Alexis Cuadrado’s Noneto Ibérico Sat., Mar. 3, 8pm. $25 ($30 day of show). Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.925.9914 www.paintedbride.org
A Barcelona native and longtime New Yorker, bassist Alexis Cuadrado has been documenting quality work since 2001. But he outdid himself in 2011 with Noneto Ibérico, his second for the Brooklyn Jazz Underground label, bringing jazz and flamenco together in a way that was rigorous, authentic and fresh. He wrote new tunes but adhered to traditional forms such as bulerías, soleá and fandango, adding palmas (handclaps) and jaleos (hollers) for good measure. Best of all, he got a smoking nine-piece band to play it all. This week he’ll have saxophonists Jon Gordon and Loren Stillman, trombonist Alan Ferber, guitarist Brad Shepik, pianist Robert Rodriguez and other monsters in the house. — David R. Adler
Tigran Sat., Feb. 25, 8pm. $20. Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com
A native of Armenia, pianist Tigran Hamasyan has traveled far — literally and musically — in his 24 short years. Since coming to the U.S., he’s won the prestigious Monk Competition (in 2006) and drawn deserved praise for his records World Passion, New Era, Red Hail, the solo piano opus A Fable and most recently the vinyl-and-download-only EP No. 1. Tigran’s muse leads him into dark meditations but also go-for-the-throat modern jazz. He’s got a harder-rocking side as well, and a gift for bringing Armenian folk melodies into new improvised contexts. He’ll arrive in Philly with a quintet featuring saxophonist Ben Wendel and drummer Nate Wood, both of Kneebody fame. — David R. Adler
Norman David and the Eleventet Mon., Feb. 27, 7pm. $8. Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St. 215.735.0630 www.playsandplayers.org
Three things are clear from spinning At This Time, the 2011 release from Norman David’s Eleventet. One, David writes beautifully, with a unique if underexposed voice in the field of modern jazz composition. Two, David knows exactly what ensemble — a “little big band” if you will — can bring out the swing and subtlety in his music. Three, David plays fierce soprano saxophone, holding up strong next to Dick Oatts, George Garzone and other world-class figures. A Montreal native, David’s been at in the Philly area since 1989, and he’s in the midst of a residency playing album cuts and new music with a fine local lineup. — David R. Adler
Denise King Thu., Feb. 16, 7:30pm, $10 ($5 students). Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. 8th St. 215.517.8337 www.societyhillplayhouse.org
Jazz Bridge provides for Philly jazz and blues musicians in times of need, but the vital nonprofit also makes a point of showcasing local talent. In this installment of Jazz at the Playhouse (hosted by Jazz Bridge on the third Thursday of every month), vocalist Denise King takes the stage. She’s authoritative with jazz standards, can slay ’em in the aisles with irreverent uptempo blues, and stays true to her Philly roots even as she ventures across the pond to collaborate with French pianist Olivier Hutman (on her latest CD No Tricks). Her Playhouse band features pianist Aaron Graves, bassist Lee Smith and drummer Khary Shaheed. — David R. Adler
The Critic’s Pick from the current issue of Philadelphia Weekly. Those brackets in the last sentence were not my idea….
Nicholas Payton Sat., Feb. 11, 8pm ($30), 10pm ($25). Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com
Nicholas Payton, a trumpet ace since his teens, has embraced a new role as a Twitter agitator, the self-proclaimed “Creator of #BAM aka The Savior of Archaic Pop.” Ok … what? Well, BAM stands for Black American Music, the term Payton insists should replace jazz, or “the j-word,” which he holds to be “racist at its inception.” Cue the online flame wars, which have yet to subside. It’s too simple, however, to tag this native New Orleanian as a racial exclusivist; his own career as a leader and sideman doesn’t bear it out. His polemics are over the top, no doubt, but they’ve touched a nerve with people eager to think beyond confining categories. Case in point: Payton’s new R&B epic Bitches, on which he plays every instrument and sings. This week at Chris’s [Black American Music] Cafe he’ll double on trumpet and Rhodes, sometimes simultaneously, with a trio he calls XXX. — David R. Adler
Andrea Centazzo, Moon in Winter (Ictus) Peter Paulsen Quintet, Goes Without Saying… (SquarePegWorks)
By David R. Adler
These two discs are worlds apart in some ways, but there’s a link to be found in the acute, versatile trumpet of Dave Ballou. Both sessions feature a quintet: Moon In Winter, an evocative chamber-improv date from Italian-American percussionist Andrea Centazzo, is freer in concept, while Goes Without Saying…, from the unheralded Pennsylvania bassist Peter Paulsen, is a darkly shaded postbop gem.
What amazes most on Moon in Winter is the panoply of sound from Centazzo’s percussion — a strategic onslaught of metal and wood, seemingly unlimited in variety. With the MalletKAT, a marimba-like MIDI controller, Centazzo builds other layers as well, at times sounding like a vibraphone, accordion, Rhodes or abstract synthesizer, bolstering the contributions of pianist Nobu Stowe and bassist Daniel Barbiero. Much of the interplay is free, but there are a number of finely composed themes, often harmonized by Ballou and woodwinds man Achille Succi, who switches between alto sax, clarinets and shakuhachi as the music demands.
The dominant focus is “Moon in Winter,” parts one through five, interspersed with three “Winter Duets” and two freestanding pieces: “The man with foggy fingers,” in a doleful rubato, and “Absolutely elsewhere,” which contrasts Succi’s feverish staccato alto with Ballou’s Kenny Wheeler-esque flight toward the end. (Regrettably, there is an obtrusive buzzing, some sort of static interference or distortion, heard throughout Moon in Winter. It was checked on multiple stereo systems, with two different copies of the disc.)
Peter Paulsen, a jazz bassist with extensive symphony experience, has three earlier releases to his credit (Three-Stranded Cord, Tri-Cycle, Change of Scenery). On Goes Without Saying… he brings seductive compositions to the table and leads a formidable band with Ballou on trumpet and flugelhorn, Chris Bacas on tenor and soprano, Mike Frank on piano and Chris Hanning on drums. Although the music is more tonal or mainstream than Centazzo’s, Ballou is consistent in personality, from his pinched half-valve entrance on Wayne Shorter’s “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” to his lyrical intensity on Kenny Wheeler’s “’Smatter” and Kenny Werner’s “Compensation” (all three of these cannily arranged by Paulsen).
The bass intros on “You Said You’d Call” and “Psalm” (arco and pizzicato, respectively) highlight Paulsen’s rounded tone and unerring intonation. And the leadoff title track, its bright triplet feel barely concealing a sense of inner mystery, should establish that Bacas is one of today’s great unsung voices on soprano sax. In all there are six Paulsen originals, each a model of smart orchestration and rhythmic and harmonic subtlety, marked by a truly individual touch. It’s easy to see why they inspire brilliant performances all around.
An album by the Metta Quintet always begins with a premise. The group’s 2002 debut, Going to Meet the Man, was inspired by James Baldwin’s short stories. Subway Songs (2006) evoked the bustle of New York mass transit and mourned those killed in the London tube bombings of the previous year. Big Drum/Small World continues with a statement on jazz globalism, featuring music by composers of disparate backgrounds: Marcus Strickland, Miguel Zenón, Omer Avital, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Yosvany Terry.
Drummer Hans Schuman, founder of the band’s nonprofit parent organization JazzReach, teams up with Strickland, bassist Joshua Ginsburg and two impressive newer recruits — pianist David Bryant and altoist Greg Ward — in a program that highlights the varied and distinctive voices of these guest composers. Strickland’s “From Here Onwards” leads off in a joyous and breezy mood, with saxophones in polyphony during the theme and swinging hard on the solos. Zenón’s “Sica” and Terry’s “Summer Relief” fit well together as complex, multi-themed works in a progressive Latin vein. Mahanthappa’s “Crabcakes,” introduced by Strickland and Ward in a devilish pas de deux, launches into brain-bending rhythmic repeats over fairly static harmony. Avital’s “BaKarem,” set up by Ginsberg’s passionate solo intro, brings forward the most accessible melody of the set: mournful but dancing, with a Middle Eastern tinge that prevails in much of Avital’s work.
The drawback is that Big Drum/Small World could be appropriately subtitled Short Album: it’s over in just 34 minutes. Yes, in an era of overly long CDs, concise is often a plus. But this recording feels somehow less complete, less of a journey, than the Metta Quintet’s previous two. And a quibble, perhaps, but the saxophones are overly reverbed and too severely panned (it’s especially apparent through headphones). The band sounds less live as a result. Although this is compelling music by highly gifted composers, and Metta deserves praise for bringing it to light and playing it so well, we’re left wanting more.
Egg on my face for not posting this in advance of last night’s show. But here it is anyway, from Philadelphia Weekly:
David “Fuze” Fiuczynski Sat., Feb. 4, 8pm. $25 advance ($30 at door). Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.925.9914 www.paintedbride.org
Just as Hendrix used Delta blues as a launching pad into space, double-neck guitar maniac David “Fuze”Fiuczynski builds on a jazz-rock foundation and ventures into microtonal musical concepts of Asia and the Middle East. His instantly identifiable sound, on fretted and fretless guitars, has caught the ear of esteemed bandleaders such as Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart, Muhal Richard Abrams and Rudresh Mahanthappa. This week with his Screaming Headless Hendrix project — a spinoff of his band Screaming Headless Torsos — Fuze will bring his advanced theoretical system, “Planet MicroJam,” into focus. His five-piece unit includes vocalist Freedom Bremner, bassist Justin Schornstein, drum heavyweight Kenwood Dennard and Turkish microtonal keyboardist Utar Dundarartun. — David R. Adler
The term “groove-oriented” usually describes jazz of a funkier, danceable sort. But it’s not how many would categorize the maddeningly complex music of Vijay Iyer and his trio with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Pulsing rhythm, however, has always played a significant role for Iyer, and at (Le) Poisson Rouge during Winter Jazz Fest (Jan. 7th) he brought the beat like never before, drawing on pieces from the forthcoming ACT release Accelerando. The atmosphere was just right: packed and sweaty crowd, eager for something new. Like a good DJ, Iyer reached back to 1977 with Heatwave’s “The Star of a Story,” shrouding the pretty chords and melody in a fragmented, bass-heavy pattern. “Lude,” with an almost imperceptible segue into “Optimism,” featured Iyer in a more pronounced soloing role, though the mix was too muddy at times to hear it well. “Actions Speak,” another original, closed the set at warp speed and allowed Gilmore time for a seal-the-deal drum solo. Hypnotic deconstructed rhythm was the focus, giving a consistent band sound to a set that ranged from “Hood,” inspired by Detroit’s “minimal techno” pioneer Robert Hood, to “Human Nature,” the Michael Jackson classic from Thriller. The latter, which led off Iyer’s 2010 disc Solo (and was once a concert staple for Miles Davis), got a thorough going-over from the trio, in a limping modified shuffle feel — a beat that seemed to hold together by nearly falling apart. (David R. Adler)
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Surging and inescapable rhythm is what gives Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures Septet its broadly accessible and riveting sound. This much seemed clear to a late-night Winter Jazz Fest crowd at Zinc Bar (Jan. 6th), where Rudolph played a short but solid set with fellow percussionists James Hurt and Matt Kilmer, guitarist Kenny Wessel, acoustic bass guitarist Jerome Harris, reedist Ralph Jones and cornet/flugelhorn man Graham Haynes. An avant-garde theorist and student of musical traditions from around the world, Rudolph had a wealth of sounds available, and he used them brilliantly: lap-steel guitar from Harris on the opening “Oshogbo”; flute and muted cornet dissonance on the closing burner “Dance Drama”; Hurt’s melodica and Wessel’s ethereal effects at the opening of “Love’s Light,” a bluesy meditation; Jones on “Return of the Magnificent Spirits” making forceful statements on bass clarinet and Chinese hulusi (one of several Eastern wind instruments in Jones’ toolkit). Rudolph, standing behind his conga, tumba, djembe and other gear, drove the band with an effortless kind of polyrhythmic abstraction. The writing was loose but focused, with precise hits and carefully crafted themes — not unlike what we hear from Rudolph’s larger group, the Go:Organic Orchestra (which plays some of the same repertoire). Happily, the energy of this music translates onto disc: Rudolph’s latest releases, Both/And and The Sound of a Dream, are essential. (DA)
