Wadada Leo Smith: Dark Lady Of The Sonnets

Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet)

Live At Roulette NYC 16.12.2011

Dark Lady Of The Sonnets (Tum Records; 2011)

Pheeroan akLaff (drums)

Min Xiao-Fen (pipa; vocals)

A Wadada Leo Smith record or concert is always going to be an experience. There will be unquestioned excellence on the part of the leader. There will be intricate direction given to his bandmates. And there will always be unique use of sound and space which creates a very interesting ride for the listener and audience.

Wadada celebrated his 70th year with a devoted group of New Yorkers (yours truly included) who experienced a wide range of styles and ideas flying from the dreads to trumpet. It was an evening of two distinct lineups. First his Sextet, which deployed more of a "work-in-progress" minimal session. The trumpet gave very tight direction to the members but they each utilized it with superb effect. The standouts were Susie Ibarra, who continually shows why she is one of the best avant garde drummers on the scene. She had a force and fluidity that felt like a tsunami. John Lindberg on bass was also stellar, with a performance that seemed to move in and out of consciousness. The closing piece I swear his bass was set up to a wah wah kit because those grooves were funky and psychedelic all at once.

The second lineup featured members of his Organic Ensemble and Silver Orchestra's. This lineup floated between experimental, funky and fusion. Their previous releases, Spiritual Dimensions and Hearts Reflections are reflected in this performance. There's a more structured and obviously larger sound. The group feels more unified and head in the clear direction. There is space within the notes to improvise whether it is with electronics, vibes, guitars or Smith's distinct notes. This set had more for the audience to grasp onto and went in enough directions that it was immensely enjoyable.

Moving away from the present's large ensemble works to a recent past studio session, Dark Lady Of The Sonnets (Tum Records), recorded in 2007 but only released this year, celebrates life with a real sense of intimacy. It actually took me a couple of listens to really connect with the record. I had been so accustomed to the larger ensemble works that hearing this relatively quiet piece was a little jarring.

The trio setting really allows you to feel a lot more of Smith's playing than ever before. "Sarah Bell Wallace" is dedicated to Smith's mother and it is a somber piece but also features high moments which signify the celebration of her life.

"Blues: Cosmic Beauty" is more what I was used to. A burst of energy from Smith's trumpet with a unified but free form moves from both longtime bandmate Pheeroan akLaff and Xiao-Fen's excellent and unique sounding pipa. The piece gently descends in the middle with akLaff and Smith sharing interchanges with Fen's improvised vocalise. Both "Dark Lady Of The Sonnets" and the closing piece "Mibra" both see Smith's trumpet rising higher and higher. The proceedings are more upbeat and enthralling but still challenge your patience.

Dark Lady Of The Sonnets is about emotion and inner beauty. It's one of the more well focused yet still open flowing albums Wadada Leo Smith has recorded. This is a great record hot on the hills of his Organic releases. And its a great way to celebrate his 70 years of adventurous sounds. Happy Birthday Mr. Smith.

Stacey Kent: Dreamer In Concert

Stacey Kent (vocals)

Dreamer In Concert (Blue Note France; 2011)

Matt Skelton (drums)

Jim Tomlinson (sax)

Jeremy Brown (bass)

Graham Harvey  (piano)        

There are some artists where integrity and tradition are integral to their delivery and success. Stacey Kent has delivered integrity and a sweet panache for tradition for almost two decades now. She has maintained a huge following with a sweet mastery of the American Songbook but with her last record, Reconte Moi (Blue Note; 2010), she advanced and widened her net a bit among jazz fans. The addition of a number of interesting French standards may have been a big part of it too.

The album was obviously a big hit in France which is probably what prompted the concept of her first ever live album, Dreamer In Concert (Blue Note). I've always had a tough time describing Kent to friends. But the best description would be soft, calm and undeniably impressive. Like a young cool Astrid Gilberto and soft lion-like courage of Tony Bennett or think on the pop side, Carole King. And now in addition to dragging my friends to her shows every year I can now bombard them with a truly stunning document of what its like to sit in the audience and get lost in her voice and her band's unique strengths and unity.

"Postcards Lovers" a love song awash with memories and passion that is built on the poetry of Kazuo Ishiguro, but delivered by like a wise sage, Kent will have your heart melting. The upbeat tempo of "If I Were A Bell" would put any music fan on their knees in awe. Kent captivates here in way that Anita O'Day or Rosemary Clooney would. Hitting the forceful notes but always keeping a gentle handle on the proceeding so the listener remains focused on the lyrics and creates their own life-story.

The Latin rhythms of Jobim's "Dreamer" are accentuated by the her marvelous band, especially Harvey's enveloping fender rhodes. Tomlinson's romantic notes feel like something out the best periods of Stan Getz. Skelton and Brown adds lovely touches on percussion and bass the are integral to the movements. This is a group that has been together for awhile and you can hear it in every note. "Jardin D'Hiver" sees Kent absorbing herself fully into recent French popular music (the piece originally written by French musician, Benjamin Biolay). The chanteuse delivers a sultry and impassioned version adds a gentleness to the husky original. The two versions do stand apart and Kent has made this piece her own.

The best part about Dreamer In Concert is that fans who may not have seen (or may never get to see) the illustrious Stacey Kent, now have an opportunity to experience what I've been telling them for years. She is one of the few true female jazz vocalists on scene today. A warm, inviting tone that is captivating as well as invigorating. This is one of those few and perfect live albums that is a must own. Highly Recommended.

The Ames Room: Bird Dies

The Ames Room (group)

Bird Dies (Clean Feed; 2011)

Jean-Luc Guionnet (sax)

Clayton Thomas (bass)

Will Guthrie (drums)

Power trios come with various sounds and sizes. The Ames Room may be small but their sound is bold and forceful. This French/Australian trio lays into you like the first time you got beat up as a kid. It's sheer brute force and once you finally give in there is this little blissful nature that sets in. The feeling that this might be all there is left for you. But The Ames Room help you realize there's more inside the noise than you realize.

The Ames Room have only been on the scene for a short time (since 2007) but have crafted a sound that is blistering and beautiful. Fans of Vandermark, Gustafsson, Haker Flaten and Nilssen-Love are sure to gravitate to the trio's new album, Bird Dies (Clean Feed). This one piece live recording follows up where their debut, IN (Monotype Records; 2010), left off--a full frontal attack of chords against the borders of a genre.

There's no build up here. The Ames Room make their statement known from the first note. They come out of the gates ripping forward like Gustafsson's The Thing in mid-performance. The staccato drums, breakneck sax and suffocating basslines that dominate the first 15 minutes of the piece are impressive for the duration as well as the stellar delivery.


The gears shift only slightly around the 23min mark. Guionnet's takes the lead but is challenged perfectly by Guthrie's cascading patterns. Meanwhile Thomas paints a small rhythm in the background. There are moments just after the half hour mark that remind of Ornette Coleman's Change Of The Century. A calm descends on the closing ten minutes only to be resurrected to the opening salvo of white noise which cuts deep then comes full-stop.

The audience at this performance was probably left in awe. You can only briefly feel it from low volume mic on the audience. But make no mistake The Ames Trio is building a following and will leave an indelible mark on your senses. Bird Dies is challenging music but isn't that what music is all about?

Enjoy...

Pascal Niggenkemper: Upcoming Hurricane

Pascal Niggenkemper (bass)

Upcoming Hurricane (NoBusiness Records; 2011)

Simon Nabatov (piano)

Gerald Cleaver (drums)

I was already familiar with Pascal Niggenkemper's work as a result of the release, Klippe by Thomas Heberer, early this summer and a superb trio with Robin Verheyen and Tyshawn Sorey, PN Trio. So this was always going to be an exciting adventure to see what his new trio would put forth. And the new album, Upcoming Hurricane, pretty much says it all. This is a heavy storm of sound that comes on quietly but resonates brightly over 60+ minutes.

Clean, open and improvised, Niggenkemper is a brilliant performer but more importantly an astute and crafty composer and leader. Niggenkemper's idea of space, wind and earth as a theme for exploring music is embedded throughout this session.

The title track comes rolling in like a swarm of bees. The addition of Simon Nabatov (piano) provides a deeper and introspective outlook than PN Trio which was sax, bass and drums. Nabatov's free formed pounding keys intersect with Cleaver's pulsating drums and Niggenkemper's expertly dense bowed bass making for an intense listen. But it unfolds beautifully in all its clattering glory. There a rising tempo that reaches an epic two thirds of the way through that you have to really hold on tight because things could get out of hand. And suddenly all three musicians release you as if you were never there.

"Arbol de piedra" reverses the setting. It's a piece with a lot of space and room for each member to interpret freely. Cleaver touches around the outside of Nabatov exploratory notes. While Niggenkemper floats in and out of the melody with dreamlike quality. It's piece that allows the listen to think a dwell and become absorbed into the spaces between the notes. 

"Fighting The Mill" is Niggenkemper's piece. It's improvised yes but Nabatov and Cleaver add the chaos to talented bassists more cerebral movements on this number. The storm hits midway through as the trio goes off in different directions while somehow still holding your attention as to what the next note might be. Exquisite execution by composer and trio. There's even a small groove that develops about three minutes from time (I sensed it while listening on my headphones). It doesn't last long and is a direct result of the free flowing atmosphere of the session that notes and ideas began to fold into one.

Upcoming Hurricane along with Niggenkemper's previous PN Trio are both excellent documents of this rich talented bassist with an ever-evolving palate of themes.


This video is from PN Trio.