In many ways New In Music: February 7th feels like both a cornucopia of jazz recordings to explore and a lot of music written by people I was unfamiliar with and perhaps you will be as well.
My top pick for New In Music: February 7th is:
JAZZ: HONEY FROM A WINTER STONE – Ambrose Akinmusire– Nonesuch Records
I’ve long been a fan of composer/trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. This deeply personal album has been on my playlist since I first heard it in November. The five tracks, lasting nearly 75 minutes, find Ambrose exploring the issues many Black men confront. He calls the album a self-portrait.
The opening track, muffled screams, starts as pure jazz and then expands into something that feels so thoroughly of our time. The contributions of improvisational vocalist Kokayi sets the tone for the themes Akinmusire is illuminating. The song then adds Mivos Quartet, drummer Justin Brown and Chiquitamagic on synthesizer. By the end of the song, we have come full circle but are left to think about the near-death experience Akinmusire experienced and how beautifully he’s expressed that in muffled screams.
The apex of the album is the nearly 30-minute final track, s-/Kinfolks. It begins sounding like a contemporary classical track before Akinmusire joins on trumpet. To reveal more here would be to do a disservice to first-time listeners. It’s a powerful journey from start-to-finish.
The other outstanding records New In Music: February 7th are:
CLASSICAL: REYNALDO HAHN: PIANO QUINTET SONGS, PIANO QUARTET – Karim Sulayman and Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective – Chandos
Have you ever heard of composer Reynaldo Hahn? He’s composed over 100 songs, five operas and numerous compositions for both orchestra, chamber ensembles and piano.
Born in Venezuela in 1847, he grew up in Paris. But not a lot of his music is known.
Which is precisely why Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective set about to record his music – both songs and music for piano.
As soon as this album began it felt like this was music I’d known my whole life. That isn’t to say that it is derivative, just that it fits seamlessly into the music we know from the era.
Kaleidoscope is joined by tenor Karim Sulayman for the songs. You should check out his 2018 album Songs of Orpheus.
I strongly encourage you to listen to this album. For however unknown this music might be, this recording makes it seem like you are welcoming an old friend into your home.
CLASSICAL: JOHN FIELD: COMPLETE NOCTURNES – Alicia Sara Ott – Deutsche Grammophon
I don’t think I’m an uneducated man, but here, again, is a composer with whom I wasn’t familiar. Shame on me because there are quite a few recordings of his music, particularly his nocturnes.
With quite a few recordings of those nocturnes, I can’t say that Ott has recorded the definitive version of them. But if she hasn’t, I can’t imagine who performed them more beautifully.
Ott has also made a film called Nocturne which has its debut on STAGE+ on Febraury 15th. HERE is an excerpt from that film of Field’s Nocturne No. 9 in E Minor, H.46.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: LOOP 7 – Phillip Golub – Grayfade Records
When I was first approached about Phillip Golub’s Loop 7, I wasn’t sure it would be something I would respond to. Golub explores acoustic loops and employs a 22-note per octave tuning system. Those aren’t concepts that usually interest me.
Then I played the album. And I played the album. And I played the album. I almost became the loops I was listening to. Because the more time I spent in Golub’s world, the more seduced and excited I became.
Golub uses a couple of Yahama Diskslavier acoustic pianos and is joined by Joseph Brancifort on live electronics and synthesizer; Ty Citerman on electric guitar and Aaron Edgcomb on microtonal vibraphone.
The press information includes ambient, experimental and microtonal as genres applicable to Loop 7. My recommendation is to ignore labels and explore. I did and I’m so glad I did.
JAZZ: FERVENCY – Pasquale Grasso – Sony Music Masterworks
To be honest, jazz guitar is rarely my favorite music to listen to. Grasso, however, is someone I always enjoy listening to whatever he does.
This album, which features songs composed by Miles Davis (Milestones and Little Willie leaps), Coleman Hawkins (Bean and the Boys), Milt Jackson (Bag’s Groove), Ray Noble (Cherokee), Bud Powell (Sub City) is pure joy. Grasso’s playing is rooted in jazz traditions but also aims to make those traditions resonate anew.
Grasso composed two of the 13 tracks including the title song.
Joining him are Keith Balla on drums and Ari Roland on bass.
JAZZ: UP & DOWN – Horace Parlan – Blue Note Tone Poet – Vinyl Reissue
If Horace Parlan’s name isn’t immediately recognizable, his playing certainly is. He was a major part of Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots.
This album, his sixth for Blue Note, came three years after Blues & Roots and finds Parlan joined by tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin (who composed the opening track The Book’s Beat), guitarist Grant Green, drummer Al Harewood and bass player George Tucker (who composed the third track Fugee).
Parlan only composed the title track, but his playing is consistently good throughout the album.
JAZZ: BLUES IN TRINITY – Dizzy Reece – Blue Note Tone Poet – Vinyl Reissue
Trumpeter Reece made his Blue Note debut on this 1959 release. Reece composed four of the six tracks on the album. He was joined by trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor sax musician Tubby Hayes, pianist Terry Shannon, bassist Lloyd Thompson and drummer Tony Hall.
Interestingly, Reece does not perform on the album’s version of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight.
This high-grade vinyl reissue is a must have for fans of Hard Bop. Reece might not be the best-known trumpeter, but his playing on here is endlessly fascinating.
JAZZ: GRIOT SONGS – Omar Thomas Large Ensemble
This is Omar Thomas’ third album and it continues to cement his position as one of our finest composers of big band music. Griot Songs is his first new release since 2013’s We Will Know: An LGBT Civil Rights Piece in Four Movements.
Some of the music was composed as much as 20 years ago and much of it is newer. All of it requires and deserves your time to listen to it. It isn’t often that an album filled with music from various times in a composer’s life is thoughtfully and intelligently assembled into a cohesive album like this one.
There are two covers: Lyle Mays’ Episode d’Azur is the fifth of the seven tracks on Griot Songs. The second track, Sail to the Moon, will be very familiar to fans of Radiohead. (Side note: I love how several jazz musicians have embraced Radiohead’s music.)
This album took 16 years to be realized. I hope there will not be similarly long breaks before Omar Thomas has another album for us to hear.
JAZZ: SYNCHRONICITY – Jeong Lim Yang – Sunnyside Records
This new album from composer/bassist Yang is fascinating. First this isn’t your usual quartet. Joining Yang are Mat Maneri in viola; Randy Peterson on drums and Jacob Sacks on piano.
The inclusion of the viola gives this stunning album a particularly unique emotional component. All four musicians play with a sense of freedom and exploration that allows the ideas they have all created to be fully realized and palpable.
Ordinary Waltz, the second track, is anything but ordinary. Morning Glory, the third song on the album, sounds like variations on Edelweiss from The Sound of Music, but if that Rodgers and Hammerstein track was an inspiration, it’s given a unique spin.
This is mostly a quiet album with music that will stimulate your emotions.
MUSICALS: HOUSE ON FIRE – Previous Days Records
You might remember that both Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita began their lives as concept albums. This new musical from Gretchen Cryer (I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road) and her granddaughter Gracie Hyland is following the same path. The musical hasn’t been fully produced yet, but this album makes a good argument for a show with environmental concerns on its mean.
In addition to the composers, this recording features Angela Birchett, Gabriella Joy Rodriguez, Michael McCorry Rose and Tyley Ross.
If you’re familiar with I’m Getting My Act Together, you will recognize the songwriting style found on this album. I’m a fan of that show and found plenty to enjoy in House on Fire. Can a show with so much on its mind make it to Broadway? Time will tell.
That’s all for New In Music This Week: February 7th
Enjoy the music!
Enjoy your weekend.
Main Photo: Part of the album art for “Honey From a Winter Stone” (Courtesy Nonesuch Records)