Glenn Crytzer and His Quartet: The Songbook Sessions, Vol. 1 – 1920
Keeping the old tunes alive is an important part of the jazz tradition. Guitarist Glenn Crytzer dives back into the 1920s with The Songbook Sessions, Vol. 1. Containing tunes by Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Con Conrad and others, the project is full of wonderful musical nuggets that contemporary audiences might not be aware of. With a strong Dixieland sound informing the arrangements, the music seems fresh from an old-timey film (think Laurel and Hardy or The Marx Brothers).
During the pandemic, Crytzer and his quartet got together and each week the band researched songs from a different year, beginning with the 1920s until 1944. Whispering sets the right tone for the whole experience. It is elegant while still supplying the toe-tapping rhythm. The quartet balances itself in each piece, never letting one musician take up too much airspace. That classic bounce glides the tracks along, and Glenn’s guitar playing lends a slightly cowboy accent to the arrangements. Aunt Hagar’s Blues is a great slip into the early blues style. The trumpet works well carrying the tune, with reeds spinning around it easily. Though there are only four musicians, they work hard to keep the music flowing, the layers superbly woven.
Many of the tracks, such as Margie, transport one to a riverboat barge coloured in grayscale. It’s very nostalgic (even for those whose grandparents were barely born by the late 1930s). Glenn really handles each piece with care. Honestly, there isn’t a bad track or a weak one. The quartet is so lively and energetic and emotionally charged that the similarities in the material’s sonic qualities are not a disadvantage. This first session of songs is such a high that one worries, momentarily, if the next batch will be as wonderful. Yet there is a nag in the mind that murmurs, yes, yes, yes.
Discography
Whispering; Lena From Palesteena; Aunt Hagar’s Blues; Margie; Avalon; Look For The Silver Lining; Singin’ The Blues; In Apple Blossom Time; I’ll See You In C-U-B-A; San (36.07)
Crytzer (g, v); Mike David (t, v); Ricky Alexander (s, cl); Ian Hutchison (b). New York, 8 November 2020.
Blue Rhythm Records
Adam Forkelid: Dreams
Is the solo album at a disadvantage in today’s hectic music industry? No. Stockholm-based pianist Adam Forkelid proves that single instruments speak volumes with his release, Dreams. As with Keith Jarrett’s records, Forkelid lets his improvisation skills soar and guide the project. Soothing, smooth, expressive and exceptional, the six Dreams on here display a burgeoning talent that surely demands attention. Without being too demanding on his audience, either, the pianist paints more accessible soundscapes without falling into the traps of rigorous structure and cheesy melodies.
In the vein of Bill Evans as well as Pat Metheny, the compositions are loose and lively. They do not get carried away; they do not stay in one place too long either. These pieces are love songs to and for the piano. With a French impressionist’s air (think Debussy, Ravel, perhaps Satie), Forkelid drifts, swirls about the keys. One gets the feeling that each piece could have gone on and on, and it shows the restraint and creative ingenuity of the artist that the tracks don’t simply jog down the lane and never come to a rest. Some of the endings, as on Dream No. 3: Time, are obvious, the piano slowing down and becoming a whisper. Others are less so, and this versatility offers that beautiful lethargy and stretching of sound that great improvisers know.
Forkelid is no stranger to the unusual or avant-garde. His recent projects and partnerships can sometimes lean into the weird and oddball. Though these are not always successful, they illustrate a desire to push the bounds and free oneself of traditional structures. His work with other musicians is diverse in any case. One doesn’t quite know how to pin him down as a jazz artist (which is good… sorta). However, his work on Dreams brings his abilities to the forefront. He isn’t showy. He is slyly stylish. These pieces, as with Dream No. 5: The Quiet Above, allow his quicksilver fingers to dance or pause, to arabesque or relax and to simply be. Dreams is a lovely distraction from the cacophony that all sizes of screens bring.
Discography
Dream No. 1: Liminality; Dream No. 2: Unfold; Dream No. 3: Time; Dream No. 4: Repose; Dream No. 5: The Quiet Above; Dream No. 6: Strive (41.38)
Forkelid (grand piano). Krematoriet, Stockholm, 12 October 2024.
Prophone Records
Gareth Lockrane Big Band: Box Of Tricks
The flute is not the first instrument one thinks of when someone mentions jazz, but this record says it should be. Gareth Lockrane unleashes good times and high spirits with Big Band: Box Of Tricks. With a crew of devoted and talented players, the ensemble is in great form. Lockrane’s original tracks add nicely to the songbook of big-band material, old and contemporary alike. Though one might not immediately get Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman from the material here, the heritage and sonic lineage shows itself in the way the group moves and creates together.
Recorded in one day, the record celebrates what loud music can do. Does it go overboard? Nope. Does it have variety? Yes. Though the flute certain flutters and twirls delightfully on each piece, it doesn’t hog the stage. There are more laidback moments, too. And these are necessary to create the contrast which lets the “big moments” really bloom. The title track is a vivid composition. In its second quarter it morphs into a smooth guitar paired with a humming rhythm section. This turn makes the piece unique and specific to Lockrane. Then the flute intrudes and shifts the direction again. As with composer and conductor Miho Hazama, the compositions play with an accessible jazz expressionism that doesn’t dissuade listeners from tuning in.
And though the tracks are all long (the shortest barely under seven minutes), they do not outstay their welcome. The band members work in tandem. Furthermore, the obvious variety of instruments lets the tunes flourish. Memories In Widescreen particularly steals the show with a quiet, wistful atmosphere. A slight respite from the preceding foot-stomping music, it glides with a charm of snowflakes. Then Grooverider edges away from the calm and melancholy with an Afro/Latin-inspired beat that buzzes with electric organ. The record is a riot; Lockrane’s group deserves applause.
Discography
All The People; Box Of Tricks; Dennis Irwin; Memories In Widescreen; Grooverider; Captain Kirkland; Plan B; Leviathan; Lockup! (55.52)
Lockrane (f, picc); Sam Mayne, Mike Chillingworth (as, cl); Graeme Blevins, Nadim Teimoori (ts, f); Tom Smith (bar, bcl); Tom Walsh, James Davison, Steve Fishwick, Henry Collins (t); Trevor Mires, Mark Nightingale, Olli Martin (tb); Barry Clements (btb); Ross Stanley (p, elp, o); Ryan Trebilcock (b, elb); Ian Thomas (d); Hugh Wilkinson (pc); Pat Levett (hca). Livingstone Studios, London, 16 May 2023.
Whirlwind WR4839
