The Weekly RecommNeds: Jazz On A Summer’s Day

Jazz on a summer’s day…

Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom: No Morphine No Lilies

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You can easily judge a jazz bandleader’s worth by the cats he, or in this case she, gets to play in their band. By that measure, Allison Miller must be doing alright. With (my personal faves) Jenny Scheinman & Todd Sickafoose on violin and bass, Myra Melford on piano rounding out Boom Tic Boom and NYC heavy hitters Steven Bernstein and Erik Friedlander making appearances, amongst others, the band is top notch and the music easily follows suit. The album hops around nicely between different styles and subgenres of jazz, and Miller’s drumming alternates nicely between right up in your ear and lying low in the weeds.

Spotify: Allison Miller – No Morphine, No Lilies
MOG: Allison Miller – No Morphine, No Lilies
Rhapsody: Allison Miller – No Morphine, No Lilies
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00BJB2CVO

Craig Taborn Trio: Chants

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To me, there is nothing more basic than the piano trio – piano, drums and bass – which seems to be the most generic band in Western music. And yet, what makes it the most fascinating grouping is how it seems to be continually reinvented. Here, Taborn with Thomas Morgan and Gerald Cleaver continue in the tradition of the Keith Jarrett trio and The Bad Plus, bringing gorgeous melodies and inventive compositions to the standard format like they were the ones who discovered its simplicity and infinite possibilities. Each track here seems to have its own life and energy. A treat through and through, probably my favorite jazz album of the year so far.

MOG: https://mog.com/m#album/82673051
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00C5ZLIFO

Rudresh Mahanthappa: Gamak

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With a name like that, it’s not surprising that Mahanthappa seems to cram every syllable and sound into each moment of music on this album. The opening track Waiting Is Forbidden is a saxophone calisthenic, swarming and swerving around multiple overlapping themes. The rest of the album is an impressive, if hectic, set.

Spotify: Rudresh Mahanthappa – Gamak
MOG: https://mog.com/m#album/79750595
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B3D79X4

Curtis Hasselbring: Number Stations

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If you’re going to listen to one album from a trombonist this year, why not make it this one? Like the rest of these great jazz albums, this one features a great band with Trevor Dunn on bass, Ches Smith on drums and a whole bunch of others. The pieces here are actually compositions and improvisations based on shortwave radio secret code messages and the music is an appropriately intense soundtrack to some unseen film of intrigue and suspense. The unique blend of sounds (trombone, guitar, vibes, reeds) and some great off-kilter playing makes for a fascinating, engaging listen…if not very relaxing.

MOG:  https://mog.com/m#album/79643627
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B1KNMSA

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