Armen Donelian: Stargazer
Japanese labels have produced countless records that have reached only the most fanatical jazz fans in the rest of the world. Sunnyside has rescued a typical example from obscurity: pianist Armen Donelian’s Stargazer, originally released on Atlas in 1981. It was the debut of the American-Armenian pianist, whose career blossomed under the umbrella of mentors Sonny Rollins and Richie Beirach.
Donelian’s exceptional skills shine through regardless of terrible production standards – you can trust the early 1980s to produce annoying metallic bass sounds like Eddie Gomez’s. Unfazed, Gomez contributes kinetic, lyrical solos. Drummer Billy Hart completes a trio that fluently moves through Donelian’s strong compositions. Stargazer is Donelian’s pièce de résistance – a beautiful, epic song that flexibly switches through keys. Introspection is part of Donelian’s bag, but it’s virile, long lines that come most natural to him, as the bossa-ish Love’s Endless Lines makes abundantly clear. As they used to say in hip liner notes, he plays “mucho” piano, somewhat reminiscent of Catalonian maestro Tete Montoliu.
This is a superb trio, whose members are alive and well. Bring the reunion on.
Discography
Stargazer; Free At Last; Southern Belle; Love’s Endless Spin; Monday; Silent Afternoon; Queen Of Light (46.37)
Donelian (p); Eddie Gomez (b); Billy Hart (d). New York City, April 1980.
Sunnyside SSC 4039
My best of 2025
Omer Govreen Quartet: All Things Equal
Desperation and a yearning for peace and harmony pervades the beautiful All Things Equal. The band of the Amsterdam-based bassist Omer Govreen is immersed in a hypnotic ebb and flow that is not only defined by a mix of melancholy and intensity, but also by delicate interchanging of ideas, free-within-boundaries. The analogue-engineered, warm-blooded sound is to die for and perfectly underlines an acoustic jazz quartet of vibraphone, piano, bass and drums that strives for the way rock band Radiohead or painter Edvard Munch worked up strong emotions. High praise.
Discography
All Things Equal; The Pole/Call; For Granted; Comfort; Rivers (Intro); Narrowing; Waiting For Wouter (43.18)
Aleksander Sever (vib); Floris Kappeyne (p); Omer Govreen (b); Wouter Kühne (d). New York City, 20 & 21 January 1980.
JMI 25
Arbenz, Carter & Arbenz: The Alpine Session
Ron Carter had a teaching job in the Swiss Alps and the Arbenz brothers – pianist Michael and drummer Florian – recruited him for a session of cutting-edge jazz, a challenge that is masterfully met by the sprightly 88-year-old bass legend. Michael Arbenz’s sweeping gestures and Florian Arbenz’s variety of percussion sounds blend perfectly with Carter’s resonant, plucky bass sound. Furious modality alternates with tranquility on intriguing originals, while the trio rebuilds their skeleton piece of Ellington’s It Don’t Mean A Thing with a rare level of creativity. Serious heat.
Discography
It Don’t Mean A Thing; Alive; Evolution; Lullaby; All The Things You Are; Old Shaman (53.20)
Michael Arbenz (p); Ron Carter (b); Florian Arbenz (d). Stalden, 16 March, 2024.
Independent
Horace Silver: Silver In Seattle: Live At The Penthouse
By 1965, the glory days of hard bop were gone, supplanted by the era of “the new thing”, but its main progenitors were alive and kicking, notably Horace Silver, as evidenced by the top-rate archival release Silver In Seattle. Silver recruited the young progressive lions Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson and swings with typical verve on proven, blues-based winners and his hit Song For My Father. Silvermine.
Discography
The Kicker; Song For My Father; The Cape Verdean Blues; Sayonara Blues; No Smokin’ (41.20)
Woody Shaw (t); Joe Henderson (ts); Horace Silver (p); Teddy Smith (b); Roger Humphries (d). Seattle, 1980.
Blue Note 15686
