The Fred Hersch Trio: Plays
Pianist Fred Hersch described this, his third album for Chesky, as “a non-gimmicks album to showcase my working band”. Well, it might not include any gimmicks, but it is still a mightily impressive set, as worthy of an award as its predecessor, Dancing In The Dark, which was nominated for a Grammy in 1992. Hersch remarks that this newer set is a collection of jazz compositions – that is, they were all originally written as vehicles for improvisation, rather than the jazz standards on Dancing, which were originally settings of lyrics.
All were chosen to allow Hersch to find a personal approach to each piece, to make sure it resonated with him and the trio. Miles Davis’s Milestones is reworked considerably throughout its stop-go theme, Wayne Shorter’s Iris keeps its initial mystery thanks to Gress’s haunting solo, and Monk’s rare Played Twice receives a welcome outing in retaining the original’s sense of humour. Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma is taken at a leisurely and delightful stroll, while an early Ornette Coleman piece, Forerunner, ends the album in bouncy style. It’s hard to pick out the best track, but Herbie Hancock’s Speak Like A Child retains its childlike innocence, while Hersch’s own Evanessence perfectly suggests Bill Evans without copying him.
I’ve always said that Hersch benefits from playing with a band. Solo, he tends to tense up and perform: accompanied, and preferably live, he relaxes into an easy confidence. One curiosity here: the LP includes eight tracks, the download 12, with a superb Monkish assault on Think Of One, a reverential glide through Daydream, Coltrane’s fast-paced Moment’s Notice, and a luxuriously slow Doxy as added delights. All of which might make any forthcoming and expanded CD even more worth waiting for.
Discography
Milestones; Iris; Played Twice; Con Alma (19.27) – Mood Indigo; Speak Like A Child; Evanessence; Forerunner (20.06)
Hersch (p); Drew Gress (b); Tom Rainey (d). Astoria Queens, New York, 16–17 February 1994.
Chesky Records EVLP087
Olly Chalk: In Those Remote Stars
Frank Zappa, Kate Bush and Aaron Parks are all name-checked in the accompanying publicity to pianist and composer Olly Chalk’s new album, but of them I can hear nothing. What I can hear clearly is a lucid form of chamber jazz that blends rich melodicism, ethereal, synth-inflected textures and some virtuosic playing into a very delightful whole.
Clark himself is a beguiling host, admitting to his joy at rediscovering the joy of music-making after a pandemic lull and a shift into stand-up comedy, and is obviously literary in intention, the title of the set a quote from Saul Bellow’s Herzog. Alongside him is guitarist Daniel Kemshell, a tad overwrought on Howdy and often overpowering the group, although intensely lyrical on Pathfinder and offset nicely throughout by Ruta Sipola’s warm and welcoming flute. Bassist Hugo Piper and drummer Corrie Dick are always inventive, their contributions supporting an always adventurous group interplay, their joint commitment to musical exploration consistently impressive. Chrysalis stands out for its frantic electro-funk, the title track initially affecting in its quiet simplicity, while two brief but thoughtful piano solos near the end are pitch perfect, a fine conclusion to a set that impresses in so any different ways.
Discography
In Those Remote Stars: Sanctity; Howdy; Zenjo; Chrysalis; In Those Remote Stars; Stranger Beings Yet; Critters; Hush; Matter Is In The Making; Pathfinder; Stranger Beings Yet; Daughters Of The Sun (38.45)
Chalk (p, syn); Ruta Sipola (f); Daniel Kemshell (g); Hugo Piper (b); Connie Dick (d). London, 8–9 September 2022, 3 April and 15 May 2023.
Resonant Postcards RP004
Kathy Smith: 2
Kathy Smith emerged in the 1960s as a folk singer and songwriter in Orange County, California, performing at the Troubador and other famous clubs, and recording two highly acclaimed albums on Richie Havens’ Stormy Forest label. She gave a well-received performance in front of 600,000 people at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and then faded into obscurity. Of her two albums, her second, released in 1971, is her most daring, an innovative fusion of freewheeling West Coast music, spacey, psychedelic folk and strong jazz influences performed by a stellar – although often low-key – cast of backing musicians.
Most of the songs are by Smith, with Jackson Browne and Tim Hardin contributing one apiece, and three by Jimmie Spheeris (credited on the sleeve as Pa Pa Umau Maus & Insanity – for vocal contributions?). Vocally, she is in the Joni Mitchell league of clear diction and evident seriousness, her arrangements showing considerable finesse. Whatever happened to Smith after her success appears to be unknown, but on the strength of this set, she more than deserves a second life in the sunshine.
Discography
Lady Of Lavender; It’s Taking So Long; Rock & Roll Star; Willie; Fly Off With The Wind; For Emile (demo version) (24.45) – Seven Virgins; For Emile; Travel In A Circle; Blessed Be The People (23.00)
Smith (g, v); Warren Bernhardt, Jan Hammer; (kyb); Leslie Jones, Don Sarlin (g); Gerry Germont, Tony Levin (b); Jeremy Steig (f); Don Alias, Bill LaVorgna, Donald McDonald (d, pc); Daniel Ben Zebulon (cga). New York, 1971.
Stormy Forest 140012
Hege Saugstad: Randy’s Home
Jazz has never been far away from Norwegian singer Hege Saugstad, but this is her jazz debut, fulfilling an ambition she has held since her teens. The album title, and indeed one song, is personal: Phil Woods’s tribute to journalist Randi Hultin, who died in 2000. Woods made her an American Randy, but the Norwegian Randi opened up many musical avenues for Hege to explore. Her voice is subdued and sometimes diffident, although suitably sultry on her own song Look Into My Eyes, her choice of standards a tad predictable, but none the poorer for that. But what makes this set really swing is the rhythm section of the Mathisen brothers, guitarist Hans in particular a smooth and consistently sensitive performer who brings every song to life. There’s always new vocal sets competing for attention, but this one has a good sense of style and a cool, relaxed swing about it.
Discography
Misty; Summertime; All The Things You Are; The Masquerade Is Over; I’ve Got A Crush On You; Randy; Too Darn Hot; Look Into My Eyes; It Ain’t Necessarily So; Moon River (35.04)
Saugstad (v); Hans Mathisen (g); Per Mathisen (b); Ole Petter Hansen Chylie (pc). Frederikstad, Norway, July–August 2025.
Losen Records LOS-320-2