Album review

The piano trio is a central configuration in the history of jazz, not only on its own but also as the anchor and center of gravity for many larger groups.

The so-called "rhythm section" backs, propels, supports, and is oftentimes the engine of the music and the wellspring that improvisation pours forth from. That's not to say it has primacy over other elements and participants of the music, but there is something essential about its alchemy and the ways in which piano, bass, and drums interlock, the dovetail joint (or maybe the tongue and groove?) of jazz.

Vijay Iyer has certainly done his time in various other configurations in live and recorded settings before embarking on the path of the trio, but here finds himself left to the intricacies and specifics of the trio.

His first two albums, Memorophilia and Architextures each feature about half trio tracks, with the rest including additional musicians. Since then he's primarily worked in a quartet setting, with other outings including his work with Mike Ladd.

Historicity finds him back in the trio setting, this time without qualification or guest artists. That his playing has changed since his first two releases should come as no surprise, however in looking back his playing now encompasses a lot of the compositional complexity that was heard in his earlier writing for larger ensembles.

His rapport with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore has reached a serene level of fluidity and communication that is the goal of any working ensemble, and the arrangements and improvisations breathe with an assured ease.

The album contains 4 originals and 6 interpretations of others' work, a broad swath of artists from Stevie Wonder to Andrew Hill, Ronnie Foster to Julius Hemphill, MIA to Leonard Bernstein. While the material varies widely in origin the playing of all them is anchored by a strongly rhythmic approach that never wavers - I've always felt Iyer's playing had a strongly percussive element and it is showcased throughout.

That's not to say that melodies aren't featured, but to my ears they're given more equal footing with harmonic and rhythmic considerations. On the cover of MIA's Galang, the rhythmic essence of the song is distilled down to its component parts and then recast with embellishments and bombast, all of it driven by the seemingly endless rhythmic inventiveness of Marcus Gilmore. His snare sounds like its either treated differently than on the rest of the album or maybe layered or replaced by a MIDI triggered sampled snare, and the way he creates and breaks down aspects of what I'd call "momentum" in his playing borders on the mind boggling.

That jazz has a long tradition of interpreting popular music is no secret, but the methodology for doing so has changed over time, and here we can see a fully formed example of what a modern approach. When the popular song was largely a melodic beast, it made sense to recast melodies to shine a light on their slope and texture, to lay them bare without words. Given the immediacy and importance of rhythm in hip-hop, or whatever you'd like to call the eclectic music of MIA, different elements deserve to undergo that process of focus and embellishment.

Along those lines, the covers of songs that could broadly be called "pop" music such as Somewhere, Big Brother, and Mystic Brew, bring all the elements of the song to a level playing field rather than just rehashing the melodic elements. I like to think of the work Iyer is doing here as a re-balancing of the elements of music, and at any time if you hone in on a given area or part, you'll hear it shining without being subservient to another element.

It's a difficult quality to describe but I think it relates to treating each individual component of the trio equally in how each musician participates in every element of the song. Every nook and cranny of texture and feel that can be squeezed out of this trio is found.

There are those rare albums where an artist exceeds all expectations you have based on a love for their previous work. Historicity is one of those albums.

It's hard to believe this is Josh Berman's first release as a leader, but despite any belief otherwise this fact remains. I wonder if it's something in the water in Chicago; Von Freeman managed to make it till the age of 49 before releasing an album as a leader, and Fred Anderson was in his 50s when his first release under his name came out. We should all be grateful Berman didn't wait that long since it's clear from this album that he was more than ready to take on the task.

Old Idea is an album fan's album, a cohesive collection of songs that retain a remarkable flow and continuity. Several times during my first listens I found myself thinking I was still on the first track to find that I was already several tracks in.

That's not to say there isn't a diversity of music expressed within, but the transitions and vibe are so smooth throughout that it's all one journey with various scenery throughout.

The band is made up of: Josh Berman on cornet, Keefe Jackson, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Nori Tanaka on drums.

Berman shows his range as a musician and an improviser, providing thoughtful and lyrical lines mixed with a healthy dose of bends, flurries and malleable textures. His writing draws from a post-bop aesthetic with smattering of the inside-out approach, with the balance tending towards the in. Berman's rapport with Keefe Jackson is apparent throughout, their ability to blend timbres adding an important connection to the proceedings.

Jason Adasiewicz is quickly becoming my favorite "comping" musician in Chicago. I'm an unabashed fan of the vibraphone and his playing continues to provide the glue for so many ensembles that I enjoy hearing around town, with his playing as a common ingredient.

A great debut from Berman, well thought out and performed throughout with moments of transcendence interspersed throughout; Nori Tanaka's mallet work on the eponymous Nori, the three very different takes on Next Year, the balladry of Almost Late that works in a way only great ballads do. There's a lot to hear here and a lot to like.

Berman and his band, minus the deported Nori Tanaka and plus Frank Rosaly in his place, play tonight at the Hideout and Sunday at the Hungry Brain as record release shows.

Anyone in NYC should check Berman's group as part of this year's FONT on June 26th at the Cornelia Street Café.

I must admit to a healthy dose of ignorance in regards to Mr. Giallorenzo's music. I've seen him play a number of times, mostly in improvised settings, but I wouldn't say I was particularly familiar with his compositional voice or work as a leader.

So you can imagine my pleasant surprise to find such a fully formed compositional voice and group approach on his new and (first?) release as a leader.

The band is made up of stalwart Chicago musicians and improvisers, Josh Berman on cornet, Dave Rempis on assorted saxophones, Anton Hatwich on bass and the increasingly ubiquitous (in a good way) Frank Rosaly on drums.

From the patient outset of Vacillation to the Monkesque quirk and bounce of Twisted Lopes, Giallorenzo has created an impressive batch of music with impressive depth and breadth. The album title is certainly fitting, as this is an inside/out affair with healthy doses of melody, composition, textural and timbral exploration. Overall I'd say the balance leans towards the in-side of the equation however.

Get In To Go Out provides some fantastic opportunities to hear Chicago improvisers at their best: Josh Berman's ever developing clarity of vision and direction is displayed on Fifth Flow; Dave Rempis provides some of the most explosive moments on the album on Crazy Ladies and Double Team; and Giallorenzo evinces a deft touch and impeccable sense of swing throughout the album. Most of all, his compositional voice is revelatory in the context of my ignorance of his work.

Without a doubt the album comes highly recommended and I hope this group gets heard by audiences outside of Chicago.

For those in Chicago, the Get In To Go Out band plays this Thursday at 10:00PM at Elastic, 2830 N Milwaukee. Go check them out.

Although this album wasn't paired with any specific drink, but rather quite a few, I'm going to review a favorite that was sipped on several listening occasions. Yogi Ginger Tea is the most potent of commercially available bagged teas, with a strong spice if brewed long enough. Ginger is a magical rhizome with healing properties, is beneficial for digestion, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and is chock full of anti-oxidants. For me, no ginger drink is potent enough and nothing can stand in the way of me and a proper ginger product.

Nels Cline's latest release on Cryptogramophone, Coward, is an expansive guitar/stringed instrument tour de force of solo musical vision. What it lacks in single minded cohesion it makes up for in schizophrenic breadth, and through the magic of studio technology we get to hear multiple Nels Clines interacting with himself with incredible results.

Coward is less like a continent, or even a discreet country, and more like an archipelago or collection of islands. The natives on each might look the same in physical appearance, but each has a different word for mango in their dialect, their own customs and beliefs, and certainly their own musical approaches. The six track Onan suite is the largest island amongst them, with the most expansive historical literature and the most robust economic activity.

To give you an idea of what kind of diversity we're dealing with here, certain on Coward tracks would be at home on a Pauline Oliveros deep listening excursion while others seem to dance in a Frisellian shadow of ghostly reverb laden Americana.

As you might expect from previous work, Nels Cline is comfortable with a wide variety of timbres, textures, and sounds and uses them all to paint his vivid picture. On the alubm he plays: acoustic & electric guitars, effects, sruti boxes, autoharp/zitherthings, megamouth, koassilator, and the ever elusive quintronics drum buddy.

This is music to commute by, preferably on a train or crowded bus. It's great walking music as well. If I had to describe the album in a single word, an undoubtedly futile exercise on my part, I would say Coward is hypnotic.

I paired Coward with a loose leaf blend of Monk's tea, which is a ceylon black tea blended with vanilla and grenadine. It's a very smooth taste if you don't over steep it. A cup provides just the right amount of mental edge from caffeine as I'd hoped, and the aroma is heavenly. It's delicious hot but also makes some of the tastiest iced tea I've ever had. I think it went remarkably well with Coward although depending on the setting a nice jasmine would have been nice.

For your listening pleasure, posted with the generous permission of Cryptogramophone, I give you:

Prayer Wheel

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