Charlie Haden & Hank Jones: Come Sunday

Charlie Haden (bass)

Hank Jones (piano)

Come Sunday (Emarcy Records; 2011)


Charlie Haden reconvened with the great Hank Jones in 2010 to record a sequel to their beautiful spirituals album, Steal Away (Verve; 1995) and record another set of lovely passages entitled Come Sunday (Emarcy). The title comes from Duke Ellington album of the same name. This was also recorded just a few months before Hank Jones' passing which gives the session even more spiritual significance.


These hymns, spirituals and ballads are quiet but extremely uplifting. Just as their previous session 15 years early, the two musicians complement each other perfectly.  "Give Me That Old Time Religion" illustrates how the two work in harmonic unison. They move back and forth with each highlighting a section and then the other rejoins the rhythm. 

A spiritual favourite by Thomas Dorsey, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" sounds immaculate in the hands and Jones and Haden. Jones has a lyrical pattern that carries this somber piece and turns it into a something even more joyous upon conclusion. Haden's strings are heartfelt and warm, leaving a lasting impression.

"Nearer My God To Thee" details the journey from darkness to light. The exchanges here are deep yet Haden and Jones perform effortlessly making the tune light and fruitful. "Come Sunday" is propelled by Jones' jubilant hands and Haden's chords to feel bolder than the cello on Ellington's original. This allows for a closer inspection by the listener and forces you to pay attention to the details of every note.

Steal Away has always been one of my favourite duet records and I was excited when I heard about the recording of Come Sunday. It was a long time coming but I'm happy this time finally arrived. Come Sunday is exaltation of life and simply put--beautiful. Highly Recommended.

Ehud Asherie & Harry Allen: Upper West Side

Ehud Asherie (piano)

Harry Allen (sax)

Upper West Side (Posi-Tone Records; 2012)

A classic sound and supreme mastery from Ehud Asherie and Harry Allen on their duet album, Upper West Side. This album shines with a series of standards that are performed exquisitely but aren't just your regular revisit of past benchmarks. This is a session that swings with vibrancy and class. 

The session has a lovely bebop vibe that is warm and inviting.  The classic "It Had To Be You" has bouncy and humour sprinkled throughout. Allen's playing is fresh and big. It reminds a little of Tuby Hayes. Asherie is strict and direct on the keys but knows how and where to place the playful notes. "O Pato" with it's Latin origins allows the duo to expand with strong (and should I say, funkier) passages. This is a tune they both carry with high energy and pleasure.

Billy Strayhorn's signature "Passion Flower," always a difficult piece to tackle; is performance with grace and precision. Both musicians capture the depth within the piece but Asherie's solo in the middle is a wonderful statement of his ability as performer and interpreter of standards. It has all the passion and emotion you are looking for in a ballad. Allen's soft touches both in the beginning and the end add richness to outlines of the piece.


The always consistent "My Blue Heaven" jumps in the hands Asherie. It's peppered with an almost Bud Powell inflection. There's a small bit of improvising in the middle bridge before Allen joins in and the two travel along exchanging some delightful rhythms back and forth.

Upper West Side is one those highly enjoyable sessions that doesn't try re-invent the past as much as it pays homage. But while it's a look into our musical history, it is also a beautiful document of two excellent performers. Ehud Asherie and Harry Allen are well-known within the jazz circle but this is a record all your non-jazz friends should definitely own. Tell them all...

The Intersection: Scent Of Soil

The Intersection is an ongoing segment dedicated to global artists that are pushing and changing our definitions of genres.

Scent Of Soil (group)
Scent Of Soil (Hubro Music; 2012)
Tore Brunborg (sax)
Rune Nergaard (bass)
Petter Vagan (guitar)
Kirsti Huke (vocals, keyboards)
Gard Nilssen (drums)

Swinging in a completely different direction for the Intersection, we were sent the self titled debut from Scent Of Soil and I have to say it is spellbinding. Created by vocalist, Kirsti Huke and Torn Brunborg (an original member of the legendary group Masqualero), the group explores a unique combination of folk, indie and jazz that is stunningly rich and heavenly. 

Kirsti Huke's vocals are caressing and passionate. It gives similarities to early Anja Garbarek, Sarah McLaughlin and the more notably comparison, Ricki Lee Jones. The lovely rich voice combined with the ethereal sound of the group conjured up memories of a hybrid His Name Is Alive/Azimuth/This Mortal Coil. But those are only touch points for those who need a descriptive starter, Scent Of Soil is something altogether different and worth every dollar, pound, yen, pesos or euro you decide to spend.

While the opener, "Breeze" feels like Ricki Lee Jones and Nick Drake in harmony, it signals that Scent Of Soil will be a beauty description of the genres led by dynamic vocals and majestic musicianship. The piece is originally built around a poem by Robert Frost and illustrates a longing and desire to find an answer to sorrow. The quintet show a more indie sound on "Ocean." Vagan and Huke present an uplifting vibe with rising guitar lines. Nergaard and Nilssen add the groove while Brunborg's notes come in delicately and provide a romantic overtone to the piece.

"Ease" gently drifts along from its opening notes and Huke's sultry vocals until Brunborg, Vagan and Nilssen come crashing through in the middle with shimmering dark beauty. Huke returns to lay the piece softly upon conclusion. "Trondervise" is a more ambient piece that floats along led more by Brunborg in a bold yet understated performance.

"Go Charm!" is probably the closet you may get to rock on this set. The band rise with bashing drums, wah wah guitars and operatic vocals. It's a crash sounds that glistens with maturity and luster. The title track is somber and bluesy, yet appropriate for closing out this texture and diverse session. It's soft and climbs quietly like an elevator up the highest of skyscrapers. 

Scent Of Soil is an astounding, well balanced and genre-bending debut that truly deserves your attention. While each of the members of Scent Of Soil have their own groups and established careers, here's to hoping that this supergroup of sorts is here to stay. Highly Recommended.

David S. Ware: Organica

David S. Ware (sax)

Organica (Aum Fidelity; 2011)

Organica is the second volume in a series of solo saxophone performances that the great David S. Ware has begun to record and is even more amazing than the first outing. Recorded live over the course of 2010 at two separate performances in Brooklyn and Chicago, Ware illustrates why he is one of the most technically proficient and exciting free-thinkers on the scene today.

Both performances feature two selections ("Minus Gravity," "Organica"). The concept other than the fact it is a solo performance, is Ware's use of multiple saxophones. For these concerts, Ware's main instruments are the sopranino and tenor. "Minus Gravity" is the more intimate piece of the two on both evenings. Ware uses the sopranino here and it provides a more clear and high tone that gives the piece a lot of air to breathe. In addition it allows "Minus Gravity" becomes more of a spiritual journey.

The difference in the performances can be felt in the intimacy of the rooms and production. The first performance in Brooklyn feels closer and deep. The Chicago show has a little more distance but still travels along a heavenly vibe, and the both versions have wonderful cascading endings that are sublime.

"Organica" is the more free moving and improvised of the two numbers. On tenor this time, Ware shows why he is one the most creative players about a quarter of the way through when he switches direction from moves up and down through about two or three cords. It may seems like screeches to the uninitiated but to the Ware fans at heart this is pure mystification. Ware gets more expressive and humorous as the piece enters its middle section before it's return to a settled and constructive conclusion.

The Chicago version feels dense and reflects an almost blues tone to it. There's a lot more emotion in the power laid into this evening's version than Brooklyn. The notes are short, sharp and tense. Ware seems to have found a groove that makes a definite impact from start to finish in Chicago.

Organica is an explosive and emotional recording. A real lesson on what a solo performance is suppose to feel like. And a superb treat for fans of David S. Ware. An artist who seems to go from strength to strength.