Tyrone Allen II: Upward
What goes around comes around on this release. Motifs and rhythms from early songs get reused on the record’s later tracks. Several of the 14 compositions revisit the atmosphere of pandemic lockdown. It’s a mosaic album built from recycled material that gives listeners a sharp-edged portrait of its creator.
Allen’s music is marked by poise and patience, often leaning on rhythmic ideas from R & B. Six collaborators drift in and out of the action, contributing to an unassuming vibe. Harpist Feliciano takes a break for Smp Sng, for example. Trumpeter Lombard jumps into her chair. This track includes the most prominent use of electronic effects and samples, with Allen swapping upright bass for synth. It’s a fidgety composition built around a simple pattern that is further simplified for the later piece, When Is It Ever Really Smp / Smp 4 Me.
Upward is the most conventional modern jazz number. It’s also the album’s longest and oldest tune. Trumpet and saxophone deliver a smudged melody before overlapping solos. Korten takes an extensive turn in the spotlight, with scampering right-hand lines above punchy chord shapes.
Five tracks link up to form a suite exploring life in lockdown that starts with the exhausted and cooped-up Stuck, featuring arco bass. Feliciano’s harp then encourages a more hopeful mood until the group shifts to angrier sentiments on Alt. Stuck. The use of recalled material in these sections feels particularly suited to the subject matter.
Fragments of sound and flashbacks from the pandemic get fused together on Upward. Interestingly, the lead artist takes a back seat through much of the music. Allen is a subtle bassist, adding only necessary nudges. Gradually, listeners perceive an outline of a thoughtful and soulful composer whose album is much more than the sum of its patchwork parts.
Discography
(Early 2020’s); Smp Sng; Cassia; Upward; Art Day; The A-Side (Dedicated To R. P.); 2020’s Intro; Stuck; Harp Solo; Mood: 1a-1b; Mood: 1c; Alt. Stuck; When Is It Ever Really Smp / Smp 4 Me; Bass Unlimited (39.48)
Allen II (b, elb, syn, elec); Aidan Lombard (t); Neta Raanan (ts); Lex Korten (kyb); Samantha Feliciano (hp); Abe Nouri (elec); Kayvon Gordon (d). Brooklyn, USA, April 2024.
Dreams & Fears Records DF 9101 CD
Ryan Meagher: Snakes
More than 20 years have passed since guitarist Ryan Meagher (pronounced like “Marr”) started his career – and it shows. This skilfully composed music combines ideas collected from folk, rock, bebop, swing and beyond. It’s also good fun.
Four collaborators joined Meagher in the studio for most of the album: tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, pianist George Colligan, bassist Michael Feinberg and drummer Jonathan Pinson. They joined him on stage for a couple of live tracks, too, where saxophonist Joe Manis makes a guest appearance. The group’s strong connections give the record a free-and-easy atmosphere.
That close kinship shines through on Snakin’ It. The song’s title references an in-joke from Preminger, Feinberg and Meagher’s fantasy baseball league. After an opening passage of country-inflected guitar, the band embraces a light-swinging rhythm. Preminger tests his saxophone’s lowest and highest registers. It’s a smooth-romping piece that is probably even better when performed live.
Two tracks were captured at real-world shows. On Pillage A Village, Meagher noodles around a folk-feeling introduction until his bandmates arrive one by one. A pent-up and cantankerous spirit emerges. The other live number, Mongoose Of Damascus, is a hard-bop composition with a bubbling bass solo.
Among the hijinks, emotions rise closer to the surface on two stand-out tracks. Bruiser has delicious forward momentum, with Preminger’s saxophone enunciating the melody with perfect weight on each syllable. Uncle Paul is a mournful song that seems to slow down, quieten down, dive down.
Ryan Meagher is an experienced player and writer who uses insights from across idioms to design varied, visceral music. Snakes gives its audience a rich experience that is both waggish and sincere, offering fresh details for each repeated listen.
Discography
Snakin’ It; The Boss; Rope Burn; Pillage A Village [live]; Bruiser; Mongoose Of Damascus [live]; Uncle Paul (58.08)
Meagher (g); Noah Preminger (ts); George Colligan (p); Michael Feinberg (b, elb); Jonathan Pinson (d); Joe Manis (ts). Portland, Oregon, USA, June 2025.
PJCE Records PJCER 075
Anggie Obin: Luz
Soft-rolling shapes and rhythms are at the heart of this feelings-first record from Panamanian flutist Anggie Obin. After studying classical music and jazz performance, she has now released a five-track debut featuring four originals and one borrowed tune. The album is named after her great-grandmother. The music is watchful, selfless and nurturing.
Obin’s debut brings together American tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry, Cuban pianist Miguel “Wiwi” García, Japanese bassist Masa Kamaguchi and Spanish drummer Estefanía Chamorro. It was captured live during the Estival de Jazz in Igualada, near Barcelona. Applause occasionally interrupts the ebb and flow, although the audience apparently stayed fixed in hushed reverie for most of the show.
Three tunes share a slow-creeping character. La Eucaristía, for example, is a forlorn number with a hesitant melody delivered by flute and saxophone. Obin conjures anxious energy via quivering vibrato. Chamorro’s drumming is sensitive here, adding unsettled intensity beneath the drip-by-drip material.
Flash Of The Spirit was composed by Panamanian bassist Santi Debriano, leveraging designs and devices originating from the mind of Thelonious Monk. Its melody is twisty. Its rhythm is wonky. McHenry delivers a stop-start solo with big gaps between flurries of material.
The other outlier is the swaggering blues, Ballot Or The Bullet, which rounds off the record. Obin takes a howling solo with knifelike high notes, plus overtones that add a serrated quality to her instrument’s voice. The crowd responds with ecstatic whoops and hollering.
This debut arrives via gentle sonic tides that drift towards the listener with a natural flow. Anggie Obin is happy to take her time, permitting compositions to hang in place and evolve when they are ready. It’s a mature and patient release, communicating a depth of insight that is unusual for a first-time album leader.
Discography
For Mr. G; Flash Of The Spirit; La Eucaristía; Luz; Ballot Or The Bullet (44.39)
Obin (f); Bill McHenry (ts); Miguel “Wiwi” García (p); Masa Kamaguchi (b); Estefanía Chamorro (d). Igualada, Spain, June 2025.
UnderPool