With new ideas continuing to burst at the seams connecting genres and
artists, jazz enjoyed a fertile, far-reaching renaissance in 2019. In
these recordings, familiar instruments extended their capacity for
taking listeners to unexpected places while providing a timeless
reminder that the boldest creative expression sounds like freedom — and,
as such, resistance.
1. Tomeka Reid Quartet, “Old New” (Cuneiform)
Also heard as part of the Art Ensemble’s arresting new album, cellist
Tomeka Reid continues to explore new reaches for her instrument. Again
teamed with her ideal foil in the slippery, shape-shifting guitar tone
of recent MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson, Reid alternately spirals,
saws and tiptoes through a sweeping array of arresting solos and
inviting compositions.
2. Joel Ross, “KingMaker” (Blue Note)
At
just 23 years old, this vibraphonist has already gained a sterling
reputation as a sideman, providing a chiming counterpoint to recordings
by drummer Makaya McCraven and trumpeter Marquis Hill. Here, he proves
himself as a singular voice in his own right, teaming with a nimble
quartet on a lushly drawn record full of empathetic interplay that
carries echoes of vibes master Bobby Hutcherson while still reaching
toward new ground.
3. Kris Davis, “Diatom Ribbons” (Pyroclastic)
A proud descendant
of the inside-out piano ventures of Cecil Taylor, Davis has long shown a
dazzling facility with deconstructing a melody, but here she applies
the same approach to the groove. She’s backed by a band that at various
points includes turntablist Val Jeanty, guitarist Nels Cline, bassist
Esperanza Spalding (heard only as a vocalist) and drummer Terri Lynn
Carrington, who provides a steady yet supple anchor to a record that’s
as unpredictable as it is approachable.
4. Jenny Scheinman & Allison Miller, “Parlour Game” (Royal Potato Family)
A
spinoff of Miller’s hard-hitting Boom Tic Boom project, this quartet
works a rich seam connecting jazz and Americana led by Sheinman’s
dynamic violin and Miller, who in recent years has cemented her
reputation as one of the most vital drummers in jazz. But the secret
weapon here may be pianist Carmen Staaf, whose flickering excursions
provide a bright counterweight to the album’s sweeping melodic drive.
5. Matana Roberts, “Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis” (Constellation)
“I
am a child of the wind,” Roberts intones at various points on the
latest installment of her exploration of personal and social history
began in 2011. On one hand, the admission is a defining quality for an
artist capable of conjuring a storm whether on saxophone or through
spoken word, but it also defines Roberts’ restless, holistic approach to
musical storytelling, which here conjures the nightmares of the slavery
era in a way that’s haunting, challenging and consistently engrossing.
6. Steve Lehman, “The People I Love” (Pi Recordings)
There may be
no tidier way to encapsulate the far-reaching approach of this
saxophonist than in considering this album’s selection of covers, which
treats music from Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Autechre with
the same sense of reverence and adventure. But space must be made for
Lehman’s taut, immediately recognizable sound, regardless of its source
material, which here takes on new dimension with the addition of
like-minded pianist Craig Taborn.
7. Art Ensemble of Chicago, “We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration” (Pi Recordings)
Led
by its last two surviving members in Roscoe Mitchell and Famoudou Don
Moye, one of the leading lights of creative music looks back on its
dynamic history assisted by over a dozen like-minded collaborators
across two discs of music old and new that includes a live performance
from 2018. Come to hear a celebration of a timeless, genre-defying
legacy that has shaped many of the musicians listed here (and
elsewhere); stay to hear that legacy in vibrant motion.
8. Theon Cross, “Fyah” (Gearbox)
Part of a booming London jazz
scene led in part by rising star saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (who
features Cross in his band Sons of Kemet), this tuba player propels the
low end of that boom. Here, on his first album as a leader, Cross
delivers a standout showcase for his often-overlooked instrument,
rumbling through elements of New Orleans funk, soul-jazz and Afrobeat
with the help of two more essential U.K. figures in saxophonist Nubya
Garcia and drummer Moses Boyd.
9. Fabian Almazan Trio, “This Land Abounds With Life” (Biophilia)
A
longtime collaborator with Terence Blanchard, this Cuban-born jazz
pianist evokes the natural splendor of his home country with occasional
field recordings of birdcalls, distant orchestras and spoken word (most
vividly on “Songs of the Forgotten”). But the real stars remain Almazan
and a rhythm section of Linda May Han Oh and Henry Cole, who shift
through styles and standout turns with grace.
10. Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, “Where Future Unfolds” (International Anthem)
“Some
things never change like monuments,” goes one passionate, agitated
refrain in this performance, which was recorded live in Chicago last
year. Delivering a feverish mix of jazz, gospel and hip-hop that at
various points evokes Pharaoh Sanders and Public Enemy, Locks clearly
has his eye on the future but in harnessing a swirling sound of uplift
and activism has created an album that feels engineered for this moment.
Edited by snobb - 12 Dec 2019 at 10:55am