Jason Moran: Ten

Jason Moran (piano; b. 1975)
Ten (Blue Note; 2010)
Tarus Mateen (bass)
Nasheet Waits (drums)

Jason Moran--Artist and Innovator. While Thelonious Monk is an obvious influence, for me the spectre of the late Andrew Hill continually arises when I listen to Jason Moran. Like Hill, Moran explores everything within popular-art culture and what he eventually sends through the lens is something altogether special. Also like Andrew Hill, Jason Moran accomplishes this through developing big bold statements with each album.

With Ten (Bluen Note), Jason Moran has pretty much done it again. For me he continually produces exciting and challenging recordings that make you ask "why can't the others do this?" Well the others aren't Jason Moran. Ten is Moran's 8 album as leader. It finds him a jovial and creative mood with his longstanding trio of Nasheet Waits (drums) and Tarus Mateen (drums) and a celebration of just over 10 years with Blue Note Records. "Blue Blocks" opens with a nice dose of Sunday morning church roll call with very uplifting effect.

A number of the pieces on Ten were originally commissioned for concerts/exhibitions over the last few years. So its nice to hear some of this material for the first time on disc. "Feedback Pt.2" is one of those pieces and has loads of atmospheric effects mixed with Moran's classical side reminiscent of his material on the highly acclaimed Modernistic album. Moran also tackles one of his influences with an incredible reworking of "Crepusucle With Nellie" which for me makes this album worth owning out right.

For anyone not familiar with Jason Moran I would say this is the album to own. Jason's material while superior in every aspect is at times what I think most new listeners might want to investigate. The material is inviting while still challenging the order of things. This is evident of opus "Gangsterism Over 10 Years" which is probably the sequel to the related track from Modernistic "Gangsterism On Irons". It's uptempo and accessible yet still includes a complexed song structure.

Moran also extends tributes to two more influences, Leonard Bernstein on "Big Stuff" and "Play To Live". Both are dynamic in separate ways. "Big Stuff" is a pounding rendition from Bernstein's score for Fancy Free. "Play To Live" was co-written with the late Andrew Hill and highlights Moran's delicate touch on the keys and a quiet yet almost emotive backing from Mateen and Waits.

As I mentioned earlier Ten is probably the most engaging and accessible album for a new comer to Jason Moran. For the rest of us its more of the same brilliance he has brought over the last 10 plus years. This is highly recommended stuff that continually sets Moran apart from many other piano players of his generation. For me this is his second best record next to Modernistic, and definitely on my top five for the year.

Celebrating The Life Of Fred Anderson

Fred Anderson (sax, b. 1929 - d. 2010)

Fred Anderson, considered the father of the Chicago Free Jazz Movement, passed away this past Thursday. His influenced could be felt throughout not only Chicago jazz but also European jazz. He was a co-founder of AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music) in Chicago. Anderson while a late contemporary of fellow saxophone free jazz legends, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Archie Shepp--never really reach to popular heights those artist did. That is until the last decade or so of his life.

I really did start getting into Fred Anderson until 1997 when I picked up a used copy of Fred Anderson and The DKV Trio (Okka Disk). The DKV trio was a side project of Ken Vandermark (sax), Hamid Drake (percussion) and Kent Kessler (bass). It was mesmerizing recording that forced me to seek out more music from Fred Anderson. At the time his material was extremely hard to find. If you were living in Chicago you probably didn't know about Fred Anderson let alone could find a record by him.

Fred Anderson also ran his own jazz club in Chicago called the Velvet Lounge. He recorded a large majority of his latter releases there. And live was probably the best way to hear him. The club was forced to shut down in 2005 but reopen with the help of fellow Chicago jazz musician in a new location and has thrived ever since.

Anderson's playing and vision was direct and powerful. He possessed a full body way of performing that was reminiscent of the aforementioned legends but he too would carve out a distinct path that made each of his record their own. In addition to the DKV Trio, Anderson also worked with Marilyn Crispell (piano), William Parker (bass), Kidd Jordan (sax).

I never got the opportunity to see Fred Anderson perform live. He played the renowned Vision Festival in NYC numerous times. Like an idiot I always felt my favourite artists would live forever, so there would be plenty opportunities to see him. How wrong I was. But Anderson leaves a wealth of music for new fans to dive into. Whether you're into free jazz or not you need to at least experience a Fred Anderson record to understand what a legend he has become and will forever be.

If you decide to pick up any of Fred Anderson's music, I highly recommend you go to order from Downtown Music Gallery (in NYC) or Dusty Groove (in Chicago). They both have the best selection of Fred Anderson material.

My essential Fred Anderson recordings:
Dark Day (Atavistic Records reissue from 1979)
Fred Anderson/DKV Trio (Okka Disk; 1997)
2 Days In April (Eremite; 1999)
Back At The Velvet Lounge (Delmark; 2002)
Timeless (Delmark; 2005)
Live At The Velvet Lounge 2007 (Estrad Poznanska)

Latin Jazz Week: Astrud Gilberto

Astrud Gilberto (vocals; b. 1940)

Many may know the name or if you don't you know the song she made famous,"The Girl From Impenema" by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto. But that wonderful masterpiece is not the only statement she will leave on the cultural landscape of the music lovers.

Astrud burst onto the jazz scene through the aforementioned Brasilian classic. Her soft yet uplifting bled of Brasilian and American accented vocals has always been an enchanting element in her arsenal. But also the combinations of musicians she has worked with over the years has made her lyrics and vocals something to be treasured. Her work with her husband Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz and later Gil Evans are among some of the best Bossa Nova recordings of the sixties.

Among her many later solo albums, she record an excellent duet with Chet Baker entitled, "Far Away" on the album That Girl From Impenema. Her albums during the seventies and eighties showed that she was more than just the girl we sang that famous samba launching an entire genre to the rest of the world. Astrud had become an "Artist".

While most of her material is pretty hard to find. And there is an overwhelming dearth of compilations of her '70s material--it is really hard to know where to start. I would have recommend the compilation Finest Hour (Verve). This compilation while leaning heavily on the obvious '60s material does provide a clear overview of Astrud's gentle and easily accessible "girl next door" vocals. You can fall in love very quickly with songs "So Nice," the legendary "Corcovado," "Wish Me A Rainbow" and the infectious "Crickets Sings For Anamaria".

Finest Hour is definitely what I would suggest to anyone who doesn't own an Astrud Gilberto album and wants to learn more. The songs on Finest Hour are truly beautiful and legendary. A worthy lesson in Latin/Brasilian jazz.

Latin Jazz Week: Badi Assad

This week JazzWrap will take a look at of artists, groups and albums that have shape Latin jazz as well as taking it beyond.

Badi Assad (vocals, guitar, percussion; b. 1966)
(photo: Christine Alicino)

Born in Rio de Janerio, Badi Assad has become one of the most uniquely gifted and respected talents of the last twenty years. She is a superb guitarist in addition to utilizing her exquisite mastery of vocal improvisation which is one the most attractive things for me. Her voice is not the typical smooth 'summer"-like' voice you might associate with other female vocalist. It's very inventive and demanding of your attention. Her playing at first listen may seem typically Brasilian, once you sit with it you realize there is something very special here. Assad has recorded 8 albums since 1989. She has also recovered from severe illness which kept her from recording during parts of the '90s.

Her early recordings consisted of a mixture of standards and originals but each glows with a confidence and a vibrancy of a talent ready to emerge. The early recordings are really wrapped up nicely on the compilation The Best Of Badi Assad (Chesky Records). Assad's most recent work Verde (Universal) and Wonderland (Universal) both keep the deep originality and beauty of her previous material while adding some better production. There is also a more upbeat tone to them (probably because of her physical recovery) that makes these two releases a good starting point. They are probably the easiest to find as well.

Verde opens with a lovely tune spoken in English, "With My Little White Top" before turning to the funky rhythms of "Nao Dianta" which also feature some vocal acrobatics by Assad. Fun, rich and exciting stuff to start throughout with "Viola Meu Bem" featuring more vocal experimentation. Verde closes of two romantic notes with "Valse D'amelie" and "Asa Branca". Verde is a heartfelt document of new Brasilian rhythms and probably my favourite of Badi Assad records and definitely a good starting point as mentioned before.

Wonderland (Universal) is a truly ambitious record with covers of Tori Amos and The Eurythmics, Antonio Carlos Jobim. It's not so much who she is interpreting its whats she has done with these versions which make Wonderland an stellar recording. She transforms these covers as well as her own material into soul-searching indictments of the human condition. The production work by Jacques Morelenbaum (recently off a successful collaboration with Ryiuchi Sakamoto) is dense and expansive giving each track a very enveloping and thoughtful feel. The arrangements on tracks like "Sweet Dreams," "A Banco Do Distinto" and "1000 Mirrors' are real evidence of how Badi Assad is reaching beyond the traditional Brasilian themes. Wonderland is an experiment that comes off really really well.

Badi Assad is definitely in a large pool of new Brasilian artists who are thinking of what the next direction for Brasilian jazz/pop can be. She is really worth your attention.