Brief Notes On New Jazz Releases

What has gone wrong with this country? A president tried to overthrow the government, aided by armed white supremacist groups, and a significant number of citizens still support him. The illegitimate Supreme Court has decided to do its part to aid the gun nuts, destroy the environment and take away women’s rights. And there have been more than three hundred mass shootings this year, a year that is only half over. What the hell? We look around, and the country isn’t even recognizable anymore. More and more, I am leaning on music to get me through the day. Fortunately, artists are continuing to release excellent albums. Here are some brief notes on a few new jazz releases you might be interested in checking out.

Beverly Church Hogan: “Sweet Invitation” – Vocalist Beverly Church Hogan put out her debut album in 2019, and is now following it up with Sweet Invitation, supposedly at the age of 86 (though I don’t buy that for a second; just look at the photo on the cover; she’s gorgeous). Joining her on this release are John Proulx on piano, Bob Sheppard on saxophone, Grant Geissman on guitar, Lyman Medeiros on bass, Clayton Cameron on drums, Dean Koba on drums, and Kevin Winard on percussion.  And the album was produced by Mark Winkler. She opens the album with a fun rendition of “Don’cha Go ‘Way Mad,” featuring a playful and seductive vocal performance, as well as a groovy lead on bass. There are a couple of short percussion solos in the second half. She follows that with a delightful take on “Falling In Love With Love.” Here her performance begins with a sense of intimacy, supported by excellent work on bass, and it grows from there. This track also features really good leads on both saxophone and guitar. There is more excellent work on saxophone on “Here’s That Rainy Day,” the instrument setting the mood. That’s followed by “I Got Lost In His Arms,” Beverly Church Hogan delivering a beautiful, moving vocal performance. This track also includes some wonderful and pretty work on piano. Another of the disc’s highlights is “I’m Foolin’ Myself,” mainly because of her vocal performance. This sort of song is where she especially shines, where she can be playful, and both vulnerable and wise. She just completely nails it. And check out that work on drums. On “When October Goes,” Beverly Church Hogan is at first supported by some gentle, beautiful work on piano. The other musicians come in after a minute and a half or so, and still it is the piano and the vocals that have our focus. The album then concludes with “Why Try To Change Me Now,” which begins with some excellent and expressive work on saxophone. “Don’t you remember I was always your clown/Why, why try to change me now?” This album was released on June 10, 2022.

Minas: “Beatles In Bossa” – Minas is led by the duo of Orlando Haddad and Patricia King. While they are known for their songwriting as well as their vocal work, on their new album they cover some of their favorite Beatles songs. They open the album with an interesting rendition of “Blackbird,” which begins as you might expect any version to, with vocals and some pretty work on guitar. Then comes that Brazilian rhythm, and the track grows from there, and includes an extended instrumental section. The track then concludes with that familiar guitar part. That’s followed by “Come Together,” the drums starting this one before the vocals and other instruments come in. The rhythm of this one works so well, with a hint of funk, helping to make this track one of the disc’s highlights. And check out that lead on saxophone. They then deliver a rather gentle rendition of “She Loves You,” with Patricia King Haddad on lead vocals. Minas clearly has a good time with “Day Tripper,” delivering a fun version that swings and grooves, particularly during that delicious jam. Jordan Haddad takes lead vocal duties on a breezy rendition of “I Will.” Another of the disc’s highlights is “Eleanor Rigby,” which works incredibly well with this approach. This is one of the best renditions of “Eleanor Rigby” I’ve heard. That’s followed by the most interesting song choice of the album, “Within You Without You.” And it is on this track that the musicians have a chance to explore, to get a bit loose. This version is nearly ten minutes long, and contains different sections, including some pretty wild moments. It is, for me, another of the highlights, and I would have enjoyed another ten minutes of it. The album concludes with a rendition of “Get Back” that cooks, moves with a certain joy, the drums and percussion propelling everyone forward. The musicians on this album are Orlando Haddad on vocals, guitar and berimbau; Patricia King Haddad on vocals, piano and keyboards; Jim Stager on acoustic bass and electric bass; Tom Cohen on drums; John Swana on electronic valve instrument, flugelhorn and trumpet; Andrew Neu on saxophone and flute; Cyro Baptista on percussion and berimbau; Jordan Haddad on vocals; and Rob Hyman on accordion. This album was released on May 26, 2022.

Randy Napoleon: “Puppets: The Music Of Gregg Hill” – This is an interesting album, presenting musical depictions of puppets, composed by Gregg Hill and arranged by guitarist Randy Napoleon, with vocal work by Aubrey Johnson. The album opens with “Andy’s Lament,” which features some sweet vocal work as it begins, before settling into a cool groove. Then it is Randy Napoleon’s guitar that takes focus, with Rodney Whitaker’s groovy bass work supporting him. Whitaker then delivers an excellent lead in the track’s second half. Then “Fan-O-Gram” begins with a short drum solo. This track features Will Crandell on drums, and Brandon Rose on bass. It moves at a good pace, with Randy Napoleon’s guitar seeming to dance. Rick Roe also delivers a wonderful lead on piano, and there is a longer drum solo toward the end, which I love. “Lyrica” has an easygoing vibe, like a nice summer breeze, and features some really nice work by Quincy Davis on drums, as well as a great lead on guitar. “Puppets,” the album’s title track, features lyrics written by Randy Napoleon. Here is a taste: “Watch them dance like puppets on a string/Hypnotized by their own suffering/They think they’re warriors/Not merely puppets/They think their thoughts are free/Not pulled by strings.” Those are some good lyrics. I wonder what people he had in mind while writing those lines. For me, the people who took part in the insurrection on January 6th leap to mind. This track also features a seriously good lead on bass, as well as more great work on guitar. Then I love the way “Still Life With Tuba” builds, particularly the journey the guitar takes us on in the track’s first half, while the rhythm creates an exciting atmosphere. “The Unknown Ballade” also contains lyrics by Randy Napoleon, as well as some nice work by Seth Ebersole on bass clarinet. “Is it real or just illusion?” Aubrey Johnson asks in this one. Gregg Hill wrote the lyrics for “Truck Driver’s Blues,” which has a very different feel from the rest of the tracks, this one dipping into the country realm. Aubrey Johnson delivers a wonderful vocal performance. The disc then concludes with “Wide River,” presented as a duet with guitar and vocals, the lyrics composed by Randy Napoleon. “No fears or cares can stop this wide river/Headed to the sea.” This album was released on May 20, 2022.

Dan Olivo: “Day By Day” – Often these days I look to music to raise my spirits, and vocalist Dan Olivo’s debut album does so from its very beginning. It opens with the album’s title track, which features some wonderful work on saxophone. Backing Olivo on this release are Ian Robbins on guitar, Lyman Medeiros on bass and ukulele, Joe Bagg on piano and organ, Kevin Winard on drums and percussion, Kyle O’Donnell on tenor saxophone and flute, Jamelle Adisa on trumpet, and Garrett Smith on trombone. Dan Olivo follows “Day By Day” with an unusual and cool rendition of “I’m Walkin’” (yes, the Fats Domino song), which features some great touches by the brass section and also the organ, working like responses to Dan Olivo’s vocals. This track also contains an excellent lead on guitar. There is a whole lot of joy to the playing here, helping to make this track one of my personal favorites. Olivo then changes gears with a really nice rendition of “It Had To Be You,” which contains one of the disc’s best vocal performances, as well as some delicious work on drums. Another highlight is the ridiculously cool version of “Time After Time.” Dig that bass! And Dan Olivo’s energetic performance is delightful. Then Renee Myara Cibelli joins him on vocals for “It’s Only A Paper Moon,” a track that also features some sweet work on piano. I’m also extremely fond of Dan Olivo’s rendition of “Sway,” which turns the whole world into a dance floor. And when you think things just couldn’t get any better, these musicians give us a completely enjoyable rendition of “How Come You Do Me Like You Do?” I especially love Dan Olivo’s playful vocal performance here. And the song takes us deeper into New Orleans territory as it goes, so how could you do anything but love it? This disc also contains an excellent version of “Come By Me” that contains some delightful surprises, then wraps up with a gentle rendition of “All The Way” that features some nice work on piano. This album is scheduled to be released on July 8, 2022.

Patrisha Thomson: “Wild Is The Wind” – Vocalist Patrisha Thomson delivers wonderful renditions of some classic material on her new album, Wild Is The Wind. She kicks off the album with a delightful version of “In A Mellow Tone,” written by Duke Ellington and Milt Gabler. When she sings, “Everything’s okay/The livelong day,” I believe her. How can the country be such a mess when songs like this are being sung? Ken Wild delivers a cool bass line, and there is some great play between Ira Nepus on trombone and Tom Peterson on tenor saxophone. Patrisha Thomson herself gets playful on certain lines, such as “From an old trombone/Or a saxophone” (lines that come soon after that great section of trombone and sax) and “You play it sweet/You play it hot.” This track ought to lift your spirits, not always an easy feat in these uncertain times. She then offers a beautiful vocal performance on “Dindi,” which also features some pretty work by Steve Rawlins on piano and a sweet lead on guitar by Grant Geissman. Things then start to groove and swing with a fun rendition of “Route 66,” which features Mon David joining Patrisha Thomson on vocals. They both engage in some delightful scat in the track’s second half, and then riff together about traveling across the country. Gears change again for a gorgeous rendition of the title track, featuring Scott Mayo on flute. The brass section is then at the center of “There Is No Greater Love,” with Scott Mayo again on flute, Tom Peterson on saxophone, Michael Stever on trumpet, and Ira Nepus on trombone. This track also features some great stuff from Jennifer Leitham on bass, and Bob Leatherbarrow on drums. “Just Squeeze Me” is another of the disc’s highlights, in part because of Ken Wild’s work on bass, but mainly because of Patrisha Thomson’s wonderful vocal performance. She completely owns this one. “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” is another of the album’s delights, featuring some excellent work on piano and guitar, and a delicious vocal performance. “Frim Fram Sauce” is also a lot of fun. While most of the material here is at least fifty years old, Patrisha Thomson concludes the album with an original composition, “The Happy Birthday Song,” a short piece that starts off sweetly and then wraps up with an island vibe, featuring the brass section. This album is scheduled to be released on CD on July 11, 2022 (and was released digitally last year).