For his new album, saxophonist/composer Felipe Salles combines a jazz quartet, a string quartet, a vocalist, and layers of woodwinds in electrifying, illuminating chamber jazz. The wide spectrum of possibilities provided by the unique instrumentation gives Salles ample tools for creating an aural representation of light, shadow, and darkness. From the fierce cry of the opening violin on the title track to a multifarious exploration of tango and melodies generated by the letters of his children’s names, Salles creates a rich tapestry of rhythmic and harmonic expression interwoven with eloquent improvisations that brings visual images and memories to vivid musical life. Camera Obscura is a masterwork that merges Salles’s influences in Brazilian, Latin American, African, and jazz traditions with the intimate, expressive sound world of chamber music to create something entirely new and wonderful.
Pianist/composer Sumi Tonooka’s recent gigs include commissions for orchestra as well as writing for her trio with bassist Gregg August and drummer Johnathan Blake. Her new suite, Under the Surface, a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works commission, is exhilarating, expansive, and grand. Joining the trio is the inimitable multi-generational collective Alchemy Sound Project. The musicians’ skill and artistry help the inspiration for Tonooka’s extended piece (the connectedness of tree roots and mycorrhizal fungi) take root and blossom. The suite’s eleven-minute centerpiece, “Interval Haiku,” showcases the marvelous swing of the trio and serves as the piece’s unifying force, giving the surrounding movements strength and context. With deft composition, ace solo work, and a thrilling variety of moods and colors, Under the Surface is a phenomenal new work by a brilliant artist.
To create her singular music, ebullient trumpeter and composer Sarah Wilson has always drawn from a unique well (street theater and socially conscious puppet shows, anyone?). This time around, the raucous joy of brass bands, community spirit, and the visual art of Austrian painter Thomas Reinhold were on her mind. Her sextet, Brass Tonic, featuring an all-woman front line, delivers the cheer-soaked goods, bringing Reinhold’s large, abstract canvases to life with deliriously delightful music. The jubilant ethos of Wilson’s compositions does not detract an iota from their richness and complexity. Wilson absorbs the bold colors, outsized images, and architectural composition inherent in Reinhold’s work and brilliantly channels them through the clarion energy of horns. Full of brightness and wonder, Incandescence is a special album, one that will fill you with smiles and wonder.
The all-star improvisers of PR&C stretch their numbers to six for a riveting, mind-expanding free jazz outing. Co-founders Tony Jones on tenor sax and Charlie Burnham on violin are joined by regulars Marika Hughes (cello) and Kenny Wollesen (drums),as well as tenor saxophonist Jessica Jones and bassist Rashaan Carter. Their impeccable command of pitch and rhythm lends a strong foundation to their explorations of the intangible, taking listeners on an unforgettable sound journey. The fact that the six are friends ensures the trust and connection necessary for music as daring as this. The tracks, including “The Beginning of the Universe,” “Psalm for a Shared Tomorrow,” and “I Shall Not Want,” reveal the spiritual foundation for the ensemble’s splendid work. Sextet is a sublime, not-to-be-missed addition to the evolving canon of Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness.
The artistic evolution of guitarist Rez Abbasi breathes. He astounds with visionary fusions of international sounds then returns to the simplicity of acoustic music and makes that new. On this third recording by his acoustic quartet, the lineup of steel string acoustic guitar, vibraphone, bass, and drums is enhanced by master percussionist Hasan Bakr’s Gullah Geechee rhythms. The result is masterful, acoustic jazz that’s at once scintillating and serene. The album’s eight tracks, influenced by Abbasi’s deep meditation practice, are infused with artistic and expressive clarity. From quieter duos to full-on propulsive grooves and swing, every piece is exquisitely performed by an uncommonly bonded band interacting seamlessly between melody, rhythm, and space. Sound Remains is a many faceted balm for the heart, mind, and soul, one that uplifts, excites, soothes, and profoundly satisfies.
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