Billy Childs
Triumvirate
(Mack Avenue)
After gaining important experience working with J.J. Johnson, Freddie Hubbard, and a young Dianne Reeves, Billy Childs became an important musical force in the Los Angeles area starting in the late 1980s. Since then, he has organized many important projects, become an impressive composer and arranger, and developed his own musical personality on the piano.
Surprisingly, Triumvirate is only Childs’ fourth recording at the head of a trio and his first since 2000. On what is essentially a modern hard bop set, the pianist is teamed with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Ari Hoenig, performing four of his originals and four jazz standards.
Child’s compositions are programmed first and include the swinging “One Fleeting Instant,” a relaxed “Carefree” which has Hoenig’s drum breaks used as part of its melody, the jazz waltz “Like Father Like Son” which in spots is a little reminiscent of early Herbie Hancock, and a relatively quiet and thoughtful “Heroes.” Of the standards, “Whisper Not” swings in the hard bop tradition, Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now” is taken at a medium-slow pace, “Lazy Afternoon” is given an energetic and explorative treatment, and the rarely performed “Flamenco Sketches” (from Kind Of Blue) serves as a tasteful closer.
Unlike on some of his more ambitious projects that showcase his writing, Triumvirate gives listeners a strong sampling of Billy Childs’ talents as a pianist, playing in the tradition but in his own voice. It is recommended and available from www.mackavenue.com.
Eli Howell
Steps Taken
(D Clef Records)
The recording debut of trombonist Eli Howell finds him overcoming health problems that had forced him to stop playing for a year, and a tornado that forced him to switch studios at the last minute, spontaneously creating one at Michigan State University. Somehow it all worked out and his first CD is excellent.
Howell utilizes a core group with pianist Xavier Davis (Miki Hayama is in his place on two songs), Rodney Whitaker, Steven Bowman or Langston Kitchen on bass, and either Ulysses Owens Jr. or Colleen Clark on drums. In addition, trumpeter Brian Lynch and altoist Sharel Cassity are strong assets whenever they are heard, and there is one appearance apiece by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Michael Dease on valve trombone, and altoist Thomas Noble.
The music is high-quality straight ahead jazz. Steps Taken begins with a dark and modalized version of “Matchmaker” (from Fiddler On The Roof), a slow blues tribute to Al Grey (“I Remember Al”) with Wycliffe Gordon displaying his mastery of the plunger mute, and the minor-toned “For Garrison” which is a piece one could imagine John Coltrane playing.
“A Clear Sky” utilizes a “Poinciana” type drum rhythm although the song is quite a bit different. The minor-toned blues “One For Steve,” the trombonist’s moody ballad (“Reimagined”), and an inventive version of “Alone Together” which has a section in 7/4 time follow. Other numbers include J.J. Johnson’s “Say When” which has the three horns sounding a bit like the Jazz Messengers, Howell’s “Dear Helen,” and Raul de Souza’s “A Vontade Mesmo” which matches Howell with Michael Dease.
The songs have an impressive amount of variety in moods and tempos, the solos are uniformly excellent, and Eli Howell (who holds his own with Dease and the exuberant Gordon) shows that he is one of the top up-and-coming trombonists on the scene today. Steps Taken is available from www.amazon.com.
The Oscar Peterson Trio
At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge
(Verve)
Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was one of the greatest pianists of all time, in jazz and music in general. His technique was unsurpassable except by Art Tatum, he could outswing any other instrumentalist, and his work with his trios was quite influential. While some detractors felt that he played too many notes and lacked emotional sensitivity in his playing, well, no one’s perfect!
Peterson was very well recorded during his life, particularly during the two periods when he was associated with producer Norman Granz’s labels, in the 1950s and the 1970s/’80s. After leading a popular and very busy trio with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown during 1953-58 (Barney Kessel was the group’s guitarist during 1951-early 1953), Peterson decided to switch to drums instead of utilizing another guitarist. Gene Gammage was used briefly for Peterson’s My Fair Lady album of Nov. 1958 and then Ed Thigpen became the group’s permanent member in 1959. The Peterson-Brown-Thigpen lineup stayed together until the drummer left in 1965, followed by Brown later that year.
While the earlier unit found Ellis and Brown working to compete a bit with Peterson, coming up with colorful arrangements that sometimes emphasized the uniqueness of each of the three players, the trio with Thigpen spoke as one. Brown and Thigpen only had rare solos and breaks, instead becoming indispensable parts of Peterson’s sound. While listeners focused very much on the pianist, the contributions of Brown and Thigpen are not to be overlooked even though they were in subsidiary roles.
The release of the three-Lp set, At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, gives one the opportunity to hear an entire night of music by the trio; all four sets. The performances from Aug. 19, 1960 were previously unreleased not because of their quality but due to the tapes being lost in the shuffle, mislabeled, and only recently being discovered.
The trio performs 23 selections plus four brief numbers that close the sets. On this superbly recorded release, the 35-year old pianist is in dazzling form throughout whether playing “Django,” “Confirmation,” “The Touch Of Your Lips, “ “Chicago” (quite a tour-de-force) “Liza,” a really swinging rendition of “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise,” a ridiculously fast “S’posin’,” or “Satin Doll,” Joined by Brown’s swinging bass lines and Thigpen’s subtle but quietly inventive drumming, Peterson consistently sounds joyous and often exuberant, even on the occasional ballads. There are scores of moments throughout this release when the pianist’s playing is quite amazing.
Those who love Oscar Peterson’s playing can consider this set to be essential, even if they already own 100 of his albums. At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is available from www.amazon.com.
Sean Imboden Large Ensemble
Uncharted Realms
Self-Released)
Tenor and soprano-saxophonist Sean Imboden has worked with such notables as Slide Hampton Taylor Eigsti, Sean Jones, and Emmet Cohen among others. A project obviously close to his heart is leading the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, an 18-piece big band that had previously made its recording debut on Communal Heart.
The orchestra’s second release, Uncharted Realms, is a five-song, 37-minute program. Imboden’s arrangements have their own personality, being modern and unpredictable but also somewhat colorful and occasionally epic. His music often emphasizes the ensembles in fairly long melody statements, building up the suspense and intensity as they progress. There are some fine solos along the way including from Imboden (a muscular and passionate tenor improvisation on “When You Look Beyond” and inventive soprano playing on “Balcony”), guitarist Joel Tucker, trumpeter John Raymond (outstanding on “The Gentle Giant” over the complex bass patterns of Nick Tucker), pianist Christopher Pitts, and trombonist Zac Granger.
But it is the arrangements and compositions that make Uncharted Realms of special interest to fans of modern big bands. “When You Look Beyond,” which could be a movie theme (possibly for a Star Wars movie) and the Latin-flavored “Balcony” are my personal favorites although all five originals have their special moments.
Uncharted Realms (available from www.seanimboden.com) is well worth exploring.
David Ambrosio
Civil Disobedience
(Blue Frog)
Bassist David Ambrosio formed an all-star quintet with Donny McCaslin on tenor and soprano, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, pianist Bruce Barth, and drummer Victor Lewis in 2018 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s passing. The group performed modern jazz of 1968. The combination of musicians worked so well that a tour was planned for 2020 but unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID. In Oct. 2022 they came back together. Victor Lewis’ health declined soon after that and he was forced to stop playing for 15 months. In late 2024 when the band (called Civil Disobedience) went on a two-week tour of the United States, Lewis was back. However, he only had use of his hands on the drums, did not utilize a bass drum and only played the hi-hat sparingly. Somehow, he was able to swing the band and give one the impression that he was in good health, at least when he was on the bandstand. But after the tour and making this recording on Feb. 2, 2025, he permanently retired.
The music on Civil Disobedience is not quite what one might expect from the album’s title since this is an instrumental set that is devoid of overt politics. However, the music is quite timeless. The quintet performs a song apiece by Bobby Hutcherson, James Spaulding, and Harold Land plus two from Joe Chambers. Other than Hutcherson’s “For Duke P,” a tribute to Duke Pearson which was first recorded in 1963, all of the pieces, which are obscure, made their debuts in 1968. Unlike pop music and fashion of the time, the music still sounds quite modern, adventurous, and not dated in the least.
It is particularly rewarding getting to hear Donny McCaslin playing jazz again which differs from the more rock-oriented projects he has had in recent years. He is in particularly excellent form on the hard boppish “For Duke P.” The group also performs an all-ensemble version of the slow and mournful “A Time To Go,” the dark, “Irina” (which has excellent McCaslin on soprano), Harold Land’s “Poor People’s March,” and the melancholy “Ankara” which has a lyrical statement by Jensen on muted trumpet.
Even without the participation of Victor Lewis, hopefully Civil Disobedience will have another recorded reunion in the future. In addition to its obvious talent, the group has quite a bit of potential as a unit. Civil Disobedience is available from www.bluefrogrecords.com.
Thelonious Monk
Live In Paris 1967, Volume 1
(Thelonious Monk)
In 1967, Thelonious Monk was at the peak of his fame. For the only time in his career, he took a larger group on a European tour than his usual quartet. In addition to the quartet members (tenor-saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist Larry Gales, and drummer Ben Riley), his nonet included trumpeter Ray Copeland, altoist Phil Woods, tenor-saxophonist Johnny Griffin (a key member of his quartet back in 1958), trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, and flugelhornist Clark Terry (who is not heard on this album).
The Lp Live In Paris 1967, Volume 1 is the first release from the Thelonious Monk estate. The Monk Nonet, which did make any studio albums, has had some of its live performances from Rotterdam, Holland (Oct. 28), Stockholm (Oct. 31), Berlin (Nov. 4), and Mainz, Germany (Nov. 8) previously released on bootleg albums. The Paris concert from Nov. 3 resulted in eight songs that were also previously put out as a bootleg but its sound quality has been greatly improved for this legitimate release.
Volume One has four of the numbers while the not-yet-released Volume Two will have three (just a little over 22 minutes of music), leaving off a solo piano version of “I Mean You” that might actually have been from a different date.
This album features fine solos from Griffin, Copeland and Monk on a full-length version of “Epistrophy” which the pianist often used as a theme song. A 14 1/2 minute rendition of “Evidence” has spots for Rouse, Copeland, Woods and Monk with short statements from Gales and Riley. On those two selections, Ray Copeland often taken honors with his blazing and inventive statements.
The classic ballad “Ruby My Dear” features Monk’s quartet with Charlie Rouse while an uptempo and exciting rendition of “We See” has Copeland making the group a quintet.
Live In Paris 1967, Volume 1 is available from www.theloniousmonk.store. Hopefully there will be many more recordings unearthed and released in the future by the Monk estate.
Marcus Goldhaber
The Promise Of You
Fallen Apple)
A versatile jazz singer and a talented songwriter, Marcus Goldhaber recently released The Promise Of You, a set of music consisting of six of his originals and six standards. For this project, he is joined by pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Michael O’Brien, and drummer Alvester Garnett. Four songs also include Jay Rattman on tenor, soprano and clarinet, two apiece have either trumpeter Summer Camargo and/or guitarist Paul Bollenback, and one includes percussionist Keita Ogawa.
Marcus Goldhaber has a light floating voice that is quietly expressive, and he often sings very impressive long notes that add to the passion of the music. The Promise Of You has more than its share of variety and some surprises. The opener, Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark,” is transformed into a jazz waltz that sounds like a modal version that John Coltrane might have performed; Rattman’s soprano accentuates that style. The singer sounds quite at home on swing tunes including his “Just One More Song” and “Two At A Time, both of which benefit from Rattman’s clarinet playing. While “Let’s Get Lost” is taken faster than usual (with Ogawa’s percussion being a strong asset), “The Best Is Yet To Come” is given a dark and somewhat bleak treatment that is quite effective.
Other selections include the exhilarating “Uptown Cabaret,” a joyful “The Promise Of You” which has an excellent trumpet solo, the warm “You Will Be Loved,” a slow version of “There’s A Small Hotel,” and the charming jazz waltz “You Are A Love Song.” Marcus Goldhaber also revives such vintage tunes as “I’ll see You In My Dreams” (which has some hot trumpet and piano) and the rarely performed 1920s Gershwin song “I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise.”
The Promise Of You, which is available from www.amazon.com, is arguably Marcus Goldhaber’s finest recording so far.
Teiku
Klang
(Gingko Records)
Jazz musicians, being among the most creative in the world, draw their inspiration from an infinite number of possible sources. The main concept of the group Teiku, which is comprised of pianist-keyboardist Josh Harlow, drummer and vibraphonist Jonathan Barahal (Harlow and Barahal are co-leaders), bass clarinetist Jason Stein, and bassist Jaribu Shahid, is to utilize Jewish-Ukrainian melodies from Passover and change the ancient themes into creative jazz.
Klang is Teku’s second album and consists of six folkish melodies that are often drastically altered. The opener, “Le Noeh,” is hyper, almost-thunderous, and quite exciting. In contrast, “Lo Naeh” utilizes electronics to create a haunting and mystical atmosphere. Stein’s bass clarinet is in the lead during much of “Khasul Seydur Peysakh” which at first has a fairly free and sparse background before becoming much more crowded. Two versions of “Ki Le Noeh” include a lively romp with electric piano and bass clarinet, and a ballad with Barahal on vibes. “Odir Bimlikhe” concludes the set with some ferocious playing by the quartet.
Klang is an utterly fascinating exploration with de-construction and reinvention of ancient melodies. It is available from www.teikumusic.com.
Pierre Favre Trio
Bird Food
(Songs)
The Swiss drummer Pierre Favre (who is now 89) started out his career playing Dixieland and Swing in a variety of settings beginning in 1954. He gradually became interested in playing freer types of jazz and by the mid-1960s had become part of the avant-garde. He met pianist Irene Schweizer (1941-2024) when they both worked for the Paiste cymbal manufacturer; she was actually his secretary for a time. They moonlighted as touring musicians, playing together regularly through 1970 and recording a duet album as late as 2013.
While Favre and Schweizer recorded a trio record (Santana) on Oct. 8, 1968 with bassist Peter Kowald, the recently discovered music on Bird Food is from Feb. 19, 1968 with Jiri Mraz (1944-2021) on bass. Before the end of the year, Mraz would move to the United States, begin using George as his first name, become more associated with straight ahead jazz, and in 1970 become a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio.
Bird Food is an EP with just under 30 minutes of music but, despite its brevity, the quality is high. The trio performs an adventurous version of Ornette Coleman’s Bird Food” and three group improvisations. “Sounds II.” is quiet, thoughtful, and makes creative use of space, “Hinton” is full of fire, and “The Attack” is driven by Mraz’s walking bass and has a strong forward momentum.
Irene Schweizer had recorded seven songs during the 1962-66 period but Bird Food is the earliest full-length documentation of her playing. She was just beginning to become well known in Europe (the release of Santana would be a major step forward) and she was eventually recognized as a very original avant-garde pianist.
The colorful playing on Bird Food (available from www.blasermusic.com) is a valuable addition to the discography of the three musicians and to avant-garde jazz in general.
Ryan Blotnick
The Woods
(Fishkill Records)
Ryan Blotnick, who lives in Maine, is a composer for documentary films and a versatile guitarist whose music in the past has ranged from a variety of jazz idioms to Afrobeat. The Woods is his fifth album as a leader since 2007.
A quartet date with Tyler G. Wood on piano and organ, bassist Adam Chilenski, and drummer Otto Hauser, The Woods consists of ten Blotnick originals. The music is often atmospheric and cinematic, setting up a mood in which the guitarist plays thoughtful solos.
Among the highpoints are the interplay between the musicians on “The Magic,” the lightly funky and appealing “Pecao,” “Cuyo” which has Blotnick’s “take-your-time” soloing being a little reminiscent of Jim Hall, the warm melody of “Two Lights,” and the quiet “Smokey Corners.”
Other than the hyper but brief “Snowfields,” The Woods (available from www.ryanblotnick.com) is a laidback set that features excellent musicianship from the four musicians on a program of frequently introspective music. It grows in interest with each listen.
Mike Lorenz
I’m Not There
(Each and Only)
Michael Hudson-Casanova
Heyman
(Each and Only)
Mike Lorenz is a guitarist with his own sound, blending together some primitive tones with sophisticated ideas. He has his own chord voicings and a wide range of inspirations which include the Paul Motian Trio, Keith Jarrett’s 1970s group with Jan Garbarek, bluegrass, and folk music. On I’m Not There, a trio set with his long-time musical associates bassist Sandy Eldred, and drummer Matt Scarano, Lorenz performs ten of his originals and engages in close interplay with his sidemen. His relaxed and thoughtful playing, which is melodic and mellow but never predictable, sometimes makes him seem like an instrumental singer/songwriter.
The music on I’m Not There loosely tells the story of a relationship falling apart and a new one taking its place. The song titles (which include “Where Do You Go,” “We Used To Talk All The Time,” “I Don’t Have Time To Love You,” “Close The Book,” “Not The Same,” and Renovated Heart”) give one an idea as to the progression of the story.
While Lorenz plays both acoustic and electric guitar, the music on I’m Not There emphasizes the acoustic side of his musical personality. Among the highlights are the lightly funky “Never Seen,” an optimistic groove during “One Can Hope,” an out-of-tempo and conversational “I Don’t Have Time To Love You,’ the brooding and melancholy ballad “Not The Same,” and the triumphant and joyful closer “Beta.”
The same trio that is on I’m Not There is utilized by altoist and clarinetist Michael Hudson-Casanova for his quartet album Heyman. While Hudson-Casanova has his own sound and the music on this CD is pretty unpredictable, there are hints of Eric Dolphy (particularly in the interval jumps on “Ladybug”) and Ornette Coleman (the almost childlike melody of “Equilibrium” and the soloing on “Narrative”). Hudson-Casanova contributed those originals plus two others while Lorenz brought in three pieces.
Hudson-Casanova, who plays some warm clarinet on “Melding,” has a relatively mellow sound on alto that contrasts with his explorative ideas. Lorenz’s playing is generally more intense and sometimes more rock-oriented on this set than on I’m Not There. The guitarist’s playing next to the altoist constantly challenges him, acting as a second competing voice. With Eldred and Scarano contributing stimulating support, the ensembles and constant interplay between the lead voices keep Heyman 2 from ever becoming predictable or obvious. Whether it is the haunting melodies of “Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “Country Is Shortage,” or the exuberant “Ladybug” and the lightly funky “Melding,” Heyman 2 will certainly hold the attention of listeners.
Both I’m Not There and Heyman 2 are available from www.eachandonly.com.
Leslie Vincent
Little Black Book
(Self-Released)
A fine singer and songwriter based in Minneapolis, Leslie Vincent had previously recorded These Foolish Things and About Last Night. For her third CD, Little Black Book, the singer composed all of the dozen songs and she covers a wide area of styles. Ms. Vincent is joined by the excellent pianist Patrick Adkins, guitarist Blake Foster, bassist Matt McIntyre, drummer Bert Ehrlich, and trumpeter Mitch Va Laar with three guests making occasional appearances.
The most memorable selections are the swinging tunes that sound as if they could have been standards from decades ago. These include “Analog Love Affair,” “Talking Strangers,” “What Humans Do,” and “Rainy Days.” On those numbers, Ms. Vincent sounds very much like a jazz singer, even scatting a bit where it fits the music. Other performances include a few soulful renditions of pop-oriented material (including “Love On Cape Cod” and “Till They Do”), “You And I (Go Together Like”) which, other than a bit of trumpet, is mostly a duet with guitarist Foster, and the rollicking “”Swinging Tattooed Queen.” There is even a country-tinged ballad (“Girls At My School”) and a rock and rollish song that uses a reggae rhythm (“Hannah Always Cries At IKEA”).
Little Black Book (available from www.lesliedellavincent.com) displays Leslie Vincent’s versatility as a singer and particularly as a songwriter. It will be interesting to see what musical direction she chooses to travel the next time around.
Cath Roberts & Olie Brice
Setpieces
(Relative Pitch)
Two of the United Kingdom’s top avant-garde improvisers, Cath Roberts (doubling on baritone and alto) and bassist Olie Brice, team up during Setpieces. This CD has an ironic title since the six performances are largely free improvisations and far from pieces that are set ahead of time.
The music on Setpieces is sometimes pretty intense (particularly the opening number “Tensile”) but also varies moods. Bassist Brice is a bit of a wonder, not only offering a second equal voice to the music but constantly reacting to Roberts’ directions while adding an assortment of fresh ideas. “Cascades” is also intense but a little more accessible with Roberts on alto occasionally hinting at Eric Dolphy. During “Anthill,” Roberts on baritone offers honks, percussive sounds, and screeches in the upper register. The brief “Gritstone Tors” has plenty of energy with hints of Albert Ayler. “Shadow Puppets” is full of anguish with the alto-bass dialogue a little reminiscent of Dolphy and Charles Mingus. The program concludes with plenty of tonal distortions by Roberts on baritone and musical comments from Brice on “Twine Tangle.”
Listeners with an open mind towards the passion and openness of the jazz avant-garde will find much to savor on Setpieces which is available from www.relativepitchrecords.com.