Two From Sharon Isbin and Zoho Records

My latest Vinyl Anachronist music review is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. You can read it here.

Pablo Ziegler Quartet's Radiotango

My latest Vinyl Anachronist music review, of the Pablo Ziegler Quartet's Radiotango, is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. You can read it here.

Richie Beirach and Gregor Huebner's Crossing Borders

It's strange that I don't necessarily think of Zoho Music when it comes to big band recordings. There's always an intimacy involved, a deeply personal story that's being told from the point of view of a musician/composer who was born in one place and now plays jazz in another. Pianist Richie Beirach and violinist Gregor Huebner have enlisted the help of the WDR Big Band in Germany for Crossing Borders, which sounds like a perfect title for a Zoho release. These two musicians have taken the idea of how politics divides us and they have created both a piano concerto and a violin concerto, plus a handful of smaller works, to straddle the fine line between jazz and classical music.

Both Beirach and Huebner were classically trained, so they have the chops to pull it off. What's remarkable about Crossing Borders, however, is how the original ideas within these compositions float eerily between that gray space between the genres and occasionally toss in something that sounds almost familiar. In Huebner's Violin Concerto No. 3, for example, there's a spot where the violinist (Huebner, of course) starts flirting with Arvo Part's Fratres and does an evocative approximation of Gidon Kremer's take on this ethereal and haunting theme. This is anything but traditional big band jazz, in other words.

After spending way too much of 2018 submerged in contemporary big band jazz, I started to search for performances in this genre that strayed from the norm. Even in the most ambitious works, there's a desire to punctuate big ideas with a wall of sound, usually led by copious brass. In Crossing Borders, those temptations are resisted with the most astonishing moments occurring within the deep silences and empty spaces between those flourishes. This is one of the main reasons why I like the WDR Big Band--they're always willing to sound different and to do something that hasn't been done before, at least by a big band jazz ensemble.

That means, of course, that this is another ambitious and exceptional release from Zoho Music, one that stands out from most contemporary jazz releases. There's a looseness to these performances, a sense that there are no boundaries and no rules. (The title is a strong indicator of the themes here.) But this isn't messy music in the least--the melodies are tight and the ideas musically pleasing. It's the unexpectedness of the structure of Crossing Borders that's so unusual, and so surprising.

Senor Groove's Little Havana

It's still surprising to me that I've never been to Miami. I've been in Florida several times, just never that far south. It's surprising since I've heard you can get a good cigar down there. And the music in the streets is supposed to be incredible, especially when it's Cuban music. The idea of music devoted to Miami's Little Havana neighborhood doesn't seem that esoteric of an idea, but this is another release from Zoho Music, a jazz label dedicated to Latin and South American jazz recordings that often double as history or geography books. There's always an additional layer to a Zoho release, something new to learn that makes the rich music within just a tad more spectacular.

Senor Groove is a Miami-based jazz band featuring brothers Tim Smith (bass) and Roddy Smith (guitar) who lead a group of Latin jazz all-stars such as drummer Marcelo Perez, pianist Martin Bejerano and percussionist Murph Aucamp. Little Havana is devoted to an idea that the neighborhood, the one where they all grew up, was actually ground zero for a lot of thought when it came to the development of Latin and South American jazz. In the 1960s many Cubans fleeing Castro relocated here, and so these young men were surrounded by counter-revolutionary thought--as well as Cuban food, culture and music.

Senor Groove is smoother and more modern in its delivery than traditional Cuban music, especially considering the importance of those historic undercurrents in the themes. Perhaps that's a comment on how far everyone has come since those days of revolution, as opposed to merely fixating on old memories of interesting times. Aucamp's constant percussion places those traditional Caribbean influences at the front of the stage, but it's the flow of the songs that provides the spirit here, a modern groove that relaxes you and makes you think about the last exciting weekend you had. This is not about honoring the past as much as showing how people feel now, today.

Since this is a Zoho release, here comes the obligatory part where I gush about how good this album sounds. From the first few notes the music was so warm and full, so flexible in form, so human, and I always have to single this particular label out because they have such high standards and because they don't necessarily have to sound this good, but they do anyway. Seriously, if you haven't checked out Zoho yet, do it. Feel free to start here.

Gregor Huebner's Los Sonadores on Zoho Music

My latest review for Part-Time Audiophile, of violinist Gregor Huebner's evocative Los Sonadores, is now live. You can enjoy it here.

Ted Piltzecker's Brindica

New releases from Zoho Records tend to arrive in clusters, and this has been one of those weeks where I'm staring at a bunch of them--which, of course, is always a good thing. I even snuck one in yesterday, that swirling and exotic Gabriel Espinosa CD, and I didn't perform my usual genuflections about how great this label is in terms of performances and sound quality. It should be a given at this point, unless a bad-sounding one slips by. And that ain't happening today.

Ted Piltzeker's Brindica automatically score points with me because it features a vibraphone player. (Look back at every review I've done a review of a CD with vibes and at some time I probably told you, like now, how much I love the sound. Goes for marimbas, too.) So the math here is getting awesome--a Zoho release that features a struck idiophone? That sounds like I'm setting you up for a disappointment, and oh boy, I'm not. I would have been satisfied with something as simple as that, mostly because the vibraphone is such a primer on the subjects of reverb and decay. Instead, Piltzecker (I have to look very closely at that name at least a couple of times before I actually type it) has such an interesting background, and that adds so much to the performances captured here.

The first interesting factoid about Ted Piltzecker is that he started off playing the trumpet. He's also a superb general percussionist, as you'll hear on this album--he is very skillful with talking drums, marimbas and all sorts of keyboard instruments. And because he's just one guy, he's not playing them all at the same time, which prompted me to say, hey, I haven't heard a vibraphone in a while, Ted, and that's when you stop and listen to his approach on each different instrument. That is the peeling of the onion's first layer, and why Brindica digs a lot deeper than you'll think after just a single listen.

Brindica, by the way, is a portmanteau of "Brazil, India and Africa." Piltzecker and his not-quite big band have a quiet and intimate feel throughout these original compositions, probably because so many percussionists are involved, and they're all not playing at the same time. The ensembles, in other words, change frequently and that allows the songs to bounce between these three countries and their distinct musical cultures with considerable grace. Brazil seems to be the dominate form, but the other two locales are represented more heavily in the percussion and there's another layer gone. It's fun to dig them out, especially when the horn section is at fever pitch.

Like most Zoho releases, there's a lot going on here and repeated listens are mandatory--but extremely enjoyable.

Marco Pignataro's Almas Antiguas

Another day, another jazz masterpiece from Zoho Records.

This one, from tenor and soprano saxophone player Marco Pignataro, focuses on one thing--melody. We're not just talking about pretty songs here, but rather an overall sound that is incredibly engaging and gorgeous and will make you sit up in your listening chair and say "Wow, this is truly beautiful jazz." Pignataro is based in Boston, but Almas Antiguas ("old souls") chronicles his Puerto Rican and Italian heritage to create a lush romantic sound that leans heavily on both Mediterranean and Latin rhythms. It's not easy to conjure up these influences with "just" a saxophone, but his playing is sensitive to these folk traditions and winds up being more than convincing.

On the opener, Teo Ciavarella and Flavio Piscopo's "Panarea," his evocative playing inserts a Middle Eastern sensibility that is both exotic and devoted to jazz traditions--just think, once again, of "Caravan" and how that classic opens up a whole new world to lovers of jazz. Can he accomplish all this with just a saxophone? Well, he has plenty of help with an adventurous quintet that includes drummer Adam Cruz, pianist Alan Pasqua, bassist Eddie Gomez and tenor saxophonist George Garzone. Cruz, in particular, is kinetic and almost impossibly dynamic and acts as Pignataro's right-hand man through this mix of original compositions and standards such as "Alfonsina Y El Mar" and "Samba Em Preludio." Much of Zoho's current catalog digs deep into Brazilian jazz, but Almas Antiguas broadens those horizons considerably by adding both European and African touches.

"This CD is about roots from the Mediterranean, and how jazz can become this lens that absorbs all these different colors," Pignataro explains, "through which you can create a new sound and bring out your cultural identity." I've heard many of these jazz albums in the last couple of years, and usually that means you need a working knowledge of those cultural idiosyncracies to understand what is being put where, and why. Pignataro encapsulates this complex approach in something so breathtakingly lush that you can coast along without thinking. You're completely under his spell even as he shifts gears and plunges into a quieter and more dramatic sound, such as when Gomez pulls out his bow and works in harmony with the others, creating a seductive new layer to the voices here.

It's important to point out the wonderful chemistry in this quintet, the way they can closely follow Pignataro's personal visions for each song and make them come alive with meaning. Each member is regarded as a virtuoso, but this is the first time they've playing together as a unit. As usual, I have to throw in a mention of the sound quality here--Zoho always does a remarkable job of making everything sound lifelike, spontaneous and natural. Almas Antiguas becomes a first-among-equals in the Zoho catalog--it's a great starting point for anyone who wants to investigate this thrilling indie label and discover how they're keeping jazz from all over the world in front of deserving audiences.

Sergio Pereira's Nu Brasil

Have you read my article in Part-Time Audiophile yet, the one about Zoho Records? As soon as that article went live, I received a couple of releases from Zoho that should have been included since they're so fantastic; they capture the essence of this unique label that tends to focus on South American jazz musicians. This release right here, from Brazilian guitarist Sergio Pereira, doesn't quite have the complex and innovative approach of the other releases mentioned in that article. Rather, it captures that essence of Brazilian jazz, that smooth and lush feel that marks the best of that specific and popular genre.

That's not a bad thing, of course. If you've fallen in love with something obvious, say Getz/Gilberto, you'll feel right at home with Nu Brasil. That title alone suggests a new direction, but it's more of a precise summary of what makes this type of jazz so popular. (Actually, nu in Portuguese means "naked," which is a more accurate description of these ten original compositions.) We're talking, of course, about beauty and a breezy motif that implies that life in Brazil is full of celebration, love and yes, just a hint of unbridled sex appeal. "There's a certain something inherent in the music of Brazil," the liner notes explain, "that goes well beyond the notes and speaks more of the soul of a culture." That description is deliciously apt and indicates, as usual, that the folks at Zoho know and feel and understand the music they are releasing. They seem to understand this more than just about any other contemporary jazz label.

Pereira fits the typical profile of a Zoho artist. At 59, he's been playing Brazilian jazz for most of his life--even though he left Rio many years ago for the lights and the freedom of the New York City jazz scene. His guitar is soft yet intricate, full of so many flavors that instantly transport you to the Southern hemisphere. He surrounds himself with many of Brazil's most famous musicians, including a trio of vocalists (Paula Santoro, Sergio Santos and Viktoria Pilatovic) who know how to take that gentle ease of Astrud Gilberto and build on that appeal by making these songs less about the people of that country and more about the experiences you might have while living there.

Top that off with Zoho's welcome dedication to sound quality, and you have a release that redefines what it means to feel alive, and how music helps to accomplish that joy. Brazilian ensembles often create a rich and fluid sound through a large contingent of performers--it's far more intimate than a big band orchestra where every musician is adding a specific ingredient to the recipe. Pereira's compositions and arrangements lean toward the impressionistic, resulting in a sound that envelops you with warmth, vivaciousness and a miraculous gift of seduction.

Zoho Rising: New Column at Part-Time Audiophile

My new column for Part-Time Audiophile, The Deep End, is now live. In this column I explore Zoho Records, one of the most fascinating jazz labels around. You can read it here.

Fernando Garcia's Guasabara Puerto Rico

This is a case where I can judge a book by the cover. Based on a specific font on the cover, as well as the general graphic design, I don't even have to see the little Zoho logo in the upper right hand corner to know this is going to be exciting contemporary jazz. Zoho is a jazz label that puts out consistently good product, jazz releases that are heavy on vision and theme and always break some sort of new ground. From Gil Spitzer's Falando Docemente to Oscar Feldman's Gol to many others, Zoho is consistently excellent in terms of sound quality and performances.

I'm excited by drummer Fernando Garcia's latest release since he's the type of drummer who can also compose and conduct. This means he knows music as well as rhythm, and he understands how to integrate unusual time signatures into melodic pieces. He also explores Puerto Rican traditions of polyrhythms and employs, with Victor Pablo, such fascinating percussion as clave, congas, barril and even the cowbell. He's one of those drummers who is constantly moving and shifting, covering lots of physical ground during a performance while keeping his sextet chugging along in unison.

Did I mention his time signatures? This mix of originals and a pair of traditional Puerto Rican folk songs uses many--12/8 (abakua style), 5/4 (cuembe style), 7/4 (seis corrido style) and even 5/4 and 7/4 being played simultaneously by two different drums. In other words, this is a superb album if you're a fan of drumming, percussion and Latin jazz in general. The playing is absolutely breathtaking. The rest of Garcia's band floats in and out of this sophisticated beats with aplomb--pianist Gabriel Chakarji, guitarist Gabriel Vicens, bassist Dan Martinez and tenor sax player Jan Kus are all "hooked on bomba" and have been playing it for years--with considerable passion. Legendary alto sax player Miguel Zenon is also a featured special guest, and adds a sexy and sultry sound to all this rhythmic heat.

When it comes to folkloric Puerto Rican music, Garcia isn't necessarily a traditionalist. He blends these classic sounds with a more modern approach, especially with the harmonies and polyrhythms. If you're well-versed in this genre of jazz, you might detect these differences. But if you're not as familiar, you'll hear a beautiful whirlwind of sound, fast and exciting, the kind of music that's made to get your heart pumping, to get you out on the floor to dance the night away. You can't listen to Guasabara Puerto Rico passively. It's just too thrilling.

Hart, Scone & Albin's Leading the British Invasion

Here's a utterly charming idea that winds up even better than I had thought--take some of the hits from the British Invasion and turn them into jazz. Guitarist John Hart, Hammond B-3 player Adam Scone and drummer Rudy Albin Petschauer perform a small miracle by sounding so big in this effort, which is why it works so well. They even call themselves a "little big band." Petschauer explains that combining Hart's "adventurous" guitar and Scone's B-3 eliminates "musical boundaries and can seamlessly and convincingly cover all styles: Blues, jazz, rock, soul, bossa nova all fit like a glove with the right organ trio." That's the secret, indeed--each one of these classics is met with a completely different approach from the smoothest of jazz to blazing rock and roll.

Did I say classics? The trio actually broadens the definition of the British Invasion by including some recent arrivals. The opening and closing tracks are from Amy Winehouse ("Rehab" and "Back to Black"), while we also get tunes from Lorde ("Royals"), Joss Stone ("Don't Start Lyin to Me Now") and Sade ("Turning Tables"). Just before you accuse these talented musicians of cheating on the whole '60s vibe they create, they throw in a couple of Dusty Springfield hits ("The Look of Love" and "I Only Want to Be With You.") Despite the ping-ponging from decade to decade, the entire album does feel like it comes from the past, across the pond.

What's amazing about this organ blues trio is that it consists of equal partners. Scone describes the arrangement process as very collaborative: "John would create a harmony here, and Rudy would bring the undeniable beat that works best with the Hammond Organ group." The synergy of this trio is superb--they move together as one, with incredible pace and dynamics. This is the essence of a great organ trio, a persistent sense of fun and versatility. I've been hearing this singularly enjoyable theme with nearly all of the organ trios I've heard over the last few months.

This is yet another stellar release from the Zoho record label. Every single album I've reviewed from them excels in sound quality, an amazing blanket statement to make about redbook CD in 2018. I'm not sure if it's a wise strategy to select albums entirely on the basis of the record label, but Zoho is, in my opinion, is a sure thing when it comes to fun, adventurous and great-sounding contemporary jazz. Kudos to them.

Gil Spitzer's Falando Docemente

"Falando docemente" translates into "speak sweet," and this is one sweet-sounding new album from saxophonist Gil Spitzer. Haven't heard of him? That's because this is Spitzer's debut album--at the age of 75! Or, as producer and bassist Nilson Matta puts it, "You don't have to be a certain age to play music. Anytime is about time."

Spitzer's influences are clear--Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond and especially Stan Getz. You can hear the Getz/Gilberto vibe running through these 12 tracks, both standards and originals. This entire album is sleek yet relaxed, and with sound quality that is inspired. (This is another release from the Zoho label--they really pay attention to sound quality.) Spitzer is surrounded by seasoned musicians such as guitarist Chico Pinheiro, drummer Mauricio Zottarelli and percussionist Fernando Saci, and when it comes to solid Brazilian jazz they're delivering plenty of the real thing.

Surprisingly, these pros aren't propping up the newcomer. They're standing out of the way and letting him shine.

In some ways Spitzer is the Miles Davis of the alto saxophone. He says a lot with just a few notes, and each of those notes is undoubtedly the right one. The best way to describe it, I suppose, is tasteful. He's not showing off, and he isn't trying to prove anything. Spitzer has the wisdom to know he has to be in service to the music, to make it as expressive as he can. If you don't believe me, just listen to his version of "Nature Boy." I've always loved the melody, but in the last few months I've heard this song butchered by a number of well-meaning contemporary arrangers. Spitzer's version, however, isn't gimmicky. It's straightforward and heartfelt, just like it's supposed to be.

What's most impressive about Falando Docemente is that it's informed by Brazilian jazz, but isn't an overtly part of that genre. Jobim's "Triste," for example, has plenty of percussion details that are distinctly South American, but it avoids acting as a Getz/Gilberto-style primer. You walk away from this gloriously melodic album thinking about one thing--Spitzer's horn and how it gets straight to the point.

Oscar Feldman's Gol on CD

This one has the looks, the vibe and the attitude of a great jazz reissue, and that's why it stands out from the flood of contemporary jazz releases I have in for review. Saxophonist Oscar Feldman comes from Argentina, where he plays for big and appreciative crowds. That's why Gol, his latest release, sounds both polished and revolutionary--this guy plays in entirely his own space and sounds like no one else and he's known for that. His bandmates--drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist John Benitez, keyboard player Leo Genovese and vocalist Guillermo Klein--are all old friends of Feldman, and they have that masterful aura of a quintet that has flourished through most of its long and storied career.

Gol, humorously enough, is named for a soccer victory, as in "GOOOOL!" It's no secret that soccer and music are a huge part of Argentinian culture, and this collection of standards and originals is celebratory in a vaguely football sort of way. You'll get a free-form yet supremely musical version of Ellington's "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" that is held together with Feldman's outspokenly melodic sax, and you'll get a rambunctious version of the Beatles' "I Feel Fine' that resembles a drunken post-game party with plenty of Quilmes. You'll get Beck's "Nobody's Fault But My Own," which will not remind you of Beck at all until you look at the track listing and realize that yes, this is a Beck song.

Feldman's lone composition, "Viva Belgrano"--Guillermo Klein is responsible for the other two originals--is the thematic centerpiece of the album. This is where Feldman rhapsodizes about his hometown football team and the goal that propelled them to stardom, all marked by a climactic GOOOOOL. You get the crowd noise, the commentary and all of the excitement in a unique jazz song that manages to elevate the originality of all eight tracks as a whole. Gol flows with this athletic and fanatical energy; it never stops to catch its breath.

The sound quality, by the way, is exceptional. This is another release from Zoho Records, and their releases have been uniformly excellent when it comes to creating magic in the studio. There's only one thing that could make Gol even greater, and that's a release on vinyl. The music, the artwork and the quality of these performances deserve the best.

Chris Washburne's Rags and Roots on CD

Enid: Yeah, yeah, just list your five main interests in order of importance.
Seymour: Uh... I'd have to put traditional jazz, blues and then ragtime at the top of the list...
Enid: Right, so, let's just say music. That way we only use up one.

How do you feel about ragtime? I know that I love it, mostly because The Sting was one of my favorite movies when I was growing up. (I'm sure a lot of people will say the same thing when asked that question.) Whenever I hear a Scott Joplin tune, I immediately connect to one of the visuals in the 1973 film: the rich and saturated Technicolor compositions, Newman and Redford together, being at a point in the film where everything is smart and quick. Lately, I also think about Ghost World, and how Seymour was such a stickler for the differences between ragtime, blues and other types of jazz. Ghost World makes me smile for a lot of reasons, and one of them is the subtle references to ragtime music.

Perhaps that's why I enjoy trombonist Chris Washburne's new album, Rags and Roots. This is not a ragtime album per se; it takes classic ragtime tunes such as "Maple Leaf Rag," "Solace" and "Picture of Her Face" and places them in a different context. Washburne leads his band through a re-imagining of the ragtime genre through various jazz filters such as Dixieland, modal, Brazilian, Cuban and more. In listening to these Joplin tracks, along with Washburne's original compositions and a few other classics from the era, what you discover is the sheer beauty of these melodies and how easily they adapt into various forms.

Take "Solace," which always reminds me of that late night when Johnny Hooker tells Loretta the waitress that "You know me. I'm the same as you. It's two in the morning and I don't know nobody." Washburne and his band turn it into a "Mexican serenade" with plenty of Latin touches that make it a lively celebration instead of a wee-hours-in-the-morning lament. You'll hear "Maple Leaf Rag" converted into a New Orleans march through the Quarter, and "The Peanut Vendor" launches into Cuban big band rhythms that preserve the melody while challenging your memory on how this music should be performed.

That's the "rag" part, anyway. There's also the "roots" part of the album, where Washburne provides the same revisionist treatment of such old and weathered musical forms such as tango, Irish folk tunes, rumba and so-called "Voodoo jazz" from the Caribbean. You even get a modern and excited version of "Bamboula," which was originally a "racy slave dance" song that dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Washburne closes the album with a somber, horn-driven version of "Strange Fruit" that serves as a "tribute to the many jazz luminaries whose lives and careers were impacted by racism."

Washburne co-produced this album with Grammy-winning producer Kabir Sehgal, and the result is a no-holds-barred dynamo of an album, full of love and dedication. This is also a serious and careful undertaking, one done with great respect for the traditions of jazz. The sound quality is also extraordinary. This is the second of three CDs I've received from the Zoho label--the Greg Skaff album I reviewed yesterday was the first title--and all three sound big and thrilling and impressive. If you've ever smiled at the very thought of ragtime music and the memories it summons, this is a must-own.