Makaya McCraven - In These Times

September 21, 2022

Label: International Anthem, 2022

Personnel - Greg Ward: alto sax; Irvin Pierce: tenor sax; Marquis Hill: trumpet, flugelhorn; De'Sean Jones: flute; Jeff Parker: guitar; Matt Gold: guitar, baby sitar; Joel Ross: vibraphone, marimba; Brandee Younger: harp; Greg Spero: piano; Rob Clearfield: piano; Macie Stewart: violin; Zara Zaharieva: violin; Marta Sofia Honer: viola; Lia Kohl: cello; Junius Paul: double bass, electric bass, percussion; Makaya McCraven: drums, sampler, percussion, tambourine, baby sitar, synths, kalimba, handclaps, vibraphone, wurlitzer, organ.

The finicky drummer and beat inventor Makaya McCraven has been lauded for his exquisite blend of styles, irresistible moods, and melodies that linger, sending the listener to emotional zones both distinctive and appealing. This new record, In These Times, has 11 tunes providing a spotlight for his entrancing rhythms and adroit arrangements, with soul, jazz, funk, and dub rippling across sonic fabrics woven with the help of an all-star ensemble.

The title track incorporates an audio excerpt from the Studs Terkel Radio Archive, setting ostinatos against one another before unifying them into a beautiful melody complemented with a phenomenal beat, sweeping harp, and bowed cello. The triple meter flow occasionally shifts to 6/8, and a soulful saxophone solo finds its way to pleasant emotion.

A wide variety of pulses are offered, and if “The Fours” discloses an intense foreign flavor by virtue of stringed instruments and odd, looping rhythms founded on deep and wet drum sounds, then “High Fives”, delivered in five, adds bass sounds and textural guitar for a richer tissue. In contrast, the polyrhythmic “Seventh String” has the soaring flute lines of De'Sean Jones creating contrast with McCraven’s disorienting drumming.

No element feels forced or inappropriate, and “This Place That Place” proudly invests in both fragmentation and coordination, stressed under a peculiar swinging vibe. The easterner “So Obuji” and the regularly riffing “The Title” boast a strong dub feel that gets mixed with soul elements, whereas the boom-bap/boom-boom-bap sequence of “The Knew Untitled” entices the guitarist Jeff Parker for a skillful improvisation pelted with bluesy licks.

McCraven’s elocution is clean, precise, and confident, reaching expressions that practically demand to be heard and felt. This is an album that is alive with revelatory emotion and a tonal quality that reveals a serious commitment to his message and art.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - In These Times ► 02 - The Fours ► 10 - The Knew Untitled

James Francies - Purest Form

May 19, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - James Francies: piano, keyboards, vocals; Burniss Travis: bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums; Immanuel Wilkins: alto sax; Joel Ross: vibraphone; Mike Moreno: guitar; Bilal, Peyton, Elliot Skinner: vocals; DJ Dahi: drum programming; Francesca Dardani and Sulamit Gorski: violin; Marta Bagratuni: cello; Tia Allen: viola.

The Houston-born, New York-based pianist/composer James Francies has been earning critical acclaim not only backing the saxophonist Chris Potter in his Circuits Trio, the drummer Jaimeo Brown and the vibraphonist Stefon Harris but also conceptualizing his own project where he cuts deep on forward-thinking jazz and groove, meaningful message and a plethora of musical genres. The follow up to his debut full-length album Flight (Blue Note, 2018) is Purest Form, an eclectic set of compositions with many interesting paths to cross among a flux of style that feels both very tight and very loose, thoughtful and adventurous. Similarly to his previous outing, Francies summoned the groove-adept rhythm section of bassist Burniss Travis II and drummer Jeremy Dutton to shape most of his compositions. Yet, on good time, he enjoys the presences of guest artists such as vibraphonist Joel Ross, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and guitarist Mike Moreno, as well as several vocalists.

The nearly 2-minute opener, “Adoration”, sets the tone, featuring a poem written and narrated in Spanish by James’ wife, Brenda Francies, over slightly distorted soundscapes and religious chants. But it’s on the kinetic “Levitate” that the trio blooms in full force, pointing to rhythmic digressions and keen harmonic movements where a wide-ranging piano solo and laser-focused keyboard beams erupt.

Immersed in celestial poise and joyful emotion, “Transfiguration” is propelled by an exuberant trap beat and boosted by Wilkins’ burnished solo. The alto saxophonist excels on the irresistible odd-metered rendition of the standard “My Favorite Things”, here dressed in new clothes and including conversational lines bouncing back and forth between Francies and Ross. A transitional 4/4 vamp accommodating a sax-vibraphone ostinato leads to a danceable final section during which Moreno’s guitar is in the lead, adding colorful dimension.

“Where We Stand” is another highlight, showcasing the rhythmic virtuosity of Dutton who engages in skittering beat fluxes and colorful cymbal splashes. The improvisations are by Ross, who applies his cultivated technique in the interest of the tune’s spirit, and Francies, whose soloing capabilities comes to the fore.

The vocal tracks are diverse, with “Eyes Wide Shut” being my absolute favorite as it exposes a heavier texture when compared with other numbers. The riffing, rock-solid backing of the quartet (with Moreno on board) handles well the mix of poignancy and energy delivered by the alternative R&B singer Bilal. Eclecticism reigns, and if “Blown Away” chills you out via Peyton’s voice and a mellow boom trap beat, then the drum-less “Rose Water”, co-written with and featuring the contemporary vocalist Elliott Skinner, drives us into the pop music universe.

Francies is a force to be reckoned with, and if you seek other influences in jazz, this might be a project to invest your time in.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Transfiguration ► 06 - My Favorite Things ► 12 - Eyes Wide Shut

Logan Richardson - Afrofuturism

March 8, 2021

Label: WAX Industry / Whirlwind Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Logan Richardson: alto saxophone; Igor Osypov: guitar; Peter Schlamb: vibraphone, keys; Laura Tagliatela; vocals; Dominique Sanders: bass; Ryan J. Lee: drums; Corey Fonville: drums; Ezgi Karakus: strings.

Afrofuturism signals the 5th album release from alto saxophonist Logan Richardson, who summoned the most recent convening of his Blues People group to play two of the 14 tracks on the album. Born in Kansas, Missouri, and having lived in New York and three different European countries, Richardson is influenced by all kinds of music, but here he pivots away from his previous albums to engage in a more encompassing style that, even if not so triumphant, comes with important social messages.

The album kicks off with the voice of vibist Stefon Harris on “Say My Name”, after which the aforementioned unit is called for “The Birth of Us”, a mid-tempo romp whose rawness is partially softened by the production. The formidable drumming of Ryan J. Lee joins a well-calibrated mass of synth and guitar. Together they spread the energy, which is given a considerable boost through Richardson’s explorations on the higher register.

There are a lot of interlude-like pieces whose broad sonic variety causes a sensation of dispersion. We have archive recordings, vocal tracks, synth-soaked soundscapes, vignettes driven by hard-hitting beats, and a solo sax piece, “For Alto”, whose familiar title discloses a tribute to the sensational living legend Anthony Braxton.

The assortment of genres continues even when the bandleader plays unaccompanied and takes full control of the instrumentation. If “Light” is a mellow ballad with reverb-drenched synth beams, “Trap” paves the balladic Southern terrain with a hip-hop rhythm. In turn, “According to You” blends playful R&B with some neo-soul and psychedelia.

With a lot of elements tossed in, the album comes off feeling more conflicting and sketchy than integral, yet the whole quintet has a positive come back for the circular “Round Up”, which tries to call attention for the police behavior during recent American protests. Here, Richardson’s lamenting riff becomes part of the base that supports Igor Osypov’s mordant guitar. Nonetheless, it was “Black Wallstreet” that impressed me the most. Remembering the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921, the latter cut not only features Ezgi Karakus' magnificent string arrangement but also motivates the alto saxophonist, who rises well above the sonic tapestry with poignancy and intervallic awe.

Decidedly not the most vital work from Richardson, the uneven Afrofuturism will still find an enthusiastic niche audience. The thing is: ample eclecticism doesn't necessarily come into a favorable outcome. And that’s the case with this record.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - The Birth of Us ► 07 - Trap ► 10 - Black Wallstreet

Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl - Janus

November 16, 2016

Nick Sanders: piano; Logan Strosahl: tenor and alto saxophones.

Pianist Nick Sanders and saxophonist Logan Strosahl have more than a decade playing together and the unwavering chemistry they’ve gained throughout the years can be heard in Janus, an album that embraces originals and inventive renditions in a wide range of styles.

The modern lyricism of Sanders’s “Sigma”, the opening tune, had a character of Mega Man video game series as inspiration. It sets a combination of flowing piano instrumentations and wondrous saxophone melodies, evoking the Jarrett-Garbarek approach of the 70s. Enchanting rhythmic variations gain even more purpose when Strosahl injects a salutary irreverence while improvising.
Strosahl’s cantabile Baroque piece “Allemande” and “Mazurka”, a lucid waltz, bring classical discernment to the table, yet differing from Machaut’s “Rose, Liz, Printemps, Verdure”, a pastoral 14th-Century composition that invites us to a stroll in bucolic sceneries.

The versatile duo effortlessly incurs into jazz in its traditional and contemporary forms. If “Thelonious” wakes up our senses with the most emblematic musical features of Monk and “Be Bop Tune” does justice to its title, then the passionate “Old Folks” and the pacific “Stardust” unblinkingly flow through the power of its chord progressions, assuming their jazz-standard natures.
In the title track, a noteworthy composition that relies on impressive interactions, they opt to entwine the fluidity of the bebop language with more abstract short sections. An enviable cohesiveness is found as we indulge ourselves in rhythmic motifs and super attractive swinging streams built from the agility of Sanders’ left hand.
Bursting with color and exhibiting a great musical unity, Olivier Messiaen’s “Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant Jesus”, is an incredible, expansive, and voluble exercise that instantly captivates, triggering the eruption of multiple emotions and sensations.

The recurrent voyages into the past offered in Janus don’t hamper it from moving in an appealing contemporary current that fills our ears with flawless technique and modern refinement. Intellectually stimulating, this past/present accomplishment unveils a duo of enormous quality.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Sigma ► 09 – Selections From Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant Jesus ► 10 – Janus