Gianluigi Trovesi - Around Small Fairy Tales (Soul Note, 1998)

Gianluigi Trovesi, clarinets & alto sax
Orchestra Da Camera Di Nembro "Enea Salmeggia"

Bruno Tommaso, arranger & conductor

Recorded January 1998
Auditorium Giovanni XXIII di Nembro (Bergamo)

Gianluigi Trovesi turns 82 this year. He has been leading jazz groups since 1977. His recordings on Soul Note and ECM have established his worldwide reputation as an instrumentalist and an innovative conceptualist. He is best known for his proclivity to combine genres, often jazz and Italian folk music. 

Around Small Fairy Tales is Trovesi’s orchestral‑jazz exploration of fairy‑tale imagery, performed with the Orchestra da Camera di Nembro under Bruno Tommaso’s direction. The album extends Trovesi’s long-standing interest in folkloric storytelling, theatrical characters, and medieval musical forms. Trovesi and Tommaso appear to effortlessly blend classical chamber‑music sensibilities with jazz modes of expression; yet it is also clear that the effort needed to compose, arrange, and perform this music is enormous. 

The results of this ambitious hybrid are mesmerizing. The themes, arrangements, and individual contributions all cohere into a long suite-like adventure. The colors of the orchestra help to accentuate Trovesi's improvising skills on alto sax and both B♭ and bass clarinets. Solo opportunities for trumpet, vibes, flute, viola, and drums are expertly woven into the fabric of the arrangements. Oboe and harp provide gorgeous colors throughout, and the string ensemble adds just the right weight to every piece.  

Nembro is in Lombardy in Northern Italy, one of the loveliest regions in Europe. Nembro's local Orchestra Da Camera consists of approximately 24 youthful musicians, shown in the booklet photo below. The orchestra may lack virtuosity but compensates with an eager innocence, carefully nurtured by Trovesi, as main soloist, and by Tommaso's arrangements. 

Tommaso himself is a major figure in Italian jazz orchestration and, along with Trovesi, a founding member of the Italian Instabile Orchestra. His arrangements for Around Small Fairy Tales do not resemble classical genres; they feel more like those of Gil Evans, e.g., the pairing of flutes and trumpets and avoidance of saxophones except for Trovesi's alto features. The ebbs and flows across the numerous sections are executed flawlessly. 

Bill Frisell - Gone, Just Like a Train (Nonesuch, 1998)

Bill Frisell, guitar

Viktor Krauss, bass

Jim Keltner, drums

Recorded 1997
O'Henry Sound Studios, Burbank CA
Engineers: Greg Calbi & Judy Clapp

Bill Frisell crept into my musical consciousness during the 1980s. He first appeared as a sideman on several ECM albums. His own albums date back to 1983's In Line, which was released by ECM in Germany on LP and on CD in the U.S. eight years later. Rambler (ECM, 1985) stretched the boundaries of the ECM house style and became part of my still young collection of vinyl. 

By 1997, Frisell was ubiquitous and prolific. I came to understand him as multi-stylistic but found his "Americana" style a little too folksy for my taste, despite the critical accolades he was receiving. I admired his ethereal contributions to Paul Motian's trio with Joe Lovano. But I was still waiting for his own groups to deliver what I was hoping for.

One day when I was auditioning a pair of loudspeakers, Gone, Just Like a Train hit me like a ton of bricks (or a speeding train, if you like). The first track, "Blues for Los Angeles," startled me not just sonically, but for the music itself. Here, finally, was the Bill Frisell I was waiting for. 

A large part of the appeal of Gone, Just Like a Train is the bare instrumentation: guitar, bass and drums. Of course, Frisell can make his guitar sound like a whole band at times, so his trios differ from those of clean pickers like Jimmy Raney or Wes Montgomery. Frisell's trio is awesome for its fresh, sly, clever, and virtuosic hybrid of rock, country, and jazz. 

Describing the music on Gone, Just Like a Train is a challenge because the pieces are simultaneously simple and complex. There is a mysterious alchemy in which those opposites and others coexist in unexpected ways. The mystery includes music that is: 

simple:complex

melodic:free

rhythmic:floating

earthy:ethereal

Each tune is a distillation of one or more of these dualities, while not sounding cerebral in the least.

The long "Lookout for Hope" is the title of an ECM album by Frisell, recorded by a different group in 1988. It's length here at more than 10 minutes is fully justified by Frisell's explosive and explorative soloing. It's a great lesson in finely crafted shredding. 

Frisell's trio is comprised of mature musicians crossing over from other stylistic traditions. Bassist Viktor Krauss's roots are in rock, country, and bluegrass. He gigged with Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, and his sister Alison Krauss, compiling well over 200 recording credits by age 57. His contributions to Frisell's trio are often subtle, but they are key to the group's overall sound. 

Drummer Jim Keltner played with almost everyone in the rock world, including members of the Beatles. His contributions to two of Frisell's best albums: Gone Just Like a Train and its follow-up Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch, 1999) are superb, making me wonder why this group did not stay together longer. 

Of course, the answer to my wonderment resides in Frisell's enduring restlessness as an artist. Never one to settle with one set of musicians for very long, Frisell continues his wide search for new challenges. 

Sonically, Gone, Just Like a Train is impressive from start to finish, which is the first thing I noticed during my loudspeaker audition. Stereophile magazine's Chip Stern describes it this way: 

Few things are more revealing than a trio recording, and each instrument here is rendered with remarkable depth, clarity, and detail. The soundstage is immense and airy, and the mix is notable for the manner in which each tune achieves subtle changes in placement, presence, and perspective while maintaining a consistent sonic viewpoint. (April 9, 1998).

 I recommend reading the entire review at Recording of April 1998: Gone, Just Like A Train | Stereophile.com

Gary Burton - Like Minds (Concord, 1997)

Gary Burton, vibes
Chick Corea, piano
Pat Metheny, guitar
Dave Holland, bass
Roy Haynes, drums

Recorded December 15-17, 1997

Avatar Studios, NYC

Engineer: James Farber

In the 1980s, I decided to become a "completist" collector of everything Gary Burton recorded. I'm not sure what motivated me, but it might have been some similarities between us: one year apart in age, raised in the Midwest, interest in jazz, etc. At one point, I wrote to Burton to ask how complete my collection of his works was. I was surprised when he wrote back and confessed that he had not kept track of all his recordings, but he sent me some CDs that I had not previously known. 

Our correspondence lasted a few years, and at one point I boldly suggested a kind of album I would like to see him release. This was during his GRP years when he seemed more commercially inclined. His attempt at smooth jazz with Bob James on Cool Nights (GRP, 1990) prompted me to propose that he record with a group like Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and Roy Haynes, all of whom had worked with Burton before. Metheny, who already enjoyed widespread popularity, had just released a gritty trio album with Haynes and Dave Holland: the critically acclaimed Question and Answer (Geffen, 1990). I wanted Gary to get back to what I considered his best stuff.

To cut to the chase, a few years later Like Minds was released and won a Grammy, which satisfied Burton's aim of popularity and fulfilled my hope for a straight-ahead jazz album. 

                  Burton   Corea      Metheny      Holland   Haynes

The Like Minds Band in the studio 

All but one of the 10 tracks on Like Minds come from the band members. Metheny has 4 songwriting credits, Corea 3, Burton 2, and George Gershwin 1. Every track is executed flawlessly. All band members serve the group; none take off on unplanned extended improvisations. 

Indeed, the only criticisms of Like Minds that I've read are that it is too perfect, too egoless. To wit, I include part of a review by critic Bill Milkowski published in JazzTimes in 1999 and updated in 2019:

The aesthetic is a bit tidy. There’s no sense of blood in the music. How can there be any going out on a limb when everything is so…perfect?

 The material ranges from buoyant and crisply swinging (Metheny’s “Elucidation,” Corea’s “Straight Up and Down”) to darkly ethereal (Corea’s “Futures,” Metheny’s “Tears of Rain”) to lilting waltz-time numbers (Metheny’s “Questions and Answer,” the title track from his 1989 album, Corea’s “Windows” and Metheny’s “For a Thousand Years”). Burton’s title track, strangely reminiscent of Corea’s “Captain Marvel” from 20 years ago, is a veritable showcase for Haynes’ signature bounce on the snare drum and hip time displacement. Haynes really gets to dance on the kit on a swinging rendition of George Gershwin’s “Soon,” which plays to his jaunty instincts, particularly in the breakdown section with bassist Holland. Burton’s earthy “Country Roads,” the title track of an album he cut 30 years ago, is the loosest thing here and probably the funkiest, bluesiest thing either Burton or Metheny has ever recorded. 

(Read the full review at Gary Burton: Like Minds - JazzTimes)

While I understand Milkowski's concern about perfection, the paragraph above seems self-contradictory. Like Minds does hold surprises, attributed mostly to Roy Haynes, and a provocative drummer is provocative precisely because the ensemble is so polished. That said, I'll take "too perfect" as a criticism every day.

I have owned Like Minds in standard CD, SACD, and vinyl formats. Neither digital format comes close to the sonic quality of the vinyl LP. It's a pricey 2-LP limited edition numbered set that includes one bonus track ("Bags' Groove") that also appears on For Hamp, Red, Bags, And Cal (Concord, 2001).

Although I stopped being a completist many years ago, I still own a lot of Gary Burton records. Like Minds is one of the best!

Melvin Rhyne - Kojo (Criss Cross, 1997)

Melvin Rhyne, organ
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Kenny Washington, drums
Daniel G. Sadownick, percussion

Recorded December 13, 1997

RPM Studio, NYC

Engineer: Max Bolleman

Mel Rhyne will always be associated with Wes Montgomery, having played with the legendary guitarist in their hometown of Indianapolis in the mid-to-late 1950s. In the 60s, several of Montgomery's trio recordings on Riverside featured Rhyne. Montgomery died in 1968 at age 45, but Rhyne lived until 2013, 

Kojo employs the organ-guitar-drums format that was popularized during the 1950s and 1960s. Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Shirley Scott, “Baby Face” Willette, Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, and others led the soul-jazz organ movement. Often tenor players joined along with additional percussionists. I enjoyed hearing these albums in my youth.

In the 1990s, Criss Cross was firmly established as a label that consistently recorded jazz both by new artists and veterans like Rhyne. The Legend (1992) includes the same trio as Kojo, minus percussionist Daniel G. Sadownick. Boss Organ (1994) followed, adding tenorist Joshua Redman to the lineup. Tenors also joined the trio for Stick to the Kick (1995) and Tell It Like It Is (1997). Mel's Spell (1996) returned to the trio format. 

Rhyne continued recording after the turn of the century. His last album was with guitarist Royce Campbell in 2011: Make Me Rainbows (Positive Music, 2011).

The program on Kojo varies between standard ballads ("In a Sentimental Mood") to bebop ("Blue 'n' Boogie"). The best material lies in between. The loping pace of "I Wish I Knew" and "A Time for Love" are the album's highlights. The funkiest tunes are the shuffles "Blues for Mike and Teju" and "Loose Change." The latter feels a lot like Horace Silver's "Song for My Father," but has a catchy change of tempo at the end of each chorus.

Throughout, it is Peter Bernstein who shines the brightest. His tone is superb, and at any tempo he executes classic single-note runs that would make Grant Green envious. Drummer Kenny Washington, although not given solo space, holds the proceedings together. The added percussion on two selections works for "Loose Change," but makes "Dorothy," the closing number, a bit overcooked and too long at 9:20 minutes.

I give an A+ for the recording by Max Bolleman, the Dutch engineer working in a New York studio. He captures the organ's low pedals, its chocolatey midrange, and right-hand keyboard details. Bernstein, who typically needs no sonic boosts, benefits from an accurate rendering of his custom John Zeidler Archtop guitar. Bolleman's mix also allows the listener to distinguish Sadownick's added percussion from Washington's standard kit.

Steve Nelson - New Beginnings (TCB, 1997)

 

Steve Nelson, vibes
Mulgrew Miller, piano
Peter Washington, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Recorded December 1 & 2, 1997

Van Gelder Studio

Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

I love the sound of vibes. That row of metallic bars imparts a warm, shimmering glow to jazz performances. No longer marginalized as a novelty, vibes and vibists have become mainstream and are important entries in my Favorites blogs. 

Steve Nelson is among the best vibists in jazz today. His recording career began relatively late due to his discovery of the vibes only after leaving high school. Following several appearances as a side man on albums by Ray Drummond, James Spaulding, Kenny Barron and others, his first significant recordings appeared in 1990, the year he turned 36. I have reviewed Nelson's debut album, Communications, earlier in this blog.

New Beginnings also features pianist Mulgrew Miller, who enjoyed a close, sympathetic connection with Nelson. After Miller's death from a stroke in 2013 at age 57, Nelson dedicated his album, Brothers Under the Sun (HighNote, 2017) to Miller's memory. Meetings between musical "brothers" usually yield good results, and New Beginnings is a shining example of the fruits of that brotherhood. 

Three original compositions by Nelson open the album: the title track, "Danielle's Waltz," and "Shape Shifting." Listening to "Shape Shifting" reminded me of Bobby Hutcherson's "Starting Over" from his Farewell Keystone LP (Theresa, 1982). I wondered if this might be the same tune under a different name. Further investigation revealed that "Shape Shifting" is familiar to me only because it appears on two other albums that I own: Curtis Lundy's Purpose (Justin Time, 2002) and Louis Hayes' Return of the Jazz Communicators (Smoke Sessions, 2012). Nelson plays on both of these. No wonder it sounded familiar. Great music does tend to resurface.

The last 6 tracks are mostly familiar songs to me, some dating way back in time. The oldest is "The Song Is Ended," composed by Irving Berlin in 1927. "It's the Talk of the Town" is from 1933, "How Little We Know" from 1944, "Someone to Light Up My Life" from 1956, and "Wild Is the Wind" from 1957. Songs like these have enjoyed many decades of popularity, and Nelson treats each "oldie" with respect and admiration. 

The best of the group is "It's the Talk of the Town." Miller's tempo-free solo intro precedes the ensemble, after which Nelson takes the melody at a deliberate pace that evokes the lyrics' theme of heartbreak. Nelson dwells on the melody at the end of his solo. Miller's solo is less somber, ornate in parts, but he also returns to the melody before handing it back to Nelson, who further embellishes it. It feels like none of the band want the song to end, but it does eventually with a solo coda from Nelson.

"It's the Talk of the Town" is literally timeless: the highlight of New Beginnings 64 years after its writing.

Amidst the older material lies a gem from vibist Lem Winchester - "Down Fuzz," from his album Winchester Special (New Jazz, 1959). It's a simple funky blues that keeps all of the players in the groove except for Miller, who plays an exploratory solo. This kind of music would populate jazz setlists a few years later when Lee Morgan's Sidewinder (Blue Note, 1964) broke through to wider audiences. Winchester should be given more credit as a pioneer of the '60s funk revolution.

Gerald Wilson - Theme for Monterey (Mama, 1997)

The Gerald Wilson Orchestra

Recorded November 24 & 25, 1997
Capitol Studios, Los Angles
Engineer: Rich Breen

Gerald Wilson died in 2014 at the age of 96. His first gig was playing trumpet for Jimmie Lunceford in 1939. His last recording, Legacy, was released in 2011 and was nominated for a Grammy award.

Spending more than 70 years in the music business gave Gerald Wilson more perspective than almost any other musician. Maintaining a series of big bands, Wilson's favored format, is incredible simply for its managerial demands. 

Over the decades, Wilson's music withstood the pressures of changing styles. He always led bands with tight arrangements, creative compositions, and outstanding band members. By the time of recording Theme for Monterey, recruiting band members could not have been a problem for one of the most gifted big band composer/arrangers that jazz has ever known. 

Theme for Monterey came to me at a good time, soon after I had adjusted to a major career change. In the ensuing years, several visits to San Francisco gave me the opportunity to visit the Monterey Peninsula and the famous "Lone Cyprus" on Pebble Beach. An image of the Lone Cyprus is printed on the CD face for Theme for Monterey.

"Theme for Monterey" is the name of the 5-part suite composed by Wilson that occupies most of the album. Hearing it always reminds me of my visits to that beautiful part of California. I like the motif that recurs throughout the suite to connect the different movements. It's a joyous tribute to the region where Wilson spent so many years making music.

The remainder of the album includes a long (13:27) version of George Gershwin's "Summertime," which is the most frequently recorded song in the history of recording. Wilson's orchestra portrays summertime in the most generous light imaginable. Theme for Monterey concludes with a short version of Charlie Parker's "Anthropology."

I have 7 Gerald Wilson albums in my personal library, and another 6 by his son Anthony, a talented guitarist who plays on Theme for Monterey. The Wilson duo has applied their craft for more than 100 years, many times together. 

Talk about a family keeping the flame burning...a long time!!!

For a review of Gerald Wilson's Lomelin, go to Post: Edit Lomelin

Doug Raney - The Backbeat (SteepleChase, 1997)

Doug Raney, guitar

Joey DeFrancesco, organ
Billy Hart, drums

Recorded October 1977

New York City

Engineer: Josiah Gluck

It had to happen eventually. After staying close (literally) to his father Jimmy's bebop style, Doug Raney broke out to record a guitar-organ-drums album. His previous duets with his father were superb studies of guitar interplay. Both Duets (SteepleChase, 1980) and Nardis (SteepleChase, 1983) were special events in jazz guitar history. 

The Backbeat is also special. It enlists organist Joey DeFrancesco and the venerable Billy Hart to explore the organ trio format. However, the album is not a blues-drenched, funky soul-jazz session. Raney purposefully chose tunes that were almost never recorded by organists such as Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, and Charles Earland. Moreover, Raney's set list includes a variety of composers who never wrote expressly for an organ trio. 

In the early 1990s, DeFrancesco vied to become the heir to the Hammond B3 throne through a series of albums on Columbia, Concord and Verve. On these he teamed up with guitarists John Scofield, Paul Bollenback, Danny Gatton, John McLaughlin, and Jimmy Bruno. The albums' producers, including DeFrancesco himself, showcase the young man's technical prowess, but some albums were overproduced in their effort to reach a wider audience. It's an all too familiar story for young artists.

DeFrancesco's inevitable showmanship distinguishes The Backbeat in a positive way. Whether comping during Raney's solos or soloing himself, DeFrancesco demonstrates his mastery of the B3's features and deploys them in service of the music.

Raney's guitar work is fluid, clean, soulful, and articulate. His phrasing and tone are impeccable at any tempo, and the session never drags or falters. His good taste appears to have reined in DeFrancesco's exuberance sufficiently to maintain focus and balance across the program. 

Hart's drumming always observes the dual responsibilities of keeping the groove and provoking the soloists. Even without much solo space, Hart's presence is always heard. You can hear, as on "Love for Sale," when he inserts an unusual roll or cymbal crash, that it is time for the others to move on from their comfortable licks. I've been hearing Hart's friendly insistence for decades.

The track list includes familiar tunes ("Love for Sale" and "Prelude to a Kiss"); jazz tunes by Hancock, Gordon, Jimmy Raney, and Silver that are not overly familiar; and one Doug Raney original. 

For me, the guitarist's "Jimmy James," jointly dedicated to Raney's father (Jimmy) and his son (James), is the highlight of the album. At 11:20 minutes, it is also the longest. As for Raney's solo prowess, look no further than his swinging solo on "The Backbeat," composed by Horace Silver for his quintet but here owned by Raney and the trio. Throughout, I take special note of the recording quality, which captures all three instruments faithfully, especially the organ's pedals.

Both Raney and DeFrancesco had the misfortune to die from heart failure too early in their respective careers: Raney in 2016 at age 59; DeFrancesco in 2022 at age 51. 

Scott Colley - This Place (SteepleChase, 1997)

Scott Colley, bass
Chris Potter, tenor sax
Bill Stewart, drums

Recorded September 1997

New York City

Engineer: Josiah Gluck

Scott Colley's recording debut in 1993 began a string of 31 albums under his leadership or co-leadership, as well as a long series of albums with Harold Danko and others. Discogs reports 271 recording credits. Simply put, Colley has been one of the most recorded bassists in jazz for four decades and counting.

This Place was Colley's second album as a leader, following Portable Universe (Freelance, 1996). All members of the trio on This Place come from the same generation, all beginning their careers in the 1990s. Collectively, they are partly responsible for sustaining high standards for jazz in the 90s and beyond.

The program is consistently engaging. John Coltrane's "Mr. Day" begins the album with a familiar blues, followed by a Colley original, "Long Lake." There are many Long Lakes in the U.S., and this one is in Maine where Colley prepped for the recording session. Colley's original title track completes side 1 of the LP.

Three fascinating version of jazz standards grace the B side of This Place. Sonny Rollins' classic "Airegin" immediately invites comparison with the composer's legendary trio sessions at the Village Vanguard in 1957. Although Rollins did not include "Airegin" on the Vanguard dates, it's a great example of his angular approach to composition. Colley and his mates dispatch the number in less than 4 minutes. The other standards are Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks" and Ornette Coleman's "The Blessing."

Throughout, I'm captivated by the chemistry of the trio. Although Chris Potter is the main voice, it's rewarding to focus on details of the rhythm section. For example, Bill Stewart's drum solo on "Airegin" is in 5/4 time, despite the 4/4 signature assigned to the tune.

This Place was recorded digitally and later reissued as a SteepleChase "Audiophile Edition" LP in 2022. The CD version contains 8 tracks; the LP contains 6. I've heard both formats and prefer the LP for its sonics. At 58:14 the CD delivers more music, including Monk's "Ugly Beauty" on which Potter plays bass clarinet. Potter's "Aurora" is also left off the LP.