New In Music This Week: February 2nd

Welcome to the weekend and New In Music This Week: February 2^nd.

My top pick for the best of what’s New In Music This week is:

JAZZ: TO THE SURFACE – Lawrence Fields – Rhythm ‘n’ Flow Records

Pianist/composer Fields is someone to get to know NOW. This album is a fine way to start if you haven’t discovered already through his collaborations with Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah; Terri Lyne Carrington; Joe Lovano; Branford Marsalis; Nicholas Payton; Sound Prints (Dave Douglas) and more.

But that would expose you to his playing. This, his debut album, gives you nine tracks that show off what a fine composer he is. The one cover is of I Fall in Love Too Easily (a Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne composition).

The highlight of the album is Moving On which was written for someone who had recently passed away. The journey this nine-minute track travels is one that perfectly mirrors to process of grief.

Joining Fields on To The Surface are drummer Corey Fonville and bassist Yasushi Nakamura.

Here are the other albums that are on my list for New In Music This Week: February 2^nd.

CLASSICAL:  HAMELIN: NEW PIANO WORKS – Marc-André Hamelin – Hyperion Records

Hamelin has long been one of my favorite classical pianists. With this album he proves to be one of our most interesting composers as well. On the liner notes it says Hamelin “sees himself as a pianist who happens to compose.” He does both quite brilliantly.

This 64-minute album opens with his transcription of Variations on a theme of Paganini. He joins a lofty list of composers who have created new works around the theme:  Brahms and Rachmaninoff being the most popular. Hamelin’s will surprise you with its energy and freshness.

The album continues with his My Feelings About Chocolate which leaves the listener with a multitude of possibilities about what those feelings are (seems a bit love/hate, but don’t we all have that feeling, particularly when we realize how much chocolate we’ve eaten?).

I could go on about each track. Suffice to say that this is a terrific album and one I’ve listened to repeatedly.

CLASSICAL:  DANCE! – Daniel Hope/Zürcher Kammerorchester – Deutsche Grammophon

Violinist Hope not only offers up two hours of “dance music,” he performs music from all over the world and many different style of dance. Certainly Shostakovich is not going to offer dance music that is in any way similar to Henry Purcell. Nor is Edward Elgar going to be similar to Florence Price. Nor Brahms to Astor Piazzolla.

What’s most enjoyable about this album is the wide range of music and styles to explore. Through it all Hope is beautifully front and center. It sounds like all the musicians are having fun with this music. I’m sure you will, too.

CLASSICAL/JAZZ:  RHAPSODY IN BLUE REIMAGINED – Lara Downes/SCFM Orchestra/Edwin Outwater– Pentatone Music

Pianist Downes collaborates with arranger/composer/pianist/saxophonist Edmar Colón on this thoughtful and intriguing reimagining of Gershwin’s 1924 work. 

What Downes and Colón have done is imagine all the influences (musical, political, sociological) that surrounded Gershwin at the time he composed Rhapsody in Blue. They also find parallels in what was going on in the world one hundred years ago to our world today.

If that sounds academic, it’s not meant to. Downes and Colón follow an impressive list of artists who have re-considered Rhapsody in Blue for their times. That list includes Duke Ellington (with Billy Strayhorn, of course); Chick Corea, Marcus Roberts and more.

I can’t wait for an opportunity to hear this work in concert. For now, this EP will more than suffice and certainly be a must-have for fans of Rhapsody in Blue.

JAZZ:  TRIO FASCINATION (EDITION ONE) – Joe Lovano – Blue Note Records Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series

How appropriate that this re-issue of Lovano’s 1998 album with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Elvin Jones gets released the same date as To the Surface by his collaborator Fields.

Nine of the ten tracks were composed by Lovano who can be heard on four different saxophones and clarinet on the album.

Ben Ratliff, writing in the New York Times said that this album, “will be one of this year’s jazz standard-bearers.” It was and remains a great record. This marks the first time Trio Fascination (Edition One) has been released on vinyl.

JAZZ: DOWN WITH IT – The Blue Mitchell Quintet – Blue Note Records Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series

The 60s were a swinging time for all kinds of people and certainly one of them was trumpeter Blue Mitchell. Who wouldn’t swing on the track called Hi-Heel Sneakers which opens this album.

There are two compositions by Mitchell amongst the six tracks on this album. They are March on Selma and Perception which was co-written with his pianist – Chick Corea (who was all of 24 years old).

Also performing on this album are Junior Cook on tenor saxophone; Al Foster on drums and Gene Taylor on bass.

JAZZ:  BLACK JAZZ RECORDS: THE COMPLETE SINGLES – Various Artists – Real Gone Music

A few years ago Real Gone Music re-issued 20 albums that had been recorded for the Black Jazz label. These were songs and performances recorded over 50 years ago. This release is a sampler of music from all those re-issues. A damn is it good!

No doubt jazz aficionados will recognize many of these names far more readily than I, but whether you know them or not, this is definitely worth checking out. The artists selected for this 15-track celebration of the label are:  Walter Bishop, Jr.; Doug Carn; Jean Carn; Cleveland Eaton; Rudolph Johnson; Calvin Keys; Kellee Patterson; Gene Russell (producer for the label) and Chester Thompson.

Listening to this sampler has made me want to go back and get those 20 albums already released.

JAZZ/CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: DISSOLVE – Richard Nelson/Makrokosmos Orchestra – Adhyâropa Records

This is our week for hybrid works (though isn’t that where music is anyway?). Composer guitarist has released this new EP with three compositions that fall in equal parts to new music and jazz. 

The three tracks are Dissolve, Float and Cohere. 40 minutes of music that showcases Nelson’s imaginative writing, but also an orchestra filled with massively talented musicians.

In addition to Nelson, they include Rex Benincasa on percussion; John Carlson on trumpet; Ken Filiano on bass; Rob Garcia on drums; Adam Kolker on saxophone; Scott Neumann on drums; Matt Pavolka on bass; Arco Sandoval on keyboards; Marshall Sealy on horns; Jacob Varmus on trumpet and more.

Imagine if Leonard Bernstein were still alive, but as a much younger man. This feels like the kind of music he might write. It’s interesting to note that this music was recorded in 2017 and 2019. It’s too bad it took this long to get released, but I’m certainly grateful it was.

VOCALS:  SEA SONGS – Bryn Terfel – Deutsche Grammophon

Bass-baritone Terfel is a Welshman through and through. Though he’s found fame on opera stages around the world, he seems most at home in his albums celebrating music from the British Isles. This album is no exception.

Sea Songs has many a song you’ll recognize including Drunker Sailor, Sloop John B and The Irish Rover. You might recognize some of the artists joining him for various tracks on Sea Songs: Eve Goodman, Simon Keenlyside and Sting. Calan and the Fisherman’s Friends, a Welsh folk band, also join in.

Simply put Sea Songs is pure joy. Pour yourself a pint (or two) and enjoy this nearly one-hour excursion out to sea with Terfel.

That’s it for New In Music This Week: February 2^nd.

Enjoy the music!

Enjoy your weekend!

Main Image: Part of the album cover for “Down WIth It”