fire hydrants and yellow cabs. Superb.
Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra: East Meets West: Connections (Chronograph Records CR-115)
Big band jazz isn’t normally my kind of thing. I tend to seek out the classic quartet or quintet because I like the spontaneity that the smaller set up allows – especially in the live setting – but I’m noticing that I’m gaining an appreciation for the big band. I think what the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra does is not overstay their welcome. With tracks lasting around seven-minutes it doesn’t sound stretched or like playing for playing’s sake, and the album ticks along at a grand old tempo, meaning that once you’re grabbing your metaphorical coat you feel a bit disappointed that it’s all over.
The album starts with some neat brush work and spots of horn as an introduction before it slowly opens out into something joyous (the opening track title is, indeed, Sounds Of Joy) and very well done. It’s dramatic, exciting and with this many instruments on offer, often surprising. I found my feet moving without realising – surely a good measure of how well this band swings.
If you’re already a fully paid-up fan of the classic big-band sound then you won’t need any persuading to enjoy the music here. However, I think it’s modern enough to appeal to those that don’t appreciate Miller, Ellington, Basie etc. Am I going to admit that I’m now a fan of big band? Probably not – but albums like this go a long way towards making me a believer.
Vince Guaraldi: It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Lee Mendelson Film Productions)
Watching Charlie Brown cartoons as a boy was probably my first introduction to the sound of an instrument used in jazz music – a muted trombone was used for the “voice” of the characters’ teachers. But it wasn’t until years later that I realised the soundtracks to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus et al contain wonderful jazz.
Here available for the first time is the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack for It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown featuring drummer Mike Clark and bassist Seward McCain. Some of the tracks are time-travelling reminders and instantly memorable. For example, Peppermint Patty is a cool, laid-back Herbie Hancock style 63-second nugget.
The album moves from classical (Easter Theme, Music Box Dance and Piano Sonata No. 3 In C Major) to dreamy pop (Woodstock’s Dream) to straight-up groove (Marcie’s Song) to head-nodding jazz (Easter Egg Soup) with electric piano taking centre stage.
As a collection of snippets from a much-loved American character and show, this album is a brilliant audio document. As an example of how powerful music can be – sometimes in less than 20 seconds – it’s fantastic. I suppose it could be considered something of a novelty record but whoever had the original idea of putting a jazz soundtrack to a children’s cartoon was a genius.
