Arszyn/Duda: The Polish Avant Garde

Arszyn/Duda

SE (Lado ABC)

Krzysztof Topolski (drums; percussion)

Tomasz Duda (sax)

First, I must thank fellow jazz blog, Polish Jazz, for turning me on to some great stuff over the last week. One such record is SE by Arszyn/Duda. This piece of incredible improvisation and experimentalism reminds me of the Ken Vandermark duo sessions of the last couple of years (especially Complete Friction) or even Sonore (with Peter Brotzmann). This improvised session was created by two young and talented musicians who have studied under some of the best in Polish improvisational jazz legends.

SE encompasses three lengthy "untitled" tracks that search, examine, devolve and reconstruct sound through fracture chords and manipulated patterns. There are also elements that remind me of the Master Musicians of Joujouku, especially in the first track which moves ever so closely towards a rolling cacophony of sound and tribal drum beats. It's fierce, blistering and sometimes painful when you're listening with headphones but I loved ever ear-splitting second of it. Track one becomes more free and sparse toward the end as Topolski and Duda share almost silent improvising moments before building up momentum into Track two which turns into a mellow yet still experimental affair.

Track two sees Topolski's pulsating drums subtely shifting in and out of range with Duda creating one and two note poems over top. Towards the end, Duda becomes more like Ornette Coleman with some really beautiful tone dialling and phrasing that may stop you in your tracks thinking there's a melody that's about to break out. Ha, Ha, you're wrong!

Track three follows a similar path but the listener experiences every emotion throughout this piece. Beginning with short half notes and periodic squeals, and lower frequency swathes of the brushes and subtle electronics, this piece than gentle brings the listen down for a soft landing after a good sixty minutes of mind blowing soundscape surgery.

Arszyn/Duda have created a real treat for all us improvisation lovers out here. SE is not for faint-at-heart. You will be hit with sound. There will be blood. This is challenging music, folks. But this is why we love jazz!

(Again...Many thanks to fellow blog site Polish Jazz for turning me on to Arszyn/Duda. You guys should really check out what he has to deliver. We will be sharing some of their stuff over the next couple months as a way to spread more news about the great jazz scene in Poland. Stay tuned.)

Daniel Levin's Modern World

Daniel Levin (cello)

Organic Modernism (Clean Feed Records)

Nate Wooley (trumpet)

Matt Moran (vibes)

Peter Bitebc (bass)

YOU NEED TO KNOW DANIEL LEVIN. 

Daniel Levin has been on the rise since his Don't Go It Alone debut in 2003. And while there have been plenty before him that has set the groundwork for the cello as a major instrument in jazz, inlcuding: Eric Friedlander, Daniel Pezzotti, Hank Roberts, and David Darling among others, Daniel Levin is one artist who is quickly making the cello a prominent force in jazz composition.

With a presence that may be larger in Europe than in the states, those within jazz circles know what an amazing musician/composer he is. He has worked across the improvisational spectrum, with the likes of Ken Vandermark, Joe Morris, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Braxton and many more. Levin brings a subtle adventurous beauty to this chamber setting on his latest, Organic Modernism (Clean Feed Records). His consist and always remarkable quartet of Wooley (trumpet), Moran (vibraphone) and Bitebc (bass) deliver an eloquent and colourful performance throughout the brilliant journey that is Organic Modernism.

"My Kind Of Poetry" is as touching as it is melodic and dense in a slow blues-like fashion. The interaction between Bitebc and Levin at times feels like one instrument. The piece continues builds slowly with the addition of Wooley and then Moran in a more laid back role on this piece. Then we finally arrive at what is an interesting and brief denouement as Levin and Bitebc briskly break in and bring the piece to its conclusion.

"Old School" begins with a haunting, swirling vibe started by Moran and Wooley and then intersects with Bitebc downward strumming and some intricate chord changes by Levin. It's an exploratory piece with a great deal of depth. Levin uses the space between perfectly and he and Moran interweave back and forth in the mix. There's a cool warmth to this meditative piece that gives you a realm glimpse of a quartet that has worked together for a very long time and knows how and when to fill the sound world they have created.

"Wild Kingdom" is a wonderful statement which Levin unveils a fierce opening while painting the outside borders for the group to follow. There's improvisation here, especially from Wooley and Bitebc, but there is also a real sense of direction and structure that you soon grasp a follow with interest on how this end. That's the excitement of the organic journey.

Organic Modernism delivers on the idea that the use of space, depth and sound can conjure some beautiful melodies. Organic Modernism also delivers the melody in unexpected structures, all the while, creating a pleasant listening experience for the audience. I hope for most people this isn't your first experience with Daniel Levin but if it is it is a great one. Now go buy the rest of his works.

Nate Wooley

Nate Wooley (trumpet)

(Put Your) Hands Together (Clean Feed Records)

Matt Moran (vibes)

Johs Sinton (bass clarinet)

Harris Eisenstadt (drums)

Eivind Opsvik (bass)

I haven't been a Nate Wooley fan very long but I have come to learn to expect the unexpected when I put one of his albums on. Nate Wooley's latest, (Put Your) Hands Together is no different. For me it is the best album as leader I have heard from him. And, (Put Your) Hands Together is causing my list of best albums of year to grow quicker, a lot earlier this year. Wooley likes to explore sparseness of sound and space. His music has melody but it is more the improvisation and harmonics that take precedent on his recordings. And his quartet take will take you on a journey that is both brave as it is illuminating.

(Put Your) Hands Together is a dedication to the family and friends that have shaped and inspired his life. There is exuberance and delicacy throughout this session making it also one of the more "accessible" yet still best improvisational recordings yet from the increasing important trumpeter.

The title track, "Hands Together" puts forth the marching orders for the band--be expansive, creative but always intimate. One of the great things about Nate Wooley's music is the difficulty in trying to describing to my friends. I feel like Dave Douglas, Nate Wooley has his own vision of jazz going beyond what the instrument is supposed to do, how the composition sounds and how we the listener are expected to encompass it. "Hands Together" moves in different directions (both straight ahead rhythm to deconstruction) and it makes for an exciting launching pad after the sparse solo trumpet opener of "Shanda Lea 1".

Explorations in sound and density are always a benchmark of Nate Wooley's recordings. This plays out nicely on "Pearl", a short but evocative piece which the quartet take most if not all the lead. There is a hint of Wooley's interaction in the opening few chords but you have to listen closely. This composition is more a vehicle for the rest of the group to experiment with space and they do it exact and efficiently.

The repetitive motion and almost good nature of "Ethyl" and "Hazel" is another instance where Wooley moves between boppish themes and deconstruction with ease. With some wonderful interchanges between Josh Stinton and Matt Moran on "Ethyl" it feels ethereal and yet grounded in playful humour. "Hazel" brings a high level of beauty to the (Put Your) Hands Together. A ballad that is truly touching, emotional and introspective from its creator.

(Put Your) Hands Together is hopefully the moment where a new audience starts to advance towards the ideas put forth by Nate Wooley. There are very few trumpeters on the scene today with his kind of vision and the skill to pull it off. He is playing without really thinking about the structure so much as he is thinking where the music will take us next. Highly Recommended.

Sunna Gunnlaugs

Sunna Gunnlaugs

The Dream (Sunny Sky Records)
Sunna Gunnlaugs (piano)

• Loren Stillman (sax)
• Eivind Opsvik (bass)
• Scott McLemore (drums)
• 
  
• So if you've been reading JazzWrap for awhile you will know that I don't throw around comparisons to Esbjorn Svesnsson Trio at all. I've always felt that E.S.T. were a cut above every other modern trio of the last decade. Esbjorn Svensson was a magnificent pianist and is deeply missed. I recently started listening to Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs and I have been convinced that she could be one of the few pianists that might ascend to Svensson's heights.
• 
  
• While influences of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans are well noted, there is an Eastern European element to writing and performance that add another layer of beauty and romanticism that will definitely connect with listeners. In the same manner as the earlier Esbjorn Svensson recordings.
• 
  
• Gunnlaugs had studied and performed in New York in the late '90s before returning to Iceland. The experiences of growing up near/with Scandinavian influences as well as being apart of a multi-dimensional scene in New York is definitely captured in Gunnlaugs recordings. On her most recent (sixth in all) album, The Dream (Sunny Sky Records), Sunna Gunnlaugs makes the perfect connection of intimate lyricism with buoyant melodies into exciting and sophisticated listening experience.
• 
  
• "Holding Ground" has a wonderful hard bop sensibility to it. Her movement on the keys has shown a definite New York influence. For me it felt like being at Smoke listening to Harold Mabern or Mulgrew Miller (something I do quite often actually). Gunnlaugs playing moves between delicate compositional structures and free form improvisations (as shown on the five interludes "Spin"). That European influence can felt on "Vitjun" in which Stillman and Gunnlaugs both deliver beautiful harmonies that give the piece a lush chamber music quality but somehow never feeling distant.
• 
  
• "Tunnel Vision" has become one of my favourite tracks on the album. Eivind Opsvik and Scott McLemore (also a member of ASA Trio) open with a very exquisitely played improvisation before Gunnlaugs and Stillman join in to create a bold well enclosed piece with each member stretching the parameters. "Korn" is yet another astounding combination for me that conjures both Icelandic, European and American themes. Gunnlaugs playing dominates this closing number as expected but it also features Opsvik accompanying her with terrific shapes and patterns on the bass.
• 
  
• In The Dream, Sunna Gunnlaugs has created a work that is reminiscent of early E.S.T. albums. It is the sum of influences but she uniquely stretches those influences into something wholly different. Gunnlaugs has moved from strength to strength with The Dream and it is her best record to date. If you are looking for something rewarding, exciting and combining some of the best playing you might hear all year on piano, The Dream is a great document to start with. Absolutely Brilliant!

(JazzWrap Note: Sunna Gunnlaugs is currently offering a free download EP featuring a live version of the title track "The Dream" on her site. It's a great introduction to her music. And they when you done, you should buy the whole album.)