Brief Notes On New Jazz Releases

We are approaching the end of another strange and trying year. If it weren’t for musicians, how would we deal with the rampant craziness and stupidity? I really don’t know. Here are notes on a few new jazz releases you might be interested in checking out.

Acute Inflections: “Let Go” – The new album from the duo of vocalist Elasea Douglas and bassist Sadiki Pierre features a good mix of pop songs, along with a couple of original compositions. They open the disc with a delicious rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” a song providing that needed dose of optimism. And there is joy in their performance, heard especially on lines like “Never saw the sun shining so bright/Never saw things going so right/Noticing the days hurrying by/When you’re in love, my how they fly.” And I like how the bass solo becomes playful, and how Elasea Douglas gives us a bit of vocal riffing toward the end of the track. They follow that with a cover of Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” a song not often covered by jazz artists. This is a rather thoughtful rendition, and I like this approach, which gives me a new appreciation for the song. The title track is one of the album’s two original compositions, a piece that eases in on bass before Elasea Douglas comes in to deliver an honest, intimate vocal performance. Check out these lines: “Seems like life will do what it will/Even though we dig our heels deeper in/Water falls passing day after day/Smoothing every stone that’s in its way.” As she repeats the song’s title line, the song becomes beautiful. There is a second version of “Let Go” at the end of the album, titled “Let Go Remix.” The other original song is “Only Together,” a song of hope and love and community. Here are the song’s opening lines: “In times like these, we need each other/Our love creates strength, but only together/Remember, we’re sisters and brothers/And we will rise, but only together.” Another line that stands out is “Desperate times show the best and the worst of us all.” Indeed. They also deliver a moving, powerful, soulful rendition of Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come.” And their version of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” is both inspired and inspiring. We need music like this to help lift us up. Another of the disc’s highlight is the gorgeous and cheerful rendition of “What A Wonderful World,” which begins with some beautiful work on bass. This album was released on November 11, 2022.

Kirsten Lambert: “From A Window To A Screen” – The debut album from vocalist Kirsten Lambert caught my attention because of the involvement of Chris Stamey. Stamey produced the album, and wrote all of its material. Many of these songs were previously heard on his 2019 two-disc release New Songs For The 20th Century, including the first track, “What Is This Music That I Hear?” Kirsten Lambert’s vocals have a soothing quality. “Each time I find you standing there/What is this music that I hear?/I heard it whispered in a dream/Seductive, yet serene/But never have I heard it in daylight.” “Seductive, yet serene” is also a good way to describe her vocal performance on this track. There is also some good work on bass. On this album, John Brown is on acoustic bass, Jim Crew is on piano, Will Campbell is on saxophone, Dan Davis is on drums, Bill Frisell is on guitar, and Scott Sawyer is on guitar. There are also several guests on various tracks. Kirsten Lambert creates a wonderfully romantic atmosphere for “On An Evening Such As This,” with Julian Lambert joining her on piano. “On an evening such as this, there’s magic everywhere.” Oh yes, the music carries that sense of magic, and so we wish to immerse ourselves in it. Then “The Woman Who Walks The Sea” features a string section, which has its own type of magic. “Occasional Shivers” features a moving vocal performance. This song was included on New Songs For The 20th Century, where Nnenna Freelon provided the vocals, and also on Stamey’s 2013 album Lovesick Blues, with Stamey himself on vocals. “Song For Johnny Cash” is a song that was previously included on Here And Now, a 2009 album by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey. Kirsten Lambert does a beautiful job with it, this track also featuring some memorable work on strings. “When the walls close in on me/You make me believe.” And then that saxophone is just perfect. “There’s Not A Cloud In The Sky” is a bright, cheerful, fun number, with Kirsten singing, “Let lightning come as it may/I’ll be safe in your arms.” That’s followed by “From A Window To A Screen,” which dates all the way back to the second album from The dB’s, Repercussion. For this new version, the pace is slowed somewhat, and the tone is a bit darker, which works really well. That’s followed by “There’s A Love,” a song Chris Stamey included on his 2004 album Travels In The South. This new rendition has a sweeter, more intimate sound, and features an excellent vocal performance. And this new version of “27 Years In A Single Day” has a more pleasant, relaxed vibe, and features some really nice work on piano. I’ve always loved the line, “Guess we ran out of things not to say.” This album was released on October 28, 2022.

John Paul McGee: “Gospejazzical Vol. 1” – We are getting into the holiday season (whether we are ready or not), and it seems the perfect time to dig into some warm jazz gospel music. Pianist John Paul McGee offers some beautiful, uplifting music on this album. It is a live album, and he is joined by Joel Powell on bass, and Tyson Jackson on drums. The album opens with “Wonderful Is Your Name,” this rendition having a joyous excitement in certain sections, particularly in his piano work. It then gets softer in moments, only to then be able to build again. That is followed by “I Am Amazed,” here delivered as a solo piano piece. That then leads to “Amazing Grace,” which contains an opening section before getting to that familiar main theme. On this track, Michael Walton joins the trio on saxophone, and it is that instrument that provides the main voice. And it is that instrument that first gets loose. But it is that lead on bass in the second half that I dig most. And then things get deliciously wild toward the end of this one, before then settling down for its gentle conclusion. Another highlight is “Here’s To Life,” which opens with a powerful burst of strings, the string arrangement by Roy Cotton. And on this one, the trio is also joined by vocalist Wendi Henderson-Wyatt. “I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets/For I have learned that all you give is all you get/So give it all you’ve got.” In those early moments, her vocal performance is supported by piano. Then the strings, bass and drums return. This track features some beautiful work on piano. “The Manifest Overture” is a pretty piano solo, which leads into “Manifest,” an original composition by John Paul McGee and Jonathan Nelson, featuring more gorgeous and moving work on piano. There is a good deal of passion in the performance, and this track is one of my favorites. Then we get a chance to hear John Paul McGree’s voice on a really nice rendition of “Sometimes Today Seems Like Yesterday.” One of the most joyful tracks is “When We All Get To Heaven,” which is a delight and features some great stuff on bass, keeping the pace lively. And there is even a drum solo, which I love. Then Amber Bullock delivers a powerful vocal performance on “A City Called Heaven,” accompanied only by John Paul McGee on piano. She stays for “Heaven,” in which she sings, “Now that it’s over/There’s no more room for guns and war.” That song was written by Benjamin Winans and Brian Keith Thomas. Zebulan Ellis joins the trio on vocals for “Book Of Life,” delivering a joyful performance. And things get seriously good on the disc’s closing number, “The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow,” with Kenneth Lowe on vocals. What a delicious groove! And the sax returns. Everything is working here, the music seeming able to get all who hear it to dance their way straight into the heavens. This album was released on October 28, 2022.

Yola Nash: “Manhattan Whispers” – Yola Nash is a singer and composer from Poland, now based in New York. Her third album features excellent original material. It opens with its title track, “Manhattan Whispers,” which begins with some good work by Dave Baron on bass before Yola Nash’s seductive voice enters. The chorus is wonderfully catchy, with a certain pop appeal. “If you want to love me, if you want to love me/If you want to hold me again/If you want to love me, if you want to love me/Then, baby, just come home.” This track also features some good work by Edsel Gomez on piano, and by Alex Meixner on accordion. Then on “Lovers In Paris,” her vocal performance is sexy, and the rhythm is nearly as seductive as her voice. Who could deny her request when she sings “Come dance with me in Paris/All night long/Come dance with me in Paris/‘Til we see the break of dawn”? It feels like she and the group are engaged in a dance as they deliver this song. “Still Love You” has a familiar Latin vibe. And everyone has been able to relate to these lines: “And everything I do reminds me of you/And every song I hear somehow relates to you.” “World On Fire” begins with some somber, beautiful work on piano. It feels like she is opening herself up as she sings the song’s opening lines, “My world was on fire/No one could save me but you.” She sounds so vulnerable, so honest. The song soon kicks in, taking on a Latin rhythm, and there is a delightful joy to her performance then, which we can’t help but feel ourselves. “Pray For Love” is a fun, cheerful number that features some good work on drums. “Angel’s Tears” is a moving and effective piece, though Yola Nash’s voice gets a bit too breathy at certain moments near the beginning. “Angel’s tears will wash away/And I will love again/And I will love again.” What I love most about this track is Graham Keir’s guitar work, which creates an interesting and also soothing atmosphere. Yola Nash then gets a bit playful with her vocal work on “So In Love,” and the song is totally enjoyable as a result. “Truth Tango” is the only track on the album not co-written by Yola Nash. This one was composed by Fella Cederbaum. “No need to watch the news/Get out your dancing shoes.” Oh yes. This track is a delight. The album then concludes with “Wonderful Life,” leaving us with an optimistic and positive sense of the world. And what more could we ask for? “There is no need to lie/There is no need to hide/It’s such a wonderful, a wonderful life.” The ending couldn’t be sweeter or more adorable. This album was released on September 16, 2022.

Jim Self: “My America 2: Destinations” – In 2003, tuba player Jim Self released My America, and in January he’ll be putting out its sequel, My America 2: Destinations, featuring covers of songs about various places in this strange country of ours, along with one original composition. The disc gets off to an absolutely wonderful start with “Chicago,” which has a delightful Dixieland sound as it begins and soon starts swinging, as Jim Self takes the first lead of the piece. Seriously, it is a joy to listen to this. The music then takes a completely different turn with a cover of Jimmy Webb’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” featuring some nice work by Ron Stout on flugelhorn. Then we get “Kansas City,” which is actually two songs with that title. I was only familiar with the Lieber/Stoller one, but apparently there is a song with that title in the musical Oklahoma! This track eases in, but then starts to rock once we get to the Lieber/Stoller “Kansas City,” featuring some good work by both John Chiodini and Steve Fister on guitar. There is also some lively work by Phil Feather on alto saxophone. And of course Jim Self delivers on the tuba. Then Bill Cunliffe is featured on both melodica and piano on Billy Joel’s “New York State Of Mind.” And on this track Jim Self plays Fluba. There is some passionate playing on this track, making it a highlight. “King Of Route 66” is a combination of two songs, “King Of The Road” and “Route 66.” It begins with a cool rendition of “King Of The Road” that includes finger snaps, then soon jumps into “Route 66,” and things just somehow get even cooler. This is a delicious track, one that should get you smiling and hopping around. And when a track is this cool, it absolutely must include a bass solo. Not only that, but there is a wonderful section where the bass and tuba dance together. This disc also includes a fun rendition of “I Love L.A.” It’s odd hearing an instrumental rendition (or nearly instrumental rendition) of this song, and I’m not sure the sense of humor comes through as clearly, but I dig it. Another delight is “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” which features some wonderful work from both Jim Self on tuba and Phil Feather on alto saxophone. I also really like Bill Cunliffe’s hopping work on piano. One of the most playful tracks on this release is “Washington Postmodern,” which begins with a bit of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (it is still damn near impossible to not think of 2001: A Space Odyssey when hearing this).  Then it goes into a cool, slow, kind of pretty rendition of “Washington Post March” (which makes me think of a lot of different films, including Animals House). Soon the tune takes on a Latin beat, and just takes off from there. That’s followed by a beautiful rendition of “Georgia On My Mind.” The album wraps up with its original number, “S.L.O. Blues,” with Jim Self on Fluba. This is a funky tune celebrating San Luis Obispo, California, and featuring a good solo by Ken Wild on electric bass. This album is scheduled to be released on January 6, 2023.