R.S. Murthi Reviews Notable Recent Jazz (& Beyond) Releases

Last Update: Sept. 22, 2000

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JACO PASTORIUS - Jaco Pastorius (Epic/Legacy/55:18): Before his tragic death in 1987, Jaco Pastorius, the most innovative and influential electric bassist of his time, was on his way to establishing himself as a formidable composer, arranger and band leader. But that aspect of his career actually began more than a decade earlier with this remarkable Epic debut, now expanded, remastered and reissued for a new generation of listeners. I remember the excitement of first hearing it on vinyl as a teenager. The dizzyingly chattering bass on the opening track, Charlie Parker's Donna Lee, was like nothing I'd ever heard before. And as guitarist Pat Metheny, who wrote the admiring liner notes here rightly points out, the "hornlike phrasing" was "previously unknown to the bass guitar". But it's not just Pastorius' astounding performance on his fretless Fender Jazz bass that makes this such a compelling debut. The compositions, mainly written by Pastorius, demonstrate not only structural intricacy and harmonic brilliance but also display an impressive stylistic diversity that ranges from modal jazz to classical impressionism. There're some really involved passages on Continuum, Kuru/Speak Like a Child, Opus Pocus and Forgotten Love, and Pastorius' careful choice of sidemen on these -- Herbie Hancock, Don Alias, Lenny White, Wayne Shorter... -- to some extent reflects their degree of difficulty. Even the most pop-oriented cut here, the bouncy Come On, Come Over featuring vocals by Sam and Dave, has some intriguing horn charts. And as an exploration of bass harmonics, Portrait of Tracy is not only clever but ranks as one of the greatest solo bass recordings of all time. There're two bonus tracks here -- an alternate take of (Used to Be a) Cha-Cha and 6/4 Jam, a track recorded during the same sessions -- which may not reveal anything new about Pastorius's artistry but are still welcome additions to his recorded legacy. (Distributed by Sony Music)

MILES DAVIS - On the Corner (Columbia/Legacy/54:49): One of the most controversial recordings made by the late trumpet genius, 1972's On The Corner is Davis' first full foray into funk, though the approach is more free-form than formula-bound. Davis and producer Teo Macero continue the cut-and-splice job they perfected on Bitches Brew, letting the diverse line-up of musicians improvise in phases and joining up the best moments on four tracks. The 19-minute-plus On the Corner/New York Girl/Thinkin' of One Thing And Doin' Another/Vote for Miles suite is a surging modal exploration that has some rousing trumpet solos by Davis, with the pulsating bass of Michael Henderson and the chattering drums of Jack DeJohnette and Al Foster keeping it all solidly grounded. And you get exotic colours courtesy of sitarists Khalil Balakrishna and Colin Walcott and tabla player Badal Roy. Other top sidemen who help make this a hypnotic mind-trip include David Liebman, Bennie Maupin, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Billy Hart and John McLaughlin. It's not jazz in the strictest sense of the term but neither is it as faceless as the bulk of music that passes for fusion these days. (Distributed by Sony Music)

PHILIP GLASS - Symphony No. 3 (Nonesuch/61:04): If you've heard Philip Glass' music before, you'll know that it thrives on repeated harmony sequences. That's what distinguishes the four-movements of Symphony No. 3, though at the suggestion of conductor Dennis Russell Davies, Glass showcases the string players of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in certain passages of the music. Classical purists will find the composition somewhat shallow and repetitive but anyone with an open mind will see that this is actually a mesmerizing journey into sound and structure. The first movement has Glass setting the mood and pace of the journey while the second and third create evocative settings for sightseeing. The final section recaps the main themes and meters before closing on a completely original motif. The disc includes four other pieces -- Interlude Nos. 1 and 2 from The Civil Wars, Mechanical Ballet from The Voyage and The Light -- which further demonstrate Glass's magnificent mood-painting ability. (Distributed by Warner Music)

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA - The Rough Dancer and The Cyclical Night (Tango Apasionado) (Nonesuch 7559-79515-2/40:55): There's a sad majesty about Astor Piazzolla's bandoneon-driven tango; a supremely evocative world of sound that makes you think of the fleeting moments of love and passion in your life and the kind of exquisitely languid dream-world you wish you could forever be trapped in. And it has much to do with the way Piazzolla, who courted controversy in Argentina by incorporating elements of classical music and jazz into the bordello-bred traditional tango, marries mood and texture, tone and tempo. Much of the music on this brilliant set, originally recorded in New York in 1987 and released in 1989, has that same power to spur reflection and induce a sense of druggy wonder. Mainly accompanied by his regular ensemble at the time -- Fernando Suarez Paz (violin), Pablo Zinger (piano), Paquito D'Rivera (alto sax, clarinet), Andy Gonzalez (bass) and Rodolfo Alchourron (electric guitar) -- Piazzolla offers sublime 'nuevo tango' that balances moments of sheer tonal beauty with passages of pulsing dynamism. The compositions here were originally commissioned for a theatrical production, which may explain their chamber-music feel. But even though there are no percussion instruments, the pieces have a fluid and often infectious rhythmic flow, especially rousers like Street Tango, carnivalesque Milonga Picaresque and the rip-roaring Knife Fight. But it's the slower numbers, like the two-part Prelude to The Cyclical Night and Milonga for Three (Reprise), that demonstrate the magnificence of Piazzolla's romantic spirit. It's a shame that you only get about 41 minutes of music when the value of the reissue could have been increased with some revealing additional tracks. However, the packaging makes up for that. Even if you're hearing Piazzolla's music for the first time, you'll be utterly charmed by every track here. The logical thing to do after that is to check out two other of his classic Clave recordings that have been reissued on Nonesuch -- Tango Zero Hour and La Camorra. (Distributed by Warner Music)

BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP - Perceptual (Blue Note/53:57): A jazz drummer whose subtle style has been appreciated by such serious folks as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris, Brian Blade explores the rich diversity of American jazz and folk on this second Blue Note outing with his group Fellowship. The music may be underpinned by a jazz sensibility, but it has an affectingly meditative feel to it, especially pieces like Reconciliation and Patron Saint Of Girls which combine stately melodicism and textural grace. The former, "dedicated to the rebuilding of the community" following the 1997 Heath High School shooting, has some exquisite piano work by Jon Cowherd and a magnificent soprano sax solo by Melvin Butler. The three-part suite, Variations Of A Bloodline, also has some strikingly thoughtful moments. Blade and his fluid ensemble invest much emotional and spiritual energy into this enthralling musical statement on ethnic strife. Of course, it's not quiet and grace all the time; Blade and his sidemen do swing on the pacier moments of Evinrude-Fifty (Trembling) where David Easley demonstrates his dexterity on pedal steel guitar and Crooked Creek which showcases guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's liquid craft. The final two numbers, Steadfast and Trembling, which feature Joni Mitchell and Daniel Lanois, take the mood of cosmic and existential cogitation to a celestial level. If you're looking for folk-jazz as evocative as such early Pat Metheny ensemble works as American Garage and Bright Size Life, you should check out Perceptual. (Distributed by EMI)

THE JAZZ MANDOLIN PROJECT - Xenoblast (Blue Note/56:22): It's always interesting to hear experimental bands that work hard to stretch musical boundaries. This trio, led by mandolinist Jamie Masefield, plays a kind of fusion that mixes up jazz, rock, folk and just about everything else on original pieces that pack a lot of punch and propulsive power. Masefield, whose playing recalls David Grisman, one of the pioneers of mandolin-based music in rock, is a musician with a boundless imagination. He first started the Project as a fun thing in the early '90s before it became serious business in 1996 when the band, with bassist Stacey Starkweather and drummer Gabe Jarrett, recorded its debut on Accurate Records. By January 1999, Masefield had found the ideal collaborators in upright bassist Chrish Dahlgren and drummer Ari Hoenig, who were featured on the second album, Tour de Flux. Dahlgren and Hoenig, who're featured here as well, create a solid and dynamically charged bedrock of rhythm on this major-label debut as Masefield leads them through everything from modal rock (Xenoblast) and hard bop (Double Agent) to rustic reggae (The Milliken Way) and pure classical gas (Igor, a tribute to Stravinsky). Most of the pieces feature fiery improvisations, and though there're moments when things get a bit too abstract, the tight ensemble-style execution of the band always proves engaging. (Distributed by EMI)

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Paranda: Africa In Central America (Detour/52:59): Paranda is a kind of folk music that originated in the Garifuna villages along the coast of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras which had a large population of African migrants. It combines West African and Latin rhythms and is wholly acoustic in nature, featuring such instruments as the Spanish guitar, wooden Garifuna drums called Primero and Segunda and such percussions as shakers, scrapers and shells. There's something totally pure and infectious about the chant-like tunes on this disc, which represents the work of three generations of Garifuna composers and musicians. Propelled by chatty guitars and drums, pieces like Paul Nabor's Naguya nei (I Am Movin On), Jursino Cayetano's Balandria (Trawler), Aurelio Martinez's Junari Libariniv (Her Son-in-law Is Her Lover) and Junie Aranda's Mingigili (It Does Not Yet Stink) have a fluid dynamic energy that's mesmerising. These are cautionary folk tales with a moral message. And the minor mode, which is favoured on most of the songs, brings a strikingly blue touch to the proceedings. When the mood is really melancholy and reflective, like on the traditional Lanarime Pamiselv (How Sad) by Aurelio Martinez and Andy Palacio, there's a great force of feeling in the music. All the Paranderos spotlighted here are masters of their craft. They bring the spirit of a dying tradition alive with uncompromising devotion on this first-rate anthology. (Distributed by Warner Music)

CHICO O'FARRILL - Heart of a Legend (Milestone/60:55): As one of Latin jazz's most innovative and inspiring figures for five decades or so, Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill has done more for the music than any other composer/arranger of his stature. Yet, the New York-based Cuban emigre is little known beyond the jazz musicians' circle. How can a musical genius responsible for such major modern jazz pieces as Charlie Parker's Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite and Benny Goodman's Undercurrent Blues, and over 80 arrangements for Count Basie, be so invisible? Well, the fact that O'Farrill himself was more than content to stay in the background may have something to do with that, though it's likely that he didn't become a major star because he was more a retiring conceptualist than a gregarious performer. Anyway, this 1999 recording offers an excellent entry to O'Farrill's fascinating world of Afro-Cuban big-band jazz. It's one-hour-plus of sheer brilliance -- a lilting, infectious, intriguingly-arranged collection of Latin jazz tunes featuring singing horns and chatty drums. There may be some familiar themes and passages in the music, but it's all so tightly and ingeniously structured and performed that you just don't want to leave the carnival of brassy sounds before the end. O'Farrill, now pushing 80 and not quite in the best state of health, conducts the band himself. And it's a testament to his inspirational presence that he not only manages to bring out the best from such top-drawer sidemen as Gato Barbieri and Paquito D'Rivera on tunes like Guaguasi and Te Quiero but also inspires some truly majestic interplay between the musicians. His most significant work in the last decade, Trumpet Fantasy, which was premiered at a Lincoln Center concert in 1996 with no less a soloist than the meticulous Wynton Marsalis, gets a compelling reading here, with trumpeter Jim Seeley in soaring form. The vocal tracks, including Sing Your Blues Away (For Neca) which features Freddy Cole and Sin Tu Amor with Vivial Ara, complement the celebratory spirit of the instrumentals. And the piano-trumpet ballad The Journey, featuring his namesake son and Arturo Sandoval, serves as a perfect ending to a magnificent set. The sound is limpid and precisely defined, often giving the impression that the band is in your listening room. (Distributed by Rock Records)

JEFF "TAIN" WATTS - Citizen Tain (Columbia/71:06): Drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts' "unapologeticaly straight-ahead" debut is a contagiously swinging post-bop affair. It has the unerring time-keeper pursuing an exciting adventure in rhythm, melody, harmony and improvisation with spot-on support from such first-rate accompanists as the brothers Marsalis (Wynton, Branford and producer Delfeayo), Kenny Garrett, Reginald Veal and the late Kenny Kirkland. Watts wrote most of the compositions here, and they exhibit a remarkable fullness and maturity, especially in the way harmonic tension and resolution are treated. The spirit here is very much that of the hard bop of the Blue Note albums of the '60s, but even though they echo the sound of a past era, such pieces as the Blakey-influenced The Impaler, the Coltrane-style meditation Attainment and the Evans-tinged Pools of Amber have a character that goes beyond imitation. Jazz, like much of rock in the past two decades, has not made many evolutionary leaps. But you have to be grateful to musicians like Watts for trying to keep the music alive by reviving its most innovative qualities.

RICKY PETERSON - Souvenir (Windham Hill Jazz/62:29): Fusion need not always be boring and unadventurous, as this enthrallingly bouncy, exhilarating jazz-funk showcase by keyboardist Ricky Peterson demonstrates. With a steady grasp on groove, a smoking Hammond organ style and first-rate sidemen, Peterson offers rousing horn-embellished tunes that mix up simplicity and sophistication. The rhythms just roll on here, and the solos by guests like guitarist Robben Ford on the bluesy Do That Again and saxophonist David Sanborn on the meditative Song for Lou complement Peterson's marvellously.

TONY BENNETT - Hot and Cool: Bennett Sings Ellington (RPM/Columbia/60:58): There's a reason why Tony Bennett is often compared to Frank Sinatra. Like the late pop icon who refined the art of pop singing, Bennett is virtually a master of phrasing, an interpretive singer with the ability to make any song come alive. Although he has a harder, huskier style than Sinatra, Bennett is no less effective a performer, handling both ballads and swingers with the kind of grace and panache that only artists who've fully understood the subtleties of songcraft can muster. This tribute to Ellington is as good a demonstration as any of Bennett's sublime artistry. Here he is, reinvigorating most of the Duke's best-known songs, including Mood Indigo, Caravan, In A Sentimental Mood, Sophisticated Lady and In A Mellow Tone. The interpretations are full of emotional force and stylistic authority, and while that might sound somewhat severe, Bennett is actually quite relaxed and fluid on these performances. There are strings on some of the the songs, but the best feature an austere small-combo setting where Bennett's smoky voice creates the kind of romantic mood and magic you wish you could be lost in all the time.

EUGENE PAO - This Window (SME/71:05): Hong Kong-born guitarist Eugene Pao has been a mainstay of the Asian jazz scene for a long time, and this debut on Sony's SME label marks a major career move. Teaming up with a team of respected US musicians -- bassist Marc Johnson, drummer Jack DeJohnette and keyboardist Joey Calderazzo -- Pao explores the sort of adventurous fusion that is directly descended from Miles Davis' ground-breaking Bitches Brew. His own compositions, four of which are featured here, are structured for improvisational interplay and solo takeoffs. They contain plenty of exciting moments, with harmonic explorations that are only occasionally bounded by creative limitations. Pao also shows his assured interpretive skills on standards like Miles Davis's Milestones and Ornette Coleman's Round Trip. There may be a bit of Allan Holdsworth and Bill Frisell in the electric-guitar solos and a touch of Pat Metheny in the acoustic playing on E Preciso Perdoar and This Window, but Pao assimilates his influences without losing his own voice.

SHAKTI WITH JOHN McLAUGHLIN - Natural Elements (Columbia Master Sound/39:35): The last of three Indo-fusion albums the fleet-fingered English guitarist made with a band comprising some of India's finest musicians in the late '70s, Natural Elements is absorbing from start to end. Not only is the playing sublime, especially the interaction between McLaughlin and violinist L. Shankar with tabla star Zakir Hussain and ghatam (pot) master T.H. Vinayakaram, the compositions are also brilliantly structured, with an attention to melody, harmony and rhythm that in some measure reflects the complexity of a traditional Indian raga. There may be a tendency to make the melodies too sad or sweet, but you can't deny their power to involve, seduce or excite, particularly pieces like Face to Face, Come on Baby Dance with Me, Bride of Sighs and Peace of Mind. The Master Sound remastering brings a clarity and depth to the sound that audiophiles would appreciate.

SHAKTI WITH JOHN McLAUGHLIN - A Handful Of Beauty (Columbia Master Sound/48:01): This is the follow-up to the much-admired self-titled live album that marked the start of McLaughlin's brief association with Shakti. It may not have the live recording's expansiveness -- raga-style compositions sound best when they're really stretched out -- but the six tracks have enough room to let McLaughlin and L. Shankar roam the corridors of improvisation with tight and often hypnotic support from Zakir Hussain and T.H. Vinayakaram. Plenty of creative bursts here -- Vinayakaram's rapidfire solos are especially exhilarating -- where the notes just cascade, either in a blinding showcase of speed or in an exalted display of emotion.

MILES DAVIS - The Best of the Miles Davis Quintet (1965-1968) (Columbia/Legacy/68:11): With first-rank sidemen like saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, trumpeter Miles Davis launched the second of his celebrated quintet phase in 1965. In four or so gloriously prolific years, the quintet made some of the finest and most innovative small-combo jazz, taking the music from hard bop to a more open and expansive direction. This single CD compilation, featuring nine tracks from various albums, captures some of the group's most inspired moments. Selections like E.S.P., Circle, Nefertiti and Riot not only display a combo in compelling improvisational mode, but also highlight the remarkable soloing prowess of each player. Every track is rich in atmosphere, subtlety, texture and tone, besides capturing the command of rhythm and harmony that was soon to make the musicians true legends of jazz. The remastered sound is limpid, crisp and full-bodied.

TOWER OF POWER - Soul Vaccination: Tower Of Power Live (550 Music/Legacy/71:39):TOWER OF POWER - Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live (550 Music/Legacy/71:39): The multi-racial West Coast band may have one of the most respected and in-demand horn sections, but it has never really succeeded in recapturing the spirit of its glory years -- 1972-1975 -- on recent recordings. Part of that may have to do with bland material and the lack of a solid frontline vocalist like Larry Williams who made such albums as Back To Oakland (1974) and Urban Renewal (1975) so memorable. Still, even in its current incarnation -- only tenorist Emilio Castillo, baritonist Stephen "Doc" Kupka and bassist Francis Rocco Prestia remain from the original line-up -- Tower of Power is a compelling force in concert, and this disc of tracks recorded during a tour last year demonstrates that clearly. It's a veritable feast of funk and soul that not only features rollicking rhythms but also bristles with the kind of contagious energy that makes a rock concert a sublime experience. The 15 tracks span the band's various phases, and songs from the early years, like To Say the Least You're the Most, So Very Hard to Go and What Is Hip, undergo a new groove lubrication that's ecstasy-inducing. The newer stuff is also excitingly handled, and lead singer Brent Carter, while not as emotive and expressive a performer as Williams, does a pretty good job. Of course, the horns are as glorious and impeccable as ever; the power of their majestic punch and pulsation alone is worth the price of admission.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Today's Jazz Classics: Face the Challenge in Music/Volume 4 (Challenge/73:25): This sampler from the Dutch record company, compiled by its Malaysian marketing manager Henry Diong, features such American jazz greats as Chet Baker, Clark Terry, Frank Foster and Lee Konitz as well as some European names. Baker's Secret Love, Foster's Giant Steps and Terry's Putte's Patter are the unsurprising highlights, though The Houdini's' big band rave-up Headlines, the Jim Hall/Bob Brookmeyer duet St. Thomas, Konitz's swinging account of East of the Sun with the Bert van den Brink Trio and the Amsterdam Jazz Quartet's Supperbarrio also have some nice things going for them. Thankfully, there's hardly any fusion, and even the tracks which almost cross over, like guitarist Paul Bollenback's reading of Earth, Wind and Fire's After the Love Has Gone and Ber van den Brink's upbeat take on Coltrane's Naima, stay close to the improvisational spirit of jazz. (Distributed by Challenge Records, P.O. Box 540, 6800 AM Arnhem, The Netherlands. www.challenge.nl)

YO-YO MA - Soul of the Tango: Piazzolla (Sony Classical/63:42): The versatile cello virtuoso takes on the tango of Astor Piazzola with help from some of the old Argentinian master's former musical associates, including bandoneon player Nestor Marconi, guitarist Horacio Malvicino and bassist Hector Console, on this brilliant recording. The accounts of Libertango, Tango Suite, Fugata, Mumuki, Cafe 1930 and other Piazzola classics are not only impassioned and soulful but are full of vibrance and swing. And during the most sublime moments, Yo-Yo Ma's cello sings and soars gloriously. The highlight here is a mesmerizing duet with the master on Tango Remembrances, with the cellist gracefully plaing off Piazzolla's bandoneon lines from the 1987 album The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night. Tango at its most transcendental. (Distributed by Sony Music)