Richard Andersson: Monk & More
Thelonious Monk remains the wondrous gift that keeps on giving – I’ve been to countless Monk-themed gigs and listened to scores of new Monk-influenced records in the past few years, and all have been worthwhile. This new set – five strong Monk tunes joined by pieces from Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Giuffre – is a welcome addition to that ever-generous world, performed by a European virtuoso jazz quartet led by the Danish bassist Richard Andersson, a central figure on the Nordic jazz scene renowned for his wide-ranging artistic output and cross-border collaborations. Berlin-based clarinettist Rudi Mahall pushes the music in unexpected and challenging directions, Polish pianist Artur Tuznik adds clarity, momentum, and subtle surprise to proceedings, while Danish drummer Kasper Tom anchors the group with flexibility, drive and an acute sense of form. The Tristano opener is a suitably fractured starter before Monk’s Brilliant Corners, taken at great speed, reminds everyone just how clever some of Monk’s compositions can be, Mahall in high-register hustling form, Tuznik constantly changing pace. Konitz’s Subconscious–Lee sounds as if it was actually written by Monk, such is its serpentine roll-out, likewise Coleman’s The Blessing in its playful mode.
The heart of this album is then revealed through four Monk tunes surrounding Giuffre’s familiar Four Brothers. Led by Mahall’s scrawling clarinet, Wee See is suitably labyrinthine and intriguing, while Ask Me Now is eloquent and evocative, Trinkle Tinkle a stop-start marvel, Pannonica a blissful coda. All in all, this is a wonderfully alive set, playful, swinging and conversational, that balances a deep respect for the tradition with unmistakable contemporary energy. Bravo!
Discography
317 East 32nd Street; Brilliant Corners; Subconscious-Lee; The Blessing; Wee See; Ask Me Now; Four Brothers; Trinkle Tinkle; Pannonica (59.22)
Andersson (b); Rudi Mahall (cl, bcl); Artur Tuznik (p); Kasper Tom (d). Copenhagen, July 2024.
Hobby Horse Records HH32
Bill Frisell: In My Dreams
For his fifth Blue Note album, guitarist Bill Frisell has collected together six of his close musical friends, who have never played together before in this particular configuration. In effect, they form a group of two halves: Frisell’s usual trio with Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums, joined by the string trio of Jenny Scheinman, Eyvind Kang and Hank Roberts. Together, they travel the wide expanses of American music, including jazz, country, folk, and more. The music was recorded live, although some songs were then reworked and enhanced in a studio in Berkeley, California, in effect melding the spontaneity of live performance with the sonic craft of the studio.
A string duo opens proceedings with the austere but all too brief Trapped In The Sky before Frisell makes his gently lilting mark on When We Go and on the mildly unsettling In My Dreams. The group excels on the strikingly repetitive Why? and on the slow and plaintive Curtis, which unfolds in mysterious, string-led ways. Most of the material is by Frisell, excepting three fine songs: a precise glide through Ellington’s sumptuous Isfahan, an oh-so-slow and painful take on Stephen Foster’s Hard Times, and a gentle stroll through Daniel Kelly’s familiar Home On The Range that midway turns positively psychedelic. Oh, by the way: Small Hands is too beautiful and melancholy a song to make any reference to a sitting president.
Overall, the pace here is slow and controlled, excepting the drum-solo intro to Again, the mood contemplative rather than uplifting. For this is Frisell’s sound world, and he is in control. Of course, any opportunity to explore this world is always most welcome.
Discography
LP1: Trapped In The Sky**; When We Go; In My Dreams (15.11) – Isfahan; Give Me A Home**; Why?* (12.43)
LP2: Curtis (A Year And A Day)**; Hard Times; Again (18.22) – Small Hands; Never Too Late*; Home On The Range (16.02)
Frisell (g); Jenny Scheinman (vn); Eyvind Kang (vla); Hank Roberts (clo); Thomas Morgan (b); Rudy Royston (d). Live, Denver, Colorado, 3 April 2025, except * New Haven, Connecticut, 6 February 2025; ** Brooklyn, NYC, 8 February 2025.
Blue Note 00602488137676
Bellbird: The Call
The white bellbird possesses one of the loudest and most distinctive calls in the bird kingdom, a call woven directly into the music on this powerful set, notably in its title track. The group itself are based in Montreal, Canada, and came together during the pandemic, initially at that city’s Café Résonance and then formally at the 2021 Ottawa Jazz Festival. The eight songs here emerged from workshopping and improv games, resulting in a powerful cohesion of jazz-centric instrumentation with influences from rock, fusion and folk.
A key feature is that they each subvert the usual roles of their instruments, with the horns often supplying the rhythmic patterns and supportive texture while the bass and drums determine the form. Muscular compositions, like the title track, are balanced when the band slows down to revel in thematic simplicity, as on Soft Animal and Phthalo Green. Melodically rich, the group are not afraid of “ugly” sounds, harnessing multiphonics, arco bass lines and metallic textures to create music that is as naturalistic and haunting as it is explosive and exciting. And also socially and politically engaged, channelling the climate crisis and, on the raw Blowing On Embers, support for a free Palestine. A strong set from a strong collective.
Discography
Firefly Pharology; Murmuration; Soft Animal; Blowing On Embers; Eternity Perspective; Phthalo Green; The Call; Mourning Dove (45.06)
Allison Burik (as, bcl); Claire Devlin (ts); Eli Davidovici (b); Mili Hong (d). Montreal, 2025?
Constellation CST 190
Omar Ríos Meléndez & Alex Wilson: The Art Of Deep Conversation
Omar Ríos Meléndez is a Nicaraguan guitarist, London-based Alex Wilson a well-regarded pianist and composer, here recording together for the first time. Both are virtuosi musicians, performing an acoustic set of exhilarating originals and inventively reimagined covers that pulse with the accents of jazz, flamenco and Latin music. Their duets flow seamlessly, their empathy is always impressive, their drive relentless. Slower, more intense tracks like Nomad Prayer, which showcases Meléndez’s pizzicato skills, and the romantic Bésame Mucho, a tour de force for pianist Wilson, introduce some necessary contrast into what is already an impressive set. What’s not to like!
Discography
La Mora Limpla; You No See Mañana; Alforja Campesina; Nomad Prayer (Pt 1); Nomad Prayer (Pt 2); Bésame Mucho; Water Reflection; Lánzate; Williams Theme; The Art Of Deep Connection (54.27)
Meléndez (g); Wilson (p). Hazelton, England, 2025?
Alex Wilson Records AWCD10
