Mark Turner: Purssuance

Mark Turner (sax, b. 1965)

Mark Tuner has garned praise from contemporaries as well as his elders. He has laid down the guantlet to his generation to push beyond what you see around you. Mark Turner's style is unlike many of his contemporaries. He is a wealth of ideas and his writing can be highly cerebral. A song can start off in a traditional fashion but then go in a completely different direction before you realize it. Mark Turner creates a magical atmosphere with each of his recordings. Raised in California and then moving to New York where really gained his chops, Mark Turner has always been compared to the great Wayne Marsh due the same originality and lush tone of their recordings. There is also the obvious comparisons to John Coltrane but I think that's only upon first listen. But like Coltrane, Mark Turner has developed a voice all his own.

Mark Turner's albums are a study in technique and structure. I have been a fan since I first heard his debut, Yam Yam (Criss Cross Jazz; 1995). Yam Yam is a serious record, rich in detail and captures a talented artist far beyond his years. Mark has recorded six albums as leader since but is also session member with fellow collaborators Larry Grenadier (bass), Brad Mehldau (piano), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar) and Jeff Ballard (drums) on their albums.

Mark recently suffered what appeared to be a serious and career-ending injury to two of his fingers that kept him from playing for almost a year. Through persistent rehab and a strong will, Mark overcame the injury and has been back on the touring circuit with Grenadier and Ballard as the trio Fly. Fly has released two highly acclaimed albums, Fly (Savoy; 2004) and Sky & Country (ECM; 2009). Both albums are phenomenal and worth the purchase. The same creativity that encompasses Mark's solo recordings can be found within the Fly trio. He is also a member of the revolving collective SF Jazz Collective working out of San Francisco (think of it as the East coast version of Jazz At Lincoln Center).

Mark Turner's own material is becoming increasingly harder to find (even at the coolest of record stores). But luckily one of my favourite Mark Turner albums, Dharma Days (Warner Brothers; 2001) is the easiest to find. Dharma Days is the perfect example of Turner's intricate melodies and rhythmic beauty that sets him apart from other saxophonists. The simpatico he shares with his longtime bandmates, Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Reid Anderson (bass), and Nasheet Waits (drums) appears in full on this album. Dharma Days is a record that will leave you in awe that someone this young can turn out an album of such maturity and creativity that you will have to seek out the rest of his catalog.

I have seen most of Mark Turner's albums available for download if you choose to go that route. Mark Turner is undeniably the most important saxophonist of his generation. He continues to explore new themes and ideas on record and in concert that others have yet or can even try. The trio Fly are touring and its probably the best way to experience Mark's music if you have the chance.

Curtis Fuller: The Second Agent of Trombone

Curtis Fuller (trombone; b. 1934)

While many trombonists owe their skill to J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, only a few have carved out their own distinct identity on this massive but beautiful instrument. Curtis Fuller in my opinion would be the other benchmark to which all other trombone players have to live up to. Born in Detroit, Curtis Fuller has performed with such legends as Benny Golson, Kenny Burrell, Art Farmer and more recently with Mulgrew Miller, Eric Alexander and Doug Carn.

If you own John Coltrane's Blue Train then you've heard Curtis Fuller. The opening bars of "Blue Train" are as iconic as the openings to Miles Davis' "So What" on Kind Of Blue and Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" on Time Out. It grabs your attention and doesn't let go.

Curtis' own material may not be as iconic but it is certainly of the highest order. He is always adventurous and pours every ounce of his lungs into every note. As with J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller could almost make the trombone feel like a saxophone. Allot of Curtis' recordings are hard to find at the moment but if you come across his Blue Note Records debut entitled The Opener (He recorded for Prestige before this) I would suggest this picking this up. If you can't find The Opener, his most recent releases Up Jumped Spring (Delmark) and Keep It Simple (Savant) are both excellent albums. He had just come out of a pretty silent period where he hadn't recorded in awhile but he sounds like he had never left the scene.

If you really have the money I highly, highly, highly recommend the excellent Complete Savoy Recordings (Lone Hill Jazz). The Complete Savoy Recordings is a three disc set covering all five albums Curtis Fuller recorded for the label including the classic Blues-ette which features the legendary Benny Golson (sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano) and Jimmy Garrison (bass). These quintessential recordings that rate right up there with best material from J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding. It's an expensive import but well worth the money.

At 75, Curtis still tours and continues to be in fine form. Always worth the price of admission; if you see his name in the listings, make a reservation immediately. There are so few legends left on the scene that if you want to see jazz performed at its highest level you must invest in a Curtis Fuller album or a concert when you get the chance.

Christian McBride: The Chameleon

Christian McBride (bass; b. 1972)

Kind Of Brown (Mack Avenue Records)

Most artists try to have their hands in a lot of creative projects. Most of them end up doing only a few of them well (if even slightly good). Then there are those artists that do a lot and leave an indelible mark for futures to come. Christian McBride is obviously the latter. He has worked as sideman, leader, composer, educator and actor (Robert Altman's jazz history film, Kansas City). He has performed with a list of diverse artists including Sting, ?uestlove (The Roots), George Duke, Uri Caine, Chaka Khan, Chick Corea, Bobby Watson, Joshua Redman and Wynton Marsalis just to name a few. Christian McBride's bass influences and mentors are among the most revered and acknowledge in jazz--Paul Chambers who worked with Coltrane and Miles as well as Ray Brown.

The Philadelphia native performed and toured with numerous jazz contemporaries including a long stint with one of my favourite pianist, Benny Green. With eight albums as leader, Christian McBride has shown the versatility to move from straight ahead bop to funky pop rhythms at the turn of the switch.He trained on both electric and acoustic bass (most recently sticking to the latter) which he has used on most of his early to middle albums. This has in turn made him an in-demand musician at the moment. But I believe his compositional skills may sometimes get overlooked. The majority of each of his releases consist of self-penned material with sparse but completely reimagined covers/standards included.

As leader, Christian McBride allows his band members to spread out and fly within the boundaries of the composition. This usually means things will almost always be a swingin' affair. But he can also bring the proceedings to a gentle calm. This is nowhere more evident than on the recent release Kind Of Brown (Mack Avenue Records). Christian McBride again shows the diversity and ingenuity of his musicianship, writing and leadership as he leads his most consistent band in years through a solid set of originals and two covers to maximum effect. Kind Of Brown moves from the funky opener, "Brother Mister" through to the gospel-tinged "Used 'Ta Could" and the post bop of "Stick & Move" and closing with the lovely "Where Are You?".

Kind Of Brown is the kind of record you need from one the leading and hardest working bassists on the jazz scene today. A real treat for new jazz ears and a possible return to form for longtime Christian McBride fans. Enjoy...

The Intersection: Jaga Jazzist — One-Armed Bandit (2010)

The Intersection is an occasional feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that blend jazz with electronica (a tradition pioneered by none other than Miles Davis on such classic recordings as On The Corner).

This week's focus is Jaga Jazzist's One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2010)

It's been five years since we last heard from Jaga Jazzists. The wait is over. The Norwegian nine-piece nu-jazz fusionists have returned with their strongest set to date, One-Armed Bandit.

What made Jaga Jazzist great in the past — the sick chops, the mind-boggling creativity, the melodic invention — is on full display on their new album. You can't help but imagine the ghost of Frank Zappa influencing the band from beyond. The intricate, hyper intelligent whimsy of Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo-era jazz-rock is an evident touchstone for this band. The title track in particular sounds like a sequel to Zappa's "Peaches in Regalia.

The band isn't shy about its progressive jazz rock influences and certainly has the ability to demonstrate them on tracks such as "Bananfluer Overalt" and "Touch of Evil." Another influence is contemporary minimalists, particularly Steve Reich, whose phasing technique is executed brilliantly on Jaga's "Toccata".

For all of its intricate instrumental interplay Jaga Jazzist still squeezes out some memorable hooks. The title track is a great place to start. While certainly no pop tune, its main melody is as memorable as they come, bolstered by strong counterpoint, a swinging rhythm section and an imaginative arrangement that has room for fat synths, brass, vibes and distorted and slide guitar.

Read the previous Intersection post about Jaga Jazzist.

Next time: Parov Stelar