by Pico
As before, this Quickies is an opportunity to highlight new offerings by some lesser-known jazz artists out there today. The thought crossed my mind to throw in a big name like Neil Young, but we kind of covered his Fork In The Road record last week in a One Track Mind. And so, without further ado, here’s a few more new names to ponder:
photo: Brian Lee
Mike Pardew Azul
Portland, Oregon’s own Mike Pardew is a guitarist and composer looking to make an impact with his second album Azul, out earlier this week. Using a power trio of himself, Micah Kassell on drums and Damian Erskine (nephew of drummer extraordinaire Peter Erskine) on electric bass, Pardew uses this outing to put forth twelve originals that invariably straddle the fence between metal-ish rock and jazz.
The angular arrangements and the fine support he gets from his drummer and bassist result in unpretentious, forceful fusion; Erskine is an especially lyrical power bassist. When Pardew reaches for harmonic intricacy as he does for numbers like “Azul,” “Welcome Home” and “Trangression,” you hear an artist who can balance strength with grace. “Ferrazzano” shows the Latin influence Pardew gained first hand from living in the northern part of Spain for a couple of years, as does the closer “Alluviam.”
There’s another side of Pardew that shows up on Azul, and that those heavy metal tendencies. Curiously (and thankfully), Pardew forgoes the guitar hero antics that typically come as part of the package when it comes to guitar-based heavy fusion. Even on these numbers, like “Road Worn,” “Velonis,” “Stairwell” and “Bigfork,” he favors tight band playing over individual showboating. Still in all, the jazzier songs are more memorable than the heavier ones.
Azul is presented by Portland-based Afán Music.
Tom Knific Quartet Lines Of Influence
The director of the Jazz Studies program at Western Michigan University Tom Knific doesn’t just pursue his passion in an academic setting, he leads a working quartet. After performing for several years, Knific got his group in a studio to record Lines Of Influence, mostly on single takes. It’s that coherence that leads to the ability to nail songs on the first or second try, and it shows on this record. This ain’t overdone or half-baked; it’s just right.
Employing a traditional setting of John Knific on piano, Keith Hall on drums, Chris Beckstrom on sax and Tom himself on bass, the band runs through a set of mostly originals and a few standards to delivered no-nonsense, well-executed jazz that offers nice tempo change-ups and some notable individual performances, especially by Beckstrom.
Of the originals, Knific’s own “Home Bass” is the standout, and “Little Wonder” is a clever amalgamation of two of Stevie Wonder’s hits, “Superstition” and “Send One Your Love.” The album ends on a grand note with a sweet, soulful take of Joshua Redman’s “Can A Good Thing Last Forever?”
Lines Of Influence dropped last February 24, brought to us by Azica.
Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse Cries From Tha Ghetto
Being in Chicago, trumpeter Corey Wilkes is well-attuned to the vibrant modern free jazz scene of that town, and got put right in the center of it in 2003 when he was selected to take the trumpet spot in the Art Ensemble of Chicago that become vacant when Lester Bowie died four years earlier. That in itself is all you need to know about whether Wilkes is good enough to hang with such a discerning, creative and talented crowd. Wilkes is not Bowie clone, though. He does incorporate aspects of Bowie’s unique timbral quality to his own horn, but is also a hard bopper in the style of Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. The resultant mix is entirely his own personality.
Like the AEoC, Wilkes’ musical interests and proficiency go far beyond one musical style: he leads seperate bands that plays striaght-ahead jazz (Corey Wilkes Quintet) and neo-soul/funk (Black Slang). But when Wilkes wants to play the more advanced jazz, his Abstrakt Pulse six-piece combo scratches that itch. He gets it done with the help of Kevin Nabors (tenor sax), Scott Hesse (guitar), Junius Paul (bass), Isaiah Spencer (drums) and Sumaane Taylor (tap dance…no, really).
The songs contained within Cries are all composed by various band members, except for Bowie’s “Villa Tiamo,” and most stretch the limit of modern jazz right up to the doorsteps of avant garde and free jazz. “First Mind” is layered on top of Paul’s one-note pulse and recalls the experimental Blue Note recordings of the mid-sixties. Wilkes cuts loose with a strong, brassy solo on the urgent “Levitation.” “SICK JJ” is less a song than it is a vortex, with Wilkes and Nabors emerging from it to sigh, moan and wail in dark tones. “Visionary Of An Abstrakt,” with it’s elliptical rhythm finds the group often crossing over into total freedom. “Rain” provides a respite from the challenging stuff to showcase Wilkes’ succulent muted-horn balladry abilities.
The creative jazz ideas coming out of Chicago are not yet exhausted, and with bright young players like Corey Wilkes and his Abstrakt Pulse band around, it doesn’t look like like the flame will burn out anytime soon. Cries From Tha Ghetto, from PI Recordings, is due out April 28. If you’re like me and like your jazz open-minded but well-played, this is a date you should mark on your calendar.
“Quickies” are mini-record reviews of new or upcoming releases, or “new to me.” Some albums are just that much more fun to listen to than to write about.
- Christian Marien Quartett – ‘How Long Is Now’ (2024) - April 18, 2024
- Dave Douglas, feat. James Brandon Lewis – ‘Gifts’ (2024) - April 11, 2024
- Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, Two’ (2024) - April 8, 2024
