Tom Cohen: Embraceable Brazil
Surely bossa nova is old news, right? Wrong. Tom Cohen’s Embraceable Brazil keeps the traditional going while giving it a gentle update as well. The Philadelphia-based drummer clearly understands the style. His approach is more than a simple homage. The music moves with ease and an assurance that comes with age and maturity. Without falling into the tropes of being background or house music, the release serves as a reminder that some sounds never go out of style.
You’re So Vain is a recognisable cover that might, at first, not seem in need of a Brazilian update. But it works! The instruments used are also a testament to Cohen’s ability to mix and match sounds (and the increased tempo works wonders). Of course, there are other staples to be had, like The Girl From Ipanema. The vocals are steady and mellow – the instruments tender without being overly melancholy. Other tracks like Bye Bye Brazil show off the talents of the players, like the superb piano skills which are central to that song. Furthermore, the album’s balance of upbeat and slower tunes is key in stringing the audience along for the musical ride.
One of the reasons these pieces work so well, sound so fresh, is the number of musicians Cohen recruits for the project. Having several different pianists perform on a record of 13 tracks may feel like overkill, but the song arrangements allow room for improvisations that don’t get out of hand. The overarching bossa-nova feel unifies the tracks even if there are different techniques and musical structures at play. Cohen’s enthusiasm is clearly on display and makes for a memorable record.
Discography
Eu So Quero Um Xodo; You’re So Vain; Francisca; The Girl From Ipanema/Garota De Ipanema; Tarde; Bye Bye Brasil; Brigas Nunca Mais; Look To The Sky; Adeus America; Aquelas Coisas Todas; Cafe Com Pao; Joyous Lake; Bebe (live) (54.18)
Cohen (d); Cidinho Teixeira, Joao Bueno, Klaus Mueller, Bennett Paster (p); Chico Pinheiro, Jake Kelberman, Orlando Haddad (g); Itaiguara Brandao, Madison Rast (b); John Swana (EVI, tb); Barbara Mendes (v); Larry McKenna (ts); Edson da Silva Café (pc); Chris Farr (ts); Rob Curto (acc). Philadelphia, New York, Conshohocken, Haddon Heights. Dates unknown.
Versa Records
Emma Rawicz: Inkyra
Born in 2002, British saxophonist Emma Rawicz is a young musician with much to share. Inkyra is her fourth release, and it showcases the fluid style she’s been crafting. Following a style that doesn’t always put the melody first and foremost, Rawicz’s team tends to be more atmospheric. On many tracks, the instrument at the forefront leans into an expressionism that is popular among many other European musicians, such as Vincent Peirani, Nils Landgren and Kit Downes.
At times there are wonderful sections that are meditative and calm, as at the start of A Portrait Of Today. At others, there is a vaguely chaotic vibe that sweeps in, as with the middle of Moondrawn (Dreaming). These multifaceted tracks offer fresh and individual takes on jazz sounds. Rawicz is not the most outrageous or adventurous composer – unlike her saxophone colleague Kamasi Washington, for example – but she doesn’t hide away from being wild. There are many sections that are tight, controlled and which sound like a contemporary post-bop group from the Smoke Session label.
Her previous album, Chroma (2023, ACT), also delved into a shaking, moving, loose side of jazz. One does not see Rawicz playing it overly safe. The compositions might not be as catchy as Take Five or So What, but they have an animated spirit to them. They slide and shift like jungle cats entering a clearing or disappearing through shadows. This fourth project stays nicely within the realm of her other works. There might not be much experimentation but that doesn’t mean that they are lazy or stilted. Rawicz and her team work well together.
Discography
Earthrise; Particles Of Change; Time And Other Thieves; A Portrait Of Today; Lunar; Moondrawn (Dreaming); Anima Rising; All My Yellow Afternoons; Marshmallow Tree; A Long Goodbye (42.02)
Rawicz (ts, ss). Gareth Lockrane (f, af, bf, picc); David Preston (elg); Scottie Thompson Rhodes (p, Prophet); Kevin Glasgow (elb); Jamie Murray (d). Livingston Studios, London, 7-9 October 2024.
ACT Records
Florian Arbenz: Convergence: Moon
Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz apparently takes on Hispanic/Cuban influences on Moon, though often it just swings. Though the release comes to us in 2025, the seeds were planted, supposedly, by Arbenz’s trip to Havana nearly 30 years ago. There he met Cuban brothers Maikel and Jorge Vistel. He reunited with them in 2019 through saxophonist Greg Osby, and they have been touring together. With Moon, the sextet blends a modern European modern-jazz style with some veiled Cuban rhythms and textures and quite a bit of the angularity historically associated with Osby.
Preludio starts the record, lasting over seven minutes. It showcases the team’s fluid tradeoffs between melody and expressionism in an energetic modern bop performance. Suite takes things in a different direction; the opening is eerie, to say the least, and sounds more like a piece by Brian Eno. Throughout, the accordion colours the tracks distinctively and is perhaps a manifestation of the Latin American idea. Without it, there would be less tension, delicious tension, between the Latin and European musical sensibilities.
Some tunes are more disjointed, like Tein. Here the ensemble loses itself in a sonic adventure. It certainly sticks out. But such moments are important because they highlight the sense of wonder and curiosity that fuels the musicians. The project languishes a bit in the quieter passages; it doesn’t contain the kind of tender moments found in such as Pat Metheny, Till Brönner, Johanna Summer, etc. They are lovely moments, yes, but can feel flat. However, overall the album is inquisitive, and Arbenz leads it with devoted competency.
Discography
Preludio; Suite; JM; Tein; Motion; Wild Flower; Moon (44.30)
Florian Arbenz (d); Michael Arbenz (p); João Barradas (acc); Rafael Jerjen (b); Maikel Vistel (as); Jorge Vistel (t). Hammerstudios, Basel, 10 September 2024.
Hammer Recordings
Julien Dubois: Le Soi Et l’Autre
Some records seek to entertain; some are more studious and indulge in exploring potential soundscapes. French saxophonist Juien Dubois leans toward the latter with Le Soi Et l’Autre (“The Self And The Other”). Not an album for any old Joe off the street, there is a sense of the cerebral in Dubois’s work. The inclusion of violin also textures this second release with a neoclassical tone. With certainty, one can say that this is definitely “French”.
Other groups like the Paris Musette or 2 Leg Torso similarly play with classical-crossover atmospheres. Dubois adds a heavier sense of jazz to his pieces. He seems to thrive on the chaotic chortle of a saxophone as it gets a bit wild (such as on Trans ID). One gets the feeling that melody isn’t first and foremost. The team plays it loose and free for the most part; they aren’t tied down, even the rhythms here and there twist about.
Dubois’s previous release, Le Jardin (2019, Déluge), similarly defied traditional musical structures. Jazz hasn’t always been the strictest of genres, but one still gets surprised by the innovation some artists manage to achieve. Where some critics might say the Frenchman is being weird just to be weird, others can posit the idea that he and his team are travelling the soundwaves. They are searching for the odd and the explosive. If not the easiest album to approach, it is one that exhibits the heart and mind of its creator.
Discography
Ouverture – Ummo’s Theme; 1ère Vexation – Copernic; Trans ID; 1er Interlude – Le Soi; La Toile; La Machine D’Anticythère; 2ème Interlude – Le Soi et l’Autre; L’Histoire Du Clou; 3ème Vexation – Marx; Ummo’s Theories
Dubois (s); Alba Obert (vn); Maïlys Maronne (p); Jean-Luc Lehr (b); Maxime Zampieri (d); Maria Grand (ts). France, no dates.
Déluge DLG 015
