Keefe Jackson: The Future Of Chicago?

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Keefe Jackson, a native of Arkansas, is slowing becoming a major force in the ever-evolving Chicago Free Jazz scene. A combination of complex and complete compositions and bold well-rounded playing is making a lot of people outside of Chicago stand up and take notice.

As discussed here at JazzWrap many a time, the Chicago Jazz scene is a breeding ground for some of the most solid, hard framed improvisational jazz coming out of the U.S. Yes, many New Yorkers would argue this point but I'm moving forward with my statement.

Keefe Jackson was already a well toned musician by the time he arrived in Chicago in 2001. But his association and contributions to such local groups as Chicago Luzern Exchange, Lucky 7s, Fast Citizens and the Josh Berman Quintet really established his credibility within the scene. In a town where Ken Vandermark looms large, it probably is extremely hard to break out from the presence. Keefe Jackson is doing just that. Not by following the same avant garde path as Vandermark but creating a rich base of post bop sensibility filled with forward-thinking lyricism.

While I do recommend any of the albums by the above mentioned groups (definitely Josh Berman and Lucky 7s), I want to really focus on the three albums Keefe Jackson has made as leader. These all show a progression to imploding convention of free jazz and resurrecting it in a cohesive exploration of free ideas. Ideas which many listeners will find challenging but highly rewarding.

Ready Everybody (Delmark; 2006) is a fantastic debut as leader by Jackson. The album is actually under the title, Keefe Jackson's Fast Citizens (named after the collective which the musicians belong to). The opening number "Ready Everybody" travels some similar territory as Atlantic era Ornette Coleman or Charles Mingus but with a very playful nature wrapped by some illuminating song structure and phrasing from Jackson.

"Signs" is haunting piece with some fabulous distortion work from Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello) and additional brilliance by both Josh Berman (trumpet) and Anton Hatwich (bass). Frank Rosaly, whose omnipresent drum work can be found on many Chicago jazz albums is superb here as well as the rest of this session. "Saying Yes" is a number where Jackson, Berman and Aram Shelton (alto sax) have some seriously delicious interplay that is both rhythmic as well as inventive.

While Fast Citizens documents a collective that has become a truly cohesive force on the music scene; it also shines light on creative writing of Jackson. This idea is moved forward on Jackson's second release as leader, Just Like This (Delmark; 2007). Just Like This is a massive 12 piece brass/woodwind ensemble that takes starts in foundation on themes of Ellington, Armstrong and other large swing ensembles and injects them with a large dose of Chicago improvisation.

The group includes such Chicago luminaries as Jeb Bishop (trombone), James Falzone (clarinet), Dave Rempis (alto sax) and more. A beautiful exchange expression and melodies moves throughout Just Like This, giving the listener a real sense of depth and freedom by this group Jackson has constructed.

"Dragon Fly", a funky, avant garde yet mid-tempo opener fills the airwaves with its complex arrangements and chord changes but shows a real sense of unity amongst the many players. There's a lot going on here but you are captivated by the varying passages and performances. The title track, "Just Like This" is another mid-tempo gem filled with hard hitting moments of colour by Jackson and clarinet/cornet section (including Berman again in this session).

A real standout here is "Wind Up Toy" written by drummer Frank Rosaly is a tempo shifting ride that feels like elements of crime jazz, swing and avant garde put through the mixer and coming out as an exquisite sundae delight. Just Like This may have Ellingtonian touches but also paints a Jackson Pollack-esque picture with Jimmy Giuffre and Ornette Coleman type brushes.

In 2010, Keefe Jackson returned with the magnificent Seeing You See (Clean Feed Records). Here Jackson pairs things down to a quartet featuring regular collaborators Noritaka Tanaka (drums), Jason Roebke (bass) and Jeb Bishop (trombone). Jackson and Bishop play point/counterpoint throughout Seeing You See with beautiful results. "If You Were" is a great example of their scintillating stylistic duel. This is aided by the subtle rhythms of Roebke and crisping (Billy Higgins-like) timing of Tanaka.

With the previous two albums exploring various themes and influences, Seeing You See approaches things from a slightly straight-forward free form of ideas and utilization of space. For me it's like listening to Giuffre's Free Fall. This is especially evident on "How-A-Low" a downtempo blues where the quartet maneuvers with gentle grace and beauty.

"Seeing You See" is rich with space and tonal structures that get bent in different directions by Roebke during a solo midway through the piece. The proceedings get jumping (slightly) with "Turns To Everything" where the group becomes one force of sound-in-rhythm with ripping chord changes and patterns that better experienced on headphones. "Word Made Flesh" a fierce composition which Frank Rosaly and Jackson have done as a duo previously, sounds even more venomous as a quartet.

"Close" silently takes you through a final journey a spacious undertones. This is led by Roebke's delicate bass lines and some wonderful and haunting movement from Bishop and Jackson (on bass clarinet) combined. Seeing You See really shows how Keefee Jackson has grown as a musician and more importantly a leader and composer.

Listening to the progression not just over these three records but over the course of the last decade in various groups encapsulates how significance Keefe Jackson has had on the Chicago scene. Among the new breed of Chicago improvisers, Keefe Jackson is becoming as prominent and as important as Ken Vandermark was a decade earlier. Keefe Jackson is a talent that everyone needs to start following if you haven't already. Start with the Delmark releases and then move forward to Seeing You See.

Jazz at the Movies: The Big Boss

The Big Boss
Peter Thomas
Chris' Soundtrack Corner/All Score

After years of toiling in TV (The Green Hornet) and movies (Marlowe) as a kung fu novelty act, Bruce Lee starred in his first true chop-socky feature film, The Big Boss (aka Fists of Fury, '71; confusingly enough, Lee's next movie, made in 1972, also is known as "Fists of Fury").

Within a couple of years Lee catapulted to superstardom in Enter the Dragon ('73), featuring a classic jazz-funk score by Lalo Schifrin. After Lee's tragic death in '73, Game of Death was completed without him and released in '78, featuring a Bondian orchestral score by John Barry. Both of those movie soundtracks appeared on LP at the time of their theatrical releases and subsequently reissued on CD several times.

So, it comes as some surprise that it took so long for Peter Thomas' brassy, bustling soundtrack for The Big Boss to receive a CD release in the west (there was a limited edition Japanese CD release in 1991, and an exclusive iTunes download a few years ago). It's surprising, not just because of Bruce Lee's collectability, but also because of the resurgent interest in Thomas' cult soundtrack reissues during the past 15 years. In essence, The Big Boss has been something of a holy grail for collectors of the composer's quirky music.

The work Thomas was doing around the time of The Big Boss included his off-the-wall big band jazz scores for various Edgar Wallace thrillers, German sex-ed films and the paranormal documentary Chariots of the Gods — all of which have been available on CD in recent years.

So, what's the story? How did a German composer get to score a Hong Kong movie production? Basically, when a German film distributor bought the rights to release Tang Shan Da Xiong (the original title), they felt that it needed a soundtrack that would be easier on western ears than the one provided by the original composer, Fu-ling Wang, which was traditional Chinese music. Enter Peter Thomas, who — given a limited budget — crafted a score that was half new compositions and half back-catalogue library cues.

Stylistically, Thomas' jazz-rock score for The Big Boss is an off-kilter, psychedelic blend of vamping brass, trilling flutes, chiming "oriental" percussion, tinkling piano, blazing electric guitar, gurgling Moog synthesizers, rumbling rhythms and outlandish studio effects.

Naturally, anyone who knows Thomas' other work will want it, and anyone who wants to discover one of the most distinctive and eccentric jazz-based film composers in his prime should check it out. I should note that the sound quality of the CD is excellent, and that the clip below is obviously taken from an inferior sound source.

The Intersection: Brandt Brauer Frick

Inventive German electronica trio Brandt Brauer Frick's new album You Make Me Real (on !K7 Records) is headphone music par excellence.
Dan Brandt, Jan Brauer and Paul Frick's music blends the unexpected timbres of John Cage and intricate arrangements of Steve Reich with the kinetic energy of Kraftwerk and playful swing of Raymond Scott in "Powerhouse" mode. BBF's hypnotic beats bounce around in your cranium like they want to break out. By the end of the opener, "Corky Prelude," you'll want the band to take up residency in your dome.
How do they do it? With live drums, treated pianos, trombones, harp, marimba and a host of other treated live sounds — that's how. The organic nature of these sounds allows them to take root in your ears quickly, especially after consuming a double espresso like I did!
Click on tracks to listen to excerpts.

01. Corky Prelude
02. Bop
03. Paparazzi
04. Caffeine
05. Mi Corazon
06. Heart Of Stone
07. R. W. John
08. You Make Me Real
09. Teufelsleiter
BBF play at Barfly in London, 12/17. If you can't make it, visit them here.

Scorch Trio

Scroch Trio (group; formed 1998)
Melaza (Rune Grammofon; 2010)

Raoul Björkenheim (guitar)
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass)
Frank Rosaly (drums)

Helsinki based, Scorch Trio have been active for over a decade now. All three members are successful musicians with various other bands and solo projects (most notably The Thing and Atomic). But Scorch Trio is no "jazz supergroup". This is a unit that functions flair and an intent on pulling at the boundaries of jazz.

Originally the group started with Paal Nilssen-Love on drums. He has recently left the band to continue his other projects. The even more versatile Chicago native, Frank Rosaly (who has preformed with Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Josh Berman and Keefe Jackson among others) settles into the kit chair for now. And the result are quite interesting for me especially.

I have to admit, I own all four Scorch Trio albums, but I haven't been totally convinced--that is--until today. I'm definitely not saying the previous records lacked anything. I think I wasn't hearing what I was supposed to hear (if that makes sense). With the their new album Melaza (Rune Grammofon), this trio has created a document with solid compositional structure that moves like a great rock/jazz album. Like Bill Laswell's Last Exit fused with Tony William's Lifetime and Mahavishnu, Melaza has really blown me away.

The title track "Melaza" really spells things out. It's a pounding bit of fusion that has all the elements you would want--swirling McLaughlin-esque guitar, deep wrenching bass lines and pulsating timing on drums. This is three minutes of bliss jazz rock bliss. "Fajao" is another stunner that truly how well Rosaly has integrated into the band. The interchanges between Rosaly and Björkenheim here are absolutely fantastic. "Raitru" displays the more improvisational and intimate side of the trio. Midtempo patterns with some nice individual colour expressed by the band members.

Melaza isn't going to be for everyone, but if you are fan of the above mentioned influences and especially if you are a fan of some of free jazz and eclectic releases from the venerable Rune Grammofon label, Scorch Trio is well worth investigating. This is bright, fun, electrifying stuff that's will turn your ear (possibly upside down).

Now I have to go back and sit with the previous three records and see where my ears went wrong. Talk to you all later. Enjoy...

This video is of the original lineup with Nilssen-Love on drums.