Modern Jazz Voicings

Lenny Breau & Brad Terry - The Complete Living Room Tapes (2003) {Art Of Life AL1004-2 rec 1978-84}
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© 1978-84, 2003 Art Of Life Records | AL1004-2
Jazz / Modern Jazz / Post Bop / Guitar / Flute

Guitarist Lenny Breau's short life (1941-1984) is a movie waiting to be made. Before his still unsolved murder, he was able to bring a new voice to the guitar by adapting country fingerpicking technique to the intricacies of modern jazz. A Breau hallmark was his highly developed ability to play bass, chords and single notes concurrently - in effect having a trio in his right hand. The newly re-released Complete Living Room Tapes, with clarinetist Brad Terry, is a 2-CD close look at Breau in peak form, circa 1979. It contains four new bonus tracks and presents a comprehensive picture of his influences and virtuosity.

Named for the Grateful Dead song that concludes this inspired double album, Uncle John’s Band features masterful guitarist John Scofield at his most freewheeling. Wide ranging repertoire finds his trio with Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart tackling material from Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man” to Neil Young’s “Old Man”, from Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” to the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool classic “Budo”. And jazz standards including “Stairway to the Stars” and “Ray’s Idea” rub shoulders with seven Scofield originals that are variously swing, funk and folk-inflected. The red thread through the programme is the trio’s tremendous improvisational verve. “I feel like we can go anywhere,” says John Scofield of the group’s multi-directional versatility. Uncle John’s Band was recorded at Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, New York, in August 2022.

John Rae - Opus De Jazz, Vol 2 (1960) {Savoy Japan SV-0179 rel 1992}
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© 1960, 1992 Savoy / Nippon Columbia Japan | SV-0179
Jazz / Bop / Vibes

In 1960, Savoy continued its Opus series with this tasty entry. Vibist John Rae's quintet delivers bright, sometimes cool, sometimes bluesy performances. It's a decidedly more modern approach than the swing-influenced Opus de Jazz led by Milt Jackson in 1955. Call it cocktail jazz with attitude, without compromise. That attitude comes through in the four John Rae originals, blues forms with bop harmonies and intriguing voicings. It's also there in the absorbing solo work, and in the high level of communication within the group. Rae tends to play a lot of notes, but his skittering lines work when set against the steady pulse of drummer Jake Hanna's cymbals and the relentless, walking bass of John Neves.

Fred Ho and the Monkey Orchestra - Monkey: Part Two (1997) {Koch Jazz - KOC 3-7840-2H1}
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© 1997 Koch Jazz / TAP | KOC 3-7840-2H1
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Experimental / Modern Creative / Baritone Saxophone / Flute

I’m honored to discuss this CD. I found Fred Ho’s Monkey: Part One a glorious surprise, and this second section of his musical setting for the trickster tale is no disappointment. The ensemble’s personnel has few changes, notably Francis Wong as tenorist; but its spirit remains dramatic, flexible and visionary as Ho achieves tremendous range from trombone, three saxophones (including his own baritone), bass and drums, and several performers on Chinese traditional instruments.

Masabumi Kikuchi - Black Orpheus (2016) {ECM-Universal Music Japan UCCE-1160}
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© 2016 ECM Records / Universal Music Japan | UCCE-1160
Jazz / Modern Creative / Modern Jazz / Piano

A document of a 2012 Japanese solo recital – not only the last in his homeland but the last anywhere – by idiosyncratic improviser Masabumi Kikuchi (1939-2015). One of the uncategorisable greats, Kikuchi occupied his own musical universe and in his final years was quietly and systematically severing his ties to jazz, drifting instead towards what he called ‘floating sound and harmonies’, introspective and poetic improvisations. Song forms still sometimes materialized. Kikuchi revisits “Little Abi”, a ballad for his daughter, which the pianist once recorded with Elvin Jones. And there is a surprising and very touching version of the wistfully yearning theme from the 1959 Brazilian film Black Orpheus.

Aaron Goldberg's star in modern jazz has constantly been on the rise, especially as an accompanist. With Home, he establishes a delicate balance between the softer side of modern mainstream music a la Bill Evans with the more advanced harmonic approach of Keith Jarrett, while occasionally adding some rock-'em sock-'em neo-bop to the proceedings. These are mainly trio sessions with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, but on occasion tenor saxophonist Mark Turner joins in, though his voicings are merely icing on the cake.

Billy Harper - Black Saint (1975) {Black Saint 120001-2 rel 1993}
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© 1975, 1993 Black Saint | 120001-2
Jazz / Modal Music / Post-Bop / Saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper helped launch the Italy-based Black Saint jazz label with this 1975 release. And not only does this represent the inaugural outing for the label, it also signifies one of the finest modern jazz releases of the '70s. Influenced by tenor sax giant John Coltrane, Harper proceeded to mold a distinctly personalized sound awash with slight inferences of R&B and hard bop. Additionally, the saxophonist's melodic gifts come to the forefront throughout this often-invigorating studio date.

During his lifetime, pianist and composer Hasaan Ibn Ali (1931-1980) was a jazz enigma. The Philly musician practiced with John Coltrane during the early '50s and is credited as the primary influence on the saxophonist's "sheets of sound" harmonic approach first articulated on Giant Steps - a sound that exploded across his Impulse! work. Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album is a genuine jazz holy grail, one of only two albums to feature the pianist's compositions and unique playing style. The first, The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, was credited to Roach because it was the only way to get Atlantic's Nesuhi Ertegun to sign the pianist. Pleased, the label commissioned an album from Ibn Ali. Using bassist Art Davis, drummer Kalil Madi, and saxophonist Odean Pope, Ibn Ali completed the session…

Pianist Harold Mabern and bassist Kieran Overs, although from Memphis and Canada, respectively, explore ten songs written by jazz musicians from Philadelphia on this CD, plus Mabern's "Edward Lee." While a few of the tunes are fairly well known in jazz (particularly Lee Morgan's "Ceora" and Benny Golson's "Whisper Not"), most of the others are obscure. Mabern and Overs work quite well together, with the bassist adding stimulating lines to the pianist's solos and having some good solo spots himself. Since Mabern, whose modern chord voicings are fresh and personal while influenced a bit by McCoy Tyner, has not recorded enough during his long career, this set is a valuable addition to his discography. A special highlight is his unaccompanied version of Cal Massey's "The Cry of My People."