World of Jazz 686

This is the last episode of World Of Jazz to be broadcast on the marvellous taint radio. I’d like to thank Bob Rogers for giving me the opportunity to share my show on his excellent station. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work on taint. Going forward this show will continue to be available on Eternal Fusion, Podbean, the All About Jazz Website, and my Different Noises Blog. I hope you can join me there.

To conclude this chapter of the story an all music show. And we have a great selection of new releases to share. There is music from Potions, Kendall Carter, Fred Hersch, Bag of Bones, Matthew McDonald, Melody Graves and the Hokum Redemption, Ternoy Cruz Orins, Woo, Art Tatum, Yusef Lateef, Sun Ra, Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon, and Kari van der Kloot.

Show Intro 00:00
Potions “Solivagant” from Vol.1 (Robalo Music) 01:26
Kendall Carter “Happiness Is Now” from Purview (Lladnek Music) 12:28
Fred Hersch “The Wind” from Silent, Listening (ECM) 19:49
Bag of Bones “Bastard Gentlemen” from No One Gets Saved (577 Records) 26:32
Matthew McDonald “Night Scenes” from The Long Wait (BJU Records) 34:16
Melody Graves and the Hokum Redemption “Big Butter And Egg Man” from Jazz in Meanjin 009 : Live At The Bearded Lady (4000 Records) 43:20
Ternoy Cruz Orins “The Five Focusing Steps” from The Theory of Constraints (Circum-Disc) 47:27
Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon “When I Fall In Love” from In Perfect Harmony, The Lost Album (Jazz Detective) 54:57
Art Tatum “If” from Jewels In The Treasure Box (Resonance Records) 1:00:00
Yusef Lateef “Inside Atlantis” from Atlantis Lullaby, The Concert In Avignon (Elemental Music) 1:06:15
Sun Ra “Synthesis Approach” from At The Showcase, Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) 1:18:38
Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy “What It Is” from The Mighty Warriors : Live In Antwerp (Elemental Music) 1:26:41
Woo “Hoo-Ha” from Hoo-Ha (Circum-Disc) 1:43:36
Kari van der Kloot “Snow Angels” from Window (TPR Records) 1:50:21

NOTES

Potions “Solivagant” from Vol.1 (Robalo Music)

The trio “Potions” is a recent collective endeavour initiated in January 2023. The international nature of this unit (Yoon Sun Choi, a Canadian – American with Korean ancestry, André Matos, a Portuguese – American and Jeonglim Yang, a South Korean native) present a vivid portrait of how music brings people together in New York City. The trio’s work is rooted in free improvisation and collective exploration. The first encounter was propelled by a desire to create music that moved in new directions. Through the combination of guitar landscapes (using traditional guitar sounds and effects manipulation), vocal sounds stretching from operatic to extended techniques and invented languages, and the treatment of the bass as a percussive instrument as well as its more conventional use, this trio has been able to carve an unique group sound. Each musician brings their personality and culture to the creative process, resulting in a deeply relevant and engaging connection.

Kendall Carter “Happiness Is Now” from Purview (Lladnek Music)

This organist with his second release. He is joined by Dan Wilson (Guitar), James Gaiters (Drums), Marlin McKay (Trumpet & Flugelhorn) and Chad O’Brien (Trombone). A cover of a Freddie Hubbard tune.

Fred Hersch “The Wind” from Silent, Listening (ECM)

Silent, Listening is both a highly individual musical offering and an important contribution to ECM’s line of innovative solo piano recordings. It finds US pianist Fred Hersch, one of jazz’s most outstanding soloists, putting a poetic emphasis on alert, open improvisation while also embracing original compositions and a scattering of standard tunes in his album’s graceful creative arc. Interspersing songs and spontaneously composed pieces, Hersch shapes and sustains a musical atmosphere that he describes as “nocturnal”, an atmosphere of heightened sensitivity to sound

Bag of Bones “Bastard Gentlemen” from No One Gets Saved (577 Records)

Riley Stone-Lonergan – Tenor Saxophone, Rick Simpson – Piano, Oli Hayhurst – Double Bass, Will Glaser – Drums. The London-based quartet has honed its chemistry through many hours playing together, exploring all of the history of jazz and settling on loose compositions as vehicles to explore free improvising. Stone-Lonergan, Simpson, Hayhurst and Glaser all contribute compositions to this recording, which are all designed to experiment with the freedom of music within the structure of a loose container. The music on ‘No One Gets Saved’ spans a large emotional spectrum from dynamic and spirited exchanges among the group members to expansive blues swagger and powerful collective free blowing that pays homage to legendary avant-garde music movements of the 60s and 70s. Releases May 31st.

Matthew McDonald “Night Scenes” from The Long Wait (BJU Records)

Matthew McDonald – Trombone, Manuel Valera – Piano , Yasushi Nakamura – Bass, Mark Whitfield Jr. – Drums

The album is a musical expression of living in a complicated, fast-paced, but always interesting metropolis that is New York City. The album’s title also expresses the fact that it was written during the long period of isolation we collectively experienced in 2020.

Melody Graves and the Hokum Redemption “Big Butter And Egg Man” from Jazz in Meanjin 009 : Live At The Bearded Lady (4000 Records)

A live recording from Melody Graves and The Hokum Redemption. With a love for music steeped in the archives of juke joints, dance halls and old New Orleans, the band has earned a reputation for their energetic live shows and soulful performances since forming in 2018. With two lead vocalists and a six-piece band in tow, this Meanjin-based outfit serve up their own style of edgy hot jazz, early swing and prohibition blues. The band has held a long-standing residency on the fourth Sunday of the month at one of Meanjin’s favourite live music venues – The Bearded Lady, West End where this live album was recorded. The bonus of Melody Graves and the Hokum Redemption is you get not one, but two lead vocalists with Paula Hackney (AKA Melody Graves joined by the warm velvety tones of fellow singer Dennis Duigan. This six-piece ensemble also features some of Brisbane’s favourite jazz musicians including Richard Ferrari on trombone, James Visentin on double bass, Jordy Stitt on piano, and the talented Evan J Evans on drums, with Dennis Duigan also on guitar and mandolin

Ternoy Cruz Orins “The Five Focusing Steps” from The Theory of Constraints (Circum-Disc)

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a framework of interdisciplinary knowledge, methods, and management tools for organizations. It starts from the premise that imbalance is inevitable but also desirable. The flow management method of the Theory of Constraints, called Drum – Buffer – Rope, involves pacing the release of manufacturing orders to the pace of the bottleneck to avoid excess work in progress and reduce cycle times, while ensuring that parts arrive sufficiently early to never stop the same bottleneck. The five key implementation steps of the theory of constraints are: 1, identify the constraint; 2, exploit the constraint (increase its utilization and efficiency); 3, subordinate all processes to the constrained process; 4, elevate the performance of the constraint (if necessary); 5, repeat from step 1.

Almost 10 years after a Qeqertarsuatsiaat that opened up vast acoustic spaces for them, and after more electric and even sporty explorations, Jérémie Ternoy, Ivann Cruz, and Peter Orins return with their drums, buffers (guitar), and ropes (piano) to play the tightrope walkers on their instant constraint flows, always seeking compulsive stubbornness and sonic stacking.

Woo “Hoo-Ha” from Hoo-Ha (Circum-Disc)

Extraordinary, free, and expressive, the trio woo (Wodrascka Owczarek Orins) is the result of the moment and fortunate encounters. Paulina Owczarek and Peter Orins have been playing together for a few years, meeting in Berlin in Satoko Fujii’s orchestra, then venturing into a duo, producing music of subtle gestures, barely perceptible movements, but also of raw and liberated energy. Christine Wodrascka met Peter Orins whilst playing with the Franco-American ensemble Sangliers, with Dave Rempis, Keefe Jackson, and Didier Lasserre. Here, there is a taste for adventure and instability, for direct actions and interactions.

Art Tatum “If” from Jewels In The Treasure Box (Resonance Records)

A previously unissued 3-LP collection of recordings from the incomparable pianist Art Tatum, captured live at the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago in March of 1953 with guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart. These recordings were transferred from the original tape reels and mastered for LP by engineer Matthew Lutthans. Containing nearly 3 hours of never-before-heard Tatum at the height of his powers, this deluxe, limited-edition 180-gram 3-LP gatefold set includes rare photos and memorabilia from Herman Leonard, Bob Parent and the Holzfeind family archives (owners of the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago); plus liner notes from Columbia University professor and author Brent Hayes Edwards; as well as statements from Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins, Monty Alexander, ELEW, Spike Wilner, Johnny O’Neal, Michael Weiss and Terry Gibbs.

Yusef Lateef “Inside Atlantis” from Atlantis Lullaby, The Concert In Avignon (Elemental Music)

A truly sensational find, this set presents a never before heard performance recorded in Avignon, France, featuring Yusef Lateef in a quartet set with fellow stars Kenny Barron, Bob Cunningham, and Albert “Tootie” Heath. Among the highlights are a fantastic flute/piano duet by Lateef and Barron playing the pianist’s beautiful ballad “A Flower,” as well as extended readings of the classic “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” (which Lateef recorded just one more time in 1971), Lateef’s blues “Yusef’s Mood” and Barron’s “The Untitled.” This project, produced by the renowned Zev Feldman, is released with the full collaboration of the Yusef Lateef Estate, as well as those of the other artists involved. The audio has been transferred and newly remastered from the original concert tapes licensed from the archives of the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA).

Sun Ra “Synthesis Approach” from At The Showcase, Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective)

The set — featuring storming performances captured in 1976 and 1977 at the Jazz Showcase, Joe Segal’s venerable, venerated club in the Windy City’s “Gold Coast” entertainment district —was released as a two-CD package on April 26. Co-produced with Michael D. Anderson of the Sun Ra Music Archive, the Showcase album comprises highenergy, freewheeling performances by the 19-piece Arkestra, which features many of the band’s notable soloists, including tenor legend John Gilmore, alto/flute master Danny Davis, baritone saxophonist Danny Ray Thompson, and veteran altoist/flautist Marshall Allen, who today leads the group at age 99. June Tyson, the Saturnian Queen of the Arkestra, contributes vocals to the set.

Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy “What It Is” from The Mighty Warriors : Live In Antwerp (Elemental Music)

Never before released live recordings from September 1995 with Andrew Cyriile and Reggie Workman.

Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon “When I Fall In Love” from In Perfect Harmony, The Lost Album (Jazz Detective)

A hitherto unknown 1972 studio recording featuring trumpeters/vocalists Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon. The collection was released on April 20 as a limited 180-gram audiophile LP followed by a CD release on April 26.

Chet Baker – trumpet, vocals
Jack Sheldon – trumpet, vocals
Jack Marshall – guitar
Dave Frishberg – piano
Joe Mondragon – bass
Nick Ceroli – drums

Kari van der Kloot “Snow Angels” from Window (TPR Records)

Kari van der Kloot’s third album Window draws elements from different genres of music while keeping the spirit of jazz at the forefront. Window is anchored by Kari’s ethereal vocals floating over rich, earthy layers of flutes and synthesizers, and nuanced and thoughtful playing by the rhythm section. Featuring ten original compositions (including a setting of a poem by Pablo Neruda), the music glides seamlessly between intricately arranged ensemble playing and improvised abandon. Kari has an innate skill for crafting approachable melodies that belie the depth and complexity of her compositions. This album features a stellar cast of New York based musicians: flautist Elsa Nilsson, keyboardist Jamie Reynolds, bassist Gary Wang and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell. This is an ensemble that has been working together for years, and it certainly shows. Kari’s longtime rhythm section plays with a masterful level of communication. The addition of flute phenom Elsa Nilsson to the quintet adds a unique and unexpected layer to Kari’s songs. Together, these five musicians establish an atmosphere of trust and freedom throughout the album. Each musician’s individual voice shines through clearly in each song while they weave a multi-layered musical tapestry together.