Because the sound of jazz has splintered off into so many different schools of expression, it can be a challenge to encapsulate all of it. March’s column is about as close as it’ll ever come. There’s some old-school swing, hard bop, and soul jazz; some avant-garde and free improvisation; something for the chamber jazz fans; some modern post-bop that incorporates electronic music and beats; something contemporary that hits upon pop, rock, and Nordic sounds, Latin jazz and Easter European folk; small ensembles and orchestras—and those are just the bullet points. Because the sound of jazz has splintered off into so many different schools of expression, it can be a challenge to encapsulate it, and that is something we should all be thankful for. Let’s begin.
Sun-Mi Hong
Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
Reflecting on the journey that led from her native South Korea to a new home in the Netherlands, Sun-Mi Hong captures both the sense of upheaval and the feeling of landing on firm ground. There are melodic progressions that give the impression of being pulled in multiple directions—of harmonies, once united, now scattered—and an ever-present tension, sometimes as an undercurrent, and sometimes everywhere you look. There are also those interludes where things come together and exude a sense of permanence. Even absent context, the transformations between unsettled and unified states are immensely compelling. But understanding the story that informs the music amplifies the impact that much more. Joining the drummer for this session are trumpeter Alistair Payne, tenor saxophonist Nicolò Ricci, pianist Chaerin Im, and bassist Alessandro Fongaro. Perhaps it’s just because this album was released on Edition Records that this comparison occurs to me, but I can’t help but think that the melodic inventiveness and borderline folkloric textures would appeal to fans of labelmate Jasper Høiby’s first post-Phroenis recording, Fellow Creatures. I’d also be remiss in not mentioning that the pianist for this session, Chaerin Im, also has a nifty new release out this month, one inspired by Korean indie bands.
3 Cohens & WDR Big Band
Interactive
Compact Disc (CD)
If you’re new to the modern jazz scene and are looking for breadcrumb trails to some of its finest music, you can’t go wrong with the recordings of the Cohen siblings—clarinetist Anat, trumpeter Avishai, and saxophonist Yuval. This is especially true of their ensemble 3 Cohens. Their 2007 release Braid was one of the albums that compelled me to shift my listening habits almost entirely away from old-school jazz and toward modern releases. Joined on that session by pianist Aaron Goldberg, drummer Eric Harlen, and bassist Omer Avital, it’s a tour de force of melodic electricity, harmonic warmth, and engaging rhythmic chatter—music that is both thrilling and intimate. The result is no different when switching up from a small ensemble to big band, as they do on their latest release, a collaboration with the WDR Big Band. Conducted by long-time collaborator Oded Lev-Ari, the music hops, twirls, and leaps, expressing a joyfulness in every moment, even when the nature of the blues leads to pensive interludes.
Maria Faust Sacrum Facere
Marches Rewound & Rewritten
Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl LP
Having grown up in the Soviet Union, Maria Faust experienced the tyranny of dictatorships first-hand. And now, seeing tyranny continue to emerge across society and wanting to speak out against it, the Copenhagen-based saxophonist deconstructs the propaganda tool of marching music, transforming it into something beautiful and uplifting—qualities that should be symbolizing our society. Attaining that beauty, however, doesn’t include Faust’s ensemble turning their back on the topic’s more ominous connotations—an element that serves to amplify the beauty through candor and truth. For this project, the alto saxophonist is joined by some familiar names to this column, like Emanuele Maniscalco (on snare drum for this session), woodwind instrumentalist Francesco Bigoni, bass clarinetist Anders Banke, plus trumpeter Kasper Tranberg, tubist Jonatan Ahlbom, trombonist Mads Hyhne, and drummer-percussionist Peter Ole Jørgensen.
Rachel Eckroth & John Hadfield
Speaking In Tongues
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
I will attempt to adopt a measured tone when giving the rundown of this recording, and tamp down my compulsion to shout “This album is so freaking cool.” Familiarity bred from their university days was rekindled in a music collaboration nearly 25 years later, and led to this pairing of pianist-keyboardist Rachel Eckroth and drummer-percussionist John Hadfield. Centering their project around the theme of glossolalia—more commonly referred to as “speaking in tongues”—and possessing some strong mythic and religious connotations (including the idea of glossolalia as evidence of an inoculation to the linguistic curse of the Tower of Babel), the duo incorporates a wildly diverse array of keyed and percussion instruments, expressing them in an equally vast spectrum of sound, and resulting in an unexpectedly cohesive dialogue. Eckroth performs on the Roland Juno 106, Sequential Prophet-6, Korg Minilogue, Wurlitzer 200A, Steinway Grand Piano, Korn Monologue, Moog Subsequent 25, and a Vintage Vibe Electric Piano, Mellotron M4000D. Hadfield contributes drums, OP-1, Ableton Live, Roland TR-808, drum programming, kalimba, crotales, Morfbeats, Gamelan Strips, and Myanmar Bells. This one is gonna be a part of year-end Best Of conversations, as well it should be. This also presents me the opportunity to remind you of Eckroth’s excellent 2021 release The Garden.
Jordi Cassagne BARBASTELLE
Vestige Étésien
Compact Disc (CD)
The latest from Jordi Cassagne’s ensemble BARBASTELLE is inspired by geological formations. A mix of chamber jazz and free improv, the music captures the sense of earth’s natural shaping tools at work as much as it does the resulting forms. Woodwinds, cello, bass, and drums are the ocean’s currents, the unrelenting pressure of a stiff breeze, the pelting of rain, sunlight, and snow from above, and the passing of time as the cumulative effect takes hold. At times, the music is comforting and gentle, other times it is volatile and unpredictable, but at all times, it is beautiful.
Sarter Kit
What I Am and What I’m Not
Vinyl LP
The debut of Tara Sarter is a glass tile mosaic—a collection of individual components that are never meant to snap cleanly into place but, when taken together, combine to create a striking image. The alto saxophonist—joined on this session by pianist-keyboardist Elias Stemeseder and drummer Lukas Akintaya—lays down melodies with jagged edges and boundless warmth, rhythmic deliveries that celebrate tiny collisions and potential for dissonance, and a thoughtful application of the spaces in between. There’s an adherence to minimalist principles, but Sarter’s trio is often punchy, serving up pulsing tempos and quick melodic bursts as a counterweight to quietude.
Nicole McCabe
A Song To Sing
Vinyl LP
Nicole McCabe’s 2020 debut was a throwback recording, recalling a time when straight-ahead bop dished out the heat—sometimes with swing and sometimes with a brisk groove. Even when dissonance shaped the alto saxophonist’s music, it was like throwing open a door to the past (and also likely making jazz fans swoon for the days of the Impulse! Records album cover design aesthetic). On her latest recording, the alto saxophonist plants her feet firmly in the present-day sound, with eyes trained on a spot representing one of jazz’s possible futures. This is hardly a new venture for McCabe; but what’s remarkable is that A Song To Sing comes off as one point along a smooth creative arc—something surprising but, in hindsight, not unexpected. Intriguingly, and perhaps symbolic of those changes, dead center on the album is the old-school “Inner Critic,” a piece that would’ve snapped into place on her debut.
Billy Mohler
The Eternal
Vinyl LP
There’s plenty to like on this modern session from bassist Billy Mohler, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Damion Reid, and alto saxophonist Devin Daniels. Melodies are the guiding force behind every piece. Rhythms maintain a casual flow, even when the quartet kicks the temperature up a notch. Solos take exciting turns that lead to surprising places, but always remain tethered to the opening statements. There’s some emotional nuance to it, with tunes often capturing melancholy tones in the same embrace as those of a sunnier nature. I find myself listening to this one with increasing frequency, becoming more enamored with it each time.
Gellért Szabó’s Ideal Orchestra
Live at Berghain
Cassette
In November 2023, the 19-piece Ideal Orchestra filled every inch of the Berlin concert hall Kantine am Berghain with droning harmony, surges of dissonance, and whispers of melody. Led by conductor Gellért Szabó, the orchestra makes music that wavers between solemn and sinister, as if respecting both the strength of their sonic power and the temptation to release it. These are the kinds of qualities typical to a release on the Bezau, Austrian label Boomslang Records, and one of the more stunning displays, to boot.
Kaisa’s Machine
Moving Parts
Compact Disc (CD)
On Moving Parts, bassist Kaisa Mäensivu contemplates the differences between her home in native Finland and her new home in New York City. Some pieces are tethered to a Nordic sound—introspective, thoughtful use of silence, melodies free to wander, and a nod to the region’s folk music—while others crackle with the big city electricity of NYC. And symbolic of the natural lingering sensation of being in both places at once, the expressionism typical to one location is always influencing that of the other, so that all of the pieces of the recording also sound situated in both places at once. Mäensivu attains a balance between the two, making this session especially compelling. Mäensivu is joined by pianist Eden Ladin, guitarist Max Light, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and drummer Joe Peri (plus guest spots by tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and vocalist Maja Mannila. It’s also important to note that Berliner has a new release of her own out this month, too.
Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project
Mi Hogar II
Compact Disc (CD)
This is salt-of-the-earth music that never seems to touch ground. The latest from Rachel Therrien—a continuation of her deep dive into the spectrum of sound tagged broadly as “Latin Jazz”—is music of perpetual motion, maintaining a flow that celebrates equally the occurrence of rhythmic friction and its tendency to soar melodically. The trumpeter is joined by an array of musicians on piano, strings, percussion, and wind instruments, including bassist John Benítez, pianist Manuel Valera, violinist Mireya Ramos, saxophonist Iván Renta, and—aligning nicely with Therrien’s own cross-cultural ties—the Cuban-Canadian duo Okan.
Niran Dasika
Life Forms
Compact Disc (CD)
This trio session by trumpeter Niran Dasika, pianist Andrea Keller, and double bassist Helen Svoboda is the soundtrack for a full moon. It’s introspective, it’s comforting, and melodies are as bright and beautiful as moonbeams on a dark night. The pieces comprising Life Forms present a structure, but the trio makes use of the freedom to deviate from the path as necessary. Simply gorgeous.
Other Albums of Note:
Cellist Gal Golob’s performance at Slovenia’s Jazz Cerkno festival evinces a lovely, solemn tone, moves at the pace of a melting candle, burns as brightly. Pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson are birds-of-a-feather conversationalists on this intriguing duo session released by Pyroclastic Records. I’ve always been fond of the way Marius Neset incorporates many different music sub-genres into a contemporary jazz framework, and this live performance (with a quintet that includes Anton Eger and Elliot Galvin) is a fine example (released on the ACT Music label). John Hadfield, who also contributed to the duo session with Rachel Eckorth, goes off in an entirely different direction in a trio with guitarist Brad Shepik and bassist Sam Minaie with this solid release on the Minneapolis label, Shifting Paradigm Records. This solo saxophone + effects recording from Musina Ebobissé (aka Blendreed) should float the boats of the ambient jazz fans.
