Time Out Take Five is a column that offers pithy takes on recent jazz releases, spotlighting titles that deserve attention and might otherwise go unnoticed.
Marton Juhasz: Metropolis – Drummer/composer/bandleader Marton Juhasz takes a sharp turn from where he left off with 2019’s Discovery. His first album since then finds him forging arrangements as ornate as the material, all without muffling vigorous musicianship from his roster of accompanists. As on the breezy “Plato’s Clave” and “Wren Song,” this nearly forty minutes of eight tracks manifests instrumental color(s) comparable to the multi-hued cover images of Pablo Nieto inside and out of the gatefold sleeve package. Meanwhile, the audio mixed and mastered by Sam Barnett also mirrors the artwork, most notably during Lorenzo Vitolo’s Fender Rhodes interludes on “Helio.” And durable cuts such as “Winged Travelers” make for what deserves to be termed ‘the complete package.’
Yelena Eckemoff: Scenes From The Dark Ages – The density of Yelena Eckemoff’s illustrations on the covers and within the ten-page booklet of Scenes From The Dark Ages corresponds to the meticulous attention to detail she applies to composing and arranging. Nevertheless, her work on various keyboards nurtures a palpable sense of liberation amongst her and her accompanists as they play together during “Village Tavern.” In particular, the contrast is delicious between the woman’s electric piano and Trilok Gurtu’s percussion. This self-produced, approximately one-hundred-minute narrative turns cinematic almost immediately in fifteen tracks, particularly during Riccardo Bertuzzi’s electric guitar interludes on “Spell-Bound Fortress.” Yet nowhere does the work turn pretentious, which may be Eckemoff and company’s most significant achievement.
Eldad Tarmu: Silver in Aluminum – The somewhat drab color scheme of the graphics that adorn vibist Eldad Tarmu’s Silver in Aluminum does not accurately reflect the abiding glow of warmth radiating from the music. Slightly more than half an hour of playing time passes all too quickly as the graceful collective swing of this trio–including Marty Isenberg on double bass and Michael Shapira on drums–takes place within notably concise cuts: at 5:45, “Gregory is Here” is the longest in duration. Sparkling with life in the hands of a free-wheeling threesome that remains unencumbered by self-consciousness or hesitation throughout, all these pieces composed by jazz icon Horace Silver were recorded to sound as big as they are deep, all the better to readily reveal the virtues within.
Nanami Haruta: The Vibe – The sleek tones of Nanami Haruta’s trombone appropriately suffuse The Vibe as she and five other musicians wend their way patiently but authoritatively through eleven tracks recorded, mixed, and mastered by Corey DeRushia. That sensitive engineering emphasizes all the individual instruments, including Michael Dease’s horns, Xavier Davis’ piano, and the graceful rhythm section of bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. The unity of the ensemble is never more apparent than on “Algonquin,” but from the very beginning, Renee Rosnes’ “Girlie’s World,” right up to and including the concluding gentle benediction, “Unchained Melody,” the single-minded musicianship fosters a rare combination of the accessible and the engrossing.
Emma Rawicz and Gwilym Simcock: Big Visit – Mirrored in the color cover art of Paul Quick, successive interactions by this saxophonist and pianist are, in turn, quietly reflective and bristling with energy. Simcock edited and mixed the recordings of Curtis Schwartz (who also mastered this forty-five plus minutes), capturing in detail not only his emphatic and joyful excursions along the ivories, but also Rawicz’ deft adjustments of tone in playing saxophones both tenor (“The Shape of A New Sun”) and soprano (“Optimum Friction”). Shared gusto on tracks including two original pieces by each of the principals–residing comfortably next to Stevie Wonder’s “Visions”– speaks volumes about the fundamental affinity that drew Simcock and Rawicz together in the first place and bonds them with such solidity here.
