The last two Quickies were an investigation of jazz records only. We’re still hacking through some recent noteworthy jazz records of different stripes, but this time, I threw in some non-jazz right at the end. Still on a blues bent that started with coverage of Shemekia Copeland’s and Joe Bonamassa’s latest offerings earlier this week, it wouldn’t feel right to move on to other genres before handing out some recognition to the new Ruthie Foster, too.
And so, here’s a brief look at some new releases from a little off the beaten path that’s come to my attention of late:
Claudio Roditi – Brazilliance x4
Claudio Roditi is a Brazilian trumpeter and flugelhorn player who’s been active in the New York jazz scene from the mid-seventies on. He’s got a highly expressive style of playing with no sharp edges. Musical collaborator Bill Kirchner got it right when he noted that Roditi’s horm combines “the Clifford Brown/Lee Morgan idiom with the lyricism of Chet Baker.”
His latest project, Brazilliance x4, takes him back to his native Brazil with a salute of the music of his homeland, but it takes a somewhat different approach from, say, Eliane Elias’ bossa nova tribute. For one, Roditi’s quartet is all Brazilian: Roditi, Helio Alves on piano, Duduka da Fonseca on drums and one of my favorites of late, Leonardo Cioglia on bass.
The other distinction lies in his approach to the music. Roditi has long been a schooled and prominent practitioner of American jazz, having worked with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Herbie Mann and Charlie Rouse. He embraces those influences on Brazilliance in equal measure with his Brazilian side. The vehicles he uses to express this perfect hybrid of Brazilian and American jazz consists of half of the tunes are covers written by Brazilians, one by Miles Davis (“Tune Up”) and four originals by Roditi himself. Except for “Tune Up,” these songs are very likely to be new to American audiences, and they are quality examples of the richly melodic and relaxed style of traditional sambas and bossa novas.
Roditi and his band perform these songs with delicate care and even when Roditi and Alves solo, they do so to enhance these sensuous melodies, a reversal of the time-honored practice of using the songs as a springboard for blowing sessions. The second track “E Nada Mais” is my personal favorite with a beautiful melody and particularly sensitive performances by both Roditi and Alves. Two of the tracks were actually recorded live, but the gig was executed so smoothly, it’s hard to tell that.
Brazilliance x4, by Resonance Records, became available for sale on February 10.
Linda Presgrave – Inspiration
St. Louis’ own Linda Presgrave kept busy in her hometown working in orchestras, brass ensembles and small combos using her skills at both the piano and French horn, as well as teaching. After moving to New York in 1998, she studied under Joanne Brackeen and quickly concentrated solely on the piano and jazz. She married soprano saxophonist Stan Chovnick and recorded four albums, including this latest one she named Inspiration.
The concept, or “inspiration” behind this record is , like her prior release The Journey, are explorations of compositions written by women, including Presgrave herself. She contributed six of the ten tracks, and the rest come from sources such as Melba Liston (“Insomnia”), Brackeen (“Evening In Concert”) and Billie Holiday (“Don’t Explain”).
Inspiration doesn’t confront listeners and throw any curveballs, but it is thoroughly solid mainstream jazz. And the compositions chosen for this collection—regardless of gender—are solid as well. Liston’s “Insomnia” has a Coltranian spiritual vibe anchored by Harvie S’s looping bass line, Brackeen’s “Evening In Concert” is a beautifully complex, creative yet digestible piece, featuring Presgrave delicate work on unaccompanied piano. Presgrave’s own “Bird Of Ceret” is a light samba with husband Chovnick making his soprano sing like the bird in France that inspired Presgrave to write this tune.
There’s plenty more enjoyable cuts than I can fit the descriptions for in this space, but they’re all ably supported by the rhythm section of Harvie S and Allison Miller (drums). Todd Herbert adds a tenor sax to a couple of tracks and Chovnick lends his soprano to four more. The temperament changes from song to song keeps the listener engaged, but the execution is steady throughout.
Presgrave’s Inspiration, by Metropolitan Records, was released February 17.
Matt Criscuolo – Melancholia
Matt Criscuolo’s got the skills on alto saxophone, a distinctive style that captures some of the passion of David Sanborn but is more retrained and fluid. In this only his third album as a leader, Criscuolo tackled something most saxophone don’t do until they’re much more firmly established (if they do it at all): a small jazz combo accompanied with four part string section.
For Melancholia, Criscuolo relies on hi
s piano player Larry Willis to make this marriage of jazz and classical work by assigning Willis the task of arranging the strings. For his part, the leader combines three originals by either himself or Willis and covers of songs composed by major figures in Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Billy Eckstine (whose “Melancholia” became the song the album is named after).
The originals are loaded up at the beginning of the track sequence; they seem to work the best with Willis’ arrangements which do succeed in adding the elegance without much of the sappiness at all. The covers chosen are good ‘uns, like Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” and “Miyako,” for instance, but the interpretations didn’t add much to these songs. The exception to the straigthtforward renditions is Hancock’s “Tell Me A Bedtime Story,” which replaces Billy Hart’s exquisite, multi-faceted drumming with Billy Drummond’s straight-ahead rock beat, a curious approach. The title cut, however, is a tender reading by just Criscuolo and Hart.
Melancholia is an ambitious project for a fresh face, and even though Matt Criscuolo didn’t succeed on every count, he did well enough to warrant repeated listenings and with the talent and ambition he showed here, he’s someone to pay close attention to for future endeavors.
Melancholia drops March 3.
Ruthie Foster – The Truth According To Ruthie Foster
Last year I raved on here about Ruthie Foster’s previous album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster (2007) for its refreshing, down home blend of blues, folk and soul. Now, Foster is back with The Truth According To Ruthie Foster unlike last time, I’m not going to wait a year before spewing effusively about it.
The Truth continues the showcase of Foster’s abilities to move around comfortably in a wide variety of rootsy genres: blues (“Nickel And A Nail”), reggae (“I Really Love You”), gospel (“Joy On The Other Side”), and R&B (“Stone Love). The cherry on the top of this sundae is guest Robben Ford and his stupendous guitar. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call Foster the female Taj Mahal and hopefully, the accolades accorded Mahal will soon come her way, too.
Truth is, Ruthie Foster with her sturdy gospel voice and honest presentation of covers and originals alike, has become one of the foremost lady practitioners of roots music. Her brand new record does nothing but strengthen that claim.
The Truth According To Ruthie Foster came out on February 3.
“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.
- Rich Halley 4 – ‘Dusk And Dawn’ (2024) - November 13, 2024
- Vazesh [Lloyd Swanton, Jeremy Rose + Hamed Sadeghi] – ‘Tapestry’ (2024) - November 12, 2024
- Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock + Paul Motian – ‘The Old Country’ (1992; 2024 release) - November 7, 2024
I’m jealous you’ve gotten to hear Ruthie’s new album…I’m waiting anxiously for my chance to get it…I’ve written extensively about her on my site, Fusion 45, and have posted a photograph or two of her on my photog site, Leadbelly Circus. AND, I’m seeing her Sunday night with Jorma and Robben Ford. Yee haa!
You’re going to see Ruthie perform with Robben and Jorma…and *you’re* jealous?
Heck, I’d gladly trade places with you!