Top 10
Instrumental Albums Chosen by Jim Dupuis of Jazz Notes on CFBX-FM in Kamloops,
BC.
Jazz
Notes with Jim as host will have its 15th Anniversary in May.
#1 for 2015
Gerry
Shatford Trio When
I Sit Down to Play the Piano : Compositions Inspired By the Poetry of Al Purdy (Independent)
I haven’t heard a trio release that
sounded this good in ages. It doesn’t hurt to have one of the best rhythm
sections in bassist Neil Swainson
and drummer Terry Clarke in your
band, but there’s more to this than just good playing. Shatford composed tunes based on the work of the iconic, hard
drinking Canadian poet Al Purdy and
booze and blues are a good fit. So, not surprisingly here is a strong leaning
towards the blues in many of the tracks, such as “Love At Roblin Lake (Blue for
Al)” and a hint of ragtime in ‘At the Quint Hotel.” This album has so many
possibilities for a program host and I plan to play tracks alongside readings
of Purdy’s poetry in the future. Wonderful concept, great compositions and
great playing is why I chose When I Sit
Down to Play the Piano : Compositions Inspired By the Poetry of Al Purdy as
my favourite release of 2015.
#2 for 2015 John Scofield Past and Present (Universal Music)
John Scofield is an iconic name
in jazz guitar. He seems to be able to combine any other genre with jazz and
come up with a respectable piece of work. This time he goes back to mainly band
members he had in the early nineties; Joe
Lovano, tenor saxophone, Larry
Grenadier, double bass and Bill
Stewart on drums. Oh, and Scofield
the composer of every tune makes the band work. This highly talented group is
heard as frequently as he is and are given many solos and leads. While there
are a number of styles of guitar heard here, I’m still mindful of him as a
fusion player and thankfully the fusions are still evident. Whether it is there
or not I heard John Mayall in “Hangover;”
Steely Dan in the intro to ‘Get
Proud;” “Chap Dance” certainly has that jazz/country
fusion feel and maybe Lenny Breau-ish
chords elsewhere. There are really no throw-away tracks on this CD. On Past
and Present John
Scofield shows that is both versatile and talented in what is his
best release in years.
#3 for 2015 Tony Wilson 6tet A Days Life (Drip
Audio)
Another album on this list that has a
tie-in with literature. I had read Wilson’s novella A Days Life some time ago and heard rumors that music would be
coming out inspired by the book. This gritty book is the story of life on the
mean streets of the downtown Vancouver eastside, which leaves an avant-garde
jazz musician and composer plenty of leeway. To say this was my most
anticipated album of 2015 is not an understatement. I was not disappointed. To
some extent the music is composed to tie-in with a theatrical presentation of
the book and titles can be matched to chapters and characters in the book. For example,
“The Laundry Room” has a mellow guitar and cello/violin sound. In the book, the
main character would find refuge in a building’s laundry room, where he could
escape the cold and his dismal life. “Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be” eventually
crosses over to the dark side with some dramatic drumming followed by wild
horns from JP Carter and guitar from
Wilson. The 6tet contains seasoned veterans of the Vancouver free jazz
scene: JP Carter on trumpet, Jesse
Zubot on violin, Peggy Lee on
cello, Russell Sholberg on bass and Skye Brooks on drums. This is probably Tony Wilson’s most accessible album and
would be a great start to learning the art of this enigmatic man for those
unfamiliar with his work. The book is a great read, too!
My recent feature on Tony:
http://www.earshot-online.com/features/2015/June/tonywilson.cfm
#
4 for 2015 Cory Weeds/Jeff Hamilton Trio The
Happy Madness (Cellar
Live)
The multi-faceted Weeds was involved in a number of recordings that could be on
anyone’s best of lists for 2015, but this one stands out the most. Drummer Jeff Hamilton’s trio consists of
himself, Christopher Luty bass, and Tamir Hendelman piano. Hamilton has played with the likes of Oscar Peterson, Diana Krall and the
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. His touch is exquisite. Check out the
brushes in the intro to Cole Porter’s
“Get Out of Town.” In “Max” he provided that hard bluesy, rocking feel and he and
Luty can be part of anybody’s rhythm
section. The pianist Hendelman offers
some great arrangements and inspired playing. This brings us back to Cory Weeds. Right off the bat, he shows
his talents in the speedy “Blow Your Own Horn” and later shows his versatility
in the classic ballad “I Thought About You.” He is a great addition to this
trio and he manages to slip in a few soul inspired, greasy tunes from the likes
of Horace Silver that he is known
for. For fans of great drumming and saxophone this is a must album!
#5 for 2015 Maria Schneider Orchestra The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Schneider has assembled a large ensemble project
that is inspired by “being descriptive of the open landscape of my home
in southwest Minnesota” and various other ideas. The music is a mix of
classical and jazz. Depending on the track you might find an alto clarinet,
flugelhorn or trombone playing a major role. The horn section parts are tight
and soloists like sax player Donny
McCaslin on “Arbiters of Evolution” shine on through. Gary Versace’s accordion adds a pleasant, but unexpected sound to
the track called “Home.” The title track has a slow, pretty guitar intro and
later on a sublime piano section. n Schneider shows us what can happen when a
talented artist puts many years and terrific musicians, who are all on the same
page, into a musical project.
#6 for 2015 John Stowell and Michael Zilber Quartet Live Beauty (Origin
Records)
San Francisco area guitarist Stowell
and sax player Zilber have released a live set of music performed in 2012
at Berkeley's California Jazz
Conservatory. This is fairly straight ahead jazz performance where the guitar
and sax play off each other in front of a strong rhythm section. They put a New
Orleans touch on to John Scofield’s Wabash III and lay down a somewhat unusual
arrangement of My Funny Valentine, but it all works. Three of the seven tracks
are over nine minutes and this gives plenty of time for the band members to
show their talents. Indeed like the title track suggests, this CD is “Shot
Through With Beauty.”
#7 for 2015 Robert Glasper Trio Covered
(Universal Music)
I’m not a big fan of some of Robert
Glasper’s projects that combine jazz with urban R&B, but with Covered he is more in the modern
acoustic jazz groove and he show’s what a master he can be. While he still
covers hip-hop artists, he also includes Joni Mitchell, Radiohead and the
Victor Young-Ned Washington classic Stella by Starlight. There’s even a cameo
appearance from Harry Belafonte. Mostly it’s a collection of ballads and
mid-tempo tracks that show off the talents of three old friends in front of an
invited audience in a really cool hall. The opening track “I Don’t Even Care,”
shows that bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Damion Reed are not just here for
the ride. There is almost a feeling of perfection within the interplay of the
Glasper’s piano and Reed’s drums in the “The Worst.” Yes, there’s only two
words you can say about the ballad “So Beautiful”—they are “it is.” This was a
once in a life-time evening for those lucky people in the Capitol Records’
Studio A. Happy it was recorded. Sad that I wasn’t there.
#8 of 2015 Pugs & Crows & Tony Wilson Everyone Knows Everyone Independent
This is a 2 CD release and I’m
including it based on only hearing Part 1.
I had a recent chat with violinist
Meredith Bates and she informed that Pugs & Crows were not a jazz band per
se, and I would have to agree with her. They are so much more and maybe
impossible to categorize. They are a medium sized ensemble with musicians from
backgrounds such as classical, rock and many sub-genres of jazz. Lead guitarist
Cole Schmidt has the rock sensibility, while Tony Wilson brings that “bad boy”
advant-garde feel to some of the tracks. Bates’ violin can switch from
classical as in” Goya Baby” to an Easter European or Middle Easter feel such as
in “Sloppy Slaugher.” There is plenty of space for all the musicians to strut
their stuff as signified by Cat Torens’ piano part in “7even.” The final track
of Disc 1 “Slowpoke” starts with pleasant violin and builds slowly to a fitting
climax and fades out. Kind of reminds of Pink Floyd. This is truly a band where
musicians are allowed to be themselves and it shows through in such a positive
light.
#9 of 2015 Emie R Roussel Trio Quantum Effendi
Quebec has always been a jazz hotbed
and it is good to see that this is continuing. Emie R Roussel is a young keyboard
player who grew up in Montreal and Rimouski. She has plenty of jazz training,
but started out in classical music and this shows through in her performances.
Her CD Quantum has a mix of contemporary jazz ballads and a few blues
selections like “Les Deux Saisons.” The title track starts with a soft drum
intro and then morphs to an electric bass with the piano in the background. Her
trio mates Dominic Cloutier on drums and Nicolas Bédard on drums get a good
workout as is expected in a trio CD. Roussel has been recording since 2010 and
I hope to hear more from her in the future.
#10 for 2015 Steve Kaldestad New York
Afternoon (Cellar Live)
Tenor sax player Kaldestad has spent a lot of time working with and for Cory Weeds
on his Cellar Live label and club and it is now beginning to pay off. On this
outing he is joined by three musicians who are band leaders in their own right.
Renee Rosnes on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums can play for
anybody they want. In New York Afternoon
Kaldestad puts them through their
paces in a blues infused romp. Rosnes
and Kaldestad team up on “I’ve Just
Seen Her” giving you that late night bar feel. Nash and Washington’s
contributions are noted throughout with Washington
notably on Joe Henderson’s “Punjab”
and Nash on “Yeah!” and “Icelight.” Wonderful
playing from all. This is one of the most swinging CDs I’ve heard in some time.
Top 5
Primarily Vocal Albums Chosen by Jim Dupuis of Jazz Notes on CFBX-FM in
Kamloops, BC.
#1 Cecile
McLorin Salvant For One to Love (Justin Time
Records)
Probably the most obvious pick on this
list. McLorin Salvant gets plenty of press and Grammy mentions and it is well
deserved. She is so versatile and has a unique voice that brings to mind Bessie
Smith, but at other times a singer who would be comfortable in a large Broadway
show or a dimly light, small French cabaret. She doesn’t gravitate to the
standard songbook and pulls lesser covered songs, like “Wives and Lovers” from
Burt Bacharach and Hal David. While most of her tracks are from the two to four
minute range, yet she can comfortably throw in a ten minute plus version of
Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim’s “Somethings Coming.” The talents of
Aaron Diehl on piano, Lawrence Leathers on drums and Paul Sikivie on double
bass are showcased throughout the CD. A very good CD from a very talented
vocalist.
#2 Ariel
Pocock Touchstone (Justin Time
Records)
Young musicians don’t get the likes of Julian Lage (guitar), Eric Harland (drums), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Canadian Seamus Blake (saxophone) playing for
them unless they are quite special and Pocock is. She puts her own touch on old
standards like Devil May Care and All the Things You Are and then covers songs
from Randy Newman, James Taylor and Tom Waits. Both her vocals and piano
playing are great and she also interprets tunes from Monk and Keith Jarret.
Easily my favourite vocal album this year.
#3 Nancy
Lane Let Me Love You (Independent)
This album seemed to come out of
nowhere and I’m guessing she is one of those well kept secrets in Montreal. I
said “Wow!’ the minute I heard her voice. She certainly has her own sound but
she reminds me somewhat of Diana Krall. I’m not really familiar with the
musicians on her album, but a bit or research turned up that they have all
played with important bands and certainly sound outstanding here. Let Me Love You contains two tracks each
from Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with the
French track “Tout ce Que Veut Lola.” My favourite track is her version of Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me A River.”
Hopefully we will hear more from Ms. Lane.
#4 Carol
McCartney Be Cool (Independent)
McCartney is a vocalist and music
teacher from the Toronto area that has sang with big bands and much smaller
outfits. She can put her own touch on a ballad like “For Heaven’s Sake” or get
it swinging like in “I’m Old Fashioned.” This CD contains mostly lesser known
compositions from the standard songbook, but she throws in a delightful version
of “S’wonderful” and “More Than You Know” to balance that out. As usual she has
some of the best Toronto musicians in Brian Dickinson on piano, Lorne Lofsky on
guitar, Kieran Overs on bass, Terry Clarke on drums, Chris Robinson on sax and
Mike Malone on flugel horn. We certainly don’t hear Lorne Lofsky often enough.
McCartney’s probably phrases her songs as well as anyone on the jazz scene
these days and once again has shown that she is “cool.”
#5 Andrea
Superstein What Goes On Cellar Live
Vancouver’s Andrea Superstein has put
out good independent CDs that cover some of this work, but this time she has a
producer, Les Cooper, that she is happy with and Cellar Live as her
distributor. This CD is a more complete package.Some of her tracks are
presented with more of a pop feel than others on this list. Still her versions
of “I Lost My Baby’ and “After You’ve Gone” still remind us that she has a jazz
background. She can also come off as a vamp like in “I Want to Be Evil” and
shows another side in “I Love Paris.” I guess she picked up the French language
during her years in Montreal. Many non-standard jazz instruments featuring
Robbie Grunwald on keyboards, accordion, vocals, Les Cooper on guitar, lap
steel, ukulele, vocals, Steve Zsirai on bass, vocals, Adam Warner on drums,
vocals, Drew Jurecka – clarinet, and Rosendo “Chendy” Leon on percussion. This
certainly is a fun CD!
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