Aram Shelton...Rising Above It All

Aram Shelton (sax)

There Was... (Clean Feed Records)

Tim Daisy (drums)

Jason Roebke (bass)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)

Aram Shelton has spent years moving and developing his musical language. From his home state of Florida to Washington D.C., Chicago and now currently residing in San Francisco, Shelton is becoming one of the most revered saxophonist's in underground circles. All the while, he has maintained a creativity that is both skillfully harmonic and resolutely improvised. Aram Shelton encompasses both the free jazz aesthetics of Ornette Coleman and the tonal language of Jackie McLean. Shelton was an integral part of the Chicago scene with the groups Fast Citizens (w/Keefe Jackson), Dragon 1976, and his most consistent and flourishing, Arrive.

Arrive is now on their third record, There Was... (Clean Feed Records) the quartet puts together some fantastic arrangements with dizzying improvised moments in between. There Was... could be considered the second official album. The previous album Live At Elastic includes all but the title track "There Was". The Elastic album is a bit rawer and possibly more "works in progress" until fully realized for There Was.. On the opener and title track, Shelton and Daisy interchange some aggressive and fun-filled passages. This is met with the same energy when the trio of Daisy, Roebke and Adasiewicz gather and tear through chord changes. It's a well structured melodic piece with improvised moments that settle nicely inside your ear.

"Lost" really experiments with time, rhythm and harmonics. The group gently improvises its way through the first half with a steady and balanced groove laid just underneath by Roebke and Shelton. Adasiewicz later takes the group into "third stream" territory. It's a frenetic dreamlike moment between the trio again before Shelton completely lets loose. It's the type of aggression that makes his collaborative efforts with Keefe Jackson shine.

"Golden" quickly becomes an expression of free acoustic magnification (I kinda made that one up. Needed something that sounded good.). But "Golden" does typify everything Aram Shelton is about--exploring new structures, deconstruction and re-framing/reshaping the sense of things. It's has ballad-like quality that slowly builds into a triumphant exclamation of purpose.

With There Was... Aram Shelton again makes the case that Chicago artists (whether in Chicago or just leaving) are on the boundaries of jazz and testing it, to see what come next. Highly Recommended stuff.

David Braid: Spirit Dance

David Braid (piano)

Spirit Dance (Opening Day Records)

Chuck Daellenbach (tuba)
Brandon Ridenour (trumpet)

Gene Watts (trombone)

Dave Martin (trombone)

Mike Herriott (trumpet)

Jeff Nelsen (horn)

Canadian pianist David Braid may not be widely known to most U.S. jazz fans but he is a highly accomplished and respected artist in circles of the jazz community here as well as in Europe. Not to mention, a critical favourite at home. He has recorded nine albums including a recently released solo piano album entitled Verge. But it's an album he released last year with the legendary Canadian quintet, Canadian Brass called Spirit Dance (Opening Day Records) that is a lyrically beautiful document of two Canadian treasures that has inspired me to write today.

While many people may know the Canadian Brass from classical recordings, the group are the perfect compliment for Braid's peaceful piano. Braid's work makes a technical, quiet, and personal statement throughout Spirit Dance . Canadian Brass have joyfulness to their playing that transcends traditional classical pieces. The combination makes for a great blend of the two traditions and an exquisite introduction to both performer and quintet.


Spirit Dance grew out of the long standing relationship Braid has had with Canadian Brass and the desire the musicians had to work together on a project. These compositions were written by Braid over the course of four years. The opening number "Interior Castles" starts as a melodic free flowing solo piece but builds and modulates after the Brass join in. It continues to keep its lovely harmonic tone and takes you onward to a peaceful conclusion.

"Temple Heaven Walk," with its crystalline use of prepared piano and eastern vibe feels like a combination of Stephen Drury's interpretation of John Cage and Jon Hassell's "possible worlds" recordings. The Canadian Brass add an element of mysticism to the piece that elevates it to spiritual level. Many have compared Braid to Bill Evans and Glenn Gould. Bold comparisons, but I do see the similarities in "Resolute Bay" with its deep rolling harmonics and chord changes. The introduction of the quintet in the second half of the piece gives it more of a thematic feel. Mike Herriott and Jeff Nelsen really standout towards the end of "Resolute Bay" as well.

"Spirit Dance" moves up and down in a romantic procession. There's a lot going on throughout this piece as it evokes images of great composers like Bernstein and Gershwin. Beautiful, melodic and yet jubilant all at once. "Wash Away," as Braid mentions in the liner notes is the resulting thoughts on what a composition written by Chopin and Ray Charles would sound like. This folks, is brilliant thinking. "Wash Away" has the dominate blues/gospel melody but with a layer of chamber magic added by the Canadian Brass.

Spirit Dance turns out to be both a wonderful classical record and melodic solo jazz outing. The compositions are both delicate and improvised within the tradition of great composers from both genres. For those who have never heard David Braid this is great record to start with. For those who thought Canadian Brass were nothing but a classical quintet this is will be a big revelation for you. I've been listening to this record for a few weeks now and everyday new a track pops up as my favourite. I think we all take that as the sign of a great record...right?

Foton Quartet...Poland Strikes Again!

Foton Quartet (group)

Zomo Hall (Not Two Records)

Gerad Lebik (sax)

Artur Majewski (trumpet)

Jakub Cywinski (bass)

Wojciech Romanowski (drums)

The rich and versatile Polish jazz scene has gone through a big transform in interest over the last decade. Due in large part to the resurgence of the great Tomasz Stanko. Over the last few years a number of artists have leaped into the consciousness of jazz fans all across the globe. From Marcin Wasilewski Trio, Mikrokoletyw to RGG Trio, Polish artists are showing us all that great, creative and forward thinking jazz can come from more than just Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, England, U.S. and a few select countries.

One such collective is Foton Quartet and their debut, Zomo Hall (Not Two Records). Zomo Hall might sound like a trip into the avant garde for the uninitiated, its actually upon the deeper listening that you will find the detail. There are qualities here that are reminiscent of the more experimental work of Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry and Art Ensemble. But the journey through these six "untitled" tracks is truly fruitful and a superb listen.

Artur Majewski (also a member of the duo Mikrokoletyw) and Gerad Lebik combine to bring forth some incredible phrasing and stellar improvising throughout this recording. Track three has a steady meditative tonality with both horns taking different patterns while Cywinski lays down a dreamlike bassline. Majewski later gains a bit of steam midway through but the track never loses its reflective aural sculpture.

Track five brought back memories of listening to Ornette Coleman's soundtrack for Naked Lunch. It's a journey through recess of my own mind that I'd rather not experience. A powerful performance from both Lebik and Cywinski, who turns his bass almost into a cello. This is the longest track on the album but its also the deepest and most creative as it takes the listener through a number of different themes all quiet in nature but adventurous in execution. Track six does stretch out with the band demonstrating that it can take the listener to far reaches of thought while still holding your interest (in only two and a half short minutes).

Foton Quartet is yet another piece of the new Polish jazz scene that must be heard by a wider audience. Zomo Hall standups against anything from rest the minimal, avant garde in other countries. And the work of Artur Majewski should really start to be noticed by more people as well. His collaborative work on the scene for me, is some of the best in Europe at the moment. 

Zomo Hall was a hard record for me to find. I had known about it for some time but couldn't even stumble across it. Then one day my good friends at Downtown Music Gallery got it in and I immediately put down the money. I suggest if you are interested in something new and creative--do yourself a favour and pick up Zomo Hall. Highly Recommend!

Adam Cruz: Drums In Front

Adam Cruz (drums)

Milestone (Sunnyside Records)

Steve Wilson (soprano sax)

Chris Potter (tenor sax)

Miguel Zenon (alto sax)

Steve Cardenas (guitar)

Edward Simon (piano)

Ben Street (bass)

Lately it seems that there aren't enough drummers who are stepping out of the shadows as leaders. Sure you may have your Brian Blades, Jeff Tain Watts and Tomasz Stronen's over the last two decades to make some exciting albums as leaders but extending that list doesn't go that far (I know I'm not including probably another twenty...but you get the point). So when I was listening to the debut from Adam Cruz, Milestone (Sunnyside) I was giddy with anticipation.

Adam Cruz has played with a plethora of musicians over the last two decades including Chick Corea, Sam Newsome, Tom Harrell and most notably with David Sanchez. Here was a consummate sideman finally after almost two decades getting the chance to lead his own group on record.

Milestone is an superb debut in both composition and execution. Adam Cruz has delivers similar results that Billy Higgins delivered on his all too few solo albums as leader. Milestone moves from straight-ahead contemporary with the "Secret Life" to more complex and adventurous material like "The Gadfly" and "Magic Leader" where Cruz really shines with some bristling palpitations on the drums.

"Bird Of Paradise" a midtempo number which actually closes the album is a highlight for me in that it showcases the bands at full stretch romantically. Ben Street and Steve Cardenas add beautiful touches on their solos giving the piece a powerful resonance. Edward Simon and Cruz intertwine in time magnificently drawing small comparisons to the Billy Higgins/Cedar Walton. "Crepuscular" is a great piece with an ethereal tonal structure, slow building with almost Abercombie-esque passages from Cardenas deep in the background. "Crepuscular" rising on slightly towards to the end as Steve Wilson and Chris Potter push through with some powerful harmonics making the closing highly rich and expressive.

Arguably just as inventive but certainly more upbeat than Brian Blades debut (no, I'm not criticizing Blades' debut), Adam Cruz has created a well rounded and dynamic recording that spreads across varying tempos and themes. It's a great piece work feature a an array of stellar individual performances. Cruz sets forth on some very expressive and expansive structures making Milestone a highly rewarding purchase for every jazz fan.