If this session were to be described in just one word, that would be "Power." Hard-bop specialists Mads Vinding and Alex Riel have both recorded with Dexter Gordon and have each played powerful, yet straight-ahead jazz for over thirty years. Drummer Riel has worked with hard bop leaders such as Jackie McLean, Michael Brecker, Kenny Drew, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Bassist Vinding, similarly, has worked with Johnny Griffin, Ed Thigpen, the Ernie Wilkins big band, and Duke Jordan. The third member of the trio, pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, with nine releases as a leader, works, as do the others, in a hard bop-vein. It would seem quite unnecessary to mention credentials like this if the artists lived in New York City or recorded with a major U.S. label; but Vinding and Riel are from Copenhagen and Pieranunzi is from Italy. Hence, their reputation may not have preceded them.
The Comet Is Coming released sophomore album, Lifeforce, in March. Now, the English band will release The Afterlife. “The Afterlife has been a topic of deep consideration and one of the keys to spiritual mythology around the world for millennia,” says Danalogue. “The two records can be seen as companions that cannot exist without each other, like day & night, light & dark, creation & destruction. They were made together, at the same time, and have always been intended to be experienced together.
Currently one of the most exciting and active groups in boundary-pushing jazz, is the collective trio Thumbscrew, who release their sixth album in seven years with Never Is Enough. Constantly taking the simple, ‘guitar trio’ line-up into new territories, their music is a masterclass of musical interplay and focused forward momentum.
Spirals , the slow reveal, cyclical but eventually coming to a point . ‘Realm of Spells ‘ is for me the point . Maybe the last time I will get to work with Bill. For me personally, this record embodies and contains a lot of the basic approach I had right from the beginning , especially in regard to playing the bass. The circumstances of our trip led to me using a Fender P bass for the first time in years. All the early PiL stuff plus Full circle with Holger and Jaki was played on Fender P. I was taken back to that beautiful naive beginning . At that juncture some pristine mathematical truth shot like a ray of vajra light from deep space.
Up to this point, Eldar Djangirov has been best known as a brilliant young acoustic pianist who is influenced a little by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. While Eldar has previously been heard mainly in trios, Re-Imagination is a bit of a departure, ranging from unaccompanied piano solos on "Tears" and "Dream Song" and a romping trio rendition of Oscar Peterson's "Place St. Henri" to a few electronic numbers on which Eldar adds synthesizers for color. Three selections have DJ Logic on turntables, interacting with the leader's keyboards. The electronic trappings may dismay Eldar's fans, but in general they are quite intelligent and reasonably creative. Even those numbers have strong displays of Eldar's acoustic piano playing, and he really digs into "South Bixel." One cannot blame Eldar for spreading his wings a bit, and fortunately no one gets hurt along the way. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
The title of the latest album "Pattern & Decoration" by saxophonist Romed Hopfgartner may sound a little inconspicuous at first glance. What is meant, however, is the movement in the fine arts from the late 70s and 80s that dealt with pattern combinations and abstract ornamentation. The aim was to focus on those elements that were considered purely decorative in the West, as well as the associated handicraft techniques. It is similar with the music that can be heard on this album: Jazz, a genre that is often dismissed as a bit dusty or as "background music", is now celebrated here in all its forms, colors and possibilities. This is not about cerebral structures, but about beautiful lines between melodies and harmonies. Sometimes playful and driving, sometimes enjoyable and relaxed. In this way Romed Hopfgartner created a wonderful world full of color that gives jazz its special shine.
