Jordan Young Group

Jordan Young (drums)

Jordan Young Group (self produced; 2010)

Brian Charette (organ)

Yotam Silberstein (guitar)

Joe Sucato (sax)

One of the main reasons I was drawn to the Jordan Young Group's self-titled debut was the fact that the leader was from Detroit. Detroit has long tradition of music legends across multiple genres (Iggy Pop, Juan Atkins, Elvin Jones).


Jordan Young has a nice pedigree in his short career. He has studied and played with some of Detroit's greatest musicians, including Gerald Cleaver, Marcus Belgrave and James Carter to name a few. Young's playing is understated but precise. The influences of Jimmy Cobb or Philly Joe Jones seem apparent. But as leader of this organ based trio, Young is also very good director of a tight and skillful collection of musicians.

The Jordan Young Group while consisting of some interesting covers, a few interludes penned by organist, Brian Charette and one full track by Young, is still a solid effort and demanding of repeat listens.


Opening with a surprising version of Pat Metheny's "H and H", the group transform this trio piece into a vibrant and exciting excursion. "H and H" gives each member moments to shine individually. Young's playing is sharp and well refined. He has a couple rolling moments that really catch the ear. Sucato's sax is killer and has a nice Stanley Turrentine vibe to it. Charette and Silberstein both display funky exchanges, with Young keeping the group in great timing. A great opener and nice prelude to what is to come throughout the session.

As I've said with other organ based groups, its difficult to kept the organ from overtaking the rest of the group sometimes. On the Jordan Young Group that doesn't happens. Charette's playing is leveled and masterful. The arrangements and choices Young and the rest of group have chosen highlight this through the intricacies of the quartet. "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a wonderful rendition of the Cole Porter standard that emits a lovely tone through Charette and Sucato's performances. The groups interludes, "Pings", while short still give insight into what the band can do for the future. These are like short films or cut-ups. Giving a futurist, post modern element that the rest of the albums standards may not project. Charette and Young drives these pieces with swirling patterns and subtle improvisations.

Jordan Young's own, "Claudes Monet", the group display a loving touch that is straight ahead but still richly rewarding. It's a beautiful ballad that again gives the individual members a chance to shine and the listen a closer opportunity to hone in on Young's playing and compositional skills. Another stellar performs comes on the yearning "My One And Only Love" where the group again shows a great deal of pose within a classic number. Young while the leader of group shares a great deal of skill like the aforementioned drummers and possibly even more recently with Paul Motian in making is playing understated when needed and boisterous when demanded. In "My One And Only Love" it's definitely in the background, allowing his group to take the lead nicely.

On the Wayne Shorter piece "Angola", Young is required to up-the-ante and energize the group with a really magnificent performance. The group's response is smokin'. Young lets loose on a vicious solo midway through that you didn't hear or expect from the earlier portion of the album. It's a good opportunity to experience the full range of Young's playing and direction. The Jordan Young Group closes with another Ping which again could foreshadow a future direction for the group and that I hope comes to disc soon.

Jordan Young has definitely learned a lot from his Detroit mentors. But I think the most important thing was how to be a leader. The Jordan Young Group is fantastic debut from a quartet that display great versatility with originals as well as inventiveness with the elements of the past. A solid effort worth your time and money.

Cylinder

Cylinder (group)

Cylinder (Clean Feed; 2011)

Aaram Shelton (sax)

Darren Johnston (trumpet)

Lisa Mezzacappa (bass)

Kjell Nordeson (drums)

I have become a huge fan of Aram Shelton's work over the last couple years. His various groups/projects are all very different. His departure to San Francisco from Chicago adds a great new thinker to the ever growing West Coast avant garde and free jazz movement.

With his latest collective work, Cylinder, Shelton actually becomes more a member of a unit than leader. And a stellar unit it is. There is a lot of creative thinking going on throughout this session. Each member has a history of moving in and out of both avant garde, free jazz, chamber and straight ahead circles. On their debut as Cylinder it all melds into one of the best sessions you'll experience all year. It's not because it's built on a Free Jazz motif, it's more because of the effectiveness of the performances and concepts within each piece.

You can hear shades of Ornette Coleman or Don Cherry throughout, but the group really doesn't rely on history. In fact, they might be shaping it (if this is an ongoing quartet). While this is a group effort, each member does have opportunity to express themselves on selected pieces. "The Ear That Was Sold To A Fish" opens with a lovely duel phrasing from Shelton and Johnston. Johnston, who has worked in the avant garde arena for years (on both sides of the Atlantic) works in the stratosphere with some beautiful lyrical notes.

A revelation for me was Lisa Mezzacappa, whom I've only known by name but hadn't investigated her music (until now), and I have to say I've really been missing out on an amazing bassist. She has this ability to hit the thick notes delicately and with poise and makes you really feel it. "Sung By Dogs" is one of those moments. The galloping rhythm laid out by Mezzacappa and Nordeson accompanying on the horns makes for a haunting yet rich piece with lots of intersections for the ear to latch on to.

The individual work of both drummer and bassist rises again on both "The Deep Disciplines" and "Crossings" where both share some nice crosscurrents early on and then the quartet regroups midway and runs through a set of improvised moment before catching a groove that is covered by Johnston and later Shelton's fierce sonic resonance. 

"Skipped Rocks" sees Shelton moving poetically on clarinet while his bandmates mingle and experiment with sound. "Skipped Rocks" isn't a track where you have to listen closely. The melody and theories take hold quickly (even for the uninitiated) and its beautiful. Cylinder closes on a more free form note than it began with "Earthworm" which weaves its way in and out with sublime work from Mezzacappa and Shelton. It's a piece that doesn't rise in tone so much as it elevates in texture and density. Cylinder seem to utilize the space around them and gives you a look inside the mind of a well focused quartet with a multitude of ideas.

While Cylinder may get headlines because of Aram Shelton, it really is a complete group with a swirl of theories and concepts that makes it one of the best future-forward bands on the scene right now. I really hope they record regularly. An excellent listen.

Julio Resende: You Taste Like A Song

Julio Resende (piano)

You Taste Like A Song (Clean Feed; 2011)

Ole Morten Vagan (bass)

Joel Silva (drums)

Bruno Pedroso (drums)

Joao Custodio (bass)

This is an album I fell in love with after the first listen. Classically trained but quickly inspired by jazz at a young age, Portugese pianist Julio Resende is becoming a very important star on the scene. He has trained and performed in Portugal, Spain, France and the U.S. in addition to receiving great accolades in his home country. Resende's style has been described as somewhere between Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. He has the playful adventurousness of Evans, and intricacies of Jarrett but Resende has also quickly developed an innovative voice over just the short span of three records as leader.

His latest, You Taste Like A Song, is a piece of sheer brilliance. It's a trio session with members he's performed with on his previous albums - this time featuring two sets of trio on selected tracks. Opening strong with the melodic ballad, "Silenciso-For The Fado", Resende shows his classical skills have not drifted into the background. His playing is beautiful and his bandmates improvise between the lines creating a very atmospheric nature to the piece. The titled track is upbeat in a more Northern European pattern but you can feel Resende's youthful rock influences (which later come out on an interesting version of Radiohead's "Airbag") as the group touches off a cascade of rhythms and beats that might leave you toe-tapping by the end.

"Improvisacao (Call It Whatever)" charges through with imagination and a clear sense of unity. Each member has some stellar improvised moments in addition to some terrific dual interaction and solo pieces (especially Vagan). "Improvisacao" shows the growth of Resende on the creative front. I felt like I was listening Jason Moran or Kris Davis at certain points. Resende really delivers with an astounding version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser," Led by some unique drumming from Silva. A muffled effect on the drums gives them a distance and depth that is haunting. Resende's performance is sublime. It's not the usual keys you'd expect for a cover of Monk's material and that makes it a huge standout for me. Exquisite stuff from the young pianist.

You Taste Like A Song could be the album that sees Julio Resende arrive on the global radar for many jazz fans this year. It's well balanced and he demonstrates a creativity and enjoyment that you might not hear all year. I've discussed a lot of pianists over the last month. Not sure how that happened, but anyway... Julio Resende is one that I believe if you need something different in your jazz catalogue right now, You Taste Like A Song is the album to purchase. Highly Recommended.

Chord Four: Californian Avant Garde?

Chord Four (group)

Chord Four (self produced)

Andrew Conrad (tenor sax, clarinet, melodica)
Brandon Sherman (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Brandon Schmidt (bass)
Colin Woodford (drums)

Shimmering. Refreshing. Inviting and clever. Just a few words I would use to describe Chord Four and their self-titled debut. This Los Angeles quartet has found a nice balance between past and present.

Chord Four are part of an emergent California scene that might someday rival Chicago in the free jazz arena. While most new groups emulate their influences, Chord Four seem to have developed a foundation on which they can create new harmonies and patterns that make this debut fun and entertaining.

The two opening tracks display very distinct sides to this quartet. On the opener, "I See Orange, I See Summer, I See Happy People", shows a group enjoying rhythm and structure with elements of Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Lester Bowie and Art Blakey. It's a fast moving calypso pattern that is as infectious as it is intricate.

"The Metamorphosis Of The Gilded Flutterby" sees the group utilizing more improvised aspects within their writing. It has a bit of a Chicago vibe to it (piano-less quartet) with Conrad switching to clarinet and some wonderful playing by Schmidt on bass. "The Metamorphosis..." gently rides itself out with some sweet closing bars from Conrad. The band explores more improvised territory with "Mr. Balvenie", a rolling piece with lots of depth and suspenseful syncopation. It's fun, creative and accessible all at once with driving elements from Woodford and Schmidt.

The Chicago vibe sometimes intertwines with a New Orleans romp as evident on "Waltz," a midtempo piece with stellar interaction between each member. Sherman leads the way with some great passages that also fold nicely into Schmidt's perfect plucking. This tune then elevates slowly without losing its intimacy, and fades out on Conrad notes. Chord Four have this exciting spirit that is built on foundations inhabited by greats like Dave Douglas, Art Ensemble Of Chicago (and if you can remember, even Arto Lindsay's Lounge Lizards). 

Closing out the album is one of those examples of the aforementioned possible influences; "Quiet In The Library" jumps out with a pulsating rhythm lead by Schmidt as the rest of quartet move in to add some strong colour and body to the tune. It's a vivid piece and moves with an impassioned spirit. A perfect way to close out the album.

Most American groups seem to be based around one performer or they are collectives of well established leaders. Chord Four, I hope will break this trend. Their debut is an impressive mixture of free form and access that will hopefully spread over the course the year. Here's to hoping the band get the chance to tour and impress audiences even more than on record.