Time Out Take Five: Daggerboard, Bruno Raberg, Javon Jackson, Dave Adewumi, Benjie Porecki

Time Out Take Five is a column comprised of pithy takes on recent jazz releases, spotlighting titles deserving attention that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Daggerboard: The Skipper and Mike Clark – It is a testament to the creative confidence of Daggerboard’s co-leaders, Erik Jacobsen and Gregory Howe, that they would actually deign to name a record after two of their principal collaborators.  But then this LP is not the first instance of this rhythm section’s appearance on one of their group’s long players: 2024’s Escapement featured Franklin and Clark to much the same galvanizing effect. The bassist and drummer contribute mightily, if unobtrusively, to a music that is sinuous, warm, and elegant. And if tracks like “Changing Emphasis” recall jazz icon Herbie Hancock’s prime Blue Note releases, this program of all original material (with a pair by Franklin) isn’t so much derivative as it is healthily evocative of a style that has proven as durable as it is enthralling.

Bruno Raberg: Circulus – The filigreed detail in this music belies the transplanted Swede’s emphasis on economy and simplicity as he recorded in his home studio in Boston. For instance, the opening cut of “Winter Poem” evokes both the stark beauty and the utter desolation of that season, and elsewhere in these fifteen cuts, Raberg’s discerning attention to detail is as much a virtue as his self-restraint.

The musician/composer/educator is likewise both precise and abandoned over the course of these forty-some minutes he spends playing relatively short (two to five-minute) takes on his originals, Wayne Shorter’s “Juju,” and two suites of improvisation. This is a personal statement, an aural snapshot of Raberg’s sense of self as it arises from music both all-encompassing and engrossing.

Javon Jackson: Javon Plays Dylan – An all-instrumental collection of Bob Dylan’s work would appear to shortchange the Nobel Laureate’s skill as a lyricist. But Javon Jackson clearly put deep thought into the choice of material and its presentation for this record, resulting in a heartfelt homage to an icon as well as a cohesive piece of mesmerizing jazz. The two cuts that feature singing, “Gotta Serve Somebody ” and “Forever Young, ” add to the pacing of the album, while the opening track is the sole original of Javon’s here: “One For Bob Dylan” is an easygoing shuffle that appropriately conjures the open-ended air of the sixty-some minutes to come; the first of many such segues here, the solo sections sound like excerpts from longer improvisational interludes. 

Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence – The instrumental configuration on this, the precocious man with the horn’s very first album, is one of the record’s greatest virtues.  But the clear distinctions of trumpet/vibes/bass/drums on the eleven tracks, including “The Light You Left Behind,” wouldn’t mean so much if the quartet did not allow for plenty of space in both the arrangements. To that end, the sonics overseen by Jimmy Katz further define the musicianship of the foursome, as in “Infinite Loop,” where the ensemble plays with insistent grace (though the bandleader strains at certain junctures). Little wonder the audience so roundly applauds this live recording because the extremely short cuts, such as “Bridge The Gap,” serve to retain attention for the more exploratory intervals, such as this title song.

Benjie Porecki: Faster Than We Know – Ponderous philosophizing in the liner notes aside, keyboardist Benjie Porecki displays no such pretensions as he leads a trio through eight original pieces and a cover of Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell’s “Superstar.”  On the contrary, numbers such as  “Chrysalis” are delightfully airy performances that skirt predictability at virtually every turn. Switching from acoustic to electric piano for “Right Direction” aids immeasurably in keeping things fresh — as does frequent use of organ over the course of these roughly forty-five minutes — but then there’s also the forceful bass playing of Corey Baker plus Mark Price’s subdued but emphatic drumming. The three musicians have an intuitive band, evident in more numbers than “Moving On,” so the musicianship is at once full of surprises and replete with a distinctive logic.