Jerry Bergonzi - Simply Put (Savant, 2009)

Mining a fertile vein of modern mainstream jazz, tenor and soprano saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi displays echoes of the great bop based albums John Coltrane made for Atlantic around 1960. Joined on this album by Bruce Barth on piano, Dave Santoro on bass and Andrea Michelutti on drums, the group uses the classic jazz of the past as a jumping off point for their own unique music. "Mr. MB" opens the album with mid tempo swing, featuring a fluid and lucid tenor solo and a swift piano interlude. "Dancing in the Dark" is a milder tenor ballad, with the pace picking up slightly during the solo feature for saxophone. "Come Fly With Me" picks the pace back up with a bright, upbeat swinging feel. Bergonzi's tenor jumps and jukes and them makes way for a spirited and Tyner-ish piano solo. Tenor sax returns for a lengthy and yearning solo. The deeply rhythmic piano, bass and drums set the scene for a strong and supple saxophone solo on "Out of Nowhere" with a ripe and full sound. Another interesting upbeat tune is "Transphybian" which dynamically shifts between breakneck and mid-tempo paces to good effect. This was a really solid modern mainstream jazz recording with good ensemble playing and interesting and effective soloing. Tough no-nonsense small group jazz, the group is on the ball throughout.
Simply Put - amazon.com

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Old Dog - By Any Other Name (Porter, 2009)

Old Dog is a collaborative band consisting of Louie Belogenis on tenor sax, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Warren Smith on drums. They meet at the intersection of free jazz and post bop and explore the spaces in between those two forms of improvisational music. "By Any Other Name (Trio)" opens the album with Berger on the sidelines as the trio takes a low-tempo approach, focused on yearning saxophone playing. "Endless Return" is a very exciting performance that uses urgent throbbing bass and rippling piano to move things along briskly. Bisio's excellent playing is the key here, pushing and prodding the tart saxophone playing forward. "Swa Swu Sui" has Berger switching to vibes, over a furious bass and drum pace. Belogenis' tenor cooks hot and deep, he really digs in and blows hard. "Round and Round" has some more raw saxophone over bowed bass. Taken at a slower, more ominous tempo, the music evokes raw and primal fear with slight vibraphone accents playing off the wounded and plaintive feel of the music. "Living Large" has yearning tenor saxophone playing long tones over pulsating bass and broken beat drumming. "Zephyr Revisited" moves the band back into more traditional post-bop territory, with vibes interacting nicely with bass and drums and evoking mid-tempo swing. The crystalline sound makes a perfect launching pad for a strong free-bop tenor saxophone solo. "Constellation" finds the drums moving in low to the ground, making a firm foundation for the tenor sax and piano moving in and picking the pace up. This was an enjoyable and exciting album, with music that is grounded in the great inside/outside music that was made for Blue Note in the early 1960's by musicians like Sam Rivers and Bobby Hutcherson. It is very heartening to hear musicians that are taking the traditions of that music and moving them forward into the music of today.
By Any Other Name - amazon.com

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Houston Person - The Art and Soul of Houston Person (High Note, 2009)

Soulful and melodic tenor saxophonist Houston Person has had a lengthy career in the basics of classic jazz: blues, ballads and bop. This three disc set tracks the highlights (and some new recordings) from his tenure for High Note Records, with whom he has recorded with for the past fifteen years. Many different sidemen appear on the material including Bill Charlap, Ron Carter, Russell Malone, Grady Tate and Ray Drummond. I found this to be a really nice set to set on shuffle play late in the evening when I am reading, the music is full of patience and deep emotion, and Person injects his own personality and sound into the music. This collection focuses on his interpretation of standards from the Great American Songbook, leading off with a nice mid-tempo swinging version of "You Do Something to Me." His calm and thoughtful interpretation of ballads is the highlight of the collection, with the standard ballads "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" and "Skylark" making a dignified and thoughtful statement. He has the classic deep toned and dignified tone in his instrumental playing as fellow travelers like Stanley Turrentine and a deep and inspiring feel on ballads inspired by greats like Johnny Hodges and Lester Young. Three discs of soulful ballads and mid-tempo swing might be a little too much. but this is a nice set to dip into when the mood hits and you want to listen to something that is relaxing without being overly saccharine.

The Art & Soul of Houston Person - amazon.com

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Louisiana Red - Back to the Black Bayou (Ruf, 2009)

Blues guitarist and songwriter Louisiana Red has been around for a long time, moving between acoustic and electric settings for his emotional and often autobiographical songs. Red's songs convey the wisdom of a long life earned the hard way, and he never lets his periods of scuffling and heartbreak get to him, but turns them into material for his music. He's backed here by a tough combo called Victor's Juke Joint, and the band's sound does have the classic sound of the blues juke joint like Junior Kimbrough's famous juke in the Hill Country of Mississippi or a tavern like Theresa's in Chicago. He tells his own story in the opener "I'm Louisiana Red", a biographical blues that demonstrates the ups and downs of his life over a nice shuffle beat. "Alabama Train" draws on some of the classic mythology of the blues, that of the bluesman being in constant motion, and the lure and lore of the locomotive. "Ride On, Ride On" really kicks the band into overdrive with a propulsive beat and stinging guitar work. "Too Poor To Die" brings back some more classic refrains from blues history, riffing on the poverty of the working man who can't die because he's too poor to pay the undertaker. "At the Zanzibar" wraps things up with some very nice guitar playing backed by locked tight bass and drums. This is a good solid album of raw and immediate old school blues. This music was actually recorded in Norway, but you wouldn't know it by the sound. Captured on vintage equipment, it recalls the classic halcyon days of electric blues while keeping the music in a forward looking direction.

Back to the Black Bayou - amazon.com

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Profound Sound Trio - Opus de Life (Porter Records, 2009)

This ad-hoc free jazz supergroup lives up to its billing with a thrilling live performance recorded at the 2008 Vision Festival in New York City. Consisting of Paul Dunmall on tenor saxophone and bagpipes, Henry Grimes on bass and violin and Andrew Cyrille on drums, this group whips up a storming racket of collective improvisation that recalls the early '60's avant guard of Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor. "This Way, Please" opens the performance with strong trio improvisation with bowed bass and drums laying down a massive foundation for Dunmall's raw and passionate tenor saxophone. There is an immediate intensity of this music that is very appealing and it builds to a thrilling, bracing performance that doesn't flag over the course of fifteen minutes of free flowing improvisation. "Call Paul" has Grimes switching to violin and locking in with Cyrille's percussion in a duet before Dunmall comes in on bagpipes (somewhere Rufus Harley is smiling!) and this configuration makes for an unusual and cool sound. The decks are cleared for Andrew Cyrille on "Whirligging" and he responds with a taught drum solo. Everyone reconvenes on "Beyonder" for another very lengthy improvisation . Strong, masculine tenor playing ripe with energy bellows forth, before Grimes responds with a deft bowed bass solo. Not to be outdone, Dunmall comes right back with a brawling solo, wildly exciting and accented with thrilling honks and squeals. After this exhausting piece, the band still has energy left for an encore, "Futurity", a fine example of their collective knowledge of the outer limits of the jazz genre. This was a sensational performance by three veterans of the free jazz scene, and it must have been seen as one of the highlights of the 2008 festival. The energy of the music and it's continuing evolution over the course of the performance makes for a most pleasing listening experience.
Opus De Life - amazon.com

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Sonic Youth - The Eternal (Matador, 2009)

Venerable rock 'n' roll band Sonic Youth is "indie" once again, signing with Matador Records after a long term recording for the major label Geffen Records. In the end it really doesn't matter whom the group is recording for, they have their own personal sound which has developed over many years of touring and recording. If anything it's interesting how "un-radical" they sound now that the rest of the music world has caught on to their formula. But, with no need to prove themselves, they just continue to make excellent music. This is a consistently interesting album both lyrically and musically and should make both longtime fans and new converts happy. The music moves between poppy short pieces like Kim Gordon's short, sharp "Sacred Trickster" and "Leaky Lifeboat" which although dedicated to Gregory Corso, name checks some great Sun Ra album titles. They also spin out some longer improvisatory tunes like "Anti-Orgasm" which starts with a chant along chorus before evolving into a guitar freak out. "Walking Blue" is one of the most conventional tracks, the hooks it uses wouldn't sound out of place on a classic rock radio station. The album ends with the freaky and ominous "Massage the History" which takes things out on an exploratory note. I enjoyed this album quite a bit, the songs were lucid and interesting and the lyrics were passionate, poetic and even humorous. The music is quite accessible as well, making this a good place for listeners who are curious about the band to start.

The Eternal - amazon.com

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Charlie Musselwhite - Memphis, Tennessee (Capitol, 1970)

When he was three years old Charlie Musselwhite's family moved to Memphis, and that city would always have a great hold on the young man who would eventually become an influential blues harmonica player and singer. Even when he moved the California in the late '60's he never lost that deep south feel to his music. On this album he is accompanied by steel guitarist Freddie Roulette, Jack Myers on bass and Skip Rose on piano. These men give the music a unique and original sound, moving from gutbucket blues to soul jazz. In between Memphis and California, Musselwhite had a lengthy stop in the blues mecca of Chicago where he learned at the feet of some of the masters of the genre, and this apprenticeship pays off handsomely in the opener "She Used to Be Beautiful" and the raging tale of alcohol fueled excess "One Mint Julep" both of which have a storming Chicago blues feel to them, tough and urban music with some excellent harmonica playing from the leader. The disc ends with a couple more Chicago standards, showing Musselwhite's deep ties to the tradition by playing Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More" and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Done Somebody Wrong." The group also gets to show off their jazz chops with a subtle rendition of "Willow Weep For Me." This is a very solid album and it deserves wider recognition, Charlie Musselwhite's singing and harp playing are excellent throughout, and the addition of steel guitar gives the band's sound a unique and interesting feel.
Memphis Tennessee - amazon.com

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