Ronan Guilfoyle’s Bemusement Arcade: At Swing, Two Birds (Livia 2502)
There’s a shortage of supply of Guinness in Amsterdam. The famous stout is currently a TikTok hype in hip local bars, leaving the legion of hardcore Irish pub goers at a loss. But at least jazz imports from Ireland don’t lag behind. The latest CD from Dublin bassist and composer Ronan Guilfoyle has arrived in the Lowlands and is getting us drunk on inventive progressive jazz.
A nifty reimagination of Charlie Parker melodies lies at the heart of the title track, the pulse provided by the electric bass of Guilfoyle, expert ornithologist in the field of beautific Bird sounds. Guilfoyle takes similar liberties with Lennie Tristano, primal changes and the blues, delineating his strong original songbook with a natural flow of lyricism and odd metre. Saxophonist Sam Norris and guitarist (and son) Conor Guilfoyle blend seamlessly with Guilfoyle and drummer Darren Beckett. Their high-spirited collective improvisation defines Diversionary Tactics – I Got Rhythm in a new guise, reminding of Mingus.
Dulcettia is a gorgeous long melody and homage to Guilfoyle’s granddaughter which inspires grandad – seasoned veteran of Dave Liebman, Brad Meldhau and John Abercrombie projects – to some of his most eloquent lines.
Yonglee & The Doltang: Invisible Worker (Unit 5208)
South Korea, a country that yields extremes as prodigies in jazz and classical music and terrible K-Pop, also spawns Yonglee & The Doltang, eccentric offshoot to the tree of neo-fusion. Invisible Worker is fiery, in fact hellbent on hooks and crunchy counterbeats. Psychedelica meets prog jazz in a mix that brings to mind the music of an array of adventurers: Joe Zawinul and Paul Bley’s synth excursions, Flaming Lips, Cornelius. It’s an acquired indie and occasionally noisy taste, but ingenious, no mistaking.
Yonglee’s (electric) piano is the balanced counterpoint to Youngwoo Lee’s nonconformist outbursts on synth and electronics. At the same time, Yechan Jo’s guitar spruces up the unwieldy brew, notably deft in Pay Day and Shell. More melodic content would be welcome, but it should only be a matter of time before Yonglee & The Doltang break out of the underground scene.
Yotam Ben-Or: Impermanence (HR Music)
A Middle Eastern vibe permeates the melodies of harmonica player Yotam Ben-Or. His lines bounce like crickets on the tips of stalks in the wheat field. Exceptional fluency and a sweet tone go hand in hand on rhythms that invite dancing, notably on the gypsy-jazz flavoured Milinga Gris and Carribean-tinged Merengue. The equally bouncy Kafka On The Beach’s merit lies in the spicy trading of fours between Ben-or and pianist Gabriel Chakarji. Chakarji’s fusion of snake-charming lines and the Hancockian voicing of Triangular is the most edgy part of a record that is mellow and marked by the interplay of an organic unit.
The Israeli-Belgian Ben-or completes his sophomore effort with breezy/melancholic pop-jazz, assisted by singer Esther Quansah on Trying. Ben-or is a masterful mouth-harp player – it doesn’t really seem like he’s trying. It’s effortless and clean.
