Lynne Arriale - A Long Road Home (TCB, 1997)

 

Lynne Arriale, piano
John Pattitucci, bass
Steve Davis, drums

Recorded April 1997

Steve Davis Studio

Engineer: Steve Davis

Lynne Arriale began her recording career in 1994 with a series of three CDs on the DMP label. The label was established in 1983 by engineer Tom Jung and was promoted as an audiophile digital experience. I sampled a few titles from DMP, judged the sound to be clean but somewhat clinical, and ended up keeping four albums for my collection. Two of the keepers are by Arriale: When You Listen (DMP, 1994) and With Words Unspoken (DMP, 1996). Both were recorded by Arriale's trio with Drew Gress on bass and Steve Davis on drums. 

Arriale's move to the TCB label led to four albums with Davis on drums. To my ears, the TCB albums sound more natural (less clinical) than the DMPs. More importantly, the performances and arrangements had evolved in a positive direction. Arriale's gentle keyboard style had toughened a bit, and her repertoire had expanded to include more of her own compositions alongside covers of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and others. A Long Road Home and her other TCB recordings capture these developments.

A Long Road Home begins with an unusual interpretation of Monk's "Bye-Ya." The composer's choppy rhythm is smoothed out to reveal unusual facets of the melody. "Will o' the Wisp" follows: a gorgeous, floating-time excursion over chord progressions that are similar to those on John Coltrane's "Expressions." The same chordal approach is taken on two of Arriale's originals: "The Dove" and "A Long Road Home."

"A Night in Tunisia" shows off the pianist's chops on a fast-paced solo following an unusual halting version of the melody. Arriale approaches the other jazz standards, including Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma," with similar rhythmic variations that add interest. Her version of "I Wished on the Moon" balances the program with a straight-ahead reading of the standard.

Steve Davis is not only Arriale's drummer of choice, but also a recording engineer with his own studio in Yonkers, NY. Sound engineers who are not themselves musicians, let alone drummers, may struggle when recording a percussive drum kit and making it sound natural as well as balanced with piano and bass. Davis's sound on A Long Road Home meets my personal criteria for a well-recorded piano trio. 

Arriale has continued a successful career as recording artist, performer, and educator. Her recordings on Motéma Music and Challenge Records are all worth exploring.

Charles McPherson - Manhattan Nocturne (Arabesque, 1997)

Charles McPherson, alto sax
Mulgrew Miller, piano
Ray Drummond, bass
Victor Lewis, drums

Bobby Sanabria, percussion

Recorded April 24 & 25, 1997

EastSide Sound, NYC

Engineer: Lou Holtzman

Jazz artists who matured in the mid 1960s quickly encountered one of the low points in the history of jazz recording. As jazz records struggled to compete in a marketplace filled with best-selling rock stars, jazz artists often chose to adjust their bebop tendencies and move into fusion. Some, such as Freddie Hubbard and George Benson, played what would evolve into "smooth jazz" while others, notably Miles Davis, steered toward electric jazz‑rock fusion.

Among those who stayed the course, Charles McPherson stands out. His 7 albums on Prestige between 1965 and 1970 reveal no attempt to compromise his style to sell more records. Of course, he probably did sell fewer records, but artistically his Prestige albums match or surpass many bebop albums of the 1960s. McPherson continued to record in the 1970s on labels such as Xanadu and Mainstream. The 1980s saw his releases drop off, but the 90s witnessed his resurgence.

Manhattan Nocturne is one of three outstanding McPherson albums released on the Arabesque label in the 1990s. The others are First Flight Out (1994) and Come Play with Me (1995). Manhattan Nocturne benefits from a superb band at the peak of its powers. The leader's liquid alto ranges from sultry to soaring. Pianist Mulgrew Miller is fully engaged, using his solo space to reinvent each tune. 

Manhattan Nocturne's program consists of four standards and four originals. "Evidence" and "Blue n' Boogie" recall McPherson's bebop roots. The other two standards are ballads. "You're My Thrill" is a sultry number featuring Bobby Sanabria's Latin percussion. Miller's solo tells a whole story on its own: a master class in improvisation. "How Deep Is the Ocean" finds McPherson luxuriating in a solo that stays close to the original melody. Miller's solo begins in the same way before it moves deep into improvised territory.

Four of McPherson's originals portray the nocturnal Manhattan ambience that the album's title promises: the title track, "Morning Dance," "Primal Urge," and "Fire Dance." Sanabria's percussion is integral to the album's theme, whether it's salsa dance steps or smoldering nocturnal urges. 

Anouar Brahem - Thimar (ECM, 1997)

Anouar Brahem, oud
John Surman, bass clarinet, soprano sax
Dave Holland, bass

Recorded March 13-15, 1997
Rainbow Studios, Oslo
Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug

Anour Brahem is a Tunisian oudist, known to jazz audiences mainly through a series of ECM albums commencing in 1991. His North African roots expanded over the years through study in Paris and later tours in North America. Thimar was recorded when he was 39 years old; it was his fifth CD for ECM.

I cannot compare Thimar to Brahem's other works because it's the only one of his albums I've heard. I was drawn to it by positive reviews plus my admiration for Dave Holland and John Surman, both ECM regulars. For Thimar, Surman leaves his baritone sax in its case and alternates between soprano sax and bass clarinet. 

The oud is an important ancestor of the European lute, which in turn preceded the modern guitar. It produces a warm, midrange‑rich tone and is traditionally played with a long, flexible pick called a risha. The oud's sound may be described as enchanting. In Brahem's hands, it affords subtle dynamics and evocative phrasing.

Both Brahem and Surman can be emotionally mournful, as on the brief "Waqi." Although the sonic textures are mostly dark, they are fascinating. On soprano, Surman sounds like a snake charmer; on bass clarinet, his woody sound augments Brahem's soft strings. I don't find many such textures in jazz recordings, and that helps to make Thimar exceptional. 

 

Brahem composed 10 of the 11 pieces, with Holland contributing one original, "Mazad," which also appears later on his Good Hope album (Edition, 2019). Brahem tends to write tunes with dark minor scales that contain few obvious chord changes. Most of the drama comes from rhythms and counterpoints rather from singable melodies over chord progressions. For me, "Mazad" enlivens the session with its novel changes and bouncy beat. Of the other tunes, only "Al Hizam Al Dhahbi" has noticeable chord shifts.  

"Qurb" features a delightful section that begins with a free bass solo. When Brahem joins in, he plays a countermelody instead of playing harmony or unison with Holland's line. I always find countermelodies to be fascinating. It is difficult for two musicians to play different melodic sequences at the same time, but it draws my attention whenever I hear it. "Qurb" also features a brief vocal by Brahem that adds to its mystical vibe.

Brahem honors his bandmates by laying out on the final cut; "Hulmu Rabia" is a mournfully poignant 2-minute bass clarinet figure played over arco bass.

Tomasz Stańko - Litania - Music of Krzysztof Komeda (ECM, 1997)

Tomasz Stańko, trumpet
Bernt Rosengren, tenor sax
Joakim Milder, tenor & soprano saxes
Bobo Stenson, piano

Palle Danielsson, bass
Jon Christensen, drums

Terje Rypdal, guitar

Recorded February 1997

Rainbow Studios, Oslo

Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug

I came to know Tomasz Stańko's work from his many ECM recordings, all of which received high accolades from The Penguin Guide to Jazz. Through Stańko, I also came to know about Krzysztof Komeda and his jazz soundtracks for film maker Roman Polanski. These Polish artists flourished in the 1960s during a post-Stalinist cultural renaissance that reached Western audiences through Polanski's American films. I remember seeing Rosemary's Baby when it came out in 1968 and several times since. 

Stańko's music also attracted the attention of the young Berliner Manfred Eicher, who founded ECM in 1970. Eventually, Stańko would appear as leader on 11 ECM albums and contribute to 4 others. Litania - Music of Krzysztof Komeda (1997) and From the Green Hill (1998) are my two favorites from the 1990s, and both receive blog entries.

A tribute to Komeda is apropos. He was celebrated for integrating Western jazz, especially avant-garde, with Slavic influences. Astigmatic (1967), his masterpiece, consists of 3 long tracks that still sound fresh today. Stańko played trumpet on Astigmatic and gigged regularly with Komeda until he died in 1969 at age 37. Komeda scored music for 60 films and was the center of not only Polish jazz but also European jazz overall.

According to Stańko, Litania differs from his typically bleak mode of playing*. The pairing of Swedish saxophonists, veteran Bernt Rosengren and the younger Joakim Milder, gives the session a warm glow while preserving the serious purpose of the session. Pianist Bobo Stenson also contributes to the warmer vibe. His lyrical solos add charm, and he manages to be heard in even the noisier passages. All of the band have close connections with the Polish jazz movement, and all are European superstars familiar to ECM fans.

Komeda's practice of partitioning long compositions with recurring motifs applies both to the structure of the album and to the longer pieces within it. The CD begins with an 11-minute version of "Svantetic," which is divided into sections separated by the ensemble's replaying the slowly rising opening theme. Track 2, "Sleep Safe and Warm (Version 1)," from Rosemary's Baby, is a short interlude before the epic "Night-time, Daytime Requiem," which clocks in at 21:47 minutes. Two other versions of "Sleep Safe and Warm" appear as interludes later in the program and as the closing number. 

"Requiem" is Komeda's dedication to John Coltrane. He recorded it in 1967, four months following Coltrane's death. Stańko played trumpet in the 1967 session. Although lengthy, the composition is punctuated by 6 short fanfares separating movements with different moods. The first movement, featuring Stenson and Stańko, is ominous and mournful. Later, Rosengren's tenor solo convincingly recalls Coltrane's style. A later movement features Stańko's plaintive trumpet and Palle Danielsson's bass, which serve as foundation for the rising intensity of the horns. The fifth motif is followed by Joakim Milder's piercing alto, Jon Christensen's busy drum work, and Stańko's soaring flights. The last motif draws the requiem to a peaceful end.

Despite its monumental stature, "Requiem" is upstaged by "Litania," a gorgeous theme with a powerfully emotive arrangement performed to perfection. It's one of the most profound listening experiences I've ever had.

Terje Rypdal's first appearance on the album is on the second version of "Sleep Safe and Warm," where he provides soft background shade for Stańko's solo trumpet. Rypdal is more forceful on his other two appearances: "The Witch" and the third and final version of "Sleep Safe and Warm," which ends the album on a confidently assured note. 

*Note: Stańko considers his album Leosia to be a personal favorite as well as his bleakest (The Penguin Guide to Jazz, 2011, p. 599).