Tony Monaco
Fiery Blues
Want some virtuoso B-3 action, packed with bluesy grooves, with swing that never lets up for a beat? Here you go. Tony Monaco has emerged as one of the true masters of all things having to do with the Hammond, and even though his technique is unbelievable, it’s the heart and soul he puts into this awesome trio recording that really comes through. Tony is ably assisted on vocals by Willie Pouch and on sax by Gene Walker, in a variety of trio settings. Tony tells us that he recorded everything on the “new” Hammond B-3, with the same innards as the Porta-B we reviewed in the Nov. ’04 issue — the sound is awesome, and you’ll definitely hear some new B-3 tricks from this old dawg. ERNIE RIDEOUT
Summit Records
Gabriel & Dresden
Bloom
This two-CD opus contains original tracks from Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden’s various projects, including Andain and the chart-topping Motorcycle. The G&D sound is becoming a quickly identifiable pastiche of trancey atmospherics, progressive house beats, and percolating morphed synths, with a smattering of catchy retronica bass and leads . These elements are put to terrific use in Andain’s lovely cover of Depeche Mode’s “Here Is The House” and Josh’s own original, “Alive” with its lush layers of sensitive vocals. Sprinkled throughout the original songs are tracks from Josh & Dave’s current fave artists, including an indelible house-meets-trance hybrid — “Forward” by Michael Burns. If uptempo prog house is your bag, add Bloom to this year’s satchel. FRANCIS PREVE
Nettwerk America
Yesterdays New Quintet
Stevie
From boutique funk label Stone’s Throw comes the second YNQ CD, a post-millenial instrumental tribute to Stevie Wonder. Producer Madlib utilizes vintage sounds, employing the tasteful Joe McDuphrey on keys. On songs like “Visions” and “Superwoman,” McDuphrey shines with supple Rhodes work over an organic rhythm section. Madlib is as much a sound editor as he is producer, chopping up the organic funk while creating a laid back flow that runs through the entire album. While Wonder isn’t the easiest artist to cover, YNQ do an admirable job getting their groove on and toasting one of the greatest living soul singer/songwriters. Stevie is a joint from Mahib that’s well worth adding to your collection. ROBBIE GENNET
Stones Throw Records
Jose Lugo
Piano Con Mata
This debut release from Puerto Rican keyboardist Lugo knocks my socks off. His music spans the stylistic gamut from Latin jazz to funk and pop, and he beautifully melds exquisitely programmed and played vintage synth, Rhodes, and Hammond organ timbres with more traditional acoustic piano, Afro-Caribbean percussion, flamenco guitar, brass, bass, and drums to forge hot and spicy instrumentals reminiscent of Chick Corea’s My Spanish Heart. Not only does Lugo quote some greats — George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks Works,” and “Duke Ellington’s “Take the Coltrane” — but he also demonstrates great compositional skills and is joined by some of Puerto Rico’s finest. MARK VAIL
Bronco Records
Antanas Jasenka
An Artist and a Plane
Aficionados of experimental music only need apply here. Jasenka takes the listener on an aural voyage of eerie electronically produced timbres and heavily processed found sounds that surround spoken lyrics in different languages. The pace is slow and the trip often disturbed by unexpected sonics that jar the senses. Five tracks feature the voice of Rita Marija Malikonyte’s reading of her poem Artac, which concerns the transmission of sound. Track 6 is a 20-minute tribute to an ancient tradition of Lithuanian folk singing called “sutartines.” The ensemble Trys Keturiose provided vocal samples, which Jasenka has seriously processed and deeply encased in electroacoustic tones. Multiple listenings may be required before Jasenka’s music grows appealing. MARK VAIL
Electroshock Records
Lafayette Gilchrist
The Music According to
Baltimore-based pianist Lafayette Gilchrist makes his recording debut with this post-jazz platter, and he’s created a beautiful and very funky album. A self-described “child of hip-hop,” Gilchrist didn’t start playing piano until he was 17, and then found he couldn’t stop. This horn-drenched album showcases Gilchrist’s original compositions as well as his adventurous piano playing, a bumping cross between Thelonious Monk and Joe Sample that achieves nirvana both rhythmically and melodically. There is a slight dissonance in Gilchrist’s work, giving a sense of mystery and tension on songs like “The Return of Jes Grew,” which features one of his more challenging piano solos. Gilchrist’s debut is a bold leap into the postmodern world of jazz that succeeds on all counts. ROBBIE GENNET
Hyena Records
Wayne Horvitz & Robin Holcomb
Solos
Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb — the legendary husband-and-wife team that has had such an impact on extemporaneous music since the early ’80s — take turns improvising on this hour-long solo piano recording. The equipment: a lone Steinway D, a small auditorium, and a high-definition DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording system — no mixer, no edits. The music is generally sparse and contemplative, but not too sparse or contemplative. It’s a relaxed listen that touches on free jazz, polytonal hymnsong, traditional jazz (there’s a nice version of “Stars Fell On Alabama”), and postmodern classicism, without really being any of those. CARL LUMMA
Songline Recordings
Claire Ritter
Greener Than Blue
This is clearly jazz, but it’s a little more creative than “straight ahead” might allow. Ritter flirts with some angular, off-kilter material reminiscent of Thelonious Monk, but with smoothness and softness completely unlike Monk. Several tunes employ Latin dance idioms. Five of the album’s 17 tracks are piano solos; five are by the Newest Trio, with Bob Weiner’s drums and Stan Strickland’s woodwinds on either side of Ritter’s piano; six are duos comprised of Newest members, or Ritter with Todd Low’s viola or erhu, a Chinese bowed string instrument. The final cut is an erhu solo. CARL LUMMA
Zoning Records