Time Out Take Five is a column comprised of pithy takes on recent jazz releases, spotlighting titles deserving attention that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Strasbourg 82 – The separation and presence of the audio over the course of these roughly ninety minutes resonates like the very name of this iconic band. Known for its roster of esteemed alumni like Wayne Shorter (Miles Davis, Weather Report), this very lineup of Blakey and the Jazz Messengers is hardly lacking in famous names: saxophonist Donal Harrison plays alongside trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Above all, though, the elegant sounds this whole sextet conjures up, for instance, bassist Charles Fambrough’s “Little Man,” virtually define hard bop and beyond. Meanwhile, the seamless transitions that comprise “Fuller Love” present an unflagging gusto rare in any stylistic milieu, but never more liberating than when parlayed in a jazz context. Thesimple but colorful graphic design of this two-CD (or two-LP) set features informative and erudite liner notes by Syd Schwartz that add fitting punctuation to the project.
Conrad Herwig: Reflections – Facing South – The absence of a conventional rhythm section is hardly a liability here: this album is just as infectious as Conrad Herwig’s 2011 The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock, if a bit more quietly so. With Eddie Palmieri on piano (a percussion instrument!) playing in tandem with bassist Luques Curtis, the inner meters are unmistakable, not to mention compelling on performances such as “Bianco’s Waltz” and “C’Mon (Mi Guajira). As evidenced on “Que Viva Barry” too, each man has a gentle touch on his instrument, but the shared delicacy hardly precludes an emphatic imprint to solidify the musicianship: while sounding like a far larger ensemble on these nine tracks–written by this trombonist/frontman alone and in combination with the icon at the ivories–this trio also reaffirms the veracity of the old saw ‘less is more.’
Music Soup: Upbeat Mood – Wholly classic but not in the least academic, the trio that is Music Soup displays an altogether pervasive ebullience in cuts like “Korean Apartment.” Nevertheless, the relaxed–and altogether relaxing–gait by which the group proceeds on “A Day In The Park” sounds just as natural to them. Guitarist Nestor Dimopoulos would seem to dominate the proceedings on the latter track, that is, until co-leader of the threesome, organist Evgenia Karlafti, interweaves supple and rhythmic motifs around the lines emerging from the fretboard. Drummer Vagelis Kotzabasis is steady yet entirely unobtrusive while all this is going on and, in that respect, he shares a presence with guest musicians here: trumpeter Henry Gergen adds flair to “Appointment in Athens” and Kym Purling supplies, bouncing piano on “Around The World” and “Fun Island,” the latter name of which might well be an alternate assignation for this roughly fifty minutes.
Linda Dachtyl: Full Steam Ahead – Not at all unlike the Music Soup album in either concept or execution, the action within Full Steam Ahead iskeeping with the album title. Simultaneously honoring and extending a bona fide jazz tradition, bandleader Linda Dachtyl builds upon the formidable foundation of an organ/guitar/drums trio to accommodate outside musicians: that generosity of spirit allows saxophonist/clarinetist Tom Donavan, trumpeter Ben Huntoon, and percussionist Patrick Ankrom to contribute to some ambitious material like the title song. “Lava Lamp Suite” is also a multi-part piece, composed of outside material by, among others, Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s; the latter famed duo’s “Promises, Promises” complements Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” and Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight,” the presence of which ultimately forges a fluidity on this roughly sixty-minute piece of work that finishes with a flourish on “April In Paris.”
Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet: The Solastalgia Suite – Built on the thought-provoking philosophical conceit of the album title, these eight tracks revolve around (and, theoretically, elevate) environmental awareness. Titles such as “An Invitation to Disappear” and “Degrees of Separation” alternately proffer ironic and candid takes on the global environmental crisis, wherein the arrangements, in keeping with the spare black and white graphics of the album art, contrast ringing piano notes with the slimmest of cello and/or violin string textures. Similarly, the crescendos of multiple instruments alternating with sparse interludes of single-instrument recitatives become progressively more fitting on cuts such as “The Known End” and “Life On Venus.” The shared mental and physical acuity of Davis and the world-renowned Polish foursome–the latter virtually as prominent as the former throughout these sixty-odd minutes–can conjure a restive quiet nearly as deafening in its own way as its corresponding cacophony.